JANUARY 20, 2011 • THE CAMPUS NEWSPAPER OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE SINCE 1881 • VOLUME 133, ISSUE 14
PHOENIX
St. Vincent
Inside: Dining Services cancels weekday ML breakfast Six sophomores named Lang Scholars Grammy nominated flutist performs
&
Mayer Hawthorne Saturday’s Large-Scale Event boasts indie and up-and-coming artists, p. 8 NEWS YOU CAN TRUST. DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. THURSDAY MORNINGS. SUBSCRIBE AT: WWW.SWARTHMOREPHOENIX.COM/HEADLINES
The Phoenix
Thursday, January 20, 2011 Volume 133, Issue 14
The independent campus newspaper of Swarthmore College since 1881. EDITORIAL BOARD Camila Ryder Editor in Chief Marcus Mello Managing Editor Menghan Jin News Editor Adam Schlegel Assistant News Editor Susana Meideros Living & Arts Editor Dina Zingaro Living & Arts Editor Olivia Natan Opinions Editor Paul Chung Photo Editor Allegra Pocinki Photo Editor Julia Karpati Graphics Editor Peter Akkies Director of Web Development Eric Sherman Director of Web Development
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16 Allegra Pocinki Phoenix Staff
Jordan Federer hits a free throw in the Garnet’s “White Out” game against rival Haverford. The Garnet lost 74-52.
News Weekday Mary Lyon breakfast cut Beginning this spring, Dining Services has removed the weekday continental breakfast at Mary Lyon residence hall, replacing it with a Sunday hot breakfast option. PAGE 3
With grant, Bayer seeks more diversity Assistant Professor of Economics, Amanda Bayer, has been awarded a pedagogy grant by the Consortium on High Achievement and Success. PAGE 4
LSE hosts artists Mayor Hawthorne and St. Vincent This year’s Large Scale Event (LSE) will host artists Mayer Hawthorne and St. Vincent Saturday the 22nd in LPAC at 7:30 p.m., in a combination of motown and alternative/indie music. PAGE 8
The Green Hornet overstuffed, underdone
is
Michel Gondry’s latest movie, featuring Seth Rogen, does not live up to his previous works. Instead, it plotlessly lumbers through 108 minutes. PAGE 9
should proceed with the sale of state-owned liquor stores in order to lessen the state deficit but should add provisions to retain living-wage jobs. PAGE 13
Eva: No place I’d rather be black than in America Eva compares current attitudes towards race in the US to expatriates of the 1920’s, concluding that the US retains the potential to reach racial equality and tolerance. PAGE 14
Sports
One of the last original shows hangs by a thread Exploring the bond Fringe is sci-fi’s true Lost successor, feaSix sophomores named turing geeky fun and parallel universes as between fan and athlete Hannah takes a look at the connection well as excellent acting. PAGE 10 Lang Opportunity Scholars between fan and athlete and argues that Six sophomores were named Eugene M. Lang Opportunity scholars, receiving up to Alum gives life to non-profit social media has contributed to this comfortable relationship. PAGE 15 $10,000 to fund a service project of their design. Meet the scholars and read about “theatre laboratory” Theatre major graduate Jon Stancato ’02 Swimming looks to build on their projects. PAGE 5 founds PlayGround, a new theater initiative appending his Stolen Chair Theater promising first half
Living & Arts
Company. PAGE 10
founded a choir that has inspired a promising arts school, Chester Upland School of the Arts. PAGE 7
Steve Dean to teach you how to protect your information. PAGE 11
Multi Grammy nominee performs at Lang Hall
Opinions
After returning from their annual Puerto Rico trip, the swim teams are looking to continue with their successful seasons. PAGE 15
STAFF Jeff Davidson In-Depth Reporter Navin Sabharwal News Writer Sera Jeong Living & Arts Writer Timothy Bernstein Film Critic Steve Dean Living & Arts Columnist Alex Israel Living & Arts Columnist Ariel Swyer Living & Arts Columnist Naia Poyer Artist Ben Schneiderman Crossword Writer Tyler Becker Opinions Columnist Eva McKend Opinions Columnist Emma Waitzman Artist Ana Apostoleris Sports Writer Daniel Duncan Sports Writer Renee Flores Sports Writer Timothy Bernstein Sports Columnist Hannah Purkey Sports Columnist Renee Flores Copy Editor Lauren Kim Copy Editor Susanna Pretzer Copy Editor Jakob Mrozewski Photographer Eric Verhasselt Photographer BUSINESS STAFF Ian Anderson Director of Business Development Patricia Zarate Circulation Manager GRAPHICS Julia Karpati Cover Design Parker Murray Layout Assistant CONTRIBUTORS Patrick Ammerman, Renu Nadkarni OPINIONS BOARD Camila Ryder, Marcus Mello, Olivia Natan EDITORS’ PICKS PHOTOS COURTESY OF: (clockwise from top left): http://pressthat.wordpress.com/2007/10/, http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=17 5935162442359, http://www.swarthmore. edu/x27080.xml, http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/pizza2.html TO ADVERTISE: E-mail: advertising@swarthmorephoenix.com Advertising phone: (610) 328-7362 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Direct advertising requests to Camila Ryder. The Phoenix reserves the right to refuse any advertising. Advertising rates subject to change. CONTACT INFORMATION Offices: Parrish Hall 470-472 E-mail: editor@swarthmorephoenix.com Newsroom phone: (610) 328-8172 Address: The Phoenix, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Web site: www.swarthmorephoenix.com Mail subscriptions are available for $60 a year or $35 a semester. Direct subscription requests to Camila Ryder. The Phoenix is printed at Bartash Printing, Inc. The Phoenix is a member of the Associated College Press and the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. All contents copyright © 2011 The Phoenix. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission.
New year, new threats: your information safe Swat music professor keep Remember that comment you left on somefounds choir, aids Chester one’s Live Journal eight years ago? Back from break, Garnet Associate Professor of Music John Alston Probably not; but the Internet does. Allow women drop two
Carlos Nakai, known for his mastery of the Native American flute, performed a diverse set of arrangements at Lang Concert Hall on Tuesday. PAGE 8
2
Though the women’s basketball team picked up four wins over break, it lost its two most recent games to Gettysburg and Haverford. PAGE 16
Men’s basketball loses to Haverford, 74-52 Privatize liquor stores but rival The Garnet could not pick up a second consecutive win against the Haverford Fords, retain workers’ rights Governor Corbett and the State Legislature
dropping to 5-11 on the season. PAGE 16
January 20, 2011
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events menu Today NinjaGram Interest Meeting Get involved with NinjaGram 2011: Love Takes You By Surprise by delivering, making and selling NinjaGrams for this Valentine’s Day. Come out to the interest meeting in the Parrish Parlors at 7 p.m.
Weekday Mary Lyon breakfast cut
Tomorrow Nationalism, Anarchism, Reform: Understanding Political Islam from the Inside Out History professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, James Gelvin, will be holding a lunchtime talk that will aim to lay out a framework for understanding a political and diverse Islam. His talk will begin at 12:30 p.m. in Sci 101. Tu B’shvat Seder Join members of Hillel in Bond Hall at 7 p.m. as they celebrate Tu B’shvat Seder, the Jewish Birthday of the trees, and rejoice in the abundant gifts of the natural world. A variety of fruit, nuts and chocolate will be provided; Shabbat dinner will follow. Saturday, January 22nd SPC 2011 Kickoff The Swarthmore Progressive Christians are kicking off the year with food and fellowship in Bond Hall at 5:30 p.m. Come to share Winter Break stories and learn about upcoming SPC events. LSE Concert The Fall Large-Scale Event presenting Mayer Hawthorne and St. Vincent will be held in LPAC. Wristbands will be distributed in Parrish Parlors starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday and LPAC doors open at 7:30 p.m. Food, drink and large bags will not be allowed inside. Sunday, January 24th Job Searching in a Challenging Economy Need help finding a job for postSwarthmore? Career services will be available at 12:30 p.m. in Sci 199 for seniors who want advice about this process. First Student Council Meeting Come and listen in on the first Student Council meeting of the semester at 8 p.m. in the Parrish Parlors. Snacks will be provided. Monday, January 23rd Swarthmore College Passport Day The Philadelphia Passport Agency invites all students, faculty, and family members to submit an application for a U.S. Passport on campus. No appointments are necessary. To participate, head over to the Swarthmore OffCampus Study Office in the Cunningham House on Monday from 1-3:30 p.m. E-mail submissions for the events menu to news@swarthmorephoenix.com
tHe PHOenIX
Paul Chung Phoenix Staff
The Mary Lyon breakfast room has grown increasingly unused during weekdays over the past few years, resulting in repeated cutbacks of the dorm’s breakfast program. BY ADAM SCHLEGEL aschleg1@swarthmore.edu
“Imagine the tagline, ‘Great rooms, private bathrooms, minimal critters’ ... and then add ‘not suggested for anyone hungry in the morning,’” Jonathan Gluck ’12 said in an e-mail discussing the recent removal of the weekday continental breakfast program at the Mary Lyon residence hall. Beginning this semester, Dining Services has discontinued the weekday continental breakfast program at the off-campus Mary Lyon dorm, replacing it with a weekly Sunday breakfast option (in addition to keeping the already popular Saturday breakfast). Citing a continual decline in the number of breakfast attendees in recent years, members of both Dining Services and Residential Life have stated that the weekday program is no longer a viable dining option. “Numbers went from around 40 people to less than five people on many days,” Assistant Dean for Residential Life Rachel Head said. “Every day we were seeing food go to waste.” This is not the first time that the Mary Lyon breakfast program has changed. Prior to 2008, there were daily hot breakfasts at the residence hall every morning from Monday to Friday. However, due to a reduction in the number of students attending
weekday breakfasts, Dining Services replaced the hot breakfast with a continental-style breakfast during the week. Many reasons have been attributed to this steady decline in the number of weekday breakfast attendees, including the increased reliability of shuttle service to and from the dorm and the switch from the 20 to the 17 meal plan in 2008. With the shuttle service’s increased reliability, it is not as difficult as it once was for Mary Lyon residents to reach on-campus dining options for breakfast during the week. “As short as three years ago, the shuttle was incredibly inconsistent — I received complaints every day,” Head said. Additionally, starting in 2008, incoming freshman were being placed on the 17-meal plan rather than the 20meal plan. Head inferred that this total reduction of weekly meals may, too, have been a contributing factor in overall decline of weekday breakfast appeal at the dorm. Compounding these issues, the weekday breakfast program started later in the semester than planned this year due to a number of logistical obstacles involved in coordinating food delivery to the residence hall. “With the difficulty we had getting food delivered at the beginning of the year, many of my friends and I didn't have time to work weekday ML break-
January 20, 2011
fast into our schedules. By the time we got regular breakfast, we already had a routine,” Remy Donahey ’13 said. Nonetheless, Dining Services Board Plan Administrator Lynn Grady and Front House Manager Therese Hopson maintain that the decline in breakfast attendees has been steady over the past few years due to a cultural change amongst students. “Had the need been there, nothing would have changed,” Hopson said. “If the students change their culture, then the weekday program will definitely be reinstituted.” For now, the change remains in place, with all of the dining resources for Mary Lyon now allocated towards weekly hot breakfast on Saturday and Sunday. New supplies have been purchased to support this weekend hot breakfast program, including toasters, waffle makers and knife sets. Both Grady and Hopson expressed their desire and willingness to accommodate students’ breakfast needs. Through the addition of Sunday breakfast, they hope to preserve the Mary Lyon breakfast tradition without wasting resources. Sunday breakfast at Mary Lyon will be the college’s only dining option open before 11 a.m. on Sundays. “Let the culture grow again. We hope that it will eventually change back,” Grady said.
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Bayer seeks diversity with CHAS funding
Week in pictures
BY NAVIN SABHARWAL nsabhar1@swarthmore.edu
Eric Verhasselt Phoenix Staff
The main serving room in Sharples received a makeover during break, welcoming students and faculty back with warm colors and a vibrant atmosphere.
Paul Chung Phoenix Staff
Students and faculty gathered in the Scheuer room for several events on Monday to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Paul Chung Phoenix Staff
Campus is covered in a blanket of snow, bringing about smiles for some and dread for others.
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Assistant Professor of Economics Amanda Bayer has received a pedagogy grant from the Consortium of High Achievement and Success (CHAS). Developed in 2000, the Consortium on High Achievement and Success is composed of 25 liberal arts colleges and universities seeking to promote achievement, satisfaction and leadership among students on their campuses, emphasizing diversity on campus. Bayer intends to use the funds to create a wiki that promotes excellent teaching practices in economics, particularly those which will assist and encourage women and underrepresented minorities to explore the field. She hopes that the wiki will serve as a convincing and easy-to-use source for departments and faculty to discover new ways to improve the inclusivity of the field. “I figured a wiki might be the best way to get us all talking,” she said in an e-mail. “It can...encourage thoughtful reflection on why inclusivity and diversity are important to the future of economic theory and policy-making and on how our choices as instructors and gatekeepers affect student participation and achievement,” she said. “Women and people of color are severely underrepresented in economics, as undergraduate majors and at all stages in between,” she wrote in the application for the grant. She went on to cite how less than 10 percent of professors are women and how two percent are African American or Hispanic, and mentioned that this is even less than such ratios in science and engineering. Bayer explained that while researchers have a sophisticated understanding of the causes of this under-representation, there is often little awareness of this issue and the deleterious impact it has on the discipline. Bayer will create and organize the wiki, in addition to serving as its senior editor. Moreover, she plans to employ numerous students to help with literature reviews, content creation and editing. “It's… exciting that Professor Bayer will involve students in this work,” said Ellen Magenheim, chair of the economics department. Once this basic framework has been established, she intends on including contributions from economics professors and experts in other fields, “with the wiki serving as a new venue for researchers to share their thoughts and to publicize their findings,” she said. Her project and vision for the field of econonmics are admired by Swarthmore’s faculty. “In the economics department, she has raised our awareness of the fact there are implications associated with how we
January 20, 2011
Eric Verhasselt Phoenix Staff
Assistant Professor of Economics Amanda Bayer wishes to attract more women and underrepresented minorities to the field of economics.
teach and what we teach. … Her wiki is a great idea,” said Professor of Economics Phillip Jefferson. “I am hopeful that a larger number of students will ultimately benefit from her efforts.” Bayer also participated in a National Science Foundation program on “Improving Introductory Economics by Integrating the Latest Scholarship on Women and Minorities” and was a panelist on “Integrating Race and Gender into the Introductory Economics Course” at the American Economic Association Annual Meetings. At Swarthmore, Bayer teaches a class entitled “Race, Ethnicity, and Gender in Economics” which focuses on analyzing the causes of economic diversity and determining the role of race, ethnicity and gender in economic policy. Students laud this unique class and Bayer’s teaching style. “It showed another side of economics where we can use the tools we learned in the classroom to apply to outside, everyday...realities that people face, [such as] discrimination [and] how women earn lower wages for the same amount of work,” Angela Meng ’12, an econ major, said. “What I really like about her is that she is really engaging [and] genuinely interested in helping you understand the material,” Meng said. “She is my hero. She is really fierce and awesome.” Bayer has an optimistic view about the future of Swarthmore’s increasingly popular economics department. “I think our popularity stems from the many intriguing economic issues out there in the world,” she said. “The economics department at Swarthmore is strong and has a nationwide reputation for excellence, based in part on the quality of our graduates--so we, and you all, must be doing something right.” tHe pHOeniX
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Six sophomores awarded $10,000 grant for projects BY PATRICK AMMERMAN pammerm1@swarthmore.edu
Over the winter holiday, the Eugene M. Lang Opportunity Scholarship was awarded to six members of the class of 2013: Ariel Finegold, Nick Allred, Victoria Pang, Maria Gloria Robalino, Avilash Pahi and Sonja Spoo. The scholarship gives each student the opportunity to apply for up to $10,000 to fund a community service project of their design. Out of a large group of applicants, these six sophomores were selected based on their project proposals. They will finish planning their projects over the summer and implement them over the next few years. Scholars who complete their projects can be eligible to receive up to $10,000 over two years for graduate school if they choose to attend one.
Nick Allred ’13 With his project, Nick Allred hopes to help high school students seeking to further their education by offering them assistance in applying for financial aid and scholarships. “I found that a lot of students were struggling with financial aid,” Allred said, referring to his work with the College Access Center of Delaware County, a non-profit group that helps students work through the college application process. “Each [financial aid form] is different, unlike the Common App which is highly standardized,” he said. Allred plans on working one-on-one with college applicants to help them apply for various financial aid options and scholarships. In the past, he has assisted students with the college application process and knows that for some, it is a serious challenge gathering the required components for such comprehensive applications: “[For some], due to custody situations, social security numbers or papers … the documentation doesn’t exist,” he said. Allred hopes that working one-on-one with college applicants will help them navigate the required paperwork for financial aid.
Ariel Finegold ’13 For her project, Ariel Finegold plans to create a financial literacy and counseling program in Chester, PA. As an economics m a j o r , Finegold sees financial growth and security as essential in helping underprivileged neighborhoods, especially in Chester. Finegold hopes that by helping adults THE PHOENIX
find ways to better manage difficult financial situations such as resolving poor credit through classes she plans on setting up, she will be able to help them “make progress in their financial lives,” she said. “If they complete a certain number of classes, they will get an amount of money.” The Lang Scholarship award will provide the funds for these monetary incentives. Finegold hopes that her project will help those involved in the program “take positive steps for their financial future.”
Avilash Pahi ’13 Avilash Pahi plans to use his scholarship to build five new libraries within the next three years in his hometown of Calcutta, India. The project will be a continuation of Pahi’s work last summer, in which he built a l i b r a r y linked to a school for children in Calcutta suffering from autism, dyslexia and other disabilities. “I’ve been working with these children for the past four or five years; just meeting them, playing with them, and finding out what needs they have,” Pahi said. “They simply don’t have that many resources, especially in a place like India.” Pahi also plans to establish an inter-library loan program between the five libraries, as well as the one he built last summer, based on the Tri-Co system. Pahi is currently working with several schools for children with learning disabilities in Calcutta to finalize the locations of the new libraries.
school students to mentor young students, so that they can offer guidance to one another,” Pang said.
Maria Gloria Robalino ’13 “Letters to the Past and Future” is the name of Maria Gloria Robalino’s Lang Scholarship project. It is designed to help Hispanic people who have immigrated to the U.S. reconnect with loved ones who are still living in their native countries. “They don’t see each other for five or eight years,” Robalino said. “[This project] will help them connect again.” With special interests in speech. language, film and philosophy, Robalino wants to use letters specifically to reconnect immigrants with their families. She believes that letters “are a medium where you can actually think and connect with your feelings better.” Robalino plans to encourage adults in her program to join English language programs, and by writting the letters in English she hopes that the letters will help better their proficiency in the
language. Robalino also plans to base the program, which Robalino will finish planning this summer, in New York City.
Sonja Spoo ’13 Spoo’s goal for her project is to create a GED tutoring program in downtown Philidelphia for women who have been the victims of human trafficking and s e x u a l exploitation. “[Education is] a solid step to building confidence and a step to access economic opportunities,” Spoo said. With funding from her Lang Scholarship, Spoo hopes to raise awareness of human trafficking and modern day slavery around Philadelphia and among Swarthmore students. Spoo believes the issue of human trafficking is “something that Swarthmore students really engage in,” she said. She hopes that her project will be able to spark interest in modern day slavery within the Swarthmore community and get others interested in taking action to stop it.
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Victoria Pang ’13 After helping students in the Chester Upland school district through the Chester Services group last summer, Victoria Pang plans to continue her outr e a c h efforts to these young people with her $10,000 fund from the Lang Center. Based on her experiences, she plans on introducing “a unique project structure” for her program to best serve struggling students in Chester. Her project’s aim is to give high school students the chance to help younger children in the community by creating a mentoring system for older Chester students to help younger students in the Chester school system. Mentors who have lived in Chester will better be able to relate to younger students, creating an experience which will benefit both mentors and mentees. “What’s missing is a structure for Chester high January 20, 2011
Find out more by visiting www.tcnj.edu/gs Or call 609.771.2300
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around higher education
e-book sales slowly increase on Pitt campus BY GWENN BARNEY PITTNEWS.COM, JAN. 13, 2011
After a lackluster sales performance last semester in the University Book Center, eBooks are slowly becoming more popular at Pitt. The Book Center has sold 100 more electronic books this semester than it had at this point last semester, manager Debra Fyock said. But Fyock noted that, despite this increase, the electronic form still counts for less than 1 percent of the total books, both new and used, purchased so far during the spring term. The low sale levels come even as electric readers become more popular among tech-savvy and green-minded consumers, and the meager figures represent a potential difficulty for the Book Center to address as it seeks to redefine its image and services on campus. Still, Fyock is confident that eBook sales will increase as more students learn about the option over time. “I would have to say that [eBooks] have not really caught on yet,” Fyock said. “But I do think that students are more
aware that the Book Center offers this option.” EBooks have been available in the Book Center since the start of last semester. The digital books work through a code that students can buy from the book store and use to download the text onto a computer. The eBooks offered at the Book Center are also currently compatible with iPads and iPhones, but not with Kindles or Nooks, other popular electronic readers. The store’s inventory of digital books is supplied primarily through textbook provider CourseSmart, which offers 90 percent of all core textbooks used in higher education today, according to its website. Student Government Board President Molly Stieber — a strong advocate for bringing eBooks to campus — said it might be too early to tell if the poor sales for this semester truly reflect student interest in the alternative textbooks. She cited the large number of students who wait to purchase their textbooks until after the add/drop period as a possible explanation for the small purADVERTISEMENT
chase percentage eBooks represent. They’ve found out whether the professor is actually going to use the book, or they’ve decided to stay enrolled in the class, she said. But John Burns, textbook manager for the Book Center, hasn’t seen a surge of purchases after that date in the past. In general, most of the purchasing is done before the add/drop period ends, he said. Stieber said students’ increasing tendency to buy books from other places beside the Book Center might also account for the low percentage of eBook sales. “We need to see more traffic in the Book Center,” she said. “Pitt students should want to support our Book Center. The store is here for students.” Junior Gina Zidek agreed with Stieber. “I only trust the Book Center,” she said, blaming her aversion to outside book sellers on a bad experience with an online retailer. But while the Book Center comes with a promise of integrity for some, other students are
wary of the cost. Christina McDonald’s parents advised her to get the ISBN numbers of the books she had to buy in order to get them online. The sophomore biology major said she saved about $100, calling the Book Center “overpriced.” She said she didn’t purchase any eBooks. Stieber believes more students entering the bookstore will lead to more students coming across eBooks and consequently purchasing the alternative textbooks. “This is the future,” Stieber said. “EBooks are the future.” The Book Center worked in conjunction with Stieber to form a student advisory committee last semester. The group of students was created to suggest ways the Book Center might attract students and get the word out about new offerings, including eBooks. The store crafted a plan in the fall to increase eBook sales by providing a larger selection of the books. This semester, the store offered 210 more textbook titles than last semester. Despite these efforts, student response remains mixed.
Yash Patel, one student who opted to go digital, is happy with his decision. Patel began buying eBooks last year. He estimates that he’s saved $200 since that time through his digital textbook purchases. “I can pretty much get all the books I need for my classes,” said Patel, an information sciences major. Lower pricing is the principle benefit associated with eBooks. Fyock said that, on average, the digital books cost 40 percent less than their paper counterparts. Students who favor eBooks also said they appreciate their mobility. One laptop or iPad can easily hold the weight of an entire backpack’s worth of books. In the paper camp stands freshman Jake Schwartz, who said he hesitated to buy eBooks for a reason common among students: “I really have no idea how to use them.” Schwartz also said the fact that his professors haven’t mentioned anything in class about digital alternatives influenced his choice to go for the paper option.
Corbett sworn in as Gov. But, the new Republican governor said, he knows what is so special about Pennsylvania and added that he, along HARRISBURG -- Pennsylvania’s with his new Lieutenant Gov. Jim earliest history was recalled at Gov. Cawley, has no plans to be deterred Tom Corbett’s inaugural ceremony from setting the state on a new course this morning as Corbett placed his that people can believe in. hand on a Bible once owned by “Together, we are dedicated to leadWilliam Penn and was sworn in as the ership that is responsive to fiscal realstate’s 46th governor. ities; leadership that takes on financial Corbett continued to recognize the burdens rather than passing those burmemory of the dens on to the state’s founding next generation in opening his leadership “Together, we are dedicat- and speech, saying that can see that this “new beyond today’s ed to ... leadership that chapter in turbulence and can see beyond today's Pennsylvania’s into tomorrow’s history” must be tranquility,” he turbulence and into met with a “dedisaid. tomorrow's tranquility.” cation to civil Corbett had a discourse” that message for the Tom Corbett was present aforementioned PA Governor more than 300 next generation, years ago. too. He talked Before supabout how porters and protesters alike — all of important it is for Pennsylvanian stuwhom stood in the freezing rain — dents to be able to compete not only Corbett addressed some of the biggest nationally with other students, but problems the state is facing. worldwide as well. It will take time, he Fiscal responsibility was a focal said, “but we must embrace innovapoint of his speech — even though ded- tion, competition and choice in our ication to work is something education system.” Pennsylvanians are known for, too The governor said he is confident many residents are still jobless, he and that he believes in Pennsylvania said. because he believes in the people, “Small businesses can’t hire. Large adding that those people need a govemployers can’t invest,” he said. ernment they can trust now, more than “Government has spent beyond its ever. means and individual corrupt acts “We need good government. The have eroded an essential element of people demand it. And they deserve leadership: the public’s trust.” it,” he said.
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Living & Arts
Swat music professor founds choir, aids Chester BY SERA JEONG sjeong1@swarthmore.edu
Just as Swarthmore students lead busy lives, so do their professors. As a member of the Swarthmore community for over 15 years, Associate Professor of Music Dr. John Alston is a director of both the Swarthmore College Chorus and Chamber Orchestra. However, in the Swarthmore tradition, he also demonstrates a passion for serving others and actively engaging in community work. During his early teaching years at Swarthmore, Alston envisioned a choir and later a school for the Chester community, which echoed his own participation at the Newark Boy’s Choir growing up. Later, Alston pursued his passion for music, receiving his B.M. from Yankton College, his M.M. from the University of Northern Iowa and his D.M. from Indiana University. With Alston’s vision, Vice President Maurice Eldridge’s coordination and the financial support of an anonymous donor, the Chester Children’s Chorus began with its first seven male members. 17 years later, there are now over 100 boys and girls in the choir. Operating as a summer program, the chorus incorporates teaching children about both vocal and academic learning. In a video interview by Jillian Smith for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Alston explains that his work to establish the Chester Children’s Choir greatly influenced the founding of the Chester Upland School of the Arts. “For years when I had the Chester Children’s Chorus I always wished that I could build a school for them because I wanted them to have the same opportunities as the most affluent and privileged children in the United States,” he said. Residents of Chester have an average median household income that is substantially lower than that of the average Pennsylvanian. Unfortunately, schools in the Chester district tend to perform in the bottom percentile of the 501 school districts of Pennsylvania. In 2008, the Chester Upland School of the Arts officially opened. Financially disadvantaged children gain admission through lottery for the chance for exposure to the arts. Their rigorous academic program includes the study of dance, visual arts and music. Beginning in 2011, the school now serves students from pre-K to the fourth grade, with hopes to serve students up to the eighth grade in the future. In an e-mail interview, Eldridge explained that modeling the school on a Public-Private Partnership rather than a charter would be most beneficial to the Chester district. “Our partnership adds money and value to our school and does not take money out of that financially strapped district as charters do,” Eldridge said. Since Chester Upland School is a public school, it ensures great accessibility for local children. Also, the Chester Fund for Education and the Arts priTHE PHOENIX
vately funds the school. Through the project, Alston expresses his passion for music and remains a driving force for the establishment and the continued successes of the chorus, school and fund. “He inspires not only the children but the community volunteers who serve on the two boards and the many donors of dollars and time,” Eldridge said. As a Chairperson for the Chester Fund for Education and the Arts, Eldridge has an integral role in this program and has an appropriate musical background. Previously, Eldridge acted as a member of the Chester Children’s Chorus Advisory Board and served as a former Principal of Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC. Through the Sing-to-Learn program, the Chester-funded arts programs maintain a presence in three other elementary schools in the district. Currently, the in-class program has over 300 participants as schools transform classes into choruses that rehearse songs during class time. Songs feature educational lyrics as some even address academic subject areas such as science. The program broadens Alston’s visions since it is inclusive of Chester children who do not have access to either the CCC or CUSA. According to the Chester Fund website, the fund envisions CUSA students graduating both high school and college to “become highly educated pro-
Courtesy of http://tiny.cc/q6diu
Alston works with the children of the Sing-to-Learn Program with the hopes of instilling confidence and a passion for learning.
fessionals who will return to repair their city.” In addition, the website also features several testimonials of pleased students. One student, Laurian, explained her excitement. “I don’t come to CUSA because I have to come to school. I love science and the creative projects I get to do.”
c a r t o o n
January 20, 2011
b y
n a i a
As one of three Chester schools to obtain an Adequate Yearly Progress status, under the No Child Left Behind Act by the US Department of Education last year, the CUSA curriculum appears to be delivering results. Both the music and arts serve as means to instill the importance of education, confidence, culture and character for Chester students.
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Living & Arts
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Multi Grammy nominee performs at Lang Hall BY STEVEN HAZEL shazel1@swarthmore.edu On Tuesday, the Lang Performing Arts Center hosted R. Carlos Nakai, an eight-time Grammy nominee who performed at the Lang Concert Hall, as part of a series of appearances in the Philadelphia area. Renowned for his mastery of the Native American flute, Nakai released more than 30 albums over the course of his career, and worked with composers such as Phillip Glass. Although he originally trained in the classical trumpet as a music major at the University of Arizona, Nakai took up the traditional Native American flute when he suffered an injury after a car accident and could not play the trumpet as well as he had before. “I determined I wouldn’t let this instrument get lost to museums and private collections,” Nakai said. “I applied my discipline of brass to the [flute] and found that it worked and now I understand [the Native American flute] from that perspective.” After developing his skill with the flute over the years, Nakai is now one of the world’s most skilled players of this ancient instrument. In 1994, he received the Best Traditional Folk album of the year award for ‘Ancestral Voices,’ and in the past decade, he won multiple Grammy awards including Best New Age album to Best Native American album of the year. Also, popular films such as “Geronimo” feature Nakai’s tracks. In addition, Nakai dedicates time to educating others, most notably through his authorship of the book, “The Art of the Native American Flute,” which attempts to pass down skills to the next generation of flutists. “The understanding of one’s own ancestry is critical to education,” Nakai said. “I find that in [the United States], which is a multicultural community, there are very few people who know their heritage and everyone, of course, inhabits more than two heritages.” Though much of his work draws from stories about
Native American life and traditions, it is broadly accessible and the music remains both thoughtful and soothing. On his website, Nakai explains that he hopes to retain the influence of his Navajo-Ute heritage while emphasizing that imagination and innovation are critical for keeping music alive. He said that “having a good understanding of what your ancestors have done before you is a road map that allows you to choose your career track and motivates you in your study.” Having begun his career in 1983, Nakai continues to perform and release albums. His traditional, yet dynamic style maintains a national presence as several students anticipated Nakai’s performance. “What’s intriguing about this concert is the combination of Jewish and Native American music that I’ve never heard mixed. [R. Carlos Nakai]’s work is a great chance to expand my musical horizons,” Brent Stanfield ’14 said. Nakai coupling of both a traditional Native American instrument and the Native American culture with other musical heritages is quite unique. Collaborating with the Japanese group The Wind Travelin’ Band, he produced an album entitled “Island of Bows.” With performers from Nepal to Hawai’i, Nakai produced surreal, original mixtures of music that both intermingle and transcend culture. His influences prove eclectic, especially since he also trained in classical music. “I listen to just about anything. My iPod has music from folk singers to Vietnam to classics to New Age from the 80s and 90s,” Nakai said. Most recently, he worked with Udi Bar-David, another member of the Philadelphia Orchestra, to produce “Voyagers,” which is a unique combination of Native American with Jewish and Arabian music. A graduate of the Julliard School, Bar David has performed solo performances around the world, including Spain. His focus is on international music and the merging of cultural parallels. In 2007, he produced a series of performances, “Middle Eastern Cultures in Perfect
Allegra Pocinki Phoenix Staff
The music of Nakai transcends cultural boundaries to celebrate diversity. Harmony,” as well as created the Arab Jewish Musical dialogue, which facilitates the collaboration of musicians from both groups. Nakai explained that his goals are “to demonstrate the versatility of our own cultural instrumentation, whatever it might be. Bringing all those different voices together at once is the primary [objective].” In his performance on campus, Nakai performed diverse number of arrangements, using instruments like the Native American flute and also drawing from both Arab and Jewish influences from his most recent musical collaborations. “After having seen Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road last year, my interest in international music that is rarely recognized has spiked,” Frank Mondelli ’14 said, in considering his past experiences. “As such, seeing R. Carlos Nakai and Udi Bar-David is musically a very valuable and insightful experience on the same level.”
LSE hosts artists Mayer Hawthorne and St. Vincent BY DINA ZINGARO dzingar1@swarthmore.edu
the talent of the artists.” A self-taught instrumentalist, Mayer Hawthorne never anticipated a music career. However, his self-attested “hanging-by-a-string falsetto” and impressive breakbeat (a drum pattern
This year’s Large Scale Event (LSE) will host artists Mayer Hawthorne and St. Vincent Saturday the 22nd in LPAC at 7:30 p.m. With Hawthorne’s Motown sound and St. Vincent’s alternative/indie pop music, the “Nothing is better than a great artists will bring their very live show, and these two artists distinct styles to the widely anticipated annual concert. definitely will put one on.” Each year, the LSE comAshley Vogel ’13 mittee is responsible for selecting and inviting performers to Swarthmore for the student body in an event that is typically hosted in the fall. with a syncopated beat that is elecThis semester, LSE committee mem- tronically looped) have captured audiber Ashley Vogel ’13 believes the ences. Stones Throw Records released selection of Mayer Hawthorne Hawthorne’s first album, “A and St. Vincent reflects the comStrange Arrangement” in 2009, mittee’s desire for the show “to which The New York Times be all about the music.” She said, describes as “a breath of fresh “Girl Talk was essentially just an air.” A fan of Hawthorne, artist standing at a Nancy Liu ’13 describes the laptop and thereartist’s voice as “smooth and fore heavily retro.” relied on theListening to radio tunes in atrics … We his father’s car, this wanted someMichigan-born singer, thing that producer and multiwould be a instrumentalist was really great inspired by the live persounds of rich soul formance and jazz. As highlighting Hawthorne draws
inspiration from artists such as American soul and R&B singer-songwriters Smokey Robinson and Curtis Mayfield, his music belongs to the “retro” genre, echoing recordings from 1966 to 1974. Never formally trained, Hawthorne is much more than a mere classic soul throwback. “It’s soul. But it’s new,” Hawthorne said on his Myspace site. “Mayer Hawthorne sounded like magic: a new-school soul sensation whose sweet crooning revels in retro, while break beat riffs inspired by years spinning vinyl revived the legends of Motown,” a reviewer said on The Getty Center website. Saturday’s concert will also showcase the young artist Annie Clark who performs under the moniker St. Vincent. After debuting her album “Marry Me,” Clark has since captured the attention of publications such as The New York Times magazine, and popular Internet publications such as Pitchfork and Spin. After winning the Plug Awards’ Female Artist of the Year in 2008, Clark secured a year worth of international touring. Acclaimed for her mastery of alternative music, Stereogum named her the #2 “Indie Rock Crush” in 2009. A fan of the artist, Vogel said, “I love what she does with instruments and sound. Not only does she have a gorgeous voice, but the arrangements of violin, flute, drums and guitar ignore
Courtesy of http://tiny.cc/p3jz4
Annie Clark, also known as St. Vincent, pleases audiences with her electric stage presence. all the traditional rules of music.” Prior to her first album release in 2007, Clark opened for both the Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens. Recently, she released her second album, “Actor” in May of 2009 and anticipates dropping her third album soon. For those attending the show, Vogel said, “People can definitely expect to see real talent. Nothing is better than a great live show, and these two artist definitely will put on one.”
Courtesy of http://tiny.cc/occl23
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January 20, 2011
THE PHOENIX
Living & Arts
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S watStyleSnapshot Name: Stephanie Chia Year: 2013 From: Pleasantville, NY Current Residence: Willets
but also pretty cool,” Chia said. Her words ring true in the selection of her mother’s old brown and black leather side bag.
What She’s Wearing: Chia is wearing chestnut-colored Etienne Aigner leather boots from Macy’s, coupled with a dark gray shirt dress from Forever 21. Around her neck she layered strings of turquoise beads along with a white scarf from H&M. Her vintage leather handbag is “some weird handme-down from [my] mom,” Chia said. For the wintry weather, she bundled up in another one of her Macy’s finds — a cute fuchsia coat with a belt that buckles in the front.
Favorite Item in Her Closet: “These Etienne Aigner boots — I wear them all the time and with everything,” Chia said. With the exception of the blistering summer heat, she wears them throughout the seasons and often pairs them with anything from dresses to sweaters.
How She Describes Her Personal Style: “It really does vary a lot, but I guess most of it is pretty simple,” Chia said. Her wardrobe is grounded in a lot of basics, and she tends to wear flowy and form-fitting pieces. Chia feels that “when it comes down to it, [my style] is what feels good.” She believes that stylish is whatever makes an individual feel confident, regardless of the “genre” of his or her clothing. “Someone should say when they try something on, ‘This is right for me’,” Chia said. “You get a feeling when something is not your style.” Where She Shops: Chia’s favorites are H&M and Forever 21, where she found her white scarf and cute shirt dress, respectively. Often, Chia finds herself shopping at various stores online. She said, “Anthropologie is a guilty pleasure — it’s a little too expensive for me.” With a college budget, Chia rarely purchases online from stores that are too pricey. Fashion Influences / Inspirations: For Chia, her inspiration comes from home — her mother. “I love looking through her old albums and the clothes she wore because they were somewhat ridiculous,
Wardrobe Staples: “Definitely shirt dresses,” Chia said. “I don’t think I could do without them.” Though a winter accessory for Chia, scarves are another staple in her wardrobe. Also, for the low temperatures, she relies on Mike Duffy sweaters to keep her warm. However, when it gets a bit warmer, she returns to spring dresses. Favorite Fashion Era: Chia is comfortable exactly in the present, instead of wishing to retreat to the fashions of a previous time period. “When I think back to other time periods, a lot of clothes were very modest for women or uncomfortable as they catered to some sort of idea of beauty — this is what women wear, this is what is classy, this is what is attractive,” she said. In the 21st century, she appreciates the absence of a restrictive definition of what clothing is stylish and embraces the great number of choices of clothing for someone to be considered stylish. Chia said, “So, a ‘well-dressed women’ could wearing so many different types of things.”
Do you think you (or a professor) have great style? Then submit a photo of you in your best outfit to phoenixlaed@gmail.com. Please include your name and contact information.
TEXT AND PHOTO BY DINA ZINGARO
The Green Hornet is overstuffed, underdone BY TIMOTHY BERNSTEIN tbernstein1@swarthmore.edu “The Green Hornet” answers the question of whether a movie can feel both overstuffed and underdone. Based on a TV series that was based on film serials that were based on a radio show, the movie is filled to the brim with … something. Many things, in fact. Yet the film is perilously lacking in certain other areas in which expansion might have proved useful. Plot and character, to name a couple. Seth Rogen plays newspaper heir Britt Reid, the titular hero’s “by day” identity, as a retread of his character from “Knocked Up,” minus about 30 pounds and plus an inherited fortune to slack off in style. This is not in and of itself a bad thing — Rogen, for lack of range, has always possessed a naturally likeable screen presence. However, his and everyone else’s character become casualties of a screenplay that is interested in supplying them with as little dimension as is sufficient before moving on to other things. Namely, bloated stretches of dialogue that go nowhere and rarely generate as much laughter as they intend to. In honor of the script’s priorities, here is the story recounted with similar economy: Reid is an aimless L.A. partier living off his father’s money until said father (Tom Wilkinson, laboring to keep his British accent under
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wraps) is pronounced dead from a mys- choices than “The Green Hornet” for terious bee sting. Afterwards, Reid your first-ever movie-going experience. meets Kato (Taiwanese music star Jay As it turns out, one of the culprits is Chou, playing the part Bruce Lee the star himself, who co-wrote the played on TV), his father’s incredibly script with Evan Goldberg. This is the overqualified mechanic, takes one look same team that put the dialogic set at Black Beauty, a car with machine piece to effective use in “Superbad” and guns in the door frames, and decides less effective use in “Pineapple apropos of almost nothing that he Express,” but the approach is a misfire wants to dedicate his life to protecting for a superhero movie, particularly an the city. origin story where plot should reign Standing in their way is a crime lord supreme. Here, the plot peeks its head named Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz), in every once in a while to see if Reid who could be called a conand Kato are done reflecttradictory character, ing on their importance to Movie Review the city or fighting over except that he’s barely a character of any kind. Reid’s attractive secretary Chudnofsky gets wind of Lenore Case (Cameron the Green Hornet and his Diaz, stretching to play Rotten Tomatoes mysterious masked sidebubbly) long enough to Rating: 45% kick, posing as villains, squeeze a little more of and plots to nip the compeitself through the door. tition in the bud. Waltz, The film is directed by who made cheerfulness so hypnotically Michel Gondry, who seems unwilling menacing in “Inglourious Basterds,” (or unable, but which is worse?) to rein plays Chudnofsky with neither cheer in the overlong dialogue scenes and the nor menace but as a fatuous, insecure overlong fight scenes, or provide any buffoon who frets over his inability to sort of cohesion to the proceedings. scare people in a suit and tie. At the Noted for his visual innovation, same time, though, we’re told that he Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the single-handedly controls all the crime Spotless Mind”) takes a disappointingly in Los Angeles. When is this recon- hands-off approach here, in mysterious ciled? When the script loses interest deference to the straightforward, workand moves on. The remainder of the manlike conventions of action movies film paves the road to a face-off between with less distinguished directors. hero(es) and villain, and if you can’t Occasionally, he gives us a glimpse of guess how that ends, there are better visual subversion (a sequence shown in
January 20, 2011
fast-forward here, a surreal flashback set over blooming flowers there), but the attempts come off as self-consciously needless, as if Gondry felt he needed to put a stamp on the film that would make it “his” and satisfy those in the audience nostalgic for his collaborations with Charlie Kaufman. So … is there anything good to speak of? Believe it or not, there is. If nothing else, Gondry and Co. should be credited with avoiding the “Rush Hour” trap and not letting the comedy take a backseat to the action as the film progresses. Rogen’s geniality goes farther here than one might expect; he and Chou develop a relaxed, lived-in rapport that works nicely before it veers into overkill in the second half. Some of the minor comedic touches also prove surprisingly deft: Kato updating his resume after a presumptive fallout with Reid, Reid name-checking “Cocoon” to refer to Case’s advanced age (she’s thirty-six), and an amusing James Franco appearance provide brief highlights. However, the problems come when these touches get stretched over 108 overstayed and underwhelming minutes, and the resulting effect is nothing more than a couple of nice punctuations in an otherwise directionless slog full of sound, fury and talking — lots and lots of talking. In the end, it all signifies, if not quite nothing, then not very much at all.
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Living & Arts One of the last original shows hangs by a thread
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Ever since “Lost” became a giant television phenomenon (and ultimately a giant disappointment), producers and network execs across the country have been desperately trying to find another “Lost.” Such efforts began in 2005, just a year after the giant phenomenon premiered, with such quickly forgotten fare as “The Alex Israel Invasion” and “Heroes,” Pencils Down, and has continued to the Pass the Remote present day with the increasingly ludicrous offerings of “FlashForward” and “The Event.” Clearly, none of these shows are doing as well as their network backers hoped. One possible reason that they’re not working is that, despite whatever buzz you may hear about the next big “Lost”-style show, is that the true successor to “Lost” has already been found. It was created by “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams, is entitled “Fringe,” and you can catch it Friday nights on Fox or Saturdays on Hulu.com. I suppose it’s actually fairly uncharitable to call “Fringe” the next “Lost” since “Fringe” is actually way better than its sci-fi predecessor. It would be more accurate to call “Fringe” the next “X-Files,” as its freaky-caseof-the-week structure, combined with an overarching story, is very similar to “X-Files,” if you only substituted aliens with parallel universes. I should also stress that the quality of acting and storytelling on “Fringe” is equivalent with the early days of “X-Files,” not the post-David Duchovny downward spiral. “Fringe” centers around a team created by FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) investigating a set of mysterious happenings knows as “The Pattern,” which includes anything from plane crashes to killer viruses to plane crashes caused by killer viruses. Assisting Olivia are
agent Phillip Broyles (a magnificently surly Lance Reddick from “The Wire”), junior agent Astrid Farnsworth (the underutilized Jasika Nicole), and the real heart of the show, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), a brilliant scientist just out of a mental institution, along with his son Peter (Joshua Jackson). These five scientists investigate the events of the Pattern in a series of tightly plotted, completely disgusting episodes. Seriously, the gore on this show gives “The Walking Dead” a run for its money. While the cases of the week are great — and accessible enough to allow non-addicts to tune in on a week-by-week basis — the going really gets fun when the show kicks into geek mode and the mythology of the parallel universe is explored. You see, in the “Fringe” universe there is both our universe and the parallel universe, which is rather like ours in some ways and different in others. Technology in the other universe is considerablymore advanced, while civil liberties are … not so much. In addition, the other universe is at war with ours due to some serious space-time continuum problems, which they are experiencing due to an intrusion into their universe by none other than Walter Bishop. This parallel universe mythology is exciting, and allows for some spectacular moments; the scene in which the Other Side, as it is called, is revealed as one of the most jaw-dropping reveals in recent memory. The true greatness of the Other Side, however, is that it allows every actor on the show to play two different versions of their characters (well, except Joshua Jackson; for reasons that I’m certainly not going to spoil here, Peter only exists in our universe). Here, I refer to Nina Dobrev of “The Vampire Diaries” who has the breathtaking ability to play both Elena and Katherine. If you take such an ability and multiply it by the entire cast, you have “Fringe.” The show is really a tour-de-force of acting talent. Everyone on the show is a good actor; in addition to the previously mentioned main characters, great supporting characters include Blair Brown’s steely, mysterious Nina Sharp and Michael Cerveris’ creepy bald Observer.
However, the real star of the show is John Noble. Now, everyone who remembers Noble’s engrossing turn as the batshit Denethor in “Lord of the Rings” knows that the man can play crazy, but while Denethor’s crazy came in the form of serious megalomania and hatred for his son, Walter’s crazy megalomania is interspersed with adorable childishness, an insatiable sweet tooth and an occasional rant about delicious, strawberry-flavored death. Plus, rather than hating his son, Walter loves Peter like crazy; in fact, he loves him so much that he was willing to rip apart universes for him on multiple occasion. However, for as wonderful as Walter is, Noble is somehow even better when playing his Other Side doppelganger, cleverly known as Walternate. This doppelganger is equally brilliant, but also more ruthless than our Walter, and has managed to become Secretary of Defense, which is a position granting him serious Big Brother-style powers and a sweet office in the head of the Statue of Liberty. Noble is adept at switching between Walter’s good-natured childishness and excitement and Walternate’s cold, steely authority. There are myriad other reasons to keep watching “Fringe”: the unexpected jolts of humor, the insanely clever sci-fi solutions to the team’s cases, and Leonard freakin’ Nimoy as William Bell who is Walter’s former research partner. Though, the real reason to watch “Fringe,” is that it is simply one of the best shows on television right now. Yet, Fox is on the verge of cancelling it, after just having moved it to the Friday-night slot where the network also sent “Dollhouse,” “Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles” and “Firefly” to die. So, I’m asking you to watch “Fringe,” and watch it somewhere where it counts in the ratings; if you can’t manage to see it on TV, at least watch on Hulu.com or Fox.com. If you don’t, one of the best, most original shows of the last decade is likely to fade away. Although you never know ... in the alternate universe, “Fringe” may be the most popular series on television. Alex is a senior. You can reach her at aisrael1@swarthmore.edu.
Alum brings life to non-profit “theatre laboratory” BY SUSANA MEDEIROS smedeir1@swarthmore.edu Starting a theatre company is not typically the first thing on a graduate’s to-do list. However, theater major graduate Jon Stancato ’02 co-founded the Stolen Chair Theatre Company in 2002. Stolen Chair is a non-profit “theatre laboratory” based in New York City and dedicated to original works. With nine years under its belt, the Stolen Chair Theatre Company hosted the second year of its Community Supported Theatre (CST) initiative, named PlayGround, after a pilot season. Drawing from the ideology of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) where members invest in a farm for a season’s share of produce, PlayGround’s members invest in a Stolen Chair production for a season’s worth of “creative harvests.” This provides an inside peek into the creative process behind original theatre. In addition, theatergoers can enjoy other thespian treats such as guest speakers, movie nights, a themed Valentine’s Day party and cultural field trips. “We’ve been working to adapt the business model of community supported agriculture, or CSAs, to the theatre,” Stancato said in an interview for the Economic Revitalization for Performing Artists at the unveiling of PlayGround in 2009. “Stolen Chair’s goal is, essentially, to do for the theatre what CSAs do for food — to provide an alternative model of theatre going where it’s no longer about
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purchasing your ticket, plopping down anonymously into a seat and seeing what, if anything, a show has to offer to you,” he said. During its first year, PlayGround invested in Stolen Chair’s original production of “Quantum Poetics: A Science Experiment for the Stage.” The CST members enjoyed a great variety of events from a lecture entitled “Science and Theatre: What Can They Teach Each Other?” to previews of the production’s script development and rehearsal process to a game of Quantum B-I-N-G-O, which features theatrical and scientific building blocks from the show’s creation. Members could also participate in a web forum and media portal, which offers exclusive photos, rehearsal footage and notes from the creative team. For this season, Stolen Chair invites CST members to join in supporting the company’s 14th original work, “Cut Paste Corset Perfect,” which is a play inspired by the Victorian art exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum’s recent “Playing with Pictures.” Events for members include both making and sharing photo collages online, and sampling Victorian period pieces at various movie screenings. At the show’s world premiere in June of 2011, PlayGround members will receive VIP admission to the play, along with a special post-show panel. Stancato hopes these ideas will “solve some of the financial and logistical problems that have been facing companies like Stolen Chair.” Stancato, along with supporters and others, is optimistic
about the project. Hoping to recruit 75 members at a $175 membership rate and reap $11,000 in profit for the 2010 initiative, as reported in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, PlayGround did not reach its goal. Unfortunately, only 35 prospective members attended the preview of PlayGround 2011. But in spite of financial difficulties, PlayGround has been positively profiled in American Theatre magazine and the Center for Sustainable Practices in the Arts (CSPA) Quarterly. PlayGround’s pilot season was also the focus of the documentary and the book, “We Are No Longer Strangers.” Referring to Stancato’s belief that the nature of theater as a business requires a revamp, the Chronicle of Philanthropy recently named the CSA initiative one of “6 Creative Ways to Manage an Uncertain Economy.” Looking back, Stancato considers Swarthmore a significant influence on his career. Swarthmore’s Associate Director of Communications Alisa Giardinelli reported in an interview with Stancato that he and his fellow co-workers — media manager Aviva Meyer ’01 and co-artistic director and resident playwright Kiran Rikhye ’02 — feel their experiences at Swarthmore influenced the development of both Stolen Chair and PlayGround. “After graduating, we had trouble finding a niche for the obsessively researched and intellectually playful collaboratively developed work that our time at Swarthmore inspired us to cre-
January 20, 2011
Courtesy of www.stolenchair.org
Stacato shares his knowledge of the theatre with CST members in PlayGround’s pilot season. ate,” Stancato said. “So we created our own niche with the PlayGround, a community organized around the values we fondly recalled from our days in Professor of Theatre Allen Kuharski’s theater history seminar and directing workshops.” In an effort to nurture and finance theatre companies founded by alums, the Swarthmore Project in Theatre has provided support for Stolen Chair. In addition, Stolen Chair was one of the recipients of WNYC's *STAR* Initiative in 2006. They performed on Alumni Weekend Spring 2007. The “diverse fundraising strategy,” as Heather Rees of NYC Venture Philanthropy Fund called it, hopes to create a new medium in which small, independent theatre companies interact with the audience. THE PHOENIX
Living & Arts
swarthmorephoenix.com
New year, new threats: keep your information safe Go for 10-12 characters minimum, and include spaces, symbols, and even ASCII characters like §, ∆ or π if you’re bold (or neurotic) enough. My final piece of advice is to beware (or, at least, be aware) of websites that automatically log you into Facebook so that you can “like” their photos, posts, etc. Your Facebook credentials may be relatively safe when you type them into Facebook.com, but anytime you need to type those credentials into a non-Facebook website, you are no longer dealing exclusively with Facebook’s security apparatus, and you should therefore pay special attention to the quality and reputation of the website requesting those credentials. If you take a mature, informed, and aggressive approach to handling your publicly available data as well as your sensitive credentials, you should have little to worry about in the long run. Here’s hoping that your new year remains free of fear! Steve is a senior. You can reach him at sdean1@swarthmore.edu. a ai
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Swarthmore. Furthermore, they use traditional security questions such as “What is your mother’s maiden name?” After your visit to 123people.com, do you really think that someone wishing to steal your password would find it impossible (or difficult at all, for that matter) to determine such basic information about you? No. My advice, therefore, is to revamp all your security questions on all your important sites. You could even just make up a random word and have that be the answer to all your questions, regardless of what the question is asking. No one ever said that your made up security answers had to be accurate. As for passwords, the days of 8 characters are over. Today’s password hacking programs can decode a traditional 8-character password as easily as your computer can spell-check an email.
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Happy holidays to one and all. Who would like to join me in a toast to the new year? This one goes out to your mother. I hope she’s in good health. What was her maiden name again? Oh yes, great family, great family. This next toast is to your best friend, John Smith. Remind me what Steve Dean street it was that he grew up on? Ah, right, Life Tips from a Dean that was a great neighborhood, wasn’t it? Oh, and by the way, I now have enough information to break into your bank account. Thanks! Happy New Year indeed! The year 2010 has been truly wonderful to the tech geek inside each of us. We have hundreds of thousands of new apps available for our smartphones, Facebook has overtaken Google as the nation’s most popular website, and most of us now have our Facebooks linked to many popular websites so we can easily “like” anything that tickles our fancy. Social networking is a fact of life, and whether it’s through daily tweets, advanced tracking cookies, or the increasingly infectious habit of geotagging everything we see and do, we simply cannot escape the danger that projecting our lives onto the Internet for all to see entails. Even if you’re a Facebook abstainer trying to ignore technology at all costs, I can assure you that technology has not ignored you. No one is completely protected from the myriad security vulnerabilities throughout the worldwide web, and with the start of this new year, I present you with some new strategies for keeping your defenses up. Let’s make this a technologically trouble-free 2011! For starters, I’d like you to go to www.spokeo.com or www.123people.com and type in your name, email address, phone number or any of the usernames you’ve ever used before. What these sites can churn out — for free — can be quite horrifying. Remember that comment you left on someone’s Live Journal eight years ago? Probably not; but the Internet does, and the aforementioned sites will make that painfully apparent. Did you manage to locate your name? Were you surprised to see that it also lists your family members, your family income, your race, your hobbies, your online shopping history, and any photos of you available on the Internet, along with a bird’s eye view of your house? And, if you pay a nominal fee of $2.95, you can view an in-depth report of virtually all information available about you on the Internet. Let me be more specific: anyone can see the information you’re seeing, and anyone can pay that $2.95 fee in order to see all the information about you. Still feel comfortable about your relationship with technology in 2011? I do not intend to frighten you, but rather to keep you informed on exactly how much of your information exists out in the cloud. Most social networking websites do have privacy settings that you can quickly adjust in order to hide most of the pertinent information about you, but if you are anything like me, you probably created many of these accounts long before security was even a thought, and so your settings may be far more lax than you would prefer. I highly recommend that you treat sites like Spokeo.com not as the enemy, but as a barometer for exactly how much you want anonymous strangers (including potential employers) to be able to find out about you. A simple Google search for your name, phone number, etc. can also go a long way toward revealing this type of personal information. Now that I have covered the information about you that is available to any amateur stalker, I turn to the information that can be gleaned by the more advanced bad guys. Let’s start with the passwords. Most email and bank accounts don’t even require that you use eight characters including at least one number and one capital letter as they do at
Crossword ACROSS 1. Smidgens 6. Southeast Asian cuisine 10. Poodle’s bark 13. More than a twitch 14. Pre-euro money in France 15. Sun speech 16. Swarthmore coach who gives signs 18. Luggage inspection org. 19. The “et” of et cetera 20. Follower of Swarthmore. or Haverford. 21. Canadian brewing company 23. Summer in France 24. Swarthmore coach who uses a fungo 27. Willy from “Death of a Salesman” 30. _____-friendly (green) 31. Dynasty after the T’ang 32. Refusals 34. Sporty car roof 37. Sydney’s state: Abbr. 38. Swarthmore coach who calls the plays 42. Q’s point value in Scrabble 43. Fat in a can 44. Steel part of a boot 45. “Othello” villain 47. Yahoo! competitor 49. Puccini opera 53. Swarthmore coach who might use his head 57. Setting for many a joke 58. Like an “eeny, meeny, miney, mo” selection 59. By way of 61. Calc. prerequisite 62. Firefighter’s tool 63. Swarthmore coach who might call a timeout 67. The Indians or Browns, on a scoreboard 68. “Oliver Twist” thief 69. Pop singer Lavigne 70. Prefix with plunk or plop 71. Make out, to Harry Potter 72. Ten-_____ (long odds)
6. _____-la-la 7. Laugh syllable 8. Site for a monitoring bracelet, maybe 9. Glacier climber’s tool 10. Element between polonium and radon on the periodic table 11. “Have no fear” 12. Concentration of student housing often found in college towns 14. High-pitched woodwind 17. MP3 holders 22. “The Fresh Prince of _____-Air” 25. Followed, as an impulse 26. Less harsh alternative to grounding 28. Raggedy _____ 29. Christmas carol 33. It has a very large bed 35. Grain in Cheerios 36. Baptist or Methodist, in short 38. Differential gear’s spot 39. Amtrak employee
40. Race for hot rods 41. Keanu’s “The Matrix” role 42. Men’s closet accessory 46. The fourth-most-common mental disorder, for short 48. Ira who wrote “Rosemary’s Baby” 50. Italian fast-food chain often seen in airports 51. Kind of radio show 52. Diamond-shaped pattern 54. Devours, with “down” 55. “You’re _____ One, Mr. Grinch” 56. What a “swish” basketball shot doesn’t touch 60. Like _____ out of hell 64. Freudian concept 65. Halloween wear 66. Recently released Sprint smartphone BY BEN SCHNEIDERMAN
DOWN 1. Tel Aviv’s land 2. Not dismissive of, as suggestions 3. Bicycle for two 4. Enzyme suffix 5. Captain Hook’s henchman
January 20, 2011
For the solution to this week’s puzzle, see The Phoenix’s online edition at www.swarthmorephoenix.com.
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swarthmorephoenix.com
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p o l i t i c s Nationalism, Anarchism, Reform: Understanding Political Islam from the Inside Out with Professor James Gelvin
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Small Craft Warnings Reading
Friday, Jan 21 Sci 101 12:30 p.m. – 2 p.m.
Saturday Jan. 22 4:30p.m. - 5:30p.m.. Kitao Gallery
“How can the U.S. identify its ‘true enemies’?”
editor’s P I CK S By Susana Medeiros
Phineas Pizza Party
Come as you are. Friday, Jan. 21 Science Center 101 8 - 10 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 23 Parrish Parlors 9 p.m.
A Showing of the Hit Comedy Film
Phineas says: “Squack!” (Be there.)
p h i n e a s
p e r f o r m 12
January 20, 2011
THE PHOENIX
Opinions
swarthmorephoenix.com Staff Editorial
Privatize state liquor stores but retain workers’ rights Though Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, a Republican, was only sworn into office this Tuesday, he already faces the state’s daunting $5 billion budget deficit. He was elected in a strongly anti-Washington and anti-establishment mood that carried his message of budget cuts and no tax increases to Harrisburg. Following through on one of his campaign promises, Corbett plans to close part of the budget gap by selling Pennsylvania’s state-owned liquor stores. Corbett is the third Pennsylvania Governor to attempt to privatize the state stores. Previous attempts were met with opposition from a coalition of the union representing the state liquor store workers, anti-alcohol groups and antidrunk driving groups. Now, though, with unified Republican state legislature and strong anti-government sentiments, Pennsylvania could finally see its liquor stores sold for revenue. Public opinion on the privatization is also positive. A Quinnipiac University poll conducted in December 2010 showed that a majority of Pennsylvania residents supported selling the stores to help with the budget deficit. Selling the stores would not only be a desperate measure to help lessen the deficit. The quality and efficiency of the Pennsylvania stores is far worse than liquor stores in other states. A recent New York Times article highlighted the plight of Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) store #5801, which perpetually had too little liquor, not enough variety and limited hours. Similar problems plague other stores. Their prices are marked up by the PLCB, so that prices in Pennsylvania are often higher than prices in surrounding states. The price difference and the problems with quality, availability and selection cause what is known as border bleed. Pennsylvania consumers often go to New Jersey, Ohio or Delaware to purchase their alcohol, which gives potential Pennsylvania tax revenue to other states. The state-run store in Media faces such problems. Some Swarthmore students buy their alcohol in Delaware, where the selection is better, beer, wine and hard liquor are sold in the same location, and prices are lower because of fewer taxes. House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny County) drafted a bill set for discussion in the House in 2011 that would eliminate the 621 state stores and sell 850 new liquor licenses. The bill takes the state out of a business in which it has no legal basis, and has a conflict of interest in both owning and regulating the stores. Turzai’s bill provides that the current PLCB 30 percent price markup would be eliminated, and that the current liquor taxes would be replaced with taxation by the gallon, as is the practice in most states. Furthermore, the bill would move the sales tax paid by restaurants and bars to the final purchase by the consumer and eliminate the per-bottle handling tax on liquor. The bill provides stipulations for the current employees, offering incentives for new store owners to hire current employees, education credits, and assistance in applying for other jobs with the State of Pennsylvania. Additionally, the bill has requirements for enriching law enforcement, such as employee training programs and ID scanners. The new liquor stores would have to be in an area dedicated to the sale of wine and hard alcohol separate from other retail areas. Turzai’s plan cites the meager average of $90 million in profits from the stores as poor reason to keep the stores in state hands as a source of revenue. Critics of the plan say that these profits should not be removed from the state’s income, but the data suggest that state revenue after the auction of the liquor licenses would increase. The $376 million in sales and liquor taxes currently collected would stay the same, or even increase with decreased border bleed. The state’s annual revenue would sustainably increase with increased tax revenue and the fees collected on liquor licenses, and the sale of the stores would help close the current budget gap. Other criticisms from anti-alcohol groups and advocacy groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving purport that the privatization of the stores would increase alcohol consumption and drunk driving incidence. However, a December 2010 study conducted at Duquense University found no connection between the level of state control of liquor sales and the number of DUI-related deaths. Selling the state stores would affect the patterns of alcohol purchase but not affect the patterns of alcohol consumption. But particular criticisms, especially the argument for the $100 million in state-run store revenue, do not comprehend the urgency of the $5-billion deficit. Pennsylvania should sell its liquor stores to lessen its budget deficit without cutting other essential programs and services. However, the bill presented by Turzai needs several adjustments before it can reach the House floor. The objections raised by United Food and Commercial Workers are legitimate. If the stores are privatized, the new owners could destroy the 4,500 family-sustaining jobs currently held by PLCB employees. The proposal needs to include more protection for the workers, such as a guarantee that they will be able to organize under the same union to protect their jobs after the sale of the stores. The last thing the state needs is a greater tHe PHOeniX
Emma Waitzman Phoenix Staff
welfare and unemployment burden. Though the state desperately needs the money from the sale of the stores, the bill should include provisions for longer-term economic and fiscal sustainability. Changes in the tax structure for liquor and the fees from the liquor licenses are a feasible way to provide more government revenue than the stores currently do. It is time for Pennsylvania to get out of the business of selling liquor. Privatizing the state stores would ease the pressure of the budget deficit, improve the quality of the stores and, with the right provisions, save jobs.
Letter, OP-eD anD cOmment POLicy Letters, opinion pieces and online comments represent the views of their writers and not those of The Phoenix staff or Editorial Board. The Phoenix reserves the right to edit all pieces submitted for print publication for content, length and clarity. The Phoenix also reserves the right to withhold any letters, op-eds or comments from publication.
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An editorial represents the opinions of the members of the Opinions Board: Camila Ryder, Marcus Mello and Olivia Natan.
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January 20, 2011
although individual writers may request that their group affiliation be included.
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Opinions
swarthmorephoenix.com
Eva: No place I’d rather be black than in America In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder called America “a nation of cowards” when it comes to dealing with issues involving race. He was met with a firestorm of criticism from conservatives who believed his comments were divisive and alienating. “Even as we fight a war against terrorism; deal with the reality of electing an African-American, for the Eva McKend first time, as the president of According to Eva the United States; the need to confront our racial past and to understand our racial present, and to understand the history of African people in this country — that all endures,” the Attorney General said. Although matters of race occupied a considerable amount of political coverage, Holder argued conventional discourse among everyday Americans continued to shy away from our historical reality. Two years later, Holder’s remarks are still difficult to digest. Although we are at a time of perceived racial equality, America seems to be regressing. Look no further than the current site of intolerance that is Arizona. The state has banned ethnic studies in public schools with a particular emphasis on rooting out the possibility of Latino studies programs. As Sheriff Clarence Dupnik of Pima County appropriately concluded from this month’s horrific Tucson massacre, “The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous and unfortunately Arizona … has become the capital — the Mecca for prejudice and bigotry.” At this time of political unrest, I think about the people of color throughout history who moved elsewhere in attempt to escape American racism. I can’t help but recall the black expatriates of the 1920s who sought refuge in Europe. Home to artists like Josephine Baker and Langston Hughes, the Parisian district of Montmartre was affectionately deemed Black Paris. In
the 1960s, there were also a number of black visual artists Americans throughout the years and shows like “Sister who relocated to the continent. Artist Mildred Thompson Act: The Musical” gained a backing not initially garnered eventually immigrated to Germany after she was met in the US, it would be a mistake to conflate fortuitous with severe racial discrimination in the US. occurrences with this idea of total racial harmony. Art historian David C. Driskell wrote in the 1978 Over the winter break, I spent three weeks in American Quarterly article “Bibliographies in Afro- Australia and did not see one black person on a single American Art,” “While the vast majority of Afro- visual advertisement unless it was for UNICEF or an American artists contributed in their own way to the AIDS relief organization. There was a similar absence of black revolution, many felt the social pains of segrega- diversity in television. No black actors. No black news tion and cultural apartheid heavily reporters. No mention of the enough to choose to work in Aboriginal people. Europe.” It was “a form of cultural When I spoke to one black exile over expatriation, hoping for a Australian, he said he could never Although we are at a better day to come.” refer to himself as time of perceived racial comfortably Some would argue that such black in the company of white racial hatred is not yet a distant equality, America seems Australians. He even went so far memory, and, although I agree, as to say that it might take an to be regressing. there is no place I’d rather be black American like myself to improve than in America. I’ve traveled to their contorted condition. One every continent in the world with indigenous woman living in the the exception of Antarctica and the United States is not Aboriginal Tent Embassy, an activist tent community unique in its racial bias. stationed on the lawn of the Old Parliament House in the In fact, it seems out of our own frustration, some Australian capital city of Canberra, similarly noted that Americans have wrongfully projected this mythical she believes it was international interest in the racial sense of racial utopia on every country except our own. injustice in the country that led to improved conditions. Though Europe may once have been a place where black As we approach Black History Month in America, artists were able to gain moderate success, I am not con- many of us realize there is still a lot of work to do. We are vinced that it is the haven that it once might have been. a country that refuses to let go of the archaic notion that It certainly did not meet my expectations of racial pro- human beings should be referred to as “illegal” despite gressivism when I studied abroad in London last year. I the evidence that it contributes to a hateful and dangerhad anticipated a wider representation of blacks in the ous atmosphere. It is our great nation that continues to media and a more inclusive understanding of standards use the criminal justice system as an instrument of torof beauty. When I approached a young British-Ghanaian ture — mercilessly imprisoning poor blacks like the Scott student to ask her about her perceptions of race in the sisters, only suspending their draconian double life sencountry as part of my radio show, The Politics of Race in tences on the condition that one sister donate a kidney to London, she voiced her frustrations with not seeing dark- the other. skinned women that looked like her in magazines. However, we are also a nation of great promise. Americans are convinced that the UK is better at just America is the only Western country that can proudly about everything and the English have successfully sing Young Jeezy’s “My President Is Black” and, for maintained this image. It is a convenient narrative to many successful Americans of color, their story could not uphold considering the British Empire colonized what be conceivable in any other country in the world. feels like almost every country in the world. Although Eva is a senior. You can reach her at emckend1@swarthEngland has become home to many disillusioned black more.edu.
around higher educaTion
Tragedy exposes problems in media, politics BY ANDREW SHEPERD wildcat.arizona.edu, Jan. 17, 2011
While it’s now clear that political rhetoric had nothing to do with last week’s tragic shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others, this incident and the coverage surrounding it generates an opportunity to reflect on national issues discussed in the media. Hours after the news broke last Saturday, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik ignited a firestorm by claiming Arizona is the “Mecca for prejudice and bigotry” and suggested the shooting was influenced by the country’s increasingly nasty political dialogue. His comments were unprofessional and not based on any evidence. However, the mainstream media jumped on the sheriff’s statement and began to discuss the impact of the bitter tone surrounding political debates. Pundits on the right immediately went on the defensive, rushing to point out examples of people on the left using inflammatory language and seizing every opportunity to bash the so-called “liberal media.” On Wednesday, Sarah Palin released a video stating that “within hours of a tragedy unfolding, journalists and pundits should not manufacture a blood libel that serves only to incite the very hatred and violence that they purport to con-
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demn.” It’s easy to understand Palin’s right “speaks to a problem that reporters anger. As over the top as her rhetoric can are facing in recent coverage.” The be, it’s safe to say she never wished phys- reporter, who asked to remain anonymous, said “when you report something ical harm on her political opponents. However, this statement represents all from someone who’s a partisan, you that is wrong with modern political come across as endorsing that position.” By moderating a discussion on the debate. It wasn’t journalists who insisted that people like Palin, Rush Limbaugh possible impact of political rhetoric, jourand Sean Hannity had blood on the their nalists are being accused of spreading the hands, it was liberal commentators like partisan views held by those they are Keith Olbermann, Paul Krugman and Ed interviewing. Ultimately, this makes reporting on Schultz. By mixing true partisans with profes- any issue incredibly difficult and divides the counsional try even journalfurther. ists, Palin truth and other Unfortunately, opinionated television The is that peoconservashows and truth-distorting talk radio ple must be tive comto mentators remain more popular than traditional, able think for are able to themselves spin the balanced news sources. w h e n argument watching to make it or listening seem like any discussion surrounding political to partisan personalities. Americans must fight against attempts by charisrhetoric is an attack. Instead of simply denying the absurd matic, yet agenda-driven commentators insinuation that rhetoric from the right to herd them (like mindless sheep) into a caused this terrible tragedy to occur, she certain political corral. Perhaps the mainstream media took it a step further and decided to play should have resisted the temptation to politics. According to a national television discuss the possible impact of political news reporter in town covering the rhetoric on Jared Loughner. After all, it’s shooting, the criticism coming from the obvious now that it had none. January 20, 2011
However, to claim that the media purposely sought to assign blame to the right side of the aisle is just as ludicrous as claiming that Glenn Beck inspired Loughner to do what he did. One of the biggest problems currently facing our democracy is how people receive their news. Unfortunately, opinionated television shows and truth-distorting talk radio remain more popular than traditional, balanced news sources. As long as this is the case, and people continue to cling to every word spoken by people like Beck and Olbermann, it’s impossible for the politicians in this country to agree on anything. This tragedy initially brought people from all sides of the political spectrum together. However, after a week of bitterness coming from commentators on the right and naïve statements about the need for more gun control and regulation of political speech coming from the left, it’s safe to say that the country is just as divided as usual. Perhaps people will begin to wise up to the damage caused by agenda-driven commentators. It’s one thing to be passionate about an issue and to disagree, but hopefully Americans will realize that the constant back and forth coming from certain partisans and the inability to see the merits of other points of view do nothing to move the country forward. In fact, they only hold it back. The PhoeniX
Sports exploring the bond between fan and athlete swarthmorephoenix.com
A recent OpEd in the New York Times by Robin Dunbar, a professor of evolutionary anthropology at Oxford, argues against the widespread belief that social media has allowed us to have more friends than would have otherwise been possible. Although Facebook Hannah Purkey and the Internet in generThe Purkey Perspective al allow individuals to reach many more people in a limited time, we all have an innate cognitive limit that restricts the number of friends we can have that is not overcome by access to better technology, according to Dunbar. Instead of creating new friends online, we simply form an online group of friends that are disconnected in the offline world — what he refers to as the electronic village. He expands on this in his book, How Many Friends Does One Person Need, and puts a finite number on the people we can truly have a relationship with, no matter the number of “friends” one has on Facebook. This number, called Dunbar’s number, is only 150. Dunbar best defines this group as the people whom, if you ran into them at the airport lounge at 3 a.m., you would feel comfortable, or even obliged, to say hi and have a conversation with. “You wouldn’t need to introduce yourself because they would know where you stood in their social world, and you would know where they stood in yours,” she wrote. You are probably asking yourself right about now
what all this has to do with sports. I’m getting there; don’t worry. My immediate response after reading the OpEd piece was one of deep, intellectual thought: I tried to compile a list of what my 150 people would look like. However, I ran into some difficulties even fitting in all of the people I interact with on a daily basis. After listing the entirety of the current San Jose Sharks and San Francisco Giants rosters, there was barely enough room for all of my family members. It may seem ridiculous to include two entire sports teams on a list of people I call “friends,” but the truth is sports allow you to defy the limitations of Dunbar’s number, and modern technology is a large part of why. These days, you can find out everything about your favorite players with a click of a mouse, from how Eric Staal feels about picking his brother in the All-Star draft to Keith Ballard’s failed prank attempts in the Canucks’ locker room. When you spend all of your free time watching them on the ice and reading about them off the ice, professional athletes often can feel closer than the person sitting next to you in class. Some may question whether the bond between fan and athlete would actually constitute a “friendship,” but for the faithful, professional athletes often fulfill all the same duties of a friend. They stick with you through good times and bad, cheer you up when you’re sad and provide their fair share of good gossip and entertainment. And the relationship is a two-way street. If you don’t believe me, see how long a sports franchise can last without fans. Sure, maybe players can’t name every one of us like we can them, but NHL teams are well aware of the importance of their team’s loyal followers, and show it every chance they get. Take the San Jose Sharks for example. Long-time season ticket holders
for the Sharks actually have their tickets personally delivered by Sharks players at the beginning of the season. But sports not only create connections between fans and players, but also with other fans. Fans of the same sports team are allied, even if they have never met each other. They share a common history of the pain of loss and the sweetness of success, and that links them in a way akin to friendship. The fan-to-fan connection can even meet Dunbar’s 3 a.m. airport definition. If I walked into an airport lounge and saw someone wearing Sharks or Giants paraphernalia, I wouldn’t be embarrassed to go over and say hi. Instead of Dunbar’s “How are you? Haven’t seen you in ages!” it would be “Why is that when one Bay Area team does well, the others have to have complete breakdowns? It’s like we always have to have at least a little torture!” It’s practically the same thing. Just like Dunbar says is true of our 150 friends, I would be happy to lend a fellow fan a “fiver” if asked or buy them a beer, because, without even having a single conversation, I know they share a love of Joe Thornton and a hatred of all things associated with the Anaheim Ducks. If friendship is based on similar interests, I can’t imagine anything more important than a shared interest in booing Ducks players. Sports give you an instant network of friends that are not accounted for in Dunbar’s number. I may not be able to tell you exactly who they are, but we would certainly have more to talk about in an airport lounge than I would with that girl that sat two rows ahead of me throughout high school. Hannah is a senior. You can reach her at hpurkey1@swarthmore.edu. For links to blogs and articles, check out Hannah’s column on The Phoenix website.
Swimming looks to build on promising first half to peak physical condition,” according to sprinter Tim Brevart ’12. “[We had] two exhausting practices every day with an Tanned and rested from winter break hour's worth of dry training between and a week-long training trip in Puerto them.” Daniel Duncan ’13 agreed. “I think it Rico, the Swarthmore Garnet swim teams return to action, looking to build really helps us to get in shape,” he said. on impressive first semesters of competi- “We did double the amount of training as during the school year. [It] also gave me tion from both the men and the women. The women, led by a strong core of time to work on my stroke and make it a highly talented first-years and veteran bit more efficient.” Davis, who accompanied the team on distance swimmers, enter Saturday’s meet against Cabrini boasting a 3-2 their trip, acknowledged, “They worked record, including a 3-1 mark in the very, very hard. They were up at 5:30 every morning, and a lot of them were in Centennial Conference. The men, aiming to capture their first bed by 8 at night.” In spite of — or perhaps because of — Centennial Conference title, made a the grueling splash earlier in nature of the trip, the year by Brevart also comdefeating the mented on its defending cham“I think they’ve swum capacity as a pion Franklin & fantastic ... And I’m team bonding M a r s h a l l experience. “The Diplomats for the expecting more fantastic team itself first time in four [in the second half].” becomes a closer years, and community after remain undefeatHead Coach Sue Davis having lived in ed coming out of such close quarthe break. ters for the length Returning from sabbatical to lead the Garnet is of the trip,” he said. The extended break and the training head coach Sue Davis, entering her 27th season at Swarthmore’s helm. Though trip — plus the return of Davis — have she hasn’t officially been coaching for the Swat swimmers and coaching staff the past semester, she has kept close tabs back in gear for the second semester of on the team — which has been temporar- competition. “We’re [spending] the next ily run by assistant coach Casmera Wick three weeks working very hard,” Davis — and she has liked what she has seen. said. “Everybody is very focused on the “I think they’ve swum fantastic,” Davis Conference [championship] meet and on said. “And I’m expecting more fantastic the dual meets in preparation for Conferences. I always tell them that [in the second half].” The team itself is recovering from every time you race, you need to race, their trip to Puerto Rico, during which because you learn something from every “anyone who was abroad or generally race you swim.” “I think a lot of [swimmers] are lookloafed around over break [was] returned BY ANA APOSTOLERIS aaposto1@swarthmore.edu
the PhoenIX
ing good,” Duncan said. “We're all really excited to get back into meets.” Brevart is focused firmly on the future, but sees much cause for optimism. “There is still much work that needs to be done over the course of the month,” he said, “but if our team all tapers successfully then there is a high chance that Swat could finally claim the
conference title.” On Wednesday, the women’s team crushed Bryn Mawr with a 125-72 score. The men kick back into action on Saturday, as both teams will take on Cabrini at Ware Pool, beginning at 2 p.m. Daniel Duncan is a sports writer for The Phoenix. He had no role in the production of this article.
garnet athlete of the week
January 20, 2011
William Gates soph., Willseyville, mi.
What he’s done: the sophomore posted a game-high 19 points as the Garnet defeated the dickinson Red devils on saturday afternoon. Gates netted 15 of those points in the second half. Gates also grabbed five rebounds, four of which were defensive, and added a steal and a block. he now has 304 points on the season.
FavoRite caReeR moment: “having 31 points and 17 rebounds in our first win of the 2009-10 season and of my career.”
season Goals: “to come back and make a run at the playoffs ... and to beat haverford of course.”
FavoRite nFl team: Olivia Natan Phoenix Staff
“the indianapolis colts.”
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Sports
swarthmorephoenix.com
Back from strong break, Garnet women drop two BY RENEE FLORES rflores1@swarthmore.edu The Swarthmore women’s basketball team has made an impressive showing over the past month, winning four out of six of the games during the break, now standing at 10-6 (6-5 CC). During the break, the team lost only to Franklin & Marshall (F&M) by a score of 68-48 and Johns Hopkins by a score of 48-37. Head women’s basketball coach Renee DeVarney was proud of the team’s performances against NYU and New York City Tech (NYU Tech) in the NYU New Year’s Classic, held in New York City. Kathryn Stockbower ’11 had 22 points and 17 rebounds in the second half against NYU. “It was an amazing performance, one of the best I’ve ever seen in all my years coaching and it was our key to victory against a very good team,” DeVarney said. The team agreed that this was the highlight of the break. “It set the tone for what we wanted over break,” Ginny LaFouci ’14 said. The loss against Franklin & Marshall came as result of bad decision making, something the team has struggled with in the past and is working on improving with each game against every opponent. The team’s 30 turnovers, due to a lapse in offensive play with the Diplomats’ able rally 15-1 to take the lead, gave F&M the lead they would keep for the rest of the game. The break showed a major up in defensive play. In the game against Johns Hopkins, the Swat women limited the Blue Jays to 15 points in the second half, caused 20 turnovers for their opponents and managed nine steals. Despite being out-rebounded 43-27, the team managed to prevent the Blue Jays from achieving an overwhelming defeat. “The last 10 minutes of the game, we played very inspired and very aggressive ball so it was a learning point,” DeVarney said, emphasizing that if they want to beat the tough opponents, they have to stay consistent and keep improving every day. “The tough losses [against F&M and Johns Hopkins] are nothing impossible to bounce back from. We just had to reevaluate and move past it quickly,” Nicole Rizzo ’12 said. The Garnet defense led the team to a comeback against the Dickinson Red Devils, winning 62-46 and holding the Devils to a 25 percent shooting — the second time in a row the Garnet defense has held its opponent below its
season shooting percentage. “Defense is just a mentality. You tell yourself, ‘I am going to stop my opponent, I am going to be in my position.’ It’s a mental toughness, and when push comes to shove, defense is what wins games,” Rizzo said. The Swarthmore defense kept the Devils at bay, while the offense stole the lead in the first half 22-17. Leading scorer Stockbower netted 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the game, recording her 75th double-double in her career. In the second half, LaFouci scored the basket that gave the team a 20-point lead. The Garnet led in rebounds 50-37, and finished the game with a 16-point lead. “Our league is really balanced so there aren’t things that are considered upsets. On any given night anybody can win,” DeVarney said in response to the losses over the break. DeVarney realizes the challenges of playing in the Centennial Conference, which is becoming more and more competitive each year. “Of course, we’re hoping to win, to get an important win and move up in the rankings, so we can play in the Championships,” LaFouci said. The Garnet ladies entered the game confident that if they gave it their all, they would come out victorious. However, with the home court advantage, the Gettysburg Bullets ultimately dominated the game. The Bullets beat Swat 72-47, taking the lead early in the game and holding onto it for the duration of the game. In the game, Stockbower recorded her 76th career double-double, just three shy of the NCAA Division III record (79). Along with Stockbower, first-years Katie Lytle and Kayla Moritzky played strong offense with eight points apiece. On Wednesday, the Garnet dropped yet another conference game. Playing from Tarble Pavilion in front of a crowd of Swarthmore fans wearing white for a “White Out” game, the Garnet lost by 21 points. Though Stockbower notched her 77th double-double, the Haverford offense was too strong for the Garnet, scoring 62 points. Poor shooting plagued the Garnet; while the Fords shot 46 percent from the field, the Garnet shot only 22 percent. Before the game, Rizzo acknowledged the Garnet would have to play hard in order to be victorious. “[Haverford] is a building program. They have good firstyears, a young team. But they are not a team to go in complacent about. They will be going out there and fighting,” Rizzo said.
Paul Chung Phoenix Staff
Members of the Garnet and Fords go for a free ball. The Swarthmore women’s basketball team lost by a score of 62-41. After such an impressive showing over the break, the team is using those victories as motivation to keep moving forward, aiming to keep up its intensity in future games. With a defensive plan and offensive strike in its arsenal, the Swarthmore women’s basketball team is aiming for the Centennial Conference Championships in February. “It’s one of the things in the back of our minds. We’re making up our minds to get better every day. We know what we have to do, we just have to execute,” LaFouci said. The Swarthmore women’s basketball team returns to action Saturday, Jan. 22 in an away game at Ursinus. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
Men’s basketball loses to rival Haverford, 74-52 BY DANIEL DUNCAN dduncan1@swarthmore.edu Despite some excellent individual performances, the Swarthmore men’s basketball team struggled to find wins during winter break. The Garnet (5-10, 2-6 CC change after Haverford) lost consecutive games by double digits until Saturday’s 73-59 win against Dickinson. The win snapped a six game losing streak that dated back to December 8. The Garnet traveled to New York for the NYU Holiday Classic, playing two very good teams, MCLA and NYU. Three players, led by a 27 point explosion from Will Gates ’13, reached double digits in scoring against MCLA. Unfortunately, that wasn’t nearly enough, as the Trailblazers shot a blazing 57 percent from the field to cruise to a 99-78 win. Gates had another big night against NYU, scoring 26 to lead the Garnet. In an otherwise close game, the Violets had two big runs to close the first half and begin the second that put the game out of reach for the Garnet. Out-rebounded 45-33, the Garnet fell 73-58. After his monster scoring display, Gates was named to the all-tournament team. Upon their return from New York, the Garnet returned to their Centennial Conference schedule at then #13 Franklin &
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Marshall. The team fell 85-46 against a very strong opponent. The team shot only 27.9 percent from the field, with Jay Kober ’14 and Gates leading the team with 15 and 12 points, respectively. The Garnet struggled on defense, allowing four Diplomats to reach double-digits on 59.6 percent shooting. Continuing their road trip to Gettysburg, things failed to improve for the Garnet. Shooting 28.8 percent and outrebounded 44-25, the team gave the Bullets a comfortable 59-43 win. There was a light at the end of the tunnel though, as the Garnet closed the game on a 15-3 run. Gates and Kober again led the offense, with Gates achieving his third 20-point effort in four games. Hosting their first game in the new year, the Garnet fell to Johns Hopkins 67-53. Led by Kober’s 19 points, the Garnet offense was much more efficient, and the rebounding gap was much closer than previous games. The defense let the game get away though, letting the Blue Jays shoot over 50 percent from the field. Last Saturday, things finally clicked for the Garnet, as they emerged from the depths with a 73-59 victory over Dickinson. The offense was on fire all night, shooting 50 percent from the field, including 7 of 14 three pointers. Gates led a balanced attack with 19 points, while Jordan Federer ’14,
Jordan Martinez ’13, and Kober were also in double-digits. While the offense knew what it was doing, the Garnet still struggled with defense and rebounding. The struggle wasn’t as profound as previous games though. The defense held the Red Devils to 42 percent shooting, the lowest of any opponent the Garnet had faced this winter. On rebounding, the Garnet and Red Devils were dead even. Kober said the win over Dickinson was “huge,” adding that, “The losing streak was definitely a tough pill to swallow.” He thinks the win showed, though, that “we are able of playing with anybody.” Andrew Greenblatt ’12, who studied abroad last semester, also added that the Dickinson win “lifted our confidence because we beat a good team without doing anything special. We executed our offenses well, something that shouldn’t be very hard to do against Haverford,” Greenblatt said, in an e-mail, before last night’s game. On Wednesday, the Garnet could not add another win to its record, losing to Haverford 74-52. The Garnet now turn to the road, traveling to Ursinus on Saturday in a rematch of an early-season win for the Garnet. In last semester’s game, Ryan Carmichael ’11 scored the three-pointer in the last 9.8 seconds of the game, clinching a win against
January 20, 2011
Allegra Pocinki Phoenix Staff
Will Gates goes for a jumper as the Garnet took on rival Haverford on Wednesday. Ursinus. “[Ursinus] must be pretty fired up about Carmichael’s buzzer beater against them from the first semester. I’m looking forward to showing them it wasn’t a fluke and taking it to them with a more decisive victory,” Greenblatt said. Gates ’13 added in an email, “A big difference is going to be that Jay Kober won’t be a secret to them this time, but hopefully he can come up huge against them again.” Tip-off is at 3:00 p.m. at Ursinus.
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