The Brandeis Hoot - 10/29/2010

VOL 7, NO. 17

OCTOBER 29, 2010

B R A N D E I S U N I V E R S I T Y ' S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S PA P E R

WA LT H A M , M A

$22.5 mil Mandel Center officially opens

BY MORGANA RUSSINO Staff

Univ plans new schedule structure

BY NATHAN KOSKELLA

The Mandel Center for the Humanities held an official opening ceremony Tuesday as students, faculty, administrators and trustees gathered to celebrate the new $22.5 million building.

Morton Mandel discussed his pride for the building. He said that the center is meant to be “a hub of interaction and identity” and that he hopes it “encourages interdisciplinary work of the humanities and all fields at Brandeis.

“It is a thing of beauty beyond being a facility, a tool that will improve education on this campus,” Mandel continued. “I am inhaling the refined excitement, the quiet elegance, all the fine detail ... The building itself is awesome to me beyond what I expected—and I expected a lot.

“This building in my view, and all of you, will change the world,” he added.

Morton Mandel, his wife Barbara, and his brothers Jack and Joseph are the founders of the Mandel Foundation, which has

Editor

PHOTO BY Anthony Losquadro /The Hoot

GRAND OPENING: (From left to right )The Mandels, Univ. President Jehuda Reiharz and Chairman of the board of trustees Malcom Sherman wait for the ribbon cutting of the new Mandel Center

been a supporter of Brandeis in the past. The Mandels have also founded the Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, the Mandel Chair in Jewish Education and the Barbara and Mor-

ton Mandel Endowed Graduate Fellowship in English and American Literature.

The $22.5 million gift that constructed the humanities center is one of the largest dona-

tions ever made to support the humanities in the United States.

Morton Mandel said the building has far exceeded his expectations.

See MANDEL, p.3

Two arrested, 9 hospitalized from Pachanga chaos

BY JON OSTROWSKY Editor

Two university police officers were assaulted, nine students were transported to a hospital for alcohol intoxication and local towns suffered a shortage of ambulances last Saturday following a night of heavy drinking in dorms before the bi-annual Pachanga dance, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said.

Campus police arrested two students for assault and battery on a police officer among other charges, according to the Police Department Media Log. “There’s a concern about alcohol abuse and responsible behavior,” Callahan said. “This situation was just a debacle.”

This weekend’s incidents prompted university President Jehuda Reinharz to send an email to students.

“These incidents are unprecedented in my 16 years as president, and they cause me and other members of this commu-

THIS WEEK:

PHOTO BY Andrew Rauner /The Hoot

RAGER: Students dance at Pachanga, which ended early this year after a student pulled the fire alarm

nity great concern,” Reinharz wrote. “We will not tolerate this conduct and those who engage in it will face campus disciplinary procedures and possible criminal charges.”

Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps (BEMCO) responded to a call from an intoxicated stu-

dent in the Ziv Residence Quad about 10:30 p.m. on Saturday and before university police arrived students were “combative,” Callahan said.

One student threatened to kill officers and then bit an officer on the arm when police tried to help paramedics after the stu-

Salem: a witchy town Features, page 7

dent fell down. The student was arrested and the officer went to the hospital for treatment of the wound. A group of students then followed behind the student and another student struck a police officer on the head, CalSee PACHANGA, p. 4

Make your own Jack o Lantern Arts, Etc. page 9

The university is planning a package of academic changes that would alter the block schedule, hold more classes twice a week and make all classes begin on the hour.

Classes on Tuesday afternoons would hold their second meetings Thursday instead of Friday under the plans, Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe said. The proposed changes will be discussed at the Nov. 4 faculty meeting with the final decision being made by Provost Marty Krauss.

“The Block Scheduling Committee has been studying this for two years: there is more demand for two-day-a-week classes and the new system will accommodate more classes that we want,” Jaffe said.

Morning classes would remain the same, as would the schedule for three-day classes (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday). The current empty slots of time Thursday where there are no classes would be switched with Friday, when nearly all classes should end “by 2 p.m.,” according to the committee’s recommendation. (Any exceptions would entail special circumstances made for labs.)

“There seems to be some positive momentum for the latest Block Schedule proposal,” Professor Tim Hickey (COSCI) and the senate chair, wrote in an e-mail.

He also added that the faculty recognizes difficulties of the current system and the benefits of the change. As opposed to other changes, Hickey wrote that “some faculty and students have asked for [Monday, Wednesday, Friday] classes but ... the proposed Block Schedule leaves the MWTh classes unchanged.”

The reason for choosing the more moderate proposals rather than switching to Monday, Wednesday, Friday entails the more advanced idea’s not addressing the entire problem, Hickey wrote.

“It has become a little more difficult to schedule classes over the past few years as the student body has been increasing,” he wrote.

“This has been aggravated by the fact that many faculty and students tend to avoid the late Friday afternoon block. There have also See ACADEMICS, p. 3

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NEWS

2 The Brandeis Hoot

October 29, 2010

Green grade stagnant, alternate sustainability evaluations sought

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

Brandeis received a B this year on its annual sustainability report card from the Sustainable Endowments Institute (SEI) as university Sustainability Coordinator Janna Cohen-Rosenthal ’03 works to create a more effective way to evaluate the university’s sustainability.

The university also received a B on last year’s Green Report Card, but for different reasons.

This year, the university’s grade for endowment transparency rose from an F to a C. However, the university’s overall grade did not change because the university received a C in shareholder engagement this year but was not graded in that category the previous year.

“It’s irritating,” Cohen-Rosenthal said. “The Green Report Card is confusing to me. It doesn’t seem quite fair all the time.”

Of the nine catagories considered on the Green Report Card, three are related to the endowment, SEI’s specialty.

Spokeswoman for SEI Emily Flynn said that while there is “no most important catagory,” the report card “focuses on the endowment because investment decisions are expressions of a university’s financial priorities.

“It says a lot about the campus and can open up a greater dialogue about sustainability,” Flynn said.

While the Green Report Card’s focus is on the endowment, Co-

hen-Rosenthal said it does not help the university when it looks to improve in other catagories.

“The Report Card is a wonderful tool, but it is really focused on investment,” she said.

“But something like energy use is really complex, and the Report Card doesn’t take that into account, nor does it give you a sort of path for how to improve.”

In part because of the Report Card’s inadequacies, CohenRosenthal is working with an experiential learning class this semester to create a Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System (STARS) that would cover every sector of campus from planning and administration to operations to education to research.

STARS is the brainchild of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, an organization which enables colleges and university to meet their goals by providing various forms of support. STARS acts as a comprehensive assessment that can show universities like Brandeis the ways in which it could best reach sustainability goals.

“STARS is very broad,” Cohen-Rosenthal said. “I like to think we can use it to look at the triple bottom line: the university’s economic, social and environmental impact.”

Cohen-Rosenthal and her class are working toward compiling data this semester and hope to have the system up and accessible by January.

Report card

Overall grade

B

Administration

B

Climate Change and Energy

A

Food and recycling

B

Green building

B

Student involvement

A

Transportation

B

Endowment transparency

C

Investment priorities

A

Shareholder engagement

C

BSF gets first proposals, winners to be announced before Thanksgiving

BY NATHAN KOSKELLA Editor

The Brandeis Sustainability Fund Board received its first proposals from individual and groups of students this week and held its first meeting reviewing the plans to use the new group’s $50,000 from the student activity fee to advance campus environmental efficiency and other goals.

The board, which in addition to officials like the dean of arts and sciences, student treasurer includes directly elected students, will evaluate which projects to fund based on feasibility, application to a Brandeisspecific goal, the level of community engagement and cost, according to elected member Susan Paykin ’11.

“This board and its money was created by students: it’s students’ money and we want the student body engaged” around

International judge talks dealth penalty

these proposals,” she said. ceived proposals may cost up to The vote was created with an $30,000. amendment to the Union ConAcknowledging that the camstitution calling for it to pro- pus-wide creation vote, while mote sustainability on campus substantial, was not unanimous, by doling money to student Paykin restricted her definition of ideas, which are not formally community engagement with the connected to a student group. balance of the board’s mission, Paykin “There’s aland Nick ways going to Polanco be opposition,” ’13 were she said, “but it’s elected to what we, Nick the board [Polanco] and I, upon its were elected to creation. do—represent Janna Cohen-Rosenthal what we thought “I love this and was in the am thankBrandeis susful to be able to take this posi- tainability goal’s best interests.” tion,” Polanco said, “because the Polanco said that any “lack of money has the ability to make popularity [in the board’s decichange.” sions] could mean a lack of eduOn the uses of the money, Po- cation on its sustainability.” He lanco said that some ideas would added that he believes the combe “patched through” because of munity would want whatever is their feasibility and “cheap” cost more sustainable. of $500, but that some well-reUniversity Sustainability Co-

There may be some left over, but we’re going to try to spend all of it.

ordinator Janna Cohen-Rosenthal ’03, who serves as the board’s non-voting chair, said the proposals reflected a wide and diverse net of ideas addressing many possible ways to improve general sustainability. She will work with drafters to make proposals better.

“For the next few weeks, students will refine the proposals, with the final draft being due

by Nov. 12,” she said. “We’ll announce the winning proposals before Thanksgiving.”

Several of the board’s members addressed the Constitutional vagary that does not mandate when the total annual $50,000 must be spent, in one semester or split somehow between them.

“We mostly decided to spend as much money as we can,” Cohen-Rosenthal said. “There may be some left over, but we’re going to try to spend all of it.”

BY JOSH KELLY Staff

Judge Bakhtiyar Tuzmukhamedov of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, a court that judges war crimes and crimes against humanity from the Rwandan genocide spoke on his interpretation of the Constitutional laws and the Russian and global shift towards abolishing the death penalty.

Prior to joining the Rwanda Tribunal, he was a long-time law professor in Russia, as well as a counselor in the Constitutional Court in Russia. In addition to discussing capital punishment, Tuzmukhamedov focused largely on the basic concepts and workings of a constitution.

Tuzmukhamedov said the court’s role is “to say whether the law that was applied was supposed to be applied or could be applied in a particular case, was constitutional or not.” Furthermore, “[they] don’t go into the facts of the case.”

He suggests that “although [he has] been with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for over a year now, since last [September 2009, he] still [does] not consider [himself] to be a judge.”

Tuzmukhamedov is relatively new to the international justice scene because Rwanda was his first international court that he served on. In the court “usually [they] would have at least one, most often two members of the panel who [were] professional judges, who [had] background in the judiciary either in their national courts or in regional international courts.”

Given a problem, the other two “address that problem from the point of view of procedure as professional judges” while he “[acts] as a lay judge.”

Tuzmukhamedov described the constitution as “a tool that could be used, or maybe could not when we deal with such a sensitive and explosive issue as capital punishment.”

In a classroom setting, the attendees and the judge talked about what a constitution is, what the best form is and who decides what should go into the constitution of any country.

Later Tuzmukhamedov explained the state of capital punishment internationally by pointing to how every European country except Belarus currently “is 100 percent free of capital punishment.”

Regarding Russia he explained that still “there are five counts for which a person may be convicted and sentenced to the death penalty. Those are aggraSee DEATH PENALTY, p. 4

October 29, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

NEWS

Mandels, Reinharz speak to importance of humanities MANDEL (from p. 1)

Barbara Mandel, a member of the university’s board of trustees, also shared her enthusiasm about the building, mentioning that although the Mandel Foundation has donated before, this is the largest grant the foundation has ever made.

“I’ve heard often that it’s better to give than receive,” Barbara Mandel said. “It’s wonderful.”

She said she hopes that the center will assist faculty in “practicing their craft more effectively.”

Barbara Mandel also thanked members of the university community, the architectural firm and staff of the foundation for their efforts, saying “you not only did it, you did it with a style and a grace ... The people who are working here and who are learning here have a wonderful new way to work and learn.”

University President Jehuda Reinharz said he was grateful towards the Mandel Foundation for their generous donation in order to fund the complex, which has been in use since September.

“As a building and as a concept, the Mandel Center for the Hu m an it i e s is designed to encourage interdisciplinary work across the humanities,” Reinharz said.

Reinharz will become president of the Mandel Foundation when he steps down as president of Brandeis at the beginning of 2011, and said that the Mandel gift was critically important because of social, demographic and economic trends that are attracting stu-

3

Class blocks could change ACADEMICS (from p. 1)

PHOTOS BY Ingrid Schulte /The Hoot

DONATION: (Above) Barbara and Morton Mandel with university Presiden Jehuda Reinharz. (Below) Future President Frederick Lawrence watches the ceremony.

dents to fields other than the humanities, because cutbacks are limiting opportunities in the humanities and because many private funders have cut support for education and “the humanities are suffering disproportionately.”

Reinharz explained the study of humanities is declining, and that in 2007, only 8 percent of Jehuda Reinharz students in the United States majored in humanities-related fields.

“Without the study of humanities, our own humanity is diminished,” Reinharz said, adding that the new building sends a clear message that “the humanities are important at

Without the study of humanities, our own humanity is diminished.

Brandeis, architecture is important at Brandeis, beauty is important at Brandeis.”

The Mandel Center for the Humanities will stress the cultural and intellectual importance of studying fields such as literature, language and philosophy. Among other initiatives, the new center will create new interdisciplinary undergraduate courses, offering opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research on

interdisciplinary topics through research internships, and organizing special local, national and international conferences and events.

The new building includes a 90-seat theater and lecture hall; a 48-seat, tiered classroom; two 24-seat seminar rooms; a reading room; a large, multi-purpose space and a roof garden. It also includes faculty offices and open-space workstations.

been complaints for many years by students and faculty.”

An equally large change would be the slight shift in class meeting and end times: Brandeis 50and 80-minute classes would run from the start of the hour to the 50th minute.

The change from the current schedule’s ending on the hour, a difference between Brandeis and most other universities and professional organizations, will also be discussed the coming faculty meeting but ultimately decided by the provost.

Caps placed on classes when students register will now have to be approved by the dean, Jaffe said, in a decision that he said he could take unilaterally and he is certain will be effective with the next fall term.

“Right now, we have an adhoc mixture of different limits on courses,” Jaffe said, “and we’ve been looking at distribution of class sizes as we now have more students and less faculty.”

Jaffe said that some caps would still exist for labs or foreign languages, but that he wants classes to be realistically capped rather than for only a teacher’s preferences.

“Overall, I think that [with all the new changes] we will be slightly better able to offer the courses we want to offer and that students need to take,” he said.

Hickey cautioned that caps are both a tool to use carefully and yet necessary for proper teaching.

“The main problem is that a class that is capped too low can unnecessarily prevent students who really want to take the class from being allowed to enroll.

Likewise, a class that is capped too high can decrease the effectiveness of the course for the students that enroll,” he wrote.

Students discuss Middle East in calm environment

BY DEBBY BRODSKY Staff

Studet clubs participated in a discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict aimed to refine their own views to form a general consensus in an event sponsored by Hillel, and was led by the organization, “Constructive Conversations: About the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”

Students from four Israelrelated clubs on campus, Jewish Voice for Peace, Brandeis Zionist Alliance, J-Street U and Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine attended the discussion.

Three facilitators, reconstructionist Rabbi Rachel Schoenfeld, mediator Wendy Foxman and Benj Kamm hosted the group discussion, The Jewish Dialogue Group was formed in 2001 to foster constructive dialogues within

Jewish communities in the United States.

The organization aims to examine difficult moral and intellectual questions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to create a safe space where participants will not be lectured, attacked or recruited and also to establish the groundwork for future relationships and dialogues among participants.

Upon beginning the dialogue, students and facilitators shared one word each, describing how they felt about the upcoming discussion. Students

said that they were concerned about arguments and concerned that they would be bullied into certain views. Others shared that they felt “anxious, honored, pessimistic, proud and excited” to begin.

The facilitators had three principles: “prevention is preferable to intervention, the facilitator’s role is to support Benj Kamm the group in having the kind of conversation the group wants to have and all participation is voluntary.”

Facilitators share these principles, but also emphasized the importance of positive discussion and for organization leaders

Do not make assumptions about yourself, and be willing to ask difficult, challenging questions of one another.

to “take off their leader hats,” in order to make the discussion environment conducive to a good dialogue where everyone listens to one another.

Brian Reeves, ’11 President of J-Street U, stressed that the discussion was important because “students coming together to exchange ideas helps to bridge the divide between right wing, left wing and center groups at Brandeis.” It also “presents an academic view of the conflict from many angles.”

As the facilitators’ preface to the discussion continued, Kamm stressed “it is important not to make assumptions while other people are speaking. This is a place where you can try saying something you have never said before.” And most importantly, Kamm said, “do not make assumptions about yourself, and be willing to ask difficult, challenging questions of one another.”

Constructive Conversations is designed to help people talk to each other across political differences and to help people talk through their own ideas and feelings. This particular discussion was designed to focus on what it is like to be at Brandeis among many different perspectives.

Discussion topics include respect and disrespect, being understood by other Jews and by non-Jews, deciding which sources of information to trust, open disagreement in your community, synagogue, school or organization, and, finally, faith, spirituality and philosophy.

By the end of the discussion, the facilitators said they hoped participants would gain greater mutual understanding, the ability not to take ownership of a conversation and communication skills that can be used in other conversations about divisive issues in the future.

4 NEWS

The Brandeis Hoot

October 29, 2010

Reinharz responds to Pachanga with e-mail Brandeis films promotional video

PHOTO BY Andrew Rauner/The Hoot

PACHANGA (from p. 1)

shortly after police decided not to resume the event, considering the behavior and attitude of the students outside. Additionally, any students allowed in would need to be screened with metal detectors, Callahan said.

Elsewhere on campus, BEMCO received 17 calls of intoxicated students. Nine of the students were transported to local hospitals for treatment, requiring ambulances from Waltham and nearby towns, Callahan said.

One female student fell down inside a North Quad dorm and suffered head trauma, in addition to difficulty breathing, as a result of intoxication. She was transported to a local hospital by a Weston Fire Department ambulance.

Callahan explained that although no alcohol is served at Pachanga, “it’s the notoriety of the event” that causes many students to drink alcohol before attending, Callahan said, adding that it creates a chaotic atmosphere outside the dance.

“All of a sudden, it’s like dropping a glass,” he said. “It explodes.”

“People experiment with [alcohol] and they don’t know when to stop,” Callahan said.

“There’s probably a lot of peer pressure.”

Student Union President Daniel Acheampong ’11 said that the community needs to focus on “educating students on how to consume alcohol” because “they will find a way to drink...”

Nahum said that all of the inci-

dents from this weekend can be broken down to problems from intoxication, fake tickets and the attitude about Pachanga.

“It’s marketed differently by peers,” Nahum said. “Pachanga has become such a name that it’s like a Pachanga weekend.”

Reinharz wrote in his e-mail that “Public Safety, Student Affairs and student leaders are reviewing the events of the weekend and will work to ensure that we do not see a repeat of these incidents. We will also re-examine the steps we take to educate students about the risks inherent in alcohol consumption.”

Each student arrested was charged with assault and battery of a police officer. One was also charged with disorderly conduct and another was also charged with resisting arrest. The university has filed judicial charges against the students, according to the media log.

Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer deferred requests for comment to Associate Dean of Student Life Jamele Adams.

Adams declined to comment on the incidents durring the weekend.

Nahum said that Reinharz’s letter sends an important message. “Administrators need to bring up those concerns,” he said.

Meanwhile, the International Club has focused on holding other events, such as International Night under the Sukkah and the International Fair, Nahum said.

Speaker explores constitutional law and capital punishment in Russia DEATH PENALTY (from p. 2)

vated murders, assassination of a state or public official, assassination of a judge, murder of a police officer and, incidentally, genocide.”

The Judge said that Russia’s stance on capital punishment has been “uneven” since the fall of the Soviet Union, as Russia was attempting to become part

of the Council of Europe, which banned the death penalty in the 1990s.

Eventually, in 1996, Russia became part of the council of Europe provided that there be a moratorium on executions and that Russia would ratify the Council of Europe protocol banning the death penalty.

However, due to the rise of terrorism, some in Russia have

BRANDEIS BRIEFS

lahan said. He was also arrested and both students were taken by university police to the Waltham Police station, according to the media log.

Callahan said that he believed the party in Ziv was affiliated with a sports team or club.

At Pachanga, the dance held in Levin Ballroom and sponsored by the International Club, two students sold fake tickets, allowing students who had not bought tickets from the International Club to enter Pachanga.

The ballroom reached capacity before at least 50 students who had bought legal tickets entered, Can Nahum ’12, president of the International Club said.

In addition to university police officers, private security personnel also worked at Pachanga as they had in previous years.

There was a total of 23 security guards and police officers working Saturday night.

Some students who were working additional security at the event did not notice the second batch of fake tickets until a police officer spotted a student carrying some of them in his pocket.

“That exacerbated the problem outside from a crowd mentality,” Callahan said, explaining that students who couldn’t enter became rowdy and began jumping on the white windows, which form a circle outside Levin.

At about 12:30 a.m., an unknown individual pulled the fire alarm, Callahan said. The building was evacuated, and

considered reinstating capital punishment.

He also explained the general pattern of capital punishment in the world. “The United Nations,” he said, “has spoken, although in a non-binding act, a resolution passed by the General Assembly that … the tendency towards abolition of capital punishment has become a global phenomenon.”

The university has finished filming a promotional video to introduce President Frederick Lawrence at alumni and fundraising events starting in January once he takes office.

“It portrays Brandeis as it is—a diverse and welcoming academic community of acclaimed scholarship and research with a strong commitment to social justice and the idea that students can explore, learn and define themselves here,” Senior Vice President for Communications and External Affairs Andrew Gully wrote in an email to The Hoot.

The university encouraged students to participate in the filming of a crowd shot on the Great Lawn in front of the Shapiro Campus Center this week.

“This movie gets out the message about how unique and special Brandeis is,” Student Union President Daniel Acheampong ’11 said.

The university is currently editing the footage.

By Jon Ostrowsky, Editor

Univ adds extra Waltham escort van A second Waltham Escort van ran on Monday and Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m. this week during a trial period sponsored by The Escort Safety Service, the Department of Public Safety and the Student Union, according to a statement from Student Union President Daniel Acheampong ’11.

“During this trial period, we will be analyzing the occupancy of the vehicles,” Acheampong wrote. “Using this data, Escort Safety Service will be able to effectively meet the growing demands of transportation during peak travel periods.”

Another trial period will be sponsored during the same hours next week on Monday and Tuesday.

“The results of this trial period will demonstrate if there is a real need for weekly extra vans during these hours,” Acheampong wrote.

Acheampong warned students that even with two Waltham vans running, it may still take longer to get to Waltham during peak afternoon hours because of normal traffic.

By Jon Ostrowsky, Editor

Heat, hot water unavailable last week Due to a malfunction in one of the university’s four main water boilers, several buildings lost heat and hot water late last Friday evening, according to a statement sent Saturday morning from Senior Vice President for Administration Mark Collins.

Collins wrote that repairs began last Friday night and were finished Saturday.

By Jon Ostrowsky, Editor

October 29, 2010

FEATURES

The Brandeis Hoot 5

You Know We’re Right

Staying connected through the years

BY YAEL KATZWER Editor

People in brightly colored costumes flooded the street.

Vendors flaunted their wares for tourists to buy. Visitors posed smilingly for photographs. This, however, was not a circus or a county fair—it was Salem, Mass. A group of Brandeis American Studies students and professors visited Salem Sunday to see the sights and learn the history of the place.

Professor Dane Morrison, who teaches colonial and maritime history at Salem State University, conducted the tour of the town. In 2004, Morrison co-edited an anthology of essays titled, “Salem: Place, Myth, and Memory.” Morrison, through his detailed speeches, attempted to transfer his enthusiasm for Salem’s history to the students.

Morrison explained that Salem was founded in 1626 as a refuge for religious freedom— that is, the freedom to worship the Puritan way. The town gained infamy, however, when, in 1692, inhabitants began to accuse each other of witchcraft, resulting in a 16-month witch hunt that left 20 people executed.

This sordid past, however, is difficult to find in today’s Salem, more than 300 years later.

The people of Salem today have chosen to celebrate their remarkable past rather than mourn it. In Salem, several shops are named for the witch trials, such as Dairy Witch Ice Cream, and others benefit from the people drawn to Salem by the possibility of witchcraft, such as The Magic Parlor. The town’s taxi service even utilizes this link to the past, naming itself Witch City Taxi.

“This is so American,” said Morrison. “It’s the essential tension between the world that was and what plays out here every October—historical preservation and capitalism.”

Vendors were selling all sorts of commodities, from carnival food to key chains to t-shirts with the words “when life hands you a broom, fly” written on them. Men dressed in black with disturbing face paint squired tourists around in Pedicabs, wheeled loveseats pulled by a man on a bicycle. One such man, wearing orange and black face paint, was attracting fares by calling, “Come ride with the creepy guy.”

Some tourists yielded to a man dressed as a wolf, who was charging $1 to take a photograph with a “witch.” The witch was a person dressed in a black robe and gigantic mask detailing the stereotypical witch’s face—a big nose, an ugly wart and stringy, gray hair. Tourists laughed as they took pictures with the witch, clearly not uneasy about the idea of witchcraft as the residents of Salem in the 1600s had been.

Although this consumerism is present all year-round it was worst Sunday, as it was the week before Halloween, Morrison explained. However, Morrison hopes to combat some of this frivolity in Salem with a film festival. He explained, “I want to have a human rights film festival in the spring to offset what happens here in October, to show the human cost of intolerance.”

Tourists even seemed to forget the tragedy that occurred in Salem in a place as solemn as a graveyard. The graveyard, placed in the center of the town, does not contain the graves of the “witches” executed 300 years ago—their bodies

SAMANTHA: Modelled after the “‘Bewitched’ character, the statue of SamanPHOTO BY Leah Finkelman/The Hoot tha Stephens epitomizes consumerism in Salem

Here is a new column to The Hoot in which Leah Finkelman ’13, features editor, and Morgan Gross ’14, staff writer, will be answering questions submitted by Hoot readers like yourself. Submit your questions to advice@thebrandeishoot.com!

Here’s this week’s question: Dear Leah and Morgan, Last year, my first-year hall was really tight—think almost inseparable. We were all involved in different activities but the bond of living on the same floor and seeing each other every night and weekend ensured that our friendship stayed strong.

This year, though some of us still live together, most of us are scattered across campus. We almost never see each other!

I know that we’re all busy, but I miss my friends.

How can we reconnect despite our busy schedules?

Sincerely, Missing My Amigos RIP: The Salem graveyard

were dumped into a ditch that has still not been located. The graveyard, instead, inters the bodies of the other residents— the judges who condemned the witches, the children whom the witches were accused of tormenting and others.

Parents allowed their young children to run around in the graveyard pulling at headstones and sitting on them. A 10- or 11-year-old boy even kicked the intricate headstone of Simon Bradstreet, a man who became the governor of Salem in 1679.

But one Salem resident who never forgot the tragedy of his town was Nathaniel Hawthorne, the iconic American author who wrote “The Scarlet Letter.” Hawthorne felt an intense guilt for what happened in Salem despite the fact that he was born more than 100 years later. He changed his name, adding the “w,” in order to separate himself from his great-great-grandfather, John Hathorne, who was one of the judges that presided over the Salem Witch Trials.

In 1830, when Hawthorne’s neighbor, Captain John White, was murdered, he was falsely suspected, arrested and jailed.

“Most people would have been saying, ‘it wasn’t me, I didn’t do this’—even if they had—but not Nathaniel Hawthorne,” Morrison said. Hawthorne sat in jail, repeating, “I deserve this, I deserve this,” as he ruminated on the past and his great-greatgrandfather’s actions.

Morrison explained that in the course of Hawthorne’s life, “the mythology of Salem became more real to Hawthorne than the place itself.”

Similarly, the spectacle of the event seems to be more real to tourists today than the actual event. For example, there

PHOTO BY Leah Finkelman/The Hoot

were two re-enactors, dressed in garish clothing that would have been more at home at a Renaissance Fair than Salem, causing a ruckus in the street. The male re-enactor had the female by the arm and seemed to be dragging her down the street, shouting that she was a witch and needed to submit to a medical examination to prove so.

At one point, she broke away but, before she could get very far, the man yelled out to the amused crowd, “Somebody stop her! Don’t let her get away!” A tourist reached out and grabbed her as everyone else looked on, laughing.

While this type of display is crude, it is these types of displays that keep Salem running. “Salem wouldn’t be Salem without it,” said Morrison. “We couldn’t afford the Peabody Museum and the upkeep [without it].” The buildings and roads in Salem are kept in good condition and the graveyard’s grass stays mowed with the money that tourists pour into the town.

One of the most controversial sites in Salem is the statue that was erected in 2005 of Elizabeth Montgomery, the actress who played the witch Samantha Stephens in the television sitcom “Bewitched.” Many people felt that this statue of a fictional character would trivialize the history of Salem and of those who died there while others felt that the statue was the perfect way to connect the past to the present and make Salem’s history more accessible to today’s people.

Morrison put it best when, commenting on the rampant consumerism in Salem today, he said, “It is pretty tawdry but, on the other hand, at least victims get some acknowledgement.”

Dear Missing, It can be hard to adjust to living apart from your freshman year friends, but it’s a new year and a time to make new connections.

Floor friends are great, but often the best friends you make will come from classes, clubs and activities that you’re involved in.

Take a leap of faith and reach out to a guy that seems cool in your accounting class or an interesting girl in salsa club!

You already have something in common, so making a bond will be easy.

You’re guaranteed to have a new flock of friends in no time.

However, as great as new friends are, it’s important to keep up with old friendships (make new friends but keep the old, and all of that good stuff) so make an effort to reach out to your old friends.

Here are a few easy ways to bridge the gap!

Start a Facebook thread: It’s a quick and easy way to get constant updates on the details of friends’ lives at your fingertips. Make sure that you keep the thread alive with regular replies!

Organize lunch dates: Regular lunch dates can be a great way to get a weekly dose of your old friends. See if your friends can figure out a mutually convenient time to meet for lunch. Make it a weekly event!

Plan a reunion: Organize a party open only to residents of your old floor. Have everyone chip in to provide food party games and tons of fun!

Remember, you still live on the same campus!

Even if you live in East and Rosie, your old friends are still just a short walk away!

Peace, Love and Great Advice, Leah and Morgan Have questions that you want answered by the lovely ladies at The Hoot? Submit your questions to advice@thebrandeishoot.com! They will be answered by Leah Finkelman ’13, Features Editor and Morgan Gross ’14, Staff Writer. We’re so excited to hear your questions!

6 FEATURES

The Brandeis Hoot

This Week in History 1951

2005

Brandeis

November 4 Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas gives annual Louis D. Brandeis Memorial Lecture.

November 2 The Board of Trustees lets Brandeis take on $100 million debt for a new science facility.

October 29, 2010

halloween in a hot second

By Leah Finkelman, Editor With Halloween fast approaching, many students are still searching for the perfect Halloween costume. It’s too late to special order a costume and there’s not even much time to go shopping. If you’re the kind of person who wants to dress up but doesn’t have the time or money to get a costume, you’re in luck. The Hoot presents 12 costumes that are quick, easy and sure to inspire a laugh.

Massachusetts

1777

October 29 John Hancock, a Massachusetts representative, resigns as president of Congress.

1927

November 4 Heavy rain causes flooding, resulting in 200 deaths and millions of dollars in damages.

United States

1964

1998

November 3 District of Columbia residents are able to vote in a presidential election for the first time.

October 29 Senator and former astronaut John Glenn returns to space four decades after his first flight.

World

1517

October 31 Martin Luther posts 95 theses on a church door, prompting the Protestant Reformation.

1917

November 2 British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour submits a declaration of intent to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

GRAPHIC BY Ariel Wittenberg/The Hoot

No Purchase necessary Sports Fan

Greek God

Oil spill

Wear a sports jersey. Go around chanting about your team obnoxiously.

Boo other teams’ fans.

Make a toga out of a sheet. Threaten to throw lightning bolts at anyone who irks you.

Wear all black. If you see someone dressed as a fish or other marine life, attack.

Ghost

Lumberjack

Rainbow color

Put a sheet over your head. Or just don’t show up, and when asked, say you were invisible.

Wear flannel. If you’re lucky, you’ll run into a tree. Keep the rainforest in mind and let it live.

Wear all one color. This works best with six friends, especially if they are wearing different colors.

Might require some borrowing/buying Element

Vampire

Global warming

Pick an element. Wear all gold. All neon. All copper with a police hat.

Wear a tux à la Dracula, or regular clothes à la Edward Cullen. Add teeth.

Wear a blue shirt with green spots. Add a scarf, hat and gloves for optimal effect.

Michaeljackson

The situation

Superhero

White glove and red jacket. Promise to make a change for once in your life.

Lots of spray tan, minimal clothing. Fist pumping is optional, but preferred.

Leggings and a fitted shirt or leotard. Learn the hero’s catchprases.

have a safe and Happy Halloween!

October 29, 2010

Established 2005 "To acquire wisdom, one must observe."

Ariel Wittenberg Editor in Chief Nathan Koskella News Editor Jon Ostrowsky News Editor Leah Finkelman Features Editor Bret Matthew Impressions Editor Alex Self Deputy Impressions Editor Kara Karter Sports Editor Kayla Dos Santos Arts, Etc. Editor Jodi Elkin Layout Editor Leah Lefkowitz Layout Editor Max Shay Photography Editor Vanessa Kerr Business Editor Savannah Pearlman Copy Editor Yael Katzwer Deputy Copy Editor Josh Waizer Distribution Manager Associate Editors Alex Schneider, Destiny D. Aquino Sean Fabery

FOUNDED BY

Leslie Pazan, Igor Pedan and Daniel Silverman

SUBMISSION POLICIES

The Hoot welcomes letters to the editor on subjects that are of interest to the general community. Preference is given to current or former community members. The Hoot reserves the right to edit any submissions for libel, grammar, punctuation, spelling and clarity. The Hoot is under no obligation to print any of the pieces submitted.

Letters in print will also appear on-line at www.thebrandeishoot.com The deadline for submitting letters is Tuesday at 8 p.m. All letters must be submitted electronically at www. thebrandeishoot.com. All letters must be from a valid e-mail address and include contact information for the author. Letters of length greater than 500 words may not be accepted.

The opinions, columns, cartoons and advertisements printed in The Hoot do not necessarily represent the opinions of the editorial board.

The Hoot is a community student newspaper of Brandeis University. Produced entirely by students, The Hoot serves a readership of 6,000 with in-depth news, relevant commentary, sports and coverage of cultural events.

Our mission is to give every community member a voice.

CORRETIONS

Last week’s article on JBS incorrectly stated that tuition is pro-rated based on the number of weeks.

It is pro-rated based on the number of credits in a semester.

EDITORIALS

The Brandeis Hoot 7

E-mail shocks, debauchery not so much

T

his Monday, students received a campus-wide e-mail from university President Jehuda Reinharz scolding the student body for its “disheartening” and “unnacceptable” conduct at Pachanga, a semesterly dance held by the International Club.

Citing counterfeit wristbands, pulled fire alarms, assaults on police officers and widespread intoxication, Reinharz wrote, “we Wwill not tolerate this conduct and those who engage in it will face campus disciplinary procedures and possible criminal charges.”

We were shocked. But not by the debauchery of Saturday night, rather, we were shocked that this time, President Reinharz showed he cared.

Among students, Pachanga is infamous, and every semester, students prepare themselves for the drunken orgy that is this event.

The Hoot does not, by any means, condone students’ behavior Saturday. We wish that our peers were more responsible and did not mar a night of dancing with arrests and BEMCO calls. But we do wonder why Reinharz is only speaking up now.

Reinharz called the incidents and this semester’s Pachanga “unprecedented in my 16 years as president.”

But how are they worse than when five students were arrested, one for assault and battery of a police officer, in 2008? How are these problems any worse than when a metal detector wand worth $200 was stolen from the dance’s secu-

rity desk in 2006? How are they worse than when, in 2008 the dance was 250 people more than capacity?

If Reinharz were really concerned about students being irresponsible with alcohol consumption, or being disrespectful to police officers, why did he not speak up in any of the previous years?

If every single student on this campus can anticipate the disastrous chaos of Pachanga, why has there been no talk of alcohol education or any other preemptive efforts until now, Reinharz’s last semester in office?

Sending an e-mail after years of the same activity does not show interest in campus life and we find it a bit disingenuous. So while we appreciate the gesture, it’s too little too late.

no politically nonaligned students who may have been able to offer a more nuanced critique of Epstein’s talk. The use of ambiguous language (such as referring to the West Bank as “Palestinian-Occupied”) revealed an unfortunate lack of familiarity with Middle Eastern politics.

Student groups host speakers with the intention of promoting dialogue, so I am glad that BZA was mentioned in the article. Yet if The Hoot wishes to represent multiple sides of an issue, they should be consistent in their news coverage. Covering Horowitz’s talk, there was no mention of Jewish Voice for Peace, whose members stood outside of the event distributing informative tri-folds and who raised challenging questions following the talk.

These tri-folds argued that there is nothing “anti-Israel” about opposing policies that violate the human rights of Palestinians. This polite form of protest enhanced the discussion, as the materials were read

by Horowitz himself, as well as many audience members. The writer did not bother to interview students in the audience, who were largely offended by Horowitz’s un-

founded claims that inequality is “natural” and that criticism of Israeli policy is uniformly “genocidal.” She only vaguely states that some members of the audience were “more liberal than [Horowitz]”: a useless statement, considering the extreme bigotry that Horowitz expressed toward women, Muslims, people of color and non-Zionist Jews.

When any speaker comes to campus, ideologically divergent students have an opportunity to attend, hear another point of view, and express their own through demonstration and discussion, which campus newspapers thus have a responsibility to represent. The Hoot is setting an irresponsible precedent if it resolves to cover these forms of expression only when their message falls in line with the right-wing Zionist values too often propagated, without being questioned, at Brandeis.

If the editors of The Hoot wish to maintain any journalistic integrity, I suggest that they encourage consistency among their reporters.

Letter to the Editor During my three years at Brandeis, I have enjoyed following The Hoot’s coverage of political events on campus. Yet this week, I was thoroughly disappointed to find blatant pro-Zionist bias in articles on two important campus lectures: first in the article on Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Hedy Epstein and second, in the article on conservative activist David Horowitz. The former article pays great attention to opposition from Zionist campus groups, while the latter completely ignores the equally fervent opposition from progressive non-Zionist groups.

As an organizer of Hedy Epstein’s talk, (hosted by Jewish Voice for Peace, Students for Justice in Palestine, and the Peace, Conflict, and Coexistence Studies Program), I was happy that members of the Brandeis Zionist Alliance (BZA) attended and expressed their contrasting views. The writer focused on BZA’s actions in her article, extensively quoting from their fliers and interviewing only one student attendee, Steve Feldman of BZA, who criticized Epstein’s analysis of the conflict. The writer interviewed no organizers of the event and

Liza Behrendt ’11

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ARTS, etc.

8 The Brandeis Hoot

October 29, 2010

‘Last Comic Standing’ comedian has Brandeis brand of humor

BY CANDICE BAUTISTA Staff

“This woman said to me, do you want to get coffee or drinks?

And I was like, coffee is a drink.

I don’t want go out with someone who doesn’t know the set/ subset relationship.” Such is the geeky, Brandeis brand of humor that Myq Kaplan brought to Levin Ballroom Tuesday night.

Standing at 5’6,” wearing a tshirt and running sneakers, and sporting a nasally voice, Kaplan easily could have been any other Brandeis student in the room and for good reason. He graduated from Brandeis with a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 2000 and has done many Brandeis-typical things. Kaplan has eaten dinner in Sherman, and performed in Chums with Voicemale and solo with his guitar. After Brandeis he received his Master’s degree in linguistics from Boston University. Kaplan’s fondness for wordplay comes out in many of his jokes: “Boobies? They should be called yay-bies” or even “I don’t really believe the Bible. Moses parting the Red Sea? Maybe he parted a crowd of communists.” He recently became more popular as a result of being a finalist in the competitive T.V. series “Last Comic Standing” last summer.

Kaplan’s set was like simultaneously watching three different stand-up sets. He constantly interrupted a joke to tell another joke, which in his mind sparked yet another joke. Several jokes were left unfinished, but we quickly forgot the lack of ending as he swept us

BRANDEIS HUMOR: Myq Kaplan, who was featured on “Last Comic Standing,” entertained Brandeis students with his wordplay and his rambling humor.

into another story. In a somewhat artistic way, Kaplan managed to make vulgar jokes incredibly dorky, “It was hot as balls.

Although really, because balls hang lower from the body to get colder, the phrase should be ‘It’s hot as anything but balls.’” In addition, Kaplan emphasized social

Chatting with Myq Kaplan

commentary, “and back to gays.

Studies show that gay couples make better parents. And not saying anything bad about straight people, but have you noticed only straight people dump babies in dumpsters?”

At times, Kaplan’s jokes were longer than they should have

been, (the “balls” joke, for example, went on for more than a minute and a half). Likewise, because of the Brandeis audience, Kaplan made numerous Jewish jokes, which actually did not go as well. While many of the jokes went over the goys’ heads (myself included), the Jewish audience

PHOTO BY Nafizz R. “Fizz” Ahmad /The Hoot

members seemed to be tired of being the punchline. However, because Kaplan told so many oneliners, it was impossible for him to not get in a couple hard laughs every so often. All in all, it was a very strong set that kept the audience laughing.

by Candice Bautista

After the show, Kaplan sat down with The Hoot to answer some questions.

The Brandeis Hoot: What’s the story behind the “q”?

Myq Kaplan: This was around the time Prince changed his name to a symbol and I was like, “That’s weird.

I want to be weird.” And I went to an Arts camp in Connecticut and it caught on there and I eventually officially changed it. It makes it easier for me to Google myself. I’m not sure but I think I’m the first “Myq” that shows up and not some wildlife photographer.

BH: Do you ever feel “not funny” but have to perform?

MK: I wouldn’t say there are times where I feel “not funny,” but there are times where I feel sick and don’t feel like performing. But performing creates adrenaline. If I have a show, I’ll do it. It’s an hour or two a night and it’s pretty fun work and I like what I do.

BH: What’s your favorite joke to tell?

MK: Usually, they’re my most recent jokes. I really like the “shrooms let you see into the future” and the “hot as balls” joke. It’s not like children where they’re all your favorite. I have notebooks where I write my jokes and, at the end of each notebook, I type them into my computer. I have this running document of about 300 pages, more nonjokes than working jokes.

BH: How was Brandeis?

MK: Brandeis good, says comedian.

PHOTO BY Nafizz R. “Fizz” Ahmad /The Hoot

October 29, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC.

Ten spooky steps for a frighteningly fabulous Jack-o’-Lantern Don’t know what to do for Halloween? Want to scare away those pesky trick-or-treaters? Follow these ten easy steps to making a jack-o’- lantern!

9

By Ariel Wittenberg, Editor

Step One: Pick a pumpkin

Your pumpkin should have at least one nicely rounded side. It is OK if your pumpkin has some weird marks on it or a flat side. These give it character. You can easily find a pumpkin at any area grocery store, including Hannafords or at the Waltham farmers market on Saturday.

Step Two: Grab a Gourd

Gourds come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some look like miniature pumpkins, others look more like squash. Either way, it doesn’t matter. Just pick whichever gourd you like best. Like pumpkins, gourds can easily be found at the super market or farmers’ market.

Step Three: Find a knife

You want to find a knife with a pointed tip and a serrated edge. This knife should not be so large that it is difficult to maneuver, but you want it to be long enough to cut through the side of the pumpkin.

Step Four: Open it up

First cut a hole at the top of your pumpkin so you can make the lid. You want your cuts to be angled so that your pumpkin’s lid will not fall through when you place it back on your jack’o lantern at the end.

Step Five: Scoop the seeds

You want to get all of the gunk and seeds out of the pumpkin. You can start with your hands but towards the end it is good to use a tool, like a measuring cup or spoon, to scrape the sides of your pumpkin until the orange pulp is completely removed from the pumpkin. If you want, after you are done carving, you can separate the seeds from the pulp, salt them and throw them in the oven for one hour at 400 degrees for a tasty treat.

Step Six: Draw a face This is your chance to be creative. Your pumpkin’s face can really look however you want it to, but if you want a cannibalistic pumpkin, you need to measure to make sure that the mouth is just big enough so you can wedge your gourd in at the end.

Step Seven: Carve it away Start with the smaller pieces, like the eyes and the nose first. Make your pieces smaller than you want as you can always cut more later.

For cutting large parts, like the mouth, you might want to break it up into multiple pieces. To get your pieces out, either push them through, and retrieve them from the top of your pumpkin or stab them to pull them out.

Step Eight: Draw another face

Using a sharpie, draw a face onto your gourd. Again, this face can look however you want it to.

Step Nine: Wedge your gourd Gently push your gourd, face out, into the pumpkin’s mouth, being careful so as not to break anything. You may have to make additional cuts to the pumpkin’s mouth to fit it.

Step Ten: Light it up Light a candle inside and get ready to scare away those-trick-or treaters!

10 ARTS ,ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

October 29, 2010

The immaturity of the ‘Adult’ show

BY KAYLA DOS SANTOS Editor

Brandeis Players’ production of “An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein” was funny, raunchy and immature.

When I was in elementary school, I loved Silverstein’s poetry. “Where The Sidewalk Ends” and “A Light In the Attic” were touchstones that I would turn to whenever I was feeling gloomy and needed a laugh. So when I saw that the Brandeis Players were putting on a play by Silverstein, I knew I had to go. I wondered what Silverstein’s sly and comedic poems would look like on stage.

This was the wrong frame of mind to view this play. “An Adult Evening with Shel Silverstein” bears little resemblance to his poetry. The play is a series of one-act scenes that vary in subject from an auctioneer selling off a woman like a slave to a girl realizing and recoiling from the horror that her dad shot her birthday pony. All of the scenes contain crude elements that strip them of the whimsical

style that Silverstein is noted for in his poems.

While the play deals with “adult” (primarily sexual) content, there is something immature and childlike about Silverstein’s approach to his subject matter. In “Bus Stop,” in which a lewd drunk stops a woman because she has large breasts—a “bust” stop,—the drunk slurs every conceivable slang term and epithet for a girl’s chest. The woman turns the tables, grabs the “bust” sign, beats the drunk with it and uses every word in the English language for penis.

This sketch was funny and wellstaged. A streetlight lit on stage-left revealed the drunk sitting slumped on a park bench on stage-right.

Yet the content of the sketch is like Silverstein shouting all the dirty words he knows at the top of his lungs and then smiling over his own naughty cleverness. A lot of the play was like that.

In “Going Once” an auctioneer gives the audience a sales pitch for a woman named Annie. He grabs her chest and her butt to prove that he is selling real merchandise. He gives the audience a preview by

having Annie remove her shirt. During his spiel he jokes that he isn’t a slave driver, “I ain’t driving her, I’m selling her.”

Ben Gold ’13 was pitch-perfect as the auctioneer. He managed to hold the audience’s attention and entertain them in what is essentially a monologue. In fact, the audience couldn’t look away.

But what is off-putting about the sketch is that there is no substance except shock value.

The auctioneer says to the audience, “You’re offended.” Silverstein hopes that his audience is offended. He wants to shock. Yet, he does so with no other purpose.

While in “Going Once,” Silverstein chides the audience because agents in the entertainment indust r y essentially “auction” their female stars, this motivation for the sketch is not convincing. The sketch is just too overloaded with statements and gestures meant to titillate rather than to encourage thinking.

But is that the point of this play? To make its audience think? No, of course not. The point is to make its audience laugh. I came to the production to laugh and I did, a lot. This was mostly due to the talent of the acting.

GRAPHIC BY Savannah Pearlman/The Hoot In “The Life-

GRAPHIC BY Savannah Pearlman/The Hoot

boat is Sinking” Emily Rubin-Falcone ’13 plays a wife attempting to get her husband to participate in an imaginary boat-is-sinking scenario where he has to choose either their family or his mother. As she enacts the scenario through charades, Falcone is able to immerse the audience into the melodrama of the scene. It’s convincing when the husband is drawn-in, because the audience is equally drawn-in, emphasizing the comedy of the piece.

Similarly, in a discordant moment in the scene he calls her a vile slur for making him play the game and the audience thinks he is justified. This is why the play’s lack of substance with shock value in its place is troubling. There are so many instances in which women are cursed at or tricked because of their gullibility or portrayed as sexual objects when there is no powerful reason for it. In those cases, I laughed because of the great talent of the actors, but came

away feeling a little slimy because of the content.

In contrast, both acting and content worked well together when Silverstein wasn’t overcompensating. In “The Best Daddy,” both Daniel Liebman ’12 and Corrie Legge ’14 gave hysterical performances. The set-up is that a father gets his daughter a pony for her birthday; unfortunately, he shot it. Liebman plays the father with an “aw-shucks” vibe, a father trying to please his daughter on her birthday. This is extremely effective as his daughter thinks he has done more and more outrageous and horrible things. Legge as the daughter has a funny moment when she reminisces about the things she would have done with her pony. Legge captures this innocent and spoiled girl perfectly.

This scene was one of the few that reminded me of Silverstein’s poems; it was witty and funny and strangely dark. I wish the rest of the play had been like that.

Like watching movies?

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October 29, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

ARTS, ETC.

11

The hidden dangers of public transportation

BY GABBY KATZ Staff

As a Bostonian gal, I love my Riverside Green T-line, Logan Airport, T-Bus and Amtrak (well, maybe not the last one) just as much as the next person. Like many others, the MBTA is my main means of transportation into Boston, Cambridge and everywhere. As much as these forms of public transportation are convenient, great for the budget and help us stay green, I act like a germaphobic lunatic every time I travel. I wipe the seats, try to balance without holding on to anything, refuse to put my bag on the floor, Purell incessantly, scowl at people who sneeze … you get the picture. I’m one of THOSE people.

My point is I fear microbes more than getting mugged or lost and, according to recent studies, my fear is totally legitimate—ah redemption. Here’s why you should probably think twice while traveling too.

A University of Arizona study swabbed various locations on public transportation to see if

germs lurked where one would expect. The findings were astounding. Tens of millions of E. coli (Escherichia coli) bacteria were discovered on one toilet seat on a Greyhound bus, which means other bacteria and viruses could be present that cause infection (SO happy I always put the paper down). On an Amtrak train, 100,000 bacteria per square inch were found including MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), which is the bacteria you hear about on the news that people die from because it is antibiotic resistant.

MRSA was also found on the café tables and coliform (fecal bacteria) was found by the millions on the restroom sink handles. Take a break if you’re getting queasy. The study also tested airplanes and discovered the germs are not only everywhere in the bathrooms but bacteria was also found in abundance on food trays, seat where researchers have found belts and luggage racks. potentially dangerous bacteria In the graph is the top places and probably places you have

Top places with high germ count

Playgrounds (from mucousy children) Buttons (on elevators, ATMs, etc.)

Keyboards (did you just check your Facebook in the library?)

Public magazines (in the doctor’s office) Shopping carts Restaurant menus Hotels (literally everything in hotels: bedspread, ice buckets, glasses, etc.)

Phone receivers Hospitals Backpacks and purses (at how many places have you put your bag down before you threw it on your bed? Ever washed your backpack? Probably not. Gross.)

Picnic tables (you know the place that you eat on and birds poop on) *According to a University of Arizona study

BY LEAH LEFKOWITZ Editor

Professor Corey Creekmur from Iowa University came to Brandeis this Thursday, Oct. 28 as the first speaker in the 2009-2010 Soli Sorabjee Lecture series. This series approaches topics in South Asian studies from artistic and academic perspectives. The South Asian studies program started this series last academic year and it included three lectures, including one from Sorabjee himself.

Later this year, there will be two addition guest speakers in the Soli Sorabjee series.

Professor Ulka Anjaria of the English department presented Professor Creekmur to the audience. She spoke highly of his efforts to encourage his readers to “question their prejudices” in regards to realism in film. Viewers assume that realism is the height of cinema, but they should stretch their assumptions. In addition, she listed his academic interests,

PHOTO FROM Internet Source

not thought twice about. What’s the best way to avoid things like ingesting bacteria or catching a virus? Researchers stress the importance of washing your hands properly with warm water, and using soap with vigorous rubbing.

Another option is using Purell as often as you remember. They also recommend wiping objects you touch often like cell phones, keyboards, car steering wheels, keys, house doorknobs, etc. with antibacterial wipes. I wipe everything down once a week as a Sunday routine, it’s probably a good habit you could get into and it takes me about 10 minutes to do. They also suggest you avoid touching your face, eyes, mouth or other mucus membranes while traveling to avoid contamination and, of course, always wash your hands before you eat.

Now, whether or not you need

to be a maniac and wipe everything down with antibacterial wipes is up for debate and might be an extreme suggestion. Adapting to constant hand washing habits while keeping aware of these bacteria lurking facts, however, may be advantageous to your health the next time you use public transportation.

One more thing, don’t think I forgot about nagging you for the flu shot. Why do you think that person is sniffling behind you on the T? Just get the shot already— they are being offered at the health center Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. for $20 in cash (Walgreens is currently $29).

As always, tune in next week for more health tips and send me an a-mail at gkatz10@brandeis.edu with any health-related questions you may have.

The influence of Bollywood which include popular literature and film in America and South Asia. He approaches these topics through the lenses of gender, sexuality and race.

At his lecture tonight, Creekmur discussed Hindi cinema. He started by outlining a few of the popular genres in Hindi film, including historical films, mythic films and contemporary films.

Each of these types show India in different ways and have had a power influence on shaping how the masses view different political and socio-economic topics.

For example, when the British were still in power, they carefully censored early Indian films in an effort to control popular opinion.

In particular, Creekmur focused on how the genre of “the historical” changed in time. Originally, the film industry avoided depicting the years directly before and BOLLYWOOD CHATTER: At an event about Hindu film, attendees discussed directly after India became inde- Bollywood film culture. pendent. Instead, they depicted ancient or unspecific historical proach the difficult topic of Indian in the colonial period.” times. In recent years, however, Independence. He described these One of the overarching themes some films have started to ap- pictures as “post colonial films set of the night was how Hindi films

PHOTO BY Nathan Rosenbloom/The Hoot

See BOLLYWOOD, p. 12

12 ARTS, ETC.

The Brandeis Hoot

October 29, 2010

Discussing Bollywood film culture BOLLYWOOD (from p. 11)

have used cinematography to unite history with modern times.

He explained that different directors have worked to “juggle very explicitly […] past, present and future,” often by mixing fiction with reality. One popular method for doing this is to combine clips of color film depicting fictional narrative with real black-andwhite pictures and documentary clips. Creekmur explained this as “transforming history into historiography.” In order to illustrate this technique, he explained how Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra used this technique in his 2006 film “Rang de Basanti.”

In fact, throughout his presentation Creekmur used various films to explain points in his argument. For example, he showed cover images from films in each of the popular genres of history, mythology and contemporary. In addition to several film stills, he also used two film clips that were several minutes long.

Creekmur concluded his lecture with several summarizing points. For example, he explained how directors used cinema to “understand the modern through

the past.”

Afterward, there was only time for three questions from the audience.

Professor Sarah Lamb (ANTH) asked Creekmur to elaborate upon the reason for the toned down nature of violence in all of the clips shown. He responded that part of the reason for this lack of explicit violence might be the fairly strict censors that the states in India use. In order to circumvent these censors, directors find a “way around what they know they can’t show” by making violence subtle.

A student in the audience then asked PHOTO BY Author in Lowercase/The Hoot HINDU FILM: After Professor Creekmur’s lecture on Hindu film, there was a question and answer session how Indian films deal with the different post-colonial narratives between viewed across the world. Still, very crowded, with students even however, also came, as did other India and Pakistan. In response, some recent Hindi films have sitting on the floor in the aisles members from the Brandeis comCreekmur explained that differ- attempted to deal with different and in the back of the room. Part munity. Creekmur’s lecture apent regions have their own unique narratives in the post-colonial of the crowd came from Anja- proached Indian history from a cinema industries. Hindi cinema, narrative. One such film is Mani ria’s “Bollywood” class because perspective within the arts. By however, is the dominant indus- Ratnam’s “Del Si.” students were required to attend discussing Hindi film, students try and it tends to be more widely The lecture Thursday night was the lecture. Many other students, likely learned about Indian history from a new perspective.

Arts Recommends Not everyone has the time to pick up the latest books or see the latest films. Our editors make some recommendations that you can pick up at the nearest library.

Film Pick: ‘The Awful Truth’ This witty screwball comedy is for fans of the classics. Cary Grant is young and suave in his role as an arrogant husband in Leo McCray’s 1937 “remarriage” film.

The story involves a married couple who suspect each other of having affairs and decide to get a divorce. The barbs fly at a dizzying and hysterical speed as a bumbling suitor tries to seduce Irene Dunne’s character and Cary Grant realizes that he doesn’t want a divorce after all. Watch this when you’re in the mood for a light romance.—KDS

Book Pick: ‘The Hunger Games’

by Suzanne Collins Did you read “Twilight” secretly under your covers? Suzanne Collins’ dystopic novel is nothing like that. It’s so much better. In a fractured society, citizens are chosen by a lottery to participate in a bloody reality television show with unimaginable rewards and deadly consquences. The lead character, Katniss, is fierce, independent and fascinating to read; the plot is twisty and fast-paced and there’s a wonderful love triangle as well. “The Hunger Games” is a quick read that you will want to absorb in one sitting and then the rest of the trilogy.—KDS

PHOTOS From Internet Source

IMPRESSIONS

October 29, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot 14

Speaking from the heart

BY JONATHAN SUSSMAN Special to the Hoot

Last Thursday, Brandeis students were treated to a frank talk by Holocaust survivor and activist Hedy Epstein on her experience working for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In a wispy, breathless tone, she related a story that Jewish audiences needed to hear: how a refugee of the Nazi Holocaust came to dedicate her life to social justice and particularly to the cause of the conflict in Israel-Palestine.

Admittedly, an 86-year-old woman clutching a podium is not visually stunning, nor does she display the panache and polish of a professional speaker.

Hedy waded into the discussion with the intent to share her stories. She spoke from the heart and from her own experiences, sprinkling her talk with sad and enlightening anecdotes.

She came to identify with Palestinian suffering, not through angry speeches or an ideological party-line, but from the simple hospitality of a West Bank family.

She related a horrific story from an Israeli checkpoint, where she witnessed a young Israeli soldier hitting a child in front of his mother. Concerned about what would become of this soldier when he returns to civilian life, Hedy asked what will become of a society that allows this cruelty to go unnoticed and unchecked.

One of the questioners at Hedy’s talk attempted to “trap” her by asking if she knew how many rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel in the lead-up to Israel’s assault on the strip: the answer was 2,700.

Hedy astutely replied that during the same time period, according to the Israeli government’s statistics, the Israel Defense Forces fired more than 14,000 shells into Gaza. Hedy showed that Israel does not

have a moral monopoly on trying to defend its people and that, while Hamas’ tactics may be unjust, so are Israel’s.

Hedy does not endorse rocket fire from either side. She believes that no rockets should be fired at all. Hedy supports nonviolent resistance against oppression and supports a growing non-violent resistance movement in the West Bank that is violently suppressed by the Israeli government.

While many of the right like the claim that Israel is only a “victim,” Hedy’s message is a plea to recognize the suffering of others. Whatever academic or political qualifications she may lack, the personal tragedy she endured during Hitler’s genocide gives her a responsibility to speak up when she witnesses suffering in the faces of others. The legacy of the Holocaust is repeatedly used by the right-wing to justify nationalist and militarist policies in the Middle East. Hedy reminds us that this need not be the case and that the Holocaust should instead be used to advocate against injustice towards all peoples, not just Jews. As uncomfortable as this may be for American Jews to hear, it is incumbent upon us to listen with open hearts and minds, to reflect upon the tragic conflict in Israel-Palestine and our place within it.

I understand that it is difficult for the Brandeis community to wrestle with these problems. But only by acknowledging the pain in ourselves and others will we ever reach reconciliation. My favorite part of Hedy’s presentation was her admission of failure: “I have failed so far, but that doesn’t mean that failure will be in the future. Peace will be in the future.”

Her humility and hope speak volumes.

She speaks not only to where we have come from, but to who we can be.

PHOTO BY Haley Fine/The Hoot

Hedy Epstein, You’re Not Helping

BY ALEX NORRIS Special to The Hoot

So I’ve had a week to stew after attending the Hedy Epstein event held last Thursday, and I’ve reached a conclusion. While I sympathize with what Students for Justice in Palestine and the Jewish Voice for Peace were trying to do, bringing Epstein to campus not only highlighted the divisions between us (Brandeis students) but indeed added to them.

First, let me explain my position. I consider myself a Zionist, but only in the basic sense that no one uses anymore: I believe that Israel should exist. In my thoughts and my conversations on the subject that’s about all I cede to Israel. I support an end to the occupation and a withdrawal of the settlers, and I think that after 1973 most of Israel’s military actions have been either unwarranted or severely disproportionate. I’m not exactly coming at this from the same angle as those from the Brandeis Zionist Alliance or BIPAC who attended the event. That’s just in case you were wondering. Anyway, back to my

point.

Epstein’s speech was relatively unobjectionable. She spoke of her childhood and how she became a pro-Palestinian activist.

It all came from a very specific viewpoint, but it was a viewpoint we rarely hear from speakers at Brandeis, so it is hard to begrudge her that. It was during the question and answer session that I really felt the depths of despair I sank into for much of the rest of the night. Those of us who don’t stick our fingers in our ears when Israel-Palestine issues come up (a more common reaction at Brandeis than you might expect) are familiar with the questions the audience brought up: What about rockets from Hamas? What about Israel’s security? Mostly they brought up facts and asked Epstein to respond, ranging from the sponsorship of the Gaza Flotilla to the number of rockets falling on Israel. Epstein did respond, and with gusto, and created a vision of the world in which all Israeli actions stem from pure hate and all Palestinian actions are either peaceful or in self defense.

Those who advocate more peaceful relations both between

They spoke their points; they cheered or jeered; and they were able to go for the entire lecture without thinking.

Israelis and Palestinians and between the partisans of each side on college campuses talk about fostering a dialogue. If you take the genuine exchange of well thought-out opinions to be a good thing, as I do, then you hope that campus events will promote this dialogue. Well, there was definitely an exchange going on here.

Was it a constructive dialogue?

No. Here’s why: Hedy Epstein is an extremist. I say this not in a pejorative sense but in the very real sense that someone who claims that Hamas has the right to fire rockets at Israel, or that they are the rightful government of Palestine, or that there is no reason for them to be declared a terrorist organization, is an extremist, especially for this campus. I don’t have an issue with the idea of extrem-

ists, but they tend to kill dialogue.

Hamas’s whole goal has been to kill dialogue, and you could say the same thing of the Israeli right.

So inviting Hedy Epstein to speak isn’t helpful. Those who agreed with her got to feel that warm glow of smugness which comes from sitting in a room full of people who disagree with you. Those who did not got to feel some righteous anger. Everyone felt better, but no one said anything to each other. They spoke their points; they cheered or jeered; and they were able to go for the entire lecture without thinking.

Epstein emphasized the inhumanity of Israelis and the humanity of Palestinians. One of those subjects was useful, the other alienated people. The tragedy of occupation is not that it is being

carried out by monsters who seek ways to hurt the occupied; it is that its very nature dehumanizes both sides. From what I heard, Hedy Epstein doesn’t get that. In an audience that mostly agreed with her, it would be just another tragic example of how subtlety and distinction get trampled in the rush to evoke sympathy. In the audience that showed up last week, it just meant people didn’t listen to her. If Jewish Voice for Peace and Students for Justice in Palestine want to get their respective messages across, they should focus on creating real dialogue.

What I witnessed was just a pointless anger-fest.

The author is an Associate Justice of the Student Judiciary, an editor of The Blowfish, and an Aquarius.

14 IMPRESSIONS

The Self shelf

The Brandeis Hoot

October 29, 2010

The Trial of Christine O’Donnell

BY ALEX SELF Columnist

The following column is a satirical piece in which major media and political figures are placed in an entirely imagined scenario—any resemblance to actual situations is purely intentional. *** WASHINGTON D.C. (The Hoot) – Christine O’Donnell was arraigned on charges of witchcraft today at the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The high court charged her with one count of witchcraft, the penalty for which is being roasted alive by the media. The high court also charged her with one count of being a public nuisance, although the validity of this charge is in dispute.

Chief prosecutor Nancy Pelosi remarked in her opening statement that the defendant had already admitted her crime to renowned witch hunter Bill Maher.

The public defender, Bill O’Reilly, responded to the charges by stating that the liberal media was conducting yet another unfounded witch hunt. Justice George W. Bush (nicknamed “The Decider” by his associates) presided over the court.

The first witness called to the stand for the prosecution was O’Donnell’s opponent in the senate election, Chris Coons. He testified that he had always suspected that there was something “off with that woman, especially when she tried to turn me into a newt.”

Additionally, he testified that only someone with supernatural powers could have created a political campaign out of such an inane and incomprehensible platform.

On cross examination, O’Reilly tried to get Coons to admit that he was actually a zombie due to his incredibly boring presence but Justice Bush didn’t allow the evidence in, explaining that Coons could not be a zombie because zombies aren’t real because they aren’t in the Bible.

The next witness called to the stand for the prosecution was Bill Maher. He explained under direct examination that he had spent much of his life trying to combat the supernatural threat posed by witches. He claimed that Christine O’Donnell was the second most threatening witch in American society, although he wouldn’t provide the name of the first. Defendant O’Reilly’s cross examination consisted of attacks upon the credibility of the broadcast which provided the chief evidence against O’Donnell. “Did you ever explain to her before the broadcast that what she said could and would be used against her in a court of law?” Maher responded by stating “No, but I honestly wished that I could have made a citizen’s arrest right there.”

No further questions were asked.

The next witness for the prosecution was Connecticut democratic senate candidate Richard

Blumenthal. Unfortunately, the court was deprived of his testimony when rival candidate Linda McMahon drop kicked him and broke five of his ribs. She was led away by the bailiffs, all the while screaming that wrestling didn’t incentivize violence. Justice Bush called a five minute witness for everyone to catch their breath after the violent episode.

The final witness called for the prosecution was Senator Harry Reid, who didn’t seem to realize why he was being called into court and expressed his wish to go home to do some more campaigning. Pelosi then hit him with her shoe until he had a sudden change of heart and decided to testify. He testified to the validity of Bill Maher’s methods or something to this effect (it was horribly garbled and unclear).

During cross examination, Bill O’Reilly merely asked him about his day, slipping in the words “stimulus”, “healthcare”, and “socialism” as often as possible. This went on for several hours. Finally, after O’Reilly asked Reid whether he was “stimulated by walking his dog,” Justice Bush declared enough was enough and declared the examination over. The prosecution then rested.

The first witness called by the defense was Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman. Unfortunately, the prosecution then tried to

GRAPHIC BY Leah Lefkowitz/The Hoot

Pelosi then hit him with her shoe until he had a sudden change of heart and decided to testify. claim that they had been the ones who had subpoenaed Lieberman.

In the end, Lieberman proclaimed himself independent of both sides but said that he would testify for the prosecution. Thus, in a surprising decision, Justice Bush allowed Lieberman to testify for the prosecution. Yet Lieberman was very hostile to Prosecutor Pelosi to the point where she threw up her hands in frustration, and asked permission to treat the witness as hostile. Permission was not granted and Pelosi simply sat down, visibly furious. O’Reilly and Lieberman then talked about that weekend’s golfing date for the rest of the examination.

Finally, the defense called defendant O’Connell to the stand.

Apparently this was not a strategic maneuver but instead a result of the ignorance of the 5th Amendment. When the 5th Amendment was pointed out to O’Donnell, she smiled and asked if that was really in the Constitution. Despite everyone’s entreaties that it was,

no one was able to convince her of it and thus she took the stand.

Defender O’Reilly spent his direct examination focusing on the strong moral values of the defendant and how she had put her days of spiritual confusion behind her.

She appeared calm, composed, and rather confused throughout the entire episode. This manner unwound, however, during Prosecutor Pelosi’s cross examination.

While she initially denied any witch related activities, O’Donnell became belligerent as Prosecutor Pelosi broadcast the video of her confession to the jury. She then tried to claim that she was confused at the time and had no idea what she was getting into.

When Pelosi pointed that this was not a refutation of the charges, O’Donnell tried to claim her acts were protected under the separation of church and state. Justice Bush then intervened, stating that there was no separation between church and state in the Constitution, and ordered the testimony

stricken. Chris Coons was seen to react with a large smirk on his face. Pelosi continued questioning in this vein for a short while afterward before finishing her examination by asking “Did you or did you not ever practice witchcraft?”

O’Donnell didn’t respond but instead pulled out a wand from her sock and turned the entire court into different animals. Nancy Pelosi was turned into a hawk while Harry Reid was suddenly took the form of a sloth. O’Reilly turned into an eagle while Maher turned into a vulture. Coons, oddly enough, was turned into a copy of the Constitution while Justice Bush, ironically enough, was turned into a donkey. Joe Lieberman was turned into a weasel.

There was no one to adjourn court but it was implied. O’Donnell is still at large and dangerous – anyone with any information as to where she is or what she’s talking about is strongly encouraged to come forward.

October 29, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

Altered Consciousness

Two different narratives

IMPRESSIONS

Borde-nough

Why vote?

BY CHRIS BORDELON Columnist

ILLUSTRATION BY Leah Lefkowitz/The Hoot

BY RICK ALTERBAUM Columnist

O ver t he cours e of t his midter m ele c t ion c ycle I have not ice d t he emergence of t wo ver y dist inc t ive narrat ives—a D emo crat ic one and a R epublic an one— f raming t he t raj e c tor y of t he O b ama presid enc y and its init i at ives t hus far.

According to t he D emo crat ic nar rat ive, President B arack O b ama ar r ive d in t he White Hous e w it h an unpre ce dente d mand ate for change. Inde e d, he had imme ns e p opu l ar b ack ing to he a l t he count r y f rom t he enor mous d amage t hat President Bush c aus e d and to in it i ate t he most pro g ressive and for ward-le an ing agend a since Ly ndon Johns on’s Gre at S o ciet y.

Howe ver, his abi lit y to do s o was hindere d by a relent lessly obst r uc t ionist R epublic an minor it y, w ho f i libustere d and held his init i at ives host age to p ett y p ar t is an p olit ics at t he ex p ens e of t he Amer ic an p e ople. D espite t hes e t ac t ics, O b ama u lt imately was able to p ass s ome of t he p olicies he c amp aig ne d on—a lb eit watere d-dow n, cent r ist versions of t hem.

The R epublic an nar ra t ive is completely dif ferent.

It st ates t hat w hen he was ele c te d, O b ama completely misre ad his mand ate. Sp ecif ic a l ly, Amer ic a is a center-r ig ht nat ion e conomic a l ly and s o ci a l ly, and t his fac t did not change in Novemb er of 2008. Howe ver, O b ama t houg ht it did and un le ashe d up on t he count r y radic a l p olicies t hat were far out of line w it h w hat most mainst re am Amer i c ans wante d. For tunately, R epublic ans were able to ha lt O b ama’s lef t ist onsl aug ht, but on ly to a cer-

t ain extent.

Thes e dueling nar rat ives extend to t he p olicies O b ama p ass e d. For inst ance, D emo crats b elie ve t hat t he st imu lus bi l l was a desp erately-ne e de d init i at ive t hat s ave d or cre ate d mi l lions of j obs and aver te d anot her Gre at D epression. R epublic ans, in con t rast, hold t hat t he st imu lus was lo ade d w it h p ork and wastef u l sp ending proj e c ts, and t hat it on ly exp ande d gover nment as wel l as t he def icit at t he exp ens e of t he pr ivate s e c tor.

Addit iona l ly, D emo crats cl aim t hat t he he a lt h c are refor m leg isl at ion, w hi le f l awe d, w i l l exp and coverage to mi l lions of p e ople, st ar t to br ing dow n he a lt h c are costs and hold insurance comp anies account able. C onvers ely, R epublic ans maint ain t hat t he bi l l under mines t he he a lt h c are indust r y and f re e markets, limits choice by forcing p e ople to buy a Washington-mand ate d pro duc t t hat t he y don’t li ke and cre ates a w hole ne w ent it lement prog ram t hat ma kes indiv idu a ls b e come e ven more dep endent on t he fe dera l gover nment.

The enor mous gap b et we en t hes e comp et ing ac counts is indic at ive of t he astounding p ol ar izat ion found in Washington. G enera l ly, mainst re am Amer i c ans are not overly ide o log ic a l and are a prag mat ic, resu lts-dr iven p e ople w ho simply want t heir repres ent at ives to s olve s ome of t heir problems. In con t rast, p olit ic a l elites in t he ha l ls of C ong ress and t he White Hous e, as wel l as t heir counter p ar ts in t he me di a, are deter mine d to const r uc t p ar t is an stor y lines t hat c ast doubt and bl ame up on t heir ide olog i -

c a l fo es. O ur le aders s e em more intent on fe e ding of f of a lit any of p erceive d slig hts and w rongs to t he Amer ic an p e ople and, im plicit ly, t hems elves in order to s core p olit ic a l p oints t han ac tu a l ly doing s ome t hing pro duc t ive.

Howe ver, t his gap b et we en mainst re am Amer ic an prag mat ism and p ar t is an nar rat ive-bui lding and grievance-accumulating w i l l prove ver y dif f ic u lt to clos e. Inste ad, many Washingtoni ans are af f lic te d by conf ir mat ion bi as, g roupt hin k, egot ism, nar row s elfinterest and a desire to ma ke t heir s elf-f u lf i l ling prophecies come t r ue. As a resu lt, t hes e p e ople sp end most of t heir energ y f inding ne w e v idence to f uel t heir stor y lines w hi le blo ck ing out any fac ts to t he cont rar y. S ome u lt imately f ind t hems elves in a st ate of clos e-minde dness and epistemic closure, refer r ing to t he pro cliv it y among cer t ain fac t ions toward ide olog ic a l intolerance and misinfor mat ion.

Is t here hop e? C er t ain ly, t here are s ome indep en dent-minde d t hin kers on b ot h sides of t he p ar t is an div ide w ho pr ior it ize le ad ership over g r ie vance narrat ives and p olic y s olut ions over p olit ic a l st rateg ies.

But t here has b e en an ap p arent de ar t h of innovat ion emanat ing f rom our le aders in t hes e resp e c ts.

Par t is anship is ine v it a ble. There w i l l a lways b e more t han one way to s olve a g iven problem. But a ref us a l to compromis e and an ins at i able desire to a l lo c ate bl ame to and fau lt ot hers w i l l, in t he long r un, c aus e more har m t han go o d to b ot h p olit ic a l elites and t he nat ion t he y are supp os e d to gover n.

15

How should young people vote on Election Day? We shouldn’t vote at all. We have no meaningful stake in any of the two or three choices presented to us. We have failed to provide ourselves with a meaningful stake in the election’s outcome.

I am aware that important people would disagree with this assessment. President Barack Obama, for example, has been traveling around the country for the last month making appearances on college campuses, “The Daily Show,” and in other places where top Democrats believe that young people are watching.

Obama discussed a variety of issues, but his main goal was to encourage us to vote. “We can’t sit this one out,” he told students at the University of Wisconsin on Sept. 28. The president’s handlers assume that lots of young voters will boost the fortunes of Democrats, who have been lagging behind Republicans in polls.

Bill Clinton’s handlers apparently assume the same thing. On the campaign trail for Democrats, he told students at the University of Michigan on Oct. 24 to “flood YouTube, flood Facebook, flood your e-mail lists, put up signs in the student union, get on the radio stations.” He insisted that we “not ... sit this election out,” because we “have more riding on it than anything.”

Top Republicans are no doubt privately happy that turnout among young people is expected to be much lower than two years ago, when we elected Obama and big Democratic Congressional majorities.

But Republicans have taken heart in recent poll data suggesting that fewer young people identify themselves as Democrats today than in 2008. In close congressional races, some Republicans, too, have targeted appeals to those among us whose loyalties are thought to have shifted, and would like to see those young voters turn up at the polls on Nov. 2.

Both parties want young voters’ help but neither has helped young people. If either party gets our votes, it is getting something for nothing. Indeed, it is getting something for less than nothing.

That is because both parties have actually taken something from us.

They have stolen our future. We are being handed the bill for both parties’ follies during the course of the last 10 years. Their policies have helped to produce an economy in which our services are not needed. They have the gall to seek our support even as they tell us, in phrases meant to diminish our expectations, that important entitlement programs that set floors beneath which Americans’ dignity cannot sink simply won’t be there for us.

The parties expect young people to shrug off these matters and go back to sending text messages—or even vote to endorse them as they create a debt that we’ll be unable to

repay. Their expectation, sadly, is reasonable. We have done nothing to make them think that we are anything other than docile, weakwilled suckers.

Politics appears to the major parties’ leaders to be of serious interest only to the few of us who stand to get a job out of it. Others, it seems to them, need Stephen Colbert’s or Jon Stewart’s help to be made to care about political issues. It’s only worth caring about if it can be made funny. The trouble is, today’s leaders are laughing all the way to the bank. They know that under current circumstances, they can spend money that they don’t have in ways that don’t benefit us, because we have no way to resist when they saddle us with massive debts.

Both parties have gone down this route. Their spending priorities are different, but neither does more than pretend to care about balancing the budget. They spend to make themselves look good today; they see no need to worry about tomorrow, because we seem unable or unwilling to find our political voice. The parties have enslaved us across time, taking the fruits of our future labors for their own use today.

That’s a shame. Much of the shame belongs to two parties that have no interest in the future as it extends beyond the next election.

But some of it belongs to us. We’ve failed to protect our own interests.

Those of us who expect to use the major parties to do this are either fooling themselves, or trying to fool the rest of us because some Republican or Democrat offered them a job. Both parties are thoroughly committed to forcing us to pay for their current self-aggrandizement, and neither foresees a future in which we might benefit from the programs that the parties are using for this purpose.

Given how bad this situation is, it’s surprising that we have at our disposal technology that would allow us to organize and pursue our political interests with relative ease. We could cut out many of the venal brokers within the parties who make those organizations such an expensive way to get the work of politics done. But, although we know it better than anyone else, we have failed to use the Internet to its full political potential.

That’s our fault. We should be running rings around the Democrats and the Republicans right now. By the time we take control of these parties, there will be nothing left to decide but who will pay and how much. We should not let things get to that point. The other parties aren’t primarily Internetbased because they’re old, and also because party leaders know that structuring a party around the Internet would inconvenience them and perhaps put some of them out of jobs. When we rely on these rotten old institutions to speak for us, we should not be surprised when the words that they want to put in our mouths are not the ones that See CONTINUATION, p. 18

16 IMPRESSIONS

The Brandeis Hoot

Book of Matthew

Vote NO on Question 3

October 29, 2010

Sexcapades

The morning after

BY SOPHIE RIESE Columnist

ILLUSTRATION BY Leah Lefkowitz/The Hoot

BY BRET MATTHEW Editor

This week’s column is for all readers who are registered to vote in Massachusetts.

As far as the upcoming midterm election is concerned, our otherwise wonderful Commonwealth probably isn’t the most exciting place to be right now. The unfortunate election of Senator Scott Brown aside, this is still among the bluest of blue states. Our overwhelmingly Democratic state legislature shows no sign of moving any farther to the right. Almost all of our incumbent Democratic Congressmen are far enough ahead on the polls to nearly guarantee victory. Even Governor Patrick—whose popularity ratings have never been fantastic—is averaging a respectable six-point lead over Republican challenger Charlie Baker.

But if you thought this means that you can just sit out of the election, think again. The most important decision that voters will make on Tuesday has nothing to do with candidates. Massachusetts, like 23 other states, allows ballot initiatives. And initiatives, while usually considered the pinnacle of direct democracy, are sometimes a breeding ground for crazy ideas that only one half of one percent of a voting population could love.

This year, we have Question 3, also known as The Sales Tax Initiative. Put forward by Carla Howell, president of the Center for Small Government and head of the Alliance to Roll Back Taxes, the initiative seeks to cut the state sales tax from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.

Howell has made quite the hobby out of her efforts to defund the state, having spearheaded the

failed ballot initiatives to eliminate the state income tax in 2008 and 2002. According to the Yes on 3 campaign website, Howell and her allies claim that rolling back the tax will “force state politicians to cut government waste.”

It will certainly force them to do something. According to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Question 3 will cut state revenues by $2.5 billion per year. Which, of course, is money the state can’t afford to lose. Due to the recession, Massachusetts has had to make substantial cuts to state programs and local aid in order to maintain a balanced budget. In the coming fiscal year alone, the state government closed a $2.7 billion budget shortfall—and that was with revenue from current tax rates.

I witnessed this problem firsthand this past summer while working as a freelance reporter for my local newspaper in Clinton, Massachusetts. I was covering a school committee meeting, during which the superintendent delivered the annual school budget to the committee members.

He did not look pleased. Actually, he looked like he wanted to shred the document on the spot, rather than read its contents aloud.

Only a week before, voters at the annual town meeting had adopted a budget that included cuts in almost every town department, reserving some of the steepest cuts for the school department.

All told, the schools had to cut department heads, the curriculum director, an elementary school art teacher, the high school band director, $100,000 from the school supplies budget, $90,000 from the fuel/gas/electric budget, and the high school librarian. Cutting the librarian position was particularly

problematic because, according to the superintendent, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges requires librarians for accredited schools and could choose to put the Clinton Public School System on probation.

If opponents of Question 3 are correct, my hometown could lose over one and a half million dollars in state aid, and many towns could expect to lose even more. This will lead to an even deeper round of cuts: Teachers will be laid off, programs will be cut, and class sizes will increase. So much for Waiting for Superman; Massachusetts students will be lucky if they have Aquaman to turn to.

This probably means nothing to people like Carla Howell, who view the public sector as a fat hog that has been given to much slop to eat.

But the truth is that municipalities trimmed all the fat when the recession began. When it showed no sign of ending they cut into muscle.

If tax rates are lowered, they will have no choice but to cut bone. Is that really worth an extra few dollars in consumers’ pockets?

Back in September, a Boston Globe poll of Question 3 found that 46 percent are in favor of the measure, while 43 percent oppose it and 11 percent are undecided. A few weeks ago, a Suffolk University poll found that 44 percent are in favor, while 49 percent oppose and 6 percent are undecided. So this is going to be a close one, and the final results are going to depend heavily on who turns out to vote on Tuesday: Will they be anti-tax radicals, or will sensible minds win out?

Just something for you all to think about when you are holding your ballot and wondering if it will make a difference.

This week, I thought maybe we should face the issue of post-hookup etiquette. Recently, I’ve seen, or experienced, a number of encounters that make me think this seriously needs to be addressed. Even after a one-night stand, potentially with someone you’re not so proud of, it’s always better to be the better person. There is no reason for avoidance, running, head turning or awkward movements during encounters with the other person.

In fact, it usually wouldn’t be awkward if you didn’t make it that way (although, this is Brandeis ...).

Last spring, after a fight with my best friend and the end of a sexual relationship I had come to enjoy, I went to Joe Sent Me, a local bar, with the intention of having fun with my friends and flirting a little. The night ended with me drunkenly stumbling home with a guy I’d thought was cute since first year, who was excitingly, newly single. When all was said and done, even though Boy asked me to sleep over, I realised I wasn’t comfortable doing that and so I left. While getting dressed, however, I couldn’t find my pantyhose or my hair clip, and decided to leave them behind and ask about them later. It never occurred to me that this guy I’d been friends with for two years would suddenly change his demeanor towards me.

Somehow, I never saw him again last semester, but this semester I’ve had a few run-ins and, on each occasion, he has made it excessively obvious that he has no desire to be associated with me. That’s all well and good, but we have friends in common, and therefore encounter each other in social situations that cannot be avoided.

Last weekend, at a party, I saw him, and decided against saying hello when I noticed that he turned his head or body away from me whenever I looked in his direction. A mutual friend suggested that I be the one to go up and say “hi,” but I declined because it seemed to me that I would have been invading his space. This morning, when driving up the Loop Road, I saw him again and, as he walked towards me, he spot-

ted me and immediately turned to walk in another direction. This action made me realise that I should have said hello at the party, just so that it was clear I was unaffected by a hook-up that happened months ago. What makes a guy—a senior and an athlete—think that the appropriate reaction to seeing old hook-ups is running away? Especially on such a small campus!

A friend of mine had a similar thing happen to her recently. She was invited to a party by a guy who was clearly interested in her and spent the night with him.

Much like I did in my own experience, she left when she felt was appropriate to make sure that she was comfortable and that she was not intruding in any way. Following her graceful exit, his response has been anything but. When he sees her on campus or in class, he carefully avoids making eye-contact or creating a situation where they might have to say hello. Socially, he is only making his own immaturity noticeable. No one but the two of them need know that something happened between them; however, because he so clearly avoids her, people around them begin to wonder what the back story is.

No matter what the situation, we’ve all at least experienced it in a second-hand way. Friends have told us stories about guys girls being awkward and acting differently around them. Maybe you’ve seen the interactions—a girl standing talking with friends before the start of a class and a guy walks in, glances at the girl, and quickly settles himself as far from her as possible. We go to a small school, with a social scene that is smaller still. These things cannot be avoided but the awkwardness can be. The best way to act post hook-up is to act as though it never happened (this is not recommended for dealing with a postrelationship situation however).

That ensures that both parties, as well as the people around them, are not made uncomfortable. Additionally, it means that life can continue as normal and friends don’t have to worry about people who have ended up in bed together ending up at a party together.

Maybe you’ve seen the interactions—a girl standing talking with friends before the start of a class and a guy walks in, glances at the girl, and quickly settles himself as far from her as possible.

October 29, 2010

The Brandeis Hoot

IMPRESSIONS

17

Show me a sign

Forget the two Towards a more constructive dialogue parties, start a third The issue of overriding importance for our generation is this broad question of finance.

WHY VOTE(from p. 16)

BY MORGAN GROSS Staff

It is no secret that Brandeis is filled with opinionated parties— this fact is one of the many reasons that I chose to come here.

This political charge brings an incredible energy to campus and often provides students with incredible opportunities, often originating from the hundreds of student interest groups on campus.

These interest groups plan social events, host informative sessions and workshops and—as we have seen in the past few weeks in particular—bring in tons of incredible speakers pertaining to their topic of focus.

Some recent speakers brought by student groups include Food Not Bombs founder Keith McHenry, former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, professor from Yeshiva University Ellen Schrecker, Pro-Palestine activist Hedy Epstein and conservative writer and policy maker David Horowitz.

These speakers have been interesting, thought provoking and often controversial and their lectures had the potential to have sparked meaningful conversations on campus between those with opposing views but, in reality, it seems that these speakers just provided an opportunity for those with pre-formed opinions to jump into conflict with those whose opinions conflict with their own.

It seems to me that we, as a student body, are engaged in a passive aggressive conflict between groups on campus.

A prime and present manifestation of this phenomenon on campus is the interaction between different Israel activist groups.

One group puts up a poster in Shapiro Campus Center and another group puts one up in reaction or rebellion.

This trend continues until the purpose of sign posting is deemed completely irrelevant. Instead of paying attention to the world issues the signs are meant to adver-

It’s time to use the power of organizing to not only project our own messages but also to increase dialogue and communication between those with opposing viewpoints. tise, students paying attention to the signs are fascinated with the conflict going on between interest groups.

Also, if by definition, every Israel group on campus is advocating for the same—that goal being a mutual desire for peace in the Middle East—it would be logical to think that this common thread would be enough to compel these groups to sit down and engage in dialogue together.

Groups are focusing all of their energy on putting their opinions out into the open in the most public—and what often ends up being the most inflammatory—way possible.

However, if every group is making as much noise as they can, it is inevitable that important information will be drowned out in the process.

This method of interaction doesn’t breed conversation, but rather argument between those with opposing views. .

It’s time to use the power of organizing to not only project our own messages but also to increase dialogue and communication between those with opposing viewpoints.

Via email correspondance, Professor Gordon Fellman (SOC) attributed this lack to “a combination of binary thinking (a party is the right or wrong, rather than both, as is so often the case), reluctance or refusal to question narratives one brings to Brandeis, misunderstanding of liberal arts education as encouraging questioning of all assumptions and seeking for truth even unto its innermost parts. The critics of speakers usually come to the talk with prepared questions and wait for their turn to speak them.

Meanwhile, they appear not to be listening to the speaker or responding to the speaker’s actual presentation but rather to con-

centrate on prior and controversial issues really peripheral to the speaker’s remarks.”

He suggests, to remedy this issue, we create “dialogue groups that put the controversial issues aside and focus on how people can learn to listen fully to views whatever they are, how to be honest with oneself about reluctance to listen to views at odds with what is familiar and approved by one or another part of one’s home community culture, and how to factor in the usually unacknowledged emotional components of political disagreements and arguments. I.E. I’d look at process as well as substance and work towards a goal of opening up to what any speaker is saying, trying as fully as possible to empathize with why the speaker may be saying that, and finding points of human connection with the speaker and what the presentation represents.”

Thankfully, it seems that Brandeis groups are moving in the right direction, towards dialogue and greater understanding.

I am thrilled to report that on Thursday Oct. 28 a summit was hosted on campus by J-Street U that brought together all groups on campus that deal with Middle East politics.

The summit was held with the intentions of starting a dialogue between groups with opposing viewpoints on campus and figuring out a way in which groups can interact more harmoniously, engage in more valuable dialogue— something that will be beneficial for all involved parties.

I’m excited to hear about the results of Thursday night’s meeting between all Israel activist groups on campus.

I hope that this kind of intergroup dialogue can continue and bring greater success to all groups involved.

we would have chosen.

We can delude ourselves into thinking that the biggest issue in the upcoming election has something to do with drugs, guns, abortion, homosexuals, soldiers’ pay, or the price of gas. Or we can imagine that disputes about corporate bailouts, health care legislation, the solvency of Social Security, or the continuation of America’s wars are discrete issues as to which we can meaningfully compare the two parties’ policies and choose between their respective candidates.

But so-called “issue politics” are meaningless when the government that’s supposed to protect the rights at issue cannot finance its operations. And individual issues affecting the budget don’t make sense unless they’re discussed in context. The Republicans who seem too eager to get rid of entitlement programs, for example, aren’t even discussing the budget if they’re not also talking about paying for wars and military contractors. They’re interested only in how to use our money, not whether to do so.

The issue of overriding importance for our generation is this

broad question of finance. Someone has to pay for our country to keep the promises that we want it to make. The exact balance of how much will be spent, and who will be made to pay, must be decided. If we have any sense, we will decide it ourselves. Personally, I think the government entitlements should be kept around for us and our children, that the wars, for better or worse, should end now, and that the wealthy individuals and businesses who pay less in taxes now than they did 10 years ago should be called upon to foot those parts of the bill that would otherwise fall to us. You may think differently. We should talk about that.

And if we have any sense, we will talk about it amongst ourselves, outside the context of the existing parties. We have the ability to create a party the likes of which this country has never seen, one powerful enough to save us from the fate to which both Democrats and Republicans seem so willing to consign us. The choice between them, for us, is not unlike the choice between a punch on the nose and a punch on the chin.

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18 The Brandeis Hoot

SPORTS

October 29, 2010

Women’s soccer scores 10 in home finale

BY KARA KARTER Editor

Though they had previously posted an impressive 7-1-1 record at home, the members of the women’s soccer team saved their most striking effort for the final game of their home campaign.

With a 10-0 win against visiting Lesley College (10-5-2), the 12-3-1 Judges left a striking final impression on their Gordon Field faithful.

The Judges have three more games—all conference matches against University Athletic Association opponents—to play this season. However, the team’s current mark of 12 wins already equates its highest regular season total since 2004.

Fittingly, on Senior Day, it was the members of the team’s senior class who led the Judges to their second highest goal output in school history. Led by forward Sofia Vallone ’11, who registered her second hat trick of the season, the four senior Judges totaled seven goals and six assists.

Vallone’s co-captains, Tiffany Pacheco ’11 and Taryn Martiniello

’11 tallied one goal and three assists, and two goals and one assist, respectively. Ellie Einhorn ’11 chipped in one goal on two shots.

Vallone got the Judges on the board just 10:34 into the contest, as her follow-up on a Pacheco shot was good for her team high 13 goal of the season. Thirteen minutes later, the Mimi Theodore ’12 show began. The Walpole, Mass. native picked up her first helper of the contest by finding Madeline Stein ’14 with a pass through the box. After two and a half more minutes of play, Theodore delivered another clean pass—this one of the longer variety—to Vallone, who then recorded her second goal of the day.

Lesley’s Lynx totaled six shots before intermission, only one on goal. Brandeis scored its first half total of three goals on 13 shots in the first 45 minutes of action.

The Brandeis attack picked up where it left off shortly after play was resumed. Vallone returned Theodore’s earlier favor with a pass through Lesley’s offside trap.

Though the Lynx drew Brandeis offside 21 times, Theodore beat the trap, finishing a goalmouth

chance for her eighth marker of the year.

Stein added her second goal of the day on a slow roller that snuck by out-of-position keeper Corinne Dasti in the 59th minute. Eleven minutes later, Einhorn showed she too could beat the trap, finding her own pass and the back of the net for her second goal of the year and the Judges’ sixth of the day.

Pacheco supplemented the Brandeis offense with a goal of her own before Vallone completed her hat trick at 82:15. Martiniello, a defensive stalwart who has played every minute in all but one of her career total of 80 games, capped off the scoring with a pair of goals 32 seconds apart in the 86th minute.

Francine Kofinas ’13 and Leah Sax ’14 combined on the foursave shutout for Brandeis.

The Judges travel to Missouri for their next match, Friday’s contest against Washington University in St. Louis. WashU’s Bears own an 8-5-2 record (2-0-2 in UAA play) on the season. Brandeis has gone 2-2 in conference play.

PHOTO BY Fizz R Ahmed/The Hoot

JUDGE OF THE WEEK

CHASE IT: Tary Martiniello ’11 chases the ball down the field.

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The Brandeis Hoot

Judges drop two matches at Hall of Fame invite this week

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

This week was a losing week for Women’s volleyball, falling 3-1 to Tufts on Friday and then dropping two more games at the Hall of Fame invitational on Saturday, dropping the team’s record to 13-14.

Despite this, the Judges had a strong first game Friday with 17 kills. Paige Blasco ’11 had 13 kills, a solo block and two block assists for 15.5 points.

Not only did she lead the team in points but also with 14 digs.

Middle blocker Nicole Smith ’11 had six kills, one solo block and seven block assists for 13.5 points while Lauren Berens ’13 had 10 kills, a solo block and four block assists for 13 points.

The Judges did not fare any better the second day of the invitational, dropping two matches, first to MIT, 3-1, and then to Wellesley, 3-1.

Brandeis was able to win their

second game 25-11, but were unable to keep a victory for the match, and the Engineers won 3-1.

Blasco again led the Judges for points, posting 14.5 points with 13 kills, an ace and one block assist.

Smith made three solo blocks, two block assists and six kills for 10 points.

The Judges started out strong against Wellesley with a 25-19 win in the first game, notching 12 kills and just one error in 24 attempts.

The Judges could not keep their lead and were defeated by the Blue 3-1.

In this match, Smith led the team with 15 kills, two aces, two block assists and a solo block for 19 points. Si-Si Hensley ’14 made 10 kills for 10 points in the match, while defensive specialist Susan Sun ’12 lead the team with 18 digs.

The Judges next match is today against UMass-Boston at the Brandeis University Classic.

SPORTS

Men’s soccer beats Lasell Lasers 2-0

BY ARIEL WITTENBERG Editor

Men’s soccer beat host team Lasell 2-0 Tuesday, making this their best season since 2006 with a record of 9-4-1, while Lasell’s record fell to 8-6-2.

In the first half, the Judges outshot the Lasell Lasers 10-3, with the help of goalie Taylor Bracken ’11, who saved two goals. Lasell’s goalie Matt Bruninghaus also saved two goals, keeping it an even game in the first 45 minutes of play.

In the first half, the Judges had five kicks, while Lasell had only one.

In the second half, the Lasers started off quickly with three shots in the first 3:13 minutes of play. Thankfully for the judges, Bracken had two more stops.

Then midfielder Lee Russo ’13 took two shots and a corner kick, finally breaking through in the 53rd minute when he

connected with classmate Joe Eisenbies ’13 on a free kick.

Eisenbies ranks third on the squad, and his rank was apparent as he scored his sixth of the season. Russo’s assist was his third of the season and he has the second-most assists on the team.

The Judges again outshot the Lasers in the second half, this time 15-6, while earning seven corner kicks. Lasell had no corner kicks in the second half.

A goal by Alexander Farr ’12 gave Brandeis a safe lead at 2-0 in the 88th minute of play. It was Farr’s seventh goal of the season.

Farr was assisted by Kyle Feather ’14 with the first helper of his college career.

Bracken finished off the game with five saves for the Judges, earning his fourth shutout of the season and the team’s seventh.

The Judges return to the field Friday against Washington University in St. Louis for an 8:30 p.m. kick-off.

A D VE R TISE ME NT

October 29, 2010

19

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Gordy’s game guesses: This week favoring Miami, San Diego, Tampa Bay and Oakland

BY GORDY STILLMAN Staff

This week is starting off with a bonus World Series guess: In the World Series, I’m guessing that the Texas Rangers are going to take it. The San Francisco Giants may have home field advantage, but the Rangers have already overcome both the Rays and the Yankees; the Giants might not even seem like a challenge.

Back to Football: Here is a quick statistic from last week: my picks were 9-5.

This included one pleasant surprise (Saints losing) and one very upsetting defeat.

Denver at S a n Francisco: Denv e r .

T h i s one is a real toss up since b o t h t e a m s have terrible records. Denver’s away record matches San Francisco’s home record. That being said, Denver has more wins overall and likely wants to make up for their embarrassing defeat last week.

Jacksonville at Dallas: Jacksonville. Dallas may have come

close to beating the Giants last week but, with quarterback Tony Romo out of commission for 6-8 weeks, the Jaguars are in a position to bring their record to 4-4.

Miami at Cincinnati: Miami.

Miami has a 3-0 record away as well as the better overall record. That paired with Cincinnati’s disappointing 1-1 home record makes this a simple pick.

Buffalo at Kansas City: Kansas City. The Chiefs sit at a shaky 4-2 record but still sit atop the AFC West. This will likely improve as they face the win-less Buffalo Bills.

Washington at Detroit: Wa s h i n g ton. The Redskins being undefeated so far against the NFC N o r t h ( t h e y h av e n’t played the Vikings yet) paired with the Lions basically being a joke makes this a very easy pick.

Carolina at St. Louis: St. Louis. The Panthers may have shown that they can win last week but, even so, the Rams have a better record. This game is expected to be close but I’m expecting the home team to come out winning.

Green Bay at New York Jets:

First of two reasons Patriots fans will hate me this week: I’m picking the Jets (for the record, I dislike both teams) because the Packers’ record influences the Vikings’ post season chances; the Jets’ does not.

Tennessee at San Diego: San Diego. The Titans are 5-2 while the Chargers are 2-5. Yes, the records suggest a different outcome, but San Diego was once considered a favorite for this year’s Super Bowl. That, along with both of the Chargers’ wins being home wins, suggests that this will be win number three.

Minnesota at New England: The second reason why Patriots fans will hate me: Vikings

always win. I don’t really care what each team’s record is right now, Vikings will always get my pick.

Tampa Bay at Arizona: Tampa Bay. Both teams are 2-0 in their away and home records respectively. Tampa, however, has a slightly better overall record and is therefore getting my pick.

Seattle at Oakland: Oakland.

Both teams won last week but, while Seattle won by 12 points, Oakland beat Denver by an amazing 45 points. Seattle has a better overall record but Oakland has both the momentum and home field advantage.

Pittsburgh at New Orleans: ADVERTISEMENT

Pittsburgh. Last week I should have picked with my heart instead of the records. If the Cleveland Browns could overcome the defending champions, then the 5-1 Steelers should be able to beat the 4-3 Saints on Halloween night.

Houston at Indianapolis: Indianapolis. Both teams are 4-2 overall and both are 2-0 away and home respectively. They are also both tied for second place in the AFC South, only one win behind Tennessee.

The Colts not only have Peyton Manning (I have no clue who the Texans have) but also the home field advantage.

20 The Brandeis Hoot

HOOT SCOOPS

October 29, 2010

The witching hour Halloween is synonymous with free candy, crazy costumes, scary decorations and jack-o-lanterns.

It is a time when all inhibitions are put on hold, and everyone can be a princess or Jedi knight for the evening.

The fun-filled holiday was once a holy day as the Interfaith Chaplaincy wrote in an e-mail to students to mark the occasion. In the United States, Halloween is almost entirely a secular holiday, but its origins come from centuries-old religious celebrations in remembrance of the dead.

Several religious holy days can claim early influence on Halloween: the Roman festival of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, the Festival of the Dead, a celebration honoring the dead after every harvest, or Samhain, a Celtic festival celebrating the end of the the “lighter half ” of the year. All Soul’s Day, a Catholic holy day celebrated on Nov. 2 that remembers the faithful departed who were not properly cleansed before death, and remain in purgatory.

For the ancient Celts, spirits were able to pass between this world and the “Otherworld” (their idea of the afterlife) on Samhain. They celebrated and honored family who had died, and dress e d up to

scare off harmful spirits.

Children dressing up is also reminiscent of the middle ages, when poor people would beg door to door for food in exchange for prayers for the dead. These prayers would help lost souls escape purgatory and enter Heaven.

In Christianity, Nov. 1 became All Hallows’ Day and Nov. 2 was All Souls’ Day. The first recalled the dead who lived holy, faithful lives. All Souls’ Day was set aside to remember the rest.

For communities that commemorate these two days, visits to cemeteries and churches are common.

Names of the dead are listed in a book of remembrance, which then becomes a tool so that the whole community may pray for each others’ loved ones.

Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a holiday connected to All Hallows’ Day and All Souls’ Day celebrated primarily in Mexico. The day falls on November 2, bringing together family and friends to celebrate the lives of friends and family who have died.

Common traditions include recreating the life of the dead with sugar skulls and favorite foods and beverages left on personalized, private altars.

Although Halloween has lost much of its religious connotations, it is still a time for children and their parents to celebrate one of the things that most religious traditions hold sacred—family.

Halloween can become a time for parents to bond with their children while keeping them safe and having a great time running around the neighborhood collecting candy in a plastic pumpkin.

There will be a mass to observe All Saints’ Day on Monday at 12:10 p.m. in the Bethlehem Chapel, and a book of remembrance will be available through the month of November.

Looking for a quick costume?

Check out our ideas on page 7.

By Leah Finkelman, editor

PHOTO BY Haley Fine/The Hoot

Dress up

Top 12 most popular Halloween costumes.

For Girls 1. Witch 2. Princess 3. Ballerina 4. Angel 5. Cheerleader 6. Pop Star

For Boys 1. Pirate 2. Cowboy 3. Grim Reaper 4. Superheroes 5. Ninja 6. Firefighter / Police Officer