The Dartmouth 1/10/17

VOL. CLXXIV NO.5

SUNNY HIGH 34 LOW 32

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

The Dartmouth Staff

OPINION

CHUN: ANOTHER MORNING IN AMERICA PAGE 4

BACH: THE CORNERSTONE OF LIBERTY PAGE 4

ARTS

2016’S TELEVISION IN REVIEW PAGE 8

READ US ON

DARTBEAT WINTER PRODUCT SHOWDOWN FOLLOW US ON

TWITTER @thedartmouth COPYRIGHT © 2017 THE DARTMOUTH, INC.

Early decision students to comprise 47% of class

Aleskie named Hopkins Center director

By ANTHONY ROBLES

Mary Lou Aleskie, the executive director of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut, will be the next director of the Hopkins Center. She will assume the position in the spring.

Aleskie will not only be in charge of developing a framework for the Center by managing a $7.8 million operating budget, but will also engage with College administration and the Hop’s numerous benefactors.

“ We a r e t h r i l l e d t o welcome Mary Lou Aleskie to Dartmouth,” College spokesperson Diana Lawrence said. “Her tremendous leadership, creativity and passion for the arts and education will help to chart an exciting course for the Hopkins Center here in our community and beyond.”

Aleskie was chosen for the job by a search committee chaired by Provost Carolyn Dever. The committee also SEE HOPKINS PAGE 3

United Way campaign raises $300,224

By DANIELA ARMAS The Dartmouth

This past December, the College concluded its annual D a r t m o u t h U n i t e d Wa y campaign, exceeding its goal of raising $275,500 for Granite U n i t e d Way, a n o n p ro f i t organization that operates as a bridge between donors and smaller charities throughout the Upper Valley. The campaign, aimed at raising funds and awareness for

HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE

service organizations across the state of New Hampshire and Windsor County, Vermont, ran from Oct. 11 to Dec. 15, 2016 and raised $300,224, said co-chair of the 2016 United Way steering committee and executive vice president of the College Rick Mills.

Though the 2016-17 fundraising goal was smaller SEE UNITED WAY PAGE 5

TIFFANY ZHAI/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

The College’s 1,999 early decision applicants represented a record-large pool.

By JOYCE LEE The Dartmouth Staff

The 555 students accepted early decision for the Dartmouth Class of 2021 are expected to form around 47 percent of the incoming class, t h e h i g h e s t l eve l o f the past 17 years of classes. Aside from an increase in the number of applicants, Dartmouth’s early decision acceptance rate also increased from last year’s 25.6 percent to 27.8 percent.

The students were chosen from a recordl a rg e p o o l o f 1 , 9 9 9 applicants.

Early decision students make up 42.9 percent of the Class of 2020, compared to a five-year low of 39.4 percent for the Class of 2017. In the past 17 years, the lowest percentage of early decision students within the student body was 32.2 percent for the Class of 2005.

Vi c e p r o v o s t f o r enrollment and dean of

admissions and financial aid Lee Coffin said that the national trend, which shows an increase of students applying through the early decision or early action process, is an important part of looking at the recordsized pool.

“Over the last ten years, more students are being counseled to apply early somewhere, and college counselors say half or two-thirds of their SEE EARLY PAGE 2

Two professors selected as 2016 NAI fellows

By MIKA JEHOON LEE The Dartmouth Staff

Computer science professor Hany Farid and engineering professor Richard Greenwald Th’88 were selected to the 2016 class of National Academy of Inventors Fellows early this December, earning one

of the highest professional distinctions given to academic inventors.

Farid and Greenwald joined five other Dartmouth faculty named NAI fellows since the fellowship program’s establishment in 2012: engineering professors Eric Fossum (2012) and Tillman Gerngross (2013),

engineering professor emeriti Elsa Gar mire (2014) and Robert Dean Jr. (2015), and Geisel School of Medicine professor of medicine Aaron Kaplan (2015).

The NAI is a national n o n p ro f i t o rg a n i z at i o n which recognizes inventors with patents issued from the

United States Patent and Trademark Office. With the addition of 175 members in the 2016 class, there are now 757 NAI fellows in total.

Among all NAI fellows there are 28 Nobel Laureates, 94 presidents and senior leaders of research universities and 45 recipients of the U.S. National Medal of Science

a n d t h e U. S. N at i o n a l Medal of Technology and Innovation. The 757 NAI fellows collectively hold more than 26,000 issued U.S. patents.

Farid was honored for pioneering the field of digital image forensics. His SEE INVENTORS PAGE 3

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 2

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

Q&A with music 555 students accepted to College professor William Cheng through early decision process

By PAULOMI RAO

The Dartmouth Staff

Inspired by his recently diagnosed chronic pain condition, assistant professor of music William Cheng wrote a book about the importance of taking care of ourselves and our communities in our academic and daily lives. “Just Vibrations: The Purpose of Sounding Good” received the 2016 American Musicological Society Philip Brett Award, which honors “exceptional” musicological work in the field of LGBT studies, and was named by the Times Higher Education as a 2016 book of the year. This term, Cheng is teaching music courses on video games and on changing the world through music.

The Dartmouth sat down with Cheng to discuss his book and how writing it has changed his personal life and his teaching style.

What inspired you to write “Just Vibrations?”

WC: Often I feel like care and compassion are sidelined to extracurricular activities rather than vital components of what makes education and social life so important.

With my chronic pain condition diagnosis, I realized that during my time in college, graduate school and a later post-doc with the Harvard Society of Fellows, I was constantly driven by a pressure to be resilient and exceptionally strong in terms of character and not complaining too much about difficulties by forcing my way through papers, lectures, my dissertation. Once I started to divulge my struggles, I recognized how many of my friends were going through very similar things. Once you begin to share information with others, my peers felt inclined to reciprocate stories, and it soon became apparent to me that there are a lot of things that go unspoken in academia. At light, academia appears as a very robust and word-driven profession. But in reality, people don’t talk about personal illness or disability for fear of seeming weak, unapproachable or unfit for their jobs as researchers and teachers.

H o w h ave t h e p e rs o n a l lessons explored in your book impacted your teaching style at Dartmouth?

WC: I began to incorporate themes of disability and overall talking about disability into themes of my classes in some way and it has helped to foster a sense of compassion in students for diversity in different people’s abilities and needs. The lessons I’ve learned in the book have shaped the way I teach to the extent that I want to make sure each student feels welcome in the class

despite their musical proficiencies and that they can feel comfortable to talk to me about their insecurities, hopes and goals.

What makes this book more unique than your other publications?

WC: “Just Vibrations” contains a chapter that lays out my life just on the page. Although it makes me vulnerable and insecure to have my life laid out like that, it also can be empowering, because it has allowed me to say everything I’ve wanted to say in the past but have been previously too reluctant or fearful to express.

The previous book [In 2014, Cheng published “Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical Imagination,” which examined video game audio and challenged traditional conceptions of sound] and other publications I’ve done have been a bit more traditional and don’t contain the same type of personal narratives, but I felt as if “Just Vibrations” should either contain all or nothing. So, I went all out with the personal divulging of information.

How has seeing the positive response of “Just Vibrations” impacted your next goals?

Do you see yourself changing anything in the future?

WC: The response to “Just Vibrations” has urged me to continue to explore how to make academia and education a better place. I don’t just mean more rigorous, disciplined or robust but a place where much needed conversations between professors and students can really come out and help everyone involved. I’m hoping that this can inspire some students to realize their own life stories can be worth telling and hearing. In an ideal world, they shouldn’t have to be ashamed of having an illness or suffering pain or having things that have affected the way they live and study. It’s really a collective responsibility on all of us to cultivate compassion so we can break down these barriers.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

WC: My colleagues and students at Dartmouth have really helped me in writing this book. I began when I first arrived at Dartmouth and the entirety of the book was written in Hanover. It feels like a book of place. Even aside from a few direct anecdotes about Dartmouth, this book is guided by the spirit and location of the College and for that I am very grateful.

The interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

would rather take those students in includes these two group that have early decision so they can control been pre-screened into that pool.” senior class file an early decision t h e s t a t i s t i c s QuestBridge or early action application,” Coffin o f t h e c l a s s, ” a non-profit “Schools with early isorganization said. “That’s a growing trend Hernández said. that decision like to lock “matches” lowthat’s showing up in our pool too. Such statistics There’s a consciousness about i n c l u d e y i e l d , and highin a minority — they income early decision, as a strategy.” achieving high which refers to would rather take school students However, Coffin said that the percentage admissions officers do not directly of applicants who those students in w i t h a s e l e c t promote early decision and that accept a college’s of thirty early decision so group it is not a proactive part of the offer. different colleges recruitment process.

“You have 100 they can control and universities C o - p r e s i d e n t o f c o l l e g e percent yield in n the United the statistics of the iStates. admissions counseling service e a rl y d e c i s i o n Coffin said class.”

Top Tier Admissions and former kids, so colleges that Dartmouth Dartmouth admissions officer a r e t r e n d i n g increased its Michele Hernández ’89 said that towards taking a participation in -MICHELE students may choose to apply higher percentage this group for the through early decision due to the of early decision Class of 2021 and HERNANDEZ ’89, competitive nature of the college b e c a u s e t h e i r was able to attract CO-PRESIDENT application process. The binding y iel d goes u p, a different pool of OF COLLEGE nature of early decision also gives a n d c o l l e g e s students. it a strategic advantage over other like to control Hernández said COUNSELING early admissions mechanisms, such t h e m e t r i c s , ” that QuestBridge SERVICE TOP TIER as single-choice early action. p r o v i d e d Hernández said.

“Counselors are encouraging “Early decision Dartmouth an ADMISSIONS students to apply early also because kids used to make opportunity to AND FORMER the early decision pool has a better up 30 percent of add minority DARTMOUTH chance of being selected, since the class, now students to the they’re committed to the school,” they make up 40 ADMISSIONS OFFICER new classes within Hernández said. “Whereas for to 50 percent, the early decision schools like Harvard [University], such as with [the] round, which Y a l e would prove [University] U n i v e r s i t y o f advantageous to its goal to create “Over the last ten or Princeton a more diverse class.

Pennsylvania.”

[University], if Coffin said that Twe n t y - s i x s t u d e n t s we re years, more students you’re rejected this percentage admitted from QuestBridge this are being counseled and go into the was to ensure that year, compared to six last year. regular pool, to apply early the College had Diversity, including regional the statistics the right class diversity, was also an important somewhere, and you face are size, rather than part of the creation of the early college counselors say single-digits.” t o d e t e r m i n e decision cohort, Coffin said.

Amanda “What we saw with this pool yield. half or two-thirds of Nee ’21, an I n a d d i t i o n , was a really significant amount of their senior class file an Coffin said that people from places like California,” early decision admit, said t h e i n c r e a s e Coffin said. “It was a way for early decision or early that she knew i n a c c e p t e d Dartmouth to acknowledge places action application. she wanted s t u d e n t s m a y like California and Florida and to attend also be partially [look] in this group of ’21s for That’s a growing trend Dartmouth a t t r i b u t e d t o what’s the national profile.” that’s showing up in as soon as she applicants such as He said that while early decision visited the recruited athletes used to be more of an East our pool too. There’s a campus. and students who Coast student phenomenon, consciousness about “It seemed a p p l y t h ro u g h California became a place of useless to wait p r o g r a m s l i k e recruitment opportunities where early decision, as a all the way until the College needed to pay attention QuestBridge. strategy.”

March when “ T h e to the demographics. He said that the regular acceptance rate is accepting a bigger pool of students applications not as meaningful from California and making that -LEE COFFIN, VICE came out,” she as it looks, because group the largest in the class was PROVOST FOR said. “I kind of t h e s t u d e n t s consciously done. just wanted to who apply are Bev Taylor, founder of college ENROLLMENT AND be done with u s u a l l y t h o s e admissions consulting firm Ivy DEAN OF ADMISSIONS the process.” who have been Coach, said that Dartmouth Hernández encouraged to do has been working to have more AND FINANCIAL AID said that by so,” Coffin said. international applicants and has accepting “ T h e s t u d e n t s seen an increase in its application more students, who go through numbers over the past two years.

Dartmouth is acknowledging that QuestBridge identify Dartmouth She said that the increase in the early decision pool was strong. as one of their matches, so it’s a 100 applications and their quality, as “Schools with early decision percent admit rate. Ultimately, the well as the diversity in the pool, like to lock in a minority — they percentage looks higher because it was cause for praise.

FROM EARLY PAGE 1

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 3

New Hopkins Center director to start at College in spring musicians, circus performers and speaker s.

Aleskie was in charge of all fundraising and prog ramming at the festival.

Previous artists and speakers at the event have included Yo-Yo Ma, Spike Lee and Salman Rushdie.

D u r i n g Aleskie’s time in New Haven, the National Endowment for the Arts recognized the festival as among the top five arts presentations in the nation.

Attendance at the festival, which began in 1996, has g rown to record numbers.

H o p prog ramming d i r e c t o r M a r g a r e t L a w r e n c e said that she thinks Aleskie’s experiences wo rk i n g w i t h multiple kinds of artists at the festival make her COURTESY OF MARY LOU ALESKIE well-suited for her Mary Lou Aleskie has served as the director of the International Festival of Arts and Ideas since new role.

2005.

“I think coming FROM HOPKINS PAGE 1 Rahmann ’78 served as interim here at a time when we are seeing the director following director Jeff Hop as part of a larger arts district, included deputy director of the James’s retirement in 2015. the Arts and Innovation District, is Hood Museum of Art a wonderful confluence, because Juliette Bianco ’94, [Aleskie] has some great experiences “I think coming here at a time actress and comedian in working with different genres Rachel Dratch ’88, of art to raise interesting issues when we are seeing the Hop Hopkins Center and ideas,” Margaret Lawrence as part of a larger arts district, Board of Overseers said. “I think she’ll be a really member Caroline wonderful collaborative player in the Arts and Innovation Harrison ’86, the that endeavor.”

District, is a wonderful Hop’s director of The Arts and Innovation District confluence, because [Aleskie] student performance includes the Hopkins Center, the groups Joshua Kol ’93 Hood Museum of Art, the DEN has some great experiences in and associate dean of Innovation Center and the Black working with different genres arts and humanities Family Visual Arts center. and English professor Aleskie’s principal goal at the of art to raise interesting Barbara Will. festival for the past 11 years has been issues and ideas.”

“I am humbled, to build stronger local community gratified and inspired relations while broadening the by the opportunity profile of the event to fit an -MARGARET LAWRENCE, HOPKINS to work with the staff international scope, according to her CENTER PROGRAMMING DIRECTOR biography on the festival’s website. [at the Hop], [the] college leadership Aleskie said that this ability to bring and the community,” the community and the performing Aleskie said. “It’s arts together is one of the Hop’s As director of the International strengths. pretty exciting stuff.”

Aleskie will replace interim Festival of Arts and Ideas since “One of the things I really care director Maria Laskaris ’84, who 2005, Aleskie oversaw an annual about is connecting people and has served in the position since 15-day series which included theater ideas with the performance, which the fall. Before Laskaris, Marga and dance groups, international the Hop is already doing,” Aleskie

said. “I’m looking forward to adding which presents ensemble chamber value in that area.” music and jazz concerts. After that Aleskie began her career in the position, Aleskie was president arts as chief financial manager and chief executive officer of the and general manager of the Tony La Jolla Music Society in San Award-winning Alley Theatre Diego, California, which features in Houston, Texas. During her orchestras, dance companies and t e n u r e, s h e soloists, from produced the 2002 to 2005.

“One of the things I first American I n tour of Edward really care about is addition to Albee’s “Who’s connecting people her position Afraid of at the festival, V i r g i n i a and ideas with the Aleskie has Wo o l f ? ” t o performance, which taught courses v i s i t Ru s s i a on theater the Hop is already and Lithuania, administration as well as the doing. I’m looking a t t h e Ya l e world premiere forward to adding University of Fr a n k School of W i l d h o r n ’ s value in that area.”

D r a m a , “ Je k y l l & participated in Hyde.” Before t h e N at i o n a l her position -MARY LOU ALESKIE, Arts Strategies with the Alley INCOMING DIRECTOR OF Chief Executive Theatre, she THE HOPKINS CENTER Prog ram and worked as an currently serves auditor for on the Executive Deloitte in Committee of New York City. the International Society for the After the Alley Theatre, she Performing Arts, a New York-based assumed the position of executive international network of performing director of Da Camera of Houston, arts professionals.

THE DARTMOUTH OPINION

PAGE 4

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

STAFF COLUMNIST STEVEN CHUN ’19

STAFF COLUMNIST JINSUNG BACH ’17

Another Morning in America

The Cornerstone of Liberty

America evolves — so should the things that make us warm and fuzzy.

Let’s start out with a really simple question: what’s the most common occupation in the United States? We’ll end with a Ronald Reagan ’84 presidential campaign commercial — but more on that later. The answer, as it turns out, is either long-haul trucker or retail salesperson, depending on how you sort the data. But that’s probably not what you thought it’d be, so we have to ask another question: what things are fundamentally American?

There are common answers to that — apple pie, baseball, fanny packs — but spend ten minutes on your preferred news network, and you’ll get another answer: jobs. No matter which echochamber you prefer, conservatives and liberals all pay plenty of lip-service to jobs. People disagree on how to get them and what happens when you don’t have one, but no one disagrees that jobs are good. But given that work is so fundamental to the American Dream, most discourse on the topic completely misses the mark.

It all starts with manufacturing. In a literal sense, manufacturing is the starting point for the selling and transfer of goods. Perhaps that’s why we like the industry so much. The work is tangible and wholesome, but American manufacturing is terribly mischaracterized. Despite, for example, being the only industry discussed at length in the first 2016 presidential debate, 91 percent of Americans work outside of manufacturing. For a job so inherently American, it’s just not an accurate reflection of the state of American employment.

Manufacturing is the poster-child for American industry because the work ethic we associate with manufacturing, its dominance in the 1970s and the oh-so-American ideal of creating make it warm and fuzzy to think about.

And none of those things are bad in any way.

But here’s the stickler: our image of America informs what we aspire to be as a nation. Right now, that image is firmly rooted in the mid-20th century. We’re aiming backwards, and that’s a problem. We need an image of what America can be, not what it once was.

“Morning in America” — technically known as “Prouder, Stronger, Better” — is perhaps one of the finest pieces of political advertisement ever

made. Made for the Reagan ’84 campaign, the ad shows happy citizens under orchestral music and calm narration.

“It’s morning again in America,” the ad begins.

“Today more men and women will go to work than ever before in our country’s history.” Hal Riney, the ad’s narrator, then discusses lowered interest rates, comparing 1984 with the prior administration’s record of four years prior. “This afternoon 6,500 young men and women will be married,” the ad continues, “and with inflation at less than half of what it was just four years ago, they can look forward with confidence to the future. It’s morning again in America, and under the leadership of President Reagan, our country is prouder and stronger and better. Why would we ever want to return to where we were less than four short years ago?”

Work, marriage and home ownership. It’s just so freakin’ American. But each and every one of those campaign ideals has changed. America is no longer a nation of farmers or factory workers; we decided that the bond of marriage is a right afforded to every person regardless of sexual orientation; and you can share your car and rent out your home from your phone. These concepts are still very much part of our national identity. — they’re just different. In almost every way, they’re better.

The Morning in America motif isn’t just about morning commutes: it evokes renewal in the arrival of a new day. The United States has gone through that renewal many times over. We may have forgotten that every single concept that evokes Americana does so not because they are symbols of ye-olden times, but because they are symbols of bold change. Our very form of government was a drastic break from the norm.

The assembly line, the basis for all modern manufacturing, was an American innovation.

We (kind of) invented baseball. At the very least, we made cricket way better.

So in accordance with tradition, we should welcome the things that make us uncomfortable, that challenge our notions of normal. We can begin by reinventing the image of the American worker.

6175 ROBINSON HALL, HANOVER N.H. 03755 • (603) 646-2600

RAY LU, Editor-in-Chief KOURTNEY KAWANO, Executive Editor ZACHARY BENJAMIN, Managing Editor PRODUCTION EDITORS PARKER RICHARDS, Opinion Editor ALI PATTILLO, Mirror Editor MIKEY LEDOUX, Mirror Editor LUCY TANTUM, Mirror Editor MARK CUI & EVAN MORGAN, Sports Editors MADELINE KILLEN & NALINI RAMANATHAN, Arts Editors

RACHEL DECHIARA, Publisher ERIN LEE, Executive Editor NOAH GOLDSTEIN, Managing Editor BUSINESS DIRECTORS HANNAH CARLINO, Finance & Strategy Director HAYDEN KARP-HECKER, Advertising Director ELYSE KUO, Product Development Director BRIANNA AGER, Marketing & Communications Director HENRY WILSON, Technology Director

EMMA CHIU & MARGARET JONES, Dartbeat Editors JESSICA CAMPANILE, Multimedia Editor SAPHFIRE BROWN, Photography Editor PAULA MENDOZA, Photography Editor GAYNE KALUSTIAN, TANYA SHAH & ERIC WANG, Design Editors JACLYN EAGLE, Templating Editor ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN, Survey Editor

ISSUE

NEWS EDITOR: Hailey Jiang, NEWS LAYOUT: Alexa Green, TEMPLATING EDITOR: Jaclyn Eagle

SUBMISSIONS: We welcome letters and guest columns. All submissions must include the author’s name and affiliation with Dartmouth College, and should not exceed 250 words for letters or 700 words for columns. The Dartmouth reserves the right to edit all material before publication. All material submitted becomes property of The Dartmouth. Please email submissions to editor@thedartmouth.com.

Dissent should be welcomed, not condemned as dangerous discourse.

In the wake of such a contentious election, argument on its own merits, Mayer has chosen it is easy to lash out and be afraid. It is to distract from it by claiming it is not “morally perfectly understandable that one might feel acceptable” to believe in Trump’s positions. apprehensive about the future of American Unfortunately, being “morally acceptable” politics, or fear for what may follow in the has nothing to do with it. It is because of this years to come. Nonetheless, it is inexcusable to very sort of haughtiness and obsession with unfairly brand an entire voting demographic identity politics that so many people turned as a force of oppression, and I will not remain away from the liberal left on Election Day. We silent when my fellow students insist upon live in a paradigm without room for alternative doing so. In that regard I must write in fervent perspectives, where dissent is unacceptable. opposition to Michael Those with the courage to Mayer ’17’s guest column “Insults and labels voice unpopular opinions of Jan. 5, and in defense are immediately shot do not bring about of Tyler Baum ’20’s Nov. down with no attempt desirable change; 15 guest column. at proper discussion, just Like many of my they only foster the as Mayer has elected to fellow Americans, I retain do with Baum’s opinion. many deep concerns resentment that In this culture of ours, regarding President-elect elected Trump in where victimization is Donald Trump, and I worn like a badge of remain unconvinced that the first place, and honor and skeptics are he will bring about the it is resentment well branded heretics, can the sort of change that the earned.” latter really be blamed for nation sorely needs. I do, choosing to rebel? however, speak with an

Indeed, the only open mind and a belief in “dangerous discourse” the goodwill of my fellow citizens. I am willing here is that of labeling a political opinion as to do that which Mayer is not: engage with violent when it is no such thing. Not once has those who I disagree with and talk to them, Baum ever indicated any support for violence instead of casting them aside as violent racists. or oppression, yet Mayer insists that he is Mayer is quick to leap into the charged a subscriber to a “violent ideology.” Even hyperbolic language so typical in academia putting aside the fact that the vast majority today, complete with exaggerated claims of of Trump voters are genuinely good people various “-isms” and “-phobias” for which without racist beliefs, it is not possible to he has provided no evidence or analysis. take Mayer seriously when he chooses to What Mayer fails to understand is that such designate such a broad swath of people as language does not convince people to change so irredeemably evil. By relegating political their minds. However distasteful one finds the ideologies to such simplistic terms, one only notion of a Trump presidency, the fact is that makes unnecessary enemies. And on whose hollow appeals to emotion simply don’t work. lofty moral authority can any one of us judge Insults and labels do not bring about desirable the philosophies of others so harshly? Show change; they only foster the resentment that me anyone who regards a mere difference of elected Trump in the first place, and it is opinion as dangerous, and I will show you a resentment well earned. It is impossible to tyrant. claim any moral high ground if one refuses The choice to engage with our dissenters to see the opposition as anything other than and speak to them directly is made consciously evil and violent, and the hypocrisy of such and forms the cornerstone of liberty. It is a mentality must not go counterproductive to unnoticed. refuse such dissent, and “Trump’s supporters I say hypocrisy because more so to dismiss it are no less human, no even the very same intolerance as “dangerous discourse.” fueled America’s most less intelligent and no Trump’s supporters are shameful moments — the more evil than the rest no less human, no less same moments that Mayer intelligent and no more points out in his column. of us. They too have evil than the rest of us.

It was from hatred and concerns and fears, They too have concerns a refusal to reconcile and fears, each of them each of them as valid differing opinions that as valid as those of their slavery and the Jim Crow as those of their liberal liberal counterparts. It laws were born because counterparts.” is in assuaging these their followers refused to fears and building a see the good in the other better future together side. Yet Mayer would that liberty prevails, not have us believe that the only way forward is by treating our own brothers and sisters like to label our own countrymen as violent or enemies. backwards. On this he is gravely mistaken. For too long have we Americans chosen to Instead, we must have the strength to reach hate and fear one another over philosophical out to those with whom we disagree, even if differences. We must learn to abandon the self— and especially if — the other side refuses righteousness that Mayer’s column celebrates to do so. and instead open our hearts and minds to one Rather than engaging with Baum’s another in good faith.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

THE DARTMOUTH NEWS

PAGE 5

Faculty recognized for innovations Dartmouth nonprofit campaign exceeds goal personal experience with sports- areas of head impact exposure related injuries and his biomedical in helmeted sports and blast passion for the subject began when engineering training motivated him injuries, fall-injury prevention for he picked up a book titled “Federal t o e x a m i n e older adults and Rules of Evidence” out of curiosity the subject. advanced sockets “Online platforms while waiting in line at a library G r e e n w a l d for lower limb 20 years ago. While thumbing added that he today are being used amputees. through the book, he read that a a l w a y s h a d “I hope to in deplorably diverse photograph is admissible evidence an interest in keep inventing in a court of law if it is “original.” combining the ways.” technologies The book’s definition of “original” e n g i n e e r i n g together with included “any printout — or other a n d the my partners to output readable by sight.” Farid m e d i c a l -HANY FARID, COMPUTER prevent injuries said he was struck by this vague a s p e c t s o f SCIENCE PROFESSOR and reduce the definition, because he knew digital sports injuries health care advances in photo manipulation t o p r o v i d e burden on w o u l d m a k e a u t h e n t i c at i n g s o l u t i o n s individuals and photog raphic evidence more that can help people avoid or on our society,” Greenwald said. difficult in the future. Since then, rehabilitate from sports injuries. “We both want the technology to Farid has worked In addition, work and for it to have a pathway to to develop G r e e n w a l d the market in a reasonable amount mathematical and “I hope to keep also c o - of time.” c o m p u t a t i o n a l inventing technologies f o u n d e d Fossum, a member of the board techniques S i m b e x , a of directors for the NAI and an t o d e t e r m i n e together with my c o m p a n y NAI Charter Fellow, wrote in an whether digital partners to prevent specializing in email that he was happy to see images have been e n g i n e e r i n g more members of the Dartmouth injuries and reduce manipulated. solutions for community join the ranks of the F a r i d ’ s the health care i m p r o v i n g NAI. digital forensics burden on individuals h u m a n “As both a member of the creations have perfor mance Dartmouth community, and as a been used in law and on our society.” a n d member of the Board of Directors enforcement, rehabilitation, of the National Academy of scientific fraud and t h e Inventors, I am doubly pleased -RICHARD GREENWALD, investig ations n o n p r o f i t to see [Farid and Greenwald] a n d n a t i o n a l ENGINEERING N a t i o n a l recognized at the national level for security cases. For PROFESSOR Institute for their contributions to society via the instance in 2009, Sports Science patenting and commercialization he famously and Safety. He of their inventive concepts,” authenticated also venture Fossum wrote in an email. a controversial funded iWalk Farid and Greenwald will be image of Lee (now BionX), formally inducted to the 2016 class Harvey Oswald, who assassinated wh i ch p ro d u c e s e l e c t r i c a l l y of NAI fellows at the NAI’s Sixth President John F. Kennedy in assisted bicycles. He led product Annual Conference in Boston, 1963, and the alleged assassination development and research in the Massachusetts on April 6. rifle. In addition, Farid worked with Microsoft and The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to develop PhotoDNA, technology which helps companies identify and remove content containing child abuse. Farid’s technology played a role in last year’s prosecution of for mer Dartmouth professor J. Martin Favor for child por nography possession. Farid is currently trying to expand PhotoDNA to detect and remove material associated with terrorism.

“Online platforms today are being used in deplorably diverse ways — recruiting and radicalizing terrorists, buying and selling illegal weapons and underage prostitutes, cyberbullying and cyberstalking, revenge porn, theft of personal and financial data, propagating fake and hateful news and much more,” Farid said. “I am most recently interested in developing technologies that can help to reign in these online abuses.”

Greenwald was recognized for his work in sports injury prevention. He said that both FROM INVENTORS PAGE 1

FROM UNITED WAY PAGE 1

than that of the 2015-16 campaign, the campaign raised a greater total amount. In 2015, Dartmouth exceeded its goal of donating $295,000 by raising $295,509.

The organizers of the Dartmouth United Way campaign determine each year’s fundraising goal through an annual review process which involves gathering feedback from departments across the college, including the Tuck School of Business. Analyses from these different sectors are then consolidated into the final goal for the entirety of the College.

According to Mills, the formation of next year’s goal will likely occur in the spring.

“We will look at our successes and examine ways to improve and reach people that we haven’t before, and I expect that next year’s goal will be larger than this year’s,” he said.

This year’s campaign reflected an ongoing partnership between Granite United Way and Dartmouth College, one which has lasted over forty years. According to Rob Schultz, Granite United Way area director for the Upper Valley, the Dartmouth campaign is the largest in the Upper Valley and one of the top five in the state of New Hampshire.

Granite United Way focuses on aiding causes within the areas of education, health and income. It has a wide range of beneficiaries, including COVER Home Repair,

an organization which helps to provide essential repairs to lowincome households, and WISE, which helps to prevent domestic violence through advocacy and educational programs. United Way also runs Working Bridges, a workplace program in partnership with local employers, which is aimed at solving day-to-day issues that may prevent employees from coming into work.

“We create a resource which will help solve the problems that are happening at home, whether they be childcare or transportation problems,” Mills said.

Granite United Way is largely operated from the bottom up.

Residents of the Upper Valley play an instrumental role in the organization, as they comprise a review board which determines how donor funds are allocated. Donors are also increasingly choosing to direct where their contributions go in what are known as designated gifts, Mills said. Both of these factors reflect Granite United Way’s desire to remain responsive to the residents of the Upper Valley, Schultz said.

The College also attracted 200 new donors during the 2016-17 campaign, largely through small incentive and awareness campaigns.

For example, the College offered gift cards to new donors and hosted potlucks. It also completed a volunteer program for Dartmouth employees, which is focused on encouraging employees to donate their time to Granite United Way.

THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS

PAGE 6

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

DARTMOUTHEVENTS TODAY All Day

Tibetan and Himalayan Lifeworlds, Baker-Berry Library, Baker Main Hall

3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Space Plasma Seminar with Dustin Fisher GR ’15, Wilder 202

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

“Learning From the Mistakes We’ve Made With Passwords” with Cormac Herley, Kemeny Hall 007

TOMORROW

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Town Hall with Rick Mills, Spaulding Auditorium

3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Student Publishing Fair, Baker Library Main Hall West End

4:30 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

“What Killed Middle East Liberalism,” Filene Auditorium, Moore Hall

RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 Doofus 5 Dodge Aries and Plymouth Reliant 10 Smack on the mouth 14 Letter-shaped support piece 15 “For real!”

16 Pop singer Brickell 17 Dice roller’s exhortation 19 Scrabble piece 20 TV preview 21 Taken as a whole 23 Satchel feature 26 Margarita glass rim coating 27 Curved sword 30 Application info: Abbr.

32 Pool measure 35 What soccer shootouts resolve 36 Peaceful state 38 P-like Greek letter 39 Actress Thurman 40 Actor with nearsynonymous first and last names 41 Museum hanging 42 Amount after costs 43 Suitcase attachments 44 Yuletide 45 Not so hot?

47 __ Lanka 48 Swollen 49 Upper, in Ulm 51 Male voice range 53 “Toodle-oo!”

56 Evaluate for tax purposes 60 Wee bit 61 Cause trouble ... and a hint to this puzzle’s circled letters 64 Time in office 65 Emulate Vesuvius 66 Scarlet letter of fiction 67 Slow Churned ice cream brand 68 Hagar of Van Halen 69 Wine bottle number

DOWN 1 Random House vol.

2 Woodwind instrument 3 Dalai __ 4 Locks on heads 5 Soup mix brand 6 “Blue Bloods” extra 7 Pie-mode connection 8 TV host Kelly 9 Applies weatherstripping to 10 Stovetop whistler 11 Pretty darn simple 12 Housecat’s perch 13 Watermelon eater’s discard 18 Four: Pref.

22 Saddled (with) 24 People with skill 25 Toaster snack 27 Publicity ploy 28 Evangelist __ Semple McPherson 29 Verses by Allen Ginsberg, e.g.

31 Shake it on the dance floor 33 Burglar 34 “Deck the Halls” greenery 36 Free (of) 37 Yearbook gp.

40 One on horseback 44 Room with a crib 46 Steel girders 48 Luxurious 50 Greets the judge 52 Well-dressed

53 Mention in a footnote 54 Broke up some clods 55 Senorita’s “other” 57 Weapon with a tip guard 58 Scotch go-with 59 Walk of Fame figure 62 Periodic table suffix 63 Turntable no.

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

ADVERTISING

xwordeditor@aol.com

01/10/17

For advertising information, please call (603) 646-2600 or email info@thedartmouth. com. The advertising deadline is noon, two days before publication. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Opinions expressed in advertisements do not necessarily reflect those of The Dartmouth, Inc. or its officers, employees and agents.

The Dartmouth, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation chartered in the state of New Hampshire. USPS 148-540 ISSN 01999931

By Janice Luttrell ©2017 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

01/10/17

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

PAGE 7

Review: ‘Rogue One’ is above-average but unexceptional and old as well as viewers who just wanted a good time. “Rogue The Dartmouth Staff One,” on the other hand, is made I love “Star Wars.” I always purely for those people who are have, and I always will. And, like already invested in the Star Wars most fans, I was deeply impressed storyline — which isn’t necessarily by how well Disney and J.J. a problem, but you’ve been warned.

Abrams managed to revitalize the “Rogue One” has a lot of franchise with “Star Wars: The great scenes and ideas, but when Force Awakens,” put together wh o s e s u c c e s s film only “Rogue One” has a lot the undeniably built manages u p h y p e f o r of great scenes and t o y i e l d a n the saga’s next ideas, but when put a d e q u a t e offering, “Rogue roduct. together the film only pAnyone One: A Star who Wa r s S t o r y. ” manages to yield an has seen the Yet despite the adequate product. original “Star excitement, Wars” knows I had no real exactly how anticipation or this film will expectations for the newest film. end, but the screenplay still Nonetheless, as a “Star Wars” fan, manages to sneak in a few surprises.

I felt an obligation to see it. So I In particular, I was impressed by did. The verdict? “Rogue One” how the writers managed to plug was decent. up a few significant plot holes that Put simply, the film is the have been plaguing the franchise opening crawl from George Lucas’ since its very conception. The film original “Star Wars” in movie also introduces various shades of form. The Rebels learn that the grey previously unseen in a “Star Empire is building the Death Star Wars” film. and decide that the only way they We realize quickly that the can hope to defeat the weapon is Rebels may be the “good guys,” by stealing its architectural plans. but they are also cutthroat and So they do just that. “The Force deceitful when necessary. This Awakens” worked overtime to idea is further explored through appeal to Star Wars fans young Forest Whitaker’s character Saw

By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER

Gerrera, an aged cyborg who needs to inhale some sort of gas through a tube like Frank Booth from “Blue Velvet” to stay alive. Gerrera is a Rebel extremist whose fanatical approach to the Rebellion helps make Whitaker’s scenes the most compelling.

Gerrera notwithstanding, I was disappointed by how little I was engaged by the other characters.

All of the actors play their parts well, but they clearly just weren’t given enough material to work with. Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) ostensibly serve as the main characters, and there are brief moments where it feels as though they share a deeper connection — a connection which might have resulted in more character depth and growth. It feels as if a subplot about how they learn to trust each other was written but scrapped halfway through filming and hastily excised from the final product, which is really a shame.

My complete lack of investment in the characters may admittedly be more my own personal problem.

Traditionally, “Star Wars” has been about the battle between good and evil as told through the history of the Skywalker-Solo family, and at this point I’ve come to care deeply about their story. For me, this is

the essential quality that makes film. The spectacle is great, and even the worst “Star Wars” films the story allows for some solid engaging. “Rogue One” inherently moments, but the characters are lacks that quality through no fault as flat as cardboard. of its own, but I won’t deny that From what I can gather, “Rogue this was the reason I really was not One” went through some fairly looking forward to the film and extensive rewrites and reshoots, may have contributed to my overall and in general, it appears as though lukewarm the production reaction.

Nonetheless, no matter wI ta s sr hu sohwe ds ..

On the b r i g h t s i d e , how many sequels or S u r p r i s i n g l y, the action is prequels they make, t h i s i s b e s t confidently ‘Star Wars’ will always eb xy e mMpilci hf iaeedl filmed and mostly thrilling. endure. That’s just its G i a c c h i n o ’ s The filmmakers power. s c o r e, w h i c h promised also serves as a t h at “ Ro g u e fitting metaphor One” would for the film as a emphasize the “war” in “Star whole. To be fair, Giacchino was Wars,” and they certainly delivered only given four and a half weeks to with a grittiness that viewers do not write it after replacing Alexandre see in most space fantasies.

Desplat, and I do love the way he The film also contains what is subtly incorporates previous “Star quite possibly the most exciting Wars” musical cues without being scene to ever feature Darth Vader. too obvious.

It’s a moment of total fan service, However, much of the music but, as a fan, I felt serviced. The is incredibly bombastic, which in final, giant dogfight also has some turn makes it feel rather hollow. particularly original moments even Like the film itself, it’s good, but though it goes on for far too long. it could have been so much more.

The film is helmed by Gareth Nonetheless, no matter how many Edwards, who directed the 2014 sequels or prequels they make, rendition of “Godzilla,” and, for “Star Wars” will always endure. better or for worse, “Rogue One” That’s just its power. reminds me a great deal of that Rating: 7/10

Review: Ed Sheeran, Big Bang, Julie Byrne and Sam Hunt

By LONG DO

The Dartmouth

“Shape of You,” “Castle on the Hill,” Ed Sheeran, ÷ Ed Sheeran has finally moved on from producing songs filled with the lulling sound of acoustic guitars, which should be great. The new track “Shape of You” marks a departure from Sheeran’s usual vibe.

Fused with electronic-pop sounds, the song has great potential to become the next radio hit. It seems, however, that Sheeran and producer Steve Mac have listened to female singer-songwriter Sia’s hits too much. “Shape of You” has her sound written all over it. Despite the new musical direction, the song lacks novelty and freshness.

In addition, “Shape of You” also boasts a number of awkward lines, with Sheeran taking on a different occupation in each one. He is a mathematician (“I’m in love with the shape of you”), a physician (“We push and pull like a magnet do”) and even an aromatologist (“And now my bedsheets smell like you”).

Sheeran can do better than writing this generic, nondescript pop song.

Rating: 3/5

On the other hand, “Castle on the intimate connection to listeners.

Hill” lives up to expectations. The Rating: 4/5 song narrates Sheeran’s upbringing and teenage days. He personalizes “Last Dance,” Big Bang, his track with great details: “Driving MADE at 90 down those country lanes / “Last Dance” is one of the Singing to ‘Tiny recent releases Dancer.’” The

by Korean boy singer-songwriter “Castle on the Hill” lives band Big Bang. s u c c e e d s i n up to expectations. According to re c re at i n g h i s members, T h e s o n g n a r rate s the memories with the song authenticity. Even Sheeran’s upbringing reflects the 10in the most generic and teenage days. He year career of l i n e s, “ C a s t l e the band, and on the Hill” is personalizes his track they want to both genuine and with great details: dedicate the relatable. to their “Driving at 90 down track Sheeran takes supportive a d v a n t a g e o f those country lanes f a n s. “ L a s t his confessional, / S i n g i n g to ‘ T i ny Dance” has a sweet vocal style very pleasing i n t h e t r a c k . Dancer.’ m e l o d y, Musically, the embellished by song is a giant, piano, guitar electric guitar anthem. Nothing can and soft percussion. capture the epic feeling of looking Heartwarming but not overtly out onto the world from a castle on sentimental, it makes sense that the the hill better than those soaring riffs. song was released during the winter.

Still, even when nostalgia turns into The diversity in vocal types of Big grandeur in the chorus, the music Bang’s members adds more layers does not overwhelm the passionate to the song’s emotional display. vocals. Sheeran never loses his “Last Song” does not aim to be

edgy or innovative. It is as quiet and straightforward as the band’s “Let’s Not Fall in Love.” Both songs remind listeners why the band’s best moments may lie in their simplicity.

Rating: 3.5/5 “I Live Now As A Singer,” Julie Byrne, Not Even Happiness Ju l i a B y r n e ’s s o o n - t o - b e r e l e a s e d a l bu m “ N o t E ve n Happiness” has already teased us with two excellent tracks: “Natural Blue” and “Follow My Voice.”

Byrne’s latest cut from this LP is titled “I Live Now as A Singer.”

Heavily backed by dreamy synths, the song is a departure from the guitar-folk arrangement of her two previous tracks.

In the song, Byrne addresses the hanging question of belonging in a calm but arresting performance.

Her rich vocals perfectly match the song’s somber echoes of strings.

The singer-songwriter said that she wrote this song while she was traveling one night. “And I have dragged my life across the country / And wondered if travel led me anywhere,” she contemplates.

Even if listeners cannot relate to the song’s lyrics, they are still

beautiful to hear.

Rating: 4/5

“Drinkin’ Too Much,” Sam Hunt The newest single by country singer Sam Hunt is an apologetic track to his partner. The song is absolutely personal, with a great deal of spoken lyrics, including “I’m sorry I named the album ‘Montevallo’ / And I’m sorry people know your name now / And strangers hit you up on social media.” Hunt holds little back in showing his repentance.

As a note of apology, this may work perfectly. As a song, however, “Drinkin’ Too Much” may suffer from a lack of selectivity. The song’s excessive details are certainly genuine but not necessarily effective.

Hunt mixes different genres in this new single, continuing the approach from his last LP “Montevallo.” The song is first and foremost pop-R&B, but as it transitions into the chorus, country elements fill the background.

Even though the combination still feels as strange as it did on his last album, these contrasting elements were subtle enough to blend in without overshadowing each other.

Rating: 3.5/5

THE DARTMOUTH ARTS

PAGE 8

TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017

2016’s television in review: ‘Stranger Things,’ ‘Westworld,’ more

By JACOB MEISTER The Dartmouth

It felt like America could not go one week in 2016 without either a national tragedy or national embarrassment. Division and conflict were rampant in society, but whether viewers wanted to face the nation’s challenges outright or escape into the digital world through their laptops and televisions, 2016 brought a wide variety of phenomenal programs to choose.

“Stranger Things” Netflix Originals struck gold again with this bizarre, nostalgiafueled science fiction series, which has garnered a slew of accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards. “Stranger Things” owes the majority of its immense success to the expert direction of the Duffer brothers, who were able to capture all the innocence and excitement of youth in the ’80s in nearly every scene. Other key factors included unexpectedly impressive performances from Winona Ryder and the show’s charismatic child stars, who managed to carry scenes that occasionally felt bogged down by the writers’ excessive homages to ’80s culture.

Rating: 6/10 Highlight: “The Vanishing of Will Byers,” Chapter One “Westworld” When “Game of Thrones” ends, there will be a big-budget, sci-fiand-fantasy-sized hole in HBO’s programming lineup. “Westworld”

seems to be an early attempt to fill that hole. Created by Jonathan Nolan, one-half of the mind-bending Nolan brothers duo, and his wife, Lisa Joy, “Westworld” is a twisted adaptation of the 1973 action movie of the same name.

I n a t h e m e p a rk wh e re t h e at t r a c t i o n s a re a l m o s t indistinguishable from humans and the guests are monsters, questions of consciousness and morality inevitably arise. Nolan and Joy frame these questions within a flexible narrative with characters who are never what they appear to be, and it is obviously difficult for the writers to keep so many plates spinning at once. The actors and cinematographers, for their part, masterfully guide viewers through the spectacular and terrible world, but the story ultimately falls short of providing a promised deeper meaning. The season, like the park itself, appears remarkably selfcontained, and it is hard to imagine a compelling future for the series.

Rating: 7/10 Highlight: Episode 10: “The Bicameral Mind”

“Atlanta” “Atlanta” was, hands down, the most groundbreaking new show to premiere in 2016, even when compared to the cowboy-android rebellion of “Westworld” or the person-eating monster of “Stranger Things.” The show, written and directed by industry newcomers, follows the trials of Donald Glover’s gloomy Earnest “Earn” Marks as he attempts to manage his cousin’s burgeoning hip-hop career.

“Atlanta” does not follow any

preconceived notions of what a television series needs to be. Episodes vary drastically in structure, from traditional narrative to sketch show, and focus, from the club scene to the black female experience.

But the ambience of the city is tangible and ever-present. With a cast strictly composed of AfricanAmerican actors and actresses, “Atlanta” treats racism and sexism as institutional and inherent in daily life, a powerful statement in today’s media environment. Above all, “Atlanta” is special in its ability to normalize a culture that may seem foreign to a majority of viewers while identifying it as uniquely American.

Rating: 10/10 Highlights: Episode 7: “B.A.N.” and Episode 9: “Juneteenth” “The Crown” With its posh, English actors, breathtaking sets and scenery, and the dramatic, low-stakes world of British high society, this is the show to replace “Downton Abbey.”

“The Crown,” a biographical drama, relies heavily upon the strong performances by Claire Foy as the young, inexperienced Queen Elizabeth II, Jared Harris as the proud, dying King George VI and John Lithgow as the aged, weakening Winston Churchill. Personally, if I hear that a company spent $100 million on a 10-episode season, I expect to be wowed at some point with visual effects and extravagant battles on par with “Game of Thrones.” However, the creators of “The Crown” chose instead to spend the money on meticulously designed costumes, interior decorations and

hundreds of extras which, while understandable, may leave the viewer feeling aggressively underwhelmed.

Rating: 7/10 Highlight: Episode 9: “Assassins”

“High Maintenance” B a s e d o n t h e 2 0 1 2 we b miniseries of the same name, “High Maintenance,” husband and wife Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfield’s anthology series about a friendly Brooklyn weed dealer made the leap from six seasons of online episodes to a six-episode season in 2016.

Ben Sinclair plays shabby, bearded “The Guy,” who finds himself walking into the lives of ordinary and extraordinary New Yorkers.

Although the buyers’ appearances last only a few minutes on screen, talented actors and expertly cut montages paint vivid pictures of their passions, aspirations and desires. Ranging from comedies and tragedies to weird existential experiences, each episode gives the viewer a unique glimpse into some odd aspect of humanity.

Rating: 9/10 Highlight: Episode 4: “Tick” “BoJack Horseman” Appearances are deceiving in today’s television environment. Who would have thought that a colorfully animated show about a former network television actor in a world of humanoid animals would turn out to be one of the smartest, most depressing shows of the era? The all-star cast of “BoJack Horseman” includes Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Aaron Paul, Allison Brie and a number of celebrity guests and voice actors, such as J.K. Simmons and

Angela Bassett. Season three finds its title character struggling with the consequences of his successful return to film and his subsequent realization that it has not brought him happiness or made him into a good person. He tries in vain to interact with the other characters to balance the pressures of his career while contemplating the inescapable nature of mortality.

These are complex, human dilemmas that the Netflix Original series consistently addresses with poise, grace and humor, even if it never offers complete solutions or happy endings. Then again, great pieces of art rarely do.

Rating: 9/10 Highlights: Episode 4: “Fish Out of Water” and Episode 11: “That’s Too Much, Man!” “Veep” In its fifth season, Armando Iannucci’s “Veep” somehow managed to create a fictional American political landscape with a level of lunacy that is outdone only by the real-life American political landscape. Julia Louis-Dreyfus makes another tour de force performance as the vice-president-turned-president Selina Meyer, and she is joined by a cast of similarly foul-mouthed, ridiculous Washington staffers who manage to make viewers forget about the country’s divisive election. With spot-on satire and hilarious guest actors, “Veep” proves that a series can remain strong well into five seasons if writers are willing to be flexible and take big chances.

Rating: 7/10 Highlight: Episode 6: “Kissing Your Sister”

Review: the seventy-fourth annual Golden Globe Awards

By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff

Within the world of film, the Academy Awards, or the “Oscars,” represent the pinnacle of an actor or actress’ career. It is the one awards ceremony that really matters. Unlike other awards shows, the Oscars are voted upon by Hollywood elites, which means the winners are being rewarded for their efforts by their peers, lending the ceremony a prestige that others lack. For this reason, many film critics now see the Golden Globe Awards as the appetizer before the Oscars, giving us some sense for which films may win the truly important statuettes

next month. This is the perspective I intend to keep in mind as I share my thoughts on some of the winners and nominees of the 74th Golden Globes Awards.

Best Motion Picture: The winners of this year’s “Best Motion Picture” were “Moonlight” and “La La Land” for the “Drama” and “Musical or Comedy” categories, respectively.

This probably makes these two films the two top contenders for the Best Picture Award at the Oscars, which should be interesting. Not only did “La La Land” win an outstanding seven awards, breaking a record previously held by “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Midnight

Express,” but the Oscars love to award films explicitly about the film industry, such as “Argo.” “Moonlight,” on the other hand, didn’t do nearly as well at the Globes, but it is a drama which is generally advantageous when it comes to the Oscars. The film predominately stars African-American actors and is written and directed by Barry Jenkins, an African-American filmmaker.

Following both lower viewership last year and a boycott by Jada PinkettSmith, the Oscars desperately needs to prove that it can actually reflect and honor diversity.

Further singing the praises of “La La Land” (pun intended): Back in September, I referred to “La La

Land” as “magical,” and I stand by that statement. Nonetheless, I was surprised that Damien Chazelle managed to win both “Best Screenplay” and “Best Director,” considering that the other four nominated films in both categories were all dramas. I think the wins were well deserved, but the Oscars are generally less warm to musicals and comedies, so Chazelle sadly may not fare quite so well next month. I won’t get a chance to see “Moonlight” until Feb. 17, so I currently can’t judge which film should win the Oscar, but the Globes have clearly placed both of them ahead of the pack.

“Deadpool”?: “Deadpool” may not have won anything, but its

two major nominations for “Best Musical or Comedy” and “Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy” fascinate me. The Golden Globes is known for making odd choices, and I suspect when some of the novelty of “Deadpool” has worn off, it will join “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Tourist” in the category of “What Were the Golden Globes Thinking?” I don’t expect the Oscars will pay Wade Wilson the same respect.

By and large, this year at the Golden Globes went by as one might have predicted. It reminded me just how many quality films the industry released last year. Here’s to looking at what 2017 has to offer.