The Gavel Magazine March 2012

March Volume IV, Issue 1 2012

Women fight for their rights on the eve of Women’s History Month Super PACs latest installment in campaign finance reform history

You’re Fired!

March Madness

10 Tips to Preserve Your Sanity From the diary of a

Showdown Performer

Healthcare Controversy New Proposal Sparks Debate Among Religious

Seniors Work on Play Based on Two Professors’ Book Volume IV, Issue 2

Dear Reader, We hope that you are enjoying the new look of The Gavel as a modern, progressive magazine. This month, we address the many issues that face women in our society today, as well as introduce you to cultural trends (What’s In Your Queue? And #trending: Broga). As always, we encourage you to give us your feedback: send us a letter to the Editor or comment on the website.

If you get the chance, check out our website. You will be able to find a copy of this issue online (via Issuu) as well as copies of past Gavels. What better way to catch up with everything that you’ve missed during finals last winter.

Plus, browsing through the website is a great way to procrastinate. With midterms over soon, you should have plenty of time to check us out!

This spring is an exciting time to be a part of The Gavel. With the Republican presidential primary winding down (possibly by June), there is an abundance of information to analyze. If you would like to get involved, email lende@bc.edu.

I hope you’ve enjoyed the second issue of The Gavel as a magazine!

Happy reading, Mason S. Lende Editor-in-Chief

Editoral Board Mason LendE ROB ROSSI OLIVIA SIMONE Jasmine Uduma Meidema Sanchez GEENA DEROSE Cal Greene III Allison Riccato Maggie Lawrence JENNA LACONTE JILLIAN TIMKO Kenny St. John Jonathan Dame FRANK RIZZO Yanira Revan Marion Halftermeyer Sofia Martinez KAYLIN WALKER

Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Print Manager News Editor Assoc. News Editor Assoc. News Editor Features Editor Assoc. Features Editor Culture Editor Assoc. Culture Editor Assoc. Culture Editor Opinions Editor Assoc. Opinions Editor Assoc. Opinions Editor Copy Editor Copy Editor Photo Editor Design Director

Video Department

Meghana Kuthyar Video Manager LAUREN REVER Ass’t Video Manager Katie Yao Ass’t Video Manager

Business and Operations

Christian Fiedler Aruem Shin Taylor McEldowney DAPHNE WANG GABBY MYASKOVSKAYA KIAH STERLING

Finance Director Marketing Director Marketing Director Advertising Director Ass’t Advertising Director Ass’t Advertising Director

@bcgavel facebook.com/bcgavel

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the GAVEL / March 2012

Ma rch Table of Contents The Gavel / March 2012 / Volume IV, Issue 2

News 04 4

Super PACs latest installment in campaign finance reform history

6 Racism in the media 8 Obama’s new contraceptive regulation 10 State seeks to further regulate abortion laws

Opinions 12 12 Why I quit pre-med

13 Potential war with Iran Davis: Why I’m glad she did not 14 Viola win an Oscar

the GOP, picking a running mate is a 15 For risky proposition 16 Obama fails to lead on marijuana drug policy 17 Renewable energy put on the back burner misinterpreted nature of American 18 The patriotism Court should not touch 19 Supreme affirmative action

Editorials 20 20 Administration needs to inform campus

21 The true identity of the Republican Party

www.bcgavel.com

Features 22 22 You’re fired: Seniors work on play

water: BC students pioneering 24 Maji social entrepreneurship

26 Who was the real St. Patrick?

27 Marriage equality update 28 Beer Review 30 Fukushima: Nuclear debate one year later

Culture 32 32 The BC Sartorialist speaks!

in your Netflix queue? How I Met 34 What’s Your Mother

35 Junot Diaz comes to BC 36 March Madness: 10 tips 37 The decline of reality TV 38 #trending: Broga 39 Upcoming concert watch 40 From the diary of a Showdown performer

42 B-line beats 3

INSIDE: Racism in the media / Obama’s contraceptive legislation / States seek to further regulate abortion laws

March 2012 Super PACs have been a frequient subject of media mockery. Stephen Colbert’s Super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow, has raised over $1 million as Colbert aspires to become the“President of the United States of South Carolina.”

By Geena De Rose Assoc. News Editor

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Super PACs latest installment in campaign finance reform history The use of Super PACs in the 2012 presidential election has Americans questioning the ethics and history of campaign finance. With the constantly changing limits on campaign finance and the various sources of funding, it can be extremely difficult to keep track of the ever-changing regulations.

Although Super PACs seem to be at the forefront of public consciousness, they are a recent development.

In 2002, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), known as the BCRA, altered the limits put on campaign finance, specifically by eliminating the use of “soft money”

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but doubling the limit on hard money from $1000 to $2000. In January 2010, the Supreme Court found the BCRA to be unconstitutional in Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Committee due to its violation of the First Amendment rights of corporations and unions. This decision enabled corporations and unions to contribute to individual campaign efforts.

Super PACs allow corporations and unions to donate unlimited sums of money to a candidate. This money cannot be a direct contribution; instead, it must be handled independently by the Super PAC without di-

rect collaboration with the politician.

However, there is reason to be skeptical of the true autonomy of many Super PACs since they are usually run by the candidate’s political allies.

The effects of Super PACs have been significant throughout the Republican primary. Most notably, the money from Super PAC contributions has allowed candidates such as Gingrich and Santorum to stay in the race when they would have otherwise been outspent by the Romney campaign.

Despite their novelty and influence in this early election season, the

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anticipated function of Super PACs as a channel for corporations to exercise their political preferences through unrestricted contributions has not come to fruition. Instead, it seems that Super PACs have mostly been a means for wealthy individuals to circumvent contribution limits. This potential for immense individual donation is most notable in the case of the pro-Gingrich Super PAC “Winning our Future,’” in which the family of Las Vegas casino billionaire, Sheldon Adelson, contributed $11 million.

For proponents of campaign finance reform, the landmark Citizens United decision is a major step backwards in the fight to reign in democratically harmful financing ef-

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forts and to minimize the interests of socially powerful corporations and wealthy individuals in the political process. “It’s just so much easier for these people to make large contributions and play a much more prominent role than we’ve tended to see,” Brendan Galvin, a researcher at the Campaign Finance Institute, said in an Associated Press article on February 22.

There is reason to doubt the continued relevancy of the Super PACs as the general election draws closer.

David Hopkins, a political science professor at Boston College, said that although Super PACs had a relevant role in the Republican primary, their relative influence will be greatly re-

duced due to the altered conditions of the general presidential race.

“Both sides have plenty of money and past a certain amount they even reach a point of diminishing returns,” Hopkins said about the presidential election. “In addition, there is so much press attention to the presidential campaign that people have other ways to get to know the candidates and the issues,” Hopkins added.

With the Republican primary in its final stages and a long campaign season ahead, the Super PAC saga will continue to unfold. “It is too soon to tell if Super PACs really distort the process,” Hopkins said. It appears that all there is left to do is wait.

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By Emyr Remy / gavel media staff

Racism in the media

New York Post headline

“Everybody need to get off Jeremy Lin egg roll and dumplings he’s good though.”

- tweet by Stefon Diggs

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Sign from a fan at Knicks game

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Despite trying not to become the news story themselves, ESPN and MSNBC have both recently needed to take action as employees have made racist remarks on air, subjecting them to the very scrutiny and negative attention that they hope to avoid at all costs.

ESPN had to handle three separate instances of the same racial slur regarding Jeremy Lin, the recent NBA sensation that has given rise to “Linsanity” among basketball fans. The use of the phrase “chink in the armor” on various ESPN platforms gained as much attention as Lin’s on-the-court actions, requiring ESPN to do some serious and rapid damage control to protect their brand and image.

The editor for ESPN.com responsible for using the racial slur in a headline for an online article present on the website for 35 minutes was fired. After asking an analyst, “If there is a chink in the armor, where can Lin improve his game?.” Max Bretos, an anchor for SportsCenter, was suspended for 30 days. The same slur was used on ESPN Radio New York by an individual not employed by ESPN but nevertheless present on an ESPN platform. ESPN issued a statement apologizing to both Lin and the Asian-American community for all three incidents. ESPN claimed that each use of the racial slur was isolated, separate, and different.

Jeremy Lin responded to these incidents by stating that he believed the use of the racial slur was accidental and acknowledged ESPN’s apology. “I don’t think it was on purpose. At the same

time, they’ve apologized. I don’t care anymore,” he said..

Offensive comments regarding Jeremy Lin and the Asian-American community are not limited to ESPN. They can also be found on the internet.. Stefon Diggs, a top-10 football prospect heading to the University of Maryland next fall, recently tweeted, “Everybody need to get off Jeremy Lin egg roll and dumplings he’s good though.” Diggs, who probably never imagined that his comments would receive national media attention, provided both the University of Maryland and himself with very negative press just weeks into his collegiate career.

Diggs has since deleted the tweet, apologized for his remarks, and removed himself from Twitter.

MSNBC has also had trouble with hosts using racially charged language on air. Don Imus saw his TV/Radio career on the network terminated in 2007 after his comments about the Rutgers Women’s Basketball team. Referring to the women as “nappy-headed hoes” Imus and NBC faced a slew of backlash from viewers.

Imus tried to rationalize his statements, saying at the time “That phrase [nappyheaded ho] didn’t originate in the White Community. That phrase originated in the Black community. Young Black women all through that society are demeaned and disparaged and disrespected by their own Black men, and they are called that name in Black hip hop.” After his suspension, Pat Buchanan, a former presidential candidate, author, and polit-

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Screenshot of ESPN.com

ical commentator on MSNBC, remarked that Imus was “a good guy... [who] made a bad mistake and apologized for it” and that his show should stay on the air.

Buchanan too has since parted ways with the television network after controversial statements in his most recent book Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025? Controversy over the content arose soon after its release, and his book included ideas that Buchanan called the end of white America and the shrinking of the European and Christian core of our country.

“Why can everybody else celebrate this and say it’s wonderful, and I can’t even write about it without being blacklisted? I don’t know why they say this is going to be better when there’s a smaller percentage of white folks,” Buchanan said on the racial shifts in America in an interview with Sean Hannity. By removing the ethnic core of the country, he said, you imperil the country and culture.

“My point is, an ethnic core – in other www.bcgavel.com

words the fact that we were a Western and European people predominantly and we had 10 percent African Americans,” Buchanan said. “This was one of the strengths of this country as well as the culture.”

Buchanan, a fierce conservative, had not appeared on MSNBC since October when he began promoting his book.

Buchanan was viewed by many as an outlier to the general direction and opinions of the network. MSNBC is viewed by many as left-leaning, but at its inception was considered a “middle-of-the-road” news network. He, along with MSNBC, recently received criticism from several associations, groups, and organizations in response to Buchanan’s remarks, many of which called for appropriate punishment or dismissal.

Some say that MSNBC’s decision to part ways with Buchanan was strategic rather than political. As MSNBC moves to the left of the political spectrum, the network is attempting to separate itself

from anything that connects it to conservative ideals or opinions. This supposed attempt to monopolize the liberal media market could have led to the dismissal of Buchanan, although there is no hard proof supporting this sentiment. Buchanan has since made several appearances on MSNBC’s rival network, Fox News. Rumors state that Buchanan may soon become an employee of the Fox network.

Racism in the media has been a rare occurrence recently as establishments try to maintain political correctness to preserve a positive image. Despite these attempts, negative comments and actions sometime transpire, and the recent happenings at ESPN and MSNBC are evidence of this. Members of the media and entities in the media spotlight will surely double up their effort in light of these occurrences to ensure that they do not become subject to the same type of media and public scrutiny that negative actions can cause.

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Obama’s New Contraceptive Regulation: Sacrilegious, Anti-Constitutional, or Essential for Women?

By Meidema Sanchez Assoc. News Editor

The Obama administration’s new contraceptive regulation has stirred up a political firestorm. This controversial new rule mandates that most health insurance plans offer women prescription contraceptives at no additional out-ofpocket cost. Despite a furious lobbying effort by the Catholic Church, the administration has decided to stand firmly behind its new contraceptive requirement. This weighty decision has further riled up Church authorities who believe that the administration is initiating a war on

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religion. However, Church figures are not alone in their frustration.

Republican presidential candidates are adamantly against the birth control requirement as well, claiming that it violates freedom of religion under the First Amendment.

Unsurprisingly, the most support for Obama’s new birth-control mandate has come from women.

In a society where many women not only take birth control, but are also devoid of extraordinary sums of money given the economy, it is only reasonable that most

Did you know...

A sexually active teen who does not use a contraceptive has a 90% chance of becoming pregnant within one year.

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would support Obama’s mandate that health insurers provide birth control coverage.

When the contraceptive requirement first came to be last August, Health and Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius stated, “Since birth control is the most common drug prescribed to women ages 18 to 44, insurance plans should cover it. Not doing it would be like not covering flu shots.”

President of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, said in an interview on National Public Radio, “A lot of women, even with insurance, are paying $50 a month for birth control. At a time where women and families are struggling, this [requirement] is an enormous advance.”

Richards also pointed out that contrary to the claims of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, many religious organizations currently offer birth control as a covered health benefit. “It hasn’t been an issue before,” she said.

the GAVEL / March 2012

Regardless, the Catholic Church is outraged. The final version of the bill will give religious-based hospitals, universities, charities and other organizations, whose primary functions are not religious, an additional year to come into compliance with the contraceptive requirement. While churches are exempt, they consider their immunity to be far from enough.

Last November, in a meeting at the Oval Office between Obama and the head of the U.S. Conference of Bishops, the latter failed to persuade the administration to allow for broader exemption.

According to a statement made in the meeting by the president of the U.S. Conference of Bishops, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, the Catholic Church believes, “To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable. It is as much an attack on access to healthcare as on religious freedom.”

The bishops, despite their failed lobby attempt, insist that the fight is not over. If necessary, they are vowing to fight in court to have the administration’s decision overturned.

The bishops are not alone in opposing the Obama administration’s contraceptive requirement.

Republicans insist that the Democrats’ political decision to deny religiously affiliated groups exemption from the contraception mandate is entirely wrong.

“This issue, while important to Catholics, is rallying people of all faiths because of its implications

To learn more about contraceptive facts, visit www.guttmacher.org www.bcgavel.com

on the First Amendment. Americans fundamentally believe in freedom of religion and this is a clear overreach by President Obama and the White House,” said Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski. “This is not a woman issue or a Catholic issue, this is about the federal government overstepping its bounds,” she said.

Despite Kukowski’s belief, polls prove that women believe it is a female issue. 55 percent of women said they rather Obama than Romney in a match-up in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, conducted in February. That’s up seven points from December ABC/Post poll, in which women were split 4840.

Anna Greenberg, a Democratic strategist who specializes in polling on women, religion and politics, thinks that this increase

in female support is very significant for Obama.

“If you don’t win women by about 55 percent of the vote then you lost national elections. So it’s really important for Obama to be at 55 for women. He’s going to lose the election if women are anywhere below 55 percent for him,” Greenburg said in an interview with ABC news.

The electoral impact of Obama’s decision on exemptions to the contraception mandate, and whether voters are swayed more by the social or constitutional arguments, cannot be fully known until voters head to the polls For now, though, the Obama administration is counting on the move to bolster his already rising approval rate among women, and to benefit him against GOP rival, Mitt Romney.

Update: Senate Rejects Republican Challenge to Obama’s Birth Control Policy This Thursday, the Senate upheld President Obama’s birth control policy by squashing a Republican challenge to the mandate. Republicans attempted to gain employers and health insurance companies the right to deny coverage for contraceptives or other items on religious or moral grounds through what was titled the Blunt Amendment, sponsored by Senator Roy Blunt.

Over the four days of debate Democrats accused Republicans of infringing on women’s rights, while Repub-

licans alleged that Democrats were threating religious freedom and resultantly violating the First Amendment of the Constitution. The 51-to-48 vote reveals how sharply the two parties were divided and the intensity of their dispute over the issue.

However, as Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, stated, “The Senate will not allow women’s health care choices to be taken away from them.” Resultantly, women’s rights and Obama’s mandate survived the Republican attack. Cheers!

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States seek to further regulate abortion laws

By Jasmine Uduma / News Editor Virginia Senate adopted a revised bill Tuesday, February 28 which still requires doctors to perform an ultrasound on women before they have an abortion. The new version of the bill will no longer forced women to have the invasive vaginal ultrasound previously mandated in the earlier version of the legislation. It was amended so that women could reject a procedure if it must be done vaginally. The invasive

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procedure is performed by inserting a probe into the vagina, and then moving around until an ultrasound image is produced.

Governor Bob McDonnell issued a statement saying he “opposes requiring Virginia women to undergo a mandatory transvaginal ultrasound before having an abortion.” He reviewed the proposal, saying in a statement, “I believe there is no need to direct by statute that further invasive ultrasound procedures be done…Mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state. No person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state, without their consent, as a precondition to another medical procedure.”

A Christopher Newport University/Richmond Times-Dispatch poll showed that a majority of Virginians did not support the ultrasound bill. 55

percent of those surveyed say they oppose the legislation while only 36 percent support it.

The weakened version passed in the Republican-led House last week but faced a battle in the evenly divided Senate and narrowly passed 21 to 19.

Further amendments require it to go back to the House for final approval.

Virginia would become the 8th state to require that women have ultrasounds before abortions.

In Alabama, the existing ultrasound requirement mandates that the screen must face the pregnant woman and requires use of the transvaginal procedure in order to provide the clearest image. The Montgomery Advertiser reports, “A doctor who does not administer an ultrasound prior to an abortion could face up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine, along with civil liability.” The proposal includes allowing the mother, the father of the fe-

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tus and the grandparents to sue in the event that an ultrasound is not done before an abortion. Idaho senators are introducing a similar ultrasound bill.

This requirement has been in effect since early February in Texas with little of the outcry seen in Virginia.

Ultrasound bills are also under active consideration in Pennsylvania and Mississippi, both still looking to use the invasive procedure needed to provide detailed fetal images to women seeking abortions.

In Mississippi, a bill in the works will mandate ultrasounds that provide high quality images of the fetus.

These photos cannot be achieved with abdominal procedures in the initial months of pregnancy, therefore making the invasive procedure unavoidable. Doctors are also encouraged to share the image of the ultrasound and sounds of the fetal heartbeat with a woman seeking an abortion. The only exception to this rule is if she is a victim of sexual assault or incest or the fetus is

medically compromised.

Pennsylvania legislature is considering a law with some of the country’s strongest provisions. It would require vaginal probes in many cases, display of the scanning screen to the patient and a printout of the image for inclusion in the patient’s medical records. It would also impose a 24-hour waiting period between ultrasound and abortion, which many feel is just a tactic to convince a woman not to go through with the abortion.

The recent bad press of Virginia’s bill has influenced lawmakers to tone down the language. Alabama is looking to soften its the bill and in Idaho, lawmakers are planning to add language that stipulates ultrasounds should be conducted with “whichever method the physician and patient agree is best under the circumstances.” Similar laws adopted in Oklahoma and North Carolina have been blocked by federal court order until their constitutionality is determined.

Did you know...

Many opponents of the bill have been upset by the perceived attack on women’s rights by states, calling the procedures “state-sanctioned rape.”

In Virginia, rape is defined as happening “against the complaining witness’s will, by force, threat or intimidation of or against the complaining witness or another person; or through the use of the complaining witness’s mental incapacity or physical helplessness.”

Those in favor of the new regulations in the bill don’t see much credibility in that argument however. Dana Loesch, CNN contributor, said recently, “That’s the big thing that progressives are trying to say, that it’s rape and so on and so forth…There were individuals saying, ‘Oh what about the Virginia rape? The rapes that, the forced rapes of women who are pregnant?’ What? Wait a minute, they had no problem having similar to a transvaginal procedure when they engaged in the act that resulted in their pregnancy.”

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The first known conviction for an abortion was handed down in Maryland in1652. Four years later, a woman was arrested for murder after procuring an abortion, but the case was thrown out when she married the only witness, who then refused to testify.

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INSIDE: Viola Davis: Why I’m glad she didn’t win an Oscar / For the GOP, picking a running mate is a risky proposition / Obama fails to lead on marijuana drug policy / Renewable energy put on the backburner

Opinions

March 2012

By Michael Natalie Gavel Media Staff

I’d like to take this time to address our freshman readership. As a freshman here at BC, I felt bombarded by all sorts of unique opportunities, many of which present themselves before we are actually prepared to receive them. If luck is the boundary between opportunity and preparation, I had none—not as a freshman. So, when approached by the student-led Mendel Society shortly after my arrival on campus freshman year, informed of the pre-medical program and associated benefits, I signed on for fear of missing out on such an opportunity.

Had I thought about being a doctor before? Naturally. As a profession it seems to encapsulate everything: it helps people, it pays, its prestigious, its valuable to society, intellectually engaging...naive as I was I leaped in without thinking of other possibilities, mostly for fear of being left behind.

I won’t insult the class of 2015 by insisting they all think like I did, but if the afore-described sounds like you, you may want to heed what I’m going to tell you next.

These are not reasons to give up, only warnings. You will encounter some difficult and infamously time-consumed coursework, most notably Organic Chemistry. Do the homework. In my personal opinion, this is not difficult because it is particularly cerebral—it’s hard because of the workload. Do the homework. It’s difficult to reconcile with a social life, sleep, and even other classes. Do the homework. But it can be (and is) done. Particularly by people who do the homework.

Some of the statistics the premedical advisors present you with will be discouraging, and indeed, getting into medical school is not easy. But again, people do it.

I do not mean to knock the premed office, I’m confident they present the statistics they do to be informative, not discouraging, and that any “reality check” that might

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Photo courtesy of students.ubc.ca

Why I quit pre-med

ensue is meant to be for your own good.

But if you give up because someone else tells you to give up, chances are you will later question what made them qualified to tell you what to do, and more importantly, what could have happened had you followed your heart and not their counsel.

I’ll acknowledge that long nights, the occasional mediocre grade, and the statistical improbability of acceptance into medical school caused me to reflect. It did not, however, make me quit. No, instead I asked myself a question: is this what I really want?

No professor or advisor can answer this for you. I decided to follow through on some advice I’d received from a professor freshman year—Dr. Neil Wolfman—and actually look and see if I liked what lay ahead firsthand. I did research, spoke to doctors, and visited hospitals looking for shadowing opportunities. To make a long story short, I suspended preparing for future doctorhood and took a look at what it entailed.

I believe most pre-med students know the practical drawbacks of the vocation; long hours, lots of schooling, a late start to your career, and so on and so forth. Those can be surmounted, but before you go that distance, make sure you can see yourself in this vocation. Most doctors will tell you

that liking this job is the only thing that can make it worthwhile. If you look firsthand and can’t see this in your future, find something you can get into.

I’m not going to tell you money, prestige, helping people, and golf outings to release stress aren’t important. That’s not up to me. And I certainly can’t tell you whether or not you want to be a doctor. We all have different priorities, and I’m not the one who has to live with your life decisions. Do I know what I want to do? Frankly, no. I know I like to write (I took a crack at writing a nov-

If luck is the boundary between opportunity and preparation, I had none. el when I was about 13, with embarrassing results) and am exploring options in that area, and fully acknowledge that this pursuit of an indefinite path can be scary. But it can also be exhilarating, and I’d choose the twisting path to who-knows-where over the straight path to discontent any day.

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Potential war with Iran What the lessons of Iraq can teach us Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

In March of 2003, United States troops invaded the sovereign nation of Iraq. This invasion was precipitated by inflated threats of Iraq’s desire for—and pursuit of—nuclear weapons. The disingenuous refrains of politicians, pundits and newscasters inundated the airways condemning Iraq’s malevolent pursuit of nuclear weapons—all while the United States sat scornfully on the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world.

Americans were certain that if the evil Saddam Hussein obtained nuclear weapons, mushroom clouds would swiftly blanket the entire East Coast. Nine years later, this conflict has produced four million refugees, yielded hundreds of thousands of casualties, and unearthed zero nuclear weapons.

Unfortunately, we are seeing this invidious history repeat itself through the recent fervor over Iran’s nuclear program.

According to a 2010 poll, seven out of ten Americans believe that Iran already possesses nuclear weapons; this statistic shockingly co-exists with the reality that no evidence of such nuclear weapons can be proven.

To be clear, “nuclear” should not be www.bcgavel.com

By Jonathan Dame / Assoc. Opinions Editor equated with “nuclear weapon.” This may seem painfully obvious, but too often people hear “nuclear” and assume that nuclear weapons are involved (think of nuclear power plants).

Many are now calling military action against Iran if it fails to comply with the demands of the United States and other Western powers; such action would be unjust, bloody and destabilizing to the region.

An intervention in Iran would threaten the posterity of Arab Spring reforms and possibly debase the progress already made towards democratization in many countries. Wadah Khanfar, former director general of Al Jazeera, admonished that, “an attack against Iran at this moment in time is first of all going to create new priorities, new alliances, new fears in the region and new complexities. No one can expect what the result will be.”

Part of the Arab Spring’s profundity stemmed from the non-existent role Western powers played in engendering the uprisings. The revolutions across the Middle East and North Africa were organic and promising as they represented the possibility of a more autonomous Arab world gov-

erned by the Arab people themselves. The divisive reality of another Western intervention would vitiate this progress and elucidate the ignorance and arrogance of the United States as evidenced by their inane— and apparently perennial—belief in the efficacy of military interventions.

Yet perhaps I have already overstepped in my analysis of the current situation—even entertaining the idea of military intervention underscores the credulity of the truly mendacious Iranian nuclear threat. Even if Iran successfully develops a nuclear weapon, it will be used primarily as a leveraging tool in international political battles, rather than as a weapon of war. Yet perhaps all of this tumult over Iran can serve as a boon to the United States and the world of geopolitics.

I urge Americans to use this situation to scrutinize previous United States military and diplomatic relations in the Middle East in order to discountenance their predacious, undemocratic and oppressive nature. Instead of asking what to do about the inflammatory rhetoric of Iranian politicians, let us ask why these politicians feel so compelled to embrace such rhetoric.

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Viola Davis:

Why I’m glad she did not win an Oscar

By Jasmine Uduma Gavel Editor There is no way for me to say this without immediately sounding like a hater, but I am relieved – almost thrilled – Viola Davis did not win best actress for her role in The Help.

Now, let’s be clear: I saw the movie, and liked it quite a bit. I found her performance riveting and Octavia Spencer’s role fantastic. It was a well-written script with perfect casting. But it was also just another example of Hollywood’s unhealthy attachment to and affection of the “black woman” archetype that it has become so comfortable with.

The first African-American to win the Oscar was Hattie McDaniel in Gone With The Wind as the beloved “mammy.” If you’ve ever seen the movie, you’d know it was well deserved.

But isn’t it unsettling to anyone else that, 70 years later, we have yet to find a different character type we can nominate black female actors for?

Character portrayal for AfricanAmericans is very limited, at least in terms of what recognition it has within the Academy. Denzel Washington was nominated for his dynamic and visceral portrayal of Malcolm X but won an Oscar for his role as a drug-dealing, dirty cop in Training Day.Halle Berry does a heartwrenching performance as a crack addict who cleans up and goes to court to

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get her son back in the movie ‘Losing Isaiah’ but wins the Oscar for her role as a broken woman pursuing a sex-driven relationship with a man after losing her son and husband in Monster’s Ball.

This is not only just a backward trend with race, but it also functions in conjunction with debilitating gender roles for actors in Hollywood. The cinematic perception of a strong, black woman is constricted to a horrifying minimization which lacks much, if any, depth or true strength.

Mo’Nique does a great job of representing the sadistic, welfare-leach of a mother in Precious and wins an Oscar. But Gabourey Sidibe the actress who plays Precious, a young girl who finds a way to love her children born of incest and pulls herself out of her circumstances by pursuing an education, is looked over by the selection committee. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button went on to win a staggering 13 Academy Awards but Taraji P. Henson, who plays Brad Pitt’s adoptive mother, is again looked over.

The fact of the matter is, Hollywood only likes a story where it is the white person who pulls the black person out of their encumbered circumstances; never the other way around and never the minorities doing it for themselves.

I don’t think that it is a conscious decision by directors or screen writers, but it is a skewed image that movie makers, goers and critics have always favored.

Photo Courtesy of thegrio.com

With the ascension of Barack and Michelle Obama – and their strong, stable, loving image of a married couple – into the White House, many felt that there was now a different example of an African-American man and woman that could serve as a new archetype

The cinematic perception of a strong black woman is constricted to a horrifying minimization which lacks much, if any, depth or true strength. in the forefront of the black image in America, but it would seem our art and media forms have yet to pick up on this.

Viola Davis is a stunning actress with an uncanny ability to tap into the emotions of her characters in ways that causes viewers to genuinely empathize with the story being told. Her talents deserve recognition from the Academy and I hope that she may soon receive a role just as dynamic and thoughtful as she is.

the GAVEL / March 2012

Photo courtesey of latimes.com

For the GOP, picking a running mate is a risky proposition

By Kenny St. John Opinions Editor Four GOP candidates are left standing for the Republican presidential nomination. But with Super Tuesday fast approaching, the field is certain to dwindle. However, even with Mitt Romney’s recent primary wins in Arizona and Michigan, there is no sign of any of the other candidates conceding the race.

With that in mind, Romney, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich should start to consider who their running mate would be in the event they are chosen to run against President Obama in the general election. This should be a careful, thoughtout process. Choosing the wrong running mate could cripple your chances of winning the presidency (see Palin, Sarah).

Ideally, the running mate should come from a different geographical region than the presidential candidate. The running mate should also be able to court a demographic (ethnic, socioeconomic, religious or ideological) that the presidential candidate otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

For Mitt Romney, Senator Marco Rubio would be an ideal choice for him. He does not have the elitist stigma that is commonly attributed to Romney. Rubio represents

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Florida, which has proven to a critical swing state in the general election. He is also Hispanic, which is projected to be a crucial demographic this upcoming election. In addition, his Tea Party affiliations would court many economic conservatives.

Other possible running mates for Romney include Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky. Christie is a risky and unsafe pick due to the fact that his rude, obnoxious nature and big mouth will alienate many people and would undoubtedly cost Romney more votes than he would otherwise gain. Selecting Rand Paul would be an intriguing choice because Romney would then be able to bring over the libertarian supporters of Rand’s father, Ron Paul.

Jon Huntsman, former governor of Utah who dropped out of the primary race a couple of months ago, is a Mormon like Romney and has the ability to court independents. In addition, Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana is held in high regard by the Republican National Committee, and if chosen, could help Romney win states in the Rust Belt and the Midwest.

Rick Santorum has an inherent disadvantage if he happens to win the Republican nomination, because he is a polarizing figure. His opposition to stem cell research, gay marriage and abortion rights will turn off independents and will divide the GOP. I am tempted to not even propose a running mate for him; he is that unelectable. However, that would be a cop-out on my part.

Picking a moderate running mate will not help him in the slightest, nor do I think any moderate would run on the same ticket as Santorum. He has to go all or nothing on this one. His Hail Mary pass would be to pick a woman, in a desperate attempt to cater to the female demo-

graphic, despite his opposition to abortion and birth control. Sarah Palin has already proven to be a failed candidate on the national level, so it’s no use nominating her.

Michelle Bachmann is the only plausible option to me, even though she dropped out after a miserable showing in the Iowa caucus. Regardless, it is certain that no matter who he chooses he will lose.

Ron Paul is a principled man who would be seen as a hypocrite if he selected a running mate that was not in line with his libertarian views. Nominating his son, Rand, would be seen as nepotism and is not going to happen under any circumstance.

Gary Johnson, the former Governor of New Mexico who is running for President on the Libertarian ticket, could be possibly convinced to join Paul on the ticket.

Another possible option is Pat Buchanan who shares Paul’s views on foreign policy and opposes neo-conservatism. Paul himself has suggested Judge Andrew Napolitano. But I have the feeling that Paul’s short list for running mates is very short indeed.

Newt Gingrich, like Santorum, is extremely polarizing. It is anyone’s guess who his running mate would be if he secures the nomination. However, in past debates Gingrich has suggested Marco Rubio as an excellent choice. He could also be looking to court religious conservatives as well, as evidenced by his recent “Faith Coalition” initiative. Former contender and current Texas Governor Rick Perry could also fit the bill for Gingrich.

No one knows who will ultimately win the Republican nomination for President. This is pure educated guesswork on my part. Regardless, whoever wins must choose wisely in picking a running mate. It will make or break the upcoming election.

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Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Obama fails to lead on marijuana drug policy

By Frank Rizzo Assoc. Opinions Editor President Obama’s 2008 campaign promised a newfound sense of transparency for the federal government. This promise found at least a partial manifestation in the White House’s decision to create a “We the People” petition forum on their website, whitehouse.gov/ petitions. The premise was simple: the First Amendment guarantees the people’s right to petition its government, so let’s give it to them on the web; any petition that gathers over 5,000 signatures in 30 days will receive a direct response from the President’s team.

Petition the people did. Over 74,000 signatures in favor of “legalizing and regulating marijuana in a manner similar to alcohol,” the petition’s title reads. The body of the petition reads: “We the people want to know when we can have our “perfectly legitimate” discussion on marijuana legalization. Marijuana prohibition has resulted in the arrest of over 20 million Americans since 1965, countless lives ruined and hundreds of billions of tax dollars squandered and yet this policy has still failed to achieve its stated goals of lowering use rates, limiting the drug’s access, and creating safer communities.”

Gil Kerlikowski, the President’s

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“Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy,” responded over the weekend of November 1st with a statement that quite frankly missed the whole point of the petition.

Kerlikeowski wrote on behalf of the President, “According to the scientists at the National Institute of Health, the world’s largest, source of drug abuse research, marijuana use is associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment.” He continues, “Marijuana is a source for voluntary drug treatment admissions and visits to emergency rooms…Simply put it is not a benign drug.” And lastly, get ready for this, “Preventing drug use is the most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences in America. We’re also focused on expanding access to drug treatment for addicts…In fact, millions of Americans are in successful recovery for drug and alcoholism today.”

Let me get this straight, Mr. Kerlikowski, you have responded to a petition asking for marijuana legalization equivalent to that of alcohol by telling the 74,169 signees about the successful recovery treatments for the addiction and danger of alcoholism? You respond by claiming medical marijuana to be associated with addiction, respiratory disease, and cognitive impairment? News flash, alcohol is one of the most abused, addictive

drugs out there, causing more deadly cognitive impairment than marijuana.

And by more deadly. People die every year from alcohol related deaths (e.g. drunk driving, poisoning, violence), and no one dies from marijuana.

Furthermore, the US Department of Justice reported back in 1988 “Nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal effects. But marijuana is not such a substance. There is no record in the extensive medical literature describing a proven, documented cannabis-induced fatality. In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity.”

As for the claim of respiratory damage, no one is claiming that marijuana has zero negative effects on the lungs. When someone blows hot smoke into his or her lungs, it’s never good for the lungs. But unlike cigarettes, marijuana usage has never, by itself, caused lung cancer. Cigarettes always accompanied it; according to a 5-year-long population-based case control study which found that even long-term heavy marijuana smoking is not associated with lung cancer or UAT (upper aerodigestive tract) cancers.

President Obama has failed to lead on drug policy. He has responded unpersuasively and undirected to the problem as posed by the petitioners. The problem is hypocrisy.

the GAVEL / March 2012

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Renewable energy put on the backburner

By Natalie Roy Gavel Media Contributor While speaking in Oklahoma this past week, Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich caught the attention of many voters with his commentary on President Obama’s energy policies.

“Let me start with a simple premise that most Oklahomans will understand,” The former House Speaker remarked.

“You cannot put a gun rack in a [Chevrolet] Volt.”

To be honest, I was a little taken aback when I heard this sound bite.

While admittedly he’s probably right, I couldn’t understand why he was taking shots at the Volt, or battery-powered vehicles in general. Chevrolet certainly doesn’t contend that the Volt makes a perfect heavy-duty work vehicle, nor do I think they would be upset if a customer sprung for a Silverado instead.

But at the end of the day, this isn’t about Chevy or the Volt; this is about a much bigger problem. Somehow, as a nation, we have begun to shy away from

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the promise of green energy. Even in his State of the Union address last month, the President, with his past record of support for renewable energy, raved about the potential of American natural gas and offshore drilling with barely a mention of any cleaner alternatives.

While it is undeniable that tapping into these resources will be extremely important for ensuring U.S. energy stability

Innovation does not happen by “waiting around.” in the near future, it’s as if we’ve forgotten about our deep and pressing need to develop a more long-term strategy.

In a video posted on his campaign website, Speaker Gingrich comments on the subject, “We need to move forward on every front, not stop the biggest, most successful fronts, while we wait around someday for a better future that may or may not come fast enough…” He

prefaces this statement by saying that all investment in green technology should be made privately, not publicly. While he acknowledges the inevitable need for a change in our approach to energy, his attitude toward how quickly we can do so is at the core of what’s holding us back.

Innovation doesn’t happen by “waiting around” as he insinuates; we need to be actively pursuing these advancements. The private sector will be hesitant to invest in green technology until it’s profitable, which is why public investment plays such a vital role in taking the first steps. In order to make progress, we, including the government, need to encourage innovation and research. If we settle for what we have now, we will be condemning our future.

While oil clearly isn’t going away any time soon, that isn’t an excuse to say it isn’t on it’s way out. We need to get excited about green technology again, and some of that needs to come from our leaders. Instead of talking about a “better future” that “may or may not come,” we need to take control and demand that it does. We can’t settle.

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The misinterpreted nature of American patriotism

Photo Courtesy of crwflags.com

By Paul Baboc Gavel Media Staff There are probably few words in the English language- in any language, reallymore charged with ambiguity than patriotism. Misused, misapplied, mistranslated, misinterpreted and mistaken, this positive activity of the self in relation to the national is not nationalism per se. The etymology of the word is Latin: Patri comes from pater, father- hence fatherland. Patriotism is the –ism of the fatherland: a love, sometimes utterly unjustified, sometimes affirmative, of one’s natal country or of one’s adopted dwelling place.

I should say that traditional patriotism nowadays tends to carry a particularly negative connotation in the US. It is not necessarily negative in the social sense; at least in an ultra-conservative one. It has become the by-word of racism and puerile bigotry, a demarcation of political incorrectness. Intelligent writers, satirical commentators and comedians find it a favorite topic to conspicuously joke about, usually and especially if it involves some ludicrous new statement

by Glenn Beck or by fundamentalist Protestant preachers in Alabama or Kansas.

American patriotism, they ask? Ha. No more than those folks who hold a King James Bible in their left hand and a scourge in their right, who curiously enough can neither name the first book of the Old Testament nor the location of Montana on the American map. Suspicious of America’s intellectual hopes, such individuals are ready to cite our “poor education system,” our “excessive materialism,” and our “ignorant youth.”

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I think that many do have a tendency to automatically relate American patriotism to the traditional image of the classical patriotic American, the ancestrally English Protestant Anglo-Saxon of the 1940s and 1950s, afraid of European Catholic influence and of Jewish entrepreneurism and much more so of Mexico and atheism, somewhat xenophobic in temperament and conservative at heart.

“God Bless America” invokes feelings of mild distaste nowadays; our edu-

In our transcultural society, any sort of classical patriotism, help together by genetic similitudes and tribal pacts, kinship bonds and familial heritages, is impossible and practically silly. cated classes, cynically at home in their extreme transnationalism and liberalistic political correctness, are wry about shows of traditional patriotism on the part of the non-elite. Post-modernist haste seems to have reduced patriotism to a dead word; the new theme, the idea of the modern age, is trans-nation-

alism, not nationalism, and American nationalism as it thrived in the days of the Know-Nothing party is at an end.

This is both good and bad. It is good because the sort of patriotism upon which America thrived in the days of Roosevelt and Hoover was unquestionably immoral. It is bad because America, in becoming politically correct to a fault, has ceased to identify itself with itself.

No doubt the catastrophic events of 9/11 have re-awakened in the American zeitgeist a degree of relative and socially uplifting neo-patriotism, augmented by a fury against the moral wrongs perpetrated that was trans-racial and transreligious: Caucasians, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, Christians, and Muslims alike were for the most part appalled and banded together, if only in the name of an idea, to crush the intrusive party.

To me, this is the noblest form of patriotism that we can aspire to achieve today.

In our transcultural society, any sort of classical patriotism, held together by genetic similitudes and tribal pacts, by kinship bonds and familial heritages, is impossible and practically silly. It is also silly of us to equate patriotism with ignorance and bigotry and to refer to it as a vestige of more xenophobic times.

In light of 9/11 and of the vast sociocultural changes of the past ten years, it is perhaps time for us, as Americans, to define patriotism anew, more liberally and broadly, not as pride in a country or in a heritage, but as a commitment to a noble idea and a vision for a future that sheds the cloak of primitive nationalistic bigotry and embraces the universal brotherhood of emancipated mankind.

the GAVEL / March 2012

Supreme Court

should not touch affirmative action

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Ricardo Sanchez Gavel Media Staff Affirmative action is headed to the Supreme Court once again. In what will certainly be landmark case, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments for Fisher v. University of Texas, a challenge to the University’s affirmative action program. The University of Texas uses its affirmative action program as a way of assessing applicants not covered under Texas’ “Top Ten Percent” law, in which all in-state applicants who graduated in the top ten percent of their high school class are automatically accepted. The case was brought forth by Abigail Noel Fisher, a white student not automatically admitted under the law. In Fisher v. University of Texas, Fisher is arguing that she was discriminated against because she is white; she was not admitted to the University despite having performed better on exams than many successful applicants of minority descent.

The last time the Supreme Court heard a case on affirmative action was nearly 10 years ago. The phrase “affirmative action” refers to policies that consider “race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin” in order to benefit an underrepresented group, whether in considering applicants for employment, or in this case using race to evaluate applicants for a public university. The generally accepted justification for this is that affirmative action counters and corrects the effects of a history of discrimination and favoritism on the part of white people and helps to create more

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diverse professional or academic communities.

Different arguments can be made about whether or not race-based affirmative action is a just tool for remedying past discrimination or creating diversity.

Isn’t using race to pursue these ends in conflict with basic values of colorblindness and equality among people? A strong argument could be made in support of such a claim, at least on the surface. But what about our current, largely imperfect society, where the playing field is rigged due to the long term effects of past racial discrimination in many areas of society, including not only education (quality of schools), but also employment (family income and career path), lending (where people can live), etc? All forms of discrimination have had a profound effect on access to resources and our current state is highly skewed in favor of white people as a result. As written by Justice Harry Blackmun in 1978, “in order to get beyond racism, we must first take account of race. There is no other way.”

To address those who contend that affirmative action only leads to “reverse racism,” a less objectionable alternative to race-based affirmative action is classbased affirmative action. However, such a pivot would not make much of a difference at all. In our society, class and race are so closely correlated that to benefit those of lower social classes would essentially be the same as benefitting underrepresented racial minorities. This does not mean that race-based affirmative action should be done away with. Whether we admit it or not, the effects of racial discrimination still exist today. As well

documented statistics show, race plays a major role in our everyday lives. To assert that race should not be considered at all in admissions processes that take place a world with blatantly racialized competition is hypocritical and absurd.

Regardless of what position you take, it is very important to note that the US Constitution, through history and precedent, does not explicitly forbid affirmative action policy. The architects of the 14th Amendment did not intend government to be colorblind in every circumstance, and courts have continuously assured universities that diversity in education is a constitutionally admissible goal, as was the case in the 2003 Grutter v. Bollinger case. In fact, the authors of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment explicitly used laws based on race to aid African-Americans. It is precisely for these reasons that the courts should exercise restraint and defer to the will of the people and their representatives.

There is a time and a place for the judicial branch of United States government to act. The issue of affirmative action is not one of them. Unless the Constitution clearly forbids a certain policy, it is not in the place of the courts to decide its fate. In the case of Fisher v. University of Texas, it would be unwise and dangerous for democracy if the Supreme Court—loaded with activist conservative judges—were to blindly rule on affirmative action policy, especially when such a hotly debated issue would be more properly dealt with by politically accountable legislators through the democratic process.

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March 2012

Administration needs to inform campus community in timely manner On February 21st, one of our fellow Eagles, Franco Garcia, WCAS ’12, went missing after a night at Mary Ann’s in Cleveland Circle. The law requires a forty-eight hour wait time before filing a missing persons report with the police. The report was filed two days later, on February 23rd.

On Friday, February 24th, Franco’s friends created a Facebook group called “Missing Since 2/21-Franco Garcia” and by Saturday morning, students were putting up missing person flyers both on and off campus. Local and national media outlets have subsequently picked up the story, such as The Boston Globe, Yahoo News, Patch, and Fox. The widespread response speaks

to the tremendous capacity social media has for raising awareness about Franco’s disappearance and for organizing search efforts to find him.

However, we feel that it is our duty, and obligation, to admonish the Boston College administration for failing to email the student body in a timely manner concerning this troubling occurrence. We feel that as a matter of public safety, the student body should have been informed immediately upon filing the missing persons report, instead of almost two days after the report was filed.

This is not the first time the administration has failed to inform the campus community about a public safety matter in a timely manner. In

May of 2010, the administration was slow to inform students regarding a water main break that contaminated running water on campus and in the surrounding area. Many students drank the tap water, not knowing that it was unsafe for consumption.

Delaying the release of essential information to the community makes the campus as a whole less safe.

Slow communication regarding the safety and security of the campus and the surrounding area is not just a Boston College problem; this is a problem that many universities face. On April 16, 2007, Virginia Tech failed to warn students that two people were shot dead in a dorm room that morning, and that the suspect was still at large. A short time later, in the deadliest mass murder in American history, Seung-Hui Cho killed 31 more people before turning his gun on himself.

We, as members of the Boston College community, have the right to be informed. Delaying the release of essential information to the community makes the campus as a whole less safe and unaware of potential dangers.

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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the GAVEL / March 2012

Photo Courtesy of bigsiteofamazingfacts.com

The true identity of the Republican Party uncertain and contested This year’s primary process in the Republican Party for president has shown some very stark and startling differences from the nomination process just four years ago. The battle for the identity of the GOP has taken several circus-like, unpredictable turns, with the constant resurgence and epic downfalls of temporary front-runners. One thing that can be extrapolated from comparing this election season’s trends to the last is that conservatism is the new litmus test in place of religion and religiosity.

In 2008, discussion of religion was at the front of any discussion about the GOP candidates for Republican nomination.

Huckabee wooed many supporters with his skills as a southern Baptist minister.

Most memorably, Romney had to face constant scrutiny about his Mormonism.

There were several polls and surveys taken throughout the country in 2008 asking if people thought America was “ready” to have a Mormon president. The ridiculousness of the entire debate was an interesting read of the concerns of the Republican base: Romney had trouble winning support because he wasn’t Christian enough.

Romney had a big issue trying to get people to trust him because they could not trust his faith. Huckabee built www.bcgavel.com

a following because he could appeal to that ethos of the Republican electorate; McCain really did not have to deal with the religion issue because his acts of patriotism for the country were a good marker of his faith and dedication.

This election cycle, something else stands in place of extreme religiosity. Conservatism in political affiliation is now the test that Republican primary voters are putting the candidates to.

Romney’s Mormonism, which was such a sensitive issue in 2008, is no longer his biggest problem to overcome. It has

The conservative mantel is one that has in recent politics become the GOP’s lynch-pin.

shifted to his record and his conservatism.

Romney’s battle throughout the primary process has been centered around whether or not he is conservative enough to win the Republican nomination. What the public has learned about Romney this year is that he is willing to pander to those to his right in order to

win their support. In many instances, Romney has come off as fraudulent by those in his party and in the media for his continued effort to re-write his own history as governor of Massachusetts.

What this also shows is the hollowness the conservative sentiment is within the party. As opposed to religion where not much can be compromised or explained away, the platform of conservatism is more so about who can yell the loudest about their conservative stances the most. Many would argue that there is no difference between religious and conservative opinions nowadays but there is a difference in the sincerity.

The conservatism mantel is one that has in recent politics become the GOP’s lynch-pin. The ideals that today’s conservatism calls for is out of step with the American public. The unrealistic goals of the conservative movement are alienating the Republican Party from future generations of Americans. Conservatism as it is now is nothing substantive, but an image war meant to divide people based on other superficial motifs. The ultimate outcome of GOP’s positioning has yet to be seen but there is a very strong chance that their efforts will only backfire and be used as a rallying point against the Republicans in future elections.

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Features

INSIDE: BC Students Pioneer Social Entrepreneurship / The Real St. Patrick / Beer Review / Fukushima

March 2012

You’re Fired!

Seniors work on a play to complement Prof. Derber and Prof. Magrass most recent book to be published this summer

By Cal Greene III Features Editor A few sociology students received the rare opportunity to learn about the economic crisis in a very different way.

Instead of intense discussions to complement the many reading assignments they could have had, they edited and performed a play as their final project.

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In December 2011, students in Professor Charles Derber’s “American Economic & Social Change” course performed the play “You’re fired: What the 1% Plan for the 99%.” The performance was part of a book co-authored by Boston College Professor Derber and University of Mas-

sachusetts at Amherst Professor Yale Magrass, “You’re Fired: How the 1% are turning Americans into Surplus People, and what the 99% are doing about it.”

The book and the play deal with he idea that new economic conditions are rendering the majority of the American

the GAVEL / March 2012

population redundant. The book discusses how through producing abroad, using technology and other strategies, the American economy has found a way to make money without using people.

The play is a more palatable version of the book so the message can reach a broader audience.

The book is based off of a historical analysis of how U.S. corporate strategy has evolved over time and how tensions have increased between profit and the needs of human beings. It also analyzes how those on Wall Street have changed their thinking on how the U.S. and their respective companies fit into the global economy.

A lot of the problems, according to Derber and Magrass, came up when top management shifts from simple selfinterested thinking to the active shaping of economic and political policy to benefit themselves instead of the population as a whole.

The main concept of the book and the play is discussing the problem of surplus people, Derber and Magrass define this as, “A person with no real purpose in a society. Anyone who is not offered to do something useful in the society because of the way the economic system is set up.“ Despite the amount of skills or education a person has, the U.S. corporate structure is creating and increasing the amount of surplus according to the book. That increase is be-

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cause of the systematic disinvestment that has maximized profit with as little input of capital into society as possible.

Though the topics of the book have many parallels with the broader Occupy movement the book was written six months before the first encampment in Zuccoti Park. In many ways the Occupy movement was serendipitous to the book and the play was created as a dramatized version of the book to reach a larger audience. Derber’s class worked to edit the play and present it as their final project in front of fellow peers. This semester a few of those students have stayed on yo further work on the script of the play, which will be added as an appendix to the book.

Seniors Brittany Beiber, Phil Cushing, Colin Madigan, Hillary Marshall, Ali Miller, Emily Morton, Ivana Perez and Roberto Schaefli, are all going to be listed as co-authors of the play and have put in a lot of time into editing the play to be published.

“I have always had faith in undergraduates here. It is good for the university to say that students here can

“It was a new way of taking on what we were learning in class and trying something new.”

have also added a lot of insight to better explain the underlying ideas themselves.”

The students learned a lot from the experience. Phil commented saying, “It was a new way of taking on what we were learning in class and trying something new.” Roberto added similar sentiment, further explaining how the editing process worked by concluding, “We understood what Professor Derber was talking about and the terminology he used, but conveying those terms to a broader audience was certainly a challenge at times.”

The experience Derber, Magrass and the students shared they agreed could not have happened anywhere else or in any other way. “Before this class I could not tell you anything about the economy or the crisis but now I feel I can engage in informed conversations and can genuinely discuss economic and social issues.” Hilary commented. Derber shared similar feelings on the lasting impact of the play. He commented saying, “BC talk’s a lot about the Jesuit mission, and I feel this project was a good experiment in living out that mission as a university.”

To this group, this project was a great conclusion to their four years at BC. They all agreed that their experience was invaluable and for that they have Derber and Magrass to thank.

really get involved in creative scholarship and other kinds of projects with faculty that can really make a difference in the community and will be very valuable to their education” Derber commented. The most unique aspect of the book and performed play is the extensive student collaboration in the final product.

Derber continued saying, “I love meeting with these students. They have played a really important role and pushed my thinking. They have been very creative with the play and added a lot of humor to make the play more theatrical and entertaining. They

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Maji Water BC Students Pioneer Social Entreprenuership

By Cal Greene III Features Editor

The business-centered environment in the U.S. has become increasingly focused on the shareholders, with the end goal being an exponentially increasing quarterly bottom line. It is a business environment that has forced sustainability and charity out the window. A group of student entrepreneurs are seeking to challenge the status quo and create a business structure that is sustainable and charity-focused while maintaining the business foci that make corporations as profitable as they have been.

Maji Water is a recent start-up that

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is selling water bottles with a portion of the proceeds going to the non-profit, Charity Water, a charity that provides clean water to people who otherwise would not have access to it. The company was started by BC seniors Max Ade, Paul Vega, and Alex Trautwig. Their main focus was how to use the best parts of what makes business successful and bring that drive to philanthropy.

Max further explained, “Our goal was to build giving into a business model.

The initial idea was to have every bottle have a different color that gave to a different cause, but after the Elevator Pitch

All Photos by Cal Greene III/Gavel Media

competition in the fall we refined our model to give to one charity we felt was the best.�

To date they have sold around 115 bottles since their first order in January.

Their recent success was due to their social entrepreneurship program that recruited campus reps, similar to Red Bull and student run Simply SEA, that sell on their campuses but also facilitate wordof mouth marketing. Max explained, “It was crazy how many people that were coming to me from home who were pumped about the idea. So we thought of ways to harness this energy in the

the GAVEL / March 2012

most efficient way possible so we could increase our sales.”

Involvement as a campus representative is fueled by a shared desire to be a part of this company and the good cause it promotes. Max explained that the profit margins are not high enough to give a significant financial incentive to their representatives but each one is excited to work for Maji and help keep costs down so they have a better opportunity to grow. Right now they have campus representatives at New York University, University of Richmond, Champlain College, Auburn, Alabama, Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, Birmingham Southern University, Presbyterian College, Air Force Academy and University of California, Santa Barbara.

The team is competing in the Boston College Venture Competition this year and has made it to the second round of judging where they will have to present their idea in front of a panel of judges. They have won one thousand dollars so far which has helped their expansion and they are looking to win the top prize of ten thousand dollars. They found the judges very helpful in formulating their work business model and refining their operations.

Max explained the critical difference between Maji and other nonprofit charities as such, “In a traditional charity the model goes, there is a cause, there’s a non-profit to address it, and then people donate to the cause. The cause benefits some, the non-profit facilitates the exchange and the person gets nothing tangible in return. Which is fine, but it is hard to motivate people

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to do something without getting anything in return. Non-profits also have little incentive to be efficient, so they can’t grow as fast or attract large investors. Even in day to day operations there is no one demanding efficiency and increased revenue. The philosophy behind Maji is everyone wins. The cause gets added revenue, Maji makes a small profit and the customer gets a product and the good feeling from giving.”

Maji chose Charity Water as their main benefactor because they have a corporate structure that separates operational costs from water mission costs which eliminates the problem of donations being lost due to inefficiency. Going forward they want to expand their products and scope. They recently started a partnership with another BC student-led initiative, Walk for Water, and are looking to work with Simply SEA in the future. Max commented, “If we really want to make a difference in the world we need to grow, gain market share and compete with other companies.”

Maji is trying to use social entrepreneurship and show how it can be successful. Max used Tom’s Shoes as an example of just how important this idea is. “Imagine if Tom’s was a charity and people donated their shoes. You would end up with some very poor quality shoes that were given out and it would not be as large as it is. They took a cause and made it work within our economic system and because of that it has been very successful. There are a lot of other companies doing this and I see a trend headed in this direction. This could help

solve a lot of different problems.”

Maji is changing the way business operates. Though the quick profit, shareholder focused model will never go away, social entrepreneurship is here to stay. Though charities will always have their place, business models like Maji will change the way people give and allow the average consumer to donate more to causes than they would be able to otherwise.

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By Itzel Ayala / gavel media staff

Who was the real

tain, according to catholic.org, he was born around the year 387 A.D. and died in 461 A.D. Only two written letters have survived the centuries. These letters provide the only definite biographical information about him. For this reason, much of the background about St. Patrick is rather uncertain and probably false.

Though St. Patrick was not Irish, his time in Ireland during in his formative Photos by wikimediacommons.org years transformed him and served Do you know who St. Patrick is? as the catalyst for Hint: he is not the leprechaun humor- him to turn to God. When he was about ously plastered onto every shot glass, sixteen years old, he was kidnapped beer cup, and obnoxiously bright green from his home and taken to Ireland shamrock necklace on St. Patrick’s Day. as a slave to work as a shepherd. After He probably would not advocate the six years of enslavement, St. Patrick eshigh levels of intoxication in his honor, caped and returned home to Scotland but he would be happy to know that he and his family. is not only the patron saint of Boston but According to the Catholic.org bialso the Archdiocese of New York. ography of St. Patrick, he “was captured Believe it or not, before March 17th during a raiding party and taken to Irewas informally declared as a day for the land as a slave to herd and tend sheep. whole country to get drunk “in the spirit Ireland at this time was a land of Druids, o’ Ireland,” it was the feast day to com- a priestly caste of the Celtic tribal people memorate St. Patrick’s life. extending from Gaul, Britain, and IreThough he is widely known as the land, and pagans. He learned the lanPatron Saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick was guage and practices of the people who actually born and raised in Scotland to held him.” It was during his captivity that a Romanized Scottish family. It was not he turned to God for hope and solace. until he joined the Catholic Church that St. Patrick wrote in his letter, “The he decided to move to Ireland to pursue Declaration”, “The love of God and his a life as a Christian missionary with the fear grew in me more and more, as did purpose of converting pagans. the faith, and my soul was rose, so that, Very few facts are known for cer- in a single day, I have said as many as a tain about St. Patrick’s life. It is not cer- hundred prayers and in the night, nearly

St. Patrick?

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the same.”

After escaping enslavement and joining a monastery, he made it his life’s goal to convert pagans and nonChristians. At this time in Ireland, many people practiced witchcraft and pagan rituals. It was in a dream that he heard the people of Ireland calling for him to return.

Over the span of his forty years in Ireland, St. Patrick converted thousands to Christianity and was extraordinarily successful in his missionary work. Hundreds of churches were built all over Ireland because of the influence of him and his disciples. Another notable part of his success was that St. Patrick was successful in converting people of all social and economic classes. Though he led a troubled and difficult life of poverty, he was able to travel all over Ireland, preach, and convert thousands of Christians.

As impressive as his life’s work is, today St. Patrick is notable for legends and myths associated with him that are mostly false. For example, legend has it that he banished all the snakes from Ireland. This is of course false and most likely originated as a myth. Howeverthat after intensive research, scientists could not find any trace of a snake on the island of Ireland.

According to fiction author Betty Rhodes, the “snakes” in the legend probably refer to the serpent symbolism of Druids. In other words, he did not literally drive out snakes, but rather drove out Druids and pagans.

The legend regarding the shamrock however, does have truth to it. St. Patrick used the shamrock in his lessons to explain to the Irish the nature of the divine trinity. The shamrock was seen as sacred because it represented rebirth and eternal life. St. Patrick also left behind many prayers. One of the most well known is the prayer of “Christ Beside Me.” Though March 17th will be celebrated in its usual style of drinking Guinness and green beer, everyone should stop and take a minute to remember who St. Patrick was and reflect his inspired work that led him to become a Catholic Saint.

the GAVEL / March 2012

Marriage Equality Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Will the current favorable trend last?

By Itzel Ayala Gavel Media Staff Recently there have been a series of state legislation passed and federal court rulings regarding the status of same-sex marriage. Just in the last month, Maryland, and Washington all passed laws that legally recognize same-sex unions as marriage and have given full marriage equality at the state level for same-sex couples. California’s controversial Proposition 8, which passed by public referendum in November 2008, was ruled unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in February 2012.

While this is all good news for samesex couples, it may take a lot more time and effort to get the same legal standing that they are really calling for. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, as of February 24 only, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, and the District of Columbia issue marriage licenses to samesex couples. Five states, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Rhode Island all allow civil unions, providing state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples.

The recent surge of marriage equality laws brought a wave of hope for those who were eagerly awaiting this legislation, but these measures were still not completely set. For example, on February 7, the state of California repealed Proposition 8, which had passed in 2008 in the Supreme Court of California. Prop 8 was an amendment that banned same-sex couples from get-

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ting married, which had previously been allowed. However, enforcement of this law has been postponed because Prop 8 is pending appeal in the court system. If the law is appealed and taken to a higher court, this could continue until it reached the Supreme Court, in which case the decision there would be final and inclusive of the entire country. That is, if the Supreme Court even decides to take the case.

According to the New York Times, “The two judges on Tuesday stated explicitly that they were not deciding whether there was a constitutional right for same-sex couples to marry, instead ruling that the disparate treatment of married couples and domestic partners since the passage of Proposition 8 violated the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.”

Washington and Maryland also passed legislation allowing same-sex couples to get married, though these have not yet taken effect..

According to the Baltimore Sun, “With the state Senate’s approval Thursday night of the governor’s bill to legalize civil marriage for same-sex couples, opponents are expected to mobilize quickly to gather the signatures to petition the legislation to referendum.” This means that the issue will be put on the ballot for November and the subject will be decided by the voters. It is very likely that Marylanders will vote to pass this legislation, but it is still uncertain.

Though many states are passing legislation that will legalize same-sex marriage and recognize it as legally equal to heterosexual mariages, it is equally vulner-

able to be challenged in court or subject to public opinion via ballot referendum.

There is significance in the way these legislations are being passed as well. Newt Gingrich, who does not support same-sex marriage legislation, said of the way Washington passed the legislation, “I would vote no if it were on a referendum where I was but at least they’re doing it the right way, which is going through voters, giving them a chance to vote and not having a handful of judges arbitrarily impose their will.”

Taking it to the voters or not, the recent legislation shows the attitudes towards the legal standing of same sex marriage have not changed much if all these legislations are expected to be either taken up to a higher court or taken to the people to decide.

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey kept to his word and gave a conditional veto on a bill that would allow gay marriage. He agreed to strengthen the civil union laws, but refused to pass a same sex marriage law. According to nj.com, this decision pushes the issue back to the New Jersey State Legislature, “which has until January 2014 to accept Christie’s conditions or muster enough votes to override him.” Christie would rather the decision be taken to referendum and put on the November ballot.

Although these state government decision indicate a promising future for those seeking same sex marriage equality laws, it is only the first step in a long and grueling process.

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Beer Review

for when you eventually outgrow $2 Busch drafts

All Photos by Cal Greene III/Gavel Media

By Cal Greene III, Features Editor, Maggie Lawrence, Culture Editor, Yanira Revan, Copy Editor Welcome to the new Gavel Beer Review. We decided to change it up a bit by reviewing the same good quality brews but adding a cider in the mix, again at request of the ladies of the Gavel Beer Review. Another nice twist is that this is the St. Patrick’s Day edition! This time around we decided to sample all of the best St. Patrick’s Day Drinks, besides green Natty Light, of course. Here at the Gavel Beer Review, we love Irish Brews and expanding our taste horizons. So, it was only appropriate we picked some of our favorites to critique and share. Adding cider was a change for many of us but we were all eager to try it. The five drinks that made the cut this time were: Irish Coffee, Guiness 28

Draught, Boddington Pub Ale, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Strongbow. As always the beers and ciders were all highly rated and are from breweries and stores that have pretty good products. Participating this time was Cal Greene III, Features Editor, Maggie Lawrence, Culture Editor and Yanira Revan, Copy Editor We based our comparison for the beers on four criteria: clarity and colour, smell, taste and complexity, and mouthfeel. We then gave the drinks an overall score, 1 being poor and 5 being the best.

Our critique for the cider, Irish Coffee, and Jameson were similar but since that was beyond our expertise we just gave it an overall critique and score.

Irish Coffee: When mixed properly becomes more than just an alcoholic’s perferred caffeine drink. We mixed one cup of coffee, 1 shot of Jameson, 1 shot of freshly brewed espresso and about 1 shot of Bailey’s (as opposed to regular cream). It was great! We highly recommend it to start the perfect St. Patrick’s day.

the GAVEL / March 2012

Jameson: When served on the rocks it proves to be the perfect Irish whiskey to kick of St. Patricks day (or any classy bar night). The taste is smooth and at $28 a bottle the price does not completely break the bank.

Though there are many good varieties of whiskey Jameson is a long time favorite of whisky fans and for a very good reason.

Guinness Draught: This stout beer is a favorite for many on St. Patrick’s so we had to give it a try. Its dark colour and full head were expected and the thick creamy texture of the brew was delightful.

However, it is highly influenced by how it is served.

With the wrong pour it becomes flat easily. In addition the new “Nitro” cans are not a good substitute for a tap. Its a delicious beer but do yourself a favour and get a bottle or a draft.

Boddington Pub Ale: This beer was on the lighter side despite its creamy texture, full body and thick head. In many ways it seemed like we were drinking a light amber Guinness. It had a fruity, light clean flavour. The “Nitro” can made gave it the similar texture as the Guiness but had the same drawbacks, it turned flat fairly fast. Great beer but better on tap.

Note: All persons who participated in the review are of legal drinking age. Please remember to

Drink Responsibly

www.bcgavel.com

Strongbow: No St. Patrick’s day is complete without a good old Irish cider. Strongbow has a smooth taste that comes from quality instead of overbearing sweetness. Maggie especially loved it and kept raving about how good it tasted. We went one step further and made a Black velvet with the Strongbow and Guinness. For any one looking for a solid drink to end the night with (instead of Jameson) this one is perfect!

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Fukushima one year later, the nuclear debate continues

By Alison Ricciato Assoc. Features Editor With such social media outlets as Facebook and Twitter, everyone likes to think in the modern age that we are more connected and aware of world events. With a single tweet, the international community was aware of Osama bin Laden’s death. A thief posted pictures of his loot on Facebook and was subsequently located by police.

Certainly, we all remember the onslaught of support for such disasters as the earthquake in Haiti or the tsunami in Japan. Yet

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now that the one-year anniversary of Japan’s earthquake and tsunami has pasted, it is a time to ask ourselves just whether we truly are more globally aware. Or did we merely read about the crisis and move on?

On March 11, 2011 , the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan caused the worst nuclear accident in history since the Chernobyl disaster. Three active reactors about 200 miles from Tokyo experienced meltdowns after the plants’ power blacked

out and the tsunami disabled back-up generators. Many fires and explosions followed, releasing radioactive gases outside the containment of the plants. 80,000 citizens were evacuated from around the plant, but despite these efforts, at count in July there were 22,000 people dead or missing. Radioactive materials infiltrated tap water and products like tea leaves and beef as far away as Tokyo. The accident was ultimately rated a 7 on the international

the GAVEL / March 2012

Photos by wikimediacommons.org scale, the highest possible, which leveled it with the Chernobyl incident in dire and long-lasting consequences.

This December, the Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda claimed all reactors were under control, and the disaster was at an end. The government is currently planning to remove fuel stored at the site and dismantle the plant—which will take about 40 years.

Yet this has hardly improved life for citizens of Fukushima. Over 160,000 people are currently displaced, including many who are technically allowed to return to their communities. But many fear the government lifted evacuation orders in some areas merely to assuage public outrage. In fact, experts have expressed doubt about the assessment that the Fukushima plant is stable. Even more troubling, many nuclear experts in the global community have argued that the amount of radiation which escaped in the first few days after the tsunami may very well have been more than twice the original estimate. Many assertions of dangerous levels of radiation still being present in the environment have been brought against the government, destroying its credibility in the eyes of citizens.

Most locals are convinced that returning to their homes is still too dangerous. But these worried citizens can no longer rely on government aid as their communities have been declared safe at the nuclear industry’s standards.

In fact, the former prime minister argued to eliminate Japan’s dependence on nuclear energy in the future so as to avoid effectively ruining tracts of land in such a population dense country. Mr. Kan sug-

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gested that this natural disaster revealed the flaws in such an unstable technology and that Japan should entirely reshape energy policies in the future. However, Mr. Kan was forced out in August to be replaced by current Prime Minister Noda who is more open to nuclear energy.

Perhaps Mr. Noda should consider the reputation of the nuclear industries, and his own government. In many public statements, government officials admitted to withholding information damaging to the government’s actions and denying the full gravity of the danger of the radiation leaks. Others have claimed that contaminated

zones have been declared safe merely to avoid continuing the costly evacuations. All of this has made clear the powerful political influence held by the nuclear industry, even as radiation continues to leak out of the plant and permeate Japan’s food supply. Public anger remains high and is growing to combat what many citizens see as a series of cover-ups by government officials to hide the full impact of the nuclear accident. Yet not much of the world is buzzing about the indignities in Japan. Internet users can forget the crisis and move on to the newest stories. But Japan certainly cannot.

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INSIDE: Your new Netflix addiction, Bros who do yoga?, How to pick the best March Madness bracket

March 2012

The BC Sartorialist Speaks!

By Emily Akin

gavel media staff Did you ever wonder who that guy with the army print backpack and camera in O’Neill Plaza was? Meet Alex Lee, otherwise known as the BC Sartorialist. If that sentence makes absolutely no sense to you, then you’ve obviously been spending way too much time with your head buried in your stats book and not enough time on Tumblr. For those of you who 32

might be a bit behind the curve on this, Alex photographs students at BC and in Boston for a fashion blog called the the Sartorialist of Boston College. He finds the chic foreign exchange students and hippy professors cruising around campus and snaps shots to prove that BC doesn’t live and breathe North Faces and UGGs. We sat down to talk with Alex and his friend

Will Thompson about the BC Sartorialist and the clothing line that they are developing together, XXBC. GavelMedia: So about the blog, how do you pick out which people to take the photos of?

Alex: For that really, the whole point of the blog is that it’s just my opinion. Like, really I take photos of anyone who just strikes me. I’m all about just being yourself and people can be themselves and wear a North

the GAVEL / March 2012

Photo Courtesy of BC Sartorialist

Face, I just like when people use their style to try and express themselves.

GavelMedia: I actually know a couple of guys whose goal at BC is to get on your blog!

Alex: Really? That’s awesome! I want it to be like that! But I feel bad though, it’s just me!

Will: And I think that’s the beauty of it. It’s very sporadic.

Alex: Yeah you can’t ask me to be on it.

GavelMedia: So do you ask people? As opposed to just creeping up behind them or something?

Alex: You know, people always want to know that. No, I ask them.

I’ve had probably five people say no.

I mean, usually they’re nice about it.

Except for this one professor! I always see him around and he dresses cool, so I asked him once ‘Scuse me, I know it’s sort of random, but would you mind if I took your photo?’ and he’s like ‘I would’ and just kept walking.

GavelMedia: Have you been on other college campuses with your camera? How would you say their style compares to BC’s?

Alex: I go around Newbury Street mostly, but I did happen to be over near BU the other day so I thought I’d check it out. I didn’t see anything that caught my eye. I mean it seemed pretty similar to BC. A lot of black, a lot of North Faces.

Will: As far as the North Faces and Hunter Boots go, that’s cool if that’s what you do. If that’s what you wear, if that’s what you like then we’re totally cool with it! I mean just us personally, we just like different stuff! So we applaud everyone who does that, it’s not like we’re saying like ‘Oh well we don’t wear North Face, we’re better than you.”’ Like NOT at all! I mean, I like the girls who wear the hunter boots! It’s all cool.

GavelMedia: So XXBC. What does it stand for?

Alex: I thought of it after we came up with the slogan. So the slogan is ‘When in Rome, do you’ which really

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just says so much. Just do what you do!

And 20BC is a date which sort of relates to the vintage aspect; it’s the start of the Roman Empire. Which ties into our slogan again!

GavelMedia: How did you come up with the idea to start a clothing line?

Alex: I had this idea of taking vintage and merging it with street wear. I wanted to put some vintage fabric on a sweatshirt, so I sewed it on the sleeve and a lot of people liked it and then Will came in.

Will: We met on the T and started talking about clothing and what not.

He showed me a sweatshirt that he had sewn. And ever since then we’ve been pushing our brand. It’s pretty simple, our stuff.... but the main thing we focus on is the fabrics that we use.

GavelMedia: Where did you guys learn to sew like this?

Alex: I initially hand-sewed and didn’t know what I was doing. Then one of my roommates’ moms gave me a sewing machine so I re-taught myself on that! But now we’re working with tailors. We’ve got this one guy whose currently making 30 for us.

GavelMedia: That’s cool, are you going to sell them on your blog or the website?

Will: Right now there’s a coming soon page, but by the time we get back from spring break the website should be fully up and running.

GavelMedia: So are you going to try and market XXBC to BC students at all?

Alex: We’re at BC, we want BC to know about us, and then we’ll expand!

But yeah, BC-we definitely want to spark some interest here first. I was also talking with some guy about getting a vendor’s permit and selling on the street this summer! That’d be pretty dope.

For more dope insights, designs, and photos check out BcSartorialist and XXBC at http://bcsartorialist.tumblr.com and http://xxbcbrand.com!

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Netflix: What’s in Your Queue?

How I Met Your Mother

By Jenna LaConte Assoc. culture editor There is so much to love about Netflix, but when it comes down to it, the true beauty of the site comes from the fact that subscribers can choose a show and watch every available episode in sequence. For those of you who have seen random episodes of How I Met Your Mother here and there while flipping through channels, you probably think it is a pretty funny show.

Those who have faithfully followed the series episode to episode since its first season, however, know that it is so much more than that.

How I Met Your Mother begins with a father who sits his teenage son and daughter down to tell them the story of how he met their mother. The show continues through a series of flashbacks as the long-winded Ted details the entire story of his late twenties and

early thirties, which he spends with his four best friends, Marshall, Lily, Barney, and Robin.

The five main characters make up one of the most dynamic casts imaginable. Marshall and Lily, the ultimate power couple, can high-five without even looking in one another’s direction. Her quirky take-charge attitude complements his naïve optimism, and together they serve as parental figures for the group. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the two forever-single characters of Robin, a career-driven reporter with no desire to have children and Barney, the prototypical alphamale who lies and schemes in hopes of landing a different girl every night.

Ted, the hopeless romantic with a tendency to throw his whole heart— along with his dignity—into his quest

to find the “one,” constantly drops hints about the unidentified mother, and seven seasons later loyal fans have certain pieces of the puzzle figured out.

Herein lies the beauty of watching How I Met Your Mother in sequence: sure, the funny lines and wild antics make for great entertainment, but the creators of the show take How I Met Your Mother to a whole new level by adding an aura of mystery around who Ted ends up with.

Because the entire series consists of flashbacks, Ted knows certain details withheld from the audience that provide the suspense of the show. For example, he will tell a story about a party that he and the gang attend, and the episode will wrap up with a comment such as, “I later found out that your mother was at that very party.” The clever narration leaves viewers itching to rewind, knowing that maybe, just maybe, there will be a quick glimpse of her (I would be lying if I said I had never rewound through an episode for this very reason).

If you have yet to embark on the voyage of watching Ted find his wife, add How I Met Your Mother to your queue. In the midst of its seventh season, How I Met Your Mother is still going strong; it has won five Emmy’s and won the People’s Choice Awards 2012 for Best TV Network Comedy. The experience of watching the rollercoaster ride of Ted’s search for his wife is well worth the hours of study time that you will inevitably sacrifice for this Netflix addiction.

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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the GAVEL / March 2012

Junot Diaz Comes to BC

By Olivia Simone assoc. culture editor

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

According to Junot Diaz, writing a short story is like “eating a chicken wing.” When Diaz made an appearance on campus, laughter exploded instantly within the Murray Function Room packed with fans. Who would have guessed that the MIT creative writing professor could have sparked such immediate amusement? If you’ve read either of Diaz’s first two books, “Drown” or “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”, you would expect nothing less from the witty, comical DominicanAmerican author.

Diaz began his lecture by reading two excerpts from his new book about infidelity — more specifically, about two different “dudes getting caught cheating,” which Diaz said was all the audience had to know. The first piece, written in the second person, followed a young Dominican American through his awkward and disastrous relationship with an attractive woman who reads his journal and discovers that he has cheated on her. Diaz, of course, www.bcgavel.com

enlivened the story with his on point, tragic humor of a befuddled teenager who desperately tries to calm his flus-

Diaz enlivend the story with his onpoint, tragic humor...

In short, the audience was in stiches the entire time. tered girlfriend. In short, the audience was in stitches the entire time.

The second excerpt was slightly more scandalous, a woman discovers, through multiple unforgiving emails, that her fiancé has cheated on her with not one, but 50 girls within six years.

Diaz takes his readers through another boyfriend’s desperate attempt to resuscitate any remaining life from the visibly fading relationship.

Diaz’s first book, “Drown”, published in 1996, features a number of short stories told from a shifting point of view. It describes the rocky childhood of Oscar growing up in the Santo Domingo barrios and the shock, trial and grime of assimilating to industrial New Jersey.

Diaz’s second work, “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao”, published in 2007, is set in New Jersey with reflections on the Dominican Republic during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.

Both stories have left readers eagerly awaiting another incredible work.

So why would the author of two books—one of which was winner of the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Anisfield-World Book Award, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the 2008 Pulitzer Prize and creative writing professor at MIT say writing a short story is akin to eating a chicken wing?

“A lot of fucking work—little wing.”

Simple as that.

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March Madness 10 Tips to Preserve Your Sanity Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Rob Rossi Managing editor Every third week in March millions of Americans, whose lives have otherwise been irrevocably infused with the ordinary, suddenly find hope in the possibility of predicting the correct outcome of 63 college basketball games.

It’s a cruel metaphor for life, exposing the otherwise unspeakable belief that all of us believe we are special and capable of amazing task.

I’m not suggesting March Madness is a fool’s errand; on the contrary, I’m sure I’ve lost much more imaginary money over the past ten years (read: since sixth grade) than you have. So, in the process of preserving your sanity when your bracket is inevitably ruined by some frisky, upstart mid-major, keep these 10 tips in mind when filling out that bank account-draining, soul sucker of a piece of paper in the future. They might not help your bracket (although you are welcome if they do), but they’re definitely guaranteed to make losing more bearable:

1. If your girlfriend offers to help you, LET HER. This is an absolute lose-lose; she’s mad at you if you don’t, and if she’s right about even one game you picked wrong you’ll have to hear about it all April. Plus, listening to Clark Kellogg pick all four 1-seeds to make the Final Four doesn’t make you more knowledgeable than her.

2. Always pick against your ex-girlfriend’s favorite team. Even if it’s a juggernaut.

Trust me, it’ll be twice as sweet when they blow their 1-seed in the second round.

3. If the best player on a team is a freshman who’ll be a lottery pick in the spring, DON’T RELY ON HIM. Call it the LeBron Syndrome of looking forward to greener pastures: Kevin Durant, John Wall, Kyrie Irving (speaking of which...)

6. Badass coach names are always a good bet. Jim Calhoun. Shaka Smart.

Tom Izzo. Sounds like Final Four.

7. Going off that: if a stud upperclassman has a name that reminds you of a movie or video game character, pencil him in to go all the way. Cases in point: Super Mario Chalmers and Kemba/Simba Walker.

8. Going off THAT: don’t chicken out at the last minute and pick the #1 overall seed to go all the way. Last year, I had UConn as my champ before switching to Ohio State . Just as the smartest kid in class can bomb a final, the most talented players in college can choke away the biggest games of their lives.

4. If you pick Duke to win it all and they do, THAT’S BLOOD MONEY.

9. If the seeds of your Final Four add up to your lucky number, lock that bracket down. Unless your lucky number is four, you wimp.

5. Don’t be ashamed to admit that you’re relieved that BC missed the tourney.

Now you don’t have to pick them to lose in the first round!

10. Last but not least, if you’re stuck on a pick, you should probably just go with your gut. Unless it’s full of beer, in which case… DEFINITELY go with your gut.

Note: Gavel Media does not endore illegal sports gambling

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the GAVEL / March 2012

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The Decline of Reality TV

By Jillian Timko Associate Culture Editor

The first season of “American Idol” had 9.85 million viewers and launched both its winner Kelly Clarkson and the show itself into worldwide stardom.

Clarkson embarked on a remarkably successful career, during which she released five successful albums and won two Grammys, and “American Idol” embarked on an 11-season long run that transformed Fox Broadcasting Company and television in general.

Little more than a decade later, reality TV is on the decline. For the past few years, “American Idol’s” viewership has decreased by an average of 10-15 percent each season. While “American Idol” remains one of the most highly rated shows on television, its slowly dwindling popularity can be explained by a change in the function of reality TV. Reality TV has deteriorated from a respectable, mega-popular, star-launching phenomenon into entertainment based on pure disgust.

Rather than transforming people into respected celebrities like Clarkson, reality TV shows today make people famous based on how much the www.bcgavel.com

audience hates them. People are less interested in watching someone rise to the top than they are in watching someone else bring about their own demise. The roots of this phenomenon have existed from the beginning.

Many viewers were always more interested in the bad auditions during the first weeks of the “American Idol” season than in the finalists’ performances, and feelings such as these have matured into shows like “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “Jersey Shore”, that entertain their audiences with the stupidity of the stars.

New Jersey’s reputation suffered greatly with the launch of “Jersey Shore”, no matter how inaccurate the stereotypes promoted by the show are. Many clothing brands, such as Abercrombie and Fitch, have asked the Jersey Shore cast to stop wearing their clothes in public. Nonetheless, the stars of “Jersey Shore” earn tens of thousands of dollars for their antics per episode and have become worldwide celebrities. And if anyone didn’t already know who Kim Kardashian

was prior to her infamous marriage, the outrage that ensued when she filed for divorce 72 days later crystallized her status as a mega-celebrity.

Her fame was confirmed not by her clothing line or skills as an actress, but rather by her extremely controversial divorce. The achievements of the last few winners of “American Idol”, despite their incredible talent, cannot compete with the earnings of the Kardashian’s.

Reality TV retains its popularity and entertainment value because it serves as an opportunity for viewers to make fun of the stars on the shows.

Whether this came about because viewers needed a way to feel better about themselves or because the stars deserve the criticism they receive remains to be decided. Still, respectable shows like “American Idol” no longer have the power to launch their winners into mega-stardom, as reality TV has become nothing more than a circus of wanna-be’s competing for attention in order to become the next Snooki.

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#trending: Broga Namaste, Bro

By Maggie Lawrence culture editor

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Introducing Broga: Yoga for Bros.

The wildly marketable classes are being offered at studios around the country, even right in our backyard of Somerville, MA. Inspired by increased male interest and participation in “working in” (as opposed to out), Broga Yoga has become a growing trend in the U.S. Yoga is a form of physical and mental exercise based on breathing and meditation, as well as a deep knowledge of the body and its capabilities.

Dating back approximately 5,000 years, the practice of yoga has male-dominated roots. In fact, women were traditionally discouraged from practicing. In its myriad modern forms popularized in the United States around the 1960s, men have always been on the scene.

Male yoga celebrities like Bikram Choudhury popularized their particular “brands” of yoga in the 1970s. Yet the reality is that there is a preconceived notion that modern yoga is for women.

Most men do not do yoga for a variety of reasons, the most common being a desire for a more intense physical work-

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out or lack of flexibility.

The Broga phenomenon has responded to the misconception that popular yoga is dominated by women.

The benefits of yoga complement almost any lifestyle, and “bros” are starting to catch on. Robert Sidoti has risen to meet this growing demand, founding Broga Yoga. Located in Somerville, MA, Broga Yoga studios boast the tag line, “Where it’s okay if you can’t touch your toes.”

It’s okay if you can’t touch your toes.

“Stong, energetic, and challenging, Broga combines the best core-strengthening, muscle-toning, cardio-working, stress-reducing, clarity-enhancing yoga postures with functional fitness exercises for an amazing workout.”

By switching the focus to strength and stress reduction, Broga style yoga

classes cater specifically to men and aim to demonstrate the restorative power of yoga without sacrificing intensity. The ultimate goal is to increase the number of men who practice, and spread the positive mental and physical effects of yoga.

Bros at Boston College seem to have caught the Broga fever as well, and male attendance is becoming more frequent at Plex yoga classes. Tom Holt, A&S ‘12 definitely sees why many men do not attend yoga classes at BC, but for him, the pros outweigh the cons. “I definitely think yoga is a female-dominated practice. Most men would agree, and see this as a reason not to participate.

I enjoy the workout that you get at a yoga session, as well as the stress relief I achieve through the need to focus on my balance, posture and movements.

This is a great escape for the mind from dwelling on everyday issues.” The power of a workout for both the body and the mind is difficult to ignore, especially for a full-time student, regardless of gender. While Tom is not the only male frequenting “Plex yoga”, he’s certainly in the minority. “I’d say most BC yoga classes I’ve been to have been about 90% female,” said senior Mike Littera, CSOM ‘12. “Despite the fact that the class is generally dominated by females, the instructors all do a good job of making you feel comfortable.”

The benefits of yoga practice are certainly meaningful to everyone, even bros. Broga is not a joke, and there is a message the male BC community can take away from Sidoti’s vision: “It’s okay if you can’t touch your toes.”

the GAVEL / March 2012

Upcoming Concert Watch Justice 3/19

Blues

House of

Odd Future

3/21 house of blues

Fiona Apple 3/27

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Royale

3/26 Td Garden O.F.W.G.K.T.A.

The Ting Tings

4/9

Paradise Rock Club

Bassnectar 4/18

house of blues

Counting Crows 4/25 house of blues www.bcgavel.com

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Katie White of The Ting Tings

39

From the Diary of a Showdown Performer What it Takes to Prepare for ALC Showdown

By Christine Park gavel media contributor

Photo Courtesy of Christine Park/Gavel Media

ALC Showdown is a competition held every March in Conte Forum that showcases most, if not all, of the organized dance teams at Boston College.

BC has a thriving dance scene, ranging from Irish step to lyrical dance. Organized and held by the AHANA Leadership Council, Showdown is divided into two portions, a purely competitive portion and a cultural portion. Both sections are judged and awarded first and second place winners, based on differing criteria.

As a member of Synergy Hip Hop Dance Company, I can confidently say that Showdown is our most anticipat-

40

ed performance. We prepare and practice for months in advance, starting at the beginning of second semester.

As soon as we come back from winter break, we say that we are in “Showdown mode” – focused, energetic, and ready to tear apart the dance floor.

When we say Showdown, we mean full out.

We begin our preparation by learning new choreography from other members of the team. All of our pieces are student-choreographed, and everyone on the team is allowed and encouraged to choreograph. If his or her piece is approved by Synergy’s

executive board, the choreographer will teach it to the rest of the team. The choreographer will then “audition” his or her piece by having members split up into groups of four or five to perform it. This allows the choreographer to see who executes the moves most accurately. The choreographer will select either some or all of the team to be included in the piece, meaning that auditions can certainly be stressful and competitive. Auditions are like exams; they give you a chance to show yourself and others what you’ve got.

After the choreographer selects dancers for his or her piece, he or she will place dancers in formations and teach the transitions of the piece . This takes a bit of experimentation, because not every idea ends up looking exactly as the choreographer originally envisions. It’s important for the dancers to stay flexible and versatile and to tailor to the creative visions of the choreographer. After all, it’s that person’s masterpiece – a figment of his or her creativity that the dancer must strive to realize.

From there, it is a matter of perfecting each move. We call this “cleaning” – being nit-picky and making each isolation, hit, and formation change as crisp, clean, and in sync as humanly

the GAVEL / March 2012

Photo Courtesy of Christine Park/Gavel Media

Photos Courtesy of Gillian Freedman/Gavel Media

We must be perfectly in sync, hear the underlying ticks and snares in the music, add swag to the moves and wear a face that suggests that the dancing is effortless.

www.bcgavel.com

possible. But our time is limited—we have about seven to 10 pieces to learn and perfect for Showdown in a matter of about nine or 10 weeks. So we move fast. We work with more than one piece at a time and move as efficiently as possible to allow ourselves to make the entire set amazing. We must be perfectly in sync, hear the underlying ticks and snares in the music that go with the choreography, add swag to the moves, and, most importantly, wear a face that suggests that the dancing is effortless.

Throughout the year, we practice two or three nights a week for a few hours. But in the two weeks leading up to Showdown, we practice almost every day. We usually run the nine- to 10 minute set in its entirety a few times during practice, requiring an incredible amount of stamina. Nine minutes of full-out Synergy requires 110% of your energy. In addition to team practice time, you are expected to practice on your own. Often, the director will send out a copy of the finalized music to the team, so that we can listen to it,

do our homework to it, dance to it, and fall asleep to it. As a dancer, it is your responsibility to the team, to yourself, and to the crazy, unparalleled Showdown crowd to have the dances engrained in your muscle memory, which means being able to do the entire set in your sleep. It’s a hectic, yet incredibly exciting time.

Finally – the actually performance.

Performing in Showdown is probably the most exhilarating experience I have had on campus. The hyped-up crowd, the stage, the flashing lights – it’s a truly glamorous experience as a performer.

Last year, the first time I performed in Showdown, I remember feeling the greatest rush of adrenaline I had ever experienced, which empowered my every move with more energy that I thought I had in me. In less than 10 minutes, those countless hours of exhausting, sweaty, and meticulous practices were over, but completely worth the end product: the incomparable joy of performing.

Saturday, March 24th will mark this year’s ALC Showdown. Don’t miss out on the dance spectacle of the year.

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By Maggie Lawrence culture editor

B-Line Beats

The 45 minute trip from Boston College T-stop to Government Center can be a lonely ride. Keep yourself company with our B-line playlist, an honest tribute to those BU hipsters you’ll wave to as you ride by. Or not.

“Crazy Rhythms” “Walkabout”

The Feelies {Crazy Rhythms}

Noah Lennox & Atlas Sound {Logos}

“Monkey Gone To Heaven” Pixies {Doolittle}

“California Stars” Billy Bragg & Wilco {Mermaid Avenue}

“Rill Rill” Sleigh Bell, {Treats}

“Leave my Body” Florence + the Machine {Ceremonials}

“The Speed of a Star” “Smoke & Mirrors” “You Want the Candy” The Raveonettes, {Lust, Lust, Lust}

“Hello Sunshine” Super Furry Animals, {Phantom Power}

Herman Dune {Switzerland Heritage}

RJD2 {Deadringer}

“So Gone” Best Coast {Sun Was High (So Was I)}

“First Timer” Elliott Smith {New Moon}

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