2012-2-7

THE TUFTS DAILY

Mostly Sunny 45/24

MBTA bans alcohol advertisements on transit systems

by Jenna

Buckle

Daily Editorial Board

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) last month announced that starting July 1, alcohol advertisements will be prohibited from appearing on all of its property, including in subway cars, trains and buses.

The move is in response to pressure from the community and several substance-abuse coalition groups, according to Jonathan Davis, interim general manager of the MBTA. “We think that we could contribute to a better community by not having alcohol ads on our system,” Davis told the Daily.

“It’s the right thing to do.”

Davis believes that the alcohol ads might have a negative impact on the young people who depend on the MBTA for transportation to and from school every day.

“It is a social responsibility of ours to make sure that we give the youth who ride our system an appropriate environment to get to where they’re going,” he explained.

He added that the MBTA does not expect any loss in revenue from the ban.

Alcohol will join tobacco on the list of substances that MBTA authorities have

Elizabeth Warren supporters hold voter registration drives on campus

by Shana

Friedman

Daily Editorial Board

Tufts Students for Elizabeth Warren, an unofficial student group organized to help elect Massachusetts Democratic Senate candidate and Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren, will today run voter registration drives as part of a statewide College Day of Action sponsored by the Warren campaign in an effort to register students to vote for her next fall.

There will be voter registration tables in the Dewick-MacPhie and Carmichael Dining Halls today during heavily trafficked lunch and dinner periods.

The event is being held in conjunction with drives at many other colleges in Massachusetts to build support for Warren among students, according to Benjamin Badejo, the head of the Tufts Students for Elizabeth Warren group.

At other campuses, supporters will go doorto-door at on-campus student residences to garner support and register new voters.

Students who register today will not be able to participate in the presidential primary this March but will be eligible to vote in the September Senate primary and in November’s general election, according to Badejo, a senior.

Badejo said that because many students change their addresses after the housing lot-

courtesy skinyon

see WARREN, page 2

Tufts Students for Elizabeth Warren is running voter registration drives today in DewickMacPhie and Carmichael dining halls.

see MBTA, page 2

Alumnus opens local car-sharing company by

Rebecca Kimmel

Contributing Writer

Mint Cars On-Demand, a car-sharing company with locations in New York City and Boston, last week opened a new location in Davis Square.

The company, founded by Tufts alumnus Richard Ull (LA ’96), provides access to vehicles for as little as an hour or for as long as several days.

“For Tufts students and faculty, it is a great alternative to having a car and still being able to get around,” Ull told the Daily.

The Davis Square location is at 53 Day St., just off of Holland

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

VOLUME LXIII, NUMBER 8

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

St. and behind the post office, according to Richard Mulligan, director of marketing and sales for Mint Cars On-Demand in New England.

Memberships are available for individuals who are 21 years old and over, Mulligan said.

The service is useful for students who might not want a car on campus, but would like to have access to a vehicle to run errands or take a short trip, Ull said. He said that it is also good for the environment to have fewer cars on the road.

“Most communities like the idea of less congestion and see MINTCARS, page 2

Oliver Porter / Tufts Daily

Mint Cars On-Demand, a car-sharing company with locations in New York City and Boston, opened a new location in Davis Square last week.

Sororities enjoy record recruitment by

Melissa Wang

Daily Editorial Board

There were a record 185 participants in last month’s sorority recruitment, reflecting a growing interest in Greek life over the past several years at Tufts. That figure is up from 172 in 2011 and 166 in 2010, according to Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Su McGlone.

118 girls ultimately received bids, with Alpha Phi giving out 39, Chi Omega giving out 35 and Alpha Omicron Pi (AOPi) giving out 44, according to McGlone.

McGlone said she is not surprised about the growing number of participants.

“Membership in fraternities and sororities is on a nationwide increase,” McGlone said.

“The organizations are making a stronger move to focus on their values and to help students find a home away from home on campus, things that today’s college students are looking for.”

Chi Omega President Linzy Prudden also offered an explanation for the increased popularity in Greek life.

“Maybe the chapters have been doing a better job at marketing and letting people know about events, but overall I think it’s just that Greek life has been getting more popular in general,” Prudden,

Inside this issue

Public meeting tonight about MBTA changes

a sophomore, said.

McGlone added that in spite of the high level of interest, the sororities still used the guaranteed bid system, which has been in place for more than a decade.

“Anyone who fully participates in the process would be guaranteed a bid somewhere in the community, but not necessarily a bid to the organization of her choice,” McGlone explained.

Although prospective members might not have gotten into their favorite sorority, Tufts Panhellenic Council President Gianna Wilkie believes they were generally pleased.

“Most girls seemed really happy with the bids they got,” Wilkie, a senior, said.

The high level of satisfaction among participants is in large part due to the mutual selection process, a computer system that matches girls with their preferred sororities and sororities with their favorite prospective members, according to McGlone.

Over the past couple of years, the Panhellenic Council has been discussing the option of adding a fourth sorority to meet the growing demand in Greek affairs, according to Wilkie, who believes that the sorority would likely be established within the next two years. see SORORITIES, page 2

In response to the service cuts and fare increases recently proposed by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Somerville and Medford residents will be able to give their input at two public meetings scheduled for this month.

State Representatives Paul Donato (D-Medford, Malden), Carl Sciortino (D-Medford, Somerville) and Sean Garballey (D-Arlington, Medford) along with State Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Middlesex) will be holding a public informational meeting tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at Medford City Hall.

The MBTA will be holding a public meeting on Feb. 28 at 6:00 p.m. at Somerville High School, and is also holding many public meetings across the area to gather public comments on its two proposals, which could include the discontinuation of the 96 bus route from Davis to Harvard Square that serves Tufts along Boston and College Avenues.

The proposals may also include a Charlie Card fare increase from $1.25 to $1.75 for a bus ride and from $1.70 to $2.40 for a subway trip.

—by Laina Piera

Today’s sections

The search for a worthy University Chaplain to succeed David O’Leary continues.

The Iranian film ‘A seperation’ is snubbed of an Academy Awards nomination.

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 5

News Features Arts & Living Classifieds

1 3 5 6

Editorial | Letters Op-Ed Comics Sports

8 9 10 Back

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News

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

New car-sharing company offers local alternative to Zipcar MINTCARS

continued from page 1

it eliminates the expenses of having a car,” he said.

The Davis Square location offers Nissan Sentras, according to the Mint Cars On-Demand website.

Ull, who is both CEO and founder of Mint Cars On-Demand, launched the company in 2008 in New York and expanded to the Boston area in 2011. There are currently twelve locations in greater Boston, including lots in Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Porter Square.

The large concentration of universities and students in the Boston area makes it an ideal locale for Mint Cars On-Demand service, according to Ull. Customers can sign up for a membership online at www. drivemint.com for $25. Cars can be reserved at the rate of six to eleven dollars an hour or at a daily rate, depending on the car, location and time, according to Mulligan.

“Every reservation includes gas, insurance and up to 180 miles per reservation,” Mulligan told the Daily. “Once you book [a car], you can go anywhere you want. Say you want to take it away for a week, that can be done too by just calling our customer service number and arranging that ahead of time.”

The company gives customers the ability to search for exactly the car they need,

according to Mulligan.

“You can refine the search by vehicle, as well as by time, and as well as by location,” he said.

“Our catchphrase is you can go where you want, when you want, and it is very much like that. Once you’ve booked it, you can go anywhere you want.”

Mint Cars On-Demand also has fifty locations in the New York area and is the secondlargest car sharing company in the Boston area after Zipcar.

Both Ull and Mulligan believe that Mint Cars On-Demand is less expensive and more community- and customerfriendly than the much larger Zipcar and other car sharing companies in the area, such as RelayRides.

“We are a much smaller, member-focused company and are able to [make] our services at least 25 percent less expensive than Zipcar,” Mulligan said. “We consider ourselves the more community based car sharing company.”

There are currently four Toyota Priuses available for use stationed around the Medford/ Somerville campus through Zipcar.

Mint Cars On-Demand last year acquired the assets of the Somerville-based car-sharing company iCar, which discontinued its service.

“The best part about a Mint membership is having the freedom to decide when you need a car, and almost as important, when you don’t need a car,” Mulligan said.

Tobias Reeuwijk/Tufts Daily

A record number of girls signed up for sorority recruitment, which occurred the last full week of January.

Fourth sorority may be added within two years

SORORITIES

continued from page 1

Wilkie added that since McGlone filled the vacant position of Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs last fall, talks have progressed, though the Panhellenic Council would first need approval from the National Panhellenic Conference to bring a fourth sorority to the Hill.

McGlone said the process for adding a fourth sorority would last around a year.

The Panhellenic Council responded to the increase in

Greek life popularity during last fall’s recruitment by raising the total number of members allowed in each sorority, according to Wilkie.

“We hadn’t raised the total in a long time, but it was raised this fall, which allowed AOPi and Alpha Phi to recruit some more girls in the fall,” she said.

Only AOPi and Alpha Phi were able to host fall recruitment because Chi Omega membership exceeded that of the other two, according to Wilkie.

“All three sororities need to be similar in size and have

similar classes for each year,” she explained. “Once that happens, I say we’d have a good chance of starting to look at extension and forming a committee to begin the whole process of establishing a new sorority at Tufts.”

Now that participants have accepted their bids, the new member period has begun and will last six to eight weeks, according to McGlone.

“It’s a really fun time for them to learn more about their organization and what it’s founded on,” she said.

Students discuss importance of upcoming Senate race WARREN

continued from page 1

tery, the group is considering holding another voter registration drive either toward the end of the semester or immediately after the housing lottery in March. He believes that this decision would enable students to register with addresses that are valid for the September Senate primary and November’s general election.

Badejo started the Tufts group last fall when interest in Warren’s campaign heightened at an early October fundraiser in Boston.

“I thought it would be a great idea to start building support on campus by organizing people to get involved with the campaign,” he said.

Since its inception, the group has participated in phone banking at the Warren campaign headquarters in Somerville and on local campuses, most recently at a Harvard Law School event that attracted over 70 volunteers, according to Badejo. The group also goes door to door to raise support, a tactic that they have used so far at approximately 300 residences in the Medford and Somerville areas, he said.

Samuel Kelly, who has been involved with the Warren campaign both on campus and as an intern in the campaign office, spoke about the need for voter registration drives at colleges across the country.

“One of the biggest issues for college Democrat groups is getting college students registered because so many college students just aren’t registered to vote,” Kelly, a freshman, said.

He explained that although college students are generally more likely to support Democratic candidates than Republican candidates, they tend to be less likely

than other demographic groups to act on their political beliefs.

“Those are just hundreds of thousands of votes across the country that we just lose, so it’s really important [for] students in groups like us and groups like the Tufts Democrats to register tons of voters,” he said.

Badejo said that the Tufts Students for Elizabeth Warren group consists of about 60 students, most of whom are undergraduates.

“Recently we’ve started to get more [Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy] students on that list, so there’s some overlap between different schools that make up the university,” he said.

Megan Rounseville was the first Fletcher student involved with the Tufts Students for Elizabeth Warren campaign. She signed up for the group two months ago and has since fostered greater support among Fletcher students.

“I sent out a bunch of emails and have found more people who’ve been interested who since have been involved, but prior to me getting involved I know that there weren’t any other Fletcher students that had been on the email list,” she explained.

“I think there will be more involvement as we get closer to the election,” she added.

Kelly characterized this particular campaign as crucial and potentially decisive on a national level.

“This campaign is important because it’s very likely that control of the Senate will rely on the results from Massachusetts,” he said.

Rounseville said the importance of this election should be a motivating factor in getting involved.

“I think this is an opportunity to act,” she said.

Oliver Porter/Tufts Daily

Starting July 1, alcohol advertisements will no longer appear on any Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) property.

Activists emphasize connection between underage drinking and alcohol advertisements

MBTA

continued from page 1

disallowed for advertising.

Alcohol ads can currently be seen on most MBTA facilities, such as stations and vehicles, Davis said.

Various youth coalition and substance abuse groups expressed their concerns about alcohol ads to MBTA officials, and members of the transportation system’s board decided to comply with requests to remove these ads, Davis said.

“It’s been an ongoing discussion over several years, but there has probably been a lot more discussion over the past three to four months,” he said. “The board listened [to the coalition groups], the secretary listened, and I listened.”

Massachusetts ranks within the top ten states for the rate of underage drinking. Community health specialist and Supporting an Alcohol Ad Free Environment in Massachusetts (SAFE MA) Representative Stacy Carruth emphasized that the MBTA’s decision to ban alcohol ads is a milestone for the substance abuse movement.

State Representative Martin

Walsh (D-Dorchester) last year filed a bill that would ban alcohol ads on all state property. If passed, the bill would mandate that alcohol ads could no longer be displayed in public areas like state highways and parks.

“We’re really hopeful that it’s going to pass,” Carruth told the Daily. “It’s wonderful that the MBTA has taken the step to put the ban in place before the bill goes through.”

Walsh commended the MBTA for taking such a proactive approach in regard to the underage drinking problem.

“Young people aren’t going to be surrounded every minute by alcohol ads now,” Walsh told the Daily. “I think that in itself is positive.”

The more than 35 organizations that actively advocated for the cessation of alcohol advertising include the Allston-Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force and SAFE MA, according to Carruth.

She added that SAFE MA has been raising awareness about the connection between exposure to alcohol ads and underage drinking for nearly seven years.

“We have been trying to dem-

onstrate the support that exists for this idea and to work with decisionmakers and legislators to move the ban forward,” she said.

In order to bring attention to the issue, SAFE MA collected data from T-riders about their opinions on both the alcohol ads and youth subjection to those ads, she said.

The organization also procured over 1,000 petition signatures and solicited the help of youth coalition groups to send postcards directly to the MBTA manager.

The Allston-Brighton Substance Abuse Task Force made a presentation in December to Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary and CEO Richard Davey and other board members in which young students convinced the MBTA that the alcohol ads are detrimental to the community, Carruth said.

Carruth expressed appreciation for this move on the part of MBTA officials, especially in light of the current precarious economic climate.

“We really applaud them for trying to make this state a better place,” she said.

Features

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tuftsdaily.com

Ben Schwalb | Das Coding

Carrier IQ

A

TUFTS UNIVERSITY PHOTO

Former University Chaplain David O’Leary retired last semester after spending nearly 15 years on the Hill.

Tufts has large shoes to fill as search for new University Chaplain begins O’Leary’s replacement must live up to considerable legacy by

Amelia Quinn

Daily Editorial Board

Following on the heels of former University Chaplain David O’Leary’s abrupt retirement last semester, the university is beginning a search for his replacement. But finding another University Chaplain who can live up to the reputation O’Leary built for himself may be difficult.

O’Leary — who first joined the Tufts Community in 1998 — became the first Roman Catholic to serve as the University Chaplain when he was promoted to the position in 2002.

In addition to his job as Chaplain, O’Leary taught courses within the Department of Religion and helped to foster interfaith dialogue among students and faculty.

He was vital to the launch of the Interfaith Center in 2007, which houses the offices of the Catholic, Muslim and Protestant Chaplains. It also serves as a location for worship services, meetings and other events for the campus’s various chaplaincies as well as other student religious groups.

“Even though Father Dave was a Catholic by vocation, he did a really great job of reaching out to all faiths,” senior Chris Gardner, the president of the Catholic Community at Tufts (CCT), said.

“Whether or not the new Chaplain is Catholic or Protestant, what really matters is that they’re someone who can reach across boundaries,” he said.

Chief of Staff of the Office of the President Michael Baenen agreed that in searching for the next Chaplain, the university is looking for someone who can follow in O’Leary’s footsteps.

“We are proceeding with a rigorous search process to find an outstanding successor to David O’Leary,” Baenen said.

In its search for a replacement, the Office of the President is taking into account voices from across campus.

“I know that they’re beginning the process shortly,” Gardner said. “They’re going to be gathering leaders from all

the religious student groups on campus that are either recognized by TCU [Tufts Community Union] or on their way to recognition, to talk about what we’re looking for in a university chaplain and what someone in the role of a chaplain can do.”

Baenen added that the university is looking to draw from a wide range of opinions on campus in order to focus its search.

“We are laying the groundwork for the search with a pair of stakeholder retreats this week,” Baenen said.

“We have invited representatives of all the student religious organizations to participate, as well as representatives from the TCU Senate and the Leonard Carmichael Society.

The participants in these retreats will include the chaplains and other faculty and staff, all of whom will get the opportunity to share their vision for the Chaplaincy as well as what they hope to see in the next University Chaplain, according to Baenen. This input will help define the qualities the university will look for in its search.

To facilitate the search, the Office of the President will appoint a search advisory committee, which will report to University President Anthony Monaco and will work in conjunction with an experienced search consultant.

“Our goal is to ensure that the next University Chaplain can provide leadership to sustain and advance a tradition of vibrant spiritual practice, profound ethical reflection and effective action to better the world,” Baenen said.

According to Catholic Chaplain Lynn Cooper, the wide array of religious views that are present at Tufts may make it difficult to find a replacement chaplain who is capable of bridging those varied perspectives. “[CCT] is a very diverse community.

It [consists of ] students who are very involved and very committed to their faith in ways that are very exciting,” Cooper said. “They’re making connections about what it means to be a college student who is religious. These are

the questions at the heart of our community.”

Gardner agreed that finding a good replacement will not be an easy task.

“Tufts is a very different school — it’s no [Boston College]. It’s not religiously affiliated,” Gardner said.

“We tend to be on the more liberal side of things, which makes it harder to find someone that is what the community is looking for, someone who can balance all of the faiths and those beliefs, and how we can all work together instead of focusing on what is different,” he added.

While the Reverend Patricia Budd Kepler is only serving as the University Chaplain ad interim, she knows the Chaplaincy well, having previously served in the same position. Her impressive resume also includes a stint as Director of Ministerial Studies at Harvard Divinity School, as well as Director of Women’s Program for the Board of Christian Education of the Presbyterian Church, USA. “We are fortunate that [Rev. Kepler] is serving as our University Chaplain ad interim,” Baenen said. “She is uniquely qualified to provide for a smooth transition and to maintain the momentum in the Chaplaincy.”

In the meantime, Gardner hopes to work with Rev. Kepler to position CCT for further growth before he graduates this May. “One of my goals is to start expanding … having the religious groups on campus doing more things together, especially social events,” Gardner said.

As President of CCT, Gardner has had the opportunity to meet with several potential candidates, and he stressed the importance of finding someone who could serve as a unifier for the diverse religious community on campus.

“I’ve met two individuals who are very good at balancing different faiths [so far], but it’s definitely not the easiest thing,” Gardner said. “Not everyone that’s actively engaged in religion has that skill set.”

s we do more and more on our smartphones, issues of privacy become more and more important. Yet the laws surrounding these issues are not up with the times. We have clearly defined decades-old laws establishing what phone companies are and are not allowed to keep track of when we call someone. But similar rules do not exist to protect our location, where we go on the Internet, etc.

Recent controversy erupted over the use of the Carrier IQ software, preinstalled on many smartphones to record much of what customers are doing with their phones. The debate over this one program is essentially resolved. Verizon confirmed that it never used Carrier IQ, Sprint is disabling it on the phones that do have it, and although AT&T didn’t back down, it is doubtful that the company will expand the use of this software beyond the one percent of its devices that currently contain it.

Although there are allegations that the software is an illegal form of wiretapping, it seems likely that the current lawsuits against Carrier IQ will fail. Cell phone carriers did allow for this in contracts, as stipulated under current law. However, a draft of a new Mobile Device Privacy Act in Congress seeks to require carriers to get explicit consent from each customer to install such software. But what is Carrier IQ recording? What’s so bad about it?

Most of the data actually collected and stored by the cell phone carriers until now were relatively harmless. Logs of whom you called and texted sound creepy, but are also available (and legally required to be stored) by cell phone towers. The most personal aspect of the data was what apps you had installed, so that customer service could, for instance, recommend that you uninstall a specific app to increase your battery life.

However, what’s more important is that carriers could have asked for what the program had accessed. Recording what comes through a cell tower allows a certain degree of privacy, notably via encryption. When you access an encrypted site like Gmail.com, the first thing your computer or phone does is establish a secret number with Gmail that you will both use to encrypt and decrypt messages. Anyone trying to look at what Gmail is sending you without this secret number sees gibberish.

An aside: Not all websites are encrypted!

An encrypted website begins with https:// instead of http://. Encryption hides what you type into forms and which specific pages on a site you visit. For example, if you view https:// nytimes.com, a snooper knows that you are visiting that site, but not which articles you are reading. Likewise, until Facebook quite recently changed its policy, people surfed using http://facebook.com, meaning anyone looking at your Internet traffic could read all of your messages, wall posts, etc.

But an app on your phone can circumvent this encryption. Essentially, the Carrier IQ app can see whatever you see. So although someone listening in to your encrypted conversation with Gmail sees gibberish, an app sees the plain text that you see on your phone. For this reason, most phones have a permissions system where apps must be granted explicit permission to do something like read your emails or track your location.

The problem with Carrier IQ is that it was preinstalled on phones with permission to do everything. This new law seeks, appropriately, to require that you give explicit permission to allow an app access to your personal data.

What’s much more important than deciding whether or not cell phone carriers were explicit enough in asking consumers’ permission to be tracked, though, is that consumers understand privacy issues like encryption and are cognizant of them.

Ben Schwalb is a member of the Class of 2012, who majored in computer science.

He can be reached at Benjamin.Schwalb@ tufts.edu.

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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

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Arts & Living

5

tuftsdaily.com

Album Review

barasch on books | James barasch

Dr. Dog’s ‘Be the Void’ successfully fuses psychedelic-pop with folk soul by

Kate Griffiths

Daily Editorial Board

Dr. Dog released its seventh album, entitled “Be the Void,” this week to a chorus of generally favorable appraisal

Be the Void

Dr. Dog Anti-Records from fans and critics alike. The newest album is yet another successful fusion of folk and psychedelic-pop soul that harks back to the British pop movement of the 1990s, while at the same time incorporating even older elements of playful ’60s guitar.

Hailing from Pennsylvania, this six piece band self-released its first album in 2001. While Dr. Dog has changed its lineup it has finally found its signature sound after eleven years of polishing its music and working to find the right band members.

While “Be the Void” might be a solid record overall, its opener “Lonesome” is a fairly weak start to a record that fluctuates in strength throughout its duration. “Lonesome,” a somewhat folksy ballad, has vocalist Toby Leaman repeating the line “What does it take to be lonesome?/Nothing at all” in tones that lack the excitement necessary to make the song great. The twang of

Rock Coustau via Flickr Commons

Dr. Dog treats the audience to a psychedelic freak out. the guitars and occasional change in Leaman’s tones add a little flair to the song, but, despite such moments, the song should have been written off the album entirely.

Thankfully, the second track makes up for this mistake. “That Old Black

Hole” has the simplistic groove of a Moldy Peaches song, but is backed up by jazz-funk fusion guitar riffs and odd noises that transform it into something much more intricate. Leaman conveys see DR. DOG, page 6

TV Review

Movie Review

‘The Office’ fails to deliver laughs after seven seasons

Masterful acting, direction make ‘A Separation’ a classic

by

Alex Hanno

Daily Editorial Board

Quit while you’re ahead. That sound advice is rarely heeded by the television world. In the case of NBC’s “The Office,”

The Office Starring Rainn Wilson, James Spader, John Krasinski Airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC such words of wisdom were thoroughly ignored after the show’s star, Steve Carell, left last season. Instead, the series has plodded onward without its iconic lead.

The result has been the steep, steady decline of a once brilliant comedy series into a sad, painful half hour of television.

David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons

Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) has become a caricature of himself in the seventh season.

This year, “The Office” entered its eighth season, and despite lacking Carrell’s character, Michael Scott, it has managed to maintain decent ratings with an average of roughly six million viewers per episode, down from 7.7 million last year. Sadly, these numbers have nothing to do with the quality of the current season: “The Office” has now become one of the most pathetic shows on television.

If anything, the ratings only display how devoted fans are to a show that was once great but is now struggling through some crippling creativity issues.

It is understandable, perhaps even expected, for a show to decline in quality after seven seasons on the air. Throw in the loss of a show’s lead, and it becomes all the more likely. Examples such as “That ’70s Show” (1998-2006) and “Scrubs” (2001-2010) demonstrate the challenges to a sitcom’s success after the lead character departs — both shows came to an end one season after their leads departed.

“The Office” is no exception. After Carell left, the quality of the show plummeted.

Episodes became riddled with poor plot lines, lame humor and failed characterizations. Now, “The Office” does not even vaguely resemble the show fans had come to love.

So, what specifically went wrong this season? To start, the characters have all become predictable. While this is the case for most of the cast, Dwight Schrute, (Rainn Wilson) leads this charge, having transformed into an overt caricature of the character he played in the show’s initial seasons. The ensemble’s actions are no longer surprising, outrageous, or odd; they are formulaic.

For many sitcoms, this might be a manageable change, but “The Office” has always depended on absurd, seemingly unscripted actions to generate humor.

For those who don’t know, “The Office” see OFFICE, page 6

by

Alex Hanno

Daily Editorial Board

Critically, 2011 was a mediocre year for Hollywood, perhaps one of the most disappointing in a long time. Despite

A Separation Starring Peyman Maadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat Directed by Asghar Farhadi pumping out a variety of moneymakers over the summer, very few quality films surfaced. Yet, standing out among the numerous letdowns is the lauded Iranian film, “A Separation,” which, in its brilliance, rose high above the rest.

Set in contemporary Iran, “A Separation” focuses on a couple’s troubled marriage, as Nader (Peyman Moaadi) attempts to take care of his Alzheimer’s afflicted father and Simin (Leila Hatami) seeks to leave the country so that their daughter may grow up with a better life.

When Nader hires a woman by the name of Razieh (Sareh Bayat) to aid in caring for his father, situations spiral out of control and culminate in a ruthless legal battle that threatens to tear apart the lives of all those involved.

At first glance, this somewhat simple plot may not sound like the most riveting of stories. Yet, as the story progresses the audience is presented with a vivid, almost haunting picture of how quickly one’s life can fall to ruin, often due to circumstances out of his or her control.

The morass of lies, beliefs, traditions and emotions that forms by the story’s end will have even the most careless viewer thoroughly intrigued.

Much of “A Separation’s” appeal comes from the understated perforsee SEPARATION, page 6

A personal angle on Marx elcome back from winter recess,

W

everyone. Hopefully you had an opportunity to catch up on some great reading. The new year inevitably brings in a batch of historical biographies, and in my next two reviews I examine new biopics on two important figures: Karl Marx, the founder of one of the most influential socio-economic-political movements of the 20th century, and George Kennan, arguably the greatest grand strategist of the American Cold War. The recent economic recession has demonstrated the weaknesses of both capitalism and socialism, as American businesses struggle to recover and reform-minded protesters take to the streets while European countries, once able to support a complicated social safety net, now find themselves unable to pay the bills. Thus, in an era when the ideas of Karl Marx appear increasingly consigned to the ash heap of history, Mary Gabriel’s “Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution,” is timely indeed.

Rather than focusing on Karl Marx’s ideas, Gabriel paints a grippingly human picture of this “passionate logician” and the trials his family endured for his sake. The passionate and complex tale is anchored in a grand love story between the father of international socialism and the woman who adored him. It is the story of Marx’s great loves: his wife Jenny, their six children, his friend, collaborator and benefactor Friedrich Engels, and, lastly, the proletariat to whom Marx devoted his life’s work. Ironically, the truest relationship of all in Gabriel’s narrative is not found between Marx and Jenny, but rather between Marx and Engels.

In many ways, “Love and Capital” is a “bromance” of sorts, exploring the joyful, intellectual and emotional bond the pair shared.

While Gabriel understandably tries to bring Jenny to the forefront, it is Engels who remains the reliable presence in Marx’s life through both his intellectual collaboration and his support of Marx’s domestic situation. Engels, part of a wealthy German textile family, dedicated the bulk of his earnings to Marx and his family, and through these regular financial contributions, the family was kept from destitution. Even after the deaths of Jenny in 1881 and Marx in 1883, Engels remained a devoted family guardian, ensuring the welfare of Marx’s surviving daughters and zealously guarding their father’s intellectual legacy.

In “Love and Capital,” Gabriel presents a vivid picture of the mundane challenges that face a family teetering on the brink of abject poverty as it travels back and forth across Europe. It also delves into the word of his intellectual handicaps, both physical and mental. Throughout adulthood, he suffered from numerous ailments, including debilitating carbuncles that flared up whenever the pressure to produce material intensified.

Gabriel’s book is well written, but I believe it is overly long and overwrought. “Love and Capital” loses much of its dramatic force and conceptual coherence after the successive deaths of Jenny and Marx in the final 100 pages. When the focus shifts to Engels and the two surviving Marx daughters, the remaining text pales in comparison to the rest of the book. Without the captivating charm and enthusiasm of the disorganized character of Marx, the most compelling part of the book is lost. While readers may be absorbed by Engels’ efforts to make order out of Marx’s chaotic drafts of “Capital” or the sad suicidal ends of his daughters Eleanor and Laura, it simply doesn’t go far enough to hold the reader’s interest.

Nevertheless, Gabriel’s pastiche of anecdotes offers an engaging picture of Marx’s partners and colleagues. In the process, she provides a superficial but accessible introduction to some of the key tenets that formed Marxism. The book may not deepen any understanding as to the origins of Marx’s ideas, but with the familiar and personal portrait Gabriel paints, it does encourage a broader appreciation for the man himself.

James Barasch is a sophomore majoring in history. He can be reached at James.

Barasch@tufts.edu.

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Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences overlooks ‘A Separation’ SEPARATION

continued from page 5

mances given by its amazing cast. None of the actions is unbelievable or over the top, and the actors express such honest emotion while reasoning through situations that nearly any viewer can relate to.

Such acting thoroughly humanizes the characters and gives them depth, leaving no true antagonist to blame for the mishaps that riddle the film. Rather than setting up one-dimensional foes and heroes, the film explores the faults of each character in a way that makes them wholly empathetic to the viewer.

Of course, much of the drama “A Separation” skillfully builds can be credited to the film’s impeccable script. Because the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, people often assume that the film’s writing is brilliant. Watching the movie confirms this assumption. Few films in recent years have rendered emotions and plotlines as poignant as those in “A Separation.”

As the story revolves around families and their daily lives, much of the dialogue is realistic to the point of seeming trivial. The script is laden with verbal crutches, interruptions and tense pauses. Yet factors such as these go a tremendous length in making the film believable and compelling, for all of the conversations seem genuine and

unscripted. These small touches make the film truly superb.

Since it is a foreign film, “A Separation” is presented in Persian with English subtitles. Unlike many foreign films though, the subtitles perfectly match the actors’ tones and expressions, in no way detracting from the overall experience. Surprisingly, the subtitles are almost unneeded, for the actors manage to convey their lines so well with intonations and body language that even without knowing Persian, the viewer can understand what is happening.

All things considered, this movie would be nothing without the work of writer/director Asghar Farhadi. While his script is seemingly flawless, the direction behind the film is no less worthy of mention. Farhadi’s sense of space and precise camera placement perfectly complements the sparseness of the script. Many, if not all of the camera angles were constructed in a fashion that utilizes every ounce of space on the screen, forcing viewers not only to take in the characters and their sincere intensity, but the environments around them as well. This all-capturing method of filming serves to develop a deep sense of awareness within the viewer and in turn create an empathetic mood that remains consistent throughout the film.

Farhadi’s techniques and genuine skill are demonstrated most

sonyclassics.com/aseparation/

Leila Hatami and Peyman Moaadi deliver fine, nuanced performances in “A Separation.” prominently in the parallel between the film’s cold opening sequence and its drawn out finale. The comparison arouses a deep sense of symbolism just as stark while producing a simple brilliance.

As if being a stunning piece of art weren’t enough, “A Separation” also serves the audience on a more

‘Be The Void’ champions psychedelic-pop fusion in a world generally devoid of it Dr. dog

continued from page 5

uncertainty and helplessness with the lyrics, “I don’t want to fight/But I’m constantly ready/ And I don’t rock the boat/But it’s always unsteady.” The song progresses into a chorus that eventually becomes a cheerful celebration of these weaknesses, an optimistic ending for a song with such a dubiously happy name.

The next two tracks, “These Days” and “How Long Must I Wait?,” could be called enjoyable but are far from outstanding.

“Do the Trick” is one of Dr. Dog’s more memorable tunes.

The song exudes a psychedelic vibe, with lyrics such as “You could say I’m a lunatic/Won’t you set my mind at ease/Won’t you do the trick” leading into an echo-ridden chorus that’s flooded by the rich harmonies of all the other band members. The following track, “Vampire,” manages to meld insistent, punctual chords with Leaman’s suitably abrasive vocals as he growls, “You’re a vampire baby.”

One of the next tracks, “Heavy Light,” goes further down the pop route than the rest of the album. With random xylophone-esque noises occurring in the background, the sound is somewhat akin to Yeasayer or Neon Indian with their electro-pop aesthetic. The song’s distinction from the rest of the album is clear from the beginning: the off-beat tribal drumming that starts off the

Diario de un pixel via Flickr Commons

Toby Leaman’s versatile vocals are key to Dr. Dog’s sound. song and segues into an instrumental conclusion that, while completely out of touch with the rest of the album, remains enjoyable nonetheless.

The album’s penultimate song, “Warrior Man,” is one of the album’s highlights and also one of its most playful songs.

Through silly glam-rock conventions, the track tells the tale of a mysterious warrior. Leaman sings with an irony reminiscent of English singer/songwriter Damon Albarn when he states, “Well I am the ancient warrior man/And I hail from the ancient warrior clan.” This upbeat end to an otherwise seriously themed album, one full of songs dealing with issues of loneliness and abandonment, harks back to the

group’s earlier, more lighthearted music for a refreshing change of pace.

The last song on the album, “Turning the Century,” picks up with the familiar twanging guitar again, lending an air of jovial flippancy to the overall album.

Regardless of whether or not Dr. Dog is really the sort of band capable of putting on a good live performance, it seems evident from the pure frivolous nature of their music that the bandmembers have fun not only writing it, but playing it as well. Though Dr. Dog has not always been critically acclaimed or headlined any large festivals, the quality of its continued work speaks for itself.

basic level: it educates. As many American viewers are unlikely to know much about Iranian culture, the movie attempts to reveal a number of cultural aspects along the way, teaching as it entertains.

“A Separation” is a near perfect work. Despite its status as a little known foreign film, this master-

piece swept the cinematic field in terms of quality, with acting, writing and direction arguably better than that of any other film this year.

The true shame is that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences overlooked “A Separation” in its nominations for Best Picture — an award the film truly deserves.

NBC should look past strong ratings, halt ‘The Office’ OFFICE

continued from page 5

is a mockumentary — a sitcom filmed in a documentary fashion, in which the actors don’t seem to be acting, but instead are simply being “documented.”

Now though, Dwight and the rest of the cast clearly act for the camera and perform very rigidly as their characters most likely would, taking away all of the shock humor the mockumentary format relies upon.

Much of this shock humor came from Michael Scott, whose awkward comments or inappropriate jokes always seemed to take the audience by surprise.

After Carell’s departure, producers set out to fill the void of his antics, bringing in James Spader to play the office’s CEO and promoting Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) to the position of manager. With Spader’s brilliant performance in season seven’s finale as the sharp, intimidating and brash Robert California, the choice initially seemed like a solid one.

Unfortunately, the decision turned out to be a major flop.

After a half season of development, Spader’s character transformed into an overly annoying and creepy addition to the cast, spoiling his clever, daunting guest appearance last season.

As for Andy, his promotion turned him into a pathetic and far too serious character, doing away with the goofy a cappella singer that once amused fans.

When it comes to the fanfavorite couple, Jim and Pam

(John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer), the pair’s capers still turn a smile here and there.

Unfortunately, with Fischer’s real-life pregnancy forcing her to go on leave this season and Jim growing into his role as a father and out of his role as a prankster, the couple does not command the audience attention it used to.

The result of these cast changes and character underdevelopments is a show void of true direction. Most episodes seem unconcerned with plot arcs, failing to elicit a single chuckle. The deadpan humor from which “The Office” was born is long gone, replaced by cheap comedy worthy of some failed midseason replacement sitcom.

Lamentably, watching “The Office” has become more of a chore than anything else.

Many fans continue to tune in because they have done so for seven years and giving up on a show once loved so dearly is not all that easy. Yet it is a sacrifice that needs to be made to save the good memories fans have before they are replaced by dreadful moments from the current season.

The sad part, of course, is that NBC will most likely bring “The Office” back next year, as it still ranks among the network’s highest rated shows. If only NBC could part with its ratings to salvage “The Office’s” reputation before things get any worse. Then again, looking at the show’s quality, there really isn’t much left to salvage.

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The elusive fourth sorority

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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Editorial

Daniel J. Rathman Editorial

Editorial | Letters

As any college student understands, the Greek scene is an important part of campus social life, whether you are a brother or sister pledged to a chapter or simply a visitor when the weekend rolls around.

Life at Tufts, with 10 fraternities and three sororities on campus, is no exception.

Greek life is hardly the center of most Jumbos’ social lives, but it still plays a significant role, so it should be as accessible as possible to everyone on campus interested in pledging.

The recent spring rush yielded a record 185 participants for the sororities, and the upward trend seems to have no ceiling in sight. The sororities practice a guaranteed bid system, wherein every applicant that “fully participates” in the process is guaranteed a bid but is not guaranteed her first choice, according to Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Su McGlone.

The Panhellenic Council may have been lucky that enough girls dropped out of the bidding process before it came to an end.

Had more of the 185 participants seen it through to the end, it is the sororities would have been unable to accept them all and

instead may have had to turn some away — which could eventually lead to a culture of exclusivity on this campus that Tufts’ greek system has explicitly tried to avoid.

We credit the sororities for going to great lengths to live up to their commitment to guaranteed bidding: Alpha Phi, Chi Omega and Alpha Omicron Pi gave out 39, 35 and 44 bids, respectively. These are huge tallies, especially when compared to the campus’ fraternities. With many more options, fraternities’ bid yields are lower across the board. Theta Chi, Zeta Psi and Zeta Beta Tau gave out just 33, 25 and 16 bids, respectively. Though fraternity pledging remains as strong as ever, the myriad options help the frats to avoid “over-rushing.”

Clearly, the sororities are already overextending, and the administration recently approved an increase in the maximum membership ceiling for sorority membership in order to allow the chapters to admit more pledges. But the change in policy only did so much — Chi Omega still had to sit out rush in the fall due to its large membership.

The issue is simply mismatched logis-

tics: On a campus with a near 50-50 split of males and females, the number of fraternities is more than triple the number of sororities. When so many people want something that is in such short supply, the end result is people being left out. It’s a sad situation that can be easily rectified: Acknowledge the immense demand and respond by increasing supply.

In other words, Tufts needs to add a fourth sorority. Doing so would allow each one to select pledges that have connected well with their specific chapter while still keeping up the number of acceptances overall. If a fourth chapter isn’t added, the climbing rushing rates will become unsustainable, leading to exclusive groups similar to Harvard’s much-maligned final clubs.

The ball is already rolling, with talks underway with the Panhellenic Council, a positive sign that the community is responding to the situation by taking steps to make sororities accessible to everyone.

But talk only goes so far, and until Tufts has signed off on a fourth sorority, these issues will continue to plague Greek life on campus.

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Off the Hill | University of Illinois

Apple manufacturing practices ‘unethical,’ company must become transparent by the

Daily Illini Editorial Board The Daily Illini

There’s no question about it: we love Apple. Take a stroll on the Quad, and you’ll see student after student charging between classes with ear buds in and an iPod at hand. The media is frequently buzzing about the next iPhone release. Even The Daily Illini newsroom is a shrine to Macs, iPads and iPhones.

These devices have become invaluable to us and hold a nearly constant place in our society ­— but at what price?

Public Radio International’s “This American Life” aired a special about the nitty-gritty of Apple’s manufacturing, reported by Mike Daisey, an amateur journalist and Apple connoisseur who took to Shenzhen, China, looking to answer questions he had about his faith. It would be an understatement to say what he found was unsettling.

During the first hours of his visit to Foxconn’s factory in Shenzhen,

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

where Apple manufactures its products, Daisey met at least three workers under the age of 16 — and he estimated at least 5 percent of workers were underage. These children work under “standard” shifts of 12 hours, which often extend to 14 or 16 without being paid overtime. And depending on the type of work being done, employees could be subject to harmful conditions, such as having to use hexane, a chemical used for cleaning screens. As an extra note: Foxconn is the manufacturing company that received mass suicide threats from its employees earlier this month if it didn’t change its business practices.

Daisey’s monologue goes into excruciating detail, but here’s the thing: we all know unethical labor practices are not exclusive to Apple. Outsourcing has become a business-savvy method of accruing a profit and minimizing cost, largely because of lowered labor costs, and any business that doesn’t have a

hand in it is out for a struggle in this financial climate.

But a teeming business like Apple, whose quarterly net profits hit a record high just last month, has no reason to participate in these immoral practices. The business that made just over $13 billion in the 2011 holiday quarter can afford to coerce its manufacturing partners to raise employee’s working conditions — and not employ underage children — without risking its competitiveness or the low costs of its product to its consumers.

Since the uproar over Foxconn’s working conditions, Apple CEO Tim Cook released a memo to his employees, detailing the provisions they’d be taking to make amends and ways to remain transparent about the manufacturing process. These are the first steps. Such ghastly conditions can only be stopped with Apple’s whole-hearted intent to put an end to child labor and inhumane working conditions.

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Op-Ed

Off the Hill | University of Illinois

Walt Laws-MacDonald | Show Me The Money!

Romney’s plan for austerity ignores Europe’s economic woes

I used to believe, in all my naivete, that politicians took positions and crafted policy based on evidence. Even if we disagreed, I would try to give them the benefit of the doubt, reason away the differences and assume that they were looking at a different set of data than I was.

I’m not sure I still believe that.

When Mitt Romney says, as is his wont, that President Barack Obama is taking political cues from “social democrats in Europe” whose policies aren’t working, he is misrepresenting both Obama’s views and the political dynamics of Europe.

Europe is not being overrun by socialists. All of the major governments are being led by centerright coalitions: David Cameron’s Tories in Britain, Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats in Germany, Nicolas Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement in France and, until two months ago, Silvio Berlusconi’s People of Freedom in Italy.

There lies the not-so-subtle irony in Romney’s remarks. Yes, Europe is stagnant. But not because of socialistic attempts at stimulus. It is stagnant because of a misguided fumbling toward austerity that is much closer to the fiscal policies of Romney and theRepublicans than Obama and the Democrats.

Britain is a good example. When Prime Minister David Cameron came to office, he promised to revitalize the British economy by cutting public spending and bringing deficits under control. His efforts to slash $130 billion in spending over four years have included everything from welfare reductions to downsizing Britain’s public workforce (projected to cost 490,000 jobs).

Two years later, Cameron’s experiment in austerity has been a dismal failure. Budget cuts have slowed growth and accelerated inflation. The pound has weakened against all 16 of the world’s most-traded currencies, including the euro. And the prospect of a double-dip recession is rearing its ugly head as GDP fell by 0.5 percent in the final quarter of 2011.

Even worse problems with austerity can be seen in mainland Europe, as Greece and Italy have found themselves trapped in its fiscal web. To reduce deficits, both countries have agreed to savage cuts in spending. But the effectiveness of the cuts has been undermined by sharp drops in economic demand, employment and tax revenues, which have left the Greeks and Italians right back where they started: mired in debt.

by Jason

The Golden APPL

Febery

L

The Daily Illini

MCT

Meanwhile, the United States has fared quite well under the expansionary policies of President Obama.

Quarterly GDP growth has risen from its depths of -8.9 percent in the final quarter of 2008 to its current level of 2.8 percent; the Dow Jones industrial average has increased by almost 60 percent since Obama took office, and more than 3.2 million jobs have been created in the last 22 months.

The contrast could not be clearer: Europe’s policies of austerity have led to stagnation, while America’s policies of stimulus have led to growth.

A recent study conducted by the McKinsey Global Institute confirms this. Of the 10 largest developed countries in the world, the study found that the United States has seen the quickest and strongest economic turnaround.

Given these positive signs, it is difficult to see why Romney would point to the anemic economies of Europe as a warning against further stimulus. Europe isn’t struggling to recover because its leaders poured billions of dollars into economic relief. Europe is struggling because of the same Hooverian policies that Romney supports, policies that embrace draconian cuts even in the midst of a global recession.

Instead of berating Obama, Romney should look inward. Europe is the canary in his coal mine of poisonous economic ideas. Not only does Romney want to emulate European austerity, he wants to take it several steps further! In some dazzling defiance of arithmetic, Romney supports

slashing federal spending by $6.2 trillion over 10 years in a series of cuts that would be four times as deep — and disastrous — as those made by Cameron in Britain, relative to GDP. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has criticized such blind faith in austerity by comparing it to the medieval practice of a doctor bleeding his patient. Even when the doctor observes that his patient’s health is getting worse, he calls for more bleeding. The deteriorating symptoms become self-fulfilling; they reinforce the need for aggressive treatment, just as escalating debt levels have inspired renewed calls for budget cuts.

The overarching lesson from Europe should be that contractionary fiscal policy is … well, contractionary. When you remove demand from an economy, of course it is going to shrink.

Remove demand too quickly and the reverberating effects can be counterproductive, making deficits worse as an economy shrinks by more than the initial cuts.

The road to economic recovery is tough. For meaningful post-recessionary growth, governments must find a way to balance short-term stimulus with long-term restraint. Our leaders must accept that deficits are unpleasant but unavoidable realities when millions are out of work and in danger of losing their homes. And we, as a people, must resist the reactionary and crippling aversion to deficits that has been spread by European leaders and Mitt Romney alike.

Off the Hill | University of Minnesota

College is the time to travel abroad by

Candice Wheeler

The Minnesota Daily

College is the time to be curious.

We need to take advantage of our time and embark on an adventure before we lose that chance. Traveling and studying abroad, completely immersing yourself in another culture, can impact your life significantly. And if we plan to make a difference in the world as young adults, we need that international experience now more than ever.

Any period of time overseas is worthwhile, and the more time the better because the only way one can really learn about another culture is to live in it. Last semester, I studied abroad in Italy, and I can honestly say

that I did not have enough time there.

Especially when learning a language, four months is barely enough time to mentally unpack. Time flew by as it always does, but I learned more about myself over the course of those four months than I had ever before.

College is a time to embrace personal change and growth and making the choice to travel independently can jumpstart this growing process.

The ability to deal with change helps the traveler’s transition when leaving a place he or she has become deeply accustomed to. It was very difficult for me to leave Italy — my time there felt unfinished. But because I have become accustomed to change, I am able to understand the fact that I am

still young and one day I can go back.

My trip was just the beginning.

I wouldn’t have been able to adjust as well as I did if it weren’t for the people I met. I made lifelong friendships with people from all over the world. There is only experience to be gained by a venture overseas; there’s really nothing to lose.

My time abroad did nothing but make me a more determined person.

I feel rejuvenated to have lived in a different culture, and I think it’s kind of beautiful that I and other students have the freedom to travel and live out these dreams so early in life. Most of us don’t know exactly where we’ll end up, but for now we might as well just enjoy the ride while we’re on it.

ast Wednesday Facebook filed for its long-awaitedinitialpublicoffering(IPO).

As I discussed in an earlier column, Wall Street has had trouble pinning down Facebook’s valuation because it constantly revolutionizes its industry. However, many analysts predict that the IPO will value the company at $100 billion.

But I’d like to focus on another tech giant that has received lots of news but little love in recent weeks: Apple.

Apple has founded its reputation on building things that simply work. But when founder and design visionary Steve Jobs passed away at the end of last year, many questioned if Apple could sustain the unmatched innovation and growth it had experienced under his guidance.

Tim Cook, who took over as CEO in August after Steve Jobs resigned, had been with the company for over a decade by the time Jobs died, serving as Chief Operating Officer since 2007.

Despite Cook’s experience with the company culture and proven business track record, many still believed that Jobs was Apple’s mojo; without him, Apple would become just another computer company.

But what the analysts missed (and any Apple fan will happily tell you) is that Apple is so much more than “just another computer company.” The cult of Steve Jobs — and it really is a cult — came out in full force after his death, plastering Apple stores with Post-It note shrines and eliciting a period of mourning Kim Jong-Il could have only dreamed about.

Over 85 percent of iPhone users expect to buy another iPhone at the end of their current contract, a number competing smartphone manufacturers would die for.

The culture of Apple is to buy Apple. Your iPhone dies? Buy the new one! Your MacBook dies? Buy the new one! Think you need a tablet? You don’t, but buy the iPad! Apple has not only succeeded in supplanting itself in multiple markets, but has managed to expand its user base from one device to the next. When they released their new “iCloud” service with the iPhone 4S, the ads focused on linking all your devices to one service. Take a picture on your iPhone, and watch it instantly appear on your iPad and iMac. According to a November study by market research firm Nielsen, the most popular Christmas list item was an iPad, with 44% of children between the ages of 6 to 12 asking for the tablet. Perhaps even more shockingly, the next two items were also Apple products, as the iPhone and iPod Touch beat out several more conventional game systems.

But let’s look past the shiny screens and polished aluminum and get down to what’s really interesting: quarterly earnings! On Jan. 24, Apple reported quarterly earnings for the first time since Jobs’ death. Analysts poked and prodded at the company’s financials and announced with almost universal consensus that the company’s first quarter profits would suffer from the loss of Jobs. They said that iPhone sales suffered from the 5 versus 4S disappointment (#firstworldproblems) and that last quarter’s earnings miss was a sign of trouble to come.

And then, in an event that shocked some and left others smugly smiling, Apple blew out the number by 37 percent. Crushed it.

Obliterated. $13.87 a share versus the analyst consensus of $10.16.

Shares of Apple immediately shot to an alltime high in after-hours trading, briefly making “just another computer company” the most valuable company in the world. Perhaps most shocking of all, Apple has nearly $100 billion in cash on hand.

Wall Street is still learning that Apple is just different. Many companies have millions of dollars of debt. Apple, on the other hand, is sitting on a mountain of money.

So what do you do with $100 billion? I have no idea — but I hear Facebook’s looking for offers.

Walt Laws-MacDonald is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Walt.Laws_MacDonald@tufts.edu.

Op-ed Policy The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length. Op-Ed cartoons are also welcomed for the Campus Canvas feature. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. All material should be submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com no later than noon on the day prior to the desired day of publication; authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. Submissions may not be published elsewhere prior to their appearance in the Daily, including but not limited to other on- and off-campus newspapers, magazines, blogs and online news websites, as well as Facebook. Republishing of the same piece in a different source is permissible as long as the Daily is credited with originally running the article.

The Tufts Daily

10 SUDOKU

Comics

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

U of Zoo

Level: Getting to Harvard Square on a Saturday

by

Brooke Weber

Non Sequitur

Monday’s Solution

by

Wiley

Late Night at the Daily

Sara: “Where do you live?”

Ethan: “I live ... wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait.

Wait. Wait. I can ask you that question, but you can’t ask me that question.”

C ELEBRATING

OUR

10 TH A NNIVERSARY

THE FARES CENTER FOR EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES Invites you to a Roundtable Discussion

“W HITHER I SRAELI D EMOCRACY ?”

What is oSTEM? oSTEM is a society for LBGT students in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics.

LGBT Center 6:30pm-7:30pm Come meet some new people, learn about oSTEM, and the CSD. Professors Tim Atherton (Physics) and Ben Hescott (Computer Science) will be joining us.

Food will be provided.

Sponsored by

Please recycle this Daily.

FARES CENTER ROUNDTABLES

Wednesday, February 8th

David Kretzmer

Professor Emeritus of International Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Professor of Law at the Sapir Academic College, Israel

David Kretzmer was a founding member and chairperson of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and served as co-chair of the executive board of B’Tselem, the Israel Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. From 1995-2002 he was a member of the UN Human Rights Committee. In the spring of 2006, he was the Visiting Professor of International Law at Tufts University’s Fletcher School and Visiting Scholar at Tufts’ Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies. During 2009/10 he was an Inaugural Fellow at the Straus Institute for the Advanced Study of Law and Justice as New York University School of Law. Kretzmer has authored, among other works, The Occupation of Justice: The Supreme Court of Israel and the Occupied Territories (2002), The Concept of Human Dignity in Human Rights Discourse (2002), a co-edited volume, and The Legal Status of the Arabs in Israel (2002). His articles on human rights and international humanitarian law have appeared in leading law journals, including the American Journal of International Law and the European Journal of International Law. Kretzmer has a LL.B and a LL.M from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Dr. Jur. from York University in Toronto.

Thursday, February 9, 2012 12:30 - 2:00 pm Mugar, Room 129 Space is limited. Register for your free ticket at: http://kretzmer.eventbrite.com The Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies Cabot Intercultural Center 160 Packard Avenue Medford, Massachusetts 02155 http://farescenter.tufts.edu

The Tufts Daily

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Jumbos preparing for NESCAC championships in three weeks MEN’S SWIMMING continued from page 12

won their tri-meet at Wheaton the previous week, the Jumbos managed to sweep several races on Friday. The 400-yard medley relay team of sophomores Craig Olynyk, Andrew Berman and Kyle Savidge and senior Matt Richmond won their race with a time of 3:40.11. The foursome of freshmen John Patterson, Michael Ren, Austin Wood and Kozikowski combined for second, just ahead of Vidikan and freshmen Sean Gunn, John Budrow and Will Parker, who placed third.

Another sweep came in the 1,000-yard feestyle race, with senior co-captain Joe McLoughlin, sophomore Matthew Weins and freshman Ian Dinwoodie outpacing the field for the top three spots. McLoughlin led the trio with a 10:06.29 finish.

The Jumbos wrapped up the action on Friday with the top two marks in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team of Olynyk, Wood, Parker and freshman John Devine combined for a time of 3:13.32, edging out the second place team of senior Jay Farber, Berman, Savidge and senior co-captain Owen Rood, who finished in 3:14.43.

On Saturday morning, the team of

Vidikan, Gunn, Parker and sophomore Eric Douglas were the runners-up in the 200-yard medley relay, clocking 1:40.26.

In third was the foursome of Devine, Ren, Wood and senior Brandon Ching.

Later on Saturday, Vidikan captured the lone individual victory for Tufts with a win in the 200-yard backstroke in 1:59.35.

Vidikan is among the seniors who will not be competing at NESCACs. “It was exciting,” he said. “Some people may say that their last meet’s sad, but I was excited, and the fact that it was my last meet didn’t really sink in until the meet was over.”

The invitational ended on a high note for Tufts, as the team of Rood, Devine, Parker and Berman took second in the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:28.24.

The Jumbos now have three weeks to prepare for the all-important NESCAC championships at Williams College on the weekend of February 24-26.

“I think right now the team is confident that they can all swim well at NESCACs,” Vidikan said. “Over the next couple weeks they’ll be focusing on the little things to really get their races fine tuned, so they can swim them as fast as possible at the conference championships.”

NESCAC Performer of the Week

Will earns weekly conference honors with trio of personal bests at Wheaton Invitational Senior Hannah Will of the women’s swimming and diving team was named NESCAC Performer of the Week for her impressive performance over the weekend at the Wheaton Invitational.

During the two-day event that also featured swimmers from MIT, Clark University and Wheaton College, Will posted three personal bests in the 50-yard, 100-yard, and 200-yard breaststroke events, recording times of 32.93, 1:10.47 and 2:30.70, respectively. She now holds top-20 times in the NESCAC for all three events.

Will’s performance in the 100-yard breaststroke was good for second place in the weekend competition.

She also swam the second leg of the 400-meter medley relay, helping her team to a runner-up finish.

This marks the second straight week that a member of Tufts’ women’s swimming and diving team has been named the NESCAC Performer of the Week and the first season since 2008-09 that the squad has had two members earn the award.

Sophomore Mia Greenwald won it last week for her performance at a trimeet at Wesleyan, where the Jumbos defeated both of their opponents.

While the Wheaton Invitational was not officially scored, the Jumbos produced impressive finishes in many

WOMEN’S SWIMMING continued from page 12

ual events, particularly the 100-yard freestyle, where she finished in second place with a time of 55.43 seconds. Sophomore Laura Burns, who helped her 400-yard medley relay team earn a top-five finish, was second in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:18.55 and finished third, just behind sophomore Ellen Gage, in the 200-yard breaststroke.

“Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling from the Wheaton invite. The girls did a great job and we want to continue that into NESCACs,” Eacret said.

“It’s a good confidence booster knowing the combination of training all year and tapering at the end of the year is going to help us at NESCACs,” she added.

The conference championships will take place at Wesleyan on Feb. 17-19. Jumbos who excel there will have a chance to compete at the NCAA Championships hosted by IUPUI on March 21-24.

Rematches with Amherst, Hamilton next continued from page 12

courtesy tufts athletics

Spanish and French Houses Improve your language skills in an informal setting!

Applications to live in the Spanish and French Houses are now accepted.

To apply, contact these professors in the Romance Languages Dept.

French: Spanish:

Strong weekend is ‘confidence booster’ for Tufts

ICE HOCKEY

events, earning first-place times in three of the relay races. With the regular season now over, the Jumbos, who finished the season with a 5-4 record in dual meets, are looking ahead to the conference championships that will take place on February 17-19 at Wesleyan University. The Jumbos placed third out of 11 teams at the NESCAC tournament this past season.

—by Alex Baudoin

anne.poncet@tufts.edu marta.rosso-olaughlin@tufts.edu

11

Sports

utes into the opening stanza to give Tufts an early advantage. Freshman forward Andrew White added a lamplighter of his own at the 10:52 mark to double the lead before Gallegos scored twice more in the first period, including a goal with one second left on the clock.

The Jumbos entered the second period with a 4-0 lead over the Camels, and the two teams traded goals in the period. Conn. College sophomore Kevin Reich momentarily broke the Jumbos’ momentum with a goal at the 7:16 mark, but it took freshman defenseman Blake Edwards just over a minute to notch a fifth Jumbos tally, bringing the lead back up to four.

“We didn’t plan to do anything differently than we normally do, but we came out hard and were able to score a couple quick ones which took them out of the game completely,” Power said.

In the final period, Tufts capped off its commanding performance with two more goals, one from freshman Derrek Schartz and another from Amico, to pull ahead by six.

“I think we really came out ready to play and we were able to score four goals in the first period by just putting everything on net,” Gallegos said. “After the first, we had plenty of confidence and were able to bury a few more.”

The game got chippy in the final minutes, as Camels senior forward Julien Boutet was called for intent to injure and disqualified from the game, and Tufts freshman Salvatore Revetta was boxed for contact to the head. But despite the flurry of penalties and high tempers, the 7-1 score held as time wound down.

“Toward the end of the game on Friday things were getting pretty physical,” Gallegos said. “I think they weren’t too happy losing 7-1, and they took some of that frustration out on us, but we held our ground and didn’t sink to their level.”

This weekend, the Jumbos travel to Amherst and Hamilton for two key rematches of earlier NESCAC contests. In their first meetings, the Jumbos defeated Hamilton by a 4-3 margin, but were routed 7-1 by the Lord Jeffs at home.

“Lately we’ve been finding ways to win late in the game [when we’re] on the road, so hopefully we can keep that up and make a statement with four more road points,” Power said. “Amherst and Hamilton are both strong teams, but if we play our game I think we’ll be able to take both games.”

Alex Prewitt | Live from Mudville

On a Giant-sized win

T

he Patriots have been friend-zoned by the Mistress of Football Fate.

Granted, fans uttering the contrary would be wise to point out that merely reaching the Super Bowl is far better than, say, being a Jets fan, but there’s something especially painful about coming so close to snatching the ultimate prize, only to be snatched back at the last moment. Twice.

New England faithful have now reached a critical crossroads following yesterday’s 21-17 loss in Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis, one straddled by self-loathing and innate hatred, two sentiments that, in most cases surrounding post-defeat depression, are mutually exclusive.

Why stuck at this juncture as opposed to firmly marching down one path? The repeat of Super Bowl XLII was a worst-case scenario for Patriots fans: New York, that bloated symbol of corporate greed and forever the antithesis to good-ol’, family-centric Boston, held the Lombardi Trophy high for the second time in five seasons. Yet New England was completely undone by its own mistakes, which makes this second pill even harder to swallow.

The safety on the first offensive play from scrimmage. The errant downfield interception. The dropped passes and “missed opportunities.” Three Giants fumbles that never ended up in the opposing team’s arms.

Interestingly, the room for blame exists, and surely the mistakes will leave a lingering bitterness, but no singular individual will become the definitive scapegoat. Had Welker’s dropped pass with four minutes left in the fourth quarter occurred in the end zone, then sure, garrulous columnists across the country would be talking about the mustachioed man who cost New England a chance at redemption.

And yet here we are, the morning after, trying to dissect what went down as an instant classic, and, more importantly, how Patriots fans will react to another disappointment at the hands of Big Blue.

Some may wish to power through, to slowly begin the long climb back to the top, similar to 2008. Others may call for total dismantlement, to wipe the slate clean — save Brady and Belichick, of course — and start fresh. More still might focus their attention on Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen, who threw Brady’s receivers under the bus after the game, saying: “You [have] to catch the ball when you’re supposed to catch the ball. My husband cannot f---ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time. I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.”

Problem is, it’s going to be difficult to execute the infamous Boston self-loathing — “Oh, woe is me. I’m suffering and no one understands my pain,” — so long as people are still talking about Eli Manning.

Somewhere along the way, the younger Manning transformed into one of the league’s best postseason quarterbacks — if not the best at the moment — and has won two Super Bowls with nary the slightest bit of cockiness.

He was average in the second half on Sunday night, settling for field goals and twice burning crucial timeouts.

Then he threw the pass, that gorgeous opus to Mario Manningham for 38 yards within an inch of the sideline that, from a purely technical standpoint, was far more impressive than David Tyree’s helmet catch four years ago. From there, Manning just chipped away at the Patriots defense, methodically moving the ball until Ahmad Bradshaw fell into the end zone.

No fist pumps, no ridiculous NBC photo montages, just a two-time MVP who, even after winning his second Super Bowl and likely solidifying his status as a Hall-of-Fame quarterback, still exhibited the enthusiasm of someone who got dragged against his will into a middle school Homecoming photo opportunity. Only with Eli Manning could a Super Bowl-winning QB from New York twice be painted as an underdog.

Brady, the fallen Bostonian hero, and Manning, forever the triumphant little guy.

Together again. Right where we left them four years ago.

Alex Prewitt is a senior majoring in English and religion. He can be reached on his website at www.alexprewitt.com or followed on Twitter at @Alex_Prewitt.

Sports

12

tuftsdaily.com

Men’s Swimming and Diving

Ice Hockey

Jumbos excel in relays, Gallegos deep-sixes Camels in time trials at Wheaton home-and-home weekend sweep by

GJ Vitale

Contributing Writer

The Jumbos returned to Wheaton for a second straight weekend on Friday and Saturday, this time to finish off their regular season at the annual Wheaton Invitational.

Although the meet was not officially scored, the events against Clark, MIT and the hosts during the two-day meet were important to all of the swimmers and divers. For some, they were a chance to continue preparing for the NESCAC championships on Feb. 24-26. But for many of the Jumbos men, the meet marked their last appearance of the year, as only 24 selected swimmers can compete in the all-conference meet.

“Twenty-two of the spots have already been named,” senior Reed Shimberg said after the

meet. “And two will be selected based on their performances this [past] weekend.”

Coach Adam Hoyt recently made his final decision on the last two members of the squad: senior Travis Grodkiewicz and freshman Kevin Kozikowski.

Grodkiewicz placed second in a 50-yard time trial and third in both the 200- and 400-yard individual medleys. Kozikowski won the 200-yard time trial, came in second in the 100-yard time trial and finished fourth in the 200yard butterfly.

“They both swam very well at the meet,” senior Andrew Vidikan said. “Coach made the decision on Sunday that they would score the most points at NESCACs, and that’s how that spot was decided.”

Just like they did when they see MEN’S SWIMMING, page 11

Scott Tingley/Tufts Daily

The Jumbos got off to a fast start at the Wheaton Invitational, their final tuneup for the NESCAC championships on Feb. 24-26.

by

Kate Klots

Daily Editorial Board

This weekend, the men’s hockey team faced Conn. College twice and beat the Camels both times, improving their NESCAC mark to 8-5-1. The victories vaulted the Jumbos out of fourth place in the conference and into a third place tie with Middlebury, putting them in position to host a first-round game in the looming NESCAC tournament.

“When we met at the beginning of the year to discuss our goals, we decided our number one would be to make the NESCAC tournament with home game in the first round, then go from there,” freshman defenseman Shawn Power said. “We’ve now put ourselves in a pretty good spot to accomplish that goal.”

On Saturday, the two teams traveled to New London, Conn., for their second matchup of the home and home. The Jumbos notched a 4-2 victory to best the Camels and extend their current unbeaten streak to six games.

“We are starting to realize that we have the ability to beat the top level teams and have success in the playoffs,” said sophomore forward Kyle Gallegos, the Jumbos’ leading goal scorer after a six-point weekend.

Gallegos scored two first-period goals to kick off Tufts’ scoring run early in the contest on Saturday. Conn. College sophomore Mike Sinsigalli answered with a goal at the 11:22 mark to cut the Jumbos’ lead to one.

Women’s Swimming and Diving

Jumbos gear up for NESCACs with strong weekend performance by

Zach McGowan

Daily Staff Writer

The women’s swimming and diving team finished off its regular season with strong performances across the board at the Wheaton Invitational on Friday and Saturday, highlighted by the success of several relay squads.

The Jumbos competed against host Wheaton College, MIT and Clark University at Wheaton during the two-day event that, unlike their past meets, did not have official scoring. As a result, there were several relays and time trial races that are not usually included in normal meets.

Still, swimmers who won’t be competing in the conference meet got one last chance to swim at full strength, while those who will participate at NESCACs tried for better qualifying times.

“We can only take a certain number of girls to the NESCAC meet [24], so [the Wheaton Invitational] was the last meet for half of the team, including a few seniors,” senior co-captain Valerie Eacret said.

“Half of our team tapered for the meet, so it was their last chance to really do well and compete to improve personal bests.”

Senior Hannah Will took

advantage of this opportunity and put together an impressive performance that earned her NESCAC Performer of the Week honors. Will delivered a solid swim in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing second with a time of 1:10.47, and swam the second leg for the runner up 400-yard medley relay team. Will also dropped 12 seconds from her previous personal record in the 200yard breaststroke, a remarkable feat.

Jumbos relay teams earned top times in three of the meet’s four relay races, and freshman Kathryn Coniglio swam the lead leg on all three of those first place teams. Sophomores Jenny Hu and Mia Greenwald also contributed to the victories, swimming the second and third legs for the 400-yard and 200-yard medley relay races, respectively. Senior Saheela Mehrotra was the anchor for the 400-yard medley team, while senior co-captain Courtney Adams swam the final leg of the 200-yard medley.

The third Jumbos relay squad to take first was the 400yard freestyle team comprised of Coniglio, Adams, junior Lizz Grainger and freshman Allyson Fournier.

Tufts recorded the five fastest times for the 400-yard free-

style relay race and clinched the top two positions in the 200- and 400-yard medley relay races.

The Jumbos relay teams, especially the 200-yard freestyle squad, have been very successful in dual meets so far this season.

“The 200-yard freestyle relay is probably our fastest relay team,” Greenwald said. “We have a lot of talented sprinters, including a couple of really fast freshmen swimmers.”

There were many strong individual performers for the Jumbos as well. In an incredibly close finish, Adams and Grainger touched at exactly the same time, 2:00.11, in the 200yard freestyle, tying for first.

Grainger also performed well in the 500-yard freestyle, placing second with a time of 5:21.67. Eacret earned the final first-place finish for the Jumbos in the 200-yard butterfly.

Sophomore diver Sami Bloom represented Tufts well in both diving events. In the one meter, she scored 434.10 points, and in the three meter she earned 439.85 — both marks were good for second place.

Mehrotra carried over her success from the 400-yard medley relay into the individsee WOMEN’S SWIMMING, page 11

Alex Dennett/Tufts Daily

Sophomore forward Kyle Gallegos notched a hat trick in Friday’s 7-1 victory over Conn. College and played a pivotal role in both wins.

“The beginning of the game on Saturday was strange,” Gallegos said. “There were a couple of penalties right away. Luckily we were able to get a couple of bounces our way and we capitalized.”

In the second period, Sinsigalli added another tally to tie the game, but senior Evan Story connected with classmate and tricaptain Matt Amico at the 16:25 mark, firing a lead pass to Amico near the blue line. Amico then buried a shot past Camels goalkeeper Marcus Calvanico to put the Jumbos up for good.

Senior tri-captain goalkeeper Scott Barchard, who made 43 saves in the effort, made some of his biggest stops of the night with

the clock winding down, including a rejection of Conn. College’s Keith Veronesi with less than two minutes remaining.

With 32 seconds left in the contest, junior forward Dylan Plimmer capped off the Jumbos’ weekend with an empty netter, raising the final margin of victory to two.

On Friday evening, the Jumbos hosted the Camels at the Malden Forum and dominated them in a 7-1 rout. Gallegos led the Jumbos with three first-period goals and an assist, while Barchard made 48 saves.

Gallegos scored just three minsee MEN’S ICE HOCKEY, page 11

Top Ten | Things Gisele Bundchen should have said to Tom Brady after the Super Bowl on Sunday night In response to jeers from fans following the Patriots’ 21-17 loss to the Giants in Super Bowl XLVI, Tom Brady’s model wife Gisele Bundchen did not hold back. “My husband cannot f---ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time,” she yelled. “I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times.” The comments came just days after the press obtained an email Bundchen had sent to friends and family before the Big Game, which said, among other things: “I feel Tommy really needs our prayer, our support and love at this time.”

Here’s what Gisele might have told her hubby in the hours after his crushing defeat: 10. “But everyone was praying for you, Tommy!”

9. “At least we’re both still strikingly beautiful.”

8. “You threw that ball really far at the end of the game!”

7. “Don’t worry. Victoria’s Secret just sent me a new box of samples.”

6. “Aren’t you proud of me? I threw your wide receivers under the bus, so now you don’t have to!”

5. “I swear, if that Eli Manning was still single...”

4. “I knew you were past your prime.”

3. “Don’t worry, people will totally understand that you lost because Rob Gronkowski was ineffective and your wide receivers dropped passes at crucial moments! This won’t tarnish your legacy at all!”

2. “This might be a bad time to tell you this, but…well…you kind of look bad in Uggs.”

1. “Wow, Tommy, you’ve handed Eli more rings than you’ve handed me!”

—by Aaron Leibowitz