TUFTS OBSERVER NOVEMBER 21, 2011
O
inside the
Eight of the world’s coolest people (page 2)
volume CxxIIi / issue 5
Exposures’ Arizona workshop (page 13)
Artist spotlight: Justine Bowe (page 27)
O
featured articles
Becky Plante
FEATURE
6
leslie mccracken
OPINION
20
ARTS & CULTURE Introducing up-and-coming Tufts artist Justine Bowe
10
An international student’s perspective on Thanksgiving
Luke BOELITZ
NEWS Mississippi rejects proposals to redefine personhood
2
louise blavet
Natasha Jessen-Petersen
Artists and activists, novelists and nerds, upcoming movers and shakers to be on the lookout for
POETRY & PROSE A short story by Christopher Blackett
The Observer has been Tufts’ publication of record since 1895. Our dedication to in-depth reporting, journalistic innovation, and honest dialogue has remained intact for over a century. Today, we offer insightful news analysis, cogent and diverse opinion pieces, creative writing, and lively reviews of current arts, entertainment, and culture. Through poignant writing and artistic elegance, we aim to entertain, inform, and above all challenge the Tufts community to effect positive change.
26
O
O Editors
Contents
November 21, 2011 Volume CXXIII, Issue 5 Tufts Observer, Since 1895 Tufts’ Student Magazine www.tuftsobserver.org
editor-in-chief Eliza Mills managing editor Zachary Laub
production director David Schwartz section editors Eric Archibald Anna Burgess Kyle Carnes Molly Mirhashem Cara Paley Nicola Pardy Molly Rubin Katherine Sawyer Natalie Selzer Ariana Siegel Evan Tarantino
photography director Catherine Nakajima photography editor Louise Blavet art editor Becky Plante lead artist Natasha Jessen-Petersen copy editors Kristen Barone Gracie McKenzie Isobel Redelmeier Michael Rogove production assistants Paul Butler Ben Kurland Angelina Rotman Lenéa Sims web editor Bradley Ooserveld business manager Claire McCartney
2 feature Cool People Doing Cool Things, by Molly Rubin 5 campus Building the Tufts Idea Exchange, by Kyle Carnes 6 opinion Thinking About Thanks, by Emilia Luna 8 opinion Gefilte Dish Out of Water, by Callie Mchugh 9 opinion Tufts-in-Anderson: Engineers and Abroad Just Don’t Add Up, by Riley Jack Meehan 10 news A Push for Personhood, by Angelina Rotman 12 campus Is Our Spirit Deflated?, by Elisa Magalhaes inset 13 photo Exposure in Arizona 17 campus A Very Potter Interview, by Katie Welch 18 campus OneWorld: A Global Crafts Bazaar, by Munir Atalla 19 news 7 Billion and Counting, by Shayna Schor 20 food Re: Thanksgiving, by Luke Pyenson & culture 22 arts Artist Spotlight: Justine Bowe, by Anna Seeman & culture 23 arts Lisa Randall at the Brattle Theater, by Gabe Nicholas campus 24 off Craft Beer at The Five Horses Bar, by Molly Rubin & prose 26 poetry Witness to the Greatest Man Who Ever Lived, by Christopher Blackett 28 campus Police Blotter, by Becky Plante
Contributors Munir Atalla Christopher Blackett Lukr Boelitz Madeleine Carey Elizabeth Gall Emilia Luna
Elisa Magalhaes Leslie McCracken Callie Mchugh Riley Jack Meehan Gabe Nicholas Luke Pyenson
Shayna Schor Anna Seeman Katie Welch Cover photo by Leslie McCracken.
Since
1895
FE AT U
RE
WATCH
WORLD Dann
BY MOLLY RUBIN
Sometimes in college it’s hard to figure out who you are, where you’re going or what you want to do with yourself when the time comes to graduate into the real world. We get it. It’s hard. But for this week’s issue, here is a little inspiration to jumpstart your thoughts and ideas. These are people who are shaping the world by doing what they love and imparting real change on the issues and realities that shape their lives. Maybe after reading about some of these movers and shakers, you will be inspired to enact your own change here on campus.
All art by Becky Plante
& Martha
Paquette
WHO: Dann and Martha Paquette are the founders of the “Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project” WHAT: Pretty Things is a group of brewers based in Somerville who are committed to crafting quality beer and ales that are as whimsical and creative as they are fun to drink. Still too small to own their own brewery, Dann and Martha rent out brewing spaces from larger breweries. Dan and Martha "pour out ideas for beers in the form of mythical creatures, drawings and rambling writings. Jack D’Or, their flagship Saison beer is a great Belgian-inspired local favorite, brewed with four kinds of hops and five different malts. WHERE: Though their resources are small, this couple has the drive and the dedication to raise the profile of local beer in Somerville and work hard to change the standards and expectations of what brewers can and can’t do. HOW: Tufts Wine Society is an informal 21+ group that samples interesting and unique wines. (www.tuftscork.com)
Andrej Pejic
WHO: Andrej Pejic, only 20 years old and a former Bosnian refugee, is quickly becoming an instantly recognizable (and uncategorizable) face in the fashion industry. WHAT: Last spring, he shattered gender norms and expectations by walking in Jean-Paul Gualtier’s men’s and women’s shows. Andrej is being lauded in queer and trans communities as an emblem of the beauty of the female found within the male body. His androgyny and ability to model for both male and female consumers is becoming a highly bankable commodity in the fashion world. In September, he was ranked number 98 in FHM magazine’s Sexiest Women in the World, which caused a lot of anger in the active trans community. WHERE: Whether you are confused, consumed or turned on by Andrej’s a-typical features, his is a face that is becoming the a-typical superstar of gender fluidity and sexual norms. HOW: If you want to know more about trans issues at Tufts, check out the LGBT center, located at 226 College Ave. To get involved in fashion, think about partcipating in Lux China Care Fashion Show.
2
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
FE E UR AT
Rocky Kistner
tha
Jennifer Egan
WHO IS SHE: Jennifer Egan is the 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Fiction WHAT IS SHE DOING: If you haven’t read Egan's, A Visit From The Goon Squad, you should. It’s beautiful and fun and whimsical and thrilling and deeply poetic and hilariously funny. Jennifer Egan has been writing fiction for years, but this year she truly became a literary powerhouse. Egan is able to successfully describe an entire culture of punk rock music from past, present and future perspectives – weaving nostalgia for what once was together with a nervous trepidation about what technology will mean to artists in the future. WHERE IS SHE GOING: HBO recently acquired the rights to the novel for a TV series. Though no writer has signed on to write yet, look for it next year as one of HBO's must-watches. HOW YOU CAN DO THE SAME: Submit your creative work and short stories to the Tufts Observer Poetry & Prose section! Become a literary powerhouse right here on campus. Email all submissions to eptarantino@gmail.com.
WHO Rocky Kistner, a former investigative journalist, is a staff writer for the NRDC's staff blog, Swtichboard. WHAT: When you think about an environmental activist, you're probably picturing a twenty-something hippy with long hair and tie-dye. Rocky Kistner is the antithesis of that and is emerging as a powerful online voice for green activists. Rocky has been reporting since June 2010 on the BP oil spill in the gulf, giving stories of fishermen, workers, families and surrounding wildlife that highlight the devastation and problems that still exist down south. WHERE: Now, he has started to focus on the Keystone XL, the oil pipelined proposed to pump from Canada to Texas. HOW: Join Tufts Sustainability Collective! A student group dedicated to strengthening the environmental community on campus.
AI WEIWEI
WHO: Ai Weiwei is a Chinese contemporary artist who uses his works to speak to social and political criticisms of the Chinese Communist Party. WHAT: As much a political activist as an artist, Weiwei focuses his works on addressing the Chinese government’s stance on democracy and human rights. Weiwei is a painter, sculptor, performance artist, architect, photographer, filmmaker and installation artist. Weiwei is best known for helping design the Chinese National Stadium from the 2008 summer Olympics known as the “Birds Nest." Earlier this year, he was arrested at the Beijing airport and held for over two months without any official charges filed against him. WHERE: The Chinese government is now charging his company for almost two million dollars in back taxes. Forbidden to leave Beijing for a year without permission, Weiwei has become a symbol of international government resistance and free speech, and will continue to champion free speech and individual rights through his art. HOW: The Social Arts Initiative works to use arts as a platform to raise awareness about social justice issues. Email tuftssjai@gmail.com to get involved.
NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
3
RE FE AT U
JENNIFER PAHLKA
WHO: Jennifer Pahlka is the founder of “Code for America,” a non-partisan, nonpolitical organization founded in 2009 to bring web-industry professionals to work with city governments in order to promote openness, participation and efficiency in municipal governments. WHAT: The organization is modeled after Teach for America by selecting fellows from a pool of competitive applicants and giving them a stipend in exchange for a year of public service. Projects by CFA include a GPS data program to let parents in Boston check if school buses are running late, Adopt-A-Hydrant, where city residents pledge to keep designated fire hydrants clear of snow and debris during severe weather conditions, and ClassTalk, a program which allows teachers with access to digital resources to instantly communicate via text and email with their students. WHERE: Pahlka is passionate about keeping her coding open-source, which means anyone can use it, anywhere in the US. In this digital age, as more and more aspects of daily life move to online platforms, Jennifer and CFA's codes are sure to become the standard for implementing digitalgovernment infrastructures. HOW: Tufts' Association for Computing Machinery is club full of people dedicated to programming and computing on an intense scale, find them on the OCL website!
JOHN PRENDERGAST
WHO: John Prendergast is a human rights, anti-genocide activist who has concentrated his focus to maintaining peace in Africa for over 25 years WHAT: He is the co-founder of the Enough Project, an initiative which works to “end genocide and crimes against humanity, and preventing them from occurring in the future.” His humanitarian credits include work for the Clinton Administration, UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, and the U.S. Institute of Peace. With the Enough Project, he helped launch the Satellite Sentinel Project, which aims to prevent conflict and human rights abuses through satellite imagery. WHERE: By engaging law makers, high profile celebrities and other humanitarian aid leaders, John is raising the profile of human rights abuses and shining a much need light on the continuing genocidal problems that still exist in the world today. HOW: John's book, "Unlikely Brothers" is a great read to pick up over Thanksgiving break, It may inspire you to join the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program.
CECILE RICHARDS
WHO: Cecile Richards is the woman who is making it her mission to preserve women’s health and reproductive freedom in the upcoming year. WHAT: She is the active and vocal president of the Planned Parenthood Federation for America. Last May, she was a powerful voice in combating the bill H.R. 3, which would have stripped Planned Parenthood of its government funding. Her speeches are impassioned and delivered with a fierce aggressiveness that is crucial in defending such a volatile issue WHERE: As the 2012 election gets closer, family planning, Medicaid and women’s healthcare will become more and more politicized. We can look to Richards as a voice of reason, intelligence and fierce combative energy that make her such a dynamic and impactful presence as the face of Planned Parenthood. HOW: PACT, a student run organization, works to promote education and dialogue on campus about various health issues such as sexual and relationship violence, hookup culture, consent and sexual health. O
4
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
pus
am C By Kyle Carnes
104°
TEX, or Tufts Idea Exchange, is a combined effort of two Tufts groups: the Synaptic Scholars and OneWorld. The event was started at Tufts in the spring of 2011 to bring together students, faculty, and alumni to present unique ideas in the format of the widely popular TED conference series. TED talks are international conferences based on “ideas worth spreading,” where speakers from many different fields present on topics that are intended to disseminate knowledge and inform the audience. The talks are posted online, and as of June 2011, over 500 million people have viewed the videos. In the spirit of TED, TEX aims to foster intellectual exchange between the Tufts student body, alumni, and faculty. After a successful first event TEX is hosting another series of speakers on November 15th. Hosting TEX is a large undertaking that involves a considerable amount of hard work from the many students and coordinators involved. Ben Perlstein, a TEX spokesperson, sat down with the Observer to discuss what goes into making TEX happen. Ben says the group tries to “model the collaboration and the exchange of ideas that we imagined the event [would inspire].” Gearing their speaker applications towards undergraduates and specifically-targeted professors, TEX attempts, according to Perlstein, to draw out the “how and the why, a unique approach, or a new philosophy,” of the participants’ ideas. Then once they’ve decided on who will speak, they go into the “intellectual entertainment business” inherent in TED style talks. This involves intense workshopping with contributors to “bring the idea to a place where the talk does justice to what the speaker really wants to communicate.” In an eight to ten-minute window, it is key to have the speaker be completely comfortable with their topic, and have their presentation polished. The ability to be succinct is crucial when communicating a new—and potentially unclear— idea to an audience of undergraduates.
Ben says that the most challenging part of the conference is that, though he considers the speakers to be both “brilliant and inspiring,” it can be difficult to get the speakers comfortable, both with their ideas themselves, as well as with speaking in front of hundreds of people. Many Tufts groups put on major events in front of large audiences, and a common issue is the lack of experience with public speaking. But with such an emphasis on presenting difficult ideas in a clear way that connects to the audience, TEX has an acute dilemma. Yet, this is what sets TEX apart as an event, the group actively gets involved in improving the public speaking skills of their presenters, and take an interest in developing the idea itself. When pressed on speakers’ abilities to overcome their discomfort with public speaking, Ben responded that, “people have an amazing way of rising to the occasion, and you see people realize their potential in an awesome way.” TEX sees itself as a way to help the intellectual community at Tufts blossom outside of the classroom by using entertainment and production value. By using intellectual pageantry to enhance the performances, TEX hopes to stimulate interest in ideas that are outside of the student body’s usual interest areas, and to appeal to the intellectual diversity of Tufts students. Ben states that TEX attempts to reach out to different academic disciplines, and to draw in a very diverse speaker range. Despite this, he admits, “We could do a lot more than we do, but we were just a startup a year ago and now it’s all about capacity.” TEX is an example of a Tufts group moving from a young startup to an established organization. They state that the “success of [TEX] depends fully on the interest in the subject.” It seems that TEX is a positive step towards sparking a discussion around innovation and creativity on campus. O For more information about OneWorld, see p. 18 NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
5
oFE pAi nTU ion RE
thinking about
A
Thanks
by Emilia Luna
Thanksgiving has shifted from being a day of historical remembrance about the true beginnings of America to a commercialized day celebrated without genuine historical knowledge of what is being commemorated. Even those aware of the history behind the holiday have probably heard only part of the historical truth: a story about how the Wampanoag Indians helped the Puritans through their first winter in America, and how the two groups happily celebrated their first corn harvest with a celebratory feast. Who hasn’t heard that story? But this version of the Thanksgiving story implies that an equal and peaceful relationship between the Native Americans and the English existed, when it actually never did. The realistic, historically accurate account behind the Thanksgiving tradition— the one that is not published in the media or in children’s books —is very different. Imagine for a second that everyone sits around the Thanksgiving table this year and tells a different version of the story—one that explains the thousands of massacres Puritans committed in order to obtain land from the natives. It’s a story that mentions John Winthrop’s speech in 1637, in which he called for the killings of thousands of Pequot Indians to give newly arriving Englishmen access to land. The complete Thanksgiving story would also have to include the banned speech Wamsutta James meant to deliver at the 350th anniversary celebration of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth in 1970. In it, James, a Native American, says, “This is a time of celebration for you—celebrating an anniversary of a beginning for the white man in America. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my people.” In fact, following the banning of James’ speech, the United American Indians of New England (UAINE) created the National Day of Mourning— celebrated the same day as Thanksgiving. Moonanum James, Wamsutta James’ son and co-founder of UAINE, explained on a speech on the 32nd National Day of Mourning in 2001 that this day, “is a powerful demonstration of not only Native unity but of the unity of all people who want the truth to be told and want to see an end to the oppressive system brought to these shores by the Pilgrim invaders.” James further states: “We, the Wampanoag, welcomed you, the white men, with open arms, little Madeleine Carey knowing that it was the beginning of the end; that be-
s a non-American who recently moved to America, my first impression of Thanksgiving was certainly positive—a time when American families of all religious and historical backgrounds gather to give thanks. Right? But thanks for what? Is that even clear? The problem I first found with the holiday is that not everyone’s families are united. Race and historical background do matter, especially for Native Americans. From an Anglo-Saxon perspective, Thanksgiving is a time when happiness and unity fill every American home. The mainstream media touts Thanksgiving as a time to warmly gather with extended family and give thanks for the values upon which America was founded. Who would be bitter enough to hate on Thanksgiving? As someone who has never celebrated this holiday, it is easier to step back from this commercialized view. So many college students around me seem to have forgotten why they get three days off from school. They seem oblivious to the fact that there is more behind the holiday than a dinner feast and Black Friday shopping.
6
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
RE ion nTU pAi oFE Leslie McCracken
fore 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a free people.” This view shared by many Native Americans that still live in the United States has never been taken into account. If it were, Thanksgiving would be a very different holiday—or maybe it would not be a holiday at all. It is easier for me to tell you this story precisely because I am not American. Unlike the vast majority of Tufts students, I have not celebrated the holiday year-after-year; I have no emotional attachment. With the passing of the years, history has been distorted; it has been twisted so that this national holiday seems positively nationalistic. Celebrating Thanksgiving is a reflection of this biased history, of the history the privileged majority wants to remember. As Winston Churchill once said, “History is written by the victors,”. However, by disregarding only certain parts of history, and patriotically learning about an altered history instead, we reinforce a racist paradigm—the red and white paradigm—on which America was founded and which remains present today. I am not trying to propose that Thanksgiving should be eliminated, nor am I trying to say that Thanksgiving is purely negative. I certainly agree with the act of giving thanks. America has many values of which to be proud, including freedom, democracy, and individualism. I found it very moving when a friend first invited me to celebrate Thanksgiving with her and her family. It was a wonderful experience to partake in this American tradition of giving thanks, and I enjoyed every second of the delicious meal that followed.
But even throughout the meal, I couldn’t help but wonder about the wider historical story we were celebrating. I just don’t think we could see Thanksgiving as a commemoration of the Pilgrims arrival in Plymouth, without taking into account the disastrous impact on the Native people who lived in that land for generations and who live here to this day, These much-neglected aspects of the historical story are just as important to the creation of the United States. Ignoring them is akin to giving thanks to an inaccurate history—a romanticized myth. This national celebration has been in place for more than 150 years. Breaking away from this tradition is certainly a challenge, but it is a possible one. Historian Howard Zinn remains a powerful example of someone who believes history should be told unconventionally—from the perspective of the minorities, of the losers. He says, “The memory of oppressed people is one thing that cannot be taken away, and for such people, with such memories, revolt is always an inch below the surface.” The National Day of Mourning is an example of such revolt. History has to be undistorted and unbiased, so that it includes the memories of all Americans—Native Americans included. As a non-American, I would like to celebrate Thanksgiving knowing I am celebrating a holiday that fully represents the country where I am living. As Robert Jensen states, “History can be one of the many ways we create and impose hierarchy, or it can be part of a process of liberation. The truth won’t set us free, but the telling of truth at least opens the possibility of freedom.” I propose that we start telling the truth. O NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
7
ion pi n o
Gefilte Fish Out of Water Exploring religious and cultural identification. Elizabeth Gall
by Callie McHugh
I
am part of the Jewish tribe, a member of the Jewish race; I’m one of God’s Chosen people, blessed with the duty of being part of one of the oldest communities in the world. We’ve been persecuted, celebrated, reviled, admired, ghettoized, idolized, demonized—glorified as the defenders of freedom, vilified as the barrier to peace. I was born into an exclusive society and strengthened by its marginalization. We are a race, a culture, a religion, and a nation. Yet, I have no Jewish friends. Tufts University has a student population that is 31.5% Jewish, but I attend High Holiday services alone at Hillel. Our school ranks #9 on the top 20 schools with the highest percentage of Jews, but I have never been to bagel brunch. My Rosh Hashanah tradition is an explanation of “apples and honey” to my gentile housemates. I am surrounded by Jews, but I feel no instinctive kinship with the community. The infamous Jew-network seems to have forgotten me. I am Jewish. I feel Jewish, and I am proud to be Jewish. I agree with the teachings of my religion and find a beauty even in the rules that I do not follow. My mother brought me to Hebrew School every Wednesday and Sunday, and my voice warbled its way through my Torah portion when I was 13. I have traveled to Israel twice and prayed at the Western Wall. Har-
8
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
oset may be my favorite food. Yet, I could not care less if my future spouse is a manly Macabee or bows to Jesus. He could wear a sparkling silver cross around his neck, sleep with a miniature Buddha on his bedside table, or subscribe to The Agnostic. As long as his religion does not dictate mine, we’ll be fine. For most, Judaism is a culture, rich with foods, music, and traditions that travel beyond any religious significance. It is a network of like-minded individuals who debate and discuss everything from Palestinian refugees to the perfect matzo ball. It is exclusive and selective, engaging and forgiving. Jews are resilient, sarcastic, loving, short, curly-haired, a little obnoxious, warm, and Chosen. But to me, Judaism is a religion. While talking with cultural Jews, I try to reconcile their devotion to Jewish tradition with my supposed lack of cultural observance. I believe in God and Judaism; they believe in gefilte fish and Seinfeld. I attend High Holiday services and fast on Yom Kippur because I appreciate its religious significance. Yet many cultural Jews skip the religious practices once they get to college, celebrating the customs while neglecting the backbone. Much of my isolation from Jewish culture stems from my background. I grew up with an Irish-Catholic father and a German-Austrian Jewish mother in one
of the most Irish and Italian Catholic towns in Massachusetts. My homeroom sounded like a scene from The Departed (Depahted) and there were at least three Kellys and Seans in every class. My culture was suburban or Bostonian, but never Jewish. I am a purely religious Jew. Why does this matter? The isolation I feel is not particular to my religion; I have an Indian friend who finds no resonance within the Indian community and an African-American friend who shies away from Africana events. We are the outliers of our ethnic communities, the token Jew, Indian, or African-American in our crowd of “others”. While not denying our roots, we choose to live outside of the communities assigned to us. As Tufts addresses diversity, it must also address integration; it has to look at the hybrids. Diversity lies not only in our racial, religious, and cultural acceptance, but also in our challenges to that acceptance, in our ability to move beyond existence and into integration. We need to crosspollinate our cultures in order to create new ones. We must live in the idiosyncrasies because those are what define us. So yes, I am part of a tribe, but that tribe is made of individuals, and they are the ones that matter. O
S
x-+
ion
ing, including the courses I would take in order to successfully graduate in four years. Yet my “Petition to Study Abroad for Students in the School of Engineering” was denied because they would not be awarding me credit for the one course I was required to take as an engineer. Confused by the disparity between the Engineering Department and the Office of Study Abroad’s decisions, I decided to appeal the case to foreign study advisor Brian Libby, laying out what I believed could be accomplished. He responded five weeks later, citing his desire to avoid inconsistencies in the way Tufts converts credits from foreign Universities. He asked for a couple additional days to make his final decision. After 11 days and innumerable attempts to reach Brian over the phone, I was informed via email that because the one required class fell one UCT credit (just under 0.06 Tufts credits) short, the course would be denied any credit “to ensure consistency and fairness in the way Tufts converts credits.” Seven exasperating months after devising my study abroad program, gaining the approval of my department, and surmounting the weeks-long communication issues with administrators, I was denied the opportunity to study abroad. It left me at the start of the reading period with no internship for the summer (a summer I had designated for the start of my program), nowhere to live in the fall, and, no one to sublet from me in the spring—if I was still determined to study abroad then. It left me with no faith in Tufts’ desire to send engineering students abroad, except in pre-packAriel Lefland aged programs of
n
tarting my college search, I was certain about only two requirements for my college-to-be: an established engineering program and an administration that supported engineering students in studying abroad. Studying abroad while earning a B.S. in engineering is difficult, and I knew the field of potential universities would be limited; so that summer when I listened to admissions officer Daniel Grayson pitch Tufts’ School of Engineering, my eyes lit up. He assured us that if one wanted to be an engineer and study abroad, Tufts was the place to do it. He proceeded to highlight Tufts’ mission statement of providing an invaluable education that fostered a “global perspective,” encouraging liberal arts, science, and engineering students alike to explore the world. I applied Early Decision I to Tufts under those pretenses. Two years later, however, rounding out the fall of my junior year, I cannot in good conscience advise any prospective engineering student to select Tufts if they, too, wish to study abroad. The bureaucracy-forged wall I would have to climb presented itself in November of my freshman year during my meeting with the Sheila Bayne, Director of Programs Abroad. Initially, my intention was to spend a semester in South America, where I could finally polish my Spanish. As engineering precluded me from double majoring, I settled on a semester of immersion instead. I came to her office to discuss the idea and determine the necessary logistical measures to be taken. My idea was met with a simple retort advising that I not proceed. It would be “administratively burdensome”, she suggested, for an engineer to study in a nonEnglish speaking country. She then advised me to look at Tufts’ program in Hong Kong. Every attempt I made to study abroad was thwarted with remarkable consistency, ultimately culminating in the rejection of my final proposal to study abroad at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in the fall of 2011. I had already squared away all the details of studying abroad with the Dean of Engineer-
pi
S
By Riley Jack Meehan
o
Tufts-in-Anderson engineering and abroad just doesn’t add up
their own design. Yes, it is entirely possible for a mechanical engineer to go to England, China, or France, as is stated on the department’s website. However, if those three countries don’t do it for you, don’t expect any real guidance for alternatives, and anticipate that your efforts will be thwarted at every step of the way, either willfully or through benign intransigence every step of the way. Fortunately, this story ends well. With the help of some AP credits and a reworked senior year schedule, I have officially been approved to study abroad in Arusha, Tanzania for the Spring 2012. Despite the happy ending, I’m still adamant in my belief that no student should have to endure this process. I am not asking for Tufts to reconsider any decisions made. It is far too late for those wounds to be doctored. I’m asking Tufts to consider this question: is this how study abroad is supposed to work? I understand the formalities that prevented me from studying abroad, but is this minutia in the ethos of Tufts study abroad? Or is it in the ethos of Tufts’ mission to foster a global perspective and cultivate active citizenship in its student body? O
NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
9
FEN AeT wU sRE
The Push for
Personhood O by Angelina Rotman
n November 8, Mississippi voters rejected a proposition that would have declared
that “personhood” begins at the moment of conception. In a state where abortion is
so restricted that only one clinic performs the procedure, Proposition 26 would have
made abortion and certain forms of birth control, in effect, murder.
The proposed amendment defined a person as “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.” Had the amendment passed, it would have effectively banned and criminalized all abortions (even in cases of incest or rape) and postconception birth control, such as IUDs and morning-after pills, as well as created barriers for in vitro fertilization. Art by Natasha Jessen-Petersen
10
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
sRE wU AeT FEN
“This amendment denies to actual women the personhood it would bestow upon a very few cells,” said Sonia Hofkosh, Tufts English professor and Women’s Studies Interim Program Director. “Without even getting into the issue of rape and other forms of forced sex or instances when a woman’s own health is at stake, I think the proposed amendment is another desperate attempt to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision that has been so crucial to women’s right to choose the way they want or do not want to make families.” In their definition of “personhood,” Personhood USA, the Colorado-based organization that gave birth to the nationwide personhood initiatives, says: “A person, simply put, is a human being. This fact should be enough. The intrinsic humanity of unborn children, by definition, makes them persons, and should, therefore, guarantee their protection under the law.” Of anti-abortion measures brought before voters this year, the personhood amendment is by far the most extreme. While Mississippi was one of the first to vote on the proposition, similar personhood movements are brewing in other states. After failing to pass such a proposition in Colorado in 2008 and 2010, personhood proponents looked to the Bible Belt in hopes of finding more fertile ground. Although the idea of an all-out ban on abortions is popular, the personhood proposition appears to have been too extreme—even for Mississippi. In Washington Post’s “On Faith” section, Jacques Berlinblau wrote that “the endeavor to define a fertilized egg as a human being endowed with all of the rights
of what we would normally consider a citizen was a preposterous proposition from the start. It was simply insane from a variety of ethical, theological, libertarian, medical, metaphysical, and even practical perspectives.” Proposition 26 was defeated by a 16-point margin, a surprising victory for
“denies
This amendment
to actual women the
personhood
it would bestow upon na very few cells
”
personhood opponents. Many are now saying that the movement imploded on itself, thanks to a slew of negative media coverage and misinformation about the proposition’s effect on contraceptives, as well as a lack of support from Mississippi’s former governor, Haley Barbour. Both the state’s Republican and Democratic candidates for governor, however, backed the amendment, as did Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Even amongst supporters of antiabortion laws, Mississippi’s Proposition 26 has created divisions. According to a New
York Times article, traditional leaders in the fight against abortions, including the Roman Catholic bishops and National Right to Life, believe this push for personhood would do more harm than good in wearing down Roe v. Wade. Ultimately, the amendment could backfire when the question of its constitutionality reaches the federal courts, as it undoubtedly would. While there is a general temptation to say that, if personhood can’t pass in Mississippi, it won’t pass anywhere, some are cautioning against that attitude. Berlinblau says that Mississippi’s Proposition 26 was only the first of many such initiatives and that this over-the-top style of activism is here to stay. The defeat of personhood at the polls in no way spells the end of the movement. In fact, two days after Mississippi’s rejection of Proposition 26, Personhood USA reached one million signatures on their personhood petition. Berlinblau says the push for personhood may have been more of a success than people realize. Thanks to Proposition 26, the abortion debate in Mississippi has become less a question of Pro-Life versus Pro-Choice but rather Pro-Personhood versus Pro-Life. “It alerts us all, and especially young people of all genders with their futures ahead of them, that this right is tenuous in conservative America and must be strongly defended,” Hofkosh said. The personhood movement may bring up more questions than it solves for both sides of the abortion issue, but it remains an extreme push by abortion foes, carrying enough momentum to make ProChoice supporters apprehensive about the future. O NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
11
pus Ca m
Is Our School Spirit Deflated? Elizabeth Gall
I
t’s no secret that Tufts’ school spirit isn’t at the forefront of most students’ minds. It would be a stretch for the majority of the campus to know who won the last volleyball game—getting people to actually go to a game is harder still. Some people may not really care about the lack of school spirit at Tufts or even consider how it may impact their college experience. There are plenty of universities that students attend specifically so that they can feel part of a larger community, where their mascot becomes a facet of their identity. I have no doubt that Tufts students love Tufts, but they most likely did not choose this school because of its spirit. Tufts University Spirit Coalition (TUSC) is of the belief that more spirit can do a lot for our school. Our campus and students is quirky and eclectic, and we’re proud of it. TUSC appreciates Tufts’ individuality, but thinks that students would be happier if we were more unified by some nice baby blue and brown. It’s hard to find one thing that 5,000 college-aged students have in common, but as opinionated as Tufts students are, we can pretty much all agree that we like this place. Why not make that fact more pronounced? TUSC, a subgroup of the Tufts Programming Board, puts on the well-loved Tuftonia’s Day, as well as Mr. Jumbo, and various pep rallies. Their new vision, though, is to grow. Nick Vik, the president of TUSC, rejects the idea that school spirit 12
TUFTS OBSERVER
s
galhae
Ma By Elisa
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
must be directly associated with sporting events. He wants Tufts’ spirit to appeal to all of the many different types of people on campus. He says that TUSC recognizes and values the eccentricity of the campus, and wants school spirit to manifest in all areas. To do so, he plans on playing to the strengths of Tufts’ students. “We have unreal dance groups here,” Vik says. “We’re thinking about doing a ‘Tufts’ Best Dance Crew’ kind of thing.” This event would be an excellent example of TUSC raising bringing attention to our strengths, and boosting a unique school spirit. School spirit is about recognizing the achievements and skills of all our peers, not only our athletes. This is not to say that it isn’t important to support athletics. “It isn’t just because we’re a NESCAC school that we don’t have great turnout for games.” Vik claims. Though most students didn’t choose Tufts so that they could go to the field hockey games every Saturday, for example, maybe they should consider it… Tufts’ sports teams generally perform quite while against other competitors in the NESCAC, but many other schools have better home game turnouts than we do. “Tailgating may be crucial to get people to games,” Vik says, “It makes games more of an event, [instead of] another random thing happening on campus.” Vik says that raising school spirit, among other perks, will also lead to a more connected alumni community. He pointed
out, “A Blue Devil will almost always hire a Blue Devil, but will a Jumbo always hire a Jumbo?” Improving school spirit at Tufts can help foster a stronger identity between past and current Tufts students. Given all this, TUSC may seem like they’ve got it all together. But the group is relatively obscure; one of the best things about the group is their openness and acceptance. “We’re very much open to ideas, we want to be inclusive,” Vik encourages. Not many people know about TUSC, or that they’re making a hard effort to bring school spirit to Tufts – and doing so in bigger ways than just selling 100 hotdogs before football games. But this lack of recognition isn’t necessarily a bad thing; they can tap into Tufts’ various social networks without being constrained to one group or project. With more people from whom to get input, it will be easier for TUSC to find ways to make school spirit a unifying factor for all students. Tufts students may not realize how much school spirit can contribute positively to our college experience because Tufts has never had strong school spirit— and how can you miss something you’ve never had? But TUSC feels strongly that it can make Tufts an even better place. If you don’t feel as if school spirit is lacking, or if you don’t think that lacking school spirit poses a problem, look how many people are sporting other colleges’ t-shirts around campus, and remind yourself how good a little jumbo swag looks on everyone! O
E X P O S U R E in
A R I Z O N A
RE FE AT U In May 2011, [Exposure] students traveled to Tucson, Arizona to document illegal immigration issues. With each student tackling a different dimension of this daunting project, we created a narrative that speaks to the complexities involved in crossing, patrolling, and living along the line, both real and imagined, that divides Arizona from Mexico.
This workshop was also made possible by the Program for Narrative and Documentary Practice (PNDP) at Tufts University. Through individualized study, this program teaches students from diverse disciplines how to apply the craft of storytelling across a range of platforms. By encouraging journalistic excellence as an integral part of any academic curriculum, the PNDP is fostering a new generation of critical problem solvers who see limitations not as barriers, but as opportunities to look in new places.
Mentor: Gary Knight Student Participants: Louise Blavet, Luke Boelitz, Alision Coffey, Amy Connors, Senait Debesu, Chelsea Grayson, Samuel James, Adam Levy, Austin Siadak [EXPOSURE] photojournalism, documentary studies, and human rights program meets every Wednesday at 10 p.m. in Eaton http://tuftsexposure.org/
A Very Potter Interview by Katie Welch
RE Upus AT FEam C
Chris Dzombak
A Very Potter Musical’s Joe Walker talks theater, eats pancakes, is Voldemort O: How did the idea for “A Very Potter Musical” come about and what was the process like in terms of creating the script and auditions? JW: Okay, well, AVPM was sort of born from the minds of Nick [Lang] and Matt Lang and Brian Holden, the writers of the book. And I think originally it started from this joke song idea called “I Think I’m in Danger, I’m Falling In Love With Hermione Granger,” and it was about Draco Malfoy actually having this secret crush on Hermione. I’m not sure when exactly the idea to do a musical came about, but I think it was maybe halfway through the school year. Matt just decided to put up a poster saying there was a musical happening. I don’t think the script had been written yet. And I was contacted because, they said, “We’re writing the part of Voldemort for you so you have to be in it,” so I was like, “Oh, okay, cool, sounds like fun.” We were given a script, and we did a read through and as, is sort of customary… it was sort of a disaster… and then we started rehearsing, and it was just me and Brian Rosenthal rehearsing with Matt Lang in a room for a week. It was just the three of us screwing around in a room for four hours a night…just a lot of fun; it wasn’t a very serious rehearsal process. We take screwing around very seriously. So on one end, there was a lot of work involved. On the other hand, you could hardly call it work from a certain standard. O: Which is the best sort of show. What was it like moving from doing college shows to doing shows outside of college?
Well, as things get more hectic and you have more responsibilities, I found I got better at handling them. Strangely enough, the ability to handle more things went along with the ability to do them even better, so that was how it was by the end of school. I had a blast doing Harry Potter because it was a side project. Which is not to say I didn’t focus on it, but it was just one aspect of my life. And that’s the main difference between doing them in and out of school. Now it’s almost like 100% focus on the shows… but it can become almost overly strenuous, because you almost put too much attention on them… On the other hand, I think the quality of the work has gone up a lot, and just the extra amount of thought and processing time that you’re given outside of school definitely benefits it a lot. O: How do you guys feel about pursuing a dream that doesn’t necessarily bring in a lot of money? I think that a trick that we’ve been learning mostly has to do with artistic collaboration. It’s important to have an improvisational spirit while still being strict. Probably the most interesting part is, we do it for free. We’ve outright refused other distribution streams like Hulu or something like that because it might cost the fans money to watch. I mean, the terrifying thing to jump into is [doing something that’s not going to make a lot of money]. And you go, “Oh if I’m not making money, I’m not worth anything,” and it’s obviously not true. It’s not always easy to be positively reinforced if you’re a
broke actor. But you know, now Darren is mega-rich, and I didn’t really see that one coming! It’s also a matter of being enterprising, entrepreneurial to a certain extent. We sell t-shirts, we sell stuff, and I like that we give away the thing that we love the most and then try and make some money on the side. O: Do you have any advice for kids who want to do theater after school? I think the steps we took that are valuable are recognizing that we work well together, and we enjoy it, and then buckling down and trying to do it semi-professionally. And we’re all still struggling with the idea of auditioning for other stuff, but when it comes to that, we’re all pretty normal. We go on our auditions, we keep our eyes peeled in the papers. But when we’re not doing that, we’re trying to keep our artistic knives sharp and create content for ourselves to do… Theater programs are such tight little communities, and then you get out, and you’re completely lost. It’s like being reborn, you know, you’ve been in this world and then you don’t have shit. We’ve just spent four years together; there’s no reason not to just continue those strong bonds that you’ve made out into the real world. Keep your training, keep your friends…Put them together and hope for the best! …There’s always this sort of immediate post-grad thing where you go, “Well, it’s over. The end.” And though that is true with the college specifically, you still have all the relationships that you’ve made. O NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
17
FEN AeT wU sRE
One World a global crafts bazaar
Photos by Marla Spivack
T
by Munir Atalla
ufts, with its focus on international issues and social activism, is constantly teaching students about global problems and social injustices. But to make a difference, students need to go beyond this classroom involvement. This December, the OneWorld Global Crafts Bazaar will give students the opportunity to delve into the issues of fair trade and socially responsible consumerism while using their power as consumers to simultaneously support sustainable global development and purchase beautiful crafts. The OneWorld Global Crafts Bazaar is about raising awareness of development solutions and showing students how their involvement can help fight global poverty. “This year, our theme is fair trade and socially responsible consumption,” said Marla Spivack, the president of One World. In collaboration with the Tufts Sustainability Collective, her group is sponsoring the bazaar to promote fair trade of global crafts. Mary Beech, a sophomore in charge of logistics and education at the bazaar explained, “We buy fair trade products from around the world and different student organizations sell them. The profits will go to a small charity organization with a mission of promoting sustainable development.” 18
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
For the members of OneWorld, the bazaar is not only about raising awareness for global issues but also about unifying a wide assortment of campus groups to educate students. “Another goal is to promote collaboration among groups that normally might not [work together]. We look for ways to include as many as possible,” said Spivack. Dahlia Norry, an executive member of One World, says the theme was meant to show that “the sum of our parts is greater than each of our parts alone.” This concept translates into being a responsible consumer. “We are trying to show Tufts students that voting with your dollar is one way of being a conscientious consumer.” Norry explained how sometimes, people don’t take the time to think about where their money is going. “By buying a cup of coffee that is a product of unfair labor practices, we’re sending a message to the people at the top that we don’t care how a product is made and that we will buy it regardless. I believe that Tufts students really do care about where their money is going; we just get caught up sometimes and forget to consume responsibly.” In past years, the bazaar has had themes such as women’s empowerment and youth empowerment. “It gives voice to all the amazing opportunities going on at Tufts while unifying us under a common
goal,” said Lauren Greenberg, a junior. This year’s theme comes at a crucial time for consumers around the world. “With every purchase, our money is impacting the global community. We have to do our best to make sure this impact is a positive one,” Norry said. With big businesses trying their hardest to cut back on spending, it is more important than ever to know where our products come from and make sure we buy responsibly. Not only does the bazaar allow oncampus groups to showcase the goods of global crafts organizations, but local Bostonian vendors are also invited. “We… hope to foster connections between Tufts and the surrounding community,” Greenberg said. So how will this year’s bazaar compare to last year’s? “This year we are having fewer groups selling crafts and focusing more of our attention on the educational components and how to better integrate our theme of socially responsible consumerism into all aspects of the bazaar,” Greenberg said. The organizers are focusing on quality and spreading the bazaar’s message. If you come to the bazaar, you will likely leave with some truly unique gifts, and you will definitely leave with the knowledge that your spending can make the world just a bit better. O
margarita krylova
by Shayna Schor
J
ust minutes after Danica May Camacho was born last month, her mother’s small hospital room in Manila, Philippines was brimming over with dozens of reporters vying for a photo of the newborn. Danica, born at 11:58pm on October 30th, was chosen by the UN Population Fund to symbolize the 7 billionth person on our planet. But whether she can hold the true title is unclear; UN estimates indicate that the world population will reach 7 billion sometime between March 20, 2011 and April 12, 2012, as a specific date is hard to gauge. Although the actual statistic is incalculable, Danica’s title – and the UN’s designation of October 31st as the “Day of 7 Billion” – serves first and foremost to symbolize the population trend we are experiencing today, and the implications it has on the world in which we live. Since the Industrial Revolution, the development of technologies and the way in which people conduct political, economic and domestic aspects of life have supported an increasingly large global population. Although estimates vary and depend ultimately on factors such as human choice, severity of health risks and changing social norms, predictions suggest that the population will level off somewhere around 9 billion by the year 2050. Not only do the raw numbers differ drastically, but the changing demographic representations also reflect the extremity of this population shift. Population expert and Columbia University professor Joel E. Cohen explains that the population is becoming more elderly and more urban than
s pus ew am cN
7andBillion Counting
ever before. The ratio of people in developing to developed countries will reach an unprecedented 6:1 in coming years. Because a growing population naturally corresponds to a growing demand for resources, this statistic is somewhat alarming from an ecological perspective. But what exactly are the environmental implications of a planet with 7 billion people? Is it a problem we can handle? This is the subject of intense international debate, which seems to be a key obstacle for instituting effective global environmental policy change. Whereas the more developed countries of the Global North generally contend that the growing population in developing countries is causing the environmental degradation we face today, those representing the Global South tend toward the position that the North’s consumption rates are the true source of the threat. Those such as Roger Martin, environmentalist, former diplomat and Chairman of the Optimum Population Trust (OPT), wish to focus efforts on curbing fertility rates rather than changing the way in which we manage our resource use. The OPT and similar organizations suggest extending equal opportunities to women in developing countries, as well as providing increased access to family planning and reproductive health as tools to accomplish this goal. Those who believe that population growth alone creates present environmental ills say that making efforts to curb population is a more efficient way of dealing with environmental issues because they believe that the Earth simply does not have the carrying capacity to support such a vast and growing number of people. Opponents of population control include both religious organizations—the Catholic Church—and non-religious organizations, such as the Population Research Institute, advocate a reassessment of consumption patterns, arguing that population control is cumbersome, unethical, and, most of all, unnecessary. Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute, has written and given lectures citing statistics documenting resource use across the world—throughout his or her lifetime, one American’s carbon footprint will equal that of seven Chinese citizens, 46 Pakistanis, 55 Indians, or 86 Nigerians. If occupants of more developed countries curbed their consumption, they argue, the world could in fact support a population even beyond the 7 billion we see today; if we aim to develop in a sustainable way of life, we can ensure that all of the Earth’s future generations will be able to meet their needs. In light of the recent population milestone, the UN has launched a campaign entitled “7 Billion Actions,” with a mission to combat the challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that a statistic of seven billion poses. It highlights seven main issues facing our modern world: poverty, unempowered women, disengaged youth, reproductive rights, aging populations, urban growth, and an unhealthy environment. According to political science lecturer Nancy Gleason, this program is crucial for educating people about what seven billion means. “Without an awareness program like the 7 Billion Actions program, many people will remain unaware of the negative impacts an exponentially growing human population can have on the planet and our species.” She added that whether efforts should focus on decreasing population size or curbing consumption, “being aware of our impact is the first step to changing our behavior.” O NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
19
d foo
This might be more information than I should share in an Observer article, but my mother went into labor with me in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner on November 22, 1990. And sometime between four and five in the morning (nobody knows) on November 23, I came careening out into the world on a wave of fresh cranberry sauce. There may have been a little revisionist history in that last sentence, but take my word for it: there is a definite relationship between who I am today and when I was born. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Hell, Thanksgiving is my favorite day. And this year, I’m turning 21 the day before, so I need to do everything in my power not to be too hung-over for dinner Thanksgiving dinner is very important to me. So, I’m this big “foodie,” right, and my Thanksgiving is probably really fancy, right? Not really. My Thanksgiving is probably like a lot of people’s Thanksgivings; the food is simple, all-American (mostly), and abundant. I’m gonna go dish by dish through some of my favorite things on the annual Thanksgiving table—maybe these will get you pumped for your own Thanksgivings, or maybe they’ll give you ideas. Note that turkey is not included, but
I do eat turkey.
CRANBERRY SAUCE This is my dad’s department, but my grandmother also usually makes one, and the past few years I’ve done a more “outthere” third version (once with hibiscus and once with lapsang souchong tea). My dad and grandmother stick to the traditional flavorings, namely orange juice and rind, a little sugar, and water. Cranberry sauce is incredibly easy to make, and especially in New England, where cranberries are a “local/seasonal” product, there’s never a reason to buy it in a can. Last year abroad in Morocco, I improvised with pomegranates, which were the closest local/seasonal produce to cranberries, and it turned out great. If you should come across a suitable few pomegranates this year, try it out. 20
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
Tha
with l
Ha
Foo d
DATE-NUT BREAD My Thanksgiving experience always begins the day before, when I smell my mom baking the date-nut bread (it tastes best the day after). Inside, it’s a delicate balance of sweet, sticky dates, and crunchy walnuts. The bread can stand alone but is a great accompaniment to the Thanksgiving spread. Some people, I believe, schmear cream cheese on it, but that’s not at all my style. I’ve included the recipe for this below. It was my great-grandmother’s (!).
ingredients: 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1
1/2 cups water 1/2 cups chopped dates Egg 1/4 cup sifted pastry flour sifted tbs baking soda cup walnuts tbs vanilla table spoon salt: cool tbs butter 1/4 cup sugar
directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil water. Pour over chopped dates. Add butter, sugar, and salt. Allow mixture to cool. Add egg, pastry flour, baking soda, walnuts and vanilla to mixture. Bake for an hour and fifteen minutes.
anksgiving
h luke pyenson.
CRANBERRY/WALNUT TART This, I suppose, is a little unconventional, but it’s very, very New England-y. My family also has pecan pie (with Guinness) and pumpkin pie (with Bourbon), but this is a good counterpoint—it’s not a bulging pie smothered in whipped cream… It’s a thin, dainty tart, and it’s absolutely perfect. The cranberries are fresh and have a little bite to them, the walnuts get all toasty and sweet when baked… This is my vice the day after. I open the fridge, lift up the saran wrap, and, like, game over.
Have a great Thanksgiving y’all! O
NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
21
Arts
Artist Spotlight:
Justine Bowe
T
interview by anna seeman
ufts senior Justine Bowe sat down with the Tufts Observer to talk about her latest musical project, Photocomfort, a combination of soothing vocals, haunting lyrics, and catchy instrumental rhythms that get you hooked. Bowe admits, “I only want people to want to listen. I don’t want to make people listen.”
Tell me about Photocomfort. Do you classify it under any sort of genre? I have a really hard time figuring out what genre it is. So, I kind of rely on the help of other people to tell me how to define it. So far, we’ve come up with atmospheric folk or something like that… But there are so many genres that it’s almost useless… It’s just what it is, I guess. Where do you draw your musical influences? I actually don’t listen to a lot of music. I haven’t listened to much new music in the past few years. It’s a lot of noise at once, when you’re writing your own songs, to listen to other people’s songs. But, I guess I listen to a lot of The National; they’re probably my favorite band. I also listen to a lot of Simon and Garfunkel, and Antony and the Johnsons. And then I also really like a lot of pop music. I love Rihanna; I think she has amazing songwriters. I’m a pretty big fan of Britney Spears… I’m not even talking about the ’90s, I think that she has the best songwriting team behind her, and that’s what I’m listening to. Where do you find inspiration for lyrics? The lyrics are a really important element. I kind of chalked [the concept of Photocomfort] up to: when something happens that I find upsetting or jolting—the place where we retreat to, our comfort zone, wherever that is inside of ourselves. Mine is very visual—it relies on images from my childhood or really comforting dreams that I’ve had. So, all of the songs are about trying to get back to that place, and the process of rebuilding from there, lyrically, and musically. So, do you produce it all yourself? I do. I have a great friend [Mike Moschetto]… He recently started a recording studio after he graduated from Emerson. So he and I record all our things there. Sometimes if I’m really 22
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
luke boelitz
stuck on something he’ll provide me with a couple of options for a sound for something and then I’ll pick it, but we do work very much together. How do you describe the production and recording process? First, I write a song. Writing is different for everybody, but for me I usually start with a melody—it’s all mental until I sit down and work it out at the piano. Then, I usually go into the studio with a demo, which I’ll have recorded on my computer. At that point, I’ll enlist the help of some of my friends. Sometimes I have the music written down, other times I’ll play them something on the piano and ask, “Can you please play this on your instrument?” And then, drums go first, then bass, then guitar, then everything else. The process can take a really long time, especially for vocals for me, because I want every line to be perfect. I’m totally a perfectionist when it comes to this. So after I have a CD of things like that, I bring them down to a professional audio engineer. He goes and does a bunch of mixing stuff in the process, and then you get it mastered, and that’s how you get a CD! What advice would you give a rising musician trying to produce his or her own music? I think that the most important thing for me, so far, is that I have a very discriminating ear. I’m really picky, and there are a lot of elements in the songs. ut even if you’re doing something simple it should be crystal clear and it should be perfect. I think that’s what a lot of people don’t spend enough time doing, and I think that there’s a lot of potential lost in not really thinking things through, and recording good demos. You can’t get somewhere just by playing live in this type of music, so it’s important to have really good recorded material. Do you see yourself pursuing music as a career? I hesitate to use the word career, because I don’t imagine that this would be for the rest of my life, but I’d like for there to be some time in my life devoted to music—a few years maybe. I might want to go on tour this summer, and then we’ll see where that takes me, because I won’t have to return to school. Download Justine’s new CD for free at http://photocomfort. bandcamp.com/album/photocomfort O
“
Physicist Lisa Randall speaks at Harvard
W
by Gabe Nicholas
hen Harvard professor Lisa Randall spoke in Harvard Square this past Tuesday, it felt like the cramped Brattle Theater kept fluctuating between unbelievably huge and miniscule size. “As a particle physicist, I look at the unimaginably large and the unimaginably small,” said Randall. “I’ll do my best not to make your head spin.” What was most amazing about Randall’s lecture was that, even for someone who knows absolutely nothing about physics, everything she said seemed as clear as day to me. Randall was at the Harvard Bookstore to promote her new book, Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and Modern World. While a book with such a long title and addressing such a complex subject might sound like it is for theoretical physicists only, it is, in actuality, for the general public. Still, the audience looked like that of a stereotypical physics conference—mostly men over 50 with beards and sweaters muttering incoherently to themselves. But Randall didn’t have the physicist look. She was in a pantsuit and looked young, attractive, and approachable.
Arts
On physics, art + a new book
about the limits of physics itself—the limits we may never be able to surpass, no matter how advanced technology becomes. For example, to be able to look at something 10-35 meters in length would require such a high-frequency light wave and so much energy that it would create a black hole. In contrast, light has only reached 95 billion light-years of the universe and, thus, we will never be able to observe anything beyond that. “That was sort of the theme of my opera,” said Randall, in reference to the opera she co-wrote with Hector Parra, Hyperspace: A Projective Opera in Seven Planes. “It was about two people who were together but inhabiting different dimensions.” Hyperspace isn’t Randall’s only foray into art—she was also the curator of an art exhibit called “Measure for Measure” that featured art pieces representing the cosmological scope or the microscopic scope. “I find that science can really influence art,” said Randall. “But when art tries to influence art, it just doesn’t work. Science can often be imperfect and ugly, something that isn’t reflected in art.” Lisa Randall’s multifaceted genius was a pleasure to bask in. She has the rare ability to make anyone that is listening feel like they, too, are a particle physicist. Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and Modern World will surely be a great read. In fact, you can pick it up in the Tufts bookstore right now. O
“
What makes Randall a truly amazing scientist, though, is that she can explain her work to the layman.
”
Though she didn’t have the classic homeless look that some serious scientists appear to favor, she is actually one of the most decorated and respected physicists in America. She has been a professor at MIT, Harvard, and Princeton. She was featured in Newsweek’s “Who’s Next” issue and TIME’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Her previous book, Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions, was included in The New York Times’ 100 notable books of 2005. She worked on the Large Hadron Collider, and she has managed to put her name on every model of string theory produced in the last decade. What makes Randall a truly amazing scientist, though, is that she can explain her work to the layman. “My field is a very difficult one to explain to other people. The parts I can explain are usually only the most basic aspects.” With superhuman simplicity, Randall explained to the audience why it is likely that other dimensions exist. She spoke about why gravity is a weak force, what a braneworld is, and why that might explain it She described gravity as a weak force, explained the concept of braneworlds, and how the two are inter-related.. She even talked
NOVERMBER 21, 2011
Florence Wen
TUFTS OBSERVER
23
CA O M FF PU S
I
BY MOLLY RUBIN
f there’s one thing I’ve learned while working as a bartender at the Five Horses Tavern, it’s that there is a beer out there for everybody. For those of us who don’t leave campus very often, it’s sometimes hard to remember that beer exists beyond the confines of frat party kegs and the 30-rack of Coors Light you keep in the back of your fridge. Craft beer taverns have become more and more popular in recent years, however; as bar-goers come to expect a higher standard in their ales and lagers, they are looking beyond the corporate grasp of Budweiser and Rolling Rock to beers that challenge their tastes and their expectations of what beer can be. The Five Horses Tavern (located at 400 Highland Ave., where Sagra used to be), recently opened by Dylan Walsh, the former manager of Bukowski Tavern in Inman Square, features 36 constantly rotating drafts and 80 bottle brands. There is also a full bourbon bar, equipped with over 100 brown liquors. With two bars (one for drafts and the other for bourbon), five TVs, a massive beer cooler, and a mix
CRA at THE F of townies, beer nerds, and your average bar-goers, the Five Horses is a great place to spend a Saturday night. The menu features some awesome bar food with a modern twist. All the food is locally sourced, including plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, and everything on the menu is under $20. Go for the pork belly taco (1 for $5, 2 for $9)—it’s insanely tasty and a great compliment to a pint of beer. Walsh’s main goal is for people who have never tried craft beer before to sit down, hang out, and find the brew that
Right now is a great time to be a beer drinker, especially in Somerville. The opening of Five Horses is symptomatic of the growing popularity of craft beer that has consumed bar culture in recent years. Redbones has carved a name for itself in the local beer scene, with 28 awesome drafts to compliment its insane BBQ. The Foundry, which opened last year on Elm Street, is a nod to art deco old-world bars with 20 drafts and an extensive cocktail list. Great beer is only a Joey ride away. After Prohibition ended, only about 300 breweries renewed their businesses. Between 1933 and 1982, the number of breweries actively brewing in the US reduced from around 700 down to about 50. The options for local and expertly crafted beer were slim to none. But as more and more people started brewing beer in small batches at home, the term “microbrew” came into existence, and has since evolved to “craft beer.” Homebrewing grew in popularity and quality. Those with a passion and a knack for making beers opened small breweries with a focus on quality and flavor. Now there are thousands of small and independent craft breweries in the US, and the trend keeps growing. If you’re cold and looking for a beer to warm you up, why not try the creamy and smoky Murphy’s Irish Stout on a nitrogenated tap? Do you like light and crisp wheat
“I’ve been working at the Five Horses for two months and I’ve already tried beers brewed with chocolate, pecans, clementines, Thai basil and espresso, to name a few.”
24
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
changes the way they feel about beer. He’s super friendly and loves talking to customers to find out what they like and how he can tailor his bar’s drafts and food to fit the needs of what people want to find in Davis Square. The Five Horses is the perfect place to try things you’ve never tried before, so come in, talk to a bartender, tell them what you like and what you don’t, and prepare to be wowed. Trust me—once you start drinking good beer, you won’t stop.
S FF U O P AM C
AFT BEER FIVE HORSES TAVERN Photos courtesy of Five Horses Tavern
lagers that are so ubiquitous on college campuses. I’ve been working at the Five Horses for two months, and I’ve already tried beers brewed with chocolate, pecans, clementines, Thai basil, and espresso, to name a few. I love it when a customer comes up to the bar and asks for a Bud
Lite—if I can instead get them to try something new, something they’ve never heard of, then I’ve done my job right. Craft beers might not buy ads during the Super Bowl or be endorsed by celebrities and sports stars, but they are out there, and they’re quietly becoming the new standard for what beer can be. O
Lenéa Sims & Bernita Ling
beers? The Blanche de Bruxelles is a great import with a lemony taste and comes in its own personal glassware. Are IPAs your thing? Take the Avery Dugan A, an imperial with a bright hop taste and a sweet finish. I could go on forever, but the point is that you don’t have to resign yourself to the tasteless and bland flavor of corporate
NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
25
Prose
Witness to the Greatest M by Christopher Blackett
se Loui
et Blav
His name is Major Henry Rathbone. They say that he was there when the President was shot—that he was an inch away from the assassin, close enough to see the veins on murderer’s hand as he pulled the trigger. Once upon a time Major Rathbone was favored by destiny. Now he sits in his study, cobwebs forming on the wheels of his chair, the color fading from the flag that hangs on the wall behind his immobile body. He is not the same man as he once was. He was passed over, found wanting in his heart and in his soul. His aspirations and his hopes bled out even as the President bled out. Henry Rathbone died the day the man he loved most in this world died. Now, all that is left is a fading memory of that young major. The playbill presented the performance and its acts, never mentioning that the finale would be a gunshot echoing throughout the theater. Henry Rathbone was duped by fate into thinking that he would enjoy a play with his President. Duped into thinking that life, no matter the inconsistencies, rather in spite of them, could end happily for him just once. They say that Abraham Lincoln was not just a President, but that he was a theologian and philosopher. At dinner parties, he would espouse ideas so brilliantly that they lit up the room. The mahogany panels that covered the wall would suddenly glow, as if newly varnished. His voice was high, but rhetorical and lofty. The awkwardness of his height, the effeminate stance his body would always take, and the shrill26
TUFTS OBSERVER
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
Prose
Man Who Ever Lived “
ness of his voice all seemed irrelevant. Lincoln was more than just his person—he was the manifestation of America, the living, breathing symbol of freedom. People were silent when he spoke. They came from miles and across counties to see him debate. Lives revolved around him, at differing radii, like planets orbiting a sun. He was the gravitational pull that brought Southern slaves and Northern industrialists together in a grand scheme. When he died, the world collapsed around him, leaving a black hole in his wake. Major Rathbone had distinguished himself during the war by showing a valor that few men possessed. When he returned home, Lincoln was there, his hat in his hand, smiling. He softly pinned a medal to the lapel of his uniform. The two spoke for a long time that day, conversing over the state of freedom, and the future of the Union. They spoke of nature, and their favorite flowers, and strongest trees. They even talked of God, of which Lincoln showed a reverence for, though not necessarily a belief in. Major Rathbone was always faithful, and yet he could not help but see the world as Lincoln saw it. When he felt the wind, he wondered how the President felt it. When he tasted wine, he wondered how Lincoln tasted it. When he lay down with his wife, he wondered how Lincoln spent the night with his wife. If only there were a war every day, so that Major Rathbone could show Lincoln his courage and have him pin a thousand more medals to his chest. Major Henry Rathbone sits in his wheelchair and replays that day over and over again, transfixed to that event. For America, it held monumental significance, a historical event that eclipsed all others. Yet for Henry Rathbone the assassination is a moment of personal importance. It was the death of a great friend and a great love. In his mind, he sees the assassin emerge from the darkness, revolver “If only there in hand. He sees the barrel staring down at the back of Lincoln’s were a war every day, head. He sees the finger pull the trigger, and the smoke trail out so that Major Rathbone of the barrel. It all happened so quickly. Suddenly Lincoln gave could show Lincoln his up the spirit, and the force of the bullet propelled his body forward a foot, so that his giant corpse lay curled awkwardly around courage and have him pin the base of his chair. The spectators began to shout, and the room a thousand more medwas filled with the wail of women and the cry of children. The asals to his chest.” sassin turned and fled, and Major Rathbone could only throw his hand out in desperation as his loved one’s murderer disappeared behind a curtain. Lincoln, the great emancipator, the guardian of the Union, was dead. There was a vast emptiness that quickly spread across the theater and hung over the balcony. Destiny pervaded the room; History hung on the curtains that night, and when it came time to bow, the nation stepped forth to bow. Sadness seeped out from Rathbone, like blood from a mauled animal. It spread out and hung in the air, dirty and contaminating. The people behind the walls whispered into his ears at night, telling him that he failed his country and his President. Redemption was a bullet away, they had told him, their words slithering into his ears. One click of the finger at Clara’s heart, and all would be forgiven. Nothing was forgiven. Everything had been lost, as he held her limp body in his eyes. He cupped her pale face as the light drained out of it. Far away, in Hamburg, he was surrounded in the foyer of his house. Their rifles were trained on him as they called out in strange tongues. The light was dim, the curtains drawn. The red blood spilling out from her torso made a pool around his knees. Rathbone was crying as the policemen surrounded him. He was pointing at the wall and shouting at the picture frames. They were watching him. They have always been watching him. It is time to take your bow, and then, applause.
NOVERMBER 21, 2011
TUFTS OBSERVER
27
POLICE BLOTTER
QASargeant McCARTHY &
with head of the Tufts University Police Department as interpreted by Becky Plante
What should I do if I’m at a house party, and the cops show up at the door? Do I throw my drink on the ground? Hide in the bathroom?
DO
DON’T
• leave quietly, and if you’re a resident, help clear out the house. • cooperate with the officers. The most important thing is to do what they say.
A TV that had been in a Wren common room was reported missing on the evening of the 4th. Now instead of watching Glee, these kids have to watch their backs. Womp, womp! SATURDAY, November 5, 8:08 PM Police encountered an extremely drunk male student on Whitfield road. They were told he’d had 7 beers and 5 shots. He was taken to Somerville Hospital. Sgt. McCarthy noted that this is representative of a change in college culture; In previous decades, kids mostly stuck to beer, but now, everybody’s drinking shots of alcohol (but just because everyone is doing it doesn’t mean it’s cool). SUNDAY, November 6, 8:30 PM Just after the end of President Clinton’s lecture, police received a call about an intoxicated male yelling and screaming near Talbot ave. Police found out that the man had active
warrants, and he was taken into custody by the Somerville PD. I guess he picked the wrong night to get drunk and yell around Tufts (because of Bill Clinton, guys).
TUFTS OBSERVER
Fig. A
MONDAY, November 7, 12:35 PM Officers investigated a report of a missing Apple MacBook. Apparently, it had been stolen from a student’s room in Miller while he had left to go to the bathroom. Other students in the dorm reported seeing a white male in his mid-20s, with long hair, wearing a Yankees cap. This story has two take-aways: It’s ok to bring your laptop to the bathroom, and Yankees fans are criminals. TUESDAY, November 8, 12:46 PM Officers were dispatched to 4 Colby St., where an unknown person had stolen two students’ backpacks. One of the backpacks contained a lap top. The lesser of the two backpacks was later found in the bed of a nearby pickup truck, presumably stripped of its packs of gum and mechanical pencils.
Fig. B 28
Guess which of these similar looking things is permitted in dorms?
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
A
B
C
Answer: C, The Emaciated Cthulu
FRIDAY, November 4, 8:05 PM
• argue with cops, especially Medford/Somerville ones. You aren’t a lawyer. Probably. • bring your alcohol with you when you leave. What do you think this is, your semester abroad in London?
SUNDAY, NovEMBER 13, 1:16 am A student in Hill Hall was found in possession of an elaborate, 6-hosed beer funnel. An RA had noticed it while walking around. It’s unclear whether the RA reported the device because he is lame and hates partying, or because he thought it was one of those octopus lamps freshmen hide in their rooms before fire inspections. They look so similar! (See Fig. A)
FE E UR AT AMY CONNORS
Tufts Observer Since 1895
www.tuftsobserver.org
Tufts University P.O. Box 5302, Medford, MA, 02155 Please Recycle