(10/22/13 4:00am)
As of late, the hard-line relations between America and Iran seem to be easing. For the first time since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the American president had a phone conversation with the president of Iran. On the surface this seems like steps by Iran to enter real negotiations about their nuclear program. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has called President Hassan Rouhani's efforts a "smiley campaign" with "conciliatory words." What do you foresee as the trajectory of our talks with Iran, and do you see them being productive? Eric Lob President Hassan Rouhani and his team are serious about subjecting Iran's nuclear program to heightened restrictions, safeguards and inspections in exchange for sanctions relief and the right to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes. Based on preliminary discussions and official statements in New York and Geneva, the trajectory of talks between Iran and the P5+1 is heading in a constructive and positive direction. In response to these talks, Israel has taken a hard-line stance. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Iranian enrichment at any level represents an existential threat to his country. Other Israeli officials are concerned about Iranian-American rapprochement and about Israel losing its geostrategic advantage as the Middle East's sole nuclear power. Ironically, Israeli resistance toward diplomacy raises the prospects of a nuclear-armed Iran and a regional, nuclear arms race-the very outcomes Israel seeks to avoid. Eric Lob is a postdoctoral research fellow at Brandeis University's Crown Center for Middle East Studies. Sarah Kent (GRAD) If the history of these two nations is deeply examined, it becomes clear that the tensions between the U.S. and Iran have existed well before the 1979 hostage crisis; rather it was simply the breaking point. For example, the United States and Great Britain were instrumental in the overthrow of former Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, who wanted to nationalize oil, in 1953. The talks between President Obama and President Hassan Rouhani are encouraging, but I believe it will take a long time for mutual trust to be regained because of the past and the potential backlash within the two nations. These early talks do not specifically symbolize much in the way of moving forward. They do, however, represent an opening of minds in each country to the idea of reigniting relations. For these reasons, I believe that these talks are hopeful but not enough to assume that the relationship between the United States and Iran will improve. Sarah Kent is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching with a concentration in History. Arielle Gordon '16 Really, we're asking the wrong questions. Likely, talks between President Obama and President Rouhani will not come to any sort of definitively diplomatic fruition. Idealists can be as hopeful as they would like, but anti-U.S. sentiment is deeply embedded within the very ideological foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and while Iran's nuclear program is hardly the existential threat that many portray it to be, it is certainly a symbol of sovereignty that the ideological factions in Iran, with the most jurisdiction over Iranian policies, will be hard pressed to relinquish. Yet, the concrete outcome of talks is hardly a reason to dissuade the U.S. from engaging in conversation. With two "reformist" political leaders at the helm, it is imperative that we seize the opportunity to create a space for dialogue with the IRI that has been closed off for more than three decades. The goal of dialogue would not be to achieve a concrete outcome, but to set a precedent for conversation that only a year ago would have seemed impossible. While this is hardly a moment for blind optimism, we cannot afford to allow uncompromising cynicism prevent the possibility of a badly needed shift in U.S.-Iranian relations. Arielle Gordon '16 is majoring in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, serves as the editor of the Middle East section for the Brandeis International Journal, and is a staff writer for the Justice. Alex Thomson '15 From the latest news reports, it appears that the clandestine talks between the Iranian and American governments are making significant progress. All indications point to an imminent deal that could be announced shortly that would require greater international oversight and regulation of Iran's nuclear stockpile, unannounced visits to Iranian nuclear facilities by UN inspectors and limits on the quantity and grade of uranium. I find Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States to be both refreshing and hopeful after the past eight years of hostile relations with former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Despite the productivity of the talks, I am still cautious of their final outcome and the ultimate deal. While I do believe that Rouhani is intent on bettering relations with the West to ease sanctions on the Iranian economy, he must also match deeds with words and demonstrate that Iran is serious about ceding its nuclear program. Alex Thomson '15 is the former president of the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee.
(10/22/13 4:00am)
Last Wednesday evening, Shiffman room 219 was packed with students coming from classes in all different directons, from all different departments. What could be attracting such a diverse group of students, you ask? The answer is simple: pornography. More specifically, a panel lecture presented by the Feminist Sexual Ethics Project-a program started by Prof. Bernadette Brooten (NEJS) and Prof. Anita Hill (Heller). The lecture was given not only as part of the Project's programming, but also as a special learning opportunity for students in Brooten's course, "NEJS 29a: Feminist Sexual Ethics in Judaism, Christianity and Islam."
(10/22/13 4:00am)
What was I doing in 2004? YouTube would not be created until 2005. MySpace had been created in 2003, but I would not make my own page until sometime around 2007. Facebook was created in 2004 but was only open to select college students until sometime in 2006-I did not end up creating my own account until 2009, anyway. So what was I doing? It's strange to imagine not opening my laptop every time I step into my room, not pulling out my smartphone every time I'm waiting in a line, and not feeling the short-lived excitement of receiving a Facebook notification, and then realizing that its just someone posting in the Brandeis class page. I was 10 or 11 years old, so I was probably biking around with my good friends from the time. Jason, Jonathan, Devante, Asa-I could count them all on one hand. As of writing this article I have 1052 friends on Facebook, but it only feels equally, if not less, reassuring than my four close childhood friends. I was initially surprised by this observation, because more is better, right? But the connections I have made and maintained over Facebook and the persona I've created for myself feel artificial in comparison with real life. I cannot even imagine how content I'd feel if I had 1052 friends in real life and four Facebook friends. It is always gratifying to see the red number on the corner of our screens-John liked my status, maybe my opinions are valid; Mark accepted my friend request, maybe I am popular; Max liked my profile picture, maybe I am attractive. But those feelings and gratifications are shallow and defined extrinsically. We get them through other people and consequently depend on those other people to feel that same way. It is true that I felt similarly gratified through my close childhood friends, but it was not overburdening and overstimulating. It was always nice to see my friends, and I appreciated the sense of belonging that came along with them, but I did not feel that presence literally every second of my life. I was not reminded that those feelings were or weren't there, the way I am now as I check my phone in a line at the Hoot Market. It's very much like we've been conditioned. We see a red number and feel like we're being noticed before we even check what that notification is about. We are conditioned to feel accepted by these notifications and consequently at a loss without them. As I anxiously wait for the page to load-will I be accepted? If not, I feel restless, compelled to go and like someone else's stuff, hoping they'll reciprocate the "love" and fill the newfound void. But imagine how sad it would be if they're liking my stuff for the same reason. Aside from seemingly defining our self-worth, Facebook creates new personas for us. Individuals who I've known in person to be quiet and generally held back are often the most vocal on Facebook. It's similar to the power that people find in anonymous online Internet forums, but that key difference is that Facebook associates a name with your words. Usually the will to make bold statements comes from not having your name associated with your words, but on Facebook, there's actually a matter of pride with claiming those words. Some people will chirp into huge debates with a safe (not new or interesting, but favorable) opinion to reap the benefits of social acceptance without the associated risks. Some people will disagree with just about anything to boast their intelligence and non-conformity. And some people actually provide thought-provoking, interesting and unique opinions-though this last group has always seemed the minority in my experience. The large majority of users I've observed fall into the first two groups, and this is problematic because they don't develop the necessary social skills. We live in a society where our natural human impulses are artificially stimulated and are consequently improperly developed. We feel conditioned belonging through our notifications. We feel contrived bravery through the constant presence of our peers. We belong online and are alone in person. I do not know how to solve this problem, but I can safely say that Googling it won't help. *
(10/21/13 4:00am)
The Brandeis men's and women's swimming and diving teams began their season this past Saturday in a dual meet at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. The men placed first in five total events while the women took first in three. In their first meet of the season, the men lost by a score of 183-86 while the women followed suit with a 187-53 defeat. Even though the teams lost, Brian Luk '16 thought both squads performed well. * "Considering the depth and size the Wheaton team has over us, we were able to pick up some wins," Luk said. "Regardless of victory or not, everyone on the team swam some pretty good times. Overall I am really proud of what [our teams] did on Saturday." * Max Fabian '15 led the men's squad with three first-place finishes in the 1000-yard freestyle, 200-yard butterfly and the 500-yard freestyle, placing first in every solo event he raced in. * In the 1000-yard freestyle, Fabian finished with a time of 10 minutes, 14.87 seconds, which gave him a 39.23 second margin of victory over second place. The margin was slimmer in the 200-yard butterfly; Fabian won by exactly two seconds. * The closest Fabian came to losing was in the 500-yard freestyle. After a slow start, he was able to overcome Wheaton senior Frederick Garneau at the 250-yard mark. From there, Fabian managed to hold onto the slim lead and win by .56 seconds. * Luk notched the only other solo victory that the Brandeis men had on the day, placing first in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.92 seconds. In addition to his individual victory, Luk also set a personal record in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:48.08, but narrowly lost the lead in the final 50 yards of the race and eventually finished in second by a margin of .08 seconds. * The fifth victory came during the last event of the day, with Wheaton unofficially swimming the 200-yard freestyle relay, handing a victory, and the points, to the Judges. The Judges proceeded to win the event by default. * The Brandeis women, competing after their male counterparts, opened with early success from Joanna Murphy '17 in the 1000-yard freestyle. Murphy placed first and finished with a time of 11:03.71, which was a massive 43 seconds faster than the second-place finisher. * Such a finish was pretty impressive for her collegiate debut. However, Murphy wasn't done yet. After winning the opening event, she continued to dominate the competition in the distance events, taking another first-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:34.35. * Gabby Drillich '15 secured the Judges' other individual victory in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing with a time of 2:36.03. * Furthermore, Fallon Bushee '16 took second in two events, placing runner-up in the 50 free (26.26 seconds) and 100 free (58.14 seconds). The Judges will return to action on Friday, when both teams compete at the University Athletic Association Invitational hosted by the University of Rochester. *
(10/15/13 4:00am)
On Thursday, Aruna D'Souza, an art historian, writer and critic, delivered this fall's Soli Sorabjee Lecture in South Asian Studies. D'Souza has taught art history at schools such as the University of California, Berkley and the State University of New York Binghamton and is currently a visiting professor at the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program in the visual arts. In her lecture, entitled Ingesting Culture: Cooking, Colonialism, and the Question of Indian-ness, D'Souza spoke on the topic of food as a means of cultural production. The lecture was well attended, and the audience enjoyed her fascinating account of her own complicated past full of imperialism, colonization, and racism. D'Souza is a Canadian woman whose parents immigrated from India to Canada, where she and her sister were born. She described her and her family's personal experiences from when their area of origin, Mangalore, was originally colonized by the Portuguese, to their experiences returning to India. D'Souza combined personal anecdotes and historical sources to create an educational yet intimate lecture. She is interested in food as trauma, violence and struggle-what she describes as "anti-eat, pray, love". Growing up in Canada, D'Souza and her family were minorities in a predominately white Alberta town. Her parents had met in medical school in India, moved to England, and then finally, to Canada. They had repeated their medical residencies four times in order to prove that they were, in fact, capable physicians and not barbaric cannibals, as a racist drawing left at the hospital suggested. Soon, however, Canada had become part of their multicultural identity, as D'Souza's father developed a love for country music and his two daughters grew up as Canadians. However, food remained an important part of their culture, and D'Souza grew up enjoying the spicy flavors of Indian cuisine. Later, she comically described her father serving his daughters' Caucasian boyfriends delicious, "hallucinatingly hot" Indian food. Audience members giggled at D'Souza's description of the pink-faced men sweating as they tried to consume the food, and thus, prove their manliness. D'Souza's ancestors were originally from Mangalore, where Portuguese missionaries converted them into Catholicism and destroyed much of their Hindu culture. The surname had been given to her family by the Portuguese missionaries. They mandated that salt be served on rice, that they be baptized into Christianity and they even required the Hindus to eat beef and pork, literally forcing it down their throats. Indian food, however, was not lost, but came to influence many other cultures, such as English and Portuguese cuisines. D'Souza shifted from personal anecdote to the history of India and its culture. As Indian culture influenced the food of its imperialists, Western culture altered the Indian way of living. D'Souza focused on Chandigarh, which was supposed to put India on the world stage as a modern city, and was designed by Western architects The city included 13 groups of housing, which would provide basic amenities to everyone, a blow to class prejudice. Some criticize this city as Western architecture, and therefore, lifestyle, on an Indian landscape. However, D'Souza does not view the situation as merely Western imperialism but a combination of cultures that leave the past behind and create a hodgepodge of different lifestyles. D'Souza used the metaphor of soup to symbolize something that had been combined and now could not be separated, as she cannot separate the colonial influences from her identity. Although some in Mangalore are reclaiming their original name in protest to their colonial past, the influence of Western imperialism is still visible in their actions, such as their ingestion of pork. D'Souza is not condoning imperialism. She is merely suggesting that identity is fluid and can have many influences and aspects. "I am a pork eater, among so many other things. You can't unstir a pot."
(10/15/13 4:00am)
The California Republican Party Convention rarely makes the news in California, let alone on The Huffington Post. But this year was different because of an unusual action the party took. The California Republican Party released buttons which read "KFC Hillary Special. 2 fat thighs. 2 small breasts. Left wing." After images of the buttons hit Twitter and mainstream media outlets, the buttons were removed from the conference. I am not outraged about an attack on a female politician based solely on her appearance, as disgusting as it may be. Nor am I going to lump every single Republican together and say that around half the country stands behind the pins. In fact, Republicans in the California Assembly and Senate have criticized the creators of the pins. Rather, I am outraged that the political dialogue in this country has fallen so far that it is acceptable to mock an accomplished politician for her body, compare a speech to the Bataan Death March, as Ted Cruz did after his 21-hour sort-of filibuster or accuse an opposition party of being authoritarian dictators or committing war crimes. Certain representatives of both the Democratic Party, like John Burton, and Republican Party, like Ted Cruz, have said these things, and more. The things said by the fringe elements do not represent the mainstream of any party. But, unfortunately, it is the vitriol of the fringe that makes the best viewing on nightly news, and it is this vitriol that is only further polarizing American politics. For example, John Burton, the chairman of the California Democratic Party, compared Paul Ryan to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's minister of propaganda, during an interview in September. Ken Cuccinelli, the current Attorney General in Virginia and republican gubernatorial candidate, said that opposition to Obamacare was parallel to opposition to fugitive slave laws in the North during the antebellum. Robert Benmosche, the American International Group's CEO made the claim that the current outrage against Wall Street bonuses is similar to lynch mobs of the Jim Crow South. There is never a reason or excuse to compare your political opposition to the Nazi Party or those responsible for genocide. Not supporting a health care law is not the same as opposing slavery. And I don't think any business executive has any right to compare his experiences to the racial violence African-Americans faced for periods of our history. Even as a proud progressive and Democrat registered in California, I felt sickened at what John Burton said in regard to Paul Ryan. Although I cannot speak for Republicans, Virginians or CEOs on Wall Street, I do think it is safe to say that they do not agree with statements that certain members of their group say either. Like many of the issues in Washington, there is no simple solution to get out of this mess. While politicians and political figures face outcry after making inflammatory statements, it almost seems as if they do not learn from their actions. Our best hope is to lead by example. Even though we are just citizens, we should make an effort not to use this sort of inflated and hyperbolic language. I know that in the past, I have made inaccurate and offensive statements about politicians I don't agree with. Now, I've been making an effort, to use reasonable language to express my dislike, although I may not agree or even like a politician, idea or party. After all, according to a 2011 Harris Poll on political discourse, nearly 90 percent of Americans believe that political discourse is more bad-tempered than it used to be. And 70 percent of the American public believes that the political climate overall is nastier than in the past. Maybe, if the American people make it clear that we are tired of the war crime analogies in completely inappropriate settings, and if we ourselves stop using them, our elected officials will get the message. The current political climate doesn't have to be this way. I hope I'm speaking for the majority here at Brandeis when I say I'd like for our elected officials to speak in a civilized manner, without hyperbole and insane accusations. If we make this a priority, it can be done. *
(10/15/13 4:00am)
Brandeis Visions for Israel in an Evolving World launched its second year last Wednesday with the event "Actualizing Visions" in the Shapiro Campus Center Atrium. The event featured Rabbi Ron Kronish '68, director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, and Iyad Zahalka, a judge in Jerusalem's Sharia Court. University President Frederick Lawrence also attended to give some opening remarks regarding bVIEW's upcoming year. The event was cosponsored by the Coexistence and Conflict Program at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Hillel, the Interfaith Chaplaincy, the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, the Peace, Conflict and Coexistence Studies department and the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies. Each speaker highlighted bVIEW's goal of creating better dialogue about Israel, in which people can feel more comfortable about expressing their opinions. Kronish and Zahalka work together in Israel to create dialogues between different groups of people about issues facing Israel, and spoke on how to best create these dialogues. During his speech, Kronish highlighted steps his organization uses to create safe and positive discussions, including sharing personal identities among participants; interreligious learning, in which each side reads the other's religious texts, and, as Kronish noted, often learn that their religions are not that different; open discussion about issues of conflict; and acting on ideas discussed, which could be something as simple as posting to Facebook, according to Kronish. "We go a long way to breaking down stereotypes when we take these first two steps. We create a lot of trust, and fear and barriers go way down," Kronish said. Zakalka echoed Kronish's sentiment of wanting to build understanding in order to create dialogue, repeating the idea that all sides must "join forces" in order to solve their problems. "If we start talking people to people, human being to human being, religion to religion, we can start to understand a way the conflict can be solved," Zakalka said. Like Kronish, Zakalka said that it is important to see others as people, and that "religion is not part of the problem, religion is part of the solution." After the speakers, bVIEW members acting as student facilitators broke the audience up into small discussion sections, which were led by the student facilitators. These facilitators emphasized that the groups were safe spaces for discussion. Following the break-out session, there was a question-and-answer session during a small reception, during which bVIEW came together again, officially opening their year with a few words from Lawrence. Lawrence applauded bVIEW for creating a safe space and dialogues about Israel that he said he feels happen nowhere else in the world. "I am delighted to be part of the launch ... of bVIEW. It did start as an idea about a better kind of discussion. ... Often dialogues are really parallel monologues," he said. Lawrence also noted that he looks forward to bVIEW's second annual conference with other universities this upcoming winter, and to the creation of a new chapter of Visions for Israel in an Evolving World at Harvard University. Gil Zamir '15, a cofounder and current programming director for bVIEW, said in an interview with the Justice that bVIEW's goal for this year is about making their goals a reality, hence the event title "Actualizing Visions." He said Kronish and Zahalka were chosen to speak because they are "actualizers." "They're not waiting for the politicians, for anyone. On the ground, this is how you make things happen," Zamir said. Zamir said he sees Brandeis as a place full of future world leaders like Kronish and Zahalka, and that "while we are all together, we can breed the best ideas for Israel. Things on the ground are not progressing, so the way we are trying to use this is as an opportunity for the next big breakthrough to happen here." He said he hopes that events like this will open up a different kind of dialogue about Israel that will allow students to have these big ideas. "Israel is not toxic and messy, it's the way it's been talked about that is," he said.
(10/15/13 4:00am)
The University hired Lisa Boes as the new dean of Academic Services on Oct. 10, after Kim Godsoe was promoted to be the assistant provost for academic affairs over the summer. Boes will assume her position on Nov. 4. Boes previously served as the Allston Burr resident dean for Pforzheimer House at Harvard University since 2007. Godsoe, now the assistant provost for academic affairs, had served as dean of Academic Services since 2006. The dean of Academic Services oversees the University's undergraduate advising programs and other important academic support services, including first-year faculty advising, Brandeis Undergraduate Group Study and the Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program. "I had been looking for a position that focused on advising at a small liberal arts institution," wrote Boes in an email to the Justice. "Brandeis' social justice mission makes this feel like a particularly good fit for me," Boes added. "I am looking forward to bringing my student development background to looking across them as well as my experiences with collaborating with administrative staff and faculty," said Boes. "I'm very excited about Lisa [Boes]. I think she brings a wonderful range of experiences, particularly in academic advising, but she also has significant work in pre-health advising, disability advising and fellowship services," said Godsoe in an interview with the Justice. Godsoe called Boes "creative" and "collaborative" in an interview with the Justice, referring to her work developing a sophomore advising program at Harvard University. Boes has a bachelor's degree in botany and a master's degree in student personnel from Miami University in Ohio. She received a Ph.D. in learning and teaching from Harvard's Graduate School of Education. Godsoe said the position has changed slightly since she held it. The Office of Study Abroad and International Students and Scholars Office are now under the purview of the provost. In an email announcement to the faculty, Godsoe thanked Profs. Charles McClendon (FA), Wendy Cadge (SOC), Ellen Wright (PSYC), Hollie Harder (ROMS), Susan Parker (MATH) and James Morris (BIOL) for their assistance with the search.
(10/08/13 4:00am)
On Oct. 4, the Brandeis Osher Lifelong Learning Institute hosted an event titled "The Feminine Mystique and the Masculine Response" in the Napoli Trophy Room at the Gosman Sports and Convocation Center. The discussion was centered on the late Betty Friedan, a feminist revolutionary of the 1960s and '70s, and the impact she has had on what is perceived as the role of women. The panelists were author and professor of American studies at Smith College Daniel Horowitz, Prof. Joyce Antler (AMST), Prof.Marguerite Dorn (BOLLI) and David Small, head of human resources at Steward Healthcare. Roberta Salper, scholar in residence at the Women's Studies Research Center, moderated the discussion. The panelists shared their own experiences with and the effects they saw from Friedan's life work and her renowned book The Feminine Mystique. They also analyzed Friedan's attitude during the second feminist wave in the United States and the discrepancies between her views and other feminists' views. In The Feminine Mystique, Friedan wrote about the "the problem that has no name," or the deep unhappiness of suburban housewives, what she believed was the underlying root of the problem, and how she believed women could move forward from it. She was inspired for her book after conducting a survey of her former Smith College classmates for their 15th anniversary reunion and hearing from her dissatisfied and unfulfilled female peers. Salper introduced the discussion, touching on a point that would arise in each of the panelists' commentary: the dilemma of division in women's roles at home and work as it applies to middle-class women exclusively. While Salper said she was positively influenced by Friedan, she said that "the solutions [Friedan] suggested were incomplete ... A factory girl would remain a factory girl, a maid would remain a maid. It seemed to me that unless a women's movement made changing the status of women like Juanita and Vicenta, domestic workers I knew in Spain, as important as achieving more opportunities for my upper-middle class sister-in-law or for me in the United States, the fundamental causes of women's oppression would not be eliminated." Antler shared her troubles understanding her own mother's identity, who did not have a career. "What kind of woman was she if she did not feel this mysterious fulfillment waxing the kitchen floor?" asked Antler, quoting a sarcastic Friedan excerpt. Antler said she did not see her mother at home all the time like many mothers who were exclusively housewives because she helped run her spouse's business. Antler described that rather than merely assisting their husbands in furthering their careers, Friedan insisted that women needed a life plan, or a deliberately chosen career that they followed for themselves. "My mother didn't pass the test," said Antler. Dorn brought a modern evaluation of what it is like to be a female in the workforce decades after Friedan's feminism, stating that females are still dramatically underrepresented in the workforce and have yet to get over "the maternal wall." She spoke on the importance of planning not only for a career, but also for a home dynamic. Dorn gave other tips for the younger generation, such as how to keep in mind the amount that is needed to pay off student loans and accept that tradeoffs are necessary in balancing work and family. The discussion also touched on the difference between working for the betterment and equalization of women and men's roles through structural changes versus only personal changes of learning to balance home and work. They spoke on how structural changes, meaning the expectations such as work schedule and amount of responsibility placed on workers, must better correlate with wages and lesser gender discrimination. Small spoke about how corporations have begun to try to ignore, or do not formally take into account, gender role differences. For one, he cited "parental leave" used an alternative to "maternity leave" and said he supports a protocol that does not force workers to disclose the reasons for their work hours or penalize for them. Small spoke on the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 as one means still working toward lessening gender discrimination in the workforce now that women are gaining more access to different work opportunities. "I think [Friedan] was scared. [Friedan had] tried to join the communist party, and was a writer for the largest communist dominated union in the U.S.; had people known that, The Feminine Mystique would have been trashed," said Horowitz. "I am enormously grateful to Friedan for her courage and intelligence; she was a singular American woman," said Salper, adding how far women have come from Friedan's period when the word "gender" didn't even exist. The audience was invited to take down any questions on index cards during a brief intermission, and a question-and-answer session with the audience followed. "I think it was great to hear Ms. Dorn speak about how ... the pressure is not just on young women, but on the younger generation to be more motivated. There's a huge misconception that the structure is fine and that it's just the workforce that's wrong, but the structure is definitely in need of fixing," said attendee Omar Sedky '15 in an interview with the Justice. Sedky also expressed his surprise in hearing how panelists of the older generation had a lot to say relevant to the younger generation. "What we're trying to do at BOLLI is to have more intergenerational involvement ... We want the students to be more aware that we're there," said BOLLI event coordinator Phyllis Cohen '62, in an interview with the Justice. BOLLI not only provides adults in the area with a range of services including access to courses by Brandeis faculty, but also interacts with Brandeis students through programs such as mentoring and a program for international graduate students at Brandeis.
(10/08/13 4:00am)
The special election for the four unfilled positions of associate justice, Village Quad senator, Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program senator and off-campus senator took place last Wednesday, leaving only three of these positions filled. Luky Guigui '15 was elected associate justice. Guigui won against seven other candidates with 24 percent of the vote, or 138 votes. Abstain came in second with 90 votes, or 16 percent of the vote. "I hope that I will be able to use my new position to be as fair as possible and to ensure that the proper decisions are made for any case that comes before the Judiciary," Guigui wrote in an email to the Justice. "I am also a strong believer in compromise and mediation and I hope that when needed I will be able to use those methods in order to end conflicts respectfully and responsively to benefit all parties involved." Bowen Li '16 was elected Village senator with 20 votes, or 44 percent. Abstain came in second with 17 votes, or 38 percent. Li was unable to be reached for comment before press time. The MKTYP senatorial position was filled by Jennifer Almodovar (MKTYP) with 64 percent of vote, which accounted for nine votes. The special election for MKTYP senator was held due to a technical error that occurred in the first election. For the other positions, however, the special election was required because the abstain option received the most votes during the initial elections. "I look forward to learning new things and to make this a better campus for us all along with the rest of the Student Union," Almodovar wrote in an email to the Justice. Almodovar added that she plans to talk to fellow students about any concerns that they have to get a better idea what changes they would like to see implemented. "As I've said before, one of my main goals is to make sure that we all have the best experience possible here at Brandeis," she wrote. "I ran for this position to serve my classmates, and I am glad I have been given the opportunity to do so." The off-campus senator position will remain unfilled despite the fact that three candidates were running for the position, as the abstain option received the most votes, 25, which was 28 percent of the vote. According to Student Union Secretary Sneha Walia '15, constitutionally, there can be one more additional special election. However, according to Walia, the Union executive board decided to postpone holding another election for the position until the beginning of the spring 2014 semester when the mid-year senator elections take place. The position will remain unfilled until the election occurs in the spring.
(10/07/13 4:00am)
This weekend, the Brandeis Theater Company put on a simultaneously comedic and heartbreaking performance of Anton Chekhov's masterpiece, The Seagull. The play was originally written in Russian and first staged in 1896. This weekend, it was directed by Shira Milikowsky, performed mainly by third-year Masters of Fine Arts students and a few undergraduates. The material for this performance was newly translated by Brandeis' own Ryan McKittrick, an assistant professor of Theater Arts, and Julia Smeliansky, an administrative director at the American Repertory Theater and at the Moscow Art Theater School Institute for Advanced Theater Training at Harvard University. This new translation did not sound as though it was written in the late 19th century, a fact that McKittrick accounted for in an interview with BrandeisNOW. McKittrick said that the translation is "not so contemporary it sounds like it happened yesterday, but it's not antiquated." The new modernized translation breathed some new life into the 117-year-old play and made it more accessible for today's audience. The play features an artistic cast of characters, including both writers and actors, living together for the summer on an estate in the countryside, where elderly and sickly Pyotr Sorin, played by Alex Jacobs, MFA '14, a friend of some, family of others, is staying. The play follows these characters as they wrestle with their relationships with themselves as well as others, as they try to find their places in the world. Sara Schoch, MFA '14, portraying the overly dramatic and self-obsessed ex-actress Irina, was able to swing between drastically different emotions with ease, and use passionate body movement to make her character come to life. Eddie Shields, MFA '14 showed the complexity of the tortured, unloved and self-loathing Kostantin. Shields perfectly embodied his character's struggles and progression into what looked like insanity. Toward the end of the performance, Shield's representation of Konstantin's insanity was so frightening and realistic that I jumped a few times in my seat at his loud and anguished outbursts filled with pain. The real genius of the show was that it was able to discuss such dark and weighty subjects such as suicide, loss of innocence, and heartbreak without being unbearably depressing. In fact, the performance was humorous. At many instances during the play the audience laughed out loud as the performance made fun of theatrical conventions, and characters made fools of themselves. Comical one-liners such as when Masha, played by Laura Jo Trexler, MFA '14, a cynical woman haunted by her unrequited love, says sincerely, "When I get married I won't have time to think about love," speckled the show and received laughs from the crowd. These funny instances lightened up the performances and story lines. The play overtly alludes to the symbolism of the seagull again and again, but each mention added nuance to the symbol. The first mention of the seagull was when young and na??ve Nina says to her boyfriend, "I am drawn here to the lake like a seagull." This romantic image is later thwarted when Konstantin kills a seagull, places it at his girlfriend's feet and reflects that he may kill himself just as he has killed the seagull. This scene foreshadows Konstantin's attempt and failure to kill himself, and later, his successful suicide. At the end, one of the characters stuffs Konstantin's seagull, reflecting the characters' struggles throughout the play to fill their lives with the meaning it lacks. The set was very minimal. I thought the blank backdrop with the projected lights was a surprising choice. The setting of the play in the beautiful countryside would have been the perfect opportunity for a scenic background but the company interestingly decided to forgo a backdrop altogether. Instead, the cast successfully contrasted between the outdoor estate by the lake and the inside of a residence with the use of large translucent curtains. This play was definitely not a slave to convention as Konstantin worries his own play may be. The Seagull was like nothing that I had ever seen. I look forward to the Brandeis Theater Company continuing its practice of adapting classic plays to entertain contemporary audiences.
(10/07/13 4:00am)
This Thursday evening, a group of eager students poured into the Edie and Lew Wasserman Cinematheque for one of the latest screenings presented by the Wasserman Fund and the Film, Television and Interactive Media Program. Juche Strong is a 2013 documentary short that takes viewers inside North Korea. Filmmaker Rob Montz attended the screening and stayed afterward for a special talkback with Prof. Heyward Parker James (HIST), an expert on Asian history.
(10/07/13 4:00am)
Walk through any building or open space on campus, including a classroom, and many of the students you'll see will be absorbed in a laptop, smartphone or other device. Too often, you'll see friends out to dinner sitting around the table tapping away instead of interacting with each other. Visit a thriving online community like Reddit, and you'll find countless users (many of whom are young people) making jokes about how they haven't been outside in days because they're so consumed with the Internet, gaming and other virtual pursuits. It sounds like a sitcom joke, but this kind of situation is all to real. Our entitled, instant gratification-generation needs self-control. We need to take walks, read books; we need to look up and interact with the world beyond the screens in front of our faces, because out there is where life takes place. Of course, all of these technological amenities are fantastic innovations, and they have undoubtedly made our lives richer in countless ways. But there's clearly a dark side that many young people choose to ignore in a cavalier manner. To me, the scariest thing is that we're the guinea pigs. Our parents spent their childhoods and teenage years completely without computers and the Internet and have only adopted these technologies in middle age. In addition to these harms that we'll suffer, we have no idea how our constant use of gadgets and screens will affect our physical, mental and social health. Personally, I'm worried about my eyes. According to WebMD, "Between 50 and 90 percent of people who work at a computer screen have at least some symptoms of eye trouble," and people who spend similarly large amounts of time playing video games can also experience eye problems. There's a documented medical issue called computer vision syndrome, which is even discussed on the American Optometric Association website. But perhaps more seriously, it's also true that people can suffer emotional harm by distancing themselves from reality, and many college students will tell you of someone whose social life has fallen apart, replaced by League of Legends or fantasy football. Internet addiction is a serious issue, and one study by Aviv Weinstein at the Hadassah Medical Organization in Israel cites its prevalence in the United States and Europe as being as high as 8.2 percent. Excessive computer use and addiction can lead to mental disorders like depression, anxiety and sleep disorders, with one study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine suggesting that to prevent such problems, adult workers should be limited to less than five hours a day on their computers. In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm not standing on very solid ground from which to lecture. I spend much more time than I should playing video games, watching streaming sports and browsing social networking sites, sinking into this alternate world to relax, escape and discover-and subsequently starting to lose the ability to do so elsewhere. It's a dangerous precedent to set for myself and for our generation. To use a clich?(c) often employed by lawyers, Internet addiction can be a slippery slope to an empty, self-centered life. As suggested by the researchers in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine study, I believe that the solution is moderation. When I was a child, my parents placed a "screen time" limit on me, shutting me off after I had spent one or two hours playing games on the computer or watching TV. These days, I sometimes wish I still had some force in my life to do the same; I find it incredibly difficult to monitor and regulate myself. I'm going to try to, though. For an Environmental Studies class I'm taking this semester, I have an assignment for which I am asked to find a "place in the woods" and visit it every few weeks, sketching plants and trees and jotting down my observations. The first time I went out into the Sachar Woods, and I stayed for an hour and a half, enjoying the foliage, the weather and most of all, the quiet. As I was leaving the woods and walking back to campus, I realized with an uncomfortable jolt that I couldn't remember the last time I had gone hiking, taken a walk in the woods or even passed a few hours without thinking about things tied to the virtual world. I'm not going to go "cold turkey" and stop using my computer or the Internet altogether. I am, however, going to try to use them more moderately. Real life is too beautiful and vibrant to constantly ignore.
(10/07/13 4:00am)
How does caffeine give us energy? Why do we sneeze? What causes a brain freeze when we eat cold food too fast? If you've ever asked yourself these questions or wondered about the science behind parts of your day-to-day life, you may find answers on Bite Sci-zed, the YouTube channel that Alex Dainis '11 has created. In the spirit of making education available without barriers, Dainis has created a series of free science-related educational videos on her YouTube channel, Bite Sci-zed. Like its name suggests, Bite Sci-zed provides "short, informative, informational science videos" about interesting topics that will be "open and accessible to anyone, no matter what their scientific background," Dainis said. Bite Sci-zed currently has around 15,000 subscribers and is approaching one million channel views. Much of the videos' subject matter comes from "questions or conversations that I have with my friends," she said. For instance, "I was standing around with a bunch of co-workers who were talking about motion sickness, and I thought that was a really cool question, so I went and researched it and made a video." Other Bite Sci-zed videos are inspired by science-related current events or news stories. A key aspect of Bite Sci-zed is that it remains a free resource. "I am really a huge believer in the fact that my videos should be free and open to everyone .... Education is not something that should be restricted to people who can pay for it, especially on the Internet," she said. "I want my videos to be open and ready to spread science to anyone with an Internet connection." Though Bite Sci-zed is not Dainis' main focus-she just started at Stanford University, where she is pursuing a Ph.D. in genetics-it is a significant time commitment. If a video is about a subject that Dainis knows well, it may take five hours to make it. If a subject requires a lot of research, it may take Dainis up to 20 hours to create it. Dainis makes all the videos by herself and does all research on her own. Dainis was inspired to start Bite Sci-zed partly as a result of her studies as a Brandeis undergraduate. Dainis double-majored in Biology and Film, Television, and Interactive Media. Her time as a teaching assistant at an undergraduate biology lab "led [her] to realize how much [she] loved teaching and explaining science to people," she said. Dainis spent two years working in Prof. Paul Garrity's (BIOL) lab at Brandeis, where she "fell in love with research, which inspired [her] to go to graduate school," she said. These two unique interests combined helped her create Bite Sci-zed. After graduating from Brandeis, "I was working in film, but I missed teaching people about science," she said, "I love watching the light bulb go off while people learn. I thought I could combine the film stuff and the science and reach people all around the world." Dainis generally tries to aim her videos towards high school or college-age students, but tries to make them accessible to people of varying levels of education. "If you have no background, you should be able to jump right in. And if you know a lot and have a much stronger background, you can still jump in," she said. To keep viewers interested, the videos are staged in a variety of different settings and incorporate many different types of visuals. A video explaining how brain freeze works, for instance, starts out in a kitchen with Dainis making a smoothie. Audience interaction is a big part of the channel: Bite Sci-zed has been viewed in 204 countries and territories. Viewers may notice that many of the videos have subtitles in other languages. Currently, there are videos subtitled in French, Spanish, Hebrew and Russian. Dainis did not originally plan to include subtitles. "The subtitling is actually all viewer-generated. I've had people step up and ask 'Do you mind if I subtitle?'" she said. The impact her videos can have on her audience is one of the most special parts of the experience for Dainis. "I have a really cool community of people who watch," she said. Her favorite messages are the ones she gets from students and teachers. She loves to hear that Bite Sci-zed videos got students interested in science or helped them understand science better. "The fact that a teacher has thought that my video is interesting and education enough to share with students is huge to me. It's the biggest compliment I can get," Dainis said. Dainis' long-term goal after graduate school "is to go into some sort of public science education through film. I really love spreading science to other people. I think it's i-mportant to get it out to as many people as possible," she said. Having knowledge about science, she said, can help people make better decisions. "Knowing just a little more about science can help every moment of your day, from deciding which medications to take, to what food to eat, to how to vote," she said. "If the entire public knows a little more about science, it helps society out. I want to break down the fear people have towards science," she said.
(10/04/13 4:00am)
"I am the smartest man alive!"
(10/01/13 4:00am)
Experiences are shaped by race What this article doesn't take into consideration is that one's ideas are formulated in part, if not very significantly, by their experiences. Since we do not live in a color-blind society in which one's character is treated as more important than their race, people's experiences are significantly shaped by their race especially if they come from a historically disenfranchised minority group. Thus, to say that "proper diversity is based on ideas, not race" is fallacious given that racism did not disappear overnight once the Civil Rights Act was passed, nor did it disappear when Obama was elected president. I know you didn't say it, but that is an implicit view that many have in this country. -Michael Piccione '15 Race in apps furthers racist agenda In response to your article "Proper diversity is based in ideas, not race" (Sept. 24): Articles such as Mr. Fried's show once more why I am proud to be an alumnus of a university that has such a student newspaper. This analysis is such a sight for sore eyes! It echoes the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s proposition made 50 years ago last month that people "should not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," a philosophy that has surely gotten lost in America's continuing obsession with race, an obsession Dr. King wanted to end, not propagate. I find triumphant Mr. Fried's call for the elimination of racial analysis check boxes on applications and forms. Such a device is the furtherance of a racist agenda. We can paraphrase George Orwell here: all races are equal, but some races are more equal than others. -Paul Trusten '73 Race is tangible part of identity In response to your article "Proper diversity is based in ideas, not race" (Sep. 24): As a black student at Brandeis this piece makes me really uncomfortable, but I think the main problem is that the author seems to believe that race is just "skin deep" and that it only has to do with the color of people's skin. Race is a very tangible part of people's identity that has very real effects on their lives, and puts "racial minorities" at risk for systematic and institutionalized racism and discrimination. Eliminating practices that support racialized people will not do anything to make Brandeis or anywhere else a "diverse, tolerant, and inclusive" place. Race is not skin deep and the programs you suggest getting rid of are necessary to address the racial inequalities prevalent in American higher education. -Zuri Gordon '15
(10/01/13 4:00am)
Race should not matter. Race is a socially constructed concept with no biological bearing on our characters, abilities, friendships, values or accomplishments. Ideally, humans should see one another simply as expressions of love. However, we do not live in a post-racial society. Race and ethnicity still contribute to what obstacles or opportunities one receives. Race and ethnicity are also crucial to diversity counter to what the writer of "Proper diversity is based on ideas, not race" (Sept. 24) concludes.
(10/01/13 4:00am)
Members and alumni of the Myra Kraft Transitional Year Program attended a celebration of the newly-named program last Tuesday. During the event, which took place at New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft's house, Tom Brady walked in holding his three-year-old son Benjamin. Holding Benjamin's shoes, Brady addressed the students, giving them a short, inspirational speech and calling them the "leaders of tomorrow." Brady also praised Myra Kraft '64, a Brandeis alumna and former trustee who passed away in 2011, calling her a "wonderful woman," and telling the students that they "should be really proud to be associated with her name," according to a BrandeisNOW release from last Wednesday. Robert Kraft gave five million dollars earlier this year to rename the TYP for his wife. According to the Brandeis website, the TYP was founded in 1968. The one-year program admits 20 students each year, chosen from about 200 applicants each year, with unique circumstances, ranging from "having to work long hours while attending high school, tak[ing] on family leadership roles in their households, or surviv[ing] a conflict in their native country," according to Program Director Erika Smith in an email to the Justice. The students take a mixture of regular undergraduate classes and specially designed non-credit courses aimed at introducing them to the rigor needed to succeed at Brandeis. After Brady spoke to the students in Kraft's living room, Kraft led the group of current TYP scholars and alumni to his patio, according to TYP alumnus Edwin Gonzalez '14, who attended the event. Once outside, Kraft spoke about the work that Myra did throughout her life and at Brandeis and told an anecdote about the day that she proposed to him. University President Frederick Lawrence also spoke, as did TYP alumnus Jermaine Hamilton '14. Smith said that she was happy for the media attention that the event received. "I am thrilled to see [the TYP scholars] recognized for all of their accomplishments," she wrote. "As an institution, Brandeis ... really sets itself apart from its peer institutions with this level of commitment to access and equity in education." Gonzalez was similarly full of praise for the TYP. "I think that it is a wonderful experience that should be expanded or at least adopted by other elite universities," he wrote in an email to the Justice. He also gave an example of a concrete way that the TYP helped him adjust to Brandeis. He wrote, "One of the basic requirements for graduation is the [University Writing Seminar] course. During my transitional year, I took two courses (not for credit) that were structured like a UWS course. In my second MKTYP semester, we focused on writing a lens essay specifically. My writing and editing abilities increased tenfold because of the program. I breezed through my actual UWS course." A Boston-area native, Gonzalez said that the Kraft's philanthropy goes beyond Brandeis. "As a senior in high school I was awarded the Kraft Family scholarship which I used to purchase my laptop. That money helped me start off my MKTYP experience on the right foot so I am extremely grateful to them. I love the philanthropic work that Myra always did and I am sad to have never met her," he wrote. Smith also pointed to the generosity of the Kraft family and the impact they have had on Brandeis. "It is because of supporters like the Krafts that Brandeis is able have the strong orientation toward social justice that it does," she wrote. "The Krafts serve as role models for generosity and selflessness to the students in the program, as well as to many others throughout the Brandeis community," Smith added. "Their dedication to efforts intended to level the playing field for people who show admirable strength of character will reverberate throughout the world for a great many years to come." *
(10/01/13 4:00am)
Michael Corn has been selected to be Brandeis' new chief information security and privacy officer and deputy chief information officer, according to a Sept. 26 email to the Brandeis community from Vice Provost, Chief Information Officer and University Librarian John Unsworth. In an interview with the Justice, Corn said that he will begin his position at Brandeis on Nov. 11. In the month before he starts working at Brandeis, Corn said he will continue his job at the University of Illinois as chief information security officer for the three-campus system and chief information security and privacy officer for the Champaign-Urbana campus. Corn's job responsibilities at Brandeis will include overseeing information security staff and supervising two of the divisions in Library and Technology Services, network and systems, and administrative and library information systems, according to Unsworth in an email to the Justice. Corn will also be responsible for replacing former information security staff member George Moore, who now is only an occasional consultant, wrote Unsworth. Unsworth worked with Corn for a short period at the University of Illinois, Corn's current employer, though Corn did not report to him, stated Unsworth in his email to The Justice. Their positions overlapped on a project to establish information technology governance for the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, explained Unsworth. Due to this connection, wrote Unsworth, "I recused myself from the early stages of the hiring process and didn't take part until the search committee ... had selected a short list of three finalists." Though Unsworth made the final hiring decision, "The search committee and others who participated in the campus visits of the short-list candidates were unanimous in recommending [Corn] as the first choice," wrote Unsworth. At Brandeis, Corn said that he plans to help manage the privacy and security of the University's network. Corn explained that university networks are designed to be very open, embracing "a huge variety of communication pathways" within the University community and connecting it to the outside world. "Our institutions are predicated on the idea of the free exchange of information," he said, and they have "more in common with small cities than ... with companies." Corn described such open networks as not occasionally but continually under attack. At the University of Illinois, Corn said there are often millions of attacks in one day. "Technology has far eclipsed the legal framework protecting confidential information," Corn said. "There is no activity a university engages in that isn't mediated by technology." The University's role in response to attacks on the network, explained Corn, is not just to protect, but also "to demonstrate ... respect for the community by protecting confidential information." Students and professors share a lot of confidential information via the network, he explained, so there is a "covenant with students and staff to protect that information." As deputy chief information officer, Corn will also have a leadership role in the University's new IT governance process, according to Unsworth in his community-wide email. The website for the Brandeis Library and Technology Service defines IT governance as "a system for having campus-wide conversations about [Brandeis'] collective priorities and investments in IT infrastructure, services, and policy," so as to determine "how best to use technology in support of academic and administrative goals of our university." Corn added that there "needs to be a close relationship between governance groups and LTS." Corn said he applied to the position at Brandeis after searching for jobs on the east coast for quite some time, particularly at small schools. The position at Brandeis was "exactly the type of position I was looking for," he said. He stated an appreciation of the "premium" Brandeis "puts on the larger mission for education." The strategic plan, he noted as an example, "hits all the right notes" and aims to accomplish a "larger mission in the world." He added that he was likely attracted to the school for much the same reason as Brandeis students. "I am really looking forward to working at an institution that was founded with a sincere focus on the student as a member of a global society," Corn stated.
(09/30/13 4:00am)
This week, justArts sat down with Sally Pinkas, professor of music and artist-in-residence at Dartmouth College, to discuss her upcoming concert in honor of the late Harold Shapero, former Brandeis music professor and composer. Just Arts: How did you know the former Professor Shapero? Sally Pinkas: I was here [at Brandeis] as a student, and when I came I wasn't sure whether I was going to be a pianist or a composer, and I was very interested in theory. I had already had a lot of theory. So it was very natural that I would be interacting with all faculty members that had something to do with composition and theory, and, of course, Harold Shapero was then teaching here. So I don't think I've ever taken theory with him, but I was taking some of his graduate seminars, and I think I took his seminar in composition and I have known him for many years. JA: How did you choose the pieces for Saturday? SP: It was not a matter of choosing. It was a matter of what was there because the whole idea for this label was to record something that hasn't been recorded before. So whereas the "Four-Hand" piece has been recorded before, these two solo pieces were never recorded. One of them-there's not even evidence of it ever being premiered. We don't know who premiered it. And the sonata, which was premiered, was premiered in '49 so those were the two works that really needed attention. But any case, when you have a CD, you are looking for a certain amount of time that will fill the CD and so these three works seemed like the most logical ones. JA: Can you give a little insight into his style and some of his influences? SP: Sure, and that's where this is very, very interesting because he was extremely precocious as a musician. So the early, early works of which the work for "Four-Hands" is ... a very peppy [piece], kind of neoclassical. The other two pieces are quite different and they were surprising to me because he was apparently very much getting involved with the music of Beethoven and other composers. He was thinking of ways of creating large, big structures and so the idioms are quite different. And I did not have any recording to compare notes with. I had to kind of get it from his score and that was kind of fun. JA: Is there something that you would like the audience to take away from Saturday's concert? SP: I think it's like coming full circle because he used to be here and when I started this project he was still alive. I talked to him a couple of times. I didn't get to play for him but we had this concert set for when he was still alive. We were hoping that he would be here. So it turned into a memorial event and that is kind of poignant. I was hoping that he would be here to hear these pieces. JA: What has your experience been like playing in a duo with your husband? SP: That's a whole other topic! We each have our separate lives, careers and we do solos and other stuff. But a while back, the person who was my programming director at the Hopkins Center [for the Arts at Dartmouth], because ... I'm both a professor but I'm also an artist-in-residence, so I play there regularly, and my boss said, "Why don't you play with Evan?" and at that time we never played together. So 10 years into our being together, we started playing together, and we thought we would just do it for one night but then it went on. And it's not easy working with one's husband. And me being Israeli, I was pretty rude initially, but I think we worked into a pretty good routine, and we enjoy it. For instance, we travel a fair amount as a duo. I just am making plans; we are going to be playing and teaching in Vietnam in December. We will be doing stuff both [in] Ho Chi Minh City and in Hanoi. And the fun thing is that we love working with each other but then we get to have fun after the concerts. We also get to travel together. So if you can find a good way of working with your spouse, it's a wonderful thing. I'd much rather tour with him than as a soloist. It's very unpleasant to tour as a soloist because you have to deal with everything by yourself, and it's a lot of tension, and this is a lot more fun. *
