(03/17/09 4:00am)
At last week's Music at Noon, a for-the-most-part monthly performance by the Lydian String Quartet in the Rose Art Museum, I counted only two other students, both sitting next to me in the back. I'd estimate the average age of the crowd, nearly 60 people, to be just that-at least 60 years. It's certainly a Brandeis cliché to mourn the lack of students at campus events; however, during this era in the University's history, I think it merits examination.For those who aren't avid fans of Brandeis' in-house string quartet, the Lydian String Quartet consists of Profs. Daniel Stepner (MUS), first violin; Judith Eissenberg (MUS), second violin; Mary Ruth Ray (MUS), viola; and Joshua Gordon (MUS), cello. The group chooses its programming in five-year cycles; the current cycle, titled "Around the World in a String Quartet," began in the fall of 2006 and has led the four professors to investigate string quartet music from composers of all nations. Last Saturday's concert, for which the Music at Noon performance served as a sort of preview, featured two traditional European composers, Beethoven and Mendelssohn, as well as Erni Dohnányi, a Hungarian composer whose anti-Nazi sentiments led him to resign his post as director of the Budapest Academy in 1941. Ultimately, Dohnányi emigrated to the United States and taught at Florida State University for ten years, until his death in 1960.Though Wednesday's program was not exactly to my tastes (it consisted of two pieces-Dohnányi's Serenade in C Major for String Trio, Op. 10 and Mendelssohn's Quartet in A Minor, Op. 13), one certainly cannot question the Lydians' consummate skill. In light of Eissenberg's recent elbow surgery, the quartet was missing its second violinist during the Dohnányi piece. (A substitute violinist, Danielle Maddon, joined the group to play the Mendelssohn piece that followed.) Yet even without one of their members, the group had no trouble filling the gallery with a deep, rich sound.A highlight of the performance was an introduction to the Mendelssohn quartet-a short song called "Frage" ("Question")-performed by Katherine Schram '09. The song, written by Mendelssohn at the age of 15, was short and simple, but Schram's performance was absolutely wonderful. The quartet that followed, which Mendelssohn wrote about three years after the song, drew from the themes of the short song over the course of its movements.Despite being reduced to a part-time status as part of the University's economic "belt-tightening," the group has a lot on its plate this spring. Besides its usual Saturday night concert, the group is working on a plan to record Beethoven's last five string quartets. However, Stepner warned me that next season's concert schedule (which corresponds to the 2009 to 2010 academic year) may be cut back due to the group's reduced salaries.
(01/20/09 5:00am)
The athletic department's attempt to revamp the gym did not live up to the hype among students. Disappointingly, the specific changes in the weight room were made without the consensus of a wider group of users, thus failing to raise the bar on our new gym.The athletic department should have switched its priorities. Instead of blowing its money on fancy equipment, it should have first provided preliminary education for the greater student body regarding both the advantages and efficiency of free weight training and then later allowed students to offer their opinions on what equipment they would prefer. That way, they'd have had a better idea of what we want and need from this new space.For those who are new to the space, the old weight room was divided into two adjacent rooms. The first room was a warmly lit, square room covered by mirrored walls and plushy yoga mats on a well-polished wooden floor. This room was popular with many yoga and dance-savvy students.The second room did not have the same ambiance as the first. Primarily lit by fluorescent lights, this room was closely reminiscent of a prison gym, with rusty Olympic barbells, precariously balanced dumbbells and bunch of odd machines. However, even with the lack of intact, varied equipment, students used their creativity to get the most from both rooms. Despite their size and outdated equipment, each room had its own flair, catering to prospective users. The "revamped" gym is a poor blend of two older rooms, creating a recipe for disaster. The smaller room, where students used to enjoy yoga and dance, is now a pseudo-gym with a few neglected machines, old dumbbells and a squat rack. It no longer has the capacity for yoga, dance, stretching, or even a proper workout. The second room also lacks specificity and efficiency. Closely resembling a cubicle layout of befuddling machines with cryptic instructions, the machines only confuse avid athletes who are unaccustomed to the new equipment. Although these machines are new, greased and ready to be used, many of these new items are inefficient and expensive additions to a gym that once had an entirely different personality.Moreover, by demolishing the smaller yoga and dance room, the new gym alienated a segment of the population of Brandeis that enjoyed using that space to exercise in that manner. In short, neither room is an economical-or ergonomically pleasing-establishment. If each room provided for and represented a specialized purpose, say a stretching and yoga room and a separate workout room, the new gym and its layout would not have been so disappointing. This is not to say that I won't be enjoying the newly purchased free weights, as the efforts of the athletic departments' desire for improvement is much appreciated. However, attaining consensus from the entire student body regarding their preference of equipment before purchasing items and doing significant renovations could have potentially created a more efficient improvement and would have been a bigger contribution to the entire student body.
(11/11/08 5:00am)
Mark Zuckerberg makes a lot of mistakes. As avid users of his product, Facebook, we probably have all complained about one feature or another that seemed too intrusive. Who wasn't disturbed by the release of the mini-feed or the ability to send instant messages to online friends?Facebook seems to develop features that are increasingly more personal. And although it's done ever so subtly, its advertisers are following suit, revealing a somewhat skewed opinion about college students. Once in a while, I catch a glimpse of the ads to the right of my profile:"Discover the diet that celebrities use to get thin. I'm no celebrity, but it worked for me!" "Is your Mac running slow? Exclusive discounts for college students online! Visit us today to get your Mac running at peak performance. Free roundtrip shipping!" "No Student Debt: Leave school debt free! BuZZfund is the place where you can showcase youself in order to receive tuition dollars as a gift!" "What Color is your Heart? A person with a Black Heart has an aggressive personality. They are as opinionated and as lovers get along with very selective partners." Personalized advertising may seem like a revolutionary idea in the Facebook realm. Since the ads on our profiles are customized to our interests, genders, activities and other preferences, it appears as if Zuckerberg has extended stalking capabilities to his advertisers as well. Good work, Mark. Let's not forget, though, that this really is how advertising works. Car and beer commercials abound during sports games. Toy commercials play during the breaks in early morning children's cartoons. Advertising is consistently geared toward a specific audience. But the degree of specificity that advertisers can achieve through Facebook is frightening. And herein lies the trouble. Some ads make sense. Weight loss and beauty advertisers target me because I'm female. Travel deals and tuition cuts show up because I'm a student. Apple products like iPhones and Macs are generally useful for people in my age group. But heart "colors" and love tests? Do advertisers honestly think that we college-age people are so enthusiastic about learning the "secret to living the life of our dreams" through an online quiz? It should disturb us that this is how these promoters gauge our intellectual capacity. Maybe we should question the motives of these advertisers. They clearly deem us vulnerable to their ludicrous schemes and juvenile wording. What do they base their judgments on? Does the college-age population really come off as interested in the nonsense that Facebook markets to its users?I think we can all agree that taking "How much do you love him?" tests online is absurd. Virtual hearts don't change colors based on the type of personality we have. It's a mystery to me why advertisers continue to bombard our social networks with frivolity when the concerns of college students clearly do not lie in the shallowness that might amuse a very different Internet audience.Students at Brandeis University, known for its activist philosophy, understand that college students have less superficial things to do with their time. It is disappointing that Facebook's advertisers have such difficulty recognizing this. But the college student population is certainly adept enough to identify the plethora of trash in the advertising section.If only the advertisers who so desperately beg our attention had a little faith. College students are not naive. In fact, we are quite the contrary; perhaps promoters should take a gamble and show some respect to those who devote their time to studying at institutions of higher learning. I challenge advertisers to tempt the intellectual craving that exits in all of our minds. We are this nation's future, after all.Some of the advertisements situated at the right side of your profile are practical. But most of them are not. Be sure to take a second look at the ads you see there. Kudos to you if you can discern the trivial from the sensible. It's time to reverse the "buyer beware" slogan. Now, advertisers beware: Your clientele is smarter than you think.
(11/04/08 5:00am)
I'd say that, for the most part, Brandeisians aren't avid listeners of rap music.Perhaps that's why the turnout out at Cholmondeley's wasn't particularly large for Saturday night's WBRS-sponsored Mr. Lif concert. Maybe the Triskelion dance or parents' weekend had something to do with it. Regardless, the crowd at the beginning of the night's show was nothing short of meager, reminiscent of a middle school dance scenario with girls and guys on opposite sides of the venue.The opening act was a young rapper by the name of Beyond Belief, whose single "Don't Touch" just recently made it to iTunes. As I looked at the artist, though, with his black T-shirt and backwards baseball cap, I couldn't get the image of Fred Durst out of my head. His rapping style was less than original. "Don't Touch" was a song about getting intoxicated at a house party, and included such thought-provoking lyrics as "The food is stale just like the brew/ I'm cool as well and nice and smooth." Call me close-minded, but I'm not such a big fan of lyrically depicted intoxication, and I don't find the musical styling of getting completely wasted particularly inspiring. But that's just me.The night's featured performer was rapper and hip-hop artist Mr. Lif, a Boston native. Wearing glasses and sporting some massive dreadlocks about two inches each in diameter, Mr. Lif began the night announcing to the crowd the successful completion of his latest album I Heard it Today just the night before. His performance style was unique in that it incorporated many turntable funk-inspired beats and old school record scratching. He managed to get the crowd loose and energized with upbeat rhythms, but also toned it down with songs of relevant political significance, making statements that resound within a college campus setting. In between songs, he also exchanged a few words with the crowd. I found it endearing that he switched from a rapper persona to a mentor, providing a few words of advice to his young audience about stress from school and the importance of this upcoming election. Mr. Lif's performance was well received overall, though unfortunately not too many people were there to receive it.Despite rap not being a preferred musical genre among this school's population, I think students should take such opportunities to broaden their cultural horizons and experience different performances. Though the concert was worthwhile, it would have been even better had more people shown up. So, Brandeisians, next time you get the opportunity, give rap a chance before giving it such a bad rap.
(09/09/08 4:00am)
David Gurwitz '76 still recalls the moment when his athleticism, mathematical logic and then-undiscovered musical talent converged.An American Studies major and Math minor, 19-year-old Gurwitz was a little intimidated by the idea of taking "Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces." At some point, he recalls, the professor found that even the most skilled math students were struggling to comprehend the complex second-year calculus material.Gurwitz laughs as he narrates the short sequence of events he sees now as a sort of revelation. "The professor brought up [the music-math connection] when he saw at some point that everyone in the class-we'd all hit a wall," he says. "'Let's take a break and let me show you that music and math are related,'" he recalls the professor saying.It was the first time Gurwitz had ever considered the significance of math in music theory. "I couldn't believe that music was math," he remembers.Impatient to test the validity of this new discovery, Gurwitz says he "ran down to the music room" and, ecstatic, began to play, finding that his hands traveled up and down the keyboard with unexpected ease."Playing piano," he realized, "was like dribbling."When Gurwitz released his first album, Hear the Children, this year, he focused on the ways he could help children around the world. He was especially moved by physically disabled children and the children injured in the Sichuan earthquake last May.The album's debut motivated Gurwitz to reintroduce Terrie Williams '71, a Brandeis classmate, to John Rinka, a former basketball coach, in light of the fact that both individual's current careers also center on enhancing the lives of children and adolescents.Although Gurwitz had kept in contact with each individually since graduating from Brandeis, it had been nearly 40 years since Rinka had heard from Williams.After a five-year stint as basketball coach, Rinka left Brandeis in 1975 to fulfill his long-standing goal of becoming a teacher.Now the coordinator of a program for struggling students at a high school in North Carolina, Rinka employs many of the same mentoring skills he used as Gurwitz's basketball coach four decades ago.Williams currently operates the public relations and communications firm she established in 1988 after a continued struggle with undiagnosed depression that plagued her initial transition to Brandeis. Since founding her agency, Williams has published several books for adolescents and young adults documenting her journey to success.Gurwitz's own success in releasing his first album at age 60 and his interest in helping children speak to his refusal to ignore the talent he first recognized four decades ago in Slosberg Music Center.David GurwitzOnly after Gurwitz uncovered his musical potential did he find out that his mother had once played piano at Carnegie Hall, leading him to believe that it was his genetic fate to become a musician.Still, he found little time for more than the occasional visit to the music room, instead focusing on a rigorous class schedule, disc jockeying at the radio station, holding down several jobs and playing on the Brandeis basketball team. Following graduation, Gurwitz pursued his athletic ambitions and traveled to Europe, where he played semiprofessional basketball in Madrid for a year. "They didn't know how to play basketball then," he jokes. "I'd pass the ball to them, and they'd kick it back." Upon returning, he enrolled in Boston College Law School, where he received his J.D., and then business school at New York University, where he earned his M.B.A.A lawyer responsible for selling research to hedge funds and a father of four in New York, Gurwitz seemed an unlikely target for sudden musical inspiration when, about seven years ago, he was struck by the urge to compose his first song."Hear the Children," the title song of Gurwitz's first album, was conceived as a tentative melody while Gurwitz was sitting in the park with one of his children, struck by the image of a child in a wheelchair.But it would be another seven years before the cassette recording of "Hear the Children" became the nine-song album Gurwitz released this year.Though he can laugh off his insecurities now, when he initially began composing, Gurwitz was uncertain about the value of his music."I gave [the tape] to my cousin," Gurwitz explains. "He said, 'Don't think you're such a big shot! Your mother played better.'"Still, Gurwitz was not to be dissuaded. Unwilling to lose this second opportunity to fulfill his musical potential, he hired a piano teacher to help him transfer the tentative tunes he heard in his head to notes on a page.Since launching his music career, Gurwitz has used his melodies to support childrens' causes internationally. Focusing on the idea of helping physically disabled children that inspired Hear the Children, Gurwitz is planning a benefit concert in Connecticut this Thanksgiving to raise funds for the Special Olympics.Gurwitz's music has had an impact on populations in areas such as China and India. "China," a song on the Hear the Children album, captures the tragedy of the children injured in the Sichuan earthquake last May.Gurwitz donated some of the proceeds from the song's sale to the American Red Cross China Relief Fund. Gurwitz's music will be featured in an upcoming concert in India.Ironically, Gurwitz's age and inexperience in the music business further motivated him to compose."It's inspiring to someone older," he says, reflective. To his peers who say they can't do anything anymore, Gurwitz invokes his own success and says, "See, you can."With his 50-hour work week peddling research plus his obligations as a father and a husband, Gurwitz says it can be challenging to find the time to practice music. Instead, Gurwitz finds material for songs in his everyday life. "A couple of my songs were generated by walking in traffic," Gurwitz says, from sounds like the sound of a horn, a truck muffler or someone screaming "Yo!"Hurried excitement creeping into his tone as he describes his unconventional method of composing, Gurwitz explains, "I'll pull into a [parking lot] and call my answering machine and hum the song." Once home, he'll listen to the recorded melody and pick out the tune on the piano.Gurwitz's musical career gives him the satisfaction of touching the lives of children across the globe as well as the invigoration of playing music."Kids are just one aspect of it," he says. "Music makes you feel young, excited."John RinkaWhile a member of the Brandeis basketball team, Gurwitz established a relationship with his coach that has served as the foundation of a lifelong friendship. The entire team, Gurwitz says, looked to Rinka as a role model and a friend who influenced more than just their athletic lives."A basketball coach can tell you things a professor can't," Gurwitz says.Rinka's tenure coaching Brandeis basketball from 1970 to 1975 marked the "rejuvenation of the basketball program," Rinka explains. He recalls bonding with a unique group of intellectual students, several of whom he's still in touch with.Rinka describes how the team spent significant amounts of time together and grew to appreciate each other as people, not just teammates."We'd take long road trips," Rinka reminisces. "It wasn't all basketball."Soon after he began working at Brandeis, Rinka found that he "didn't find enough purpose" in coaching. Although he was named an All-American basketball player, inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame and was at the time under consideration for the position of head coach of the Tufts basketball team, Rinka began working toward a master's degree in teaching from Brandeis.Today, Rinka uses the same counseling skills he used to lead the Brandeis basketball team more than 30 years ago to help struggling high school students. As the coordinator of the Advancement via Individual Determination program at Hoggard High School in Wilmington, N.C. since 2003, Rinka puts needy students on a path toward a four-year college."We look for students who would fall through the cracks," Rinka explains. This year's 108 AVID program participants included a student who has been in foster care since the age of four, one whose mother is currently in jail and a student who recently had a baby.For AVID students, the program's significance extends beyond academics. "The kids form a really strong bond with each other," Rinka explains. "It's a peer group that supports each other in going to college" and whose positive encouragement counteracts the influence of gangs and other negative peer groups.During the four years that students spend in the program, Rinka plays the roles of teacher, mentor, friend and advocate; he acts as a stable source of support and motivation. "The classroom is open for the kids anytime, even if they want to eat lunch up here," Rinka explains. "It's a real unique situation."The majority of the participants in the AVID program are minority students, and nearly all face significant economic obstacles to pursuing any form of higher education. But for the four years they spend in AVID, "everything is pointed toward 'We're gonna go to college,'" Rinka says. All students are enrolled in honors courses and juniors and seniors in Advanced Placement classes. Program administrators instruct students on how to sign up for SATs and financial aid and apply to college.Their academic efforts pay off; out of last year's 22 AVID graduates, 21 were enrolled in four-year colleges. Several students were awarded athletic or military scholarships.The former basketball legend has never for a moment doubted his decision to sacrifice the opportunity to be a professional coach in order to become a teacher, echoing the satisfaction Gurwitz and Williams expressed with their current careers."It's amazing to see what these kids can do," he says, "what they overcame and what they can overcome."Terrie WilliamsWilliams' current career as the founder of her public relations firm, The Terrie Williams Agency, is the manifestation of her determination to overcome her battle with depression and fulfill her humanistic objectives.Even before she arrived at Brandeis, Williams knew she "wanted to save the world.""To help people," Williams explains. "To help develop their inner passion, their voice and help them understand who they are."Yet Williams' tumultuous transition to college proved that it would be some time before even she developed a true understanding of who she was. At the start of her Brandeis career, Williams says she had already been struggling with undiagnosed depression for several years. "During college there were signs of [my depression] that I really hadn't identified yet, and it worsened in graduate school," Williams says.Williams has published several books in which she writes about her own life story and explains the successful business strategies she used in founding her firm; other books highlight the importance of educating American adolescents. Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting, published this year, details the story of Williams' struggle with severe depression and explores the issue of depression among black teens.Williams encourages current Brandeis students to explore their strengths in order to gain better insight into their own ambitions. "Listen to your inner voice," she says. "It always tells you the right thing but we are always second-guessing it."Each encouraged by the others' achievements, Gurwitz, Rinka and Williams seek to combine their creative and benevolent inclinations. Rinka intends to distribute copies of Williams' books to students in the AVID program; Gurwitz plans to play some of the songs from Hear the Children at a concert at Hoggard this fall.Reflecting on her path from Brandeis to her current career, Williams acknowledges that she made the most of her weaknesses, channeling her difficulties and frustrations into a more proactive means of benefitting society."Blessings," she says, "have a way of disguising themselves.
(01/29/08 5:00am)
Combining tribal African polyrhythms with energetic funk grooves, Boston's premier afrobeat group, The Superpowers, brought last Saturday's crowd at Regattabar Jazz Club to a dancing pandemonium. The Superpowers are a self-described "11 member, 21st Century Dance Band," and a dance band they are indeed.Arriving at the show 20 minutes early to ensure a decent seat, I was overwhelmed by the dense crowd of avid fans and, hilariously, the band members' parents. Much to my disappointment and especially to the parents', the show was sold out to what seemed like mostly stiff older white couples looking to do something novel, like go to a jazz club. But Saturday's show was not "just an ordinary jazz show," the angry mob of parents protested. The hosts' fortitude waned, and the rush of parents toppled the flood gates, seemingly displacing the small minority of youngsters who had actually made it to the show in time to get proper seats. The rest of the thoroughly amused but antsy group of approximately 40 young college kids, Bostonian hipsters and a solitary wholesome family of three (wife, husband and toddler boy) settled for the standing room in the back.We standers were at first perturbed by this inconvenience, and the toddler had trouble seeing over the towering "big kids and grown-ups," but we were quickly taken by the music. There was initially the apprehensive tap of the foot, then an oscillation of the knees, next the hips gave way, followed by loosely rotated elbows, and finally all of the bodies gyrated wildly. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a few perplexed glares from the curmudgeonly sitters. It didn't matter to us though-the music had entered our veins.At the core of The Superpowers' gripping vibe was the multilayered percussion section. Led by drummer Adam Clark, three main percussionists blended together beats with independent time signatures, mimicking the call-and-response effect of traditional West African drum circles. Clark's lead drumming held the band together, and the underlying varied rhythm gave the music a sense of continual urgency. Ordinarily, we associate color with particular harmonies and melodies, but the synergy of The Superpowers' percussion added an intense hue by way of polyrhythms alone. At times members of the four-piece horn section would lay down their instruments to join on hand drums in a spasmodic explosion.Below the horns' sweeping melodies, two guitarists established a typical funk riff and single chord change at the beginning of each song, with electric keyboard providing an ambient harmony to establish the correct mood. The horn section, which consisted of tenor and alto sax, trumpet and trombone, played triumphantly loud repeated melodies over which a soloist would improvise. Although the horns were repetitious, the band's rhythmic complexity and variation of dynamics kept songs interesting and stimulating. The horns were not an annoyance because the other parts of the band subtly lead the listener's imagination to sweep across vast open plains, dipping down briefly into a pond of water and then back up, soaring into the sky. The guitar and keyboard riffage faded in and out, the bass chose only to play on certain beats, and the charged percussion players beat onwards. All the while, three of the horns played a repeated line while the fourth soloed. Especially exciting was Nick Videen's six-minute tenor saxophone solo on "Abbey Rockers 2."Sensory highlights included a song titled "Acid Rain," which vividly painted rejoicing villagers, united and in motion. But from such subtle and eventual tinkering in the melody combined with a guitar riff played in a lower register, a corrupting texture crept up upon the villagers, bringing filth and ugliness. The song was not depressing or lethargic; rather, the crowd was inspired to dance passionately.As the show became more intense, the dancing latecomers made their way to the front and convulsed in harmony with the swaying horn players. These adventurous audience members helped the band engage the rest of the concertgoers in clapping a layered rhythm for the introduction of "Color Blind," which featured two separate melodic sections, the first a dark and dissonant entrancing melody and the second a cathartic release of a soothing two-chord change.By the end of the show, the once serious connoisseurs of culture's higher novelties had become light hearted and successfully completed at least a dozen foot taps that landed on the beat. The rest of us were sweaty, rejuvenated and sure that we were the most youthful crowd ever to turn Regattabar into a "21st Century Dance Floor."The Superpowers can be heard on their Myspace at http://myspace.com/thesuperpowers. Regattabar is located in the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square. Coming up Feb. 8 and 9 is blues player extraordinaire Dr. John.
(11/13/07 5:00am)
With all the recent talk about Radiohead, I had almost forgotten that other much loved indie band: Sigur Rós. This month the sweet-timbered boys from Iceland give us the release of Hvarf/Heim, a double CD compilation that apparently translates into English as something along the lines of "Disappearance/Home." The album is being released in conjunction with Heima, a DVD that documents the band's 2006 tour of their native Iceland, and with frontman Jónsi Birgisson's confirmation that the band is heading back to the studio this month to start work on a full-fledged album, there has been no lack of activity on the Sigur Rós front. Hvarf/Heim is essentially two EPs. The first, "Hvarf," is a collection of three previously unreleased songs and two reworkings of tracks off their somewhat underwhelming 1997 debut album, Von. The second, "Heim," is made up of six acoustic renditions of already released songs, including such staples as "Starálfur" and "Ágetis Byrjun." Both discs are more or less magnificent, but by this point we've come to expect as much. When dealing with a band like Sigur Rós, a band that has consistently released some of the most thoughtful, innovative and all-around beautiful music in the past decade, anything less than breathtaking is simply unacceptable. The three previously unheard songs that start off "Hvarf" are strong enough that they would have been standouts on any normal Sigur Rós album, with the exception of "Í Ger." The highlight of the three is the second track, "Hljómalind," which has been released on a single with the acoustic version of "Starálfur" that appears on "Heim." The two, appropriately paired as "Hljómalind," evoke the subtle glory of 1999's Ágetis Byrjun more than any of the other songs.The third track, "Í Ger," is the overt Achilles' heel of the entire effort. It starts interestingly enough with a glacial xylophone section, but the tranquility of the opening is soon shattered by eerily Pink Floydish guitar bursts that are just too abrasive and amateurish to fit in with the rest of the album. But then again, I suppose there is a reason it was never released before. "Hvarf" is rounded off by two re-recordings of songs from Von, both of which display the musical maturation Sigur Rós has undergone in the last decade. The new version of "Hafsól" is such a profound improvement over its Von counterpart that I was inspired to relisten to the entire original album in search of other prematurely dismissed gems. If released independently, "Hvarf" would probably be a less-than-necessary purchase for anyone outside die-hard Sigurheads. It is the second disc, "Heim," that makes this set a worthy entry into the immaculate Sigur Rós discography. What's truly great about "Heim" is the intimacy of the instrumentation. Sigur Rós have taken some of their best songs and stripped down the arrangements to a form that engrosses the listener on a completely organic level, as if the band is playing right next to you. The studio versions of many Sigur Rós' songs, brilliant as they may be, can be almost overwhelming in their lush soundscapes. "Heim" takes the same great songs and presents them in a way that is warmly comforting, just like Mom's _orramatur (the national food of Iceland).All and all, while Hvarf/Heim may not be the new album that fans have been waiting for, it's a release that will clearly leave them satisfied on a different level. The retrospective work still contains enough of that signature Sigur Rós brilliance to satiate even the most avid of fans, at least until next year.
(11/13/07 5:00am)
Sporting a plain white undershirt beneath his loose jersey, Christian Yemga '11 takes high strides up the court at last Wednesday's scrimmage against Emerson College, almost like he is jumping over invisible hurdles. But while even coach Brian Meehan calls the 6-foot, 5-inch Yemga "somewhat unorthodox," there's no denying his unique talents. As a senior at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire, Yemga, originally a native of Cameroon, which borders Chad and Nigeria, was rated as one of the top 25 basketball recruits in New Hampshire by New England Basketball Recruiting Report, and the same Web site listed Brandeis' acquisition of him as one of the top 10 New England-area recruiting steals in all three divisions of college basketball."I think he's even improved dramatically in the first three practices," Meehan says. "We think he's just going to keep getting better, and I don't think we're even scratching the surface. If he continues to work hard, the sky's the limit."If Yemga looks unorthodox, it's probably because he didn't start playing basketball in Cameroon until he was 13 years old. When he was younger, he was an avid soccer player, and even though his father was a former captain of the Cameroon national basketball team, he says he was never pressured into playing the game.That all changed when he starting living with his aunt, who ran a basketball-intensive school. Yemga found he loved the game and all the people who surrounded him when he played."Basketball is a special sport because it's always competitive, and we use our heads more than in other sports," he says.In order to pursue his basketball future and provide for his family, which includes six brothers, Yemga decided he needed to come to the United States. He admits it was a difficult but necessary decision."The main reason I'm here is to help my family," he says. "I knew it would be hard, because I didn't have any family members here, but I was ready for the challenge."Through a family friend, he immigrated three years ago and eventually ended up at Proctor High, where he played one year alongside current University of Connecticut star Jerome Dyson. Two years and three host families later, Yemga came to Brandeis, spurred by an experience at a basketball camp with the brother of assistant coach Colin Tabb.Yemga's best strengths might be his passing ability and his unselfishness. He only attempted one shot during the entire Wednesday scrimmage, and he passed instead of taking open shots on several occasions. Though he is one of the Judges' biggest players, he often plays on the perimeter, either passing at the top of the key or setting screens for guards."He's not real athletic, but he's got long arms, he's smart, he knows how to use his body and he's an excellent passer," Meehan says. "Early on, you'll probably see him [inside], but as the years go on, we can see him develop that perimeter game as well and end up being one of those guys that can hurt you in a lot of different ways." For now, Yemga will likely struggle to find minutes behind established big men like Steve DeLuca '08, Stephen Hill '08 and Terrell Hollins '10, but that prospect doesn't bother him too much."I'm just here to do whatever the coach wants me to do," Yemga says. "You always learn from the older people, and there are six seniors here to teach me how to play together and how to live together.
(11/07/07 5:00am)
To the avid trick-or-treater, a shopping bag overflowing with canned minestrone soup and Hannaford cranberry sauce would be the last image that comes to mind as mouth-watering products of a triumphant Halloween.But to the more than 150 volunteers for Halloween for the Hungry-an annual program coordinated by the Hunger and Homelessness branch of the Waltham Group-the sea of brown bags filled with donated packaged goods in the Shapiro Atrium last Wednesday night marked the most successful Halloween for the Hungry event in several years.Brandeis' participation in the event marked approximately its 20th year, as student volunteers paraded the streets of Waltham dressed as princesses, zombies and cartoon characters in a door-to-door quest for donations of packaged goods. Volunteers collected over 4,000 cans, significantly more than last year's 3,000, according to Diane Hannan, director of Brandeis' Department of Community Service. Waltham Group donated the cans to Bristol Lodge, a soup kitchen in Waltham."Without our help, some of the people would go hungry," Myka Held '09, co-coordinator of Halloween for the Hungry, said.Halloween for the Hungry became an official Waltham Group event in 1991, when a group of Brandeis students' charitable Halloween tradition became an annual campus-wide event, Hannan said. The students had collected packaged goods on Halloween for a number of years before Halloween for the Hungry became an official program.The Waltham Group has been donating the food it collects to Bristol Lodge for the past 10 years; before that, donations went to the Red Cross Food Pantry, according to Hannan."We couldn't do the work that we're doing without all the volunteers and donations that we receive," said Dick Rogers, program director for Bristol Lodge. The Waltham Group, one of several organizations in Waltham that sends volunteers to Bristol Lodge, has become increasingly involved in the program as the number of people in Waltham who are in need has increased dramatically, Rogers said.Elana Klinger-Rogers '09 emphasized that volunteer efforts from Halloween night alone will significantly impact the Waltham community. "[The donations] will make a huge difference at Bristol Lodge," she said.Hannan said this year the Waltham Group was able to reach out to a larger portion of the Waltham community to let them know about Halloween for the Hungry. Many Waltham residents greeted volunteers with already prepared bags of packaged goods."As soon as we knocked on the door, they pretty much knew what we were there for," Seth Coburn '10 said.Klinger-Rogers described the positive reactions nearly all Halloween for the Hungry volunteers received while trick-or-treating. "A lot of students coming back were actually surprised with how supportive Waltham residents were," she said.Coburn said he and his friends collected even more packaged goods than they could carry."We had a huge garbage bag [filled with food], and we hid it in a bush and had to come back for it later with the BranVan" Coburn said enthusiastically.For many volunteers, Halloween for the Hungry marked their first significant communication with people living in Waltham."It was interesting to go out into the Waltham community" Klinger-Rogers said. "I'd never before interacted with Waltham residents."Amanda Hecker '10 said she met "all different kinds of people" while collecting food on Barbara Street last Wednesday. Hannan said Brandeis students' volunteer work makes for a very constructive relationship with the Waltham community, for it allows students like Hecker and Rogers to see their Waltham locality in a different light, and also for locals to see a community-oriented side of the University. Hannah Siegel '10 said it was "amazingly refreshing" not only for her friends to meet the residents of Bruce Street, where they collected, but also for Waltham residents to see college students collecting food for the hungry."We were kind of brought together by the bond that we were both trick-or-treating for the hungry," Siegel said.Last Wednesday, coordinators saw many familiar faces of students who look forward each year to a fun, social way of benefiting their local community."It's sort of our way of being able to trick or treat," Jenna Gondelman '09, a co-coordinator of Halloween for the Hungry, said.Gondelman collected donations on a part of Westin Street with a few friends this Halloween. "I dressed up as a substitute teacher," she said, and insists that she will definitely participate in Halloween for the Hungry next year.In recent years, Lasell College in Newton, Mass., as well as several other colleges, have instituted volunteer events similar to Halloween for the Hungry, Hannan said.Halloween for the Hungry volunteers said last Wednesday's success only motivated them to become involved in more community service."It's inspiring," Siegel said, "but you're always able to do more.
(11/06/07 5:00am)
To the avid trick-or-treater, a shopping bag overflowing with canned minestrone soup and Hannaford cranberry sauce would be the last image that comes to mind as mouth-watering products of a triumphant Halloween.But to the more than 150 volunteers for Halloween for the Hungry-an annual program coordinated by the Hunger and Homelessness branch of the Waltham Group-the sea of brown bags filled with donated packaged goods in the Shapiro Atrium last Wednesday night marked the most successful Halloween for the Hungry event in several years.Brandeis' participation in the event marked approximately its 20th year, as student volunteers paraded the streets of Waltham dressed as princesses, zombies and cartoon characters in a door-to-door quest for donations of packaged goods. Volunteers collected over 4,000 cans, significantly more than last year's 3,000, according to Diane Hannan, director of Brandeis' Department of Community Service. Waltham Group donated the cans to Bristol Lodge, a soup kitchen in Waltham."Without our help, some of the people would go hungry," Myka Held '09, co-coordinator of Halloween for the Hungry, said.Halloween for the Hungry became an official Waltham Group event in 1991, when a group of Brandeis students' charitable Halloween tradition became an annual campus-wide event, Hannan said. The students had collected packaged goods on Halloween for a number of years before Halloween for the Hungry became an official program.The Waltham Group has been donating the food it collects to Bristol Lodge for the past 10 years; before that, donations went to the Red Cross Food Pantry, according to Hannan."We couldn't do the work that we're doing without all the volunteers and donations that we receive," said Dick Rogers, program director for Bristol Lodge. The Waltham Group, one of several organizations in Waltham that sends volunteers to Bristol Lodge, has become increasingly involved in the program as the number of people in Waltham who are in need has increased dramatically, Rogers said.Elana Klinger-Rogers '09 emphasized that volunteer efforts from Halloween night alone will significantly impact the Waltham community. "[The donations] will make a huge difference at Bristol Lodge," she said.Hannan said this year the Waltham Group was able to reach out to a larger portion of the Waltham community to let them know about Halloween for the Hungry. Many Waltham residents greeted volunteers with already prepared bags of packaged goods."As soon as we knocked on the door, they pretty much knew what we were there for," Seth Coburn '10 said.Klinger-Rogers described the positive reactions nearly all Halloween for the Hungry volunteers received while trick-or-treating. "A lot of students coming back were actually surprised with how supportive Waltham residents were," she said.Coburn said he and his friends collected even more packaged goods than they could carry."We had a huge garbage bag [filled with food], and we hid it in a bush and had to come back for it later with the BranVan" Coburn said enthusiastically.For many volunteers, Halloween for the Hungry marked their first significant communication with people living in Waltham."It was interesting to go out into the Waltham community" Klinger-Rogers said. "I'd never before interacted with Waltham residents."Amanda Hecker '10 said she met "all different kinds of people" while collecting food on Barbara Street last Wednesday. Hannan said Brandeis students' volunteer work makes for a very constructive relationship with the Waltham community, for it allows students like Hecker and Rogers to see their Waltham locality in a different light, and also for locals to see a community-oriented side of the University. Hannah Siegel '10 said it was "amazingly refreshing" not only for her friends to meet the residents of Bruce Street, where they collected, but also for Waltham residents to see college students collecting food for the hungry."We were kind of brought together by the bond that we were both trick-or-treating for the hungry," Siegel said.Last Wednesday, coordinators saw many familiar faces of students who look forward each year to a fun, social way of benefiting their local community."It's sort of our way of being able to trick or treat," Jenna Gondelman '09, a co-coordinator of Halloween for the Hungry, said.Gondelman collected donations on a part of Westin Street with a few friends this Halloween. "I dressed up as a substitute teacher," she said, and insists that she will definitely participate in Halloween for the Hungry next year.In recent years, Lasell College in Newton, Mass., as well as several other colleges, have instituted volunteer events similar to Halloween for the Hungry, Hannan said.Halloween for the Hungry volunteers said last Wednesday's success only motivated them to become involved in more community service."It's inspiring," Siegel said, "but you're always able to do more.
(05/22/07 4:00am)
As of July 1, Raphaela Platow will be leaving Brandeis' Rose Art Museum for Cincinnati's Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art (CAC).As chief curator of the Rose, Raphaela has spearheaded many of the museum's more notable exhibitions including 2005's highly succesful "DreamingNow" show; the spring/summer 2006 exhibition, "I Love My Time, I Don't Like My Time: Recent Work by Erwin Wurm," and this semester's highly acclaimed opening of the John Armleder exhibit, "Too Much Is Not Enough." Ms. Platow joined the Rose Art Museum in August 2002 as a curator and moved quickly up the ladder, advancing to Acting Director of the Museum and Chief Curator in about three years. The 34 year old Platow has accomplished much in her short career after graduating with a master of arts in art history and business administration from Humboldt University in Berlin. She has worked at various venues within her native Germany and was a staff member at the 1999 Venice Biennale for the German Pavilion before she came to the United States to fill the position of International Curator for the Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, N.C.Platow's appointment to her new position at the CAC came after eight months of rigorous application readings and numerous interviews. Though she is young, it is anticipated that Raphaela will breathe new life into the troubled institution, which has lost two directors, two senior curators and many other staffers since 2003. According to Richard H. Rosenthal, the chair of the search committee for the position, "Raphaela has demonstrated a gift for recognizing emerging artists. She is an extraordinarily qualified candidate and has the vision to fill the CAC with compelling, challenging and culturally relevant art." Her most recent curatorial effort, the solo exhibition "Too Much Is Not Enough," received outstanding accolades. The Rose's current show marks Armleder's solo debut in the United States as his diverse works from art, design and pop culture bring to America the inspiration and styles of the Ecart group, a Swiss art movement co-founded by Armleder. The show contains a variety of media including large vibrant sculptures, furniture pieces and installation type works all combined with video and music. The exhibition which seemed to focus on "art for art's sake" received glowing reviews. The Boston Globe reported that "the show has a winningly exuberant, generous, good-humored spirit. For all its anti-art skepticism, it is aesthetically and imaginatively exhilarating, like real art. Too much, in this case, is just about right." In addition to curatorial duties, Platow also worked closely with the museum's large student staff, which includes three graduating interns. Her departure marks the third this year for the Rose's seven-person permanent staff, preceded by the director of education and the membership coordinator. Platow stated in an interview with Citybeat.com that the university art setting is dear to her but she is "excited about the incredible opportunity to newly envision and define what a center of contemporary art can be in a city that has avidly supported innovative and provocative contemporary expression for almost 70 years." Whether or not this spells trouble for the Rose has yet to be decided upon, but according to a report published by Brandeis, attendance at the Fall 2005 opening of "Fred Tomaselli: Monsters of Paradise" and "'Post' and After: Contemporary Art from the Brandeis Collection," marked the highest attendance rate at a Rose opening.As an Art History major here at Brandeis, I can say with ernest that Raphaela Platow's influence has had wide-reaching effects for the Fine Arts department. Throughout the past three years that I have spent at this institution, the Rose's exhibitions have been exhilarating, thought-provoking, and avant-garde. Whether it was Marina Abramovic's surrealist installation, "Dream Bed," from the 2005 "DreamingNow" exhibit or the kitschy and witty Fat House from "I Love My Time, I Don't Like My Time: Recent Work by Erwin Wurm," Platow has brought an international eye and novel insight to curatorial work when crafting shows at the Rose. She will be deeply missed at Brandeis.
(01/23/07 5:00am)
Barbara Schwartz, 60, remembered for her caring and humorous personality, died on Dec. 7 of complications of cancer, after being diagnosed with the disease last summer.A Brandeis employee since 1999, she most recently served as a senior program associate for the Romance and Comparative Literature Department. Before that, she worked at the Rose Art Museum and then for the Office of Communications. "Barbara was a wonderful and warm presence in the halls of Shiffman, and in the short time that she was with us, Barbara made many friends," Prof. Dian Fox, chair of the ROCL department said. "I recall that last spring, after an enthusiastic welcome from Barbara, one distinguished visitor to ROCL said to me, 'Every department should have someone like this.'"Ms. Schwartz was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. and settled in Framingham in the late 1960s. She was a homemaker for many years and very active in Temple Beth Am. Her funeral there brought 700 attendees, said her daughter Andrea Schwartz, of Framingham."She was always involved in the Jewish community," her sister said. Family and colleagues all commented on Ms. Schwartz's quirky sense-of-humor."She was a riot," said her sister Fredda Goldberg, of Providence, R.I. "She can always find humor in everything."Audrey Griffin, the publications editor during Ms. Schwartz's time with Communications, recalled that she "was one of the most fantastic people you'd ever meet."As the primary contact between Communications and their on-campus clients, Griffin said Schwartz knew when to be serious, as all work went through her."She always breathed so much life into the office," Griffin said. "She made our days go by so much quicker."What impressed Griffin about Schwartz was her ability to "really get to know each and every person she encountered.""Barbara knew everyone on campus by name, and everyone knew Barbara," Griffin said. "She possessed the unique ability to make you feel special in the moments she spent with you." Those close to Ms. Schwartz say she particularly loved working for the Rose Art Museum, where she interacted with student interns and accompanied Lois Foster, a prominent donor to the museum, on fundraising trips to New York, Schwartz's friend of 34 years, Arlene Bornstein, said.Goldberg recalled shopping for sundries at K-Mart with Barbara: "She found a sequin hat and just started singing." Barbara's life was filled with such outrageous moments, Goldberg said."She always liked to be the center of attention," Andrea Schwartz, her daughter, said. "There's too many stories to tell.""She had loads of friends," Goldberg said, and was always there for them, including helping out a friend with a disabled child. Prior to working at Brandeis, Ms. Schwartz worked at the Danforth Museum of Art and at the Jewish Memorial Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Roxbury. Ms. Schwartz graduated in 1987 from Regis College with a bachelor's degree in Art History. "Her true love was the arts," her husband Philip Schwartz said."She loved Brandeis and working with the students. Everybody who worked with her loved her and her sense of humor," Philip Schwartz continued. "We had no idea that the previous year was going to be her last."She loved to knit, dance and shop for antiques, Andrea Schwartz said. She was also an avid Mah-Jongg player, a game which she enjoyed playing with her good friends.In addition to her husband, sister and daughter, she is survived by her children Hedy Dion, of Framingham, and Carolyn Lieberman, of Westborough, her brother Gerald Goldberg, of Buffalo, and two grandchildren, Nicole and Noah. A third grandchild, Bram, was born Jan. 6.
(10/17/06 4:00am)
Easy Star AllstarsRadiodreadon East Star RecordsA-Of all the bands out there, Radiohead is undoubtedly one of the most difficult to cover. To call its sound unique would be a gross understatement; in any given song, both the composition and the production-to say nothing of the lyrics-have a certain ethereal quality that most bands are too tragically earthbound to capture.With this in mind, it might seem strange to consider that a group of reggae musicians would cover an entire Radiohead album-in this case, the band's 1997 masterpiece OK Computer. After all, reggae seems about as different from Radiohead as any music could be. Reggae compels us to move; it has a steady beat and its specific geographic and ethnic associations evoke all sorts of material images in our minds. Most of all, reggae is music of the earth; it makes us dance, but it does not take us beyond the ether.Radiohead, on the other hand, offers us a different sort of trip. The quintet's sound is a vortex that sucks the mind out beyond the exosphere in different directions and through various spectacular dimensions. While our bodies may not respond to a timed rhythm, we nevertheless perceive ourselves to be in a wavy, floating sort of motion, as if some external force has disconnected us from our physical selves. Reggae is a sound grounded in matter-horns blowing and drums beating-while Radiohead offers an escape into the infinite expanses of space.The Easy Star All-Stars have made it clear they have the skills to resolve the differences between these two diametrically opposed types of music and, in doing so, create a sound which retains and combines the core elements of both. Personally, as an avid fan of Easy Star's 2003 album, Dub Side of the Moon-which is a reggae cover of the epic Pink Floyd album-I never doubted the group's ability to take on the challenge for a second. Admittedly, much of the capacity of this New York-based quartet to generate sound which nearly matches OK Computer in its eerie, extraterrestrial desolation can be attributed to the band's use of the profoundly weird dub style. This is to say that a few effects, in combination with emphasized chops on the back beat, are all that make Radiodread a success-Easy Star is able to make perfect sense while replicating the entire album, note-by-note, with a set of instruments (and accents) that seem incompatible with the compositions. The result is an album that deserves the attention of both fans of Radiohead and reggae everywhere, if only for the unique way in which it exists as an oddly comfortable bridge crossing the vast chasm between the vibrant and accessible steady rhythms of Jamaica's most famous indigenous music-a style evocative of terrestrial people, events and places-and the inhospitable, discordant, liberating soundscapes of Oxford's finest.
(03/07/06 5:00am)
To the Editor: I was reading your article on the track team ("Indoor Track: Judges look to toughen up at Tufts," Feb. 7 issue), and I was disappointed at the lack of recognition for a great athlete of whom I am an avid spectator. You do mention many sophomores and first-years on the women's track team who may have improved personally but did little for the women's track team. My good friend Linda Kropp '07 is an amazing athlete who won third place in the long jump, seventh in the triple jump and had the fastest time on the 4 x 200 relay by a vast margin where she caught up to Division I runners and secured second place. These feats accounted for 10 of the 49 points amassed by Brandeis University. I think it is more valuable to recognize our most valuable assets and it is somewhat disturbing that her accomplishments are continually neglected; this was the second week of her absence from the Justice's coverage.-Sara Weiner '07
(11/15/05 5:00am)
There is an irony about the quiet of the main gallery of the Sachler Museum at Harvard University. It is here that the largest North American collection of the works of famed impressionist Edgar Hilaire-Germain Degas have been housed since August, and will remain until Nov. 27. Degas is best known for his paintings of dancers and opera singers, and the quiet of the museum seems inappropriate for the works of a man who was so moved by the motion, music and pageantry of theater. But that is just the first aspect of an exhibit that somehow does not quite seem right. The exhibit, titled "Degas at Harvard," is organized strangely, with photographs, sculptures, drawings and paintings all mixed together. There seems to be no particular order to the arrangement, except that in some cases similar subjects are paired together-bathers in one area, horses in another. But despite such discontinuity, "Degas at Harvard" is a wonderful showcase because it goes beyond what most know about Degas and examines his development and growth as an artist, as well as explores the different mediums in which he worked and the wide range of his creativity. Degas began his career as an artist at the ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris but left in 1855 to train in Italy. He spent five years there, primarily studying the works of the Renaissance. "Degas at Harvard" includes various charcoal drawings from this early period, including several studies for portraits as well as a study of "Lorenzo de'Medici and his Attendants" circa 1860, which Degas copied from the Chapel of Palazzo Medici-Riccardi in Florence. These early works are not indicative of Degas' creativity, but they demonstrate the classical style that was the basis of his training, as was the case for most of the major Impressionists. When he returned to France, Degas focused much of his energy on horses and horse racing, and it was at this time that he began his work as an Impressionist. Degas was an avid studier of lines, and the undefined lines characteristic of his later Impressionistic works appear in some of his paintings of horse races, including "Horses and Riders on Road" (1860-62). But Degas' most interesting work with horses is found in "Horse Trotting" (1881-90), a small bronze cast of a horse inspired by a series of photographs taken by Edward Maybridge in 1872. Maybridge wondered if there was ever a point in a horse's stride when all four hooves left the ground, so he used photography to confirm that such a point, in fact, exists; "Horse Trotting" depicts a horse with all four hooves in the air. Later in his career, around 1890, Degas began taking photographs of his own and while he is believed to have taken over 60, just two have been confirmed as having been taken by him. There are three photographs in the "Degas at Harvard" exhibit-one is a portrait and the other two are landscapes. It is these landscape photographs that inspired Degas to dabble in the abstract, beginning around 1895. Two of those abstract works are found in the exhibit. Those looking for the most famous Degas works such as Place de la Concorde will be disappointed, but there are a number of paintings and drawings of dancers, opera singers and nude female bathers. The exhibit includes nine studies or paintings of nudes, the most interesting of which is a charcoal and pastel drawing titled "Young Woman Lying on a Chaise Lounge" (1895-1900). The traces of yellow and red pastel are what make this work unique, not because it is unusual for Degas to combine pastel and charcoal, but because unlike other works where he wanted the colored pastels to allow his figures to blend into their surroundings, in this case he did not want the color to distract from the beauty of the model. Degas once said "Reproduce only what has struck you-that is the essential." "Degas at Harvard" includes many of the essential Degas, and even though it is oddly organized and lacks the works considered his greatest masterpieces, rarer works that show the full range of this master of multiple media make the exhibit worth a visit. Admission to "Degas at Harvard" is free with a Brandeis ID.
(10/25/05 4:00am)
The controversial debate over video game violence has been raging on for some time now, with Hillary Clinton's crusade against Grand Theft Auto (GTA) not too long ago and the recent, highly publicized law passed in California banning the sale of mature-rated games to minors. As many of you here at Brandeis are avid gamers-or at least proponents of free speech-I feel it is my duty to relate to you the issues you may not read about in the New York Times. The recent saga of outspoken video game critic Jack Thompson is just one particularly funny episode dealing with the pressing issue of games coming under attack by conservative politicians and interest groups.A Miami lawyer, Jack Thompson, is best know for his fanatical denouncement of video games during appearances on CNN and 60 Minutes, and for the wrongful death suit he brought against Take-Two Interactive after a young GTA fan killed two cops. Thompson recently ignited publicity on the web with a letter he sent to various publications and game companies called "A Modest Video Game Proposal". In it, Thompson claimed he would donate $10,000 to charity if someone made a game where the objective is to kill game industry executives, lobbyists, and their families. A GTA hacker named Hellfish responded to the challenge, making a game called "Defamation of Character" where the player controls Jack Thompson himself as he plays an anti-game lawyer by day and massacres industry execs by night.When asked to live up to his end of the deal, Thompson backed out, claiming that his letter was just satire. This was met with much outrage on the web, and the owners of Penny Arcade, an extremely popular online tech comic, donated the $10,000 for him in his name. The guys from PA had had run-ins with Thompson before, and had been threatened with lawsuits; now Thompson is trying to have them arrested by the police for harassment because of their donation to charity. You can't make this stuff up.As a young industry, video games are facing the same unconstitutional attempts at being censored as music, movies, TV and books before them. As I stated earlier, there have already been laws passed pulling GTA from store shelves and restricting the sale of violent games, even though studies are still contradictory over whether or not violence affects kids. Personally, I believe this is part of an unfortunate trend in America, that of people not taking responsibility for their actions. Game ratings are clearly marked for the convenience of parents, whose job it is to monitor what their kids are exposed to. And if you go out and kill two cops, it's your fault, not GTA; you're just a psycho, end of story.
(10/11/05 4:00am)
"Retirement" is a four-letter-word to the ears of Richard Munroe. Now in his 18th year as an employee of Brandeis Dining Services, 59-year-old Munroe is at the top of his game, and definitely not ready to give up the daily grind."I'm a working man," said Munroe through sniffles and coughs, "I like working at Brandeis." Despite a bad case of bronchitis, Monroe came to work, refusing to take the day off.But Monroe's diligence isn't his only atypical characteristic; he is also mentally handicapped. Munroe is one of 17 Brandeis employees with a mental disability. This group of disadvantaged workers is the product of the Greater Waltham Association for Retarded Citizens (GWARC), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Waltham's mentally-disabled community. Established in 1956, GWARC has been serving the Waltham community in a variety of ways for more than 40 years. With programs in Waltham, Watertown, Newton, Arlington, Lexington, Belmont, Cambridge, Wellesley, Somerville and Boston, GWARC aims to "foster a high quality of life for the people we serve by maximizing opportunities to live, work and socialize as productive members of the community." In simpler words, "[GWARC] supports people with developmental disabilities ... all cognitive," said James Brandano, director of Employment Plus and Transitions.Formerly in the restaurant business, Brandano has now been involved with GWARC for more than 15 years. He said he has repeatedly turned down job offerings at restaurants, all of which presented greater financial benefits than GWARC. When asked why he declined these offers, Brandano responded, "[GWARC] is almost like a drug; you keep wanting to do more of it .... It's a very rewarding field to be in." Brandano's addiction to altruism is an expensive one. Although GWARC receives some financial support from the government, and also benefits from private funding, mostly several large endowments, Brandano concluded his explanation of GWARC's financial situation by saying, "We're very solid, thank God." The benefits are reciprocal: Brandano loves his work, and GWARC members like Munroe. "I like my job," Munroe said. "I like [temporary supervisor] Jamie [Silva]... and I like Jim [Brandano]."And it seems veryone likes Munroe, too. According to Silva, Munroe is a "good worker" and "reliable." But Silva's favorable comments should come as no surprise. Decades of experience have equipped Munroe with the tools necessary for success in the work-place. This is one of GWARC's fundamental purposes. "We help prepare [GWARC members] for the future," said Jean Charles, GWARC's Usdan site supervisor. Cassandra Landry is the parent of a child who participated in GWARC. She said that assisting the development of a mentally-disabled adult or child is a difficult and complex process. "When my child was being overmedicated, GWARC's staff noticed and told me," Landry said. But while GWARC's effects are certainly positive, that doesn't guarantee that any given GWARC member will one day be able to leave the organization. Munroe himself had a short-term career that was separate from GWARC; however, he returned to the organization that has guided him throughout much of his adult life. Since returning, Munroe said he has found satisfaction at Brandeis. "I'm happy where I am," Munroe said regarding any future plans to leave either Brandeis or GWARC. "Plus, if I don't work I won't have any money." Along with personal health and the weather, money seems to be a constant issue on Munroe's mind. When asked if he was married Munroe replied, "No, that costs too much money." When he's not making money, Munroe has a number of hobbies. An avid Red Sox fan, he rarely misses a game and the chance to root for one of his favorite players, Manny Ramirez. Along with the Red Sox, Munroe has a soft spot for animals. He said he enjoys "going for rides in the vans to Newtonville Pet [Store] to see the animals." The vans which Munroe referred to belong to his Residential Group Home, which is responsible for arranging much of Munroe's social activities.Approaching his golden years, Munroe has chosen to live in a Residential Group Home instead of living independently. This decision is common among GWARC members. Group homes like Munroe's offer their residents a dignified and largely independent lifestyle, but at the same time, guarantee assistance if it is needed. But had it not been for his accident four years ago, Munroe might still be living alone today.In the midst of a typical afternoon in Usdan, Munroe took a nasty spill, breaking several ribs. "Then I got a pacemaker," he said pointing to his heart. The combination of age, the accident and the pacemaker prompted his transfer to Sherman Dining Hall to work in the dishcleaning room. Generally calmer than Usdan, Sherman offers Munroe a more comfortable working environment, something many disabled Americans never experience.As reported in the U.S. Census, as of 2000 there were nearly seven million mentally disabled Americans between the ages of 16 and 64 with a condition that "affected their ability to work at a job or business." These individuals have a decreased chance of financially supporting themselves due to a mental disability. But not Richard Munroe.The self-proclaimed "working man" has been a valued employee of Brandeis for almost 20 years, a milestone which Munroe will most certainly pass. And while Brandeis' community has benefited from Munroe's labors throughout those years, it's Munroe himself who has most appreciated his occupation. Munroe's dedication to, and love for, his job was illustrated at the end of his interview with a selfless act of defiance.Having never left his side throughout the interview, Brandano warmly put his hand on Munroe's shoulder and said, "Richard, you're sick... please take the day off tomorrow." After a brief moment of silence, Monroe looked in the eyes of his long-time friend and mentor. Nothing was said, but it was very clear Monroe would be coming to work the following day.
(09/27/05 4:00am)
A collection of students and professors shuffled into the Shapiro Theater Wednesday night for a screening of Art:21, a PBS documentary series exploring art in the 21st century. Now in its third season, it is the only series on television to focus exclusively on visual art and artists from the United States.Each episode showcases four different artists in their studios or venues of creation, capturing the entire artistic process-from preparation to procedure to completion-through the point of view of each of the documentary's subjects.There were a few problems now and then: the introduction, featuring a man in a hot dog costume, was a little too absurdist, and a guest-host appearance by basketball player Grant Hill (apparently an avid consumer of contemporary art) felt somwhat misplaced. Once it got underway, however, the episode-the theme of which was "play"-treated its subjects with respect, maintaining a level of objective distance. Each artist told his or her own story-not once was an interviewer or art expert allowed to come to the episode's forefront. The four artists were Jessica Stockholder, Ellen Gallagher, Arturo Hererra and Oliver Herring. Each segment of the documentary became a story of one of the artists as a person, and the meticulous, even tedious, processes they use to craft their art. Despite vastly different media-plastics, paper scraps, home items, clippings from Ebony magazine-the artists all acknowledged some element of playfulness in their work. At first, I wasn't drawn to every artist's aesthetic, but by the close of each vignette, I found myself looking at their works in a new light, enjoying them on an entirely different level after catching a glimpse at the creative process. A discussion followed featuring Prof. Pamella Allara (FA), acting Rose Art Museum director Raphaela Platow, Stphanie Molinard, the museum's director of education, and visiting Prof. Katy Siegel, curator of the the Rose's "'Post' and After" exhibit. They fielded questions from the audience on modernism and post-modernism, Western art and the rest of the world and the presence of the media in contemporary art.All in all, it was a thought-provoking screening, and the rest of the series, airing through October on PBS, promises more of the same.
(09/13/05 4:00am)
To the Editor:I always assumed that an opinion piece was meant to shed some light on a subject people wanted to know about, or that few people were aware of. I learned that I was wrong in the last issue of the Justice. Apparently, opinion pieces are used to not only attack groups that you know nothing about, but to attack yourself in an effort to be funny. By now I can assume that many of you avid Justice readers know what I am talking about. Herschel Simon Hartz writes an opinion piece just about every week that pertains to something obscure on campus. He constantly makes fun of himself, as well as his mother in every one. I'm not here to attack him personally, but to address the last installment of Hartz's rants.In his last piece, Hartz commented on the attractiveness of the freshman class (which I will not fight) and, among other things, the effectiveness of Orientation Leaders on campus,. Hartz mentioned that if he were to be an OL, he would have told the incoming freshman (sic) that "the people are fake, the frats are fake...and you won't like it here, I'm not speaking out of bitterness, I'm just telling the truth."As Orientation Leaders, we are required to show the new "Brandesians" a good time, let them know how everything around campus works, and be an unconditional friend. Many people coming into a new school are nervous and by being friendly, as Hartz negatively describes, "overly peppy," we try to make the new students more comfortable here. Hartz makes OLs out to be students with too much time on their hands who try to go out of their way to make the new students uncomfortable when in reality, we strive for the opposite. For someone with no knowledge of the subject, Hartz seems to be quite opinionated. This is why I don't write about cars, bartending or German because I don't know anything about those subjects. As Matt Brown wrote in the article next to Hartz's in the same issue, "Being an OL is a labor of love." We volunteer our services because we love this school and everything about it, for the same reason people join the Student Union, Student Events, WBRS, The Justice, or any other club!I didn't want this piece to be entirely defensive because the article personally hurt me as an OL and a Brandeis student, in actuality I'm still trying to figure out why Hartz wrote the article in the first place. If he wanted to let the entire freshman class know what Brandeis is "really like" I guess it did a good job, from Hartz's perspective. In retrospect, even though I know the piece offended many people, it was printed because everyone has a voice and regardless of what they say, good or bad, it should be printed. This may be the case, but I want to know why Hartz wrote it in the first place. Although it was an opinion piece, Hartz placed blatantly false information in his article, not only about Orientation Leaders, but about people and fraternities at this school as well. I say let people read each others' opinions to help create their own, but don't give an opinion if you have no idea what you are talking about, that's just wrong.-David Gorman '07
(03/15/05 5:00am)
In many respects, Brandeis is a strange place. Its unique, Jewish-sponsored demographic means groups that would typically make up an emphatic majority in the United States-like people of the Christian faith-are placed in an unusual position. Whereas in most areas of the country Christian influence is noticeable and prevalent, both Catholics and Protestants on this campus have the atypical role of needing to educate and inform the rest of their community. Campus Christian groups must be commended for Christian Awareness Week, which includes a number of Christian-sponsored events throughout the next few days. The week began with an interesting and enlightening art exhibit in Shapiro Campus Center-in which students could interpret the Christian faith through the eyes of such masters as Da Vinci and Dali-and it will end with a lively St. Patrick's day dinner, where students will discuss the Holy Trinity while enjoying Irish favorites. On a campus where Judaism and Islam are avidly and constantly discussed, it is perhaps all too easy to forget how much we can learn from this country's most popular faith. Kudos to Brandeis Christian groups for reminding us.
