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"I'm takin' a trip on the Greyhound bus line. I'm ridin' the front seat to New Orleans this time. Hallelujah I'm a-travelin'. Hallelujah, ain't it fine. Hallelujah, I'm a-travelin' down freedom's main line."
Remember how a few weeks ago I said we'd be able to get away from hardcore social issues as soon as Lindsay Lohan screwed up again?
Every now and then I find myself asking how and why I ended up somewhere. Blind dates, sweat-storm frat parties, swimming pools of hotels that I'm not staying in, bad concerts of bands that haven't been famous in 30 years, any sporting event not played by professionals (e.g. Little League) and all sorts of other non-ideal situations crowd my life. Usually I get through these situations with the idea that it will one day make a funny story or that I was attempting something noble. But when I find myself staring up at a screen filled with bloodied humans crawling around a warehouse on hands and knees while stapled and duct-taped to each other from mouth to rectum and it's 10 a.m. on a Monday morning, it's a little tough to see the silver lining.
The FBI recently foiled a terrorist plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States.
Without a qualifier of innocent or guilty, the statement "a man was put to death" sends a reflexive feeling of unease to anyone who comes across it. Perhaps for some, the knowledge that this man was certainly guilty may alleviate feelings of alarm or even inspire a supportive attitude toward the death. However, I believe that many more people would take issue upon hearing that a man who may or may not have been guilty was put to death. This is what happened at the hands of the United States Department of Justice last Wednesday evening when Troy Davis was put to death for the 1989 killing of off-duty police officer Mark MacPhail. Despite allegations of police misconduct, reports that another person committed the crime and recanted testimonies from several witnesses at the trial, Troy Davis was executed by lethal injection for killing Mark MacPhail. MacPhail's mother understandably responded to the controversy surrounding Davis' execution by explaining that she "just wanted closure" for the killing of her son, and that Davis' case should serve as an admonition to the danger and that is inherent to capital punishment. As someone who has never been in the tragic position of grieving for the murder of someone I care about, it is not my place to say what a person in that situation may or may not desire from the accused. However, it seems logical that a person in such a position would immediately pine for justice against anyone responsible for the crime. Unfortunately, the structure of any judicial system does not make death a reasonable means to achieving justice. Though punishments may be based completely on the knowledge that someone committed a crime, a serious effort should be made to isolate circumstances of reasonable doubt before assigning a punishment. Because a legal system can almost never prove the absolute guilt (or perhaps, more importantly, the intention) of a defendant, it becomes impossible to define the appropriate form of justice. And surely, if it is not feasible to determine an absolute guilt or intention, it seems irrational to order the death penalty as a final punishment. The practice of capital punishment sets up a dangerous, slippery slope. Once death has become the goal of the prosecution, there is a natural tendency to continue to strive for death. As such, an evolving understanding that the acts committed may not have been as heinous as believed at the outset of the trial may fall on the deaf ears of those who hunger for justice. It is alarming that in spite of all of the reasons not to sentence Troy Davis to death, a jury of his peers made the decision to punish him with death while even an infinitesimal amount of doubt existed. Sentencing a man to death who may not have committed the crime instead of sentencing him to life in jail is a grievous and reckless act. Even scarier is that Davis' 11th-hour appeal was denied by the Supreme Court while, this same doubt existed. Death is the most final—not the most just—of punishments. It is tainted with emotion and sensationalism that erode the very premise of its existence. Troy Davis' case makes it clear that especially when the alternative of life in prison exists, the decision to kill a criminal for his or her crime does not bring justice but rather brings about a possibly equally unjust death.
Is there anything not to like about Paul Rudd? The guy is cute (in an approachable way), witty and hilarious, but he rarely crosses the line into bathroom humor the way some of his frequent collaborators do—I'm looking at you, Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen. His charm and deadpan delivery have made many of his characters, who would be otherwise unmemorable, the scene stealers and highlights of several of the best comedies of the last decade.
It used to be that summertime meant lots of reruns on television, but in recent years, summers have been characterized by the premieres of some great new series. With even more fun shows premiering this summer, there was no shortage of programs to watch when trying to beat the heat. Here is a recap of just some of the great series that have been on television this summer: Burn Notice (USA): USA seems to be the go-to channel for breezy and fun original summer series, as is evident by looking down this list. Burn Notice, which came back this summer in its fifth season, was one of the series that launched the phenomenon that is a summer season of good television. The Miami-set show follows burned spy—meaning he has been blacklisted by all U.S. intelligence agencies—Michael Westen (Jeffrey Donovan); his on-again, off-again girlfriend Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar) who is an ex-IRA operative; and his friend Sam (Bruce Campbell), a former Navy Seal and military intelligence operative, as they help out local citizens with investigative tasks. This summer's season found Michael recently un-burned and back with the CIA, which has made for some interesting storylines. A real standout in this show, however, is Sharon Gless as Michael's hilarious mother Madeline. If you didn't catch Burn Notice this summer, you can always watch it when it comes back in its fall season. Covert Affairs (USA): Another USA series, Covert Affairs premiered last summer and stars Piper Perabo as Annie Walker, a young CIA field operative who goes undercover on a different mission in each episode under the guidance of her blind colleague Auggie Anderson (Christopher Gorham). Annie keeps her real job a secret from her sister Danielle (Anne Dudek) and instead maintains a cover that she works at the Smithsonian Institution. However, at the end of this summer's season finale, Annie causes a rift between her and her sister. Like Burn Notice, more episodes of Covert Affairs will be shown in the fall season. Franklin & Bash (TNT): An entertaining new show this summer, Franklin & Bash stars Breckin Meyer and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as the titular lawyers and best friends Jared Franklin and Peter Bash. They are hired to work at the prestigious law firm Infeld Daniels by the quirky Stanton Infeld (Malcolm McDowell), and they bring their unconventional style with them. Franklin and Bash's ridiculous courtroom antics make the show fun to watch, as does the over-the-top bachelor pad that the two live in. Even more amusing is their agoraphobic legal aid Pindar (Kumail Nanjiani), who lives with them in the outrageous home. The Glades (A&E): A&E's South Florida-set drama, which premiered last summer, has something major going for it: The characters are believable—not too over-the-top, not too overacted. The Glades stars Matt Passmore as Detective Jim Longworth, a homicide detective from Chicago who transfers to the town of Palm Glade, located near the Everglades, to work for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Here, he encounters his fair share of swamp creatures while investigating murders, and he strikes up a relationship with Callie (Kiele Sanchez), a tough nurse who, in this summer's second season, has been hired as the FDLE's forensic nurse. In addition to believable characters and dynamics, the mysteries are not easy to figure out, and the unexpected twists that occur in each episode really keep the show exciting. In Plain Sight (USA): In this drama, which had its fourth season this summer, U.S. Marshal Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack) works for the Witness Protection Program and is based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aside from focusing on the federal witnesses that Mary and her partner Marshal Marshall Mann (Fred Weller)—yes, that's right, a marshal named Marshall—must protect, the series also examines Mary's dysfunctional family, including her recovering alcoholic mother, Jinx (Lesley Anne Warren) and her former wild-child younger sister, Brandi (Nichole Hiltz). But it's Mary's tough-as-nails attitude combined with her snarky quips and clever insight that make her such a likeable character and make the series so wonderful. In Plain Sight will return for a fifth (and unfortunately final) season in the spring. Necessary Roughness (USA): Another new series this summer, Necessary Roughness stars Callie Thorne as Dr. Dani Santino, a psychotherapist in the midst of divorcing her cheating husband, who is hired by the local professional football team, the New York Hawks, to counsel the team's out-of-control wide receiver Terrence "TK" King (Mehcad Brooks). Dr. Santino must counsel other high-profile athletes and celebrities while dealing with the unpredictable TK popping in unexpectedly on her and her family. Rizzoli & Isles (TNT): Rizzoli & Isles is based on the series of novels by Tess Gerritsen and stars Angie Harmon as the tough and tomboyish Boston homicide detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as her good friend, medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles. Rizzoli and the slightly high-strung and socially awkward Isles balance each other out, and the two work closely together in each episode to solve murders, each using her own area of expertise. This summer's season has also focused a little more on the two women's families, including Jane's nagging mother (Lorraine Bracco); her brother Frankie Jr. (Jordan Bridges), who is also working to become a detective; and her other brother Tommy (Colin Egglesfield), who has recently been released from prison. Maura's pretentious and slightly cold mother (Jacqueline Bisset) also makes a rare appearance in her life and stirs up some emotions. Royal Pains (USA): This show about Hamptons concierge doctor Hank Lawson (Mark Feurstein) started its third season this summer. Hank comes to the Hamptons with his brother, Evan (Paulo Costanzo), who convinces him to start HankMed and work as a concierge doctor by making house calls and treating the super-wealthy residents of the Hamptons with the help of his physician assistant Divya (Reshma Shetty). This summer's season has also dealt with Hank and Evan's father Eddie's (Henry Winkler) release from prison and delves deeper into the mysterious life of Boris (Campbell Scott), the wealthy German duke who lends his guesthouse to Hank and Evan. Suits (USA): Yet another new offering this summer, Suits is a clever comedy-drama about Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams), a college-dropout genius with a photographic memory who has made some poor life choices. After Mike tries to flee from a compromised drug deal at a swanky hotel, he stumbles into an interview with debonair lawyer Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht). Harvey winds up hiring Mike on the spot and the two must make sure to hide Mike's lack of a degree from the rest of the firm. This proves a somewhat hard act to keep up, with the grating, rat-like Lewis Litt (Rick Hoffman), a partner in the firm, constantly badgering both Mike and Harvey. Mike also finds it especially difficult to hide his secret from the firm's pretty paralegal Rachel (Meghan Markle). White Collar (USA): In White Collar, suave con artist Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer), an expert forger and thief, is finally caught by FBI agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). Instead of jail time, Neal wears a tracking device on his ankle and works closely with Peter and the other Feds, using his own criminal knowledge to help catch other wanted criminals. In this summer's third season, Neal shows that it is difficult not to go back to his old ways, and he works with his peculiar and always amusing friend Mozzie (Willie Garson) to hide a cache of stolen artwork from the Feds.
With both American and French presidential elections approaching in the coming years, the intense personal scrutiny that every candidate must endure is becoming more evident. As college students, we are young and intelligent adults who have very recently reached the legal voting age. Many of us have never participated in a presidential election, making our decisions of how we vote all the more significant. Thus, an important question that many should consider is what qualities should be sought after in our candidates. Other than simply having good policy standpoints and a thorough knowledge of government, should they also be judged on conduct in their personal lives? I believe the answer is no-to an extent.Some individuals might argue that the quality of decisions that individuals make in private can foreshadow the quality of their public decisions, but I disagree. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Bill Clinton were two U.S. presidents who both had private indiscretions but who, in my opinion, made excellent presidents. In contrast, I believe that Jimmy Carter, who seemed to have an ideal private life, did not make an excellent president.We should consider candidates' private lives as irrelevant to their politics until their personal behavior begins to spill over to their public actions. For instance, if they violate a law or begin to preach values contrary to what they practice privately, candidates' personal lives are fair game in a political election. It may seem that these two conditions are rather specific, and they are, because they refer to two politicians: Newt Gingrich, a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, and Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the head of the International Monetary Fund and a Socialist politician in France who was previously expected to run for president against incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. Both of these politicians have committed transgressions in their private lives that have managed to spill over into their public lives, bringing their ability to run a government into question. Last week, Strauss-Kahn allegedly attempted to sexually assault a maid in a New York City hotel. According to CNN, he was arrested on a plane bound for Paris at the John F. Kennedy International Airport and has been charged with a list of crimes, the most significant being a first-degree criminal sexual act. If Strauss-Kahn is found guilty, French voters should take his crime into consideration if he decides to run for any political office. However, in 2008, he was found to have had an extramarital affair with a young female staffer in his office, according to CNN. The difference between these acts is clear: Assault is illegal and punished with jail time, while adultery, though illegal in some regions, is seldom prosecuted and generally a private transgression. Committing a crime that is severe enough to be punished with jail time shows an alarming disregard for the standards that other citizens must follow and could hint at a future lack of regard for the law while governing. Strauss-Kahn's affair from 2008, however, is not a reason to keep him out of public office. Although one might argue that he is showing poor moral character, the affair is a part of his private life that should not affect his ability to govern. Gingrich has also had a tumultuous personal life characterized by infidelity during two of his three marriages. According to an article from MSNBC, Gingrich approached his first wife with divorce papers while she was recovering in the hospital from cancer surgery. According to an article from The Washington Post, Gingrich asked for a divorce from his second wife over the phone on his mother-in-law's 84th birthday. Both of these events show poor moral character on Gingrich's part. In spite of that, Gingrich's political competency cannot be judged solely on his personal indiscretions, as they alone do not appear to have any impact on how he would govern as president. Gingrich has, however, frequently campaigned on wholesome family values, as described in articles from MSNBC and ABC, which runs contrary to his personal conduct. This contradiction should definitely be taken into account during his presidential campaign, as Gingrich's personal values do not appear parallel to his public values. His hypocrisy reflects an individual who does not believe in practicing what he preaches; an important action for a politician who wants to be taken seriously. If Gingrich had not preached those family values, his affairs would be completely irrelevant to his presidential campaign. When considering the criteria of what makes a competent president, it is important to consider how a candidate's personal behavior will be taken into account. By doing so, we determine what we believe to be the most important aspects of a presidential candidate for ourselves.
Many were happily heading home, looking forward to break, prepping for the final few weeks of school. However, 16 Brandeis students were heading toward a very different experience before break at an event called Power Shift, at which they would learn, discuss and even-in some cases-get arrested.Power Shift is a national conference that took place from April 15 to 18 organized by Energy Action Coalition, a nonprofit organization of youth-led environmental and social justice groups working together to build the movement to fight climate change. Roughly 10,000 students from across the nation came together in Washington, D.C. to discuss and take action on climate change and other environmental issues. The conference included trainings, workshops and well-known keynote speakers. Four Brandeis students from the Justice League, a student organization devoted to social change and empowering student voices, attended along with 12 members from Students for Environmental Action. "These past 2 years, I've really become more of an environmental activist, . and I thought [Power Shift] was perfect for me to learn more about climate change and to learn more about how to be involved," said Harrison Goldspiel '13, vice president of SEA and one of the students who attended the conference.The opening night of the conference began with keynote speakers including former Vice President Al Gore and Green for All Co-founder Van Jones. "Being able to hear Al Gore talk was amazing, . and the passion just rolling off of his tongue with every word, it was really an incredible experience," said Kate Alexander '12, executive director of the Justice League.Other keynote speakers from the conference included Lisa Jackson, the Environmental Protection Agency administrator; Bill McKibben, leading climate activist; and Tim DeChristopher, a leading environmental activist who is currently facing up to 10 years in jail for taking non-violent action to protect land. Dorian Williams '13, regional coordinator for SEA and the co-campaign coordinator for Students for a Just and Stable Future, said it was particularly interesting to hear Jackson, who represented the government and spoke about its environmental efforts. "The general impression I'm getting is [that the government is] trying, . but it's not nearly enough. . There was a tone that we, the youth, have to really start pushing harder," Williams said. "We're going to see huge shifts and real, real disasters," Williams said about the future of the environment."Not only do we need to take a stand, but considering the ramifications it can have on our entire social system, we really need to set the stage for staying with our brothers and sisters in other countries and our own country and building a movement that is going to continue to have a positive effect on this country even as things get really tough," she said. Both Saturday and Sunday of the conference consisted of workshops, panels, trainings and breakout discussions. Dena Ayzikovich '13, the Brandeis Power Shift coordinator, said the attendees discussed "issues such as agriculture, how to initiate goals on campus, women in the sustainability world [and] how social justice relates to the environment." Monday, the last day of the conference, was devoted to giving students time to put their training to use and to engage in direct action. While some lobbied with representatives and congressmen, others took direct action at the Department of the Interior, where Williams was arrested.Williams has become passionate about the issue of climate change during her time at Brandeis and has come to understand "simple information about how devastating [climate change is] going to be." She described how she learned that it takes just a 5-degree Celsius shift to start an ice age and that the Earth is already experiencing an almost 1-degree shift. "So the idea of us increasing something like that can be absolutely unimaginable. [This] might really quickly lead us to huge ramifications of food supply and water supply," she said. Williams participated in direct non-violent action, which led to her arrest. Participants chose to rally at the DOI since it is responsible for resource and fossil fuel management domestically. They just gave permits for the first tar sands project in the U.S. in Wyoming, which involves extracting tar sands from the ground and could harm the environment.Therefore, 75 people rushed the doors of the DOI, filled the lobby with singing and chanting, while a crowd of 500 others cheered for them outside the building. The guards of the DOI called the police and warned the protestors repeatedly that they would face arrest. At each warning, more people trickled outside to join the cheering crowd. Eventually, 21 people remained-seven men and 14 women-ranging from students to adults, and including Williams. "I didn't realize I was going to do it until I did it," Williams said. "There was a moment where I really decided to stay. ... A week before, I wouldn't really have thought of getting arrested, . but I guess a lot of the events at Power Shift, a lot of the conversations I had during those couple days before the event, really impacted my decision." Williams commented that "it was a crazy moment [where] you're deciding, 'What are my personal values?' . I've never really been that much of an activist, . but [with] the state of how things are, I think it needs to be done. If I can't stand up about this, who's left?" she said. "[What] the youth really need to think about now is what our future is worth and what everyone else's future is worth, . and that really drove me to say [that] I can afford to spend a couple hours in jail."The police arrived, and after arresting one person and giving the others a chance to reconsider, proceeded to arrest all 21 of the protesters. Williams was handcuffed and brought to a room to get patted down. She described how she even had a nice conversation with one police officers. "[One of the police officers] went to school in Berkeley in California, and he had a bunch of family who went there, and I think he was secretly very supportive. We were talking about activism inadvertently, and it was a really cool moment."Williams was brought outside the back of the building, where the supporters were waiting. "They swarmed back there, . and they started cheering and were really supportive, and it was amazing," Williams recalled. The 21 protesters were put into trucks and brought to the prison, where they stayed for 7 hours. Williams said they were brought to one of the nicer jails and were the only people in their section. "We just had the place to ourselves and literally just sang the whole time and talked and shared stories."Williams will appear in court in Washington, D.C. on May 10 facing charges of a misdemeanor for unlawful entry. Rising Tides, climate activism organization, has assigned a lawyer to the case, to whom Williams plans on talking. Though she doesn't know the worst-case scenario, she believes those who were arrested will most likely be fined. "I consider myself a fairly reasonable person, fairly rational, and I think people in my life know that about me. And to see someone you know who is not terribly out there start doing things that are a little unconventional sets a different tone that that's what's necessary, and I hope it inspires other people to think about what their role is in the [environmental] movement," Williams said. "I'm hoping that [the] sit-in at the DOI will become a part of a series of youth-and not even just youth-everybody, standing up, and [I] hope the atmosphere starts changing," she said.From trainings to networking, workshops to arrests, the Brandeisians who attended Power Shift have all each take something out of attending. "Everyone came out with some good ideas, more knowledge [about] how to organize people and important things to create that change," Ayzikovich said. "I think the best thing that it did was to empower the people who were there. . We're the ones who have the time and energy to fight this battle. Our children [and] grandchildren will see the effects. But if we act now, we can sustain life on earth," she said.
"There's a huge amount of the struggle between what is right for oneself and what is morally right that goes on in this play," comments Stephanie Karol '12, director of Brandeis' interpretation of William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. "It's really interesting to see the ways in which each of the characters take it. The general theme is very compelling."Hold Thy Peace, Brandeis' resident Shakespeare society, puts together a production every semester, and this fall's effort is The Winter's Tale, which was presented at the Carl J. Shapiro Theater this past weekend. Karol's note about the moral struggles involved in the play hold true, and indeed, those moralistic elements become one of the most interesting aspects in a production filled with riveting performances. The story of The Winter's Tale revolves around King Leontes (Nathanel Peleg '13), ruler of Sicilia, and his wife, Queen Hermione (Gabrielle Geller '12), whom the king suspects of cheating on him with his best friend, Polixenes (Jonathan Plesser '12), the king of Bohemia. Leontes' unrelenting suspicions and frenzied jealousy prompt him to throw Hermione in jail, despite the insistence by his sister Camilla (Caitlin Partridge '13) and lady-in-waiting Paulina (Nicole Carlson '14) that she did not cheat on him. The entanglements that follow comprise the intense first act of the show, culminating in the apparent death of Hermione and the abandonment of the couple's newborn daughter, left on a beach by Antigonus (Phoebe Roberts '09) at Leontes' instruction. The 16 year gap between the two acts allows for the introduction of new characters in Act 2, including Perdita (Emma Lieberman '14), Leontes' grown-up daughter, and Florizel, the son of Polixenes (Christopher Knight '14).The events of the play are in an overtly simple structure made complex by Shakespeare's intricacies of language and detail. But Shakespeare's intricacies are no new story, and by and large, The Winter's Tale really is not one of Shakespeare's best works. Its premise is drawn-out, particularly in the second half, but this production manages to breathe new life into the play. This is thanks in no small part to the acting.Peleg delivers a riveting performance as Leontes, demonstrating a clear understanding of the nuances of Shakespeare's language. He brings a great amount of frenetic energy to his moments of portraying embittered paranoia toward his queen and then brings his performance down with an equal amount of restrained contempt during his ruminating monologues. Speaking on the issue of preparing for the role and utilizing Shakespeare's language, Peleg illuminates his constant process of discovery, "It's always amazing to find that no matter how much you've done this, there's always something that you miss. Even yesterday I had a realization about something that I was saying, and I figured out what it meant, and it's just like wait-oh, cool-I can work with that!" he said.Peleg's previous study of Shakespeare is evident, and the rest of the cast seems similarly at ease with the material. Geller gives a melancholy performance as Hermione, and during her various proclamations of innocence to her charges, she successfully embodies a desperate sense of virtue. Plesser exudes a kingly authority and genuine charisma as Polixenes. As Camilla, Partridge employs a great sense of confusion and honorability when dealing with Leontes' extreme demands. Carlson, meanwhile, seems to be relegated as Leontes' Jiminy Cricket, being the constant voice of reason. Carlson delivers these moments as Paulina with determination and a great comedic flair. Perdita is played by Lieberman with a sincere wonder and na'veté. Knight admirably does what he can with the role of Florizel and he achieves a definite sense of nobility, but the character isn't very remarkable. A real highlight however is the mischievous thief Autolycus, played with wondrous playfulness by Lenny Sommervell '12. Her antics help to bring a comedic quality to the otherwise inconsistent second act. There is a bit of jumbled line delivery by all the performers throughout, with not every moment coming across clearly, but in a show filled with monologues and long speeches, those mishaps are easily forgivable. Overall, the show's direction is fantastic. The movement and constant changes, with the characters moving in and out on a regular basis, is not so easy to portray fluidly, but Karol's direction is swift and energized, particularly during the show's vibrant first act. This is not an easy feat, especially considering this was her first directorial gig, "I had been involved in Hold Thy Peace since the beginning of my freshman year," Karol said, "I had sort of tried my hand at directing once in high school in a very small project, but I fell in love with this play. It's been really incredible. Everything came together really well." Karol's first major directorial venture is indeed an achievement, showing hallmarks of a director with a much larger range of experience.Overall, The Winter's Tale is a play marked with vivid, intriguing direction and inspired, motivated performances. Despite a partially- stale second act, the production makes up for it with a remarkable team of talents. It is clear that a great amount of time and dedication was spent in preparing for these roles; Peleg notes that his monologue rehearsal time was particularly helpful in preparing him. "We did some alone monologue time, me and Steph, because I have a lot of them. That was amazing; working one on one with your director on monologue time-every actor should have that feeling." Karol, meanwhile, comments that, "Probably my favorite point in this whole process was the scene at the beginning between Leontes and Camilla. [Peleg] decided that he wanted to put his hand on her shoulders and do this menacing thing-and the way she reacted to it was unbelievable. She's been making this face ever since, and it's absolutely gorgeous. I couldn't ask for a better cast. The way they gelled together and took cues off of each other . was unbelievable." Karol is absolutely right. The actors did indeed gel together incredibly, as did the production as a whole.The complete interview with director Stephanie Karol '12 can be found online at www.thejustice.org.
Newspaper acted inappropriatelyIn response to your article "Pachanga night yields arrests, medical crises" (News, Oct. 26):It is completely inappropriate for a student publication to be doing this to other students. The Justice is a paper with integrity, not a gossip magazine.-Sara Miller '11Officers abused powerIn response to your article "Pachanga night yields arrests, medical crises" (News, Oct. 26):Students called the Brandeis Emergency Medical Corps so that their friend could get taken to the hospital because they feared for his life. The fact that he was never even given a blood alchol test or seen by professional medical staff is a gross neglect of the student's well being. The whole situation would have read a lot different had he died due to alcohol poisoning in jail. The police arresting the student and throwing him into jail is an abuse of their power. He should have been seen by the EMTs who were on their way. How dare they tell an EMT to cancel medical help en route. I am outraged that the BEMCo EMT did so. The actions of the police could have very well killed the intoxicated student. Instead the police chose to throw him into a cell. The beginning of the article states, "The Department of Public Safety responded to several incidents of disruptive student behavior that resulted in two student arrests and the hospitalization of multiple intoxicated students on the night of last Saturday's Pachanga dance, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said in an interview with the Justice." Why was this drunk individual never taken to the hospital even though there were many other hospitalizations on the very same night? The officers who arrested him did receive medical treatment. This would be repugnant in the eyes of Louis Brandeis. Also, the students who were arrested that night are being treated as guilty individuals by the University. They have been prohibited from being on campus, prohibited from attending their classes and forced to live elsewhere (instead of their on-campus dorms) while the University decides whether or not it will pursue judicial proceedings against them. Why has the University removed them from campus and not allowed them to go to the classes they pay so much for in the interim? This is not treating them as innocent until proven guilty, which is the fundamental basis for our judicial system. -Elizabeth Agnew Austin, TexasPachanga should be canceledIn response to your article "Pachanga event is inconsistent with our character" (Forum, Oct. 26):I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Cooper. It is an embarrassment to the University that an event which consistently yields multiple arrests and hospital runs should be permitted to take place each semester. We came to Brandeis to receive a top-notch education, not to make fools of ourselves. Mr. Cooper has made a point in saying that he does not advocate canceling Pachanga. But quite frankly, that is exactly what should be done. In the current economic climate, the International Club could make better use of its money. We are a liberal arts university, not a red-light district. Students here should be ashamed of themselves.-Daniel Kasdan '13Substantiate cage-free argumentsIn response to your article "Don't hastily support cage-free initiative" (Forum, Oct. 26):I respect and appreciate those who take the time to consider the cage-free egg proposal rather than blindly following a cause that appears to be simply "better" and "more humane." However, I think it is important that the arguments made either for or against the proposal are based on sound logic as well as a realistic understanding of how we can make decisions that reflect the kind of community we want to be. First, the issue of the poll. Like any campus election or survey, the Student Union poll was open to the entire student body. That only 28 percent of students chose to respond (which was as easy as following the link sent to their inboxes or advertised on Facebook) is an issue of individual choice; it does not invalidate the poll itself.Similarly, turnouts to local elections in our hometowns (which tend to be embarrassingly low) or even to presidential elections (remember Clinton in 1996?) do not lead us to question the legitimacy of the election itself. We accept the results, knowing they could've looked a bit different, and can only do our best to encourage greater voter turnout the next time around. In terms of cost, food at Brandeis is indeed expensive. Unfortunately, many of the healthiest choices are also the priciest-the result of a flawed national agricultural system. While a switch to cage-free eggs would raise the cost of meal plans by $5, as the column states, a greater portion of each person's meal plan would be devoted to eggs. Point taken. But let's be honest: how many extra bags of chips does that mean we can no longer shove onto a meal? How many spare points at the end of the semester does that mean we've lost? A second Student Union poll shows that over two-thirds of students would pay $20 more for their meal plans each semester. Clearly, students are willing to make the financial commitment to adopt a cage-free policy. Finally, I agree that "cage-free" is not to be equated with "humane." Indeed, many of the labels we put on our food are insufficient in truly qualifying the morality and sustainability of a product and the process by which it came to be, but to reject change because it falls short of perfection disqualifies change from the start. The financial burden of buying the most ethically raised meat, dairy and eggs, is tremendous compared to the cost of simply adopting a cage-free policy. Not to mention expanding fresh food options, buying locally grown produce and other local, organic ingredients. It's too much to do at once. Going cage-free is one of many small steps that Brandeis can take toward implementing a more sustainable food system in the longrun. It's a step that, as a campus, makes a difference without placing too much of a burden on any single group or individual.-Sarit Luban '11Horowitz event was disappointingIn response to your article "Horowitz spoke about liberal biases" (News, Oct. 26):I am disappointed that the Justice nor the did not report on my favorite point of David Horowitz's speech last week. Rankled that he did not receive anywhere near the attention or acclaim that some liberal speakers, Horowitz proclaimed that if Brandeis were seriously interested in divergent viewpoints, President Reinharz himself should have offered to come introduce him. This, in a nutshell, encapsulates his point: even though his polemics are neither scholarly nor well-reasoned, "academic freedom" is an affirmative action program for pseudo-conservative claptrap. Which is to say, if real scholars (some of whom happen to be liberal) get a cookie, he wants one too. David Horowitz believes that there is a double standard on college campuses, but it is not between liberals and conservatives: it is between scholars and serious thinkers on the one hand and demagogues on the other. That someone like Ellen Schrecker produces scholarly work based on evidence and logical analysis and is accordingly given serious interest is only useful to him so long as it presents the opportunity to drum up self-pity without a shred of substance. For someone who claims that "tenured radicals" are destroying the university, David Horowitz spends precious little time presenting counter-claims or objections. Indeed, his book denouncing America's "most dangerous professors" is an impressively slap-dash collection of irrelevant anecdotes, misdirection and flat-out falsehoods. I found it illuminating that, after claiming that the hard sciences are a bastion of truth, he went on to promote the long-discredited idea that race has any basis in biology. For all his bluster, Horowitz's agenda is surprisingly simple. As he stated in his lecture, the 1950s-when women, racial minorities, and Jews were consistently excluded from higher education as students, faculty, and part of the curriculum-were a "golden age of the university."Thankfully, the gates of academic legitimacy have long since closed on these bigoted and ignorant ideas. Perhaps, someday, the far-right donors who pay him to assault intellectual freedom will, too.-Jonathan Sussman '11
"I was really fascinated with the brother/sister relationship," says Tony Goldwyn '82 about the central characters in his new film Conviction. "This woman spent 18 1/2 years on an act of faith. I thought, what if she was wrong, what if he was guilty?" Goldwyn's fascination with the dynamics of Betty Anne Waters and her brother Kenny's struggle became the film Conviction .The film, starring Sam Rockwell and Hilary Swank as the aforementioned brother and sister, is Goldwyn's tale of Betty Anne Waters' quest to acquit her brother Kenny of murder charges that came with a life sentence in prison. The film immediately sets up the two as a loving pair of siblings, with flashbacks to their days as children interspersed with present-day scenes of the two with their respective families. Kenny is the more brash and rebellious of the two of them, getting into fights at bars, being disrespectful to police and basically doing whatever he wants, whenever he wants. It is exactly this quality that brings the wrath of policewoman Nancy Taylor upon him, who stops at nothing to charge Kenny with the murder in question. Betty Anne, meanwhile, is much more compassionate and down-to-earth, and her personal belief in her brother's innocence drives her in the long process of becoming an attorney to hopefully free her brother of the murder charges when no else would.I had the chance to see Conviction Sept. 27 in the Wasserman Cinematheque, where a special screening arranged by Prof. Alice Kelikian (HIST) was followed by a question-and-answer session with Tony Goldwyn, Sam Rockwell and the real-life Betty Anne Waters. Goldwyn, meanwhile, agreed to do a phone interview with justArts, in which he revealed a number of interesting facts about the film and his process as a director overall.Kenny's rather unlikable nature in the film is quite striking, with Rockwell managing to portray his emotive responses in such a way that the character's own true motivation is never quite clear. Though Kenny can be seen as dangerous, he still manages to be conveyed, at times, in a positive light, though the idea of his possible guilt is never far from the audience's mind. "It was very important to me that the audience think he might be guilty of the crime," acknowledges Goldwyn on the matter. "I had no interest in making him likable per se. There's a real duality to Kenny. He's a pretty self-destructive guy, and yet he's absolutely devoted to his sister. It was about showing the contrasts in the character. That's why casting Sam was so important to me. I needed an actor who could bring those contrasts and be, if not likable, lovable."Swank, on the other hand, has the complicated task of portraying a woman desperate with the dual endeavor of attempting to free her brother while struggling to keep her own family intact. She had the added necessity of needing to depict a personal struggle that was mirrored in the actual life of Betty Anne Waters, who was on set throughout the film's shoot. "Oftentimes, you don't want the real people on set," remarks Goldwyn on this topic. "They can make people self-conscious or obsess on details. But Betty Anne really got what we were doing, and the actors fell in love with her. She was a great presence and a tremendous resource because she really understood what I was trying to accomplish. ... I think she felt very happy, as painful an experience as it was, that she felt we were telling the truth."The film's emphasis, outside of its central brother/sister story, is on the corruption within the social justice system. Nancy Taylor's aggressive bid to put Kenny Waters behind bars is marked with interrogations and forced admissions of Kenny's guilt. Even when confronted with DNA evidence proclaiming Kenny's innocence, she still refuses to admit errors, citing the possibility that Kenny still could have been an accomplice. This, Goldwyn believes, is evidence of the court system's desire to put away people quickly and without remorse. "It troubles me greatly in our culture the way we like things to be black and white," he reflects. "We crave simple answers to complex questions, and this extends profoundly into our justice system. . People need to start thinking that when you put an innocent person behind bars, there is a guilty person who is free. The murderer in this case has never been found, and I feel lucky to have been have been able to dramatize a story like this, to show that there are a lot of people like Kenny Waters. Just because someone is in jail does not necessarily mean that they belong there."Conviction is Goldwyn's fourth directorial film to date. As many know, he started his Hollywood career as an actor, appearing in such notable films as Ghost and The Last Samurai and voicing the title character in Disney's Tarzan. Making the transition from actor to director is an interesting challenge, and there are many unique insights that can lend themselves to directing. "You have a natural common language with actors," he notes. "The way I approached directing on my first film, I really had no technical knowledge of directing, but I had been an actor for 10 years, so I thought, 'What's my dream director if I'm an actor?' It has to do with creating an environment on set where you feel very free and relaxed and also being extremely collaborative." As Brandeis alumnus Goldwyn's successful career represents a cornerstone of what any aspiring actor/director at Brandeis can hope to strive for. On the subject on what it takes to follow the path to Hollywood, Tony remarks that it's not just about trying to break into the business, but about the individual's creativeness and steadfast determination to move forward. "You have to be tremendously self driven. A lot of people have this illusion that if they get the right agent, or if they get their first film made, doors are gonna open. That may happen, but you constantly have to be entrepreneurial, and make it happen for yourself. That's how you evolve as an artist."Conviction represents the culmination of a unique vision that set out to faithfully represent the tragic yet inspirational tale of a brother and sister and their battle against a corrupt justice system. The result is an eye-opener of a film that truly captures the broad ineffectiveness of our system and illustrates the steps we need to take to fix it. If a small-town girl with nothing to help her but the passion in her heart can rise up against all odds and bring freedom to an innocent man, then perhaps there is still hope for social justice. -Bryan Flatt contributed reporting.
Yes she's back, back again, Lohan's back- and nobody is quite surprised. After another crazy week of drug tests, arrests and tweets, everyone's favorite child-actress-turned-tabloid topic is making headlines yet again. It turns out that a prison term and rehab didn't quite do all that they were supposed to because, yet again, Lindsay's substance problem has gotten her in some hot water that could very seriously threaten her career. Last Friday, gossip blog TMZ broke the story that Lohan failed a court-mandated drug test in her criminal case. According to her probation terms, she will be given 30 days in jail for a positive drug test. Although, according to a friend of hers, she has "really been making an effort to make herself better."The test was later confirmed to be positive for cocaine, and sources also revealed that it was only one of two failed drug tests-each potentially resulting in another 30 days of prison time. Apparently the "bad influences" Lindsay has been surrounding herself with has been a large part of the quick relapse. More than some foul friends, Lindsay could have feasibly ruined her last chance at a renewed career.We also heard that Lohan's new film project, titled Inferno-a biopic about porn star Linda Lovelace-could potentially be in shambles. Beyond prison, Lohan's out-of-state travel privileges may be revoked. Considering she lives in California and Inferno is set to film in Louisiana, this will likely pose a serious issue. According to TMZ, "a source close to the film tells us shooting the picture in Los Angeles instead of Louisiana 'would radically change the budget.' . The film's top people are 'beyond irritated by the recent developments.'"But what does Lindsay have to say about all this? She took to Twitter for a surprising apology. "Regrettably, I did in fact fail my most recent drug test and if I am asked, I am prepared to appear before judge Fox next week as a result." The most surprising part of her apology was when she took responsibility for her actions-something very out of character for Lohan. "This was certainly a setback for me but I am taking responsibility for my actions and I'm prepared to face the consequences," she wrote. She was seen Saturday night attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting-was she trying to get in the judge's good graces, or has she finally changed? Only time will tell.
Vampire Weekend's popularity in the Boston area makes sense. As the metropolitan area with the highest percentage of college students in the country, the New York-based indie-pop quartet strikes a particularly strong chord here with songs like "Campus" and "Oxford Comma," lamenting the importance of grammatical techniques in essay writing. Thus, Vampire Weekend's performance on Sunday, Sept. 12 drew a full house to Boston's Bank of America Pavilion.Although the band is now a mainstay of college and indie music, its repertoire consists of only two full-length albums: its self-titled 2008 debut and Contra, released in January. Thus, the fans at Sunday's show were treated to an eclectic sampling of tunes spanning the group's brief history. Vampire Weekend took the stage to DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win." Then, vocalist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rotsam Batmanglij, drummer Chris Tomson and bassist Chris Baio opened with "Holiday," a peppy, boppy cut from Contra, highlighting Koenig's falsetto, while Tomson's steady, building drums backed the bouncy number. Lyrics about going away for a summer's day highlighted the dichotomy between the band's sunny sound and the chilly, grey and dreary evening. However, the cool breezes blowing through the open-air pavilion couldn't stop the crowd from temporarily suspending the weather conditions to travel into the bright, cheerful world of Vampire Weekend.Soon, the band moved into songs from its first album, including "I Stand Corrected," one of the few tracks from the debut that are not entirely fast-paced and poppy. Rather, "I Stand Corrected" started slowly, featuring only Koenig's vocals, the stage awash in red, glowing lights. His bandmates soon joined behind him, as Baio's drums built throughout with the tempo progressing until the chorus. The chandeliers dangling above the stage flashed alternating neon lights as Vampire Weekend began "M79," and Koenig encouraged the audience to sing along. Another sing-along came later on with the peculiar "Blake's Got A New Face," which featured the audience straining to match the top pitches of Koenig's falsetto riff. The uniqueness of Koenig's vocal range stood out again on "California English," in which his voice was made both higher and faster thanks to auto-tune. Another surprise came during the band's emotive, synth-driven cover of "I'm Goin' Down" by Bruce Springsteen. Koenig's voice was higher than The Boss' on the original and lacked Springsteen's definitive twang. Instead, Vampire Weekend crafted "I'm Goin' Down" into a more sensitive, poppy number, more fitting with its own style. Batmanglij's keys and the slowed-down tempo made the song stand out. Instead of becoming just an imitation of the original, the band put in their own twist, making it their own while still honoring the song's identity.Next came "Diplomat's Son," featuring recorded repetitive, funky chants backed by a dub-step synthesizer sound, expanding and shrinking in a longer span than the band's usual short and sweet cuts. The backing percussion added to the calypso style of the tune, fitting the set's summery feel. The performance's opening acts, on the other hand, seemed more in tune with the chilly, dark evening than the sunny, glowing aura surrounding Vampire Weekend's performance. Baltimore-based duo Beach House played a 45-minute set of dreamy, dark electro-pop. On "Norway," the ethereal tone of singer Victoria Legrand's milky yet scratchy vocals combined with the lights shimmering on the stage like stars in a dark sky created the feeling of a dream world. The duo began to wake from its sleepy state on "Used To Be," employing the synthesizer and keys to create a boppy, almost childlike sound.Dum Dum Girls, an all-female noise-pop quartet from Los Angeles, preceded Beach House. Each member of the band was dressed entirely in leather and lace, fitting with the band's icy, foreboding electronic sound. Vocalist Dee Dee Penny yodeled over the sound of her fellow band members moaning, mixing to sound like an a cappella synthesizer. On "Jail La La," Penny finally left the three low notes among which she had been alternating to expand her range on the drum-centered tune.Still, the differing styles of the three bands could not detract from the distinctly Vampire Weekend-based identity of the show. Neither the slower, dreamier sounds of the opening acts nor the clearly autumnal weather conditions could challenge Vampire Weekend's insistence on one last night of summery music.
How was your summer, Brandeis? Sunny skies? Foamy beaches? Summer romances? Brief jail stints?Oh, wait-that's just Lindsay Lohan.Yes, Brandeisians, while we have been away from the beautiful Waltham scenery, Hollywood has still been bustling and busy. Celebrity news has been overflowing from all sorts of oh-so-credible sources, and yours truly has picked out the choicest bits for your enjoyment. So here you are: the In-Case-You-Missed-It Summer 2010 Pop Culture wrap-up.It was a summer for weddings! Jane Lynch and her girlfriend Lara Embry tied the knot on May 31 in Sunderland, Mass. Lynch was all smiles, with none of her alter-ego Sue Sylvester's cattiness in sight. Chelsea Clinton married Marc Mezvinsky in an interfaith ceremony in Rhinebeck, N.Y. July 31. Not-so-Disney-anymore Hilary Duff married hockey star Mike Comrie on Aug. 14 in Montecito, after three years of dating.Amy Poehler and Will Arnett welcomed a healthy baby boy Aug. 6; Abel James Arnett is the couple's second child. In other baby news, Neil Patrick Harris announced Aug. 14 that he and his partner David Burtka are expecting twins via surrogate in the fall, a boy and a girl. Amanda Bynes retired from acting (via Twitter) for a whopping 35 days before changing her mind and "unretiring" on July 25. Jersey Shore's Snooki was briefly arrested on July 30 for disorderly conduct.Twilight fans everywhere shouted a collected "told you so!" on Aug. 16 when on-screen-and apparently off-screen-lovers Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart were caught making out.For all of you wondering what happened to Hollywood's favorite ex-ginger this summer, Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 90 days in jail July 6 for multiple violations of the terms of her probation after two 2007 drunk-driving incidents. Judge Marsha Revel handed down three 30-day jail sentences and 90 days in a locked-down drug rehabilitation facility. After just 13 days, though, she was released due to "jail overcrowding" and good behavior and transported 20 minutes later to UCLA Medical Center.So there you are, Brandeisians. I hope you enjoyed your summers better than Lindsay did, didn't run into Snooki and are excited for another year of celebrity mahem.
Authors find inspiration from all different kinds of media. For award-winning novelist and Brandeis aluma Jennifer Gilmore '92, that inspiration came in the form of her grandmother's diary. She was sorting through her grandmother's possessions when she came across the diary, and upon leafing through it, she was struck by the thought that it could have been written by anyone of any generation. Taking that idea, she went on to write her first novel, Golden Country, released in 2006, which follows the saga of Jewish immigrants in New York through multiple generations. On the other hand, bestselling author Anita Diamant's motivation to write her latest novel, Day After Night, came from her experience on a trip to Israel, where she took a tour of the remnants of Holocaust detention centers. She recognized a story that needed to be told in the lives of people who escaped Atlit, a detention camp during which the British jailed Holocaust survivors going to Palestine. Her novel depicts four characters in similar situations, young women who have to create new lives for themselves after surviving the Holocaust and fleeing to Palestine. Diamant says she was inspired by Virginia Woolf's feminist novel A Room of One's Own as well. Both Jewish female novelists, Gilmore and Diamant came together on April 13 to discuss what goes into their writing in a panel titled "The Personal and the Political: Historical Fiction and the Jewish Experience." The event, sponsored by the Creative Writing program and moderated by Prof. John Plotz (ENG), featured each author reading an excerpt from her latest novel, speaking about her writing process and then answering audience questions. Although Gilmore and Diamant have each written so-called historical novels, including Gilmore's latest book, Something Red, they differ in their opinions on what it means to write historical fiction. Diamant was inspired by the history she encountered in Israel, but oddly enough, she doesn't consider herself a historical novelist. Diamant is perhaps best known for her first novel, The Red Tent, a New York Times bestseller that is a retelling of Bible stories from the perspective of Dinah, Jacob's only daughter. However, despite the historical time periods that both of these novels are set in, Diamant refrains from categorizing herself as a historical novelist because she believes her novels are just as much about fictionalized stories as they are about the time periods during which they take place. In contrast, Gilmore believes that "all novels are historical to some extent," since they record and reflect the views of the times. She pointed out that even if a book is written about the contemporary period, by the time it comes out it is no longer current, and so each book is a time capsule from its era. In her latest novel, Something Red, Gilmore tells the story of a boy who attends Brandeis in 1979 and becomes involved in social activism and the radical movement. Gilmore pored over photographs from the period in order to maintain historical accuracy and capture the mood of the times correctly, paying great attention to detail. When asked why she made the decision to name Brandeis as the protagonist's college rather than simply implying its identity, she responded that the more specific a writer can get, the better, because readers relate to details. She believes that including details such as cultural references from the era or products that were popular at the time helps evoke a sense of the decade for the reader. Diamant agreed, even suggesting that as soon as the reader spots one factual inaccuracy in the book, his faith in the author's credibility is destroyed and he cannot continue to believe the narrative. However, she also warns against overloading a novel with detail, in which case she says her editor tells her, "Your research is showing."Another issue the two authors addressed was that of the role of Judaism in their novels. Gilmore spoke to the Jewish theme in Something Red, saying that the Jewish experience is innately tied to political radicalism, and so it only made sense for her protagonist to discover his inner radical while at Brandeis. On the other hand, Diamant discussed the difficulty of writing a novel relating to the Holocaust because of the inherent issues of discussing such a deeply emotional, disturbing event, especially one which took place so recently in history. She felt it was an issue she could tackle because, as she says, "I never learned what the Holocaust was. I knew what it was, like a table or a chair." But rather than trying to tell a Holocaust survivor's story, Diamant specified that in her book she tells four fictional characters' stories, to which she hopes the eader can relate. "Characters should be possible, probable ... inevitable," as Diamant said.Both novelists presented themselves articulately and intelligently. They provided insightful words of wisdom-enough to convince people to purchase their books, which were sold at the end of the panel. The panel, which was split between talking about their latest novels and the creative writing process, proved a success. Although some of the questions addressed to them were challenging or critical, they put great thought into each response and answered quite knowledgeably. On a closing note, they even managed to bring some light-hearted humor into the discussion. When discussing the hardship of writing a novel about such recent history, Diamant admitted that Gilmore's latest novel was set in a more recent time period than hers, implying that it would be harder to maintain a sense of realism due to reader's recollections of having lived through the 1980s. However, she laughingly pointed out that Gilmore's struggle was nothing compared to hers because "the Holocaust trumps everything.
"Why, in Chinese theater, are women always played by men? Because only men know how women should act." As Song Liling (Dani Gurfinkel '13) tells us, gender roles are not always clearly defined. M. Butterfly is a show fraught with confusion and deception that culminates in the question of what it means to be in love. Beautifully portrayed by the Brandeis Players, directed by Aaron Arbiter '10 and produced by Asya Bashina '12, it tells the tragic story of Rene Gallimard and Song Liling. The story of M. Butterfly is likely familiar to most audience members since it is an adaptation of the Italian opera Madame Butterfly, in itself a spinoff of the musical Miss Saigon. The play, written by David Henry Hwang in 1988, was inspired by the true story of Mr. Bouriscot and Mr. Shi, two men who were put in jail for treason against the Chinese government in 1986. Although the two men were together for 20 years, Mr. Bouriscot claimed he had not known that Mr. Shi was a man, due to his disguise as a Peking opera singer, provoking great disbelief throughout the world. M. Butterfly takes these two men's relationship even further, exploring the boundaries of love and explaining the ambiguities of their romance. Before the play even begins, Rene Gallimard, played by Daniel Liebman '12, draws the audience's attention by sitting downstage, staring off to the side as if in deep thought. Gallimard then proceeds to address the audience, explaining sardonically that he is being held in a French prison. He then takes the audience through his memories, tracing the path he took to get to the jail. We follow him to the first time he met Song Liling, the man whom he came to call Butterfly. Gallimard, a French civil servant, is a guest at an ambassador's party when he encounters Song, who is performing as the title character in the opera Madame Butterfly. Mistaking Song for a woman because of his costume, Gallimard proceeds to flirt with Song, soon becoming enamored of him. Gallimard, a man who never found love in his Western life and is trapped in a loveless marriage, is intrigued by Song's Chinese ways and lives out his fantasy of having a submissive Chinese mistress over whom he has complete power. The dynamic relationship between Gallimard and Song (Liebman and Gurfinkel) is a pleasure to watch, and the two convey a feeling of passionate, controlling and yet tender love quite convincingly. Gallimard becomes more and more preoccupied with testing the limits of his control over his seemingly subservient mistress, while unbeknownst to him and to the audience as well, Song exerts control over him as well. In an interruption from Gallimard's retrospective narrative, Song reveals that he is acting as a spy for the Communist Chinese government, seducing Gallimard in order to uncover classified information. However, Gallimard does not become aware of this betrayal until 20 years have passed and their relationship has progressed to the point that Song presents him with a son whom he claims to have borne. In the end, the Chinese government punishes Song for disloyalty to the country when they discover he has been engaging in homosexual acts with Gallimard, and for enjoying the luxuries of being an actor while his peers labor all day in the fields with little to show for it. He is sent to a re-education camp and then told to return to Gallimard in order to get more information from him. Gallimard is put on trial for treason against the French government and Song testifies against him in court. He states that Gallimard passed on information about the French government to him although he cannot answer when he is asked whether Gallimard knew at any time what he was doing, or whether he was aware of Song's gender. In the final scene, after Song strips naked for Gallimard, admitting what Gallimard has suspected all along, that Song is a man, Gallimard rejects Song, claiming he doesn't love him but loves Butterfly, his ideal woman, who exists only his mind now, and stabs himself, choosing fantasy over reality. The stage, with a minimal set of Chinese screens along the background and sides, and a few pieces of furniture, increases the tension we feel at seeing Gallimard alone onstage, speaking directly to us. The hugeness of the space was apparent, as well as the clash between old-world Asian culture and new-world imperialist European culture, brought to life by the juxtaposition of furniture and the set. The costumes added to the realism of the show as well, giving it a very authentic feel and staying with the theme of the clash of cultures.The moving story is told mostly from the point of view of the jailed Gallimard with interjections from Song and his colleague, Comrade Chin (Cathy Messier '12). The entire cast does a great job of establishing characters and conveying the theme of the feuding old and new world cultures, with a great distinction between Gallimard's European friends and colleagues (Bryan Belok '12, Leila Stricker '13 and Adam Patterson '11) and the Asian characters (Messier, Rishika Assomull '13 and Jessi Fixsen '12). Gurfinkel presents an intriguing, disturbing view of Song, the calculating, deceptive man who remains aloof throughout. Praise must also be given to Fixsen's portrayal of Helga, Gallimard's wife, who embodies the well-to-do politician's wife and puts up with Gallimard despite the horrible, neglectful way he treats her. Another actor who brings great life to his character is Patterson, who plays M. Toulon, Gallimard's laughably pompous and insensitive boss, among other roles. Liebman shines as Gallimard, carrying the show through his portrayal of Gallimard's multiple facets; he is at all times the awkward, insecure little boy of his childhood, the suave womanizer, the cruel sadist and the unwitting fool. Liebman does a terrific job throughout, and so the ending, when he takes his own life and transforms himself into the Butterfly, putting on Song's wig and traditional Chinese performance makeup, is entirely moving and true to character. Editor's note: Rishika Assomull is an illustrator for the Justice.
We all learned in elementary school about the heroics of participants in the Civil Rights movement. Marchers were attacked, activists were threatened and families were divided by the fight to end segregation. Company One's production of The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson communicates these heroics, but the true brilliance of the play lies in its confrontation of the manipulation and faults of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement.The play opens in 1962 with the arrival of Reverends James Lawrence (played by recent Brown University graduate Jonathan Dent) and Henry Evans (Cliff Odle) in Birmingham, which is repeatedly described as the "most segregated city" in the United States. Joining them is American-by-way-of-Geneva Bill Rutherford (the properly earnest and indignant Cedric Lilly), who counters their stirring passion and ample experience in the South with his impeccable organizational skills and restrained, neat character. The Movement, as they call it, has the brains and the voice, but lacks the titular "Good Negro" cause to provide a rallying cry.Enter Claudette Sullivan (Marvelyn McFarlane), mother of the four-year-old Shelly. Claudette is beaten and her daughter jailed when she violates segregation laws in order to allow her daughter to use a whites-only restroom, and instantly the three have found their cause. Countered by Claudette's stolid, uneducated husband Pelzie (James Milord, alternately tender and intimidating as the script demands), Jimmy, Henry and Rutherford pursue Claudette as the perfect front for the Movement.But as questionable financial and moral practices come to light, and as two FBI agents on assignment to stop the Movement at all costs (enter the hilarious subplot in which the pair attempt to brand the black anti-segregationists as Communist pawns) with the help of KKK infiltrate Tommy Rowe (Greg Maraio), Claudette, Rutherford and the audience have their faith shaken. Wilson's play makes it eminently and poignantly clear that the nobility of the methods might not always match the nobility of the cause, and this point has us captivated as surely as the suspenseful plot.The staggering climax of the violence and racial tension that builds throughout the play is equaled by the climax of the tension between Jimmy and his wife, Corinne. Actress Kris Sidberry's righteous anger as Jimmy's wife is thrillingly realistic, and the scene in which the two have their marital confrontation is one of the best-acted of the entire production.McFarlane shines as Claudette as well, and her character is an intriguing foil to the less presentable but equally compelling Pelzie. Despite its aura of fear and hope that rises and is crushed over and over, the play doesn't neglect the opportunity for humor, whether it's Jimmy and Henry's jokes at the expense of the prissy Rutherford or the squabbles of the shut-in FBI agents forced to report good news to "the Old Man" at all costs.The Good Negro provides an excellent examination of what it means to truly commit oneself to change and what personal barriers must be overcome in order to do so. Running through Feb. 6, it is as close to a must-see as a play can get for anyone interested not only in the Civil Rights Movement and the horror of oppression in the South, but in the nature of sacrifice in the name of a cause.
With 10 minutes left of my Introduction to International and Global Studies lecture, I found myself slumping in my chair, checking the clock nearly every 5 seconds and praying with all my heart for the class to finally be over. I carefully surveyed my notes for the day and realized that I had been drawing doodles in the margins for the last half hour. When the professor posed a question to the class, I didn't even think to raise my hand because I knew that whatever I said would probably sound incredibly stupid and indicate quite clearly that I had not been paying attention to any of the discussion that had ensued for the past 50 minutes. At long last, the clock struck 11, and I was out of the classroom before the professor could even get his closing words out of his mouth.Although my complete loss of focus was quite unusual considering my typically studious disposition, a general lack of interest and engagement among college students is a far too common problem for both students and educators. According to an article in The Chronicle of Higher Education titled "Teaching with Twitter: Not for the Faint of Heart" by Jeffrey R. Young, the latest innovation for remedying this problem is using Twitter, an online social network, as a new form of forum for discussion in the classroom. Several professors at colleges and universities across the country have been trying Twitter as a means of getting their students more involved in class discussions. According to the article, the online forum emboldens quieter students to participate and ask questions via "tweets"-short 140-character posts that can be submitted via a laptop or cell phone. In addition, it allows students to engage in an ongoing discussion about class material both inside and outside of the classroom.Using Twitter as a classroom tool certainly seems like an interesting idea. Admittedly, when I first read the article, I found myself wishing my IGS professor would adopt a similar system. But on second thought, I realized that using Twitter in the classroom is actually detrimental to an esteemed academic environment. Twitter is undoubtedly an effective way to get students engaged, but the problem is that students would be engaging the wrong skills.One obvious downside to using Twitter in the classroom is that the open, unlimited access to this online forum draws students' attention away from the lecture. According to the Chronicle article, in Prof. Sugato Chakravarty's consumer sciences and retailing class at Purdue University, the experimental Twitter project causes "a constant stream of comments, often tangential. . During one session . students took over the back channel to ask the professor to cancel class Thanksgiving week." Clearly, the students are participating in this online discussion, but their chatter is often not related to the subject material at hand.If a serious lack of focus is already a problem, it seems counterproductive for professors to then provide a forum for unmediated discussion in Twitter. If Twitter is used as a tool for instruction, then students are given license to discuss anything they like, relevant to class or not, under the pretext of participating and paying attention. So rather than encouraging active classrooom participation, professors are actually allowing their students' minds to wander through the distractions of the Internet with absolutely no consequence. Another issue with Twitter as a forum for discussion, though perhaps one less obvious, is the limitations that the Web site places on students' ability to communicate and express themselves. For one thing, tweets can only be 140 characters long. This seriously limits a student's ability to ask questions or make insightful comments. Prof. Monica Rankin at the University of Texas addresses this limitation on her blog about her experience with Twitter. During her Twitter experiment, she encouraged her students to use more than one tweet if necessary to get the whole point across. But displaying a comment or question in segments still interrupts the thought processes of the student writing the comment and the person reading it, particularly if another tweet pops up in between the multiple parts of one comment. With such limited space, Twitter definitely makes deep, analytical and meaningful class discussions, which are key to an excellent learning experience, more difficult if not impossible. And of course, let's not forget the important skill of oral communication. Twitter, which relies solely on comments and questions written by students in the class, takes the emphasis off of oral communication altogether. Not every student is a stellar speaker, but there is a reason why oral communication is a core requirement at Brandeis. The ability to effectively express oneself via oral communication is an extremely valuable skill both in the academic world and the professional world. If less-outspoken students can use Twitter as a "get out of jail free" card to avoid speaking in class, they will never learn to effectively express themselves through speech.There are probably several more reasons Twitter could be detrimental to an academic environment. Luckily, at present this popular social networking Web site isn't being used nearly enough in college classrooms to feel the effects of this detriment on the traditional academic setting. One can only hope that professors will find a better way to draw their students into classes instead of relying on a distracting and limiting Web site. Student apathy may be a huge problem in the classroom, but that is no reason to turn to Twitter, which does more harm than good.
It seemed like Lindsay Lohan was doing well for a while. She had a fairly stable relationship, was off drugs and had a few television and film roles. Apparently, it was all too good to last.Lohan's been back to her partying ways the last few months and was due in court on Friday to describe her progress following her 2007 DUI case. (She was arrested for driving under the influence and agreed to a plea bargain that included probation, time in a treatment program and community service.) When Lindsay arrived over an hour and a half late for her hearing on Friday, Judge Marsha N. Revel added another year to her probation sentence.Lohan's lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, explained to the judge that Lindsay's "violation of parole" had been a miscommunication. Lindsay apparently failed to notify instructors of her alcohol management class that she attends as part of her probation that she would return to the class after she left the country for work.Revel understood the miscommunication but warned Lohan, "I ordered you into court today because I wanted to speak to you directly. I don't want to get any more notices again, no warrants . where you're thumbing your nose at the court." Revel ordered Lohan to get court approval prior to leaving Los Angeles again and warned that any future failure to comply with the terms of her probation could lead to jail time. However, she also told the actress, "I'm rooting for you to successfully complete your probation."While Lohan seems to have gotten off easy, her father, Michael Lohan, thinks there should have been more serious consequences. "I've just gotten off the phone with the judge and I'm not happy," he told RadarOnline.com on Saturday. "She needs to put my daughter in rehab. How could that judge let her just walk into court and walk right back out?" He continued, "I hate to speak out publicly like this about Lindsay, but it's for all the parents and the teens out there. I've seen what it's done."Michael doesn't have many fans left due to his previous statements bashing his daughter's behavior and his off-color comments about her sexual orientation, but he might have a point here. Lindsay gets to keep walking around free in Los Angeles, but is that really the best thing for her? Only time will tell.