(01/17/06 5:00am)
Normally when someone goes fishing, he hopes to reel in a big trout or bass, but for Imad Abu-Kishek, an administrative and financial assistant visiting from Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, his biggest catch while living in Waltham was human.On a hot July day, Abu-Kishek took his sons Fayeq, 9, and Fares, 6, down to the Charles River to relax in the sunshine and hope for some bites. When they arrived, the river was halcyon and nearly empty except for the presence of a lone elderly boatman. It appeared to be the start of a perfectly lazy summer afternoon. Then, the day's serenity was suddenly interrupted with a large splash, and a cry from one of Abu-Kishek's sons; the boater had gone overboard. Abu-Kishek sprung into action."I threw a rope for him, and he caught it immediately, and I started to pull him to the edge of the dock," Abu-Kishek says. "He was too heavy, and he kept slipping from my grip. He slipped from my hand, and I could not imagine losing him."Abu-Kishek sent his sons to a nearby Mexican restaurant for help, and they returned with a Christian missionary. So, Muslim and Christian, side by side, they pulled the man to safety. This was one catch that Abu-Kishek was not about to throw back.In a sense, the collaborative effort in this fisherman's tale is a good metaphor for what Abu-Kishek is trying to achieve with his work uniting religions. On the one hand, he is working at Brandeis as the assistant to University President Jehuda Reinharz for financial and administrative affairs, and supervises the financial department and the budget. But Abu-Kishek's real passion involves working side-by-side with men and women of differing religious backgrounds. As a member of the People's Campaign for Peace and Democracy in Israel, Abu-Kishek works with Muslims and Jews in an effort to find a solution for the conflict in the Middle East. The group focuses on regular citizens and has collected over 400,000 signatures from both Israelis and Palestinians who urge for the existence of two states, one named Israel and the other named Palestine."In order to create change, we need to create a force on the government from the bottom up to urge leaders to make a solution," Abu-Kishek says. "It's important that we focus on grassroots instead of politics. We don't focus on leaders because we fear that they do not want to make a solution. But, if we show them that people from both sides agree and have the same principles, it puts pressure on [the leaders]."Abu-Kishek says that there are many obstacles to overcome before peace can happen. He says one of these problems is the new wall that the Israeli government is building to divide itself from Palestinian territories-on land that the Palestinians feel they deserve. This wall cuts out 20 percent of the West Bank and Gaza from Palestinian sovereignty, which when intact, represented 22 percent of what was once Palestine. Feelings about this wall vary greatly, as demonstrated by its two different nicknames. According to Abu-Kishek, the Israelis call this wall the "Defense Wall," while the Palestinians call it the "Apartheid Wall." Abu-Kishek says that one thing is for sure, though: As long as these different views remain prominent, there cannot be peace.Another major obstacle that stands between Israel and peace is the discussion over holy sites."The real conflict is over the Dome of the Rock and the [Western] Wall," Abu-Kishek says. "What I hope people can realize, is that neither of these places belong to us anyway, they belong to God. It's also important for peace, to realize that we have the same god, the god of Abraham. Neither Jews nor Muslims should have sovereignty of these places." Even though Abu-Kishek believes no group should claim ownership to the holy sites, he does realize that pragmatically, people should have some control over certain places. For this reason he believes that the Jewish people of Israel should manage the Western Wall, while Muslim Palestinians should manage the Dome of the Rock.Abu-Kishek says that one of the hardest parts about coming to the United States has been leaving behind his connections both social and professional. In order to combat this feeling of isolation from his home, and to help the cause that he is most passionate for, he continues on a quest for peace. Although most of his work with the People's Campaign for Peace and Democracy takes place at his home in Palestine, Abu-Kishek is taking advantage of his time at Brandeis as well."We have done a lot of work at home, but we are at a point where there is no solution without the help of international communities," says Abu-Kishek. He says part of his goal here "is to make this population aware of the real problem in Israel and Palestine. Right now there could be fighting for another 40 years, and for what? We don't want to give the Devil the opportunity for us to kill ourselves."Abu-Kishek says that he wants to take special advantage of the fact that he is at a place like Brandeis. First, he says being a Palestinian in a place with Jewish ties gives him the chance to appeal from the other side of the issue."I know that Brandeis is supported and created by a Jewish community," he says. "[Being here] allows me to explain my side of the conflict to my colleagues in order to get support to find a solution. It's good to be here because the main goal of this university is justice. In order for there to be a solution in Israel, I think we need help from international places just like Brandeis.
(12/06/05 5:00am)
There are two types of Brandeis students: those who genuinely like Brandeis and those who want to transfer. That leaves the bulk of the school caught somewhere between bland, unhappy comfort and a lazy inability to send their transcript to Cornell.For those of us still sweating it out here, it's commonly agreed that the typical Brandeis student is a small, brown-haired, whiney antisocial misfit. And I won't deny that allegation completely. I'd rather just discuss the variations on a theme. Every college has its drunken jocks and political correctors. But Brandeis has its own brand of clich students. Most noticeably, Jews dominate the landscape, peppering the Great Lawn with yarmulkes and NEJS textbooks.What is not so apparent is the large group that has developed Bob Dylan Disorder. These are the students who, prior to attending Brandeis, considered themselves Jewish. However, upon arrival, these Jews quickly traded Friday night services for Wednesday nights at The Mad Raven and a free Birthright trip to Israel for a cheap mushroom trip on Chapels Field. Many outsiders question the faith of these students, assuming that Brandeis would have made them stronger Jews. They would be surprised to know that for an overwhelming number of Jews, Brandeis can have the ill effect of detracting from a student's Jewish identity. After all, a guy who was once one of three Jews in his high school graduating class might not feel so special graduating with three hundred Jews four years later.Of course, Brandeis has its unique Greek life that is swept under the University rug. These students comprise a minority of Brandeis. Long Island Jewish American Princesses (LIJAPs) are easy to identify by their Northfaces, Uggs, burnt straightened hair, and the sour expression on their freshly lipglossed faces. The Reckless Intoxicated Frat (RIF) boys are similarly identifiable by their Solo plastic cups, vomit stains and their inverted posture due to the fact that a keg stand needs to be performed upside down. Both LIJAPs and RIF boys survive on Daddy's credit card and prescription drugs. However, where the RIF Boys would funnel pizza if only someone would create a tasty liquid form, the LIJAPs would funnel pizza if only it wasn't so much of a hassle to throw up.Then are the students who created a Brandeis chapter of NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), only to let it burn out after a school year due to lack of attendance. Yes, these lovable Wooks-who get their name from their resemblance to grimy Wookies from Star Wars-are fun from afar and smell like Usdan close up. All hairy and dreaded, the Wooks are especially environmentally conscious. They carefully conserve butane by lighting their bongs with matchbook-lit pistachio shells and prefer hiking up Rabb steps barefoot, if only to save gas. Free Tibet! Leave Iraq! Reunite Phish! Hoorah for Wooks everywhere, fliering campus for events that happened last week.No Brandeis student breakdown is complete without the mention of the Freaks, Dweebs, Dorks, Goons and Creepy Social Rejects. Of course, I'd like to assume that all of the other groups are mostly comprised of these outcasts anyway. After all, it's Brandeis, home of the small, brown-haired, whiney antisocial misfit. And if you don't like it, you might want to look into transferring.
(12/06/05 5:00am)
Over the course of my Brandeis career, I've managed to amass a decent-sized gut. Match that with a complete lack of musculature, and I've started to look like a kangaroo smuggling jelly when I take my shirt off. It wasn't that long ago that I was in pretty good shape. What happened?Of course, I'm asking myself this question as I sit on the couch in front of my TV and stuff my face with Wendy's food. There's no question that America is getting fat; we've all seen the news shows about the obesity epidemic we face, filled with jaw dropping statistics. Why are we so much fatter than the rest of the world?I studied abroad in the Netherlands last semester. Most people there are all extremely tall and stick thin. Yes, they do splurge on frites (freedom fries) covered in mayo on a fairly regular basis, and still they manage to stay in great shape. What do they do differently?For one, they ride their bikes everywhere. Americans will drive to the end of their driveways in order to get the mail. Bikes are the preferred means of transportation for almost all Dutch people, from men in business suits to beautiful women with great postures and full figures bouncing down cobblestone streets... but I digress. The point is that the Dutch are not terrified to include exercise as a regular part of their everyday lives.At the end of my semester in the Netherlands, we took our final exams in a building across the street from a McDonald's. Post-exam, I saw the first fat Dutch person I had seen in four months. Actually, seven of them sat hunched over their Big Macs, reminding me of the things I didn't miss about home.But hey, if you really think about it, we fatties help run the American economy. We chow down more food than once thought conceivable and then spend our money on fad diets and exercise equipment that will one day function as coat racks. There are fitness clubs, videos and TV shows that show us how to lose weight; if all else fails, there are therapists to help us become comfortable with our negative body image. Many economists and doctors claim that the future costs of battling obesity are going to bankrupt our medical services. My response to them is that the piggies are what really keep our economy afloat.It's our laziness and propensity towards excess that define us as a culture. We don't walk or bike anywhere. We choose the elevator or escalator over the stairs at all times. We're getting to the point where we will never have to leave our beds, with everything in our house powered by remote control, and everything outside available through delivery.Some people claim that obesity is genetic and that they have no control over it, which for some obese people, is partially true. But I think that for many, this is a big steamy load. Not long ago, famine, not obesity, was the issue. I definitely believe that it is harder for some people than others to lose weight, due either to genetic predisposition, such as lower metabolism, or to bad eating habits taught by parents, such as using food as a reward. But there's a formula: Eat fewer calories than you work off and you will lose weight, hands down. Everyone has some control over what he eats and how much he moves.But even the skinniest people in America are unhealthy about it. Anorexia is the cover story of Newsweek this week, and the article explains that anorexia now affects a younger and more diverse group of people. I've even attended the funeral of a friend from middle school who died of an eating disorder.Moderation is a word that apparently was not included in any American dictionary. Everyone from Plato to Jesus to Confucius to the Dali Lama preaches the evils of excess and the importance of harmony and moderation. But consumerism, hedonism and instant gratification have overtaken religion and philosophy, making corporate executives from McDonald's to Lane Bryant to Weight Watchers to Bowflex do a happy dance.Now, I'm not calling anybody out without including myself in the indictment, but as a culture, Americans must realize how intensely we allow excess to dictate our actions. People can only be truly happy if they can limit their desires and understand when enough is enough. Somehow my father has managed to create this balance in his life, while I still eat too much, drink too much, procrastinate until I have to stay up for days in a row to do my work, then sleep too much afterward.It's starting to make me wonder if our generation still has the capacity to practice moderation. For now, I'll just hope that they'll soon create a pill that I can take daily to improve my willpower.
(11/08/05 5:00am)
Anybody who knows me knows that I would never dream of touching marijuana.Last semester, however, I was fortunate enough to go abroad to Maastricht, located in the south of the Netherlands. While devoid of fat people, Maastricht does have something the whole family can enjoy: coffee shops. But what's a coffee shop, you ask? Let me take you there.Someone recommends to you a coffee shop called Heaven. When you walk in, there is a big bar where they serve coffee and tea and other drinks, as well as small snacks (no alcohol allowed). You sit down and order yourself a fresh mint tea. Although the place smells a bit funny, it seems pretty normal as you look around. But wait: what's that other bar in the back? Go ahead and check it out.You go back there, and there's a strange menu on the bar filled with weird names. Northern lights? Purple haze? Super skunk? Your eyes scan to the top of the list. Marijuana?! That's illegal! Your mommy and government advertisements have always told you that marijuana was the devil. It makes you lazy and stupid and go on murderous rampages and get pregnant and end up worthless in the gutter with a heroin needle in your arm. And you have no reason to distrust political ads. But mommy also insisted that you be open-minded. "When in Rome," you think to yourself.The person behind the counter is extremely friendly. She can tell you're new at this, and she seems ready to help. She suggests a pre-rolled joint filled with a mixture of tobacco and Jack Herrer. You avoid eye contact while paying. Still a bit ashamed of yourself, you thank her under your breath.Then as you go sit down at the table, you take a look around. There doesn't seem to be much trouble; there's nobody yelling or fighting or throwing chairs or throwing up or freaking out or doing anything that could interfere with the well being of themselves or anybody else. There are people of all ages: college kids playing pool, old men playing cards, a young man playing with a grinder, sitting with what looks like his mother, who is talking about something she refers to as the "bukket." It seems just like Starbucks without the pretension.But you're having second thoughts. Only criminals, losers and vagrants smoke marijuana. Potheads aren't capable of achieving anything. They get terrible grades until they drop out of school and lie on the couch in their parents' basement, wearing nothing more than their own apathy and that orange stuff they get all over themselves from eating Cheetos.You looked down on these people back home. They are ruining their own lives while destroying the fabric of American society. You don't want to turn into one of them. You like yourself just the way you are. OK, so you stress out a lot and don't get laid and judge people while sitting on a throne of ignorance and self-righteousness. You're still better than those potheads. You have every right to judge them.Suddenly, someone at a neighboring table extends his arm. He's got a lighter in his hand, you have that joint in yours, and the rest is history. You breathe in deep. You let out a cough. What have you done?At first, nothing seems to happen. After a few minutes, you start to feel a bit light-headed and quite relaxed. You hear someone sneeze, which for some reason is the funniest thing you've ever heard in your life. After a few minutes of laughing, your mouth is so dry you need to get another drink. You sit back down at your table. In perfect English, the guy who handed you the lighter asks if you're American. A little embarrassed to be such an obvious tourist, you end up having a nice conversation with a perfect stranger.As you start to leave, you get confused. Although the experience wasn't as awful as you expected, marijuana has to be bad. It's illegal. You freak out-you might get arrested! But relax; you had a memory lapse. You forgot that you're in a country that isn't trying to distract people from legitimate problems by fighting an unwinnable war on its own citizens. You're in a country that regulates the sale of marijuana, separating the soft drugs from dealers trying to push heroin and cocaine. You're in a country where only six percent of the citizens live below the poverty line, with a violent crime rate eight percent lower than that of the U.S. You're in a country that pays for everyone to go to college and offers universal health care.But marijuana has to be bad, right?
(10/11/05 4:00am)
There is no e-mail address here to contact the paper's editorial board directly, and I just want to share a letter I wrote to one of your writers. This wasn't intended as a letter for publication as a LTTE, just praise for one of your writers:Dear Mr. Herzfeld,Thank you, exceedingly, for writing your superb piece on left-handedness. I commend you not only for your chosen subject, but also for your excellent writing style. I expect to read future Herzfeld articles in the Boston Globe or the New York Times.I am not left-handed, but I do have a "sinister" sister, who has never talked too much about the experience, but, no doubt, has suffered through some of the issues you mentioned in your analysis. She is reading this article this morning; I just e-mailed it to her. You are to be commended for shedding light on the plight of a minority group whose struggle has probably slipped through the cracks of compassion even on your enlightened campus. Paul Trusten, R.Ph.Brandeis University Class of 1973 (B.A., Biology)U.S. Metric Association, Inc.www.metric.orgEditor, "Metric Today"3609 Caldera Blvd., Apt. 122Midland TX 79707-2872 USAtrusten@grandecom.net"There are two cardinal sins, from which all the others spring: impatience and laziness." ---Franz Kafka
(09/13/05 4:00am)
What happens when an artist loses all relevance? When a band is no longer the voice of a generation? What place do aging rock n' roll veterans have in a medium that has always favored the young? Three new releases this month find two artists and one band grappling with such circumstances and questions in different ways, all finding old routes to small pleasures. Neil Young has been questioning his place in rock n' roll since 1973, when he released the live album Time Fades Away to mostly negative reviews. The album was meant as a realistic portrayal of what drug-addled world fame had brought to him and his friends, a direct affront to the singer/songwriter who went mega-huge with Harvest. It wasn't what his audience was expecting, and it wasn't what they wanted. Young made it clear he wasn't pandering to any trend, and for the next three decades he traveled wherever his music took him, even when he was sued during the '80s for making albums "not indicative of Neil Young" for Geffen records. The point that Geffen missed was there's no such thing as a typical Neil Young album.His latest album is Prairie Wind, a country-ish affair recorded in Nashville last year between his diagnosis of a brain aneurysm and subsequent treatment. While 2003's disappointing Greendale found Young experimenting with a multimedia format, this album finds him newly inspired and sticking to a mostly acoustic palette with occasional horns. There's an added poignancy to the lyrics, reflecting back on trusty guitars ("This Here Guitar"), old heroes ("He was the King"), growing up ("Prairie Wind") and mortality ("When God Made Me"). On many songs, including "Falling off the Face of the Earth," Young's melodies reach for notes he can't hit, reveling in the beauty of imperfection; other ones are long, mysterious journeys like the excellent "No Wonder," and as good as any he's written. Perhaps the opposite of the experimental Young is The Rolling Stones. The Stones are really the Law and Order of rock: They came up with a dependable formula years ago (one part misogynist swagger, one part Chuck Berry riffs and a whole lot of Mick Jagger) and have mostly stuck to it since, regardless of lineup changes and evolving musical trends. The only way to distinguish any Stones album since their 1972 masterpiece Exile on Main Street from another is to determine whether it's more or less of a clich. But on their latest disc, A Bigger Bang, it at least sounds like that clich is having a great time. The Stones know they can't sell albums like in the '70s, or regain the cultural relevance they achieved in the '60s. They tour every couple of years, make millions of dollars by doing it very well, and any new product beyond that is icing on the cake. A Bigger Bang works because it excels at simplifying the equation. It dumps the backup singers and techno experiments, pegging directly at that unadorned, attitude-derived Stones sound, and out of its 16 songs, there are plenty of highlights. "Rough Justice" is a great opener in the same vein as "Brown Sugar," and "Look what the Cat Dragged in" is anchored by an insatiable riff. "Back of My Hand" is the best blues song they've done since Exile, and "Let Me Down Slow" has some wonderfully lazy slide guitar. The Keith Richards-sung "This Place is Empty" is the album's best cut, adding an extra depth of emotion in the vocals that even Jagger can no longer touch. And while not every song succeeds (the controversial, Bush-bashing "Sweet Neo-Con" is a far cry from great protest songs like the classic "Street Fighting Man"), A Bigger Bang is easily the band's best in two decades. The Stones have evaded irrelevance by refusing to change. They may remain on your radar, but even an album this good still seems somewhat unnecessary and forgettable at the end of the day. If the Stones have had a uniformly stubborn attitude in living up to their legacy as the self-proclaimed "Greatest Rock n' Roll Band" in the world, then Paul McCartney has been downright self-mutilating toward his own legendary status. Coming out of The Beatles, McCartney was the most likely of the Fab Four to maintain a pop presence. His first two solo releases seemed the work of a small-minded genius, combining an unembellished tunefulness with a surprising amount of odd sounds. Since then, he's made a solo career out of cheesy hits ("My Love" and "Silly Love Songs"), despicable "topical" songs ("Ebony and Ivory," "Freedom") and countless, forgettable bad albums. McCartney had the biggest reputation to live up to, much more so than Young or the Stones, yet over the last decades has consistently failed at doing anything to suggest that he even cares.So what about his newest album? Does anyone even care, as long as he schedules another nostalgic stadium tour mostly consisting of Beatles songs? Well, a couple things have changed for McCartney: He quit smoking pot for the first time since starting in 1966, he married his newest love and muse, and he teamed up with Radiohead producer Niles Godrich, who did care about Macca's legacy and wanted to bring out his best work. The result is Chaos and Creation in the Backyard, absolutely the best thing McCartney has done since Abbey Road. Continuing the slightly eccentric, ultra-catchy work of his first solo albums, Chaos and Creation sounds like it was made in 1971, not 2005.Most remarkable isn't even that McCartney played almost all the instruments himself, but that his voice has reverted back to its younger, more-inspired form. McCartney has referred to "Jenny Wren" as the "son of 'Blackbird,'" and it is as good as anything he wrote with The Beatles. Listen to the way he hums during the solo, and you'd swear this was from the White Album. Other highlights include the upbeat, catchy piano-based "Fine Line" and "Friends to Go," while strings dominate the darker, less-obvious "Too Much Rain" and "At the Mercy." McCartney might not be the premier pop musician he was during the 1960s, nor any generation's voice, but hopefully fans will hear this album and appreciate that relevancy can always be rediscovered with age.
(09/06/05 4:00am)
Huckleberry Finn, in spite of his fondness for fantasy, told a few tall truths in his day. Reflecting on his skiff's often tranquil path down the Mississippi, he decided simply that "there warn't no home like a raft." I got to thinking about Huck and his runaway companion Jim while cruising down a different river last weekend. I had rented a kayak with a friend for a lazy afternoon exploring the stretch of the Charles River adjacent to Brandeis. Charles River Canoe & Kayak's charming boathouse is tucked away on Route 30 right next to a coarse, Miami-pink painted Marriot. If you have a car on campus, you've likely passed within seconds of the place countless times en route to I-95. After renting a $1 dry-bag for our possessions and agreeing to the modest $18 per hour fee for a two-person Kevlar kayak, we selected a pair of oars and suited up in life vests. We were then led to our boat by a rather laconic staff of bronzed teens who offered little advice on navigating the river. "Which way is Waltham?" I asked, thinking it might be nice to spot some Moody Street landmarks from the murky waters I had walked over and alongside so many times in the past three years."Uh, that way, I think," said a staff person, pointing toward Newton. She consulted an older kayak-mate for the correct direction. And so we pushed off, evading first a team of Japanese tourists in a five-person canoe and then a group of Russian migrs who, five minutes after setting out, lit a joint for a slightly more subdued cruise.After mere minutes of rowing, we were alone in the river and stunned by the serenity of this place, so close to a school which so often seems so far from serene.If I were blindfolded, I still would have been delighted. And I did in fact close my eyes for a time, taking in the sounds: the cutting noise made by the kayak gliding through vast tracts of water-lilies (I never could've imagined it); laughter; the rhythmic rowing of more experienced oarsmen; and the idiotic splashing of our paddles as they happily smacked each other, dashing cool water onto our legs and hands. Scott, my first mate and photographer, spent a good 30 minutes stalking a bird that I said looked a lot like an egret, but, truthfully, I had no idea what the hell an egret looked like. I thought this was significant, since I never before cared about birds. As we sat behind the bird, patiently waiting for our picture, the egret-like creature leaned forward, raised its tail-feathers and tensed its legs."It's about to fly away," I told Scott. But then, as a certain something slid peacefully down from the bird's perch and plopped into the river, it became clear to us that this egret was not flying anywhere. "Yes!" I thought to myself. "This is so natural." Moody-Street-bound again, we spied some of the quaint homes along the river. It's a more intimate type of voyeurism looking at a house from behind. Some homes were hidden by the weeping willows and oaks that surrounded their charming docks. Others had their back yards open to the Charles and all its curious boaters. The spying went both ways. On two lime green wooden lawn chairs, an old couple silently stared at the kayaks passing by. It felt a bit like an invasion. We were the ones on this hushed, onyx observation deck; no one was supposed to see us.Later on, we were getting oddly close to Brandeis. We passed by the cemetery situated next to Brandeis' Charles River Apartments. I remembered stumbling through it one night freshman year, after finally discovering what shot glasses were used for. As we passed by, I half-regretted that twilight traipse; the wide view of gravestones along the river drove home the morbidity of the place-steely and obvious-like a nail into a coffin.It kind of bummed me out, until I noticed a life-size statue of a stern-faced Cherokee peering out from behind leaves on a small strip of land in the middle of the river. How did it get there?As we glided into Waltham, the scenery got increasingly industrial and the skies adjusted accordingly - becoming gray and erasing all the wonderful shadows over which my photographer friend was salivating. We hadn't eaten all day, and the prospect of Moody Street fare was enticing. So, without knowing whether it was permitted, we docked our kayak by Cronin's Landing and walked into downtown Waltham. We were sporting life jackets and sandals, and I had put on a Panama Jack hat earlier in the day that I thought made my outfit more nautical. But two mariners we were not. No, our identities stayed the same throughout the outing. The same can't be said of Waltham's character, though, which in my mind had changed dramatically over the course of our three-hour cruise. This dull city, which from land is at best described as quaint, looks lovely from the river. And six years since I read of his adventures in high school English class, I finally got what Huck loved about the river and the kind of nature that surrounds it, the kind of moments it encourages."It was kind of lazy and jolly, laying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing, and no books nor study." If you're even a shade as smart as Huck, blow off the bleak streets and shops of this one-horse town for the beauty of the river that runs through it. And do it before winter.Editor's Note: For more information, go to www.ski-paddle.com
(09/06/05 4:00am)
BEVERLY-The men's soccer team battled through a physical season opener loaded with yellow cards, slide tackles and sideline shoves, emerging from the ruckus with a 2-0 win against host Endicott College on Saturday. The Judges prevailed thanks to solid play from the back line, as well as strong contributions from Ed Colburn '09 and Ben Premo '09 in their first collegiate game. Colburn scored the team's first goal late in the second half off an assist from Mike Snyder '08. Team captain Shelton Stewart '06, a sweeper, added the insurance goal midway through the second half on a long strike from the right side of the penalty box. Stewart was the team's leading scorer last season until he was moved to the back line to help solidify the team's defense. Despite posting a shutout, Stewart said that the defense did not play as well as he would have liked."I didn't think that we were as composed as we needed to be," Stewart said.Earlier in the game, Stewart almost cost the Judges a goal when he left a lazy pass across the middle which was intercepted and booted into the crossbar. Fellow captain and backfielder Scott Zackaroff '07 agreed that the team might not have played as well as they appeared to. "We knew what we needed to do, we just didn't get it tonight," Zackaroff said. "We didn't get our marks and we weren't talking to each other enough."The team's biggest challenges were with ball control around the midfield line, and with moving the ball up to the forwards from the back line, head coach Mike Coven said. He also said the team needs to learn to adapt to the pressure and aggressive style of teams like Endicott. "We want to control the ball, but it's kind of impossible with teams like this, that are very athletic and very fast and they put us under a lot of pressure," Coven said. "I think we're going to have to learn to release the ball and make decisions about what to do with the ball quicker, and I think that we need to use our speed better."A second-half fight was narrowly avoided after Premo was tackled on a streaking breakaway opportunity. Although the Endicott player slid into Premo from behind inside the penalty box, the referees did not call a penalty. Premo was shaken up and as play stopped for him to leave the field, players from both teams yelled at one another as the Judges pleaded their case to the referees. Stewart got into a brief shoving match with an Endicott player during the play stoppage.Shortly after, a referee ran over to the Brandeis sidelines to talk to Coven, who had been continually yelling at him since the play ended."He just asked me to stay inside the coach's box and I said I certainly will, sir," Coven said. "Not only did Premo get hurt, but we didn't get the penalty kick. That was a horrible, horrible, horrible call."After the game, Stewart ran up to talk to the referees himself."I just gave them a hug and said, 'You should get it right next time,'" he said.The team stayed composed after the contentious play and quickly established a physical presence on Endicott's side of the field, allowing Stewart to come up and fire the ball into the net from the back of the penalty box. The defense fought off a few strong drives by the Endicott team in the waning minutes to solidify the win. "We're very dedicated and ... we have high hopes for this season," Zackaroff said. "We want to win our conference first of all and we want to go to the NCAA [tournament]. There are seniors who have meant a lot to this program, and that's our goal."The Judges visit Wentworth College Thursday before taking on host Clark University on Saturday.
(04/05/05 4:00am)
On any given weeknight, Alec, Brittany or Tascha Zadek '05, are working at the campus restaurant, the Stein. All three siblings not only attend Brandeis, but work together-a decision that some families would never consider making.Siblings and family legacies seem to abound around here. But there are cases where siblings share not only the fact that they attend Brandeis, but also a birthday.Many sets of twins and triplets currently reside at the University and they have taken on the task of establishing separate identities in a school with a small undergraduate population. Most seem content with the identities they have established and the nature of the relationships they have maintained with the rest of their duo or trio.Adrienne and Mia Bellanich '07 of Long Island did not always intend to share the Brandeis experience. Adrienne applied early decision and was accepted, while Mia decided to apply to more schools and was initially waitlisted at Brandeis. When she was accepted to Brandeis, Mia decided that it may be a better choice for her than the school she planned to attend in the city."I had to talk to Adrienne about it; after all, Brandeis was her first choice," Mia said of her final college choice.The Zadeks, from Leominster, Mass., followed in the footsteps of their older sister, Ariana '03 and their mother, by attending Brandeis. According to all three seniors, the Zadeks are a very "tight-knit family" and all five of the siblings get together for dinner frequently and stay in very close touch. Alec applied only to Brandeis, but Brittany and Tascha applied to many other schools."When one was rejected from a school the other immediately withdrew her application so that neither would get into a better school than the other," Alec said.Some schools, such as Duke University, ask on the application if the applicant is "a multiple" and if "other members of the multiple group" are applying to the school. Yet, it is unclear if this information is formally taken into consideration for acceptance or monetary matters. Dean of Admissions Deena Whitfield said that Brandeis applications go through a screening process to determine if multiples are applying to the school. "We try to take everything into account and we realize that these are two members of a family and it may be particularly difficult if one is accepted and one is rejected by the school," she said.When asked if their parents get a discount on tuition because they are attending Brandeis simultaneously, Mia and Adrienne laughed and replied, "they wish!" In the Zadek's case Brandeis did supply a financial break because four of the siblings were enrolled at Brandeis.Establishing separate identities did not always come easy to Brittany and Tascha. "In high school, Britt and I dressed the same, joined the same clubs, had the same friends... While at Brandeis, we slowly found our own identity and with that came separate circles of friends." During their first-year at Brandeis, Brittany, Alec and Tascha all lived in Shapiro, stacked on different floors, in what they called a joke of the Department of Residence Life. Brittany adds, "We each pursued our individual academic and extra curricular interests and developed our own best friends."Adrienne and Mia were in the same class from kindergarten through eighth grade and attended the same school for high school. So, working hard to establish separate identities is something they are used to doing. The two have brothers, but are the only multiples of the family."Our mother always referred to us as the girls, rather than the twins; just like our brothers are the boys," Adrienne said.Their first year, the two lived in separate quads but are now residing in the same Rosenthal building. They do live in separate suites, and Adrienne said this shows that they "do have separate sets of friends." Living close by is more for convenience than anything else."We share a lot of clothing, and last year it was hard to keep running between quads trying to find a shirt," Adrienne said.Mia and Adrienne have found a balance in the extracurricular activities that they share while maintaining a strong friendship and support system. Mia is a theater major and focuses her efforts on a cappella and cheerleading. Adrienne is a pre-med, is on the fencing team and has joined a sorority, something that Mia is "just not into and doesn't have time for." Adrienne actually began cheerleading this year at Mia's suggestion.Brittany, Tascha and Alec all work at the Stein, though beginning at different times and in different capacities. It was more an issue of convenience and it made sense for them because they all "need money to help pay tuition and tips can help pay the daily bills, and you can take some food home," Alec said. Both Tascha and Brittany are pre-med while Alec has focused his efforts on politics. Next year will be the first time that the trio is split up because they are attending graduate schools far from one another; Alec is pursuing law, while Tascha will be entering dental school."When they make millions I am hoping that they will start funneling money into my research," Brittany said.Tascha and Brittany are mirror images of one another as is the case with Adrienne and Mia. But they insist that it is their pet peeve when people just know them as the twins. Adrienne and Mia agree, "If you can't tell us apart it's just pure laziness; we are two different people, with different interests and personalities that just happen to look similar.
(04/05/05 4:00am)
In the corner of the Shapiro Campus Center atrium on Monday, 24 women, one man and a few walk-ins cut their hair the minimum of 10 inches needed for Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs from human hair for cancer patients."I've had long hair all of my life and I decided to let it grow a little longer than usual and donate it," Dana Sawitz '08 said.Melissa Gersin '05 coordinated the event, which is now in its third year. Other coordinators, Amanda Martin '06 and Rachel Kay '06, donated their hair when Gersin began the event and are both donating again this year.To inform the campus about the opportunity to participate in Locks for Love, the three hung posters and stuffed mailboxes. They also brought in stylists from Hair West Inc. in Wellesley, who perform haircuts for Locks of Love every Friday at their salon."We've been participating [in Locks of Love] for quite a few years now," Hair West stylist Lori Lacoste said. "[Friday] is one of our slowest days so we try to accommodate people."Lacoste, along with two other stylists, were lined up in front of three chairs in order to perform multiple haircuts at once. When each person sat down, their hair was brushed straight, put into ponytails depending on thickness and then the ponytails were cut off. These are saved. Hair from approximately seven people are needed to make one wig.Alex Amann '05, who is participating in Locks of Love for the first time, was the only male to donate hair this year. He has been growing his hair for two years since his roommate at the the time and him were "lazy" about cutting their hair and then decided to grow it out for Locks of Love; his roommate donated last year."Earlier today when I was showering, I rationed out the conditioner so I could finish it today," Amann said. "Now I can go back to using a lot less."He pulled out his WhoCard from his first year at Brandeis which showed how short his hair used to be."I will look like my ID again and I won't get funny looks when I walk into bars," Amann said.
(03/29/05 5:00am)
I had a crush on this girl all through my first year at Brandeis. One bright Tuesday morning, we crossed paths near the science quad. She gave me a half-smile and my prospects for a stop-and-chat looked good. Then, her face turned sour. She had spotted the bright blue laundry bag strung around my shoulder-and any chance of a relationship was quashed.I am coming out of the closet, kind of literally: I participate in the laundry service provided by the Student Service Bureau. But I am sick of the discrimination that we "blue-baggers" experience. The whispers and the giggles when we walk across campus lugging our dirty underwear are not appreciated. Why do I get the laundry service? Am I that lazy, incompetent, or spoiled? We blue-baggers do it for a variety of reasons. Some of us get the service because our mothers do not trust us to wash our expensive clothes. Some of us have the money for it and simply do not want the hassle of doing our own laundry. Regardless of why we have it, we do recognize that we are lucky to have the privilege, especially when some students can hardly afford their meal plans. We feel a pang of guilt, but when we look at the alternative-using the laundry machines in those smelly basements-we cringe. For those of you who have to go through the hassle of broken machines, planning your day around the wash cycles, worrying about people stealing your clothes and scraping your desk for quarters, we are not envious. For all our tuition costs, it is a shame that the laundry service isn't provided to all students.But, overall, we are the same as you, save our laundry. It doesn't mean that we should be jeered-or turned down for dates-simply because of te blue bag. Plus, if you are going to make fun of us for the laundry service, wait until you see what is coming next. After all, it could be much worse. A new cleaning service called DormAid was recently introduced at Harvard University. The student-run service, which contracts a professional cleaning service, will send workers to vacuum, dust and tidy up dorm rooms. The New York Times mentioned that one such cleaning could cost over $85, including a chocolate truffle left on the furniture. Boston University, Princeton University and other colleges have offered the system, which costs a minimum of about $18 per roommate per cleaning. The backlash to the service has been fiercer than the anti-blue bag sentiment at Brandeis. Articles in The Harvard Crimson have vehemently condemned the service, citing how economic disparity can differentiate who can have the service and from those who cannot, and citing a general anger at students' laziness.Could Brandeis be DormAid's next stop? It doesn't seem like a horrible idea. After a weekend of severe partying, there would be nothing like a fresh start to the week. Just like what occurs with the laundry service, there are plenty of mothers that would finance a cleaning service to make sure their children are living healthy lifestyles. What does it say about college kids when we would consider employing a cleaning service for our dorm rooms? It says that we waste money. The laundry service here is $375 per year for a weekly wash, dry and fold service. There are different options, and the most expensive one is $595 per year, which includes dry cleaning. Since when do college students need dry cleaning? It also says that we have fallen quite a ways from our parents, who had to climb uphill both ways just to get a vacuum cleaner. But they are the ones who have spoiled and pampered us. One can partially blame overbearing parents for the popularity of these services and the downfall of self-sufficiency.The positive aspect is that students can live cleaner lifestyles with these services, where there will always be clean rooms and clean clothes. These are good ideas, leaving more time for studying and, considering the damage wrought by those hideous blue bags, more time for repairing social lives.
(03/22/05 5:00am)
Queens of the Stone AgeLullabies to Paralyze on Interscope RecordsB-After the breakthrough success of 2002's Songs for the Deaf and last year's departure of founding bassist Nick Oliveri, singer and guitarist Josh Homme scrapped together an eclectic group of musicians for Queens of the Stone Age's newest album.Lullabies to Paralyze attempts to combine the musical ideas of the group's first three albums. The standout track is "Tangled up in Plaid," in which an exquisite, hard-rocking riff offers a perfect backdrop for Homme's haunting lyrics. It captures the best aspect of the band's stoner-rock aesthetic: a pounding set of complex instrumentals as vast as the California deserts where the band first developed their signature sound.The rest of the album is fairly hit-or-miss. "Little Sister," the first single, offers a fast-paced guitar-and-drum arrangement built around some speedy cowbell reverberations. "Broken Box" is a sort of sequel of sorts to the band's 2003 hit, "Go with the Flow."While Lullabies to Paralyze propels Queens of the Stone Age into a new realm of stoner rock, the album lacks one key factor in their once-flawless formula: Oliveri. The lazy and elementary bass work by replacement Alain Jones is simply inferior to Oliveri's. -Leor Galilmatt pond PAWinter Songs EPon Altitude RecordsBMatthew Pond is not your typical indie rocker. Then again, neither is his group matt pond PA. On their new EP, Winter Songs, the band includes a cellist, a violinist and a couple of bassists. With its soothing sound, the smooth and melodic EP not only expands on last year's Emblems album, but also serves as a good introduction to the band, which plays with Lincoln Conspiracy at Cholmondeley's this Thursday.Channeling an appealing pop-folk sound, Winter Songs finds Pond and company cooking up seven tracks-several excellent originals and some covers-on the subject of, well, winter. In "Snow Day," the first track, cellist Eve Miller and drummer Dan Crowell's soulful combination of rhythmic and saccharine tones flirts perfectly with Pond's moving, melancholy vocals. Yet the group's other originals-all short instrumental tracks-pale in comparison.The covers are another story. Richard and Linda Thompson's "I Want To See the Bright Lights Tonight" receives the best treatment; Miller fills the song with a mesmerizing panache. With its sweet melodies and vocal harmonies, an interesting version of "In an Aeroplane over the Sea"-originally by '90s indie rock heroes Neutral Milk Hotel-plays well, too.Even with snow melting and winter fading (hopefully) into memory, matt pond PA's short and sweet Winter Songs should give fans a fair indication of what to expect this week when the band comes to campus.-Leor Galil
(03/15/05 5:00am)
Communism, the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Brandeis ice skating rink: three ideas that looked much better on paper than when they were put into effect. Brandeis students are now the proud collaborators in a campus project that gives them access to their very own ice skating rink. Though "ice rink" conjures images of hockey and skating, the "rink" part falls a bit short. Roughly the size of a sandbox, the Brandeis rink's uneven surface and perpetual blanket of snow do not make it a very inviting setting for winter pastimes. Ignoring the fact that few students trudge to class clad in their skates, the rink is so confining that a single push will glide you from end to end. One must ask, given the useless nature of the rink: why is it here?As the Justice reported on Jan. 18, Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer had the idea to build the rink as a tribute to curling, his hidden love. Since the rink is actually too small for curling, I'm still confused as to why it's here. Perhaps Sawyer was building a metaphor, suggesting that the world's indifference towards curling is akin to the futility of the rink?When asked in the article about the use for a rink the size of a single in Reitman, Sawyer said it was "standing around" ice. I'm not sure I'm acquainted with "standing around" ice, but then again, I can't really think of "standing around" anything. Because I missed getting good tickets to Liquid Latex, must I settle for skating in the back?Still unimpressed with this reason for the rink's existence, I worked harder to uncover a more plausible purpose for its construction. Someone suggested the "childhood dream" argument: maybe Sawyer always wanted an ice skating rink of his own, and realized that Brandeis could help him achieve this lifelong dream. This answer pains me even more, for everyone knows that childhood dreams are meant to go unfulfilled. If everyone realized their dreams, the world would be full of astronauts, firemen and ballerinas. Most people pick up a healthy cynicism and realize that most ideas are never meant to be brought to fruition. Ideas, like this rink, are best left as fantasies scribbled down on lazy days.I know I'm heartless for shattering the harmless reveries of some foolish romantic. But there are times to be sappy, and Valentine's Day has past. I shudder to think that money that could have funded student club activities, helped a financially-challenged student or beautified the campus was burnt for this project. The Justice failed to mention how much money the rink cost, but I feel that any amount is too much. When we funnel thousands into depressing, half-finished game rooms, we don't need to flush more money away on senseless endeavors. This ice rink is the Old Yeller of Brandeis: it ought to be put out of its misery.Perhaps one day Brandeis will have the money for a real ice rink on which we can skate for fun, cultivate a hockey league and not cower in shame when prospective students ask about it. But if we're going to do that, we should do it well. The rink we have right now, as sentimental and life-affirming as it may be for some, is a sad, pathetic sandbox that someone forgot to bring in from the cold. Come spring, maybe we can turn it into a frog pond or a wishing well. Or better yet, when spring comes and the snow melts, we will have all the resources necessary to launch Dean Sawyer's second secret dream: Brandeis' own mud-wrestling league.
(03/15/05 5:00am)
The so-called "Freshman 15" (the ominous 15 pounds students are known to gain during their first year of college) gets a bad rap. Our single-minded culture demands certain natural tendencies to be demonized, and this is one of them. Now, ignoring any larger social context-namely the rising levels of obesity in our country-I mean to propose that the Freshman 15 isn't at all bad. I would not go so far as to say that adding extra pounds is on my to-do list, but it is not all that bad. The first year at college is, as we are all aware, an incredibly stressful and unsure time. We have new living arrangements, responsibilities, freedoms, choices and options. For example, we have the option to spend every hour we have outside (or inside, if you are the daring sort) of the classroom drunk, high or standing on our heads.Another option is not to leave our rooms except to go to class, and to stockpile food so we never have to see a living soul other than our roommate. Yet another possibility that college life affords is eating whatever we want, whenever we want, because Mommy and Daddy aren't there to tell us to "get the hell away from the refrigerator, dinner is in an hour anyway you gluttonous little brat."Young adults being the generally lazy creatures that they are, most first-years don't get much exercise with the possible exception of the hike up Rabb steps (a journey which is conveniently trumped if you live in North Quad). The Brandeis powers-that-be actually planned out the campus quite nicely. One first-year quad is adjacent to the humanities buildings and across the street from Usdan. The other first-year quad is right next to Sherman, where the mantra is, "All you care to eat." Well, now that I mention it, I care to eat everything...twice. In addition, both quads are pretty far from the gym, which, by the way, is at the bottom of a hill, requiring an uphill climb to return. So basically, we freshmen have no incentive to exercise, and every incentive to eat a lot.Friends, my point is simple: fighting nature serves no purpose. When, through no fault of your own, the odds are balanced against you, just run with it. Food is everywhere, and easily obtainable; exercise is virtually inaccessible. Here's another reason why you should just accept the extra weight: As I'm sure everyone knows, whales, seals, bears, moose and other large cold-weather mammals have lots of fat to help insulate their bodies. And clearly, we live in a cold climate ourselves. So maybe the extra weight that we all put on in our first collegiate year is just Mother Nature's way of saying "you should have gone to college in California, stupid!" Or it could be Mother Nature's way of saying, "look, I just saved you $300 on some big, silly jacket from North Face." Personally, I think it's a bit of each.Besides liposuction and anorexia, there is only one cure for the Freshman 15: building a gym facility next to each first-year quad. We really don't need Chapels' Field-grass is so last year-so why not plop another Gosman right there? Do we really need humanities classes? I don't think so. Raze Rabb to the ground and build it up again as Gosman the Third. Oh, wait, is that overly expensive and impractical? My point exactly: You just can't fight it.So, my blubbery buddies, just live with it. There's no shame in being a little overweight, especially because right after college when we're all going to be trying to stake out our lives, we won't have necessary funds for food, so we'll lose all the weight we gained as our bodies will have to use the stored fat for energy. Just think of the Freshman 15 as a future money saver. It's all about the attitude, people, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. And why don't you grab a cookie-you seem a little hungry.
(02/15/05 5:00am)
"Born into Brothels" 5 starsDirected by Zana Briski and Ross KauffmanBorn into Brothels, the directorial debut of Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, follows the lives of children whose mothers work as prostitutes in Calcutta's red-light district. Video footage, still photographs and interviews with the children come together to create a visually stunning documentary. To make the film, Briski, a photojournalist who had been living in the red-light district, started a photography class for ten children of prostitutes, giving each a point-and-shoot camera. The result is not only a heart wrenching portrait of life through their eyes, but also a revelation of the amount of talent, passion, intelligence and hope in these young children. The film weaves together the children's histories, their present-day photography and Briski's frustrating struggle to get the kids out of the red light district and in school. These poignant interviews with the children are the heart of the film. The insights these children reveal regarding not only their own situations, but also the impact photography has had on their lives, are extraordinary. The interviews are complemented by the composition of each child's photographs, which are so touching and full of spirit that they serve as windows into the soul of each child. The cinematography of the film is also superb, illustrating the clutter and chaos in which these children live with the rare quality of being both stunningly beautiful and also extremely disturbing. The film's score is also outstanding; it gives the movie the intensity and passion that is important to a documentary. This heart-filled film is an astonishing achievement for Briski and Kauffman, elevating the documentary film genre to a new level. -Sam Shermann"Bride and Prejudice"2 starsDirected by Gurinder ChadhaStarring Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, Daniel Gillies and Naveen AndrewsThe conventions of Bollywood are a bit alien to Western cinema. Its earnestness, vibrant and colorful choreography and penchant for melodrama can be disorienting to an audience accustomed to the self-aware irony of post-modern Western cinema. Gurinder Chadha's stylistic aim in Bride and Prejudice is to bridge the gap between the two styles, incorporating western themes and characters into what is at its core a simplistic Bollywood story. It is a less than successful attempt.The Jane Austen connection is peripheral at best. The film's general plot follows the motions of Austen's novel, but is considerably dumbed down in the translation. The script is largely bland and uninteresting. The characters embody formulaic archetypes, and the actors who play them are certainly attractive, just not terribly talented. Mr. Bakshi (Anupam Kher, Banana Brothers) proves to be the exception, bringing a mannered, benevolent dignity to the role.Of course, the movie is driven by its music, but Bride and Prejudice's score is still a mixed bag. Some numbers are excellent and full of a sincere enthusiasm. Others-usually the English songs-suffer from weak lyrics and lazy editing (lip synching is present and distractingly evident, for example.) I really wanted Bride and Prejudice to work. When it hits its high notes, it is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, clumsy writing and simplistic execution keep it from living up to its global pedigree.-Randolph Brickey"Constantine"no starsDirected by Francis LawrenceStarring Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf and Djimon HounsouIn the post-Lord of the Rings era, the prevailing cinematic craze appears to be the trend of turning every last comic book into a noisy, obnoxious, special effect-laden production. Marvel, anchored by Spider-Man and X-Men, has enjoyed the genre's success while the other legendary comic book house, DC Comics, has languished in cinematic obscurity. (Granted, after the last two Batman features, DC Comics can be considered damaged goods.)Constantine, a Warner Bros. production opening this Friday, is adapted from Hellblazer, a graphic novel from the Vertigo imprint of DC Comics. But the film is further cause for DC titles to be left off-screen. It is a tale of angels and demons fighting for dominion over humanity while Keanu Reeves tries to maintain the ethereal peace. Throughout the movie, Reeves and his costar, Rachel Weisz, visit hell and try to save Los Angeles from an unexplained plot device called the Spear of Destiny.In his first role since the 2003 sequels to The Matrix, Reeves is as uninteresting as ever. By the end of Constantine, he seems to be playing Neo again, only torn between God and the devil rather than machines and Laurence Fishburne. After Reeves and Weisz, nearly all the significant characters serve little storytelling purpose at all.Then again, Reeves has never been highly regarded for his acting chops, so why start now? At least from his Matrix experience he can throw a decent punch, but Constantine is otherwise an attempt to rehash Reeves' role as a downtrodden loner forced to save the world.Constantine is another discredit to the comic-book adaptation genre, but there is at least some logic to the film: It's a movie from hell.-Benjamin Freed
(12/07/04 5:00am)
Even the most prolific electricity-using, gas-burning, TV-watching, light-switching Brandeis student surely has the right idea when it comes to saving energy, even if it's not apparent.Take, for example, the decision of whether to eat at Usdan or Sherman. If one lives in the Village, it's cold outside, and he knows he must drag his feet up the hill to reach Usdan, you better believe he'll opt for Sherman. Like any smart Brandeis student, he should know better than to waste energy.Now all that's next is applying this logic to other forms of energy use, other activities we perform and other decisions we make. It is time to recognize that the choice to save environmentally-derived energy is as logical and easy as the choice to take a shortcut to one's dinner.In short, it's time we say, "Earth to Brandeis!"Perhaps it's worth thinking about energy initially in terms of how the everyday things we do play a role in how we use energy at Brandeis, how much we use and what this should mean to us. At first glance in a dorm room, it doesn't take an expert at "Where's Waldo?" to spot energy-consuming appliances, such as a computer, printer, mini-fridge, microwave, television and stereo-not to forget heating and cooling systems built into residence halls.No one expects a college student living in the 21st century to immediately abandon all traces of technology and retreat to the Usen Castle as if it were a medieval fortress. But certainly, we must all admit to wasting energy when it isn't always necessary. Electricity is not-contrary to what we might wish to think-just some invisible, ubiquitous resource we can simply tap into as we choose. It must come from a place and a person's pocket.That place is usually the ground and its resources within. Among the myriad of other resources and means, fossil fuels-such as coal, oil and gas-are burned and nuclear power is used in order to create energy. Resources such as these have varying levels of environmental impact, but they all-to some extent-contribute to problems such as global warming and pollution, which, aside from endangering our environment, create hazards to our own health.The process of creating energy also precipitates disastrous impacts to land, water and other resources, affecting our health in many ways that are imperceptible at first. Resource limitation itself is an issue. Just take a look at the price of gas to get an idea of how we are quickly exhausting resources we desperately need. And even the cleanest energy sources like water, wind and solar power have their limits.Limits create costs and it is through both our own and our parents' pockets that we are paying for all this energy. For all the energy Brandeis uses, one can only ponder the extent to which energy costs are, in fact, reflected in our tuition bills.Indeed, for such a small university, we are certainly not small consumers of energy. Peter Baker, the director of operations for Facilities Services, said that Brandeis uses on average 25 to 30 million megawatts of energy per hour-or approximately the energy consumption of a small town. We all contribute to this statistic. In fact, the energy we use in our daily activities makes each individual nationwide equal to the equivalent of about 7.5 gallons of gasoline each day. Wouldn't it be great if we could actually fill our cars with all this fuel?While we cannot completely eliminate our everyday consumption of energy, it is amazing how much we could reduce this consumption using very simple means.Have you ever left your room without turning off the lights or shutting off the TV? Have you ever left the computer on before going to sleep at night? Have you ever forgotten to unplug your hair dryer from the electrical outlet? There are other less obvious but equally simple solutions. Consider washing your clothes in cold water. They will be just as clean and save about 90 percent of the energy involved in washing. When purchasing a light bulb for a desk or another lamp, a compact fluorescent light bulb can last up to eight times longer and uses less energy than the average light bulb. Also, look for the Energy Star label on your appliances to know if they are acknowledged for efficient use of energy.Perhaps at times it is tempting to give in to laziness. We are hard-working Brandeis students after all. But even if we lack sufficient appreciation for the environmental issues at hand, perhaps it is time we take the initiative in appreciating our University's legacy. Since its inception, Brandeis has been at the forefront in promoting change across a broad spectrum of issues. Only in the past decade, however, has Brandeis begun to significantly address the environment in such a way as to secure its future and promote environmental justice on a wider scale. If we wish to continue taking pride in our school's tradition of social justice, we must start focusing more on the environment.In a class titled "Greening the Ivory Tower: Researching and Improving the Brandeis Environment," we use the University as a microcosm, illustrating how in everything that we do we affect the community and environment around us. We, a small group of students in this class, chose to research the issue of energy reduction at Brandeis, employing avenues of awareness-building, such as new signs and publications. The "Earth to Brandeis" energy project is only one of many projects you may notice, as we-and our fellow students-hope to see our goals fulfilled-not just as students in a semester's class but as people who care about our community. Ultimately, even the slightest steps we take to reduce energy consumption at Brandeis can have a significant effect. Starting with one student and expanding to include an entire hall, building and school, remembering even these small energy-saving measures can literally mean "a world of difference" for us in our own "Brandeis world" and beyond.
(10/12/04 4:00am)
I have a theory about Morrissey. Most people don't grow more gray matter as they get smarter, but Morrissey may be a biological oddity. It seems the more books he reads, the larger his noggin becomes. Or it could be that Morrissey may have read only four books, but read those four books really well. The former Smiths frontman and his big head appeared at the Orpheum Theater Tuesday night in support of his latest album, You are the Quarry. After the second song of his set, the Smiths classic "Bigmouth Strikes Again," Mozz noted that Oscar Wilde once stood in his place on the Orpheum stage, and proceeded to quote him. Channeling his idol and warming those shy monster vocals, Morrissey was undoubtedly where he belonged: the stage.Appearing in front of huge iconic letters spelling out "Morrissey," backed by his youthful band who were all draped in kilts, Morrissey began the construction of his own monument. This is Morrissey's greatest gift to humanity- his own hugely ironic sense of self-adulation. Every word that pops out of Morrissey's mouth is about himself or insulting to someone else. Read the first lines of the first track on You Are The Quarry, "America Is Not The World," "Oh America, your head's too big/ because America, your belly's too big..." It is this playful humor and smug self-satisfaction that oozes from Morrissey's performance. He waltzes with the elegant command of self-possession as he motions with his arms in conjunction with the lyrics. The concert began with a less distinct, weightless roar, but Morrissey's voice was especially strong and clear once he gained control of his crooning. The singer gained energy and intensity reciprocating genuine awe and participation from the vigilant audience. The earlier part of the set was weighed down by Mozz's reaction to a distasteful comment about his recent car crash in Philadelphia, but increased as the set had time to build. Highlights included an unrelenting "I Have Forgiven Jesus," and the sublime, humorous, and melancholy closer, "You Know I Wouldn't Last."The monument that is Morrissey, while monolithic, is in a state of decline. Mozz may not look like he used to, or have the same focus as in his youth, but his humor and wit is just as strong. He has aged quickly, though, and at some points of the set exuded laziness as he caught his breath waddling around the stage. In addition, his intentionally unintelligible between-song blather ("Rumsfield, Dumbsfield, you crashing bore...") was disorienting. None, however, is more aware of this decline in fitness than Mozz himself, making his own self-awareness and image even more complex, grave and hilarious. Mozz buoys his aging Adonis complex with his talentless, disposable band of young ones. While Morrissey's music has always been forgettable and secondary to the theatricality of his voice, surrounding himself with a band of youthful ogling former fans is especially funny, and as if his self-conscious aging wasn't enough to worry fans, Mozz teases the masses with premonitions of possible retirement. As he stated before his final song, "sometimes when you say goodbye, you mean farewell." Still, everyone wants a piece of Morrissey. Older fans and new recruits alike held back their tears to enjoy Morrissey's delicious set. The audience seemed sparse as the show began, but filled to acceptable Mozz numbers immediately. And while the audience seemed pretty tame, even indifferent, for the majority of the set, no one can hold back those floodgates for long. They grasped for a touch of the Mozz as he waltzed around stage and teased the front rows. Further ego-boosting came in the form of massive letters either hurled at Morrissey or handed to him with a tight grasp. The spectacle reminds one of the climax of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, with thousands of letters heaped at the feet of the exasperated Jimmy Stewart. By the last three songs, fans were toughing the lax security to rush onstage and touch Mozz. He smiled with a big teddy bear grin as if he thought nothing of it. And when Morrissey burst into an abrupt and flaccid encore of "There is a Light That Never Goes Out," all hell broke loose as the masses stampeded onstage. Still, it seemed part of the script, as Morrissey kept his cool and stayed in character. He must have been in hog heaven.
(09/07/04 4:00am)
Tonight my housemate Rachel started a list. It began, "I like living in a house because...I don't have to eat real meals only when Usdan and Sherman are open." It seems she needs written proof to convince herself that living off campus isn't really that bad. My housemates and I all agreed to help her in this endeavor, so here is my first addition: I like living in a house because...I no longer have to wear shower shoes in the shower and I even get my own shelf in the shower.I hope that helps, Rachel, but just in case it doesn't, I'll try to convince you even further. I admit when I first saw my worse-than-awful housing lottery number last year, I freaked out. Granted, I was abroad, and the idea of living in a cardboard box seemed more feasible than securing some kind of housing from France. But fortunately, my dearest Rachel came to the rescue and found us a house. When I first saw this house this past summer it was nothing but a bunch of walls and some unfinished wood floors. I wondered how this place could ever feel like home, but this house, this cute little yellow and brick house, has since become our reality. We take pride in every aspect of it, from the shower curtain to placing our names on our mailbox. Not living on campus, we now have major responsibilities when it comes to our living situation, many of which I despise. I hate bills, taking out the garbage is quite possibly the worst chore ever and leaving extra early to make sure I get to class on time doesn't jibe with my problem of chronic lateness. I've also learned quickly that I must take an active role in my social life if I still want it to exist. Unlike dorm life, which fosters constant mingling and news of on-campus happenings, living off campus is isolating and no one can just "stop by" to share what's going on or drag you out. I am the first to admit that the idea of staying in with my housemates and being lazy often is much more enticing than making the effort to formulate plans. Meals are another issue. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm suffering from Sherman withdrawal. Trust me, it's not the food I miss (except, possibly, the make-your-own-waffles), but rather the ease with which I was provided with my meals. Dining halls require no food shopping, no cooking, no washing dishes and no eating alone (unless of course you choose to). Although I love to cook on a leisurely basis, the effort it requires to prepare daily meals is downright daunting. But despite these downfalls, I think living off campus was the right choice for me (and I hope after this article you'll agree, Rachel). As a senior, I'll admit that I'm terrified of graduation. I know it's only September, but the persistent question, "What are you planning on doing next year?" has become more sinister to me than my mother telling me to clean my room. I'm not ready to leave my comfortable cocoon of college for this thing they call the real world. So, to make myself feel better, I've started to think of our cute little house as my practice run for the post-college years. It's the perfect situation, if you think about it. I can slowly ease myself into real world responsibilities, but I still have the option of running back to the comfort of a college campus, if necessary. I can try cooking dinner, but if it tastes more like foam rubber than chicken cutlets, Sherman will welcome me and my Who-cash with open arms. As isolated as I can get in my house, once I drive onto campus, I know I will run into many friends and acquaintances.It's also comforting to know that I'm not alone in one of my first real world experiences. My three other housemates are just as apprehensive as me, but being able to share our fears with each, other while at the same time reveling in our newfound independence has made this new experience even more enriching. I love that we can eat food we prepared ourselves while discussing an itemized bill we just don't understand. Although it still astonishes me how mature we can sound, I am starting to get used to the idea that we are responsible and capable adults.The truth is, it often feels like we're playing this never-ending imaginary game of house. I sometimes think someone is going to walk in and tell us that the game is over, but this belief that, perhaps, our house is just a figment of our imaginations is quickly fading. Our segue into the real world is almost as real as the real world will be. So, Rachel, add this to the list: I like living in a house because...it means we're growing up, but we don't have to do it alone.
(08/31/04 4:00am)
Waking up the other day in the early afternoon, I groaned, rolled over and realized that the fast-approaching school year would hamper my ability to keep such luxurious hours. Adding insult to injury, I realized that I had been awoken by none other than Alice Cooper's "School's Out." Yeah, for what's left of the summer, anyway-classes are right around the corner, something I'm not exactly looking forward to. Wait a minute: As president of the Student Union, am I not supposed to love every aspect of school and quiver with anticipation of the campus filling with equally excited and anxious students?Honestly, no. Becoming Student Union President a few months ago did not change my attitude as a student. I still dread early-morning classes, contemplate faking my death before midterms and pray for snow-days before bed, sometimes even in the early fall (it's always a possibility in Boston). Yet, these thoughts have not diminished my desire to become involved on campus, or impaired my ability to function as president. While it is certainly easier to remain free of commitment and use your ample free time to catch up on reruns of Saved By The Bell, taking part in campus activities ultimately provides a more rewarding experience. As returning Brandeisians know well, and as new students will discover shortly, Brandeis provides an environment that is particularly conducive to getting involved in the community. Whether joining a club or seeking a leadership position, taking advantage of the abundance of extracurriculars this school offers can be the most effective way to enjoy your years at Brandeis, as well as a great way to build an intricate social web. As long as you are willing to take some initiative, you are almost guaranteed to find a niche. Do not fall victim to the misconception that only a certain type of person can get involved or eventually become a leader. Choosing a major or deciding whether to take Protein X-ray Crystallography is not the most difficult obstacle you will face during your college years-fighting apathy and combating laziness are. To those who do become involved, I promise you a happier and more fulfilling time at Brandeis. Thinking back to my first year here, I remember making the excruciatingly difficult choice to give up my precious sleep in order to wake up daily at 5 a.m. for crew practice, sometimes in near-freezing temperatures. Even if I went to bed at the college-early hour of midnight, I got a mere five hours of rest. This might seem like a ludicrous decision since sleep is a college student's most precious commodity, but somehow I convinced myself that I could survive on a less-than-ideal nightly amount of slumber. It turned out to be one of the best choices I have ever made here. While the coach's demanding and exhausting training routines did not make my mornings any easier, my teammates and I formed a bond that remains strong to this day. Despite my having to leave the team, they continue to be my closest friends at school.My experience is just one reason why I believe that the biggest disservice you can do yourself is not to take full advantage of your opportunities at Brandeis. While this advice will serve incoming students especially well, it is never too late for upperclassmen to find a place, become involved and maximize their potential for their remaining time on campus. I urge you to become active and contribute to the campus community, whether by ad hoc volunteer work or by being a member or even the founder of a club. I assure you that there are plenty of clubs that will appeal to you, but on the slim chance that one doesn't, you can always create your own to promote a cause or activity in which you believe, or just to have your own unique brand of fun (within the bounds of Rights and Responsibilities). Remember that your college years provide the perfect chance to explore outside interests and discover yourself. To ignore these opportunities is not simple apathy, but rather conscious negligence. Don't blow it. Editor's Note: Mark Schlangel '05 was elected president of the Student Union in April. He served as chair of the Finance Board, previously called the Allocations Board, during the 2003-2004 academic year. This column, which will appear weekly starting in this issue, features points of view from student leaders and members of campus organizations.
(05/25/04 4:00am)
The University Health Center dispensed 115 packets of the prescription drug known as the morning-after pill this past academic year. The amount is about two times what was prescribed to students fearing unwanted pregnancies last year, according to Health Center administrator Kathleen Maloney, who has been following the budding on-campus use of the only contraceptive that works after intercourse. For Maloney, the increased use of what medical professionals call the Emergency Contraception pill, or EC, raises a slew of questions. "Do we have more students who are sexually active?" she asked. "Is the Health Center doing a better job at informing the community about services? Is the sexual activity related to drugs and alcohol? Does access to the morning-after pill increase promiscuity? Are condoms being used incorrectly?"While Maloney was loath to attribute the rise to any one reason, she did suggest that students opting to be sexually active should take birth control pills. However, female students at Brandeis, she said, seem to be less inclined to go on birth control than in previous years. Maloney said the Health Center, in light of increases in EC usage and increasing attempts at educating female students, "should be encouraging students to make an appointment with the nurse practitioner to discuss birth control options." EC is available by prescription only, a status prolonged by an FDA decision on May 6 not to allow over-the-counter distribution of the drug. EC has been prescribed with the FDA's approval since 1998, when Preven, its first form, was introduced to the agency. Plan B, a more widely known and used form of emergency contraception, was approved for sale in 1999. Unless Barr Laboratories reapplies for over-the-counter distribution, EC will remain available with a prescription only.EC contains many of the same ingredients used in birth control pills for years: progestin and levonorgestrel, a synthetic hormone. Plan B's main job is to step in when other forms of contraception-excluding birth control medications-fail or are not present.The FDA's decision upset many feminist groups. The decision was a further blow to these groups since it came only two weeks after nearly a million people marched in Washington, D.C. for the reproductive options of women. Advocates of nonprescription EC sale also point to the fact that an FDA advisory panel voted 23 to 4 to approve over-the-counter sale of the drug. The members of the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee for Reproductive Health met jointly to consider the safety and effectiveness data of nonprescription use of Plan B this past December. The committee was made up of a panel of medical and scientific experts from outside the federal government. Although the joint committee recommended to FDA that EC be sold without a prescription, some of its members, including the chair, questioned if the data used could be reliably generalized to the overall population of nonprescription users, mainly because of the small sample size of younger age groups.A prescription of Plan B has been available to Brandeis students for $20 a piece since 2000. As each year goes by, the number of EC pills being sold on campus has increased steadily. According to the records kept at the Health Center, in the 2000/2001 school year, 37 packets of Plan B were sold to students on campus. The following year, the number of EC pills sold jumped to 52. During the 2002/2003 year, EC was prescribed 69 times.Maloney said she believes a decision to make the drug over-the-counter would have both positive and negative effects. "I would like to see it available over the counter but I would worry about misuse," she said. She said she believed EC sales would skyrocket if the drug were available without a prescription. The Brandeis health center is open on weekends, so the obstacles created by prescription-only sales are not as much of an issue here. Still, students are aware of over-the-counter debate.Tristin Klein '04, a coordinator of The Student Sexuality Information Services (SSIS), said there is a conception that students are more inclined to use the emergency contraception pill as a form of regular birth control."That is not the case," Klein said. She attributed the increased usage of EC to better publicity of EC by the Brandeis chapter of the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) and SSIS. Still, Klein said she understands why one would assume that increased availability of EC would lead some couples to take fewer steps to ensure sexual safety before intercourse. "I think that if people are using EC as a primary contraception that would be a negative consequence," she said. "I think that maybe for whatever reason, students have more fear of pregnancy and perhaps that's why EC use is up," Erica Friedman '06, another SSIS member, said. "Also, its name is getting around campus and people know about it more than in past years."Supporting Klein and Friedman's conjectures, Kimberly Leiken '07 said she learned about EC mainly from fliers posted around Brandeis. "My CA did not really say much about EC on campus-but my CA was a guy," she said. Leiken said that while some people may be lazy and purposely choose to skip regular birth control, she agreed that the increased use of EC is more likely due to more knowledge of the drug. "I just think people are a little more aware of possible pregnancy after sex and are probably more concerned that it's a possibility and use EC just to be safe."Melissa Young '07 also said that her CA did not speak to her about EC, but that she encountered informative fliers. She said that EC can help prevent the anxiety of a pregnancy scare. "If [EC is] easy to use and get, and there was unprotected sex, there is no reason to stress and wait to see if you're pregnant, but instead, just take EC right away," she said. Young did say, though, that an increase in alcohol and drugs and "just irresponsible behavior" could possibly account for the rise in EC usage.Friedman said she does not believe that the increased use of EC reflects a decrease in condom use, at least not as indicated by the quantity condom sales by SSIS. "Every semester, we ask the [Student Union Senate] for more money because our condom sales go up," she said.Joshua Ritz '05, SSIS treasurer, confirmed Friedman's statement about spending. "We redistributed our budget for next year to allow us to sell more products ... we sold out of many products this year."Ritz said he does not see easy access to contraception-either over-the-counter EC pills or SSIS wares-as a catalyst for more sexual behavior. "I think that sex would be there regardless," he said."I think that as far as how people act sexually, [better availability] makes them more responsible," Ritz said. "It just provides more options for people."He said he would not foresee a huge shift in behavior if EC were sold over the counter. "It's not usually an abused option right now," he said. "I think that making it more readily available and having more information is a good thing.
