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Huge tests to take, portfolios due, essays and papers to write and books to read. All this and Christmas is right around the corner. We have to buy presents, shop, work hard and it is cold and the days are shorter and the nights longer. All of the computers in the labs are full and people are waiting on the outskirts, hoping they can have a chance to sit down and start working on their stuff. With just one week of school left before the semester ends, we all can get extremely stressed. It is important to remember now more so than ever in the semester to not let your stress level get out of control. Calm down. Breathe for a while. Eat something, talk to someone or go exercise. Whatever it is that makes you the most calm and relaxed, do it. Then you can go back to whatever test you were studying for and you will find it much easier to study. Without the specter of stress guiding us throughout our daily lives, we are more able to get quality work done. Everything you do does not have to be perfect. Do not fall into the never-ending hole of perfection; it will suck you in as if you were falling into a black hole so deep and so dark, you can never climb out again. If meditating is your thing do that, if family is your thing go see them. Go talk to your grandma for a while if you want to. Often during college we can only see the goal ahead, driving us to succeed and graduate. Then and only then will we take a break, but up until that point we are huge balls of stress walking around campus with scowls on our faces and hate for the world in our eyes. We see the stressed people everywhere - they are the ones who stole your seat at the computer and did not turn around to apologize. The stressed people are those who do not hold the door open for you at the Student Union Building. At lunch they have their heads buried in a laptop or a book and they aren't talking to anyone. We have all been to that place. Try not to go there again. There is much more to life than grades and however important your future seems right now, do not let the stress consume you. The path to your future is riddled with many bumps Sometimes we get so overwhelmed with those little glitches that we forget to enjoy the ride.

Increasingly visible Latino Center sponsors events for heritage month

    Tufts' Latino Center is finishing up a very busy Latino Heritage Month, which found the student group drawing on its constantly growing membership and an artist-in-residence from Pomona College to lead an assortment of programming.     Every October, the Latino Center at Tufts sponsors Latino Heritage Month to educate the Tufts community about Latino heritage and culture. Month-long programming varies year to year, with a few mainstay events. A growing Latino community at the university has made the month increasingly significant, according to Director of the Latino Center Rubén Salinas-Stern.     "Our population has grown; now, nearly three hundred students identify themselves as Latino," Salinas-Stern said, adding that less than 200 students self-identified as Latino in prior years.     As the number of Latino students at Tufts increases, so does the center's visibility on campus. Added participation and attention allows organizers to bolster October's programming.     "Since I've been a student at Tufts, there is more of an awareness that there is a month to celebrate Latino culture, and more people are excited about it," said Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) President Rafael Artiles, a senior. "As our visibility has grown, we have been able to do more mainstay events that people have come to expect."     But Salinas-Stern said that Latinos are still looking to make their presence more strongly felt on campus. "We really want to have more visibility for the community to see the richness of our culture," he said.     Administrators take heart in the increased interest they have noticed over the past several years, stressing that Latino Heritage Month is as much for non-Latinos as it is for members of the community.     "Latino culture is a lively part of our American heritage, and this month provides the chance for Latino and non-Latino students alike to come together and learn about the culture in the United States," Director of the Latino Studies Minor Adriana Zavala said.     Latino and Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated on the national level starting in mid-September, but Tufts' programming starts in October to avoid the beginning of the academic year.     The month seeks to clear up a number of false conceptions that are often associated with the Latino community, said Zavala, who is also an associate professor of art history.     "We often don't see positive representations of Latinos in the U.S., and this is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate our culture and, importantly, do so from our perspective," she said. "Most importantly … Latino Heritage Month provides the opportunity for the whole community to come together to learn about Latino heritage."     One of the highlights of the Latino Center's programming this year was artist-in-residence Alma Martinez, a Mexican-American actress and an associate professor of theater arts at Pomona College in California.     Martinez spoke to three classes last week, conducted a workshop on the history of stereotypes in Hollywood and worked with students to develop a short play, which was performed this past Saturday in a tangible culmination of the artist's week-long stay.     "She's a strong Latina role model," Salinas-Stern said. "She has a long history of working the Chicano movement, and students can really relate to her story."     The Latino Center and the American Studies department co-sponsored Martinez's program on campus. Each year, the American Studies Program receives a special grant from the Nat R. and Martha M. Knaster Charitable Trust to bring speakers to campus.     Salinas-Stern said that Martinez's visit capped off a long list of programs the center has sponsored in its history.     "The Latino Center started in 1993, and it really wasn't until 1994 that we had our first Latino Heritage week," Salinas-Stern said. "For the past fifteen years that we've been doing this program, we've had incredible speakers and programs."     Other programs this month have included a weekly film series, food fairs, game nights and lectures on the history of Latino culture.     Still, Salinas-Stern's broader goals — promoting leadership and social justice — reach beyond the scope of Latino Heritage Month. "Leadership development is very important to us," he said. "The Division of Student Affairs has been working on developing social justice workshops to educate students on what it means to be a leader in a socially just society."     Documentary filmmaker Roberto Arevalo spent a week in September filming Tufts students for a project about being Latino at Tufts. The documentary will premiere at Tufts next semester.     As part of the month's events, a Latino Poetry Café will be held tonight at 7 p.m. in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room.

Weekender Feature | Bloodsuckers rule in the land of pop culture

        Pale skin, red eyes, sharp teeth, nefarious schemes: While this could easily lead-in to any number of jokes about several college stereotypes (Daily editors, engineers, Tisch Library residents during finals, etc.), it's actually a description of a vampire, the biggest thing to hit pop culture since Miley Cyrus, Beanie Babies, Pokemon, the Spice Girls, Pogs or Hula Hoops.     When Bram Stoker sat down to write "Dracula" (1897) at the end of the 19th century, he could not have imagined gangs of tween girls shopping at Hot Topic for "Twilight" T-shirts or teenage boys fantasizing about Kate Beckinsale's character in "Underworld" (2003). Regardless of what Mr. Stoker may or may not have been able to foresee, vampires are all the rage. From books to movies to video games to TV shows and everything in between, what was once simply the domain of horror buffs and fans of Victorian literature has become mainstream. The OVs (Original Vampires)     The bloodsucker that started it all, Count Dracula, was nothing like the vampires that are so popular today. The count was a big, hairy fellow (hair sprouted, according to Stoker, from his palms, and he had an interesting moustache). He was old (but not in a "silver fox" sort of way), and his breath was consistently terrible. In short, he was just a real sketchy creeper.     "Dracula" wasn't a huge when it was first published, but eventually its mythos caught on in a big way. Two decades later, F.W. Murnau adapted the story in his film "Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens" (1922), better known to English-speaking audiences as "Nosferatu: a Symphony of Horror." While Max Schreck's portrayal of the bat-like protagonists isn't likely to strike too much terror in the hearts of modern audiences, his gruesome demeanor provides a fascinating contrast to the sexy vampires of today. The Birth of the Sexy Vampire     Edward Cullen, for the uninitiated few, is the heartthrob vampire from Stephenie Meyer's smash-hit novel "Twilight" (2005). Cullen is everything that Dracula isn't: young, handsome to a ridiculous extent (he's described as "an Adonis"), alluring and not even remotely scary. Edward Cullen is a pinup.     A quick search on Amazon.com brings up hundreds of "Twilight"-branded products: a collector's edition DVD that retails for $89.99, hats and T-shirts, backpacks, action figures, jewelry and even a duvet cover.     Theoretically, a "Twilight" fan could get home, take off his or her "Twilight" T-shirt, put on another one to sleep in, take off an abundance of "Twilight" jewelry, take a copy of the "Twilight" book out of a "Twilight" backpack and get into a "Twilight"-themed bed underneath a "Twilight" poster to read it. Some people live "Twilight" from sunup to sundown.     And it isn't just "Twilight" that makes bank on the myth of the sexy vampire. HBO's massively popular "True Blood" centers on a group of hot, young vampires in New Orleans, while the CW's "The Vampire Diaries" is about teenage vampires and their love triangles.     Most, if not all, of the recent quick-cash in books, movies and television shows has been made through young, sexy vampires instead of the old-world killers. "It's about sex."     How, over the course of the 20th century, did vampires go from the stuff of nightmares to the stuff of fantasy? Professor of English Joseph Litvak, who is currently teaching an English class entitled "Horror Stories," has a few ideas of his own about how this happened.     "The vampire fixation that we're seeing is a fantasy of sex without genitalia ... [It is] a form of safe sex," Litvak said.     Dracula himself, Professor Litvak proposes, is much more sexually threatening than the vampires of today's fad. This seems to be at odds with most of our current beliefs about the Victorians, namely that they had conservative views towards sex. But it makes sense: Dracula and his modern incarnations enact a passionate penetration removed from sexual intercourse. So readers or viewers can fantasize all they want about being bitten without worrying about the dangers of real-world sex. Litvak suggested that now, with the fear of AIDS looming over all sexual activity, the vampire's version of sexuality is relatively clean.     Litvak doesn't see tweens lusting after Edward Cullen as an issue.     "The current vampires are much less sexual," he suggests, "[It's] a teen friendly, sanitized version ... You wouldn't want Max Schreck [from "Nosferatu"] as your boyfriend, but you would [want] Robert Pattinson."     Dracula was a predator. Edward Cullen is a lover.     According to one "Twilight" fan who wished to remain anonymous because he/she worries about being judged by other students, the appeal of "Twilight" is that it only teases: "There is something addictive in there that makes me never want to put it down ... I think it's because I am waiting for something actually juicy and mature to happen, but it never does."     The closeted "Twilight" fan said: "The level of sexuality in Edward and [female protagonist] Bella's romance is very tempting — they can only kiss, and only for a few seconds, because Edward is scared that if he lets himself carry on, he will bite her. It leaves the reader, embarrassingly, wanting more."     After a thoughtful pause, the source added, "Do you want me to talk about ‘True Blood'? I'm less embarrassed about that." More Like "Why?-light"     The anonymous source's embarrassment raises a question: Why would a fan be a fan, but not admit it? Why should this obvious expert refuse to allow his or her name to be printed here?     "I hate admitting to actually liking ‘Twilight,' because the quality of the writing is so, so poor, and the intentions of the books are clearly aimed at pre-teen girls," said the "Twilight" fan. "I insist on buying the books on my dad's Kindle [e-book reader] so that no one in public will be able to tell what I am reading."     A return to the so-bad-it's-good excuse always wins, but according to Rotten Tomatoes, the online review aggregator, the "Twilight" movie (2008) didn't hit that sweet spot. With a 49 percent "fresh" rating — only 94 positive reviews out of 192 total registered — it was deemed just mediocre.     It wasn't scary, either. "I wasn't particularly horrified by the first ["Twilight"] film," Litvak said.     While many do love the movie and the book, the general consensus seems to be that they are just fun and entertaining — nothing deeper.     It's quite possible that vampires have always been popular and the current trend is merely intensification due to increased demand after the lightning in a bottle that was "Twilight," as Professor Litvak suggests, but it could be something more.     Horror has always been cyclical. When the Bush administration was deep in prison abuse scandals, so-called "torture porn" movies like "Saw" (2004) and "Hostel" (2005) were popular. When the economy was in a major decline, zombies, which were famously framed as mindless consumers by zombie guru George A. Romero, were the big thing. Maybe there's something in the air that vampires are capitalizing on, something not quite clear yet. The Future of Vampires and Beyond     If parents were to stop for a moment and really think about just what their kids enjoy, they might have serious objections. The blatant violence and the underlying sex in the vampire genre make it clear that kids these days don't just play violent video games and watch brain-rotting cartoons.     Despite parents' worries over vampire-centric entertainment, it doesn't look like the fad will die anytime soon. In the coming months, a whole slew of vampire-related media will vie to suck dry superfans' bank accounts.     Released earlier this month, "Dracula the Un-Dead" picks up the story of the granddaddy of all vampires 25 years after the end of the original novel in a Stoker family-authorized sequel. "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant," a film based on the novel of the same name, was released last week. "Thirst," an artful Korean vampire drama by auteur extraordinaire Chan-wook Park, is currently playing in limited release across the United States.     Future releases include "Daybreakers," a vampire action movie staring Ethan Hawke that hits theaters in January. "Blood: The Last Vampire" is an anime-inspired vampire movie out of Japan that should hit the States shortly. "Transylmania," a teen-comedy spoof of vampires, will be out in December.     If the fad does die down, horror fans can expect something else to pop right up and fill the gaping void. Most signs point to werewolves as the next big thing, especially since a werewolf factors heavily in the upcoming "Twilight" movie, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," and Benicio Del Toro's "The Wolfman," coming out next year, is drumming up so much buzz.     Regardless of what actually happens, whether an influx of werewolves or golems or aliens, few will soon forget the time that vampires took over everything. There doesn't seem to be one clear answer to the questions of "Why vampires? Why now?" but for many fans, life would suck and existence would be a pain in the neck without them. Readers and viewers across America would like to say a big "fang you" to these creatures of the night.

Jacob Kreimer | The Salvador

If you have ever prepared to travel abroad, there's no doubt that a doctor's appointment was on your pre-departure check-list. If you were traveling to a country in the third world, or as our uber-politically correct friends in international development like to say, the global south, this appointment will result in about a hundred prescriptions and procedures. This should cover vaccines for diseases you thought had been eradicated during the Reagan administration, a weekly or daily malaria pill and enough ciprofloxacin to kill just about anything that might find its way into your gastrointestinal tract. You meet these medical standards because they are required for a visa or maybe because your mother is determined that you will not be plagued with the stomach pain her friend Sylvia's nephew had in India. In any case, you're looking out for your health, as you should. Your trip is probably short enough without spending most of it in bed.     The biggest health-related advice our group leaders gave us upon arrival to San Salvador was simple: Whatever you do, don't drink the water. As if the loud crowd of gringo Americans with overstuffed suitcases wasn't enough to identify us as outsiders in our rural host community, we also brought with us huge blue jugs of expensive purified water for cooking and drinking.  Although some of the village locals seemed to understand that Americans were liable to get ridiculously sick if we drank from their wells, the majority laughed at our stupidity. "You're wasting your money," a Salvadoran friend mocked. "It's all in your head. We drink this water and we're fine. We're all people!" I had neither the heart nor the Spanish vocabulary to explain the biological reasons why I might actually get sick from drinking from the wells.     The problem with refusing to drink local water, though, is that keeps you from fully immersing yourself in the very culture you came to explore. Part of my motivation for going to Central America was to see firsthand the customs and lifestyle of people different from me. As we became more integrated into the community, mothers would invite us over for food, and I was put in the position of trying to delicately decline for fear of becoming ill, while still very much wanting to experience authentic Salvadoran food and conversation. In addition, older folks don't quite get the inability-to-drink-the-water thing, and refusing an invitation to food might as well be a slap in the face. It's quite an awkward position. In trying to keep my health up, I was keeping the rest of my experience down.     It was not until the final two-and-a-half weeks of my trip that I grew the proverbial balls to accept an offer of horchata from a friend onsite at the AIDS awareness center we were building. The Salvadorans laughed and joked that it was like watching a kid have his first beer. I didn't get sick. The next day I still wasn't sick and went back and joined the Salvadoreños for another drink. With my newfound stomach of iron, I took up a formerly insulted woman's offer of pasteles, small potato empanadas, and enjoyed a cup of Tang at a friend's house. I felt incredibly free, taking advantage of a connection with the people I had denied myself for too long. I felt less like an outsider and more like a guest. I had a lot of catching up to do.     So, if you're not afraid to take a little risk, go ahead and drink the water. Bridge the gap between your American typecast and the global investigator you want to be. And if things go wrong? I'm sure your doctor prescribed you enough antibiotics to kill a small animal. Get your money's worth.

Zach Drucker and Chris Poldoian | Bad Samaritans

Halloween is an awesome holiday, regardless of one's age. When we were children, Halloween meant Power Ranger costumes and sugar highs. It was the one time we could take candy from strangers without fear. Since then, we have moved from actual candy to eye candy. We came to the conclusion that girls don't actually have cooties and we look forward to Halloween because they inevitably explore numerous ways to dress as scantily as possible.     But Halloween is special for another reason. There is no other day in which we will courageously sit through horror movies. Unfortunately, scary movies nowadays just suck, and not in the vampire way (although vampire films tend to be kind of lame, too).     Our biggest issue with horror films is how unoriginal they are. People always rag on action movies for uninspired and unnecessary follow-ups — the horror genre is definitely the biggest sequel offender. Look at the "Saw" series. We've had one every year for the past six years, with at least two more in the pipeline. We've reached a point where plot doesn't even matter or exist. Even the ads for "Saw VI" highlight the staleness of the series. "If it's Halloween, it must be ‘Saw,'" rasps the voiceover. Is that reason enough? To us, the series died with the perversely charismatic Jigsaw in "Saw III" (2006).     To tally other horror franchises, there were seven "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, 11 "Friday the 13th" installments and one Girl Talk-worthy mash-up, "Freddy vs. Jason" (2003). And that's not counting 2010's "A Nightmare on Elm Street" starring Rorshach (Jackie Earle Haley) as Krueger. Small budgets allow horror films to bleed out forever. The "Saw" films average a paltry $8 million budget, so they always turn a profit, which is reason enough for the studios to continue the franchise.     We also have an issue with horror remakes. Virtually every horror film out there has been remade at this point, from big names like Rob Zombie's 2007 remake of "Halloween" (1978) to obscure flicks, like the upcoming "The Crazies" based on George A. Romero's 1973 original. What will horror movies look like in 2020? Will we see a repackaged version of "Jennifer's Body" (2009) starring Shiloh Jolie-Pitt? We support going green, but all this cinematic recycling is ridiculous.     Besides the lack of innovation in the horror genre, recent horror films just aren't scary. This is due to the birth of the "torture-porn" sub-category. These are films that emphasize mutilation and gore to tap into America's sadistic psyche. One could argue that "Saw" started this trend, but the first "Saw" (2004) wasn't gratuitously gory. One of the creepiest parts of the film was the relatively bloodless kidnapping of a mother and daughter. The sequels, on the other hand, veered toward mindless brutality. The traps are less inventive and more gruesome. Director Eli "Bear Jew" Roth followed suit, showing nauseating amounts of mutilation in "Hostel" (2005). Horror movies should frighten us. If we want to be grossed out, we'll watch "Two Girls, One Cup." Shock value can only go so far, and for a movie to have a truly lasting impact, filmmakers need to refocus their scare tactics.     Yet, there's a glimmer of hope for horror. We were quite happy with the box office results last weekend. "Paranormal Activity" cut down "Saw VI," proving that originality can triumph over invariability. "Paranormal" trickled out in limited release back in September and has snowballed into a phenomenon. Its documentary-style filming and minimalist production earned it the title of this generation's "The Blair Witch Project" (1999).     So if you're looking for a fright Saturday night, we recommend hitting up "Paranormal Activity." If not, there's always "Hocus Pocus" (1993).

BSU hosts eco-friendly art show

BY TABITHA KEILY Senior News Writer

Green Bay QB Favre Retires

After flirting with retirement for years, Brett Favre means it this time. The Green Bay Packers quarterback quit after a 17-season career in which he dazzled fans with his grit, heart and rocket of an arm."I know I can still play, but it's like I told my wife, I'm just tired mentally. I'm just tired," Favre told ESPN's Chris Mortensen in a voice mail message.Tuesday's surprise move comes after the 38-year-old three-time MVP set several league records, including most career touchdown passes, in one of his most successful seasons.Favre's agent, Bus Cook, said the quarterback told him of his decision Monday night."Nobody pushed Brett Favre out the door, but then nobody encouraged him not to go out that door, either," Cook told The Associated Press by phone from his Hattiesburg, Miss., office.Packers general manager Ted Thompson thanked Favre for 16 years of wonderful memories with the team."He has had one of the greatest careers in the history of the National Football League, and he is able to walk away from the game on his own terms - not many players are able to do that," Thompson said in a statement.

Online shoppers beware: viruses and identity theft are real concerns

With the holiday shopping season well under way, many consumers have already received a barrage of e-mails advertising hefty discounts on popular gift items. But behind some of those enticing offers lurk unwelcome headaches such as computer viruses, a private identity theft scam or malware that gives criminals remote access to your computers. Once the criminals get access to your computer, they can steal personal information or use the computer to transmit spam, viruses and other attacks. Cyber experts reported a record level of spam and criminal activity in November. Symantec Corp, an online security company, reported that the current volume of spam makes up 71 percent of e-mail traffic, up from 59 percent last year. That number is expected to grow as criminals try to take advantage of last-minute shoppers. The problem is that this year the fake ads are more sophisticated and better resemble legitimate e-mails, said Keith Crosley, spokesman for Proofpoint, a messaging security company in Sunnyvale, Calif. "They are not as easy to spot as before," he said. "We are seeing sites that are incredibly convincing. They look almost like the brand they are trying to spoof." Consumers are going to have to be extremely cautious when shopping online, Crosley said. Proofpoint offers these tips to help you safely shop online: Be suspicious. Be leery of e-mail with requests for personal identifying information, personal financial information, usernames or passwords. Virtually no legitimate businesses today request this type of information in an e-mail. Additionally, e-mail requesting that you download a document off a Website should be considered highly suspicious. This almost certainly is an attempt to trick consumers into downloading malware off a Website. Don't click. If you receive a suspicious e-mail, don't click the links in the e-mail and never open file attachments from anyone but 100 percent trusted sources. Links embedded in e-mails may take you to fraudulent sites that look similar or identical to the legitimate "spoofed" site. Remember, malware is not limited to just .exe files these days; it can be hidden in Word documents, PDF files, e-cards and more. Be secure. When you are shopping online, entering important information such as credit card numbers, or updating personal information, make sure you're using a secure Website. A secure Web server Web address will begin with "https" instead of the usual "http." Most Web browsers also show an icon (such as Internet Explorer's "padlock" icon) to indicate that the page you are viewing is secure. Bottom line: Be careful while shopping online. But there are still plenty of legitimate deals to be found. One of my favorites is offered by the U.S. Postal Service. You can go to www.usps.com and order free packaging supplies, including tape, labels, priority mailboxes for mailing videos, DVDs or CDs. Once you get your packages ready, you can go back online to www.usps.com/pickup and the Postal Service will come to your home or office, free, and pick up the package. The Postal Service also will send a free military care kit that includes priority mailboxes, tape and even custom forms with envelopes. To order a military kit, call (800) 610-8734. Why is the Postal Service being so generous? The service is offered year-round, said spokeswoman Joanne Veto. But during busy seasons, getting the right packaging supplies to customers helps the Postal Service process the mail faster, too, she said. Also, don't forget the Postal Service's holiday mailing deadlines. If you want a package to arrive in time for Christmas, you have to mail first-class and priority mail by Dec. 20 and express mail by Dec. 22. Regular mail should be sent by Dec. 15. International express mail can be sent as late as Dec. 19 for arrival by Dec. 25.

Kiss Me Kate' is two plays in one

                Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate," the first of the Tufts drama department's productions for fall semester, starts tonight. Though a 60-year-old play might seem outdated for a college audience, Associate Professor and Director Barbara Wallace Grossman hopes to captivate students with the play's theme of eternal love.     Written in 1948, "Kiss Me Kate" was Porter's return to the spotlight. Many consider the play to be a love letter to his wife, Linda Porter. The story focuses on two actors, Fred and Lilli, who are given the lead roles in Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" (1590). Juniors Andrew Kluger and Carolyn Berliner play the bickering, divorced couple, as well as their theatrical counterparts, Petruchio and Kate.     Complicating Lilli and Fred's already tumultuous relationship is Fred's new girlfriend, the actress playing Bianca in "Shrew," and Lilli's infatuation with another actor, who gambles using Fred's name. As the production of "Taming of the Shrew" continues, Lilli and Fred are forced to come to terms with their love for each other despite their differences.     The fall production always takes place in the Balch Arena Theatre, but working in the round space can be difficult.     The play calls for three different sets — a backstage area, Lilli and Fred's adjoining dressing rooms and the city of Padua where "The Taming of the Shrew" takes place. Since the play within the play also requires a curtain, Grossman and company have decided to rig a ceiling-to-floor red velvet curtain. Actors must change back and forth between sumptuous Shakespearean-era costumes, with tights and corsets, and sexy '40s lingerie actors of the period might have worn backstage.     Compounded with the fact that "Kiss Me Kate" is a massively complicated production is the semester's late start this year, meaning the cast had one week less than usual to rehearse. The musical numbers also posed an interesting challenge.     Porter uses Shakespeare's verses for a couple of songs in the play, but the rest are all his own creation. Songs like "Too Darn Hot" and "So In Love" were both popular songs during the '40s after "Kiss Me Kate" first premiered, and the tunes are just as fresh and fun as any heard on the radio today.     Grossman isn't concerned about scaring off students with decades-old music, and she believes that ultimately, everyone can relate to the tumultuous nature of love.     "There's definitely a timelessness to it because of the music," Grossman said. "But, really, each of us knows what it's like to love someone, what we have to sacrifice because no one is perfect."     When watching "Kiss Me Kate," modern audiences must take into account gender differences from Porter's time — and Shakespeare's as well. "The Taming of the Shrew" features a headstrong woman who eventually must succumb to her husband's will.     "Shakespeare's play has problems in it because of the misogyny that was endemic to the period," said Grossman. "Shakespeare was a fairly enlightened writer, so it's unusual how Petruchio is trying to win Katharine over with kindness."     "Kiss Me Kate" calls for a spanking scene that many see as sexist in which Fred loses his temper with Lilli. Grossman dealt with this and other arguably sexist occurrences by moving them offstage.     "We didn't want to subject a Tufts woman to being spanked on stage in full view," said Grossman. "For me, this show isn't about men ruling over women, but rather the complicated nature of love. I took a different approach to the ending that I hope people see as Fred and Lilli accepting each other on equal terms."     Despite challenges, the cast and crew has pulled everything together for tonight's opening production. The play runs this weekend and next, Oct. 29-31 and Nov. 5-7. All shows start at 8 p.m. with an extra Sunday matinee on Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at the Balch Arena Box Office for $7 with a student ID and $12 without one. Tickets are $1 on Nov. 5.

Over sensationalized football

There is something very disappointing here in Boise. There is an over sensationalized element here at Boise State - football. While I think our team has done a great job and the Fiesta Bowl was a win, do remember that was last year. It's done, over with. Come on people, stop yelling "Fiesta Bowl!" It's time to move on. And with the end of holding the WAC championship title, that should remind all that football is just a game. Fiesta Bowl and WAC championships are not wins for the players, but wins for the school. However, the other triumphs being made with Boise State's name are seemingly ignored or not celebrated nearly as much as they should be. Students from our Physics Department and Biology Department are being published in papers and research reports around the world for their work. What praise do they get? (Insert sound of crickets here). Oh sure, very randomly The Arbiter publishes something that gives a reference to their success. For instance, the article on Alex Punnoose and his students' work on nano-technology last year was an incredible story and I applaud them. That was one half-page article. Or how about the freeing of an innocent man by the works of our own BSU professors and the forensics team? Or the grants that this professor received for his lab to conduct more research? What about all the grants that other students and professors are making happen for Boise State by the research they are involved in? None of this stuff is ever really mentioned. These achievements impact the campus community just as much, if not more, as football wins. Then The Arbiter, (whom I love very much), publishes a whole tab every other week it seems on BSU football in full color and makes it very flashy. Hmm, I'm not seeing a balance at all. Isn't that what professional journalism is about? What about the large percentage of us who would rather see the accomplishment of the students going to college for the education and having an applied impact on this world? They should be in the limelight. The current BSU motto is "we want to move toward a major metropolitan research institute." How are we going to become that when all we focus on is our football? Guess what people, not a whole lot of research or academic challenge is in the sport. Why on Earth would the country (not to mention the world) want to view us and respect us as a fantastic academic and research institute if all we talk about is a bunch of physically fit men? If the world wants to see that they'll go to the gym. Still all there seems to be is the focus on our football team and its endeavors, which, in comparison to the other accomplishments being made by our fellow students, make the team seemingly insignificant. I mean honestly, in the big picture, our football team has no effect on the world. They are not solving world hunger, nor are they impacting the medical field as football players. As individuals in college, that may be a different story, I don't actually know. So I will save myself from ignorance on that topic. The team is not to be entirely blamed (although gauging down its hubris wouldn't hurt) but we as a society are the ones at fault. All over the country we are still perpetuating the admiration of athleticism, something that existed even among the ancient Greeks. However, we have taken it to a whole new level. We pay our athletes, at least on the pro level, enormous paychecks, while those charged with educating children (our future) are paid so minimally. Of course let's not count out the coaches! (Smirk). A teacher's job is even more hazardous today. They now have to worry about the disturbed child who may come and put a gun to their face. One last point of irritation: If an individual doesn't applaud or get overtly excited about our football team that person is looked at as if they contracted the plague and must be exterminated. However, if one doesn't get excited about the other accomplishments at BSU, it's just waved by as unfortunate. Chill out people, it's not that we hate BSU, it's just we're sick of seeing so much emphasis on the football team. It's unfortunate that I myself have to research what else is being accomplished at BSU and when I do find something it is just a little blurb. President Bob Kustra's newsletter doesn't count. I'm going to guess very few students read it or even know of its existence. Yes, the team has given us a spot light and also had its hands in raising money. Props to the team - don't strain a hamstring. But why is that all we focus on? Give some applause and attention to other aspects of this campus. They deserve it even more.

A race to benefit Rwandan youth

    The Race4Rwanda 5K run will draw Tufts students and community members to Ellis Oval on Sunday in an effort to raise funds for nonprofits and raise genocide awareness.     Funds for the race will benefit the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village in Eastern Rwanda; the Medford Family Network, an educational and family support program; and the Welcome Project, a Somerville immigrant advocacy organization.     The idea for the race came about after a group of 18 Tufts students traveled to Rwanda this May to help at the youth village on a service program sponsored by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).     After returning to the Hill, the Tufts undergraduates wanted to continue helping the village. They organized the 5K race at Tufts to raise money and awareness, bringing the impact of their summer travels a bit closer to home.     The youth village provides a community for children orphaned in the 1994 Rwandan genocide to learn and thrive in a family environment. Intended to eventually be a home for 500 orphans, the village has an arts center, residential housing, a comprehensive high school, athletic fields and a medical clinic.     Tufts students on the trip interacted with the 125 children currently living at the village, in addition to visiting national monuments and genocide remembrance sites.     "It was actually incredible," senior Rachel Lieber said. "We lived in the village with them and did some community service around the village. We played games with them and hung out during the day."     A special project of the JDC, the village's roots lie within Tufts. Anne Heyman, a Tufts Hillel board member, founded Agahozo Shalom in 2006 after hearing a talk on the genocide.     Lieber, one of the main organizers of the race, praised Heyman's efforts. "It's a way that one woman who was at Tufts really made an incredible difference and [helped] orphans' lives," Lieber said.     Junior Miki Vizner, another organizer who went on the summer trip, said he hoped the 5K would spread consciousness and concern about genocide.     "I hope that we raise money and awareness and that it reminds people that it's easy to get wrapped up in your life, but there are problems in the world," Vizner said.     The students were impressed by the village's ability to provide education and a supportive environment to orphans, a vital part of Rwanda's future.     "The only wealth Rwanda has is people," said Patrick Karuretwa, a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy who was a soldier in the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the genocide. "Rwanda is such a small country, five hundred or a thousand [of today's] children could be running Rwanda in fifteen years."     Vizner said that Rwanda has many natural resources, but that underlying tensions from the genocide remain. "The country has this weird feeling of being extremely beautiful but has this dark and ugly past," he said.     Lieber hopes that Race4Rwanda will draw students' attention to the village's goals.     "It will raise awareness about the village and about the incredible future it's providing for the orphans of the genocide," Lieber said. "It has the potential to get Tufts students interested in and informed about genocides and other humanitarian crises."     The race will start at 11 a.m. on Sunday, and will be followed at noon by other activities, including a speech by Karuretwa and booths set up by organizations like the JDC, Tufts Hillel and the Rwandan community in Boston. There will be Rwandan music playing, and a young genocide survivor will read poetry.     Rwandans will share information about their culture and homeland at a booth at the race. Karuretwa said that approximately 50 Rwandans from the Boston area, mostly students and some professionals, plan to attend.     The race begins and ends at the Ellis Oval; the route, designed for both runners and walkers, will run through Medford and Somerville. Prizes will be awarded to the top male and female finishers, as well as participants with the best Halloween costumes.     Participants can still register the day of the race. "It's not too late to sign up. You will get an extra hour of sleep for daylight savings," Lieber noted.

What Should Poetry Be?

Should poetry be political; a soapbox for the critical? Should its illumination be exaggeration To make a point, show a view or be inimical? Should poetry make sense, not leave you on the fence By over-simplifying, under-magnifying Or ignoring what would surely make a difference? Should poetry, like art, be such the heart to touch, And by its imitation surpass our expectation, And push the bounds and wax profound, or would that ask too much? Should poetry show illiteracy, not striving for legitimacy, And by its indignation and abject resignation Prove once for all it missed the call to common decency? Should not, then, poetry contain a symmetry Of rhythmic beat, each thought complete Until it ends and finds more friends than I could ever meet?

The Greene light:

Familiar faces have shaped the Boise State Men's basketball team so far this season. But the Broncos have already found they are in need of some new faces to help with their hopes of producing a championship this season. One of those players looking to make an impact on the court is junior college transfer Jamar Greene. "I just want to be a leader," Greene said. "I want to go out and have fun and whatever the coach has me in there to do, I'll do." What makes Greene so vital to the team this season is his versatility and athletic ability as a player, which can translate to many different roles on the court. "He's in a unique spot because he needs to play a couple positions for us," Head Coach Greg Grahamsaid. "He plays the point guard and also plays the shooting guard spot and really becomes a big asset for us because he can play several positions and that way we can run some different combinations." The six-foot guard came to the Broncos from Baltimore City Community College, where he was the 10th leading scorer in the National Junior College Athletic Association for 2006-07. Greene averaged a staggering 25.8 points per game. In the first couple of games for BSU Greene had trouble finding his shot. In wasn't until the seventh game, against the University of San Francisco, that he was able to finally get into his groove. He scored 13 points that game, and had a 3-of-4 shooting night from the 3-point line. "I was in a shooting slump the first couple of games," Greene said. "But I'm getting out of that a little bit and trying to get a feel for the game." He said that it felt great to contribute in the game against USF. So far this season Greene has hit 12 three-pointers and is about 36 percent from beyond the arch. But it's not just his shooting ability that his teammates and coaches are raving about. "I think the thing that he can really do that we just got a little glimpse of, is he can really pass the basketball. "He's very strong, he can really zip the ball to guys that are open," Graham said. "I like to drive whenever I have the opportunity, but I like to dish the ball too," Greene said. "I like to get my teammates involved, get it to the big men a lot." Through nine games this season Greene is averaging 6.6 points in about 21 minutes per game. However, looking to next season and the loss of a couple key players, Graham expects his role to expand even more. Greene will have to step up as a leader and floor general. Another aspect of Greene's game that the Broncos are benefiting from this season is the physical force that he carries with him on the court. "He brings a sense of toughness," Graham said. "He's a lot like Anthony [Thomas], when they're on the floor together, they're both strong and very physical and they make us a tougher team." With the season nearing the midpoint, the junior can feel a sense of urgency and hopes to make a lasting (and winning) impression. "Those two years go by fast. The first year is almost half way done now," Greene said. "I just want to win the [Western Athletic Conference] and get to the national title."

Owning a pet is good for your health

With the New Year fast approaching, we are bombarded with advertisements for gyms memberships and treadmills to aid our New Year's resolution to be "healthier." Instead of buying weights that will, inevitably, collect dust in a corner, why not own a pet? More than half of all U.S. households have a companion animal. Pets are more common in households with children, yet there are more pets than children in American today. There are more than 51 million dogs, 56 million cats, 45 million birds, 75 million small mammals and reptiles, and uncounted millions of aquarium fish. It is important to acknowledge that these populations of pets benefit and impact our physical, social, and psychological health, as humans. I know from personal experiences that the animals in my life are therapeutic assets and enrich my life. My horse, Shadow, was there for me when I needed some release from my chaotic life. I found solace in riding, grooming, and just being around the animal. He could not argue with me, laugh at me or point out my faults-he was there. He gave me an ear to talk to without fear or rejection. Most scientific studies focused on the benefits of pet ownership show that the attachment between people and their pets seem to have important physiological and psychological effects. In 1992, one study reported lower levels of accepted risk factors of heart disease (blood pressure, plasma triglycerides and cholesterol levels) in pet owners than in non-pet owners despite equivalent body mass, smoking habits and socioeconomic profiles. Other positive effects on health and behavior have also been observed. Studies have shown that people who live with pets tend to exercise more (A dog will not keep silent and collect dust in the corner like your treadmill) have fewer illnesses and spend more time in positive social interactions. Pets also help people overcome shyness, develop trust, enhance social skills, and cope with terminal illnesses, such as AIDS. So this New Year, go out to the pound and adopt an animal for your resolution to be a "healthier" individual. Don't go get a gym membership at 24 Hour Fitness, you'll probably end up wasting money when you find yourself at the drive-in window instead of the gym on your way home from school or work. Pet-health oriented facts: People with borderline hypertension had lower blood pressure on days they took their dogs to work. Pet owners have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels than non-owners. Pets decrease feeling of loneliness and isolation. Pets fulfill many of the same support functions as humans for adults and children. Contact with pets develops nurturing behavior in children who grow to be more nurturing adults.

In Dorchester, art that reaches for change

With a mural from street artist Shepard Fairey on campus, Tufts students have been exposed to public art as a method of drawing attention to political issues and fostering social change within the community.

DA celebrates anniversary of program fighting domestic violence

The Middlesex District Attorney's Office earlier this month marked the first anniversary of its pro-bono domestic violence program, which provides free resources for victims whose cases might otherwise remain unresolved.

Sleeping out to raise awareness of climate issues

Tufts students walking back from late-night studying at Tisch Library may notice a few unexpected bodies on Tufts' Academic Quad for at least the next couple of weeks.

Slideshow | Captured: Halloween on the Hill

Students' company makes BusinessWeek's 'Top 25'

BusinessWeek's search for the top 25 entrepreneurs under 25 recently led it to the Emergent Energy Group, a business created by Tufts students to harness renewable energy sources.

Some administrators oppose medical amnesty

This article is the second in a two-part series looking at the alcohol policies of Boston-area schools. The first article, which ran in yesterday's issue, focused on the implementation of medical amnesty at nearby institutions. While students on Tufts' Alcohol Task Force consider whether to argue for a medical amnesty policy at Tufts, administrators stand by the stricter regulations implemented this semester, as they worry that more lenient rules on alcohol abuse might bring unintended, dangerous consequences.