Students signing into their Trumpeter Webmail accounts after Jan. 8 found their inbox layouts treated to a facelift - part of an update that added over 20 new features to the system.
It's rough being the child of a celebrity, but what's worse than being the son of the Wicked Witch of the West? It's asking for a thankless life filled with pesky persecution, a bad rap and no credit. Tufts graduate Gregory Maguire (G '90) makes another foray into fairy (re)telling to answer this question in "Son of a Witch," the sequel to his 1995 sensation, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West." As the first novel was recently adapted into the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Wicked," it was only a matter of time before fans and finances dictated a return to Oz. Unfortunately, this sequel falls just short of the ambition and achievement of the first. The sequel begins right where its predecessor ended the tale of unwanted child Liir, unsure of his parentage and raised by the Wicked Witch herself, Elphaba Thropp. Despite the cutesy title, the book only seems to prove that there is no true son of the Wicked Witch of the West and no true sequel for the well-written "Wicked." The greenish main character and political malcontent whom readers came to love met her maker with one splash of water from the sickeningly sweet Dorothy. The immediate aftermath of her death is where Liir's history starts; he is thrust into an unexpected early adulthood with no clear definition of his identity. With a lack of any other cause, he makes it his quest to find or rescue his maybe-half-sister Nor. Throughout his travels, Liir refutes and conceals his relationship to character compared to the dynamic pseudo-villain. Elphaba is dead, wrapped up in Maguire's innovative and well-told story that left little room for this continuation; unfortunately she easily steals the show from "Son"'s far less compelling protagonist, her unconfirmed-'til-the-last-page son. This book, like its main character, is riding the cloak-tails of its mother. Elphaba becomes the Elvis of Oz; the phrase "Elphaba Lives!" becomes graffiti that graces anything immobile, has-been lounge singers dedicate their sets to her, and she even has an impersonator in Liir. So Elphaba lives, but for what? This sequel straddles the uncomfortable boundary between a mere continuation of the former, extremely popular tale and an inventive refocus on the story left behind. The witch herself undoubtedly would prefer to be left with that special dignity provided by a satisfyingly morbid end. The book begins by exploring Liir's past through his dreams during a mysteriously-induced coma 10 years after the death of the witch, when he is taken in by the same mauntery (or in this world, convent) that once took in a desperate, silent Elphaba. The 20-something Liir wakes with help from the music and love of a young woman, Candle. Liir begins to fill Elphaba's shoes (and her cape) with steadily decreasing reluctance as the people of Oz suffer through mysterious attacks, religious fanaticism, rotating leadership and continuing decline. Fans of "Wicked" onstage and off may enjoy another glimpse of the corrupt, gritty, original Oz that the second book provides, but the lack of true growth or revelation in the sequel makes it a far less interesting read. The overwhelmingly cynical and agnostic tone set by the first continues in the second, but there is none of the vigor and hope that infused "Wicked." And while "Wicked" ended with brief paragraphs detailing the fate of supporting characters, "Son," tellingly, does not. This sequel labors under the mistake of that perfect ending, and so leaves most of its conflicts unresolved, with characters MIA and making their way through Oz, presumably to rise against the latest corrupt leader, Shell (Elphaba's younger brother). It does not take a wizard to foresee that there just may be another book to cash in on the overwhelming success of the blossoming franchise. What is it about Oz? No one can seem to leave well enough alone. L. Frank Baum's original book series aside, Victor Fleming's well loved film adaptation, "The Wizard of Oz" (1939), actually followed a slew of other minor films, and was followed itself by any number of sequels and retellings. Remember the soulful Diana Ross and not-yet-pop-royalty Michael Jackson in 1978's urban fairytale "The Wiz?" Remember not-yet-creepy preadolescent Fairuza Balk in a lackluster 1985 follow-up, "Return to Oz?" Wouldn't it be better if you didn't? Ding-dong, the witch is dead; it's true that Oz remains, but that doesn't translate into a sequel that can match the first. "Son of a Witch" tries, ruby slippers-style, to bring readers back to Oz, but it's the victim of its own magic.
Tufts students will face added difficulties in repaying federal student loans if the House of Representatives passes the Senate's budget reconciliation bill in February.
Tufts students' interests in Middle Eastern, Arab or Jewish issues - whether religious, political or cultural -- are served through on-campus groups. These include:
Ciaran O'Donovan will not be returning to Tufts University.
Cat Power (real name: Chan [pronounced "Shawn"] Marshall) is totally different from soul-singing legend Al Green.
Twenty-five percent of Tufts' student body - approximately 1,200 undergraduates and 500 graduate students, according to TuftsHillel.org -- is Jewish, and 250 to 300 students use the Granoff Family Hillel Center in some capacity each week. The Arab Student Association (ASA), on the other hand, encompasses about 20 members. But there are many more Arab students on campus who are not necessarily involved in the ASA, according to the group's vice president, senior Aline Sara. These demographics change yearly as seniors graduate and freshmen arrive. At the same time, relationships between Arab and Jewish communities at Tufts are redefined in conjunction with the fluctuating political situation in the Middle East. "We have to address the issue of Arab-Jewish relations every single year," said Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, the University's Jewish chaplain and the executive director of Tufts Hillel. Dialogue between different groups on campus has been a priority for Summit over the past five or six years. "My feeling is, if we can't talk to each other on a university campus, are we ever going to be able to talk to one another?" he said. Jewish-Arab dialogues, once independent entities, are now formalized within the New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP), a project of the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership. "Groups break bounds among their specific communities and reach out to the other side," said junior Alex Zerden, co-chair of NIMEP. "At leadership level and organizational level, it has set the bar and precedent for a genial atmosphere on campus." Zerden estimates that this brand of on-campus dialogue started right around the Oslo Peace Process in 1993 and 1994, when groups of Jewish Tufts students met informally. "It was a way to discuss very important political issues facing the region in a manner that wouldn't hold anyone responsible," Zerden said. "They only wanted dialogue, and there was no political objective other than to bring people together." According to Zerden, these dialogues grew stronger in 2000, around the outbreak of the second Intifada, an uprising in the Gaza Strip and West Bank by Palestinians in protest of Israeli occupation. Senior Amiti Wolt, current vice president of Friends of Israel, said he was involved in the dialogues that occurred shortly afterwards. "There were tensions and debates," said Wolt, who was then a freshman. "But everyone was respectful and we got to know each other well on an individual basis." Current topics of discussion for NIMEP come from events in the Arab world, focusing on politics, current events and the importance of history, according to Sara. The groups recently discussed the riots in France, as well as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's public comments that the Holocaust was a myth and that Israel should be relocated. Zerden said that the group leaders often e-mail a news article the week before a discussion so that all participants have the opportunity to be informed. "We'll discuss in-depth more immediate, ephemeral things, but also broader, more philosophical issues," he said. Sara said that individual questions about culture are also addressed. "For instance, we were discussing traditional cultures in other religions, and I was curious about the background of why Jews ate kosher," she explained. Participants in these discussions said that exposure to new views enhances their own personal views. "Dialogue is an important process for any type of understanding for anything outside my immediate sphere," Zerden said. "We have an increasing opportunity at college, at Tufts specifically, to branch out and really expand our horizons and explore other people's experiences." Because of the nature of the highly controversial issues on which they focus, participants often react passionately. "There are times that I walk away from [the discussions] shaking my head and thinking that everyone is stupid, to put it lightly," said junior Dan McDermott, president of the Arab Student Association. "But it just forces me to get my story together and come back the next week." "I don't have to agree," he added. "I'm allowed to argue; I'm allowed to get upset." McDermott added that communication helps to taper down defenses and personal biases, allowing for moderation. "You come into the group on the defensive, to defend the validity of your 'side," McDermott said. "You are forced to educate yourself in order to know your story, and you have to listen. Once the 'other side' is humanized a little more, most kids moderate their views in some part." On a personal level, dialogue encourages students to stay up-to-date on current events. "These groups are helpful because they make you watch the news, read and constantly think about issues that otherwise may go by unnoticed as you live your life at Tufts," McDermott said. Sophomore Samantha Goldman, president of Friends of Israel, is also involved with the NIMEP dialogues. Goldman said that the personal stories she hears at the discussions allow her to enrich her understanding of Middle East issues. "I often learn things I would never know from just reading newspaper articles about the on-the-ground reality," she said. Dialogues are intentionally kept small. "The size ensures that people's opinions are understood in context and general experience," Sara said. "The publicity is more by word of mouth, which is why we're not on TuftsLife." Though the dialogues often slip under the campus radar, McDermott said that "is not a bad thing. I think you need an intimate, small group setting to really talk." While the group numbers themselves may be small, the results are big. "As a result of these dialogues, the relations on campus have improved," Sara said. "We have a solid group, and we get along very well. We have non-academic social events. This has definitely affected the good relationship between the communities." NIMEP discussions meld many different views - along with the individuals who hold them. "On a professional level, the discussions bring on-campus representatives together that may or may not have reason to get together," Zerden said. "Leaders on campus now share a rapport that adds a lot to discussion and our relationship," he added. "We have had remarkable success in fostering relations on campus to eliminate tensions that might be counterproductive to understanding." According to student leaders, relations between Arab and Jewish students at Tufts are especially good. "Friends of Israel and the Arab Students Association co-sponsored events, a concept unprecedented at other schools," Zerden said. Goldman said that the "exceptional" Arab-Jewish relations at Tufts transcend the interactions of the organizations: "There are friendships among individuals in the organizations," she said. Goldman added that in her experience, the Arab-Jewish relationship at Tufts "is the best it's ever been." Tufts' atmosphere excels in comparison to other universities, according to Zerden. "Tufts is unique among many college campuses, where there is strife, distrust and unproductive discourse," he said. "We have the resources, intelligence, capability and power to really effect change and to contribute positives to educational experiences." Summit is proud of the way Tufts students confront the questions of the Middle East while maintaining civil relations. "We are able to find ways to build relations within communities and discuss the issues," he said. "Sometimes, we just need to agree to disagree on some of the issues, but this doesn't mean we can't be productive on the way we approach them together." But according to Wolt, last semester was a challenge: Students seemed less interested in the dialogues. "Back in 2002, people were angrier and were looking for a place to vent - it wasn't hard to find students that wanted to sound off," he said. "But [last] semester, there was a problem getting people to care enough to get involved." Student leaders said that the structure of on-campus dialogues shifted, especially in recent years, as the political situation in the region calmed and the tensions in the U.S. and the media dissipated somewhat. "The continuity of the group discussions depends on the political climate," Zerden said. "With the ebbs and flows of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there are times when people are more passionate and times when people are less so about the issue," Wolt agreed. "I hope that [this] semester people will realize the importance of dialogue and engaging people with different experiences and perspectives." Goldman agrees that apathy is a huge problem. "There isn't as much anger or frustration as there has been in the past, and this has led to apathy," she said. Discussion can only be successful if its participants are willing. "There are always going to be people who decide to hold on to the stereotypes and negative issues they are used to," McDermott said. "Personally, it took a lot of pushing to get me to attend these groups - but I think that my own politics are much stronger now because of the exposure." Sara, who is Lebanese-American and attended French school in New York City, shared similar sentiments. "I had no Jewish friends before I came here, and I never heard how Jewish people feel about Israel," she said. "I had resistance towards Israel's policy. I was extremely pro-Palestinian, pro-Arab side." Her general political views are the same, Sara said, as she is against "Israel's foreign and general policy, and [prime minister Ariel] Sharon." Still, she said dialogue groups have been "a very enriching experience" for her. "We need to communicate to progress, and the dialogues are great opportunities for me to talk to the other side," she said. "It is in the rather moderate opinions that we can find some sort of path to peace." Zerden said that the "perennial problem" is engaging the most opinionated people who are the most resistant to the views of the other side. "We want to try to bring these people, who are so entrenched in their beliefs, to the forefront," he said. "I'm not saying everything has to be open to everyone, and every one of us should hold hands," McDermott said. "But at least knowing that everyone in the group is intelligent and diplomatic adds a lot to the atmosphere of talking, not propagandizing and screaming." The groups aim to build on already positive relationships. "We do not want to create problems just so we can sit down together and talk them through," Goldman said. Student and religious leaders agree that through peaceful discussion, a fruitful relationship on-campus can be maintained. "Dialogue promotes understanding, and understanding leads to cooperation and conflict resolution," Goldman said. Student leaders said that a major problem with Arab-Jewish relations is a lack of education. What often replaces "real" education "on both sides," McDermott said, is "ultra-biased crap, and a refusal to acknowledge that Arabs and Jews are more than one uniform body with one belief and one message." "Dialogue groups are the best way to address this," he added. Summit agreed that the lack of unbiased education on Middle East issues is problematic. "But obviously, education comes from within specific political contexts," he said. "Becoming aware of how people with different political beliefs conceptualize these issues is essential." Another problem, according Summit, is that many students feel that they are not knowledgeable enough about the issues. "Because of that, they don't want to engage in discussion," Summit said, adding that this can be rectified through learning. "Education is important so people feel like they have enough voice to enter the dialogue." While agreeing that the campus has "less of the aggressive attitude" he felt at other universities and university groups, McDermott said that the campus retains some problems in terms of Arab-Jewish interactions. "My freshman year here was a shock," he said. McDermott, a Syrian-American currently living in Jordan, said that as a freshman he was "barred from two events based on [his] ethnicity." One event, in which a controversial member of the Israeli government, Natan Sharansky, spoke, was only open to members of Hillel, according to McDermott. "[Sharansky] is a major figure in the politics of the region, and it is insulting to think that a group can bar the rest of campus from attending for fear of inciting anger and violence from other members of the community," McDermott said. "The ASA will never be able to bring as controversial a speaker - but imagine us trying to say, 'Sorry, you're only allowed to hear this huge figure speak if you're a member of X group.'" For McDermott, the incident was a "real push to become active on campus." As McDermott's experiences demonstrate, there are always disagreements on political issues - and Summit said that these are exacerbated because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. "The question in my mind is: how can we take these differences and model different ways to approach them together?" Summit said. Summit believes that the answer lies in the students themselves. Tufts students graduate and take on important positions in government, Boston and local communities. These students will carry with them their college experiences. "If we could present models of how to deal with this conflict," Summit said, "we'll be making a tremendous contribution." Unity among religions helps overcome obstacles in Middle Eastern conflict, and achieving such unity is a goal within religious communities at Tufts. "We're really deeply committed to build productive relations between Jewish-Muslim-Christian communities," Summit said. "To me, this is one of the key roles that religion could play on campus, not to separate people, but to help people understand that on some level we're all deeply connected," he added. Sara described the Arab-Jewish dialogues as microcosms of the world that seek solutions to international and interpersonal conflicts. "If we can be responsible in foundations such as these," she said, "then we are going to get somewhere." While there are some who are apathetic, Sara has faith that Tufts can still make a difference through the resolve of those who choose to get involved. "People here do care," she said. "This is where you can find other people who don't want to give up. I don't believe in giving up."
Dialogue on campus is not limited to the New Initiative for Middle East Peace (NIMEP).In 2003, Hillel and the Muslim Student Association [MSA] won the Synergy Award for the Muslim-Jewish Program Series. The Office of Student Activities recognized the discussion series that the two religious groups held together, according to Rabbi Summit. "We're really in the process of expanding this dialogue," Rabbi Summit said. "We have a significant grant pending where we would be able to expand and deepen the nature of the dialogue we're doing between the Jewish-Muslim community, and adding the Christian community to the dialogue." Funding for this larger project would also fund programs at Brandeis, Wellesley and MIT. According to Rabbi Summit, however, the goal is not to bring people together from other schools, but to develop individual models on separate campuses. "Although, we would probably have a conference at some point," he said. Jewish and Muslim communities at Tufts lead joint programming. "We've taken an active interest in each other's holiday programming, like the Ramadan Iftars," said senior Mara Judd, president of the student executive board at Hillel. "We support one another in educational and holiday events as well as things like the vigil for victims of the earthquake in Pakistan, which the MSA invited us to participate in," Judd said. "It was great to all come together for a cause like that." Other smaller discussions, such as "Fasting Cross-Culturally," have been very helpful in showing the similarities between Jewish, Arab and Muslim cultures and religions, according to Judd. "I believe that the large amounts of interfaith programming have given the participating students mutual respect," she said. Many other programs and initiatives have started paralleling in conjunction with dialogue, according to Alex Zerden, co-chair of NIMEP. "The Middle East leadership programs and dinners are meant just to sit on campus, discuss politics and bring student leaders together who hadn't met formally," he said. The Middle East Club Night - otherwise known as Party for Peace - was one example that was successful in some respects, Zerden said. In attendance was a speaker from Seeds of Peace, a non-profit, non-political organization that helps teenagers from regions of conflict learn the skills of making peace (seedsofpeace.org). "We sold peace bracelets for Seeds of Peace and raised several thousand dollars," said senior Aline Sara, vice president of the Arab Students Association. The scope of on-campus dialogue encompasses other Middle Eastern questions and peoples through NIMEP. "There is now a Turkish-Armenian dialogue in cooperation with some students from Brandeis University," Zerden said. "That's another side project."
In the article, "New dorm to get tree and bench in memory of seniors' departed classmates" in the Dec. 9 issue of the Daily, the date of Alex Mendell's suicide was incorrect. He committed suicide in Sept. 2003, not Sept. 2004.
After HBO's import of "Da Ali G Show" became a cult hit in America and even managed to pick up three Emmy nominations, one might have expected the airwaves would be overrun with fake wannabe-rappers pestering government officials and celebrities alike with moronic questions. Thankfully, this has not been the case, which probably owes to the fact that no other comedian would be able to match Sacha Baron Cohen's deadpan delivery. The one comedian who comes close, though, unsurprisingly hails from the U.K. as well. Daisy Donovan premiered on TBS Tuesday night with her new show, "Daisy Does America," and although she can't quite fill Cohen's shoes, she does pull off a somewhat entertaining half-hour segment nonetheless. "Daisy Does America" is, as the name would imply, a series focused around Donovan as she travels through parts of America (more specifically the Midwest, at least so far) and takes on peculiar professions, gently mocking herself and her fellow employees all the while. In one of the first episodes, Daisy's highlighted career path of choice is that of a bounty hunter (or "bail enforcer," as we find out they are officially known). After passing through a training course of sorts, Daisy attempts to get hired at several enforcement firms. Although failing to impress a stout man in a business suit at her first interview, she is later hired by a more laid-back, casually dressed, rounder family of purported bounty hunters. She then partakes in a grand total of two arrests before saying goodbye to her employer. Although the pilot episode probably didn't have any viewers rolling in the proverbial aisles, it was good for a few laughs. When learning how to handcuff a suspect, Daisy incessantly asks her buff, serious instructor about the protocol for handling arrestees. "What if I just handcuff him to this fence and take a break for a few minutes?" she wonders aloud to harsh words of disapproval. While having trouble getting her mock-suspect, handcuffed, into the back of the car during the same training session, she asks, "Can I just put him in the trunk? There's more room anyway," and receives the same reply. It is clear that the producers of "Daisy Does America" (who happen to be Courtney Cox and David Arquette) made a decision early on that the show would live or die based entirely on the quality of the jokes and banter that Donovan was able to produce. This is evident in that, aside from featuring a mildly famous British comedian, there is absolutely nothing extraordinary that happens in the show. With a show like Ali G's, half the fun lies in the fact that the people Ali interviews are serious and well-respected newsmakers or members of American politics. When politicos Ralph Nader and Pat Buchanan and later James Lipton of "Inside the Actor's Studio" were interviewed on the show, all were caught off guard by Sacha Cohen's stupidly hilarious form of questioning. In contrast, "Daisy" has no comparable high-profile names to poke fun at. Although Daisy is able to pull off a host of good one-liners about bounty-hunting and the gruff individuals who pursue it, the effect of the joke is lessened when the other employees seem to take their career about as seriously as she does (which is to say, not very). Further, this isn't the high-powered executive job of "The Apprentice" or even the auditions for "American Idol," which at least require some talent. At least so far, Daisy hasn't done anything that an individual with some free time and the desire to couldn't pull off in a weekend. This may change in next week's episode, in which Daisy tries to become a country music singer, but by the preview, it looks like the same 30 minutes of cracking jokes at the expense of regular lower/middle-class Americans. This shtick was moderately funny the first time around, but it remains to be seen how many more episodes can be aired before viewers tune out. Fans of the type of humor Sacha Cohen effectively invented would do well to skip TBS's toned down, derivative attempt at his style and simply get to a video store: the second season DVD of "Ali G" was recently released.
Upon first reading Patrick Randall's viewpoint "In Defense of Torture," I clung to the hope that it was a weak attempt at satire. Surely he was trying to poke fun at the idea that the best way to defeat terrorists is to adopt their tactics. Unfortunately, strange as it may seem, his cheerleading for torture seemed to be entirely serious. As such, I feel a need to correct the dangerous notion that torture is "a legitimate tool of government for the preservation of national security." Torture is always the wrong tactic for two broad reasons: First, it is antithetical to the ideals of liberty and justice that this great nation was founded upon. We cannot effectively fight the war against terrorism if we abandon the values and ideals that make the United States the leader of the free world. Second, of equal importance, the use of torture does nothing to protect us and is dangerously counter-productive to our national security. On legal issues, Randall is guilty of some serious factual errors, such as claiming that there have been recent "Supreme Court [decisions] that ensure habeas corpus petitions for prisoners held in places like Guantanamo Bay" do not apply. In reality, on June 28, 2004 in Rasul v. Bush the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that "aliens, no less than American citizens, are entitled to invoke the Federal courts' authority." No, our polarized Supreme Court largely agrees that when the founding fathers banned "cruel and unusual punishment" they did not mean except in Cuba, Romania, Pakistan, etc. Surely any strict constructionists out there reading this will agree with me. Randall's aversion to fact checking does not stop at our own borders. Randall implies that Israel practices and advocates torture in the fight against terrorism. This is a slanderous falsehood, as the Israeli Supreme Court declared torture illegal in 1999. Its ruling said that "a democratic, freedom-loving society does not accept that investigators use any means for the purpose of uncovering truth. The rules pertaining to investigators are important to a democratic state. They reflect its character." The Israeli ruling shows the intersection between the tenuous legal ground for torture and its even shakier moral basis. Randall may be willing "to treat the moral aspects of this subject briefly and move on," but I am not, because how we as Americans behave in times of war defines us as a nation. John McCain has decried the danger of forgetting that "we are different and better than our enemies, that we fight for an idea - not a tribe, not a land, not a king, not a twisted interpretation of an ancient religion - but for an idea that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights." We must ensure that when people around the world think of America they think of a shining light for democracy and not as a country that operates secret prisons in Eastern Europe. In advocating the use of torture, Randall is arguing for a less safe America. First, he ignores the key practical argument against torture - it does not work. When Randall says that "torture is not always the most effective method of obtaining vital information, nor are its results always accurate," he is making a serious understatement. When John McCain was a POW during the Vietnam War, he was routinely tortured. On one occasion, his captors beat him, demanding to know the names of the members of his flight squadron. He instead gave them the names of the Green Bay Packers offensive line. Similarly, if while tortured an al-Qaida operative gave us the name of his favorite Pakistani cricket player, American intelligence agents could spends days or even weeks chasing a red herring. But Randall argues that when it comes to stopping terrorism the CIA knows best. This is the same CIA that was "either unwilling or unable to marshal the full range of Intelligence Community resources necessary to combat the growing threat," according to the bi-partisan 9/11 Commission. This is also the same CIA that delivered "slam-dunk" intelligence about Iraqi WMDs. This is the same CIA that reports to an administration which, yesterday, received 17 Fs and Ds and only one A from the 9/11 Commission on its efforts to protect America from terrorist attacks. So if the CIA is advocating torture as an effective tool in the war against terror, I think Congress should exercise some aggressive oversight and not just take their word for it. Our intelligence operatives should not be spending valuable time beating prisoners and staging mock executions. If they are, they might as well spend their coffee breaks printing recruitment panels for al-Qaida, since they are already providing the content. The effort to defeat Islamic Terrorism is a battle for hearts and minds as well as a battle to kill terrorists, and that is a battle we lose at our own peril. When we torture prisoners we provide fodder for the extremists who are urging young Muslim men to take up arms against us. Instead of wasting time on torture, the CIA should be trailing suspects, infiltrating cells, conducting long-term surveillance and revolutionizing the way it recruits and trains its members. Torture would not have prevented the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Better intelligence and the implementation of Richard Clarke's aggressive anti-terrorism plan of Jan. 2001 might have, but the new Bush administration had other foreign policy priorities. Torture is the wrong policy for the United States and Randall's threat that our government is going to use torture regardless of public opinion is wrong, too. We are fortunate to live in a country governed by the people, for the people and our representatives have spoken loud and clear on this topic. Ninety senators voted to ban the torture of detainees, and the other nine might regret showing deference to Dick Cheney and the Bush administration just one year before midterm elections. After all, the Bush administration has been the main opponent to banning torture, and their approval rating (hovering somewhere around 37 percent) is amongst the lowest in history for a second term administration. Torture will not be an enduring policy in the United States because it is morally repugnant, legally indefensible and counterproductive to our national security and the American people know it. Aaron Banks is a senior majoring in political science and art history. He is also the president of the Tufts Democrats.
As Tufts struggles to define itself, consultation with a marketing expert will only solve part of the problem which nags the elusively defined "Jumbo." Though the ultimate goal of Tufts remains to be a commitment to superior higher education, administrators must sell their product to both the general public, as well as the academic community. The image which the University disseminates has a significant impact on the quality of programming, professors and student life. The feat of being a Jumbo is something which is achieved both in and outside the classroom. As Tufts seeks to improve its image, it will be able to attract greater funding, renowned professors and better students. One of the most direct applications of this can be seen in the use of college admissions rankings for both graduate and undergraduate programs. Because many of these evaluations rely heavily on peer evaluation, an improved image would help to boost rankings. But boosting an image is not solely a function of rankings - it extends to the quality of facilities and campus environment. Image is fundamentally a public relations tool, which is additionally improved through better facilities for everything ranging from athletics to research. This image enhancement places Tufts in a tight position, as it will force the University to be prudent in allocating current funds, as well as increase efforts seeking additional funds. The people most involved in disseminating the image of Tufts are the individual students, faculty and administrators. Word of mouth is the most credible and contagious means of spreading good or bad news. Thus improving the quality of student life is as important as developing programming content. Tonight marks one of the few events to which nearly every Jumbo has an attachment: the naked quad run. As the University strives to improve its image, it is through grassroots means such as this that students will have positive memories and spread the good word. Working with a catch phrase is a good start for refurbishing our image, but this campaign must take a bottom-up approach as well. Everyone must take an active role in improving Tufts through continually striving to make accomplishments in academics, extracurricular activities and athletics. It will be through individual effort that we will see the glue which binds us all together: active, involved achievement. Through this we can truly present the general public with the image and reality of creative and analytical leaders of tomorrow.
Coming off a heart-wrenching 4-3 overtime loss to New England College and an embarrassing 7-1 trashing at the hands of the Saint Anslem Hawks, the charged back into Medford Wednesday night, taking down the UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs 3-2, thanks mostly to outstanding play by senior co-captain Ken Cleary and senior goalie Matt Ninnemann. The game initially was a back-and-forth physical battle between the two teams, but as the first period was 36 seconds from closing, Cleary scored a short-handed goal to put the Jumbos up 1-0. Tufts struck again 1:56 into the second period with a great shot at the goalmouth by sophomore Greg O'Connell, who had help from senior Matt McCarthy. The Jumbos were working on their two-on-one game prior to the game. "Greg put it away with ease because the goalie was caught on one side of the net and couldn't get back in time. We really waited for our opening there." senior Quinn Kelley said. McCarthy downplayed his role in the play and just described it as getting O'Connell the puck where it needed to be. With a little over four minutes left in the second, Cleary netted his second goal of the night, assisted by sophomore Matt Tosto and junior Brian Bailey. "[Cleary] had a great game tonight," Bailey said. "He found the net a couple of times, he killed penalties... He's finding his scoring touch. He's our nose to the net." Tufts seemed to have the game in hand until 5:53 into the third period, when Corsair senior Eric Frank answered with a power-play goal. The Jumbos lead would be cut to one barely two minutes later, when junior Kyle McCullough got one by Ninnemann for UMass-Dartmouth. Ninnemann would not let any more get by for the rest of the night as Tufts ran its record to 2-4-1 going into this Saturday's game against Connecticut College. The Corsairs dropped to 4-4 with the loss. The team attests their strong play to their intensity level. The Jumbos played consistently for the first time this season thus far. "We wanted to bounce back from a tough weekend and win so we can get to our game against [Connecticut College] and end at the break on a good note," Cleary said. "We wanted to bounce back hard." The Jumbos also singled out Ninnemann as a big reason for victory in his first start of the season. "Matt had a great game. He was the player of the game for us. He made key stops especially late in the game when we needed it most," Bailey said. UMass-Dartmouth did impress the Jumbos with its relentless game. "They never let up against us," Kelley said. "We certainly dominated the first part of the game yet they never let up. Most teams might have collapsed and buckled but they really took it to us, and they played very well, especially in the third period. They didn't let themselves out of the game." Facing Connecticut College this Saturday will not be an easy task, and Tufts wants to build off the win over UMass-Dartmouth. "Connecticut College always plays us tough," Bailey said. "We need to win; we need to get points. The key is to play three strong periods against them. We need to give a 60 minute effort." Many players said the win against the Corsairs marked a turning point. "I really think we turned it around tonight compared to previous games. We did a lot of the little things right. We did a lot of back checking, fore checking, overall we clicked. We flowed very well tonight," Kelley said. Cleary said if the team can play with this type of intensity and motivation every night, it can be in any game. The squad showed the captain a spark Wednesday night, and he hopes it continues. "To have the ability to bounce back from this weekend, from a tough loss and getting the W shows a lot of character," Cleary said. "We can feed off this and get a lot of momentum."
Ten years ago, School of Medicine Professor Linc Sonenshein received a phone call from the then Chief of the Division of Geographic Medicine, Dr. Gerald Keusch. Keusch had just returned from a meeting sponsored by the World Health Organization about the vaccination of children and was excited to speak with his colleague about one of the biggest problems facing vaccinations in the developing world: the lack of refrigeration. The phone call led to a research collaboration on one of the world's most pressing scientific problems. Together the two began discussing the creation of a vaccine in spore format, which would allow it to be stored at room temperature. After two years of work, the project had to be dropped. "[We] had to give up because of lack of funding for such an unorthodox idea," Sonenshein said. But the research was only halted temporarily. This past June, Sonenshein's project proposal was one of 43 selected out of 1,600 for funding by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as part of an initiative called Grand Challenges in Global Health. The $5 million grant means that Sonenshein and a team of scientists are now trying to introduce the genes that code antibody-making proteins into bacterial spores, which Sonenshein called "the most durable biological entities known." The bacteria with which the team is working is Bacillus subtilis, a bacteria found in dirt. The genetically modified bacteria, now containing DNA that will produce antibody-making proteins in the human body, can be stored in spore form. "The dried spores can be shipped all over the world in packets and kept on the shelf almost infinitely," Sonenshein said. Sonenshein has so far worked on vaccines for diptheria and tetanus and is planning to add whooping cough and rotavirus to the list. If the project is successful, "when someone needs to be vaccinated, a packet of spores can be opened, the spores poured into a glass of water or other liquid and then drunk down," Sonenshein said. Sonenshein is working on the project with Keusch, who is now the Associate Provost for Public Health at Boston University, Saul Tzipori from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and School of Medicine colleague Miguel Stadecker. The grant is given by the Gates Foundation and administered by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. According to Sonenshein, "both foundations have stipulated that the fruits of this research must be made freely available for use in the developing world."
Condoleezza Rice carried Dick Cheney?s water to Europe this week, confirming what has become clear to many observers over the past three years: the halls of power and the tender embrace of a simple cowboy have stripped Rice of her principles as a scholar and of her moral backbone. Since her conversion from academic offensive realism to evangelical liberalism between 2002 and 2003, Rice has essentially adopted the disdain for objective facts that characterizes the rest of the Bush administration. She has become as blind in her support of American foreign policy as any member of the Bush team. Rice?s speech in support of torture on Monday showed more vividly than ever before the depths of her commitment to the party line. When Rice, in the same speech, both denied that the United States tortures suspected terrorists and defended the practice, she forfeited any claim to a possession of reason, morality or credibility. She claimed specifically that torture is necessary because some detainees have ?information that may save lives, even thousands of lives.? What she doesnt mention is that torture is more likely than not to yield faulty intelligence, much of which was used by the Bush administration to start a war that has indeed cost thousands of lives. Rice is undoubtedly aware of this and other amoral arguments against torture. She must know that it contributes to a radicalization of conflict, decreases American prestige worldwide and especially in the Middle East, and will likely boost terrorist recruitment. These arguments are ignored for the sake of George Bush?s noble name. That Rice ignores the moral argument against terror is not surprising, but it does present an odd juxtaposition with her willingness to sacrifice American lives for the sake of human rights, democracy, and the spread of American values. Either Condoleezza Rice is foolish enough that torture actually makes her feel more secure, or she has abandoned her values and subscribed to the groupthink of the Bush administration. It would be unfair to the former Stanford provost to attribute to her such a lack of intelligence, wisdom and knowledge. She has simply sold out.
I will be the first to admit it - I am an overachiever. Every night, I write myself a long to-do list of the things that I absolutely have to accomplish the next day, and no matter how exhausted, I don't stop until every last item is checked off. And as much as I realize that this behavior is ridiculous and pushes the line of obsessive compulsive disorder, that's just the way I am. As you can imagine, this also means that every day, I'm stressed out, tense and flustered. Ask any of my friends - they'll probably tell you that they tell me to calm down ad nauseum. Through the progression of this first semester of my sophomore year, my stress level has steadily increased. I realized that I could no longer use the "I'm a freshman and I just got here" card, but at the same time, I couldn't play the "I'm a senior and I frankly don't care anymore" card, either. When I turned my declaration of major form into Dowling, I almost felt as though there was no turning back. Suddenly I was starting to make important decisions - study abroad applications amassed on my desk and my parents were starting to question me about my plans after Tufts. Add this to classes and the other things that I'd over-committed myself to and it's safe to say that I was starting to go crazy. Pretty soon I was starting to form unsafe addictions to caffeine, nicotine, Advil and Nyquil - all legal, yes, but dangerous nonetheless. Slowly but surely, I was reaching a burned-out breaking point without even realizing it. I suppose I'd grown accustomed to the pressure. It wasn't until a few days ago that I realized the damage I was doing to myself. During a marathon study session at Tisch in which I was being sustained solely by large cups of coffee, I abruptly shut my Constitutional Law textbook and decided that I couldn't physically look at anything academic anymore. So I did what I usually do - walk home in a frenzied panic and IM half my Buddy List to share my latest frustrations. When I heard many variations of the words "I'm really worried about you" and "You're starting to scare me," I decided that I'd gone too far. I relegated myself to my bed and tried to think of all the things I'd already accomplished at my time at Tufts, both academic and non-academic. I'd made a lot of new friends. I'd explored Boston. I'd stayed up (or stayed out) all night and watched the sunrise. I'd done crazy things on the rooftop of Tisch. Mental breakdowns aside, I really did have a lot to be happy about. So why was I putting myself through such frustration? Yet somehow, I felt no catharsis. I felt like I had to do something, to break away from the stress that had turned into a crippling vice on my sanity and outlook on life. Which brings me to the entire point of this rambling. Naked Quad Run. An evening when shame goes out the window, when somehow every awkward friendship you've ever had with anyone is forever solidified because you've see them running around with no clothes on. Alcohol is consumed like water and inhibitions mean nothing. Sounds like a great time, but surprisingly, I didn't run Naked Quad Run last year. As long as I'm being honest about my many addictions, I'll just admit right now that I started drinking at the ripe hour of 7:00 and soon found myself in no state to move, let alone take off my clothes. Besides, I'd decided a few days earlier that running around naked in the freezing cold with 3,000 other Tufts students while the townies watched just wasn't my style. For 13 years, I'd attended one of the most selective, elite private schools in Texas whose student population included the likes of Tommy Lee Jones' and Sean Elliot's daughters. In addition to being stuck-up to an alarming extent, we were all rigid, proper children. We were taught to say "ma'am" and "sir," to hold doors open for people, even how to organize silverware at a fancy dinner table. Needless to say, intense intoxication and all that goes with it were never in my education. Although everyone who knows me will tell you that I'm the least conservative person ever, I just couldn't see myself willingly engaging in something as out-of-control as the Naked Quad Run. But that was then and this is now. It's time to let go, dammit, and if it means streaking through the quad of Tufts University completely naked, then so be it. I'm not just writing this viewpoint for myself. This is for anyone who's ever felt like setting fire to their books and stepping outside to scream. This is for anyone who's ever been told that one day soon, they're going to turn into Jessie Spano on "Saved by the Bell" ("Jessie, those pills are dangerous!"). This is for anyone who's sick of the library and sick of typing, writing, reading and highlighting. That's right. I'm talking to you. Naked Quad Run is more than just the biggest night of drunken debauchery at Tufts. It's a time for all of us to release our inhibitions and realize that time is slipping by. Pretty soon, the only concrete memory we'll have from Tufts is a diploma. And though we may have fantastic jobs and make an exorbitant amount of money, do we want to look back and think that we arrived at our place in life because we were insane stress cases? Absolutely not. In the words of Ferris Bueller, life moves pretty fast, and if you don't slow down, you could miss it. So to all of you Red Bull-drinking insomniacs: Trade in your caffeine for a handle of vodka and let that kid who sits next to you in class every day see who you really are. Live your life. Do something crazy. Free yourself. And for the rest of you - I'll see you on Friday night. With no clothes on and absolutely nothing to worry about.Courtney Chua is a sophomore majoring in Political Science.
It is widely known on campus that an African-American, female TUPD Officer was brutally assaulted by a drunk Tufts student the night before Thanksgiving. It is also known that as he was attacking her, he shouted out racial and homophobic epithets including "ni-er, fa-ot, Jew boy and fat Italian-American f-k." It was published in Wednesday's Daily that the student was expelled, but has Bacow said anything to us about this yet? Perhaps he is currently drafting his letter to the Tufts community. While some of you may feel disappointed or even outraged that these events continue to happen on our Tufts campus, I thought that it would be appropriate to bring my top eight "good" things about Tufts to light by this situation:8. It's a good thing that we have to use sarcasm to make light of serious issues or else we would have to find another way to get your attention.7. It's a good thing that the administration is so confrontational about racism and ignorance or else the minority community might feel isolated from the "rest" of the student body.6. It's a good thing that the University has not implemented the Asian-American Studies program or else we would have to hire more faculty of color.5. It's a good thing that certain student leaders who represent our student body want to stop printing the Bias Report at the end of each semester because it "hurts" our reputation, or else we might actually make progress on bringing about awareness.4. It's a good thing that getting drunk excuses belligerent racist or homophobic behavior or else there might actually be consequences to one's actions.3. It's a good thing that police officers are safe on campus or else we would be sh-t out of luck. 2. It's a good thing that the administration continues to keep us informed on what's going on around campus or else we have to put a viewpoint in the Daily.1. It's a good thing that I go to Tufts or else I would actually have to think about this behavior happening without reproach or comment in an institution of higher learning that prides itself in opening minds and encouraging tolerance and understanding. I hope my sarcasm sharpens your awareness of these incidents all of which are important and deserve immediate attention. These issues need to be addressed not only by the administration but also by the student body. My sincere request is that you take ownership of these problems and start to make a positive change on our campus, beginning with yourself.Zoe Gibson is a junior majoring in child development.
In a world of terrorism and unknown threats, how far would you go to create a world of perfect peace and happiness? Would you be able to torture one child to save mankind? Ivan Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky's realist and atheist from "The Brothers Karamazov," has challenged international leaders and societies with this paradox of torture, and I challenge you. A yes implies the justification of torture; the torture of the innocent. By permitting the destruction of the innocent, are we preventing the destruction of mankind? What are the implications of torturing the innocent? Are there exceptions to permit torture? Those who practice it tell us that this is the price that needs to be paid by the suffering few in order to guarantee happiness to the rest of society, the enormous majority given security and well-being by those horrors inflicted in some dark cellar. Nevertheless, I would say no to torture; whether we are facing the end of the world or the possibility of saving lives, there is an inherent problem with saying yes to Karamazov. Are you willing to take the responsibility of destroying peace? Karamazov's question initially challenged me because it is a conundrum that I had to consciously analyze before finding my answer. On the one hand, we are faced with the potential happiness for mankind and the rest of eternity, but on the other, it is at the expense of an innocent victim. I would become what I fear most: a torturer. Similar to the torturer, I would be eliminating the difference between the guilty and the innocent. It is frightening to think that the countless citizens in the world who, if confronted by Karamazov's challenge would consciously be able to accept that their desire for peace and prosperity would come in the expense of an innocent child's horrifying nightmare. But I offer you the only reality: it is too high of a price to consider the conscious mind of accepting such a sacrifice. What if the one person that has to be tortured is guilty? What if peace and prosperity comes by torturing a man who has committed mass murder? Would the answer to Karamazov's question still be a no? When faced with such a challenge, I suggest you think of Beslan. Beslan was the most horrific terrorist act by a group of "freedom fighters" who massacred children. They tried justifying their act stating that if these children were sacrificed, their people, who were undermined and possibly tortured as well, would attain freedom and prosperity. But is this freedom? We are creating a world where there is no separation of innocent bystanders anymore; even children are obvious targets creating a limitless climate of fear. What if we decide we can in fact become a torturer just once; it makes sense since we are beginning to think like most torturers. They, just like us, do not think of themselves as evil but as guardians of the common good who are dedicated enough to get their hands dirty and endure perhaps some sleepless nights in order to deliver eventual peace. Sometimes, is it okay to live with Dirty Hands? We can justify our actions by feeling guilty later; sometimes we have to think of the tasks at hand and worry about the repercussions later. Maybe we can accept certain types of torture; but what are its limits? How is torture measured? Is it a verbal insult, a slap in the face, or physical abuse only? Does the circumstance define the level of torture and willingness to act? What about terrorism? Sometimes we try to define the evils in the world, and though torturing is evil, there is greater evil. The United States has used questionable methods of interrogating detainees to find answers in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. They differentiated torture and interrogation for a more state-protective definition. In other words, we accepted the American soldiers humiliating Iraqi detainees because they used lighter means of torturing. But is there a distinction? It is internationally agreed that torture should not be permitted, but is it an option based on necessity? Charles Fried, the Harvard law professor, says that if we're to save mankind then it would be justified to torture - but does that mean torturing a terrorist's innocent child? It is a troublesome point because it allows man to do anything if it deemed necessary to prevent trouble from brewing. Torture should never be justified, no matter what the reason. While people argue that there is always one exception, I do not think there are any legitimate excuses. Karamazov creates a scenario where many would argue the outcome outweighs the scenario; one would suffer moral guilt if they are the reason there isn't peace in the world, but I think the price makes one's hands too dirty. Torturing an innocent child for the greater good is inconceivable; no matter what the reasoning. We must set precedence by creating standards and regulations that abolish torture altogether; if we accept even one scenario of torturing the innocent, we are one step closer to creating the climate of fear. The outcome of torturing an innocent child will never bring peace and prosperity, only misery and guilt. It is imperative to maintain the rejection of torture; it is not a last resort, but rather, an unthinkable option.Ajaita Shah is a senior majoring in international relations.
Last month students at Tufts competed against each other for "Do-It-In-The-Dark" and the chance to win a free party for their dorm. As an Eco-Representative for Tufts I've found that many students are enthusiastic about reducing their energy consumption, but a larger percentage of students prefer to ignore this campus-wide effort and instead revel in the free glow of the glow-in-the-dark condoms. Who is really doing it in the dark at Tufts? A number of Tufts students have signed an energy pledge that lists out ways to reduce their energy consumption. The pledge lists simple things like turning off their computer or lights as good measures to reducing energy consumption. Switching to compact fluorescents is another popular option for those who are lucky enough to get their hands on the free bulbs distributed by the Tufts Climate Initiative. The majority of Tufts buildings already use fluorescents as part of a dedication to the Kyoto Protocol for the school's emissions. Students can easily follow suit and screw in a new bulb. These wacky little bulbs not only last for about two years, but use only one third the electricity the traditional incandescent bulbs most of our desk lamps require. As of 2004, approximately three thousand bulbs had been distributed over campus. Maybe it's time for students to turn on the lights and ask for a campus-wide trade in of incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescents. Although Do-It-In-The-Dark is officially over, reducing energy consumption on campus should be more than a month-long venture into the realm of environmentally friendly behavior. This fall and winter as energy prices soar, everyone can do their part to use less heat, not just to save on the Tufts energy bill, but to contribute to our environment as global citizens. Tufts' dedication to creating global citizens makes it the ideal breeding ground for an environmentally conscious student body. It is not enough for school sponsored programs to promote and encourage energy efficient policies. Students at Tufts must be responsible for making the changes in their lives and their dorm rooms. For students living off campus it's easier to see why efficiency works to everyone's advantage. When the high bills come back, the incentive to save should be even higher. The Tufts campus will be better off the sooner Jumbos learn to save energy. Tufts' goal of creating global citizens cannot be realized merely through classroom activities. Creating a generation of informed and responsible citizens who respect the environment is only possible through increased involvement from students with the cooperation of the administration.Rebecca Dunlevy is a freshman who has yet to declare a major.
When Shakira dropped "Fijaci??® ?ral, Vol. 1" last June, it wasn't the long awaited follow-up to 2001's smash album "Laundry Service" that many American Shakira fans were expecting. Not that "Fijaci??® ?ral, Vol. 1" wasn't an ambitious and grandiose record (it was), but the non-English lyrics that graced the album may have been lost on the U.S. CD-buying public (although "Laundry Service" did have several tracks with Spanish lyrics). Consequently, Shakira didn't rack up the sales numbers that she may have expected. Rectifying this dilemma, she has now released the album's sequel, English-language "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2." It's hard not to be mesmerized by Shakira as a performer. Her belly dancing and hip gyrations are cobra-like and exotic and her vocals evocative. After years of international acclaim, she stormed through to U.S. success in 2001. Her tangy singles (and videos) "Whenever, Wherever" and "Objection (Tango)" and a headlining tour (at the hockey arena level) showed her to be one of the most vigorous performers around. She has also proved herself to be a risk taker. While she could have easily followed the formula of "Laundry Service" - which would have guaranteed more mainstream chart success - she instead employs a myriad of styles and instrumental arrangements. As both "Oral Fixation" releases prove, she is not coy about experimenting. The album opener "How Do You Do" features Shakira flanked by a chorus with lyrics entwined in religious overtones that make you wonder if Shakira has been spinning some old Charlotte Church CDs in her spare time. Shakira chases away any fears of placidness as she gets down and dirty on "Don't Bother" (the CD's first single), turning catty and sarcastic over another female who rivals her for the attention of her "significant other." Elsewhere, Shakira proves that she has not lost a bit of her sassiness and ability to share her raw feelings. She throws out some subtle anti-war statements in the distinctive "Timor" (a loose reference to embattled nation East Timor). On the ferocious cut "Animal City," she refers to planet Earth as a "cannibal world" in a somewhat cynically laced view of life. Her collaboration with Carlos Santana on "Illegal" offers some interesting, yet unpredicted, results. Those expecting the Santana from "Smooth," with its burning, forceful solos, may be surprised. With its slow tempo, "Illegal" seems restrained, while atmospheric backing licks and solos from Santana emphasize a mournful tale of rejection. Crooning about a failed relationship (in other words... he dumped her) Shakira sorrowfully speaks of unkind sentiments concerning an ex-beau and is ripe with accusations of insensitivity. She opines, "You don't even know the meaning of the words 'I'm sorry,'" while intertwining her pain with "Jagged Little Pill"-like statements ("You said you would love me until you died / and as far as I know you're still alive"). "Illegal" certainly makes for one of the more haunting moments on "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2." A notoriously hands-on artist, the record lists Shakira as a producer. But she hardly acted alone; the fingerprints of production guru Rick Rubin (hot off working with Neil Diamond on his much ballyhooed "12 Songs") are all over "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2," and he certainly fuels the powerful tone and sound of the record. His mere presence on the album adds to the credibility of the project. While "Oral Fixation, Vol. 2" may not be what many were expecting of Shakira, especially not those who still remember her as the hip-shaking temptress of the convenience store clerk in her Pepsi commercial from a couple years back. It is a solid piece of work and one of the more intelligent and ambitious efforts we have seen in the past year.
