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The Setonian
News

Clapton and friends are still 'Cream' of the crop

October 31

If you're an Eric Clapton fan you probably have not been too keen on his laidback products from the past few years. Sure, he's had a lot of solo success (due in large part to his Grammy sweep in 1993) but his legacy is rooted in his days with the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreaker and, most prominently, Cream. Cream, who virtually invented the power trio, had a brief existence in the mid-to-late '60s and was the inspiration for a horde of sometimes lesser talents that tried to borrow their mix of blues, psychedelia and hard rock. The group folded in 1968 and, save for a brief set at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction a decade ago, Clapton had allegedly been ducking the prospect of a Cream reunion for some time. But it appears that he has decided to face his past, agreeing to a handful of gigs at London's Royal Albert Hall (the site of their last show in '68) this past May, the footage from which comprises this new live DVD set. This DVD captures the band's performances over a couple of different nights at the London shows and presents the trio - all now nearing Social Security age - as raw, skilled, and quite the elder-statesmen. Bassist Jack Bruce, who has had health issues of late, stands alongside Clapton as they gallantly relive Cream's glory days. Bruce is a commanding performer, handling the majority of the band's lead vocals, and is such a presence that one wonders why he did not have as rich a solo career as his more illustrious band mate. Bruce's cavernous, poignant vocals are still intact, and shine on Cream classics "I'm So Glad" and "Politician." Likewise his shared vocal trades with Clapton on the oft-covered "Sunshine of Your Love" and "White Room" are mesmerizing. Clapton has clearly left his laidback image at home; the DVD footage reminds us why he will always have a place on the Mount Rushmore of great guitarists. Yet while Clapton does let loose, especially compared to recent years, he's still a bit restrained and does not really let his Fender rip until the final moments of "White Room" - which is a tad disappointing, as the wah-wah pedal effect on the song's original version was a unique invitation to the psychedelic world that Cream helped create. It would have been amazing to see Clapton fully recreate that live. But then again, knowing Clapton's history, revisiting his psychedelic days may not be among his favorite trips down memory lane. Some better recollections for Clapton certainly come from his notable love for the blues. He really stands out on the band's cover of blues icon Robert Johnson's "Crossroads." Clapton's passionate delivery still makes him sound like the enthusiastic 20-something he was when Cream originally covered the song. He also does a remarkable job on the George Harrison-penned "Badge." Though not as consummate as the original version, which featured some great guest guitar work from Harrison, it still conveys the passionate "where the hell did my life go" philosophizing that Harrison was a master of. Not to be outdone, Cream drummer Ginger Baker also seizes the spotlight on occasion and certainly makes the most of his limited time as front-man. His rendering (one could not really say "singing") of "Pressed Rat & Warthog" is still interesting in an Edgar Allen Poe type of way - even if it does permanently reek of 1968 - but it is in his drum solo workout on "Toad" where he makes his mark. Several years before Led Zeppelin's John Bonham would make "Moby Dick" his concert centerpiece, Baker laid the blueprint to all drummers for how not to get lost in a sea of overwhelming talent. Was the wait worth it? Sure was. Just the fact that all the members of the band are still alive and healthy is a feat in itself. Knowing that Cream can pick up after all these years is not only a nod to their talent, but also proof that their music holds the same power that it did thirty years ago. If you're not convinced, refer to the scene in "Goodfellas" when Robert DeNiro gives a menacing glance to an associate he is apparently going to "whack." DeNiro never says a word, but as the heavy riff from "Sunshine of Your Love" kicks in just as he initiates his murderous stare, you just know what is going to transpire. It would be good if this string of shows will set the stage for a full Cream reunion tour. If not, this spectacular DVD will certainly more than suffice as a great, if long awaited, encore.

The Setonian
News

Glocal Economics | Ethics and Economics

October 31

According to the Bureau of Statistics of the International Labor Organization (ILO), in 2000, about one-fifth of all children under 15 years of age had jobs and about 171 million of children ages five to 17 were working under hazardous conditions. The occurrence of child labor is often thought to be associated with at least one of the following two factors: poverty and/or capital market failure. The occurrence of child labor is clearly dependent on a family's financial needs. Children become child laborers when doing so is a matter of family survival, not because they want to. In fact, economists have said there is a strong negative correlation between per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the participation of children in the labor force. In other words, as average income rises, the occurrence of child labor decreases. This relationship tells us that in order to decrease child labor we have to increase average income. Any policy which results in a decrease in average income is counter-productive. The lack of access to capital markets for most low income families in the developing world is another cause of child labor. Without access to capital markets families who need to borrow money have no choice but to enter into bonded labor contracts where they put their labor or children's labor as collateral for a loan. The problem is that this further reduces the availability of capital markets. Banks are unlikely to lend money if they know that families can obtain a second loan by bonding their labor. The bank has a higher default risk than the bondholder since it is easier for the bondholder to enforce the loan agreement than for the bank to do so. Thus, increasing the availability of capital markets and outlawing bonded contracts would help reduce the occurrence of child labor. Another intuitively-appealing solution to the problem of child labor is the creation and enforcement of international labor standards. The International Labor Organization has been advocating for labor standards since 1919. It has put out various 'conventions' and 'recommendations' on human rights. But these conventions are non binding and so while many countries have signed them, no progress has really been made. The problem is that many countries do not mind ratifying broad non binding conventions but are reticent to sign specific and binding agreements which could subject them to sanctions by the World Trade Organization (WTO). One reason why it has been difficult for countries to agree on labor standards is that cultural norms and level of economic development vary from country to country. In addition, developing countries feel that they should not have to agree to labor standards when countries such as the United States did not have such standards in place towards the beginning of the twentieth century. But the discussion of labor standards is, in my opinion, over the existence of natural rights in the workplace and not over their relation to socio-economic factors. Thus, whether the United States did not have standards in the past is irrelevant. What is important, however, is to learn from the past failure of various countries to implement labor standards. We know that worker productivity begins to decrease after a 40-hour workweek. We know that a lack of education in the early years of child's life will greatly affect her cognitive abilities and her future earning power. Therefore, in my opinion, labor standards must be implemented and enforced. But this can only be done if countries can be given an incentive to ameliorate working conditions. It seems to me that labor standards and international trade are inextricably linked. As a result, one of the main obstacles to implementing labor laws is the lack of coordination between countries. Consider the following example: A country wants to raise labor standards in its import competing sector. But for a small country, the price of the good is fixed on the world market. This means that the cost of increasing labor standards is born solely by the producer. Because domestic producers cannot raise their prices, they cannot pass on the cost of labor laws to consumers. This means that they become less competitive relative to foreign firms. Without the harmonization of labor standards, countries have an incentive to reduce labor standards since doing so would increase the competitiveness of their import competing and their export sectors. This is not the case, however, if countries simultaneously raise labor standards. In this situation, the world supply decreases thus allowing producers to raise their prices and thus pass some of the cost of labor standards to consumers. The problem is that the current WTO charter does not reward countries for implementing labor standards. In fact, the current WTO rules discourage developing countries from increasing labor standards. When countries join the WTO they have to agree to permanently lower tariffs and other barriers to trade. When they do so, they give up the policy tools usually used to protect their import competing sectors. Since raising labor standards decreases competitiveness and countries cannot increase barriers to trade, they cannot ameliorate the position of domestic producers. Therefore, if we are committed to an increase in labor standards we should lobby to get the United States to push for a change in the WTO charter to include the following mechanism advocated by Bagwell and Steiger. They argue that since when countries join the WTO they agree to maintain a certain level of market access, countries should be allowed to readjust their tariffs when changes in domestic policy lead to a change in market access. Countries should be allowed to increase tariffs when they increase labor standards. This would remove any penalties from increasing labor standards while keeping market access unchanged.Samuel Ronfard is a senior majoring in philosophy and economics.

The Setonian
News

Sara Franklin | Oh My! Sex Straight Up

October 31

I love songs about sex. Most of the time, however, they're all saying the same thing - "let's get it on." Some are sweet and soften you up, and some are lewd, crude and get straight to the point. How many times can we possibly listen to the same sort of song? When you really want to hear something original and sexy, it can be hard to find. My friend Nikki went through her arsenal of sex songs (yes, she has one, and at least one song for every sex mood there is) and found that some songs have subtle messages that we might miss if we're too busy listening to the "Ooh baby, your backside is so fine" or the "Boy, I'm the best rider you'll ever know" type songs. Sometimes it's those lyrics in between the choruses that count. Here is her list of ten great sex-related songs you might have missed. 1. "Let's Talk About Sex" by Salt N Pepa: "Don't decoy, avoid or make void the topic / Cuz that ain't gonna stop it / Let's tell it like it is and how it could be / How it was, and of course, how it should be" - Chances are you've heard the catchy chorus, but did you really listen? Lucky for you if you didn't. There's no hidden message here. Communication beforehand is one the many keys to great sex and great relationships. Don't be bashful about being honest. It might just save you from emotional scars or a trip to the doctor. 2. "Justify my Love" by Madonna: "I wanna kiss you in Paris / I wanna hold your hand in Rome / I wanna run naked in a rainstorm / Make love in a train cross-country" - While the thrill of getting caught in public can be exciting, having the privacy to get down and dirty, one on one, makes it more relaxing. You won't have to justify letting the kink out behind closed doors. 3. "2 become 1" by Spice Girls: "Be a little bit wiser baby / Put it on, put it on" - The girls want to get it on, get it on, but there ain't no love without the glove. Always use protection when becoming one in the sack. Whether you're sporty, posh, ginger or scary, don't be a baby about it. Put it on. 4. "I Want Your Sex" by George Michael: "What's your definition of dirty, baby? / What do you consider pornography?" - Know your limits and those of your partner. You might be more inclined to tear those walls down together (naked) if you both respect them first. After that, you might be able to write a whole dictionary on "dirty." 5. "Darling Nikki" by Prince: "I knew a girl named Nikki / I guess you could say she was a sex fiend / I met her in a hotel lobby / Masturbating with a magazine / She took me to her castle / And I just couldn't believe my eyes / She had so many devices / Everything that money could buy" - Take matters into your own hands and give yourself what you deserve. Buy yourself a present. Your prince or princess probably won't mind joining in when you want to play with it. 6. "Date Rape" by Sublime: "The moral of the date rape story / It does not pay to be drunk and horny." I just threw in this unsexy song because I hate it. It's an awful joke about how without date rape, he'd never get laid. Thankfully the song ends with these lyrics. 7. "She Has a Girlfriend Now" by Reel Big Fish: "She said, 'Guys don't do no more for me' / She don't need nobody to be her man" - Sorry boys, sometimes a girl is just her own best friend. That's all there is to it. 8. "Jungle Love" by Steve Miller Band: "Jungle love in the surf in the pouring rain / Everything's better when wet" - In dreams, water is a symbol for sex, and here's why: without some sort of lubrication, it just doesn't work. Ouch. Everyone benefits from a quick lube and tune up. You could do it manually or buy something that will do it automatically. Then you can really let your engines rev. 9. "Untitled" by D'angelo: "How does it feel / Said I wanna know how does it feel" - This one is great to listen to while actually in bed. Since it's always nice to ask how your partner is feeling, why not let D'angelo do the talking for you? It's especially convenient for those times when you're with someone new and you're getting an anatomy lesson of their nether regions. If you're lucky, he/she will hear these lines and automatically respond, "Keep up the good work!" 10. "Pink" by Aerosmith: "Pink - it's my new obsession / Pink - it's not even a question / Pink on the lips of your lover / 'Cause Pink is the love you discover" - Be passionate about pink. It's not a chore. Foreplay is an integral part of sex and shouldn't be ignored. We could all take a lesson from Steven Tyler and these words... and those lips. Oh how I wouldn't mind learning a thing or two or three with that mouth... Well those are her appetizers before the main course that follows. Keep your eyes and ears open for other delicious ones you might be missing. If you've never heard one of these songs, I suggest you go out and, as long as you're getting it on, well...

The Setonian
News

Glocal Economics | International Investor

October 31

Corruption and deceit are hardly what an investor looks for in an international market for investment, but Brazil's financial markets have prospered despite accusations of corruption against many prominent members of government. Brazil's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew nearly five percent last year, giving its financial growth a much greater potential than most well-established economies. That potential is being met as the nation's stock markets have risen 11 percent since the beginning of the year. Though this number may not seem extraordinary when compared to other emerging markets, it does not take into account the spectacular rise in value of the real, Brazil's currency. In terms of the U.S. dollars, the market has risen over 30 percent since the beginning of the year. In the last two years the Bovespa Index - composed of the 57 most liquid stocks on the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange - has risen approximately 70 percent in value. During the same period the Dow Jones had a return of less than ten percent. The appreciation of the real makes return even greater from the perspective of an international investor. The country's strong currency has been a strong factor in encouraging investment from abroad, driving up the value of the country's financial markets. Brazil is among word leaders in real interest rates, leading foreigners to invest their money with a country that will provide much higher yields. Brazil's economy is centered on exports. With a $40 billion trade surplus forecast this year, there is a strong demand for Brazilian currency. These issues, unfortunately, can be problematic for people actually living in Brazil. High interest rates make it difficult for individuals and businesses to secure loans, making them over reliant on foreign investment. The enormous trade surplus further demonstrates Brazil's reliance on the global economy. Their corporations will only prosper as long as they have foreign countries purchasing their goods. On Sept. 19, Brazil opened a new avenue for foreign investment, selling its first international bonds in its own currency. The bonds raised the equivalent of $1.5 billion for the Brazilian government. The ten-year bonds are very attractive to investors as they pay a yield of 12.75 percent, whereas the United States' Ten-Year Note currently pays a yield of less than 4.5 percent. If the real continues to appreciate significantly, the actual gains to investors will be even greater. The yields would not be so high if it was not for the inherent risk with such a bond. Though Brazil has been able to keep inflation in check as of recent, it could return. A repeat of last decade's hyperinflation inflation would render these recently issued bonds virtually worthless. There are several ways for an American to invest in Brazil quite easily. One is through the aforementioned government bonds. For someone looking for something more risky with has produced greater returns recently, there are promising mutual funds and an exchange traded fund. The biggest fund is Fidelity Latin America (FLATX) with over $1.3 billion in assets. In the past year it has had over a 65 percent return. There are a few other large Latin American funds, but they all have had similar returns (65 to 70 percent) over the past 12 months. There is an exchange traded fund that has a specific focus on Brazil: the iShares MSCI Brazil Index (EWZ), which has had a nearly 60 percent return in the previous 12 months. As long as Brazil continues to provide these extraordinary returns, domestic as well as foreign investors will continue to speculate on the nation's markets. Though the potential may be great, this haven for investment will only continue to flourish for as long as investors feel they can trust the stability of a country whose government has been mired in controversy.Michael Trachtenberg is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major.

The Setonian
News

Meredith Pickett | The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You

October 31

OK folks, we need to have a talk. It snowed on Saturday. And while it wasn't exactly a blizzard, it was legitimate snow, and it stuck to the ground. And it was very cold that night (as I'm sure all of you freshmen in the skanky angel costumes can attest to. Score one for the modest girls!). There is only one answer to this strange phenomenon. Global warming. That's right. Global warming is no longer a myth. It's here, and it's here to stay. Down in H-town, Texas (which is still in mourning from being swept... Come on 'Stros. Where's your offense?) we don't really care about global warning. 'Cause when it's 102 degrees and 100 percent humidity, what's a few more degrees going to do? Let me tell you, there is not a difference between 102 and 105. You're already half naked, drenched in sweat, and your hair is frizzing out of control. So you might as well pollute as much as you want, because I mean, hey, we like bikinis! But we are being selfish when we think about global warming. Because contrary to popular belief, it does not simply mean that the warm places are going to get warmer. It also means that the cold places are going to get colder. This brings me to Tufts, and our little snowstorm on Saturday. Last year it snowed in mid November, this year late October, what's next? September? Handing out brown and blue Jumbo scarves instead of Nalgenes to freshmen during orientation? "Hi, welcome to Tufts, remember to bundle up! And don't worry, we'll turn on the heat...eventually." I'm guessing that all of the bright prospective Tufts students will cut their losses and go to Duke or Vanderbilt. Colby, Bowdoin and Bates will just shut their doors for good. And then no one will ever have a reason to go to Maine! The repercussions of global warming will stretch further than just colleges. Every single old person will move to Florida, and it will become just like New York, except with beaches. The cute small towns south of the Mason-Dixon line will be bought up and developed, bringing with them shopping malls and Wal-Marts (wait, Southern small towns? They already have Wal-Marts, what am I talking about?). Everyone who has moved from the South to the North in the past 150 years will move back. Little kids growing up in Boston will say, "One day. One day I can grow up, go to Rice, and thaw my freezing body. One day I can be Southern too!" Is this really what we want? Do we want to be polarized by not only political preferences, but weather as well? A large Minnesota on top, and a tropical oasis on bottom? And we haven't even discussed the effects global warming will have on the rest of the world. This is mostly because although I am in Environmental Biology, I am addicted to Sudoku and my notes are spotty at best. (Darn Sudoku is ruining my GPA! Thanks a lot, Tufts Daily. Thanks a lot.) But from what I remember from class that day, things are melting. Like glaciers. Do we really want our glaciers to melt? Glaciers are cool! (Ok, I'm almost positive that's not what our professor said in class, but it's true.) So basically, I don't know anything about global warming, but I do know that it is bad, and it is the only explanation that I can come up with for the snow on Saturday. Because when I came to Tufts, I did not sign up for nuclear winter. They should put that in the freaking brochure. And if I transfer... you know why. Students of Tufts, rise up and take a stand on Global Warming! You can make a difference! Get yourself some political efficacy! (And it's official; I spent way too much time studying for my American Politics midterm.) Garage your SUVs, write your congressmen, and close down your factories. Do you hate lying out on the quad in your bathing suit? Do you want to wander down Professors Row in snow boots instead of impractical heels? Do you want to have to drink vodka to keep warm? (Don't answer that.) In conclusion, global warming is bad, and it will ruin your college career, and quite possibly your life. Let's keep Tufts awesome, not frigid. Our school is too cool to be... well, too cool.Meredith Pickett is a sophomore majoring in History. Se can be reached via e-mail at Meredith.Pickett@tufts.edu.

The Setonian
News

Small-scale technology has large impact

October 29

From the planes Tufts students take into Boston, to the cell phones permanently attached to their ears, to the timers in the microwaves they use to heat up their dinners, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) technology plays a behind-the-scenes role in students' lives. Outside of its ubiquitous presence in computer science classrooms, CAD technology, according to Associate Professor of Computer Science Soha Hassoun and other industry experts, will be the tiny factor driving a large and impending revolution in new technology. CAD technology - a wide range of computer-based tools used to assist engineers, architects and other professionals in their design activities - operates behind the scenes. Rather than being featured in flashy new designs, it helps to create those new designs. For example, CAD tools play a role in the development of intricate integrated circuits in laptops, phones, cars and stereos. CAD technology also aids in the development of massive 747 airplanes by enabling engineers to create detailed simulation and analysis of each component - as Civil and Environmental Engineering Senior Lecturer Lee Minardi knows firsthand. "I worked on creating a CAD model of a T-38 fighter jet," said Minardi, who fell in love with CAD technology while a graduate student at Tufts (he graduated in 1969). "Every aircraft has a signature on radar. To find out what that signature is, so they can tell what plane they're looking at on radar, they can build a physical model and put it in a anechoic [soundproof] chamber and bombard it with radio waves." Minardi, however, was involved in building a CAD model that rendered the physical one unnecessary. "I was involved creating a simulation so that they could do this on the computer," said the lecturer, who worked in the CAD industry for 18 years before coming to Tufts to teach in 1990. Minardi has also used CAD technology to effectively communicate environmental concerns: He created a CAD representation of a seven-mile stretch of the PCB-contaminated Housatonic River in Western Massachusetts, complete with signposts indicating the levels of contamination in different areas of the river. "It was a question of how to convey the extent of PCB contamination - the way the PCB moves, how it travels - to laypeople," Minardi said. CAD technology itself is not new: "I've been working with CAD for 30 years," Minardi said. But because of what it enables engineers to do, CAD plays a large role in the development of new products and technologies. "You can capture 3-D geometry and 4-D animation and make changes to it much more easily than you could with a series of 2-D drawings," Minardi said, adding that CAD representations can be useful for "a wide range of applications." Hassoun recently chaired the International Conference on Computer-Aided Design (ICCAD), which highlighted advances in CAD tools for both traditional and futuristic technologies. As Hassoun pointed out, the use of CAD in integrated circuits has existed for over three decades, though it is still being fine-tuned. "The task of placing millions of building blocks - the transistors - and connecting them on a small area is daunting," she said. "Ideally, a designer should specify the desired functionality and performance specification, and, presto, out comes a detailed integrated circuit design ready for manufacturing." Hassoun added, however, that "that is not the case." Instead, the typical design flow is more complex. First, engineers must specify a design using high-level language that can then be translated to a logical circuit that can process zeroes and ones. The logical circuit is then synthesized into transistors and wires. Finally, a physical design phase places the transistors in the specified chip area and connects them. This last phase can require several iterations before the setup meets its design requirements, and then the design must be tested to ensure that the circuit is bug-free. CAD technology is used to facilitate this process. As the physical size of current electronic equipment rapidly shrinks, the CAD technology used to design those devices must evolve along with that equipment. Currently, the basic units being used in circuits are stretched to the limits: As cell phones shrink nearly to the size of fun-size candy bars, a traditional transistor's dimensions cannot be scaled down any further. This predicament spells dramatic change for future technological development: The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, an assessment given by a consortium of international semiconductor industry associations, has predicted that small modifications of traditional transistors will serve the world until 2015, after which new technologies or hybrid technologies will be necessary. In view of this impending crossroads, the ICCAD conference highlighted several new technologies, aiming to inspire a new wave of CAD technologies and methodologies to serve designers in 2015. The technologies trumpeted at the conference included the molecular single-electron transistor, which looks to shrink even further the size of electronic hardware. They also included DNA self-assembly, which would allow faster construction of the technology at lower cost, as well as other futuristic devices like biofluidic microchips, which include lab-on-a-chip mechanisms to allow for on-the-spot biochemical analyses. In the end, many of the new CAD technologies will be working to design equipment that could fit onto a human thumbnail. According to Hassoun, the impact may be larger than one can fathom. "We underestimated the impact of computers in our lives 30 years ago," she said. "And we may be underestimating the effects of the new technology fueled by CAD in 10 years."Part two of this series - which focuses on Tufts' own CAD lab and the students who use it - will appear in tomorrow's Daily. Patrice Taddonio contributed to this article.

The Setonian
News

Football Preview | As season winds down, a sense of urgency in the locker room

October 27

As the football season wraps up, a sense of urgency is setting in for the Jumbos to finish their campaign on a winning note. The team has dropped its last three games and has played far below players' and coaches' expectations. Sitting at 2-3 on the season and fading amidst the mediocre of the NESCAC, the Jumbos hope to get back on the right foot as they take on Amherst College on Saturday. A victory tomorrow would put the Jumbos in a good position to finish the season with a winning record. "There is definitely more urgency this week; there's more intensity [in the locker room]," senior quarterback Casey D'Annolfo said. "We've been preparing all week and watching a lot of tapes. If we lose we'll be 2-4, but if we win we'd have a chance to have a winning season." Amherst will be no easy hurdle for the Jumbos. The Lord Jeffs are currently ranked second in the league and boast some of the best stats in the NESCAC on both sides of the ball. The team ranks first in almost every major offensive and defensive category including total offense, total defense, passing defense and rushing offense. Their special teams also rank among the best. Tufts might have some leverage in this game. The Jumbos have matched up well with Amherst in the past. Last year, Tufts upended a previously undefeated Amherst squad 10-3. In 2003 the Jumbos prevailed 24-17 in overtime and in 2002 Amherst edged Tufts 27-24 in OT. The Lord Jeffs' only loss came at the hands of Trinity, who Tufts matched up well against on Homecoming Weekend two weeks ago. We're anxious to get out there on Saturday," D'Annolfo said. "We know they're a good team overall, but we've played them pretty well the last few years. They have a solid defense, and hopefully we'll be able to pick them apart [on offense]." Although the defense has been stellar for most of the season, the offense has been the Achilles Heel for the Jumbos in their last three games. Tufts has put up dismal numbers in its last three losses and hasn't been able to execute or capitalize on key drives and scoring opportunities. The team will look to establish its running game early. The Jumbos have tweaked a few things in their offensive game plan to try and improve the passing game. The team has simplified its playbook to make it easier to focus and get to the level of play it demonstrated it was capable of at the beginning of the season, according to the coaching staff. "We need to get the swagger back we had in the Wesleyan game and throughout the Bates game," offensive coordinator Michael Daly said. "We need to simplify and make simple plays. We need consistency and persistence." An important part of any offense in football is the quarterback position. Although D'Annolfo had a solid start to the season, he'll be the first to admit he's struggled at the helm as of late. D'Annolfo is only one player within the team, but coaches are trying to address his situation and help him get back to the level he played at in the season's first two games. "[D'Annolfo] is focused on the same things our offense is: consistency and persistence," Daly said. "If anything, Casey needs to do less. I think he is taking too much of the offensive problems on his shoulders and trying to do too much. "I need to relax. I've been thinking about too much and not executing," D'Annolfo said. Despite the setbacks, the Jumbos are trying to put the troubles in the past and are focusing on tomorrow's game with a positive, business-as-usual attitude. "All the games are important, regardless of what has happened or will happen," Daly said. "Amherst is the only team that can beat us on Saturday, and our players are working extremely hard to do the things necessary to win." The Jumbos will kick off at the Ellis Oval on Saturday with game time set for 1 p.m.

The Setonian
News

Playoff Scenarios | Playoff seedings will be decided by crucial Saturday hockey, soccer games

October 27

With the final day of the NESCAC regular season nearly upon us, the men's and women's soccer teams and field hockey team are still unsure of their first round playoff destinations. Unless you're an engineer or a math major, this might get a bit confusing. The women's soccer team, arguably, has the most to gain with a favorable Saturday outcome. Winning the conference would give Tufts home field advantage throughout the playoffs and a much-sought after first round bye. The Jumbos currently sit in a three-way tie for first place with the Amherst Lord Jeffs and Williams Ephs. While Tufts faces off against eighth place Conn. College, the Ephs and the Jeffs will do battle in their traditional end-of-season rivalry game. A Tufts win coupled with an Amherst win would give Tufts the regular season crown, as would a Tufts win and an Amherst-Williams draw. Things become a little more complicated in the event of a Williams victory. A Bowdoin win at home over Wesleyan gives Tufts first place, while a Bowdoin loss coupled with a Colby win over Bates would give Williams the crown. A Tufts loss to the Camels would give the NESCAC crown to the winner of the Amherst-Williams game. If this is the case, the Jumbos will host either the sixth or seventh seed in the first round of the playoffs on Sunday. In the event of a Tufts tie, its only shot at first place would come with an Amherst-Williams tie and a Bowdoin win. Things are a little more clear-cut for the men's soccer team. The squad (4-4) currently sits tied for fifth place with Bates and Wesleyan (3-3-2) in the conference. The trio is one game behind fourth-place Amherst, over whom Tufts controls the head-to-head tiebreaker. If Tufts defeats Conn. College, it would need an Amherst loss and a Bates loss or tie to move into fourth place and host the fifth seed on Sunday at Kraft Field. Bates travels to Colby on Saturday to face-off with the 2-6 Mules, who, on their Senior Day, will be looking to play the role of spoiler and could be dangerous. Amherst travels to Williams to face the 8-0 Ephs, who are currently ranked No. 2 in New England and No. 7 in the nation. While Williams could run over Amherst, the Ephs will likely be resting their starters, having already clinched the regular season crown, home field advantage and a first round bye. If Tufts is victorious but Amherst wins, or if the Jumbos lose or tie, they will be on the road for Sunday's first round, traveling to either Middlebury, Amherst or Wesleyan. Finally, the field hockey team poses the simplest scenario to comprehend. The Jumbos (4-4) currently sit tied in the conference with Saturday opponent Conn. College. If the Jumbos defeat the Camels, they earn a return trip to Wesleyan, where they'll hope to exact revenge for Wednesday's 2-0 loss that cost them a shot at a first round home game. A Tufts loss to the Camels would relegate them to sixth place in the conference, sending them to Williamstown to face the Ephs, where Tufts was dispatched 5-2 this past Saturday. As you can see (if we've done our job), several potential scenarios are possible for the start of the playoffs this weekend. The bottom line, though, is that Jumbo teams will need to come out firing on all cylinders wherever they play if they want to survive past the first round.

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CD Review | Depeche Mode can't save this fallen 'Angel'

October 27

Have you noticed the people who love the '80s today were probably the same people who hated the decade when they actually had to live through it? The pop culture artifacts that are now the hip new things - Joy Division, Gang of Four, The Cure, Depeche Mode - once provided music for the malcontent. Cheerleaders didn't bounce along to the socialist credos of Gang of Four and quarterbacks didn't pump up for games listening to The Talking Heads' "This Must be the Place" on repeat. While the cheerleader and the quarterback grew up, married, and let the '80s fade into the past, the Anthony Michael Halls of the world kept the original vinyl pressings of their favorite post-punks in pristine condition and in constant rotation on their turntables. Depeche Mode's latest release, "Playing the Angel," is a record for those who never let go. Anyone else listening will find it an exercise in drudgery and depression. There are bouts of inspiration, but the album as a whole sounds like variation on the same sad theme. The group has been turning out their brand of somber synth pop for almost 25 years, peaking in 1990 with the album "Violator." Since that album, which featured the hits "Personal Jesus," "Enjoy the Silence," and "Policy of Truth," it's all been downhill. "Playing the Angel" is the newest in a series of failed comeback attempts destined to be incorrectly called their best since "Violator." The album does have its rare positive moments. First single "Precious" is a moody synth-pop masterpiece. Lead singer Dave Gahan's voice rides along an almost bouncy beat accented by a sparse, cold guitar. Gahan's emotion-drenched voice is perfect for the overly serious lyrics: "Angels with silver wings / Shouldn't know suffering." Sure, it's bombastic, but isn't that what the '80s were all about? If "Precious" had been released 20 years ago it would have fit perfectly with moody classics such as Corey Hart's "Sunglasses at Night" and Soft Cell's "Tainted Love." While "Precious" is a great throwback, the rest of the album floats by in the background: a few pleasant electronic bleeps and blops and not much else. "John the Revelator" is a nice lyrical counterpoint to the traditional blues song of the same name, but the tune is unmemorable. Although most of the album is merely yawn-inducing, "Damaged People" is a full-fledged embarrassment. Gahan's emotionally overloaded delivery suits the material, but when he hands the mic over to Martin Gore, who borders on operatic, the result is mortifying. The lyrics "When you're in my arms / The world makes sense / There is no pretense" elicit a familiar '80s reaction - gag me with a spoon. Fans of the band should probably add a star or two to this rating. If electro-pop and previous Depeche Mode releases are your thing, "Playing the Angel" won't disappoint. But beyond providing the soundtrack to your "I Love the 80s" marathon party, this disc won't offer much to the casual listener. "Playing the Angel" is like a new McCartney or Rolling Stones album: nothing new or particularly exciting, but the aging flower children will be happy that they're getting an auditory postcard from their beloved decade. Listening to "Playing the Angel," you can't help but think that, as boring as it is, there are probably thousands of Long Duk Dongs and Anthony Michael Halls out there who couldn't be happier right now.

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Professors get Leontief economics prize

October 27

Two economists received awards from Tufts Thursday evening, and one compared the other to Anthony Hopkins. The Global Development and Environmental Institute gave the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought to Dr. Richard Nelson and Dr. Ha-Joon Chang. The ceremony - "Rethinking Development in the 21st Century: Globalization, Innovation, and the Role of the State" - was held in Ballou Hall. The institute is affiliated with the School of Arts and Sciences and the Fletcher School. Nelson, the Henry R. Luce Professor of International Political Economy at Columbia University, studies the role of technology in long-term development. "A lot of my work has been concerned with how technological change drives the economy," Nelson said in an interview before the ceremony. "Enabling and supporting the development of very poor countries is the most important challenge for economists and policy makers." In his speech, Nelson discussed the measures developing countries need to take to catch up to developed nations, which he called "frontier countries." Developing nations can no longer simply replicate the economic methods of frontier countries. "The current environment is different than what it had been," he said. "[Poorer nations] need to develop technologies suited to their own conditions." The focus of the developing countries should be on higher-level training in the fields of science and technology to improve their economic conditions, Nelson said. He expressed an interest in the training provided by public universities in poor countries. "Domestic universities are responsible for the bulk of the training," Nelson said. "Simple working experience no longer suffices." Universities that allow students to study abroad provide the developing countries with "a basis for breaking into international networks," he said. Chang, the Assistant Director of Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, studies the effects of state planning and globalization on economic development. He analyzed the trends of economic development in poor countries. "History shows that things can be better," he said. Chang criticized the idea of a "level playing field," arguing that unequal tariffs are necessary. "The notion of reciprocity cannot be discussed without considering the relative conditions of the countries involved," he said. Developing countries should be free to impose tariffs that will protect their industries. Both economists said they appreciated the award. "Needless to say, I feel honored and flattered and highly gratified to receive it," Nelson said. The award is named for Wassily Leontief, the 1973 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics. "Leontief himself was a great economist," Nelson said. "It is an honor to receive the prize in his name." Students attending the ceremony were impressed by the range of applications of the economists' research. "I learned a lot from the lectures," sophomore economics major Adure Obioha said. "It definitely gave me a new appreciation for the subject of economics." Chang said he admired Nelson and his accomplishments. "He is one of my intellectual heroes," Chang said. "I feel like a young actor sharing an award with Anthony Hopkins."

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Campus Comment | Students say new labels will not reduce fast food consumption

October 27

For decades McDonald's has been a symbol of modern American culture. But in the past few years, the fast food company has been embroiled in legal controversy and featured in a scathing documentary, Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me." McDonald's Corp. announced Tuesday that it would start printing nutritional information on food wrappers beginning next year. Will this change actually have an impact on McDonald's consumers? Most Tufts students don't think so. "I think it's a good idea, but I don't know if it'll do anything," freshman Forrest Gittleson said. "It might stop someone, but if they're reading the wrapper, they've already bought the food and they're probably going to eat it anyway." Several students felt that printing nutrition facts on food wrappers will not make the healthier food selections offered by McDonald's more appealing - or make high-calorie Big Macs and large fries less appealing. "People more or less know what's healthy and unhealthy," junior Alex Nussbaum said. "The people who read nutrition labels are not the people eating at McDonald's." The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has suggested McDonald's post caloric information next to food items on the menu. CSPI's director, Michael F. Jacobson, told the Associated Press that "considering America's obesity epidemic, that calorie information would do more than just about any other measure to help people protect their waistlines." One concern raised in "Super Size Me" is the addictive quality of fast food. The documentary suggested parents who bring their children to McDonald's may be setting their children up for a life-long addiction. Sophomore Sarah Katz said parents bringing their kids to the restaurant wouldn't be deterred from doing so by the presence of nutritional information on wrappers. "The allure of McDonald's is that you can get a whole meal for a small amount of money, and you can get it quickly," Katz said. "I think most parents are willing to sacrifice nutritional quality for convenience." McDonald's will premiere the nutritional information wrappers at the Winter Olympics in February. Students are skeptical if the combination will be successful. "With the whole 'athletic' theme, you'd think that the idea is to make it seem like [McDonald's is] trying to be more health conscious," junior Mark Schenkel said. "But the labels just say that our food is death - delicious death." Every student interviewed believed Burger King and other fast food chains would soon follow suit with their own nutritional labeling. "They'll absolutely do the same thing," Nussbaum said. "You see one place start a trend, like salads, and then everyone else has salads on the menu. They have to compete with each other." Nussbaum saw both the bright and dark sides of McDonald's decision. "I think they are taking steps in the right direction," he said. "But printing nutritional information on wrappers - while responsible - is not going to make that big of a difference."

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Squeezed from both sides: Miers' pullout expected

October 27

Harriet Miers withdrew her nomination for the Supreme Court Wednesday night, but the move did not come as a surprise to a Tufts student and professor. Miers - the current White House counsel - underwent three and a half weeks of intense scrutiny from liberals and conservatives. She was nominated Oct. 3 by President George W. Bush to fill the spot vacated by Sandra Day O'Connor. The White House announced her withdrawal Thursday morning. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle criticized the White House's refusal to turn over documents to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Miers' legal advice to Bush, and conservative figures outside the government questioned Miers' stance on abortion and school prayer. "There was much made of the fact that it violated executive privilege to have documents given to the Senate committee," said Political Science Professor Marilyn Glater, who specializes in constitutional law. "But I think that was a nice spin on it to make people think that was the problem." According to Glater, there were other problems with the nomination of Miers, who had never been a judge but led the Texas Bar Association. "There was too much dissent from Republicans and Democrats, and people were accurate in their concern about not being able to judge her quality," Glater said. "It wasn't just the information - what there was didn't look very good. She didn't look very good as an intellect for the Supreme Court." Tufts Republicans President Doug Kingman, a junior, said the White House accepted that Miers' nomination would not succeed. "Personally, I think she realized she wasn't sure if the country would support her," he said. Glater said she did not know who Bush would nominate next. The well-received nomination of Ben Bernanke to replace Alan Greenspan as Federal Reserve Chairman may encourage Bush to risk a political fight and pick someone who would satisfy conservative Christians, she said. Bush "would appoint somebody with impeccable credentials ... someone at least as conservative as Roberts," referring to new Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Glater said. Kingman said he expected Bush to nominate someone who would please the two conservative camps by sticking to the Constitution's words, not its intent. "I look forward to a strict constructionalist," he said. After Miers' failure to secure the support of Congressional Republicans or conservative Christian leaders, her withdrawal was certain, Glater said. "I made a bet with one of my colleagues that it would happen," she said.

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Inside Fitness | Growing guns: Mix of protein and carbs will maximize muscle tone

October 27

I want to get huge. I've already bought a pull-up bar for the doorway in my room, so I'm covered with the exercise part. But I have no idea what to eat after a workout. What about before a workout? And when I'm not working out? Can you give me some pointers? -David Mitchell, 6.5% body fat, intramural basketball captain There is so much information on nutrition that it becomes difficult to decipher what is right for your needs. Let's focus this answer primarily on eating in order to build muscle. If you want to get bigger, it's important to do two things. The first is to ingest enough protein that your muscles have adequate raw materials in order to grow. The second is to make sure you are taking in enough carbohydrates that you can produce the energy needed to grow your muscles. Think of the protein as the bricks to the house and the carbohydrates as the workers putting the bricks together. You need both in sufficient quantities to maximize your muscle growth. As far as eating before and after a workout, you shouldn't workout on a full stomach or an empty one. Try to eat a small meal one to two hours before a workout so that you have enough energy to exercise but don't feel bloated. After the workout, it's important to get protein and carbohydrates into your system as soon as possible. For the first 15-30 minutes following a workout, your muscle cells can synthesize protein at their most efficient rate. The protein will give your muscles the raw materials to build muscles and the carbohydrates will raise your blood glucose levels. The increase in plasma glucose will trigger a release of insulin, which makes your cells more receptive to nutrient uptake. All of this should help to increase muscle growth.Every time I go to the gym, I spend 45 minutes on the elliptical and call it a workout. I'm starting to get bored. What else can I do to tone up and get a good workout in?-Lily Motta, 48Dub, online poker enthusiast For some reason, a lot of people believe that the only way to get 'cut' or 'toned' is to spend lots of time on the cardio machines in the gym and do nothing else except for a few crunches. If your workout is always the same long, slow aerobic exercise, you have a number of problems: 1) your body will adapt quickly to this workout; 2) you're going to get bored quickly; 3) you're neglecting to include strength training in your fitness regimen. Here's what you should do. Change up your cardio and start to incorporate weight training into your routine. You can change the cardio by altering duration and intensity. Instead of going for 45 minutes at a moderate pace, work out for 20 minutes at a quicker rate. Also think about interval training, which alternates sprints with slower recovery periods. The resistance training will not only help to improve strength and fitness level, but will build muscle, which raises your metabolic rate at times that you aren't exercising. On top of this, after weightlifting our bodies experience a metabolic boost for 8-16 hours following strength training, which will help you burn more calories and improve your energy level throughout the day, staving off the urge to nap. If you are unfamiliar with how to use weights, ask someone at the fitness desk for information about signing up with the Tufts Personalized Performance Program and obtaining five free - no strings attached - personal training sessions.I've heard that working on endurance exercises and trying to build muscle are opposing goals. Is there any way that I can improve on both types of fitness at the same time? What would you recommend?-Mark Sigal, Laguna Beach Fanatic, intramural basketball assistant captain It's true that building endurance and building muscle are opposing goals. Working on both simultaneously will result in decreased progress towards each one. My advice would be to decide which objective is more important to you at the current time and focus on that in the majority of your workouts. This isn't to say that you should neglect cardiovascular exercise if your goal is to build muscle, but rather that you should taper your cardio workouts to about once a week in order to maintain your current level of fitness while you spend your other workouts focusing on muscle building. After you have structured your workout in this way for about eight weeks - and hopefully seen muscle growth in the process - then you can switch to focusing on aerobic health while cutting back on your lifting to once a week for maintenance. By focusing on a specific goal, you will achieve results more efficiently than if you try to do everything at once.

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Up in the sky: Gamma rays, quasars and multiverses - oh my!

October 27

Not all commencement ceremonies allow the graduate to follow in the footsteps of Isaac Newton. But for Vitaly Vanchurin, the most recent Tufts graduate student to receive a doctorate in the discipline of cosmology, the graduation rite of passage involved a ceremony mimicking the famous Newton scene: Physics Professor Alexander Vilenkin literally dropped an apple on his head. The ceremony, which took place earlier in October, was a unique one, and so is the subfield of physics in which Vanchurin wrote his thesis: cosmology. According to NASA's Web site, cosmology looks at the large-scale properties of the universe with the aim of understanding its origin, evolution and fate. Discussion of cosmology is peppered with terms that wouldn't sound out of place in a sci-fi blockbuster: cosmic string, quasar clustering, high-redshift supernovae searches. But for a portion of the physicist community that focuses on the study of cosmology, discussing - and researching - such concepts, all of which are tied to the manner in which the universe developed and continues to unfold, is all in a day's work. That portion of the physicist community is relatively small. "People who study cosmology study it as a specific interest within physics," Tufts graduate student Delia Perlov said. "Many physicists don't even take cosmology, since it is not required." Perlov, who is pursuing her doctorate degree and is a member of Tufts' cosmology research group, already has two master's degrees in physics and hopes to earn her cosmology doctorate within the next year. "I belong to a small group of cosmologists here at Tufts," she said. "Very few students are accepted to this program so, it's very small. Plus, many physics students choose areas of physics to pursue other than cosmology." Perlov is a member of the graduate cosmology research group at Tufts, which is within the physics and astronomy department. It is led by Vilenkin and Physics Professor Larry Ford. "The topics currently being studied in the group include cosmic strings, gamma ray bursts from monopoles, and inflationary models of the universe," Ford said. "We're also interested in the fundamental relationship between quantum theory and Einstein's general theory of relativity," added Ford, who was recently named a Fellow of the American Physical Society for his research on curved and flat spacetime According to Tufts website, Ford's fellow cosmology research group leader Vilenkin has been at the forefront of particle cosmology research for the last 25 years. He received a five-year grant in 2004 from the National Science Foundation in the amount of $620,000 to further research connecting high-energy physics with observational cosmology. His research looks into areas such as eternal inflation and dark energy physics. "The goals of our research are to form a better understanding of the physical processes which created our observable universe, and to extend our knowledge of the laws of nature," Ford said. Perlov hopes the cosmology research group will garner more funds and expand at Tufts in the future. She said that the small group is composed of talented people who, with more resources, would be able to expand their research. Many undergraduate students are unaware of this research group, however. "I would have never known we had a cosmology research group here at Tufts," freshman Stephanie Kreutz said. "It's not something you often hear about. Though no concentration in cosmology currently exists for undergraduates, the physics and astronomy department offers some background on the subject in its undergraduate courses. "There is some cosmology content in the undergraduate astronomy courses offered by the physics and astronomy department," Ford said. He suggested that students interested in the field look into Astronomy 21, which has a focus on cosmology questions, as well as Physics 167, "General Relativity." According to Ford, interest in cosmology could change the department's offerings. "There are no plans at the moment to add more cosmology-specific courses for undergraduates, but that is a possibility if there is sufficient student interest," Ford said. The Tufts cosmology research group participates in joint seminars with Harvard and MIT. These seminars occur on Tuesday afternoons, with the location alternating between the three universities. The next seminar at Tufts will be on Nov. 8 at 2:30 p.m., with refreshments served beforehand at 2 p.m. The cosmology research group also holds lunchtime seminars on Thursday afternoons at 1:15 p.m. in Robinson Hall in room 250 unless otherwise noted. And on Nov. 10, Perlov will be discussing another element of cosmology that sounds like it would be right at home on the big screen: probabilities in the inflationary multiverse (an infinite number of "pocket" universes).

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Theater Review | One isn't the loneliest number

October 27

"The Keening," the latest offering from Zero Arrow Theater in Harvard Square, tells its story through a series of flashbacks. In homage, this review will start with the end: the play's solitary performer, Marissa Chibas, deserved every decibel of her thunderous standing ovation and enthusiastic "Bravos!" as she took her final bows Sunday afternoon. Yes, "The Keening" is a one-woman show. It features no scene changes, no elaborate set dressings, no intermission and certainly no music or sound effects. Although one is initially shocked by the realization that Chibas will be the sole performer for this two hour stretch, her dynamic performance more than makes up for the empty stage. Set in modern Colombia, the play follows the daily rituals of a professional mourner (planidera) as she prepares the morgue for another body for whom she will be paid to weep. Chibas' movements unfold on the stage with poignant simplicity, yet still manage to create shockingly emotional moments. Whether she is violently pulling apart a bouquet of roses or tearfully circling the stage with incense, her body reveals what mere words cannot. The actress's charm is her ability to glide from moments of supreme ecstasy to disturbing fits of grief, all the while maintaining an aura of believability. The Woman, as the playbill refers to her, experiences a dizzying array of emotions as she recalls her personal history. Her memories build a picture for the audience of personal suffering interwoven with the national crisis of Colombia in the later half of the twentieth century, culminating in an unthinkable massacre at the village of Chengue. While our narrator's personal history, as heartfelt as it may be, is a work of fiction, this civilian bloodshed, sanctioned by the military itself, was very much a reality. The theater makes a point to supplement the massacre's presence in the play with real-life evidence of the tragedy mounted on the walls of the lobby. The dark passageway into the theater is lit only by 26 electric candles, which in turn illuminate 26 untranslated death certificates whose significance the theatergoer comes to understand only after having seen the show. The modern, recently-renovated lobby of the Arrow Zero Theater, the American Reparatory Theater's second stage, has artwork by Colombian school children enlivening its stark white walls. The poignancy of these actual drawings blurs the line between fictional theater and real-life history. However, the real power of "The Keening," by Chilean playwright Humberto Dorado, isn't its connection to reality, but the tour-de-force journey of remembrance on which the narration of the planidera takes the audience. Her fictional story is deeply layered and full of tragedy, sensuality, betrayal, and triumph; all the hallmarks of a hypnotically intriguing tale. Chibas makes full use of her monumental stage presence to breathe real life into The Woman's story. It also serves to keep the audience on its toes. One moment she writhes on an operating table in ecstasy while describing a past sexual romp, and in the next she emits screams of intense emotional release at the memory of a death. Unfortunately, this ability sometimes works a bit too well - at times the story is swept along too rapidly, presenting the next memory without leaving enough time for the audience to fully absorb the last. Just as the viewers' tears begin to mount, Chibas will belt out her distinctive, whole-body laugh and break the spell completely. Despite her full-body immersion in the role, one can't help but think that some relief might be welcome. Towards the end of the second hour, the audience begins to feel the strain that this sole performer must be under. "The Keening" is well worth the investment, but be forewarned - the play will leave you emotionally exhausted. One can only imagine how tired Chibas must be as she appears to genuinely experience the catharsis of her character. Fittingly, The Woman opens and closes the show by asking, "I have to do everything on my own, isn't that true?" It is true, and she succeeds admirably.

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Students find cause to act in Asian disaster

October 27

Unlike the 80 people who stood quietly on the Tisch Library patio Thursday night, memorializing the victims of the recent South Asian earthquake, most of the disaster's survivors do not have somewhere to go when the temperature drops. Students organized a candlelight vigil for the estimated 55,000 people who have died since an earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck Afghanistan, Pakistan and India on Oct. 8. The earthquake - its epicenter in Pakistan-administered Kashmir - may have left another three million people homeless, according to the BBC. Those left homeless are also left out in the cold, senior Amir Said, who led the vigil, said. "It's a mountainous, hilly terrain, and winter is starting to come," he said. "And like here in New England, it's cold." Participants donated $2 for a candle. The proceeds will go to four charities, including Care India and the Mercy Corps, to help purchase winterized tents, blankets and sleeping bags and helicopters for evacuations, Said said. He said the earthquake has not received enough coverage in the press. "This crisis hasn't really galvanized citizens," he said. "There is an effect that there's been one too many tragedies lately." Ignoring the disaster, though, would be a mistake. "Events like this allow us to look on our own humanity," Said said. "They are a test to see how we connect with other humans." The earthquake happened in a remote region, and not many people from industrialized nations were affected. With coverage of other natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and Wilma, dominating the news cycle the past month and a half, Said said response to the earthquake has been slim. At a United Nations donor conference Wednesday, major governments pledged $580 million in relief aid but only $111 million has been allotted for emergency food and shelters, according to Radio Free Europe. Five students read narratives from relief workers and others recounting their experiences of the earthquake. "The smell of death hangs thick in the air, and everywhere you look, there are collapsed houses and buildings," one student read. Another told a story of a pregnant woman whose two children perished in the earthquake. The woman was sleeping under a tree at night, without a blanket to keep her warm. "All we could see were men, women and children waiting by the roadside for help that wasn't coming fast enough," a relief worker wrote. A school for young women collapsed, killing 150. Many of the bodies have been recovered, but an entire class remains buried under the rubble. Junior Usman Khan, one of the organizers, said he was "very much" pleased with the vigil. "It's a cold night, and I think we had about 80 or 90 people here," he said. "It's also more than that - it's a symbolic thing, it's about raising awareness. I know these things disappear from the news quickly." Khan has family in Islamabad, Pakistan, but no one he knew was hurt. The vigil - sponsored by the Muslim Student Association but organized by other students as well - was one of many held simultaneously at universities across the Northeast, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and Columbia University, as well as at Stanford University. The vigil's organizers are organizing a sale at the campus center next Tuesday to raise more money for relief efforts. The group will sell baked goods, chudiyan (bangles), cushion covers and other goods and paint henna tattoos.

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Winter Sports Preview | With Nov. 1 start date coming, teams get ahead of the game

October 26

'Offseason' is a relative term for college athletes. While the daily practices and weekend tournaments might come to an end, that final buzzer marks the beginning of a new regimen of conditioning, weightlifting, and skills training designed to keep players in top form for the next year. That phase has been kicked into high gear in recent weeks as winter sports teams, eyeing the NESCAC Nov. 1 start date for official practices, engage in less formal preparation for their approaching seasons. Group workout sessions and captains' practices have replaced individual training as the season approaches. When coaches meet with their squads for their first official practices, they will find their players with renewed focus and energy. "We've been running captains' practices since Oct. 1," said senior Meghan Wallach, a tri-captain of the 2005 women's swimming and diving team. "We all come in, especially freshmen, with different backgrounds in terms of what kind of shape we're in. This way, we all build up together and build a good foundation for the season right away." Because coaching is not allowed before the Nov. 1 date, captains' practices are essentially regular team practices with the captains filling in for the coaches. "They're something to get everyone together in the gym at same time, to work on stuff before the coach gets involved," senior women's basketball tri-captain Jess Powers said. "It's a chance to prep freshmen, show them how we play, and run the floor." Most winter sports teams have been holding some combination of team practices and workout sessions since early October. These preseason practices are especially important to the swimming team, which dives right into action next weekend at the Wheaton Relay scrimmage. "Playing a sport where you have a meet the first weekend, you need to be in shape at that point," Wallach said. "With everything we've been practicing and with our freshman class, which is strong in all aspects and all strokes, I think we're going to be ready." But even for the basketball and hockey teams, which have their first tests on Nov. 18, the Nov. 1 start date allows coaches less than three weeks to work on skills, implement offensive and defensive setups, and organize all the moving parts of a successful team before games begin. "It's its important to get back in shape," said senior Pat Walsh, a captain of the ice hockey team. "Because the league is so competitive, if we just started Nov. 1, it'd be hard to jump right into it." NESCAC regulations are stricter than those of many other leagues. Because the basketball teams don't begin their league schedules until January, they often face teams early in the season that have had a two-week head start in practice time. "A lot of teams we play right off the bat have already been practicing now for two weeks because NESCAC starts later than other leagues," Powers said. "Other Div. III teams that aren't in our conference are already practicing, so we really try to accelerate it in preseason." In addition to sharpening fundamentals and getting athletes back into game shape, preseason practices afford teams a chance to foster chemistry and build friendships that will only strengthen the team in competition. Freshmen are introduced to their teammates and the program as captains are given an opportunity to demonstrate leadership. "[Preseason practices are] a good way to get [team chemistry] going; a chance for freshman to meet the guys and feel at home before the season starts," Walsh said. "It's not mandatory, but we police ourselves and everyone wants to show up; everyone wants to skate." Shared mentality and basic fitness are keys to any squad's success, especially early in the season as teams are thrown headfirst into rigorous schedules. Both the basketball and hockey teams play three games in the first five days of their seasons. "Captains' practices are an opportunity to get people together to swim," Wallach said. "It's more motivating to do it together, so in that way, it's team bonding. It's important to make sure everyone is on same page." That attitude was reflected on the men's side as well. "We make morning practices at 7:00 a.m. because no one has class, so the whole team can be together in one place at one time, which doesn't happen a lot during the season," said Marc Katz, a quad-captain of the men's swimming team. "We've had some team activities outside the water, too - we had a barbeque a few weeks ago with the girls' team, and on the first day of captains' practices, we couldn't use the pool, so went on scavenger hunt around Medford instead." Senior Brian Fitzgerald, a captain of the men's basketball team, commented on the mixture of informal team bonding and more technical practice that team-run practices afford. "When we play pickup, sometimes we work more on skills and fundamentals and sometimes we just play for fun," he said. "It's a more informal setting, so you get more time to talk to the guys. We still get it done, but it's not as structured." Even without the structure that coaches naturally bring to their practices, the athletes are serious about getting in game shape and recognize the importance of these few preseason weeks. "Captains practices aren't a joke," Katz said. "They're almost to the level of what normal practices will be when season rolls around. Most of the team has been putting in a significant amount of work, and we'll be ready."

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Hurricane Wilma and what you need to know

October 26

I live in Puebla, a small city 100 miles south of Mexico City, where fortunately hurricanes don't really count as a believable threat. We have been through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and corrupt politicians. Our last mayor stole the fountain that beautified the city square and installed it in his back yard. Puebla has its fair share of troubles, but unfortunately, so does the rest of Mexico. I am writing this today because many people do not realize the extent of Hurricane Wilma. The storm - just as colossal in size and strength as the fearful Katrina - left a path of destruction and tragedy as it passed by the shore of the Riviera Maya and Cancun. Over 65,000 people were evacuated around the country and to other locations in Central America. Many of these individuals were evacuated to shelters with poor conditions - similar to the Astrodome in New Orleans. Although media coverage has been relatively scarce, it is easy to imagine the situation of the aftermath of the storm. Just like New Orleans after Katrina, but multiply the chaos. The government of Quintana Roo (the state where Cancun is located) decided to evacuate the tourists first, taking them to more comfortable housing locations. Then the government started addressing the real issue: the people who live and make a living in and around the Yucatan Peninsula. When tourists go to Cancun and the Riviera Maya, they tend to stay in their awesomely huge hotels. I can't blame them. Had it not been for my father's insistence to drive to Cancun from Puebla, I would have gladly hopped on a plane and then the shuttle taking me to my conveniently placed hotel. The 17 hour drive that seemed excruciatingly long and unnecessary at the time, today means a lot more. We drove past small and seemingly insignificant towns that all looked the same. In between the major touristy towns of Merida, Tulum, Playa del Carmen and even Cancun, lay hundreds of forgotten villages of 20 to 30 people who live in fragile homes lined up in one street. When my family and I drove past these places 3 years ago, it seemed these little secluded towns were one of the only vestiges of the true Mexico. When you stopped to buy fruit or whatever they were selling there, they all spoke native languages and sometimes wore their traditional dress. To me, that was quite impressive and made me kind of glad to be driving down to Cancun. I thought I was getting to see a lot more significant things than the average tourist in Cancun. What I did not think, however, is how fragile and exposed they were to storms. I have looked through all sorts of newspapers - Mexican, American, and even European - and not one has reported on how these small towns are doing after the storm, or even if their citizens have been evacuated. Yes, they all go on about how the 2,000 American citizens are sound and well. They also make a point of saying that the hotel owners are safe and have been successfully relocated. But not one of them talks about the native people whose homes are probably gone by now. My family has housed four misplaced people from the hurricane for the last week. They have been told not to come back for at least a month, as there is no electricity or water where they live. The government hasn't helped them out, but luckily they have the resources to find alternatives. They found their escape in Puebla. Unfortunately, they are the lucky few. The people I saw while driving to Cancun probably didn't have the same luck. I still wonder if those small towns even made it through the storm. Unfortunately, I won't be going down to Cancun any time soon. But if you do, just drive around for a while and take a look at the real Mexico. Not everything in Mexico involves Se?±? Frog's and wet T-shirt contests. Take my word for it.Alejandro Pinero is a sophomore majoring in international relations and economics

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Between Freedom and Fear

October 26

You may not know who Natan Sharansky is, but if you've listened to George Bush speak in the last five years, you know what he thinks. Sharansky, the Soviet dissident and recently resigned Israeli cabinet member, has met personally with Bush, and the President has read Sharansky's recent book, "The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome Tyranny and Terror." Sharansky divides the world into exclusive realms of democratic free societies and tyrannical fear societies. Many of Bush's most infamous phrases - "with us or against us," "evildoer," "axis of evil" - show evidence of Sharansky's thinking. But the case of the United Arab Emirates shows Sharansky's views are not the universal foreign policy guide they claim to be. According to Sharansky, morally sound free societies hold regular free and fair elections, which are contingent on freedoms of association and expression. All other societies are fear societies. The necessary diversity of thought in a society and the suppression of expression by power-hungry leaders of a fear society result in increasing repression culminating in the regime's collapse. Fear societies, as they are sustained by repression, are morally depraved. Fear societies are violent. In an effort to prolong their existence, societies support radical ideologies or blame others for the economic and social failures that result from repression of independent, innovative thought. Unconstrained by popular will, leaders of fear societies may instigate international conflict, which is often used to bolster their victimization myths. Sharansky's notion of state propagated ideology may at first seem to be present in the Emirati nation. The UAE is run and owned by illiberal Shiek families along with a sympathetic conservative, mainly Emirati business class who comprise a large portion of the population. Foreigners, mostly South Asian but some European, enjoy no political rights, face stiff barriers to citizenship, and accept legally sanctioned inequities in pay. South Asians - often as menial laborers or domestic servants fearing repatriation - lack the social resources to navigate a complacent bureaucracy to advocate using existing legal protections. All organizations - including media, non-government organizations and professional associations - are required to have majority Emeriti ownership. This condition comprises autonomy given the generally conservative predisposition of eligible majority owners. Normative constructions of the Emirati nation and legal and social inequities affirm and justify each other. Foreigners, as poor, marginalized "others" are a threat to the Emirati nation. Therefore there are state sanctioned inequities - inequities that perpetuate the threatening conditions. But the country and Dubai in particular present serious problems for Sharansky. The economy is booming. Foreign workers earn enough to send money home. And the Sheiks, with well equipped but small and poorly trained armed forces, are in no position to threaten world peace. Though not accountable to an electorate - Sharansky's liberal incentive of choice - the political leadership is compelled by that other liberal motivator of peace: the complex web of interdependence of global capitalism. Social contentment, the maintenance of the current political order and, perhaps most dearly, the elite's awesomely conspicuous consumption rely on an economy that can only exist in peace. In this material, capitalist and Western social ethos, the UAE has as much to fear from Islamist terror as the United States. While the nationals reap considerable material benefits from the current political order, foreign workers also gain economic advantages. Peace prevails. To put it baldly, what is there to complain about? Why get all worked up about rights that you don't need? Sharansky's world view is bitterly contemptuous of these considerations. He labels any consideration of these factors as ill-conceived dithering inspired by a common, but no less excusable, bought of moral confusion. "Moral clarity" would reveal the inherent immorality of Emirati society. Ignorance of these features in assessing the morality and devising a moral and interest-driven foreign policy - as Sharansky argues a policy of democratization is - has deleterious consequences. An inability to see degrees of progress only impedes progress. Judged as permanently immoral, local leaders are likely to be put off to the notion of reform. Such a Manichean view is unlikely to garner the allied assistance necessary to compel change. This dynamic is evident in Iraq, where hurried, arrogant policies of regime change have resulted in unnecessary suffering and uncertain success. Sharansky's views as an Israeli minister, including support for settlements deemed illegal by Israeli courts and demands that Gaza withdrawal be contingent on Palestinian reforms, have only prolonged the conflict. All of this does not deny a place for liberal values in UAE politics. A genuinely autonomous civil society, including unfettered news reporting, would promote good governance and expose violations of basic rights. Continued equalization of gender opportunities is imperative to the affirmation inherent in human agency and to encourage the contribution of the whole of UAE society. Sharansky, though, is notably unhelpful in understanding this utility, his concepts and theories fatally simplistic and narrow-minded.

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Staff Top 10 | Music Videos Featuring Movie Stars

October 26

Everyone knows that MTV hasn't shown a music video since the Herbert Walker Bush years. Though we generally love marathons of "The Real World" and "My Super Sweet 16," sometimes we're itching to see Britney gyrating with a snake. Imagine our delight, then, when we realized that the exorbitant purchase of Comcast cable entitles us to unlimited viewings of the best music videos OnDemand has to offer. After the 9000th viewing of Tommy Lee hovering above the desert in "Lose Control," we started reminiscing for the days when video cameos belonged exclusively to actors. Here are our favorite 10 videos featuring movie stars (and no, Tommy, "adult" movies don't count)."Come to My Window" by Melissa Etheridge, featuring Juliette Lewis (1993)Not many people can out-tough rock idol/gay icon/breast cancer survivor Melissa Etheridge, but she seems to have found one in Juliette Lewis. Made famous for her 1994 role in "Natural Born Killers," Lewis has a history of taking edgy roles. In the "Come to My Window" video, she plays a suicidal mental patient. Reports say that her performance was so convincing, the filming had to stop at times because she was on the verge of a breakdown: pretty strong stuff for someone who's just here for the gangbang."Kokomo" by The Beach Boys, featuring John Stamos (1988)What's lamer than this song? ("Aruba, Jamaica, oooh I wanna take you...") This song with Uncle Jesse lip-synching and playing bongos in the background."Jenny From the Block" by J-Lo, featuring Ben Affleck (2002)Proving the time-honored adage that Ben Affleck should never appear on screen without Matt Damon, here he turns in an unconvincing performance as... himself. Bennifer officially wins the honor of "Couple We'd Most Like to Push Off a Cliff" with this video, which has J-Lo bragging about the "rocks that [she] got" and Ben looking like a tool on the back of a boat. There's nothing like showing off your ostentatious wealth to get people to relate to you."Miserable" by Lit, featuring Pamela Anderson (2000)This is one video whose distribution Pam doesn't have to oppose in district court. Lit plays their song atop a giant-sized Pamela Anderson. Putting the sex symbol's gratuitous bosom on an even larger scale? Lyrics with cheeky and transparent sexual innuendo? Rock on, Lit."Remember the Time" by Michael Jackson, featuring Eddie Murphy (1992) Murphy, a pharaoh with Iman as his pharoess, gives Wacko Jacko a hard time. Jackson, wearing a gold breast plate and what appears to be a skirt, gets his dance on as usual, this time with the super sweet bonus of 1992 special effects. Don't miss Magic Johnson as a gong hitting man-servant (Really? Really). "I Want Love" by Elton John, featuring Robert Downey Jr. (2001) The idea of a famous coke addict of the '70s giving a famous coke addict of the '90s a second chance is strangely poignant in Elton John's song. Admittedly, understatement is not typically Sir Elton's forte. Yet a doleful Robert Downey, Jr. lip-synching into the camera as it follows him around an empty home makes this simplistic video one of the best celeb casting decisions to date."Black or White" by Michael Jackson, featuring Macaulay Culkin (1991)At the beginning of the song, Norm from Cheers pounds the ceiling telling his son (Macaulay) to turn off his Jefferson Starship-esque rock n' roll. Culkin, after pleading "I wanna listen to it, okay!?," angrily pulls out the cassette, and with an "Eat this!" slaps in a track about racial equality and the challenge of racism in modern society."Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, featuring Robin Williams (1988)Ain't got no place to lay your head? Somebody came and took your bed? Don't worry, Robin Williams will put on a Bermuda shirt and chase you around a living room. "You Can Call Me Al" by Paul Simon, featuring Chevy Chase (1986)This one is legitimately hilarious. As Simon is about to start singing, Chase, sitting next to him, butts in and lip-synchs the entire song. Simon looks on helplessly, then leaves the room and brings in a succession of instruments which he pretends to play. The video climaxes with the 6'4" Chase and the 5'3" Simon doing a synchronized dance number."Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim, featuring Christopher Walken (2001)Christopher Walken has a fever, and the only prescription is making perhaps the best music video of all time. In it, a Willie Lowman-esque Walken tap dances, leaps, shimmies and flies around an empty hotel. Directed by modern day Renaissance man Spike Jones (of "Jackass," "Being John Malkovich," "Adaptation" and most of the good music videos of the '90s) it won six MTV Awards in 2001, and the next year was named best video of all time by VH1. --complied by Blair Rainsford, Katie Drizos and Dave Cavell

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