"... and then she sang 'den' instead of 'din' and it was so embarrassing!" joked Shir Appeal's Music Director and Tufts senior Eliza Gordon-Lipkin.
Within the five years since Tufts garnered attention for its incident of discrimination, relations between religious groups on campus and homosexual students have been ameliorated.
Eight Tufts students put on their best poker faces last night to compete in the First Annual Tufts Poker Championship Mega-Event Extravaganza. Sponsored by the Tufts Poker Society, the game was no limit Texas hold 'em.
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate's 2004-2005 term has come to a close, and elections for next year's senate took place on Wednesday. What do students actually think about the student body that helps to shape their
The Dallas Mavericks are on pace to lock up the fourth-best record in the NBA and they are doing it ... quietly? This is a team that exploded onto the scene back in 2001, winning 53 games out of nowhere with one of the most powerful offenses of all time. Their owner, Mark Cuban, has the subtlety of a La Cucaracha car honk. So why are they the best team no one is talking about? In a season of surprise teams like Phoenix and Seattle, the Mavs have been inconspicuously flying below the radar. They are on pace to win 55 games, which will probably be third-best out in the West. They have won as many games as Seattle and more than any team in the East other than Miami. Dirk Nowitzki's play has been off the charts this season, and yet he probably will not finish better than fourth in MVP balloting. In his seventh season out of Germany, he is averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and three-point percentage. Averages of 26.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game are good for third and eighth overall in the league. Still, Dirk has had his tremendous year overshadowed by the attention that Shaq and Steve Nash have received in their new uniforms. Dirk is putting up better numbers than both of them, but he is not playing on a new team that has undergone a dramatic turnaround, which is the surefire way to get MVP consideration. If Dirk is overshadowed the whole team will be overshadowed. It is a weird scenario to come across a player who is the best European player of all time and a future hall-of-famer, but who also may never start an All-Star game. Dirk will probably always be underappreciated, and that is going to affect that amount of credit that the Mavs get as a team. Nowitzki is the only bonafide star on the team. There is a big drop-off between him and their next best player (probably Michael Finley). The good news is the next seven players behind Nowitzki are all capable of big nights. Michael Finley and Jerry Stackhouse are in reduced roles, but both are capable of 25 or more on any given night. Van Horn can put up 18 and pull down five if needed. Howard is a bouncy, energetic player that makes things happen. Daniels has been steady and efficient, and Terry has run the point well while being deadly from three. Even Dampier has been the rock in the middle that Dallas has coveted for the last five years. They are the second options to Nowitzki. There is no third, fourth or fifth option on this team. That is what makes them so difficult to slow down. Defenses cannot key on two or three players. Almost their entire rotation is capable of going off, and it is hard to tell where the lightning will strike on any given night. This team effort behind Dirk will not impress you with their numbers, but they will kill you on the court. Perhaps the most positive change with this team has been their effort and intensity on defense. New head coach Avery Johnson has stressed defensive intensity, and the team has made some real strides in that area with the Little General at the helm. In Johnson's first 10 games since fully taking over, the team is allowing 94.7 points per game, almost three points less than they had been doing under Don Nelson. Defense has been the Holy Grail for the Mavericks, and they have finally started to turn the corner. Only their offense is lagging slightly and is performing below the one that broke records a couple of years ago. They still have this lingering stereotype of being a poor defensive team, even though they have vastly improved in that area. So when people look at Dallas, they still think bad defense, and don't see them scoring over 100 every game. This is the popular mode of thinking with this team, and it explains why people tend to overlook the Mavs. But with Nowitzki playing extremely well with a talented supporting cast and the team playing some defense, Dallas is deserving of a lot more credit than it has received. It is about time people start talking about the Mavericks, especially with the injury to Tim Duncan. With Duncan down, there is no odds-on favorite in the West. Do not be surprised if this team, a team that a lot of people thought would be lost without Steve Nash, will be playing in June.Dennis Doyle is a senior majoring in engineering. He can be reached at Dennis.Doyle@tufts.edu.
African studies scholar Edmond J. Keller spoke on U.S.-Africa relations in light of globalization and human security challenges yesterday in the Alumnae Lounge. Keller is a professor of political science at the University of California at Los Angeles. Tufts political science professor Pearl Robinson, head of the Africa and the New World minor, introduced Keller as an expert in African regional security. Keller has taught at many universities including ones in Kenya and South Africa and is the author and editor of five books on Africa. "Globalization occurred simultaneously with the end of the Cold War," Keller said. "African nations have had trouble finding a way to make globalization work for the betterment of their own people's lives and not so they are the victims of it." Keller said that Africa has never been at the center of U.S. foreign policy. "During the Cold War years, the relationship was that of selective engagement," he said. "Under George H.W. Bush there was more concern for humanitarian issues - he committed U.S. troops to Somalia." After the death of 18 U.S. servicemen in Oct. 1993, however, then-U.S. President Bill Clinton promised the American people that he would take forces out of Somalia, Keller said. The Rwandan genocide in April 1994 was a turning point. "Clinton spent the next years of his two terms apologizing for not paying enough attention and elevated Africa to a more important position," Keller said. Among other bodies, Clinton established the African Crisis Response Initiative after the Hutu-Tutsi conflict in Rwanda. Such responses paved way for what Keller called "a new partnership with Africa." "The partnership called for an acceleration of Africa's integration into the global economic community and an attempt to address security threats emanating from Africa," Keller said. "Clinton kept pushing for African issues throughout his two terms." Keller said that George W. Bush's U.S.-Africa rhetoric is not that different from Clinton's considering the Millennium Challenge Account for Africa, and the $15 million package for HIV/AIDS in Africa. The current president's ideas, however, are more infused with "non-altruistic concerns ... realist principles are paramount for W." In Keller's opinion, there are five primary challenges that face the African continent today: the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the debt crisis and trade issues, human security and development concerns, domestic and regional conflicts, and human rights and democracy issues. "Poverty and education affect all these policy areas," he said. According to Keller's numbers, 28.5 million Sub-Saharan Africans were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2001. "Figures in Africa range from 39 percent in Botswana to 0.1 percent in Mauritius," he said. "AIDS is an issue of social and humanitarian security." As far as debt crisis, Keller says the results are far-reaching. "African nations spend such a large percentage of their GDPs paying debt that they can't spend money on communicable disease [prevention] and other such issues - they can't free up resources," he said. Keller said that the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, under Clinton and continued by the current administration has helped alleviate some of the problems regarding both the debt crisis and African trade issues. Regional and domestic conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan have also hampered Africa's development, Keller said. He called the recent peace deal in Sudan an "uneasy truce." As for democracy in Africa, Keller said, "Dictators have fallen and multi-party democracies have risen but over the past five years we've realized these changes may not be permanent." Before opening up to questions, Keller closed his talk with a recommendation for U.S.-African relations. "Enlightened African leadership and flexible U.S.-Africa policy that is sensitive to both U.S. national interests and Africa's human security needs are necessary." One student asked how it would be possible to reconcile the two. "Bush has to relax his neo-realist interests and take more interest in human security needs," Keller said. "The next generation of African leaders is going to have to figure out a way to get help from the stronger partner [nations] without getting taken advantage of." Keller's talk was sponsored by the University's Program for Africa and the New World Lecture Series.
I'm drunk. Just kidding. Which brings me to the point of this week's column. Being drunk. Just kidding. OK, enough of that. I'm not drunk, I'm just sick. And being sick has afforded me a lot of time to do two things I do not normally do. The first is sleep. I've slept more in the last few days than in, oh, FOREVER. That's a lot of sleep. The second is thinking. I don't do this much, so you must realize how novel the concept is. But I thought. I thought about life, I thought about Saj, I thought about how my sister used to cheat at Jenga when we were kids. I thought about a lot. But mostly, I thought about being a second-semester senior, and what that means to me. It means that I will soon be ending my final year here at Tufts University. It means that in just a few short months I will be leaving this place, presumably a fully-functioning member of society. But most importantly, it means that as one of the elder undergraduate statesmen on this campus, I carry wisdom beyond that of underclassmen. And in the delirium of illness, I have decided to impart upon you young 'uns several tidbits I've collected over my last few years. Enjoy. 1.) Write a column for the Daily. You should all try this because it is a lot of fun. You get to have awkward interactions in the campus center where people approach you saying, "Hey, are you that guy who writes that column?" and then continue with a.) "I love your column," b.) "I think you're schizophrenic," or c.) "Dude, your last column about the Dominican prostitutes was really depressing." As a bonus, you get to submit your column to your editor late every week (probably giving her a heart attack, sorry Patrice) allowing you to sneak bad words past her. BOOBIES, BOOBIES, POOPOO. 2.) Join some sort of club, and stick with it. My freshman year I, or a younger more idealistic version of me, decided to join the Zamboni. "Gee," I thought, "it would be good fun to write for a humor magazine!" Boy, was I wrong. It sucked. But I stuck with it, quitting after first semester and returning at the beginning of junior year when my friend Brett asked me if I wanted to. So basically I joined a club, left after one semester, and then came back in my third year to do absolutely nothing except accept an editorship I neither earned nor deserved. 3.) Study abroad. If only for the following exchange: Your unsuspecting friend: So, are you studying abroad next year? You: I don't know about next year, but I might study a broad later tonight if you know what I mean! Your unsuspecting friend: Oh, grow up. But seriously, studying abroad is a great experience. When else can you travel around the world having the time of your life under academic auspices? I'd say never. 4.) Turn yourself into a complete person. And yes, this is the point in the column where I get to what I really wanted to talk about but couldn't write 700-900 words on, so I gave you 500 words of random mindless jokes to start with. You have four years at what we like to think is one of America's premier academic institutions. I mean, look at our library, there's A LOT of books. Your job, as a young person, is not only to leave this place with the skills necessary to succeed in the real world, but also with the skills necessary to leave here as a complete person. I think that is the point we sometimes miss when we're spinning on the little wheels in our rat cages. I have to get an A in this class, I have to get this internship, I have to get a high score on my MCATs - sometimes we get lost in all of that and we miss what is really important about being here, about learning. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing to be motivated, or ambitious, but it is not necessarily a good thing to be motivated or ambitious as both a means and an end. Ambition for the sake of passion, instead, is admirable. Passion, sadly, is what is often missing. In one of my earlier columns this semester, I mentioned that this year I took EPIIC. For me, applying for EPIIC was an effort to finally find that passion before I left Tufts, because God knows I hadn't found it in the three years prior. I was jogging on the little wheel in my rat cage like we all are, going through the motions, majoring in my major largely by default. EPIIC proved to be a catharsis for me; a course that I found it easy to care about. The topic was relevant, the workload was demanding, and the learning process was very engaging, something I had not yet encountered. While it proved more rigorous than my other courses, it put them in perspective. I am writing this column just as you fabulous underclassmen register for nextfall's classes. If you are, like I was, mentally restless, be mindful of EPIIC: it is a truly unique educational experience. It got me off the little wheel and out of my rat cage. The topic of next year's class will be "The Politics of Fear," which seems pertinent given the climate our nation finds itself in currently. If you have any interest, I encourage you to indulge it. Check out the program at www.epiic.org, and maybe you'll get out of your little rat cage, too.
The baseball team got its fifth consecutive win under its belt yesterday, defeating Bentley College 12-3 and boosting its record to 8-5 on the season. The Jumbos came out strong at the plate early in the game, posting five runs by the end of the third inning and 10 runs by the sixth. The Falcons never led. The win marks the fourth consecutive game in which the Jumbos have scored 10 or more runs, for a total of 47 runs in the last four games. The Jumbos got key hits early from senior Greg Hickey, juniors Jim O'Leary and Greg Chertok and sophomore Chris Decembrele. Hickey went 2-3 with two runs, while Decembrele went 2-4, also recording two runs. Decembrele blasted a deep fly-ball off the wall in center field for a triple and scored two runs in the third inning. Sophomore Brian Casey also had a big day at the plate, going 3-5 and scoring a run. Decembrele attributed the recent surge in runs to a total team effort. "When we put up a run, and [our pitchers] put up shutout innings, everyone gets motivated to get big hits," Decembrele said. "We had a lot of guys come through big for us today." Brian Casey commented on the team's mixture of good pitching and good hitting, marked by poise and control in the batter's box, "All of us are staying composed at the plate," Casey said. "We're not worrying where players are on the field. We've also had phenomenal pitching that has carried us late in the game." The Jumbos' pitching and defense answered in key situations to stop any attacks from Bentley and tip the momentum scales securely in Tufts' favor. The solid pitching performance was backed up by tight defensive play, with several critical defensive stops in the field from Chertok and Casey at shortstop and second base respectively. "Casey has been one of our best defensive infielders along with Chertok," coach John Casey said. "It's good to see guys at the bottom of the order come up big for us, and hit well. It shows that all of our guys can hit." Bentley came out in the bottom of the fifth inning with a base clearing three-run triple to right field from junior third basemen Chad Mastin, bringing the Falcons within two at 5-3. Tufts answered to the Bentley surge with its own rally in the bottom of the inning, posting six runs and five hits. O'Leary, Chertok, and sophomore Kyle Backstrom led the drive, knocking in five runs between them. Backstrom who went 2-5 with two runs, hit a three-run double into the gap that put the Jumbos up 10-3. Along with O'Leary and Decembrele, Backstrom finished the day with three RBIs. The Jumbos capped off the win with another run in the seventh inning off an O'Leary RBI, the team's 17th hit of the day. Junior Zak Smotherman started the game for Tufts on the mound, and was credited with the win, evening his record at 1-1. Smotherman went five innings, and although his pitch count went relatively high - around 80 pitches - he was able to last long enough to allow the Jumbos' relief pitchers to come in and finish the game. The Jumbos got strong relief from senior Jeremy Davis, junior Erik Johanson, sophomore Aaron Narva and freshman Adam Telian. The four relief pitchers allowed no hits in four innings of play. "Our pitching has been consistent from day one," Casey said. "Our starters know they can go hard and know that our bullpen will pick them up if they need it. Our relief bridged the gap and finished off for us." The Jumbos will look to continue their winning streak when they face Wesleyan in a four-game, seven-inning series this weekend in league action. Tufts will travel to Wesleyan for the first half of the series on Saturday, and then play the Cardinals at home for a rematch doubleheader on Sunday. "Playing four short games like that will be tough for us," Casey said. "[Wesleyan] has always been a tough team. The games are always close and really good games."
Poetry enthusiasts were treated to a free reading from poet Franz Wright yesterday afternoon in the Coolidge Room in Ballou Hall. Wright, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 2004, read select poems from his latest collections, "Walking to Martha's Vineyard" and "Ill Lit: Selected and New Poems," as well as several selections from the manuscript of his upcoming collection, currently untitled. Among the poems read were "Letter" and "One Heart," both of which confront Wright's newfound religious beliefs. Wright also read an untitled poem which touched upon the poet's relationship with his father, acclaimed poet James Wright. Other poems included "Lemon Grow," "April Orchard" and "Publication Date." English Professor Deborah Digges intoned poet Rainer Maria Rilke as she introduced the Pulitzer Prize winner to the audience. "And only if we arrange our lives in accordance with the principle which tells us that we must always trust in the difficult, what now appears to us as the most alien will become our most trusted experience," Digges recited. "Reading 'Walking to Martha's Vineyard' is to feel set free from the burden of the language." The event, titled the First John Holmes Memorial Poetry Reading, marked the reestablishment of what was at one time a Tufts tradition. John Holmes, a poet and English professor from 1930-1962, hosted several readings at the University throughout his tenure featuring local poets. These readings included such renowned poets as Robert Frost and John Crowe Ransom "I feel the honor of initiating the poetry series in honor of a beloved professor here at Tufts," Wright said. Immediately following the reading, students and faculty had the chance to get their own copies of Wright's collections signed by the poet. The Tufts Bookstore was also selling copies of "Walking to Martha's Vineyard" at the event. Before the reading, Wright met with students of Digges' poetry-based class, "Architecture of the Imagination." "To me, [writing] poetry is doing the impossible," Wright said in response to a question regarding the boundaries of writing poetry. "One of my friends said that it is like walking on water - and drowning." According to Wright, the idea for the title, "Walking to Martha's Vineyard," came simply from a visit he took with his wife to the Cape Cod island. "As I was walking, I had this great sensation of time breaking down, of time being one big moment," Wright said. Wright said he feels "almost a physiological change" comes over him when he writes something he considers to be good. "There is that moment. It is like an incredible blessing, an incredible happiness that you feel that you don't deserve," Wright said. In total, Wright has written 15 books of his own as well as five books of poetry translations, including the works of Rilke. In addition to his latest and most celebrated award, Wright has received the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry, as well as grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Whiting Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Friends of Tufts Libraries and the English Department co-sponsored the event. Digges, who helped organize the reading, said that Wright is the "real thing" as far as contemporary poets are concerned. "One thing I'm very attracted to is that Franz is a very solitary worker," Digges said. "He has wrestled his own angels in the dark of his writing room." Digges also said she felt that students who attended the event would walk away from the reading with a greater appreciation for language, poetry and the way in which the two work together. "I believe that students will understand a little better the transparency of language and the way in which poetry lives inside the language," Digges said. "This is to say that poetry is not always understandable, but if you are up to it, you'll be transformed." Sophomore Rachel Ombres, an English major, attended the event in an attempt to experience literature-related events outside of the classroom. "I feel that this was an opportunity for me, as an English major, to be involved in what I love outside of the classroom," Ombres said. "It was also a great opportunity to familiarize myself with the famous poets of today." Ombres was also eager to hear contemporary poetry read out loud by the poet himself. "Although his poems speak on their own, to hear them through the voice of the poet gives them an almost new and frightening character that I wouldn't be able to pick up through reading," she said.
In response to the growing interest for a special interest group within the Tufts Latina community, a newly-formed Latina Women's Group met for the first time last Friday. The group was founded in conjunction with the Women's Center at the University. Elaine Theodore, the Violence Prevention Program Coordinator at the Women's Center, is the group's faculty advisor. She said that there used to be a Latina Women's group at Tufts as well as a Latina Women's counselor at the Latino Center, but these resources no longer exist. "We felt there was a need and interest [for an all-women's group]," Theodore said. She also said the group's formation had been postponed in the past due to logistical issues and this time students and faculty did not want to give up on the initiative. There are a lot of Latin-American women on the campus from a wide variety of ethnic and social backgrounds that tend not to mix socially, Theodore said. According to the University's 2004-2005 Fact Book, there are 234 female undergraduates - or nine percent of the female undergraduate population on campus - who identify themselves as "Hispanic." The Latina Women's Group will attempt to address these social concerns as well as other issues that the Women's Center focuses on. "Gender issues are cultural issues," Peggy Barrett, Director of the Women's Center, said. Barrett also said that it's common for individuals to feel more comfortable discussing certain issues in an all-female group setting. The Latina Women's Group will allow dialogue to flow between women "in a particular cultural context," she said. The Latina's Women Group, however, will ultimately become whatever the students involved will make it. According to Theodore, the first meeting focused on issues of identity, which tied into the diversity of the group. Theodore said there are currently around 40 potential members, though only 15 attended the first meeting. A Latino Men's Group was formed last semester to address similar desires among males. Alonso Nichols, Violence Prevention Educator at the Woman's Center, is the faculty advisor for the Men's Group. Nichols said that his group has been successful, allowing Latino men to more easily "bond and be active in the Tufts community." The Men's group is essentially an outgrowth of the University's Latino Center - located in the Bolles House on the corner of Talbot and College Avenue - but Nichols said it allows the men to better relate and discuss "broader issues," not necessarily in the context of Latino issues. "I do have the sense that women from [the Latina] community have had a desire to get together," Nichols said. This was the same basic conclusion that Theodore had reached, simply that Latina women "wanted more unity" on campus.
You gotta love Britain. Home to Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and "God save the Queen!" the English have provided us with a lot of love and laughter over the years. From the Beatles to Princess Di to Jude Law, Americans have long delighted in British imports of all shapes and sizes. But the biggest British contributions to American pop culture have always come in the entertainment realm, where a quirky brand of comedic acting has added a new dimension to the American repertoire. Sometimes it works ("Monty Python") and sometimes it doesn't ("Coupling"), yet audiences here are always willing to give it a try. But our patience is wearing thin. The latest chapter in the saga of the British exchange - one in a disturbingly long string of recent disasters - "The Sketch Show" is an adapted version of the British comedy program of the same name. Like our own "Saturday Night Live," "The Sketch Show" relies on quick wit and well-timed physical humor. But the substandard level of comedy "The Sketch Show" derives from this classic equation ensures that it will never rival the likes of "SNL" or its British predecessor. The show's main problem lies in its formatting, a glitch that can normally be overlooked if the humor is good enough, but which in this case actually places severe limitations on the show's potential. "The Sketch Show," in a botched attempt to be "original," limits itself to horrendously short skit lengths. With literally no transition signaling the shift from one sketch to the next, the overall result is a program that is as choppy and inconsistent as the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan." But in that movie, U.S. soldiers were storming the impregnable beaches at Normandy under heavy German artillery - what's "The Sketch Show's" excuse? The humor, too, is a haphazard mess. "The Sketch Show" boasts two distinct brands of comedy, each equally odious in its own right. The first is repetition, the kindergarten notion that a joke will get funnier in the retelling. In one single half-hour segment, "The Sketch Show" had no less than three skits wherein the main joke involved a character speaking gibberish without others noticing. American audiences may not be as bright as those British chaps, but we don't all have Alzheimer's; if they can't come up with enough original humor to fill one show, it will be interesting to see how "The Sketch Show's" writers plan on sustaining the series over time. Then there's their other signature humor style: the not-funny kind. During a few skits, audiences will be left laughing more at the corniness of the jokes than at the comedy itself. One pedestrian skit after another made "The Sketch Show" look more like a kid's birthday clown routine, rather than fresh, hip entertainment. Puns, which have usurped sarcasm as the lowest form of humor, were far too prominent. For instance, one skit opened with a tough female cop swaggering down a lineup of inmates all incarcerated for one mass crime. "All right," she demands, waving her night stick, "who was the ringleader?" And then, as the audience cringes in disbelieving anticipation, the camera cuts to the end of the line where one prisoner's unmistakable red tailcoat and top hat make him stick out as awkwardly as the joke itself. Apparently, those Brits must think we're senile morons; when you're doing a sketch show, it's better to have the audience laughing with you than at you. But for all of its many weaknesses, "The Sketch Show" does have a few definitive assets on which to hang its hopes. First off, executive producer and "star" Kelsey Grammer is an established comic genius - though he is severely under-utilized, appearing in only the opening and closing skits - and should be able to recognize the program's shortcomings and rectify them if "The Sketch Show" can stay afloat long enough. Then again, he did let "Frasier" run itself into the ground about four seasons past its prime. The show's spirit of originality and attempt at breaking new ground in the world of sketch comedy is a noble effort, even if its execution has been lackluster up to this point. "The Sketch Show" ails from the same malady that afflicts many comedy casualties. Its intentions are good, the spark of creativity is there, but when it comes down to it, you can do all the fancy things you want, and nothing will change the fact that you have to be funny first; all of the cutesy quirks are just icing. In the end, it looks like "The Sketch Show's" chances of recovering from its initial mistakes are just too slim to be realistic. Its British creators can only hope that last month's success of the other mid-season English adaptation, NBC's "The Office," will buoy "The Sketch Show." Perhaps America is finally ready to forget the recent past and go back to accepting British imports with open arms. But then again, that's what the East India Tea Company thought, and look what happened to them!
You know you're big when a kid buys your CD for a girl he doesn't know on MTV's "My Sweet Sixteen." You know you're even bigger when the producers of "The Ashlee Simpson Show" choose your song to play in an episode's background. Senior Hilary Wentz's brother, Peter, has experienced all of these rock-star milestones. The 24-year-old dabbled in hard metal and punk before starting the band Fall Out Boy [FOB] in his hometown of Chicago. Since then, the group of four that began as a joke has grown from a small Chicago band into one of Rolling Stone's "Bands to Watch" for this year. Fall Out Boy has been on an upward trajectory over the past year, from being featured at Chicago's Tower Records store, to having their video aired on MTV, to headlining this year's Warped Tour. This little band from Chicago - now signed to Island Def Jam Records - is on the rise, and Hilary's been in the front row for it all. "He started playing with Fall Out Boy as kind of a joke," Hilary said. "None of us really expected it to get where it is. 'Take This to Your Grave,' their first album, became huge underground in Chicago and spread from there." "My friends from different colleges around the country would call me to tell me they saw different FOB shirts or heard it on the radio," she continued. "The first time they were on MTV, I realized that it was becoming a big thing." As the calls began trickling in from 12 and 13-year-old girls in the suburbs of Chicago, Hilary realized her brother's success would affect her life as well. At first, friends would brag at bars that, "Hilary's the sister of a rock star." Then her friends from home started driving up to her house at home blasting FOB and shouting, "Where's the rock star? We want to see the rock star!" Hilary has learned it's not always easy being the sister of a rock star. When Island Records features your brother's band on its website alongside Mariah Carey and the Bravery, it follows that the time you are allotted in his already tight schedule will diminish greatly. "Peter's on the road over 300 days a year," Hilary said. "I see him once for Christmas and whenever he's touring any of the cities that I'm living in. It's really hard to get in touch with him. Normally, he's always busy running off to have interviews; [he] always has something going on." Hilary has been able to gauge the success of the band by the inability of her brother's voice mail box to accept any more messages. "I haven't been able to call and leave a message any time in the past four months," Hilary said. "The mailbox is always full." Her brother's burgeoning fame also means that Hilary has to call him from only her cell phone if she wants to get in touch with him: due to the number of fans who are able to get a hold of Peter's number, he doesn't pick up calls he does not recognize. The adjustment to reading about a loved one in publications was also a strange transition for Hilary. "Sometimes it's hard to read certain things like newspaper articles in which rumors are being said," she said. "It's hard for me to read them and not be upset by them and want to defend him." But the sibling status does have its benefits. Besides $500 credits at Hollister (where FOB performed a clandestine concert) and free concert tickets, Hilary earns $100 a month from her dad (the band's pro bono lawyer) to respond to their fan mail. She also gets to use terms like "their album's dropping" and "merch." In addition, Hilary takes solace in the fact that her brother still borrows money from her (which he rarely pays back). "I'm his personal assistant, sending his video camera, counting books for him in the basement when he's not home," Hilary said. "He always calls me at home to get me to do things." Those favors include getting Peter chai lattes at Starbucks, as well as blackmail material like letting him borrow her jeans. "He tried to borrow a pair of my Sevens, but he tends to lean more towards Hollister women's jeans," Hilary laughed. Being "with the band" also has its perks, like backstage passes and prime concert seating. But sometimes it takes the underlings a little while to appreciate Hilary's presence. "One time, I was trying to get backstage to see him and a security guard made me cry because he didn't believe that I was his sister," she said. "Peter got his manager and laid the smack down for me." Hilary's brother shows his appreciation for her support in other ways. When he played at the House of Blues in Boston last year, she took all of her friends to the show, where, as a thank-you for her attendance, Peter asked the crowd to say hi to his sister "and her sorority friends." Hilary's stories range from her brother declining to sign a fan's breasts because she and her mother, Dale, were standing by watching, to overzealous fans bombarding their house in Wilmette, Ill. because her father shares the same first name as her brother. In one instance, a woman rang the doorbell with her 'tween daughter, both decked out in FOB apparel, and asked Hilary, "Are you Fall Out Boy's sister?" She then asked for a photo with "FOB's sister" and then remained there for another 15 minutes, photographing the Wentz's dogs, house and neighbors. Despite all of the outside fanfare, Hilary's life remains normal at home. "No one in my family idolizes Peter the way he's idolized by his fans, which is why it's interesting for us to read the fan mail and all the stories," she said. "It's easy to think of him as a rock star, but my parents still yell at him to clean up his room or for us to stop bickering with each other at the dinner table." As far as sibling rivalry is concerned, Hilary feels secure. "[My parents' involvement] is just them wearing Fall Out Boy T-shirts and buttons and bringing all of their friends to the concerts, but it's not like I have any concerts," she said. "So he definitely doesn't get any special treatment, besides being the first born." Fall Out Boy's next album, From Under the Cork Tree, drops May 3 nationwide. For more information on the band, visit www.falloutboyrock.com.
Full name: Paul Allen RobertsNickname(s): Snake, Prabbit, P-Diddy, IT, White ChocolateBirthdate: 7/5/1983Zodiac sign: CancerHometown: Stratham, NHFavorite athlete(s): Ozzie Smith, Andre Agassi and Emmitt SmithFavorite Tufts athlete: Stevie Cincotta. Close second: Adam YatesJunior tennis stud Paul Roberts is a busy man. Between juggling the ladies in his life and Stevie, there's no wonder it has taken this long for Seven Questions to come to him. I caught up with Roberts while he was repairing his broken racket after pulling a McEnroe. Naturally, Seven Questions ensued ...1) First off, I am only asking you questions on the condition that you give me my pool money. So where is it?Well if you're talking about the bet we made about when Kevin Holland would get a personality, that bet is still yet to be determined (ed note: ooooohhhh). As far as the NCAA pool, that money was spent long ago in Los Angeles while on spring break with the tennis team on bets between some of my teammates that I am not at liberty to describe. 2) You live in Wakefield right now. Give me the pros and cons of living so far away from campus?The positives are that I live with my older sister who pays for everything in a house with a hot tub, flat screen TV and two rottweilers. I am also miles away from those stalking freshman girls. The negative is after parties, when I can't drive home, I am left finding a place to stay, and the place usually ends up being with you and Steve.3) So your older brother once led the state of Kansas in rushing yards in high school. And the legendary Barry Sanders came in second. So my question for you is this: tennis, huh?Though I do have a 40 yard sprint time that would make the rest of the Tufts football team seem as if they were running in slow motion, I am not exactly Rich Aronson in stature. I don't think I would get up after my first hit. But flag football's a whole different story...4) In the spirit of name-dropping, you also played prep school hoops against the likes of Rashad McCants, Charlie Villanueva, Luol Deng, Jarrett Jack and Craig Smith. Give me one good reason they would say "I was on the same court with Paul Roberts."They might remember playing against me because they each probably had their career high games in points while I was covering them. They might also recall that I was on the same team as Casey D'Annolfo and we all know what kind of force he was on the court this year.5) What player on the women's team would have the best shot at beating you?This is a very difficult question as I have respect for each of their games. But I think Trina [Spear] would have the best shot ... let's just say that I don't think the ball would be my main focus. 6) You and my roommate, Steve "Mario" Cincotta, have known each other since way back. Tell me something about Cincky that even I don't already know.You two have been roommates since sophomore year, so I am sure you must know how to translate his mumbling speech, as well as that he was the best running back in the league when he could find a hole. But one thing you both are unaware of is that in fourth grade, I kissed his older sister in the back of the bus on the way to Six Flags.7) Who on your team is the best "playmaker," if you catch my drift?Jon Ruby has those stunning blue eyes, Ben Alexander used to be a childhood star on a soap opera, and Sean McCooey has that baby face working for him. But when talking about "playmaker" there is no question that with his number one status, VIP access at every club and sexy Turkish accent ... the winner is Rifat Perahya. And Yates ... you weren't even under consideration.- by Tim Whelan
An article in yesterday's paper on alumna Joyce Barsam ("Barsam crusades against genocide in Armenia, worldwide," April 6) incorrectly referred to her as Shushan Barsam. Shushan is her maiden name. The page 28 baseball photo in yesterday's paper was miscredited. Ed Warren was the photographer. A photo caption on Page 1 of Monday's paper identified the break-dancer pictured as a member of Tufts' break dancing group TURBO. The dancer was actually from the Middlebury College group GT/VT.
Senate majority leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) has thankfully strayed from the party line and does not advocate holding federal judges accountable for not reinserting Terri Schiavo's feeding tube, he said yesterday in an interview with the New York Times. Schiavo died last Thursday after 13 days without her feeding tube, despite numerous attempts by her parents to have a court order its reinsertion. Frist, who argued for Schiavo to be kept on the feeding tube, has shown his respect for the U.S. Constitution and America's strong tradition of separation of powers. The cornerstone of our government system is the checks and balances created by the legislative, executive and judicial branches. This is the system that decided the Schiavo case, along with countless other cases - it cannot be destroyed simply because some legislators dislike the outcome. House majority leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) would rather hold the federal judges accountable for Schiavo's death. "The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior, but not today," Delay warned immediately following Schiavo's death. The judges chose to uphold a decision made by her husband, in accordance with the law. It's the judges' job to interpret the law independently of political opinion, not impose their morals upon the American public. DeLay's desire to go after judges who make rulings he disagrees with could easily lead to a witch-hunt of judges and an erosion of civil liberties. The judges of the Schiavo case were not evil; they did not want Schiavo to die. They wanted to uphold the law to the best of their abilities. Pigeon-holding them as "activist judges," as DeLay often does, diminishes their credibility. While they should not be immune to criticism, judges must not be subject to threats against their ability to judge, simply because of a difference of public opinion. Judges need to be able to do their job without worrying about interference from Capitol Hill. This will enable them to freely interpret the law and protect citizens' rights. Simply because Congress passed a law that would allow for Schiavo's feeding tube to be reinserted did not mean that it had to happen. These judges did their job and were not swayed by the powers in Washington. They should not be punished for upholding their previous decisions on the Schiavo case, especially since there was never enough new evidence to justify a reversal of the Florida court's original decision. The judicial system is a key part of our political system, and ensures that laws and their implementation are in accordance with the U.S. Constitution. Legislators such as DeLay must remember that they do not hold all the power in Washington. Frist respects the court's ability to disagree with Congress and override its decisions. The rest of our legislators must remember their high school civics class and do the same.
When it comes to finding excellent Italian food in Boston, many are understandably daunted. Trekking to the North End, paying $20 to park your car in a thimble, and another $100 for a meal in a restaurant as roomy as the inside of a dishwasher, you leave feeling slightly taken advantage of. Sorriso is the answer to your prayers. Tucked away behind South Station on South Street, the restaurant is owner Ian Just's second culinary venture. His first, Les Zygomates, sits next door, doing for French cuisine what Sorriso does for Italian. Both have a lengthy, renowned wine list (Les Zygomates won the 2003 Boston Magazine award for "Best Wine List"), and are known for providing excellent meals at more reasonable prices. At Sorriso, however, Just has made the cheap(ish) Italian meal an art form. Like its sister restaurant, Sorriso is meticulously designed; providing the illusion that you're dining in a trattoria in Naples. A sizeable brick oven is undoubtedly the centerpiece of the high-ceilinged dining room, colored various shades of brown. Murals depicting typically Italian scenes cover the walls and exposed wooden beams add to the rustic feel of the restaurant. The more inspired design touches include wrapping an exposed air vent with shelves and turning it into a wine cabinet, or separating the private dining room with a large curtain. Overall, the area feels cozy and spacious without looking like the Olive Garden. For drinks, a 2003 Santi Pinot Grigio ($7) served me well. Although far from being a wine aficionado, I could appreciate the smoothness of this wine, and the seven dollar price tag seemed appropriate. Most inspired of all, however, is the food. My partner and I started with gnocchi with braised oxtail ragu ($9) and the portabella carpaccio with caramelized onions, shaved grana, arugula, and truffle oil ($7). The gnocchi was sublime; just soft enough without being Jell-o. The oxtail ragu was a perfect meat sauce accompaniment, adding meatiness and texture to the pasta. The portabella carpaccio was likewise delicious. The truffle oil added an extra zing to already succulent mushrooms. Next were the main courses. Despite being impressed by the visible brick oven and having heard through the grape vine that the pizzas here, while a little pricey ($15), are excellent, I decided that other items on the menu were simply too tempting to pass up. My partner got a seared salmon fillet with pancetta ($17). While a tad undercooked, the exterior of the salmon, usually left fairly bare, was coated with tasty spices and browned to perfection. My pan-seared tuna steak with olives, Sardinian couscous and tomato stew ($20) was perhaps the highlight of the meal. Tuna is a gentle creature; much like venison, you have to attack it gently or watch helplessly as its taste disappears. This one was soft as butter and only slightly warm on the inside, retaining all of its original taste. The olives added a surprisingly enjoyable tang to the seared exterior. In addition, the couscous was a perfect side dish: light without being airy. Also fantastic-looking was the rib eye steak with truffled Brussels sprouts and patate fritte. Stuffed from the meal, we decided to share a dessert, which unfortunately did not quite live up to the culinary heights of its predecessors. The apple tart with vanilla ice cream ($7) looked and tasted like apple pie that had fallen apart. Although decent, it was definitely a let down. The bill, fortunately, was not a disaster - coming down to $66. For two people who both had an appetizer and a main course, that's about as good as you get, considering the quality of food in question. Overall, chef John Paine and owner Ian Just have hit another home run with Sorriso. Located at 107 South St., Boston, MA. Take the Red Line to South Station. Valet and street parking are available.
James Gerber's column yesterday ("Conservatives no more?," April 6) brought attention to a very serious chasm in the Republican Party: fiscal conservatives versus social conservatives. For much of the Republican revolution there has been a healthy balance between the two major factions in the party. Recently though, the Republican Party has become the party of only the social conservatives. Opinion polls have consequently reflected the result of this. Last week's polls showed President Bush's approval rating to be at the lowest level of his presidency. There are likely many contributing factors to the recent decline. Last week was a pessimistic time in America, with rising gas prices and the media's unhealthy obsession with Terri Schiavo. In fact, it is the Terri Schiavo ordeal that has caused many of the recent grumblings. Poll after poll showed that even those that consider themselves to be evangelical Christians did not think Congress should intervene in the case. However, many Republicans still felt the need to pander to the hardcore right. By doing so, Republicans alienated the other half of the party. National Republicans seem to be forgetting that their party's membership is comprised not just of social conservatives but of fiscal conservatives as well. These members of the party to which I belong want government, particularly the federal government, to stay out of their lives. The popularity of the Reagan and Clinton presidencies was due, in part, to their commitments to devolution. Now, we find Congressional Republicans overstepping their bounds and interfering in a decision already made by the state of Florida. Republicans who favor limited government have not just been alienated by the recent actions of Congress. They have also been betrayed by a spending addiction within the Bush White House. Much to the chagrin of fiscal conservatives and the probable surprise of liberal Democrats, domestic spending under Bush increased 11 percent from 2001 to 2003. Discretionary domestic spending increased at an even greater amount, nearly 16 percent between 2001 and 2003. In addition, these numbers do not reflect the increased spending due to the war on terror and the war in Iraq. By comparison, overall federal spending has increased at twice the rate under President Bush than under President Clinton. In essence, President Bush has only given fiscal conservatives half of what they wanted: the tax cuts. The tax cuts, however, have had their desired effect. The economy is growing at a healthy four percent and tax collections are up 10 percent this year. Unfortunately however, spending still continues to rise. Budget outlays for this year have increased seven percent. While this does mean that the budget deficit this year will be slightly less than last year, fiscal conservatives are not getting the deficit yield they should expect from a Republican controlled government. Thankfully, President Bush appears to be taking steps to correct the problem. His most recent budget proposal suggests freezing all domestic levels of spending. While any budget cut or freeze can be expected to make any liberal heart bleed, any true conservative will argue that the government does not need to be taking any more of our money. In the words of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, we don't have a tax problem, we have a spending problem. In fact, I believe the President should not wait until next year to begin making budget reforms. He can begin to fix the problem now. President Bush can offer a budget rescission immediately. Such a move would not be unprecedented; President Regan made a similar rescission in his Presidency. The result of the budget rescission would be a six month head start on his effort to curb government spending. Both the Cato and Heritage Foundations have found room for approximately $150 billion dollars in budget cuts for this fiscal year. Holding the remaining six month non-defense outlays to one percent growth would reduce this year's deficit by $25 billion. Moreover, it would also make for highly entertaining politics, with Democrats likely whining that Bush is again ignoring domestic issues when in actuality he has increased domestic spending more than their savior, Bill Clinton. It is also likely that both parties would have an identity crisis. If the Republican Party refuses to act, a very wide door will be left open for the Democrats in the midterm elections. Part of the Contract with America that swept Republicans into office emphasized fiscal restraint and even a balanced budget. Republicans seem to have long forgotten these promises. The Democrats should remind America of the fiscal restraint and success it enjoyed under the Presidential leadership of Bill Clinton. It is time for President Bush to employ traditional Republican fiscal restraint. President Bush should propose a budget rescission today. The Republican Party is made up by more than just social conservatives.Mike Schrimpf is a senior majoring in political science.
The University's Elections Board (ELBO) released the results of the one contested Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate race last night, as well as the results for the four uncontested TCU races.
It's a tale as old as (biblical) time, yet the cast of "Children of Eden" reinterprets Genesis with a simplistic style and compelling characterization. Tonight, Torn Ticket II presents the Steven Schwartz musical that departs from the traditional Bible story, in order to focus on the individuals behind the parable. Starring God, the play opens with a tumultuous creation sequence, aptly titled, "In the beginning"; though it echoes the first lines of the Bible, the story takes an unexpected departure from its divine basis. Here, though Eve is indeed the first to fall from grace, and attempts to deceive Adam, she is unable to lie to him. Adam, more compelling than in the Bible, is no dupe, and Eve is not ashamed. The line is drawn, and Adam must make the choice, for good or ill, between adulthood with his wife or eternal childhood with the Father. This theme of choice continues throughout the play, as Adam and Eve's sons are soon faced with the choice between innocence and independence. Though audiences will recall how Cain and Abel turn out, the characters are developed in this production so that the tragedy is more absolute. As the story unfolds, the family's strong bonds seem to nearly deliver it from the evil that awaits, but each successive generation inherits the sins of the last. Sunday school was never this fascinating. Director Mike LaFazia considers the familiar story a vehicle to reach other themes, ultimately considering the Bible to be little more than a frame of reference. "This show is about people who just happen to be Bible characters," LaFazia said, "It's about fathers, sons, family and community." God's relationship with his children, whose creation was inspired from a dream in which he "wasn't lonely anymore," is portrayed with equal yearning on each side. God is present but often invisible to those who call. The abandoned children - and the abandoned father - continually seek and repel each other. Freshman Michael Taub, as God, approached the role by thinking of his own father. "I'm not that religious, and I don't think that has all that much to do with it," Taub said. The costumes reflect the gradual loss of innocence. In the beginning, there was light - and white. The color of purity infuses the production while Adam and Eve enjoy perfection in the garden. Each generation following their expulsion from the Bible introduces more color and pattern to their garb, as life becomes more complicated and less ideal. As the basic family reincarnates itself throughout the play, the color scheme changes accordingly. The stage is stark, though ensemble cast members take on the roles of birds, beasts, water and trees. The director had his own vision of creation. "We wanted to create as much as possible," LaFazia said, "Why build a big set if you can make it out of people and emote something?" That emotion infuses the play. The ensemble cast approaches each song with an enthusiasm and choreographed disorder that resembles life itself. Requisite spiritual music elements sneak in, but are appropriate, allowing the cast to showcase their considerable vocal skills. Freshman Samantha Karlin, as Yonah the servant, steals the second act with her portrayal of one of the race of Cain. But curses are ultimately forgiven, by God, and by the people who enforce them against each other. Freshman Rebecca Schoffer, as mother Eve and Mama Noah, weaves together the children of Eden with stunning vocal skills and impressive depth in the role of the first woman and wayward child. "I view Eve as just like any mother. She hopes to love all of her children, but she's really just a child herself," Schoffer said.
We would like to respond to a recent editorial in the Daily ("Too much waiting," March 30) on the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ORLL). Too much waiting you think? It's interesting how Tufts University seems to breed so many overeager and unreasonable students. Before we elaborate on the responsibilities of the ORLL, allow us to ask a few questions. Logistically, does it make a difference if students know their housing assignment in March or in May? How long does it take to plan for and furnish an 8x11 foot rectangular dorm room? The editorial said "the needs of the current freshman class must be a priority since they are required by university policy to live on campus next year." If concerned students had read the housing forecast that was posted on the same page as the lottery numbers, the freshman waitlist wouldn't have come as a surprise. We quote: "All are guaranteed on-campus housing ... Some at the end of the range may be on the waitlist at the time of lottery but are guaranteed assignments on-campus." Due to the unexpected amount of rising sophomores who chose to live in special interest or Greek housing next year, the office cannot predict how many current freshmen will be living in dorms. Contrary to popular belief, the office does not hire fortune tellers. The "notoriously unorganized" office discussed in the editorial does not exist. The new staff has done a superb job of surpassing the expectations held of the office. Please remember, the office assumes that all students are competent and independent individuals who have the ability to accurately read a Web site and the housing lottery packets that were e-mailed. If every student did this, ORLL director Yolanda King would have the time to attend to those with more serious housing issues. The lack of independence of students on this campus simply baffles us. Does it make sense that parents of 20-year-olds call the office about trivial issues? So kiddies, the lesson we learned today is that with a little initiative and independence you can go a long way in this world ... especially when it comes to the ORLL.Abena Agyemang '07 and Jasmine Tatum '08 ORLL student staff members
