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The Setonian
News

Men's Cross Country | Jumbos run to fourth ECAC title in six years

November 8

So far, the men's cross country team's championship season is looking a lot like last year's. Tufts successfully defended both its home course and last year's ECAC Championship on Saturday afternoon as the Jumbos' second seven captured first place out of 34 teams at Grafton. Tufts totaled 70 points to better Williams (82) for the second consecutive race. The top seven beat the Ephs' varsity last Saturday for Tufts' second consecutive NESCAC title. Last year, the Jumbos won NESCACs, ECACs and New England Regionals, and after the second seven's home performance on Saturday, Tufts is two-thirds of the way through matching that feat this season. Leading the way for the Jumbos were sophomores Justin Chung and Chad Uy. Chung, who coach Connie Putnam said "ran a great race out front," finished fourth overall with a time of 27:17. "I thought that it was an OK race for me," Chung said. "It was basically a repeat of my time from last year, so I thought that it could have been better. I think the team did really well as a whole though." Uy also scored a top ten finish, completing the race in 27:34, good for eighth place. The time was a career best for Uy and a pleasant surprise for his coach. "He had a great breakout race," Putnam said. "He just fought his way through the field. I think we'll see him enjoy a different notoriety within the group from now. There wasn't a guy on the team who wasn't impressed by his race." "Everything just seemed to come together for me this meet," Uy said. "The tapering has helped a lot, dropping the mileage down. I started out with [sophomore Peter] Goransson, and then I felt fresh and I just kept moving up." "Chad really deserves a lot of credit," Chung said. "Without his performance we might not have won." Senior Mike Don finished third for Tufts, finishing in 27:50 in the final race of his career. Don started out strong but developed a cramp in his right side and was passed by several runners over the last two miles. "I ran well over the first three and a quarter miles," Don said. "But I never really got rid of [the cramp]. It was rough but I kept it together over the last mile." "Mike has just had disappointment after disappointment in terms of his luck," Putnam said. "He put in a good summer, returned in good condition, and was stricken with mono at just the worst moment, as the team was coming together to train. But he's done a good job coming back, and he had a solid last race." Still, it's not completely over for Don. "He had some great mile times last year in track and I anticipate him having some more great ones this year," Putnam said. "So I hope he doesn't take the cross country season as his finale and I don't think he will." "I'd like to qualify for nationals in the mile so I'm going to keep training," Don confirmed. "I'm only a couple of weeks behind in training so I think I have a good shot at a successful track season. I'm excited." Junior Mike Cummings finished 23rd overall, finishing the course in 28 minutes, while Goransson finished nine seconds behind him in 25th place. Also competing for the Jumbos in nonscoring roles were junior Neil Orfield, who finished in 27th place at 28:15, and sophomore Peter Orth, who finished 54th overall with a time of 28:49. "Orth was feeling a little under the weather but he gutted it out anyway," Putnam said. "If he hadn't been feeling badly before the race I would have said he would have challenged for the lead with JC." Still, the Jumbos had more than enough depth to seal up the victory. "We did what we needed to do," Don said. "Chad and Justin stepped up, and not everyone had their best day individually but we all ran well enough to win." Putnam summed up the formula that led to Tufts' fourth ECAC title in six years: "We had a nice mix of seasoned veterans and nice young guys, and some nice things happened as a result. They should be proud."

The Setonian
News

TV Review | Around the world in 115 days

November 8

Since Christopher Columbus shocked the world more than 500 years ago by proclaiming that the earth was round, man has been nothing short of obsessed with circumnavigating this unforgiving sphere. The best Columbus could do was stumble into North America and wipe out two-thirds of the indigenous population with smallpox. Good old Ferdinand Magellan gave it another go in 1519, but a well-placed arrow stopped him somewhere in the Philippines. And then there was Amelia Earhart ... we're still waiting on that one. So who will we look to in the new millennium to complete the journey that so many have undertaken and failed? Enter Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, the UK's version of Matt and Ben. In April 2004, these fun-loving Brits hit the open road to do what could not be accomplished by air or sea, with nothing but "two men, two bikes and 20,000 miles." And, lucky us, they caught it all on tape! Historically, this sounds just ducky, but from an entertainment standpoint, Bravo's new series is maddeningly mundane. As networks scramble to find programming that will win them the coveted Thursday night slot, it's truly pathetic that the best Bravo can do is a "Road Rules" knock-off that's about as interesting as its numerical tagline suggests. As "Motorcycle Diaries" evidences, if you're going to do a road trip story, you had better do it right. The main characters are likeable enough to hook a relatively large audience, making it even more astounding that Bravo managed to botch things up. Ewan McGregor, the charismatic Scotsman who possesses a talent that transcends his mainstream Obi-Wan persona, is as charming on the small screen as on the big one. Viewers are immediately drawn to the easy humor and naturally outgoing personality that they know and love from movies like "Moulin Rouge" (2001) and "Big Fish" (2003). And let's face it, the fact that McGregor is quickly becoming one of Hollywood's newest "It" guys is a huge plus. If it weren't for his name attached to this project, "Long Way Round" would be on an even faster track to nowhere. As for faithful sidekick Charley Boorman, well, the most notable entry on his r?©sum?© before this show was that he played an unnamed character in the hick flick "Deliverance." He might play the loud, crass, rebellious wingman to a T, but it's a no small wonder that this actor had time to go globe-trotting with his mate. Dynamic duo aside, this show was already inherently flawed when it was still just a twinkle in series creator McGregor's eye. The road trip saga has been done so close to death that there's hardly any point in trying to put an original spin on it. The "Long Way Round" crew should have embraced the clich?©-ness of their story with an "if-you-can't-beat-'em-join-'em" attitude, but series producers David Alexanian and Russ Malkin stubbornly tried to break with tradition. The result is reality TV-meets-"On the Road" in a head-on collision that leaves no survivors. Splicing sloppy camerawork reminiscent of "The Blair Witch Project" with truly uninteresting plotlines, Alexanian and Malkin ensure that "Queer Eye For the Straight Guy" will enjoy at least one more season as Bravo's number one show. Inexperienced in doing the introspective asides to the camera made famous by MTV's "The Real World," McGregor's comedic relief was no match for his glaring un-professionalism. The hilarious hijinx that are supposed to accompany any good road trip story are watered down by the fact that the two travelers are married, middle-aged, highly insured actors unwilling to do any of their own stunts. After watching a single installment, viewers will not only walk away dissatisfied but will cringe at the prospect that four more episodes remain before winter break kicks in and we can go back to watching "ER" re-runs every Thursday night. So, after all that, will Ewan and Charley make it from London to New York as they planned? Will they succumb to the wildly mysterious perils of the open road? Will anything interesting happen at all? Probably not. On the other hand, they won't end up lost in the Caribbean, killed in a native uprising or mysteriously MIA like their adventurous predecessors either. What a pity; it would have made a better story if they had.

The Setonian
News

'Lightning in a Bottle' strikes a blue note

November 8

Blues fans will go nuts when, during Antoine Fuqua's new documentary "Lightning in a Bottle," they see Buddy Guy, Mavis Staples and B.B. King perform live standards on the same stage during a once-in-a-lifetime concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall. And for everyone else, Macy Gray, Stephen Tyler and Bill Cosby might do the trick. Stephen Tyler? Bill Cosby? Well, this is a mostly blues documentary, anyway. In fact, "Lightning" attempts to tell the story of the genre using a live concert held back in 2003 featuring most, if not all, of the greatest living blues musicians. But, while this was no doubt an amazing concert, the film is at best an amusing introduction to the music that preaches best to fans that already sing, or listen to, the blues. Fuqua must have seen Ken Burns' "Jazz" several years ago and decided that was not how to make a music documentary. The 19- hour PBS phenomenon attempted to tell the complete history of jazz but was critiqued for its dullness and, of course, length. Fuqua approaches his film with an entirely different and intriguing live music mindset but doesn't quite strike the promised balance between blues performance and history that audiences will expect. The film opens with a brief montage and introduction by Martin Scorsese, who executive produced the concert and directed his own PBS blues documentary that aired last September. Few details are given about the concert, but a few audience close-ups, showing mostly wealthy-looking white people, suggest that these tickets were either passed out in the Hamptons or given only to Scorsese's relatives. Concert details aside, we're plunged into a powerful performance by Ang?©lique Zodjo, who represents the African origins of the blues. We know this because in the backdrop are stereotypical photographs of an African savannah: tall grass, a lonely tree and a beautiful sunset. Cheesy stage d?©cor like this occurs throughout the film, but hey, it looks nice. Natalie Cole sings a beautiful and hip version of "St. Louis Blues" and then joins Mavis Staples and Ruth Brown - among the few women in blues - in a nostalgic rendition of "Men are Like Street Cars." Bill Cosby then happens to appear on stage at that moment, making funny faces. Is he trying to look like a streetcar? In any case, he has no reason to be there, except perhaps to make the promotional posters look more interesting. Macy Gray oozes cool while singing "Hound Dog" in sunglasses and a big hairdo, in total control of the theatre's mood. This is surprising since, in her rehearsal footage, we see that she doesn't completely know what she's doing. But R&B, rock, country and rap started with the blues, which is perhaps why Macy Gray, Stephen Tyler, Bonnie Raitt and Chuck D have little trouble interpreting the classics throughout the film (while boosting the film credits at the same time!). Chuck D, for that matter, also has little trouble criticizing the Bush administration when he changes the lyrics of "Boom boom boom boom" to "No boom boom boom boom / Mr. Son of a Bush / We don't want no war." Actual blues musicians include Buddy Guy, Larry Johnson, Clarence "Gatehouse" Brown (who plays "American and world music - Texas style") and Fats Domino, who all give exciting performances. Fats Domino, in fact, mostly performs sitting in a red throne-like chair but is so energized by the end that he stands up, sending waves of energy through the audience on film and in the cinema. Fuqua films each performance using simple camerawork, zooming in appropriately when we want to see B.B. King's guitar finger action, filming the whole stage when we want to see the musicians interacting with each other and shooting the audience for some anti-Bush reaction during Chuck D's surprise. In between each excerpted performance, the film presents interviews with deceased blues masters, footage of rehearsals the week before or archival film and photos trying to present the social climate during the time each song was written. This is where the documentary can get shallow: can a few-second shot of a black lynching spliced between Buddy Guy and Macy Gray give justice to the harsh historical realities of the time? Despite its flaws, Fuqua's film and Scorsese's concert make an admirable and useful contribution to American musical history. Art Kane's famous jazz group portrait, "A Great Day in Harlem," is remembered by jazz fans everywhere as having brought together in one place the greatest number of jazz heroes ever. Blues fans are lucky because Fuqua's film presents a live version of that, just in time for many of these aging blues masters. Ruth Brown said it right: "We aren't at a funeral, usually that's the only time we see each other."

The Setonian
News

David Cavell | Double Down

November 8

Three weeks ago marked a special one year anniversary for me: the night I had a knife pulled on me for the first and hopefully only time. And it was, in a way, the Red Sox' fault. And you know what? It was worth it to go to the game. (Can you tell I'm a Red Sox fan?) First things first. I'm pretty sure that the Patriots are still the best team in, as Phil Simms would say, the National Football League. Yeah, I know we lost to the Steelers and that their quarterback, Ben Rothelisldijefbererger, is being heralded as the new Joe Montana/Dan Marino/James Vanderbeek in "Varsity Blues" after seven games. We absolutely lost to the Steelers. Without our starting running back, best wide receiver, two offensive linemen, a tight end and both starting cornerbacks. I'm not one to make excuses, but let's be serious. The Patriots beat - make that blew out - the St. Louis Rams, reported to be a good team, with a cornerback combo of Randall Gay, Earthwind "And Fire" Mooreland, and Troy Brown. Yes, wide receiver Troy Brown. Not to mention that Adam Vinatieri threw a touchdown pass and linebacker Mike Vrabel caught one. At this point, why don't the Pats start raffling off the opportunity to play? Apparently, under Bill Belichick all you really need to succeed is a Rudy-like desire to compete and moderate health. Forget Rudy, Belichick could probably just toss himself into the game and turn in a solid performance. I'm speechless. Troy Brown was covering Issac Bruce ... and it worked. Speechless. Remember, Bill Cowher still coaches the Steelers. In a postseason game, who would you put money on, Belichick or Cowher? Yeah, that's what I thought. Back to knife pulling. Last season I took the plunge and, with my friends, set up camp on Yawkey Way outside the Red Sox ticket office at 9 a.m. the day before the Red Sox' first home meeting with the Oakland Athletics. Second in line to a guy named Chris from South E, a dead ringer in every respect for Ben Affleck's Chucky in "Good Will Hunting," and just ahead of a young couple from New Hampshire, we felt pretty good. As the day dragged on, however, a new group made their presence known. Scalpers have gone hand in hand with Fenway Park for as long as I can remember. Fresh from stints in Walpole State Prison, heavily connected to organized crime and dressed like strip club bouncers, Fenway scalpers are among the most despicable people on the planet, including those who voted for Nader in swing states. From the moment you step off the T or set foot within a five block radius they pounce, screeching "NEED TICKETS? SELLIN'!?" It was around 2 a.m. when, without any police presence (more on that later) and the numbing effects of the air starting to mess with people, they went on the offensive. South E Chris ended up in a scuffle with a scalper, and my friends and I tried half-heartedly to break it up. The scalper, nostrils flaring, whirled to face us and lifted up his Celtics sweatshirt, hand on knife handle (I guess this doesn't qualify as him pulling a knife, but saying it like that makes for a better lead). One of my friends pulled his sleeping bag over his head and went to his happy place, and I managed a tough guy "My mistake, my mistake ..." Luckily, scrappy Chris took this opportunity to spit on the scalper, and I dove back to my lawn chair as the two of them wrestled on the street. The encounter ended with the scalper warning Chris not to go to sleep, referring again to his knife. During the course of the night, I also managed to name myself MVP of the whiffle ball tournament, witness someone brandish a handgun over a traffic dispute (a first in my sheltered life), watch as Chris and his friend broke a drunk kid's nose and get about three hours of sleep. The next morning, exhausted, filthy from the sidewalk and slightly insane from the cold, I was haggard. Adding insult to threatened injury I watched Boston cops, sent to maintain order, talking to the scalpers about expected take and asking after relatives. One cop, upon hearing how much the knife-wielding scalper intended to make, joked that he should ask for more. "Classy," someone murmured. I was too miserable to care. Around 10 a.m. I deliriously staggered into the Red Sox box office, purchased two bleacher tickets and stumbled home. This is where non-Red Sox fans cease to understand. It's not that we're obsessed. We just love to care. The Red Sox have been passed down, like a cherished heirloom, from one generation of Bostonians to the next, like Bruce Willis' watch in "Pulp Fiction." A world championship won't change that. That night, Trot Nixon's walk-off home run landed two rows in front of us. You can see five of us in the replays, jumping and awkwardly hugging. I slept outside twice more. Unfortunately the glory era of sidewalk sleeping is over in Boston. My friend Charlie Vallely slept outside during the ALCS only to be turned away the next day. Wet, exhausted and delusional, Charlie insisted that the Red Sox 19-8 loss in the game that night was payback for his slight. The Red Sox have taken something special away by preventing people from sleeping outside. I understand that it helps deter scalpers, but it also deters me, a loyal fan, from being able to see a game. For God's sake, even Robin Williams claims to have sidewalk slept with his friends in "Good Will Hunting" for Game 6 of the '75 Series. Playoff games are now reserved exclusively for season ticket holders, the lucky callers, and Ben Affleck. Nevermind that sleeping outside was a cherished ritual. Devoted fans need not apply. I guess now I have my "In my day ..." story. Was it worth it, you ask? As Napoleon Dynamite would say, "Obviously! You flippin' idiot! Gosh!"

The Setonian
News

Football | Tufts still can't make the offense work in final home game

November 7

It is a common concern for coaches that their teams will experience a let down the week after a big win. Whether that affected Tufts on Saturday is a matter of conjecture, but the outcome was the same, as Tufts was beaten on their home field 17-3 by the Colby White Mules. The score was just 3-0 in favor of Colby at halftime. The While Mules took that lead in the second quarter on a 26-yard field goal that was set up by a fumble on the Tufts 16 yard line. Colby stretched its lead in the third quarter on a pair of touchdown runs by freshman running back Chris Bashaw. On their first possession of the quarter, the White Mules marched 51 yards on 10 plays to set up a 2-yard Bashaw score. They scored again on their next possession, on a 1-yard Bashaw run. The touchdown was set up by a 39-yard pass from Justin Smith to Jon Vacca. Tufts scored their only points of the game early in the fourth quarter on a 43-yard field goal by junior Phil Scialdoni. The score capped off a nine-play, 55-yard drive which featured a 40-yard run by senior running back Steve Cincotta. The White Mules were able to run out the clock, repeatedly handing off to Bashaw and shutting down the Jumbos defensively. Colby out-gained Tufts by just 57 yards, 257 to 200, but the Jumbos had to work for everything they got. "They made more big plays than us," senior quad-captain Donovan Brown said. "We only had one big play; Steve's run. They just got in the end zone, and we didn't." The Jumbos offense made it past their own 50-yard line only twice all game and finished just 2 of 13 on third down conversions. Colby repeatedly forced the offense into third and long situations, and blitzed on nearly every third down. "When you get in situations of 3 and 8 or more, it's always going to be tough to get first downs," senior quarterback and quad-captain Jason Casey said. "They blitzed a lot on third down - that's probably where they got half their sacks." The White Mules sacked Casey and junior Casey D'Annolfo nine times, resulting in a loss of 37 yards. "[The sacks] weren't so much because of their pressure," Casey said. "A couple of them were at the end of the game, looking downfield. And some of them were because Casey [D'Annolfo] and I didn't want to force things. They were doing a pretty good job with coverages, and we were holding onto the ball for a little too long." Casey, who began the season as the Jumbos' starter, replaced D'Annolfo and finished 8 of 13 for 76 yards. After the game he said that splitting time can make it hard to get into a rhythm. "Individually, it does," he said. "But for the team, I think that's why the change is made, to cause a little bit of a spark. It wasn't too much of a factor in this game, because I played the rest of the way after coming in." Cincotta lead Tufts offensively, gaining 93 yards on 15 carries. Senior wide receiver Kevin Holland had five catches for 50 yards. D'Annolfo went 2 of 9 for 28 yards and an interception before being replaced. Senior captain Chris Lawrence and sophomore Bryan McDavitt led the Jumbos with 10 tackles each. Bashaw gained 92 yards on 34 carries and Smith finished 15 of 32 passes for 164 yards for Colby. With the loss, Tufts drops to 2-5 and is guaranteed to finish the season with a losing record. The players are not thinking about that, however, heading into the season-ending game at Middlebury. "Any time we practice all week, we expect to win," Brown said. "If someone didn't go into a game expecting to win, I wouldn't want that person on this team." "I know we can come out and play well (against Middlebury)," Casey added. "It's the final game of the season, that's enough motivation in itself, and we want to win every game."

The Setonian
News

Communicating the Iranian experience visually and verbally

November 7

In September 2002, Nikoo Paydar (LA '04) had quite an answer for the perennial question, "What did you do last summer?"Short answer: she took a two-month trip to Iran, her birth country, funded by the then-UCCPS Omidyar Scholar Community Project Fund and a Massachusetts Campus Compact Social Awareness grant. Longer answer: based on a conversation group she conducted with nine Iranian women and the photographs she took of day-to-day life and culture in Iran, Paydar "began a dialogue about perceptions and tried to get people to think closer to the realities of lifestyle and culture in both America and Iran." "For so many people, the only images they think of when they think 'Iran' are women wearing chador (literally 'tent'), black dresses that conceal the body, and people saying 'Death to America,' or religious figures," said Paydar via e-mail, who majored in art history at Tufts and whose father is Iranian and mother is American. In order to convey the fullness of Iranian culture to a broad audience, Paydar created a photo essay that was displayed in Tufts' Aidekman Arts Center in fall 2002, and later at the University of London's School for Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) and the University of Texas, Austin. "There are no official diplomatic relations between American and Iran, and media coverage of Iran is very limited," said Paydar, who lived in Iran with her parents until she turned two and they moved to Memphis, Tenn. "I wanted to show the diversity of the Iranian experience to an audience that might not otherwise have the opportunity to become aware of that diversity." "The exhibit was more successful than I imagined," she said. "For me, the conversation group and exhibit were an opportunity to take my cross-cultural background and perspective and begin a dialogue about perceptions and try to get people to think closer to the realities of lifestyle and culture in both America and Iran." In September 2003, with a similarly cross-cultural objective in mind, Paydar and then-Wellesley College student Narges Bajoghli officially founded Iranian Alliances Across Borders (IAAB), a non-partisan, non-profit organization that held its inaugural conference at Tufts and Wellesley focusing on Iranian diaspora in April, 2004 (the month before Paydar graduated). "We're working on new ways of establishing connections between Iranians in their new diasporic communities and their root community," Paydar said. The idea for the organization -- which was originally established as a student organization at Tufts and Wellesley -- first arose during the year Paydar and Bajoghli spent studying abroad in London. "My friends and I spent a lot of time at [SOAS] attending lectures and events related to the Middle East and Iran in particular," said Paydar, who also founded the Tufts Persian Students Association as an undergraduate. "One day, my friend Narges and I had a conversation about how we appreciated that we have the opportunity to engage in this sort of thing in London, and that we wanted to create the same thing in Boston," she said. The two girls organized a conference on the subject of Iranian diaspora because "it's an issue that we felt like talking about -- an issue that was close to home," Paydar said. Since graduating last May, Paydar has been working with IAAB on fostering further discussion of that issue. Though Paydar's major at Tufts may not initially seem like a linear precursor to her current career, she said her background in art history has enhanced her ability to promote such dialogue. "Art history for me is a subject that teaches you to look at images and think of the politics, the religion, the cultural influences behind that image's production ... and also how those things influence the way the piece is received," Paydar said. "Having an academic background that trains a person to look at situations and try to understand the forces behind it and influencing it ... it makes experiencing other cultures have greater depth." Though Paydar chose to study art history at Tufts, she "was also always interested in public service and civic engagement -- that's what led me to become involved in Omidyar Scholars," she said. "In college, through Omidyar Scholars, my service interests drew more and more on my own skills and interests -- I was finding new ways to build community." For Paydar, IAAB is a natural extension of that community-building experience. It's also an ever-evolving one. "The challenge is to stay relevant," Paydar said. "We want to provide a space for an open and productive dialogue that includes as many voices as possible. IAAB is fortunate in that we address issues of the Iranian diaspora; that is, issues that we have in common rather than issues that divide us."

The Setonian
News

Volleyball | Williams dashes Tufts' chance at NESCAC title

November 7

After cruising past Bowdoin and hanging on against Amherst, the Tufts volleyball team came up short of its first NESCAC Championship since 1996, losing to Williams in the final match and likely ending its season. Williams defeated the Jumbos 3-0, clinching its fourth NESCAC title in a row. The Ephs, who have appeared in nine of the last 11 NESCAC championship matches, will now represent the NESCAC in the NCAA Tournament. "I'm disappointed, but also extremely proud of the team," coach Cora Thompson said. "Disappointment's just a fraction of the emotion I'm feeling." The loss to Williams marked the third in as many weeks for the Jumbos. Williams had defeated Tufts 3-0 in the Hall of Fame Classic Final, and 3-0 last weekend in the final game of the NESCAC regular season. The 28-6 Jumbos started Sunday's match hanging in with the 31-3 Ephs, as the first game was at one point deadlocked in a 12-12 tie. The Ephs took the first game 30-18, though, powered by an 8-1 run. Williams then carried its momentum into the second game taking a 16-7 lead. While the Jumbos fought back to close the Williams lead to three at 18-15, Williams went on to a 30-22 victory. They closed out the match with a 30-16 win. The loss forced Tufts to pin their hopes of continuing their season on the chance that they might receive an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA divides the country up into eight regions and awards a bid to one team in four of these regions. According to Thompson, it is very likely that no New England team will receive the bid. After the tournament, she said she was "99 percent sure" that the season was over. Her players will not give up hope though, as the tournament selection was not announced as of press time. "I think [an at-large berth] is definitely a possibility," freshman Stephanie Viola said. "I've heard it's difficult to get one, but based on our season and our competition, I think it's a good possibility." Despite the fact that the Jumbos likely ended their season with the loss to Williams, they were happy with their play. "I think this weekend was incredible," Thompson said. "We played with the most heart of any team there. Every player had a 'refuse to lose' attitude. Every player had a championship in their sights." Earlier in the weekend, the Jumbos defeated the Amherst Lord Jeffs to advance to the final. Tufts seemed on its way to an easy victory as the team claimed the first two games 30-24 and 30-20. After winning the third game 30-21, Amherst came back from a 15-13 deficit to win 30-23 and force a fifth game. Coming back from a two-game deficit is almost standard procedure in Tufts-Amherst matches as the Jeffs came back from a 2-0 hole to eliminate the Jumbos in last year's NESCAC Tournament. Tufts would not let Amherst repeat the feat this year, though, as the Jumbos finally wrapped up the match in the fifth game. After the Jeffs took a 10-6 lead in the deciding game of this weekend's match, it appeared that the team who started 0-2 would win once again. However, the Jumbos never lost confidence. "I never even doubted for a second that we were going to win that," Thompson said. "It was just a matter of how and when." In an effort to refocus her team, Thompson called a timeout. During the timeout, the coach told the team not to focus on overcoming the deficit all at once, but rather to focus on playing hard and concentrating on each point. "[Thompson said that] it was time that we should leave it all out on the court," sophomore Kelli Harrison said. "It could be the last game of our season, why not leave it out now." The Jumbos took Thompson's message to heart, scoring eight points in a row and going on to win the game 15-13. "We actually came out really strong in the first two [games]," Harrison said. "We had a little lull in the second game and were down in the third. It showed heart and desire that we came back to win and rallied to beat them." Senior setter Rebecca Schaevitz spread her 63 assists around evenly as four different Jumbos earned double digit kills. Classmate and co-captain Emily Macy led the defensive charge with 31 digs in the match. The tournament started smoothly for the Jumbos with a 3-0 victory over Bowdoin in the first round. Powered by junior April Gerry's 11 kills and senior co-captain Ali Sauer's six aces, the Jumbos defeated the Polar Bears 30-14, 30-19 and 30-17. "We just knew we had to take them seriously, come out strong and put them away to save energy and to make a statement," Harrison said. Saving energy was especially important for Harrison who battled flu-like symptoms all weekend. "Once the adrenaline's going, [Harrison] is one of the toughest players on our team and she won't let anything get in her way," Thompson said.

The Setonian
News

Senate considers stopping Herald distribution

November 7

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is questioning campus distribution of the Boston Herald due to the paper's inclusion of graphic photographs of a student killed at the riots following the Red Sox' ALCS playoff win. Already dissatisfied with the quality of the Boston Herald, senators cited the photos in a meeting last week on possible alternative publications to be distributed on campus. "We on TCU Senate don't think the quality of the Boston Herald is in keeping with the quality of our education at Tufts," Senator Jonathan Adler said. The Herald article featured pictures of Emerson student Victoria Snelgrove who died from a head wound after police officers shot non-lethal crowd control guns at her during post-game riots. At Northeastern University, the student government announced that it would remove the Herald from the campus newsstands shortly after the incident. The Herald could not be reached for comment, but released a statement in the Boston Globe after publishing the photographs. "Our aim was to demonstrate this terrible tragedy as comprehensively as possible," Herald Editorial Director Kenneth Chandler said in the statement. "In retrospect, the images of this unusually ugly incident were too graphic." The Herald included a front-page picture of Snelgrove shortly after the accident and a more graphic photo of the student's battered face on page 4. Senators were especially concerned with the Herald's prominent distribution centers on campus. "Why does a free paper get that much publicity? Could we get a more prominent paper?" Adler asked. The New York Times, which is already distributed at certain campus locations, was a popular alternative for mass distribution. "I hope we get a larger more definite distribution of the Times where students can always count on having it there," Adler said. Students have mixed reactions to the Senate's deliberations on scrapping the Herald. While some support the idea, others call the removal censorship or reflective of partisan bias. Some students suggested that the removal of the Herald, which endorsed President George W. Bush for re-election, would be due more to its conservative than to the offensive content. "Students were shocked that a newspaper could disagree with the campus consensus in the editorial pages," Editor-in-Chief of the Primary Source Brandon Balkind said. "I am sure the students who dislike the Herald would have liked to remove it from Tufts before the election, but the timing didn't work out, and it would be even more obvious what their motives were," Balkind said. Balkind said having a variety of news sources on campus was valuable - and that the Senate should not regulate campus media. "In reality, it would be removing a free newspaper which everyone, including liberals, enjoy reading," Balkind said. "We shouldn't be limited to the Times because some people think it's better." The Senate disputes these claims. "That is completely not the goal of the TCU Senate," Adler said. "We have no partisanship to a political party," he said. Other students pointed out the advantages of having the Herald on campus, citing short and readable articles. Adler dismissed the notion that the Senate intended to censor campus media. "I don't think that this has to do with censorship," Adler said. "It has to do with the quality of the newspapers." Adler said students would have plenty of other means of acquiring news without the Herald. "Anything is on the Internet," he said.

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Who's Really Being Intolerant?

November 7

Allow me to respond to a slate of recent letters and Viewpoints about the Tufts Republicans that have recently appeared in The Tufts Daily. Many attendees of our recent "Homosexuality and Society" lecture expressed appreciation that it had been held, and dismay that they had not previously been exposed to the arguments presented. Above all, there was no "hatred, intolerance," or "ignorance" - this is liberal-speak to express the simple fact that the panelists did not conform to the apparently mandatory belief that homosexuality is acquired by birth. So, who's really being intolerant? If we're going to name call, I'm happy to join the party by throwing out some of my own: Ignorance to Maggie Cleary ("Panel did not contain any controversy," Nov. 2), who hilariously questioned Republicans' inability to understand what being "singled out as leading a deviant lifestyle" feels like at Tufts. Hypocrisy to Meghan Saunders ("Homosexuality, hatred, and society," Nov. 1) who praised the Tufts Republicans for bringing unpopular views to campus and then criticized the Tufts Republicans for bringing an unpopular view to campus. Impatience to The Tufts Daily, who, calling the speakers "disrespectful" on Oct. 27 ("LGBT issues demand thoughtful attention"), and couldn't wait the extra day for the lecture to take place before they started bashing it. Cluelessness to Adam Pulver "(Gay Republicans in Delaware," Nov. 3) because, "having an M.D. does not count." But not having one and using a perplexingly random Delaware/New England analogy surely makes him a convincing authority on issues relating to homosexuality. While Adam Pulver is correct in pointing out that not all Republicans adhere to the views presented in our recent lecture, he is certainly not furthering the cause of "diversity of thought" when he suggests that because conservative Republicans are in the minority here, their views should be shut out. Speaking personally, yes, some of us believe homosexuality is an unfortunate state of mind. This view is not held in a threatening or demeaning manner. It is held with concern for society and empathy for the individuals afflicted by it. There are no bigots, no racists, and, as proven by the election in which gay marriage was overwhelmingly banned in eleven states, no extremists in the Tufts Republican club. There are merely individuals who will not let political correctness stand in the way of learning.Nicholas BoydLA '06President, Tufts Republicans

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The importance of the youth vote

November 7

Before Tuesday night, much had been said about the possibility of the youth vote to swing this year's presidential election. While that did not happen by any stretch of the imagination, the fact that that young people across the nation voted in increasing numbers shows that we remain an important constituency ("Youth voter turnout increases," Nov. 4). All students who cast a ballot in the past few weeks are to be commended for taking part in our democracy. Local and national organizations such as the Youth Vote Coalition, EnviroCitizen, and Tufts Votes are also to be commended for their efforts to get out the youth vote this fall. Even though individual members of such groups may make mistakes, we should not lose sight of their broader commitment to civic engagement. Finally, I urge all students, regardless of their political persuasions, to remain active and passionate about the issues they care about the most. The importance of staying involved and making your voice heard cannot be understated, and there are countless ways we can be active in our communities to stay engaged. Remember - politics and democracy do not stop at the ballot box.Aditya NochurLA '07

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Top 10 places on campus to ... play chess

November 7

Chess is a wonderful, zesty enterprise, a classic test of mental acuity, strength and endurance. I love playing chess because it is a game of calculation, planning, and strategy that is not without elements of risk, daring, and spontaneity. Unfortunately, many people on campus are keeping their chess lives private. I feel Tufts has many closet chess players, students who play late at night behind closed doors. Then there are kids who say "I used to play chess," meaning they took anxiety medication from the age of 8 to 11 to compete in junior chess tournaments across the state of Massachusetts. During my time at Tufts, I've discovered and heard of many inspiring places on campus to checkmate your opponent. To encourage a healthier, more active chess life on campus, here are my top 10 places to do it on the hill: 10. Music Book Stacks. Unless you play a musical instrument or sing in one of Tufts only-all-something a cappella groups, you might not even know that Tufts has a music library. Well, we do. It's kind of hard to find, but once you navigate your way through the basement of Aidekman, you will be rewarded by finding a treasure trove of unlimited classical and jazz music, perfect to set the mood for a relaxing, late night game of chess. 9. Women's Center. Some feminists may decry chess as dangerous, anachronistic, hierarchical residue of the historically male-dominated establishment that oppressed and promoted violence against women. But who are they kidding? This is a game where the queen is the most versatile and powerful piece on the board. Her sole objective is to trap the opponent's king. Sounds like a liberal feminist agenda to me. 8. The Institute for Global Leadership (EPIIC House). Chess is good for democracy and world peace because it brings together people of all ages and nationalities. You don't have to speak the same language as your opponent, so long as you know how to play the game. Indians beating Pakistanis, Israelis taunting Palestinians, Americans liberating Iraqis - all on the chess board - are good for international relations. 7. South Hall Bathroom. It seems the self-locking bathrooms in South Hall are on everyone's top 10 lists these days. If you come at a highly trafficked time of the day, you may have to take a number and wait your turn. 6. Russian House. For obvious reasons, we know the kids in the Russian House are probably playing a lot of chess. It's no mistake that Russians tend to be very good at the game. After the Revolution in 1917, the communist government implemented an intensive chess education program that trained a generation of young prodigies. If your name is Boris, Vladimir, Sergei, or Viktor, you could be an international grand master. But don't worry. Once the vodka starts flowing, they call everyone Boris. 5. Tisch Library. Everyone knows that the Tisch stacks are used for more than just academic research. But I bet you didn't know they could be used to play chess. When your energy and concentration start to fade during those late night study hours, wouldn't you love to expand your horizons with a quick game in the stacks? 4. Hillel. Friday nights are the best time to kick your chess game. First we pray, then we eat, and then the games begin. Plus, at Hillel you're guaranteed that the pieces are kosher and that all your moves are authorized under rabbinic supervision. 3. On the Internet. For those of you who prefer to play with yourself, against a computer, or with a random Internet buddy, there's a whole world of Internet chess sites with many services available. Yahoo chess, for example, allows you to open a public table where other chess enthusiasts may join to play or watch. Other sites offer private tables just for you and a special friend. 2. On the Joey. Best to break out the magnetic chess board for this random encounter. It could be a bumpy ride. 1. Tisch Library Roof. My favorite stop on the admissions tour is also a great place to roll out your vinyl board, set up your plastic pieces and go at it. With a spectacular view of the Boston city skyline, where better than on the library roof to fork the bishops and pin the queen? These are some of the classic hot spots on campus that I hope will see a bit more chess action from now on. I think it would do everyone a world of good if we all bickered at each other a little less and just played more chess. For the novices, the only way to improve is with practice. Find a worthy opponent and meet them at the Russian house or at the Women's Center. And for those closet chess mavens out there, let's get it on. A playa's gotta play. Noah Trugman is a senior majoring in philosophy.

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Sore winners, sore losers?

November 7

On Friday night, Bush supporters chalked around campus and painted the cannon on the Academic Quad with statements including "Liberals run in fear to Canada" and "Tufts Votes Wrong." Anti-Bush and anti-Tufts Republicans chalkings made Saturday night combated those of the previous evening. New phrases on the cannon included "Yay Canada" and another that referred to Bush by using an obscenity. Sophomore Stephanie Mayer was among those shocked by both the original statements and those countering them. "I think it's offensive no matter what side of the political spectrum you're on," she said. "It prevents a healing process between Democrats and Republicans." According to President of Tufts Republicans Nicholas Boyd, while Friday night's chalkings were not a planned event, they were part of a victory celebration of many of the club's members. Boyd said the statements were neither intended to be offensive, nor did he consider them to be so.

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Saj Pothiawala | The Saj of Tao

November 7

Tufts University, hear me. I just got an iPod. And it's awesome. It's a little, white, rectangular expression of my social worth, and I like that. I like its button-less console. I like its little white earbud headphones. I even like the little clicking sound it makes. That sound is awesome. I'm not telling you this to make you jealous. Well, yes I am. But there's another, less gratifying, reason. My new iPod serves as a great segue into the topic of today's column, the library. As a senior at this fine educational institution, I know where the library is. And sometimes I go there to rent movies, so I know my way around it pretty well. As midterm time just passes for most of us, and finals are more than a month away, I can only assume that most of you plan on staying away from the library for a few weeks. Well, I got a message for you guys: You're missing out. Big time. The library is very fun place. I spend almost five or six nights a year there, that's how fun it is. Surely you are asking, "How do I make the library as fun as you say it is, supercool columnist guy?" Well you're in luck, because I've decided to provide for you young persons a number of measures you can adopt to make the biblioteca (or library) more like a discoteca (or discotheque). 1. If you're studying in a group (or grupo. Okay, I'll stop that) and one of the group members goes off to the bathroom, or to the computers, or to the Tower Caf?© to stare at the cute girl in the corner working on her geology paper and chewing on her pony tail (call me), quickly get up and move everything to another table. It will be amazing, I promise. Especially if you move downstairs (our library has two floors. At least!) Your stupid friend will be walking around forever being the lost idiot carrying around some pita chips and a cup of apple juice he didn't want. Of course this does not work if you only move a few tables down, and I learned this through experience. 2. Play the "She wants me" game. This is a game that I am very proud to say a friend of mine and I invented almost by accident. A very attractive young lady walked by us one day and I looked across the table and said, "Dude, she wants me." My friend, in response, deadpanned, "Yeah, she totally does." And the phenomenon was born. That's actually all there is to the game, but trust me, it's very fun. The trick is to make sure you say it for every girl who walks by, without fail: librarians, graduate students, lepers - every girl. It really is an incredible time. Plus you're bound to be right eventually. Of course I am a gender egalitarian in every sense of the word. There is nothing wrong with playing the "He wants me" game. In fact, I'd be flattered. 3. This may be my favorite as it actually involves some effort. Get to the library early in the morning, and I'm talking really early, like 11:30 a.m., and find an empty study room. Cover two of the chairs with coats, open some textbooks and leave a coffee mug or two lying around. Then park yourself in one of the carrels nearby and watch a stream of hopeful and then ultimately disappointed people filter through. You know who I'm talking about, the people who anxiously peek into the room and then turn around dejected as if they were eight years old and just found out Toys 'R' Us was closed. 4. Keep the volume of your personal audio equipment at a manageable level. This includes not only the aforementioned iPods, but CD players and computers as well. The Windows start up sound I do enjoy, but come on people, just turn the volume down on your laptops before you leave home. Next time I'm breaking it, I don't care what color Inspiron Steve the Dell guy told you to buy. And if you decide to play your CD or mp3 player at a level where you are violating the RIAA standards against music sharing, at least play something good. The other day I could hear a guy's iPod blasting Dave Matthews. Dave Matthews? Sorry dude, it's not 1997. Classic rock, underground hip hop, progressive house, and Chumbawumba exhaust the list of acceptable music. That way if someone asks you to turn it down you can say, "Hey man, this is underground hip hop," or something else a music snob who listens to underground hip hop would say. 3. Never go into the Hirsch Reading Room unless you are serious about getting down to business. It's a very strange place, and if you are not mentally prepared, it will break you. In a way, it's like a prison with its grassroots social hierarchy and the perverse erotic sense of brotherhood it instills within you. You go through your worst with these people, and that does something to a person. You know your day has come in the Hirsch Reading Room when some freshmen are sitting at your table and they scatter as you enter as if you were going to buy one of them for a carton of cigarettes. It's like in "Escape from Alcatraz" when Clint Eastwood works his way up the social pyramid to sit with the bad ass guys at the very top of the bleachers on the prison playground. Clint earned his respect out there, and if freshmen are scattering for you, you have too. There you have it, five easy tips to make your next trip to the library fun. I'm not saying they are for everyone, but they should be. So next time you're in the library and you're moving your friend's things across the library or setting up the decoy study room, think of me. And remember the cute girl writing her geology paper in the Tower Caf?©? She wants me.

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Allison Roeser | My Woman From Tokyo

November 7

Some American friends and I were enjoying lunch outside in the courtyard at my university, struggling through a Japanglish conversation with a Japanese friend of ours, when one of us told him that he was a very good friend to us. His face registered an immediate expression of confusion and skepticism, and he let out one of those awkward-sounding laughs. "You all think you are my friend? You can't be my friend," he said. Now it was our turn to be confused. He clearly wasn't making a joke or fooling around with us. Was it considered impolite to tell a Japanese person that you've known for two and a half months that he is a friend? Was the concept of friendship in Japan something totally unlike friendship in the States? I went to my sociology teacher, whose class, "Thinking About Gender in Japan," I am enrolled in. I told her about my strange conversation with my friend, and she told me that this is something a lot of foreign students have trouble understanding when they come to Japan and start to meet people and make friends of the opposite sex. Beginning around the middle school years, boys and girls in Japan are placed on two completely separate tracks in life. They are told that the most important thing for them at that moment is to succeed in school so they can later be accepted into a prestigious high school and, subsequently, matriculate into one of Japan's top universities. Parents and teachers make an extended effort to keep boys and girls away from each other, to avoid any distraction from their studies. Coincidentally, there is a middle school and high school next to my campus, and every weekday morning, I am thrust into a throng of school children in Von Trapp family-esque uniforms. My friends and I started to notice the severe degree of separation between the girls and the boys. Very rarely will you see a boy and a girl talking to each other, and if you do, it's always one-on-one and never within a group. My sociology teacher explained that this means they are most likely dating, either openly or secretly -- almost never are they "just friends." The separation of the genders eases as students continue onto high school and higher education, but it never really reaches the same level of friendship as in the States. To this day, according to my teacher, adult men and women are rarely friends with each other. The only occasion when men and women will get together and socialize with each other is either at a company dinner or when a couple hosts a dinner for other couples. Aside from those exceptions, it's almost guaranteed that you'll only see men talking together on the subways, and women out shopping together on the streets. This explained my male Japanese friend's unusual reaction. I later decided to ask him more about it, out of plain curiosity. I asked him if he thought it was strange for a group of female peers to call him a friend, and he enthusiastically nodded, explaining that he doesn't really consider himself to have any female friends, except for his girlfriend. I began to look around the courtyard with a more discerning eye during lunch breaks, and indeed, there was something askew about the situation. Although there were a few guys chatting with girls, they only did so in a group. On the whole, large circles of girls congregated in certain areas of the courtyard, and smaller groups of guys would goof around by themselves. To be quite honest, it felt like being at a high school dance, not at a university. Perhaps even more curious is the way that Japanese men and women who are in relationships are completely taboo about it. I'm used to the usual mild PDA sighting around campus in the States -- holding hands, arms around waists, etc. In Japan, however, even those kinds of actions are considered a bit scandalous, meaning that it's sometimes impossible to tell by a couple's interactions whether or not they are dating. During lunchtime, a couple will eat with their own same-sex friends. In the hallways, they won't walk together. It's only after school, when it's nearing dark outside and there aren't as many people around, that they will they meet up and have time to themselves. This same male Japanese friend of mine has a very serious girlfriend who goes to our university as well, yet I have never seen her or met her because he does not go out of his way to find her during the school day and thinks it would be awkward for everyone. When I explained that it's a completely different ball game in the States, he looked aghast and asked me how people could stand it. "Everything is so under-wraps, so hidden here. Don't you ever get sick of being so secretive about some things in your life?" I asked him. "No, never. It's how it should be. Relationships are personal. They are private and no one else's business," he said. "You should not change your normal life around just because you have a girlfriend or boyfriend." I couldn't decide if this was the most bizarre or most mature statement I had heard in a long time. I thought it was bizarre because it's difficult for me to imagine many Americans being able to lead such a double life in complete secrecy. On the other hand, I also thought it was mature because my friend's statement is something so infrequently uttered by people our age in the States, and is something to think about. I had one more question for my friend, however. "So, if I can't be called your friend, what do you call me?" I asked. He paused for a long time and finally said, "I don't know. Maybe something cool that they use in America a lot. Like, 'dude.' You are my Dude."

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Faculty committees to be reorganized

November 7

In light of the fact that many of the 25 faculty committees seem to have lost their purpose, and several have overlapping duties, the faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering will extensively reorganize its committee structure over the next year. The reorganization will possibly include the rearrangement or disbandment of some groups. "The Executive Committee and a lot of the faculty feel like it's time for a little tinkering because the system needs it right now," said History Professor Steve Marrone, a member of the Executive Committee. "While things aren't falling apart, they definitely aren't perfect and they do need change." All potential changes will be supervised by the Executive Committee, which oversees all faculty committees. Committee members will review each of the 25 existing committees and their bylaws to reaffirm their compatibility with current University goals. Due to committee overlap, some haven't met for a year. Others don't have enough members and lack individuals to act as chairs, obligating some faculty members to serve on multiple committees. "We've had a large number of committees for awhile and I do think it's grown," said Associate Professor of Economics David Garman, who is also on the Executive Committee. "I think what's happened over time is that we've created new committees instead of broadening the charges of old ones." Garman cited an incident where a committee on Educational Policy put forth a proposal that conflicted with the agenda of the Budget Priorities committee. "Sometimes if you have too many committees, the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing." Committee members have also complained about a lack of communication on the part of the administration. Frequently, committees submit their final reports, but receive little response from Tufts administrators and see few changes on campus as a result of their recommendations. Garman said reducing the number of committees would also facilitate discussion between faculty and administrators "My own personal feeling is that if we had fewer committees that are writing and filing fewer reports, and working more closely with the right administrators, they would be happy to respond," Garman said. "Right now, it can just be a little overwhelming to have 25 committees' reports coming in where the members of the administration haven't even been aware of some of the things that the committees have been discussing," he said. President Larry Bacow also expressed concern about the issue. At the Oct. 26 faculty meeting, he said, "If the process of implementation is divorced from recommendations, nothing happens. When recommendations come from the faculty, they should become part of an ongoing dialogue." Three members of the Executive Committee have taken on the task of reformatting the existing committees: Psychology Professor David Harder, Mechanical Engineering Professor Behrouz Abedian, and German/Russian/Asian Professor David Sloane, who leads the subcommittee. These faculty members were chosen due to their "interest and expertise," Garman said. Garman's subcommittee has spent the last semester collecting information from annual reports and talking to committee chairs. Although project is still in its preliminary stages, it will coincide with the larger restructuring of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering begun this fall under the initiative of Provost Jamshed Barucha. This larger administrative reformatting will most likely result in the creation of a new dean, who will supervise matters in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering. While some faculty members are concerned this will further divide the two schools, the Executive Committee will work to make faculty governance more efficient to correspond with broader administrative changes. "We hope that in restructuring, we can also strengthen the voice of the faculty," Marrone said. "This is a real opportunity, if [Barucha] means what he says and we can do what we say, for things to be accomplished."

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Football | Last home game leaves seniors yearning for more

November 7

Players come, players go. And year in and year out a new batch of seniors, true brown-and-blue bleeders, must play at Ellis Oval for the final time. This season will be the last time four Tufts football players don a helmet and shoulder pads, unless they try on their nephew's Pop Warner equipment. "It really hasn't hit me yet," senior offensive center Ben Bloom said. "It was the last game at home, but the season's not over yet. We still have one more." "I haven't really thought of it being the last home game yet, but I know I'll be thinking about it after our last game," senior wide receiver Kevin Holland said. On Saturday, the Jumbos had a golden opportunity to stamp their season with a two game winning streak and a chance to go .500 before they head up to Middlebury to end what has been a dissapointing 2-5 season, but a 5-2 Colby squad had different plans, winning17-3. While the seniors didn't get the royal sendoff they had hoped for, they have created many memorable moments on the home turf. One stuck out more than any other for most of them: beating Amherst 24-17 in overtime last season. Senior quad-captain and cornerback/return man Donavan Brown had his own favorite recollection. "Winning against Trinity freshman year [9-7]," he said. While Brown played a great deal of cornerback and returned punts and kicks on that 2001 team, many of his compatriots were bench ridden for that one. However, recent memories of home greatness have been hard to come by. That may be the hardest pill to swallow for Tufts' seniors. "We played a lot of close games out there," Bloom said. "Besides the Wesleyan game [37-7 opening game loss], we have had some tough ones." It was hard to figure their failures, especially considering that the offense was the experienced bunch while the defense was the young group looking to get their feet wet. But the defense, one that ranks fifth in the conference in total defense, kept the Jumbos competitive. And many seniors played a major role in the effort. Senior quad-captains Chris Lawrence and Brown anchored a unit that had some question marks. But outstanding years from both, not to mention defensive end Josh Harris who saw a lot of action in the latter half of the season, kept the Jumbos close throughout. "The D stepped up this year," Bloom said. "We just needed to put up more points on our side of the ball." The three points they had Saturday notwithstanding, there is still hope for the team, and hopefully the offense, to explode this coming Saturday. But whatever happens will have to be away from Ellis Oval/Zimman Field. Lawrence knows this all too well. "It has been a major part of our life for four years," he said. "A win would have made things a whole lot better on Saturday, but what can we do now, except beat Middlebury."

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Fueling the democrats' fire

November 7

Like charged atoms, banging into one another, collaborating in some unbeknownst orchestration, they went about their business. With microphones in their mouths and cameras conspicuously spying on their every move, they dialed last-minute numbers asking last-minute questions. It was like Christmas Eve in Richie Rich's house for some staffers and volunteers, pacing back and forth at the Kerry/Edwards New England campaign headquarters, confident that the next day America would be unwrapping the gift of all gifts. Others had an extra punch to their step and a few extra foot taps per minute as they nervously sat at computers touching the last keys on their campaign keyboards. They too, however, seemed to enjoy the last ticks of the countdown that had been going on since George W. defeated Al Gore in 2000. They had been fighting a war - a war, like any and all, with casualties and small battles that had been won and lost - and the next day was D-day. Looking around that office at 60 Canal Street on Nov. 1, it was hard to imagine those red, white, and blue signs with the bold letters proclaiming, "Kerry For President" and "Homerun Kerry" ever coming down. But, the truth is that everything must come to an end, and regardless of whether or not Kerry became the president-elect the next day, within a few months their home for the past two years would get torn down and with it all those Kerry/Edwards posters pieced together like a quilt carrying the signatures of everyone who had ever entered the office's doors. Everyone knew this was it. There was a certain energy in the air, the kind you feel when you step out into the graying night, take a whiff of the breeze patting your face, and know that a storm is about to start. Nov. 2 was judgment day. The trucks arrived early. CBS, NBC, CNN, ABC and every other acronym with a camera and a microphone were there to document. Up on the third floor of the Weston Hotel in Copley at the Kerry Victory 2004 and Democratic National Committee receptions, there were smiles and clinks of glasses. Some sat on couches only taking their eyes off the large flat-screen televisions to quickly greet a friend and exchange hopeful glances or catch a celebrity coming into the room and feel relieved that he or she was on the same team. There was chatter and there were cheeses. People mingled and they hoped. Then: Kerry 77, Bush-66. Just like the score of a basketball game, only those are numbers that one might see in the third quarter, or even early in the fourth in a slow game. The people got happy and the glasses clinked louder. The occasional Red Sox hat emerged to complement a black pinstriped suit, surfacing as a tangible reminder of what victory is like. Only, this game was just beginning. Down in the square, on the other side of the soundproof glass, those with red, white, blue, and silver passes were shuttled through metal detectors into the Election Night 2004 rally. There, they watched Sheryl Crow, James Taylor, Jon Bon Jovi, and the Black Eyed Peas. There, they waited. Bush bumped his score up so that it resembled that of a team in its third overtime while Kerry's team remained in the third quarter. Those lucky enough to brandish the coveted red or white passes around their necks had earlier seen the likes of Lance Armstrong and Jesse Jackson looming about were now faced with Tucker Carlson and his conservative cronies on TV talking about Kerry's lack of personality. The feed to the big screen was promptly cut off, replaced by an image of an American flag, and a congressman was introduced to speak. Up on the third floor of the Westin, the glasses still clinked but with a little less fervor. Kerry won California and New York, bumping him up in the standings slightly. As exciting as these victories were, we all knew that the game would be determined in the sixth overtime and it would end in Florida or Ohio. John Edwards finally emerged under dark clouds. His early morning entrance to talk was like the bullpen pitcher making a speech to the stadium in lieu of Pedro. Sure, Pedro had laryngitis and was awaiting further test results, but a few Pedro coughs would have catapulted the fans into far greater ecstasy than could a Nobel Prize-winning discourse by Johnny Bullpen. Kerry's absence out there on the stage under the stars was the only concession he needed to make. His call to George W. Bush, just hours later, was simply a reiteration. Rev. Al Sharpton once said on the campaign trail for Kerry that Bush's strategy for going to and justifying war in Iraq was the same as if Sharpton had made a certain announcement in an auditorium: "Get out, quick, there's a fire in here." And upon the realization that there was, indeed, no fire, he would tell his audience, "I know, but you all needed some fresh air anyway." Fire has nothing to do with fresh air, although oxygen does fuel the flames. Thousands upon thousands of people flooded Copley Square in Boston for John Kerry's "victory party." John didn't win, but America needed to see the support for him anyway. America needed to fuel its fire.Noah Rosenberg is a senior majoring in English.

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Opera Review | Lyric Opera's 'L'Italiana in Algeri' amuses and impresses

November 7

The plot reads like a fusion of "Jerry Springer," "The Real World," and "All My Children." But any resemblance to television can be blamed on modern-day copycat writers, because the comedic "L'Italiana in Algeri" is the real thing. In early 19th century Italy, people went not to their living rooms, but the opera house down the corner for their shoddy gossipy story fix, with the added luxury of full orchestral accompaniment and a timeless musical score. Any short summary can hardly do this opera justice. A sultan named Mustaf?  (Eric Owens) gets sick of his whiny wife Elvira (Laura Choi Stuart) and gives her to his Italian slave, Lindoro (Lawrence Brownlee) to marry. However, Lindoro has eyes for another Italian woman, his sweetheart Isabella (Phyllis Pancella), who by chance gets shipwrecked near Mustaf? 's palace in Algeri. Mustaf?  decides to marry Isabella, who really wants to marry Lindoro, but Isabella has an absurd plan at the end to trick the king and make everyone happy. For the full story, a 3 page synopsis exists online. But why bother? The story was only Italian composer Gioachino Rossini's excuse to compose great music. And it sounds great, too, when performed by world-class musicians at the Shubert Theatre in downtown Boston. Indeed, everyone can find something to appreciate in this hilarious, quirky, and eccentric performance by the Boston Lyric Opera. Above all, this is an opportunity for those with a penchant for all things "O.C." to experience the roots of the gossip-lover's art form. And, since it comes in a classy, elite, and "intellectual" operatic package, no guilty feelings linger afterwards. In fact, you'll come out feeling more cultured and only slightly poorer after the 50 percent student rush discount. To say this version of Rossini's work is modernized would only be slightly misleading. The Italian characters wear clothing reflecting a 1920s-era Italian yacht chic, while the Algerians wear costumes reflecting Arab stereotypes of the era: big turbans, lots of silky flowing outfits, and funny-looking shoes. The set, while not as complex or ornate as those found in New York or London opera houses, simply portrays the royal quarters of a powerful sultan with some arched doorways and a painted ocean in the background. Its fresh approach lies in the unpredictable, funny details. Various props, blocking which verges on absurdity and no-frills translations all cause the audience to buckle in laughter. The opera opens with a bunch of guys from Mustaf? 's court hanging out doing absolutely nothing. Forget about any grandiose overture or formal introduction: the guys discover a record player onstage and proceed to play the wrong soundtrack for the opera (played live, of course, by the full orchestra in front). After some amusing trial and error, they find the right song. Enter the sultan (or "Bey") in some Ray Ban sunglasses and flip-flops, and the opera gets going. One scene has Mustaf?  complaining to his servant about his wife as both ride bicycles around and around the stage. Another scene has the Italians who, by the way arrive by miniature cardboard boat, riding around Algeri in a real vintage car. Throughout the opera, seemingly lovely verses sung in Italian are accompanied by creative translations. "Am I a nincompoop?" and "you're both idiots" probably don't reflect Italian lyrics word-for-word, but they're funny, so who cares? And no opera is complete without some over exaggerated melodrama. Isabella, upon learning that she's a prisoner in a beautiful Saltanic palace, cries out "Oh cruel fate! Oh tyrannical love!" Try saying that the next time the prof gives a pop quiz. Musicologists say that "L'Italiana in Algeri," written in 1808, was Rossini's first "mature" opera (his "William Tell" is considered his chef d'oeuvre, and best known). Such talk of "maturity" may surprise, but this refers to the score and not the story. Rossini's music is at times lyrical and dramatic, patriotic and nostalgic. The lack of overture forces the themes to be less obvious than in other operas, and results in a greater emphasis placed on the story. Appropriately, when the story becomes absurd or verges on sheer lunacy, the music follows - with delightful results. While individual chorus members seem, at times, slightly out of sync with each other, the soloists exceed all expectations. Mustaf? s deep bass voice is rich and fills the entire hall, Isabella (mezzo-soprano) confidently performs her parts with perfect intonation, and Lindoro captures all attention with his many solos scattered throughout the piece. Most impressively, the musicians maintain their intensity, even when it involves singing on a moving bicycle or car, running across stage chasing someone or eating spaghetti. As one opera fan said to her friend after the show: "This is pretty goofy." And a great success.

The Setonian
News

Inside College Football | Big 12 featured big shootouts this weekend

November 7

With only five weeks remaining in the college football season, many teams hoped to impress the polls. And while some teams managed to secure their postseason berths, others were left hanging on for dear life. The biggest games of the weekend were in the Big 12. The marquee match up pitted the No. 2 Oklahoma Sooners against the No. 22 Texas A&M Aggies. After having defeated the Aggies by a count of 77-0 last year, the Sooners knew that things might be different this year, as the Aggies are now one of the top teams in the Big 12 and would be playing at home. A&M exploded out of the locker room, holding a solid 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter: Texas A&M QB Reggie McNeal threw for one of the TDs and rushed for the other. But the Sooners and their Heisman Trophy winning QB Jason White held tough, answering the Aggie TDs and eventually pulling to within seven points with 12 minutes remaining in the first half. The Aggies would have to pull off some amazing plays to keep hold of their lead against one of the top teams in the nation, and they did. With ten minutes left in the first half, Aggies coach Dennis Franchione had his punter, Jacob Young, fake a punt and throw a pass at their own 29 yard line. Young pulled it off, finding Earvin Taylor for a 71 yard TD. Texas A&M went up 28-14. The Sooners stopped the bleeding by scoring a touchdown with 90 seconds remaining in the half, going into the locker room down 28-21. Oklahoma continued the run in the second half, capitalizing on Aggie blunders and giving themselves a 35-28 lead. But the Aggies had another trick up their sleeves. With 13:30 left in the game, holder Chad Schroeder took a field goal snap, rolled to the left, and threw a short TD pass to A&M wide out Joey Thomas to knot the score at 35 apiece. Less than five minutes later, White proved why he's the defending Heisman Trophy winner, engineering a touchdown drive to give his team a 42-35 lead. The Aggies got the ball back and, without McNeal, who left the game with an injury, were led down the field by back-up QB Ty Branyon. Branyon brought his team to the Sooners' 33 yard line with nine seconds left. His first Hail Mary attempt was overthrown and his second, as time expired, was tipped and fell just out of the reach of Schroeder. The Sooners remained unbeaten with a 42-35 win. Heisman hopeful and true freshman Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma picked up 101 yards and a TD on 29 carries. But the real star of the game was the former Heisman winner himself. Jason White completed 19 of 35 passes for 292 yards and five TDs. Elsewhere across the country, No. 7 Texas pulled off what may prove to be the most impressive comeback of the year against No. 19 Oklahoma State. Down 35-7 at halftime, Texas scored 42 unanswered points in one of the most one-sided second halves of football history. Texas would win 56-35. No. 4 unbeaten Wisconsin pummeled Minnesota 38-14, while sixth-ranked California squeaked by Oregon 28-27. The big upset of the week goes to the unranked Clemson Tigers who sent 10th ranked Miami packing with a 24-17 overtime win. Georgia Tech beat N.C. State 24-14, but the biggest story of the game may have been wide receiver Calvin Johnson, who made the most remarkable grab of the year this weekend. After having been sent on his slant route, Johnson came through the middle, only to have his QB throw the ball behind him. Johnson had to put on the brakes abruptly and reach behind himself to make the grab. What makes it so remarkable? The fact that he caught the ball with one hand, just before being hammered by an N.C. State defender. PLATINUM PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: This week, the offensive platinum ball goes to Cincinnati wide receiver Hannibal Thomas. Not only did he make seven catches for 168 yards and three TDs, but his first name is Hannibal. The defensive platinum ball goes to the defense of No. 13 Virginia. After manhandling the potent Florida State Seminoles last weekend, Maryland was held scoreless by the Cavalier defense.

The Setonian
News

Alex Bloom | Philly Phodder

November 7

Many of you may have missed it while lamenting the Democratic losses (I know I was), but the NBA started another season on Tuesday. You know what that means. Shaquille O'Neal dominating ... the Eastern Conference. T-Mac having another All-Star season ... for the Houston Rockets. Not the same storylines you remember? It's not the same NBA I remember. It seems to me that the NBA general managers had their own fantasy draft. Let's take those masters of mediocrity, the Boston Celtics, for example. Remember that 2001-02 team that knocked off my Sixers in five games, then beat Detroit, only to lose to the Nets in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals? Paul Pierce, Antoine Walker, Kenny Anderson, Rodney Rogers, Tony Battie, Eric Williams, Erick Strickland, Walter McCarty, and Tony Delk. They were quite a crew. Fast forward three seasons. Only Pierce, McCarty, and Mark Blount remain from that team that was only two more wins away from the NBA Finals. And Blount bounced around following that playoff run only to return this season. What happened to this league? Not only do we have a new expansion team (the Charlotte Bobcats, otherwise known as Emeka and everyone else) but we have six divisions instead of four. Aside from that, player movement alone has turned the league upside down. It hardly resembles its makeup from last year, and it is completely different from three years ago. It's a fantasy. Okay, I know I've already written a column about fantasy sports. But this is an actual league. Stevie Franchise belongs to the franchise from Orlando along with his fellow backcourt pal Cuttino Mobley. The atrocious Magic gave their top player from last season, Drew Gooden, to the Cavaliers. Gooden replaces Carlos Boozer, who left for Utah. Shall we keep going? Okay. Boozer joins Helmet ... sorry, Mehmet ... Okur in Utah, who used to play for Detroit before signing with the Jazz. The loss of Okur in Detroit is muted by the additions of Derrick Coleman and Antonio McDyess. Coleman and Corliss Williamson swapped teams when Williamson left the Pistons for Philadelphia while McDyess joins the Pistons from Phoenix, who got McDyess from the Knicks for Penny Hardaway and Stephon Marbury last season. Phoenix also added Steve Nash this season from the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks, after losing Nash, turned around and added as many mediocre have-beens and underachievers as possible (Jerry Stackhouse, Erick Dampier, Antoine Walker, Dan "We're not in Gonzaga anymore Toto" Dickau) for Don Nelson to guide to a poor season and for Mark Cuban to clean house once again next June. He's living the fantasy. Geez, I'm out of breath. Give me a minute ... okay, I'm better. What happened to building dynasties? What happened to creating contenders around a core nucleus? I've mentioned the Mavs and the Celtics. The Lakers are Shaq-less while the Nets don't shop at K-Mart anymore. As I said before, T-Mac heads to Houston to join Yao in the recreation of the Odd Couple now that Kobe and Shaq split up. Antoine Walker misses threes for Atlanta now. Derek Fisher will finally have a losing season now that he's in Golden State and Kerry Kittles no longer has to worry about being in Jason Kidd's shadow. He won't get any attention at all playing for the Clippers. And Brent Barry will take a trip to the NBA Finals with the Spurs. Don't get mad though. The new NBA can be fun. This is like six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Take two players and try and connect them through the trades and free agent signings that have gone down over the past three seasons. Let's try ... Dikembe Mutombo and Kevin Garnett. Garnett plays with Sam Cassell, who used to be a Milwaukee Buck before a trade for Joe Smith and Anthony Peeler in 2003. Peeler signed with the Wizards this summer to backup the backcourt of Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes. Hughes signed with the Wizards in 2002 along with Tyronn Lue. Lue left the Wizards, and after an unsuccessful stint with the Magic, now plays with Mutombo in Houston. That was five degrees. Hmmm ... Vince Carter and Baron Davis. Davis plays in New Orleans, where he played with Elden Campbell until 2003, when Campbell was dealt to Seattle. Campbell then joined Detroit, with Mehmet Ogre ... err ... Okur. Okur went to Utah to join Matt Harpring. Harpring, who signed with the Jazz in 2002, played with Donyell Marshall in the 2002-03 season before Marshall was dealt to the ... drum roll please ... Toronto Raptors, where he contributes to the Vinsanity (oh yeah, Vince said he wants to be traded). Five degrees again, and that was pretty hard. This is getting easy. And fun. Let's do one more. Allen Iverson (the "Answer" to the question nobody asked) and Dirk Nowitzki. Oh man, this one's easy. Iverson plays with (because you know he doesn't practice with) Glenn Robinson. Robinson was acquired by Philly in 2003 from Atlanta, where he played with Jason Terry. Terry now plays with Dirk "the Jerk" Nowitzki in Dallas. Three degrees. Not bad, if I say so myself. You and your friends can play at home. I have a feeling about this game. It's going to sweep the nation. Still pissed off and unsettled about the changes in the NBA? Don't worry. It hasn't changed that much. It's still the same old NBA where anybody ... and I mean anybody, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, or size of their afro (Ben Wallace) ... can grow up to ... get away with traveling. God bless the NBA.

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