Skip to main content

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Page 1

Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxlv, no. 115 | Thursday, November 18, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891

Grad brings medical savvy to Chilean rescue By Katherine Sola Staff Writer

The effort to rescue the trapped Chilean miners ended happily Oct. 13, and Brown graduate Benjamin Levine ’78 helped save the day. Levine used his cardiovascular knowledge to help prevent the miners from fatally fainting as they were winched to the surface. Levine said the Chilean government contacted NASA for advice on how to care for miners as they were being extracted from the mine. NASA then contacted Levine, a Texas-based cardiologist and cardiovascular physiologist, who collaborates with NASA researching the effects of space flight on cardiovascular health. The NASA flight surgeons spotted a “devastating complication” in the Chilean team’s plan to winch the

Fencer sets sights on Olympics

miners up in a “really, really tight cylinder,” Levine said. He explained that one quarter to two thirds of people who come back from space lose consciousness because of the confinement in a small space and the stress of “deconditioning.” When a person faints, his or her heart becomes level with the brain and does not have to “pump uphill” to supply it with necessary blood. But if a person who has fainted is unable to lie down, not enough blood reaches the brain and the person can die. This is “why crucifixion kills people, the Romans knew that thousands of years ago,” Levine said. If the miners fainted in the confined capsule, they would die, he said. At this point, NASA contacted Levine and his colleagues Doug

Alex Ibanez via Abaca Press / MCT

continued on page 3

Rescue workers join in the singing of Chile’s national anthem with Luis Urzua, the last miner to be rescued, Oct. 13, 2010.

By Nikhil Parasher Contributing Writer

Six years ago, Caitlin Taylor ’13 was in a wheelchair and did not know if she would ever be able to walk again. At the time, her dream was simply relearning how to walk. Now, she has a new dream — to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

SPORTS

Apps up, Taekwondo fights odds, opponents admissions goes digital By Caroline Hughes Contributing Writer

By Joseph Rosales Contributing Writer

The Office of Admission has begun a new digital reading process for the University’s applications. For the first time, the Office of Admission will not print out this year’s round of applications, but instead will view them through an online system. The lack of space was one of the primar y factors behind the decision, said Director of Admission Annie Cappuccino. With the rise in applicants the past few years, the admission office has been rapidly running out of space for all of the paper documents, Cappuccino said. Last year, the 20 percent increase in applications forced the office to temporarily use Alumnae Hall to store information. “That was really the breaking point for us,” said Julia Bengochea, associate director of operations for college admissions. “It made it so clear that the paper process had seen its day.” The transition to a digital reading process started last year. With the efforts of both Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73 and Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, the funding was raised for the “expensive proposition” to transition to

inside

continued on page 3

News.....1–4 Metro......5–6 Sports.....7–9 Editorial....10 Opinion.....11 Today........12

www.browndailyherald.com

Dressed entirely in white uniforms, the taekwondo team appears ferocious, like a veritable army of martial artists. The team has fought its way to become one of the best collegiate taekwondo teams in the country. Taekwondo is the ancient Korean art of self-defense and recently became an Olympic

sport. The three letters of the Korean word mean “foot”, “hand” and “way” respectively, and together describe the art of kicking and punching, according to

FEATURE the Brown Taekwondo website. The Brown team competes in five regional competitions and a national competition each year. Under the instruction of Mas-

ter Sung Park ’99 and student instructors, the team has placed in the top three in the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association competition for the past 10 years, taking home first place last year in the color belt categor y and second overall. Last month, the team bested nearly 25 teams to win second place overall and first place in their division at a continued on page 2

Although Taylor was born in Sacramento, Calif., she has dual citizenship from both the United States and Australia. She wants to represent Australia at the Olympics by fencing either in the women’s individual saber event or the women’s team saber event. But the Australian women’s saber team currently is not ranked in the top 16 in the world and thus does not qualify for the Olympics. As a newborn, Taylor contracted juvenile rheumatoid arthritis from the rubella vaccine in 1991. Doctors told her parents to get her involved in sports as early as possible, so they enrolled her in dancing classes at an early age. Taylor danced for 10 years before losing interest. After quitting dancing, she searched for a new sport and chose fencing over archery. She made her decision in an unusual fashion. “Pirates of the Caribbean came continued on page 9

R.I. Four Loko ban up for debate in January By Shefali Luthra Staff Writer

A state senator pre-filed legislation yesterday to ban the caffeinated alcoholic beverage Four Loko in Rhode Island.

METRO The drink, which Sen. John Tassoni, D-Smithfield and North Smithfield, said has already been banned at the University of Rhode Island, is also illegal in Washington, Michigan and Oklahoma, NPR reported earlier this month. Vendors only sell decaffeinated versions of the drink in New York, based on an agreement between that state and Four Loko producer Phusion Projects. “The potency of four beers — the alcohol that’s contained in there — combined with the caffeine,

is a recipe for disaster, and that’s proven,” Tassoni said. “I believe the students don’t realize how potent it is. Or maybe they do.” According to Phusion Projects’ website, the drink contains “roughly” the same amount of caffeine as a small Starbucks coffee, and either six or 12 percent alcohol by volume, depending on state regulations. In Rhode Island, its alcohol content is 12 percent. Tassoni said that he will probably introduce the bill in early January, during the first days of the General Assembly’s next session. He said he believes initiatives to ban the drink are “picking up momentum” across the nation. Phusion Projects will be changing its products to eliminate sources of caffeine, the company announced in a press release Tuesday. The FDA

Charlie Fischl / Herald

continued on page 5

One can of Four Loko contains about as much caffeine as a small coffee, and 12 percent alcohol by volume.

UCS listens

‘For keeps’

Hit the books

Student Activities Committee hears student feedback

M. soccer prepares for weekend NCAA tournament at home

Mike Johnson ’11 wants Bruno to read anything, anywhere

news, 2

sports, 7

Opinions, 11

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

herald@browndailyherald.com


Page 2

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Thursday, November 18, 2010

“Without the mind, the body is always going to break down.” — Sung Park ’99, taekwondo master

Despite lack of black belts, team finds victory UCS looks continued from page 1

regional competition at MIT. Mind and body dedication Although taekwondo is a grueling sport that involves physical combat, there are also mental components and philosophies associated with the art form. Taekwondo is “a balance between mind and body, and obviously it’s a great physical workout, but…without the mind, the body is always going to break down,” Park said. At Brown, the team incorporates the traditional aspects of the sport, such as meditation, as well as the modern techniques used in the Olympics. At the end of each class, Park leads the team in meditation, offering suggestions on breathing techniques and tips for remaining focused and healthy throughout the day. Members compete and practice in two categories — sparring and forms. In forms, an individual performs a routine alone in front of judges. Sparring involves oneon-one full-contact fighting. The techniques used in the events vary from level to level. Each member has a rank based on the color of his or her belt, with black belt as the highest. Students move up through the ranks by taking tests that include technique and knowledge about the history of taekwondo. The team is funded by Undergraduate Finance Board, and participants also pay membership dues and hold fundraisers. The team

showcases its skills at on-campus arts festivals and demonstrations. Team president Nina Lauro ’11 says the team roster is now up to 120 members, with as many as 80 practicing at one time. The team uses the Kasper Multipurpose Room for their weekly practices, which include 7 a.m. practices in the week leading up to a tournament. Beginner to blackbelt Although the martial art originated in Korea, the Brown Taekwondo Club includes members from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Since taekwondo is taught in Korean schools, executive board member My Dang ’13 said she thinks Korean students may not want to continue practicing the sport in college. There are many Chinese and Vietnamese students in the group, and several students who have had training in other martial arts, Dang added. The team originated in the mid 1990s, according to Lauro. When Park first became a team instructor about 15 years ago as a student, the club only had 60 members. Its increased popularity is due to the coach himself, said executive board member Bennett Meier ’12. Park is a nationally renowned taekwondo instructor and won “Coach of the Year” at the national collegiate Taekwondo championships last year. He also owns his own taekwondo school in Smithfield, R.I. but travels to Brown several times a week to train the team. “Because Master Park is such a phenomenal instructor, there’s

a lot of word of mouth about” the club, Meier said. Meier learned about the club from his Meiklejohn peer adviser, and Lauro decided to join a friend who was in the club after she did not make a dance team on campus. Erica Thieleman ’14 saw the team’s table at an activities fair and noticed how “energetic” everyone looked, she said. Joining the team was “definitely the best decision I’ve made freshman year,” she added. Thieleman had never done taekwondo before and hopes to acquire her black belt by graduation. The team’s executive board members estimated that about 80 to 90 percent of members had never practiced taekwondo before joining the club. About 14 members have black belts, and those members can assist the team as student instructors. The club is underrepresented in the black belt division, Dang said, adding that the other teams have approximately 20-30 black belts. Brown’s low black belt count puts the team at a disadvantage in competitions, where teams are ranked based on overall points, said Jesse Madnick ’12, a black belt and instructor. This makes it even more impressive when the team acquires a competitive number of overall points, Lauro said. The team studies in the modern Olympic style, “so it’s entirely possible for someone to start with Brown Taekwondo as freshmen and make their way up to the Olympics,” Meier said.

‘This is family’ Beyond the physical advantages of taekwondo, several club members emphasized its social aspects. Members participate in many social activities together on the weekends, including bowling and hiking. “This is family,” said Park. “Not like going to a gym and working out. For me as a master instructor looking out for them, my door is open for them no matter how far they go (or) how long it’s been.” When Park was a student at Brown, the Taekwondo Club helped him through a difficult time in his life. The death of his mother when he was a sophomore disrupted his college life. Par ticipating in taekwondo “got me out of bed every day,” he says. The friends he made from taekwondo at Brown are still his closest friends. Taekwondo alums are still closely connected with the group. They donated the mats that the team uses, and an alum has already offered to host the team during the national competition in California next spring. “It’s always nice meeting people from past years,” Lauro said. On Saturday, about 60 members will travel to Princeton for a regional competition. Park said safety and having fun are the most important parts of the competition but that he is optimistic about the team’s chances. Other teams know about Brown’s reputation for success, and that can be intimidating, he said. But “any champion can be beaten,” he said. “We just have to stay focused and patient.”

to upgrade rank system By Nicole Boucher Senior Staff Writer

The Student Activities Committee began to audit its group categorization process this week and invited group representatives to give feedback about the system at the general body meeting of the Undergraduate Council of Students Wednesday night. The committee “has been asking itself how it can better serve student groups on campus,” said Chair Ralanda Nelson ’12, and “they are open to critique.” Samantha Sanders ’13, coordinator of the student group Project Health, said the committee should be more transparent in explaining its policies for how a group can advance from lower to higher category designation. Categories — which range from level I to level III — qualify groups for different levels of funding from the Undergraduate Finance Board, Nelson said. Sanders said her group tried to meet with the committee three times this semester to move from Category II to Category III, but the group was told that all available slots had been filled each time. In a change from past semesters, the committee saw a maximum of four groups per meeting and also spent several designated meetings on internal business rather than categorization, which limited the number of groups that continued on page 4

sudoku

Daily Herald the Brown

Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 | Business Phone: 401.351.3260 George Miller, President Claire Kiely, Vice President

Katie Koh, Treasurer Chaz Kelsh, Secretary

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. POSTMASTER please send corrections to P.O. Box 2538, Providence, RI 02906. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Offices are located at 195 Angell St., Providence, R.I. E-mail herald@browndailyherald.com. World Wide Web: http://www.browndailyherald.com. Subscription prices: $319 one year daily, $139 one semester daily. Copyright 2010 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.


Thursday, November 18, 2010

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS Admission officers read apps on screen continued from page 1

reading the applications digitally, Cappuccino said. The office’s former file room was renovated into the primar y meeting space for both application readers and admission committees. Although the technology now allows readers to view applications wherever there is a computer, the office still “wanted to maintain the committee process,” Cappuccino said. The space now houses a large projector, as well as smaller screens for individual readers and scanning machines for paper documents. Rather than all being printed, the applications are filed into folders online, Bengochea said. The papers that are mailed to the admission office are scanned into the storage system as well. The new process also required training for the readers, Cappuccino said. Computing and Information Ser vices made the

training materials and demonstrated the steps necessar y for a successful read. While the main training has already been completed, there will be “refreshers” for application readers throughout the process, she added. The new application reading process is much more fluid, Bengochea said. The admission office has been working well with the technology, and people have been adapting almost seamlessly, she said. The readers have already begun using this new technology with the early decision applicants, Cappuccino said. Overall, while there have been “a few glitches here and there,” for the most par t, ever yone has had good things to say about the transition, she said. “A lot of our colleagues have been reading online for quite a while,” Bengochea said. “I think we’re going to find that this is the time to do this.”

Page 3

“It’s a great story of human survival.” — Benjamin Levine ’78, on the Chilean miner rescue

Alum aids rescue of Chilean miners continued from page 1

Hamilton and James Polk, and asked their advice on how to prevent the miners’ fainting. The timing was excellent for Levine, who had just finished an experiment simulating space flight. To solve the problem, Levine, Hamilton and Polk ensured that the capsule was big enough for the miners to be able to cross their legs as they stood. Squeezing the legs together forces blood up into the brain, reducing the risk of fainting. They also instructed the miners to cough vigorously once a second. Levine — who said he became interested in cardiovascular science

while a student at Brown — described this as “cough CPR”, and said that this method can keep people conscious even if their hearts have completely stopped. They gave the miners Florinef, a drug that forces the body to absorb more salt and water than usual, increasing the blood and plasma volume. All 33 of the miners survived the ascent. Levine described the Chilean team as “great doctors” who “handled it perfectly ever y step of the way,” but they just “hadn’t thought of” the fainting question. Imagine, he said, “half of (the miners) dying on the way up because they fainted and couldn’t lie down.” When asked how it felt to be re-

sponsible for the lives of the miners, Levine replied that doctors have that “level of responsibility every day,” and that “people depend on us.” He compared his role to that of a cardiovascular surgeon performing a bypass operation, although this case differed in that they were “very much in the public eye.” But he said it was “gratifying” to know that his research kept the situation from “being a disaster.” Levine said he thought the media focused so intensely on the rescue because it was one of those “feelgood stories pending potential disaster where everything goes right.” “It’s a great story of human survival,” he added.


Page 4

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Thursday, November 18, 2010

“Peace is a process, not an event.” — Leymah Gbowee, one of the leaders of the Liberian movement

Film chronicles Liberian women’s peace movement Council films ‘fireside chats’

By Sahil Luthra Contributing Writer

The Political Science Departmental Undergraduate Group and Sarah Doyle Women’s Center held a screening and discussion of the documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” Wednesday night. The film details a nonviolent movement by Liberian women who sought peace during the country’s civil war in 2003. The subsequent discussion was moderated by Molly Wallace MA’06, PhD’10, a visiting lecturer in political science who taught the film earlier this semester in POLS

1360: “Gender and Global Politics.” The event was organized by Amanda Kozar ’12, the co-leader of the DUG and a student programmer for the Women’s Center. Kozar said she contacted Wallace for the event since Wallace is “one of the only people” in the department who focuses on gender. Wallace wrote in an e-mail to The Herald that she suggested the film because of the “important questions about women’s particular strengths in peacemaking and peacebuilding processes” that it raises. Kozar added that the film was also relevant because of the

strong Liberian community in Rhode Island. The early scenes of the film focus on one of the driving forces that led the Liberian women to organize — the war’s effect on children, some of whom are shown holding skeletons and shooting guns, others of whom are emaciated and asking only for a bite of doughnut. The documentar y also highlights the fact that the movement united both Christian and Muslim women. Mixing historical footage and interviews with the women, “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” quickly moves from the women’s initial demonstrations to the international peace talks that occurred in Ghana. It also shows some of the strategies that the peaceseekers were able to use, many of which involved their position as women. Several of them withheld sex from their husbands to pressure them into action. During the peace talks, one threatened to strip in an attempt to expedite proceedings. The film explains that in Liberia, seeing a naked mother is considered a curse. The film also chronicles the events that follow the exiling of Liberian president Charles Taylor and continues until the democratic election of Liberia’s first woman president, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson.

The women stay involved throughout these later events because, as Leymah Gbowee — one of the leaders of the movement — says in the film, “Peace is a process, not an event.” The film itself examines the civil war through a relatively tight lens. As a result, some of the background histor y of the Liberian civil war is explained in the film, but a lot of the subtleties are glossed over. Firestone’s involvement in Liberia is alluded to in a blink-and-a-miss moment when the film mentions Liberia’s natural resources. The presence of domestic violence in Liberia is revealed through a background image of a billboard depicting rape. Those who do not have an understanding of Liberia’s history and demographics might also miss some of the other complexities involved in the war. But the issues that were merely touched upon in the film were discussed more fully in the seminar-style discussion that Wallace facilitated following the film. A group of about 10 members of the Brown community — roughly half men and half women — discussed the women’s strategies and tried to determine reasons for the movement’s effectiveness and how one might inspire similar activism in the United States.

continued from page 2 could be seen during the meeting’s allotted time, Nelson said. Student Activities is considering implementing changes such as categorizing groups in bulk at the beginning of each semester to allow time for other committee development, Nelson added. Katie Colleran, a representative from the Student Activities Office, also spoke about changing the MyGroups site — an online directory for student groups — to make it more accessible, potentially upgrading to a newer version next semester and then looking to change companies altogether in the long-term. Also at the meeting, Campus Life Chair David Rattner ’13 said a farmer’s market will likely not be held in the Kasper Multipurpose Room this winter as the committee had previously hoped because there are specific health code regulations applied to any food served indoors. The Communications Committee completed the first fireside chat conversation with Dean of the College Katherine Bergeron. The chat will now be edited and made available for viewership before the end of the semester, said committee member Mitra Anoushiravani ’11, a former Herald senior staff writer. Ben Farber ’11 also announced instant runoff voting will officially be on MyCourses this year.


Metro The Brown Daily Herald

“Anything can be abused and drunk too much.” — Jake Cohen ’13, on Four Loko Thursday, November 18, 2010 | Page 5

City, police dept. sued over Bill could ban alcoholic energy drink freedom of speech conflict continued from page 1

By Caitlin Trujillo Senior Staff Writer

The Rhode Island chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against the city and members of the police department on behalf of a Providence woman whose free speech rights were allegedly violated when Providence police officers threatened to arrest her for leafletting on a public sidewalk. The lawsuit, filed Nov. 12 in Rhode Island District Federal Court, alleges an incident last February in which plaintiff Judith Reilly was told she could not distribute flyers outside of a Fricker Street building where Mayor David Cicilline ’83 was giving a speech. The flyers criticized Cicilline’s decision to reappoint Stephen Durkee to the City Plan Commission. Durkee had been accused of violating the state code of ethics, according to the lawsuit. The suit claims that Reilly and another man, Oscar Lemus, were approached by Providence police officers as they were distributing flyers on behalf of the Olneyville Neighborhood Association outside the Providence Career and Technical Academy Feb. 2, where Cicilline was slated to give his State of the City speech. The officers allegedly told Reilly and Lemus that if they did not move across or down the street, they could face arrest. Shortly afterwards, Reilly met Rep. David Segal, D-Providence and East Providence, who told her she was legally allowed to distribute the flyers in front of the academy, Reilly told The Herald. But when Reilly and Lemus returned to their original locations, police officers — this time including Lieutenant Alyssa DeAndrade, one of the parties named in the suit — again told them to move, according to the lawsuit. Reilly said the Providence Police did not offer a reason for requiring her to move. A spokesperson for the Providence Police Department declined to comment. Because Reilly’s intention was to provide flyers to attendees of Cicilline’s speech, she said she stopped leafletting when she was prohibited from standing in front of the academy.

“It was going to come to an arrest if we didn’t move,” she said. Reilly contacted the ACLU soon after the incident, said Steven Brown, executive director of the group’s Rhode Island chapter. She also filed a complaint with the Internal Affairs division of the Providence Police, but received a response back that expressed uncertainty that the officers were guilty of misconduct if they did not know that Reilly’s demonstration was legally and constitutionally protected, Reilly said. After receiving the letter, Reilly officially requested legal aid from the ACLU, Brown said. “We think (the case) raises really basic First Amendment issues,” he said. The lawsuit calls for an injunction requiring the police department to implement a training system that would ensure officers were educated on the legal rights of civilians to peaceably protest. In addition to DeAndrade, the suit names Providence Police Chief of Police Dean Esserman and Deputy Chief Paul Kennedy as defendants. “I just don’t want it to happen to anyone else,” Reilly said.

is also expected to enact national restrictions on caffeinated alcoholic beverages in the next week, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. Tassoni said he believes the drink specifically targets underage drinkers, a claim Phusion Projects’ website denies. Jake Cohen ’13, who said he drinks Four Loko “once in a while,” said he does not believe the drink is marketed to underage drinkers, although he noted that it is “cheap.” Cohen said he opposes the idea of a ban. “If you drink anything too much, it’s obviously going to be a bad thing,” he said. “Anything can be abused and drunk too much.” State Senator Rhoda Perry, DProvidence — whose district includes College Hill — is a member of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. While she is still in the process of researching the drink, she said she would vote in favor of the bill if her research “continues to indicate” that Four Loko is a dangerous product. “If we see that there is a legitimate reason for prohibiting the sale of this to young people in our state, then I think (the bill) would have a serious possibility of passing,”

Perry said. Christian Chirino, chairman of the Rhode Island Libertarian Party, said that although he has not closely followed the bill, he believes that its passage would be “detrimental” to the relationship between citizens and the state. “Folks should have the right to choose and have the individual common sense to know when enough is enough to drink,” Chirino said. He said that if the ban passes, he hopes students would protest the action.

Perr y said a ban would hurt business for local alcohol vendors, which could be an issue given the state’s slow economic climate. But Tassoni said many liquor vendors that carry the drink have expressed support for his bill. Greg Sperduti, general manager at Campus Fine Wines on Brook Street, said his store does not carry Four Loko and that he would support the ban. “I just don’t like what it represents,” Sperduti said. “It just gets kids blacked out drunk.”


Page 6

M etro

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Thursday, November 18, 2010

“Somebody’s got to step up and step up soon.” — Giovanni Cicione, state Republican Party chairman

State GOP chair: Carcieri, Robitaille potential senate candidates in 2012

By Claire Peracchio Senior Staff Writer

Rhode Island Republican Party Chairman Giovanni Cicione said he will challenge Senator Sheldon Whitehouse in 2012, but only if no other high-profile GOP contenders decide to run. He named Warwick Mayor Scott Avedisian, term-limited Governor Donald Carcieri ’65 and 2010 gubernatorial candidate John Robitaille as strong potential challengers to the first-term senator. “Somebody’s got to step up and step up soon,” Cicione said of his party’s need to field a candidate to unseat Whitehouse. When asked about a potential bid, Avedisian said that while it is “flattering” to be mentioned by the chairman of his party, he has not given a Senate

candidacy much thought. Carcieri and Robitaille could not be reached for comment. “There are a lot of good choices, and I am somewhere down that list,” Cicione said. Cicione, a Barrington attorney, was the architect of his party’s Clean Slate initiative, an effort to unite a coalition of Republican, independent and Moderate Party candidates in loosening Democratic control of the General Assembly in this month’s elections. While Republicans gained eight seats in the state legislature under Cicione’s leadership, they also lost close contests for the governorship and the first congressional district. “Cicione was floating names from across the political spectrum,” said Tony Affigne, a visiting professor of ethnic studies who also holds an ap-

pointment in the Providence College Department of Political Science. Avedisian, who has been mayor of the state’s second largest city since 2000, “is very close to the Democratic Party on most issues,” Affigne said. Carcieri and Robitaille, who are more conservative, face questions about their viability as candidates, he said. Carcieri’s low approval ratings as governor might make it difficult for him to earn enough statewide support to win, while Robitaille will likely face “closer scrutiny” than he garnered in a three-way gubernatorial race in which the two frontrunners “spent most of their time criticizing each other,” he said. But if Chairman Cicione does decide to launch a bid, his lack of name recognition and his close association with the state Republican Party could

make the contest an uphill battle, according Victor Profughi, Rhode Island College professor emeritus of political science and director of the polling firm Quest Research. “People would identify him more likely with the party than with anything else, and that is not a plus right now,” Profughi said. “I think he would have some high hills to climb in order to be a credible candidate and be a winner.” Whitehouse — who unseated governor-elect Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 in 2006 to become Rhode Island’s junior senator — has an advantage due to the state’s Democratic leaning and his incumbent status, though the current political environment means no officeholder is completely safe, Profughi added. “I don’t see a lot of activity that

would put him in immediate jeopardy, but clearly in today’s climate any incumbent has to consider him or herself in danger,” he said. A poll released by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions in October found that 40.7 percent of Rhode Island voters rate Whitehouse’s performance as good or excellent, while 48.5 percent rated it fair or poor. Affigne said Whitehouse may face a less favorable political climate than the one that allowed him to unseat a popular Republican incumbent in 2006. “Whitehouse probably did not win that election because a strong majority of the electorate felt he would be a better senator, but rather because the Rhode Island electorate wanted a Democratic majority,” Affigne said.

Local Advertising Sales Representative Needed! The BDH is looking for two individuals to work in local advertising sales.

$2,000/semester plus commission for 10–15 hours/week. Contact gm@browndailyherald.com ASAP if interested!


SportsThursday The Brown Daily Herald

Thursday, November 18, 2010 | Page 7

M. Soccer

Bruno prepares for NCAA tourney, to host Boston College By Zack Bahr Sports Staff Writer

“We play for keeps.” This has been the theme of the men’s soccer season. In almost every interview — be it with coach or player — playing for keeps has been a major focus. While the No. 22 Bears (11-3-3) may have missed their chance to take the Ivy League, they will get their chance to “play for keeps” for the national title. Brown takes on No. 25 Boston College (10-45) Thursday night in a first-round matchup in the NCAA Division I men’s soccer tournament. The game will start at 7 p.m. on Stevenson Field, and goalkeeper Paul Grandstrand ’11 said he feels that the home-field advantage is going to pay off for his team, just as it has all season. “Take a look at our record. Now, take a look at our home record,” he said. “There is a reason that we are undefeated at home. You can call it the 12th man, you can call it home superpowers. You can call it whatever you want, but that’s the fans. Teams don’t want to play Brown, and teams especially don’t want to play Brown at home.” The three teams that beat Bruno this season — Penn, Princeton and

Dartmouth — all made the national tournament in different sections of the bracket. With two of those losses coming in Brown’s last three games of the season, a lack of momentum may be a concern as the team heads into the playoffs. But Grandstrand said he is not concerned. “I believe we have a lot of momentum. Even with those losses, we have a lot of wins — a lot of good wins,” Grandstrand said. “Our first game is also against BC, a team that we have a lot of histor y with. On top of all of this, we have the momentum that any team has entering the NCAA tournament.” BC is a familiar opponent for Brown — Bruno narrowly leads the all-time series between the two squads with a record of 1210-3. The teams have had memorable games in the past. In 2007, the Bears stunned the then-No. 5 Eagles with a 1-0 overtime victory at home. The Bears grabbed another 1-0 victory the next year, after which BC dropped Bruno from its regular season schedule. The squad is just as familiar with the tournament as it is with BC. Bruno is making its 25th appearance in the 51-year history of the NCAA tournament. All but the

freshmen on the team have had experience in the tournament, as the Bears have now qualified in consecutive seasons. “It is unreal to make the tournament two years in a row,” said midfielder Bobby Belair ’13. “For me, it’s an electrifying feeling to be in the tournament and have a shot

to win the NCAA Championship. I have dreamed about having this opportunity since I was a kid.” Last season, the Bears won a thrilling 1-0 double-overtime home game against Stony Brook in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They fell to the University of North Carolina in the second

round by a 2-0 margin. BC is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a perennial soccer powerhouse. The Eagles tied No. 3 Mar yland and No. 21 Virginia in the regular season. They defeated No. 24 Duke in the ACC tournament before falling to No. 4 UNC in the semifinals.


Page 8

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Thursday, November 18, 2010

S ports T hursday

Heat in the Hot Seat: Sheehan ’12 breaks down NBA’s Miami Heat I am no friend of the Miami Heat. When I went with some friends to the TD Banknorth Garden to watch the Celtics’ overtime victor y over the Chicago Bulls two weeks ago, I went crazy when the Jumbotron displayed the final score on the Hornets-Heat game — 96-93, Hornets. I openly cackle whenever I see them lose, mostly because I thought it was something I wouldn’t see a lot of this year. Boy, was I

wrong. Now, it’s early in the NBA season. Really early. Do I think that just because the Heat are on pace for a 49-win season that they won’t be a playoff contender? No, that’s stupid. This team is going to get better. They will soon get back Mike Miller, who can actually hit the wide open looks that Eddie House and James Jones have been bricking off of the rim. Miller will

put up more threes than a genie in a lamp. No, this team will make a deep playoff run. But, there are some serious problems with this Heat team. Haters are going to hate, and I most definitely am a hater. But there is no way that this team, with how it has played, can hang with the likes of the Lakers and the rest of the league’s elite. Let’s start with the Heat’s record up until this point; 6-4 heading into Wednesday’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns. The six wins came against the 76ers, Magic, Raptors, Timber wolves and twice against the Nets. Notice anything about those teams? With the exception of the Magic, I can almost guarantee that none of those other teams will make the playoffs. That puts their record at 1-4 against playoff-bound teams. The Heat can beat their chest all they want about torching Andrea Bargnani and the rest of the laughable Raptors defense, but what happens when Pau Gasol is the man between them and the bucket? Now let’s look at the teams that the Heat have lost to: the Hornets, the Jazz and the Celtics twice. Given that all of these teams have elite point guards, you could just say that the Heat need to learn

to cut off passing options better. The other thing you could say is that you aren’t going to see teams without good point guards in the playoffs, so you should get used to it. Fun fact: The Cleveland Cavaliers team that LeBron was so disgusted with is a game behind the Heat. There is a possibility that they could get a six seed out of the East and the Heat could get a three seed. As in, Heat-Cavaliers first round matchup. As in, a possible Loudest-Boos-Ever record when LeBron returns to Ohio. We can only hope. Speaking of playoffs and pressure, is there anything funnier or sadder than the play of Chris Bosh this year? His stats are OK; he’s averaging 14.5 points, six rebounds and one block per game. Not great for a self-proclaimed NBA superstar by any stretch of the imagination, but tolerable. Then you watch him play. With ever y game it becomes more and more clear that he is the Wormtail to James’ and Wade’s Prongs and Padfoot. Bosh looks like he needs a hug, or a least a good pair of Depends out there. It’s like he’s successfully passed himself off as a cool kid after moving to a new high school, but he’s petrified that ever yone is

going to figure him out. Every once in a while, after he is spoon-fed an easy dunk by LeBron, Bosh will tilt open his alien-looking head and roar. Then he realizes he soiled himself a little and scampers back down the court. You’re a little cutie, Chris Bosh. That just leaves Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. Two of the top five players in the NBA. Maybe that’s why it’s so awkwar d for them that James is laughably better, but still defers to Wade to try and give the two of Sam Sheehan them equal Badly Dressed shots. Listen, Irish Sports Fan I’m pretty down on the choices that LBJ has made over the last half-year, but this guy is the best player in the NBA. Period. He is one of three players in the league, along with Kobe Br yant and Kevin Durant, that can put a team on his back and singlehandedly will them back from a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit. He is quick and solid, unstoppable if given a lane. I watched in horror last Thursday as he almost brought the Heat back against the Celtics. Luckily for me, and every other Celtics fan, Wade was there to save the day. LeBron would get a step on someone, but would kick it out to Wade instead of finishing at the bucket. Wade would then help us out by chucking up an ugly threepoint attempt that would inevitably end up in the hands of Kevin Garnett. I’m not saying that Wade is going to shoot 2-12 and 0-5 from three-point range all year. I’m just saying that it was obvious that he was having an off-night shooting, but LeBron continued to defer to him. You can’t lose a game just because someone has been with a team longer and you feel like you have to satisfy him. It’s like LeBron has shown up at a party with Wade’s old girlfriend. When LeBron talked to D-Wade about maybe dating her, he said he was cool with it even though he didn’t seem like he was. Now, LeBron feels awkward about bringing her around, and is being overly nice to Wade while ignoring her. Watch out, LeBron. You can’t ignore your girlfriend forever. She’s made up of 20,000 fair-weather fans in pastel-colored button-downs. She wants victories before she can be troubled to wear the team colors to home games. You’re her new boyfriend, and she’s literally the only one who can stand you anymore. So let your friend get over his issues by himself, because you’ve got some birthday presents to pick out. And the only thing this girl wants is a ring. Sam Sheehan ’12 routinely helps Chris Bosh check under his bed for monsters. Ask sports questions for his mailbag at sam_sheehan@ brown.edu or follow him on Twitter @samsheehan.


Thursday, November 18, 2010

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S ports T hursday

Page 9

“It’s like a triple concentration.” — Caitlin Taylor ’13, on balancing academics and athletics

From immobile to Olympian: the odyssey of Caitlin Taylor ’13 continued from page 1

out when I was 12, so I decided to try fencing,” she said. “It was either fencing or archery. There was archery in ‘Lord of the Rings.’ ” Starting at age 13, Taylor practiced at a fencing club for 30 hours a week. But after six months, her body forced her to stop. “My legs shut down, from a combination of the arthritis and the new strain from fencing,” Taylor said. “The doctors still don’t know exactly why.” No longer able to walk, Taylor was confined to a wheelchair when she was in seventh and eighth grade. Her leg muscles also started to atrophy, and her doctors considered amputation, worried that the muscle loss would spread. “I was in a wheelchair for eight months with little to no hope of ever walking again,” she said. “But I was very stubborn and didn’t like being told ‘no,’ so I taught myself how to walk.” Within two years, she had regained 60 percent of the muscle she had lost to atrophy. To regain the rest, she joined the cheerleading squad in high school because, as she explained, cheer involves significant lower body training. After the cheer season ended in her sophomore year of high school, Taylor took up fencing again, this

time under the watchful eye of a physical therapist and a training staff consisting of coaches, physicians and surgeons. To this day, she still wears knee braces when she fences. Now, Taylor’s training regimen entails a lot more than walking. Five days a week, she wakes up at 6:15 a.m. for cardiovascular and abdominal workouts. She participates in team fencing practices four days a week and also trains at a fencing facility in Boston on Wednesdays. In addition, Taylor gets individual lessons from Head Coach Atilio Tass, a two-time Olympian who competed for Argentina in the 1980 and 1984 Summer Games. Tass estimated that the average Brown fencer who gets coached individually receives about 30 minutes of individual attention weekly. He said that Taylor, on the other hand, has been getting two to three hours of lessons per week since her freshman year. He described the dedication that Taylor will need to show to make it to London. “She arrived with certain experience, but now she has to work harder to level up her confidence and keep up with the rhythm and the amount of competition that qualifying for the Olympics takes,” he said. “There will be a lot of traveling involved and lots of time away.” He said Taylor is not the first

Brown fencer to aspire to compete at the Olympic level. But when asked if any of the hopefuls had successfully made it to the Olympics, Tass laughed and said, “Me.” In her quest to reach the Olympics, Taylor must first boost her world ranking. She is ranked in the top 16 in the United States, but she does not yet have a world ranking. She can boost her ranking by competing in various tournaments beginning in February. These cups take place mostly in Europe and will determine her seeding at the June 2012 AsianOceanic region’s zonal qualifier. That event “will determine whether or not I qualify for the Olympics,” Taylor said. But the competition will be fierce. Taylor said only about 50 fencers compete in the individual Olympic event. Despite the individual dedication required to train for the Olympics, Taylor is by no means neglecting the team at Brown. Alex DePaoli ’11, one of the three captains of the fencing squad, said that Taylor has helped the new team members improve. “I’ve been really impressed by how much of a team player she is,” said DePaoli, a Herald photographer. “I would have expected her to put more effort into her own training, and she’s really investing a lot into these new girls.”

DePaoli further emphasized Taylor’s leadership role on the team. “She does take it upon herself to be the leader of women’s saber,” he said. “She is definitely what you might call the squad captain of women’s saber, although that’s an unofficial title.” Taylor is also using her time at Brown to prepare for life after fencing. An anthropology and community health double-concentrator, she is looking ahead to a career in medicine. She plans to be a part of Doctors Without Borders in the future.

“It’s like a triple concentration,” Taylor said of her intense workload, which includes pre-medical education. When she graduates, Taylor plans to train full time and then try to make the U.S. team for the 2016 Olympics — because she is a dual citizen, she can compete for the U.S. if Australia releases her. If she does well at the 2016 Olympics, she is already considering to compete again in 2020. Otherwise, she said, she plans to go to medical school.


Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Thursday, November 18, 2010

l e t t e r to t h e e d i to r

Advising from an adviser’s viewpoint To the Editor: This letter is intended to complement Deniz Ilgen’s ’13 opinions column on Tuesday (“Advising — Is less really more?” Nov. 16). I usually am adviser to six freshmen and three or so sophomores with an interest in math and try to make the following points: 1. Math and science courses are designed to be taken in the proper sequence (the concepts build on previous ones) and so careful planning is needed. Allowance must also be made for developing one’s own interests and choices, so this planning cannot all be done at one time, certainly not by any “tool.” 2. It is essential to also study some related science (or social science) courses, e.g. physics, computer science, economics, etc. 3. To graduate as a well-educated

person, one needs a non-trivial program of humanities courses: literature, history, philosophy, etc. Brown University does not do a good job on points two and three. I see too many very good students who take a very strong program in their concentration but neglect the closely related areas (which would give them essential insights into their own concentration) and humanities (which would enrich their own lives). Humanities students probably often avoid science. What Brown might do, to deserve a reputation as a liberal arts school, is to make up several “suggested courses of study” as guides to students.

Bruno Harris Professor Emeritus of Mathematics Nov. 16

Letters, please! letters@browndailyherald.com t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

Deputy Managing Editors

Senior Editors

George Miller

Chaz Kelsh

Emmy Liss Joanna Wohlmuth

Ben Hyman Seth Motel

editorial

Business

Arts & Culture Editor Anne Speyer Arts & Culture Editor Suzannah Weiss Features Editor Sara Luxenberg Features Editor Brian Mastroianni Metro Editor Brigitta Greene Metro Editor Ben Schreckinger News Editor Sydney Ember Sports Editor Tony Bakshi Asst. Sports Editor Ashley McDonnell

Production Copy Desk Chief Kelly Mallahan Asst. Copy Desk Chief Joe Milner Asst. Copy Desk Chief Dan Towne Design Editor Julien Ouellet Asst. Design Editor Gili Kliger Asst. Design Editor Leor Shtull-Leber Asst. Design Editor Katie Wilson Web Editor Neal Poole

General Managers Office Manager Claire Kiely Shawn Reilly Katie Koh Directors Sales Kelly Wess Finance Matthew Burrows Asst. Finance Danielle Marshak Client Relations Margaret Watson Christiana Stephenson Alumni Relations Managers Local Sales Isha Gulati Local Sales Arjun Vaidya National Sales Rajiv Iyengar University Sales Aditi Bhatia University Sales Jared Davis Recruiter Sales Trenten Nelson-Rivers Business Operations Lauren Bosso Business Analytics Jilyn Chao Margot Grinberg Credit and Collections Special Projects Alexander Carrere Staff Kathy Bui Opinions Opinions Editor Michael Fitzpatrick Opinions Editor Alyssa Ratledge Editorial Page Editor Matt Aks Tyler Rosenbaum Editorial Page Editor

Post- magazine Editor-in-Chief Sam Carter Editor-in-Chief Kate Doyle Editor-in-Chief Marshall Katheder

BLOG DAILY HERALD Managing Editor Matt Klimerman Managing Editor Anne Simons Managing Editor David Winer

Graphics & Photos Graphics Editor Stephen Lichenstein Graphics Editor Alex Yuly Photo Editor Stephanie London Photo Editor Max Monn Photo Editor Hilary Rosenthal Jonathan Bateman Sports Photo Editor Jesse Morgan Asst. Sports Photo Editor

L oren F ulton

e d i to r i a l

Metcalf Auditorium, R.I.P. Most of the classrooms at Brown are quite good. MacMillan 115 and Smith-Buonanno 106 in particular are ver y nice places to watch a professor lecture, and the two auditoriums in the Salomon Center definitely get the job done. The same cannot be said of what used to be the Metcalf Chemistr y Lab auditorium. As the renovations to Metcalf continue, we wanted to take a moment to remember what used to be the worst classroom at our school. The problems in the old Metcalf auditorium began with perhaps the most basic element of any classroom — the chairs. We use the word “chairs” with a bit of hesitation, since each student actually sat on two wooden boards fixed to form a perfect 90-degree angle. After sitting in these seats for roughly 30 hours over the course of the semester, students taking classes in this room should have been offered the ser vices of a chiropractor or a massage therapist. The room’s trademark, though, was the set of radiators that lined the walls. During the winter months, these radiators kept students warm at a high cost. They made so much noise that one could have reasonably thought people were trapped inside trying to break out. Let’s just say that between the chairs and the noise, no one ever dozed off during a class in Metcalf. From the ver y top rows of the auditorium, the professor looked like an ant. But for some reason, many professors who taught in the room still in-

sisted on using the blackboard. We’re not sure whether this was because of professors’ personal preferences or because the room’s projection capabilities were limited. But either way, we came to dread the very possibility that a professor teaching in Metcalf might be tempted to make use of the blackboard. To top it all off, one member of the editorial page board recalled that the large periodic table of elements painted on the front wall was out of date. How are students supposed to learn if they can’t even be reassured of the existence of roentgenium? Fortunately, the classroom as we once knew it has now ceased to exist. The images on the Building Brown website are quite exciting. Anyone who sur vived a semester in Metcalf can take a satisfying look at the auditorium being demolished. And non-seniors can check out a sketch of what they have to look forward to when the new room opens. The project is supposed to be completed next fall, according to the website. At some point this year, you might find yourself a little frustrated that part of Thayer Street is still blocked off. Or you might overhear someone criticizing the University for undertaking so many construction projects simultaneously. But take it from us, this one was worth it. Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

Rafael Chaiken, Hans Gao, Kyle McNamara, Leor Shtull-Leber, Katie Wilson, Designers Shefali Luthra, David Chung, Carmen Schulman, Copy Editors Nicole Boucher, Kristina Fazzalaro, Sara Luxenberg, Night Editors Senior Staff Writers Ana Alvarez, Ashley Aydin, Rebecca Ballhaus, Alexander Bell, Nicole Boucher, Fei Cai, Kristina Fazzalaro, Sarah Mancone, Claire Peracchio, Lindor Qunaj, Mark Raymond, Luisa Robledo, Caitlin Trujillo Staff Writers Anna Andreeva, Anne Artley, Anita Badejo, Casey Bleho, Amy Chen, Alicia Dang, Sarah Forman, Miriam Furst, Max Godnick, Thomas Jarus, Abby Kerson, Julia Kim, Kristina Klara, Leonardo Moauro, Emily Rosen, Bradley Silverman, Anne Simons, Alexandra Ulmer, Qian Yin Senior Sales Executives Katie Galvin, Liana Nisimova, Isha Gulati, Samantha Wong Sales Associates Roshni Assomull, Brady Caspar, Anna Cook, Siena deLisser, Begum Ersan, Tommy Fink, Ryan Fleming, Evan Gill, Debbie Lai, Jason Lee, Katie Lynch, Sean Maroongroge, Zahra Merchant, Edjola Ruci, Webber Xu Senior Finance Associates Jason Beckman, Mae Cadao, Adam Fern, Krystle Onibokun Finance Associates Lisa Berlin, Mahima Chawla, Mark Hu, Jason Lee, Justin Lee, Kevin Lynch, Jennifer Morgan, Sam Plotner, Nicholas Robbins, Dan Seder, Daniel Slutsky, Emily Zheng Design Staff Rebecca Ballhaus, Caleigh Forbes Web Staff Warren Jin, Claire Kwong, Adam Zethraeus Photo Staff Alex DePaoli, Emily Gilbert, Katie Green, Freddy Lu, Glenn Lutzky, Evan Thomas Copy Editors Ted Burke, Corinne Cathcart, David Chung, Olivia Conetta, Carrie Craven, Max Ernst, Jenny Kaplan, Abby Kerson, Juhee Kwon, Claire Luchette, Sahil Luthra, Shefali Luthra, Katie MacDougald, Alexandra Nuttbrown, Elizabeth Orr, Katrina Phillips, Amy Rasmussen, Winnie Wang, Emma Wohl Editorial Page Board Members Anita Mathews, Melissa Shube, Gaurie Tilak

C O R R E C T I O N S P olicy The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. C ommentary P O L I C Y The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald. The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns, letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only. L etters to the E ditor P olicy Send letters to letters@browndailyherald.com. Include a telephone number with all letters. The Herald reserves the right to edit all letters for length and clarity and cannot assure the publication of any letter. Please limit letters to 250 words. Under special circumstances writers may request anonymity, but no letter will be printed if the author’s identity is unknown to the editors. Announcements of events will not be printed. advertising P olicy The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.


Opinions The Brown Daily Herald

Thursday, November 18, 2010 | Page 11

This TV has words on it! BY Mike Johnson Opinions Columnist I will admit this immediately: This column is self-serving, commercialized and part of the liberal communo-fascist capitalistic tendencies of Brown, Inc. As a writer, I feel compelled to ignore any sense of political correctness, preferring instead to send my meager sentences out into the free marketplace of ideas where they can fend for themselves, guided by the invisible hand of public opinion. Yet the message at the core of this column is one that all Brown students can support — we need to read more. I was inspired by Sarah Rosenthal’s ’11 recent column (“History — a history,” Nov. 10). In it, she discusses the need for all Brown students to take some sort of history course. However, I was disappointed she failed to use the cliched reason that “those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it,” so I have — right there, in case you missed it. Yet her treatise in support of history courses gave me a great idea: what if Brown students were required to read? Now, this is logistically impossible. Indeed, all courses should themselves police this necessity of physically opening a textbook or assigned reading and at least cursorily scanning the words printed within. Yet as constant articles in The Herald indicate, our grades continue to “inflate” faster than a My-

lar Barney on my cousin’s birthday. We’ve all done it; We skip a reading because we’re too busy with our other classes, or because we just hate Jane Austen, or because it’s FishCo night. Yet we get by, because we can always write that paper on a different text, or use reading period for something other than sleeping until three in

completing various crosswords and Sudoku puzzles. With such a plethora of reading material, it’s probably a foregone conclusion that the average Brown student does his or her fair share of reading. However, this is in direct opposition to the fact that in my own personal, improperly conducted study, the “av-

According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 30 percent of American adults are functionally illiterate.

the afternoon. But this is unsustainable behavior. Like slurping water from an Aquafina bottle, or using two trays to make up for those who opt to go trayless, it’s irresponsible. The Sharpe Refectory has a lovely bin filled with copies of The Herald, the New York Times, the Providence Journal, and even the metrosexually-hued Financial Times — only real stockbrokers can read pink newspapers. If you eat lunch as late as I do, right before the staff cleans up the debris littering the table, you will see these newspapers scattered around, left behind by those whom I assume were reading, and not just

erage” Brown student had no idea who was running for Rhode Island governor this year, much less that one of the candidates was a Brown alum who had previously served in the Senate. We can read all the neuroscience, biology, Kant, Pliny or Gaiman we want, but if we bury our heads in the sands of academia, we’re every bit as detached and “out of touch” as conservative pundits claim we are. The written word pervades our world. It’s in our newspapers, in our breakfast lines, on our deodorant. If we can just take the time to read it all, it’s amazing what one can find out. For instance, Trop 50, the orange juice

sold at Jo’s, advertises that it has 50 percent of the sugar of real orange juice. Seems like a great deal, right? Wrong. If one would merely turn the bottle around and read it, one would discover that Trop 50 is 42 percent juice. Accepting that Trop 50 is 58 percent water, then it should have 58 percent less sugar. From where does the 8 percent of leftover sugar come? Not sure I want to put that in my body. Up on College Hill, we sometimes forget how fortunate we are to be intelligent, to have the ability to reason through issues and to experience the richness life at university provides. It’s easy to forget that, according to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 30 percent of American adults are functionally illiterate. Sure, they can read stop signs or a grocery list, but to ask them to summarize a short story is to ask the impossible. This is a problem, not with the illiterate, but with a society that tolerates 30 percent of its population being incapable of reading. I beg of you, read a book, even if it’s just for fun. Read the paper, even if it’s an article about how Wes Welker will save the Patriots. It is a terrible shame that print media is dying, while the giant television in the Ratty projects CNN’s babblings to an apathetic audience. Open your eyes to the squiggly lines on this page. Though I guess if you’ve made it this far, you aren’t the ones to worry about.

Mike Johnson ’11 wants you to buy his books, for the good of society.

Forget ‘change,’ we need vision BY KURT WALTERS Opinions Columnist Contrary to the current hype about the national debt, America’s most pressing problem is a deficit of vision, not dollars. Amid the hubbub of the mainstream media’s horse-race reporting of the recent 2010 midterm elections, you can be excused for missing the significance of the fact that this was the third “wave election” we’ve had in a row. This kind of lurching “pinball politics,” where control of Congress and the presidency bounces back and forth near-constantly is symptomatic of a lack of direction and visionary leadership by our top political figures. Indeed, the winning political strategy of the day seems to be “the opposite of what we’re doing now.” In 2006, Bush-weary voters handed back control of Congress to the Democrats, and then this trend was taken to its natural conclusion in 2008, when “change we can believe in” catapulted the Democratic Party into the White House, leaving the rabidly recalcitrant Supreme Court as the sole bastion of conservatism in the federal government. However, far from embarking down a path articulated by President Obama and the Democratic Party, this month, the electorate gave Republicans the biggest single-election gains in decades. Their winning message? A collection of anti-Obama goals, including “repeal and replace” the health care reform bill and ending stimulus spending. When the two main schools of politics are “not Bush” and “not Obama,” we know something is wrong. When we factor in other broken features of our political process like fili-

buster abuse and an abject lack of bipartisan collaboration, it is clear that our schizophrenic passing of power means that no one’s policies will have a chance to succeed before being dismantled by the opposition. What we are missing in this thicket of reactive “change” politics is a proactive vision for the future. While Obama had the best chance in recent years to establish such a vision, he failed to do so. While he has achieved a not altogether unimpressive collection of piecemeal changes, they have been unconnected by any kind of unifying narrative. In fact, he has been more than happy to

like clean energy, biotechnology and the ever-expanding electronics industry. Likewise, there are big questions to be answered about America’s role in the new global balance of power now that China and India have emerged as nascent superpowers and Europe is rapidly unifying into a coherent superpower of its own. All of this is not to mention the need for fixing our money-driven electoral system and finding long-term solutions for the national debt and trade deficit. None of these challenges are addressed by simply promising to do things differently from the person currently in office — they

When the two main schools of politics are “not Bush” and “not Obama,” we know something is wrong.

finish up others’ goals rather than articulate his own, like passing the health care reform that has eluded presidents for decades. What makes this problem worse is that even once we escape this current crisis, we will have only jumped from the fire back into the relative safety of the frying pan. The America of today faces enormous challenges, even once we return to “normal.” We must adapt to the new global economy by establishing a preeminent place in emerging fields

take long-term concerted action. Quickly changing course and grasping at different plans of action is a frequent mark of an organization or nation spiralling down into decline. It’s not as if America has failed to produce leaders to guide the nation through difficult times in the past. Franklin Roosevelt’s vision of securing the “four freedoms” — freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear— was so strong

that not only did he lead America out of the Great Depression and establish countless programs such as Social Security and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, but he also permanently changed the expectations that Americans have of their government. Similarly, while I vehemently oppose most of his policies, Ronald Reagan also was a bold and visionary leader. He identified what he saw as the problem America faced, which he took to be the government itself, and laid out a supply-side plan of less government regulation and lower taxation which would bring the country closer to his vision of a smallgovernment America. The remarkable strength of these presidents’ visions is evident in the frequency with which contemporary politicians invoke their memories. Even after their deaths, they continue to inspire American politics. However, as John Judis suggests in his article “A Lost Generation,” recent events suggest that “the United States may have finally lost its ability to adapt politically to the systemic crises that it has periodically faced.” We have a leadership vacuum waiting to be filled. If Obama refuses to step up to the task, then someone else must. This leader must articulate both his vision of America’s future and the course of action that will realize it. As voters and citizens, let’s stop settling for the reactive BS currently pervading American politics and demand true leadership.

Kurt Walters ’11 is a philosophy, politics and economics concentrator from Charlottesville, Va. He can be contacted at kurt_walters @brown.edu.


Today The Brown Daily Herald

5

ACLU sues PPD for free speech violation

8

to day

to m o r r o w

53 / 33

46 / 37

Sheehan ’12 takes on NBA’s Miami Heat Thursday, November 18, 2010

Page 12

t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s

2

1

post-

c a l e n da r Today

November 18

4:00 P.m.

7

ToMORROW

November 19

5:00 P.M.

Nation Building: The U.S. and

Free Movie: Guimba the Tyrant,

Afghanistan, Salomon 101

Wilson 102

7:00 P.M.

Post- magazine, inside today’s paper

8:00 P.M. The Cove: Oscar Winning

Brown University Wind Symphony

Documentary Screening, List 120

Concert, Salomon 101

Post- makes the ol’ beast

menu SHARPE REFECTORY

with two backs, gets the

VERNEy-WOOLLEY DINING HALL

scoop on pie, and drunk

LUNCH Vegan Nuggets with Dipping Sauces, Chicken Milanese, Vegan Tacos, Mashed Red Potatoes with Garlic

Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap, Eggplant Parmesean, Mediterranean Bar, Steak Fries

texts intentionally.

DINNER Tortellini Angelica, Brussel Sprouts, Pork Medallions with Portobello Mushrooms, Lemon Rice

Roasted Honey and Chili Chicken, Grecian Zucchini Bake, Creamy Polenta

a c r o s s to b e a r ACROSS Which doctor? by Natan Last ‘12 1 Gene who directed “The Odd Couple” 5 Beach ___ 8 Leaf through 14 Arctic Monkeys hit “___ You Look Good On The Dancefloor” 15 Word after Dead Ball or Swing 16 “Shaq ___” (1993 hip hop album) 17 Book with the line “I would not like them here or there. I would not like them anywhere.” 20 Film with a penguin’s rendition of Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” 21 Gymgoer’s count 22 Goes a-courting? 23 “...and put ___ parking lot...” (“Big Yellow Taxi” lyric) 26 Balderdash 27 “Angel dust” 28 Site of a famous 1975 bout 31 Playable character in “Mario Tennis” 32 Edges, with “out” 63 Place to play some 19 Use the Stupefy 39 MTV show shot in 34 “Loud ___!!!” Time Crisis spell, say, in Times Square (commonly-quoted 64 Use a little bit of “Harry Potter” 40 Halloween “Anchorman” line) make-up? 24 Ship that means prankster’s aid 38 Book with the line “I “the painted one” 45 Nine ___ Nails rule from the clouds! 65 Light on Broadway 25 How Dr. Seuss is 46 Thing to run Over land! Over sea! 66 Got closer to often read 47 Son of Goku and There’s nothing, no, 67 Polite chatroom shortening 27 “The Square Root Chi-Chi NOTHING, that’s 68 Huey Lewis hit “I of Three,” e.g, 48 Taking out the higher than me!” Want A New ___” from “Harold and trash, say 41 Book subtitled Kumar Escape 49 Spanish for “boat” “Inside the Amazing DOWN from Guantanamo 51 They’re worn Success of Today’s 1 Salman Rushdie’s Bay” when undercover, Most Popular Chef” “The Moor’s Last 28 Willie Mays, once sometimes 42 “Good grief!” ___” 29 “A white ___ dust 52 Bottom has the 43 McSorley’s Old ___ 2 Psychic Pokemon veiled his dark head of one, in House (East Village that often uses suit and his pale “A Midsummer’s Landmark) Teleport hair as it veiled Night Dream” 44 George Carlin’s “Life 3 Do the books, as at everything in the 54 ___ Tass is Worth ___” a baseball game vicinity”: “The (Russian news 46 “___ on my bed 4 2006 dance/ Great Gatsby” agency) my limbs I lay”: romance film 30 Word with France 56 1965 film with Coleridge 5 Conflicts or Jordan The Beatles 47 Campus chill spot, 6 Craving 31 Part of an 57 Racetrack for short 7 Dungeons & “American Pie” boundary 50 Public Enemy’s Dungeons chorus 58 Taiwanese pop “Miuzi Weighs a spellcaster 32 Ness of “The star Jay ___” 8 Kissing on the street, Untouchables” 59 Word after King 51 Move into a higher say, for short 33 Character in or Donkey level, as in “Super 9 Data dog on “Scrubs” or “That 61 Catullus Mario Bros.” “Cowboy Bebop” ‘70s Show” composition 53 LOLcat’s greeting 10 Team for Pete Rose 35 Guitar Hero 62 Neighbor of 55 He quipped, “You 11 “Caught Up” singer feature activated Homer can be married and 12 Former alliance that by raising the bored, or single included the U.S. Solutions and guitar and lonely. Ain’t no and N.Z. archive online at happiness nowhere.” 13 “Nightmare” film loc. 36 ___ Woods, “Legally Blonde” acrosstobear. 60 Book with the line “A 18 Bill ___, the Science protagonist wordpress.com person’s a person, Guy 37 The Who’s “I Can Email: brownpuzzles no matter how ___ For Miles” small.” @gmail.com

comics Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline

BB & Z | Cole Pruitt, Andrew Seiden and Valerie Hsiung

The Misadventures of Blockhead | Adam Petchers and Co.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Thursday, November 18, 2010 by The Brown Daily Herald - Issuu