The Freshman Issue (09.02.09)

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09.02.09 vol. xli, no. 1 The Indy kicks off the new year.

independent THE HARVARD

President Diana Suen ‘11 Cover art by KRISTINA YEE

News 3 News in Brief

Forum 4 Ugandan Summer 5 Africa's Future

Special 6-7 Do's and Don'ts Food Finder

Arts 8 A Place in the Sun 9 Boston Arts Guide

Sports 10 Iberian Intrigues 11 Fantasy Harvard For exclusive online content, visit www.harvardindependent.com

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Editor-in-Chief Sam Jack ‘11 News Editor Forum Editor Arts Editor Sports Editor Design Editor Graphics Editor

Production Manager Faith Zhang ‘11 Susan Zhu ‘11 Riva Riley ‘12 Pelin Kivrak ‘11 Hao Meng ‘11 Patricia Florescu ‘11 Candice Smith ‘11

Associate Forum Editor Associate Business Manager Associate Graphics Editor

Lynn Yi ‘12 Jenn Chang ‘11 Sonia Coman ‘11

Staff Writers Peter Bacon ‘11 John Beatty '11 Rachael Becker '11 Ezgi Bereketli ‘12 Andrew Coffman ‘12 Truc Doan ‘10 Levi Dudte '11 Ray Duer ‘11 Nick Nehamas ‘11 Jim Shirey ‘11 Steven Rizoli '11 Graphics, Photography, and Design Staff Sonia Coman '11 Eva Liou ‘11 Caitlin Marquis ‘10 Lidiya Petrova ‘11 Kristina Yee ‘10

As Harvard College's weekly undergraduate newsmagazine, the Harvard Independent provides in-depth, critical coverage of issues and events of interest to the Harvard College community. The Independent has no political affiliation, instead offering diverse commentary on news, arts, sports, and student life.

For publication information and general inquiries, contact President Diana Suen (president@harvardindependent.com). Letters to the Editor and comments regarding the content of the publication should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Sam Jack (editor@harvardindependent.com).

Yearly mail subscriptions are available for $30, and semester-long subscriptions are available for $15. To purchase a subscription, email subscriptions@harvardindependent.com.

The Harvard Independent is published weekly during the academic year, except during vacations, by The Harvard Independent, Inc., P.O. Box 382204, Cambridge, MA 02238-2204. Copyright © 2008 by The Harvard Independent. All rights reserved.

09.02.09 s The Harvard Independent

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Short & Sweet News that you could conceivably use.

This week: everything you might have missed over the summer.

Compiled by SUSAN ZHU and SAM JACK Henry Louis Gates, Jr. arrested at home On July 16, Gates came home to a jammed front door and forced it open.

A neighbor called the police, who ended up arresting the professor of AfricanAmerican studies on a charge of disorderly conduct, later dismissed. The event gave rise to weeks of impassioned debate and media coverage from every conceivable angle; President Obama entered the fray, opining that arresting officer Sgt. James Crowley had acted “stupidly,” a comment which he later walked back. Obama and the two men, joined by Vice President Biden, later shared perhaps the least relaxed afternoon drink ever caught on film. Harvard students were reminded of an incident in the spring of 2007 when students called police to investigate a barbecue hosted by black student groups in the Quad.

Harvard Fashion Goes Upscale This summer, Harvard attracted a lot of media attention by licensing a company to produce a line of uber preppy-but-moresophisticated-than-just-your-poppedcollar menswear, branded as “Harvard Yard.” Students looking for an alternative to the standard t-shirts, hoodies, and ball caps aren't going to be satisfied: the clothes do nothing to declare their Harvard association. And are way too expensive for anyone who’s not a Vanderbilt: a pair of pants costs $165, and a coat $495. Internet speculation has had it that the foray into fashion might be a response to Harvard's depleted endowment (see below), but The Boston Globe reports that the proceeds will be used to fund undergraduate financial aid.

Holy Cow! ... to Graze in Harvard Yard Prof. Harvey Cox was the Hollis Professor of Divinity from 2002 until his retirement in June. The “privileges” that go with being the Hollis Professor extend to more than just the oldest endowment title in America; it also includes rights The Harvard Independent s 09.02.09

to have the Professor’s cows graze in the Yard.

Way back when naming your kid “Silence” was all the rage, Harvard Yard was actually used for grazing purposes. It’s been a while since anyone has brought a cow to the Yard, but Professor Cox thinks someone ought to take up the privilege (man after my own heart), and will do so on the afternoon of September 10. He will be bringing a Jersey cow named “Pride,” but just for that day her name will be “Faith” (we wouldn’t want any of the seven deadly sins eating our prestigious grass), which will also coincidentally promote Cox’s new book, The Future of Faith. Hopefully the future of Faith doesn’t include being served up as HUDS’ sirloin.

Senator Ted Kennedy dies

In less traditional rankings, Harvard finished a respectable fourth in GQ Magazine’s America’s “douchiest colleges,” behind Brown, Duke, and Princeton. When GQ thinks you’re a douche, you must be a douche. So way to be douchey, Harvard!

While the selection of Brown as America’s douchiest college has confused people, nobody has questioned the douchiness of Duke and Princeton. I mean really, have you been there? And where the heck was Fale on that list?

Budget Woes Affect Undergraduate Services, Staff The collapse of Harvard's endowment left the Faculty of Arts and Sciences with a 220 million dollar annual deficit to

close, and last May, FAS Dean Michael D. Smith announced 77 million dollars in cuts in an attempt to close the gap.

The cuts that will be most obvious to undergrads include the elimination of hot breakfasts (except in Annenberg, the freshman dining hall – time to head back there, upperclassmen!), closure of cafés in the Quad and in Widener, the closure of the Quad Library, and the decision not to re-hire the elderly but adorable exam proctors. Late night shuttle service was originally reduced but later restored in response to outcry from Quad residents and others about about safety (you tell 'em, Quadlings!). Cuts and potential cuts in support staff and teaching assistants continue to cause anxiety.

The “Lion of the Senate” died last week, after nearly 47 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The majority of Harvard students saw the last of Kennedy when he attended the 125th iteration of “The Game”; Kennedy was wide receiver for Harvard’s varsity football team, and caught a touchdown pass in The Game of 1955. Kennedy had been awarded a rare honorary degree in absentia at the 2008 commencement, and he returned to Harvard once again in December to accept the degree in person in a special ceremony.

“We know the future will outlast all of us,” Kennedy said, “But I believe that all of us will live on in the future we make.”

The Usual College Rankings … And a “Douchiest” Twist Harvard fell back into a tie with Princeton for the number one spot on the oh-so-important-and-rationally-done U.S. News and World Report university rankings. Harvard was also number one among universities when it comes to not letting people in; only 7.9 percent of applicants got the “fat e-mail” (you go, person reading this article). According to The Princeton Review, Harvard has the number one college library, ranks third in financial aid satisfaction, and ninth in “Best Dorms.” news@harvardindependent.com

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A Muzungu Among Ugandans My summer eating, traveling, and finding true love in the Pearl of Africa.

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I EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE LIFE in Uganda?

I guess I could try describing it the way books do: Uganda is incredibly diverse in terms of people and of geography.

Uganda is home to sixty-five indigenous communities and boasts a landscape as varied as the stereotypical African savannah; rife with lions and other wildlife, with rainforests and swamps. And then there’s the pessimistic perspective: Uganda’s equally known for its diversity of problems, from poverty to AIDS to corruption.

But after spending nine weeks in Masaka, Uganda’s former second largest town until it was ravaged in the Uganda-Tanzania War of 1979, I found none of those descriptions sufficient. I prefer to remember Uganda in terms of its diversity of life, its eclectic mix of personalities, and I like to sum it up with my own statistic: only in Uganda can you get six passion fruit, a taxi or boda (motorcycle) ride, or — so my Ugandan friends quietly confided to me — a blowjob for bitaano. That’s 500 Ugandan Shillings or about $0.25.

OW DO

Of Passion Fruit and Other Gustatory Experiences “What do people even eat in Uganda? Are you sure you’re not going to starve?”

I met these early skeptics with scoffs.

“Please,” I thought, “Like everyone’s actually starving in Africa. I’m sure I’ll be able to find food.”

And find food I did! Though the food I found wasn’t always exactly the kind of food I was expecting. Passion fruit was a case in point. My first experience with passion fruit in Uganda was during my first week there, when I went mostly to restaurants recommended by muzungus (white people/foreigners), an experience that made the transition to Ugandan food really easy but also really unrealistic. That night, we had tomato soup, roast chicken, and strawberry crêpes, and passion fruit was served as a side dish — sliced in half for us to scoop out the yellow, seeded interior. It was ridiculous — a muzungu establishment in the middle of rural poverty! — but, and I’m a little ashamed to say this, sinfully delicious.

After that experience, I happily moved in with my Ugandan host family at the end of my first week, fully expecting some variation of what I had had that first week. Maybe some fresh veggies, maybe some meat — those I wasn’t so sure of — but certainly lots of passion fruit! Boy was I in for a surprise.

My diet changed radically. I’ve never had so much starch or grease in my entire life. My typical meal now consisted of heaping piles of just three things: matooke (mashed green plantains), lumonde (sweet potato), and posho (ground cornmeal). The oh-too-occasional dish of cabbage was something I looked forward to and ate ravenously whenever served.

Local Ugandan restaurants also offered little respite. Ugandan restaurants are actually really funny establishments. Most of the

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By DIANA SUEN ones I went to, ones located deep in some village accessible only by hours on a boda, really just looked like outdoor living rooms.

Minus the comfy sofas. Minus lighting too.

Most establishments offered the same menu: matooke, lumonde, posho, Irish potatoes, rice, and chapatti (the Indians pre-Amin brought it with them when they came and now it’s been fully integrated into daily life) served with your choice of beans (soaked in tomato sauce), meat (really just means two tough pieces from a goat that’s probably been hanging outside unrefrigerated and fully exposed to the incredible dust that is Uganda, for the past few weeks), or luwombo (dry fish in a g-nut, or peanut, sauce cooked in banana leaves). And as if the food selection weren’t limited enough, restaurants would quite frequently run out of food. Nothing was more disappointing than mentally preparing yourself for another meal of almost all starch — maybe matooke my choice of poison today — only to hear the waiter announce matter-of-factly, “Sorry, matooke is over.” Groan!

I tried to be adventurous though, trying street food here and there and partaking in dishes that looked almost deadly. And sometimes I paid for it. (At my worst, I contracted a stomach bug that left me bedridden for four days. I think the culprit was ghi, which my Ugandan friend referred to as “cow butter” but tasted more like pure cow lard.) But sometimes, my adventurous spirit really, and I mean really, paid off.

So Ugandan food can be pretty gendered.

Rolexes, one of my favorite street foods, a chapatti breakfast burrito essentially, was derided by one of my Ugandan friends as being a guy food — “You can eat it, but I’m not going to. Only guys eat that!” I guess my skin color made me an exception to the rule. But even more gendered were the pork joints. Ugandan men, according to my sexually and/or maritally frustrated female Ugandan friends, never tell

you where they are. Ugandan men, when they aren’t disappearing into other women, are packing off to pork joints, which are really just bars where they serve trays of crispy pork with cold beer.

Conveniently, my friend’s dad owned a pork joint, so we knew we had to make the trip at some point, and one night, we set off together with her mom and her sister. It must’ve been a strange sight — four females, two muzungu and two Ugandan, going into a rough and dirty pork joint. It was ridiculously dark in there, and in fact, so dark that we had to take out our cell phones to be sure of what we were eating.

We were presented with two large trays, one consisting entirely of bite-size crispy pieces of pork, and another with matooke and avocado with tomato and onion garnishing. But, to my dismay, there were no utensils! Now, it’s true that Ugandans (or “real” Ugandans, anyway) like to eat with their fingers, but every restaurant or home I had gone to always offered me the option of eating with a fork. But here, the forks were conspicuously missing. What they offered instead was a tub of water that looked suspiciously murky and a bar of soap that was caked with bits of sand and other unidentifiable substances. I gulped, took a swig of beer, and went for it.

I’m so glad I did. There’s something extremely delightful about eating with your fingers, once you get past the pain of grabbing at a piece of steaming hot whatever. As my friend’s mom likened it, when you eat with a fork, you experience food through only three senses really: visual, olfactory, and gustatory.

But when you introduce your fingers, you take on the sense of touch, whether it’s just experiencing the pain of grabbing at a piece of steaming hot whatever — and trust me, the food tastes a lot better after overcoming this pain — or feeling and anticipating the texture of the food. Plus, it’s easier to massage sauces into posho or matooke to make it more flavorful.

TYLER GRANT HARTUNG/Independent

Of Taxis, Bodas, and Other Transportation Adventures Taxis in Uganda are ridiculous. It makes you aware of your community like no other.

There are basically three types of taxis in Uganda: special hire taxis, matatus, and just plain taxis.

Special hire taxis operate largely like American taxis — they take you door-to-door wherever you need to go but tend to charge exorbitant prices.

Matatus are public 14-passenger busses that are often driven by young, sometimes drunk, drivers who speed like there’s no tomorrow and are stuffed beyond capacity. You can find yourself sitting next to anyone or anything — including the ever-so-delightful chickens—or sometimes even on top of someone. My worst experience was one where we were twenty-five people in a matatu, packed so tightly I couldn’t even sit up and had to lay back on my friend.

It also didn’t help that we were traveling on an unpaved road.

Regular taxis aren’t much better but they’re certainly cheap! They’re standard compact cars that travel a given route. You just hop on and off anywhere along the way. While they’re only supposed to hold five people, I’ve been in ones with as many as nine. I once sat in the back with three other passengers while the passenger and driver’s seat each held two people. We were all relatively slim so uncomfortable as it may have been, it was doable. But the worst is when your driver stops to pick up a big African woman.

Now, I don’t have anything against big, African women — I think they’re probably some of the most gorgeous and feminine women I have ever seen (and sometimes, I even wish I could look like them) — but I can’t ever avoid that sinking feeling in my stomach when I realize that that woman is going to take up half the room in the back. It is then that I always wish fervently that I had gotten on earlier so I could’ve taken the passenger’s seat up front. The one time I did, it was amazing. Cruising down Kampala Road, sitting in the luxurious, spacious passenger’s seat, I was happy as a clam. When a larger than even the typical big African woman flagged us down and the driver pulled over to pick her up, I even smiled at her. “She sure looks pleasant,” I thought.

I thought that because I could afford to.

When that woman climbed into the back, everyone immediately moved over — or as Ugandans like to say it, “extended” — to make room for her but there still wasn’t enough. The poor woman tried to close the door but kept closing it on herself. It took five tries before the door finally closed. The driver thought it was a hoot and looked back in the mirror, grinning widely at her. As he gassed the pedal, he started swerving his car, so sharply that even I was discomforted. Meanwhile, he kept looked into the rearview mirror at the pained expressions of the passenger and laughing. “Oh my god, I’m in the car of a maniac.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 09.02.09 s The Harvard Independent

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Into Africa

Secretary of State Clinton’s visit to the continent is welcome, but more needs to be done.

By LYNN YI

A

frica is a continent whose news coverage in the United States has been primarily dedicated to its characteristic proliferation of diseases, civil wars, and poverty. It was about time for it to be cast in a more positive light, as something more than a crises hotbed. By sending Hillary Clinton on an 11-day tour of seven African nations last month, the U.S. government at last conversed with Africa in a dialogue that does not consist of oh-pity-them.

The symbolic value of Clinton’s visit is not insignificant. After overcoming centuries of colonial and slave exploitation these seven African nations received Clinton as sovereign states governed by their native populations. Progress has been slow, but definite. The hand the Obama administration has extended portends further cooperative talk.

Still, I cannot help but feel a bit cynical about the process. The nations visited still have a ways to go before they can come to the table as equals. The press at home flashes its cameras, showing how America is helping the world. Meanwhile, Clinton

continues to deliver broad praises and criticisms, asking for better relations and less warfare here and there, but giving no means by which these nations can effect change. An analogy: a father admonishes his son for not catching more fish, but he knows that his son does not have a strong enough net. Clinton’s symbolic gesture doesn’t immediately translate into loaves and fishes.

I further question Clinton’s motives for visiting the nations that she did. Kenya, as Obama’s father’s birthplace, apparently deserved a stay. Perhaps the cynical side of me is being oversensitive when I point out that Nigeria is the fifth largest producer of oil in the world, the Congo has vast reserves of diamond, gold, copper and tin, and Angola is rich in both oil and minerals. Perhaps Clinton had the Congo’s best interest at heart when she warned that the nation that many want to exploit its natural resources. I really want to believe that she did. Yet, the U.S.’ treatment of Africa and oil-rich states in the past nudges my cynicism.

However, no matter how pure Clinton’s motives are, she has helped her country

take (overdue) full responsibility for one atrocity. In 1961, in the midst of the Cold War, the CIA single-handedly helped Mobutu Sese Seko displace the first democratically elected prime minister of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba, after Lumumba sought Soviet assistance for the Congo’s independence from Belgium. Mobutu’s kleptocratic and nepotistic rule led the country into destitution and rampant debt, which, of course, the U.S. and its Cold War allies of the International Monetary Fund allowed. It was not until the end of the Cold War that Mobutu’s control weakened along with the West’s dying support. Mobutu’s reign finally ended in 1997, 36 years too late. America is undoubtedly responsible.

If it weren’t for America’s help in 1960, Mobutu’s coup would likely have failed, if it were attempted at all, and if it weren’t for U.S.’ tolerance for Mobutu’s self-serving practices at the expense of 69 million others, Mobutu would have been ousted long before 1997.

One brave soul brought this issue up at the town hall Q&A, as Jeffrey Gettleman reported in the August 10, 2009’s New

York Times. One student asked Clinton, if he were to become president of the Congo, and if he tried to follow his own ideas independent of the West, would he be assassinated? Gettleman quotes Clinton’s response to this reference to Lumumba: “I can’t excuse this past and I won’t try.”

However, simply saying that we understand what happened is not enough.

Admitting error does not mean that we are doing something to make up for it, nor does it amount to a promise that the U.S. will try, to the best of its abilities, to prevent something similar from happening again.

We can “decline to excuse” whenever we need to, but unless we do more than passively ignore this issue until it is brought up (and then address it by saying that we are not excusing it), the U.S. is not admitting its faults. It is this irresponsibility on the part of the American government that is much worse than its greed-driven actions, for the latter are morally mistaken, but the former is the denial of morality altogether.

Lynn Yi (dyi@fas) is waiting for some real action.

LIFE IN UGANDA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 But maniacs? Let’s talk maniacs. Boda drivers. Because so much of Uganda is inaccessible by normal cars, the only thing you can really do is turn to bodas. They’re notorious for being sleazy and even more importantly, dangerous — in fact, US State Department includes drunkenness and recklessness in its travel warning on Uganda. This is partly because you’re riding a motorcycle without a helmet, partly because boda drivers are, more often than anyone else, drunk, and partly because Ugandan roads are terrible and you feel every imperfection when you’re on that boda. We often joked that the dangerous drivers are the ones who go in a straight line — they’re too drunk to swerve around the potholes.

But even well-intentioned, fully sober boda drivers can get into accidents. My one transportation accident while in Uganda came while going with my co-worker into the field.

Everything seemed perfectly safe. My co-worker asked to go home to grab a helmet really quick before taking me into the field, and of course I obliged him. I was more than happy to.

If he’s taking a helmet, then he’ll be more considerate of our safety than any other boda driver I had taken.

I was wrong. That helmet meant he could speed like a maniac — we cruised at about 70 km/h over unpaved roads with potholes at least one foot deep — and protect himself, leaving me holding on desperately trying to defy Newton’s laws. I kept muttering to myself, “just hold on, just hold on” when suddenly I found myself launched a feet or two into the air. My co-worker immediately stopped the boda and turned around with an amused/embarrassed grin. “Sorry, that one just came out of nowhere.” And we proceeded on.

Of Blowjobs and Other Carnal Adventures So I obviously didn’t patron the blowjob business, but “blowjobs for bitaano” is definitely telling of how hyperThe Harvard Independent s 09.02.09

sexualized everything is. Microfinance institutions worried about men taking out agricultural or development loans only to spend the money on a bride price for a new wife. My Ugandan mom, a part-time HIV/AIDS teacher, laughed at me in the face I asked whether pre-marital sex was common.

(Her reply: “Haha, what do you think? This is Africa!”) And even more explicitly, Adrius, one of the taxi drivers, who was always stationed at the taxi park along my way to work, would clap his hand and dance when I walked by. “Come on baby, come here. I want to insert something in you and put, put, put.” Uh, no thanks.

But while the reputation holds that commitment is rare and among men, even rarer, it isn’t always the case. On my one wilderness trip, our tour guide took us around the lake pointing out finfoots, velvet monkeys, and warthogs here and there. When we got to the hippos though, he suddenly darkened and said, “I do not approve their lifestyle.”

“Excuse me?!”

“One bull, the rest female. Too much, so bad. I do not want to be the bull. But look, African fish eagle! I approve their lifestyle — no cheating, no divorce. African women should learn more from them.”

In a land where even my really sweet female Ugandan friends felt a need to play more than one guy at any time, lest he cheat and bring AIDS into the relationship (actually, I’m still not sure how that makes sense), I felt that true love must be impossible to find. But find it I did, and in the most unlikely of places — a bicycle boda driver.

Bicycle bodas are probably by far my favorite form of transportation. They’re much cheaper and the drivers less likely to be drunk or horny. But they weren’t entirely susceptible to women. Because they were bicycles, rides took much longer and the drivers would often chat me up. Most of

it was just friendly, but one guy took it a step further.

After dropping me off at home, he looked longingly and said insistently, “Enkwagala nyo (I love you very much)!” and a string of Luganda phrases I didn’t understand. With my limited Luganda skills, I awkwardly replied with “Webale nyo (thank you very much),” and when he kept insisting, with “Ah, benange (Ah, imagine)! Olimba (you are lying)!”

Despite my protests, he insisted it was true and further that I take him again tomorrow. I laughed and walked into my house, shaking my head and laughing. Ugandan men are so insistent.

I didn’t want to see him the next day and I didn’t. But the day after that, I was walking to work when a bicycle suddenly pulled up next to me. I turn in surprise to see his eager face.

“I give you ride!”

I normally don’t like to take bodas to work because my workplace is within easy walking distance so I figure I can save money and get a little exercise at the same time. “No, no, I’m going to walk.” And figuring it would be the easiest way to get rid of him, I say, “Neda sente (no money),” and walk on.

“No take money.”

I looked at him skeptically. He probably did not understand a work I said, but he looked so eager and insistent that I figured he’s probably hard up for cash, and I oblige. As I am ferried off to work, I try to figure out what the fair price for the ride is, and when I hop off, I move to grab my wallet but he stops me. “No money. I love you,” he looks at me and smiles. “See you tomorrow.” And he drives off.

Now if that’s not love, I don’t know what that is.

Diana Suen ‘11 (dsuen@fas) can be found clapping her hands and shrieking, “Ah, benange!” forum@harvardindependent.com

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indy special Things TO DO Freshman Year * Primal Scream - no matter how much you prepare, all semblance of warmth will be gone in a second.

Keep a moderate pace - the yard is longer than it seems. * Comp the Indy. Duh? * Go to a finals club. Never go back. * Recover from finals clubbing with Felipe's or IHOP. * Celebrate a friend's birthday at Finale. * Pregame before Harvard-Yale. * See Harvard Art Museum's fabulous collection. * Freshman snowball fight in the yard. Lots of snow. Lots of freshmen.

'Nuff said. * Go sledding down Widener on an Annenberg tray. * Join a service group at PBHA giving back really does feel that good. * Watch a lecture at Sanders. * Fall asleep during a lecture at Sanders (second floor is more suitable). * Run by the river after realizing all you do is eat and sleep. * Play intramural sports. Meet other people. Keep playing intramurals. * Take a walk along the Charles, through the Business School and the Stadium, at night (don't go alone! consider bringing that girl/guy you're trying to woo) - anything you say will seem ten times more sophisticated and deep. * Go out to Oktoberfest and buy a $10 sweatshirt that would go for four times the price at the COOP.

Things

* Go skating at Boston Commons' Frog Pond. Bring your own skates if you have them - the ones at Frog Pond will hurt after two minutes. * River Run before Housing Day don't skip any of the Houses! Set your boat on fire before commencing, at your own risk. * Watch the stars and enjoy the view from the Science Center's observatory, with a nice bottle of ... sparkling cider. * Fall in love with a class you had never considered taking.

* Go to a JFK Forum event at the Institute of Politics (IOP). * Get your favorite Mr. Bartley's burger with friends (consider paying homage to Prof. Skip Gates with the teriyaki-pineapple burger by the same name) and discuss life between bites and sips of milkshake on the steps of Widener. * Buy snacks and drinks with your board plus points throughout the semester. Or stock up and buy out the Greenhouse Cafe's entire cookie supply at the end of the semester. * Play Mario Kart. Become addicted to Mario Kart. Realize that your life consists of eating, sleeping, and Mariokart. Go for another run by the river. * Join a tour group and ask annoying questions, or be the creeper in the tourists' pictures of the John Harvard statue. Doing this gets difficult when you don't live in the Yard all the time.

Freshman Year * Get caught up in being pre-med, trying to fit in as many lab courses as possible. Variety truly is the spice of life. * Become a Lamontster. Or worse: a

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* Take a graduate level course on medieval French technical manuals because you want to "challenge" yourself. * Forgo laundry until Christmas, take everything home to mom. * Eat out for every third meal. You already paid for the dining hall. * Eat two portions of everything because you already paid for it. * Walk down a deserted street in the middle of the night by yourself while listening to your iPod. * Feel obligated to make your friends from pre-frosh weekend your friends for life.

* Change your proposed concentration and/or life goal at least three times.

NOT TO DO

* Hook up with that guy/girl in your entryway when you can't walk in a straight line.

then renege at semester.

Cabot monster. * Try to walk in high heels when there is 7 inches of snow outside. * Try to walk in high heels on the sidewalk cobblestones, period. * Make a room rotation agreement,

* Date two crew guys in succession.

They'll be sitting right next to each other for hours every day. * Sign up for five classes second semester. You're allowed to, but there's no reason. You'll have plenty of time to kill yourself later. * Sign up for six classes second semester. Or any semester. * Pull all-nighters. The Indy staff is all hypocrites on this one, but really, it's not good for you. * Date seniors. Soon they will be gone. * Not join the Harvard Independent. * Check out a reserve book from Lamont and then fall asleep in the chair without returning it.

Food Finder The Guide to Eating & Dining in Harvard Square

By SUSAN ZHU 9 Tastes 50 JFK Street (across from the Kennedy School) | www.9taste.com 9 Tastes is a great Thai restaurant, tucked in the basement of a building on JFK. It’s well-priced for what you get ($7.95 Pad Thai).

Go with friends or a date, but expect it to get loud and busy, especially on weekend nights. It won Best of Boston award from Boston magazine 2007 for Best Neighborhood Takeout in Harvard Square.

Arrow Street Crepes

1154 Massachusetts Avenue www.arrowstreetcreperie.com Arrow Street Crepes makes delicious crepes, both savory (meat, veggies, and cheese; also vegetarian) and sweet (chocolate and fresh fruit). Unfortunately, the crepes cost approximately double what you would pay even in Paris, but you get more in terms of ingredients and flavor. Every crepe is made fresh in front of you. For lunch, go with a friend: after each having a savory crepe and then splitting a sweet crepe for dessert, you’ll both be full and happy.

Au Bon Pain

2 locations: 1360 Massachusetts Avenue (by the T stop) and 1100 Massachusetts Avenue (by Mather) www.aubonpain.com Known as ABP so as not to confuse people with the question of should-I-pronouncethis-a-la-francaise-or-not, Au Bon Pain has speedy service and good food at fair prices, from wraps and sandwiches to salads, soups and rice bowls. It also has a generous selection of breakfast items like muffins, croissants, and scones from the “bakery” as well as breakfast sandwiches. Everything is

made fresh. Open until midnight M-F and Sunday; 1am on Saturday.

Baskin-Robbins

1 Bow Street | www.baskinrobbins.com 31 flavors of ice cream — how will you get around to trying them all? Go during Dollar Scoop Tuesdays, from 6 - 10pm. It’s in the same store as the Dunkin’ Donuts and also sells ice cream cakes — perfect for celebrating a roommate’s birthday back in the room if you guys don’t have time to go out to Finale’s.

Berryline

3 Arrow Street www.bostonberryline.com This is not your kid brother’s Danimals yogurt. Berryline is literally yogurt that’s frozen, not the kind-of-like-ice-cream “froyo” that comes out of the soft-serve machines in the dining halls, which means that it’s a little more sour and a little less sweet than the yogurt you’re used to, with a thicker texture.

The frozen yogurt comes in plain and other flavors like blueberry and banana, and you can add toppings including fresh fruit, nuts, graham crackers, chocolate chips, and more.

It’s delicious and healthy, which could only mean one thing: it’s on the expensive side, so consider splitting a bowl with a friend or significant other.

Boloco

71 Mt. Auburn Street | www.boloco.com

Boloco puts a creative spin on the traditional burrito with creations like Summer (my favorite, with mango salsa), Teriyaki, Cajun, and Caesar at $5.25 for a regular and $6.25 for a big one. They also serve salads and smoothies and the new additions of breakfast burritos ($2.50 regular, $3.50 big) and coffee.

09.02.09 s The Harvard Independent

special Bombay Club 57 JFK Street (by Staples) www.bombayclub.com Upscale and elegant, Bombay Club serves up quality, authentic Indian food. They offer more choice than some of the other Indian restaurants in the Square, and the price is not too much higher.

Border Café

32 Church Street | www.bordercafe.com Border Café offers a wide-range of TexMex and Cajun dishes, from quesadillas and tacos to burgers and Tuscaloosa catfish.

For those old enough, they also make great drinks. The atmosphere is lively and fun — call ahead for a reservation if you’re going with a group as they fill up fast. Open til 1am M-F, 2am on Saturdays and midnight on Sundays.

food to doggy-bag. The drinks are also quite good if you’re old enough and there’s a bar if you just want to watch the game with a drink in hand.

Le’s Restaurant

36 JFK Street (the Garage) www.lescambridge.com Le’s (formerly Pho Pasteur) is the best Vietnamese place in the square. It might also be the only Vietnamese place, but we’ll let that slide. Pretty much everything on their menu is cheap, delicious, and filling, though the best dishes are still Le’s noodle bowls (pho – pronounced like “fuh,” not like “foe”).

Go with a group of friends; the atmosphere is lively (usually crowded), and Le’s won’t break anybody’s bank.

Mr. Bartley’s Gourmet Burgers

Uno’s Chicago Grill

Herrell’s

22 JFK Street | www.unos.com Uno’s is a great (and safe) choice for any meal, whether it’s a date or a group birthday dinner.

There’s something for everyone, from their sliders and deep dish pizzas to salads and pasta.

And the best part is definitely dessert — don’t leave without getting the Deep Dish Sundae. It’ll change the way you think about cookies.

15 Dunster Street.

13-time Best of Boston winner.

289 Beacon St, Somerville Of the Chinese restaurants by Harvard, Zoe’s has been my favorite, with more authentic Chinese dishes than other places in the Square. It’s a bit of a walk for anyone who doesn’t live in the Quad, but ultimately worth the effort.

Café of India

1105 Massachusetts Avenue www.zoescambridge.com Zoe’s is an All-American diner with a splash of Greek. The diner offers such varied dishes as Greek French Toast, Reuben sandwiches, boneless wings, and Tex Mex salad. They have a great omelet menu, with such creations as the California (with avocados) or the open-face Pizza Omelet.

Take away and have a picnic by the river or stay and enjoy the diner experience. Don’t forget your root beer float.

Irish:

Zoe’s Chinese

Zoe’s (Diner)

45½ Mt. Auburn Street (seriously, 45 and a half) www.daedalusharvardsquare.com Daedalus is a two-story restaurant and bar with an outdoor terrace on the second floor. They serve good American food (sandwiches, burgers, salads, dinners) with excellent service, though some find the portions to be a little small for the price. The ambiance and the drinks are the best parts of Daedalus. Oh, and Justin Timberlake ate there with Jessica Biel last year.

1246 Massachusetts Avenue www.mrbartley.com Mr. Bartley has been offering 7 ounces of delicious beefy goodness cooked to your liking since 1960. You can also trade out the beef patty for a turkey or veggie burger.

The gourmet burgers are a little pricey, but there’s a reason that they’ve been voted “Best Burgers (In America)” by The Boston Globe. They come with delicious and creative toppings, with witty names and descriptions to boot (like the John Kerry burger – “he voted for it before he voted against it”). Try their yummy-but-noI-really-shouldn’t-keep-eating-these sweet potato fries and onion rings, and don’t forget the milkshakes and frappes. You can call ahead for take-out or order there. Take it to go and enjoy in the Yard, or stay for a sit-down meal, but be warned – there are no bathrooms at Bartley’s, and seating can be quite cramped. You’ll most likely be sitting next to people you don’t know, but hey, that’s how you make friends (or stalkers).

NOTE: Cash only. Closed Sundays.

83 Mt. Auburn Street (The Garage) www.felipestaqueria.com Felipe’s is home to Harvard students’ favorite cheap burritos. There’s nothing fancy about their burritos, but they sure are good (and large). They also have tacos, quesadillas, and platos. Try one with agua fresca, jarrito (soda) or horchata (cinnamon rice milk) for the full Mexican experience.

74 Winthrop Street www.pinocchiospizza.net Craving late-night pizza (or anytime pizza, for that matter)? Noch’s is the place to go. The slices (both Sicilian thick crust and Neapolitan thin crust) are cheap and the taste spot-on. They also have sandwiches and subs. Open til 1am M-Th, til 2:30am Friday and Saturday, and til midnight on Sunday.

Hong Kong

39 Dunster Street www.finaledesserts.com Finale’s offers the best desserts in Harvard Square. You can go there for a sit-down lunch or a fancy-ish dinner, but expect the appetizers and entrées to be small. Don’t worry though, the point of going there is definitely to leave room for dessert.

You can also just go for the dessert in the non-restaurant part. The Molten Chocolate cake is a must. Finale’s also makes special birthday cakes.

57 JFK Street www.shabuyarestaurant.com Shabu Ya is a brightly lit, modern-feeling restaurant, with vibrant colors and a friendly wait staff. It’s best known for shabu-shabu, or hot-pot, but Shabu Ya also has a great selection of sushi. It can be a little on the pricey side, depending on what you order.

Au Bon Pain

Boston Tea Stop

54 JFK Street Stop in and grab a bubble tea or stay to play favorite childhood games like Connect Four and Guess Who with friends. Boston Tea Stop has a variety of bubble tea flavors, hot or cold, with boba or lychee as well as more substantial food items like mochi and dumplings. Limited seating; if you’re going with friends, best to have a back-up as to where to hang-out.

Daedalus

Felipe’s

Finale’s (also just dessert)

FiRE and iCE

50 Church Street | www.fire-ice.com Fire and Ice is definitely one of the coolest restaurants in the square. All the raw ingredients (pasta, veggies, meat, seafood, salads) are set up on iced stands, and you go around filling up a bowl with whatever you like. Pick a sauce at the sauce station, then give your bowl to one of the people behind the grill in the middle and they’ll cook it for you. It’s all-you-can-eat, and every night except Monday (college night), you can try to get away with making another plate of The Harvard Independent s 09.02.09

Pinocchio’s Pizza (Noch’s)

Shabu Ya

Spice

24 Holyoke Street www.spicethaicuisine.com Spice is a good, not-too-expensive Thai restaurant that’s closer to (parts of) the Yard than 9 Tastes. They can also get pretty crowded and busy on weekend nights.

Sweet

Zero Brattle Street www.sweetcupcakes.com Sweet is the new cupcake bakery in the Square. They make cupcakes look so good that you almost don’t want to eat them for fear of ruining the prettiness of them. But you’ll get over them soon enough. They are cupcakes, after all. Voted Boston’s Best Cupcakes 2009 by The Improper Bostonian.

indy

Breakfast: IHOP

JP Licks

1312 Massachusetts Avenue

Lizzy’s

29 Church Street Famous for the Mad Dog Mango sherbet. It’s spicy. No, seriously.

Indian:

52A Brattle Street

Tamarind Bay

75 Winthrop Street Earned Zagat Survey’s highest ratings.

Tanjore

18 Eliot Street Authentic regional Indian food.

Tommy Doyle’s 96 Winthrop Street, by Staples

Italian/Pizza: Bertucci’s

21 Brattle Street Italian dishes; brick-oven thin-crust pizzas.

Cambridge 1

27 Church St Charcoal-grilled pizzas, food til midnight, open til 1am every day

Crazy Dough Pizza Co

36 JFK St (The Garage) Gourmet pizza by the slice or whole pizzas.

16 Eliot Street.

Why star IHOP, you ask? Because what if you want pancakes at 2am?

Open til 4am daily with breakfast, lunch and dinner options.

The Upper Crust Pizzeria

Chang Sho

Mexican:

Chinese:

49b Brattle Street Gourmet thin crust pizza; free delivery to Harvard. College Day Tuesdays – 10% off Eat-In and Take-Out orders (as in, no delivery).

1712 Massachusetts Avenue (past Harvard Law).

Recommended: crab rangoons. Fancier feel than the other two restaurants listed below.

Chipotle

1238 Massachusetts Avenue Need a greasy midnight snack? Look no further. Open til 2am Sun – Thurs and 2:30am Fri and Sat.

Wagamama

Yenching

1326 Massachusetts Avenue Recommended: scallion pancakes, dumplings, honey ribs.

Cafés/Coffee fix

by the T stop and Holyoke Center on Mass Ave; another one further down Mass Ave towards Mather House

Burdick’s

52-D Brattle Street Delicious chocolates and the best hot chocolate in the square. Closes at 9pm.

Dunkin’ Donuts

Corner of JFK and Eliot St; another at the intersection of Bow St and Mass Ave

Greenhouse Café (Science Center) Starbucks

36 JFK St (in the Garage); another one on Church Street, next to Lizzy’s across from the COOP.

Greek:

Greek Corner

8 Eliot Street Best of Boston 2008 (Greek Food) by Boston Magazine. Cheap, but cash only.

Ice cream:

Ben and Jerry’s 36 JFK Street (in the Garage)

One Brattle Street Environmentally conscious Mexican food.

Qdoba

1280 Massachusetts Avenue.

Noodles:

57 JFK Street (by Staples).

Sandwiches/Burgers: B. Good (burgers) 24 Dunster Street

Charlie’s Kitchen (burgers) 10 Eliot Street

Flat Patties (burgers) 81 Mt. Auburn Street (in the Garage)

Grendel’s Den

89 Winthrop Street (near Staples).

Oggi Gourmet

1350 Massachusetts Avenue (in Holyoke Center) Pizzas, sandwiches, and salads. Try one of their amazing giant cookies with nuts, craisins, and a bajillion other things.

Sushi/Sushi and more: Café Sushi

1105 Massachusetts Avenue.

Shilla

57 JFK Street (by Staples).

Fancy:

Upstairs on the Square 91 Winthrop Street Fancy menu, fancy prices.

Sandrine’s Bistro (French-Alsatian) 8 Holyoke Street Prix fixe menu available (multiple courses) at $40 dollars a person. The chef was recently knighted by the French government. Yeah.

Susan Zhu (szhu@fas) ‘11 meets the demand for gourmands.

forum@harvardindependent.com

7

indy arts

Points of Departure In the rush of Harvard life, take time to find a sunny spot and open a book.

By PELIN KIVRAK

I

WAS ON A FERRY MILES AWAY FROM BOSTON

when I started reading Nabokov’s Pale Fire, a book I had been saving for a long time. There was this paragraph in the middle of the book that I, as a Literature major, wanted to examine more deeply, but I eventually figured out that it was an impossible thing to do. The mild summer breeze swept all serious thoughts from my mind. I closed my eyes — eyes exhausted from staring at a lap top screen all day long — desperately attempting to make myself feel as I sometimes do at Dana Palmer House, discussing Nabokov’s lines with my friends from the sophomore tutorial.

It didn’t work. I went to a Starbucks but it wasn’t the Starbucks at the Garage and there weren’t any people around me who were trying to finish up a paper or a problem set. So that didn’t work either.

On my way home, Pale Fire still unread, I thought about how the surrounding atmosphere could change one’s reading experiences entirely. I recalled the engaging hours that I spent reading my favorite books on campus at different locations. You can call it the Harvard aura or excessive intellectuality but this place definitely has something about it that tends to open the mind to great literature. If you are ready to experience some great authors before the midterms and cold weather start to crush your soul, here is a useful guide for you.

Place: Dudley Garden Book: Great Short Works of Leo Tolstoy Drink: Hot Black Tea This small and simple gated garden near Lamont Library is a haven for students and teachers alike—especially around lunch time. It’s a great alternative for those who don’t want to become Lamonsters but still feel inexorably drawn towards the place. Tall trees surrounding the benches create a secretgarden structure that equally excludes you from Lamont and from Massachusetts Avenue. The brilliant short stories of Leo Tolstoy, including “The Death of Ivan Ilych”, are a great collection to explore in such an environment since they tell stories of life and death in mostly straightforward ways, but still demand a certain level of exclusion from the world

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arts@harvardindependent.com

in order to comprehend the absurdity that come with them. A middle size hot black tea would help to dig into the vivid depictions of 19th century Russia.

Place: On a bench by the river Book: White Apples and the Taste of Stone: Selected Poems 1946-2006 by

Donald Hall Drink: Cold Lemonade They say that if you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a minute.

I say that if you don’t like your day at Harvard, go to the riverside. A short walk along the river and a couple of lines from Donald Hall will change your

mood immediately. There will be plenty of people running, lovers will be walking hand in hand, little kids will be joyfully screaming around and some crew team probably will be exercising but as Hall’s famous lines go: “there is nothing at all/ but inner silence” if you are reading alone by the river.

Place: Under a tree in the Yard Book: Ulysses by James Joyce Drink: Irish Coffee It is always a great pleasure to witness the hustle and bustle of school life if you have absolutely nothing to do but to sit and read under a tree. Joyce’s extraordinarily inventive narrative and ironic and partially sardonic tone will make you question the absent reality of the world. Eventually, you will realize the impossibility of escaping from all this rush in a world that is defined by the cyclical and synchronic nature of time. Then perhaps you will seek answers in your memories and experiences. Trust me, the whole world will seem slightly different when you take your eyes off of the book.

Joyce’s Ulysses, when accompanied by excessive amounts of Irish coffee, has the side effect of producing stream of consciousness prose poetry.

Place: Barker Center Rotunda Café Book: The Book of Illusions by Paul Auster Drink: Sparkling Water Perhaps having one of the most beautiful interior designs on campus, Barker Center usually serves as a location where humanities students meet their tutors and professors individually throughout the year. It is a great place to hang out with a bottle of refreshing sparkling water and a copy of Auster’s The Book of Illusions before the place is filled up with intellectually stimulating discussions and essay drafts on tables.

Take a sip from your water, look around, send a warm smile to a stranger across the table, read a chapter and continue this routine for a couple of hours. Auster’s elegant novel begins with the sentence “Everyone thought he was dead,” but you’ll be glad that you aren’t.

Pelin Kivrak ‘11 (pkivrak@fas) can be reached at the foot of an elm tree.

09.02.09 s The Harvard Independent

arts

indy

By EZGI BEREKETLI

A Guide to the Arts in Boston

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons

A city of unequalled vibrancy and energy is waiting for you.

O

scar Wilde once said, “Life imitates art far more than art imitates life.”

At Harvard, and in greater Boston, it is difficult to tell which imitates which. As incoming freshmen will soon experience, life at Harvard is characterized by unequalled vibrancy and ubiquitous variety. The arts scene in Boston parallels this multitude of possibilities; almost too many to follow and choose from. Still remembering how overwhelmed I was when I first came to Harvard, I want to offer you an introductory guide to some opportunities, venues and institutions that colored my life at Harvard last year—and that you should definitely visit, sea, hear and make a part of your life.

To start our sensory journey, I have to emphasize that Boston is especially rich in opportunities for musical encounters. You have to keep a close eye on the programs of some of the most important concert halls and orchestras in order to plan ahead and not to be lost in the plethora of happenings.

One of the most important gems of the Boston cultural life is the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which has prepared an exceptionally impressive program for this year. Having had the opportunity to listen to many symphony orchestras in the world, I can confidently support the view that Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the best, offering the classical music lover a music feast of high professionalism and fine variety. They are opening for this season on the 23rd of September, and the program of the night includes Roman Carnival Overture by Berlioz, Piano Concerto No. 2 by Chopin, and Le Mer by Debussy. The night will also be the world premiere of “On Willows and Birches,” a concerto for harp by John Williams. Boston Symphony Orchestra has also prepared a striking program of “Beethoven’s Complete Symphonies,” which will be performed grouped in threes and conducted by the experienced conductor James Levine. The first concert of this series is on October 22nd, composed of the 1st, 2nd and fifth symphonies. To see the detailed program Boston Symphony Orchestra prepared for this year, you can visit their website: www. bso.org.

The Harvard Independent s 09.02.09

Another jewel in Boston’s musical crown is the House of Blues. Every year the House of Blues houses stars of blues, rock, jazz, electronic and pop music. The atmosphere of the House is unique, and the setup allows an exceptional proximity to the artists. Some of the most important concerts of the early season are Regina Spektor on the 21st of September, Moby on the 24th and Porcupine Tree on the 27th. For a preview of the festivities the House of Blues has prepared for the music-hungry, step into their website: www.houseofblues.com.

Classical buffs, check out the websites for Opera Boston, Emmanuel Boston, Boston Pops, Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Chamber Music Society, and the Bank of America Celebrity Series. Student rush tickets are available for almost all of these events.

Boston is also an absolute heaven for the museum-lover. The many museums in the city display numerous collections of a wide range of specialties. Some of the most important of these museums are Museum

of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, and Institute of Contemporary Art. All these museums are free for Harvard students with an ID, extending an open invitation to all members of the Harvard community to visit at any time and with any frequency. One event that I would definitely suggest that you note on your calendars would be the “College Night at the Museum of Fine Arts,” which has been planned for the 24th of September this year. Harvard University has many museums on campus as well; the Sackler Museum is currently most important. With the closing of the Fogg Museum and Busch-Reisinger for renovation, some art works have been moved into the Sackler to create the best representation of the museum’s complete collection. The relatively small size of the museum and the importance of the art works in exhibition give the museum a special character.

The dance and theater scene in Boston is equally vibrant and rich in offerings. Boston Ballet is one of the gems and also a very good

venue for all those who want to partake in conferences on dance. In addition to various opportunities they provide for students and Bostonians, they also offer student rush tickets available for most performances at the Wang Center box office two hours before the conference or the show.

There are some theater companies in Boston offering many different shows through the year that can color your weekend nights, or maybe even a week night. These include Broadway in Boston, the Huntington Theatre, and the American Repertory Theatre. All offer student rush tickets.

The plethora of artistic happenings in Boston might be very overwhelming and even intimidating at the beginning. However, there are a few guides that can make your art quests easier and help you intersperse your free time with some memorable spectacles. The prime guide is the Beat. Sponsored by the Office for the Arts at Harvard (OFA), it includes current events, ongoing events, and opportunities to get involved. A wonderful opportunity that is also listed in the Beat is the OFA’s free BSO ticket program. The OFA provides free tickets to selected performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra; Harvard students can get one per Harvard ID. Another helpful source is “artsboston,” a website (www. artsboston.org) that lists in one place almost all the events in the greater Boston area for discounted prices. For opportunities exclusive to Harvard students and events happening on campus, the art lover should look at the OFA’s website: www.fas.harvard.edu/~ofa. The OFA is hosting an open house on September 1st between 1 and 4 PM to introduce incoming freshmen to opportunities.

Plato said that the beginning is the most important part of any work. As you are about to start your freshman year at Harvard, make sure to remember that this is also a beginning to your artistic endeavors at Harvard and art quests in the greater Boston. This city of unequalled energy has many colors, views, melodies, scenes, dances to offer and share, and is waiting for you.

Ezgi Berektli ‘12 (ezgibereketli@gmail) loves a good deal on a good date. arts@harvardindependent.com

9

indy sports High Stakes and High Price Tags Real Madrid may not get its money's worth.

T

HE ONLY GUARANTEE YOU GET IN THE GAME

of soccer is that things never stay the same: one flick of the ankle, a divot in front of the goalkeeper, or, sometimes, a hundred million dollar check can change everything. Wipe the slate clean and start all over again.

Take Real Madrid, the traditional toast of European club football, who boast a record nine victories in the Champions League Final, not to mention thirty-one La Liga trophies. Last year, Real finished runners-up to Barcelona in Spain and advanced into the Knockout Rounds of the Champions League. A good record on paper, surely, but not good enough for a club with Real’s pedigree and fanatical fan base, given that they finished nine points behind Barcelona—and to add insult to injury were given a 6-2 spanking by the champions at their own home ground — and were knocked out of European competition by a 5-0 thumping on at the hands of Liverpool.

Halfway through this last season, in December of 2008, following a string of poor results and even worse performances by the team, manager Bern Schuster was sacked.

His replacement, Juande Ramos, injected some much-needed confidence into the squad and even brought Real back into the titlerace before the team collapsed again and lost their last five matches. His contract was not renewed when it expired in June of this year.

Instead, Real turned to the Chilean wizard Manuel Pellegrini, whose stewardship of tiny Villareal is one of the most amazing stories of the decade. In five years in charge, Pellegrini transformed a perennial lowerdivision club from a town of just 48,000 into a fierce competitor in both the Spanish League (runners-up in 2007-08) and the Champions League (defeated semifinalists in 2007). He has made his name as a tactically sound coach who is not afraid to put players with real flair onto the field. He is also known as a nononsense leader who does not tolerate selfish play or big egos in his teams, even shipping off the team’s top talent, the Argentinian playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, back to his homeland after a series of personal and professional disagreements. Despite the pessimistic predictions of most pundits following Riquelme’s departure, el Submarino Amarillo, as they are known to adoring fans, continued to over-achieve. Pellegrini can hope to continue his winning ways with his new club, though he is no longer an underdog.

Pellegrini is walking into a tricky political situation at Real. After being unceremoniously booted from the office of club President in 2006, Florentino Pérez, the construction company magnate and one of Spain’s wealthiest men, has returned to his former post after a bitter and contentious election campaign. Real Madrid is run as a cooperative, known in Spain as a socio, whose dues-paying members are given the privilege of electing the President; a new President is usually elected when Real doesn’t finish the season with a major trophy. Pérez is famous across Europe for the Galacticos policy of his first tenure (2000-06) which saw Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Michael Owen and others join the team in deals that each

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sports@harvardindependent.com

ended up costing tens of millions of dollars.

Just a few months into his second term, Pérez has already outdone the first generation of Galacticos (who were brought in gradually, one at a time, year by year) by signing the two of the world’s absolute best attacking players: first, the Brazilian playmaker Kaká for $111 million from AC Milan, setting a world record for a transfer fee and, then, Manchester United’s sensational Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo for $132 million, a deal which again set the record.

Ronaldo will make $21 million per season until 2016 and his legs have reportedly been insured for $160 million by his employers. Also joining the team is the young French striker, Karim Benzema, who is expected to become the team’s dominant central striker, in a deal worth $50 million. Perez has promised instant results with a totally revamped Real, one that will win but more importantly win with a style that challenges title rival Barcelona’s eye-pleasing game (let us not forget that Pérez ignominiously dismissed Fabio Capello as manager in 2007, despite the latter’s having won the league for two seasons running).

We have heard this sort of talk from Mr. Pérez before. Unfortunately, despite a Champions League win in 2002 and two league titles between 2005-07, Pérez produced largely uninspired teams that labored to victories and were unevenly balanced between top quality global superstars on the one hand and a mix of unsteady youth products and unspectacular journeymen on the other.

Factional strife grew uncontrollable. A clique of Spanish players formed around the team’s home-grown forward, Raul Gonzalez, and his midfield deputy Jose Maria Guti, in opposition to a South American contingent headed by Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos. It does not seem that Pérez has learned from many of Real’s previous failures other than that one.

Currently, the conflict in the team is between the Spanish players and a group of talented Dutchmen brought in for large transfer fees by former President Ramón Calderón. Pérez has spent most of his summer trying to find buyers for the Dutch players, despite their good performances for the team and obvious talent. He is clearly eager to encourage squad harmony and lessen the nationalist conflicts which have raged through the clubhouse—and also to recoup the losses the team incurred with their summer purchases of Ronaldo, Kaká, and Benzema.

All within the last week, Pérez has sold the skillful attacking midfielder Wesley Sneijder to Inter Milan for $35 million (he was originally purchased from Ajax of Amsterdam for $38 million in 2007); the striker KlaasJan Huntelaar to AC Milan for $28 million (purchased for the same amount from Ajax in 2008); and the talented but injury prone winger Arjen Robben, known by many fans as “The Glass Man,” to Bayern Munich for $35 million (bought from Chelsea for $39 million in 2007). With both Arsenal and Liverpool hovering, few expect playmaker Rafael Van der Vaart to remain a Real player for much longer, especially as the club declined to give him a squad number for the coming season.

It appears that of his Dutch players, Pérez

By NICK NEHAMAS

plans to retain only the reserve defender and winger Royston Drenthe and the striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Aside from this Dutch massacre, Real have dispensed with few other players. Only the aged defenders Fabio Cannavaro, Gabriel Heinze, and club legend Míchel Salgado, the little-used striker Javier Saviola, and a host of youth products not deemed worthy of a spot in the first-team have departed (including the unfortunate Rubén de la Red, who had just managed to force his way into former manager Ramos’ squad and won a European Championship with Spain in 2008 before he was diagnosed with a career-ending heart condition).

Because of this massive influx of players and lack of movement the other way, the current Real squad is a bloated behemoth of unevenly distributed talent. Alex Ferguson reportedly joked to Cristiano Ronaldo before the latter’s departure for Madrid that, because of Real’s lack of defensive balance, the flying winger would find himself playing stopper by the end of the season. While that prediction was clearly hyperbolic, the fiery Scot has a point: Real’s squad is over-loaded with high priced attacking talent and troubled by a defensive frailty that puts Iker Casillas, their magnificent goalkeeper and the captain of Spain, through hurricane-like bouts of pressure in nearly every game.

Poor Pellegrini must be scratching his head over what to do with the under-performing unit. Last year, Real usually lined up with Sergio Ramos at right-back, Fabio Cannavaro and Pepe in the middle, and Marcelo on the left. On paper, it is a formidable enough group.

Ramos, especially, was a standout and is probably among the best in his position at the world, flying up the field to supply his forwards before tracking back effortlessly to halt his opponents’ attacking forays. Cannavaro, however, never lived up to the very, perhaps unreasonably, high standards expected of him and has since returned to Italy to join Juventus.

For the Brazilian-born Pepe, who plays with Portugal’s national team as a naturalized citizen, last season was a case of Beauty and the Beast — not that anyone would call this brute a great beauty. Pepe sometimes turned in performances of stunning authority and physical ferociousness that left his opponents desperately dribbling away from him. In other games, however, he clearly let his temper get the best of him — as when he stamped on the face of a Getafe player late last season in anger after conceding a crucial last-minute penalty — and at points has demonstrated clumsiness and a lack of positional responsibility. The young Brazilian Marcelo had a solid season going forward in support of the attack but has proven to be a defensive liability.

Real have made several astute signings in order to upgrade their struggling defence, bringing in the well-regarded stopper Raúl Albiol from Valencia, the versatile Álvaro Arbeloa from Liverpool, who will probably see playing time across the defensive line, and the young Argentinean center-back Ezequiel Garay. Holdovers from last season’s defence include the promising full-back and Real

youth product Miguel Torres and the Marxquoting German intellectual-cum-center-back Christoph Metzelder, a competent player who has unfortunately spent more time on the trainer’s table than the football field.

Given his pre-season choices, Pellegrini will likely field a back-four of Ramos, Albiol, Pepe, and Marcelo, although we can expect Pellegrini to insert Arbeloa into the line-up rather quickly at the expense of any player who dares to underperform. On paper, Real do indeed have a solid defense. But that has been the case for several years, no matter how many international quality defenders the team has boasted in its lineup; the likes of Salgado, Cannavaro, Walter Samuel, Roberto Carlos and Ivan Helguera have generally been unable to prevent Real from leaking cheap goals.

No, Real’s problems lie further up the field and this is where it will get truly tricky for Pellegrini. He has enough players to field two different starting elevens. In some sports, that might be a blessing. In soccer, it usually leads to tactical confusion, poor team chemistry, and an abundance of bruised egos. Barca’s squad, paper-thin in comparison to Real’s, last season managed to take home the La Liga, Champions League, and Spanish Cup trophies.

By all accounts, the Chilean believes a 4-3-3 formation will best accommodate the talent available to him. Given the type of players Pellegrini has available, the midfield trio will likely have largely defensive responsibilities, a necessity given that Kaká and Ronaldo are not known for their love of tracking back. Real’s midfielders come in two varieties: defensive killers (Fernando Gago, Mahamadou Diarra, and Lassana Diarra — who are no relation) and deep-lying central playmakers (Xabi Alonso, Guti, and Esteban Granero). Mahamadou Diarra, a Malian, seems to have fallen out of favor with the club hierarchy after a serious injury in 2008 and is unlikely to start, despite an excellent first two seasons. Not only does poor Mahamadou’s replacement have the same surname but, to make matters worse, Lass also took his favored number 6. The availability of both Diarras and their clear superiority to Gago in the role of defensive shield has made life a little unpleasant for the highly-touted Argentinean starlet. Once hailed as a future star for both club and country, Gago has undoubtedly impressed but is clearly no Galactico.

To accommodate the more athletically accomplished Diarras, Gago has been pushed further up the field, serving as a pivot point between defense and attack. It is there that he will likely start. Taking over the playmaker’s role will be the high-priced new boy Xabi Alonso, a Basque who made himself famous with some excellent performances for Liverpool, and is a regular on the Spanish national team. Guti, a fan favorite and an elder statesman for Real, will have to make do with time off the bench. Having served Real loyally since 1995, Guti remains a dependable super-sub, capable of scoring important goals.

The youngster Granero is also a home-grown talent, well-liked by the crowds, but will

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 09.02.09 s The Harvard Independent

sports

indy

Life Imitates Baseball All I really need to know I learned in my fantasy league. By HAO MENG

T

HIS SUMMER, LIKE ANY OTHER SOCIALLY

conscious Harvardian looking to impress fellow interns and future employers, I decided to embrace my inner gangster by finding the “dopest” activity capable of fulfilling my SPQ (Summer Procrastination Quota).

In retrospect, I probably didn’t do a very good job.

But I could care less, because I’m currently in the midst of a cutthroat battle for first (first!) place in my fantasy baseball league.

It’s okay, you don’t need to tell me how cool I am. I know. I’ve known since canceling on that cute girl because I needed time to make a crucial substitution to my starting lineup.

Yet, what I’ve lost in cool points, I’ve certainly made up in knowledge points (wow, bet you can’t sound cooler than me right now), for I’ve come to realize how useful my experience with fantasy baseball would have been during my freshman year.

So I thought I’d share what I’ve learned, both in fantasy baseball and Harvard, in hopes that some freshman reading this will learn to be cooler than I was freshman year.

Shouldn’t be too hard.

It’s All in the Draft The biggest mistake you can make in fantasy baseball is to let the computergenerated ranking system dictate the order in which you select your players. It’s all too scientific and based on too many unreliable statistics. Case in point: Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton (.248 batting average, 8 home runs, and 35 runs batted in) was ranked ahead of Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira (.286 batting average, 29 home runs, 84 runs batted in) by Yahoo Sport’s supposedly fancy, immaculate ranking system. For those baseball-illiterate trying to appreciate such injustice, imagine placing the current Britney Spears ahead of the current Megan Fox in every humanely known evaluation of beauty.

That said, take every preconception you have about people at Harvard, and throw it out the window. Your experience will be much more memorable and fun if you approach every social interaction without preconceived notions.

Don’t be surprised when the guy urinating on the “special statue” ends up becoming the smartest guy in your math class or if the girl you first see (and I mean, really see) during Primal Scream becomes the perfect girlfriend.

An open mind will really go a long way. Though always remember: a sketchy freshman dance

party in the dark is still a sketchy freshman dance party in the dark.

Get in a Routine Fantasy baseball is a daily event, and success is impossible if you don’t make it a part of your daily routine. Opportunities to pick up a recently-dropped and under-performing allstar are readily available and can be steals — that is, if you come across the information first.

Behind their computer screen, the majority of players are fanatic vultures — often combining the admirable ways of Wall Street brokers and extreme Jonas Brothers fans. So in this case, it’s true what they say: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Life at Harvard is the same way, but probably not in the way you think. Competition isn’t suffocating by any means, and it’s simply not true that you’re doing yourself an academic service by passing out (sober) in the library on a daily basis. In fact, I’d argue that the happiest and most successful Harvardians are the ones that get their daily seven hours of sleep (nightly physical intimacy not withstanding), never miss a meal, and know when to relax and have fun. Being consistent is not enough — you’ll need to be consistently smart with the choices you make here.

Find All-Stars, and Stick with Them Just as producers know a movie starring Will Smith will likely generate a blockbuster, people playing fantasy baseball know that certain All-Stars like Albert Pujols and Ichiro almost always contribute. Sure, Albert might go into a mini-slump every once in awhile and Will Smith might make another Wild Wild West, but it borders on stupidity to drop one of your preeminent players simply because they’ve had an off-week.

When it comes to making friends at Harvard, take the same approach. Quality is much more rewarding than quantity, but more importantly, when you’ve found those five or ten amazing friends, don’t give up on them — even when you experience weeks where that close dynamic simply isn’t there. For every scheduled dinner they ditch, close friends will take notes for you when you’re too sick to go to class, wake you up for an exam when you’ve overslept, and carry you to bed when you can’t tell the difference between a toilet and your date. Now, you can’t put a price on that.

Nor can you put a price on having a great first year at Harvard. Best of luck, freshmen!

Hao Meng ’11 (haomeng@fas) isn’t that bad; he only cancels on girls once every five years.

REAL MADRID

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 probably find his elders preferred to him, for this season at least.

The problem for Pellegrini is that his midfielders individually are all excellent players but as a unit provide no variety. None of them are capable of playing effectively in wide positions and they all need significant time with the ball at their feet to be productive, with the exception of the Diarra twins, whose first instinct is usually to boot the ball as far away as possible when they find it at their feet. I predict that there will come a point this season when Real fans are left cursing the sale of the winger Arjen Robben and, to an even greater extent, that of Wesley Sneijder. He alone possesses the dynamic qualities lacking in Real’s midfield, most notably the ability to run with pace through the midfield, beat defenders, and join the strikers.

It seems that Real are content with a pedestrian midfield because they expect their magic to come from the three attacking players, who will probably be the Brazilian wizard Kaká on the left, the young Frenchman Karim Benzema as the lone striker, and a player who needs no introduction, the world-famous Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo on the right. Together, they cost Real $293 million in transfer fees alone! I, for one, believe there is a good chance it will be money wasted, for this season at least. This is especially true given that Pérez turned down the opportunity to sign David Silva, a left winger, and David Villa, a striker, two fantastic players, both Spaniards and veterans of the league and national team, for much more reasonable prices.

Now, there is no question that Kaká is a fantastic player.

But his skills are not best served when played out on the wings. Pellegrini plans to play him on the left of attack, a position where he has previously turned in a series of good but not dominant performances for Brazil. Kaká’s outing in that very same role during this summer’s Confederations Cup was proof of the fact. In isolation, Kaká’s performance might have been impressive (2 goals and an assist in 5 games as he The Harvard Independent s 09.02.09

helped Brazil to lift the trophy). But it paled in comparison to his epic outings for Milan over the last few seasons where he played centrally in the hole behind Filippo Inzaghi or Andriy Shevchenko in Carlo Ancelotti’s famous “Christmas tree” formation. This is not a criticism of the player but an observation that Kaká’s style reaches its fulfillment when his team is built around him and plays to his strengths.

Unfortunately, to fill in the right side of the attack Pérez and Valdano have recruited a very similar player to Kaká in global stature and ego but not at all the same in style of play: Cristiano Ronaldo is a superb player but one who also demands that the team be built around him and who, much more often than Kaká, is willing to run crying to the media when he does not get his way. At least Ronaldo is a winger and naturally built for the position but I imagine a massive tug-of-war taking place this season between Real’s right and left flanks, especially when the two superstars realize that Benzema is not the predatory goal-scorer Real thought they were getting.

Benzema, playing for Olympique Lyonnais, has been one of the most promising young strikers in Europe for the last several seasons, and has been publicly itching for a big move abroad since the summer of 2007. He had an impressive goal-scoring record of 43 goals in 112 games with the French club but one must remember that the quality of that league’s defenses is generally far inferior to those of England, Italy and Spain. His performances in the national team have been competent but certainly not spectacular.

Indeed, many in France wonder why their eccentric coach Raymond Domenech continues to start Benzema, whose only goals in competitive matches for France have been against the Faroe Islands, at the expense of Chelsea’s high-flying Nicolas Anelka. Benzema simply looks nervous and somewhat outof-his depth on the international scene (see his ineffective performances during France’s abortive Euro 2008 campaign) and this does not bode well for his performances in front of a

raging crowd of 80,000 at the Bernabeu. The transfer, valued at $50 million, makes even less sense given that Real already have several proven goal-scorers. The twenty-one year-old Argentinean star Gonzalo Higuain hit 22 goals in 34 games last season and also scored the goals that won Madrid their last two league titles in 2006 and 2007.

Higuain might rightly feel that Real have shown him little respect by splurging on Benzema and demoting him to the substitutes’ bench. Raúl Gonzalez, the team’s captain will no doubt be equally aggrieved. Raúl, a somewhat touchy personality, has contributed 47 goals to Real’s cause in the last two seasons and will not take kindly to being a second or even third choice striker. Meanwhile, Ruud van Nistelrooy, returned to full fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, will surely be eager to add to his mighty tally of 45 goals in 67 appearances for the club. Given that the presence of Kaká and Cristiano Ronaldo will generally limit the team to a single central striker, only one of Benzema, Higuain, Raúl, and van Nistelrooy will start (though Raúl could see playing time as a support striker on the left if Pellegrini decides a more attacking formation is needed and drops the midfielder Gago in favor of his captain).

Florentino Pérez’s right-hand man Jorge Valdano recently told reporters that anything less than a trip to the Champions League final would make this season a failure. I imagine he will be sorely disappointed and, even worse, that Real will not win the league. Pérez seems to have learned only one thing from his last tenure: a club-house divided by nationalist infighting cannot stand. Unfortunately, Pérez’s solution to his Dutch problem has been to sell off or marginalize his team’s best midfielders. Yes, little seems to have changed at Real Madrid except for the ballooning price tags of their expensive foreign imports.

Nick Nehamas ’11 (nehamas@fas) knows more about soccer than you could ever imagine. sports@harvardindependent.com

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