Atlas magazine: Mythologies

ATLAS magazine

Save the Date for a Better Tomorrow Herculean Workouts Finding Fashion in Fantasy

letter from the editor

“A culture or society without mythology would die.”

—Robert Redford When I told people that the theme of the second issue of Atlas was going to be “mythologies,” many thought immediately of Greek mythology and asked me how our staff could create a modern lifestyle publication based on ancient ideas. I explained that the issue would cover all types of myths, from urban legends to common misbeliefs about post-graduation life.

Another common question pointed out the theme’s irony: why did we decide to focus on inherently false stories when journalism is all about presenting the truth? I would like to argue that despite their lack of veracity, myths need to be preserved. In them often lie important, true lessons. After all, most myths begin as someone’s truth, and are subsequently passed down for later generations to analyze and test. Studying myths today forces us to think critically and discover the underlying truths contained in their stories, giving us a better understanding of our world. Some of the most popular stories in today’s entertainment media revolve around different visions of the future: The Hunger Games, The Walking Dead, and Star Trek — all focus on worlds different from our own, worlds that captivate us by exploring what we do not understand and proposing that such a world could one day be ours.

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Whether used for entertainment or for education about the past, present, and future, myths are as relevant today as ever before. Renowned mythologist and author Joseph Campbell once said: “Myths must be kept alive. The people who can keep it alive are the artists of one kind or another.”

As students of the arts and communication, we are in a unique position to contribute to and be inspired by the rich history of global mythology.

Whether using myths to break through social norms (as Emerson film student Alex Freeman does in his documentary The Last Taboo) or using them as fashion inspiration (as you see in our editorial spread, “Finding Fashion in Fantasy”), it is our duty to keep mythology alive.

Atlas took on that challenge this semester. Our 85 staff members diligently worked and applied their creative minds to bring you this issue. I extend my sincere gratitude to the entire staff, with a special thanks to co-founders Rheanna Bellomo and Kathryn Reynolds, for helping make Atlas a successful reality.

I greatly appreciate the contributions of all our graduating seniors and wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.

And just as important as our members are our readers. Thank you for taking the time to read Atlas and, on behalf of the entire staff, I hope you enjoy the issue!

Best,

SARAH DWYER Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor RHEANNA O’NEIL BELLOMO Assistant Managing Editor LAUREN BISCALDI Artistic Director KATIE REYNOLDS Assistant Artistic Director REBECCA ISENHART Design Team CHELSEY MOODY, ALEXANDER PIERCE, MARISA PERKINS, VICTORIA ANCONE, JAMIE KAPLAN, KIONA HIGHBRIDGE Secretary/Treasurer/Newsletter Editor CAITLIN ANDERS

Arts Editor MAUREEN MCDERMOTT Writers DANICA BURT, CHRISTOPHER PECK, ALLISON RACICOT, PATRICK DELGADO, LEAH MARQUARDT Style Editor LAUREN BISCALDI Writers CELINA COLBY, JENNIFER ORTAKALES, PAIGE TRUBATCH Health Editor MEGAN KAPLON Writer ALEJANDRA LEE

Campus Editors CARA ROTSCHAFER, MIYA WILLIAMS Writer NATALIE MORGAN

City Editor RAYMOND BELLINGER Writers SARAH DIAMOND, CASSIE SCHAUBLE, ELIZABETH VENERE, NICHOLAS DUMONT Globe Editor KRUTHIKA SUBRAMANYAM Assistant Editor NICOLE KEMPSTER Writers ELIZABETH NASH, JULIA DOMENICUCCI, NATALIE ZAROWNY Industry Editor Jim Trinh Writers CARRIE CABRAL, VICTORIA MARTINS, TARYN BALCHUNAS Blog Editor BRYANNA CAPPADONA Writers KENDYLL BOUCHER, TARYN BALCHUNAS, MIRIAM AVILA Photographer DAVID GALINATO

Photography/Copy/Marketing Photography Editor MARISSA ERICSON Photographers LAUREN FOLEY, ASHLEY MAIETTA, NICK HAYES, EMILY KANZER, MADELINE SMEATON, EMILY OLIVER Head Copy-Editor LAURA E. FRANZINI Copy-editors MELINDA THOMPSON, TESSA FLETCHER, DANICA BENITEZ, CHRISTINE S. GRANT, RACHAEL MOORE Marketing Director BRIANA BROCHU Assistant Marketing Director JACKIE LISINSKI Marketing Team Designer ALICIA ZOLA Events Planner KRISHA COWEN ATLASMAGAZINE.ORG

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Contents Spring 2012

16 02 E 03 M 04 T

ditor’s

Note

asthead

able of

Contents

ummer

Schedule

reating the

atural

Ultimate Summer Playlist

Performance: Behind the Berkshires

Art Festival

12 A H 14 D

16 F 26 R

inding

Fashion in Fantasy

econstruction

Zone: A DIY Guide to

Revamping your Wardrobe

ARTS 06 S 08 C 10 N

STYLE

eroic

Venture Into Comic Books

rawing

Lines: Street Art in Boston

29 M 33 W

ount

Olympus Make-Up

omen on the

Rise Worldwide

HEALTH 36 M 37 B 38 S

yth

ad

Biters: Nutrition Facts You Didn’t Know

Habits that will Haunt You

exy

And They Know It: Student film pushes

past sexual taboos

4 ATLAS MAGAZINE

40 H

erculean

Workouts

CAMPUS

42 W 44 A S

orth the weet

Heat? Summer on Campus

Surprise: The Face Behind Little

Donna’s Desserts

45 C 46 E 48 S

Misconceptions

ampus

merson

tudent

Event Highlights Showcase

CITY 50 F

eeding

Your Inner Foodie: Can’t-Miss

Farmers Markets

52 S

ounds of

Summer: Boston’s outdoor music

scene

53 A T 54 W

aste

here

Tour of Boston Fantasy Becomes Reality: The

Immersive World of LARP

GLOBE 56 T R 58 W 60 O K he

London Now

eal

here in the

f

World?

ings and

Kingdoms:

Shambhala Exhibit at the MFA

62 S 64G 65 E

ave the

Date for a Better Tomorrow

ermany

uropean

Prepares for Mein Kampf’s Return Eats

INDUSTRY 66 H 68 W 69 F 71 L

ow to

Avoid #PostGradProblems

alking a

rom

Behind-the-Scenes Balance Beam

Retail to Real Life

istings

ATLASMAGAZINE.ORG

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ARTS

may Sunday

Summer Schedule

compiled by patrick delgado photos by andrew watson, tim sackton, and rich moffitt As classes come to a close, plans for jobs and internships are hopefully, some time to enjoy yourself. There is no better way to do that than taking advantage of all the great events Boston has to offer. Between the fantastic concerts, exhibits, festivals, and shows, the city has plenty to keep you entertained once the school year comes to an end. Here is just a sampling of the best ways to occupy yourself this summer.

Monday

Tuesday

Boston Ballet presents Don Quixote Where: Opera House, Boston When: April 26 through May 6 Price: $25 to $132 (student rush available)

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Wednesday

Thursday Sixth Annual Jazz Bill Cosby Week (Ten days of Where: The events celebrating the best jazz music Hanover Boston has to offer) Theatre, Where: Various Worcester, MA locations around When: May 4 Boston When: April 27 Price: $51 to $81

Saturday Hedwig and the Big Apple Circus Angry Inch Where: City Hall Midnight Screening Plaza, Boston Where: Coolidge When: Ends Corner Theatre, May 13 Boston When: May 4 and 5 Price: $15 to $65

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through May 6 Price: Varies

Friday

Price: $9

Andrew Bird Where: House of Blues, Boston When: May 6 Price: $35 to $45

Feist Where: House of Blues, Boston When: May 7 Price: $32 to $45

Maya Angelou Where: The Hanover Theatre, Worcester, MA When: May 9 Price: $39 to $69

M83 Where: House of Blues, Boston When: May 9 Price: $22 to $35

The Cranberries Where: House of Blues, Boston When: May 11 Price: $36 to $49

‘South Pacific’ Where: The Hanover Theatre, Worcester, MA When: May 11 through May 13 Price: $39 to $69 (student rush available)

LGBT Boston Film Festival Where: Brattle Theatre, Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA When: May 3 through May 13 Price: $84 to $175

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Annual Duckling Parade on Mother’s Day Where: Boston Common and Public Garden, Boston When: May 13 Price: $40

Lilac Sunday (Annual celebration of arboretum’s lilac collection) Where: Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain When: May 13 Price: Free

‘Xanadu’ Where: SpeakEasy Stage Company, Boston When: May 11 through June 9 Price: $25 to $57 (Student Rush: $14)

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Aziz Ansari Where: The Wilbur Theatre, Boston When: May 17 Price: $44

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Mark Morris Dance Group Where: Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston When: May 17 through May 20 Price: $53 to $80

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Joan Rivers Where: The Hanover Theatre, Worcester, Mass.

When: May 22 Price: $34 to $54

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“Lost Egypt: Ancient Mysteries, Modern Science” Where: Museum of Science, Boston When: May 27 through September 3 Price: $8 to $22

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/Beauty and the Beast’ Where: Opera House, Boston When: May 29 through June 3 Price: $30 to $110 (student rush available)

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june Sunday

Monday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Thursday

1 Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl Where: City Hall Plaza, Boston When: June 5 through June 7 Price: Free

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Saturday

Friday Boston Pops Festival Where: Symphony Hall, Boston When: May 9 through June 23 Price: $22 to $124

Cambridge River Festival (Jazz, folk, roots, and world music performances with over 100 food vendors and craft activities.)

Where: Northern bank of the Charles River, Cambridge, MA When: June 2 Price: Free

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‘Avenue Q’ Where: Lyric Stage Company, Boston When: May 11 through June 9 Price: $27 to $60

Kristin Chenoweth Where: Opera House, Boston When: June 8 Price: $91 to $139

Ansel Adams: At The Water’s Edge Where: Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, Mass.

When: June 9 through October 8 Price: $15 (Student Rate: $11)

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(Student Rush: $10)

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Mogwai Where: House of Blues, Boston When: June 16 Price: $29

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‘Mamma Mia!’ Where: Opera House, Boston When: June 19 through June 24 Price: $30 to $110 (student rush

Passion Pit Where: Bank of America Pavilion, Boston When: June 21 Price: $38 to $52

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available)

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Boston Harborfest (Fourth of July festival dedicated to celebrating Boston’s history with readings, reenactments, and food) Where: City Hall Plaza, Boston When: June 28 to July 4 Price: Varies

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15 Boston Harbor Hotel Summer Series (Weeknight events including classic movie screenings and live, outdoor music performances.)

Where: Boston Harbor Hotel, Boston When: June 21 through September 2 Price: Free

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Natural Performance Behind the Berkshires Art Festival

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by leah marquardt photos by jaime davidson, charles erickson, ken regan, and christy wright courtesy of berkshire art festival

here are only a few places where the world’s best music, dance, and theater convene—which is why anyone who wants to experience countless unique performances just hours from Emerson’s campus cannot miss the Berkshires Art Festival.

Silhouetted against western Massachusetts's breathtaking mountain view, the Berkshires preserves America’s classical arts for everyone to enjoy.

Tanglewood, the Berkshires’ premier music venue, is celebrating its 75th anniversary this season. In the summer of 1934, a collection of arts-loving Berkshires residents arranged for the New York Philharmonic to travel to

From Berkshire Theatre Groups’ 2011 Season, a rendition of the rock opera Tommy

their beloved home to perform.

The event was so successful that they repeated it the next year.

This year, along with the traditional performances by the BSO and the Boston Pops, Tanglewood is hosting two bookend galas to celebrate its landmark occasion. Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Peter Serkin are just some of the classical music stars that will be in attendance.

Tanglewood is also crossing over into the pop world with performances by legendary folk singer James Taylor. He is performing July 2, 3, and 4, with fireworks following his Independence Day performance.

Tanglewood is making this

“The Berkshires provides the rare opportunity to see a multitude of groundbreaking performances silhouetted by breathtaking, natural beauty.” anniversary something that music lovers will not forget.

Also celebrating a monumental anniversary is Jacob’s Pillow, the only dance company honored as a National Historical Landmark.

Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis, America’s most popular dance couple at the time, founded Jacob’s Pillow in 1931. Shawn wanted to break the public’s preconceived notions of male dancers as weak and feminine, so he created a dance company

From Berkshire’s Williamstown Theatre Festival’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

From Berkshire Theatre Groups’ 2011 Season: Period of Adjustment

comprised only of men. Shawn passion and unity among the staff. and his “Men Dancers” were “Everyone really cares about a swift success. With Shawn’s everybody there,” she says. “They mission accomplished, the group take really good care of all their disbanded in 1940 to fight in World staff.” This summer, the group is War II. Two years later, the first premiering three pieces: Homestead permanent theater for Jacob’s Pillow was built, and dancers have been performing there ever since.

This season, a number of diverse acts are taking the stage.

The Hong Kong Ballet’s fusion of classical and contemporary works will be a highlight in the lineup. The Afro-Caribbean and Latino stylings of the Luna Negra Dance Theater will keep audiences energized and enthralled. And paying homage to the man who started it all, a collection of some of the freshest male talent have come together to perform “The Men Dancers: From the Horses Mouth,” in honor of Shawn.

Along with music and dance, the Berkshires festival offers a variety of theater. Natasha From Berkshire Theatre Groups’ 2011 Season, Edwards, a junior musical A Christmas Carol theater major at Emerson, worked as an acting apprentice Crossing, Brace Yourself, and Edith. with the Berkshire Theatre Group For the musically inclined, A last summer. What makes the Chorus Line will start its run in July. program unique, she says, is the Overall, the Berkshires provides

a nice break from the hustle and bustle of the city. If a car is not accessible, buses and Amtrak trains run to the area. For accommodations in the Berkshires, the most cost-efficient places to stay are motels; splitting the cost with a group of friends is even better. The Berkshire Hills Motel offers weekend rates along with a pool and well-kept grounds (berkshirehillsmotel. com).

The Berkshires Art Festival is a truly unique and historic part of America’s performing and classical art scene. The beautiful mountain scenery alone is enough of a draw, but combining that with some of the world’s greatest performers makes it a genuinely special place. Many of the performance venues are outdoors, and there are few places where one can watch a graceful ballet while the summer sun melts into night. This unique combination of nature and art leads to an amazing experience that cannot be achieved elsewhere.

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9

“Summertime, and the Living is…

Marginally

Less Difficult”

Creating the Ultimate Summer Playlist

by allison racicot

“Your voice was the soundtrack to my summer.” Contrary to what Boys Like Girls would have you believe, a one-voice summer does not have to happen. Where is the fun in that? Whether you are looking for music to accompany you during some poolside reading, or you need some background music for the road trip you and your friends have been planning since freshman year, we have tips to blend catchy pop styles, electronic dance beats, bluesy hip-hop, and more of your favorite genres to create the best summer playlist possible. Stop putting your iPod on shuffle and listen to your tunes in a dynamic new way. Happy listening!

1 2

Sort out music that is summer-appropriate. There are many options, but some artists are better suited for a particular season than others. For your summer playlist, it makes sense to try and stick with more upbeat tracks. Ideal candidates are quick, catchy songs like “Fell in Love with a Girl” by The White Stripes or mellow acoustic jams like “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” by Jack Johnson. If you want to make the best playlist of all time, consider adding “Stronger” by Kanye West.

Make sure your personality emanates from the tracks, and include songs that attach themselves to personal, fun memories. If you love the Harry Potter series, throw in some songs by Harry and the Potters. If a highlight of one of your past summers was attending a Blink-182 reunion show, make sure that your favorite Blink songs make an appearance. If you have a crush on Andy Samberg, or just love spending time on boats, The Lonely Island’s “I’m on a Boat” probably deserves a spot on your list.

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“Make sure your personality emanates from the tracks, and include songs that attach themselves to personal, fun memories.”

3 4 5

Map out your playlist by how you will spend your summer. If you find yourself working, fill up a playlist with energetic, fast-paced songs by artists like Streetlight Manifesto, Katy Perry, Daft Punk, Childish Gambino, or Jay-Z. It is a great way to pump yourself up, get work done, and make the days go by faster.

The most popular of summer pastimes is simply relaxing by the pool. For company during your “you time,” include songs by Sublime, Bob Marley, Dispatch, and John Butler Trio. These artists offer a variety of mellow, acoustic, reggae, and folk songs that are just right for relaxing and pampering yourself.

courtesy of apple

Some of your best playlists do not have to include lyrics at all. There are plenty of instrumental songs that can add a more dramatic feel to your summer. The Lord of the Rings, The Dark Knight, and The Social Network soundtracks are full of instrumental tracks that can help listeners feel like they are in the middle of a movie. There are also a variety of bands worth checking out that specialize in instrumental music, such as Explosions in the Sky, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and even a few songs by Andrew Bird. Instrumental pieces add real diversity to a playlist, and can keep you from getting bored with typical summer tunes.

Arrange your selected songs by how well they flow together. One way to do this is by organizing the playlist around the songs’ bass lines. For example, a playlist can start with a song featuring a light-to-nonexistent bass line, with each succeeding song featuring a heavier and heavier bass line. An example of such an order, from lightest to heaviest bass, could be “Curbside Prophet” by Jason Mraz, “The Distance” by Cake, and “Give it Away” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Another technique is to arrange songs in order from the year you were born to present day. If your birthday is in 1992, you can begin with House of Pain’s “Jump Around” or “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, and end with recent hits like “We Are Young” by Fun or “We Found Love” by Rihanna. This attention to detail definitely takes a little more time, but is recommended for serious playlist enthusiasts.

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A Heroic Venture into Comic Books by christopher peck photos by emily kanzer

M

uch like the maniacal supervillains of comic book lore, the world of comics can be intimidating. The walls of your neighborhood comic store are covered with a cast of familiar characters gracing vibrant covers: Superman, Spiderman, the X-Men, Batman, Thor. But where to begin?

With volumes upon volumes stacking the shelves, decades of complex morality tales gleam at you, beckoning you to crack open an issue and be sucked into an intricate world of good and evil.

However, the rich history and culture can be daunting. For many newbies, the gateway into the comic book universe has been movie adaptations like Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. More will join the legions of fans when The Avengers hits theaters on May 4, and Nolan’s trilogy concludes on July 20 with The Dark Knight Rises. As many who have catalogued the extensive

12 ATLAS MAGAZINE

history of comics would note, these film are just the tip of the iceberg.

When we think of comic books today, the superhero archetype and publishers like Marvel and DC often come to mind. Allan Burns, an employee at New England Comics in Allston, got into superheroes at age 13 by watching the X-Men cartoon on Fox. “I had gotten a few comics when I was a kid, but was never really hooked,” he says.

“But when the X-Men came on TV, several things came together and I got hooked.” After a 10-year hiatus, Burns was reintroduced to the comics world in college. The first series that truly grabbed him was Avengers Disassembled, a crossover event (a story or event that ties in characters and story lines from multiple comic book series) written by one of his idols, Brian Michael Bendis. Burns highly recommends this as a launching point for the modern Marvel universe.

Disassembled is responsible for a string of subsequent crossover events such as Civil War and Secret Invasion. For those with a working knowledge of the origin stories of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, these compilations are a great way to get your feet wet.

For those newcomers, however, Burns understands your struggles.

“I could see why starting into something like Spiderman or Batman could be intimidating,” he says. “There is just too much mythology to dig through; it may

turn some people off. Though it is totally worth it to find a series you love and dig back through trade paperbacks.” A trade paperback is a compilation that contains either a standard number of issues from a series or all the issues you need to read the entirety of a self-contained plot, like a crossover event. These are often preferable to the lengthy time commitment of buying weekly installments or keeping track of which series are tied in.

Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to the question, “What’s good?” in comics. Unlike a fancy restaurant, the comics menu is always expanding and there is no chef specialty. All you can do is decide which characters you prefer.

The pantheon goes way beyond the “Big Two”—Marvel or DC—though many readers take sides. Burns has always been a Marvel man: “I can’t pin it down. I can’t say this is why, but Marvel has a tighter, more consistent history of their characters,” he says. “They’ve never fully rebooted their universe, and when you look at DC, ‘The New 52’ is DC Universe version five.”

If collecting issue after issue makes you anxious, there is always the less stressful option of graphic novels. Bound in the same fashion as trade paperbacks, graphic novels can be either a collection of several issues that make up a singular story, or just a standalone piece. For those looking for quality literary work paired with dynamic illustration,

Burns suggests Watchmen, one of the top 100 novels ever published, according to TIME Magazine. A 12-issue series written by Alan Moore and published between 1986 and 1987, Watchmen’s popularity was rejuvenated with the release of Zach Sydner’s 2009 film adaptation. The story centers on an alternate universe similar to America in the 1980s where, due to the looming threat of nuclear war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, legislation is passed to ban costumed crime fighters.

While big-name companies like Marvel and DC still dominate, small and independent publishers are gaining notoriety by continuing emerging trends in the graphic novel and comic genres. Gabe Albright, president of Emerson’s own Artful Comics, counts “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” among his favorites in the burgeoning biography/memoir trend.

Published by Pantheon Books in two volumes (the first in 1986, the second in 1991), the graphic novel depicts the life of author Art Spiegelman’s father, a Holocaust survivor. In 1992, “Maus” was honored with a Pulitzer Prize Special Award. Another literary trend, the zombie apocalypse, boasts a Burns-approved title: Robert Kirkman’s “The Walking Dead.” Currently at 94 issues, this series chronicles the travels of Rick Grimes, his family, and others surviving in a post-zombieoutbreak world. “Dead’s” publisher, rising star Image Comics, won the 2010 Eisner Award (the comic book industry’s equivalent to the Oscars)

for Best Continuing Series.

Despite any research you do, when you walk into a nearby comic book store like Comicopia (Kenmore Square), Newbury Comics (Newbury Street or Quincy Market), or Burns’ own New England Comics (Harvard Avenue in Allston), you might still be scratching your head. But if you are intrigued by a familiar character like Captain America, or you adore AMC’s The Walking Dead, consult an employee and they will guide you to the stacks and point out where to dive in. If you are looking for less genre-oriented work, maybe a graphic novel memoir is more your style.

Ultimately, whichever world you get lost in, find the heroism or voice that speaks to you. Comic books, like literature, are all about finding universal truths in another universe’s fiction.

Where to begin with your favorite heroes

X-Men Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. #1, 2, 3 Introduction to Wolverine: Hulk #180 Spiderman Marvel Masterworks: Amazing Spiderman Vol. 1-3 Iron Man Demon in a Bottle World’s Most Wanted The Avengers Avengers Disassembled Civil War Secret Invasion* *In this order, chronologically Batman Year One Knightfall The Killing Joke The Dark Knight Returns Captain America Winter Soldier (Very recent, retells the origin story)

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ags, street art, graffiti—the art form has plenty of monikers.

Whatever it is called, street art is a part of daily life in the city, whether it is scrawled on a mailbox or grinning from four stories above. The art form’s illegality is not a strong deterrent for artists, who continue to find new and innovative ways to express themselves on Boston’s concrete and brick canvases.

One Wall for All

Just like its music and fashion industries, Boston’s graffiti community is gaining notoriety and legitimacy. The creation of a freepermission graffiti wall in Central Square in 2007 was one of the largest indicators of the art form’s growing acceptance in the city and its suburbs.

Usually known as “the Wall,” the area is actually an alley named Modica Way just off of Central Square in Cambridge. It is an unexpected explosion of color and design—the work of countless artists piling piece upon piece. A multicolored glass awning gives the space a church-like atmosphere, which is not entirely inaccurate. It is a secluded holy space for artists who, for once, want to work without glancing over their shoulder every minute. The Wall is where the marginal and unseemly is encouraged and displayed.

The Wall as we know it was created and curated by restaurateur, chef, and

long-time street-art fan Gary Strack.

Though not an artist himself, Strack has been extremely instrumental in the growth of Boston’s street art scene. With every restaurant opening and new project, he looks for ways to bring artists in; to make sure their art is not only seen but appreciated.

The rationale he gives for creating the Wall goes far beyond simply an appreciation for the art form. “It’s direct democracy, it’s immediate, it’s for the public, it’s the artist being able to use direct expression straight to the street,” he says. At its simplest form, “it’s just another space for people to express themselves.”

It is tempting to call Modica Way a legal graffiti wall, but Strack warns against it. “You try to get people to respect the work that’s done on the wall, and if it gets promoted as a ‘legal’ wall people think that it’s okay for them to come and do whatever they want, including sometimes publicity and different things like that,” he explains, hinting that corporations would love to plaster the alley with posters and signs. In keeping with his dream of direct expression for all, Strack applies one other rule to the Wall and its artists.

“A lot of times when people want to do something, they want to roll off a space and cover up the history behind it, and that’s another thing I really don’t like,” he says. “I make the effort to try to keep people from rolling out large sections to try to do

work. I like to see the tapestry; I like to look back to see the things that are no longer there, just sticking out underneath stuff.”

Multimedia artist and Wall regular Josh Falk echoes this sentiment, adding that even his own work deserves to be painted over. “The Wall is its own beast, he says.

“It’ll evolve and evolve in this constant dialogue of people attacking it all at once.

It’s never the same. There are pieces on there that will last longer than others, that’s cool. At the same time, if I have a piece up there for a couple months, I get bored with it, I want to see it change.”

Falk has been working on the Wall for about three years, collaborating with local artist collective Project SF and bringing surprising glimpses of the natural world to the cacophony.

drawing lines

The Battle for Purity

Falk’s recent pieces play on the everyday battle “between urban sprawl and plants that try to survive and adapt to our pressure.”

Ferns, bushes, and trees in cool greens have been sprouting up on the Wall

by Falk’s hand, eye-catching for their seasonal misplacement and technical expertise. Strack asserts that Falk has added more pieces to the Wall than any other artist, but Falk says he cannot be

positive.

Falk and Strack both mention the question of legitimacy that surrounds street art and graffiti in Boston.

Detractors constantly argue that commissioned work is not real street art, or that the best pieces are done alone. Strack is vehement in arguing that this purity is going to prevent the art form from growing. “[S]ome people get mad because people make

money now, some people get mad because there are outlets that weren’t there before,” he says. “This is what happens. Punk rock gets co-opted into culture, street art gets co-opted into culture.” From the time he has spent with Project SF (which originally stood for Super Friends), Falk hopes collaborative work is the future of street art. “I certainly think there’s solidarity behind it,” he says, though he acknowledges that it is difficult to make predictions about the scene. “It’ll evolve and I don’t know if it’s going to go into more of a collaborative state, but I certainly hope so. The more people work together, the stronger the art community will be in the end,” he says.

Painted City

Besides the Wall, there are other areas around Boston that feature legal street art, mostly in the form of commissioned murals. Peters Park in the South End features a mural wall that is regularly refreshed by groups of artists with images approved by the city.

Artist David Fitcher’s murals can be found in Boston and in other cities around the country. Painting for 30 years, Fitcher has created murals all over the city, including the Mystic River Mural Project in Somerville.

Started in 1996, the mural is added to each year, making it a truly dynamic piece of art. Fitcher believes sharing ideas is an important part of the

street art in boston

process.

Always interested in how art could express social and political ideas, Fitcher turned to murals after experiencing the art form’s rich origins in Latin America. Galleries and museums draw people who are already interested in art, Fitcher says.

Street art, however, “engages people more directly.”

The question of graffiti strikes a chord with Fitcher. “That’s not art, that’s just destruction,” he says, having dealt with tagging over his own work. He added that tagging is about ego, while street art is similar to the mural tradition in its longevity and societal importance.

At their core, Fitcher’s murals and the Wall are about expression, and having the courage to display one’s personal beliefs in an intensely public way. There will always be discord in the scene between purists and collaborators, muralists and taggers, but they are connected by the paradox of the genre. Strack says his Wall represents “immediacy and randomness and lack of permanence.”

The beauty of street art is in its constant presence that is not so constant at all.

additional reporting by danica burt photos by lauren foley and ashley maietta

by maureen mcdermott

STYLE

Finding Fashion in Fantasy text and styling by celina colby photos by lauren foley and ashley maietta

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hey’re in dozens of famous paintings, scattered throughout every Greek tragedy, and plastered all over the Harry Potter books, but mythical creatures don’t necessarily have to represent an ancient way of life that is not relevant today. The inspiration for so many great works of art have come from the ancient Greek myths, so there’s no reason why great fashion inspiration can’t come from the same place. We see flowing goddess dresses, gladiator sandals, and flower headbands everywhere. But all sorts of styles can be coaxed out of mythology’s wardrobe, from boho to punk to luxe, the fashion possibilities are almost as enchanting as the creatures that inspire them.

MEDUSA We’ve all heard of Medusa, the gorgon who is so hideous she can turn a man to stone. As it turns out, Medusa wasn’t always so hideous—in fact her beauty led to her downfall. According to Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Athena caught the beautiful maiden Medusa with Poseidon, and in a fit of revenge her most beautiful feature - her hair - into serpents. And all this time I thought frizz was bad. She then transfigured the rest of the girl’s face into one so hideous that no one would look at it. Naturally, the whole turn-to-stone gig was bound to make some enemies, and Medusa was killed by Perseus who used her head as a weapon. Eventually, Perseus gave the head to Athena who put it on her shield. Thus, dodge ball’s human shield is invented.

DRYAD

Dryads are a subcategory of Nymph, a protector of springs, mountains, and rivers. Represented as young, pretty girls, Dryads take the nature-girl act to a new level.

We’re not just talking tree hugging and recycling here. At birth they are given a tree to protect, and they often live in or around that tree. If the tree dies then the Dryad dies with it, and any tree that is killed at the hand of a human will be avenged by the gods. Now that’s dedication to a cause. But not all Dryads chose to pick up nature’s battle: Pitys was a girl being pursued by Pan, the god of the wild. When she wasn’t feeling it and fled his advances, he turned her into a pine tree. Someone clearly doesn’t take rejection well.

SPHINX A creature of riddles, the Sphinx has the body of a lion, the head of a woman and often wings. Beyond just knowing a riddle or two, the Greek sphinx has the ultimate bad-girl reputation. She’s known as a demon of death, destruction, and bad luck.

Even her name is derived from the Greek word “sphingo,” meaning ‘to strangle.’ She would kill any man who couldn’t answer this famous riddle: “What animal is that which in the morning goes on four feet, at noon on two, and in the evening upon three?”

The correct answer is man.

He crawls on four feet early in life, walks upright in the middle of his life, and walks with a cane when he is old. I’m all for having high standards but I don’t know how she’s ever going to find the right man with an instant death policy like that.

MERMAID While the present day half-woman half-fish image of a mermaid is still accurate, ancient Greek mermaids had a much darker agenda than Ariel and friends. They were known to lure sailors in with beautiful music. Then they would capture the sailors and bring them down to the bottom of the ocean where they would drown in the mermaid kingdom. Legend says that just seeing a mermaid can predict a death by drowning. This stems from the popular Greek myth that Alexander the Great’s sister, Thessalonike, was turned into a mermaid when she died. Upon seeing a ship she would ask “Is Alexander alive?” and if she didn’t get an answer that satisfied her, the ship would meet a storm and be destroyed.

Things aren’t looking so good for Prince Eric anymore.

UNGUD

Sometimes it seems like your sassy gay best friend is a gift from heaven. And according to Australian mythology, he sort of is. Ungud is a flamboyant rainbow serpent said to lie under the earth and support the four cardinal directions.

And while his sexuality is never explicitly addressed, he shares a love of color and shine with everyone’s favorite shopping buddy.

Fascinated with anything iridescent and easily identified by his rainbow scales, Ungud is also associated with the weather—during the growing season he flies up to the sky and becomes a rainbow, creating rain to reap a plentiful harvest. He is also closely linked to society and fertility. Sounds like girls’ best friend was around long before Sassy Gay Friend showed up on YouTube.

ALICANTO

If you thought Midas was greedy, think again: this enchanted Chilean bird could give Midas a run for his money (pun intended). Alicanto feasts on gold and silver ores until she’s so full of riches that she can’t fly. Although her natural plumage is a deep red, Alicanto glows like the sun when she eats gold, and when she eats silver she shines like the moon. Think of a phoenix, only much more glamorous.

Unfortunately, just as Midas had his issues, Alicanto has a bit of a mean girl streak. Legend has it that Chileans who could successfully follow her would be led to riches.

But if she caught them tracking her she would lead the poor money seeker off a cliff and to his death.

JOROGUMO Artemis and Aphrodite can stop fighting because there’s a new girl in town. The Japanese creature, Jorogumo, takes the prize for most seductive, heartless, powerful, and all around fierce. A spider in her natural form, Jorogumo changes shape like most people change their socks. Favoring the form of a seductress, she’s been known to lure men in and then trap them in her web, later devouring them. That’s right; she invented the term “man-eater.” But what’s really scary is that Jorogumo can turn into anything. She famously transformed into an empty inn and when a bunch of expectant guests entered, she whipped out her web and trapped them. Not only is Jorogumo ruthless and seductive, but her powers give her the ability to lure anyone in. As if spiders weren’t creepy enough already.

EREBUS On the high school social scale of the Greek gods, Erebus is your classic punk-goth outcast. He’s the embodiment of the primordial darkness of the underworld—not the god of the darkness, but the actual darkness itself. That’s right, this brand of badass can’t be bought at Hot Topic. Although he’s the son of Chaos, he himself fathered far more optimistic figures: Aether, the bright upper atmosphere, and Hemera, day.

Erebus and Nyx (night), are also said by some accounts to be the parents of Eros, the god of love. He certainly has some pleasant offspring for a figure that is often used to metaphorically represent Hades himself. Their family tree is about as strange as if Iron Maiden broke up and reformed as the Spice Girls.

models: jordan frechtman, james blaszko, isabel swartz, larissa russell, aakruti jagmohan, michele debczak, sophie meuch, and mateja bozicevic

Reconstruction Zone: A DIY Guide to Revamping your Wardrobe by jennifer ortakles photos by ashley maietta models: aubrianne laduke and yuhaojie zheng

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hen your wardrobe gets you down, it’s time to think about clothes in ways you never have before. DIY clothing might seem overwhelming at first, but it’s something anyone can do with a little bit of inspiration and creativity.

There’s no reason to worry about making mistakes when experimenting on clothes not worn often. Both experienced and new DIY goers can run into problems, but remember that taking risks teaches a lot about clothing construction. Taking more risks helps to figure out what works and how good quality clothing is made. The possibilities are endless when projects can be created at any difficulty level. The best part about a DIY wardrobe is that it brings out individuality and personality in one-of-a-kind clothing.

Atlas created two projects with step-by-step instructions to help you conquer any initial fears and hopefully encourage you to think of your own ideas.

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OMBRÉ PANTS Inspired by 3.1 Phillip Lim Spring/Summer 2012 MATERIALS • white pants/jeans • light blue fabric dye • dark blue fabric dye • large bucket or large pot • hot water DIRECTIONS 1. Boil water and pour it into a bucket or large pot.

2. Gradually pour the light blue dye into the water, making sure it doesn’t get too dark.

3. Dip one third of the first pant leg into the dye and leave it in for 30 seconds. Repeat this with the second pant leg.

4. Rinse the dyed ends of the pants under cold running water until the water drips clear.

5. Let the pants dry.

6. Discard the water and fill up the bucket with more hot water.

7. Pour in the dark blue dye. Depending on how dark the color turns out, more may need to be added during the next step.

8. Dip half of the light blue section of the first pant leg into the dark blue dye and leave it in for 30 seconds. Repeat this with the second pant leg.

9. Rinse the dyed ends of the pants under cold running water until the water drips clear.

10. Let the pants dry.

SCARF TUNIC Inspired by Salvatore Ferragamo Spring/Summer 2012 MATERIALS • 2 scarves (2 ¼ feet or larger) in complimentary colors/patterns • 5 feet of ribbon • pins • sewing needle • thread DIRECTIONS 1. Place one scarf on top of the other, lying them flat.

2. Pin the scarves together inside out at each top corner then fold them in half to find center.

3. Measure 7 inches from the center and pin scarves together in that place on both sides. Take out all other pins.

4. Sew six stitches in both of the places that were just pinned and turn the scarves right side out. This should create a boat-neck neckline.

5. Try the scarves on and measure the width of fabric from the edges of the scarves to the side of your body. Mark this measurement and pin along the side from where the armhole will end to the bottom of the scarves. Do this on both sides.

6. Sew the scarves together down each side where the pins were placed.

7. Cut 5 feet of ribbon and wrap it around your waist, tying a bow in the front.

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SEW EASY Many projects won’t require sewing and even if one does, you can produce the same results using glue or safety pins.

CUTTING EDGE Some projects don’t even need a lot of supplies, just scissors-think sleeveless jackets, sliced tights, or destroyed denim.

Mount Olympus Make-Up by lauren biscaldi photos by nick hayes hair and makeup by audrey geiger models: julianna buck and lauren capkanis

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ive yourself the heavenly treatment this summer and break your winterized shell with these goddessinspired looks, which will influence more than a season of hair and makeup.

AURA

 Crafted from the goddess of the morning breeze, this fresh look hides the secrets of the Titan Aura: after slighting Artemis in a war of words, Aura transformed from innocent virgin huntress to mad slayer of men. Nude eyes balance a soft pink lip while bright blush adds a pop that draws the look together. Offset this clean look with bold statement pieces in your wardrobe to embody the ultimate femme fatale.

THALASSA

 Make a splash by channeling Thalassa, the Greek spirit of the sea.

Big beachy waves and two-tone blues personify this ancient beauty, depicted in paintings as a woman formed from sea foam rather than a solid being. To create Thalassa-like waves, use a large barrel curling iron and strong hold hairspray. Smoky blue eyes invoke the mystery of Thalassa’s murky past: she is considered the mother of not only the Telkhines (sea demons with flippers for hands), but also Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

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CHAOS

 Capture the energy of Chaos, the primeval goddess of nothingness from which all else sprang, with this dark and dramatic look. Big, blownout locks gathered at the crown and bold, wing-tipped eyes ensure undivided attention. Our dark berry lip proves that the smoky-eye-nudelip-rule was made to be broken.

HEMERA

 It might be the ultimate irony that the goddess responsible for bathing the Earth in heavenly light is the product of the gods of night and darkness: Nyx and Erebus. This look, a nod to the deity Hemera, combines the best elements of a warm summer day: yellow-orange eyes and a bright lip. Wear it as pictured for a nighttime stroll along the boardwalk, or tone down the eyes for a day at the office--you can’t go wrong when you’re inspired by the sun.

GET THE LOOKS

HEMERA CHAOS

FOR THE EYES

Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Shadow in Tattle Tale, $19; MAC Eye Shadow in Neon Orange and Chrome Yellow, $15 each; Almay Intense I-Color Mascara in Chocolate Quartz, $7

FOR THE FACE

Benefit Cosmetics Girl Meets Pearl Liquid-Pearl Highlighter, $30

FOR THE LIPS

MAC Tinted Lip Glass in Caqui, $15

FOR THE EYES

Urban Decay Eye Shadow in Perversion, $17; Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero, $19; Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Very Black, $7

FOR THE FACE

NARS Blush in Orgasm, $28

FOR THE LIPS

Kat Von D Painted Love Lipstick in Homegirl, $19

THALASSA

AURA

FOR THE EYES

Benefit Cosmetics Velvet Eye Shadow in Buckle Bunny, $18; Almay Intense I-Color Mascara in Chocolate Quartz, $7

FOR THE FACE

NARS Blush in Mata Hari, $28

FOR THE LIPS

Sephora Collection Manic Mat Long Wearing Lipstick in Mat01, $12

FOR THE EYES

Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Shadow in Tidal Wave, $19; Kat Von D True Romance Pigment in Johnette, $16

FOR THE FACE

Benefit Cosmetics High Beam, $26

FOR THE LIPS

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipgloss in Pink Perfection, $7

Women on the Rise Worldwide by paige trubatch photos by ashley maietta models: caroline fothergill and madeline otto

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he nomadic Maasai women of East Africa walk hundreds of miles every year, with grace that puts any Hollywood starlet to shame. The women are elegant and well-known for their craftsmanship, a traditional means of spending time together after completing daily chores.

Kendra Jones Morris, founder of the New Orleans-based start-up Rural Revolution Co-Op says the Maasai women she’s spent time with are truly the original co-op founders.

“From head to toe they wear their traditional beaded work as if on a Parisian catwalk. Their pride in their craft is evident in each strand,” she says. Maasai artistry is hypnotic from a distance, but the intricate and delicate bead work stands out at a closer range. Stateside, Morris works to economically empower these sisters, wives and mothers through a socially

conscious business model of locationbased co-ops and sales opportunities.

Social entrepreneurs strive for sustainability. Morris’ parents served as former Peace Corps members in the 1960s, and she has valued volunteerism and a long term commitment to community since an early age. Rural Midwestern roots gave way to a global mindset, and social entrepreneurship seemed a natural fit from the start.

Morris began developing the concept for Rural Revolution in New Orleans five years ago, and the company has quickly gained exposure through magazines and celebrity gift bags.

A professional background in photography and documentary work allowed Morris to humanize the wearable art and more deeply connect consumers with the co-ops abroad.

Rural Revolution has grown to include partnerships with communities in countries such as Ethiopia, Peru and India. In Ethiopia, women gather raw materials, including

scattered bullets and recycled war weapons. The metal is melted down to make beads, which are then sent up to the Entoto Mountains community to those cast out because they have HIV. In a place where the ailing go to dip their bodies in holy water, Ethiopian women become leaders and are working their way out of stigmatization. The artists use antique coins, recycled nickel, copper and bronze in each piece. Rural Revolution returns proceeds to fund health care and literacy programs for Ethiopian women and children. In 2010, 100 children attended school, received school supplies and given weekend meals. In addition, 120 women with HIV/AIDS received medical care and supplies in the Entoto Mountains.

In Northern India, Muslim women use locally sourced, crinkled gold leather to craft dramatic leafshaped earrings. The women also use traditional wood carving techniques in a delicate fashion. Proceeds return ATLASMAGAZINE.ORG

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to this marginalized community to support literacy programs. Reaching out to resourceful, on the ground peers with a proper understanding of Western time frames and a shared commitment to the artists’ dignity is the first step in building a business relationship for Morris. She adds, “First, always remind yourself that you don’t know what’s best, you’re merely part of the puzzle if you’re lucky. The challenging part is finding the right people to work with and finding a structure that is ideally already in place. Why reinvent the wheel if it’s already there? The rewarding part is being part of a team that moves forward together.” Rural Revolution plans to develop European co-ops in the near future, as well as an expansion of co-ops in the States. Currently, women in NOLA craft mix-and-match bangles made of leather and brass/gold plated beads. The business has helped restore post-Katrina homes through

“When women rise above, change happens.” the Redeemer Presbyterian Rebuilding Fund of New Orleans.

In order to achieve business sustainability, Bonnie Kersten of Florida says it’s necessary to target specific retailers and hold events where interested parties to foster a sense of community, style and culture. Kersten primarily provides strategic peer review feedback for Rural Revolution.

Feedback serves a critical purpose in building a start-up based on the principle of women helping women across oceans. Social entrepreneurs must work within a model that is both ambitious in a traditional business sense and personal enough to reflect the ideals and values of the company.

To this end, Rural Revolution engages women who may be eager to become involved but are unsure of how they can play a supporting role.

Individuals may become “ambassadors” in order to host parties with the goal of sharing the artisans’

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stories and trying on the jewelry.

When it comes to mobilizing support among women, Canadian Director and featured artist Chandra Kremski believes passion, attitude and excitement are critical in trying to promote and sell a socially conscious product. She says women who come out to events have a serious love for jewelry, trust you as the host and believe in the goal of economically empowering women around the world. “When you buy something, not only is the money going back to those women who made it, but it’s changing their lives by creating sustainable income. And we the buyers get to enjoy wearing beautiful jewelry and are reminded of the simple gift when we wear the piece--the ‘piece of the solution’ to make change...When women rise above, change happens,” Kremski says.

The work hasn’t always been easy, however, and Morris says up until very recently she struggled with the isolation and feeling alone with her idea. Taking some time off to raise her young family and continue with her graduate work in anthropology, Morris sought to better understand the realm of entrepreneurship in which she’d be working to help others help themselves.

Today, Morris measures the success of Rural Revolution by the sustainability it achieves within their partner communities of female artists.

“Good ideas are good for dinner parties. I want to be of assistance for the long haul,” she says. Morris adds

that there is power in employment, a simple concept that goes a long way if always kept in mind. “It allows people to own their opinions, feel like they’ve earned a place at the table of discussion and rightly so,” she says.

Both artisan employment and our choices as consumers have an impact on whether the goal of sustainability is achieved or not. By seeking out fairly traded products, asking questions and making a point to tell retailers we would prefer to buy sustainable goods, we should see a shift in the market here in the States. At the core of our interconnectedness, a sustainable network of support cannot be one-sided. The international artists working with Rural Revolution know this to be true, and as artist and activist Lilla Watson once said, “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time; but if you are here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” ruralrev.com

HEALTH Myth Biters: Nutrition Facts You Didn’t Know by alejandra lee photos by nick hayes

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ood is the new black. It’s trendy and everyone wants it—from take-out on the couch to swanky dinners during restaurant week.

Today’s culture is obsessed with food.

New York Magazine’s Michael Idov writes, “Food has become a defining obsession ... [It] is now viewed as a legitimate option for a hobby, a topic of endless discussion, a playground for one-upmanship, and a measuring stick of cool.”

But knowing what to choose can be deceiving. Snacks we tend to think are healthy often aren’t. Read up on these seemingly straight-forward foods to get the facts on what you’ve been craving before you dig in.

FRO-YO

FICTION: Frozen yogurt is healthier because it doesn’t contain heavy cream like ice cream and provides good bacteria for your stomach.

FACT: Frozen yogurt has been deemed the ultimate ice cream replacement, but this tasty dessert does not contain the beneficial probiotics found in regular yogurt. According to Elaine Magee, wellness and performance nutritionist at Stanford University, these healthy bacteria are not able to survive the extreme temperatures when frozen.

Sorry, fro-yo fanatics, but you aren’t any healthier than the rest of us.

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ENERGY BARS

FICTION: Protein bars are a good source of energy and a great substitute for a small meal.

FACT: Many people resort to protein bars when tight schedules make it difficult to eat a proper meal; however, not all protein bars are created equal.

Make sure the one you choose includes the nutritional values we’ve outlined below. The next time you want to grab an energy boost, remember the bars that are the most beneficial: TLC: HONEY ALMOND FLAX Calories: 140 Carbs: 19 g Sugar: 5 g

Fat: 0% Protein: 7 g

Calories: 110 Carbs: 16 g Sugar: 10 g

Fat: 5% Protein: 5 g

PRIA

LUNA:

NUTZ OVER CHOCOLATE Calories: 180 Fat: 9% Carbs: 25 g Protein: 9 g Sugar: 10 g

BALANCE:

Chocolate Craze Calories: 220 Fat: 20% Carbs: 21 g Protein: 14 g Sugar: 18 g

FAT-FREE DRESSING

FICTION: Fat-free dressings are healthier because they cut calories.

FACT: A colorful salad can be healthy, but adding more flavor can reverse that. Reduce calories by choosing a fat-free dressing, but watch out—many “diet” and “lite” versions are loaded with sugar and offer little nutritional value. In a study by registered dietitian Janis Jibrin, those eating full-fat salad dressing absorbed twice the nutrients of those using reduced-fat dressing. Dressings labelled “fat-free” impede the body’s ability to absorb carotenoid antioxidants, which play an important role in supporting your immune system and are known for their potentially cancer-preventing and anti-aging compounds. Go ahead and indulge with the creamy Caesar!

SUSHI

FICTION: Sushi is unhealthy because it includes white rice and heavy ingredients like mayonnaise, cream cheese, and fried fish.

FACT: Sushi may not sound healthy to some because of the white rice and sauces, but it is, in fact, one of the healthiest choices when dining out.

According to the American Heart Association, fish is high in Omega-3s, protein, vitamins,and minerals, and low in saturated fat. Rolls with cream cheese and fried veggies, however, are loaded with saturated fat. Stick to the rolls that are full of fresh vegetables and nutrient-rich seafood. Cheers, or Kampai, sushi lovers!

EGGS

FICTION: Eggs should be avoided because they contain bad cholesterol.

FACT: Eggs are sometimes considered a nutritional no-no because their yolks contain 212 milligrams of the American Heart Association’s 300 milliagramrecommendation of cholesterol per day.

However, eggs yolks offer numerous benefits in return including protein, calcium, iron and vitamin A. You might think egg-whites are the way to go, but those whites contain nothing but sodium. As with anything, eat whole eggs in moderation and balance them with whole grains and beans, which contain monounsaturated fats that lower cholesterol. Eggs-ellent news, omelet lovers!

Bad Habits

That Will Haunt You by alejandra lee photos by nick hayes

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othing is wrong with smoking between every class to reign in stress, right? And pulling all-nighters twice each week is fine because I never have enough time.

Students tend to think that because they’re young, nothing can harm them and that their habits are college standards. Though it may seem harmless, turning bad habits into the norm can cause serious lasting damage. Read up on what your routines are doing to your mind and body.

Sleepless Nights Staying up all night to finish a project might not seem like a big deal when done once or twice, especially when you’re young, but sleepless nights are harmful over time. Lack of rest keeps the body from restoring its balance. When an average person gets less than seven hours of sleep, the body uses more energy for normal functions.

According to The Center for Sleep Medicine, this draining of energy can cause stress, depression, and impede social life.

Goal: Pencil in your sleep schedule and

Lighting Up For some, smoking is a social activity while for others it temporarily keeps stress at bay.

Though these may seem like advantages, smoking is closely linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, low exercise tolerance, and blood clots—not to mention cancer and breathing issues.

Working High Heels Slipping into a pair of platform pumps sacrifices not only comfort but bone health. Although fashionable, heels contribute to joint degeneration and knee osteoarthritis—a painful condition caused by bones rubbing against one another.

Goal: Replacing one cigarette with

is not a runway. Swap out your stilettos for a pair of flats at least three times each week. Reserving your heels for special occasions and bold wardrobe days will make your statement even louder and have a lasting benefit.

a quick walk or jog. The endorphins will help your body control the urge for nicotine and you will effectively lower your pack per week rate.

stick to it. Map out your week in a planner every Sunday and block off sleeping time with a highlighter. Making a plan to rest—although it seems superfluous—is effective and sometimes the only way to be sure you get enough sleep.

Do you w ear heels to walk stra ighter an boost confidence d taller? pressure Placing h or on the ba ig ll of you forces th r foot actu h e body o ff balanc a posture lly e and wea kening th , causing poor York Co e spine. llege of O The N steo that bec ause of th pathic Medicine ew notes is , w greater omen are risk for s at much erious ba ck issues .

Do you smoke hookah instead of cigarettes because it’s “less harmful”? Although its considered a popular alternative, hookah use is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes in a 200-puff session, according to the World Health Organization. hters ull all-nig ient?

Do you p effic tly to be f consisten duce your risk o re , re to u k s c s a re Cut b blood p h ig k h c g tta , developin pression, heart a e d , diabetes and stroke.

Goal: Remember that Boylston Street

Sexy and They Know it Student film pushes past sexual taboos by sarah dwyer additional reporting by tamara omazic photos by anne scotina and caleb williams

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espite our purported forward thinking and open-minded society, sexuality remains a fairly off-limits subject. Only recently are we breaking down these barriers and opening up about this huge aspect of human existence, but one group is being left behind in this relaxing of norms: those with disabilities.

Alex Freeman, a junior film major, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after he was born, recognized this silence, and created a documentary about the sexuality of people with disabilities to fill the void. The film, titled “The Last Taboo” is set for release in August 2012.

Although his condition keeps him bound to a wheelchair and denies him the ability to hold a camera, Freeman did not let that prevent him from telling a story that needs to be told. He started working on the documentary this past fall with the help of a few other film students at Emerson who he directs. The film is composed of interviews with disabled people “telling their most intimate stories and how

[that event] caused them to think completely differently about who they are,” Freeman says, who even tells his own personal story.

“[The Last Taboo] asks people to reconsider the unconscious thought process and realize that disabilities really are sexy.”

- Alex Freeman, Visual Media Arts ‘13

Freeman, now 24, shares that when he was 21 and studying at UMASS Amherst, he had his first intimate experience with a girl who was a close friend of his. “I think she recognized that I wanted to explore that part of myself and was into going there with me.

She gave me an experience that really changed my life,” he says.

Unfortunately, the relationship ended badly, but the experience inspired him to shine more light on the subject of sexuality amongst the disabled community.

“I really felt a need to make this documentary,” he says. “It started out as an idea and then it kind of took form into this thing

that I needed to do—not only for myself, but to tell the story of other people with disabilities and to break a way of thinking that is so ingrained in society.”

When Freeman transferred to Emerson soon after ending the relationship with the girl at UMASS, he quickly teamed up with other film students to help make his ideas into a reality.

“I got involved because I thought it was a very important story to tell and very powerful,” Andrew Christenson, a junior film major, and one of the co-producers on the film, says. “I like how Alex isn’t afraid to talk about things that might make people uncomfortable.

He’s a very good filmmaker, and he wants to make a difference with his films.”

Visual media arts have always been a passion of Freeman’s so it only made sense for him to tell his story using this medium. “From the time I was young, I knew I wanted to go into film,” he says.

“It’s been an outlet for my deepest emotions and a way for me to share my imagination with people who might not give me a second look on the street.”

Freeman acknowledges that the treatment of people with disabilities has come a long way from how it used to be. He mentions that prior to 1990, when

the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, people with disabilities were often hidden, institutionalized and even sterilized.

“It is because of the history that we still haven’t wrapped our heads around the fact that people with disabilities are sexual,” he says.

“People think, ‘Oh, I feel so bad for them.’ I don’t understand all that nonsense. Yeah, I might be in a chair, but everything works.”

In fact, being in a wheelchair can actually be fun when it comes to sex. One of the interviews in the film is with Freeman’s close friend, Mazique Bianco, who goes by “Beast.” Bianco has arthrogryposis, a disorder that she was born with involving joint contractures that cause weak muscles and fibrosis.

In the documentary, Bianco talks about different positions that her and her partner can do based around her wheelchair. Bianco also says that being a lesbian, she has to think creatively when it comes to sex so it is fun for her to experiment and try new things.

Another interviewee, Lauren Beller, does not have a disability herself, but was in a relationship with Erin Pfeiffer, who also has arthrogryposis. Beller was Pfeiffer’s aid who helped her with everyday tasks, but they soon realized that they had feelings for each other. Although the pair have since separated, both speak about their experiences with sexuality in the film.

The documentary opens with Beller speaking about the biological mindset of nondisabled people when it comes to having sex with people with disabilities. Freeman notes that people unconsciously do not want to reproduce with people with disabilities and automatically ask themselves when choosing a mate, “Will they be able to produce strong, attractive and healthy children?” “[The Last Taboo] asks people to reconsider the unconscious thought process and realize that disabilities really are sexy,” Freeman says.

He also emphasizes the importance of only exploring sexuality with someone who really cares about you. “It’s about finding the right person who is willing to go out with you and isn’t just doing it because they feel bad for you or because they think it would be a thrill to have sex with someone with a disability,” he says.

Ultimately, the film asks viewers to change the way they think about people with disabilities and to discuss the topic more openly. “I think that people wonder about it, but they don’t really know how or if they should talk about it,” he says.

Once the conversation is started, the documentary also aims to break common myths about people with disabilities. “There is this idea people think that people with disabilities are asexual. That’s just not true,” he says. “If the average person can get it on, so can people with disabilities; we just do it in a different way. And it’s really not a taboo at all.”

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Herculean Workouts by megan kaplon photos by emily oliver models: alex lynn and chen xu

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rends are as prevalent in fitness as they are in fashion. Today, people are looking for workouts that will make them into a chiseled Hercules or a slim Aphrodite in as little time as possible. The work-out programs Insanity, P90X and CrossFit all grew out of this desire. While they have their significant differences, all promise greater fat loss in less time and do so by employing high intensity, total body workouts.

INSANITY

Cost: $119.85 + $24.95 shipping and handling Time Commitment: approx. 40 minutes a day, 6 days a week Duration: 60 days

Insanity’s buzz words are “Max Interval Training.”

Interval training means performing circuits with short periods of exertion followed by a period of rest.

Insanity adds the “Max” by lengthening the exertion periods and decreasing the frequency of the rests.

The intervals include plyometric movements (fast, explosive exercises, usually involving jumping), push ups, lunges, and squats. Kat Rice, a freshman marketing major, recently began her own Insanity challenge, desiring a workout that could be done in her room at any time, without any equipment. “The cardio circuits are really effective,” she says, “and I’ve noticed an increase in my endurance after only a few days doing the video.”

The creator and face of the program is Shaun T, a graduate from Rowan University in New Jersey where he earned a degree in sports science and minors in theater and dance. Throughout the workouts, he paces back and forth in front of the camera and weaves amongst the video’s participants, constantly chanting motivational mantras. “Dig deeper!” “Push, push, push!” “Let’s go!”

The Max Interval Training can be especially difficult for someone who is severely overweight or hasn’t worked out in a long time. Also, as Rice says, “[Insanity] is repetitive at points.” Sometimes the same workout is on the schedule twice in one week and many of the exercises are very similar, “but, it’s nice to see the moves become easier over time,” Rice continues. Insanity also has the advantage of a being a two month commitment, only 40 minutes a day with no equipment to buy.

P90X and P90X2

Cost: $119.95 +$19.95 shipping and handling Time Commitment: P90X: 60-90 minutes a day, 6 days a week P90X2: 60-75 minutes a day, 5 days a week Duration: 90 days

P90X was released in 2004, and a second version was released this past December. “Tony Horton has the ability to blend goofy antics with comprehensive instruction resulting in an approachable workout for us normal people,” Devin Jewett, a senior theatre design and technology major, says of the animated fitness guru who created the popular program. Both P90X and P90X2 focus on muscle confusion, the practice of varying workouts to avoid training plateaus. P90X uses simple exercises such as push ups and pull ups along with plyometrics, traditional weight lifting moves and yoga to break up the routine that exercisers are apt to fall into. P90X2 uses many of the same moves, but adds in unstable platforms and balance postures, using Swiss balls and medicine balls as bases for burpees and push ups, to add increased core engagement.

Ninety days can be a long commitment, and the workouts in P90X and P90X2 are very challenging and can be discouraging. Also, both programs require the purchase of quite a few gadgets. However, there are alternatives—doing high reps with only body weight or investing in a set of resistance bands—that save money while maintaining the effectiveness of the program.

“In my daily life, I have twice as much energy as I had before P90X,” Jewett says. “I have also found that I bounce back much quicker from the weekly wars I rage against my own body, whether that be an all-nighter I pulled for an exam or the party at which I drank a few too many.”

CrossFit

Cost: Between $150 - $400 a month, depending on the facility Time commitment: approx. 60 minutes a day Duration: up to you!

CrossFitters are after functional fitness.

“We don’t use machines,” says Eric Siegel, manager of CrossFit Fenway and an Emerson alumnus (‘05).“We use barbells, dumbells, kettlebells, sandbags, medicine balls. We want to control external objects in space, or control our bodies in space.” CrossFit is designed to make every physical task easier, from lifting heavy objects to scaling a wall.

There is also a competitive aspect; all workouts are timed, and participants are constantly trying to beat themselves as well as the other people in the class.

CrossFit can be done alternatively at home, but many people prefer to join a gym, called a box in official CrossFit lingo, to save money on equipment purchases and to gain the valuable advice of trainers.

When CrossFit is not performed under the guidance of a good enough trainer there is a great risk for injury. Because of the timing component, people will sometimes be more concerned about speed than maintaining good form and listening to their bodies.

Olivia DiNucci, a junior political communications major, participated in CrossFit five days a week with a personal trainer in high school, and she found the community aspect to be the best part. “Training with someone better than you—whether that be stronger, faster, more experience with technique— it pushes you to do things you never thought you could do,” she says.

While these programs don’t agree on many things, Insanity, P90X and CrossFit all share a few core principles: use functional movements, strengthen the core, and push your limits. Inside every man and woman is the body of a Greek god or goddess, just waiting to burst out with a little coaxing and a lot of sweat. It’s up to you to decide the path you take to get there.

Sample Workout

Warm up:

Cardio circuit, inspired by Insanity

2x through, 30 seconds each

· Jumping jacks · Mountain climbers · Vertical hops (small two leg jumps side to side over an imagnary line) · High Knees

The Workout (3x through) Inspired by P90X2 and CrossFit

Deadlifts: 12 reps

Load a barbell with a weight that you can lift while maintaining good form, but that is still challenging. Stand behind the bar with your feet about shoulder distance apart and shins up against the bar. Bend your knees into a deep squat with your back flat and grip the bar with an overhand grip just outside your knees. Stand up, maintaining your flat back and keeping the bar close to your body. Thrust your hips forward and contract your glutes as you stand. When you get to the top, lower back down, still maintaining the flat back and repeat.

Box Jumps: 20 reps

Chose a box that is challenging, but low enough so that you are able to execute the high number of reps. Load your jump on the ground, bending your knees and throwing your arms behind you so you are able to use them to help you elevate. Try to land quietly on the box and then stand up all the way before stepping back down.

Cool down and stretch, making sure to tend to your chest, hamstrings and quads.

Medicine ball push ups: maximum reps

Grab one or two medicines balls; they can be the same or different sizes.

Get into a push up position with one medicine ball under each hand. Lower yourself down as far and you can go and explode up. If you chose to only use one medicine ball, switch the hand it is under every four reps.

To make this move more challenging, place your feet on a BOSU ball or on two additional medicine balls. Perform the move to exhaustion each set.

CAMPUS Worth The Heat?

Summer on Campus

story by natalie morgan photos by nick hayes

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fter the 10-page papers, the video projects and the hours of final exams, you’ll pack up, say goodbye to your friends, sign your RA’s move-out forms and head home.

But what happens afterward? The RAs stay for a few weeks and all the EVVY kids, of course. You know this.

But June through Orientation? That Emerson is still a mystery.

“There are usually only around three dozen Emerson College students who live on campus during the summer sessions,” says David Haden, Associate Dean and Director of Housing and Residence Life. For the past few years, the 10th floor of the Colonial Building has been used for summer housing. Summer Session I & II students, Orientation Core Staff, three RAs and other Emersonians who are not taking classes, live together on this floor for the summer.

Elizabeth Schultz, a senior writing, literature and publishing major, stayed on campus the first year the college offered summer housing in 2010, the summer after her freshman year. Schultz had an internship during

the Spring Semester that ended up running over into summer. “I worked all summer from 9-5 every day,” says Schultz. With work and hanging out in her room, Schultz says Colonial felt like a regular apartment building.

For others though, the residence hall became a space to interact, plan and form a community. Orientation Core Staff spends a lot of time in the residence hall planning Fall Orientation. Political communications major Melinda Warren ‘11, and a member of Core Staff for 2011, says one of her favorite memories of the summer was shooting the Core Staff video.

Isabelle Redman, a senior writing for film and television major, was one of the three summer RAs for 2011.

While she was used to experiencing Boston in the fall and spring, she wanted to get the chance to see it in the summer before she graduated and her career path steered her away from the city. “It’s a totally different culture in the summer,” says Redman. After being an RA for two years in the Piano Row building she explains, “It was

different to be in Colonial. Not better or worse, just different. I enjoyed it.”

Redman spent her time interning at the Improv Asylum in the North End along with working 10 office hours on campus each week filing, answering emails from incoming students and fielding phone calls from parents. She and the two other RAs rotated duty every third night but weren’t confined to the building (RAs during the year cannot leave the building during night duty). “[We could] go on the Common, go and sit and get a coffee [and] enjoy the weather.” says Redman.

She also worked to foster a community with the other summer students. “[We had] theme night dinners...Italian Night, Burger Night, wings...It got everyone out of their room,” she says. The RAs still had to design bulletin boards but Redman said they focused more on community issues than drugs and alcohol.

With less students there is naturally less activity on campus. “The nature of the Colonial is quieter,” Redman recalls. “But it has the kitchen and the nice plasma TV and the nice couches...

“It’s a totally different culture in the summer.”

People were always in the kitchen [and] watching shows together.”

For Schultz, a little less activity was a good thing. “It was quiet! I loved it,” she says. “I had so much free time to myself.”

Haden, who works on campus year-round remarks, “Summer is busy, but a different pace than during the academic year. Most of the staff and faculty who are at Emerson over the summer months utilize the time to plan and prepare for the academic year.”

Academics aside, living in Boston for the summer has its advantages. It is a great opportunity to harness your free time to explore the city. “[Some of my favorites include] Shakespeare on the Common, Galleria Umberto pizza in the North End, summer Red Sox games, SoWa Market and other hidden gems in Boston,” says Redman. She even brought her bike from home to use over the summer.

“Working a real job and not having homework definitely gave me the bug for getting out of college and getting on with my ‘real life,’” says Schultz. “I had pretty much 5:00 p.m. to midnight to fill with whatever I wanted to do.”

With more free time, summer is a

great time to get to know Emerson better as well. “[Staying at Emerson] is a wonderful way to get acclimated to the campus at your own pace,” says Warren. “By the end of the summer session, I felt more connected to Emerson...[and] it is a great opportunity for you to get to know the year-round administration.”

There are some limitations, of course. There is no set meal plan for summer students and the Dining Hall is opened in accordance with summer conferences and programs (often for high school students), so on-campus students usually take advantage of having kitchens in the Colonial. The library and fitness center are open, but with reduced hours. “The operation hours of the offices on campus were very challenging,” admits Warren.

The cost of living on campus can also be challenging. “[Living on campus] is definitely more expensive; you can find places around the city for pretty much half the cost,” Schultz says. “There’s also a two-week break between the end of the Spring Semester and the opening of summer housing, and I had to crash with a friend because I couldn’t abandon the company I was working for while

everything was shifting.”

Redman says she would recommend summer housing to students, especially if they can take some classes. Plus, there are some courses that may be easier to get into during the summer. “It’s a good opportunity to take a class that you wouldn’t during the year,” says Redman. Haden also comments that “an advantage to taking summer classes is that you might be able to finish your studies earlier.”

There really weren’t many disadvantages for Redman. “When the Bruins won I literally walked outside my door and had the best view of the parade,” she says. The only problem was the heat. “Welcome to city life where it’s 100 degrees and you get sunburned walking down the street.”

Summer on campus reveals a quieter Emerson, one students don’t usually glimpse during the school year, but it can also be filled with community and a thirst to explore the city at it’s best. So though you might pack up and out of Boston come May, staying at Emerson could be worth the heat.

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A Sweet Surprise

A Recipe for Students from Little Donna: Cheesecake

The Face Behind Little Donna’s Desserts by miya williams photo by emily kanzer

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er desserts can be found in the Dining Hall and in three of the four retail locations on Emerson’s campus. But while students may know her creations, most wouldn’t be able to identify her even if they bumped right into her.

Well, here’s a hint. She’s the one wearing brown cotton pants with pastel-colored cupcakes printed all over them. She also sports a white chef jacket, black baker cap and an exuberant smile—you may call her Little Donna.

Donna Papastavrou, Emerson’s pastry chef, has been working at the school for four years and does all of the baking and catering. Beginning at 5:15 a.m. and ending around 2:00 p.m. each weekday, Papastavrou bakes about 97 percent of the desserts found on campus (the other three percent are store-bought). If there is heavy catering required, she can be found at Emerson on some weekends as well.

If there was a hidden camera in Emerson’s kitchen, it would catch Papastavrou singing along to a 70s hit song playing on the radio. “It keeps my sanity back there,” she says.

Papastavrou confesses that she loves to sing and once won a prize for a karaoke performance.

Originally from Madison, Connecticut, she has lived in Boston for 22 years and came to Emerson after an invite from Emerson’s Executive Chef Jim Donovan. The two had worked together at his previous restaurant, West Street Grille, where Papastavrou was the floor manager.

Donovan is actually responsible for Papastavrou’s nickname Little Donna.

After Papastvrou baked an assortment of small desserts for an athletic banquet at Emerson a few years ago, Donovan was inspired.

“Instead of Little Debbie’s he said

Tips from Little Donna:

Ingredients: 2 cups miniature marshmallows ¼ cup orange juice 8 ounce package of cream cheese 6 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed Graham cracker crust Fresh fruit (optional) In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine marshmallows and orange juice. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 45 seconds, or until smooth. In another bowl, beat cream cheese, add marshmallow mixture and beat until smooth; fold in whipped topping. Spoon mixture into pie crust and refrigerate for 1 hour. Top with fresh fruit if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

Don’t overmix: Be particularly careful when mixing cake batters.

“If you beat them too much, then they don’t rise.”

Don’t overcook: “I definitely do the toothpick test in the cake to make sure when it’s time, because you don’t want it to be dried out.” ‘we should call it Little Donna’s,’ and then it just stuck,” she says. Just as the popular dessert company Little Debbie makes many various desserts, Papastavrou bakes everything from cupcakes and whoopie pies to breakfast muffins and scones for the Emerson community. She even experiments with creative desserts like apple cake and challenges herself with items such as a Cat in the Hat cake and king cake, a Mardi Gras favorite.

Papastavrou bakes at home as well, but with her three adult children out of the house, it has become less frequent. “My husband complains that I don’t bake enough,” she jokes. But for the holidays she is sure to make a family (and personal) favorite, apple crisp.

Some of Papastavrou’s recipes come from experience, others from recipes found on the Internet, but she cherishes old family recipes. She learned a lot about cooking from her grandmother who she said was a “fabulous cook.” Also, a special recipe for ginger snap cookies came from her

paternal great grandmother.

With her mother working full-time, Papastavrou began cooking around 12 or 13 years old. She was the oldest of her three siblings living at home and used cookbooks to learn. “I didn’t want to have boring food,” she explains.

At the age of 16, Papastavrou began baking pies for her first restaurant job.

“I’ve done pretty much everything in food service,” she says. She has been a bartender, cook, supervisor, and waitress, just to name a few. But her favorite thing to do is cake decorating.

It has been 35 years now and Papastavrou is still passionate about baking. She has fun working with the people in Emerson’s kitchen and loves getting comment cards, whether they are “good, bad, [or] ugly,” she says. “I like the feedback from the students; I like it when they’re happy.”

Comment cards are great, but now that you will recognize her, you can go ahead and tell her in person.

Fact or Fiction?

Campus Misconcenceptions by cara rotschafer photo illustration by jamie kaplan

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umors of secret tunnels, accidental deaths, ghosts and harlotry find their way into conversations at the Dining Hall and creep into the back of your mind while alone in an elevator or hallway at three in the morning. If you’ve been on campus, you’ve heard the myths.

But how much is true?

Brothel Building

One of the most popular myths at Emerson is that the Little Building was once a brothel. The nearly 100-year-old building, with its Gothic-style architecture and aged ambiance, lends itself to many whispered rumors and ghost stories.

But this myth is false. “The Little Building was never a brothel,” says Christina Zamon, Head of Archives and Special Collections at Emerson’s library. “It was an office building from the time it was built [1917] until Emerson College bought it in 1994.” It was dubbed “The City Under One Roof” and housed 600 offices, 37 stores and

shops, a post office and a restaurant, but no brothel, according to The Boston Globe.

The myth most likely stems from the college’s former residence hall, Charlesgate in Back Bay, which was used by Emerson students during the 1980s and early ‘90s. The story goes that Charlesgate was purchased by a Mafia member in the early 1900s who turned it into a brothel. According to records found by The Berkeley Beacon staff in 1989, however, Charlesgate was never owned by anyone with connections to the Mafia and was never used as anything other than apartment suites and later dorm rooms.

Hallway Hauntings

Another myth consists of a little girl chasing her ball down an empty elevator shaft during construction of the LB and then haunting the hallways as a ghost. There may be a ghost or two haunting the building, but no girls died during the construction of the LB. Again, this “is a ghost story that was transferred from the old Charlesgate dormitory,” says Zamon. A 1989 article in The Berkeley Beacon states that there actually was a little girl, Elsa Putnam, who was the daughter of the building’s architect, John Pickering Putnam. According to legend, the seven-year-old fell to her death in one of the elevator shafts while playing. It was rumored that she then wandered the halls of Charlesgate as a ghost, looking for her ball. However, Elsa never fell down the elevator shaft and lived until 1979.

If you’re beginning to think all you thought you knew about campus is wrong, don’t worry, there are some rumors that are true.

Secret Tunnels

The LB does have underground tunnels connecting it to the Boylston T stop and to the Cutler Majestic Theatre. The pedestrian passageway from the LB to the T stop was completed in June of 1917. It was eight feet wide and constructed out of reinforced concrete. According to the Boston Transit Commission’s Twenty-Third Annual Report, this allowed subway passengers to enter and exit the Boylston stop “without encountering the congestion on the sidewalk at the corner of Boylston and Tremont streets.”

Another passageway connected the Majestic Theatre and the Plymouth Theatre, which used to be behind the Majestic, to the LB. It runs under the LB and joins with the tunnel to the T stop. The passageway from the Majestic lobby was opened in 1918.

The wall openings to the tunnel in the LB and the T stop were closed off in 1968 because the license to maintain the opening in LB was terminated.

Additionally, Walker Building does have an entrance to Gypsy Bar. The back stairwell, which is an emergency exit only, takes you down to the alley behind Walker, Allen’s Alley, and a basement entrance to Gypsy Bar, though it’s only a loading dock and is not publicly accessible. It’s rumored, however, that special guests of Gypsy Bar sometimes enter through this door in order to avoid using the crowded main entrance in front.

So the next time you hear these myths and others circulating around campus, make sure to untangle the fact from the fiction.

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Emerson Event Highlights photos by emily oliver and lauren foley

Politics with John Kerry

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his semester Emerson students had the exciting opportunity to speak with influential government officials, as well as the college’s president. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and Emerson College President Lee Pelton met with

Darling: A New Musical

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arling, a new musical, premiered at Emerson’s Semel Theater on March 1st and 2nd. Darling, by Ryan Scott Oliver and Brett (B.T.) Ryback. is a collaboration of Retrop Productions and Emerson College’s RareWorks Theatre Company.

46 ATLAS MAGAZINE

more than 130 Boston-area students for a question and answer session on Monday, February 6.

The town hall-style meeting was held in Emerson’s Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre and revolved around how students can thrive in today’s competitive workforce and

unstable economy.

Before meeting with students, Kerry, Duncan and Pelton held a discussion with the presidents of 15 other Massachusetts colleges and universities. They focused on ways to keep costs down while offering more opportunities to students.

The story follows 16-year-old Ursula Morgan in 1929 Boston in the weeks before the Crash. Feeling neglected by her high-society parents, Ursula disappears with a boy named Peter who is running from the police. She soon finds herself drawn into Boston’s

underground society of jazz, sex and “fairy dust.”

Darling was produced by junior marketing communications major, Jacob S. Porter, and directed by senior musical theater major, Michael Bello.

“Awkward Black Girl”

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racy Oliver and Issa Rae discussed their hit web series “The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl” in Emerson’s Bright Family Screening Room on February 14.

Emerson was their third stop on the ABG College Tour in February.

The event was sponsored by Multicultural Student Affairs and the Department of Visual and Media Arts. During the event, the ABG creators screened a few episodes of the show and discussed the intricacies of producing content for the web.

The ABG web series is about J (played by Issa Rae) who is socially awkward, yet has to find ways to successfully navigate her personal and professional life.

ABG has been really successful and Oliver and Rae have rejected networks offering to buy the show. The series completed its first season in January and the creators like that they have been able to maintain creative control.

Both Stanford University graduates created the show in order to fill the void of roles for African-American characters on similar shows. The second season of the show is expected later this year.

Terrance Howard’s Visit

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scar-nominated actor Terrence Howard came to Emerson during Black History Month and spoke to students and staff about his upbringing, his career and his future plans.

On Tuesday, February 28, in the Semel Theatre, Howard sat down with the president of E.B.O.N.I. and shared his passion for both acting and science. He discussed how he landed some of his biggest roles, in films such as Hustle & Flow, Crash, and Red Tails, and also explained the current patents he is seeking for advances in science.

Howard revealed that 2012 will be his last year acting and the upcoming film, Winnie (about the life of Nelson Mandela’s wife Winnie Mandela) will be the pinnacle of his career. He said he intends to focus more on science and advised students in the audience to “believe in your purpose.“

Ab Ovo

Student Showcase

Jordan Browne, BFA Writing, Literature and Publishing ‘12 A writer (with little grasp of physics or quantum mechanics), working under a deadline, stared at a blank page and wrote: “In the first instant there was nothing, in the second instant there was energy. Gravitational forces fueled the rapid outward growth of an ever-expanding five dimensional hyperbolic space.” That all sounded pretty good so he set the alarm in his apartment for a ten minute nap.

After the nap he wrote in some distant balls of fire and a number of swirling colorful things before he decided he better add some planets.

The instant this writer started composing, the alternate reality he postulated came into existence

as another of a series of countless possible unrealized realities running parallel to his own. Everything was going pretty well and was reasonably accurate until this writer started to get really tired and hungry and just want to quit. So he took some shortcuts.

Instead of a bunch of planets he put one and simply wrote in a number of shiny dots in the sky above this planet, that would look close enough to other planets for the sake of his brief description. This one planet would be called Earth. Knowing what was necessary, he wrote dinosaur bones and trilobite fossils into the ground and sea beds (at this point there appeared water to fill the sea beds

Echo

From the series “Wednesday in the Park with Lazo”

Meredith Cohen Paul Lazo, Visual and Media Arts ‘15 Writing, Literature and Publishing ‘13

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which hadn’t been alluded to and thus didn’t exist until this point). Finally he got around to writing some characters, meticulous world-builder that he was.

He ultimately found that part to be a bit dull, so instead he wrote: “actually it was a guy who lives in the clouds and has a big beard; he’s the one who made everything. This guy gets to make all of the arbitrary decisions and create characters who can struggle and populate and generate interesting stories.” The writer, satisfied, went out for some food. In his benevolence, he will one day return and crumple up the story, laying waste to the universe, because people can’t accept happy endings.

Hunting Nuebert

Nina Corcoran Writing, Literature, and Publishing ‘14

Karol and Karolina

Judith Pfeffer, Executive-in-Residence, Marketing Communications Long before ever we were born there lived a lively young man in a small town in Poland. He was as bright as he was kind, and he loved progressive social causes, books and theater.

Although he was Roman Catholic as are most Poles, his heart was big enough to care for all kinds of people.

The name of this thoughtful young man was Karol.

His best friend (and eventually much more than a friend) had a similar name – Karolina. She came from the nearby Jewish village and was as bright and kind as he. Her family owned a delightful bakery whose products were enjoyed equally

by Catholics and Jews. Most popular was the gingerbread, a favorite Hanukkah treat. Few people know that Jews can bake gingerbread, but bake it Karolina’s family did. In fact, Karol and Karolina often dreamt of a gigantic gingerbread wedding cake for a Hanukkah-time wedding, although its creation seemed an easier project than telling their respective families about a religiously mixed marriage.

Alas, they never were able ato attempt either goal.

For all too soon in those very dark

days in the coldest winter in memory, the evil soldiers came to take away Karolina, her family and all the Jewish villagers, take them away forever, despite Karol’s valiant efforts to prevent it.

Before they were torn apart, Karolina begged her secret love to keep alive her family’s most famous recipe and to return it to them, someday, somehow. And, of course, (inserted comma) he promised to do so.

Broken-hearted at this tragic turn of events, Karol swore that he would never love another and that he was done altogether and forever with the realm of romance. He then chose another path to try to help the world, slowly, steadily and eventually rising to the very top of the hierarchy and becoming known to all the world by a name that I hardly need mention.

Over the decades he continued his activism, public speaking and writing, thus inspiring all nations to their souls’ best effort.

Throughout his career he kept a special place in his heart for the Jewish people and did much to make peace between his faith and theirs. And he

never forgot his promise to Karolina.

For years upon years, he tried to locate her descendants, if any there might still be, to no avail.

Finally, as a very old man, realizing his strength was failing him and that his days on this Earthly plane were numbered, he bade his assistants use the latest computer technology to finally make good on that long-ago promise. Thus they created a website intended to attract one person only, just before Hanukkah this year. It was set up such that only Karolina’s true heir would be able to enter and read the recipe, by employing as username that of Karolina’s village and as password the name of the bakery.

Therefore it is only now that I am ready to assume the solemn honor of presenting the gingerbread baked from that recipe, which heretofore had been unknown for 73 years. For Karolina was my mother’s mother’s mother. It can now be told that the family and the recipe miraculously have survived to the 21st century. It is my humble pleasure to share the pope’s Jewish gingerbread.

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CITY Feeding Your Inner Foodie Can’t-Miss Farmers Markets

The Farmers Market at Boston University September through October Thursdays 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: ★★★ Reasonable Pricing: ★★★★ Music: ★★ Other Activities Nearby: ★★★★★

by cassie schauble photos by madeline smeaton

Break out beyond downtown and explore the lesser-known markets in the Boston area, each with a unique offering. Be it fresh produce, hand-cut flowers, or baked goods, these farmers markets have a little something for everyone.

Somerville Winter Farmers Market

Farmers Market @ Kendall Square

The Boston Public Market at Dewey Square

Nov. 12 through May 26 Saturdays 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

June through September Thursdays 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Location: ★ Reasonable Pricing: ★★★★ Music: ★★★★★ Other Activities Nearby: ★★★

Location: ★★★ Reasonable Pricing: ★★★★ Music: ★★★ Other Activities Nearby: ★★★★★

May 24 through Nov. 20 Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

I

f the nice weather has you eager for summertime, get a head start at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market, open through late May. Not far from Porter Square, this former historic armory now hosts a variety of vendors featuring locally cultivated fresh produce as well as meats, cheeses, and eggs. Each week there are also specialty items including breads, pastries, and coffee.

A combination of the energetic live music playing in the background and the market’s vendors reflects the vibrant local community: inviting, eclectic, and familyfriendly.

In order to combat the elements, vendors utilize heated greenhouses and cold storage facilities to keep produce fresh year-round. The extra hassle pays off in the number of people the market attracts every week. “Hands down, the taste is unparalleled,” Market Manager Elizabeth Ginsburg says.

Every fall, Boston University hosts a large farmers market that features organic and locally grown food. Take the Green Line to the BU Central stop and you’ll find a frenzy of activity each week inside the George Sherman Union Building. Here, you’ll find a variety of fruits and vegetables, as

well as freshly baked desserts and breads. Fresh-cut flowers, potted plants and herbs also provide for a diverse selection.

Another hot-spot at the market is “BU Bikes,” where bike enthusiasts come together to discuss and repair their cycles.

If you’re looking for something to satisfy your sweet tooth, check out the Farmers Market @ Kendall Square, where ice cream, cookies, and chocolate are prolific. Located just off the Kendall/MIT Red Line stop, this market also features fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat and fish, as well as bread, baked goods and flowering plants. There are always plenty of free samples to go around.

The market, founded in 2007, boasts healthy and locally grown food that is also affordable.

Frequent market-goers agree that although the offering is small,

Location: ★★★★★ Reasonable Pricing: ★★★ Other Activities Nearby: ★★★ the friendliness of the vendors offers an inviting and enjoyable atmosphere. Popular vendors include Lanni Orchards, Big Sky Bakery & Café, C & C Lobsters and Seafood, and Swissbakers.

Christina’s Homemade Ice Cream is a crowd favorite that always has locals coming back for more.

Dewey Square offers more than just a site for the Occupy movement. Here, you’ll find a wide variety of fresh produce, baked goods, and breads among other locally made items. However, according to Market Manager Megan Gibson, it’s the Kimball Fruit Farm’s tomatoes that keep people coming back. In fact, the fruit farm is so popular with Dewey’s customers that Gibson remarks, “It’s pretty safe to say when Kimball has their peak in the season, we do, too.”

Another popular vendor is Seta’s Mediterranean Food, which makes fresh hummus, falafels, and other lunch dishes you can sample as you browse the rest of the vendors. Located in the financial district, the Boston Public Market at Dewey Square is a short walk from Chinatown and the Theater District, just a block from South Station.

“People really appreciate the one-on-one relationship with the farmers,” Gibson says.

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Sounds of Summer Boston’s Outdoor Music Scene by elizabeth venere photos by emily oliver

S

ummertime is about leisurely strolls along the Esplanade, lunch at outdoor cafés on Newbury Street, and sunny afternoon baseball games, but these Boston music festivals are what will keep you going well into the night.

Make Music Harvard Square June 16, 2012

Get ready to celebrate the summer solstice in Harvard Square, where every “nook and cranny, park and plaza and street and patio” will be filled with music. The Fifth Annual Fête de la Musique features a variety of musical genres including rock, pop, Caribbean, blues, folk, and world fusion. The first festival began in Paris in 1984 and is now a worldwide celebration.

Summer Concert Series at Titus Sparrow Park June through September; 6:30 p.m.

Titus Sparrow Park in the South End boasts a lineup of twelve performances including jazz, Latin, acoustic rock, and folk rock. The 2012 series will open with an Afro-Cuban number by Los Sugar Kings.

Beginning as mellow, picnic-esque jazz concerts in the park, this has now transformed into a lively festival. For more information on the series and the performers, check out the Friends of Titus Sparrow Park website and its Facebook page.

Concert Series @ Kendall Square

June through August; Tuesdays 12 to 2 p.m., 4:30 to 6 p.m.; Thursdays 12 to 2 p.m.

The Concert Series @ Kendall Square features performances from Boston artists at the outdoor plaza on Athenaeum Street. The series was created in 2005 to create a greater sense of community in the area through music. The concerts attract close to 200 people sitting at outdoor tables, eating lunch along to the music. Check out the Kendall Square website for the performance schedule.

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Taste Tour of Boston

O

ne of the joys of living in a city is the great range of cultures represented in any given neighborhood. Boston is one such diverse area, featuring cuisine from all over the world. Most Bostonians know to go to the North End for quality Italian dinners or South Boston for a warm Irish pub, but our city’s multiculturalism goes beyond typical culinary staples. For those willing to explore, these are some of the best hidden gems in town.

by sarah diamond

photos by madeline smeaton

The Elephant Walk (900 Beacon St., Boston; 617-247-1500; elephantwalk.com)

The Elephant Walk serves stunning French-Cambodian fusion and is run by Longteine and Nadsa de Monteiro, a mother-daughter team that has dug into the history of (415 Centre St., Jamaica French-Cambodian colonialism to Plain; 617-524-6464; find inspiration for their vibrant elorientaldecuba.com) cooking. Although elegant and warmly lit, this eatery is a little on Tucked in a corner of Jamaica Plain, this neighborhood restaurant the expensive side but the quality and creativity of the cuisine are is one of only two Cuban eateries worth it. For an appetizer, try the in Boston. El Oriental de Cuba serves up all of the classic fare you nataing, an incredibly rich mixture of ground pork, garlic, peanuts, would expect to find in Miami and simmered coconut milk served or Havana with a large variety with homemade rice crisps. The of menu items. The menu boasts leah chah, fresh mussels flavored 95-cent croquetas, golden fried with hot peppers and scallions, pastries stuffed with creamy ham filling, which are not to be missed. is another starting favorite. The tangy braised short ribs known Other quality Cuban dishes as khar saiko kroeung make include crispy empanadas, black for a delicious main course. For beans and rice, and sweet fried those interested in taking their plantains. The Cuban Sandwich new palate to the next level, the ($7.95), a combination of roast pork, ham, and Swiss cheese, is the Monteiros also provide personal cooking classes in Cambodian fare. restaurant’s specialty.

Directions: D Green Line train Directions: Orange Line to to Fenway and walk down Stony Brook Station Beacon Street

El Oriental de Cuba

Thai Basil

(132 Newbury St., Boston; 617-578-0089; thaibasil.info) This popular nook on Newbury Street offers all of the best standards, and arguably the most authentic preparations, of Thai cuisine in Boston. This cozy restaurant’s $3.50 cup of tom yum soup is a satisfying blend of hot and sour with an extra dimension of lime, lemongrass, and mint. For about $10, the rich panang curry, classic pad thai, and the fresh and spicy phuket noodle basil are tasty and inexpensive options.

Directions: Green Line to

Arlington Station, walk down Arlington Street to Newbury Street

Addis Red Sea

(544 Tremont St., Boston; 617-426-8727; addisredsea.com) One of the only Ethiopian restaurants in Boston, Addis Red Sea is a door to a whole new world of spice and texture. The classic Ethiopian menu consists mostly of stewed meats and vegetables meant to be scooped up with crusty bread instead of forks or spoons. The lentil-filled sambusa pastry is a good start, as is the cumin-flavored dabo bread. Try the hearty yegeb alcha entree, a mild and buttery lamb stew, for $8.95. A separate vegan and vegetarian menu lists a variety of spicy dishes featuring lentils, peas and collard greens.

Directions: Silver Line to Washington Street at Union Park

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Where Fantasy Becomes Reality The Immersive World of LARP by nick dumont photos by verena dahmin and danielle blue

A

ndy Bayiates was eighteen years old and locked in prison. His British infantry squad had been captured behind enemy lines and thrown into a holding cell. Bayiates stared at the moldering concrete walls surrounding him and wondered if he would ever see the other side of them. He knew that if his unit didn’t escape, they would die.

Bayiates examined the cell and noticed that the floor in one of the corners was slightly raised. He slid his fingers under the lift and slowly pried it open, revealing a tunnel underneath. An incredulous shock coursed through him, but he maintained composure and led his squad down into the hole.

They crawled through the tunnel until they saw light and escaped to freedom.

If you’re wondering why you

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haven’t heard this story before, it’s because Andy Bayiates isn’t actually in the military. He’s a student at Emerson College, and he was playing a game of live action role-playing (LARP) in Ashby, Massachusetts.

LARP is a broad term, but typically it involves players assuming the roles of characters and reacting to events around them in a fantasy environment. Murder mystery parties are one of the oldest forms of LARP, but today, story-driven styles set in the Middle Ages and the Victorian Age are popular. You may recognize one of these events in the 2008 movie Role Models.

Every year, more teenagers and adults alike are storming campgrounds and fields across the country, ready to duel. They don homemade armor and costumes

and wield foam swords and spears designed to look like medieval weapons. When “LARPers” strike an opponent with their weapon, it inflicts one damage point. Hardcore players purchase skills, or attributes, that increase their attack power.

It’s easy to ridicule players when you see them dressed head to toe in medieval garb and fighting with foam weapons, but first impressions are deceiving. “You can look at these YouTube videos and laugh at LARPers because it looks goofy as hell. But when you’re actually in [the game], it’s not goofy. It feels real,” says Annie Tyler, owner of the New England Role-playing Organization “NERO” Massachusetts.

By immersing themselves in the fantasy world of LARP, players can leave behind daily anxieties. “It’s nice to be able to get away from the

week,” Bayiates says. “When you go to LARP it’s usually this really secluded campsite. You can put the stress aside and get into your character.”

Boston LARPers not only escape everyday stresses but also city life.

Local LARP organizations hold their events outside of the metropolitan area at campgrounds around Massachusetts.

Tyler explains that players travel hundreds of miles not just for the game, but for the community as well. “There’s a sense of real camaraderie,” she explains. “You get to know these people, and even though they’re playing a persona, you become friends.”

For Bayiates, it’s the cumulative LARP experience that inspires him to leave his Bostonian college campus for the fields of rural Massachusetts. “Imagine that someone told you that there was a place you could go where they

could absolutely guarantee you would leave happy with the company you had, full of epic stories, and excited for the time you could go back,” he says. “Who could say no to that?”

According to the LARP Alliance, an organization dedicated to news and information about the game, there are nine official LARP organizations in Massachusetts.

This number is continually changing, however, as groups dissolve and form every year. Each group caters to a certain type of player. For example, a group called KnightBlades advertises itself as a combat-heavy LARP for players who love to battle and don’t care for a plot or role-playing. Other groups, such as Be Epic, revolve around strong story lines and characters and only battle when it’s tasteful. NERO, which has followers throughout the United States and Canada, appeals to players who are heavily

invested in LARP by offering more purchasable options than most groups. For example, players can buy their own individual storyline in the plot and in-game items to help their characters. The money from these purchases helps the organization fund operational costs and provides players with the most immersive experience possible.

There’s a LARP organization for everyone, no matter what type of person they are. “Not all LARPers are painfully shy or social losers.

That seems to be the thought that everyone has,” says Tyler.

“Some of us are social misfits, but a lot of us are mainstream people. There’s lawyers, EMTs, construction workers. I think that’s something that a lot of people don’t understand—these players are just like you. Anyone can LARP, anyone can be interested in it, anybody can have fun here.”

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GLOBE the

Real London by nicole kempster photos by carrie fox

L

ondon is best enjoyed by setting your alarm clock to sunrise, making lists, starting a blog, and most importantly, by observing Tube etiquette. Carrie Fox, a senior marketing major, spent the summer of 2010 in London via Arcadia University’s London Now Program and now gushes about the cities, museums, and restaurants she visited during her stay. An informed art fan and enthusiastic early riser, her suggestion to students considering the program is to wake up early and explore a different place every day. “There is something for you to see every day in London,” she says.

While the program has now been expanded two weeks longer than Fox’s stay, weekend traveling nonetheless adds to the dilemma of time constraint.

“When you’re traveling to a different city or country every weekend, there’s really not much time to see sights in London except during the week,” she

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now

says.

In London, Fox lived at Palace Court, one of three Arcadia dormitories. Though this particular flat was nearly an hour subway ride from her classes, Fox said it was the best neighborhood of the three offered. Living in Palace Court allowed Fox to experience London to the fullest without ever having to worry about safety, especially during late nights.

Having a detailed account of your British adventures means never forgetting the name of that great little restaurant across the street from Covent Garden Square.

The distance also made necessary long rides in the subway, and Fox had no choice but to pick up “tube etiquette”— knowing where to stand and where not to.

“People are very serious about the escalators on the Tube. If you are standing, then you have to stand as close to the right side as possible so that people can run down the very narrow escalators on the left side,” she says. It is for this reason, as well as other cultural adjustments, that she suggests buying a tour book, to read up on all the little things you might not know. There’s little worse than looking like a tourist in the city you’re living in, even for a short time, and this way you can avoid almost getting trampled because you didn’t know that you can’t stand in the middle of the escalator.

Like many college experiences, the classes offered by the London Now Program have the potential to be great or unpleasant experiences depending on factors such as professors, work ethic, and possible language barriers. While Fox says she did not feel particularly challenged by her two classes (you have the option of signing up for one or

two classes to take over the eight weeks), she preferred this as the program encouraged students to explore the city instead of spending the summer at home working on homework.

Fox says her classrooms were not up to the mark and that she was also dissatisfied with her professor, who spoke in extremely broken English and was very hard to understand. The course covered an interesting topic: the marketing aspects of the 2012 London Olympics and involved exploring the city by visiting sights that were being built for the games.

Communication issues were a running theme that Fox

experienced. As she recounts, the language barrier with her professor was only one of the ways in which she felt left out of the loop. Before her departure, there was very little timely information from Arcadia.

“I remember hoping that I was still going, that and everything would work out because I hadn’t heard from them in a while,” she says. But, as Fox points out, with the university’s tie-up with Emerson for the upcoming summer program, there should be an increased level of communication between school and student.

Fox strongly suggests that those planning to study abroad, start a journal or blog of some

kind. It works as a diary and helps in referring restaurants or other things to see and do, should friends or family ask for recommendations, if they happen to be visiting London.

Having a detailed account of your British adventures means never forgetting the name (Mon Plaisir!) of that great little restaurant across the street from Covent Garden Square, where you saw Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter sharing a meal.

With the added excitement of the Olympic Games this summer, this is an opportunity of a lifetime, to witness the Olympics in person in a city as vibrant and rich in history and culture as London.

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Where in the World?

Fact and Fiction Around the Globe

Mexico – People tend to have some interesting myths about Mexcio. One seems to be the belief that all Mexicans listen to, is mariachis. An actual myth: “You know how here you say ‘the Tooth Fairy’?

In Mexico it is ‘the Rat’ or ‘the Mouse.’”

— Nahira El-yabroudi, marketing communications 2015

Mali – Rebels in Mali who have

Venezuela – On first sight it

looks like a giant skateboard ramp, but what it actually is, is a mausoleum in honor of Simón Bolívar, the national hero. Built at a cost of $78 million, not everyone seems to agree that this is the best way to honor the Liberator, especially in a country struggling with housing shortage and other problems.

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lived as nomads in the Sahara, recently declared their own nation, Azawad, which includes parts of current Mali, Niger and Algeria.

However, bordering countries and the UN do not plan on recognizing this declaration, so a study abroad trip to Azawad is probably not the best idea.

Spain – While the Spanish economy is struggling, an unfortunate industry is on the rise--human trafficking. Women are lured, or sold, into the flesh trade, and they come from as far away as China, Africa and closer to home — Eastern Europe. Europe started addressing this issue in the 1990s but the recent influx will show Europe’s commitment to prohibiting prostitution.

Syria – With more than 9,000 deaths in the

country, the demands of Syrian people for a democratic government continues to be thwarted. Syria’s neighbors and the U.S. are wary of interfering as unrest could spill over to Iran and possibly mobilize the militant Hezbollah and Hamas movements.

Korea – ”In Korea, you cannot write someone’s name or your name in red. You can’t! It means you’re going to die soon. It’s really disrespectful. Even in the kindergartens they teach them like not to write names in red.”

— Soonmee Kwon, marketing communications 2015

Myanmar – After an enforced silence that lasted

Somalia – Somalia’s capital,

Mogadishu is rising, like a phoenix, from its own ashes.

What was once a shellshocked city, is now getting back on its feet. Students are back in school, the city has its first commercial bank, artists are free to express themselves, women in the police force are treated on par, and very soon their TVs will broadcast the homespun version of “American Idol.”

two decades, Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and her party, National League for Democracy, finally tasted victory in the recent elections. While she will finally hold public office, it is still in a parliament that is chock-full of members from the military-backed ruling party.

Singapore – “[Singapore has] this thing called the Hungry Ghost Festival, which is this month in the lunar calendar where apparently the gates of Hell open and all the ghosts comes out...people burn incense and leave food out for the ghosts.”

— Taina Teravainen, writing, literature and publishing 2015

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Shambhala Exhibit at the MFA

of Kings and

T

his mythical kingdom inspired Shangri-La and many have gone in search of its physical existence while some claim to have found it.

In a current MFA exhibit, art, myth and history combine, to bring Shambhala to life.

Hidden in the Himalayas, tucked into the base of a snow-covered mountain, lies the mythical city of Shambhala. According to Tibetan Buddhism, this is a place where only peace is known and all is beautiful, and will be ruled by a total succession of 32 kings who protect the Kalachakra Tantra, texts that outline methods of achieving enlightenment.

Tales of this city have inspired Western interpretations, such as the utopian valley of Shangri-La in the 1933 novel Lost Horizon.

While Shambhala and its Western counterpart may seem a thing

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Kingdoms

text and photos by julia domenicucci

of the past, the myth does have relevance today. The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) will connect the historical with the contemporary in a new exhibit, “Seeking Shambhala.”

The city is considered at once tangible and internal, depending on who you ask. Although the 14th Dalai Lama stated in 1985 that the city is “not a physical place that we can actually find,” several groups of people have proposed locations throughout Asia that may hide a real-life Shambhala. Whether you are looking for a religious ideal, a magical city ruled by kings, or an ancient civilization, it is understood that not just anyone can find Shambhala.

The exhibit at the MFA (open from March 6 to October 21)makes Shambhala accessible to a modern day audience by celebrating the city’s ancient origins as well as

its current religious and cultural importance.

Jacki Elgar, Head of Asian Conservation and Head of International Projects, Asia, is curator for this exhibit. “I was asked to do a show in the gallery space in front of the Japanese Temple Room, and my first thought was of the set of 23 Shambhala kings that we own,” says Elgar, who has been studying the 17th century paintings since the 1990s. While she and her associates spent over 4,000 hours restoring the paintings to their original hanging scroll format, Elgar realized she wanted to make the kings and their city relevant to present day viewers. “I want to make them more vibrant and vital for today’s world,” Elgar says, “and in the twenty-first century wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could look back at these kings and

understand them through different means?”

To achieve this goal, Elgar includes in the exhibit, artwork by contemporary artists Gonkar Gyatso and Tadanori Yokoo.

Although from different parts of the world – Gyatso from Tibet and Yokoo from Japan – both have made personal journeys to find Shambhala. Elgar knew the museum owned a series of prints

by Yokoo titled “SHAMBHALA,” but only discovered Gyatso’s “The Shambala in Modern Times” when it was displayed at the 2009 Venice Biennale, a large contemporary art exhibition held once every two years.

“It was like ‘Eureka! This is it! We’ve got to combine all this!’” Elgar says, describing the moment she learned of Gyatso’s work. The curator then acquired a one-to-one print of Gyatso’s piece. Elgar says that from a conservation standpoint, this is preferable to having the original, a collage which would be difficult to protect. Other work by Gyatso is included in this exhibit: a series of self-portraits and a large Buddha sculpture adorned with stickers and images.

With over 60 pieces in the exhibit, the variety of artwork expresses the original concept of Shambhala while also expanding

on it. For example, the 17th century Tibetan paintings are supplemented by artifacts depicted in the art; Gyatso’s piece is a silhouette of the Buddha consisting of words and images from many languages and modern mediums (such as magazines and stickers), and Yokoo’s prints are inspired by pop culture of the 1960s as well as his own internal search for Shambhala.

“Both [artists] are totally

different but very similar in many ways. They are so fascinating and it’s a delight for me to pull them together with these [the 17th century paintings] pieces that actually can’t speak for themselves anymore, [because] there’s no artist to talk to,” Elgar says of the decision to combine the old and the new.

The MFA’s exhibit demonstrates the relevance of Shambhala in countless ways. “I think it’s one of those shows that has many facets, so someone who’s really interested in traditional art will get something out of it, and for people who really want to make a connection today, there’s definitely that [as well],” says Elgar.

As the human race walks into the future, into the uncharted territory of new technology and new problems, the ultimate purpose of Shambhala becomes prominent. In the exhibit, the 17th century painting of Shambhala’s final king differs from the others – instead of centered on a throne, the last king and his army are rushing in from the left boundary of the painting to crush their enemies.

According to Tibetan Buddhism, the 32nd king will defeat the enemies of Shambhala and help bring the world to peace, an event that has yet to occur.

“Shambhala is this symbol to people that maybe there’s hope in the world...that there’s someone somewhere who’s holding that truth that makes us human,” Elgar asserts, “If the world self-destructs in this apocalypse, someone will have the knowledge that can bring us all back together.”

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Save the Date for a Better Tomorrow by nicole kempster

What if there were a universal law that all countries in the world had to follow, enforceable by law, ensuring a safer, greener planet for all—humans, and the flora and fauna we share this planet with?

O

ne of the major issues in global politics today is what the world is going to do about the environment. The future only seems to be getting bleaker rather than better. While most countries are trying to do their part on a small scale by reducing carbon footprints, there is no universal law or contract enforcing policies that will help save the earth. But before the year is out, there might be. The 2012 Earth Summit, or Rio +20, is a conference that will be held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil by the United Nations with the goal of agreeing on a political document that will guide action on sustainable development policy for decades to come and give birth to a World Environment Organisation.

When the United Nations first hosted a global environmental conference in the early ’70s, it was the first event that brought environmental issues to light on a larger platform. While it directly resulted in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that runs the conferences today, it did little to implement actual legislation or environmental law. However, the conference this year is expected to “issue a ‘focused political document’ tackling the transition to a ‘global green economy’ and reform of the international institutions responsible for sustainable development,” according to Grist, an award-winning online environmental news magazine.

The presence and active participation of the United States is a key factor to the success of these conferences. As one of the largest and most influential countries in the world, the United States can make or break a conference. Take for instance, the 1992 and 2002 Earth Summits. When George Bush Sr. attended the Earth Summit in 1992, it brought the publicity and attention needed for such an event to

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“

As one of the largest and most influential countries in the world, the United States can make or break a conference. be considered big enough to make the necessary changes to global policy. When the 2002 Earth Summit rolled around and George Bush Jr. did not attend, sending a representative but only for a brief time, the conference wielded some powerful legislation about deforestation that was deemed ineffective due to the lack of global participation. It seems that if this conference is to be taken seriously, the government must make it a priority.

It is hard to predict what kind of legislation might result from the upcoming Earth Summit, but leaders in the environmental world, like Camilla Toulmin, Director of the International Institute for Environment and Development, maintain that any major document drawn up at the conference must have a goal of implementing solid, attainable forms of sustainable energy world-wide. For New England

”

this could mean an increased environmental awareness in smaller, even rural, areas that currently do not have an emphasis on these kinds of issues within local government.

This could include possible federal aid for projects like The Pilgrim Wind in Plymouth, Massachusetts or increase the incentive for MBTA rail stations, like the one in Kingston that want to switch to having 65% of their power derived from wind.

If more MBTA stations follow in Kingston’s footsteps, we might find these sustainable stations a part of the future here in Boston— though it may mean some construction on the T in the next few years.

As far as Emerson is concerned, we seem to be constantly aware of the environmental impact of our everyday tasks. From discontinuing trays in the Dining Hall last year to save water, to the recent phasing

out of disposable water bottles to reduce waste, the students here are active when it comes to reducing the college’s impact on the environment. Next, it might be an increased awareness of recycling on the bins currently on campus which now seem to be indiscernible from trash cans for a majority of students.

Whether it is large scale, mainstream efforts to instill sustainable energy as a part of our culture or smaller efforts, such as throwing a plastic bottle in the recycling bin, it is important the students see how legislation from the upcoming Earth Summit could affect us as individuals. As a generation whose lives and choices will be defined by decisions made at events like Rio +20, it is in our interest to stay informed especially when it comes to environmental topics that will affect us.

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Germany Prepares for Mein Kampf ’s Return

F

by Natalie Zarowny

ew titles inspire as visceral a reaction as does Mein Kampf. The mere mention of the autobiography conjures an image of one of history’s most ghastly figures, and everything he stood for. The 700 plus page text, written during a year-long prison stint, was Hitler’s lengthy creed; the ideological blueprint for what would result in the Holocaust and countless other Nazi atrocities.

Mein Kampf has reared its ugly head again because of a German copyright law originally implemented before Hitler’s birth.

The amended law states that once a text is published, an author’s copyright is protected by the government for their entire life, plus 70 years following death.

This means that since Hitler’s 1945 suicide), Mein Kampf has been protected under Bavarian law, with the German government in sole control over who’s allowed to publish the text in the country.

This also means 2015 marks the end of that control.

German government officials and Jewish organizations around the world are holding their breath as the date grows ever closer. Recently, Peter McGee, a British publisher, attempted to publish certain passages from Mein Kampf, accompanied with historical commentary in the German weekly, Zeitungszeugen.

As it has done in the past with

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similar attempts to publish all, or parts of Mein Kampf, the Bavarian government thwarted McGee’s endeavor. With just three years before the expiration of copyright, the selections would have been the first time any part of the book was reprinted in a newspaper or magazine in Germany since the end of World War II. The irony of the strict governmental control over the Mein Kampf’s publication is that anyone in Germany can find the otherwise copyrighted material. If you search for the book on Google in Germany, a complete Germanlanguage edition of Mein Kampf is second in the list of results. With the advent of the Internet, it’s difficult to effectively ban any text entirely.

Murray Schwartz, a Holocaust literature professor at Emerson, comments on the matter of the text’s accessibility. “Access to the book [from] almost anywhere is not in doubt…its publication in Germany is a symbolic act, as it always has been. Banning Mein Kampf meant renunciation of Nazism, but I don’t think that, today, publication would mean acceptance of either Hitler or Nazism.” Schwartz says not allowing the book to be published no longer serves the purpose it once did. “Publication will neither increase nor decrease antiSemitism or hatred, in my view, and Germany is an open society.

Online or in print, let daylight be the best disinfectant.”

As 2015 approaches it brings with it the very real possibility that a neo-Nazi group would jump at the chance to publish a version of the autobiography. The German government released a study in January that found one in five Germans harbor anti-Semitic attitudes. And a German neo-Nazi ring linked to at least nine killings, was shut down in November 2011.

Incidents like this and also the symbolism behind Mein Kampf explains the German government’s hesitation to publish it. While they are waiting till 2015, the German government is preparing for the eventuality of the book being reprinted by biased minds. As historian Edith Raim of the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich told The New York Times in February 2010, “We hope to prevent neo-Nazi publications by putting out a commented, scholarly edition…

Mein Kampf is one of the central texts if you want to explain National Socialism, and it hasn’t been available in a commented edition at all in Germany.”

Mein Kampf’s nearing copyright expiration may be an uncomfortable topic, but the assurance that an informed version will be made available to the public allays some of the tension and fear surrounding its release in Germany.

European Eats by elizabeth nash

Brussels and Bruge

Everything good/sinful to eat comes from Belgium. The staples center around pastries and chocolate and butter, oh my! This is the perfect destination for anyone with more than one “guilty” food pleasure.

Italy

All the stereotypes about Italian food are 100% correct. After a long lunch of pasta bolognese, filet of beef, and a tower of tiramisu, it is impossible to get up. Throw away any fear of carbs and dive into a pool of pasta and a bowl of bread.

Paris

Three course lunches are common in France. Roasted goat cheese, creamy risotto, and decadent chocolate cake can make up an entire afternoon. It’s the attention to detail and the high-quality ingredients that invite people to stay for hours on end.

Munich

The beer gardens of southern Germany make for an idyllic spot to enjoy lunch. Rows of chestnut trees shade the long picnic tables, where melt-in-your-mouth chicken, salted pretzels, and a hearty cold beer await.

For the full-length review, visit our blog at atlasmagazine.org

INDUSTRY How To Avoid #PostGradProblems by carrie cabral

T

he post-college job search can be intimidating, especially in the competitive markets of arts and communications.

Students often worry about finding jobs after graduation; so much so, that the myth often circles around that it is impossible for Emerson students to find a job after graduation. However, each industry, from journalism to publishing to theater, is growing and changing in its own way in order to better suit the needs our fast-paced society, and as a student, you have the advantage: technology. In order to give yourself that extra edge, networking is key in every industry.

JOURNALISM/COMMUNICATIONS Print media, the traditional form of journalism, is disappearing and concerned students worry about the future of journalism and mass communication.

Several publications, including The New York Times, have added digital circulations—a move that provides opportunity for aspiring journalists.

Current students are much more adept at handling the fast-paced world of media, such as blogs, and as a result can better handle situations in which quick action and efficiency are required. According to the Washington Post, print circulation itself was up five percent in the last year, mainly due to a growing literacy rate worldwide. The field of communications similarly follows the trend of increased Internet and social media use, and its broadness gives recent graduates an advantage.

Because the industry is moving into a more technology-reliant phase, companies look for employees who can navigate social media easily.

This allows communications majors to work toward a journalism career, pursue other forms of writing, or find jobs in coordinator positions.

“Companies look for employees who can navigate social media easily .”

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MARKETING There will always be a need for employees who can figure out how to sell products to consumers. For marketing majors, the experience in technology, both in social media and other outlets, aids them in finding success in the field.

“Employers are much more likely to hire someone new who already knows the technology, rather than try to teach someone old how to do things,” says Carol Spector, director of Career Services at Emerson. Versatility is becoming a highly coveted skill in the marketing world, and can translate into other areas of the workplace.

WRITING, LITERATURE, AND PUBLISHING This major can be particularly daunting postgrad, according to Spencer, because students worry they won’t be doing what they feel qualified to do. “They’re worried about using their education to get people coffee,” she says.

While this is possible, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s inevitable. For this field, the preemptive measure to take is to obtain as many internships opportunities as possible. This helps students build relationships with people in the profession that could one day help them find a job that is fitting of their skills and education.

VISUAL MEDIA ARTS Many film students express fear over heading out to Los Angeles and not finding work in their field.

After four years of hard work, it’s discouraging to think that the only available position will be an entry level assistant. In a hit-or-miss profession, this does sometimes happen; however, the connections film students make during internships in Boston and the Los Angeles program can help them out of the rut.

“Having connections in the three major areas, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles, can help you in ways that you wouldn’t have expected,” Spector says. This means introducing yourself to not only more people with whom you may one day find employment, but also to a wider variety of places where work is available, instead of solely L.A.

“Cooperation among theaters is part of the future... there is a lot of co-producing.”

THEATER For both acting and other jobs in theater, such as set design or directing, one concern is whether there is any money to be made in theater after graduation. The good news is that people have been graduating from Emerson with theater degrees for years and have found work in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. Theater students should not only focus on perfecting their art, but also in networking as much as possible and building relationships with alumni and current students.

Much of show business is about being in the right place at the right time. According to a Craig Lambert’s article in Harvard Magazine, “Cooperation among theaters is part of the future. In the past, theaters have been very proprietary, holding onto world-premiere rights.

Now, many places are sharing; there is a lot of co-producing.”

Theater is breaking away from the traditional format where one theater has rights to a show and to actors. In many ways, it is becoming more collaborative and presenting further opportunities.

COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS Unlike many other majors at Emerson, communication disorders isn’t faced with as competitive a market right after graduation.

However, people who study in this area are concerned with their educational future. In order to get a job in communication disorders, one must continue to graduate school before work seems realistic—higher degrees are necessary to set up a private practice or to work in one. Students’ concerns revolve around whether or not they will get into a respectable graduate school, and if they don’t, can they still get some kind of a related job with their major?

“A lot of communication disorders majors will do post-grad paid internships,” Spector says. “Or they observe someone and use that to fulfill a later requirement.” Patience is key for communication disorders majors, in order to pursue further education.

Any job search, from a summer job to a potential career can be daunting and frustrating. Emerson graduates can deter some of this stress by participating in internships to build connections throughout their four years of school and taking advantage of the opportunities in the changing markets. Future employment is a worrisome concept, but experience with technology and willingness to network can relieve some of the anxiety.

“The connections film students make during internships in Boston and the Los Angeles program can help them out of the rut.”

“Patience is key for communication disorders majors, in order to pursue further education.”

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Walking a Behind-the-Scenes Balance Beam by victoria martins photo courtesy of claire kaiser

C

laire Kaiser rushes to the phone and picks it up. “Can I call you back in five? I’m in the cafeteria where I work.” Always working, whether on side projects or on procuring new jobs, Kaiser has already launched herself into a career as a young adult.

She was raised in Stratford, Connecticut, and graduated this past December with a B.A. in theater studies and a concentration in design, namely costuming. Now, she works all over Boston designing wardrobes for shows and different projects. A few of her most current projects include a show at Newton Country Day School, working with the After Shakespeare Project, and a student-written show at Emerson.

Kaiser started out at Emerson as a musical theater student, but in her sophomore year realized that she wanted to do more than perform for the stage—she wanted to work with the other aspects of shows: design, costuming, and behind-the-scenes production.

After two years as an MT student, she switched into the Theater Studies program. “I took a class in costume design and I really enjoyed that, and got a job in a costume shop.” she says. With the new spark for design, she continued in her studies and found a mentor in design tech—Professor Rafael Jaen. “I was new and I wasn’t a BFA. He was nice to me and said: ‘We’re gonna get you involved.’ He put me in touch with other great students,” Kaiser says of Jaen. Under his instruction, and with the help of her peers, Kaiser honed her design skills and discovered that she loved the creativity of costuming. Now,

she is involved in many different aspects of theater, including ticket sales, costuming, and behind-the-scenes work.

“When I decided to change my major, I came here thinking I was going to perform, and I enjoyed it, but I knew I needed to try other things,” Kaiser says.

“I feel good that people consider me a designer. I always thought of myself as that.” However, she is still balancing performing and behind-the-scenes work.

“It’s still hard to see people singing and dancing,” she says, feeling that finding the balance between her two passions in one of her biggest struggles. Despite this, she still loves the jobs she has now.

Kaiser is currently employed at Harvard Square’s “Oberon.” She has been there since October 2011, while balancing another job at the Lyric Stage Company in Downtown Boston.

There, she has worked in the box office for three years, even after graduating.

“Making connections and networking is the most important. Try to get in with things while you’re in school—if you’ve made a name for yourself while you’re in school—[employers are] going to want you when you’ve graduated,” she advises.

In her case, Kaiser’s talent is the reason that she can secure many jobs—employers liked the results she produced. “I definitely feel accomplished that people ask me to work with them,” she says. “I really think a lot of it is reputation.” Marketing herself through email, Emerson networks, and friendships has also allowed her to diversify the theater companies for which she works.

Kaiser simultaneously balances work

on different projects around Boston developing wardrobes, where she works with other graduates. Many of the jobs she works are peer-run by fellow Emerson grads and people she met at school.

One of these peer-run jobs included a collaboration with a fellow Emerson graduate, Amber Voner, a B.F.A. design tech who graduated from Emerson in 2010. Voner asked Kaiser if she would be interested in helping her with a project at a Newton middle school, a production of The Mikado. Even though the cast of The Mikado was comprised of 50 girls from grades six through eight, Kaiser says, “Amber’s done a great job at making this as professional an experience as possible.” On the set, Kaiser helped not only with costuming, but many aspects of the show, including organization backstage. Her success in finding these jobs could not have happened without the wide reach of Emerson networks.

“One of the best resources I have found looking for work is the Emerson community,” she said. When she graduated, she sent out an email to all of the people she had made connections with, saying she was going to be around Boston and wanted some experience.

“Emerson hired me. Amber called me,” explains Kaiser. Because of this, she now has a set job plan through the spring, working at the box office for Lyric Stage Company, and with a variety of theater companies, including Emerson Stage.

As for future plans, Kaiser wants to balance her design work with some auditions for acting jobs over the summer. She says that nothing is set in stone for her—she just wants to learn as much as possible.

“I’m still a student, just now I’m a student in the real world,” she says.

From Retail to Real Life

I

by taryn balchunas

may not study marketing communication or a major directly related to retail, but I learned that working a retail job helped me develop necessary skills I will need in my future writing career.

I am a writing, literature & publishing major, and last summer I accepted a sales associate position at Gap. I applied because I was looking to save money before my upcoming semester abroad. I never expected to learn as much as I did in six months.

As an Emerson student, I found that working at Gap provided many benefits. My store location in Faneuil Hall is a 20-minute walk and less than 10-minute T ride from campus. It also has flexible hours and allows for networking opportunities with customers from all over the globe.

It was not often that a celebrity walked into our Gap store while I was working. My bosses at Gap never gave me a manual on how to assist celebrities, but they did train me to interact with all types of customers.

Thanks to their guidance, I was prepared to assist actress Renée Zellweger when she entered our store.

I saw Zellweger’s head bent while making my rounds and greeted her with my go-to line, “Hi, how are you today?” When she looked up to see who was addressing her, I recognized that she was the famous actress. Instead of treating her like a celebrity, I

“I found that retail is an industry that provides for countless networking opportunities.” treated her as if she were any other customer shopping in the store. I asked if there was any way I could assist her further, and notified my co-workers of her presence over the walkie while I went to check on an item for her.

My interaction with Zellweger was one of the many opportunities

I had to meet new people, and an experience that tested my professionalism.

From this encounter, I learned that I indeed had the ability to talk to anyone in the social hierarchy while sharing collective responsibility with my coworkers. This obtained skill can help me interact with future employers and editors in my field.

I am not normally a “people person” per se, so I struggled adapting to this work environment. Luckily, Emerson alum and former visual merchandising manager at Gap, ATLASMAGAZINE.ORG

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Nick Vargas ’10, acted as my unofficial mentor in my starting months at work. He taught me the ins and outs of the company: how to deal with all types of customers, how to sell merchandise, and how to fold clothes the “Gap” way.

He never failed to quiz me on the customer benefits of opening a Gap card every time he was on duty.

In his five years working at Gap, Vargas quickly worked his way up in the company. Starting work as a senior in high school and transferring to the Faneuil Hall location while attending Emerson, Vargas, a theatre education major, worked part-time for about four years before joining the visual

I’m able to easily communicate with whomever I interact,” Vargas explains.

With the struggling economy, not all students with part-time jobs have the same advantage as Vargas, and have to work parttime in a field that is irrelevant to their major. Regardless, I found that retail is an industry that provides countless networking opportunities.

I met writer and independent business owner, Renée ter Berg of Breda, The Netherlands by chance one day at work. She was in Boston visiting her sister and was shopping in my section, Kids & Baby, for her three-year-old daughter. While assisting her,

met these people from previous part-time jobs and took advantage of networking with them.

Both Vargas and ter Berg are examples of professionals that transfer learned experience from part-time jobs to their desired career. Vargas does so through his customer service skills, and ter Berg does so through her networking connections. Learning these skills from their experience and my own experience benefited me in my part-time job in retail.

However, other skills that my job at Gap provided were those of creativity and inspiration.

The Faneuil Hall Gap store is in a prime tourist location and therefore attracts customers of all

“The interactions I had with customers allowed for character and story inspiration in my fiction pieces.” merchandising team. While a member of this team, he helped create enticing and attractive displays to showcase items and increase revenue. He worked with visuals for four months before graduating from Emerson, and then was promoted to manager five months later. After managing for a little over a year and a half, Vargas decided to leave the company to pursue a career more directly related to his major. I learned from keeping in touch with Vargas that he is working as an artistic apprentice at Imagination Stage in Washington, D.C. I always admired Vargas while working with him, and still have a reason to: he applies valuable interpersonal communication skills he learned at Gap to his current job. “Every day I need to interact with patrons of the theater, actors, designers, and staff people. After years of dealing with the most bizarre to the most mild mannered customers and fellow employees,

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I struck up a conversation and discovered that she was a fellow writer. Ter Berg owns her own independent freelance journalism business, writes for lifestyle and company magazines, has multiple jobs as a copywriter, and frequently sends off her work for publication. At the end of her transaction, she handed me her business card so we could keep in touch.

I was excited about the prospect of connecting with ter Berg, because she works in the writing industry and only lives a couple of hours away from Well, where I am studying this semester. In February, I met up with her in Breda. We discussed my travels and our aspirations as writers.

During our meeting, I learned more about ter Berg’s independent business. “It’s only me, but I have a large network of photographers, designers, and PR agencies that I often work with on larger projects,” she explains. Ter Berg

generations, races, and genders.

The interactions I had with customers allowed for character and story inspiration in my fiction pieces. Whenever there was a slow period, I was able to brainstorm ideas while folding clothes.

Working part-time at Gap allowed me to develop the confidence to interact with all types of people, taught me to hone my organizational and interpersonal communication skills, enabled me to network with customers, and gave me inspiration for my stories.

However, I think the best lesson learned about working part-time in retail can be applied to your future career and life in general.

According to Vargas, “It also taught me that if one day isn’t going great, to move forward and hopefully tomorrow will be.”

Listings compiled by carrie cabral, victoria martins, and jim trinh

Entry Level Positions MARKETING Outside Sales Media Consultant SuperMedia, 35 Village Rd., Waltham, MA. Consult with local clients, deliver exceptional customer service, oversee clients’ campaigns, and determine plans to achieve sales goals. Apply on http://bit.ly/SMSP1019MA. Salary to be determined.

Event Manager influencers@, 107 Brighton Ave., Boston, MA. Contact Howard Davidson at howard@influencers. at. Plan, execute, and participate in offline marketing events, recruit appropriate team members, coordinate time, location, and set up event materials. Send resume. Salary to be negotiated.

Analytics Specialist, Marketing Research Cogent Research, Cambridge, MA. Collaborate with project teams to design and execute survey instruments, manage full project load, provide advanced survey design, date cleaning, programming and analytics to enhance research deliverables. Submit resume, cover letter, and salary requirements using online application at http://tbe.taleo.net/NA8/ats/careers/ requisition.jsp org=COGENT&cws=1&rid=65. Salary to be negotiated.

COMMUNICATION DISORDERS Speech-Language Pathologist Revera Living/ Premier Therapy Services, 287 South Main St., Lambertville, NJ. Contact Jeffrey Lutley at jlutley@premiertherapyservices. com. Provide speech-language pathology therapy at one of their in-house Premier Therapy skilled nursing subacute facilities. Email Jeffrey Lutley. Salary to be negotiated.

Speech and Language Pathologist Project CHILLD, 500 Cummings Center, Beverly, MA. Contact Lynn Doucette at info@projectchilld.com. Utilize individualized, child-centered therapeutic techniques to address each child’s needs; promote generalization of skills at home, school, and community. Email cover letter and resume to info@projectchilld.com. Salary to be negotiated.

Speech and Language Pathologist South Bay Mental Health Center, 1115 West Chestnut St., Brockton, MA. Contact Patrick Higham at phigham@ southbaymentalhealth.com. Conduct assessments, provide community, and home-based services.

Submit resume and cover letter to jobs@ southbaymentalhealth.com or fax to 508-580-5192.

Please reference “SLP” in subject line. Salary to be negotiated.

PERFORMING ARTS Technical Director Zach Theatre, Austin, TX. Contact Barbara Chisholm at barbara@zachtheatre.org. Supervise and execute all scenery and special effects, provide technical support to Education Department, develop production calendar and build schedules. Submit resume along with three references to barbara@ zachtheatre.org. Salary to be negotiated.

Arden Professional Apprentice Arden Theatre Company, 40 N. 2nd St., Philadelphia, PA. Contact Maureen Mullin at mmullin@ardentheatre.org. Work in every aspect of operations including front of the house, box office, marketing, development, artistic, and management. Apply on ardentheatre.org/ opportunities/apa.html. Salary: $400/wk.

Assistant Company Manager Arena Stage, 1101 6th St., Washington, DC. Contact Molly Smith at jobs@arenastage. org. Coordinate travel for all visiting actors, directors, designers; assist in creation and maintenance of seasonal contract files; serve as first respondent for Company Management emergencies; check and prepare bills and reimbursements. Send cover letter, resume, and references to Caroline Baron, Human Resources Manager, Arena Stage, 1101 6th Street, SW, Washington, D.C. 20024. Salary to be negotiated.

JOURNALISM Photojournalist WTMJ-TV Journal Broadcast Group, Milwaukee, WI. Operate electronic news gathering equipment, run live microwave truck, screen and log news and sports videotape. Send resume and cover letter to Jim Cullen, Journal Broadcast Group, 720 E. Capitol Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53212, at jcullen@ journalbroadcastgroup.com. Salary: non-exempt.

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On-Air Personalities Entercom Boston LLC, Boston, MA. Need to be an experienced on-air personality.

Submit CD/tape, cover letter, resume, and completed application to: hrboston@entercom.com or Entercom, HR Department, 20 Guest Street, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02135. Application can be printed from entercom. com/pages/jobs.html. Salary to be negotiated.

Weekend Assignment Editor/Associate Producer WPRI/FOX Providence, East Providence, RI. Gather news and information for weekend newscast, assign and coordinate photographer/reporter news teams and live crews, monitor police/fire scanners for breaking news, enterprise original story ideas, write stories for website. Send resume and cover letter to: Karen Rezendes, WPRI/WNAC TV, 25 Catamore Boulevard, East Providence, RI 02914. Salary to be negotiated.

Broadcast Traffic Manager WBIN-TV, Derry, NH. Prepare daily program log by obtaining information such as source, calculate exact length of programs and time slots, create and issue weekly computerized program schedule, maintain program logging, or other operational procedures. Send resume, references, and cover letter to jobs@wbintv.com. Salary to be negotiated.

Anchor WPEC NEWS 12, 1100 Fairfield Dr., West Palm Beach, FL. Contact Deborah Smith at deborahsmith@ sbgnet.com. Need to be aggressive, creative, and independent; a newsroom leader; have hands-on approach and complement current anchor. Apply online at www.sbgi.net and include web link of work while completing online application. If you do not have a web link, please send a non-returnable demo tape to WPEC, 1100 Fairfield Drive, West Palm Beach, FL 33407, Attn: Cathy Younkin. Salary to be negotiated.

Assignment Editor WFTX-TV Journal Broadcast Group, Ft. Myers, FL. Serve as assignment editor on weeknight shifts, assign stories, script write, keep track of logistical demands, make beat calls, assist in updating the website. Send cover letter and resume to: Eric Maze, News Director, WFTX-TV, 621 S.W. Pine Island Rd, Cape Coral, FL 33991, emaze@ journalbroadcastgroup.com

front-end jQuery/Java Script. Email resume to Andre Gabriel at andre@butlr.com. Salary to be negotiated.

Entry Level Graphic Design Position Boston Productions, Inc., 290 Vanderbilt Av., Norwood, MA. Contact Sam Stone at imagine@bostonproductions. com. Create interface screens, edit audio files, create storyboard for proposals, research video footage.

Email cover letter, resume, and link to digital designs to imagine@bostonproductions.com. Salary: $10/hr.

Multimedia, Web, & eLearning Developer Illumina Interactive, 990 Washington St., Dedham, MA. Contact Michael Getz at mgetz@illumina-interactive. com. Collaborate with small teams of designers and developers to produce engaging, interactive web-based training applications for healthcare, biotechnology, government and educational clients.

Send cover letter, resume, samples and/or links to work to mgetz@illumina-interactive.com. Salary: based on experience.

Video Editor/Designer VOX Global, 200 N. Broadway, St. Louis, MO. Contact Darcy Essmyer at darcy.essmyer@ fleishman.com. Lead video projects from ideation through post-production, function independently to concept, create, produce, and edit, produce websites using high impact design, persuasion, and user engagement. Submit resume that includes link to online portfolio. Salary to be negotiated.

Digital Video Producer/Editor Weber Shandwick, Boston, MA. Work to edit client videos; create, manage, and report project status; introduce clients to new capabilities; prepare and/or review activity reports and status reports for clients; concept direct, shoot, edit selected filed productions. Submit resume and cover letter to jobsboston@webershandwick.com.

Salary to be negotiated.

WRITING, LITERATURE, AND PUBLISHING

VISUAL MEDIA ARTS

Editor Law360, 860 Broadway, New York, NY. Contact Misha Fekishazy at misha.fekishazy@law360.com.

Approve news articles and features, write headlines, line edit, copy edit, fact check, and examine newsletters prior to publication. Apply at tbe.taleo. net/NA1/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=PORTFOLI OMEDIA&cws=1&rid=37. Salary: $45,000/yr.

Java Developer Butlr.com, 67 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge, MA. Contact Andre Gabriel at andre@butlr. com. Manage multiple crawlers, collaborate with team of visual designers to integrate their designs with back-end technologies, help integrate a fair amount of

Associate Publisher (Mindful) Shambhala Sun Foundation, 1660 Hollis Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Contact Cindy Littlefair at c.littlefair@shambhalasun.com.

Oversee daily operations, join cross-functional team of senior managers, oversee financial management,

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develop and implement strategies to expand audience and increase revenue, direct and manage all advertising and sponsorship sales. Send resume and cover letter with “Associate Publisher” in subject line to Publisher James Gimian, jgimian@shambhalasun. com. Salary: $55,000 to $70,000.

Digital Products Assistant Cheng & Tsui Company, Boston, MA. Produce iBooks and other digital learning products developed in house, assist in coordinating projects, test and debug digital learning products, assist in technology and vendor research and competitive scan. Email resume and cover letter and your recent salary history to hr@cheng-tsui.com.

Include Digital Products Assistant in the subject line.

Salary to be negotiated.

Reader Concierge NetGalley, 44 Merrimac St., Newburyport, MA. Contact Lindsey Rudnickas at info@netgalley.com. Answer support inquiries from professional readers, maintain NetGalley’s presence on Twitter and Facebook, perform daily new-members outreach and classification, write newsletters and blog posts, assist other members of NetGalley team. Salary: commensurate with experience.

Internships WRITING, LITERATURE, AND PUBLISHING Research Intern American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA. Email application and resume to Carol-Ann P. Mackey, Director of Human Resources, at: cmackey@mwa.org. Catalogue library resources, administer office operations, proofread educational materials, and prepare media materials.

Rolling applications, pay negotiable.

JOURNALISM Broadcast Intern CBS Boston, 1170 Soldiers Field Rd., Boston, MA. Applicants should mail application, resume and transcript to address. Choose from all fields of the new industry to work, including newsroom, sports, sales, and creative services. Unpaid.

Radio Intern CBS Boston, 1170 Soldiers Field Rd., Boston, MA. Applicants should mail application, resume, and other materials to Ashley Gillis. This position is meant for students interested in broadcasting, and departments include news, sales, and web design.

15 hours/week minimum, unpaid, and qualifies for credit.

VISUAL MEDIA ARTS Production Intern Mass MoCA, 1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA. Send materials to Meghan Robertson, company manager. Maintain and promote art in production, graphic design, and arts administration. $100/week.

MARKETING Summer Internship Patch.com, 1 Post Office Square, Boston, MA. Interested applicants should submit the application online. Provide news about local events, services, and businesses. Unpaid.

Management Internship Investment Property Specialists, 945 Concord St., Framingham, MA. Email application to info@ipsre.com. Provide commercial real estate listings, property management services, aid business owners in finding space for lease, manage office and other aspects of commercial real estate.

Unpaid.

Volunteer Opportunities Partners for Youth with Disabilities 95 Berkeley St., Boston, MA. 617-556-4075. pyd.org. Serve on event logistics committee; research and cultivate potential cash and in-kind sponsors; and assist with development outreach, mailings, and marketing materials.

WorldTeach 1 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA. 617-4855527. worldteach.org. Live and work as a volunteer teacher in developing countries.

Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts 815 Court Square, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02108. lvm.org. 617-3671313. Provide free, confidential, and individualized tutoring to adults in basic reading and writing, and English to speakers of other languages.

Hancock Shaker Village PO Box 927, Pittsfield, MA. 413-443-0188. hancockshakervillage.org. Present and interpret farm and gardens for adult and children visitors, and engage diverse audience with educational and interpretive programming.

The Internationalist 4 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA. 617-293-7787. internationalist.com. Work on actual live internet sites, depending on skill level.

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Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts 298 Union St., Lynn, MA. 781244-1428. clcm.org Oversee and respond to requests for assistance from children and parents through CLCM’s statewide intake line, provide follow-up information to callers, and initiate investigations for possible legal representation.

Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center 885 Washington St., Boston, MA. 617-635-5129. bcnc.net Provide homework support and subject tutoring to students in a small group or one-on-one setting and provide assistance to enrichment instructors.

Boston Rescue Mission 39 Kingston St., Boston, MA. 617-338-9000. brm. org. Assist shelter guest intake, help serve evening meals, handle phone coverage, and check residents in and out.

Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. 22 Elm Hill Ave., Roxbury, MA. 617-442-5900. bostonabcd.org. Attend new or refresher tax law training as needed, including training on the use of electronic filing software, prepare tax returns, and complete tax returns in timely fashion.

Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts 24 Eliot St., Jamaica Plain, MA. 617524-3313. eliotschool.org. Project plan, manage classrooms, and interact with schools.

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On behalf of the entire Atlas magazine staff, we offer a sincere thank you to: Alternative Spring Break Jordan Baker Claude Bartholomew Robert & Charlene Bellomo Paul Beulieu Cloie Biscaldi Maria & Carl Biscaldi Mark and Patti Boucher Gina Bowen Carol Cappadona Joan Cappadona Deborah Coffey Lisa Cohn George Colby John Debczak Lisa Domenicucci Joan Domenicucci Robert & Laurie Dwyer Beth Esmond Victoria Fantasia Adriana Guida Will Higgins David Isenhart Inigo Javaloyes Kendall Press Kurt Kolok Mariana Larrazabal Mark Lemley Amanda Lisinski

Janet Lisinski Gian Lombardo Maura Lyons David Macomber Ed McDonald Elaine McMillion Ryan Monteiro Robert & June Monteiro Dennis Moore Ann Morgan Aravind Nair Jeff Ortakales Judy Parker Ken Racicot Jean Rao Joanne Reynolds Nick Reynolds Roger & Linda Rotschafer Benjamin Russel The Scribbler’s Suite Mike Sellari Kim Terrio Isabel Thottam Margaret Veinott Ed & Betty Wodjeski Kate Wodjeski Dan & Charlotte Worley Linda Zola