M O N D A Y NOVEMBER 10, 2003
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD Volume CXXXVIII, No. 110
An independent newspaper serving the Brown community since 1891
Hate crime and thefts top campus crime report
Simmons explains capital campaign
BY ZACH BARTER
Officers are investigating the Thursday night assault of a male Brown student near Pembroke campus as a hate crime. The assault capped a three-week period that included a number of thefts as well as a robbery on Oct. 26. The student reported walking at the corner of Brown Street and Meeting Street around 11 p.m. when a black SUV pretended to run him down. The car’s occupants then yelled racial slurs at the student before driving away. The Department of Public Safety informed the campus community of the assault in an e-mail Friday afternoon. A female student later reported seeing the SUV drive past her with one female and five male occupants. DPS is asking for anyone with information about the assault to help in the investigation. The assault follows the Oct. 26 robbery of a female RISD student outside Andrews Hall. The three-week period ending Nov. 6 saw the thefts of three car stereos and two bicycles. DPS also received reports of a stolen laptop, cellular phone, entertainment system and purse. DPS received reports of vehicle break-ins on Cushing and Charlesfield streets and at the corner of Prospect and Waterman streets. Bikes were reported stolen from outside Perkins and Barus and Holley. A resident of Grad Center C reported the disappearance of his laptop computer and camera from his room on Nov. 3. Both the inner room and outer suite doors had been propped open. A resident of Grad Center A reported the disappearance of her cellular phone from the building’s kitchen, where she had left it unattended. DPS also received a report of a stolen handbag from an office in the CIT. A DVD/VCR player, as well as a stereo unit and Nintendo 64 system, were reported stolen from the Goddard lounge between Oct. 28 and Oct. 30. The door had been left unlocked. Herald senior staff writer Zach Barter ’06 covers crime. He can be reached at zbarter@browndailyherald.com.
Photo courtesy of Juhyung Harold Lee
Over 200 people attended Saturday’s Asian American History Month Convocation in Salomon, where members of Mango Tribe, an ensemble of multi-ethnic, lingual and disciplinary Asian/Pacific Islander American women, performed a combination of slam poetry, dance and song.The event, sponsored by the Third World Center and WORD!, also featured a performance by alum Vincent Chong ’03. A Salomon lobby exhibit of Asian-American activism at Brown greeted attendees of the convocation.
The gifts Brown’s capital campaign collects today will shape the scope of the campaign and sharpen the Initiatives for Academic Enrichment, according to President Ruth Simmons. In the opening stages of the campaign’s initial phase, Simmons is responsible for soliciting gifts “at the top of the pyramid,” she told The Herald Friday. At this level, the task becomes identifying a project that interests the donor and then modifying the project to meet those interests, she said. While the campus is familiar with the initiatives, input from donors will add “twists” to plans for new student residences, fitness facilities and the expansion of the faculty, Simmons said. A donor’s interest in building a café, for example, could influsee SIMMONS, page 4
Int’l Writers Project supports oppressed writers Panelists agree treatment of writers reflects state of country BY HANNAH DEAN
The International Writers Project’s Saturday panel illuminated the implications of writing under extreme governmental censorship. The project, inaugurated this weekend by the “Freedom to Write” conference, is designed to provide safe havens for writers who are persecuted and prevented from writing in their own countries. Much of the discussion on Saturday focused on the trouble of finding a safe place to write. A place to imagine, panelists agreed, is the best defense against oppressive conditions. “The state of the writer is a telltale sign of how the country will fare,” said Joanne LeedomAckerman, novelist and vice president of International PEN Considering the state of free speech in the United States, this is not a promising sign for its politics, she said. Recent anti-terrorist legislation clearly deprives American writers of their freedom of expression, according to Leedom-Ackerman. Citizens
must fight such legislation for their own protection, and also for the sake of persecuted writers everywhere, she said. Countries like Eritrea and Zimbabwe now use American anti-terrorist laws to justify more heinous acts of oppression, such as the suspension of privately-owned news publications, said Larry Siems, director of PEN America. “Fighting this at home is a way of helping writers and readers around the world,” he said. Caribbean poet and scholar see IWP, page 4
Nobel laureate and poet discuss antiterrorist laws and writers’ safety BY SHEELA RAMAN
America’s anti-terrorist legislation supports the oppression of creative arts, worsening the plight of persecuted writers across the globe, according to writers at the inaugural celebration of the International Writers Project over the weekend. “Most Americans don’t realize that a huge prison is really being
Why protest? Lots of reasons, opinions columnist says Brian Rainey ’04 column, page 11
Trustman ’07: CNN behind Rock the Vote question, so don’t blame student column, page 11
constructed around them,” said Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian Nobel laureate and the celebration’s Saturday keynote speaker. The two-day event, “Freedom to Write,” took place Friday and Saturday in Starr Auditorium and marked the official welcome of the IWP’s first fellow, Shahrnush Parsipur, to Brown. Parsipur is an exiled Iranian novelist who has been imprisoned twice in her country for her work. To help support creative writers who are targets of repressee WRITERS, page 4
Cultural dinner brings the world to Brown BY LOUIS TEE
Nick Neely / Herald
The Hellenic Student Association were one of the many groups that performed at Friday’s BRIO World Cultural Dinner.
I N S I D E M O N D AY, N O V E M B E R 1 0 , 2 0 0 3 Korean artist recreates his living spaces in installation at Bell Gallery in List arts & culture, page 3
www.browndailyherald.com
Flags from 60 different countries adorned the walls of Andrews Dining Hall Friday as the Brown International Organization celebrated its fifth annual World Cultural Dinner. Cuisine from all over the world and performances by Brown student groups drew about 160 people to the event. After an opening address by BRIO President Sendi Kalaora ’05, where she welcomed the audience with greetings in several languages, the night kicked off with Latin dancing by the Brown Ballroom Club. see BRIO, page 8
TO D AY ’ S F O R E C A S T Andrew Tobolowsky ’07 explains what to watch and what to ignore in the NBA sports, page 12
Field hockey plays well but falls short of Ivy title with weekend loss to Yale sports, page 12
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
THIS MORNING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 2 Coup de Grace Grace Farris
W E AT H E R MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
High 49 Low 33 mostly sunny
High 53 Low 43 showers
High 57 Low 40 rain
High 51 Low 29 showers GRAPHICS BY TED WU
Three Words Eddie Ahn
MENU THE RATTY LUNCH — Vegetarian Tomato Bisque, French Onion Soup, French Taco Sandwich, Comino Chicken Sandwich, Eggplant Parmesan Grinder, Italian Vegetable Sautee, Lemon Squares, Brazilian Chocolate Cake, Apple Streusel Pie
V-DUB LUNCH —Vegetarian Vegetable Barley Soup, Chicken Okra Gumbo Soup, Jamie’s Spiced Chicken Wings, Baked Manicotti with Tomato Sauce, Corn & Broccoli Casserole, Lemon Squares DINNER — Vegetarian Vegetable Barley Soup, Chicken Okra Gumbo Soup, Pork Chops with Seasoned Crumbs, Tofu Parmesan, Parsley Potatoes, Fresh Vegetable Melange, Wax Beans, Hearth Bread, Brazilian Chocolate Cake
DINNER — Vegetarian Tomato Bisque, French Onion Soup, Chicken Saltimbocca, Fried Shrimp, Pastito, Lemon Rice, Rabe, Belgian Carrots, Hearth Bread, Lemon Squares, Brazilian Chocolate Cake, Apple Streusel Pie, Meatloaf with Mushroom Sauce
Greg and Todd’s Awesome Comic Lance Rubin
CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Ella Fitzgerald’s forte 5 Potbelly, e.g. 10 “Okay if __ myself out?” 14 Anemia sufferer’s need 15 Bottom point 16 Created 17 “That’s ridiculous!” 20 Lamb’s mama 21 __ out: barely makes 22 See eye to eye 23 Weed-killing tools 24 Pacify 26 Astute 29 Radar screen images 30 What the little hand shows 31 Tutu fabric 32 Prefix with shipman 35 “That’s enough!” 39 Teensy 40 Under, in poems 41 Make angry 42 Hawaii or Alaska 43 Injured 45 Predatory birds 48 Centers of activity 49 WWII menace 50 “Where the heart is” 51 Batman and Robin, e.g. 54 “That’s the ticket!” 58 Henri’s thought 59 Fire engine warning 60 Devil’s doing 61 Social misfit 62 Make confused 63 Garden entrance DOWN 1 One of four in a square 2 Cornfield bird 3 Top-notch
4 Explosive letters 5 Moved like a python 6 Film director’s units 7 Praiseful poems 8 Pep 9 Before, to a bard 10 Mirror sights 11 Dubya’s spouse 12 Borders 13 Giggling sound 18 Kitty’s comment 19 Drinking dog, say 23 Munich mister 24 Koran deity 25 Aspirin unit 26 Clarinetist Artie 27 Target on the green 28 Command the kingdom 29 Mesa’s cousin 31 “__ what you think!” 32 Disfigure 33 Run in neutral 34 Turned blonde, say 36 Completely 1
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ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE: A B S O F S T E E L V S O P I T N O F R I N G E A R E A R E B S G O T T H E S A C K K T S E L G A R T H A T H S E E D A I M E E A D E E D R A W S N E A R N E R D S S R I I R K S I N S O L E T O N S E L I A G U S T G O B E S C A R P O R S E R U N H E A R D O F S O A R E T T E N E E D S D U O E R I C C A L L I T Y E L L O W P I N E A T L I S E E N P R E T T I E D U P E A S Y S T R E E T E N D E 5
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i mourn for betty.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
ARTS & CULTURE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 3 ARTS & CULTURE REVIEW
Korean artist’s exhibit right at home in Bell Gallery BY STEFAN TALMAN
Korean artist Do-Ho Suh, whose exhibit in the List Art Center’s David Winton Bell Gallery opened Friday, presents eerily exacting replicas of his living spaces. His installations, created from diaphanous fabric hung upon inconspicuous steel frames, are his home. On display at the Bell Gallery are three of Suh’s works: “348 West 22nd St., Apt. A, New York, NY 10011” (2000), the artist’s Chelsea apartment; “348 West 22nd St., Apt. A, New York, NY 10011 (corridor)” (2001), the corridor outside his apartment; and “Staircase III” (2003), the staircase leading to his landlord’s apartment fit to the dimensions of List’s lobby. Suh’s pieces play whimsically across multiple themes. The first major work of these pieces was Suh’s home in Korea, completed in 1999. Here, Suh explains in the exhibition pamphlet, the process centers on the idea of displacement, a reaction to
the constant traveling between Korea and New York. “In making the architectural pieces,” Suh said, “I revisit the space and thoroughly internalize it.” Reactions to world-weary homesickness, the pieces allow him to bring the space — home — wherever he goes. Within this theme, “Staircase III” and “corridor” present an interesting shift, moving from places of personal significance to what Suh entitles “transitional spaces,” addressing the “ambiguous boundaries between personal and public space.” Suh’s works also confront site specificity and the transporting of space. “When I cover a space with fabric,” Suh said, “it is an index of the piece, and at that time it is a site-specific piece, but the moment that I take the fabric down from the space it becomes something else.” Kerry Miller / Herald
see LIST, page 4
Do-Ho Suh’s installation in List Art Center runs through Dec. 21.
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Prof. Herschel Grossman
t h e b row n d a i l y h e ra l d L E C T U R E
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Choosing Between Peace and War Herschel Grossman is the Merton P.Stoltz Professor in the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics. He has been on the Brown faculty since 1964. He teaches courses in monetary economics and in political economy. His lecture will use historical examples to explore why, although most disputes between groups of people are settled peacefully, sometimes disputes result in war.The lecture also will contrast the possibilities for avoiding wars between sovereign states with the possibilities for avoiding civil wars.
N O V E M B E R 1 3 , 7 P. M . , L O W E R S A L O M O N
PAGE 4 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003
Writers continued from page 1 sion, the new IWP will grant a fellowship to one persecuted writer a year, said Professor of English Robert Coover. The program, a collaboration between the University’s Creative Writing Program and the Watson Institute for International Studies, is being funded primarily by the William H. Donner Foundation. Kamau Brathwaite, a Caribbean poet and scholar who was persecuted in his native Barbados, opened the celebration on Friday with a discussion of “umfo,” a spiritual place in which artists can gather strength to communicate. Writers must seek this “umfo” to overcome censorship and devastation, he said. But with the passage of antiterrorism laws after Sept. 11, 2001, the “umfo” of American writers is being challenged, according to Larry Siems, director of PEN America. Siems spoke in a panel of writers including Soyinka, Parsipur, Brathwaite and Vice President of International PEN Joanne Leedom-Ackerman on Saturday. Soyinka, in his speech Saturday evening, said Americans need to drop their complacency and realize that the same fanaticism seen in Osama bin Laden is also present in the Bush administration. According to Soyinka, bin Laden’s assertion that the world is made up of either “believers or non-believers” is equivalent to Bush’s assertion that “you are either with us or against us.” Such a belief, Soyinka said, poses the greatest threat to the creative mind. “I hope the current events in Iraq shatter the glass case of American complacence forever,” he said. In his speech, Soyinka also
said oppressive doctrine historically stems from political arrogance and religious fanaticism, “different sides of the same counterfeit coin.” Through the enslavement and destruction of writers, artists and thinkers, politicians and religious fanatics try to possess “the mysterious and infinitely resourceful domain” of creativity that will never be theirs. To prevent oppressors from silencing creative voices, Soyinka said more projects like the IWP are necessary to help transfer persecuted writers and artists to more congenial ground. Without protection from foreign governments, he said, Nigerian dictators would have inevitably assassinated him. American students, according to Siems, can help the plight of persecuted writers by writing letters to Congress and protesting laws like Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows the government to secretly observe the reading habits of citizens. Students should also express concern over the government’s plan to restrict the teaching of Middle Eastern languages in American universities. To assist persecuted writers abroad, Siems said, American students should write letters to foreign governments requesting the release of imprisoned writers. Graduate students in creative writing contributed to the IWP inauguration by performing a short reading titled “Banned Words,” directed by Quiara Hudes GS and Deborah Stein GS. In a poetic manner, the students wove phrases oppressors use to define banned words with excerpts from banned authors. Annie Hatch ’06, who attended the event, said, “I was most impressed by the passion of the writers, who were so committed to freedom of expression.”
List continued from page 3 The works hang on their frames like the skin left by a molting snake, the trace of a body no longer present, at once sculptural and site specific. Suh does not feed the spectator the rough-hewn stone or harsh metallic edges, the oft-quoted traditional sculptural tropes. Rather, Suh’s fabric copies of the real (he informs us at least that they are copies of his apartment) are exacting in their detail, like the outlines of an architectural rendering. The spectator and the medium lend a human touch to Suh’s works. Walking quickly past a wall of the “room,” the spectator creates a small breeze. The walls respond in kind, drifting slightly. Thus Suh’s room, though a visually formidable mass of color in space from afar, bares its tenuous lightness as the spectator nears. This double-effect recurs, with seams in the most appropriate and inappropriate places: appropriate, outlining cabinets and doorframes; inappropriate, cutting across the round objects that necessitate irregular seams (the doorknobs and the lights). These
IWP continued from page 1 Kamau Brathwaite said the United States today is a “psychodramatic theater,” similar to what he saw in post-colonial Barbados. “Prison is not only a political activity,” Brathwaite said. “It is also the way in which your mind controls your behavior.” Shahrnush Parsipur, an exiled Iranian novelist, playwright and memoirist, recalled the experience of living in a society on the verge of breaking free.
Here one confronts the practicality of the medium: The nylon is thin enough to allow Suh to pack the entire show in two suitcases. And finally, the specificity of the medium: The single color of the nylon, flat and unchanging, exists as an outline created for Suh’s memory, into which colors and textures — details of place — with which he has lived can be filled. Spectators are left with glowing, blue-gray, pink and red specters of place and memory at once mundane and hauntingly beautiful. seams present the limitations of the medium, a gauze-like nylon, with a measure of humility. Here one confronts the practicality of the medium: The nylon is thin enough to allow Suh to pack the entire show in two suitcases. And finally, the specificity of the medium: The single color of the nylon, flat and unchanging, exists as an outline created for Suh’s memory, into which colors and
textures — details of place — with which he has lived can be filled. Spectators are left with glowing, blue-gray, pink and red specters of place and memory at once mundane and hauntingly beautiful. The exhibition runs through Dec. 21. Herald staff writer Stefan Talman ’05 can be reached at stalman@browndailyherald.com.
Caribbean poet and scholar Kamau Brathwaite said the U.S. today is a “psychodramatic theater,” similar to what he saw in post-colonial Barbados. “All cultural aspects of the area — all are in the moment of dying,” Parsipur said. “They are violent because the roots of patriarchal society are in the process of dying off.” Panelists also included the weekend’s keynote speaker Wole Soyinka, a Nigerian Nobel Prize
Laureate for Poetry, Fiction, Drama, and Essay, and moderator, Professor of Creative Writing Robert Coover. The panel was sponsored by the Brown Creative Writing Program and the Watson Institute for International Studies. —with reports from Sheela Raman
Simmons continued from page 1
Advance gifts will also determine the length of the initial phase of the campaign, which will last at least two years, Simmons said. ence the development of campus life spaces, she said. Advance gifts will also determine the length of the initial phase of the campaign, which will last at least two years, Simmons said, as well as its ultimate fundraising goal. The campaign’s goal will be in the “billiondollar range,” she told The Herald in November 2002. But “the big decisions to be made will be made in a couple of years,” she said Friday. —Carla Blumenkranz
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
WORLD & NATION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 5
Gore lashes out at Bush’s record on civil liberties WASHINGTON (L.A.Times) — In a blistering critique, for-
mer Vice President Al Gore accused President Bush on Sunday of eroding personal freedoms and weakening the nation’s security through “mass violations of civil liberties” in the war on terrorism. “Where civil liberties are concerned, they have taken us much farther down the road to an intrusive ‘Big Brother’-style government — toward the dangers prophesized by George Orwell in his book ‘1984’ — than anyone ever thought would have been possible in the United States,” Gore told an enthusiastic crowd of 3,000 that filled DAR Constitution Hall on Sunday afternoon. Gore charged that many of the domestic security policies the administration has pursued since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have actually weakened the nation’s security by distracting attention from the most urgent threats. He urged the repeal of the USA Patriot Act, legislation passed by Congress shortly after the attacks that gave federal law-enforcement officials new authority to monitor and pursue suspected terrorists. “These constant violations of civil liberties promote the false impression that those violations are necessary” to prevent another terrorist attack, Gore said. “But the simple truth is that the vast majority of these violations have not benefited our security at all; in fact, they have hurt the effort to improve our security.” Bush’s re-election campaign referred calls on the speech to the Republican National Committee. RNC officials did not return a call seeking comment. But in a series of speeches earlier this year, Attorney General John Ashcroft defended the administration’s actions as being respectful of civil liberties and effective in disrupting potential terrorist attacks. “The Patriot Act,” Ashcroft said this summer, “gives us the technological tools to anticipate, adapt and outthink our terrorist enemy.” Republican strategist Cliff May, president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based research organization that examines terrorism-related issues, said Gore’s critique would have been more persuasive if, rather than primarily criticizing Bush, he had also discussed how the Clinton administration could have battled terrorism more successfully during the 1990s. May also predicted that Gore and other Democrats would get a cool reception from voters in 2004 if they campaigned against the Patriot Act and other steps taken by Bush to fight terrorism since the 2001 attacks. “If the Patriot Act is what the election of 2004 revolves around, the Democrats are not likely to do very well, because I don’t think most Americans think they have lost constitutional rights,” May said. “There is a reason we haven’t been attacked on American soil since 2001, and I think the Patriot Act is part of that.” Gore’s comments follow an equally confrontational speech he delivered in August, accusing Bush of misleading the country on the war in Iraq and a wide array of domestic issues. Like that speech, Sunday’s address was sponsored by MoveOn.org, a liberal advocacy group. It was cosponsored by the American Constitution Society, a liberal group established to offset the influence in law schools of the Federalist Society, an organization of conservative lawyers. Gore, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2000, received a standing ovation when he arrived and several more through the speech. In the speech, Gore charged that the Bush administration “had turned the fundamental presumption of our democracy on its head” by seeking to withhold information about its own activities, even while acquiring ever more information about the activities of private citizens. Gore said Bush was frustrating the public’s right to information about its government by resisting indesee GORE, page 7
Washington Post
A budget crisis triggered by state funding cuts, miserable weather and economic doldrums has pushed the Baltimore Zoo to the brink, with officials concluding that the only way to balance the books is by eliminating jobs and programs and moving out animals.Visitors view elephants Anna and Dolly at the zoo.The elephants are of prime breeding age and will be going elsewhere.
Budget woes force relocation of animals at Baltimore Zoo (Washington Post) — The Egyptian flapshell tortoises get to
stay put. But the lesser flamingos have to go. The Panamanian golden frogs will keep their same address. The pachyderms, however, are being sent packing. A budget crisis triggered by state funding cuts, miserable weather and economic doldrums has pushed the Baltimore Zoo to the brink, with officials concluding that the only way to balance the books is by eliminating jobs and programs and moving out animals. Among them, 400 creatures of various skin, scale or wing, including Baltimore’s much-loved elephants, Dolly and Anna. In a city that prides itself on having the country’s thirdoldest zoo — a facility that is internationally regarded for its species conservation programs — last week’s anguished announcement caught people off guard. Just weeks ago, the zoo opened a $7 million Arctic exhibit called Polar Bear Watch, with a tundra buggy that visitors ride for prime viewing of featured attractions Magnet and Alaska. “That is the irony,” said Elizabeth Grieb, the zoo president. “We have funding for capital projects, but it’s restricted to new construction. We can build them, but we can’t operate them.” Without the latest moves, the zoo risked running out of money in its $12 million budget for 2004 and closing its doors by March. Overnight, the zoo’s travails became a rallying cry for schoolchildren and animal lovers. By Thursday, they had pledged $25,000 in support, and the phones never stopped ringing. By Friday, the amount had climbed to $35,000. Radio shows are talking up donations. Classes are organizing fund-raisers and letter campaigns. “It is our responsibility as Baltimoreans to do what we can to keep the zoo open,” wrote a seventh-grader at Baltimore Hebrew Congregation Day School, where students engaged in an extended discussion of what action they could take. “They were very passionate about it,” teacher Leila Bowersox said. There were pointed questions about where tax dollars go. “The kids brought up how much money is
spent on stadiums.” Dolly and Anna are at the center of the attention. Both were born in Africa but have grown up here and now are in their late twenties, prime breeding age. The zoo, as part of a nationwide program for species protection and preservation, cannot let such an opportunity pass. The significant cost of baby-making and baby-keeping, far more than the day-to-day expense of feeding and housing, made Grieb and her top administrators decide to try lending the elephants to another zoo. How significant? As much as $100,000 per animal for artificial insemination, plus the price of reconstructing and upgrading living quarters to accommodate offspring. Nearly $1 million over several years, officials estimated. Staff members said they weren’t surprised by the savethe-elephants approach of the public appeals and were simultaneously pleased and chagrined. “In one sense it’s fantastic to have this support from the public,” spokesman Ben Gross acknowledged. “But it’s only focusing on one part of the zoo.” Unfortunately, Dolly and Anna are just one aspect of the aging facility’s money problems. The zoo gets a quarter of its $12 million budget from the state, but that’s down $700,000 from fiscal 2002. In addition, like many cultural institutions, it has suffered a decline in corporate and foundation giving. Given its location north of downtown — beyond the usual tourist’s trek through the Inner Harbor — the zoo has long struggled to draw more visitors, but this year, attendance dropped 9 percent as winter’s heavy snowfall gave way to the constant rain of spring and early summer. “Then our friend (Hurricane) Isabel came through,” Gross added. Grieb has already canceled the zoo’s 2004 summer camp and cut about a dozen staff positions. She has tried the positive, too, from expanded evening and weekend hours to costume festivities for children and happy-hour events. But such measures weren’t enough. With cash reserves see ELEPHANTS, page 7
PAGE 6 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003
Woman sues restaurant over condom in clam chowder (L.A. Times) — An Orange County,
Calif., woman is suing a seafood restaurant, saying she found a condom in her clam chowder. Laila Sultan, 48, said she was eating at McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant in Irvine, Calif., on Feb. 26, 2002, when something rubbery stuck to her tooth. “We said, ‘Of course. You’re chewing on a clam,’” said Paula Wild, one of three friends with her — all eating clam chowder, and all of whom have joined the lawsuit. Sultan spit out the offending material. She said it was a rolled up condom, unwrapped. “There was no question what it was,” Wild said. Sultan ran to the bathroom and threw up for the next 15 minutes, she said. The case is scheduled for trial Jan. 12. Sultan and Wild, along with Cindy Hammond and Annamarie Sigala, are suing for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The big question is: How could a condom get into the
chowder? “It’s as big a mystery to us as it is to anybody else,” said Patrick Stark, attorney for McCormick & Schmick’s. The restaurant sued American Roland Food Corp., which supplied the clams. A judge threw that case out in September. “We are going to argue there is absolutely no evidence to suggest the restaurant was the source of the condom, or any employee of the restaurant,” Stark said. “Either it came from (the four women) or it was thrown in as a practical joke by another patron at the restaurant.” The condom itself was snatched up by the restaurant manager, the women said, and he told them the insurance company told him not to return it or to let them photograph it. Stark said that because the condom was rolled up “it was clearly unused” and for that reason hasn’t been tested. The lawsuit says the condom was “a possibly used one.”
Sultan and Wild said the women have tested negative for diseases, such as AIDS. McCormick & Schmick’s is a privately owned chain with 42 upscale restaurants in 19 states. Sultan lives in Stanton, Calif., and works as a reservations agent for a travel company. She said she had been to the McCormick & Schmick’s five or six times before and had never had any problems. She said the women ordered drinks and appetizers and then soup. Because the soup was lukewarm, they sent their cups back. When the food returned, Sultan said she bit into the condom. Sultan said that the condom discovery has caused psychological trauma and sent her to a psychiatrist for a year and a half. She said she has taken a variety of medications for depression and anxiety. “I can’t touch fish,’’ she said. “I can’t smell fish. I get sick. I can’t eat soups anymore.” She said she lost her appetite for sex and food, and lost about 10 pounds.
Saudi bombing blamed on militants tied to al-Qaida AMMAN, Jordan (L.A. Times) — Saudi
Arabian and U.S. authorities on Sunday blamed militants linked to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida network for a car bombing that killed at least 17 people and injured about 120 more at a residential compound for foreigners in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Analysts and investigators suggested that the targeting of the compound, home to well-off Arab professionals who worked as executives in foreign-owned companies, represented a potential widening of the militants’ war on Western interests in Saudi Arabia — and on the ruling Saudi royal family. The bombing, which reduced several buildings in the compound on the capital’s edge to piles of smoking rubble, came on the heels of intelligence warnings of attacks against foreign interests in the kingdom — particular-
ly Western ones — and followed a series of sharp confrontations in recent days between government forces and suspected militants. “The people who did this, and I’m very sure they are commanded by al-Qaida, can’t find a way to get at the targets they want to hit,’’ said a knowledgeable Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We have been putting more and more pressure on them, and by hitting a soft target like this one, they are sending a message that they are motivated to strike, and very much capable of doing so.” U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage, who was on a scheduled trip in Riyadh to hold talks with senior government officials, said he was “personally quite sure” that al-Qaida militants were behind the Saturday night attack “because this attack bears the hallmark of them.” “I can’t say that last night’s attack was the only or last attack,” Armitage told reporters. “My view is that these al-Qaida terrorists — and I believe it was al-Qaida — would prefer to have many such events.” Western counterintelligence agencies have been cooperating for some time with the Saudi government, which launched a wide-ranging crackdown on suspected anti-Western militants in the wake of deadly car bombings May 12 that also targeted a housing complex where foreigners lived. Thirty-five people, including nine attackers, died in those blasts. Saudi police officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the fact that the same method was employed in both attacks — volleys of gunfire unleashed before at least one suicide car bomber rammed his way in —
and the similarity in the type of explosives used, pointed to alQaida, which was also suspected in the May bombings. Among the dead were a number of women and at least five children, hospital officials said. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Amanda Batt said an undetermined number of Americans were among the wounded, although she said none of the Americans was hurt seriously. Many of the victims had gathered near midnight Saturday for the late-night feasts that are traditionally held during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, or were out in the streets, greeting neighbors and shopping for food and drink for festive all-night parties. Residents described the compound as home to a convivial mix of Arabs from many parts of the region. At least four of the dead and dozens of the injured were Lebanese, for whom the attack recalled the horror of their own two-decade-long civil war. “We heard a lot of gunfire, and then came a big blast that blurred our vision and blocked our ears, and the door flew in,” said Marwan Dawood, a 42-year-old Lebanese business manager whose family escaped unharmed. “The explosion was so powerful we lost our sense of time and place — it was like a Beirut night, back in those terrible times.” The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, which had closed its doors indefinitely just one day before the bombing in response to what officials described as credible threats of an imminent attack, dispatched a team to survey the site of the bombing.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 7
Nick Neely / Herald
A facilities worker blew away signs of fall last week on the leaf-filled Main Green.
Gore continued from page 5 pendent and congressional investigations into the Sept. 11 attacks; instructing federal agencies to resist requests for documents under the federal Freedom of Information Act; and refusing to disclose details about individuals of Arab descent detained after the attacks. At the same time, Gore noted, the administration has pursued new authority to investigate Americans it considers security risks by monitoring their e-mail and Internet activity, their conversations with lawyers, and even the
Elephants continued from page 5 depleted and no chance of a bailout by the state or the city — which funded the zoo entirely until the mid-1980s — Grieb announced that 20 more positions were being axed and the animal collection would be winnowed by several hundred reptiles, amphibians and birds, for a savings of $1.2 million. Ticket prices, among the most expensive in the country at $11 for adults, may go up by next summer. “We’ve been going through the ... stages of grieving here,” Grieb
lists of library books they have checked out. Linking his new critique to his earlier criticism of the war in Iraq, Gore declared: “It makes no more sense to launch an assault on our civil liberties as the best way to get at terrorists than it did to launch an invasion of Iraq as the best way to get at Osama bin Laden.” Gore said Bush should renounce his policy, which has been used twice, of indefinitely detaining American citizens that the president designates “enemy combatants.” Gore also said the suspected alQaida and Taliban members held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be allowed to petition for status as
prisoners of war, and he argued that Congress should authorize any military tribunals used against suspected terrorists. Most important, Gore said Congress should repeal the Patriot Act, which passed the Senate, 98-1, shortly after the attacks on Washington and New York. Gore equated the law with the congressional resolution that ultimately authorized the war in Vietnam. “I believe that the Patriot Act has turned out to be, on balance, a terrible mistake, and that it became a kind of Tonkin Gulf Resolution conferring Congress’ blessing for this president’s assault on civil liberties,” Gore said.
said. A staff meeting to discuss the changes ended in tears and a prayer. “Everyone believes so much in this place.” So much so that several employees have made their own contributions to the cause. One resigned to work as a volunteer the rest of the year. Several senior administrators will work without salary one day a month. “It’s always hard when a zoo is going through a situation as bad as this,” said Jane Ballentine of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which has many members facing very tight budget times. If anything, the imminent
reductions have helped emphasize how many species and specimens the Baltimore Zoo has — about the same number in amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals as the National Zoo in Washington. Yet it soon won’t have any elephants. And what’s a zoo without elephants? “We absolutely love them,” Steven Schweiger said just before closing last week, no visitors left to watch as he and a fellow keeper affectionately scratched trunks and flipped snacks before leading thelumbering Anna and Dolly inside for the night. “It’s breaking our hearts.”
PAGE 8 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003
Field hockey continued from page 12
Nick Neely / Herald
The student group Nuestre Gente Mexicana delivered a crowd-pleasing traditional performance at the BRIO International Dinner on Friday night.
BRIO continued from page 1 Fusion Dance Company later wowed the crowd, featuring dancers wearing elaborate seahorse-shaped hats. Nuestra Gente Mexicana, the Thai Student Association, the Celtic Student Association, Hellenic Student Association and MEZCLA delivered crowdpleasing traditional dances. The dances were followed by a demonstration by the martial
arts group Tang Soo Do. Later, The Breakdancing Club and Soul Cypher enthused the crowd with their urban moves and raps. The dulcet tones of Srigowri Vijayakumar ’06, Brown’s Tones and Yasmine Soliman ’04 were also highlights. For others, the buffet, which included food donated from student organizations Nuestra Gente Mexicana and Friends of Israel and local restaurants Taste of India, Andreas and Phillipe’s, was the pull factor.
“I came here for the food and to meet other internationals who I have never met for a long time,” said Sara Sharaf ’07, who is from the United Arab Emirates. Kalaora said planning for the event started at the beginning of the semester, when the club canvassed restaurants for donations and student groups for performances. “It was challenging putting all the various groups together. They are diverse, different from last year,” said Kalaora, who hails from Istanbul, Turkey.
penalty corner and tied the game at 1-1. After the first Yale goal, it was apparent that the Brown team let the pressure of the situation take over. “We lapsed after they scored their first goal,” said Laurel Pierpont ’04. “We let them back in the game after not putting them away in the first half.” Yale capitalized on the less than stellar Brown play and was able to take control of the game. With five minutes left, the Bulldogs slammed the door on a possible Brown comeback as they scored their third goal of the half to go up 3-1. The win gave Yale the tie for second, and Brown fell to fourth place in the final Ivy League standings. Yet, it would be a mistake to judge the Bears’ season from the final loss. Overall, the team made remarkable improvements from last year’s 7-9 squad. Not only did the Bears finish in fourth in the Ivies (in 2002 the team finish in sixth), but also Brown was competitive with every Ivy squad it faced. “The highlight of the season was our performance against Princeton,” Norris said. “That game was the best that we played all year. Though we lost we were actually competitive, as opposed to the year before when we lost 9-1.” Although Princeton once again won the Ivy title — its 10th straight Ivy crown — the Bears no longer believe they are unbeatable. “I hope the team carries the confidence from this year into next year,” Pierpont said. “When we stepped on the field this year we knew that we were just as good if not better than any team. Against Princeton we clearly showed we could compete with them.” Other highlights from the season included thrilling victories over Dartmouth in the Ivy
opener, followed by an equal defeat of then No. 17 Boston University. “The Dartmouth, BU weekend was huge. It was our first Ivy win and we hadn’t beaten Dartmouth in a couple of years,” Norris said. “Near the end of the season we won four straight, just came up short against Yale.” With the loss of six seniors, five who started, the Bears will have ample holes to fill but Norris believes the future for the 2004 squad is bright. “We have nine freshman that didn’t play that much this year and they all could have been on the field but we had such a large and skilled senior class,” Norris said. “(To be successful) they are going to have to work hard in the off-season. This year was good, but there is always room to be better.” For Buza, the end of the season brings up mixed emotions. “The saddest part is knowing that you will never play in a team sport setting like this again,” Buza said. “As a captain, it’s bittersweet to see how great our season had been, but sad to think about what it could have been.” Though the season is over for the team, Buza will have one more collegiate field hockey opportunity. On Nov. 22, Buza will suit up for the North in the North/South Senior All-Star game. Buza is also all but assured some type of all-Ivy honor when the awards are announced later in the week. While the Yale loss failed to provide the ending to the season that the field hockey team desired, Brown was competitive throughout. The success of the 2003 team will hopefully lay the foundation for a title run in 2004. “I wish I was a freshman again and could start all over,” Pierpont said. “Field hockey shaped who I am now. If I could, I would start all over again.” Herald staff writer Maggie Haskins ’04 edits the sports section. She can be reached at mhaskins@browndailyherald.com.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003 THE BROWN DAILY HERALD PAGE 9
M. soccer
“I had to be careful with my decision with
continued from page 12
what to do with the ball,” Gomez said.“I
the Brown squad. “You never see that kind of a sequence of calls,” said Head Coach Mike Noonan. “First they give them a goal with a penalty kick and then they give them the game by calling a red card on our guy. I thought that referee ruined the game with the red card.” “Rarely will a player get a straight red card,” said Matt Goldman ’04. “We were in shock — for the next five minutes we were on our heels.” With only 10 players, including Gomez, Brown fought hard to stop the advantaged Yale attack. “It hurt our momentum,” Diane said. “To pressure them offensively with only one forward to attack didn’t give (our) midfielders many options with the ball.” For the remainder of the half, the Bears repelled the Yale attack with a close-knit defense headed by Larentowitz, Edward Thurston ’04 and Matt Britner ’07. Gomez made several key saves, including one where he jumped on a shot by a Yale forward deep in the Brown box. Noonan took the 15-minute break at halftime to clear up what the Bears would need to do in the second half. “At the half, we talked about how it was just another obstacle and how good of a story it would make if we pulled it out,” Goldman said. “We knew if we stayed composed in the back we could stop them.” Even with Brown one man down, Noonan was confident in his team. “They are soccer players — this kind of thing happens at times,” he said. “Our defense was still made up of two blocks of four. Gomez did a great job of keeping them organized. Offensively we just had to pick our spots to attack.” Gomez looked just as sharp in the second half as he did in the first, stopping a handful of long shots and coughing up no rebounds. He finished with seven saves. “Making sure we put pressure up top was the key,” Gomez said. “In the back we weren’t down a guy, so for our back four it was the same as before (the card). Yale usually does a lot of targeting on set pieces and corners, and they didn’t really do a lot of that, but they still had a lot of chances.”
couldn’t chip ball away and let them get it. Crew was really getting the job done up there by himself when it’s a two or three person job.” Brown took advantage of the few chances they had in the second half, nearly scoring with under a minute to play in regulation. The main focus, however, was what it has been for most of the season — defense, as Brown needed only a tie, but Yale needed a win for the outright championship. Many of Gomez’s clearing attempts sailed past mid-field and into the Yale zone to a usually surrounded Crew. “I had to be careful with my decision with what to do with the ball,” Gomez said. “I couldn’t chip ball away and let them get it. Crew was really getting the job done up there by himself when it’s a two or three person job.” Brown took advantage of the few chances it had in the second half, nearly scoring with under a minute to play in regulation. The main focus, however, was what it has been for most of the season — defense — as Brown needed only a tie, but Yale needed a win for the outright championship. “They got a few chances on some crosses, but we did a good job of packing it in and limiting their opportunities,” Diane said. It was evident that the runand-gun style the Bears had come out with in the first 20 minutes would not be seen again in the second half. In both overtimes, Brown took advantage of ball control and continued to eat the clock. Yale had a few chances in the first overtime, but Gomez was able to make the saves, and the defense cleared out Yale corner kicks before most hit the ground. Throughout both overtimes, as they had for the first and second half, the Brown fans cheered on the Bears every move, waiting for the game to end in a tie. With the tie, the Bears earned an automatic bid to the NCAA
championship for the 20th time. Brown will make up a game postponed from two weeks ago against Boston College on Tuesday and then finish the regular season against Dartmouth on Saturday. With a win on Saturday, Brown will be assured the sole possession of the Ivy League Title, as Yale still has an outside chance of a share in the title. Herald staff writer Ian Cropp ’05 is an assistant sports editor. He can be reached at icropp@browndailyherald.com.
Tobo... continued from page 12 don’t look at Sterling. It’s not polite to watch a man weep. Grant Hill: Where have you gone, Mr. Hill? T-Mac turns his lonely eyes to you and pretty soon somewhere else, unless you can get back good and quick. But I think you’ve got at least one more year of sitting ahead of you, and I think it’s likely Tracy won’t stick around to lose in the first round again for much longer. Honestly, I’ve seldom been more impressed by anyone’s will to continue as I have been by Grant Hill’s. But I don’t see this story having a happy ending. The East: ’Nough said.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
EDITORIAL/LETTERS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 10 S T A F F
E D I T O R I A L
Freedom to learn The phrase “intellectual diversity” has been tossed around a lot on campus lately, but never has it been more fully exemplified than by the Freedom to Write conference last weekend. Although campus conservatives denounce Brown’s liberal bias, and liberals across the country cry repression under the Bush administration, both groups would do well to consider the case of Shahrnush Parsipur, exiled Iranian writer and newest member of the Brown community. Imprisoned four times for the content of her novels, all of them banned in Iran, Parsipur bears witness to the mutual erosion of art and politics under one of the world’s most repressive regimes. In contrast, her current status as the first fellow of Brown’s International Writers Project, launched by the Freedom to Write conference, is a tribute to the continued existence of safe havens for creative expression, even in a time of international turmoil. Parsipur’s welcome on campus this weekend, in addition to the presence of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka, poet Kamau Brathwaite and representatives from PEN and Human Rights Watch, further emphasized the possibility of constructive intersections of art and politics. The same may also be said of the collaboration between Brown’s Program in Creative Writing and Watson Institute for International Studies, which produced the IWP. Admittedly, it is a less than revolutionary act for two of the most liberal programs on an already liberal campus to champion freedom of expression. Still, the gesture is an important one, especially at a time when civil liberties are in jeopardy both inside and outside the United States, as many of last weekend’s guests noted. Congratulations are due to the Creative Writing Program and the Watson Institute for a program that bodes well for the future of innovative, interdisciplinary work at Brown and free expression on a larger scale. And something to the effect of welcome Parsipur. While we’re waiting for the dangers in Iran to subside, may you enjoy what Brown and Rhode Island have to offer.
SHANE WILKERSON
LETTERS
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OPINIONS MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 11
The limits and potential of protesting EVERY YEAR, HUNDREDS OF THOU- is common at Brown where many students SANDS of people descend on major cities would rather “problematize” and philosoto make some political statement. It could phize about social problems than actually be an anti-war protest, a rally for gay rights, do anything to change them. Sadly, many activists seem to assume a rally for affirmative action or any variety of issues. Also every year, activist groups at that the usefulness of protest is a self-eviBrown rent buses and try to persuade their dent truth. As long as I have been involved in campus activism, no one has fellow students and teachers to ever explained the reasons for protest one thing or another. protest to me. They have talked Last year, Brown took nearly about “mass movements,” but three buses to New York to “movements” use a variety of protest the pending war on tactics. The efficacy of a specifIraq. Also last year, an imporic tactic — assembling large tant Supreme Court case on groups of people in one place the University of Michigan for political purposes — was affirmative action program never explained. prompted Brown student It is a shame that seasoned groups to organize a trek to the activists can be involved in pro-affirmative action rally in BRIAN RAINEY ‘TILL JUSTICE ROLLS political work for years and Washington. Already this year, DOWN LIKE WATERS never address the subject. The one of the campus antiwar purpose of protest should be groups mobilized students to one of the first discussions new protest the current occupation of Iraq. Next semester, I hope to see buses activists have. It is part of the ABCs of brimming over with Brown students who activism. Not long ago, when the anti-globalizawill attend the pro-choice rally on April 25 tion movement was on the ascent, it in Washington, D.C. It can be said that protest is a part of seemed as though there was a protest American culture, but, in fact, it is just a against the World Trade Organization, part of human culture. Assembling for International Monetary Fund or World political purposes is a phenomenon that Bank every other week. As protests continspans the globe. Protests take place regular- ued, it became clear that the media, at least ly on every continent except Antarctica, in the United States, was more concerned and there are few capital cities in the world about a few protesters’ violence against that have not been rocked by major Starbucks windows than it was about the protests. Protest is not just a product of the real violence done by IMF policies — which modern world either. Numerous examples was what the protesters wanted to highcan be found in antiquity where dissatisfied light. At every protest, be it in Washington, people protested what they perceived to be Quebec City or Genoa, the media zeroed in on the clashes with police or broken winunfair policies or decisions. Despite the ubiquity and long history of dows and ignored or obfuscated the mesprotest, from time to time, a large group of sage of the protesters. That is, if they reportpeople asks, “Why protest?” This question ed on the protest at all. Many times, the protests would be noted as a passing comment, or the protest would be ignored altoBrian Rainey '04 is from Chesapeake, Va. where there aren't even any liberals, gether. In this environment, questions about the let alone protests.
efficacy of protest became widespread. If the media is just going to ignore the protest, why bother? If a few hooligans with no respect for the wishes of the vast majority of the protesters are going to cause trouble, what’s the point? Is this a good way to get a viewpoint across? Does protest cause more problems than it solves? Is protest outdated? These are all important questions, but they were often ignored. Today, antiwar activists have to deal with the reality that impressive protests around the world did not stop the Bush Administration from going to war. Even antiwar activists in countries where 70 to 80 percent of the population was opposed to the war (i.e. Spain and Britain) could not stop their government’s support for the invasion. This raises further questions about protest. So why protest? Some argue that protest is a way to draw attention to a topic that is often ignored. Others argue that, while protests themselves have little effect on policy and are often ignored, they are still useful because, like religious revivals, they are events where activists get pumped up by the presence of a critical mass of likeminded people. Inspiring speakers, chants, songs, marching and militancy excites the protester and makes him or her feel good. This political high is then dispersed to the various localities from which the protesters came. Both of these reasons are very true, but incomplete. If a protest is designed to draw attention to a topic, what happens when the media ignores or distorts the message of the protesters? Likewise, if protest is something to get activists pumped up, why take a bus to Washington or New York to do it? Can’t we get pumped up in Providence? Furthermore, like religious revivals, the excitement from protests wears off quickly — especially if the protests do not seem to be effective at changing policy. One could rightly ask whether we should put so much
time and energy into something that gives such a quick, ephemeral high. So in addition to these reasons, I would add that protests are an integral part of any social movement because they get a wide variety of people, from various locations, working on a common project. The requirements for building a protest are not just telling people to get on a bus. Building for protests, when it is done right, involves teach-ins, planning meetings, education about why the protest is taking place on campuses, fact sheets, tabling on Main Greens, visual displays and other attentiongetters. By uniting activists around the country around a common event, a protest gets the mechanizations of “consciousness-raising” going like nothing else can. Protests activate networks of activists around the country — it is a spark that can ignite large groups of people over long distances. Furthermore, the physical presence of people at the protest is a way to gauge how successful the efforts at consciousness raising were. For instance, if the numbers at a protest are low, it indicates that activist work on the ground may need to be improved. The number of people at a protest is a factor for determining how organized the movement is. Large protests typically (though not universally) happen when a movement is in a higher state of organization; smaller protests indicate organization may not be high. Politicians know this as well — regardless of Bush’s dismissal of protesters as a “focus group.” The more large protests there are, the more politicians realize there is an organized, grassroots presence on the ground that can inspire people to mobilize. But, in order to get to that point, early groundwork needs to be done. Truly successful movements start with the painful work of mobilizing for protests that may be small in the short-term while laying the foundation for future success.
Don’t shoot the messenger I didn’t want to ask the Macs/PCs question at Rock the Vote, but didn’t think it would elicit so much hate, either I’M WRITING IN RESPONSE TO THE DAILY reading it, I told the executive producer that Jolt forums, the student dialogue and The I didn’t see the question’s relevance and had Herald representation of me and my ques- thought of one that I would like to ask tion at CNN’s Rock the Vote. I’m extremely instead. He took a look at my question and disappointed in the student body’s reaction, told me I couldn’t ask it because it wasn’t especially because they weren’t privy to the light-hearted enough and they wanted to circumstances under which I had to ask the modulate the event with various types of questions — mine was to be question, a situation that one of the questions on the less occurs daily in the media. To serious side. The show’s host clear things up, I was called the ALEXANDRA TRUSTMAN wanted the Macs or PCs quesmorning of the event and asked GUEST COLUMNIST tion asked, not because he was by the executive producer of the wondering about the candishow if I would ask a question at dates’ views of technology, but the forum. I was told the question would probably be something about because he thought it would be a good Macs or PCs, but that, once I arrived in opportunity for the candidates to relate to a Boston, we could amend what I would ask. younger audience — hence the 18- to 31Immediately, confused by the question’s rel- year-old audience of Rock the Vote. At this evance as well, I tried to think about ways to point it was clear to me that the question make it seem applicable. I thought perhaps would be asked regardless of whether I was CNN’s aim in wanting the candidates to the person to ask it. I had to make the decianswer their computer preference was real- sion whether to actively participate in Rock ly a way to breach the topic of technology. the Vote by asking a question that wasn’t So, I constructed a much more relevant mine and wasn’t representative of me as a question, about how, if elected, the candi- Brown student, or to sit in the stands unindates would use technology in their admin- volved. The executive producer had asked istrations. Once in Boston I was handed a and wanted me to pose the question, so note card with the Macs or PCs version of being someone who doesn’t like to go back Clinton’s boxers or briefs question. After on her word, as a favor to him I went ahead, hoping that if CNN wanted the question asked there must be a reason. Alexandra Trustman ‘07 gives a coal to Loyalty to my commitment and the people who don’t take the time to find out opportunity to be involved in Rock the Vote the real story.
I wish I had been able to ask something else, but when put into perspective, there are many questions I could have asked that would have yielded a much more negative response. It’s not as if what I said was inappropriate or politically incorrect. outweighed any criticism I thought would come from the question. Granted, I wish I had been able to ask something else, but when put into perspective, there are many questions I could have asked that would have yielded a much more negative response. It’s not as if what I said was inappropriate or politically incorrect. As the New York Times put it, Rock the Vote was “intended by its organizers to offer a somewhat offbeat view of the candidates by having them answer questions from young voters. And there were, indeed, the offbeat questions, like whether the candidates … preferred PCs to Macs.” It’s unfortunate that the candidates were unable to take advantage of the question to try to relate to the young viewers by extrapolating their answers. In effect they missed the opportunity to reveal an aspect of their offbeat, youthful side. Those who criticized the question didn’t
take into account why CNN might have wanted it asked — what’s more, they didn’t hesitate to judge me for asking a question I couldn’t change. I would have hoped that such a liberal student body, from a school that in the very school catalog advocates intellectual freedom, would have reserved judgment on a situation and person it knew little if nothing about. Not one person bothered to inquire or find out the truth about the incident. No one even asked me to write this opinions column. My side was left completely unrepresented and was as a consequence misrepresented. At a school where we pride ourselves on open mindedness and good journalism, I would have expected that before being criticized, both sides of the story would be presented, if not for the professionalism of the Brown Daily Herald, then perhaps for the respect of a fellow student.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
SPORTS MONDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2003 · PAGE 12
Sizing up the NBA FIVE THINGS TO WATCH: The Lakers: What’s so scary about the Lakers? So they have a big four. So do my Mavericks, for that matter, and one of the Mavericks plays center. Anyone else miss the days when it was all about the money? By the way, did anyone else find anything incongruous in the cheering for Kobe that was going on, his first night out? I mean, maybe you don’t believe ANDREW TOBOLOWSKY he’s a rapist, but even he admitSPORTS COLUMNIST ted he’s at least an adulterer. Now I know we can’t hold all basketball players to the high moral standards of, say, Shawn Kemp, but at this point of the season all Kobe’s achieved is adultery. Hardly seems like something to cheer. The Mavericks: The new fact of the weekend, which I have seen many places, is that, if you add the scoring averages of GP, the Mailman, Diesel and Kobe Bryant ... *cough* … together you get something like 98.5 ppg. If you add together the scoring averages of the Flying Deutschman, ‘Twan and ‘Toine, and say, Michael Finley, you get about 87 points. Not quite as impressive, but, then again, they have Steve Nash and Tony Delk where the Lakers have Devean George and a weekly “Who Wants to be Sixth Man” fan promotion. Besides, they’ve already poured 127 on a team, and their chemistry isn’t even working yet. Who doesn’t love that? On the other hand, Shawn Bradley has just gained back his starting center position. Yes, that was the sound of one bell tolling. Players who swear they’re back in shape: Vince Carter? Vin Baker? I’m inclined, personally, to believe the first guy but not the second, but who knows for sure? Let’s watch it unfold. The Rooks: What can LeBron, Carmelo and Darko do this year? Probably not make the playoffs, for one, but that’s the cross-to-bear of lottery picks. Darko hasn’t had much playing time (one minute, so far, two turnovers, two rebounds), and since, you know, I never saw him play in Serbian High School, I can’t make any real predictions, but LeBron and Carmelo been totally impressive. I think Anthony will be the most consistent for this year. LeBron, though, has always gotten it up for big games and big stages. Note his game one performance or his McDonald’s all-star performance or his nationally-televised St. Vincent-St. Mary performance. Can the ability to raise your game to all-star level, simply by will power, somehow NOT translate into greatness? Or how about the ability to pose in a crib on national TV? Rafer Alston: Few people know that Rafer Alston, back-up point guard for the Heat, has served time in the off-season the last four years or so on the fabled “And 1 Mix Tape Tour,” the coolest thing on TV since “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” For those not familiar with the “And 1 Mix Tape Tour,” it’s sort of like “The Real World,” except everyone can do totally sweet Harlem Globetrotter-esque things with a basketball. Also it doesn’t suck. Alston, code-named Skip to My Lou, was known for his amazing handles, and his I-Can’tBelieve-That-Just-Happened moves. Will he do that in the NBA? No, but you can imagine what it would be like if he did, right? Five things not to watch: The Spurs: Is anyone else deeply unimpressed by the Spurs? It was not so much that neither team in last year’s championship could shoot as well as my 80-yearold grandfather, or even a houseplant, it’s that the Spurs simply chose not to. Watching them shoot below 30 percent and still almost win, with Steve Kerr, Steve Smith and Danny Ferry riding the bench, was maddening, like voluntarily watching Antoine Walker practice three-point shooting. Now that that’s over, Rasho and Horry be darned, look for more ugfest, with Tim Duncan scoring a nightly quadruple double. They’ll win 50 games or more, but it sure won’t look good. The Bulls, for a little while: They’ve got two young, seven-foot guys who are capable of doing some things. They aren’t yet. But they will, and it may only be a few weeks till they do. Can we all wait that long to tune in? Probably. Donald Sterling’s Face: So the guy finally did what all Clippers fans (Clippers fans?) have been begging him to do for years — spent some money, re-signed some guys and gave Elton Brand a six-year, $80 million contract. Brand guy goes out, scores 21 points, grabs 15 rebounds, blocks eight shots and fractures his foot. Just see TOBOLOWSKY, page 9
Photo Courtesy of Yale Daily News
Edward Thurston ’04 and the rest of the Brown defense held Yale to one goal despite a Brown red card early in the first half.
M. soccer clinches share of Ivy Title BY IAN CROPP
Sometimes a tie can be a disappointment, but the men’s soccer team would beg to differ. On Saturday, as time expired with the scoreboard reading 1-1, the Brown bench, along with a mass of fans, rushed to join the 10 players on the field and celebrate clinching the Ivy League Title. The double overtime thriller at New Haven featured a penalty shot and a red card, both called against Brown early in the first half. After Brown gained an early lead, a hand ball caught by a Brown defender in the box gave Yale a chance to even the game at one. Yale senior Jay Alberts sent a shot into the upper left corner of the net, and, although going the same way, a flying Chris Gomez ’05 was unable to reach the shot. “After their goal, we weren’t that worried,” said Ibrahim Diane ’06. “We were still playing well and could have got a second goal.” Although the goal evened the score at one, the Bears still controlled the tempo of the game, as they had for
most of the game by that point. “We came out pretty strong,” Diane said. “We did a good job attacking and putting pressure on them and got the first goal.” Only nine minutes into the game, Brown scored what proved to be a huge goal. Jeff Larentowicz ’05 chipped a pass through to Adom Crew ’04. With a quick move, Crew beat his defender and then moved from the left to right side of the Yale box, drawing Yale goalie Matt Aleksinas to the ball. Crew beat Alexsinas and netted his league-leading ninth goal of the year. Yale’s goal, only the second Brown has surrendered this year in six Ivy League games, marked the first time in four league games an Ivy team had scored on Brown. The previous goal came from Princeton, also on a penalty kick. Less than two minutes after the Yale goal, Andrew Daniels ’07 was issued a red card by the referee on a questionable foul. The call came late after the whistle blew and shocked see M. SOCCER, page 9
Field hockey falls to Yale in bid for 2nd place BY MAGGIE HASKINS
It was a bittersweet end to the 2003 season for the Brown field hockey team (11-6, 4-3 Ivy League). Entering Saturday’s contest at Yale (11-6, 5-2 Ivy League), the Bears were locked in a three-way tie for second place with Yale and Harvard (12-5, 5-2 Ivy League). A win over the Bulldogs would have given the Bears a second-place Ivy League finish (the team’s best finish in the Ivies since 1999, when Brown shared the Ivy crown with Princeton) and provide the team with an outside chance to gain an at-large bid to the 16-team NCAA tournament. Yet offensive inconsistency and a less-than-stellar defensive effort caught up with the Bears in the second half as the Bulldogs scored three unanswered goals to win 3-1. “Within the span of two hours we went from possibility getting an NCAA at large bid to fourth in the Ivies,” said Co-Captain Lizzie Buza ’04. “It was a shock and a disappointment. We had the chance to do something great, and out effort was mediocre.” Brown controlled the game through the first half, but converted only one of its 11 shots on goal. Throughout the season, offensive inconsistency was
the Bears’ Achilles heel. The team’s play on Saturday was a glaring example. “Some games we would score five goals, and other games we couldn’t get one or two,” Buza said. “Because we had opportunities (on Saturday), the loss was really frustrating. If Yale was so much better than it would be understandable…we just never got a rhythm in the second half.” After 34 minutes of missed opportunities, Buza finally scored for the Bears on an unassisted goal with 27 seconds left to give Brown a narrow 1-0 lead. This lead though would not hold up, as Brown’s effort in the second half mirrored the chilly temperature. “The heart was there but the work part of it wasn’t there. In the second half, we got out of the game plan, and just started bashing ball up field,” said Head Coach Carolan Norris. “We didn’t finish on offense and we didn’t get things done defensively. From top to bottom, we were a step slower than Yale.” While Yale could only muster one shot on goal in the first half, the Bulldogs never threw in the towel. Five minutes into the second half, Yale capitalized on a see FIELD HOCKEY, page 8