Daily
Herald
the Brown
vol. cxxi, no. 118
Monday, December 5, 2011
Since 1891
Green line Colloquium spurs talk on points the African politics, language Otiono, a postdoctoral fellow in way through Africana studies who presided over colloquium, called “two days of city’s history Poetry married politics in the third the marathon presentations.” By Katrina Phillips Senior Staff Writer
By kat Thornton Senior Staff Writer
Robert Burke has beef with Boston — and Philadelphia, and even Geneva. Good thing he said he’s “just feisty enough” to take them on.
FEATURE Burke, a fourth generation Rhode Islander, is the creator of the Providence Independence Trail. He personally painted the thin green line which runs on the sidewalks around downtown Providence and the west edge of College Hill, a trail meant to bring to light the city’s often overlooked past. It is a long history — the city celebrated its 375th birthday just two weeks ago. Providence has a lot of history that many are simply unaware of, while Boston has become the history hub of the Northeast, Burke said. “I frequently compare Boston and Providence to a big brother and a little brother,” he said. “A lot of times, the little brother sort of happily stays in the shadow of the big brother. And that’s what happened here in Providence.” Burke has been working on the continued on page 2
Achebe Colloquium on Africa held on campus this weekend. This year marked the first time the two-day colloquium, which included panel discussions and speeches on political issues across Africa, featured poetry readings and literary discussion. The walls of the Martinos Auditorium in the Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts echoed with voices both bellowing and fragile during what Nduka
Speakers from both the academic and political sphere led seven panel discussions on topics including the Arab Spring, foreign intervention in Africa and the prospects for peace in Darfur, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. Professor of Africana Studies Chinua Achebe’s homeland of Nigeria was not featured in discussions this year. Along with the panel discuscontinued on page 3
Glenn Lutzky / Herald
Chinua Achebe reads from an Igbo poem at the Achebe Colloquium’s final event.
With lessons and carols, tradition lives on Tazza Cafe By Mathias Heller Staff Writer
Sayles Hall was transformed last night into a hub of holiday cheer for the University’s 95th annual Service of Lessons and Carols. A traditional Christmas celebration that rose to prominence in the early 20th century at King’s College of Cambridge University, Lessons and Carols began at Brown in 1917 and has become a staple of the holiday season on campus. The service, coordinated by the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life, was split between seven “lessons” — biblical passages read by students and administrators — and numerous anthems and carols sung by both
the University Chorus and the audience. The Brown Brass Quintet joined University Organist Mark Steinbach in performing a melodious prelude, Jacob Gallus’ “Duo Seraphim.” For Steinbach, who has performed at the Lessons and Carols service since coming to Brown in 1993, the tradition is special because it brings together students, faculty, alums and local residents. “It involves the entire University community,” Steinbach said, adding that he enjoys the chance to collaborate with the chaplain’s office and the Chorus in creating the service. Though the service has a clearly defined shape each year, with each lesson and musical piece chronologically leading
to Jesus’ birth, Steinbach said he and the other performers make an effort to add new elements. “Each year, there’s a little bit of a twist,” he said. The service’s lead organizer, Janet Cooper Nelson, University chaplain, called Lessons and Carols a “stress-reliever” for students before exams. Cooper Nelson also said the service draws a substantial number of alums, including one Brunonian who makes the drive from Washington, D.C., each year to attend. The financial offertory collected during Lessons and Carols goes to a charity selected by the chaplain’s office — this year,
rights and “fragile freedoms.” Though the group of students celebrated is diverse in experience, Renee Neely ’11.5 said in her speech that each midyear graduate is unified by the risks that he or she took to do something out of the ordinary. Neely, who returned to Brown last year after leaving in 1975, praised the “spirit of possibility” at Brown and its “most liberal education,” neither of which she said had changed since she began her education at the University. The last to address the graduates, Diane Lipscombe, professor of neuroscience, congratulated students for “experimenting” with their education and taking “so many different actions.” Comcontinued on page 2
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inside
news........................3 Arts......................4-5 editorial...............6 Opinions..............7 SPORTS...................8
New Noise
BCA Speakeasy features new student musicians Arts & Culture, 5
Frenemy
Zacks ’15: Israel’s friends must criticize Opinions, 7
weather
Evan Thomas / Herald
President Ruth Simmons congratulated the 121 members of the class of ’11.5.
The philosophies of Eleanor Roosevelt, Kermit the Frog and Pink Floyd were invoked as faculty, students and President Ruth Simmons took the stage of Salomon 101 Saturday to recognize the 121 members of the class of 2011.5. In what was her last midyear graduation address, Simmons acknowledged some students might feel a “twinge of concern” about the end of their Brown education. But rather than dwelling on what was ending, Simmons asked graduates to reflect on how they had access to a “freedom that few in the world have experienced” and to take their places “on the battlements of the long struggle” to maintain human
By alexandra macfarlane Staff Writer
Superb wine, a trendy atmosphere and perfect portions come together for an excellent gastronomic experience at Tazza Cafe in downtown Providence. The restaurant — coffeehouse by day and restaurant and bar by night — is centrally located near the popular Trinity Repertory Company and serves up an eclectic dinner menu alongside hip and exotic cocktails. Just inside the door, diners are greeted with an ambiance that melds a quiet bar scene, cafe-style dining and a sleek restaurant atmosphere. Windows line two walls of the restaurant, but the glass is opaque at eye level, allowing natural light but stopping the noise and commotion of the street at the entrance. The restaurant’s walls, tables and fixtures are in dark, muted colors, giving diners a sense of privacy. Our table was an awkward arrangement, where three diners sat on a booth and one in a chair, giving an uncomfortable and almost business-like feel to the otherwise intimate seating. For dinner, Tazza offers a “Theater Menu” — similar to a prix fixe option — where diners can order
121 commence at midyear ceremony By Nic Cavell Contributing Writer
glitters, but not all is gold
t o d ay
tomorrow
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