Tuesday, September 23, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD vol. cxlix, no. 73

since 1891

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

Queer Alliance cancels Sex Power God party Student behavior, party’s perception no longer align with purpose, QA board writes in a post

By EMMA JERZYK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

RYAN WALSH / HERALD

Mark Blyth, professor of international political economy, Fiora MacPherson ’16 and Eoin McGuirk, postdoctoral fellow at the Watson Institute, discuss the origins and implications of the Scottish independence referendum.

Panel decodes Scottish referendum

By EBEN BLAKE STAFF WRITER

Referencing the French economist and author of “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” at a forum Monday on the Scottish independence vote, Mark Blyth, professor of international political economy, described the campaign for independence as the world’s first “Pikettyesque referendum.”

The themes of economic inequality, self-representation and the diverse

interpretations of a nation’s social contract continued throughout the discussion, as a panel — consisting of Blyth, Fiora MacPherson ’16 and Eoin McGuirk, a postdoctoral fellow in economics at the Watson Institute for International Studies — explored the origins and consequences of the Scottish independence referendum.

The referendum, which would have made Scotland an independent and sovereign nation, failed last Thursday, with about 55 percent of people voting against it.

“I emailed Mark about screening the results of the referendum in Buxton, and he suggested being part of this talk,” MacPherson told The Herald. “And up until Thursday none of us knew which

R.I. women vie for top state positions Despite political, structural barriers, women found success during primaries

By ELAINA WANG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rhode Island could make history this year by electing its first female governor, as well as possibly its second female lieutenant governor and third female secretary of state, in November’s general election.

There are three female candidates currently vying for various state-level positions ­­— Democrat and Rhode Island General Treasurer Gina Raimondo for governor, Democrat Nellie Gorbea for secretary of state and Republican Catherine Taylor for lieutenant governor.

At 27.4 percent, the rate of women in the Rhode Island state legislature has never been higher, according to the

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University of Massachusetts at Boston’s Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy.

Men represent over 70 percent of state government, a dynamic Taylor said she attributes partly to women’s traditional role as homemakers. Planning a career in politics while raising a family is difficult, she added.

“The Rhode Island General Assembly historically meets Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the afternoons through dinner,” Gorbea said, which makes it difficult for caregivers, often female, to attend.

And if women attempt to run for office, party politics are a large barrier to entry, Taylor said. Men have traditionally dominated Rhode Island politics, creating a cycle in which men will usually consider and nominate other men for governmental positions, she said.

Often legislation will have a male bias due to this gender imbalance, said Sen. Gayle Goldin, D-Providence. A 2010 report by the Women’s Fund in » See GOVERNORS, page 2

way the vote would go.”

Blyth, who is from Scotland, began the discussion by sharing his initial uncertainty over the referendum, citing his long residence in the United States as a cause for some ambivalence. Despite the “economic costs of disunion,” Blyth said he did not believe that the “yes” campaign was caused by “parochialism, Presbyterianism and capitalism,” as he had initially thought.

“It’s beyond nationalism in the traditional sense,” he said, after dismissing nationalism as “drawing-room fascism” in a quote drawn from playwright George Bernard Shaw. “Instead, it’s a group of younger people trying to imagine a very different future” from the » See REFERENDUM, page 2

TEDx holds third Providence conference Conversations about health, civic duty, education headline conference line-up

By KATE TALERICO CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The TEDxProvidence 2014 conference this weekend brought together community leaders from Rhode Island to share their perspectives on themes of health and wellness, civic engagement and education.

The events, which took place Saturday at the Rhode Island School of Design Auditorium, marked the third year of the annual conference.

Local speakers included footwear and furniture designer Martin Keen; Adrienne Gagnon, a design educator for DownCity Design; and Alyson McGregor, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Alpert Medical School. Speakers were nominated by the community and then chosen by members of the Providence Speaking Society.

“It’s a process that requires much

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deliberation in order to curate an event that will be interesting for everyone,” said Peter Haas, TEDxProvidence event coordinator.

“This year, 90 people were nominated to speak, which is a record number of nominees,” said Michael Gazdacko, another event coordinator.

Each year’s themes are chosen based on dominant ideas among previous years’ nominees, who are used as a “guide to where the community is interested,” Haas said.

The conference commenced with talks on health and wellness. Keen spoke about body-conscious design and how furniture needs to reflect the body’s natural posture.

“When we sit down, we tend to shut down,” Keen said. His company, Focal Upright, aims to change the way people sit while at work.

Next, McGregor’s talk examined how women’s health has been compromised by its societal definition. She said conceptions of women’s health should move beyond “bikini health” — the idea that sex characteristics are the only difference between women’s and men’s health.

“I gave this talk to a National Emergency Medicine conference in 2007.

Arts & Culture

Carty ’15: Students should acknowledge U.’s history of slavery in 250th year

Bai ’16: Funding for stem cell research should start at the local level

Local artist Esther Solondz creates a Hummingbird Palace as beautiful as it is eco-friendly

North Bakery brings innovative cookies, savory pies and baked goods to Providence

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Panelists agree that referendum could set a precedent for future negotiations

The Queer Alliance has decided to cancel the annual Sex Power God party it usually hosts during the fall semester, the group announced Monday.

“A future board may choose to reinstate the party based on their own judgment,” Queer Alliance President Lorin Smith ’15 and the rest of the group’s coordinating committee wrote in a post on the Bluestockings Magazine website announcing the change.

The QA board decided to cancel the event because in recent years the party has not remained in line with the event’s original intent, the post said.

SPG “was intended to be a celebration of sex positivity for queer people, a celebration of body positivity, a safe space free of assault and unwanted contact and a space open to all with a queer focus” and meant “to ethically raise funds for the continuation and promotion of a healthy community for queer students at Brown.”

But Smith and the coordinating committee wrote that “non-consensual sexual engagement, unwanted

touching, harassment and verbal slurs” were common at SPG, based on “anecdotal evidence from students.”

Though attendees were asked to sign a contract last year “promising to seek active consent,” the QA leaders wrote that “students disregarded this policy during the 2013 SPG” and called SPG a “violent space.”

“We cannot in good conscience continue perpetuating such a space. …

It would mean that Brown students decided that a party was more important than the safety and bodily autonomy of their peers,” the leaders wrote.

Smith did not respond to multiple requests for comment Monday.

The financial chairs “have been brainstorming alternative fundraisers that do not require perpetuating negative sexual spaces,” wrote Noah Fields ’17, a member of the QA coordinating committee, in a Facebook message to The Herald, adding that SPG, previously the group’s biggest fundraiser, has “brought in less money since moving to Alumnae Hall.” The party moved from Sayles Hall to Alumnae Hall after 2005, and due to fire regulations, it was held in Andrews Dining Hall in 2010.

“We are not too concerned with our ability to fundraise through more kosher methods for our big upcoming events, including the New England Queer People of Color Conference, » See SPG, page 3

KATE TALERICO / HERALD

TEDx speaker Alyson McGregor discusses women’s health issues.

There were two people in the audience. People weren’t ready to hear it,” McGregor told The Herald. “Last year, I gave the same talk, and there were over a hundred people.”

Subsequent discussions of health included an analysis of how to bring “play” into the workplace and a personal story of overcoming mental illness, after which the talks progressed toward civic engagement. One speaker shared her experience during the Central Falls » See TEDX, page 3 t o d ay

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2 university news Ken Auletta stresses the ‘human factor’ Author, New Yorker columnist lectures on the importance of humility in reporting, business

By CAMILLA BRANDFIELD-HARVEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

“Let me take you to some planets I’ve visited and tell you some stories,” said Ken Auletta, long-time columnist for the New Yorker and author of 11 books, inviting his audience to travel with him to the Lehman Brothers offices and dinner dates with Rupert Murdoch.

Auletta, who spoke Monday evening in MacMillan 117, has written the Annals of Communication column for the New Yorker since 1993, profiled technology honchos like Bill Gates and Larry Page and studied the inner workings of Lehman Brothers, Microsoft, Google and the American welfare system for his non-fiction works.

He considers each of these subjects a different planet to be examined, he said, and as a reporter writing in these different orbits over the years, he has “bumped into” a truth he calls -“the human factor.”

Attention to this “human factor” comprised the majority of his lecture, detailing its deficiency both in modern news reporting and at companies like Google and Amazon. But at Lehman Brothers, Auletta observed a saturation of human factors like greed, panic and egoism as the bank unraveled.

Auletta explained the importance

of the human factor in good reporting, as well as the need for time and space to unearth it.

“I found when you have the luxury of time and space, as you do writing books and writing for magazines like the New Yorker, you can’t reduce human beings to simple categories,” Auletta said, adding that he was lucky enough to experience this luxury, having spent two and a half years at Google, 10 days with Murdoch and long stretches of time with Gates in order to uncover significant truths.

“To understand people, I would argue we have to go beyond logic.

We must take into account emotions, including things that are hard to measure,” such as pride, cowardice, fear, arrogance and insecurity, he said.

He attributes the absence of the human factor in most reporting to the lack of access and time to report the complex truths behind people and events, as well as a tendency to stereotype subjects.

Auletta also accused large businesses of neglecting a human factor when considering their employees and their consumers. “Google believed that engineers could measure everything, until they learned they could not measure things like fear: Why government fears big companies, why consumers fear for their privacy, why writers fear to protect their copyright, why dictators fear making all the world’s information available to all of their citizens.”

Auletta implicated Amazon and

CAMILLA BRANFIELD-HARVEY / HERALD

Ken Auletta discusses reporters’ lack of attention to human emotion.

Netflix, as well, adding that these companies “think they can create algorithms to predict what movie or TV pilot will galvanize an audience.

I doubt it.”

“In the end, no algorithm will be able to remove the risk from those decisions. A fickle public will always be mysterious, will always be king,” he said.

But he does not behold attention to the human factor as the sole model for good reporting and business decisions.

“I’m saying that the human factor » See AULETTA, page 3

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

» REFERENDUM, from page 1 political status quo, Blyth added.

Citing widespread disillusionment with the New Labour policies of former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and general distrust of the Conservatives, particularly after the 2008 financial collapse, Blyth conceptualized the campaign for an independent Scotland as a “social movement” to fundamentally change the political order in the United Kingdom.

Despite his support for the social causes behind the campaign, Blyth identified himself as being against disunion because of the immediate and tangible consequences of a yes vote.

“Voting against the Union would be like stabbing the Liberal Democrats of England in the heart and leaving them to the Tories,” Blyth said, imagining the political reality in England, which is generally conservative, without the balancing power of the more liberal Scotland. “We would be creating a ‘teenage sovereignty’ in Scotland” where England would still provide the infrastructure, currency and financial system for the nation without gaining anything in return, he argued.

MacPherson, a native of Scotland, spoke in favor of Scottish independence, based on her personal experience in the country and the massive rates of unemployment and poverty in the region due to “Westminster policies” from out-of-touch “Etonians.”

“My mother taught me to memorize the Declaration of Arbroath” as a child, MacPherson said, referencing the 1320 declaration of Scottish independence.

“But despite this 700-year history, only in the last few weeks has England begun to make concessions for Scottish autonomy.”

In particular, MacPherson emphasized the generational aspect of the movement, and the large youth support for devolution.

“Seventy-one percent of young

» GAP, from page 1 Rhode Island shows that state budget cuts for the past decade have most often decreased economic assistance to programs generally geared toward women.

Women do not generally tend to see themselves as prime candidates for government, Goldin said, citing research that shows women need to be asked several times before actually choosing to run, while men tend to think of themselves as potential candidates even without being asked.

Part of women’s hesitation to enter the political scene may arise from a lack of female leaders in Rhode Island as role models. “There’s the barrier of not knowing somebody else who’s done it,” Gorbea said. “A lot of times when people venture into specific fields, they know someone close to them that has done it. … Then, they have an easier time imagining themselves doing that.”

Campaigning also poses specific challenges for women. “There’s a lot of canine imagery that is used about women, like ‘pitbull’ and ‘watchdog,’” Taylor said. “You have to have a really tough skin, and until you try it, you don’t know how thick your skin is going to be.”

Women who decide to run for office often face a sexist environment, where more media attention is given to their gender than to their policies, Goldin said, adding that the media scrutinizes a female candidate’s appearance, physical stature, attire and

people voted for independence,” she said, “because they feel systemically excluded from the political discourse.

It’s about representation more than independence.”

McGuirk, who is Irish, tried to provide an objective and dispassionate analysis of the referendum, examining the tensions and tradeoffs of secession and independence from an economic perspective.

“Bigger is better” for countries, he said. “As more people contribute to public goods like health care or infrastructure, the goods themselves grow without diminishing in utility. But the bigger a country is, the more diverse it becomes and the more difficult it is to determine how to use public goods, which leads to underprovision.”

McGuirk further explored the consequences of institutional separation from a positive vote.

“Scotland’s GDP per capita is 15 percent higher than the average for the U.K.,” he said, “so they would theoretically be fine on their own. But it becomes trickier on how they would share national debt or a currency with England.”

The queries in a follow-up questionand-answer session — several of which came from Scottish students and nearby residents — centered on the future of the movement, the role of Scotland in the European Union and the referendum’s effects on other secessionist movements, such as that in Catalonia.

All the panelists were optimistic about the future of Scottish independence, suggesting that even if “Westminster” does nothing, the area will not forget the precedent of this referendum in future negotiations.

Theo Follini-Press ’17, who is British, told The Herald afterward that he enjoyed the event, but noted “the difficulty of the situation if the vote had been either yes or no,” adding that people are “nowhere near an answer to that.” parenting style more than a male candidate’s.

While male candidates also have their appearances scrutinized, it is the voters’ response to this type of media attention that makes the difference, Taylor said, citing a 2013 study conducted by Democratic pollster Celinda Lake. According to the study, remarks on a female candidate’s appearance — whether positive or negative — negatively affect how voters perceive that candidate.

Voters may perceive female candidates as “frivolous or less serious” after their appearance is mentioned, Taylor said. The study shows that the same does not occur when a male candidate’s appearance is scrutinized.

“Already this election cycle Raimondo has been described as being ‘pint-sized,’” Goldin said. “I’m not exactly sure what her physical stature has to do with her capacity to run for governor or be an effective governor, but it only draws attention to the fact that she does not look like the standard-issue politician, which is the middle-aged white man.”

But despite all the challenges they may face, there are women who are “absolutely willing” to take on the challenge of a male-dominated political environment, Goldin said.

“I think people are ready for change in the state,” said Nicole Kayner, spokeswoman for the Raimondo campaign. “They’re ready for someone to go in and get things done and not have the same-old, same-old.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

Newport gambling ballot measure sparks debate Many dispute whether changes would bring state, local governments substantial profit

By SARAH NOVICOFF CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Rhode Islanders will vote this November on whether to allow the Newport Grand casino to open table games, a proposition that can only pass if a majority of Newport residents also vote in favor of it. The state’s voters will also vote to amend the Rhode Island Constitution to require that a vote be cast before a casino may be moved from its current location.

Former Providence mayor and real estate developer Joseph Paolino Jr. P’06 P’17 said he plans to invest $40 million into the casino if the measures on the ballot pass. His investment would go to renovating the casino into a larger facility that would include a banquet hall, health spa and spaces for concerts and shows.

“We want to make it into an entertainment center that has gaming as a component,” Paolino said.

A study conducted by Edward Mazze, professor of marketing and supply chain management at the University of Rhode Island, and commissioned

» TEDX, from page 1 recovery after the city fell into bankruptcy. Nick Horton, a prison reformer, spoke about his 9 Yards program, which uses education as a tool to help prevent released prisoners from being reincarcerated.

During the education session, Don Miller, the principal at Charles E. Shea Senior High School in Pawtucket, spoke about how relationships between students and faculty are the key to our education system.

Gagnon spoke about how young people can bring creativity and innovation to their education through design.

“It’s important to get a sense of all the important things in the world and by sitting you down to tell these stories, that’s how we curate all these ideas,” Gagnon told The Herald. “There are people doing interesting things locally and internationally.”

Three-hundred seventy-five tickets were sold this year to TEDxProvidence, 80 of which were student tickets.

Though the numbers are consistent with 2013’s event, Haas said he believed that the scheduling overlap with the A Better World By Design conference may have kept TEDx from selling out completely, adding that the two conferences may attract a similar audience.

“Between now and our first year, we’ve gotten more professional in presentation,” Haas said. By moving the

by Paolino Properties, found that the Newport Grand revamp would stabilize casino employment and create 400 new jobs at the facility. There have been severe layoffs at the casino in response to nearly $35 million in lost revenue over the past 10 years, Paolino said.

The study also estimates that the state and city governments would gain $2.2 million of revenue from property and income taxes as a result of the proposed changes.

Paul Dion, the Chief of the Office of Revenue Analysis for Rhode Island, said that while the Office of Revenue has not yet quantified the economic impact the project could have — the office is currently updating a 2012 gaming study and will release a comprehensive report by the end of October — he saw some flaws in Mazze’s work. For example, the study assumes that all construction workers will be Rhode Island residents and pay Rhode Island income taxes, when in fact many construction projects employ Massachusetts residents, Dion said.

“The gaming market itself has changed in those last couple years” since event from the Friedman Auditorium to the RISD Auditorium, coordinators and speakers were able to showcase more complex audio and visual media.

“We did have a few technical errors this year, which we will correct for next year,” Haas said.

For Haas, the most rewarding part of the TEDx experience is “seeing the joy in speakers’ eyes when they’re up there. At the end of (each) speech, the audience’s applause is validation that this is something the community wants.”

“Horton’s talk on prison reform was fascinating. He presented a great argument for rehabilitation-based programs,” said attendee Mitchell Johnson ’18.

“It was a community for people to share ideas that are shaping Providence, and what’s amazing is that so much of it stems from the universities here,” Johnson said. For example, Gagnon graduated from RISD, and McGregor currently holds a position at Alpert Medical School.

“We are getting the process for TEDxProvidence 2015 started in the next few weeks. We want to get students involved — we have needs in graphic design, audio and visual production, promotion and more,” Haas said.

Next year’s TEDxProvidence will be held on April 25. Themes slated for discussion will include the environment, finance and entertainment.

the last study was released, Dion said.

There have also been concerns about the viability of the “fairly saturated market” given the closings of casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey and the openings of Massachusetts casinos.“I think, as an economist, that’s an open question as to what’s going to happen,” Dion said.

Massachusetts plans to award the last of three new casino licenses this fall, and these new casinos could pose competition to Rhode Island’s facilities, which currently account for the state’s third-largest source of revenue.

Gene McKenna, President of Citizens Concerned About Casino Gambling, cites the relatively poor impact these $40 million would have on the community, especially when it could be invested elsewhere, like in an “innovation hub” — a cluster of entrepreneurs and artists generating jobs in a community. The Newport Innovation Hub plan would be a far better choice to improve the city and state economies, McKenna said.

This development plan is designed to provide better mobility in the city, increase employment opportunities and support the “social, economic and environmental well-being” of Newport,

according to the city’s website.

McKenna also cited “Gambling in America: Costs and Benefits,” a book

by Baylor University Professor of Economics Earl Grinols, to add that the economic impact of casinos is actually a net negative with a three dollar social cost for every one dollar of revenue.

“Already Rhode Island and the local communities get more revenue per capita from gambling than any other state in the union,” McKenna said. “How much is enough? It doesn’t really seem like it’s paying off for our state in the economy so far.”

Newport Councilor At-Large Jeanne Napolitano supports the measures, saying that Newport is a destination and that this enhanced facility could be another part of that equation.

If the measures pass, Newport will gain increased property taxes from the casino and income tax from the newly employed workers, while the casino can continue to function without an additional detriment to moral or public health, Napolitano said. If the measures fail, Napolitano said the city will likely have to find revenue elsewhere, though not necessarily from taxes.

“I believe that people have a right to

choose what they want for the future. It’s not whether I want it or don’t want it, and whatever happens, Newport needs to move forward,” Napolitano said.

The presentation of the measures themselves is disputed as well, with a lawsuit filed last week alleging that the format of the question is unconstitutional. As approved by the Rhode Island Secretary of State’s office, the measure to add table games to Newport Grand will appear only on the state ballot, as opposed to both state and city ballots, and will be highlighted for those registered to vote in Newport.

The ballot design “will dilute their vote and unlawfully tilt the election in favor of approval,” according to the plaintiffs’ claim, the Providence Journal reported.

The measure to add table games to Newport Grand was on the ballot in 2012. Though the measure passed statewide, it failed to garner enough votes from Newport voters to go into effect.

Napolitano said the location amendment would prevent the casino from displacing downtown businesses and would help keep potential job opportunities for people in the neighborhood near Newport Grand.

» SPG, from page 1

more efficiently at the door.”

“Even if someone is kind of visibly drunk, just don’t let them in,” Pandiloski said, adding that he would recommend enforcing the rules more strictly this year and canceling the party in the future if this increased regulation didn’t work.

“I went and enjoyed it last year, but I do know several people who had really uncomfortable experiences there,” said Genesis Medina ’17. “There are lots of incidences, like anecdotes of assault and harassment and a lot of unwanted groping.”

“Even though there’s no (official) evidence of sexual assault, sexual assault is obviously a very big issue,” Verano said.

The Bluestockings post also

referenced the footage of the party shown on “The O’Reilly Factor” in 2005, when the party garnered national attention and ridicule from some conservatives and the increased safety and privacy precautions taken the following year. These precautions are thought to have contributed to a decreased number of students needing Emergency Medical Services, The Herald previously reported.

Other student groups are not allowed to stage alternatives to SPG in light of its cancellation, Smith and the coordinating committee wrote in the post.

They added that they encourage students to send suggestions to queer@ brown.edu with the subject line “RE: Creating Safe Sexual Spaces.”

assume you don’t know the answer.”

When an audience member asked him to distinguish humility from objectivity, Auletta said, “Objectivity is a false god. … Objectivity is something that is not quite achievable. You strive for fairness.”

Fairness is paramount to Auletta’s writing for his audience, and sometimes leads to a severing of his connections to the prominent subjects he profiles. Gates and Murdoch no longer speak to him, he said, as they feel betrayed by his writings.

Auletta used this moment to provide an additional piece of wisdom: Deciding one’s audience is

fundamental to journalism.

“Is your audience the person you’re writing about, who’s cooperating so much and who you enjoy? Your job is to get underneath them and get in their head and understand them. And that’s an empathetic thing to do,” he said. “But when you’re sitting at that word process, you’re ruthless. Because they’re not your audience. Your audience is the reader, and you owe it to the reader to tell the truth as best you can determine it.”

The lecture was sponsored by the Andrea Rosenthal Memorial Lectureship Fund and the Department of Comparative Literature.

which we are hosting in the spring,” Fields wrote.

On campus, some students echoed the post’s concerns about last year’s party.

“Even though they signed the waiver, they didn’t really pay attention to the intentionality and the reason as to why the space was created,” said Mae Verano ’17 of some of last year’s attendees.

This was “enough reason to cancel SPG, despite the financial loss of forgoing the party,” the post said.

“I kind of think that the reason is valid,” said Predrag Pandiloski ’17, “although I think they should try to enforce (the rules from the contract)

» AULETTA, from page 2 is the part of the elephant that we look at least and the one that is hardest to gauge. Just as you can’t judge students on the results of multiple choice quizzes or black teenagers on whether they’re wearing a hoodie, so we have to be more judicious,” he said.

Questions from the audience concerned humility and objectivity in reporting.

Auletta said humility is fundamental, and the ability for a reporter to be a good listener assumes humility, adding that “Humility means that you’re willing to ask questions, because you

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

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SATELLITE DINING JOSIAH’S Steamed Dumplings with Dipping Sauces BLUE ROOM Chicken Mango Curry ANDREWS COMMONS Italian Beef Sandwiches

DINING HALLS SHARPE REFECTORY LUNCH

DINNER

Meatball Grinder, Grilled Tuna Sandwich with Cheese, Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cajun Baked Fish, Cajun Fettucini, Saffron Rice, Okra and Tomato, Apple Pie

VERNEY-WOOLLEY LUNCH

DINNER

Chinese Chicken Wings, Sweet and Sour Tofu, Sticky Rice, Onion Rings

Steak and Pepper Fajitas, Vegan Roasted Vegetable Burrito, Spanish Rice

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ASHLEY SO / HERALD

The People’s Climate March held on Sunday in New York rallied over 400,000 people in an effort to increase awareness and heed to issues surrounding climate change. Above, a Mother Earth puppet follows protesters.

comics Cat Ears | Najatee’ McNeil ’17 RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle c r o s s w o r d Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 Reduce to mist 8 Insubstantial stuff 11 Intro deliverers 14 Short outing for a jogger 15 From A to Z 16 The smile on a smiley face, say 17 Green gem 18 Where to leggo your Eggo?

20 Period of meaningful interaction 22 Having the wherewithal 26 Take to court 27 From square one 28 “That’s using your head!”

33 Detach from the dock 34 Sharply delineated, as a contrast 35 Egyptian snake 36 Actress Charlotte 38 __ Lanka 39 Scooby-__ 42 Living thing 44 Make responsible for, as chores 46 Planck’s Nobel prize-winning formulation 48 Insulting remark 50 Equal: Pref.

51 Carnivorous dinosaur, briefly 52 Small musical interval sung in choral warmups 57 Let go 58 Movie equipment 63 “O, __ fortune’s fool!”: Romeo 64 Start to practice?

65 Surreptitiously ... and a hint to 20-, 28-, 46- and 52Across 66 8-Down treaters: Abbr.

67 Get at a store 68 Traditional Yuletide quaff DOWN 1 Soul, to Zola 2 “A Christmas Carol” boy

3 Bullfight “Bravo!”

4 Debussy’s “La __” 5 Syria neighbor 6 Last letter of a pilot’s alphabet 7 Mark similar to a hyphen 8 Waiting room waiters 9 Very much 10 Be in the game 11 Checking conclusively, in chess 12 __ de cacao 13 Carpentry fastener 19 Performed really poorly 21 San __ Obispo, California 22 Color of water 23 Cookout supply 24 Walk on a bad knee, say 25 Novelist Umberto 29 Divided nation 30 Teach a skill to 31 Jeweler’s purity unit 32 Dublin-born 37 In every aspect

39 Couturier Christian 40 Shrek, for one 41 Black stone 42 Grand Canyon pack animal 43 Sudden wind 45 Chess pieces and board, e.g.

46 Reservations 47 Barnyard animal, in totspeak 48 Ink squirter

49 Like some ancient calendars 53 Mummy’s home 54 Genesis twin 55 Grandma 56 CPR providers 59 Canadian interjections 60 Stephen of “The Crying Game” 61 EPA concern 62 Arch city: Abbr.

Moving Parts | Odie ’17

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09/23/14

TODAY 4 P.M. DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Yunsheng Ma, associate professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, will discuss the treatment of metabolic syndrome with dietary changes.

121 South Main St., Room 121 6 P.M. ROUNDTABLE ON 2014 BRAZILIAN ELECTIONS

Brown Professors will hold a panel about internal processes of the upcoming election in Brazil.

Watson Institute, Joukowsky Forum

TOMORROW 5:30 P.M. DR. PAUL RUGGIERI DISCUSSES ‘THE COST OF CUTTING’

Practicing surgeon Dr. Paul Ruggieri will discuss his new book, “The Cost of Cutting: A Surgeon Reveals the Truth Behind a Multibillion-Dollar Industry,” shedding insight into the ethics and challenges faced by doctors.

Brown Bookstore 6 P.M. HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA: MEDICAID

Kaiser Commission on Medicaid Director Diane Rowland will give a lecture on issues regarding Medicaid expansion.

Alpert Medical Building, Case Study Room 275

7:30 P.M. SHARING CULTURE AS A BRIDGE TO THE UNKNOWN ‘OTHER’

By Jeffrey Wechsler ©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

09/23/14

Israeli musicians Etty BenZaken and Eitan Steinberg discuss artistic and pedagogic aspects of Jewish and Arab folk music.

Brown/RISD Hillel, Winnick Chapel

7 P.M. BOOK TALK: MADNESS IN THE MAINSTREAM

Mark Drolsbaugh, deaf author of “Madness in the Mainstream,” will discuss the realities of deaf education.

Metcalf, Friedman Auditorium

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

EDITORIAL

Keep pushing on all levels Over the weekend, 300,000 to 400,000 people flooded midtown Manhattan, in addition to tens of thousands around the world, to urge action on climate change. Students, celebrities, politicians and diplomats marched alongside each other in unprecedented numbers with a clear message. While this event undoubtedly underscores the growing importance of climate change awareness and the ever-pressing need for action, at the current juncture, it is uncertain that climate change is an issue that will be solved on the global stage. Rather, we urge local communities and municipalities to lead the proverbial charge.

As Politico appropriately highlighted, while nearly half a million people descended on New York, the event was all but passed over on Sunday’s talk shows in lieu of the NFL scandals, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and November’s midterm elections. Though partially a curated product of the media, the current and pervasive geopolitical tension is not conducive to effectively addressing the issue of climate change — an unfortunate byproduct of its relative urgency. Considering the hot-button issues and scandals of the last two years — gun violence, border security, Gaza, veterans benefits, ISIS, Ukraine — climate control is on the minds of many Americans but is very rarely the priority of voters or lawmakers.

There is no chance of environmental legislation coming through Congress this fall, and the prospect for President Obama to pass a major bill on the issue gets bleaker with every inch we move toward war. The conflict in the Middle East is rightly the principal focus of the Obama administration, and though the character of action is not yet concretely established, the stark reality is that the degree of U.S. intervention in the region will continue to overshadow any tangible environmental legislation in Congress in the interim.

Thus we resort again to urging local and state governments to continue looking for ways to reduce their emissions. The change we seek at the national level will likely be preceded by action on the local level. In January 2013, the Barrington town council prohibited retailers from distributing single-use plastic bags. A year later, the Plastic Waste Reduction Act was introduced in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, a progressive move toward reducing the environmental impact of plastic bags.

The succession of these bills should serve as a model for the country.

Many environmental issues are non-controversial, and, after implementation, Americans realize they have minimal impact on our lives. In these cases, we are waiting on leadership and initiative we might not see out of Washington for a few more election cycles. We hope this model of local action will continue to perpetuate itself and serve as the foundation for true, comprehensive reform.

C E C I L IA B E R R I Z

CORRECTIONS An article in Friday’s Herald (“Sexual assault task force headlines BUCC meeting,” Sept. 19) incorrectly stated that Justice Gaines ’16 said the University should ensure that privileged sexual assault perpetrators do not gain an unfair advantage in disciplinary processes. In fact, he said it should acknowledge the role socioeconomic status may play in giving alleged perpetrators or victims an advantage. The Herald regrets the error.

An article in Thursday’s Herald (“Heroin, opioid overdoses rise in R.I. as state works to combat crisis,” Sept. 18) misstated Traci Green’s title. She is an assistant professor, not a professor, of emergency medicine and epidemiology. The Herald regrets the error.

An article in last Tuesday’s Herald (“Vaccinations to be required for students and toddlers,” Sept. 16) misstated Richard Bungiro’s title. He is a senior lecturer in molecular microbiology and immunology, not a lecturer in biology, molecular microbiology and immunology. The Herald regrets the error.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Naval War College partnership raises questions ‘To the editor:

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board, led by Alexander Kaplan ’15 and James Rattner ’15. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.

Q U O T E O F T H E D AY

“Objectivity is a false god.”

— Ken Auletta, author and New Yorker columnist

See HUMAN on page 2.

Imagine that. Though Brown trustees, administrators and faculty members rejected reestablishment of Navy ROTC on campus because they felt our military services discriminate against transgender individuals, our elite leaders are now excited by a partnership with the Naval War College (“U. plans partnership with Naval War College,” Sept. 17).

Of course, ROTC merely trains young men and women for commissions as line officers who do such ordinary things as fly planes, operate war ships and fire guns to serve our nation.

The Naval War College partnership will focus on intellectual matters such as cybersecurity, nonproliferation, environmental change, foreign policy and politics.

The esoteric nature of those subjects has apparently overcome the concern of Brown’s leadership about prejudice against transgender individuals.

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And the faculty’s objection to Navy officers in an ROTC program interloping in their domain must have abated if staff members of the Naval War College are to be welcomed in Brown’s classrooms. Perhaps the Navy officers will just be invited guests.

The proximity of the Navy establishment in Newport and the Naval War College to Brown was offered as an incentive for reestablishing Navy ROTC at the University during the Ruth Simmons administration, but it was not considered important.

Though Brown was willing to accept about $2,000,000 annually from the Department of Defense for research, the University did not want to see uniforms of the military services associated with that discriminating agency walking around campus. If a military presence was deemed appropriate for occasions such as Memorial Day, a unit was imported. Have things changed?

David Curry ’51

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commentary 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

Slavery of the past, inherited in the present KEVIN CARTY guest columnist

Almost exactly 250 years ago today, a slave ship named Sally departed Providence for West Africa. Funded by Nicholas Brown and Company, the Sally sailed east, acquired the first of her 196 captives on Nov. 10, suppressed an uprising in August and reached the West Indies sometime during the fall of 1765. During the same month that the Sally departed Providence, 250 years ago this September, the inaugural meeting of the Corporation of the College of Rhode Island was held in Newport. Forty years later, that college would be renamed Brown University because of a donation by the aforementioned Brown family.

In Brown’s 250th year, it is as important to remember the Sally, one salient example of the many thousands of vessels, plantations, owners and laws that made up American slavery, as it is to recall that first meeting of the Corporation — the beginning of the University we hold so dear. We need to remember both of these things together — and put them in tension with each other — because to do anything else is dishonest.

Brown University was founded on ideals of religious tolerance and diversity, and for the purpose of educating its students in a way that gave them “usefulness and reputation,” as Brown’s mission states. At the same time, Brown was founded and funded by men who were ei-

ther complicit in or active supporters of a regime of chattel slavery that “permeated every aspect of social and economic life in Rhode Island,” to quote the text inscribed onto the Slavery Memorial that President Christina Paxson is dedicating this weekend. These facts of Brown’s founding are both true. To value the former without recalling the latter is to ignore something important: Brown was built on slavery.

University Hall was built by enslaved labor-

Not only is this “a la carte” mentality dishonest, it has concrete effects. Past is not merely prologue. Its consequences live on with us. Forgetting the injustices of the past makes us blind to their effects in the present.

And there’s something else, too, about remembering the ugly past. As members of a family, community or nation, we inherit the decisions of our ancestors. Just as we might inherit the passed-down wealth of our great-grandparents, so do we inherit the effects of the United

We are partners in this University’s project. And the project of this University was built on slavery.

ers. The University was funded, in a number of ways, by profits from the slave trade. John Brown, financier of countless instances of enslavement through his business, served as the University’s treasurer for years, and the college was named for a family whose most salient attribute was its business of funding slave-trading.

The only thing that I’m arguing for is memory — honest, unblinking acknowledgement of the past. Too many Americans are afflicted by a certain kind of American exceptionalism that involves ignoring the genocide, plunder and moral failures of our nation’s past. Ta-Nehisi Coates has called this “patriotism a la carte.”

States’ status as a wealthy, developed nation. We don’t necessarily deserve these things — it’s not like we did anything to merit these privileges.

But they are still ours. We still benefit from them. And this fact of inheritance holds across the board. Just as we might receive wealth by nature of our birthplace, so are we the recipients of our ancestors’ faults. I didn’t choose to pass the Indian Removal Act of 1830, and I didn’t veto the renewal of the Freedman’s Bureau in 1866. But my country did, and I am of my country. I am part of America, and America is everlasting. Her decisions ripple and live on, and as a citizen, I am a partial owner of all that she is.

It is the same with Brown. We inherit every-

thing from the Van Wickle Gates to the New Curriculum — we are partners in the University’s project. And the project of the University was built on slavery. Today it is so much more, and we should feel pride in that. But to feel pride for the great bits of the past without feeling sorrow for the failures is to engage in school pride “a la carte.”

What this fact of inheritance obligates is an open question. We all feel differently about what we should do to repair the evils of the past and present. But before we do that, we need to be honest about what our past is, because Brown’s past is intimately related to her present.

This Saturday, Paxson and the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice will be dedicating Brown’s newest memorial — a memorial to the University’s role in slavery and the slave trade.

It is a solemn, beautiful monument, and the text of the plaque is unflinching. The final sentence reads, “Brown University was a beneficiary of this trade.”

If you are proud to be a Brown student, if you were overjoyed at your admission, if you profess to care about this school’s future, I entreat you to attend this dedication. Past is more than prologue. Brown was founded on slavery.

And we need to be honest about these facts.

Paying this memorial the respect it is due is an important means of doing so.

Kevin Carty ’15 is a senior studying political theory. He can be followed @Politicarty and emailed at kevin_carty@brown.edu.

Stem cells and the political left DIANA BAI opinions columnist

As far as bioengineering goes, stem cells and the surrounding moral controversy have provoked a variety of particularly vehement media commentary. I suppose the conversation, thinly walking the bright line between technical scientific innovation and philosophical quandary, makes for an enigmatic hors d’oeuvre — even more so when morality is involved. Everyone has an opinion.

There is an aphorism some philosophers toss around: “You can swing your fist freely till it hits another man’s nose.” In less archaic terms, the truism promotes individual autonomy until this autonomy infringes upon another’s human rights. In less convoluted terms, you can do what you want as long as no one else is hurt. Regarding stem cells and those who promote research of stem cells, that nose just seems a bit further away. Or the arms are a bit shorter. Regardless, the fist has a larger diameter to swing voraciously.

While it seems obtrusive to interrupt such theoretical thoughts with empirical ones, pragmatics and research are quite the pals. That aforementioned diameter tends to be an elastic one, contingent upon the mathematics of fiscal funding and politics of a given area. As a Brown undergrad, I’d like to think Rhode Island’s tendency to vote socially liberally has some hopeful implications for stem cells and their potentially monumental role in future health

benefits. If Rhode Island were to meet this topic at the right junctures of funding and politics, what significance would it have?

In the endeavor to answer this seemingly large, general question, we should first examine the history of stem cell research policy in America.

Second, we should analyze California, a state that has gained both influence and momentum in this field of study as of late.

Stem cell research has long been a moral quandary. Controversy mostly

this argument with a wildly unpopular vote to allocate money, though conservatively, to stem cell research laboratories. As political compromises result in little appeasement, this funding law also proved dissatisfactory. Social conservatives protested stem cells’ embryonic genesis.

Researchers were limited to about 20 embryonic cell lines, hardly enough to further the research’s utilitarian health goals.

While the segregation between state and federal government has

increase in academic and financial capital. Extensive state funding for stem cell research has not only attracted elite academics to the state, but also helped the state economy.

CIRM’s ability to leverage resources nearly doubles the return on the state government’s original investments.

Though it is still early to notice public health outcomes, many labs funded by CIRM have entered translational stages. These stages exist as the bridge between research and drug development. With the aid of

As research can neither start nor continue in the absence of money, the stem cell debate has become an increasingly legal one. centers on embryonic stem cells and their extraction from in vitro fertilization. While IVF is commonly known as a method to treat infertility, it is also an accessible, effective means to study the embryonic genesis of human development. Stem cell lines are created by utilizing donor embryos or embryos that would have alternatively been discarded by IVF clinics.

Without descending into an entire discussion of “where life begins,” it’s enough to know that most stem cell research dissidents first criticize the usage of embryos and hold the process in which the embryos are obtained as a secondary issue.

As research can neither start nor continue in the absence of money, this debate has become an increasingly legal one.

The federal government ended

sometimes provided for unsavory historical moments, a la Southern secession, it has given stem cell researchers a hope for liberty. Since states are given the power to tax their own citizens and discretion in the use of funds gained through these taxes, they can also choose to fund specific types of research.

A decade ago, a group of Californians who believed deeply in the potential health benefits of advances in stem cell research drafted a ballot initiative for the establishment of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Proposition 71 ultimately passed. Since 2006, CIRM has distributed $1.3 billion to build facilities, fund laboratory research and create technology with the promise of long-term health care benefits.

California universities and institutions have experienced a colossal

stem cells, many lab researchers have taken steps in creating therapies for incurable diseases. Extra funding has also allowed study into embryonic alternatives and a possible escape from moral controversy. Humans contain induced pluripotent cells in their bodies that scientists can engineer to differentiate. The unique ability of these cells to form into other cellular types makes them a viable alternative to their embryonic counterparts.

Earlier, I described the moral and fiscal obstacles associated with stem cell research. California has been able to surpass both due to Proposition 71 and its liberal citizenry. Since the national passage of an initiative such as Proposition 71 would prove difficult in a large, partisan nation like the United States, state governments should be incentivized to act.

More importantly, California’s establishment of CIRM is a model example of constitutional democracy.

While the population doesn’t have much voice in civil taxation, California citizens were able to exert influence as an aggregate. The resulting establishment now wields billions of state tax dollars in the deserving pursuit of understanding disease and changing the prognosis of what is presently incurable.

This should motivate students and academics all across the United States. This should create hope for stem cell researchers working in institutions of higher education, especially those in more liberally inclined states.

I am curious whether Rhode Island’s liberal tendencies can allow it to become California’s eastern counterpart. How will Rhode Island’s more politically moderate government respond to the stem cell conversation? Brown engages in fascinating tissue engineering and stem cell research. How would these labs advance with CIRM-like funding?

As a summer analyst for CIRM, I was able to organize data, figure costbenefit heuristics and draw some conclusions. I found that short-term benefits were abundant and longterm benefits look invaluable.

There are many aspects to review when translating the recent California move to Rhode Island. But this expensive, morally polarizing conversation may be worth considering.

Diana Bai ’16 may be reached at diana_bai@brown.edu.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2014

THE

BROWN DAILY HERALD arts & culture Hummingbird Palace brings natural beauty to Lippitt Park Installation aims to serve community both aesthetically and environmentally

By DREW WILLIAMS SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Dazzlingly white, the Hummingbird Palace points skyward like an incandescent Christmas tree, perhaps bringing to mind something found in a shopping mall during a more festive season. But it’s Hope Street’s Lippitt Park, not Providence Place Mall, that is the home of local artist Esther Solondz’s recently installed sculpture — a symbol of neither the religious nor the commercial but instead a place for those looking to celebrate the beautifully fickle distinction between the natural and man-made.

The installation centers around a large inner triangle — the most sturdy part of the piece — consisting of poles wrapped in thread. This internal structure is encapsulated by an open-air

arboreal sculpture, which complements the triangle’s simplicity with a complex series of loops dripping with silicon trim, much like the adornments of the aforementioned tree. The two pieces together present a regal package, substantiated further by a surrounding fence punctuated by poles topped with ruby-red hummingbird feeders — guard turrets protecting the titular palace, while also attracting the birds.

Majestic design aside, what brings the piece together are the natural interactions occurring both around and within it. The sculpture is less of a palace for its aesthetics than for its openness, which allows hummingbirds to dart in and out as they please and honeysuckle vines — with red flowers to attract the birds — to worm their way up and around the metal structure.

The work draws from Solondz’s love of working with fragile, impermanent and unpredictable materials, such as salt, rust and soap, she said, adding that in this case, the involvement of plants and animals add the ultimate

RICHARD HAN / HERALD

element of unpredictability, she added.

She previously attempted to use seeds from Charles Darwin’s Down House in a piece celebrating the preeminent biologist’s bicentennial, but failed to execute the project, leaving her searching for an opportunity to try again with plants.

Solondz’s enthusiasm for hummingbirds originated while working at her summer home in New Hampshire. She experimented with gradually moving hummingbird feeders closer toward her studio until eventually the hummingbirds were soaring about among her artwork, she said.

In her latest work, Solondz once again incentivizes hummingbirds to roam her art — this time in her larger home of Providence — with the stubborn vine providing the perfect foil for the ephemeral hummingbird.

A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Solondz has strong links to Providence. But her ties to Lippitt Park are even more firmly rooted.

About a decade ago, when Solondz’s daughter and a friend were in fifth grade, the pair celebrated a birthday, asking for money to plant trees in the park in lieu of presents, Solondz said.

The two weeping cherry trees can now be seen behind the Hummingbird Palace, the older figures standing watch as the recently-planted vines begin their own evolutionary process.

Ten months in the making, the Hummingbird Palace received financial backing from the Rhode Island Council of Arts, as well as philanthropists in the area, Solondz said. The construction itself benefitted from volunteers, who used expertise to weld and extra hands to water, she said.

Months after the work was installed,

COURTESY OF ESTHER SOLONDZ

Flowers attract hummingbirds to the Hummingbird Palace, an evolving nature-oriented installation created by local artist Esther Solondz.

Solondz and the volunteers still consider the work evolving. After an investigation revealed rabbits as the cause of disappearing flowers, the outside fence was reconfigured. Watering remains a constant endeavor as the flowers take root, and Solondz is even considering whether or not to create a watering mechanism extending from the sculpture, she said. With the flowers finally growing, the group is hoping that more hummingbirds inhabit the space during its sophomore year as hummingbird season rapidly comes to a close.

But regardless of human involvement, Solondz has no doubt that the promise of continual evolution, enshrined on the plaque explaining the Hummingbird Palace, will come true, she said.

Environmentally, Solondz is doing Providence a favor, said Dawn King, visiting assistant professor in the

Department of Environmental Studies. Hummingbirds are important pollinators, especially now that pollinating collapse disorder is affecting bees at a rapid rate, King said.

“Interestingly enough, hummingbirds are losing habitat like anybody else due to climate change, but they’re the lucky ones people want to attract to their backyard,” King said. Hummingbirds are unique — besides their metallic sheen and blurred movements, they are the only bird that can fly backward and have perhaps the highest metabolism of any living creature. The hummingbird’s intrigue will provide urban areas not only with aesthetically pleasing bird sightings but also sustained environments for a long time, King said.

-With additional reporting by Emily Dupuis

REVIEW

Alternative bakery promises innovative flavors

North Bakery’s simple facade, surprising flavor twists make it an unexpected favorite

By EMMA JERZYK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Federal Hill is best known for its traditional Italian-American cuisine — the red sauces and garlic-heavy pastas — served on linen-clothed tables by formal waiters.

So with a quirky decor and avant-garde menu, the recently opened North Bakery may seem a bit out of place. But its inventive flavor combinations prove refreshing, not disruptive, and the bakery is a much-appreciated addition to Providence.

Situated in the trendy West Broadway neighborhood on the corner of Battey and Fountain streets, it is easy to miss, with only a singular neon sign in the window to mark its territory.

The decor is plain and simple. There aren’t even chairs to sit on — just a narrow strip of wood functioning as a bar that patrons can stand at. With an entirely exposed kitchen, customers freely mingle with the bakers.

The selection of goodies ranges from sweet to savory and from classic to innovative. In the savory category, North offers a selection of hand pies, including the Dan Dan hand pie that mimics the renowned Dan Dan noodles of North

Restaurant, a Providence eatery that has shared ownership with the new bakery, and another with potato gratin.

Diners looking for the menu’s most innovative combination should turn to the pork meatball hand pie with strawberry jam and sauerkraut, an option that integrates comforting and familiar flavors into something new and exciting. The strawberry jam, which also includes some tomatoes, isn’t too sweet. And the acid from the sauerkraut cuts through the savory spices in the meat.

The pastry crust, which envelops all the hand pies, was excellent. It is flaky, buttery and savory but sturdy. It doesn’t crumble after one bite, which makes the hand pies a practical lunch or midday snack.

But among so many options, the Dan Dan hand pie is a standout. The filling includes a masterful mix of spices combined with ground lamb and spinach. A single bite stimulates memories of gyros with a spicy twist.

When it comes to sweet treats, North Bakery has a lot to offer as well. The strawberry goat cheesecake is a more refined dessert, both in flavor and presentation. The small tart, which could easily feed two people at $6, comes sandwiched between a soft, moist graham cracker crust and a thin layer of strawberry jam garnished with black pepper.

Though the crust is expertly executed, the cheesecake itself is a bit too dense. A

EMMA JERZYK / HERALD

The peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies are one of North Bakery’s strengths, with a hint of both salty and sweet. lighter texture would make the dessert a better option for lone customers since the cheesecake’s current iteration is much too rich for a single person to eat. But the strawberry jam with cracked black pepper adds a nice layer of complexity.

The surprising kick of spice at the end makes diners crave another bite.

The unexpected combinations don’t stop there, as the lemon bar comes with a rosemary crust. Though the lemon filling is creamy and smooth, the distribution of rosemary is uneven. In one bite, the

rosemary is imperceptible, and in the next, it is overwhelming. North’s creative flare shows promise here, but the lemon bars have a way to go.

The cookies are the one thing North Bakery does flawlessly. The meringue, rarely a crowd-pleaser, is swirled with dark chocolate. It is moist and chewy, not dry and crumbly as many meringues are. The peanut butter cookie is soft and salty, with just a little crisp on the edges.

But the celebrity cookie is the classic chocolate chip. It is golden brown

and chewy with big hunks of bittersweet chocolate spread throughout. It maintains the ideal thickness for a cookie that is satisfyingly gooey. To finish it off, flakes of salt adorn the cracks and ridges of the top of the cookie, and as customers approach the center, the saltiness intensifies to match the softness and sweetness.

Everything about North Bakery is unexpected: the outside appearance, the flavor combinations. Fortunately, it’s a pleasant surprise, making for an enjoyable excursion into West Broadway.