February 28, 2008

library party

student lawyer

Students, pr ofs and admins to mix and mingle at Latin Chic, RECESS

DSG may hire an attorney to help students wth legal issues, PAGE 5

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Blumenherst takes first in 3-day tourney in Tuscon, PAGE 7

The Tower of Campus Thought and Action

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Off-East Duke maintains momentum in win drug arrest nets student *GT

by

John Taddei

THE CHRONICLE

by

Chelsea Allison and Wenjia

Zhang

THE CHRONICLE

make scrappy plays like that.”

Duke had difficulty converting those

Durham Police Department officers arrested a Duke student in Trinity Park Wednesday in conjunction with an ongoing drug-trafficking investigation, administrators confirmed.

The student, a resident of 1026W. Trinity Ave., was arrested around 12:30 p.m.

Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said Wednesday night that he believed the student had been released.

“I spoke with the student who was arrested and we’ve had a conversation about what may or may not have happened,” Moneta said. “Our contacts with the students [who live in the house] have been quite preliminary and predominately to make sure they’re okay.

Some or all of them have chosen to relocate for the night.... From what we understand, it was pretty traumatic.”

Neighbors reported that a man wearing a shirtwith the logo of delivery service DHL got out of a plain white SUV carrying a wine-case-sized package. A resident signed for the package, at which point police approached and more people got out of the van. Eleanor Richardson, who lives next door to the student, said police waiting in an adjacent alleyway were dressed with “helmets on, armor, carrying machine-gun-looking things.”

SEE M. BBALL ON PAGE 8

SEE ARREST ON PAGE 5

KEVIN HWANG/THE CHRONICLE

DeMarcus Nelson elevatesfor a dunk in Duke's 71 -58 victory in Cameron Indoor Stadium Wednesday night.

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Duke has relied upon the 3-point shot all season, but it was killer defense that pushed the Blue Devils past Georgia Tech despite their worst showing from behindthe arc all season.

Duke forced 20 turnovers, and the Yellow Jackets (11-15, 4-8 in the ACC) recorded just three assists as the No. 7 Blue Devils (24-3, 11-2) overcame 2-for-15 shooting from long range to defeat Georgia Tech 71-58 in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“It was a man’s game tonight,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “It was tough to make passes let alone make shots. I thought it was one of the best defensive performances our team has had all year.”

Duke harassed the Yellow Jackets on the perimeter, turning 14 steals into 17 points while denying Georgia Tech’s guards the ability to.penetrate and create or dish down low. Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer Anthony Morrow—averaging 14.3 points per game before Wednesday night—was held scoreless for the first 27 minutes while Georgia Tech failed to get to the free-throw line until 9:34 remained in the game.

Unlike in Duke’s back-to-back losses to Wake Forest and Miami, in which the Blue Devils surrendered an average of 91 points, Duke’s defense held the Yellow Jackets to their lowest scoring output of the year—l points below their season average —allowing themselves to come away with a win despite their poor shooting.

“Our defense hasn’t been good in our last two losses, so for us tonight it was a

really big key to come out defensively and really try to lock them down,” sophomore Jon Scheyer said. “Getting out in the passing lanes and creating turnovers is a huge thing.... We’re not always going to be able

to pull down rebounds, but we need to

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Coach K visit, card reader cause wristband mayhem by

Naureen Khan THE CHRONICLE

LAWSON

KURTZ/THE CHRONICLE

Men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski speaks in K-ville Tuesday. His visit caused the line for senior wristbands to fall apart, resulting in confusion in wristbanddistribution.

Wristband distribution to seniors Tuesday night for the men’s basketball game against Georgia Tech Wednesday turned into mild chaos in Krzyzewskiville as seniors rushed to claim coveted seats in Cameron Indoor Stadium, students said.

“Once they started handing out wristbands... it was kind oflike every man for himself,” said senior Allison Rogers, adding that the line that had formed disintegrated after line monitors arrived. “It probably was total chaos from the back [of the crowd].”

Although wristbands were supposed to be given only to seniors during the distribution Tuesday night, line monitors dispensed them without using a DukeCard reader to verify that students were actually from the Class of 2008. Typically, seniors receive priority seating for the last home game of the season. Because the last game of this season is North Carolina, seniors were given priority for the Georgia Tech game.

Adding to the confusion, men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski arrived to speak to the senior

class while wristbands were being distributed, causing the crowd to surge toward Cameron, students said.

“It was total mayhem,” senior Cart Weiland said.

“Just a complete free-for-all.”

Line monitor Matt McNeill, a senior, said he and fellow line monitors made a conscious decision not to use a card reader for the sake of maximizing efficiency.

“There was not a mob,” he said. “I was there three years ago when they had kegs. Last night was not a mob.”

In 2006, a crowd of seniors and others fueled by alcohol instigated a free-for-all during distribution of wristbands for the senior game.

The approximately 800 wristbands allotted for the distribution did run out during the course of the night, but McNeill who walked up for the game Wednesday were

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SEE WRISTBANDS ON PAGE 5

THE CHRONICLE

2 I THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28,2008

Weather

William F. Buckley dies at 82 William F. Buckley Jr. NEW YORK was found dead in his study Wednesday morning in Stamford, Conn. At the end of his 82 years, much of it spent stoking and riding a right-wing wave as an erudite commentator and conservative herald, all of Buckley's dreams seemingly had come true.

As an editor, columnist, novelist, debater and host of the TV talk show "Firing Line," Buckley worked at a daunting pace.

ENTERTAINMENT Oscars exec apologizes toWhoopi

BAGHDAD Iraq's presidential council rejected a plan for new provincial elections and sent the bill back to parliament Wednesday for reworking, a major setback to U.S.-backed efforts to promote national reconciliation.

The ruling came despite a reported lastminute telephone call by Vice President Dick Cheney to the main holdout on the threemember panel, which has to sign off on laws passed by the legislature. The White House tried to put its best face on the development, saying "this is democracy at work."

NEW YORK Whoopi Goldberg has acan cepted apology from producer Gil Cates for not including her in a montage featuring Oscar hosts during Sunday's Academy Awards telecast.Cates called herTuesday and "talked about the fact that he had made an oversight, pure and simple."

"He said,'You know I love you,"'Goldberg said Wednesday on ABC daytime talk show "The View."

SCIENCE/TECH CDC to expand flu vaccinations ATLANTA All children not just those under 5 should get vaccinated against the flu, a federal advisory panel said Wednesday. The panel voted to expand annual flu shots to virtually all children except infants younger than 6 months and those with serious egg allergies.

That means about 30 million more children could be getting vaccinated. If heeded, of the largest expansions in overage in U.S. history.The flu available since the 19405.

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votes to tax big oil The House ap.HINGTON id $lB billion in new taxes on largest oil companies Wednes' as Democrats cited record oil ices and rising gasoline costs a time of economic troubles.

The money collected over 0 years would provide tax breaksfor wind, solar and other alternative energy sources nd for energy conservation.

SPORTS Congress to scrutinize Clemens WASHINGTON Roger Clemens' denial of steroid use warrants further investigation, Congress said Wednesday in asking the Justice Department to determine whether the star pitcher lied under oath in testimony to a House committee.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairperson Henry Waxman and ranking Republican Tom Davis sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, urging more scrutiny of Clemens' statements in a Feb. 5 sworn deposition and at a Feb. 13 public hearing where he said he "never used anabolic steroids or human growth hormone."

ODDS & ENDS Python stalks, devours pet dog BRISBANE, Australia A 16-foot python stalked a family dog for days before Swallowing the pet whole in front of horrified children in the Australian tropics, animal experts said Wednesday.

The boy and girl, ages 5 and 7, watched as the scrub python devoured their silky terrierChihuahua crossbreed Monday at their home near Kuranda in Queensland state.

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Civil rights leader John WASHINGTON Lewis dropped his support for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential bid Wednesday in favor of Barack Obama. Lewis, a Democratic congressman from Atlanta, is the most prominent black leader to defect from Clinton's campaign in the face of near-unanimous black support for Obama in recent voting. He also is a superdelegate who gets a vote at this summer's national convention in Denver.

WORLD NEWS Iraqi gov't nixes national elections

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Expect more cold weather today as the chilly airfrom the north lingers for one more day. It will be sunnyfor the next few days, and temperatures will make it into the 50s on Friday.

Have a terrificThursday!

—Jonathan Oh

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Calendar

Today Relay For Life Kick-off Bryan Center Plaza, 11 a.m. to 2p.m.

Relay for Life Kickoff in the Plaza, There will be food, music and merchandise for sale. So come by and show support Provost's Lecture Series On Being Human Love Auditorium, LSRC, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Pervasive Robotics: Building Bodies and Brains -a lecture by Daniela Rus, Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Inside Joke Presents:"Two Shows, One Cup" Duke Coffeehouse, 9:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Inside Joke, Duke Sketch Comedy, brings 18 new skits to the stage at the Duke Coffeehouse.

News briefs compiled from wire reports

"I saved Latin. What did you ever do?"

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THE

CHRONICLE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28,2008 | 3

West Wellness group expansion bumps upperclassmen by

CatherineButsch THE CHRONICLE

The West Campus Wellness Living Learning Community may have plans to expand next year, but that’s not making it any easier for upperclassmen to get in—even the ones who live there now.

The Wellness Community, which currendy has 60 beds in its section in Crowell Quadrangle, will expand to 90 beds for the 2008-2009 academic year, said Jen Edwards, residence coordinator for Crowell and Wannamaker Dormitories.

In anticipation of increased interest in the living community, Residence Life and Housing Services agreed to expand the size of the elective living group on the condition that 50 of those beds would be reserved for sophomores, Edwards added. The caveat was necessitated by the planned renovations to Few Quadrangle.

Last year, about 65 students applied for 60 spots, but this year that number grew to 140 students competing for 90 spots, community officials confirmed Wednesday.

“We had an overwhelming number of applications this year,” said seniorBob Koutsoyannis, wellness coordinatorfor the community.

Given the increased number of applicants and the restrictions on the number of upperclassmen that could be accepted, securing a spot in the Wellness Community for 2008-2009 turned out to be much more difficult than in years past, students said.

“I think they based it on how dedicated you [came across] on the application,” said junior Jaehoon Bang, who currendy lives in the Wellness Community but was waitlisted before being accepted to live there again next year. “I thought I would get in so I just wrote whatever on the application.”

A group of three students in the group re-

SORA EIY/THE CHRONICLE

Kok Yew Lee, a junior,will live in the West Campus Wellness Living Learning Community next year,but many upperclassmen did not receive beds despite an increase in sectionsize. viewed applications and made recommendations, but ultimately it was up to Edwards and Deb Loßiondo, assistant dean for residence life on West Campus, to make the decisions about who was accepted, waitlisted or denied.

With only 40 beds available for upperclassmen next year, there were not even enough spaces to accommodate those who reapplied to live in the Wellness Community, let alone upperclassmen who applied

ViewsSeries of Jesus A Discussion

there for the first time, Edwards said “If they were under the impression that they got to stay because they were here before, they got the wrong impression,” she said.

For some, denial of living space to certain undergraduates came as a surprise.

“There are examples when someone contributed to the community and they were not readmitted,” said Wellness Community board member Karl Wang, a senior.

Junior Toni Helbling, who was waitlisted and later accepted to the community, said she felt the elimination of upperclassmen would detract from the group’s aims.

“I think eliminating the upperclass in favor of accepting 50 new sophomores isfundamentally contrary to the purpose of an LLC,” she wrote in an e-mail. “Purging the risingjuniors SEE WELLNESS ON PAGE 4

Triangle Institute for Security Studies and the

Global Education Center at UNC present

“Jesus has brought God and with God the truth about our origins and destiny: faith, hope and love.”

Pope Benedict XVI Discussion led by the Rev. Joe Vetter, director of the Newman Catholic Center

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Thursday, Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Room 110 Gray Building

will give a lecture and engage in a discussion on “Whatever it was that people experienced in Jesus has today come to be identified with medieval doctrines based on premodem assumptions that are no longer believable.”

John Shelby Spong, authorand a retired bishop ofThe Episcopal Church

“Global Security”

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Discussion led by Dr. Joel Marcus, Professor ofNew Testament and Christian Origins Thursday, Jan. 24,7 pan., Room 110 Gray Building “The claims of Jesus are best understood as presenting to hearers and readers not the avoidance of political options but one particular social-political-ethical option.”

He will talk about the challenges faced by the United States and the world community, now and in the future.

After his talk, he will answer questions, first from Professors Peter Feaver (Duke University) and Richard H. Kohn (UNC) and then from the audience.

Fed-Ex Global Education Center UNC-Chapel Hill campus 7:45-9:00 pm Free to the public Information online: www.tiss-nc.org

THE CHRONICLE

4 1 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28,2008

WELLNESS from pages and seniors removes the mentoring and role-modelling opportunities instrinsic to a mixed-year community.”

The students and RLHS staff who reviewed the applications said they kept an eye out for those they suspected might be applying only to be able to live on West next year.

“We did our best to discern who was applying solely based on space,” Edwards said. “That’s difficult because no one’s going to write on their application, ‘I just want to live here for space.’”

Campus Council President Ryan Todd, a senior, said making the living group larger would not decrease the number of beds on West available to independent students because sophomores accepted into the Wellness Community would live on West regardless.

“RLHS understands that there’s a housing crunch [because of the renovations to Few Quad], so we can’t just expand elective and selective houses as the groups would like to,” Todd said. “We’re just trying to keep everyone’s best interest in mind.”

CHRONICLE

HU RSDAY, FEBRUARY 28.2008 5

1

THE

DUKE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

DSG may hire lawyer for student use by

Diana Sheldon THE CHRONICLE

At its weekly meeting Wednesday night, Duke Student Government discussed reinstituting a program offering students reduced rates fof legal services after a fiveyear absence.

“We’re looking into hiring a lawyer to sit in the DSG office two hours a week to offer legal services for students on a first-comefirst-serve basis,” said DSG President Paul Slattery, a senior.

Slattery—who presented the proposal, sent Feb. 25 to University administrators and the North Carolina State Bar—said the program’s lawyers would be responsible mainly for offering legal advice and giving referrals.

Services would be capped at $3,000.

He also said any firm or attorney chosen could not currently or in the future be involved in legal action against the University.

This program previously existed until 2003 when the lawyer, a Duke graduate, passed away.

Attorneys would mainly help students with issues such as traffic, alcohol and drug possession violations. They might occasionally help with cases of theft, vandalism, destruction of property, assault and sexual assault.

Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek, with whom Slattery has worked closely on the proposal, is particularly knowledgeable in this area, he said. He added that he will rely on her knowledge in choosing the most adequate candidates.

“We value that the attorney is Durhambased, has a lot of experience with traffic and alcohol work and is well-established,” Slattery said, adding that the University also places a strong emphasis on male-female diversity.

The proposal calls for at least three candidates. Applications will start coming in just after Spring Break, after which DSG will either set up an interview committee or will arrange for the candidates to speak to the senate.

In other business: DSG Executive Vice Presidentjordan Giordano, a junior, presented an election bylaw that would allow the positions of president

and vice president to be put to vote as a combined ticket Currently, every position of the executive board is elected independently.

Senators also unanimously granted charter status to the Women’s Mentoring Network.

The network is a non-selective women’s group open to everyone on campus, said sophomore Bethany Hill, a senator and cofounder of the network.

“We have currently received support from the Women’s Center and [Dean of Undergraduate Education Stephen] Nowicki and have 150 members on the listserv,” Hill said.

Junior Alex Crable, chair of the Student Organization Finance Committee, said SOFC had granted the Women’s Mentoring Network recognition status because it is a non-selective group. No current group on campus is accomplishing what the network would like to accomplish, he said.

The network has already hosted discussions in freshman dorms, dinners with faculty members and an event at the Nasher Museum of Art, Hill said.

ZACHARY TRACER/THE CHRONICLE

DSG President Paul Slattery, a senior, dicusses plans to hire a lawyer whocould handle students' legal issues.

WRISTBANDS from page 1 “We made it clear to everyone [Tuesday night] they could still come to the game,” he said. “For the senior game, we of course want to encourage senior attendance... but there were several spots left after that for all undergraduates.”

Senior Laura Mathe said she was able to get into Cameron for Wednesday’s game even though she decided not to go to K-ville to pick up her wristband after hearing the bands had run out at the pregame distribution Tuesday.

“From what I understand, people were Just surprised that they ran out of wristbands so quickly,” said junior Sunny Kantha, Duke Student Government’s vice president for athletics and campus services. “I don’t think it was that much different than usual.”

McNeill said line monitors ensured that those who had senior wristbands were, in fact, seniors as they entered the game. Non-seniors were sent to a second line to guarantee that seniors were given first priority.

“There was a very minimum number of those people [non-seniors with wristbands],” McNeill said. “The only people who knew about the distribution [Tuesday night] were seniors. Only they got the e-mail.... It was kind of like selfselection.”

However, a letter to the editor from Head Line Monitor Roberto Bazzani, a senior, explaning wristband distribution was published in Tuesday’s Chronicle.

ARREST from page 1

ZACHARYTRACER/THE CHRONICLE

Sophomore Bethany Hill, a DSG senator and co-founder of the Women's Mentoring Network, talks about the network, which has received chartered recognition status from the Student OrganizationFinance Committee.

Although Duke University Police Department Maj. Gloria Graham confirmed that the narcotics arrest had been made, she said she did not know the probable cause for any charges.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation began conducting a similar inquiry last April, after 17 pounds of marijuana were delivered via DHL to a student’s campus address in Craven Quadrangle. The student was cleared of all charges two weeks later.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS HOLTON PRIZE in Educational Research Applicatioan deadline is April 4, 2008. Open to juniors and seniors. A cash prize of $250 will be awarded for outstanding, innovative, or investigative, research dealing with education. For more information, www.duke.edu/ web/ education or mbryant@ asdean. duke.edu

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SUMMER STAFF Swim club in Chapel Hill now hiring lifeguards and a head camp counselor. Great work environment. Competitive pay.

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HELP WANTED Now hiring for all positions. MEZ Contemporary Mexican Restaurant, Located on Page Road in the Research Triangle Park. A beautiful new restaurant from the owners of 518 West, 411 West, Squid’s, and Spanky’s. Apply in person 2:00 5:00 Mon Fri, call Jamie @ 941-1630, or email jamiemez@live.com 919-929-1262 -

THE CHRONICLE

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101 West Union Building

arts&entertainment

recess

Duke grad captures Wilke Co. Speedway SEE SHORT TRACK PAGE 3

volume 10. issue 23

february 28 2007

Inside Joke delivers full Cup

Frisell suite captures Americana by

David Graham

by

Claire Finch

THE CHRONICLE

THE CHRONICLE

What’s more American than apple pie?

The list is short, maybe, but Saturday night’s concert-collaboration between guitarist Bill Frisell and late photographer Mike Disfarmer sits atop it.

It’s a fortuitous partnership between Frisell, an excessively humble jazz guitar genius, and Disfarmer, an ornery, once-obscure rural Arkansas portraitist who died in 1959.

Maybe the link itself is, at first glance, a bit obscure.

But each man is the sort of artist only America can produce—rugged but introverted, eccentrically individualistic and on the margins of their respective art forms but celebrated as among the greatest exponents ofeach.

Frisell is a polyglot who after an apprenticeship in the jazz avant-garde has created a distinctively American music interpolating bop, country, bluegrass, old-time folk and blues.

And Disfarmer, in a his corpus of haunting portraits taken in Heber Springs, Ark. from the 1930 until his death in 1959, captured a pivotal period in American history, when grizzled, methuselean Ozark formers, bright-eyed toddlers in Sunday dresses and debonair, slick-haired young soldiers all made the pilgrimage to his studio.

“It’s like going back in a time machine, you really get a feeling of that time and place, and there’s something in the expressions on the people’s faces,” Frisell said ofDisfarmer’s photos. “He took them right at the moment when they weren’t posing so you really see more what the people were really like. They weren’t putting on—trying to act happy or

“Everybody’s been behaving kind of strange around me. They seem to be up to something.... I really don’t know what’s going on. That’s what she said,” said President Brodhead.

No, this is not some Brodhead imitator—after all, who could truly recreate that soothing, if slightly discomfortingly silky voice? This quip is only one of a few “That’s what she said” jokes featured in Inside Joke’s new YouTube video entitled The Allen Building, a teaser for their upcoming performance Two Shows One Cup. A spoof of The Office, the video stars President Brodhead as an overzealous middle school boy (or an accurately immature Michael Scott) and is an ideal introduction to Inside Joke’s trademark humor; sharp, timely and sure to cast some aspect of Duke’s culture in a refreshingly non-serious light.

Created in 2001, Inside Joke is a comedy group that is scripted, setting them apart from Duke University Improv.

“We try not to have a rivalry because we’re completely different types of comedy,” said Petra Rasmussen, ajunior member of Inside Joke.

Scott Peppel, a sophomore who used to be a member of both Inside Joke and DUI but who ceased his planned comedy days in favor of improv, agrees.

According to Peppel, there exists a constructive lack of animosity between the

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SEE FRISELL ON PAGE

6

,

AILEEN LIU/THE CHRONICLE

Last year's Duke Plays: The Party! transformed Perkins and Bostock libraries into an elegant gala.

Library celebrates Chic by

Shuchi Parikh THE CHRONICLE

This Friday night, Perkins and Bostock libraries will undergo a classy transformation for the second year in a row.

The sensational appeal ofLatin American culture will await students, faculty, staff and alumni at Latin Chic in a play off of DukePlays: The Party!, which was held last February. Mi Gente, in collaboration with the Duke University Union and Duke Libraries, will host the semiformal event Organizers said they are thrilled to expose guests to the diversity of Latin American culture in a sophisticated environment.

“It’s a great way to bring in the cultural and educational aspects [of Duke] in away that’s fun and lively,” said sophomore Alexandra Villasante, the co-president of Mi Gente. “In away that you’re learning about other people without realizing that you’re learning about other people.”

Last year’s DukePlays: The Party! was considered a “remarkable success” in bringing the Duke community together in a common celebration, and Duke Libraries was encouraged to re-host a parSEE LATIN CHIC ON PAGE 4

Documentaries se kF

two organizations.

“We overlap some, but [for the most part,] the two groups have their own thing SEE INSIDE JOKE ON PAGE 3

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Jessie

Tang THE CHRONICLE

by

COURTESY CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES

Photos such as "CleanMcAnear and Bill Barnett, 1939-46," inspired Bill Frisell's Disfarmer Project.

Everybody’s a critic. But now there’s a chance for your opinions to be heard.

That is exactly what Fresh Docs, a monthly event held at the Center for Documentary Studies, is about. Since 2002, the CDS and the Southern Documentary Fund have teamed up to host this workshop-style gathering to engage in ongoing conversations between filmmakers and audience members.

While SDF provides fiscal sponsorship for filmmakers around the Durham area, CDS serves as an outlet for educational outreach that makes Fresh Docs an ideal collaboration for up-andcoming filmmakers seeking input from the community.

Featuring works from students completing certificate programs to that of professional filmmakers, Fresh Docs brings in an assortment of people wanting some insight into their projects.

Documentary artists show films at all stages of editing, said April Walton, the CDS Learning Outreach director.

“Most people feels it works best if they have something beyond a rough cut, but they are still open to feedback in terms of sequencing,” Walton said.

Since the editing process is so complex, documentaries will most likely undergo a lot of changes before completion. Often, COURTESY CENTER FOR DOCUMENTARY STUDIES

SEE fresh DOCS ON page 4 Dooinentaries, BalWwfAtofto Wto,beneft from feedback

atFresh Docs.

PAGE 2

Februa

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Editor’s Note 23: On Spoofs

There is always an argument whether or innovation is an acceptable art form.

Hapless Reader: But Varun, what the hell does that mean?

Well my faithful patrons, I am talking about the remake and spoof-of-spoof videos that make up the hours we all spend on YouTube pro-crastinating (I only recently not

Washington, D.C. Tempers flare among Obama supporters following Ralph Nader’s recent entry into the 2008 presidential race. Critics were quick to discredit the purposed merits of the Nader platform, citing his sweeping reforms as too radical for even the most progressive legislators. Instead, they confer upon Nader a different kind of significance; that of a legitimate political pitfall In a recent interview, Nader expressed anger concerning Democratic criticism of his latest presidential attempt.

“They talk in terms of ‘oh, perennial candidate, spoiler,’” Nader said. “It is so trivializing.”

Never a staunch Obama supporter, Nader expressed his desire for open competition to allow the best man to win. The problem for party liberals is that Nader’s presence, which has a history of drawing votes away from Democratic candidates, may ensure that the “best man” is simply the one most unlike the other two. In this case, with Obama and Nader platforms targeting overlapping segments of the electorate, the perennial pariah may deliver the Republican party yet another shocking upset.

“We’re really excited,” explained an elated source inside McCain headquarters. “We really thought we screwed this one up bad. Just look at it all; Bush’s shifting platforms, Senate sex scandals, all this crap about religion we have to feed those crazy Chri-I mean, uh, our continuing, ah, commitment to family values and... I have to go.”

Despite his poor performance in 2004 capturing only .4 percent of the vote —Nader remains convinced of the relevancy of his platform. Now, although critics might consider Nader to be unsound, even the most extreme could not honestly call the man stupid. Why then, should he persist?

There are but two conclusions: Nader is either a true-blue proponent of representative democracy who believes that even the smallest voice, perhaps especially the smallest voice, deserves to be heard... or he’s secretly been hired by The White Whigs, a pseudo-mystic council of militant conservatives (read: old white dudes) who control virtually every facet of the country, to split the liberal vote. For the purposes of maintaining recess’ unflinching support for Obama, we’ll just assume it’s the latter.

—Alex Warr *

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stopped a'mateur-crastinating).

There was the genius “My New Haircut” short that spawned the equally good Asian and Jewish spin-offs. Duke University Improv has already received major props from

me for their version that starred Lawrence Chen, which got a shout out in a New York Times Magazine online post.

The latest viral video to go through the do-bver treatment is Sarah Silverman’s “I’m F —ing Matt Damon.” The two response videos that have surfaced since the clip and took the interwebs by storm are Jimmy Kimmel’s response, “I’m F—ing Ben Affleck,” and the

Kevin Smith-directed, Elizabeth Banks-sung “I’m F—ing Seth Rogen.”

The Kimmel version is actually better than the original and features a flock of famous faces from Brad Pitt to Cameron Diaz to Huey Lewis. However, the Seth Rogen video is poorly made and has less replay value.

So overall, the question we must ask is whether homages of clips add or detract to the viral phenomenon? IMHO (“In my honest opinion” for the non-net-savy), it is better to have access to the genuinely funny stuff (e.g. Kimmel and DDLs mini-masterpieces) and suffer the not-so-good stuff than to not have the videos at all. This is better known as TheFacts ofLife rule (‘You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both...”).

That said, we must resist the urge to go overboard with remakes. It would be horror to go through another Soulja Boy-

pocalypse.

—Varun Leila, Editor

recesseditors "I'm f—ing Varun Leila/Alex Warr Baishi Wu Irem Mertol

Bryan Zupon Bryan Sayler Andrew Hibbard Nancy Wang Lucie Zhang Sean Moroney David Graham

the chron chron (12-11) Andrew Hibbard tired of this stuff everyone in my way lon Heder ALE ...Sarah Silverman ...Dan Humphrey ...in the staff box!

Bill Frisell

Februai

28, 2008

PAGE 3

Speedway gives fuel for thought in doc project

COURTESY OF CLIFTON DOWELL

Clifton Dowell's work as a CDS studentculmintaed in theexhibit ShortTrack. by

Braden Hendricks THE CHRONICLE

Often'when one thinks of documentaries, a film by Michael Moore comes to mind, but the art of the documentary consists of more than just movies. At the Center for Documentary Studies, Short Track: Photographs from the Asphalt Oval, an exhibit by local artist Clifton Dowell, explores the Wake County Speedway.

Located in southern Wake County, the Wake County Speedway was built in 1962 by the Simpkins family. Its subsequent half-century history is the subject ofDowell’s project.

“It’s under the radar,” Dowell said. “It’s not a very fancy track or anything.”

The Speedway’s status as a non-corporate entity is part

INSIDE JOKE from page 1 and are both really strong,” Peppel said.

“It’s nice to work together and not dilute the talent too much.”

Consistently gasp-worthy humor aside, Inside Joke’s appeal can be attributed in part to the diversity ofits members.

“We crosscut the Duke population with the types of people that we have, which is good because you get comedy that appeals to all types of people,” said senior Kyle Knight, president of Inside Joke.

Such a varied assortment of members has other advantages —the more types of people represented in the group, the more acceptable targets there are for the actors’ satiric barbs.

“We try [to] only talk about stuff that

A

of what drew Dowell to the subject. Additionally, the fact that the Speedway is still owned and operated by the Simpkins family offers Dowell a chance to look in depth at a close-knit community and the underlying social fabric.

“My goal is to find tilings that are interesting and make pictures that are beautiful,” he said. “[l] also want to make a community portrait that is comprehensible to people in die future.”

Dowell was a student at the CDS as a member of the Continuing Studies Program and he attained his certificate in December 2007. This exhibit was his capstone project.

“Someone who is pursuing a certificate in documentary studies has to take two required courses out of six,” CDS exhibitions director Courtney Reid-Eaton said. “The capstone course is one of these, taken at the end, and includes a [final] project” For Dowell, Short Track is the culminating product ofhis work during his time as a student at CDS. “I stretched out my time for four or five years, so I was in no hurry at all,” the artist said.

The time spent is echoed in the exhibit, as the photographs cover several years of history.

Another feature of Short Track is that it is completely in black and white. Although the format that has interested Dowell since he was a boy, his passion for this particular medium was relit when he inherited a box of black and white negatives dating from the 1940’s and 1950’5.

“When I got those negatives, I went ahead and developed a darkroom and learned how to develop them,” he said.

The vintage photographs revealed portraits of his family from the time of World War 11. They inspired Dowell to focus on the characters of a place, not just the geography

or temporal setting. And it is this humanistic aproach that informs his study of the Wake County Speedway.

“It’s the portrait of the people that I’m interested in—a multifaceted community portrait,” Dowell said.

This style of intimately focusing on the identities of the people involved contrasts with that of German photographer August Sander. A source of inspiration for Dowell, Sander’s works captures people as archetypes (a soldier, baker, etc.) whereas Dowell is more concerned with individual identities.

Other photographers Dowell cites as major influences are Eugene Smith, an American who worked near Pittsburgh, and Eugene Atget, a French artist.

“Eugene Atget had this sense of timelessness in his work and that’s what I like most about him,” the artist said.

For Dowell, photography is a hobby. His regular job is working as a general manager of the Insider, a state governmental news service owned by the News & Observer.

After his years as an undergraduate at the University of North Carolina, Dowell worked in the publishing world for five years. Following that he pursued his CDS certificate and helped his wife Frances, an author, with photography for her magazine Girls. Through this journey Dowell has stayed true to one philosophy.

“I don’t wear myself out,” he said. “I’ve kept photography where I just do what I want when I want to and I don’t let it become ajob.”

Short Track is on exhibit at the Centerfor Documentary Studies until March 9.

[our] members are a part of,” Rasmussen problem was the content of the jokes so said. “But there are times when we re-read much as that we had like fourteen in one a skit and we’re like, ‘Wow, do you think we show. But at the same time, we’re very proud can perform that?’ It’s a lot about how far of what we do and we were just poking fun,” we can push people.”

Knight said. “[Most of the jokes] are making fun of the steHowever, sometimes students think reotype more than “Part of comedy is being able making fun of that that the group with a little type ofperson, and pushes to laugh at yourself. If you too much muscle. that’s what we’re can’t laugh at yourself, you hitting on.”

In a recent performance, some Despite whathave no business laughing at show attendees ever negative clamor they may anyone else.” complained that the humor was too Inside Ben Bubnovich attract, certainly keenly focused on Joke has a fan base a small, distinct that believes that population of unmost of the subjects of the organizadergraduates.

“I heard from a lot of people that it was tion’s satirical commentaries are more sorority heavy—and I don’t think that the than fair game.

Duke Center for

SCIENCE EDUCATION www.sciecj.duke.edu

announces

2008 Student Impact Awards $5OO Cash Prizes Awards will be made to three undergraduate students engaged in science education-related outreach or research activities.

The DCSE will award students whose projects promote increased science interest, literacy, or knowledge among members of the K-16 population. Impact may be applied or have basic research implications to drive future policy.

Download an application at www. rise. duke, edu/impact.

Submit application to carolyn. weinbaum@duke. edu

by March 15, 2008.

Awardees will be announced April 1, 2008 and will present a poster of their work at Visible Thinking.

“I think that they are incisive without being offensive,” said Ben Bubnovich, a sophomore and Inside Joke enthusiast.

“Part of comedy is being able to laugh at yourself. If you can’t laugh at yourself, you have no business laughing at anyone else.”

Students whose curiosities are piqued by the mild controversy surrounding the group will soon get a chance to rate the group themselves. Inside Joke has two shows at the Duke Coffeehouse this weekend, with the first tonight and the second Saturday night. The shows will start at 9:30 p.m. both nights.

When asked what she thought about the upcoming shows, Rasmussen said, “I’m excited, plus [the Coffeehouse is] BYOB.” Judging by the hype surrounding the show, even those who are sober will likely be in on the joke.

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PAGE 4

LATIN CHIC from page 1 ty, said Deborah Jakubs, University librarian and vice provost for library affairs.

“Mi Gente did an excellent Job integrating Latin themes, and it is their 15th anniversary, so it seemed like a great way to call attention to their activities but to open it up to the broader campus,” Jakubs wrote in an e-mail.

Committee members for the event harbor a robust vision for its decoration, entertainmentand overall feel, a vision which aims to encompass the diversity of Latin America and will be different for every room. Themes will range from a Caribbean setting in von der Heyden to a beach bungalow in Perkins and finally to a lively carnival in Bostock.

“When I thought of the vision for this party 1 really wanted to stay away from the traditionally held symbols of what Latin means,” said senior Victoria Woodburry, head of event decorations.

She added that instead of symbols, lighting and music would be used to create an ambiance that would capture melding cultural themes. She emphasized that the themes do not reflect a specific time or place but a blend of elements that create a particular mood. The transition from room to room will be marked in order to dramatize the three different themes.

The beach bungalow feel in Perkins will exhibit a minimalist Latin design inspired by the Delano Hotel in South Beach, complete with mostly-white furniture, bright lighting and large, billowing drapes. The mellow mood will be replete with traditional Latin jazz bands playing relaxing music throughout the evening, said senior Luiz Velez, head of entertainment.

Von der Heyden will, by contrast, be transformed into a South Beach techno club with Brazilian Bossa Nova music—a mix of Brazilian jazz with house music—which Velez called an “amazing, amazing, amazing combination.” Performances later in the night will feature rock bands Smooch and Stella by Starlight, both of whom will additionally play five Latin rock songs that Velez said will resemble a “live rock night club” and “Enrique Iglesias made into rock,” respectively.

Rounding out the spectrum, Bostock will feature elements of nighttime rhythm, dance and vivid colors. Music in the venue will be, according to Velez, a nontraditional “funkish-punkish style” with salsa and merengue dancing, along with free mojitos served for seniors at the start of the night.

Event organizers said they hope Latin Chic will challenge people’s perception of the Latin American community.

“I’m really excited to present something different from what I think a lot of people will expect when they hear there is a Latin party,” Woodburry said. “We want to convey the many different sides of what it is to be Latin—there isn’t just one country, there isn’t just one style, there isn’t just one genre of music.”

Villasante said the idea for the event stemmed from her desire to host a Latinthemed semiformal and expanded with suggestions from DUU to merge the idea into a library semiformal.

After Mi Gente’s proposal was approved in October, event organizers said the desire to convey their group’s cultures while bringing the Duke community together guided their vision for the party.

“We want to show people how cool and interesting and complex [Latin America is while] at the same time always embracing our hospitality and our great sense of community,” Velez said. “We want to bring everyone, everyone, everyone together, breaking apart all divisions and celebrating Duke.”

CHARLIE BARTLETT DIR.

/.

POLL

MCM

����� Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) has been expelled front every private school he ever attended and is down to

his final option: public school The school has the stereotypical cast of bullies, jocks and loners who are all in need of some help. With an entrepreneurial spirit and some help from the witless family shrink, Charlie becomes an underground psychiatrist, dispensing prescription drugs

February 28, 2007

and advice to his schoolmates.

However, Bartlett soon falls for the principal’s daughter, Susan (Kat Dennings) and draws the watchful eye of her father (Robert Downey Jr.) who begins to unravel Charlie’s world and force him to find a different way to make a difference in his classmates’ lives.

The strangest thing about this comedy-with-a-message is its complete refusal to acknowledge the seriousness of Charlie’s actions. The drugs he peddles to his classmates are not only illegal without a prescription but also potentially dangerous. The consequences of this drug trade are laughable and appear almost as an afterthought on the part of writer Gustin Nash. For a comedy that tries to be grounded in reality, a stronger focus on the severity of Charlie’s crimes could have added tremendous depth to this surprisingly shallow movie.

The film’s biggest success is casting. The actors seem made for their rolls. Yelchin and Dennings display excellent chemistry, and Downey is superb as the troubled, do their best to bring the occasionally flat script to life, but sometimes their talents cannot overcome Nash’s poor writing.

Jon Poll, in his first directorial effort since 1982, demonstrates his rust. Scenes feel out of place and characters never develop.

If there is a moral to this movie, it is that teenagers are still children. They should not worry too much about their image and relish their fleeting youth.

Charlie Bartlett is not great, but it’s a fairly entertaining picture. Just don’t take it too seriously if you want to enjoy if.

—Caleb Seeley

president gets shot at entirely different times (12:20? 12:05?

Miller Time?). The perspectives themselves are nowhere near unique and quickly become stale. The film relies on the same panning shot of the president walking through the crowd and being shot—a hypothetically cool parallelism that becomes obnoxious.

Despite the film’s glaring inaccuracies and its, at best, two-dimensional characters, the plot still had a shot at lifting the film from terrible to poor. Alas, the filmmakers made sure to evenly distribute the crappiness. The film, prob-

ably realizing its own atrociousness, breaks its own formula and mashes together four different perspectives, resulting in a finale that proves to be laughably ludicrous.

Vantage Point attempts to achieve dramatic realism through time and point-ofview, but drops the ball on its 24-esque structure. It centers on an act of terrorism at an anti-terrorist convention, but fails to give a motive to the terrorists (we can only assume the vaguely Eastern-European thugs must not have gotten hugged enough as children).

It has an incredibly talented cast, but provides the actors with characters akin to blocks of wood. Vantage Point is worthy of the speech the Principal gave to Billy Madison: “At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.”

—Charlie McSpadden

scotch-drinking

The

VANTAGE POINT DIR. P. TRAVIS SONY PICTURES

����� The overlapping imagery during the opening credits of Vantage Point was probably the film’s deepest and most inter-

esting moment.

The film’s premise—the assassination attempt of a United States president as seen through the eyes of eight different characters —is promising, but the execution is downright miserable. The film opens with Rex Brooks (Sigourney Weaver), an editing fbom director for a CNNpastiche, who is in charge of covering the anti-terrorism convention in Salamanca, Spain at which the president (William Hurt) is speaking. The on-sight reporter (Zoe Saldana) banters with Brooks, firing one wannabesnarky comment after the other (“Not everyone likes us here.”). Brooks’ segment concludes with the shooting of the president—a moment

that comes across as desperately dramatic—and the film literally rewinds and begins with a new perspective.

The film then follows two of the president’s bodyguards (Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox), a family man (Forrest Whitaker) escaping marital issues, a local crowd-member (Eduardo Noriega) who knows more than he should and a few forgetable others.

After about the third rewinding, you’re ready to vomit.

The fundamental gimmick of the film (a timer at the bottom left of the screen) reveals egregious errors in timing—the

FRESH DOCS from page 1 finished films that gathered input from Fresh Docs are re-shown as a final product at Fresh Docs.

Because film editing is frequendy much more expensive and time-consuming than aspiring directors expect, Fresh Docs is a great opportunity for filmmakers to get honest feedback about how well the documentary is working before things are set in stone.

“Documentary artists have a story they feel an urgency to tell, and sometimes you are really close to telling the story, [but] you are not telling it in away that is the,best for the audience,” SDF Board President Diana Newton said. “Hearing from the audience on what really touches them is invaluable.”

Filmmaker Melanie Hibbert, a Chapel Hill native, is showing her work on Friday and hopes to gain perspective on her current project. Originally hoping to finish. the editing in six months, she has instead

dedicated over a year-and-a-half to A Yukon River School.

After spending time in rural Alaska, Hibbert felt compelled to document the relationship and role schools played within the community, exploring “the clash between westernized curriculum and indigenous knowledge.” Because the topic itself is multifaceted, she is not sure how well the film will be received.

“I hope to get some honest feedback about my documentary—my project is about a complicated subject and relies a lot on narration to tell the story,” Hibbert wrote in an e-mail. “I hope that it’s not boring (any ardst’s fear), that there’s % good balance of perspectives and that ids not too self-indulgent (because I tell several stories about my own experience living there).”

Naturally, audience members play the largest role in shaping the documentaries. . -Because these films are ultimately meant for a general audience, the suggestions of Fresh Doc attendants will help filmmakers decide what Bows and what is still confusing.

•

principal.

actors

“Not only do you see great new work, but you get to impact the projects,” Walton said. “A lot of people really do take in those changes to make stronger projects.”

Walton and Newton help facilitate many of the feedback discussions, along with instructors and guests from the community who have expertise in a specific area.

However, it is not to say that only individuals with background knowledge of filmmaking should attend the events. If anything, Fresh Docs hopes to bring in a diverse group of viewers to provide different perspectives. If a film is only as good as the audience’s reaction to it, then the more people who can offer pointers, the better.

“We are all more sophisticated than we can imagine because we are all media consumers,” Walton said. “We don’tallhave to be knowledgeable in order to offer feedback.”

Fresh Docs is held on the last Friday of every month at the CDS. The next screening will be Friday, Feb. 29 at 7:30p.m. Anyone seeking to submit afilm or get more information can visit the CDS Website at cds.aas.duke.edu.

Fel ibru. lai

28, 2006

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PAGES

BEACH HOUSE DEVOTION CARPARK

����� There is an uncanny similarity between Beach House’s Victoria Legrand and the church ladies ofold. Yes, the blue-haired biddies hammer away on the organ while their pastor husbands preach the good word (think The Simpsons' Reverend and Mrs. Lovejoy). But while Legrand may occasionally rock the matronly pastel frocks, she’s saving the organ from a rather unholy fate and instead injecting it back into the very heart of indie music.

The resonating organ and shimmering guitar make Beach House’s second effort, Devotion, a dream world of an album. But all is not well in Beach House-land. Legrand’s breathy vocals sing of her “devotion” as if she is both enthralled and imprisoned by it. “You Came to Me” features Legrand spinning a tale of a ghostly figure that

GOLDFRAPP

ATLAS SOUND

SEVENTH TREE

LET THE BLIND LEAD THOSE WHO CAN SEE BUT CANNOT FEEL KRANKY

MUTE

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.

appears to her in a dream, opening the album with a mysterious longing that emanates from her until its very end. On “Heart of Chambers,” she sings, lovesick, “I’d like to be someone you could finally learn to love again,” at a funeral-dirge pace. Daniel Johnston’s “Some Things Last a Long Time” is an aptly chosen cover that Legrand’s voice was made to sing, with lines like “The things we did, I can’t forget/Some things last a long time.”

The second album from Beach House is the sophisticated, more experienced, older brother of the first: slightly more polished, cautious and weary. Organ, guitar and occasionally piano blur together with foggy, heavy vocals creating an album capable of inducing sadness in even the most disaffected. No subdued highs and lows of “Master of None” here, just an honest chronicle for the loved and those longing to love them—no church ladies allowed.

—Stefanija Civic

,�����

Before Ellen Page lambasted Sonic Youth in Juno, she sent up Goldffapp in the forgettable thriller, Hard Candy.

Her specific line went, “I f—ing hate

Goldfrapp.”

Admittedly, this is a harsh assessment, though I never understood the hullabaloo surrounding the British dance duo.

But things have changed.

Shrouded in dreamy melodies, Goldfrapp’s fourth effort, Seventh Tree, is a far cry from the club-oriented dance beats with which the band gained notoriety.

Allison Goldfrapp, the eponymous vocalist, trades in her Shirley Mansongone-to-the-club vocal style and tries to channel the melodic voices of ’6os and ’7os folk singers. The result is 10 tracks, each sounding like a stripped version of 2003’s “Black Cherry.”

As a series of 10 separate tracks, Goldfrapp’s album could easily be misplaced alongside your mother’s blase collection ofadult contemporary. But as an album, it attempts to be a lush series of melodies. What could have been a success turns out to be album’s biggest flaw. To a casual listener, most of the tracks are virtually indistinguishable. Will Gregory’s compositions give a solid foundation for the music, but none of the songs result in anything special.

On the ninth track, “Caravan Girl,” Goldfrapp and Gregory crescendo into an unapologetically enjoyable pop song.

It is a perfect marriage of Goldfrapp’s former dance music and her newly adopted, laid-back pop. The album finds its feet with this track, but, just as you feel excited about the possibilities of Seventh Tree, the album ends with the sultry but well-performed “Monster Love.”

Goldfrapp’s newest certainly won’t earn the duo status alongside fellow countrymen Radiohead or the Beatles.

Seventh Tree is not egregious, but it’s definitely nothing to stand up and cheer for either.

—Andrew Hibbard

Bradford Cox is one tortured dude. The immensely talented and equally provocative frontman has been making most of his music in the last year under the moniker of Atlas Sound while his regular band, Deerhunter, is on indefinite hiatus. This time off from his main act, however, has done nothing to stifle Cox’s boundless creativity.

His new album, Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, contains finished versions of a number of demos previously released through his infamous blog (think sex crimes) as well as new material, and it shows a great increase in maturity for Cox as a songwriter and an artist.

One of the first things about Let the Blind that jumps out at the listener is the fact that Cox’s voice can actually be heard.

With Deerhunter, his vocals were often submerged under layers of guitar and intricately woven noise collages, and the raw emotion he used his wails to convey were frequently more important than the lyrics.

However, with Atlas Sound he mixes this

JANETJACKSON DISCIPLINE ISLAND

In the hypothetical checklist that makes for a great chart-topping pop album, Janet Jackson’s Discipline appears to have all the necessary ingredients.

Awkward, inconsistent metaphors for love? Check. In consecutive songs, love is likened to the process o) musical instruments, a car and a rollercoaster.

Sexually explicit lyrics Check. The opening line of “2Nite” are “Close th door/Dim the lights/ Make me feel what I want tonight/I like control/So let me ride.”

Forced attempts at

approach with some songs that possess a

refreshing clarity.

On “River Card,” the album’s third song and one of its best, Cox’s lyrics are among

the most poetic he’s ever written. “River so clear and blue/I’m so in love with you/But you drown me,” he sings vulnerably, using the river as a metaphor for the demons that have betrayed him in his trying life. The next song, “Quarantined,” is even more poignant. Cox puts himself out there, alone and unprotected by only a sparse keyboard and drum machine. The song contains only two repeated lines, “Quarantined and reflections about the intricacies of relationships? Check. Look no further than “Can’t B Good,” “Never Letchu Go” and “Greatest X.” But despite having satisfied all the requirements for a solid album, Janet Jackson’s 10th studio release never seems to find a rhythm or any semblance of consistency. One reason may be the unnecessary abundance of interludes. A whopping nine interludes appear on the 22-track album—and none of them are relThere are short tracks in ;h all we hear is Janet playa game of truth or dare, talking in the bathroom while bbing and interacting with 'ery personal and intimate obot named Kioko (I’m not making this up). Finally, “The Meaning,” consists of Janet reciting in an overly sexual voice

.

kept away from my friends,” and later, “I am waiting to be changed.”

The former seems to be an ode to his boyhood, often described by Cox as alienated and lonely. The latter comes off as a plea to be released from the Marfan syndrome and psychological burdens that he has dealt with his whole life. However, despite this apparent weakness, by making himself vulnerable Cox turns the song into a sort of manifesto—demonstrating a confidence and song-writing maturity heretofore unseen.

—Kevin Lincoln her “favorite definitions” of the word “discipline.” I’m confident when I say that it is the most arousing testament of Webster’s work I have ever heard.

While many of the tracks all seem to blend together, there are a few songs that are worthy ofrecognition. “Luv” is an infectious single with a very original and catchy beat. In “The 1,” Jackson effectively teams with Missy Elliot to create a fast-paced club anthem that will definitely make you want to dance.

Sadly, listening to Discipline only makes you realize how great previous albums like Rhythm Nation and All For You were.

Because, let’s face it, JanetJackson is 41 years old and her clubbing days are far behind her. If anything, we can hope that Discipline is Janet officially passing the baton onto the younger artists like Rihanna who have been trying so hard to duplicate her career.

—Jordan 4xt

Februa

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28, 2008

FRISELL from page 1

Woodring and “Far Side” creator GaryLarson, for whom he composed an accompaniment for “Tales from the Far Side” television specials. And in 2005, he created a suite of pieces sad. He really captured the time.”

It was nearly nine years ago that Chuck inspired hy abstract painter Gerhard Richter.

Helm, art director of the Wexner Center for “Many times what a visual artist is trying theArts in Columbus, Ohio, introducedFrisell to do—the motivation is really the same as to Disfarmer’s images. Helm said he originally what you try to do in music, so somehow they envisioned a collaboration between Frisell complement each other in a good way,” Frisell and several songwriters, but later decided that said. “It pushes me more to find something in it would be folly to try to create topical songs the music that I wouldn’t have thought about around the photos. if I hadn’t been looking at the pictures. In a “I worried that songs could be too tied way it’s restrictive, ’cause you have to fit into to Disfarmer or too much about the people something. Maybe it’ll force you into a corner in the photos,” Helm said, adding that the and you have to find your way out some way.” finished project avoids one-to-one relaThe disarmingly shy Frisell might have between sympathized with tionships musical segments Disfarmer’s reelusive tendenand images. “Bill’s “It’s like going back in a time cies. Bom Mike sound is so much about the evocamachine, you really get a feelMeyer, Disfarmer changed his name tive, and it has atMICHAEL FARMER/SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE of that time and place.” ing as an adult—apIt mosphere. rings The Bill Frisell Trio performs the DisfarmerProject with projections of Mike Disfarmer's images in a previous show. to dissocitrue, it’s not just Bill Frisell parently ate from the farmand ticular time. There’s something that makes you tute a partial discography.

New-Age-y around feel like you could touch their feces.”

The ace sideman said he expects this mg society and fake. gauzy him—and claimed Frisell’s band for the concert in Reynolds performance of the suite will be the “most This needs to be instrumental, it needs to be open.” he had been blown to the Meyer family by a includes several longtime associates. New grounded” yet, with a fresh round of reAfter spending time becoming familiar tornado as a child. He was, as Frisell charitably addition and bassist Viktor Krauss—brother hearsals and the addition ofKrauss to help with Disfarmer’s photos and driving across describes him, “really intimidating as a person of country star Allison—joins Leisz, violinist bring out the power of the suite.

“It’s evocative—l think Bill wants it to be the South from die Tar Heel state—his mothand not very friendly.”

Jenny Scheinman and Frisell on the stand. with the the Center three have on evocative of a period of time, but there’s a All concert, er lives in Chapel Hill—to Arkansas, Frisell conjunction appeared multiple In composed a series of works—called Disfarmer for Documentary Studies is showing Disfarmer, records with Frisell—especially Leisz, who timelessness to those photographs, so that has to be realized in the music as well,” Leisz said.

Project: Musical Portraitsfrom Heber Springs—to an exhibitof some ofhis photographs, through Frisell calls “the other halfof my brain.” made, be performed alongside selected photos.

6.

Exhibitions Coordinator “There was a record we Good “He’s Courtney got original music, but interspersed with April Dog, Reid-Eaton said there is a magic to the images Happy Man, and it was thefirst time we played thathe has music that’salmost more from that The work premiered at the Wexner Centhat has posthumously made Disfarmer one of together at all,” Frisell said. “Usually I play time—swing, or more Ozark Mountain folk ter in fall 2006 and the Duke PerformancesTheater, America’s most respected portraitists. with someone before I ask them to play on a music, and that threadkind of keeps remindwill sponsored concert, in Reynolds “The people in the photographs seem to be record. It’s pretty much—we’ve been playing ing you that you’re talking about a period of only be the piece’s seventh performance.

Helm’s choice of Frisell to execute the projvery much themselves. They don’t seem to be ever since. He’s so easy to play with. I don’t time when thesephotos were taken.” have to really edit what I’m doing. We each ect was based on more than just the guitarist’s artificially posed and there’s not a lot of busyThe Bill Frisell Quartet perform Disfarmsound. Indeed, Frisell has a history of integratness around them. In the pictures that have can play really open and freely. It’s weird.”

Leisz, for his part, is someone almost er Project: Musical Portraits from Heber ing visuals into his work. In the mid-’9os, he more than one person in them, there’s a lot of released two discs of imagined soundtracks interestingbody language,” she said. “I thinkit’s every listener has heard —to say he’s apSprings Saturday, March 1 in Reynolds Theater. a really an interesting documentof a particular peared with Beck, Wilco, Smashing PumpTickets are $5 for Duke students. See www. duketo movies by silent-film star Buster Keaton; performances. orgfor more information. he has since collaborated with cartoonists Jim period in America, ofa particular place at a par- kins andjoni Mitchell doesn’t even consti-

"SUMMER UUjCC ■■session

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PROVOST'S LECTURE SERIES 2007/08:

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February 28, 2008

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TERM 1: May 14 June 26 TERM 2: June 30 August 10 -

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summersession.duke.edu

summer@duke.edu/684-2621

Pervasive Robotics: Building Bodies and Brains Daniela Rus will talk about the market and sociological drivers for robotic technologies and discuss in detail some current trends that extend robot applications into unstructured domains and increasingly remote environments. She will discuss how robotic technologies will lead to the creation of programmable matter and explore several recent systems and their potential impact on everyday life.

Daniela Rus Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Co-Director, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Februai

28, 2008

recess

PAGE?

Amer exhibit finds Home in North Carolina by

Emily Ackerman THE CHRONICLE

This past Sunday, the North Carolina Museum of Art opened its doors to Far From Home.

This exhibit features the works of 20 contemporary artists from all over the world as they and"~their works make the transitionfrom “home” to foreign shores.

Kinsey Katchka, associate curator at the North Carolina Museum of Art and the curator of this exhibit, describes the showcase as “focusing on the artists’ own narratives alongside processes or conditions such as displacement, separation and belonging.”

Thus FarFrom Home mainly concentrates on the effect that a shift in culture has on the mind and soul of the artist. Ghada Amer, an artist who recently visited Duke to speak to Art History students, presents two of her works in this exhibit. The pieces entitled “Les Maries” and “Amalia and I” represent the artistic dialogue between Amer and fellow artist Reza Farkhondeh as they each apply their own unique elements to the work at hand.

Born in Egypt, Amer was sent to school in France at the age of 11 where she proceeded to spend the majority of her childhood. She then went on to receive a masters degree in painting at I’Ecole des Beaux Arts in Nice, enriching her fascination with the cross-cultural experience.

Amer’s illustrious career in art began at the age of 17 when she experienced a period of intense depression. She was bed-ridden as a result ofher grief until shediscovered drawing—the sole form of therapy she claims was responsible for her recovery. Ever since this

COURTESY OF GHADA AMER

Ghada Amer's'The Married Couple"is one of themany pieces from over 20 differentartists in Far From Home.

incident, Amer has seen her work as an outlet for her reservations with the world.

“I know before I understand,” Amer said “The art work makes me understand.”

Femininity remains the main focus in all of Amer’s work, a direct result of a past wrought with encounters of sexism.

During her schooling in France, one of Amer’s art professors very openly treated his female students as inferior and believed the tradition of painting to be an entirely male profession. Similarly, when Amer visited her parents in Cairo in 1988 she was intrigued by the aggressive adoption of the veil in the Middle East, a constricting accessory that hid the women of

tion, thread is inextricably linked with the female profession of sewing. Thus through her use of embroidery, Amer seeks to explore the place of women in the art world, allowing them the chance to paint with their needles. Her renowned pornographic prints layered over with intricate sewing patterns seem to return a sense of strength and sensuality to the exploited women of the adult industry, twisting the vulgarity of these scenes into more personal explorations of sexuality.

Amer has also worked in the mediums of landscape art and cinema, most recently collaborating on a film with Iranian artist, Reza Farkhondeh, entitled Indigestible Dessert, a political satire which Amer screened for Duke Art History students last Tuesday.

Amer said she has accepted her work as an indisputable product of her Egyptian ancestry, but she feels that both cultures of her upbringing have been valuable stimuli for her art. She added that she hopes viewers will appreciate her pieces as more than just the work of, what she terms, “the other.”

“What is going on now politically is like a mirrorof what has always gone on in myself because I am a hybrid of the West and the East,” she said. “It’s a clash between civilizations that of course don’t understand each other. I’ve lived with these contradictions all my life.”

In its abstract, yet intimate threadings, Amer’s work rediscovers modern female sexuality, challenging the boundaries of both women in art and in society at large.

her culture from recognition.

But it was ultimately a fashion magazine that was primarily responsible for her ensuing obsession with the role of women in society and was what Amer claims inspired her “to make art.” The magazine featured traditional garments of her culture absurdly sown together with western fashions, leading her to discover her signature medium of thread.

Most famous for her embroidery of pornographic images of women, Amer’s work has always maintained a focus on the Far From Home will be on exhibit at f—word she could not utter throughout her time in France: feminism. the North Carolina Museum of Art through With definitively feminine connota- July 13.

Februai

recess

PAGES

Are you searching for away out of the food and body image trap?

Do you want to be inspired by those who have reclaimed their relationship with food and body image?

Do you want to learn how to reach out to a friend who struggles?

Do you want to share your thoughts about these issues in a safe environment?

II!

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Friday, February 29th 430 530 |J *

-

Women's Center Lower Lounge -

Come hear Duke Students tell their own stories about disordered eating and their roads to recovery. Those interested are invited to share their experiences and join in on the discussion.

Free Your Body Free Your Mind! Join Paula Scatoloni, LCSW as she guides us in a unique dance experience to celebrate our bodies and free our minds.

Paula Scatoloni, LCSW is a creative arts therapist at CAPS. -

Free your mind and the rest will follow

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PLUMLEE COMMITS TO DUKE 6-foot-11, four-star recruit Mason Plumlee committed to the Blue Devils Tuesday after taking his visit to Duke's campus over the weekend, g

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LEADING SCORERS: HENDERSON, NELSON (15) field-goal percentage:42.9

Henderson elevates his game, Duke Greg Beaton THE CHRONICLE

by

Gerald Henderson was back in the starting lineup Wednesday night against Georgia Tech. Two hours later, the Blue Devils also found themselves back in familiar territory—in the win column in ACC play and tied with North Carolina atop the league’s standings.

Those facts are not necessarily cause and CfcliTl 6 effect—both Henderson and J on Sche y er anaivsis Henderson’s erstwhile had replacement, strong games in Duke’s short break from conference play against St. John’s. But with Duke searching for answers after a two-game slide in league play, Henderson, back as a starter against the Yellow Jackets, re-emerged as the star player the Blue Devils need as they march toward >

*

postseason play.

Over the first four games after Henderson injured his wrist against North Carolina, the sophomore averaged just six points per game while the Blue Devils went 2-2 in conference play. After dropping 13 off the bench on St.John’s, Henderson pitched in for 15 against Georgia Tech, tying DeMarcus Nelson for the game high in a contest in which points were far from easy to come by.

After taking some time to adjust to the lingering soreness in his right wrist, Henderson appears to be back on track—and so does Duke.

“After you practice a little while and play enough games, you realize that you can play with it,” Henderson said of the injury, which head coach Mike Krzyzewski has said would require surgery after the season. “It’s not keeping me from doing really anything on the court.”

That was apparent Wednesday night, as Henderson showed no bashfulness in

WOMEN'S GOLF

KEVIN HUANG/THE CHRONICLE

Sophomore Gerald Henderson scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting Wednesday night in Duke's 71-58 win.

attacking the rim and shooting the ball.

The sophomore punctuated Duke’s 100 run in the first half with consecutive dunks, one on an alley-oop from Greg Paulus and the next on a putback jam after Paulus missed a shot inside. The plays brought the crowd to its feet and caused Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt to call a timeout.

That type of aggressive athleticism was apparent as Duke rose to No. 2 in the polls but had been missing during the team’s recent swoon. After sustaining the injury, Henderson passed up open jump shots and lost his knack for finding his way to the basket. But after

four dunks against Georgia Tech, there is plenty of evidence that Henderson’s confidence has returned.

More than the resurgence of his acrobatics on offense, though, Henderson’s commitment on the defensive end was what proved most impressive.

On three straight possessions early in the second half, Henderson challenged the Georgia Tech passing lanes and caused deflections. On one of them, he stole a pass coming across the top of the key, taking it all the way to the other end for an emphatic one-handed dunk. At the SEE HENDERSON ON PAGE 8

Blumenherst wins 10th title Meredith Shiner THE CHRONICLE

SARA GUERRERO/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO

Junior Amanda Blumenherst won the Wildcat Invitational by three strokes Wednesday.

Ten was the number of the day for Duke juniors Amanda Blumenherst and Jennie Lee Wednesday.

The reigning National Player of the Year took medalist honors for the 10th time in her Duke career Wednesday at the Wildcat Invitational, beating the field by three strokes with an even-par 213 and pacing the top-ranked Blue Devils to a tie for second place.

No. 14 Oklahoma State edged Duke and No. 4 Southern California to take the team title by two strokes.

Blumenherst overcame tough and windy conditions—which induced five bogeys and one doublebogey in the third round of the 54-hole tournament—by draining five birdies on the day.

“When I hit hole 7,1 think I was letting the wind get to me,” Blumenherst said. “It was really hard to putt as the ball was shaking and I lost focus. I had to basically concentrate, pay attention to playing

and not let the conditions get the better of me.”

The nation’s premier player regained her poise on the back nine, firing three birdies in addition to four pars past the turn.

Ten was also a good number Wednesday for Lee, who posted the 10th top-10 finish of her Duke career on her way to a tie for eighth place.

“Jennie is really tough,” head coach Dan Brooks said. “She has worked hard through the winter and didn’t let the cold weather stop her from getting her work done—that’s why she came out playing well.”

Alison Whitaker, Jennifer Pandolfi and Kim Donovan rounded out the Blue Devils’ team effort, finishing in ties for 24th, 34th and 58th, respectively.

Whitaker carded a 3-over 74 Wednesday to finish 14-over for the tournament,, while Pandolfi shot a 16-over 229 and Donovan a 24-over 237.

Duke next hits the links March 9 for the UCF Invitational at the Red Tail Country Club in Sorrento, Fla.

THE CHRONICLI

I

8 Till RSDAY, FEBRI ARY 28,2008

HENDERSON

surf

from page 7

Georgia Tech (11-15,4-8) No, 6 Duke (24-3, 11-2)

first timeout afterward, Krzyzewski embraced Henderson in the Duke huddle, celebrating a coming-of-age for the sophomore’s defensive abilities.

“I was kind of surprised,” Henderson said of Krzyzewski’s response. “Being around him, he gets real intense and is real passionate about a lot of things. He just got real excited because I made a couple plays there that were key plays in the game.”

Krzyzewski praised Henderson’s play after the game, saying that his string of defensive plays in the second half were important in Duke pulling away from the Yellow Jackets and coasting for most of the second half.

“That’s the best Gerald has ever done,” Krzyzewski said. “G made about three plays in a row that kind of broke it open for us. One was the drunk, but then he got a couple steals, too. Those are plays that he hasn’t made in the past and it was like all of a sudden the birth of a new talent. It’s so exciting when you see a kid do that.”

Henderson may not be 100 percent physically—he is still wearing a brace on his right wrist—but he said after the game that he has learned to put the injury out of his mind. That could pay big dividends down the stretch for Duke, which showed in its previous two conference games what can happen without the sophomore playing at his best.

“He hasn’t been 100 percent, but he’s giving 100-percent effort, and that’s all you need,” Paulus said. “He was really dynamic out there. Some of his finishes and his plays defensively really gave us a lot of momentum.”

Lawal Smith Miller Bell Morrow Clinch Causey

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38 3-11 1-6 6-9 7 2 1 4 13 6 0 ZlOltAi 22 1-2 0-0 2-2 4 30 3-11 3 0 3 11 1-4 4-4 26 6-10 0-1 3-4 5 0 2 3 15 0-0 5-9 6 3 0 31 5-7 1 15 Smith|:fH 8 0-0 iO-O 1-210 0 ' 2 0 T| 2-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 4 1 McClure 8 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0 KoMfIKMI 2 King 30 3-8 0-3 0-0 6 2 2 2 6 Scheyer Zoubek 5 0-0 0 0 0 0 2 1-2 0-0 .■ 2 1 TEAM Totals 200 24-56 2-15 21-30 37 10 9 14 71 Scheyer, Zoubek Blocks FG % Ist Half: 35,3, 2nd Half: 54.5, Game; 42.9

Singler

Thomas Paulus Henderson Nelson

M.BBALL from page 9 offensive opportunities in the first half, as the Blue Devils shot 35 percent from the field and hit 1-of-l 1 3-pointers. Depite a 100 run sealed by Gerald Henderson’s rimrocking, putback dunk with 4:42 remaining in the period, Duke led by just six at halftime.

The Blue Devils’ stayed ahead in the second half behind 15-point performances from DeMarcus Nelson and Henderson, who played strong around the rim as the Blue Devils capitalized on the Yellow Jackets’ physical play by converting 21-of-30 free throws. But despite several jarring Henderson dunks, including one on a back-door pass from Nelson that put the Blue Devils, up by double digits for good with 2:04 remaining, Duke could not hit the back-break-

LEAH BUESO/THE CHRONICLE

Senior DeMarcus Nelson attempts to dish the ball past GeorgiaTech's D'Andre Bell in Duke's 71-58 win.

ing three that has become the team’s staple throughout much of the season.

Krzyzewski attributed his team’s difficulties from behind the arc—where they have converted 38.4 percent of their opportunities this season—to Georgia Tech’s tenacious on-the-ball defense and ability to slide to cover the shooter.

“Our window of opportunity to shoot the three was small,” Krzyzewski said. “We had to get it and get rid ofit quick because they were out there, and when you’re playing a physical game like this, it takes your legs out a little bit.

I think both teams suffered from that, you’re not justshooting in the driveway tonight.”

NOTES: Duke’s win was Krzyzewski’s 799th as a head coach. The Blue Devils will try to make him the sixth head coach in men’s basketball history to record 800 wins Saturday at N.C. State.

Blue Devils continue strong start Behind the strong play of freshman pitcher Dennis O’Grady, Duke blanked Alabama A&M 9-0 Wednesday afternoon at Jack Coombs field. O’Grady gave up just three hits and struck out five in his first career start on the mound for the Blue Devils.

Duke surged to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning after back-to-back RBI hits from junior Tim Sherlock and senior Jonathan Nicolla to take a quick 30 lead. The Blue Devils’ batters continued to stay hot, as Nicolla knocked his second double of the game in the sixth inning to give Duke a 9-0 lead.

Duke next plays a four-game series this weekend against Columbia.

—from staff reports

&

Experiences

** »

Keynote speaker:

Challenge yourself. Change your world.

In Purham Information Sessions

4 A

February 15, 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Meeting Room A, Sryan Center -

February 19, 5:00-4:00 p.m.

Meeting Room A, Sryan Center -

February 25, 3:00-4:00 p.m, Griffith Board Room, Bryan Center -

Immerse yourself in the history, culture, and social issues of Purham 60 internship opportunities available Light Refreshments will be served.

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X

Sam Miglarese, sam.miglarese@duke.edu or Domonique Redmond, dredmond@duke.edu.

forward

including UCLA, Georgetown, Stanford,

DukeEngage

For more information, contact

as

Wake Forest and North Carolina. Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams flew to Arden, N.C. to watch Plumlee play, but did not offer him a scholarship.

Plumlee is only the sixth Division I basketball recruit in his school’s history. He has led his high school squad to two state championships.

Recycling: Ideas, Materials DUKE CENTER FOR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

brighter Tuesday,

Mason Plumlee committed to Duke.

The 6-foot-ll junior averaged 12.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in his second season at Christ School, helping his team capture its second straight NCISAA 3-A Championship. Plumlee made a second unofficial visit to Duke this past weekend, and informed the Blue Devil coaching staff ofhis decision Tuesday.

The Winona Lake, Ind. native was recruited by a number of other schools,

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Student Advertising Coordinator: Account Assistants: Advertising Representatives:

Margaret Stoner Lianna Gao, Elizabeth Tramm Melissa Reyes Jack Taylor, Qinyun Wang Marketing Assistant: Kevin O'Leary National Advertising Coordinator: Cordelia Biddle, Charlie Wain Courier: Keith Cornelius Creative Services Coordinator: Alexandra Beilis Creative Services: Marcus Andrew, Rachel Bahman Sarah Jung, Maya Robinson Online Archivist: Roily Miller Business Assistants: Rebecca Winebar, Percy Xu

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10 1 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28,2008

CHRONICLE

It's time for buses to be on time £

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ihe successful changes traveling between East and I made to the bus sys- Central Campuses.

JL tem over the last year In the spirit of keeping suggest that a little effort may up with student demand, go a long way toward mak- we recommend expanding weekend bus ing campus service. But transportaeditorial non even the single most important next step is to more efficient in the future So far, the focus has been make the most out of existing on adding routes to meet resources by implementing a student demand. The new more reliable bus schedule.

05 and C-6 bus routes bring Currently, there is no students safely and conveguarantee that a bus will arniently to Brightleaf Square rive or depart on schedule. and Ninth Street as well as At off-peak hours—and even nearby off-campus apartoccasionally in the middle of ments. the day —crowds of students Also, the C-l and 04 bus are often left huddling at routes replaced the C-2 on the bus stop waiting for late buses. Such inconsistency is nights and weekends, making the commute between problematic even for those campuses much shorter for students who make a conmost students, with the unscientious effort to budget fortunate exception of those enough time for the comr

|

mute; a bus leaving West

Campus three minutes early can make the difference between getting to class on time and shuffling in 10 minutes late.

Students are responsible for learning bus schedules and budgeting transportation time. However, they should not be expected to block an indefinite amount of waiting time into their commute.

Moreover, Parking and Transportation Services could do much more to publicize bus schedules. Even when buses run roughly according to schedule, students rarely have their palm-sized transit information booklets on hand, and the laminated schedules posted at several stops tend to disappear mid-semester—or earlier. One obvious solution

is a large, permanent display of the bus schedule on all stops, similar to the display box on West Campus.

But why not think outside'the box? The University should consider putting emerging transportation technology to use.

Last spring, Chapel Hill hired Nextßus Inc. to equip buses with Global Positioning System trackers and allow students to look up a real-time map ofbuses en route online or on their cell phones.

Such a system would dramatically improve transportation at Duke. But if the price tag proves unreasonable, even installing a less sophisticated electronic display at each bus stop to simply inform students when a bus is departing East or West

would help them to gauge how long they should expect to wait and whether it would save time to walk.

Getting around can be particularly difficult for Central residents due to the longer commute and because the bus does not make stops on the quarter hour. Providing students with some way to know whether a bus is on its way or has recently passed by would make living on Central more convenient and housing on Central more desirable.

Duke’s unique three-campus structure means students spend a fair amount of time on the bus. More punctuality and a little technology could go a long way in ensuring that they don’t spend just as much time at the bus stop.

Justice like a mighty stream For LETTERS POLICY Hie Chronicle welcomes submissions in the form ofletters to the editor or guest columns. Submissions must include the author’s name, signature, department or class, and for purpases ofidentification, phone numberand local address.

Letters should not exceed 325 words; contact die editorial

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a brief moment, everything surrounding this poor woman disappeared, and nothing else mattered. Not the charges against the police officers, not the attorneys’ vibrant openings, not the protestors picketing outside the courthouse. She took several seconds to compose herself.

The question rethere, mained hanging —the attorney wanted to know where she had seen her fiance the morning of Nov. 25, elad gross 2006. Then the smile answer: “He was in the morgue.”

Nov. 24, 2006. In only a few hours, Sean Bell would be a husband. He was already a father, a fiance, a son. This night, he was still a bachelor, partying at a nightclub with two friends. They were outside the club, all drunk, shouting at another man. There was mention of a gun. No altercation occurred and the partiers decided to leave.

As they got into a car, an undercover detective approached and asked to speak with them, not properly identifying himself. The men jumped into the car and started to make off, hitting the officer in the leg and slamming into the unmarked police van. Gunfire.

BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. Over and over again, until 50 bullets had been fired by police officers. Detective Gescard Isnora, the one who had been struck in the leg, discharged his weapon 31 times. He reloaded at least once.

Sean Bell, the man who was to be married in only a matter of hours, was dead. His two friends were seriously wounded. No gun was found in the car and ballistic evidence places none there.

Monday, the trial for three of the involved officers began. Race has already been brought up in opening statements. Bell was black. Isnora’s attorney described the officer as a black man and tried to paint a hypothetical perspective of the victims during the events leading to the shooting.

“They [Bell and his friends] see a Negro with a gun. Just another Negro on the street with a gun.”

Though the officer’s attorney may have been attempting to use the race card in favor of Isnora, the same wording could easily have been used in describing the police perspective that night.

When will seeing a white man on the street at near a nightclub be the same as seeing a black man in the same environment? What makes the

black man scarier than a man who just happened to be bom with a much lighter complexion?

According to current projections, 32 percent of black men will serve time in prison. Forty-nine percent of all homicide victims are black, 77 percent of them killed with a gun, and in “single victim-single offender homicides” committed against black people, 91 percent of the murderers were black. Forty-five percent of dmg offenders in state prisons are black. The answer is that black men are scarier.

We live in a society in which skin color can be effectively used as a demarcation of economic value. Think about it. You’re an employer at a restaurant in Chicago. You have two applicants—a black man and a white man. Both are high school grads.

Both have worked restaurants in the area before.

But you know that, on average, black high school students perform at a less competent level than white high school students. You know that black men are more likely to go to prison than white men. You know that the black man is much more likely than the white man to get busted for drugs.

Who do you hire?

The problem isn’t skin color. The problem is the statistics associated with the skin color. And it is a problem we can solve, but not in this column.

Picture this: A slum in Los Angeles, late at night. The officer has just pulled over a man for failing to stop at a red light and speeding. The police operator had sent out an all points bulletin for a gunman of dark complexion driving a dark blue sedan. The car now parked in front of the police cruiser is dark green, not really dark blue, but it is hard to see in the night. The officer emerges from his vehicle, his right hand on his gun, and approaches the driver. He’s black, wearing a gold chain, a white do-rag and a black, heavy jacket with gold lettering. The officer’s former partner, his best friend, had been shot and killed by a black gang member a year and a half before this stop.

The officer can feel his heart pacing a little faster.

His grip tightens around his gun. “Where’s your license and registration?” Suddenly, the driver moves his right hand off the steering wheel and down toward his right pocket, his jacket swishing.

All the officer wanted to hear was the location of the license.

Is it racist to shoot? Is it stupid not to?

What about the code the officer swore to uphold?

What about the officer’s wife and 3-year-old son?

People face these decisions every day. What would you do?

Elad Gross is a Trinity sophomore. His column runs every other Thursday.

THE CHRONICLE

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28,2008

commentaries

Fame

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11

<

Infamy

Three

Turn ng back to the tube

If

you take a break from any relationship, it is bound matters. One person will think a break means seeing other people, while the other is under the impression it means catching up on “Me time.”

So when the writers came back after their months-long strike, I wish I could say everything went back to normal.

But when I severed my relationship with my television in support of them, I did not sit around weeping and stuffing my face with sweets—at least not after the first few weeks. Instead, I put myself lysa chen out there. I sat on a bench. I made friends with a squirrel. hi, society There was no going back.

Above all, I needed another method to get my TV fix, and that is how I discovered the wonderful world of British comedy. I am not saying American TV and I are about to split But British television has opened my eyes to a whole new realm of entertainment, and there are some shows that every one of my peers should know about “Peep Show” For those familiar with Ricky Gervais’ “The Office” and more recent “Extras,” “Peep Show” uses the same almost painful-to-watch humor. The show follows the sexual frustrations of flatmates Mark and Jeremy, switching perspectives from character to character with funky cinematography and hilarious and incriminating inner monologues.

Nothing good happens to these guys. After accidentally running over a prospective hook-up’s beloved dog, for instance, Jeremy tries to cremate the evidence. When caught with a bag of the not-particularly-flammable remains, he takes a big bite out of the dog’s charred leg to convince the girl itis an innocent bag ofbarbecue. After hearing what goes on inside their heads, you are left unsure whether Mark and Jeremy really deserve your affection. You wantto give them a big hug eitherway.

Defining quote: “This is what men want, and we shouldn’t be allowed to have it because it’s horrible and it makes you feel sick. Oh wonderful, now I’m getting an erection. How grimly predictable.”

“Nathan Barley” If popped collars, moon boots and the word “ffo-yo” make you want to scream, then you would probably get along with the main character of this show-tumcd-social commentary. Or

only to complicate

maybe not Dan Ashcroft doesn’t really get along with anybody.

Disgusted by a mindless generation concerned only with celebrity and the latest trend, Ashcroft tries to separate himself as far as possible from what he calls the age of stupidity.

(To put this into a Duke perspective, Ashcroft would read Kristin Butler’s column on the lacrosse players’ lawsuits. He would not read my column on British comedies.) Unfortunately, Ashcroft is revered by “the idiots” who surround him even as he tries to push them away. Hilarity ensues.

Defining quote: “The idiots are winning.”

“The IT Crowd” Don’t let the name mislead you. “The IT Crowd” is as far removed as possible from a story about the cool kids in high school; instead, the show focuses on the antics of the often forgotten and under-appreciated component of any company: the IT department. The show is peppered with the expected geekjokes and awkward social encounters.

Though very much the typical sitcom, performances by comedians like Richard Ayoade, who plays a sort of even more awkward and loveable Dwight Schrute character, compensate for the less than innovative style and writing.

This is the only show on my list with a laugh track. I’ve forgiven it, which is saying something.

Defining quote: “Keep the conversation about things that would interest everybody. You know, nothing about memory or RAM.” “Memory is RAM! Oh dear!”

“The Mighty Boosh” It is difficult to explain “The Mighty Boosh,” except to say no one else does comedy the way the Boosh (the show’s creators) does comedy. When a good friend tried to convince me to watch the show, she said, “The first season takes place in a zoo, and then they live in a flat with a gorilla and a shaman.” (I was a little afraid.)

Often described as surreal, the Boosh follows the adventures ofVince Noir and Howard Moon, played by comedic duo Noel Fielding and Julian Barratt, as they journey through monkey hell, encounter a transsexual merman and fall in and out of love with coconuts. The craziness is only interrupted by equally bizarre songsequences, a set up similar to HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords,” another example ofchoice comedy.

Defining quote: ‘You fear jazz.You fear the lack ofrules, the lack of boundaries. It’s all just chaos, shapes, primal.

Ooh, I’m lost. It’s a fence. No, it’s soft! 00h..,.”

Lysa Chen is a Trinity sophomore and wire editor Chronicle. Her column runs every other Thursday.

of The

lettertotheeditor Middle East vigil unfairly accused Israel Thursday, Feb. 21 the executive board of Duke Friends ofIsrael was invited to attend a vigil for peace in the Middle East. Having been under the understanding that this was meant as a call to end suffering on both sides, we were deeply disappointed when the event served as a platform to accuse Israel of genocide as well as by the overall one-sidedness of the event’s focus.

Following the peaceful words ofthe co-president ofthe Muslim Student Association, the speaker, Laila El-Haddad was introduced. Her words were deeply troubling.

El-Haddad referred to Israeli actions in Gaza as “genocide.” Though it is perfectly acceptable to be critical of Israeli policy, it is wholly inappropriate to casually throw around the term genocide to describe Israel’s activities in Gaza. Genocide is defined as “the systematic killing of, or a program ofaction intended to destroy, a whole national or ethnic group” (Webster’s New World College Dictionary) . No matter what one thinks of the Israeli blockade, these actions in no way constitute the widespread ethnic violence of genocide. Israel’s actions are directed at terrorists, not civilians. Individuals like El-Haddad should ex-

ercise more discretion before levying such an accusation.

Another major point of worry was the lack of concern displayed for the Israeli victims of Gazan rocket attacks.

Though the event was billed as protesting the suffering of all people, El-Haddad seemed intent on only discussing the Gazan victims ofthe latest crisis with little reference to the terrorist attacks coming from Gaza or the Israelis who have suffered as a result We feel that the road to peace is a two-way street that requires us to acknowledge the responsible actors on both sides of the issue. Peace is not served by one-sidedness or choosing a single actor to blame.

We do not wish this to be an attack against Gazan citizens nor members of the MSA. In fact, we welcome the opportunity for friendly and constructive dialogue.

That, however, requires all parties to be careful about the accusations we levy and our attentiveness to all victims, regardless of nationality. We are disappointed that Thursday’s vigil did not accomplish this.

Rachel Silverman

President, DukeFriends ofIsrael Trinity ’lO

weeks ago, unbeknownst to me, ABC’s local affiliate, WTVD, decided to run a short piece investigating (so they claim) the apparent “controversy” surrounding my column addressed to “Armed Durham Residents.”

Apparently, I didn’t get the memo about this alleged outrage sparked by the letter—which the “reporter” (and I use this word as loosely as humanly possible) somehow tied to the lacrosse case and racial .

polarization.

Anyhow, our eloquent correspondent goes on to point out that “people on

dan belzer w.w.j.d.

both sides are sounding off.” Both sides, I thought to myself. Hmmm, were they going to interview Abhijit Mahato’s suspected killer, or a local Blood leader?

Let’s proceed.

The first two sheepishly aloof contributors were recognizably Duke students who both, and I thank Jesus, understood what I was going for in the column. However, the tide turned significantly when the “other side” began to sound off. At this point, I was hoping for a cut to the jail, maybe Pettigrew Street after dark or at least something reminiscent of the “Welcome to Durham” documentary.

No. Apparently, according to WTVD, the “other side” of the controversy they had just fabricated is local, seemingly well-to-do African-American young people.

Does anyone else see something horribly wrong with this situation?

What in God’s name do these people have to do with those individuals who have been robbing the Duke community? Are they suggesting that the supposed armed Durhamites I addressed in my sarcastic letter to the Duke community are in fact your average black Durham residents?

OK Hold on. We’re getting ahead of ourselves here The newsreel first takes us to a black woman—presumably in her 20s—who is apparently quite irate. “Every time it’s a problem it’s blamed on the gang members,” she explains.

“It’s blamed on the youth and I work for the youth, I work for Durham County teen corps, so I take offense to that.”

This statement perplexed me on two levels. First, when are gangs a good thing? Second, never once did I myself blame gangs or youth. I did, as the newsman points out, make mention to guns and bandanas. This, however, was simply a reference to the appearance of certain Eas't Campus muggers. I didn’t even specify a race.

Next, the piece cuts to a sharply dressed young man who goes on to state that, “Robbery is wrong, but allowing individuals who are poor is wrong too. We should reach out to those people and bring them up so they don’t have to be out there robbing.”

In principle, I agree. And I think my letter makes reference to the abominable minimum wage here in North Carolina. However, to insinuate that as Duke undergraduates we are somehow “allowing” or perpetuating the city’s poverty is ludicrous.

In reality, neither of these responses bothers me much.

Sure I may not agree, but theirreactions were clearly goaded by a group of ABCII employees attempting to pose as journalists. It is the irresponsible and sensationalist (well, attempted sensationalist) actions of this television station, that should be looked upon critically.

During the nearly one-month span from when my column was published until today, I have not received a single angry e-mail, Facebook message or phone call regarding the controversy I apparently enflamed. Most notably, the good folks down at WTVD failed to contact me for comment. You would think maybe attempting to reach me for my thoughts would be... I don’t know... a responsible and fair thing to do?

I guess maybe they didn’t go to Duke.

Regardless, I would just like to thank the lovely folks down at ABCII WTVD. Because, in reality, all publicity is good publicity.

The video can be found by simply googling “Dan Belzer” and “ABC.” Dan Belzer is a Trinity senior. His column runs every Thursday.

12 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28,2008

THE CHRONICLE

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