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The Stanford Daily

An Independent Publication
THURSDAY July 26, 2012

SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

Volume 242A Issue 4

News 2
New Stanford research into HIV drug brings a cure one step closer

Opinions 7
Remembering the theater shooting victims in Aurora, Colo.

Intermission 14
Stanford Summer Theater roots for the middleclass man in Curse of the Starving Class

NEWS
RESEARCH

New research may help eradicate HIV


By KYLIE JUE
DAILY INTERN

STUDENT LIFE

Professor Wender pushes bounds of HIV research

Stanford Chemistry Professor Paul Wender partnered with UCLA Professor Jerry Zack to publish their most recent breakthrough toward eradicating the HIV virus: the synthesis of a set of compounds that successfully tackle the latent, or dormant, virus for the first time. The research, published in the July 15 issue of Nature Chemistry, discusses the creation of synthetic compounds, or bryologs, that can more effectively activate the dormant HIV virus. Currently, an AIDS patient undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy

(HAART) can reduce the active virus to undetectable levels, but the latent virus remains hidden in certain cells. And the current therapeutics cannot touch that [latent] virus, said Jerry Zack, co-director of the UCLA AIDS Center. But if the individual goes off the medications, this latent [virus] rekindles infection, and the disease progresses again. There are many HIV drugs on the market now, but Wender believes that the key to eradicating AIDS is actually in the latent virus. Current antiretrovirals can target only the active virus, and it is the latent virus that is the source of continuing infection. If it is flushed out of the system through bryologs, the rest of the virus can be taken care of with medication

Old Union finals error explained


By ANNA QIN
DAILY INTERN

KEVIN TSUKII/The Stanford Daily

Professor and author Abbas Milani speaks at Braun Auditorium on July 24 as part of the Stanford Summer Human Rights Program.

SPEAKERS & EVENTS

Human rights both fluid and constant, says Milani


By RACHEL BEYDA
DAILY INTERN

Please see AIDS, page 8

STUDENT LIFE

Students react poorly to summer alcohol policy


By RAVALI REDDY
SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Several students and resident assistants (RAs) disagree with the Universitys newest alcohol policy, which bans the storage and consumption of hard alcohol during the Summer Session, regardless of age. Two administrators have confirmed that there are no plans to implement this policy during the academic school year.

Despite administrators claims that the new policy will lead to a safer environment for students to live in, there is fear the policy is doing the exact opposite. Several RAs who spoke on the condition of anonymity told The Daily they believe that the new policy is leading to the demise of Stanfords unofficial open-door policy, in which house staff members encourage students to leave their doors

Please see ALCOHOL, page 6

The concept of human rights is both fluid and constant, author and Iran expert Abbas Milani explained to around 200 people in Braun Auditorium on July 24 as part of the Stanford Summer Human Rights Program. Milani is the author of ten books on Iran, including A Tale of Two Cities: A Persian Memoir and a biography of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran. He is also the director of Iranian Studies at Stanford and a cofounder of the Iran Democracy Project. According to Milani, there is increasing global understanding that certain rights are inalienable to every human being. However, the Iranian government continues to breach human rights by picking only certain rights to defend instead of supporting human rights in their entirety. Can you beat women and

say this is my culture? Milani asked. The current Iranian Constitution states that women, Jews and Christians are worth only half of a man. It also provides no right of privacy and allows people to be arrested arbitrarily. The result is the most executions per capita of any country, ahead of even China. As a Chinese [citizen], Milanis explanations made me reconsider the human rights in my own country, said audience member Jason Mao. According to Milani, the Iranian Revolution of 1979 has made even Iranians realize that human rights go beyond political rights; the idea of human rights as a Western concept, he argues, was concocted by racists in the West and despots in the East. The complexity of our time is that we have realized the contingency of our beliefs. Truths have become relative, Milani said.

During finals week of spring quarter, Old Union hosted Digital Media Academy (DMA), a technology camp for high school students, rather than accommodating Stanford students hoping to study for exams. All rooms were closed to students from June 8 to June 15, and Stanford students were unable to access Old Union to study. According to Jeanette SmithLaws, director of operations and student unions, accommodating outside requests for the use of Old Union is not usual for operations during the school year. Summer programs and camps that start early are usually deferred to other buildings. Summer conference programs always start after Commencement, she said. Because [DMA] started earlier, it should have been scheduled at Tresidder Union. In response to DMAs placement in Old Union, which is against what is considered standard policy, Smith-Laws explained that it was a hiccup, a glitch in the date, and it will not happen again in the future. However, Stanford administration does not have direct control over room reservations made in Old Union spaces. Reservations for meeting rooms in the Old Union are ultimately coordinated through the ASSU room reservation system, which the ASSU Executive manages. Anyone with a Stanford ID can re-

Please see MILANI, page 8

Please see UNION, page 6 THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

2 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

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THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 3

STUDENT LIFE

Poetry group voices the page on stage


By SAMANTHA GILBERT
DAILY INTERN

Sometimes on a campus widely known for technology and science, its easy to overlook its vibrant, but at times lesserknown, arts community, particularly within the student body. Cue the Spoken Word Collective, Stanfords student-run poetry group. For the poets, the group is all about cultivating emotion and generating explosive written and spoken poetry. A decade ago the collective didnt exist. It wasnt until 2002 that Mark Otuteye 05 M.A.06 founded the Spoken Word Collective because he felt as though poets needed a place to come together on campus. I think its a safe space for honest expression, whatever it may be, said Raina Sun 13, the director of the group. Honestly, these types of spaces are rare. Since its founding, the collective has assumed a role as campus creative outlet, particularly for writers who feel as though their words are better suited for the stage as opposed to the page. From hosting quarterly campus-wide shows, biweekly poetry workshops and open mics, to competing in the College Unions Poetry Slam, the largest poetry slam in the country (last year it placed fourth), the collective ensures that there are many opportunities to give student poetry a voice. The quarterly shows, according to Alok Vaid-Menon 13, a fourth-year member of the group, attract over 200 people. He says that the writing workshops are also very popular. Every year I coordinate an erotic poetry workshop in February called Snap & Moan, Vaid-Menon said. We invite the Stanford community to learn how to write and perform erotic poetry with us its always a blast.

Although the group puts on many events for the student community, there are only a few actual members of the collective. Last year there were 11, and this year there are a guaranteed eight so far, plus the new students they accept after auditions, which take place in the beginning of fall quarter. The auditions consist of poets of all different skill levels reading one original poem. After auditions, the collective must unanimously decide whom to accept into their organization. We accept poets who we believe can contribute something new or fresh to the group and grow as writers and performers with us, Vaid-Menon said, We also like to choose people who we know will vibe well socially with the group, because we do hang out a lot. Vaid-Menon says that over time, the group has become a close-knit bunch of friends who enjoy picnics, parties and exclusive bonding retreats. In addition to friendship, he feels as though the collective provides a place for nurturing a communal artistic growth. Ive stayed an active member of Spoken Word these past three years because it gives me the progressive and artistic community I find lacking in a lot of other spaces at Stanford, he said. We try our best to use art as a form of social cohesion and transformation in our group. Another member of the group, Tina Miller 14, agrees that the community aspect of the group is really what makes the collective special. We have some amazing people in the collective, and when we meet once a week, its a way of kind of checking in on each other, Miller said. Because otherwise the writing life can get lonely. Were talking about the depths of our feelings
Please see COLLECTIVE, page 6

ROUND THE DISH


HAELIN CHO/The Stanford Daily

A HIKE

Students, faculty and Palo Alto community alike enjoy hiking the Dish, named after a nearby antenna.
By HAELIN CHO
DAILY INTERN

When Im up where I can see the entire bay, I notice the silence. There is no iPod music or angry drivers searching for parking up here. There are no dogs barking or babies crying. Instead, theres the hum of insects emanating from the hay-colored fields, the swish of wind and light chatter that floats through the air. Its not complete silence, but the sounds blend together to create a quiet atmosphere. And it is the resulting orchestration of simple harmonies that reminds me that Im standing on one of the lesserknown symbols of Stanford University. A Palo Alto local, I walk the Dish hiking trail every Saturday. Today isnt Saturday, but the sloping path at the very beginning of the hike, guarded on both sides by rows of tan plants, remains the same. This hill is my least favorite part of the walk and my calves ache and pinch by the time I reach the top of the hill. The Dish, built by the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in 1966, is a radio reflector antenna built for the U.S. Department of Defense to study the atmospheric composition. It served different purposes in the past, like studying spacecrafts, but remains in use today for academic reasons. The reason walkers can see it from almost any point on the trail is because its huge: 150 feet in diameter. In front of me, a young couple stops mid-jog to take a picture of a squirrel reclining in the shade of a fence. Although the squirrels are

adorable, Im not excited when I see them. Because theyre everywhere, I can always expect them to fearlessly run across the trail and chew the plants growing on the sides of the road whenever I visit the Dish. Once, I tried to keep count of how many of these rodents there actually were. One. Two. Three. I stopped when I realized that I still had half the trail to finish and I had already reached 80. Im a little more surprised when I notice a white heron standing serenely by the trail. But seeing the animals is all part of the experience of walking. On my many visits, Ive seen white and blue-grey speckled herons, predatory birds, lizards, hares, a coyote, a deer and ground squirrels so many squirrels. Ive even been traumatized by a dead snake. The only animal Ive never seen is a mountain lion, even though the large warning sign reminding walkers and runners of their existence nearby is the first thing that greets me at the gate to the trail. I suppose thats a good thing. Even without the animals, the trail is one of the most picturesque places around Palo Alto, especially when I reach the top. Today, I peer down and see Hoover Tower stabbing through the sea of red buildings and the bay, adorned by clouds. Its fit for a postcard. Around me, the air is smooth and refreshing, even though the midday sun is growing stronger. After I reach the top of the incline, the road grows flat, making it perfect for conversation. My friend and I chat about our summer vacations (she went to the Arctic then

South Carolina; I went to New Zealand) as we stroll down the path. Joggers, sweating and breathing heavily, thunder by. Reaching the Dish marks, for me, the halfway point in the trail. Not everyone would call the actual Dish artistic, but I wonder if people appreciate the history behind what they walk by. For years, I didnt. Panting, Id give one or two glances at the hulking blue and white machine and then keep walking. But in retrospect, it deserved more respect from my young self. In May 2000, former Stanford President Gerhard Casper released a statement detailing conservation plans for the Dish. In 2010, the plan was refined to conserve at least five species native to the area surrounding the trail, including the California tiger salamander. Currently, the Dish is undergoing both habitat conservation and restoration of native flora. Even so, I dont notice anything that distracts from the natural beauty of the trail. Toward the end of my walk, surrounded by a breathtaking view that includes both Stanford architecture and the natural environment, I cannot find the words to express myself. But at that moment, a little girl walking past me says what is really just on the tip of my tongue. You were right! she crows to a woman standing next to her, bending down and looking around. You can see everything from up here. And in a way, shes right. Up here, theres a view, an environment, a community, a history. Contact Haelin Cho at haelin.cho @gmail.com.

4 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

NEWS BRIEFS

UNIVERSITY

Eric Roberts: king of computers


By SAMANTHA GILBERT
DAILY INTERN

Longtime Stanford computer science professor Eric Roberts reflects on his storied career

Stanford Daily Archive

Sally Ride 73, first American woman in space, dies at 61


By THE DAILY NEWS STAFF Sally Ride 73 M.S. 75 Ph.D. 78, an astronaut and physicist with deep ties to the Stanford community, passed away today at 61 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. While at Stanford studying for her doctorate in physics, Ride came across an ad for NASA mission specialists in The Daily. She would eventually become the youngest American and first American woman in space. Ride logged more than 300 hours on Space Shuttle Challenger and later served on the committee investigating the Challenger disaster in 1986. She then returned to Stanford and became a fellow at what was then the Center for International Security and Arms Control (CISAC). In 1989, Ride became a physics professor at the University of California, San Diego and served as director of the California Space Institute. Rides presence is still on campus, though, as Stanford continues to host her summer program for girls interested in science. Participants in the 2012 Sally Ride Science Camps arrive next week. The encouragement of young women to enter math and science fields had been one of Rides lifelong passions and she authored or

co-authored seven science books for children. At Stanford, Ride played for the varsity tennis team and completed four degrees: concurrent bachelors degrees in English and physics and an M.S. and Ph.D. in physics. Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model, President Barack Obama said today in a statement. She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars.
Edward Ngai

John Atta Mills J.D. 71, president of Ghana, dies at 68


By THE DAILY NEWS STAFF John Atta Mills, the current president of Ghana, died this Tuesday at age 68. Mills, a Stanford grad, died five months short of finishing his first term in office. He was planning to seek re-election in Ghanas upcoming elections in December. Before coming to Stanford to pursue a law degree on a Fulbright Scholarship, Mill earned a law degree from the University of Ghana in 1967 and a doctorate from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Mills, an advocate for democracy on an often war-torn continent, was the third president in the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
Molly Vorwerck

From a very early age, Stanford Computer Science Professor Eric Roberts had a ready answer whenever people asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. I always knew that I wanted to be a professor, Roberts said. When everyone else wanted to be a fireman, I wanted to be a professor. Hes realized his dream. Now one of Stanfords most prominent professors, he has received several university-level teaching awards, been active in professional organizations dedicated to computer science education and promoted socially responsible use of science and technology. My greatest interest lies in drawing people to the field. I have a special interest in broadening it, he said. Born to a father who taught political science at the University of Nevada, he grew up saturated in academic intensity. There were books everywhere in the house, Roberts remembers, describing a childhood of intellectual vitality. As early as middle school, Roberts began tinkering with electronic sets and old radios. He became fascinated with electrical engineering and grew to love computing soon after, learning how to program in 1965 barely a decade after the initial development of the computer. He was 13 at the time. Then, when Roberts was in high school, an unexpected turn of events planted him firmly on the track of computer science. The space race, the United States superpower arms race with the Soviet Union during the Cold War, resulted in the Soviet Unions launch of Sputnik and the first man into space. Upon losing the technological race, the United States poured a great deal of

Courtesy Lauren Rusk

Eric Roberts, one of Stanfords first computer science professors, says that his passion for technology was influced by the Space Race and his desire to contribute to the burgeoning field of technology.
money into improving science education. Roberts reaped the benefits. Universities were given contracts to have special science training programs for high school scientists, and I went to one on computer science after my junior year, he said. That was where I really became expert in computing. It wasnt possible to major in computer science during his undergraduate years at Harvard, so Roberts turned to applied mathematics instead. (The first computer science majors at Harvard were in the 90s; the first at Stanford was in 1986). In his computer science classes, however, he had the opportunity to witness firsthand some of the earliest developments in the field. A lot of times I remember my professors would be telling me about results that today would seem like part of the foundation of the field, but at the time they had just happened, he said. It would fly around in the classroom, so it was really being there in the beginning. It was really exciting. Now, nearly 30 years later, Roberts has risen through the educational hierarchy himself. He

cites his greatest contribution to the field not as any concrete breakthrough though through the years he has developed an original form of parsing, run the first Dungeons and Dragons game, helped create Karel the Robot, a robot that teaches students how to program, and written four acclaimed textbooks but instead his contributions to the education of computer science. I think a lot about how to get people excited about [computer science], how to teach people about it, Roberts said. Ive been very interested in broadening its exposure to include more women, to include people who dont ordinarily think about it. From 1998 to 2005, for example, Roberts was the principal investigator for the Bermuda Project, a project that built the computer science curriculum for Bermudas public high schools. Through [the project], we were able to get a lot of the Bermudian public school population into the high-tech industry, he said. It was great. Its had enormous impact. Additionally, in his mission to expand computer science exposure to more women, he mentored Marissa Mayer 97 M.S. 99, one of the leading women in computer science. Formerly a Google executive, she was named Yahoos new CEO last week. In Making it Big in Software: Get the Job. Work the Org. Become Great." by Sam Lightstone , Mayer cited Roberts as a teacher who had a pivotal effect on her career. Hes been a big proponent of women in technology throughout his career, so he sort of scooped me up and really encouraged me, she said. In addition to championing computer science exposure to the underrepresented, Roberts has a teaching method some may consider unique. He has taught Stanfords Introduction to the Humanities, finding connections on how technology affects utopian visions.

Please see ROBERTS, page 6

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 5

COLLECTIVE
Continued from page 4
here, both in poetry and in friendships we bring it all to the table. Miller, along with other poets in the group, really appreciates what the collective has been able to offer her and her writing. Miller claims that another thing some of the members have in common is the way they write their poetry by shaping their pieces around a particular message. She says that they can start with a specific topic and from there, write on command. Miller, however, doesnt find that method as easy as other members do. She says her writing routines vary tremendously. The only consistent aspect of my writing routine is that its wildly inconsistent, Miller said, although she believes that poetry can turn out beautiful no matter what the method. Ultimately, though, when poetrys done right, its a little thrill, a little reminder

ALCOHOL
Continued from page 2
open when drinking so staff members can check in from time to time. This unofficial rule exists to foster a greater sense of trust between students and staff members, resulting in more honest conversations about substance usage. Its a bad idea Ive seen nothing but closed doors this summer, said one Summer Session RA in an email. Its unsafe (and exactly why schools with harsh alcohol policies have so many problems) and does nothing to foster dorm community. Despite these concerns, however, Assistant Dean of Summer Session Jess Matthews stated that the statistics relating hard liquor to incidents such as emergency-room transports negate the effectiveness of the open-door policy during the shortened Summer Session. On the one hand, we very much respect the open-door culture and see how it can enable a safe drinking environment, Matthews said. On the other hand, we know that at Stanford, as well as at our peer institutions, consumption of hard alcohol is involved in almost 100 percent of serious drinking incidents. It is unclear, however, whether Summer Session has had alcohol-related problems in the past. Administrators say they do not track alcohol transport data during summer. RAs have also expressed concern about the negative effects that the hard liquor policy appears to be having on the relationship between students and summer staff members. I think [the policy] is really detrimental to the staff-resident relationship, said one Summer Session RA who also serves on house staff during the academic year. Our residents dont want to get to know us, which sucks because Im used to my freshmen loving me. In addition to the Stanford students and staff members who are on campus this summer, this years Summer Session is home to 550 visiting students, said Matthews. She said that many of these visitors are taking eight to 12 units and are not familiar with how alcohol and discipline policies work on campus, despite living with Stanford students. She cited this intermingling of students as part of the reason for the

Stanford Daily File Photo

Members of Stanfords Spoken Word Collective, a student-run spoken word poetry group, perform at a campus event.
that youre living; its that much closer to the asymptote of the impossible. As far as the poets futures go, Miller doesnt really know what poetry has in store for them. While all the members of the group love to write and perform, not all the poets intend to stick with it after graduation. Regardless of the members ambitions after college, the collective plays a vital role in each members undergraduate experience. Vaid-Menon notes that the group has more to offer than just the chance to share poetry. The Spoken Word Collective helps keep us grounded and focused and reminds us that we do have a voice, he said. Contact Samantha Gilbert at send_sammi_emails@yahoo.com.

UNION
Continued from page 2
serve meeting spaces, and the system does not actively report student reservations to the administration. The administration only realized DMAs reservation conflicted with finals week after the programs use of the building had already been confirmed. According to Smith-Laws, when the mistake was brought to her attention, the University immediately sent out an email notifying students of the situation and attempted to remedy the loss of space by making other buildings available for students to use as an alternative. Thats the situation we were faced with, and we tried to open Tresidder for later hours, SmithLaws said. We tried to offer things like free coffee and snacks; we tried to make it right in some way. Smith-Laws further stresses that Old Unions policy to oper-

ate in the interest of students will not change in the future, especially when planning for the use of the building during the school year. She emphasizes that the building will prioritize student interest and activities. Since 2007, this has never happened. It wasnt because we changed policies, she said. According to former ASSU Senator Dan DeLong 13, the onus is on the ASSU to take measures to reform the room reservation system that controls the use of student spaces in Old Union. A lot of people thought that it was strange, that [Old Union] rooms were blocked off, especially given that it was finals week, he said. I hope that this years ASSU Executive will make it a priority to make changes to the room reservation system. Its part of my job to protect the interest of the students, and we apologize for making this mistake, Smith-Laws said. It wont happen again. Contact Anna Qin at banana.qin9 @gmail.com.

ROBERTS
Continued from page 5
He and his wife Lauren Rusk, a poet, taught a course together two years ago on writing poetry about science. [My father] did the same thing he would teach political science through novels and plays, Roberts said. We have a very interdisciplinary teaching style. Ultimately, Roberts finds himself drawn to computer science because of its inherent artistry. In fact, he cites his love for poetry as the source for his attraction to the elegance in programming. I will work on a program until its just right, until its something that I can show to students and use for a model for how they should write their own code, Roberts said. Its challenging, its creative, it has an artistic component. Its like poetry. I love it. Contact Jackie Gu at jackielgu @gmail.com.

new policy. Given the very short duration of Summer Session and the presence of hundreds of visiting students, we are not able to build the kind of nuanced and carefully crafted consensual culture that prevails during the academic year, said Matthews. So for this summer, we chose the path of caution. Many have questioned administrators decision to enforce the policy among students over the legal drinking age. The original email sent out by Matthews stated that only beer and wine are permissible under legal guidelines for 21+. The consequences of violating the summers hard alcohol ban are applicable for all students, regardless of age. Regardless if a student is over or under 21, drinking hard alcohol increases the risks inherent in alcohol consumption, including blacking out, and more severely, police citations or ER transports, Matthews said. According to Associate Dean of Student Affairs Ralph Castro, roughly 28 percent of alcohol-related emergency-room transports over the last four years are for students 21 and older. In comparison, at any given time, roughly 38 percent of the student population is over the legal drinking age. Matthews was also quick to point out that it wouldnt make sense if the policy wasnt enforced for those over the age of 21, and that failing to do so would present the idea that Stanford condones underage drinking. It is important to remember that students who consume alcohol under the age of 21 are breaking the law, as Stanford follows federal laws, said Matthews. A policy that excluded 21+ would give the message that we are accepting of underage students violating the legal drinking age. Assistant Dean Matthews confirmed that the policy has been enforced at least once this summer, but Summer Session RAs do not appear to be the ones doing the enforcing. Ive heard of house directors breaking up parties because of alcohol, but not RAs doing it, said one RA. We dealt with alcohol differently [during the school year], and thats what I signed up for. And every RA Ive talked to is uncomfortable with the new policy. Contact Ravali Reddy at ravreddy @stanford.edu

6 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

OPINIONS
I D O C HOOSE
TO

R UN
Eight-year-olds grabbed Big Gulps and slurped them provocatively at a 200-person mass protest outside City Hall. Soda company spokesmen wailed loudly about the impending demise of personal liberty. And City Councilman Oliver Koppell denounced the ban as a clear overreaching of government into peoples everyday lives. This infringement on the rights of New Yorkers, lamented Koppell, leads us to ask: what will be banned next? Oddly, it would have been a better idea for Koppell et al. to ditch the high-minded rhetoric and stick with the empirics. Because practically speaking, the plan is unlikely to work. People will buy two smaller drinks at one store, go next door and buy another or make up the calories with a Big Mac and a beer. But it is precisely on the principle that each man has the right to eat and drink as he likes the grounds on which the anti-anti-soda

O P-E D
Miles Unterreiner
people have staked their argument that the pro-gastronomic-freedom crowd is wrong. Such an argument might once have made ethical sense in a world in which each individual bore the whole cost of her poor decisions. But in a post-Affordable Care Act world of mutual dependence and interconnected costs, there can be no expected right to other peoples money without the expected responsibility to use it wisely or face the consequences. As I briefly argued in my last column, a world in which some people have the right to eat, drink and smoke themselves into oblivion at the legally mandated expense of everyone else would be neither efficient nor fair. It would be inefficient because there would be little incentive to treat oneself well if society bears the costs of not doing so, min-

On freedom and fizzy things

he New York City Board of Health will vote September 13 on whether to implement Mayor Michael Bloombergs proposed ban on sugary soda in containers larger than 16 ounces. Rather than having a pragmatic, detail-oriented, empirically-based discussion about the merits of Bloombergs proposal, however, New Yorkers have, in true American style, elevated the debate into nothing less than a blood-and-tears struggle for freedom against the oppressive forces of tyrannical statism. City Councilman Daniel Halloran invoked Martin Niemller and resurrected the threatening specter of Nazism. When they came for the cigarettes, I didnt say anything. I didnt smoke. When they came for the MSG, I really didnt care because I didnt order it very often. Im not a big salt eater, so I didnt mind when you guys regulated salt. But what will the government be telling me next?

They will not be forgotten

Please see SODA, page 8

B ETWEEN E AST

AND

W EST

Fatima Wagdy
can see that their teeth have more than rotted away. It saddens me even more to know that many people who are much better off than those selling tissues or begging on the street still live in substandard conditions. When the elevator in my apartment building is broken, I am forced to hop over a flat, dirty mattress that blocks the path to the last flight of stairs. Apparently this is where the bawab, the doorman, sleeps, right outside the apartment on the second floor. Over 20 percent of the people in this country are below the poverty line, and over 30 percent are illiterate. And I know that many of the people who are officially above the poverty line struggle to survive on

Confronting the poverty gap in Cairo, Egypt

s I walk the streets of Cairo this summer, barefoot children begging me for a few Egyptian pounds confront me. Their mothers shower me with religious pleas; they tell me that God will bless me, that I will be rewarded, that its Ramadan. Its not as though I havent ever been asked to spare some change on University Avenue or in San Francisco; weve all seen this. But these appeals are different. The sheer number of poor people in the street is saddening. For every poor person who asks me for money, I see several more just lounging about on the ground.

The gap between the rich and the poor is so blatantly obvious here, as is the severity of the poverty. Day after day, I witness the scale of the inequalities as I encounter people trying to sell me a pack of gum or a packet of tissues for just a pound (literally less than 20 cents). They are desperate to make a small profit on the stash of cheap little tissue packets they managed to buy. They arent even trying to rip me off; they just want to sell something in the hopes that they will get enough money to buy some food. I guess these are people who will not succumb to begging, but I can sense they are extremely eager to know what they can sell me to make me part with just a few of the pounds tucked tightly in my purse. I can see the dirt on their faces, their clothes and their feet. Many times, I

Please see EGYPT, page 8

fter years of going to midnight premieres for the biggest movies of the summer, there was no other place my brother and I would be for the last premiere of the Batman trilogy. The theater in Denver was packed with people I knew, and everyone was excited. This included many people who were way too old to be dressing up but did so anyway. While the audience in my theater watched with bated breath to see if Gotham would be saved, hell was breaking loose in our own city, just 20 minutes away. A crazed gunman, who does not deserve to be named on the same page as his victims, entered the Aurora Century 16 multiplex and began a rampage. As the movie continued to play, 12 innocent victims were killed and 59 others were wounded. These people were neither in a bad neighborhood nor in a city that is a target for terrorist attacks. The shooting, one of worst mass murders in American history, rocked all of America because it truly could have happened anywhere. This is not the first senseless tragedy that Colorado has experienced. In 1999, two students at Columbine High School in Jefferson County forever changed our world by bringing guns to school and killing 13 people. Their act has come to define our generation. We were the first generation whose parents had to fear sending us to school, the first generation that practiced lockdown drills for gun attacks, the first generation to know that this would never stop being a reality. The July 20 movie shooting is similar. Security will increase at movie theaters, and many other

precautions will be taken. The magical experience of escaping our world for a few hours will forever be accompanied by at least a little fear every time someone comes back from the bathroom. My city feels like an incredibly big place, but this tragedy helped remind me how connected we all are. Gordon Cowden, a loving father, and Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring sports journalist and great friend, were two fellow Coloradans killed that night who had profound impacts on my friends and family. Inspiring stories have come out in the past week that shed light on the wonderful lives all 12 victims lived. I see broken hearts all over the city; it is difficult to imagine that it will ever be the same. In an opinion article printed in the Denver Post, a Colorado state senator tried to answer the questions the entire country is facing: what can we do and how can we fight back? The answer is we love back, Michael Johnston wrote. We live back. We deepen our commitments to all the unnumbered acts of kindness that make America an unrendable fabric. We respond by showing that we will play harder, and longer. We will serve more meals, play more games, eat more food, listen to more jazz, go to more movies, give more hugs, and say more thank yous and I love yous than ever before. While words can bring some comfort to those close to the victims, we have a duty to those affected to act. The shooter legally purchased four guns in the last 60 days, including an AR-15 assault weapon. Additionally, he was

Please see OP-ED, page 8

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 7

EGYPT

Continued from page 7


their measly paychecks. Even those with a university education struggle to find jobs as the unemployment rate soars. Whats worse is that there are countries much poorer than Egypt. This poverty plagues me with guilt and a million questions as I continue in my very comfortable lifestyle. Will randomly handing some people a few pounds here and there help at all? What do I do when Ive already got two packs of gum and several tissue packs in my purse? What about when Ive bought all the fruits I need from the fruit seller on the street corner? What do I do? What should I do? Why isnt whats currently being done by these experts out there working? Was it always like this? I see this poverty here and feel like something is broken. I know that things shouldnt be this way and wonder if I am part of the problem. It is uncomfortable to be confronted by my relative privilege every single day. It is unnerving to feel like Im a jerk if I dont give more money to the poor people on the street. But perhaps thats what we all need a bit more discomfort in our daily lives. Perhaps we

all need to feel as though having people below the poverty line at all is intolerable to the point where we absolutely cannot ignore it. Maybe then it would become a bigger priority. But what if the public policy shirts are right? What if caring a lot is not enough to start to alleviate poverty? Many people at Stanford, whether its professors or students, do care a lot. And some devote their work and their lives to addressing these problems in a variety of ways. In the Bay Area, there are a myriad of foundations that invest millions of dollars to attack these problems. Yet these problems remain; I still see deep inequalities every single day. I wonder what is necessary to eliminate a large chunk of the poverty in the world. I wonder what must happen for it to disappear. What should we be doing, individually and collectively, as people in one of the wealthiest countries on earth? As I ponder the complexity of global poverty, I remember that it is not a new problem; we know from history that it is an age-old problem encountered by every generation. I wonder why we havent figured it out by now, and part of me feels the answers are simpler than we think. If you have some answers, email Fatima at fwagdy@stanford.edu.

OP-ED

Continued from page 7


able to obtain 6,000 rounds of ammunition, a drum magazine that could fire 50 to 60 rounds per minute and military-grade armor online without anyone questioning it. It is unbelievable that one can purchase these items online without any background checks; it is even more unbelievable that this quantity of purchase happened so frequently and that it went unquestioned. Gun lobbies, including the National Rifle Association (NRA), proclaim that the Second Amendment allows for citizens to have weapons to shoot 71 people in two minutes. In 2008, the NRA spent $10 million to make sure that there is the least bit of regulation possible on all gun sales. The NRA is right in saying that the Constitution allows citizens to bear arms, but there is a big difference between guns that are used for hunting and protection and militarygrade weapons with extended magazines that are only used for mass murder. In the wake of this shooting, it is up to Americans to demand a change to the status quo. This

starts with reauthorizing the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban and continues with outlawing online purchases of ammunition and body armor without proper background checks. These restrictions may not have prevented the movie massacre in Aurora, but they are still the right changes to implement. Gun lobbyists in the next election may target politicians who support these modest regulations, but I hope that supporting policies that would save lives is more important to them than winning an election. Colorado and the entire United States of America mourn for the families and friends of 12 wonderful people who were killed for going to a movie: Jonathan Blunk, 26; A.J. Boik, 18; Jesse Childress, 29; Gordon Cowden, 51; Jessica Ghawi, 24; John Larimer, 27; Matt McQuinn, 27; Micayla Medek, 23; Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6; Alex Sullivan, 27; Alex Teves, 24; and Rebecca Wingo, 32. For those looking to contribute, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, in partnership with the Community First Foundation, established the Aurora Victim Relief Fund, which is now taking donations at www.givingfirst.org.
ETHAN KESSINGER 15

MILANI
Continued from page 2
When asked by an audience member about the possibility of a rebellion by the growing youth three-fifths of the Iranian population is under 30 Milani explained the difficulty of organizing and mobilizing in Iran. He emphasized that they do not want a charismatic leader to head a rebellion. Heroes always fail them, Milani said. Hesitant to respond to questions about the United States impact on human rights in Iran, Milani was confident in saying that there is no military solution. He criticized the United States, specifically the electronics company Siemens, for providing the Iranian government with technology that has enabled censorship. He also pointed out the United States made a mistake giving Iran missiles during the Reagan administration in return for hostages. The United States cant bring democracy to Iran, Milani said. Iranian people, and only Iranian people, can. Contact Rachel Beyda at rachelbeyda@comcast.net

SODA

Continued from page 7


imizing the chance that individuals will make healthy lifestyle choices. And it would be unfair because no one should have to pay for his neighbors irresponsibility one reason our society is so rightly fed up with bank bailouts and golden parachutes for the creators of toxic derivatives. Rights especially so-called positive rights, or rights to something of value provided by the government generally entail responsibilities, regulations or conditions on the use of the item of value. One can drive as he likes on his own private raceway; on the public roads, he is subject to stoplights and speed limits. When one

makes money, he may spend it as he likes; when he receives food stamps, he must spend it on food. One may use his own money to purchase plastic surgery, but Medicare covers only medically necessary procedures and drugs. In short, we can have personal freedom or we can have government generosity, but we ought not to have both. Eat and drink as you like, but dont expect everyone else to pay for the consequences. Or vote as we have to care for the public with taxpayer money and accept the practical restrictions on personal behavior that are likely to follow. We cannot expect a fiscally sustainable, fair and just society to do otherwise in New York or anywhere else. Share your thoughts on soda at milesu1@stanford.edu.

AIDS

Continued from page 2


we have today. In fact, the molecule that activates the ever-important latent virus has been a natural remedy for a long time. Healers in Western Samoa used the bark of the mamala tree to make tea to cure hepatitis. It turns out that the bark is rich in a molecule called prostratin, which can induce the expression of the normally dormant HIV virus. Antiretroviral drugs can then be used to treat the patient. Wenders research led to a synthesis of bryologs, synthetic compounds with a similar structure to prostratin molecules, which can activate the dormant HIV virus

much more cheaply and effectively. He is enthusiastic about the potential application of his new compound to the HIV virus. [Prostratin] is the lead clinical candidate for targeting the latent virus, he said. We report [new synthetic] compounds that are 1,000-fold better [at activating latent HIV] than prostratin. That is not to say that a permanent cure for AIDS can be expected in the near future. Much more work remains before Wenders research can be applied to AIDS patients. The next stage for bryolog research will include in vivo studies (which occur in living organisms) and preclinical testing. That will pose a new set of challenges for researchers. Whats coming down the road is a challenge to develop in vivo methods to test the drugs . . . in a model that isnt in people since it

could be harmful, Zack said. You cant infect mice with HIV, but if you humanize them, you can infect the human cells with HIV, and you can test the drugs on that. Both scientists emphasized that their bryolog research still has a long way to go before it can be considered a practical solution to AIDS. But it has given some hope for the permanent eradication of HIV. Since the story broke, Ive been flooded with emails, and theyre pretty remarkable, Wender said. These people are . . . sharing with me that our article, our research, brought them a ray of hope . . . this is what keeps me up late at night and gets me up every morning. Contact Kylie Jue at 13kjue@ castilleja.org.

8 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

SPORTS
A
DAILY INTERN

MAD DOG IN THE HOUSE


Former Stanford power forward Mark Madsen makes his return to the Farm as assistant coach
Stanford, I get to learn under [head] coach Johnny Dawkins, and I get to be around these great players. Okay. Check the box. Im in. Returning to coach college basketball may have ultimately been a no-brainer for Madsen, but he hasnt felt so resolute since his days as a student-athlete. As a graduating senior with a degree in economics from Stanford in 2000, the two-time All-American had been set on returning to coach college basketball after a professional career. They Call Me Coach [by John Wooden], Madsen said. I read it in college, and I read it in high school too. I loved the book. In the back of my mind, I thought I wanted to be a basketball coach in college. However, ambivalence has characterized the better half of the past two years. Since retiring from professional basketball in 2009 a nine-year career which included two championships with the three-peat Lakers Madsen had seriously considered coaching at the junior college and even high-school levels, which were more obscure and required less traveling. In the end, it was not his existing ties to Stanford but rather his newly formed ones that proved to be the determining factor. Over the past two years, basically, the relationship between coach Dawkins and me has flowered, Madsen said. My relationship with the program has continued to grow and build.

BY DAVID ENG

man walks into a restaurant. The restaurant is just another landmark enduring the frigid Minnesota winter. The man, a car-drive away from his Minneapolis home, has recently decided to return to his undergraduate alma mater for business school. Hes rather plainly clothed, apart from a cardinalred cap emblazoned with a varsity letter S. Another man steps into the restaurant. This one, Mike Schrage, is a five-hour plane fight from the prestigious Bay Area institution where he works. Hes in the town on recruiting business Schrage is an assistant coach for the Stanford mens basketball team. It was then only by coincidence that Schrage crossed paths with the man in the cap. He had already seen the teenage talent he traveled thousands of miles to scout. But he couldnt help but also recruit the man in the cap Mark Madsen. Nearly two and a half years after the chance encounter, the former Cardinal power forward Madsen, now 36, plans to work alongside Schrage on Stanfords coaching staff. I had other options, said Madsen, referring to a potential career in business after having earned his MBA from Stanford this past June. But, really, it was a no-brainer. I get to coach at

THEO ALKOUSAKIS/The Stanford Daily

Former Stanford power foward Mark Mad Dog Madsen (right) had a double-double in the Cardinals loss to Gonzaga on March 13 in the second round of the 1999 NCAA mens basketball tournament. Madsen, well-known for his competitive energy and aggressive style, later played at the NBA level for nine seasons.
Last summer, Dawkins invited Madsen to join the team on an 11day exhibition circuit to Spain, only the Cardinals second tour in the past decade. I think it was on that trip that I really just felt the passion for the game, how much I love Stanford and how much I love basketball, Madsen said. Nearly two months into his new role, Madsen anticipates his responsibilities to be threefold: to push the guys, to share basketball insights and to foster a dually fun and professional atmosphere. Although the man known as Mad Dog is remembered as a player for his competitive energy and aggressive play, he believes he will not need to impart this mentality to any of his players. According to him, they already have it. We have a lot of guys who are already extremely aggressive, who are already extremely intense when the game starts, he said. In terms of raw talent and raw ability, I would take our guys any day. Talent-wise, I would take our guys. Heart-wise, I would take our guys. For their ability to compete, Im taking Stanford guys every day. Under Dawkins, whom Madsen considers his coaching mentor, the assistant coach hopes to emphasize defense, rebounding and communication. These three

Please see MADSEN, page 12

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 9

PLUMERS RUN
Assistant coach PattiSue Plumer reflects on both her Stanford and Olympic experiences
DAILY INTERN

George Chen

BARKLEY ISNT LUCK


he last days of July are finally here, which means that there are three important things to do: turn on the fan in your room to full blast, watch Breaking Bad, and get caught up with the preseason media hype surrounding college football. At the center of all the hype stands USC senior quarterback Matt Barkley, the new golden boy of college football. As much as I enjoy bashing anything USC-related, its hard to deny that Barkley is a special quarterback. Barkley is carrying all the momentum in the world into this upcoming season. His monster 2011-2012 campaign concluded with 3,528 passing yards and a 69.1 percent completion rate. Just as impressive was his 39:7 touchdown-tointerception ratio. Not only that, but Barkley looked more deadly and surgical with each game as the season progressed. Its no wonder then that Barkley is the both the Heisman favorite and projected first overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft. Yes, having one of the nations best wide receiving corps that includes Robert Woods and Marqise Lee certainly helps. The thought of USC having both the nations best quarterback and the best wide receiver is itself enough to make me sick. That being said, Im still not buying the claim that Barkley wouldnt be an elite college quarterback without his talented targets. Barkleys fundamentals are very polished to say the least. He reads through his progressions like nobodys business, has a solid pocket presence coupled with excellent footwork and is especially dangerous throwing off of play-action. Quarterback coach Steve Clarkson, who mentored the likes of Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Leinart, dubbed Barkley a cross between Joe Montana and Tom Brady. Okay, maybe I wouldnt go that far with the praises, but at the end of the day, the message is the same: Barkley is the real deal. By now youre probably wondering if youre actually reading the Daily

BY KAREN FENG

attiSue Plumer 85 J.D. 89 isnt just the associate cross country coach and assistant track and field coach; shes one of the most accomplished long-distance runners in Stanford history. A Stanford Hall of Fame member, nine-time All-American, two-time NCAA track and field champion, former recordholder in the 5,000 meters and two-time Olympian, Plumer holds a wide range of experiences from collegiate meets to elite international competitions. Her experience is more relevant than ever this year as 37 Stanford-affiliated athletes including five current studentathletes representing eight countries head to London to participate in the Games of the XXX Olympiad. Much like other Olympiclevel athletes, Plumer is no stranger to hardship. Throughout her professional career, she experienced injuries and setbacks, such as a broken leg after being hit by a taxi, several bouts with pneumonia, food poisoning at the Seoul Olympics, pregnancy and a dog bite at the 1991 World Championships. Yet she believes that her challenges began far before she went pro and that her experience at Stanford was key to her success. Having to manage being a student and an athlete was a challenge for sure. Especially as a Stanford student on the quarter system, all of the track and field NCAAs were always around finals, Plumer said. It just wears on you as a college student; there are the challenges of sleeping and eating right. When youre a pro ath-

ADAM GROSSMAN/The Stanford Daily

Former Stanford track star and current assistant coach PattiSue Plumer was an NCAA champion in the 5,000 meters and a twotime Olympian. She is currently in the Stanford Hall of Fame.
lete, you have to deal with jetlag and living in hotels . . . but being a Stanford student prepares you for that pretty well, because they give you a skill set that you can carry on to your life as a professional athlete. Despite the prestige of competing in the Olympics, Plumer believes that her stressful experiences competing regularly at the collegiate level as a Stanford student-athlete helped her succeed on the elite circuit. My dream when I was six years old was to make the Olympic team, Plumer said. But if I had to choose, I couldnt not have taken up the Stanford team and winning two NCAA titles. I competed regularly throughout all four years, so I obviously thought it was pretty demanding, regardless of the fact that it wasnt as demanding as the Olympics. As an 18- to 19-year-old, it was pretty much all I could handle. It prepared me well for my post-collegiate athletic experience.

Although the challenges of being a college athlete were somewhat different from those of a professional athlete, Plumer learned to use the fundamental skill sets she had built up as a Stanford student. When youre a professional athlete, you travel all over the world and the competition is much greater and the challenges as an athlete are greater, she said. There are some real changes. For example, as a distance runner at Stanford, theres so many big meets and you really dont have an extended period of training, Plumer added. So its really difficult as an athlete at Stanford to balance that, but you dont have to think about what you have to run. When you go pro, you really have to think about what races you have to run and make good choices. But I think youre prepared to compete and Stanford prepares you well to compete at this [professional] level. Although Plumer will not be in London this summer in order to prepare for the upcoming cross country season, she will be watching the Games to keep her eye on two current studentathletes. Im definitely looking forward to the athletes that are currently on our team like Amaechi Morton, who I think has a great chance of making the finals. Hes a great competitor and a lot of fun to watch, Plumer said. Also Katerina Stefanidi, whos competing for Greece, I think has a great chance of making the finals in the pole vault. Im a little jealous of them, but its just so exciting. Because they love track in Europe, having it there is going to be such a great, great experience. Contact Karen Feng at karenfeng.us@gmail.com.

Please see CHEN, page 13 THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

10 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

Joseph Beyda

n light of the recent child sexual abuse scandal at Penn State, there are two reactions that come to my mind: I have no reason to believe that anything like the abuse committed by Jerry Sandusky is currently taking place within Stanfords athletic program, and I also have no reason to believe the Farm is completely immune from such atrocities. Earlier this week, the sports world was sent reeling by the NCAAs sanctions on Penn State. Its hard to imagine being an alumnus of a school that wont be allowed to go to a bowl game or even field a full team for four years, and with the Nittany Lions unable to appear on TV either, that team is going to be practically impossible to follow. But its even harder to imagine that those sanctions would be prompted by atrocities at State College, Penn., home to a school that was, as recently as a year ago, believed to have one of the last clean athletic programs in the country. Last June, the Wall Street Journal reported that only four major-conference schools Penn State, Boston College, Northwestern and, yes, Stanford had never received sanctions from the NCAA for a major rules violation. Now, after at least 15 years of abuse by Sandusky, that distinction is a lot harder to take pride in. What we do know for sure is that this scandal is going to change the way we look at college sports, on the Farm and elsewhere. Take this example: just over two months ago, I wrote that Stanford needed a football coach or athletic director who would stick around for the long haul and become the face of the Cardinal athletic program. How does that thought seem now, after the NCAA concluded that an overwhelming hero-worship of longtime head coach Joe Paterno was at the heart of the Penn State scandal? It would be fair to say that Andrew Luck inspired some heroworship at Stanford, but not of the

LEARNING FROM PSU

VYING FOR GOLD


STANFORD ATHLETES READY FOR LONDON
of the World Rowing Cup in 2012. She will compete in the eights again at London 2012, hoping to relive the success of four years ago. The womens eights competition starts on July 29. Markus Rogan 04 currently holds the world record in the 200-meter backstroke for the short course format (1:47.84) and won silver for Austria in both the 100 and 200 backstroke at Athens in 2004. He was originally set to retire in 2008 when he won gold at the World Championships in Manchester in the 200 backstroke, but changed his plans to pursue his medal hopes in the mens 200 individual medley and 4x200 freestyle relay. Rogan will also have the honor of being Austrias flag bearer in London. The preliminary heats of the mens 200 individual medley start on Aug. 1, and the 4x200 freestyle relay is slated to begin on July 31. Four former Cardinal players will play in the Olympic Games: goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart 04, defender Rachel Buehler 07, forward Kelley OHara 10 and defender/midfielder Ali Riley 10. Barnhart, Buehler and OHara are all on the No.1-ranked U.S. national team and will be favorites to win gold, as Team USA has won the last two Olympic titles and three out of the four ever played. Barnhart may have to sit on the sidelines for the majority of the time like she did in Beijing 2008, as fellow goalkeeper Hope Solo is the teams regular starter at that position. Riley, meanwhile, will be playing for New Zealand, which, ranked No. 23 in the world, will be considered an outsider. The action began yesterday, with New Zealand falling to Great Britain 1-0 in the opening game and the U.S. dismantling France 4-2. Both teams will next play on July 28, when New Zealand will face Brazil and the U.S. will face Colombia. The U.S. national team is ranked No. 1 and sealed a hat trick of titles in the annual World Grand Prix at the beginning of this month. Middle blocker Foluke Akinradewo 09 and outsider hitter Logan Tom 03 should have a great chance of going one better than at Beijing 2008, where the U.S. won silver. The womens volleyball tournament starts July 28, when the U.S. will play against the Republic of Korea. Kerri Walsh 00 is perhaps one of Stanfords most famous By TOM TAYLOR
SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Thirty-seven Stanford students and alumni will be competing in the next couple of weeks in the London 2012 Olympic Games, leading to hopes of yet another large medal haul for the Cardinal. Here we present some of the potential highlights for Stanford fans, focusing on the teams and athletes most likely to be able to bring home gold based on past success: Elle Logan 10 won gold in the eights for Team USA at Beijing 2008 and finished second in the pairs in the first two rounds

Mens swimming:

Womens volleyball:

current Olympians, having won the gold for Team USA at both Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004 with her teammate Misty MayTreanor. Currently ranked No. 3 in the world behind the leading Brazilian and Chinese teams, Walshs quest for a third straight gold medal is far from guaranteed. But given their achievements so far, Walsh and MayTreanor will be tough for any duo to beat. The beach volleyball tournament beings on July 28.

Womens rowing:

Womens beach volleyball:

In the mens competition, attackers Tony Azevedo 05 and Peter Varellas 06 and defenders Layne Beaubien 99 and Peter Hudnut 03 walked away with silver for the U.S. in 2008. On the womens side, the result was the same for attacker Brenda Villa 03, defender Jessica Steffens 10 and the rest of the U.S. team. Villa will be looking to

Mens and womens water polo:

Please see OLYMPIC, page 12

Womens soccer:

MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily

Twins Bob and Mike Bryan will be competing in the mens doubles draw in London. The Bryan brothers were the world No. 1 duo for nearly six years.

IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily

Stanford junior defender Melissa Seidemann, a three-time 50-goal scorer, redshirted last season to prepare for the Olympics. The U.S. womens water polo team will begin its play July 30 against Hungary.

Please see BEYDA, page 13 THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 11

Tom Taylor

LONDON AT LAST
lying into the U.K. last week, the capital lay mostly hidden beneath a bank of cloud and mist. Occasional breaks in the gray hinted at green fields and brick houses, but nothing really out of the ordinary. No sign that just a week later, it would be host to one of the worlds biggest sports events: the Summer Olympics. Well, maybe just one sign. As the plane started its final approach I glimpsed a clever piece of gardening through the swirling clouds: five large interlocking rings the iconic logo of the Games cut into a grassy field, as if the country had been branded from above. Once we touched down, more and more clues appeared that something was happening. Throughout the terminal there were signs and volunteers directing members of the Olympic community, and beyond the airport British flags and team jerseys began to sprout up everywhere. Having been in the U.S. for the last year I had missed the buildup to the Olympics. Most of all, I had missed the long journey of the Olympic flame through the U.K., seeing it only through photos posted on Facebook, but upon hitting home soil I began my own little torch relay. I passed from friend to friend, first visiting Birmingham where I spotted a handful members of Team USA wandering down a nondescript street and then moving on to Oxford and Reading. Then finally, a few days ago, I made it to London proper. When I wrote this I could actually see ground zero, the Olympic stadium, poking up above the skyline on the north bank of the River Thames from the window of a friends apartment in Greenwich; lights from a dry run of the Opening Ceremony flickered in the darkness. I had also just made my first visit to one of the Olympic venues, the Horse Guards Parade. For the next couple of weeks I will be based there, working as a

MADSEN
Continued from page 9
skills propelled Madsen himself to college career averages of 12.4 points per game and 8.8 rebounds per game, not to mention his memorable slam dunk to clinch a Final Four berth for the Cardinal in 1998. However, most of all, Madsen intends to instill lessons of respect in his players applicable to situations both on and off the court. His favorite story to tell begins with an equipment manager in the Minnesota Timberwolves organization, Clayton Wilson. Any Joe Schmoe walking out in the street might think, Oh . . . equipment manager, that job is pretty clearly defined, Madsen said. But guys would jokingly refer to Clayton as the assistant general manager. Thats how

much influence he had in the organization, with the players and in the community. And, in retrospect, this perspective is something from which Madsen believes he would have benefitted as a young buck vying for a roster spot in professional basketball and something he hopes to impart to not only star players destined for the NBA but also his less talented players. As you move forward in your professional careers, realize wherever you go to visit, be courteous, be cordial and get to know not just the head coach and the general manager, Madsen said. Get to know every member of that organization, knowing that every person in that organization is vital. Madsen now figures to be one of those vital pieces in the Stanford mens basketball program. Contact David Eng at david_eng @pacbell.net.

OLYMPIC
Continued from page 11
add another medal to her collection, which already consists of a silver from Athens and a bronze from Sydney in 2000. This year the women are joined by junior center Annika Dries, junior defender Melissa Seidemann and freshmanto-be Maggie Steffens. Both teams will be hoping to go one better in London, but it may be a tough task even to repeat the silver medals of four years ago against higher-ranked competition. The mens water polo tournament begins on July 29, when the U.S. will face Montenegro, and the womens starts on July 30, with the U.S. opening its tournament campaign against Hungary. Contact Tom Taylor at tom.taylor@stanford.edu.

JOSH HANER/The Stanford Daily

Mark Madsen, pictured during a double-double performance in Stanfords 77-73 win over conference rival No. 9 UCLA on Feb. 11, 1990, returns to the Farm as a mens assistant coach.

SPORTS BRIEFS
Burdette wins her first major professional tournament
Rising senior Mallory Burdette won the singles draw of the Womens Hospital 2012 Tennis Classic in Evansville, Ind. this past Sunday. Burdette defeated No. 1 YingYing Duan of China 6-1, 6-2 to claim the first major professional tournament victory of her career. She easily moved past the qualifying rounds before winning five more main draw matches to take the $10,000 Pro Circuit event. Her win comes on the heels of an impressive outing at the second round of the Bank of the West Classic tournament, where she jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first set before losing against world No. 10 Marion Bartoli. Los Angeles on Tuesday. The media opened up the press conference by asking Shaw to give an update on senior inside linebacker Shayne Skovs rehabilitation. Hes not ready to play a football game yet, but hes physically ready to do everything in the weight room and everything we will ask him to do, Shaw said. He wont play the first game, but come that game against Duke, we believe he will be there. The one question directed to Taylor was concerned with the possibility of feeling increased pressure for the upcoming season. I dont feel the pressure. I feel we have to just go out there and play our best game, every game, Taylor responded. Thomas was asked how he felt about Stanfords defensive front seven. I think the front seven are as good as anybody in the nation, said Thomas. We have all the linebackers returning and Shayne Skov. . . . It helps out with the same defense installed over the last three years, so it lets us play faster, more aggressively, and overall it makes us a better defense. The annual conference media poll picked the Cardinal to finish second in the Pac-12 North Division, the same place that Stanford finished in last season. Oregon was the predicted champion of the North Division and collected 732 points to edge out Stanfords 533. The conference media poll, however, has often been inaccurate in projecting Stanfords performance. Despite being picked to finish eighth in the 1999-2000 season, the Cardinal wound up playing in the Rose Bowl. In the Pac-12 South Division, USC came in first in the poll standings. The Trojans were also picked to win the Pac-12 Championship, earning 102 of the 123 total votes. Patrick Dunkley officially announced last Friday. Walker served as the head coach of the UC-Davis golf team for the last four years, leading the Aggies to two Big West Conference titles, as well as two NCAA tournament appearances. For her efforts, she was named the Big West Coach of the Year three times. She played a major role in helping the Aggies successfully transition from D-II to D-I, leading them to a No. 14 ranking at one point last season. A former standout player herself at Cal, Walker has had plenty of experience translating talent into success. She is responsible for coaching three Big West Players of the Year, as well as two players who competed in the 2009 U.S. Open. During this past 2011-2012 season, the Cardinal notched a seventh-place finish at the Pac-12 Championships, tied for fifth at the NCAA West Regionals and finished 24th at the NCAA Championships.
George Chen

Coach Shaw, Stanford players speak at Pac-12 football media day


Coach David Shaw, senior running back Stepfan Taylor and senior outside linebacker Chase Thomas represented Stanford at the Pac-12 football media day in

Anne Walker named head coach of womens golf


Anne Walker has been hired as the Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Womens Golf, Stanford Interim Athletic Director

Please see TAYLOR, page 13

12 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

CHEN

Continued from page 10


Trojan instead of The Stanford Daily, but rest assured, Im not letting Barkley off the hook that easily. The fact of the matter is despite his undoubted talents, Barkley still has a lot left to prove. Andrew Luck was at the center of the medias attention last season, regardless of whether he wanted it. Few college athletes in the country were as heavily scrutinized as he was. During the preseason, he was in a similar position that Barkley is in right now. Fresh off his announcement to forgo millions of dollars to finish school, Luck was the medias college football darling. But as the season went on, the pressure cranked up. What was considered extraordinary soon became expected. People started to criticize his bland stats sheets while completely ignoring more important aspects of his play, like his off-the-charts football IQ or underappreciated ability to throw accurately on the run. Barkley remained well protected under Lucks shadow. As the top quarterback going into the 2012-2013 season, however, Barkley can no longer avoid the attention. Hell be forced to face what Luck had to go through, and while Luck managed to block out the pressure well, theres no guarantee that Barkley will be able to do the same. And lets not forget that for the past two seasons, USC was bowlineligible. Im not saying that there wasnt anything on the line for Barkley last year, but having a BCS bowl bid at stake adds a considerable amount of pressure. While Luck was putting on a clinic at the Fiesta Bowl last year, Barkley was sitting at home, more than a month removed from his last game. Sure, in that last game, the Trojans torched UCLA 50-0. Barkley couldve shredded the Bruins secondary if he was blindfolded, but it was rather anticlimactic, with no postseason implications on the line. This time around, Barkley will have to bear the weight of USCs national title hopes on his shoulders. If he manages to fulfill presea-

son expectations and carry the Trojans into the national championship, Barkley will in all likelihood end up facing the iron-curtain defense of some SEC team a formidable task that even Luck didnt have to deal with. But USCs tough schedule wont pave an easy road for him by any means. His first real test will, fittingly enough, come against the Cardinal in a critical week three matchup. Make no mistake: USC will certainly be favored to win that game. Whether its Brett Nottingham or Josh Nunes starting for us, neither one will be expected to go pass for pass against Barkley. But I doubt that the fearsome linebacker duo of Shayne Skov and Chase Thomas wont have anything to say before the game is over. That leaves with us with the final inevitable comparison between this upcoming seasons Barkley and last seasons Luck. Theyre certainly similar. Both quarterbacks are dangerously efficient and rarely make costly mistakes. Barkley had flashes of brilliance last season, including his four-touchdown performance against Oregon, that were comparable to Lucks level of play. The one knock against Barkley is his arm strength, which interestingly enough was the same criticism that Phil Simms directed at Luck last year before Luck completely put that comment to shame by throwing a 70-yard bomb at Stanfords pro day.

But last seasons Luck is still on a completely different level. Luck had absolute control of the offense on every down even if he wasnt passing by calling his own plays and audibles at the line. And Luck took all of the pressure in stride. Even when USC fans were prematurely celebrating his late fourthquarter interception in the epic triple-overtime game last year, he coolly and methodically led his offense on the next drive to tie up the score. Thats what made Luck a truly once-in-a-generation quarterback. Im not saying that Barkley cant reach that level, but itll be a challenging task even with his talents. And if Lane Kiffin doesnt start trusting him more with the playbook, I dont know if it will happen. Is Matt Barkley the best quarterback in college football going into this season? Yes. Will he put up numbers similar to, if not better, than his stats last year? I dont see why not. But can he play at an unprecedented level in the face of constant pressure and scrutiny the level that defined Lucks quarterbacking abilities? Im not quite sold on that one just yet. George Chen thinks that saying Matt Barkley is almost as good as Andrew Luck is the same as saying the Daily Trojan is almost as good as The Stanford Daily. Let him know what you think at gchen15@stanford.edu.

TAYLOR
Continued from page 12
volunteer at the beach volleyball tournament. I was lucky enough to get an early behind-the-scenes peek at the stadium that sits just outside the gates of Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, Im not really allowed to go into the details of the site yet, but having the beach volleyball court and start and finish line of the marathon sandwiched between some of the most famous and historic locations in London makes for a pretty impressive venue. Another reason for tuning in, if Kerri Walsh 00 potentially winning her third straight gold medal wasnt enough justification. Elsewhere in the capital, whether they want to be or not, Londoners are face-to-face with the Games wherever they go, from the stadiums themselves to the exhaustive TV and newspaper coverage to both signs and advertisements filling up the available visual space. Some of my friends have escaped the madness, having run away up north or even across the English Channel to France. I can understand why. With the mountain of tourists, it seems hard to believe that the city wont be brought to a standstill; on my way back from Horse Guards Parade, just the norStanford does have a campuswide Institutional Compliance Program, and there are five Department of Athletics employees devoted to compliance; according to their respective online staff directories, the average size of athletic compliance offices at other Pac-12 schools is just slightly larger, at 5.5. Yet with 35 Cardinal varsity teams, there are seven Stanford squads for each compliance employee, which is the largest such figure in the conference and twice the average. Still, keep in mind that Stanford is the sole Pac-12 program without a major NCAA violation and one of only four schools in the conference that has been clean since 2000. USC, whose 11-employee compliance office is the largest in the Pac12, has been through its fair share of

mal commuting rush packed the train to bursting point. My friends are clearly wrong, though. Well only have this madness once. It seems next to impossible that anywhere else in the U.K. will host another Olympic Games in my lifetime. Being crammed into a hot and stuffy Tube train and suffering with long travel delays wont be fun, but in a few years time, when my grandkids ask where we were for the Games, Im not so sure the story of how we ran away to find some peace and solace will really enthrall them. The next two and a bit weeks I cant quite believe the window between the Opening and Closing Ceremonies is just 17 days will flash past in a blur of athletic activity, and pretty soon, after the Paralympic Games, London and the U.K. will return to normal. In fact, the biggest local soccer league, the English Premiership, kicks off in just over three weeks, so the Games are under pressure to finish on time. It is going to be a little crazy to squeeze everything in, and amid the summer heat and the bustle of tourists it will surely be a little cramped and uncomfortable. But you dont often get a chance to be part of history. Bring it on. Tom Taylor loves his homeland so much that he might not be coming back. Make sure he does return at tom.taylor@stanford.edu. trouble with the NCAA in recent years, so larger compliance staffs can also be an indicator of past misdeeds bigger isnt always better. But given that Stanfords compliance group larger than Penn States minimal staff, the Cardinals clean record seems to hint at the staffs effectiveness at educating coaches and players and casts doubt on any suggestion of major administrative negligence. Though we should always be wary, the protections seem to be in place here to prevent a cover-up of Penn States proportions. Joseph Beyda has tremendous faith in the Stanford community and hopes that no such evil will ever happen at Stanford. Share your hope with him at jbeyda@stanford.edu.

BEYDA

Continued from page 11


same variety. Since athletes stick around for only a few years, they dont inspire the same intimidation as generation-spanning figures like Paterno. Another way to gauge an athletic programs ability to prevent illegal actions is through its compliance office. In condemning Penn States administration, the Freeh Report also noted that the athletic departments compliance office was significantly understaffed, and the Nittany Lions website lists just one dedicated compliance employee on its athletic department directory.

Athletic compliance offices generally focus on maintaining NCAA and conference regulations, but the Freeh Report implies that departmental offices still must oversee institutional compliance with laws, especially in the absence of a centralized university entity to that end. Similarly, even though the abuse at Penn State is a much more severe form of evil than any NCAA violation that has occurred to date, the cover-up that took place within that university demonstrated a dangerous dedication to winning, not all that different than the fallout of major recruiting infractions in the past. Accordingly, the strength of a compliance office can tell us a lot about the likelihood of criminal actions within an athletic department. So how strong is ours?

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 13

INTERMISSION
TELEVISION

MUSIC
the vital stats

hose whove never watched Suits, the hourlong legal drama on USA Network, can expect a fast pace and snappy office banter. Main character Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht) is a successful attorney known for operating in the gray, using tactics of questionable legality. Harveys decision to hire his associate Mike Ross (Patrick J. Adams) is a perfect example. Prior to working at Pearson Hardman, Mike, who has a photographic memory, took the LSAT for students looking to get into Harvard Law School. Season one dealt primarily with Mike, his dubious background, his on-and-off relationship with Rachel the paralegal (Meghan Markle) and his job as an associate without a legitimate college degree (from any school, not just Harvard). Hes the nice guy caught in a bad situation who makes the decision to go from shabby apartments and marijuana to

gleaming New York skyscrapers and 50th-floor offices. Each episode focused on one specific lawsuit where Harvey used some sort of clever ruse to crack the case a similar format to shows like House M.D. Season two, on the other hand, is more intriguing for the less legally inclined. Macht and Adams still toss around words like pro bono, subpoena and affidavit, but each episode is less formulaic and delves deeper into the complexities of each character. Harvey was the slick lawyer dude with the tough exterior, but we learn that theres more to him than his $2,000 suit. Admittedly, his characterization isnt really breaking any stereotypes, but its certainly more exciting to watch. Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), a junior partner and | DRAMA continued on page 20 |

Gossamer
PASSION PIT Alternative
ALE OF 1 SC

Courtesy Columbia Records

10 TO

Sophomore success Gossamer tackles heartbreak, anxiety


o all those who have been patiently waiting since 2009, Passion Pits Manners was a faulty compass. The album promised youthful, hedonistic abandon, but Gossamer instead addresses fear, anxiety and drug abuse, even enlisting the help of a minor chord or two. The bands sophomore effort still evokes streamers and confetti, but now its the morning after, and your head is pounding. Brimming with pointed self-awareness, Gossamer is the perfect album to both dance to and sulk to. This looking-glass approach leads to some formidable successes near the beginning of the record. Ill Be Alright is Gossamers first stick of dynamite, bursting with energy and a wide-sweeping assortment of musical textures. Between tinkling bells and sugary female backup vocals, Carried Away embodies the dreamy power pop

PASSION PIT

LEGAL DRAMA
NEW SUITS SEASON DELIVERS SURPRISES

Passion Pit is known for. Lets just keep pretending to be friends, lead man Michael Angelakos suggests over the 80s synth line, but he says this in a playful manner rather than a mean one. Constant Conversations stands out as the albums most accomplished and complex piece. On Conversations, Angelakos is unlikable and selfish, yet spectacularly real. The R&B chords and warm bass line capture the intimacy of a late-night-lovers spat so well that listening almost feels intrusive, but the song is so catchy you can almost hear the festival audiences barging in at the chorus. For the most part, Gossamers introspective endeavor is thoughtful and well executed Cry Like a Ghost revisits the topic of addiction, while Love Is Greed and Its | PASSION PIT continued on page 17 | THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

Courtesy USA Network

Actor Gabriel Macht (right) plays Harvey Specter in the USA Network TV series Suits. 14 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

ON A

THEATER

THE 99 PERCENT
Stanford Summer Theater roots for the middle-class man in Sam Shepards Curse of the Starving Class
n the surface, Curse of the Starving Class, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Shepard, is the story of an American family that slowly deteriorates thanks to a fraudulent land speculator who toys with their lives in the countryside. However, the play also addresses many deeper, modern issues, such as poverty, overbearing corporations and alcoholism. The play is directed by Rush Rehm, who also serves as a professor of drama at Stanford. Consisting of only eight actors, the talented Stanford Summer Theater cast managed to pull off this play with only four weeks of rehearsal, although they were notified of their roles last year in the fall. The play is held at the small but cozy Pigott Theater; the set is quite impressive and not put to waste, as almost every inch is used during the play. The main character, Wesley, played by Max Sosna-Spear 11 M.A. 12, is one of the most memorable roles in the entirety of the play. At first, Wesley is determined to succeed; he dresses well, speaks with conviction and is eager about the years to come. In the end, however, Wesley wears his fathers dirty old clothes, acts as if danger is constantly lurking around the corner and expects nothing more than a bleak future. It is easiest to spot Sosna-Spears excel-

lent characterization in the last act. Only he and Wesleys mother, Ella (Courtney Walsh), are left on the stage when they begin to fearfully recall a story about a raven that Wesleys father, Weston (Marty Pistone), used to tell as a hopeful story about never giving up. However, in the scene, the story is twisted into a dark and sinister tale about the total and complete loss of hope. In addition, Jessica Waldman 15 is wonderful as Wesleys younger sister Emma, a sweet but spunky Southern girl who learns how cruel the real world is. The play presents the challenge of developing such a young character into a rebellious and hard-hearted criminal in a short time, but Waldman acts out the role beautifully and poetically. Whether youre searching for a darkbut-humorous play or a famous playwrights work in these upcoming weeks, Curse of the Starving Class will satisfy your curiosity. Curse of the Starving Class runs through Aug. 12 with showings at 8 p.m. Thursday Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Pigott Theater. margaret LIN
contact margaret: margaretglin@gmail.com

STEFANIE OKUDA/Stanford Drama

Wesley (Max Sosna-Spear 11 M.A. 12) in a scene from Stanford Summer Theaters production of Sam Shepards Curse of the Starving Class. THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 15

STYLE

Harajuku style A
dmit it: when you think of Japanese street style, the first thing that pops into your head are the Harajuku girls. Popularized in America during Gwen Stefanis stint as a solo artist, Harajuku, a trendy shopping neighborhood in Japan, became synonymous with quirky youth fashion think elaborate maid outfits, wigs and false eyelashes. Or so I thought. Im interning in Tokyo this summer as part of the Bing Overseas Study Program. The first chance I got, I journeyed to Harajuku to see the world-famous street fashion. Turns out, the most ostentatious of the Harajuku girls seem to have moved on, leaving several disappointed tourists in their wake. I admit, during my time in Japan Ive seen some quirky fash-

In Japan, girly pieces dominate fashion trends

ion, but in less expected places like at a summer festival or while visiting temples. But outside of the more outlandish fashion choices, Japanese style is fascinating. Although I was expecting some style shock before I came to Japan everyone always goes on about how well put-together people are here there were still plenty of surprises. For example, I though Toms, which have exploded in popularity in the US recently, would at least have made a dent in Japan. Wrong, but Minnetonka moccasins are huge here. Also, as someone who comes from a place where jeans are the clothing of choice for most people daily, I found myself intrigued by the skirts here, which many women wear daily. The maxi skirt is big with teenagers, often done

Yomiuri Shimbun/MCT

Decorated cell phones known as dekoden feature such items as rhinestones, beads and imitation sweet treats. in pastel pleats or layers of tulle, paired with heels and a jean jacket. Flared mid-length skirts run prevalent among office workers a popular outfit is said skirt, simple black top, and heels. And the mini skirt is everywhere, sometimes shockingly short (it is a style taboo to show much of your shoulders or chest in Japan, but skirts can be as short as physically possible). But the accessories are what really make Japanese style so unique. Take socks, for example.

In America, socks and tights are often an afterthought: I, for instance, tend to favor any socks that can be hidden in a boot shaft to hide the fact that I think matching socks are only for special occasions. Women in Japan take the opposite tack socks, like bags, shoes and belts, are key parts of an outfit. Flats are often pared with lacy, colorful liners that play up the shape of the shoe. Heels and Mary Janes (yes, women here are still wearing Mary Janes) go with pale socks that feature lacy trim around the ankle, and the more daring girls wear mini-skirts with knee-high stockings and heels. Japanese women dont stop at accessorizing their outfits they accessorize their bags and phones as well. While in the U.S., cell phone charms are mostly relegated to middle school girls, such trinkets are ubiquitous in Japan. Stores and souvenir shops have a huge collection of cell phone charms, and even the most austere-looking businessmen decorate their smartphones. On the male side, fashion ranges from the standard worker look a navy suit to something more fashionable and boy-band inspired: think skinny pants, layered shirts, hair teased with gel and shoes with a thick sole for extra height. What I love most about the style here is the fact that everyone always seems at their most puttogether every time you see them. Crowded subway rides become much more bearable when there are so many interesting looks to see. I know Ill miss the creativity when I am back in lecture halls, back to the usual undergraduate sea of jeans and sweatpants. halle EDWARDS
contact halle: halle@stanford.edu

WHATWERE LISTENINGTO
A list of songs Intermission staffers are jamming to this week. GIVE YOUR HEART A BREAK DEMI LOVATO

BASIC SPACE THE XX

SIERRA LEONE FRANK OCEAN

TAKE A WALK

PASSION PIT

Janet Jarman/KRT/MCT

VENUS SHOCKING BLUE

Pedestrians peer into Uniqlo's flagship store located in Harajuku, one of Tokyo, Japan's trendiest shopping areas. 16 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

MOVIES

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES


full pages dedicated to the event, the victims and the effect on The Dark Knight Rises. Media voices have been quick to defend the film, a violent action movie based on a comic book, against blame for having influenced or caused this senseless massacre. And though in the end, the film truly cant be blamed for recent events, the relationship between the shooting and the violence depicted in the film certainly needs to be examined. The film takes a hard-line stance against violence and organized crime, particularly weapons dealing and acts of terrorism. But as the principal character straddles his roles of hero and vigilante criminal, and as virtually all media consumers continually glorify the Joker, perhaps the movies antiviolence message falls on deaf ears. The films overarching attitude against crime and violence recedes in the frames of cinematographi-

Perspectives on violence in

ith the very real death of The Dark Knight star Heath Ledger, the Batman movie franchise was destined to find itself at the center of speculation and controversy linking fictional content to real life consequences. Unfortunately for the films and for the victims of a shooting in Aurora, Colo., the line between fantasy and reality blurred again as a gunman opened fire on a crowded theater of buzzing fans at a midnight screening of the third and final installment of the Nolan Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. Sources report that gunman James Holmes told authorities he was the Joker, and the suspect had died his hair like the Joker, the fictional villain of the trilogys second piece. With a military-style AR-15 assault rife, a shotgun and two handguns, the article reports, Holmes committed the massacre after months of planning in a fashion not dissimilar to the Jokers senseless assaults on Gotham City. The media has pounced on the shooting from all angles, with

SASH NGELES A
BRYAN SMITH/Zuma Press/MCT

Police officers stand watch in the vestibule of the Regal Union Square Stadium 14 Theater in Manhattan following the Batman ''Dark Knight Rises'' theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. cally grand visuals. Whats more and this is no fault of the audience the movie takes an often-ambivalent approach to portraying violence. In this third installment, mercenaries (the bad guys) wear costumes reminiscent of media portrayals of Middle Eastern militants; they don khaki cargo pants and military vests, strap huge bullets to themselves and tote chunky weaponry suitable for guerillas. They are even swathed in scarves with scruff and suntanned skin as if they have been roughing it in a desert, despite the snowy setting of the film and the mercenaries access to resources. Google Iraqi militant and youll basically find the Gotham mercenary, only with a pulled-down headscarf. Watching this, one cannot help but consider the thinly veiled association of these bad guys with depictions of Middle Eastern rebels, the American media version of comic-book bad guys. By contrast, the police officers wear navy caps and uniforms, pristine and complete despite having lived in a cave for three months. Not a scratch or stain mars the look of the American hero. They courageously wield civilized pistols against brute force. The film may not be outwardly pro-violence or racist, but leaning on these stereotypes to conjure a sense of fear and antagonism towards these foreign mercenaries invading Gotham City is not only simplistic profiling, but poor storytelling. Even out of the context of the violent shooting, these stereotypical tropes of good and evil contribute to a subtle form of ideologizing not unlike the racist | VIOLENCE continued on page 19 |

CONTINUED FROM PASSION PIT PAGE 14 Not My Fault, Im Happy are heartbreaking but sweet-sounding songs, their titles belying the lyrical intricacy within. However, Passion Pits music walks the line between exuberance and caricature, and when Gossamer teeters off it falls straight into self-mockery. THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 Mirrored Sea attempts to compensate for its blandness with volume and urgency; the chorus is doubled by the keys but still remains forgettable. On My Way suffers a similar fate, its grandiose instrumentation reminiscent of a Showtime Christmas movie. Although even the weakest tracks contain darling details, such as the 8-bit progression on Mirrored Sea, the songs remain too campy for comfort. The album closes with the delicate Where We Belong, peeling away some of the musical wrapping to reveal a deeply private story of a suicide attempt. The bubbly synth fades out before the verse, presenting an xx-style minimalism unexpected from a band known for exaggeration. A simple, quiet rebirth is just the way for Passion Pit to end Gossamer and embark on their next musical journey. With such a brutally honest second album under its belt, Passion Pit deserves to pat itself on the back, pack up its synthesizers and move forward, keeping us guessing for another three years. natasha AVERY
contact natasha: navery@stanford.edu

THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 17

THEATER

The fairest of them all


SF Playhouses new take on My Fair Lady a must-see
from phonetician and man-child Henry Higgins (Johnny Moreno), thus securing her upward mobility and trapping her in the throes of middle-class morality. Eliza has always been a brash young woman, but Englishs production takes her characterization one step further: It puts her in pants. In Englishs version, the song Wouldnt It Be Loverly becomes Elizas solo melancholic lament, sung sadly and quietly while fending off lecherous men with a knife. Johnny Moreno looks like a cross between Robert Downey Jr. and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and English has him play Higgins with virility and sexuality, a bold choice for Higgins, who often comes off as asexual in the original work. His relationship with Eliza, often

he SF Playhouse, a small theater company that has been consistently producing some of the best productions in the Bay Area, does it again with director Bill Englishs reinterpretation of the classic Broadway musical My Fair Lady. Englishs version is stripped down: There is no pit orchestra, multiple lavish sets or large ensemble dances. Instead, there are efficient sets, two pianos and 12 actors, each often playing multiple supporting characters. But what Lady lacks in extravagance it makes up for with great originality, entirely reinventing most of the musical numbers. My Fair Lady is the story of a poor Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle (Monique Hafen), who learns to speak proper English

Jessica Palopoli/SF Playhouse

Doolittle (Charles Dean, center) and co-conspirators sing With a Little Bit of Luck while performing My Fair Lady in San Francisco.

played as somewhat ambiguous, is teeming with sexual tension here. He also finds himself the seeming object of affection of his colleague and friend, Colonel Pickering (Richard Frederick), who in this version is a not-quite-upstanding example of a perfect gentleman more of a polite, closeted suitor for Higgins. It seems a radical interpretation of the Higgins/Pickering partnership, but the script has a wealth of dialogue that could easily be interpreted as innuendo given our modern sensibilities. Perhaps the biggest surprise is how likable Alfred P. Doolittle (Charles Dean) is. Elizas unmarried father, he is always after her money for drink and is often characterized as a simple, drunken lout. But Dean oozes charm, and as he winks at the audience to get us in on the jokes, you cant help but like him. When he finally gets forced into marrying his mistress, the number Im Getting Married in the Morning, usually a fairly jovial lament, becomes a dirge, with Doolittles friends hoisting him up into the air as if they were carrying a coffin. As with any radical reinterpretation, not everything works. Instead of being surrounded by household staff, Higgins is surrounded by graduate students in white lab coats, an absurd costume choice, though the interpretation is otherwise valid. Englishs decision to fill Ascot Gavotte with sexual innuendo to explain why the upper-class spectators have never been so keyed up deprives the show of what should have been

Jessica Palopoli/SF Playhouse

Eliza (Monique Hafen) dreams of a room somewhere. one of its biggest laughs. And although the British accents of the cast are usually key to a productions success, as a play about accents, here Im almost inclined to argue that they could have been Americanized and simplified. Its not that the dialects are bad they are good enough to be unobtrusive but they interfere with the actors vocal work, causing them to tighten their voices and inhibiting expression. But these are minor flaws in what is otherwise an entertaining and unique production of this classic. Englishs rendition offers something so entirely new that any failures to live up to pre-existing standards for productions of My Fair Lady can be easily overlooked. The SF Playhouse production of My Fair Lady is easily the single must-see play of the summer in the Bay Area, with something to offer both old and new fans of the musical. alexandra HEENEY
contact alexandra: aheeney@stanford.edu

18 N THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

MOVIES

The best movies on Netflix you havent watched yet

FORGOTTEN FILMS

their tryst having one long, engaging and deeply personal conversation about everything from past relationships to their coming out experiences. In some ways, the confessional nature of their discussion is facilitated by their unfamiliarity. The romantic and unabashedly realistic film is a smart and touching story about our universal need for intimacy and the often-rampant fear of commitment. Tomboy While Cline Sciammas directorial debut, Water Lilies (also on Netflix), was a film about the complexities of adolescent sexuality, her sophomore film, Tomboy, explores pre-pubescent gender roles. When 10-year-old, pixie-haired Laure (Zo Hran) and her loving family move into a new neighborhood, she introduces herself to her neighbors as Michael, plays outside with the boys and flirts with the girl next door. Whether she does this because she knows she will be more easily accepted into her new friend group as a boy or because she identifies as one and should instead be referred to as he remains ambiguous throughout the film. Laure is at an age when gender roles are so firmly established in school and by her parents that any kind of fluidity is feared

or downright dismissed. The film grounds the complex treatment of gender roles in a simple but touching story of the burdens and joys of being a child: the idyllic summers, the responsibility of taking care of her little sister, the need for comfort and affection from her parents, their simultaneous love and small-mindedness and the fact that she still often feels terrified because her parents dont understand what shes going through and nor does she. Its a film that understands that being a kid is hard work and often painful. Cave of Forgotten Dreams Werner Herzogs latest documentary, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, takes us inside the Chauvet Cave in Southern France to see the worlds oldest known cave paintings. Access to the area is strictly controlled its closed to the public but Herzog was able to get limited access for over a week to capture it on film. The movie is one of the best examples of using 3-D technology to its full potential making you feel like youre actually in the cave, something 2-D would never be able to really do but despite its 2-D rendering on Netflix, Dreams remains engaging and educational. Herzog is eccentric, always finds a

way to humanize his subjects and manages to find interesting characters to interview, including a man who literally sniffs his way around in search of caves. The Trip Steve Coogan and Rob Bryden play fictionalized versions of themselves in Michael Winterbottoms comedy The Trip. When Steve gets a gig touring and reviewing posh restaurants in the English countryside and his girlfriend cant accompany him, Rob tags along for a weekend of gourmet food and bonding. Steve and Rob, both comedians, amuse themselves over meals by doing hilarious impressions of everyone from Michael Caine to Woody Allen. While on the surface the film is light comedic entertainment, it holds darker undertones on loneliness and growing older. Steve is divorced and struggles in his relationship with his son and his long-distance girlfriend, while Rob is happily married but missing his wife. As they part ways, Winterbottom juxtaposes Steves loneliness with Robs blissful life, elevating the movie above mere farce. alexandra HEENEY
contact alexandra: aheeney@stanford.edu

Courtesy Glendale Picture Company

Tom Cullen (left) and Chris New star in the 2011 film Weekend. ow that its summer, the cinemas are filled with blockbuster action films and not much else. If youre looking for a cheap alternative, heres a list of four films from the last year that you may have missed in theaters but ought to catch on Netflix.

Weekend The 2011 British film Weekend is similar to the 1995 drama Before Sunrise, but with two men falling in love in the U.K. After meeting at a bar, Russell (Tom Cullen) brings Glen (Chris New) home, ostensibly for a one-night stand, but they spend the day after

CONTINUED FROM VIOLENCE PAGE 17 and sexist ideas Disney princess movies have suffered criticism for. But beyond even this perhaps esoteric reading of the film, and regardless of my personal opinion of the movie, even an uncritical viewer will notice the militarization of Gotham City a central tenet of the plot as an all-too-real parallel to events that have occurred in America and American-occupied states, though this is perhaps out of the mind of most of the films audience. Even if Batman saves the day and the films point is to stamp out the evils that cause THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 these wars, the victory the audience savors is not the moment a mayor reveals an honorary statue or bestows a military medal. They cheer and clap when big guns fire and missiles explode like Fourth-of-July fireworks and heat-seeking missiles in enemy territory. Violence that plays on stereotypes and big bangs is easier to digest than a lofty moral message against that violence that entertains so engagingly. The fact that we as a society are entertained by watching events of suffering speaks volumes about the state of our country. But good art, like Nolans films, holds a mirror up to nature, and unfortunately our nature is one that has grown increasingly obsessed with violence. I saw Rises at 12:15 a.m. Friday and didnt sleep for two days. Of course there are the What if there had been a shooting in my theater? thoughts, the concerns for Coloradan friends I have, the simple sadness for the lives taken and mourning families and bystanders. But even after all the criticism I could hurl at the violence depicted in Rises, the way that the media and even fans have drawn conclusions that a movie could cause someone to do this is both immature and offensive. In Christopher Nolans official statement on the shooting, the director laments that someone would violate such an innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way. And just so, those who accuse a film, a piece of literature that at most reflects our society, of creating a massacre, violate the sanctity of the theater. What happened in that theater was truly a tragedy, but we are blind to blame our societal problems on the creative stuff of Hollywood. Yes, we should turn a critical eye to our gun laws and our entertainment. But, no, The Dark Knight Rises cannot be blamed for the violence caused by a killer. This is not a time for blame or accusation, but for mourning and reflection. And perhaps audiences absorbing the films grandiose violence will consider the troubling stems in reality. sasha ARIJANTO
contact sasha: sasha.arijanto@stanford.edu

THE STANFORD DAILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 19

CONTINUED FROM DRAMA PAGE 14 Harveys rival at the firm, is perhaps the most human of all the characters. He and Harvey started at the firm as equals, but Harvey received the promotion both had been gunning for. Louis snarky humor which is the most entertaining of all the characters and contentious attitude are the results of feeling unappreciated and unwanted, which is why hes especially susceptible to office bribery. The second season begins with Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres), co-founder and managing partner of the firm, discovering Mikes secret. After witnessing a surprising display of compassion from Harvey, Jessica chooses not to fire either of them. As the season progresses, a long story arc develops: Harvey is accused of burying evidence, and the firm comes under fire. The character of Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty) undergoes the greatest transformation in the most recent few episodes. In season one, she was Harveys amusing and self-assured secretary. Now we see her playing a larger, and possibly detrimental, role at the firm. Episode four ends with a shot of Donnas date stamp on the evidence Harvey had been accused of burying. The preview for the next episode features a confrontation between the firms lawyer and Donna: Where do you see yourself in five years? asks the firms lawyer. Well, actually Because where I see you is in jail. The intricacies of each charac-

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Actor Gabriel Macht (left) enacts a scene from season two of the legal drama Suits. ter are really what give the show depth and intrigue. Season one was engaging, but if the case-bycase format continues, Suits can easily fall into a bland routine. If the shows creator, Aaron Korsh, wants to avoid stagnation, we need to see more. The plotlines need complexity, and characters backstories need to influence the progression of the story. Viewers wont settle for another run-ofthe-mill legal drama. When a consultant comes to see the associates, Louis tells them, I want you to convince this woman that Pearson Hardman makes you shit rainbows. If the structure of season two is maintained, that should be the general consensus. cynthia MAO
contact cynthia: maocowrocks@gmail.com

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