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The Indy fights back against the bug sweeping across campus.
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Page 1: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

THE STUDENT WEEKLY SINCE 196909.23.10

SURVIVING AND THRIVING AT HARVARD

Inside: Thrifty fashion, underrated shows, and curling.

Page 2: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

09.23.10 vol. xlii, no. 3

2 [email protected] 09.23.10 • The Harvard Independent

The Indy fights back against the bug sweeping across campus.

Cover art by SONIA COMAN

As Harvard College's weekly undergraduate newsmagazine, the Harvard Independent provides in-depth, critical coverage of issues and events of interest to the Harvard College community. The Independent has no politi-cal affiliation, instead offering diverse commentary on news, arts, sports, and student life.

For publication information and general inquiries, contact Presidents Patricia Florescu and Susan Zhu ([email protected]). Letters to the Editor and comments regarding the content of the publication should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Faith Zhang ([email protected]).

Yearly mail subscriptions are available for $30, and semester-long sub-scriptions are available for $15. To purchase a subscription, email [email protected].

The Harvard Independent is published weekly during the academic year, except during vacations, by The Harvard Independent, Inc., 59 Shepherd St. Box 201, Cambridge, MA 02138. Copyright © 2010 by The Harvard Indepen-dent. All rights reserved.

Co-PresidentsPatricia Florescu ‘11

Susan Zhu ‘11

Editor-in-ChiefFaith Zhang ‘11

Staff Writers Arhana Chattopadhyay ‘11 Peter Bacon ‘11

John Beatty '11 Rachael Becker '12 Ezgi Bereketli ‘12 Colleen Berryessa ‘11 Andrew Coffman ‘12 Levi Dudte '11 Ray Duer ‘11 Sam Jack ‘11

Marion Liu ‘11 Hao Meng ‘11 Alfredo Montelongo ‘11 Nick Nehamas ‘11

Steven Rizoli ‘11 Jim Shirey ‘11 Diana Suen ‘11 Alex Thompson ‘11 Sanyee Yuan ‘12

ColumnistSam Barr ‘11

Graphics, Photography, and Design Staff Chaima Bouhlel ‘11 Eva Liou ‘11 Lidiya Petrova ‘11

For exclusive online content, visit www.harvardindependent.com

NEWS3 Charlie Gibson Grills Drew Faust

4 The uC eleCtion

ForuM5 stayinG healthy at harvarD

arts6 out anD about

7 GoinG the Distance

8 Marisa lynCh

9 unDerrateD tv

sPorts10 the wilD CarD raCe

11 the Glories oF CurlinG

News and Forum Editor

Arts Editor

Sports Editor

Graphics Editor

Associate News and

Forum Editor

Associate Sports Editor

Riva Riley ‘12 Pelin Kivrak ‘11

Daniel Alfino ‘11

Sonia Coman ‘11

Weike Wang ‘11

Brett Giblin ‘11

Page 3: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

[email protected] 3The Harvard Independent • 09.23.10

indyNews

Every fall, without fail, President Drew Gilpin Faust presents a welcome message to the entire

Harvard community. Sometimes it comes in the form of a speech. Sometimes it’s an email. Over the last three years, I never really paid much attention to them. Que sera, sera. This year, for once, I listened to every word, and I now have the deepest respect and admiration for President Faust.

The first floor of Sanders Theatre was full. I watched Michael Smith, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, come in, walk up the steps, and find a seat in one of the reserved rows. For a split second, I had thought that it was a fit Larry Summers, already arriving back at Harvard the afternoon it was announced that he would be leaving his post in the White House. I don’t mean offense to either of these professors — my vision isn’t what it used to be.

The reason I was there is simple. Charlie Gibson, currently a Shorenstein Fellow at the Kennedy School and the interviewer of the event, is my favorite news anchor of all time. This may partly be because I missed out on the era of Murrow et al., but I really do think that Charlie Gibson is the best. He proved himself worthy of the title I bestowed on him during his interview with President Faust — quick with a joke, affable, comfortable, but dogged. I couldn’t believe that his broadcaster voice was his real voice. For some reason, I had expected him to sound less awesome in person.

The two started the event with a video — all twelve deans of Harvard had a message — and Gibson joked that with all those deans, that was all they had time for. Then he started in on the questions, beginning with hot breakfast. President Faust was delighted to be asked yet another question on hot breakfast, but responded seriously that the cut to hot breakfast reflected the goals and priorities of a university. She said that instead of cutting educational programs, hot breakfast was cut in the Houses. Then she pointed out that hot breakfast is still available in Annenberg, and that there is still quite a good breakfast available to

the students who actually make it out of bed in time to eat breakfast in the upperclass Houses. Though I hate oatmeal, as one of those students who wakes up only in time to catch the 10am shuttle, I have to admit that I don’t have a reasonable counter to that.

Gibson moved onto other financial concerns. What about Allston and the delay in expansion? President Faust noted that the university was now thinking about the “strong possibility” of co-development with other science-related companies, like pharmaceuticals or research companies. Charlie then asked about plans for a capital campaign, rumblings of which were first heard six years ago. President Faust explained that last year was not a very good year to move towards such a campaign, but that the university is now back on track and “moving forward” with the plans. Charlie pressed her to tell just how much Harvard was looking to raise, but President Faust simply repeated that they just didn’t know yet — it would depend on what the planners envision for the future. Though it might be argued that President Faust was not being fully transparent, I happen to think it more likely that her answers reflect the state of our university. We have ambitious plans but don’t know how to make them a reality at the moment. We’re working on it.

The two also discussed the question of Harvard psychology professor and research Marc Hauser and former professor Martin Peretz. An internal investigation of Hauser found evidence of scientific misconduct in August. Asked why he was not yet fired at an institution whose motto is “Veritas,” (ouch, Charlie!), Faust said that the university was handling it internally, with more investigation to follow by people who know the work and who can be fair and unbiased. She added that “integrity is absolutely fundamental in everything we do.” On one hand, I’m glad that they’re giving Marc Hauser the academic equivalent of a “fair trial.” On the other hand, I hope that, if these charges and allegations are true and serious, that the university will have the guts to take appropriate action. You can’t tell undergrads that plagiarism

is a severe offense if you will harbor one of your own for scientific misconduct.

On the subject of Peretz, Faust said that the Social Studies program and Peretz’s former students wished only to honor his excellence in teaching and advising, separating him from his words (most recently, anti-Muslim). If Trent Lott had had the same treatment in the media, he might have been able to stay in the Senate. Can you honor a man without honoring the whole man? What if he truly is brilliant and has done incredible things, but just happens to be a bigot? Do you have to write on the brochure, “In honor of Martin Peretz, sans his racist views”?

Beyond the specific questions, President Faust presented a major theme for the university: the goal of breaking down barriers. From a new age of interdisciplinary and inter-school studies to the university’s “commitment to attracting talent” from the widest possible range of economic backgrounds, President Faust reiterated that she wants people to know that Harvard is open, accessible, and welcoming. It was, in fact, her answer when asked about the one thing she hopes to accomplish as president.

She said that the world at large is facing problems that can’t be solved by any one school by itself, and so, following the trend, the university is embracing interdisciplinary work, including a new secondary field in Global Health for undergrads to work among the graduate schools to solve global problems together. She offered as another example the case of the

Design School working with the School of Public Health to design better rooms and camps for tuberculosis patients.

Gibson asked how much of the Class of 2014 was on financial aid. The answer? A whopping 60 percent, the average amount of aid being $40,900. When asked if such heavy sums was sustainable, Faust emphasized the necessity of breaking down barriers among groups and of providing the opportunity for students whose families would not otherwise be able to finance an education at a world-class institution. Gibson remarked that it appeared the answer to his own question of whether or not such high sums for financial aid would be sustainable was simply that “it has to be.” Faust answered with an affirmative, “Yes.”

The pair concluded with questions from the audience — perhaps the most significant was one on whether the university supports the DREAM Act. The DREAM Act, along with a repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, is a part of the gigantic National Defense Authorization Act for 2011. President Faust said that the university is fully in support of the DREAM Act because it is in line with the university’s goal of recruiting talent from the widest possible range of backgrounds. The Senate is still working on getting through the filibuster — I learned this summer that the Senate is full of completely asinine rules that no one would challenge simply because of tradition — but I hope that our government will also make breaking down barriers one of its priorities.

Where We Are NowTrying to break down barriers.

By SUSAN ZHU

SUSAN ZHU/Independent

Page 4: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

4 [email protected] 09.23.10 • The Harvard Independent

News

In high school, i remember how important it was to run for student government. It was a clear path to

influence, to power, even to popularity. That’s what it seemed like — some kind of magical formula for personal success. For the electorate, who were naturally detached from government, it was completely irrelevant to their daily lives; they would just vote and leave the victors to their own devices.

Things would get done, though. When I was student body president (like literally hundreds of other students here), Student Council was a prominent group; we were the largest, most active, and best-regarded one in years. Student government presented the opportunity to affect real change, and it made you feel great about yourself, too.

Perhaps that’s why sixty-six freshmen ran for the twelve available seats on the Undergraduate Council. Over the course of four heated days, every single room in every dorm, from Apley Court to Weld, had its door knocked on by at least one smiling, charismatic student. They were eager, friendly, and every one had a list of ideas they were going to work really hard to implement, attainable or not. Wide-eyed idealism, which is still around in part since we freshmen have been on campus for three weeks, was everywhere.

Each subdivision had its own distinct style. Crimson Yard was full of skilled politicians, each of whom presented a complex policy platform. Oak Yard’s candidates were a mix of popularity-builders and students who were seriously focused. Elm Yard drew its winners from the most gregarious pool. Ivy Yard was full of potential representatives who very deeply cared. The twelve newly elected representatives are a diverse bunch; there are two well-versed Democrats, kids of all ethnic backgrounds, atheists alongside Christians, the usual handful of valedictorians, and a ton of people from California. It’s a slightly-more-political microcosm of the Class of 2014.

Everyone approached their campaign differently: in Thayer, a pair of roommates ran as a double ballot, while another candidate plastered photographs of himself eating waffles on every door; in Hurlbut, one girl went all-out and built a website; someone from Matthews had their poster on John Harvard’s face for a few hours; Weld residents used their many roommates as leverage to strengthen their presence; and nobody from Mass Hall ran, which makes sense, to be honest.

Like every election, this one was not without controversy and drama. In Oak Yard, which was the third-most competitive based on the number of candidates, the results ignited furious Facebook postings, cries of dorm tokenism, threats of effigy-burning and completely unwarranted comparisons to America’s 2000 election. The Undergraduate Council’s Facebook page became a hotbed of criticism from members of one candidate’s entryway — everything from the merits of one winning candidate to the “antiquated” single transferable vote system was challenged. My favorite statement, by far: “I weep for democracy tonight.”

Theatrical proclamations aside, the voting system was seriously put to the test; its complex balloting and algorithmic analysis make transparency hard to come by. The controversy resulted from conflating different electoral systems; with the single transferable vote, a candidate can win over another with a larger total vote base. Spenser Goodman ’14 received 84 first-, second-, and third-choice votes and won one of the seats, while Jane Seo ’14 received the same number. However, Seo also won more first- and second- choice votes than Goodman, calling methodology into question; but the election was entirely legitimate.

No accusations of bias can be made, considering that a computer program tallies the votes. Goodman won because he was ranked in lower positions on more ballots, or because people who chose him second chose marginal candidates first. This didn’t stop partisan anger from boiling over. Goodman was variously accused of tearing down posters, illegally lugging around a computer on which to vote, and being chosen to prevent Canaday from sweeping the positions. However, the UC was made aware, investigated, and chose not to disqualify him. The results stand.

Elections in the Houses were far less exciting, considering the magical sheen of the Undergraduate Council wears off after a few months. In Adams, the Dudley Co-ops Eliot, Kirkland, Leverett, Mather, Quincy and Winthrop — representing more than half of the undergraduate population — the numbers of positions available and candidates running were equal. In Cabot, Dunster and Lowell, four candidates ran for three positions, making them only slightly competitive.

Pfoho had three candidates for one spot, and Currier had seven for three, making them the most fraught

College students elect new Undergraduate Council representatives.

Bringing the Heat By GARY GERBRANDT

From the UC’s Facebook page:

To whom it may concern,I weep for democracy tonight. One

can debate the merits of your vote-counting system ad nauseam – your use of the Hare-Clark method is irrelevant. What is relevant, and of paramount importance, is your staggering failure to notify me, the voter, even in passing about the fact that this idiosyncratic method is the one you employ. I believe, and it may be a minority view (I highly doubt it), that any system which not only diverges from conventional vote-counting methods, but also permits candidates numerically preferred less to beat candidates numerically preferred more, should be explained to the voter in advance and in detail. Jane Seo was, and remains, the true third oak yard representative. My grievance is neither ideological nor emotionally motivated; my issue with this election is purely procedural. No place on this planet would such a system, coupled with such misdirection, be characterized as anything but what it truly is – a fraud. As a new student of this prestigious institution, I have not felt shame for this university until tonight. As one of the voters who did rank the rather off-putting Spenser Goodman lower than third place without knowledge that this would carry more electoral value than not ranking him at all, I feel cheated and robbed of my voice in what I heretofore believed a democracy. In summation, I will not accept Spenser Goodman as my representative, I will not accept silence as the only recourse to the foul stench of what amounts to a broken election, and

I will not accept the legitimacy of any governing body claiming to represent my interests that misleads the common voter.

This is bullshit.

To whom it my concern,I am a keen student of electoral

systems, and consequently inspected the results of the UC Elections with much interest and anticipation. Imagine my shock and consternation when I was met with a downright perversion of the democratic process. Jane Seo should clearly, by any counting method based on fairness and accountability, have been one of the three Oak Yard representatives. Instead, one Spenser Goodman has been appointed. Please tell me this is a horrible mistake. The only electoral system under which Spenser could have been elected, if my knowledge serves me correctly, is the obscure and antiquated Hare-Clark Method (which on account of its obvious inadequacy is only used in Cambridge and Minneapolis of anywhere in the USA). The ballot paper gave no indication whatsoever that this bizarre method was the one being used, and consequently many people voted for Goodman much lower down the list under the belief that only the top three votes counted, or that it was necessary to place all 16 people in the list. Due to the tiny margin of his victory, it is undoubtably these “votes” - only produced due to outrageous misinformation - that gave Goodman victory. I hope these concerns are swiftly addressed, and that due democratic process can resume.

battlegrounds whose residents don’t eat at Annenberg. Voter turnout was abysmal, with about seventy people voting in the more competitive races. Currier, for some strange reason, was an outlier; around 180 students voted, making things interesting. Nevertheless, the predominance of upperclass disillusionment is not a new phenomenon. The Undergraduate Council has a long history of being portrayed as ineffective and overly self-interested; unlike high school student government, it has hardly been an activist or influential body in its thirty years of existence.

According to the 2009-2010 End of the Year Survey it conducted, 45% of students feel that the UC does a good job of meeting students’ needs, and 40% have a favorable impression of the group. A large percentage of students feel neutral about the UC. Questions about its initiatives were mostly

answered with either “no opinion” or “I haven’t heard of this.” Such widespread student apathy definitively answers any queries about its relevance to the student body.

Whether the new representatives can work together with their leadership and engage the student body remains to be seen. If past years are any indication, the status quo is here to stay. The 43 victors of the election attended a retreat in the Quad this past Sunday, and now they’re ready to get down to business. If this year’s group is at all reminiscent of a high school’s student government, maybe things will be better for everyone here at Harvard. But that’s one very big “if.” Despite its momentary significance, the Oak Yard controversy is almost certainly unique; by the end of the year, the students who so hotly contested the issue will more than likely find the Undergraduate Council as ineffective as everyone else does.

Page 5: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

[email protected] 5The Harvard Independent • 09.23.10

indyForum

It’s two o’clock in the morning on a Thursday in Lamont, and you are struggling to finish a

problem set. You have a coffee in your left hand and a pencil in your right, but are distracted by the tubercular cough of the girl at the next table. Through your drooping eyelids you watch her shiver and sniffle. She sneezes. “Bless you,” you say, but your voice registers only as a hoarse whisper. Then panic sets in. Oh no! Not now! There is work to be done! And it’s almost the weekend!

Unfortunately, sickness knows no weekend, just as hangovers neglect to consider soccer practice and the freshman fifteen doesn’t realize how badly you need to fit into that pair of jeans. Indeed, staying healthy in college seems to many an impossible task; colds spread like wildfire in dorms and Sundae Sundays in Annenberg are not exactly conducive to maintaining a svelte physique. However, you can stay healthy at Harvard. All it requires is a little discipline and the ability to read this article.

The first rule for staying healthy is simple: avoid sick people. Now, avoiding the mildly ill should not necessitate plague-style nosegays and should never approach rudeness. There are ways to protect yourself from germs in socially acceptable ways. For example, if someone is hacking up a lung next to you in lecture, move, but discreetly. Pretend to see a friend a few rows back or, in dire circumstances, excuse yourself to the restroom and switch seats upon return. Do not look at that person in disgust and

then back away slowly; he or she already feels miserable enough as it is. Likewise, if an acquaintance with a dripping nose tries to hug you, tell him that you yourself are sick and that you don’t want to infect him. If this acquaintance is particularly adamant or particularly hot, the next best thing to avoidance is Purell.

There are people in this world who will tell you that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are evil because they encourage the evolution of drug resistant super viruses. Do not listen to them. Purell is a very, very good thing. Purell before meals and after meals. Purell after you touch library books, after touching people, and before you place your hands

near your face. You may begin to remind your friends of Monk from Monk, but when they have the flu during finals week and you do not, you win.

The second rule for staying healthy is diet. A diet, in the traditional sense of the word, is not just what everyone’s “larger” aunt is on. Rather, a diet is a steady menu of healthful foods and drinks that provide nourishment and satisfaction. Start your day with proteins to get your brain and

body going. Incorporate a salad into lunch and fill at least half your plate with vegetables at dinner. Drink milk for your bones and eat carrots for your eyes; and even though the fro-yo machine whispers across the food lines, do try to limit yourself to one small dessert a day. Although meals at Harvard are buffet style, try to forget that they are all-you-can-eat, because in most cases all-you-can-eat is not the same as all-you-should-eat.

As far as snacking in the dorms goes, if you are lucky enough to have a refrigerator, use its powers for good. Believe it or not, vegetables, yogurt, and fruits keep just as well in your dorm fridge as other things do. If you don’t have a fridge,

unbuttered microwaveable popcorn is a healthy and satisfying snack, as are nuts, granola bars, and some fruits. Chocolate, especially Reese’s Cups and Peanut M&M’s, is always acceptable in small quantities, and may in fact be necessary for sound mental health.

Of course, as the third rule for staying healthy states, diet’s partner in health is exercise. Unless you are concentrating in engineering while getting a language citation in Sanskrit, directing a musical, and

running a major news publication, you can fit exercise into your schedule. Go to the gym a few days a week, sprint stadiums at six in the morning with the crew team, dominate at intramural table tennis, or have a raging dance party every Saturday night. Anything that gets the body moving and the blood flowing will put you in a good mood, give you greater energy, and keep you from having to buy larger pants.

The final rule is actually in some ways the hardest rule to follow. In order to stay healthy at Harvard, you have to keep your stress levels in check and have fun. Schoolwork is obviously very important, as are extracurricular activit ies, but so are sleep, friends, and all-night Seinfeld-on-DVD marathons. Involuntary napping for an hour while doing problem sets does not count as sleep. Likewise, the tutors at the writing center do not count as friends, and reading Tolstoy on a Friday night does not count as fun. It has been scientifically proven that happiness is the key to wellness. If you aren’t going to eat well or exercise often, even if you are going to insist on embracing the phlegmy and poorly bathed, at the very least try to be happy. It might do you some good.

I f y o u w o u l d l i k e f u r t h e r information on staying healthy at Harvard, please contact Harvard University Health Services at http://huhs.harvard.edu.

Meghan Brooks ’14 (meghanbrooks@college) will do her best to take her own advice.

Nurturing Mind and BodyStaying healthy at Harvard.

By MEGHAN BROOKS

What to avoid:

"There are people in this world who will tell you that alcohol-based hand sanitizers are evil because they en-courage the evolution of drug resistant super viruses. Do not listen to them."

What to grab:

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Page 6: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

6 [email protected] 09.23.10 • The Harvard Independent

Arts

Out and AboutBy SCHUYLER POLK

Page 7: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

[email protected] 7The Harvard Independent • 09.23.10

indyArts

Going the Distance is a romantic summer comedy about a two lovers who carry on a coast-

to-coast relationship, attempting to balance the importance of their continued romance with their careers and lives apart from one another. The film was directed by Nanette Burstein, known for her documentary American Teen, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, as well as her work at the NYU Tisch School of the Arts. Garrett (Justin Long) meets Erin (Drew Barrymore) on a chance encounter at a bar immediately after a nasty breakup with another woman (Leighton Meester). Acting upon the fantasy of having a short summer fling, the pair begins their whirlwind romance, which lasts until Barrymore returns to the West Coast…and their trouble begins.

At its heart, the film was really funny. It is interesting to see how the director is able to turn the concept of a long-distance relationship, potentially an emotionally and financially taxing situation, into a hilarious one. That, coupled with the clever crossover between diegetic and non-diegetic sound, earns this film a spot as one of the more enjoyable films of late. The film features an excellent soundtrack of indie and alternative bands, unique in the way of Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Garden State. Some music fans will find the film particularly hilarious for its lambasting of bands such as Jesus Jones and references

to iconic rap albums like “License to Ill” by the Beastie Boys. However, the band that gets the biggest plug in the film is the up-and-coming British band The Boxer Rebellion, which makes two on-screen performances and becomes an essential part of the story as a whole.

Punctuated with crass language and off-color humor, the film may turn away older viewers, even though the story is really entertaining. The main issues with the film come not from the story, but rather from the awkward casting that results in a pronounced disjunction between the acting and the story. It is difficult to see Barrymore, age 35, as a convincing Stanford graduate student while she’s doing tequila shots, smoking marijuana and pub-crawling with Long in New York. It immediately strikes one as strange in that these two adults are living their lives like teenagers even though they have adult responsibilities. Barrymore’s character is also codependent, which wears very thin about ten minutes into the movie.

The most distracting thing is, however, the complete lack of chemistry between Long and Gilmore, which is both surprising and kind of sad, considering the fact that they were romantically involved off-screen as well as on while the film was being made. Barrymore’s completely un-nuanced performance forces Long to carry, or rather drag, her through the film. As for the rest of the cast, it is disappointing for Gossip Girl fans

Against All Odds

By WHITNEY LEE

Out and About

Evaluating long-term relationships.

As someone in a bi-coastal (in fact, bi-country) long-distance relationship,

I really enjoyed Going the Distance. It looked at the tough issues facing long-distance couples through a light-hearted lens, but it also addressed some serious questions. In particular, it did a tremendous job portraying the struggle and, at times, despair, faced by long-distance couples trying to be together while fulfilling separate ambitions in completely d i f f e rent industr ies . Who follows who? Is one sacrificing more than the other? What is the most fair for both parties? The movie also portrayed, quite well, the difficulty of balancing an independent life with friends and family when you are with trying to spend time and share a life with a long-distance partner. It’s easy to suspect your partner’s close friends (the kind that are single, and of the opposite gender) when you haven’t met them, but think nothing of your own close friends who are just as attractive and available. My favorite part about the movie is that, unlike every other show and movie, it actually shows that a long-distance relationship can be worth it if you find the right person.

Reaching Out Across

the VoidBy SUSAN ZHU

MOVIE REVIEW

Going the Distance

to see Leighton Meester have to play such a minor role, but her presence at all is a big plus for the film, which drew a surprising number of notable actors and actresses, including Kelli Garner (Man of the House), Ron Livingston (House, The Time Traveler’s Wife), Charlie Day (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Christina Applegate (Married…with Children). Of the supporting cast, Christina Applegate comes through as the most memorable, playing alongside Barrymore as her neurotic older sister; her interactions as well as those of the rest of the supporting cast seem to drive the plot forward, while Barrymore seems to be just along for the ride.

The best part of the film is actually neither the music nor the humor, but rather its overall message. Being separated by an entire continent forces Long and Gilmore to decide whether their relationship is truly worthwhile. For two people used to short-term, low-commitment relationships, carrying on a long-distance relationship seems like a chore more than anything else — a daily struggle to keep the passion alive. They wonder if it is worth it to go the distance, both literally and figuratively, as they both reach the next level of a committed relationship. Watching the film introduces to viewers the idea that long distance relationships are really often worth the hassle, because, in the end, the returns are much greater than the sacrifices. This is particularly relevant to college students, many of whom find themselves wondering whether it is worth it to stay involved in a long-distance relationship while they are away at college, weighing the importance of the relationship against the ease of being single. For those who are unsure, Going the Distance provides one with an alternate perspective and challenges viewers on their concept of what they are willing to do and where they are willing to go for love.

Whitney Lee ’14 (whitneylee@college) will do anything for love, but she won’t do that.

Page 8: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

8 [email protected] 09.23.10 • The Harvard Independent

Arts

Diamonds in the

Rough

something that you want to get rid of.” Luckily for anyone in Cambridge

in te res ted in thr i f t ing , s evera l c o n s i g n m e n t s h o p s a r e l o c a t e d within walking distance. Walk down Massachusetts Ave in the direction of the Quad and you’ll find the shop Raspberry Beret. Walking in the other direction on Mass Ave towards Mt. Auburn, you can find Vintage Revenge. If you’re short on inspiration, definitely check out Marisa’s blog at www.newdressaday.wordpress.com. With only 77 days left to go — having successfully completed the first 288 — in her yearlong project, you will have no shortage of ideas.

Marisa describes the end of the experience as bittersweet. “I can’t imagine not blogging at night and having my friends say, ‘We need to get you home so you can blog.’ I don’t remember a time before this,” she said.

Since her entire apartment and the hallways are now serving as a makeshift closet for these 288 pieces, Marisa plans to team up with a charity and provide it with either clothes or her proceeds. “This experience has brought me so much happiness, and I want to be able to share that with others,” she explained.

With this project coming to an end, however, Marissa has a new venture that will involve a similar concept. While she is still developing the details, she knows it will involve blogging and fashion because she’s not ready to leave the blogosphere. She reassures all of her loyal followers who are already nervously anticipating the symptoms of blog withdrawal, simply saying, “You haven’t seen the last of me yet.”

Joyce Liu ’14 (joyceliu@college) knows that a little money can go a long way.

If you heard that a fashionable 30-year-old was attempting to create a new outfit every day of the year

with only $1 pieces from thrift stores and garage sales, you might be a bit worried for her mental well-being. And rightfully so. After all, the average expenditure of the bracket of women aged 25 to 34 on apparel was approximately $800 in 2004, and that certainly isn’t enough to provide a girl with a new outfit everyday.

This statistic, however, does not faze Marisa Lynch, who arms herself with a trusty sewing machine and a can-do spirit. The writer of the blog New Dress A Day, Marisa entered the blogging community with a definite goal in mind: 365 new outfits, 365 days, 365 dollars. If you’re thinking that her story sounds like the plot of a movie, you’re right. After getting laid off just weeks before her 30th birthday and in the midst of a self-proclaimed “personal creative-funk-crisis,” Marisa drew inspiration from the movie Julie and Julia.

While she didn’t want to chip away at every recipe in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the idea of working resourcefully with her hands every day appealed to her. She pledged to trade traditional shopping for a year in exchange for making her own garments from disowned pieces at thrift shops. On a meager budget of a dollar a day, Marisa cherished the sense of stability. “I wanted that constant something that I knew would be there at the end of the day when everything else in my life was helter-skelter,” she said.

Using her ingenuity and thrift shop smarts, Marisa has certainly seemed to achieve the stability she was looking for and then some. A typical day for her begins when she wakes up around 7am and does her sewing for the day before heading to her new job at a music company. At night, she returns home to her sewing machine and starts her creation for the next day. Her day’s not

over, however, until she finishes a blog post each night. At 30 years old, Marisa feels like she’s in college again with this project. “I’m still a college student at heart, staying up till three in the morning and waking up at seven,” she explained on the phone while driving to a friend’s birthday party, “and when people ask me how I do it, I ask them ‘Remember those days in college….?’”

She timed the launch of her ambitious project well: it began on her 30th birthday in mid-October. There was nothing that seemed to say happy birthday in a $1 loose-fitting azure smock with an elastic waistband. However, a few snips, tucks, and cuts later, Marisa had turned that vaguely shameful piece of clothing into a fitted cocktail dress that seemed more fitting for a boutique on Madison Avenue than the Jet Rag’s $1 Sunday Sale where she often shops.

R e c e n t l y n a m e d L o s A n g e l e s Magazine’s Tastemaker of the Month for September and featured in a Yahoo! Green article, Marisa’s project has provided her with more recognition than she could have ever imagined. Some of her favorite emails and inquiries come from college and high school girls who say they are inspired by her undertaking. “I remember when I didn’t have a lot of money to spend in college either and was working all of the time,” she recalled.

So what advice does Marisa have for a college student who hopes to save money, while remaining fashion-forward? “You don’t have to be able to sew,” she insisted. One quick and easy way to freshen an old vintage piece is to shorten the length. If something is too big, don’t discard it immediately. With a bit of creativity, safety pins can work perfectly well. Marisa also suggests clothing swap parties for college students, to “shop” your friends’ closets. “Have a girl’s night and bring clothes to swap. There’s going to be a girl who’s dying to have

By JOYCE LIUMaking masterpieces from

muumuus.

If you're thinking that her story sounds like the plot of a movie,

you're right.

Page 9: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

[email protected] 9The Harvard Independent • 09.23.10

indyArts

K eeping up with television can sometimes be a bit of a juggling act: remembering timeslots,

keeping track of premieres, and hoping against hope that there aren’t any scheduling conflicts. So in the midst of this frantic shuffle, it is easy to let a few of the balls drop (if we are to continue the metaphor) and too easy to decide against picking up a new one. It is in this way that truly quality series are often abandoned by the wayside, forced to be content with a small but loyal audience, or at the very least, moderate DVD sales. In order to in some way correct that injustice, I present you with three series that I find lack the audiences they truly deserve.

Castle (Mondays at 10, ABC)Like an introvert at the popular

kids’ lunch table, Castle sits quietly unnoticed among the big hitters of the police procedural world: the CSIs, the Law and Orders and other shows documenting the lives of too-beautiful people solving crime. Its obscurity is unfortunate, given that the show — starring Nathan Fillion (Firefly) as the eponymous writer working with an NYPD detective (played by Stana Katic, Heroes) — possesses a charm often lacking in the formulaic patterns of other series in the genre. Fillion and Katic play off each other with an obvious and genuine chemistry, and the will-they-or-won’t-they state of their relationship — fundamentally the driving force of the show — has thus far avoided seeming contrived or artificial. The leads are supported by a cast of well-developed secondary characters, including Castle’s sensible daughter, a far-cry from the living clichés that teens in adult-centric dramas usually end up being. Running through it all is a truly sharp, witty humor — for example, Castle’s annoyance at the misuse of the concept of irony.

Perhaps the true charm of the show, however, comes from the fact that it is comfortable as what it is, and — unlike the host of other police procedurals — doesn’t take itself too seriously. None of the cases in the show can be deemed realistic, but in actual fact, neither can cases in CSI or Bones; the difference is Castle is willing to recognize this. This is most readily seen in the lead’s ability

to solve cases by thinking about how he would write them; the show readily acknowledges its lack of realism and so makes it a non-issue. Instead, it chooses to support itself through a strong cast and clever writing, and in doing so rises above its louder and flashier peers.

Better Off Ted (sadly cancelled; find it on DVD)

Though nothing can match the wonderful insanity that was Arrested Development, that much lamented show found something of a spiritual successor in Better Off Ted. The office sitcom — centered on Ted (Jay Harrington), the head of R&D at the ambitious and amoral Veridian Dynamics — is a bubbling, stirring stream of off-the-wall situations, sharp dialogue, and a cast of some of the most idiosyncratic characters on television.

The show dives headfirst into the absurd, defying all expectation in its construction of the company’s nonsensical plans and its employees’ reactions (one episode, for example, focused on Veridian’s attempt to pair up its workers by genetic compatibility). That is not to say, however, that the show relies simply on non sequitur in order to create the surprise and confusion that occasionally masquerades as a sense of humor. As with Arrested Development, Better Off Ted finds its humor by first establishing a creative premise and then exploring that premise to its absurd end, working within its own internal consistency.

Above all , the show stands out from the sitcom crowd for its ability to make its comedy appear effortless. Whether it’s through the laugh track, a lingering of the camera, or a theme in the music, we get the sense from most sitcoms that we told when and where to laugh; we are explicitly told what we are supposed to find funny, and we are able to see when a scene is building up to a joke. Better Off Ted’s strength is in the fact that it doesn’t draw that attention to its humor. The scripts are written so economically that viewers are being almost constantly bombarded by visual gags or clever throwaway lines of dialogue, making it a feat to keep up with it all, especially given the often deadpan delivery. What results is a sleek, fast-paced little show, that

— though cut down in its prime — still manages to deliver a concentrated dose of comedy every episode.

Breaking Bad (on hiatus, returning July 2011 on AMC)

It is perhaps not entirely fair to say that this show is under-appreciated: it has been critically acclaimed since its premiere in 2008, and both its lead and main supporting actor received Emmys this year — but it is certainly true that the majority of the viewing public have either never seen or never heard of Breaking Bad, a series that follows a high school chemistry teacher as he enters the world of cooking meth. It is a somewhat alarming premise, but one that is explored thoroughly with equal parts unrelenting drama and absurd humor. The opening shot is clear testament to this: high school teacher Walter (Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle) driving his RV-turned-meth lab, wearing only his underwear (quite reasonably, he does not want his good clothes smelling like illegal drugs). It is a definite turn towards the absurd, to be sure, but as we learn in searing detail of his desperate circumstances — his recent cancer diagnosis, his son’s mental illness — the humor becomes tinged with a painful view of

a man looking for any way to better his situation.

Walter becomes an incredibly nuanced and conflicted character, and in what is perhaps the greatest revelation of the show, Bryan Cranston is phenomenal in the role. Best known as the bumbling dad in Malcolm in the Middle, Cranston throws himself entirely into the part, creating a vivid portrait of a man whose frustrations, desperation, and desires are threatening to burst out of him. Like fellow AMC show Mad Men, Breaking Bad goes beyond the point of simple entertainment.

There are many other shows out there that prove that television is not simply the layperson’s medium, that it can be home to just as many talented writers, actors and directors as any other form. While they may not draw our attention as much as their more popular peers, or reel us in with the promise of scandal or dramatic revelations, they keep humming quietly along, churning out quality fiction week after week. All they need now is an audience.

Marc Shi ’14 (mshi14@college) will be in the audience of as many shows as will have him.

May We Have Your Attention, Please

Three shows that are worthy of your time.By MARC SHI

Page 10: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

10 [email protected] 09.23.10 • The Harvard Independent

SportS

After the players’ strike of 1994 rocked Major League Baseball, Commissioner Bud

Selig knew that something drastic would have to change in order for our national pastime to regain its footing and remain a viable entity. Although baseball would ultimately be saved by the steroid-fueled home run race of 1997, Selig had no way of knowing that would occur. Baseball has a habit of resisting change, and Selig’s idea for a radical realignment and alteration of the MLB playoffs was vehemently protested.

Selig knew that to bring the fans and the health back to baseball, competitive balance needed to be high so that as many teams as possible could continue to draw fans later in the season. With this goal in mind, Selig added a Central Division to each league (in addition to the traditional divisions of East and West) and divided the teams accordingly. This necessitated moving his own family’s franchise, the Milwaukee Brewers, from the American League to the National League — a huge jump, considering the differences in rules and styles of play between the leagues. In addition to the three division leaders being guaranteed a playoff spot, one team from each league could qualify by virtue of having the best record not belonging to a division winner, regardless of division. Thus the wild card playoff spot and the League Divisional Series were born.

I n c r e d i b l y , t h e s t r a t e g y accomplished exactly what it set out to do. Since the incorporation of the wild card, more teams have been involved in heated races late into September, thus rewarding teams for playing hard after a division may

have already been lost as well as rewarding fans for continuing to flow through the turnstiles. Baseball now has a marathon season, spanning six months and 162 games. The month of September represents the kick required to win a tight race.

And so it is at this point again that we find ourselves, in the midst of the homestretch. While three of the divisional races seem all but decided (AL West – Texas Rangers, AL Central – Minnesota Twins, NL Central – Cincinnati Reds), the other races are extremely tight; a single

game could make the difference between a shot at the World Series or watching October baseball on TV. Here’s the breakdown of the current races.

AL EastThe Yankees and Rays have been

undoubtedly the two best teams in baseball this season. As such it comes as no surprise that both will be making the playoffs. What remains to be seen is which team will win the division and subsequently home field advantage, versus playing on the road as the Wild Card. The Yankees currently lead Tampa Bay by one-half games (as New York has played two more games than the Rays and have one more win).

NL EastThis year was to be the swan

song for legendary manager Bobby Cox. Until this last month, that seemed the case, as his Atlanta Braves have been at the head of the National League. Recently, however, the Braves have played extremely poorly on the road. This has come at exactly the wrong time, as their divisional rivals the Philadelphia Phillies are getting healthy and f inally beginning to play to their championship-level potential. At this point, the

Braves have wilted in the face of the scorching hot Phightin’ Phils and stand three games back from the leaders. Fortunately for Atlanta, they lead the NL wild card standings and are thus in control of their own destiny.

NL WestIn recent years, the NL West

has had a reputation as a division ful l o f fantast ic p i tching and extreme parity. Although this parity is sometimes knocked as the manifestation of weakness among its teams, the competitive balance provides for exciting baseball late in the season. There are still three teams very much in the race for the West Division, after it seemed

like the San Diego Padres would run away with the crown. The San Francisco Giants and Colorado Rockies have used a torrid four weeks to make up ground on the swooning Friars . With twelve games left, the Giants lead San Diego by one game, while Colorado is only one and one-half games behind San Francisco.

Despite all of this excitement, many are dissatisfied with the wild card system. There has been an increased clamoring this season among fans and writers of both large ( i . e . Boston) and smal l market teams to reform the playoff system. Boston had — at least until two weeks ago — a legitimate complaint that they should not be penalized for playing in the same division as New York and Tampa Bay; if they had a better record than the rest of the league, they should make the playoffs. This has become a moot point as Boston has cooled off of late, while the Twins and Rangers have hit their stride. Small market teams, on the other hand, no longer feel that they are able to compete with the growing payrolls of teams like Boston and New York every year, and they feel that another playoff spot should also be available as a way to generate more revenue and attract better players. This off-season should be an extremely interesting one, as the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires next December, and all of the plans for the negotiations and changes will be laid out over the next year.

Brett Giblin ’11 (bmgiblin@fas) is often known as the wild card of the Indy.

The Wild CardBud’s Gift to Baseball

By BRETT GIBLIN

"What remains to be seen is which team will win the division and subsequently home field advantage, versus playing on the road as the

wild card."

Page 11: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

[email protected] 11The Harvard Independent • 09.23.10

indySportS

It is the sport of kings, nay, the sport of the gods themselves — or perhaps just the Commonwealth.

The mostly Canadian audience holds its breath as the stone rushes down the ice, turning, spinning; the sweepers furiously propel themselves alongside the rock, waiting for just the right moment to make that stroke of the brush that may change their lives forever. The screams of their teammates die down as the stone glides across the hog line, inching towards its destiny.

A more dramatic, breathtaking sport than curling cannot be imagined. Curling is a game of the mind, requiring devious strategy, quick wit, and really awesome shoes. Recently, however, curling has come under attack from the testosterone-laden world of sports as “super lame” and “pointless.” While my own opinion of these blasphemous comments is that they are laced with jealousy, some people take these comments seriously and abandon curling to the fate of pseudosports like “extreme red light-green light” and “competitive sledding.” I am here to lead those people back to the light.

Curling is the best sport to have emerged from Scotland, being more practical than tossing the caber (the game in which an abnormally muscular guy heaves a giant log into the air) as well as way more interesting than golf.

Curling lasts for ten ends, making the game almost unbearably long, but for a true connoisseur, nothing is better than spending seventy-two straight hours watching people thrust brooms back and forth across the ice as the person at the top of the rink screams incessantly. The skip is the head of the team and usually the most experienced player. One of the most famous skips, of course, is Andrea Schopp, who leads the women’s German Olympic team.

For those who aren’t familiar with Andrea Schopp, she is basically the Brett Favre of curling: she is way too old to still be an Olympic curler, but she just can’t give it up (rumor has it she is thinking of moving to Minnesota to get a brand new start). The point of the game — yes, there is indeed a point in the sport of curling — is to have as many stones as possible end up inside the house (the circular target) and to

use those stones to knock the stones of the other team out of the house. Though mainly used as a fashion statement, the brushes are also used to slow down and aim the stone by changing the texture of the ice beneath or around the stone. There is a team member at the other end of the rink who has a cappuccino and some light pastry while he or she waits for the stone to arrive at the house in order to stop his or her team’s stone from exiting the house and facilitating the exit of the stones of the other team. Essentially, it is an intense performance rife with bloodshed and heartbreak — the opera of sport.

Curlers across Northern Europe and North America have struggled for many years to bring curling to the spotlight, finally achieving success with the admission of curling as a full medal sport in the 1998 Winter Olympics. It is mystifying, however, that curling has not come to be the national pastime of

America, as it is a pure reflection of our country’s greatest values. Curling is a shining model of equality, as even at the most prestigious competitions, a pregnant woman or a senior citizen could participate without question. Honesty is held in very high regard in the sport of curling — probably more so than in America, actually — as the athletes must call themselves out when they have made a mistake. And I can

almost guarantee that none of those athletes has ever lied to a referee. Ever.

Most importantly, curling would make the greatest rags to riches sports movie of all time. Picture this:

A rather indie-looking teenager walks out on to an icy pond to gaze at the grey sky and ponder transcendentalism. Suddenly, she trips over a piece of wood in the middle of the pond. Frustrated, she kicks the wood and it goes sailing off across the pond. It meanders over toward a circular area at the end of the pond, where it stops. She then goes home, learns about curling, and recruits all of her misfit friends to be on her curling team. The weird old man who lives in a shack on the other side of the lake becomes their beloved coach, who teaches them to work together and to be proud of who they are.

Eventually, after about a half an hour of practice, the kids are all adept curlers and want to use the local ice

rink to host a competition. However, the big-shot hockey players won’t let the curlers use the rink, as they are hot and muscular and the curlers are not. After some traditional plot development, the star of the hockey team and our main character fall in love, the small-town curling team makes it to the big leagues, and in the last scene, our precious kids have a gold medal match against the much more experienced Canadians. At the end of all ten ends, the ice is covered in blood, sweat, and maple syrup, but our team makes it out on top, proving to Canada that America will always win at everything.

If this article didn’t convince you that curling is the coolest sport ever played by man, let alone a sport, check out a game sometime. And if you happen to be watching the winter Olympics in 2014, watch the highest podium for a girl with blonde hair, proud vice-skip of the US Curling Team. She’ll be rocking a Harvard track jacket, so the world knows that, like America, Harvard is number one.

Christine Wolfe ’14 (crwolfe@college) prefers Indy kids to indie kids.

Swept Under the Rug

Raising curling awareness.

By CHRISTINE WOLFE

"For a true connoisseur, nothing is better than spending seventy-two straight hours watching people thrust brooms back and forth across the ice as the person at the top of the

rink screams incessantly."

Page 12: Surviving and Thriving at Harvard

captured and shotBy PATRICIA FLORESCU

The Indy: In defiance of gravity since 1969


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