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(02/21/13 5:00am)
It’s a big week for science. The top New York Times headline Monday morning read: “Obama Seeking to Boost the Study of the Human Brain.” Normally, such headlines are relegated to the Science Times, where only people like me will read them. But this story was deemed front page-worthy. It will change our lives in ways we can’t imagine, just as the Human Genome Project did.
The author of the article, John Markoff, reported: “The project, which the administration has been looking to unveil as early as March, will include federal agencies, private foundations and teams of neuroscientists and nanoscientists in a concerted effort to advance the knowledge of the brain’s billions of neurons and gain greater insights into perception, actions and, ultimately, consciousness.” The money — potentially as much as three billion dollars — and government support will be a “game changer.” It could bring together disparate research teams under one banner. It could foster the innovation of new research technologies and strategies. The possibilities are exciting. “One,” Markoff wrote, “is to build a complete model map of brain activity by creating fleets of molecule-size machines to noninvasively act as sensors to measure and store brain activity at the cellular level. The proposal envisions using synthetic DNA as a storage mechanism for brain activity.”
While synthetic DNA as a storage mechanism for information may sound far-fetched and science-fiction, it’s already being done. The European Bioinformatics Institute had managed to store digital information in DNA molecules and more research is being done to perfect the practice and make large scale data storage more practical.
On Jan. 28, the New York Times reported on the Institute’s work: “The amount of data, 739 kilobytes all told, is hardly prodigious by today’s microelectronic storage standards: all 154 of Shakespeare’s sonnets, a scientific paper, a color digital photo of the researchers’ laboratory, a 26-second excerpt from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and a software algorithm. Nor is this the first time digital information has been stored in DNA. But the researchers said their new technique, which includes error-correction software, was a step toward a digital archival storage medium of immense scale. Their goal is a system that will safely store the equivalent of one million CDs in a gram of DNA for 10,000 years.”
It’s been more than a big week. It’s been a big couple of months for science generally, but DNA in particular. A recent study highlighted in the Times on Jan. 16 and 28, “Mouse Study Discovers DNA That Controls Behavior” and “Tracing the Roots of Behavior in DNA” argues that “the architectural feats of animals … offer an opportunity for scientists to tackle the profoundly difficult question of how genes control complicated behavior in animals and humans.” The study, which examined burrow architecture in two types of mice, “[identified] four regions of DNA that play a major role in telling a mouse how long a burrow to dig and whether to add an escape tunnel.”
The fact that specific behaviors can be targeted to a small handful of regions in the genetic code is a significant development because it’s one step away from being able to identify the exact genes that influence behavior. And though understanding the link between behavior and genetics in mice is a far cry from that same understanding in humans, it’s a step towards a very profound understanding of the human experience.
A deeper understanding of genetics, and the human genome in particular, has led to leaps in medical treatments. On Dec. 9, the New York Times published an article about a novel treatment for leukemia that uses a disabled form of HIV to infect T-cells – a type of white blood cell – with a gene that causes the T-cells to attack and kill cancerous cells. The Times wrote: “Researchers say the same approach, reprogramming the patient’s immune system, may also eventually be used against tumors like breast and prostate cancer. To perform the treatment, doctors remove millions of the patient’s T-cells … and insert new genes that enable the T-cells to kill cancer cells. The technique employs a disabled form of H.I.V. because it is very good at carrying genetic material into T-cells. The new genes program the T-cells to attack B-cells, a normal part of the immune system that turns malignant in leukemia. The altered T-cells — called chimeric antigen receptor cells — are then dripped back into the patient’s veins, and if all goes well they multiplyand start destroying the cancer.”
But what’s the moral of this story?
We live in an age that is dominated by science, whether we care to acknowledge its presence or not. The work that’s being done in the fields of genetics, bioinformatics, neuroscience and medicine will, I believe, revolutionize our world in the next two decades. Discoveries in these fields give us as a species, the ability to understand ourselves in a profound way. And, those discoveries are providing us with the tools to drastically change the way we live, oftentimes for the better. But as Einstein noted: “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” We often fall short on the ethical considerations when it comes to any new technology.
The College emblem is engraved with two words: Scientia et Virtus. Knowledge and virtue. And what is science, if not the pursuit of knowledge powered by a driving curiosity about the world? But knowledge without virtue is a dangerous thing. I think it is our duty, as students at Middlebury College, to pursue a deeper understanding of science alongside the Socratic quest to know the nature of virtue, so that we can make the right decision, the logical and ethical decision, around the powerful technologies emerging from modern science. Who knows? Maybe the College’s own hydrogen-powered tractor will be the New York Times’s next front-page science headline.
(01/24/13 12:58am)
Some things I did over winter break: yoga, Catholic mass with my grandmother, an ex-dudefriend. My New Year’s resolution for last year was “be not afraid.” For me, “be not afraid,” meant to shake off my tendency to over-plan and overthink, to take risks and to accept when things don’t go according to plan. So maybe it was more like “be less neurotic.”
But I followed through, sort of. As I did an internal year-in-review on the eve of 2013, I recalled some key moments in the past year when I successfully spoon-fed my Type A personality some spontaneity. One day last summer, while I was sitting in a cupcake shop to escape a rainstorm/eat two cupcakes, I decided to spend the following spring in Istanbul. It was the 11th hour in the study abroad application process. I knew next to nothing about this Eurasian city of 13 million. It happened a couple more times — I took more risks, I made fewer to-do lists. It’s like 2012 was the cultivation of my soul’s secret SoCal-stoner-philosophy and 2013 will see the payoff in the form of 60 percent fewer anxiety attacks during exam week.
Even though this go-with-the-flow state of mind isn’t something that comes naturally to me, it has some powerful results. The most joyful moments of my year coalesced in space and time and always caught me off guard.
On space: At Catholic mass on Christmas Day, I listened to Father Matt giving a homily about “thin places.” A “thin place” is a concept from old Celtic Christian traditions and refers to a holy place on earth that is especially close to God — a place where the veil between heaven and earth is very thin. But thin places, it seems, can appear just about anywhere. It’s more in the feeling than in the name.
On time: Spontaneous encounters with joy were the subject of Zadie Smith’s recent article in the New York Review of Books, a discussion later picked up by Gary Gutting in the New York Times. Aside from the main discussion of the human experience of joy, I noticed the circumstances of Smith’s stories. From her account of a night of wild abandon in a club, to the moment of sheer joy she felt jumping over a wall with her companion, those rare moments shared the breathless, slippery element of surprise. They were all wholly serendipitous.
Which brings me to ex-dudefriend and my impending international flight — two recent exceptions that I met with my old Type A ways. Before I met for coffee with long-time-no-see ex-dudefriend, I bought a new dress. I did girl magic with my hair. I didn’t turn the heat on in the car on the way to the coffee shop so I wouldn’t sweat all over my dress. I played out 15 different scenarios of the afternoon in my head. I thought of interesting things to say. I had fond memories of this person. I carefully crafted plans on how to either preserve or revive the joy I remembered. The reality was much like Zadie Smith’s morning-after reaction to a character from one of her most joyful nights: “There, on your mother’s sofa — in the place of that jester spirit-animal savior person you thought you’d met last night — someone had left a crushingly boring skinny pill head.”
For all my efforts, it wasn’t going to be the beginning of my romantic comedy. The magic didn’t hang around, but that doesn’t mean that it wasn’t fully present the night before. It was a matter of history; it was a time-sensitive kind of joy. I waved goodbye to ex-dudefriend and didn’t look back.
Today, I have a backpack full of 15-digit reservation codes, Ziploc-bagged TSA-approved liquids and an extra pair of underwear in case my checked bags get lost in Switzerland (there is a real probability of this happening). I am apocalyptically prepared. Something will probably go wrong. I will have to take it in stride. As I tiptoe through my list of mosques and churches in one of the oldest cities in the world, maybe I’ll brush cheeks with the divine. Maybe I won’t feel a thing. Thin places cannot be scheduled into an itinerary, and the best-laid plans are usually the least likely to spark joy in your heart. So let go. Be not afraid. I have to go now and learn how to say “I’m lost” in Turkish.
(01/21/13 12:15am)
The Campus Current will be liveblogging "Midd Does the Math" beginning at 7:30 p.m. from Mead Memorial Chapel. The event, which is sponsored by Divest for Our Future, will feature Schumann Distinguished Scholar Bill McKibben. Middlebury is the latest of many stops for McKibben, who traveled around the country on his Do the Math tour throughout the fall of 2012.
"Come join us for a night of education AND fun (in the true spirit of J-term)," Divest for Our Future writes. "We can promise that there will be a LOT of energy!"
The event comes only two days before Tuesday's panel on the College's endowment; the Campus will provide a subsequent liveblog at that event, beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
With Additional Reporting and Photography by KATHRYN DESUTTER and CHARLOTTE GARDINER
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11:40 - For additional coverage and photographs from "Midd Does the Math", MiddBlog's Luke Whelan just posted about the event.
9:48 - Signing off from the Mead Memorial Chapel, but we'll be back on Tuesday evening for what will certainly be an interesting discussion. Additional coverage and analysis will be available in this Thursday's issue. Thanks for reading!
9:46 - After discussing the nature he has witnessed in each state on his Do The Math tour, McKibben stresses that community will be essential in winning this fight at Middlebury. "We will do what needs to happen ... Middlebury will show the rest of the country and the rest of the world a path forward from a very difficult place." This conclusion prompts a standing ovation from a majority of the audience.
9:41 - He continues, "When you come to get arrested, will you wear a necktie or dress?" McKibben wants to make a strong point, and remove the "radical" nature that is associated with the divestment movement. “There is nothing — and I mean nothing — radical in what we’re talking about here."
9:38 - McKibben speaks about the tools of influencing people to change through the political message sent by divestment. “Our goal is to find the other currencies — the currencies of movements, passions, experience, creativity.”
9:36 - McKibben asks students to complete the post cards, which were placed in the pews throughout Mead Chapel prior to the event. The postcards are pre-addressed to the board of trustees, and simply say "DIVEST MIDDLEBURY" on the front.
9:35 - He introduces a final video message from Jason Scores, economics professor at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. “We’re very proud that students have taken the lead to demand this change, and we’re very proud that many faculty are standing with them, too,” says Scores.
9:32 - McKibben asks for a freeze on new fossil fuel investments and to wind down existing fossil fuel investments in five years. "I think Middlebury will provide leadership." He continues, "If you’re going to green your campus you’ve got to green your portfolio."
9:30 - McKibben introduces a video from Desmond Tutu, who speaks about divestment's impact in ending South African apartheid. Tutu mentions the suffering of the African people due to climate change “even though they’ve done nothing to cause the situation.” He says, "Once again we can join together as a world and put on pressure" in solving climate change.
9:28 - "I think it would be a big mistake not to do this," Steyer concludes.
9:27 - McKibben introduces Tom Steyer, a friend and professional investo, to the stage. He speaks about his belief in climate change, and emphasizes its urgency. "We’re going to hit a nonlinear progression where things are going to get much worse, much faster," Steyer states. Steyer admits that he quit his job at the end of 2012 to become a "pain in the ass." He stresses urgency and openness: “It’s about dealing with the issue openly and confronting it. We’re actually going to have to accept the problem. I have been an investor for 30 years – I know that this will be very difficult for the institutions ... and [I know] that they can do it."
9:19 - Elder expresses gratitude to President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz for organizing Tuesday’s panel on the College’s endowment. Audience members snap in agreement. As the program approaches the 1.5 hour mark, some students begin to leave.
9:17 - Elder reflects on flipping through the physical archives of the Campus in the special collections of the Davis Family Library. “In 1978, the College faculty voted to divest from all companies involved in South Africa. And then for 8 years, nothing happened,” says Elder. He speaks about the history of the divestment campaign during the 1980s at the College. Elder describes how members of the group “Students Against Apartheid” met with the Board of Trustees, and finally, they voted to divest from South Africa in July of 1986. (Three months prior, in the Campus' annual April Fools' issue, the headline quipped that the college had divested from the South Africa; perhaps, we'll revisit the idea in this year's April Fools' issue.)
9:12 - McKibben introduces Professor Emeritus John Elder, who states that “nothing could be more important” than the ongoing discussion. McKibben drinks one of the Otter Creek beers used in the analogy described below.
9:10 - We're moving onto what the audience can do: dinvestment. McKibben explains that 'we can't avoid using a certain amount of carbon in the way our society is set up, but it is wrong to profit from it.' He makes a similar statement about assault rifles.
9:07 - McKibben sets up an active analogy between the 2 degrees Celsius limit and the 0.08 limit on Blood Alcohol Content. As students pass bottles of Otter Creek Brewery ale onto the stage, McKibben describes how he could probably drink three or four and still remain below the legal limit. “The problem is that the fossil fuel industry are absolute party animals,” says McKibben. "Even with all this beer ... the fossil fuel industry continues looking for more." Three cases of Keystone Light, with 30 cans in each, are loaded onto the stage. McKibben explains that the fossil fuel industry is analogous to the copious amount of Keystone.
9:04 - McKibben speaks in between words from a video of Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson. The crowd laughs as McKibben pokes fun at Tillerson’s claim that the effects of climate change can be softened if we “move around crop production areas.”
9:01 - "They’ve stifled every rational effort … to put a price on carbon.” McKibben describes BP’s development of the slogan “Beyond Petroleum” and their subsequent decision to sell off the sustainable divisions of the company.
8:59 - McKibben explains that major progress in renewable energy is inhibited by “the basic fact that the fossil fuel industry cheats.” While Middlebury cannot dump its trash in the middle of Rt. 125, the fossil fuel industry can "pour their waste out for free."
8:55 - The good news: "There's plenty we can do ... and it's by no means impossible." McKibben discusses recent improvements in Germany and China as great examples (i.e. solar panels and hot water heaters on top of buildings in Chinese cities). "They have exerted more political will."
8:53 - “I want you to get a sense of who your brothers and sisters are in this fight,” says McKibben. He shows pictures submitted to 350.org from citizens around the globe who have been affected by climate change. One picture shows citizens of Haiti affected by a flood holding a sign stating, “Your actions affect me." Additional photos are available on 350.org's Flickr.
8:49 - Following Klein's film, McKibben introduces another special video from Canadian indigenous activist Clayton Thomas-Muller. He praises Middlebury's efforts, but the video cuts out about midway through.
8:45 - McKibben pays tribute to author and activist Naomi Klein, who is currently working on her movement titled “Idle No More” in Canada. McKibben introduces a video recorded by Klein, a board member of 350.org, filmed specifically for "Midd Does the Math". Klein challenges students to take action: "We need you to provide a strong, coherent message. There is no doubt in my mind that others will follow."
8:40 - McKibben introduces three numbers: 2°C, 565 gigatons of carbon and 2795 gigatons of coal, oil and gas. Do the Math provides explanation: "We can burn less than 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide and stay below 2°C of warming — anything more than that risks catastrophe for life on earth. The only problem? Fossil fuel corporations now have 2,795 gigatons in their reserves, five times the safe amount. And they’re planning to burn it all — unless we rise up to stop them." McKibben continues in saying, "These companies are a road force. They're outlaws against the laws of physics. If they carry out their business plan, the planet tanks."
8:37 - “What we have to talk about tonight is how to keep things from getting totally out of control. All we’re talking about tonight is avoiding calamity — complete calamity.”
8:35 - "You guys are on the front lines ... so let's get to work." McKibben mentions his popular article from Rolling Stone, which gained ten times more likes on Facebook than an article about "hot, ready and legal" Justin Bieber from the same issue. He jokes that it may have been due to his own "soulful stare."
8:33 - McKibben continues by showing photos of community members arrested during the aforementioned protests in Washington D.C. In an adjoining cell block was 72-year-old Gus Speth; McKibben recalls him stating, "I've been in a lot of important positions in this town, but none of them seem as important as the one that I'm in now."
8:28 - “I’m way more nervous than I’ve been … here I am with my neighbors and friends. I’m in a place where I am so deeply hopeful we can maange to get the right thing done, because it’s our community.” He continues, “None of us should have to be here tonight — not on a rational planet.”
8:26 - McKibben takes the stage to large applause.
8:25 - Isham introduces a video from environmental activist Van Jones. He speaks about the history of 350.org, its impact around the world, and the actions taken by the organization to promote awareness of climate change, including the 2011 protests regarding the Keystone Pipeline.
8:21 - Professor of Economics and Chair of the Environmental Science Department Jon Isham comes onto the stage. "How are you Middlebury? Are you ready to do the math?" Isham, who is currently teaching a winter term course titled “Social Entreprenuership in the Liberal Arts,” speaks to the crowd about the complexities of building a world of social justice. “It’s time to carve out our own piece of history,” declares Isham.
8:20 - Neubauer introduces Ellie, a student from the University of Vermont. She speaks to the crowd about the divestment movement at UVM: “We feel responsible to keep the culture at UVM as pure as we can.” After Ellie concludes, Stuart leads the audience in a 'mic-check,' earning loud applause and snaps from the crowd.
8:18 - Greta Neubauer ’14.5 of Divest for Our Future and Molly Stuart ’15.5 of the Dalai Lama Welcoming Committee take the stage. After a moment of silence for the Abenaki people, each student discusses her reason for divestment: Neubauer would like to divest in order to prevent climate change, while Stuart were like to divest in order to stop violence. “Now is the time to take this powerful step,” Neubauer says.
8:13 - May Boeve ’06.5, executive director and co-founder of 350.org, and Phil Aroneanu ’07, U.S. campaign manager and co-founder of 350.org, introduce the event; they tell the story of starting 350.org at the College. “We left a couple things undone — one of them was divesting,” says Aroneau. "Middlebury needs to divest.” Boeve reminds the audience that tonight is the eighth anniversary of the founding of the Sunday Night Group.
8:07 - Musician Max Godfrey '14 has joined Alpenglow on stage. Together, they sing an original song entitled “Susquehana Drill Town,” based on their collective experiences in Cooperstown, N.Y. Cooperstown is located on the Marcellus Shale, a region rich in methane deposits and ripe for hydraulic fracking.
8:00 - Alpenglow thanks the audience and improves their usually lackluster audience banter with a joke from violinist Elori Kramer ’13.5: “We were told if we played here, Bill McKibben would tweet about us.” Will you be tweeting about Alpenglow, @billmckibben?
7:54 - Community members have begun to file into Mead. While the center pews are largely full, plenty of space remains available on the sides and upstairs at the Chapel. Alpenglow’s stripped-down performance has set a calm, reverent mood.
7:47 - As promised, Alpenglow has taken the stage to warm up the crowd for McKibben. This is there second time the band is on stage in as many nights, having performed on Saturday evening as well. The stream of students has slowed; most listen quietly to Alpenglow.
7:36 - Doors have opened and Mead Chapel is slowly filling up. The Chapel is dimly lit with a large sign behind the stage reading 'DIVEST MIDD.' So far only students have been allowed in; community members will be permitted beginning at 7:45.
(01/17/13 2:41am)
Last weekend the track and field athletes traveled to Dartmouth to open up the winter season at the 44th Annual Dartmouth Relays. For many athletes this weekend marked the beginning of a season that will last throughout the spring as they compete for both the indoor and outdoor teams.
While many runners do compete in both indoor and outdoor track and field, the two are definitely not exactly comparable as Brian Holtzman ’14 explains.
“Indoor track is its own kind of animal compared to outdoors,” said Holtzman. “Some of the events are different with off-distances races such as the 500m and 1000m, and the track isn’t as big, so racing is often a more physical. Also, the variety of indoor tracks is a lot larger than in outdoor tracks -- a time run at Boston University and running at University of Vermont mean two completely different things. On the other hand, being inside guarantees ideal conditions, which is one less variable that needs to be considered. Pole vaulters especially love being inside.”
While competing against several Div. I schools such as Boston College, Northeastern and Dartmouth, several Middlebury athletes secured top spots earning points for Middlebury against tough competition.
Holtzman led the team with standout performances breaking a school record in the 60 meter race with a time of 7.13, which earned him a fourth place finish at the meet. The team continued to show its depth as Will Bain also beat the school record finishing just .03 behind Holtzman with a time of 7.16, earning him a seventh place finish.
“My goal going into the meet was to make the final. I achieved that goal, so I was pleased on that front--breaking the school record was just an added bonus,” said Holtzman. “The biggest thing I can take away from the performance is that I now have established a good starting point for the season and need to continue to work to make sure I improve throughout the season.”
In the 4x200 meter relay the Middlebury men also scored points for the school as the team of Kevin Chu ’13, Sam Rives ’15, Andrew Headrick ’16, and Dan Bent ’13 placed third with a time of 1:34.77.
Despite a depth of skill in the 400 meter dash, Fritz Parker ’15 edged out Patrick Rooney ’13 and Louis Cornacchione ’13 but was unable to reach scoring position, placing seventh while his teammates placed eighth and ninth respectively.
Finishing out the running portion of the meet for the men, was the team of Rooney, Cornacchione, Sam Craft ’14 and Parker who earned a third place finish in the 4x400 meter relay in a time of 3:27.77.
The Panther men also had an impressive turnout in the Field Events as Alec Drobac '16 scored for the team with a fifth place finish in the long jump.
The Panther women had an equally impressive meet, as Emily Dodge ’13 kicked off the meet with a fourth place finish in the 60 meter hurdles. Alexandra Morris ’16 continued to score for the team with a fifth place finish in the 400-meter dash with a time of 61.37.
Grace Doering ’13 also added to the team points with a fourth place finish in the high jump, jumping 1.54 meters.
While the meet was successful for the team, Holtzman sees this part of the season as a preview for what is to come in the spring.
“Indoors is really a preview for outdoors,” said Holtzman. “Historically, our team greatly improves between the winter and the spring because the events tailor more to our strengths. We have some big meets coming up against teams across all divisions and then the championships in late February which will culminate in the NCAA. From there we will start to focus on contending for a NESCAC championship in late April.”
The Panther athletes will continue their season this Friday Jan. 18 at UVM.
(12/05/12 11:43pm)
Spectators were treated to an entertaining blend of diversity, innovation, and beauty on the opening night of this year’s Fall Dance Concert, “Mosaics from the Underground.” Directed by Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Catherine Cabeen, the performance presented the collaborative choreography of 11 individual dancers that explored a range of personal interests and social issues through body movement. An eclectic selection of contemporary, classical and popular music styles along with a lighting design that enhanced the dancer’s body lines and presence accompanied the performance, appealing to the visual and auditory senses, making for an outstanding demonstration of the choreographers’ skill and dedication to the art.
The performance kicked off with a piece entitled “Moon Country”, choreographed by Doug LeCours ’15, which drew upon modernistic literature as a source for inspiration. Upbeat, electronic music contrasted with subtle lighting and simple costume design, adding emphasis to the uncalculated yet elegant movements of the dancers.
Next followed Otto Pierce’s ’13.5 “Brutal Perfection and Other Plays On…” which brought the fashion runway onto the stage. With an eerie musical combination of dubstep and sounds by composer Helmut Lachenmann mixed by the choreographer himself, the dancers began by emulating a runway walk, ever so often stopping to adjust the other dancer’s body position.
“Burst,” choreographed by Annie Powers ’15, changed the pace of the show by including a classical number by Gustav Mahler which added to the work’s seamless synergy and the graceful movement of the two dancers.
Senior Lecturer in Dance Penny Campbell choreographed one of the evening’s highlights: the Newcomers’ Piece entitled “The Secrets Life of Starbursts,” performed by four newcomers to the dance company. While I believe that nervousness made their initial moves a bit uncertain, as the dance progressed, the girls gained confidence, ending on a spectacular note.
“This is What I Look Like From the Front,” choreographed by Addie Cleveland ’13.5 in collaboration with the dancers, introduced the usage of props. While standing upon a pedestal, Cleveland enacted the role of a “puppet master,” dictating movements and animating the dancers.
In Amy Donahue’s ’13.5 “Deleted Scenes,” blinking lights and elegant costume design, accompanied by frightening sounds from Psycho, A Suite for Strings, made for a feeling reminiscent of a horror film. Numerous scenes, shown in quick succession, were performed in a manner similar to the clips of a movie.
“Oppenheim Reflex” was choreographed and performed by Hannah Pierce ’13. It was the only solo performance of the night, and was accompanied by a song that was written, recorded and performed by Richard Chen ’13. The music served as a powerful backdrop for the emotionally charged performance.
Next, the pace picked up again with a selection entitled “fem” choreographed by Davis Anderson ’13. Through the upbeat and courageous sounds of Masters at Work, the dancers began by expressing femininity through a series of poses. As the dance progressed, however, two of the dancers fitted one of the dancers into a corset, alluding to the perceived expectations of how a woman should be.
In Sarae Snyder’s ’15 “Through Vertical,” a dance that drew its initial inspiration from surrealism, the audience’s attention was first drawn to the monotonous movement of two dancers, marching in opposite directions as if to create a rectangle. As the pace of the music increased, the dancers broke away from their uniform movement, their movements becoming more frantic but creating an unexpectedly beautiful harmony between both dancers.
Jessica Lee’s ’13 “Maps of Home” conveyed the sounds and emotions of nature through a compilation of nature sounds that Lee arranged herself. The soft lighting and simple costume design only served to enhance the scenery, adding to the performance as the trio of dancers reflected the feeling of being surrounded by nature.
While one may expect the performance would die down towards the end, the dancers did not disappoint with a highly charged number entitled “GTG: Thanks for Listening,” choreographed by Cameron McKinney ’14. Through the usage of a projector, McKinney captivated the visual and auditory senses, ending the entire performance on a high note.
To me, Friday night’s performance confirmed the enigmatic quality of modern dance. It was hard to keep my eyes off of each dancer, and while I sought to find meaning in each movement, title, song selection or lighting effect, I often found myself at a loss for words. Nevertheless, one thing was sure: even though each performance’s theme may not be blatantly obvious, by the end of the performance, each and every one of them had gotten their point across.
As one would expect, by impressing the audience with their outstanding performance, the Department of Dance received a rightfully earned standing ovation.
(12/05/12 11:40pm)
5) Gravity Rush
The Playstation Vita (PSV) is Sony’s newest handheld and the successor to the Playstation Portable. It is an incredibly powerful piece of hardware that gives a very close simulation to home console-quality games on the go. However, the PSV has started out somewhat weak due to an expensive price tag and even pricier proprietary memory cards. But luckily it has not been held back by a lack of quality games. Gravity Rush is one of those games. Gravity Rush tells the story of Kat, a girl in a strange city in the sky who discovers she has the super power of controlling her personal field of gravity (and anything else close to her). This is directly tied into the gameplay as the player can change the direction of Kat’s gravity with a few simple button presses. With her powers, Kat can fly, walk on walls, walk upside down and even pick things up to throw them at enemies. Along the way Kat meets various other citizens that help her out on her quest to discovering who she is as well as the mysterious creatures that seem to be attacking her fair city. Kat also partakes in other random challenges scattered throughout the game.
Gravity Rush’s biggest strength is Kat herself. She is a female protagonist, and while she has some questionable outfit choices (besides her super-heroine outfit, you have some awkward choices such as a school uniform, a maid uniform and a slick secret agent suit), she’s a legitimately kind-hearted individual who only wishes to do good and feels the pain of those she tries to protect when collateral damage becomes an issue. However, I feel that sometimes she is almost too nice, almost to a fault, and is often manipulated because of it. With a great plot, fun characters and great gameplay, it’s a shame that Gravity Rush can only be enjoyed by those who shelled the hard-earned cash for the PSV.
4) Mass Effect 3
The conclusion to BioWare’s trilogy of space role-playing games finally comes to a close in the third installment. Every major decision you have made since Mass Effect 1 will have some sort of repercussion in the third game. The Reapers, a Lovecraftian army of sentinent robots based on eliminating all organic life have made it to Earth. As Commander Shepard, your last mission is to collect allies from all across the galaxy to push the Reapers back once and for all. Mass Effect 3 gives you a significantly smaller squad than the other games, consisting of characters both old and new. Everyone you knew and loved (assuming they are still alive in your playthrough) make at least one important cameo and significantly facilitate things. The strange thing about this game is that it is nearly flawless, as the story is littered with heart wrenching plot developments and fascinating interactions between all the side characters, something that has always been the Mass Effect series’ greatest strength, in my opinion. In this third game you will mostly be fighting the various forms of the Reapers, as they harvest corpses of other species and rework them to their own needs — basically, space zombies with powers and/or guns. But you will also be facing your allies from the second game, Cerberus, the human-interest group bent on exerting humans’ rule over every other species. Mass Effect’s third person combat was tight but as soon as things got close, things got incredibly awkward if you weren’t playing a combat-specific class such as the soldier or vanguard. Mass Effect 3’s other biggest fault was its ending, as the Reaper’s motivations are explained and a final decision is presented in front of you. One can’t help to shake that following this seven year trilogy was, in the end, really all for nothing. It just created a feeling of emptiness inside. But despite that, Mass Effect 3 is an authentic gaming experience with an incredible cast of diverse and interesting characters who go through some tangible growth. Long after the game is finished, one will never forget the likes of Tali, Mordin, Wrex and any other of Shepard’s lovable bunch.
3) Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2 is the sequel to the first game, Borderlands. While the first game introduced a lot of novel ideas, such as a role-playing style of character progression, stat-based weapon and shield systems, as well as scaling enemies in what was essentially a twitch shooter, the game was often boring, and offered very little in terms of plot and replay-ability. Borderlands 2 is on this list because the sequel directly addressed every single one of the complaints of the first game and remedies them in an incredible way. Borderlands 2 introduces a fascinating new villain, Handsome Jack. While sly and treacherous on the outside, Handsome Jack slowly reveals himself to be an understanding, almost tragic character. As you play the game, Jack will often come over your radio to mock you and generally undermine your attempts at surviving Pandora’s plethora of horrible things waiting to kill you. Bandits, pirates, soldiers, robots and animals of all sorts are just waiting to take you down. But luckily, you don’t have to go alone. The multiplayer of Borderlands 2 has significantly improved as the game runs much more smoothly thanks to a much more stable netcode. Its RPG elements remained in tact as Borderlands 2 introduces five new classes of characters , each with three unique branches. While that doesn’t sound like much on paper, there really are differences in the character builds. My friend and I were both playing the Siren, but he had built his in a way that was much more support-oriented — he would often be healing everyone else while usually providing cover fire. My character was built to inflict the various types of status ailments that exist in the game. While I was busy lighting enemies on fire (or acid, or electricity), my friend was keeping tabs on our health making sure none of us would die suddenly.
The game is made for some great fun with plenty of interesting and challenging side quests to take up once the story is over. The only major problem I see with Borderlands 2 was the time it was released, with Halo 4 and the new Call of Duty releasing shortly after, I’m afraid it didn’t have much of a lifespan. Speaking of Halo…
2) Halo 4
Yet another first person shooter makes the list. The only game on this list that I chose not based on plot or characters, Halo 4 is fun, and perfectly encapsulates that primal urge to just shoot things. Lots of doubts were had during the time that Halo 4 was developed because newcomers 343 Stdios were taking the helm of Bungie’s legendary franchise, and they nailed it. Halo 4 throws you back in the seat of Master Chief, doing something or other. The only thing that really stood out to me in the campaign were the new enemies, the Forerunners, who were an incredible breath of fresh air. After six or so games it was boring to just see the same mix-and-match stylings of just a few enemy types.
The game’s true strength lies in its easy-to-learn, difficult-to-master multiplayer. The large variation of maps, game modes and cosmetic customization options always keep the game fresh. It’s also one of those rare modern games that has also included split-screen multiplayer as well as online, so everyone has some method of actually playing the game. While I was at first hesitant as the multiplayer followed the Call of Duty model of receiving item drops after a certain number of kills, it strangely works better than Halo’s old model of having a specific set of weapons in specific places on specific maps. It keeps the game more random, and in many ways, much more dangerous. Halo 4 is a game that my Xbox will be chewing on for a very long time and easily the best value for your money in terms of replay-ability on this list.
1) Virtue's Last Reward
Virtue’s Last Reward (VLR) is a direct sequel to the Nintendo DS game 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors (999). When it was first released, 999 was my favorite game of 2010, and it continues to be one of my favorite games of all time. When I heard that it had sold well enough to consider bringing the sequel overseas, I was quite excited. But after all the twists and turns the first game brought about, including a final plot twist that would make M Night Shamalyan blush, how was there anyway that VLR could surpass it? But as it turns out, my expectations were passed yet again. VLR places you in the role of Sigma, a college student who is abducted from the local library on Christmas and wakes up to find himself in a room with a mysterious white-haired girl named Phi. Just like in the last game, you and eight other strangers are forced to play the Nonary game, but this one is focused in the idea of the “prisoner’s dilemma.” The game consists of two major portions: novel and escape. The novel sections are just that — novels. These are the sections that move the plot along. There’s a lot of text and reading, so if words are not your thing, stay away. When you’re not reading, you will be presented with the escape rooms: rooms filled with puzzles with the end goal to find the key and escape the room. Just like the last game these puzzles range from “fun” to “oh God, what?” levels of difficulty. But there’s nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction when you open that final safe on your own without the use of any guides or help. Another thing about this game is that there are 24 different endings. You don’t have to start from the beginning every time, since there’s a handy flow chart in the game that allows you to jump to any section of the game that you want. You can also skip over text you’ve already seen, and the skip function is designed in such a way that it will not let you accidentally skip text you have not seen yet. Genius!
The various characters you meet are all fascinating and delightful to talk to, such as the interestingly-dressed secret agent Alice, the armor-wielding amnesiac K and the circus leader Dio. The character that steals the show, in my opinion, is Zero Jr., an AI who takes the shape of a rabbit and often taunts you and the other participants of the Nonary game. While playing 999 is not necessary to enjoy VLR, you will be missing out on a lot of important plot details that had a major impact on me, only because I had the context of the previous game to guide my judgment of what was going on. Kurt Vonnegut, theories of quantum physics, math and astronomy are just an example of the various topics the game presents within its story. This is something that will keep you gripped until the very end. I know I’ve lost some sleep over it. The only disappointment is that the game leaves you with yet another cliff hanger, but that can only mean one thing: the third installment is imminent.
VLR, with its fascinating plot, great twists and truly devious puzzles is a game that further shows games as a medium of story telling. When I finished the game I had to lie down for a bit to just take in everything that had just happened. Any game that can give me that kind of emotional response is something special in my book, and I highly recommend that, if you can, you give the game a chance. Virtue’s Last Reward is my game of the year.
(12/05/12 11:01pm)
The College has been identified as one of 15 Colleges Fighting World Hunger by Best College Online, a website that ranks colleges and universities in various categories. The ranking highlights Bumu, or Bug Munch, a company founded by Alex Bea ’12 that produces energy bars made from crickets.
Since its founding a year ago, Bea’s company has evolved to become Jiminy, an energy bar company that funds cricket farming systems that empower mothers to provide themselves and their children with much-needed iron and protein. The bars themselves are made out of crushed cricket powder, as well as a combination of chocolate, peanut butter and honey.
Bea first got the idea for his company last winter in his MiddCORE class. MiddCORE requires each student participant to pitch “the next big idea” in a competition that is the culmination of the month-long winter term course. While trying to come up with a “big idea,” Bea asked his friends for help.
“The most interesting thing I heard back was from my friend Max [Bacharach ’13.5],” said Bea. “He told me that grasshoppers are super high in protein. So I went back to my dorm room that night and sat on my bed and thought, ‘Why don’t we just farm them, if they’re high in protein?’”
Since last January, the company has expanded. In addition to Bea, its members now include Bacharach, Sebastian Schell ’14.5 and Bjorn Peterson ’15.5. Bacharach is in charge of developing the cricket farm, Schell has been working to perfect the recipe and Peterson manages the brand and oversees advertising.
The company continues to attract attention for its efforts to solve global malnutrition and hunger. Last spring the company placed in the Top 40 in the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, a global social entrepreneurship competition with over 1,700 entries. The team subsequently was awarded a $3,000 grant by the Middlebury Center for Social Entrepreneurship, one of five grant recipients among 22 applicants.
“Above all, we are looking for things that are scale-able and applicable,” said Professor of Economics and Director of Center for Social Entrepreneurship Jon Isham of the criteria used in selecting grant recipients. “The world needs sources of protein, so that’s what we all liked. Protein is important, we need inexpensive protein and this is a source that is proven and with a little help can taste pretty good.”
While eating bugs may seem unconventional — if not unappetizing — to some Americans, the Jiminy team is doing its best to overcome what the team refers to as a “stigma” against eating insects.
“Crickets make sense,” said Bea of his main ingredient. “I’m a math and economics major, it’s sort of like a math equation — well, it’s a lot more than that — but when you’re solving a problem, you have to say, ‘What’s another way to write this?’ You just have to separate yourself from the idea of ‘it’s a bug.’
“There are many different ways to look at this problem, and this solution made sense nutritionally and supply-wise,” he added.
Marketing a cricket-based energy bar to American consumers has had its challenges, but the team seems confident of their abilities to overcome that setback.
“Marketing this bar is incredibly challenging,” acknowledged Peterson, who is in charge of the bar’s design, marketing and brand management.
“The trick is getting people to cross this line,” he added. “But it’s a line that’s been crossed before with food products. We eat Jell-O, which is made from horse feet. We eat hot dogs, and who knows what animal or combination of animals is in those. So why not crickets?”
(11/29/12 3:23am)
Vermont farmers have a lot at stake in the drafting of the 2012 Farm Bill, which is expected to include a record number of budget cuts due to the current state of the economy. The farm bill, which is renewed every five years, has been a recurring entity in legislation since the years of the Great Depression, when growers of commodity crops first began receiving subsidies.
Vermont dairy farmers are struggling as a result of the record drought last summer, among other factors. Though grain belt farmers were directly impacted by the drought, the cost burden was passed on to dairy farmers, who are forced to pay a higher price for grain in order to feed their animals. Now these same farmers face the risk of losing the Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) safety net they have depended on for years.
This past September when the 2008 Farm Bill expired, dairy policy leaders in the Senate and House pushed for an interim budget plan to serve as a temporary safety net until the new Farm Bill passed. This initiative at the national level was led by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), as well as Representative Peter Welch (D-VT). However, they were unable to divert attention from other priorities in Congress and as a result, commodity farmers dependent on the federal government for subsidies now find themselves in limbo.
Many in Congress agree that it is unfair to put farmers’ lives on hold and continue to push for action.
“The farmers already confront enough uncertainty running their businesses. When we let farm programs expire without enacting a new farm bill, it needlessly compounds that uncertainty and it is irresponsible,” argued Leahy in a speech this month on the Senate floor. He pointed out that both farmers and underprivileged urban classes are suffering as a result of this delay, which has also put funding for federal nutrition and food stamps programs on hold.
“Vermonters, like tens of millions of people across the country, depend upon these programs [when] they are struggling to put enough food on their table during these very tough economic times,” Leahy added.
Now that the 2008 Farm Bill (officially called the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008) has expired, Congress is still unable to agree on a final 2012 bill, which will be called the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2012. This $500 billion farm bill is currently deadlocked in Congress during the post-election lame duck session.
“The challenge for the current farm bill is that many conservative Republican members in the House want to see federal government spending cut substantially, which means cuts to programs and interests,” pointed out Stafford Professor of Public Policy, Political Science and Environmental Studies Chris Klyza.
“This influences the political dynamics — a representative from urban Philadelphia may have voted for the Farm Bill in the past because of food aid for her constituents. If that aid is cut, why should she vote for drought aid for western ranchers?” Klyza proposed.
Many conservatives in Congress are pressing for budget cuts all around. The Democrat-led Senate passed their version of the bill in June, proposing budget cuts of around $35 billion over the next 10 years. While this proposal was enough to appease Senate Republicans wary of government spending, the Republican-led House has still been unable to reach a compromise. Up until early this month, representatives had the excuse of being distracted by campaigns for reelection, but now the only remaining obstacle is gridlock.
Gridlock usually refers to clashing partisan interests, but in the farm bill debate it is actually regional interests that are preventing compromise. The recurring farm bill debate is unusual in that it actually transcends political party divisions.
Democrats and Republicans alike from districts with agriculturally-dependent economies tend to push equally for generous subsidies. Similarly, other conservatives find a common goal with liberals involved in the local foods movement: to eliminate excessive subsidies for wealthy farmers who don’t actually need them. Back in 2008, President George W. Bush vetoed the Farm Bill for benefiting overly wealthy farmers, as it guaranteed aid to farmers with a gross income of up to $750,000. The overwhelmingly Democratic Congress overrode his veto.
Some point out that there is an incredible amount of antiquated logic embedded in the farm bill. Josh Slotnick, farmer and professor at the University of Montana who lectured at the College earlier this week, pointed out the injustice in our food system.
“If you want to sell your bike on Craigslist, you are the one who sets the price,” said Slotnick. “For growers of commodity crops, they don’t have that privilege. The buyer sets the price. You’re dealing with a whole different realm.”
Gradual cutback of subsidies would work in the favor of commodity farmers in the long run, gradually giving them more autonomy and stability over their incomes. Budget cuts would benefit smaller farmers by putting them on a more level playing field with large-scale conventional farmers of commodity crops.
In recent years, concerns over the impact of dwindling natural resources and increasing demand due to rising population have pushed conservation issues into consideration under the Farm Bill. Support for local, sustainably grown food was also growing; although the 2008 financial crisis has dampened this support.
Native Vermonter Hillary Chutter-Ames ’13 emphasizes how farms are “the key to maintaining a sustainable local food system and building strong communities.” According to Chutter-Ames, they are “a vital part of the social and economic fabric of Vermont.”
With the uncertainty of the upcoming bill, this social and economic fabric — and farmers’ livelihoods — remain at stake.
(11/14/12 10:11pm)
Green Mountain College Slaughters Beloved Ox (Vermont Public Radio)
Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vt. euthanized its retired farm ox Lou on Sunday, explaining that the 11-year-old ox’s hind leg injury was worsening and was expected to continue to deteriorate during the harsh winter. The school announced plans to turn the body into beef products that will be served in the college dining hall.
Lou and another ox, Bill, were retired from the college’s farm this summer. Green Mountain College has a long-standing tradition of utilizing livestock in the dining halls in keep with the school’s emphasis on sustainable agriculture. The plans for Lou’s remains, however, were met with opposition for animal rights activists who wanted Lou to be spared and sent to a sanctuary.
Bill the ox will continue to live at the college.
NYU Library Suffers Storm Damage from Sandy (The Chronicle of Higher Education)
On Oct. 30, Hurricane Sandy drew up a 14-foot surge of water from the East River into the Ehram Medical Library at New York University.
The storm ruined most of the library’s on-site print collections, study spaces and work areas. Access to electronic resources and services was also wiped out by the storm, and the staff has been working overtime from a remote location to retore online operations.
Paula De Stefano, head of the university's preservation and conservation department, described the foroce of the water as “tremendous.”
"Furniture was moved, metal was twisted,” said De Stefano. “It was really pretty amazing."
Jason Kucsma, executive director of the Metropolitan New York Library Council, a nonprofit membership group representing more than 250 New York libraries, said that Sandy forced the group to craft and implement disaster-recovery plans.
“It’s a stark reminder [of] how vulnerable our infrastructure is,” said Kucsma.
(11/07/12 11:33pm)
Both the neuroscience and biology departments are looking to add faculty members to start in the fall of 2013. The two departments are working together to find a single candidate to fill positions in both departments. The biology department is looking for a candidate independently who will fill the position previously held by Philip Battell/Sarah Stewart Professor of Biology Andrea Lloyd who was recently promoted to Dean of Faculty, as well as another biology professor. The neuroscience department is also looking for a third candidate jointed with the psychology department. All three positions are tenure-track positions.
Much of the specific information on the types of candidates the departments are looking for is not available to the public yet. The joint biology and neuroscience candidate will teach classes in cell biology and animal physiology and will establish a research program with an invertebrate animal system in which students may do research. The joint neuroscience and psychology candidate will teach classes in physiological psychology and will be expected to maintain an active research program with either humans or animals.
While the biology department is seeking to fill an opening created by Lloyd’s promotion, the need for new neuroscience faculty is largely due to an increase in students entering the major.
“There has been a lot of competition for neuroscience courses, especially the physiological psych classes,” said Chris Batson ’13, a senior representative of the neuroscience Student Advisory Council (SAC). “In these courses, you have not only neuroscience students, but psych and bio students too, and the classes become very hard to get into.”
As a senior representative of the SAC, Batson attends all of the neuroscience faculty meetings and helps to review the syllabi for new courses. During the hiring process of these new faculty members, Batson and other members of the SAC will help the department review each candidate’s application. After the candidates are called in to present a mock seminar and lecture, they are taken to lunch with the SAC representatives.
“This not only allows us to get to know the candidates better, but it’s also a chance for them to get to know the type of students who attend Middlebury and see if it will be a good fit from both sides,” Batson said.
The interview process for all three positions is currently underway. The candidates will be brought in to give mock seminars and lectures open to all students in the coming weeks.
(10/31/12 9:11pm)
A few weeks ago, I sat in front of my laptop and filled out the application form for the mini-MAlt trip in a somewhat careless fashion. I never even looked over my responses to any of the questions, which is something that I rarely do. What this reveals about my mindset at that time is that I wasn’t at all desperate to go.
Well, I really should have known better.
Over the recent fall break weekend, I stayed at the Merck Farmland and Forest Center in Rupert, Vt. with a group of about a dozen people. At first, sure, I was excited about going on a trip and taking a break from the rather hectic lifestyle at Middlebury, but, to be plain, I wasn’t as thrilled as I could have been.
On the afternoon of our arrival, we had a tour of the animal farm. We met the various members of the farm — the lamb, the two work-horses, a few piglets and a lot of chickens. I learned about the importance of foresight in organic farming from a worker on the farm who told us that they fenced their sheep off at the boundary of the forest. If they didn’t, the sheep would graze on the grass and deposit their natural “fertilizer” in the forests where they spend time resting and hiding away from the sunshine. In that way, the pastures wouldn’t receive this natural fertilization from the sheep, and the farm would have to spend extra money to fertilize the land. This is just one example that demonstrated the importance of modern farm ingenuity.
The following day, we got up bright and early to assist the trail maintenance manager. He introduced us to the various kinds of tools, and reminded us that he valued quality over total distance covered. With that in mind, we set off to clear a section (about two miles) of the 38 mile trail in the area. The section that we worked on that morning and afternoon had not been maintained for more than three years, so we all had a lot of work to do.
My favorite tool was the multi-purpose pull-saw, which was used to saw through relatively thick tree trunks and snap off thin branches that were sticking out into the trail. Since it was my first time clearing a trail for hikers, I felt very accomplished at the end of the day. It was great to know that my actions would benefit someone who enjoys nature as much as I do.
After a whole day of work and a great group photo, we set off on a long hike back to our cabin. We made pasta for the night, and we even cooked all the carrots that I picked from Middlebury’s Organic Farm. After some s’mores, a cup of hot chocolate and a cup of lemonade, I sat beside the fire with some newly-made friends and listened to their weird dreams and ghost stories.
Isn’t telling ghost stories the most appropriate thing to do when one is sitting around a fire and can see nothing else other than what is illuminated by the fire?
As I sat beside the bonfire, I reflected on how much I cherished this “personal time” with nature. After all, shouldn’t time off from school be a break from schoolwork? From the usual lifestyle that underlies our daily lives?
As I sat around the fire with the rest of my group making s’mores, I admired the starry night sky and appreciated the sound of the running stream 10 meters away. I closed my eyes, and took in all the flavors in nature: the slightly choking smell of smoke, the sweetness of the damp air and the comforting taste of the surrounding woods and the fallen leaves on the ground. At that moment, I knew what I had been craving since the last time I enjoyed a relaxing time in what some would call the “wilderness.”
I slept soundly that night beside the fireplace. The next morning, we left the cabin after enjoying some pancakes cooked by our leader from Bhutan. On the farm, we worked for three hours tidying up the electric wires that were not in use anymore.
Soon enough, I realized how great an impact a volunteer can have on the operation of a farm. It was clear to me that the farm was understaffed, and they seemed grateful to receive external help.
While helping out on the farm is important, a positive attitude about the environment and the desire to transmit this passion to future generations is even more important. I see this as a mutually beneficial process — I learn about the techniques that are useful on a farm, and the farm gets extra help from outside which reduces their workload.
Unlike many city-dwellers, I have always had a strong yearning to be in touch with nature. During those two days on the mini-MAlt trip, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at any moment, even though there were no taps around from which drinkable water could flow, or clean toilet seats that I could sit on.
Today, technology is said to be able to breach the distance between people. On many levels, that is true. What many people don’t realize, however, is that nature is the most peaceful and joyous environment.
When I fail to venture out of my comfortable and convenient modern lifestyle, I feel a certain unfulfillment that I associate with lack of control over my modern, materialistic lifestyle.
As my trail maintenance guide told me, recognizing that everything a person needs to survive can fit in a backpack is the best way to understand that a materialistic life is limited.
When was the last time that you packed everything you need in life into your backpack?
Written by ADRIAN LEONG ’16
(10/31/12 7:19pm)
Humans have a natural attraction to disaster. Often traffic gets bad after a car accident not because the accident didn’t get moved to the side quickly enough, but because we can’t look away. We often stare at dead animals in the road not because we want to, but because there’s a certain fascination that makes us. There’s something comforting about events that are out of our immediate control that makes us want to watch them unfold.
Hurricane Sandy is no different. I find myself addicted to the New York Times website, constantly clicking the refresh button to see if I can find out more about what seems to be impending disaster. I’m reminded of Hollywood movies about perfect storms, like The Day After Tomorrow, and feel the excitement of being at the precipice of something big about to happen, yet I also feel guilty for my fascination.
Students on campus almost mocked this impending natural disaster. MiddBlog tweeted expressing concern about the kitty that hangs out around Proctor; a student impersonated “Sandy” on the college radio station. We’re obsessed with what might be the biggest natural disaster to hit the United States in decades, yet we’re not even taking it seriously.
This isn’t to say that I’m advocating dropping everything and running to shelter either, but when talking about a storm that might cause irreparable damage to some of our nation’s most prized cities I find myself surprised that no one is talking about the possible consequences of the storm.
All emails sent out by the administration so far regarding the hurricane have a serious, foreboding, even cautionary tone. As college students, though, we’re invincible. Not only are we invincible, we’re not responsible.
We don’t own homes that may or may not have natural disaster insurance. We’re not moving our lawn furniture so it doesn’t come crashing through our windows, nor are we stocking up on disaster supplies like emergency food, matches or water. We live under the assumption that the College will take care of it for us.
Not that this assumption is inherently bad, because it’s not. It just might be a bit ignorant. The problems this storm poses for the world beyond Middlebury College are severe. It can be hard to sympathize with a situation we have no tangible stake in, yet isn’t that what we’re being taught to do as students seeking a liberal arts education?
There’s a dichotomy in our reaction to Hurricane Sandy. While we learn to be active global citizens and take on important social issues as our own, we also neglect to take seriously the safety of our fellow American citizens. Hundreds of thousands of people in the Northeast currently face flooding, house damage and major transportation issues, yet our sympathy will only be felt retroactively.
There’s a lot of talk about Hurricane Irene of last year and debates about whether Irene was predicted to hit or not to hit Vermont. Yet, history precedes us.
I think that it’s irrelevant whether or not Irene was predicted to hit Vermont. It did. It caused millions of dollars of damage to roads and property in Vermont. The College made great efforts to raise money for the relief efforts, helping Vermont rebuild post-storm.
Hurricane Sandy is unpredictable, yet its wrath is imminent for many parts of this country. Dialogue is not the problem; students are talking about the storm. The problem is our ignorance toward a disaster that is out of our control. We can stop medical malpractice in Africa; it’s a tangible goal. We can’t stop nature. A storm swirls toward the Atlantic seaboard, and there’s little we can do but watch.
In the case of natural disasters that are completely out of our control, the question remains, how can we help?
(10/25/12 5:11pm)
On Friday, Oct. 22, Wyatt Cenac, with his opening act Jermaine Fowler, came to the McCullough Social Space to bring laughter to those within, a goal they completed gloriously.
Cenac is well known for his reoccurring role as a correspondent on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show,” as well as pat work as a writer and story editor for Mike Judge’s animated satirical sitcom “King of the Hill.” When Cenac isn’t helping protagonist Hank Hill sell propane (or propane accessories) he also acts in dramas such as Medicine for Melancholy, provides voice talent for Nickelodeon’s “Fanboy” and “Chum Chum” and has performed with nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot.
Fowler is a New York-based stand-up comedian who has been recognized as one of the 50 funniest men by the New York Post, where he stood in rank with individuals such as Jay Leno and David Letterman.
Fowler is currently acting in SyFy’s new show, “Insane or Inspired,” Adult Swim’s “The Eric Andre Show” and the pilot for the reboot of “Living Color.”
Fowler was the first to take the stage. The first thing I noticed about Fowler was his silly stage presence, something that made him seem at ease in front of the many eyes of the students. Fowler immediately began his act through some crowd work, a type of stand up comedy where one takes material from the audience and crafts it into, ideally, something funny.
Like most comedians who come to visit the College, Fowler was most interested in the fact that we play Quidditch, and the implication that we run around on brooms. He then began to playfully mock one of the audience members, a self-proclaimed snitch. His mocking was never hurtful or offensive. Fowler merely showed a legitimate interest in what we do and who we are as a student body.
Fowler then transitioned into a skit about various happenings in New York and his past job at a Quiznos. Fowler proved here that he is an incredible story teller as he recalled the time he and a co-worker once convinced his boss that the KKK had broken into their sandwich store and had stolen all the processed meat.
What I found particularly interesting about Fowler is his complete disregard for political correctness, which I found completely refreshing, especially here at the College, a place where I feel political correctness runs rampant. But, that being said, Fowler also didn’t go out of his way to offend people either. Instead, Fowler was very honest in his observations and opinions, some of which could have been interpreted as offensive but that was clearly not Fowler’s only objective. Fowler successfully warmed up the audience for Cenacs arrival.
Cenac then took the stage, his hair bigger in size than one who regularly watches him on “The Daily Show” may be used to.
Cenac, contrary to Fowler, had lower energy overall but maintained a strong stage presence throughout.
He began his performance by talking about the drive to Middlebury, something he considered very romantic but not something for platonic co-workers.
As Cenac spoke, I realized that his speech patterns matched his energy; it was slower and lower than Fowler. But that doesn’t mean he was any less funny.
Cenac began his real routine about he and his friends during their time at the Catholic all-boys high school they attended and how they would frequently enter “snap” competitions.
A snap competition is basically a battle of “your mother” jokes, and Cenac, despite being a comedian, was not very good at these. This routine culminated into a joke about Darfur, which, while I found it hilarious, others were not terribly impressed.
Cenac explored various topics, including the various ideas he would tweet, if he had a Twitter.
While his musings ranged from the mundane to the hysterical, Cenac’s dramatic readings of his would-be tweets made for an entertaining reoccurring gag.
Cenac then delved into a routine about comic book movies and a hero of Cenac’s own mind: Spider Man.
Now, this is not the Spider Man you may recognize, but rather Cenac’s Spider Man is about a spider who is bitten by a radioactive man who then spends all of his time sitting down on a couch being vaguely dissatisfied with his life.
While the show seemed to drag on, as indicated by the fact that various students left early, probably to enjoy the revels that homecoming had in store for them, it proved to be yet another entertaining night from two very competent, very talented comedians. Now, after getting Cenac, the next step seems obvious: getting Jon Stewart himself.
(10/24/12 11:05pm)
Of the many animals in the presidential debates, the elephant in the room — Europe — has yet to really come up. Foreign policy arguments have centered on the Middle East and the economic disputes have mainly been on a national scale. So whatever happened to the eurozone crisis?
It has not disappeared; recently we have witnessed mass protests in Portugal against the new austerity budget and ongoing chaos in Greece and Spain. In Greece, again, many politicians have been shamefully exposed for exploiting their taxes. Yet somehow, almost inexplicably, bail-out after bail-out, threats and false agreements have all delayed the inevitable. There will come a point when the European Central Bank — and by default Germany — will cease to cough up extra funds and countries will either have to leave the eurozone or alternately be absorbed into a supreme inorganic mass. That decision, however, is not going to be made today. Perhaps this delaying is down to the fact that no one knows which one is really better, but here’s what I think and why.
As one Nobel Peace Prize winner fights for re-election, a new one is announced: the European Union (EU). It has always been an obvious choice. It was founded upon the concept of ruling out any European hegemony by uniting the historical enemies, France and Germany, and has so far been incredibly successful. Though the Cold War certainly helped by uniting all the members on the same side, the achievement is nonetheless remarkable.
The timing of the award, however, is somewhat strange. In the year 2012, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) were just as worthy supranational organizations — having done nothing of note — and the Arab League a lot more so. So it leaves one to wonder why exactly the EU was chosen now. One reason could simply be that they’ve had it in store for a while now, and seeing no other stand-out contender this year, they pulled the EU award out from the stock. I don’t buy that.
2012 is the year of the presidential election in the U.S., the world’s primary superpower and also the year of the communist party leadership reshuffle in China, the only other realistic geopolitical heavyweight. A united Europe would hopefully be able to rival these two as the third force on the world scale. In that situation it would cancel out any possible Cold War-style dichotomy between China and America. The EU also still has a role to play within its borders, with ethnic tensions and far-right groups appearing in many places. Perhaps the Nobel committee was trying to say, “You’ve been great at keeping peace in the past — remember to keep doing it.” A united Europe, and that means a Europe whose states have dissolved all legislative and economic power to an elected body in Brussels, would ensure a dynamic non-antagonistic power-play in world politics.
European leaders are currently participating in major talks about the future of the eurozone. If Europe were to disintegrate, which is a likely consequence of any serious financial changes, then not only would the entire world slip into fiscal chaos, but the new “emancipated” countries themselves, feeling cheated or picked upon, would automatically become more aggressive. War would not be impossible; there are few better boosters for any economy, just look at what happened in the thirties, and people have repeatedly compared this crisis to that of 1929.
The Nobel prize is recognizing both the EU’s past and its ideological brilliance, but also warning that if current issues are not resolved, then it risks doing great damage to world peace.
(10/13/12 7:42pm)
On Saturday, Oct. 13, the Campus interviewed His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism before his morning lecture at the College. No other media outlets were granted access to the Dalai Lama during his visit to the College. A transcript of the interview in its entirety can be found below, while you can also listen to a recording of the interview.
Middlebury Campus (MC): Good morning. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me this morning and thank you for coming here to Middlebury. We’re honored to have you here. Yesterday you talked a lot about individual ethical discipline and mindfulness. We are a college community. Do you have any experience with communal ethical discipline, and how can we as a college community be mindful?
His Holiness the Dalai Lama (HHDL): Well logically the whole community, all members of the community develop self-restraint … that whole community [is] very peaceful, very happy. If one person creates some trouble then the whole community [laughs] eventually creates some uneasiness. So therefore regarding unity, or harmony or a peaceful community, the thing is each individual has a responsibility. The individual, you see, develops that kind of strong conviction and compassion … then one hundred percent together.
My impression, you see, [that] some say good things may come from outside, or from some other. You yourself must remain uncommitted. I think that’s a mistake. [speaks in Tibetan]
Geshe Thupten Jinpa (Translator): When you throw a stone you see the ripples spreading …
HHDL: So first start from that stone and go that way.
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MC: Recently you have been talking a lot about science and mindfulness in science. Where did that come from? Why are you interested in this now?
HHDL: Since my childhood, I’ve had some interest in science. Our training very much encourages investigation, not belief, not [to] act so easily. So, therefore, I feel quite similar to scientists. Scientists always [have an] open mind, with skepticism, then start the investigation. Actually, about 40 years ago, I developed a strong desire to talk with scientists, for dialogue. Then, I expressed this wish to an American, a lady, who was actually Buddhist. She told me, “Be careful. Science is killer of religion!” [laughs]
Then I thought, no. The positive way is investigation. So therefore, in true investigation, we are trying to find reality. Reality — there are many levels. Scientific research [is] actually trying to find reality. Our training is like that — not to accept on the basis of appearances, but to penetrate reality.
[In] a series of discussion with scientists, at the beginning … not many, perhaps I think 15-20 scientists, each introduce themselves. One scientist say[s], “I am defender of science forever! Because of the critical view, I have to defend.” And then say, “There is no mind. Mind is just vibration of brain, or something like that.” Very strong, quite [a] radical scientist.
My one curiosity of that sort of view … is the experience. Obviously there is some change in our change in our physical condition, then different feelings. That’s obvious. But sometimes … [if you] relax, then, some thought come, some memory come[s]. Some change in our feeling. So first some change in physical level, then change mind. Something happens in the mental level, then it affects physical. So I mentioned this to some doctors, and their response is, “Well, it looks like that, but should not be.” [laughs]
The last 30 years, out of a series of discussions of scientists — and they also carried [out] some experiments — now they accept mental betterment, something very, very important for our family, for our society. Therefore many of them now they say they feel that taking care of the brain alone [is] not sufficient, not adequate. There must be some attention about the mind.
Not talking about religion or heaven or hell or next life — simply in order to create healthy society, healthy family, healthy individual, physical. We have to take some sort of care about emotions. So, that’s the last 40, 50 years of development like that.
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MC: As you have worked to educate yourself on science, in that process of education what do you feel are the best tools for learning spiritually, and also for students here at Middlebury?
HHDL: I think someone — a president or pope — expressed faith and reason must go together. That’s very wise. Sometimes people just take faith [with] no sort of regiment of reason. That, I think, [is] a little bit narrow. I think, again, faith … brings inner strength, hope and inner peace. So the explanation about faith itself is sometimes mysterious in a way [laughs] but — doesn’t matter. But some extent of background of reason can apply. So anyway, as I already emphasized, education[al] institutions must pay some attention about education of warm-heartedness. Compassion, sense of caring about others, sense of concern for others human being, this must come voluntarily. You cannot do that by force. [With] any sort of volunteers, unless you see the values — volunteers will not come. In any case, educate the value of compassion for physical health.
Sometimes I see the young girl [who] spends a lot of money on cosmetics. External beauty — very important, no question. But at the same time, inner beauty, in the long run is more crucial, isn’t it? Inner beauty comes from sense of well-being. If that is there, then even though the face may not be so beautiful [laughs] but, everybody loves that person, isn’t it? [laughs]
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MC: So how can our institution cultivate that inner beauty within our students?
HHDL: So I think experimentation on the basis of scientific findings, number one. Then also our concept of the sense of a person [finds] those people [who are] more open-minded, more warm-hearted, more warm-hearted mind, much happier! And finds more friends …
Some who is always negative, or very rough, then I notice some small bird — they have the ability to make distinctions of the sound of footsteps — someone who is feeding them, they’ll come from a distance … a negative sound comes, and [the bird] is immediately alert. Therefore, a more warm-hearted mind, immediately creates some sort of positive, happy, joyful atmosphere, isn’t it? The other people approach [the bird], also feeding — much happier.
I see one person sit in a room with lots of shouting and crying and one close friend enters the door, immediately [laughs] … On the other hand, you see very peaceful, joyful — then I think everybody is willing to join and share that happy atmosphere. So that’s common sense.
Anger, hatred, suspicion and also pretense, hypocrisy — these create more suspicion, more distrust. Suppose [a person] wants to show nice to others [by pretending], but actually, other people are not that foolish. They’re smart — they’ll know [if] this guy is sincere or not. There’s some hypocrisy there, not genuine feeling. I think even animals, to some extent, they also know if others are sincere or not.
Then common experience — where everybody is surround by affections, particularly when we are young. Particularly mother’s affection is truly important. That experience remains whole life. I’m always telling people I myself believe I have some amount of compassion that I think first I learned from my mother — very compassionate, very remarkable person. On the other hand, when I was very young, my mother [was] always beating or scolding me — perhaps today even, recognized as Dalai Lama, 14th Dalai Lama — I think for 14th Dalai Lama may be a little different! [laughs] Like that?
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MC: I would say so. Many college students are turning away from faith, from organized religion. Should we be concerned about that?
HHDL: I think that is individual business. We can not impose faith. I think firstly, the people who believe a certain faith, I think we ourselves should make good examples to others. Then, as I mentioned earlier, once they see they see the owners of the quality …
For example, in my own case, when I saw Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King and also Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, when I saw and met these people [and had] discussion and also observed their life story, then I developed genuine admiration about Christianity. Their faith brought such reward for me personally.
So I think a religious person, himself or herself, maybe a little bit stupid [laughs] to tell other people, “this is important.”
An Indian scholar, one time he mentioned some flower. First, the flower itself should have that good smell. Then that flower, put in our pocket or put on table, then the whole area really gets some positive smell. So first the smell must have that; so similarly, a religious person, himself or herself, should practice sincerely what they believe. Particularly, when passing through a difficult period, they must show their inner strength — honesty, truthfulness — that’s very important.
I think, today, unlike ancient time — ancient time, there [was] not much choice — now, you see, the information on various sorts of religions and various sort of fields and various subjects, therefore there are plenty of things to choose. So then, unless, you see, develops some kind of attraction …
I think a material thing — empathizing through that way — bring some sort of customer. [laughs] Now, a spiritual inner thing, you see, you can empathize that way, but through physical action, through mental action must show the inner value to others.
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MC: Your teachings talk a lot about ending suffering. I’m wondering, is the goal just that end, or is there a creation of a positive value from that?
Now, usually my talk — without touching Buddhism — simply secular ethics. Another [one] of my commitments is promotion of religious harmony. So that mainly [is] touching the practice of love, compassion, forgiveness — these things [are] common practice, all religious traditions. The difference is philosophy. So I think, I have found these people, these community, their own tradition, their own religious faith — it is much safer, it is much better to keep their own traditional religion. Otherwise, change in religion sometimes create — mentally or emotionally — some confusion …
In the meantime, it is useful to know more about similarities or different philosophical views of other traditions — that helps to enrich your own practice and then secondly, that way you can [have] some mutual respect to other religion. If you remain isolated, without much contact, then the reality [is] you can’t remain that way … Big cities, all over America, if you look around the country, or community, where there are many Asians among them, many Buddhists, there are many Hindus — so already some of the cities [have] already become multi-religious communities. So they are knowing more about other traditions. Helpful, this is, to keep positive spirit as a multi-religious community.
So, then, only to Buddhist audiences, then I explain Buddhism philosophers views. Of course, I think these people, quite familiar I think with the Buddhist teaching — Four Noble Truths, so suffering and causes of suffering and the cessation of suffering and the way to achieve that. That is, we need a lot of investigation, a lot of discussions. [laughs]
I usually tell people, also I feel [that a] compassionate world — no longer violence, harmony of society based on compassionate feeling — this I consider the global level of salvation. Not in the next life, but this life. A happy world — no danger, no fear — that philosophy, when we reach that level, that’s salvation. And then, end comes, we leave this body happily. [laughs]
[to security guard] What do you think? Do you agree?
Security Guard: It’s a good policy.
[laughter]
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MC: As a college, how can we work towards creating that global salvation?
HHDL: I always emphasize the younger generation — college students — you are the generation of the 21st century. So my generation, our hope [is] on you. Now our generation, the generation of the 20th century, as a matter of fact, I think we have a lot of problems, which [we] should solve by coming generation. So we create these problems, and then let them solve that situation! [laughs] So now you — you have to solve that, you have to take that [this] big mission — not an individualistic way.
The best way to get maximum happiness for individuals is happy community, happy humanity — then you get maximum benefit …
This is a human world. So wherever we go, I think we should have a human feeling, a human spirit. I think when we’re passing through a difficult period —
So say, one boat is destroyed or damaged and then reach one island where there are no other people — no man’s land. Imagine you meet one other person there — not important what religious faith, what nationality, what color, so long as one human being — then the natural tendency, the human tendency [is] to approach that person. So that’s the human spirit. I think we should create that in the world. Everywhere we see these people, “Ah! Human brother there.”
Sometimes human brother creates more sense of suspicion, so one person there, you meet, you think, “Oh, what can he do?” [laughs] I think that we can change that type of attitude if we promote real sense of human brother and sisterhood. And with that, the real sense of community. And with honesty, a sense of concern of others’ well-being. I think we can do it.
I think college students — perhaps I think, when they enter the area, perhaps they may feel, this is my home, this is safe … As soon as enter here, feel happy. I think that kind of spirit you can extend. I think we can do it. I may not see, in my lifetime, in the next 20 years, perhaps, 30 years, but you, this young student, you have the responsibility and you have the opportunity to see this happy world. So think this way. So make effort, tirelessly.
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MC: Thank you so much for your time.
HHDL: Actually, we have to think, work, in new ways. Otherwise, there’s no other choice, is it?
(10/10/12 10:56pm)
Before his verse on that Justin Beiber song “Baby,” Ludacris laid down one of the hottest and most forgotten records of 2003, called simply, “Chicken-n-Beer.”
This title has stuck with me for some reason, as has the album cover, a lovely image alluding to sex, fried chicken and generic American beer — essentially a celebration of some of the chief things that make America great: faster and cheaper meat than ever before and beer that costs much less that bottled water by the ounce. If that isn’t the dream, I don’t know what is.
Unfortunately, this bounty of meat and beer comes from fossil fuels, cornfields and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs), all of which contribute to extreme environmental degradation, as well as to the general misery of the humans and animals needed to turn a mountain of corn into a much smaller mountain of McDoubles and Quarter Pounders.
For more information, I’ve had to venture outside of the rap game toward authors like Michael Pollan who understand some basic truth about everyone’s favorite foods: our meat is fed by corn, which makes the animals extremely sick, and in turn wrecks our health because corn feed alters balances of omega 3 versus omega 6, while adding more trans and saturated fats. Coors Light, and even the hipsters’ beloved PBR, is essentially water, corn alcohol and that elusive taste of hops coming together in a drinkable can, ready to take care-free first-years by surprise as those 15 pounds start developing.
While this may seem rather obvious, the effects go well beyond the remunerative fitness bars and days of rabbit-like feeding: the collective waistline of America is growing at an alarming rate, with obesity set, according to Harvard researchers, to crest 42 percent by 2050 if we keep eating and living as we do.
This might seem surprising, given that Middlebury’s obesity rate is practically non-existent, owing in large part to the wealth, education and proximity to real food that we enjoy, but this national trend towards obesity has everything to do with us.
In terms of direct economic effect, it isn’t hard to imagine the societal costs of supporting 42 percent of Americans who are chronically ill and less able to work: efficiency and production will decrease while hospital bills soar, raising healthcare costs and other revenue requirements to sustain a country full of sick, low-functioning people.
This scenario proves that combating obesity is something we should have an interest in, which includes our culpability in furthering — and not fighting — a food system driving heart attacks and diabetes through the roof. (The Center for Disease Control and Prevention predicts as many as one in three Americans will have diabetes by 2050).
While some have no one to blame but themselves for their weight problems, it is not the majority who are constrained by financial and geographic access to real food. The bottom line for millions of Americans who struggle with obesity is that they don’t have grocery stores, much less dining halls, and have to rely on some combination of Midd Express and the Grill for sustenance. I don’t think even Ludacris would choose that.
The problem is that our food system has been shaped over the last 40 years to serve the wealthy few while impoverishing those it purports to serve: the consumers. People aren’t making bad decisions with how they eat; convenient-stores and supermarkets are full of bad decisions, rigged by corn subsidies that make the unhealthy calories cheap and the healthy calories comparative luxuries.
My challenge, and one that I offer to you, is to revolutionize the way we live — starting with your own caloric consumption.
Though it’s often not popular, I want to say, “try becoming a vegetarian!” as it makes moral and economic sense. But if you aren’t willing to sacrifice taste, as I am not, simply stop eating the meat that is killing us: go local. Just because there are no golden arches doesn’t mean that a burger at Ross is all that different from a burger at McDonald’s. An animal lived a terrible life knee-deep in its own feces, eating corn its body can’t process properly, resulting in a burger more reliant on antibiotics.
These moral and physical atrocities we’ve accepted as a part of life should not be the way we run our bodies. Let’s not be the first generation to die younger than our parents. Our country is sick, and we are the ones who will either alter this trend or continue to kill and further impoverish the poor in the U.S. and around the world. Our impact can be immense.
Who knows, maybe one day Ludacris will release “Quinoa and Kambucha.” What glorious album art that would make.
(10/10/12 9:18pm)
“Smog,” the most expensive art installation on campus, is the name of the immense sculpture installed in 2000 to complement the McCardell Bicentennial Hall.
Installed after the death of its architect, Tony Smith, “Smog” became the little sister of “Smoke,” which stood taller and even made the cover of Time.
Many students have always assumed that the big black object was based on the molecular structure of a gas, but Smith was not seeking to be too exact. Real-world smog, for which the installation is named, consists of many different particles, making it quite difficult to capture in sculpture.
Smog, the pollutant, is caused mainly by burning large amounts of coal — not a phenomenon celebrated at the environmentally-friendly Middlebury.
Smog is responsible for many health issues in humans and animals, as well as damage to the environment. It seems preposterous that such a pollutant would be chosen to represent Bicentennial Hall.
However, Art in Public Places, the committee responsible for campus artwork, explained that the scultpure and its complete metal form do not highlight the grit of harmful gas molecules.
“The sculpture is a lattice of positive and negative spaces,” said the committee. The complex metal form was also explained.
“[The form] possesses both the logic of crystals and the passion of living forms.”
Students echoed the sentiment that just because “Smog” represented a harmful molecule does not mean it is necessarily an anti-environmentalist statement.
“It’s a sculpture,” said Andrew Majek ’13. “The environment contains things that hurt it, so the sculpture is not that offensive.”
Mandy Kwan ’15 noted that the sculpture, while not her favorite, is a campus classic.
“I’m not particularly in love with it, but I couldn’t imagine Bi Hall without it,” she said.
Despite its magnitude and visibility, some students are unaware of the sculpture’s significance.
“I feel that the meaning of the sculpture, or even its name, isn’t made clear to this generation of Middlebury students,” said Dana Callahan ’13.
Works of art such as “Smog” were made possible by the College’s One Percent for Art Policy, which reserves one percent of money spent on architecture projects to go toward purchasing and constructing works of art.
“Smog” owes its existence to the construction of Bicentennial Hall, which cost $47.3 million in total to build. Because of this formula, “Smog” had a large budget.
“Smog” functions naturally as public art, although students have not been able to use it the same way they use the burgundy bench in front of Ross Dining Hall. However, it looks a little more at home than “LOVE” behind the Kevin P. Mahaney ’84 Center for the Arts or the notorious, anatomically correct “Frisbee Dog.”
In addition to the intricate message behind “Smog,” McCardell Bicentennial Hall itself features many “green” aspects. Certified, sustainably-harvested timber was used in the millwork, and the lumber was milled to make maximum use of each log. Another important feature is the energy-saving heat-recovery loop that extracts warmth before it is exhausted to the outside, and the massive window in the Great Hall is a source of natural light.
The sophisticated nature of the building complements the intricacy and beauty of “Smog,” which greets visitors as they walk to and from the energy-efficient building.
(10/10/12 4:49pm)
George Demarais, 57-year-old Middlebury resident, engaged members of the Middlebury Police Department in a gunfight that lasted for nearly 45 minutes last Thursday, Oct. 4 and ended in his own death.
Police responders arrived at Demarais’ home — located on a wooded lot along Vermont 116 near the border of Middlebury and Bristol, Vt. — after receiving a suicide call from Demarais in which he outlined his desire to die by a law enforcement officer’s gun. Upon arrival, members of the Middlebury Police Department discovered a copy of his last will and testament — which donated his pet cats to the local animal shelter — posted on his front door.
Six officers from the Middlebury Police Department assumed strategic positions around the perimeter of Demarais’ house. Demarais, who was inside the home, ignored multiple requests to open his front door, and he eventually emerged from his home brandishing a long firearm at around 4 p.m. in the afternoon.
He disregarded requests to drop his weapon and fled to a wooded area adjacent to his house where he had constructed a barricade out of fallen trees and large stones. Police later learned that Demarais had also stocked his makeshift bunker with food, water, extra ammunition and a battle helmet.
Demarais — a former corrections officer at a Vermont prison — remained camped out in the woods for nearly two hours while the Middlebury police force arranged for the arrival of a hostage negotiation team and a tactical support unit.
The police officers tried to reason with Demarais, but he began shooting at them when they advanced on his position around 6:15 p.m. The officers, armed with M16’s and a .45 caliber carbine, responded to Demarais’s gunfire with a volley of defensive shots. The police officers secured a position at a distance of around 20 yards, and the gunfight continued intermittently for nearly 45 minutes.
During lulls in the shooting, officers attempted to negotiate with Demarais, but he responded with taunts and refused to emerge from the woods. After almost 45 minutes, Demarais’ gunfire ceased, and when the police advanced on his position, they found that Demarais had been shot and killed.
The gunfight is the first police shooting reported in Middlebury since the 1970s and only the second fatal shooting in the state of Vermont this year.
A medical examiner later determined that Demarais had sustained two gunshot wounds from Middlebury police officers. The identities of the officers who struck Demarais are unknown, but the medical examiner confirmed that the gunshot wounds were not self-inflicted. In a macabre twist, Demarais died in the grisly manner that he had desired.
(10/03/12 10:39pm)
Imagine a completely rational society. People behave in a consistent, predictable manner based on the information available to them. They make decisions that promote the common values and well-being of their interdependent society. Community members work together in a cost-effective, altruistic way to achieve the greatest positive outcomes for the largest number of people.
Though this hypothetical assumption is a precursor to many social and economic theories attempting to model and predict human behavior, unfortunately, it does not exist. According to contemporary neuroscientists, humans are conscious of only about five percent of our cognitive function, which leaves the other 95 percent open to unconscious irrationality.
Rational consumer behavior assumes that people not only exhibit control over their behavior, but also that they make decisions using conscious, rational thought — a function very few brain structures are capable of doing. For example, the limbic system plays a key role in reacting to various stimuli and determining our behavior, especially in social situations. This reptilian brain function has two concerns: to seek pain and avoid pleasure, regardless of the consequences. This 300 million year old cerebral system developed about 105 million years before our more mammalian conscious minds. Given that our species has spent less than one percent of its evolution in civilized society, it’s no mystery as to why we aren’t fully equipped to always make rational decisions for the greater good.
Science is saturated with examples of irrational human behavior. One study found that simply doubling the size of a container of snack food prompts most people to eat 30 to 45 percent more food. Another study found that people tend to stop sharing during times of limited resources and even increase their personal consumption at the expense of others. Yet another experiment discovered that describing a meal using vivid adjectives led most people to rate that food as better tasting in comparison to the exact same ingredients under a more generic label; apparently “seared and savory sirloin adorned with velvety mashed potatoes” tastes better than “steak and potatoes.” Clearly the subconscious mind is frequently confused and responds with irrationality, yet it is primarily responsible for registering our experiences that can only be perceived consciously in hindsight.
It makes sense that humans are inherently self-serving and competitive. After all, it’s difficult (if not impossible) to ascend to the apex of the animal kingdom while putting the needs of others first. Although humans now live in societies that benefit greatly from cooperation and mutual coadaptation, our reptilian brains still strive to fulfill our basic needs (or at least what our unconscious minds perceive those needs to be in a strange new environment).
For an example of irrational behavior with a global impact, we need look no further than the stock market crash of 2008. Essentially, American mortgage lenders were (irrationally) extending easy credit to un-creditworthy Americans. Millions of people were loaned money they had little chance of repaying. Why? The short answer is greed. A more comprehensive answer is that large investment banks gave worthless mortgage bonds high ratings by inventing “collateralized debt obligations.” They could report the difference between the high and real values as earnings, while providing a credit laundering service for lower- class Americans.
Why would people making inordinately large amounts of money create complex and obscure financial loopholes to make more at the expense of people with less? It’s the same reason that Jennifer Keltner, a social psychologist at UC Berkeley, found a negative correlation between wealth and compassion. The wealthier we get, the more competitive and self-engaged we tend to become in a race for more. Our subconscious conveniently forgets other, less fortunate people.
In Charles Darwin’s culminating work outlining his theory of evolution, On The Origin of Species, he mentions that, “In social animals, it [natural selection] will adapt the structure of each individual for the benefit of the community.” In other words, if irrationally selfish behavior continues to widen our nation’s inequality gap, our communities will suffer and America as a whole will underachieve.
If we can’t predict human behavior on a large scale, how can we better understand our species? The answer may be, by coincidence, what Darwin believed to be “the most noble attribute of man:” compassion. While our instincts may predispose us to greedy and selfish behavior, there is at least one action we have control over. It begins with keeping others in mind when making decisions and continues with further adapting to life in a civilized, interdependent society. Who knows, it might help save the species.
GRANT NISHIOKA ’13 is from Wayland, Mass.
(09/19/12 11:42pm)
Before I begin, remember that I write this with the utmost love for the College and its athletics programs.
We need a new mascot.
There is nothing about the panther that's specific to Middlebury or to Vermont. There is nothing about the panther that's specific to anything, really. According to Wikipedia, 33 schools across the country "boast" the panther as their mascot or nickname, making it the fourth most common college mascot. And that doesn't count schools like UVM, our neighbors to the north, whose nickname is the Catamounts, which is just a fancier way of saying panther.
Further, there isn't a strong historical connection between Middlebury and the panther. Director of Athletics Erin Quinn, an often reliable historian of Middlebury athletics, could provide no explanation for the decision, and a quick perusal of the written history of The College on the Hill also yielded no answer. Instead, a recent review of the different sculptures and art on campus titled "Art in Public Places" written by Director of the Middlebury College Museum of Art and Walter Cerf Distinguished College Professor Richard Saunders, provides the answer to this central question: "The black Panther was chosen as Middlebury's mascot after a local merchant established a contest to choose an appropriate symbol for the college in 1922."
The unnamed merchant may deserve the benefit of the doubt, as there were likely panthers in Vermont in 1922, but they left this region long ago, as they did throughout the Northeast.
It's high time, therefore, that Middlebury embraced a new mascot and nickname – one better suited both to the locale and to the NESCAC as well. Middlebury's conference rivals have little regard for convention when it comes to their mascots and nicknames. Only Wesleyan (the Cardinals) and Bates (the Bobcats) have generic nicknames; the mascots of the rest of the conference range from the ungulates – the Camels of Connecticut College and the Jumbos of Tufts – to glorified school founders, such as the Ephs (Williams' tribute to founder Ephraim Williams, but manifested in the form of a purple cow) and the Lord Jeffs (Amherst's nickname, deriving from Lord Jeffrey Amherst who, in addition to founding Amherst, was responsible for distributing smallpox-infested blankets to the Native Americans during the French and Indian War).
However misguided some of the mascots may be, there is clearly a desire for creativity and individuality with respect to the nicknames of our NESCAC counterparts. And, with the exception of Conn. College, less popular mascots do not appear to lead to negative externalities on such things as the school's ability to recruit.
Middlebury, therefore, cannot help but consider a switch. And, by chance, there is a mascot that combines the ungulate characteristics of the camel and the elephant while instilling a sense of Middlebury pride – an animal, in fact, much larger than a panther and one that continues to roam the forests of Vermont: the moose.
If you have not had a chance to see a moose during your time in Vermont or elsewhere, it is difficult to describe the elegance and majesty of the elusive creature. Moose are not lanky and awkward, but powerful and graceful; more similar to a deft left tackle or a bruising power forward, than one might think.
And while largely docile creatures, the moose becomes strikingly aggressive when threatened. According to the Yellowstone National Park, moose attack more people than bears and wolves combined.
The size and strength of the moose means the great creatures have few natural predators, befitting of a school that just won its first Directors' Cup. Their inclination for solitude and sobriety, meanwhile, are befitting of a school founded in the principles of the liberal arts, which include pause for reflection and contemplation of the higher things. Could any animal represent these ideals better than the moose?
If nothing else, imagine 2,000 fans at Youngman Field at Alumni Stadium yelling in unison on third and long, "Mooooooooooose."
