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(02/28/07 12:00am)
Author: Tamara Hilmes I was speed walking toward the bank to deposit a check in between classes when a bright purple and fuchsia sign caught the corner of my eye. It read "Vermont Beads and Fibers." I slowed down just enough to catch a glimpse of a room with walls lined with brightly colored yarn. Inside, a tiny woman was bustling about with an ice cube tray in hand and a customer in tow. I entered the shop and was greeted immediately by the tiny woman I had seen in the window. She turned out to be the storeowner, Bethanie Barry. After a warm welcome, Barry quickly engaged me in a tour of her shop. First, we headed over to check out the beads. Two-hundred and twenty-thousand of them to be exact. "We just finished taking inventory," explained Barry. "We were closed for three days and all of the staff as well as extra people came in to count." Vermont Beads and Fibers, which opened in May of 2004 and moved to its current location just last year, sells a wide variety of yarns and beads as well as tools, accessories and books. As we began to embark on a tour of the massive bead collection, Barry explained that she had been working with beads for over 30 years."I was a high school drop-out, a teenage runaway," Barry recalled. "I went to Coconut Grove, California and started a store with a bunch of hippies. Different people brought beads into the store and I began to learn more and more about the different kinds of beads out there."Not only does Barry run and manage the Middlebury shop, she also cultivates her other passions as a true bead and yarn aficionado. Barry has written a book on bead-crochet and she travels around the country teaching at various conferences. "I have taught in Milwaukee, Ireland and Chicago," said Barry. "This April I will be teaching at the Bead Expo in California."As I weaved my way among the rows of beads in bins, I examined everything from Japanese Miracle beads, extremely light and luminous beads that are made through a secret process that the craftspeople refuse to reveal, to Swarovski crystal, a multi-faceted bead that is highly reflective and of the finest quality, according to Barry. The store not only sells beads from Asia, but Barry imports beads from South America and Czechoslovakia as well. I spent a good ten minutes sifting through an array of miniature animal beads ≠- wooden elephants, sheep, donkeys, beavers, bananas, turtles and alpacas that were all hand-painted in Peru. "I like to get my beads from local businesses located elsewhere in the world," said Barry. "In this way I can help support other communities. I like to do business with a conscience."The store also sells beads made from semi-precious stones, sterling silver and freshwater pearls Picking one up and placing it in the palm of her hand, Barry began to contextualize a rare Czech glass bead, explaining the rich history that the small object beheld. "During World War II in Czechoslovakia, each family had different molds for making beads," said Barry. "They buried these molds in holes in their yards so that the Germans couldn't get them. These glass beads that we have were made in these antique molds."After the bead tour, Barry introduced me to another member of the staff who could help me select yarn and needles to jump-start my new hobby. Employee Daria Bocciarelli, who, oddly enough, turned out to be the wife of my history professor, began to tell me about the different kinds of yarn that the store carries. Whether you want blue, teal, maroon, gray, marigold, lavender, sparkly, fuzzy, stringy or hairy, Vermont Beads and Fibers has it all. The store even has a display of local yarns produced in Vermont and New Hampshire including yarn that is hand-dyed by Cherry Tree Hill and organic yarn from Addison County sheep. While browsing, I found another customer ooing and ahhing over the selection. "They have really beautiful yarns here," said Alice Kaiser-Sehatzlein, who was visiting Middlebury after spending the weekend in Canada. "They have a better selection than anywhere in MontrÈal." After examining the yarn and "fondling" the various kinds as Barry invited me to do, Daria suggested that I try "a thicker yarn" that would allow me to use bigger needles which are easier for beginners to use. I finally settled on "Baby Alpaca Grande," made by Plymouth Yarn. Bocciarelli showed me how to find the recommended needle size located on the back of the label, and she then helped me pick out a pair of circular knitting needles, size 10.5. The needles were tiny bamboo sticks connected with a clear plastic tube and cost only $8.50. According to Bocciarelli, "needles usually range from seven to 20 dollars."Happy with my selections, I was ready to take my yarn and needles to the register when Barry asked if I knew how to cast-on. Remembering my frustrated attempts sitting on my bed casting on and watching it come undone, I sucked up my pride and admitted that it had been awhile. Without wasting a moment, Barry led me to a table at the back of the store. "It's not difficult and it's fun," said Barry. "This is what we do."Before I could start knitting, however, I had to wind the yarn. I removed the yarn from its package and Bocciarelli held it around her hands as I wound my first-ever yarn ball. It looked just like the yarn balls that you see cats playing with in children's picture books. Feeling confident with my yarn-winding skills, I moved on to casting-on. Bocciarelli started by creating a slipknot and then twisting the yarn around her left thumb and forefinger. She then began to magically project stitches onto the needle. After several failed attempts and after my face had turned several shades of red, I finally managed to cast-on four stitches. Take that Martha Stewart.Although I was already a whopping four inches into my scarf, I realized that I would need a lot more help than I could get in one afternoon. Bocciarelli suggested that I attend Community Knitting, which takes place at the store from 5:30 to 9:30 on Wednesday nights. "I would highly recommend coming on Wednesday night," Bocciarelli told me. "Women who have been knitting longer than both Bethanie and I combined come and are happy to give free advice." The store also offers a variety of knitting classes which can be viewed on their website, beadsandfibers.com. After paying for my needles and my yarn, I left the store carrying the neon-green tote bag that Bocciarelli had placed them in and took one last look around the store. There were still so many things that I had not gotten a chance to experience, from the make-it and take-it table, where customers can make their own jewelry right in the store, to the patterns that hang from the various shelves of yarn. I was excited to start knitting my scarf, and though I will most likely drop several more stitches before the project is complete, I will definitely be dropping by Vermont Beads and Fibers again in the very near future.
(02/21/07 12:00am)
Author: Joseph Bergan You got the phone call. Don't even lie and say you didn't. Your family called sometime during the last two days of last week after hearing about the blizzard of the century. They plead of you, "Don't go outside, I don't want you drifting into a snow bank and dying!" DYING? That sort of thing is reserved for the infirm and the elderly. Middlebury students are invincible! We will live forever! Or will we? Consider the following: You and some friends head out to the Green Mountains to do some snowshoeing. You pack some water, an orange and some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You were never any good at snowshoeing, in fact, you're just trying to impress Amanda, who sits in front of you in history class, and who your best friend John knows fromÖnever mind. The fact is, you lag behind and get lost. The bad news is Amanda and John are making out somewhere, but you get the rations. After devouring them in five minutes (you never were any good at conservation), darkness settles in. Your cell phone is on your desk in your room. So much for dreams of outdoor adventures. Well, now what? How are you going to survive until the rescue party shows up? And who knows when that will happen?Rest assured. For just this type of situation, The Campus has consulted with various scholarly works to learn how the Inuits - the true originators of keeping warm in arctic conditions - have survived for so long.What to Wear?When heading out into this frozen wasteland, what you use to keep your body warm will be your most important decision. Dressing for cold weather revolves around one simple principle: air pockets that trap in heat. That's right, layers of air are your best hope for staying toasty when the temperature bottoms out. But what if you didn't spring for the goose down jacket? What if you got lost with only a fleece? You are going to need some basic solutions, and fast. Read on for some natural ways to keep warm.Seal: Is a waterproof skin, but bad in extremely cold climates. This is the ideal skin if you are sledding or engaging in a snowball fight.Bear: Incredibly warm, and even better than seal for waterproof comfort. The one draw back of the bearskin is its heavy weight.Musk-Ox: Carries the same problem as bear skin in that it is very warm, but very heavy. Also, musk-ox is very hard to keep clean. Though it may not seem that important right now, you'll thank us when the rescue party arrives. I can't tell you the amount of times I see people rescued wearing musk-ox, and even their own family stays at an arm's length!Hare/Fox: Both of these animals provide the warmth of the bear and musk-ox, but are way too delicate to go climbing through the forest or journeying to find your way back to civilization. You'll reduce yourself to icy cold rags.Caribou skin: For all intents and purposes, caribou skin is the best material for your money. Caribou have an incredibly strong hide, which is also incredibly light and very warm. The only problem is that caribou are mainly found in the Alaskan and Canadian Artic. So you aren't going to be able to utilize its amazingly warm fur. Campus Recommendation: If you are adventurous, you could go into a cave, awaken a bear and then take his hide. Seeing as bears are not morning animals, and you are probably going to have only your hands to defend yourself when the whole family wakes up, it is probably a better idea just to stick with the jacket on your back.Where to live?Being trapped in the wilderness with three feet of snow all around you poses quite a predicament. Luckily, the native peoples of the Arctic are most helpful in the area of snow dwelling construction. The first step involves acquiring whalebone or an antler. Unless you are very lucky, whalebone will be hard to come by in the Green Mountains. We recommend a nice piece of antler. This will serve as your knife when constructing your new home. You will want to find snow of a harder consistency, so search for sunny areas where the snow had the opportunity to partially melt and then freeze. Cut out a large rectangular block and put it to your immediate right. Welcome to your new home. Right now, you are standing in the living room/kitchen/family room/bedroom/ bonus room. Keep using the knife to cut the blocks from the snow and then place them in a circle. After you have made a complete circle, trim another layer and start building up the wall until you have created a dome-like structure. Don't get too comfortable though, there's still more work to be done! Make a large snow table/bed in the corner of the room. Gather some twigs and place them on the bed, for drying. Remember what we said about how air keeps you warm? It will do you a great service to make a smaller room off the entrance to your main room. This will serve the primary purpose of keeping cold air out, and you will find it very useful for the hunting you are about to do.What to eat?We're gonna give it to you straight. It's probably best to stop thinking about Ross pizza when your tummy starts to growl. It ain't happening. As the indigenous people have done for centuries, your diet will consist of meat, and a whole lot of it. Usually, an Arctic Native American will eat six to seven pounds of raw animal flesh a day. This may seem like a lot, but after constructing a home for yourself and enduring the psychological stress of starting a new life in the Green Mountains, you will be quite surprised at how large your appetite can grow. Again, caribou is your best bet, because you can get about 200 pounds of meat, and their droppings are terrific for fuel to keep you warm. But again, you will be hard pressed to find caribou in the lower 48 states.Brown bear and wolf are both great choices, except for the fact that you got lost snowshoeing, meaning your chances of emerging victorious in a battle against a wolf or bear are quite slim. You aren't missing out on much. While both animals have a lot of great meat, which some old texts say can be eaten raw, their livers are rich in vitamin A, which people indeigenous to cold weather climates found poisonous. Remember that chamber you built outside of your dwelling? Put a hole in the top of it and garnish all around the top of the hole with meat(it looks like you may have to beat that wolf after all). Then, sit inside and wait for a bird to start nibbling on the meat. Now is your chance to grab him by the feet and eat him. Watch out, those talons are going to be sharp! There is no need to feel ashamed. If Ernest Hemmingway killed birds in Parisian parks for sustenance when times were dire, so can you.Pretty soon, you will become so adjusted to wilderness life, you'll forget all about Amanda and John or your silly homework. Doesn't homework seem so silly now! Maybe in the spring you will not even leave; you will just keep living in the great outdoors. Eventually, the search party will find you, but you will love the outdoors so much you'll fight them with rocks and arrows. Then they will overwhelm you with force and drag you away to an insane asylum, where you will live out the rest of your days. Have fun in the snow everyone!
(02/21/07 12:00am)
Author: Tamara Hilmes PeekVid and YouTube may be offering students free, criminal access to tv shows and movies online, but for those who tire of watching films in small, three-inch boxes, there's still the video rental store.Whether you are looking for the complete second season of "Lost," a sophisticated foreign film to impress your girlfriend or the 80s classic, "The Breakfast Club," the newly remodeled Waterfront Video, located in Marble Works, has every movie that could possibly suit your whim.Waterfront Video, which has an additional branch in Burlington, first opened in Middlebury in September of 1998. Until this past summer, the building had not undergone any restorations since its opening. "It badly needed to be repainted," employee Joi Hart said. This past summer the staff of Waterfront Video all worked together to give the "eclectic" video store a new look. "We cleaned everything, put it back up and added colorful and tropical decorations," explained Pam Davis, another Waterfront employee. "We also reorganized the store. We moved things around to make it easier for the customers."The renovating involved expanding the family and children's sections which now stretches the length of the side wall and is low to the ground, making it accessible to children so that they can "look for a movie while their parents browse," said Davis.Although the look of the store may have changed, its extensive selection remains not only intact, but enlarged. Because their expansive collection including Sports Action, 80s Bliss, Kung Fu and Anime may be overwhelming to first-time customers, the staff has placed a shelf labeled "Waterfront Top 50, You Know You Want 'em" at the front of the store. "This way, when customers come in saying 'I don't know what I want,' they can just grab something that's popular," Davis explained. Indecisive customers also have the option of using the in-store database to look up movies and create a viewing "wish-list," or they can simply visit waterfrontvideo.com/midd.html and look through the store's latest list of titles.If you do dare to venture beyond the front of the store, long shelves decorated with toy trucks and paper umbrellas lie in wait, full of movies labeled "Cultural Dissidents and Other Crazy Geniuses," "BondÖJames Bond Action" and "Directors (these guys aren't quite right)," which includes the likes of Peter Jackson. The store is most proud, however, of its extensive VHS collection. "We have the best VHS old-style collection," Davis claimed. "People come from Boston, New York and L.A. and have seen nothing like it." Better yet, if the Middlebury location does not have the video you are looking for, they can order it from the Burlington store. "Students and faculty come in all the time and just give us a title," said Davis. "If we can't find it, we can call over to Burlington." Waterfront also offers several promotions throughout the week. If you venture to the store on a Monday for some mid-week movie-viewing you can get your second new-release rental for just $1. "We have this great deal where you can rent four older titles for four days for only eight bucks," Davis noted. "We just want to make it easy on folks." If the extensive movie collection and sweet deals are not enough to tempt you, you can always stop by the store for some of Leonardo's Italian Gelato and Sorbet or a "tasty" beverage from the "funky" vintage cooler at the front of the store. As Davis put it, "It's the odd little things that make it fun."
(02/14/07 12:00am)
Author: Justin Boren Since 1993 the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) has pursued a strategy of "Prevention Through Deterrence." The basic strategy is two-fold: building physical barriers and increasing surveillance using advanced technology along the border and increasing surveillance along major arteries leading away from the border will allow them to effectively combat illegal immigration into the United States. This, however, is far from accurate. Despite tripling the size and quadrupling the budget of the USBP in the last decade, the estimated number of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. annually has remained at a relatively constant 500,000. What Prevention Through Deterrence has produced is a situation in which human lives are lost in greater numbers along the border every year. Human smuggling networks are growing in size and resources and environmental degradation is occurring on a massive scale. The USBP has, so far, been responsible for building "fences" in four high-traffic corridors including San Diego and El Paso. Rather than slowing immigration, these fences have pushed the influx of illegal immigrants into increasing remote and harsh environments. Crossing the vast desert often requires a trek of up to four days. Most illegal immigrants undertake this journey with just a plastic one-gallon jug of water and a small backpack. They are forced to cross through mountain ranges to avoid the USBP surveillance vehicles and aircrafts. In the mountains, temperatures can reach over 100*F during the day and drop to near freezing temperatures at night. The increasing frequency of treks through unknown and dangerous terrain has produced a spike in deaths, despite greater difficulty in locating the deceased. In 1994, there were only 23 reported crossing deaths. Since October 1, 2006 there have been 205 reported deaths in Arizona alone. Due to the length and difficulty of crossing routes, immigrants are relying on human smugglers more than ever. Those who cannot pay are frequently forced to put up their homes, or the homes of relatives, as collateral for the journey. Those who cannot pay are often used as drug mules or sold into prostitution and indentured servitude upon reaching the United States. The consequences for trafficking people across the border have increased as part of Prevention Through Deterrence. The increased risk for smugglers has led to higher prices and ruthless behavior. The slowest members of a group are left behind to die. Oftentimes smugglers will give their clients large, occasionally lethal, doses of amphetamines to keep them moving quickly. There are also accounts of smugglers taking the money of a group and leaving them alone in the middle of the desert.The U.S.-Mexico border crosses some very rugged terrain. USBP efforts to secure the border involve large-scale construction projects and increased activity in National Parks and Wildlife Refuges. USBP vehicular traffic and construction projects have destroyed large parts of several National Parks, which has, in turn, led to a drop in tourism. They have also put several endangered species of animals and plants at great risk as their habitats are invaded by bulldozers, 4x4's, floodlights and impenetrable barriers.Despite the rhetoric of the USBP and many U.S. Politicians, Prevention Through Deterrence is not accomplishing its objectives. Comprehensive immigration is necessary and urgent, not only to effectively combat illegal immigration but to protect human lives, national security and the environment.
(01/24/07 12:00am)
Author: Kelly Janis Blossom Basket owner Sandy Burkholder is enamored with all the trappings of Valentine's Day. "It's an old, old, old tradition that just lives on," Burkholder said. "It's a time of love, sharing and people thinking of other people." Fortunately for retailers like Burkholder, that warm sentiment is often reinforced with cold, hard cash. "It's a busy time," Burkholder smiled. "The shop is nuts. We have lines out the door."According to The Society of American Florists, Valentine's Day is the number one floral market holiday. In 2005, consumers purchased an estimated 180 million roses in preparation for the glory day of all that is pink and sappy. While Blossom Basket's Jack Burkholder insists that "one hundred premium long-stemmed roses" is simply the only way to go, what about those seeking a more creative (and less expensive!) way to woo the object of their affection and avoid being smited by Cupid? The Campus shot an arrow into the heart of some sure bets certain to make your Valentine swoon.Rainbow RoomSince Rainbow Room has not yet received its shipment of "Strip Checkers" and "Chocolate Boyfriends," flashy jars of "Tom & Sally's Chocolate Body Paint" are situated at the forefront of its Valentine's Day marketing scheme. The paint comes equipped with a dainty wooden brush and simple instructions: "Heat to 98.6∞, apply liberally and let your imagination run free Ö" What if your love melts away before the jar's eight servings of chocolate do? It's "great on ice cream, too," the label assures its potential buyers.Ben FranklinWith heart doilies, cookie cutters and stickers galore, Ben Franklin's stock is reminiscent of more innocent Valentine's Days gone by, the ones where every buoyant second-grader in the class would be the proud recipient of a "Twisted Wild Whiskers" mini Valentine card to avoid tears and angry parental phone calls. If wildlife isn't your taste, Ben Franklin still has you covered with Barbie, "Pirates of the Carribean," Tweety, Hello Kitty, "Cars," Disney Princesses, Strawberry Shortcake and virtually every other children's character fathomable. Should you manage to tear yourself away from the candy rack (which contains a bizarre, slightly less-than-romantic chocolate Valentine shaped like a fish, adorned with images of worms and declaring "You're a Reel Catch!"), the exhilarating "toys downstairs" sign points to a realm of cuddly, heart-splattered stuffed animals by the makers of Beanie Babies - a pink giraffe named Blushed, a white dog known as Sweetly and a bear who calls himself Always, holding "a rose just for you, with love."Kinney DrugsKinney Drugs boasts the quintessentially tacky smorgasbord of offbeat gifts which make Valentine's Day shopping so enjoyably peculiar. Beside the two-foot tall Valentine's Day cards dripping with glitter was a rack of "Prince Frogheart" stuffed animals with tags reading "squeeze me, I ribbit!" Crouching in the sea of frogs lies a lone, dejected stuffed bear. Unlike his froggy counterparts, he is nameless, and in possession of a far more ambiguous tag - "makes fun sound," it promises. What can a shopper do but squeeze him and see? Even after plentiful experimentation, however, it is still uncertain whether his characteristic utterance can best be described as "smooching" or "writhing in agony."Those proceeding further down the aisle are confronted by a saxophone-clutching orangutan in sunglasses whose packaging beckons, "I sing and dance. Try me!" Shoppers daring enough to press the magical button are serenaded by a primate belting "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You" Ö for a long, long time, much to thrill of fellow shoppers. Around the next bend lurks a deck of cards labeled "Love Truth or Dare." Its package paints an edgy, risquÈ picture, emphasizing that this is a game for adults only; children under sixteen are decidedly prohibited. Hmm, promising. A product to rival "Tom & Sally's Chocolate Body Paint?" Not so much, given its shocking "truths" ("Kevin Costner's best movie was ____. Kevin Costner's worst movie was ____. Why?") and scandalous "dares" ("For the rest of the game you must act overly happy, loving, thoughtful and romantic. If you do not act this way for the rest of the game, lose 5 points.")Further down the way lies the product for those for whom Christmas lights simply are not enough: 15 feet of "Valentine Mini Lights," suitable for both indoor and outdoor use. Unlike the flames of passion, "bulbs remain lit even if one burns out!" But, beware. The package warns that "handling the coated electrical wires of this product exposes you to lead, a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm." Well, that sort of kills the mood.If all this talk of lead poisoning and Kevin Costner leaves you feeling a little blue and you decide at once that Valentine's Day is simply a construct of confectioners, florists and greeting card companies meant to siphon dollars from love struck consumers and remind the lonely and lovelorn how pathetic they are, the health, beauty and cosmetics aisles offer ample means of self-sabotaging your Valentine's gift-giving: "NuVectin Advanced Wrinkle Therapy for Fine Lines & Deep Wrinkles," "Certain Dri Prescription Strength Anti-Perspirant" and "Extra Strength Rogaine" (in "Spring Bloom Soft Floral Scent" for women, and "Ocean Rush Cool Fresh Scent" for men.)Sweet CecilyNow that you've had your "down with Valentine's Day!" epiphany, it's time to bandage your wounds with "Boo Boo Kisses - Accoutrements for First Aid." The package of 15 lip-shaped, die-cut sterile strips (with an enigmatic "free toy inside!") is "perfect for cuts, scrapes, love-bites or other minor boo-boos."If you still happen to be in the giving mood once your wounds are tended to, why not show your dog a little love with "My Doggy Paw of Approval," all-natural pet treats "tested in the MyDoggy kitchens and stamped with the paw of approval for their flavor and taste"?Blue MoonIf, for all his tail-wagging and slobber, Sparky simply isn't cutting it as a Valentine, perhaps it's time to tread back onto the human market. But take it slowly. The "Casanova: The World's Greatest Lover" action figure is an ideal starting block.The Barbie doll-esque box housing the smartly attired charmer boasts that Casanova - also known as Giovanni Giacomo - is "more than just a lover!" Indeed, he claims to have been a secretary, solider, preacher ("Casanova originally planned to be a man of the cloth, but was expelled from seminary school for scandalous conduct"), alchemist, gambler, violinist, spy, journalist, fugitive, author, traveler, diplomat, entrepreneur and librarian; nowadays, though, he keeps it simple and cites his occupation as "adventurer, author and lover." His "weapon of choice"? Why, seduction, of course.Still not convinced that this self-described "promiscuous and unscrupulous lover" is your type? Flip over the box for a more explicit rundown. "Casanova's irresistible charm and casual good looks led to intimate relations with over 100 women." So he's been around the block. "His power of seduction was so strong that he had affairs with older women, younger women, married women and even a nun." Certainly, you have a chance! "Detailed accounts of each of his sexual encounters are recorded in his 12 volume autobiography, The History of My Life." Hmm, so he kisses and tells sometimes. Nothing to worry about, though, I'm sure.Well, then again, perhaps there is one drawback. Our beloved Casanova's boasting is ironically marred by the obligatory choking hazard posted on the front of his box - "Warning: Small parts."So the tiresomely clichÈ heart-shaped boxes of chocolate and bountiful bouquets of roses are not the sole remedies to Cupid's slings
and arrows. With a little savvy, the lovesick Middlebury shopper is destined to snag a gift certain to charm, amuse and provoke a little laughter at romance's expense.
(12/07/06 12:00am)
Author: Alexxa Gotthardt This past weekend's Fall Dance Concert, held in the Center for the Arts Dance Theatre, was marked by intoxicating contradiction. The eclectic range of student and faculty dancers and choreographers were not aiming for coherence. There was no obvious, defined theme to the night; instead the nine dances were subtly linked by a common goal to convey genuine emotion through movement. This honesty and originality of expression fostered a stimulating performance at once diverse and fluid, playful and profound, raw and polished. Each fall, the Dance Program presents a concert consisting primarily of student choreography. This year was no exception as students in the Intermediate/Advanced dance class conceived, in their entirety, six of the nine pieces in the show. Two of the additional pieces, while directed by Andrea Olsen, Professor of Dance and Director of The Dance Company of Middlebury, were also collaboratively created by involved student dancers. Still another work, the newcomers' piece Ostrich Glory, was jointly choreographed by Artist in Residence Tiffany Rhynard and six first-year dancers. Though a single voice drove each piece in its initial stages, all the finished products were strengthened by the enthusiastic collaboration of choreographers and dancers. This was seen especially in The Dance Company of Middlebury's duet Partners and finale-piece Dancin'."There are so many things that a dance show can bring to the College community," said Olsen. "I think one is collaboration. It's an opportunity to really witness people collaborating from different cultural backgrounds and different communities across the campus - faculty and students, designers and students."This fall's concert animatedly combined a diverse range of inspirations and backgrounds. The first piece of the performance, Etymon's Facsimile, choreographed by Tatiana Virviescas Mendoza '07, set the stage for the originality and imagination that characterized the concert. Mendoza's Columbian heritage and her fascination with memory, tradition and community were clear as Facsimile dancers leapt energetically around the evocative props, gazed at the guitar-bearing troubadour who entered the stage, swung their skirted hips to sensual Latin song and intertwined limbs in smooth partnering and excited play. Sudden changes in music tempo and the dancers' formation - from groups to duets to solos - communicated a tangible sense of restlessness and the excitement of exploration. The electric spandex outfits and wildly contrasting movement of junior Adriane Medina's Calendar-Balancing also generated a contagious sense of energy and excitement: one minute the dancers' pliable bodies jerked frenetically across stage, while the next minute arms, legs and torsos rolled over and around each other in graceful shared weight. Ostrich Glory used innovative methods of dialogue and narrative in contrast and combination with dance to pull the audience further into the performance. Though at times the text distracted from the movement, the first-years shone in this whimsical and emotive piece. They simulated airplanes, spoke of the day's activities, played a vigorous game of hide-and-seek, struck comical yet disconcerting poses as "deer in headlights" and responded with invigorating movement to music, scenario, word and each other's sprints, leaps, jerks and lifts. Olsen's Partners changed the energetic tone of the first half of the show with its more somber, otherworldly aura. Louisa Irving '07 and Simon Thomas-Train's '09 statuesque poses and tender partnering were set against an eternal woodland projection and a beat-driven African-inspired score by Philip Hamilton '82. What began as a simple, sweet façade of a relationship transformed into something much deeper and affecting when the music stopped and the audience found themselves listening to the duo's heavy breathing and concentrating on the tension-filled moments of touch and release. The second half of the concert opened with a different flavor as the cheongsam-clad dancers of Chi Zhang's '09 In the Mood for Love scuttled onto stage. This traditional Chinese dance was punctuated by a sensual tango-esque duet from Lizzy Zevallos '09 and David Birr '10. In sleek black costume and liberated movement, the two opposed the stiff, strained steps of the others in a poignant commentary on tradition and progression. Irving's which came first followed. Dappled lighting and Antony and the Johnson's sweet, tuneful "For Today I am a Boy" set the tone for a puckish, nostalgic piece in which the dancers seemed like excited, over-alert, ever-responsive children. Though the attitude may have been childlike, the dancers' wild gyrations and sweeping sequences across stage were anything but elementary, testing the bounds of spatial relationships and physical interaction with playfulness.In Onlookers, a solo choreographed by Sharyn Korey '07, senior Erin Twohig's dancing transformed from an energetic manifestation of happiness to an expression of anger, conveyed through vigorous floorwork, impossibly high jumps and frenzied stomping. Though short and somewhat hurried, the piece managed to take the viewer on a powerful emotional ride. Senior Rebecca Marcus' duet, The Falling, begins with dancers moving on a dark, silent stage. Language enters the scenario: "Since you've been gone, I've reinvented you in 10 different ways." This moving piece about tragedy, devotion and reinvention sends the two dancers through a series of beautiful and deliberate motions: slow, soft stretches and tilts are interrupted when the dancers grab at the sky in frantic desperation or move their mouths wildly in silent speech. The poignant choreography and thoughtful execution of movement came together to create perhaps the most captivating piece of the concert.Dancin', the dynamic final piece of the performance, proved an appropriate finale to the night. With a video projection of the 10 dancers' live-movement as the backdrop, their lively leaps and undulations seemed to continue into infinite space, conveying the idea that dance, a vital, liberating form of expression, is everywhere. Creative expression found in dance seems especially important at Middlebury, where the stresses of studying can become overpowering and overwhelming. "To me, dance has always been a synonym of joy and of community building," said Mendoza. "It is a way in which people can express themselves without being judged as you would in a more regular academic setting."Though the concert was a spectacular combination of diverse inspiration, thoughtful choreography and lively movement - an arguably important release and engaging form of entertainment - only half of the 140 sold-out seats were taken by students. "I think modern dance is underappreciated at Middlebury. A lot of people seem to be scared to attend these dance performances because they feel like they need to 'understand' a piece," said Marcus. "But modern dance is much less about how long a dancer can stand on his tippy-toes for or how fast a dancer can shake her ass; it's about appreciating the ways we can express ourselves and about becoming conscious of our own reactions to the dance, which give us further insight into who we are. It's about appreciation for self-expression - and this goes for any art form at Middlebury."
(11/30/06 12:00am)
Author: Ken Van Hazinga To Governor Jim Douglas,With the resignation of Steve Kerr as Secretary of Agriculture, it is now up to you to appoint a new Secretary of Ag. Recently, this post, in recognition of its importance, has been raised from the level of Commissioner to Secretary, as a cabinet position. This fact, and the deep crisis in dairy agriculture at the present time, means that this appointment could be the most critical of the next two years. I have no one person as a candidate for this job, although many different names have come up in conversations with fellow farmers. Instead, I would like to ask you to go outside the usual criterium and set of applicants. This is no time to use past political loyalty, or service in the ag industrial system that has lead directly to this crisis, to fill this position.The new Secretary is going to have to be able to speak to and for all of the many types of agriculture in this state and heal any false divisions caused by corporate ag. public relations campaigns. The new Secretary must be a peace maker and a unifier. The first major crisis is that of disastrously low milk prices in the conventional dairy industry. This is the result of a failed policy of the last 50 years of "get big or get out." Large dairies sound like they are efficient, but when all the hidden social and environmental costs are counted, they don't fare as well. One thing that might help in the short run is to change the trucking charges for milk so that the milk companies pay for the hauling of milk to the processing plants, rather than the farmers.Other long-term strategies that should be looked into are the safe retail sales of raw milk to a willing public, and sales of farm-slaughtered meat. These would help small diversified farms start and grow.What the state needs is more farmers, not just more cows, and these programs help foster the starting and prosperity of new farms. Another area of concern is the pressure of programs from the federal government, such as Premise Registration, in which places where animals are kept, down to the scale of one chicken, must be registered with the government. This will lead to the National Animal Identification System in which individual animals must have a microchip implanted so that all movements can be tracked. These programs have little public support and are very detrimental to the increasing number of farmers that have the vision of a direct link between consumers and farmers as the future of Vermont agriculture.The new secretary should also be someone whom both you and the legislature can work with. The new secretary must have an open mind and listen to all sides, not just recite the party line. This is a chance to make a statesman-like choice; a choice that recognizes that some segments of Vermont agriculture are in deep crisis while others are prospering. We can continue business as usual and it will get worse, or visionary changes can be started and followed through with, and a strong and prosperous agriculture can arise to help strengthen the whole community of Vermont.Ken Van HazingaOrwell, VT
(11/30/06 12:00am)
Author: Thompson Davis Editor's Note: This Thanksgiving The Campus asked Thompson Davis '08 to brave the harsh Middlebury frontier and report on what Thanksgiving is like when the world abandons you. A native of Miami, Florida, Davis was not accustomed to the ways of the cold Middlebury climate. Below, find his account.Culturally, Miami is as removed from America as much as, well, I don't know, Spain is. Because there are no seasons, all of the cold weather holidays seem pretty goofy. Simply put, Thanksgiving and Christmas don't matter (Hannukkah is huge). So I decided to take it easy this Thankgiving, save a few bucks on airfare, and stay put for the holiday. Besides, I had to record my debut EP, "Young, Invincible, and Poor," out Dec. 13. I thought things would be great. I'd finally be able to have some "me" time, catch up on some homework and record a watershed album. What could go wrong?On Thursday I woke up to the sound of eerie silence. Ross was completely devoid of any life, human or animal. I missed the usual bedlam but there were some perks. In the bathroom I let go completely. I let the toothpaste run down my chin instead of self-consciously hoarding it in my cheeks, and after my shower I was able to air dry by sprinting naked through the halls. It was extremely effective. Things were looking up. In the studio the album was shaping up great because there were no distractions. I was getting used to this ghost town. However, things took a turn for hungry around 7 p.m. I was famished and since I had exhausted what had seemed to be an endless supply of spearmint/menthol lozenges, I parka'd up, and decided to brave the elements to find sustenance. I wandered about campus raving and screaming like a lunatic hoping that someone would take me in, but alas, no one could hear me scream (did I make a sound?). It was quite distressing to be so alone. Finally, having endured what seemed like years of cold and wandering, I had an epiphany and decided to make the trip down the hill. You see, there is this house down there called Weybridge, and the College gives them, like, a million dollars a year to buy food so I figured I would find something. I made the trip and when I got there I saw a light on in the kitchen! My heart leapt!But alas! The beacon of hope was a trick! On the kitchen table was a fresh loaf of hot organic bread, but when I tried to open the door I found it to be locked. And I cried tears, but tears do not open locks. I sped away on my bike furious and delirious from hunger. What kind of Thanksgiving was this? What the heck did I have to be thankful for? I would have continued to feel sorry for myself had I not hit the curb and fallen into the street. Luckily, I only hurt my hand, but it hurt a lot. But then, a Thanksgiving miracle happened. As I sat there in the middle of the street nursing my cold, bloody hand I suddenly heard a voice. It was a soothing lyrical voice full of empathy and goodness. The voice came from a young gent with jet-black hair, who was more aptly dressed for the harsh winter than I. He seemed very friendly and he turned out to be a Middlebury student hailing from India. Like the settlers long ago, I rejoiced in his companionship. I followed him to what he called "Jewitt" and, lo and behold, there we found many eager eaters. We ate curry and rice with our hands. It was heavily spiced, very hot and extremely delicious. Much better tasting than turkey and gravy. But it wasn't all about the food. My fellow diners proved to be excellent dining companions. In the end, instead of going through the rote motions that usually constitute your typical Thanksgiving, I was able to expand my cultural horizons and be genuinely thankful for the brotherhood that resides within the human spirit. Isn't that what Thanksgiving is really about?
(11/30/06 12:00am)
Author: Andrew Herzik -The Situation-This campus suffers from a disease. People cower in the exits of buildings, looking at the great expanse of land that separates them from their next destination with a mixture of trepidation and outright wet-the-bed fright. Nowadays, braving Battell Beach is harder than storming the beach at Normandy. Landmines?! Try walking past an old crush. Concentrated SS artillery fire at 200 yards?! Try walking by someone you know at 50 yards - do you wave, do you ignore until you are within smiling distance or do you talk to nobody on your cellphone? Invading Russia in winter was easy compared to the complex problems faced by Middlebury students strolling the sidewalk. To remedy the problem, The Campus has generously provided you with a few tips to get you back on your feet, walking confidently to class.-The Person You Know You Don't Know-People you know you don't know exist in an awkward purgatory-like state. They may be a friend of a friend, an acquaintance you used to say hi to before they went abroad for two years or a friend's hookup that you know way too much about, including their preference for Superman underwear. You know their name, how they did last year in BIO195 and about their penchant for fuzzy Japanese-anime stuffed animal characters. They know your name, your favorite historical figure and, as you correctly suspected, the fact that you've been to the Health Center at least two times this semester for non-illness related "issues." Unfortunately, some silly code of conduct probably invented by the French insists that you may not actually talk until you've been introduced. You may make light banter at a party, but acknowledging them on the sidewalk with anything more than a raising of the eyebrows is strictly forbidden until you have been officially declared friends by either an impartial third party or by Facebook.com. In the dreaded event that you leave class together, you must proceed to introduce yourself. The question that has placed many a head under the social guillotine and has plagued centuries of sidewalk theorists is: who begins the introduction? Most specialists regard this question as the central crux to sidewalk conventions, and for good reason. However, we at The Campus have constructed a handy guide to introductions on the sidewalk:-If a man and a woman are interacting, the man shall initiate the introduction. Unless the woman is a 'Defensive Feminist,' in which case the man will meekly submit making sure to avoid eye contact and to smile without revealing his teeth.-If two people of the same gender interact, the taller one shall introduce him/herself. In the event of equal heights, an estimate of weight will suffice. In the event of approximately equal stature, cup size for women and facial hair for men will be the determining factor. If both women are wearing bulky layers, use the general rule of thumb: who would win in a thumb war?-Important Note: In the event of a standoff, only God (or some derivation) can help you. Perhaps it was not meant to be, and your interactions will forever remain insincere and callous. Good luck!-The Sidewalk Companion-The sidewalk companion walks through your life on a weekly basis. You do not know this person and yet over the years you have developed a relationship based purely on unassuming smiles that symbolize all that is good in your life. Imagine the scenario: the Green Goblin is holding your sidewalk companion and your mom over a bridge. He drops them both at the same time so you can only save one (assume no spidey powers). Who do you save? A tough pill to swallow, no doubt, but you have to ask yourself, does your mom brighten up an otherwise mundane day whenever you pass her on the way to the library? Does your sidewalk companion nag you about some form you've got at home that you need to fill out? I believe the questions answer themselves (sorry mom, nothing personal). Beware reader, the sidewalk companion is a precious diamond stuck in the can of cat food that is the rest of your social life. Its value diminishes when you try and eat it. Under no circumstances are you to try and make contact with this person. Do not talk or casually sidle on up to them at a party. Great hubris proceeds the fall. Only death and destruction result from trying to turn your sidewalk companion into a friend.-The Teacher-Passing the teacher on the sidewalk presents an entirely new set of problems. Not only is the person you're walking by a figure of authority, he's old. He abides by an entirely different set of sidewalk customs that were developed when Taft was still sitting in oversized baths at the White House. Add to the cunundrum the fact that he may be about to go grade your paper and you've got yourself one doozy of a problem. For your convenience we've created an easy guide for dummies. Just follow the basic template below and your day should be a leisurely stroll through the park.The Campus sat down with Marichal Gentry, Associate Dean of the College. Gentry is widely considered a master greeter who will not hesitate to greet anyone who passes him by, no matter who they are. If you are still unsure of your sidewalk etiquette read on to learn from the master.The Campus: How do you do it?Marichal Gentry: I think it's important to make connections with people even if you don't know them. TC: Do you really care how I'm doing?MG: Absolutely, or else what's the point in asking?TC: I see. Did you, like, get way too many hugs as a child?MG: Actually, I hug my parents more now that I'm an adult, although my parents always stressed friendliness growing up. My brother's actually worse than me. He waves to everybody he passes while driving. Maya Angelou's speech at the first inauguration of President Clinton in 1992 really influenced me. She wrote a poem that basically stresses the importance of saying hello to people. Here let me look it up, it ends with: Here on the pulse of this new day/ You may have the grace to look up and out/And into your sister's eyes/Into your brother's face, your country/And say simply/ Very simply/ With hope/Good morning. Greeting people helps me sustain relationships and connect in meaningful ways.TC: Is there anybody on this campus that you would consciously not say hello to?MG: No, there is nobody on this campus I would not greet in passing.TC: What about Stalin? Would you say hi to him?MG: That's a pretty big hypothetical, but I believe everyone is worthy to say hi to. Who am I to not say hello to someone? TC: Obviously we could all learn a little bit from you. Thank you.
(11/16/06 12:00am)
Author: Dina Magaril If you're one of the hunting enthusiasts itching to get out your rifle and hunt for some big game this season, you might just have your chance. Though the two-and-a-half-month-long black bear hunting season officially ends on Nov. 15, Vermont is entering its annual rifle deer season, which runs from Nov. 11 to Nov. 25. The regulated deer season has been a beloved traditon among hunters in Vermont for over 100 years. The white-tailed deer is an important symbol to the state of Vermont and has its own place on the Vermont state seal. But sometimes deer can pose a problem for other inhabitants in the state. According to the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department website, an abundance of deer can cause damage to Vermont's crops as well as pose a danger for vehicle collisions. To prevent overpopulation, without risking extinction, regulated deer hunting is permitted in the state only during deer season. The website noted that about 15 percent of Vermont State residents hunt, bringing in more than 800,000 pounds of venison each year. While some hunters are lured to the sport for the thrill of the chase, Eric Quesel, a bow hunter from Middlebury, says he enjoys the nature aspect of deer hunting, especially the scenic spots to which many of his deer hunting trips have brought him. "There's this swamp in Salisbury, near Creek road, which is a really good place for hunting lowland deer," said Quesel. He added that the bigger bucks were found mostly in the higher mountain areas. "Basically, wherever there are [beer nut] trees is where you'll find the deer," he added.Quesel kindly described the entire hunt - from killing the deer to storing its meat properly. After a successful hunt, "you have to take the legs [of the deer] over your back and break the hipbone," he said. "You have to be careful when you cut into it because you don't want to hit the bladder or open up the large intestine," which would spoil the meat. When asked how he transports such a large animal home, Quesel said he "just straps it on top of [his] car." The last phase of keeping the meat fresh involves deep-freezing it, a process that allows the meat to keep for as long as a year. With temperatures that are especially warm for this time of year, hunters have to take extra care to freeze their meat as soon as possible. Warm weather causes the meat to spoil at a much faster pace.For some Vermont hunters, the hunting season is a time for celebration. One avid hunter is known for throwing an annual "game" party at his home each year. Nate Davis, who is not a hunter but had the good fortune to be a party attendee, spoke about the hunting extravaganzas at the party host's home. "Everyone brings the meat [they caught] to Bruce's and he slaughters it for them." As compensation for this rather messy service, Bruce is given a portion of meat from each hunter's catch. "It's just a bunch of hunters cooking food, playing cards, drinking beers and talking about hunting," said Bruce's son Mike, who has attended a number of these feasts over the years. Though Mike no longer hunts - "I don't like killing deer anymore," he says - he spoke about the process of acquiring a hunting permit. "You have to take a hunter safety course," he says, "Which is usually for a couple of hours a night and takes 4 or 5 days." Most hunters have favorite dishes they cook every year with the fresh catch of the season. Davis shared some of his favorite game dishes, which include such delicacies as "mooseballs" (meatballs made out of moose meat), while Quesel cites venison stew, which "tastes like a chili" as one of his most memorable dishes. Though Quesel said he has not been hunting yet this year, he admitted there was one animal he hopes he doesn't run into. "I was up in Ripton," said Quesel, "and I saw a black bear. Let's just say it wasn't a grizzly, but it wasn't too small either."For those frightened by the prospect of hunting larger animals, there is an opportunity to hunt something on a smaller scale. Raccoon hunting season, which began on Oct. 14 and runs through Dec. 31, is a viable option for licensed hunters, though "raccoonballs" are not guaranteed to be a big hit at Bruce's annual hunter bash.
(11/02/06 12:00am)
Author: Daniel Roberts Two weeks ago, a close friend of mine told me she was heading over to the local Humane Society to adopt a rabbit. I joked, "Wow! Don't worry, I won't tell anyone your secret." My assumption that she was violating school rules was quieted when she answered, "Oh, no, it's allowed here. You can have a pet as long as it's kept in a cage, so, pretty much anything but a dog."I wondered if this was true and so I visited our favorite Middlebury homepage and did some searching. Sure enough, Middlebury College permits pets that are in cages on campus, but with a qualifier: "The residence hall does not provide a good, healthy atmosphere for animals."Unhealthy atmosphere? Tell that to my friend's bunny rabbit, who seems perfectly content in his largest toy - a frayed cardboard box from a twelve pack of Saranac Ale. If you see something wrong with the image of a soft, innocent bunny playing in a chewed up beer box, then you must be crazy.I do mock his living arrangements, but this particular rabbit is taken care of extremely well. He is taken out for some open space every day and he hops around the dorm's courtyard happily. He is well-fed (he even looks a bit too plump, maybe he ought to start lifting) and he is cleaned by frequent baths (administered by his own tongue). So why shouldn't my friend just enjoy her rabbit?My point here is to investigate what the issue of young people adopting pets means in a larger sense.In searching through numerous university websites, I found very few schools that allow their students to have pets, and almost none mention any specific animals as examples,. Take for example Duke's policy, which allows for fish, but then does not go into specifics about which real animals are not permitted.This lack of details surprised me. Let's start small. Duke allows fish. This seems reasonable. Assuming the kid has not bought Piranhas, it should be relatively easy to dump some flakes in there each day and change the water once a week. And gerbils? They are pretty tiny. The only crisis I could imagine is maybe being stepped on, or stolen by a late-night jangler.So if we agree fish and gerbils are okay, can we accept rabbits? They are bigger, but if they can be kept under control, why not allow them.? Yet here is where we hit a bump: responsibility is subjective. Sure, my friend is careful with her bunny but not every student would be. In this regard, the rules against pets are made for the worst kids, and are unfair to the best.A veterinarian at a hospital near the University of Maryland says that each year college kids show up to put their animal to sleep, because they can no longer take care of it. This can be seen as irresponsible and cruel. But would MiddKids really do this? How would you like it if one day your mom sighed and said, "Well, you're just becoming too much of a financial burden. I think we're going to have to put you down."So where can we draw the line? If rabbits are okay, then why not dogs? Is it simply a size issue? In an e-mail to me, one of the Hepburn RAs wrote that, "You may have small pets that remain caged such as a gecko or gerbil. Bunnies may be okay, too." If another student were just as responsible as my friend, why not let him or her have a little puppy? I guess, it's simply too difficult to assess each person's pet-owning aptitude. Still, she does mention a gecko. I hadn't even thought of those. Just think how many chicks I could slay if I had that gecko from the Geico ads! What? He's animated? Well how about the Wonnacott squirrel? That's just a drawing? Oh... forget it.
(10/26/06 12:00am)
Author: Aylie Baker The sky is heavy with darkness and the trees stand submerged by gauzy mist as several cars trundle into the Dead Creek Wild Life Refuge on Route 17. It's 6:30 a.m. and Middlebury is well-awake. Rendered virtually unrecognizable by their assortment of lumpy, woolen clothing, a group of about 30 students crowd around Joel Sartore in hopes of gleaning some advice from this visual expert. In his photography workshop and lecture, "Oil vs. Wilderness: Selling Alaska's North Slope," delivered on Oct. 12, Joel Sartore imparted much more than technical advice. While perhaps first distinguished by his glib, jovial rhetoric, the message he chose to convey to students was tinged with considerable gravity.Sartore is a leader in one of the most coveted professions. A photographer for National Geographic, he has spent the last 17 years wending through virtually every conceivable ecosystem - marshland, rainforest, desert, tundra - capturing the natural world through his camera. Yet, he insists, there are caveats in this seemingly blissful existence: "It's not what you call 'fun.'" Take into account the number of times Sartore has found himself wet, chilled to the bone and tortured by pangs of hunger, and suddenly all the fantastical notions one has about wildlife photography are cast in a more sobering light. It's imperative that one has a type A personality, insists Sartore. The 30 to 40,000 pictures he takes for each story will eventually boil down to 12 to 20 photos in the issue, with only 50 pictures showcased. Because he hails from Lincoln, Neb. Sartore jokes that he was forced to be innovative in crafting his early photography. Anyone can take pictures of wildlife. Sartore sought to push the envelope, to capture emotion. His early portfolio includes subject matter ranging from rodeos to clams. As his portfolio grew, it appears that his progression as a photographer was simultaneously mirrored by a mounting awareness of environmental as well as developmental issues. Through photographing endangered species, Sartore has been confronted with some harsh realities. Why should anyone care about a clam, Sartore asked himself, upon receiving an assignment to photograph mollusks. Indeed, it seemed a particularly dry choice of subject matter for a magazine that is heralded for its avant garde exposés."75-80 percent of clams are functionally extinct, threatened or endangered" said Sartore. "50 percent of amphibians are set to disappear in the next ten years." These are "living monitors." "What happens to them," said Sartore, "Do you think that could happen to us?"Active preservation and veneration for the natural world seem to be diminishing in the face of industrial expansion and commercial interests. Yet it is in Pantanal, Brazil, the world's largest marshland, insisted Sartore, where veneration is paramount. Perhaps it is here, that we can unearth some environmental solutions. Every niche is brimming with some form of wildlife - caimans, giant otters and hyacinth macaws vie for time at the lens. Locals even contend that "fish rain from the sky." What are the motives behind the preservation of this plush landscape? "It's loaded because the people of Pantanal are good stewards," said Sartore. As a veritable dream for wildlife photographers, naturalists and tourists, Pantanal is the quintessential example of eco-tourism.Sartore's most recent assignment, "Selling Alaska's North Slope," draws particular attention to the dichotomy existing between preservation and commercial interest. The North Slope is the largest tract of wilderness in the United States. It also holds roughly 48 billion barrels of oil. "As I was photographing the slope," Sartore said, "one thing is running through my mind. What is the value of wilderness? Does it have any value - or is the value only in what we can extract from it?" The oil fields surrounding Prudhoe Bay comprise 16 percent of the country's oil supply, and make up 90 percent of Alaska's state revenue, according to National Geographic. Yet if the U.S. were to tap into Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the fragile ecosystem would likely shatter. "It is estimated that there are nine months to a year of oil in the North Slope," said Sartore. One year of oil in exchange for the devastation of America's largest wilderness can make one stop and think.Given what is at stake in Alaska's frontier, Sartore was particularly disheartened to see the lack of responses to his piece by National Geographic readers. The general indifference was "dismaying to me," explained Sartore. "[I] got zero. Nada." It says something about the state of the world "when Jackass is the number one film," he offered, malignantly. Such indifference triggers a bleak outlook on the Slope's future. Americans are characterized by their "panic, [their] knee-jerk, bombastic tendencies," said Sartore. They "wait until the absolute last second, thinking they can smother [the problem] with money, hoping it will solve all their problems." "I've done my part," said Sartore, resignedly, "I've told my story." Yet despite such glum desperation with the state of affairs, Sartore ultimately does shed some light on ensuring a positive future for the Slope and preservation in general. Ultimately it is the "rich, developed countries" that have the potential to make a difference, said Sartore. If we can alleviate human strife and elevate the standard of living, environmental preservation can simultaneously rise in the list of priorities. It is hard to fault someone for poaching or clear-cutting when they are hungry, explains Sartore. How can one point fingers at someone who, upon being asked about spotting a rare animal," replies innocently, "Yes, it was delicious?"What would assuage his dismay at such apathy? "I live in Lincoln, Neb. On any home Saturday I hear 80,000 people screaming [at the football game]. I want 80,000 people to scream about the state of affairs," said Sartore. To students, he offered, "Visit some of these places. Read. Study up…Look at things critically. Make up your own mind, go out and vote."The lecture was sponsored by the Middlebury College Academic Enrichment Fund, the Environmental Studies Program and the Christian A. Johnson Economic Enrichment Fund.
(10/12/06 12:00am)
Author: Joe Bergan Oh Fall Break! Oh glimmer of hope in that long expanse from Move-in-Day to Thanksgiving. Oh sweet two days! How you fill us with such foolish pride, how you decieve us to believe that it is actually a full break! Oh, how we cherish you! How soon you are upon us! Yes, Fall Break is here, with the all the merriment that it brings. For some, it is Parent's Weekend Part II, where you return home to eat tomatoes, yell at your family and do homework. For those with bigger ambitions, The Campus has searched heaven and hell to find the quintessential vacation destination - Montreal. Allow The Campus to make the most of your short, sweet two days. Montreal has long been advertised as a great getaway for Middlebury students, especially for those under 21. Head north on Route 89 after Burlington to arrive at the US-Canadian border. American citizens need only a valid driver's license or passport. For more information, check out cic.gc.ca, especially if you are not an American citizen. The Emerald city emerges after only an hour and a half drive but once there, what should be done? The Campus has stolen a page from Dante, and has divided the city into three categories: paradiso, purgatorio and inferno.ParadisoThe curious Midd kid will undoubtedly be drawn to the Musée d'Art Contemporain de Montréal. Rodney Graham, an American artist who re-examines Western culture through intermedia had his opening exhibition this past weekend. The museum includes an impressive and interesting array of contemporary painting and sculpture. For those with a more classical taste, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts will more than satiate your hunger. The museum's European collection boasts works by Renoir, Sisley, Monet and Cézanne. Their ancient collection is also impressive with new donations in Asiatic ancient art as well as a solid collection of Islamic art.For Art History majors looking to escape, perhaps the Montreal Biodome will meet your fancy. Complete with five ecosystems, one can find everything from penguins to tropical flowers to beavers and mountain lions. This is no zoo - it is an actual recreation of ecosystems and the animals within them.PurgatorioWhile Montreal boasts some of the finest culture in the snow belt, the draw for some Middlebury students is not Cézanne, but cerveza. Welcome to Purgatorio. If you want to find Americans or fellow Middlebury students, do be sure to stop by Winston Churchill or Brewtopia. The former offers plenty of mixed drinks, a hefty coat check and plenty of dancing. What would dancing be without strange men staring at you from the dark reaches of the dance floor? Gentleman, hold your ladies close. Brewtopia is a fantastic spot to check out interesting micro brews. The funny thing about micro brews is that they taste good, but are quite expensive.Your eyes are not mistaken, those fellow bar patrons are lighting up inside the bar. For those of you who cannot stand the smell of cigarettes, Montreal may sadly seem more of an inferno than Purgatory. If you desire to do as the Romans, then grab a pack of the local favorite, Du Maurier. For those with music on the mind, let us suggest two very different venues this weekend. Metropolis on Saint-Catherine East features DJ Shadow on Friday night at 8 p.m. This California native is a hip hop innovator and a menace on the turntables. If DJ Shadow is not exactly what you are after, you may be in luck. Alice Cooper stops by St. Denis Theatre on Monday night. Alice Cooper is a rock god known for his gory stage antics and black eyeliner. He is also known to be quite a good golfer.InfernoAfter a nice drink and the soothing musical stylings of Alice Cooper, you might be feeling adventurous. For some Middlebury men and women, heaven and purgatory are not enough. They desire to walk through hell, and in this city it is only too easy to find the neon inferno. If you are looking for a clean establishment, Club Supersex is the cleanest, most expensive on the map. If you prefer to spend your time with the young and free spirited, Club Downtown is what you are after. This venue's Web site boasts, "A warm ambience. Often HOT." Several Middlebury students cite it as a favorite in Montreal. Parents, when you see Restaurant Supreme on your credit card, this is what it was for. Prepare a long chat with little Billy if the bill for that supreme meal cost anything north of $30. For those of you looking to lose yourself in a den of complete hedonism, Teasers is what you are after. However, our inside source informs us that this establishment has been closed due to health standards, and you will only find a locked door. After you have completed the circles of hell on Sainte-Catherine, there is a Burger King not too far away to complete your inferno experience.
(10/12/06 12:00am)
Author: Maddie Oatman The name Georgia O'Keeffe often evokes images of sensual flowers or desert vistas saturated with vibrant colors. The Shelburne Museum's exhibit of 25 O'Keeffe paintings, entitled Simple Beauty, touches upon some of these sumptuous floral abstracts, but also offers a unique perspective on a few of O'Keeffe's more unusual subjects. A simple chicken, the profile of a cow and a study of a grapefruit exemplify the exhibit's diversity while tying the artist to the unlikely setting of a Vermont folk-art museum. But is the setting unlikely? Is O'Keeffe that removed from New England? Though she is known for her work in New Mexico, O'Keeffe actually spent many summers at the nearby Lake George, N.Y. with her husband, famed gallerist and photographer Alfred Stieglitz. Born in 1887 in Sun Prairie, Wis., O'Keeffe began painting in the early 1900s under the structure of a traditional academic background. Though she won an important prize during art school, she first reached true critical acclaim when successful dealer Stieglitz exhibited her unique black and white charcoal prints in his gallery 291 in New York City in 1915. During the 1920s, O'Keeffe hung around the Stieglitz Circle - which included the most innovative American artists of the age - and enjoyed a decade of experimentation in both Lake George and New York City. "We often think of O'Keeffe in terms of the Southwest," said exhibit organizer Stephen Jost, "but she was also very much a part of the New York avant garde in the early 20th century."Simple Beauty's earlier works reflect this experimentation through changes in subject and form. "The abstraction is often the most definite form for the intangible thing in myself that I can only clarify in paint," said O'Keeffe in an early interview, discussing how nature spoke to her inner emotions. Her journey into the realm of the abstract reaches an extreme with From the Lake, No. 3 in which figments of the landscape turn into glittery bunches or wavy forms that bleed into each other, transporting the viewer into the realm of the unrecognizable. The landscape is made more powerful by emotion and movement than by realistic reflection, and the colors unravel like flames from the focus at the bottom. O'Keeffe's whimsical side shines through in The China Cock and Cow Licking, where farm animals take on personalities. A cow strains its neck to reach a tempting apple, and its eyes bulge in a comical manner very unlike O'Keeffe's usual lyricism. Paintings like these render Simple Beauty a unique series. Yet, the O'Keeffe we know best didn't emerge until she visited New Mexico in 1929, returning yearly until deciding to settle down at a ranch near Taos. The colors and images of the New Mexican desert transformed her style and thrust her paintings into a new realm of exploration and representation. She remained in New Mexico for the rest of her life, and enjoyed an almost solitary existence as a painter in the desert.The most impressive works from New Mexico in the show include The Mountain-New Mexico and Bob's Steer Head. In The Mountain, O'Keeffe turns a static, dry landscape into a sculptural homage to shadow and depth. While we see the overall form of the mountain, we are most entranced by the way mountain becomes movement and life with O'Keeffe's touch. Bob's Steer Head exemplifies O'Keeffe's bone paintings, in which the artist suspended animal skulls - often obtaining a surreal effect - in order to capture what she saw as the spirit of the desert. The few examples of O'Keeffe's signature flowers reveal her skill in magnifying the importance of the less conspicuous aspects of the world around her. Petunias become monumental when she crops the canvas and focuses on the petals. Red Poppy blooms with an exquisite color palette and almost pulses off the canvas. Background and foreground blur into each other in Purple Petunia. As O'Keeffe pointed out in one interview, "Still, nobody sees a flower. Really it is so small. We haven't time, and to see takes time." With her paintings, O'Keeffe lures us into folds of flower petals, soaking with color, and invites us to stay and explore. Her close-ups of the natural world transform details into glimpses of abstract forms we can't always identify, but want to gaze at for hours. Despite their passion, her paintings remain tranquil, controlled and calculated. They brim with shades so deep they want to jump off the page and become three-dimensional. An underlying unity weaves its way through the exhibit at the Shelburne Museum - that of O'Keeffe's wonder at the smallest of details and her ability to transform these details into masterpieces.The exhibit itself retains its originality by incorporating a couple of other artists' works of similar subjects, such as the still-life Ecstatic Fruit by Severin Roesen. While the paintings are meant to supplement O'Keeffe's treatment of her subjects, their contrasting styles make them somewhat redundant compared to the solid collection of O'Keeffe's work. The exception is the Navajo Turquoise jewelry that really adds to O'Keefe's treatment of the New Mexico culture but doesn't distract from her style. The exhibit came about in part because of the museum's decision to begin introducing more modern art and design to its exhibition schedule. "We thought an exhibit of the country's best 20th century painters would be a terrific start," said Jost of the decision to highlight O'Keeffe's work. So far, the museum has experienced great turnout, especially from school groups. "The response has been phenomenal. It's very rewarding to see what a strong chord Georgia O'Keeffe strikes with people of all ages," concluded Jost. Simple Beauty will remain open until the museum closes for the season on Oct. 31st, and costs $13 for students and $10 for Vermont residents.
(10/12/06 12:00am)
Author: Himali Singh Soin Himali Singh Soin '08 travelled this past summer to the Bhutan region. This travelogue is the final installment in a series of unique summer stories by students.Nestled between the mountains of Tibet and India is Bhutan, a tiny, Buddhist kingdom where spiritual happiness is valued above all material development and prosperity. The idea of traveling to this unique land was conceived while looking out upon a high altitude lake in Ladakh, India, where I was immersed in a landscape that incessantly spoke of its people and religion. My interest in Buddhism and its manifestation in the people's performing arts drew me there. As I landed in the tiny airport, the stunning red, green and gold patterns found in the architecture foreshadowed the brilliance of the rest of the country. It was the beginning of a journey into the Land of the Thunder Dragon, Druk yul, where men and mountains lived in harmony, and the wind chanted "Om mani padme hum" as if in prayer for its people. The next day, after about a two-hour walk uphill, we reached the "viewpoint" of the trail. From there I could see our destination - the stark, shaded, jagged rock face and perched above it, a beautiful, gold-roofed, ornate monastery. Along our path, the lush green of the land was juxtaposed with the red, blue and yellow of Buddhist Dzongs. The architecture of the country is in harmony with nature and blended with the landscape to enhance its own Buddhist identity. A largely agrarian country, Bhutan's economy thrives on steppe farming, and the architecture reflects this culture. Monastery roofs, for example, are broad at the first level, and make their way upwards in layers. There is always music, for singing is a communal activity, and it often takes the form of praying to the Buddha for successful harvests. Amidst the darkening skies and the heavy clouds, the fast wind and the passer bys, amidst the transience of nature's beings, the monastery Taktsang stood still, with a majesty that invited sheer awe. Setting foot on the monastery was a magical feeling - the wind was cooler here, the monks quiet and serene. There was something churning inside me. Taktsang means Tiger's Nest; it was the monastery originally built for the Guru Padmasambhav, who came from Tibet on his spiritual consort, the tigress, to crush the evil spirits that pervaded Bhutan.Inside the monastery, there was a little room that houses this cave, and it can only be seen through a tiny hole in the door. The resident monk explained the paintings on the wall to us - they were all the Buddhist manifestations of man and nature coexisting in symbiosis for the harmony of the universe.I stayed there for some time, and revelled in my surroundings. As I walked down and neared the viewpoint to look back once again, I realized the power of Taktsang. It was not simply a monastery on a hill that took a long time to get to; rather, this monastery symbolized the eternal harmony and cause of the universe. There was fresh air, abundant sunshine and a nearby waterfall. They had everything they needed - removed from the hustle and bustle of city life - a place where each monk, each plant, each animal and every bug had all they needed, and could coexist peacefully.The Royal Government of Bhutan has made a national commitment to uphold its obligations to future generations by charting a path of development called the Middle Path, which upholds both environmental and cultural preservation as an integral part of the development process. Traditional and local beliefs sustain the conservation ethic, for according to the ancient Bon religion and the concept of animism, the mountains, the river and the forests are the abodes of the gods, goddesses, protective deities and underworld spirits. Disturbing these sites would lead to death, disease or famine. Bhutan believes that a healthy environment is essential for material and spiritual happiness. In the words of his majesty the king of Bhutan, "Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product."The Buddhists in Bhutan believe that all of nature is a sentient being and has a right to live. This philosophy has manifested itself keenly in the streets of Thimpu and Paro where there is little garbage and a strong sense of responsibility for the surroundings. Environmental sustainability is one of the main pillars of Gross National Happiness. They understand climate change and environmental degradation as some of the pressing problems of today, and though seemingly isolated from the world, they are active in changing their ways, including shifting to alternative power possibilities. Bhutan has banned plastic bags and tobacco for they make the country 'less happy.' There is very little advertising to discourage consumerism and television was only introduced in 1999.The next day, we saw the beginnings of the rhododendron forests that were soon going to leave us speechless. We stopped for lunch in a meadow that housed a long Buddhist Chorten; these were the indications of eastern thought in the landscape. Amidst the meadows and cliffs of Bhutan were the brightly coloured prayer flags, stupas unflinching in the high mountain winds and tiny versions of chortens with piles of flat gray stone stacked high in the middle of lakes. Our guide said it was a need to mark their territory and identity in a vast landscape, that the nomads indicated their presence through their religion.Walking in the mountains was a mystical, fairy tale adventure. Mist covered the forests as we began from the trailhead, and followed us right into our tents that evening. Each plant was veiled in glittering dewdrops - it seemed that many a pixie and goblin inhabited this fertile ground; simply waiting for the onlookers to pass so they could re-emerge from beneath the moss and the mushrooms and cause their usual ruckus. As we gradually gained height day after day, the rhododendrons began to appear. The little spots of white and purple that simply seemed like those retinal spots that the eye creates when seeing into a distance magically became fields of brightly coloured azaleas. The clearing clouds allowed us to see, for the first time, the grand jagged views of the great Himalayan ranges of Bhutan.Bhutan's eco-system harbors some of the most exotic, endemic species of the eastern Himalayas. It has an estimated 770 species of birds and over 50 species of Rhododendron. The mountains brim with other exotic species like blue poppy and different medicinal herbs. Animals like takins, snow leopards, golden langur, tigers and elephants roam its forests.After several days in the mountains, we returned to visit the cultural aspects of the country, where the song and dance very much reflected what we had seen of the Buddhist landscape. The performers danced in circles and the music came back to the same words it began with; this seemed to mimic how the nomads would leave their belongings in the winter, go down to the valleys and then return again in the summer. As I caught my flight back to India, we steered through narrow valleys and empty gorges, across the beautiful Nepalese mountains. So though I left Bhutan that day, I seemed to be in inertia, for the chants of 'Om mani padme hum' still reverberated within me, and the warmth and splendour of the natural and the cultural landscape continues to live on.Since the journey, I have been able to capture a certain mindfulness, for in Bhutan one stops craving, and for a moment or two one is rid of desires, and can finally see what is, and it is then that one is completely present - truly experiencing one of life's rare moments of being.
(09/21/06 12:00am)
Author: [no author name found] Meet Joe Midd. Or wait, maybe you already have. Joe is a sophomore international studies major with an economics minor. He hails from Pasadena, Calif., his mailbox number is 6739, and he currently lives in Brooker 403. This semester he is only taking three classes - West European Politics, Russian and Studio Art. But anyone with a college directory and access to Outlook already knew this much about Joe.Log-in to Facebook.com and we find a more revealing portrait of the young Joe Midd. Now we see a young man who lists "strippers in Ross," drinking rum and attending cockfights as his top interests. In his own photo albums he enjoys posing naked with strategically placed stuffed animals or plant-life concealing his little Joe member.Joe, we learn, is a current member of the groups "Sex and the Cowland," "People Who Love Forking," "Everybody Pees" and "The Only Good Whore Is a Dead Whore." Facebook feed says he also recently joined the group "hey babe how would you like to take a ride on my boloney pony." And for those ladies who are attracted to all this, Facebook feed also says Joe just split his "it's complicated" ties with Sarah Midd. He has already updated his relationship status as, "looking for random play."If you have not yet figured it out, Joe Midd is a composite of information pulled from a wide range of Middlebury student profiles on Facebook.com. Joe is not just one giant embarrassment to this College - he is actually representative of dozens of embarrassing Facebook profiles that students have tied to Middlebury through the popular social networking website. Even worse, most of these tidbits were pulled from prominent student leaders in the Commons, student government and even this newspaper. Many students may fondly recognize some of Joe's "clever" personal information from their friends' profiles or, perhaps, even their own. The Deans in Old Chapel and the Student Affairs Office - who, yes, do have their own Facebook accounts - probably recognized some of Joe, too. Just not as fondly.And then there are the job recruiters who contract students and alumni from Middlebury and other colleges to research possible job candidates via their insider Facebook access. They probably did not remember Joe's witty little nuggets of personal information, since they were taken from the profiles of people these firms and non-profit organizations chose or will choose not to hire.Facebook offers amazing potential for classmates and friends to stay in touch no matter how far apart they might end up. Students should make available their phone numbers and e-mail addresses so people can stay in touch. And there is nothing wrong with posting your birthdate or memorable - but appropriate - pictures to share. But somewhere a line needs to be drawn.Collectively the gross and sometimes offensive Facebook groups we identified had literally hundreds of Middlebury student members. From groups that celebrate peeing in inappropriate places on campus, to groups that honor men who use derogatory pick-up lines and women who say that they do not mind receiving them. Do Middlebury students truly stand behind the things they post on Facebook? We hope not. Does that make them any more acceptable? Not in the least.The Middlebury campus is a safe haven where students can do many things that they will never be able to do anywhere else. The World Wide Web, however, is not Club Midd. The curtains of anonymity that students foolishly assume are hiding the stuff they write and things they do on the Internet, simply do not exist. It is time students reconsider how they use Facebook to present themselves, and their institution, to the world.
(05/11/06 12:00am)
Author: Alison Lacivita This year is a particularly special one for Sepomana - it's the 10th anniversary! Since its advent, the annual music fest hosted by WRMC has certainly had a spectacular array of bands including Yo La Tengo, (Smog), Josh Ritter, Calla, Clearlake, Enon, The French Kicks, Animal Collective and Masta Ace, just to name a few. The list gets even better this year as Sepomana brings The Books, Tal M. Klein and The Sixfifteens to the stage this Friday, May 12th in the McCullough Social Space. It is a little sad that Sepomana will not be held in its usual location, Coltrane Lounge, but due to overfilling capacity the past two years it was forced to move into a larger space - so I guess there is nothing to complain about.The opening band will be The Sixfifteens, a post-punk outfit from Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Reminiscent of Goo-era Sonic Youth, Pavement, Superchunk and Polvo, the band has been called a "band to watch" by the ever critical Village Voice. The Sixfifteens were formed by ex-members of the pop-punk outfit Dryer, Bob Carlton and Joel Lilley. After Dryer's dissolution, the two joined up with Jeff Fox and Matt Bombard to stray from their poppier tendencies and focus on a more angular, biting guitar sound based on the SubPop sound of the early 90s. The band's newest album, Feature Conference, Transfer (FakeChapter Records) has been charting on College Radio all year and is filled with driving rhythms and punk angst that makes a great live show. For a sample, download "Montreal" off their latest release.Tal M. Klein comes next, an electronica DJ whose latest release, Alpha-Beats, attempts to rebel against today's overproduced electronic music. Klein, discussing the inspiration behind the album, said: "This is me, an organic acoustical evolution that came from my experience as a musician and DJ." Prior to Alpha-Beats, Klein has released two solo albums under the Trancenden moniker. His first was "nicoTine fits and anaLogue beats" which the All Music Guide saw as an "organic musical experience more like that of a conductor of a multi-pieced orchestra. The album is constructed from the bottom up, using beats from here and sampled bits from there, built to create something fun, dancy, and funky." Klein then followed with his first full-length album, "Peace Love Beats," which sold over four thousand units and was charted in CMJ's RPM Top 10 for several months.The headlining act, The Books, are nothing less than an artistic experience. Formed in 2000 in NYC, Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong fused their differing acoustic tendencies to form the plunky, ethereal debut, "Thought for Food" in 2002. The band seems to be very geographically influenced, moving from NYC to Hot Springs, N.C. to record the critically acclaimed "Lemon of Pink" and then to a Victorian home in North Adams, Mass. to record their most recent release "Lost and Safe." Each song is a unique blend of sampling, acoustic melodies and quiet harmonies that crystallizes individual moments of contemplation into a melodic frame. They are difficult to place into a genre - not quite rock, not quite electronic - yet they are to be enjoyed by most any listener, even those who normally would not find themselves at an "indie-rock" show. Their music demands little from the listener, allowing one to sit back and meditate on the difficult to articulate emotions evoked by their haunting, mesmerizing works. Their song "Tokyo" off of "Lemon of Pink "attempts to capture the beautifully hectic and surreal sense of moving through the Tokyo airport, while "S is for Everysing" brings you, through slightly cacophonous rhythms, to the experience of a pre-linguistic state. My personal recommendation is "It Never Changes to Stop" off of their recent "Lost and Safe," which begins with a soft acoustic riff, melting into a low orchestral hum before closing out with a repetitive voice that leaves the listener with an unresolved peace. Join Middlebury's WMRC 91.1 FM this Friday for their last show of the year. It's guaranteed to be a great time, as always. Tickets will be sold all week during dinnertime at the dining halls, $3 pre-sale, $5 at the door.
(05/04/06 12:00am)
Author: ERICA GOODMAN Once there was a giving tree ~ Shel SilversteinWhile off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz, Dorthoy and company are grabbed by irritable trees as the girl from Kansas attempts to take apples from their branches. Indian mythology describes the Tree of the Sun and the Moon that was believed to have told the future. One side of the trunk would talk at a time to answer any questions asked of it; in the daytime, the tree spoke as a male and at night as a female. The ancient Druids consulted Oak trees as if they were oracles and in Ireland, trees are said to help the greedy search for a leprechaun's gold. The Garden of Eden was the fertile ground of which Adam and Eve lost access to the Tree of Life and Immortality once they ate fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The Great Deku Tree of "The Legend of Zelda" fame, is the 'father of the forest,' keeping careful watch over the animated Kokiri Forest. And of course, Washington proved his honorable nature when he admitted to chopping down the cherry tree and young Johnny Appleseed's notoriety was cultivated along with the apple orchards he laid out across the land. Within a world riddled with chaos and instability since the moment of its conception, trees have signified constancy and wisdom. They have stood and continue to stand as symbols of aged knowledge and a hopeful branch into the future. Sturdy arbors offer protection and a quiet place to rest for those who settle beneath the boughs under the greenwood tree. We climb trees and cut trees and build our houses of wood. And whether a tree grows in Brooklyn or in the center of Yellowstone Park, it is our connection to nature and to the vitality of seemingly everlasting life. Approaching Goodmanor farm, it is difficult to miss the ancient maple that dominates the front lawn of my grandmother's house. Now, it reminds me of home and of family, but I did not realize as a child playing beneath the weary and crooked arbor that it, in fact, understands the mystery of life. Like any maple, the old tree metamorphoses with every season, beginning the year naked of leaves, sprouting new growth in the spring and maturing in summer before wilting away come fall. Within this cyclical life rests the secret to happiness in our own existence: the ability to accept change and the unexpected. We may enjoy our time but getting caught in the past or worrying about the future only works to detract from the present moment. Change is inevitable and we may all rest assured predicting the probable paths our lives may take. Yet the exact fingerprint of life is unpredictable, minor details changing every day from the roots up. Still the tree remains a tree.And…Oh, the trees was happy. Oh, the tree was glad.
(05/04/06 12:00am)
Author: MATT KUNZWEILER It's the end of the spring semester and things are getting weird.For the past two years my column has been devoted to exposing the absurdities in campus life, but recently it feels as though the absurdities are no longer attempting to conceal themselves and are starting to run amok. So maybe my column is obsolete, which is fine by me. Mission accomplished. Now I can slack off and write a shoddy, slapped-together column with segues that barely even make sense.First off: Does Eli Berman think he's Jesus Christ? Honestly, Eli, we know that by using duct tape to crucify yourself to the side of Mead Chapel you're just begging for the comparison. The red hair helps, but you're fooling no one.And it seems like Middlebury's favorite student politico isn't the only one audaciously comparing himself to something in the outside world of religious importance: ADP recently renamed itself the Delta House, which is a very tragically lame mistake. Of course the name refers to the infamous film "Animal House." Really though, I can't think of any place on campus more dissimilar to Animal House: ADP is not filled with wacky social outcasts; the members do not live in a dilapidated building (their residence is as immaculate as any uninspired phase 2 ski chalet from the mid 90s); they are not anti-establishment (see their Beirut table with the Republican elephant painted on it); and their annual toga party is merely a dull reenactment of a cliché.So ADP idolizes Animal House (which is adorable), and, similarly, the new liquor inspector idolizes Robocop (equally adorable) - proven by the fact that he cannot follow in his predecessors' footsteps by interpreting the Law - but man, can he ever apply it like a ruthless machine…even at the detriment to the very people the Law is supposed to protect.Of course, the liquor inspector probably has good intentions and I recognize this. The same could be said for the various committees and organizations on campus that think student awareness and open-mindedness will be improved by tying condoms to phallic-shaped chicken wire constructions and spray-painting racial slurs onto plywood. With that logic, maybe during testicle awareness week they can go around kicking people between the legs. But as far as shameless attention-getting tactics go, who could beat that grammatically incorrect "hooray-for-Stanton" insertion into The Campus a few weeks back? It sure got attention, didn't it? But in the process it brought the printed word to new, never-before-seen lows. If that's guerilla journalism, then MySpace blogging represents a fine literary art. But what annoys me most of all about that idiotic insertion was the submitter's willingness to violate the sanctity of the Opinions Section, which is Middlebury College's exclusive forum for campus-wide dialogue, where students, faculty and staff alike are able to air their poignant complaints, half-baked criticisms and miscellanea on a level playing field. It is The Campus' rumpus room, and we like it that way. Besides, the section's editors are even kind enough to clean up some of the submission's syntactical shortcomings (an editing process from which the "illegal" insertion would have benefited greatly).Anyway, my point is this: Listen to the Dark Horse Candidates. They rock pretty hard.
(05/04/06 12:00am)
Author: BY KELLY BLYNN AND LAUREN ARMSTRONG BOLIVIA - Buenos días desde las tierras bajas de Santa Cruz, Bolivia, the land of big American-style supermarkets, oil company executives cruising in their sport utility vehicles, trash-eating street horses, Mennonites, telephone booths that look like zoo animals and many other things that do not seem to fit the stereotype of indigenous, pan flute-playing, llama-filled highland Bolivia. We're here for about two weeks working on our final project, making a documentary about the explosion of an oil pipeline in a campesino community outside the city named El Salao, and have learned and experienced quite a bit. So far we've played soccer with the oil company reconstruction crew, eaten at least a hundred mandarinas, met a mayor named "The Goat," slept on the floor of a psych ward and received various marriage proposals.We arrived here in Santa Cruz a week ago, with few contacts and zero filmmaking experience, but have managed to sift our way through some of the Bolivian bureaucracy to talk to government officials about the accident. The most powerful part of the project has been spending time in the community talking to the people who were affected, hearing their stories about what some describe as the worst night of their lives. We have yet to make our way past security at the headquarters of Transredes S.A., a subsidiary of Shell and Enron that owns the pipeline and is responsible for the cleanup and compensation of the accident, but we're currently working out some sort of scheme where one of us distracts while the other runs for the door with camera in hand. As environmental studies students and climate change activists at home, it has been a powerful experience for us to meet the people whose lives have been affected so profoundly by the oil industry and to hopefully find a way to tell their story. Many people in the community lost everything they had ever worked for, their houses and citrus trees and crops, and many others were burnt and left scarred for the rest of their lives. Although we've seen how the company is responding by building new homes for them and fortifying the pipeline, there are many things that money simply can't replace. Although the situation may seem quite sad from the outside, many of the people we've met amazingly continue to have a very optimistic outlook on life. As Doña Rosa and Doña Felipa, two female organic farmers that lost everything, stated, they have no choice but to seguir adelante y no tener miedo (continue ahead and not live in fear) of the duct and of the fire. As for us, we hope to keep working to tell the stories that aren't being told and to keep trying to use more energy sources that don't so severely impact the environment and people's lives.
