Month: February 2005

THEATER PREVIEW: King Lear offers new take on an old story

If acting is the art of keeping the audience from coughing, then Eric Hills adaptation of King Lear is an excellent suppressant. Hills adaptation of Shakespeares roughly 400-year-old text reconciles 19th century tragedy with a contemporary dramatic sense.
I try to reach into Shakespeare and retrieve the heart of the play from its original historical setting, bring it forward to the immediate moment. I want the play to be breaking on the shore of the immediate moment of the experience in the theater, said Hill, the Barbara Sherman 54 and Malcolm L. Sherman Chair of Theater Arts.

ON YOUR MARKS: Will work for food: The plight of the pro-Athlete

Being that were in college, we students are never really sure where our next meal is coming from. That statement should actually be amended;

personally, I always know where my next meal is coming from, because I am beyond anal-retentive and plan these things in advance. Most of us are broke, and the ones that arent probably have better things to spend their money on than food.

BERKENWALD: V-day: The holiday everyone loves to hate

Yep. Its that time of year again. Flip-flops are pink, lollipops are heart-shaped and cute slogans are floating in the air. Valentines Day, or V-day, as we seem to be calling it nowadays, is upon us full force.

OSTROWSKY: Pot of gold for Beantown students

All that separated the hundreds of Boston University and Boston College students sitting behind opposing nets were the rafters commemorating the great Celtics and Bruins from the glory days. In this 53rd Beanpot the spotlight as always was on BU and BC. Sure Northeastern and Harvard went at it in a nail biting first game but the meager crowd that was on hand for it was equivalent to the crowd of friends and family of a JV high school basketball team playing in the game before the varsity squad hits the court. This one was less about the Hockey East standings, and more about good old ra ra school pride.

LETTER: Shoebat event fosters bad atmosphere

I saw the flyers advertising Walid Shoebat whom, as one flyer stated, had converted from PLO-terrorist to Zionist plastered all over campus. I saw another flyer referring to Shoebats presentation as Confessions of terror. What struck me so much from these flyers was the sensationalism that they embodied.

FARBER: Murderous ducks and dying hamsters

Im a Junior. And as I try to look back on the long road that got me here, I completely forget where I put it, and what might have been on it the last time I saw it. But though I am forgetful, I remember a lot. Specifically, I remember that the road that got me here was definitely filled with bumps, cracks, potholes, talking pizza slices, two-foot midget ninjas trying to psych me out from filling out my application by performing the Macarena in radioactive polka-dotted pajamas, as well as the other standard obstacles one may or may not ever encounter on his or her road to a university setting. But radioactive midgets aside (which, by the way, would be a great name for a comedy club) there is one thing that turned that road into the road that led straight to an acceptance letter and North Quad, my first year residence.

MAIRSON: Denude anti-Semitism? Im against it

False, phony accusations of anti-Semitism only make the real thing harder to talk about. And untruths in the name of what we believe in whether its philo-Semitism, Zionism, or Holocaust memory detract from the truths that we think are so important. Both impede the free thinking that is essential at a university.

LETTER: Small mistake makes big difference in Shoebat article

We could not help but notice that in the last edition of The Hoot, an article by Danny Wolfe identified Walid Shoebat as being from the town of Bethlehem, Israel. Though this might seem a trivial matter, given the rather inflammatory (or at least highly controversial) character of Mr. Shoebats presentation, we consider it extremely important that all efforts be made to present as brutally accurate a picture of Middle Eastern affairs as possible both for the sake of public discourse, and to avoid the puerile finger-pointing which so often characterizes such discussions.

Traying costs Aramark 100s of trays

While students chose many ways to enjoy recent snow days, one popular past time that continued was sledding. It is widely known that the best ad hoc sled for a college student is a cafeteria tray. Theft of trays by Brandeis students for sledding purposes costs Aramark thousands of dollars each year. These costs are passed on to students in dining fees.

With IPTV may come numerous concerns

One of the reasons for the pilot is to iron out potential problems with the system including incompatibilities with the Brandeis network. Hoot testing of IPTV in real-world conditions revealed that watching the video streams can cause echoing and distortion on phone calls and can sometimes make phone usage impossible. This behavior, which can also cause the phone to spontaneously reboot, was most frequently observed while changing channels.

Rachel Kohn 07 elected Union Judiciary Chief Justice

Rachel Kohn 07 has been voted Chief Justice of the Union Judiciary by a secret ballot of her peers. Originally from West Bloomfield, Michigan, Kohn came to Brandeis as part of the first ever mid-year class. The youngest member of the UJ, Kohn is only in her second semester on the court.

Mock Trial denied funding to attend national tournament

The Brandeis University Mock Trial Association, which last week won a coveted spot at a national tournament in Florida, may not be able to attend due to funding constraints. Neither the Student Union nor the University will provide funding for transportation and lodging for the event. Mock Trials experience vividly illustrates a problem that is increasingly frustrating leaders of successful and high-achieving Brandeis clubs.

New TV over IP possible

Five years after Brandeis began providing cable television for every student on campus, Information Technology Services (ITS) is piloting a program that can bring it to the computer screen. Announced to campus media last week after inquiries from the Hoot, the pilot begins Monday and will allow students to view Comedy Central, FOX 25, and Owl Vision, a channel run by ITS, using a Java applet in their web browsers. The system, known as IPTV, transmits television signals as data over the campus computer network.

Applications jump by 1,300 with new quick decision process

Over 7,200 applications for admission were received by Brandeis this year, an increase of about 1,300 over last years applicant pool and the largest in the Universitys history. By various means, Brandeis is aggressively recruiting a wider pool of applicants.

Mock Trial team has conviction for regional competition

Brandeis Universitys Mock Trial Association will vie for a national slot at an intense two-day competition to take place this weekend at Connecticuts Manchester Community College (MCC). The 2005 American Mock Trial Association (AMTA) Northeastern Regional Mock Trial Tournament will determine which two of the twenty-three contending teams will continue on to compete for the honor of representing their schools in Des Moines, IA this April.

Snow storm delays Modfest, now may be held Feb. 12

University classes were cancelled all day Monday and on Wednesday after 2 p.m. due to incliment weather resulting from over three total feet of snow being dumped on New England. Classes, however, were not the only thing effected by the snow. Modfest, which was scheduled to be held this Saturday, has been delayed.

EDITORIAL: In Mock Trial fiasco, blame is shared

None of the Student Union Senators who voted to approve the charter of Brandeis University Mock Trial Association back in 2001 are still on Senate today, and few of them are even still at Brandeis. Thus there is no one to ask what senators were thinking when they cast their ballots for an organization with the primary goal of competing at off-campus tournaments.