Balancing fatherhood and college
Balance is a part of daily life for students at Brandeis. We all stress about having enough time to do all the reading and papers for class, making it to practice, being a member of a ton of clubs and still trying to have a social life on the weekends. This already might seem like […]
He does it his way
On the door to Ed Callahan’s office there is a sign that reads “Will retire.” Its plastic red dial is carefully spun to the year 2040. Above the sign is a crinkled piece of paper with the words “Never ever” scrawled in pen. Inside, the cramped office of the Brandeis police chief is lined with […]
“God Sleeps in Rwanda” provides insight on living with HIV after the Genocide
“[HIV medication] costs 550 Rwandan Francs. I make 551 Rwandan Francs a month. I cannot afford the medicine for my child,” Odette, the HIV positive mother of three living in rural Rwanda said into the camera. Having contracted the virus shortly after her marriage, Odette is lucky because only one of her three children has […]
Yeah, it’s a decent third album
One of the most recognizable female lead singers in the past few years, at least in alt-rock circles, has been Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whose ferocious bite and live show to match have provided much of the band’s propulsive force since the release of “Fever to Tell,” their debut album. That same […]
It’s like punk rock, only it’s a pig
Jean-Jacques Rousseau once noted that even if the ancient Athenians were wrong to put Socrates to death, at least it meant that they took his ideas seriously. This is the eternal dilemma I carry with me whenever I’m in the presence of the members of Students for a Democratic Society. It’s not just that they […]
Peggle remains addictive
If you have played Peggle on any of the multiple consoles where it has been previously released, you know what you are getting into with the XBLA release of this addictive puzzler. The game is essentially the same as previous releases, and there is very little wrong with that. Unless you have been living under […]
Cynical Optimism: What is Cynical Optimism?
I suppose it’s about time I explain myself. What, you may ask, is this curious concept that I have chosen to title my column after? Some people have noted that it is slightly paradoxical in nature, a borderline oxymoron. Some have tried to provide their own interpretations of its meaning. Others have just stared at […]
Sandler brings perspective to Rose exhibit
On Tuesday night, a small crowd gathered to hear acclaimed art critic and historian Irving Sandler speak about the artist Hans Hoffmann, who currently has a show at the Rose Art Museum. The evening began with an introduction by the director of the museum, Michael Rush. He extolled events such as this, “to exhibit great […]
Spirited away: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” transported to Japan…or Brandeis
The tricky part of staging an amateur production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is that Shakespeare refuses to let us forget that we are watching an amateur theatrical production. Just as the crafty Puck begins to enchant our senses, Nick Bottom and his merry band of rude mechanicals clumsily jerk us back into the “real […]
Nettle ushers in a brave “nu” world of music
The idea of “world music” has become a cliché among music fans; a stereotypical set of sounds from non-western countries watered down and fed to an audience of Americans and Europeans seeking something “different.” It was in response to this stereotype that Jace Clayton, better known as a critically acclaimed artist, DJ /rupture, formed Nettle, […]
Brandeis baseball eeks out a win against Salve Regina
As Yogi Berra said, “it ain’t over until it’s over.” Brandeis certainly proved that as RBI singles from Drake Livada ’11 and Pat Nicholson ’11 in the bottom of the ninth capped an on-going comeback from a four run deficit to swipe away a 7-6 victory from Salve-Regina. After getting on the board first on […]
Softball wraps up road swing, taking 3-4
The Brandeis Judges softball team returns to home action, wrapping up two double headers in two days, sweeping Lasell 3-2, 8-3 and settling for a split at Clark taking game one 3-2 but getting blanked 1-0. A two out triple put Clark on the scoreboard in game one, but Brandeis was able to tie it […]
Reviving Mumbai through theatre
Where were you when you first heard about the November 2008 attacks on Mumbai, India? More importantly, where were you after? Did you read the newspapers or watch the nightly news to get a sense of how the events transpired? Did you attend a lecture or a peace vigil in support of the lives that […]
Fire safety: A guided tour
The door to your dorm room is blocked. The fire outside is intensifying by the second. You need to crawl through the bedroom and out the window. Time is closing in. A few minutes ago, everything seemed fine. You entered your door and sat down in the kitchen. Your eyes took in the fire hazards–paper […]
Bromantic comedy hits home
Males from the age of eighteen to twenty-four do not exactly comprise the hardest demographic to satisfy when it comes to movies. We don’t ask for much. Whether it is an action movie filled with explosions or a comedy loaded with bathroom humor, our group as a whole knows what we like. We (I use […]
Oatmeal Cake with Walnut Frosting: Cooking lessons from the Intercultural Center
My grandmother used to make this cake almost every weekday. She would use the oats left over from making oatmeal for eleven hungry Irish children, and then serve the cake as an afterschool snack. For Cake: 1 ¼ cups boiling water 1 cup uncooked oats ½ cup butter 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup firmly […]
Phone rings, door chimes, in comes “Company”
Company Photo Gallery Company. The word alone is enough to drive a person up a wall, at least when it comes to the kind of company that outlasts its welcome. But company takes many forms, and this show explores many of them. The show centers around Bobby and the relationships he has with his friends, […]
Cynical Optimism: LOL @ the internetz
“I studied three hours for a test that just got cancelled. FML.” Erm, I’m sorry—was that a typo? FM, what? It wasn’t until a good two weeks ago that I noticed this newfangled internet meme began to inconspicuously trickle into my Facebook newsfeed. Curious, I explored further, and wound up at what is sure to […]
Lydian Quartet dazzles Brandeis on “world tour”
The Lydian String Quartet is one of those unfortunately overlooked cultural institutions among Brandeis undergraduates. Looking out across the sea of white heads on Saturday night in the Slosberg Music Center, one could easily forget that this was a university and not a senior citizen home. Yet the youthful vitality present in the performance itself […]
The Dropkick Murphys rock out in their element
On St. Patrick’s Day, no type of music seems as fitting as Celtic-infused punk rock. The greatest of all Boston-based bands, the Dropkick Murphys, know this full well, which is why they have been putting on a string of shows around and on St. Patrick’s Day for nine years. It is basically impossible to get […]