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Art and nature live side by side at the DeCordova Museum
August 31Are you sick of your world? Tired of being confined by walls, by eternal classrooms, and by the tight suburbia of Somerville? Do you feel the need to escape, be it only for a brief afternoon, and widen your field of view a little? Then perhaps, my friends, the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park can bring you solace. Outside, its broad, green lawns invite your eye and mind to wander across the fields dotted with huge modernist sculptures. Inside, a new exhibit on the paintings of Scott Prior give you a window into another world, a peaceful world, that glows with contentment and familial harmony.
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Hopes resurrected for Fall Fest
August 31After a one-year hiatus, Fall Fest is back and the musical swerve of Naughty By Nature and David Garza will resonate through the residential quad this Saturday. Tufts band Joe Deveau, which played at last year's Battle of the Bands, will also perform at the musical kick-off event of the year.
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Western Conference has hottest teams
August 31These past weeks in the NHL have brought nothing new to hockey world, though things are turning out a little differently than expected. There were talks of Philadelphia Flyer Eric Lindros being dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes for roughneck Keith Primeau. That rumor died when everyone realized that the Flyers' current team chemistry has been the cause for their recent dominating play. The Colorado Avalanche have dropped three of their past four and do not look like a team that lost in the Western Conference Finals a year ago, while one of the worst teams in years past, the Tampa Bay Lightning, is playing extremely well.
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Disconnected with CampusLink
August 31I have been a student at Tufts for four-and-a-half years. I finished my undergraduate degree in May, and I am currently a first-year grad student in child development. My freshman year, Tufts began to use CampusLink Communications. The purpose of this piece is to voice my utter discontent with this service over these past years - and I do not speak just for myself but for a large portion of students here at Tufts who are not content with this service. The following are examples of major flaws in the system.
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Big win at ECAC championships boosts the spirits of men's team
August 31The men's cross-country team put on an impressive performance at its final home race of the season, winning the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship on Saturday. Although this was a rest week for many of the elite runners in the conference, all of the Tufts runners who competed had great races, putting them into excellent position going into the national qualifying race this Saturday. Tufts finished first out of the 32 teams in the ECAC, holding a commanding 37-point margin over second-place Williams, which rested its top six runners. Crossing the line before any of the 244 competing athletes was senior Steve Kaye, who scored the first collegiate victory of his career. Kaye's time of 26:23 was his fastest at the Grafton course, and 15 seconds ahead of the next competitor. "He went out hard and lost the pack early," sophomore Justin Lewis said. Following on the heels of captain Matt Lyons all season, Kaye clearly showed that he had no problem leading the team when his teammate took a race off. Following Kaye were senior Pete Rodrigues (27:01) and junior Dave Patterson (27:06), who finished seventh and ninth respectively. This was Patterson's fastest time at Grafton all season. Sophomore J.R. Cruz finished 14th overall with a time of 27:21 and set a personal career record for the Grafton course. "Of course we are really happy to win," Cruz said. "It was a great tune-up race for qualifiers and we are really optimistic about our chances." Sophomore Ben Smith followed in 26th place with a time of 27:41, the exact same time he ran two weeks ago at the Tufts Invitational. Possibly running their final races of the season were freshman Adam Sharp and sophomore Justin Lewis. The eighth and ninth runners continued to improve and set course personal records with times of 28:12 and 28:18 respectively. Both runners will serve as alternates for the national qualifying race and nationals, if the team qualifies. "The team is doing much better as a whole than earlier in the season," Lewis said. "We are going into the qualifier race very confident, but not over-confident." Taking a rest week before the national qualifier race were Lyons and sophomore Jason Mann, who have been two of the most consistent runners all season. Resting for a week may give Lyons the opportunity to compete for a first place finish in the qualifier race. The NCAA Regional Championship race will be held at Babson on Saturday at 11 a.m. This is clearly the most important race of the season, as it determines whether or not the team qualifies for the national race. Because of regional teams' performances at the national race in the past few years, there are five berths available for New England teams. The competition for this race will be fierce but familiar. The clear favorite is Keene State, which has been unstoppable in Division III racing this season. In its last meeting with Tufts at the Keene State Invitational, Keene won by 27 points. The probable next finisher is Williams, which has also fared well in the conference this year, although the Jumbos gave it serious competition in the NESCAC race two weeks ago. Williams slipped by with a 47-59 victory, but many of the Tufts runners feel as though the outcome might be different in this race. "We are definitely within reach of Williams because we have improved so much," Cruz said. Other competition includes MIT, Bates, and Brandeis, all of which have defeated and been defeated by Tufts in different races this season. In other words, this race will be extremely unpredictable, and it will take dominating races throughout the lineup to take a victory. A berth in the national race is a much more realistic goal, but Tufts is hoping for more. "This will be the first race where all of our guys will get to race against all of their guys," Lewis said. "We are confident that we will do well."
News
Tufts' 'Mystery Man' gives glimpse of stardom
August 31You can call him the "Man of a Thousand Voices:" the Blue Raja from Mystery Men, Agador from The Birdcage, or Apu from The Simpsons, but the bottom line is you can always call him Hank Azaria, a 1985 Tufts graduate.
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The Colonial Theater is alive with 'The Sound of Music'
August 31Walking into the ornately carved and gilded Colonial Theater, the excitement can be felt in the air. Little kids excitedly sing snippets of Do-Re-Mi to their parents and friends. One little girl passes by who is truly in the Austrian spirit; she wears a pointy hat with a white feather sticking out of it, and long plaid shorts with suspenders to complement her plaid knee socks. The adults, however, seem as giddy as the children. They whisper excitedly to each other as the curtain begins to rise, remembering their days as kids when they watched this movie all the time.
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Football set to kick off 1999 season this Saturday
August 31When the Tufts football team opens its season this Saturday at Hamilton, it will be doing so with quite a new look. Despite losing 23 seniors from last year's squad, the team will be looking to continue the successful legacy it established in 1998.
News
Can someone please take those hands off the Mets' neck?
August 31The Mets may not find any humor in their most recent nosedive - they blew a chance to win the wildcard last year when they got swept on the final weekend of the regular season - but you can be sure everyone else in baseball is glowing like a Christmas tree.
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Full Court Press
August 31The NFL's new poster boys have emerged faster than Oliver Miller at a chow line. Their ascent seemed likely, even inevitable, but no one could have foreseen the Colts' 9-2 start this season.
News
Anyone up for some manneloni?
August 31Nestled in a cozy downtown corner, Caf?© Marliave offers delicious Italian cuisine with old world charm. Established in 1875, the restaurant is surrounded by history. It lies on the path of the Freedom Trail and sits at the top of the Province Steps. These historic stone stairs are all that is left of the once-magnificent home of the British governor in Boston.
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Stone Roses frontman back in business
August 31No one believed in him. After the debacle that was the Stone Roses' performance at the Reading Festival in '96, Ian Brown's career was finished. The Stone Roses, the group that at the start of this decade was labeled as The Next Big Thing, had become a joke, with singer Brown and bassist Mani joined by a host of mediocre session men (hired after the departures of drummer Reni and guitarist John Squire). Brown spent his Reading experience singing poorly and badmouthing Squire, and when it was all over, Brown had come out the loser. Less than 60 days later he ended what had become of the Stone Roses. So when his debut solo album was released in February of '98, most, if not all, were shocked by its contents. Recorded on an eight track, Unfinished Monkey Business was a rough gem, both benefiting and suffering from its "production," often within the same song (the unedited seven-minute electro-jangle of "Lions" being an excellent example). Whereas the recorded efforts of the Stone Roses (especially on their earlier releases) featured the deft hand of producer John Leckie (Radiohead, Verve, Dr. John), Unfinished Monkey Business was Brown, warts and all. In addition to the demo touches, Brown played almost every note on the record, spending his post-Reading period learning how to play guitar, bass, and drums. There was a charm to the album that separated itself from its peers, and despite its roughness and spite (almost every track can be labeled as a direct attack on former bandmate and friend Squire), it was largely viewed as a success. But Ian Brown has never done anything without a hitch, and the bad luck that cursed the second half of the Roses' career would soon haunt his newfound independence. While doing an interview with Melody Maker in the spring of '98, Brown made comments that hinted at homophobia (at odds with his behavior with the Roses), and then refused to clarify the statements. In the fall of last year, just as he was about to begin his first proper solo tour of England, Brown was thrown in jail for air rage (an incident that Brown swears never happened). Suddenly, Brown had recaptured the image of the ugly goon that had shadowed the disaster of Reading '96. Five minutes, in the everyday world, is nothing; in pop music, it can mean everything. Asked by James Lavelle and DJ Shadow of UNKLE to sing on top of the song "Unreal" from their Psyence Fiction album, Brown came up with one of the best performances of his career, transforming a mediocre instrumental into a mystical love shanty (renamed as "Be There") that found its way into the Top Five of the British singles chart. Brown then made a surprise appearance at the final show of UNKLE's January tour, performing for the London crowd in a white bubblegoose in a moment that cemented his place in rock history and in its future. Golden Greats was recorded in the period following his performance with UNKLE, and the spacey electro-dub of that partnership flavors much of the album. Sharing writing credit with several collaborators, Golden Greats is less of a solo album than Unfinished Monkey Business, while at the same time establishing a more consistent vision of what we should come to expect from Ian Brown. That Golden Greats sounds like "Be There" is not a surprise. That it also sounds like Thriller-era Michael Jackson is (although Brown recently covered "Billie Jean" in concert). Like Unfinished Monkey Business, the songs here have a haunting charm, the darkness of the melodies somehow simultaneously providing a sweet light. Keyboards and drum loops are the musical instruments of choice, and even in songs like "Free My Way" (whose rhythm is propelled by a stirring cello), what ultimately makes the song is its driving electro-pop groove ("Victorian workhouse vibe," is how Brown describes it). Though even the most diehard fan would admit Brown has a weak voice, it is wonderfully unique, able to combine disparate elements: coarse sweetness, na??ve experience. On Golden Greats, he crafts each song to fit his voice, creating music like Frank Sinatra: songs that excel not because of the singer's natural ability but because of his hunger and determination. That being said, Brown knows when to step aside and let the music talk: on the monstrous riff "Getting High" (the only track on this album aimed at John Squire), Brown slinks alongside the groove, offering up the snide "I could astound you if I wanted/Wouldn't even have to try." Like his previous work, Brown fills Golden Greats with tiny nuggets and surprises: the burning Stevie Wonder-workout of first single "Love Like A Fountain" ends with a beautiful 40-second acoustic guitar "sketch." "Golden Gaze" begins and ends with a mesmerizing chiming sound that is ripe for a remix; the 3:39 mark of "Free My Way" finds his echoed voice shocking the song's chorus. Brown is also a master of inflection and suspense, as is the case in "So Many Soldiers," where he draws out the first verse by drawling "I'm so selective with the company I keep." Although it is not a masterpiece - the second half of the album relies on too many grooves that don't groove - Golden Greats possesses some astounding tracks. "Set My Baby Free," based on a letter Brown's girlfriend wrote him while he was in prison, finds the singer rapping the wonderful chorus of "Hey you ugly people/ Set my baby free." Despite its bleak imagery ("Some are breathing underwater on a river in the reeds"), "So Many Soldiers" is an optimistic look at the young gangsters that shadow Brown's hometown of Manchester, and features the beautiful opening couplet of "Woke up so fresh this morning/ Love to wake up to your heat." However, Golden Great's greatest moment is "Babasonicos," whose music was written by an Argentinean group who had sent the song to Brown. A smoldering, sexy groove of a song, the music is a third Stax, a third Portishead, and a third Latin machismo. They all combine to form an intriguing cocktail in which Brown fires off one last missive at the judge who sent him to prison: "You weren't there that night/ You didn't get it right... The lady got no soul." It is an unforgettable moment. In "Love Like A Fountain," which seems to be an open "Thank You" letter to his fans, Brown offers up the chorus of "I could climb every fountain/ For your love is like a fountain/ Let it shower down over me/ Soak me to the bone/ Pour all over me/ Am I coming home?" Though it'd be easy to be cynical over the song's Daisy-Age imagery, you can't. Ian Brown is one of the few artists who have enough character and charisma that they can say something and not have it questioned. If Jon Bon Jovi said he was a street fighting man, no one would believe him; if Mick Jagger did, we would know he was telling the truth. The same can be said for Ian Brown. In the current climate of teen pop divas and boy bands, it is refreshing - and surprising - to hear a voice as unique and real as Ian Brown's. Welcome back, King Monkey, you are home.
News
Rams and Titans will give fans a Halloween treat
August 31Back in April, when the NFL schedule was released, fans took a quick glance to Oct. 31 and realized that trick-or-treating would be out of the question. The game of the year was scheduled for Halloween, and for those who love good, compelling football, this one would be worth sacrificing the candy and costumes.
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Mumford questions what it means to be a psychologist
August 31Ever since Woody Allen brought his neuroses to the screen, the shrink/patient relationship has been analyzed to death in Hollywood, television, and beyond. We have evolved from a neurotic Jewish guy (Allen) going to see a psychiatrist, to a John Gotti-type gangster following in his footsteps (Analyze This, The Sopranos). While it is amusing to watch a person lie on a couch and spout out to a complete stranger his most intimate secrets, dreams, and insecurities, there is a limit to what an audience can take.
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Harper Lee's classic novel works as a play
August 31"Atticus said never shoot a mockingbird because all they do is sing," famous words from a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, an Oscar-winning movie, and now a play. Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird is an American classic. One, perhaps, which goes grossly unappreciated in seventh grade, the time around which most of us read it.
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Welcome back BBQ for seniors tonight
August 31Each Fall flocks of newly returned world travelers, some wearied, others exhilarated by the experience, reconvene on the Tufts campus to complete their undergraduate education. Last year, nearly one-third of the junior class spent at least a semester studying abroad. This evening, at least 500 returning seniors will meet to share their wide array of experiences, update their on-campus info, and dine on oversized hamburgers and other barbecue delicacies as they re-acclimate themselves to life in Medford and Somerville.
News
The Dangers of Breast Implants
August 31When my Discman is plugged into two tiny Sony speakers, it does a really good imitation of a stereo. So, when I was living with eight 13-year-old girls as a video counselor at camp this summer, it was inevitable they would want to use my Discman from time to time. I was happy to oblige, with but a few small rules. There would be absolutely NO Backstreet Boys played on my beloved Discman. None. No Backstreet Boys, no 98 Degrees, no N' Sync and certainly no Britney Spears. As a friend of mine puts it, any band that screams "Backstreet's back, alright!" when they were never really here, is not my kind of thing. I thought it was a fair rule. I thought I was a fair person. Apparently, I was wrong.
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Jumbos place 20th at New England Championships
August 31The women's cross-country team placed 20th at the New England Championship race held last Friday afternoon at Franklin Park in Boston. The runners faced over 40 teams from all three divisions, including all of their competition among the New England Division III schools - several hundred women in all. In its own division, the team came out of the weekend in the same rank it held last week, sixth, with Middlebury, Williams, Brandeis, Amherst, and Colby ranked above it.
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