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The Stanford Daily A n I n d e p e n d e n t P u b l i c a t i o n

THURSDAY Volume 242A

July 26, 2012 Issue 4SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION

News 2 New Stanford research into HIV drug brings a cure one step closer

Opinions 7 Remembering the theater shootingvictims in Aurora, Colo.

Intermission 14 Stanford Summer Theater roots for the middle- class man in ‘Curse of the Starving Class’

The Stanford Daily

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


By KYLIE JUEDAILY INTERN

Stanford Chemistry ProfessorPaul Wender partnered withUCLA Professor Jerry Zack topublish their most recent break-through toward eradicating theHIV virus: the synthesis of a set of compounds that successfully tack-le the latent, or dormant, virus forthe first time.

The research, published in theJuly 15 issue of Nature Chemistry,discusses the creation of syntheticcompounds, or bryologs, that canmore effectively activate the dor-mant HIV virus. Currently, anAIDS patient undergoing highlyactive antiretroviral therapy

(HAART) can reduce the activevirus to undetectable levels, butthe latent virus remains hidden incertain cells.

“And the current therapeuticscannot touch that [latent] virus,”said Jerry Zack, co-director of theUCLA AIDS Center. “But if theindividual goes off the medica-tions, this latent [virus] rekindlesinfection, and the disease pro-gresses again.”

There are many HIV drugs onthe market now, but Wender be-lieves that the key to eradicatingAIDS is actually in the latentvirus. Current antiretrovirals cantarget only the active virus, and itis the latent virus that is the sourceof continuing infection. If it isflushed out of the system throughbryologs, the rest of the virus canbe taken care of with medication

By RAVALI REDDY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Several students and resident as-sistants (RAs) disagree with theUniversity’s newest alcohol policy,which bans the storage and con-sumption of hard alcohol during theSummer Session, regardless of age.Two administrators have confirmed

that there are no plans to implementthis policy during the academicschool year.

Despite administrators’ claimsthat the new policy will lead to a saferenvironment for students to live in,there is fear the policy is doing theexact opposite.

Several RAs who spoke on thecondition of anonymity told TheDaily they believe that the new poli-cy is leading to the demise of Stan-ford’s unofficial “open-door” policy,in which house staff members en-

courage students to leave their doors

2NTHE STANFORD D AILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

NEWS

SPEAKERS & EVENTS

Human rights ‘both fluidand constant,’ says Milani

By RACHEL BEYDA

DAILY INTERN

“The concept of humanrights is both fluid and con-stant,” author and Iran expertAbbas Milani explained toaround 200 people in Braun Au-ditorium on July 24 as part of the Stanford Summer HumanRights Program.

Milani is the author of tenbooks on Iran, including “ATale of Two Cities: A PersianMemoir” and a biography of

Mohammad Reza ShahPahlavi, the last shah of Iran. Heis also the director of IranianStudies at Stanford and a co-founder of the Iran DemocracyProject.

According to Milani, there isincreasing global understandingthat certain rights are “inalien-able to every human being.”However, the Iranian govern-ment continues to breachhuman rights by picking onlycertain rights to defend instead

of supporting human rights intheir entirety.“Can you beat women and

say ‘this is my culture’?” Milaniasked.

The current Iranian Consti-tution states that women, Jewsand Christians are worth onlyhalf of a man. It also provides noright of privacy and allows peo-ple to be arrested arbitrarily.The result is the most execu-tions per capita of any country,ahead of even China.

“As a Chinese [citizen], Mi-lani’s explanations made me re-consider the human rights in myown country,” said audience

member Jason Mao.According to Milani, theIranian Revolution of 1979 hasmade even Iranians realize thathuman rights go beyond politi-cal rights; the idea of humanrights as a Western concept, heargues, was concocted by“racists in the West and despotsin the East.”

“The complexity of our timeis that we have realized the con-tingency of our beliefs. Truthshave become relative,” Milani

said.

Professor Wender pushesbounds of HIV research

RESEARCH

New research mayhelp eradicate HIV

STUDENT LIFE

Students react poorly to

summer alcohol policy

Please see MILANI, page 8Please see ALCOHOL, page 6

Please see AIDS, page 8

KEVIN TSUKII/The Stanford Daily

Professor and author Abbas Milani speaks at Braun Auditorium onJuly 24 as part of the Stanford Summer Human Rights Program.

STUDENT LIFE

Old Unionfinals errorexplained

By ANNA QINDAILY INTERN

During finals week of springquarter, Old Union hosted Digi-tal Media Academy (DMA), atechnology camp for high schoolstudents, rather than accommo-dating Stanford students hopingto study for exams. All roomswere closed to students from June8 to June 15, and Stanford stu-dents were unable to access OldUnion to study.

According to Jeanette Smith-Laws, director of operations and

student unions, accommodatingoutside requests for the use of OldUnion is not usual for operationsduring the school year. Summerprograms and camps that startearly are usually deferred to otherbuildings.

“Summer conference pro-grams always start after Com-mencement,” she said. “Because[DMA] started earlier, it shouldhave been scheduled at TresidderUnion.” In response to DMA’splacement in Old Union, which is

against what is considered stan-dard policy, Smith-Laws ex-plained that “it was a hiccup, aglitch in the date, and it will nothappen again in the future.”

However, Stanford adminis-tration does not have direct con-trol over room reservations madein Old Union spaces. Reserva-tions for meeting rooms in theOld Union are ultimately coordi-nated through the ASSU roomreservation system, which theASSU Executive manages. Any-

one with a Stanford ID can re-

Please see UNION, page 6

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THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 THE STANFORD D AILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITIONN 3

BEHINDthe SCENES

THE STANFORD DAILY

PUBLISHING CORPORATIONESTABLISHED 1892 I INCORPORATED 1973

LORRY I. LOKEY STANFORD DAILY BLDG.456 PANAMA MALL

STANFORD, CALIF. 94305

www.stanforddaily.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Billy GallagherPresident and Editor in Chief

Margaret Rawson

Business Manager and Chief Operating Officer

Caroline Caselli

Vice President of Sales

Dan Ashton

Theodore Glasser

Rich Jaroslovsky

Michael Londgren

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EDITORIAL STAFF

Billy GallagherEditor in Chief

[email protected]

Joseph Beyda

Summer Managing Editor

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Ed Ngai & Molly Vorwerck

News Editors

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George ChenSports Editor

[email protected]

Andrea Hinton

Intermission Editor

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Mehmet Inonu

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Graphics Editor

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Opinions Editor

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Cover art by Lorena Rincon-Cruz

TREE TWEETS:People you should follow on Twitter

Sports Studs

Nicole Gibbs ’14@Gibbsyyyy

WTA player, 2012 NCAA singles,

doubles champ376 followers, 782 tweets

That awkward moment when you re-alize you’ve been watching theweather channel for the past 20 min#outofit (7/16/12)

Days in the life of a tennis star.

Mark Madsen ’00

@madsen_mark

Stanford asst. basketball coach. Lak-ers, T-Wolves, two-time All-American

OchoCinco (NFL player)said he?sgoing to ?live with a fan?for 3 weekswhile he gets used to his newcity?cool? strange? great market-ing?(8/10/12)

18,208 followers, 408 tweets

Tweets occasionally, mostly business

Kerri Walsh ’00

@kerrileewalsh

Two-time Olympic gold, four-yearfirst-team All-American, 1999 Na-tional Player of the Year

21,320 followers, 2,003 tweets

“Trying times are not the times tostop trying. - Ray Owen” a reminderfor us all (6/26/12)

Lots of photos of her kids

Tiger Woods@TigerWoods

14-time major championship win-ning golfer

On Twitter? Every 1.7 seconds. RT:@Randyinvegas How often do youget offers from people to help youwith your golf game? (4/17/12)

2,487,639 followers, 259 tweets

An Oscar speech in 140-character

chunks: lots of thank-yous and acouple bad jokes

Michelle Wie ’12@themichellewie

Star golferLooking forward to my snuggle-festwith my lola bear this rainy after-noon (5/14/12)86,811 followers, 1,929 tweets

Commentary on sports and cooking

Nneka Ogwumike ’12@Nnemkadi30

L.A. Sparks forward, 2012 WNBADraft #1 overall pick

#PLL (7/10/12)

9,932 followers, 3,158 tweetsBlowin’ up your timeline

Famous and PowerfulCondoleezza Rice

@CondoleezzaRice

Fmr. National Security Advisor andSecretary of State

Congratulations to Stanford’s AndrewLuck being selected #1! Go Colts!(4/16/12)


The ultimate campus celebrity

Ben Savage ’04@BenSavage

Cory from “Boy Meets World”

A cute girl at the gym just caught mesinging along to Fergie’s “Big GirlsDon’t Cry”... Whoops.#Im-GonnaMissYouLikeAChildMissesTheir-Blanket(7/23/12)


Jokester, self-described Zac Efron fan

Joel Stein ’93@thejoelstein

L.A. Times, TIME Columnist

Every Bastille Day I think the samesad thought: I have never stormedanything. (7/14/12)


Calls himself a “self-promoting whore”

Rachel Maddow ’94@maddow

MSNBC’s most-watched primetimeanchor

Her arm is really never going to getbetter if she keeps doing this: [linksvideo to British MP Anne Marie Mor-ris’s gesticulations in the House of

Commons while one of her arms is ina sling] (7/12/12)

2,165,547 followers, 1,628 tweets

Journalist by day, bartender by night

Campus Celebrities

Stewart Macgregor-Dennis ’13@macgregordennis

Entrepreneur, former ASSU vicepresident

Been studying for finals and listening

to a montage of Muhammad Ali onrepeat for the last nine hours.(3/18/12)


Keeping us updated on how to findsuccess

Feross Aboukhadijeh ’12@FreeTheFeross

Computer whiz, built YouTube Instant

Type “Illuminati” backwards in yourbrowser, followed by .com! zOMGEVERYONE IT’S A CONSPIRACY!!!1(7/15/12)


Lots of current affairs links

Rob Reich@robreich

Associate professor of political sci-ence

On being confused with Fmr. Scy. of Labor: ?better ?the other Rob Reich?than ?the Rob Reich you’ve neverheard of? (5/25/12)


The intersection of sports, politicsand NGOs

Ralph Nguyen ’12@ralphamale

YouTube celebrity

Showering with Vibrams on: goodidea in theory, terrible in practice :((10/3/10)


Musings from the man who brought youMemeChu

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12



By SAMANTHA GILBERTDAILY INTERN

Sometimes on a campuswidely known for technologyand science, it’s easy to overlookits vibrant, but at times lesser-known, arts community, partic-ularly within the student body.

Cue the Spoken Word Col-lective, Stanford’s student-runpoetry group. For the poets, thegroup is all about cultivatingemotion and generating explo-sive written and spoken poetry.

A decade ago the collectivedidn’t exist. It wasn’t until 2002that Mark Otuteye ’05 M.A.’06founded the Spoken Word Col-lective because he felt as thoughpoets needed a place to come to-gether on campus.

“I think it’s a safe space forhonest expression, whatever itmay be,” said Raina Sun ’13, thedirector of the group. “Honest-ly, these types of spaces arerare.”

Since its founding, the collec-tive has assumed a role as cam-pus creative outlet, particularlyfor writers who feel as thoughtheir words are better suited forthe stage as opposed to the page.

From hosting quarterly cam-pus-wide shows, biweekly poet-ry workshops and open mics, tocompeting in the CollegeUnions Poetry Slam, the largestpoetry slam in the country (lastyear it placed fourth), the collec-

tive ensures that there are manyopportunities to give studentpoetry a voice.

The quarterly shows, accord-ing to Alok Vaid-Menon ’13, afourth-year member of thegroup, attract over 200 people.He says that the writing work-shops are also very popular.

“Every year I coordinate anerotic poetry workshop in Feb-ruary called ‘Snap & Moan,’”Vaid-Menon said. “We invitethe Stanford community to

learn how to write and performerotic poetry with us — it’s al-ways a blast.”

Although the group puts onmany events for the studentcommunity, there are only a fewactual members of the collec-tive. Last year there were 11,and this year there are a guaran-teed eight so far, plus the newstudents they accept after audi-tions, which take place in the be-ginning of fall quarter. The audi-tions consist of poets of all dif-ferent skill levels reading oneoriginal poem. After auditions,the collective must unanimouslydecide whom to accept into theirorganization.

“We accept poets who we be-lieve can contribute somethingnew or fresh to the group andgrow as writers and performerswith us,” Vaid-Menon said, “Wealso like to choose people whowe know will vibe well sociallywith the group, because we dohang out a lot.”

Vaid-Menon says that overtime, the group has become aclose-knit bunch of friends whoenjoy picnics, parties and exclu-sive bonding retreats. In addi-tion to friendship, he feels asthough the collective provides aplace for nurturing a communalartistic growth.

“I’ve stayed an active mem-ber of Spoken Word these pastthree years because it gives methe progressive and artistic com-munity I find lacking in a lot of other spaces at Stanford,” hesaid. “We try our best to use art

as a form of social cohesion andtransformation in our group.”Another member of the

group, Tina Miller ’14, agreesthat the community aspect of the group is really what makesthe collective special.

“We have some amazingpeople in the collective, andwhen we meet once a week, it’s away of kind of checking in oneach other,” Miller said. “Be-cause otherwise the writing lifecan get lonely. We’re talking

about the depths of our feelings

By HAELIN CHO

DAILY INTERN

When I’m up where I can see theentire bay, I notice the silence.There is no iPod music or angry dri-vers searching for parking up here.There are no dogs barking or babiescrying.

Instead, there’s the hum of in-sects emanating from the hay-col-ored fields, the swish of wind andlight chatter that floats through theair. It’s not complete silence, butthe sounds blend together to cre-

ate a quiet atmosphere. And it isthe resulting orchestration of sim-ple harmonies that reminds me thatI’m standing on one of the lesser-known symbols of Stanford Univer-sity.

A Palo Alto local, I walk theDish hiking trail every Saturday.Today isn’t Saturday, but the slop-ing path at the very beginning of thehike, guarded on both sides by rowsof tan plants, remains the same. Thishill is my least favorite part of thewalk and my calves ache and pinch

by the time I reach the top of the hill.The Dish, built by the Stanford

Research Institute (SRI) in 1966, isa radio reflector antenna built forthe U.S. Department of Defenseto study the atmospheric composi-tion. It served different purposes inthe past, like studying spacecrafts,but remains in use today for acade-mic reasons. The reason walkerscan see it from almost any point onthe trail is because it’s huge: 150 feetin diameter.

In front of me, a young couple

stops mid-jog to take a picture of asquirrel reclining in the shade of afence. Although the squirrels are

adorable, I’m not excited when I see

them. Because they’re everywhere,I can always expect them to fearless-ly run across the trail and chew theplants growing on the sides of theroad whenever I visit the Dish.Once, I tried to keep count of howmany of these rodents there actual-ly were. One. Two. Three. I stoppedwhen I realized that I still had half the trail to finish and I had alreadyreached 80.

I’m a little more surprised whenI notice a white heron standingserenely by the trail. But seeing the

animals is all part of the experienceof walking. On my many visits, I’veseen white and blue-grey speckledherons, predatory birds, lizards,hares, a coyote, a deer and groundsquirrels — so many squirrels. I’veeven been traumatized by a deadsnake.

The only animal I’ve never seenis a mountain lion, even though thelarge warning sign reminding walk-ers and runners of their existencenearby is the first thing that greetsme at the gate to the trail. I suppose

that’s a good thing.Even without the animals, the

trail is one of the most picturesqueplaces around Palo Alto, especiallywhen I reach the top. Today, I peerdown and see Hoover Tower stab-bing through the sea of red buildingsand the bay, adorned by clouds. It’sfit for a postcard. Around me, theair is smooth and refreshing, eventhough the midday sun is growingstronger.

After I reach the top of the in-cline, the road grows flat, making it

perfect for conversation. My friendand I chat about our summer vaca-tions (she went to the Arctic then

South Carolina; I went to New

Zealand) as we stroll down the path.Joggers, sweating and breathingheavily, thunder by.

Reaching the Dish marks, forme, the halfway point in the trail.Not everyone would call the actualDish artistic, but I wonder if peopleappreciate the history behind whatthey walk by. For years, I didn’t.Panting, I’d give one or two glancesat the hulking blue and white ma-chine and then keep walking. But inretrospect, it deserved more respectfrom my young self.

In May 2000, former StanfordPresident Gerhard Casper releaseda statement detailing conservationplans for the Dish. In 2010, the planwas refined to conserve at least fivespecies native to the area surround-ing the trail, including the Californiatiger salamander. Currently, theDish is undergoing both habitatconservation and restoration of na-tive flora. Even so, I don’t noticeanything that distracts from the nat-ural beauty of the trail.

Toward the end of my walk, sur-

rounded by a breathtaking viewthat includes both Stanford archi-tecture and the natural environ-ment, I cannot find the words to ex-press myself. But at that moment, alittle girl walking past me says whatis really just on the tip of my tongue.

“You were right!” she crows to awoman standing next to her, bend-ing down and looking around. “Youcan see everything from up here.”

And in a way, she’s right. Uphere, there’s a view, an environ-ment, a community, a history .

Contact Haelin Cho at [email protected].

HAELIN CHO/The Stanford Daily

Students, faculty and Palo Alto community alike enjoy hiking the Dish, named after a nearby antenna.

STUDENT LIFE

Poetry group voicesthe page on stage

Please see COLLECTIVE, page 6

A HIKE‘ROUNDTHEDISH

A HIKE‘ROUNDTHEDISH

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The New York City Board of Health will vote September13 on whether to implement

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s pro-posed ban on sugary soda in con-tainers larger than 16 ounces.Rather than having a pragmatic, de-tail-oriented, empirically-based dis-cussion about the merits of Bloomberg’s proposal, however,New Yorkers have, in true Ameri-can style, elevated the debate intonothing less than a blood-and-tearsstruggle for freedom against the op-pressive forces of tyrannical statism.

City Councilman Daniel Hallo-ran invoked Martin Niemöller andresurrected the threatening specterof Nazism. “When they came forthe cigarettes, I didn’t say anything.I didn’t smoke. When they came forthe MSG, I really didn’t care be-cause I didn’t order it very often.I’m not a big salt eater, so I didn’tmind when you guys regulated salt.But what will the government betelling me next?”

Eight-year-olds grabbed BigGulps and slurped them provoca-tively at a 200-person mass protestoutside City Hall. Soda companyspokesmen wailed loudly about theimpending demise of personal lib-erty. And City Councilman OliverKoppell denounced the ban as “aclear overreaching of governmentinto people’s everyday lives.” “Thisinfringement on the rights of NewYorkers,” lamented Koppell,“leads us to ask: what will bebanned next?”

Oddly, it would have been a bet-ter idea for Koppell et al. to ditchthe high-minded rhetoric and stickwith the empirics. Because practi-cally speaking, the plan is unlikelyto work. People will buy two small-er drinks at one store, go next doorand buy another or make up thecalories with a Big Mac and a beer.

But it is precisely on the princi-ple that each man has the right toeat and drink as he likes — thegrounds on which the anti-anti-soda

people have staked their argument— that the pro-gastronomic-free-dom crowd is wrong. Such an argu-ment might once have made ethicalsense in a world in which each indi-vidual bore the whole cost of herpoor decisions. But in a post-Af-fordable Care Act world of mutual

dependence and interconnectedcosts, there can be no expected rightto other people’s money withoutthe expected responsibility to use itwisely — or face the consequences.

As I briefly argued in my last col-umn, a world in which some peoplehave the right to eat, drink andsmoke themselves into oblivion atthe legally mandated expense of everyone else would be neither effi-cient nor fair. It would be inefficientbecause there would be little incen-tive to treat oneself well if society

bears the costs of not doing so, min-

I DO CHOOSE TO R UN

Miles

Unterreiner

OPINIONS

On freedom and fizzy things They will not beforgotten

After years of going to mid-night premieres for thebiggest movies of the

summer, there was no otherplace my brother and I would be

for the last premiere of the Bat-man trilogy. The theater in Den-ver was packed with people Iknew, and everyone was excited.This included many people whowere way too old to be dressingup but did so anyway.

While the audience in my the-ater watched with bated breathto see if Gotham would be saved,hell was breaking loose in ourown city, just 20 minutes away.

A crazed gunman, who doesnot deserve to be named on the

same page as his victims, enteredthe Aurora Century 16 multiplexand began a rampage. As themovie continued to play, 12 inno-cent victims were killed and 59others were wounded. Thesepeople were neither in a badneighborhood nor in a city that isa target for terrorist attacks. Theshooting, one of worst mass mur-ders in American history, rockedall of America because it trulycould have happened anywhere.

This is not the first senseless

tragedy that Colorado has expe-rienced. In 1999, two students atColumbine High School in Jef-ferson County forever changedour world by bringing guns toschool and killing 13 people.Their act has come to define ourgeneration. We were the firstgeneration whose parents had tofear sending us to school, the firstgeneration that practiced lock-down drills for gun attacks, thefirst generation to know that thiswould never stop being a reality.

The July 20 movie shooting issimilar. Security will increase atmovie theaters, and many other

precautions will be taken. Themagical experience of escapingour world for a few hours will for-ever be accompanied by at least alittle fear every time someone

comes back from the bathroom.My city feels like an incredibly

big place, but this tragedy helpedremind me how connected we allare. Gordon Cowden, a loving fa-ther, and Jessica Ghawi, an aspir-ing sports journalist and greatfriend, were two fellow Col-oradans killed that night who hadprofound impacts on my friendsand family. Inspiring stories havecome out in the past week thatshed light on the wonderful livesall 12 victims lived. I see broken

hearts all over the city; it is diffi-cult to imagine that it will ever bethe same. In an opinion articleprinted in the Denver Post, aColorado state senator tried toanswer the questions the entirecountry is facing: what can we doand how can we fight back?

“The answer is we love back,”Michael Johnston wrote. “Welive back. We deepen our com-mitments to all the unnumberedacts of kindness that makeAmerica an unrendable fabric.

We respond by showing that wewill play harder, and longer. Wewill serve more meals, play moregames, eat more food, listen tomore jazz, go to more movies,give more hugs, and say more‘thank yous’ and ‘I love yous’than ever before.”

While words can bring somecomfort to those close to the vic-tims, we have a duty to those af-fected to act. The shooter legallypurchased four guns in the last 60days, including an AR-15 assault

weapon. Additionally, he was

OP-ED

BETWEEN E AST AND WEST Fatima Wagdy

As I walk the streets of Cairothis summer, barefoot chil-dren begging me for a few

Egyptian pounds confront me.Their mothers shower me with reli-gious pleas; they tell me that Godwill bless me, that I will be reward-ed, that it’s Ramadan. It’s not asthough I haven’t ever been asked tospare some change on UniversityAvenue or in San Francisco; we’veall seen this. But these appeals aredifferent. The sheer number of poorpeople in the street is saddening.

For every poor person who asks mefor money, I see several more justlounging about on the ground.

The gap between the rich andthe poor is so blatantly obvioushere, as is the severity of the pover-ty. Day after day, I witness the scaleof the inequalities as I encounterpeople trying to sell me a pack of

gum or a packet of tissues for just apound (literally less than 20 cents).They are desperate to make a smallprofit on the stash of cheap little tis-sue packets they managed to buy.They aren’t even trying to rip meoff; they just want to sell somethingin the hopes that they will getenough money to buy some food. Iguess these are people who will not“succumb” to begging, but I cansense they are extremely eager toknow what they can sell me to makeme part with just a few of the

pounds tucked tightly in my purse. Ican see the dirt on their faces, theirclothes and their feet. Many times, I

can see that their teeth have morethan rotted away.

It saddens me even more toknow that many people who aremuch better off than those sellingtissues or begging on the street still

live in substandard conditions.When the elevator in my apartmentbuilding is broken, I am forced tohop over a flat, dirty mattress thatblocks the path to the last flight of stairs. Apparently this is where thebawab, the doorman, sleeps, rightoutside the apartment on the sec-ond floor.

Over 20 percent of the people inthis country are below the povertyline, and over 30 percent are illiter-ate. And I know that many of thepeople who are officially above the

poverty line struggle to survive on

Please see OP-ED, page 8Please see EGYPT, page 8

Please see SODA, page 8

Confronting thepoverty gap inCairo, Egypt

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12



able to obtain 6,000 rounds of ammunition, a drum magazinethat could fire 50 to 60 rounds

per minute and military-gradearmor online without anyonequestioning it. It is unbelievablethat one can purchase theseitems online without any back-ground checks; it is even moreunbelievable that this quantity of purchase happened so frequent-ly and that it went unquestioned.

Gun lobbies, including theNational Rifle Association(NRA), proclaim that the Sec-ond Amendment allows for citi-zens to have weapons to shoot 71

people in two minutes. In 2008,the NRA spent $10 million tomake sure that there is the leastbit of regulation possible on allgun sales. The NRA is right insaying that the Constitution al-lows citizens to bear arms, butthere is a big difference betweenguns that are used for huntingand protection and military-grade weapons with extendedmagazines that are only used formass murder.

In the wake of this shooting, it

is up to Americans to demand achange to the status quo. This

starts with reauthorizing the1994 Federal Assault WeaponsBan and continues with outlaw-ing online purchases of ammuni-tion and body armor withoutproper background checks.These restrictions may not haveprevented the movie massacre inAurora, but they are still the

right changes to implement. Gunlobbyists in the next electionmay target politicians who sup-port these modest regulations,but I hope that supporting poli-cies that would save lives is moreimportant to them than winningan election.

Colorado and the entire Unit-ed States of America mourn forthe families and friends of 12wonderful people who werekilled for going to a movie:Jonathan Blunk, 26; A.J. Boik,

18; Jesse Childress, 29; GordonCowden, 51; Jessica Ghawi, 24;John Larimer, 27; Matt Mc-Quinn, 27; Micayla Medek, 23;Veronica Moser-Sullivan, 6;Alex Sullivan, 27; Alex Teves,24; and Rebecca Wingo, 32. Forthose looking to contribute, Col-orado Gov. John Hickenlooper,in partnership with the Commu-nity First Foundation, estab-lished the Aurora Victim Relief Fund, which is now taking dona-tions at www.givingfirst.org.

ETHAN KESSINGER ’15

OP-EDContinued from page 7

their measly paychecks. Even thosewith a university education struggleto find jobs as the unemployment

rate soars. What’s worse is thatthere are countries much poorerthan Egypt.

This poverty plagues me withguilt and a million questions as Icontinue in my very comfortablelifestyle. Will randomly handingsome people a few pounds hereand there help at all? What do I dowhen I’ve already got two packs of gum and several tissue packs in mypurse? What about when I’vebought all the fruits I need fromthe fruit seller on the street corner?

What do I do? What should I do?Why isn’t what’s currently beingdone by these experts out thereworking? Was it always like this?

I see this poverty here and feellike something is broken. I knowthat things shouldn’t be this wayand wonder if I am part of the prob-lem. It is uncomfortable to be con-fronted by my relative privilegeevery single day. It is unnerving tofeel like I’m a jerk if I don’t givemore money to the poor people onthe street. But perhaps that’s what

we all need — a bit more discom-fort in our daily lives. Perhaps we

all need to feel as though havingpeople below the poverty line at allis intolerable to the point where weabsolutely cannot ignore it. Maybethen it would become a bigger pri-ority. But what if the public policyshirts are right? What if caring a lotis not enough to start to alleviatepoverty?

Many people at Stanford,whether it’s professors or stu-dents, do care a lot. And some de-vote their work and their lives toaddressing these problems in a va-riety of ways. In the Bay Area,there are a myriad of foundationsthat invest millions of dollars to at-tack these problems. Yet theseproblems remain; I still see deepinequalities every single day. Iwonder what is necessary to elimi-nate a large chunk of the povertyin the world. I wonder what must

happen for it to disappear. Whatshould we be doing, individuallyand collectively, as people in oneof the wealthiest countries onearth?

As I ponder the complexity of global poverty, I remember that itis not a new problem; we know fromhistory that it is an age-old problemencountered by every generation. Iwonder why we haven’t figured itout by now, and part of me feels theanswers are simpler than we think.

If you have some answers, email Fa-tima at [email protected].

EGYPTContinued from page 7

imizing the chance that individualswill make healthy lifestyle choices.And it would be unfair because no

one should have to pay for hisneighbor’s irresponsibility — onereason our society is so rightly fedup with bank bailouts and goldenparachutes for the creators of toxicderivatives.

Rights — especially so-calledpositive rights, or rights to some-thing of value provided by the gov-ernment — generally entail re-sponsibilities, regulations or con-ditions on the use of the item of value. One can drive as he likes onhis own private raceway; on thepublic roads, he is subject to stop-lights and speed limits. When one

makes money, he may spend it ashe likes; when he receives foodstamps, he must spend it on food.One may use his own money topurchase plastic surgery, butMedicare covers only medicallynecessary procedures and drugs.

In short, we can have personalfreedom or we can have govern-

ment generosity, but we ought notto have both. Eat and drink as youlike, but don’t expect everyoneelse to pay for the consequences.Or vote — as we have — to carefor the public with taxpayermoney and accept the practical re-strictions on personal behaviorthat are likely to follow. We can-not expect a fiscally sustainable,fair and just society to do other-wise — in New York or anywhereelse.

Share your thoughts on soda at mile- [email protected].

SODA Continued from page 7

we have today.In fact, the molecule that acti-

vates the ever-important latent

virus has been a natural remedyfor a long time. Healers in West-ern Samoa used the bark of themamala tree to make tea to curehepatitis. It turns out that the barkis rich in a molecule called pros-tratin, which can induce the ex-pression of the normally dormantHIV virus. Antiretroviral drugscan then be used to treat the pa-tient.

Wender’s research led to a syn-thesis of bryologs, synthetic com-pounds with a similar structure toprostratin molecules, which canactivate the dormant HIV virus

much more cheaply and effective-ly. He is enthusiastic about the po-tential application of his new com-pound to the HIV virus.

“[Prostratin] is the lead clinicalcandidate for targeting the latentvirus,” he said. “We report [newsynthetic] compounds that are1,000-fold better [at activating la-

tent HIV] than prostratin.”That is not to say that a perma-

nent cure for AIDS can be expect-ed in the near future. Much morework remains before Wender’sresearch can be applied to AIDSpatients. The next stage for bry-olog research will include in vivostudies (which occur in living or-ganisms) and preclinical testing.That will pose a new set of chal-lenges for researchers.

“What’s coming down the roadis a challenge to develop in vivomethods to test the drugs . . . in amodel that isn’t in people since it

could be harmful,” Zack said.“You can’t infect mice with HIV,but if you humanize them, you caninfect the human cells with HIV,and you can test the drugs onthat.”

Both scientists emphasizedthat their bryolog research stillhas a long way to go before it can

be considered a practical solutionto AIDS. But it has given somehope for the permanent eradica-tion of HIV.

“Since the story broke, I’vebeen flooded with emails, andthey’re pretty remarkable,” Wen-der said. These people are . . .sharing with me that our article,our research, brought them a rayof hope . . . this is what keeps meup late at night and gets me upevery morning.”

Contact Kylie Jue at [email protected].

AIDSContinued from page 2

When asked by an audiencemember about the possibility of arebellion by the growing youth —

three-fifths of the Iranian popula-tion is under 30 — Milani ex-plained the difficulty of organizingand mobilizing in Iran. He empha-sized that they do not want acharismatic leader to head a rebel-lion.

“Heroes always fail them,” Mi-lani said.

Hesitant to respond to ques-tions about the United States’ im-pact on human rights in Iran, Mi-lani was confident in saying thatthere is no military solution. He

criticized the United States, specif-ically the electronics companySiemens, for providing the Iraniangovernment with technology thathas enabled censorship. He alsopointed out the United Statesmade a mistake giving Iran mis-siles during the Reagan adminis-tration in return for hostages.

“The United States can’t bringdemocracy to Iran,” Milani said.“Iranian people, and only Iranianpeople, can.”

Contact Rachel Beyda at [email protected]

MILANIContinued from page 2

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12



SPORTSMAD DOG INTHE HOUSE

Former Stanford power forward Mark Madsen

makes his return to the Farm as assistant coach

BY DAVID ENGDAILY INTERN

Aman walks into arestaurant. The restau-rant is just anotherlandmark enduring

the frigid Minnesota winter. Theman, a car-drive away from hisMinneapolis home, has recentlydecided to return to his under-graduate alma mater for businessschool. He’s rather plainlyclothed, apart from a cardinal-

red cap emblazoned with a varsi-ty letter S.

Another man steps into therestaurant. This one, MikeSchrage, is a five-hour plane fightfrom the prestigious Bay Area in-stitution where he works. He’s inthe town on recruiting business— Schrage is an assistant coachfor the Stanford men’s basketballteam.

It was then only by coinci-dence that Schrage crossed pathswith the man in the cap. He had

already seen the teenage talenthe traveled thousands of miles toscout. But he couldn’t help butalso recruit the man in the cap —Mark Madsen.

Nearly two and a half yearsafter the chance encounter, theformer Cardinal power forwardMadsen, now 36, plans to workalongside Schrage on Stanford’scoaching staff.

“I had other options,” saidMadsen, referring to a potentialcareer in business after having

earned his MBA from Stanfordthis past June. “But, really, it wasa no-brainer. I get to coach at

Stanford, I get to learn under[head] coach Johnny Dawkins,and I get to be around these greatplayers. Okay. Check the box.I’m in.”

Returning to coach collegebasketball may have ultimatelybeen a “no-brainer” for Madsen,but he hasn’t felt so resolute sincehis days as a student-athlete. As agraduating senior with a degreein economics from Stanford in2000, the two-time All-Americanhad been set on returning to

coach college basketball after aprofessional career.

“‘They Call Me Coach’ [byJohn Wooden],” Madsen said. “Iread it in college, and I read it inhigh school too. I loved the book.In the back of my mind, I thoughtI wanted to be a basketball coachin college.”

However, ambivalence hascharacterized the better half of the past two years. Since retiringfrom professional basketball in2009 — a nine-year career which

included two championships withthe three-peat Lakers — Madsenhad seriously considered coach-ing at the junior college and evenhigh-school levels, which weremore “obscure” and required lesstraveling.

In the end, it was not his exist-ing ties to Stanford but rather hisnewly formed ones that proved tobe the determining factor.

“Over the past two years, basi-cally, the relationship betweencoach Dawkins and me has flow-ered,” Madsen said. “My rela-tionship with the program hascontinued to grow and build.”

Last summer, Dawkins invitedMadsen to join the team on an 11-day exhibition circuit to Spain,only the Cardinal’s second tour inthe past decade.

“I think it was on that trip thatI really just felt the passion forthe game, how much I love Stan-ford and how much I love basket-ball,” Madsen said.

Nearly two months into his

new role, Madsen anticipates hisresponsibilities to be threefold: to“push the guys,” to share basket-

ball insights and to foster a duallyfun and professional atmosphere.

Although the man known as“Mad Dog” is remembered as aplayer for his competitive energyand aggressive play, he believeshe will not need to impart thismentality to any of his players.According to him, they alreadyhave it.

“We have a lot of guys who arealready extremely aggressive,who are already extremely in-tense when the game starts,” he

said. “In terms of raw talent andraw ability, I would take our guysany day. Talent-wise, I wouldtake our guys. Heart-wise, Iwould take our guys. For theirability to compete, I’m takingStanford guys every day.”

Under Dawkins, whom Mad-sen considers his coaching men-tor, the assistant coach hopes toemphasize defense, reboundingand communication. These three

THEO ALKOUSAKIS/The Stanford Daily

Former Stanford power foward Mark “Mad Dog” Madsen (right) had a double-double in the Cardinal’s loss

to Gonzaga on March 13 in the second round of the 1999 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Madsen,well-known for his competitive energy and aggressive style, later played at the NBA level for nine seasons.

Please seeMADSEN, page 12

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


By TOM TAYLORSENIOR STAFF WRITER

Thirty-seven Stanford stu-dents and alumni will be compet-ing in the next couple of weeks inthe London 2012 OlympicGames, leading to hopes of yetanother large medal haul for theCardinal. Here we present someof the potential highlights forStanford fans, focusing on theteams and athletes most likely tobe able to bring home gold basedon past success:

Elle Logan ’10 won gold inthe eights for Team USA at Bei-

jing 2008 and finished second inthe pairs in the first two rounds

of the World Rowing Cup in2012. She will compete in theeights again at London 2012,hoping to relive the success of four years ago.

The women’s eights competi-tion starts on July 29.

Markus Rogan ’04 currentlyholds the world record in the

200-meter backstroke for theshort course format (1:47.84)and won silver for Austria inboth the 100 and 200 back-stroke at Athens in 2004. Hewas originally set to retire in2008 when he won gold at theWorld Championships in Man-chester in the 200 backstroke,but changed his plans to pursuehis medal hopes in the men’s200 individual medley and4x200 freestyle relay. Roganwill also have the honor of

being Austria’s flag bearer inLondon.The preliminary heats of the

men’s 200 individual medleystart on Aug. 1, and the 4x200freestyle relay is slated to beginon July 31.

Four former Cardinal play-ers will play in the OlympicGames: goalkeeper NicoleBarnhart ’04, defender RachelBuehler ’07, forward Kelley

O’Hara ’10 and defender/mid-fielder Ali Riley ’10. Barnhart,Buehler and O’Hara are all onthe No.1-ranked U.S. nationalteam and will be favorites towin gold, as Team USA haswon the last two Olympic titlesand three out of the four everplayed. Barnhart may have tosit on the sidelines for the ma-

jority of the time like she did inBeijing 2008, as fellow goal-keeper Hope Solo is the team’sregular starter at that position.

Riley, meanwhile, will be play-

ing for New Zealand, which,ranked No. 23 in the world, willbe considered an outsider.

The action began yesterday,with New Zealand falling toGreat Britain 1-0 in the openinggame and the U.S. dismantlingFrance 4-2. Both teams will nextplay on July 28, when NewZealand will face Brazil and theU.S. will face Colombia.

The U.S. national team isranked No. 1 and sealed a hattrick of titles in the annual WorldGrand Prix at the beginning of this month. Middle blockerFoluke Akinradewo ’09 and out-sider hitter Logan Tom ’03should have a great chance of going one better than at Beijing2008, where the U.S. won silver.

The women’s volleyball tour-nament starts July 28, when the

U.S. will play against the Repub-lic of Korea.

Kerri Walsh ’00 is perhapsone of Stanford’s most famous

current Olympians, having wonthe gold for Team USA at bothBeijing 2008 and Athens 2004with her teammate Misty May-Treanor. Currently ranked No.3 in the world behind the leadingBrazilian and Chinese teams,Walsh’s quest for a third straightgold medal is far from guaran-teed. But given their achieve-ments so far, Walsh and May-Treanor will be tough for anyduo to beat.

The beach volleyball tourna-ment beings on July 28.

In the men’s competition, at-tackers Tony Azevedo ’05 andPeter Varellas ’06 and defendersLayne Beaubien ’99 and PeterHudnut ’03 walked away with sil-ver for the U.S. in 2008.

On the women’s side, the re-

sult was the same for attackerBrenda Villa ’03, defender Jessi-ca Steffens ’10 and the rest of theU.S. team. Villa will be looking to


IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily

Stanford junior defender Melissa Seidemann, a three-time 50-goalscorer, redshirted last season to prepare for the Olympics. The U.S.

women’s water polo team will begin its play July 30 against Hungary.

MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily

Twins Bob and Mike Bryan willbe competing in the men’s dou-bles draw in London. The Bryanbrothers were the world No. 1

duo for nearly six years.

STANFORD ATHLETES READY FOR LONDON

LEARNING

FROM PSU

In light of the recent child sex-ual abuse scandal at PennState, there are two reactionsthat come to my mind: I haveno reason to believe that any-

thing like the abuse committed byJerry Sandusky is currently takingplace within Stanford’s athletic pro-gram, and I also have no reason tobelieve the Farm is completely im-mune from such atrocities.

Earlier this week, the sportsworld was sent reeling by theNCAA’s sanctions on Penn State.

It’s hard to imagine being an alum-nus of a school that won’t be al-lowed to go to a bowl game or evenfield a full team for four years, andwith the Nittany Lions unable to ap-pear on TV either, that team isgoing to be practically impossible tofollow.

But it’s even harder to imaginethat those sanctions would beprompted by atrocities at State Col-lege, Penn., home to a school thatwas, as recently as a year ago, be-lieved to have one of the last “clean”

athletic programs in the country.Last June, the Wall Street Journalreported that only four major-con-ference schools — Penn State,Boston College, Northwestern and,yes, Stanford — had never receivedsanctions from the NCAA for amajor rules violation. Now, after atleast 15 years of abuse by Sandusky,that distinction is a lot harder to takepride in.

What wedo know for sure is thatthis scandal is going to change theway we look at college sports, on the

Farm and elsewhere. Take this ex-ample: just over two months ago, Iwrote that Stanford needed a foot-ball coach or athletic director whowould stick around for the long hauland become the face of the Cardinalathletic program. How does thatthought seem now, after the NCAAconcluded that an overwhelming“hero-worship” of longtime headcoach Joe Paterno was at the heartof the Penn State scandal?

It would be fair to say that An-drew Luck inspired some “hero-

worship” at Stanford, but not of the

Joseph Beyda

VYING FOR GOLD

Please seeBEYDA, page 13

Please seeOLYMPIC, page 12

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12



SPORTS BRIEFS

LONDON

AT LAST

Flying into the U.K. lastweek, the capital laymostly hidden beneath abank of cloud and mist.Occasional breaks in the

gray hinted at green fields and brickhouses, but nothing really out of theordinary. No sign that just a weeklater, it would be host to one of theworld’s biggest sports events: theSummer Olympics.

Well, maybe just one sign. Asthe plane started its final approachI glimpsed a clever piece of garden-

ing through the swirling clouds: fivelarge interlocking rings — theiconic logo of the Games — cutinto a grassy field, as if the countryhad been branded from above.

Once we touched down, moreand more clues appeared thatsomething was happening.Throughout the terminal therewere signs and volunteers directingmembers of the Olympic commu-nity, and beyond the airport Britishflags and team jerseys began tosprout up everywhere.

Having been in the U.S. for thelast year I had missed the buildupto the Olympics. Most of all, I hadmissed the long journey of theOlympic flame through the U.K.,seeing it only through photos post-ed on Facebook, but upon hittinghome soil I began my own littletorch relay. I passed from friend tofriend, first visiting Birmingham —where I spotted a handful membersof Team USA wandering down anondescript street — and thenmoving on to Oxford and Reading.

Then finally, a few days ago, I madeit to London proper.When I wrote this I could actu-

ally see ground zero, the Olympicstadium, poking up above the sky-line on the north bank of the RiverThames from the window of afriend’s apartment in Greenwich;lights from a dry run of the Open-ing Ceremony flickered in thedarkness. I had also just made myfirst visit to one of the Olympicvenues, the Horse Guards Parade.

For the next couple of weeks I

will be based there, working as a

Tom Taylor

Burdette wins her first majorprofessional tournament

Rising senior Mallory Bur-dette won the singles draw of theWomen’s Hospital 2012 TennisClassic in Evansville, Ind. thispast Sunday.

Burdette defeated No. 1 Ying-Ying Duan of China 6-1, 6-2 toclaim the first major professionaltournament victory of her career.She easily moved past the qualify-ing rounds before winning fivemore main draw matches to takethe $10,000 Pro Circuit event.

Her win comes on the heels of an impressive outing at the sec-ond round of the Bank of theWest Classic tournament, whereshe jumped out to a 5-2 lead in thefirst set before losing againstworld No. 10 Marion Bartoli.

Coach Shaw, Stanford players speak at Pac-12 football media day

Coach David Shaw, seniorrunning back Stepfan Taylor and

senior outside linebacker ChaseThomas represented Stanford atthe Pac-12 football media day in

Los Angeles on Tuesday.The media opened up the

press conference by asking Shawto give an update on senior insidelinebacker Shayne Skov’s reha-bilitation.

“He’s not ready to play a foot-ball game yet, but he’s physicallyready to do everything in theweight room and everything wewill ask him to do,” Shaw said.“He won’t play the first game, butcome that game against Duke, webelieve he will be there.”

The one question directed toTaylor was concerned with the

possibility of feeling increasedpressure for the upcoming sea-son.

“I don’t feel the pressure. I feelwe have to just go out there andplay our best game, every game,”Taylor responded.

Thomas was asked how he feltabout Stanford’s defensive frontseven.

“I think the front seven are asgood as anybody in the nation,”said Thomas. “We have all thelinebackers returning and Shayne

Skov. . . . It helps out with thesame defense installed over thelast three years, so it lets us play

faster, more aggressively, andoverall it makes us a better de-

fense.”The annual conference mediapoll picked the Cardinal to finishsecond in the Pac-12 North Divi-sion, the same place that Stanfordfinished in last season. Oregonwas the predicted champion of the North Division and collected732 points to edge out Stanford’s533.

The conference media poll,however, has often been inaccu-rate in projecting Stanford’s per-formance. Despite being picked

to finish eighth in the 1999-2000season, the Cardinal wound upplaying in the Rose Bowl.

In the Pac-12 South Division,USC came in first in the pollstandings. The Trojans were alsopicked to win the Pac-12 Champi-onship, earning 102 of the 123total votes.

Anne Walker named head coach of women’s golf

Anne Walker has been hired

as the Margot and Mitch MiliasDirector of Women’s Golf, Stan-ford Interim Athletic Director

Patrick Dunkley officially an-nounced last Friday.

Walker served as the headcoach of the UC-Davis golf teamfor the last four years, leading theAggies to two Big West Confer-ence titles, as well as two NCAAtournament appearances. For herefforts, she was named the BigWest Coach of the Year threetimes.

She played a major role inhelping the Aggies successfullytransition from D-II to D-I, lead-ing them to a No. 14 ranking atone point last season.

A former standout player her-self at Cal, Walker has had plentyof experience translating talentinto success. She is responsible forcoaching three Big West Playersof the Year, as well as two playerswho competed in the 2009 U.S.Open.

During this past 2011-2012season, the Cardinal notched aseventh-place finish at the Pac-12Championships, tied for fifth atthe NCAA West Regionals andfinished 24th at the NCAA

Championships.

— George Chen

skills propelled Madsen himself to college career averages of 12.4points per game and 8.8 rebounds

per game, not to mention hismemorable slam dunk to clinch aFinal Four berth for the Cardinalin 1998.

However, most of all, Madsenintends to instill lessons of re-spect in his players — applicableto situations both on and off thecourt. His favorite story to tellbegins with an equipment man-ager in the Minnesota Timber-wolves organization, ClaytonWilson.

“Any Joe Schmoe walking out

in the street might think, ‘Oh . . .equipment manager, that job ispretty clearly defined,’” Madsensaid. “But guys would jokinglyrefer to Clayton as the assistantgeneral manager. That’s how

much influence he had in the or-ganization, with the players andin the community.”

And, in retrospect, this per-spective is something fromwhich Madsen believes he wouldhave benefitted as a young buckvying for a roster spot in profes-sional basketball — and some-

thing he hopes to impart to notonly star players destined for theNBA but also his less talentedplayers.

“As you move forward inyour professional careers, real-ize wherever you go to visit, becourteous, be cordial and get toknow not just the head coach andthe general manager,” Madsensaid. “Get to know every mem-ber of that organization, knowingthat every person in that organi-zation is vital.”

Madsen now figures to be oneof those vital pieces in the Stan-ford men’s basketball program.

Contact David Eng at [email protected].

MADSENContinued from page 9

JOSH HANER/The Stanford Daily

Mark Madsen, pictured during a

double-double performance inStanford’s 77-73 win over confer-ence rival No. 9 UCLA on Feb. 11,1990, returns to the Farm as amen’s assistant coach.

add another medal to her collec-tion, which already consists of a sil-ver from Athens and a bronze

from Sydney in 2000. This year thewomen are joined by junior centerAnnika Dries, junior defenderMelissa Seidemann and freshman-to-be Maggie Steffens.

Both teams will be hoping to goone better in London, but it may bea tough task even to repeat the sil-ver medals of four years agoagainst higher-ranked competi-tion.

The men’s water polo tourna-ment begins on July 29, when theU.S. will face Montenegro, and the

women’s starts on July 30, with theU.S. opening its tournament cam-paign against Hungary.

Contact Tom Taylor at [email protected].

OLYMPICContinued from page 11

Please seeTAYLOR , page 13

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


THEATER

THE 99

PERCENTStanford Summer Theater roots

for the middle-class man in Sam Shepard’s‘Curse of the Starving Class’

On the surface, “Curse of the

Starving Class,” written by Pulitzer

Prize winner Sam Shepard, is the

story of an American family that slowly

deteriorates thanks to a fraudulent land

speculator who toys with their lives in the

countryside. However, the play also

addresses many deeper, modern issues, such

as poverty, overbearing corporations and

alcoholism.

The play is directed by Rush Rehm,

who also serves as a professor of drama at

Stanford. Consisting of only eight actors,

the talented Stanford Summer Theater cast

managed to pull off this play with only four

weeks of rehearsal, although they were noti-

fied of their roles last year in the fall. The

play is held at the small but cozy Pigott

Theater; the set is quite impressive and not

put to waste, as almost every inch is used

during the play.The main character, Wesley, played by

Max Sosna-Spear ’11 M.A. ’12, is one of the

most memorable roles in the entirety of the

play. At first, Wesley is determined to suc-

ceed; he dresses well, speaks with conviction

and is eager about the years to come. In the

end, however, Wesley wears his father’s

dirty old clothes, acts as if danger is con-

stantly lurking around the corner and

expects nothing more than a bleak future.

It is easiest to spot Sosna-Spear’s excel-

lent characterization in the last act. Only he

and Wesley’s mother, Ella (Courtney

Walsh), are left on the stage when they

begin to fearfully recall a story about a raven

that Wesley’s father, Weston (Marty

Pistone), used to tell as a hopeful story

about never giving up. However, in the

scene, the story is twisted into a dark and

sinister tale about the total and complete

loss of hope.

In addition, Jessica Waldman ’15 iswonderful as Wesley’s younger sister

Emma, a sweet but spunky Southern girl

who learns how cruel the real world is. The

play presents the challenge of developing

such a young character into a rebellious and

hard-hearted criminal in a short time, but

Waldman acts out the role beautifully and

poetically.

Whether you’re searching for a dark-

but-humorous play or a famous play-

wright’s work in these upcoming weeks,

“Curse of the Starving Class” will satisfy

your curiosity.

“Curse of the Starving Class” runs through

Aug. 12 with showings at 8 p.m. Thursday -

Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Pigott

Theater.

— margaret LIN

contact margaret:[email protected]

STEFANIE OKUDA/Stanford Drama

Wesley (Max Sosna-Spear ‘11 M.A. ‘12) in a scene from Stanford Summer Theater’s pro-duction of Sam Shepard’s “Curse of the Starving Class.”

THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012 THE STANFORD D AILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION N 15

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


Admit it: when you think

of Japanese street style,

the first thing that pops

into your head are the Harajuku

girls. Popularized in America

during Gwen Stefani’s stint as a

solo artist, Harajuku, a trendy

shopping neighborhood in Japan,

became synonymous with quirky

youth fashion — think elaborate

maid outfits, wigs and false eye-

lashes.

Or so I thought. I’m intern-

ing in Tokyo this summer as part

of the Bing Overseas Study

Program. The first chance I got, I

journeyed to Harajuku to see the

world-famous street fashion.

Turns out, the most ostentatious

of the Harajuku girls seem to

have moved on, leaving severaldisappointed tourists in their

wake.

I admit, during my time in

Japan I’ve seen some quirky fash-

ion, but in less expected places —

like at a summer festival or while

visiting temples. But outside of

the more outlandish fashion

choices, Japanese style is fascinat-

ing.

Although I was expecting

some style shock before I came to

Japan — everyone always goes on

about how well put-together peo-

ple are here — there were still

plenty of surprises. For example, I

though Toms, which have

exploded in popularity in the US

recently, would at least have

made a dent in Japan. Wrong,

but Minnetonka moccasins are

huge here.

Also, as someone who comes

from a place where jeans are the

clothing of choice for most peo-ple daily, I found myself intrigued

by the skirts here, which many

women wear daily. The maxi skirt

is big with teenagers, often done

in pastel pleats or layers of tulle,

paired with heels and a jean jack-

et. Flared mid-length skirts run

prevalent among office workers

— a popular outfit is said skirt,

simple black top, and heels. And

the mini skirt is everywhere,

sometimes shockingly short (it is

a style taboo to show much of

your shoulders or chest in Japan,

but skirts can be as short as physi-cally possible).

But the accessories are what

really make Japanese style so

unique. Take socks, for example.

In America, socks and tights are

often an afterthought: I, for

instance, tend to favor any socks

that can be hidden in a boot shaft

to hide the fact that I think

matching socks are only for spe-

cial occasions. Women in Japan

take the opposite tack — socks,

like bags, shoes and belts, are key parts of an outfit. Flats are often

pared with lacy, colorful liners

that play up the shape of the

shoe. Heels and Mary Janes (yes,

women here are still wearing

Mary Janes) go with pale socks

that feature lacy trim around the

ankle, and the more daring girls

wear mini-skirts with knee-high

stockings and heels.

Japanese women don’t stop at

accessorizing their outfits — they

accessorize their bags and phones

as well. While in the U.S., cell

phone charms are mostly relegat-

ed to middle school girls, such

trinkets are ubiquitous in Japan.

Stores and souvenir shops have a

huge collection of cell phone

charms, and even the most aus-

tere-looking businessmen deco-rate their smartphones.

On the male side, fashion

ranges from the standard “work-

er” look — a navy suit — to

something more fashionable and

boy-band inspired: think skinny

pants, layered shirts, hair teased

with gel and shoes with a thick

sole for extra height.

What I love most about the

style here is the fact that everyonealways seems at their most put-

together every time you see them.

Crowded subway rides become

much more bearable when there

are so many interesting looks to

see. I know I’ll miss the creativity

when I am back in lecture halls,

back to the usual undergraduate

sea of jeans and sweatpants.

— halle EDWARDScontact halle:

[email protected]

Yomiuri Shimbun/MCT

Decorated cell phones knownas dekoden feature such itemsas rhinestones, beads and imi-tation sweet treats.

16 N THE STANFORD D AILY N SUMMER WEEKLY EDITION THURSDAY, JULY 26, 2012

WHATWE’RELISTENINGTO

A list of songs Intermissionstaffers are jamming to this week.

“SIERRALEONE”

FRANKOCEAN

“GIVE YOUR

HEART A

BREAK”

DEMILOVATO

“VENUS”

SHOCKINGBLUE

“TAKE A

WALK”

PASSION PIT

“BASIC

SPACE”

THE XX

STYLE

Harajukustyle

Janet Jarman/KRT/MCT

Pedestrians peer into Uniqlo's flagship store located in Harajuku, one of Tokyo, Japan's trendi-est shopping areas.

In Japan,

girly pieces

dominate

fashion

trends

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


MOVIES

Perspectives onviolence in

‘THE DARK

K NIGHT RISES’

With the very real death of “The Dark Knight” star

Heath Ledger, theBatman movie franchise was des-tined to find itself at the center of

speculation and controversy link-ing fictional content to real lifeconsequences. Unfortunately for

the films and for the victims of ashooting in Aurora, Colo., the linebetween fantasy and reality blurred

again as a gunman opened fire ona crowded theater of buzzing fansat a midnight screening of the

third and final installment of theNolan Batman trilogy, “The DarkKnight Rises.”

Sources report that gunmanJames Holmes told authorities he

“was the Joker,” and the suspect“had died his hair like the Joker,”the fictional villain of the trilogy’ssecond piece. With a military-style

AR-15 assault rife, a shotgun andtwo handguns, the article reports,Holmes committed the massacre

after months of planning in a fash-ion not dissimilar to the Joker’ssenseless assaults on Gotham City.

The media has pounced onthe shooting from all angles, with

full pagesdedicated to

the event,the victimsand the

effect on“The DarkKnight Rises.” Media voices have

been quick to defend the film, aviolent action movie based on acomic book, against blame for

having influenced or caused thissenseless massacre. And though inthe end, the film truly can’t be

blamed for recent events, the rela-tionship between the shooting andthe violence depicted in the film

certainly needs to be examined.The film takes a hard-line

stance against violence and orga-nized crime, particularly weaponsdealing and acts of terrorism. Butas the principal character straddles

his roles of hero and vigilantecriminal, and as virtually all mediaconsumers continually glorify the

Joker, perhaps the movie’s anti-violence message falls on deaf ears.The films’ overarching attitude

against crime and violence recedesin the frames of cinematographi-

cally grand visuals.What’s more — and this is no

fault of the audience — the movietakes an often-ambivalentapproach to portraying violence.

In this third installment, merce-naries (the bad guys) wear cos-tumes reminiscent of media por-

trayals of Middle Eastern militants;they don khaki cargo pants andmilitary vests, strap huge bullets to

themselves and tote chunky weaponry suitable for guerillas.They are even swathed in scarves

with scruff and suntanned skin asif they have been roughing it in adesert, despite the snowy setting of

the film and the mercenaries’access to resources. Google “Iraqi

militant” and you’ll basically findthe Gotham mercenary, only witha pulled-down headscarf.

Watching this, one cannot helpbut consider the thinly veiled asso-ciation of these bad guys with

depictions of Middle Eastern“rebels,” the American media ver-sion of comic-book bad guys.

By contrast, the police officerswear navy caps and uniforms, pris-tine and complete despite having

lived in a cave for three months.Not a scratch or stain mars thelook of the American “hero.” They

courageously wield civilized pistolsagainst brute force.

The film may not be outward-ly pro-violence or racist, but lean-ing on these stereotypes to conjure

a sense of fear and antagonismtowards these “foreign” mercenar-ies invading Gotham City is not

only simplistic profiling, but poorstorytelling. Even out of the con-text of the violent shooting, these

stereotypical tropes of good andevil contribute to a subtle form of ideologizing not unlike the racist

BRYAN SMITH/Zuma Press/MCT

Police officers stand watch in the vestibule of the Regal Union Square Stadium 14 Theater in Manhattanfollowing the Batman ''Dark Knight Rises'' theater shooting in Aurora, Colo.


CONTINUED FROM “PASSION PIT” PAGE 14

| “VIOLENCE“continued on page 19 |

SASHANGELES

Not My Fault, I’m Happy” are

heartbreaking but sweet-sound-

ing songs, their titles belying the

lyrical intricacy within.

However, Passion Pit’s music

walks the line between exuber-

ance and caricature, and when

“Gossamer” teeters off it falls

straight into self-mockery.

“Mirrored Sea” attempts to com-

pensate for its blandness with vol-

ume and urgency; the chorus is

doubled by the keys but still

remains forgettable. “On My

Way” suffers a similar fate, its

grandiose instrumentation remi-

niscent of a Showtime Christmas

movie. Although even the weak-

est tracks contain darling details,

such as the 8-bit progression on

“Mirrored Sea,” the songs remain

too campy for comfort.

The album closes with the

delicate “Where We Belong,”

peeling away some of the musical

wrapping to reveal a deeply pri-

vate story of a suicide attempt.

The bubbly synth fades out before

the verse, presenting an “xx”-style

minimalism unexpected from a

band known for exaggeration.

A simple, quiet rebirth is just

the way for Passion Pit to end

“Gossamer” and embark on their

next musical journey. With such

a brutally honest second album

under its belt, Passion Pit

deserves to pat itself on the back,

pack up its synthesizers and move

forward, keeping us guessing for

another three years.

— natasha AVERY

contact natasha:[email protected]

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


The SF Playhouse, a small

theater company that has

been consistently producing

some of the best productions in

the Bay Area, does it again with

director Bill English’s reinterpreta-

tion of the classic Broadway musi-

cal “My Fair Lady .” English’s ver-

sion is stripped down: There is no

pit orchestra, multiple lavish sets

or large ensemble dances. Instead,

there are efficient sets, two pianosand 12 actors, each often playing

multiple supporting characters.

But what “Lady” lacks in extrava-

gance it makes up for with great

originality, entirely reinventing

most of the musical numbers.

“My Fair Lady” is the story of

a poor Cockney flower girl, Eliza

Doolittle (Monique Hafen), who

learns to speak proper English

from phonetician and man-child

Henry Higgins (Johnny Moreno),

thus securing her upward mobility

and trapping her in the throes of

middle-class morality. Eliza has

always been a brash young

woman, but English’s production

takes her characterization one step

further: It puts her in pants. In

English’s version, the song

“Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” becomes

Eliza’s solo melancholic lament,sung sadly and quietly while fend-

ing off lecherous men with a knife.

Johnny Moreno looks like a

cross between Robert Downey Jr.

and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and

English has him play Higgins with

virility and sexuality, a bold choice

for Higgins, who often comes off

as asexual in the original work. His

relationship with Eliza, often

played as somewhat ambiguous, is

teeming with sexual tension here.

He also finds himself the seeming

object of affection of his colleague

and friend, Colonel Pickering

(Richard Frederick), who in this

version is a not-quite-upstanding

example of a perfect gentleman —

more of a polite, closeted suitor for

Higgins. It seems a radical inter-

pretation of the Higgins/Pickering

partnership, but the script has awealth of dialogue that could easily

be interpreted as innuendo given

our modern sensibilities.

Perhaps the biggest surprise is

how likable Alfred P. Doolittle

(Charles Dean) is. Eliza’s unmar-

ried father, he is always after her

money for drink and is often char-

acterized as a simple, drunken

lout. But Dean oozes charm, and

as he winks at the audience to getus in on the jokes, you can’t help

but like him. When he finally gets

forced into marrying his mistress,

the number “I’m Getting Married

in the Morning,” usually a fairly

jovial lament, becomes a dirge,

with Doolittle’s friends hoisting

him up into the air as if they were

carrying a coffin.

As with any radical reinterpre-

tation, not everything works.

Instead of being surrounded by

household staff, Higgins is sur-

rounded by graduate students in

white lab coats, an absurd costume

choice, though the interpretation is

otherwise valid. English’s decision

to fill “Ascot Gavotte” with sexual

innuendo to explain why the

upper-class spectators “have never

been so keyed up” deprives theshow of what should have been

one of its biggest laughs. And

although the British accents of the

cast are usually key to a produc-

tion’s success, as a play about

accents, here I’m almost inclined

to argue that they could have been

Americanized and simplified. It’s

not that the dialects are bad —

they are good enough to be unob-

trusive — but they interfere with

the actors’ vocal work, causing

them to tighten their voices and

inhibiting expression.

But these are minor flaws inwhat is otherwise an entertaining

and unique production of this

classic. English’s rendition offers

something so entirely new that any

failures to live up to pre-existing

standards for productions of “My

Fair Lady” can be easily over-

looked. The SF Playhouse produc-

tion of “My Fair Lady” is easily the

single must-see play of the sum-

mer in the Bay Area, with some-

thing to offer both old and new

fans of the musical.

— alexandra HEENEY

contact alexandra:[email protected]

Jessica Palopoli/SF Playhouse

Doolittle (Charles Dean, center) and co-conspirators sing “With aLittle Bit of Luck” while performing “My Fair Lady” in San Francisco.

Jessica Palopoli/SF Playhouse

Eliza (Monique Hafen) dreams of “a room somewhere.”


THEATER

The fairest of them allSF Playhouse’s new take on ‘My Fair Lady’ a must-see

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12



Now that it’s summer, thecinemas are filled withblockbuster action films

and not much else. If you’re look-

ing for a cheap alternative, here’s alist of four films from the last year

that you may have missed in the-aters but ought to catch onNetflix.

“Weekend”The 2011 British film

“Weekend” is similar to the 1995

drama “Before Sunrise,” but with

two men falling in love in the U.K.After meeting at a bar, Russell (Tom

Cullen) brings Glen (Chris New)home, ostensibly for a one-nightstand, but they spend the day after

their tryst having one long, engagingand deeply personal conversationabout everything from past relation-

ships to their coming out experi-ences. In some ways, the confessionalnature of their discussion is facilitated

by their unfamiliarity. The romanticand unabashedly realistic film is asmart and touching story about our

universal need for intimacy and theoften-rampant fear of commitment.

“Tomboy”While Céline Sciamma’s

directorial debut, “Water Lilies”

(also on Netflix), was a film aboutthe complexities of adolescent sex-uality, her sophomore film,

“Tomboy,” explores pre-pubescentgender roles. When 10-year-old,

pixie-haired Laure (Zoé Héran)and her loving family move into anew neighborhood, she introducesherself to her neighbors as

Michael, plays outside with theboys and flirts with the girl nextdoor. Whether she does this

because she knows she will bemore easily accepted into her newfriend group as a boy or because

she identifies as one — and shouldinstead be referred to as “he” —

remains ambiguous throughoutthe film. Laure is at an age whengender roles are so firmly estab-lished in school and by her parents

that any kind of fluidity is feared

or downright dismissed. The filmgrounds the complex treatment of gender roles in a simple but touch-

ing story of the burdens and joysof being a child: the idyllic sum-mers, the responsibility of taking

care of her little sister, the need forcomfort and affection from herparents, their simultaneous love

and small-mindedness and the factthat she still often feels terrifiedbecause her parents don’t under-

stand what she’s going through —and nor does she. It’s a film thatunderstands that being a kid is

hard work and often painful.

“Cave of Forgotten Dreams”

Werner Herzog’s latest docu-mentary, “Cave of Forgotten

Dreams,” takes us inside theChauvet Cave in Southern Franceto see the world’s oldest knowncave paintings. Access to the area is

strictly controlled — it’s closed tothe public — but Herzog was ableto get limited access for over a

week to capture it on film. Themovie is one of the best examplesof using 3-D technology to its full

potential — making you feel like you’re actually in the cave, some-

thing 2-D would never be able toreally do — but despite its 2-Drendering on Netflix, “Dreams”remains engaging and educational.

Herzog is eccentric, always finds a

way to humanize his subjects andmanages to find interesting charac-ters to interview, including a man

who literally sniffs his way aroundin search of caves.

“The Trip”Steve Coogan and Rob

Bryden play fictionalized versions

of themselves in MichaelWinterbottom’s comedy “TheTrip.” When Steve gets a gig touring

and reviewing posh restaurants inthe English countryside and his girl-friend can’t accompany him, Rob

tags along for a weekend of gourmetfood and bonding. Steve and Rob,both comedians, amuse themselves

over meals by doing hilariousimpressions of everyone from

Michael Caine to Woody Allen.While on the surface the film is lightcomedic entertainment, it holdsdarker undertones on loneliness and

growing older. Steve is divorced andstruggles in his relationship with hisson and his long-distance girlfriend,

while Rob is happily married butmissing his wife. As they part ways,Winterbottom juxtaposes Steve’s

loneliness with Rob’s blissful life,elevating the movie above mere

farce.

— alexandra HEENEY

contact alexandra:[email protected]

Courtesy Glendale Picture Company

Tom Cullen (left) and Chris New star in the 2011 film “Weekend.”

CONTINUED FROM “VIOLENCE” PAGE 17

and sexist ideas Disney princess

movies have suffered criticism for.But beyond even this per-

haps esoteric reading of the film,and regardless of my personalopinion of the movie, even anuncritical viewer will notice the

militarization of Gotham City —a central tenet of the plot — asan all-too-real parallel to events

that have occurred in Americaand American-occupied states,though this is perhaps out of the

mind of most of the film’s audi-ence. Even if Batman saves the

day and the film’s point is tostamp out the evils that cause

these wars, the victory the audi-

ence savors is not the moment amayor reveals an honorary statue

or bestows a military medal.They cheer and clap when bigguns fire and missiles explodelike Fourth-of-July fireworks and

heat-seeking missiles in enemy territory. Violence that plays onstereotypes and big bangs is easi-

er to digest than a lofty moralmessage against that violence thatentertains so engagingly.

The fact that we as a society are entertained by watching

events of suffering speaks volumesabout the state of our country.

But good art, like Nolan’s films,

holds a mirror up to nature, andunfortunately our nature is one

that has grown increasingly obsessed with violence.

I saw “Rises” at 12:15 a.m.Friday and didn’t sleep for two

days. Of course there are the“What if there had been a shoot-ing in my theater?” thoughts, the

concerns for Coloradan friends Ihave, the simple sadness for thelives taken and mourning families

and bystanders. But even after allthe criticism I could hurl at the

violence depicted in “Rises,” theway that the media and even fans

have drawn conclusions that a

movie could cause someone to dothis is both immature and offen-

sive. In Christopher Nolan’s offi-cial statement on the shooting, thedirector laments that someonewould “violate” such an “innocent

and hopeful place in such anunbearably savage way.” And justso, those who accuse a film, a

piece of literature that at mostreflects our society, of creating amassacre, violate the sanctity of the

theater.What happened in that the-

ater was truly a tragedy, but we areblind to blame our societal prob-

lems on the creative stuff of

Hollywood.Yes, we should turn a critical

eye to our gun laws and our enter-tainment. But, no, “The DarkKnight Rises” cannot be blamedfor the violence caused by a killer.

This is not a time for blame oraccusation, but for mourning andreflection. And perhaps audiences

absorbing the film’s grandiose vio-lence will consider the troublingstems in reality.

— sasha ARIJANTOcontact sasha:[email protected]

MOVIES

FORGOTTEN FILMSThe best movies on Netflix you haven’t

watched yet

7/31/2019 WEEKLY 07.26.12


Harvey’s rival at the firm, is per-

haps the most human of all the

characters. He and Harvey started

at the firm as equals, but Harvey

received the promotion both had

been gunning for. Louis’ snarky humor — which is the most enter-

taining of all the characters’ — and

contentious attitude are the results

of feeling unappreciated and

unwanted, which is why he’s espe-

cially susceptible to office bribery.

The second season begins

with Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres),

co-founder and managing partner

of the firm, discovering Mike’s

secret. After witnessing a surprising

display of compassion from

Harvey, Jessica chooses not to fire

either of them. As the season pro-gresses, a long story arc develops:

Harvey is accused of burying evi-

dence, and the firm comes under

fire.

The character of Donna

Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty) under-

goes the greatest transformation in

the most recent few episodes. In

season one, she was Harvey’s

amusing and self-assured secretary.

Now we see her playing a larger,and possibly detrimental, role at

the firm. Episode four ends with a

shot of Donna’s date stamp on the

evidence Harvey had been accused

of burying.

The preview for the next

episode features a confrontation

between the firm’s lawyer and

Donna:

“Where do you see yourself in

five years?” asks the firm’s lawyer.

“Well, actually — ”

“Because where I see you is in

jail.”

The intricacies of each charac-

ter are really what give the show

depth and intrigue. Season one

was engaging, but if the case-by-

case format continues, “Suits” caneasily fall into a bland routine. If

the show’s creator, Aaron Korsh,

wants to avoid stagnation, we need

to see more. The plotlines need

complexity, and characters’ back-

stories need to influence the pro-

gression of the story. Viewers

won’t settle for another run-of-the-mill legal drama.

When a consultant comes to

see the associates, Louis tells them,

“I want you to convince this

woman that Pearson Hardman

makes you shit rainbows.” If the

structure of season two is main-

tained, that should be the generalconsensus.

— cynthia MAO

contact cynthia:[email protected]


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CONTINUED FROM “DRAMA” PAGE 14

Courtesy USA Network

Actor Gabriel Macht (left) enacts a scene from season two of the legal drama “Suits.”

weekly 07.26.12

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