Month: February 2013

 By Laura Razzuri

When I made the decision to study abroad for a full year, the first person I called was my mother.

“Finally!” my mother said. She had been begging me to consider a full year abroad and had been waiting for me to come to my senses and just do it. My mother knew from experience how beneficial a year abroad would be for language study. She had studied Spanish in Ecuador and I was going to study Arabic in Jordan. Most people would call me insane to spend a whole year in the very center of the Middle East right as the Arab Spring is still raging through the region. But as an interdepartmental Middle Eastern Studies major, nothing could be more exciting. I have been incredibly fortunate to have the guidance from Assistant Professor of Arabic Martin Isleem to navigate the Arab language and culture as well as Associate Professor of Political Science Tony Massoud for his support in creating a focused major on the Middle East.

It is an amazing thing to actually see and live through the things I have studied in my classes at the University. I’ve gained so much insight and perspective just by walking the streets of Amman and talking with Jordanians. When I first arrived, I quickly noted the cultural differences between Jordan and the United States. But as I finally settled in, I actually began to note the similarities and how much we are alike as people. I realized how similar the relationships between friends and family and everyday life in Jordan and America are. It is a beautiful thing to connect with people from completely different walks of life.

My first semester, I was studying Arabic everyday along with material-heavy courses on diplomacy and policy studies, but I learned most outside of the classroom. I will never forget the day when the King of Jordan announced the removal of important oil subsidies. It nearly doubled the cost of heating a household and refueling a car. Riots and protests sprung up throughout the entire country. This was the Arab Spring happening right before my eyes. I was actually witnessing history in the making.

One of the most remarkable experiences I have had so far was visiting the Za’atari Syrian Refugee Camp, one of the largest Syrian refugee camps along the northern border of Jordan. As we drove up, all I could see were rows and rows of white tents, and the camp was still expanding every day. I had the opportunity to visit families and talk with them about their experiences and the situation in Syria. Even in their current conditions, these families were inviting me into their tents offering me tea and cookies. The famous Arab hospitality still endured even through the worst of hardships. I will never forget how kind they were. Regardless of how tired and saddened they were, they were eager to share their experiences with us. They were so happy to meet students like myself, who were taking the time to learn their language and culture. To them, it was a sign of respect, a sign that maybe the relationship between the East and the West might change for the better. To them, it showed that people cared and that hopefully the conflict would end sooner than later. It was a powerful and yet humbling experience that I will never forget.

For my last few months in Jordan I am living with a family. They are amazing and are always feeding me. I am learning so much more about Arab culture and household dynamics. I know it’s going to be tough to say good-bye to them and to Jordan. Amman truly feels as if it has become my second home. I navigate the city like a Jordanian and can haggle successfully in the markets and cabs. There have even been occasions where I have been mistaken for a Jordanian because of my dark hair, features and confident Arabic. This year-long experience has made me fall in love with Jordan, with Arabic and with Arab culture. If there is one thing I know for sure, it’s that I will be back.

Laura Crowley

Dr. Thompson: Mass incarceration as the problem, not solution

Many Americans would instinctively agree that locking away criminals would make our nation more secure. On Feb. 13, Dr. Heather Ann Thompson of Temple University said otherwise. The number of imprisoned Americans has skyrocketed in recent years to numbers that are unparalleled internationally. There are even more people behind bars today than there were slaves in 1850. What Thompson and other acclaimed political scientists have found is that mass incarceration is desolating our cities, orphaning our children, threatening our democracy, depleting our communities’ resources and weakening our economy. This trend doesn’t just affect the incarcerated, Thompson said, but its systemic effects are changing all of our lives.

One trend Thompson mentioned is the “white flight” that occurred when whites left the cities in exchange for the suburbs in the 1980s. After this mass exodus, a so-called “criminalization of urban space” occurred when the federal government targeted cities in its crackdown on crime. During that time, record populations, which were overwhelmingly African-American males, were given heavy sentences and cities cleared out. The trend of mass imprisonment continues today and in 2012, a record 2,266,800 Americans were behind bars. But the record number of incarcerated cannot be attributed to increased crime rates, as the two variables have been proven to be disaggregated from each other. Some may see mass incarceration as a modern day form of racial oppression, since one in nine black men will be imprisoned within his lifetime.

What is perhaps more disturbing is that one in 28 children are now orphaned due to mass incarceration and the associated loss of parental rights. Along those lines, the imposition of police in schools has even led to the incarceration of children, often with behavioral issues. Thompson mentioned a case in which police interrogated a child for 10 hours. With the increasing pattern of imprisonment in kids ages 10-17, Thompson contends that America’s youth is being deprived of a normal childhood.

In some cities, with so many Americans behind bars, one in every 16 residents has cleared out. Most behind bars are black, causing the demographic to become disfranchised politically, since so many of many of them have been stripped of their voting rights due to their status as a felon. If this disfranchised population had been afforded its rights, studies show that the outcomes of several elections would have been changed.

The incarcerated are also making our cities poorer, Thompson said. Every one person counted in the census is, on average, allotted $10,000. Since the incarcerated are not counted in the census, communities are being deprived of financial resources, especially those in cities.

With the privatization of prisons, our financial well-being as a country has also been put in jeopardy. Private companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Dell and Starbucks are now opting to hire the imprisoned versus free citizens, since prisoners are model employees as they don’t need vacation time, don’t complain and don’t stay home from work. But this doesn’t mean prisoners are getting rich, Thompson said; prisoners in private prisons are required to pay for their housing, food and other expenses and rarely break even, which means they are typically broke when freed.

Sixty-five million Americans have a criminal record, which means they are faced with enormous challenges in finding work. Furthermore, the newly freed are restricted from access to welfare, which means that freed convicts are not only unemployed, but are deprived of programs like food stamps.

Thompson contends that the money taxpayers spend toward up keeping Americans behind bars is exactly the money that needs to be spent on struggling communities.  Studies have shown that in times when money has been focused on the education systems and infrastructure in cities, crime rates have fallen. When sentences have been reduced from 30 to 15 years, studies have shown that the freed convict is more likely to become a functioning member of society.

Thompson and other political scientists have called this phenomenon “the elephant in the room” and have cited politics as the main obstacle to changing the epidemic. For instance, the Obama administration has carefully danced around the issue, since the notion of freeing the incarcerated doesn’t rest well with most Americans. What needs to occur, Thompson said, is a reevaluation of our prison system and consideration for modeling a new system on foreign ones that have proven themselves more effective.

A Seat at the Vagina Party

Morgan Slade

The “Vagina Monologues” attracted a large crowd of both students and faculty to the Harvey M. Powers Theatre this past weekend. The monologues, written by Tony Award winning playwright Eve Ensler covered a variety of topics relating to … well, the vagina!

There was a humorous rant about pubic hair, an account of a girl in search of her sexuality (appropriately named “The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could”) and even a lengthy re-enactment and description of the different varieties of female orgasms, noises and all. While many of these monologues elicited large roars of laughter from the audience, the performance also touched on many topics more difficult to swallow.

The discussion of rape, incest and genital mutilation provided a stark contrast to the more light-hearted accounts, prompting the audience to think about how an organ so associated with pleasure can be linked to such grotesque and violent acts.

It is this contrast that links the “Vagina Monologues” to the greater movement of V-Day, whose mission is to “promote … creative events to increase awareness, raise funds and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations.” The actresses within the University production of the “Vagina Monologues” are among thousands of women around the world who dedicated their time and effort to this international cause.

As an audience member at this public performance, I couldn’t help but relate what I saw on stage to the artwork of Judy Chicago. Chicago, a pioneer of the feminist movement of the 1970s, is most known for her installation “The Dinner Party.”

On permanent display at the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, N.Y., this work is a large, triangular table measuring 48 feet on each leg. Spanning the perimeter is a series of 39 place settings, each commemorating a different woman in history. Also included in this installation is the presence of an additional 999 names of important female figures along the floor.

The message behind this piece involves the importance of providing women a “seat at the table.” In other words, Chicago creates this exaggerated representation of a dinner scene in order to provide women a place in the history of the arts. In a way, the “Vagina Monologues” serves a similar purpose but is adapted to the more modern feminist discourse of sexuality.

Bringing these taboo subjects onto the stage, screaming the words “vagina” and “cunt” and drawing attention to the violent acts against women is comparable to the work of Judy Chicago. The actresses who had the courage to act out and discuss these sometimes embarrassing and difficult subjects are, in effect, making a place for these victims at the dinner party.

Director Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty,” a follow-up to her 2009 Best Picture, “The Hurt Locker,” is a dramatic retelling of the recent manhunt for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Bigelow once again collaborated with Mark Boal, a former field journalist who also wrote “The Hurt Locker,” and though the stories are quite different, the pair have a very strong combined signature which permeates both finished works.

The film opens with a blank screen over which we hear the familiar, frantic 9/11 telephone calls from the World Trade Center. This scene starts the movie on a nationally emotional note and sets the tone for the remainder of the film.

Two years later, a young CIA agent named Maya (Jessica Chastain) arrives in Pakistan to join its US embassy team. She is initiated by an older agent (Jason Clarke) into the torture methods utilized to make detainees talk. Though apparently unsettled at first, Maya quickly proves that her youth and sex will not be a deterrent in her ruthless search for bin Laden. Following a series of seemingly irrelevant and unconnected clues, Maya begins to puzzle out bin Laden’s location, despite constant dismissal from superiors and co-workers, passing years and deaths of friends. Nothing interferes with her goal, as the audience ultimately knows it won’t. I mean, we all remember that bin Laden’s dead, so this movie must get around to killing him at some point, right?

Eventually, it does. The actual operation is shot in the green glow of night-vision. The Navy Seals doing the job are not as young or fit as we would expect, but once in action, they’re nothing if not effective. Maya awaits their return to base, where she has the honor of identifying bin Laden’s remains.

“Zero Dark Thirty” has the overall vibe of a semi-documentary which is interesting because the Obama administration denies use of information gleaned from torture as a method of locating bin Laden, but that anxiety runs deep through the beginning of the film. It’s a film without a lot of dialogue, but there are tense stretches that weigh just as heavily as Boal’s actual words.

Most significantly though, this movie does not work without Chastain, or an actress of equal caliber, in the role of Maya. The Oscar buzz around her in the role has been unrelenting and well-deserved. She is the action of the film and her nuanced and compelling performance carries the rest, including many of the already strong supporting cast. Unlike “The Hurt Locker,” “Zero Dark Thirty” does not have a short time frame to work within; it stretches the course of 11 years. That movie also had a much more relatable leading man, the hardened veteran/adrenaline junkie portrayed by Jeremy Renner. Maya is a character much more alien, an obsessed woman without any semblance of a personal life. As the film goes on and the people she knows either leave for better things or die, that obsession only grows.

Student reception, like that of popular and critical audiences, has been largely positive.

“[It’s] a unique film about an event that captured the national imagination. I don’t think it rivals ‘The Hurt Locker’ for epitome of Iraq war movies, however, it does a lot to humanize and immortalize the history of the event,” Kate Wilsterman ’14 said.

“[The film is] a suspenseful movie that left me thinking for days afterwards, a sign of a good movie. It was particularly tense knowing that this movie was a depiction of real events. I would recommend ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ to everyone,” Emily Conners ’14 said.

Ben Rees

Picnic of the World

The sun shines as the wind weaves its way around wicker baskets gorged with a myriad of deli meats; it must be the first picnic of summertime. That time of year where every nation can grace a gingham blanket with its unique presence, and people from all walks of life gather ’round to swat at thieving ants. This picnic of the world, however, varies somewhat from the song. Each country, after a long year of recorder squeaking, has only one week left of the fifth grade, and this culminating experience is getting a little rowdy. Maybe we should take a closer look through the eyes of Ms. UN, the teacher who is always totally and completely in control. From this point on, all description (translated into six different languages) will be hers.

Thank goodness China has finally come out of his shell. He was so reserved and introverted for the longest time. Something about a forbidden city … oh well, its nice to know that he is finally making friends. Although, I think he may have developed a rather premature cigarette habit; there’s so much smog around his head.

Oh, America, the chubbiest one of the bunch. What! Stop that America! Please refrain from forcing Hard Rock Cafes upon everyone at the party. There is nothing logical about the Hard Rock Cafe Bangkok! And please, Sam, please stop throwing your trash all about! Didn’t you do your monthly presentation on how clean you are?

Now, I can’t for the life of me get control of Egypt. He keeps throwing up and then eating again. It seems as if every time he purges himself in the name of expelling his sickness, all he does is fall back into the same routine and eat again! I just don’t understand it. Ever since Tunisia lit the classroom on fire two Januarys ago, Egypt has become quite volatile.

This picnic is simply madness! I thought I told these children to get along. Being their teacher is no cakewalk. I had to send France home for throwing her 58 Welch’s Grape Juice on Italy’s finely knit ascot.

At least our major bullying problem has ended. For the longest time Russia wouldn’t leave Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia and Stan alone. He finally had a breakdown and let them all be, but it was quite a lot to mediate for yours truly.

Wait, Iran! Didn’t I tell you no fireworks?! This is not an occasion for those! I understand you don’t want to share your chocolate milk (this is an oil joke) but please, let’s try and work something out.

Why can’t you all be more like Germany? She’s so polite and listens to all the rules. Her über kindness and fiscal responsibility bodes fantastically for the rest of her clique. I wish more people could be like–what, what are you … get your foot off Greece’s neck! I don’t care if you think he is stealing from you!

The best student in the class has to be Britain. She always brings me tea, but I cannot go anywhere near her during this picnic. Watching her eat corn on the cob with those faded, picket fence-like teeth is truly repulsive. Demerits for her!

All in all, today has been a good day. I mediated the usual conflicts and the food was delicious, although America ran off with all of the cheese-sticks. Who would have thought that my role as world moderator could be so easy?

Trend Report: A Sneak Peak at This Spring’s Shoes

By Kate Jansen

This spring’s shoe styles are edgy to say the least. Check out this list of this season’s must-have shoes:

Black and white: Contrast colors have already been a highlight of many designers’ spring look books. White and black patterns, prints and textures on shoes can make a bold statement. Ease into spring by pairing black and white shoes with bright pants and a flowy blouse.

Loafer with a twist: Last fall’s loafer obsession has not burned out just yet. This spring, designers are coming out with fun, preppy loafers in a variety of patterns and colors. I absolutely love Piperlime’s selection of loafers. J. Crew also has their Darby Leather Loafer collection that features a variety of neon hues.

The ankle strap: This look has made its way into the design of pumps, flats and sandals. What I love most about the ankle strap look is that it can be dressed up or down. Paired with light-washed skinny ankle jeans and a loose-fitting top can add a chic dimension to an everyday outfit. For a more formal look, pair these shoes with a sundress or flowy skirt.

Fashion sneakers: This spring’s fashion sneakers feature lots of metallic, studs and–dare I say–Velcro. Flipping through fashion blogs and retail websites reminds me a little of middle school. This spring’s latest trend has put a spotlight on high-top, high-heeled sneakers. Personally, I think that the most unique designs are from Superga, Ash and DKNY.