Dartlog: 03/31/2002 - 04/07/2002

Saturday, April 06, 2002

Bharucha Leaves for Tufts: Dartmouth's dean of faculty (since 2001) and professor of psychology and brain sciences Jamshed Bharucha has accepted an appointment as provost at Tufts, according to this Union-Leader article.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 2:43 PM (0 comments)

Saturday Happenings: "Amelie" (film) 7 and 9:30 P.M., Loew Auditorium--RECOMMENDED ($5 Dartmouth students, $6 gen. admission).

"The State of Hip Hop" 1 P.M., 28 Silsby--Ethnomusicologist Dr. Joe Schloss delivers a lecture titled "Not a Mystery or a Memory: Sample-based Hip Hop and Its World." At 3 P.M. is scheduled a panel discussion, "From Beat Street to Wall Street: Surveying the Contemporary Hip Hop Landscape." And, of course, at 10 P.M., is a party at Shabazz for all those interested.

"The Far Side of the Moon" 8 P.M., Moore Theater--Canadian writer-director Robert Lepage (bio on the Well-Known Canadians Page) and actor Yves Jacques team up for this one man show about a trip to the moon ($5 Dartmouth students, $28 reserved).

"The Year that Trembled" (film) 7:30 P.M., Spaulding Auditorium ($5 Dartmouth students, $7 gen. admission).

"Jill Sobule in Concert" 10 P.M., Commonground--Event notice promises that she will play her songs "I Kissed a Girl" and "Supermodel" (free for Dartmouth students, $5 others ).

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 3:59 AM (0 comments)

Friday, April 05, 2002

Response to the response to the response: I don�t want to continue this ad infinitum, but it's a useful discussion, and I feel compelled to make a few points. Bydon repeats what he did in his column�namely, he starts by saying that terrorism is unjustifiable, and then proceeds to justify it by reference to Israel�s supposed oppression. I do not wish to revisit the issue as to whether the suicide bombers represent legitimate �resistance to occupation,� as Bydon calls it. They don�t. But his point about Israeli terrorism, while absurd, has won too much popular assent recently. The fact is, when Palestinian bombers go to Israeli restaurants to murder civilians, that is terrorism. When Israeli authorities target and arrest terrorists, and civilians are caught in the crossfire, that is tragic, but it is not terrorism. There is a reason why we have the term �collateral damage.� The United States also unintentionally killed innocent civilians in Afghanistan, but it did so in the course of a war on terror in which the US targeted criminals, not innocent civilians. Unfortunately, civilians sometimes get killed in war. But that is quite a different thing from targeting civilians directly�having no other purpose than to murder innocents. The Israeli army�s rules of engagement put soldiers at much additional risk in an effort to avoid civilian deaths, as do the Americans�. Bydon�s lauded �resistance� makes no similar distinction. And yet there is clearly a moral difference between a country acting in self-defense against terror networks and guerilla fighters setting off bombs in pizza shops.

Bydon is wrong on two other points. First, about Israeli settlements. Bydon objects that Israel is only willing to dismantle some of the Israeli towns on the West Bank; he says they are all illegal. But he forgets that Security Council Resolution 242 mentions withdrawal from �territories� not from �the territories��a distinction that was intended precisely because the resolution also acknowledges Israel�s right to exist within "secure and recognized boundaries" and therefore does not require the removal of all Israeli settlements. As to the Fourth Geneva Convention, Bydon should know the U.S. and Israeli position, which is that the convention does not apply to the West Bank and Gaza because these are territories won in a defensive war from countries (Jordan and Egypt) who had illegally occupied them by force in 1948. Which is not to say that the U.S.-Israeli position is in fact correct, only that the question is in dispute. What�s more, many of the so-called Jewish settlements, such as in Hebron, existed even under Ottoman rule; and many were established under British mandatory rule in Palestine. To be sure, when the Jordanians occupied the West Bank in 1948, many of the area�s Jewish inhabitants were displaced�but Bydon surely doesn�t think it illegal for people to return to their ancestral homes. In any case, agreements between Israel and the Palestinian Authority explicitly do not prohibit the settlements and reserve the issue for final status negotiations. I do not think Bydon wants to cancel these agreements.

This is, of course, beside the main point, which concerns terrorism. Bydon is also wrong to say, �Only those in the West Bank and Gaza are behaving this way.� The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, to take one example, is based in Damascus, Syria, and wages terror war against Israel�and recently assassinated Israel�s minister of tourism. And similar groups operate out of Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, and elsewhere. You certainly can�t say, after upper class Saudis plunged airliners into the World Trade Center, that the Palestinians in the West Bank are the �only� group willing to carry out suicide attacks. The problem is not Israeli occupation (or, for that matter, a lack of jobs), which in any event has not existed for most Palestinians since 1993; the problem is ideological zealotry. Arafat agreed to end incitement to violence with the Oslo Accords in 1993, but he continues to encourage and sponsor suicide bombings of Israelis.

My mention of other occupations in the region, such as Syria's, was not intended to somehow justify Israel�s; in fact, I wrote that Israel is unique because it is the only power that has actually withdrawn from occupied areas, and the only one that actually negotiates with its enemies. The point is that if, as Bydon suggests, Palestinian refugees �are mistreated by Israel and the Arabs alike,� why don�t they direct terrorism and suicide attacks against the Arabs? Why only Israel? Maybe it has something to do with all those official Palestinian Authority maps, which depict the whole of Israel--labeled "Palestine."

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Steven Menashi at 5:34 PM (0 comments)

More on Bydon: I hadn't planned to get involved in the debate over this column, but a some of the points Mohamad Bydon makes in his response demand a response.

1) The actions of other States in the Middle East do not excuse any unjust actions by Israel. What they do show, however, is the total bankruptcy of Bydon's attempt to criticize Israel on the basis of the number of UN resolutions against it. If it is indisputable, as I hope it is even to Bydon, that the Assad regime's mass slaughter of its own dissidents and assassination of political opponents at home and abroad, not to mention its financing and training of international terrorists, is worse than Israel's actions, then a UN General Assembly which has never condemned Syria while repeatedly condemning Israel has forfeited any credibility on the topic.

2) Comparing the response to Israel in the Occupied Territories, and Iraq in Kuwait, is simply ridiculous. If a history lesson of this magnitude is really required, Iraq invaded Kuwait with no justification or provocation. It promptly declared Kuwait an integral part of Iraq. Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza in a defensive war against Egypt, Jordan and Syria. The embryonic Palestinian nation supported this assault against Israel proper whole-heartedly. Having won, Israel did not annex the territories, but rahter left open a deal to trade back all of them not required for security purposes in exchange for peace. If these two events, Iraq in 1990 and Israel in 1967, look the same to Bydon, then that in itself is a good reason to discount his argument.

3) While the legality of the Israeli settlement policy under the Fourth Geneva Convention can be argued about, it is not nearly as clear cut as Bydon tries to make it. Read it for yourself. The relevant section is Article 33.

4) Bydon misses a far more crucial distinction between Israeli Arabs and Palestinians when it comes to suicide bombing: the former haven't experienced 8 years of state propaganda demonizing the Jewish people, praising the martyrdom of anyone who kills them and looking forward to the day Israel is destroyed. Prior to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority and its taking control of 98% of the Palestinian population, the number of suicide bombers from the occupied territories could be counted on the fingers of one hand. How does the occupation explain those first 27 bomber-free years, years which included the massive uprising of the first Intifada?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Alexander at 3:56 PM (0 comments)

Bydon Responds: Mohamad Bydon responds to Steven Menashi's criticism of his column (send comments here for posting):

In his response to my column, Steve Menashi states "The wanton killing of civilians is unjustifiable for Europeans and Africans and Arabs alike." I could not agree more. I would simply add that this general rule should apply to Jews as well, who themselves used horrific bouts of terrorism in establishing the state of Israel (as I noted in my column). The rule should also apply to Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who declared his policy vis a vis the Palestinian people on March 5, 2002: "It won't be possible to reach an agreement with them before the Palestinians are hit hard. Now they have to be hit. If they aren't badly beaten, there won't be any negotiations. Only after they are beaten will we be able to conduct talks. Our goal is to increase the losses on the other side. Then we can have peace." Evidently, Sharon seems to advocate a policy of killing as many Palestinians as possible. It should come as no surprise that of the 1300 Palestinians killed in the past 18 months at least four hundred (according to the Associated Press, March 30) have been innocent civilians. It should also come as no surprise that this is the same Ariel Sharon who invaded Lebanon in 1982 even though the PLO had been carefully abiding to a cease-fire across the Israel-Lebanon border for up to nine months. In the first two months of that invasion, Israeli troops killed 17,500 Lebanese civilians (yes, civilians) and later proceeded to allow armed Phalangist militias to enter the Palestinian refugee camps of Beirut.

Now, there are many examples of horrible things that have happened across the world. Hitler killed 12 million Jews and non-Jews in the Holocaust. Turkey and Iraq have slaughtered Kurds regularly over the past fifty years. Syria killed 20,000 people in a vicious attack on Islamic fundamentalists in the city of Hama in 1982. But none of these acts should justify other horrible actions. Just because Saddam Hussein feels free to slaughter rebellious groups in his nation, does not mean that all other nations in the Middle East are justified in behaving this way. Israel, after all, is the only democracy in the Middle East (we are constantly being reminded of this). So why are its supporters constantly comparing Israel's actions to those of fascist regimes in the Arab world while at the same time telling us that Israel is a visionary state? I decry Syria's occupation of Lebanon and I thank Mr. Menashi for pointing that out. Lebanon is my home country and I was pleased to see several months back that there is a growing opposition movement to the Syrian presence. But the fact that Syria occupies my country should not mean that all other nations are justified in behaving as occupiers.

Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait in 1990. Two months later, we went to war with him and demanded that Saddam withdraw completely. Had Saddam proposed to give Kuwaitis back 90% of their land (as Ehud Barak did at Camp David), would we have congratulated him and demanded that Kuwait (a nation defeated in war) immediately except Saddam's "generous" proposal? The problem with Ehud Barak's proposal is that it would have retained almost all of the settlements (80% to be exact) along with the security roads and checkpoints that surround them. Thus, the future "state" of Palestine would have split into four cantons and literally dozens of pockets populated by Palestinians but surrounded by Israeli soldiers and checkpoints. The Palestinian state would have had no territorial continuity in the West Bank or Gaza, no rights to water, no control of borders, and no rights to its own airspace. Some of these provisions are necessary to guarantee Israel's security but others are not. Barak's proposal would have above all retained a permanent Israeli military presence on the West Bank and Gaza. Thus it would not have been an end to the occupation, but rather a legitimization of a continued occupation. In December, after the breakdown of Camp David, both Barak and Arafat accepted Bill Clinton's peace plan and began negotiating at Taba. Those negotiations brought us closer than ever to a real peace deal. For the first time, Palestinians made their own proposal, one which included strict limits to the right of return of Palestinian refugees. And Israeli Prime Minsiter Barak agreed to remove all of the settlements and checkpoints in the heart of the occupied territories and provide the Palestinians with real territorial continuity in the West Bank. Those negotiations were called off by Ariel Sharon, who declared that he would not negotiate under fire. I can understand Sharon's stance. But I also feel that if Palestinians have to negotiate under occupation, then Israel has to negotiate under resistance to occupation.

Allow me also to clarify my statements from my previous column. I never suggested that the Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza was "illegal." Occupation is perfectly legal and indeed it has occurred in several other places and to many other people. I stated that Israel's settlement policy is illegal according to international law, specifically the Fourth Geneva Convention. Additionally, there are several laws (seventeen according to the United Nations) in Israel that discriminate against the Israeli Arabs, the 1.2 million Palestinians living in Israel proper. While the Israeli Arabs do enjoy many rights, they remain third class citizens by all accounts. But it is important to note that no act of terrorism has been committed by this group of Palestinians. Why not? After all, they are Muslim Palestinians living in the middle of the Jewish state. Why have they not conducted terrorism? Two reasons. First, they are not living under occupation: they have the right to vote and participate in the electoral process. Second, they have jobs. Palestinians are currently scattered across ninety countries (many of them living in horrible conditions). Only those in the West Bank and Gaza are behaving this way. Maybe, just maybe, Israel--the state that has ruled over every aspect of Palestinian life for the past 37 years--has something to do with the fact that Palestinians there no longer care to live.

Finally, the United Nations is a body that includes many countries. When votes denouncing Israel's treatment of Palestinians come up, it is not simply the Muslim countries that vote for them, but the entire third world and increasingly the European nations. Outside the United States, the Palestinian narrative of dispossession is understood. If Zionism was justified in creating a haven state for Jews, then Palestinians are justified in creating their own state for the millions of refugees who are mistreated by Israel and the Arabs alike.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 3:03 PM (0 comments)

Unjustifiable, but The D justifies it: In the Daily Dartmouth today, ex-Reviewer Mohamad Bydon writes a very strange column in which he makes the curious claim that �As unjustifiable as it may be, terrorism has been used as a weapon by many groups.� Well, if terrorism is indeed unjustifiable (and it is), one wonders why it matters that other groups have committed it in the past. Bydon could just as easily have written, �Sure Palestinian groups kill Jews, but so have Germans, Russians, and Spaniards, so why don�t the Palestinians get their chance, too?� The wanton killing of civilians is unjustifiable for Europeans and Africans and Arabs alike.

Bydon also writes, �Israel has maintained a military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza that is now the second longest military occupation in modern times.� Bydon should consider, as Victor Hanson wrote in the Wall Street Journal this week, �the millions of poor Germans who had their ancestral lands confiscated by Poland and France--and their country subsequently partitioned for a half century. Why do the Russians still occupy portions of the old Japanese homeland decades after the surrender? How is it that the British won't give up Gibraltar long after their successful battles against the Spanish fleet? And why must the world give far more attention to Palestine than it does to Tibetans, Irish and Chechens?� In fact, there is nothing historically unprecedented about Israel�s presence in the West Bank. And international law, contrary to Bydon�s claim, does not prohibit a victorious power (as Israel was after it was attacked in 1967) from holding hostile territory seized during war until it can negotiate a stable peace treaty. Even UN resolutions 242 and 338 do not call the Israeli occupation illegal, and only speak to the desirability of a peaceful settlement.

And on that score, it is Arafat�s Palestinian Authority that has prevented such a peaceful resolution. Israel in fact withdrew from West Bank territories. Since the Oslo accord, 98 percent of Palestinians on the West Bank lived under the sovereignty of the Palestinian Authority, not under Israeli occupation. The Camp David proposal would have given Arafat a state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital, but the Palestinians rejected it. The recent �invasion� or �reoccupation� by Israel was a response to Arafat�s failure to fulfill his previous agreements to stop violence and incitement against Israelis�and it was possible only because Israel had previously withdrawn.

What is unprecedented about the West Bank occupation is Israel�s eagerness to withdraw�and, of course, the suicide bombers. Syria currently occupies the entire state of Lebanon, where Palestinians are kept in refugee camps. But there are no suicide bombers attacking restaurants and shopping malls in Damascus. Jordan occupies 80 percent of what was once Palestine, and has massacred thousands of Palestinians in previous conflicts. But no Palestinian �martyrs� are murdering Jordanian civilians in Amman.

Israel contributes more to the UN Fund for Palestinian Refugees than all the 21 Arab countries combined, and Palestinian Arabs in Israel�contrary to Bydon�s bizarre claims�enjoy full political rights and serve in the Israeli parliament. At the same time, those 21 Arab countries along with their Muslim and other allies have used their voting power in the UN to make Israel the most censured country in that body, and refuse to admit Israel to their regional voting group�which renders Israel ineligible to serve on the Security Council. The reason for this is not occupation (the Arab states are practiced occupiers themselves) and not mistreatment of Palestinians (the Arab states have abused Palestinians far more brutally), but rejectionism of Israel and an unwillingness to live at peace with their Jewish neighbors. That is also why Palestinian leaders celebrate terrorists who kill themselves to murder Israelis. And it's why they believe Israel should not be permitted to defend itself against terrorism.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Steven Menashi at 12:42 PM (0 comments)

From the Herald: "It's Over: Zantops' killers get life, 25 years"

"Daughters, friends give killers a dose of emotion"

"Pair show different faces in court"

From the Union Leader: "Tulloch gets life terms; Parker: 'I'm Sorry'"

From the Globe: "A struggle to find words"

"Plea, sentencing end Zantop murder case"

"Fund established in memory of Zantops"

"Media left hustling to comply with judge's order"

"Double-hearing ends sensational case without a trial"

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 11:00 AM (0 comments)

Friday Happenings: "Lunch with African Women Scientists" RSVP today for noon lunch on April 9--Dine with Dr Marian Addy, of the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Ghana, Dr. Aba Andam, of the Department of Physics, Legon University (Ghana), and Dr. Josephine Beoku-Betts, of the Department of Sociology and Women's Studies at Florida Atlantic University. Email "womeninscience."

"The Far Side of the Moon" 8 P.M., Moore Theater--Canadian writer-director Robert Lepage (bio on the Well-Known Canadians Page) and actor Yves Jacques team up for this one man show about a trip to the moon ($5 Dartmouth students, $28 reserved).

"Visual Brilliance as a Symbol of Cultural Resilience" 4 P.M., Hood Museum of Art--Kim Soderstrom '02, Hood Museum intern, describes and discusses the collection she's curated at the Hood.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 10:33 AM (0 comments)

Thursday, April 04, 2002

Statement of President Wright regarding sentencing in Zantop murder trial
Today, Robert Tulloch pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and he and James Parker were both sentenced. While we will never be able to make sense of the brutal murders of Half and Susanne Zantop, our community has come together in countless ways since that terrible day to celebrate their lives, to comfort one another, and to heal. Veronika and Mariana Zantop have inspired us all and, with them, we remember the accomplishments of their parents.

Scholars around the world have honored the Zantops in conferences and publications. Colleagues and students have made sure their presence will continue to be felt through memorials, dedications, and other activities. The memory of them and their contributions will always be with us. In our grief, we know we are the richer because of them.

We are deeply appreciative of the work of our local law enforcement agencies and of the Attorney General's office in bringing this case to resolution.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 4:33 PM (0 comments)

Pacifists are People Too, Man: This Saturday the Vermont Coalition for Peace and Justice will hold a demonstration against the "War on Terrorism." The groups will hold workshops in "nonviolence training" from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Friends Meeting House in Hanover. Exactly what is "non-violence training"�especially in the context of fighting terrorism? Curious�contact deb@copeland-furniture.com for more info or to sign up for a workshop. At 4 p.m. protesters will march from the Norwich Green to the Dartmouth Green.
A rally will follow. Who would have guessed?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by J. Lawrence at 4:28 PM (0 comments)

GreenPrint II? New pay-for-printing policy upsets students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

It would be trivial to add this sort of capability to Dartmouth's new GreenPrint system, since users have to log-on anyway. Will the College decide this is the most effective way to reduce wasted paper?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 3:02 PM (0 comments)

A Cautionary Tale: For those who think hiring high profile, superstar professors is a great idea, the latest news from Harvard may be a bit disillusioning. Noted Harvard Law School professor Charles J. Ogletree, the co-chairman of the (slavery) Reparations Coordinating Committee, announced that the group will be filing a class action lawsuit in a recent New York Times Op-Ed piece (link requires registration).

The prime target will be the federal government, but many private corporations and organizations will be included. Among the groups being considered for inclusion in the complaint, according to Professor Ogletree, are universities such as Brown, Yale, and, of course, Havard.

It's bad enough when one of your own professors, and one of the better known of the breed outside of academia, is leading a drive to sue you for untold millions. But I have to think it's worse when he's a leading light in your Law School, and can still justify a frivolous legal action like this:

"We are hopeful that this move will create opportunity for discussion of slavery and its impact on culture and society, as well as how we can move forward as a nation to remove barriers and work for equality to stop racial disparity."

You heard it here first ladies and gentleman: the legal doctrine of "I'm suing you because I think it'll create a good discussion." Coming soon: "I accused you of stealing to break that uncomfortable silence."

Remember this the next time someone talks about all the changes Dartmouth should make to facilitate the recruitment of renowned academics.

That well-known bastion of conservatism, The New Republic, takes on this absurdity here.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Alexander at 2:39 PM (0 comments)

Sentencing in Zantop case: Robert Tulloch pleaded guilty this morning to the murder of Half and Suzanne Zantop. According to an AP newswire, this move was against the advice of his lawyer. After questioning Tulloch, Judge Peter Smith sentenced Tulloch to life in prison without possibility of parole. The daughters of Half and Suzanne addressed the court, elicting no emotion from Tulloch.

Also: From the Union Leader, "Jailers are awaiting Parker and Tulloch." "Their expected sentencing today will immediately send them both to state prison in Concord, [deputy prison warden] Crompton said."

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 12:42 PM (0 comments)

A 'C' GPA for the student government?: The head of Kent State's student government reported her GPA to the school paper for use in a pre-election profile. Several days later the paper published a correction, revising her GPA downwards, after a school employee corrected the mis-stated figure. "My federal rights as a student have been violated," says the student legislator, and she's taken the school to court.

Her GPA was 2.68. According to the Cleveland Scene, "at...Kent, a mid-C average isn't akin to a scarlet letter."

So what's acceptable here at Dartmouth? Any Student Assembly flacks willing to give up their GPAs? Molly, Mike, Aly: email us.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 12:28 PM (0 comments)

In the D: A nearly thoughtful op-ed on Israel: "Why Israel is Important." Sure, it's not entirely accurate ("Every past nationalist political movement, no matter how desperate, has somehow managed to fulfill its aims without resorting to suicidal tactics."), but it's nice to see coherency and less shaky moral relativism that usual.

Daily Dartmouth editors may also appreciate this advice: Any op-ed that has a sentence like "Surprisingly, however, I was not nearly as lethargic as I imagined" towards its beginning will inevitably have one like "Doing my best imitation of a paramecium, I temporarily lay motionless on the ledge, with the exception of my flagellate arm hairs that stood straight on end" towards its conclusion. Both, of course, should be cut (along with much in between). After all, we don't want the world to think that every Dartmouth student spends his days flipping through Roget's...

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 10:24 AM (0 comments)

Thursday Happenings: "Near in Blood: Ethnic Civil War on Film" 7 P.M., Loew--Cal ($5 Dartmouth students, $6 gen. admission).

"Working-Class Studies and the Humanities" 4 P.M., 2 Rockefeller--Brandeis dean (associate, arts & sciences) and former Dartmouth WRC director Mary Childers speaks on "the role of the humanities in addressing economic class" and the presumably classist "so-called high culture." Expect standard po-mo notions of unmarked statuses and ill-explained logical leaps (e.g., that "Forty-six percent of the white people surveyed recently by the Times favored programs to help blacks" is evidence that "racism among white people...is still pervasive."). Childers was also, previously, director of capital giving (?!) at Dartmouth.

"The unknown amantas of the Andean Countries" 4 P.M., 217 Dartmouth--Luis Millones on oral traditions (note specifically: "in English").

"Environmental Justice For All" 7:30 P.M., Filene Auditorium (Moore)--Robert D. Bullard, "one of the major researchers and organizers in the environmental justice movement," speaks on that subject. For those who don't know, environmental justice is (according to Bullard) recognizing "that the environment is everything... [W]e can't separate the physical environment from the cultural environment. We have to talk about making sure that justice is integrated throughout all of the stuff that we do." Stuff?
Bullard had gained some small renown for charging "traditional, white environmental groups" with "environmental racism."

"Collis Community Hour [sic], Death Penalty Perspectives [sic]" noon to 1:30 P.M., Collis Commonground--A Catholic priest, the local Amnesty International rep, and a family member of a murder victim join the Greens to speak out against the death penalty. More correctly should be titled: "Collis Community Hour-and-a-Half, One Death Penalty Perspective."

Tips, events, etc. to dartlog@dartreview.com

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 12:17 AM (0 comments)

Wednesday, April 03, 2002

Why Can't We All Just Get Along II
SA President Molly Stutzman wonders why I don't think a Diversity Committee would be valuable. Here's my response:

What does it possibly accomplish? I have seen a number of attempts at fostering diversity, and you know what, people are still complaining that everyone needs to work towards fostering greater diversity. why do all these efforts fail? because the term "diversity" has been rendered meaningless. Everyone has a different definition of what it means, therefore no one will ever be satisfied until their own little pet peeve is dealt with. The diversity idea is a scam.

Furthermore, on a more pratical level, what purpose does a new committee serve? I remember sitting back and thinking, "you know what SA needs? More committees! Let's facilitate...let's discuss...let's end up doing nothing worthwhile." And if this committee is designed to link up different groups, isn't that part of the mission of the student orgs committee, or COSO, or Tucker, or any of the other groups that bring together "diverse" groups?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Ryan at 11:55 PM (0 comments)

Just Asking
With the Palestinians hiding out in the Church of the Nativity, anyone up for another Crusade?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Ryan at 11:47 PM (0 comments)

Elsewhere: Dartmouth ethics professor Ron Green is quoted in this article on embryos and cloning.

The Ivy League's springing to life in lacrosse, says this Baltimore Sun article.

"Same time, different crime: Sentence disparity in Dartmouth case questioned," from the Boston Herald. "If Tulloch gets life, the other one should get life, too,'' says often-quoted Chelsea resident Diane Mattoon. If he pleads guilty, Tulloch will receive an automatic life sentence without possibility of parole. Parker may serve fewer than 20 years if he is given a 25 year sentence.

"Zantop daughters face accused killers tomorrow," from the Union Leader.

The Boston Globe reports that events like the Zantops' murders is driving demand for "safe rooms," rooms in which homeowners can securely lock themselves during break-ins.

Tips, links, etc. to dartlog@dartreview.com

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 3:12 PM (0 comments)

Update/Correction: Responding to a post from yesterday, Katie Greenwood writes in that she never did rush a sorority. Hey, she ought to know.

So why not this for a motto, Katie: "You can't say you can't play if no one ever asks."

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 2:30 PM (0 comments)

Wednesday Events: (a bit late)

"DFS Film Series" 6:45 and 9 P.M., Spaulding Auditorium--The Devil's Backbone ($5 Dartmouth students, $6 gen. admission).

"Greens spring kick-off meeting" 8 P.M., 206 Dartmouth--Does this mean they're leaving? From their invite: "free food and green ooblick."

"Wednesday Petitioning" all day, Thayer and Collis--More fun with the Greens.

"DOC Feed" 6 P.M., Brace Commons--Free food and a slideshow.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 2:25 PM (0 comments)

On a lighter note, here is the weekly planner of one Dartmouth student.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 1:10 PM (0 comments)

SATs of previous classes
A brief perusal of the on-line archives of the Daily D yielded the following data. I was unable to find data for some classes.
2006: 714 verbal, 724 math
2005: 713 verbal, 721 math
2004: 717 verbal, 721 math
2003: ?
2002: 720 verbal, 724 math
2001: ?
2000: 715 verbal, 721 math
1999: 649 verbal, 713 math
1998: 647 verbal, 703 math

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 1:07 PM (0 comments)

Re: "prospies": It would be interesting to know how the people accepted into the new Class stand historically in terms of average SAT scores. The D article linked below says they are an improvement over the Class of 2005, but to an oldtimer like myself that's not that useful a measuring stick. If the objective quality of Dartmouth applicants has plateaued, or dropped, following the changes to Dartmouth made in the name of increasing its intellectual heft, then that is an significant setback for the current administration.

If anyone has these facts handy, please post them or send me an e-mail.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Alexander at 11:13 AM (0 comments)

Why can't we all just get along
Fresh off its success with... (if you can think of something let me know), the SA has decided to form a new diversity affairs committee. The point of this committee will be to facilitate interaction between cultural, religious, and ethnic organizations on campus. Says President Molly Stutzman, "Interacting with groups such as [Native Americans at Dartmouth] and [Dartmouth Asian Organization] would create a synergy, in which input from them can contribute to the sharing of views." Ah yes, synergy (as with any synergy, however, somebody's going to get laid off. I'm looking at you NAD). Think Molly's ready for consulting next year? More to the point, why is this committee needed, other than to serve as a clearinghouse for all the various complaints and whining from "diverse" student organizations about how they are somehow left out of the Dartmouth community. The new committee chairman claims that the committee will also be open to a diversity of ideas. To test this out, I think Review staffers should attend the first committee meeting, you know to help "facilitate a discussion." Even if just five go, they could easily get a majority (this is an SA committee meeting, after all). Plus you might even get free food. However, in the name of diversity, I think you should move to have Panda House instead of pizza.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Ryan at 10:06 AM (0 comments)

Larry:You know you can't say you can't play...

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Ryan at 9:37 AM (0 comments)

Images of Dear Old Dartmouth
Here are some photos that offer a glimpse into what Dartmouth and Hanover looked like over 100 years ago.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 12:04 AM (0 comments)

Tuesday, April 02, 2002

Stats for '06 "prospies."
The Daily D reported some interesting facts regarding the potential members of the class of 2006. 20% of applicants were accepted, down from 22.8% last year. Also, "students of color" received 37% of the coveted 2077 acceptance letters.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by JR at 11:34 PM (0 comments)

Bitter?: Word on the avenue is that Frat-Basher Katie Greenwood participated in sorority rush�specifically at Epsilon Kappa Theta. After her recent e-mails and her Daily D editorial, need one guess how the rush process went for her? Now Greenwood has taken it upon herself to destroy the Greek system, calling on the Dartmouth community to "to begin listening to the voices of the oppressed." Greenwood claims her battle against the frats has resulted in sexual harassment and even assault. If so, one hopes she has alerted the proper authorities.
Many non-Greek Dartmouth students fully support the Greek system as a residential and social option. One can say, without much doubt, that Greenwood's sentiments represent the slim minority.
Please... Don't say we can't play!

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by J. Lawrence at 9:50 PM (0 comments)

Quiet Riot: This evening's protest by students against the death penalty was more the size of a small possey than a mob. Five or six gathered around one of the tables in front of Collis and attempted to light candles in the brisk wind. Eventually, someone brought forth some Solo cups to protect the lighted candles. After taking many more photographs than there were people, the group slowly moved out across the Green in a huddle. Cups in hand, they could easily have been a group of harmless Saturday night revelers quietly sneaking back to their rooms.

I have to say, their introspective and silent tone was a very pleasing and refreshing form of protest for us non-participants. Future protestors take note.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Thomas at 9:36 PM (0 comments)

Elsewhere: The Associated Press (via the Globe) on the Dartmouth community's reaction to news of Tulloch pleading guilty. German professor Ulrike Rainer: ''I'm glad about it because I figured the trial would be one big circus."

NY state comptroller Carl McCall '58, seeking to be the Democratic Party's candidate for governor, claims he grew up poor and on welfare. The NY Post investigates.

Tuck's Kevin Lane Keller quoted in an article about reviving dying brands (specifically, Cadillac) in BusinessWeek.

Dartmouth music professor Theodore Levin and the Silk Road Project: features in The World and I and the Washington Post.

Media outlets are all abuzz with two AP articles: one on Tulloch and one on campus reaction (linked above).

Tips, feedback, event listings, questions to: dartlog@dartreview.com.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 6:26 PM (0 comments)

Better Buy the Valley News: The D's lead story today is on Robert Tulloch changing his insanity plea. The subheading of the article (on the web version at least) says that his "only options are 'guilty' or 'no contest.'" The second paragraph of the article, however, insists that "Under New Hampshire law, the Vermont teenager's only options are to plead "not guilty" or "no contest." A former state prosecutor, John Kacavas, told reporters that a judge would be unlikely to accept a no-contest plea."

So which is it? Are his options guilty and no-contest, or not guilty and no contest? If the judge probably wouldn't even take a no contest plea, I'm thinking this may be an important point, especially to young Robert.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Alexander at 5:24 PM (0 comments)

Dr. Paul Gerber, 55, an internist at DHMC, died of a drug overdose of prescription painkillers, reports today's Valley News. Gerber died suddenly in his office on January 2.
Autopsy results showed the drugs Fentanyl and Tramadol in Gerber's system at the time of his death. Fentanyl is a narcotic similar to morphine, and Tramadol is non-narcotic and weaker than Fetanyl. The two drugs can be used together. Gerber took Fentanyl intravenously and Tramadol orally, reports the autopsy. The drugs caused Gerber to stop breathing, starving his brain of oxygen�ultimately killing him.
Lebanon police have ruled out foul play and have "no evidence" to believe Gerber abused these drugs. Police also do not believe that Gerber was "self-medicating" illness or pain.
DHMC officials would not respond to the Valley News' request for interviews.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by J. Lawrence at 12:56 PM (0 comments)

Some more snazzy Dartmouth paraphernalia on eBay (all prices as of posting):
Some mint Dartmouth College Case stamps featuring Webster and Dartmouth Hall: $2.95
The Dartmouth seal on a faux stained glass window plaque: $9.99
Ancient looking Dartmouth track medals from 1905: $9.99
A Dartmouth milk carton , apparently from when Dartmouth Dairy used to produce the colleges milk: $11.00
John K. Lord's History of Dartmouth College : $15.50
An incredible Dartmouth varsity letterman jacket : $41.00
And last, but certainly not least, a Dartmouth Police patch from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia: $3.00
A perfect gift for your favorite S&S officer.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by James at 11:38 AM (0 comments)

In the D: In a news article describing how a dorm-room intruder entered a student's room, tapped her on the shoulder, and then fled, the Daily Dartmouth paraphrases a student who lives nearby: "Parma suggested that the planned door locking mechanisms for the entrances into residence halls -- which have yet to be activated -- might have prevented such an incident."

First of all, if Parma suggested such, why not simply quote her? Could she have been so verbose as to overpower, say, an ellipsis?

But, second and more importantly, where's the "incident"? In my time living in Dartmouth's dorms, many pranks far more invasive than a tap on the shoulder were undertaken, from rolling students out of bed and onto the floor to actually relocating sound sleepers as they slept. There are any number of reasons why one student might have sought to wake another before simply deciding against it and leaving: as a prank, to see if the sleeper was "really asleep," to ask for a homework assignment, etc. As the "victim" is unable to say even whether the intruder was male or female--let alone, then, whether a student or not--none of these mundane possibilities can be ruled out. Nor should they be, as they present the most likely explanation for now.

The Dartmouth describes a climate of fear and a remedy--dorm locking-- but fails to note a single necessarily preventable incident. The two other "recent events" noted in the story, for example, both occurred outside. Does this mean we need "campus locking?"

Also: Stop the inanity! Please.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 10:11 AM (0 comments)

Tulloch to plead guilty: Story in the Boston Herald. `It's bad closure, but it ends it,'' said a friend of the teens. ``I know it's anti-climactic, but it's better for us.'' Sources say Tulloch wanted to spare parents rigor and embarassment of a drawn-out trial in which their psychological histories would be key.

Also: Gelzinis Column--"Vermont town ready for truth about `the boys.'" Chelsea, Vt., resident Diane Mattoon: "What prompted them to do this? What triggered it? I don't think we know . . . not really.''

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 9:49 AM (0 comments)

Monday, April 01, 2002

Tuesday Happenings: "Community Dinner" 6 P.M., Collis Commonground--More gaiety from the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance.

"Tuesday Night Movie/Discussion" 8 P.M., 28 Silsby Hall--Watch "Dead Man Walking" and protest the death penalty (indoors this time) with the Greens. Hopefully, protest/discussion will begin after the movie has ended.

"Lunch with DMS Prof. Lori Arviso Alvord" noon, Tucker Foundation--Part of Tucker's "What Matters to Me and Why" program. Alvord is the first Navajo woman surgeon and opened Dartmouth's 1999 academic year. She graduated from Dartmouth in 1979.

Email events to DartLog at this address.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 10:28 PM (0 comments)

Quiet Riot: This evening's protest by students against the death penalty was more the size of a small posse than a mob. Five or six gathered around one of the tables in front of Collis and attempted to light candles in the brisk wind. Eventually, someone brought forth some Solo cups to protect the lighted candles. After taking many more photographs than there were people, the group slowly moved out across the Green in a huddle. Cups in hand, they could easily have been a group of harmless Saturday night revelers quietly sneaking back to their rooms.

I have to say, their introspective and silent tone was a very pleasing and refreshing form of protest for us non-participants. Future protestors take note.

-- Thomas H. Camp (reposted by Andrew who hit a wrong button.)

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 9:55 PM (0 comments)

This email's been making the rounds. What could really be so incriminating? Party announcements? Pong tournaments?

Dear Friends,

You are receiving this message because at some point you have expressed support of the work that myself and others are doing to expose the more troublesome aspects of Dartmouth's Greek system. I am writing to alert you to one possible way this work has been facilitated in the past.

Several incriminating documents meant for internal Greek house use have been found on public computers over the last few years, and finding new information in this manner remains a possibility. I would like to suggest that from now on, whenever you use a public computer, you look at the documents that are on the desktop and in the trash to see if there are any that pertain to Greek houses. This is a completely sound, legal, and noninvasive method of gathering information and it will only take a few seconds of your time. Please let me know if you find anything of interest.

I am still in the process of conducting interviews for a longer article on the Greek system, so feel free to contact me if you would like to share your experiences or know of someone else who would.

If you would like to be removed from this list, or if you know someone who would like to be added, please blitz me. The numbers are ever growing...

Happy hunting!

-XXX

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 5:11 PM (0 comments)

Nathaniel: I'm surprised at all of you. How can you be so disparaging of a man who prefaces his solution to a 55-year armed conflict with this:

I don't know a lot about international politics nor about regional religious tensions. I know next to nothing about Jewish and Palestinian history. But I do know this: the problems in the Middle East are not simple. It is not clear who is right and who is wrong. The history of the problem is black with bitter blood and hot anger. And people are still dying.

Well, he's quite right that its not clear who is right and who is wrong when you know next to nothing about the conflict. The unkind might suggest that people who know next to nothing would be wise to learn at least a tiny bit about the issues before commenting on them.

But surely such trivialities aren't really important under the circumstances. After all, he's been a freshman columnist for the D for almost 9 whole months now, so clearly he's more than qualified to expound on this topic. That being the case perhaps he can enlighten us as to how one reconciles a lack of belief in the possibility of a genocidal force with Mein Kampf's immense popularity in the Palestinian Authority?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Alexander at 3:35 PM (0 comments)

In regards to Larry's posting on Friday on door locks, did anyone else notice that Redman said, "Technically we could've turned it on for winter term, but we would have needed to work day and night to train people." Train them to do what? Learn how to swipe a card? This really can't be that complicated. Door locks are an awful idea, but it's still pretty pathetic that it takes over a year to get them in working order when most every college in the country has been operating these systems for years.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Ryan at 2:58 PM (0 comments)

Elsewhere: DMS professor Dr. Joseph Rosen studies and advocates unconventional plastic surgery. Says Rosen, "Human wings will be here. Mark my words." Rosen asked colleagues at a conference last year, "Why are plastic surgeons dedicated only to restoring our current notions of the conventional, as opposed to letting people explore, if they want, the possibilities?" His answer: "Judeo-Christian conservatism" (how's that for a mongrel meme?). Story in the Guardian, not the Weekly World News.

Dean of Admissions Karl Furstenberg on top-tier admissions and packaging at MSNBC.

More on freshman Lindsay Earls's suit against her school district in Oklahoma's mandatory drug testing for participants in extracurricular activities.

AP story mentioning DMS researcher Dr. John Baron's testing of the effect of aspirin on colon cancer.

"The finest film writer in the English language": The SF Gate on former Dartmouth film professor David Thomson.

Send feedback, links, tips, etc. here.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 2:32 PM (0 comments)

Dismissing David Brock: Slate's Chatterbox takes issue with Blinded by the Right author David Brock. Among the contentions: that Brock lied about his unfamiliarity with former Review editor Laura Ingraham's mid-Eighties Dartmouth exploits.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 1:52 PM (0 comments)

U.S. Universities' Integrity: Dartmouth professor of economics David Blanchflower and former Dartmouth professor Andrew Oswald write (requires free registration) in the Sunday Times of London about how U.S. universities have ensured their independance and financial stability while the British Universities have floundered (culminating in recent "cash for admissions" scandals). Dartmouth is "the most effective fundraiser, per head, of any major American university," and the writers outline the ways in which its strategy (including alumni relations and need-blind admissions) and those of Harvard and Johns Hopkins might be applicable to the faltering ancient universities of England.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 1:25 PM (0 comments)

In the D: Nathaniel Paull has written perhaps the most inane commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict yet. Comparing the fighting in the Middle East to that between him and his brother as children, Paull responds as his father once did: "Right now, I just don't care who is right and who is wrong. They just need to stop fighting." He adds, "I don't believe anyone is truly on the defensive against a massive genocidal force bent on eradication."

Of course, one might describe a force bent on eradicating Israel (which was only voted to be removed from the PLO's charter in 1996 though this was never done--see the charter--, which his aides refer to obliquely as "victory," and which has done well in the West, especially Europe, as Palestinian Zionism) as a "genocidal force."

So, does that mean they can keep fighting, or does Israel have to go sit in the corner?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 12:58 PM (0 comments)

Sunday, March 31, 2002

Monday Events: "Demystifying the D-Plan" 7 P.M., Tindle Lounge--Fun with the Deans Office Student Consultants.

"World Week in Review" 6 P.M., The Dickey Center--Dinner served.

"Dartmouth Vegetarian Alliance" 7 P.M., the Pavillion.

"Monday Night Vigil" 8:45 P.M., steps of Collis--Join the Greens for the "National Week of Student Action" against the death penalty. "Learn more about this all-important topic." Hopefully this will be a silent protest.

Special: Hunter Safety: April 3 is the last day to sign up for the April 27 hunter safety course. All equipment supplied. Contact "Outdoor Programs."

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 10:05 PM (0 comments)

Monday Event: James Nachtwey '70, War Photographer: James Nachtwey is a war photographer whose work has been featured in Time (see especially Shattered, photos from the aftermath of 9/11 in NYC), Life, National Geographic, The New Yorker, Paris Match, and Salon. His recent photography on view at Dartmouth's Hood Museum is from Rwanda, the Sudan, the Balkans, Chechnya, and Afghanistan. His talk on Monday (4 P.M. at the Cook Auditorium) will concern his career in photojournalism and his experiences in Afghanistan.

Nachtwey will be a Montgomery Fellow at Dartmouth from April first to fifth; his work is on exhibit at the Hood Museum (hours) to May 12.

Also: Nachtwey interview from NewsHour, a highbrow interview from Camera Arts Magazine, two audio interviews from the Newseum, and Nachtwey's book Inferno out from Phaidon.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 4:02 PM (0 comments)

Drinking in New Hampshire: The Manchester Union leader reports that the state of New Hampshire is expanding its efforts against drunk driving this year by adding patrols to the roads around extant checkpoints. There are sixteen checkpoints in the state, in the following cities and towns: Allenstown, Berlin, Concord, Dover, Hampton, Hillsboro, Hudson, Keene, Laconia, Londonberry, Manchester, Merrimack, Moultonborough, Nashua, Portsmouth, and Salem. Also, the state Highway safety Agency is offering to purchase breathalyzers for all patrol cars in the state. Last year, the checkpoints yielded 105 drunk driving arrests. NH drivers face a .08 BAC limit, compared to .10 in most states.

The Union Leader also reports on proposed changes to New Hampshire's underage drinking law now under consideration in the state senate. House Bill 1433 would allow police to prove "constructive possession," rather than actual possession, when dealing with underage suspects. Currently, police may only arrest those who are in possession of an alcoholic beverage, leading many to simply toss cans and bottles by the side before being confronted by police--a fruitful and sound device for now. Under the new law, however, such practices would yield no benefit, as "constructive possession" may be proven by a BAC of .02 or higher (although BAC testing is voluntary). Claire Ebel, of the NH Civil Liberties Union, reminds state residents that refusing a breathalyzer test subjects the driver only to loss of his license administratively; passengers refusing such tests face no such penalty.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 3:25 PM (0 comments)

Dartlog Update: Dartlog.net is now the official online home of Dartmouth's Weekend Update. Watch for new editions on Thursdays and updates on Fridays and Saturdays.
Also, check out our new mailing list, which now actually works. Subscribers receive all DartLog postings in a once daily digest.

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Andrew Grossman at 12:23 PM (0 comments)

Corporate Reparations: Today's Boston Globe reports that a class action reparations lawsuit has been filed against several corporations that may have profited from slavery, including Aetna and FleetBoston. Slavery reparations suits against the federal government are problematic enough (see TDR), but this suit is, if anything, even more questionable. Are the current stockholders of FleetBoston really morally or legally culpable for the actions of a "predecessor bank" in 1808?

Full post and comments below the fold.

Posted by Matthew at 10:08 AM (0 comments)

Saturday, April 06, 2002

Friday, April 05, 2002

Thursday, April 04, 2002

Wednesday, April 03, 2002

Tuesday, April 02, 2002

Monday, April 01, 2002

Sunday, March 31, 2002

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