Today Tomorrow

INTERMISSION/INSERT
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 2011
Mostly Sunny Mostly Sunny
67 49 67 48

CARDINAL TODAY

FRIDAY
The Stanford Daily An Independent Publication
www.stanforddaily.com Volume 239
May 20, 2011 Issue 67
UNIVERSITY

Contractor
to manage
Suites clubs
Some managers, chefs
allege conflict of interest
with ResEd asst. director
By TYLER BROWN
DESK EDITOR

The University is soliciting contrac-

HOME
tors to take control over the manage-
ment of Governor’s Corner Dining So-
ciety, also known as the Suites eating
clubs. According to Suites eating club
chief executive Morgan Priestley ‘12,
Student Organized Services (SOS),
which also manages Row chefs and

HEROES
trains some self-op staff, will receive
the contract.
The contractor’s role will be to
oversee the chefs at the Avanti,
Beefeater, Bollard and Middle Earth
eating clubs, managing their payrolls
and evaluating chef performance, ac-
cording to Residential Education
(ResEd) Director of Operations
Aaron Buzay.
The process has been complicated
by allegations that ResEd Assistant
Director Zac Sargeant’s role in the
process presents a conflict of interest.
His brother-in-law and former em-
ployer, Nick Peters ‘94, is the chief ex-
ecutive officer of SOS, a contractor
bidding to take over operations at the
MIKE KHEIR/The Stanford Daily Suites eating clubs.
Some of the chefs and managers al-
lege that Sargeant pushed SOS as the

CARD DEFEATS TEXAS A&M, MOVES TO ELITE 8

By ALEX ECKERT
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
At the end of three hours of emotional tennis
and an extraordinarily long rally, Stanford jun-
ior Bradley Klahn fell to his knees and let out
a scream after Texas A&M’s Austin Krajice’s
forehand clipped the top of the net and landed
out. Klahn had capped off his team’s come-
back victory and the Stanford men’s tennis
team advanced to the NCAA Tournament
quarterfinals. As his teammates rushed the
court to celebrate and a rowdy crowd cheered,
it was hard not to get the sense that this team
has more than a bit of magic left.
The eighth-seeded Cardinal (21-5, 5-1 Pac-10)
knew that beating ninth-seeded Texas A&M
(29-6, 5-1 Big-12) would be no easy task. Both
teams had been in the top ten all season and
had been playing their best tennis recently.
Stanford was riding a 12-match winning streak
and Texas A&M recently claimed the Big-12
Tournament championship.
MEN’S TENNIS
TEXAS A&M 2 Stanford’s No.1 doubles team of juniors Klahn
STANFORD 4 and Ryan Thacher was ranked third in the
5/19, Taube Tennis Center
The day started with three extremely tight
doubles matches and a boisterous crowd in the
stands to match the action on the court.
Sophomores Matt Kandath and Denis Lin
struck first for Stanford — winning their
match 8-6 — as both of the other two matches
were about to go the Cardinal’s way. A&M
kept sticking around, though, and eventually
won the No. 3 doubles match, 8-6, despite a
large crowd rooting on the Stanford duo of
freshman Jamin Ball and senior Alex Clayton.
The doubles point came down to an incredible
match at the top slot.
country, which set up a key matchup with
Texas A&M’s squad of Austin Krajice and Jeff
Dadamo, who were ranked fourth. The sun
was out and the stands were full to witness one
of the highest-caliber doubles matches of the
Please see MTENNIS, page 7
contractor of choice. Sargeant declined
to comment.
The relationship, confirmed by Pe-
ters, has led some of the chefs and man-
agers to cry foul. The concerned chefs
and managers said that at their last
meeting about the dining changes,
ResEd Associate Dean Nate Boswell
took Sargeant’s normal place.
“Residential Education has been
deliberate to ensure that all conflicts of
interest and/or perceived conflicts of
interest have been addressed,” wrote
Buzay in an email to The Daily.
Former eating clubs CEO Josh
Charnin-Aker ‘11 and former CFO
John Criste ‘11 took their concerns
about a conflict of interest to ResEd
Dean Deborah Golder.
Please see CLUBS, page 3

SEIZING
BASEBALL

Seeking a
spark at
Sunken
By JOSEPH BEYDA
DAILY SPORTS INTERN
After a long midweek layoff in light of bad
weather, Stanford baseball hosts Arizona
tonight to kick off a three-game set that could
help either squad break from the middle of the
Pac-10.
The No.25 Cardinal (28-18,10-11 Pac-10) sits
a game behind the No. 27 Wildcats (32-17, 11-
10) for fifth in the conference, hoping to find its
rhythm after a tough series loss to Oregon last
weekend. On the tail end of a six-game win-
streak, Stanford dropped two of three to the
Ducks before its Tuesday game against San
Francisco was canceled due to rain.
Stanford had been nearly perfect in mid-
week games with an 11-1 record, so the squad
will have to find new ways to get back its win-
ning touch.
“I don’t think it’s going to throw us off any
kind of rhythm,” said junior reliever A.J. Talt.
Please see BASEBALL, page 6
SIMON WARBY/The Stanford Daily
The top-seeded women’s tennis team had little trouble last weekend in the first
two rounds of the NCAA Championships. The No. 2 Cardinal swept both
matches 4-0, but will face a tougher challenge against Northwestern today.
DESTINY
NO. 2 STANFORD BACK IN
ACTION AT NCAA TOURNEY
By WILL SEATON
STAFF WRITER
The women’s tennis team is at it again. After dispatch-
ing two opponents last weekend to open its defense of the
NCAA national team title, the No. 2 Cardinal returns to
the court today against 16th seeded Northwestern (22-7,
9-1 Big Ten), a team that is riding a six-match winning
streak and seeking the upset.
If Northwestern were to advance, it would be the
fourth quarterfinal appearance for the Wildcats in the last
six years. And there is a history of success for their pro-
gram on the Farm — the last time the Wildcats came to
Stanford for the NCAA Tournament, their unseeded dou-
bles team of Alexis Prousis and Cristelle Grier won the
2006 NCAA Doubles championship. That was also the
first year Northwestern made it to the quarterfinals,
sparking their recent run under head coach Claire Pol-
lard.
That success has also included eight straight seasons of
at least 20 wins, including this year — out of the Wildcats’
last 13 seasons, 11 of them have ended with 20 or more
wins.
Please see WTENNIS, page 7

Index News/2 • Opinions/4 • Sports/6 • Classifieds/7 Recycle Me

2 ! Friday, May 20, 2011 The Stanford Daily

NEWS
STUDENT LIFE

Used clothing store,student art

gallery open in Old Union
Basement ‘Union Underground’ to focus
on sustainability, student expression
By NARDOS GIRMA
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Most Stanford students have probably never
been to the Old Union basement, but Friday after-
noon they will be able to witness its transforma-
tion from a storage space to Union Underground,
a new student “art and sustainability collective.”
The space is the brainchild of many students in-
volved in a number of sustainability-focused
groups on campus, particularly Students for a Sus-
tainable Stanford (SSS) and Green Living Council
(GLC).
Union Underground will combine the “Clothes
Loop,” a used clothing store, and “Prevoir,” an art
gallery exhibiting student art. However, the
Clothes Loop isn’t meant to be purely a thrift
store.
“We don’t just want it to be a Goodwill,” said
Iberia Zafira ‘12, who worked on marketing and
advertising for the project.“We want [the space] to
be a community where students can freely express
themselves and feel empowered to act sustain-
ably.”
Shaan Chugh ‘14, who worked on marketing
with Zafira, agreed.
“It’s something we created because we saw a
great student demand for it,” Chugh said.
Union Underground incorporates elements of
campus-wide events like VisionEarth and Ditch
that Dumpster, an event at the end of spring quar-
ter that allows students to give away used items
that are then sold during new student orientation.
What distinguishes Union Underground from
these events, however, is its role as a permanent
place where students can regularly find affordable
clothing and other supplies.
“Instead of having just two events or one event
at the end of the year, there was a need for having
something that was more permanent,” said organ-
izer Nicole Greenspan ‘12.
The store will go through a three-week trial pe-
riod following its opening, which organizers say is
critical to determining its growth and future.
“We don’t have a previous model of this at
Stanford that we can make accurate estimations
out of, so it’s important to get baseline data from
these few weeks,” said organizer Nicole Gaetjens
‘12.
All the items and clothing will be free during
the pilot period and, depending on the store’s suc-
cess, will continue to be free for as long as possible.
“Initially we had been working on a thrift store
model or another monetary model to make it fi-
nancially sustainable,” Gaetjens said. “That’s an
example of how this project has evolved. There’s a
possibility that we might switch to another model
later, but for this pilot it’s going to be free.”
The grand opening will take place this after-
noon from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the basement of
Old Union. Union Underground will be open from
12 to 4 p.m. every day, including weekends.
Although the students involved come from dif-
ferent groups and have different objectives, they
have all come together for the project to promote
a collective theme.
“What ties all of us together is that we’ve all
identified the need for this sort of sustainability and
arts collective on campus,” Chugh said.
Contact Nardos Girma at ngirma@stanford.edu.

SPEAKERS & EVENTS

‘30 Rock’writer Cannon

talks comedic improv
By BRENDAN O’BYRNE
STAFF WRITER
Drama department lecturer Dan
Klein interviewed “30 Rock” pro-
ducer Kay Cannon Thursday in
Roble Theater. The talk focused on
Cannon’s writing style, her experi-
ences on the award-winning show
and trying to enter the entertain-
ment industry right out of graduate
school.
Although a she has been a writer
for “30 Rock” since the show’s in-
ception, Cannon had never written
for a TV show before landing the
“30 Rock” job.
“The beginning was scary and
crazy, for me especially,” Cannon
told an audience of about 50 people.
“Every day it was like, ‘what are we
doing today?’”
Originally an improviser, Can-
non’s writing style differed from
many of the writers on “30 Rock,”
whom she referred to as “Harvard
Lampoon guys.”
“There’s a very specific way they
write, and it’s very different from
mine as an improviser,” said Can-
non. “Writers who sit down and
write might judge what they’re put-
ting down, but I always just try to
barf it out. I’m writing crap, but I’ll
put it down.”
Cannon mentioned funny inci-
dents on set, goofs featuring Nerf ri-
fles and Tina Fey improvising, but
the focus of the presentation was on
the amount of hard work that goes
into writing for a weekly television
show.
The hours and stress can be diffi-
cult, a fact that is sometimes reflect-
ed in “30 Rock,” which is itself a
show about writing a comedy show.
One episode features Liz Lemon,
the head writer played by Tina Fey,
being completely exhausted and
overworked, an experience Cannon
said was easy to relate to and write
about.
“There’s a ton of re-writing on
our show,” said Cannon. “Some-
times we’ll spend an hour or two on
a joke, on one line.”
In addition to the long hours and
multiple rewrites, Cannon admitted
that putting a piece of her work out
into the writing room is one of the
few things that still makes her nerv-
ous.
One audience member asked
about the offensive nature of some
Please see CANNON, page 3

SPEAKERS & EVENTS

Medal of Honor winner

Bucha explains leadership
By ERIC DUNN
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Bud Bucha MBA’67 addressed an
audience filled with veterans, active
men and women of the armed servic-
es and other members of the Stan-
ford community to talk about what it
means to lead at Thursday’s talk,
sponsored by the Graduate School of
Business Veterans Club.
No stranger to leadership, Bucha
was awarded the Medal of Honor in
1970 for his courageous service in
Vietnam. The Medal of Honor is the
most prestigious award possible for a
member of the military and remains
a rare distinction. Among the nearly
3,500 recipients of the award (half
during the Civil War) only 85 are
alive today. Since receiving the
award, Bucha has advocated on be-
half of veterans and spoken about
the importance of serving those in
need. The GSB Veterans Club invit-
ed him as part of an event that high-
lighted military service and raised
awareness about military service at
Stanford.
Bucha began the talk explaining
the importance of connecting with
veterans. “I spend one day every
week talking to veterans,” he said. “I
have learned from them what it
means to serve your country.” He
stressed that those with the responsi-
bility to lead men and women into
harm’s way should “have the courage
to define an objective that is finite.”
Bucha then outlined five charac-
teristics of leadership: “integrity,
competency, confidence, compassion
and humility.” He said each element
is “essential to what it means to be a
great leader”and argued that univer-
sities like Stanford and West Point
are “trying to produce leaders of sub-
stance.”
“Integrity is the most fundamen-
tal part of leadership,” he said.“That
Please see BUCHA, page 3
The Stanford Daily
CANNON
Continued from page 2
of the jokes on “30 Rock,” relating
the question to the Gaieties contro-
versy at Stanford earlier this year.
Cannon objected to the idea of a
“line” that can never be crossed,
but she said that some topics — in
her case, Sept. 11 and rape jokes —
just don’t play well with audiences.
She added that a show has to deal
with topics in an intellectually pro-
found way and earn the right to tell
offensive jokes.
Cannon, who is teaching a class
about sketch comedy writing in San
Francisco this weekend, said it is ex-
Kay Cannon, a writer/producer for the NBC show ‘30 Rock,’ spoke at Roble
Theater Thursday, accompanied by drama department lecturer Dan Klein.
Cannon talked about her writing style and experiences working with the
show, noting how her background with improvization has shaped her work.
tremely important to remember
that your writing will be bad some-
times, but encouraged students to
try new things.
“Getting into that community of
people who are equally as passion-
ate to do what you want to do is im-
portant,” said Cannon.
The audience seemed apprecia-
tive of the presentation, and multi-
ple members approached Cannon
afterward.
“It was nice to see someone
who has actually succeeded in the
professional dramatic arts,” said
Kevin Hurlbutt ‘14, “especially at
a school where it’s not always
prominent.”
Contact Brendan O’Byrne at bobyrne
@stanford.edu.
DAN SCHWARTZ/The Stanford Daily
BUCHA
Continued from page 2
is why every military academy has
the same honor code:We will not lie,
steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us
anyone who does.”
After speaking about humility
and service, he reflected on those
with whom he had served who had
fallen in combat.
“Ten of them are written on a
wall in Washington and every day I
think about the opportunities that I
have that they will never have,” he
said. “Have you returned for what
you have been given?”
“It was a great honor to be in his
presence,” said Captain Melissa In-
gram,a director of the San Jose State
ROTC Program and a member of
the audience.“As someone who is in
charge of training leaders, I see his
humility as something to strive for.”
When asked what his message
for Stanford was, Bucha’s answer
was simple and direct.
“Always look out for those who
are weaker and meeker than you
are,” he said.“Always.That is what it
means to be a leader.”
Contact Eric Dunn at ericdunn@
stanford.edu.
CLUBS
Continued from front page
“We were concerned about the
conflict of interest having Zac on
our case posed and first she kind of
brushed it off, and didn’t really say
there was a conflict of interest,”
Criste said. “She said there is no
conflict of interest.”
Criste said he and Charnin-
Aker asked if students would
maintain leadership at Suites Din-
ing. The former managers said
Golder reportedly told them they
could speak to “people above her”
for clarification about the reasons
behind the changes, but didn’t
specify who they were.
Management history
One consequence of the bid is
the four chefs don’t have contracts
for next year — a predicament un-
seen in the nearly thirty years that
the dining society has been operat-
ing. This year’s contracts expire
Friday, May 20, 2011 ! 3
NEWS BRIEFS
Controversial
Matadero Trail opens
By THE DAILY NEWS STAFF
The Matadero Trail, a public hik-
ing trail which runs between the
south of Page Mill Road and Foothill
expressway, opens today. The trail is
part of a network of trails that the
University agreed to construct as
part of its land-use agreement with
Santa Clara County in 2000.
The opening comes after over a
decade of criticism over the project.
The trails, which were proposed in
1995, prompted a 2006 lawsuit
against the county and the Universi-
ty that claimed that the environmen-
tal review of plans had been insuffi-
cient.The state Supreme Court over-
turned an appellate court ruling on
that case in February 2010.
The northern part of the trail,
which will run from El Camino Real
to Arastradero Road, remains
caught between two different routes
proposed by the county and the Uni-
versity. The San Mateo County
Board of Supervisors rejected the
University’s plan in 2010 and has
until Dec. 31 of this year to decide
whether it will accept $8.4 million
June 9, thereby ending the chefs’
health insurance benefits. The din-
ing society has elected to cover
chefs’ health expenses out of pock-
et until contracts are renewed.
In the past, the club managers
have been responsible for collect-
ing board bills and hiring and firing
chefs. Typically, chefs have signed
their contracts for the following
year by the middle of May, but con-
tracts can’t be renewed until a ven-
dor comes in, said Buzay.
“Every spring, we’ve got like 15
years of contracts in our managers’
office. We negotiate a contract with
each of the four chefs, and we say,
‘Here’s what we like, here’s what
we don’t like, here’s what we want
you to do differently and here’s
what we’re going to expect from
you,’” Priestley said. “And then we
evaluate them appropriately and if
we want to hire them back then we
hire them back.”
But the University no longer
considers the eating clubs’ autono-
my appropriate and has taken steps
to bring the dining society further
under its wing.
Several years ago, the University
began collecting Suites board bills
and the eating clubs signed a con-
tract with Student Housing stipu-
lating that Stanford janitors would
clean the common areas and bath-
rooms.
The ultimate changes have been
waiting in the wings since at least
the beginning of the school year. In
September, ResEd hired Buzay
from Bethel University as director
of operations, tasking him with en-
suring ResEd’s “compliance with
University standards and to up-
grade operational policies,” Buzay
said. According to Buzay, ResEd
has identified “several areas in need
of improvement” — for Suites,
ResEd’s goal is to “prioritize a stu-
dent management approach” and
“adjust and adhere to institutional
policy while limiting risk to the Uni-
versity.
“The selection of an external
vendor to manage chef contracts
and help students supervise the
chefs is the last change necessary to
ensure compliance with University
policy and best practices, although
refinement of policy and practice
will be ongoing,” Buzay added.
One other recent change is stu-
dent manager and hasher pay-
checks go through the University
payment system. Hashers had not
been paid since winter quarter until
last Tuesday, which managers ar-
gued was in violation of California
labor relations law, since employers
are required to pay employees
within a month of services ren-
dered.
“It’s just an inefficient process at
this point,” said eating clubs CFO
J.T. Sullivan ‘11.
For the time being, chefs are still
paid through ADP, a private ac-
counting company.
“The other problem with this
whole process is we are being filled
in on the fly with some of the things
that they want to do,” Priestley said.
“There’s a lot of things that we’re
fighting, but there’s a lot of things
we’re never going to agree to and
never would have agreed to if we
knew everything the first time.
When we ask a tough question, a lot
of the times the answer we get back
is, ‘we don’t know, we haven’t got-
ten there yet.’”
Delayed notification
“At the beginning of the quarter,
our understanding was that we
meet with [ResEd representatives]
at least once a week,” Priestley said.
“My understanding was they want-
ed to watch over what we were
doing,” akin to the practice of
monitoring Row finances that
ResEd implemented at the start of
spring quarter.
“Which at first we were upset
about,”he added,“because we’ve han-
dled this well for 28 years, and people
from the University to build one seg-
ment along Alpine Road.
Stanford’s $1 million offer to the
Town of Los Altos Hills was also re-
cently tabled, pending an environ-
mental review of and more debate
over the project.
— Ivy Nguyen
Memorial service for
Sarah Adicoff today
By THE DAILY NEWS STAFF
A memorial service for Sarah
Adicoff ‘12 will be held today in Pig-
ott Theater at 1:30 p.m. Adicoff was
diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma,
a type of muscle tumor, at the age of
16. She died Jan. 20 at the age of 21
while on leave from school.
Donations in her name are sug-
gested for Seattle Children’s Hospi-
tal Sarcoma Research, Fred Barr’s
lab at the University of Pennsylva-
nia, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Camp
Rainbow Gold, the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Idaho or Ronald Mc-
Donald House Charities.
— Ivy Nguyen
don’t walk off with money because
somebody else would notice.”
Both the CEO and CFO watch
the same account and monitor the
other managers’ accounts, and the
chefs are aware of weekly expenses.
“On the other hand it was sort
of okay,” Priestley said. “We un-
derstand where they’re coming
from — see where students’
money is going, right? And then we
find out . . . that they’re going to
contract an outside vendor.”
The first the chefs heard of the
contractor bid was via rumors
passed through University staff,
said Middle Earth chef Steven
Roland. The chefs informed the
managers and both parties later
met with ResEd. But after request-
ing a written plan for the changes
several weeks ago, neither the
chefs nor the managers have re-
“Ultimately,the outside
contractor will be the
company that will lay
down the law when it
pertains to us chefs.”
— STEVEN ROLAND
Middle Earth chef
ceived any paperwork to date.
“Ultimately, the outside con-
tractor will be the company that
will lay down the law when it’s per-
taining to us chefs,” Roland said.
“And they blatantly said our
salaries will be reduced and our
benefits will most likely not mirror
the package that we have today.”
“When I asked [Sargeant]
whether he going to reduce my
salary, he said yes, meaning he
knows the vendor is going to do it,”
added Bollard chef Frank Hassan.
Buzay said chef compensation
would not be set until a contractor
is identified. He is “aware” that
Suites chefs are among the high-
est-paid on campus, and said
ResEd will have no opinion on
chef compensation “until a com-
plete contractual review has been
conducted.”
Managers were told they would
have input on salaries, but will
have no influence on chef benefits.
ResEd “wants to retain the flex-
ibility of the dining societies to
manage their finances and opera-
tions in connection with the resi-
dential programs as much as possi-
ble,” Buzay said. What this means,
he said, is that students will be al-
lowed “to offer input into the per-
formance of chefs as well as overall
operation of the dining facilities
and other local operations.”
“As you can imagine, most ex-
ternal vendors do not allow for this
operational flexibility and are hes-
itant to prioritize student led
input,” he added.
Regardless, students will be
part of a “yearly review of chef
staff and the implementation [of]
potential raises.”
“We believe deeply in the
unique nature of student manage-
ment and leadership that the Row
and Suites afford Stanford stu-
dents and we are committed to
preserving the core tenets,” Buzay
said. “We are also committed to
and responsible for upholding the
standards of the University.”
Chefs have prepared over the
last week to apply as contractors
themselves, although they are likely
too late. Managers remain opposed
to ResEd’s changes and three chefs
are retaining legal counsel, saying
they intend to fight for their jobs.
Contact Tyler Brown at tbbrown@
stanford.edu.
4 ! Friday, May 20, 2011
OPINIONS
E DITORIAL
Reflecting on
campus safety
and community
L
ast weekend, we were
shocked and disturbed to
learn that shots had been
fired here on the Farm. As we all
struggle to understand what hap-
pened, we must re-examine the
safety of our campus and to hold
any negligent students, administra-
tors, or security personnel account-
able.While this incident raises seri-
ous concerns about current safety
measures, we must also seize this
rare opportunity to explore our
own attitudes about issues of race
and class.
The shots fired after Blackfest
made the issue of public safety in-
stantly more important in the
minds of many students.We recog-
nize the hard work and diligence of
the campus police and University
administrators who make our
events safe and enjoyable, but Sat-
urday’s incident demonstrates
some room for improvement.
The University is already work-
ing to ensure that the event organ-
izers complied with all Level 5
event rules, and there has been no
indication that they cut any cor-
ners. If evidence emerges to the
contrary, those in charge of the
event should be held accountable.
However, it is possible that the
event’s organizers followed all
event-planning guidelines faithful-
ly, yet still could not prevent a
shooting from occurring. If that is
the case,then SAL should revisit its
Level 5 event policies to enhance
security measures, perhaps by
maintaining guest lists and check-
ing IDs. For very large events, SAL
and University administrators
might also consider opening and
subsidizing enclosed venues like
Frost Amphitheatre that are easier
to secure than open fields or park-
ing lots.
The University should explore
these options, rather than simply
cancelling community events like
Blackfest, because they provide a
great deal of value to our campus.It
brings together thousands of mem-
bers of the Bay Area community,
from big-name artists to campus
organizations. Such events facili-
tate our interaction with members
of the local community and the
broader world. It is unfortunate
that Saturday evening’s violence
overshadows these benefits to the
Stanford community, and it would
be an overreaction to withdraw
support of such events in the future.
While we cannot abide by such vio-
lence, neither can we permit con-
cern over safety to morph into a
Unsigned editorials in the space above represent the views of the editorial board of The
Stanford Daily and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Daily staff.The editorial
board consists of six Stanford students led by a chairman and uninvolved in other sections
of the paper.Any signed columns in the editorial space represent the views of their authors
and do not necessarily represent the views of the entire editorial board.To contact the edi-
torial board chair, e-mail editorial@stanforddaily.com.To submit an op-ed, limited to 700
words, e-mail opinions@stanforddaily.com.To submit a letter to the editor, limited to 500
words, e-mail eic@stanforddaily.com.All are published at the discretion of the editor.
Synthetic Synthesis?
M Bailey
y last few columns have
been more somber than I’d
imagined when I first envi-
sioned “Obsessive Kompulsion.”
Originally, the plan was to look at a
different one of my many tics each
week, leading in with a fun repre-
sentative anecdote, expanding on
the broader implications of said tic
and ending with a message along
the lines of “yes, I’m ‘special’ (in the
sense that I do very weird things),
and I like myself because of those
‘special’ things.” Column number
one ran this way — it was about my
hoarding of memories — but num-
ber two took a turn for the dark
side, about my fear of flying and
mortality as sparked by 9/11, and
the most recent ones have dealt in
part with escapism, stress, existen-
ban on large community events.
Communication with the public
during a violent incident is another
opportunity for improvement. The
vast majority of students learned
about the incident from a series of
text messages sent out on Saturday
evening. The AlertSU system is a
powerful tool, but its current itera-
tion falls short in two respects.
First, message alerts are often
released an hour or more after an
incident occurs,which is far too late
if the goal is to redirect students
away from potentially dangerous
environments or situations. Alerts
should be sent as soon as possible
to warn students and to ensure
their safety. One likely cause of this
delay is the time it takes to gather
descriptive information about the
individual(s) responsible. This is
unhelpful, however, as the text
alert’s primary function is to identi-
fy the location and nature of the
crime. For students, knowing that
shots were fired near the Lagunita
parking lot would have been suffi-
cient for them to avoid the threat.A
physical description, on the other
hand, is useful only in tracking the
suspect, a function that is the sole
responsibility of law enforcement.
By removing superfluous informa-
tion from text alerts,the authorities
can provide students with informa-
tion that is timely and thus action-
able.
Second, AlertSU should avoid
descriptions such as “dark-skinned
male” that can lead students to
view large portions of the popula-
tion — and perhaps their own
classmates — with unwarranted
suspicion. Even if minority stu-
dents are not treated differently by
their peers in the face of such mes-
sages, the alerts can have negative
psychological impacts. Knowing
that they match a vaguely worded
description of a suspect frequently
leads to the feeling that others are
watching them or are suspicious of
their actions. Furthermore, the re-
minder of culturally-reinforced
links between racial and ethnic mi-
norities and criminal activity has
been proven to negatively impact
self-esteem, an individual’s feeling
of belonging, and other aspects of
mental health.
Descriptions of suspects are
clearly useful in some cases, and we
do not believe that police officers
should omit them entirely.But such
descriptions should only be sent if
they are specific enough to impli-
Please see EDITORIAL, page 5
O BSESSIVE KOMPULSION
tialism, homesickness and depres-
sion.
The trick with these recent
pieces (and with my original col-
umn idea) is to write in such a way
that I don’t actually seem obsessive
compulsive or depressed. In each
case, my goal has been to express
thoughts and experiences that we
don’t often share, in hopes that oth-
ers will in turn continue the dia-
logue — ideally among individuals,
but at the least within the individual
him- or herself. Understanding that
what I write is permanent, my open-
ness is an attempt to improve the
“Stanford Duck Syndrome,” to
show that it is okay and even
healthy to give vent to what goes on
in our minds beyond the surface of
our “Lake Stanford.”
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M ARKS M Y W ORDS
Hear We Go Again
I
t was past midnight as I sat with a
friend at the 24-hour Fed-
Ex/Kinko’s, sharing a King Size
Kit-Kat bar. We reminisced, as sen-
iors are wont to do, about how we Miriam Ellora
met. “Let’s see. I used to talk to [in-
sert name of mutual friend] all the
Marks
time because he was a really good
listener. So I kept dropping by his
room, we became friends, then I tener when you have something to
guess I met you through him.” share, and we all have things to
Back up though — a person who share.
is “good at listening?” Interesting. Don’t believe me? Start by iden-
It’s a quality we sometimes forget tifying that one friend you have on
about in the assortment of adjec- Facebook whose wall is a long col-
tives that we typically use to de- lection of things that he/she shares
scribe people.We often revert to the — news stories, funny YouTube
mundane adjectives: words like videos or pictures of cute animals.
“nice” or “funny” or “easygoing” Maybe this person goes so far as to
(known as “chill” in the vernacular). like their own links and add com-
Describing a person as a good listen- ments to them. That’s one extreme.
You get the idea.
er reaches a whole new level of artic-
ulateness. But really, when was the Our desire to share isn’t only lim-
last time you described someone as ited to technological means. Maybe
“nice”? Okay. Now, when was the you have a friend who takes advan-
last time you described a friend as “a tage of the “Let’s Talk About Any-
good listener?” Right. thing” campaign on campus, a group
In any case, people rarely are de- of students who sit in public areas
scribed as good listeners, and yet with the namesake signs, welcoming
good listeners are pretty important anyone to come and engage them in
people.You like talking to a good lis- conversation. Or maybe you have a
If you couldn’t tell already, I year: to paraphrase, freshman year
don’t have a column topic for this is a dialectic — with fall quarter as
week, so I am using this time and the thesis (life is great) and winter
space to reflect on my work thus far. quarter as the antithesis (life is hor-
Looking back on this volume, I’ve rible), spring quarter becomes the
written one piece about SLE, three synthesis (life as something in be-
lighthearted “cutesy” pieces about tween great and horrible). In the
why I love life at Stanford and seven same way, applying this dialectic to
— now eight — pieces that deal my own self has been useful this
with my deeper personal develop- week: I am not perfect and cannot
ment and experience. Within these be perfect, but I am not worthless (if
11 columns, I seem to jump between you’ll allow “worthless” to be the
extremes of “Yay, life is great!” and antithesis of perfect in this duck’s
“Ahh, life is horrible!” mind), nor will I ever be. The syn-
This year — and in particular thesis of this dialectic is that I am
this quarter — has been a whirl- something in between: I am human.
wind; my mind has been stretched I expressed concern last week
in ways I could have never imag- over what it means to be human, in
ined. relation to machines and artificial
One of my best friends accurate- intelligence: are we just really com-
ly summed up my experience this plex machines? [or even simple ma-
The Stanford Daily
Incorporated 1973
Tonight’s Desk Editors
Tyler Brown
News Editor
Miles Bennett-Smith
Sports Editor
Ian Garcia-Doty
Photo Editor
Willa Brock
Copy Editor
friend who calls their parents every
day because, let’s be honest, one of
our parents’ primary obligations is
to listen to us complain.
Of course, there’s more to shar-
ing something than just sharing it. If
you could talk to a wall and feel
good about it, you would. You
wouldn’t need to post things on
Facebook or talk to the stranger
with a sign sitting in White Plaza.
But not many of us would feel satis-
fied conversing with a wall because
most of the satisfaction we derive
from sharing is in the response you
get when you share something.
In the same way that you want to
see the “likes” pop up on your Face-
book post or a thread of comments
develop on that link you just shared,
you want the person with whom
you’re speaking in person to re-
spond to you. That’s what makes a
good listener: you can see them ab-
sorbing everything you say, process-
ing it and reacting to it.
What makes a bad listener? Last
week I caught up with someone
frustrated with one of her friends.
Please see MARKS, page 5
Kristian
chines? (Machines in the sense that
our brains are “computers” in the
most literal sense of the term and
that we follow basic laws of na-
ture.)] From this arose questions of
consciousness — how do we each
experience the world and is it possi-
ble to agree on an objective reality,
given our subjectivities? — ques-
tions of free will and questions of
human purpose.
This week, I’ve been struggling
with how humans possess such ca-
pacities for violence and evil. We
studied the Holocaust in SLE this
Please see BAILEY, page 5
The Stanford Daily
BAILEY
Continued from page 4
past week, and coming out of the
unit, I wondered if anything could
ever redeem humanity, since it was
our species that gave birth to such
an atrocity as the Holocaust.
Only now do I realize and accept
the syntheses in all of these realms:
that our minds function a lot like
computers, but (I think) we also
possess elements computers can-
not; that our actions and decisions
are guided by larger forces but that
most of us guide our own paths
within those forces; that our “reali-
ty” is something in between a
shared objective truth and individ-
ual subjective experience; and that
our potential for greatness and
wretchedness yields something in
between.
Shades of gray, ambivalence and
uncertainty are frustrating to ques-
tions of emotions (I’d rather always
feel good), to personal achieve-
ment (I’d rather always do things
well) and to questions of existence
(I’d rather know why we’re here
and what we have the potential to
achieve), but only now have I real-
ized that much of my angst these
past weeks and months has
Shades of gray,
ambivalence and
uncertainty are
frustrating to
questions of
emotions
stemmed from my attempt to fit the
world into black and white pieces,
to find concrete answers to unan-
swerable questions.
Maybe this column synthesizes
these issues too neatly; and maybe
I’m using “uncertainty” and dialec-
tics to cop out of examining these
questions more deeply. Given how
frequently, to quote Alanis Moris-
sette,“life has a funny way of sneak-
ing up on you when you think
everything’s okay.” I’m not going to
pretend my problems and ques-
tions will definitively end here. It is
my hope, though, that this column
will be a step towards closure.
Was this column too somber? Too
cutesy? A synthesis? Let Kristian
know at kbailey@stanford.edu.
EDITORIAL
Continued from page 4
cate individuals rather than entire
ethnic groups.
Finally, we encourage students
to reflect on your reaction to Sat-
urday’s incident,both immediately
after hearing the news and later
on, as your thoughts and feelings
evolved. Talk with friends about
your reaction and your under-
standing of the situation.We rarely
have the chance to raise the level
of discourse on campus regarding
race, class, and our perception of
peers. These issues are important
to explore while the incident is still
salient for many of us.
As students and administrators
continue to analyze what hap-
pened last weekend, we should
work to ensure that our campus is
safe and that such an incident does
not happen again. But we must re-
member that this is also an oppor-
tunity to learn how people of dif-
ferent races, backgrounds and
viewpoints understand an event
that has affected each and every
student on our campus.
Friday, May 20, 2011 ! 5
MARKS That’s what makes
Continued from page 4
“Whenever I’m in his room talking
to him, he’s always checking his
a good listener:
phone or staring at the computer.
It’s really frustrating.”
It’s true, the technology sur-
you can see them
rounding us has made bad listening
even easier to do. Think about the
last time you hung out with a bunch
absorbing
of friends who all pulled out an
iPhone and started checking you in
at the restaurant or playing Angry everything you
Birds. That’s right — you just
weren’t as interesting as Angry
Birds. How does that make you
feel?!
say,processing it
Still, you’re not safe even when
your friend isn’t armed with an
iPhone.The other day, after a rough
and
night in which I got maybe three
hours of fitful sleep in between
tending to a distraught friend, I ran
reacting to it.
into one of my old roommates at a
café, where I was feverishly adding
sugar to a large coffee.
Now, I’m willing to bet that when taining entirely to her, I was pretty
most of us are in the mindset of irritated. I might as well have been
“omgs, my life sucks right now,” we talking to a wall, although at least a
like to tell people about it.We love a wall couldn’t have started talking
good vent, a chance to complain, an about itself.
opportunity for self-pity. And this little interchange got
My friend saw me and enthusias- me thinking.There’s a kid who lives
tically asked, “How’s your day down the hall in my dorm, and he
going!” How was my day going? prefaces 75 percent of what he says
“Terribly. I barely got any sleep, and with, “Listen! Listen.” Whether he
one of my friends is really upset wants to get my attention or we’re
right now.” already deep in conversation, he
What would you do if your uses this phrase indiscriminately. I
friend said this to you? Hopefully used to mock him — I’d say in re-
you’re thinking that you’d ask what sponse,“Listening! Listening.”But I
was wrong. You’d ask if you could have a greater appreciation for it
help. You’d ask something — you’d now. When he asks me to listen, I
react. Ideally. will.
So when my friend’s response
was,“Oh that’s good, well anyway . . Miriam will listen to any comments
. “ followed by a launch into some- you have. Send them over to mel-
thing completely unrelated and per- loram@stanford.edu
6 ! Friday, May 20, 2011
SPORTS
Continued from front page
BASEBALL
“We had a tough series against
Oregon, but I don’t think that an
extra day is going to have a big ef-
fect on this weekend at all.”
The Cardinal has been hovering
near the periphery of the national
rankings due to mid-season strug-
gles, but with only two weeks left,
Stanford can still finish first — or
last — in the wide-open Pac-10.
Ascending to the conference
championship will be a stretch, re-
quiring (among other things) a 6-0
finish for the Cardinal and an 0-6
finish for frontrunner Oregon
State, which is ranked second in the
country and without a series loss on
the season. But Stanford closes the
regular season with series against
the two teams it has the best chance
to leapfrog: Arizona and fourth-
place Cal, a squad that’s only two
games ahead of the Cardinal. Also
looking to move up is USC, cur-
rently sharing the sixth spot with
Stanford despite a troubling 10-16
record outside of conference play.
At any rate, the Pac-10 is bound
to have a tight finish for a second
consecutive year. In 2010, only four
games separated the third and
ninth place teams, with Stanford
landing in fourth and eight teams
moving on to the postseason. Due
to its relative competitiveness, the
Pac-10 will likely send teams to the
NCAA Tournament with confer-
ence records below .500, but the
Cardinal still needs to finish strong-
ly — the one-game difference be-
tween eighth and ninth place kept
Washington out of a regional last
season.
A series win this weekend would
secure at least an eighth-place finish
for Stanford. Though the Cardinal
has won seven of its last nine games,
the Wildcats are on an even hotter
run, taking eight of nine while
outscoring opponents by a com-
bined score of 86-29.
Stanford’s pitching staff has one
of its toughest tasks of the season
ahead of it. Last weekend in Eu-
gene, Cardinal hurlers never gave
up more than two runs in an inning,
but the Ducks found hitting
throughout their order and were
able to score 20 times in the series.
“I think we just [need to] con-
Another Whalen hitting his stride
A former walk-on, junior receiver Griffen Whalen (17) has solidified his spot as one of the
top targets for redshirt sophomore quarterback Andrew Luck heading into next season.
Stanford extends football series with
Notre Dame through 2019
Stanford Athletics Director Bob
Bowlsby announced Thursday that
Stanford’s football series with
Notre Dame would continue
through the 2019 season, extending
the home-and-home format that
began 14 years ago.
The 2011 game, scheduled for
November 26 at Stanford Stadium,
will be the 26th contest between the
two perennial powers, with the
Fighting Irish holding a 17-8 all-
time advantage. But the Cardinal
has taken the last two contests, in-
ARIZONA
(32-17, 11-10 Pac-10)
Sunken Diamond 5:30 P.M.
COVERAGE:
RADIO:
KZSU 90.1 FM, (kzsu.stanford.edu)
UP NEXT CAL POLY
5/24 Sunken Diamond
COVERAGE:
RADIO KZSU 90.1 FM
(kzsu.stanford.edu)
NOTES: Arizona comes to the Farm for a
critical three-game set as conference play
winds down. The No. 25 Cardinal had a
tough time of it last weekend in Oregon,
dropping two of three games to the
Ducks. Sophomore righthander Mark
Appel will get the ball and try to win Stan-
ford’s 17th home game this year against
just five losses.
centrate on the basics,” Talt said.
“[Pitching coach Rusty] Filter is al-
ways talking to the pitchers about
getting the first guy out of every in-
ning . . . simple goals are much eas-
ier to accomplish, so we shouldn’t
try to complicate things and think
too much.”
Arizona’s lineup will be just as
formidable as Oregon’s, if not
more so. Leading the Pac-10 in
hitting at .326, Arizona has scored
in the double digits 18 times this
season.The Wildcats’ top five bat-
ters are all hitting better than .333
and have each started in all of Ari-
zona’s 49 games.
That’s a far cry from Stanford’s
offensive weaponry, which has been
juggled all year in hopes of finding
consistency at the plate. Only soph-
omore third baseman Stephen Pis-
cotty and senior catcher Zach Jones
have appeared in every contest for
the Cardinal,and Piscotty’s .365 bat-
ting average is the only mark above
.320 amongst Stanford starters.
Emerging as another source of fire-
power has been sophomore center-
Stanford Daily File Photo
SPORTS BRIEFS
cluding a 37-14 thrashing on the
road in South Bend, Ind.
With the return of last year’s
Heisman trophy runner-up, red-
shirt junior Andrew Luck, Stanford
will look to build on the program’s
recent success with new head coach
David Shaw when the season kicks
off in September.
— Miles Bennett-Smith
Women’s golf in 18th place at NCAA
Championships
The women’s golf team put a
tough opening round behind it and
The Stanford Daily
STANFORD
SCOREBOARD
WOMEN’S TENNIS
NORTHWESTERN . . . . . .6 P.M.
STANFORD
5/20, Taube Tennis Stadium
BASEBALL
ARIZONA
STANFORD
5/20-5/22, Sunken Diamond
SOFTBALL
PACIFIC . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 P.M.
STANFORD
5/20, Smith Family Stadium
Tom Taylor
IAN GARCIA-DOTY/The Stanford Daily
The No. 25 baseball team needs to regain the momentum it had before
last weekend’s series loss at Oregon if it is to find its footing in a packed
Pac-10 field. With just six conference games remaining, the Cardinal trails
Better
young than
Arizona by a game and sits in a tie for sixth place.
fielder Tyler Gaffney, who led Stan- BASEBALL BREAKDOWN
ford with seven hits against Oregon
last weekend and is second only to
Piscotty with a .418 on-base percent-
age.
TEAMS
Oregon St
Arizona St
W
16
14
L
5
7
never?
I
UCLA 14 7
But runs will be at a premium California 12 9
for the Cardinal in this series Arizona 11 10
’m not sure when it happened, but
thanks to an Arizona rotation that STANFORD 10 11 it worries me that I seem to have
deserves much of the credit for the USC 10 11 grown old somehow, and there
Wildcats’ recent success. After his Oregon 7 14 doesn’t appear to be much I can do
Washington St 6 15
fourth complete game of the year Washington 5 16
about it. Suddenly all the hottest
last Saturday against Washington athletic talent is younger than me.The top
!"Stanford finishes in three-way tie for first if:
State, junior Kyle Simon was Stanford sweeps Arizona and Cal (finishes
picks for the NBA Draft look like they
named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week. 16-11), OSU is swept by Oregon and USC have barely left high school, the fastest
Simon and Friday starter sopho- (16-11), UCLA beats ASU twice and is swept race-car drivers surely can’t be old
more Kurt Heyer both boast ERAs by Cal (16-11), ASU beats UCLA once and is enough to be sitting behind the wheel on
swept by Washington (15-12). Also possible:
below 2.75, a mark equaled by no a public highway and the biography sec-
four-way tie if ASU beats Washington once.
Stanford pitchers who have made tion in my local bookstore is stuffed with
!"Stanford finishes in two-way tie for last if:
more than five appearances. Stanford swept by Arizona and Cal (finishes
accounts from sports stars not even
Despite Arizona’s edge on 10-17), Washington sweeps Arizona and halfway through their careers.
paper, Stanford has the upper hand USC (11-16), WSU sweeps Oregon and As a kid, it was easy to look up to my
in at least one key area: home-field USC (12-15), Oregon sweeps OSU and is sports heroes. God-given ability aside, I
swept by WSU (10-17), USC swept by was always taught to look up to my elders
advantage. The Cardinal is 16-5 at Washington and beats OSU at least once
Sunken Diamond this year, while (11-16 or better). Also possible: three-way tie
(and back then I was shorter than them,
the Wildcats are just 8-11 on the if OSU sweeps USC. too.) Now,though,it’s getting a little more
road. ! If Stanford wins this weekend’s series: Worst complicated.I still have my childhood he-
Tonight’s 5:30 p.m. start at possible record is 12-15. If WSU sweeps roes, but as they retire year-by-year, I
Sunken Diamond will be followed Oregon and USC to finish 12-15, Oregon have to turn to fresh — and inevitably
by two 1:00 p.m. matinees on Satur- can finish no better than 10-17, alone in younger — blood.Admittedly I still have
ninth. If Oregon wins twice over WSU to finish
day and Sunday. 12-15, WSU can finish no better than 10-17,
to look up to a lot of them — every single
again alone in ninth. So a series win guaran- basketball player towers above me —
Contact Joseph Beyda at josephbey- tees eighth. but it’s hard to feel quite the same about
da@comcast.net. someone who was still in diapers when I
was at the peak of my sporting prowess in
high school.
A critical part in having a hero is that
you can be inspired by them and can
dream of following in their footsteps.
Every fan harbors the delusion that one
of these days,a professional scout is going
By WYNDAM MAKOWSKY to discover their incredible throwing
SENIOR STAFF WRITER arm, right foot or whatever other body
part or skill might catapult them from the
It’s a refrain made popular by a handful of recent sidelines to stardom. As time passes,
Stanford football players: as recruits, they weren’t seri- though, the number of athletes’ careers I
ously considering the Cardinal until they made their have any chance of mimicking and the
trek to the Farm.Then Stanford skyrocketed to the top number of sports I might somehow still
of their list. be eligible for are shrinking fast.
Griff Whalen was no exception. The Ohio native’s There’s always a scattering of male
focus was on the Midwest until his visit, but after meet- and female athletes who are unwilling to
ing with then-coach Jim Harbaugh, he was sold. But accept defeat with the loss of their youth,
unlike most of his teammates, he could not cushion the but they can normally count on both seri-
distance from home with a scholarship offer — if he ous skill and a history of training and
wanted to play for the Cardinal, he would have to walk competing at the top level.And even that
on. isn’t always enough — take Formula-1
It’s a daunting decision,particularly when he had in- driver Michael Schumacher for example.
terest from schools that could have given him a schol- I wouldn’t write him off from winning
arship. But the combination of Harbaugh’s energy and more races,but his comeback hasn’t even
Stanford’s recent history with walk-ons at the wide re- compare to the bar he set just a few short
ceiver position made the risk (and financial invest- years ago.
ment) one worth making — just the year before, Ryan However, I can’t even count on past
Whalen (no relation) had come to the Farm and earned experience — I can’t claim to have ever
a scholarship within two weeks. He was a model Griff trained as hard as most college athletes
could emulate. during my extended life at university —
“[Harbaugh] said I’d have a chance to compete for so I’m starting from scratch.A trip to the
playing time and a scholarship. The year before, Ryan gym highlights the physiological disad-
Whalen had earned a scholarship so obviously I knew vantage I face — the maximum heart
there was some truth to that,” Griff Whalen said. rate graph seems to imply I might die if I
“Hearing it is one thing,but seeing that just the year be- aim for the same intensity level as a few
fore a wide receiver walked on and earned a scholar- years ago.
ship and started playing right away — it was pretty Athletes in sports requiring raw
big.” power or speed usually peak at a younger
Years later, as Griff is slated to start for the Cardinal age, but sports that are focused more on
in 2011 and Ryan is off to the Cincinnati Bengals after endurance and skill can be better suited
a successful Stanford career, the two Whalen’s stories to the slightly older. That means that I
are as eerily similar as their last name: recruited walk- might still have a chance if I set my sights
on wide receivers that turned down opportunities at differently. Football, soccer and basket-
other schools to come to Stanford and earn full-rides ball are out. So perhaps that means I
and starting roles. And if it wasn’t for Ryan’s success could focus on cycling or triathlons, or
during the 2007 season, Griff may never have taken the maybe I have to turn to darts.
But if I do that, then what happens to
Please see WHALEN, page 8 the sports I’ve followed for so long? To be
really, really good at anything, you need
the ability and concentration to shut
everything out in order to focus intently
on your goal and not get distracted.
Learning and perfecting a new sport
would consume everything.Even if I did-
improved by three strokes in the for 77th at 10 over par, but shot a 75
n’t become one myself, I might well find
second round of the NCAA Cham- in the second round for the Cardi-
pionships yesterday at The Tradi- nal. some new heroes, but at the expense of
tions Club in Bryan,Texas.The Car- Third-round play continues old ones.
dinal is now in 18th place halfway today. Faced with the unstoppable passage
through the four-round tourna- of time,what should I do? I could take the
ment with a combined score of 313. — Miles Bennett-Smith easy way out and choose to simply ignore
UCLA leads the field at eight- the new stars, spending my time harking
over par through two rounds, but Track sends 42 athletes to NCAA back to misty-eyed memories of the good
seven teams remain within eight ole days of my youth,when athletes were
Preliminaries real athletes and sport was pure. Perhaps
strokes of the Bruins.
Stanford is not among them at I could drop by the physics department to
29 strokes back, but saw some nice Stanford’s track and field teams see if they’ve made any progress on
individual performances on Thurs- will be well-represented in the na- building a time machine.
day — sophomore Kristina Wong tional preliminaries later this Or maybe I need to accept the hard
is tied for 63rd and her classmate month, as the NCAA Division I truth; it’s time to stop dreaming I’ll ever
Sally Watson is tied for 49th.
Freshman Marissa Mar is tied Please see BRIEFS, page 7 Please see TAYLOR, page 8
The Stanford Daily
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BRIEFS
Continued from page 6
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field
Committee announced yesterday
that the Cardinal women will be
sending 19 athletes to compete in 23
individual events and a relay, while
the men will send 23 for 28 events
and a relay.
The West Region of the Prelimi-
nary Championship Competitions is
set for May 26-28 in Eugene,Ore.The
men’s and women’s fields each con-
sist of 48 athletes in the individual
events and 24 relay teams, with qual-
ifying individuals and teams moving
onto the NCAA Championships
from June 8-11 in Des Moines, Iowa.
—Nate Adams
Men’s golf in fourth place at
Central Regional
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ton and junior David Chung, who
both shot two-under rounds of 69,
the men’s golf team finished the first
round of the NCAA Central Re-
gional with an even-par team score
of 284.
The Cardinal is seven shots back
of first-round leader Illinois at the
tournament held at the Wolf Run
Golf Club in Zionsville,Ind.Only the
top five teams advance to the NCAA
Championships, which begin May
31st in Stillwater, Okla, but Stanford
is in good shape at one shot clear of
fifth-place after missing a couple of
opportunities to improve.
Chung and Brockington are tied
for eighth place individually, but
Chung was four under before bogey-
ing the final two holes. And Steve
Ziegler had a steady round with one
birdie but just two bogeys for an
opening round 72, good for 25th
place at one over par.
Second-round play will continue
at 8 a.m. EST today, when the Cardi-
nal will be paired with Tennessee
and Iowa.
—Miles Bennett-Smith
WTENNIS
Continued from front page
So far in the tournament, the
Wildcats knocked off Indiana Uni-
versity-Purdue University at Fort
Wayne in the first round before fac-
ing well-known foe Notre Dame in
the second. Overall, the Wildcats
feature a very dominant doubles
composition and a feisty singles
lineup.
Stanford freshman Kristie Ahn
understands the strength of the
Cardinal’s opponent, but believes
in its ability to win.
“All the teams that have made it
to the Round of 16 are really good,”
Ahn said. “Northwestern is an in-
door team, so they generally play
really fast. We are just going to go
out and give it our best, and I think
our lineup will be able to take
them.”
Stanford has its own talent pool
to draw from, which will also re-
ceive an important boost when Ahn
returns from time off. She and
freshman Nicole Gibbs are a com-
bined 75-8 overall and are unde-
feated at 42-0 in dual matches. The
two have been a large reason why
Stanford’s depth has been able to
overcome a large portion of their
opponents.
“We really compliment each
other’s game and always have a lot
of fun playing together because we
keep each other relaxed,”Ahn said.
“It’s great that we’re both freshman
MTENNIS
Continued from front page
season. In a back-and-forth affair
where each team managed to break
only once, the match came down to
a tiebreak. At 5-5, it seemed like it
could go either way and Stanford
had a match point at 7-6, but the
Aggies ended up securing a 10-8
victory in the tiebreak and earning
their team the doubles point.
Stanford had won the doubles point
in all but one of its matches in the
current winning streak (and that
lone loss came in a Klahn-less 6-1
victory at San Francisco), so head
coach John Whitlinger had to be
more than a little worried about his
team’s chances.The crowd was a bit
deflated — and as the warm after-
noon turned into a chilly night, one
Friday, May 20, 2011 ! 7
“Other teams
will be play-
ing their best
tennis when
they play us.”
— KRISTIE AHN,
freshman
because we can grow together and
help each other along the way,
hopefully for the next four years.”
The Cardinal also has a three-
time All-America in Hilary Barte,
the No. 3 player in the country. The
senior is 27-5 overall, 16-4 in duals
and is enjoying a dominating sea-
son all-around. She has combined
with sophomore Mallory Burdette,
Stanford’s No. 2 player, for a 22-6
record in doubles play. The pair has
a top-three national ranking and a
reputation for tough coordinated
play.
Perhaps the greatest thing Stan-
ford has going for it this weekend is
its home-court advantage. The Car-
dinal has an NCAA-record home
had to wonder if the Cardinal could
win four of the six singles matches
they needed to take the match.
But Stanford started singles play
with a bang. Kandath and Clayton
controlled both of their matches to
earn two quick points for the team
right off the bat. The Aggies man-
aged to strike back at the No. 6 spot
to make it 2-2, but Thacher won his
match to put Stanford up 3-2. It was
up to Klahn to redeem his earlier
loss — and he came through, out-
lasting Krajice to seal the match for
the Card.
When asked what made the differ-
ence Thursday night, Ball acknowl-
edged the crowd and the high ener-
gy of the match were on the players’
minds and in their ears.
“The crowd was awesome,” Ball
said. “The energy was unreal and it
helped a lot. Everyone’s excited to
do it again on Saturday.”
Stanford now has a 13-match win
winning streak of 181 matches (147
regular season, 34 NCAA Tourna-
ment), an active streak that is a
record in any collegiate sport,
men’s or women’s. The streak has
lasted well over a decade — the last
loss at home was a 5-4 defeat to Cal-
ifornia on February 27, 1999.
Ahn, however, is far less con-
cerned with the home winning
streak than one might think.
“In the end, it’s just a number,”
she said. “There’s no added pres-
sure to try and keep it going even
though it’s obviously a phenomenal
testament to the Stanford tennis
program. The most important thing
is to stay healthy, to fine-tune our
games to make them that little bit
better and to not stress out.”
The Stanford women acknowl-
edged that other teams coming to
the Farm will be gunning to knock
off the No. 1 seed. Ahn also knows
that the Cardinal must be prepared
for what it will face.
“Other teams will be playing
their best tennis when they play
against us, so we have to be ready
for that,” she said. “Practice has
been catered to what each player
needs in order to be ready. If people
want to play singles points, they’ll
play, and the same goes for doubles
points. It’s a question of what each
player personally must work on.”
Stanford kicks off the second
weekend of the NCAA Tourna-
ment tonight at 6 p.m. at Taube Ten-
nis Center.
Contact Chrissy Jones at chrissy
j@stanford.edu.
streak and is 16-1 at home.The Car-
dinal’s versatility as a team was
showcased once again on Thursday,
as the team was able to win despite
losing the doubles point, perhaps
the one component the team had
been able to rely on all season. But
Stanford will need all of that and
more tomorrow as it moves to the
Elite Eight.
The Card’s next opponent is No. 1
Virginia (33-0, 11-0 ACC).The Cav-
aliers are undefeated, having blown
everyone they have played out of
the water this season and never let-
ting any opponent win more than
two matches. Last night, they
blanked Illinois 4-0 after Stanford’s
win. A bid to the semifinals will be
on the line when the match starts at
6 p.m. tomorrow night at Taube
Tennis Center.
Contact Alex Eckert at aeckert@stan-
ford.edu.
8 ! Friday, May 20, 2011
TAYLOR
Continued from page 6
beat these younger and better ath-
letes — I should be dreaming about
ordering them around instead. The
top coaches are all much older than
me and surely it’s only a matter of
time before a rich team-owner real-
izes my potential.
Tom Taylor might want to try the
sport of croquet, which requires little
physical prowess but does reward a
solid understanding of geometry and
physics. If not, he can always try his
hand at speed golf or beer pong. Sug-
gest a new sport for him tom.tay-
lor@stanford.edu.
WHALEN
Continued from page 6
risk of coming to the Farm.
“It would have been a different
decision process,” he said.
As it stood, Whalen’s recruiting
process was quite a bit different
from any other Stanford player.
Like many, he was a multi-sport ath-
lete in high school. He came from an
athletic background — his great-
uncle is Hall of Fame pitcher Tom
Seaver. But instead of following his
footsteps to the diamond, Whalen
played lacrosse, which does not
often cross over with football in the
same way that baseball, track or
basketball do.
“I think one, maybe two other
guys out of about 115 have played
before,” he said of his Cardinal
teammates.
Whalen was so serious about the
game that while he was sending out
his football highlights, he sent out
his lacrosse reel, too. He focused on
schools where he might be able to
play both sports, like Syracuse and
Ohio State. But his options were rel-
atively limited, and his attention
shifted more toward football exclu-
sively and schools such as Dayton,
Western Michigan and Toledo be-
fore his decision-altering visit to
Stanford.
Since matriculating, the rising se-
nior’s progression has been gradual:
he saw spotty time as a true fresh-
man, tallied his first catches as a
sophomore and became a reliable
slot-receiver as a junior. And this
past fall, after two seasons, he was
put on scholarship.
Now, with Ryan Whalen and
Doug Baldwin graduating, Griff
Whalen has all but locked down a
starting role for 2011 opposite class-
mate Chris Owusu. While Stanford
generally likes to keep position bat-
tles open as long as possible,Whalen
spent the entirety of spring practice
with the first team.
“It’s been pretty natural. I’m
comfortable in that role. It’s good to
keep getting more reps and gain
more experience,” he said.
With the starting job essentially
in hand, he’s passed many of the
benchmarks he’s set for himself.
“It should be every walk-on’s
The Stanford Daily
goal to come in and earn a spot on
the team and see how far they can
go — if they can get playing time,
become a starter and earn a scholar-
ship,” he said. “That’s everyone’s
goal — to work as hard you can and
see what you can do for the team.”
And, in a turn of events that
takes his story full circle, he attrib-
utes some of his success to his
lacrosse background. He played on
Stanford’s club team as a sopho-
more, and he sees the skills needed
for the two sports as somewhat in-
terchangeable.
“All of the different movements
you get from it is kind of like basket-
ball, trying to guard people and juke
people and evade people. I think
that translates really well and it’s
hard to replicate that in the spring if
you’re just training or playing base-
ball,” Whalen said. “It has helped
me a lot.”
Griff Whalen will begin the final
chapter of his Stanford career this
fall, seeing the field for the first time
on Sept. 3 when Stanford takes on
San Jose State.
Contact Wyndam Makowsky at
makowsky@stanford.edu.
vol. 239 i. 13 fri. 05.20.11
LADY GAGA EXTRACURRICULARS FOOD 3 CANNES 4
Although Intermissions been sitting around, eagerly await- Baklava Restaurant is a slice of Turkish Check out our insider’s take on the
ing “Born This Way” (more specifically, to see if the delight. French film festival.
allegedly “greatest album of this decade” sinks or soars),
it’s clear the songstress herself has been doing anything
but. Gaga’s been racking up quite a bit of hyphenates late-
ly from singer-Star Wars nerd to songwriter-hat intern.
MUSIC 2 MOVIES 7
Intermission’s here to chart our favorite Gaga side jobs. Seattle-based band The Directory stops A Sundance favorite explores Death
James Franco better watch his back. by the CoHo. with Dignity laws.

1
COMEDY 3 GAMES 7
V Magazine Columnist Robber Barons gets all weird and Mind Games guru Nate Adams gets his
Last week, Gaga made her debut as a columnist for V maga- “Passive Aggressive.” hands on “L.A. Noire.”
zine, sprinkling her writing with obscure pop culture refer-
ences and fun anecdotes from her pre-fame days.

music

2
Farmville Enthusiast
Gaga has single-handedly made the most awful app on DEFINING

T
Facebook slightly less awful. Players can visit “GagaVille” and
unlock tracks from “Born This Way” until it disappears May
26.
HE
DIRECTORY
3
E Street Band Fan Girl
While folks may compare her title single to a certain Material
Girl’s repertoire, Gaga’s also been paying respects to the
Boss. E Street saxophonist Clarence Clemons already made
an appearance on two tracks — “The Edge of Glory” and
“Hair.”
I
nnovation and collaboration
seem to be the two critical
themes for Seattle indie band
The Directory.
“We’re trying to be uniquely
Dartnall), The Directory was
formed.
“I focus on my thing, and
Courtesy The Directory
spoke with friend Stephanie
Werner ‘11, who recommended
the venue. Having played at the
creative but still palatable for peo- they focus on their thing, and real Hotel Café in Los Angeles, a hot
ple,” said lead singer Caleb Buse.

4
“We’re trying to create songs that
Hat Intern people could enjoy just from hear-
ing it for the first time, while also
Vogue UK reported that Gaga applied for
an internship with hat designer Philip bringing something new to the
Treacy, the mastermind behind 36 of the table hopefully, though that’s easi-
hats worn at the Royal Wedding, including er said than done.”
Princess Eugenie’s monstrosity. The Directory was formed
when frontman Caleb Buse was
cool stuff comes out of it,” Buse
said. “It’s not like one person dic-
tates the direction . . . it’s real col-
laboration.”
Cutforth, as Buse describes
him, is “super creative. He thinks
outside of the box when it comes
to guitar melodies,” while Dartnall,
spot for gigs, The Directory was
excited to check out Stanford’s
campus; the band has played gigs
mostly in their hometown of
Seattle. Buse describes the Seattle
music scene as “burgeoning.”
“In the last half a year, things
have started coming together —

5
“getting frustrated” that the musi-
cians he would play with lacked
Metro Editor in Chief similar motivation to be produc-
On Monday, Gaga guested as EIC of the London newspaper tive and decided to start his own
but naturally showed up for work in a beehive, fishnets and project. After meeting guitarist
revealing brassiere top. It’s safe to say Intermission prays our Tyler Cutforth and a drummer
own EIC never even considers trying to pull off such an outfit. who Buse thought was “really
great” but has since moved to
2 Korea to teach English (the current
intermission drummer for the band is Dan
who Buse calls “a really great poet,”
has collaborated with Buse on
lyrics for the band’s three newest
songs, which they debuted on their
recent trip down the coast and
played last night at the CoHo.
Buse himself lays down the foun-
dation for the band, with piano
and vocals.
The Directory decided to
come to the CoHo after Buse
there’s a great music scene in
Seattle right now. Nationally,
there’s some really cool acts com-
ing out like Fleet Foxes and The
Head and the Heart,” Buse said.
“It’s really inspiring to see all these
really great bands coming out of
Seattle, and it’s been really good to
connect with some of them — it
| continued on page 6 |
 ROBBER
food comedy
VERDICT:

Baklava
445 Emerson Street
“Definitely Palo Alto

BARONS
DELIVERS LAUGHS
worth trying” 650.323.6543

CELESTE NOCHE/

‘PASSIVE
The Stanford Daily
Baklava, a Turkish restaurant off WITH
University Avenue, offers tradi-
tional Turkish tea and dishes.
AGGRESSIVE’

M
any jokes seem to be
overdone in comedy
sketches — awkward
first dates, middle school parties
and the like — leaving viewers frus-
trated that they didn’t spend those
10 dollars on food or perhaps a
nice margarita. Two things are for-
tunate about the Stanford Robber
“Passive Aggressive” runs
through over a dozen sketches in its
allotted time, which of course
means that it touches on over a
dozen random topics in that short
period. What makes the Robber
Barons so successful, though, is that
they cater to their audience —
Stanford students — using topics

B A K L AVA I S A N A B S O L U T E T R E AT
Barons’ spring show: first, it’s free
to students, and second, they avoid
such as Bing Overseas Study
Program interviews, the “bro” life
any inanity with considerable suc- and hippie teachers, while, of

I
n Palo Alto alone, there are tzatziki sauce that is some- cess. course, sticking to the politically
approximately 100 full-serv- what flat, but the meat picks The 11-person sketch comedy incorrect topics such as illegal
ice restaurants and about 90 up the slack and saves the group’s spring show is entitled immigration and starving children
more limited-service establish- dish. The only real disap- “Robber Barons: Passive in Africa. The Robber Barons, how-
ments. Sometimes, though, it pointment is that these Aggressive,” and though the title ever, do a great job of turning those
seems like they are all dishes are not permanent doesn’t seem to have anything to do entirely inappropriate topics, such
Mediterranean or Middle fixtures on the menu. with the show, it is certainly worth as “editing your Facebook profile
Eastern. There are simply so On top of these seeing. It began immediately after I picture to make people think you
many places serving falafel or specialties, Baklava does not arrived, as Carlo Pasco ‘13 greeted care about other cultures,” as well as
similar fare that it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Baklava, forget its roots and manages to deliver exceptional cuisine the viewers in a pair of boxers and a seemingly random ones (including
however, stands out from the crowd with its incredible even with the basics. The falafel appetizer is spot on. The 70s mustache, assuring them,“I a confrontation between a knight
Turkish cuisine. falafel has a wonderfully light crispiness to encase its creamy usually look like this.” An hour and and troll in a video game) into the
The restaurant’s décor effuses a strong cultural identity filling, which has just the right amount of spicy kick. Even 15 minutes of hilariousness ensued, most hysterical skits.
without being kitschy or sacrificing too much formality. the complimentary pita is satisfying and comes with a phe- as the lights went up to reveal two A particularly stand-out sketch
The atmosphere works well for a long lunch or a somewhat nomenal sundried tomato spread that by itself justifies a wig-donning lords feigning was a scene from a PWR 2 class,
nicer but low-pressure dinner with close friends. visit to the restaurant. And of course, the baklava dessert grandiose accents and giving each
Baklava cooks its meat expertly. The chunks of lamb in does not disappoint. The beautiful layers of phyllo rest on other dainty chest bumps. | continued on page 8 |
the Kuzu Kebab are mouth-watering and perfectly tender, an absolutely scrumptious base of pistachios and walnuts
and the chicken of the Tavuk Shish Kebab is juicy and with a touch of honey, producing an unforgettable dessert.
JIN ZHU/
seared with just the right amount of char to evoke feelings Not everything at Baklava is flawless. The Fish
The Stanford Daily
of an open fire without making the outside too bitter or Sandwich, for example, is simply boring. The dish is remi-
dry. The grilled peppers partitioning the slices of meat are niscent of cioppino in sandwich form, but the transforma-
delectably savory; likewise, the eggplant in the Karniyarik tion isn’t entirely successful. Also, the classic dolma is actual-
melts away perfectly. However, the ground beef in the ly fairly decent, but the flavor is sometimes drowned by the
Karniyarik is not quite as exciting as the other carnivorous accompanying yogurt sauce; asking for it on the side may
options. Neither the rice pilaf nor the grilled potatoes and be a good idea.
carrots that accompany these grilled dishes particularly There are a dizzying array of restaurants in the area
stand out in terms of flavor; the rice, especially, is under- falling somewhere at the intersection of North African,
whelming. Still, they frame the dish well aesthetically and Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. There are only
can provide a nice interlude between the pieces of meat. a few, however, that provide the type of fare worth return-
Baklava also features a rotating roster of specialties that ing for. Baklava is such an establishment, and it is “definitely
are generally fantastic. The Swordfish Special, for example, worth trying.”
is cooked perfectly. The fish has a robust yet smooth texture
that makes it a substantial and delicious option. The Yogurt
Kabob Special is perhaps a bit weaker. The lamb comes in a
—josh GLUCOFT
3
c o n t a c t j o s h : g l u c o f t @ s t a n f o rd . e d u friday may 20 2011
!
!""# # $ %
THE GLITZ, THE
GLAMOUR
AND, OH YEAH,
THE MOVIES
A
s I sit on the beach in the south of
France, looking at the craggy hills that
surround the bay filled with expensive
yachts and cruise ships, I realize just how
unique the Cannes experience is. I’m currently
at the prestigious, if pretentious, Cannes Film
Festival which runs for 10 days in a tiny town
on the French Riviera. This year’s movie lineup
has been its most extravagant in years, from
Cannes favorites like Terrence Malick, Lars von
Trier, Pedro Almodóvar and Woody Allen pep-
pered throughout the week. The famous
celebrities are also making the trek across the
globe like it’s the Oscars plus MTV Movie
Awards on steroids with A-listers ranging from
Kanye West to Johnny Depp to teen favorites
like Vanessa Hudgens.
However, the life of a student-journalist
here is a little less glamorous. The first barrier is
the intense hierarchy within the system. As
with most everywhere, it’s more about who
you know, so stars and wealthy producers have
free reign of the festival. Next comes the press
with its own separate hierarchy of colored
badges ranging from the “Roger Ebert” white
to your unknown-blog-photographer orange.
At the lowest of the low are the film students,
struggling film producers and plain old
tourists. I was lucky enough to get a yellow
press pass, a step above orange, three below
white. Still pretty dismal, but I can attend any
screening I please . . . except the fancy tuxedo-
required galas. For those below me, they stand
outside the Palais de Festival, the ugliest and
4
intermission
most important building to Cannes, for hours
on end, in tuxes and ball gowns holding tiny
signs that beg for a ticket to anything. Those
less curious about foreign films and more
intent on the stars set up camp at the sidelines
of the red carpet for as long as four hours.
I, instead, wait in long lines of up to a
mere hour for an obscure Israeli comedy,
watching the entire higher-level press saunter
through in front of me before finally getting a
seat in the back row next to a group of chatty
Italian web journalists. I actually liked the film
and am actually lucky to have gotten in at all,
but the experience is a bit absurd and tiring.
Also, to see the bigger films, all press must
attend 8:30 a.m. screenings. Try watching a
Spanish serial killer movie or a black and white
silent film at the crack of dawn on three hours
of sleep — it’s a character-building experience,
regardless of how enjoyable the movie is.
Fortunately, all of the journalists are in it
together. We wait in the long lines, we com-
plain about the ingratiating Korean documen-
taries, we praise the gutsy niche films and we
all trade stories and recommendations freely.
There is also the ever-present chance that
you’ll see a celebrity. You’re watching a movie
when suddenly Adrien Brody is a few rows
behind you. I even had a friend that had her
toe stepped on by Robert DeNiro — like any
Courtesy Getty Images
Variety, who I have never met, but bouncers
and security will tell you that “I am with” them.
The stories from the even more exclusive par-
ties get increasingly absurd, ranging from
impromptu Jamie Foxx concerts to free horse
rides around the villa. And while the drinks are
always free, no one is dancing because they’re
all talking. This is a place where producers and
talent come together to meet and greet, rub
shoulders and make deals.
Without connections, I’m usually left on
the beach watching the parties happen on
exclusive yachts in the harbor or in a lavish
villa up in the hills. However, I’m perfectly
happy lounging on the beach, catching a
glimpse of Penelope Cruz or Meredith Vieira,
discovering tiny films months before they get
released in America and dressing up to get into
B-list (or C-list or D-list) party. Tonight, I’ll be
watching a classic film the festival shows on the
beach under the stars along with a few of my
new journalist friends. Don’t worry; you’re
allowed to be jealous. I am too.
Courtesy Getty Images
—brady HAMED
contact brady:
self-respecting Canadian, she apologized to bhamed@stanford.edu
him. It’s also definitely possible to break into
these parties. This is probably an appropriate
time to thank the editors of Indiewire and
 cannes
T
here are three certainties when dealing The bombastic the vital stats
Pirates of the
with this swashbuckling family-fun and inspiring Caribbean: On
Stranger Tides
film. Firstly, the film is going to plun- Hans Zimmer PG-13
Action
der enough pockets this weekend to have the score feels like A
SCALE

O
7

ON
option for a fifth film. The “Pirates of the you never

F 1 TO
Caribbean” franchise has grossed over $2.5 bil- stopped hearing 10

lion worldwide. Secondly, Johnny Depp is
going to be delivering the same hilarious and
fun-drunken swagger of a performance. (It’s
not a complaint, just inevitability.) And third-
ly, this quasi-reboot will never live up to the
first film.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger
Tides sends Johnny Depp as Captain Jack
Sparrow on a quest for the fountain of youth.
Along the way, he runs into the dread pirate
Blackbeard (Ian McShane) and his daughter
Angelica (Penelope Cruz). Capt. Jack and
Angelica meet under less than ideal circum-
stances, as former lovers now thrown togeth-
er by circumstance. Cruz holds her own in a
sexy, confident and extremely physically
demanding role. While she planned on doing
most of her own stunt work, due to her preg-
nancy, her sister filled in for some of the
shoot.
As the film rollicks along, nothing feels
new or exciting. Even with new and flashier
director Rob Marshall at the helm, the movie
falls back into an eerily comfortable familiarity.
it, and the lavish sets
and Jack Sparrow’s witty one-liners are
absolutely everywhere.
Where the film actually feels a little empty
is the lack of Orlando Bloom and Keira
Knightley. They grounded the film with their
outsiders’ perspectives, not having been fully
indoctrinated into the pirate life until the third
installment. In this film, the romance is more
of an afterthought, and there’s a hole where
Bloom and Knightley used to be.
Perhaps the biggest problem with the film
is the use of 3-D. When a film requires over- Courtesy Getty Images
sized glasses to make cannonballs burst out of ”Pirates” stars Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp at a Cannes photocall.
the screen at the audience, everything always
seems about two shades darker. This isn’t a impulses. There is never a moment where not be worth the price of the 3-D glasses.
huge problem in most movies, where the viewers are actually excited by the effect. And for those hardcore Johnny Depp/Jack
action is taking place in broad daylight against Aside from a couple of ridiculous action Sparrow fans, the last line is one you’ve been
vibrant colors. However, the majority of the sequences and a few too many swings from a waiting for since the first movie and feels like
action in “On Stranger Tides” takes place at chandelier, the action is constantly engaging the perfect ending.
night. Suddenly, all of the fun action is masked and thrilling. If you are a fan of the other
in a haze of darkness. Not to mention, the 3-D “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, then you —brady HAMED
also seems to be the product of marketing will certainly fall for this one as well. It definite- contact brady:
necessity, rather than any original, creative ly is an adequate successor; however, it might bhamed@stanford.edu

the vital stats sounds like it of the creation of the universe. A chase their mother with a lizard
The Tree
might be dis-
of Life
spiritual if not entirely religious over- throughout the house, and it always
PG-13
Drama
parate, confusing tone is carried throughout, as the feels as if you knew them, were them.
A
SCALE or just plain inexorable forces of nature are pitted The memories float ephemerally by,
O

10
ON

weird, then you’re against the passive yet ever powerful and each is exploding with energy.
F 1 TO

only just starting

10
to understand the
unique complexity of this film. With
this, it becomes quickly evident that
there is no way to discuss or watch
this without opening up to the larger
philosophical discussions at hand,
Courtesy Fox Seachlight Pictures
for that is all there really is.
notions of grace and mercy.
This tension is a repetitive
theme, as Pitt becomes the over-
bearing and relentless father and
the serene Chastain the embodi-
ment of grace. Fortunately, both
actors are extremely capable and
manage to create dynamic charac-
The same fleeting instances find a
connection with nature. The trees,
flowers, lizards, frogs and, yes, even
the dinosaurs are as much characters
in the film as Sean Penn, all con-
tributing to a larger, grander message
that always seems just out of reach,
like a dream remembered too late in

F
or cinephiles everywhere,
Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of
Life” has been an event too
long in the making. After the tortur-
ous wait, as the film’s release was
delayed year after year, we finally live
in a world where “The Tree of Life” is
a reality.
Featuring Brad Pitt and the
soon-to-be-ubiquitous Jessica
Chastain as parents during the 1950s,
“The Tree of Life” loosely charts the
influence of each parent on their
children and the effect that takes.
This result is reflected as one of their
sons grows up and is played by Sean
Penn in present day. These two nar-
ratives are intensely juxtaposed with
a larger macro vision of influence on
life — the creation of earth. If this
Malick leads the audience
through a thoroughly visual story,
reading more as a cinematic essay, or
dare I say a “text in conversation,”
than a traditional film. Wondrous
and powerful images of space, nature
and, most intriguingly, dinosaurs, are
not only sprinkled throughout the
conventional narrative, but are
woven into a 15-minute visual opera
ters while also working within this
more holistic framework. Their
partnership is a magical experience,
imbued with a certain spontaneity
from the director.
Much of the absolutely gor-
geous film is captured as if it were a
series of memories from a childhood
— possibly your own. The children
play kick-the-can in the street, they
the morning.
Here at the Cannes Film
Festival, “The Tree of Life” has
sparked a bit of a controversy after a
series of boos at the first screening.
Some have hated it, calling it preten-
| continued on page 6 |

friday may 20 2011 5

 cannes CONTINUED FROM “TREE OF LIFE,” PAGE 5

tious and saying it values style imagery this powerful and a

L
et’s get the ridiculout plot of “Restless” right out of the over substance. There is truly message so elusive, it deserves
way. Enoch, (Henry Hopper, Dennis’ son), has recently more to this film than that, to be seen in a theater with a
lost his parents, dropped out of school, found an obses- but it is so visually new and long coffee break afterward to
sion with death and started hanging out at strangers’ funerals. different that it’s bound to discuss and digest the scenes.
He also now has an invisible friend named Hiroshi who is the cause a discussion about the Most importantly, it deserves
ghost of a Japanese Kamikaze pilot from World War II. He’s the Courtesy
religion, philosophy and pur- to be seen, for better or for
BBC Films
very definition of indie movie quirk. At one of these funerals, pose of cinema as a whole. For worse.
he meets the terminally ill Annabel (Mia Wasikowska), his a fun Friday night out with —brady HAMED
the vital stats
manic-pixie dream girl. The film’s directed by Gus Van Sant, We Need To friends, this may not be the contact brady:
Talk About
winner of the 2003 Palme d’Or for “Elephant.” Kevin best choice. But for a film with bhamed@stanford.edu
Wasikowska elevates her given material into something UNRATED
Drama
SCALE
almost real. She delivers a finely nuanced performance and makes A

O
7

ON

F 1 TO
her screen partner seem a thousand times better, which still isn’t

“W
e Need to
saying much for Henry Hopper. Sadly, one good performance
10

Talk About
cannot save this movie from its vintage-painted emptiness.
Kevin” is a win for fans of the origi-
The movie never takes any dramatic or unexpected turns;
nal Lionel Shriver novel of the same name. The film
it ends just how it has to end, and the vital stats
is great, but if you haven’t yet read the book, you
you are left wondering most of Restless
might be left a little bit in the dark.
the time why the ghost is a PG-13
Drama
“Kevin” follows Eva (Tilda Swinton) in the
Japanese fighter pilot. A
SCALE
events leading up to and right after her son Kevin
O

5
ON

F 1 TO

—BH
10
(Ezra Miller) commits a Columbine-style high-
school mass murder. The puzzle pieces are laid out all
Courtesy through the movie, allowing you to peer directly into
Sony Pictures Kevin’s ghastly plans, completely unbeknownst to the
Classics other characters. The movie weaves the past and
present together in an unsettling way, accentuating
the rise and fall of Eva’s emotions.
Maybe that’s part of the inevitability of the whole
thing. Sometimes we know what’s going to happen,
and we are powerless to stop it. That’s a bummer.
—BH
Courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

music CONTINUED FROM “THE DIRECTORY,” PAGE 2

Courtesy Thomas S.
6 distribution.
makes you want to get out and play and write
new songs.”
The Directory’s music has been compared
several times to Radiohead’s and, like
Radiohead, the band offers their fans the
opportunity to pick their price when purchas-
ing their latest album “Defining Waves.” Buse
sees the decision to sell music this way as pro-
gressive, and a smart move for a band as small
as The Directory.
“We just want to get our music out to as
many people as possible,” Buse said. “Giving
away your music is almost like advertising.
You give it out, people are going to copy it,
give it to their friends — we might as well get
the ball rolling.”
This forward-thinking attitude toward
the Internet is reflective of the newest wave of
indie bands, who turn to the Web for fans and
“The website’s been great because we can
track [the people] who’re accessing our site
from around the world. It tags where they are
geographically — people from all over —
Europe, China, New York,” Buse said. “It’s just
surprising to see how we’re able to reach out
to people through the website. The Internet
has drastically altered the industry.”
The band was excited to play at Stanford
last evening, collaborating on our own CoHo
stage. “That’s what’s really fun about music
— you can get so much more creative mate-
rial [through collaboration] rather than hav-
ing someone do it all themselves,” said Buse,
“The sum is greater than all the parts.” And
indeed it was.
—jennifer SCHAFFER
contact jennifer:
jmschaff@stanford.edu

intermission
 THE DARK SIDE OF

DO ROCKSTAR’S ADVANCES
SACRIFICE GAMING’S ROOTS?

ind
Courtesy Rockstar

L
.A. Noire is nothing if not ambitious. It’s
clear from the outset that Team Bondi
and Rockstar have delivered the ground-
breaking title they set out to develop and, as
advertised, the game admirably marries
Rockstar’s traditional open-world formula with
a uniquely moody vibe and motion-capture
technology that makes for some of the most
realistic and emotive characters this side of
Pixar. I can already see this game as a sort of
“Matrix” for the medium — not in its source
material or artistic flavor, but as a landmark
whose technical wizardry future
game-makers look to iterate and
improve. I suppose that was clear
enough even months ago, as L.A.
Noire’s cinematic flair turned enough heads to
make it the first-ever game featured at the
Tribeca Film Festival.
Impressive to be sure, but I’m not certain
that’s exactly a good thing. At least, not entirely.
I’ll be the first to say that I’m having a wonder-
ful time with the game, but most of what
makes L.A. Noire excellent comes not from the
ames way it excels in what makes
games so great, but from the
way it inches itself ever so
much closer to gaming’s lifelong fetish of being
just like movies.
L.A. Noire offers an enthralling world and
story, but they aren’t yours. Yes, it’s technically
an open-world game and you’re allowed to do
just about anything, but when Team Bondi has
clearly made its realistic characters and well-
acted dialogue the game’s main reward mecha-
nism, there’s no motivation to go off the beaten
path. Doing so, in fact, totally shatters the vibe
that L.A. Noire depends on for its immersion
— the developers didn’t intend for detective
Cole Phelps to sprint in circles like an idiot or
run over pedestrians in his patrol car, and the
world doesn’t react to such behavior with near-
ly as much realism and emotion as the charac-
ters show in the game’s outstanding, but pre-
canned cutscenes.
If you don’t agree, consider some of the
| continued on page 8 |

movies
“I
the vital stats
t was easy, folks,” says cancer patient Ziedzielski, who How To Die
Roger Sagner as he slips into death, min- crusades to get In Oregon
UNRATED
utes after taking a lethal dose of medi- similar “Death Documentary
SCALE
cine prescribed by his doctor. So begins “How to with Dignity” leg- A
O

9
ON

F 1 TO

Die in Oregon,” a documentary by Peter islation passed in

Richardson about Oregon’s Death with Dignity
Act and the stories of the people who choose to
utilize it. Intimately shot, it brings people’s stories
and decisions regarding the ends of their lives out
into the open, making for an emotional, harrow-
ing and thoughtful experience.
The documentary tells many stories but
spends the most time with Cody Curtis, a 54-
year-old terminal cancer patient, and her family.
Cody, having gone through a year of incredibly
painful treatment only to find that her cancer
returned and she had only months to live, decides
to get the prescription for medicine that would
end her life. However, she struggles with her deci-
sion when she outlives her six-month prognosis.
Her emotional journey, along with the conflicting
opinions of her family, provides a very nuanced
exploration of what it means to choose to end
one’s life.
The documentary also follows Nancy
10
the state of
Washington. She acts in the
name of her husband, who died in extreme pain
without a choice as to when his life would end.
Her firm support for the law stands in con-
trast to people like Randy Stroup, a cancer patient
who went to the media after his insurance com-
pany told him that they would cover the costs of
the prescription that would end his life but not
the costs of continued cancer treatment. Courtesy
Clearcut Productions
The documentary’s quiet, unassuming
nature, coupled with the sadness of the stories
being told, makes for an incredibly emotional ers to question their own beliefs on whether “right However, when we see someone like Randy
viewing experience. The audience sees people in to die”laws are morally just. The documentary Stroup, who wants to continue to treat his illness
their darkest, saddest moments, struggling with does not favor one side of the issue; it simply tells but whose insurance would rather pay for him to
the nerve-wracking choice of either pain-filled life stories. This allows the audience to decide for itself
or death. It is difficult to sit through this film, what is right. At some points of the film, such as
| continued on page 8 |
despite its unexpected moments of brightness — when Nancy tearfully speaks about her husband’s
Cody’s defiant sense of humor, for instance. painful last days, one thinks that yes, people
Watching the documentary also forces view- should be able to choose when their lives end. 7
friday may 20 2011

Breaking the honor code
R
oxy wouldn’t go so far as to
call herself a cheater, but she’s
been mighty close. It’s a little
inevitable: Stanford students are
smart, fit, attractive and often tinted
with ADD. Throw those all into a hot
and steamy Phi Sig dance floor or a
late-night study room, and sordid
thoughts start to flow.
Arnold’s got Roxy thinking: real
monogamy is incredibly difficult. Of
course it has its perks — a relation-
ship is best when deep thrusts are
paired with deep trust — but in col-
lege, the long-term goal is hard to
keep in your frontal cortex, especially
when it’s shriveled up with booze
and other miscellany.
So, cheating happens — and
Roxy knows it can be both accidental
and not-so-accidental. Roxy’s not
here to preach one moral side over
the other, so she’ll give both sides of
the question (and you, if you’ll let
her) a thorough examination:
For those committed — official-
ly or not — to someone but looking
to dabble on the side, a few tips.
iPhone? Put on a passcode and adjust
your settings to not have your texts
show on your screen. The best part of
cheating is the sneaking: the secret
glances, the clandestine meetings, get-
ting to use the word ‘clandestine,’ etc.
Don’t ruin the fun by slipping up and
making out at a party. Trust Roxy:
people see you and they’re not
(always) too drunk to remember.
And on a more moral note, if
the cheater plans to tell the cuckold,
don’t let someone else tell first. It
sucks to find out your significant
other is sucking someone else —
don’t add insult to injury. And if the
cheater doesn’t plan to tell, don’t tell
anyone else, either. It’s a first-world
country: we have time to gossip, and
we (especially Roxy) do it more than
8 COVER
intermission
advice
we’d like to admit.
If your thoughts wander in
places they shouldn’t, but you hesitate
to break the Honor Code, a few tips.
Roxy has far too much empirical evi-
dence to support this theory: if
you’ve thought about it enough, add
tequila and you just might do it. If
you want to give monogamy a try,
avoid that hottie you really want to
turn into cougar prey, especially
when it’s hunting hours. Even if you
think a beautiful relationship might
arise from it, be wary: a lot of rela-
tionships are shaped by the way they
begin. If you started out on bottom,
you might end up feeling even lower
than before.
But these are thoughts far too
Debbie Downer for the joy of under-
grad debauchery. If you’re lucky
enough to have a relationship worth
being faithful for, keep it. For the rest
of you, remember: you’re in college.
Be nice to those you date, but give
Roxy a call every once in a while.
Looking for something a little sordid?
Email Roxy at intermission@stanford-
daily.com.
FRIDAY
05.20.11
BONE TO PICK?
well then, email us!
intermission@stanforddaily.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Lauren Wilson
DESK EDITOR
Sarah Guan
COPY EDITOR
Stephanie Weber
Anastasia Yee
CONTINUED FROM “ROBBER BARONS” PAGE 3
where an overly eager and delightfully
awkward student (Ellen Cerf ‘11)
gives a presentation on Britney
Spears, taking most of her speech to
closely analyze some of her biggest
hits. The best sketch of the night,
though, may have been a dialogue
delivered by Josh Freedman ‘11, as a
thickly accented rabbi listing off the
CONTINUED FROM “ORE-
GON” PAGE 7
die, we are forced to question the prac-
tical implications of the law.
Although it is far from an easy
film to watch,“How to Die in Oregon”
is a fascinating look at a controversial
law and a compelling view of the emo-
tional journeys people face in their last
days. Ultimately, it is a testament to the
dignity and compassion of which peo-
ple are capable and to the resilience of
the human spirit.
—halle EDWARDS
contact halle:
halle@stanford.edu
absurdly similar names of some of the
members of his congregation.
Though the show is somewhat of
a mixed bag of tricks, with certain
skits delivering better punchlines than
others, the overall spectacle is hilari-
ous and undoubtedly worth an hour
of time. Better yet, you won’t miss
dinner.
CONTINUED FROM “L.A. NOIRE” PAGE 7
subtle checks that Team Bondi places
on the player to keep them in line
with the “ideal” Cole. Like Heavy
Rain and some other filmic titles,
L.A. Noire places “run” on a separate
button away from the analog stick to
keep you from dashing about like a
madman, makes traffic unrealistically
deferential to prevent crashes or
other disasters that affect a real man’s
life in ways the game can’t account
for and scripts NPCs to call you out
for ignoring the task at hand. I’m not
trying to call out a conspiracy, but
these choices are made for a reason.
Team Bondi knows that the hook of
its game is in the gripping story and
the relatable characters it involves.
That linear narrative is contrasted —
and potentially broken — by unco-
operative players in an open world
and, ironically but understandably,
the developers gently pull you back if
you leave the critical path.
I think L.A. Noire is a remark-
able title in its own right, but its
“Passive Aggressive” is showing
May 19-21 at 8 p.m. in the Geology
Corner Lecture Hall 320. Tickets are
free for students and $10 for the gen-
eral public.
— a n d re a H I N T O N
c o n t a c t a n d re a :
a n h i n t o n @ s t a n f o rd . e d u
unprecedented technology and
(potentially) powerful storytelling
shouldn’t be confused as advance-
ments of what gaming has tradition-
ally been all about. I’m not saying
that classic games are necessarily bet-
ter, but the relatively unornamented
narratives of Zelda, Metroid or even
flashier titles like Fallout empower
you to develop the context and char-
acters however you like, partly in
your mind and partly through
dynamic feedback in the game.
They’re not as jaw-dropping for
passers-by, but their simpler presen-
tation frees them from predefined
notions of how your character
should act and how the world should
respond. L.A. Noire may wow audi-
ences when shown next to more tra-
ditional games, but it’s not necessari-
ly as engaging.
—nate ADAMS
contact nate:
nbadams@stanford.edu
Courtesy Rockstar