Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
The Daily Gazette
Swarthmore College
Monday, November 10, 2003
Volume 8, Number 46
Write to us! daily@swarthmore.edu
Photo of the day: http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/photo.html
Today’s issue: http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily/
NEWS IN BRIEF
2) Schuchardt takes Swatties into “The Matrix”
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Women’s Swimming: Garnet win a close contest
2) Men’s Swimming: Men thrashed by Widener
WEATHER FORECAST
Today: Sunny. High of 52.
I am happy to report that the Philly shuttles are up and running again, even
though my friends did have a brief scare on Saturday when it was ten minutes
late to the Electric Factory…
Tonight: Mostly clear. Low of 36.
Personally, I was all for having a freezing cold, late-night adventure stranded
in North Philly…
Tomorrow: Mostly cloudy, chance of showers. High of 59.
But thankfully the nice white van came and took us away before that pioneering
spirit could manifest itself.
by Josh Hasuman
Gazette Weatherman
Summary: This week will not as cold as this last weekend, but it will definitely
feel very much like late fall. Highs will be mostly in the 50s, with lows the
40s Tuesday and Wednesday and in the 30s thereafter.
Below is the forecast as of Sunday night, for a more up to date forecast clink
on this link http://www.srh.noaa.gov/data/forecasts/PAZ070.php?warnzone=paz070&warncounty=pac045
Today (Monday). Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. Light winds.
Monday night. Increasing cloudiness. Lows in the mid 30s. Light winds.
Tuesday. Mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper 50s.
Tuesday night. Mostly cloudy. Chance of rain. Lows in the mid 40s. Chance of
rain 30 percent.
Wednesday. Mostly cloudy and breezy. Chance of showers. Highs in the lower 60s.
Chance of showers 40 percent.
Wednesday night. Mostly cloudy and breezy. Chance of showers. Lows in the mid
40s. Chance of showers 40 percent.
Thursday. Partly cloudy and breezy. Highs in the lower 50s.
Friday. Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s. Highs in the lower 50s.
Saturday. Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s. Highs in the lower 50s.
Sunday. Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s. Highs in the lower 50s.
Long-Range computer models predict normal to above normal temperatures next
week.
Philadelphia normal (average temperatures) for November 10th : Hi 57 Low 41
Record High:78
Record Low: 23
For more information on Philadelphia’s climate see:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/phi/clidat.htm
TODAY’S SHARPLES MENU
Lunch: Chicken nuggets, curly fries, tofu joe, baked penne with mushrooms,
corn, spinach, cheese steak bar, cookies
Dinner: Tilapia with shrimp sauce, spicy peanut noodle, Indian style chick
peas, broccoli, cauliflower, picnic bar, ice cream bar
NEWS REPORT
by Maki Sato
Gazette Reporter
This week, the Swarthmore African Students Association (SASA) will be hosting
“Coming of Age: Africa Week 2003,” offering many exciting events for
the special occasion.
Lola Irele ’05 stated one of the purposes of the week is “to open up debates
and discussion on issues in Africa both as a continent poised for significant
change and growth, as well as the youth of Africa who seek to create a future
in an environment that is increasingly hostile and seemingly unforgiving.”
Toward this end, there will be events such as a faculty panel featuring Professors
Burke and Hopkins from Swarthmore and Profs Glickman and Mortimer from Haverford
on U.S. intervention in African conflicts on Monday, right after an opening
ceremony in Lang Concert Hall at 4:00 p.m. Other events include a Health Awareness
Campaign in Paces on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m., and a colloquium and lecture by Joachin
Von Braun on Thursday at 4:15 p.m. in the Scheur Room and 7:30 p.m. in Science
Center 101, respectively.
Irele continued that another objective for this week is “to celebrate
the varied aspects of African culture from over and across the continent.”
In light of these goals, SASA will be taking over Sharples on Wednesday night,
Griot Baba Jamal Koram will be storytelling at the McCabe Coffee Bar from 8:00-9:00
p.m. on the same day, and there will be a showing of the movie “Wend Kuuni”
on Friday at 8:00 p.m. in Science Center 199.
On Friday, African food will be served in Upper Tarble at the RSVP Akla African
Dinner preceding the movie. And according to Abena Mainoo ’06, “the week
will end with an African Expo featuring vendors from Philly in Upper Tarble
in the afternoon and an entertaining Cultural Explosion showcasing some of Swarthmore’s
finest performers at the same venue in the evening.”
*****
2) Schuchardt takes Swatties into “The Matrix”
by Jonathan Ference
Gazette Reporter
Matrix fans of all stripes were treated to an entertaining lecture by the highly
animated Read Mercer Shuchardt ’93 on Saturday evening. The diverse crowd of
about 80 people in Science Center 199 included Matrix Revolutions “pregamers,”
Film and Media Studies enthusiasts, and more. The wide range of sponsors for
the event, entitled “The Structure of the Matrix: God and Influence through
Film,” included SWIL (“I was a closet member…I never went to the
Pterodactyl Hunt, though I had signed up,” Schuchardt joked), the Forum
for Free Speech, the Swarthmore Christian Fellowship, and the Film and Media
Studies program.
Schuchardt started with a very involved introduction, first talking about his
interest in the subject had been cultivated. He spoke frankly and humorously
of his own career at Swat, including marrying a member of the class of ’84 and
choosing to get married and have a child as an undergrad. The crowd’s favorite
line: “Did anyone ever tell you the corollary to the Quaker Matchbox? The
other 5 of 6 never get married, because they never find anyone weird enough
again!”
Schuchardt then discussed the rest of his career, including his two books for
upcoming release, his studies at NYU, and the founding of a website (www.metaphilm.com)
for interpretations of film. He encouraged Swarthmore students to go to the
site and submit their pieces for the work, which aims to, as Schuchardt explained,
bridge the gap between “mass media” and “academia.”
Schuchardt then discussed general theory behind film analysis, including the
style of architecture used in cineplexes. Explaining his theories of how movies
after 1999 attempt to visualize “the highest aspirations of the soul,”
he spoke of how movies had become almost like a “new sacred text”
of society. Such a view justifies multiple “readings” (viewings) and
interpretations, just as written works would. Citing many classic texts of the
Media Studies field, Schuchardt moved into the discussion of the Matrix canon,
focusing on a central phrase: “The medium is the message.” Showing
the crowd the movie’s opening scene, Schuchardt explained the media in use:
a computer screen become computer game become comic book.
Next, Schuchardt discussed his religious interpretation of the first movie
and its potential Jewish and Christian savior elements in the personage of Neo.
This duality, he explained, accounted very well for America’s positive response
to the film.
After allowing those who didn’t want to have the plot of third movie ruined
to leave, Schuchardt spent the remainder of his lecture looking at the three
movies on the whole, comparing the ideological bases of all three. Hegel, Dante,
Nietzsche, and Freud were cited as Schuchardt cultivated an explanation of the
three movies as, respectively, Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory–or, from perspective
of Neo, as Jesus, Superman, and Bruce Lee. Schuchardt had able use of a vast
knowledge of comparative religion studies and film and media studies, and it
showed in the strength of his arguments.
While this writer will avoid being too explicit for the benefit of any who
have yet to see the third movie, Schuchardt finished by explaining that he viewed
the trilogy as a “global marketing experiment,” with the first structured
for an American, theist audience; the second with a European background, utilizing
atheism or agnosticism; and the last with an Asian focus, using Hinduism or
perhaps pantheism as its theological foundation. A full explication of the theory
is available on Schuchardt’s website.
Following the lecture, students were allowed to pose questions to Schuchardt,
who handled them intelligently and explained his answers fully. Though not all
attendees might have left the work shop having adopted Schuchardt’s view, whether
they were off to see “Revolutions” a third time or to complete a Religious
Studies paper, they had experienced the chance to see a logically solid lecture
by a passionate and humorous young alumni. Not bad for a Saturday night theological
discussion.
An article of Schuchardt’s also appears as the lead in the recently released
philosophy-of-the-Matrix book “Taking the Red Pill.”
*****
Congratulations to our novices for an excellent showing at Bryn Mawr this weekend!
Chris Ford ’07 and Garth Sheldon-Coulson ’07 finished as the 1st place novice
team, and Susan Zell ’07 and George Hang ’07 finished as the 10th place novice
team. Additionally, Chris also took the 6th place novice speaker award, and
Maria Macia ’07 took the 12th place novice speaker award.
(News contributed by Sonya Hoo)
*****
* Saudi Arabia blamed al Qaeda militants for the suicide bombing of a housing
complex for foreign workers in Riyadh. The Saturday night attack killed 17 people
and wounded 122. The attack happened near the Saudi king’s main palace, and
the government believes that the attack was part of al Qaeda’s plan to attack
the Saudi monarchy and to turn the country into, in one analyst’s words, “a
new Afghanistan ruled by a Saudi-style Taliban.”
* In a speech on Sunday, former Vice-President Al Gore charged that President
Bush has not done enough to make the U.S. safer. Gore also accused Bush of using
the war on terrorism as a pretext to consolidate political power. Believing
that the USA Patriot Act was a large part of that movement to consolidate power,
Gore called for the repeal of the act.
* Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurei announced his choices for a new cabinet
on Sunday. The lineup of 24 ministers includes Yasir Arafat’s choice for an
interior minister that would supervise the security forces. The Palestinian
legislature is to meet on Wednesday to decide whether or not to accept the nominations
of the cabinet members. If they do decide to approve the nominees, the move
would allow efforts to install the US road map for peace to resume.
* CNN reported on Sunday that city authorities in Moscow are considering imposing
a ban on kissing in the city’s subway system. The ban would include husband
and wife pairs, and would carry fines and even jail time. The ban is meant to
increase public morality.
*****
Africa Week Blessing Ceremony and Introduction of Africa Week and Faculty
Panel featuring Professors Burke, Hopkins (Swarthmore), Glickman and Mortimer
(Haverford): “Should the U.S. Intervene in African Conflicts?”
Lang Concert Hall, 4:00 p.m.
French Dept Film Screening: “Van Gogh”
Kohlberg 116, 7:00 p.m.
Intro to Film and Media Studies Film Screening: “Tout va bien” (Everything’s
Fine)
LPAC Cinema, 7:00 p.m.
Africa Week Dance Performance: Griots Wa Ujoma
Science Center 101, 8:00 p.m.
SAC Meeting
Kohlberg 330, 9:00 p.m.
SWIL Movie Night: ‘The Neverending Story’
Science Center 101, 10:00 p.m.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1 ) Women’s Swimming: Garnet win a close contest
Swarthmore defeated Widener 152-149 on Saturday afternoon. Michele Hom ’07
was a triple-winner in leading the Garnet to the non-conference victory at Widener.
Swarthmore travels to Franklin & Marshall on Saturday, November 15 for
a 1:00 p.m. Centennial Conference meet.
*****
2) Men’s Swimming: Men thrashed by Widener
Widener comprehensively defeated Swarthmore 196-101 on Saturday afternoon.
Jason Horwitz ’07 was a double-winner for the Garnet in the loss at Widener.
The Garnet travel to Franklin & Marshall on Saturday, November 15 for a
1:00 p.m. meet.
*****
Today:
No contests are scheduled for today.
Tomorrow:
No contests are scheduled for tomorrow.
*****
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Football is a mistake. It combines the two worst elements of American
life: violence and commitee meetings.”
–George F. Will
*****
Interested in reporting or writing for the Gazette?
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Contact the staff at daily@swarthmore.edu
| Managing Editor: | Pei Pei Liu |
| Campus News Editors: |
Greg Leiserson |
| Living & Arts Editor: | Evelyn Khoo |
| World News Editor: | Roxanne Yaghoubi |
| Sports Editor: | Saurav Dhital |
| Associate Editor: | Megan Mills |
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Scott Blaha |
| Sports Writers: | Jenna Adelberg Sarah Hilding Holice Kil |
| Photographers: |
Robbie Hart |
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Charlie Buffie |
| Weathercaster: | Josh Hausman |
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This concludes today’s report.
