Tuesday, February 3, 2004

by Megan Mills
Communications Editor

This past Saturday, students gathered throughout Kohlberg to discuss
and
workshop a variety of social issues with topics ranging from Queer
Youth
and the Prison-Industrial Complex to Where the Third Wave Meets the
Third World: Critical Feminism in a Hip Hop Generation. Sponsored by
the
Intercultural Center, the IC Forum on Social Justice and Activism
showcased the excellent resources that Swarthmore possesses in these
fields.

The forum was conceived and organized by Rafael Zapata, Assistant
Dean
and Director of the Intercultural Center. Swat students weren’t the
only
ones present, though; according to IC intern Powen Shiah ’06, people
came from Bryn Mawr, Pendle Hill, and other schools in order to
participate in this event.

Wendy Cheung ’06, SAO Co-President and attendee, responded
positively to
the day’s events. “The workshops were informative and provocative and I
think raised a lot of questions about what we could do to address it as
college students,” she said, adding, “It was also cool to have groups
like DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving) and other organizations doing
social justice work present and to hear how they are addressing these
issues in their particular communities.”

In addition to the intense workshops, which students needed to
register
for, the forum also presented performers such as Ninah Harris and
Carlos
Gomez, both activists and poets whose work tied back in to the issues
of
race, sexuality, class, and gender. Said Shiah, “The forum was good
opportunity for students to connect with community organizations and
learn more about the struggles these groups face on a daily basis.”

According to Cheung, this forum highlights the marvelous
opportunities
available at Swarthmore through groups such as the Swarthmore
Foundation
and the Lang Center of Civic and Social Change. “There are so many
opportunities here to be creative and we should take advantage of what
we have here at an elite private institution. I hope that we can
continue to hold events like this in the future.”

Many students found the workshops stimulating and resonant. Said
Cheung,
“I am taking away from the conference how important it is be
self-educated and to take it upon ourselves to envision the world in
which we want to live and to be creative about what change looks like.”

*****

by Lauren Janowitz
Gazette Reporter

Even with the November election over nine months away, students on
campus have already begun campaigning. Study breaks have formed around
primaries and students are following their favorite candidate’s trail.

The College Democrats especially have big plans for the future. “We
have
a brand new vision with new standards,” says co-president Doru Gavril
’05. “Our first task is to find out exactly where people on campus
stand
regarding different political concepts.” When the Democrats approached
the Deans’ office to find out such information, they learned that none
was available-so they decided to collect it themselves. Beginning in
March, the College Democrats will run a scientific poll to get a clear
idea of campus demographics.

Using this information, they then plan on registering everyone on
campus
to vote. “The registration will be completely nonpartisan,” says
Gavril.
And regarding those students who are already registered in their home
state, “if the students are living in a swing state then they should
stay there, but if not we will encourage them to switch their
registration to Pennsylvania.” After campus is completely registered,
the College Democrats will then move on to registering Chester,
focusing
especially on minorities.

Regarding partisan activities, the Democrats have been very active
in
sending students on campaign trails. While there currently are active
campaigns for Dean, Kerry, Clark, and Edwards, the College Democrats
will officially support only the candidate nominated at the National
Convention in July. In the meantime, the group is also supporting
numerous local campaigns and hopes to have a candidate at the
Convention.

On the other side of the spectrum, the College Republicans are
working
to bring more speakers to campus in the future. In spite of their
differences, the two groups maintain a friendly relationship. “We are
working on sponsoring events with them in the upcoming Semester, and we
benefit greatly from each other’s presence on campus,” says Matt
Meltzer
’06. Emily Remus ’06 agrees, “I’m not aware of any tensions, imagined
or
real, that exist between Republicans and Democrats on campus.”

College Democrats meet every Tuesday at 7:00 pm in Parrish Parlors,
while the College Republicans will be having an informational meeting
next Wednesday, date/time/location TBA.

*****

by Maki Sato and Victoria Swisher
Gazette Tea Drinkers

What a brilliant idea: a tea room inside a flower shop. The
Swarthmore
Flower Shop has offered morning tea, afternoon tea, and late afternoon
tea since September of 2003. We, however, had just discovered it and
decided to investigate.

We went to the Swarthmore Flower Shop with high hopes and were not
disappointed: they offered a wide variety of teas, ranging from more
traditional teas like Earl Grey with Lavender and Green Tea, to the
unconventional White Peony, Black Currant, Jasmine Flower, and
Chocolate-Mint Rose Scented. They also offer a variety of Chai. To
accompany your tea, they offer daily changing pastry, the normal tea
sandwiches, and of course, scones.

Feeling adventurous, we tried the Mandarin Orange Chai and White
Peony
teas, which were both excellent. The Chai had a strong bitter flavor, a
hint of cinnamon, citrus and anise (black licorice flavoring)-we
recommend this to tea lovers who enjoy strong teas. The White Peony tea
is a white tea, which means it should steep longer since it is a weaker
tea. It smelled heavenly, and tasted like a moderate tea with floral
overtones. If you do order this tea, do not put too much cream in it
because it will overpower the taste. Also, if you fall head-over-heels
in love with the tea, the Flower Shop sells select flavors.

The scones were possibly the smallest scones we have ever seen. This
said, the lemon curd and cream that accompanied them tasted wonderful.
The menu claims everything is homemade.

The shop itself provided a peaceful ambience with the scent of
flowers
and soft classical music in the background. There are only two tables,
sitting four people each, so it is suggested that you make reservations
beforehand at (610) 544-9732.

*****

* On Monday, President Bush announced that he would sign an
executive
order, creating an outside commission to review US Intelligence and
examine what the Iraq Survey Group, responsible for finding weapons of
mass destruction in Iraq, actually had found before the war on terror.
He stated, “We also want to look at our war against proliferation and
weapons of mass destruction in a broader context. So I’m putting
together an independent, bipartisan commission to analyze where we
stand, what we can do better as we fight this war against terror.” Bush
wished to consult with the former US chief weapons inspector, David
Kay,
who told the Senate last week that “his group did not find any weapons
of mass destruction and said he did not believe significant stockpiles
of banned weapons would be found.” When a reporter asked Bush whether
Americans were “owed an explanation about the intelligence failure
before the election,” he responded, “We know he [Saddam Hussein] was a
danger.He slaughtered thousands of people, imprisoned people. What we
don’t know yet is what we thought and what the Iraqi Survey Group has
found.” Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, questioned
the construction of the commission, stating, “I think that it is
important for us to have an independent commission.It sounds as if the
president is going to call for one where he gets to appoint each of the
members and dictate the design and ultimately the circumstances under
which they do their work.” But with pressures high, the White House
staff has been told to reexamine procedures for staffing and sharing
information. One senior official reassured, “The [new] group will have
access to everything it needs.”

* During the last performance of the Super Bowl halftime show, pop
star
Justin Timberlake did a number with Janet Jackson, in which he “reached
across Jackson, flicking off the molded right cup of the bustier,
leaving her breast bare except for a metallic pastie that appeared to
be
shaped like a spur or a sunburst.” FCC Chairman Michel Powell said,
“Like millions of Americans, my family and I gathered around the
television for a celebration. Instead, that celebration was tainted by
a
classless, crass and deplorable stunt. Our nation’s children, parents,
and citizens deserve better. I have instructed the commission to open
an
immediate investigation into last night’s broadcast. Our investigation
will be thorough and swift.” The CBS Network apologized immediately,
stating, “CBS deeply regrets the incident that occurred during the
Super
Bowl halftime show. We attended all rehearsals throughout the week and
there was no indication that any such thing would happen. The moment
did
not conform to CBS broadcast standards and we would like to apologize
to
anyone who was offended.” Timberlake also apologized, calling the
incident a “wardrobe malfunction” and that, “It was not intentional and
is regrettable.” MTV, who produced the halftime show, also said the
exposure was “unrehearsed, unplanned, completely unintentional, and was
inconsistent with assurances we had about the content of the
performance” and officially apologized to anyone offended by it.
However, MTV was also quick to promote this “unrehearsed, unplanned,
completely, unintentional” incident after the occurrence. Jackson has
not made an official statement, except her representative told MTV News
that she apologizes.

* Thousands of people gathered in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania to
witness
the 118th annual weather prediction from Punxsutawney Phil, the famous
groundhog, who saw his shadow today, which according to tradition
translates to six more weeks of winter. It has been reported that the
famous groundhog has seen his shadow 94 times since the start of the
tradition, which originated from a German superstition that if “a
hibernating animal casts a shadow Feb. 2-the Christian holiday of
Candlemas-winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen,
legend says spring will come early.” Although Punxsutawney Phil gather
the biggest crowd with travelers from as far as England, more than a
dozen other states also enjoy the holiday with their own furry
forecasters. Ohio celebrates Groundhog Day with Buckeye Chuck,
Mississippi has Dixie Dan, and Georgia turns to Gen. Beauregard Lee for
this year’s winter predictions.

* President Bush proposed a $2.4 trillion budget for the fiscal year
starting on Oct. 1 with a 7 percent increase in military spending and a
10 percent increase in domestic security spending. However, there is
nothing specifically reserved in the budget for the operations in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and the White House budget director, Joshua Bolten,
said “the administration might ask for as much as $50 billion in
supplemental funds, but not until the 2005 calendar year, which would
be
after the coming elections.” If this money is requested and granted by
Congress, the deficit for the 2005 fiscal year is approximated to be
over $400 billion. The current $521 billion deficit is supposed to be
reduced to $364 billion in the proposal given Monday. President Bush
remarked that his budget “sets clear priorities: winning the war on
terror, protecting our homeland, making sure our children get educated,
making sure the seniors get a modern Medicare system. And at the same
time, we’re calling upon Congress to be wise with the taxpayers’
money.”
The New York Times commented that Bush’s plans were heavily swayed by
the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and “that he may be counting
on
his conduct of the campaign against terrorism to fortify his
re-election
prospects-and perhaps his place in history.” Consequently, around half
of the government’s Cabinet-level agencies would receive less money
with
the Agriculture Department and Environmental Protection Agency getting
the largest cuts. President Bush also proposed some increases in
educational programs, saying he wants to be known as “the education
president.” However, much debate is to be expected. Senate Minority
Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota stated, “This president has made a
series of choices that stand in conflict with the values and the
priorities of the American people. We have proposed alternatives after
alternative, and those alternatives, in the form of amendments, will be
offered, and we will go directly to many of the deficiencies that we’ve
seen in this budget proposal.” With the coming elections, President
Bush
has taken on the cause of “compassionate conservatism” to try to please
the conflicting sides, but “Many Democrats have said his vision is
anything but compassionate, and some deficit-hating Republicans have
said the president’s spending ideas have veered from true conservatism.”

*****

“The New White Nationalism in America”: Lecture by Dr. Carol Swain
Scheuer Room, 4:00 p.m.

Living Wage & Democracy Campaign Meeting
Kohlberg 228, 6:30 p.m.

SAO Study Break
IC, 9:00 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

by Alex Glick
Sports Editor

After three postponed matches this semester, Swarthmore’s badminton
team
finally had the opportunity to show off their stuff last night at
Tarble
Pavilion. After a short delay, the ladies completed a 5-0 sweep over
Albright.

Surbhi Gupta ’04 won her first singles set 11-7, 11-3. Gupta used
good
judgment and strategic hitting of the shuttle, forcing her opponent to
have to cover the entire court; Gupta was able to take advantage of
this
and hit the shuttle to the edges of the court that her opponent could
not get to in time.

Laurel Beesemyer ’04 took second singles 11-4, 11-1. Beesemyer was
very
aggressive in her play, and her lightning-quick moves put a test to her
opponent’s offense.

Senior Ay Jy Phoun ’04 made easy work of her third singles set,
taking
the 11-3, 11-0 victory. This Swattie’s playing was highlighted by her
good eye and overall great effort with just about every play.

The second doubles team of Anjali Aggarwal ’06 and Candice Cherk ’07
truly played a smooth set as they took the 15-0, 15-3 victory. This
enthusiastic team smashed almost everything their opponents hit at them
to add a point to Swarthmore’s score for the match.

The seal for this sweep came in a win for the first doubles team of
captains Liz Leininger ’04 and Jessica Larson ’06. They split the first
two games with their opponents 15-8 and 13-15 but took the final one
15-7. The pair showed good teamwork, especially in the first game, as
well good recovery skills and many well-placed shots.

Come over to Tarble Pavilion this Thursday at 7:30 p.m. as the
Garnet
takes on rival Bryn Mawr. Badminton makes for a fast-paced evening,
with all five sets usually going on at the same time. With all this
jam-packed action, it’s sure to be a good match and a good time for all
fans…just as long as you can keep your eyes on the birdie!

*****

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today.

Tomorrow:
Men’s Basketball hosts Johns Hopkins, 7:30 p.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Life is a pilgrimage. The wise man does not rest by the roadside
inns. He marches direct to the illimitable domain of eternal bliss, his
ultimate destination.”
–Oscar Wilde

*****

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