Wednesday, November 24, 2004

by Lauren Janowitz
Gazette Reporter

The effects of earlier hurricanes in Florida are making their way to Swarthmore, in the form of increased produce prices. The high cost of tomatoes has caused Sharples and Tarble to cut back, removing tomatoes temporarily from the deli and salad bar.

The problem started when hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne hit Florida just as farmers started planting crops. The result is that there is a reduced supply of numerous vegetables, causing prices to skyrocket. “In some cases, prices have almost tripled,” said Dining Services’ Linda McDougall in an email, “For instance, tomatoes usually run between $18-$24 a case on average. They are currently up to $60 a case.”

Sharples currently buys its produce from a New Jersey distributor named Gallagher’s. According to McDougall, the staff has checked out three other distributors to compare and has found that their prices were the same. “We are being told that prices should start going down after the holidays,” she said.

However, tomato lovers shouldn’t despair. “We are still using some of these high priced items, but using them in more creative and limited ways,” noted McDougall. She explained that tomatoes will remain missing from the regular salad bar, but will make an appearance at specialty salad bar.

While many students are upset by the cuts, they are generally understanding of the reasons. “I was surprised to see that there were no tomatoes, but I can’t criticize Sharples for not wanting to pay the higher prices,” said Shira Meyerowitz ’07. However, for some students it’s the same as usual: “I didn’t even notice they were gone until you mentioned it,” admitted Elizabeth Medina-Gray ’07.

*****

by Jonathan Ference
News Editor

About forty students attended a movie screening and lecture on the life of Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, a revolutionary known throughout the Latin American world as “El Che.” The event, held in the Intercultural Center Big Room, was called “Che Vive” [Che Lives] organized by the Latin American Studies program, the Intercultural Center, and Enlace.

The event began with a twenty-five minute excerpt from a documentary entitled “El Che: Investigating a Legend.” Ricardo Ocampo ’05, who organized the lecture with Professor of Spanish Aurora Camacho de Schmidt, introduced the movie and the talk. Many students seemed familiar with the story of Che Guevara from studies of revolution movements in South America, and some had seen “The Motorcycle Diaries,” a film based on Guevara’s diaries about his life in his early twenties. The documentary presented during the event focused on a bigger picture of Guevara’s life and his commitment to working for social revolution.

The film excerpt traced the trajectory of Guevara’s life from his birth to a middle class family in Argentina to his involvement with Fidel Castro in the revolution in Cuba. It focused on the difficulties Che faced in overcoming his asthma and not allowing it to become a sign of weakness in front of the militias he would organize, reaching the audience through original sources including home movies taken by Che’s family and interviews with those he interacted with.

Following the presentation of the clip, Ocampo introduced Professor Camacho de Schmidt, who spoke for almost an hour about the life of Che. She brought a map to help students gain an appreciation for Guevara’s extensive voyages from Argentina to Mexico to Cuba and back to his death in Bolivia. Camacho de Schmidt obviously has great respect for and knowledge of Guevara’s work, and her enthusiasm showed as she presented an engaging talk. She quoted from some of Guevara’s extensive writings, speaking perhaps most poignantly about the profoundly intimate friendship Guevara shared with Fidel Castro. Though she apologized for not having extensive academic training in Guevara’s work, Camacho de Schmidt explained his relevance to her life having grown up as a Latin American woman living in Mexico City when Che might have been meeting just blocks away.

While many students of liberation movements are familiar with Che Guevara as a rugged yet dedicated leader who worked throughout Central and South America, “Che Vive” succeeded in presenting attendees with a more rounded picture of the background of the life of one of the world’s most famous and enigmatic social revolutionaries.

*****

by Micaela Baranello
Gazette Reporter

“Does wearing high heels make you sterile?” That is a question posed by a young woman visiting the sex researcher Alfred
Kinsey (Liam Neeson) in Bill Condon’s intelligent new film. In exposing the enormous ignorance about sex in the 1950s, “Kinsey” often reminds us of how far we haven’t come.

Kinsey begins as a zoologists collecting wasps, switching to sexuality after some problems of his own and discovering the ignorance of others. With his assistants (most notably Peter Sarsgaard), he interviews thousands of subjects on their habits. “The gap between what we think people do and what they actually do is enormous,” he says of his findings, and publishes his hugely popular and controversial report. The film’s Kinsey is, of course, riddled with personal problems, including a detachment from the messier emotions associated with sex and an occasionally tumultuous relationship with his equally open-minded wife (Laura Linney).

Most biographical films (or, more slangily, biopics), despite the brilliance and originality of their subject, fall into a predictable three act structure. “Kinsey” proves that even the best examples of the genre aren’t immune from the conventions of Early Rise and Struggle Against Prejudice, followed by Big Popular Success and then Later Crisis and Self-Doubt, usually with a happy and redeeming epilogue (see “A Beautiful Mind”). Bonus points if a character yells “It’s not worth it anymore!” or the film is being protested by some political group for over- or lack of attention to some aspect of the subject’s character.

“Kinsey” fits almost all of these clichés (including some noisily protesting right wingers) yet somehow manages to stay fresh, mostly because of its unusual subject and outstanding acting. Neeson’s Kinsey may be a scientific and social pioneer, but he’s also a socially awkward geek. Many of the interview scenes are surprisingly funny in their extreme datedness. In the last third of the film, some of the conventions begin to audibly creak, but the outstanding late appearance by Lynn Redgrave as an interview subject ties things up nicely.

The groups protesting the film probably don’t realize the irony of their actions. The most explicit material all deals directly with Kinsey’s research, and the present-day reaction precisely mirrors Kinsey’s critics in the film. A highly perceptive and surprisingly enjoyable film by itself, “Kinsey” becomes even more interesting in today’s social atmosphere.

*****

*The Ukrainian election between incumbent Russia-friendly Prime Minister Viktor F. Yanukovich and opposition candidate Viktor A. Yushchenko remains bitterly contested. Yanukovich holds a small lead in the popular vote, but widely alleged voting fraud, confirmed by Senator Richard Lugar of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has led to enormous protests and unrest in Kiev. In a throwback to Cold War politics, Russian president Vladimir Putin openly supports Yanukovich, and the US and European nations Yushchenko. Yanukovich is the anointed successor of longtime prime minister Leonid Kuchma, whose years in power were marked by corruption and violence. Yushchenko is seen as more friendly to the West, and enjoys widespread support from the western Galicia area of the Ukraine.

*On Tuesday, large numbers of American and some coalition troops began an offensive sweep south of Baghdad to root out insurgents who had earlier fled Falluja. According to Col. Ron Johnson of the Marines, the operation began with 11 simultaneous raids in Jabella, a city south of Baghdad. The entire operation will eventually involve up to four thousand troops in what can be called the opening of a third front (after Falluja and Mosul). The area is currently known as the “triangle of death” for the violent killings, kidnappings and terrorist attacks common there.

*Dan Rather announced yesterday that he will step down as anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News. His last broadcast will be on March 9th. Though Rathers’s departure had been widely anticipated, it had not been expected quite so soon His expose of forged documents purporting to be President Bush’s National Guard records is seen as having hastened his departure. Rather will remain at CBS as a full time correspondent. No successor has been named.

*****

Indian film screening
LPAC Cinema, 7:00 p.m.
Tai Chi class
Upper Tarble, 8:00 p.m.

Film Society movie screenings
Science Center 101, 9:00 p.m.

VOX (Swarthmore Voices for Choice) meeting
Kohlberg 302, 9:15 p.m.

*****

SPORTS UPDATE

The men’s swim team cruised past the Ursinus Bears by a final margin of 118-80 yesterday in a Centennial Conference match. The Garnet are now 3-0 in conference and 3-2 overall. Andrew Frampton ’08 continued his strong season by setting a pool record of 4:57.91 in the 500 freestyle. Double winners were Anders Taylor ’07 in the 1,000 freestyle and 100 butterfly and Kaena Horowitz ’05 in the 100 breaststroke and 200 medley relay. Swarthmore built a comfortable early lead by sweeping three straight races, starting with Mike Auerbach ’05 beating out Andy LeClair ’08 and Reid Johnson ’08 to take the 200 freestyle. This was followed by Jason Horwitz winning the 100 backstroke at 58.73, with Wootae Min ’07 and Andrew Herrmann ’08 also placing. Finally, Horowitz took the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.42, followed closely by John Heagy ’08 and Brian Rose ’06. Also winning for the Garnet was Ben Morgan ’05 in the 200 IM with a time of 2:09.17. The squad returns to action on December 3rd-5th when they travel to Lancaster for the Franklin and Marshall invitational.

*****

Franny Zhang ’08 won two events, leading the Garnet women to their 3rd victory against 2 losses last night at Ursinus by a final margin of 134-114. Zhang opened the meet by swimming one leg for the victorious relay team that also included Erin Dwyer-Frazier ’05, Michele Hom ’07, and Sarah Cotcamp ’07. The four swimmers captured the 200 medley in 1:55.38. Zhang later took the 100 butterfly in 1:03.63. Also victorious for the Garnet were Tara Finley ’05 in the 1000 freestyle, Melanie Johncilla ’05 in the 200 freestyle, Sarah Gordon ’07 in the 200 butterfly, Jeannie Lewis ’08 in a Garnet sweep of the 100 freestyle, and Katie Altynova ’08 in the 200 IM. Next up for the team is the Franklin and Marshall Invitational on December 3rd-5th.

*****

Matt Gustafson ’05 poured in 37 points for the Garnet Tide, including all 6 of the team’s overtime points, but it was not enough as the men’s basketball team fell to Drew University, 75-74 in overtime. Swarthmore held a 74-73 lead after a Gustafson layup, but Drew’s Dave Pepperman scored the game-winning layup with only 23 seconds left. Gustafson added 11 rebounds to lead the team and got help from Dillon McGrew ’07’s 10 points. The Garnet men return to action on Sunday, facing Neumann at 7:00 p.m. in Tarble Gymnasium.

*****

Poor shooting was once again the undoing of the women’s basketball team as they lost their conference opener last night at McDaniel by a final margin of 66-49. The team shot only 18-60 (30%) from the floor as they fell to 1-2 overall. Swarthmore rallied from a 5-point halftime deficit behind Jen Stevenson ’06 to tie the game at 25 with 16:45 remaining, and Karen Berk ’08 laid the ball in at 10:07 to pull the team to within 3 at 40-37. But McDaniel went on a 20-3 run over the next 5:30, effectively ending the game. Berk led the Garnet with 13 points and 10 rebounds, recording her first career double-double, and Debbie Farrelly ’06 added 8 points. The team will look to get back to .500 at Ursinus next Tuesday in another Centennial Conference match at 7:00 p.m.

*****

The 36th annual 4xDonut was hotly contested this evening on Skallerup Track at Clothier Field, with a favorite-heavy field of 19 harriers vying for the coveted first title of the fabled Triple Crown. Junior Jim Kreft devoured the field for the second consecutive year, finishing in an incredible 7:24. After going out fast, freshman favorite Ross Weller folded under the pressure of high expectations after dominating the milkshake challenge earlier in the year, while fellow plebe Mike Siciliano proved wrong his detractors by recovering from mid-race difficulties to hold on to second place after leading the first two laps. Rounding out the top three was Jon Estey, also a freshman, adding to the solid showing by ’08. On the girls side, Laura Rothlisberger (’08) took advantage of a complete lack of courage and respect by the other members of the women’s team to finish ahead of an impoverished field consisting of Elizabeth Gardner ’05 and An Bui ’05, who closed out their Swat XC careers with solid performances. Lastly, it was a good day for the lanternes rouge, as Jones Nauseef and Adam Hunt both shaved more than 52 minutes off of their previous personal bests. The course record of 5:36 established by Abram Falk ’03 in 2000 remains untouched, however. The next round of the Triple Crown is the McCabe Mile, which takes place during Ride The Tide week in April.

Team results:
1. 2008: 35 points
2. 2006 49 points
3. 2005 57 points
4. 2007 Incomplete

Thanks to Lang Reynolds for providing these results.

*****

Today:
There are no contests scheduled for today

Tomorrow-Saturday:
There are no contests scheduled for Thanksgiving Break.

Sunday:
Men’s basketball hosts Neumann, 7:00 p.m.

*****

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
— John F. Kennedy

*****

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