The Stanford Weekly 7.16.09

							J UMP

RIGHT IN !

Today
THE STANFORD WEEKLY: VOLUME 236A, ISSUE 3

the

BEHIND

SCENES
www.stanforddaily.com

THE STANFORD DAILY PUBLISHING CORPORATION
ESTABLISHED 1892 I INCORPORATED 1973

Cover: Midnight Magic
GRACE KWAN/The Stanford Daily

Students take party to the elevator; Thai Café, pad thai provider, in search of new pad

News

3

LORRY I. LOKEY STANFORD DAILY BLDG. 456 PANAMA MALL STANFORD, CALIF. 94305

Opinions 6 Sports 7

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Devin Banerjee President and Editor in Chief Jason Shen Business Manager and Chief Operating Officer Mary Liz McCurdy Vice President of Sales Kamil Dada Glenn Frankel Theodore Glasser Michael Londgren Robert Michitarian Wyndam Makowsky

Mark your calendars: upcoming deaths

Cardinal athletes represent USA

Features 10

Fans arrived at the midnight showing of Harry Potter in costume for a magical night

Entertainment 12

Death Cab for Cutie, Andrew Bird and Ra Ra Riot move a Greek Theatre crowd

EDITORIAL STAFF
Devin Banerjee Editor in Chief eic@daily.stanford.edu Ryan Mac News Editor news@daily.stanford.edu Jack Salisbury Sports Editor sports@daily.stanford.edu Chelsea Ma Features Editor Joanna Xu and Annika Heinle Entertainment Editors intermission.daily@gmail.com Paul Craft Opinions Editor opinions@daily.stanford.edu Michael Liu Photo Editor photo@daily.stanford.edu MICHAEL LIU/The Stanford Daily

CLAWING AROUND: Students who can’t bear the heat trade in books and laptops for bathing suits and fountains around campus.

Cris Bautista Graphic Editor Jane LePham Copy Editor

I NFORMATION
Editors can be reached by calling the newspaper’s main newsroom at 650-7215814 Monday through Wednesday, from approximately 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. The Display Advertising Department can be reached at 650-723-2555, and the Classified Advertising Department can be reached at 650-721-5803. All correspondence can be faxed to 650-725-1329 or mailed to: The Stanford Daily Lorry I. Lokey Stanford Daily Building 456 Panama Mall Stanford, CA 94305 Circulation & Distribution The Weekly is usually delivered between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Thursdays. To request distribution to your location or to report a distribution problem, please contact the business manager at 650721-5801. Reprints Permission to reprint an article or photograph may be obtained by contacting the business manager at 650-721-5801. Please visit www.stanforddaily.com/ about/Rights+and+Permissions. Back Issues Back issues from the past week are available in the lobby of the Lorry I. Lokey Stanford Daily Building. Content from all issues is available at the newspaper’s Web site at www.stanforddaily.com. CORRECTIONS It is the policy of The Stanford Daily Publishing Corp. to correct all significant errors brought to the attention of the editors. If you think there is a need for a correction regarding any article, please contact Editor in Chief Devin Banerjee at 650721-5815 or email him at eic@daily.stanford.edu. The Daily will investigate all legitimate requests for corrections and reserves the right to determine if a printed correction is necessary. All corrections will be printed in this space or in the respective section.

POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Circulation, The Stanford Daily, Lorry I. Lokey Stanford Daily Building, 456 Panama Mall, Stanford, CA 94305. All subscriptions are mailed first class..

The Stanford Daily is an independent newspaper published by students of Stanford University. It has been serving the Stanford community continuously since 1892. The Stanford Weekly is owned and published by The Stanford Daily Publishing Corp. Letters, columns, cartoons and advertisements do not necessarily reflect editorial opinion. Copyright © 2009 The Stanford Daily Publishing Corp.

2 N THE STANFORD WEEKLY

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

NEWS

MICHAEL LIU/The Stanford Daily

GOING UP: After cramming a Mirrielees elevator for a short trip from the first floor to the fourth, 17 people found themselves trapped in the lift for two hours. Some students had been drinking.

ROOM FOR ANOTHER?
17 trapped in Mirrielees elevator over the weekend after exceeding maximum capacity
By ELLEN HUET
STAFF WRITER

Early last Saturday, an elevator in Mirrielees stalled with a group of as many as 17 students and their friends for approximately two hours. According to Imogen Hinds, associate director for Undergraduate Housing Operations, the elevator stopped at about 12:25 a.m. on Saturday because the elevator was loaded beyond its carrying capacity. The posted carrying capacity in the elevator is 13 people or 2,000 pounds. “Elevators are programmed to shut down when overloaded so as to prevent accidents such as broken cables,” Hines wrote in an email to The Daily. For the students stuck inside, the experience was less than pleasant. “I think there were 16 or 17 people,” said Arsani William ‘11. “We tried counting, but we couldn’t really get to a number. I’m pretty sure everyone in there had had [alcohol] to drink.” William called authorities from a cell phone, and the Palo Alto Dispatchers sent the police and fire department to Mirrielees. The elevator’s maintenance contractor, Kone

Elevator, was also notified. A technician from the company eventually resolved the problem by resetting the elevator. “This was a very smooth implementation of our elevator protocol,” Hines said. In the meantime — a very long two hours — however, the elevator’s occupants suffered the consequences of overcrowding. “The only vent was basically a small crack in the door,” William said. “We were pouring in sweat. It was beyond disgusting.” Other occupants said that in hindsight, overcrowding the elevator might not have been the best idea. Although the elevator was only going up from the first to the fourth floor, it was quickly stuffed on its way up. “It didn’t strike any of us at the time that [overcrowding] might cause problems,” said Daniel Lin ‘11. “We knew help would come, so we didn’t really panic, but we missed the best part of the night.” “It was eight people at first, then a bunch more tried to join,” William said. “People were shouting, ‘Stuff it! Stuff it!’ It was really bad.” At one point, other students in Mirrielees began taunting the elevator occupants through the elevator doors.

“I think I’d have found it funny if I were on the outside of the doors, but since we’d been stuck inside for over an hour by then, it wasn’t that funny for us,” Lin said. Stanford Housing insisted that the problem was a result of overcrowding the elevator and not of any technical fault. “Yes, occasionally students do overload an elevator, but this doesn’t happen very often,” said Executive Director of Student Housing Rodger Whitney in an email to The Daily. “We post the elevator capacity limits and educate students, but once in a while people do try to squeeze in together, which causes the elevator to stop for safety reasons.” For the students involved, the experience was certainly a lesson to double-check the posted capacities before entering — or allowing others to enter — an elevator. It also gave them a chance to discover ways to fill two hours in the small space. “To pass the time, we introduced ourselves,” William said. “We also decided in the elevator to make a Facebook group.” The group can be found on the social networking site under the name, “The Mirrielees Elevator Crisis.” Contact Ellen Huet at ehuet@stanford.edu.

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

THE STANFORD WEEKLY N 3

CAMPUS LIFE

Thai Café displaced after 22 years
Campus eatery to close on Aug. 7, making way for new MRI facility
By CHRISTIAN TORRES
SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Pretty soon the smell of curry will dissipate from the Jordan Hall basement, as the lunchtime hotspot Thai Café closes on Aug. 7 and moves out to make room for a new MRI research facility. While not expected to leave Stanford entirely, the Thai Café will be missing for at least half a year before opening elsewhere, according to its owner. Maykhanh Bahlman, known for her efficient service, surprised customers in mid-June with printed signs announcing the move. Bahlman has been stopped more than a few times by students, faculty and staff who frequented the eatery over its 22 years in Bldg. 420. “Many customers have been asking me about it, and they’ve been very concerned,” she said. “But, I tell them that the University has been working very hard on it, making sure I stay nearby.” Bahlman was notified in mid-March about the psychology department’s plans for a new MRI facility, which were approved in early February. Since then, the owner has been working with the University to find a new location. According to Shannon Silva, facilities planner in the Humanities and Sciences Dean’s Office, the University has put forth options such as a location outside the Quad or a catering truck. But Bahlman rejected these options, wishing to retain her current lunchtime hours and, more importantly, stay near her customers in the Math Corner. “My one real requirement this whole process has been to stay in the Quad,” she said. “I don’t want to leave [the Quad], and I know my customers don’t want to see me go.” Director of Facilities and Capital Planning

MICHAEL LIU/The Stanford Daily

NEW PAD FOR PAD THAI: Printed signs from Thai Café’s owner, Maykhanh Bahlman, notifies the public that the popular campus restaurant will be moved from its space in Bldg. 420 after 22 years. Officials said they are working with Bahlman to find a new campus location.
Don Intersimone recognized that concern. With his office phone number posted on both Bahlman’s sign and another posted by the Dean’s Office itself, Intersimone has been receiving one or two calls each day. But customers haven’t been angry — “they’ve just encouraged us to work hard on finding a new site,” he said. Intersimone and Silva assured that the University is doing so. Silva noted that the café is on a monthly contract that includes no stipulation for relocation if necessary. The current negotiations aren’t out of obligation; rather, University officials recognize the café’s history. “The Thai Café is a Stanford institution — it’s been there for 22 years — so we’re working hard to make sure it remains here on campus,” Intersimone said. Currently, the University and Bahlman are looking at a location within the Quad, but neither Intersimone nor Silva provided any detail. The space will need further negotiation and evaluation before a deal is reached. Even if one is made soon, however, Bahlman said the café wouldn’t be ready for business until spring 2010. Contact Christian Torres at christian.torres @stanford.edu.

OFF-CAMPUS

SCIENCE & TECH

Permits implemented to keep students out Profs. disagree
College Terrace neighborhood moves to regulate congested parking spaces
By JOYCE LIU
DAILY INTERN

with NIH policy
By CHRISTIAN TORRES
SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In an effort to alleviate parking congestion for residents who live in the College Terrace neighborhood — located between the University and Stanford Research Park — the City of Palo Alto will be implementing a parking permit system beginning as early as this fall. Stanford students and employees regularly park in the neighborhood, often taking much of the street parking along Stanford Avenue and creating a problem for residents. Colin Mick Ph.D. ‘72, a College Terrace resident, estimated that anywhere from 200 to 300 students and staff parked their cars in the area every day in the past academic year. Director of Community Relations Jean McCown said students chose to park in the neighborhood to avoid purchasing campus parking permits. “If there is an available spot on the street, closer to where they live, students find it easier and very tempting to park there, rather than parking in the Escondido prop-

Under President Obama, the pursuit of stem cell research has taken a drastic turn from its direction under the Bush administration. Yet even with revised guidelines for federal funding, Stanford researchers are voicing concern over remaining limitations. On July 6, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released its final guidelines for the dispersal of federal funds to human stem cell research. A step forward from Bush administration policy — which only allowed the use of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines collected before Aug. 9, 2001 — the NIH now allows for all lines derived from excess embryos at in vitro fertilization clinics, pending donor consent. “Access to new lines is good,” said Irving Weissman, director of the Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Institute (SCBRMI) at Stanford.
GRACE KWAN/The Stanford Daily

Please see PARKNG, page 5 4 N THE STANFORD WEEKLY

Please see NIH, page 5

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

POLICE BLOTTER
By LIZ STARK
SENIOR STAFF WRITER

FACULTY & STAFF

This report covers a selection of crimes from July 6 to July 15, as recorded in the Stanford Police Bulletin.

MONDAY, JULY 6
I

Between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m., an unknown suspect stole an unattended cell phone at the Arrillaga Recreation Center while its owner was playing softball. Between 6:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., an unknown suspect threw a rock through the left front window of a car in the 200 block of Panama Street. The suspect apparently moved the car a short distance after this forced entry. At 1:46 a.m., a man on parole was called in as a suspicious person outside of the Mirrielees Apartments. He was arrested for prowling and possession of burglary tools, and was then placed on a parole hold by the Department of Corrections. Between 12 a.m. and 11 p.m., a map at Naranja in Lagunita Court was vandalized. The vandalism was classified as “an act of intolerance.”

Mirrielees residents rejoiced. Between 12 p.m. and 10 a.m. the next day, an unknown suspect entered the victim’s unlocked garage in Sonoma Terrace and stole the disabled parking sticker from the victim’s unlocked vehicle. Stealing from the handicapped? Real noble. I At 4:10 p.m., a golf cart was stolen at Pine Hall.
I

McNutt to become USGS director
By EMILY ZHENG
DAILY INTERN

SATURDAY, JULY 11
I

TUESDAY, JULY 7
I

At 12:45 a.m., a male was cited and released at the intersection of Campus Drive and Escondido Road as a minor in possession of alcohol. At 8:10 p.m. in the West Lagunita Court parking lot, four juveniles were cited and released to their parents for possession of marijuana, ecstasy and tobacco products. A man was arrested and released for contributing to the delinquency of the minors. Let’s hope this wasn’t the “education” part of the Education Program for Gifted Youth. At 5:50 p.m., a witness reported a woman for stealing from the Stanford Bookstore. The woman was taken to the San Jose main jail and booked for petty theft with a prior record, violation of probation and providing false information to a police officer.

SUNDAY, JULY 12
I

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8
I

President Obama announced last week that he will nominate Marcia McNutt, professor of geophysics at Stanford, as the next director of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and science advisor to the Secretary of the Interior. “Marcia is a strong and experienced leader and a great scientist, and she understands the breath of issues that the USGS deals with,” said Pamela Matson, dean of the School of Earth Sciences. “She’s a perfect choice.” The USGS focuses on issues relating to biology, geography, geology, geospatial information and water. If confirmed, McNutt would become the first female director since the agency was established in 1879. A member of the University’s faculty for over 20 years, McNutt

has worked in the past with the USGS at its Menlo Park branch on earthquake studies, in particular regarding quake prediction. She has also been the president and chief executive officer of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) since 1997. McNutt served as president of the American Geophysical Union from 2000-2002 and chaired the President’s Panel on Ocean Exploration, convened by President Clinton. Her current research ranges from studies of island volcanoes in French Polynesia to the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. “The combination of her service at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, which she has done so with distinction, her earlier work with the USGS as well as her celebrated career in academia makes her perfectly suited for this position,” said Professor Greg Beroza, chair of the Geophysics

Department. “Of course, she will be operating at a much larger scale and on a more prominent stage than previously, but I have no doubt that she will continue to excel.” Among McNutt’s achievements include her awards as the Scientist of the Year from the Achievement Rewards for College Scientists Foundation in 2003, and the Maurice Ewing Medal from the American Geophysical Union. “The Director of the USGS has a central role to play in meeting these challenges,” Beroza said, referencing the depletion of natural resources and man’s impact on the environment. “This is why I’m so happy that the President has nominated such a gifted, energetic and effective person to take on that role.” Contact Emily Zheng at emzheng88@ yahoo.com.

SCIENCE & TECH

NIH
Continued from page 4
Also serving as president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, Weissman has been vocal about the NIH guidelines since a draft released in April included a ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The technique, which involves the transfer of an individual’s genetic material into a donated egg, has been unsuccessful in deriving human cell lines. However, SCNT has been shown to work among mice, even leading to a few breakthroughs in relevant diseases. Weissman and others, including the International Society, impressed upon the NIH the technique’s potential. Despite letters and public comments, however, the ban remained in the final draft. The NIH noted on July 6 “the broad public support for federal funding of research using hESCs” in general, but contended that “the use of additional sources of human pluripotent stem cells [such as SCNT] involve complex ethical and scientific issues on which a similar consensus has not emerged.” This lack of consensus comes as a surprise to Stanford researchers. “There’s plenty of consensus [about SCNT],” argued Michael Clarke, associate director of the SCBRMI. “You’re going to find individuals who say there’s no need to pursue it, but I certainly disagree with that statement [by the NIH] — I was kind of shocked by it.” Weissman was further critical of how the NIH developed its opinion. “Which society did they poll? And did they really have a poll?” he asked. “They contacted none of the societies that I’m a part of.” Weissman believes the NIH is “making a political statement, not a scientific statement” in its decision. This is especially frustrating, he said, in light of statements by President

TUESDAY, JULY 14
I

THURSDAY, JULY 9
I

FRIDAY, JULY 10
I

Between 7:45 p.m. on Friday, July 10 and 10:50 a.m. on Sunday, July 12, an unknown suspect stole computer networking equipment from the communications room at Studio 6 on Olmstead Road. In all fairness, USB cords are overpriced. I At 4:45 a.m., a car was towed from Mirrielees and stored for a continuously sounding alarm.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15
I

At 12:25 a.m., a car was stolen at the Department of Public Safety. It was later recovered. I At 3 a.m., a man was picked up at the intersection of Palm Drive and Palo Road for public intoxication. He was taken to the San Jose main jail and booked. Contact Liz Stark at estark12@ stanford.edu.

PARKING
Continued from page 4
erty itself,” she said. According to McCown, the University sends a letter twice a year to Escondido Village residents, asking them to use the University-provided parking and to be aware of the inconveniences faced by College Terrace residents when outsiders take available parking. Still, the problem persists. Susan Rosenberg, a resident on Stanford Avenue and a board member of the College Terrace Residents’ Association, hopes the new parking restrictions will be put in place before classes begin in September. “When there’s a break, when Stanford students are gone, there’s

no parking problem on my street,” Rosenberg said. “Palo Alto is the only community in the State of California that has a university adjacent to it and doesn’t have a permit parking program.” Some residents have even put up signs around their homes that read, “Please Don’t Park In Front of My House.” The University deposited $100,000 with the city in 2000 in accordance with Stanford’s general use permit to help with the consideration and initiation of a permit system. Residents will be eligible to purchase permits for $15 per vehicle, allowing for unlimited parking, and non-residents can only park for two hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Contact Joyce Liu at jambajoyce@ gmail.com.

Obama that pushed for expanded stem cell research. When Obama signed an Executive Order on March 9 prompting the NIH guideline overhaul, he emphasized making “scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology.” “It could be that Obama is duplicitous — says one thing to us and then does another,” Weissman said. “I don’t think so, but that’s always possible.” Still, he and Clarke — along with many Stanford researchers — see a missed opportunity on the NIH’s part in furthering scientific understanding. “It’s disappointing that they didn’t allow nuclear transfer, because nuclear transfer could help in investigation of hereditary diseases, cancer and regenerative medicine,” Clarke said. “The new rules are infinitely better than the old ones — so there’s been quite a bit of progress — but they didn’t go all the way, which is mildly disappointing.” With a lack of federal funding to pursue SCNT, Stanford will look to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine — a state initiative established with the passage of Proposition 71 in 2004 — and philanthropy to fund SCNTrelated research. That is, unless the NIH reverses its ban. While neither Weissman nor Clarke believes the ban will be lifted in the near future, they said that continued activism by scientists, as well as education of the public, will lead to a change in the prevailing “consensus.” “The biggest impact in the end is on the public, not Stanford,” Clarke said of federal funding for research. “We’re all doing this work to see if we can make some advances in biomedicine and how people are treated. [With the lack of funding], the biggest loss is not to Stanford researchers, but the public at large.” Contact Christian Torres at christian .torres@stanford.edu.

Obama honors two profs. for research
Univ. scientists gain early career recognition
By MELISSA CHAN
DAILY INTERN

Last Thursday, President Obama named the annual recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. Among the 100 recipients were Oliver Fringer, assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Xiaolin Zheng, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering. The Presidential Early Career Awards are presented by the U.S. government to young professionals who are in the early stages of their research development. Meant to illustrate the government’s support of outstanding scientists and engineers, these awards “advance the nation’s goals” and “contribute to all sectors of the economy.” “These extraordinarily gifted young scientists and engineers represent the best in our country,” said President Obama in a White House statement. “With their talent, creativity and dedication, I am confident that they will lead their fields in new breakthroughs and discoveries and help us use science and technology to lift up our nation and our world.” The awards are coordinated by

Please see AWARDS, page 9

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

THE STANFORD WEEKLY N 5

OPINIONS
S ENSE
AND

N ONSENSE

Universities and hate speech

W

hen a group of students put up “Yes on Prop. 8” flyers in my dorm this past year, there was soon a debate about them on the chat list and they vanished after a day or two. The “Yes on Prop. 8” campaigners’ speech was cut short — perhaps a violation of their speech rights — but students who found the flyers hateful, especially gay students who felt that they amounted to an attack on their identity, were also spared having to suffer such speech while brushing their teeth in the bathroom or walking down the halls of their home. My guess is that most people wouldn’t consider “Yes on Prop. 8” flyers hate speech; but regardless, the situation raised very real questions about the scope of free speech on a college campus. We can consider more extreme examples: flyers with the n-word, students denying the Holocaust and calling Jews money-hoarders, a student writing, “Michael Jackson died a Muslim, the perfect religion for pedophiles,” etc. And verbal attacks can be much more hateful and hurtful than even these. At some point, many might consider disallowing such speech, particularly in dorms, where the speech is unavoidable and enters the most personal and intimate spheres. An appreciation for how alive and dangerous these issues remain can incline us toward increased restriction. I recall a friend from childhood who attempted suicide

Aysha Bagchi
because she believed her homosexuality made her “evil.” A flyer outside her door calling gay people “evil” would be cruel, indeed. At a university, which students attend to develop their minds and advance thought, the personal vilification of students on the basis of attributes like sex, race, handicap, religion, sexual orientation or ethnicity impedes their development and should be restricted. The debate over hate speech restrictions has many layers, touching on the policies of universities, municipalities, states, the federal government and foreign countries. Colleges have tended to enact hate speech restrictions more often than American government. Indeed, in understanding why a hate speech code should be in place at Stanford, it is interesting to note that university tendencies in the U.S. are often more in line with the European tendency to restrict hate speech than the American tendency to allow it. These differences leave us to wonder why major developed countries have reached such different conclusions. What experiences and considerations have shaped their understanding of the issue at hand, and what can we learn in devising our own policy by looking at what shaped theirs?

European countries have long histories of intense ethnic strife that helped shape their attitudes toward the scope of speech protections. It is no coincidence that Barack Obama — who often does not talk about hate speech in the U.S. — brought up the issue in his recent address in Cairo, urging Muslims worldwide against denying the Holocaust. He called such denial “baseless, ignorant and hateful” and the repetition of vile stereotypes of Jews a “deeply wrong” action that evokes the “most painful of memories” while preventing peace. The millennia of persecution of Jews that culminated in the Holocaust may well have contributed to a greater sense of the risks of free speech in a region where a free marketplace of ideas resulted in the triumph of the Nazi party. Rightly or wrongly, the possibility of another Holocaust or the like is more palpable to Germans, French and Israelis than to Americans. History has taught them hate can prevail. American history, too, features its own racial and ethnic strife, from slavery and Jim Crow laws to the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese internment camps; the list continues. Yet the U.S. is generally optimistic about the course of human history, believing that ideas governing society tend to improve in the long run and, as Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. once put it, “[The] best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.” Moreover, American policy tends to be guided by its federalist system and a general fear of the tyranny of a central government with too much power. Allowing the government to restrict hate speech invites over-restriction. Even more fundamentally, the U.S. has been shaped by an aversion to the idea of a populace that depends on the state

to solve its problems. Indeed, one powerful aspect of the traditional American attitude toward hate speech is the view that Americans are — or should be — robust, and should not need a paternalistic administration to protect them from the views of others. Allowing hate speech encourages Americans to grow a thicker skin. The arguments on both sides are powerful, perhaps some explanation for why the debate continues and reasonable people disagree. But when judged in the context of a university setting, the European arguments for restriction outweigh the American arguments against. Students are in their formative years. They are more easily intimidated and vilifications of them based on characteristics unrelated to their ideas can cause tremendous anguish and impede their ability to engage and develop. They too need to learn to develop a thick skin and be ready for the real world, where a government will not always come to the rescue, but it seems reasonable, indeed, that they agree to respect the dignity of their fellow students when they enter college and learn to get tough by engaging in a rigorous debate and defense of their ideas, not their person. But the decision isn’t just up to Stanford. The California Supreme Court struck down Stanford’s earlier restrictions on hate speech in Corry v. Stanford in 1995. Restrictions on campus are going to take the aid of the courts, a big reminder during a week of Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, of why the pick is so important. Aysha is trying to develop thicker skin in preparation for the real world. You can reach her at abagchi@stanford.edu.

G IRL , YOU K NOW I T ’ S T RUE

Upcoming celebrity deaths
Too soon?
If I’ve learned anything recently, it is that some combination of hot weather, Cash4Gold, swine flu and vitiligo is killing off all our cherished American icons. In order to eliminate any possibility of being caught off-guard again, I’ve done some Nobel Prize-worthy research into the matter. The highly scientific findings are shared below, and are not to be questioned. Bookending Decades? Recently we have had the deaths of Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense for Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and an architect of the Vietnam War; Farrah Fawcett; Michael Jackson, the King of Pop; and Ed McMahon. That formidable foursome represents the defining conflict of the ‘60s, the defining image of the ‘70s, the defining music of the ‘80s and, uh, Johnny Carson’s sidekick. Sorry, Ed. It’s clear at this point that icons from the ‘90s are next, or alternately, the ‘50s.

Jordan Carr
this section of potential zombie deaths, but as it turns out the rumors that he was cryogenically frozen and stored anti-Semitically under the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland are disappointingly false. Hugh Hefner: This guy’s not dying — Hef has the virility of R. Kelly on a Viagra drip. He has slowed somewhat from his glory days during the ‘60s and ‘70s, though, when he was sleeping with eleven of any year’s twelve Playmates. Miss April was such a prude. Former New York Yankees Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford: Mr. Ford is the last man called “Whitey” in the universe, which does not bode well. In any case, it is important to remember Mr. Berra’s advice on the topic at hand: “Always go to other people’s funerals. Otherwise they won’t come to yours.” Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard: Little Richard was consistently dogged by rumors of homosexuality, all of which he eventually admitted to and renounced (like Ted Haggard!). Chuck Berry violated the Mann Act (like Eliot Spitzer!) by inviting a 14-year old prostitute to work in his club. Jerry Lee Lewis married his thirteen-year old cousin (like Edgar Allan Poe!). I’m just saying: this is not necessarily the best time to be a musical superstar whose great talent was clouded by sexual controversy. Elizabeth Taylor:

Like Fawcett, Taylor was one of the preeminent sex symbols of her era. She also was a close personal friend of Michael Jackson’s, and allegedly collapsed in her home upon hearing of his death. She has issued a number of statements detailing her devastation at his passing. Taylor has denied that she is on suicide watch, which is rarely a good sign. She wouldn’t be the first to take that route because of Jackson’s death; according to Britain’s The Sun, there have been up to a dozen Jackson fans who have committed suicide. Perhaps hinting at some instability, she has been married eight times to seven men including Richard Burton twice, Conrad “Nicky” Hilton and Senator John Warner (R-VA).

The ‘90s
MC Hammer: There’s only one nominee here. MC Hammer was one of the biggest artists of the decade and inspired scores of imitators (see: Ice, Vanilla). Additionally, he wore funny pants and was known for his dancing and performing. If that doesn’t sound familiar at all, then I should mention that the bestselling rap album of the ‘90s, his “Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em” included a rendition of the Jackson Five’s “Dancing Machine.” In addition, he appeared in a Cash4Gold commercial at this February’s Super Bowl with Ed McMahon in which they appeared selling off their cherished gold possessions, such as Ed McMahon’s toilet and Hammer’s gold medallion of him wearing a gold medallion. Were this to happen, we would all watch the moving memorial service in which Hammer Pants-clad pallbearers crab-walked their way to the hearse.

The ‘50s
Scientology founder/science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard: Admittedly, by most traditional measures, Hubbard passed away in 1986. But in a far more important sense, he is very much alive. As Scientology’s Religious Technology Center Chairman of the Board (full disclosure: that was my job prior to this column) David Miscavige said at the time, Mr. Hubbard’s research would be “done in an exterior state.” There is a chance he could die while conducting said intergalactic research. I initially intended to include Walt Disney in

Other Possibilities
Lil’ Wayne, Beyonce Knowles, Britney Spears: What do Rolling Stones founding member Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain all have in common

besides cool hair? They are all members of the 27 Club, named for their age at the time of their death. Of musicians around that age, Lil’ Wayne, Beyonce and Britney Spears are by far the biggest stars (apologies to Lloyd Banks), having released multi-platinum albums over the past decade. Beyonce seems likely to make it to 28th birthday in early September. While Britney Spears is a crazy person (and they tend to be behave erratically), Lil’ Wayne is the most endangered of this group. Lil’ Wayne is known to have a fondness for purple drank (a.k.a. sizzurp), which is a Styrofoam cup full of prescription cough syrup, Sprite and Jolly Ranchers. Purple drank played an integral role in the deaths of DJ Screw and rappers Big Moe and Pimp C (who incidentally is from Port Arthur, Texas like Janis Joplin). In what may be worse news for Lil’ Wayne’s chances, he is to be the subject of an upcoming Behind the Music, and as far as I know, things never go well for anyone on Behind the Music, particularly the premiere episode featuring Milli Vanilli — this column is named for their biggest hit, “Girl You Know It’s True” — whose lip syncing-fueled shame and one member’s subsequent suicide was an especially brutal downfall. Lil’ Wayne’s upcoming collaboration with Juelz Santana called “I Can’t Feel My Face” in honor of the numbing sensation from snorting too much cocaine does not inspire confidence in the rapper’s longevity. John McCain: This is my wildcard pick. The tributes would talk about his service, honor, devotion to country, etc. and ohmygod we were this close to President Sarah Palin. Presumably, he would be buried alongside his former wingman, Goose. You see, because he’s a Maverick. Jordan Carr never leaves home without his Walkman and MC Hammer tapes. You can email him at jcarr1@stanford.edu.

6 N THE STANFORD WEEKLY

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

SPORTS
One stroke all the difference in Ziegler’s tourney win
By JACK SALISBURY
SPORTS EDITOR

Close call for Cardinal
was nervous all week, but I think it got the best of me at the end.” Ziegler experienced the same nerves as Gempel, but unlike most players, they may be something that he thrives on. He has plenty of experience to fall back on, too. “When people ever ask me if I’m nervous, I have nerves over every single shot,” Ziegler said. “The bigger the situation, the more nerves there are. The day the nerves go away is the day I’ll quit playing. I care about golf so much that it gets me jacked, it gets me juiced, it gets the adrenaline flowing. “I know Kempel has had a lot of experience, but I feel at this age I’ve had an abundant amount of experience. I always use that as an encouraging factor for myself. That experience is invaluable — you can’t gain it any other way than actually having been there before.” Ziegler didn’t win the tournament by default, however. The victory marked the culmination of a well-played week of golf for the junior, who won six matches and made his way through a field of 96 players to take home the championship. It was a solid accomplishment by a player who has been racking up a pretty solid career so far on the Farm. But helping the Cardinal contend for another national title (the team won the 2007 championship before finishing runner up in 2008) this upcoming season is probably higher up on Ziegler’s to-do-list. “We have very strong parts returning, a couple of which the world didn’t quite get to see last year,” he said. “Plus, we have an incoming group of very talented players. I think it’s all going to lead to very good results next year.” Contact Jack Salisbury at jack24@ stanford.edu.

Danny

Belch

On My Mind

One stroke was all that mattered this past weekend as rising junior Steve Ziegler took home the Colorado Golf Association Match Play Championships, a week removed from teammate David Chung’s tournament win at the North & South Amateur Championship. Ziegler added another feather to his cap after a stunning finish in the final round, coming back from two strokes down in the final three holes to beat Tom Gempel, a recent graduate of the University of Colorado. As much as Ziegler won the last three holes, however, Gempel may have given them away — the 22-year old Colorado native broke down when it mattered most, hobbling to the tournament’s figurative finish line with a doublebogey and two bogeys. Ziegler attributed Gempel’s breakdown to fatigue and pressure. “He played more holes than anyone rightfully should in a match-play tournament,” Ziegler, the Cardinal’s top player this past year, said. “One of his matches went into a couple extra holes, and the other one went into six extra holes. “I think fatigue could have played a big factor,” he continued. “On top of that, I think the biggest factor was that the match-play championship was on the line. It’s very difficult to keep your nerves in check and perform in a normal situation when all of a sudden the tournament is right there in front of you.” “It was unfortunate that it ended like that,” Gempel told GoStanford.com. “I was pretty tired and hungry at the end. I hope [the outcome] didn’t have anything to do with that, but it may have. I

And the ESPY goes to...

T

he 2009 ESPY Awards took place last night and will air on TV on Sunday. The annual celebration of the best in sports is always a must-see for sports fans — we get to see our favorite athletes in a different light, the montage videos are awesome and the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage is always something special. And unlike the Oscars or the Grammys, every award but one (the aforementioned Ashe award) is voted on solely by the fans. Sports writers love making predictions for anything and everything, and the ESPYs are no exception. So even though the results were announced last night, I wrote this column before the event and am sharing my predictions with you. Best Male Athlete Nominees: Kobe Bryant (NBA), LeBron James (NBA), Michael Phelps (swimming), Jimmie Johnson (auto racing) Who will win: Kobe Bryant Who should win: Joey Chestnut (competitive eating) That’s right, Chestnut should win. These four guys are all great, even better than great. But what about Chestnut eating 68 hot dogs in 12 minutes en route to the world record? How can Kobe top that? He doesn’t even get any ketchup or mustard. Best Team Nominees: Connecticut women’s basketball, Los Angeles Lakers, North Carolina men’s basketball, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Steelers Who will win: Los Angeles Lakers Who should win: Brett Favre and his life coach Even though I think the Lakers will win, I think the UConn women are more deserving — they went undefeated and no other team in this category did. However, no team in this category is as great as Favre and whoever is giving him advice on what to do next in life. Together, they have really navigated the uncertain and treacherous waters brilliantly. Best Female Athlete Nominees: Natalie Coughlin (swimming), Nastia Liukin (gymnastics),

Stanford Daily File Photo

The top returning player from the 2008-09 Stanford squad, rising junior Steve Ziegler took home his first tournament victory of the summer last week at the Colorado Golf Association Match Play Championships.

INTERNATIONAL SOCCER

Stanford Stadium host to Inter-Club America match
By CHRIS FITZGERALD
DAILY INTERN

World football converges upon Palo Alto this Sunday with reputable powerhouses Inter Milan and Club America locking horns as they open the World Football Challenge. International flavor is nothing new to Stanford Stadium, which was a host site for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Inter Milan, known simply as “Inter” in its home country, routinely plays home matches in front of 50,000 spectators or more. The World Football Challenge hopes to attract close to that number in Palo Alto in the opener of six games played all around the U.S. The other five

host sites are Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., Atlanta’s Georgia Dome, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and the Dallas Cowboys’ new arena in Arlington. Inter Milan and Club America join Chelsea and AC Milan in the Challenge. Each team will play three matches, with the team garnering the most points declared champion of the first World Football Challenge. While Inter and AC Milan are perennial rivals in Serie A, the Italian club’s excursion to Palo Alto to contest Club America will be no easy task. Based in Mexico City, Club America has captured ten league championships at the highest

level of soccer in the country. The squad boasts a slew of international stars, with its attack being led by Paraguayan Salvador Cabanas. Club America suits up under head coach Jesus Ramirez. Inter, based in Milan, Italy, is coming off its fourth consecutive Serie A crown. The club held an impressive 25-9-4 record in the 2008-2009 season, fending off Juventus to retain their title as the best of the best in Italy. The Italian club has never been relegated to the second divisions, Serie B, the only team in Serie A to claim such a distinction. In addition,

Please see SOCCER, page 9

Please see BELCH, page 9

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

THE STANFORD WEEKLY N 7

SWIMMING

Stanford swimmers give the world their best shot
By COREY MURPHEY Six Stanford swimmers will compete at the World Aquatic Championships in Rome beginning July 26. Geoff Cheah (Hong Kong), David Dunford (Kenya), Jason Dunford (Kenya), Kate Dwelley (USA), Paul Kornfeld (Canada) and Julia Smit (USA) will represent their respective countries at the Championships. Dwelley and Smit earned their berths on the United States World Championship roster at the U.S. World Championship Trials last week in Indianapolis. Dwelley, who placed fifth in the 100 meter freestyle, will be a member of the 4x100 meter freestyle relay at the Championships. Smit, an Olympian, will join her on the 4x100 meter freestyle relay team as the fourthplace finisher in the event. The top six finishers in the 100 meter freestyle will go to Rome. Smit will also compete individually in the 200 and 400 meter individual medley. After her American record swim in the 200 individual medley, Smit earned a second individual event by placing second in the 400 individual medley to 16 year-old Olympian, Elizabeth Beisel. Only the first and second place finishers in individual events qualify for the World Championships roster. 17 members of the Stanford women’s swimming team competed in the finals at the Trials. Junior Liz Smith placed fourth in the 200-meter breaststroke while Olympian Elaine Breeden barely missed the World Championships team, placing third in her specialty events of the 100 and 200 meter butterfly. Junior Kerry Kraemer competed in the finals of the 100 breaststroke, placing eighth in the heat. On the men’s side, sophomore Curtis Lovelace headlined a successful Trials for the Cardinal, placing third in the 200 breaststroke and sixth in the 100 breaststroke. Lovelace swam the 200 meters in a time of 2:10.96, a mere half-second behind second-place finisher, Adam Klein of Auburn. Incoming freshman Matt Thompson revealed the strength of the top-ranked Cardinal recruiting class of 2013, with two top-eight finishes in the 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley. Thompson also finished 10th in the 400 individual medley. Other Stanford finalists include Trevor Scheid (400 freestyle, sixth) and David Mosko (200 fly, seventh; 400 freestyle, sixth). Sophomore Morgan Priestley (200 freestyle), freshman Mack Montgomery (400 freestyle), senior Patrick Simpkins (100 and 200 fly) and Jake Allen (50, 100 and 200 freestyle) also placed in the top 24 at the Trials.

Stanford Daily File Photo

A number of Stanford swimmers have been competing on all sides of the globe. Five of them will continue their efforts at the World Aquatic Championships, which begin July 26 in Rome.
Meanwhile in Canada, Paul Kornfeld and Michael Zoldos competed in the Canadian World Championship Trials. Kornfeld made the Canadian roster in the 200 meter breaststroke as the secondplace finisher at the trials. Kornfeld also medaled in the 50 and 100 meter breaststrokes, placing second and third, respectively. Michael Zoldos finished second in the 400 meter freestyle and third in the 1,500 meter freestyle at the Trials. On the other side of the world, Stanford swimmers dominated the competition at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. Swimmers Bobby Bollier, Geoff Cheah, John Criste, David Dunford, Jason Dunford, Eugene Godsoe, Chad La Tourette and Matthew Swanston competed in the Games, earning medals in seven events. La Tourette followed a successful collegiate year with three medals at the Games in the 400, 800, and 1,500 meter freestyles. La Tourette won the 800 freestyle, bettering his own Games’ record from 2008. He earned silver in his other two events. Dunford won gold, silver and bronze in the 100 butterfly, 50 butterfly and 100 freestyle, respectively. Dunford, competing for Kenya, made a spectacular show in semifinals of the 100 butterfly, clocking 50.85, just .4 seconds off of the world record time held by Ian Crocker. Bollier also earned a medal at the Universiade as a member of the 4x200 meter freestyle relay. Bollier competed in the individual events of the 50, 100 and 200 meter butterfly, 200 meter freestyle and 400 meter individual medley. Contact Corey Murphey at clmyhc @stanford.edu.

P E R F O R M I N G A RT S S E A S O N

The famed a cappella quartet revisit their favorite century (the 13th) in these once-forbidden works from a Spanish convent.

West Coast Premiere of the “dream ballet troupe” (N.Y. Times) directed by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon.

Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter/ composer Blanchard leads a symphonic suite inspired by Huricane Katrina.

U.S. Premiere, co-commissioned by Lively Arts: 10 plays and 20 roles — all acted by the world-renowned performance artist.

8 N THE STANFORD WEEKLY

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

AWARDS
Continued from page 5
the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the confines of the Executive Office of the President, and were established by President Clinton in 1996. Nine federal departments and agencies collaborated to nominate young scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments can strengthen leadership in science and technology. Winners will receive up to a five-year grant to expand their studies in support of critical government missions. Recipients will be presented with their awards next fall at a White House ceremony. “It’s definitely an honor and a privilege,” Fringer said. “I was very happy because I know Obama’s commitment to science is huge and I feel very honored to be a recipient while he is President.” Fringer specializes in and develops numerical models for environmental flows, trying to understand how water moves through rivers, lakes, estuaries and oceans. He studies patterns of waves and tides in combination with sediment transport and the movement of pollutants. Zheng carries out nanoscale research, with particular interest in

SPORTS BRIEFS: CARDINAL DUOS REPRESENT TEAM USA
“I was very happy because I know Obama’s commitment to science is huge...”
— THOMAS FRINGER, assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
one-dimensional level nanomaterials known as nanowares in combustion and propulsion applications. “It’s a huge encouragement and recognition for what we have done and, not only for me, but also for my students,” Zheng said. “It brings a very positive spirit and the confidence to research.” Contact Melissa Chan at melissacchan@yahoo.com

Pedersen and Pohlen come up golden
Juniors Jeanette Pohlen and Kayla Pedersen got to travel halfway across the globe to play with and against some of the best women’s basketball players in the world. Most importantly, though, they’ll be coming back to Stanford with gold. The Cardinal duo both played key roles in Team USA’s championship run at the World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia, which culminated last week in a 83-64 victory over Russia in the finals. Pedersen scored 11 points and collected nine rebounds, while Pohlen chipped in seven points and five assists in the championship game. It was a relatively close game for the dominant squad, which went 7-0 at the Games and won each game by

an average of 33.1 points. Fellow Stanford teammate Jayne Appel was also slated to compete for the team, but had to withdraw from the Games after she recently underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

As do Haber and Hansen
Pohlen and Pedersen weren’t the only Cardinal athletes to help their country win a championship this past weekend. Outfielder Alissa Haber and shortstop Ashley Hansen helped Team USA to another title, this time with the U.S. National softball team at the Canada Cup Championship. Haber and Hansen were joined by alumna Lauren Lappin ‘06. It was the two current Stanford players who made the biggest impact,

though, as Haber hit a scorching .379 (11-for-29) with nine RBIs in 11 game. Hansen was the youngest member of the team, but had little trouble as well, going 7-for-24 (.279) over the course of the 12-game tournament. Aside from helping their squad to victory, the Cardinal duo had the chance to practice with softball superstars like Jennie Finch and Cat Osterman. According to Hansen, the best thing she took away from the tournament was “just playing alongside with some of the girls I grew up admiring and respecting and some of my heroes of the game.” “Getting to know them personally and play next to them is a great experience,” Hansen said. — By Jack Salisbury

SOCCER
Continued from page 7
Inter has locked up 17 Serie A titles over 80 years in the division. Inter continues on after its match Sunday, playing Chelsea on July 21 in Pasadena, then rivals AC Milan July 26 in Foxborough, Mass. Club America crosses the country to face AC Milan in Atlanta on July 22, then Chelsea on July 26 in Arlington. Many Club America players suited up in Palo Alto for an exhibition against Chelsea in 2007, the last international friendly played at Stanford Stadium. If Sunday’s match resembles the 2007 international showcase, Palo Alto will face a giant traffic jam and the two squads will meet in front of a crowd that should fill Stanford Stadium to capacity. Contact Chris Fitzgerald at chrisfitz@gmail.com.

BELCH
Continued from page 7
Maya Moore (NCAA basketball), Candace Parker (WNBA), Serena Williams (tennis) Who will win: Serena Williams Who should win: Joanna Krupa (ABC’s “The Superstars”) Serena is the best out of these five. But have you seen Krupa and her partner, Terrell Owens, on ABC’s less-than-entertaining summer reality show? She has made T.O. look like a pee-wee football player. Not to mention how she talks smack right back at him — that’s awardwinning right there. Best Game Nominees: Federer vs. Nadal in the 2008 Wimbledon final, Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, Syracuse vs. Connecticut in the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament Who will win: Federer vs. Nadal Who should win: Albuquerque Isotopes vs. Nashville Sounds, AAA Baseball Federer vs. Nadal was an instant classic. But it was nothing like the record crowds showing up in New Mexico to watch Manny Ramirez’s first game back from suspension after he tested positive for performanceenhancing drugs. From the hottest thing to hit New Mexico since maybe ever, to ESPN breaking away from programming to show live coverage of Manny’s at-bats, this game had it all. Evidence below. Best Breakthrough Athlete Nominees: Shawn Johnson (gymnas-

tics), Evan Longoria (MLB), Derrick Rose (NBA), Matt Ryan (NFL) Who will win: Matt Ryan Who should win: Manny Parra, Nashville Sounds Parra, who is a member of the Brewers but has been up and down between the Majors and Triple-A, struck out Manny in Ramirez’s first. Half the pitchers in the MLB can’t strike out Manny, period. Now that’s a breakthrough. Best Championship Performance Nominees: Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Cole Hamels (Philadelphia Phillies), Michael Phelps (Olympic swimming), Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh (Olympic beach volleyball) Who will win: Michael Phelps Who should win: Joey Chestnut (competitive eating) Chestnut should win his second award of the night for holding off Kobayashi by stuffing hot dogs in his mouth at an alarming pace and winning a third-straight Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest. Have we figured out when he has time to breathe? Best Upset Nominees: Mine That Bird wins Kentucky Derby, Oregon State football stuns No. 1 USC, Tampa Bay Rays win AL Pennant, U.S. Soccer shocks Spain in Confederations Cup Who will win: U.S. Soccer shocks Spain Who should win: Kris Allen over Adam Lambert, “American Idol” This is a weak category for Best Upset when you think about what we’ve seen in years past (Appalachian State over Michigan, Giants over Patriots, Warriors over Mavericks). The USA Soccer victory was admittedly pretty special. But come on, how shocked were you when Ryan Seacrest announced that Kris was the winner of American Idol? Best Male Golfer Nominees: Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods Who will win: Tiger Woods Who should win: Tiger Woods Duh! Saw the results last night? Email Danny Belch at dbelch1@stanford.edu and let him know how he did.

PLACE YOUR AD IN THE STANFORD WEEKLY
650.721.5803

CLASSIFIEDS
HOW TO PLACE AN AD
Call (650) 723-2555 ext. 301 for display and contract rates labeled weekly container and occasionally sit for husband with Parkinson’s. Small household tasks. Seeking someone who’s willing, reliable and has good judgment. $15 hour. Leave message at (408) 253-1995. Private, secure patio area great for entertaining and BBQing. Laundry w/W/D , 1 car garage. Short term lease okay. Available July 30, can show immediately. $4000/mo (650) 776-9073

AUTOS
2005 Audi A4 1.8T 65k mi 6-speed manual $14,200 650-873-1191

HOUSING
$1,000/mo. – Furnished master bedroom with private bath & private entrance. Close to campus and hospital. Utilities & housekeeping service included. No smoking. Shari 650-324-2320. 3 br, 4 ba house for rent in downtown Menlo Park. Bike/Walk to everything ... CalTrain, Stanford, Santa Cruz Ave & more. Large bedrooms, two with private entrances and full bathrooms.

FOR SALE
7/UNTIL SOLD/09 – call at end of summer started 7/9 650 387-2138 Raleigh 5 sp folding bike - exc. condition, $350 Silveridge ATB style 12 sp (24") $l65 call 650 387-2138 leave a message

HELP WANTED
Domestic Helper for Peninsula Couple. Weekly and as needed for a variety of tasks and errands. Groceries, pharmacy, dry cleaning, take-out meals. Occasionally drive wife to events and husband to MD. Sort pills into pre-

Jobs
Promote CourseSmart, an eTextbook provider. Earn Stipend & bonuses for hosting campus events. One spot left! To apply visit www. repnation.com/coursesmart.

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

THE STANFORD WEEKLY N 9

FEATURES
and the
Photo courtesy of Julia Jones

Lord Voldemort, backed by his team of Death Eaters, uses the unforgivable curse on Harry Potter. Moviegoers, dressed as characters, acted out scenes from the series to pass the time before the premiere.

Hoard of Mimickers

After two years, fans felt the magic again at the premiere
of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
By KANWALROOP SINGH
ord Voldemort pulls open the door of the Century 16 theater Tuesday night and strides toward the Sorting Hat while brandishing her stick. She leads her band of Death Eaters inside, after she and her boyfriend — dressed as Harry Potter — skip through the theater holding hands and singing, “All you need is love.” There’s a sorting hat that’s four feet tall, made out of a hula hoop, steel bars and purple cloth. “This took me seven hours to make!” exclaimed its creator, who offered to use it to sort Voldemort and her Death eaters into the house of Slytherin. “I don’t think I’m that obsessed with Harry Potter,” claims the frolicking She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Of course not. Even though she dressed up as a Dementor for the last premiere — with black face paint and a costume made of garbage bags — and grudgingly got rid of her Harry Potter sheets, boxers, napkins and books on tape. A girl wearing a shirt that says “muggle” is sitting on the floor, first one in line, laptop by her side. She’s been there since 5 p.m., and at this point, her butt hurts. “I’ve read each of the seven Harry Potter books about five times,” she said. “I remember this one Halloween where I made Voldemort’s grave, turned each room of my house into a life-sized Hogwarts classroom, and hand-drew a giant poster of the crests of the four Hogwarts houses.” All around, people sip butterbeer — homemade and store bought — play Harry Potter trivia and Wizard Chess, eat and and share stories of their managed mischief. Brian Lillie MBA ‘06, dressed as Professor Snape and donning a graduation gown and wig of oily black hair, sits in line with his 11-year old daughter. It’s a moderate disguise when contrasted with the flamboyant fashions of a group of Stanford students nearby. One girl wears a handmade nose and Death Eater mask, two others grip hand-carved wands and ladles,

L

and a guy flaunts his self-grown moustache. Nearby, a group of drama students dressed in a variety of guises runs periodically to the ticket window to ask if they can watch the movie in theater 9-3/4. They talk in character and stage an epic duel between Snape, Neville Longbottom, Remus Lupin and Bellatrix Lestrange. Amid shouts and exclamations of incredulity, they position themselves in the middle of the courtyard. “These guys are having, like, legit duels and stuff!” is one girl’s insightful comment. Snape points his wand at Longbottom, who shouts something incomprehensible in return. “That’s not a spell; you just made that up!” Snape yells at Longbottom. Shouts of “Crucio!” and “Stupefy!” arise as the wizards swish and flick their wands. “Avada Kedavra!” screams Lestrange in a frenzy, almost plunging her wand into Lupin, and ending the duel with two dead wizards and a triumphant, if not psychotic, grin. Just when the scene seems to have hit the peak of ridiculousness, Darth Vader shows up. A muggle pulls down his pants and runs around in circles screaming, “Harry Potter love!” as a police car casually drives by. At last, an AMC employee zooms by in his wheelchair to inform the moviegoers that they will soon be entering the theater. Shouts and cheers erupt all around. Then, like a slythering snake, the line of robes, hats and one scantily clad Cho Chang files into the movie theater, leaving the once-crowded area outside of Century 16 empty. The calm is unsettling. The entrance area is littered with Twizzler wrappers and peach ring packets, Mountain Dew bottles and Milk Duds, fluttering napkins and wrinkled ticket confirmations. Hurricane Harry has descended upon Century 16 in a magical fury, leaving silence in its wake. Contact Kanwalroop Singh at kannieks@gmail.com.

CHELSEA MA/The Stanford Daily

Fans lined up outside the theater several hours before the midnight movie in an attempt to grab good seats. Some snacked on candy, others finished reviewing the sixth book and an antsy few dueled. THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

10 N THE STANFORD WEEKLY

Solar with
Stanford Solar Car Project strives for efficiency in preparation for the World Solar Car Challenge in October
By MICKI REAM
n the power it would take to run a toaster, we can cruise down the road at 40 to 50 miles per hour,” said Sasha Zbrozek ‘10, team leader of the Stanford Solar Car Project. Zbrozek was hooked from the very beginning. “During the Activity Fair freshman year, I saw a really wonky looking thing sitting in White Plaza and it conveniently caught my eye,” he recalled. “One of my biggest fears in going off to college was whether or not I would still have access to a workshop.” Stanford Solar Car Project is a one-of-a-kind student-led organization that opens its doors to all undergraduates seeking a hands-on building experience, no prior knowledge necessary. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to apply their interests in an exciting way,” said member David Orenstein, School of Engineering Communications and Public Relations manager. “It’s not just putting a couple of solar panels together to run a light bulb. There are real applications.” Zbrozek emphasizes the creative nature of Solar Car. “What I don’t get in class I get at Solar Car,” he said. “I get to play with expensive toys. I have the time

Speed

“O

and opportunity to build really complicated things. I get to spend hours and hours and hours, staying up till four in the morning very frequently debugging things and making sure they work. All of that is magic.” Faculty advisor David Davidson agrees. “It’s an entirely volunteer operation, and it’s entirely time consuming,” he said. “If you are involved in this project, you’re entirely gung-ho, you are entirely enthralled with the project.” Currently, Stanford Solar Car is working on finishing a brand new car, christened Apogee, to take to Australia for the 10th World Solar Car Challenge from Oct. 25 to Oct. 31. The 3,000 kilometer race covers the vast Australian continent from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the south via the Stuart Highway. In most places along the Stuart Highway, the road is so remote that there is no posted speed limit because there is no one to enforce it. The race rules stipulate that the team can drive a maximum of eight hours per day before the students will have to make camp by the side of the road and wait. Design on the new car began winter quarter of the 2007-2008 academic year, after the team returned from the 2007 event. “You can only race a car for about two years before it becomes sufficiently outdated that it no

Courtesy of Stanford Solar Car

The Stanford Solar Car Project encourages its members to gain technical knowledge via creativity. The group is currently working on Apogee, a solar car that will enter the World Solar Car Challenge in Australia come October.
longer meets the rules,” Zbrozek said. “Every time the rules change, they look at normal street-cars, then they look at solar cars and they pick out something they want to make more like a normal car.” For instance, Apogee will have upright seating and a door, neither of which was incorporated on the previous model, Equinox. Solar car racing has come a long way into the mainstream. “Twenty years ago when solar racing first started, the cars had 15 meter square solar arrays and were shaped like oversized cockroaches,” Zbrozek noted. Apogee will essentially be an electric car that uses solar power. The sun’s rays will be absorbed over a six square-meter sea of dark blue silicon solar cells, which will convert light into about 1,300 watts of electricity. As the race across Australia suggests, solar car racing is primarily a test of endurance, with less focus placed on acceleration. The time it takes the car to make it to a freeway speed from a complete stop (zero to 60 mph) has never been tested. “It’s most likely abysmal,” Zbrozek admitted. Ryan McCullough ‘09, a member of the team who focuses primarily on the mechanical engineering of the car, elaborated, noting that acceleration would mean lower efficiency. “It’s not a dragster by any stretch of the imagination. It’s designed to accelerate as slowly as possible because that is the most efficient,” he said. As an exercise in performance efficiency, Apogee has features like regenerative braking. This is the same technique that the Toyota Prius uses to increase efficiency and mpg (miles per gallon). Regenerative braking slows the car by disconnecting the solar cells from the motor and using the motor as a generator to recharge the battery, rather than shaving off speed by turning energy into heat. The battery also has GRACE KWAN/The Stanford Daily two purposes: a reservoir of charge for the motor, and a place where energy can be returned during braking in order to be reused later. The number Zbrozek and the Stanford Solar Car Project are trying to maximize is the amount of the sun’s energy available to move the car forward — the “wells to wheels” efficiency — which is currently estimated at 19.7 percent. As the energy moves around the system, there are many small losses, the largest of which is due to the solar conversion efficiency. Only 22 percent of the sun’s energy is converted into electricity. This means that we are unlikely to see solar cars on the road in the near future. “From a practical point of view, solar cars will never be practical,” said Tom Bowman, chair of the Stanford Mechanical Engineering Thermoscience Division. “They are too expensive. But they are an interesting technological challenge and exercise in system integration.” The Stanford Solar Car Project has built nine cars since its inception in 1989. The constant evolution allows current members a hand in design, construction and also the opportunity to learn what works and what doesn’t from those who built the previous versions. Besides providing undergrads with hands-on experience, the mission of solar car racing is to spread the word about the possibilities of solar power and alternative energy. But Zbrozek freely acknowledges that the Stanford Solar Car Project isn’t environmentally friendly by any measure. “We build a materially expensive vehicle that will never pay back the raw material,” he said. “Solar car is one of the most environmentally unsound practices, probably short of NASCAR. “While the cars themselves aren’t too green, they do show how energy efficient vehicles behave and how powerful solar energy is,” he added. The practical outcome of solar car racing appears to be in developing efficient electric cars. But McCullough doesn’t dismiss solar energy entirely. If panels installed in the home were used to charge an electric car, then “in that way, you could drive off the grid forever.” For now though, it’s back to the shop. The car has just started rolling, and as Zbrozek reminds us, there is work to be done. Contact Micki Ream at cream@stanford.edu.

A C OMPARISON

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009

THE STANFORD WEEKLY N 11

ENTERTAINMENT
AT THE THEATRE

STANFORD SHINES IN “NERO”
“I want to be a Spectacle!” Stanford artist-in-residence Amy Freed delivered a glorious romp through pop culture and Roman history with “You, Nero,” which just ended its two-month stint at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The play weaves a novel tale about intrigue, incest and Nero’s part in Rome’s great fire. Audiences young and old will appreciate the allusions, sight gags and pop references that Freed employs throughout the play. The licentious Nero, played by Berkeley Ph.D. Danny Scheie, takes the playwright Scribonius into the world of the Roman imperial court, replete with dirty deeds, ludicrous ladies and tantalizing treachery. Scheie and Jeff McCarthy as Scribonius deliver masterful performances, producing an effervescent chemistry on stage that showcases both their ability as actors and Sharon Ott’s talented direction. The play follows Scribonius as he navigates the court and attempts to stay alive, as Nero inexplicably kills slaves for minor offenses such as breathing. Commissioned to write a play for Nero’s festival for the arts, Scribonius finds himself caught in the crossfire between Nero and the women in his life: Agrippina (his mother) and Poppaea (the court mistress). Seduced by fame and flesh, Scribonius produces a play-within-a-play that challenges the audience and emperor to reflect on Nero as a man of drama and an artist with a sordid past. This challenge does not last long, though — the audience is quickly exposed to the full intensity of Nero’s extreme vanity. Freed and Ott serves up some sophomoric humor in this outlandish comedic take on Roman history, but the play, especially through the character Scribonius, makes some serious points about the intersection of drama and politics that reverberate to the present day. Does art imitate life, or can dramatists influence life through their art? How can high art survive in a world that lusts after carnage and reality shows? Reflecting these issues, Freed stated that the inspiration for the play came to her in a dream, where Nero, standing before a bloody body, called out to her and shouted, “Now, that’s how you begin a play!” Freed confesses while the title “You, Nero” is an implicit allusion to “I, Claudius,” a classic historical fiction, it actually refers more to YouTube. After Newsweek claimed that “You” were the person of the year, she reflected on “the thematic ideas had to do with a culture of narcissism, the degeneration of the theater and entertainment into the endless solipsism of reality television, the eerie similarities between the cruelty in Roman spectacle entertainment and our own time.” For Freed, writing is about being who you are and staying true to your interpretation of the world. Making a great use of its small cast, the play’s versatile players switch seamlessly between the roles of tiger, eunuch and even the philosopher Seneca. Ott has done a great job at incorporating the intimate space of the

Courtesy of Berkeley Rep.

“YOU, NERO”: Three recent Stanford graduates (not pictured) take on the Berkeley Theatre.
Berkeley Rep., a talented and versatile cast, and a script that involves orgies, bloodbaths and a rock concert. Stanford is heavily represented with three recent grads in the cast — Donnell Hill ‘09, Maggie Mason ‘06 and Sarah Moser ‘06. In fact, Freed uses her time in the classroom to work collaboratively with students. When she directed the play “Restoration Comedy” on campus, she utilized student talent in the acting as well as the writing of the play. As Freed notes, “Theater skills are uniquely taught. They pass from person to person, from one generation from another. You have to be directly proximate to the people and practice of theater to absorb it and enter it.” The Berkeley Rep. Theatre is one of the country’s best and was awarded a Tony Award for Best Regional Theatre in 1997. — tommy TOBIN contact tommy: ttobin@stanford.edu

SUMMER CONCERTS

Death Cab, A. Bird, Riot make memories
They say in South Africa that if it rains when the sun is shining, it’s a monkey’s wedding. A meteorological rarity, the monkey’s wedding on Saturday evening in Berkeley — more than 10,000 miles away — was only fitting for an exceptional musical spectacle featuring two headliners Death Cab for Cutie and Andrew Bird, as well as up-and-coming indie rockers Ra Ra Riot. Perhaps it was even more peculiar that Mr. Bird was joined on stage by a sock monkey. Add to that a birthday, an electric cello and an enthusiastic Ben Gibbard, and you have one memorable night. A short skip across the Bay from the confines of geriatric Palo Alto, Berkeley’s Greek Theatre was host to a capacity crowd undeterred by the downpour, a swift surprise to what had been a cloudless day. But with the amphitheatre soon framed by an amazing rainbow halfway through Andrew Bird’s set, the crowd was soon justified for seeing out the showers. With the show beginning promptly at 6:30 p.m., the crowd was still filing in when New Yorkers Ra Ra Riot took the stage. The band, complete with cello and violin, presented a unique sound of cathartic strings — inspired by the recent death of drummer John Pike — and enthusiastic vocals from front man Wes Miles. Appeasing their passionate fans, Ra Ra Riot, having already toured with Editors and Vampire Weekend, showed why they are touted as one of the hottest young bands by everyone from NPR to SPIN magazine. With impressive performances of “Dying is Fine” and “Oh, La” from their debut album, “The Rhumb Line,” Ra Ra Riot set the tone with a strong 30-minute set. And with the crowd settling, enter Andrew Bird decked out in silver-sparkling dress shoes, monkey companion and violin. No sooner had he taken off his shoes before the crowd broke out into songs of “Happy Birthday,” a tribute to the multi-instrumentalist’s 36th special day. “Why thank you,” he replied slickly. “Yes, it is my birthday.” Beginning each song by looping improvised violin solos and whistled harmonies, he often ditched the violin in favor of his guitar to play crowd favorites like “Imitosis” and “Anoanimal.” Bird, backed by an equally impressive band and a rotating double gramophone, proved that even in a music world dominated by gimmick names and unworthy performers, there is a place for the polished musician. Bird finished his hour-long set with “Fake Palindromes,” the crowd moving with each drawn-out lyric. Death Cab for Cutie then immediately opened with “Marching Bands of Manhattan.” Continuing with crowd favorites “The New Year” and “Crooked Teeth,” the band was backed by a solid lights show and visual display. Fresh off of a performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic the weekend before, Ben Gibbard was in the mood. An atypical lead singer, the usually subdued singer was lively throughout the performance and always gracious to the content crowd. Death Cab is often criticized for being boring or unable to energize a large venue, but on Saturday they were neither. The only qualm on Saturday, however, was that the band was just a tad too safe; while they did mix in songs from their new EP, “The Open Door,” the band’s song choice was expected and drew heavily from their “Plans” album. Even so, their performance was truly professional. Death Cab was willing to oblige the crowd with their most popular songs, and Gibbard even proved that indie rockers aren’t afraid to dance. “This is what we like to call the Death Cab two-step,” he said of the band’s “Sound of Settling.” Ending with the beautiful “Transatlanticism,” Death Cab left their fans more than content and wishing the band could extend the encore. “I need you so much closer,” sang the Greek as the memorable night came to a close. “I need you so much closer.”
— ryan MAC contact ryan: rbmac@stanford.edu

DEVIN BANERJEE/The Stanford Daily

“INTO THE DARK”: Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard sings his hit solo last weekend at the Greek Theatre. 12 N THE STANFORD WEEKLY

THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009