Monday, February 4, 2002

'Kick @$$ Party' Sputters, Fizzles, Sinks

I took a quick count of the attendance in the enormous fieldhouse, filled with its inflatable rubber leviathans and post-industrial noise. At 9:15, fewer than fifty people were there. Over half were Party personnel.

Slow Nights at Frat-less Hamilton College

The gas tank was full, the path was determined, the CD player cooking out the finest in Lynyrd Skynyrd. We were off to Hamilton College in Clinton, NY to gauge the social scene after that college took the students' fraternity houses away. In other words we were driving six hours to party like it was our job, and it was.

The Reparations Debate on Campus: Weak

Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree is not in favor of reparations for the African-American descendants of slaves, but he is leading efforts to sue the federal government for slavery reparations. Ogletree explained this apparent contradiction in the course of a recent debate on reparations between himself and Boston University Professor of Economy Glen Lowry in Collis Commonground.

Carnival: The Mardi Gras of the North

This weekend, Hanover will be filled with the sights and sounds of a legend: the Winter Carnival, Dartmouth's annual festival once dubbed "the Mardi Gras of the North" by National Geographic magazine.

Nationalism in Split, Croatia

Robert Kaplan's praised (and despised) Balkan Ghosts considers the region through the eyes of a well-informed traveler. Rather than merely reporting what he sees or writing tales of the places he visits, in this book, as in his others, Kaplan attempts to map the dynamics at work today and the future processes.

TDR Interview: Craig Benson

Last week, The Dartmouth Review sat down with Craig Benson, founder and former CEO of Cabletron Systems. After a highly successful career with Cabletron, a New Hampshire-based cable company whose IPO was the largest ever for a technology-based company, Mr. Benson is gearing up for the Republican primary for governor of New Hampshire.

Zantop Murders 'Thrill Kill' for Tulloch, Parker

According to a report in the January 24th edition of The Boston Herald, Zantop murder suspect Robert Tulloch allegedly told 'at least one jailhouse inmate' in the Grafton County Jail in Haverhill that the slaying of Dartmouth professors Half and Susanne Zantop on January 27th of last year was a 'thrill kill.'

NH Rep. Sununu Tackles National, Domestic Issues

The Congressman visited Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the USS Theodore Roosevelt, to examine the need for U.S. aid and World Bank/IMF funds, but the focus of Sununu's talk was Afghanistan. Congressman Sununu's first impression of Afghanistan was reasonably exciting, as the 35-mile drive from the airport to Kabul provided plenty of scenery: unexploded ordinance, machine gun placements, and rusting tanks.

Not Tonight Honey: Celibacy Through History; James Baehr Reviews 'A History of Celibacy'

Abbott's book is so historically thorough, that it oftentimes feels like much more than a history of celibacy. The focus on the role that religions have played in the pursuit of celibacy makes her book a short primer on the major and minor faiths. In describing the cultural context in which the individuals and groups she covers turn to chastity, she establishes a striking sense of time and place.

The Failure of Middle Eastern Studies: J. Lawrence Scholer Reviews 'Ivory Towers on Sand'

Yet, despite his history and newsworthiness, bin Laden has never made it to the desks of Middle Eastern scholars. In the field, he has been widely ignored—no analyses of him or of his views have been written by academics. Despite bin Laden's now evident weight in the Islamic community, scholars have paid little attention to him, and, more broadly, Islamic terrorism in general.

Fishing for the Giant Squid: Stewart Adam reviews the DVD 'Fishing With John'

Everyone of us has realized the limitless comedic potential of fishing shows when chancing upon one on a weekend morning. A squirrelly, baseball-hatted master of the piscatory arts is blessed with the celebrity appearance of some half-forgotten athlete. John Lurie, the artist extraordinaire and leader of the jazz group, The Lounge Lizards, brilliantly exploits this potential in his near-parody Fishing With John.

Willie Nelson: Still Crazy After All These Years

Durham, New Hampshire—two hours from Hanover, minutes from the Seacoast, and home to the University of New Hampshire. The Whittemore Center, although not directly affiliated with UNH, sits on campus. It is the usual home for UNH hockey; tonight Willie Nelson and Family are on ice.

The New Athletic Director: Dartmouth Needs a Winner

In institutions like Dartmouth, students have the desire to win in both athletics and academics, but our teams' records, even within the Ivy League, have been far from good. Football carried a 1-6 record in the Ivy, Men's Soccer had a 2-4-1 record, and Women's Squash only reached a 2-12 season against other Ivy League schools. Has it occurred to anybody that we need to start winning again?

Guess Who's Against Interracial Dating at Dartmouth!

While some religious conservatives have long been branded as racist and segregationalist for suggesting that, from a cultural perspective, interracial and interreligious dating may do more harm than good, apparently it is all right when those of Jewish or African-American descent espouse similar, or stronger, views.