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Editor's Note: Periodically, we will be posting stories relating to the college experience here on The Pharos blog. If you have anything to say, please give us your opinion via the comment option below the post.
"As Wikipedia has become more and more popular with students, some professors have become increasingly concerned about the online, reader-produced encyclopedia.
While plenty of professors have complained about the lack of accuracy or completeness of entries, and some have discouraged or tried to bar students from using it, the history department at Middlebury College is trying to take a stronger, collective stand. It voted this month to bar students from citing the Web site as a source in papers or other academic work. All faculty members will be telling students about the policy and explaining why material on Wikipedia — while convenient — may not be trustworthy."
Read on...
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
The Five Most Anticipated Albums of 2007
As 2007 gets off to a rousing start, it’s time to take a look forward to what we can expect in the music world this year. Below are my Five Most Anticipated Albums. Excited? You should be!
Silverchair: When Silverchair’s last album, “Diorama,” came out in 2002, it was called “one of the boldest musical statements ever made by an Australian rock band.” Even Bono of U2 told Rolling Stone that you should “swim to Australia to hear them if you have to.” Yes, it’s true that “Diorama” took a drastic turn away from the band’s original grunge sound. However, their new album “Young Modern” should surpass “Diorama” easily. The guys have had a four year break, allowing for plenty of writing and recording and taking the time to do things just right. There will most likely be some orchestration and electronica over the ‘Chair’s normal heavy rock, as we saw them do in “Diorama,” but expect them to take this album even further. Hopefully this album will also see success in America; the band hasn’t had commercial success here since their 1999 release “Neon Ballroom.” “Young Modern” will drop in late March or early April on Eleven: A Music Company.
The Smashing Pumpkins: This is the Most Anticipated I never thought I’d get to write. When I heard about Billy Corgan’s full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune, promising to bring back the band, I doubted he could do it. Now he’s proved me wrong. While the lineup of the band won’t be entirely the same (Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin are the only original members returning), the sound will most likely be assuredly Pumpkins, with haunting lyrics and soaring melodies. We can expect to see Corgan’s brilliant songwriting dominate the album, hopefully with tinges of growth and maturity that weren’t in previous Pumpkin albums. The album is due in late spring or early summer.
The Used: They were supposed to release an album last year. They didn’t. Things within the band got rocky, and eventually led to the replacement of Branden Steineckert with Dan Whitesides. Because of all this, expect their new album (which, yes, will be out this year) to be a little tougher than their previous works. Actually, it’ll probably be a lot tougher. Also, don’t expect it to be a concept album—guitarist Quinn Allman has already nixed that theory by telling Alternative Press, “Each one of our songs is its own concept.” The album has been promised for February or March on Warner Brothers.
Aiden: These guys are young and talented. However, their previous efforts, including their most recent “Nightmare Anatomy,” have all been lackluster. They were so obsessed with being “unique” that the quality of the music suffered, and they wound up sounding like every other teen goth act in America. Hopefully their new album will show us that they have matured a little bit, have stopped limiting themselves, and can play with the big boys. I’m expecting more singing and less screaming from frontman wiL Francis, as well as lyrics that a normal human can comprehend. Expect the album to drop sometime in July on Victory Records.
HIM: This band has long had a bit of a cult following in America; by now, we’ve all seen their trademark Heartagram plastered somewhere. The Finnish quintet stunned many with their last album, “Dark Light,” which was much more pop-sounding than their previous efforts. “Dark Light” was also their final push (and first real success) in America, thanks in part to the support of MTV star and skateboarder Bam Margera. However, don’t expect their next album to continue the pop vibes. They’ll most likely head back to their monster rock roots, leaving the pop behind. They’ll probably also experiment some with acoustic sounds. Expect the new album to drop in September on Sire Records.
Also expected to drop albums this year are Fall Out Boy, Sevendust, Good Charlotte, Modest Mouse, Joss Stone, Aerosmith, The Black Eyed Peas, Dido, Jimmy Eat World, R.E.M., Britney Spears, U2, and 80s stars Duran Duran. Stay tuned to the Pharos Blog to see reviews of many of these albums as the year progresses!
(Have an album you’d like to see reviewed here? Let Sarah Wilkinson know at Wilkinson_sa@wvwc.edu !)
Silverchair: When Silverchair’s last album, “Diorama,” came out in 2002, it was called “one of the boldest musical statements ever made by an Australian rock band.” Even Bono of U2 told Rolling Stone that you should “swim to Australia to hear them if you have to.” Yes, it’s true that “Diorama” took a drastic turn away from the band’s original grunge sound. However, their new album “Young Modern” should surpass “Diorama” easily. The guys have had a four year break, allowing for plenty of writing and recording and taking the time to do things just right. There will most likely be some orchestration and electronica over the ‘Chair’s normal heavy rock, as we saw them do in “Diorama,” but expect them to take this album even further. Hopefully this album will also see success in America; the band hasn’t had commercial success here since their 1999 release “Neon Ballroom.” “Young Modern” will drop in late March or early April on Eleven: A Music Company.
The Smashing Pumpkins: This is the Most Anticipated I never thought I’d get to write. When I heard about Billy Corgan’s full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune, promising to bring back the band, I doubted he could do it. Now he’s proved me wrong. While the lineup of the band won’t be entirely the same (Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin are the only original members returning), the sound will most likely be assuredly Pumpkins, with haunting lyrics and soaring melodies. We can expect to see Corgan’s brilliant songwriting dominate the album, hopefully with tinges of growth and maturity that weren’t in previous Pumpkin albums. The album is due in late spring or early summer.
The Used: They were supposed to release an album last year. They didn’t. Things within the band got rocky, and eventually led to the replacement of Branden Steineckert with Dan Whitesides. Because of all this, expect their new album (which, yes, will be out this year) to be a little tougher than their previous works. Actually, it’ll probably be a lot tougher. Also, don’t expect it to be a concept album—guitarist Quinn Allman has already nixed that theory by telling Alternative Press, “Each one of our songs is its own concept.” The album has been promised for February or March on Warner Brothers.
Aiden: These guys are young and talented. However, their previous efforts, including their most recent “Nightmare Anatomy,” have all been lackluster. They were so obsessed with being “unique” that the quality of the music suffered, and they wound up sounding like every other teen goth act in America. Hopefully their new album will show us that they have matured a little bit, have stopped limiting themselves, and can play with the big boys. I’m expecting more singing and less screaming from frontman wiL Francis, as well as lyrics that a normal human can comprehend. Expect the album to drop sometime in July on Victory Records.
HIM: This band has long had a bit of a cult following in America; by now, we’ve all seen their trademark Heartagram plastered somewhere. The Finnish quintet stunned many with their last album, “Dark Light,” which was much more pop-sounding than their previous efforts. “Dark Light” was also their final push (and first real success) in America, thanks in part to the support of MTV star and skateboarder Bam Margera. However, don’t expect their next album to continue the pop vibes. They’ll most likely head back to their monster rock roots, leaving the pop behind. They’ll probably also experiment some with acoustic sounds. Expect the new album to drop in September on Sire Records.
Also expected to drop albums this year are Fall Out Boy, Sevendust, Good Charlotte, Modest Mouse, Joss Stone, Aerosmith, The Black Eyed Peas, Dido, Jimmy Eat World, R.E.M., Britney Spears, U2, and 80s stars Duran Duran. Stay tuned to the Pharos Blog to see reviews of many of these albums as the year progresses!
(Have an album you’d like to see reviewed here? Let Sarah Wilkinson know at Wilkinson_sa@wvwc.edu !)
Monday, January 29, 2007
The Pharos Needs You!
To all current Wesleyan students:
If you, or anyone you know is interested in working for The Pharos, please contact Assistant Editor Zak Ritchie at your earliest convenience. We are seeking students who are interested in writing or journalism. This is a great chance to show off your work and help build a strong resume. Please send questions or inquiries to the above email (hotlink).
If you, or anyone you know is interested in working for The Pharos, please contact Assistant Editor Zak Ritchie at your earliest convenience. We are seeking students who are interested in writing or journalism. This is a great chance to show off your work and help build a strong resume. Please send questions or inquiries to the above email (hotlink).
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Short Sets: Movies I Saw Over Break by Chris Garton
Apocalypto, Starring Rudy Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Jonathan Brewer, Morris Birdyellowhead, and Carlos Emilio Baez. Directed by Mel Gibson.
Who it’s for: People who like heavy doses of realistic violence with their chase movies.
Who it’s not for: People who don’t like heavy doses of realistic violence.
There was a lot of talk prior to the premier of this movie of people boycotting this movie because of Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic remarks he made while blind drunk one night. I would compare this to boycotting your barber because he is a Republican. Now obviously being a Republican is not quite so heinous a crime as slandering all the Jews of the world, but the point is that his personal views have nothing to do with the product or service he is providing you. Is Apocalypto itself anti-Semitic? It is set in Mexico before any Europeans had set foot on the continent, so no, it doesn’t have an anti-Semitic frame in its body.
The story centers around a young man named Jaguar Paw (Youngblood) who lives in a small village in the middle of the jungle. They are a tight-knit community of hunters, and for the most part they seem quite content. Jaguar Paw’s wife Seven (Hernandez) is pregnant with their second child, and life is good. Then one morning the village is attacked by vicious troops they have never seen before. These troops kill, rape, or capture everyone in the village, but Jaguar Paw manages to lower Seven and his son down a well not far from the village. The upside of this is that they aren’t found by the invaders. The downside is that Jaguar Paw is then captured and they have no way of getting out. Also, this particular well fills up with water every time it rains, and they are in the middle of a rain forest.
What follows are the exploits of Jaguar Paw as he is taken to a huge city, learns that he is about to be sacrificed, escapes at the last moment, and then leads his hunters on an amazing chase through the jungle, trying to get back to the well before what is left of his family drowns.
This is not much more than a glorified chase movie, but it is a great chase movie. Gibson knew what he was trying to do, and he delivered. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Eragon, Starring Edward Speelers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, Rachel Weisz, and John Malkovich. Directed by Stefan Fangmeier.
Who it’s for: Small children and people seeking a good laugh at these poor actors expense.
Who it’s not for: People who are familiar with the plots of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
I don’t have much to say about this movie, other than that I don’t recommend it at all, except to kids under 12, perhaps. Maybe kids under 10. There was not much in this movie that was original. It either stole from J. R. R. Tolkien (most of the base material), or blatantly plagiarized George Lucas. The plot goes something like this. A young revolutionary princess is about to be captured by evil forces, but she has in her possession a precious item that can help turn the tide of the war. She sends it to a remote location where it is discovered by a young farm boy. The youth seeks the wisdom of a local eccentric, who turns out to be more than he seems. Unfortunately, the evil forces have tracked the item to the boy’s home, and when he gets there one night, his house is burned to the ground and his uncle is dead. He sets off with his new mentor to rescue the princess, who is held within the evil kingdom’s dark fortress. While rescuing the princess, our hero meets up with a roguish character that he’s not sure he can trust. This coincides with the tragic death of the mentor, who sacrifices himself so that our hero can get away. The princess, the hero, and the rogue then make their way to the base of the outlaw rebels, who make ready for the assault that is sure to come, because our trio have been followed.
Now, am I describing Eragon or Star Wars? Answer: both. Substitute “dragon” for “Death Star” and you have Eragon. Substitue “Ben” for “Brom” and you have Star Wars. For sheer unoriginality, I give it ½ out of 5 stars.
Blood Diamond, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, and Kagiso Kuypers. Directed by Edward Zwick.
Who it’s for: People who prefer their moral outrage served to them while they are comfortably seated.
Who it’s not for: The squeamish.
The theme of this movie is similar to one of last year’s best films, The Constant Gardener: the exploitation of Africans by rich white corporations in the developed world. While The Constant Gardener was a superior work, in my opinion, Blood Diamond hits its mark thanks to the excellent performances delivered by all of its leading actors and the high intensity direction of Zwick.
The plot focuses on Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), a poor fisherman trying to get his oldest son through school so that he can be a doctor. His world is shattered by the arrival of a ruthless gang of thugs who call themselves “revolutionaries”, who proclaim that they will free the people of Sierra Leone from the government. They roll into town, shoot, maim, and kill many, capturing some of the younger males for indoctrination into the revolution, and some of the older males for slave labor in the diamond fields. Solomon is forced into the diamond fields, his son has an automatic rifle pressed into his hands. Diamonds are the currency of the revolution. They are traded for guns and rocket launchers by weapons dealers who then smuggle the diamonds out of Sierra Leone and into Liberia, where they can then be sold to diamond merchants from Europe. Danny Archer (DiCaprio) is one such smuggler. By a chain of events I won’t bother to explain, Danny and Solomon find themselves in the same prison, where Danny hears about an enormous pink diamond Solomon allegedly found and buried. Danny pulls some strings to get both of them out, and then tells Solomon that if he’ll take him to the diamond, Danny will help find Solomon’s family.
DiCaprio and Hounsou both give incredible performances, Leonardo as the emotionally hardened mercenary, at first concerned only with his own well being, and Djimon as the emotionally distraught father who couldn’t help his family. Jennifer Connelly was also very good as an outraged reporter trying to make the world right and as the eventual love interest to DiCaprio’s Archer.
What ultimately keeps this film from achieving greatness is a few too many cliché emotional scenes, seemingly stuck in the screenplay to placate the audience and give them something to cheer for. This is a movie that is crying out to be real, and I think for the most part it is. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Who it’s for: People who like heavy doses of realistic violence with their chase movies.
Who it’s not for: People who don’t like heavy doses of realistic violence.
There was a lot of talk prior to the premier of this movie of people boycotting this movie because of Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic remarks he made while blind drunk one night. I would compare this to boycotting your barber because he is a Republican. Now obviously being a Republican is not quite so heinous a crime as slandering all the Jews of the world, but the point is that his personal views have nothing to do with the product or service he is providing you. Is Apocalypto itself anti-Semitic? It is set in Mexico before any Europeans had set foot on the continent, so no, it doesn’t have an anti-Semitic frame in its body.
The story centers around a young man named Jaguar Paw (Youngblood) who lives in a small village in the middle of the jungle. They are a tight-knit community of hunters, and for the most part they seem quite content. Jaguar Paw’s wife Seven (Hernandez) is pregnant with their second child, and life is good. Then one morning the village is attacked by vicious troops they have never seen before. These troops kill, rape, or capture everyone in the village, but Jaguar Paw manages to lower Seven and his son down a well not far from the village. The upside of this is that they aren’t found by the invaders. The downside is that Jaguar Paw is then captured and they have no way of getting out. Also, this particular well fills up with water every time it rains, and they are in the middle of a rain forest.
What follows are the exploits of Jaguar Paw as he is taken to a huge city, learns that he is about to be sacrificed, escapes at the last moment, and then leads his hunters on an amazing chase through the jungle, trying to get back to the well before what is left of his family drowns.
This is not much more than a glorified chase movie, but it is a great chase movie. Gibson knew what he was trying to do, and he delivered. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
Eragon, Starring Edward Speelers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, Rachel Weisz, and John Malkovich. Directed by Stefan Fangmeier.
Who it’s for: Small children and people seeking a good laugh at these poor actors expense.
Who it’s not for: People who are familiar with the plots of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
I don’t have much to say about this movie, other than that I don’t recommend it at all, except to kids under 12, perhaps. Maybe kids under 10. There was not much in this movie that was original. It either stole from J. R. R. Tolkien (most of the base material), or blatantly plagiarized George Lucas. The plot goes something like this. A young revolutionary princess is about to be captured by evil forces, but she has in her possession a precious item that can help turn the tide of the war. She sends it to a remote location where it is discovered by a young farm boy. The youth seeks the wisdom of a local eccentric, who turns out to be more than he seems. Unfortunately, the evil forces have tracked the item to the boy’s home, and when he gets there one night, his house is burned to the ground and his uncle is dead. He sets off with his new mentor to rescue the princess, who is held within the evil kingdom’s dark fortress. While rescuing the princess, our hero meets up with a roguish character that he’s not sure he can trust. This coincides with the tragic death of the mentor, who sacrifices himself so that our hero can get away. The princess, the hero, and the rogue then make their way to the base of the outlaw rebels, who make ready for the assault that is sure to come, because our trio have been followed.
Now, am I describing Eragon or Star Wars? Answer: both. Substitute “dragon” for “Death Star” and you have Eragon. Substitue “Ben” for “Brom” and you have Star Wars. For sheer unoriginality, I give it ½ out of 5 stars.
Blood Diamond, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, and Kagiso Kuypers. Directed by Edward Zwick.
Who it’s for: People who prefer their moral outrage served to them while they are comfortably seated.
Who it’s not for: The squeamish.
The theme of this movie is similar to one of last year’s best films, The Constant Gardener: the exploitation of Africans by rich white corporations in the developed world. While The Constant Gardener was a superior work, in my opinion, Blood Diamond hits its mark thanks to the excellent performances delivered by all of its leading actors and the high intensity direction of Zwick.
The plot focuses on Solomon Vandy (Hounsou), a poor fisherman trying to get his oldest son through school so that he can be a doctor. His world is shattered by the arrival of a ruthless gang of thugs who call themselves “revolutionaries”, who proclaim that they will free the people of Sierra Leone from the government. They roll into town, shoot, maim, and kill many, capturing some of the younger males for indoctrination into the revolution, and some of the older males for slave labor in the diamond fields. Solomon is forced into the diamond fields, his son has an automatic rifle pressed into his hands. Diamonds are the currency of the revolution. They are traded for guns and rocket launchers by weapons dealers who then smuggle the diamonds out of Sierra Leone and into Liberia, where they can then be sold to diamond merchants from Europe. Danny Archer (DiCaprio) is one such smuggler. By a chain of events I won’t bother to explain, Danny and Solomon find themselves in the same prison, where Danny hears about an enormous pink diamond Solomon allegedly found and buried. Danny pulls some strings to get both of them out, and then tells Solomon that if he’ll take him to the diamond, Danny will help find Solomon’s family.
DiCaprio and Hounsou both give incredible performances, Leonardo as the emotionally hardened mercenary, at first concerned only with his own well being, and Djimon as the emotionally distraught father who couldn’t help his family. Jennifer Connelly was also very good as an outraged reporter trying to make the world right and as the eventual love interest to DiCaprio’s Archer.
What ultimately keeps this film from achieving greatness is a few too many cliché emotional scenes, seemingly stuck in the screenplay to placate the audience and give them something to cheer for. This is a movie that is crying out to be real, and I think for the most part it is. I give it a 4.5 out of 5.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The Pharos wants to know:
What was your favorite part of break?
What are looking forward to the most during the coming semester?
Editor Wise enjoyed having the time and energy to read for fun, but can't wait to get back among her friends and live up her last semester.
Leave a comment with your answers!
What are looking forward to the most during the coming semester?
Editor Wise enjoyed having the time and energy to read for fun, but can't wait to get back among her friends and live up her last semester.
Leave a comment with your answers!
A good quotation with which to start the year
"Consider your origin; you were not meant to live as brutes, but to pursue virtue and knowledge." --Dante Alighieri
As you prepare to return to Wesleyan for the spring semester, The Pharos too looks forward to new beginnings and some interesting changes. Our various editors will be contributing their individual styles to the paper (page 6 of the last issue gave you a taste of how great that will look) and some adjustments we are considering may lead to a change in the size of our publication. All in all, we hope to continue the improvements we made during the first semester.
Enjoy the last few days of your break and watch for a new issue, to be released at the end of January.
As you prepare to return to Wesleyan for the spring semester, The Pharos too looks forward to new beginnings and some interesting changes. Our various editors will be contributing their individual styles to the paper (page 6 of the last issue gave you a taste of how great that will look) and some adjustments we are considering may lead to a change in the size of our publication. All in all, we hope to continue the improvements we made during the first semester.
Enjoy the last few days of your break and watch for a new issue, to be released at the end of January.
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