Boston rises, New York falls

New England-based sports teams have certainly experienced their highs and lows in years past. Through the years, usually at least one of the New England teams in the three major American sports (baseball, football, and basketball) is a highly competitive one. However, the past few years have been especially good for Boston. During my time at this university (since 2004), I have witnessed what will probably amount to a golden age for Boston sports, a period that has the potential to be one of the most successful eras for a single town ever.

Former Sudanese slave speaks on campus

Francis Bok, a Sudanese refugee, spoke Tuesday night at a lecture entitled Escape from Slavery, hosted by The David Project and STAND. Bok, who was enslaved for 10 years, shared his experiences, joined by the insights of Dr. Charles Jacobs, president of the David Project and co-founder of the American Anti-slavery Group. About 30 people attended the event.

Gandhi’s grandson speaks at conference

On Friday October 19, 2007, members of the Student Peace Alliance from across the country gathered in Levin Ballroom to listen to a speech by Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence.

‘Anger is like electricity’

Chrissy Callahan: What do you feel is the significance of spreading your message to todays youth in particular?

Arun Gandhi: Youth in the past didnt have [the] opportunities we do today in terms of media and communication, so its easier now and young people have more potential to truly take positive action and spread the message to a mass audience.

Savvy students work for LTS

Not just any student can work for LTS. In addition to being computer savvy, students need to understand the inner workings of other technology as well, such as those cool Cisco phones that Brandeis gives us upon entering.

Futile Banter: A weekend in Amersterdam

The weekend that Pachanga falls upon is perhaps the biggest weekend of the year with regards to Brandeis night life. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to attend because I was in the middle of my Madden08 playoffs for XBOX and I had my Super Bowl game the following morning. Sometimes in life, we are forced to prioritize on certain occasions and I opted to favor my Madden season over the biggest weekend at Brandeis. Do I have any regrets? I think not. In any event, the weekend before last, my best friend Charlie and I decided to travel to Amsterdam, which is an incredibly unique and different type of city. As you will be able to decipher after reading this article, nobody goes to Amsterdam for the museums or the scenery. If you havent visited already, then I suggest staying away at all costs. If you are intrigued by the scenery in Amsterdam, then I can show you the five pictures that I took while I was there and that should be more than adequate in terms of fulfilling your visual desires. The following paragraphs will describe life in Amsterdam in full detail:

Fighting with Pinpricks: In the penal colony

Early on Monday morning, officers at the Ketziot Prison in the Negev decided to conduct a surprise search for contraband. Such searches are common during the daytime, but the unexpected search in the middle of the night startled and angered the 2,000 Palestinian prisoners some of whom who screamed Allah Akbar and pelted their guardsmembers of the prison services Nahshon security forcewith food, stones, pieces of metal, and whatever else they could find. In an outrageously heavy handed response, the officers stormed the prisoners firing rubber bullets, sonic bombs, and teargas. According to Palestinian human rights activists, the Israelis also assaulted the prisoners with truncheons.

Sexiled: OLs are bad in bed

Maybe this is a generalization. Maybe this has just been my experienceand the experience of a few of my friends. Maybe this is a broad and unfair judgment on all O.L.s. But I challenge you to find me one that isnt a complete disaster once you hit the sheets.

Time to get real on Iraq: No need to continue stalemate

Argentine revolutionary Che Guevera thought that the Vietnam War was the greatest thing since sliced capitalists. He saw costly, pointless, destructive wars against militarily much weaker foes as the bottomless pit into which the American empire would hurl its wealth and resolve to no end. Toward the end of his life, he declared there should be not one but Two, three, many Vietnams. That is the watchword.

One Tall Voice: Six years in special ed

I used to be a sped. Some people take offense at the use of this term and believe it to be a derogatory way to classify people with learning disabilities. I assume this title with pride as it signifies my ability to overcome my learning disabilities and rise above the special education system. I have moderate learning problems, having difficulties reading and paying attention. Because of these difficulties, I was put in special education classes for six grades during my elementary and junior high school years. Inside the sped classroom, I got a behind the scenes look at the fallacies of the program. I saw people who seemed to be perfectly competent disincentivized from trying hard as their safety net became a hammock. I saw people being given absurd accommodations when they should have been trying to adapt to situations in the real world. It should be noted that this article is not about people with physical disabilities or severe learning problems. I am merely directing my agitation to those who are placed in such programs with only some disabilities, and urging people to reconsider their opinions about special education in America.