What is that glowing feeling you’re feeling right now? Why am I so inspired by this video?

As I’m watching this for the fifth time, I recognize what my eyes are drawn to, what I connect with and smile over. I see the colors and beauty in the vibrant red tulips of the Netherlands, the immensity of the sand and sky in Australia, the juxtaposition of dancing in demilitarized North Korea, and the euphonious splendor of people laughing and vocally dancing in their own respective languages.

Did you see the overly enthusiastic gesticulating child from Fiji? Did you see the prancing dog in Kuwait? Did you see the smiling wheel-chaired man from Los Angeles?

I feel our innate and universal desire to be joyful, to be lighthearted, and to connect and dance with others. I discussed with a friend this week about how I feel cared for and loved by my brothers and sisters on this campus. It was kind of a strange concept for him. Granted it is kind of strange. Sometimes we don’t even feel loved by our own families. But this video is proof that such things exist. It is proof that we appreciate such things. And how momentous and awesome that is!

It’s not like their dance moves are revolutionary– it’s not like I know any of them and are compelled by some earthly tie to smile with them. So then what is this connection that I feel?

There is an incomprehensible and unspeakable connection that we feel with the people in this video. The strongest conclusion I come to? I think for most, this overwhelming feeling of unity and fuzziness (best word I could think of) is something we wish we could feel more often.

I can validly say that this video made us feel good because a.) we are a global community. We are human beings before we are peoples b.) the people dancing opened up to us they had no pretenses about their ability to dance well and c.) this is the reality and world we want to live in. But, it is too tempting to switch into clichés and truisms. This is a global thing to say - but it has to true, individual relevance to you and me.

So here’s what I say - to both you and me. Drop the pretense. Drop the “I’m too cool” act. Drop the “My life is perfect or at least is going to be perfect” soon act. Drop the “I need to better than you, seem more successful than you, wear better clothes, and seem happier and more satisfied than you” act. Aren’t we tired of being surrounded by people who don’t care about us? Who like drinking with us, eating with us, laughing at/with us, but aren’t comfortable with us? Who aren’t comfortable and sincere enough to ask about your day and really mean it - who aren’t willing to go beyond the facebook message/comment to talk to us or find out about our days vis a vis NOT twitter.

Because I’m not sure if I’m okay with the trajectory in which my identity is being defined.

The Bangla song sung in this video is called Praan and it was sung by a 17-year-old women.

And the lyrics (translated of course) are poetry.
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and dayruns through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.

It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass
and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.

It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birthand of death, in ebb and in flow.

I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life.

And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.

Duke student, ambitious life-achiever, nostalgic mid-lifer, straddling but not crossing-er, underachieving but desiring of purpose-er, whomever you are– understand this: The life-throb of ages is dancing if your blood.

We are not who we seem to be. We might not even be the person we want to become. But the life-throb of ages is dancing in your blood.

Experience for yourself what heart to hearts mean. Challenge yourself to feel what skin to skin abrasive is. Unveil yourself to see what dancing uninhibited blossoms. Smile fully aware that you’re revealing a hidden part of yourself. Search for a life untainted of adulterated substances–pure, effervescent, and serendipitous of peace and freedom.
Dust going to dust and ashes going to ashes though–I don’t want to end this by pushing on you high language pedagogy or lofty truisms. The beauty of our world cannot be explained by words. Simply put, can we explain why we enjoy cool breezes on a summer day? Can we explain why fresh grapes taste SO delectably good? Can we explain why some music brings us tears and awe? Just as so, there just might not be enough words to express the majesty of the connections we have with this world.

So indulge yourself one more time, watch this video again and then go out and with all eyes and ears and fingers open, embrace the world again.

He’s a very famous Oscar winning director of such classics as Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist. He is a revered artist worldwide and commands legions of fans.

He is also a pedophile.

Now, if any of you regularly keep up with the news, odds are you have heard about the latest concerning Polanski: That after 31 years as a refugee from the United States, he has been arrested in Switzerland and faces extradition to Los Angeles on grounds of sleeping with a minor. This charge is something he has plead guilty to. How old was the minor? She was 13. How old was Polanski? 44.

There’s nothing right about that. There’s also nothing right about the US waiting more than thirty years to go after a guy who is an admitted pederast. Just because he’s Roman Polanski, someone back in the seventies decided that it would be a better idea to just leave him alone.

Since he fled, Polanski has done everything except keep a low profile. He’s made films, he’s gone to parties, he’s even gotten married again. How is this even possible? If this were any other man, US authorities would have hounded him to no end. Instead, Polanski gets an academy award presented to him by Harrison Ford for all the world to see (see here).

Now, maybe I don’t understand all the potentially extenuating circumstances in the case: I know his wife Sharon Tate was killed by Charles Manson’s followers, and perhaps the girl lied to him about her age, but he’s still an admitted sex offender and nobody did anything about for more than 30 years.

France, the place where Polanski first fled to, does have limited extradition treaties with the US, but even still, the fact that this has seemingly happened all of a sudden seems extremely strange to me. To be honest, this just seems to be another example of the double standards that riddle our society. Celebrities historically have gotten off easier than the average Joe, but this is just ridiculous.

Why, after all this time? Was Polanski in fact dogged by US officials for decades and was so Catch Me if You Can good at it he could still make films around the world while managing evasion? Did he happen to piss someone off in the Justice Department all of a sudden. I’m very curious to find out. The answer may lie years ahead as apparently his extradition could take that long.

We have received two e-mails from RLHS reminding us what awaits us, which I copied and pasted below (bold emphasis mine):

July 28, 2009

Hi Everyone!

You are receiving this note because our records indicate you are participating in a Fall 2009 Study Away program.  Please keep reading if you plan on returning to Durham for Spring 2010.

The full details of the Spring housing process will be available on our website in late September.  During October, if you are returning to Durham for Spring 2010, you will need to submit a housing application.  On your application, you will indicate any roommate or room type preferences, as well as any location preferences.

You will also have the opportunity to enter the off-campus lottery.  Students for whom Fall 2009 is their fifth semester in housing (your time on Study Away does count towards this) will be eligible for the lottery.  You should not sign any lease or agreement to live in an off-campus location until you receive confirmation that you are being released from the three-year on-campus living requirement.  Lottery results will be sent out in early November, once all housing applications, cancellations, and lottery requests have been received. The number of students lotteried off will be dependent on how many students cancel their housing to go abroad, graduate, etc.

One thing we can say with certainty - the likelihood of roommate pairs being placed together this Spring will be much lower than last year.  Last year, pairing people up was easy because Few Quad was being reopened after renovations.  This year, we are back to the more normal situation where vacancies will be scattered, and open doubles and apartments will be scarce.  We understand this may be disappointing, and we hope that you will all have realistic expectations about your housing assignments for Spring 2010.

More info is available here:
http://rlhs.studentaffairs.duke.edu/housing/housingrequirement/studyaway.html

Thank you for your attention to this - enjoy your time away!

–
Jen Frank
Assistant Director of Accommodations
Residence Life and Housing Services

September 14, 2009

Hi Everyone,

We are writing to share that Spring 2010 Housing information is now
available on our website:
http://rlhs.studentaffairs.duke.edu/applications/index.html

Some key points:

- The off-campus lottery application is due October 7.  Results will be
emailed October 14th.

- The deadline to apply for on-campus housing is October 31.

- Our current projections show that there will be very few opportunities to
place roommate pairs together on-campus for Spring 2010.  If living with
your preferred roommate is your top priority, we encourage you to consider
the off-campus lottery.

- Opening for Spring is Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 12pm.  Plan to arrive
at this time or later.

- Closing for Spring 2010 is Monday, May 10, 2010 at 12pm.  Graduating
seniors and those approved to stay later for other approved activities will
move out by May 17, 2010 at 12pm.

Please review the Spring Housing information in full and complete the
appropriate application by the stated deadline.  You may contact Housing
Accommodations with questions about this process.

Thank you for your attention to this process!
Jen
–
Jen Frank
Assistant Director of Accommodations
Residence Life and Housing Services

I do try to empathize when I can, and I try to be observant of the people around me, including women. Especially women because I happen not to be a woman. Despite my efforts I was surprised when I read a Maureen Dowd column in the New York Times regarding the current levels of happiness in women and how they’ve been declining since the “feminist revolution.”

The column, called “Blue is the new Black,” discusses how despite the fact women have successfully broken down gender barriers and expanded their opportunities in the workplace and in their lives, women around the world are more depressed regardless of race, socioeconomic status and career–the one exception being black women in America, who Dowd says is still not as happy as black men.

The column goes on to talk about why that may be–along with expanded opportunities and choices comes greater responsibility and stress, and mentions that men are in fact happier than they were thirty years ago.

I’m still pondering all this right now, and it leaves me shaking my head. I kind of want to ask some of my female friends if they feel this, or have heard of this, and what they might think. If this is true, and according to Dowd, six major studies say it is, is it because of the America’s (and now the world’s?) obsession with youth and beauty? Are women, as time goes on, set to face a grimmer and more stressful reality?

If this is the case, I can’t help but feel that something will ultimately give. Society loves beauty now-advertising and common notions revolve around it, and that sentiment will never truly disappear, but someday women will be completely fed up with these double standards currently in place. As they did in the ’70s and ’80s, they will effect change to where society’s main focus will truly be merit and achievement, not something as specious and shortlived and, in the long run, as meaningless as exterior appearance. I only hope I’m around to see it….

When I first walked into the room, I was impressed by the racially mixed audience. When I attended such events in the past, the audience was dominated by minorities with only a few white students. I was late but when I arrived the conversation seemed to be stuck on the inevitable question of self-segregation. I sighed wondering if this discussion would be like so many other race conversations I attended in the past, with everyone throwing around politically correct terms like self-segregation.

But this discussion was different because a white student from the audience asked why there was no white representative on the panel and then nominated himself to become that representative. I chuckled with the rest of the audience as the guy roller-bladed to the front of the room but I was slightly shocked. The topic of race always seems to be a topic for racial minorities. In my experience, whenever the question of race arose, or a conversation about race occurred, it was either sponsored or dominated by racial minorities. So I was surprised but happy that for once I would get a chance to hear a white student’s perspective.

As he fielded a variety of questions about his perspective on being a white student trying to navigate duke’s interesting racial dynamic, I began to wonder why this was the first time that I was actually hearing from a white student about race. Too often in our politically correct society, race is a topic that is glossed over particularly in interracial settings. Campus leaders and other prominent members of society talk about diversity and the need for tolerance but we never actually talk about race and racial concerns. With my non-black friends we are willing to talk about classes, relationships, parents anything and everything but race.  Race has become yet another taboo subject, like politics or religious beliefs that shouldn’t be discussed in mixed company.

But if race is a subject that we can’t even bring up with our friends how will we ever fix the racial dynamic on campus or even nation-wide? Too often, race doesn’t become an issue until an incident occurs and then pundits and newspapers speculate on the myriad racial questions and concerns that always permeate our society but remain ignored until the next racial scandal.

The most recent incident occurred on Sept. 9, 2009 when in the middle of President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress, Rep. Joe Wilson, R-N.C. shouted “You lie.”  As usual, everyone was outraged and Wilson did call Obama to apologize. But people have now begun to speculate that Wilson’s outburst was racially motivated. As former President Jimmy Carter said, “There is an inherent feeling among many people in this country that an African American ought not to be president, and ought not to be given the same respect as if he were white. “

So people believe that racial discrimination has caused many of the disrespectful attacks against Obama such as Wilson’s outburst and even the birther’s scandal from this summer when people challenged whether or not Obama was actually born in the United States.  Of course, other people completely disagree and believe like Michael Steele, chairman of the Republican Party that “this isn’t about race but policy.”

As usual we are talking past each other, continuing these constant arguments that get us nowhere. As usual one side is determined to believe that race is not a factor, and as usual the other side is trying to show that race is still an important factor. As usual, race is rearing its ugly head revealing problems and questions that everyone seems so eager to ignore.

Because we refuse to honestly and openly talk about race, nothing is happening. Not that a racial conversation will magically solve our problems, but at least it’s a start. And next week, television pundits and newspapers will forget these racial questions, as they talk about the latest scandal and other political problems. And just like after the Purple discussion, we will scatter off into our separate worlds content to believe that everything is fine. That is until the next racial incident.

So this is the beginning of my first ever video column. The best part about it is that it’s going to be an awesome adventure to get to know more about you all.

We are surrounded by greatness. We have friends who do so many amazing things that it almost becomes disgusting. In this plethora of greatness, I sometimes find myself wondering what I’m doing with my life. With this student researching the cure for HIV, and another student backpacking through South-East Asia while teaching little kids how to speak English, my own dreams and accomplishments may start to sound a bit petty. For you grad students, and even me as a sophomore, we may see our younger brothers and sisters, and we wonder how they do it. Thus, we measure ourselves by another’s accomplishments.

Didn’t we learn in elementary school that we can’t compare oranges to apples or whatever that saying was? Then why do we live in such an accomplishment/busy-body driven environment where how busy, how little sleep, how all-the-things-I-did-better-sound-longer-and-more-awesome than yours dictates our worth? I don’t know about you, but I want to disentangle myself from this sticky status quo of a web, and define myself by my own standards. That’s why we came to Duke right? So that we could become the best versions of ourselves, so that we could learn about this scintillating universe we live in, so that we can show the world the potential for good we all have, so that we can make someone’s life better not only by someone else’s achievements, but also by yours.

We come from our own personal greatness. We do amazing things–we come from amazing things–and we’re destined for amazing things. However, that’s only if you believe in that yourself.

And that’s where Representative Joe Wilson, R-S.C., comes in. The latest gaffer in the recent string of Republican falls-from-grace, Wilson interrupted President Obama’s all-important address to a joint session of Congress concerning health care reform. While not creating the frankly ridiculous hysteria that his speech to schoolchildren caused, Obama’s latest rhetoric performance caused enough ire in Representative Wilson at least for him to shout “You lie!” in a most undignified fashion.

He looks like a cheeser doesn't he? (CAROLINA POLITICS)

See? I wasn't exaggerating. (WINCOAST)

Michael Jordan’s Hall of Fame speech was the most disappointing. I always thought of Jordan as the consummate professional. Although he certainly was highly competitive and at times showboated, he always seemed to compete with style and grace. We all wanted to be “like Mike.” As a kid growing up in northern Florida, I had no business rooting for Chicago, but Jordan’s incredible athleticism and professionalism turned me into a diehard Bulls fan. I vividly remember running around my house as a little 10 year old screaming in jubilation after Jordan hit the game winning shot against the Jazz in ’98.

For these reasons, I was somewhat surprised to hear Jordan in his speech tell his family that “[he] wouldn’t want to be [them]” or admonishing other NBA Hall of Famers for incidents that happened decades ago. Jordan didn’t stop there. Jordan ridiculed former Bulls general manager Jerry Krause for a quote made years ago and even criticized his high school coach for not putting him on varsity as a sophomore. The basketball great revealed a dark, bitter side of his personality that the public hasn’t seen before. It was almost as if he had been waiting for this moment to unleash years of frustration and anger upon his fellow competitors, teammates, friends and family. Jordan’s remarks were mean-spirited and unprofessional. But Michael can get away with it. He is after all, the greatest basketball player of all time (the greatest athlete of all time according to ESPN). A living icon. I mean if Jesus played basketball he’d wear number 23, right?

The angry meltdown by Serena Williams was the probably the most understandable of the three. Serving to stay in her U.S. Open semifinal match against Kim Clijsters, Serena was called for a foot fault by the lineswoman. Serena went berserk. She stormed the lineswoman, started cursing and waving her racket. At one point she even threatened to shove her tennis ball down the lineswoman’s throat. That last remark lead to a penalty for misconduct, ending the contest. Serena Williams was bounced from the U.S. Open because she threw a temper tantrum. Serena was fined $10,000 by the WTA and has since issued a sincere apology. The outburst appeared to be an aberration in an otherwise stellar career. Perhaps she just caved into the pressure of defending her U.S. Open title and living up to all the hype. Nonetheless, Serena’s furious tirade was startling, bizarre and rather unprofessional. Why so much anger?

“You won’t like me when I’m angry.” (Witchita Eagle)

Now we turn to Mr. West. After Sunday night, I think we can all agree that Kanye has lost his mind. As Taylor Swift was accepting her MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, Kanye yanked the mike out of her hand and proclaimed that Beyonce’s “All My Single Ladies” video was the best of all time. Now I like Beyonce, and I agree that her video was probably better, but what?? Why is a 32-year-old man trying to shame a 19 year old? Why is Kanye acting like a fool?

Kanye you were once cool. Everyone loved you. Every album you’ve made has been a hit. You even made auto-tune sound okay for awhile. What’s the problem man? Why are you hating on Taylor Swift? She’s just a little girl that sings light, harmless, pseudo-country songs. It’s not like she’s George Bush or anything.

And now looking back on that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” quote, I no longer respect it anymore. At the time I was proud of Kanye for speaking his mind and expressing the frustration that African Americans and gulf coast residents were feeling in the wake of this country’s worst national disaster. Now I just see it as a bumbling  rant by a spoiled, ego-inflated celebrity who wouldn’t even let a charity organization share the spotlight with him. Kanye’s recent actions have not only been unprofessional, but juvenile and pathetic. It’s time for him to grow up.

Someone please stop this man. (AP)

Yesterday, my friends nonchalantly told me that they would probably sleep around 3 to 4 a.m. That late night will probably not be their last one either.

I’m not sure why, but it’s so much harder for me to wake up early (10 a.m. classes what?) and so much easier for me to stay up later (You slept at 11 p.m.? Are you nuts?)

Could it be that our sleeping schedules correspond to our preferred class times or that we think that the later we sleep, the more we are “getting done.” Could it be that we don’t feel like Duke students until we’ve pushed our REM cycles to the limit.

Even though it’s ridiculous, I think that it’s something of a combination of the two. I think there’s a moment of proud for us when we can say, “Man, I slept so late yesterday. I was up until 4 a.m. finishing my math XXX homework.” We like to push our deadlines, and then feel accomplished when we beat the system by waiting until the last possible minute to complete it. We might make quiet resolutions at the end of our last minute endeavors, but it will more likely than not NOT come into fulfillment.

So as we perpetuate bad habits for ourselves, we become a bit too comfortable with the thrill of almost not getting things done. I don’t know about you, but I kind of did that myself as I was writing this column. It’s not 4 a.m. in the morning, but I was pushing the envelope. And to the tell you the truth, I’m sick of it. The thrill is bland now and then guilt of having something to do is like a piece of spinach stuck between two stubborn teeth.

We all know the solution to our age old problem. It’s just a matter of dealing with it.

My suggestion? Well as an economist, I would recognize the greater benefits to the unworthy costs of procrastinating. As a realist, I would recognize that it’s easier said than done. As a Duke student who eventually gets things done, I know that if I put my mind to it, it will get done. It might not be now, but slowly but surely it will.

But Satell simply ignores how drug cartels obtain their bullets. It is precisely because Americans buy Latin American drugs that cartels have the resources to purchase weapons and fund their organizations.

Well, some pot is produced in the U.S., he responds, and therefore its use does not support cartels. However, the nature of distribution networks is such that drugs have changed hands several times before they reach their ultimate consumer.  There is basically no way for drug users buying off the street to know exactly where their fix is coming from.

Then, Satell contends that demand is infinite and suggests that therefore efforts to curb marijuana demand can only be limitedly effective. Satell then argues that since one individual drug user’s choice to discontinue use will not end the drug trade, the decision of whether or not to use pot has no moral dimension.

I am actually fairly sympathetic to the former position, but it’s hard to know where to begin in refuting the latter one. The difficulty of getting individuals to stop using drugs does not absolve those individuals of the moral consequences of their actions. The implication of Satell’s view is that individuals never have any ethical responsibilities based on the social consequences of their actions because of the collective action problem. By that logic, Duke should never have divested from Sudan in 2007. I’d suggest, instead, that supporting drug cartels in any way, even if that means sending them cents on the dollar, is something students should feel conscientious about, given the sheer brutality of the crimes cartels commit.

Moreover, many seem to have either misread or misunderstood the view I expressed in my initial column regarding legalization. I explicitly stated that “debates over legalization of drugs are legitimate and have a place in the public discourse,” so to suggest that I am ignoring the legalization issue is flatly inaccurate.

However, the key point, as I noted before, is that these debates have no logical bearing on the ethics of current recreational marijuana use. A defense of the ethics of an action cannot rest wholly on the contingencies of an alternate universe. Whether or not legalization would eliminate the market for pot distributed by drug cartels tomorrow is irrelevant to the ethics of using marijuana today.

The bottom line is that marijuana is illegal now and drugs from those cartels are a real and substantial part of the U.S. market. When students choose to use drugs, there is a tremendous likelihood some portion of the money they spend will find its way back to some truly brutal murderers operating South of the border. These are facts. When drug users choose to ignore them, they do so not at their own risk, but at the risk of innocent people far away. Duke students should consider carefully whether they are comfortable with that.