The Brown Spectator Volume X Issue IV

THE BROWN

SPECTATORA JOURNAL OF LIBERTARIAN AND CONSERVATIVE THOUGHT • VOLUME X, ISSUE IV • 5/2013

Ron Paulcomes to Brown

featured

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where we get our energyFacts & � gures on electricity consumption

learning from ancientsBook review: All � ings Shining

2 liberty among liberals

exercise & mental healthBookworms, too, should hit the gym

UPDATED Spectator May 2013 .indd 1 5/6/13 6:30 PM

T H E B R O W N

SPECTATOR

editors-in-chiefOliver HudsonOlivia Conetta

editor emeritusRyan Fleming

senior managing editorKelly Fennessy

managing editorAlex Drechsler

design editorPhilip Trammell

photographerTasha Nagamine

business managerStephanie Hennings

contributorsJ.P. HareBenjamin KoatzJustin BragaElizabeth FuerbacherBaxter DiFabrizio

For questions, comments, subscriptions and responses, email [email protected].

If you are interested in contributing to � e Brown Spectator (or in doing some web design!), [email protected].

� anks for reading this copy of � e Spectator, our last issue

of the year. Next year, we will print two issues in the fall se-

mester and two in the spring semester.

If this is your � rst contact with � e Spectator, wel-

come! In � e Spectator you will � nd commentary on cam-

pus topics and national news, usually from a libertarian or

conservative point of view.

We hope this issue contains opinions that you don’t

usually hear in classrooms or in conversations with friends.

We do not try to o� end, but you may be o� ended. Suing us

on grounds of emotional pain and su� ering will not con-

vince us to change our content or win a court case. Our goal

is not to be popular; our goal is to spark discussion.

Ever growing, � e Spectator has added several new

members this year and has reached a wider audience on

College Hill.

Finally, with the completion of this issue, Oliver, now

at the Spectator for three years, will step down as editor-

in-chief, leaving articles, edits and good memories. Olivia

will continue as editor-in-chief next year, keeping the ship

steady at the helm.

We wish you a productive

and enjoyable summer,

Oliver Hudson

Olivia Conetta

Editors-in-chief

editorial board

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS


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Paul @ BrownWhen Ron Paul came to Brown on April 16th, he tailored his speech to his audience. He knew he would be applauded for advocating the legalization of pot but derided for championing economically libertarian policies, such as ending the minimum wage.

for the love of moneyStudents seeking to be quick, successful entrepreneurs are often disappointed. Such impatience is dangerous, for it clouds one’s judgment of overall goals and the long-term picture.

the importance of privacyYour information is best left to the parties who were intended to receive it in the first place. The PATRIOT Act must be repealed; monitoring citizens indiscriminately is not the right path to safety.

where do we get our energy?Not all power plants are created equal.It is important for people, especially loud activists, to keep all factors—pollution, danger, and cost—in mind when evaluating power sources.

growing up with terrorismWe are the � rst generation raised in the post-9/11 world. Accepting that there will be terrorism and that there is nothing we can do to change that seems like the worst option, even if there is some truth to our powerlessness. We can never give up hope for peace.

exercise and mental healthThe ancient phrase “mens sana in corpore sano” tells a profound truth: mind and body are not separate, and the health of one requires the health of the other. Since then, it has been medically proven that exercise promotes mental health. If we value our minds, we should start heading to the gym.

the cause of libertyIn his recent and much-celebrated visit to Brown, Ron Paul implicitly acknowledged the differences of opinion that separated him from his audience. He argued, however, that the very fact of disagreement should unite us behind the cause of preventing government from imposing uniform mandates.

book reivewAll � ings Shining: Reading the Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age

laugh now, cry laterA collection of political cartoons for your enjoyment.

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CONTENTS visit us online at brown-spectator.com

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COVER


2 S opinion

the awkward phase of, “I know he wants to end the Depart-ment of Education, but he also wants to end the wars!!” But though I personally learned to love the Paul of economic freedoms as well as the Paul of political ones, I knew many of his ideas would not be well received here. So I, and my few comrades in (non-aggressive) arms, entered with a skip in our step but a hesitance in our expectations into Solomon that day. What ensued was masterful. Paul, a libertarian folk-hero but—as ever—a politician, managed to play his crowd with a conductor’s precision. He never outright skirted the controversial issues. He would say things like, to para-phrase, “Sure we have to eliminate food stamps and welfare at some point, BUT ALL THE REAL WELFARE IS GOING

TO THOSE GREEDY BANKS AND CORPORATIONS, AM I RIGHT?” He built consen-sus. Most of his time was spent getting cheers for the socially liberal stu� —drug policy, for-eign policy, civil liberties—and wrapping his End the Fed man-ifestos in egalitarian rhetoric. For the true Paul fan, he de-

served appreciation for how he never misrepresented his views, but still managed to stave o� boos from a crowd that voted by a margin of 9:1 for Obama and de� nitely had its share of die-hard Jill Stein supporters. � e Q&A a� erwards was also relatively serene. Most of the questions centered on his economic policy, his monetary prescriptions and his views on lobbyists. Some great one-liners came out of the whole ordeal. Paul’s peren-nially go-to zinger, “Truth is treason in the empire of lies,” made its token appearance, but also some newer ones came up, such as his response to a hypothetical on whether or not he should form a third party: “What we should do is focus on forming a second part � rst!” � e last two ques-tions unsurprisingly hit upon the issues that most cease-lessly dog him among the more le� -leaning of his followers – abortion and the newsletters. His justi� cation for being pro-individual freedom and pro-life was one of the most

On April 16th, an angelic choir alighted from the Heav-ens for Brown’s comparative-handful of libertarians.

When the door opened on stage le� of Solomon’s upper-lev-el auditorium, and Dr. Ron Paul came in waving, our hearts � uttered and the room lit up. If there is any modern politi-cian who has done more to advance (the libertarian notion of) liberty in the past eighty years I would like to see him. Paul consistently carried the youth vote in the states he pri-maried and, even as a 77-year old congressman, galvanized a (subset of a) generation to stalwartly defend the principles of property, markets and freedom. � e reason I used parentheses is because at Brown, Ron Paul’s Freedom Train seemed to have missed its stop. Or well, at least only remembered to unload half of its cargo. Brown students are down with legalizing pot. Even if they con-nect them more with Bush and brush them under the carpet for Obama, they too also hate drones. Gays should marry and the PATRIOT Act should’ve been abolished, like, 10 years ago. � ey get that. But priva-tize Social Security? � at’s some Glenn Beck talk. End the FDA: like, actually, what? Abol-ish the minimum wage?!!?! � ey ask: what is this guy even smoking? And then: can I have some? And honestly, they can’t be blamed for their interest. Half the time Ron Paul sounds like he’s just � nished hitch-hiking his way from Woodstock to a peyote commune in north-west Nebraska, and the other half like a robber baron who’s time-travelled to the 1980’s to join the Ayn Rand In-stitute. It leaves many progressives hopeful, ecstatic, disillu-sioned and furious all at the same time. � is is epitomized in an anonymous, socialist Facebook friend’s status: “It’s amaz-ing how on the money [Ron Paul] is when he talks about the 20% of his ideology that isn’t batshit crazy.” I know where the exasperated poster is coming from. Ron Paul was the transition phase (read: gateway drug) during my ideological shi� from a good Democratic Party-faithful in my � rst term of senior year. I went through

BENJAMIN KOATZ

Brown students are down with legalizing pot. But privatize Social Security? That’s

some Glenn Beck talk. End the FDA: like, actually, what? Abolish the minimum wage!? They ask: what is this guy even smoking?

And then: can I have some?

PAUL @ BROWNLiberty among liberals

“Too much governmentcaused too many of ourproblems.”

RON PAULGEMS:


3Sopinion

o� ce of the Presidency. How can you do so with such a blight on your record?” � e response: “Well, if anything, these newsletters show you that man is not perfect. But at least when I make mistakes, it only e� ects me. � is should make you wary to entrust ulti-

mate authority to a government made up of imperfect men. � eir mistakes a� ect you.” � reading the libertarian line in the liberal stronghold of Brown University is a tough feat on-campus freedom-lovers take a while to master. Ron Paul

did it elegantly and, if informal exit polling performed by yours-truly is any indicator, may have so� ened a couple of hearts to his cause. To preach truth in an empire of lies is treason. I can only credit Brown University’s student body for not summarily condemning Dr. Paul, and letting his version of the truth get its day. Maybe at some point in the future his ‘liberty’ will be the norm here, too.

honest to come out of a right-wing mouth for a long time. It did not resort to the baby-killing pleas of religious zealots. It rested on some amount of acceptance and some amount of reason. “Our � rst priority should be to de� ne life,” “� e more controversial the issue, the more local it should be,” and, “It ultimately depends on the morality of the society. If people want to have abortions, they will have abortions,” were some of the less o� -putting pro-life statements I’ve heard in a while. � e newsletters ques-tion was less honest and sincere and therefore merited a less honest and sincere response. A� er being confronted with bigoted text from two articles without by-line (under the banner of a collective Ron Paul Newsletter), which he has personally disavowed, distanced himself from, apologized for and done everything short of burn, he was asked: “You have asked the American people 3 times now to be granted the ultimate responsibility of the

“If anything,” Paul pointed out, “these newsletters show you that man is not

perfect. But at least when I make mistakes, it only affects me.” When you give power to the authorities, “their mistakes affect you.”

Ron Paul’s visit on April 16th was met with a full house.

EMILY GILBERT / BROWN DAILY HERALD

“I thinkAmerica’sbeenexceptional.”

“Stop allthe warsand bringthe troopshome.”

On government:

“The biggerthey get, thebigger thelies.”

“I havevery littlefaith ingovernment.”

“The peopleshouldbe thegovernment.”

On paternalisticgovernment’s attitude:

“You as an individual have no brains whatsoever.”

On bipartisanshipandnonpartisanship:

“Let’s workfor a secondparty!”

“Liberty doesnot comefrom ourgovernment.”


4 S opinion

sense to understand that not every new venture materializes into something tremendous, the prevalence of newly-mint-ed wealth belonging to people who have cashed in on trendy ideas is skewing the perception that establishing one’s own business is the way to succeed in life. Five years ago, invest-ment banking or trading paved the way to earning a healthy six-� gure salary by one’s late 20s. In either case, too much focus is levied on short-term gains and monetary rewards to be reaped within the � rst � ve or 10 years. � is is especially troubling when college co-eds and recent grads “know” (or more realistically, think) they will lust a� er a career in entrepreneurship or � nance. First, these words are poorly de� ned and encompass a plethora of av-enues one could travel. Secondly, if doing what we love is crucial and we should embark on a professional path that

actually engages our curios-ity and creativity, it is probably important to understand a job’s purpose and to have a clear idea of what we wish to pursue. No, I do not mean that a college ju-nior must enter recruiting sea-son with an unwavering vision of the trading desk he wants to

join. However, I do think one should be able to de� ne in-vestment banking or explain the role of angel investors be-fore committing to a career choice. If—through either call-ing—the money one envisions earning as a 20-something compels one’s decision, it is a shame. Following taxes and other living expenses, the analyst and associate salaries do not amount to much. Moreover, market trends, o� ce poli-tics, and educational options might further di� erentiate monetary reality from earnings expectations. � is impatience and preponderance of attention toward immediate realizations are dangerous, for they cloud one’s judgment of overall goals and the long-term picture. In an article featured in the Atlantic in Septem-ber, Bob Dorf advised start-up founders, “Find the right trajectory for your business and focus not only on reach-ing it, but on assuring that the result is a sustainable, re-peatable pro� t engine that can perform and grow healthily

I remember watching � e Social Network when Justin Tim-berlake, in the character of eccentric entrepreneur cum

venture capitalist cum bon vivant Sean Parker, said to Mark Zuckerberg, played by Jesse Eisenberg, “A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion dollars.” Face-book’s blockbuster success, together with technology peers such as Google, Twitter, and LinkedIn, have magnetized an interest in the start-up culture that has de� ned this genera-tion of 20-somethings and college co-eds. Is it a true passion to manage one’s own enterprise and improve life for the rest of the world? Or are sensational stories of young, vibrant men and women with nine � gures to their name the real captors of our attention? I am prepared to say that such ro-manticized visions of monetary grandeur and societal ado-ration are swaying our generation toward this path without their possessing a genuine un-derstanding of its challenges yet thirsting for the fast money it can bring—much as investment banking attracted budding ana-lysts in the heyday of � nancial markets. Nowadays those bold enough to venture out on their own and hopefully land on a Forbes cover for becoming multimillionaires by age 30 inform the career choices of fresh university graduates. Creating new ideas and revolu-tionizing human practices are admirable goals, but we must also consider the impetus driving today’s startup founders. To many the prospect of birthing novel concepts and build-ing a professional force from that platform is probably far more electric, more tantalizing than slaving away at Excel for 90 hours a week in a staid o� ce building. (I personal-ly disagree and see the attraction to both realms, but I am painting an image of trending sentiment). Furthermore, na-scent entrepreneurs who are developing something “cool” likely garner more sympathy than workaholic bankers in dark suits as they buzz around trading � oors or � ll up cu-bicles. According to Business Insider, the success rate for novice entrepreneurs is 12 percent. While it is common-

ELIZABETH FUERBACHER

Students seeking to be quick, successful entrepreneurs are often disappointed. Such impatience is dangerous, for it clouds one’s

judgment of overall goals and the long-term picture.

for the love of moneyAre entrepreneurs the new I-banking analysts?


5Sopinion

Have we heard of any mortgage � nancing re-form or housing policies to correct rami� ca-tions of the � nancial crisis? No. Why? I think a grave inability to understand these prob-lems certainly plagues Capitol Hill, but it is also convenient for our senators and repre-sentatives to jettison these thought-provok-ing questions and only focus on pressing is-sues that a� ect them in the very near future. � rough a political lens, we can see what happens when the short term is our sole focus and we disregard the importance of understanding the decisions we are ren-dering. For example, the current balance of power has acted in a way that only demon-strates the Pollyanna-like objective of cover-ing health care for all 45 million uninsured Americans and perpetrating present entitle-ment outlays to the elderly. � is addresses the rewards without acknowledging the risks of burdensome costs that our nation cannot bear. Similarly, college students and newly minted alums must understand what they are getting into when making a career choice. Of course, change is always possible and some

marvelous entrepreneurs such as Larry Ellison or John Paul DeJoria took circuitous routes toward their ultimate suc-cesses. However, the vast majority should not be persuaded by near-term visions of grandeur and � nancial stardom. Many today expect to be the next Mark Zuckerberg and

be set for life within 10 years of graduating college. On the contrary, our generation should focus on attaining solid skills within the next � ve years that will sustain our long, proli� c careers. An overnight success such as Facebook or Instagram

is cool. But you know what else is cool? Establishing a ro-bust company such as DuPont or IBM that has prospered for many generations.

over time.” Likewise, our nation’s people, and particularly the poor excuse for Republican and Democratic leadership with which we are burdened, share a nearsighted, myopic vision of America’s path. One does not need a PhD in po-litical science or economics to digest this reality—look at the last-minute, slipshod na-ture of debt ceiling negotia-tions and sequestration talks. Have any sustainable mandates been achieved? No. On impor-tant issues such as entitlement reform—which both le� and right-wing economists agree is the largest liability we must tackle—have di� cult, albeit appropriate decisions been made? No. Have we addressed ugly issues of increasing costs as our population ages? No.

One does not need a PhD in political science to understand that our leaders share a myopic vision of America’s path.

It is all too tempting for businessmen and congressmen alike to ignore the long term.

—but you know what else is cool?


7Sopinion

OLIVIA CONETTA

cybersecurity and theimportance of privacy

Electronic Frontier Foundation has said, “Companies have new rights to monitor user actions and share data — includ-ing potentially sensitive user data — with the government without a warrant.” Why is privacy so important? � ink about how you live your life online. It’s likely you share personal, private in-formation with the people you talk to online. Perhaps you emailed your friends about your recent use of illegal drugs or Facebook-messaged them about your father’s long bat-tle with depression. Would you want Big Brother and the � ought Police to know those private details of your per-

sonal life? Would you want your Internet browsing history to land in the hands of Uncle Sam for him to use for any purpose? You might be thinking you aren’t a bad person or a terrorist and thus have nothing to hide on the Internet. But, as Red-

dit user “pig� sh” commented in a thread about CISPA and privacy rights, “privacy is the notion that we don’t want to share everything with everyone.” Your personal information is best le� only to the parties who were intended to receive it in the � rst place. Of course, cybersecurity is and should be an impor-tant priority in an age where hackers can attack governments online. But monitoring citizens nearly indiscriminately is not the solution to keeping the country safe from online at-tacks — unless we’re living under the reign of Big Brother.

It’s easy to feel that Big Brother is watching you. In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, then-President

George W. Bush signed into law a controversial wiretapping bill in 2001. � e USA PATRIOT Act — an Orwellian ac-ronym that stands for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism — gave the federal government broader powers to intercept the communications of potential threats to national security. “� e changes, e� ective today, will help counter a threat like no other our nation has ever faced,” Bush said a� er the passage of the law, appealing to Americans’ salient fear and hatred of terrorists. “We’ve seen the enemy, and the murder of thousands of innocent, unsuspecting people.” Since the signing of the Patriot Act, countless civil liberties groups have criticized the act’s potential for inva-sion of citizens’ privacy. � e American Civil Liberties Union � led a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Patriot Act, alleging that the law violates the First, Fourth, and Fi� h Amendments to the Constitution. And now, history repeats itself. � e Cyber Intel-ligence Sharing and Protection Act makes companies who share information about online threats with the government largely free from civil and crim-inal liability. CISPA recently died in the Senate, where Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.), chair of the Commerce Committee and member of the Select Com-mittee on Intelligence, came out in opposition to the bill, stating that the bill’s goals were important, but that CISPA did not provide adequate protections for individuals’ privacy. � e bill did not reach the full Senate for a vote. But the bill’s failure to be put up for a vote in the Senate makes the legislation no less scary. Harvey Anderson of Mozilla, a CISPA opponent, has said the legislation “cre-ates a black hole” through which the government can pull in di� erent types of data. � eoretically, private emails and even medical records could land in the hands of the govern-ment, according to the Economist. And Mark Jaycox of the

Your information is best left to the parties who were intended to receive it in the fi rst place. Monitoring citizens indiscriminately is

not the right path to safety.

2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013

? ? ?

? ?

?

Wiretaps of uncharged citizens, by year

Of course, this chart is completely made up. Federal security agencies refuse to disclose not only the names of those investigated but even the quantities. We literally do not know whether they number in the hundreds or hundreds of millions.


Administration, it accounts for 42.3 percent of the U.S.’s total electricity consumption. In general, coal is one of the dirtiest forms of en-ergy production. According to the European Union’s Ex-ternE project, coal has the second highest fatality per kilo-watt-hour (kWh). It is also a non-renewable resource that will eventually run out. So why is coal so widely used? Coal is reliable, cheap, abundant, domestic and easy to transport. Coal power plants always have a steady supply of coal being fed into them, allowing constant elec-tricity to be provided to the energy grid, which keeps the

metaphorical train running without having to stop. Coal is also extremely cheap, and it is very easy to transport via freight rail. Coal is also ex-tremely abundant: � e world has enough proven reserves to

last for another 112 years. Furthermore, the U.S. has such a large supply of coal that it actually exports some of its coal, meaning, the country does not rely on other nations for coal-powered energy.

Natural Gas

Natural gas power plants work in much the same way as coal; only natural gas is burned instead of coal. Natural gas accounts for 24.7 percent of the U.S.’s total energy con-sumption, a share that been on the rise in recent years due to falling costs. Natural gas has the advantage of being much clean-er than coal energy and in many cases less costly. Natural gas is reliable and can be burned constantly, ensuring no sudden stops in production. Natural gas is abundant in the U.S., and almost all natural gas used in the U.S. is produced in the U.S. However, Natural gas does have some distinct dis-advantages. It is still a fossil fuel and is not as abundant as coal, meaning it will also eventually run out. Natural gas still produces greenhouse gases, and is not 100 percent en-vironmentally friendly.

With the recent debate over coal divestment on Brown’s campus, there has been a renewed interest

in looking at where all of our energy comes from. More speci� cally, how do coal, sunlight, and wind turn into the electricity used to turn on the lights? First, we have to look at a very basic component of electricity and magnetism: � ux. � e concept is extremely simple: When you move a magnet through a wire coil, or even spin magnets on a wire coil, it generates and electri-cal current in the coils. Flux’s amazing application is trans-forming mechanical energy (moving the magnets) into electrical energy (the current created in the coil). � is con-cept is the basis for almost all types of electrical power plants. � e only variation between plants is the method of spin-ning the magnets. However, not all power plants are created equal. Some power plants are more expensive, others use valuable resources, some are polluting, and some are not very reli-able. Reliability is one of the most crucial aspects of elec-tricity generation in considering the national energy grid. � e grid has to be constantly running. It can’t start up and stop like a light switch beccause there is too much resis-tance when power lines stretch from one state to another. � ink of the grid system like a train: A train can run at high speeds relatively smoothly, but it takes some time for it to get started again once it stops. � is is why this year’s Super Bowl power outage and 2003 black out in the North-east lasted so long. It is important to keep these factors in mind when evaluating power sources.

Coal

Coal power plants are based on traditional steam power. Coal is burned, which in turn boils water, creating steam. � e steam is then used to turn a turbine, which spins mag-nets around metal coils. Coal is the largest energy source in the world, and according to the U.S. Energy Information

RYAN FLEMING

how do we getour energy?

8 S opinion

Not all power plants are created equal.It is important to keep factors such as

pollution, danger, and cost in mind when evaluating power sources.


though. Nuclear waste never goes away; environmental groups have long opposed the use of nuclear power for this reason. Many countries have also shied away from

nuclear energy a� er such inci-dents as the � ree Mile Island accident and the Fukushima disaster, despite the fact that nuclear energy is one of the safest forms of energy, accord-ing to the E.U.’s ExternE re-

port.

Hydropower

Hydropower is a renewable energy source that doesn’t use

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy also uses steam to move turbines, but in-stead of burning a fuel, it uses heat created by nuclear � ssion. � e lack of fossil fuels makes nuclear energy emission-free, and not reliant on a limited re-source. Nuclear plants are also able to run at all times, and they are capable of producing enough electricity to power a na-tion; for example, France uses nuclear energy for 77.1 per-cent of its energy needs. In the U.S., nuclear energy accounts for 19.3 percent of all electricity. Nuclear energy does have some downsides

9Sopinion

Despite fears after such incidents as Three Mile Island and Fukushima, nuclear energy

is one of the safest forms of energyaccording to the EU’s ExternE report.

Coal

Natural Gas

Nuclear

Hydro

Other

What keeps the world running

If you’re wondering what literally powers the lights in your dorm room or apartment, the answer is simple: almost all the electricity consumed in Rhode Island is generated using natural gas. Larger regions, however, must turn to more diverse sources to meet their energy demands. The United States’s energy sources are comparable to those of the rest of the world (in proportion, if not in magnitude):

COAL42%

COAL41%

GAS25%

GAS21%

NUCLEAR19%

NUCLEAR13%

HYDRO 7%

OTHER 7%

HYDRO16%

OIL 5%OTHER

3%

UNITED STATES WORLD


Solar Power

Solar power is unique among the major sources of elec-tricity in that it does not convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Instead, it uses photovoltaics to convert light energy into electrical energy. Solar panels have an almost in� nite source of ener-gy (the Sun), and they don’t produce harmful greenhouse gases. However, they have been slow to catch on in the US. Why? Solar panels need rare earth metals, which, as the name suggests, are rare. � is drives up the cost of produc-tion and makes the technology not entirely renewable. Furthermore, almost 90 percent of the world’s rare earth metals come from China, so it still puts America’s energy needs in the hands of a foreign nation. Solar panels also aren’t reliable as a constant source of energy, since the night happens every – well – night. This means that large capacitors are needed to store energy for nighttime use. Furthermore, in many northern climates, the sun isn’t very strong, so solar ener-

gy becomes even less reliable. Perhaps the final nail in the solar coffin is that solar panels aren’t very efficient. The roof of the Nelson Fitness Center is nearly covered in solar panels, yet they only cover 10 percent of the electricity demand for the facility alone. With such

weak returns, solar energy simply cannot handle the li-on’s share of the electricity demand.

� e Future

Who knows what energy will look like in the future? Coun-tries and the private industry are all looking for energy al-ternatives, and the future could be very bright for emerg-ing industries like solar power. However, it’s important that everyone – especially those vocal protesters – understand how it works now.

steam, but rather the running water of a river to manu-ally turn its turbines. � is means that hydropower is clean, renewable, and reliable. Hydropower can also generate a signi� cant amount of electricity. Take Washington state, for example, where dams provide nearly 76 percent of the state’s electricity. Hydropower does has signi� cant geographical limitations, however, as some areas simply do not enough rivers to meet their energy needs. Furthermore, dams can o� en have negative ecological impacts. � erefore, not ev-ery river is suitable for hydro-conventional power plants.

Wind Energy

Wind energy uses the force of the wind to turn a windmill’s large blades, which turn the turbine, creating electricity. Wind energy is renewable, and creates zero emissions. � e problems with wind energy though, are nu-merous. First and foremost, it is not a reliable source of energy, because if there is no wind, then there will be no electricity. � is causes our metaphorical train to stop, and that is never a good thing. Wind energy is also ine� cient. Each windmill pro-duces so little energy, that it takes thousands of windmills to generate the power produced by just one conventional power plant. Despite the U.S.’s status as the second largest producer of wind energy in the world, wind energy only accounts for 2.9 percent of the U.S.’s electricity consumption. For another perspective, consider Texas. Texas is the leading state in wind production, so much so, that if Texas were its own country, it would be sixth largest pro-ducer in wind energy. Even still, wind only accounted for 9.8 percent of the state’s electricity consumption. Besides its abysmal production, wind energy also has a negative environmental impact because the vast stretches of windmills all but ruin the aesthetics of the countryside.

10 S opinion

Texas is the leading state in wind production by such a margin that if Texas

were its own country, it would be the 6th-largest producer of wind energy. Even so, wind only accounts for 9.8% of Texas’s

electricity consumption.

continued | how do we get our energy?


11Sopinion

KELLY FENNESSY

growing upwith terrorism

happen to us personally. It will hurt anonymous others, whose misfortunes we will lament in our supportive face-book statuses. Should we give up hope that we can live in a more peaceful world? Do we have a choice given what we have

been exposed to? Will acts of violence someday cease to even surprise us? Even now, only vi-olence in our own country has any kind of real shock value. As much as I hate to ad-mit it, I am completely guilty of thinking ‘that’s too bad’, and

then moving on with my life in response to hearing about some horrible atrocity halfway across the world. I hope that anyone reading this is a better person than I am and actively empathizes with victims across the world. Accepting that there will be terrorism and people will get hurt and that there is nothing we can do to change that seems like the worst option, even if there is some logic and truth to our powerlessness to stop it. At the risk of sounding too much like a low level beauty pageant contestant, we can never give up the hope for peace.

We are probably the youngest generation to remember exactly where we were on September 11, 2001. Most

of us were in elementary schools across the country as we learned of an act of terror that rocked our nation. I still as-sociate September 11 with the bright pink booksock on my � � h grade science book I was staring at when I � rst heard that something was wrong. At the time, I did not fully com-prehend the magnitude of what had just occurred. I de� -nitely did not understand how far outside of the norm such an attack was. Fast forward to Monday, April 15, 2013. A� er hear-ing about the bombings in Boston, a signi� cant percentage of us posted facebook statuses asserting that Boston is in our thoughts. We hoped that everyone we know was un-harmed, and a� er hearing that, in most cases, everyone we know was � ne, we thanked our lucky starts that it was not worse. At least it was not another September 11. At least the death count was in the single digits, and not in the thou-sands. We, more so than other generations, grew up in a world where the news of acts of terrorism � ashed across websites and televisions once in a blue moon. How does that a� ect our mentality and world outlook? From an optimistic point of view, perhaps the pres-ence of terrorism has made us realize the importance of di-plomacy. We realize the impor-tance of our foreign policy and how foreign radicals will react to it. With this in mind, perhaps the next generation of politicians will be even more mindful of our nation’s image. Note that I am not at all implying that current politicians are to blame for previous acts of terror. From a less optimistic point of view, the presence of terrorism throughout most of our lives may have engen-dered apathy. By apathy, I do not mean that acts of terror do not faze us. I mean that we accept terrorism as a necessary evil. We may assume that it is always going to happen be-cause there will always be radicals who hate us. We accept this necessary evil, but hope and expect that it will never

Accepting that there will be terrorism and that there is nothing we can do to change that seems like the worst option, even if there is some truth to our powerlessness.

We can never give up hope of peace.

Will we really “never forget”?


endorphins, which are natural opiates, produced during exercise boost mood, thereby helping the person bounce up a� er despondent thoughts and feelings. � e endorphins are likely produced in an attempt to counteract shock to the body during exercise. Another theory believes that exercise raises activ-ity in the frontal lobes of the brain and the hippocampus, helping to � ght mental illness. Other theories cite higher levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine a� er exercise as a cause. Finally, other possible explanations rely on the fact that exercise is known to increase levels of “brain-derived neurotrophic factor,” which is believed to boost mood. But whatever the reason behind’s exercise’s bene� cial e� ects on mental illness, the medical commu-nity is con� dent in the premise that exercise can help those with mental illness. � e mind-body question of old seems silly today. Clearly, the mind and body are not separate.

� e evidence that exercise can relieve symptoms of men-tal illness should be reason enough for college students to exercise more. Even if one does not have a mental illness, a col-lege student is in the prime age range to develop a mental ill-ness. Seventy-� ve percent of

mental illnesses occur by age 24, and one in four young adults between ages 18 and 24 have a diagnosable men-tal illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. If you are struggling with a mental illness, please consider visiting Psychological Services, which reports that 1,300 students visit each year for various reasons, un-derscoring the prevalence of mental illness in college. Regular exercise can help those struggling with mental illness, but what is especially interesting is that ex-ercise can also act as a preventative measure against mental illness: allowing mentally healthy people to ward o� , or at least make less likely, the onset of mental illness. Accord-ing to the American Psychological Association, regular exercise in mentally healthy people helps reduce the fear produced in the � ight-or-� ight response when anxiety-

“Mens sana in corpore sano” is a famous Latin say-ing meaning “a healthy mind in a healthy body.”

� is phrase dates back to Ancient Greek and Roman cul-ture, which held that the ideal man had both mental and physical strength. Today, our cultural values have changed. Physical strength is far less valued than mental strength. Technological advancement, especially in computing, food production, and transportation, has made the bene� ts of physical strength less while the bene� ts of mental strength enormous. A� er all, many of today’s celebrated successes – Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Warren Buf-fett — are known for their brains, not their brawn. Physi-cal strength today is regarded as a sign of good physical health, but is not regarded as a necessity. However, it may be high time we starting valuing brawn again. Scienti� c re-search now indicates that exercise promotes mental health, as well as physical health. � e Greeks and Romans may have had it right: � e key to overall health is a strong mind and body. Exercise eases symp-toms of a variety of mental ill-nesses, including depression and schizophrenia. A 1999 study in the Archives of Inter-nal Medicine found that de-pressed patients in a 16-week aerobic exercise program showed as much improvement as patients on antidepres-sant medication for the same 16 weeks. A follow-up study demonstrated that those patients who exercised were less likely than others to relapse into depression six months af-ter the end of the study. Regular exercise also helps those with schizophre-nia, helping to ease depression, low self-esteem, and social withdrawal. Exercise can also counteract some of negative side e� ects of medication. For example, anti-psychotic medications o� en lead to weight gain, which can be miti-gated by regular exercise. � ere are many competing theories about why ex-ercise o� en helps those with mental illness. A conclusive explanation has not yet been found. One theory is that the

OLIVER HUDSON

12 S opinion

Whatever the reason behind exercise’s benefi cial effects on mental illness, the medical community is confi dent in the

premise that exercise can help those with mental illness. The mind and the body are

not separate.

the value of exerciseWhat the ancients can teach us about mental health


Brown students, and other students across the country, should heed the advice of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Let’s exercise regularly to achieve greater mental health. Mens sana in corpore sano.

provoking situations arrive. � is can help people who may be susceptible to an anxiety disorder. In addition, regular exercise increases energy levels and self-esteem, and also provides an outlet for stress.

13Sopinion

Brown provides us with state-of-the-art exercise facilities, such as the Nelson Fitness Center. As human beings seeking to stay healthy, and especially as students seeking to stay sharp, we should use them o� en.


taking money from e� cient companies and funneling it toward “lousy” ones. But he was also critical of citizen-to-citizen welfare. � e solution is not to extract money from the rich and redistribute it, he said. � e real solution is to ensure that nobody gets rich from government or military corruption. “� e people should be the government,” not politi-cians or special interests, he said. Also in an economic vein, Paul decried de� ation, which devalues our currency and thus destroys the middle class. � e rich receive money � rst, and then it circulates and loses value, he said. � e audience was especially pleased with Paul’s condemnation of the War on Drugs. It is not constitution-al to “arrest somebody on suspicion,” he said. However, during the question-and-answer session, when Spectator contributor Benjamin Koatz ’16 asked Paul whether he

would legalize drugs at the fed-eral level, Paul said the federal government should stay out of drug legalization and leave it to the states. Paul also noted that an in-dividual should be able to take economic and personal risks in a free society. New York City

Mayor Bloomberg’s large soda ban runs counter to this freedom, he said. He closed the speech with an appeal to liberty. He said freedom brings people together and that people with totally di� erent opinions should come together to get the government out of their lives. While Paul said he voted against the Patriot Act, he did not further cover issues of Internet privacy, an es-pecially salient topic in the midst of the controversy sur-rounding the Stop Online Piracy Act, Protect IP Act, and Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act. Knowing his largely liberal audience, he also shied away from social issues, though he noted in the question-and-answer ses-sion that he does not support abortion due to his experi-ence as an obstetrician-gynecologist.

Former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) championed the cause of liberty in front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd

in Salomon 101 at Brown on April 16. Hosted by the Brown Lecture Board, Paul touched on foreign policy, the drug war, the military-industrial complex, and the gold stan-dard, among other topics. � e � rst part of Paul’s lecture focused on foreign policy. He criticized the U.S. for spending money to keep North and South Korea divided. In his view, the U.S. gov-ernment used crises like the North Koreans’ attainment of nuclear weapons as an excuse to drum up “constant agita-tion” among the populace and thus be able to spend more money on the military-industrial complex. He supported national defense, but argued that the U.S. should be less involved in other countries’ a� airs. “I vote for trying to achieve with peace the changes the country wants to see around the world instead of ‘pre-emptive war’ to mitigate poten-tial threats”, Paul said. In the meantime, the U.S. is “wasting our time and money” in Af-ghanistan, he added. Paul was also critical of the Obama administration’s drone war and decried Demo-crats’ support of it. He noted the immorality of the drone war: For each suspect killed, 50 civilians are killed as well. He found it unbelievable that Americans wonder why other countries are against us when our government’s policies kill innocent people abroad. � e former contender for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination highlighted the problems await-ing the U.S. as a result of high government spending. Now, other countries buy our debt, Paul said, but we will some-day have to pay back those debts. Instead, the U.S. should live within its means. His solution for scaling back is to “stop all the wars and bring the troops home,” a policy pre-scription that was met with applause from the crowd. Corporate welfare, the “biggest welfare,” was not safe from Paul’s barbed tongue. He disliked the practice of

OLIVIA CONETTA

14 S opinion

Ron Paul noted that an individual should be able to take economic and personal risks in a free society. Therefore, he said,

freedom unites: people with totally different opinions should come together to get the

government out of their lives.

Ron Paul:“It’s the cause of liberty that I stand for”


15Sar ts & style

BOOK REVIEW by BAXTER DIFABRIZIO

As summer approaches, we avidly seek books to read that will enrich us and give us something to say at the

next social gathering or in the next school year. Perhaps you’re open to a book that gives a crash-course in the his-tory of civilization, philosophy, or the human condition in modern times? Well, do we have the book for you! A sur-vey of literature and philosophical thought in the Western world from ancient times to the present, Hubert Dreyfus’s and Sean Dorrance Kelly’s All � ings Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age is the perfect book for increasing your street cred. But caveat emptor, if you would rather your worldview stay the same, this may not be the book for you. � e authors present an incredibly humane and sophisticated argument about how we should view the world, but the argument is quite controversial and challenges many traditional viewpoints. However, if you’re up for the challenge, delve into the deep thought of the West and see how a wholesome appreciation of our literary heritage can change your life. Why read a book on the Western World, particu-larly the Western canon of literature? Isn’t that like saying, “Why don’t we have white history month?” � e answer is that we live in a Western society, and despite the hegemony

of the old Western classics, the worldview of this literature is remarkably holistic and inclusive. � e ancient authors, the medieval authors, and the present authors all appre-ciate the roles of other people—from slaves to freemen, paupers to kings—and though all people may not have a prominent voice in the literature, they do have a voice which is recognized, empathized with and accepted. � e ancient world was frank in its denial of social mobility, but even more frank in its appreciation and sensitive portrayal of people from all walks of life. � is only widens the ap-

Why read a book on the Western World? The answer is that we live in a Western society, and despite the hegemony of the old Western classics, the worldview of this

literature is remarkably holistic and inclusive.

All � ings ShiningReading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age

Book reviewAll Things Shining:

Rereading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age

AuthorsHubert Dreyfus

and Sean Dorrance Kelly

PublisherFree Press


derstanding that the gods are moods, personi� ed forces that move us in our lives, and that to follow these “moods” is the path to maximizing our human potential and experiencing the holiest and most wholesome lives. When Eros arrowed Helen, she felt impelled to follow a divine urge to elope with Paris, and her openness and receptivity to doing so, to ac-cepting the guidance of these forces that are larger than us, made her life meaningful and great. What’s noteworthy about this argument is its thoughtful simplicity, its complete and consistent decoding of the text, and its � rm grounding in Greek history and philosophy. It’s also a rare perspective; you’ll impress even a professor with this sort of in-depth his-torical and cultural knowledge!

� at’s a taste, the � rst step of this text well worth reading. Overall, in making arguments centered on the historical texts, the authors present a lifestyle they believe is healthy and a path out of our modern dysthy-

mia. I invite you to read the book, see for yourself if you are convinced! � e writing is tight and strong, memorable, and infused with the wonderful historical vignettes and humor-ous asides. You’ll probably be a pleasantly surprised by the stance on Christianity and the nature of God. However, if you take away anything from this review, try to be open, like the Greeks, to feelings and experiences, and let them guide your life.

plicability of Western philosophy to people in our modern society. Dreyfus and Kelly write that the current state of nihilism and atheism derives fundamentally from the pro-gression of Western philosophy in an inclusive vacuum, not because of the introduction of Eastern sources. Other philosophies are present, particularly towards the end of the book, but the authors do not survey them as they are mainly irrelevant to the narrative they develop. � e major strength of All � ings Shining is its use of informed close-readings of texts you’ve heard of, including, Homer, the Bible, Dante, Shakespeare, Descartes, and Mel-ville—to support its thesis and to develop its points. Here’s an example: Academic discourse is divided on Homer’s treat-ment of Helen of Troy, because he seems to have created in her a fundamentally contradictory character—a loving wife, and yet a traitor to her husband; the epitome of beauty and of dis-cord. In a scene from the Odys-sey, in which Menelaus of Sparta and his wife Helen of Troy are entertaining Telemachus, Odysseus’s son, Menelaus asks his wife to tell a story. Helen tells the story of a lifetime, the one where she abandons her husband for Paris and sparks the Trojan War—and yet at the tale’s end, Menelaus smiles and praises her for telling a story worthy of a true Greek woman. Surprising, no? Dreyfus and Kelly have a solution that makes sense of the text. � ey call upon the Greek un-

16 S ar ts & style

The major strength of All Things Shining is its use of informed close-readings of texts you’ve heard of—from Homer, the Bible, Dante, and others—to support its thesis.

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Do not think that, just because they have already been so extensively studied, the wisdom of theancients has run dry. � eir works still have much to teach us.


17Sar ts & style

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Congratulationsto the Class of 2013!To everyone graduating Brown this year, we are honored to have called ourselves your peers. We at � e Spectator may not always have agreed with your every judgment or political position, but wherever you are headed, we wish you the best in all your en-deavors. Go far, visit o� en, and remember this place you once called home.

You may be leaving Brown, but don’t think you can’ttake The Spectator with you!

For subscriptions or individual issues, [email protected]; or

visit us online at brown-spectator.com.

And of course, we will always welcomeyour submissions.


BROWN LECTURE BOARD BROWN ENVIRONMENTALISTS

winners & losers

Brown students pay lip service to the idea of “intellectual diversity,” but no

group on cam-pus better fosters intellectual di-versity than the Brown Lecture Board. In the past seven years, the group has featured speakers as wide-ranging as former Sen. Rick Santo-rum (R-Pa.), for-

mer Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and New York Times op-ed columnist Nich-olas Kristof. In April, the Lecture Board hosted former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), a move that many of us at � e Specta-tor appreciated. Even at a largely liberal school like Brown, the audience came together and cheered for Paul’s condem-nation of the War on Drugs, support for bringing the troops home, and decrying of corporate welfare. We hope in the fu-ture that the Lecture Board continues to o� er speakers from a wide range of po-litical backgrounds and foster dialogue on campus about viewpoints di� erent

from those normally expressed.

versity than the

In late April, passersby on the Main Green were robbed of a view of a pleasant New England spring a� ernoon. Obstructing the sight was an enormous black blob, alleg-edly containing one ton of carbon dioxide. � e unavoidable black sphere was a group of activists’ stunt to raise awareness about carbon dioxide emissions. We at � e Spec-tator can’t help but wonder about the merits of this bout of attention-seeking. Brown has already been saturated with events to raise awareness about environmentalism. If there are students still not on the green bandwag-on, it is because they live under rocks, or even disagree with the environmental-ists. In light of the stunt’s likely small impact on “aware-ness,” it is probable that the stunt cost more energy than it may be expected to reduce. A� er all, as-sembling, moving, and maintaining the blob used energy. We’re willing to wager not all of the energy used came from green sources. Not to mention that the stunt is also just an eyesore.

BROWN LECTURE BOARD BROWN ENVIRONMENTALISTS


The Brown Spectator Volume X Issue IV

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Transcript of The Brown Spectator Volume X Issue IV