Wesleyan lights up Huffington Post

In case you forgot why we rule, allow yourself to be reminded by this Wesleyan-centric article, "The Awesome-ization of Wesleyan University," published yesterday on The Huffington Post.

President-elect Barack Obama was the key note speaker at the 2008 Wesleyan Commencement - passing on valuable advice...

...and blessing a new crop of Brooklyn bands! 2008 brought MGMT and Santogold to the pop culture limelight and 2009 has the chance to be an even bigger year for the New England university. Fader Magazine, the current de facto guide to cool, recently profiled the university's music scene and the numerous internet buzz bands nurtured by co-ed dorms and naked parties.

Not to say that the influx of Wesleyan bloodlines into the experimental music scene should come as a surprise. This is the same university that previously boasted the best acid labs in the country, employs experimental jazz pioneer Anthony Braxton as a professor, and is the alma mater of hip hop impresario Bobbito Garcia.

The article also highlights four Wesleyan bands to look out for in 2009 complete with sample tracks: Boy Crisis, Amazing Baby, Bear Hands, and Francis and the Lights. (Plus two songs by honorable mentions Bottle Up and Go and Das Racist.) Thanks for the free PR Huffington!

[edit 11:15 am, Sheek]
FYI, the article's by Steve Pristin '06, of ISmellLikeMoney.com.

Roth on the Value of a Liberal Arts Education

As the president of an elite liberal arts college, Michael Roth is obviously biased in extolling the virtues of attending such an institution, but his latest Huff Post column is somewhat reassuring in these cautiously optimistic times:

...There is a promise of freedom in the liberal arts education offered by America's most distinctive, selective, and demanding institutions; and it is no surprise that their graduates can be found disproportionately in leadership positions in politics, culture and the economy. A quick look at several members of President-elect Obama's leadership team can stand as an example of how those with a liberal arts education are shaping the future of our society.

...The possibilities for free study, experimentation and risk taking need protection and cultivation. Looking around the world, we find no shortage of thugs who desecrate or murder those who seek to produce a more meaningful culture. And here at home we can easily see how mindless indifference to the contemporary arts and sciences facilitates the destruction of cultural memory and creative potential.

America's great universities and colleges must continue to offer a rigorous and innovative liberal arts education. A liberal education remains a resource years after graduation because it helps us to address problems and potential in our lives with passion, commitment and a sense of possibility...

Yeah, it's basically an extended brochure for prospective Wes students, but such positive thinking might be helpful when these thoughts are keeping you up at night.

Huffington Post: What's a Liberal Arts Education Good For?

Roth on Obama Victory, Wes Reactions

President Michael Roth's latest Huffington Post column is up, about his observations of the post-election impromptu campus-wide party, and his musings on President-elect Obama:

In the euphoria the Election night victory, I watched our Wesleyan students celebrating the victory of a man whom they had embraced and in whom they had invested their hopes. Although all were aware of the polls predicting a victory, I don't think many of them quite believed it would happen. They waved an American flag, chanted "O-bam-a, O-bam-a," and felt a powerful sense of hope in our collective future. When somebody played "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" over the speakers, these young men and women danced with enthusiasm at a song they no longer associated with their parents but with our new president-elect.

...I thought of our President-elect's Commencement Address... as I watched our students celebrating this stage in their political education and in the complex narrative of Barack Obama. It was a raucous party, and the celebrations took place in a context of political and social stability unburdened by fear. This is nothing to take for granted... We could express our joy and excitement while also inviting those who supported the Republican ticket to join in what was turning into a party for our political process. One of our students approached me to say that patriotism isn't a sentiment you feel only when your candidate wins. He is right, and I trust that in the months and years ahead we will remember our strong feelings of solidarity on Election night even as we disagree about policies and governmental tactics.

Is he talking about Mytheos?

Also, check out his RothBlog about it:
Roth on Huffington Post: Bringing the Stories Together

Roth in HuffPost: Roth Praises Wesleyan Students' Activism

Michael Roth wrote his third column for the Huffington Post this past Friday. In the blog, Roth praises Wes students' activism this election season.

In these last days before the election, many thousands of college students across the country are heading off-campus to work for candidates who they think will make a difference in their lives and in the lives of their fellow-citizens. [...]

Barack Obama has generated enormous excitement among young people across the country. As adolescent cynicism has given way to a deep hope for change, students are expressing their faith in the electoral system in the old fashioned way: they are participating in it. On my own campus, Wesleyan University, this engagement in electoral politics has energized student and faculty life in powerful ways. Wesleyan has long been known as a progressive school in which students often express strong views about the importance of social justice. When Senator Obama gave the Commencement Address in the spring, he lit up the campus with his energy and gravitas, with his commitment to public service and with his call to students to take responsibility for the public sphere. [...]

At Wesleyan I often say that education isn't about watching other people do the research, it's about doing that work oneself. This election cycle is a key part of our students' political education because they aren't spectators. They are taking responsibility for the work of politics themselves. This is good for their education - and for our future.

Wesleyan currently boasts 13 pages of hits on the site, while Amherst only has 9. Go Wes!

Huffington Post: Participation as Education

Sarah Palin Prank Called by "President Nicolas Sarkozy"

Governor Palin was pranked into believing that she spoke with President Nicolas Sarkozy today. The Quebec comedy troupe, the Masked Avengers, convinced the Governor that she was on the phone with the French President.

Listen to the prank call here via the Huffington Post.

At first, Palin mistook the president's aid for Sarkozy and proceeded to joke “It’s not him yet, I always do that!”

Palin initiated the conversation by praising Sarkozy. "Thank you sir, we have such great respect for you. We love you, Senator McCain and I! Thank you for spending a few minutes to talk to me!"

Sarkozy complemented Palin about her “life’s documentary” Nailin’ Palin to which Palin giggled and thanked the President.

Palin extended an invitation to go hunting with Sarkozy. Palin suggested, “We should go hunting together. We could have a lot of fun together as we’re getting work done. We can kill two birds with one stone that way!”

Palin also sent Sarkozy's wife, pop singer/ model Carla Bruni, a hug.

After revealing that the call was a hoax, Palin squealed "Oh, have we been pranked?!" The Governor then hung up the phone. Palin's campaign responded to the prank with "C'est la vie!"

[via the Huffington Post]

The Curse of Cindy McCain

Halloween tales just got a makeover courtesy of the Huffington Post's 23/6 comedy division.