Can’t wait until next September for more DILLIGAF?
Well you’re in luck, because over the course of the summer, I will be uploading the entire DILLIGAF archives to this site. Comics dating from 2007 to now. That’s a lot of DILLIGAF, all for you, all for free. Enjoy.
All students are leaders, whether they are involved in ten organizations, or just one, or even none at all. All students are leaders for they are expanding their knowledge, opening their minds, chasing their aspirations, turning dreams into realities, embracing their passions, and leading their own lives as individuals. All students are leaders because they lead themselves down windy paths, roads decorated with obstacles, routes that diverge in various directions – they direct themselves. We take charge of our worlds, we, as students, pick which paths we follow and which paths we forge. We are leaders because we don’t let others control us – we craft our own destinies.
Leadership is a significant quality to have. Leadership is indubitable indispensable. And we all carry some sort of leadership within us, whether we actively show it or not, whether we have explored it and embraced it or not. There are those who take this attribute to the next level by guiding others. It is so great when these types of students are recognized, publically or privately, personally or socially. Unfortunately, not all of us are given the gratitude we deserve. The appreciation we warrant. The thanks we desire, even if we don’t admit it.
The 2010 Leadership Banquet of UMass Dartmouth was held on Friday, May 7. Many distinguished awards were given to distinguished students who truly deserved to receive such honors; however, many students were overlooked, underappreciated, and this can be quite disheartening. There were numerous awards given, but it felt like only a handful of student leaders took home an award; this is because some students earned more than one award. Why wasn’t each person limited to one win? Why weren’t more students recognized? After all, everyone at the banquet was a leader. Every student organization was comprised of magnanimous leaders.
While all the students who won deserved their awards, the Leadership Banquet should have been more equal, more fair. Sure, if you have a lot of friends or come from a large organization, you are going to get a lot of nominations. Sure, if you are involved with SAIL or Greek Life you will get multiple nominations. But what if you lead well in a small organization? What if you are part of different organizations besides the aforementioned? Does that mean you, as student leader, deserve less?
You can put all you have, exhibit an immense amount of drive and passion, and still go unnoticed. You can be a strong leader, but never be thanked for your effort and your heart.
The painful truth is that you won’t always be recognized and appreciated by others; you won’t always be thanked by the higher-ups; you won’t always get public recognition. So, in the end, you have to look inside yourself and discover who you are. You have to identify your strengths and leadership abilities and that essential driven passion that pushed you to become a leader in the first place. Because only you can keep the flames of leadership burning. Only you can ignite and reignite the fire within. Only you can decide which road you take, and which side-roads you explore. Although it is challenging, you must learn to be proud of yourself, and be proud by yourself. Otherwise, the fire will die, the road will come to a halt, and your non-disposable quality of leadership will be lost.
The Leadership Banquet should find a way to give gratitude to a wider range of student leaders next year. They should reach out to more individuals, as that is how you will make and maintain more leaders.
Leadership is like the sun – without it, the world would be a ceaselessly cold, dark place.
Hailing from England, Corinne Bailey Rae returns to the realm of music two years after her husbands death to deliver an emotional album, full of grief and hope, loss and perseverance. Bailey Rae’s “The Sea” is one of the first albums released in the new year of 2010 (01/02/10), and a strong addition to the neo-soul musician’s discography.
“The Sea” is comprised of eleven soulful tracks, all of which intertwine like a journey in search of hope and beauty after suffering from grief and despair. The lyrics are emotionally driven, idyllically complementing the soothing vocals and tranquil music.
From Capitol Records/Good Groove, the record was co-produced by Bailey Rae with Steve Brown and Steve Chrisanthou, who produced many of the songs on her high-selling debut album, which led to her three Grammy nominations in 2007.
The opening track “Are You Here” is sung softly against a backdrop of delicate music. The easy beat makes you want to simply sit back, close your eyes and unwind. Disarray over lost love is introduced, while the melody resonates with healing powers.
“Closer” is infused with jazzy tones as the track works through the exploration of love with familiar pushing and pulling. Love comes with tension, so it is important for each partner to move in the same direction. The music of the chorus jumps forward, inching closer, closer to what is desired with the words “I wanna, I wanna…get close to you.” The way Bailey Rae holds end notes so gracefully, like the word “you” in this song, makes her music all the more calming.
The music of “I Would Like to Call it Beauty” is serene, paired with soulful vocals and poignant lyrics. It is a hopeful song, recognizing how you are “pushed on by the fingertips of dreams,” even when love and passion are strained. That sheer motivation is what Bailey Rae would like to call beauty.
But after so much serenity and slowness, you might crave something more upbeat, something like Bailey Rae’s past hit “Put Your Records On.” Unfortunately, “The Sea” contains just one upbeat track. “Paris Nights/New York Mornings” is a fun song; it’s a toe-tapper and finger-snapper, but it isn’t quite enough. Had this album been recorded with at least four upbeat tracks, it would be nearly flawless. Although the album is strong and powerful overall, after so much heartache and dawdling melodies, it becomes dull.
Nevertheless, the expressiveness of Bailey Rae’s soulful vocals is implemented throughout the album. The light, airy music and lyrics lift you higher up with each track, until you are floating on clouds, lost in thought. To make the music as pleasing and dreamlike as it is, an array of instruments is used, including electric and acoustic pianos, electric and acoustic guitars, harps, cellos, organs, percussions, tambourines, synths, drums and others.
Sorrow and loss are recurring themes that are trumped by the power of hope, determination and beauty. Bailey Rae reminds us to keep going, to never give up, but to also never forget.
From DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures comes one of the funniest, smartest, and touching animation adaptations of a children’s book. “How To Train Your Dragon,” released wide on March 26, took in a whopping $43.3 million on its opening night, soaring past “Alice in Wonderland.” With incredibly real and vibrant animations, a moving and humorous storyline, and a brilliant cast ensemble, “How To Train Your Dragon” deserves that money, and a round of applause.
The action/adventure, directed by Dean DeBlois (“Lilo & Stitch”) and Chris Sanders (“The Rescuers Down Under” and “The Lion King”), takes place on an island of Vikings, where their biggest pests are fire-breathing, destructive dragons. The main character, Hiccup (Jay Bucharel, “She’s Out of My League”), is an atypical young Viking who aspires to hunt dragons to become like all the other people of his village. But Hiccup is scrawny and physically weak, especially in comparison to his behemoth father Stoick (Gerard Butler). The massively strong Stoick rules the village, and is quite ashamed of his hapless son. This is the main reason Hiccup desperately tries to kill the perceived most dangerous dragon: the Night Fury.
When Hiccup actually captures his Night Fury, he finds that he cannot kill the dragon, and ends up becoming its unlikely companion. He learns that everything he knows about dragons is wrong.
You will fall for Hiccup’s character, getting emotionally entangled with his story, as well as the strained relationship between father and son. Hiccup’s character is quite inspiring, and delivers messages of hope, unity, acceptance and friendship. He also teaches us to challenge universal (or communal) truths, to think outside of the box and to stand up for what you believe in.
Bucharel does an excellent job at giving Hiccup a voice. His voice brought out the weak and wimpy side, but defiant and strong when needed. Butler’s brawny, Scottish accent idyllically fit the character of Stoick. Hiccup’s tough-chick crush Astrid was suprisingly done well by America Ferrera. Jonah Hill as Snotlout and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin from “Superbad”) added to the brilliance of the cast.
The non-talking dragons were also as intriguing as the talking Vikings. There were a variety of funny-looking, yet possibly ferocious-looking dragons, like the Gronckle. The colors of some dragons were vibrant, others were dark to represent evil. All throughout the picture, the animation was done very well. When Hiccup is riding on a dragon through the sky, the animation brings that flight to life, making you feel as if you are flying that fast and elegant, too (which may be a good or bad thing).
“How To Train Your Dragon” is a must-see for everyone; it’s not just for kids.
Hemenway’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar in Providence, Rhode Island is the ideal restaurant for succulent, fresh seafood, a classy ambiance and a friendly staff. And for maxing out your credit card while wearing your best dress.
If you plan to eat out on a weekend, be sure to call ahead to make reservations; Hemenway’s is constantly packed to the point where they often do not have any tables available for walk-ins. You may have to call in advance, and you may have to wait to be seated even with a reservation, but the food and experience are well worth this slight inconvenience.
Do not worry if cars endlessly line the streets of the city, for Hemenway’s is located adjacent to a valet parking garage, with a door that leads to the front of the restaurant. After 5 p.m., parking there is free.
There are a few tables outside of the restaurant, making for a pleasant place to eat lunch at during the summer. The refined atmosphere is not at all off-putting, but quite welcoming, so long as you’re dressed in at least business casual attire.
Inside there are continual conversations flitting through the air, clusters of people at the raw oyster bar on the first level, and at the bar for booze elevated on the second level. Women dressed in fancy high-heel shoes and men sporting the finest ties congregate at the waterfall spilling over the lobster tanks. The ceaseless talking, however, can get too loud at times and drown out your own conversation.
A waiter, looking just as sharp as the customers, brings you a basket of fresh rolls with delicate butter. Any restaurant that provides free bread right when you arrive has already earned points. When the bread is as fresh and the butter is as soft as those of Hemenway’s, the points are doubled.
At a restaurant like this, you expect the menu to be small because each entrée and appetizer is cooked with fresh ingredients and precision. Seafood lovers and wine connoisseurs rejoice. The wine menu expands the entire back of the two-sided menu; and the wait staff can recommend the ultimate pairing of wine and fish to bring out exquisite flavors you never before tasted.
Many of the seafood choices have local flavor, such as the oysters hailing from Poppasquash, Rhode Island, and Welfleet, Massachusetts. You can try one for $2.75 from the oyster bar. The seafood that is not locally delivered flies in daily, so it tastes just as fresh.
These high standards are what make the food as delectable as it is.
Currently, the menu contains thirteen appetizer options, including beef carpaccio and sesame seared yellow fin tuna. If you want fresh seafood with a lot of flavor, get the clams casino. The stuffing and chopped piece of bacon atop the clam provide a perfect balance of textures and flavors: crunchy and chewy, savory and sweet.
Although the menu for entrées is one-sided, there are plenty of choices to satisfy any palate. From salads to simply fish, and from grilled meats to New England traditions, how do you decide what to try? To taste the freshest seafood around, go with something from the simply fish category.
The grilled mahi-mahi is idyllically cooked, capturing the freshness and that distinct fish flavor. The meat falls apart the second it touches your tongue, melting away slowly, so tenderly and delicately, allowing you to savor the aroma.
Each of these meals also comes with a salad and a side, which is a comforting thought after seeing the seemingly outrageous prices. The mahi-mahi is a flat $24. But even the sides are absolutely delicious. The red bliss smashed potatoes at Hemenway’s will become your new favorite. The smashed potatoes are so light and creamy, with a slight hint of infused butter. The soft texture is soundly balanced with the slight crunch of the red potato skins.
If you’re going to Hemenway’s, you have to brush financial worries aside for the evening. The description of the asiago halibut alone makes your mouth water, but the $30 price tag may steer you elsewhere. So, instead of going out to eat a few different times, go out once and go to Hemenway’s.
Located at 121 South Main Street, Hemenway’s Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar is open for lunch and dinner. Call ahead at 401-351-8570. Check out their website for further details http://www.hemenwaysrestaurant.com/ and to find out about private dining.
By Shara Sarnelli
On Tuesday, April 13, rock-pop band The Spill Canvas released five-song EP titled “Realities.” This EP, although short, effectively demonstrates how the band has musically and emotionally matured over the years.
Hailing from South Dakota, The Spill Canvas is Nick Thomas (vocals, guitar), Joe Beck (drums), Dan Ludeman (guitar, vocals) and Landon Heil (bass).
Drummer Joe Beck expressed that the songs from their 2004 debut album “Sunsets & Car Crashes” were written when front-man Thomas was in high school. Then, the band members were completely different people from who they are now; therefore, their music has come a long way.
Beck explains that because you only live once, you always strive to push yourself to a further level, which is what the band has been doing where their music over the past eleven years. Pushing themselves has been important to them, Beck conveys.
“Realities” has a lighter tone and mood than past albums and songs, like “Black Dresses” of their first album. Beck explains that this EP is not so dark because it is a reflection of their lives, explaining “we have a lot more things to be happy about now.”
For “Realities,” the band had a goal of integrating different styles of music into the songs. They do so with a range of instruments from strings to flutes. In some songs, Beck explains, they are “digging back into old recording techniques,” and using inspiration from past bands, like Fleetwood Mac.
The Spill Canvas has been working, writing and recording “Realities” for the past year and half. Although it was “quite the project,” as Beck puts it, it was a fun process in which he and the others learned a lot.
The music video for the single, and arguably strongest of the five tracks, “Our Song” featured on MTV on April 14 and is now on the radio. “Our Song” is addicting from the first moment you hear Thomas’s heartfelt vocals. You become hooked to this song when Thomas sings, “when you look at me with your cinematic eyes, I wanna play the part, but I forget the lines.”
The upbeat music and up-tempo make the track fun and catchy. You’ll find yourself humming this song long after it’s over.
The lyrics depict the contrasted clichéd ideas of romance with the realities of love. The catchy chorus describes some clichés, with “We’ll never be strangers kissing in the pouring rain, chasing after your leaving train. But we know that’s not how our song goes. You’re a waitress in a cocktail bar, and I save you ’cause I’m a big rock star. But we both know that’s not how our song goes.”
To counteract those chick-flick images, the song continues with, “It goes like this: you didn’t like my friends and your mom didn’t trust me. I thought I was slick, but my moves were rusty…sorry if I wasn’t straight out of a movie.”
The video cleverly intertwines a couple rendered in grainy gray with the band as they rock out to this infectious song. The scenes of the couple allude to classic films, like “Say Anything,” that appropriately portray romantic clichés.
When asked how being on MTV has affected the band, either negatively or positively, Beck explains how many of their fans from the beginning have become detached; “they feel we’ve sold out.” This used to hurt the band members, but, fortunately, it no longer does.
But Beck makes expresses that they have not sold out at all. Getting their music on MTV is “an avenue to get our music out to as many” people as possible. Beck feels MTV hasn’t changed who the band is or the music that they write.
Although the band has experimented with different sounds since 2004, the changes come with the evolution of the band, not through MTV.
The other four tracks are “Dust Storm,” “Let Go,” “10,000 Midnights” and “Crash Course.” Each comes with its own hooky lines and tongue-twisting lyrics.
Beck and the band members hope listeners embrace “different ways of expression…whether it be love or addictions” through “Realities.” Beck feels the EP can show that “there’s hope, there is a lighter side of life that you have to grasp onto” and moving forward is a significant part of existence.
The band has just begun touring and will be coming to Cambridge on May 18. They are very excited to play in the Boston area with Tyler Hilton, AM Taxi and The New Politics. You can expect to hear a range of songs from every record.
Beck concludes by expressing that “music will always be in our lives…it’s too important to us” to ever fade. In the future, look for a full-length album. And, perhaps in years to come, some of the band members will move to the production side of the realm of music. Wherever the road takes them, The Spill Canvas and music will be a part of each member forever.
Check out the video for “Our Song” now and keep your ears open. You can order “Realities” from the band’s website, www.thespillcanvas.com, purchase it on iTunes or at one of their upcoming shows.
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NORTH DARTMOUTH – New York Playwright, Adam Szymkowicz, a 1999 UMass Dartmouth alumnus will speak at on campus on March 9 at 7:30 p.m. in the Library Browsing Area.
As a published playwright in New York City, Szymkowicz has written the following plays, Pretty Theft, Nerve, Food for Fish, Deflowering Waldo, Hearts like Fists, Herbie, Poet of the Wild West, Incendiary, Elsewhere, Fat Cat Killers.
Szymkowicz has a blog where he interviews playwrights. For more information on Adam Szymkowicz http://www.adamszymkowicz.com/.
Adam Szymkowicz formal education includes: Playwrights diploma from the Juilliard’s School, Playwriting , 2005 — 2007; An MFA from Columbia University New York where he was the Dean’s Fellow, Playwriting , 2001 — 2004; and a BA from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth where he was a Commonwealth Scholar, Writing/Drama , 1995 — 1999
This event is sponsored by the UMass Dartmouth Cultural Affairs Committee, English Department, and the Literary Society. For more information call James Marlow at 508.999.8306.
By Andre Savastano
On Tuesday March 3, a wee morning hour break to a 12 inch water main underneath the Chestnut residence hall that sent water flowing down the steps in between it and adjacent Roberts left Chestnut, Roberts, and Maple Ridge without running water for five hours between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.
The break, due to age, impelled Director of Facilities Dave Ferguson to shut off water to the three dormitories to minimize damage and speed up the repair effort, which was considered concluded after residual water was flushed, and the supply “reenergized,” around 2 p.m.
Students who live on the quad have the existence of an on-call facilities manager, the diligence of Chestnut staff, and Chestnut residents themselves to thank for the speed of repair. Lucinda Poudrier-Aaronson, Director of Housing, believed it was a student who announced the break to their RD, who called the facilities manager, who then called Ferguson, at 1 a.m. Tuesday.
Poudrier-Aaronson got a call seven Tuesday morning pertaining to the break, and once water was turned off, alerted residents in the affected buildings via email that they would have no water until 5 p.m., allowing Facilities leeway in its diligence it needed not to take.
Caroline Munger, a Chestnut resident, reported receiving the email and seeing trucks on scene shortly thereafter, the speed of response an endorsement of the reporting structure between Facilities and Housing.
The timing of the break spared her and her fellow residents the inconvenience of being without water. Most residents were without water for only two hours from the time they rose at noon, in typical college fashion.
The timing also mitigated the fact that the guest privilege suspension active in Elmwood, the only building with water, was not relaxed. Asked why, Poudrier-Aaronson said that relaxing the suspension would have been frivolous because desk attendants do not come on to enforce suspensions until 6, an hour after the repair was scheduled to conclude.
Age, the main factor in this incident, is a quality of most University piping. The main that broke had pushed forty years. It was installed during the University’s first phase of construction when UMass Dartmouth became the first university constructed entirely in Brutalist style.
Because mains can go much longer, there are no plans to replace the piping underneath the quad as part of the planned renovations to our four oldest dormitories. “We don’t go digging to replace them,” said Poudrier-Aaronson, alluding that costs would far outweigh the benefits. The same pipes, notes Ferguson, have benefitted the city of Boston for a century and a half.