The Joshua Tree entertains at The Stein

The members of The Joshua Tree claim they come to places like Brandeis to provide a way for other fans to hear and appreciate the music of U2 in an intimate setting without having to pay high-ticket prices.
Truthfully, Ive always been a bit skeptical of strict cover-bands for their seeming lack of creativity and originality that might bring something new to the industry. But I now believe that the good ol boys of The Joshua Tree have indubitably found their calling. Although they appeal more to the casual U2 fan with their predictable setlist, the performance aspect of each of the songs is impeccable.

Conspiracy theory

Editors Note: Lincoln Conspiracy drummer/singer Steve Lourie took some time to talk to The Hoot after a free concert at Chums.

Do You Know Your Greys Anatomy?

Youre out drinking the night before your first day at a new job and end up sleeping with a guy. The next morning, when you show up for work, Derek from last night turns out to be your new boss.

Sound familiar? Hopefully not, unless youre already watching ABCs standout series Greys Anatomy. The show, which gets its title from the famous anatomy book Grays Anatomy of the Human Body by Henry Gray, focuses on a group of new medical interns who are trying to figure out how to be doctors and still have their own lives. Think of it as the lovechild of ER and Scrubs. On the one hand, it has ERs serious life-and-death medical drama, plus the bloody surgeries (if youre weak like me with gross -factor, theres no shame in closing your eyes). On the other hand, Greys Anatomy has elements of Scrubs humor and witty dialogue, as well as the latter shows ability to enter into the personal lives of doctors.

Surprise Party Planners with a Death Wish

Have you ever successfully organized a surprise birthday party? I mean single-handedly cooking a huge lunch and hosting 25 people, sleeping three hours a night and using public transportation to get into another city just to find kosher chicken, all while keeping everything entirely secret and completely lying about where youve been the past three days, all for someone you couldnt possibly care any less about? If you have, then you are an extremely talented, clandestine, and hardworking nitwit who should immediately be:
1) Hired by the CIA, since you are obviously the take-no-prisoners-cloak-and-dagger if-I-tell-you-Ill-have-to-kill-your-dog-youre-on-a-need-to-know-basis-shifty-eyed chum theyre looking for,
2) Placed in an emergency drug rehabilitation program, as you are most likely a PCP addict experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms,
3) Placed on suicide watch, for you definitely have a morbid death wish,
4) And be committed. You are a danger to society.

Two months on Capitol Hill

Im finally starting to get this place, Capitol Hill That is what I said to myself after receiving positive feedback on the press release I was asked to write. This was the first real assignment I had been given in the congressional office in which I was interning, and I certainly wanted to make a […]

Brandeis bungles class waitlist

So, imagine this youre on the waitlist for a class. The professor starts off his lecture on the first day of that class and says that he can almost guarantee that everyone will be accepted into the class. Terrific, right? You can relax and drop your fourth class to make room for this one.

A cup of coffee

If there is anything more American than a large cup of coffee, then it could only be the Dunkin Donuts (in Massachusetts) or Starbucks (everywhere else) we buy it from. Not to get educational, but coffee is certainly a way our diversified social groups come together as Americans. You can see this in film, photos, literature and especially in your own mind. The hurried businesswoman dressed in a chic skirt suit and stilettos, the construction worker taking a five minute break, the English teacher correcting papers, the retired man reading a newspaper and the 17 year old high school student all have their coffee cups in common.

Making the case for choosing free trade

Over the past year, student leaders and activists at Brandeis have drawn increasing support for allowing only fair trade coffee to be served on campus. Although I do not doubt these students good intentions, so-called fair trade practices may actually end up hurting those growers in developing countries we all want to help, while unjustifiably raising coffee prices on campus.

Fair Trade Brigade member explains coffee sales

Over the past year, the Fair Trade Brigade has encouraged the Brandeis administration, Aramark and the rest of the schools student body to make a complete switch to Fair Trade Coffee sales and consumption. In our effort to push this change, several potential problems have been brought up by those concerned with possible unintended consequences of a complete switchover, so Id like to address some of the ones that Ive heard often.

Experts discuss effects of Katrina at teach-in

A panel of eight experts presented their analyses of the varying effects of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in a Teach-In called Understanding the Post-Katrina Crisis, which took place in the Schwartz Auditorium Monday night.