$350 million man

As we enter the 2007 off-season for Major League Baseball, we are confronted with many questions. But perhaps none has more economic implications than Alex Rodriguez and his agent Scott Boras quest for a 350 million dollar contract. During the final game of the World Series, Boras announced that Rodriguez would opt out of his historic 250 million dollar contract with the New York Yankees to seek a new deal. It was later reported that Boras demanded an offer of 350 million from the Yankees in order to get Rodriguez to the table before opting out. With several teams rumored to be interested in Rodriguez, namely the Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Red Sox, and Angels, it is possible a bidding war could result in the epic contract. But can it actually happen?

Identity crisis for Englands Premier

Perhaps its because Im one of those soccer geeks, but I completely agree with FIFAs move to limit the number of non-British players Premier League teams can field. Many years of watching soccer has convinced me that the balance of teams has gotten out of hand. That's why rules to regulate the number of players in a starting line-up is crucial.

In most ways the game has changed for the better over the past few years. But its one big loss is that few teams – particularly the big ones – now truly represent the town or city in which their stadium stands. They have become international companies whose owners and players often have little or no real connection with England, let alone the locality.

Innocence Week comes to Brandeis

This past week, the Innocence Club hosted a series of three events as part of Innocence Week, in order to better inform the Brandeis community about wrongful convictions.

As a nationwide organization the Innocent Project uses groundbreaking use of DNA technology to free innocent people, according the organizations mission statement. Closely affiliated with Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, the Innocence Projects goal is nothing less than to free the staggering numbers of innocent people who remain incarcerated.

Open Process resolution defeated at Union meeting

A Student Union resolution for a more open process in the administrations decision making about controversial issues was defeated on Sunday night, causing some members of Students Opposing the Decision to Arm to express a lack of confidence in the Union.

The resolution, submitted by North Quad Senator Kaamila Mohamed 11, Class of 2008 Senator Darren Gallant, and Senator-at-Large Jessica Blumberg 09, said when controversial or highly contested issues are brought forth to the campus, a committee should be formed to actively engage the Student Body and gather opinions and concerns on those issues.

Union Senator works to bring Zipcars to campus

Class of 2008 Senator Asher Tanenbaum has begun efforts to bring Zipcar, the car sharing progam, to Brandeis. In order to gauge student interest, Tanenbaum will conduct a survey within the next few weeks.

We will go from there and if it is a very positive response it will go a long way towards implementing Zipcar at Brandeis, Tanenbaum wrote in an email.

Two candidates run for open Union Secretary spot

Candidates Nelson Rutrick 09 and Tia Chatterjee 09 began campaigns for the position of Student Union Secretary on Monday. The special elections, called in response to the former Union Secretarys resignation, will open for its primary round on Nov. 18. If necessary, a final round will open Tuesday Nov. 20.

Former secretary Michael Goldman 08 resigned Nov. 1 citing irreconcilable differences with the Executive Board over policies regarding arming campus police and the apparent illegality of the Racial Minority Senator position, as published in the Nov. 2 issue of The Hoot. Special elections for the position of secretary were announced in an email sent out Nov. 6 to the entire student body.

Holocaust survivor speaks at Kristallnacht ceremony

Sidney Finkel, a Holocaust survivor, recounted his experiences as a child in Nazi Europe Sunday at Hillels Holocaust Remembrance Committees Kristallnacht Commemoration ceremony. His address was the culmination of a weekends worth of events hosted by Hillel that memorialized the Holocaust.

Finkel, 75, spoke about the progression of anti-Semitism during his boyhood in Poland, which reached its pinnacle with the systematic mass extermination of Jews. According to Finkel, anti-Semitism had been manifested in more passive aggressive means [before Kristallnacht or the night of broken glass]…after Kristallnacht, Nazis began to bully [the Jews. This]eventually led to the Final Solution.

Prejudice Response Task Force:

The Community Prejudice Response Task Force is a group of staff, faculty, and students which was formed in the fall of 2006 to deal with issues of discrimination affecting the Brandeis community.

As its mission statement says, the CPR taskforce aims to promote the Universitys commitments to mutual respect and social justice, while taking necessary steps should those commitments be compromised. Our mission is to serve the Brandeis student body in addressing acts of bias, intentional or accidental, by offering resources for students seeking advice, while assuring their safety and well-being on campus.

Write On: Writers silently speak

Ok, admit it, youre as upset as most other people that Greys Anatomy just may not air for some time after January. So why is this? What would prevent this popular show and countless others from airing?

Well, unless youve been living under a rock or relying on your TiVo to show you everything lately, Im sure youve heard of the writers strike thats going on. The Writers Guild of America recently decided to strike after having just about enough with those oh-so-powerful Hollywood producers.

Why I refuse to drink

During my first semester at Brandeis, I took Introduction to Political Theory with Professor Abramson. Among other wonderful works the entire class was required to read the Platonic dialogue the Crito. In this work, Socrates is in jail and is sentenced to be executed. His friend Crito says that he has bribed the jailer, and Socrates can make his escape. Socrates then replies that he will stay for his execution. He explains that he does not have the right to go against the laws of the state, and he is ready to accept his punishment. This piece struck me in a profound way. What right do I have to determine which laws are good and which are unjust? How do I have the audacity to assume that I am brighter than our politicians and have the ability to break laws? From that point forward, I resolved never to break a law again. This has most notably manifested itself in my unwillingness to consume alcoholic beverages. Though we are at college, for the past two years, I have perhaps once broken this solemn vow. Id like to rationalize this position and perhaps change perceptions about a popularly accepted activity.