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SPRING 2011 1
 CITIZEN SCIENCE
CONTENTS
A BY LUDA SHTESSEL
sense of blissful satisfaction is a key fea-
ture of the perfect procrastination tool.
03
CITIZEN SCIENCE
The search for the perfect anxiety-ridding,
denial-promoting, mood-boosting activity can
itself be the method of choice for procrasti-
04 nating. While the search rarely provides relief
from the omnipresent research paper or mid-
EGYPT AND ITS RAMIFICATIONS FOR IRAN term, it does achieve the task of wasting time
on anything but the required task. Many of us
06
A SMALL VICTORY FOR BAHRAIN
choose to procrastinate with a familiar movie,
video game or Chinese take-out in an attempt
to feel fulfilled while avoiding responsibility.
07 Unfortunately, the pleasant halo dissipates
quickly, and the all-too-familiar sense of doom
PAKISTAN’S WAR ON TERROR creeps in.
08
TIME FOR TEA
For the first time, during the summer be-
tween my junior and senior year of college, I
was able to stave off the chilling realization
that I was entirely unprepared for a deadline
that was ominously close. I was cramming for
the Biology GRE, and my mom had the bril-
liant idea to combine my favorite pastime
with my daunting chore: she bought me a
Biology coloring book. “Color the positively
charged amino acids green,” it demanded, and
STAFF I obliged. Admittedly, it didn’t offer all of the
knowledge needed for a graduate level mo-
sally fry editor-in-chief lecular biology entrance exam, but it did leave
erin becker me feeling blissfully fulfilled and relaxed.
david gilmore We may not all have scientifically-oriented
saurav sethia mothers, or even like coloring books, but
managing editors there are a slew of interactive online activi-
carey hanlin
ties that offer the forgetful entertainment of
assistant editor
TV combined with the satisfaction of being
jasmine lamb
productive that might actually get you in the
creative director
tyler tran mood to do work! These online games rely on
photo editor the critical thinking skills of volunteers (such
stewart boss, carey hanlin, as procrastinating college students) to solve
jordan heide, troy homesley, answers that continue to evade scientists and
santo jiang, zak mathews, remain too time-consuming or challenging for
luda shtessel, brandon wiggins computers.
kara williams staff writers For example, FoldIt, a game created by re-
sally fry, carey hanlin, cassie searchers and graduate students at the Uni-
mcmillan, sofia morales, versity of Washington, allows players to de-
tyler tran design staff termine the most likely structure of proteins
anne brenneman by providing various rules and guidelines of
copy editor protein dynamics in an accessible and engag-
caitlin graham, tyler tran
ing way. Players pull and prod snake-like
photographers
amino acid chains and “wiggle” and “shake”
side groups while accruing points to gain
On the cover: new tools and move on to more challenging
“Red” by Anwuli
puzzles. Participants, termed citizen scien-
Chukwurah
tists, have helped resolve hundreds of protein
structures that would have taken computers
02 SPRING 2011
thousands of hours to decipher. Their efforts
have not gone unnoticed, leading to a publi-
cation in Nature, where “FoldIt players” are the
last authors listed -- a signifier of most impor-
tant.
The creators of FoldIt have recently intro-
duced EteRNA, a game that directs users to
create RNA molecules -- the precursors to pro-
teins. Going a step further, researchers at Stan-
ford University will attempt to create some of
these player-generated molecules in the lab
to study their biological properties. Similarly,
Phylo, designed by researchers at McGill Uni-
versity, prompts players to find the best align-
ment between DNA sequences, which are
represented by colorful blocks held together
on a string. Finding similarities between gene
sequences of different organisms may help
researchers answer questions regarding the
genes’ functions.
If biology isn’t your thing, Galaxy Zoo of-
fers players a terrestrial escape. Users inspect
thousands of galaxy images with the objec-
tive to categorize them based on various prop-
erties, including shape, color, hue and spiral
direction. Computers lack the complex visual
analysis that comes easily to most people.
The Voorwerp, an odd blue blip identified in
an image taken by a Dutch observer, would
have likely gone unnoticed by a computer. As
the website explains, “looking at an image
and asking ‘what’s that odd thing?’ remains
uniquely human.”
If you are worried about the inferior abilities
of computers to perform human tasks, Games
With a Purpose offers gamers a chance to im-
prove the way computers catalog the numer-
ous stimuli people encounter. With the aid
of an online partner, users can play a multi-
tude of games that entail describing various
images (similar to Google’s image labeler),
songs and videos with the goal of improving
a computer’s capability to do this accurately.
IBM’s Watson may be the only computer that
understands the nuances of human language,
but with the help of volunteers, Watson might
get some competition soon.
The fun, bubbly graphics and a cooperative
atmosphere that pervade these websites pro-
vide relief from the late-night mundane and
unproductive Internet surfing that inevitably
ensues at an impending deadline. Perhaps
providing insight into the work of others may
inspire you to further your own goals. •
SPRING 2011 03
 EGYPT and the
RAMIFICATIONS
for IRAN
BY TROY HOMESLEY
I
t's the question everyone is asking -- who
will be next after Egypt's momentous revo-
lution? Some point to Algeria or Morocco
while others point to less likely countries such
as Iran and China. Whatever your opinion, it is
clear that Iran has become a hotbed for pro-
tests, and the story told by Egyptian revolu-
tionaries carries deep meaning for the future
of such protests and for America's involve-
ment in these revolutions.
In the summer of 2009, Iranian revolution-
aries from hundreds of different backgrounds,
religions and beliefs took to the streets in
the name of liberty. They were not Muslims,
they were not extremists, they were not vio-
lent, they were not just Sunnis or just Shiites.
Instead they were people united under the
cause of freedom.
These revolutions were quelled by violent
retaliations from the "Basij," the paramilitary
group commanded by the supreme leader,
Ayatollah Khamenei. However, the impact of
the revolutions is still felt today within Iran
and around the globe.
The Iranian uprisings of 2009 were impor-
tant because they clarified something for
Americans and the world. Because of an orga-
nized uprising, it became clear that the Iranian
government does not necessarily depict the
Iranian people.
This representation had ramifications
throughout the Middle East. Countries could
now be seen through two lenses: the lens of
the government that controls those countries
and the lens of those who rebel and disagree
with those overarching governments.
Today, we see a free Egypt, with effects
spreading to Bahrain, to Syria, to Algeria, to
04 SPRING 2011
Morocco and possibly even to Iran. It is even
clearer that the governments of the Middle
East do not depict the people they control.
Rather, they are extreme, oppressive and
powerful. They are also commonly in power
because we put them there, as was the case
with President Mubarak.
There are important lessons that can be
learned from this quick and largely non-vio-
lent exchange of power and can be applied to
almost any nation. The power of non-violence
revealed a Middle East much different from
that depicted in the media. Egyptians, Mus-
lims and Christians alike gathered to protest
human rights abuses and restrictions on lib-
erty. Through all of this, the revolution was
largely bloodless.
This contradicts Western views of extremist
Islamism and violent Muslim attacks, showing
that there is much more to the Middle Eastern
people than bombs and violence.
The Egyptian revolution showed, as did the
Iranian uprisings, that the power of Twitter,
Facebook and mobile phones is an irreplace-
able epicenter of revolution. These new tools
have facilitated open discussion, communica-
tion and preparation for massive protests and
have been able to improve solidarity.
Future revolutionaries can put these tools to
use, videotaping violence by the government,
recording violent language, planning mas-
sive rallies and preaching that non-violence
through mass communication. These things
are allowing new opportunities for revolution
in areas like Iran.
The revolution in Egypt shows just how pow-
erful non-violent protests can be, but it better
represents just how powerful American action
Bahrain
Egypt
can be in these protests. The American gov-
ernment walked the line between extreme
intervention and outright ignorance of the
revolution and because of it was able to facili-
tate a peaceful and quick exchange of power.
However, the U.S. government still has some
learning to do.
In the Iranian uprisings of 2009, the U.S.
failed to take a strong and clear stance on
their support of these revolutions. This was
caused by a combination of factors including
the U.S. support for Israel and the false belief
that Iranian uprisings were a fundamentalist
Islamic grassroots movement.
With Egypt, America was in the end willing
to speak out as Secretary of State Hillary Clin-
ton did on several occasions. Eventually, after
Mubarak's fall, even President Obama clari-
fied his support for the power of the people.
Ironically, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahma-
dinejad even hailed Egypt's revolution and the
prospect of a "new Middle East."
Thus, it is important that American and other
world leaders make clear that they support
the power of the people and the action of
peaceful revolution. However, I also find it
important to give people the dignity of their
own struggles, as this allows for a growth and
understanding of just what freedom means.
An Iranian revolution would not only be a
momentous step for Iranians, but for Ameri-
cans as well. Iran is one of the most economi-
cally and socially advanced nations in the
Middle East, with one of the best education
systems to bolster its growth. Iran could be-
come a true light in the Middle East and pro-
vide an opportunity for the growth of human
rights and liberty in the region.
Iran
Pakistan
The signs of a possible revolution in Iran are
slowly beginning to show as the success in
Egypt emanates outward. Tens of thousands
of protesters marched in Tehran in the week
following the fall of Mubarak. Uploaded You-
Tube videos reveal protesters burning posters
of Ayatollah Khomanei, chanting for freedom
and eventually being chased by police clad in
riot gear.
Unfortunately, in the words of UNC Inter-
national Politics Professor Mark J.C. Crescenzi,
"Governments adapt quickly to revolution."
The Iranian government adapted quickly by
limiting visas for foreign journalists, blocking
accredited journalists in the country from re-
porting and slowing the Internet to a crawl.
The Iranian government is now calling for
the capture and execution of previous Presi-
dential candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hos-
sein Moussavi. Lawmakers were seen chant-
ing, "Moussavi, Karrubi ... execute them" on the
state-run Press TV.
The Iranian government has cracked down,
but the protests have also come full circle from
the 2009 uprisings to Egyptian Revolution and
back again to Iran. Many lessons have been
learned along the way. Iran is poised, as are
many Middle Eastern countries, to wrest pow-
er from the tyrants and non-violently place it
in the hands of the people.
Our role as a country is pivotal in facilitating
and also allowing these peaceful revolutions.
Also important is our understanding of the
non-violence of the Muslim people, the power
of the Internet and our influence in what we
do or do not choose to do. •
SPRING 2011 05
 A SMALLVICTORY
for BAHRAIN
O A
BY CAREY HANLIN n Feb. 22, the people of Bahrain cel-
ebrated a small yet emotional victory in
the midst of the country’s increasingly
tumultuous political climate. Using the recent
Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions as a launch-
ing point, the small Persian kingdom turned
its own political tension into an uprising
against King Hamad Bin Isa al-Khalifa. King
Hamad retaliated by issuing riot police on pro-
testing crowds and imprisoning hundreds of
others whom he saw as a threat to his power.
After a week of unrest, revolt and murder, the
men and women of Bahrain saw their loved
ones returned to them. Yet, despite his act
of appeasement, King Hamad still refuses to
step down.
Despite a small population of just over one
million people (the state of North Carolina, in
contrast, has almost ten million), Bahrain has
been a center of unrest and political turmoil
for years. When King Hamad rose to power
in 1999, he did so with promises of a new
constitutional monarchy. But instead, Hamad
fortified his own power, effectively diminish-
ing the power of other elected officials and
squandering the rights and voice of the na-
tion’s Shiite Muslims. A Sunni Muslim himself,
Hamad gave political favor to Bahrain’s Sunni
citizens as he let Shiite discrimination grow.
Because Bahrain has a predominately Shiite
population, the revolution was just waiting
for a trigger.
Shiites from surrounding villages began pro-
testing in 2009, but it was not until Egypt’s
revolution that Bahrain’s citizens decided to
fight for change. Earlier this February, violence
erupted between protesters and government
forces. Among their demands protesters listed
the release of political prisoners, the resigna-
tion of the current government and the long
awaited creation of a constitutional monarchy.
06 SPRING 2011
Hamad reacted by filling the streets of Bahrain
with riot police.
In response, thousands of protesters filled
the country’s symbolic center, Pearl Square, in
the capital Manama. On Feb. 17, police officers
armed with guns, tear gas and concussion
grenades stormed the crowd, killing five peo-
ple and wounding hundreds of others. The
protesters were stunned and hurt, but not de-
feated. The very next day, mourners marched
back into Pearl Square. This time military per-
sonnel opened fire on the crowd, again driv-
ing them away.
The government withdrew on Feb. 19 and
protesters marched into Pearl Square again,
this time with renewed determination. On
Feb. 20, demands were made for King Hamad
to dissolve his government and fire his uncle,
the country’s prime minister. By Feb. 22, more
than a hundred thousand protesters filled
Pearl Square. The Bahrain Grand Prix had been
canceled in light of the country’s political un-
rest and attention from the rest of the world
was mounting steadily. Still, government forc-
es remained absent.
Later that same day, the government started
releasing imprisoned protesters. But human
rights lawyer Mohammed al-Tajir told Arabic-
language news network Al Jazeera that while
many have been liberated, at least six hundred
were imprisoned. If that is correct, it would ap-
pear that Hamad’s liberation of the protesters
was an act of pacification more than one of
concession. King Hamad is stubborn and will
not dissolve his government without a fight. •
PAKISTAN’S WAR
on TERROR
lthough not at the epicenter of the vari-
ous conflicts in the Middle East, the geo-
political situation that Pakistan is in is
starting to converge on the nation. Pakistan
was born as an explicitly Muslim state and
shares a large border with Afghanistan, as
well as with Iran, India and China. Pakistan, as
a country which lies at the midpoint between
Asia and the Middle East, has always had bor-
der issues. Historically, and even to a lesser
extent today, Pakistan, China and India have
fought over the Kashmir region in the north-
eastern part of the country, while there is still
tension over the Durand Line – the border be-
tween Afghanistan and Pakistan.
So why has Pakistan been drawn into the
violence in the Middle East? Instances of vio-
lence have increased since the U.S.-led war in
Afghanistan, which has been further propagat-
ed by the fact that the Durand Line border area
incorporates the Federally Administered Tribal
Areas (FATA), including the Pashtun territories,
who do not align themselves with either Paki-
stan or Afghanistan, but as a separate entity.#
Both politically and militarily, the ongoing
tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan
have a lot to do with the tribal allegiances
surrounding the Durand Line that have never
formally recognized the border.
In these regions, the border is extremely
porous, which has aided militant groups such
as the Taliban in finding places to be safe. A
report by the United States Institute of Peace
(USIP), written by Abubakar Siddique and Bar-
nett R. Rubin, highlight that “the long history
of each state offering sanctuary to the other’s
opponents has built bitterness and mistrust
between the two neighbors.”
Especially through 2008 and into 2009,
Taliban infiltration and fighting began to spill
over into the northwestern border with Af-
ghanistan, including the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa BY KARA WILLIAMS
region (formerly known as the Northwest
Frontier Province) and other FATAs. The “soft
border” has enabled trafficking of drugs (par-
ticularly opium from Afghanistan), arms and
even people.
This is important because it means that Paki-
stan’s border areas have been and could con-
tinue to be used to provide safe havens to mil-
itant groups such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
So, the problems in neighboring Afghanistan
have already begun to spill over into Pakistan
and the violence is set to involve yet another
Middle Eastern nation and more people in the
conflicts, heightening political instability in
the country.
After 9/11, Pakistan aligned itself with the
United States in its “war on terror”, but this
created internal problems for Pakistan when
they had to send the Pakistani military into
the tribal regions of the country to which they
were not welcome. Additionally, while health,
education and poverty alleviation are govern-
ment priorities, civil unrest and political ten-
sion from Afghanistan are creating an unpre-
dictable security situation which is displacing
government resources that could otherwise
meet initiatives in these areas.
Ideally, the United States would like Paki-
stan to take a harsher stance on the Taliban
and Afghanistan in general, but until Pakistan
and Afghanistan are willing to negotiate with
one another regarding the Durand Line and
the tribal areas, the “soft” border will likely
become even more porous. There is no doubt
that the war on terror is beginning to take its
toll on Pakistan.# As Taliban-backed insurgen-
cy has begun to move from the FATA and bor-
der area of Afghanistan further into Pakistani
country, it seems that Pakistan’s role in the
conflict is really only just beginning. •
SPRING 2011 07
 TIME for TEA
I
BY SALLY FRY was about 14 when I started drink-
ing coffee. I didn’t drink it because I
liked it. I drank it because I thought
it was cool to carry around a coffee
thermos. Then during my freshman
year in high school I started drinking
tea because it was cool to have a tea-
tag hanging out of your thermos. Nev-
er mind if leaving the tag bag in your
thermos all day made your tea bitter
and pretty damn gross. Luckily I was
smart enough to figure out if I just dis-
located the filthy tea bag, I could still
display the tag with none the wiser. I
was so cool, right?
It wasn’t until a college tour trip with
Mom junior year that I discovered real
tea. Real as in loose leaf, minimally
processed, freshly harvested, no-tea-
bag-or-tag tea.
We were in San Fran’s Chinatown
when we stumbled upon a place
called Red Blossom Tea Company, a
little boutique wedged between two
tacky gift shops.
In the time of our short visit, we sat
for a traditional Chinese tea ceremony,
which involved carefully measuring
the tea into a gaiwan, pouring water
into the infuser, bruising the tea leaves
with a special bruising stick, waiting
a bit, carefully pouring the tea into a
teapot and then finally pouring the tea
into cups. The caveat: each cup holds
about four sips-worth of tea. Oh, and
sipping includes slurping. Loudly.
I LOVED it. My mom loved it, too. We
bought several different kinds of teas
and an entire traditional tea set on the
spot. It even included a special tray
that collects any spilled water.
08 SPRING 2011
Of course such an elaborate ceremony
is considerably impractical in our day-
to-day lives. But wait, it’s not just the
Chinese. People consume tea in pretty
much every corner of the globe. In Iran
and Afghanistan, tea is the national
beverage. In Egypt, tea is sweetened
with mint and sugar. They drink ma-
sala chai in India and in Malaysia they
drink their tea with condensed milk.
Let’s not forget the British and their
afternoon tea. Many countries even
have separate “high tea” and “low tea”
times that include a light meal. What
do we have in America? We have a five-
minute coffee break with donuts.
Granted, coffee is pretty idiot-proof.
All you need is a coffeemaker or cof-
fee press. And some coffee beans. Oh,
make sure they’re ground or you’ll
need a coffee grinder, too. If you don’t
brew your own, make sure you have at
least $10 a week to spend on coffee.
Idiot-proof? Maybe not. Expensive? Ac-
tually, yes.
It doesn’t have to be that way. I’m
assuming most students aren’t actu-
ally in love with coffee because they
are experts on the subtle differences
between French Roast and Arabica.
I’m guessing most of you like coffee
because it’s warm, has caffeine and
doesn’t taste like Red Bull. I like cof-
fee, but it gives me the shakes. Tea
is also warm, caffeinated enough to
keep me awake, and doesn’t make me
feel like everyone can see my body vi-
brating. I’m not advocating dropping
coffee altogether; I’m just asking that
more people, students especially, give
tea a chance.
If you’re still not convinced by my tea bag. Pro tip: You can even reuse the
financial argument, here’s some rock- tea bag for an extra steeping!
hard logic for you: It’s about two dol- If you decide to give loose-leaf tea a
lars to buy a small Starbucks coffee try, and you should, it admittedly does
out of a dispenser in The Pit Stop, Blue involve some initial investment. Here
Ram and Bottom of Lenoir. It’s 99 cents are some options:
(+tax) to buy a large cup of water and a
What you Need
Hot Water – Even if you want cold tea, the hot water brews the leaves.
$ : Heat up some hot water on the stove in a pot. The downside s now you have
an extra pot to clean unless you want to use it as your dedicated “hot water
pot.”
$$ : Buy an electric teakettle. It doesn’t have to be expensive and they sell them
at Target. You don’t have to wash it frequently if you’re only using it for water.
Plus, they have auto-off features to keep you from burning down your house or
apartment.
Tea Strainer – It keeps the leaves out of your cup.
$ - $$ : Strainers or tea balls at Harris Teeter or Target for $3-10. You can also buy
nicer ones that fit into existing teapots or in large mugs for $10-20
$$$ : Tea pot with built-in/removable strainer online or in specialty tea shop for
$30-50. You can get a really great one at 3Cups in Chapel Hill or Tin Roof Teas at
Cameron Village in Raleigh.
Pro tip: Do not use a coffee press. I tried this once and spent precious time try-
ing to pick the leaves out of the mesh.
Tea – Essential, don’t you think?
$-$$$ : It doesn’t matter where you go. There will be tea available at every price
range!
Ironically, in our venti-skinny-triple-macchiato with whipped cream coffee-
driven society, it’s tea, not coffee, that is considered pretentious or reserved for
wintertime when our noses are runny. But tea is simple and doesn’t have to be
intimidating. The people you find in teashops are really excited about tea and
want to help you cultivate your tastes. They don’t care if you don’t know the
difference between black and oolong. Tea is a lot like wine. Sure, you can buy For more information on
kinds of tea and where to
three-buck-Chuck and wholly enjoy it, but for a bit more investment you could
buy tea and supplies, visit
experience a little piece of enlightenment.• www.campusblueprint.com
This publication was paid for at least in part by
SPRINGUNC 2011 09fees
student
10 SPRING 2011