266 Freshmen Get Fifth-Week Warnings; Flags Increase From Last Year
Fifth-week flags have been sent to 233 freshmen who may be in danger of failing a class. This 21.8 percent warning rate is an increase from 17.5 percent in Fall 2006 and 18.3 percent in Fall 2005. About six percent, or 66 students, received more than one flag.
Scientist Turns Mice Cells Into Bone Instead of Fat
Clinton T. Rubin knows full well that his recent results are surprising — that no one has been more taken aback than he. And he cautions that it is far too soon to leap to conclusions about humans. But still, he says, what if?
Obama Holds Rally In Boston; Gains Patrick’s Endorsement
The buzzwords were health care, education, and Iraq, and the 9,500-person crowd swarming the Boston Common was all ears at last Tuesday evening’s rally with Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick for Barack H. Obama’s Democratic presidential campaign.
Candidates Discuss City’s Relations With Local Colleges
† Answered by e-mail ‡ Did not return phone calls and e-mail requests for an interview. Answers were taken from www.vote.rwinters.com
The Proportional Representation Voting Method
Voters rank candidates, giving their favorite candidate rank number one. Voters can rank as many or as few candidates as they wish. Once any candidate reaches a threshold of top choice votes, he/she is immediately elected. Any number one votes on ballots beyond the quota will be given to the number two vote on that ballot. Any candidate with less than 50 number one votes is then eliminated and those ballots are given to the number two vote. After this is done, the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and his/her votes go to the next preference. Candidates are elected by reaching quota after each elimination and redistribution.
Two Dollar Tuesdays Provide Grad Students With Social Dining Event
Oct. 9 marked the beginning of a series of dining events for graduate students known as Two Dollar Tuesdays, sponsored by the Graduate Student Council and the Large Event Fund. 125 students out of the 150 who bought tickets attended the sold-out event, which was intended to give graduate students an opportunity to socialize over dinner.
APO Holds Unholiest Human Competition
The Unholiest huMan on Campus (UMOC) competition, the latest descendant of the annual Ugliest Man on Campus event, is being held this week. Members of the MIT community can vote for their favorite candidates by placing money in the candidates’ respective jars in Lobby 10. At the end of the event, which concludes on Friday, November 2, all proceeds will be given to the charity of the winner’s choice.
City Councillors Seek New 2-Year Terms in Cambridge Elections
Next Tuesday, Nov. 3, voters will decide who will sit on the Cambridge City Council for the next two years. There will be at least one new face, since only eight incumbents are running for re-election.
Shorts (right)
They have gone from exorcism to coronation in record time. The Boston Red Sox, who fought ghosts for most of the last century, are the premier team of the new millennium.
General Motors to Build Hybrid Research Facility in Shanghai
GM announced Monday that it would build an advanced research center in Shanghai to develop hybrid technology and other advanced designs, in the latest research investment in China by a foreign automaker despite chronic problems with purloined car designs.
Participants In Halted Medical Trials Left Uninformed Of Results Of Tests
When Congress passed a bill in September requiring makers of drugs and medical devices to disclose the results of clinical trials for all approved products, advocates of greater study disclosure applauded the move.
Shorts (left)
The nation’s top official for consumer product safety has asked Congress in recent days to reject legislation intended to strengthen the agency that polices thousands of consumer goods, from toys to tools.
5 Nuclear Facilities To Miss Upcoming Security Deadline
More than a year after Congress told the Energy Department to harden the nation’s nuclear bomb factories and laboratories against terrorist raids, five of the 11 sites are certain to miss their deadlines, some by many years, the Government Accountability Office has found.
Nasa Extends Shuttle Mission To Repair Rotary Joint On ISS
NASA mission managers will add an extra day to the mission of the space shuttle Discovery so crewmen can do “exploratory surgery” on a malfunctioning part of the International Space Station’s power system, the space agency announced on Monday.
Venezuelans Oppose Subsidy Cuts For Fuel Despite Economic Woes
In a country moving toward socialism, the beneficiaries of government largess here are still people like Nicolas Taurisano, a businessman who dabbles in real estate and machinery imports. He is the proud owner of a Hummer.
Sunny Days Ahead
As the Boston Red Sox return home for their victory parade today, nature will treat them to a beautifully sunny sky and relatively mild October temperatures. Expect a high around 60°F (16°C) today and an even warmer 65°F (18°C) tomorrow. Make sure your Halloween costume is well attached tomorrow evening as it could get rather windy. Look for a chance of a sprinkle on Thursday with a high of 61°F (16°C). Night-time temperatures, as you may have noticed, are beginning to get on the chilly side, so if you plan to be out late a coat and perhaps some gloves or a hat might be a good idea.
Letters to the Editor
Mr. Stephen D. Fried’s article (“Why the U.S. and Israel Are Strong Allies,” Oct. 23, 2007) was a strong defense of the U.S.-Israel alliance, and written in a mature and elegant prose style. However, I think the problem faced by Israel and its American supporters is in our universities. Strong anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian views are expressed at many universities today, including MIT. The American and European left has decided that corrupt, tyrannical regimes run by Islamic fundamentalists are PC, while American and Israeli democracies are treated with contempt.
Walt and Mearsheimer Misinterpreted
I believe Stephen D. Fried’s account of the addresses made by Stephen M. Walt and John J. Mearsheimer (“Why the U.S. and Israel Are Strong Allies,” Oct. 23, 2007) misrepresents all the points they actually made in the CIS STARR Forum on Oct. 3. In fact, his report was so substantially different from my recollection of their speeches that I had to doublecheck the names of the speakers to make sure that the article was actually referring to the same event as I had attended. When I further reviewed the video of the event (available online at http://web.mit.edu/cis/starr.html) to see if there were comments that I had missed, I was surprised to find out how explicitly the speakers had discussed and denied some of the viewpoints Fried ascribes to them.
Squid vs. Whale
Being a sensible person, I immediately scope out every place I’m at to formulate an emergency plan in the event of a zombie attack. Having recently become acquainted with MIT and since Halloween is tomorrow, I feel I should share some of my zombie prevention insights.
Ask SIPB
Athena isn’t just software — it’s a computing environment. In today’s issue of Ask SIPB, we’ll look at some common questions about using hardware in the Athena environment, from USB memory keys to large monitors.
Brouhaha Rhythm
You cannot begin to imagine how thrilled I was to find that multiple thrift stores exist within half a mile of my dormitory. You see, my mother is an expert bargain hunter and my dad loves to buy shiny electronic doodads. (With a Radio Shack just up Massachusetts Ave. and a Best Buy down it, I suspect I’m poised to follow in his footsteps.)
