Neighborhood Ice Cream Shop Tosci’s Seized Because of $167,000 Tax Bill
The Central Square branch of Toscanini’s Ice Cream was seized last Thursday by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue because the shop failed to pay more than $167,000 in taxes that have accumulated since 2000, according to the <i>Boston Globe</i>.
Surge of Applicants Seeks Admission toTop-Tier Universities
Applications to selective colleges and universities are reaching new heights this year, promising another season of high rejection rates and dashed hopes for many more students.
House Dining Membership Plan Extended During IAP
Students who paid half price for meals at dining halls during the fall will also pay half price during the Independent Activities Period. MIT Campus Dining has extended the duration of the House Dining Membership, formerly known as Preferred Dining, at no additional cost to members.
In Annual Hunt, Murder Mystery Challenges Institute Puzzle Buffs
Hordes of people gathered in Lobby 7 at noon on Friday for the start of the 29th annual Mystery Hunt, when teams were handed a piece of paper entitled “Puzzle Zero.” It became quite clear over the next arduous 56 hours that this puzzle had absolutely nothing to do with the Hunt, as teams of students, alumni, and others toiled through what even the organizers — collectively named “Palindrome” — admit was a very difficult edition of MIT’s annual Hunt.
RIAA Sends Institute 19 Settlement Letters Alleging Infringement
Nineteen members of the MIT community have been asked by the recording industry to preemptively settle lawsuits for allegedly downloading music illegally on peer-to-peer networks, according to a Jan. 10 Recording Industry Association of America press release.
Kenneth A. Wright ’47
Kenneth A. Wright ’47, a physicist who spent more than 60 years at MIT researching the effects of radiation, died Jan. 7. He was 88.
Shorts (right)
Russia added Serbia’s oil monopoly to its recent string of energy acquisitions in a deal that will also allow Moscow to send more natural gas to Europe through its South Stream pipeline, it was announced Tuesday.
Fed Lowers Rates in Reaction To Monday’s Market Turmoil
The Federal Reserve, confronted by deepening panic in global financial markets about a possible recession in the United States, struck back on Tuesday morning with the biggest one-day reduction of interest rates on record and at least temporarily stopped a vertigo-inducing plunge in stock prices.
Padilla Sentenced to Lenient 17 Years for Role in Conspiracy
Jose Padilla, the Brooklyn-born convert to Islam whom the government once accused of plotting to detonate a “dirty bomb” in the United States, was sentenced Tuesday to 17 years and four months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to help Islamic jihadist fighters abroad.
World Powers Agree on Sanctions Against Iranian Nuclear Program
The world’s leading powers agreed Tuesday on a new set of sanctions against Iran to present as a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council, but they did not announce details of the sanctions, which are intended to induce Tehran to give up its nuclear program.
Facing Wide Criticism, Israel Opens Fuel Lines to Gaza Strip Temporarily
After widespread criticism of its decision to cut off supplies of industrial diesel oil required to run a power station that serves Gaza City and its hospitals, Israel resumed fuel shipments on Tuesday on what it said would be a temporary basis.
Thompson Drops Out of Race; Candidates Seek His Supporters
Fred D. Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee, dropped out of the Republican race for president Tuesday after a third-place primary showing Saturday in South Carolina, a state he had hoped to win when he entered the race riding a wave of optimism among conservatives looking for a strong general election candidate.
(Un)Comfortably Numb
Arctic air will continue to be the rule for the next several days, making this the coldest week so far of the winter. Invasions of cold, dry air from the north are an inevitable result of the radiation deficit at high latitudes this time of year, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I find everything to be uncomfortable after an Arctic front blows through, whether I’m freezing outside or sitting in the extreme low humidity of a heated building. Thankfully the air masses don’t usually last more than a few days at our latitude, and the fresh batch of Arctic air late this week will be no different.
Shorts (left)
Heath Ledger, the Australian-born actor whose breakthrough role as a gay cowboy in the 2005 movie “Brokeback Mountain” earned him a nomination for an Academy Award and comparisons to the likes of Marlon Brando, was found dead Tuesday in an apartment in Manhattan with prescription pills near his body, the police said.
Letters to the Editor
I am writing in response to a letter appearing in the Jan. 16, 2008 issue from Miguel Valença Pires G (“Chaplain Position Is Affront to MIT Tradition”).
Corrections
A page 6 photograph in the Jan. 9, 2008 issue of <i>The Tech</i> incorrectly named a song performed by the MIT Logarhythms. The song was “Superlogs,” not “In Praise of MIT (Take Me Back to the Tech).”
EVENT REVIEW Not a Misnomer
A smoky mist swirls across your vision as beautiful maidens dance forth to ethereal music in a blaze of color and glory. No, you haven’t died and gone to heaven; instead, this is the opening act of the Chinese New Year Spectacular show, which at its most transcendent makes you feel like you had (in a good way).
MOVIE REVIEW ★★★ 1/2 Monsters Take Manhattan
The first thing you’ve probably noticed upon watching the various trailers and previews for “Cloverfield” is that the movie is shot as though it is being recorded by a personal camcorder. Luckily, this gimmick (which you probably remember from “The Blair Witch Project”) is not the only thing the movie has going for it.
THEATER REVIEW A Crazy Combo
The musical “Spamalot,” just like its title, is simply ridiculous. But in a good way. The show tries to smash together the unlikely combination of Broadway Musical and of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (which it “lovingly ripped off”). This attempt is successful for the most part; the musical is wacky and good-natured and you can’t help but be amused.
MOVIE REVIEW ★ 1/2 Just Stay Home
Do you like movies that fail to maintain any coherency whatsoever? How about comedies that are entirely lacking in any actual jokes? Or perhaps you’re a fan of gratuitous full-frontal male nudity, strategically planted so that it surprises you at the least opportune times? If so, then “Walk Hard” is the movie for you. Otherwise, do yourself a favor and never see it, ever.
Eight-Ranked Men’s Volleyball Outlasted By No. 1 Springfield
Fans filled the stands in Rockwell Cage Saturday night as the MIT men’s volleyball team, ranked eighth in the nation, hosted the top-ranked team in the country, Springfield College. In their second match of the season, the Engineers fought hard against the Pride, managing to take a game off them before eventually losing 30-27, 27-30, 30-26, 30-25.
NHL Unable to Attract New Fans for Numerous Reasons
Sometimes I wonder why more people aren’t hockey fans. Sports in the United States are built around four major leagues: the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League. Sure, more people watch NASCAR than any other sport in the country; Major League Soccer has tried its best to make people to pay attention to a sport whose popularity directly correlates to the quality of the U.S. National Team; and the only thing the average person on the street knows about Major League Lacrosse is that its acronym is MLL. But for some reason, people haven’t kicked the NHL out of that group yet.
Cowboys’ WR Owens Models the Hypocrisy In Sports
Consider the following scenarios: Quarterback A vomits during the last drive of a game during a playoff loss, causing people to question his fitness. Quarterback B vacations in Mexico with his famous girlfriend prior to a playoff loss, causing people to question his focus.
Patriots Stay Perfect; Giants Shock Packers In NFC Championship
While the New England Patriots’ pursuit of perfection remains intact after finishing off the San Diego Chargers, their final hurdle is an unlikely one. Apparently, the clock has not quite struck midnight for the New York Giants, who ended the Green Bay Packers’ run at a Super Bowl appearance. Before we preview the Super Bowl in next week’s issue, here are our recaps of the conference championships.
Tech Athletes of the Week: Amy E. Jacobi ’11 and Michael J. Dobson ’11
Amy E. Jacobi ’11 helped the women’s swimming and diving team capture a 170-124 victory over Colby College on Saturday afternoon, placing first in four different events. MIT swept the top three positions in the 50-yard freestyle with Jacobi clocking in at 24.64 seconds, just ahead of teammates Sarah B. King ’10 (25.93 seconds) and Ashley E. Pinchinat ’10 (26.46 seconds). She also earned victories in the 100-yard (54.42) and 500-yard (5:10.50) freestyle events. Jacobi’s fourth victory came as the lead on the 200-yard freestyle relay team, with teammates King, Jacquelyn M. Nowicke ’08, and Pinchinat, who won with a time of 1:43.13.
It’s a Big, Big World
On Commercial Street, one of Bangalore’s shopping meccas, our group was on assignment to bargain for and purchase various items. While buying a pair of turquoise earrings, I felt a slight graze on my upper arm. I turned and faced a middle-aged Indian woman with a baby. She brought together the fingers of her free hand and raised them to her mouth, motioning an eating action. Then she cupped that hand, presented it to us palm side up, and looked at us pleadingly.
Brouhaha Rhythm
People often assume that we have relatively poor English skills just because we go to a school that’s predominantly scientific and engineering-ic. That, of course, is simply not true. Well, not necessarily, anyway.
