Stuck in Hotel During Mumbai Terrorist Attack, Prof. Escapes
On the night of Nov. 26, Sloan Professor Eric von Hippel SM ’68 was awoken by explosions and gunshots from his room at the Oberoi Hotel in Mumbai, India. Von Hippel experienced and survived the terrorist attack that devastated one of India’s largest and most developed cities.
Colleges Scramble to Sell Assets as Markets Slide
Some of the nation’s universities are trying to sell chunks of their portfolios privately as their endowments swoon with the markets.
Leaving a Digital Trail: What About Privacy?
Harrison R. Brown ’12, an 18-year-old freshman majoring in mathematics at MIT, didn’t need to do complex calculations to figure out he liked this deal: In exchange for letting researchers track his every move, he receives a free smartphone.
Seeking Cheaper Education, Students Turning Overseas
Isobel Oliphant felt she was making an offbeat choice when she graduated from Fox Lane High School in Bedford, N.Y., and enrolled at the ancient university in this quiet coastal town of stone ruins and verdant golf courses.
New Ashdown Dining Manager Talks About Culinary Vision, Plans
While typical dorm meals bring to mind a bland culinary experience, Beverly Collet, the manager of the new Ashdown Dining Hall and Thirsty Ear Pub, describes her food philosophy as “white cloth service for brown bag clients,” distinguishing her operations from the typical college fare. Through inventive menus, theme nights, and attention to quality, Collet aims to become one of the best dining models on MIT’s campus.
Presidential Race Still Alive In Georgia Runoff for Senate Seat
So upset was Patricia Mock with Barack Obama’s election that she drove two hours to this middle Georgia town on Monday to rally against the president-elect.
Shorts (left)
For the Big Three automakers to win over Washington lawmakers in their bid for federal aid, they will have to address a key question in the business plans they present Congress with on Tuesday.
Shorts (right)
Anti-government protests that began in August and intensified last week with the takeover of the capital’s two airports have plunged Thailand into its worst national crisis in at least a decade, and might severely damage the country’s economy.
U.S. Recession Is Officially Declared Almost a Year Old
The U.S. economy officially sank into a recession last December, which means that the downturn is already longer than the average for all recessions since World War II, according to the committee of economists responsible for dating the nation’s business cycles.
With Appointments, Obama Puts Campaign Behind Him
President-elect Barack Obama put the rancor and even some of the rhetoric of the presidential campaign behind him on Monday as he welcomed his chief Democratic adversary into his Cabinet and signaled flexibility in his plans to withdraw troops from Iraq.
India Demands Pakistan To Act Against Terrorists
In a new sign of rising tensions between two nuclear-armed neighbors, Indian officials summoned Pakistan’s ambassador on Monday evening and told him that Pakistani nationals were responsible for the terrorist attacks here last week and that they must be punished.
Strategy Shift for Afghan War Poses Stiff Challenge for Obama
One of the most difficult challenges President-elect Barack Obama’s national security team faces is Obama’s vow to send thousands of U.S. troops to help defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan.
You Betcha (It’ll Be Cold Again)
After yesterday’s (somewhat unexpected) high temperature of 60°F (+1.5 standard deviations from the norm), you knew this unseasonably warm air wouldn’t last long. After November’s below-average warmth, deep down you knew it’d be cold again. In this case, again starts Friday. After that, the jet stream is forecasted to dip southward, bringing the colder Canadian air into New England and persisting for more than a week. Likely as a result, the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is predicting a moderate chance that this month’s average temperature over the eastern-half of the United States to be below normal. Furthermore, since the jet stream is a “highway” for low-pressure systems to travel on, storms will likely pass by Boston every three days or so. Likely as a result, the CPC is predicting above-normal precipitation for the next couple of weeks. So the upshot: there’ll be more than a handful of opportunities for you see snow this month.
Deconstructing the Paradox of Thrift
It’s “recessiontime” in America. The sweet scent of bailout is in the air, the auto companies are performing their courtship rituals in Congress and the bears are frolicking in the marketplace. This is the time of year when a young economist’s fancy turns to thoughts of financial stimulus … BIG financial stimulus.
Letters to the Editor
Matthew Davidson’s flattering and uncritical analysis of pirate activity off the coast of Somali is ridiculous in the extreme (“Power to the Pirates,” Nov. 25). The hijacking of the Sirius Star represents a new low in political and material security in the waters of East Africa. We should remember that these pirates are not the noble outlaws of Robin Hood. It is inspiring to imagine plucky and resourceful pirates battling the “global military-industrial empire” to improve the lives of ordinary Somalis.
Squash Goes 0-2 in Dartmouth Fall Classic, Tops Vanderbilt 5-4Johnson & Wales Powers Past MIT WrestlingWomen’s Basketball Falls to Lasell, 66-34
The MIT squash team traveled to Dartmouth University on Saturday, Nov. 22 for the Liberty League Fall Classic before returning home on Sunday, Nov. 23 to host Vanderbilt University. The Engineers fell to the U.S. Naval Academy, 9-0, and Wesleyan University, 8-1, before salvaging the weekend with a win over Vanderbilt, 5-4.
GAME OF THE WEEK MIT Basketball Crushes Suffolk; Three Players Set Career Highs
Three Tech players scored career highs and MIT shot a staggering 68 percent from beyond the three-point line as the Engineers cruised past Suffolk University, 99-56, on Saturday.
