24 Broad Institute DNA Scientists Were Laid Off on Tuesday
Twenty-four MIT employees were fired yesterday morning from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Their jobs have been made redundant by new technology, the institute said in a press release.
Four Thousand Flock to MIT to Seek Jobs Overseas
The 13th European Career Fair was held at MIT this past Saturday, attracting candidates and employers from all over the world amidst a bleak economy. Over 4,000 candidates from more than 16 countries seeking internships and jobs sent their resumes in and attended the fair this year.
Anonymous Benefactor’s Money Will Keep Empty W1 Looking Good
Partial renovations to the W1 residence hall, the former Ashdown, will begin this spring after all, thanks to a gift from an anonymous donor. Work will be limited to the exterior of the building, and will not impact the Institute’s plan to delay the opening of W1 until after 2010. The size of the gift was not disclosed.
MIT Dining Committee Releases Documents
Will next year’s incoming freshmen pay a mandatory fee for food? The “Blue Ribbon Committee” of students and administrators charged with determining the future of MIT dining has reported no new progress toward articulating a food policy since early December, when <i>The Tech</i> reported that a mandatory fee was among the committee’s proposals.
News Briefs
If you left your bicycle chained to the “NO BICYCLE PARKING” signs outside the Student Center on Tuesday morning, and you can’t find it, your bike might now be in NW62.
Architectural Terminology
<i>cupola</i> — a rounded vault resting on a usually circular base and forming a roof or a ceiling.
Outcry Over a Plan to Sell Brandeis Museum’s Holdings
The Massachusetts attorney general’s office said on Tuesday that it planned to conduct a detailed review of Brandeis University’s surprise decision to sell off the entire holdings of its Rose Art Museum, one of the most important collections of postwar art in New England.
‘Mini-Madoffs’ Ran Their Own $100 Million Ponzi Schemes
Their names lack the Dickensian flair of Bernie Madoff, and the money they apparently stole from investors was a small fraction of the $50 billion that Madoff allegedly lost of his clients’ savings.
Murder-Suicide Leaves 7 Dead in California
A man shot and killed his wife and five young children before taking his own life Tuesday, apparently out of despair after the couple lost their jobs at a hospital, the police and city officials said.
Clinton Sees Possible Progress On Iran and North Korea
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Tuesday that Iran had a “clear opportunity” to engage with the international community, amplifying the conciliatory tone struck a day earlier by President Barack Obama toward Iran and the rest of the Muslim world.
Shorts (left)
John Updike, the kaleidoscopically gifted writer whose quartet of Rabbit novels highlighted a body of fiction, verse, essays and criticism so vast, protean and lyrical as to place him in the first rank of American authors, died on Tuesday in Danvers, Mass. He was 76 and lived in Beverly Farms, Mass.
Obama Tells Muslims, ‘Americans Are Not Your Enemy’
In one of his first interviews since taking office, President Barack Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward the Islamic world, saying he wanted to persuade Muslims that “the Americans are not your enemy” and adding that “the moment is ripe for both sides” to negotiate in the Middle East.
Shorts (right)
An explosive device killed an Israeli soldier just outside Gaza on Tuesday, and Israel retaliated with incursions that killed one Palestinian and wounded another, in the first serious confrontations between Hamas and Israel since each declared a tentative cease-fire 10 days ago. With the new American envoy to the region, George J. Mitchell, set to arrive in Jerusalem on Wednesday, the fighting here underlined the urgency of his mission.
Snow!
A storm that just left the South and Midwest hits us today, bringing the Boston area snow, freezing rain and sleet within the next 12–24 hours. This storm affected many communities from Texas to Ohio yesterday. Arkansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma were especially hard hit by ice from the storm; power lines and tree branches were downed, and many lost electricity. Snow fell to the north of the ice belt, with white accumulations from Illinois to Ohio. The storm moved our way into the northeast early in the am. The commute this morning should be hit by the hardest of the snow and sleet from this storm. This afternoon, Boston should see the snow changing into sleet and freezing rain as warmer air will be move in. How much snow and how much frozen stuff will we see? Expect from 3–6 inches of snow, with more emphasis on the lower side of this estimate. After 3 p.m., rain and sleet could total as much as a half of an inch or more.
The View from the Mall
Last Wednesday, I was one of the huddled masses who braved the cold for hours on the National Mall to catch a glimpse of the inauguration. While I saw less visually than I might have from 10-250, I stood amid the beating heart of America and watched it change firsthand.
Expecting More from an MIT Professor
We write today to voice our concern about Professor Noam Chomsky’s reckless behavior at a talk held last week (January 13th) as part of the MIT CIS Starr Forum. We wish to address some points in Professor Chomsky’s talk to explain our position, which we hope will encourage members of the MIT community to refrain from making cynical use of their position and support by the institution.
Proportionality and the Just War
The objective of Joseph Maurer’s piece entitled “Justifying Self-Defense” was to critically engage with Professor Chomsky’s recent talk on the Gaza conflict. Maurer’s targets also include those who have expressed concern regarding Israel’s alleged violation of the principle of proportionality, a concern that “has been screamed ad nauseam by many of Israel’s staunchest foes.”
Letters to the Editor
I was deeply disappointed by the article “At M.I.T., Large Lectures Are Going the Way of the Blackboard.” The reporter lauded the new teaching method, TEAL, as fun and effective, while implying the old, “traditional” lectures are oppressive and ineffective. (They aren’t, by the way.) The article barely mentions that TEAL is actually very controversial on campus.
THEATER REVIEW The Corn is Green at the Huntington Theatre
Lights come up. Welsh hymns slowly fill the air. Actor scurry about stage. The modern day is left at the doorstep and nineteenth-century Wales comes to the fore.
UPCOMING EVENTS Serving in Heaven to Reigning in Hell
<i>“Of Man’s First Disobedience, and the Fruit, Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast, Brought Death into the World, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man, Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat, Sing Heav’nly Muse …”</i>
CONCERT REVIEW Joshua Redman at Berklee Performance Center
Joshua Redman has high notes. He has low notes. He has trills. I could go further, and talk about brilliant expressionism, the emotive quality of his playing and that of his ensemble. It’s easy to hear that he knows how to make “jazz.”
Staff Picks
<b><i>Sam Markson</i></b>: “I’m eyeing the program at <i>Ryles</i> this week. Also check out some of the shows at <i>Berklee</i> (big stage and small — a lot of them free). For you theatrical types, check out <i>The Corn is Green</i> at the <i>Huntington</i> (see article), Chekhov’s <i>The Seagull</i> at the <i>Zero Arrow Theatre</i>, and Howard Zinn’s <i>Daughter of Venus</i> at <i>Boston Playwrights’ Theatre</i> (great for families, I hear).”
Cardinals Have Shot At Breaching ‘Steel Curtain’ on Sunday
It’s that time of year again. The time when retailers use every possible euphemism to connect their products with “the big game,” when thirty seconds on TV costs more than the GDP of a small third-world country, when the per capita consumption of hot dogs, chips, and other artery-clogging goodness increases I-don’t-even-know-how-many-fold, when a man is once again judged by the size of his … television? Yeah, Super Bowl Sunday.
Women’s Fencing Dominates Field at NFC CompetitionNo. 11 Men’s Swimming Tops Tufts to Stay Perfect
The MIT women’s fencing team kicked off the new year by defeating all six of its opponents at last Saturday’s Northeast Fencing Conference (NFC) meet hosted by Brown University. The Engineers topped Boston College (16-11), Tufts University (16-11), Smith College (23-4), Dartmouth College (24-3), Vassar College (18-9), and the host Bears (14-13). With the wins, the Engineers improved to 13-6 overall and 11-1 in the NFC.
Steelers Face Cardinals In Super Bowl
An average of 97.5 million viewers tuned in last year to watch the Super Bowl — the result of which shall not be mentioned here — making it the most watched NFL championship game in history. This year’s Super Bowl, which will be broadcast in 232 countries, should not disappoint.
Squid vs. Whale
1 — <b>Civil and Environmental:</b> Congratulations, Barack says you are not frakked. Now start making windmills.
Talk Nerdy to Me
According to my mother, I started “dating” in preschool. His name was Timothy, and when we’d say “goodbye,” I’d lick him across his face in front of both of our mothers. Now, I know this story sounds far fetched, but all my relatives remind me that I greeted them with slobber, instead of a kiss, until I hit the age of 5. Also, there’s a photograph of a birthday party in preschool, and I’m sitting awfully close to a boy, with my tongue hanging out. On the back of the photo, it says, “Christine and Timothy.”
