Dining Plans Awaiting Task Force;Dean Says No Changes This Year
Changes to MIT’s dining system will have to wait another few months—at least. Competing proposals released last spring from the Blue Ribbon Dining Committee and the UA Dining committee await the final report from the Institute-wide Planning Task Force before discussions concerning them can continue.
MAS.967 Pushes Phone Medical Tech., Payments
It’s an unlikely medical device: a sleek smartphone more suited to a nightclub than a rural health clinic. But it’s loaded with software that allows health workers in the remote northernmost Philippines province of Batanes to dramatically reduce the time it takes to get X-rays to a radiologist — and to get a diagnosis for a patient being tested for tuberculosis.
DSL Releases Break-down of Student Life Fee; UA is Surprised
After several years of inquiry from the Undergraduate Association and <i>The Tech</i>, the office for the Dean for Student life released the breakdown of the student life fee last Tuesday.
H1N1 Vaccine Is Fresh Fodder For Opponents
People who do not believe in vaccinating children have never had much sway over Leslie Wygant Arndt. She has studied the vaccine debate, she said, and came out in favor of having her 10-month-old daughter inoculated against childhood diseases. But there is something different about the vaccine for the H1N1 flu, she said.
Holiday Travelers Who Wait to Book Flights May Pay More
Procrastinators were rewarded last year when they finally got around to booking flights for holiday travel. Back then, airlines were not prepared for the sharp falloff in travel and offered last-minute deals to fill up empty planes.
A Woman,Her Son and His Father, the Priest
With three small children and her marriage in trouble, Pat Bond attended a spirituality retreat for Roman Catholic women in Illinois 26 years ago in hopes of finding support and comfort.
Shorts (left)
For hours on Thursday, people around the country were gripped by television images of a homemade, silvery balloon careening through the skies near here, whooshing over fields and trees and yards with a 6-year-old boy believed to be inside.
A Wet and Windy Weekend
So far this week, we have seen a departure from the sunny, enjoyable autumn weather of early October for cloudy skies and chillier temperatures. This weather has been more reminiscent of late November than mid-October, but those looking for a reprieve will have to endure a few more days of cold. In fact, a bit of storminess will be added to the equation, as two low pressure systems will bring wind and rain to the Boston area over the weekend.
Corrections
An article last Friday, “MIT’s Endowment Over the Past Ten Years” contained several errors. MIT’s endowment payout is expected to drop in fiscal year 2011 (July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011), not the current fiscal year (FY2010). The payout dropped twice in the 2000s — from FY2003 to FY2004 and from FY2004 to FY2005 — not once, making the projected drop in FY2011 the third in history, not the second. MIT now plans to reduce its budget by $118–$128 million over two years instead of $150 million over three years as originally planned (not a revised $150 million over two years).
UA Update
The Executive Committee prepared the Undergraduate Association’s “Response to the Institute-wide Planning Task Force Preliminary Report” based on undergraduate feedback from the UA website. This report was approved by the Senate on Tuesday, October 13, 2009. The Coordinating Team of the Planning Task Force; the Chancellor, Executive Vice President, Provost, Chairs of the Institute Committees, and Chairs of the Task Force Working Groups; received a copy of the final report this week, and the report is publicly available at <i>http://web.mit.edu/ua/docs/updated_</i><i>taskforce</i><i>_</i><i>response</i><i>.pdf</i>.
MIT Admissions Right to Use Shorter Essays
MIT Admissions was right to ask for more, shorter essays from its applicants in lieu of a single, long essay.
CONCERT REVIEW Reviving the Masters
A point of clarification: the practice of castrating pre-pubescent boys that showed promise in singing started in the sixteenth century somewhere in Italy. In the absence of the testosterone-secreting gland, limbs elongated, ribs kept growing (resulting in extraordinarily large lung capacity) and, perhaps most importantly, the larynx failed to develop: the adult male (<i>castrato</i> in Italian) retained his pre-pubescent range and flexibility. Subsequent training developed the pre-pubescent voice into a mature, fully-developed, yet eerily pristine, alto or soprano voice part.
RESTAURANT REVIEW Eating Out with Mom and Dad
T<b>he Scenario</b>: Your parents have just arrived on campus, pleased to see that you haven’t gained all of the “freshman fifteen” in a month and a half of college. You show them around campus, stopping by the Student Center and emphasizing that this is where you eat on a daily basis. Eventually, you hear the five magic words from your parents, “We’re taking you out tonight.” Without missing a beat, you slyly say, “Well, there is one place I’ve always wanted to try out…”
CONCERT REVIEW Built to Spill Dig Further Down
Built to Spill, just days after the release of their seventh LP <i>There Is No Enemy</i>, stopped by Cambridge for a three night run at The Middle East Downstairs last weekend. After seventeen years and a handful of different lineups, songwriter Doug Martsch is still at the helm, looking aged but adjusted. The “well-groomed” five-piece took the stage on Sunday, warmed up after two nights in the same venue, opening with a powerful version of “You Were Right,” a tune from 1999’s <i>Keep it Like a Secret</i>. The song pulled the audience back and forth through a dynamic maze, always climaxing with Martsch’s accusation, “you were wrong/when you said/everything’s gonna be alright.” The song benefited from the controlled layering of three guitars. Most notably, guitarist Brett Netson’s overdriven leads cut through the mix at times to reveal a deeper counterpoint against Martsch’s riffing.
BOOK REVIEW Byrne, Bikes, Buenos Aires, Oh My!
At the core of <i>Bicycle Diaries</i>, David Byrne’s foray into cycling fan-(non)-fiction, is the notion that being on a bike provides a unique viewpoint of the world. Through offerings that are captivating and thought provoking, Byrne dispenses his insights from eyes perched above the cars and pedestrians. Being on a bike probably helps, but the real trick is being David Byrne. How else could you explain diary entries from Buenos Aires bike rides that devolve into meditations on canine hierarchy and lewd dog behaviors?
Sports Shorts
The MIT cycling team won 22 medals during its bid for the 2009 Division-II Collegiate Track Championship, successfully defending itts 2008 title. Guo-Liang Chew ’10, Matthew C. Blackburn G, Martha W. Buckley G, Nick C. Loomis G, Michael L. Garrett G, Yuri Matsumoto G, Laura R. Ralston G, Zachary A. Labry G, Timothy J. Humpton ’10, and Jose H. Soltren all competed at the championships for MIT.
