Is Boston a hotspot for bank theft?
According to <i>The Town</i>, the Ben Affleck crime drama released in theaters today, there are over 300 bank robberies in Boston each year. The movie poster portrays masked robbers wielding weapons in nun costumes with the tagline, “Welcome to the Bank Robbery Capital of America,” hanging ominously above them.
Corrections
Because of an editing error, the Tuesday, Sept. 14 story about tenure at MIT referred to Charles C. Mills ’12 as a “former student.” Mills is a former student of Professor Eric Hudson and is currently a junior.
Three-judge panel asks for oral arguments on stem cell ban
The Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said Wednesday that it will hear oral arguments about whether to suspend a lower court’s preliminary injunction barring federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research.
A flurry of packages at desk
Dormitory desks have recently been flooded with packages — and tense e-mails asking residents to please pick up their packages.
E62 is business school’s new home
E62, the $142 million Sloan School of Management building, has opened for classes, for the first time bringing together all the different parts of the Sloan School into one place.
Stem cell researcher to give Killian Award Lecture this month
One week from Tuesday, on September 28, acclaimed biology professor and stem cell researcher Rudolph Jaenisch will give the annual James R. Killian award lecture in 10-250.
More bids offered
Both fraternities and sororities saw more interest in Greek life this year and gave out slightly more bids.
Poverty rate jumped sharply<br />in 2009, census reports
The percentage of Americans struggling below the poverty line in 2009 was the highest it has been in 15 years, the Census Bureau reported Thursday, and interviews with poverty experts and aid groups said the increase appeared to be continuing this year.
Once wary, now President Obama relies on Petraeus
WASHINGTON — When President Barack Obama descended into the White House Situation Room on Monday for his monthly update on Afghanistan and Pakistan, the new top U.S. military commander, Gen. David H. Petraeus, ticked off signs of progress.
Shorts (right)
In a discovery that sheds new light on the history of AIDS, scientists have found evidence that the ancestor to the virus that causes the disease has been in monkeys and apes for at least 32,000 years — not just a few hundred years, as had been previously thought.
Shorts (left)
WICHITA, Kan. — Judge Wesley E. Brown’s mere presence in his courtroom is seen as something of a daily miracle. His diminished frame is nearly lost behind the bench. A tube under his nose feeds him oxygen during hearings. And he warns lawyers preparing for lengthy court battles that he may not live to see the cases to completion, adding the old saying, “At this age, I’m not even buying green bananas.”
Igor, Julia, and Karl, oh my!
The active hurricane season continues in the Atlantic, with three hurricanes occurring simultaneously (a fairly rare occurrence in the Atlantic). As of 5 p.m. yesterday, Igor had sustained winds of 125 mph, Julia had sustained winds of 85 mph, and Karl had sustained winds of 80 mph. Igor has maintained its Category 4 intensity for several days, and is expected to continue to be a powerful hurricane before gradually weakening as he moves over colder waters while curving towards Bermuda. Julia was a Category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, before weakening due to less favorable environmental conditions, including interaction with Igor’s outflow, and is forecast to continue to dissipate. Neither Igor nor Julia forecasted tracks indicate that they will impact the U.S. Karl actually intensified to hurricane status after making landfall in Belize as a tropical storm and crossing over the Yucatan peninsula into the Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to make a second landfall in eastern Mexico this afternoon.
In California, a showdown on greenhouse gas emissions
LOS ANGELES — A ballot initiative to suspend a milestone California law curbing greenhouse gas emissions is drawing a wave of contributions from out-of-state oil companies, raising concerns among conservationists as it emerges as a test of public support for potentially costly environmental measures during tough economic times.
Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia approved
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s arms control treaty with Russia advanced to the Senate floor with bipartisan support Thursday, giving it a major boost toward ratification despite the election-year polarization that has divided the parties over so many other issues.
FSILGs are not exceptional
If there is one thing I have learned from having friends in FSILGs and reading the editorials in <i>The Tech</i> over the last two years, it is that two things are true:
Why not rush sophomore year?
The rush debate could go on endlessly since thus far it has been based on opinion alone. Allow me to offer a concrete example: Dartmouth. Dartmouth, famous for inspiring Animal House, does not allow students to join Greek organizations until their sophomore year. Clearly, this has not negatively impacted their Greek culture. If a school with such a rich tradition of Greek life can wait to recruit, why can’t we?
INTERVIEW From A.N.I.T.A. to the Big Bang
As a respected high energy physicist, Dr. David Saltzberg’s work has brought him to many remarkable places: Antarctica, his classroom at UCLA, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, and to the set of CBS’s <i>The Big Bang Theory</i>, for which he is the scientific consultant.
Who knew we elected Bush to a 3rd term?
Remember when you first got hit with Obamania? I sure do. I was a sophomore in high school in February of 2007 when a politically inclined friend of mine and I started spreading the Good Word about our very own fresh-faced, junior Senator’s bid for the presidency. We stuck with his 21 month long campaign and watched proudly as he was inaugurated — she from the National Mall and I from Chicago.
FEATURE School House brings ethical fashion to MIT
During the first week of school, we had a chance to speak with Rachel Weeks, the founder and president of School House — a collegiate apparel line that not only produces garments with designs beyond the usual school-name-plastered-over-front-of-sweatshirt formula, but also has a special commitment to promoting ethical fashion. Believe it or not, the School House line designed especially for MIT students has already been in the Coop for several weeks! Read on to find out the inside story behind the latest addition to our campus bookstore.<i></i>
FILM REVIEW Pretty but lacking in substance and suspense
<i>The American</i> is Dutch director Anton Corbijn’s movie adaptation of the 1990 thriller <i>A Very Private Gentleman</i> by British novelist Martin Booth. George Clooney stars as the main character Jack, an assassin hiding in the Italian countryside after someone attempts to kill him.
ALBUM REVIEW Only built 4 lovers of lyrical hip hop
In 2009, XXL Magazine named San Pedro, CA rapper Johnson Barnes (a.k.a. Blu) in their Top 10 Freshmen of the Class of ’09. He was in good company — also featured in the dynamic decathlon were Kid Cudi, Wale, Asher Roth and B.o.B. Incidentally, the latter 4 are artists who can claim to have reached at least a basal level of superstardom, while Blu has remained relatively underground. Still, indieness aside, with <i>Below the Heavens</i>, Blu and Exile have managed to produce a debut album that has been lauded again and again by critics as a consummate underground classic.
Upcoming Home Events
Saturday, September 18 Sailing: Hatch Brown Trophy 9:30 a.m., Charles River Football vs. Mass. Maritime Academy 1 p.m., Steinbrenner Stadium Men’s Tennis vs. UMass-Boston 1 p.m., duPont Courts Sunday, September 19 Sailing: Toni Deutsch Regatta 9:30 a.m., Charles River Field Hockey vs. Clark University 1 p.m., Jack Barry Field
Sports Shorts
In their NEWMAC opener, the women’s volleyball team swept Mount Holyoke College, 25-8, 25-17, 25-8, on Tuesday night. The Engineers improved their overall record to 5-4.
Football starts season with win
This past Saturday Chad Martinovich celebrated his first opening win as the football head coach at MIT, as the Engineers defeated Becker College 21-13. Despite a few kinks early on in the skirmish, MIT dominated the game in statistics, racking up 343 offensive yards to the Hawks’ 175. The Engineers’ ground attack, led by Marcel B. Sanchez ’12, rushed for 252 yards and three touchdowns, Both the offense and defense played soundly. With a new attitude surrounding the team, MIT football may be back on the path to respectability after a disappointing one-win season last fall.
