Police Log
May 01 Bldg. 35 (127 Massachusetts Ave.) 12:00 a.m., Five skateboards stolen. Report taken.
CORRECTIONS
Tuesday’s article profiling Professor Anantha P. Chandrakasan misspelled the last name of Chandrakasan’s co-author in “Low-Power CMOS Digital Design.” He is Samuel Sheng, not Cheng.
Northeastern alum arrested for terrorist plot
ASHLAND — An Ashland man who holds a physics degree from Northeastern University was charged Wednesday with an Al Qaeda-inspired plot to send a remote-controlled aircraft carrying explosives into the Pentagon and the US Capitol “to kill as many people as possible,” according to a complaint filed in federal court.
‘Sigh-cology’ and wasabi at Ig Nobels
It’s not everyday you get to see a Nobel laureate and a Harvard professor sing “The Elements” while one of them plays the accordion. Yet that’s exactly what happened last night when Richard J. Roberts, winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Medicine, and Harvard medical professor Thomas Michel performed during the opening ceremonies of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony. Held annually in the Sanders Theatre at Harvard University, the Ig Nobels celebrate unconventional achievements in all fields of science and include performances from professors, Nobel Laureates, and professional opera singers. Chemistry was the theme of this year’s ceremony, and in that spirit each winner received a model table inscribed with the elemental symbols on the surface — a literal table of the elements.
For MIT150, Idea Bank reopens
The Idea Bank, an online forum for community members to give MIT comments and suggestions, is open again — this time to discuss the MIT150 festivities and collect ideas for future MIT150-inspired events. The Idea Bank is intended to foster ideas in a setting where students, faculty, staff, and alumni all have input.
Whitehead professor Rudolf Jaenisch wins National Medal of Science
Professor Rudolf Jaenisch, a founding member of the Whitehead Institute, has been named as one of seven recipients of the 2011 National Medal of Science award. The National Medal of Science is the highest honor in the fields of science and engineering in the United States. Barack Obama named Professor Jaenisch this past Tuesday for his work on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression.
Some common ground found for legal adversaries on health care law
WASHINGTON — The 2010 health care overhaul law has provoked an unprecedented clash between the federal government and 26 states, dividing them on fundamental questions about the very structure of the federal system. But the two sides share a surprising amount of common ground, too, starting with their agreement in briefs, filed Wednesday, that the Supreme Court should resolve the clash in its current term.
Pakistani politicians reject Mullen’s attack charges
ISLAMABAD — Even as it revealed growing skepticism toward Pakistan’s powerful military, an extraordinary national security conference ended here late Thursday with a statement rejecting as “baseless” allegations from America’s top military official that Pakistan was facilitating militant attacks in Afghanistan.
Shorts (right)
However grumpy when they wake up, and whether they stumble to their feet in Mumbai, Mexico City or Minnetonka, Minn., people tend to brighten by breakfast time and feel their mood taper gradually to a low in the late afternoon, before rallying again near bedtime, a large-scale study of posts on the social media site Twitter found.
Cool, rainy weather for the weekend
Today’s weather will feature mostly sunny skies and a final opportunity for the thermometer to reach near 80°F (27°C). A low pressure system, which is slowly dragging its way eastward across the upper Midwest, will allow southerly winds to develop across our region. These winds will surge in a warm air mass for today. But the dry conditions will be short-lived as the aforementioned low pressure tracks just to our south, slows down, and stalls over the Northeast.
Shorts (left)
WASHINGTON — With his support among blue-collar white voters far weaker than among white-collar independents, President Barack Obama is charting an alternative course to re-election should he be unable to win Ohio and other industrial states traditionally essential to Democratic presidential victories.
Banks to make customers pay debit card fee
Bank of America, the nation’s biggest bank, said Thursday that it planned to start charging customers a $5 monthly fee when they used their debit cards. It was just one of several new charges expected to hit consumers as new regulations crimp banks’ profits.
Madoff trustee says ruling not as bad as first thought
The trustee for Bernard L. Madoff’s fraud victims said Thursday that he had overestimated how much his recovery efforts would be affected by a court ruling this week in his case against the owners of the New York Mets.
House of Representatives approves stopgap spending bill
WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday gave quick approval to a stopgap spending bill that will finance the government for the first four days of October, until lawmakers can return and vote on a more ambitious seven-week spending bill.
State of the Race
The electoral picture continues to look grim for Democrats. In the good news category, Obama’s approval ratings have stopped the steep decline that they have been on since May of this year. In the bad news category, the approval ratings have not bounced back either; they remain at roughly 43 percent approving, 51 percent disapproving — dangerously close to a Jimmy Carter-ish netherworld of unelectability.
Old and new freedoms for Saudi Arabia
On Sunday, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia announced the enfranchisement of women to vote, run for local office, and serve on the Shura Council — the king’s advisory board. Such sweeping reforms for women are groundbreaking for the ultraconservative country.
Turning to the Haqqanis, Pakistan has made its choice
A pitfall of writing for this newspaper as frequently as I do is that sometimes a major event comes along and I find that I’ve already said most of what I wish to say. Such is the case with Admiral Michael G. Mullen’s recent admonishment of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence for its ties to the Haqqani insurgent network.
GUEST COLUMN A great dining program is a community effort
I am pleased to announce that MIT’s new House Dining Program is off to a great start, and I am looking forward to seeing the program develop over the coming year. The best news may be that the students are telling us that they are very happy with the food, but there are many other things to be pleased with, including the renovated dining halls and the ability to offer breakfast and lunch.
ARTS AROUND TOWN One City One Story, more than one Scarlet Letter?
This morning I rollerbladed to Harvard to get some breakfast from Darwin’s. Paying the cashier, I noticed a little pamphlet entitled One City One Story: “The Whore’s Child.” My curiosity piqued, I picked it up and began reading it as I waited for my sandwich. I found myself drawn in instantly, and I had thoroughly devoured it by the time I had similarly finished off my sandwich.
SPORTS SHORTS
Facing its first nationally ranked opponent this season, the MIT Women’s Volleyball team fell to No. 21 Springfield College, 25-18, 28-26, 25-23, in a hard-fought NEWMAC contest on Tuesday night. The loss lowered the Engineers’ record to 13-4 on the year and 2-2 in league play.
Field Hockey victorious
Molly K. Duffy ’14’s put-back early in the second half proved to be the game-winner as MIT defeated visiting Endicott College, 2-1, in non-conference field hockey action on Tuesday night. The win is the third straight for the Engineers, who improve to 9-2 on the 2011 campaign. Endicott falls to 1-7 with the loss.
