Police Log
Sep 8 Bldg. 13 (105 Rear Massachusetts Ave.) 5:12 p.m., Report scooter stolen. Reporting party believes he left the keys in the ignition. Report taken.
Can evolution explanations be found in slime?
Most of the aliens that come out of Hollywood don’t really look alien at all. They may have pizza-size eyes or roachlike antennae, but their oddities are draped on a familiar humanoid frame.
New off-campus places!
Exam season is starting up again! But if you decide to take a study break and get out of the bubble, you’ll notice there are a few things right off campus that have changed since last semester.
Nobel Prize comes a bit too late
When a representative of the Nobel Foundation could not reach Dr. Ralph M. Steinman by telephone Monday to deliver the thrilling news that he had been awarded a Nobel Prize in Medicine for his breakthrough work in immunology, he sent him an email about the honor.
Ambitious goals at State of the Institute
In her Monday morning State of the Institute address, President Susan J. Hockfield spoke about MIT’s preparation for the future in four main areas: attracting and retaining high-quality students, faculty, and staff; digital learning technology; encouraging the growth of this region’s “innovation cluster”; and making strides in the area of advanced manufacturing.
Thousands come together in Occupy Boston protests
Last Friday at 6 p.m., several hundred people were already milling about Dewey Square by South Station in Boston. A man with buttons lining his hat took the megaphone to start the chant, “Whose city? Our city!”; Dan, it was explained to me, was an old face at protests in the city.
Popular African contraceptive might double women’s risk of HIV infection
The most popular contraceptive for women in eastern and southern Africa, a hormone shot given every three months, appears to double the risk of HIV infection among users, according to a large study published Monday. And when it is used by HIV-positive women, their male partners are twice as likely to become infected than if the women had used no contraception.
Emails reveal White House concerns about Solyndra
WASHINGTON — Some White House officials were so concerned last year about the financial health of Solyndra, a solar equipment manufacturer that had received federal loans, that they warned that a presidential trip to the company’s California factory could prove a major embarrassment, newly disclosed emails show.
Mosque in northern Israel set on fire after series of similar attacks
JERUSALEM — A mosque in an Arab village in northern Israel was set on fire early Monday in what police called an arson attack, and an outside wall was defaced with Hebrew graffiti.
US budget crisis forcing big cuts in foreign aid
WASHINGTON — America’s budget crisis at home is forcing the first significant cuts in overseas aid in nearly two decades, a retrenchment that officials and advocates say reflects the country’s diminishing ability to influence the world.
Shorts (left)
BEIRUT — The Syrian government said Monday that it had arrested dozens of people in a central Syrian region that has become a flashpoint in fighting between defectors and security forces waging a brutal crackdown on a six-month uprising.
Shorts (right)
A loose-knit populist campaign that started on Wall Street three weeks ago has spread to dozens of cities across the country, with protesters camped out near Los Angeles City Hall, assembled before the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago, and marching through downtown Boston to rally against corporate greed, unemployment, and the role of financial institutions in the economic crisis.
Sunny, but chilly, most of the week
A deepening low pressure moved up the coast toward our region last night, causing rainy conditions. As the low moves away throughout the day today, lingering rain showers are most likely this morning, before tapering off in the afternoon. As the low moves offshore tonight, skies will remain cloudy before yielding to partly cloudy skies tomorrow. The primary significant weather for tomorrow will be winds, as sustained winds out of the northwest of 15–20 mph are expected, with gusts up to 30 mph. Cold air advection associated with this strong northwest flow will usher in colder air for tomorrow and Thursday, with temperatures as low as the upper 30s possible tomorrow and Thursday nights. Compared with climatological low temperatures of around 50°F, this will quite a bit cooler. Overall, a high pressure system with abundant cold air aloft will keep the weather dry, sunny, and cool for the next few days before warming up again for the holiday weekend.
TransCanada pipeline foes allege bias in State Department emails
A State Department official provided Fourth of July picnic invitations, subtle coaching and cheerleading, and inside information about Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s meetings to a Washington lobbyist for a Canadian company seeking permission from the department to build a controversial pipeline that would carry crude from the oil sands of Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
Lies, damned lies, and presidential reduction plans
During the debt ceiling negotiations, President Obama made an offer to Speaker of the House John Boehner that was the epitome of reasonable:: in return for lifting the debt ceiling, Obama proposed a $4 trillion reduction in federal deficits over ten years, split roughly 2-to-1 between spending cuts and revenue increases, with little to none of the cuts occurring in the next two years. Boehner, having waited for this sort of middle-of-the-road compromise for weeks, quickly accepted. And for a moment, I thought it was all going to work out.
What oil subsidies?
Among President Obama’s recommendations for fixing the budget is the elimination of $4 billion per year in “subsidies” for oil companies. This will be the third time the president has made a push for ending oil subsidies and the third time that economists have scratched their heads and asked, “What subsidies?”
The Tech’s predictions for the MLB postseason: AL/NLDS
After six months and 162 games, the teams playing in the MLB postseason has finally been decided. The field seemed to be all be set at the beginning of September, with all six division leaders and both Wild Card teams holding comfortable leads. The Red Sox, for example, had a 9-1/2 game lead at one point, and our “Your New Home Team” article published Sept. 9 declared that it would take a historic collapse for the team to miss out on the playoffs.
The State of Red Sox Nation: helplessness and uncertainty
A terrible sensation of helplessness gripped all of New England last Wednesday night. The Red Sox entered the final night of the season tied in the standings with the Tampa Bay Rays with the wild card playoff spot up for grabs. At the last possible moment, everything went awry.
MIT women’s tennis sweeps Babson, 9-0
The MIT Women’s Tennis team continued their conference winning streak with a 9-0 victory over Babson College. In doubles, at No. 2, Michelle M. Dutt ’15 and Julia C. Hsu ’14 came off first with a close 8-5 win. No. 1 with Lauren C. Quisenberry ’14 and Stasey Vishnevetsky ’12 were soon to follow with an 8-4 victory. The toughest doubles match was at No. 3, but freshmen Vynnie J. Kong ’15 and Juana C. Becerra ’15 pulled out an 8-6 win. In an unofficial doubles match, Hillary E. Jenny ’12 and Alexandra C. Hall ’12 lost 8-0 at No. 4 doubles.
Sports Shorts
After a closely-fought game at UMass Dartmouth on Saturday, the Engineers were unable to hold onto a late lead and fell 31–29. This was MIT’s third straight loss after a season-opening win. With 1:23 left in the last quarter, Justin R. Wallace ’15, who had rushed for an impressive 84 yards, scored a touchdown. Benjamin D. Hessels ’14 scored a two-point conversion to give the Engineers a one-point lead — their first lead in the game. Unfortunately, the Engineers ended up down again at the 23 second mark, because of a 45 yard field goal scored by UMass Dartmouth’s Edgar Osols.
Men’s soccer drops fifth straight, 1-0 to Williams
Having suffered four straight losses heading into the weekend, MIT Men’s Soccer was hoping to regain momentum on Saturday at Steinbrenner Stadium. Unfortunately, with a 1-0 loss for MIT, the nationally-ranked Ephs of William College stood in their way.
Institute Double Take
Sports photography is a field dominated by focus tracking, high-speed cameras, and the longest and fastest lenses on the market. Unlike wedding couples and mountains, soccer balls and tennis rackets move fast. I’ve never been a fan of shooting sports. Shooting a sports match constantly fills me with this urgent feeling, like I’m trying to chase down the perfect shot, and if both my mind and lens aren’t focused at just the right time that perfect shot will run away without me. But sailing was different.
Events Oct. 4 – Oct. 10
Events Oct. 4 – Oct. 10 Tuesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) The Federal Budget Deficit: Causes, Consequences and Potential Remedies — A Panel Discussion — 10-250 (7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.) Four Weeks for America Challenge Information Session — 2-105 Wednesday (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Energy 101 Series: Japan’s Energy Policy after Fukushima — 3-133 (6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.) “Mens et Mania” book discussion with Professor Emeritus Samuel J. Keyser — W98-602 Thursday (3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Community reception in honor of Theresa M. Stone — E62 (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Information session — MIT Washington DC Summer Internship Program — 56-180 Friday (7:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.) LSC shows Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides — 26-100 (7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.) MIT Heritage of the Arts of Southasia Concert — 32-123 Saturday (7:30 p.m. – 11:55 p.m.) MIT Ballroom Dance Team October Social — Morss Hall (8:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.) Aardvark Jazz Orchestra with Director Mark S. Harvey — 14W-111 Sunday (3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.) Annual Max Wasserman Forum on Contemporary Art/Present Past: Contemporary Art and the Uses of History — 10-250 Monday (6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.) Sidney-Pacific/MIT Presidential Fellows Lecture with Professor Esther Duflo — NW86 (Sidney-Pacific Graduate Residence) Send your campus events to events@tech.mit.edu.
CLUB CONNECTION Keeping track of the past
If you’re like me, then the closest thing to a model train you’ve played with is a Hot Wheels toy car, complete with a pre-designed shark pirate robot ninja track. I could always tell that a book I read was decades-old when the winsome rascal received a model train under the Christmas tree. But little did I know that this old-fashioned hobby was still alive in the Tech Model Railroad Club (TMRC).
