K2C2 almost done
The City’s yearlong, $350,000 analysis of the future of Kendall and Central Squares is drawing to a close, but what does it have to show for it?
W20 to get card readers soon
Going for a late night Verdes run? Better grab your MIT ID. Starting Tuesday, the doors to W20 will require card access every night between the hours of 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.. During those hours, visitors will only be able to enter through two doors: the front entrance near LaVerde’s and the back entrance by the ATMs.
Le Meridien workers continue campaign
Yesterday evening, between 4 - 6 p.m. a picket line with approximately 30 participants including Le Meridien hotel workers, union organizers, and MIT students gathered in front of the hotel located at 20 Sidney Street. Picketers called for hotel guests to support a worker-led boycott by checking out of the hotel. The picket line was planned for last night in order to attract the attention of hotel guests who are participating in the Eastern Division of the Community College Humanities Association conference, which is scheduled to take place at Le Meridien from November 15th-17th.
Financial worries pile on before graduation
Money troubles interfere with the academic performance of about one-third of all college students, and a similar number of students regularly skip buying required academic materials because of the costs, according to a survey released Thursday.
Bold response by Hamas tests Arab alliances
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Instead of the wedding drums that typically provide the evening soundtrack in this forlorn coastal strip, the black, still air was pierced by gunshots Thursday, as citizens fired celebratory rounds after the ruling Hamas faction announced that one of its rockets had hit an Israeli aircraft.
Shorts (left)
WASHINGTON — The Postal Service on Thursday reported a record $15.9 billion net loss for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, bringing the financially troubled agency another step closer to insolvency.
Wal-mart expands foreign bribery investigation
Wal-Mart disclosed Thursday that it has expanded an internal investigation into bribery accusations in Mexico to Brazil, China
Pentagon to review ethical standards
WASHINGTON — Responding to a string of recent scandals that have tarnished the military, the Pentagon’s top two leaders, Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, served notice on Thursday that they would strictly enforce ethical standards for their most senior officers.
Here comes the sun
While dull, grey skies have been the norm for the last couple of days, sunshine is due to return for the weekend. A broad high pressure system will move very slowly across the Northeast United States over the next few days, bringing with it sunshine, calm winds, and moderate temperatures. In fact, almost the entire region east of the Mississippi River will be enjoying clear skies and relatively warm temperatures at least through Monday.
US in talks with Afghans on presence after 2014
WASHINGTON — The United States and Afghanistan began talks Thursday on a security agreement that would authorize a U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan after 2014, when Afghan forces are to assume responsibility for the war.
Shorts (right)
NEW YORK — President Barack Obama got a look on Thursday at the muddy wreckage that Hurricane Sandy left in its wake, flying over ravaged neighborhoods in Queens, consoling devastated homeowners under tents and in the streets on Staten Island, and promising a strong and continuing federal role in the recovery.
BP to admit crimes and pay $4.5 billion in Gulf settlement
BP, the British oil company, said Thursday that it would pay $4.5 billion in fines and other payments to the government and plead guilty to 14 criminal charges in connection with the giant oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago.
America on the edge
As the fervor of elections slowly draws to a close, early signs indicate an imminent storm of controversy — the so-called “fiscal cliff” — coming our way.
CORRECTIONS
An article published November 9 about the three month anniversary of Hubway at MIT incorrectly reported that students and other members of the MIT community were eligible for subsidized memberships. Eligibility extends only to current MIT students and employees.
A left turn off the fiscal cliff
I can think of no easier path to a Republican resurgence than the debt solution plan put forward by that darling of the progressive left, Robert Reich. In an article for the Huffington Post, Mr. Reich outlined the following:
Who’s in charge?
On Nov. 8, two days following the re-election of President Obama, General David Petraeus, director of the CIA, resigned his post over an extramarital affair. The affair would be notable on its own — a CIA director having a covert affair that may have led to a security breach is certainly newsworthy — but when viewed in the context of the ongoing investigation of the 9/11 Benghazi terror attacks it is just another example of the degree to which the administration has lost control.
Are you me, am I you?
As I entered the theater hall of Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art, I saw two dancers standing statuesquely on pedestals, dressed in the strangest ensemble of garments and jewelry. As the audience settled down into their seats, they couldn’t help but glue their eyes to the stage, where the dancers slowly let each item drop onto the floor, one by one. And then, in the complete silence of the theater, they rapidly removed all the colorful clothes to uncloak their unadorned bodies, dressed in grey T-shirts and tights.
Maps of the world, in print
There are several reasons why it is handy, at least for me, to have an atlas. First, as part of my work at MIT I get to interact with people from all over the world, and I like to see on a map the exact place they call home. Second, as part of my role as father of a very curious four-year-old girl, I get to answer many questions about places I visit (“Where is Germany?”), places where her favorite animals live (“Where are the lions?”) and places where we have loved ones (“Where is abuelita’s house?”). Finally, sometimes I just need to know where a place is, either because something is happening there (e.g., South Sudan) or because I heard about it and realized I had no clue where it is.
Old school tactics, new school graphics
One of my earliest memories as a gamer is from the age of 10, playing XCOM: Terror From The Deep (1996). I didn’t own the game — some neighbors did — but when I’d finished my chores (and sometimes when I hadn’t), I’d bike over to their house and hijack their computer for as long as was socially acceptable (and sometimes longer) to fight the alien invasion.
From Bach to the Rolling Stones
When I first looked at the brochure for the Fall Program of Boston Ballet, I was intrigued by the fact that the first piece, Rooster, choreographed by Christopher Bruce, was set entirely to the music of The Rolling Stones in the ’60s.
LA Lakers’ future uncertain with new coach hire
In a move that shocked the entire NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Mike Brown only five games into the regular season, during which the Lakers went 1-4. The speed at which the Lakers’ front office fired Brown is ridiculous. It would be the same as if an NFL team fired their coach before the two-minute warning of the first game! To replace Brown, a defensive-minded coach, the Lakers brought in former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni, who treats defense as an afterthought. Gone is the Princeton offense that Brown attempted to implement this season with help from assistant coach Eddie Jordan, and in comes D’Antoni’s high powered, run and gun offense that allowed Steve Nash to be a two-time MVP.
MIT enters basketball season ranked no. 1 in Division III
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The news arrived a month ago, courtesy of the website D3hoops.com. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, known for its astronauts, physicists, and Nobel laureates, was the No. 1 Division III basketball team in the country.
Sailing in top ten
The nationally-ranked No. 11 MIT Women’s Sailing team closed out the fall season in fine form by capturing sixth place out of 18 squads at the Women’s Atlantic Coast Championship this past weekend. Meanwhile, the No. 10 coed team was fourth in the NEISA Top Eight Regatta. This event filled the void following the cancellation of the Atlantic Coast Championship due to the lingering impact of Hurricane Sandy on host U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.
