Labor dispute at Le Méridien
At 5 p.m. yesterday evening a crowd of approximately 200 gathered at the steps of the Cambridge City Hall to demonstrate their support for employees of Le Méridien Hotel, located at 20 Sidney Street in Cambridge. At approximately 5:40, the crowd marched from City Hall to Le Méridien where the protest continued as hotel guests looked on from their tables in the hotel restaurant.
Course 20 launches BE-specific writing lab
Biological Engineering students looking to improve their writing now have a new resource: the BE Writing Lab in 56-205. The center, which opened last month, is geared towards helping Course 20 students with lab reports, UROP proposals, grad school applications, and more.
Mechanical Engineering head steps down effective July 1
The head of MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (Course 2) Mary C. Boyce PhD ’87 will be stepping down in order to become dean of Columbia University’s Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science effective July 1, 2013.
Top Cypriot bankers cited in report
LONDON — Two of the most senior executives at Bank of Cyprus may have deleted crucial email documents last year relating to what proved to be a disastrous decision to invest heavily in Greek government bonds just before Greece’s international bailout in 2010, according to an investigative report commissioned by the central bank of Cyprus.
North Korea moves missile to east coast, but limited threat seen
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s defense chief said Thursday that North Korea had moved to its east coast a missile with a “considerable” range, but that it was not capable of reaching the United States. The disclosure came as the Communist North’s military warned that it was ready to strike U.S. military forces with “cutting-edge smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear strike means.”
White House seeks to change international food aid: buy local
WASHINGTON — An Obama administration plan to change the way the United States distributes its international food aid has touched off an intense lobbying campaign by a coalition of shipping companies, agribusiness and charitable groups who say the change will harm the nation’s economy and hamper efforts to fight global hunger.
Shorts (right)
MOSCOW — The Irish Bank Resolution Co. is working with one of Russia’s largest banks to help find and seize assets in the former Soviet Union that belong to Sean Quinn, a bankrupt Irish billionaire who was once Ireland’s richest man.
A new test for computers: grading essays at college level
Imagine taking a college exam and, instead of handing in a blue book and getting a grade from a professor a few weeks later, clicking the “send” button when you are done and receiving a grade back instantly, your essay scored by a software program.
Shorts (left)
American flags mixed with Revolutionary War banners that warned, “Don’t Tread on Me.’’ Dire predictions of tyranny spurred cries of defiance from 1,000 people on Boston Common.
CORRECTIONS
A story in Tuesday’s issue mistakenly indicated that the faculty meeting focused on the gunman hoax, while it was just one among a number of topics. The same article also neglected to credit notes provided by Jonté D. Craighead ’13.
Health from the inside
It’s a Saturday evening, and you’re hungry. You ate brunch at 10 a.m. and haven’t had a bite to eat since then. It’s been a long, busy week, and between classes during the day and psets at night, you’ve been grabbing a quick burger and fries or plate of pasta most nights for dinner. You need to take a break and recharge — so why not grab some friends and get dinner at Life Alive, a restaurant with a relaxing atmosphere and a revitalizing menu?
Tattooed stunt-riders and corrupt cops
Epic beyond need, melodramatic, and full of obvious references, to the point where it becomes somewhat patronizing, The Place Beyond the Pines is nonetheless full of beautiful scenes (and actors).
Adapt to survive
Typically when I write a video game review, my focus is on answering the question, “Should you buy this, and if so, for how much?” This framework works fairly well for video games, but not as well for books or movies or music or the Mona Lisa. Some things you don’t review so much as you critique. You can judge a work’s creative merit, but trying to translate that merit into dollars and cents is futile.
Sleeping Beauty sparkles
Boston Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty opened the Friday before spring break. The three-hour show is set in a sparkly pink fairytale world, where people dance to communicate, and everyone is merry except the evil fairy Carabosse. The company does an extraordinary job with Marius Petipa’s 120-year old classical ballet. The dancing, costumes, and scenery were superb.
The return of Justin Timberlake
Expectations and comebacks are inseparable companions. When a star as famous as Justin Timberlake takes a temporary break from making music, coming back to the scene is never a piece of cake — the media wants to know the reason behind the hiatus and the fans expect fresh and promising music.
Satisfy your urge to travel
For those of you whose wanderlust is currently constrained by the demands of the academic calendar, Joël Tettamanti: Compass Points is not to be missed. After all, this newest exhibition at the MIT Museum — and the first solo exhibition in the United States for Switzerland-based Tettamanti — is all about travel. Compass Points includes more than 70 works by Tettamanti, shot in locations ranging from the built-up city of Seoul to more isolated communities in Greenland.
MIT cycling hosts race weekend
This past weekend, MIT’s cycling team hosted the X-Pot, a four-race cycling invitational held near Worcester, MA. 34 MIT riders woke up before dawn to conquer the hilly courses and contributed to MIT’s domination of the team omnium, which they won with 380 points.
Women’s lacrosse crushes Framingham State
Emma Kane ’15 amassed five goals and two assists in leading the MIT women’s lacrosse team to a 21-6 victory over Framingham State University on Tuesday afternoon. With the win, the Engineers improved to 4-5 on the year.
