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Volume 128, Number 57 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, November 21, 2008 Caught Breaking Into CMS Director Leaves For USC Admission Record Rm., Citing Workload, Lack of Faculty By Omar Abudayyeh most agonizing decisions I’ve ever how he has argued with the Institute Student Faces Charges Staff Reporter had to make,” Jenkins wrote on his for decades to hire more faculty. He Professor Henry Jenkins, co- blog on Tuesday. wrote that it was impossible for him By Robert McQueen left in the room. Duffy is charged director of the Comparative Media “Collectively, we’ve done par- to continue running the growing STAFF Reporter with one count of breaking and en- Studies program, announced on adigm-shifting research and we’ve program without more help. Early on Sunday, Nov. 2, MIT Po- tering, and one count of possession Monday he will be leaving for a helped launch many careers. I love “I’m often asked how I man- lice arrested Shaunalynn M. Duffy of a burglarious instrument. position at the University of South- CMS,” he wrote. age to do everything I do and now ’09 for allegedly breaking into the According to the report, the “bur- ern California. Jenkins has been But Jenkins criticized the Insti- you know the sad answer: I can’t Freshman Admission Records Of- glarious instrument” was a Dunkin’ with MIT for nearly 20 years and tute for not better supporting the — at least not year after year,” Jen- fice (3-001), according to a police Donuts gift card that Duffy said she co-founded CMS. He and his wife CMS program. He said that was kins wrote. “Even Green Lantern report. used to gain access to the office. Cynthia have also served as house- one his reasons for leaving. “MIT needs to recharge his ring now and Duffy told the police that she was Duffy did not say she was hacking. masters of Senior House for the has been balancing this complex again.” looking for her records and for her past 14 years. program on the backs of only two Because the program is strongly laptop, which she had accidentally Arrest, Page 9 “This turned out to be one of the faculty,” he said. entrenched with some 30 research About ten years ago, Jenkins and support staff and is in fact the launched CMS and has taught 30 largest humanities major, it will different courses on topics ranging continue on despite his departure. from film and television to games The CMS has a strong under- and the Internet. On his blog, Jenkins discusses Jenkins, Page 11 In A Pinch, Northeastern Postpones New Housing By Peter Schworm eastern’s push to house more of its BOSTON Globe students on campus. The university Northeastern University has planned to build additional dormi- shelved plans for a 600-student dor- tories as part of an agreement with mitory amid a severe crunch in credit neighbors and city officials in 2004 markets, in the latest sign of the eco- to address concerns about the behav- nomic downturn’s impact on college ior of students in off-campus hous- campuses. ing. A spokesman said Wednesday Despite the credit pinch, North- that the university has indefinitely eastern will be able to complete con- postponed the St. Botolph Street struction of a high-rise dormitory project, originally slated to begin at Tremont and Ruggles streets in next summer. Roxbury by next summer as planned, Eric D. Schmiedl—The Tech “In the current economic climate, Armini said. Students from the Burton 5, Conner 2, and Burton 4 halls in Burton-Conner House set up a “moon- all institutions are reevaluating up- A range of colleges in recent bounce” inflatable structure in Lobby 7 just after midnight on Tuesday morning. coming capital projects,” said Mike weeks have delayed construction Armini, who said the project would projects and announced budget cuts be on hold “while we continue to as- and hiring freezes to offset sub- sess the uncertainty in global finan- stantial losses to their endowments. cial markets.” Many are conducting stem-to-stern UMOC Donations Through Thursday The building had been scheduled Candidate Charity Total to open in 2011 as part of North- Housing, Page 9 13-Year-Old Grapefruit Juice Found UNICEF $23.45 in the Sub-basement of Bldg. 66 “Children don’t have anyone to fight for them, for their basic needs. UNICEF fills that need. I think that’s pretty important.” Rachel A. Bowens-Rubin ’11 National Speleological Society $30.10 Kjell A. Tovander ’09 “Think of the children. Just think! The children! All those poor starving children in Africa. How could you hate those children? How could you When Kjell A. Tovander ’09 was younger, his mother said, he began deprive them of the wonderful experience that is caving? You heartless reading voraciously. So, naturally, when he decided he wanted to learn bastard, look at them, they’re crying.” how to program, he ordered a book about it. He read it in one night. Michael J. Snively ’11 Foundation for a Smoke free America $130.34 Though his mother initially doubted “Some of the most amazing people I know have died from lung cancer, this was true, Tovander convinced her including my grandfather. Smoking simply doesn’t need to exist. It kills when he sat down at the computer the people, period. Anything I can do to get people to stop is worth it.” next day and started to code. He never BMF Microwave Doctors Without Borders $62.34 + $cheeseburger + disk stopped. + yummy asian candy Years later, as a Course VI major at “In addition to being an awesome charity, dedicated to providing MIT, he still hadn’t lost his can-do at- medical assistance in the most desperate situations without regard for titude: “He would wake up one day and political affiliation, conflicts, etc., they are also really good at actually say I want to do this and buy the book getting the money where it’s supposed to go.” and practice six hours a day,” said his Mario the Plumber Save the Children $7.91 friend Christopher B. Palmer ’09. “He “Save the Children doesn’t just alleviate symptoms; it works to make learned python like that.” His dedica- lasting changes in communities around the world, for the betterment tion extended to areas outside of aca- of their children. And today’s children are tomorrow’s future — what’s demics. “He practiced running, tennis, and games the same way,” said more important than that?” Palmer. Little Paul Pine Street Inn $25.48 “I think the money raised should go to the Pine Street Inn, because “The rock” of D-Entry homelessness is a major problem in our country, and the Pine Street “He was kind of the rock,” said Palmer of Tovander’s role in D- Inn does a good job battling it.” Entry in MacGregor. “He was always in the lounge: he lived there and Raziel Melchor ’11 (Write-in candidate) $6.41 sometimes slept there.” Source: Alpha Phi Omega “He was thoughtful and observant and generous,” said Thomas The week-long charity fundraiser “Uncleanliest Manifestation on Campus” ends today. All proceeds Rand-Nash G, the D-Entry graduate resident tutor. “He was always from the contest, sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, will go to the winner’s chosen charity. around and you felt his presence.” While he was always happy to spend time with friends and join in their outings, Tovander also maintained his own unique set of passions and interests. Asked what he liked, many of Tovander’s friends would answer “motorcycles,” without hesitation. After that they would men- Op i n i o n Ar t s World & Nation ������������2 tion video games, his black leather jacket, and pasta. Letters to the Editor Boston Musica Viva Opinion ��������������������������4 They knew what he disliked, too: 8.01 and beef. He hated beef. Page 4 Page 6 Tovander was quiet but intense in his pursuits and intensely loyal. Arts ��������������������������������6 “He had quite an impact on the people around him,” said Rand-Nash. Why Pay for Ani DiFranco Performs Comics / Fun Pages ������7 With his close friends, he displayed a dry, sarcastic humor that his Detroit’s Mistakes? at Symphony Hall friends loved because it was striking and unique. Sports ��������������������������12 Page 5 Page 6 Tovander, Page 9 Page 2 The Tech November 21, 2008 Wo r l d & Na t i o n Congress in Transition as Longtime Investor Fears Spark Members Step Down By Carl Hulse The New York Times WASHINGTON Another Rout for Markets Age and seniority gave way in Congress on Thursday, a transforma- tional shift for an institution where tremendous power has traditionally By Vikas Bajaj weak. The price of Citigroup’s shares bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, been built on sheer longevity, accumulated and savored with the pas- and Jack Healy plunged 26.4 percent on Thursday, was dealt a severe blow when the sage of years. The New York Times and other financial shares fell to fresh Treasury Department announced last The farewell speech of Sen. Ted Stevens, 85, a 40-year member, As a new bout of fear gripped bear-market lows. week that it would not buy troubled came on the same day that House Democrats deposed Rep. John D. the financial markets on Thursday, The broad Standard & Poor’s mortgage assets using the $700 bil- Dingell, 82, a 53-year member, from his chairmanship. It was one of stocks fell sharply again, culminating 500-stock index fell 6.7 percent, lion that Congress approved in Oc- those moments when lawmakers could almost hear an era ending. a monthslong plunge that has wiped leaving that benchmark down about tober. Economic reports showing Not only Stevens and Dingell found themselves treated like old out the gains of the last decade. 52 percent from its peak in October rising unemployment, falling con- bulls put out to pasture. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who turned 91 on Thurs- The credit markets seized up as 2007. The Dow Jones industrial aver- sumer prices and disastrous retail day and has amassed 56 years in Congress, had already voluntarily re- confidence in the nation’s financial age closed at 7,552.29, barely above sales compounded the damage. The linquished the chairmanship of his beloved Appropriations Committee system ebbed and people rushed to its low in October 2002, during the risk that one or all of the Detroit au- before his colleagues could ease him out. put money in Treasuries, the safest depths of the last bear market. The tomakers might go bankrupt added of investments. Some markets are Nasdaq composite index fell 5 per- to the gloom. now back to where they were before cent, to 1,316.12. “The profit drag on corporate Waxman Replaces Dingell as Head Congress approved the $700 billion “This is a response to real fear,” America is widening and deepening, financial rescue in October. said Marc D. Stern, chief investment and this is leading to more layoffs and Of Influential House Panel The Dow Jones industrial average officer at Bessemer Trust, an invest- cutbacks in capital spending, which By John M. Broder fell nearly 445 points, or 5.6 percent. ment firm in New York. “We each is extending and deepening the reces- The New York Times WASHINGTON The broad market sank to its lowest have to look inside and say, is the fear sion,” said Stuart Schweitzer, global Rep. Henry A. Waxman wrested the chairmanship of the powerful level since 1997 — before the dot- warranted?” markets strategist for J.P. Morgan Pri- House Energy and Commerce Committee from Rep. John D. Dingell com boom, the Nasdaq market bust The sell-off gathered force over vate Bank. “We’ve gotten into a full- on Thursday in a coup that is expected to accelerate passage of en- and the ensuing bull market that the last several days and brought an blown, self-feeding downturn.” ergy, climate and health legislation backed by President-elect Barack drove stocks to record heights. abrupt end to what had been a mod- More bad economic news arrived Obama. With Thursday’s rout, $8.3 tril- est improvement in financial mar- on Thursday morning, when the La- Waxman, 69, who mounted a quiet but effective two-week campaign lion in stock-market wealth has been kets. After Federal Reserve began bor Department reported that new against his longtime colleague, won the chairmanship with a 137-122 erased in the last 13 months. making short-term loans directly to claims for unemployment benefits vote in the Democratic caucus. The vote was secret, but many allies of Investors are growing increas- businesses last month, a semblance rose to a seasonally adjusted 542,000 Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed Waxman’s move, and several members ingly worried that big banks like Citi- of normalcy had returned credit mar- last week, the highest level since July said they voted on the assumption that Pelosi tacitly approved. group, JPMorgan Chase and Bank of kets, and the stock market, although 1992. Unemployment is also climb- Democrats also read the signals coming from the president-elect’s America, which have all received bil- volatile, had held above its old lows. ing at a rapid clip in Europe and the transition office, which this week announced the intention to name lions of dollars from the government But investor confidence, which once sizzling economies in Asia and Philip Schiliro, a longtime aide to Waxman, as the new White House to bolster their finances, are still too has been incredibly shaky since the Latin America are starting to sputter. director of congressional relations. The takeover marked the fall of a third long-serving member of Congress in the last two weeks. Sen. Ted Stevens, 85, R-Alaska, first elected in 1968, lost his re-election bid after a federal fraud conviction. Detroit’s Plea for Financial Sen. Robert C. Byrd, 91, D-W.Va., stepped down as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee last week. Aid Fails in Congress Falling Crop Prices Hurting Farmers By David M. Herszenhorn ecutives had hurt rather than helped loans for the automakers that have By David Streitfeld The New York Times their cause. Lawmakers who just already been approved by Congress The New York Times WALTERS, Okla. WASHINGTON days ago were calling loudly for $25 and signed by President Bush by eas- The farmers said it would not last, and they were right. Democratic congressional leaders billion in aid from the Treasury’s ing restrictions on that money. When the price of wheat, corn, soybeans and just about every other on Thursday said that the executives $700 billion bailout instead said that The congressional leaders said the food grown in the ground began leaping skyward two years ago, farm- of America’s foundering automak- they were unconvinced that taxpayer Bond-Levin plan could not win pas- ers were pleased, of course. But generally they refused to believe that ers had failed miserably in persuad- money could save the industry from sage this week. Instead, they said, the the good times would be permanent. They had seen too many booms ing Congress or the public that $25 disaster. House and Senate will hold hearings that were inevitably followed by busts. billion in aid from the government “It’s all about accountability and the week of Dec. 2 to consider plans Now, with the suddenness of a hailstorm flattening a field, hard would be well spent, and they gave viability,” Pelosi said. “Until we can put forward by the industry. times are back on the American farmstead. The price paid for crops is industry leaders 12 days to come see a plan where the auto industry is If the plans pass muster, they dropping much faster than the cost of growing them. back with plans showing otherwise. held accountable and a plan for vi- said that they were prepared to call The government reported this week that the cost of goods and ser- The House speaker, Nancy Pelosi ability on how they go into the future Congress back in session to consider vices nationwide fell by a record amount in October as frantic busi- of California, and the Senator ma- — until we see the plan, until they legislation the following week. The nesses tried to lure customers. While lower prices are good for con- jority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, show us the plan, we cannot show hearings will be run by Barney Frank, sumers in the short run, a prolonged stretch of deflation would wreak said at a joint news conference that them the money.” D-Mass., chairman of the House havoc as companies struggled to stay afloat. any legislative proposal put to a vote Pelosi and Reid called their news Financial Services Committee, and In this lonesome stretch near the Texas border, farmers are getting this week would have failed, and they conference to pre-empt a bipartisan Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., an early taste of a deflationary world. They have finished planting next leveled scathing criticism at the ex- plan offered by senators from the chairman of the banking committee. year’s winter wheat, turning the fields a brilliant emerald green. But ecutives that included pointed barbs states with big stakes in the auto in- “Unfortunately, the sad reality is it cost about $6 a bushel in fuel, seed and fertilizer to put the crop in. for flying to Washington this week on dustry, including Sen. Christopher S. that no one has come up with a plan That is $1 more than they could sell it for today, and never mind other private company jets. Bond, R-Mo., and Sen. Carl Levin, that can pass the House and the Sen- expenses like renting land. The comments indicated that af- D-Mich. Those senators proposed ate and be signed by President Bush,” ter two days of hearings, the auto ex- speeding up access to $25 billion in Reid said. We a t h e r Chilly Weekend to Remain Snow-Free Situation for Noon Eastern Standard Time, Friday, November 21, 2008

By Vince Agard 130°W 125°W 120°W 115°W 110°W 105°W 100°W 95°W 90°W 85°W 80°W 75°W 70°W 65°W 60°W Staff Meteorologist 40°N Although the winter solstice is not until December 21st, the Boston area 988 has been experiencing some rather wintry temperatures as of late. Though temperatures can get much lower in New England winters, the recent spell of near-freezing temperatures has been somewhat alarming in contrast to the mild, 60-degree weather we enjoyed earlier this month. While average highs 35°N for this time of year range around 50°F, the recent cold temperatures appear poised to stay in place over the weekend. Through Sunday, mostly clear conditions can be anticipated, with daytime highs in the low to mid 30s. Likewise, nighttime lows can be expected in the low to mid 20s. While temperatures can be expected to break the 40-degree 30°N mark on Monday, clouds will turn into precipitation as a storm passes through the region sometime Monday or Tuesday. The precipitation associated with 1038 this storm may be rain, snow, or a mix of both, depending on the storm’s tim- ing. While it’s still too early to get excited about a snowstorm, the average date for the first measurable snowfall in Boston is December 5th. 25°N

Extended Forecast Today: Sunny, High 35°F (2°C). Tonight: Clear. Low 22°F (-6°C). Tomorrow: Windy, High 33°F (1°C). Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other Symbols Sunday: Sunny, Highs in the mid 30s°F (2°C). Snow Rain Fog High Pressure Trough Monday: A chance of showers, Highs in the low 40s°F (6°C). - - - Showers Thunderstorm

Q Q Q Q Warm Front Light Low Pressure Haze LLLLL Cold Front Moderate Compiled by MIT Hurricane Q Q Meteorology Staff L L Stationary Front Heavy and The Tech November 21, 2008 Wo r l d & Na t i o n The Tech Page 3

Federal Judge Frees Five Citigroup Tries to Halt Its Plummeting Share Price Guantanamo Detainees By Louise Story and Eric Dash By William Glaberson Algerian man was being lawfully de- which contended that the five men The New York Times The New York Times tained because he was a facilitator for planned to travel to Afghanistan For months, the nation’s largest banks have struggled to regain in- After the first hearing on the gov- the terrorist group al-Qaida, arranging and take up arms against the United vestors’ trust. In the center of the vortex is Citigroup, whose precipi- ernment’s evidence for holding in- travel for others to fight the United States, relied exclusively on informa- tous stock-market selloff accelerated Thursday, sending shock waves mates at the Guantanamo Bay deten- States, and planned to become a fight- tion obtained from the single unnamed through the financial world. tion camp, a federal judge issued the er himself. source. While the shares of financial institutions that have received billions Bush administration a sharp setback The six men are among a group of Leon, who was appointed by Presi- of dollars from the government have entered a sharp downward spiral on Thursday, ruling that five Algerian Guantanamo inmates who won a 5-to- dent Bush, had ruled in 2005 that the recently, the greatest turmoil is setting in around Citigroup, which has men were held unlawfully for nearly 4 Supreme Court ruling in June that men had no habeas corpus rights and lost half its value in just four days. As the shares slumped 26 percent seven years and ordering their release. the detainees had a constitutional right he been expected to be sympathetic to Thursday — even after its largest single investor, Prince Walid bin Ta- The judge, Richard J. Leon of to seek their release in federal court. the government in the current case. lal of Saudi Arabia, raised his stake — the chief executive, Vikram S. U.S. District Court in Washington, The decision said a 2006 law uncon- As he read his decision in a quiet Pandit, abruptly called a senior management meeting to be held Friday said the government’s secret evidence stitutionally stripped the detainees of courtroom, he seemed to bridle at the to consider options for stabilizing the company. in the case had been weak: what he their right to contest their imprison- Supreme Court’s ruling, saying its ef- Investors and analysts are pressuring the bank to consider solutions described as “a classified document ment in habeas corpus lawsuits. fect was “to superimpose the habeas like splitting the company or selling pieces of it. But there is no cer- from an unnamed source” for its cen- A weeklong hearing for the Alge- corpus process into the world of intel- tainty any major change would happen because the company believes tral claim against the men, with little rians, in which all of the evidence was ligence gathering.” it is financially strong and has ample financing options. Moreover, way to measure credibility. heard in proceedings that were closed He said his decision, which in- there are few buyers who would be willing to pay a price that Citigroup “To rest on so thin a reed would be to the public, were the first in which volved men first detained in Bosnia would want for its most valuable assets. inconsistent with this court’s obliga- the Justice Department was required far from the war in Afghanistan, The bank lost market value after posting four consecutive quarters tion,” Leon said. He urged the govern- to present its full justification for should not be read as a reflection on of losses, caused by billions in write-downs. Nine of its investment ment not to appeal and said the men holding specific detainees since the the strength of the cases against other funds have cratered this year. And the bank could face a tsunami of should be released “forthwith.” Supreme Court ruling. detainees. “This is a unique case,” he new losses in its once-lucrative consumer loan business as the global The habeas corpus case was an More than 200 other habeas cor- said. economy weakens. important test of the administration’s pus cases have been filed on behalf of Still, there was a buzz in the gallery detention policies, which critics have Guantanamo detainees. Leon, in a rul- when he announced that the govern- long argued swept up innocent men ing from the bench, said that the infor- ment had not proved its case against Putin Vows to Avoid a Replay of and low-level foot soldiers along with mation gathered on the men had been the five men. In urging the govern- hardened fighters and terror com- sufficient for intelligence purposes but ment not to continue to fight the case, Past Economic Collapses manders. not for the court. he noted that an appeal could take as By Clifford J. Levy The judge also ruled that a sixth He said the government’s case, long as two years. The New York Times MOSCOW Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, mindful that Russians have al- ready been traumatized by two financial crises in the last two decades, tried to assure the country on Thursday that it would be able to weather Hezbollah Looks at Children the current one. In a keynote speech to the governing party congress, Putin an- nounced tax cuts to spur the economy and increased spending on so- And Sees New Adherents cial programs. With the steep fall in the price of oil, the economy has slowed significantly in recent months, and the Russian stock market By Robert F. Worth will work in the party’s bureaucracy. unaffiliated schools and colleges that has plummeted. The New York Times The rest will probably join the fast- presents Hezbollah to a wider audi- “We will do everything in order to prevent a repetition of the col- RIYAQ, Lebanon growing and passionately loyal base ence. The party organizes non-Scout- lapses of past years in our country,” Putin said. “We will do everything On a Bekaa Valley playing field of support that has made Hezbollah related summer camps and field trips, to protect the savings of our citizens in banks, to safeguard the lawful gilded by late-afternoon sun, hundreds the most powerful political, military and during Muslim religious holidays interests of those who invested their own money in the construction of of young men wearing Boy Scout-style and social force in Lebanon. it arranges events to encourage young housing, so that there will not be the shocks of 1991 and 1998.” uniforms and kerchiefs stand rigidly at At a time of religious revival people to express their devotion in He was referring to the end of the Soviet Union in 1991 and to the attention as a military band plays, its across the Islamic world, intense piety public and to perform charity work. financial crisis of 1998, when Russia defaulted on its debt and drasti- marchers bearing aloft the distinctive among the young is nothing unusual. “It’s like a complete system, from cally devalued the ruble, wiping out many people’s life savings. These yellow banner of Hezbollah, the mili- But in Lebanon, Hezbollah — the primary school to university,” said Ta- events have become touchstones for Putin, who has prided himself on tant Shiite movement. name means the party of God — has lal Atrissi, a political analyst at Leba- bringing stability and strong growth to the country. They are adolescents — 17 or 18 marshaled these ambient energies for nese University who has been study- The current crisis, in other words, could be seen as imperiling Pu- years old — but they have the stern a highly political project: educating ing Hezbollah for decades. “The goal tin’s accomplishments. In his speech, he placed blame for the downturn faces of adult men, lightly bearded, a younger generation to continue its is to prepare a generation that has deep on repercussions from what he suggested were irresponsible American some of them with dark spots in the military struggle against Israel. Hez- religious faith and is also close to Hez- policies, but he said Russia’s financial reserves would help shield the center of their foreheads from bowing bollah’s battlefield resilience has made bollah.” country. down in prayer. Each of them wears it a model for other militant groups Much of this activity is fueled by a a tiny picture of Ayatollah Ruhollah across the Middle East, including broader Shiite religious resurgence in Khomeini, the Shiite cleric who led Hamas. And that success is due, in no Lebanon that began after the Iranian Heiress and Obama Fundraiser the Iranian revolution, on his chest. small measure, to the party’s extraor- revolution in 1979. But Hezbollah has “You are our leader!” the boys dinarily comprehensive array of reli- gone further than any other organiza- Dispels Cabinet Rumors chant in unison, as a Hezbollah offi- gion-themed youth and recruitment tion in mobilizing this force, both to By Charlie Savage cial walks to a podium and addresses programs. build its own support base and to im- The New York Times WASHINGTON them with a Quranic invocation. “We There is a network of schools — munize Shiite youth from the tempta- When Barack Obama was looking for an entree into Chicago’s elite are your men!” some of them run by Hezbollah, oth- tions of Lebanon’s diverse and mostly business community, he had the perfect door-opener: Penny S. Pritz- This is the vanguard of Hezbollah’s ers affiliated with or controlled by it — secular society. ker, a billionaire from one of the city’s dynasties. youth movement, the Mahdi Scouts. largely shielded from outsiders. There Hezbollah’s influence on Lebanese Pritzker, 49, went on to become the Obama presidential campaign’s Some of the graduates gathered at this is a nationwide network of clerics youth is difficult to quantify because national finance chairwoman, raising record-breaking sums. And after ceremony will go on to join Hezbol- who provide weekly religious lessons of the party’s extreme secrecy and the he won the election, she was widely reported to be a leading contender lah’s guerrilla army, fighting Israel in to young people on a neighborhood general absence of reliable statistics in for commerce secretary. the hills of southern Lebanon. Others basis. There is a group for students at the country. But the same business holdings and connections that made Pritzker so vital to Obama’s ability to raise campaign money also came under sharp scrutiny. On Thursday, she released a statement declaring that Key Data Held Back in Inquiry, she would not be a candidate for the job. “I think I can best serve our nation in my current capacity: build- ing businesses, creating jobs and working to strengthen our economy,” Pritzker said. “It has been my great privilege to serve in the Obama According to C.I.A. Investigation campaign. I look forward to helping our new president in every way By Mark Mazzetti tions related to the incident. Justice Department had closed its in- possible and am excited about the future under his leadership.” The New York Times But Helgerson’s report, parts of vestigation based on a review of “in- WASHINGTON which were made public Thursday, complete information.” An internal investigation by the said that the Justice Department in- The missionary family that was DVDs, Hollywood’s Profit Central Intelligence Agency has found vestigators and Congress were never aboard the aircraft when it was shot that the agency withheld crucial infor- allowed access to internal CIA re- down came from Hoekstra’s district in Source, Are Sagging mation from federal investigators who views that portrayed the downing as Michigan. By Brooks Barnes spent years trying to determine wheth- one mistake among many in the CIA Paul Gimigliano, an agency The New York Times LOS ANGELES er CIA officers committed crimes re- counternarcotics program in Peru. spokesman, said that Helgerson’s Conventional wisdom holds that Hollywood’s fortunes go up when lated to the accidental downing of a The report said the agency routinely report had been delivered to the Jus- the economy goes down. People still crave entertainment, particularly missionary plane in Peru in 2001. authorized interceptions of suspected tice Department, and that Michael V. of the escapist variety, and movies remain within the budgets of most The August 2008 report by John drug planes “without adequate safe- Hayden, the CIA director, had yet to people. L. Helgerson, the CIA’s inspector guards to protect against the loss of decide what internal actions to take. That may prove true this time around, too — ticket sales have been general, could lead the Justice De- innocent life.” “CIA takes very seriously ques- robust in recent weeks — but studio prosperity stopped depending on partment to reopen its investigation The counternarcotics program tions of responsibility and account- box-office results a long time ago. DVDs propel profits these days, into the shooting, examining in par- was begun under President Clinton ability,” Gimigliano said. “The only and there is a creeping dread in the movie capital that buyer interest is ticular whether senior CIA officers in 1994. The report said the CIA pro- accountability process worthy of this plummeting as the global economic crisis worsens. obstructed justice or lied to Congress gram had operated for years outside agency is one conducted with care, “Every studio is claiming, ‘We’re OK so far, but we’ve looked at by burying details about the incident legal boundaries set by the White candor and common sense. That’s the the overall competitive sales data and we have some concerns,’ ” said and the CIA’s broader counternarcot- House. single goal here.” Amir Malin, a partner at Qualia Capital, a media-focused investment ics program. In releasing unclassified parts of A Justice Department spokesman firm with assets that include several large film libraries. A CIA surveillance aircraft mis- the report on Thursday, Rep. Peter J. declined to comment. So far, total DVD sales are down by about 4 percent for the year, takenly identified the plane as a Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Repub- The fatal incident occurred in April with most of that weakness coming in October, according to data drug-smuggling aircraft, and a Peru- lican on the House Intelligence Com- 2001 over the remote Amazon forest compiled by Warner Brothers, the largest distributor of DVDs. vian military jet shot it down, kill- mittee, said he was asking the Jus- of Peru. The CIA had been operating The independent tracking service Nielsen VideoScan paints ing an American missionary and her tice Department to consider whether in the region as part of a joint coun- a bleaker picture, reporting a 9 percent drop in overall DVD sales 7-month-old daughter. The Justice the CIA’s actions after the incident ternarcotics mission with the Peruvian during the third quarter alone and a 22 percent decline in sales of Department closed its investigation amounted to obstruction of justice. air force, which had the authority to higher-priced new titles, although its data does not include results at into the matter in 2005, declining to “This is about as ugly as it gets,” intercept or shoot down planes that did Wal-Mart. prosecute agency officers for any ac- said Hoekstra, who added that the not comply with orders to land. Page 4 The Tech November 21, 2008 Op i n i o n Letters To The Editor So what does this mean? The bottom line is at two factors when analyzing possible threats: Chairman Distrust Hampers that informing MIT police ahead of time is not capability and intent. By 2025, China will Benjamin P. Gleitzman ’09 a solution for hackers. The presence of three have the capability. Editor in Chief Safe Hacking police cars almost guarantees that any hack Experts passionately disagree on China’s Nick Semenkovich ’09 In the article “DiFava, Pierce Discuss we’d pull on the dome would end in police in- intent. A recent Pentagon report made the ar- Hacking at EC” (The Tech, Volume 128, Issue terfering with the hack and detaining us (you gument that China intends to coerce Taiwan or Business Manager 53), DiFava’s attitude seemed incompatible don’t send three cars to sit back and watch attack it. However, China says that its “peace- Austin Chu G with creating a hacking policy that encourages some kids putz around on a roof), and with ful ascendancy strategy” (heping jueqi) will Managing Editor safety, fairness, and cooperation at MIT. Di- MIT’s recent and continuing trend of pressing make it a good neighbor and global citizen, Jessica Witchley ’10 Fava stated that he believes safety should be charges in Cambridge courts against students not a threat. Executive Editor at the center of any future policy on hacking. caught hacking, there’s a good chance that the Submarines are at the center of the U.S.- Michael McGraw-Herdeg G However, in attempting to distinguish between ensuing legal complications would stay with China tension. These $2+ billion “black holes “real” and “wannabe” hackers, he is in fact us for a good long while. in the ocean” use sophisticated SONAR, an News Staff doing the opposite: the notion that the smart DiFava — don’t hold your breath waiting anechoic outer coating, a streamline hull and a News and Features Director: Angeline Wang ones don’t get caught creates a heightened, not for students’ trust. If we had pulled a hack, top-secret screw design to spy and conduct re- ’09; Editors: Arkajit Dey ’11, Jeff Guo ’11, reduced, sense of challenge and risk. there’s a good chance that by now we’d have connaissance, track and sink ships and deploy Natasha Plotkin ’11; Associate Editors: Ryan Additionally, DiFava is implying that jus- been arrested, booked, held, charged with Special Forces units undetected. Not to men- Ko ’11, Emily Prentice ’11; Staff: Curt Fischer tice is in reality turned on its head: the flashi- B&E, bailed out, and we’d be looking forward tion, the SSBN variant comes equipped with G, Ray C. He G, Ramya Sankar G, John A. est of hackers are lauded as heroes, while those to our arraignment hearings. 24 Trident nuclear missiles. Hawkinson ’98, Daniela Cako ’09, Diana Jue ’09, Ji Qi ’09, Yiwei Zhang ’09, Yi Zhou ’09, Nick who are exploring are treated as criminals. To be fair, there’s a chance we’d be let off Consider this: all of the weapons fired in Bushak ’10, Yuri Hanada ’10, JiHye Kim ’10, If the MIT community is to come to an with a slap on the wrist, but it’s very much out World War II, including the atomic bombs Joyce Kwan ’10, Jenny Liu ’10, Joanne Y. Shih agreement on how to allow the tradition of of our control, MIT has a pretty bad track re- dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, taken ’10, Yan Huang ’11, Elijah Jordan Turner ’11, hacking to continue, DiFava, Pierce, and oth- cord right now on prosecuting students caught together contain less physical power than one Lulu Wang ’11, Omar Abudayyeh ’12, Jessica ers must have a cooperative and respectful hacking, and putting our academic and legal U.S. submarine today. The country with the Lin ’12, Pearle Lipinski ’12, Robert McQueen attitude. Drawing false distinctions between future on a roll of the dice just doesn’t sound greatest underwater capabilities will rule the ’12, Aditi Verma ’12; Meteorologists: Cegeon different types of hackers or making glib state- that appealing. seas with an awesome deterring presence. Chan G, Garrett P. Marino G, Jon Moskaitis G, Roberto Rondanelli G, Scott Stransky G, Brian ments that dealing with a prison riot would be We’re not going to make any inflamma- A high percentage of our MIT Naval ROTC H. Tang G, John K. Williams G, Angela Zalucha preferable only serve to increase tensions be- tory statements or call for change in the MIT Midshipmen swap their caps and gowns for G. tween students and the MIT police; such senti- administration or anything of the sort. We’ve submarine officer uniforms after graduation. ments make it more difficult for students to, as described truthfully our actions, why we did The field they enter is the most intellectually Production Staff DiFava stated, regard the MIT police as posi- them, and what happened as a result. Readers demanding in the military — roughly a dozen Editor: Steve Howland ’11; Staff: K. Nichole Treadway ’10, Alexander W. Dehnert ’12. tive members of the community in the context can draw their own conclusions. officers, aided by 120 enlisted sailors, are re- of hacking. “The Wannabe Hackers” sponsible for a nuclear reactor, multiple weap- Opinion Staff Sarah Ackley ’08 Editor’s Note: The Tech granted these au- ons systems, SONAR, cryptographic equip- Editor: Andrew T. Lukmann G; Staff: Florence thors anonymity given the nature of their let- ment, etc., on a boat that is closer in complexity Gallez G, Gary Shu G, Keith A. Yost G, Josh ter. to a space ship than to a sailing ship. Levinger ’07, Krishna Gupta ’09, Aditya Kohli Trust the Police? ’09, Jennifer Nelson ’09, Daniel Yelin ’10, To gain entrance into this challenging sec- Ethan Solomon ’12. In a news piece from the Nov. 4 issue of tor of the military, Midshipmen must inter- The Tech, Director of Facilities and Security The Other view with the four star Admiral in charge of Sports Staff John DiFava stated that he believes the hack- the nuclear Navy. Admiral Hyman Rickover Editor: Aaron Sampson ’10; Staff: Nydia ing controversy could be resolved if hackers Competition in China famously interviewed and approved or denied Ruleman ’12, David Zhu ’12. were to notify police before attempting hacks While the United States and China vied every prospective officer, and the tradition Arts Staff and risking encounters with police. for podium spots at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing, continues today. Editor: Praveen Rathinavelu ’10; Staff: Bogdan “Ideally, I’d like hackers to have enough Pentagon officials in D.C. pored over their These one-on-one interviews varied from Fedeles G, Andrew Lee ’07, Tyson C. McNulty trust in us to tell us what will happen, where it strategic calculus to keep the Chinese military arcane to combative to humorous, and books ’08, S. Balaji Mani ’10, Tina Ro ’10, Kevin will happen, before it happens,” said DiFava. in check. have been written on the subject of the “Rick- Wang ’10, Maggie Liu ’12. But given the secrecy of the hacking com- Sea-power trends in the Pacific Ocean are over interview” alone. His personality shaped Photography Staff munity and the loss of former Dean of Ad- ominous. Chinese attack submarines will out- the modern submarine force. He had “little tol- Editors: David M. Templeton ’08, Andrea missions and hacker advocate Marilee Jones, number U.S. submarines in the Pacific by five erance for mediocrity, none for stupidity.” “If a Robles ’10, William Yee ’10; Associate DiFava said he does not know how this can to one in 2025 and Chinese nuclear ballistic man is dumb,” said a friend, “Rickover thinks Editors: Allison M. Alwan ’12, Rachel Fong become a reality. missile submarines will soon “prowl Amer- he ought to be dead.” ’12; Staff: Vincent Auyeung G, Alex H. Chan G, Alice Fan G, David Da He G, Perry Hung G, We decided to take DiFava at his word and ica’s Western littoral,” according to the Heri- After passing their interviews and earning Maksim Imakaev G, Dmitry Kashlev G, Arthur see what would happen. We placed an anony- tage Foundation. their commissions, new submarine Ensigns re- Petron G, David Reshef G, Martin Segado G, mous call one night to MIT police from a pay The country is in the midst of “the largest port to Nuclear Power School in Charleston, Noah Spies G, Scott Johnston ’03, Christina phone around 9:30 p.m. and told the respond- military buildup the world has witnessed since South Carolina. Every year, MIT sends of- Kang ’08, Martha Angela Wilcox ’08, Chelsea ing officer, “We read in a recent article of The the end of the Cold War,” said an expert speak- ficers to this program, and this year Gregory Grimm ’09, Ana Malagon ’09, Peter H. Rigano Tech that John DiFava is asking hackers to tell ing to the House Armed Services Committee Luthman and I were selected. ’09, Eric D. Schmiedl ’09, Jerzy Szablowski ’09, MIT police the time and location of a hack be- earlier this year. At Nuclear Power School, students spend Diana Ye ’09, Daniel P. Beauboeuf ’10, Biyeun Buczyk ’10, Arka P. Dhar ’10, Mindy Eng fore it happens. We’re calling to inform you China is driven by the operational objec- 65-95 hours per week studying Mathematics, ’10, Helen Hou ’10, Monica Kahn ’10, Diane that there’s a hack going up on the great dome tive of taking Taiwan and the strategic objec- Nuclear Physics, Thermodynamics, Electrical Rak ’10, Jongu Shin ’10, Dhaval Adjodah ’11, at 1 a.m.” tive of being a modern power. The importance Theory and Chemistry. The course material Monica Gallegos ’11, Michael Y. McCanna ’11, The officer said, “O.K.” and we hung up. of the Olympic Games to the government was is classified, so students are prohibited from Michael Meyer ’11, Kari Williams ’11, Sherry We met up a little before 1 a.m. and sat at eminently observed; the gold medal recogni- doing homework outside of the classroom. Yan ’11, Andrew Shum ’12. Memorial Drive outside Killian Court (in front tion earned by Chinese athletes translated into Graduates of the six month program go on Campus Life Staff of the great dome), in Lobby 13 (on the other global recognition of a new, powerful China. to Nuclear Prototype Units for six additional Editor: Charles Lin G; Staff: J. Graham Ruby side of the great dome), in Lobby 10 (under the Now the Olympic Games are over, but the months of hands-on training at operating nu- G, David Shirokoff G, Jason Chan ’09, Sarah great dome) and on the fourth floor of building competition continues. clear propulsion plants. C. Proehl ’09, Michael Ciuffo ’11, Michael T. 10. We wanted to observe the MIT Police’s re- In 2004, China’s Admiral Zhang Dingfa, a The last stop before reporting to a subma- Lin ’11, Christine Yu ’11; Cartoonists: Daniel action to knowing about a hack ahead of time. career submariner, was promoted to Chief of rine is a three month Basic Submarine Officer Klein-Marcuschamer G, Roberto Perez-Franco We had made the decision that night not to go Staff of the People’s Liberation Army Navy Course in Groton, Connecticut. Here, officers G, Ben Peters ’11. into any locked areas, roofs, or anything of the (PLAN). He has ordered the acquisition of receive comprehensive training on basic sys- Business Staff sort. This was to be a perfectly legal observa- twelve modern Russian KILO submarines. tems, learn how to drive submarines and study Advertising Manager: Mark Thompson ’11; tional exercise. Three Russian shipyards are at work construct- contact tracking. Operations Manager: Michael Kuo ’10; Staff: We didn’t have to wait long. At precisely ing China’s new purchases. After the above training, officers report to Neeharika Bhartiya ’10, Jennifer Chu ’10, 1 a.m., an officer walked through Lobby 10 Admiral Zhang has also increased produc- their first submarine, where they are in charge Heymian Wong ’10, Connie Chan ’12, Sandra Chen ’12, Mengjie Ding ’12, Joseph Maurer and Lobby 13 and went into an unmarked car tion to 2.5 boats per year of the ultra-quiet of a division of sailors. While at sea, officers ’12, Greg Steinbrecher ’12, Eric Trac ’12. parked outside Building 13. Shortly after- Song-class diesel-electric submarine. China is have limited communication with their loved wards, around 1:04, a police cruiser circled in also developing a new Russian-inspired class ones back home. Submarines stay underway Technology Staff the parking lot and alley outside Building 13. of submarine called the Yuan. Meanwhile, the for months at a time. Director: Ricardo Ramirez ’09; Staff: Quentin At 1:13, another police car pulled up from United States plods along by producing one to Every year MIT graduates embark on this Smith ’10. Memorial Drive and parked for several min- two boats per year. demanding career path, seeking to serve their Editors at Large utes with the officer looking at the dome be- Whether this massive increase in military country, protect American interests abroad and Contributing Editors: Rosa Cao G, Brian fore driving off. Finally, at 1:24, an officer strength presages future conflict is the subject challenge themselves intellectually. Hemond G, Valery K. Brobbey ’08, Caroline walked through Lobby 13 again. of a heated debate. U.S. military leaders look Brendan McCord ’08 Huang ’10; Senior Editors: Satwiksai Seshasai G, Shreyes Seshasai G, Jillian A. Berry ’08, Omari Stephens ’08, Sarah Dupuis ’10. property of The Tech, and will not be returned. Letters, columns, and Advisory Board Opinion Policy cartoons may also be posted on The Tech’s Web site and/or printed Paul E. Schindler, Jr. ’74, V. Michael Bove ’83, Editorials are the official opinion of The Tech. They are written by or published in any other format or medium now known or later that Barry S. Surman ’84, Robert E. Malchman the editorial board, which consists of Chairman Benjamin P. Gleitzman, becomes known. The Tech makes no commitment to publish all the ’85, Deborah A. Levinson ’91, Jonathan E. D. Richmond PhD ’91, Karen Kaplan ’93, Saul Editor in Chief Nick Semenkovich, Managing Editor Jessica Witchley, letters received. Blumenthal ’98, Frank Dabek ’00, Daniel Ryan Opinion Editor Andrew T. Lukmann, and Contributing Editor Rosa Cao. Guest columns are opinion articles submitted by members of the Bersak ’02, Eric J. Cholankeril ’02, Jordan Dissents are the opinions of signed members of the editorial MIT or local community and have the author’s name in italics. Col- Rubin ’02, Nathan Collins SM ’03, Keith J. board choosing to publish their disagreement with the editorial. umns without italics are written by Tech staff. Winstein ’03, Akshay R. Patil ’04, Tiffany Letters to the editor, columns, and editorial cartoons are writ- Dohzen ’06, Beckett W. Sterner ’06, Marissa ten by individuals and represent the opinion of the author, not neces- Vogt ’06, Zachary Ozer ’07, B. D. Colen. sarily that of the newspaper. Electronic submissions are encouraged To Reach Us Production Staff for This Issue and should be sent to [email protected]. Hard copy submis- The Tech’s telephone number is (617) 253-1541. E-mail is the eas- Editors: Jessica Witchley ’10, Steve Howland sions should be addressed to The Tech, P.O. Box 397029, Cambridge, iest way to reach any member of our staff. If you are unsure whom ’11; Staff: Mark Thompson ’11. Mass. 02139-7029, or sent by interdepartmental mail to Room W20- to contact, send mail to [email protected], and it will be di-

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November 21, 2008 Op i n i o n The Tech Page 5 Technology and MIT Government How the Institute Can Learn From Obama’s Call for Change work of agencies, not simply by solicit­ ficials.” government decision­ making.” Vinayak Ranade ing opinions, but by tapping into the Dining decisions based on students’ MIT already has IS&T and an incredible vast and distributed expertise of the food preferences would be better than computing environment along with an “Infor- MIT is quite similar to the United States; American citizenry to help government ones based on the community building mation Processing Board” run by students. the economy is suffering, the police are try- make more informed decisions.” ideals of an out of touch administrator, Surely it isn’t too much to ask for a website ing to protect our children without destroying The MIT administration claims to be big and cheaper than hiring a consulting firm. where administrators post records of their culture, financial aid is trying to spread the on soliciting opinions from students, but it “Giving the American public an meetings and get feedback. wealth around, the administration lacks trans- always feels like students’ opinions enter one opportunity to review and comment on “… Obama believes in the Ameri­ parency, and community members want a say ear and exit the other. the White House website for five days can people and in their intelligence, in decisions affecting their everyday life … “… conduct the significant busi­ before signing any non­emergency leg­ expertise, and ability and willingness Along with millions of people around ness of the agency in public, so that islation.” to give and to give back to make gov­ the world, I celebrated Barack Obama’s vic- any citizen can watch a live feed on the Maybe administrative decisions at MIT ernment work better.” tory on election night. “If Obama really has Internet as the agencies debate and de­ could follow this pattern: who wouldn’t like The MIT administration needs to believe the answers to all of America’s problems,” I liberate the issues that affect American to have five days’ time to appeal if someone is in the MIT community. One way for the MIT thought in my Obama frenzy, “surely some society … ensure that these proceed­ about to slap a mandatory meal plan on them administration to show its support would be of them would come in handy at MIT.” I then ings are archived for all Americans to or kick them out of their living space? to consider suggestions made in the student came across Obama’s “comprehensive tech- review, discuss and respond. … employ “Bringing democracy and policy newspaper. nology and innovation plan”: all the technological tools available to deliberations directly to the people by MIT prides itself in being a model com- “OPEN UP GOVERNMENT TO allow citizens not just to observe, but requiring his Cabinet officials to have munity of innovative world leaders. Obama ITS CITIZENS: The Bush Administra­ also to participate and be heard in periodic national online town hall plans to change the nation with the technol- tion has been one of the most secretive, these meetings.” meetings to answer questions and dis­ ogy that was born here. We’re certainly not closed administrations in American Unfortunately, MIT administrators seem cuss issues before their agencies.” going to look like world leaders in technol- history. An Obama presidency will use extremely averse to the idea of recording The GIR town hall meetings are good step ogy if we’re a step behind the rest of the cutting edge technologies to reverse meetings or making them observable. It ap- in this direction. I hope to see more town hall United States. It’s still not too late for the this dynamic, creating a new level pears as though they just don’t do business meetings in the future, both online and in per- MIT government to open up to its citizens of transparency, accountability and that way. son. — using the very technology that MIT is an participation for America’s citizens. “Restoring the basic principle that “Employing technologies, includ­ institute of. Obama will integrate citizens into the government decisions should be based ing blogs, wikis and social networking Obama’s full technology and innovation actual business of government: on the best­ available, scientifically tools, to modernize internal, cross­ plan can be found online at: http://www.ba­ “…open up government decision­ ­valid evidence and not on the ideo­ agency, and public communication rackobama.com/pdf/issues/technology/Fact_ making and involve the public in the logical predispositions of agency of­ and information sharing to improve Sheet_Innovation_and_Technology.pdf Paying for Detroit’s Mistakes Proposed Auto Bailout Plans are Fundamentally Flawed the two companies burned through $110 bil- do anything but delay their inevitable demise? industry, even in the United States. Their medi- Karan Sagar lion in capital with no real strategy. Not only Moreover, the idea that the government cal benefits involve no co-pays or deductibles. does this present an abuse of the money that can reform Detroit by attaching strings to the In fact, the UAW recently even lobbied for the Thirty-five years ago, the first oil shock GM and Ford had, it represents an abuse of lim- money it lends out is not realistic. Innovation rights of workers to smoke at the assembly line; allowed Japanese car manufacturers to effec- ited American capital. can come about in a company through funda- such absurd ideas are unheard of at Toyota or tively enter the US market. Since then, Detroit General Motors, in particular, has abused mental changes in corporate culture and seri- Honda plants. While Detroit should be held ac- has had difficulty coming up with a long term its capital to an even greater extent than docu- ous restructuring, not external mandates to countable for not dealing with the UAW earlier, solution to compete against Japanese automak- mented by Mr. Jensen. Between 1998 and 2007, produce “green” cars. For years, GM and Ford doling out money to the Big Three now will ers. Their current pleas for federal aid would GM invested $310 billion into the company. have lobbied against fuel-efficiency standards not make UAW problems disappear for the US grossly waste taxpayer dollars in a time of eco- With $128 billion of depreciation, this means and hitched their wagons to gas guzzling Sil- auto industry. nomic turmoil. While their cash-strapped situ- that GM managed to squander $182 billion dol- verados and Hummers. Asking them to crank Companies rise and fall all the time in a ations and predictions of total failure certainly lars with no real response to the Japanese auto out fuel-efficient cars would be as effective as free market. Americans will need cars and if were accelerated by the current economic cri- industry. Their market capitalization was $46 asking Philip Morris to come up with a cure for GM, Chrysler, or Ford collapses, a more effi- sis, a look at their history puts the matter into billion at the end of 1998, but has dropped to cancer. Any car that comes out of a coupling cient manufacturer will move in to fill the void. perspective. Detroit has a failed business mod- practically negligible levels after eating up all of Detroit and Washington will likely be un- Already, foreign companies employ 113,000 el — the cost of which it hopes to pin on the of that cash. This sort of money could have, for able to turn a profit and only deepen the hole in workers in the United States to the Big Three’s American people. the sake of perspective, been used to buy up all which auto manufacturers find themselves. In 200,000, and many of the suppliers who rely All of the Big Three auto makers reported the shares of Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Volk- addition, GM has been poorly structured; the on GM could turn to foreign companies for losses of several billion in the third quarter, swagen instead of making unwise investments. company has to deal with developing, manu- business. While GMAC needs to be dealt with with GM the worst off. However, no evidence Indeed, the current proposal to inject $25 facturing, and marketing eight different lines separately, saving Detroit’s car manufacturers suggests that we should expect much better billion immediately into Detroit’s auto industry of vehicle to Toyota’s three. Government man- at this point seems arbitrary and financially un- from these companies. GM lost nearly $2 bil- would do nothing other than keep these compa- dates will change none of this. sound. Should TARP (Troubled Assets Relief lion dollars in 2006 and a whopping $39 bil- nies on life support. As about 5 percent of the Of course, Detroit’s “legacy costs” always Program) money next go to retailers like Cir- lion in 2007. These losses are a result of past free capital that Detroit has had at its disposal come up as an excuse for their inability to com- cuit City and Starbucks? Washington cannot mistakes. In 1993, well-known economist Mi- for the past several years, evidence suggests pete with Japanese auto makers. Undoubtedly, prop up every failed company, and companies chael Jensen reported a list of companies that that US automakers would just burn through until Detroit can hire workers in a competitive should not expect to survive on government had made the worst investments in the 1980s that amount of money and come back for more. labor market, it is certainly true that they will money. Let’s not force American citizens to in his presidential address to the American Fi- Indeed, even with a larger bailout package or- not be able to beat out foreign car companies. tow Detroit’s auto industry along any longer. nance Association. Topping the list were Ford ganized, does throwing cash at these companies UAW union members receive benefits the likes Karan Sagar is a member of the Class of and General Motors. According to the report, with fundamental flaws in their business model of which are unheard of in the manufacturing 2012. Page 6 The Tech November 21, 2008 Ar t s concert review The Past and Future of Music: Boston Musica Viva Performs Contemporary American Composers By Sudeep Agarwala tones hover in crevices smaller than half-steps. favoring rhythmic innovation. A student of of coming to terms with Rainer Maria von Ril- Boston Musica Viva Certainly, they can be painful to listen to when Arnold Schoenberg and Henry Cowell, Cage’s ke’s often daedalian impressionistic poetry, and Cappriccio sregolato, Composed by John two pitches are played a quarter-tone apart works can often appear cerebral and unap- a relief to hear Child’s own admission that his Huggler from each other (Sims explained he utilized proachable. Cage’s work fared well with the interpretation was not reflective of an authori- Credo in US, Composed by John Cage twenty-four tones in his compositional row). BMV ensemble. The piece found the perform- tative understanding of the poems, but merely a Four Landscapes, Composed by Ezra Sims Literally augmenting the traditional tonal ers in a gleeful riff on tin cans, prepared pianos relationship he had developed with the words. Ludus II, Composed by Donald Harris palette is disturbing at first to a listener with and found radio clips, surprisingly prescient of Child’s work was, in his own words, very Rilke Songs, Composed by Peter Child even temperament. But in an era where dis- more modern shows such as STOMP. much in service of Rilke’s poetry. It was im- Conducted by Richard Pittman sonance in this regime has been exacerbated, The second half of Friday night’s concert possible not to hear the culmination of the Tsai Performance Center, Boston University Sims’s technique not only explored the more was a stark contrast to the first — while the English melodic tradition of Vaughan Williams Friday, Nov. 14, 2008 academic elements of structural space but pre- Huggler/Sims/Cage combination juxtaposed and Finzi, with Child’s lush impressionistic sented the listener with a new understanding stark explorations of tonality and rhythm Don- accompaniment as a backdrop. Soprano Eliza- art of the joy of listening to contem- of the glorious and lugubrious possibilities of ald Harris’s Ludus II (1973) and Peter Child’s beth Keusch presented these poems as such: al- porary music is to have the composer musical intervals. Rilke Songs (2008) was much more focused on though somewhat strained in the higher regis- as reference and concordance for the BMV’s performance of Mr. Sim’s microton- melody and musical form. ter, Keusch’s performance often narrated these Pworks. For those trying to discover a al vignettes in the first portion of the concert By his own acquiescence, Harris’s work is poems in a clean, rich tone reflective of Child’s suitable niche for Ezra Sims work on Friday eve- framed the work appropriately among John difficult. Even played with a full sense of com- line and Rilke’s poetry. ning’s Boston Musica Viva Concert, Mr. Sims Cage and John Huggler. Huggler’s Capriccio mitment from the BMV ensemble, Ludus II It’s impossible not to marvel at both the delivered such a discussion on his piece Four sregolato (1985), a twelve-tone piece centered is introverted in its narrative — melodic lines intellectual and musical achievements of the Landscapes (2008). Speaking at Boston Univer- around a three note theme, began the first half are often fragmented and disparate. The piece evening. The evening provided a glimpse into sity’s Tsai Center for the Performing Arts, where of the concert. Huggler’s work, for when it was transform, however, on the rare occasions when how music has been developing over roughly the concert was held, he described Landscapes written, radically explores both tonality and the independent lines coalesce in a discernible the past thirty-five years. Reflecting on this as a microtonal piece utilizing twelve-tone prin- rhythmic space. Although at times a bit too theme, providing moments of culminating the- performance, it’s a marvel that human ability ciples. As crucial as this exegesis was, what was exacting to the page, the ensemble’s Capriccio sis to the otherwise confusing work. and ingenuity could have developed or per- particularly informative were Mr. Sim’s thoughts defined what would be the major themes of the Peter Child’s Rilke Songs couldn’t be more formed anything of this sort. Most descriptive on how these pieces fit within his entire opus. first half of the concert: Huggler’s tonal explo- different. Vocal music, by its very nature, de- of this sentiment was Mr. Harris’s preamble Comparing himself to Chopin, he observed that ration prefaced Mr. Sim’s work, his rhythmic mands a more intimate relationship with the to his piece, reflecting on how difficult and this work was his “so-called Preludes.” exploration, John Cage’s. audience: the nuances of the text demand to impossible this music seemed a mere genera- It’s an apt description for the collection of That is to say, of course: the third work in be transmitted to the audience not only in the tion ago, but that “as with the passage of time, brief works exploring the wild range of pos- the opening portion, John Cage’s Credo in US very act of singing the words, but also reflected things that seemed difficult can come into the sibilities in a microtonal system. Sims’s work (1942), a study in the objet trouvé as instru- in the composition itself. It was interesting to repertoire.” It’s much more thrilling, of course, is fragile and exact; this precision is its beauty: ment, seemed to disregard tonality altogether, hear Mr. Child discuss this very difficult task to see where music will go. concert review Love, Politics, and … Motherhood DiFranco Shows a Fresh, New Face at Symphony Hall

By S. Balaji Mani which was originally recorded as a solo piece, fend to the ends of the earth her perfect right staff writer into a heavy and pulsating rock song. The be- to be.” She also tackles issues of science and Ani DiFranco ginning line to the third verse, “now let’s get technology on “The Atom,” a track which she Supported by Erin McKeown talking reefer madness,” achieved new rel- claims she is most proud of on the new record. Symphony Hall evance: the voters in the crowd rejoiced at the With a hard-working band to revitalize new Nov. 16, 2008 recent decision to decriminalize small amounts and old arrangements, a child to bring perspec- of marijuana in the state of Massachusetts. tive to her worldview, and an admirable touring he Little Folk-singer isn’t so little any- Five songs from DiFranco’s latest release, schedule, DiFranco is still a tour-de-force in more: with more than sixteen studio Red Letter Year, made it into Sunday night’s the music business. Her ability to accomplish albums in her catalogue, ownership of set. As a new mother, new themes appear in such success through her independent label T her independent label Righteous Babe DiFranco’s songwriting. In a stunning per- proves that she will always, at heart, be the Records, and now a mother to a two-year-old formance of “Present/Infant,” DiFranco sings Little Folk-singer — and not the Big Corporate daughter, Ani Difranco has built a career that’s “now here’s this tiny baby … and yes i will de- Folk-puppet. unparalleled by that of any other female solo artist. Her poignant lyrics are both bitingly honest and elegant, a result of her prior study of poetry at The New School. Erin McKeown supported DiFranco last Sunday at Symphony Hall, playing a short set of simple yet clever songs with just one guitar and her voice. She opened with a fast-paced tune in which she questioned “what kind of lover am I?” The acoustics of Symphony Hall instantly brought McKeown’s performance to an in- timate level. She herself commented on the sound of the room, exclaiming that “even [the audience] sounds good!” McKeown continued through a set of both slow and fast songs, at- tributing one song to the theme of claustropho- bia: three verses made reference to the death of her uncle, her discomfort with riding a tour bus full of smokers, and the media’s exploita- tion of Terry Schiavo. A mantra-like chorus of “I can’t breathe,” followed every verse, uniting the three distinct scenarios. Though she stood at just over 5 feet tall, the little performer took outstanding command of the stage and ended with a song that had the audience on their feet pumping fists in the air (at the request of McK- eown, that is). After a short intermission, the crowd vol- untarily rose as DiFranco entered. Without hesitation, she strummed the opening chords of “Little Plastic Castle,” a song that dates back to 1998. After an animated rendition of the live classic “Swim,” DiFranco announced she would play a “really new song” explain- ing that “the new album just isn’t new enough anymore.” She celebrated the recent historic election and the power of democracy in an engaging, upbeat number. Her delivery of the line “President Obama, it’s an honor just to say it,” caused an audience uproar, and DiFranco couldn’t hide her smile. Filling out the stage was long-time DiFran- co collaborator Todd Sickafoose on bass, Al- lison Miller on drums and Mike Dillon taking care of marimba and various other percussion instruments. Dillon’s sustained tones permeat- ed DiFranco’s precision-calculated fingerpick- S. Balaji Mani—The Tech [email protected] ing, adding an exciting element to old songs. Ani DiFranco opens with the old classic “Little Plastic Castle” at Symphony Hall in The band successfully transformed “Evolve,” Boston on Sunday. November 21, 2008

Page 7

Steal My Comic by Michael Ciuffo

The Daily Blunderbuss by Ben Peters

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that each column, row, and 3 by 3 grid contains exactly one of each of the digits 1 through 9. Solution on page 10.                         Solution, tips, and computer program at http://www.sudoku.com Page 8 The Tech November 21, 2008

Dilbert® by Scott Adams

This is a paid advertisement OPTE, OPME (#): HTSII__SNAE_AXPMELL_NI.E Crossword Puzzle Solution, page 10 LSTDEAEA, TUTGSHHO (19): H_FIA_ORTBVEETE_NRRISE_F ACROSS 47 On the __ 13 Besmirch 1 Practice boxing (fleeing) 21 Sound quality ISYKNCET, KLDWAERA (15): DALFE_ENH_A_GELTRC__OSFIUYS_BROO_ORNTEEM 5 Quick and skillful 48 End of quip 22 Businessmen, 9 Holy hymn 52 French soldier of informally ORDR, IVFE (18): OWH_N_AIWA_I_TTIL_LAMO_NH_TI_OS’R?E" 14 Key pie WW I 24 Booboo ingredient 55 Shaving-cream 25 Procure NWEACI, NRMACE (20): LU_OYAYD_EKBAE;M__D_IDN_E_SDIE 15 Rights org. ingredient 26 __ Thursday 16 Roman 56 Great review 27 Margins LHBLBEU, NWRGNIA (13): HADE_TNER__ARENRASSOEW_OEU_YIR_NVAEE_OE_ST courtyards 57 Egyptian weight 28 Weed out 17 Perched upon 58 Dylan Thomas 29 Dangerous IYDSNLA, TSMA_AS (9): Y,GO_MDMD_GY_O_MIST,_ROELVALSRHO_UU 18 Wilson of the poem, “__ Hill” 30 Agitate a liquid ODGED, AHRYR (19): TAON__EE_HAW_PSERIUC_SNDAS_MEOHTNGIT__CORAY,R NHL Hall of 59 Writer Ambler 31 Pungent salad Fame 60 Cherished ones ingredient NEDAU, ECNSI (19): UFYJOC_YLLNIARTHGI_NLLATF 19 Permanent 61 Former Majority 35 Blood fluid prisoner Leader Trent 36 URL starter LRCADHI, NLNEGDA (9): OESSMA__H_YTOYDTML-EIPWR_O_E_NTSOH__AEEW,N 20 Start of a quip 62 Finishes off 37 Without 22 Harden punishment IMLLRE, AZANAR (14): HTNEY_UO_RILEN_NTIW__AOMLUED,D 23 Actress Skye DOWN 39 Ornaments in a 24 End result 1 Close with a vulgar way OXWICL, DACAAN (7): H_FLSEOUOFY_EHR_LFD_,_NA_OBOENURF_OYE,_BNO 28 Part 2 of quip bang 40 “A Death in the 31 Medieval tale 2 Bread with a Family” author NGBGIESR, LH-PITLO (12): LT,TI_LIRSPR_TAUFEON_DOIMG,___EILF__EITTEBKGRIAN 32 Word on diet pocket 42 Rapid Robert of foods 3 God of love baseball LOMONTU, OUANEMT (5): TEHROH_O_VKI_SYDNAL_LH_L_SETEMU-TRM,MI---E 33 Harbor boat 4 Does a second 43 Struggle 34 “Upside Down” watercolor 44 Passionate IYLER, LDINB (20): I_LLTO-W?N-LWE-,O_YL__REUOTMESI_NGHORWEL singer 5 British writer Du 48 Bread spread 35 Part 3 of quip Maurier 49 Deserve ODUPN, LHAPN (20): UITB__EOFNSUH_ODO_LLK__OAEI_MWHH_TT_DOELHGU_NRN_EI 37 Rational 6 Parrot 50 Keen 38 LAX info 7 Custard treat 51 Fictional NWAIEC, YMOOBT (5): _VERENG_A_ASHLRT_ID_TAHA 39 Makes a wager 8 Boy king gumshoes 40 Etching fluids 9 Painter’s mixing 52 Cushion LSAWMILI, _ORCIONB(18): CTLLOANEOTG_HTHUT,L_ELITNI__HSPTOADS__GLR_DNED_OFTGTHO_I 41 Part 4 of quip board 53 Galena or 45 Increase the 10 Sew up bauxite IYNSLAD, IAAANRG (19): EERSHHI_OSMDBYSS_FL_OC.CSUSE tempo 11 Canine comment 54 Wash. neighbor 46 Guitar ridge 12 Whopper 55 __-CIO OEDDG, LMOBO (2): DI_ALHDTGEBHO_TTIH_E_CFRAS--E- NAUED, SWAKL (25): SYE_TFATSIAIE_SL_MAOD_NEE LRMELI, NEVCIE (20): _YWAMEO__EMC_ETVLOHR_IETLP__DOASAECLE._LLW ILMKRE, OUSHSE (9): VERE_YRCHATICT_EIW_HELPLERE_TC OHISPB, NELISA (20): _YHEOTS_LYANIH,_NYIMS_GGEBT__HESOR,W NAYML,SIINF (12): NRTEE_.TYIDA_HI_TNO_GUHOTRET_HIH_TE LYREI, AHDTE (5): SKH_INSEEEFNTA__FGOSAN_IPES__AE_WTE_ETMO

Think you’ve solved it? Use Libraries resources to solve this puzzle. If you’re an MIT student and your answer is correct, you could win a new iPod Nano! Go to libraries.mit.edu/puzzle to get a copy or submit your answer by midnight December 5th, 2008 to be eligible for the drawing.

C ONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER OF P UZZLE #2, AMANDA GIERMANN November 21, 2008 The Tech Page 9 Duffy Was Looking for Tovander Kept a Great Outlook Her Admission Record On Life, Was Always Easygoing Dunkin’ Donuts Card Used to Bypass Lock Tovander, from Page 1 not know it, but he really helped me and doing pushups and sit-ups ev- out a lot in my time at MIT, mainly eryday. Arrest, from Page 1 find her old records, but members of Tovander knew how to inject the by allaying my fears about vari- Tovander steadily built up his the office told her that the paperwork sometimes oppressive and stressful ous classes [in Course VI]. He had physical abilities and began running Officer Katrina L. Thompson had been purged. She also left the MIT grind with a fair dose of humor: a great outlook on things; he never longer races. It was during a half- responded to the burglary alarm she accidently left her laptop in the “He didn’t take anything too seri- seemed fazed by the tough challeng- marathon race on Route 66 that To- at 6 a.m. to find Duffy alone in the room. ously,” said Rand-Nash. “He didn’t es and that outlook kept my worrying vander passed away. locked office with the lights turned Amoroso asked Duffy why she let [the pressure of work] get to him. in check.” Despite Tovander’s ingenuity and off, according to the police report. hadn’t called MIT Admissions to I think he helped other people so it motivation that carried him so far in The report and criminal docket are gain access to the office. Duffy said wouldn’t get to them either.” To Road to MIT life, it wasn’t always clear that he available online at: http://tech.mit. she did not know why. Duffy was re- Thomas J. P. Snider ’09 is one of Tovander grew up in Plano, TX, would end up enrolling at MIT. edu/V128/N57/arrest/ leased from the station at 9:45 that those friends who appreciated To- and later in Claremore, OK, a small When Tovander was in junior Duffy told Thompson, “I was try- morning. vander’s easygoing spirit. Snider met town of 17,000 where going to MIT high, his mother said, she discov- ing to get my old records and look In an e-mail to The Tech, Under- Tovander first while working with was unheard of. In deciding to come, ered that he had been repeatedly for my laptop that I left here,” the re- graduate Association President Noah him on the final project for 6.170 he rejected full rides to state schools sent to detention for not doing his port states. The Admission Records Jessop wrote, “From the evidence (Lab in Software Engineering). and defied the advice of his teachers. homework. When she confronted Office keeps information from the outstanding … it seems pretty clear- Tovander ended211169A01 up buying Snid- “Teacher tried to convince him not him about it, he asked why he had admissions process, including “E-3” ly to not be a hacking case. I don’t er’s motorcycle: “He blew me away to go — they really4.25" tried,” said his to complete assignments for mate- cards (summarizing test scores and know anyone who would classify an by saying that he was looking for a mother. Like he did so often in life, rial he already knew when he would applicant information) and detailed Admissions records office to be a motorcycle. A short week later he he stuck to his guns and headed to rather be writing software. application reader comments. The hacking location.” was the new owner of my ZX-7R,” Cambridge anyway. After the confrontation, he de- records are freely available for stu- Jessop suggested that criminal Snider wrote in an e-mail. “I can’t Even when financial troubles cided to bear down and start doing dents to view, but are destroyed after charges might not have been nec- really describe the sort of bond that cropped up during his junior year, homework. He tutored his friends a year because of a lack of storage essary. “MIT has infrastructure to riders have, but I can say we became Tovander came up with a creative too, and even racked up awards that space. handle these sorts of things inter- fast friends because of it.” way to pay for his education. He de- — in humble spirit — he frequently According to the police report, nally through the Committee on Dis- Snider wrote that later, though cided leave MIT and join the Navy, did not tell his family about. Duffy said she got into the locked cipline,” he wrote. they did not see each other on a so he went home and began training. There was one accolade he could office by using her Dunkin’ Donuts Made up of faculty, undergradu- regular basis, Tovander still had an In this too, Tovander showed in- not hide: that he was named valedic- card and admitted that she was not ate, graduate, and Deans’ offices impact on his life. “He probably did tense dedication. He began running torian of his high school. authorized to be in the office. representatives, the Committee on When Sergeant Gerald P. Doyle Discipline acts to “adjudicate cases and Officer Anthony R. Rosanio ar- of alleged misconduct by a student rived at the scene, Thompson hand- brought to its attention.” The Com- cuffed and arrested Duffy at Doyle’s mittee and MIT Police declined to 34 instruction. Duffy was driven to the comment on the Duffy case, citing small step no. Cambridge Police Department where privacy concerns. she was interviewed by Officer Jo- seph Amoroso. Duffy told Amoroso that she had visited the office the week prior to Harvard FETCH THIS May Delay Expansion PAPER YOURSELF 3.5" Plans Housing, from Page 1 TAKE A SMALL STEP TO GET HEALTHY budget reviews, looking to scale back spending in anticipation of a prolonged downturn. www.smallstep.gov The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced this week that it would delay renovation of an This space donated by The Tech undergraduate dormitory as part of an effort to trim its budget by 10 per- This space donated by The Tech cent to 15 percent in the next two or three years. Harvard University, facing a pro- jected 30 percent decline in the value of its endowment, said last week that MIT Investment it was reevaluating its expansion plans in Allston. Earlier this fall, Boston University instituted a hiring Management Company freeze and a moratorium on all con- manages the Institute’s investment portfolio and struction projects that are not already underway. provides stewardship of MIT’s financial resources. Kelly Brilliant, director of the We are a small organizationNOTE TO PUB: DO with NOT PRINT a collaborative INFO BELOW, FOR ID ONLY. NO ALTERING OF AD COUNCIL PSAs. Fenway Alliance, said the delay in Healthy Lifestyles and Disease Prevention- Newspaper - (4 1/4 x 3 1/2) B&W - HLDYR1-N-12037-N “Fetch this Paper” 85 line screen the Northeastern dorm project, while environment that invests across alldigital asset files at Schawk: classes, (212) 689-8585 Ref#: 211169 understandable, was unfortunate. “It’s too bad,” she said. “They around the world. We are seeking team players with have been making a good effort to an interest in finance, keen quantitative and house more of their students, which the neighborhood certainly sup- communication skills, and a commitment to MIT’s ports.” mission. We treat our staff to outings

and more … Apply Online Discover the www.mitimco.org/InvAnalyst.html benefits of First Round Interviews Beginning January 2009 working for MITIMCo The Tech! MIT Investment Management Company [email protected] Page 10 The Tech November 21, 2008 Cambridge, Mass. Is a Science Lover’s Kind of Town By Ethan Gilsdorf feet of floor space (a 5,000-square- Windows: Holograms for the 21st math and engineering degrees,” Ms. For a glimpse of the science The New York Times foot addition opened just over a year Century” (running Dec. 5 through DeLuca said. crowd off duty, explore their haunts When you run an ice cream par- ago), the museum features inviting- March). The show will feature six The generators came to the muse- in Central Square between Harvard lor down the street from the Massa- ly devised rotating exhibits on new large-scale holograms from inter- um from MIT, where their inventor, and MIT, home to Toscanini’s and chusetts Institute of Technology, you MIT research, as well as permanent national artists, some as tall as five Dr. Robert J. Van de Graaff, taught other lively restaurants, cafes, clubs expect your customers to chat about exhibits. feet, to be displayed in the museum’s physics — one example of the ways and shops, most along Massachu- stem cell research or trade theories One day last month, some visi- ground-floor windows and facing the area’s dozens of universities and setts Avenue. about neutrinos between licks of tors examined prototype parts for outward, visible to nighttime pass- research labs have infused Boston “You walk down the street and burnt caramel. But Gus Rancatore, stackable urban cars, which looked ersby. Two dozen smaller holograms with innovation. Faculty members at hear people yapping about stuff whose Toscanini’s shop in Cam- more like shopping carts than ve- — from a portrait of Keith Haring Harvard and MIT alone have racked that’s technical,” said Eran Egozy, bridge, Mass., is renowned as much hicles, while others walked slowly to images of brains and a coal mol- up 49 Nobel Prizes in the sciences. co-founder of Harmonix Music for its deep-thinking clientele as for backward at the “Eight Einsteins” ecule — are part of the permanent The microwave, the safety razor, the Systems, the video game developer its sundaes, discovered long ago that exhibit. As they moved, “hybrid il- exhibit. instant camera and the video game behind Rock Band and Guitar Hero. catering to the technology-minded lusions” of faces of Einstein mor- While the MIT Museum’s char- were all invented in the Boston area. Mr. Egozy and his business partner, crowd could have unforeseen advan- phed into Freud, Madonna and John acter is tranquil and contempla- All around town, there are places to Alex Rigopulos, who met as stu- tages. Lennon before their eyes. Created tive, the justly renowned Boston trace some of this legacy. dents at the MIT Media Lab in the One day, two MIT students who by Aude Oliva, a cognitive science Museum of Science can seem like One is the Ether Dome at Massa- 90s, are happy to keep their compa- were “working in superconductors,” professor, and her colleagues, the pandemonium, especially on week- chusetts General Hospital, the oper- ny in Cambridge. “It feels like this Mr. Rancatore said, took a good look images are helping researchers learn ends. There are literally hundreds of ating theater where in 1846 a Boston place has a lot of smart people try- at his ice cream machine, visible more about visual cognition and how interactive and informational dis- dentist administered the first fully ing to solve the world’s problems,” through his shop window, and were the brain functions. plays and kiosks on dozens of top- effective anesthetic — ether — in a Mr. Egozy said. “distressed by the poor engineering.” Hanging from the ceiling in one ics: optics, reproduction, comput- famous early demonstration. Across Many of their employees are So they took it back to their lab and corner were MIT-designed submers- ers, live butterflies, remote sensing town, at the Warren Anatomical also musicians who play in bands at transformed its inefficient gear-drive ible vehicles — made to move on and much more. A rare Triceratops Museum on the Longwood Medi- neighborhood clubs like the Middle mechanism into a lean, mean, belt- their own in deep-ocean areas too skeleton recently became the lat- cal campus of the Harvard Medical East and T.T. The Bear’s Place. driven machine. That was 23 years dangerous for divers — including est permanent exhibit. The exhibits School, you can gawk at medical To rub shoulders with robotics ago. “We still use the machine,” Mr. Jason Junior, the one that snooped are arranged helter-skelter in three history in glass cases, some of it engineers and astrophysicists, Mr. Rancatore said. “Another generation around the wreck of the Titanic. confusing wings over three levels. creepy, like skeletons of conjoined Egozy recommended a legendary of MIT engineers just tuned it up Upstairs, permanent exhibits dem- Plunge right in anyway — this stop, twin babies and Civil War-era in- MIT hangout, a Chinese restaurant this summer.” onstrated the institute’s more estab- too, is obligatory — but focus and struments used for amputations. The called Mary Chung. “When you go In metropolitan Boston, includ- lished work in robotics, voice rec- pace yourself. best-known artifact is the skull of in,” he said, “you can just tell it’s ing Cambridge, home of Harvard ognition and DNA research. Prof. You can learn how radiology, Phineas Gage, who, in 1848, blast- packed with nerds.” and MIT, and the technology cor- Harold Edgerton’s groundbreaking wind turbines and biomethane di- ing rock for the railroad, accidental- Miracle of Science is another ridor out on Route 128, the story stroboscopic photography is on dis- gesters work. To please “Star Wars” ly shot a three-and-a-half-foot tamp- geek-centric watering hole. The is amusing, but not particularly play there; you’ll probably recognize fans, a full-scale model Naboo N-1 ing iron straight through his head. chalkboard menu is set up like the surprising. At least since the early his famous bullet-through-the-apple Starfighter, from “The Phantom Amazingly, he survived. Periodic Table of the Elements; be- 1700s, when its cutting-edge physi- shot. Menace,” dangles from the ceiling Harvard’s Collection of His- ware of “Rb,” the radioactively hot cians first offered smallpox inocula- Fiddle with the “Remarkable beside real spaceships from a galaxy torical Scientific Instruments, in its Ronie burger, which is packed with tions, Boston has been a leader in Double Piddler Hydraulic Happen- not so far, far away. Science Center, is a whirlwind tour jalapeños. sciences both theoretical and ap- ing Machine,” which uses a strobe At Galileo’s Drop Stop, test for of tools that have helped scientists A more swanky option is Mid- plied. Today, it’s still a town for sci- light to deconstruct a water stream yourself whether different masses calculate nature’s mysteries, from dlesex, where button-down types are ence lovers, and the mood can be ei- into individual droplets. Or examine fall at the same rate. An exhibit called a geometrical compass designed known to dance to nightly DJ music. ther serious or playful. If you’re the the displays chronicling MIT’s work Mathematica, created by Charles by Galileo to the Mark I, a locally It’s also worth wandering MIT’s fun kind of person whose idea of fun is on radar in World War II and naviga- and Ray Eames, explains concepts invented pioneering computer used house-like Stata Center, designed by probing the structure of DNA or de- tional systems for the Apollo space like celestial mechanics, probability to calculate shell trajectories during Frank Gehry, where students huddle signing a faster toy bobsled, Boston missions. There’s also a video of and the Zeta Function (don’t ask) World War II. over pub food and computers at the is an inspiring place to spend a few the annual mechanical engineering with endearing circa-1961 models At the Harvard Museum of Natu- R&D. days. class’s robot competition. and falling plastic balls. Teaching ral History, galleries of old-school Cambridge even has science- An essential stop on the sci- The museum also owns hun- moments are everywhere: the men’s specimens, like skeletons of three themed theater. The Catalyst Col- ence circuit is the MIT Museum, dreds of 3-D holograms, the largest rooms have signs explaining how the whales and a rare dodo, recall the laborative@MIT theater company on Massachusetts Avenue a block and most extensive collection in the infrared sink technology works. heady era of Darwin. Other displays presents plays at the Central Square or so from MIT’s nuclear reactor. world, said Seth Riskin, curator of a For the biggest “wow” factor are reminders that important discov- Theater. Several performances of Recently expanded to 15,000 square new juried exhibit called “Luminous (aside from the IMAX movies and eries are still being made. One prize “Einstein’s Dreams” are scheduled planetarium shows, at least) visit the item is a model of the world-famous in December. Eating Disorder Treatment Theater of Electricity and its Van de tiktaalik roseae skeleton, the evolu- If you can’t leave town with- Graaff generators and Tesla coils. tionary link between fish and land out techie souvenirs, shop the MIT Treatment of Adults Suffering from “We need people who are particu- animals, discovered two years ago Press Bookstore and MIT Coop for Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa larly full of electric charge,” joked by the Harvard zoologist Dr. Farish sci-tech books and the Boston Mu- Informed clinicians refer their clients to Diana DeLuca, a program coordina- Jenkins and a team. seum of Science gift shop for child- tor who made one volunteer’s hair Before you leave, don’t miss the pleasing robotics kits and stuffed Laurel Hill Inn. LHI provides the most stand on end, much to the delight of exquisite collection known as the animals. Harvard’s Natural History effective treatment and deploys the highest the audience. The show got better: glass flowers. These delicate models Museum sells jewelry and minerals staff-to-client ratio in New England. We a supersize Van de Graaff genera- of 830 plant species, 3,000 in total, along with educational toys. provide extensive programming in a highly tor crackled with one million volts were made by a father and son glass- The MIT Museum’s shop special- structured and supervised non-institutional and created a shockingly beautiful blowing team so Harvard students izes in grown-up gifts and gadgets. therapeutic setting. Evening, day, and residential treatment as well as indoor lightning show. could study botany in the winter One T-shirt has the symbol for the weekly support groups in West Medford and West Somerville. Call “A lot of the presenters here have months. square root of negative 1, below the Linda at 781 396-1116 or visit www.laurelhillinn.com. words “I have an imaginary friend.” Perfect for that budding Einstein on your gift list.

Solution to Crossword from page 8

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LEGAL COUNSEL MIT students, family, employers and start-ups seeking U.S. legal counsel, campus or office consultation. Call: James Dennis Leary, Esq. 321-544-0012 November 21, 2008 The Tech Page 11 Jenkins California State Univ. Will Take System Faces Budget Position Cut, Limits Enrollment By Tamar Lewin He noted that even as Gov. Ar- The New York Times nold Schwarzenegger was propos- Hard hit by budget cuts, the ing more cuts, “applications for fall At USC California State University system 2009 are up almost 20 percent from is planning to cut its enrollment by last year, with a 36 percent increase Jenkins, from Page 1 10,000 students for the 2009-10 ac- in applications from community ademic year, unless state lawmak- college transfer students.” graduate program, but the lack of ers provide more money. “Student demand is increasing support for the Ph.D. program is “We can’t continue to admit while state funding is declining,” what also contributed to Jenkins more and more students without the chancellor added. decision to seek out a different pro- receiving adequate funding,” Chan- At a teleconference with re- gram. cellor Charles B. Reed said Mon- porters, Chancellor Reed said he Jenkins said, “People are now day. had the authority to cut enrollment scrambling to see what will be the It would be the first time in its without approval from the Board next phase. There will probably history that the university system of Trustees. But he is scheduled to be no Ph.D. program in the future turned away students who met ad- present his proposal to the board on though.” The current graduate pro- missions standards, and the an- Wednesday. gram may stop admitting students nouncement was greeted with dis- To cut enrollment, the system in the coming year. appointment and anger. would push up application dead- Believing that the undergraduate “We have put the education sys- lines and raise academic require- program will remain strong, Jenkins tem on a starvation diet, and each ments for freshmen at the most is leaving MIT after this academic and every year it becomes weaker,” popular campuses, he said. year to take part in interdisciplin- said Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, a Current students in good stand- ary research at USC’s School of trustee of the university, who joined ing would be protected, officials Cinema and School of Communi- 150 people on Tuesday in Long said, and qualified students trans- cation. “These two schools have the Beach to protest the state budget ferring from nearby community top Ph.D. programs in the world. It cuts. colleges would have priority. The Chelsea Grimm—The Tech will be exciting to be in the hub of “Students now take five years to brunt of the cuts would fall on Damage following the October 31 steampipe break in Building the entertainment industry,” said graduate,” Mr. Garamendi added. out-of-state students, international 66 can be seen in the Chemical-Biological Engineering teach- Jenkins. “Professors we need we cannot students and freshmen seeking to ing labs. The reported repair cost is in the millions of dollars. In addition to his contributions hire, the men and women we need enroll at a California State campus to the CMS program, Jenkins has to keep our institutions going, keep outside their region. had a strong presence around cam- the heat on, keep the air-condition- Chancellor Reed would not an- pus. He has been housemaster of ing going, keep the toilets flushing, swer questions about possible fee Senior House for 14 years and is cannot be hired. You cannot have increases. known for his annual salute to Dr. the best education system in the Several of Cal State’s most We want you in our sheets. Seuss during IAP. world on the cheap.” popular campuses have for years While his permanent home may In an e-mail message on Tues- cut off at least some applications in change, Jenkins said in his blog post day to employees, Chancellor Reed the fall, but the official deadline has that he will continue to fly back be- explained that the 460,000-student been in the spring, and some col- tween Los Angeles and Cambridge system already served some 10,000 leges accepted applicants right up to assist the program in terms of students for whom the state pro- to the first day of classes. research. vided no money, and that it faced This month, Mr. Schwarzeneg- The CMS program will cel- further cuts to a budget that was ger announced $4.5 billion in cuts ebrate its 10th graduating class this $215 million below its operational to the state budget, to help close an [email protected] year. needs. $11.2 billion budget shortfall. W20-483, 617-253-1541 

1) Take stuff for free 2) Bring stuff to get rid of 3) Leftover items will be donated Friday, Nov 21st PDR 1&2 ( 3rd floor Student Ctr) REUSE quality goods 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Bring cluttering clothes, books, spare parts, REDUCE consumption furniture (photos), or random items in your space and put them to good REuse! (Don’t bring animals, open food, dangerous items…)

REDUCE waste Bringing items is *not* required to take items!

Sustainability@MIT open to all Page 12 The Tech November 21, 2008 Sp o r t s Game of the Week MIT Ballroom Dance Women’s Cross Country Clinches Successful at Brown, Berth in NCAA Championships Harvard Competitions By Greg McKeever As she has done all season, Jac- Middlebury College took home By Kristin Glab Rookies on dance teams in Massa- DAPER Staff queline M. Wentz ’10 (23:27) paced the top spot in the race, outscoring Team Member chusetts and Connecticut added four Both the MIT men’s and wom- MIT, coming in 19th out of a field second place Williams College by Since the first week of September, more dances to their repertoire for the en’s cross country teams compet- of 330 runners. By shaving 20 sec- 25 points (57-82). Amherst College the MIT Ballroom Dance Team’s new- Brown Competition, held November ed at the New England Regional onds off her 2007 time, Wentz is senior Elise Tropiano was the top est recruits have been working hard 9th. MIT rookies dominated the dance Championship on now the highest individual finisher at overall finisher, breaking the tape at to master the steps, floor at Brown: in five of the eight Saturday, November this meet for MIT since Debbie Won 21:49, more than 39 seconds ahead technique, and art- newcomer events, the majority of cou- 15. The women’s squad ’00 placed fifth in 1998. Andrea E. of her closest competitor. istry of eight competi- ples that made the final were from the reached new heights, Bradshaw ’09 crossed the finish line The Engineers will enter unchart- tive ballroom dances: MIT team, and in newcomer Ameri- finishing in third place directly behind Wentz with a time of ed territory when they travel to the the American foxtrot, can waltz, all finalists were from MIT. out of over 50 teams 23:35. Maria J. Monks ’10 was the NCAA Championship next week- waltz, tango, swing, The Brown Competition also held looking to qualify for the national third MIT harrier to place in the top end. MIT has never participated in rumba, and cha cha and the interna- its annual team event, the Christina meet. The result, the highest finish in 30, completing the six-kilometer this meet as a team and has only sent tional waltz and rumba. Thirty-six of Cryan Newcomer Team Match. And program history at the regional meet, course in a time 23:48, good for 29th four individual runners to compete in MITBDT’s rookie dancers made their for the fifth year in a row, MIT rook- clinches a spot for the Engineers overall. the race in the program’s 24-year his- debut at the 16th Annual Harvard ies won this match with an excellent in the NCAA Championship next Jennifer A. Doyle ’09 dramatical- tory. The squad will be familiar with Beginners’ Competition on October display of technique in American- weekend in Hanover, Ind. MIT, cur- ly improved on her 81st place finish the course however, having already 25th. Each of the newcomer events style dances. Brown University’s team rently ranked No. 16 in the nation, in last year’s meet, moving up to 37th taken first place at the NCAA Pre- — international rumba, international took second place and the University easily eclipsed its previous high of with a time of 24:02. Anna M. Holt- Nationals held at Hanover College waltz, American foxtrot, and swing — of Massachusetts Amherst took third seventh place, which was achieved Gosselin ’11 rounded out the scoring last month. had at least 73 registered couples, but this year. at last year’s New England regional. for the Engineers, finishing in 24:36 The NCAA Championship will despite the competition, thirteen of In collegiate ballroom competi- The men finished eighth, failing to to take 56th place. Katherine J. Eve be held next Saturday, November MIT’s rookies made at least one final tions there are typically four dance qualify for the national champion- ’12 did not figure in the scoring for 22 at the L.S. Ayers Athletic Com- in these events, placing in the top six. levels — newcomer, bronze, silver, ship, despite entering the meet as the Engineers but did finish as one plex on the campus of Hanover Col- Especially successful were Eddie Kay and gold — at which competitors are the fifth ranked team in New Eng- of the top 10 rookie runners in the lege. The women’s race will begin at G and Chun Li ’08, who placed first restricted to dancing within a syllabus, land and No. 23 nationally. region with her 64th place standing. 12:00 p.m. in newcomer swing, waltz, and foxtrot plus at least one level for advanced and second in newcomer rumba. competitors to dance outside the syl- DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER MIT’s more experienced dancers labus. Usually three or four rounds also held their own, with 20 out of 29 of dancing are necessary to narrow a DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER bronze- and silver-level competitors typical crowd of forty to sixty com- DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Sc o r e b o a r d making at least one final at the Com- petitors down to six or seven finalists. petition. Overall, 59 out of MIT’s 97 dancers DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Men’s Basketball In addition to the regular events, (61 percent) made at least one final at DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 Harvard Beginners’ held a rookie-vet the Brown Competition. In all smooth, team match again this year. And for standard, and Latin-style events at the MIT (1-1) 69 DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER the third year in a row, one of MIT’s silver and gold levels, at least three DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Gordon College (2-0) 77 rookie-vet teams took first place, best- couples in the final were from MIT. ing teams from other local colleges. Top finishers for MIT were YaaLirng DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER For this event, newcomers were Tu G and Jeff McCollum, who won DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Women’s Basketball paired with experienced competitors gold smooth; Ada Lipkin ’08 and Rob Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008 to dance salsa, swing, foxtrot, hustle, Lakow, who won gold Latin events; DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER or polka on a team of five couples. and Tuan Phan ’02 and Angie Chen, DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER MIT (1-2) 59 Salsa, hustle, and polka are not regu- who won open standard. Mount Ida College (1-2) 45 lar competitive ballroom dances. MITBDT holds monthly social DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Nonetheless, couples at the Harvard dances, which are open to the public. DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Beginners’ team match have been tak- The next social will be held at Walker Women’s Openweight Crew DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER ing these ‘fun’ dances more and more Memorial on Saturday, November 29 Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 seriously each year, preparing elabo- from 8 p.m. to midnight, with a free DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER rate routines including anything from beginner tango lesson at 7:30 p.m. See Foot of the Charles Regatta dips and splits to clapping games and http://ballroom.mit.edu/ for more in- DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER MIT 3rd of 33 slapstick humor. formation. DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Men’s Ice Hockey MIT Debate Takes First DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Northeastern University (7-2-2) 4 At Oxford, Cambridge IVs DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER MIT (2-3-1) 3 By Bill Magnuson from the legalization of recreational DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Team President drugs to auctioning veto power on The MIT Debate Team continued the U.N. Security Council. Preceding DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Women’s Swimming this season’s success over the past two the Cambridge IV, the Oxford Union DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 weekends with strong performances Intervarsity tournament took place at both Cambridge and on November 7-8. American teams in DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER MIT (2-0) 202 Oxford Universities attendance included familiar competi- DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Women’s Swimming (1-1) 96 in England. This is the tion from Yale and Princeton Universi- first year that the MIT ties. DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Debate Team has com- The two teams from MIT at the Wrestling DEF TUV TUV OPER OPERThis space donated by The Tech peted at these two pres- Oxford IV were Goldstein and Mag- Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008 tigious international tournaments. nuson as well as the team of Sharmin DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER The Cleary Gottlieb Cambridge Karim ’10 and Peter McKee ’11. DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Roger Williams University Invitational IV was held November 15-16 by the Goldstein and Magnuson finished as MIT 11th of 12 Cambridge Union Society. Late Satur- the sixth place team. Goldstein also DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER day night, the team of Bill Magnuson placed 10th individual speaker. Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2008 DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER ’09 and Adam Goldstein ’10 emerged Unlike American tournaments, the MIT (0-1) 10 champions by defeating two teams Cambridge and Oxford IV’s are held

DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER We’re here to listen. Rhode Island College (1-0) 42 from Oxford and a third from Trinity in the British Parliamentary format. DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER College Dublin in the finals. In addi- This is the same format which will be tion, Goldstein received the seventh used in the World Universities Debat- DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER individual speaker award, Magnuson ing Championships in Cork, Ireland DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER received the 10th. later this year where Goldstein and Debate motions at Cambridge Magnuson will once again be repre- DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER consisted of an array of topics ranging senting MIT. DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Up c o m i n g Ho m e Ev e n t s SPERM DONORS Up to DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 NEEDED $1100 a month! DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Pistol vs. U.S. Military Academy 6 p.m., duPont Gymnasium DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Healthy MEN in college or with a college degree wanted for our Saturday, Nov. 22, 2008 DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER sperm donor program. Pistol vs. U.S. Military Academy 9 a.m., duPont Gymnasium Minimal time commitment Women’s Basketball vs. Eastern Nazarene College 1 p.m., Rockwell DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Cage DEF TUV TUVNightline OPER 3-8800 OPER Help people fulfill their dreams of starting a family. Swimming vs. Babson and Bowdoin 1 p.m., Zesiger Center Receive free health and genetic screenings. DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER Saturday, Nov. 23, 2008 DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER APPLY ONLINE: Squash vs. Vanderbilt University 11 a.m., duPont Gymnasium DEF TUV TUV OPER OPER www.SPERMBANK.com Squash vs. Tufts University 1 p.m., Zesiger Center