MIT’s The Weather Oldest and Largest Today: Cloudy and mild, 50s°F (12°C) Tonight: Showers after 8 p.m., Newspaper lows in the mid 30s°F (2°C) Tomorrow: Mostly sunny and colder, highs in the mid 30s°F (2°C) http://tech.mit.edu/ Details, Page 2

Volume 129, Number 8 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Friday, February 27, 2009 His Name is ‘Zoz.’ Former GRT New Building Process Stars on Discovery Channel Worries Local Board; By Ramya Sankar Contributing Editor Traffic is Major Issue A team of four engineers pro- totyping a creation — sounds like By Elijah Jordan Turner “The feedback we received from a group project at MIT, right? The Associate News Editor the neighbors,” Owu said, “is similar only difference? These engineers MIT is meeting resistance from to what they’ve stated in their let- are on TV, in a new show “Prototype neighborhood residents as it hopes ters to the Planning Board and City This” which aired on the Discovery to construct a new building at 650 Council.” Channel last October. One of the Main Street, a parking lot diago- The number of parking spots in engineers is a former Senior House nally across from Tech Square. The the facility and the additional road Graduate Resident Tutor, Andrew 400,000-square-foot project will traffic they will encourage is one Brooks PhD ’07. come before the Cambridge Plan- of the A4NC’s primary concerns. Brooks — or Zoz as he was com- ning Board on Tuesday, Mar. 3, The site is currently occupied by a monly know on campus — left MIT amidst concerns from the Area 4 272-space parking lot, but the pro- shortly after Spring 2006 to join the Neighborhood Coalition (A4NC) posed building would have either “Prototype This” team and spent the that it will bring additional vehicu- 650 or 820 spaces if designated for last two and a half years working on lar traffic to the area and integrate lab or office space, respectively; the show. He completed his thesis poorly with the neighborhood. there would be an underground later in 2006 to fulfill requirements The current plans call for the parking facility in both situations. for his PhD in Electrical Engineering building to be commercial, with The A4NC considers the latter num- & Computer Science. space leased to outside parties. ber too high, especially considering The ground floor will contain retail the site’s proximity to bus routes Early Childhood space, while the upper floors will be and the Kendall and Central T stops. As a child, Brooks was more into able to accommodate either labora- Further, even though the coalition chemicals than computers. “There’s tories or offices. does not take issue with the ongoing only two reasons people get into Sarah Gallop, of the Office of construction closer to campus, there chemistry; it’s either drugs or fire, Government and Community Rela- are concerns that the parking in the and for me it was fire,” joked Brooks. tions, indicated that MIT has been plans for 650 Main Street fails to But he did have an early exposure to working with the A4NC since Oc- consider the spaces created by those computers as his parents gave him a tober, meeting with them on at least other projects. second-hand Apple II+ to play with. four occasions to solicit feedback “We would hope MIT would The 1978 Apple II+ was the first and refine the plans for the build- look at parking as a campus-wide computer he programmed. ing. Director of the Center for Real issue rather than a per-building is- After learning all he could about Eric D. Schmiedl—The TEch Estate Michael K. Owu ’86 said the sue,” said A4NC member Sarah pyrotechnics in high school, Brooks Andrew ‘Zoz’ Brooks PhD ’07 stands in front of the weather radar A4NC’s concerns were not a surprise Roszler MCP ’05. Gallop and Owu, went on to double major in chemis- dish atop the roof of MIT’s Building 54 one afternoon this February. due to MIT’s continued interaction try and computer science in college. with community members. 650 Main, Page 11 He found himself spending more project where he created an active creating controllable hardware and and more time in the computer lab vision system with cameras that understanding human interactions instead of the chemistry lab. He built could be controlled by the robot. his first robotic system for a class The project sparked his interest in Zoz, Page 10 Cut Dining Costs Five Percent by Showing Your ID Technology Review and News Office If you’re an MIT student, you don’t have to pay tax on most on-campus food purchases.

Join Forces To Cut Costs, Redundancy Show your MIT student ID and skip the 5 percent meals tax at An- By Sandhya Rawal their separate governances and that mission of the TR is to analyze the na’s Taqueria, Dunkin Donuts, and many other on-campus vendors — MIT is in the process of com- TR is still independent, and remains greater impact of new and emerg- see a full list at http://web.mit.edu/dining/locations/retailoptions.html. bining the assets, functions, and beholden to its Board of Directors. ing technologies. You don’t have to pay cash to get the discount, although one Dunkin’ personnel of the MIT News Office The News Office, which has On Jan. 15, Vice President for Donuts employee told this reporter otherwise earlier this month. Some and Technology Review magazine historically been MIT’s external Institute Affairs Kirk D. Kolen- vendors may automatically give you the discount if you look like a stu- in order to cut spending and run communication arm, publishes brander announced a “reorganiza- dent — Anna’s and Subway employees often do so. Other vendors, like communications more effectively. Tech Talk, issues news releases, and tion of Institute Communications.” Cambridge Grill, will ask whether you’re a student. If vendors don’t Jason Pontin, TR’s editor in assists members of the MIT com- In a letter to the MIT community ask, you may need to remind them that you’re a student whose food is chief and the new Director of Com- munity in dealing with the press. on Feb. 19, President Susan Joan tax-exempt. Although it may technically be required, few vendors will munications for MIT, stressed that Technology Review is a mainstream Hockfield said the changes would actually ask to see your student ID. the combination of assets “was not technology magazine published by bring “substantial savings and more By the way, this won’t work at LaVerde’s: they’re not considered to a merger.” He said that Technology Technology Review, Inc., a 501(c)3 effective ways of bringing MIT’s be operated by MIT. Instead they’re owned by a subsidiary of Boston Review and the News Office retain charity and subsidiary of MIT. The story to the world.” University, and lease their Student Center space from the Institute. At Concerns had been raised that LaVerde’s, MIT students, like everyone else, pay a 5 percent tax on Technology Review’s journalistic prepared food. In Short —Michael McGraw-Herdeg News Office, Page 11 ¶¶Institute Professor John M. Three people were in line already as Deutch ’61 was appointed to a of Wednesday night. federal intelligence panel on spy satellites, though the appointment ¶¶The Campus Police and Cam- was questioned by members of bridge Police will be meeting next Congress. Deutch had served as week to determine a response to the Director of Central Intelligence daylight muggings last Sunday out- from 1995–1996, and afterwards side buildings 32 and E15. was found to have wrongly stored classified informaton on his un- ¶¶Barker Engineering Library’s classified computer systems, a se- bound journal collection is moving rious security breach for which he to N57 during March. The move will ultimately received a presidential accommodate repairs to the 8th floor pardon. of Building 10, which has increas- ingly seen leaks and water damage. ¶¶The Chorallaries’ nth Annual Concert in Bad Taste is Saturday Send news information and tips to night at 11:59:59 p.m. in 26-100. [email protected].

Ar t s World & Nation ������������2 Hoobastank’s new Opinion ��������������������������4 album disappoints Arts ��������������������������������6 Page 6 Comics / Fun Pages ������8 Seth A. Villarreal—The Tech Waltz with Bashir The Goosebeary food truck reopened on Tuesday, after a temporary hiatus due to a fire at the Sports ��������������������������12 building where they use the kitchens to prepare food. The kitchen fire on Jan. 21 did not involve Page 7 Goosebeary but prevented them from running their usual service. Page 2 The Tech February 27, 2009 Wo r l d & Na t i o n Iraq Invokes Death Penalty Bosnia’s Serbs Threaten For 28 Cultists in Attacks By Campbell Robertson The New York Times BAGHDAD To Seek Independence Twenty-eight members of a Shiite messianic cult responsible for brutal attacks on Shiite pilgrims in Iraq were sentenced to death on By Dan Bilefsky Srecko Latal, a Bosnia specialist and misuse of finances involving Thursday, said an official from the federal court in Dhi Qar province. The New York Times at the Balkan Investigative Reporting several key government contracts The condemned were members of the Followers of the Mahdi, itself PRAGUE, Czech Republic Network in Sarajevo, the country’s in the Bosnian Serb Republic. They a part of the Soldiers of Heaven, a fringe cult that believes that sowing Bosnian Serb leaders have threat- capital, warned that the West, distract- included allegations concerning a chaos will pave the way for the coming of the Mahdi, the 12th Imam, ened to pull out of state institutions ed by the global financial crisis, Iraq $146 million government building in who disappeared in the ninth century, and who Shiites believe will re- and are pressing anew for indepen- and Afghanistan, was ignoring trouble Banja Luka. turn as a savior of humanity. dence from Bosnia-Herzegovina, signs in Bosnia, in its own backyard. Gordan Milosevic, a spokesman Nineteen other members of the group were sentenced to life im- threatening to throw the fragile, mul- “The United States and the European for Dodik, said Tuesday by telephone prisonment, and six were acquitted, said the court official, who spoke tiethnic country into political crisis Union must engage, not just for the that the allegations were politically on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak once again. sake of Bosnia but because the world motivated. He said the case breached publicly. Analysts and observers of the re- can’t afford to allow what happened due process because it had been for- The Soldiers of Heaven have fought Iraqi and U.S. security forces in gion said the situation could unravel the last time,” he said. warded without the approval of top a series of clashes. None have been more brutal, or bizarre, than a battle the U.S.-brokered Dayton accords Bosnia’s security is guaranteed by Bosnian Serb officials in the State in January 2007 on the outskirts of the holy Shiite city of Najaf, where of 1995, which ended a savage war 2,000 European Union peacekeep- Investigation and Protection Agency an estimated 1,000 cult members entrenched themselves with plans to that killed more than 100,000 people, ers. But Latal said the force was not and the prosecutor’s office. overthrow the city’s Shiite clerical leadership. most of them Muslims, between 1992 strong enough to contain hostilities, Dodik expressed indignation last and 1995. The pact divided Bosnia- should they erupt. Sketching a worst- weekend, saying he was the victim of Herzegovina into a Muslim-Croat case scenario, he warned that if the a witch hunt aimed at undermining Obama Proposes Sharp Changes Federation and a Serb Republic, pre- Serb Republic declared indepen- him and the Bosnian Serb Republic. sided over by a decentralized politi- dence, neighboring Croatia would re- “Even the little faith I had in the state In $3.5 Trillion Budget cal system that reinforced rather than spond by sending in troops, and Bos- of Bosnia and Herzegovina is now By Jackie Calmes healed ethnic divisions. nian Muslims would take up arms. lost due to this farce with the crimi- The New York Times WASHINGTON The crisis comes at a critical time, Bosnian Serb officials, Western nal charges against me,” he said last President Obama, proclaiming a “once in a generation” opportunity, just a few weeks after the U.N. and diplomats and the police said the cri- week. “They have made this country proposed a 10-year budget on Thursday that reflects his determination European Union envoy to Bosnia, sis began last week when the coun- pointless.” in the face of recession to invest trillions of dollars and his own political Miroslav Lajcak, was appointed for- try’s state police agency sent a report He also vented his ire at a meet- capital in reshaping the nation’s priorities. eign minister of his native Slovakia, to the State Prosecutor’s Office with ing in Mostar, where leaders of Bos- He would overhaul health care, arrest global warming, expand the creating what analysts called a poten- allegations involving the Serb Repub- nia’s three main ethnic groups were federal role in education and shift more costs to the wealthiest taxpayers tially dangerous power vacuum. U.N. lic’s prime minister, Milorad Dodik. discussing how to press forward and corporations. officials stressed Tuesday that Lajcak The case outlined in the State In- with changes to the Constitution. At- In a veiled jibe at the Bush years, Obama said his budget breaks would continue to exercise his pow- vestigation and Protection Agency tendees at the meeting said Dodik “from a troubled past” and attributed the current economic maelstrom ers until a replacement was found. report related to corruption, fraud stormed out after one hour. to “an era of profound irresponsibility that engulfed both private and public institutions from some of our largest companies’ executive suites to the seats of power in Washington, D.C.” Without trimming his ambitious campaign promises, the president Palestinian Rivals Announce projects a fiscal 2010 budget of nearly $3.6 trillion, and a deficit for the current fiscal year of $1.75 trillion — a level not seen in six decades. He claims he would shrink annual deficits mostly through higher revenues Steps to Healing Rift from rich individuals and polluting industries, by reducing war costs and by assuming a rate of economic growth by 2010 that even some By Taghreed El-Khodary to finish their work by the end of ell, is on his second trip to the re- White House economists consider overly rosy. and Isabel Kershner March. gion in a month, part of “ongoing The New York Times Given the bitter divisions be- efforts” to “actively and aggres- CAIRO, Egypt tween Fatah and Hamas, it remained sively” advance the Israeli-Pales- Former C.I.A. Official Is Sentenced Leaders of the rival Palestinian unclear what kind of unity govern- tinian peace process, U.S. officials groups Hamas and Fatah declared ment might emerge, and whether it said. To Prison for Fraud Thursday a “historic day” at the con- would receive international accep- But Israeli politics were also in By David Johnston clusion of a meeting here aimed at tance if it was formed. flux after elections this month, leav- The New York Times WASHINGTON healing a 20-month schism. Still, representatives of the par- ing the future of the peace process A former top-ranking official at the CIA was sentenced Thursday to The long-awaited Cairo talks ties in Cairo said there seemed to be unclear. 37 months in prison for defrauding the government by steering a clan- added another twist to an already political will on both sides to resolve Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s destine contract to a military contractor who was a close friend. complex political situation as Presi- their differences. prime minister-designate and the Kyle D. Foggo was the executive director at the CIA from 2004 to dent Barack Obama’s Middle East The reconciliation talks, held leader of the conservative Likud 2006. In that position, Foggo directed the agency’s administrative op- envoy arrived in Israel for discus- under Egyptian auspices, were the Party, has been holding coalition erations and budget, including some of its outside contracts. sions with Israeli and Palestinian first since Hamas, the Islamic mili- talks with right-wing and religious Prosecutors said Foggo used that job to ensure the award of lucrative officials. tant group, took control of Gaza in parties as the prospect of a more contracts to Brent R. Wilkes, a San Diego businessman and childhood At a joint news conference in June 2007, routing the Palestinian centrist coalition has dimmed. friend, who in return took Foggo on expensive vacations, paid for his the Egyptian capital, Ahmed Qurei Authority forces loyal to President A narrow, hawkish government meals at exclusive restaurants and offered him a job after he retired. of Fatah and Moussa Abu Marzouk Mahmoud Abbas of the mainstream, would be unlikely to subscribe to Foggo pleaded guilty in September to a single count of wire fraud. of Hamas announced the establish- secularist Fatah. Hamas took over the same peacemaking principles as Under an agreement with the government, he could not be sentenced ment of committees to find formu- after a brief but brutal factional war the Obama administration and the to more than 37 months, the exact prison term handed down by Judge las for a Palestinian unity govern- in Gaza in which scores of Palestin- departing Israeli government, which James C. Cacheris of U.S. District Court in Alexandria, VA. ment and new elections, among ians were killed. favor a process based on establish- other things. The committees aim The U.S. envoy, George J. Mitch- ing a Palestinian state. We a t h e r A Cold Winter — Now What? Situation for Noon Eastern Standard Time, Friday, February 27, 2009

By Cegeon J. Chan 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 Sure the calendar doesn’t say winter is over until March 20th. But

meteorologists are impatient; they don’t wait until that date to close the 1024 1001 chapter on winter. Instead, they consider December, January, and Febru- 1039 ary (DJF) the winter months. (Meteorologists are also so impatient that the hundreds of weather stations across the U.S. have been programmed to 1031 1040 35°N report the hourly meteorological conditions seven minutes before the top of the hour.) With February coming to an end tomorrow, was the DJF tem- perature in Boston below average? You don’t need me to tell you that the answer is yes, but not as much as you might think. Surprisingly, December 1032 and February were slightly above-normal, while January was a whopping 30°N four and a half degrees Fahrenheit colder than normal. Thus, as a whole, DJF will turn out to be one degree Fahrenheit below normal. 1009 So this winter was especially cold — now what? I was getting my hair-

cut from Technicuts when Oscar proposed that hot summers follow cold 1010 winters. Is that true? Looking at the past fifty-seven years, thirty-two have 25°N had below-average temperatures during DJF, with slightly more than half (53%) followed by a warm summer. While not statistically robust, Oscar and the fifty-seven years of data suggest a warm summer is to come.

Extended Forecast

Today: Turning mostly cloudy and mild. Highs in the mid 50s˚F (12˚C). 1008 South winds 15 to 25 mph. Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other Symbols Tonight: Passing rain showers after 8 p.m. Lows in the mid 30s˚F (2˚C). Snow Rain Fog High Pressure Trough Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. - - - Showers Thunderstorm

Tomorrow: Mostly sunny and colder. Highs in the mid 30s˚F (2˚C). Q Q Q Q Warm Front Light Low Pressure Haze Sunday: Snow. Potentially up to 5 inches of snow. Highs in the upper LLLLL Cold Front Moderate Compiled by MIT 20’s˚F (-3˚C) Hurricane Q Q Meteorology Staff L L Stationary Front Heavy Monday: Cloudy and cool. Highs in the upper 20s˚F (-3˚C). and The Tech February 27, 2009 Wo r l d & Na t i o n The Tech Page 3

No Application Needed: Senate Ties D.C.’s Voting Rights To Easing Its Gun Law College Tours By Ian Urbina The New York Times WASHINGTON By Jane Margolies a management consultant, who, like in Las Vegas, became so enamored The Senate approved a bill Thursday to provide the nation’s capital The New York Times his wife, graduated from the Univer- of the hallowed academic ambience with a voting representative in the House, but it came with a hitch. On a cold Saturday morning in sity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. after visiting Harvard and the Massa- A controversial amendment was added that would repeal most of the February, Shawn Pelak and David “Whenever we’re near a campus, we chusetts Institute of Technology on his city’s gun-control regulations. Parent were at the Sterling Memo- check it out.” honeymoon to Boston in 1984 that he Approved by a 61-37 vote, the D.C. Voting Rights bill would expand rial Library at Yale University, in New College students, you’ve got com- made touring colleges his hobby. This the House for the first time since 1913, providing a vote for Washing- Haven, Conn., soon after the doors pany. The grassy quads and ivy-cov- past October, he said, he dropped in ton and an additional seat for Utah, which narrowly missed getting one opened. But the couple, from Ann ered buildings that attract prospective on his 500th campus. “I try to eat in after the last census. Arbor, Mich., wasn’t there to hit the applicants also make schools of high- a cafeteria or go to a bookstore or a The measure is likely to end up in the courts, however, even if a books. Pelak and Parent were spend- er education enticing for those with no game,” he explained. “I try to live in similar bill passes the House, as is expected next week. President Ba- ing the weekend in Hartford, 45 min- interest in matriculating. Visitors can the moment.” rack Obama has said he will sign the legislation. utes north, and after downloading a partake of world-class art collections The schools themselves, eager to The gun amendment makes the Senate measure significantly dif- walking tour of the Yale campus from and film screenings, not to mention sweep aside town-gown schisms of the ferent from the bill in the House, which could slow passage. However, the school’s Web site, they had gotten more unusual offerings like the burial past, say they are happy to play host. some members of Congress said the amendment was unlikely to sur- in their car for a firsthand look. sites of Robert E. Lee and his horse, Stanford University — whose vive negotiations between the House and Senate over a final version Pausing in the entrance hall of the Traveller, on the campus of Washing- palmy, sculpture-dotted campus in of the bill. library, which was inspired by Gothic ton and Lee University, in Lexington, Palo Alto, Calif., is considered one of The amendment was a major victory for the pro-gun lobby, which cathedrals, they peered up at the lead- Va. All this, without the pressure of the prettiest in the country — recently has battled against the city’s tough gun laws. ed-glass windows and vaulted ceil- studying for exams, or anteing up tu- redesigned its Web pages, adding a “I believe it will lead to more weapons and more violence on the ing. “We’re always curious about how ition. section addressed to “Tourists and streets of the nation’s capital,” said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., other colleges do things,” said Parent, Steve Lake, a pit boss at a casino First-time Visitors.” who called the amendment reckless and irresponsible. But in the end, the amendment passed 62-36, drawing bipartisan support. Among the Democrats supporting the amendment were Vir- $25 Billion Fund for Electric ginia’s two senators, Mark Warner and Jim Webb. After Record Loss, Royal Bank Cars Is Still Untouched Of Scotland Seeks Protection By Leslie Wayne ask for bailout money to stave off in- said Seward, who also oversaw the By Julia Werdigier The New York Times solvency, some members of Congress Chrysler Loan Guarantee Board The New York Times WASHINGTON are starting to ask why the Energy from 1981-1984. “But at the same After reporting the biggest annual loss in British corporate history The future of the American auto Department money is not yet flow- time we are trying to do this in a re- on Thursday, the Royal Bank of Scotland became the first bank to sign industry is getting off to a slow start. ing. The loans also are intended to sponsible way that reflects prudent up for Britain’s asset protection plan. The Energy Department has help fulfill President Obama’s cam- credit policy and taxpayer protec- The bank, which is already 70 percent owned by the government, $25 billion to make loans to hasten paign promise of putting one million tions.” said it would dump 325 billion pounds ($466 billion) of mainly toxic the arrival of the next generation of electric cars on American roads by Energy Department staff mem- assets into the program, a step that could raise the state’s stake to 95 automotive technology — electric- 2015. bers said they were still reading loan percent. powered cars. But no money has “Politicians are breaking down applications, dozens of which ar- RBS posted a net loss of 24.1 billion pounds for the year, attribut- been allocated so far, even though the door asking why the money isn’t rived on the filing deadline of Dec. able mainly to its purchase of the Dutch bank ABN Amro. The bank the Advanced Technology Vehicles being sent out,” said Michael Carr, 31. On top of that, $2 billion more is had a profit of 7.3 billion pounds a year earlier. The loss was smaller Manufacturing Loan program, estab- counsel to the Senate Energy Com- coming to the department from the than analysts had expected, but it stunned many Britons as a record- lished in 2007, has received applica- mittee, which oversees the Energy $787 billion stimulus package. That setting benchmark of corporate disaster. tions from 75 companies, including Department. money will be used to develop the Alistair Darling, the chancellor of the Exchequer, reaffirmed the start-ups as well as the three Detroit It is a question that Lachlan W. advanced battery technology need- government’s goal of keeping RBS publicly listed on Thursday be- automakers. Seward, director of the program, ed to power electric cars, batteries cause it would be easier to repay taxpayers once the market recov- With General Motors and Chrysler says he hears a lot these days. “We’re more durable, safer and cheaper ered. making repeat visits to Washington to moving with a sense of urgency,” than anything available today. Page 4 The Tech February 27, 2009 Op i n i o n Letters To The Editor

party. For the record, I’m not a girl. I’m a dude, easy. For one the authors could have attended Chairman The Case for the an overweight, underage, very hairy person a local seminar last Tuesday, Feb. 17, where an Austin Chu G with a penis. Yet the world seems filled with Israeli citizen, Shachaf Polakow, gave a presen- Editor in Chief Status Quo frat brothers and dorm groups who love to give tation and explained the situation that he has Nick Bushak ’10 Over the last few weeks there has been an me alcohol. personally witnessed in Israel and Palestine. accelerated amount of debate over student is- My freshman year I stood next to an MIT By the way, I did not see a Tech article cov- Business Manager sues, especially dining. There has been debate cop, at a party, with a red cup, asking him ering this very informative event that featured Mark Thompson ’11 over how MIT should step into the future, about the state senate while drinking from the several additional speakers, including Profes- Managing Editor while remembering our roots, and being realis- red cup. Half a dozen MIT staff and dozens sor Chomsky. Steve Howland ’11 tic about our present. There are administrators, of student risk managers have only created I would like to spend most of my effort in trying to enhance MIT as a fun and competitive an ill-defined system whose best features are debunking the less explicit part of the charge, Executive Editor university, and students, trying to keep MIT … cascading levels of plausible deniability and that Professor Chomsky has somehow failed Michael McGraw-Herdeg G well, like MIT. lots of paperwork. There is no real oomph to the community. Now, this is by far the most News Staff The Tech has done an admirable job showing anything. dangerous statement, in my opinion. One inter- News and Features Director: Arkajit Dey ’11; both sides of this debate, especially recently. That’s why that status quo is so great. Ev- pretation of it is that if one were to express an Editors: John A. Hawkinson ’98, Jeff Guo ’11, First they printed all those articles about the ery day the student body defines for itself how opinion different from that coming from CNN Natasha Plotkin ’11; Associate Editors: Emily Blue Ribbon Dining Committee, and then Akash it will live and learn. The debate lives on, the or FOX, one fails their community. Maybe the Prentice ’11, Elijah Jordan Turner ’11, Pearle Chandawarkar’s column about how administra- boundaries are pushed, and administrators are authors did not intend that, but that is how it Lipinski ’12, Robert McQueen ’12; Staff: tors are awesome. Then lots of angry rebuttals. constantly trying to change things. The con- comes across. Daniela Cako ’09, Ji Qi ’09, Yiwei Zhang ’09, I’m writing this as a counterpoint to both sides, stant debate and discontent educates us in a I am actually surprised, although I should Yuri Hanada ’10, JiHye Kim ’10, Joyce Kwan to advocate that students and administrators do way that the soft moaning of happiness never not be, that there are no angry articles in The ’10, Jenny Liu ’10, Yan Huang ’11, Ryan Ko nothing. Do nothing on dining, hacking, hous- could. The fact that our problems are never Tech stating that 99% of professors have failed ’11, Lulu Wang ’11, Omar Abudayyeh ’12, Jessica Lin ’12, Maggie Lloyd ’12, Zeina Siam ing, judicial committees, the General Institute actually solved helps make MIT students such the MIT community by keeping quiet. Being ’12, Aditi Verma ’12; Meteorologists: Cegeon Requirements … just do nothing. great problem solvers. quiet on the issue is perhaps the worst stance Chan G, Garrett P. Marino G, Jon Moskaitis G, First, doing nothing is popular. In today’s So please, keep on debating, meeting, stall- that MIT students and faculty can adopt. Roberto Rondanelli G, Scott Stransky G, Brian deteriorating economy, corporations around ing, and protesting, all to no effect. Because to Where is the renowned student activism? H. Tang G, John K. Williams G, Angela Zalucha the world are in a race to do less as fast as pos- me, doing nothing is the kind of non-change I Where is the MIT anti-war movement? Where G. sible. Lay-offs, sell-offs, woot-offs — getting can believe in. is the MIT labor movement? Where is the MIT Production Staff rid of crap and responsibility is fashionable Christopher B. Palmer ’09 global justice and equality movement? I do not Staff: K. Nichole Treadway ’10, Alexander W. right now. know. Maybe I am not looking hard enough. Dehnert ’12. Second, now is not a time to make big plans. Then when one person raises the issue, and It’s cold outside. Classes are hard. People can’t Where Is the raises an unconventional (although not an un- Opinion Staff find jobs. The budget is being cut. With all this reasonable) explanation for the problems, we Editor: Andrew T. Lukmann G; Staff: Florence bad news, all this planning seems depressing. Student Activism? have a very lengthy article arguing that that Gallez G, Gary Shu G, Keith A. Yost G, Josh Levinger ’07, Krishna Gupta ’09, Aditya Kohli There is too much happening at the same time I am writing in reply to the column by Yaniv person is failing the community. Quite a re- ’09, Jennifer Nelson ’09, Daniel Yelin ’10, right now at MIT for there to be a good chance Junno Ophir and Gila Fakterman that appeared markable achievement for the community of Ethan Solomon ’12. of us doing things right. in the Jan. 28, 2009, issue of The Tech, titled an institution that calls itself a university. Most importantly, the status quo is foggy “Expecting More from an MIT Professor: How It seems to be healthy to get these debates Sports Staff and undefined. Does MIT have dining halls? Prof. Chomsky’s Talk Failed the Community.” and dialogues in the open. For one, as Profes- Editors: Aaron Sampson ’10, David Zhu ’12; Sort of. Student-run judicial systems? Sort of. Although I happen to agree with Professor sor Chomsky has also argued, debates, argu- Staff: Michael Gerhardt ’12, Nydia Ruleman ’12. Kitchens? Sort of. Does MIT support and trea- Chomsky’s assessment of the situation in Israel ments, and disagreements are a sign that “real” sure student traditions like hacking? Sort of. and Palestine, I will let him defend his state- education is taking place. We need more of Arts Staff I came to MIT three years ago at 17 years ments and produce evidence as requested by the that, not less. Editor: S. Balaji Mani ’10; Staff: Sudeep old. I have never been asked for ID at an MIT authors of the article. I think this will be fairly Alexi I. Goranov PhD ’06 Agarwala G, Bogdan Fedeles G, Andrew Lee ’07, Joanne Y. Shih ’10, Kevin Wang ’10, Maggie Liu ’12, Samuel Markson ’12.

Photography Staff Editors: David M. Templeton ’08, Andrea Robles ’10, William Yee ’10; Associate Editors: Allison M. Alwan ’12, Rachel Fong ’12; Staff: Vincent Auyeung G, Alex H. Chan G, David Da He G, Perry Hung G, Maksim Imakaev G, Arthur Petron G, David Reshef G, Martin Segado G, Noah Spies G, Scott Johnston ’03, Christina Kang ’08, Martha Angela Wilcox ’08, Chelsea Grimm ’09, Peter H. Rigano ’09, Eric D. Schmiedl ’09, Seth A. Villarreal ’09, Diana Ye ’09, Biyeun Buczyk ’10, Arka P. Dhar ’10, Helen Hou ’10, Monica Kahn ’10, Diane Rak ’10, Jongu Shin ’10, Dhaval Adjodah ’11, Monica Gallegos ’11, Vibin Kundukulam ’11, Michael Y. McCanna ’11, Michael Meyer ’11, Kari Williams ’11, Andrew Shum ’12, Meng Heng Touch ’12.

Campus Life Staff Editor: Michael T. Lin ’11; Staff: Roberto Perez-Franco G, Danbee Kim ’09, Sarah C. Proehl ’09, Christine Yu ’11; Cartoonists: Daniel Klein-Marcuschamer G, Jason Chan ’09, Michael Ciuffo ’11, Ben Peters ’11.

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Facsimile: (617) 258-8227. Advertising, subscription, and typesetting rates The Tech reserves the right to edit or condense letters; shorter let- [email protected]. The Tech can be found on the World Wide available. Entire contents © 2009 The Tech. Printed on recycled paper by ters will be given higher priority. Once submitted, all letters become Web at http://www-tech.mit.edu. Saltus Press. February 27, 2009 Op i n i o n The Tech Page 5 Obama Knocked it Out of the Park the right solutions to this crisis. Regardless of fensive. He touted the results of the bipartisan President Obama’s skill as a leader and a David A. Weinberg whether or not one agrees with Obama’s vision “fiscal responsibility summit” he marshaled the strong orator was especially apparent in light for governance, however, it’s difficult to deny day before and promised to send the Congress of the bumbled effort by Louisiana Governor President Obama delivered a brilliant speech that the president has scored a grand success at a budget that cuts the federal deficit in half by Bobby Jindal to deliver the Republican answer Tuesday evening in what was billed as a quasi- mobilizing public opinion to push his agenda the end of his first term in office. to his address. Jindal has been promoted as the State of the Union address. In fact, a whopping through Congress and sideline the Republican He advocated a housing plan that “won’t Republican Party’s answer to Obama — young, eighty-five percent of people interviewed in a opposition. help speculators or that neighbor down the dynamic, ethnic, and technocratic — but his CNN poll said that the speech made them feel The three policy areas that he chose as the street who bought a house he could never af- speech came off as fluff, full of “can do” with- more optimistic about where the U.S. is headed animating principles of the speech — energy, ford” and touted the creation of a new lending out any of the “should do.” in the next few years. health care, and education — are overwhelm- fund to help consumers obtain automobile, col- Further, Jindal’s delivery was dreadful. Take a moment to let that number sink in. ingly popular issues on which the American lege, and small business loans. In addition, he Commentators have since described his tone as This is not the fifty-three percent of the popu- people, left and right, are craving for trans- made clear that he and Vice President Biden “childish,” “sing-songy,” and “weirdly robotic,” lar vote that Obama garnered in the November formative change. Although boosting funding would play an aggressive role in ensuring that and his awkward presentation made him seem election. This is eighty-five percent. Hello, pub- for these issues is fundamentally a very liberal state governments and bank executives spend more like a Palin redux than the next Obama. lic mandate. Goodbye, Washington gridlock. idea, he deftly couched these proposals in prag- their federal stimulus aid responsibly, and he Clearly, Jindal did not perform well, and Sure, public polls can be wrong or mislead- matic language calling for reform, accountabil- confirmed that he would “force the necessary perhaps he is not yet ready for the national ing. And, certainly, high public approval ratings ity, and the elimination of waste. adjustments” when necessary. spotlight. But his troubles mirror the Republi- can be ephemeral — just ask the last president. Selling the financial bailout, on the other Obama masterfully tapped into the discon- cans’ woes more generally; they remain a party However, there is no doubting that Obama’s hand, is a much more challenging issue for any nect between people’s fears for the future and without leadership and without a platform to speech tapped into the American public’s grave politician — including for former President their “can do” image of an America that has rival Obama’s Presidential agenda. concern about the health of our economy and Bush. The vast majority of the public does not never failed to excel in difficult times. If the GOP sends this sing-songy version of the future of our nation, and offered us reas- seem to fully understand how essential the fi- He cited how, “in the wake of war and de- Jindal against the Democrats in 2012 with his suring solutions for how we can meet the chal- nancial sector is to both large and small busi- pression, the GI Bill sent a generation to col- cookie-cutter, Playskool vision of America in lenges ahead. nesses alike. No doubt the image of Wall Street lege and created the largest middle class in his- tow, Barack Obama will simply eat him alive. I happen to believe that the policies he ar- fat cats provides a useful icon for fanning the tory.” He alluded to a government that “didn’t David A. Weinberg is a PhD student in ticulated — overhauling our nation’s energy, flames of public resentment. supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private MIT’s Department of Political Science. He for- health care, and education systems, timely Even on this point, however, President enterprise.” He declared that “we are not quit- merly served as a Middle East advisor to the programs for job creation, progressive tax Obama made a strong case for implementing ters” and that “we cannot consign our nation to Democrats on the House Committee on For- cuts, and restarting the flow of credit — are stimulus while putting his opponents on the de- an open-ended recession.” eign Affairs.

Budget

Transparency

Dining Give a damn?

Don’t just stew in silence...

Be heard! Write opinion for The Tech. [email protected] Page 6 The Tech February 27, 2009 Ar t s CONCERT REVIEW Wanna Dance? Los Campesinos!: The Soundtrack to College Life By Benjamin Shanks “Roadrunner.” Honestly, if they were going to even high-fives exchanged after Aleksandra of dancing, but I wouldn’t be surprised if more Los Campesinos! cover a Boston band, they sounded more fit for pulled out a melodica. than one audience member took up the song’s Paradise Lounge the Dropkick Murphys — and that, my friends, Of course, for a band that attracts the type suggestion and went for a swim in a fountain on Feb. 13, 2009 is no compliment in the circle these guys are of music-obsessed audience Los Campesi- the way home. However, a true crescendo was from. nos! does, it was inevitable that the calls for reached during closer “Sweet Dreams, Sweet touched Neil Campesinos!’s ass. Both Fortunately, we had LC! to atone for the Pavement covers would begin. (LC! covered Cheeks.” Already a standout off their first full- hands, both cheeks. sins of their opening band. They came out Pavement B-side “Frontwards” on their first length Hold on Now, Youngster, the song took Anyone with a pair of eyes knows brimming with energy, playing “Ways To EP and reference the band in other songs.) on even more power in person. Midway through I that Los Campesinos! is the best-looking Make It Through The Wall,” the opening track Gareth discharged them handily by nodding the song, second guitarist Neil stage dove into group in underground music today (plus, you to their newest album, We Are Beautiful, We Are to lead guitarist Tom, who launched into the the front of the crowd while continuing to play. know, their songs are all right, too). The Welsh Doomed. Front man Gareth hopped around the intro hook from “Shady Lane.” Apparently the And yes, I got to hold him up by the ass. As the seven-piece, whose members all prefer the sur- stage with a glockenspiel mallet in one hand guy knows the guitar parts to essentially every song wound down, the entire band came to the name Campesinos!, packed up their extraneous and a drumstick in the other, banging on seem- Pavement song, which is so much cooler than front of the stage, climbed onto the monitors, exclamation point and brought their brand of ingly whatever he could find. By the end of the I can begin to explain. In the extended intro to and chanted the final refrain — with the crowd dancy-indie-twee-pop-whatever to the Paradise song, the crowd was frenzied, and one of the their most popular song, “You! Me! Dancing!,” screaming right back at them. Lounge on Friday, Feb. 13. bars of the ’spiel had flown across the stage. LC! took time to launch into the first verse of At their core, Los Campesinos! is a band Opening honors fell on Titus Andronicus, The set list (which, incidentally, each band yet another Pavement B-side, the classic “Box for the young. Barely out of college, they out of New Jersey. The band took a simple member had scrawled on a pita) was remark- Elder,” (a sly nod to the fact that “Dancing”, write about life with an unrivaled joie de vivre, pop-punk structure, covered it in distortion, ably well-constructed for such a young band. ahem, “adapted” its guitar riff). With these two whether about their favorite bands, getting and called it art. I call it My Bloody Penny- They spread their best known songs through moves, the band earned some of that elusive dumped, or blogging a (final, fatal) LiveJournal wise. In any case, they droned off songs from the show and left them interspersed with their “indie cred” and appeased a significant portion entry. Maybe their music isn’t the most original their 2008 record The Airing of Grievances. In best album tracks. They even rewarded their of their audience, without ever having to actu- or boundary-pushing, but they wear their influ- between bouts of shilling for their merch table, most devout fans with non-album cut “The ally play another band’s song — again, quite an ences well, and they write some killer hooks. they got around to playing two regional-send- International TweeXcore Underground.” The act of cunning for such a young band. And when it comes down to it, Los Campesi- up covers — a Bruce Springsteen song for mood in the audience was one of the best I’ve By the time they got to “Dancing” near the nos! is fun. When you’re a music-nerd college their home state, and a bizarre rendition of the seen at a Boston show, with every lyric shouted end of their set, the crowd was very much in student, what else matters but you, me, and classic Modern Lovers’ Massachusetts anthem and every break beat celebrated. There were the hands of Gareth. Not only was there plenty dancing? Concert Review Antony Delivers, Johnsons Support Outstandingly This Stuff’s Heavy — Whether You’re High-Brow or Not By Benjamin Shanks wonderful in recorded form, and The Crying nothing about dance. But man, this was weird. gained from the hushed and intimate feel. And Antony and the Johnsons Light stands as one of the best albums of 2009 Constantine came out in a ghostly sheet and Antony’s voice soared even more gracefully in Berklee Performance Center thus far. Just make sure you bring tissues for danced a little, then removed the veil to reveal person as he sat perched at his piano. His ren- Feb. 22, 2009 your first listen. that she was painted like a skeleton. After pour- ditions of songs like “For Today I Am a Boy,” 2005’s I Am a Bird Now won the esteemed ing fake blood on herself, she waved her arms “Kiss My Name,” and “Everglade” held emo- touched Antony Hegarty’s ass. Both hands, Mercury Prize, bringing Antony a boatload of for a few minutes, then disappeared from the tional power unlike anything I’ve ever experi- both cheeks. new fans and the fawning adoration of National stage for a minute. She came back with a wig enced in a concert. Okay, so this one didn’t really happen. Public Radio. All of this is great for Antony, and and kitchen knives strapped to her knuckles on For the gravity of his songs, Antony held I But I did get to see him when he came to I hope he’s making boatloads of money, but it a glove. Imagine Edward Scissorhands doing a surprisingly aloof stage presence. Incredibly Berklee with his band, the Johnsons, last Sun- also means he’s moved the Macarena to Edvard composed, he showed great wit and spontaneity. day. onto the theater circuit Grieg’s “In the Hall of After an incredible cover of “Crazy in Love” — Make no mistake about it, the main draw of for his tours. Berklee The arrangements were scaled the Mountain King,” yes, the Beyoncé song — he paused, and then Antony’s music is his voice. Filled with idio- wasn’t a bad choice, and and you’ll have a pretty told the audience, “You can’t top perfection… syncrasy, it can be grating to the uninitiated — no complaints can be back but lost none of their good idea of what was but you can sidle up next to it!” He then had the while I was listening to him over winter break, made about the sound, happening. The NPR stage lights turned while he had us all repeat my 14-year-old sister informed me that Antony but it lacked the inti- power; if anything, they gained crowd seemed to lap it it after him, in a phony English accent, while wouldn’t make it past the tryouts of American macy that would have up, but I have to wonder throwing our arms up for exclamation. After a Idol. Simon Cowell aside, Antony possesses complemented Antony’s from the hushed and intimate if it wasn’t one of those short diatribe about how weird it is that Apple a stunning, sprawling and painfully beautiful music perfectly. Plus, it feel. “I have no goddamned has managed to convince the top 30% of cool vibrato that can convey emotion unlike any was packed with affluent clue what just happened people in this country all to use its product, he other singer I’ve ever heard. No hyperbole: it is middle-aged white peo- so I better say I liked it” finished, “I just think it’s weird that we’re all be- God’s honest truth. ple who came after they heard him on NPR. It type of moments that the “high-cultured” art holden to Apple.” An audience member yelled The voice, however, is only the beginning was a strange setting, to say the least. Or maybe crowd is wont to have. “I’m not!” prompting Antony to look through of Antony’s music. Overly understated but I’m just bitter because the balcony was really Regardless of whatever the hell was going his purse — on stage — for a door prize for the powerful arrangements explore deep — and far away. on there, Antony came out and was stunning. guy. He ended up giving him part of a fruit bas- sometimes upsetting — lyrical topics. His First and foremost, Antony is a creature of The performance opened in near-total dark- ket from off stage, with apples included. breakthrough album I Am a Bird Now explored his adopted New York City. His aesthetic is ness and gradually came to light through the While his wit provided welcome respite, it death, transgenderism, and domestic abuse. closely reminiscent of the Warhol era, and not first three songs. He drew from all three of his was his songs that brought us all to Berklee, and On his latest effort, The Crying Light, he fo- just because of his transgenderism. This was albums, relying most heavily on his newest. I he was sure not to disappoint. He saved his most cuses on the balance between birth, life, and abundantly evident in his choice of opener, was curious how his songs would lend them- popular song, “Hope There’s Someone,” for the death. With both orchestration and voice, Ant- the dancer Johanna Constantine. Now let me selves to a live setting, given only six band encore. A chilling ballad about the fear of death, ony finds a way to drive these topics into the disclaim the following by saying I am a mu- members. The arrangements were scaled back it left the audience hushed and contemplative, a listener and pull out pure emotion. It sounds sic aficionado first and foremost, and I know but lost none of their power; if anything, they perfect ending to a powerful night. CD REVIEW Hoobastank Hasn’t Grown Up For(N)ever Isn’t Bad…It’s Just Not Good By Kevin Wang in tempo, guitar tone, or screaming, and I must out the album, which evoked an earlier, more tas, but the track does possess a genuinely nifty Staff Writer confess that even after several listens I still have sublime time when Hoobastank wrote songs melody and some interesting Middle-Eastern- Hoobastank a difficult time telling the majority of the songs that people actually jumped around to, and not influenced guitar work. The overall effect of For(N)ever on the album apart. Hoobastank exemplify ev- just because they were still hopped up on club these conflicting levels of quality is similar to Produced by Howard Benson erything that one has come to expect from alt- drugs from the ’90s. finding a decomposing raccoon in a slice of Island Records rock: overly processed guitars, scream-y vo- Essentially, Hoobastank are a solid band your birthday cake: sure you could ignore it Released Jan. 27, 2009 cals, and lyrics about being a lonely teenager. with fairly cool musical ideas that write lyrics and enjoy the other parts, but the overall expe- Not to say that For(N)ever does not have like a roomful of fourteen-year-olds on Xa- rience has really been completely ruined. oobastank is a lot like the hula-hoop. its share of good moments. It might not be the nax. The perfect example of this dichotomy is For(N)ever is not a great album, but I might Everybody knows that they still exist share that one might hope for, but it’s enough the painful “Who The Hell Am I,” whose title be lying if I said that I will never listen to it somewhere and that people used to to set it apart from a Britney Spears level ca- alone should provide an idea of the cheesiness again. Despite Hoobastank’s shameless pan- H really like them, but it’s been so long tastrophe. While Hoobastank does essentially encompassed in its four agonizing minutes. Put dering to the “under 16 with serious feelings” since they’ve done anything remotely memora- play the same song eleven times in a row, they simply, the lyrics of this song constitute some demographic, some of the tracks are listenable ble that no one actually knows what’s happened do deserve credit for not making that one song of the worst possible ways to combine English and one or two even manage to be good. I fear to them. Clocking in at a tepid thirty-eight min- so terrible that it makes young children weep words into grammatical sentences. With such our DRM wielding overlords as much as the utes, For(N)ever resembles a married couple’s in agony (I’m looking at you, Limp Bizkit). epically yelled lines as “I won’t apologize for next cowardly law-abiding citizen, so I won’t 25th anniversary night activities: too short to If For(N)ever were a McDonald’s menu item, who I come to be / ’Cause who the hell am I if I condone free music downloads, but For(N)ever be satisfying, but mediocre enough that you’re it would be the chicken club; nobody actually can’t be me,” singer Doug Robb perfectly sums is the sort of album which one ought to buy still glad it’s over quickly. buys it, but it’s unobjectionable enough that up the experience of being a hormonal teen- only when one has far too much money to For(N)ever is Hoobastank’s fourth studio if you got one for free you, wouldn’t turn it ager with a very loud voice. It baffles me that spend. Think about where you put your wallet. album, coming three years after their last (rela- down. bands still feel the need to use rhyme books to Go and find it. If, on the way there, you tripped tively unsuccessful) release, five years after the “You’re The One,” for example, is an un- compose their lyrics. over a surge protector made of solid gold and double-platinum success of “The Reason,” and deniably good rock ballad, and “Tears Of Yes- The worst part of the song, however, is that fell into a flaming tub of $100 bills that you’ve eight after their 2001 debut, which spawned a terday” blends genuinely creative guitar work when considered in a purely musical sense, been burning instead of paying for heat, then number of top 40 hits. On this latest endeavor, with clever tonalities to craft a delightfully “Who The Hell Am I” isn’t actually that bad. this album is for you. Otherwise, I recommend Hoobastank again blast out generic alt-rock ethereal song. I was also very impressed with Granted, it’s not the next “Stairway to Heaven,” buying “You’re the One” or “Tears of Yester- numbers from start to finish with nary a break guitarist Dan Estrin’s funk-like riffs through- and it’s fairly far from one of Beethoven’s sona- day” on iTunes and getting on with your life. February 27, 2009 Ar t s The Tech Page 7 CD REVIEW ‘Artificial Fire’ Is Raw and Honest Art Eleni Mandell Challenges Punk, Minimalism, and Country — and Wins By S. Balaji Mani ters, but also a fair share of lighter, atmo- Arts Editor spheric ballads. “I Love Planet Earth” fea- Eleni Mandell tures a disjoint drum beat interspersed with Artificial Fire a solitary guitar riff that echoes throughout Produced by Eleni Mandell, Ryan Feves, the sonic space — listen on headphones to Jeremy Drake, Kevin Fitzgerald, and Dave get the full effect. The song even opens with Trumfio “space fog,” ethereal noises provided by Zedtone Records Drake. Mandell approaches minimalism on Released Feb. 17, 2009 “Two Faces,” whose false starts and bell-like motifs bring the mood down towards the end wo years after the success of her 2007 of the album. Zedtone release Miracle of Five, Eleni The clear standout tracks are “Front Door” Mandell is back with her latest work, and “Needle and Thread.” The former success- T Artificial Fire. If you take a quick lis- fully utilizes a ring modulator, a guitar effect ten to Miracle, you might not imagine that pedal that creates a unique gong sound. The the same artist is the mastermind behind both hypnotic tone chimes throughout the song, albums. However, that’s where Mandell’s lending an amazing structural element to the strength as a songwriter and band member verses. Mandell shifts between her signature comes through. spoken voice and her elegant folk singing. While Miracle focused on slower, acoustic- “Needle and Thread” includes the most in- driven ballads (“Wings In His Eyes,” “Moon- Courtesy of Zedtone Records teresting chordal harmonies, and a Nels Cline- glow, Lamp Low,” “Salt Truck”), Mandell Eleni Mandell (third from left) recently released a new album, Artificial Fire. She is pic- influenced guitar solo, adding just enough brought out the electric guitars for Artificial tured here with (left to right) bassist Ryan Feves, guitarist Jeremy Drake, and drummer “weird” to the song. (Cline and guitarist Drake Fire. The title track opens the album, introduc- Kevin Fitzgerald. are in fact colleagues, and it was Cline who ing a piercingly dirty and dissonant guitar riff (drums) fill the songs out, and they collabo- The track sounds like a Sleater-Kinney or L7 recommended that Mandell recruit Drake for that calls and responds to itself over a steady rated with Mandell throughout the recording cover, dripping with girl-power, an anthem her band.) drum beat. Mandell’s voice is clean through process. promoting freedom from too much thinking: Fans of Mandell’s much earlier works may the mix, and the guitar riff returns in between While Mandell provided guitar work, it’s “I just want to forget / there are riches to be shy away from Artificial Fire, but Mandell has plainly sung lyrics. While Mandell’s conversa- her voice that stands above on this album. She found in ignorance.” contributed some of her strongest songwriting tional and casual singing style mimics that of remarks that for this record, she was trying to On the country-infused “Bigger Burn,” on this album. The sheer variety of songs and her earlier releases, the rough and bold guitar get in touch with her inner “teenager” and to Mandell seems to ruminate on a bad breakup. the candor of Mandell’s out-of-the-diary lyrics work demonstrate rebellion. make her music more fun and upbeat. Songs Her lyrics are direct and forthcoming, as she present an album concept few artists of Man- Throughout the album, Mandell’s backing like “Little Foot” and the punk-rock closer openly sings “you didn’t call to let me know / dell’s status have yet mastered. band provides a generous amount of support “Cracked” achieve this youthful feel while you simply walked away / and let it end.” Eleni Mandell will be performing songs to enrich her songs. Jeremy Drakes (guitar), still remaining authentic. The latter finds Man- The trajectory of the album includes the from Artificial Fire at T.T. The Bear’s Place in Ryan Feves (bass), and Kevin Fitzgerald dell’s vocals at their rawest and most harsh. whiplash of the aforementioned heavy hit- Cambridge on Sunday, March 8. Movie Review Waltz With Bashir A Veteran Reconstructs Tragic Lost Memories From The Lebanon War By Sun Kim rut. The film displays this image three times, The second scene that moved me reflects mosaic of vivid and moving pictures, but it still Waltz With Bashir with more added to it each subsequent time. the psychological analysis of a specialist Fol- seems removed from reality. In the final scene, Written & Directed by Ari Folman Folman cannot pinpoint this occurrence in man visits to explain the phenomenon of his however, the director uses authentic video foot- Rated R his memory, so he sets off to investigate the memory loss. She tells Folman of a photogra- age from the massacre, the very one he helped Now Playing source of his bizarre dream. He speaks with pher who coped with the horror of war by re- perpetrate by launching flares to light the way (Scheduled for LSC on May 9, 10) now well-adjusted, middle-aged men, some moving himself from the scene, reasoning that for the allied Lebanese Phalangists to enact the entrepreneurs, some family men, and one a he was merely viewing the carnage on the other bloodshed. Without the lens of animation cre- made a mad dash to the Kendall Square well-known journalist. His contacts demon- side of the lens, removed from the destruction. ating a separation, a nauseating wave of disbe- Cinema one cold day during IAP to see the strate an array of human emotion, from false One day his camera broke, resulting in a great lief and horror overwhelms Folman as well as Academy Award-nominated film by Israeli bravado to overwhelming guilt. One joins the degree of trauma for the individual as the im- the viewer. I director Ari Folman, hoping to witness cin- army to demonstrate his manhood but ends up ages he formerly rationalized as distant instead Waltz with Bashir not only serves as a sol- ematic art and escape my obligations for the vomiting all night on his first dispatch. Anoth- became devastatingly imminent. dier’s realization of the conflicts involving hu- day. er runs away from his doomed battalion when In the same way, the animation style cre- man nature, but also a depiction of a historical Waltz With Bashir chronicles a veteran’s they engage enemy fire. These depictions of ates a sense of removal from the brutality of account that has current implications in today’s devastating journey through his memory in or- young soldiers contrast the sense of gung-ho human nature. The film, up until this point, is a turbulent world. der to unearth his forgotten role in the Lebanon militarism and overtures of brute force as- War of 1982. Through interviews with friends sociated with the army. This contradiction and peers who served with him, Folman, who demonstrates the imperfect nature of humans,  also serves as the protagonist, recalls a collec- an element Folman thoroughly approaches in  tion of narrative accounts, telling his story and Waltz. his comrades’ stories through the unique use of Out of all of the scenes in the film, two  animation, freeing him from the conventional scenes struck me as especially poignant. One constraints of physics and reality. Folman takes of Folman’s comrades commandeers a larger  advantage of this liberty, creating dream-like gun from his peer, insisting that he can take sequences, both riveting and horrific, with one control of a highway pass defended by oppos- of particular significance stuck in his mind. ing snipers. As he dashes away from cover,  What he discovers about this image and him- the notes of a frantic Chopin waltz play in the self reveals the tragedy, vulnerability, and bru- background, creating an odd tension between  tality of human nature. musical energy and visual dizziness. In this Folman’s particular dream occurs after he chaos, the soldier remains unscathed amid a  meets with a friend who has been plagued by background of broken buildings, ammunition the same nightmare for the past 20 years and shells, and posters of Bashir Gemayel, who is  asks him about the therapeutic nature of film. depicted as the dashing and brave future leader This encounter causes Folman to reflect on his of Lebanon.  own role in the war. This tumultuous scene serves as the moti- The dream involves him and his peers bath- vation for the title — Gemayel’s assassination  ing in an ocean flanked by tall buildings. As he prompts the Israeli army to enter Beirut, creat- gazes at the sky, he sees bright flares travel in a ing the backdrop for Folman’s odd, reoccurring  parabolic trajectory across the skyline of Bei- image of flares amid skyscrapers.    Featuring Performances by 

  

  Ari Folman and David Polonsky — Sony Pictures Classics February 27, 2009

Page 8

Steal My Comic by Michael Ciuffo

Pseudoscience The Daily Blunderbuss by Ben Peters by Daniel Klein-Marcuschamer

Crossword Puzzle Solution, page 11 ACROSS 66 Dinner 1 Be vexed bread 5 Part of B.A. 67 Writer 9 Carried on Bagnold 14 Gobi’s location 68 Suffix for Instructions: Fill in the grid so that 15 Simpson kid diseases each column, row, and 3 by 3 grid 16 State one’s case 69 Wheel contains exactly one of each of the digits 1 through 9. 17 Mao Tse-__ shafts Solution on page 10. 18 Needle case 70 Command 19 Spouts off to Fido 20 Long-time illustrator 71 Oriole home      in the New Yorker 23 Football great Merlin DOWN 24 Schuss 1 DeLuise    25 6th sense film 28 Philly soul singer 2 Garden- 33 __ jacet variety  36 Distress signal 3 Math sign 37 With all one’s might 4 Philly team 38 Sculptor Chillida 5 Assist a   41 Like golf balls crook 43 Stuffed __ (kishke) 6 Cost per unit 44 Actor Silver 7 Platitudes    45 Last letter of plurals? 8 Lousy 31 Comic-strip crash 48 Brings up 46 Author of “Soft 9 Interlaced 32 Ref’s relative 49 Yikes! Pretzels with 10 Mimic 33 Hopper of gossip 50 Dried fruit  Mustard” 11 Carbonated beverage 34 Brainstorms 54 Govt. bond 51 Peer Gynt’s mother 12 Tolkien creature 35 Slider relative 55 Wrinkly fruits 52 Wicked 13 __ Moines 39 Friend of Pierre 56 Sibilant “Yo!”  53 Consume with relish 21 Winter ATV, __-Cat 40 Far out! 58 Inactive 57 Source of 20A, 28A 22 Hopper 41 Comic Knotts 59 Porgy’s partner and 46A namesakes 26 Clear and blue, e.g. 42 Roadhouse 60 Opera highlight   62 Dashing youth 27 Hangs in the balance 44 Paltry amount 61 Title for Godiva 64 Evening in Pisa 29 Hallucinogenic stuff 47 See-ya, in chat- 62 Lingerie item      65 Notes of scales 30 Tic-tac-toe win room-speak 63 Bagel topper Solution, tips, and computer program at http://www.sudoku.com February 27, 2009 The Tech Page 9

Help Desk by Michael Benitez

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Let’s be honest — you probably just opened The Tech to this page. Well, so did thousands of other readers. Don’t let us waste this space again. Visit http://tech.mit.edu/ads or e-mail [email protected] Reduced rates available for student groups, MIT departments, and local businesses. Page 10 The Tech February 27, 2009 Brooks Builds Robots, Makes New Student Center Bike Racks Bike racks on the south and east sides of the Student Center are being replaced today. Television Shows; a Perfect Life The new racks will be the same style as those recently installed on the southwest corner of the building, near Cambridge Grill and Zoz, from Page 1 and robots. His research took him use the show as a way to make sci- Dunkin’ Donuts. to Japan, where he has been many ence and engineering cool, it would The new racks are a model called Swerve, manufactured by Dero, with robots. times, to work with Sony’s QRIO, be worth it. said Adam J. Serafin, a Campus Planner for Facilities. a humanoid robot. While there, he “[Prototype This] took over two Serafin said the Swerve racks are mounted on rails to “provide eas- Life at MIT implemented the first automatically and a half years to get to what we ier access,” unlike the current “radiator racks,” which require cyclists Wanting to pursue robotics in generated body language that incor- see on TV,” said Brooks. One of his to lift their bicycles over the rack. graduate school, Brooks decided that porated proximics, the management favorite episodes to film was the fire- In addition to the new racks, Serafin said that Facilities would be in- MIT would be the best place for him. of interpersonal space, such as cross- fighter episode, which first aired on stalling a Dero FixIt Station, a bicycle repair station. One FixIt station He immediately found himself feel- ing one’s arms when one doesn’t Nov. 19, 2008, in which the team cre- is planned for the south-east corner of the Student Center, and another ing at home on the east side of cam- want to engage in conversation. ated a robotic assistant that helped one will be installed outside of the Stata Center. pus, leading him to become a GRT at carry equipment up flights of stairs. The FixIt station, which will be demonstrated at the upcoming Senior House. Engineers on Television He enjoyed this project because there Transportation Fair in Stata on March 11, contains an array of bicycle Brooks recalls Steer Roast, an “Prototype This” was not the first was an evident need for the product tools, including wrenches, a pump, and tire levers. The tools are cabled annual alumni event that brings television show Brooks has been on. and it was tested out by the firefight- to the repair station to prevent theft. The FixIt station won’t be installed back residents of Senior House for a As a student, he was part of a team of ers. “It was the best endorsement for until after the Fair in March. weekend full of food and music, as MIT students who took part in “Crop our design,” said Brooks. Serafin said that 59 Swerve racks would be installed, on the south his favorite memory of living in the Circles: Mysteries in the Field,” a The team of engineers were given and east faces of the Student Center, and would accommodate 118 dorm. Steer Roast is “a kind of fam- 2002 special on Discovery Chan- 12 days to shoot each episode. Many bicycles. Serafin said that new racks would accommodate “the same ily reunion, but with a large family,” nel about crop circles. The program things went wrong but were edited out number” of bicycles as the old racks. described Brooks. Asked about his featured undergraduate and gradu- of the show. During the water slide —John A. Hawkinson experience as a Senior House GRT, ate students from MIT creating crop simulator episode which first aired Brooks said that it “is very easy be- circles in the middle of Ohio. The on Nov. 12, 2008, there was trouble cause people are very independent; most memorable part of the show for with the hydraulics. This project was they take care of their own prob- Brooks was when a viewer came up a good example of the time and re- lems.” to him and said that he really wanted source constraints for the team. The As a student, Brooks worked in to go to MIT because he was inspired size of the simulator was determined the Media Lab with the then Ro- by the stuff they did on the show. by the smallest size tube they could botic Life group that is now the Per- The members of “Prototype This” purchase. Of all the episodes taped, sonal Robots Group. His research that pitched the show to Discovery Brooks thought this design was the was focused on designing effective Channel created a demo tape which most aesthetically beautiful. communication between humans included clips from the crop circles As advice to students wishing to show. Unbeknownst to Brooks, the pursue TV, Brooks warns that one tape also included demos Brooks should understand why they want to In Memoriam: had done of his gadgets. Once the go into the business. “Decide why show was accepted, they contacted you want to do it; if you[‘re] look- December 29, 2008 Brooks in early 2006 and offered ing for stardom, cable TV is not re- Source: Adam Serafin, Facilities him a part. About to graduate and ally the place,” said Brooks adding, A 3D rendering of the new bicycle racks and repair stand out- Albert F. Clear ’42, unsure about what he was going to “have realistic expectations.” side the Stratton Student Center, Building W20. This view from do next, Brooks decided to accept. When asked about another sea- the southeast corner shows the proposed location of the repair General Manager of At first, he was skeptical since it was son, Brooks responded with “the TV stand, which will be installed in March. The racks go in today. the Tech, 1941 TV, but later decided that if he could business is very unpredictable.”

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James Dennis Leary, Esq. This space donated by The Tech [email protected] www.SPERMBANK.com 321-544-0012 Call for Nominations! 2009 Student Art Awards

LAYA and JEROME B. WIESNER LOUIS SUDLER STUDENT ART AWARDS PRIZE IN THE ARTS

The Laya and Jerome B. Wiesner Student Art Awards are The Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts is presented annually to a presented annually to up to three students (undergraduate or graduating senior who has demonstrated excellence or the graduate), living groups, organizations or activities for highest standards of proficiency in music, theater, painting, outstanding achievement in and contributions to the arts at MIT. sculpture, design, architecture or film. The Prize was established Established in 1979, these awards honor President Emeritus in 1982 by Mr. Sudler, a performer in the arts and an arts Wiesner and Mrs. Wiesner for their commitment to the arts at patron from Chicago. An endowment fund provides a $1,250 MIT. An endowment fund provides a $1,250 honorarium to award to the honoree. each recipient. http://web.mit.edu/arts/about/awards/wiesner.html http://web.mit.edu/arts/about/awards/sudler.html

Please send nominating letters by Friday March 20, 2009 to: Susan Cohen, Director, Council for the Arts at MIT- E15-205 [email protected] http://web.mit.edu/awards/ February 27, 2009 The Tech Page 11 News Office Tries to MIT and Local Board Disagree on Reach Out More to Greenery of the Proposed Bldg. 650 Main, from Page 1 Roszler, a building that tall would and Environmental Design (LEED) cast shadows on the adjacent resi- rating system, that have been used The Outside World meanwhile, counter that the parking dences in the middle of the day dur- to evaluate the environmental sus- estimates are in line with estimates ing the winter. Were the building, tainability of more than 14,000 News Office, from Page 1 Possibly several. One for press, one provided by the City of Cambridge. said Roszler, to have one fewer floor, buildings worldwide. MIT was for community, one for the wider Owu notes that those estimates even that problem would be alleviated. initially only going to seek a “cer- independence from the Institute world.” A future website may in- consider a ten-percent reduction in Owu says the building will wel- tified” LEED rating for 650 Main might be compromised by having clude social networking functions, single-occupant vehicular traffic to come the community in, with nearly Street, but they recently decided to Pontin simultaneously direct the Pontin said. Pontin also expects to the area. thirty percent of the property being obtain the higher “silver” rating, in magazine as well as the News Of- add a “News from MIT” section Despite that, Roszler hopes the covered in open spaces in the form line with its academic buildings cur- fice. Kolenbrander said thatTR still to TR’s web page, which reaches city would consider the proximity of plazas and grassy areas. rently under construction. has full editorial independence and 650,000 people. to public transit when making their “The overall amount of open MIT will face the Cambridge can publish anything that its board Pamela Dumas Serfes was di- estimates. space on the site is approximately 29 Planning Board at the Department decides to publish. rector of the News Office from “We want any development near percent,” said Owu, “almost twice of Cambridge Community Develop- As communications director, December 2005 through January the T to recognize the access to pub- the amount suggested in the city’s ment (344 Broadway) on Tuesday, Pontin is collecting information in 2009, but as of this restructuring, lic transportation,” said Roszler. The design guidelines.” The design of Mar. 3, at 7:30 p.m. Both MIT and order to plan how MIT’s communi- she no longer retains a role. Nei- A4NC is aiming for 650 parking the building would also encourage the A4NC will consider their next cation functions will be reformed, ther Kolenbrander nor Pontin were spaces with the new building, al- pedestrians to walk through the de- steps after Tuesday’s meeting, which and is still thinking through how willing to explain her new role, though it still feels the site’s location velopment as a shortcut from Main is open to the public, but the coali- the News Office should be run and though Pontin said “she still has would work well with fewer spots. Street to Portland Street and Albany tion, despite its lingering concerns, how it should handle communica- a desk; she continues to receive a There was also debate over an Street. However, Roszler counters has already committed to continuing tions for the Institute. salary.” Kolenbrander would not MIT-owned parking lot located at that the green space would not be working with MIT. “Honest to god, I’m just wan- say what Dumas Serfes’ current the corner of Cherry and School easily visible from the street. While “We’ll continue to talk to them dering around the campus, meeting position or role was, but he did say Streets and associated with a build- she understands that the geography regardless of the outcome,” said with every dean, every school, and that she was no longer “Executive ing formerly run by Polaroid at 750 of the location makes a green space VanBeuzekom. the senior administration,” Pontin Director of News and Communica- Main Street. The lot has remained adjacent to Main Street infeasible, said in a telephone interview from tions,” the title that appears for her largely unused since Polaroid’s she notes that the green space as it Solution to Crossword an airport in Munich. in MIT’s online personnel directo- departure at the beginning of the is now is designed more for the ten- from page 8 Pontin believes this restructuring ry. Dumas Serfes herself declined decade and Minka VanBeuzekom, ants of the proposed building rather is attractive because it eliminates to comment. who also works with the A4NC, than the community as a whole. Ar- redundancy and saves resources. Staff are now being shared be- says members of the community chitects have responded to some of These plans include more direct tween the two organizations, the would prefer the site be used for these concerns by adding awnings communication with the outside News Office and the magazine. community needs. However, Gal- along the sidewalk and including a world, including through the le- Pontin suggested the News Of- lop noted that the lot, located three glass façade. The plan also calls for veraging of TR’s web development fice could make use of TR’s edito- blocks from 650 Main Street, is en- trees, benches, and sidewalks larger staff to improve the News Office’s rial staff, noting that currently MIT tirely separate from this proposed than normal. website, as well as restructuring the spokesperson Greg Frost is forced project. The Institute has informed “The retail uses on Main Street web.mit.edu top-level, which is a to copyedit his own press releases. the coalition that they will continue will create a more active street edge “seven-year old design.” TR’s management team consists to speak with city officials on the that further enhances the pedestrian Pontin remains “committed to of Nathaniel W. Nickerson, Deputy future of the lot until a decision has experience,” said Owu. the retention of the basic spotlight Editor of Technology Review; David been made regarding the fate of the The A4NC has overall felt that feel” of web.mit.edu, saying they Foucher, Vice President for Tech- former Polaroid building. MIT has not been fully upholding will “absolutely continue” to high- nology Review Online, who man- “We wouldn’t want to give the its commitment to environmental light campus events and offer the ages TR’s web development staff; parking lot away until we decide friendliness, but a recent decision opportunity for the MIT commu- and James E. Coyle, Chief Operat- what to do with 750,” said Gallop. has allayed some of those worries. We like new nity to contribute imagery. ing Officer of Technology Review, Other concerns surround the size The U.S. Green Building Coun- staff members! Pontin said that MIT “need[s] who will also serve as an operations of the building, which is estimated cil has developed a set of standards, a much-better MIT news website. manager for the News Office. at a height of 120 feet. According to known as the Leadership in Energy [email protected]

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Vehicle Presentation at 3pm� Business� Electronics� Light refreshments to follow� Page 12 The Tech February 27, 2009 Sp o r t s Men’s Fencing Takes Second at Shin Claims Gold As N.E. All-Division Championships Women Capture First By Molly A. Kozminsky captured first place with an impres- By Gabriel A. Chan Team Member sive record of 38-1. All three fencers and Daniel S. Levine Last Sunday, the MIT women’s qualified for the individual competi- Team Members fencing team finished first out of tion, each being ranked first in her po- The MIT men’s varsity fencing 13 teams with a 96-22 record at the sition. Shin and Kozminsky went on team took second place among 13 New England All Division Champi- to take first and third, respectively. schools at the New England All Di- onship. Robin S. Shin ’12 went on to The épée squad, which includes vision Championship this past Sun- claim the gold in the individual sabre Cordelia S. Link ’10, Jenna G. day. The Engineers finished the day competition. Caldwell ’11, and Lindley C. Graham with 82 victories and 26 losses, just The tournament, held at Mount ’10, achieved a record of 32-8 in the three bouts behind first-place Boston Holyoke College in South Hadley, team competition, propelling them to College. Despite finishing second in Mass., was fenced in an ABC strip for- third place. Link and Caldwell quali- the three-weapon team competition, mat, with each team fielding a fencer fied for the individual competition, MIT finished first in two of the three for each of three positions (“A,” “B,” and Link ultimately finished fourth, squad competitions. and “C”) per weapon (foil, épée, and while Caldwell finished ninth. The competition, held at Mount saber). The top fencers from each po- With a strong record of 26-13, the Holyoke College in South Hadley, sition then went on to the individual épée squad, consisting of Stephanie Mass., was held in two rounds. In the competition in each weapon. H. Shin ’10, Kirsten Hessler ’12, and initial team round, each team fielded Winning the Vitale Cup for the Sophie M. Monahan ’11, finished nine fencers, one for each of three most victories, the sabre squad, com- fifth. All three fencers were pro- positions per weapon (foil, épée, or posed of freshmen Shin, Molly A. moted to the individual competition, saber). The top fencers from each po- Kozminsky, and Lauren M. Chilton, with Shin placing fifth. sition would then qualify for the indi- Gabriel Chan vidual competition in each weapon. Benjamin N. Nield ’12 counterattacks against his opponent in the MIT turned in its strongest squad foil competition. Nield finished 11-1 en route to helping the MIT foil Men’s Basketball Making History performance in the foil competition, squad place first. Nield himself finished in second place individually. capturing first place with a 30-6 re- In the 108-year history of the men’s basketball program at MIT, the cord. Led by freshmen Benjamin N. A. Chan ’09 led the squad to a very cord to finish fourth. Maximilian L. team has never won a conference championship. That could all change Nield and Daniel S. Levine, who fin- tight three-way first-place tie with Brand ’11, who ended the day with a this weekend. ished 11-1 and 10-2 respectively, and an overall squad record of 26-10. 10-2 record, placed second. All three The second-seeded Engineers will play Babson College this Satur- rounded out by sophomore Richard Gethers, a recent Rhodes Scholar, saberists qualified for the individual day in the semifinals of the New England Men’s and Women’s Athletic C. LaGrandier, who finished 9-3, the finished 8-4, followed by Chan, who competition. Conference Championship. MIT split their season series with Babson, foil squad’s impressive performance also finished 8-4. Carter A. Chang On Saturday, Feb. 27, MIT will including a two-point loss on February 11. The game will take place at can be seen as a sign of things to ’12 went 10-2 to place first in his take on some of the highest ranked 6:30 p.m. on Saturday night at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. come from this young squad. During position. All three of MIT’s épéeists teams in the nation at one of the old- Should MIT win, the team would play in the championship game, the team competition, Nield finished qualified for the individual compe- est athletic competitions in the Unit- also at WPI, on Sunday afternoon. The Engineers reached the semifi- second among all fencers in his posi- tition. Both Chan and Gethers ad- ed States, the Intercollegiate Fencing nals after a close 66-62 overtime win against Coast Guard in the quar- tion and Levine finished first, a per- vanced to the top 6 round with Geth- Association Championship, held this ter finals on Wednesday. formance that qualified both for the ers receiving the bronze medal and year at Brandeis University. The fol- Leading the Engineers is senior guard James M. “Jimmy” Bartolot- individual competition. In the indi- Chan finishing sixth. lowing weekend, the Engineers will ta ’09, who this week was named as the ESPN the Magazine Academic vidual competition, both advanced MIT’s saber squad also posted each fight for an individual spot at All-America of the Year. to the second and final round of 6, a 26-10 record to finish in fourth the NCAA National Championship —Shreyes Seshasai, Contributing Editor and Nield received the silver medal place. Igor Kopylov ’09 notched a at the NCAA Northeast Regional while Levine finished fifth. third place finish in his position with qualifying meet to be held at MIT’s In the épée competition, Matt a 9-3 record, followed by Rangarajan Johnson Athletic Center on Sunday, L. Gethers ’09 and captain Gabriel D. Nadadur ’10, who tallied a 7-5 re- March 8. The Tech’s Athlete of the Week: Made possible by the Council for the Arts at MIT Emily Houston ’10 Emily F. Houston ’10 has been named the Mid-Atlantic Conference Air Rifle Shooter of the Month for January after leading the Engineers to victory in that category in the Bean Pot competition last month. The junior Free tickets for MIT students! captain has helped the Engineers compile a record of 25-8 this season. Houston’s total of 579 was tied for the top individual total in air rifle at the Bean Pot and helped Tech outscore runner-up Pennsylvania State University, 2235-2229. Houston, who carries a 4.9 grade point average Radius Ensemble in Mechanical Engineering, has now registered the high score in this category in five of the Engineers’ eight competitions on the year. Featuring Marcus Thompson, viola The Engineers are now looking forward to the Mid-Atlantic Con- ference Championship, which will be held on Sunday, March 7, hosted by the Virginia Military Academy. MIT defeated Penn State in the Ex- Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 8 pm pert Division of air rifle at last year’s Championship. Killian Hall at MIT,14W-111 —Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff

Piazzolla Tangos for wind quintet (arr. Scott) Sc o r e b o a r d Gubaidulina Quasi hoquetus for viola, bassoon, & piano Men’s Basketball Ibert Aria for flute, clarinet, & piano Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 Brahms String quintet in F, Op. 88 U.S. Coast Guard Academy (12-13) 62 MIT (18-8) 66

Boston Modern Orchestra Project Men’s Volleyball John Harbison: A Winter’s Tale Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 MIT (13-9) 3 Friday, March 20, 2009, at 8pm Wentworth Institute of Technology (7-8) 0 Jordan Hall at New England Conservatory Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009 MIT (14-9) 3 Daniel Webster College (3-6) 0 John Harbison Winter’s Tale (1974, rev. 1991) Concert performance - Opera in two acts Based on the play by Wiliam Shakespeare Up c o m i n g Ho m e Ev e n t s 2 tickets per MIT student ID Saturday, Feb. 21, 2009 Pistol Alumni Match 10 a.m., duPont Athletic Center Men’s Track New England Division III Championship 11 a.m., Johnson Athletic Center Tickets available at the MIT Office of the Arts (E15-205) Men’s Volleyball vs. Elms College 11 a.m., Rockwell Cage Monday - Friday Women’s Tennis vs. Bates College 11 a.m., J.B. Carr Tennis Bubble Women’s Gymnastics vs. SUNY Brockport 2 - 5:30pm in person, first-come, first-served only 1 p.m., duPont Gymnasium Men’s Tennis vs. Emerson College 1 p.m., J.B. Carr Tennis Bubble Men’s Volleyball vs. Emerson College 3 p.m., Rockwell Cage http://web.mit.edu/arts/see/freetickets/index.html Rifle Alumni Match TBA, duPont Athletic Center