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Volume 129, Number 29 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Wednesday, July 8, 2009 Amnesty International Students Line the Charles For Organizes Iran Forum Independence Day Celebration By Ziwei Hao ways students expressed their con- Staff Reporter cern and condolences. By Ana Lyons Reacting to recent violence On the evening of June 23, the Staff Reporter against peaceful demonstrators in MIT chapter of Amnesty Inter- After the longest stretch of cloudy Iran, many MIT students have ex- national, the MIT Lecture Series summer days in Boston since 1903, pressed their disapproval at the Ira- Committee, and the Social Justice the long-awaited sun finally beamed nian government — they have taken Cooperative sponsored a discussion down across the red-white-and-blue- action in supporting the Iranians’ in Kresge Auditorium about the adorned city and all of its Fourth of right to free speech and are mourn- violence towards protesters, with an July festivities on Saturday. As part of ing those who were killed. emphasis on human rights. Open to the 36th annual July 4th Boston Pops Students made a photo display of the public, the panel was attended Fireworks Spectacular, an estimated injured protestors in Lobby 10; they by almost 400 people, including 500,000 Bostonians, tourists, MIT attended a rally in Copley Square, MIT students, faculty, local resi- students, and others gathered along and participated in MIT guest lec- the Boston Esplanade, around the tures; these were only a few of the Iran, Page 13 Hatch Shell, and across the banks of the Charles for the nationally broad- cast entertainment and patriotic fun. Highlights of the festivities were the Rozzi Fireworks (of Loveland, Ohio); Keith Lockhart and the Bos- ton Pops performing the highly antic- ipated 1812 Overture (complete with three live cannons, operated by a staff of nine Army personnel) along with other patriotic music; and Grammy Award-winner Neil Diamond sing- ing the Fenway Park favorite “Sweet Caroline,” among other crowd-pleas- ing classics. The activities also included an ac- companiment to the national anthem Monica Gallegos—The TecH After attending the Amnesty International event on Human rights by the U.S. Herald Trumpets, a civil and the Iran protests, guests gathered across Massachusetts Ave. Biyeun Buczyk—The Tech liberties speech given by Harvard’s in front of the Lobby 7 on Tuesday, June 23 to participate in a silent, Fireworks launch from a barge in the Charles River during the Boston Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes, candlelight vigil. The vigil was in remembrance of Neda Agha-Soltan, Pops Fireworks Spectacular on Independence Day 2009, as viewed the Air Force’s 104th Fighter Wing a victim of election protest violence in Iran. from the roof of Building 54. See the back page for more photos from the Boston area on July 4th. Independence Day, Page 13 Profs’ Summers Have Travel & Work Microsoft Exchange Is

By Camille Z. McAvoy Italian mountain chain. Part of the present his battery research. Overall, MIT professors spend their sum- Alps, the Dolomites are a popular site Sadoway describes his summer expe- MIT’s New Email System mers on European excursions, quiet for skiing and mountain climbing. riences as involving travel related to New England retreats, and studies Sadoway also saw the Pink Floyd MIT business with vacation attached. By Ana Lyons eral servers running a open-source that encapsulate both work and play. Ballet presented at Milan’s La Scala Christopher J. Terman, an instruc- Staff Reporter program called Cyrus and a mail While MIT students are accus- Opera House. Although surprised by tor for 6.02, Introduction to Electrical Beginning this summer, Informa- protocol known as IMAP, the Inter- tomed to seeing their professors in a the production, Sadoway remarked Engineering and Computer Science tion Systems and Technology has net Message Access Protocol. purely academic setting, these educa- that he got to experience an enjoy- II, also had a European itinerary. Ter- begun transitioning portions of the The change will remain transpar- tors’ summer vacation stories show able combination of performance and man took a Girl Scout troop to France MIT e-mail system to Microsoft Ex- ent to most Gmail users, whose mail professors also have lives outside of modern dance. during the week before the fourth of change, as well as changing the way is forwarded directly to Gmail and the Institute. Sadoway intends to remain at MIT July. spam is handled. does not remain on the MIT mail Materials Science Professor Don- for the rest of the summer, with occa- Professor of Biology Robert A. servers. Those Gmail users who split ald R. Sadoway, instructor of 3.091, sional trips to the Cape in August. Weinberg ’64, who co-teaches 7.012, Changes to mail access & storage their e-mail to both the MIT mail Introduction to Solid State Chemistry, Additionally, Sadoway will be at- Microsoft Exchange replaces the servers and to Gmail may have their returned on July 1 from a trip to Mi- tending a workshop in California to Vacation, Page 14 portion of the mail system that stores MIT mail storage affected. lan, Italy. Sadoway described his Ital- messages waiting to be read, which ian experience as a mix of “business is currently implemented using sev- Exchange, Page 13 and pleasure.” Sadoway journeyed to Italy to present research concerning MIT’s Senior ter will be appointed, and that the Energy Initiative to an Italian oil and interim housemaster might harm natural gas company, Eni. He was ac- Housemaster Senior House’s culture. companied by a dozen or so MIT fac- Canelake and Senior House ulty and remained in Milan a couple Selection Amiss President Cody R. Daniel ’11 of days to report on his research. will meet with Dean Colombo on Sadoway traveled with his wife The selection for the new Senior Thursday to discuss the matter. Rebecca. He remained in Italy for House Housemasters has stalled as There have been rumors that five days after the energy conference the MIT administration has spent Dean Colombo declined the Bend- to tour the Italian sights. months making ers, perhaps because Walter Bend- Among Sadoway’s summer activi- a decision. er does not have academic tenure ties were hiking in the Dolomites, an The student/ at MIT. Colombo declined to com- News faculty house- ment on the Benders, but wrote in master selec- an e-mail, “I can inform you that In Short tion committee the search for a tenured faculty ¶¶Mass. sales tax goes up! A La- Briefs nominated Wal- member continues.” Verde’s sub is about to get 12 cents ter R. Bender Colombo later clarified that more expensive. Mass. state sales ’80, Executive Director of the Me- tenure was not a requirement for and meals tax will go up from 5% dia Lab, and his wife Wanda, for housemaster candidates, but a to 6.25% on August 1. Robert A. Weinberg the position in May. “strong preference” of the Insti- Professor of Biology Robert A. Weinberg’s New Hampshire cabin and But Dean for Student Life tute. ¶¶Finding Nemo shows at LSC for garden. Just like students, MIT Professors enjoy all kinds of interest- Chris Colombo has not approved Daniel said he was confused free this weekend, 8:00 p.m. in 26- ing work and leisure in the summer. the selection, which last week led by the situation, since some dorms 100 on Friday and Saturday. resident Sari Canelake ’10 to orga- have untenured housemasters, ¶¶Latest update on Joe D’Amelio, nize a petition addressed to Dean including Random Hall, Bexley MIT’s crooked cop. See page 13 Summer Lovin’: Colombo and President Susan J. Hall, and Next House (with Co- Hockfield. The petition expresses lombo himself). Also, the Benders ¶¶Aafia Siddiqui ’95 is back in The Tech reviews local concern that a new housemaster were cleared with the committee court, page 14. restaurants for fun and has not yet been approved. “I feel early on in the selection process. we’re not being respected at this “I think that this rule about tenured ¶¶Picower Institute versus Bernie romance. point,” said Canelake. faculty is really strange,” Daniel Madoff: Everyone loses, page 14. According to Canelake, a num- said. Send news information and tips to Pages 8-9 ber of Senior House residents are [email protected]. worried that an interim housemas- Briefs, Page 13 Page 2 The Tech July 8, 2009 Op i n i o n The Current State of U.S.-Middle East

Chairman Austin Chu G Relations Editor in Chief Nick Bushak ’10 Obama reached out to the Middle East. Is he reaching too far? Business Manager for the Western and Arab worlds to maintain “a the Koran and mentioned Muslim contributions Mark Thompson ’11 Florence Gallez sustained effort to listen to each other, to learn such as algebra and “timeless poetry and cher- Managing Editor from each other, to respect one another, and to ished music.” Obama pointed out that there are Steve Howland ’11 Despite frosty United States-France rela- seek common ground.” Muslims in his own family, that his own name Executive Editor tions during the Bush’s administration, France This speech was it. It sent ripples around is Barack Hussein Obama. By casting himself Michael McGraw-Herdeg G received Obama in June with open arms and the world. Observers pondered the meaning as a kindred spirit, Obama conjured up hopes effusive praise from the French public and ex- and possible consequences of Obama’s bold of an America more sympathetic toward Mus- News Staff perts alike. The media gushed over his charis- oratorical move, seen by some as noble, by lim causes, such as the thorny issue of Palestin- News and Features Director: Arkajit Dey ’11; matic “cool,” his youth and the “nonchalant” others as questionable. Many sneered at the ian statehood. Editors: John A. Hawkinson ’98, Jeff Guo ’11, attitude he brings to his interpersonal contact choice of Cairo, where Egyptian President In response to Obama’s eloquent advances, Natasha Plotkin ’11; Associate Editors: Emily with world leaders. Hosni Mubarak stifles political opposition with many leaders from these regions have demand- Prentice ’11, Elijah Jordan Turner ’11, Pearle An editorial in Le Monde on June 6 insisted ed concrete deeds. It will certainly be inter- Lipinski ’12, Robert McQueen ’12; Staff: that “Mr. Sarkozy must adapt himself to Mr. esting to keep a close eye on Obama to see if Daniela Cako ’09, Joyce Kwan ’10, Omar Abudayyeh ’12, Ziwei Hao ’12, Jessica Lin ’12, Obama’s policies.” It recommended that the indeed his words translate into action. Middle Meredith Lis ’12, Maggie Lloyd ’12, Sandhya French administration take a leaf from Obama’s It is easy to see how Obama’s East experts say that radical change is unlikely. Rawal ’12, Zeina Siam ’12, Aditi Verma ’12; book, citing one high-ranking French official Obama has set the bar very high with his goal Meteorologists: Cegeon Chan G, Garrett P. who said: “Obama defends the interests of his Islam-friendly words were music of decreasing tension in the Middle East and Marino G, Brian H. Tang G, Angela Zalucha G, country very well. It is our duty to do the same to the ears of Muslims on all the rejuvenating its relationship with the West. He Elizabeth Maroon ’10, Vince Agard ’11. as he does.” With anti-Americanism still on the runs the risk of sparking more tension if he Production Staff rise in many parts of the world, this new French continents, including Europe. doesn’t deliver. Staff: K. Nichole Treadway ’10, Alexander W. love affair is a surprising twist. Despite experts’ skepticism, Europe’s Mus- Dehnert ’12. Perhaps not. There is no doubt that the praise lims were listening and for the most part enjoy- Opinion Staff was due in large part to the groundbreaking ing what they were hearing. France, like many Editors: Joseph Maurer ’12, Ethan Solomon speech Obama had given days before in Cairo, his dictatorial ways. Obama has made it clear Western European countries, has for genera- ’12; Staff: Florence Gallez G, Alejandro Rogers which commentators called “historical” and that he favors engagement over ostracism, but tions played host to a flourishing Muslim com- B. G, Gary Shu G, David Weinberg G, Keith A. capable of reshaping American foreign policy America and Egypt’s mutual economic and munity. Germany has a strong Turkish popula- Yost G, Josh Levinger ’07, Krishna Gupta ’09, and “re-imagining the world.” strategic interests might have also influenced tion and the Benelux is home to many people Aditya Kohli ’09, Jennifer Nelson ’09, Daniel Obama extended his hand to Muslim nations the choice. Prior to Cairo, Obama had visited from the Maghreb. Yelin ’10. in his June 4 address, continuing his efforts to United States-friendly Riyadh. France and Belgium, as well as the rest Sports Staff engage the Arab world in a conversation with It is easy to see how Obama’s Islam-friend- of Europe, have been very supportive of the Editors: Aaron Sampson ’10, David Zhu ’12; the United States. While campaigning in 2007, ly words were music to the ears of Muslims on Staff: Michael Gerhardt ’12, Nydia Ruleman he promised that, as president, he would call all the continents, including Europe. He quoted Middle East, Page 4 ’12.

Arts Staff Editor: S. Balaji Mani ’10; Staff: Sudeep be given higher priority. Once submitted, all letters become property of Agarwala G, Rosa Cao G, Bogdan Fedeles G, Opinion Policy The Tech, and will not be returned. Letters, columns, and cartoons may Joanne Y. Shih ’10, Kevin Wang ’10, Sun K. Editorials are the official opinion of The Tech. They are written also be posted on The Tech’s Web site and/or printed or published in any Kim ’11, Maggie Liu ’12, Samuel Markson by the editorial board, which consists of Chairman Austin Chu, Edi- other format or medium now known or later that becomes known. The ’12. tor in Chief Nick Bushak, Managing Editor Steve Howland, Execu- Tech makes no commitment to publish all the letters received. Photography Staff tive Editor Michael McGraw-Herdeg, and Opinion Editor Andrew T. Guest columns are opinion articles submitted by members of the Editors: David M. Templeton ’08, Andrea Lukmann, Joseph Maurer, and Ethan Solomon. MIT or local community and have the author’s name in italics. Col- Robles ’10, William Yee ’10, Rachel Fong Dissents are the opinions of signed members of the editorial umns without italics are written by Tech staff. ’12; Staff: Vincent Auyeung G, David Da He board choosing to publish their disagreement with the editorial. G, Perry Hung G, Maksim Imakaev G, Arthur Letters to the editor, columns, and editorial cartoons are writ- Petron G, David Reshef G, Martin Segado G, ten by individuals and represent the opinion of the author, not neces- To Reach Us Noah Spies G, Scott Johnston ’03, Martha Angela Wilcox ’08, Chelsea Grimm ’09, Peter sarily that of the newspaper. Electronic submissions are encouraged The Tech’s telephone number is (617) 253-1541. E-mail is the eas- H. Rigano ’09, Eric D. Schmiedl ’09, Seth A. and should be sent to [email protected]. Hard copy submis- iest way to reach any member of our staff. If you are unsure whom Villarreal ’09, Diana Ye ’09, Biyeun Buczyk ’10, sions should be addressed to The Tech, P.O. Box 397029, Cambridge, to contact, send mail to [email protected], and it will be di- Arka P. Dhar ’10, Helen Hou ’10, Monica Kahn Mass. 02139-7029, or sent by interdepartmental mail to Room W20- rected to the appropriate person. You can reach the editor in chief by ’10, Diane Rak ’10, Jongu Shin ’10, Michael 483. All submissions are due by 4:30 p.m. two days before the date e-mailing [email protected]. Please send press releases, requests Yu ’10, Dhaval Adjodah ’11, Monica Gallegos of publication. for coverage, and information about errors that call for correction ’11, Dan Kubaczyk ’11, Vibin Kundukulam Letters, columns, and cartoons must bear the authors’ signatures, to [email protected]. Letters to the editor should be sent to ’11, Michael Y. McCanna ’11, Michael Meyer ’11, Kari Williams ’11, Allison M. Alwan ’12, addresses, and phone numbers. Unsigned letters will not be accepted. [email protected]. The Tech can be found on the World Wide Yuanyu Chen ’12, Andrew Shum ’12, Meng The Tech reserves the right to edit or condense letters; shorter letters will Web at http://www-tech.mit.edu. Heng Touch ’12.

Campus Life Staff Editor: Michael T. Lin ’11; Staff: Roberto Perez-Franco G, Danbee Kim ’09, Sarah C. Proehl ’09, Ben Shanks ’09, Christine Yu ’11; We a t h e r Cartoonists: Daniel Klein-Marcuschamer G, Jason Chan ’09, Michael Ciuffo ’11, Ben Peters Situation for Noon Eastern Daylight Time,Wednesday, July 8, 2009 ’11, Michael Benitez ’12. Sixth Coldest June

Business Staff on Record 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 Advertising Manager: Greg Steinbrecher ’12; Operations Manager: Sherry Yan ’11; Staff: By Angela Zalucha 40°N Michael Kuo ’10, Heymian Wong ’10, Nikhil Staff Meteorologist

Sud ’11, Connie Chan ’12, Mengjie Ding ’12, As you are well aware, June was unseason- 1004 Eric Trac ’12. ably cold. The mean temperature for June was

Technology Staff 63.3°F, which ties it with June 1982 as the sixth 1012 35°N Director: Quentin Smith ’10. coldest June on record in Boston since records began in 1872. Average temperatures of various Editors at Large sorts are often reported by meteorologists, such Contributing Editors: Caroline Huang ’10, as the average high or low for a particular day 1008 Jessica Witchley ’10; Senior Editors: Brian 30°N Hemond G, Charles Lin G, Andrew T. Lukmann of the year. A statistical quantity that is often G, Ramya Sankar G, Satwiksai Seshasai G, overlooked is the standard deviation. That is, Shreyes Seshasai G, Benjamin P. Gleitzman when a record occurs, how statistically unlikely ’09, Ricardo Ramirez ’09, Nick Semenkovich is that event compared with the mean? ’09, Angeline Wang ’09, Praveen Rathinavelu Your intuition tells you that the standard 25°N ’10. deviation for Boston temperatures is probably Advisory Board high, since the weather varies greatly from day Paul E. Schindler, Jr. ’74, V. Michael Bove ’83, to day. In places like Los Angeles, California, Barry S. Surman ’84, Robert E. Malchman or Phoenix, Arizona, however, the temperature ’85, Deborah A. Levinson ’91, Jonathan E. D. is fairly constant on a day-to-day time scale, Richmond PhD ’91, Karen Kaplan ’93, Saul and so the standard deviation is low. Even from Blumenthal ’98, Frank Dabek ’00, Daniel Ryan month to month, the standard deviation of tem- Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other Symbols Bersak ’02, Eric J. Cholankeril ’02, Jordan Snow Rain Fog perature may vary. For example, in Boston the High Pressure Trough Rubin ’02, Nathan Collins SM ’03, Keith J. Showers Thunderstorm Winstein ’03, Akshay R. Patil ’04, Tiffany standard deviation is higher in January than in Warm Front Light Dohzen ’06, Beckett W. Sterner ’06, Marissa July. Low Pressure Haze Cold Front Vogt ’06, Zachary Ozer ’07, Marie Y. Thibault So just how unusual were the cold tempera- Moderate Compiled by MIT Hurricane Meteorology Staff ’08, B. D. Colen. Stationary Front Heavy tures of the past June? The mean temperature and The Tech Production Staff for This Issue for all Junes from 1872 to 2009 is 67.2 °F with Editors: Steve Howland, ’11, Greg Steinbrecher a standard deviation of 2.4 °F. Hence, this age high for June. Tomorrow: Cloudy. High 66 °F (19 °C). ’12; Staff: Jesssica Witchley ’10, Ivana year’s mean June temperature was between one The remainder of the work week looks to Tomorrow night: Skies clearing. Low 57 °F Wongwajarachot ’12. and two standard deviations from the mean. be cool with sunshine returning on Friday. The (14 °C).

The Tech (ISSN 0148-9607) is published on Tuesdays and Fridays dur- If we average only the high temperatures for weekend warms up with another chance for Friday and Friday night: Sunny. High 72 °F ing the academic year (except during MIT vacations), Wednesdays during January, and monthly during the summer by The Tech, Room W20-483, 84 June, then this June was the second coldest thunderstorms Saturday evening. (22 °C). Low 62 °F (17 °C). Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Mass. 02139. Subscriptions are $50.00 June with an average high temperature of 69.2 Saturday and Saturday night: Partly sunny per year (third class). Postmaster: Please send all address changes to our mailing address: The Tech, P.O. Box 397029, Cambridge, Mass. 02139- °F. The average high temperature for June is Extended Forecast: with a chance of thunderstorms. High 80 °F 7029. Telephone: Editorial: (617) 253-1541. Business: (617) 258-8324. Facsimile: (617) 258-8226. Advertising, subscription, and typesetting rates 75.9 °F with a standard deviation of 3.0 °F, Today and tonight: Cloudy with a chance of (27 °C). Low 66°F (19 °C). available. Entire contents © 2009 The Tech. Printed on recycled paper by making the average high temperature for June showers and thunderstorms. High 70 °F (21 Sunday and Sunday night: Partly sunny. High Mass Web Printing Company. 2009 two standard deviations below the aver- °C). Low 58 °F (14 °C). 83 °F (28 °C). Low 63 °F (17 °C). July 8, 2009 Op i n i o n The Tech Page 3 Lead, Follow, or Get In Models, Schmodels! Predicting climate change is an unpredictable the Way business

Why the House Climate Bill won’t change our exist to perform a forecast of any great accu- Gary Shu racy. Why would we expect a system that has fate, but might change how we get there large feedbacks, flows and cycles of air, water, As a young high school student in neurosci- heat and particles to have the simple output of household of four will pay $100 to $175 more ence summer camp, I was shown the results of a increased temperature from the single input of Holly Moeller per year for energy by 2020 (households cur- computer model calculation that aimed to simu- greenhouse gases? rently shell out $2,000 per annum). We will late cardiac tissue voltage as the electric pulse Yes, I’ve seen the reports from the British On the final Friday of June, polar bears all have to tighten our fossil fuel belts — from that kept the heart beating passed through. After Lord Nicholas Stern as well as the IPCC and cheered, honeybees buzzed, and Emperor pen- more than 20 metric tons of carbon dioxide being told that the simulation took several days their de facto spokesperson, Al Gore. I’ve seen guins locked in the dead of Antarctic winter per person today to 3.8 per person by 2050 to run, we campers were eagerly expecting to be the graphs where some one hundred climate snuggled happily up to their eggs. At last, the (by the way, that’s about what China’s annual wowed by displays of incomprehensible com- models provide a range of forecasts for global United States was going to lead the world in per capita emissions are right now). These plexity, wide-eyed and excited at the prospect warming and the world is at or exceeding the the fight against climate change. drastic measures are impossible to imagine of viewing such cutting-edge medical research. top end. People smarter and with more resourc- All right, maybe all of Nature didn’t really in our world of steaks and stereos, comput- Imagine our budding scientist hearts be- es than me are pounding at the problem of cli- breathe a collective sigh of relief when they ers and cars. We must nevertheless take these ing broken after watching an utterly mundane mate prediction with all the might and fury of House of Representatives passed the “Ameri- steps because even if we can’t save the planet, animated-gif-like movie of a gradient zipping careers and reputations on the line. can Clean Energy and Security (ACES) Act we will have to save our economy when fossil through a poorly rendered 3D polygonal heart. But just because these results represent the of 2009.” But for a fuels run out. Every student reaches a moment when they state-of-the-art and offer cutting-edge science government that has Let’s do a back-of- discover the limits of a field, and no field proves doesn’t mean the climate forecasting models chronically shirked the the-envelope calcula- this more quickly than the limits of computer are necessarily good enough to bet our global responsibility of fight- We must nevertheless take these tion. Imagine that all modeling. The technology industry has done economy on trillion-dollar policy actions like ing climate change, humanity has reached their best and improved computational power to capping CO2 emissions. The uncertainty is too the bill’s passage (by steps because even if we can’t a lofty aspiration — the point that Playstation 2’s initially ran afoul large, the error bars too wide, the approxima- a slim margin of 219 save the planet, we will have to the United States life- of national security export regulations because tions too rough. votes to 212) is an style — by 2050. The they qualified as supercomputers. Now that iP- To hear the person-on-the-street self-righ- enormous first step. In save our economy when world’s population is hones are as powerful as PS2s, do running to- teously declare the “truth” and the “fact” of more than 2,000 pages predicted to grow to day’s models on our exponentially faster com- global warming is to hear a populace entranced of legalese, the ACES fossil fuels run out. 10 billion by that time. puters make for better simulations of the real by what physicist Freeman Dyson calls the new act calls for cap and At 3.8 tons of carbon world? secular religion of climate change. Instead of trade measures, throws $190 billion over the dioxide apiece, the world would be emitting In a word: No. preachers and a theocracy we now have (some) next 15 years at alternative energy develop- 38.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide each year. “All models are wrong,” goes one adage, professors and a technocracy. ment, and aims to reduce our nation’s carbon That’s 22.5 percent more than current emis- and in a sense this is perfectly true. Every simu- Any scientist worth their salt would be falling emissions to 83 percent of 1995 levels by sions (although, spread over 40 years, it rep- lation produces results that do not and will not over themselves to provide conditionals, uncer- 2020, and to 20 percent of 1995 lev- resents only a half-percent increase conform exactly to reality. We would not expect tainties, hem and haws on any sort of definitive els by 2050. in emissions per year, a fraction them to do otherwise. If a computer model did conclusion. There are plenty of such scientists Backed by strong words of the current 2 to 4 percent manage to get calculations exactly right in one and they do themselves a credit to their field. from President Obama, growth rate). situation it will likely be horridly wrong in an- More visible, however, are the dogmatists who the bill should give the At those emission other. insist that the forecasted-by-computers conse- necessary kick-start rates, all the world’s A maxim from Amory Lovins, founder quences are so dire that urgent and immediate to the Senate, whose proven oil and natu- of the sustainable energy group the Rocky action must be taken, caution be damned. members have daw- ral gas reserves Mountain Institute, says that “Models complex The political debate on climate change and dled, anticipating a would be consumed enough to be interesting cannot be validated, the policy costs has vividly demonstrated how long battle over simi- in less than twenty and models complex enough to be valid cannot modeling efforts can be manipulated. Politi- lar legisla- years. Even if be written.” Computer models go through ex- cal groups pit dueling economic models — for we froze tensive validation phases, tweaked until histori- instance, from the conservative Heritage Foun- emis- cal inputs match with historical outputs. After dation or the Obama-cozy Center for American sions the coefficients are aligned, the future — with Progress — each containing their own intricate any luck — can be written. technical details and, more importantly, their But we have all painfully learned the dan- own assumptions and structures. gers of placing too much faith in models thanks As any good computer modeler knows, the to the recession, which was prompted by the devil is in these details. Results can be manipu- collapse of mortgages, banks, and entire insti- lated by tweaking any number of variables so tutions. As my brother (a finance industry audi- that the liberal can say carbon dioxide regula- a t tor) tells it, every Wall Street firm was using the tion will create millions of jobs while the con- tion. The tight victory in the House (which today’s rates, we could only squeeze out five same basic model with the same set of wrong servative can say that the cost of regulation will came only after the inclusion of multiple ad- additional years (strip-mining coal could pro- assumptions leading to mis-structured bonds eat up large fractions of a household’s annual denda that weakened emissions requirements long the slow death of fossil fuels by another and imploding insurance companies. income. Unless one gets down and dirty with for powerful interest groups like agriculture) thirty or so years). In reality, it’s possible we’ll The financial meltdown took place while these computer programs none of these biases demonstrates how quickly political will is fad- tap new reserves, but more likely that expo- modeling a man-made industry with clear regu- can be fully teased out, to the great detriment of ing. The “audacity of hope” will only dwindle nential increases in extraction costs will halt lations bounding the simulation space. How our political discourse. faster as more and more politicians think our use of fossil fuels before we’ve drained then are mere mortals supposed to ac- To be clear, the general direction ahead to 2010 elections. In fact, 44 House them dry. After all, the global rate of increase curately model and forecast a sit- of the scientific evidence is Democrats voted against last month’s bill, of carbon dioxide emissions was halved last uation as complex and im- toward anthropocentric many of them weighing interests back home year when fuel prices skyrocketed. mense as one hundred global warming. against the threat of global catastrophe. I don’t mean to say the House’s efforts years of the earth’s The most ur- Avoiding such global catastrophe requires were entirely useless. In fact, if global emis- climate? gent warnings global accords, and for two weeks in Decem- sions continue to grow at modest rates, say 2 The first su- about cata- ber of this year, 8,000 people representing 170 percent per year, we’d use up our global sup- percomputers s t r o p h i c countries will convene in Copenhagen. This ply of gas and oil by 2025, before we even were used will be the last intergovernmental meeting reached that 2050 standard. If the world can before the Kyoto Protocol, which will expire bite the emissions bullet in advance, it can in 2012, must be revised and renewed. Since gain time to replace its energy sources and scientists continue to darken their forecasts as develop alternative technologies. more ominous evidence rolls in, the meeting That’s the crux of the issue. Forget about can’t come soon enough. the birds and the bees, the penguins and the It is absolutely critical that the United polar bears. The ACES Act doesn’t matter States finalizes legislation before its politi- ecologically, since the economics of fossil cians regress to personal interests, and before fuel supply will impose nearly identical con- the Copenhagen climate conference convenes. trols anyway. These controls won’t stop us We must provide a unified front with other from expelling enough carbon dioxide into First World nations, instead of continuing the the atmosphere to pass every scientific global finger-pointing hypocrisy that has been the tipping point. c l i m a t e hallmark of negotiations with China and other However, the legislation is absolutely criti- change caution industrializing countries. Yes, tougher emis- cal to our economic preparedness. It marks against nonlinearities sions standards might push some jobs and the difference between doing things the hard and feedbacks that would businesses overseas, but in a time of global way — when fossil fuels just plain run out on for war purposes: calculating projectile propel our world quickly toward disaster. But crisis, it is time for Americans to lead by ex- us — and the (slightly) easier way — forcing trajectories, code-breaking, and nuclear phys- these very “tipping points” are the most uncer- ample once again. some technological change in advance. Think ics for atomic bombs. Today’s supercomput- tain approximations of our climate forecasting Unfortunately, our example — even if we of it as the difference between fast and slow: ers, tucked away in national labs and agencies, models and thus produce the least certain re- follows the House bill to the letter — isn’t all The heart attack that freezes our economy in continue to crunch away at similar calculations sults. that great. its tracks versus the cancer that we fight with and have now added climate forecasting mod- A nuanced view would be to accept our cur- We’ve all heard the key facts about global painful chemotherapy to buy ourselves time eling to their queues. However, these original rent climate change along with a large margin warming: Even if emissions stop now, the to say goodbye. physics problems are better defined and require of error for the version of global warming la- Earth will continue to warm for the next 100 While our politicians battle over which of less hand-waving assumptions compared to the beled “dangerous anthropomorphic interfer- years. Global temperatures will increase by these two hard roads will get them reelected, back-of-the-envelope approximations needed ence”. One would then support policy actions at least one degree Fahrenheit, causing cata- you and I need to prepare for the inevitable. to calculate a planet’s climate. as a type of hedge or insurance against the risks strophic cascades throughout all of Earth’s So batten down the hatches, build up the sea- With orders upon orders of magnitude more of climate change. An enlightened political de- ecosystems. Rising sea levels will displace walls (maybe you can use some copies of that particles, complex heat exchange mechanisms bate would be upfront about the unknowns that millions of people. Tragic storms like Hurri- 2,000 page magnum opus to fill sandbags), and vast atmospheric and ocean flow dynam- result from the computer models and account cane Katrina will become more frequent, and and learn a marketable skill that doesn’t rely ics, the Earth’s climate is the largest system we for these costs accordingly. precipitation patterns will shift, drowning cit- on a cheap oil economy. Oh, and you might have in all of the, well, planet. Coupling such As to the absolute certainty of catastrophic ies while making Dust Bowls of agricultural as well slap some solar panels on your house massively complicated science with the eco- climate change barring immediate action? I’m fields. And that’s the best case scenario. before the delivery trucks run out of gas. nomic activities of six billion individual human not convinced, neither should you be. Probably. But what will the future look like if the US Holly Moeller is a graduate student in the agents, to put it simply, does not compute. Gary Shu is a graduate student in the Technol- holds to the ACES Act’s mandate? Joint Program in Biological Oceanography. Too many nonlinearities, “butterfly effects,” ogy and Policy Program and the Department Yes, there are personal consequences: A She welcomes feedback at [email protected]. hysteresis processes, and straight-up unknowns of Urban Studies and Planning. Page 4 The Tech Op i n i o n July 8, 2009 Dangerous Overtures Obama fashions himself the Great Uniter. He should be more careful of who he’s trying to unite.

Middle East, from Page 2 ties lie. What he said and did not say in his Cai- Europe too. ism. It is highly unlikely that the June 4 Cairo ro speech about the Jewish cause in the Israeli- Western, Central and Eastern Europe, as speech alone will reshape Islamic affairs and Palestinian cause. The European Union’s aid Palestinian conflict reinforces that notion. well as Russia, have seen a palpable rise in the U.S.’s Middle East policy, as I would think to Palestinian refugees and the Palestinian In his speech, Obama seemed to take it extreme-right ideology and in attacks by neo- it takes more than words to shift that centu- Authority’s Reform and Development Plan easy on the Palestinians, calling on them to Nazi youth groups on Jewish persons, places, ries-old landscape. Just like whoever would totaled 300 million euros ($467 million). This stop violence, accept a two-state solution, and and symbols — from beatings to desecration of have won the Iranian election would not have is unquestionably a noble gesture, but it would live in peace with Israel. He did not attach any graves and synagogues to swastikas drawn here changed the fact that the U.S. will still have even be more so if there were some follow-up conditions, nor did he demand an end to the and there in public spaces. More alarmingly, to deal with a regime that has been actively to ensure that those funds actually reach their terrorism and threats directed at Israel. In con- such occurrences in Russia seem to receive the seeking nuclear weapons. Even hopeful events intended recipients. trast, he called for a freeze on additional Jew- Kremlin’s tacit approval. The results of the Eu- such as the U.S.-friendly coalition’s victory in In any case, this long-term regular aid alone ish settlements and seemed to think that Israel’s ropean Parliament Election last month, which the June 7 Lebanese parliamentary elections is good evidence that Europe seems more in- legitimacy comes from the Holocaust, not from saw strong gains for extreme-right parties, does not call for a radical change and softened clined to support the Palestinian side of the a right conferred by Jewish history. send a clear message as to where action and stance on the U.S.’s Mideast policy. protracted conflict with Israel. Behind that right to exist is a 2,000-year policies are needed. All in all, there is a strong sense that Obama Now, a younger and better-educated gener- history, in the course of which the Jewish In an article titled “Cultures in Conflict — seems to be pulled in various directions — those ation of European Muslim citizens is increas- people sought to rebuild a national homeland. On Muslim Immigrants in Europe” for Har- of the United States’s interests, the Middle ingly involved in the political and decision- It might be that people born in a Western cul- vard Magazine’s July-August issue, Paul M. East-friendly EU and the Islamic world itself making structures of the EU. France’s Minister ture and family background may have a better Barrett very accurately describes the differenc- — and that he seeks to accommodate all sides of Justice is Rachida Dati, who was born to a appreciation of this fact, even if on a subcon- es between Muslim immigration to Europe and in equal measure. Playing the nice guy and try- Moroccan father and an Algerian mother. Fa- scious level. Though not Jewish myself, I first to the United States, with Europe’s Muslims ing to ingratiate himself with all sides may cre- dila Laannan, Minister for Cultural and Audio- heard of the Holocaust when I was six, when I being generally “poorer, less educated and less ate a risky hybrid for U.S. foreign policy. visual Affairs of the French-speaking commu- caught sight of a book entitled Breendonk, on integrated into their host societies” than their Making overtures to regimes that have a re- nity of Belgium, born in Belgium to Moroccan our family bookshelf, the name of which re- counterparts in the United States, who, in addi- cord of aggression and dictatorship may also parents, is another example. Dati and Laannan fers to one of the worst concentration camps tion to being less numerous, tend to be “more suggest that there is fear or weakness behind remind us that Muslims are not only present in in Europe, and later on through documenta- ambitious and on the whole more successful.” the messages of good will. Obama will have to the West, but also an intrinsic part of it and of ries watched on the family TV. With his dif- “Terrorism in the name of Islam has been more walk a very thin strategic line so as not to an- its culture, society, and institutions. ferent background and young years spent in a common in Europe than in the United States,” tagonize crucial allies, but perhaps now more That is why Obama’s words in Cairo have Muslim country, one may wonder if Obama’s he notes, reminding us that 9/11 was planned in than ever, he would gain by inspecting his core so much significance not only for the Arab knowledge and understanding of Jewish histo- apartments in Hamburg, Germany. ethical values, let them guide him, and in the world, but also for Western countries. ry might be wanting. This would explain what If one were to combine the extreme-right process show that he has teeth and a mind of So perhaps Obama should pay more heed to seems to be a superficially informed and cal- tendencies of European politics to some of his own. Europe’s issues and needs, including those of lous stance towards Israel in his Cairo speech, those second-generation Muslims in Europe’s It would be nice, also, to hear some re- its Muslim citizens. Prior to his June visit, U.S. as he gave equal weight to both the Israeli and Muslim communities who, as Barrett notes, sponse from the Islamic world. So far, I fail to relations with France had been marred by dis- Palestinian causes. are “lashing out at the countries they were born remember a major Muslim leader addressing agreements over Iran and Turkey; relations with Such a stance has justifiably sent alarm bells and raised [in],” then it is easy to see how such the global Muslim or non-Muslim communi- Germany were strained over the economic cri- among the Jewish populations both within and an explosive combination and Obama’s failure ties following significant events such as 9/11. sis. The same June 6 Le Monde editorial wrote, outside of Israel, with some observers wonder- to address it could make European Jews feel Surely, there must be a leading Muslim figure “Mr. Sarkozy knows that for Mr. Obama, who ing if Obama was not on a path of ostracizing more than nervous. out there who could address people worldwide grew up in Indonesia and who focuses his for- the country and jeopardizing its deep relation- Thus, it is imperative that Obama keep his and give Islam’s point of view in moments of eign policy on the major crises zones, Europe ship with the U.S. One commentator in Israel finger on the pulse of what goes on in Europe major crises, as well as joyful landmarks. In- is not a center of natural or personal interest.” Matzav wrote that such alliance might be “on — within and beyond the EU — and is careful stead, such moments are met with silence from With four addresses to the Islamic world hold until at least January 2013 and that we Is- not to alienate Israel, its needs, and its allies. the Muslim word’s great political and cultural since the beginning of his presidency (in his in- raelis are going to have to muddle through on If he fails to do so, his message of peace in figures. augural address, a video message to the people our own.” Cairo will have the reverse effect of creating For now, I am still straining my ear for some of Iran, a message to the Turkish parliament in Here again, it’s not just Jewish people in more tension in the relationship between Islam Islamic echoes from Cairo… April, and now the speech in Cairo), Obama Israel and in the U.S. who may feel concerned and the West. Florence Gallez is a graduate student in has made clear where his affinities and priori- about the Islam-friendly speech, but those of Having said this, there is no need for alarm- Comparative Media Studies.

The Tech is in your future

[email protected] July 8, 2009 The Tech Page 5 Ca m p u s Li f e Love, Loss, and Life@MIT Lessons Learned from Time at the ‘tute By Nick Semenkovich til the end of my sophomore year, when I met Senior Editor the woman who may have been the love of my When I came to MIT as a freshman more life. We had two classes together — 5.60 (Ther- than four years ago, I was excited for the chal- modynamics) and 7.02 (Biology Lab) — and lenge. One of the first things I heard at MIT was first spoke in the W20 cluster, though our mem- the oft-repeated parable about the bell curve, or, ories differ on what we spoke about (meaning as we engineers might call it, a normal distribu- her version is most certainly correct). I’ll spare tion. I forget who told me it first. Perhaps it was you the sappy details that I’ve become alarm- my freshman advisor, but it goes something like ingly adept at replaying in my mind. this: “If you were to put every student on a bell A few months into our relationship, she off- curve, MIT accepts only the highest one per- handedly told me something that haunts me to cent. You’re used to being in that top one per- this day: “You’re smarter than me. I’ve never cent, but now that you’re here, that curve starts dated a guy smarter than me, and that makes me all over. You won’t always be the best. You won’t nervous.” I don’t exactly remember how I re- always even be average.” plied, but I know what I thought. “She’s wrong, Quite honestly, I thought nothing of it. Like but I need to keep this up, or else I’ll lose her.” many MIT students, I was the star of my high In the months that followed, we became school class. Ask anyone in my class who their closer. We took the same classes. She saw my smartest peer was, and there was a good chance grades. She did better than me. they’d reply, “Nick.” And so I pushed myself. Not to work harder “I’m incredibly smart,” I said to myself, in fewer classes. Not to be a caring boyfriend. “and I don’t need to prove that to anyone.” Not to be the person that I was. But to, above I still vividly remember coming home from all, appear smart, terrified I would lose her if I MIT after finals ended my freshman year. That did otherwise. term I had sophomore standing and took five I battled courses from three majors: 5, 6, and courses, including 5.12 (Orgo I). Despite the 7. Eventually, I became the Editor-in-Chief of horror stories, I really loved 5.12. The problems this very paper, which easily consumed more were fascinating and the lectures were great than 40 hours a week. (I’m sure some of you are lucky enough to have I felt egged on by my many of my class- had Kimberly Berkowski). I worked hard in the mates — more than a few of whom marveled bioengineered beef would ever taste the same as To her, I say: I’m sorry. course, attending every lecture and recitation, at my course load. “Wow,” they would say. natural beef. Seriously. And to the culture that is MIT, I can now toiling over every pset, going through practice “You’re taking so many courses! What’s your As things crumbled, I struggled to prove that truly say: I hate this fucking place. problems in McMurry, and devoting time to GPA?!” Under a guise of modesty I frequently I could push myself even harder. Yet, at the same time, I strangely feel as many office hours with a dedicated TA. dismissed them. (“I don’t really like to share my My second term as Editor-in-Chief, I took though MIT was the best school for me. In the When it came to orgo exams, I did well on grades,” was the usual reply.) I once overhead seven courses. She pleaded with me to take next few years, I might forget about Grignard the first two exams, slipped on the third, and one of her friends talking: “He’s super smart.” fewer. This last term, my final term at MIT, I reagents, contamination delays, and phase por- brought it back for the fourth. When finals came When getting back a hellish take-home exam, took eight. traits (sorry Course 8, angular momentum left around I was nervous, but optimistic. “I know a classmate said: “I heard you completed the I remember sitting with her on a bench in my mind a long time ago), but I’ll never forget the material and I’ve worked hard,” I said to my- exam in, like, four hours.” If only. Building 16 this spring as I filled out my last the MIT experience. self. “I’m sure if I do okay on the final, I’ll get Yet even that wasn’t enough for me. Add/Drop form. All the while, foolishly think- It took a place like MIT to show me what an A.” I studied hard and took the exam. I flew When times got harder in my courses, I be- ing to myself, “This is really what she wants me was important in life and to finally prove to home shortly thereafter and remember sitting in came argumentative, frequently debating with to do.” myself what never needed proving. I graduated a huge lounge chair in my living room, eagerly classmates over trivial assignments, exam ques-  with two degrees from MIT. I have hundreds of refreshing student.mit.edu until my grades ap- tions, and lecture topics. As I slipped more, that About a month ago, I walked across a stage credit hours. I finished course six in a year-and- peared. And there it was: B+ disputatious style reached my personal life. I and shook Susan Hockfield’s hand. As she a-half. I was hardcore. And none of it matters As the terms rolled on, I opened up the fire- argued with her — just for the sake of seem- handed me two degrees, held neatly together by one bit. hose and tried to drink, encouraged by a blend ing smart — about topics I didn’t even care oversized rubber bands, I didn’t think about the It took me four years to learn that lesson. For of competitive peers, unencumbering academic remotely about. At one point, I nearly drove work they took or about what I’d achieved, but your sake, I hope you learn it sooner. For my policies, and disinterested advisors. That is, un- her to tears debating my heart out over whether about what it has all cost me. sake, I hope I didn’t learn it too late. Squid vs. Whale Baby, We Need To Bring This Extramarital Affair Out Into The Open. By Charles Lin after your 1L summer you can come work as Senior Editor my intern. No one will suspect anything when We need to talk. The status quo has to end. I ask you to bring in the Watermann file every We can’t keep sneaking out to the Four Sea- afternoon at 4 p.m. And by Watermann file, sons on Thursdays while I’m pretending to I mean you mounting me on top of my ma- take my son to Little League. I’m an impor- hogany desk. tant person and the press have been stalking After you pass the bar, we’ll have to keep my SUV since last Tuesday. If we keep up this the charade up. You’ll rise through the ranks steamy love affair, sooner or later it’ll explode at a prestigious law firm and sign me as your all over the papers. client. This will make things easier. Instead I know this is difficult. It’s like we’re star- of illegally funneling campaign contributions crossed lovers. We’ll have to make changes. to buy you nice things, you can just bill me. No more suggestive e-mails, no more check- You’ll rack up plenty of hours while I give you ing into hotels under pseudonyms. No more my “power of attorney.” spending some time away from my kids on Meanwhile, I’m going to craft a public Father’s Day weekend. persona so spot-free that no one will ever It’s going to be hard, but lets face it, I can’t imagine me as an adulterous sleazebag. On get caught. It would ruin me. I have my politi- the campaign trail next summer, I will keep cal aspirations to consider. mentioning that I’m an Eagle Scout. I will Not to worry though, I’ve got a plan that champion traditional marriage. I will parade will let us keep “hiking the Appalachian Trail” my insufferable wife in front of crowds and for years to come. I learned it from watch- kiss her with my mouth open. I’ll hide the ing Burn Notice. It’s called steganography. I fact that we’ve been living a sham marriage looked it up on Wikipedia. It means “hiding by taking her out on well-publicized roman- in plain sight.” tic getaways and espousing the virtues of our What we’ve got to do is make this extra- interminable union. We’ll have another child marital affair so obvious that no one will think to keep the press occupied. It’s going to be we’re having an affair. one of the toughest things I’ve ever done, but, First we’ll have to form a professional rela- baby, that’s how much you mean to me. I’ll re- tionship so no one gets suspicious when we’re kindle the flames of passion with my wife if it locked up behind closed doors for minutes means we can keep our forbidden love going at a time. I’m thinking something with con- just a little longer. fidentiality involved. You could become my Until then we just gotta hunker down and therapist, or, better yet, how about my lawyer? let this media storm blow over. Why don’t you I could actually use better counsel. And your gain a few pounds and stop putting on make- counsel will be passionate and professional. up? Then no one will think such a handsome Why don’t you enroll in law school? Yes, guy like me would be interested in a hideous it will be years before you pass the bar, but axe wound like you. It worked for Clinton. We want you in our sheets.

[email protected] Page 6 The Tech Ca m p u s Li f e July 8, 2009 Brouhaha Rhythm Puzzle Me This, Puzzle Me That

By Michael Lin lots of bright colors and patterns to match to- Of course, the hazard of yard sales is that do crosswords in ink lately — unfortunately, Campus Life Editor gether. When you’re staring at a Virginia win- they’re full unwanted stuff, like the baby “unwarranted optimism” is too long to appear A couple winters back, I bought a jigsaw ter out your window with hardly any snowfall clothes that no longer fit, the coffee table on most non-Sunday puzzles. Sudoku and its puzzle from a yard sale. The picture was of to motivate going outside, it’s one way to pass books that turned out to be easily-wrinkled related number puzzle, KenKen, are popular one of those hot air balloon gatherings, with the time. coasters, or the Easy-Bake Oven that caused among the mathematically minded, although I one case of food poisoning too many. In my like the trivial knowledge challenge of cross- case, it was the jigsaw puzzle that was missing words. (It helps to have a healthy tolerance 23 pieces. But what some might have consid- for failure.) ered “useless and incomplete,” I thought of as Your approach to jigsaw puzzles says a lot “challenging.” At any rate, I learned that you about your approach to life. The obvious ap- get what you pay for. proach, paradoxically, possesses elements of I have a friend of mine who likes to put both elegance and brute force. It requires pa- together jigsaw puzzles and then laminate tience, time, and considerable trial and error. them. As hesitant as I am to adorn my liv- You can sort the pieces by pattern, by color, ing quarters with pastoral examples of what by shape — or, if you’re like me, assemble all might be regarded kindly as “waiting room the bits on the border first so you know how art,” I have to admit that she — among oth- much space it’ll take up. ers, I’m sure — has alighted upon a reason- Then there’s the alternative approach, suit- ably clever means of interior decorating. It’s able for either the creative soul or the worka- cheaper than art that comes all in one piece, holic ­— it strikes me as perfectly viable, as- it lets you customize the art on your walls suming you have on hand a magnifying glass, piece-by-piece, and it’s still better than blank a pencil, graph paper, and the picture on the walls. It’s not quite like painting your room front of the box. I’ve never tried that method yourself, but it’s also considerably simpler. myself, but if I’m ever going to resell those My geeky side still prefers secondhand movie hot-air balloons, it seems only fair that I plot posters, but I have to admit that a two-dollar where the gaps are for future reference. Now, poster for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a fresh puzzle the Crystal Skull doesn’t really send the mes- that demands my attention. The bleak wintry sage I want. landscape and barren trees probably aren’t It seems that everybody likes puzzles going to make it on to my wall any time soon, in some form or another, with Sudoku and but at least I broke the seal myself, so I know crosswords the dominant forms these days for all the pieces are there. As a matter of fact, I short-term brain-bending. I’ve been trying to think I have two extra. Hmm... Talk Nerdy to Me My Eye Got Infected! Now I’m Wearing Glasses By Christine Yu ing glasses because most of my coworkers Staff Columnist did. Glasses are a fashion accessory amongst Since the fourth grade, I’ve needed glasses many professional women. Most people claim — but I didn’t start wearing them until the glasses make anyone look smarter. fifth grade. If this is the case, I wonder what makes I’ve always had my issues with this fashion me so unhappy about my appearance with accessory, even if I’m wearing a high-end de- glasses. I’ve been reassured countless time signer. When I first started wearing glasses, I by men and women that I look much better used to wear these cheap metal frames. I was — and smarter — with my glasses. But I just notorious for breaking the nosebuds, and then don’t see it. Maybe I subconsciously dislike they would sit unevenly on my face. appearing intelligent. I dealt with dorky, uneven glasses until the I don’t think glasses make you look more seventh grade, when I was finally allowed to intelligent. They just make you look differ- get contacts. Without “four eyes,” I gained ent. confidence. All through high school, I wore I’m not used to how I look in glasses, in my contacts, even though I kept a pair of much the same way I’m not used to many of overpriced plastic frames. I only wore those my friends wearing glasses. I once heard that to read, and I avoided appearing in public with 9 out of 10 men find glasses sexy. I was in- them. clined to disagree, until it occurred to me that The same principle has applied to my MIT if a person only wears his/her glasses to bed, career. A few days before Senior Ball, I got an their partner sees them in a different, more eye infection, which rendered me incapable intimate way. The same principle applies for of opening my right eye. Immediately, I went a person who only takes off his/her glasses to an eye doctor, who got me better in time when they sleep. to wear my contacts. However, after feeling There’s something sexy about seeing a “better,” I skipped my follow-up and landed new quality in an individual, and that’s prob- myself with a much worse form of the eye in- ably what make glasses so appealing. Since fection. wearing glasses more frequently, I’ve become I have been unable to wear my contacts for more and more confident with how I look ei- the past month, and I am now revisiting the ther way. Maybe from now on, I won’t mind aesthetic appeal of glasses. When I worked being seen either way — assuming no more for a law firm, I was tempted to start- wear infections. July 8, 2009 The Tech Page 7

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092366_04_AD_TEM_Duke.indd 1 6/3/09 11:00:36 AM Page 8 The Tech Ar t s July 8, 2009

weekend brunch can be the perfect start to the was savory but lacked the spicy kick I was expecting. West Side day. Hence, we headed over to the West Side Served with home fries, burnt toast, and chunks of Lounge (WSL), a pleasant five minute walk melon, the plate was bland and rather underwhelm- A along Massachusetts Avenue from either the ing. Harvard or Porter Square T stop. The fish tacos, also available for dinner, were bet- Loud bar by night, neighborhood breakfast joint ter. Made with haddock, slightly sweet purple cabbage Lounge by day, the WSL appears to have an identity crisis. slaw and flour tortillas, they were served alongside a Rustic red walls clash with office-building ceiling cup of fries. tiles, while urban paintings and art deco lights add to It was the snail’s pace service, rather than the food, the confusion. that made the experience memorable. If you are plan- I enjoyed the lounge music, with songs by Jem and ning a never-ending date, WSL is the place to go. We Adele completing my vision of a lazy Sunday morn- waited too long for the food, the check, and for the ing. credit card to come back, while watching our waitress The brunch menu included the typical french toast chatting with the bartender. and eggs benedict, but noticeably absent were staples When we finally walked out, the maitre d’ sent us 1680 MASSACHUSETTS AVE. like pancakes and waffles. off with a half-hearted, “Have a good night!” My OJ was pulpy and fresh out of the carton sit- Despite being trapped inside the restaurant for CAMBRIDGE, MA 02138 ting at the bar five feet away. nearly two hours, it was still only one o’clock in the (617) 441-5566 The Chef’s Devil Omelet with brie and chorizo afternoon. —Tracy Kambara Jessica Lin—The Tech Addis Red Sea

544 TREMONT STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 426-8727

Christine Yu—The Tech he adventurous date would love the idea of Ad- mented each other well and reminded me of Middle Tapeo dis Red Sea: enjoying Ethiopian cuisine with Eastern cuisine. your hands, huddled on stools around woven We clumsily scooped our meat and veggies onto T tables called mesob. injera, spongy Ethiopian flatbread. Being particular- But this exotic dining spot has its vexations. First, ly messy eaters, we needed extra injera to finish the the stools are short, unstable, and offer no back sup- meal. port. I was comfortable, but my date had to reseat The warm towel service at the beginning was a nice himself several times before finding his balance. Ser- gesture, but I wondered if that was sanitary enough as vice is spotty. As novices to Ethiopian cooking, we I unabashedly licked my fingers. needed an explanation of the dishes, but no help was The mesob’s tabletop was only about the size of a to be found. New York pizza, and combined with efforts to mini- Addis offers chicken, beef, lamb, fish, and vegan mize the mess, we had to lean forward to take each entrees; to taste the most number of dishes, we chose bite. the Doro Wot combination, which includes stewed While the experience was unique and the delec- chicken and three vegetables. table food worthy of a return visit, I would recom- 266 NEWBURY STREET The chicken tasted wild and gamey, enhanced by a mend Addis Red Sea for a group of four or five close BOSTON, MA 02116 rich red pepper sauce. My three sides, atakilt (herbed friends to order several entrees to share family style, mixed potato and vegetables), yesmir wot (spicy sim- rather than for a couple looking for an intimate date. (617) 267-4799 mered lentils), and kinche (cracked wheat) comple- —Tracy Kambara

David M. Templeton—The Tech

hen my friends took me out for tapas the point you.) Tapeo also offers a solid first time, I was told it was like Spanish drink selection, with many varia- dimsum. Unlike dimsum, though, tapas tions on the sangria. W make a great evening date. I prefer eating The restaurant has patio seat- tapas at a bar for the prompt refills of my sangrias. In ing, which on a nice summer Boston, many restaurants offer cheap tapas specials evening sounds romantic — but at the bar. Tapeo’s go for $5. Tapeo just isn’t as intimate as I find My date and I arrived around 6 p.m. to a half- most tapas places. packed bar. The service was zippy, remaining prompt The decor was colorful, but even even as the bar filled up. The bread tasted generic, then, the restaurant just felt like it was and the garlic sauce was equally bland. trying too hard. My date laughed as The tapas, though, did not disappoint — they were I butchered the Spanish words, and not the most authentic, but still exceptional for the then ended up ordering in English. price. Not all dishes were $5; some are $7.50. The bartender seemed used to I wasn’t expecting much selection — to my sur- patrons ordering in English. Over- prise, I was greeted with over 40 options. My favorite all, I find it to be a nice date spot, were the beef empanadas. (The chicken will disap- but there are better. —Christine Yu Franklin Café

278 SHAWMUT AVE. BOSTON, MA 02118 (617) 350-0010

What kind of eater are you? How would you describe yourself? If you were left on an island and only allowed one a. Carnivore a. Eclectic dish, which would it be? b. Herbivore/Vegan b. Adventurous a. Some sort of dimsum c. Omnivore c. Hipster b. Some dish that does not need utensils d. Seafood-vore d. Sensual c. Waffles e. Food? Nom nom nom… e. Urbanite d. Oysters QUIZ e. Some sort of Asian fusion cuisine

Page 8 The Tech July 8, 2009 Ar t s The Tech Page 9

fter hearing that oysters are an aphrodisiac, I my favorite is the cilantro mignonette. For those not 28 Degrees decided to give them a shot at 28 Degrees dur- so seafood inclined, there’s the standard steak, pasta, ing the one dollar oyster special, which runs or pizza. A 5-7 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays, and 5-10 My date ordered the steak, and it tasted tender. p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays. As the hours go on, the bar starts to fill up, catering to From the outside, 28 Degrees looks like a “hip- an older crowd. During the earlier hours, the service ster” hotspot. The restaurant’s layout presents several is faster but not in the “we’re trying to seat the 8:30 problems for the romantically inclined. Some of the crowd” kind of way. As the night wears on, it can take tables seat people side-by-side, which makes flirty 20 minutes to get the server to get your drink. (I rec- eyes and playing footsie more difficult (unless you’re ommend the Bellini and Blueberry Basil Martini.) into swinging). The dim lighting creates an intimate All in all, 28 Degrees is a nice spot for a date. appearance. The other patrons appeared vibrant, Avoid the sliders because they get messy. The cheese which made eating more enjoyable. appetizer is tiny for the price — oysters are a much Many Boston restaurants are now offering $1 better starter. I wouldn’t say that the food is particu- oyster promotions, hoping to make money off the larly remarkable, but the scene leaves a good impres- 1 APPLETON STREET drinks. Since my first encounter at 28 Degrees, I sion. have been back for seconds and thirds of the Island Plus, if oysters really are an aphrodisiac, at one BOSTON, MA 02116 Creek oysters, which are served with three sauces — dollar each, you can’t really go wrong. —Christine Yu (617) 728-0728 Addis Red David M. Templeton—The Tech David M. Templeton—The Tech Sea

544 TREMONT STREET BOSTON, MA 02116 (617) 426-8727

David M. Templeton—The Tech mented each other well and reminded me of Middle Eastern cuisine. We clumsily scooped our meat and veggies onto injera, spongy Ethiopian flatbread. Being particular- ly messy eaters, we needed extra injera to finish the meal. The warm towel service at the beginning was a nice gesture, but I wondered if that was sanitary enough as I unabashedly licked my fingers. Summer The mesob’s tabletop was only about the size of a New York pizza, and combined with efforts to mini- mize the mess, we had to lean forward to take each bite. While the experience was unique and the delec- table food worthy of a return visit, I would recom- mend Addis Red Sea for a group of four or five close friends to order several entrees to share family style, rather than for a couple looking for an intimate date. —Tracy Kambara

Lovin’ David M. Templeton—The Tech

by Christine Yu and Tracy Kambara Illustrations by Monica Gallegos and Robin Dahan

t first glance, Franklin Café seems like a safe fare such as vegetarian pastas, seafood, and steak, but choice for a first date. With its black leather also includes some Asian fusion cuisine, like Char Siu Franklin booths and deep red walls, the ambiance is ravioli. A spot-on. For our appetizer, we ordered Crispy Shrimp But the unprepared couple can find themselves in Toasts, served with warm onion kimchee. They re- more than one awkward situation. Franklin Café is sembled crab rangoons, but with more crunch and Café hard to find, tucked away in the residential area of the less cream. South End roughly ten blocks from the Back Bay stop For our entrees, I ordered the Slow Roasted Pork on the Orange Line. In addition, there are no visible Shoulder Au Jus, and my date ordered the Pan-Roast- signs from the street. ed Organic Chicken. Both were juicy and tender. My Once my date and I finally sat down, I could barely pork hardly needed a knife, passing the true test of see him. It was way too dark to be considered roman- slow roasting. tic. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the pork, while The music and other noise levels were tolerable at those craving a salty kick should opt for the chicken. first, but by the end of our meal, we were leaning in Portion sizes were just right, leaving us with enough and nearly shouting at each other. room for dessert. 278 SHAWMUT AVE. If you (or more importantly, your date) can get past But wait, there’s no dessert menu? BOSTON, MA 02118 these setbacks, then you’re in for a treat because the Looks like a date at the Franklin Café won’t have a (617) 350-0010 food is quite good. The menu features mostly classic sweet ending after all. —Tracy Kambara

If you were left on an island and only allowed one Where would you take your date to after dinner? What was the pick-up line you used/was used on you? Results: dish, which would it be? a. Sauna a. I like to live my life on the wild side, if you get Tally up how many a’s, b’s, c’s, d’s and e’s you have. a. Some sort of dimsum b. Home to watch a foreign indie film what I mean. Here’s where you should take your date! b. Some dish that does not need utensils c. Art gallery exhibit b. Qu’est-ce que tu manges pour être aussi belle? a. Tapeo c. Waffles d. Hotel (What do you eat to be so beautiful?) b. Addis Red Sea d. Oysters e. Finale to finish off with a delectable tiramisu c. You are my Yoko. c. West Side Lounge e. Some sort of Asian fusion cuisine d. None. * insert bedroom eyes * d. 28 Degrees e. Let’s find a place to satiate our appetites *wink* e. Franklin Cafe Page 10 The Tech Ar t s July 8, 2009 MOVIE Review hhhh UPlifting A Story With Quirky Characters That Speaks to Us All By Maggie Liu STAFF WRITER Up Peter Docter, Bob Petersen PG Now Playing

ou know any movie that stars a grumpy old man and a chubby Asian Boy Scout has to have some potential. Y Up defies labels and spans all demo- graphics. It is for those who seek entry into a different world, a world that only the minds of Pixar/Disney can create. As director and Courtesy Disney/Pixar co-writer Peter Docter (WALL-E) admitted in an interview, “The initial kernel was based Old Man). This exterior belies a sensitive soul off with an overweight talking dog named a lone silhouette against a violet sky, inching on that desire that I feel a lot to escape the still not recovered from the death of his wife. Dug and an exotic South American bird affec- along. What Carl misses most after his wife’s world.” Carl is accompanied by an overzealous tionately known as “Kevin.” death is not so much love as a human con- Up is one of those movies one can not dis- young boy, Russell, whose mission is to claim We are presented with a poignant scene nection. miss simply because it is animated and not the badge for “Assisting the Elderly” in order after Carl is forced to choose between saving This human connection is the stitching be- live-action. The character designs are memo- to become a Senior Wilderness Explorer. The Kevin and fulfilling his late wife’s wishes to hind the tale. Up refuses to sugarcoat Carl’s rable and effective. When we are first intro- two end up on an escapade via Carl’s airborne plant his house near Paradise Falls. Morale in loneliness and does not shy away from discus- duced to Carl, the surly curmudgeon, we are house, which is carried along by a mass of he- the group is low and Carl ends up pulling his sions of death. This truly makes Up an incred- presented with your average GOM (Grumpy lium balloons. The unlikely crew is finished house along by himself. The camera cuts to ible film that young and old will relish.

MOVIE REVIEW hh½ Yeah, Smashy-Smashy, Whatever, So Over It

By Kevin Wang now-traditional destruction of a Middle East- first time, but doing it over and over again is movie, I cannot unconditionally endorse STAFF WRITER ern city. The plot is completely incoherent just not acceptable. Transformers 2 in good conscience. Much Transformers 2 throughout, and the dialogue waffles continu- Plot aside, however, Transformers 2 does like entrapping children by offering them Director: Michael Bay ously between lines from Twilight and ram- deliver on all of its promises. In the world candy, awesome robotic violence is much less Starring: Shia LaBoeuf, Megan Fox blings of a deranged crackhead. of eye candy, Transformers 2 is a 600-pound effective the second time around. Moreover, Rated PG-13 If Transformers was the insult to the world’s gummy bear. The movie is essentially a U.S. its exhausting 150-minute running time is Now Playing collective intelligence, then Transformers 2 is Army recruitment commercial, and features simply too much, far too long. You don’t re- the corresponding bitch-slap. Bay appears to scene after glorious scene of tanks, airplanes, ally watch Transformers 2 in the normal sense atching Transformers 2: Revenge be engaged in a desperate race against himself and robots blowing each other away. One of the word; the experience is more like be- of the Fallen is a bit like seeing a to produce the most stupid movie possible, particularly epic action sequence, in which ing beaten into submission while somebody plane full of bacon and supermod- and there is no question that he is winning. more than six gigantic robots fight hand-to- slowly runs your brain through a blender. W els smash into a fireworks factory: Michael Bay’s plot writing in the Transform- hand in a forest, should be used as a substitute While that does sound pretty badass, in real- Even though the explosions are awesome and ers series is a bit like soiling yourself in a for Viagra (and should come with the same ity, it is completely exhausting. The novelty there are awesome things everywhere, it is public place: we can medical warnings). While its PG-13 rating of huge robots shooting missiles at each other still pretty much a tragedy. As Shia LaBoeuf all accept that there prevents us from seeing any of the really good has worn off a bit, highlighting the fact that himself has found time and time again, look- might have been stuff (robots eating school buses, robots level- the rest of the franchise is held together by the ing good does not really compensate for being l eg i t i m a t e ing cities, Megan Fox earning her paycheck), sheerest of scotch tape. excessively dumb. reasons it’s hard not to feel a twinge of glee when a Overall, the stunning visuals that Trans- Transformers 2 continues the story of Sam the Transformer blasts a hole through an formers 2 provides can not overcome the fact Witwicky (Shia Laboeuf) and his girlfriend aircraft carrier or eats one that it is dumber than a rabbit with fetal al- Mikaela (Megan Fox). They are deal- of the Great Pyramids. cohol syndrome. Although I dreamed that its ing with the typical pressures of col- Despite being a graphics would be so astounding that I could lege, such as long- distance relation- huge fan of the cope with the meaningless dialogue and ab- ships and homicidal robots for friends. franchise surd plot there just was not enough samurai After the teen movie preliminaries have and the robot beheadings. If you are going to watch ended, the film quickly degenerates into f i r s t Transformers 2 see it because you simply can’t standard Michael Bay fare. watch robots eviscerate each other in slow Bay gleefully drop-kicks “plot co- motion anywhere else. Otherwise, Transform- herence” and “realistic dialogue” ers 2 is an R rating short of a good movie, and out the window in favor of fire- you probably shouldn’t waste your money. balls and Megan Fox bending over more often. A num- ber of bad-guy robots descend on earth, prompting Sam and company to embark on a worldwide search for hid- den alien arti- facts before concluding with the

aramount Pictures

Courtesy P July 8, 2009 Ar t s The Tech Page 11 MOVIE Review hhh A Poignant and Conflicted Playboy By Maggie Liu expression, engaged in lascivious activities/ this story is not so neat and tidy. There is none terrifying possibilities in life: to be unable to STAFF WRITER Fast forward seven years. While continu- of that romance-comedy closure and smiling know what one wants and finding life leaving a Frost/The Last International Playboy ing his party hard, do nothing lifestyle, Jack faces- we only know that Jack is moving on stale taste in one’s mouth. Director: Steve Clark Frost (Jason Behr) is shattered when his best but it does not mean he has been completely All the characters are flawed in some Starring...Jason Behr, Monet Mazur, Krysten friend and childhood love Carolina (Monet reformed. way. And though Jack is supposedly the most Ritter Mazur) announces her engagement to another At its heart, this story is not about romance. messed up character, we cannot bring ourselves Rated: R man. When he realizes that Carolina is ada- It is a portrayal of an adult man, haunted by hate him. He is described as “broken — but not Now Playing in Select Theaters mant about her marriage, Jack spirals into de- his mother’s suicide, who refuses to grow up. empty, and there’s a big difference.” pression. Unconsciously, he finds himself state of limbo Although Jack drowns himself in whiskey he International Playboy is a short in- During these times, he is confronted with and his life has been temporarily put on hold. and women every other night, he still takes care terlude into an individual’s journey to- who he is, and why he can’t relinquish the Although constantly surrounded by hordes of of his drug-addled friend and insists on send- wards self-discovery and strips away the past. With the aid of a precocious 11-year-old people, he still is alone. ing her to rehab. He also takes in a lonely and T glamour of what everyone envisions as neighbor who offers astoundingly insightful Halfway through the film, Jack disappears precocious 11-year-old neighbor, even agree- the ‘perfect life’. The whole span of the movie advice, Jack begins to piece his life together. for four day and his friends later find him on ing to go trick-or-treating with her. is a mere 92 minutes. The film initially repelled me because it a cruise ship sprawled upwards to the sky. There is a boyish charm about Jack that The film starts off with a scenario that seemed like such a cliché. A playboy who has There was an uncanny resemblance between makes one sympathize with his plight — if would satisfy any hot-blooded male’s fanta- too much money parties with models. Said this scene and the one in The Graduate where any one was actually like Jack in real life, most sies. A dozen or so leggy young women in playboy realizes he lost the one woman he ever Dustin Hoffman floats on raft. Neither of the people would simply brand him as a spoiled varying degrees of nudity leap up and down loved. Playboy meets a new non-sense woman protagonists are rooted to anything and they rich boy. This film transcends that two-dimen- on a bed, framing a darkhaired Lothario. The who reforms him from his playboy ways and can’t get themselves out of the rut they find sional label. camera pans in to the young man with a rakish then the two live happily ever after. Fortunately themselves in. It is perhaps one of the most MOVIE Review hhh In Spite of Anachronisms, Ice Age 3 Exceeds Expectations By Bogdan Fedeles of Jurassic era habitat, miraculously preserved runs into some romantic trouble. just the slapstick, but also the more subtle trivia STAFF WRITER alive under the thick ice cover, is hard to be- The adventure begins when Sid unwitting- references. Ice Age lieve, even in a cartoon world. Time travel ly adopts three dinosaur eggs and attempts to The voice talents are also remarkable, with Director: Carlos Saldanha, Mike Thurmeier might have been more believable. Neverthe- raise the trio of hatchlings. Before they know special acknowledgment going to Simon Pegg, Rated PG less, the creators of the movie steer clear of it, all our heroes end up in a tropical habitat who voices the newcomer Buck. The comedic Now Playing any definitive explanation, instead focusing running for their lives. Fortunately, they run talents of Pegg shine through the vitality of on delivering a compelling ride that follows into Buck, a fearless weasel with a knack for Buck, who is always in a mood for rambling he new installment of the Ice Age fran- the new adventures of our sub-zero heroes: the dealing with the wild Jurassic fauna. From or storytelling. chise is a wonderful surprise for kids woolly mammoths Manny and Ellie, the saber- here on, the high paced adventure unfolds Aside from its dubious paleontologi- and adults alike, successfully overcom- toothed tiger Diego, the sloth Sid, the possum seamlessly, with lots of satisfying twists and cal premise, and its horrendous sequel title T ing the dilution effect that commonly pair Crash and Eddie, and, last but not least, the turns, towards an uplifting finale. (“Dawn of the Dinosaurs” sounds like an after- plagues many sequels. Although the anachro- saber-toothed squirrel Scrat. The lush graphics and intelligent cinema- hours addition by the distribution company), nistic premise — mammoths facing off dino- The movie picks up right where the last tography are delightful, fully exploiting the ca- Ice Age 3 is a thoroughly entertaining movie saurs — is quite hard to forgive, the movie is one ended, each character now facing a more pabilities of the genre, especially in the regular that offers something to everyone: There’s ro- imbued with delicious humor, snappy dialogue, or less personal challenge. Manny and Ellie version. In my opinion, the 3D version of the mance, action, adventure, gorgeous animation, and a freshness of ideas that is bound to satisfy are preparing for their first baby, Diego is movie is only a whimsical gimmick, the 3D ef- humor, and above all, the fad of the summer even the pickiest audiences. questioning his lifestyle alongside his slow fects being unimpressive, especially when they — dinosaurs! Paleontologists and astrophysicists are un- moving friends, Sid wishes for a family of his come with a $3 surcharge. A great deal of the fortunately at a loss. The existence of a pocket own, and Scrat, still chasing his elusive acorn, movie’s appeal comes from its humor — not Restaurant Reviews More Summer Spots to Hit Up With Your Date (Or Friends) There’s Nothing Better Than Good Food, Good Weather, and a Hot Date (or Friends)

By David Surry tziki with its refreshingly well-defined flavor of By Sun Kim juxtaposition to the entree. STAFF WRITER cucumber. Also in attendance were the usual STAFF WRITER I ordered the Chef’s Special Omelette, com- Desfina taramosalata and scordalia as well as a smoky Union Bar and Grille prised of eggs, sausage, ricotta, and spinach and 202 Third St. Cambridge 02141 eggplant salad. The wine list has a notable se- 1357 Washington St. accompanied by home fries and toast. The eggs (617) 868-9098 lection including a number of Greek offerings. 617-423-0555 were expertly done, light and fluffy. The spinach We eschewed the pine-flavored retsina and in- and sauage were fresh, although I was saddened he location of the Kendall Square The- stead sampled two wines from the Anastasi Es- n the recommendation of a friend, I by the paltry amount of meat in the omelette. atre seems to provide a limited choice of tates, a pleasant Cabernet and an unexpectedly ventured to Union Bar and Grille for The homefries were warm and chunky when dining options for a pre-cinema dinner rich balanced red from the indigenous Greek a good meal on a pleasant, late spring they were served, garnished with parsley and pep- T date. But for those willing to explore variety Agiorgitiko. O morning. Placing our reservation for per. The meal clearly was not roadside diner fare, the back streets, there are a number of interest- For entree I took the roast lamb, which 11 a.m., my girlfriend and I trekked to the trendy as neither greasiness nor heaviness accompanied ing options. Desfina, a neighborhoody Greek came as tender leg slices, but unfortunately did restaurant in South End. I immediately noticed the bites. At the end, I was surprisingly full; of joint, is only five minutes from the theatre. not possess the promised herb flavors. My din- that with my polo shirt tucked into khaki slacks, course, I tried some of my girlfriend’s Smoked One enters Desfina through a small bar area ing companion opted for the mousaka with its I had overdressed: All around me, hipsters were Salmon Scramble, which had tremendous flavor, where locals drop in for a beer and a couple rich béchamel sauce, unusually pungent with wearing tight-fitting t-shirts or wife beaters with blending cured salmon, crème fraiche, and scal- of innings of Sox action. The paper tablecloths cinnamon, but with strangely few aubergines. skinny jeans. lions. If you love salmon, it is a must-try. give the feel of a Greek taverna and the low For desert we shared the galaktobouriko, the Union’s main draw is its $9.95 brunch menu. The presentation of the table and the overall ceiling painted bright blue with white cloud traditional Greek custard pie, which was dense The offering included scrumptious coffee cake, ambiance of the restaurant definitely enhanced smudges conveys the sense of an al fresco din- and filling. We rounded the meal off with an entree, as well as choice of orange or grape- the experience. The speakers played lively jazz, ing experience. The air is filled with the con- Greek coffee, which came black, sweet and fruit juice, and tea or coffee. while passing conversations buzzed the air vivial babble of Greek conversation as locals strong. Throughout the night, the service was Not really looking for a tart drink, I opted for throughout the meal. The waiter was friendly and tuck into carafes of ouzo. personal and charming, if not professional. Its an orange juice, which had an appealing, fresh- helpful with our choices and brunch needs. All in To immerse ourselves in the mood we taste excellent for its price, Desfina is friendly squeezed sweet taste and pulpy texture. The all, it was a great brunch experience combining started with the pikilia (assorted appetizers). and a conveniently located venue for a pre- or coffee cake, composed of cinnamon and sour appealing tastes, friendly service, and a vibrant The star of the generous assembly was the tza- post-cinema dinner. cream, was sweet but not overpowering — a nice aura.

By David Surry We didn’t have a reservation on a Satur- The fruity, spicy palette of the wine usual script a mushroom ragù accompanied STAFF WRITER day evening, but were still rapidly guided paired excellently with my starter of warm the bird, equally notable for its flavor. On a Central Kitchen into the dark interior and presented with goats cheese salad. The arrangement on high after the success of these entrées we 567 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge 02139 menus. As we mulled over the options, the the plate was not in the traditional French decided to brave a swift dessert. Torn be- (617)-491-5599 couple next to us devoured a platter of fresh style- instead I was presented with a single tween the Taihitian vanilla crème brûlée and oysters washed down with vodka martinis­ — large slab of the cheese covering a bed of the pistachio panna cotta we opted for the here to eat in Central Square? A tempting. fresh leaves. The cheese had a lactic edge latter to satisfy my penchant for the green bevy of new eating options has We opted to peruse the wine list in our although would have benefited from reclin- nut. Although promisingly green, it disap- accompanied the gentrification of pursuit of a perhaps less ardently alcoholic ing on something firmer than the layer of pointed with a coarse texture and earthy W this gritty neighborhood. But on libation. We were suitably impressed with (apparently) mashed potato that separated rather than nutty flavor. I will stick to Ben an overcast Saturday evening in May, after the reasonably priced selections in the $30- it from the leaves with their pernod vinai- & Jerry’s for now to satisfy my pistachio a lengthy day in the lab, we chose to return 50 range, including a number of interesting grette. desert cravings. to an old favorite — the Central Kitchen. bottles from the Old World, choices from For entrée, I decided on the the house- Service was friendly and unobtrusive; This small bistro-sized space has been draw- both Alsace and southern France catching aged steak. The quality of the meat was refreshingly, they made no attempt to foist ing Central Square hipsters and guidebook- my eye. Yet we couldn’t resist a well-priced excellent, cooked to a bloody perfection expensive bottled water on us. With many clutching tourists alike for 11 years and seems bottle of Château Mourgues du Grès, a re- with some suitably crisp frites. My dining entrées over $20, Central Kitchen not cheap to continue strong. The restaurant describes spected producer in the ancient, yet always companion went for the chicken fricassée, by any stretch of the imagination — though itself as “devoted to the rustic Mediterranean excellent value Costières de Nîmes wine which was also traditional in interpretation it is still a bargain compared to many over- style,” particularly of France, Spain and Italy, growing region in the Southern Rhone, rea- with its rich sauce redolent of thyme. A con- priced and disappointing downtown eateries. although French influence seems to be the sonably priced at $36 for the bottle from the noisseur of poultry, she found the meat both The Central Kitchen looks set to remain a strongest at present. much hyped 2007 vintage. tender and flavorsome. In a detour from the Central Square favorite. Page 12 The Tech July 8, 2009

Steal My Comic by Michael Ciuffo

Instructions: Fill in the grid so that each column, row, and 3 by You deserve a factual look at . . . 3 grid contains exactly one of each of the digits 1 through 9. The Two-State Illusion Solution on page 14. Would it solve the Middle East problem? There seems to be almost universal consensus that in order to bring peace to the Middle East the creation of a   Palestinian state is unavoidable. What is more, such a “solution” is the policy of the United States. What are the facts? After much bloody fighting over the decades, other   The lesson of Gaza. In previous hasbarah efforts were made to create an additional state for the (educating and clarifying) messages we made clear Arabs (who by then called themselves “Palestinians”). that a Palestinian state would be impossible for Israel There was the Peel Partition Plan of 1937, and, most    to accept. It would lead inevitably to Israel’s importantly perhaps, the United Nations Partition destruction. The reason is primarily the lesson Plan of 1947. Under the UN plan, the territory west of learned from the Gaza experiment. Under pressure the Jordan River was to be split, with the major    from most of the world, Israel evacuated Gaza, portion to be allocated to the Arabs and the smaller, displacing hundreds of families who had lived there disconnected, portion going to the Jews. Jerusalem, a for generations and who had built substantial bone of contention, was to be “internationalized” – it   communities and extensive would not belong to either. The agricultural installations. “...the ultimate goal is not... Jews, anxious to form their Instead of making even the state, accepted this plan under   least gesture of a Palestinian state... which they were granted only a acknowledgment and but the destruction of Israel.” small fraction of the “Palestine” gratitude, the Palestinians, that they had been promised to   almost from the very first day be their homeland by the of their “liberation” from the hated Jews, began to lob Balfour Declaration and by the mandate of the rockets into Israel. Ultimately, Israel was forced to League of Nations. But the Arabs rejected the defend itself against those attacks and invaded Gaza partition out of hand. Almost the same day that Israel    in force. There was much damage and many declared its statehood and its independence, six Arab casualties. As could be expected, “world opinion” armies invaded Israel from north, east and south. In condemned Israel’s defensive action and called it what could be called a Biblical miracle, the ragtag   “disproportionate.” Jewish forces defeated the combined Arab might. Solution, tips, and computer program at http://www.sudoku.com If Israel were foolish enough to yield to the Following the Six-Day War of 1967, in which Israeli unrelenting pressure and were to turn Judea/Samaria forces defeated the combined invasion forces of Egypt (the “West Bank”) over to the Palestinians, it would and Syria, Israel offered generous terms for the Royal Bengal find itself surrounded by enemies, whose ultimate formation of a Palestinian state. But it was not goal is not the creation of a Palestinian state but the accepted. Instead, the Arabs convened in Khartoum Boston’s only authentic BengaliCuisine restaurant destruction of Israel – to use the common rhetoric, to (Sudan) and pronounced their famous Three No’s: No 313Mass.Ave., Cambridge wipe Israel off the map and push the Jews into the peace with Israel, No negotiations with Israel, No Open Daily Except Monday (617) 491-1988 sea. recognition of Israel. Other offers of statehood were 11:30 am–11:30 pm T: Red Line, Bus#1–CentralSquare made over the course of the years. Ehud Barak, then Statehood opportunities rejected. The reality is Lunch Buffet $7.95 that the Palestinians are not really interested in their prime minister of Israel, and U.S. President Bill 10% Discount on $15 own independent state. Such a state never existed Clinton offered the Palestinians almost total Reasonably Priced Dinners (or more) order with MIT ID. and the concept of a “Palestinian” people is a fairly withdrawal to the 1967 armistice lines. The new one. If the Palestinians were really interested in Palestinians rejected the offer, presumably because it Free delivery for orders over $10. their own state, if that were their aspiration, they did not include Israel’s willingness to accept Take-out, platters, and catering available. could have had such a state side-by-side with Israel, hundreds of thousands of Palestinian “refugees,” who http://www.royalbengalrestaurant.com/ for a very long time. The first partition of Palestine – would with one stroke accomplish what the Arabs all of which, by the Balfour Declaration and by the had not accomplished in their wars: the destruction mandate of the League of Nations was to be the of Israel. The cre ation of a Palestinian state could Jewish home – occurred in 1921. Winston Churchill, have been accomplished many times. But it is the who was then the Colonial Secretary, split the unalterable goal of the Palestinians, indeed of most mandated territory, allocating the great bulk to the Arabs and most Muslims, to destroy the Jewish state Arabs for the creation of what is now th e Kingdom of and never to recognize and legitimize Israel in Jordan. But, of course, that did not satisfy the Arabs. whatever shape and size as a Jewish state.

It is important to understand that the creation of a Palestinian state is not the true ultimate goal of the Arabs. It is, at best, meant to be a stepping stone toward the ultimate goal: the destruction, the disappearance of Israel and of the hated Jews from any portion of what they consider “holy Muslim soil.” The Arabs are not interested in putting an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people. That could have been accomplished long ago. On the contrary, to be martyrs is a source of pride and assurance of victory to the Arabs. They compare their willingness to sacrifice hundreds of thousands of their own with the Zionist enemy, who is concerned about combat losses or even the fate of one single abducted soldier.

This message has been published and paid for by FLAME is a tax-exempt, non-profit educational 501 (c)(3) organization. Its purpose is the research and publication of the facts regarding developments in the Middle East and exposing false propaganda that might harm the interests of the United States and its allies in that area of the world. Your tax-deductible contributions are welcome. They enable Facts and Logic About the Middle East us to pursue these goals and to publish these messages in national P.O. Box 590359 ■ San Francisco, CA 94159 newspapers and magazines. We have virtually no overhead. Almost all of our revenue pays for our educational work, for these clarifying Gerardo Joffe, President messages, and for related direct mail. 116

To receive free FLAME updates, visit our website: www.factsandlogic.org This space donated by The Tech July 8, 2009 The Tech Page 13 IS&T Pushes Microsoft Exchange, Replacing IMAP Exchange, from Page 1 IS&T declined to discuss the cost Regarding the new spam filters, Most people like the daily spam re- first debuted, was full searchability.” of the Microsoft Exchange deploy- Fitzgerald said that “Spam Quaran- port, but some liken the report itself Similarly, in an e-mail, Zhao ad- Users who read their e-mail with ment in detail, saying that the “costs tine simplifies management of spam as spam. Most have reported fewer mits that she does not use Outlook mail clients like Outlook, Pine, and for upgrading and maintaining the messages through automatic daily spam, but a few have gotten much herself, but she still favors starting Apple Mail may also be affected, as infrastructure including new infra- summaries to your inbox.” more. An upside is that Spam Quar- rising freshmen on the system, say- well as those who use MIT’s Web- structure, such as Exchange servers, Feedback about the new spam antine filters spam before it actually ing, “If this is what MIT has decided mail service. Users of the current are funded through the IS&T bud- quarantine system has been largely gets to your mail server, so it won’t to go with, then I guess the prefrosh Webmail system are encouraged by get.” positive, Fitzgerald said. fill up your quota. I’d say Spam should start out on this system. IS&T to use Microsoft’s Outlook Fitzgerald said that the mail sys- Quarantine is probably an improve- There’s no reason for them to learn Web Access (OWA), a web-based tem ultimately “gets to the point Student Reactions ment overall.” to use the old system.” interface specific to Microsoft Ex- where upgrading the hardware is not Some students passionately ex- Other students, such as Qiaochu A fourth student, who is uncom- change. enough to keep current. We’re trying pressed concern about the mail sys- Yuan ’12 and Emily Zhao ’12, shared fortable with the general anti-Micro- Christine C. Fitzgerald, a spokes- to keep our systems current to give tem changes. similar views, which favor forward- soft attitude on campus, already uses person for IS&T, said, “We are run- MIT the ability to then integrate new Jeff Z. Chen ’12 suggested that ing mail to Gmail over the use of Mi- Microsoft Exchange and said that ning Exchange servers in order to services into the future.” students should simply use Gmail crosoft Outlook (Microsoft’s client, they were happy with the transition offer Microsoft Exchange. This is an The existing Cyrus IMAP sys- instead of MIT’s mail infrastructure. which synchronizes with Exchange of to the new system. optional infrastructure solution for tem will remain intact for current “Gmail’s interface is fluid and to more effectively take advantage The student favors Microsoft Ex- those departments who will benefit students in the immediate future, but dynamic,” Chen said, “whereas Out- of all of its features). change, saying “I use Exchange be- from an integrated e-mail and calen- incoming students will be placed on look is chock full of rogue buttons In an e-mail, Yuan writes, “I cause all my stuff — calendar, tasks, daring solution.” the new Exchange system. Accord- scattered about the user interface… stopped using Outlook years ago be- contacts — are seamlessly synchro- Microsoft Exchange’s calendar- ing to Fitzgerald, old mail in the Basically the only practical advan- cause I was frustrated with its user in- nized between my desktop client, my ing and scheduling support will al- IMAP system will be kept. tage that Outlook has (for students) terface, among other things. Mostly phone, and a web client. Spam isn’t low IS&T to phase out TechTime, is its robust rules and filters inter- I didn’t like the lack of searchability. an issue. Over the last month, maybe the existing recommended calendar- New spam filtering system face.” Often I lost important e-mails, such I’ve had one or two e-mails slip by ing system. The other major change to MIT’s Regarding the new Spam filters, as those involving passwords, and the filter, but it’s pretty solid. Also, The switchover to Microsoft mail system is the introduction of Chen said, “As for Spam Quaran- one of Gmail’s biggest advantages server-side rules are wonderful in Exchange will be done on a depart- Symantec’s Brightmail AntiSpam tine, I’ve heard various opinions. over other clients, at least when it Exchange.” ment-by-department basis to best filters and quarantine system, a web- utilize the new server’s calendar and based system which has replaced the scheduling capabilities, Fitzgerald Apache SpamAssassin filters. said. Most users have been transi- Neil Diamond Lights Up Stage, Fitzgerald said that several de- tioned to the Brightmail system, partments are already testing the Ex- though users can choose to return to change system. the SpamAssassin system. Fireworks Illuminate Boston Independence Day, from Page 1 librarian at the MIT Dewey Library, Although it was a windy day, the was able to share his experiences per- fireworks went as planned. But if the Students Gather to Flyover, an upbeat performance by forming for the Fourth of July show. closely monitored winds had sur- the Berklee School of Music jazz “The Fourth is unlike any other passed a sustained 20 miles per hour, quartet “Syncopation,” and a breath- concert that we play. It’s intangible, Coan said, the fireworks would have Discuss Iran Elections taking musical performance of “The incredible, and the energy is electrify- been cancelled. Pledge of Allegiance” by 10-year-old ing,” said Caplin. When asked about Coan described this year’s show Iran, from Page 1 election votes as demanded by the singer Oladunni Oladipo. the preparation for the Pops concert, as being “new and very customized,” masses. Like many, she hoped that For the 8:30 p.m. concert held at Caplin said that the group has only and, as promised, the firework show dents, and journalists. presidential candidateMir-Hossein the Hatch Shell, thousands of Boston one rehearsal before delivering their filled the cloudless sky with adaz- Jasmine Park ’10, a representa- Moussavi would bring great change Pops fans and Neil Diamond fans wildly popular show. zling display of new and exciting tive from MIT Amnesty Interna- by winning the election. She was alike filled the grassy oval before Caplin has been playing the elec- fireworks. tional, introduced the event. After shocked at the election results. Ac- noon. Prior to the show, however, one tric bass since he was 13 and the dou- Prior to the evening’s main events, providing a brief summary of the cording to The New York Times, only of Diamond’s perhaps youngest fans, ble bass since he was 17. He has been the patriotic spirit of Independence situation in Iran, Park said, “This hours after the 40 million paper bal- local 10-year-old Olivia M. Brumer playing in the Pops for over 30 years Day was evident throughout much of is not a political or partisan event. lots were cast, the Iranian authori- was lucky enough to be one of the and said, “Music is so much a part of Boston and Cambridge. MIT students This is just a human rights talk … ties announced that they had hand- few to get Diamond’s autograph. me and I a part of it. I couldn’t think celebrated the holiday from a variety and on things we can do to make a counted 60 percent of ballots — and Brumer waited near Diamond’s of doing anything else. It’s what I do of locations, but those interviewed difference.” that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had trailer backstage for over three hours, and who I am.” unanimously enjoyed the festivities. Alex Hamilton Chan, President won. and then Diamond arrived and auto- According to State Fire Marshal Alorah M. Harman ’11 watched of the MIT Graduate Student Coun- Based on pre-election polls, graphed her hand-made fluorescent Stephen D. Coan, countless hours the fireworks display from one of in- cil, urged students to get involved. Moussavi was the predicted winner green sign, embellished with a color- of planning and collaborative effort dependent living group pika’s home- “Universities act as the critiques and of the election. Iran’s supreme ruler, ful display of flowers and hearts and went into delivering the spectacular made rafts, which floated down the conscience of society,” he said. “To Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, denied reading “Neil Diamond Rocks.” fireworks show. waters of the Charles as part of Proj- be an effective critique and a good claims of election irregularities and After the experience, Brumer was “This is largest show in Massa- ect Best Idea Ever, a group of roughly conscience, it takes a strong voice to warned protesters that they will face “very happy and excited” and said chusetts,” Coan said, “so there are 90 MIT and Olin students who came speak on behalf of human values.” violence if demonstrations contin- that she looked forward to watching a lot of unique concerns from the together for the annual Fourth of July Guest speakers Nazanin Afshin- ued. Diamond perform her favorite songs, aspect of public safety and a lot of event. Jam and Fatemah Haghighatjou led Haghighatjou compared the cur- which she later enjoyed that evening details with choreography.” Accord- Harman said one of pika’s most the discussion and the Q&A there- rent crisis to the Iranian Revolution alongside friends and family. ing to Coan, the fireworks barges are creative rafts was a floating bed after. thirty years ago by pointing out the During a brief pre-show interview, loaded a full four days in advance frame complete with mattress and Afshin-Jam is an Iranian-Cana- brutal fight for human rights and po- Robert M. Caplin, the principal bass and are then electronically operated sheets. A group of canoes outfitted dian singer, songwriter, and Miss litical reform. player of Boston Pops and a part-time the night of the show. with working barbecue grills floated World first runner up. She currently “It’s going to take a long time. downstream alongside the group. acts as an international human rights They have gotten small victories. Like a number of other MIT stu- activist and is co-founder and Presi- If you give them an inch, they will dents, Katie Silberstein ’10 watched dent of “Stop Child Executions.” give you a mile,” said Ashley Nash the fireworks from the Cambridge Haghighatjou, a former mem- ’11, of the Lecture Series Commit- side of the river, on campus. Silber- ber of the Iranian Parliament, is a tee. stein watched from the Baker roof. leading proponent of human rights During the question and answer, She said she got “the best firework in Iran, especially women’s rights. Afshin-Jam mentioned that Twitter display that I’ve ever seen; the view After serving in the Iranian Parlia- has helped protesters to reach out to was totally unobstructed.” ment from 2000–2004, she was the the outside world. With the govern- Anton V. Tarasenko, summer stu- first to resign when the anti-reform ment having blocked text messages dent visiting from Melbourne, Aus- Guardian Council banned more than and access to Youtube and Face- tralia, described experiencing the 2,000 reformist candidates from book, Twitter’s microblogging ser- Fourth of July festivities for the first the seventh Parliamentary election. vice has allowed Iranians to show time in Boston. In preparation for the She currently is a visiting scholar at others the violence in the streets of holiday, Tarasenko spoke fondly of MIT’s Center for International Stud- Tehran, such as the video of Neda buying an American flag and learn- ies. Soltani moments before her death. ing the national anthem. As the first speaker, Afshin-Jam She encouraged attendees of the Tarasenko said that “the fireworks recounted her childhood experienc- discussion to take action. were like nothing that I’ve ever seen es with violence in Iran. Her father When asked what MIT students before. The American spirit was in- was arrested and tortured in jail for could do to help with the situation, tense with all the flags, the cheering, owning an establishment that al- Afshin-Jam asked students to “be- and the sing-alongs. America is a lowed music, the use of alcohol, and lieve that change will happen.” Jennifer Mahoney-Brum great example to follow because peo- dancing. Horrified by the atrocities “One signature on a petition Olivia M. Brum from Lowell, MA, holding her autographed sign, wel- ple have such pride for their nation.” of her father’s arrest, her family em- could save a life,” she said. Afshin- comes Neil Diamond. igrated to Canada in 1981. Jam also said that she hopes MIT Even though she is separated students will be able to advance from Iran, Afshin-Jam cannot ig- online social tools like Twitter to Briefs, from Page 1 the Benders as the de facto choice for the housemaster nore the sufferings of fellow Irani- protect Iranian bloggers from being position. In order to appoint the Benders as housemas- ans from the aftermath of the recent caught by Iranian government spies Colombo wrote in an e-mail: “I had a discussion ters, however, Dean Colombo must recommend them to election. She spoke against the ex- prowling the site. with the search committee about this strong preference President Hockfield. He has not yet done so. ecution of minors and the death of “If I were in Iran, I’d be out there early in the process.” — John A. Hawkinson, Jeff Guo, Robert McQueen Neda Agha-Soltan, who was shot with the protesters,” said Sulinya The selection committee began their search back in through the heart by a sniper while Ramanan ’10. “None of them are January 2009, after then-housemaster Henry Jenkins III standing quietly near the protestors scared to risk their lives, and that announced his departure for the University of Southern on the streets of Tehran. She also inspires me to do more.” California. By late May, the choice was narrowed down D’Amelio in Drug Program said that other countries can help After the panel, Afshin-Jam led to two couples: Walter and Wanda Bender, and Profes- Joseph D’Amelio, the former MIT Police Officer end the violence by pressuring the a candlelight vigil on the stairs out- sors Robert J. Silbey and Susan S. Silbey. Robert Silbey arrested for drug trafficking in March, was arraigned Iranian government. side Building 7 in memory of Neda is a former Dean of Science and current Chemistry pro- in Superior Court last Friday. A grand jury handed up Haghighatjou echoed much of and others killed in the protests. fessor, and Susan Silbey is an Anthropology Professor. an indictment charging D’Amelio and two co-defen- what Afshin-Jam mentioned, fo- Following the vigil, many sang “Ey A couple of days after both candidates were inter- cusing on the Iranian government’s Iran,” a populist song of strong cul- viewed, the Silbeys sent in a resignation letter, leaving Briefs Continued, Page 14 refusal to permit a full recount of tural significance in Iran. Page 14 The Tech July 8, 2009 MIT Picower Institute Suffers From Madoff Losses By Robert McQueen institute only received $2 million, half however, is healthy enough to con- tors with the same investments that he document, Picard accuses the Picowers associate editor of what was expected. tinue their operations. received from other investors, thereby of having full knowledge of Madoff’s Since the Madoff scandal and the With the Picower Institute Innova- Professor Susumu Tonegawa, who gaining no returns from the market. Ponzi scheme. The document claims collapse of the Picower Foundation, tion Fund, each of the eleven research directed the Picower Institute in 2006, ProPublica, an investigative non- that Jeffry Picower demanded ficti- the MIT Picower Institute for Learn- labs would receive $150,000 of addi- heads the Tonegawa Lab, which fo- profit newsroom, reported that Ma- tious gains from Madoff, who would ing and Memory has successfully tional funding per year for two years. cuses on memory mechanisms with doff’s net worth amounted to a mere then purchase backdated securities to continued its operations despite some The primary goal of the fund was to genetically engineered mice. “We are $825 million. fake profits. In one example reference, sharp, unexpected loss of funding. promote high-risk, high-return re- doing fine,” said Tonegawa, “although Even before Madoff’s arrest, Har- Picard claims that Madoff opened new Money for several high-risk, high- search projects that normally could in a long run a major sponsor that ry Markopolos, an independent finan- accounts in April 2008 that backdated gain projects has vaporized. not be funded. However, the collapse would substitute the Picower Founda- cial fraud investigator, warned inves- to January 2008, resulting in a ficti- At the cutting edge of brain re- of the Picower Foundation in Decem- tion … would be much desired.” tors of the possibility that Madoff was tious gain of $39 million in less than search, the Picower Institute consists ber 2008 destroyed the fund, leaving One of the challenges Tsai expects conducting a giant Ponzi scheme, and two weeks. In effect, Picower asked of eleven research labs in Building 46, several projects without the $2 million to face is acquiring resources for sup- unsuccessfully tried to get the U.S. Se- for money, and Madoff delivered. all of which are headed by MIT Pro- of additional funding. porting research from government curities and Exchange Commission to Picard goes so far to state that the fessors. The institute is endowed by Despite the loss of funding from and private sectors. Government or- investigate. Picower Foundation was “dominated MIT, but most of the endowment sup- the Picower Foundation, the institute’s ganizations like the National Institutes On March 12, Madoff pled guilty by and used merely as the instrument port is used to support administrative outgoing director, Professor Mark of Health give out national grants to to eleven felony counts, and on June of [Jeffry] Picower to advance his per- tasks. Most funding comes from out- Bear, is optimistic about the future of institutes in order to support research. 29, he was given a maximum sentence sonal interests rather than corporate side grants. The largest grant-making the institute. In the upcoming year, Tsai expects the of 150 years in prison. Investigations ends.” As evidence, he points out sev- organizations the labs received money “The sudden loss of funding by amount of grants awarded from these into the Madoff scandal are still on- eral cases when the Picower Founda- from are the National Institutes of the Picower Foundation was diffi- institutions to grow as a result of Pres- going, however, and investigators are tion benefited from annual return rates Health, the Howard Hughes Medical cult,” said Bear, who is also a Howard ident Obama’s stimulus plan. now scrutinizing some of Madoff’s of more than 100 percent. Some rates Institute, and the Picower Foundation. Hughes Medical Institute investigator. biggest investors, who benefited from were even as high as 950 percent per The Picower Foundation, a phil- “The major negative impact is that we Picower/Madoff Connection the scandal. One of the largest investi- year. anthropic organization valued at $958 are forced to devote more time to fund On Dec. 11, Bernard L. Madoff gations is targeting Barbara and Jeffry William Zabel, the attorney repre- million on its 2007 tax forms, was one raising, which is a distraction from do- shook the financial world and was Picower of the Picower Foundation, senting the Picowers, denied Picard’s of Madoff’s largest victims, holding ing science.” arrested for conducting a $65 billion who supposedly withdrew $5.1 bil- allegations. He told the New York 24 accounts with Madoff’s firm. It has On July 1, Professor Li-Huei Tsai Ponzi scheme. Madoff lied to his in- lion since December 1995, according Times, “Mr. and Mrs. Picower con- since closed. was appointed as the new director of vestors about the remarkably high fi- reported by ProPublica. sidered themselves friends of the In May 2002, the Picower Founda- the Picower Institute, succeeding Bear. nancial gains of his trading firm, Ber- Attorney Irving H. Picard filed Madoffs for over 35 years. They were tion gave $50 million to what is now For now, Tsai plans to work closely nard L. Madoff Investment Securities a complaint against the Picowers on totally shocked by his fraud and were the Picower Institute for the construc- with the Dean of Science and Office L.L.C. In reality, Madoff paid inves- May 12 of this year. In the complaint in no way complicit in it.” tion of a new facility, now known as of Resource Development in order to Building 46. More recently, the Pi- get a better grasp of the institute’s cur- cower Foundation gave another gift of rent state. $4 million to the Picower Institute in All of the labs lost a significant NY Court Hears New Reports on May 2008 to start the Picower Insti- source of funding which would have tute Innovation Fund. Due to the col- allowed them to conduct more proj- lapse of the foundation, however, the ects. The financial state of the labs, Aafia Siddiqui’s Mental Health By Benjamin Weiser But as the experts vied to talk about break the Ramadan fast, as examples of The New York Times her mental state, it was Siddiqui who “her delusional thought process.” Where and When To government psychiatrists, Aafia seemed to be most intent on getting in There was “very strong evidence” Siddiqui ’95 has been faking symp- the first and last words, and many in that she was not malingering, he wrote. toms of mental illness, hoping to avoid between. But a government expert, Gregory Do Faculty Relax? a criminal trial on charges of trying to “I’m not psychotic — I can assure B. Saathoff, a psychiatry professor at kill American soldiers and F.B.I. agents you I am not,” she said in a discourse the University of Virginia, said because Vacation, from Page 1 trips are nothing like the month-long in Afghanistan. after the cross-examination of a psy- of Siddiqui’s desire to return to Pakistan learning and vacation experiences But to a psychologist retained by chologist who had concluded that she and her interest in avoiding prosecution, Introductory Biology with an empha- he’s enjoyed in previous years, citing Siddiqui’s lawyers, she suffers from a was suffering from mental illness and she “has had a strong motivation to ap- sis on cell biology and genetics, will a two-month-long trip to Japan as an genuine mental disorder, and is incom- was not competent to stand trial. pear incompetent.” remain in the Northeast this summer. example. petent to stand trial. During another expert’s testimony, “She has most likely fabricated Whether in his parents-in-law’s farm Sadoway says is that there is less These clashing descriptions are when the discussion turned to her not reported psychiatric symptoms,” he in Vermont or, more recently, in a discretionary spending now. Every- contained in newly filed psychologi- eating in prison, she interjected, “It was wrote. cabin that he shares with his wife in one, he believes, feels the need to be cal evaluations in the case of Siddiqui, Ramadan, just for the record.” Another prosecution expert, Sally woody New Hampshire (see photo, fiscally cautious given the state of the 37, a Pakistani neuroscientist who was “Excuse me,” said the judge, Rich- C. Johnson, a psychiatry professor at right), Weinberg spends his sum- economy. brought to Manhattan last summer for ard M. Berman. She replied, “I didn’t the University of North Carolina, wrote mer days split between biology work Whereas Sadoway previously prosecution. ask to come here.” that although Siddiqui appeared frail and leisure. He tends his garden and went to conferences both to present After a court-ordered evaluation Siddiqui was taken into custody and timid, “her potential for aggression makes repairs around the house in his his own research and to learn about found that she was unfit for trial as a last July in Ghazni, Afghanistan, af- towards herself or others might be un- free time. others, now he limits his time to very result of a mental disease, a judge or- ter she was found loitering outside the derestimated,” and she “could perceive Some, like Broad Institute Found- specific instances of discussing his dered her sent to the Federal Medical provincial governor’s compound with herself as martyr for a cause.” Johnson ing Director and Biology Professor MIT research. Sadoway said cutting Center Carswell in Fort Worth for fur- suspicious items in her handbag, the recommended that “adequate precau- Eric S. Lander, who teaches 7.012 back on traveling was unfortunate. ther evaluation. authorities have said. The items in- tions be taken to protect her and other with Weinberg, have not yet solidified Learning hands-on and applying re- On Monday, the judge, Richard M. cluded handwritten notes that referred individuals throughout the resolution of their summer plans. While Professor search are just as important for pro- Berman of Federal District Court in to a “mass casualty attack,” and listed her legal proceedings.” Lander intends to work out family fessors as studying the established Manhattan, took up the competency various landmarks like the Empire State Siddiqui, who studied at MIT and plans for late August, he has not yet academic knowledge in their fields. issue, hearing testimony from experts Building and the Statue of Liberty, an received a graduate degree in neurosci- made specific arrangements. Sadoway said that, although the who have evaluated her. Judge Berman indictment says. ence from Brandeis, wore a white fab- Although various MIT professors Internet is a great resource for knowl- did not rule on the competency ques- While she was detained, the indict- ric head covering that left only her eyes are spending time traveling this sum- edge and learning, “there is no substi- tion, and asked for further filings from ment charges, she picked up an unse- visible. mer, Sadoway said that the economy tute for human contact.Henisi. Pat, cor sumboth nos sides. doloreet elesseq uatueracured esectem rifle and doloboreet,fired at least two con shots henisciduntHer outbursts at, alternated quat dolobore with peri- diam, veliquisl el ut adip eraesto duis dolor sum ex exeros ea faci ea amcommo lorper adit nullaor at, commy nosto odolenim nostrud et laore feu facidunt alit lutetue modolor accum ea am, quamcon sequat wisl ullam, consequat. Iquat. Ut el iure feugait elit, quis adionsectet ex endre facip er accum zzrit lor sustis aut verit, sed modolor eraessim et dolore duis nisis ad minit in vendrem quatums andigna feuissed enim zzriusci tem nos dipsusto od magniat wismod tat, voluptat. Ut amcon volesequisl iure deliscillam quatetum dolorpe riusto del eriusto core facilit, qui tem nonsenim zzriustrud dolore conse molestrud modolore corpercilla feu faccum quisci blan volut iustrud minim ipsum ad magnibh esequatem qui bla con volor sectem zzrit eum nonum ese dolortisis amconullaore vulla feu feu feu feum duipsus tionsectem erci tet aci endreet lor si. has had a definite effect on his travel Magnim do doloreet,Siddiqui conulput declared wisi in a seriesex ex of euram -facincilittoward a alit soldier iustissed who was eugue part of an vel odsdolore of quiet, vent sometimes seeming to lis- plans. He mentioned that his short Solution to Sudoku bling, often disjointed outbursts that she American team of F.B.I. agents and ten intently, sometimes placing her head from page 12 had not shot anyone and was not against military personnel who were about to down on her arms on the table. As the the United States. question her. No one was hit. She was afternoon progressed, her commentary LEGAL COUNSEL          “I didn’t fire any bullets,” she said charged with attempted murder and grew heated at times, as she touched on MIT students, family, employers and          at one point. other charges, and has pleaded not war and peace, Zionists and Jews, and start-ups seeking U.S. legal counsel, “I’m really not against America. I guilty. her anger at being strip-searched. She campus or office consultation. Call:          never was. I still am not,” she said later. The defense’s psychologist, L. occasionally even turned to address the James Dennis Leary, Esq.          During the hearing in Federal Dis- Thomas Kucharski, a professor at John spectators. 321-544-0012 trict Court in Manhattan, psychological Jay College of Criminal Justice, con- On the United States, she said,          experts differed on whether Siddiqui cluded that Siddiqui was suffering from “America as a nation has been framed THE HAPPY HOUNDS Licensed, Bonded & Insured Dog          had faked symptoms of mental illness a delusional disorder and depression. to look bad.” She added later: “I want Walkers & Pet Sitters or suffered from a genuine mental dis- He cited various statements, like one to make peace with the United States Serving the Cambridge, Boston &          order, and if she was competent to stand in which she said she had been injected of America. I’m not an enemy. I never Somerville areas. Excellent references. trial. with a substance designed to make her was.” $13/half hour, $20/hour, $30/overnight.          www.thehappyhounds.com 781-698-6893          Briefs Continued, from Page 13 Sharon’s Hair, the new, on-campus full-service bar- bershop and styling salon, has opened its doors and is dants in mid-June, and both D’Amelio and his cousin ready for business. The shop is located in the basement Anthony Cristallo appeared and pleaded not guilty last of the student center where the New Tech Barber’s once Friday. stood. Owner, manager, and barber Sharon Donovan D’Amelio is no longer under house arrest, but is has served the MIT community for over twenty years, enrolled in a drug treatment in Weymouth, MA, under working as a barber at the New Tech Barber. She is ac- supervision of the court. The third defendant, Donald companied by fellow barber John who works on Mon- SPERM DONORS Up to Smoot (no relation to the famed MIT Smoot of unit and days but will start working full-time in the fall. a month! standardization fame) was absent. Smoot is accused of Donovan plans to host a grand opening event later NEEDED $1100 FedExing the drugs from Florida to himself in Massa- this year before the start of the academic year. The sa- chusetts, and then selling them to Cristallo, after distrib- lon offers the same services as the New Tech Barber in- Healthy MEN in college or with a college degree wanted for our uting a price sheet to D’Amelio. cluding haircuts, perms, waxing, colors, and highlights. sperm donor program. The trial for all three is set for Jan. 11, 2010, with Donovan plans to expand her business in the fall by of- Minimal time commitment pretrial appearance on Dec. 8, 2009, with their next rou- fering nail styling, and special promotions like “finals tine court appearance on Aug. 19, from which D’Amelio week” haircuts. Help people fulfill their dreams of starting a family. is excused because of his drug treatment program. Sharon’s Hair is open Monday thru Friday, 9 a.m. to Receive free health and genetic screenings. — John A. Hawkinson 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule an appointment, call the salon at their new number (617)- APPLY ONLINE: W20 Barber Saga Continues 621-8577 or visit them in the basement of the student www.SPERMBANK.com center, room W20-023. — Robert McQueen July 8, 2009 The Tech Page 15 Sp o r t s Cricket Club’s Third MIT Sport Taekwondo Athletes Tournament at MIT Go to World University Games By Aaron Sampson consist of choreographed sequences Berkeley, CA on May 29, a competi- Sports Editor of kicks and hand techniques, which tion between collegiate athletes from Hosts 10 Area Teams Four members of the MIT Sport are unique to rank. Forms competi- around the Western Hemisphere. At Taekwondo Club are representing tors are judged on both their techni- that event, the U.S. team earned 16 By Varun Ramanujam verve to the tournament through the United States at the 2009 Sum- cal correctness and the way they ex- of the 21 gold medals, including one Club Member their dash and flamboyance. The mer World University press the forms—power, speed, and captured by Ren and Zhou. The third MIT cricket tourna- big hitters from Watertown caused Games in Belgrade, rhythm. Currently in progress, the Uni- ment kicked off to a frenetic start more than a few jitters in their Serbia. Competing At the Universiade, as at all major versiade runs from July 1 to 12. over a somber weekend of mist matches against the MIT Electrons from MIT are Rebec- World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Taekwondo competition began with and drizzle on June and UMass Lowell, while the ma- ca Hung ’11, Karolina competitions, the poomsae compe- individual poomsae on Wendesday, 28. Ten teams par- rauding bashers from Rhode Island A. Corin G, Alicia Y. tition is divided up into individual July 1 and wrapped up with the com- ticipating in the MIT lit up the arena with their audacious Zhou ’06, and Bobby forms, men’s and women’s three- pletion of the sparring competition Cricket Club’s first batting against extremely challeng- Ren ’05. person teams, and mixed pairs. Ren on Monday, July 6. summer tournament, ing bowlers. However, their lack of MIT Sport Taekwondo Head In- and Zhou are competing as a mixed Although no medals were earned an anticipated encore discipline and consistency undid structor Daniel Chuang will be one pair while Corin, Hung, and Zhou are by the U.S. Poomsae team, both the to tournaments held their charge against the clinical ex- of the coaches for the U.S. team for a women’s team. There is an added women’s team of Corin, Hung, and in the fall and spring. A testament hibitions of the MIT Electrons and the second consecutive year. element of difficulty in pair and team Zhou and the mixed pair of Ren to the popularity of the tournament UMass Lowell, nudging them both Held every two years, the World forms since each move in the form and Zhou advanced to the semifi- was the attendance and avid inter- onto the verge of elimination. Bur- University Games, officially known not only must be correctly executed, nal round. Corin, Hung, and Zhou est of several established profes- lington, the fifth team in Group A, as the Universiade (University but also must be synchronized. In all finished in ninth place and Ren and sional cricket clubs from the New will start its campaign in the sec- Olympiad), is a large international divisions, competitors prepare a total Zhou finished in 11th. The U.S. men’s England area. ond week, and their progress could sporting event for collegiate athletes of six forms, two to be performed team of Johnny Nguyen and Anthony The Jack Barry Astroturf Field have a significant impact on the from around the world, similar to the in the preliminary round, two in the Nguyen from Arizona State Univer- provided a unique venue for crick- duopoly in the group so far. Olympics. This year’s games will in- semifinal round, and two in the final sity and Jason Hwang from Califor- et. The use of taped tennis balls In Group B, pre-tournament in- volve of over 9,000 athletes from 140 round. Across the divisions, these nia State University, San Bernardino on the skidding turf added to the terest was directed towards which countries competing in 15 Olympic consist of the highest color belt forms advanced to final round, finishing in novelty of the experience and pre- team would likely accompany the sports. In fact, the Universiade is the and the first five black belt forms. sixth place. sented a challenge to every player defending champions, the Cam- largest sporting event in the world The U.S. Poomsae team was se- More information about the Uni- irrespective of suite (batting, bowl- bridge Cricket Club, to the semi- this year. lected at the National Collegiate versiade can be found at http://www. ing or fielding), enhancing its ap- final stages. However, all such Taekwondo competition at the Taekwondo Association (NCTA) ub2009.org/. Additionally, Zhou is peal to cricket teams from around predictions were overturned when Universiade incorporates both kyo- Championships, held at Brown Uni- writing an official blog for the Na- the New England region. the Cambridge Cricket Club lost to rugi (sparring) and poomsae (forms). versity in Providence, Rhode Island tional Collegiate Taekwondo Asso- The ten teams havebeen divid- the MIT Protons in a most shock- This is in contrast to the Olympics, on March 21-22. They also com- ciation at http://www.ncta-usa.com/ ed into two groups of five teams. ing reversal that underscored the in which the taekwondo competi- peted at the first Pan-American Uni- alicia_zhou_2009_SWUG_blog. First, all teams within each group inherent unpredictability of this tion consists of sparring only. Forms versity Taekwondo Championship in html. play each other, round-robin. The game. Inspired by scattered per- top two teams from each group formances in bits-and-pieces, the qualify for the semifinals. Ten MIT Protons outlasted a strangely players can represent a team for a lukewarm Cambridge Cricket Club game, and the batting innings com- in their first clash, but promptly prise a maximum of 12 overs each. conceded the initiative in their The MIT Cricket club fielded two next encounter against Waltham XI teams for this tournament: the MIT through a most lopsided defeat. In Elecktrons and MIT Protons. keeping with the trend, the Cam- Group A consisted of Burling- bridge Cricket Club underwent a ton, Watertown, the University of timely revival of fortunes by hand- Massachusetts Lowell, Rhode Is- ing tournament fledglings Galaxy land, and the MIT Electrons. Group XI a sound beating, while Waltham B featured teams from Waltham and undid their good work against the Lowell along with the MIT Protons, MIT Protons through a lackluster the Cambridge Cricket Club (win- performance against an inspired ners of the fall tournament), as well and sprightly outfit in the form of as new entrant Galaxy XI. Lowell Rockers. The Rockers were The first weekend of the -tour particularly noteworthy for their nament, June 27 and 28, featured inexorable energy on the field and tense and riveting encounters with the bat. punctuated by awe-inspiring sixes, All in all, the results from the intimidating yorkers and bounc- first week have set a tantalizing ers, and match-turning catches. platform for the matches in the fi- The tournament standings at the nal weeks of the tournament, where end of the weekend showcased the temperament and fortitude of the emergence of vastly disparate the teams are likely to be tested to trends in the two groups. In Group the fullest. A, there is a stark schism opening The cricketing community at up between the top two teams and MIT is prepared for another absorb- the rest of the field. Howerver the ing sequence of clashes that prom- chaotic nature of Group B resulted ises to bring quality competitive in a four-way tussle for the top two cricket to the shores of this pres- spots, adding excitement to the up- tigious institution, and extends a coming weekend matches on July cordial invitation to every member 10 and 12, which will be followed of the university to partake in this by the knockout matches on July 18 thrilling celebration of a universal- and 19. ly popular sport. Details regarding Noah Spies—Tech File Photo The MIT Electrons and UMass the tournament schedule and match Srinivasan Jagannathan G (left) and Ankur Sinha G are seen preparing for a cricket match on the Barry Lowell have emerged as the teams timings, as well as playing condi- Astroturf Field in this September 2008 file photo. to watch from Group A, having tions and rules, are available at the won both their matches. While all- MIT Cricket Club’s website: around team effort and orthodox ap- http://www.mitcricket.net/ plication have been the strengths of tournaments/2009/summer/ the MIT Electrons, UMass Lowell trn-home.html. ©2006 Defense Environmental has relied upon its potent bowling ©2006 Defense Environmental attack to subdue its opponents. The contrasting styles of the two teams have generated immense interest in their clash in coming weekend of Be one of us! do nothing matches. Watertown and Rhode Is- land have both been valiant in their [email protected] matches and have lent refreshing Eating Disorder Treatment Treatment of Adults Suffering from fight global warming.com Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Informed clinicians refer their clients to Laurel Hill Inn. LHI provides the most effective treatment and deploys the highest staff-to-client ratio in New England. We provide extensive programming in a highly structured and supervised non-institutional therapeutic setting. Evening, day, and residential treatment as well as weekly support groups in West Medford and West Somerville. Call Linda at 781 396-1116 or visit www.laurelhillinn.com. This space donated by The Tech Page 16 The Tech July 8, 2009 Eric D. Schmiedl—The Tech Happy Fourth of July, Boston! (clockwise from top-right) down in this composite stitched panorama. Hundreds of thou- Boston Pops conductor Keith sands of people — and hundreds Lockhart gestures to the crowd of watercraft — surrounded the during the Pop’s public rehears- barge with fireworks in the mid- al on July 3 at the Hatchshell on dle of the river. the Esplanade. Singer Neil Diamond sings his Crowds lined the banks of the signature song “Sweet Caroline” Charles River as early as before to large crowd packed on the noon on July 4th to claim prime Esplanade during the rehearsal spots to view the fireworks. of CBS’s national broadcast of the Boston Pops Fireworks A close flyover by F-15’s of the Spectacular on July 3. 104th Fighter Wing (based in Westfield, MA) added an ele- The 101st Field Artillery Regi- ment of action to the National ment (based in Brockton, MA) Anthem. provided an added “boom” to Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Over- Charles River is seen at sun- ture.”

David M. Templeton—The Tech

Andrew T. Lukmann—The Tech

Andrew T. Lukmann—The Tech

David M. Templeton—The Tech

Andrew T. Lukmann—The Tech

Eric D. Schmiedl—The Tech