Massachusetts Primary Elections Today

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Volume 128, Number 39 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Aafia Siddiqui’s Son Released; DOJ Hints At Conspiracy Charges By John Hawkinson opted son. Staff Reporter “Preliminary nuclear DNA anal- The young boy arrested with Aa- ysis indicates that [REDACTED] fia Siddiqui ’95 on July 17 has been DNA is consistent with that of a po- released to Pakistani custody to be tential offspring of Aafia Siddiqui,” turned over to Siddiqui’s relatives, said an Aug. 22 letter released by The Associated Press reported yes- the Department of Justice. “Ad- terday. ditional testing is being conducted Siddiqui and the boy were arrest- and should be completed by next ed outside the Ghazni province gov- week,” referring to the week of Aug. ernor’s compound on suspicion of 24–29. carrying a bomb. She allegedly had The DOJ has not released any “numerous chemicals” and plans for further information and declined explosives in her possession. yesterday to comment on the Af- Andrew J. Shum The Afghan Foreign Ministry ghan and Pakistani foreign ministry The MIT sailing team participates in the Women’s Man-Labs Trophy on the Charles River on Satur- claims the boy, Ali Hassan, was ad- statements. day morning. opted by Siddiqui in 2005, and that Separately, the DOJ has linked he is a dual U.S./Pakistan citizen, Siddiqui to an existing terrorism the AP said. The Ministry said the case, and that suggests more charg- boy had been held by Afghanistan’s es are forthcoming. Assistant U.S. At NW35, Fall Community Picnic intelligence service for ten days, ac- Attorney Christopher L. LaVigne cording to the AP. alleged “Siddiqui is an unindicted The boy’s release appears to be co-conspirator” in a 2003 conspir- Toasts New Dorm, Dean Colombo a response to pressure from Paki- acy for which Uzair Paracha was stani diplomats, as well as human convicted, Lavigne wrote in a letter By Jingyun Fan tory to tour the new dorm and to main campus, direct shuttles to and rights groups, many of whom have dated Thursday, Sept. 11. The letter Despite the long trek from main welcome the new Dean for Student from the student center were pro- been clamoring for his release and was released Friday, and refers to campus to NW35, turnout for last Life, Costantino “Chris” Colombo. vided. Still, organizers were afraid expressing concern over the condi- United States v. Uzair Paracha. Monday’s fall Community Picnic “Turnout was wonderful,” said as few as 2,500 would show up this tions under which he has been kept. Uzair Paracha was convicted of was far greater than organizers had Ashdown housemaster Ann Orlan- year. There is still confusion about the conspiracy, providing material sup- anticipated, said Gayle M. Gal- do. “It was a great day and a lovely They were pleasantly surprised boy’s identity. The AP reported that port and resources to al Qaeda, and lagher, senior director of Institute event.” when the opposite happened. “It Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said document fraud, and sentenced to events. Last year’s picnics were held in was a great mix of the community, a U.S. DNA tests showed the boy was Over 4,500 students and faculty Killian Court and hosted around lot of faculty,” said Gallagher, who Siddiqui’s biological son, not an ad- Siddiqui, Page 16 members gathered at the courtyard 3,000–4,000 people. Because of the Ashdown graduate dormi- NW35 is located much farther from Picnic, Page 14 Fa l l 2008 UA El e c t i o n Ca n d i d a t e s Caltech Committee Visits 2012 Class Council Senate Seats Position Candidates Residence Seats Candidates MIT to Learn Our Ways President Rishi Dixit NW35 1 Samuel Rodarte ’12 By Aditi Verma and facilities. Jing Jing Gong East Campus 2 Harrison L. Bralower ’11, From Sept. 2 to Sept. 4., a group “We wanted to separate fact Christopher D. Luna Donald B. Guy ’12, of 11 undergraduates from Caltech from fiction about what goes on at Vice Presi- Andy D. Kalenderian Ciara M. Lomax ’12, visited MIT as part of a two-week, other schools,” said Anthony Chong, dent Timothy Z. Chang Vrajesh Y. Modi ’11 McCormick 2 Kristina N. Cibor ’11, cross-country trip to observe student a member of the visiting commit- Treasurer David S. Zhu Mengjie Ding ’12, life and culture at eight East Coast tee. “We all know people who say colleges, including Harvard Univer- ‘You know, I have a friend at another Secretary Anjali B. Thakkar Eleni Orphanides ’10, Ye Yao ’11 sity, Williams College, Princeton Uni- school, and they do stuff totally differ- Publicity Michaela S. LaVan and versity, and Olin College. ent there and they’re actually happy.” Chairs Ellen B. McIsaac Next House 2 Timothy J. Stumbaugh ’12 New House 2 Shin Nee S Wong ’12, At MIT, the Caltech students met There are over 4,000 undergradu- Social Sappho Z. Gilbert and with DormCon and the Undergradu- ates at MIT, compared to about 900 Chairs Cynthia Wang Richard A. Dahan ’12 Burton-Conner 2 Zachary D. Tribbett ’12, ate Association, and talked with UA at Caltech. The gap in size makes up Akara K. Ambak and President Noah S. Jessop ’09, Senior much of the difference in student life Michael A. Thompson Caryn E. Krakauer ’11 Baker 2 Cyril Lan ’11, Associate Dean for Students Barbara at the two schools. The visitors often Sid Saraswat and A. Baker, and Associate Dean For remarked that everything at MIT was Jean Mario N. Martin Andy Wu ’12, Daniel L. Katz ’12 Residential Life Donna M. Denon- on a much larger scale. Hongyou Xiong and court. On Sunday they arrived home “There’s stuff that MIT can do that Sydney A. Giblin Simmons 2 Daniel D. Hawkins ’12, Vinay Tripuraneni ’11, to prepare a report that will recom- we can never do — like there’s no way Voting for the Fall 2008 elections opened Mon- David S. Zhu ’12 mend improvements to Caltech’s stu- day online at vote.mit.edu. Students will be able dent groups, residential organization Student Life, Page 23 to vote electronically for the UA Senate and Fresh- Random 1 Ekaterina Kuznetsova ’09 man Class Council will until Thursday at midnight. IFC 5 William G. Near ’10, On Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Lobby 10 will Sun Kim ’11 be converted into a voting station where students Panhel 1 None In Short may submit paper ballots. Students will not be Bexley 1 None ¶¶Rwanda President Paul Kagame Provost Philip S. Khoury as the direc- allowed to loiter in Lobby 10 except to vote. On MacGregor 2 None will present the Karl Taylor Comp- tor of arts initiatives, effective Oct. 1. Saturday, the winners will be announced on the UA Senior Haus 1 None Web site. ton Lecture on Thursday from 3:30– Off Campus 1 None 5 p.m. in Kresge Auditorium. The ¶¶Institute Professor John M. Deut- Voting online requires Web certificates. Candi- LGC 1 None date platforms and photos are available at elec- event is free and open to the public. ch ’61 spoke before the U.S. Senate tially off of history and how much a dorm wishes to be tions.scripts.mit.edu/candidates. Committee on Energy and Natural represented.” According to UA Election Committee Chair Ainsely ¶¶The 2008 Career Fair will take Resources Friday about the impor- This year, several senate seats lack candidates. K. Braun ’10, the number of seats a dorm or living group These positions will be filled by write-in votes. place Thursday from 11 a.m. to 6 tance of pursuing all available ave- gets in the Senate depends on “population size and par- Source: Ainsley K. Braun ’10, Undergraduate Association p.m. in Johnson Athletic Center. The nues of energy research. An archived Career Fair Kickoff and Networking webcast is at http://energy.senate.gov/ Session will take place Wednesday, public/_files/energy091208.ram. 7–9:30 p.m. at the Kresge BBQ Pits. Ne w s Op i n i on World & Nation ������������2 ¶¶A memorial gathering will be Weinberg lab discovers a Fannie and Freddie Opinion ��������������������������4 ¶¶A “movie-on-the-lawn” event, held for former MIT Corporation hosted by the UA Committee on Stu- Chairman Alexander V. d’Arbeloff key to cancer Page 4 Campus Life ������������������7 dent Life, will feature Ferris Bueller’s ’49 on Oct. 17 at 3:30 p.m. in Kres- Page 19 Inside the Russian- Comics & Fun ������������10 Day Off tonight at 8 p.m. in Kresge ge Auditorium. Oval. Free hot chocolate and pizza. Harvard endowment Georgian Conflict Police Log ��������������������17 ¶¶Procurement’s Annual Vendor Page 20 Page 5 Sports ��������������������������28 ¶¶Leila W. Kinney of Comparative Fair is Thursday 9 a.m.–2 p.m. in Mc- Media Studies will replace Associate Dermott Court. Free food & samples! Page 2 The Tech September 16, 2008 Wo r l d & Na t i o n A Lifeline for AIG From State Dow Falls Over 500 Points By Mary Williams Walsh and Michael J. De La Merced The New York Times Federal Reserve officials were in urgent talks with Goldman Sachs In Largest Loss Since 2001 and JPMorgan Chase on Monday to put together a $75 billion lending facility to stave off a crisis at the American International Group, the By Alex Berenson default swaps, used by institutional group falling 15 percent. But stocks latest financial services company to be pummeled by the turmoil in the The New York Times investors for protection from poten- that investors view as particularly housing and credit markets. Fearing that the crisis in the finan- tial bond defaults, rose sharply. sensitive to a slower economy, like The talks, which began last week and continued through the week- cial industry could stun the broader The prices of Treasury bills and those of technology companies and end, added to the sense of agitation in the stock market Monday, as economy, investors drove stocks notes soared as investors sought safe manufacturers, were also punished. investors grappled with the implications of the bankruptcy of Lehman down almost 5 percent on Mon- places to park their capital. Oil prices On Monday, the Dow closed at Brothers, which, like AIG, was a large counterparty to derivatives con- day, sending the Dow Jones indus- dropped sharply on Monday, on con- 10,917.51, down 4.4 percent. The tracts held by countless financial institutions. trial average and Standard & Poor’s cerns that demand for energy would S&P 500-stock index of the biggest Shares in AIG tumbled more than 60 percent on Monday morning 500-stock index to their lowest levels shrink as economies slowed down. U.S. public companies fared even as concerns grew that the firm lacked capital to withstand cuts to its in two years. The market volatility was likely worse, falling 59.00 points, or 4.7 debt rating, which appeared imminent. The company’s potential write- The Dow fell 504.48 points, its to continue for some time, econo- percent, to 1,192.69, its lowest close offs are mounting and may ultimately reach $60 billion to $70 billion, biggest one-day point drop since mists and strategists said. since October 2005. according to two people briefed on the situation. Sept. 17, 2001, the first trading day “By my own forecasts, it gets The crisis on Wall Street caused The day started off with news that AIG had requested a $40 bil- after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. worse before it gets better,” said by the bursting of the real-estate lion bridge loan from the Fed, a request that was rebuffed, and ended In the minutes before the opening Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at bubble has now lasted 13 months and with the word that its need had soared to $75 billion. The firm suffered of the New York Stock Exchange, PNC Financial Services Group in has caused far more damage than an- several ancillary credit-rating downgrades during the day, but as of dozens of traders were clustered Pittsburgh. alysts initially forecast. Monday night had not seen its main debt ratings cut by Standard & around the specialists who oversee On Tuesday, Goldman Sachs In the last two months, the chaos Poor’s or Moody’s. trading of American International will report its earnings, and the Fed- has taken a vicious turn, with inves- Group and Bank of America, shout- eral Reserve will decide whether to tors quick to attack any financial ing bids and offers. As the opening change short-term interest rates. On company whose balance sheet ap- HP to Cut 24,000 Jobs After Merger bell clanged, dozens of flat-panel Wednesday, Morgan Stanley reports pears less than pristine. Three of the By Ashlee Vance monitors around the specialists’ earnings. five biggest American investment The New York Times MILLBRAE, Calif. posts pulsed with frantic trading. “Markets will remain unusually banks have failed or been bought The computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard announced on With Lehman filing for bank- volatile for a period of time,” said since March, and Fannie Mae and Monday that it would eliminate 24,600 jobs, or 7.5 percent of its work ruptcy and AIG in distress, investors Marc Stern, chief investment officer Freddie Mac, the giant mortgage force, as part of its plan for digesting Electronic Data Systems, the were worried that consumers and of Bessemer Trust, which manages companies, were effectively nation- computer services giant that HP acquired for $13.9 billion in August. companies would have difficulty get- about $50 billion. “This isn’t a fun alized earlier this month. “I think most of you that follow us know I am a big believer that ting loans. period for most investors.” Plunging housing prices have having the most efficient cost structure directly relates to your ability The credit markets, in turmoil Financial companies led the also crimped consumer spending and to scale and grow,” Mark V. Hurd, HP’s chief executive, told securities for more than a year, showed new plunge on Monday, with Goldman slowed the overall economy, which analysts gathered at a hotel here, near San Francisco’s airport. distress on Monday. Prices of credit Sachs dropping 12 percent and Citi- has lost 700,000 jobs this year. Almost half of the job cuts will occur in the United States. The company, based in Palo Alto, Calif., expects the reorganization to re- sult in annual cost reductions of nearly $1.8 billion. Hewlett said it would record a $1.7 billion charge in the fourth quarter tied to the Obama, McCain Take Different layoffs. The layoffs are the start of a three-year plan in which HP will try to unify its existing services business with EDS. Up to half of the elimi- Approaches to Wall Street nated positions may be refilled over the course of the reorganization, HP said. By Jackie Calmes as his most influential advisers, sug- upheaval of the past weekend, have The New York Times gest that he has never departed in any given his presidential campaign near- WASHINGTON major way from his party’s embrace ly $300,000, making them McCain’s Art Auction Attracts Plenty of The crisis on Wall Street will of deregulation and relying more on largest contributor collectively. leave the next president facing tough market forces than on the government Obama sought on Monday to attri- Bidders, Despite Financial Turmoil choices about how best to regulate the to exert discipline. bute the financial upheaval to lax reg- By Carol Vogel financial system, and although neither While McCain has cited the need ulation during the Bush years, and in The New York Times LONDON Sen. Barack Obama nor Sen. John for additional oversight when it comes turn to link McCain to that approach. Against a backdrop of reeling financial markets and nervous inves- McCain has yet offered a detailed to specific situations, like the mort- “I certainly don’t fault Sen. Mc- tors, Sotheby’s and the British artist Damien Hirst forged ahead with plan, their records and the principles gage problems behind the current Cain for these problems, but I do fault “Beautiful Inside My Head Forever,” a highly publicized auction of they have set out so far suggest they shocks on Wall Street, he has consis- the economic philosophy he sub- 223 works, all by Hirst and all made within the last two years. could come at the issue in very dif- tently characterized himself as funda- scribes to,” Obama told several hun- In a gamble that could have ramifications for other artists, Hirst ferent ways. mentally a deregulator and he has no dred people who gathered for an out- was bypassing his dealers — the Gagosian Gallery, based in the Unit- On the campaign trail on Monday, history prior to the presidential cam- door rally in Grand Junction, Colo. ed States, and White Cube, based in London — and taking his work McCain, the Republican presiden- paign of advocating steps to tighten Obama set out his general approach straight to auction with a sale that began here on Monday night and tial nominee, struck a populist tone. standards on investment firms. to financial regulation in March, call- concludes on Tuesday afternoon. Speaking in Florida, he said that the He has often taken his lead on ing for regulating investment banks, And there were signs that the bet was paying off: The first session’s economy’s underlying fundamen- financial issues from two outspoken mortgage brokers and hedge funds total was $127.2 million, above the high estimate for the entire sale, tals remained strong but were being advocates of free market approaches, much as commercial banks are. And $112 million. threatened “because of the greed by former Sen. Phil Gramm and Alan he would streamline the overlapping “I woke up this morning in the teeth of the gale of recession,” Hirst’s some based in Wall Street and we Greenspan, the former Federal Re- regulatory agencies and create a com- business manager, Frank Dunphy, said after the sale, “but we came out have got to fix it.” serve chairman. Individuals associat- mission to monitor threats to the fi- as confident as ever.” But his record on the issue, and ed with Merrill Lynch, which sold it- nancial system and report to the White the views of those he has always cited self to Bank of America in the market House and Congress. We a t h e r Sunny September to Continue Situation for Noon Eastern Daylight Time, Tuesday, September 16, 2008

By Cegeon J. Chan 130°W 125°W 120°W 115°W 110°W 105°W 100°W 95°W 90°W 85°W 80°W 75°W 70°W 65°W 60°W Staff Meteorologist 40°N When people ask “When’s the best time to visit Boston?” I smile and think to myself, “could they have asked an easier question?” September is certain- 1002 ly the best time. Climatologically, this is the month with the most number of sunny days. Combine that with the comfortable temperatures, this is the month where anybody would be able to enjoy the outdoors (OK, maybe not 35°N those pesky skiers). Excluding the effects of the two tropical storms, this Sep- 1024 tember is no different. In fact, if you blindly believe the numerical weather prediction models, there will not be any rain for the next two weeks! Why is September so unique? In the summer, the radiational heating is so much stronger, and as a result, the surface becomes too warm and the air 30°N turns convectively unstable, likely generating thunderstorms. In the winter, the solar heating differential from equator to pole is much greater. As a re- 1025 sult, there is a large temperature difference, providing “fuel” for storms to develop. (Boston also gets the “bonus” feature of being by the ocean where the (colder) land and (warmer) ocean contrasts are even greater.) Finally in 25°N the spring, because the ocean is colder than the land, the sea breeze “kicks in” and usually provides cloudy skies in Boston. However, as exhibited so far (and will be shown) this month, in the absence of all these processes, a sunny September will prevail.

Extended Forecast Today: Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 70s°F (22°C). Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other Symbols Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows near 50°F (10°C). Snow Rain Fog Tomorrow: Sunny. Highs in the mid 70s°F (24°C). High Pressure Trough Showers Thunderstorm Tomorrow night: Mostly clear. Low in the mid 50s°F (12°C). Warm Front Light Low Pressure Haze Thursday: Sunny again. Highs in the mid 60s°F (18°C). Cold Front Friday: Sunny still. Highs in the lower 60s°F (16°C). Moderate Compiled by MIT Hurricane Meteorology Staff Stationary Front Heavy and The Tech September 16, 2008 Wo r l d & Na t i o n The Tech Page 3

No Swift Return to Heavily Rivals in Zimbabwe Sign Power-Sharing Deal Damaged Galveston Island By Celia W. Dugger The New York Times HARARE, Zimbabwe By Ian Urbina a switch. And we can be back online. pleaded with them to leave. After almost three decades of untrammeled power, President Robert and Thayer Evans It’s a whole lot more complicated “Quite frankly, we are reaching Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Monday signed an agreement that gives his The New York Times than that.” a health crisis for those that are re- longtime political rival, Morgan Tsvangirai, the authority to shape and GALVESTON, Texas Total damages to the island are maining on the island,” LeBlanc said. carry out government policies as the country’s new prime minister. As the search continued here for estimated to be more than $10 bil- “We’re asking and strongly encour- The power-sharing deal, a momentous development in one of the people killed or stranded by Hur- lion, city officials said. aging those that are here to leave, world’s most repressive countries, was celebrated at a remarkable cer- ricane Ike, authorities said Monday Officials said they did not expect and we’re certainly telling those that emony here. A rambunctious audience of Tsvangirai’s backers clapped, that they were faced with much larg- electricity and natural gas to be re- are away to stay away.” hooted, danced and chanted from the purple upholstered seats. er challenges than simply clearing stored on the entire island for at least He added, “We don’t want to go Among them were party activists who had gone into hiding for roadways and restoring electricity a month and that it might take more in a downward spiral.” months before the June runoff election — widely denounced as a sham before they could let residents back than a year to remove all the debris. Officials said the bridge onto the — and others who have been victims of state-sponsored violence over onto this debris-strewn island. Water should be running within the island would remain closed to all but the years. The sludge left in homes and on next couple of weeks, they said. emergency workers for several more “I came to make sure my big fishes have not betrayed me and to roads as floodwaters recede repre- Waiting on hold with his insur- days, or at least until safety concerns make sure I’m walking in a free country,” said Godknows Nyamweda, sents a “toxic soup” of mud, human ance company, one resident, John could be addressed. 36, a local ward councilor here who rolled up his sleeve to show scars waste, asbestos, lead and gasoline Strange, took a break from scraping Along 54th Street, a city engi- where he said he had been sliced by a knife. that poses serious health risks and sludge off his home’s vinyl floor. He neer carried a can of fluorescent As a brass band struck up a gospel tune, opposition supporters put must be removed before people re- said the bugs that were emerging spray paint as he marked condemned their own words to it, singing, “Tsvangirai, can I turn to you in hard turn, they said. from the sludge were just too over- houses with an orange circle with an times?” Homes must be inspected for whelming. X in the middle. “I feel like the un- The question is whether this deal will help bring better times to a structural damage and for leaks be- “They could fly away with your dertaker,” he said, standing before a country where the economy has been shrinking for 10 straight years, fore natural gas service can be re- hat,” he said. “The roaches are bigger house that was reduced to rubble. most people are out of work, millions are hungry and inflation tops an stored. than I’ve ever seen in New York City. Pools of standing water were cre- almost incomprehensible 11 million percent. And before debris can be hauled They’d whip a New York roach. The ating breeding zones for mosquitoes, away, hazardous material has to be mosquitoes are as big as your thumb- which were beginning to fill the air, separated from what can be sent to nail. You name them, you know, like and city officials asked the county to As Simpson Robbery Trial Opens, recycling centers, burned or chipped ‘Hey, George.’” begin spraying to kill the larvae. One into mulch. City officials said the death toll man was found on the street with Motive Is the Focus “The damage just looks like a lot on the island remained at five. They more than 1,000 mosquito bites, said By Steve Friess of debris,” said Steve LeBlanc, the estimated that 15,000 to 20,000 peo- Alicia Cahill, a spokeswoman for the The New York Times LAS VEGAS city manager. “Just clean it up. Flip ple had stayed on the island, and they city. He was airlifted to the hospital. The basic facts of a September 2007 hotel room confrontation here are not in dispute, so opening arguments on Monday in the criminal trial of O.J. Simpson boiled down to the prosecution and the defense debating whether Simpson aimed to steal valuable sports memorabilia Covert Georgian Recordings Cast or to recover personal keepsakes. A Clark County assistant district attorney, Christopher Owens, and one of Simpson’s lawyers, Yale Galanter, pointed to different excerpts Russia As an Aggressor from hours of audio recordings made by various participants in the hotel room encounter to support their claims, making it clear the jury By Dan Bilefsky, the United States and Europe, part standing peacekeeping forces there. would be asked to decide what the recordings say about Simpson’s C.J. Chivers, of a Georgian government effort to But at a minimum, the intercepted intent. Thom Shanker, persuade the West and opposition calls, which senior American officials Simpson, 61, is charged with kidnapping and armed robbery. The and Michael Schwirtz voices at home that Georgia was un- have reviewed and described as cred- charges stem from a confrontation in which he and five men raided a The New York Times der invasion and attacked defensively. ible if not conclusive, suggest Rus- room in the Palace Station Hotel and Casino and left with hundreds TBILISI, Georgia Georgia argues that as a tiny and vul- sian military movements earlier than of items largely related to Simpson’s football career. The material had A new front has opened between nerable nation allied with the West, it had previously been acknowledged, been in the possession of two collectibles dealers, Alfred Beardsley Georgia and Russia, now over which deserves extensive military and po- whether routine or hostile, into Geor- and Bruce L. Fromong. side was the aggressor whose mili- litical support. gian territory as tensions accelerated The dealers have insisted that the items were theirs and that they tary activities early last month ignited Georgia also provided audio files toward war. were expecting a meeting with a legitimate buyer when Simpson’s the lopsided five-day war. At issue is of the intercepts along with English They also suggest the enduring group burst in. new intelligence, inconclusive on its translations to The New York Times, limits — even with high-tech surveil- own, that nonetheless paints a more which made its own independent lance of critical battlefield locations complicated picture of the critical last translation from the original Ossetian — of penetrating the war’s thick fogs. Emergency Room Patients Often hours before war broke out. into Russian and then into English. The back and forth over who start- Georgia has released intercepted Russia, already facing deep criti- ed the war is already an issue in the Left Confused After Visits telephone calls purporting to show cism and the coolest audience in Eu- American presidential race, with Gov. By Laurie Tarkan that part of a Russian armored regi- ropean capitals since the Cold War, is Sarah Palin of Alaska, the Republican The New York Times NEW YORK ment crossed into the separatist en- arguing vigorously against Georgia’s vice presidential candidate, contend- A vast majority of emergency room patients are discharged without clave of South Ossetia nearly a full claims. Last week, Prime Minister ing that Russia’s incursion into Geor- understanding the treatment they received or how to care for them- day before Georgia’s attack on the Vladimir V. Putin expressed baffle- gia was “unprovoked,” while others selves once they get home, researchers say. And that can lead to medi- capital, Tskhinvali, late on Aug. 7. ment at what he saw as the West’s argue that Georgia’s shelling of Tskh- cation errors and serious complications that can send them right back Georgia is trying to counter ac- propensity to believe Georgia’s ver- invali was provocation. to the hospital. cusations that the long-simmering sion of events. Georgia claims that its main evi- In a new study, researchers followed 140 English-speaking patients standoff over South Ossetia, which In an interview arranged by the dence — two of several calls secretly discharged from emergency departments in two Michigan hospitals borders Russia, tilted to war only after Kremlin, the Russian military played recorded by its intelligence service on and measured their understanding in four areas — their diagnosis, their it attacked Tskhinvali. down the significance of the inter- Aug. 7 and 8 — shows that Russian ER treatment, instructions for their at-home care, and warning signs of Georgia regards the enclave as its cepted conversations, saying troop tanks and fighting vehicles were al- when to return to the hospital. sovereign territory. movements to the enclave before the ready passing through the Roki Tun- The study, published in the July issue of Annals of Emergency The intercepts circulated last war erupted were part of the normal nel linking Russia to South Ossetia Medicine, found that 78 percent of the patients did not understand at week among intelligence agencies in rotation and replenishment of long- before dawn on Aug. 7. least one area and about half did not understand two or more areas. The greatest confusion surrounded home care — instructions about things like medications, rest, wound care and when to have a follow-up visit Many States Aim to Cut Greenhouse with a doctor. “We’re finding that people are just not prepared for self-care, and that’s what is bringing them back,” said Dr. Eric Coleman, director of the Care Transitions Program at the University of Colorado, who was Gases by Billing Polluters not involved in the study. By Felicity Barringer bidding at auction for allowances, bon Finance, a research and analysis The researchers described a woman in her 20s who went to the and Kate Galbraith which they can later sell — mimick- firm. “Prices are not going to be high, emergency room with abdominal pain. After extensive testing, doctors The New York Times ing the so-called cap-and-trade pro- not for the foreseeable future.” He also there diagnosed pelvic inflammatory disease, a sexually transmitted Ten states from Maryland to grams that effectively reduced acid noted that the market was also “not infection. Maine are about to undertake the na- rain in the 1990s. going to produce a lot of emission re- tion’s most serious effort yet to tack- The concept has been praised by ductions” as long as the supply of al- le climate change, putting limits on environmentalists and state officials. lowances outstrips utilities’ need. Nuclear Agency Says Iran carbon dioxide emissions from utili- But the emissions cap was based on The trading of carbon dioxide ties and making them pay for each overestimates of carbon dioxide out- allowances exists in Europe, and in Has Improved Enrichment ton of pollutants. put, which has dropped sharply from a small way in this country; some By Elaine Sciolino The program is due to get off 2005 to 2006 and is on a lower tra- companies have taken part in trading The New York Times PARIS the ground in nine days, but already jectory than anticipated. on the Chicago Climate Exchange, Iran has substantially improved the efficiency of its centrifuges that there are worries that it may fail to So auction demand may be weak which opened in 2003. But the mar- produce enriched uranium, the International Atomic Energy Agency reduce pollution substantially in the at the start, with millions of allowanc- ket has been voluntary and participa- said Monday, indicating that the nation has overcome some of the tech- Northeast, undermining a concept es the states planned to sell not im- tion largely experimental. nical challenges that had plagued its enrichment program. that is being watched carefully by the mediately needed. And with the cap Because it makes participation in In a six-page report, the agency charged the Iranians with continu- rest of the country, by Congress and on emissions most likely to be higher, a pollution-capping scheme manda- ing to stonewall about what some Western governments suspected was by European regulators. at least initially, than the plants’ ac- tory, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Iran’s past research on designing a nuclear weapon. The agency ac- The Regional Greenhouse Gas Ini- tual carbon-dioxide output, it may be Initiative (known as RGGI and pro- knowledged that it had failed “to make any substantial progress” in its tiative, or RGGI, will cap emissions many months before utilities have an nounced “reggie”) is already spur- investigation. for 233 plants. By putting a price on incentive to cut pollution. ring more trading in anticipation. “We seem to be at a dead end,” said a senior official with links to the the carbon dioxide they emit, it gives As traders watched the RGGI dy- Both the Chicago exchange and the agency. “We would describe it as a gridlock.” plants a financial incentive to clean namic evolve, the already low price of New York Mercantile Exchange have The report is another setback to an agency initiative begun last sum- themselves up, with the proceeds chan- carbon futures fell by about 40 percent recently made it possible to trade fu- mer that gave Iran fixed deadlines to resolve questions about nuclear neled to energy-saving and renewable in the last three months in this coun- ture RGGI allowances. activities in the past two decades and asked the United States and other energy programs in each state. try, according to Evolution Markets, a The trading scheme would hold countries for patience in pursuing new sanctions. The states will set their own lim- brokerage firm.“The supply of allow- carbon emissions to 188 million tons In another revelation, the agency said for the first time that a foreign its, with each issuing tradable per- ances is more than what the market annually through 2014, and scale expert or group of experts may have helped Iran with experiments on a mits, or allowances, for carbon pol- needs,” said Milo Sjardin, head of the them back by 2.5 percent each year detonator that could be used in the implosion of a nuclear weapon. lution. On Sept. 25, utilities will start North America division of New Car- through 2018. Page 4 The Tech September 16, 2008 Op i n i o n Going Ballistic:

Chairman Benjamin P. Gleitzman ’09 Treasury Uses Their Bazooka Editor in Chief Nick Semenkovich ’09 An Analysis of Government Intervention in the Credit Crisis Business Manager If the mortgage situation degrades, or if the intoxicant to preventing change. And because Austin Chu G By Joe Maurer formerly government-sponsored enterprises of their coziness with the government, Fan and (should they be called the government’s social- Fred always enjoyed preferential treatment by Managing Editor Two Sundays ago, Henry Paulson’s Treasury ist enterprises now?) are called on to take on their regulator, which wasn’t always beneficial Jessica Witchley ’10 Department again tried its hand at directing this even more risky debt to ‘stabilize’ the market, to their long term stability. Executive Editor year’s hot new drama “Credit Crunch” by plac- taxpayers will be on the hook to foot the bill. For example, when the government lowered Michael McGraw-Herdeg G ing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Let’s be clear from the start: the Treasury Fan and Fred’s already low capital requirements Mac into a conservatorship. Since the program’s did what they had to do to prevent a massive earlier this year to give the market a quick boost, News Staff debut last year to scathing reviews by bankers selloff of Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s it left the companies even more leveraged than turned critics, it has been marked by epic plot stock and the broader financial slide that would they already were, meaning that the GSEs stood News and Features Director: Angeline Wang ’09; Editors: Arkajit Dey ’11, Jeff Guo ’11, twists including major bank failures and the an even greater chance of not having the capital Natasha Plotkin ’11; Associate Editors: Ryan death of some of the financial industry’s most to ride out an unexpected downturn. Investors Ko ’11, Emily Prentice ’11; Staff: Curt Fischer established players. As such, it is this investor’s While I normally advocate took note and their stocks sunk accordingly. G, Ray C. He G, Ramya Sankar G, John A. sincere hope that the Treasury has finally suc- Unfortunately, as is the case of most of the Hawkinson ’98, Daniela Cako ’09, Mei-Hsin ceeded in scripting a conclusion to this saga. a laissez-faire style of government’s actions during the housing crisis, Cheng ’09, Diana Jue ’09, Ji Qi ’09, Kirtana In July, Paulson gained the authority to res- the politicians preferred a temporary bump to a Raja ’09, Yiwei Zhang ’09, Yi Zhou ’09, Nick cue financial titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac economic regulation, Fan long term solution. Fixing the problem before Bushak ’10, Yuri Hanada ’10, JiHye Kim if the need arose, saying at the time, “if you’ve it became an issue would have been the cheap- ’10, Joyce Kwan ’10, Jenny Liu ’10, Manisha and Fred’s unique position Padi ’10, Joanne Y. Shih ’10, Yan Huang ’11, got a bazooka and people know you’ve got it, er, responsible way for congress to handle the Elijah Jordan Turner ’11, Lulu Wang ’11; you may not have to take it out.” His tough talk makes that impossible. Fan and Fred, but that has rarely been reason Meteorologists: Cegeon Chan G, Garrett P. reassured markets for a short while, but over last enough for the bureaucrats before. There is an Marino G, Jon Moskaitis G, Michael J. Ring G, weekend, Paulson decided to aim his bazooka excellent reason why congressional approval Roberto Rondanelli G, Scott Stransky G, Brian squarely at the mortgage liquidity mess. accompany such a scenario. Stripped of the ratings currently sit in the teens. H. Tang G, John K. Williams G, Angela Zalucha So with the stroke of a pen and a little speech, ability to raise new capital, Fannie and Freddie The failure of multiple sessions of congress G. the Treasury Secretary converted a decades long would be forced to discontinue buying mort- to act on a dire prognosis of major deficits (Fan- Production Staff implicit taxpayer guarantee on Fan and Fred’s gages, freezing the market for new loans, and nie and Freddie combined lost over $3 billion debt into a concrete public bailout of the na- sending home prices into a tailspin. last quarter alone) and investor concern (both Editor: Steve Howland ’11; Staff: K. Nichole Treadway ’10, Yue Li ’11, Mark Yen ’11. tion’s two major mortgage holders. In doing so, While normally I advocate a laissez-faire companies have seen their stock values plum- he added the largest liability yet to the govern- style of economic regulation, Fan and Fred’s met by more than 80 percent this year before Opinion Staff ment’s growing list of private market interven- unique position makes that impossible. It is the the takeover, and shares currently go for under Editor: Andrew T. Lukmann G; Staff: Josh tions since the start of the credit crisis last year. government who created these monsters and a dollar) is the greatest tragedy in this story, Levinger ’07, Ali S. Wyne ’08, Krishna Gupta There is certainly a lot to like about the kept them alive, so it is the government who is and the foils of Social Security and Medicare ’09, Aditya Kohli ’09. Treasury’s announcement. The move clarifies going to have to pick up the pieces. Taxpayers do not inspire confidence that congress has the what had formally been a gray area for inves- will pay money for decades of political incom- potential to learn from their mistakes. Sports Staff tors and banks alike by putting the full weight petence, because it is unconscionable and utterly Ultimately, the problems with this conser- Editor: Aaron Sampson ’10; Staff: Albert Ni of the federal government behind the stability stupid to even consider dumping the problems of vatorship have little to do with the terms of the ’09. of the two government-sponsored enterprises Fan and Fred on Wall Street. Voters should not deal itself, which are as good as could be hoped Arts Staff (GSE) in the form of a conservatorship. It also blame The Street for what Washington started. for under the circumstances. Instead, it is the Editor: Praveen Rathinavelu ’10; Staff: removes the blundering CEOs of Fan and Fred The problems with Fannie and Freddie stem precedent set by rescuing institutions that, like Bogdan Fedeles G, Andrew Lee ’07, Tyson C. and stops the absurd practice of a GSE lobby- from their core mission. They are publicly traded Bear Stearns this spring, are believed to be ‘too McNulty ’08, S. Balaji Mani ’10, Tina Ro ’10, ing the government that sponsors it, ending companies with privately chosen boards and exec- big to fail.’ Kevin Wang ’10. an era of million dollar accounting errors and utives, chartered by the government to expand the The argument is that some financial compa- beltway-insider mentalities. availability of mortgages to more citizens. While nies are so large and important that their collapse Photography Staff By reassuring investors, the government has the goal is noble (though arguably part of the rea- would harm the entire economy, so the govern- Editors: David M. Templeton ’08, Andrea done the market a great favor. When one con- son for the housing bubble in the first place), the ment is obligated to save them. This, however, Robles ’10, William Yee ’10; Staff: Vincent siders that a financial transaction is basically reality is that despite controlling roughly half of is not capitalism. It is not the survival of the fit- Auyeung G, Alex H. Chan G, Alice Fan G, David just a bet on the future of the market, it becomes the U.S. mortgage market (a cool $5 trillion), Fan test mentality that enabled America to grow and Da He G, Perry Hung G, Maksim Imakaev G, Dmitry Kashlev G, Arthur Petron G, David easy to see how removing volatility encour- and Fred have not fulfilled their mission. prosper to become the economic powerhouse of Reshef G, Martin Segado G, Noah Spies G, ages trading. Thus, when markets opened the The inherent conflict of interest means that the world. Like it or not, when an institution fails, Scott Johnston ’03, Christina Kang ’08, Martha day after the Treasury’s decision, traders took a shareholders sell when the government calls the market rids itself of deadweight, and what Angela Wilcox ’08, Chelsea Grimm ’09, Ana bullish outlook, with the Dow Jones Industrial upon the companies to take a greater role in the remains are the battle hardened survivors. (The Malagon ’09, Peter H. Rigano ’09, Eric D. Average finishing 289.78 points higher. market, as has been the case during the credit cri- ones who weren’t the targets of the bazooka.) Schmiedl ’09, Jerzy Szablowski ’09, Diana Ye Unfortunately (queue foreboding music), sis. It isn’t wise to count on profit oriented inves- Secretary Paulson’s call for the two com- ’09, Daniel P. Beauboeuf ’10, Mindy Eng ’10, not all is well and good during this scene. The tors to try and fill your potential money pit, but panies to be shrunk to a far more manageable Helen Hou ’10, Monica Kahn ’10, Samuel E. Treasury’s deal comes with some ominous fine that has been the GSE’s business plan until now. size after the crisis passes is a good start, but it Kronick ’10, Diane Rak ’10, Jongu Shin ’10, Dhaval Adjodah ’11, Michael Y McCanna ’11, print, saddling the U.S. Government with up to While there were always warning signs from will be up to the next administration to fire the Kari Williams ’11, Sherry Yan ’11. $200 billion in obligations to help Fan and Fred concerned economists, the money doled out by final shell into the hearts of the monsters that ride out any additional mortgage related losses. Fan and Fred lobbyists served as a powerful are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Campus Life Staff In the meantime, it is clear that this story Editor: Charles Lin G; Staff: J. Graham Ruby is not settled. As this piece is written, Merrill G, David Shirokoff G, Jason Chan ’09, Sarah C. Lynch has been sold, Lehman Brothers has Proehl ’09, Michael Ciuffo ’11, Michael T. Lin filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and AIG is at- ’11; Cartoonists: Daniel Klein-Marcuschamer tempting to raise cash fast. While the govern- G, Roberto Perez-Franco G, Ben Peters ’11. ment has ruled out a rescue for Lehman, the fi- Business Staff nancial crisis is nearing a climax, where tough calls will have to be made. Advertising Manager: Mark Thompson ’11; Operations Manager: Michael Kuo ’10; Staff: A string of government intervention here Neeharika Bhartiya ’10, Jennifer Chu ’10, would profoundly hurt our economy going for- Heymian Wong ’10. ward. Keeping at heart that the invisible hand of Adam Smith is ultimately dafter than those Technology Staff of Hank Paulson and Ben Bernanke (MIT edu- Director: Ricardo Ramirez ’09; Staff: Quentin cation notwithstanding), we must be willing to Smith ’10. endure a thorough shakedown now to end the

Editors at Large Band-Aid fixes that have only deepened the credit crisis; above all else, that means trusting in Contributing Editors: Rosa Cao G, Brian capitalism, not government, to get us through. Hemond G, Valery K. Brobbey ’08, Caroline Huang ’10; Senior Editors: Satwiksai Seshasai Joe Maurer is a member of the Class of G, Shreyes Seshasai G, Jillian A. Berry ’08, 2012. Omari Stephens ’08, Sarah Dupuis ’10.

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September 16, 2008 Op i n i o n The Tech Page 5 The Russian-Georgian Conflict: An Inside View There is no doubt that Saakashvili’s Geor- est of the Kremlin’s repeated pledges to create ning support from its Central Asian allies on By Florence Gallez gia has shown impressive economic growth powerful armed forces, which it sees as key in Abkhaz and South Ossetian independence are and a genuine desire to integrate with the Russia’s national revival. symptomatic. Even Venezuela, to whom Rus- Right in the middle of an 18-month treat- Western world, and that Russia’s skillful po- One can also look at the little clues — the sia has sold $3.5 billion worth of arms in recent ment for a pair of amenorrheic ovaries on strike litical tactics, such as issuing South Ossetians city-drafted poster on the front door of my years, hasn’t offered recognition, despite the due to poor diet, I couldn’t help wondering, sit- with Russian passports and then integrating apartment building in Moscow, which says close personal ties Putin has developed with ting in the waiting room of the Moscow clinic them into the Russian social welfare system, “Moscow for Muscovites!” — or the mass President Hugo Chavez. earlier this year, whether my Georgian-born has amounted to the covert assimilation first of street patriotic hysteria stretching across nine Russia has oil and gas, but not much else. gynecologist would be at any minute snatched the population and then the whole region, into time zones that followed Russia’s upset of the Essentially, it is alone. One more reason the away by the Russian security services, put on the Russian Federation. Given the expansionist Netherlands in the quarterfinals of the Euro United States and the West should not fear its a Tbilisi-bound plane and sent back home in- nature of Russian am- 2008 football champi- expansionist fantasies. definitely. bitions, it is not hard to onships in June. Some “What about the United States’ own impe- After all, this is exactly what happened dur- imagine Russia’s full- Where were Saakashvili’s signs are more sinister, rialistic agenda?” I hear you say — but since ing Russia’s anti-Georgian campaign two years scale annihilation and such as the use of a new when have someone’s evil acts absolved one ago. The Kremlin’s response to the fall 2006 annexation of Georgia. American military advisors who textbook in schools this from one’s own? standoff with its former Cold War foe, which But this conflict is fall, titled “A History Florence Gallez is a graduate student in the had been brewing since Georgian President far more complex. The should have heard of his wild of Russia, 1900–1945,” Department of Comparative Media Studies. Mikheil Saakashvili came to power in 2004 and first frictions between scheme and helped avert it? which “explores Sta- moved Georgia closer to the West, was a well- Russia and Georgia lin’s personality” and planned purge of Russia’s Georgian Diaspora, can be traced back to is part of a series of re- complete with economic sanctions, suspen- the battle of Aspindza in 1770 and there are vised education materials the authors say will A Brief sion of transport and mail links, harassment of plenty of possible culprits for the current ones: help promote patriotism in young people. Georgian businesses, tougher visa rules, mass the Georgians for stoking up ethnic hatred in The question is not whether Russia dreams deportations, and the Moscow police asking 1992, the Ossetians for racketeering and con- of, and plans to regain its lost power and ter- Response schools to turn over lists of children with Geor- stant provocation, Saakashvili for irresponsibly ritories. It is whether it is capable of doing so. gian-sounding last names so as to locate their shelling a city, Putin for a brutal and cynical And the answer is “no.” parents. Ethnic cleansing, no less. takeover, and America and the West for failing There is cause to treat with skepticism the By Keith Yost A phone call this weekend to Diana Tsint- to keep a close watch on Saakashvili’s madder renewed strength, regained superpower status sadze at ON Clinic allayed my fears: “All is impulses, to back its democratic rhetoric with and rebirth that Russia has been trumpeting A week ago I wrote an article on the Geor- well, the crisis hasn’t affected me, neither per- action, for watching it all passively and letting about to all and sundry, sometimes through gian conflict titled “Eastern Promises.” In the sonally nor professionally,” she said. Russia get away with it almost unscathed. In thuggish foreign policy. It is clear it wants article, I described the rhetoric being trotted Still, as a Moscow resident for eight years Europe, such cowardice allowed Hitler to take them. But its crumbling, underfinanced social out by foreign policy hawks to justify a hard before hopping on a Moscow-MIT one-way over. infrastructure, mindless and passive populace, stance against Russia, dismissed their narrative flight, I can’t help thinking about the 100,000 Now, as Sarkozy’s skillfully negotiated brainwashed beyond belief through the mostly as flawed, and then argued for why even if the or so Georgians living in Moscow, or their US- ceasefire agreement gives hope for an end to state controlled media, its stunted and disorga- narrative was correct, it would be in U.S. in- based compatriots such as the 5,000 living in this destructive episode and Russian troops nized opposition, emaciated army and outdated terests to engage Russia diplomatically rather the New York area. And then, about the thou- withdraw, crucial questions remain: what is the weaponry, and paranoiac fear in the face of than revert to a Cold War us-them mentality. sands of citizens in Georgia and the indepen- true death toll in Tskhinvali? Will there be a NATO expansion make Russia look weak, and Last Thursday, Anurag Maheshwari wrote dent enclave of South Ossetia displaced and full investigation into the causes and lessons of even tragically funny. Like the little boy in the a response piece that called me an extrem- wounded in the most violent confrontation the war? Where were Saakashvili’s American kindergarten’s playground throwing a tantrum: ist neoconservative, blinded by my hatred for between the two old rivals in decades: the five- military advisors who should have heard of his everybody can hear him and sure, it’s noisy, but human civilization. He incorrectly surmised day war of August 8–12, 2008 between Russia wild scheme and helped avert it? Above all, what real threat does he pose? that I wanted to extend NATO membership and Georgia. now that Russia has won this small war against There is no doubt that Russia dreams day to Georgia and Ukraine — it appears that Mr. Overnight, the brief war that was fought af- one of its neighbors, will it stop there? and night of regained status, expansion and Maheshwari did not care to read beyond the ter Tbilisi’s August 8 invasion of the pro-Rus- If one needs more evidence that Russia’s maybe more, as the recent events in the Cauca- first paragraph of my piece before launching sian separatist region of South Ossetia, which real goal is to bring back Georgia, and by ex- sus confirm, but these are just that — dreams. into insults. While I might not be as isolationist sparked the larger-scale Russian invasion to tension its former soviet Republics and who One needs real capacity to implement plans, as Mr. Maheshwari, who seems to believe that drive the Georgian forces back, has thrown all knows what else, within its orbit, its planned such as ideas, a thoughtful, critical and creative any American involvement anywhere around these people and the little-known regions they increase in defense spending may offer some people, and values such as integrity and free- the world is evidence of imperialistic aims, my are from into the midst of high geopolitics and clues: it will reach 1.28 trillion rubles ($50 dom, which will allow them to thrive. Russia basic argument, that we have more to gain by new Cold War rhetoric. billion) in 2008 and will be boosted 26 per- is very poor in all these areas. Also, it has few cooperating with Russia than playing brinks- In their criticism of Russia’s violent and cent next year, according to Finance Minister friends, and its friendships are dysfunctional. manship, is a far cry from neoconservatism. sudden response, Western nations have framed Alexei Kudrin. President Dmitry Medvedev’s One day these friends are by its side, the next Beyond his piffle about American Empire these people’s fate and the whole conflict as a announcement last week that following the war they are gone or ready to stab her in the back, and how “our controlled media propagates lies,” clear-cut tale of evil Russia bent on the demise with Georgia he will make modernization of should their own interests be compromised. and despite his tragic misreading of my piece, and annexation of West-loving Georgia. the Russian army a top priority is but the lat- Russia’s attempts — and failure — at win- Mr. Maheshwari has hit the nail on the head when it comes to detailing the flaws in the sim- plistic narrative of Georgia as a damsel in dis- tress. To his account of the nuanced history be- The Pickens Plan: A Windy Salvation? tween Russia and its satellites, I would only add the Charles — and maintain a constant power The moral of this story is that nothing is that our recent decision to base missile defense By Holly Moeller output. (How many batteries do you need to perfect, nothing will replace cheap oil, and sites and radars in Eastern Europe has unneces- power Boston, anyway?) They must also con- nothing is as clean and white as those GE wind sarily heightened tensions — not only is missile I woke up in the wee hours of last Sunday tend with aesthetic opposition — the “not in farm commercials. Here’s where we need some defense a technologically impractical goal, but morning to the sound of Tropical Storm Hanna my backyard” folks — while staking out the of Pickens’ big picture attitude. We have to see Russia’s offer to have the sites based in Azer- tearing at my open window. Groggily, I stood best wind-harvesting sites. (Otherworldly or wind power as a part — not the entirety — of baijan was perfectly reasonable — Azerbaijan’s up to admire the force of the storm and found elegant, at least wind turbines look better than the solution and move it up the priority list. proximity to Iran would have made it a superior I could barely make out the typically brilliant cell towers masquerading as trees.) Fast. After all, something is always better than site for shooting down Iranian missiles. lights of downtown Boston through the driv- Additionally, there are very valid ecological nothing. Keith Yost is a graduate student in the De- ing rain. The juxtaposition of the raw power of concerns. As with any renewable energy tech- Holly Moeller is a graduate student in the partment of Nuclear Science and Engineering storm winds with the awe-inspiring expanse nology, there’s a carbon startup cost: the CO2 Department of Biology. and the Engineering Systems Division. of city lights reminded me of plans to help re- emitted during manufacture of the turbines, place energy needs with wind power. Too tired in this case. It seems that this carbon debt is to dwell on the matter, I climbed back in bed neutralized within nine months of operation, and let the storm’s unlikely lullaby return me however. Meanwhile, there are concerns about Go Out and Get a Job! to sleep. the toll on wildlife. Birds and bats can be killed The idea of wind power has been around for while flying through wind farms; whales and centuries — think kites, sailboats, windmills, dolphins might be disoriented by sounds from The Value of Real Work Experience and the like — but the scale of humanity’s the moving blades transmitted through the wa- semester. If you know what your values are, current efforts to harness it is unprecedented. ter. There’s solid scientific evidence, though, By Gary Shu whether it’s to rake in the dough or to perform Energy from wind — captured by 410-foot- that these impacts are minimal, especially public service, gun for it. If you have some idea tall towers with rhythmically rotating 150-foot when compared to the effects of skyscrapers As the MIT Career Fair approaches, the of what you want to do, then at least try it. And, blades — seems an ideal alternative to burning and powerlines (on aerial creatures) or offshore sound of my classmates polishing their résumés well, if you haven’t a clue … fossil fuels, and European countries like Den- drilling (on marine life). becomes a constant roar, and the semester’s wor- Which leads me to the undergraduate cor- mark and Germany are already spreading their If such evidence didn’t exist, the welfare of ries are temporarily replaced by career anxieties. ollary — so-called since undergraduates are wings — err, turbines — to catch it. many species would obviously be an important It is that time of year when students are already usually the students unsure about their future Enter T. Boone Pickens, a man with a big concern. Yet we’ve been managing Earth for thinking about the next one, and undergraduates — and that is: If you don’t know what you want fortune born of Big Oil in the big state of Texas human needs for so long down — increasing and graduates alike try to determine where their to do, just do something, anything. — a man with a very big idea. Pickens wants extinction rates by 10,000 fold — that we might stepping stone into the “real world” is. As some- You ever wonder why your parents stopped to transform America into the “Saudi Arabia as well take it one step farther. The idea makes one who has been through both an undergradu- bugging you at the end of college about your of wind power,” meeting twenty percent of our the tree-hugger in me cringe. But then again, ate and graduate job hunt, there is just one im- grades or what your next step is going to be? electricity needs with a swath of wind farms what will become of the birds and whales when portant tidbit of advice I would like to impart. That’s because they can’t help you anymore and running down the country’s heartland. While climate change takes its toll on their habitats? (But before I begin, if you haven’t submit- they know it. Your parents pushed you to study reducing our dependence on foreign oil, the Better to mitigate the impact on the whole at ted your resume to the MIT Career Fair, you’re for the SATs in high school and bugged you to wind farms will free up natural gas for use as the expense of the few. already too late — the deadline was last Thurs- death to make sure that all that money going to automobile fuel and create thousands of high- This is a concept our political system has day. And even if you have, you better haul your MITPAY wasn’t being wasted. Instead of crying paying jobs for Americans. yet to master. Renewable energy — wind pow- ass this Thursday to Johnson Athletic Center when they dropped you off at your dorm fresh- This big idea has a very big price tag — er included — has received hefty bipartisan with a fistful of resumes. Be prepared to stand man year, they should be weeping at the end one trillion dollars in private funds to erect the lip service, but Washington seems to think no in line and look pretty to get your chance to of college because they can’t provide you with 100,000 wind turbines and $200 billion in gov- one will read the fine print. While presidential hobnob with bored, tired company represen- guidance on your life in any meaningful way. ernment dollars to lay down the infrastructure for candidates run adds featuring hands and solar tatives. It may not sound exciting, but school And if you, the wandering senior, haven’t a the wind power grid. A solid investment which panels, Congress threatens to end renewable is by far the best place to find a job. Business whiff of a direction, just go somewhere and do seems more reasonable when compared to the energy tax credits, which reward investors for schools, including Sloan, are packed like sar- something. It may well be that you’re trying to $700 billion-worth of foreign oil we import an- green innovation. Congress is less and less dines with people who are looking for that op- rake in the dough or you’re attempting to be a nually. We can even toss in the $575 billion price likely to renew the tax credits, which expire at portunity only found at school.) menial public servant. Either way, like it or hate tag — to date — of Iraq to sweeten the pot. the end of the year, and politics may sabotage My only pearl of wisdom: do what you want it, you will acquire experience and knowledge Cost is only the surface of the issue, though. the Pickens Plan, among other wind and solar to do. The whole purpose of books like “What that your hosed years at MIT never could. That Wind farms must be able to handle intermit- installations. That $1 trillion in private invest- Color is Your Parachute?” and those nauseat- experience will guide you more than your p-sets, tency — think contending with Hanna vs. feel- ment will be mighty hard to come by with no ing Myers-Briggs personality tests is to pro- your parents, and the Careers Office ever could. ing yourself sunburn as you hope for a vagrant tax rewards. After all, if Big Oil gets them, why vide some structured self-reflection, something Gary Shu is a graduate student in the Engi- breeze to blow your Tech Dinghy back across can’t everyone else? that is admittedly given short shrift during the neering Systems Division. Page 6 The Tech September 16, 2008

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HAR_MIT_AD_10x16.indd 1 14.09.2008 13:44:55 Uhr September 16, 2008 The Tech Page 7 Ca m p u s Li f e Talk Nerdy To Me The Fuck Buddy That Wasn’t By Christine Yu this: They 1. Do it themselves 2. Point and The smoothest way to handle it is to shut off add lube — well, it doesn’t. Water and water- I never got the sex talk — my parents hand- laugh 3. Give into a sexless night and then tell your music. Joke about it. She probably found based lubes are two different things. Also, most ed me a pamphlet, figuring that I’d learn what all their friends about it later. I suggest either it comical, hey, she might even mention it in a of the showers here are too small, and I don’t they considered my usual way; from literature the first or second option. Ok. So, I’m not a column! think you’re going to want your body rubbing and experts. Well, they were right, I did learn total bitch, and I’m too self-conscious to actu- Whatever you do though, do not to throw the up against fungus — you were probably better my usual way — the “hard” way. So, here’s ally laugh. So, it’s safer to go with the first, for girl off your futon after she changes her mind off plugging your nose during sex in the first some tips how to handle some common issues. some reason beyond me, guys tend to get hard about it. Trust me on this one; she doesn’t want place. Problem: You get walked in on. by watching a girl pleasure herself. If not, at an unnecessary bruise to remind her of the fuck Problem: You haven’t had sex in months or Solution: Invite the person to join — usu- least you got off. buddy that wasn’t. Lesson to be learned here: you’ve never had sex. ally, that’s a great way to make the person run Problem: She goes dry. don’t leave iTunes on shuffle — unless you Solution: Join the club. This might come as out of the room. Actually, this is the reason that Solution: Lube! Do not just keep thrusting, have a playlist made. a shock, but I haven’t had sex in months. (No, I stopped going to one of the dorms (not saying didn’t you learn about friction in physics class? Problem: The guy is into [insert fetish I’m not advertising this for Facebook messages which, but it’s easy to guess). Three’s company Well, friction is bad here! Ok, some people here.] proposing one night stands.) Not having sex though, so if they agree, it could be fun. I don’t don’t keep lube with them at all times — actual- Solution: College is where you’re supposed isn’t the end of the world — it’s usually less have any expertise in threesomes, sorry. ly, the only time I think to explore. You might complicated. I mean, sex can get messy, liter- If you’re not that audacious, throw the cov- of lube is when some just find you like what- ally. Also, I’m convinced that shopping can be ers over yourself, and the person should get the mentions anal (Astro- First of all, sex with water is ever kink it is he has. better than sex — I mean, I remember most of hint. If you don’t like that idea, put on a show. glide, anyone?). Safe Although, if you’re my shopping experiences better than my sexual Exhibitionism can be fun. Also, if you walk in lubes to use are water something that's much more really uncomfortable, encounters and the physical reminder isn’t a on someone, don’t gawk. Give the couple — based, so they dry up don’t give in to the bruise! Before I get messages telling me that, err, sometimes couples — their privacy! quickly. Thus, you’re difficult than it looks. … Water pressure. However, “you haven’t had good sex,” I’ll just say that Problem: You wake up in bed with some- usually reapplying it you should be open you haven’t had good shopping! I am human, one, and you have no recollection of the night in the middle of sex. and water-based lubes are minded. Maybe, I give though, so to deal with my libido, I realized before — including his/her name. Honestly, it’d be better two different things. off a kinky vibe. Little that like most things, I was better off doing it Solution: Go with Michael or Elizabeth! to stop the sex and have “adorable” Asian girl? myself. According to admissions statistics, those have more foreplay, since (I suppose you never Most importantly, I have to put in the word been the most popular names for the last 2 drying up usually means there wasn’t enough do know with the “quiet” types.) I haven’t met for responsible sex. Yes, I understand its col- years (3 for Elizabeth) in a row! (Ever wonder time spent on arousing her. So, perform oral a guy who didn’t propose some light BDSM, lege, how responsible can sex be? Well, there why they published that?) Actually, darling or on her. For the amount of reply I got on my so handcuffs don’t seem like such a big deal. are certain situations that should be avoided: sweetie is a better substitute. Do not use the piece about oral (and the lack of cunnilingus), People need to stop acting like they’re so ta- rape, pregnancy, and STDs. No means no, stop word baby or honey — that reminds most of I guess my simple guidelines weren’t enough. boo. Have a good safe word — do not choose means stop, unless this has been discussed be- us of our parents or grandparents. You could I suppose people wanted a rule of thumb for anything impossible to pronounce (under three forehand as some sort of kinky roleplay (im- always avoid using a name — I mean how tongue. Well, that’ll come next week. syllables is always good and in English) or portance of a safeword, once again). Commu- much talking did you really do last night? Try Problem: You left your iTunes on shuffle something you might say anyway (*coughs* nication is essential — don’t ever just assume to find an ID — most people keep their student and Zelda music came on. the guy’s name.) the other person wants it, even if you’ve slept ID close to them at all time. Along with seeing Solution: Do not stop kissing, and ask the Problem: The shirt comes off and you no- together before. There are many methods of their cheesy senior picture, you’ll know their girl, “how far do you want to go?” First of all, tice a foul smell. birth control out there: IUD’s, pills, shots. MIT name, which allows you to do all the Facebook I thought guys stopped asking that question in Solution: Occupational hazard of being an Medical has all of these available, including stalking you want. high school. I mean, I thought guys asked, “are MIT student — specifically in certain majors. the morning after pill, should an accident arise. Problem: He can’t get it up. you sure?” in college, cause they’re running I suggest taking a shower together, because if Also, for extra precaution, keep a condom with Solution: This is the number one reason under the assumption that they’re going to get the sex is good, you’re going to be taking deep you at all times. Personally, I keep a Marc Ja- why sex and alcohol do not mix well. Some- laid. “Err, we can go to base 3.14,” is probably breaths. When I say taking a shower, I literally cobs one. It’s proof you can be stylish when times, guys start crying when this happens. how you should respond if you’re faced with mean taking a shower. It’s good foreplay. Do it comes to sex, or that I’m a shopaholic. Re- (Once again, not that I know from past experi- this question. (Maybe, that means 69-ing … I not have sex in the dorm showers. First of all, member, sex has responsibilities, ranging from ence …) From talking to others on this, I real- mean you’re kind of in a circle.) Also, did he sex with water is something that’s much more infection to insemination, and these problems ize there are typically three ways girls handle totally miss the fact that the music came on?! difficult than it looks. You’d think water would don’t have easy solutions. Sarah Palin = Dolores Umbridge A Very Potter Election By Arkajit Dey that a certain climate phenomena known as bridge where she’ll make you write lines in a failed Wizarding leader; President Bush is Staff Columnist global warming is man-made. This is a lie.” your own blood for disagreeing with her? Af- a failed Muggle leader. Rufus Scrimgeour is This will be the first year in over a decade Since joining John McCain’s ticket, she has ter all, even Professor Snape got a probation a grizzy, old Auror who put away some Death to not have a new Harry Potter book or movie apparently changed tack as she responded to for being “unhelpful”, i.e. not having enough Eaters in his day and takes over from a failed released. If you’re suffering from Harry with- Charlie Gibson’s suggestion in their interview Veritaserum for her to force feed students Minister; McCain is a greying, old war-hero drawal, this election season has the perfect fix that she didn’t believe global warming was while illegally interrogating them. Try not fir- who fought some really bad guys in his time for you. You thought the magical world was man-made with flat denials (read: lies) that ing Palin’s ex-brother-in-law and you might and wants to take over from his failed Presi- the only one with a young hero who must save she’d ever made such statements. just find yourself wishing your punishment dent. Professor McGonagall is a stern, but kind the world from an evil Dark Lord; a failed Seriously, we should have drawn the line was just writing lines. member of the old guard who never lets her lame duck Minister of Magic; an old, grizzled when she went after the polar bears in a New Instead, as Alaska Public Safety Com- hair down and who didn’t always agree with Auror promising to make a clean break from York Times op-ed: “The Center for Biological missioner Walt Monegan found out, you can Dumbledore’s trust in Harry’s ability; Hillary said Minister; a pretty blonde reporter with a Diversity, an environmental group, has argued expect to be fired and then discredited. At Clinton is a sometimes dour member of the penchant for stretching the truth; and a De- that global warming and the reduction of po- first, Palin said “never was there any pressure old Democratic guard who wears pantsuits and fense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) profes- lar ice severely threat- put on Commissioner didn’t always agree with American’s trust in sor with a “personality like poisoned honey”? ens the bears’ habitat Monegan to hire or fire Barry’s experience. Professor Snape is a hook- We muggles are not to be so easily outdone. and their existence. In No longer do Harry Potter fans anybody.” Later she nosed git with greasy hair and you can never Enter Sarah Palin who quite nicely completes fact, there is insuffi- backtracked as it was tell if he’s in the Order or with the Death Eat- this Harry Potter Election cycle. cient evidence that po- have to decide who they'd like revealed there were ers; Joe Lieberman is a balding git and you can Remember when you were reading Goblet lar bears are in danger over “two dozen con- never tell if he’s a Democrat or a Republican. of Fire and you thought there couldn’t be any- of becoming extinct to strangle more, for in Palin tacts with Monegan Harry is just a boy with the fate of the magi- one more infuriating than Rita Skeeter? And within the foreseeable about Wooten” accord- cal world on his shoulders; Barry (O’Bomber) then how Dolores Jane Umbridge became future.” If the polar we have a brunette Skeeter ing to Time. is just a second-term United States senator DADA professor in Order of the Phoenix and bears are anything like with all the "lovable" personality Before becom- with the fate of health care, the economy, and redefined infuriating? Well no longer do Harry the centaurs in the For- ing McCain’s running other such Muggle concerns on his shoulders. Potter fans have to decide who they’d like to bidden Forest, she may quirks of an Umbridge. mate, Palin said she Palin just gave the Harry Potter Election Sun- strangle more, for in Palin we have a brunette want to reconsider get- would cooperate fully dae a cherry on top. The downside is that she Skeeter (seriously, compare their hair-dos and ting on their bad side. with any investigation. could be just an Avada Kedavra away from the glasses) with all the “lovable” personality Palin may not like Gibson (or most jour- Now her lawyer wants it to be discontinued White House if the fate of poor Rufus is any quirks of an Umbridge. Not convinced? Let’s nalists for that matter) after their interview or at the very least postponed. Of course the indication, a thought that might just be more compare. exposed many of her weaknesses, but she’d jury is still out and Palin denies any involve- chilling than a Dementor’s Kiss. In any case, “The evidence that the Dark Lord has re- probably warm up to Skeeter. Quick-quotes ment in “Troopergate,” but then again so did we may not get to see the Half-Blood Prince turned is incontrovertible,” Professor Albus quill in hand, Skeeter regaled Witch Weekly Nixon when asked about Watergate. I guess, this year, but at least we still have Harry Pot- Dumbledore tells a disbelieving Minister of and The Daily Prophet readers with concoc- we’ll just have to wait and see. ter and the Hockey Mom. I just hope you’ve Magic, Cornelius Fudge. The Minister reacts tions about a juicy Harry-Hermione-Krum But if Palin gets her way and has the in- been practicing your Patronus. by instating Umbridge as the DADA professor, love triangle, how Hagrid being a half-giant vestigation delayed past November, it might P.S. Did you know the root of Umbridge’s who, by the way, won’t be teaching any prac- makes him extremely dangerous, and how not even matter anymore. Palin, who through- first name Dolores, in Spanish, means pain, tical magic in DADA. After all, “who would Harry’s lightning-bolt scar has left him emo- out her political career, reports The New York kind of like what you get when you try to say you imagine would want to attack children like tionally disturbed. Times, “has pursued vendettas, fired officials Palin very fast and drop the ‘l’? yourself?” says Umbridge. “Oh, I don’t know, Hockey-stick in hand (not too much to who crossed her maybe Lord Voldemort?” counters Harry. No, imagine is it?), Palin told voters she said and sometimes no, Umbridge won’t have any of that: “You “thanks, but no thanks” to that Bridge to No- blurred the line Royal Bengal have been told that a certain Dark Wizard is at where. But as the Associated Press reported, between govern- large once again. This is a lie.” “Palin was for the infamous bridge before she ment and personal Boston’s only authentic BengaliCuisine restaurant Back in the muggle world, Professor Al was against it.” Far from being a heroic sym- grievance” may 313Mass.Ave., Cambridge Gore tells us an inconvenient truth: “We are bol of her committed battle against “Congres- actually make Open Daily Except Monday (617) 491-1988 facing a global climate crisis.” But there’s sional earmarks” (the name of McCain’s pet Umbridge look 11:30 am–11:30 pm T: Red Line, Bus#1–CentralSquare good news: “We have everything we need now hamster), the bridge was just one of the $750 like a saint. Lunch Buffet $7.95 to respond to the challenge of global warm- million worth of earmarks she aggressively But this elec- 10% Discount on $15 ing.” Huh, perhaps we should do something fought for as Governor of Alaska, earning tion was a Harry Reasonably Priced Dinners (or more) order with MIT ID. about it? No, no, says Palin: “I’m not an Al her state the dubious distinction of requesting Potter remake Gore, doom-and-gloom environmentalist the most federal tax dollars per person of any long before Palin Free delivery for orders over $10. blaming the changes in our climate on human state, according to the AP. entered the scene. Take-out, platters, and catering available. activity.” Translation: “You have been told Worried about getting detention from Um- Minister Fudge is http://www.royalbengalrestaurant.com/ Page 8 The Tech Ca m p u s Li f e September 16, 2008 Ramblings from Ask SIPB Hell Call SIPB with Drop by our office Seven Days of Verse and I Discover questions at x3-7788! in W20-557! I’m Not a Poet By S. Campbell Proehl By The Student Information Processing Board dicates this is a group chat. If you want to stay sub- Staff Columnist Welcome, especially to freshmen and new grad scribed the next time you log in, use “add” instead Last Wednesday my poetry professor gave me an assignment: Keep a po- students! Ask SIPB is a column published semi-reg- of “sub[scribe]”.) To find out more about zephyr, etry journal, write a poem a day, or write poems at different times of the day. ularly by the Student Information Processing Board you can check out SIPB’s “Inessential Zephyr,” also See what happens in the pages over seven days. (SIPB), the volunteer student group concerned with available in hardcopy form at the SIPB office (W20- This assignment was inspired by the Hotel Wentley poems written by John computing at MIT, to help students like you learn 557). Wieners over the course of a week in a rundown San Francisco hotel. I read more about the computing resources MIT provides, them before I started my journal. He’s deep. And talented. He wrote things and how to make effective use of them. Look for like “I held love once in the palm of my hand. / See the lines there.” Seriously. more columns in the future, and feel free to stop by I forgot my password. What do I do? This guy had soul. the SIPB office (W20-557) or e-mail [email protected] You’ll need to visit the friendly folks at Ac- I signed up for Writing and Reading Poems (21W.756) because I thought my with any questions about computing at MIT. counts. Bring your ID to N42 during business hours writing skills could carry over to all genres. This is embarrassing to admit, but and ask for a password reset. Alternately, if you sometimes I write poems. Most of them are awful. Sometimes, however, I hit have personal certificates on your computer, you the literary nail on the head and produce something good. I know this because How do I get to all the useful software on Athena? can reset your password through the web form at last semester I showed one to my poetry professor and he said “It’s good.” Most software on Athena is divided into storage https://wserv.mit.edu/fcgi-bin/cpw/. I took this class to help me home in on my inner poet. I imagined that by bins called lockers. Before you can use the software the end of the semester I would be sitting in coffee houses with a French beret, in a locker, you need to add that locker: smoking a cigarette, and arguing with other budding poets about the last line Where can I get more help with computing at MIT? of Sylvia Plath’s “Medusa.” athena% add maple You can come ask SIPB in person or via e-mail. Organic Chemistry II made me better at organic chemistry. Differential athena% maple Our office is W20-557, right next to the Athena clus- equations improved my math skills. Poetry class turned me into the worst [...] ter. Any time the office is open (typically from after- poet ever. noon to late evening) you should feel free to ask us The Wednesday I received the poetry journal assignment, I left campus If you don’t know which locker contains the questions. You can check if the office is open using ready to become one with my feelings. As I biked over the Harvard Bridge, software you want, you can use the whichlocker our door sensor at http://sipb-door.scripts.mit.edu. I noticed that the sunset was quite exhilarating. I called The Tech to tell them command (in the outland locker) to find out which You can also call us at (617) 253-7788 or e-mail to send a photographer out. While the office phone rang, I thought of how to locker you need to add: [email protected]. describe the light to whomever answered the phone. OLC, short for On-line Consulting, is MIT’s of- “Hello, The Tech,” they answered. athena% add outland ficial support group for Athena-related questions. “Hi guys, it’s Sarah. Send out a photographer RIGHT NOW. The light is athena% whichlocker mathematica OLC has a set of stock answers for Athena-related …” I searched for the perfect literary phrase, but couldn’t find it. “Beautiful!” Locker software on Athena is questions on the web at http://web.mit.edu/answers/; was all I could come up with. I wasn’t off to a good start. → maintained by many different this list is also available on Athena — type When I got back to my apartment, I penned the most awful poem that has → people. olc answers at an Athena prompt. ever been written. It included the line: “The sun set / a large tangerine / over Don’t run this unless you know the To ask OLC a question, first make sure the ques- ______buildings.” I left the blank there because I couldn’t think of a word → maintainer can be trusted. tion isn’t already answered in the Stock Answers, that I wanted. If I had been Sylvia Plath’s daughter and she hadn’t asphyxiated "mathematica" is in "math" for then type at an Athena prompt: herself at the age of thirty, she would have after reading that poem. → linux and sun4 I asked my roommate to read it. She is never harsh, and I figured she athena% olc would reassure me that I did have literary talent. “It’s a little rough around the edges.” Ouch. I need a scanner and Photoshop. Where can I go? Alternately, you can visit their office in N42, I was inspired the next day by the streetlights shining in through my win- A small number of workstations in select Ath- open for walk-in support 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. dow. I got excited because I imagined that for the next week my motif would ena clusters run Windows or Mac-based variants M–F. You can also call (617) 253-4435 or e-mail be light. I would write about darkness, sunsets, natural light, and ambient of Athena, which come with a different selection [email protected]. Online support is available 9:30 a.m. light. Literary critics would be talking about my fascination with light for the of software. The New Media Center, in 26-139, is to 5:30 p.m. Consultants are also occasionally avail- latter half of the twentieth century. a cluster of iMacs and G5 Power Macs running a able on weekends and holidays. The second one was more awful than the first. I ripped it out and threw variety of multimedia software. The NMC also has If your question relates to Windows or Macintosh it away, but I remember an awful line about lurking streetlights. I shiver just a color scanner and computer hookups for MiniDV systems, you can contact the Computing Help Desk. thinking about it. and S-VHS tapes. There are also two clusters of The Help Desk phone lines are open M–F from 8 I graduated high school thinking I was good at science and math. MIT Windows machines in the WIN.MIT.EDU domain a.m. to 6 p.m.; walk-ins are welcome in the office made me rethink those talents. — one cluster is in the back room of the W20-575 in N42 from 9:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. For help, call (617) It would have been nice to still be confident in my writing skills. But I cluster, and the other is in 37-312. (Note that 37-312 253-1101, e-mail [email protected], or drop guess the point of MIT is to make you realize that in every subject there are requires an MIT card as well as the cluster combo by N42. The Computing Help Desk also maintains people who are smarter than you. After three years here, it seems my value for access.) Both the Windows and Mac systems can a set of stock answers for common Macintosh and stands at about one share of Lehman Brothers. access your regular Athena home directory, but it is Windows questions encountered by MIT commu- My downfall started with MIT taking away time for romance. Easily ac- not your home directory on those systems. These nity members, at http://itinfo.mit.edu/answer/. cessible french fries at Cambridge Grill took away my beauty. Stress took systems have locally-installed software that is not If you are having trouble with a computer in a away my youth. available on generic Athena machines, including dorm, you can ask an RCC for help. RCCs are fel- Now, I have lost my penchant for language. Adobe Photoshop. low dorm residents who can do everything from as- Romance, beauty, youth, language. I’m pretty sure those have been the You can find a list of Athena clusters on the back signing IP addresses, to providing network cables, four main subjects of poetry throughout history. of an Athena Pocket Reference Card, or by typing: to helping you configure networking on your com- And that, puter. To get in contact with your RCC, ask around ladies and gentlemen, is how athena% cview your dorm or visit http://rcc.mit.edu to submit a re- I discovered that I am not a poet. quest. You can also message screenname rccbot on For a poet would end There is also a scanner available in the SIPB of- AIM with quick RCC requests (such as a printing with food for thought. fice, W20-557, along with other useful office tools issues). But my verse and computer advice. is for naught. My friends and I can’t get to our e-mail. Did Hey, what’s this window with a message that just something break? showed up? http://3down.mit.edu provides information about ROW FOR MIT! That would probably be a zephyr. Zephyr is both scheduled and unscheduled network and ser- Athena’s instant messaging system, which displays vice outages. If you can’t even access the web, both official Athena notifications and messages x3-DOWN (253-3696) often provides information from friends. To send someone a zephyr, type the about major outages. If you suspect an outage, “zwrite” command followed by their username: 3-DOWN can tell you whether it’s been reported al- ready, and often when it’s expected to be over. athena% zwrite joeuser Type your message now. End with How can I learn more about computing at MIT? → control-D or a dot on a line by → itself. Throughout term, there are a number of ways Hi, what's up? you can learn more about computing or comput- . ing specifically at MIT. Information Services Message queued for joeuser... sent and Technology (IS&T) provides some docu- mentation on various components of Athena at We’ll cover Zephyr in more detail in a later col- http://web.mit.edu/olh/; we’ll cover some of those umn, but there are a few quick tips we can give: topics in the next several issues. In addition, SIPB will be offering weekly Cluedumps, a series of One of Zephyr’s most compelling features is its short, informal technical talks throughout the term. multi-user chat support. In addition to sending mes- Check http://cluedumps.mit.edu/ for the schedule MEN AND WOMEN sages to individuals, you can send messages to a and locations, and updates. particular “class” and “instance”. In general, a class Of course, stay tuned for upcoming Ask SIPB NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY is like a chatroom, and an instance is a particular columns; future columns will cover e-mail, printing, topic within that room. For example, if you want Zephyr, version control, more details of Athena, and to know if there exists a polynomial p(x) with real more. Become a DI varsity athlete in the ultimate team sport! coefficients so that 2p has fewer nonzero terms than p does, you could ask the math whizzes on class help: To ask us a question, send e-mail to [email protected]. TRYOUTS NOW OPEN! We’ll try to answer you quickly, and we can address your question in our next column. You can also stop athena% zctl sub help math "*" by our office in W20-557 or call us at x3-7788 if athena% zwrite -c help -i math For more information contact the novice coaches: you need help. Copies of each column and point- (Replace math with * to indicate that you want to ers to additional information are posted on our Web [email protected] subscribe to all instances of class help; the last * in- site: http://www.mit.edu/~asksipb/. September 16, 2008 The Tech Page 9 Page 10 The Tech September 16, 2008 September 16, 2008

Page 11

Theory of Pete by Cai GoGwilt

Steal My Comic by Michael Ciuffo Blobbes — Morbid Edition by Jason Chan

New to Blobbles? Here’s how it works. Send me a caption at [email protected], and I’ll draw a cartoon to go along with it!

Dilbert® by Scott Adams Page 12 The Tech September 16, 2008

Instructions: Fill in the grid so The Daily Blunderbuss by Ben Peters that each column, row, and 3 by 3 grid contains exactly one of each of the digits 1 through 9. Solution on page 23.           

           Solution, tips, and computer program at http://www.sudoku.com

Crossword Puzzle Solution, page 20 ACROSS 69 Albert 10 Swed. flyers character 48 Old 1 Phylicia or Pinkham and 11 Shrimp dish 34 Org. of Testament Ahmad Winona 12 Piercing in Rangers and book 7 Behaves tone Ducks 50 Alan or Adam 11 Concorde, DOWN 13 Rich cakes 35 Atl. Coast 51 Calvin or e.g. 1 Coast of 18 Offer state Rodney 14 Glacial epoch Morocco 21 Clean air grp. 37 Over in Ulm 52 Approx. 15 Satellite of 2 Prefix for 22 Bone: pref. 38 Delicacy 56 Lolita-ish Saturn puncture 23 Dog dogger 39 Workplace 58 Toddler 16 Comic 3 Choice abbr. 24 Bit of derring- safety grp. 59 Tan or Smart Margaret 4 “2001” do 40 Shoshones 60 El __ 17 Raring to go mainframe 25 Office asst. 41 School period Campeador 19 Timetable info 5 Keenly eager 27 Poet Teasdale 44 Backs of 61 Goddess of 20 Impish smiles 6 Pay for 28 Heads off singles folly 21 Send forth 7 Fight venue 30 Picture taker, 45 Cut stinger 62 Plunk starter? 22 Switch 8 Deep crack briefly 46 Visitors 63 Newspaper positions 9 Bo’s number 33 “Exodus” 47 Song syllable VIPs 26 Male body part 29 Disney dwarf 31 Is of use to 32 Give lessons 33 “Straight Is the Gate” writer Gide 36 Braggart’s cry 42 Govt. security 43 One of the senses 44 Largest piggy? 48 Graphic artist M.C. __ 49 Face-saving disdain 53 Australian isl. 54 Notion 55 Takes five 57 Bad-mouth 58 Win 64 Way in, in brief 65 Leave out 66 Went out 67 His: Fr. 68 Daly of “Cagney & Lacey” September 16, 2008 The Tech Page 13

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their passion for complex problem solving and apply it to designing and implementing a system for automatic execution of thousands of trade orders Page 14 The Tech September 16, 2008 Community Picnic at Caltech Economist Puts Textbook New Ashdown Hosted Online for Free to Protest Pricing By Noam Cohen prescribes medication and the pro- textbooks covering a wide range of The New York Times fessor who requires a textbook don’t subjects and educational levels, its By Hockfield’s Office Squint hard, and textbook pub- have to bear the cost and thus usually ethic is taken from the digital mu- lishers can look a lot like drug mak- don’t think twice about it. sic world, he said — rip, burn and Picnic, from Page 1 Hosted by the Office of the Pres- ers. They both make money from “The person who pays for the mash. ident, the Community Picnics were doing obvious good — healing, edu- book, the parent or the student, Unlike other projects that share planned the event. started by President Hockfield last cating — and they both have custom- doesn’t choose it,” he said. “There is course materials, notably Open- Gallagher declined to comment year to mark the beginning and end ers who may be willing to sacrifice this sort of creep. It’s always OK to CourseWare at the Massachusetts on the cost of the picnic, though of the academic year at MIT. One their last pennies to buy what these add $5.” Institute of Technology, Connexions according to UA President Noah S. picnic took place last fall and one companies are selling. In protest of what he says are uses broader Creative Commons li- Jessop ’09, it stayed within budget. this spring. It is that fact that can suddenly textbooks’ intolerably high prices — cense allowing students and teachers President Susan Hockfield, Monday was bright and sunny, turn the good guys into bad guys, es- and the dumbing-down of their con- to rewrite and edit material as long Dean for Graduate Education Ste- and there were balloons and live pecially when the prices they charge tent to appeal to the widest possible as the originator is credited. Teachers ven R. Lerman ’72, and Ashdown music. “Everybody seemed to have are compared with generic drugs or market — McAfee has put his intro- put up material, called modules, and housemaster Terry Orlando gave a good time,” said Cissy Giannino, ordinary books. A final similarity, in ductory economics textbook online then mix and match their work with brief remarks. the Ashdown desk manager. the words of R. Preston McAfee, an free. He says he most likely could others’ to create a collection of ma- economics professor at the California have earned a $100,000 advance on terial for students. “We are changing Institute of Technology, is that both the book had he gone the traditional textbook publishing from a pipeline textbook publishers and drug makers publishing route, and it would have to an ecosystem,” he said. http://tech.mit.edu benefit from the problem of “moral had a list price approaching $200. Like McAfee, Baraniuk says he hazards” — that is, the doctor who “This market is not working very decided to share his material while well — except for the shareholders writing a textbook. in the textbook publishers,” he said. “If I had finished my own book, “We have lots of knowledge, but we I would have finished a couple years are not getting it out.” ago,” he said. “It would have taken DISCOVER... While still on the periphery of the five years. It would have spent five academic world, his volume, “Intro- years in print and sold 2,000 cop- duction to Economic Analysis,” is ies.” Instead, he said, he posted it on being used at some colleges, includ- the Web site and there have been 2.8 ing Harvard and Claremont McK- million page views of his textbook, enna, a private liberal arts college in “Signals and Systems,” including a Visit us at the MIT Career Fair – Claremont, Calif. translation into Spanish. And that, in a nutshell, is a big Connexions is strongest in sta- Thursday, September 18th! difference between textbook publish- tistics and electrical engineering — ers and the drug makers. Sure, there areas with technologically advanced By valuing diversity, Ford Motor Company have been scientists with McAfee’s students and a greater need to update embodies all of the ideas and contributions of their attitude — Jonas Salk was asked material than, say, works on me- who owned the patent to the polio dieval history. He said there were employees, suppliers and customers. Our vaccine and scoffed: “Could you pat- 850,000 unique users a month, with employees can join one of the 12 Employee ent the sun?” more than 50 percent of the traffic Resource Groups that offer support and fellowship, For the textbook makers, how- originating from outside the United contribute to employees professional ever, it is a different story. McAfee States. development, and provide organized activities for allows anyone to download a Word “It’s anyone’s guess as to when file or PDF of his book, while also we will break through,” he said. employees of diverse backgrounds. taking advantage of the growing One of the most popular Con- We have a renewed commitment to our marketplace for print on demand. nexions contributors is Sunil Ku- In true economist fashion, he has mar Singh, a production engineer products and customers, but also believe that it is allowed two companies, Lulu and from New Delhi who works for the our employees and the different perspectives that Flat World Knowledge, to sell print Oil and Natural Gas Corp. of India. they bring that will be the driving force behind our versions of his textbook, with Lulu He explains physics for pre-college success. It’s something we value, honor and charging $11 and Flat World any- students, using the feedback from respect. Come discover a Company that is where from $19.95 to $59.95. As he readers who e-mail from all over the said on his Web site, he is keeping world. focused on designing better cars, but also cares the multiple options to “further con- “It is a two-way process,” he about you, your family and your community. strain their ability to engage in mo- wrote in an e-mail message. “I, for nopoly pricing.” one, have experienced difficulty dur- By choice, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer A broader effort to publish free ing my formal study years with the committed to a culturally diverse workforce. textbooks is called Connexions, best of textbooks around.” He said which was the brainchild of Richard the new system “gives me opportu- G. Baraniuk, an engineering profes- nity to respond to the editing needs sor at Rice University, which has all the time.” HOW YOU CAN received $6 million from the Wil- While these open-source projects PUT YOUR CAREER IN liam and Flora Hewlett Foundation. slowly grow, the textbook publishers mycareer.ford.com Ford Motor Company In addition to being a repository for have entered the online publishing field with CourseSmart, a service owned by five publishers. In service for only a year, CourseSmart allows students to subscribe to a textbook and read it online, with the option of highlighting and printing out por- tions of it at a time. The price is generally half of what a print book costs, a sum that can still appear staggering — an in- troductory economics textbook costs around $90 online. (This semester, a student has the option of down- loading a book as well — but it is an either-or choice: Read online or download to a computer.) Frank Lyman, executive vice MIT TECH president at CourseSmart, said that the company was created in response 09/16/2008 to changing times. “There wasn’t a 9095067-INPC58285 lot of content, and it was in a bunch of formats,” he said of past efforts FORMOT by publishers. “There never was any 6” x 6” momentum.” There are 4,000 textbooks cur- Vanessa Castillo v.4 rently available — about a third of the market — but the goal is to cover “50 percent of the backpack.” With- out being specific, he said that tens of thousands of textbooks have been read online and that 1,240 separate institutions have a student who has made at least one e-textbook pur- chase. While conceding that open- source textbooks would take hold in a few subject areas, Lyman stressed that the current system would still prevail and that collaborative works online would have a hard time win- ning an audience. “Of all the things that are chang- ing, one thing is consistent — the authorship model,” he said. September 16, 2008 The Tech Page 15

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617.253.0077 | 12-193 | http://upop.mit.edu | [email protected] Page 16 The Tech September 16, 2008 Additional Charges Expected for Alum Aafia Siddiqui ’95 Siddiqui, from Page 1 cha. “The Government continues to 30 years in prison. Paracha’s case investigate Siddiqui’s conduct with involved evidence against him from respect to that conspiracy, but the Majid Khan, Khalid Sheik Moham- current charges against her — at- med, and Ammar al Baluchi, all of tempted murder of United States whom are linked to Siddiqui, and nationals, officers and employees, are U.S. prisoners in Guantanamo among other counts — are not re- Bay. Siddiqui married Ammar al lated to the conspiracy at issue in Baluchi in 2003; al Baluchi is a Paracha,” Lavigne said. nephew of Mohammed, the alleged Further charges against Siddiqui 9/11 mastermind. are expected. Paracha was convicted in 2005 Siddiqui’s court-appointed New and he appealed before the Second York lawyer, Elizabeth M. Fink, has Circuit Court of Appeals. The ap- not responded to repeated requests peals court decided against Para- for comment. Rachel Fong Capriccio, an MIT flamenco and Latin music group, performs in front of the Johnson Athletics Cen- Eating Disorder Treatment ter on Friday. Treatment of Adults Suffering from Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa Informed clinicians refer their clients to Laurel Hill Inn. LHI provides the most effective treatment and deploys the highest MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives staff-to-client ratio in New England. We provide extensive programming in a highly Wednesday, September 17, 12-2pm structured and supervised non-institutional therapeutic setting. Evening, day, and residential treatment as well as OPEN HOUSE La Sala de Puerto Rico, W20-202 International food will be served weekly support groups in West Medford and West Somerville. Call Information Meetings Linda at 781 396-1116 or visit www.laurelhillinn.com.

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September 25 5:00p–7:00p, E38-700 (7th floor conference room)

October 8 5:00p–7:00p, E38-700 (7th floor conference room)

October 9 5:00p–7:00p, E38-700 (7th floor conference room)

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Police Log The following incidents were reported to the MIT Police between WE USED TO GET PICKED ON FOR Aug. 25, 2008 and Sept. 3, 2008. This summary does not include inci- dents such as false alarms, general service calls, or medical shuttles. BEING SMART. Aug. 25: W89 (291 Vassar St.), 11:09 a.m., Credit card fraud report. NOW WE LAND A GREAT JOB 125 Vassar St., 2:06 p.m., Paudley Zamora, 124 Point Breeze Rd., Webster, Mass. under arrest on Vassar St. for assault by means of a dangerous weapon, to wit a motor AND GET PROMOTED. vehicle. M48 (15 Vassar St.), 9:29 p.m., Report of bicycle theft that occurred at 9:30 a.m. Aug. 26: NE48 (700 Tech Square), 11:12 a.m., Report of counter- feit bill; bill taken into evidence. NW62 (310 Mass. Ave.), 11:21 a.m., Report of desk draw- er and cabinets broken into on Aug. 22. Aug. 28: TDC (372 Memorial Dr.), 11:11 a.m., Larceny of laptop. NW86 (70 Pacific St.), 4:43 p.m., Report of larceny of check that occurred on July 28. Aug. 29: W92, 9:08 a.m., Report of June 24 larceny. W61 (450 Memorial Dr.), 9:57 a.m., Report of larceny of laptop that occurred the previous night. NW86 (70 Pacific St.), 10 a.m., Report of fraud that oc- curred July 25. Aug. 30: NW86 (70 Pacific St.), 3:54 p.m., Report of breaking and entering of vehicle at NW86 parking that occurred Aug. 24. Aug. 31: W16 (48 Rear Mass. Ave.), 7:11 p.m., Report of motor vehicle breaking through the parking gate; malicious de- struction of property. Sept. 1: M14 (160 Memorial Dr.), 7:59 a.m., Report of wallet theft from Hayden Library that occurred on Aug. 29. W7 (362 Memorial Dr.), 3:51 p.m., Report of bicycle theft that occurred on Aug. 30. Sept. 2: West Campus Living Area, 5:13 a.m., Report that female woke up and saw an unknown male in her room. M56 (21 Rear Ames St.), 8:18 p.m., Reporting person re- ports that black male with short hair just robbed her of psm.com You’ll fi nd some of the smartest engineers on the planet at Power Systems, Mfg. her pocketbook in front of Bldg. 66 and E15 on Ames St.; Which explains the innovation and integrity of our product line. From ultra low NOx combustion units responded, report taken; all areas searched, suspect systems, to airfoils that improve life cycle costs, we design, engineer and manufacture an array not in the area. Sept. 3: W7 (362 Memorial Dr.), 8:59 a.m., Report of bicycle theft of industrial gas turbine components that cost less and perform equal to — or better than — that occurred on May 1. the Original Equipment Manufacturer components they replace. W89 (291 Vassar St.), 3:21 p.m., Larceny of laptop from residence. Join a winning, global team of 74,000 employees in over 65 countries. For more information, W51 (410 Memorial Dr.), 4:01 p.m., Report of larceny of visit our booth at the career fair or email [email protected]. mountain bike that occurred on Aug. 30.

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Career Fair Career Fair Interviews “Traders at MIT” Info Session Sponsor Week Networking September 18 September 19 Presentation October 2 On-Campus Dinner 11:00 a.m.– 9:00 a.m.– September 24 5–8:00 p.m. Interviews September 17 6:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Room 4-153 October 3 7–9:30 p.m. Johnson SIG’s Boston office Kresge Oval Athletic Center

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Information Session Thursday, September 18th Stata Center 32-155 7:00 pm

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Stem Cell Therapies? $35,000 compensation By Carey Goldberg Their work fits into the burgeoning The Boston Globe field of cancer stem cells, the increas- See http://www.eggdonorneeded.com or email On a visit to Bangalore in 1998, ingly accepted idea that tumors host Robert A. Weinberg ’64, one of Amer- a few cancer “super-cells,” which are [email protected] for more information. ica’s leading cancer researchers, met a capable of forming new tumors de- voraciously curious young doctoral stu- spite extensive cancer treatment. dent from a South Indian village so re- But it went beyond cancer. Wein- We are not an agency - we are the family seeking your help. Please help mote that he grew up without phones or berg pushed Mani to test a seemingly us. television, studying by kerosene lamp. logical hypothesis: Could inducing the He had no Western-style last name, only square-to-sickle shift in normal cells a first — Mani. turn them into normal stem cells? Mani’s parents, rice and peanut Mani tested the idea in normal farmers, had never been to school at human breast cells left over from N ATION AL SECURITY AGENCY all. But Weinberg sensed such scien- breast-reduction surgery. And in- tific promise in Mani, who was then deed, he found that by inducing the NSA at the Indian Institute of Science, that square-to-sickle shift, those normal he invited him to join his prestigious cells also started to resemble stem Whitehead Institute laboratory in Cam- cells, becoming able to generate bridge. great numbers of copies. Now, Weinberg says his lab has Their method, if it pans out, could come up with possibly its most exciting be easier and safer than other meth- discovery since it found the first can- ods to make stem cells now in de- cer gene nearly three decades ago, and velopment because it would involve much of the credit goes to that young manipulating a cell’s biochemical Indian researcher, Sendurai (the name environment to turn on existing of his village) Mani. genes rather than changing genes, Mani and his colleagues at the Weinberg said. MIT-affiliated Whitehead found what The work suggests that it may be Your perspective. appears to be a key to metastasis, the possible, with relatively modest ma- Your culture. insidious process by which cancer nipulation, to “get what looks like a spreads throughout the body and of- more mature cell to revert back to a Your intelligence. ten kills. And, in a surprising spin-off, stem-cell-like state,” said Dr. David that same discovery also may lead to a Scadden, co-director of the Harvard That’s your Cultural iQ. relatively safe, simple way to transform Stem Cell Institute, who was not normal adult cells into stem cells that involved in Weinberg’s and Mani’s could be used to treat other diseases. work. “This is fantastic because it Put your cultural They believe their one-step method says … that maybe cells don’t live on may avoid the risk of random mutation a one-way street.” intelligence to — and possibly cancer — a stumbling For all his excitement, Weinberg work at NSA. block for therapies based on other re- readily acknowledges that Mani’s line cently developed techniques for creat- of investigation has yet to produce a ing stem cells. “gold-standard proof ” that the stem- Help us put the world into perspective The new findings by no means like cells are actually stem cells. If translate into a cure for cancer or an their thinking is correct, he said, it instant recipe for stem cell therapies, should be possible to induce the key cautions Weinberg, who first came to metamorphosis in some breast cells national prominence in the 1970s for of one mouse, place them in another Meet us at your school’s DATE: September 18, 2008, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. his work on genetic mutations that mouse’s chest and develop a breast. PLACE: Johnson Athletic Center Bldg. W34, Floors 1 and 2 cause normal cells to become cancer- The experiment worked once, he next career event. ous. But, he says, visibly struggling to said, but his lab has been unable to convey his enthusiasm without sinking replicate it, and ended up publishing to hyperbole, “I just think this is ex- its work in the leading biology jour- tremely interesting.” nal Cell this May without that crown- Other researchers who study stem ing proof. But “I’m not discouraged Visit www.NSA.gov/Careers for more information. cells and cancer concur, though the by that lack of success, though it work is still in progress. “I think it’s would be nicer if it had succeeded,” fabulous,” said Michael Clarke, direc- Weinberg said. Such experiments tor of the cancer stem cell program at take time and present technical chal- U.S. citizenship is required for all applicants. NSA is an equal Stanford University. Weinberg’s lab has lenges, he said. opportunity employer and abides by applicable laws and regulations. WHERE INTELLIGENCE GOES TO WORK® pinpointed a “stem cell program that cancer cells use to spread. So I think Equal Opportunity Employer and drug-free workplace that’s incredibly important,” he said. STT07-01_6x7.indd 1 8/29/08 4:06:23 PM As Weinberg tells the tale, en- US Citizenship normally required. sconced in a brown leather armchair near a tangled jungle of window plants in his office, metastatic cancer cells and stem cells used to occupy separate halves of his brain, with no bridge be- tween. But that bridge is emerging from yet a third field: the study of embry- os. In earliest human life, some cells You’ll nd both Sandia National Laboratories and Lockheed Martin undergo a dramatic metamorphosis. From squarish, stuck-together cells of at the Lockheed Martin Fall Career Fair Booth the kind that grow in sheets to form the linings of the ducts in breasts, September 18, 2008 lungs and other organs, they change into mobile, more sickle-shaped cells Sandia National Laboratories is a national security laboratory involved in a variety of research that can form bones and blood. and development programs to help secure a peaceful and free world through technology. We Researchers have long theorized develop technologies to sustain and modernize our armed forces, protect our nuclear arsenal, that cancer cells may co-opt the pro- prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, defend against terrorism, protect our gram for that transformation, using it to gain mobility and roll out from a pri- national infrastructures, and ensure stable energy and water supplies. mary tumor to seed others elsewhere. Sandia National Laboratories seeks top MS and PhD engineering and science students desiring What Mani and his colleagues found fits into that theory and goes full-time employment after graduation. We need technical candidates with a desire to take on a step further: By exploring genes national and world technical challenges. Come work at Sandia and help us change the world! and proteins involved in metasta- sis, they found that when a cancer Sandia has exciting opportunities for college graduates at the Bachelor’s cell undergoes that square-to-sickle Master’s, and Ph.D. levels in: transformation, it also gains proper- ■ Electrical Engineering ■ Computing Engineering ties of stem cells, which can spawn vast numbers of new cells. ■ Computer Science ■ Optics In particular, they found that by ■ Informatics ■ Chemistry turning on any one of three genes, ■ Mechanical Engineering ■ Biological Sciences called Twist, Snail and FOXC2, ■ Discrete Algorithms & Math they could make a cancer cell in a petri dish undergo the square-to- sickle shift. And unexpectedly, these We also offer internship, co-op, and post-doctoral programs. Find out more about us, visit us at www.sandia.gov sickle-shaped cells became far more Operated By capable of generating new tumors. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract Mani hopes to prove that the same DE-AC04-94AL85000. thing happens in metastasis. Page 20 The Tech September 16, 2008 MIT China Program Harvard Endowment Grew By 8.6 Percent In Last Fiscal Year China, Hong Kong, Taiwan Internships By Steven Syre the endowment, also easily outper- CETI iLabs, OCW, and High School Teaching The Boston Globe formed many other investment funds Harvard University’s $36.9 bil- in its universe. The fund said an in- lion endowment earned 8.6 percent dex that measures the performance on its investments in its latest fiscal of 165 other large institutional in- year, the school’s money managers vestors had a 4.4 loss percent dur- Come to Our Fall Information Meeting!! reported Friday, even as stock mar- ing that period; the top performers kets around the world were losing in that group, moreover, earned 3.2 Thursday, September 18, 5:00 pm money. percent. The endowment’s return for the Some other closely watched uni- th Building E38, 7 Floor Conference Room year ending June 30 compares with a versity endowments, particularly that loss of 13.1 percent by the Standard of Yale University, have yet to report & Poor’s 500 stock index during the results for the fiscal year. The Mas- same period. sachusetts Institute of Technology E-mail: [email protected] or call 253-5068 Harvard Management Co., the expects to report its endowment’s university’s investment arm that runs annual investment performance this month. Harvard Management said its en- dowment, which grew $2 billion dur- ing the fiscal year, distributed $1.6 billion to the university to support teaching, research, and student aid. Former Harvard Management president Mohamed El-Erian man- aged the portfolio for a part of the last fiscal year but left the post in De- cember. Robert Kaplan, a Harvard business professor and former vice chairman at Goldman Sachs Group Inc., then ran it on an interim basis until new president Jane Mendillo took over July 1. Mendillo said Friday she was cautious about the current volatil- ity in capital markets and how that could affect the endowment’s short- term performance. “It’s a very chal- lenging environment in the financial markets right now,” she said. “We don’t know how the end is going to look, and we’re cautious about the impact on many of the markets we participate in.” One reason Harvard’s endow- ment performed so well last year is it invests less money in equities than many other funds. Harvard lost 12.7 percent on its US stock portfolio and 12.1 percent on its foreign equity portfolio in the last fiscal year. But those categories accounted for an estimated 22 percent of the endow- ment’s total assets at the end of the fiscal year. Harvard also invests a substantial amount of its endowment in hedge funds, private equity funds, com- modities, and real estate. Most of those earned substantial profits in the last fiscal year. Harvard’s “real assets” portfolio, which includes easily tradeable com- modities, timber, agricultural land, and real estate, earned 35.8 percent. Private equity investments returned 9.6 percent and hedge funds roughly broke even. The endowment’s bond portfolio also posted big gains during the year. Domestic bonds earned 16.1 percent while foreign bonds gained 21.3 per- • October 23, 2008 cent and inflation-indexed bonds ad- vanced 20.3 percent. The combined • Room 1-150 bond portfolio accounts for about 11 percent of Harvard’s assets. • 5:30 – 6:30 pm (food and drinks provided) Kaplan said the investment vola- tility created by the way other large investors move in and out of the mar- • Graduating Computer Science students ket was less important to Harvard’s welcome and will receive a free iPod Shuffle strategy than how economies around or $50 iTunes gift card. the world are performing. “We are long-term investors so we have the ability to take a big step back,” he • All students welcome to attend for food and said. “Market volatility at any point drinks and to learn about opportunities at in time will come and go. But the un- FREE! EWT Trading. derlying fundamentals are crucial.” rd Solution to Crossword iPOD SHUFFLE Please RSVP by October 23 by sending from page 12 OR $50 GIFT CARD; YOUR CHOICE a resume to: [email protected]

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Informational Sessions September 16, 17 and 18 at 8:00 p.m. in Building 4, Room 237 Online Registration Begins September 6 Registration tables will be on campus September 15-19 and September 23-24 at Lobby 10 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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MIT Fall 2008 Career Fair Come visit us at the MIT Fall 2008 Career Fair, September 18 from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. at the Johnson Athletic Center. Page 22 The Tech September 16, 2008 As Synthetic Biology Graduating MIT Students Becomes Affordable, Do you have what it takes Amateur Labs Thrive By Carolyn Y. Johnson ago, but it was intended to regulate The Boston Globe professional scientists at universities to be a trader at Optiver? In a third-floor loft where pro- and businesses, not individuals. grammers build Internet start-ups, Still, authorities have discretion Mackenzie Cowell is talking about to act if they suspect wrongdoing. FIND OUT IN 8 MINUTES IF YOU the tools he and like-minded young In 2004, Buffalo art professor Steve ARE UP TO THE CHALLENGE. colleagues are using to fuel what Kurtz was arrested and investigated they hope will be the next big thing as a possible bioterrorist because pe- in biology. The list includes a cut- tri dishes and laboratory equipment up Charlie Card, ingredients bought were found in his home in upstate on eBay to make a kind of scientific New York, after his wife had died of Jell-O, and a refrigerator, just scored a heart attack. on Craigslist.com, that chills to 80 Tom Knight, a senior research degrees below zero. scientist at MIT who is cofounding Think you have what it takes? Cowell is part of an effort called a synthetic biology company called DIYbio — short for do-it-yourself Ginkgo BioWorks, sees the transfor- Start the application process today at: biology — that aims to move sci- mative value of biohacking — the ence into the hands of hobbyists. It phrase used to describe doing to liv- http://optiver.ennect.com/events/Boston is starting by holding sessions where ing organisms what computer hack- amateurs extract DNA, and attempt ers have long done with electronics. To learn more about Optiver, please stop by our booth genetic fingerprinting using com- But he has reservations about put- mon household items and the kitchen ting such power into the hands of on September 18 at the Career Fair 2008. sink. amateurs. “It shows you how much science “I think if the safety issues can For a complete job description, please visit your Career Center’s website. can be about duct tape and having a be addressed, there is a big oppor- few screws in the right place,” Cowell tunity,” Knight said. “It’s a huge is- said. “It shatters that clinical image.” sue; how do you regulate so [people] What Cowell and crew hope to don’t cause havoc.” achieve is a democratization of sci- The promises and risks of bio- ence that could propel the field of bi- hackery were addressed in a pa- ology into the mainstream, much as per this summer in the new journal computer hackers fueled computer Systems and Synthetic Biology. “A development a generation ago. After young crowd of enthusiastic bio- all, Silicon Valley’s Homebrew Com- hackers … may spark a wave of in- puter Club played a part in the per- novation,” wrote the coordinator of sonal computer industry and counts a European task force examining the Apple Inc. founders among its at- implications of synthetic biology. tendees; Cowell would like DIYbio But he cautioned that amateurs who to be the Homebrew Club of Biol- don’t adhere to a professional code Optiver, a leading international proprietary trading firm located in Chicago, IL is ogy. of conduct and lack sufficient safety recruiting traders. Ideal candidates will come from an analytically related field of Cowell and his mostly 20-some- training raise the specter of biosafety study such as Engineering, Finance, Mathematics, and the Computer Sciences thing friends are on a mission that and security risks. seems inevitable to them, and is be- The clash between the potential graduating before August, 2009. Questions? Email [email protected] ginning to spark the attention, inter- benefits and dangers of doing home est — and sometimes safety concern science were highlighted by the case — of professional scientists. The of Victor Deeb. The retired 71-year- recent shutdown of a lab in a retired old chemist in Marlborough saw his chemist’s home in Marlborough fo- basement lab dismantled by authori- cused attention on the question of ties this summer after it was noticed safety and the regulation of citizen by fire officials putting out a second- scientists. floor air conditioner fire. The idea of doing useful science The state DEP said officials in- at home isn’t new. Backyard stargaz- tervened in Deeb’s workspace be- ers have long made contributions to cause it did not meet lab standards. astronomy. Bird-watchers participate Chemical companies shipping Deeb in a wildlife census. their materials were unaware that Now, enter the biohacker. they were shipping to a residence, The movement is getting much authorities said. of its steam from synthetic biology, Deeb, who said he was trying to a field of science that seeks to make make safer surface coatings for food working with cells and genes more containers, insists that the chemicals like building circuits by creating he was using were less hazardous standardized biological parts. The than common cleaners and house- dream, already playing out in the an- hold chemicals. He questions why nual International Genetically Engi- his hobby was seen as more danger- neered Machine competition at MIT, ous than, for example, a hunter with is that biology novices could browse a gun collection, or a person using a a catalog of ready-made biological propane grill. parts and use them to create cus- “The more I tried to explain, Drive the world in tomized organisms. Technological the more they thought I was a luna- advances have made it quite simple tic,” Deeb said, questioning why he to insert genes into bacteria to give should need permits to tinker in his them the ability to, for example, de- basement. a new direction! tect arsenic or produce vitamins. Not far from the loft where Cow- “This follows in the heels of ell is trying to hatch his grass-roots General Motors is actively recruiting for: enormous American enthusiasm for scientific revolution, a group of syn- invention that carries on in each gen- thetic biologists at MIT — whose • Product Engineering – Course 6 internships (Fr/So/Jr) eration,” said Scott Mohr, a Boston business cards identify them as DNA University chemist who is writing a hackers — are working with Knight • R&D – Math, Science, or Engineering Master’s/Ph.D. internships or primer on synthetic biology. to create a resource that could bring “This is part of the same cycle: sophisticated biology techniques full-time positions You go out there, you’re an inven- within reach of amateurs. tor, and you build mechanical stuff The company plans to provide • OnStar Telematics – Course 6 internships (Fr/So/Jr, grad) or full- — my dad did that,” Mohr said. standardized biological parts to time positions (undergrad, grad) “You go into computer programming biotech companies or clean fuel en- and write viruses and video games. trepreneurs, not casual garage sci- Those are the parents and older entists, but they see the excitement brothers of people who are going to of what biohackers are trying to do. Come to learn more! do something even more thrilling” This summer, the company made a — experiments with living things. comic book-style protocol, with each Information Session: Wed 9/17 5:30-6:30pm Room 5-134 But the work also raises fears that frame showing how to do a bit of bi- people could create a deadly microbe ological engineering, and brought it Career Fair booth: Thu 9/18 11am-6pm Johnson Athletic Center on purpose, just as computer hackers to a hacker expo, Foo Camp, where have unleashed crippling viruses or people made cells that smelled like GM Vehicle Show: Fri 9/19 9am-4pm Stratton Student Center broken into government websites. banana or turned red. There is little formal regula- “For us, it’s a continuum,” said tion specifically for home labs. The Reshma Shetty, one of Ginkgo’s Learn more about GM on the web: www.gm.com or www.gm.com/careers state Department of Environmental founders. “We can make it easier for Protection requires permits for busi- newcomers and professors” to do nesses that create hazardous waste. biology, “and make it so people can Cambridge was the first city in the start biotech companies in their base- nation to pass a law regulating DNA ment, just like they can build a Web research more than three decades 2.0 company in their basement.” September 16, 2008 The Tech Page 23 Caltech’s Past Trips Have Led to Change   In Undergrad Housing  Student Life, from Page 1 visit MIT. The group was surprised at the we could have frats across the river,” MIT administration’s attitude toward Chong said. Caleb Ng, president of hacks. “When I went to MIT I found MIT welcomes Caltech’s undergraduate student gov- that when anyone gets caught on the His Excellency Paul Kagame, ernment, said that because they had roof, they get fined $50,” Chong said. president of the Republic of Rwanda, so few students, Caltech could never “That sends a very mixed message. If run a student government as large and you take hacking, or pranking, as part to campus to present complex as the UA. of your culture, there’s some weird the September 2008 But there are benefits to being contradiction in that.” Karl Taylor Compton Lecture. small, too. Chong said that Caltech Chong said that at Caltech, cam- had less bureaucracy, and that it is pus security may not interfere with a lecture easier for one person to get his ideas prank without first checking in with heard. The campus is also much co- the vice president for campus life. “Imperative of Science and Technology zier. Caltech has made a similar East in Accelerating African and Rwandan Development” “You know, at Caltech we’re pretty Coast expedition twice in its history, spoiled. I didn’t like walking across once in the 1930s and once in the the [Harvard] bridge … it’s frickin’ 1960s. Following the 1930s Student when far,” Chong said. Experience Survey, which included September 18, 2008 The Caltech students also visited visits to Cambridge and Oxford Uni- 3:30 – 5:00 pm Harvard while they were in Boston. versities, Caltech reorganized its un- Ng said the school didn’t make much dergraduate residences into a house of an impression because classes system. Following a recommendation where hadn’t started yet. There was much of the 1967 survey, Caltech began ac- Kresge Auditorium, Building W16 more going on at MIT — Chong men- cepting women. tions bumping into “a million sorority One long term goal for the cur- Massachusetts Institute of Technology girls rushing” as he was walking out rent survey is a restructuring of the 48 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge of the student center. Caltech student government, Ng said. Ng said that at heart, Caltech and On Sept. 2, Ng and the others met MIT are very close to each other, even with UA President Jessop and dis- tickets in terms of student life and culture, cussed the functioning of the student The lecture is open to the MIT community and that in many ways MIT reminded government at both schools. The MIT and to the public. Tickets are not required; him of Caltech. UA, with its executive committee, Chong agreed, saying “If you senate and class councils at acts like seating will be first-come, first-served and multiplied Caltech by four times, I an umbrella organization that coordi- the doors to the auditorium will open at 3:15 pm. wouldn’t be surprised if it was very nates and oversees all student govern- similar to MIT.” He added, “I think ment activities at the undergraduate the schools have a lot in common, level. The Associated Students of the more information which is something I don’t think a lot California Institute of Technology or web.mit.edu/compton of people understand.” ASCIT at Caltech operates free from The Caltech students had a chance Administrative control and is an in- to tour campus and visit the dorms. dependent non-profit corporation. It They were amused by the East Cam- sponsors a number of student ven- pus roller coaster, remarking that they tures and activities and publishes the had undertaken their own construc- Caltech’s newspaper (The California     tion projects, but never amusement Tech) and yearbook (The Big T) and park rides. even a student hand handbook (little According to Chong, when the T). Made possible by the Council for the Arts at MIT group was at Senior Haus, a desk Jeff Guo contributed to the report- worker said to them “Wait, you’re ing of this article. Caltech students? The last time I saw Caltech students, I was half naked and Solution to Sudoku I offered them cookies and all they from page 12 Free tickets for MIT students! said was ‘Fuck you, we want our can-          non back.’” Ng stressed the importance of    Henisi.   Pat,  cor  sum nos doloreet elesseq uatuera esectem doloboreet, con heniscidunt at, quat dolobore 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. both schools maintaining close ties          Eurydice and added that he was “very glad” for Magnim do doloreet,1 conulputticket per MIT wisi student ex ex ID eu facincilit alit iustissed eugue vel dolore vent having been given this opportunity to                   Saturday, September 20, at 3:30pm LEGAL COUNSEL          New Repertory Theater MIT students, family, employers and start-ups seeking U.S. legal counsel,          321 Arsenal Street, Watertown campus or office consultation. Call:          (take the #70 bus from University Park) James Dennis Leary, Esq.          321-544-0012 by Sarah Ruhl directed by Rick Lombardo

From the acclaimed playwright of The Clean House comes this beautiful and devastating story about love and choice. In Sarah Ruhl’s re-imagining of the Orpheus myth, Eurydice’s tragic mis- step on her wedding day sends her tumbling into the depths of the Underworld, where she is reunited with her father. Memories are forbidden and language is altered in this world of the dead. Her father re-educates her, while her husband searches for a note she will hear. Will the three find the means to communicate across the divide between life and death?

Radius Ensemble 2 tickets per MIT student ID

Saturday, September 27, at 8:00 pm Killian Hall, 14W-111, Hayden Library Building Free talk at 7:30 pm Cookies and coffee at a free reception with the artists to follow

THOMAS Pulsar for solo violin BEETHOVEN String Trio in C minor, Op. 9 No. 3 GOLIJOV There is wind and there are ashes in the wind for clarinet, piano and narrator (Featuring WBUR’s Robin Young) JANÁČEK Mládí (Youth) for wind sextet

Tickets available at the MIT Office of the Arts (E15-205) Monday - Friday, 10am - 4pm in person, first-come, first-served only.

http://web.mit.edu/arts/see/freetickets/index.html Page 24 The Tech September 16, 2008

We invite all Juniors & Seniors to attend:

Career Fair Date: Thursday, September 18, 2008 Time: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Place: Johnson Athletics Center

Q & A with Bain Asia Pacific Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Time: 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Place: Le Meridien Hotel

Fall Presentation Date: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 Time: 7:00 p.m. Place: Le Meridien Hotel

We remind you that the deadline for resume submission is Wednesday, October 8, 2008. First round interviews will be held on Tuesday, October 21st, and second round interviews will be held on Thursday, October 23rd.

COME EXPLORE FULL-TIME OPPORTUNITIES AT BARCLAYS. We look forward to seeing you at the following events: Barclays Capital Career Fair Date: Thursday, September 18th, 2008 Location: Johnson Athletic Center Representatives from Quantitative Analytics, Technology and Trading will be present.

Barclays Capital Full Time Interviews: This space donated by The Tech Date: Monday, October 6th, 2008 Location: Career Office

Visit our website at: www.barcap.com/expectexcellence

EARN SUCCESS EVERY DAY September 16, 2008 The Tech Page 25 Confusion in Student Voter Registrations THANK YOU . . . By Tamar Lewin he believed to be the consequences M IT The New York Times of choosing a college address as a The widespread practice of stu- primary residence. dents’ registering to vote at their col- “My understanding of state law lege address has set off a fracas in has been that by declaring you’re Virginia, a battleground state in the voting here, you’re saying this is presidential election. your primary residence, your do- Late last month, as a voter- micile, and that while you can have registration drive by supporters of many abodes or residences, you can Senator Barack Obama was signing only have one domicile,” Mr. Wertz up thousands of students at Virginia said. “And if this is your primary Tech, the local registrar of elections residence, you have to register your issued two releases incorrectly sug- vehicle here, charge your driver’s li- gesting a range of dire possibilities cense to here and so on. That’s been for students who registered to vote at the interpretation at state training their college. sessions.” The releases warned that such Kevin Griffis, the Obama cam- ® students could no longer be claimed paign’s Virginia spokesman, said the ® ® as dependents on their parents’ tax release appeared to be a good-faith Bose Wave music system returns, a statement the Internal Rev- effort to convey state guidelines, not enue Service says is incorrect, and a politically motivated effort to stop could lose scholarships or coverage voting by students. under their parents’ car and health Mr. Wertz said the initial release insurance. had been written by an intern whom After some inquiries from stu- he asked to summarize the guide- ThankThank you you to to Students, Students, dents and parents, and more pointed lines. Although the second release questions from civil rights lawyers, used the state’s precise language, he Faculty, Staff and the state board of elections said Fri- said, it still left room for confusion. Faculty, Staff and day, Sept. 5 that it was “modifying In other counties, registrars have re- Employees of M.I.T. and clarifying” the state guidelines fused to accept dormitory addresses on which the county registrar had as residences. But so far, the state Employees of M.I.T. based his releases. has not set clear standards. Bose Corporation was founded and Student-registration controver- “Different registrars around the sies have been a recurring problem state interpret it differently,” he said. since 1971, when the 26st Amend- “We’ve asked for more guidance builtBose by Corporation M.I.T. people. was Our successfounded in and ment lowered the voting age to 18 from the state legislature, but they QuietComfort ® 2 Acoustic Noise ® from 21, and despite a 1979 ruling haven’t wanted to deal with it.” Cancelling Headphones built by M.I.T. people. Our success in by the United States Supreme Court Mr. Greenbaum’s Voting Rights research and in business is a result, in that students have the right to regis- Project has been involved in other ter at their college address. student-registration cases. Last fall, research and in business is a result, in Virginia is not the only state with in Statesboro, Ga., in a hotly contest- no small part, of what M.I.T. hasdone murky guidelines. South Carolina’s ed city council race, there were chal- voter-registration site, for example, lenges to the registration of about no small part, of what M.I.T. has done says students who want to register 1,000 Georgia Southern University TM for us. As one measure of our apprecia- to vote at their college address must students who had used dormitory ad- for us. As one measure of our apprecia- demonstrate “a present intention to dresses. “We threatened suit, but the remain in the community.” issue went away when they figured “There’s no issue for snowbirds out that the challenges weren’t going tion,tion, we we are are extending extending special special purchase purchase who live in Iowa but fly to Florida for to affect the results of the election,” the winter,” said Sujatha Jahagirdar, Mr. Greenbaum said. program director of the Student Pub- In 2003, in Waller County, Tex., privilegesprivileges to all to students all students and employees and employees lic Interest Research Group’s New the district attorney wrote a column ® Voters Project. “One demographic in a local newspaper threatening to Companion 3 multimedia of M.I.T. for their personal use. group, like students, shouldn’t have prosecute students at Prairie View Companion®speaker3 multimedia system of M.I.T. for their personal use. to overcome a special hurdle to vote. A&M, a historically black univer- speaker system We impose all the responsibilities of sity, for illegal voting. The project citizenship on students, and we have sued, and the district attorney backed to provide them with the privileges down. Please direct all inquiries to the of citizenship, too.” In the 1970s, that same county Ms. Jahagirdar said Virginia’s required Prairie View students who “M.I.T. Purchase Program.” warnings were profoundly mislead- wanted to register to fill out a ques- ing. “We have been registering young tionnaire asking, among other things, Bose Corporation voters for 25 years,” she said. “We whether they owned property in the 1-800-444-BOSE registered 500,000 young voters in county, had an automobile registered 2004, the majority on college cam- there or belonged to any church, club puses, and we’ve never heard of a or organization unrelated to the col- single one who lost health insurance, lege. A challenge to that practice led scholarship or tax status because of the Supreme Court to uphold stu- ©2004 Bose Corporation. Patent rights issued and/or pending. Delivery is subject to product availability. where they registered to vote.” dents’ rights to vote at their college In Virginia, the county registrar address. first issued an alarming release on Aug. 25, and two days later a slightly toned-down version using language taken directly from the state Board of Elections’ Web site. MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives That site says students can de- termine their legal residence, but advises them to consider certain questions. “Are you claimed as a dependent on your parents’ income tax return?” the site asks. “If you are, Go To India then their address is probably your legal residence.” Eligiblity: MIT Students (non-India Nationals only) The site also tells students to check whether their coverage under their parents’ health or automobile Attend the MIT-India Program Info Session insurance, or their scholarship, will be affected by changing their resi- Wednesday, September 24, 5-6:30pm dence. (MIT Press Book Store Building near Kendall T Station) Civil rights lawyers say these E38 guidelines are problematic and could 6th Floor Conference Room infringe on students’ rights. “What the state Board of Elec- Samosas will be served tions has on its Web site, to me, sounds like it is discouraging stu- dents from registering at their school •All expenses paid (air-fare, housing, stipend) address,” said Jon Greenbaum, direc- tor of the Voting Rights Project at the •For Undergraduates, Graduates & Post-Docs Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. •In Research, Corporate, Non-profit sectors Indeed, the Montgomery County registrar, E. Randall Wertz, said sev- eral students had canceled their local registration over their worry about the possible consequences. Mr. Wertz mit.edu/misti said he had issued the release to try to dispel confusion and explain what Page 26 The Tech Sp o r t s September 16, 2008 MIT Cricket Tourney Women’s Tennis Sweeps Doubles, Title for Cambridge Singles in First Conference Match Tennis, from Page 28 engaged in a long point until she fi- Kerry R. Weinberg ’10 was the next nally had her opponent on the run, one to finish up. Weinberg attacked the lead of 3-0 over Springfield go- hitting a winner to the open court. the net and overpowered her oppo- Cricket Club Sunday ing into the singles matches. Hall played aggressively her whole nent, reaching match point to win With such a huge lead, Coach match, and her opponent was al- 6-4, 6-1. Cricket, from Page 28 Recreation (DAPER) in the form Carol Matsuzaki told the team they ways on the defensive. Soon after Katherine M. Smyth ’10 was left of subsidized rates for the astro- could afford to be more aggressive Hall finished, Pikhart finished her front and center. Smyth continued to vided their best players among the turf. in their singles matches, advice the match. During the third game of the wear out her opponent in long ral- various teams. Local teams from Sinha explained that the stan- players took to heart. First off was second set, Pikhart went on the of- lies, and often overpowered her. The several universities and cricket dard cricket ball, made of leather, Vishnevetsky playing number two fensive, and attacked the net for a match went to a third set tie break. clubs also came to participate in could not be used on this surface singles. She hit forehand cross court forehand volley winner, helping to Amongst all the excitement, Wein- the tournament; these were the as it bounced too high and could winners time and time again, not giv- catapult her to a win of 6-1, 6-1. Dis- berg was cheering in her own way, Burlington Cricket Club (BCC), injure players. The organizers ing up a single game to her opponent. kin finished her match next, causing helping the atmosphere to stay light the Cambridge Cricket Club experimented with many differ- Her final score was 6-0, 6-0. Hansen, her opponent to give up a number of and cheerful. During the tie breaker, (CCC), the Waltham XI (WXI), the ent kinds of balls and finally playing number one, finished soon forced errors, resulting in a 6-3, 6-0 Smyth showed brilliance. Of the total UMass Mavericks (UMM) and the settled on hard tennis balls with afterwards. Hansen painted the lines win. Wang was the next one to come 16 points played, Smyth completely Rising Stars. tape. This type of ball bounces with her shots and ran her opponent off the court. During the second outplayed her opponent for three of The matches were first divid- less than the hard leather ball, around, leaving her with a score of set, Wang hit a down the line fore- them, and in another five points she ed into two groups of four teams but more than a softer tennis 6-2, 6-0. hand winner to make the score 2-1. hit outright winners, giving her a each. The teams in each group first ball. The tape reduces friction Next up was Hall, winning her Wang won her match with a score of score of 7-6, 4-6, 10-6. In the end, played against each other in a round and makes the ball slide over the match 6-0, 6-2. During the second 6-0, 6-2. With Wang finished, only MIT swept all the matches, winning robin format with each match be- surface so that it comes onto the set and the second game, Hall was two matches were left on the court. 9-0 over Springfield. ing played with twelve overs a side. bat well. As with everything else, The four teams in each group were MIT students brought innovation ranked on the basis of the number into cricket as well. of matches they had won and a From the group stage on, the c o r e b o a r d draw of quarter finals was made. matches have been full of excite- S Following the quarterfinals, all ment, with several last-ball finish- matches were played with fifteen es. A group stage match between Men’s Cross Country Sailing overs a side, except in cases of rain the UMass Mavericks and Waltham Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 interruption. CCC faced Waltham XI had a nail-biting last over finish XI, and UMM faced BCC in the and in another match between the Engineers Cup Harry Anderson Trophy semi-finals on Saturday evening. Cambridge Cricket Club and Ris- MIT 1st of 3 MIT 11th of 20 While UMM beat BCC handily, ing Stars, CCC managed to defend Man-Labs Trophy hitting their target of 51 runs in as low a total as 70 runs in fifteen just 6.4 overs, CCC defeated WXI overs. Women’s Cross Country MIT 6th of 12 by a margin of just six runs with Ashok Patel from Waltham XI Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 the match stretching out to the de- was also extremely impressed by Engineers Cup Captains Cup ciding ball. The finals were played the team organization and loca- on Sunday evening between CCC tion. Waltham XI, whose players MIT 1st of 3 MIT 10th of 12 and WXI and gave the tournament are mostly business owners in MIT Invitational and around Boston, assisted in the exciting finish it deserved. Field Hockey MIT 3 of 19 CCC repeated their semi-final vic- funding the tournament. He said, tory margin, beating UMM by six “These guys have done a great Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 runs. job in organizing this. Some of MIT (1-4) 3 According to Jaiswal, the main us have been driving more than Women’s Tennis Simmons College (1-3) 0 problem the organizers faced was two hours everyday to come and Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 finding funds for the tournament. play in the tournament; that’s Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 Springfield College (0-1) 0 The organizers had to present their how great it’s been.” MIT (1-5) 0 budget and proposals to many The club, now mostly gradu- MIT (2-0) 9 Vassar College (1-2) 1 sponsors before finally receiving ate students, wants to expand and the money they needed to host reach more people from the MIT Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 the tournament. Various groups at community. They plan to post up- MIT (2-5) 11 Women’s Volleyball MIT assisted in the sponsorship of dates and schedules on their newly Elms College (1-3) 0 Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 the tournament, namely the Stu- created Web site and take further Frostburg State University (11-1) 3 dent Activities Office; Sangam, steps in getting more people in- MIT (5-2) 0 the Indian Students Association; volved. Cricket is more than a sport Football the Graduate Student Council; and in the South Asian countries, it’s a Haverford College (9-2) 3 the International Students Office. culture in itself. The MIT Cricket Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 MIT (5-3) 1 In addition, the tournament was Club is making all efforts to bring Massachusetts Maritime Academy (0-2) 14 supported by the Department of their culture to MIT and get people MIT (2-0) 42 Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 Athletics, Physical Education, and enthusiastic about it. Johns Hopkins University (8-2) 3 MIT (5-4) 0 Men’s Golf MIT (5-5) 0 Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 Stevens Institute of Technology (8-3) 3 Bowdoin Invitational MIT 12th of 14 Men’s Water Polo SPERM DONORS Up to Men’s Soccer Friday, Sept. 12, 2008 NEEDED $1100 a month! Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 Washington & Jefferson University (0-2) 6 Rhode Island College (2-3-1) 2 MIT (1-4) 17 Healthy MEN in college or with a college degree wanted for our MIT (4-0-1) 2 Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 sperm donor program. Boston College 7 Minimal time commitment Women’s Soccer MIT (2-4) 15 Help people fulfill their dreams of starting a family. Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008 Receive free health and genetic screenings. Salem State College (4-0) 1 California Baptist University (9-2) 13 APPLY ONLINE: MIT (1-4) 8 MIT (2-5) 10 www.SPERMBANK.com Celebrate the 10 Year Anniversary Sports Shorts, continued Sports Shorts, from Page 28

(45) and WPI (71). Of Thailand Café Wentz broke the tape in 19:21, leading a pack of four Tech run- 302 Massachusetts Avenue ners to finish the five-kilometer course in under 20 minutes. Andrea E. Bradshaw’s ’09 19:48 split was good for second, Elizabeth M. Finn ’09 Cambridge, MA 02139 crossed the finish line in third at 19:56, and Jennifer A. Doyle ’09 (4th) followed close behind at 19:58. Only RPI’s Erin Kyle (5th) was able to Tel: (617) 492-2494 finish ahead of any of MIT’s top six. Kathryn A. Gordon ’11 rounded Fax: (617) 492-6546 out the scoring for the Engineers, finishing sixth in 20:13. For the men, Arumugam finished with a time of 26:33. RPI’s Chris Donais was next to complete the 8 kilometer course at 26:46. Gihan S. Amarasiriwardena ’11 had the next best time for MIT, placing fourth $2.00 OFF with a 27:06 split, leading a pack of four consecutive Tech finishers. WITH ANY $10 PURCHASE Paul D. Welle ’11 came in fifth at 27:09, William S. Phipps ’09 fol- Not valid with lunch specials and any other offer. We Deliver after 5 p.m. lowed close behind, finishing at 27:12, and Kevin. G. Kleinguetl’s ’11 Expiration date: 10/31/08 $10 Minimum Order For Delivery. 27:17 was good for seventh. Trevor B. Rundell ’09 (9th) and Matthew 302 Massachusetts Avenue F. Bieniosek ’09 (11th) rounded out the scoring for MIT. Cambridge, MA 02139 We Also Do Catering! ­—Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff (Special Catering Menu Available) September 16, 2008 Sp o r t s The Tech Page 27

GOODHANDS® ARE CONNECTED TO GREAT TECHNOLOGYPEOPLE

Please join us for an Informational Session and meet the Allstate Technology Leaders Thursday, September 18th, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Location 56-114

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©2008 Allstate Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL Page 28 The Tech September 16, 2008 Sp o r t s Boston Area Teams Play in the First MIT Cricket Tournament By Radhika Malik ers practicing together on week- Sinha G; they were assisted by 12- A group of students was pas- ends. It experienced a revival this 15 volunteers. The participation sionate about their favorite sport; summer and the team members from MIT was much better than they got together and built a club again decided to organize them- expected. From having only about around it. But unfortunately, the selves into an official club. After 15 players, sufficient just for one club died down. A few years later, participating in a tournament in team, the participation increased another group, equally passionate Boston where the teams had to to about 60 when the organizers about the sport, revived the club play on an uneven grassy track, the decided to open the tournament and took it far enough to organize club members realized they had to everyone here. After several a great tournament: this year, the great resources at their disposal in announcements and informal try- MIT Cricket Club hosted the first the form of a flat track of the Jack outs, three teams (MIT Green, ever cricket tournament at MIT Barry Astroturf Field and flood Blue, and Red), with nearly twenty from Aug. 29th to Sept. 14th. lights for night matches. players each, were created. To keep Although the MIT cricket club The lead organizers were MIT all teams at par, the organizers di-

Michael J. Meyer was established in 1996, it had graduate students Vivek Jaiswal G, Freshman Alexandria C. Hall hits a forehand during the Engineers’ dwindled to a small group of play- Vivek Raghunathan G and Ankur Cricket, Page 26 first conference match against Springfield College at the du Pont Tennis Courts on Saturday. Women’s Tennis Team Defeats Springfield 9-0 In Match on Saturday By Jennifer Rees ber four team of Karina N. Pikhart Team Member ’09 and Jennifer A. Rees ’11 and the The MIT Women’s Tennis Team number one team of Leslie A. Han- won their match 9-0 this past Satur- sen ’10, and Anisa K. McCree ’10 day over Springfield College. finished at the same time. Their final The word of the scores were decisive wins of 8-1 and day was “compete” 8-2 consecutively. The last team of and that is just what Yi Wang ’09 and Alexandria C. Hall the team did with te- ’12 were left front and center of the nacity. First up were doubles matches, and they provided the doubles matches an exciting finale. For the last few which seemed to go by in a blur. The games, the points were quick and number two team of Melissa A. Dis- the two teams traded until Wang and kin ’11 and Anastasia Vishnevetsky Hall finally topped their opponents Meng Heng Touch ’12 started the competition off by with a score of 8-2. This gave MIT Matthew J. Perkins ’10 passes the ball during an MIT men’s water polo match Friday evening defeating their opponents decisively against Washington & Jefferson College at the Z-Center Pool. with an 8-0 win. Soon after, the num- Tennis, Page 26

Salem State Women’s Soccer Tops MIT, 1-0 Field Hockey Captures Third Place MIT yielded a rare and unfortunate own goal in but was unable to generate a serious threat. the 64th minute on Saturday as Salem State women’s Leah Potcner made two stops en route to her At Betty Richey Tournament soccer remained undefeated with a 1-0 decision at fourth consecutive shutout to begin her collegiate ca- For the third consecutive season, the MIT Field Hockey Team cap- Roberts Field. reer while MIT keeper Stephanie V. Brenman ’09 was tured third-place in the Betty Richey Tournament hosted by Vassar The Engineers outshot the Lady Vi- untested until making a save in the 87th minute. College. The Engineers overpowered Elms College 11-0 in Sunday’s kings 6-3 and were poised to deliver the The Lady Vikings have been impressive on the consolation game, after dropping a heartbreaking mild upset until an untimely deflection defensive end to begin the 2008 campaign, complet- 1-0 overtime loss to the host school on Saturday. off a cross by Amber Warnick gave the ing the first two weeks of the regular season without Sports In Saturday’s first round match-up, MIT battled visitors the lone goal of the match. MIT allowing a goal. Vassar to a stalemate for the first 70 minutes, in- controlled the midfield for a majority of the contest, —James Kramer, DAPER Staff cluding a second half that saw numerous chances Shorts for both teams. Vassar sent MIT into the consola- tion round just over three minutes into the overtime, as Rachel Lowen- thal converted a loose ball in front of the net that the Engineer defense was unable to clear after Dixon stopped the Ducks’ initial shot attempt. Against Elms, Jessica M. Oleinik ’11 registered four goals and Danielle C. Smith ’11 recorded a hat trick of her own. Anna H. Teruya ’12, Ekavali Mishra ’10, Alona Birjiniuk ’09, and Virginia L. Nichol- son ’12 also contributed to the Engineers’ scoring as Tech outshot the Blazers 26-3. Keri A. Dixon ’12 made a pair of saves to secure her second shutout in three games. Teruya and Mishra represented MIT on the All-Tournament team. The Engineers now return home, after completing a six game road swing, to face Daniel Webster on Friday, Sept. 19 at 6:00 p.m. —Greg McKeever, DAPER Staff Cross Country Captures Engineers’ Cup over RPI and WPI Both the MIT men’s and women’s cross country teams captured first place in Saturday’s Engineers’ Cup at Franklin Park. Jacqui M. Wentz ’10 led an impressive showing by the MIT women’s team. Tech missed a perfect score by just one place, finishing with a final total of 16 points to beat out RPI (51) and WPI (72). On the men’s side, Tech’s 23 points gave them the title over RPI

Sports Shorts, Page 26

Up c o m i n g Ho m e Ev e n t s Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008 Women’s Soccer vs. Emerson College 4:00 p.m., Steinbrenner Stadium

Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2008 Men’s Soccer vs. Wentworth Institute of Technology 4:30 p.m., Steinbrenner Stadium William Yee—The Tech Kathryn A. Pesce ’10 leaps up for the ball in between two Salem State players during a corner kick Thursday, Sept. 18, 2008 on Saturday, Sept. 13. The Engineers lost 0-1 due to an own goal in the 64th minute. Water Polo vs. Harvard University 7:30 p.m., Zesiger Center