Walker tenants talk ahead of overhaul
The administration continues to explore the option of renovating Walker Memorial into an academic building. The tentative plan is for Walker to become the new home of the Music and Theater Arts department, which may displace some of the clubs that currently occupy space in Walker.
Corrections
Tuesday’s sports article about the Nov. 20 fencing tournament at MIT was attributed to the wrong author. It was written by Carlos Greaves, not David Zhu.
Madoff trustee sues JPMorgan for $6.4B
The trustee who is tracking down assets for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme sued JPMorgan Chase for $6.4 billion on Thursday, contending that the bank bears some responsibility for the losses of victims because it continued to serve as Madoff’s primary banker despite growing evidence that he was running an enormous fraud.
Chasm threatens EU economic bloc
LISBON — Sara Vale Lima, sales manager at Eical, a Portuguese textile company, feels suffocated by the euro. The common currency once meant flush banks and easy credit, but these days it has laid bare a cold reality: Portugal shares the high wages and prices of richer northern European neighbors, but not their competitiveness.
Just how mentally ill was Tang?
Anna L. Tang is mentally ill. Anna L. Tang stabbed Wolfe B. Styke ’11 seven times, but did not kill him.
New toolkit a Rosetta stone for MIT’s vernacular
Who was MIT’s president during World War I? How many graduate resident tutors (GRTs) are there? What’s the difference between “Course” and “course”? What are the Pantone colors for the MIT red and gray logo?
IN MEMORY OF Omar Khalidi, MIT librarian, dies at age 57
Omar Khalidi, who worked at the MIT Libraries from 1983 until last month, died Monday after being struck by a train at the Kendall Square MBTA station.
Legislators mull Internet freedom, privacy measures
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers examining the Federal Trade Commission’s recommendation for a “do not track” mechanism to restrict the monitoring of Internet users said they supported stricter safeguards for consumer privacy, but raised questions on how the system would work.
Afghan corruption shows in leaked cables from Wikileaks
WASHINGTON — From hundreds of diplomatic cables, Afghanistan emerges as a looking-glass land where bribery, extortion and embezzlement are the norm and the honest man is a distinct outlier.
Obama seeking aid for jobless in return for deal on taxes
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Thursday that it wanted an extension of unemployment assistance and a variety of tax breaks for low-wage and middle-income workers as part of a deal with congressional Republicans to extend all the Bush-era tax cuts.
Shorts (left)
Scientists said Thursday that they had trained a bacterium to eat and grow on a diet of arsenic, in place of phosphorous –one of six elements considered essential for life — opening up the possibility that organisms could exist elsewhere in the universe or even here on Earth using biochemical powers we have not yet dared to dream about.
Russia, Qatar to host World Cups, expand reach of premiere event
The world’s biggest sporting event continued its spread to new corners of the globe Thursday as Russia and Qatar were named as hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup soccer tournaments.
First flakes possible, but not likely
The season’s first forecasted chance of snow is in the cards for our area this weekend, but chances are low that we will actually see much, if any, of the white stuff. From Saturday night into Sunday morning, precipitation associated with a cut off low pressure system located over northeastern Maine could push south into our area. The result could be a few overnight or early-morning sprinkles or flurries. However, the chance of precipitation will be slight, and a significant snowfall will be highly unlikely.
Shorts (right)
WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican and Vietnam-era war hero, took on the nation’s top defense and military officials Thursday when he repeatedly challenged the Pentagon’s position that gay men and women should be allowed to serve openly in the armed forces.
WikiLeaks serves the global community by keeping governments in check
Nihilist and criminal labels aside, WikiLeaks has done a lot of good. In 2007, WikiLeaks published the Kroll Report, a secret report detailing extensive government corruption by the richest man in Kenya, Daniel arap Moi. The news came out shortly before the Kenyan national election and received intense airtime on Kenyan TV. According to a Kenyan intelligence report, the leak shifted the vote by 10 percent, changing the result of the election.
Junior varsity terrorism
On October 27th, two packages, each containing a Hewlett-Packard printer with plastic explosive hidden in the toner cartridge, were sent to Chicago, Illinois from FedEx and UPS offices in Sana’a, Yemen. The packages were intended to explode inside planes mid-air over U.S. soil. Instead, authorities were alerted to the bombs (likely by an active double agent within al-Qaeda), and two days later, both bombs were defused.
The nihilism of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange compromises U.S. security
In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Julian Assange, the director of WikiLeaks, was asked if he would ever refrain from releasing information he knew might get someone killed. The question was not just hypothetical: a year and a half earlier, Assange had published a study that detailed technical vulnerabilities in actively employed U.S. Army countermeasures against improvised explosive devices.
Letters to the Editor
Choice is a deeply held value in student life at MIT. I am writing in defense of a choice that is currently lacking on our campus: an adequate dining plan as one of the options in the residential system.
UA Updates and Answers
At the UA Exec Meeting at Next House two Wednesdays ago, the main topic of discussion was dining reform. Several members of Next House elaborated on their concerns, including cost, food options, and living group options in the proposed dining plan. There was also discussion on preserving the culture and people of Next House.
CONCERT REVIEW Schumann times three
On November 19, the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) performed an all-Schumann concert featuring the composer’s first and fourth symphonies and piano concerto, with soloist Nelson Freire and guest conductor Kurt Masur.
ALBUM REVIEW Kanye in the eye of the storm
Here are some of the things critics are saying about Kanye West’s latest album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy:
ALBUM REVIEW Catchy but unmemorable
The Far East Movement recently released the album Free Wired in October. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I could actually critique the album, since it’s quite a feat to judge the artistic value of electronic hip hop, and I didn’t expect to have much to say in the area of lyrics, either. I know the album wasn’t intended to focus on lyrics but was based mainly on dance music, so I judged Free Wired based partly on what it was intended to do.
Celtics off to strong start; record at 13-4
The Celtics have jumped off to a great start with thirteen wins and only four losses. With Paul Pierce averaging about 20 points per game, Rajon Rondo close to 15 assists per game, and Kevin Garnett around 9 rebounds per game, the Celtics now have a four-game lead in their division and look to be on their way to the playoffs this season. Ray Allen’s tremendous 45 percent shooting from beyond the arc led the team to two wins against a tough Miami team featuring three superstars in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Upcoming Home Events
Friday, December 3 Rifle vs. Wentworth and Mass. Maritime 5 p.m., DuPont Range Men’s and women’s swimming and diving 6:30 p.m., Z-center Pool Saturday, December 4 Rifle vs. Wentworth and Mass. Maritime 9 a.m., DuPont Range Men’s and Women’s swimming and diving 10 a.m., Z-center Pool Friday, December 3 Squash vs. Tufts University 2 p.m., Z-Center Courts
Women’s hoops wins division opener, extends win streak to 4
In their first NEWMAC matchup of the year, the women’s basketball team beat the U.S. Coast Guard Academy 59-24 on Tuesday night. The Engineers registered their first conference-opening win since the 2002-03 season and also surrendered the fewest points to a league opponent in program history. In addition, the Cardinal and Gray’s ledger of 4-2 equals its best start since the 2000-01 campaign.
Sports Shorts
Four different players scored in double-figures and MIT shot better than 50 percent from the field for the third time in five games during a 70-56 win over Emerson College Tuesday night. William Tashman ’13’s game-high 20 points and nine rebounds helped the MIT, ranked No. 20 in the country, improve to 4-1 on the season.
