The Harvard Crimson :: Harvard's Daily Newspaper Since 1873

The University Daily Since 1873

Updated: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 2:39 AM

Kagan Picked for D.C. Post
By ELIAS J GROLL and ATHENA Y. JIANG
Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan will be nominated to serve as President-elect Barack Obama’s solicitor general, the administration’s representative to the Supreme Court, Obama announced in a press release Monday morning.

Students, Faculty Lament Departure Of Popular Dean
By ELIAS J GROLL
In 2007, Law School Dean Elena Kagan was passed over to be president of Harvard University. This week, the next president of the United States selected her to be his chief representative to the Supreme Court.

Grant Foundation Hit in Madoff Scheme
By WEIQI ZHANG
A foundation responsible for funding two Harvard programs at nearly $1 million has been forced to close amid Bernard L. Madoff’s $50 billion securities fraud.

Mass. Unemployment Fund Still Solvent in Economic Recession
By PETER F. ZHU
With the national unemployment rate nearing 7 percent—a figure not seen in the U.S. since 1993—several states have seen their unemployment insurance trust funds shrink to dangerously low levels, with some states already taking out federal loans to pay unemployment benefits.

CRIMSON/ LERENZO D. TOLBERT-MALCOM

A large snowman made after last week’s snowstorm stands guard in the Quincy House courtyard—a jolly reminder of the cold New England weather.

A Chance Road to Harvard
By WEIQI ZHANG
Fifteen-year-old Mahzarin R. Banaji says she dreamed of living the adventurous life of a secretary upon graduating from high school because she believed that further academic pursuit was useless and was thirsting for an independent life away from her home in Secunderabad, India.

Study: Big Behinds May Benefit Health
By LINGBO LI
Being bootylicious has helped many a hip-hop career, but now Harvard Medical School research has found that it can also help your health.

Study Captures Smoking Beliefs
By MARIANNA N TISHCHENKO
People’s beliefs about the health effects of “third-hand smoke” are positively correlated to the extent to which smoking in their homes is prohibited, according to a recent Harvard study.

A Dangerous Strategy
By THE CRIMSON STAFF
In order to achieve real success in long-term goals, Israel must devise a radically different strategy for countering Hamas’ influence and action.

DISSENT: A Justifiable Response
By SHAI D. BRONSHTEIN
While Israel’s choice of attacking Hamas may not have been the best “strategic” decision in the long run, Hamas’s actions have not given Israel the option of a peaceful solution.

Lend Your Ears
By MARCEL E. MORAN
This year, resolve to be a better listener, to your friends and to your world.

Far from Self-Defense
By NADIA O. GABER
Collective punishment is a far too diplomatic term for Israel's ruthless strategy.

Memo to Vilsack
By Lewis E. Bollard
The success of Vilsack's tenure will more likely be judged by its impact on the 98 percent of Americans who don’t farm but do eat—and to serve them his agency needs radical reforms.

QUICK LINKS

Article audio podcasts

CURRENT FRONT PAGE

Arts Poll 2008
We surveyed over 150 students to discover what the campus is talking about
Friday, December 12, 2008 2:41 AM
Favorite Movie: Dark Knight

Literary Map of Cambridge

Truth Can Be 'Slippery' Onstage
By R. DEREK WETZEL
Friday, December 12, 2008 2:11 AM
Theater has always been a passion for Matthew I. Bohrer ’10. “Since I was a little kid I would be trying on costumes or putting together scenes for my friends to act out on the playground,” he says. Bohrer has acted on the stage since high school and has appeared in over a dozen productions at Harvard, but his first foray into writing and directing a play, the three-act “Slipping Away,” will premiere at the Loeb Experimental Theater on Jan. 8.

THE STABLE BOY
The Shocking Conclusion PArt II: The End of the End
By LESLEY R. WINTERS
Friday, December 12, 2008 1:58 AM
“Looks like you need some help,” The Stable Boy told Frederick, and in a moment he had slipped his muscled body between Felicity and Roxanna. He chuckled as he slid one arm beneath each of their shoulders and nuzzled Roxanna’s neck with his stubbly cheek. Roxanna felt a wave of icy heat wash over her body.

Lampoon Writers Ready for Primtetime
By ANNA E. SAKELLARIADIS
Thursday, December 11, 2008 8:58 PM
While it may seem to a typical by-stander that moving headquarters from a castle to a rock is kind of a downgrade, for writers from The Harvard Lampoon, this seems to have become part of a seasonal migration. Since the inception of “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, the Lampoon has sent a steady stream of graduates to write for the sketch comedy show broadcast live from Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Center, also known as 30 Rock.

ARTS MONDAY:

Gilbert and Sullivan's 'Iolanthe' Delights

HRO Evokes Rich Moods

'Chess' Just Isn't Fun Anymore

BSO Takes A Sonic Journey

Harvard Surrenders Game, First Place to Dartmouth

CRIMSON/ RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ

By LOREN AMOR
Wednesday, January 07, 2009 12:24 AM
It’s been a season of tough bounces, bad luck, and lost chances for the Harvard women’s hockey team. Last night against No. 8 Dartmouth at Bright Hockey Center, the Crimson missed yet another opportunity, this one to take first place in the ECAC and start its climb back into the national rankings.

NOTEBOOK: Crimson Blanked Again, Hurt by Missed Chances

Balanced Effort Keys Big-Time Win
Four score in double figures as Harvard overcomes size disadvantage
By TED KIRBY
Sunday, January 04, 2009 10:34 PM
The Harvard men’s basketball team opened 2009 in the best way possible, besting Santa Clara 73-68 at Lavietes Pavilion on Friday. The Crimson (7-6) got balanced scoring production, as four players were in double figures. Junior guard Jeremy Lin led the way with 17 points, and junior forward Doug Miller scored a career-best 15 points. Senior guard Drew Housman had 16, and freshman forward Peter Boehm added 13.

New Year Starts with Tough Home Defeat
By KATE LEIST
Sunday, January 04, 2009 10:37 PM
The new year was supposed to be a new start for the Harvard women’s hockey team, but instead, 2009 just brought more of the same. The Crimson (5-6-3, 5-3-2 ECAC) suffered another disappointing loss on Friday night, falling to conference rival Princeton (8-8-1, 5-5-0), 1-0, at Bright Hockey Center.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Forward Comes Up Big Against Taller Team
By TED KIRBY
Tuesday, January 06, 2009 9:36 PM
As the Harvard men’s basketball team got ready to face Santa Clara last Friday, it appeared to be in a bit of trouble up front. Hamstrung by multiple injuries and facing a Broncos team with huge 6’11”, 275-pound John Bryant and two other players taller than the tallest member of the Crimson, it would have been understandable if Harvard ended up on the short end of things. But luckily for the Crimson, it was Miller time.

Crimson Moves to 5-0 on Season
By ALEXANDRA J. MIHALEK
Sunday, January 04, 2009 9:40 PM
The Harvard men’s swimming and diving team began the new year with a bang, defeating previously-unbeaten Navy 188-112 at Blodgett Pool Saturday. The Crimson, currently tied for first in the Ivy League with perennial rival Princeton, improved its record to 5-0 and 3-0 in the Ivy League.

First Victory Lone Bright Spot in Tough Vacation
By MAX N. BRONDFIELD
Sunday, January 04, 2009 9:38 PM
With that elusive first victory behind it, the Crimson can start looking to turn some close losses in its favor. The Harvard wrestling team (1-5) finished winter break at the Lonestar Duals Saturday in Arlington, Texas, besting Stanford 24-21 before dropping close matches to Cal Poly and No. 7 Minnesota, 16-19 and 20-28, respectively.

Final Minutes Prove Downfall
By LUCY D. CHEN
Sunday, January 04, 2009 10:20 PM
The bad bounces continued for the Harvard men’s hockey team (4-9-2, 4-4-2 ECAC) as it dropped a 5-2 decision to Quinnipiac at the TD Banknorth Garden on Friday night.

CRIMSON/ YUHKI YAMASHITA

Check out the superheroes of the class of '09
(pretty pictures and all) here!

IN THE MEANTIME
E(ast)-Recruiting
By BENJAMIN K. GLASER
Like many students from mainland China, Yichen Chen ’11, a native of Beijing, had to navigate the application process largely on her own. A loose network of friends, including other applicants, served as guides. But Harvard administrators, like Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid William R. Fitzsimmons ’67 and President Drew Gilpin Faust, hope to increase Harvard’s presence in mainland China.

15 Questions with Jamaica Kincaid
By JULIA S CHEN
Jamaica Kincaid, world-renowned author of short stories, novels and essays, has finally returned to Harvard after a recent sabbatical. Back as a visiting lecturer, Kincaid dishes on plant collecting, the future of British journalists, and how to write—and live—well.

Marching to the Beat of a Different Drum
By MEAGHAN E LYONS
At 7 a.m. on November 21 (Game Day) members of the Harvard University Band were already outside braving the sub-zero temperatures at Harvard Stadium—without a mimosa in sight. For The Band, The Game is not only the highlight of the season, but the changing of the guards. While the (victorious!) event ushered seniors out in style, it was just the beginning for the juniors who are now running the show.

ENDPAPER
21! Here Nan Comes!
Birthday celebrations welcome, but please hold the booze
By NAN NI

PRESTIGE AND MOBILITY
Sex in Houghton
By DANIEL K BILOTTI and VINCENT M CHIAPPINI
This past week we were performing our term-time jobs of caressing Houghton’s rare book collection in search of bindings made of human skin [1]. We made a great discovery, and this time it wasn’t skin. Instead we found the discarded journal entry of [NAME REDACTED FOR EXCESSIVE SECRECY] ’09 which told his pathetic and steamy tales of the heart. Take caution dear reader.

BE SURE NOT TO MISS...
Out of the Yard, Into Africa
By ELIZABETH C. PEZZA
Most Harvard courses teach the traditional way: books, lectures, and a final exam. But the members of Lebônê Solutions, Inc., who met in Engineering Sciences 147: “Idea Translation: Effecting Change through the Arts and Sciences,” had a final project that took them beyond the classroom.