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Poised for Launch, SIRTF to StudyPlanetary Systems, Dusty Galaxies
]ust...elected House PresidentsBring Array of14eas to Table
By JENNY: IOFINOVA andARTID SRINIVA,$AN
During the last tenn, new presi- also feels that the current debatesdents were elected in each of the about: how rotation is handledseven houses. Each brings his or her should" be addressed .by the IHC.own special qualifications and in- "There 'are pluses and minuses. to'terests to the Interhouse Commit- the way things are, we should looktee and each has exciting plans for at and respond to the changeshis or her house for the upcoming people feel there need to be," sheyear. said about the issue.
Natalia Deligne '04, the new Kneeland brings many qualifica-Ricketts president, presents her tions to the job as president, havmain goal for the hovse as finding ing served as Dabney's Captain
- a solution to the ongoing problems Planet her freshman year and asbetween Ricketts and the adminis- CRC co-chair last year. "I got totration. "Right now, we're trying to know a lot ofadministrators, whichget a handle on the situation regard- is convenient now that I'm in a poing the fine and the possibility of sition as president; I also have a lotclosing Ricketts down," she re- of knowledge about the workingsmarked. Deligne then added that of ASCIT and the mc."maintaining communication with Kristin Zortman '05, the newthe administration to ensure that this Lloyd president, describes the updoesn't happen again would be a coming year as a busy one forcrucial aspect of her presidency. Lloyd. The upcoming tasks includeAlthough Ricketts has no more pro- a lot of physical improvementstests planned, Deligne is pleased by within the house and focusing ontheenthusiasm ofher house. "Right social activities. "I want to make thenow, we're pretty active, we're feel- house more of a house and have asing kind of [robbed]." many spirit activities as possible
Having served as food represen- and get people involved," Zortmantative. her freshman year and was quoted as saying.Ricketts vice president last year, Zortman also mentioned thatDeligne is intent on continuing her Lloyd will most likely need to pickrole as student leader, stating that a new RA for the upcoming year,"it's my duty as a student leader to as their current ones are leavingmake sure our voices are heard." Caltech. According to Zortman, the
Jessie Kneeland '04, the president house will pick a new RA from canofDabney House, has ideas for sev- didates deemed qualified by Stueral new activities apart from the dent Affairs.standard house events. According Similar to Zortman, when askedto Kneeland, Dabney has many about his plans for the upcominghouse offices named after alumni year, Page's new president, Mikethat most of the house has never Lammers '04, described manymet. Kneeland is planning to con- house improvement projects, suchtact these alums and invite them as building a new deck. He alsoback to the house so the current mentioned Page's idea of having amembers can meet them and learn party third term, similar tothe stories behind the offices. She Interhouse, but involving all the
Continued on Page 2, Column 2
D. KortalThe California Tech
The ''Voice of the Dragon" performers blend martial arts, dance, theater and music to present a 17thcentury legend about the betrayal by a nun who allies with the Manchu to destroy her temple.
MARCH 17, 2003
NewsAnalysis
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
Stunts, Music, Choreography BringIVoice of the Dragon Show to Life
you should take that with a grain of than with the plot of this perforyour condiment of choice. mance. The show was a celebration
What it did have, though, was a of action, power, grace, color, mudelightful blend of extraordinary sic and voice-overs; it had juststunts, skillful choreography, an enough actual tradition, in my estiexuberant narrator and a top-notch mation as an expert.
percussion-heavy orchestra. Anyway, the music was bright,Whether these elements are tight and loud; all of which are fmeenough to make up for the tru- by me. I could've used more brassant dragon is hard to say, but instruments, but then again I saidI'm defmitely glad I went. that about Hamlet. There was a time
As it turns out, Voice of the or two where the rhythm sectionDragon was sufficiently western- combined with the elaborate choized that I shouldn't have to be as reography felt more than a little likecareful about it as I was in review- West Side Story, but with more flipsing the Lunar New Year event a and kicks and stuff. The differencemonth ago. In fact, this perfor- in a fight scene and a dance can bemance made enough lighthearted subtle and in some places I thoughtfun of itself that I probably should they really could have used somerefrain from critiquing it, but I don't Batman-style onomatopoeias prohave that kind of will power. jected on the backdrop and timed
The plot of the show seemed perfectly with the crunch chordseerily familiar: a sect of kung-fu that one was unintentional I swear.fighting monks living out their days Among the highlights of the perin a mountain temple, guarding a fonnance was the introduction ofsecret scroll persecutes a sassy the squad of five rogue fightersfemonk--Dr monkette, whichever . hand-chosen by the Cinderella charwas politically correct in that dy- - acter to recapture the temple ornasty-to the point of starting a war whatever. Each of these warriorswith her. I can barely remember the had his own color, fighting style,names of the characters and element and animal in a schemewouldn't be able to spell them any- probably stolen from the Powerway if I tried, so that's about as Rangers. Fortunately, all of themuch plot as I'm going to go into. voice acting was done by the ca-
If we've learned anything from pable and entertaining narrator inLinkin Park, though, it's that in the this case, so the warriors could conend it doesn't even matter and no- centrate on their acrobatics.where does that proverb hold truer I'm afraid I haven't done the
physical acting justice, though, andI'm in danger of turning a farce ofa review into a review of a farceokay, that one was deliberate. Theperformers spent the entire showtirelessly jumping, kicking, punching, swinging things, flipping every which way and otherwise performing superhuman contortionsfor the audience's enjoyment.
The temple itself, however, was,like the AWOL dragon, left to theimagination of the audience. As Idon't have much imagination left,I'm going to play the same trick onyou and let you figure out what thetemple looks like: Or you can justrent Crouching Tiger, HiddenDragon. Or Fiddler on the Roof Ithad a temple, I think.
Since I've forgotten the ending ofthe play, I won't spoil it. I definitelyremember a conflict being resolvedtriumphantly by one side or anotherand whichever side winning livinghappily ever after, if that helps.
By O.J. CARLTON
The only thing that really buggedme about the Performing Arts Series' "Voice of the Dragon" performance the Friday before last wasthe complete lack of dragons: fire-breathing, wishgranting, princess-stealing, pot-smoking or otherwise. I never quite managed to catch the significance of thetitle, but then again I had the sameproblem with Romeo & Juliet, so
sized though, that "good sciencethat can be done on SIRTF will bedone on SIRTF."
The fmal SIRTF design masses950 kilograms, down from 5700kilograms in an initial 1990 plan.The satellite will be launched in aDelta 7920H ELV rocket. The fmalcost was around $450 million,much less than the estimated $2 billion in 1990. The satellite will becarrying 360 liters of liquid heliumas a coolant, a massive reductionfrom the originally planned 3800liters, made possible by innovativecooling ideas.
ourtesy 0
After 30 years of planning, SIRTF will rmaUy be launched on April15 from Cape Canaveral.
goal of SIRTF.Dusty galaxies are another major
object of interest for SIRTF. Thesegalaxies have lots of stars, blackholes and active galactic nuclei, butthey are hidden from the opticalregion by interstellar dust. The energy, however, is reradiated in theinfrared spectrum, which will bedetected by SIRTF. The dusty, gasrich galaxies seem to be very important to the development processof galaxies, so it will be an important achievement to understand therole of these galaxies in that process.
Besides these two goals, time onSIRTF will be available by ~he
usual process of competing applications. After 90 days of calibration, SIRTF will be available foruse for (esearch. After that, the firstsix months will be split betweenGuaranteed Time Observationsand the SIRTF Legacy ScienceProgram. After that, the time willbe split between these two groupsand General Observer Investigations.
The Legacy program is six largeprojects that were selected by theSIRTF Science Center. Theseprojects will be major observationprojects, "with the goal of creatinga substantial and coherent databaseof archived observations that can beutilized by subsequent SIRTF researchers," according to the SSCWeb site. A few of the Legacyprojects investigate the above-mentioned points. Dr. Soifer empha-
VOLUME CIY, NUMBER 20
By MATTHEW WALKER
On April 15, NASA's last greatobservatory will be launched fromCape Canaveral. The launch of theSpace Infrared Telescope Facility,whose construction was managedby the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,represents the culmination of 19years of labor. The original team ofastronomers was selected by NASAin 1984 to design and constructSIRTF. Studies were done for theproject as early as the 1970s. Construction of SIRTF began in 1997.Said Tom Soifer, Director of theSIRTF Science Center (SSe), "It'sgetting real."
SIRTF contains an 85-centimetertelescope that will operate at fiveKelvins to reduce the effects of thedevice's own thennal energy on itsobservations. This telescope willhave the sensitivity of a 30-metertelescope based on Earth. SIRTFwill be acquiring images of energyradiated in the wavelength range ofthree to 180 microns during its twoand-a-half-year mission.
A major point of study for SIRTFwill be about star fonnation and thedevelopment of planetary systems.Of particular interest are how starsevolve into planetary debris disksand how the central star causes thedebris to condense into planets."We know now that planets arecommon around nearby stars," saidDr. Soifer. The process of how theplanets fonn is not well understood,which is why this study is a major
2 THE CALIFORNIA TECH NEWS MARCH 17, 2003
Jason Schadewald '04Ruddock President
"I really want to push "I was very happyfor that [new third- / with the house when 1term] party and to ran for president andmake it the way I'm very happy with itInterhouse used to now."be."
Mike Lammers '04Page President
"We're apretty solidgroup as a whole; wesupport each other alot, but we also don'tget out of Fleming alot."
Tom Vanderslice '04Fleming President
"[I want to] make sureother people enjoythemselves and haverelief from work andclasses."
Mike Davenport '04Blacker President
I
-"Right now, we're trying to get a handle onthe situation regarding the fine and thepossibility of closingRicketts down."
Natalia Deligne '04Ricketts President
Ride Piques Girls' Science Interests
TearsheetsTun T11TCU
CirculationChris Crabbe
VOLUME elY, NUMBER 20
Kevin Carl BartzNews Director
LeoC SteinCommentary Editor
The Tech is published weekly except during vacation and examination periods by theAssociated Students of the California Instilute of Technology, Inc. The opinions expressed herein are strictly those of the authorsand advertisers.
Letters and submissions are welcome; email submissions to [email protected] plain-text attachments, including theauthor's name, by Friday of the week beforepublication. Sorry, the Tech does not acceptanonymous contributions. The editors reservethe right to edit and abridge all submissionsfor any reason. All written work remains property of its author.
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Tammy Yee Wmg Ma Vi Thong TranMiJlUJging Editor Business MiJlUJge
~be QCaItfornia ~ecbCaltech 40-58, Pasadena, CA 91125
editorial desk: (626) 395-6153advertising desk: (626) 395-6154
editorial e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected]
design and create a toy or game; andthe Sally Ride Science Club, a national club created to keep middleschool girls engaged in science adventures by connecting them topeople, information and attitudesthat will nurture their relationshipwith science at a critical time intheir lives.
The Los Angeles Festival is presented in association with Caltechand the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.The event's sponsors includeNorthrop Grumman, Raytheon, theAerospace Corporation andCaltech.
"I want to make thehouse more ofa houseand have as manyspirit activities as possible and get peopleinvolved."
Kristen Zortman '05Lloyd President
possible."Another general concern among
the house presidents was that manyof their members tend to isolatethemselves within their house.Davenport noted that "people tendto have a tendency not to extendthemselves much beyondBlacker." Similarly, Lammerscommented that there are groupsof people in Page who "are verymuch against doing things withother houses," citing this as a bigmotivator for holding a truly interhouse party.
Whether such an Interhouse isindeed, created or whether the planwill be shot down in yet anotherconflict with the administration, allsigns point towards a year of fineleadership in each of the sevenhouses.
From the Lab to the Patient"; "Making Friendly Robots"; "Exploringthe Seas: Antarctica and Beyond";"ATumble through Time: How YouDeveloped from a Single Cell"; and"The Mars 2003 Rover Mission:Exploring the Red Planet."
For adults, the workshop topicswill be "Hands on Family Science"; "Nurturing Their Inquisitiveness: Exploring the ScienceExperience"; "The 'Trek' to Gender Equity: How Are We Doing?";and "Facing the Music: Collegeand Finances!"
Ride, a member of the CaltechBoard ofTrustees, became the firstAmerican woman to orbit Earthwhen she flew aboard the spaceshuttle Challenger in 1983. Her second flight- was also aboard Challenger in 1984 and she was training for a third mission when thespaceship exploded shortly afterliftoff in 1986.
Ride was a member of the teamchosen to investigate the 'Challenger explosion and this monthwas also appointed a member ofthe NASA investigative board forthe recent explosion of the spaceshuttle Columbia. She is the onlyperson to have been named to bothpanels.
In 1987 Ride left the astronautcorps and is currently a professorofphysics at the University ofCalifornia, San Diego. She is also thefounder, president and CEO ofImaginary Lines, Inc., which created the festival and is intended toprovide support for the large numbers ofgirls and young women whoare or might become, interested inscience, math, engineering andtechnology. Programs include theSally Ride Science Festivals; TOYChallenge, where teams of children
By MARK WHEELER
remarked that it was of particularconcern to Page, since they typically have such a large fraction ofthe CRC cases. "The way [Ricketts]was treated is not the way disciplinary actions have been taken on thiscampus in the past; it's been veryprecedent-setting."
Zortman also sympathized withthe problems that Ricketts is currently having, noting that last year,Lloyd had several alcohol policyviolations and had to comply withstrict guidelines set by the administration.
Other house presidents such asSchadewald also commented onimproving communication betweenthe administration and the studentsin general, saying, "I want to makeall the political and administrativestuff have as much of a positiveimpact on my house members as
Sally Ride says women make uponly 19 percent of the science, engineering and technology work forc
The roots for this, shesays, run deep: the physicist andAmerica's first female astronautsays that in the fourth grade, thenumber of girls and boys who likemath and science is about the same.But by eighth grade, twice as manyboys as girls show an interest inthese subjects.
Ride has devoted a good portionofher life to improving the percentage of women in science. One ofher efforts, the Los Angeles SallyRide Science Festival, will be heldon Saturday, March 29, on theCaltech campus.
While all are welcome, the festival is directed at girls in grades fivethrough eight, their parents andtheir educators.
This will be the second year thefestival takes place at Caltech andis one of a number of such festivalsthat occur around the country. Thefestivals are designed to pique theinterest of middle-school girls, agroup that for a variety of reasonsbegins to drift from its natural interests in science and math.
The Los Angeles festival will feature keynote speeches by Sally Rideand Los Angeles Times sciencewriter K.e. Cole; workshops willbe led by local female scientists andengineers; there will be a street fairwith booths, exhibits, food, musicand a raffle. There is also a specialadult track ofworkshops for parentsand educators.
The children's workshops willinclude such topics as "AnimalFriends: What a Vet Knows andDoes"; "Medical Researchers:
New Presidents Seek House, StudentUni~Resolution to Ricketts Tensions
Continuedfrom Page 1, Column 2other houses in the design and construction. "I really want to push forthat party and to make it the wayInterhouse used to be. Right now,things are too factionalized betweenthe 'houses and to me, that's absurd," said Lammers.
Mike Davenport '04, the president ofBlacker House, talked aboutBlacker's upcoming inter-houseparty third term as the next bigevent. However, his main goal during his presidency is to "make sureother people enjoy themselves andhave relief from work and classes."Davenport seemed enthusiasticabout the upcoming year and described the creativity of the peoplein his house and "the variety of really interesting ways people fmd touse their free time" as one of thethings he loved about Blacker.
Fleming also has big plans to improve their house with extra moneythey have this year, according tonew Fleming President TomVanderslice '04. He seemed happywith his house just as it was, notingthat "we're a pretty solid group asa whole; we support each other a"lot, but we also don't get out ofFleming a lot."
Jason Schadewald '04, the president of Ruddock, talked about thestrong sense of community withinRuddock and commented that "everyone in the house got involved inbuilding OP!." He noted the successof the Ruddock OPI construction,saying, "There's been some talk inthe mc about using the colosseumfor different events."
Although Schadewald had noconcrete plans for new Ruddockevents, he noted, "I was very happywith the house when I ran for president and I'm very happy with itnow."
One ofthe main roles ofthe housepresidents is their role on the me.An of the house presidents, alongwith the IHC chairman, JeremyPitts '04, seem to agree that the IRCgets along extremely well this year."When you get the seven of us andJeremy together we're very laidback and relaxed; we've had somefairly serious discussions but ingeneral we're very comfortable,"commented Davenport.
For his part, Pitts values his roleas a liaison to the administration."I'm going to take on issues thatcome up and try to get the administration to listen to us," he said, "andsee our side of the issue on as manythings as possible." He also acknowledged that while both themc and the BoD are working forthe same basic goals, they will buttheads over issues, as both groupswill see different sides of issues.
Lammers and others commentedon the seriousness of the Rickettssituation and their trouble with theCaltech administration. Lammers
AWARD FINANCES STUDY ABROAD
Plan Excursions To
Achill Island,
Moscow
MEDWOOD '04,WELGE '04 WINBISHOP PRIZE
By LAUREN STOLPERKirsten Welge '04 of Blacker
House and Rachel Medwood '04 ofRicketts House have been designated as the 2003 Bishop Prize recipients.
Welge, whose option is history,will travel to Achill Island, in theRepublic of Ireland, to do a sixweek archaeological field camp.She will travel both before and after the program to sites in Irelandof importance to Irish medieval history. Welge intends to pursue a career in history.
Medwood, who has been studying Russian language and literatureat Occidental College for severalyears, will travel to Moscow tostudy Russian with the AmericanCollege Teachers of Russian program. She will also travel to a number of cities in the Russian Federation and especially to Kiev whereher family original comes from.Medwood has a double option ineconomics and computer scienceand is interested in internationalaffairs.
In 2000, the Bishop family agreed to honor the memory of AmasaBishop, who graduated from CaltechContinued on Page 7, Column 5
"There are pluses andminuses to the waythings are; we shouldlook at and respond tothe changes peoplefeel there need to be."
Jessie Kneeland '04Dabney President
THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY MARCH 17,2003 3
DebateDoughnut TraditionASCIT doughnuts seems perfectlyplausible.
Against Doughnuts
Although doughnuts are a popular tradition amongst Caltech students, as seen by the turnout thispast Thursday for midnight doughnuts, doughnuts do not necessarilyfallintoASCIT's ball park. The purpose of our student government, asI grasp it best, is to represent thestudents and act as a liaison between the students and administration. ASCIT is supposed to represent the voice of the students toserve us in the bureaucracy of administration. Where in this role dodoughnuts come in? Why do wespend five thousand dollars a yearon doughnuts for which most of usare not awake? I, for one, have beenawake only once this past term forFriday morning doughnuts.
Doughnuts certainly taste deli-
Continued on Page 5, Column 1
For Dougllnults
By LEO STEIN
P. Dormiani/The Cqlifornia Tech
Students struggle to devour and BoD members hustle to replenish the ever-shrinking doughnut supplylast Thursday at the end of the term's midnight doughnut session. ASCIT Secretary Anna Sczaniecka,lower left, hands over an empty box of coveted strawberry doughnuts.
the E_..111.11-'-"
Benefits, Drawbacks of Upholdinga doughnut as breakfast on the way.To end this term, ASCIT purchased$645 worth of doughnuts for midnight doughnuts on the Olive Walkon Thursday. Clearly, doughnuts area Caltech tradition if people perpetuate their distribution every year.From what I have learned, a MOSHstarted the tradition about ten yearsago. For some students, Fridaymorning doughnuts are the light atthe end of a long night of sets. Traditions have a great role for studentshere because it connects them topast Techers and leaves a legacy forfuture Techers. Tradition is the driving force behind Dabney's murals,our tunnel art, Ditch Day, theRicketts fire pot and ASCIT doughnuts. IfTechers continue somethingmore than twice, people are proneto believe it is a tradition. We areafraid of and accepting ofsetting things stone, despite thefact that we as scientists are supposed to be open-minded to change.For these reasons, continuing
Lately, there has been a lot of debate about doughnuts in student life.When I talk about campus politicsto friends at other prestigious universities, I am ashamed to tell themthat doughnuts are considered amajor campus issue at our schooLAt a school of this caliber, I wouldexpect students to make a distinction between political issues andtrivialities. However, doughnutsseem to be important enough tosome students that they have recently become an issue. Therefore,I am taking this opportunity to trymy hand at my first editoriaL
I tasted my first strawberrydoughnut when I visited Caltechlast year during prefrosh weekend.Last term, when I had to wake upearly on Fridays to trudge to Meadfor chemistry lab, I would pick up
and less opinion amongst the faculty and the administration that thehonor code is falling apart. As President, I'd like to thank both of themq for their hard work on this.
Anyway, most of the facultyat the meeting were very enthusiastic about this and wereeager to try it out next term,
especially Professor Lester; look forthe cover sheet next term in Bi 1,frosh! If the collaboration coversheet is a success, it will become amandatory part of every syllabusnext
I had another withMatthew Brewer a.k.a. Matt fromFinance. He's Joanna and Iget a grip on money: findout how much we have and spend,how much we earn on our endowment and how we do paythe Donut Man... Last week at mid-
doughnuts, he simply handedme dozens of boxes of doughnutsand drove off!
The only other meeting as President I had this week was withBecky Oskin from the PasadenaStar-News. She was interested inhearing about the Ricketts controversy and how the students werecoping with it. She talked to bothNatalia Deligne, Ricketts President,and I. Her article is posted on-linehere: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206%257E22097%257E1245310,00.html. For anyone that's been reading the Tech, it's a lot of old news,but hey, you might still care.
Margo Marshak was out of the office this week. Therefore, I did nothave my weekly meeting with her.
lyko"",.IIII."iDI..1>.JI'
SweetBy TOM FLETCHER
ulces,
There was a faculty board meet-ing last Monday. For the most part, Towards Baghdadthe only course changes were tograduate-level courses-BE 200, Last week's peace rally went offspecifically-but at the end of the really wen and the discussion it hasmeeting, Galen presented his and spurred on campus has hopefullyHarris' new idea to cut down on been informative to us all. ThisBoC cases. have prepared a week, there are a number of letterscollaboration cover sheet that at- responding to the pro-war positiontaches to a professor's syllabus and taken in an article last week. I knowshould make the collaboration that I have an opinion on this issue,policy for the course much clearer. but I'll let the other students speakIn so doing, we should hopefully for me. One thing that I am sadhave fewer accidental BoC cases about regarding this war, other than
Continued on Page 5, Column 4
Club Survey is Up!
Whom did I meet with this week?
The club survey was posted ondonut on Friday night. I apologizefor any trouble anyone had initially with the survey notopening until 2010... I fixedthat embarrassing glitchquickly, but again, sorry to allwho tried to fill it out and could not.
The survey runs until the Thursday of the first week of third term.You have of time to fill it outand it take ten minutesor so. I you to fill it out,as it also some importantqUl~stiom about ASCIT Formal and
we can afeel
issues from survey.Also, some of you have asked
club is not on the list. Ifill';t n~gistered your it is a
new club. can't really have "ac-tive members" and when ap-ply for funding, you will tosubmit a list of all the members. Theclub survey exists to inform usabout existing clubs and see howmany people are still interested inparticipating in them.
Lastly, if for no other reason, I encourage you to check out the clubsurvey for the few buried Eastereggs. I got a little bored making itand made sure to add some humorhere and there, so I wouldn'tfall asleep. Anyway, think you getthe point: please fill the survey out.Without it, your voice won't beheard.
ase forBy MATTHEW WALKER
In recent weeks, it has becomeincreasingly clear that France andRussia will use their veto in theSecurity Council to keep the UnitedNations from sanctioning war onIraq. The United States has alsomade it clear that it will go to warwith or without UN approval. Theconsequences for Iraq have beenthoroughly examined. But the effects on the United Nations andother participants in this little episode of international oneupmanship have not been considered.
Imagine this scenario: France vetoes any resolution that sends theUN to war against Iraq. It's not toofarfetched. America and the UnitedKingdom execute their battle planson Iraq.
The effects on the United Nationsare disastrous. The hasbeen lost as two of the UN's mostpuwelrfuJ members a de-
There ,.,_ "CO,,",of nations re,;ohltiC)nS,but none the stature of the USor UK; think Israel and Turkey, forinstance, the number-one and number-two ignorers ofUN resolutions.Without respect, decisions made bythe UN will quickly become meaningless. Any attempts to punish theUS and UK would cause furtherdamage, by alienating the two na-
tions.It has been suggested that if
France uses its veto, the US willseek to have France removed as apermanent member of the SecurityCounciL This scenario is unlikely.First, the attempt would probablyfaiL Second, the attempt wouldopen the door for action to get theUS removed from the SecurityCounciL The level of anti-American sentiment makes it a disturbingly real possibility. If successful,the UN would once again be in theposition of alienating its most powerful member.
"Without respect, deci
sions made by UN
The League of Nations was aworldwide alliance, similar to theUN, after World War I,based on Woodrow Wilson's 14points. Though it was founded withgood intentions, its lack of powercaused its failure. This lack ofpower has generally been attributedto the United States' failure to jointhe League. Should the UnitedStates leave the United Nations, it
would be in danger of succumbingto a similar fate.
The situation can be avoided. Theproblem is that either the UnitedStates or France will have to backdown. If the United States backsdown, it loses the use of one of itsmajor leverages, military strength.The threat of military would not beas effective anymore if there wasany sort of international resistance.This hurts both US diplomacy andUN military threats.If France backs down, they also
lose international stature, for notsticking to their position. Frenchdiplomats, however, have alreadyadmitted that war is necessary, butthat France doesn't think the timeis right yet. It would not be such abig step to abstain from voting onthe resolution waragainst With France
it much easier for theto convince to abstain
as well.One should remember that the
current attitude of the US adminis-tration eliminates the pos-sibility that US will back off.Though this stubbornness probablycaused the current diplomatic crisis, it will be up to the French toprevent the failure of the UnitedNations. With France's reputationfor being able to compromise withits opponents, it's likely that the crisis will be averted.
By SWAROOP MISHRAI am writing in response to the does not imply that the actions of
column by Mr. Olsen, Mr. Quinn its government are necessarily reand Mr. Wasem which advocates sponsible or righteous. Supposinginvading Iraq. The authors provide that we accept the authors' initialand unfortunately juxtapose two description of a justifiable war, thejustifications for this war: the tyran- United States might be able to idennical reign of Saddam Hussein and tify quite a few regimes at least asthe threat posed by purported Iraqi tyrannical as Iraq's. Burma, Northdevelopment of weapons of mass Korea and Tibet are glaring exdestruction. Under the authors' own amples. The people ofCuba, southreasoning, it is unclear why Iraq in em Sudan and Zimbabwe sufferparticular should be targeted. Fur- under undemocratic and restrictivether, the column's conclusion is rule. Iran's democratically electedweak because it relies on question- leaders are not the supreme authorable assumptions and statements. ity. Do the authors propose that the
The authors begin by comparing U.S. continue its charitable invathe proposed invasion to the "just sions by toppling these regimes aswars" waged by Lincoln, Roosevelt well? Where does this campaignand Churchill, but Iraq does not rep- end?resent a "similar evil" as the authors Whether or not the authors preferclaim. In neither of those cases was to limit their charitable invasions tothe military conflict initiated by the their column specifically ad-United States. The authors skirt this vocates an invasion of Theissue that "war is authors claim it is a andtifiable will prevent the becausedeath or of aggression anda tyrannical of weaponsthe authors that of mass To supportStates is-or that the authors them- their argument, the authors mentionselves are-responsible for deter- the discoveries of UN inspectorsmining when a regime is suffi- and "Colin Powell's speech to theciently tyrannical that it should be UN Security Council." Perhaps theoverthrown by a military invasion. most egregious transgression pubThe fact that the United States is a licly uncovered by the UN inspecdemocracy with many freedoms tions is a large stockpile of Al
Continued on Page 4, Column 1
4 THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY MARCH 17,2003
Clearly, now that
Democracy has elected
me, it would do well to
shut the hell up and
listen to what I think.
will be taken down Friday, April 4th. It will ask students avaIiety of questions; including which ASCIT social eventsthey prefer; whether they think ASCIT should keep holdingits meetings on the Olive Walk and what their opinions ondonuts are. The club survey questions are also part of thissurvey. Club interviews will take place Friday, April 4th fromseven p.m. to 12 a.m. The budget meeting will take placefollowing weekend. Vote: Should the BoD go to Capra? 5 infavor. Note: after the meeting, Tom Mannion said that Caprais not available the 2nd weekend of 3rd term. Alternativeplans will have to be made.
3. Officer Reports/Weekly To-Do ListTom still needs a new Excomm. Jeremy says that the IHC
does not believe that each house needs to have a representative. Jeremy thinks that students are unaware of what theASCIT Excomm does and hence may be reluctant to sign up.As a former ASCIT Excomm member, Liz thinks that theBoD should not appoint the Excomm, because it's theExcomm's job to make sure that the BoD follows the bylaws. On another note, over twenty students volunteered toserve on the Moore Committee. Right now there is no procedure for selecting students for such committees and applicants will have to be narrowed down somehow. Some students have also expressed concern about the manner in whichstudents were appointed for the Dean of Education Committee. As a result, Kathryn Hsu and Matt Walker will continueto serve on the committee until interviews have been completed for these positions.
Galen is still swamped with BoC cases. He drafted the collaboration policy sheet and took it to the faculty board onMonday, March 10th. It was met with overwhelming approval. Among other things, the sheets will inform studentsabout what texts and calculation aids that they are permittedto use on exams and homework sets. Galen says that the collaboration sheets will be handed out with the syllabi in undergraduate classes next term. Galen hopes the sheet will beimplemented in all undergraduate and graduate classes 1stterm of next year. Dean Revel thinks that it would be a goodidea to hand out an additional copy with [mal exams in casestudents misplaced the fIrst copy. Also, Janet is in the process of ordering the BoC laptop.
Anna will put new BoD info in the ASCIT display caseand ask Jonathan Dama to update the BoD info online. Theseminutes take forever to write up...
Kathryn still needs an ARC Rep from Page. Joanna saysthat Page will probably choose an ARC Rep Thursday night.Kathryn is also hoping to increase student interest in the Student Faculty Conference by distributing two-page brochuresin the student mailboxes.
Joanna will work with Tom Fletcher and Matt Brewer, "Mattfrom Finances," on Friday afternoon to craft the Memo ofUnderstanding.
Kim needs to advertise Midnight Donuts and look into possible places for formal. There will be a BBQ during lunch onthe Friday of Prefrosh Weekend. Tom Mannion says thatstudents will get a discount. Joanna would also like to havethe a cappella group perform at the BBQ. Most prefrosh areleaving really early on Saturday morning. Note: None of theMidnight Donut flyers that the BoD put up were offensivetowards any of the student houses.
Jeremy wants to clarify: ASC1T is not giving money toCDS. On another note, Page and Ruddock have an interesting idea for an inter-house event: "American Gladiator"-stylejousting in the Ruddock Coliseum.
Andrea needs to interview new publications editors. Tomadds that the administrators feel that there aren't enough copies of the Tech to go around. He thinks it would be a goodidea to relocate some of the extra copies to people who wantto read them.
Corinna says that clubs are currently registering. Registration will come down Friday, March 14th. Budget proposalforms will go up on Friday, March 14th and stay open untilTuesday, April 1. Ten copies of the form must be turned intothe ASCIT mailbox in the SAC. Note: sign-ups for fIve minutetime slots for club interviews on Friday, April 4th will beincluded on this form. All registered clubs must give a fiveminute presentation in order to request funding.
4. Other: Chelsea Chang wants to take Professor Rutledgeout to lunch. Vote: 7-0-1 Approved. Kylara Martin asks forfunding for the figure skating team, which has a 75% chanceof going to nationals. Nationals are going to take place inDenver over spring break and they need approximately $500dollars to cover travel expenses. Tom suggests looking intoother possible sources for funding - Burger Continental maybe willing to subsidize them. Should ASCIT allocate $100 tothe fIgure skating team if they make nationals? Vote: 7-0-1Approved.
Meeting adjoumed at 12:51 p.m.Respectfully Submitted,Anna SczanieckaASCIT Secretary
Week 2
Week 1
\
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THER'E'j,.~ BE j..E5STIME TO MESS
WITH HlelR HEADS,
"
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IS AT ~N A/.-J. TIME J-OW,
/
ri
the BoD meeting.
Clearly, some of the things
that ASCIT has traditionally
spent its money on may need/P=;&--_
to be rethought, and
we should poll the
members so we can
make an informed
deciSion.
NIIM
\
MAYSE TUE'l"1+I>EIW OWl PeTITION,
~/
At:TUA~~Y, a.AS5E5ENf7!!I> YESTE""AY,
IT'S TIME FOe F'NA.S,
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EVENTS AR'E GONNAGET MESSED UP?
/
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,~'....<'"
<last unpopular administration decision>.
Did I mention that I was on the
old BoD? In fact, despite most of
the new BoD's members running on
what could be termed a reform platform.
everything the old BoD did was right.
In fact, everything is right, and nothing
should change. ASCIT Should not evolve
because it was intelligently designed by
an infallible higher being.
ASCIT MinutesMarch 12th, 2003, 12:00 p.m., Olive WalkPresent: Joanna Cohen, Tom Fletcher, Manuel Garcia, Kim
Hiscox, Kathryn Hsu, Galen Loram, Jeremy Pitts, AnnaSczaniecka, Andrea Vasconcellos, & Corinna Zygourakis.
Guests: Matt Brewer, Ryan Cable, Andre Mallie, TomMannion, Kylara Martin, Jean-Paul Revel, Gunnar Ristroph,Elizabeth Stameshkin, Parsa Dormiani Tabatabaei, & Others.
Agenda1. Call to Order2. Announcements: There will be Midnight Donuts on
Thursday and Tom will look into getting milk from CDS.There will be 150 strawberry donuts. Also, a large surveywill go up on donut.caltech.edu on Friday, March 14th that
NAN
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tentioned US intervention in Somalia provides yet another example.One might further argue that the history of the establishment of democratic states does not support thenotion that democracy can necessarily be imposed upon removal of theexisting regime by an external force.
We may all agree that democracyin Iraq is desirable, but an invasionto topple Hussein may well bringas much democracy to Iraq as the1991 Gulf War brought to Kuwait.Instead, there are increasing signsthat, as in the examples above, thepower vacuum created by Hussein'sfall would lead to severe instabilityin Iraq. There are numerous reportsof Shiite militants currently moving into Iraq from Iran and ofKurdish militia forces establishingpositions along Iraq's northern border to repel an expected incursionby the Turkish military. It seemscomical to assign a great deal ofpredictability to the eventual outcome of an invasion of Iraq, letalone to believe that Hussein's regime would be replaced by "freedom and democracy."
Under the authors' original assertion that "war is justifiable if it willprevent the further death or suffering ofpeoples under a tyrannical regime," an invasion of Iraq is notjustified because there is no guarantee that further such death or suffering will be prevented. The authors write that attacking Iraqwould constitute committing "ourselves to the defense ofliberty" andwould help to build "a just and enduring peace." A "peace" in whichthe United States unilaterally enforces its will and protects its interests through instigation of militaryconflict is not a just peace, it is simply tyranny on a different scale.
Youth Director WantedlNative English speaker.
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Friday night & Sunday morning-paidIFi...'l- Tb.iwo. e:s.e
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Iraq Invasion' otJustified'Continuedfrom Page 3, Column 5
Samoud 2 missiles, which erratically exceed the permitted range;Iraq is now acceding to pressure todestroy the missiles.
As for Mr. Powell's speech, perhaps the authors fail to realize thatindependent observers as well asthe International Atomic EnergyAgency have refuted two of Mr.Powell's major claims. The FBI iscurrently investigating how the USgovernment could have been fooledso easily. It would appear that in therush to war, the US government isnot placing sufficient importance onthe' ;gitimacy of its evidence or itsclaims.
The authors assert that Iraq's purported development of weapons ofmass destruction threatens "thesafety of millions around theworld." The US government, easily the world's preeminent developer and possessor of weapons ofmass destruction, is not assertingthat there is an inherent risk in suchweapons. Rather, the US government asserts that the world shouldtrust comfortably in the Americanpossession of such weapons, but themere possibility that SaddamHussein may acquire such weaponsposes a threat so great that Iraq mustbe invaded.
In accepting this idea and by implying that the US should overthrow tyrannical regimes whichpose a threat to "the world," theauthors go beyond their originalassertion ofjustifiable war. Even ifwe accept this new argument, it isstill not clear that Iraq should be ourfirst target among such regimes.North Korea and Iran have moreadvanced weapons programs. Pakistan is a declared nuclear state, isruled by a general who took powervia coup and has delayed presidential elections until 2007 and is hometo a strong movement of Islamicradicals. China is obviously aheavily armed nation with an undemocratic and oppressive government. The US never invaded Libyadespite the many years in whichQaddafi ruled as a tyrant, sought todevelop weapons programs and hadclear ties to terrorists, refusing toextradite the Lockerbie bombingsuspects. Why is there now suchfervor for an invasion of Iraq?
Incredibly, Mr. Olsen, Mr. Quinnand Mr. Wasem go on to assume thatending "Hussein's power-hungrymadness" would free the Iraqi"people from tyranny and bring thelight of freedom and democracy tothe Middle East." Many recent examples demonstrate that the fall ofan oppressive regime does not necessarily lead to freedom and democracy, but instead to instability andperhaps further oppression. The authors state that the Cold War "freedmillions of people from tyrannicalregimes across the Iron Curtain."Unfortunately, this is not true for themillions of people in Georgia, inKazakhstan and the neighboringcentralAsian republics or in Belarus.In these former Soviet states, onetyrannical regime has been replacedby others and millions there mayactually long for the Soviet era.Mobutu Sese Seko's tyrannical regime in Zaire, which was supportedby the US for decades, was followedby years of warfare, an equally undemocratic regime under LaurentKabila and a collapsed state. TheUS-initiated overthrow of theTaliban has left Afghanistan similarly fractured; its purported leaderHamid Karzai is unable to exercisepower across large parts ofthe country. This situation clearly demonstrates that even the United Statescannot necessarily invade a nation,topple its government and installstable democratic rule; the well-in-
THE CALIFORNIA TECH COMMENTARY MARCH 17,2003 5
Your Moment of Zeu
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P.S.: Thank <chosen deity or otherreceptacle for your spoken wishes>second term is almost over. It's always the worst. .. looking forwardto pre-frosh weekend!
To honor midnight donuts, Ithought I'd throw out this little gemfrom the OED to close out on alaugh. It's the first citation of theword "doughnut" ever appearing inwritten English. The next citationis actually in 1847 from Thoreau,in regard to a window that resembled a donut in size and opacity ... pretty ridiculous. Still, thefirst citation, from Washington Irving is even better...
1809 W. IRVING Knickerb.(1861) 90 An enormous dish ofballs of sweetened dough, fried inhog's fat and called doughnuts orolykoeks.
Olykoeks? olykoek.caltech.edu?Midnight Olykoeks? StrawberryOlykoeks? It's a good thing thecountry wised up and didn't listento those upstate New Yorkers ...Homer just wouldn't have been asfunny lustily yearning for anolykoek.
Have a great spring breakCaltech,
Tom Fletcher
My friend, you would not talkwith such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum estPro patria mori.
If you caught it, the title is a reference to "Things Fall Apart" byWilliam Yeats, both the inspirationfor a classic novel by ChinuaAchebe and an excellent poem inits own right. Seeing as to howspring break is coming up, perhapswe could all benefit from a littlepoetry.
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tors were not kicked out byHussein. The UN chief inspectorRichard Butler ordered the evacuation, with the official reason thatIraq failed to cooperate, but certainly to clear the way for the subsequent US attack. Butler did notobtain the approval from the UNsecurity council. Curious enough,all major news media altered theirinitial 1998 statements by 2002.
Third, the 1991 Gulf war killed150,000 Iraqis, followed by tragedies due to water-born diseasesdue to the destruction of the electrical, sewage and water facilities.Over a million Iraqis, mostly children, died of malnutrition and lackof medication due to the sanctions.I wonder how are these numberscompare to the number killed by thetyranny of Hussein.
An excerpt from Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys!- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just intime;
But someone still was yelling outand stumbling, .
And flound'ring like a man in fireor lime ...
Dim, through the misty panes andthick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw himdrowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering,choking, drowning.Ifin sonic smothering dreams you
too could paceBehind the wagon that we flung
him in,And watch the white eyes writh
ing in his face,His hanging face, like a devil's
sick of sin;If you could hear, at every jolt,
the bloodCome gargling from the froth-cor
rupted lungs,Obscene as cancer, bitter as the
cudOf vile, incurable sores on inno
cent tongues,-
the void of debate, is the absenceof a thoughtful response from thehumanities-folk of this country. Iguess there's no improving on"Blowing in the Wind" but I stillhope that our artists will help uscome to terms with the reality weare approaching. Along those lines,I've dug up an excerpt from an oldpoem I read as a senior in highschool. Maybe Mr. Hagar was clairvoyant in making me read thispoem or he just picked from ourpoetry book, but either way, I thinkit'll make you feel something:
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Dear editors,
M. Ollenburger '05
My comments on "The Case forWar: Why America Should Enterthe Middle East" by Olsen, Quinnand Wasem:
I hope to draw the authors' attention to the following facts pertaining to three of their statements:
First, to "save a nation of 24 million people and bring the light offreedom and democracy to theMiddle East" does not follow automatically from "challengingHussein." In particular, no challenge should be carried out without a plan to achieve the final goal.
Second, back in 1998, the inspec-
P. Dorrniani/The California TechMembers of Ruddock House gather on the Olive Walk an hour inadvance of Midnight Doughnuts to demonstrate against flyers putup proposing to eat all the strawberry doughnuts before Ruddock.
The Debate
Dear editors,
Letters: Responses to Pro...war ArticleIraq: Just the Facts on the following day the US started allow for differences of opinion.
bombing Iraq." However, arguments based on falseBy refusing to consider lifting assertions do their cause nothing
crippling sanctions, even in the but harm.event of full disarmament, the Sincerely,United States removed the mainincentive for Iraq to cooperate withiLspectors. In addition, Iraq allegedthat the United States was using its Three Problems in 'Case'inspectors for illegal intelligencegathering. This allegation was supported by reports in The Washington Post, The New York Times andothers. See, for example, "U.S.Spied On Iraqi Military Via U.N."in The Washington Post of March2, 1999. It is hard to see why anynation would continue to cooperatewith inspectors under these circumstances.
The authors also state that "during the time while the inspectorswere in Iraq, his stockpiles ofweapons remained nearly undiminished."This, too, is false. Scott Ritter,former head of UN inspectors, saidduring his talk at Caltech this fall thatby the end ofthe inspections in 1998,about 90 to 95% of Iraq's weaponsof mass destruction had beenverifiably destroyed. He said thatIraq was "qualitatively. eliminated"as a threat. In addition, Ritter notedthat this disarmament had occurredwithout complete Iraqi cooperationand had high expectations that thissuccess could be repeated or improved upon with a second inspections regime. There was not perfectdisarmament, but to claim that Iraq'sstockpiles were "undiminished" ismisleading and wrong.
I'm sure most people are familiarwith the arguments against war:they have been stated quite eloquently on the streets, in print andon the web. I'm also familiar withthe arguments for war, as elaboratedby the President and others on adaily basis. I'm perfectly willing to
Leave
I believe the latest doughnut debate started with Tom Fletcher'selection as ASCIT president. Tomsuggested at his first BoD meetingon March 5th that rather than driving to the Donut Man, ASCIT couldinvest in a closer donut supplier,Winchell's and also offer bagels inthe morning. This suggestion wasmet with harsh criticism from Andrea Vasconcellos, the only member of this year's BoD who alsoserved on the previous one. Students are very fearful of altering traditions. The debate likely wouldhave not been expanded to the proportions we saw if some chanceoccurrences had not taken place.Specifically, Tom's first Fridaymorning doughnuts as presidentwere met with displeasure. Tomdelivered the doughnuts an hourearly after staying up all night andconsequently there were not manystrawberry doughnuts remaining ateight when the regulars arrived. Atthe end of the term, ASCIT advertised midnight doughnuts around
I'm writing in response to the article in last week's Tech entitled"The Case for War: Why AmericaShould Enter the Middle East."There are two assertions made inthe article which are simply nottrue.
The authors state, "Iraq had UNweapons inspectors in the countryfrom the end of the first Gulf Waruntil 1998, when Hussein forciblyexpelled them." Saddam Husseinnever expelled the weapons inspectors. Richard Butler, then head ofUNSCOM, withdrew the weaponsinspectors at the request of President Clinton on the eve ofClinton's1998 bombardment of Iraq. As reported in October 8, 2002 issue ofThe Manchester Guardian:
"On October 30, 1998, the US rejected a UN proposal by again refusing to lift the oil embargo if Iraqdisarmed. On the following day, theIraqi government announced that itwould cease to cooperate with theinspectors. In fact it permitted themto continue working and over thenext six weeks they completedaround 300 operations. On December 14, Richard Butler, the head ofthe inspection team, published a curiously contradictory report. Thebody of the report recorded thatover the past month "the majorityof the inspections of facilities andsites under the ongoing monitoringsystem were carried out with Iraq'scooperation," but his well-publicized conclusion was that "noprogress" had been made. Russiaand China accused Butler of bias.On December 15th, the US ambassador to the UN warned him thathis team should leave Iraq for itsown safety. Butler pulled out and
oughnuts' Fate to Students War, Peace, DoughnutsContinuedfrom Page 3, Column 5 campus and an independent party tion of replacing doughnuts withadD I Et D E tcious on a Friday morning after posted flyers saying "F- Rud- cheaper or healthier alternative. n u ce ecorum sstaying up for twenty hours with- dock" and proposing to eat all the Should we sheepishly revert to our Continuedfrom Page 3, Column 2out rest, but five thousand dollars strawberry doughnuts before mem- previous actions rather than indecan be better spent upon for the stu- bers of Ruddock house could reach pendently proposing a new solutiondent body. After seeing how the them. This action provoked Rud- to the debate? As scientists, we canDonut Man makes the strawberry dock house to organize and dem- not allow ourselves to throw out adoughnuts, I no longer want to put onstrate by waiting on the Olive IJossible solution on a feeling. Weone in my body at eight in the morn- Walk an hour in advance. In re- cannot take only our personal feeling. Oatmeal, bagels with lox or sponse, members of Page, Fleming ings into consideration, but shouldgranola and fruit would be far more and Ricketts, amongst others at-consider the benefit to the entire stunutritious to our bodies than dough- tacked the Ruddock members with dent body. Therefore, the only scinuts after the torture we put our water balloons. The issue of pre- entific conclusion we can drawbodies through. ASCIT could buy serving the doughnut tradition has from this argument is that we must22,000 cups of food to fight hun- quickly escalated from a debate to let the students as a whole decideger if we forewent doughnuts. For an inter-house attack. The immature upon the future of Friday morningall of these reasons, doughnuts are action ofone independent party was doughnuts. If you think doughnutsnot an issue that ASCIT needs to met with the immature actions of should stay, you should vote on theconcern itself with. Rather, ASCIT many. latestASCIT online poll and say so.should be focusing on student is- If you have a better idea forsues that will influence future stu- The Past and Future ASCIT's money or just think thatdents such as the length of prefrosh you are not deriving any benefitweekend or the preservation of the This is not the first time dough- from ASCIT spending five thou-fire pot. nuts have incited such disagree- sand dollars on a few select dough
ment. Last year, when Ted Jou "ex- nut eaters, vote online and say so.perimented" for a term without Fri- Either way, participate in the demoday morning doughnuts, several cratic process. It's the only way tostudents protested enough to re- have your views represented andverse his decision. Once again, stu- that is the sole purpose of ASCIT.dents are protesting at the sugges-
uP'.... ",,,,,,,r.o n
want to reiterate that oil-I mean, theworthless, smelly, black liquidplays no role in our decision to pursue war with Iraq." In other news,OPEC changed its name to Producers of American Life Serum(PALS), reflecting the friendly nature of current PALS-American relations.
On a related note, Rand McNallyreleased the newest version of itsatlas. Sympathizing with nationalsentiments, China, France, Germany and Russia, have been replaced by The Sea of Security. Another change in the atlas was thatthe states of W,lshin~~tolil, '-"!c'i"Vl',
Ca1lt(XllJa, New Mexico,sota, Iowa, Wisconsin,Illinois, Maine, Vermont, NewYork, Massachusetts, Rhode Is-"land, COlt1necti(;ut, Perll1svlvania.New Delaware Maryland all seemed to be swallowedby large lakes. A simultaneousElectoral College press releaseannounced just afterwards that theelectoral votes would be redistributed among the states not affectedby the so-called "terrible floodingmishap."
Unfortunately, all the recentredesignations have led to at leastone death. A 64-year-old man wasbeaten to death yesterday in Texasafter trying to order "French" friesat his local McDonalds. GregoryJameson apparently walked in to
Paris, Texas McDonald's andordered a medium "French" fries.Three young men, whose nameswere not available, took offense andwhen Mr. Jameson refused toapologize, they dragged him outside and beat him. Police have thesuspects in custody, with assaultand battery charges pending.
Courtesy of R. McNalry
Responding to American sentiments, the newest version of RandMcNally's map has China, France, Germany and Russia replaced bythe Sea of Security.
sauerkraut,come into popu.larJlty.the country, tagsChina" were rqlla<;edacross the Ocean III
SweatThe Administration hopes
that these measures will help persuade dissenting nations that theUnited States means business ongoing to war with Iraq. Said Congressman Bob Ney (R-Ohio), "Thisaction is a small but symboliceffort to the strong displea-sure of many on Capitol Hill withthe actions of our so-called ally,France."
In response, French PresidentJacques Chirac called for "all trueFrenchmen to forego patronizingthe warmongering Americantheme park known as 'DisneylandParis'" to which Disney replied,"French people were cominghere?"
Bush, fonowing up on the successof Freedom Fries, has changed thefuel formerly known as oil toWorthless, smelly, black liquid. ABush spokesperson said, "We just
MARCH 17,2003
Opposition to War onMysteriously Disappearing
By MATTHEW WALKER
In a wave of national solidaritythis week, hundreds of classicproduct names have been changed,following the House of Representatives' lead, having changed theword French to Freedom in FrenchFries and French Toast. In retribution for lack of support for the Iraqwar effort, references to variousnations are being removedthroughout the country. Caviar wasrenamed Security Fish Eggs.Vodka has become Vision of SafetyDrink. Pacific dumpling is the newname for Chinese won tons. Reminiscent of World War II, the termsSalisb1ury Steak and Cab
and
silly weapons of mass destruction.The dying age of romanticism isembodied in the British spy RobertBaden-Powell who operated aroundthe turn of the century; I mean 1900,mind you, not 2000. One assignment was to determine the strengthof some Austrian fortifications;Wearing thick spectacles and carrying a butterfly net, he pretendedto be a befuddled lepidopterist seeking rare butterfly specimens. In thispose, he wandered close to defensepositions and scurried about waving his net wildly, while the guardslooked on in amusement. In myspare time, I used to practice whatmoves he might have made to actthe most silly.
Baden-Powell quickly drew talented sketches of the fortifications,which were undetected by Austriancensors since he cleverly concealed the drawings inside largersketches of butterflies. His espionage work became very importantto British intelligence. Later, Robert Baden-Powell founded the BoyScouts, the American branches ofwhich are valiant defenders of thefree world against sin. Sadly, theglorious old days have vanished,while those ofns who still remember are looked upon as babblingold men.
I recognize a lot ofmyself in LordBaden-Powell. We are bothcognoscenti of butterflies, eccen-trics in a He workedaround while Iwork around forthe good motherland.
watercoloufs are unexcer1tional and cannot hide as muchrntormatrclll as Baden-Powell'ssketches, I always remembermy grade school teacher used tosay: "fa pratique rendparfait." Thatmeans "practice makes perfect," bythe way, a piece of useful advicethat transcends generations.
A bientot!
in the current 50 state quarters program; Just the other day, I found anIllinois quarter with the picture ofLincoln. Using the powers of theWorld Wide Web, I learned thatoriginally the Mexican dollars weredivided into eight slices for smallchange, or eight "bits." Each bitwould be worth 12.5 cents, so twobits =25 cents. Very clever, n'estce pas? Before the current Washington design, quarter dollars had apicture of a standing female Libertyon the obverse-the "heads" side,as opposed to the "tails" side. Theoriginal 1916 Standing Liberty design featured very prominent, howyou say it, knockers. Unfortunately,a design change a year later covered those supple and delectablebreasts.
Seriously though, homelessness isan important issue inAmerica. Withour current economic downturn,more and more people are beingevicted from their homes. I'veheard people speculate that a lot ofhomeless people consume illicitdrugs. I wonder where the homeless get the money for that from? Iused to think academia is higher
paying than panhandling, butmaybe I've been wrong allalong. My dean's salary canbarely afford any crack cocaine of a reasonable quality.Researching biological gapjUllctiorlS is interesting and rewarding, but it is not lucrative and does notmany fordrug marmfacturing.have been ain myStrasbourg days.
Ah, my younger years,when men were men, sheepwere sheep and Englishspeaking cretins did not try toboss the francophone world.Wars were fought with chivalry and sportsmanship, not
6 THE CALIFORNIA TECH FEATURES
Spy SATELLITES UNCOVER MAPO S OF MASS ESTRUCTIO
By LIBIN ZHANG
I viewed with curiosity the recentRicketts experiment withhomelessness. The Scurves wereimplying that the Administration'sthreat to disband Ricketts wouldforce them onto the streets, but Iassure everyone that that scenariowill not be the case. They will simply be moved into the other houses,where a number of rooms are currently at less than maximum capacity, while we rent out the Rickettsliving space to fill the budget deficit. The Scurves were so convincing as the homeless, much more sothan the Darb 'homeless' duringtheir infamous Ruddock visit, thatfor a moment there I thought Ishould donate a few quarters. However, like real homeless people, theywould probably spend the moneyto consume alcohol by buyingListerine from the conveniencestore, so I hesitated.
Just the other day, I was struck byhow our two-bit quarter coins havehad so many design changes overthe years ever since the AmericanWar of Independence, culminating
Courtesy of Co PowellThis just in! This Tech document reveals injfm'm:ation about a newly uncovered scientifichotbed. The U.S. Government calls community, with unharnessed knowle(l~e
and danger." Unnamed sources reveal was taken with a Web camera fmm under theLibin Zhang '05. It remains to how the world and the United Nations win
respond.
THE CALIFORNIA TECH NEWS MARCH 17,2003 7
So. Cal. Offers Range ofSummer Fun-Teams Post More Losses
D. KortalThe California Tech
ACM 95 Professor Niles Pierce is this year's Feynman Prize winnerfor excellent teaching.
With 'Dedication, Charisma,'Pierce Wins Feynman Prize
By !RAM PARVEEN-BILAL
QUIPFTO
6.Mil
AZUSA PACIFICUNIVERSITY
For specific degreeprogram information,call (800) 825-5278
or [email protected] Pacific University
901 E. Alosta Ave.POBox 7000
Azusa, CA 91702-7000
Caltech 0SCHREINER 7
Caltech 2SCHREINER 7
Women's Tennis
Caltech (0-11) 0OCCIDENTAL 9
Men's Tennis
Caltech (6-4) 3OCCIDENTAL 4
PER BISHOP'SLEGAC~ PRIZEFUNDS TRAVELContinuedfrom Page 2, Column 1
with his B.S. in physics in 1943. Byestablishing theAmasa Bishop Summer Study Abroad prize, he offerstoday's students an exciting opportunity for summer study abroad.
Bishop served as Chiefof the U.S.Atomic Energy Commission's Controlled Thermonuclear Branch andwent on to become the AtomicEnergy's European ScientifIc representative. Due to Bishop's understanding of the need for scientistsand engineers to gain exposure tointernational issues and cultures, theBishop family generously agreed tofund two prizes in the amount of$6,000 each to allow two juniors tostudy abroad during the summer.
The prize covers round trip airfare and all tuition fees and livingexpenses up to $6,000. Within thisbudget, applicants can requestfunds for travel in the country oftheir study program or to countriesin the same general region. Travelcan be done before or after the studyprogram which has to be a minimum of six weeks long.
• Monday, March 24, 3:30 p.m.• Monday, April 7, 7 p.m.
Men's Baseball
Caltech (1-12) 4OCCIDENTAL 15
By REGER BRENTON
The Beavers played well thisweek but struggled with people inscoring position. The guys wereleading the fIrst game four to twoin the fIfth inning before giving upeight runs to fall behind.
Pitchers for the week were IsaacGremmer '05, Andy Conner '03and David McKeen '04.
Track & Field
Caltech 2OCCIDENTAL 10
Caltech 0.OCCIDENTAL 14
Tamara Becher '04 from women'strack and fIeld, also this week's athlete of the week, scored the mostpoints for the track team this weekend running in the 4xl00, 4x400,400, 1500 and 800. Individually shetook frrst in the 1500-meter, secondin the 8oo-meter and fourth in the4oo-meter. Her scores helped theBeavers claim victory over Cal.Lutheran, 101.5 to 97.5, and a narrow loss to Occidental, 95 to 98.The team takes the weekend off andreturns to competition at Northridgeon the 22nd
•
Azusa Pacific University offers education andpsychology degree programs in the following areas:
Education• Accelerated bachelor's degree • Master's degrees • Doctorate• State credentials • State certificate
Information meetingsAaelerated bachelor's degree: Call (626) 815-5301 for meeting dates.Doctorate: Call for meeting dates.All other education programs: Tuesday, April 1,7 p.m.
PsychologyMarriage and Family Therapy:• Wednesday, March 12, 7 p.m.• Wednesday, April 2, 7 p.m.
plenty of hands-on exhibits.Ifyou need a break from the sun,
there is a plethora of movies slatedfor release in the summer months.For the action-loving bad boys, "2Fast 2 Furious" will come out inearly June, unfortunately withoutthe star ofits prequel, ''The Fast andFurious," Vm Diesel.
Meanwhile, another actionpacked sequel, "Charlie's Angels:Full Throttle," also returns withmost of its original cast of goodgirls, Drew Barrymore, CameronDiaz and Lucy Liu, but missing BillMurray as the original mastermind,Charlie.
Another highly anticipated fIlm,"The Hulk," will be released inearly summer, starring Eric Bana asthe scientist Bruce Banner, who after being pelted with gamma rays,transforms into The Incredible Hulkwhen angered.
And if you want your heartstringsplucked, try seeing "Northfork," thestory of a local priest who takes careof a dying nine-year-old orphanwhose only wish is to be adopted.
Another movie, "Whale Rider,"promises to captivate its audiencewith stunning scenery, as the 11year~old Pai sets out to prove herself worthy of being the new chiefof a New Zealand tribe.
Also, keep in mind that theCaltech Y offers discounted movietickets to the members of theCaltech community.If all else fails, do what everyone
else eventually does: go toDisneyland! Disneyland is onlyabout 30 minutes away and nowalso features California Adventureand Downtown Disney. Althoughyou just can't pass up a ride in theTeacups, the "Happiest Place onEarth" does now offer other enticing options, such as the House ofBlues, the ESPN Zone, an AMCTheatre and plenty of shops.If you're wanting more heart
pounding, stomach-flipping, rollercoaster action and fewer cartooncharacters, try Magic Mountain,located about 45 minutes away insunny Valencia. If you'd ratherspend the day playing in water instead Qf waiting in lines in the hot
Continued on Page 8, Column 2
with tide pools and the PointVincente Interpretive Center, anideal spot for whale-watching.
To get the full effect of SouthernCalifornia and its legendarybeaches, .go further north to SantaMonica Beach, a popular ftlm location, with its very own amusement park. An added bonus, SantaMonica also features the ThirdStreet Promenade, one of the mostfamous shopping districts in LosAngeles County.If you're looking for a quieter
beach, Malibu Beach has no beachside shops or entertainers, but you'llbe dazzled all the same by the rowsof gorgeous beachfront celebrityhomes.If you're willing to make the
drive, Long Beach is the southernmost of all the Los Angelesbeaches, but is the largest, featuring trips to nearby Catalina Islandand the legendary Queen Mary.Long Beach Aquarium is a greateducational spot for children of allages, featuring short films and
in a manner that emphasizes boththe how and the why of the problem. He teaches without oversimplifying and without intimidating,making the material accessible tothe diverse group of students. Hepossesses an uncanny ability to anticipate the frustrations and challenges of the students and has beenable to hold the students' attentionand attendance, throughout thequarter."
Dr. Pierce has been teaching theCourse's fIrst half for the past twoyears. "Niles' interactive teachingstyle and smashing good looksmake it a pleasure to attend class!"exclaimed student WilliamVandewater '05. A few of hisformer students also nominated himfor the ASCIT best teaching award,which he received in 2002.
The Feynman Prize serves as amotivator to inspire professors toprepare engaging classes. All professorial faculties are eligible. Thisprize is made possible by a gift ofendowment by lone and Robert E.Paradise, with additional contributions from Mr. and Mrs. William H.Hurt, in appreciation of RichardFeynman's contributions to excellent teaching. It is a cash award of$3,500, matched by an equivalentraise in the annual salary of theawardee.
The selection of the recipient ismade by a committee appointed bythe provost. The committee chairand members are rotated frequentlyto reflect all segments of the Institute and the committee consists ofthree professorial faculty and onerepresentative each from the undergraduate student body and thegraduate student body.
ByVITRAN
Come Friday, June 13, the onlything you'll want to do is sleep. Butif you're SURFing or working oncampus or you're just hangingaround, you'll find that yougasp!-Actually have free time!What to do with all this free time?Well, don't waste it in front of yourcomputer playing Generals! Takeadvantage of the beautiful California weather and get outside!
Of course, since Pasadena getspretty hot in the summer, you'llwant to hit the beach. The nearestbeaches are 30 to 45 minutes awayin Manhattan Beach, just south ofthe Los Angeles International Airport. Manhattan State Beach offerspretty much everything you couldwant in a beach: volleyball nets,surfmg, outdoor showers, a boardwalk, lifeguards, restaurants andeven public transportation.
Located farther south, RanchosPalos Verdes hosts the AbaloneCove Ecological Reserve complete
This year's Feynman Prize winner is Applied Math Professor NilesPierce, a clear favorite among undergraduates and graduates forteaching the fIrst term and a half ofACM95.
Having just received his Ph.D. in1997, Dr. Pierce is below the average age of the faculty at Caltech."On the very fIrst day, I rememberstanding outside the lecture hallsurrounded by students waiting forthe previous class to let out," hereminisced. "Amidst the din ofconversation, I gradually realized thatI had not been identifIed as the professor. My only previous teachingexperience was two small graduatecourses so I stood there anony-.mously, overdosing on adrenalineand thinking 'I guess this is themajor leagues.",
Teaching such a notoriouslytough course as ACM 95, however,Dr. Pierce had to fIne-tune his skillsas an instructor to reach the majority of his students. ''95 has a reputation as a tough course-and notjust with students!" he said. "It tooksome convincing to get me to teachit the fIrst time because I'd heard alot of stories about how much ittakesoutof1heprofessocAsittumsout,though, a big class can be a lot offun. Straight off I discovered thatwriting on nine sliding chalk boardsin the correct order is not as easy asit might look when 200 people aresupervising!"
The award cited Dr. Pierce's "enthusiasm, dedication and charismain teaching both undergraduates andgraduates the foundations of applied mathematics through ACM95. Professor Pierce's lectures arecarefully organized and presented
8 THE CALIFORNIA TECH NEWS MARCH 17, 2003
Twenty-eight former Fellowshave received Nobel prizes. "It is aterrific honor to receive this awardand to be a part of such a tremendous tradition of excellence withinthe Sloan foundation," said Dr.Brian Stoltz.
Candidates for the fellowships arenominated by department chairsand other senior scholars familiarwith their talents. More than 500nomiriations for the 2003 awardswere reviewed by a committee ofdistinguished scientists, includingProfessor David Anderson ofCaltech.
Each Sloan Fellow receives agrant of$40,000 for a two-year period administered by each Fellow'sinstitution. Once chosen, Fellowsare given the flexibility to pursuewhatever line of inquiry that is mostinteresting to them. This is done sothat these young scientists can havefreedom while in this pivotal stageof establishing their own independent research projects.
Dr. Asimow commented that hewill use his Sloan fellowship to"support further investigation intothe presence oftrace concentrationsof water in the deep earth and itseffects on mantle melting andphysical properties... I'm pleasedbecause funds that are unattachedto any particular grant are enormously useful for seeding new andhigh-risk projects that are not quiteready to tum into proposals."
On his research, Dr. Jonas Peterssaid, "The Sloan award will provideinvaluable seed money for workwe've initiated in the past fewmonths regarding nitrogen reduction using molecular iron systems ... Ideally, our work in thisarea will help to guide mechanisticpostulates concerning nitrogen reduction at iron by nitrogenase enzymes, a family of enzymes studied by the Rees group here atCaltech."
It's hard work being a scientistand as Dr. Calegari added, "It's niceto get approbation from one's peers.I feel that this award certifies tosome small degree the interest andscientific merit of my work and itencourages me to continue to pursue it."
ByTAMMYMA
Six Caltech ProfessorsAwarded Sloan Fellows
A LITTLE SKEPTICAL
I~ .j
t jD. Kort:J!The California Tech
Skeptics of the Skeptics Society ponder ''Free Will, Determinism andEvolution" before univ.ersity professor Daniel Dennett.
Six Caltech professors were recently selected to beAlfred P. SloanResearch Fellows for 2003.
117 young scientists and economists from 50 different colleges anduniversities in the United States andCanada were selected to receive aSloan Research Fellowship. TheSloan Fellows are described as faculty members engaged in researchat the fron,tiers-of chemistry, com
_putational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science,economics, mathematics, neuro':science and physics.
From Calt~ch, there were fourrecipients involved in chemistryresearch. They are Paul DavidAsimow, Assistant Professor ofGeology and Geochemistry; LindaC. Hsieh-Wilson, Assistant Profes-sor of Chemistry; Jonas C. Peters,Assistant Professor of Chemistry;and Brian M. Stoltz, Assistant Professor of Chemistry. Fellowshipswere also awarded in the fields ofmathematics and neuroscience, respectively, to Danny Calegari, Associate Professor of Mathematicsand Athanassios G. Siapas, Associate Professor ofComputation andNeural Systems.
These six Sloan Research Fellowswere selected from among hundreds of highly qualified scientistsin the early stages of their careerson the basis of "their exceptionalpromise to contribute to the advancement of knowledge."
Clubs, Parks Among Area Attractions·Continuedfrom Page 1, Column 5 out there!-Club 1 7 in Hollywood ment. Dodger Stadium is just 15sun, take advantage of the huge is for partiers strictly above 17 and minutes away, tickets start at $6 andnearby water park, Raging Waters, under 21. Meanwhile, for those pre- there are usually some nifty knickat the intersection of the 10, 210 and fer sitting down and listening to a knacks like bobbleheads and foam60 freeways. There's always good comedy show, the Ice House fingers to collect. There are greatKnott's Berry Farm and Universal in Pasadena is open to those 18 and discounts and packages available,Studios to try as well. Tickets for over and has a two-drink minimum. like the Dodger Coca-Cola Familyall these places, except for Raging Los Angeles also features a huge Pack: four tickets, four Cokes, fourWaters, are also available at dis- collection of concert venues. The Farmer John Dodger Dogs andcounted prices through the Caltech Los Angeles Philharmonic per- parking for $39. If baseball's justY. forms regularly at the Hollywood not for you, the Los Angeles Gal-
When the sun sets, the fun doesn't Bowl. Between these shows, you'll axy plays Major League Soccer inhave to stop. Like any large city, find other great performers, from its new stadium, the Home DepotLos Angeles also offers plenty of Yanni to Coldplay to Santana, at the Center, in Carson.interesting night life and clubs. A Hollywood Bowl this summer. If all else fails, I would suggestnon-Techer, Tokuma Nakazawa The Staples Center in downtown stocking up on those hours of sleepfrom the University of California, Los Angeles also offers a wide before the new school year starts.Irvine, recommends Sky Sushi in range of shows, including Match- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Santa Monica for hip-hop music box 20, ChristinaAguilera and Jusand Arena, also in Santa Monica, tin Timberlake, Fleetwood Mac andfor trance on Friday nights and hip- the Dixie Chicks. If you misshop on Saturday nights. Fleetwood Mac and the Dixie
The Mayan in Hollywood fea- Chicks at the Staples Center, they'lltures world-class deejays spinning also be performing at the Arrowtrance, while the Circus Disco in head Pond in Ap.aheim in July,Santa Monica features Spundae on while Bon Jovi, featuring specialSaturday nights with trance and guests the Goo Goo Dolls and Torihouse. Apparently, if you go to Amos will perform in April.Spundae, you will become familiar If you're willing to make thewith Cole who works the front hour-long drive down to Irvine,ticket area and will shake your hand Pearl Jam will be performing at theif you are male and kiss your cheek Verizon Wireless Amphitheater inif you are female, so be warned. early June. Grammy award winner
All of these aforementioned clubs Norah Jones will be performing atare for partiers 21 and over. For the Santa Barbara Bowl and thethose of us not yet quite 21, The Greek Theatre in late July. In allPalace in Hollywood features honesty, you will be able to [md the
. KROQ 106.7 FM on Thursday music you like somewhere in Losnights, KITS 102.7 FM on Saturday Ange~es.
nights and POWER 106 after three Lastly, as the summer days anda.m. in the wee hours of Friday your bank account starts to wane,morning. For those of us not even you can always rely on the great na18-1 know there are some of you tional pastime for cheap entertain-
By ROBERTLI
P. Dormiani/The California Tech
Caltech and the L.A. Philharmonic play host to,a "conversation" between the creators of''El Nino" lastSaturday. ''EI Nino" is the story of the birth of Christ told from a multicultural perspective. '
lEI Nino'Turns Secular Eye,to Christthe miracle of Christ's birth but' The music of "El Nino" has beenfrom a secular and biological rather described as "sort ofocean of soundthan religious sense. Sellars de- in which all the elements-of the orascribed childbirth as "being in 'a torio live" and "powerful and afroom with four people and suddenly fecting and sublimely assured muthere are five." It is also for the sic." During its creation, composersecular reason that only women JohnAdams said that his model wastruly understand what childbirth is Handel's "Messiah" and that hethat Adams and Sellars decided to wanted to recreate the mosaic-likeuse poetry from female poets in "El approach to the narrative.Nino" to express the moment of The L.A. Times also reviewed theChrist's birth. event.
The Saturday before last, Caltechin conjunction with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association presented a "conversation" betweenthe creators of the recently performed oratorio, "El Nino."
Attending the event were JohnAdams, the award-winning composer of "The Death ofKlinghoffer"; Esa-Pekka Salonen,conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the past decade; andPeter Sellars, a director whose over100 works have included the famous opera "Nixon in China."Moderating the discussion was JackMiles, a Pulitzer-wining author anda visiting professor of humanitiesat Caltech.
The event was held as a part of aseries of promotional activitiesleading up to the performance of"El Nino" by the Los Angeles Philharmonic last Wednesday, Fridayand Saturday. Around 200 peoplewere in attendance at BeckmanAuditorium.
The event started with Jack Milesgiving a lengthy introduction to theoratorio. In short, "El Nino" is thestory of the birth ofChrist told froma multicultural perspective that carries with it a message for uniting adivided world.
The presentation is entirely modem and multimedia. In the background of the performance, a silentfJ.J.m ofL.A. street life is shown andthe performers, consisting of threevocal soloists, three countertenorsand three dancers are dressed incasual clothes and barefoot.
Primary source texts for the libretto include the Bible-both theKing James and the Gnostic-theWakefield Mystery Plays, Spanishpoems by prominent Hispanicwcm:namtlrm::dievalCOOlJXRfllild:gar
von Bingen."El Nino" debuted in Paris in De
cember of2000 and one month latermade its North American debut inSan Francisco.
The message of"EI Nino," as discussed by Adams and Sellars during the subsequent conversation, is
t Oh Yeh! Bent on outpunning the world, I make my grand,timeless Leep into the wanton world ofCrippling Depression. But, seriously: big congratulations, guys, on the presscoverage. When you're syndicated, remember the Tech!
'm:be ~alifornia 'm:ecbCaltech 40-58
Pasadena, CA 91126
-+.The River Niles: The master of branch cuts has Piercedhis way into the annals of history. To a feyn man: congratulations!
Doughnut: I was bushed and shoved like Iraq by the U.S.,shocked and awed by falling projectiles from Page andall along, I dough not even get a doughnut. Perhaps moredoughnuts can be part of the next Somalian aid package.