Yale Bulletin and Calendar

November 22-December 6, 1999

Volume 28, Number 14

. . . In the News . . .

"People focus on the payoffs [from lotteries] much more than they focus on the odds themselves. . . . It's probably harder to imagine how saving a dollar or $20 a month can make them a millionaire."

-- Marketing professor Ravi Dhar, "Going for Broke: Many Try for Jackpot . . . and Squander Potential Savings," New Haven Register, Nov. 7, 1999.

"Neither Judge Jackson nor any court has seriously worked out the implications of competition in the context of a network. A network is different from traditional markets, and the rules governing competition must be different. In a network, the more connections, the more all participants gain." -- Law and economics professor George L. Priest, about the recent court ruling on Microsoft, "A Feeble Case," The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 8, 1999.

"[For light users] long-distance prices are in the monopoly range."

-- Economist Paul MacAvoy, "'Power Users' Benefit Most From Long-Distance Calling Plans," The Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL), Oct. 29, 1999.

"Maybe genetic discrimination isn't as big a fear as we thought it was."

-- Genetic researcher Ellen Matloff, "Possibility of Bias From Genetic Testing May Be Overstated," The Dallas Morning News, Nov. 2, 1999.

"This should scare the pants off anyone working in silicon. It will be dirt cheap and it will create a discontinuity."

-- Engineering and applied science professor Mark Reed, about the development of molecular memory devices that could replace semi-conductor chips, "Computer Scientists Are Poised For Revolution on a Tiny Scale," The New York Times, Nov. 1, 1999.

"There are reports of some people having depression, becoming much worse after taking melatonin. There are some reports of people developing hallucinations, in particular hallucinatory dreams, after taking melatonin."

-- Psychiatry professor Dr. Dan Oren, "New Study Suggests Taking Melatonin to Sleep May Not Be the Best Remedy for Some People," CNN Morning News, Nov. 5, 1999.

"Every western, industrialized democracy in the world has a paid infant care leave. We are the only one who does not."

-- Child development psychologist Edward Zigler, "Task Force to Study Paid Family Leave," The Associated Press, Nov. 3, 1999.

"The [Large Hadron Collider] is a very sensible machine, because most of what they need already exists. Infrastructure is a large part of the cost."

-- Physics professor Jack Sandweiss, "European Collider's Success Provides a Blueprint for Mega-Science Projects," The Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 12, 1999.

"Perhaps the right to control reproduction [of copyrighted material] may not be the best way to protect rights themselves in the digital age."

-- University librarian Scott Bennett, "National Research Council's Copyright Report Discusses Issues Without Settling Any," The Chronicle of Higher Education, Nov. 12, 1999.

"The United States health care system disconnects costs from services rendered, creating a group of consumers who do not care about costs. The government requires hospitals to keep price lists for services, but those figures are virtually meaningless."

-- Bass writing tutor Susan Froetschel and School of Nursing professor Douglas P. Olsen, "The Rigors of Giving Birth Without Health Insurance," The Hartford Courant, Nov. 10, 1999.

"We can go from molecules to behavior, and we can see a link all the way."

-- Neurobiologist Dr. David McCormick, "Scientists Think Thalamus Research Will Yield Understanding of Brain, Treatment for Troubled Minds," The Dallas Morning News, Nov. 9, 1999.

"During the fall of 1998, a class in Cold War history enrolled more students than any other undergraduate course at Yale. . . . Diplomatic history is hardly declining here, therefore; indeed, our experience suggests that those institutions that have ceased to teach this subject are neglecting an area of considerable student interest."

-- Historian John Lewis Gaddis, in his letter to the editor, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Oct. 29, 1999.

"Although we're still trying to find out what role notch signaling plays in Alzheimer's Disease, our study findings could point to new possibilities for treating and preventing brain disease."

-- Neurobiologist Dr. Pasko Rakic, "Promising Developments on Alzheimer's, But No Breakthrough Yet," Deutsche Presse, Nov. 8, 1999.

"[I]n this brutally competitive global economy, no company and no franchise is safe. The NBA must move quickly and boldly. Already it faces stiff competition from soccer, the world's most popular sport, and even from other forms of entertainment ranging from local sports to fast-paced movies. Now is the time to move while the sport is red hot."

-- School of Management Dean Jeffrey Garten, from his commentary, NPR's "Marketplace," Nov. 2, 1999.

"No one is saying this is a panacea, but we're getting regeneration and we're very excited about that."

-- Neurology and neurobiology professor Jeffery Kocsis, about his teams' research restoring key spinal nerve fibers through cross-species transplantation, "Fresh Coating," New Scientist, Nov. 6, 1999.

"We do monitor, currently, known [nuclear weapons] test sites at fairly low magnitudes -- 2.5 or 2 on the Richter scale -- and a 1-kiloton nuclear blast is roughly equivalent to a magnitude 4 earthquake. We've got a good capability now. . . . The idea is not to give a potential tester any wiggle room."

-- Geophysicist Jeffrey Park, "Under a Cloud," New Scientist, Nov. 6, 1999.

"[Transplanting animal organs in humans] makes you squeamish but it beats being dead. Progress in medicine is an optional goal. If you don't want to persue it, you don't have to. We don't force it on people."

-- Chair of the Human Investigation Committee at the Yale School of Medicine Robert Levine, "Medical Strides of the 20th Century Produce Ethical Quandaries," The Associated Press, Nov. 7, 1999.

"Caring about the bottom line isn't unimportant. But it also isn't everything. If markets are by their nature amoral, then we need good people to run them."

-- School of Law professor Stephen Carter, "Business Forum Pushes Ethics; Doing Right Thing Will Pay Off, Experts Say," The Times-Picayune, Nov. 6, 1999.

"Our study is the first to compare prostate cancer implant therapies, and the results could lead to improved outcomes for patients."

-- Therapeutic radiology professor Dr. Richard Peschel, "Newer is Better in Implant for Prostate Cancer," United Press International, Nov. 5, 1999.

"When the Amistad captives put a human face on slavery, that was really the beginning of Connecticut people coming together to oppose this system."

-- Executive coordinator of the Gilder Lehrman Center Robert P. Forbes, "Horror and Heroism Sail on the Amistad," The Associated Press, Nov. 4, 1999.

"In baroque days it was the custom for an instrumentalist to lead the ensemble. I don't really conduct as such, but I do set tempos through head or hand gestures, or with the bow. It becomes a chamber experience: the players really have to listen, and precisely because of that direct connection the results can be very exciting. A great deal of warmth comes up from the musicians--not going to a conductor but to a colleague -- and then back from the soloist to the players. It gives the piece a whole new perspective."

-- School of Music professor Jesse Levine, "Out of Hawaiian Pop, Into the Classics," The New York Times, Nov. 7, 1999.

"Palestinian independence is almost a done deal; the real question is how the long-talked-about demilitarization of such a state will actually work."

-- Olin Fellow in international security studies Jeffrey M. Nadaner, "'Difficult' Is Too Mild a Word For Middle East Negotiations," The Hartford Courant, Nov. 7, 1999.

"[The Danube] has always been more of a symbolic border than an actual one. The Magyars and Attila and the Germanic tribes all crossed it. You can't sidestep the Danube, but mountains are far greater obstacles."

-- Historian Ivo Banac, "Trying to Heal Old Hatred in Ruins on the Danube," The New York Times and elsewhere, Nov. 6, 1999.

"One theory is that [Galapagos tortoise 'Lonesome George'] was alone for so long that he wasn't socialized and forgot how to court ladies. They put him in a pen with some females and some other males, so that he could watch and see what he was supposed to be doing, but that didn't work."

-- Ecology and evolutionary biology professor Jeffrey Powell, "Yale Scientists Try to Make a Love Match for Lonely Tortoise," The Associated Press, Nov. 8, 1999.

T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S

Yale unveils new TV studio

National Building Museum pays double tribute to Scully

YSN students to learn about life with few resources

Media's quest for truth vital to U.S. society, says Thomas

Endowed Professorships

Ex-senator to discuss search for security in a 'fragmented century'

Yale Rep offers up 'A Cup of Coffee' by noted filmmaker

Peabody's mobile BioAction Lab inspires young 'scientists'

Holiday gift ideas galore available at campus shops

YALE CANCER CENTER NEWS
Symposium honors work of pioneering Yale researcher

Series to focus on compassionate patient care

DNA technology may help pinpoint causes of cancer

Center joins effort to create tests for early signs of cancer

Whiffenpoofs celebrate 90th anniversary

New technique for recording activity inside cells may offer insights into diseases . . .

Yale team is first to turn carbon dioxide into gel form

Astronomy sponsors its first reunion

Donaghue grants to support studies on women's health

Scientists' work may lead to creation of smaller, less costly computers

Student is now big Elm City fan, thanks to internship

Jazz legend Dave Brubeck and his quartet to perform

Miracle play reveals medieval views about St. Nicholas

Harshav to be honored

Two Yale scholars are honored with book prizes from the American Studies Association

Morgan's work featured in annual crafts show

. . In the News . . .