Yale Bulletin and Calendar

November 7, 2003|Volume 32, Number 10

In the News
X

"What this [camera phone] technology does is democratize the invasion of privacy. Instead of one Big Brother, [we have] a lot of little brothers."

-- Jack Balkin, the Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment, "Camera Phones' Spy Potential Not a Pretty Picture," Chicago Tribune, Oct. 28, 2003.

"Hormone therapy [for older women] has been used in such a cavalier way, and now it's being dismissed in a cavalier way. But there's a whole world in between."

-- Dr. Sally Shaywitz, professor of pediatrics, "The Case for Hormone Therapy," The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 21, 2003.

"There has been a shift in the conceptualization of problem gambling. It's gone from being seen as a sin to a bad habit to a biologically based disorder."

-- Dr. Marc Potenza, assistant professor of psychiatry, "Drug Help in the Cards for Gambling Addicts," Hamilton Spectator (Ontario, Canada), Oct. 29, 2003.

"Caucasian men get the booby prize for being the worst tasters. This doesn't mean they don't enjoy food and eating, but most Caucasian men don't taste food with very much sensitivity."

-- Linda Bartoshuk, professor of surgery and psychology, "His-And-Hers Taste Buds: Research Shows That Women Tend To Have More Discerning Palates Than Men," The Times Union (Albany, NY), Oct. 29, 2003.

"It's not enough to say 'Trust us.' You have to earn the trust."

-- Dr. Harlan Krumholz, professor of internal medicine and epidemiology and public health, on Canada's consumer report cards rating medical services, "Health System Eager To Embrace Report Cards, But Do They Improve Service?" The Canadian Press, Oct. 28, 2003.

"If you grew up in poverty, you become wary and suspicious of adults you don't know, and testing situations."

-- Dr. Edward Zigler, the Sterling Professor Emeritus of Psychology, about accountability in education tests in Head Start participants, "Now, Standardized Achievement Tests in Head Start," The New York Times, Oct. 29, 2003.

"If they have to jump through too many hoops [to get health-care], they are going to get up and go out that door."

-- Dr. James Lewis, associate research scientist at the Child Study Center, about the danger minority and low-income people won't seek needed care, "Conferees Detail Racial Inequities in Health Care," New Haven Register, Oct. 21, 2003.

"One [theory about why millions of Americans are allergic to peanuts] that's in favor right now is the hygiene hypothesis -- that because our environment is so much cleaner these days, people don't come into contact with some of the natural bacteria that don't cause disease but which stimulate the immune system away from allergic responses."

-- Dr. Ramsay Fuleihan, associate research scientist in pediatrics, "For Some, Just a Taste of Peanut Can Spell Disaster," New Haven Register, Oct. 19, 2003.

"There is enormous public cynicism about the ability of business leaders to take the public interest into account. The American public thinks that business leaders took leave of their senses during the boom."

-- Jeffrey E. Garten, dean of the Yale School of Management, "Tough at the Top," The Economist, Oct. 23, 2003.

"[You can] avoid much of the risk of getting cocaine in a section of town where you might get hurt in a variety of ways, lose your money and still not get any drugs. The police are also less likely to be looking intently for drug dealers in the affluent parts of suburbia."

-- Dr. Thomas Kosten, professor of psychiatry, on the prevalence of crystal-meth in suburbs, "Upscale, But Within Meth's Grasp," Los Angeles Times, Oct. 12, 2003.

"The effects of these [solar particle storms] are mitigated to a large degree because we know they are coming in advance. Satellite operators can put their satellites in the safe mode and turn them away from the sun."

-- Sabatino Sofia, professor of astronomy, "Solar Storm Has Lots of Flare, Little Impact," Connecticut Post, Oct. 30, 2003.

"As a student I felt it was just unappealing when professors only put forward their own theories during class. I think an equally large part of the problem is having ideas forced on students."

-- Amy Chua, professor of law, about professors who assign their own books in their classes, "Schumer Wants Probe of Profs Over Book Ties," The New York Sun, Oct. 30, 2003.

"This is not a society where haves and have nots hate each other ... . This is a fluid society and people like the fact that some folks succeed and want to be among those successful people. Rather than make a crude attack on all successful people, [politicians should] go after the people who succeeded by cheating. But when politicians show they can't tell the difference, they lose credibility and effectiveness."

-- Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, associate dean of the Yale School of Management, "Addressing Reform," The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2003.

"Nobody questions the right of rich countries to give a fair amount of their taxpayers' money to their farmers. What is wrong is to give subsidies in a way that, by severely distorting international agricultural markets, unfairly impedes other countries' exports and impoverishes even more poor farmers in developing countries."

-- Ernesto Zedillo, director of the Center for the Study of Globalization, in his article "Mysteries of Trade Diplomacy," Forbes, Oct. 11, 2003.

"Ultimately, the managers [of government-owned businesses in China] are accountable to the political leaders. They are not accountable to the shareholders."

-- Zhiwu Chen, professor at the Yale School of Management, "When Jobs Move Overseas (to South Carolina)," The New York Times, Oct. 26, 2003.

"Once fires are raging near where people live and work, money is inevitably spent on suppression."

-- Mary L. Tyrrell, director of the Program on Private Forests at the Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry, noting that fire prevention programs might be less expensive, "Study: Costs Underestimated: Wildfires Affect Economy Beyond Structures Burned, Suppression," The Hartford Courant, Oct. 30, 2003.

"Children growing up in the U.S. and soon Canada are the first cohort in modern memory looking at a shorter life expectancy than their parents because of epidemic obesity and diabetes. ... Our ancestors did not have will power that we lack. They lacked the leaf blowers that we have."

-- Dr. David Katz, associate clinical professor of epidemiology and public health and medicine, "Kids at Risk of Heart Disease in Late Teens if Obesity Epidemic Not Addressed," The Canadian Press, Oct. 25, 2003.

"[T]he core idea of social insurance is to pool risks. When Medicare was created, its architects explicitly designed the program so that it encompassed rich and poor and sick and well. Yet steep income-related premiums could undermine this broad risk pool and, with it, the widespread popular support that has sustained Medicare since its inception."

-- Jacob S. Hacker, the Peter Strauss Family Assistant Professor of Political Science, and Theodore R. Marmor, professor at the Yale School of Management, about proposals to raise Medicare Part B premiums for wealthier beneficiaries, in their article "An Unhealthy Step Backward," Los Angeles Times, Oct. 19, 2003.

"There is a clear value to the early detection of colon cancer. The five-year survival rate is only between 5 and 8 percent, once advanced metastatic disease is diagnosed."

-- Dr. Edward Chu, professor of internal medicine and pharmacology, "They Hunt the Genes That Carry Colon Cancer," The Hartford Courant, Oct. 19, 2003.

"One could envision monitoring the occurrence of [unusual molecular reactions inside the body in real time] at the very earliest stages. That's not around the corner -- that's far around the corner. But if we look at advances of science and medical technology over a reasonable period -- 20 or 30 years -- one shouldn't be pessimistic."

-- Daniel Prober, professor of physics and chair of the Department of Applied Physics, "Detector Could Shed New Light on Medicine," United Press International, Oct. 22, 2003.

"Companies are still very interested in students of [Ivy League] caliber. It's not to sound blasé about it because things could be better, and it certainly has been a challenge compared to a few years ago."

-- Philip Jones, director of career services, "A Tight Job Market Dampens Ivy League Hopes," The New York Times, Oct. 26, 2003.

"PowerPoint is useful for the really disorganized, inept presenter because it forces them to have points. And so for the bottom 20 percent of all presenters, it helps the presenter. It doesn't help the audience. But for the other 80 percent, it does some serious intellectual harm."

-- Edward Tufte, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Computer Science and Statistics, "Microsoft's PowerPoint Presentation Software Being Used in America's Classrooms," "Morning Edition," National Public Radio, Oct. 16, 2003.

"The potential for nanotechnology is very high in biotechnology. ... People are imagining all sorts of things. Nanotechnology could provide an interface for robotics and artificial limbs, or could be used in artificial retinas or artificial cochlea."

-- Mark Saltzman, professor of chemical engineering and chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, "State May Become Center for Nanotechnology Industries," New Haven Register, Oct. 16, 2003.

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

Harold Koh is appointed as next Law School dean

Clinton asserts 'shared responsibilities' among nations . . .

'Women Mentoring Women' program launched

Budget plans for the coming year

Event to explore ethics of media coverage in wartime

Colleges' sustainable dining initiatives are focus of conference

Women astronauts will talk about their 'Place in Space'

Computer scientists to develop ways to protect privacy online

Exhibit looks at Robert Damora's '70 Years of Total Architecture'

Yale Rep show explores collision of politics and culture in America

Her native landscape inspires Irish writer's 'desperate themes'

DeStefano hopes 'game plan' will bring him to Olympics

Study: Recovery rates from childhood leukemia . . .

Memory-enhancing drugs may actually worsen . . .

Dr. Robert Arnstein, counselor to generations of students, dies

World-renowned oncologist Dr. Paul Calabresi passes away

Rare form of obsessive compulsive disorder linked to gene mutation

Older patients may not be prepared to receive diagnosis, study says

Symposium will examine 'American Literary Globalism' . . .

Koerner Center to showcase emeritus faculty member's works

Researchers sequence and analyze the DNA of an ancient parasite

Two books on slavery are winners of the Douglass Prize

United Way Campaign nears halfway mark in meeting its goal

Yale Books in Brief

Campus Notes