Yale Bulletin and Calendar

September 17, 2004|Volume 33, Number 3

In the News
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"There is, in a sense, a rough correspondence between the popular ideas of race representing different geographic regions, but if you try to look at the concept of race and say, 'Where do you draw the boundaries between one race and another?' there's no place you can do it. It's much more like a continuum, in the sense that the Middle Eastern populations are a bit more similar to the African populations than are northern European populations. And central Asian populations, both those up in Siberia and those down in the subcontinent of India, are intermediate between western Asians and far-eastern Asians."

-- Dr. Kenneth Kidd, professor of genetics and psychiatry, "Mayor X; There Are Good Reasons To Vote August 31, But the County Mayor's Race Isn't One of Them. Here Are Five Reasons Why," Miami New Times, Aug. 19, 2004.

"The amphipod, and obscure invertebrates and obscure plants ... the justification to save those is the justification on principle [that every species is worth saving]. Where if you say, 'Let's go save the eagle,' you don't have to explain all that. People say, 'Let's go do it.'"

-- Timothy W. Clark, adjunct professor at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, "Imperiled Creatures Great and Small Dwell in D.C.; Bald Eagles on Anacostia's Shores, Crustaceans in Rock Creek Park's Springs Endure," The Washington Post, Aug. 23, 2004.

"Even if the American economy benefits by 12-14% by outsourcing jobs, that does not mean that we all share in those benefits. ... When you lose your job, it is not much solace to know that it's good for the economy."

-- Robert A. Solomon, clinical professor of law, in his article, "Job Picture Bleaker Farther Away We Go," Connecticut Law Tribune, Aug. 23, 2004.

"If you had a question a day before the election, 'Is the price [for placing a bet on a presidential candidate on an Internet gambling site] a good reflection of the outcome?' I'd say yes. On the last day, that's probably the best guess of what's going to happen better than any particular poll."

-- Ray C. Fair, the John M. Musser Professor of Economics, "2004 Election Good Bet for Gaming Industry," Inland Valley Daily Bulletin (Ontario), Aug. 23, 2004.

"[I]t's natural to pray for rain when you're in a drought, one legacy carrier going out of business isn't going to solve the problems of the remaining legacy carriers."

-- Michael Levine, adjunct professor of law, about how a possible liquidation of US Airways would affect its competitors, "Is Delta Hoping for a US Airways Bankruptcy?" USA Today, Sept. 3, 2004.

"Kids are being deprived of being kids. What preschooler needs to be a walking advertisement?"

-- Dorothy Singer, senior research scientist in the Department of Psychology, about name-brand clothing and accessories for children, "Rule of Cool Hits Preschool; Fashion Needs of Smallest Denominator Add Up to Big Money," USA Today, Aug. 26, 2004.

"The minimalist support from NATO's 'old Europe' members -- and the commentaries of the Continental intelligentsia -- indicate that neither Western Europe nor the U.N. has yet grasped that if the Middle East is not transformed in a positive way, the international community and its system of laws, organizations and cooperative mechanisms will find itself embroiled in a world war."

-- Charles Hill, lecturer in international affairs, in his article, "Keflavik, Ramstein, Clark, Aviano ...," The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 24, 2004.

"People used to feel insulated from economic problems that occurred beyond their country's borders. But that is not so any more. Fear of competition from abroad is now fundamental, and will change the political process in advanced and relatively advanced emerging countries throughout the world."

-- Robert J. Shiller, the Stanley B. Resor Professor of Economics, in his article, "The Growing Fear Factor," South China Morning Post, Aug. 25, 2004.

"One important aspect of the Salem [witch] trials was how the leadership group exploited fear of witches to strengthen its own position. This was at a time when lots of people were questioning the leadership's conduct of the Indian wars on the frontier and its handling of certain political matters in Boston, as well. It was very convenient for them to play to fears about witches and to deflect and distract from other questions."

-- John Demos, the Samuel Knight Professor of American History and professor of American studies, "Witch Doctorate: One Man's Journey," The New York Times, Aug. 29, 2004.

"People went from, 'Yes, I saw one friend killed,' to 'I saw no friends killed,' to 'I saw two friends killed,' to 'I saw three friends killed.'"

-- Dr. Andy Morgan, psychiatrist at the Connecticut Mental Health Center, about a classic psychological study of soldiers' memories of battles they'd fought, "Memory Changes May Be Key to Swift Boat Dispute," The Hartford Courant, Aug. 29, 2004.

"Between now and Nov. 2, President Bush and Sen. John F. Kerry will do an awful lot of smiling. So will Vice President Dick Cheney and Sen. John Edwards. Though possibly not at one another."

-- Angus Trumble, curator of paintings and sculpture at the Yale Center for British Art and author of the book "A Brief History of the Smile," in his article, "Smiling All the Way to White House," Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee), Aug. 29, 2004.

"Chimps do, after a lot of training, learn 200 or more signs. But they seem to top out after a few years. Kids' vocabularies just go on expanding. ... You can teach pigeons to push a sequence of 6 or 7 buttons to get seeds, but that's not language."

-- Stephen R. Anderson, professor of linguistics and of psychology, "Did the Cat Really Say 'I Vant to Be Alone'? Sorry, It Said Meow," The New York Times, Sept. 7, 2004.

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

Yale employee's new home is the result of . . .

Neurologist Lo wins Presidential Early Career Award

Exhibit explore mysteries of the giant squid

Series will introduce new World Fellows to Yale community

Levin reports improvements in U.S. visa procedures

Grant funds study exploring the link between . . .

Yale professor's watercolors featured in JE exhibit

Bruce Carmichael is appointed an assistant provost

In Focus: Department of Surgery

Renowned writer Norman Mailer to make campus appearance

Scholars will examine the iconic career of pop star . . .

Life is portrayed as a messy affair in Rep's 'Clean House'

Fast-paced opera 'thriller' will make its American debut at Yale

Yale to give matching grant of $100,000 . . .

2003-2004 Yale United Way Donors

Artist's paintings explore common human bonds

Conference to celebrate birth of the 'founder of humanism'

Researchers find that the media's science reporting is politically biased

Grants will support two ongoing preservation projects at Yale Library

President appoints search committee for next dean of the School of Nursing

Study: Drug aprotinin reduces risk of stroke . . .

Yale scientists bring quantum optics to a microchip

IN MEMORIAM