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"The parallels between the modern American plea bargaining system and the ancient system of judicial torture are many and chilling."
-- John Langbein, Sterling Professor of Law and Legal History, noting that defendants may plead guilty under the strain of psychological torture, "One Nation, Under Prosecutors; Presumed Guilty," CounterPunch (Petrolia, CA), Dec. 21, 2005.
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"Just put a vinyl encasement around your mattress so that the bugs, these tiny little [dust] mites, are caught inside the mattress. And then put a mattress pad, 'cause who wants to sleep on plastic, that's filled with artificial fiber instead of natural fibers. One of the things about these little creatures is they have better taste than we do often and they really like only natural fibers; they're not happy in artificial fibers."
-- Sydney Spiesel, associate clinical professor of pediatrics and assistant clinical professor of nursing, "Vacuums and Allergies," "Day to Day," National Public Radio, Dec. 6, 2005.
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"The federal money that comes to universities like Yale is particularly critical for the medical research and science research projects that all the major research universities engage in. The losers would certainly be universities like Yale, but the big losers would be the American people."
-- William Eskridge Jr., the John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence, on an upcoming Supreme Court case about a law requiring that universities allow military recruiters on campus or risk losing federal funds, "Campus Recruiting Battle Heats Up; High Court Hears Case on Military Recruiting," ABC News, Dec. 6, 2005.
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"Anybody who has thought about the childhood obesity problem sees clearly that the population needs to eat less of foods like soft drinks and sugared cereals. The industry would be a lot smarter to come up with new, healthier products than continuing to defend the bad old ones."
-- Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, chair of the Department of Psychology and professor of epidemiology and public health, "Cartoon Characters Caught in Adults' Food Fight; Not Everyone Agrees on What's 'Healthful,'" USA Today, Dec. 7, 2005.
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"By default, we are all dark-skinned. ... That's what we mean when we say that race in a broad sense is not a useful concept. I can't draw a line between where one race begins and the next one starts."
-- Kenneth K. Kidd, professor of genetics and of psychiatry, on research suggesting that a single mutation may have whitened the skin of ancient Europeans after they migrated from Africa, "Clue to White Skin: One Gene; Mutation Found Among Europeans," Hartford Courant, Dec. 16, 2005.
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"This is the way that everything in the universe was formed. It's a never-ending story of things colliding -- small things colliding to make big things, big things colliding to make bigger things. These are the events that shape today's galaxies."
-- Pieter van Dokkum, assistant professor of astronomy, "Galactic Collisions Come Fast and Frequent; New Observations Shed Light on How Universe Formed," MSNBC, Dec. 12, 2005.
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"The supply of folklore remedies for hangover is virtually limitless. The best way to contend with hangover is not to get one, by practicing abstinence or moderation."
-- Dr. David L. Katz, associate professor adjunct in public health practice at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, "Study Finds Hangover 'Cures' Aren't," Forbes, Dec. 23, 2005.
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"In shielding students from military recruiters, universities disserve both their students and the military whose policies they hope to liberalize. They fail to treat students as mature adults who can weigh the evidence and make their own choices among employers without the universities' thumb on the scales. They supposedly cherish diversity, but then reduce students' exposure to a world view -- opposition to gays in the military -- that is the law of the land and is preached by some of the great religions to which many of the students subscribe."
-- Peter H. Schuck, the Simeon E. Baldwin Professor of Law, in his article "Fighting on the Wrong Front," The New York Times, Dec. 9, 2005.
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"Leaders with high emotional skills do better in their companies. While a high IQ will get you to a good school, there are other skills responsible for your success like getting along well with others and practical skills like knowing how to talk to
-- Marc Brackett, associate research scientist and lecturer in psychology, "The Traveling Ambassador of Emotional Intelligence," Manila Times (Philippines), Dec. 11, 2005.
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"Connecticut lost its industrial days, but did get itself financial services in what is a competitive environment.''
-- Zachary Bagdon, executive director of the International Center for Finance at the School of Management, noting that the number of hedge fund companies settling in Greenwich has nearly tripled, "Why Hedge Funds Heed Siren Song, Right Past the County," The New York Times, Dec. 18, 2005.
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"Even if you agree with what's being done in the war on terror, you still could be upset about what's not happening: doing the utmost to prevent a terrorist nuclear attack. ... [T]here are some 30,000 nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the nuclear states and hundreds of tons of fissile material (either enriched uranium or plutonium, the ingredients needed for such bombs) dispersed throughout more than 40 countries around the world. And according to the experts, security for many nuclear stockpiles is horrifyingly loose."
-- Ernesto Zedillo, director of the Center for the Study of Globalization and professor in the field of international economics and international relations, in his article "Nuclear Attack -- the Worst Threat," Forbes, Jan. 9, 2006.
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"Neurons last a whole life. What controls death and survival? Many neurodegenerative diseases affect the balance toward death. We know neurons can regenerate, but we don't know how to connect them to the right neurons."
-- Dr. Pietro De Camilli, the Eugene Higgins Professor of Cell Biology and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, "Yale Med School Aims To Build Premier Cellular Neuroscience Program," New Haven Register, Dec. 20, 2005.
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"The rules of Western society have often sprung from the interplay between global companies and government, but the tensions in this relationship are increasing as governments struggle to keep up with growing corporations. It's a messy business, but the critical nature of the issues puts much more pressure on having government officials, including judges and regulators, with a highly developed sense of economics and commerce, as well as on having CEOs who are capable of real statesmanship. Let's hope that in 2006 we see more of both."
-- Jeffrey E. Garten, the Juan Trippe Professor of the Practice of International Trade, Finance and Business at the School of Management, in his article "Players to Watch in 2006," Newsweek International, Dec. 26, 2005-Jan. 2, 2006.
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"Once you begin with the twin assumptions that an emergency justifies suspension of constitutional rights and that the president cannot be bound by the rule
-- Jack Balkin, the Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment, "Senate To Probe Report of U.S. Spying; Furor on Surveillance Boosts Patriot Act Foes," The Boston Globe, Dec. 17, 2005.
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"New Year's Eve is a celebratory time, people are getting together and the pre-holiday stress is over. People do imbibe a bit of alcohol at that time of year, and some people's inhibitions will be lowered. I think all of the above is going on and it can, and often does, lead to other activities later that evening."
-- Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology, exlaining why there might be so many babies born in August and September, "Baby New Year Often Arrives in September," Times Union (Warsaw, Indiana), Dec. 29, 2005.
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"In the U.S. government today, I would guess that 90 percent of all congressmen are lawyers, who have little appreciation of basic science. In contrast, most government officials in China are engineers or scientists. This difference in leadership plays an important role in how much money
-- Avi Silberschatz, chair of the Department of Computer Science and professor of computer science, "Conversation With ... Avi Silberschatz," Connecticut Jewish Ledger (West Hartford), Dec. 22, 2005.
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''I have a patient who loves the product Creme de la Mer, which costs hundreds of dollars. I said, 'But it's so expensive.' She said: 'I know, but I love the idea of spending this kind of money. It must be better.' Most of my dermatology colleagues aren't so sure about that. We want people to look their best. But [using a skin care product] is not surgery. There's no laser, no Botox, no filler. There are lots of new ideas out there, but nothing can stop aging.''
-- Dr. Jeffrey Dover, associate clinical professor of dermatology, "Smart Enough To Understand Your Moisturizer?" The New York Times, Dec. 22, 2005.
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"We no longer own our own debt. It has been a nice game to play, but how long will foreigners be willing to buy our debt?"
-- Roger Ibbotson, professor in the practice of finance at the School of Management, on the fact that 50% of the federal deficit is financed by nations outside of the United States, "Millennium Media Consulting Assembled Top Investment Professionals and Industry Experts," Prime Zone Media Network (Los Angeles, CA), Dec. 29, 2005.
T H I S
the boss."
of law when he acts as commander in chief, there is very little left to restrain the president."
is invested by the respective countries in support of research in basic science and technology."
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Team finds genes that control aging
Q&A with President Richard C. Levin
Yale will study ways to promote tolerance via 'Difficult Dialogues' grant
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPSRecent alumna wins award for her Ph.D. dissertation
SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEWS
Sequencing genome of bacteria that lives off fly may lead to . . .
Researchers' discovery about the role of particular cells may alter . . .
Study finds access is key to participation of minorities in research
Rate of chronic disability in older Americans is over-estimated . . .
New tool can help measure parents' role in child's pre-surgery anxietyMozart's 250th birthday bash begins Jan. 27
Recluse gets swept up in counter-terrorism
'Bread Upon the Waters' shows 'generosity' of Christian art
Tragic tale of 'The Duchess of Malfi' to unfold at Drama School
Conference examines the art of biography . . .
Two Yale scientists elected to American Physical Society
Spring architecture programs include talks by top designers
Campus Notes
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