Yale Bulletin and Calendar

September 22, 2006|Volume 35, Number 3

In the News
X

"In a squalid hut in Zam Zam refugee camp, 16-year-old Salim Adam swats flies from the livid scar where a bullet tore through his leg. ... The bullet that shattered Mr. Adam's leg and the gun that fired it were almost certainly manufactured in China. The militiaman who pulled the trigger was likely compensated with revenues from Chinese oil purchases, which fund a majority of Khartoum's military actions. And the reason no help has come to Darfur is, in large part, because China has blocked every attempt to deploy a United Nations peacekeeping force."

-- Ronan Farrow, student at the Law School, in his article, "Sudan's China Syndrome," Wall Street Journal Europe, Aug. 11, 2006.

"The rustic nature of [baptism in a river] and the fact that it combines the theme of redemption with creation is an important tie for a lot of modern churches."

-- Bryan Spinks, professor of liturgical studies at the Institute of Sacred Music and the Divinity School, "A Return to Old-Time Baptism," San Antonio Express-News, Aug. 13, 2006.

"Like most Americans of my generation, I was schooled to believe that the European discovery and settlement of the New World arose from two iconic events: the first voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492, and the landing of the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620. ... Virtually ignored in most history books are centuries of exploitation of [the fish resources of the Atlantic and the North Sea] by unsung and often unrecorded brave fishermen who ventured across some of the most perilous seas on the planet to net cod, herring, hake and other fish for the European market, and, in the process, touch upon previously unknown shores."

-- Michael Coe, the C.J. MacCurdy Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, in his review of "Fish on Friday: Feasting, Fasting and the Discovery of the New World" by Brian Fagan, "In Search of Cod, Not God," The Times (London), Aug. 11, 2006.

"Generally speaking, children should know that they are coming to have surgery. You would be amazed at the number of children who show up and they don't know why they're here. ... This preparation can be very simple. You need to prepare your child for the experience, you need to talk with your child about the process in a language that the child will understand."

-- Zeev Kain, professor of anesthesiology and of pediatrics, "Kids Anxious Before Surgery Slower To Recover," Reuters Health E-Line, Aug. 14, 2006.

"Indignation, it seems, is the most gratifying of all emotions. Nothing is quite so soothing as the feeling of superiority over sinners who have committed offenses that we are sure to be innocent of and that allow us to purse our lips in disdain: another giant with feet of clay!"

-- Peter Gay, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, in his article "The Fictions of Gunter Grass," The New York Times, Aug. 20, 2006.

"No request for so many words by such and such a date about a volume to be sent if I agreed to terms. No. A book arrives on my doorstep with a one-sentence note wondering 'if the book might interest you.' The implication was that I might wish to write something about it for her. No due date, no length specified, no need to return the book if not interested. I was overwhelmed by the high style of this mode of address. ... It was an invitation to be yourself, to show what you've got."

-- Edmund S. Morgan, Sterling Professor Emeritus of History, describing how New York Review of Books editor Barbara Epstein commissioned reviewers, "Dream On, Self-Righteous Leftists and Angry Neocons: The Dazzling Journalism of the New York Review of Books Is Enough To Shame the Vanities of Its British Imitators," The Guardian (London), Aug. 12, 2006.

"Family companies do tend to have a challenge with succession that can hurt the stock. [I]n a family business many CEOs often do not identify a successor until the last moment."

-- Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, the Lester Crown Professor in the Practice of Management, "When Blood Is Thicker Than Money; Family-Run Firms Gain Favor with Investors Seeking Long-Term Values," International Herald Tribune, Aug. 12, 2006.

"One of the most obvious temptations of military superiority is to use military force when one wants to accomplish something which is resisted politically. The United States decided to use force against Iraq in 2003. Israel decided to use force against Lebanon in 2006. ... But winning depends on a situation in which the military gap between the two states is truly overwhelming. If it is less than overwhelming, the decision to resort to military force can backfire, and backfire badly."

-- Immanuel Wallerstein, senior research scientist in sociology, in his article, "Five Reasons Why Great Military Powers Lose Wars," Middle East Online (London), Aug. 18, 2006.

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

Project will make select Yale College courses available to all on Internet

F&ES professor wins MacArthur Fellowship

Newly endowed R.W.B. Lewis Directorship . . .

Center to focus on the study of antisemitism

Yale Library donates computers to hurricane-damaged university

David LaVan chosen to take part in 'Frontiers of Engineering'

New Republic editor visits as Poynter Fellow

Conference to explore frontier violence in American history, culture

Sports columnist Christine Brennan is this year's first Chubb Fellow

Yale Philharmonia to present three concerts at the Shubert

JE exhibit features photographer's portraits of gay and lesbian authors

'This Old Stuff' and a treasure hunt are highlights of open house

Circumcision advocacy programs reduce incidence of HIV, report shows

Geologist honored for a second time with GSA Award for his research

Conference examines the work of German political theorist . . .

Two assistant professors win awards for environmental health research

Five alumni are honored with the Yale Medal . . .

Forum explored the topic of 'Biodiversity and Human Health'

Yale Books in Brief

Campus Notes