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Florida State WinsNational Championship, p.1S .

MIT'sOldest and Largest

Newspaper

The WeatherToday: Brisk. sunny. 39°F (4°C)Tonight: Clear. cold. 20°F (-7°C)

Tomorrow: Clouding up. 33°F (1°C)Details, Page 2

Volume 119, Number 66 Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Wednesday, January 5, 2000

MA7TIIEW L. McGANN

Ice Sculptures lined the Commons as part of First Night,Boston's celebration of the turn of the millenium.

Ask Jeeves, Page 17

TECII FILE PliO TO

Boris Katz.

by Katz and Winston include theuse of natural language searching toretrieve text and database material.A patent filed in 1994 describes"converting natural languagequeries to structured form, matching

the Institute."MIT's Labor Relations Manager

David Achenbach said, "TheAssociation has filed a number ofdifferent charges against MIT withdifferent government agencies. Thecharges have been a distraction tothe negotiations process. I believethat the charges were filed with theintention of needlessly consumingtime and resources ... the complaintis no more than an allegation thatthe law may have been violated."

The charges against !\tITAccording to the association

leaflet, the NLRB found probablecause for two charges: that MIT wasguilty of "bargaining in bad faith"and that the Institute "unlawfullyspied on association members [and]unlawfully interrogated and coercedmembers of the association."

The NLRB actually reviewedfour claims posted by the associa-tion against MIT. Those included:I) the failure of MIT to provide in atimely manner certain records con-cerning overtime (which the associ-ation referred to as "bargaining inbad faith"), 2) MIT surveillance ofassociation leafleting, 3) a chargeregarding a specific change to thePension Plan, and 4) a chargeregarding retroactive pay.

The NLRB nornlally investigatescharges and determines whetherthey should dismiss those chargesoutright or issue a complaint. Thecomplaint takes the form of an alle-gation that a party has violated thelaw. The Board then holds a hearingto determine whether there was

requests for 'Spice Girls' the servicewill learn the distinction betweenthe popular music group and arequest for information on the key-words 'girls' and 'spice,'" saidStaples.

After the question is tokenized, itis reorganized into a structure com-patible with question- templatesdeveloped by Ask Jeeves, saidStaples. At this point the serviceprovides the user with a set ofpotential locations for the answer totheir question.

Although the company does notcurrently hold any patents for thistechnology, Staples said the compa-ny has recently applied for a patent.The patent will only cover itsGrammar Template Query System."The big dilemma with any patent iswhen you patent something, youdisclose everything."

The two patents which are held

By Sanjay BasuASSOCIATE NEWS EDITOR

The ongoing contract disputebetween the MIT Campus PoliceAssociation and the administrationhas become increasingly heated oflate as the association continued itsleaflet campaign and filed chargesagainst MIT with the NationalLabor Relations Board.

According to a leaflet distributedby members of the association lastmonth, the National Labor RelationsBoard "found probable cause thatMIT violated federal labor law in itsdealings with the Association andhas filed formal complaints against

Vitriol, Charges ProductOf CP Contract Dispute

By Satwiksai SeshasaiCHAIRMAN

Ask Jeeves, Inc., owner of thequestion-and-answer based Internetsearch engine has madeplans to defend a lawsuit filed bytwo MIT professors.

The suit, filed in U. S. DistrictCourt in Boston, charges the compa-ny with infringing on two patentsheld by Professor of ElectricalEngineering and Computer SciencePatrick H. Winston '65 and BorisKatz, a researcher at the Arti ficialIntelligence Laboratory. The profes-sors are demanding that Ask Jeevesstop using and licensing the technol-ogy, and requests damages and roy-alty payments.. Ask Jeeves' Director ofCorporate Communications HeatherStaples said that all of the technolo-gy used in their service was devel-oped by the company. "A complainthas been served," said Staples, "andbased upon a review by counsel, webelieve the charges are withoutmerit."

Katz has refused comment untilthe case has been settled.

Wmston, Katz Sue Ask JeevesAI Lab Researchers Attempt to Enforce Natural Language Patent

Y2K, Page 15

A natural language search engineThe primary service offered by

Ask Jeeves, is a question-and-answer-based search engine .. Theservice accepts requests in naturallanguage, as opposed to traditionalkeyword-based search engines.

"First, the question is tokenizedto find key terms, then the questionis parsed for word meaning bysemantic- and syntantic networksthat were built by Ask Jeeves," saidStaples.

The service also has the abilityto comprehend new slang every day."For example, after multiple

GARR}' R. MASKAl.Y-THE TECH

A tnIctor trailer containing a diesel generator was placed outsideof MIT'. ~ Facility to provide electricity to the cam-pus In the event of a Y2K relat8d power outage.

tors, spare bedding, food and water stockpiles, and protection by theMIT Campus Police.• Gerald I. Isaacson, Y2KTT member, said the transition weekend was"quiet because of all the work that had been done prior to [the transi-tion]."

the MIT Outing Club mailing list,Libova, a member of MITOC, wasamong three killed on the mountainfrom the party of six climbers. Theother two dead, Vladimir Smirnovand IIya Krasik, were apparently notaffiliated with MIT. Smirnov, 29,was Libova's fiancee.

MITOC President Michael J.Freedman said that the expeditionwas not sponsored by the group.

The message said that the sixclimbers reached the summit andthat three were killed in a fall ofapproximately 50m while returningto their camp.

Pica de Orizaba, also known asCitlaltepetl, stands 18,406 feetabove sea level and is the thirdtallest mountain in North America.The mountain is a popular destina-tion for intermediate climbers andwas first climbed in 1848.

MIT'. Y2K tra.sitiOD teamMIT affiliates staying on campus during the transition were protected

by the Y2K transition team, operated by MIT's Business ContinuityManagement Team. The Y2KTT coordinated all MtT technical andemergency response units between December 31 and January 4. Work ofthe Y2KIT followed two years of preparation by MIT's Y2K. Project,which handled the bulk ofMIT's technical problems.

Precautionary m~s at MIT included e~~ency poweJ: genera-

By Frank DabekEDITOR IN CIIIEF

The body of Irina Libova, agraduate student in the Departmentof Biology, was found on theslopes of a Mexican mountain thisSunday.

Libova was reported lost on the28th of December and apparentlywas killed in a fall while climbingPico de Orizaba, a dormant volcanoin south-central Mexico, SeniorAssociate Dean for UndergraduateEducation Robert M. Randolph con-firmed. She was 23 years old.

Randolph said that Libova andfive others were engaged in "techni-cal climbing that wasn't supposed tobe dangerous." He said that. all ofthe information in his possessionindicated that the death was a.climb-ing accident.

According to a message sent to

MIT Student KilledIn Climbing Mi11hop

Dispute, Page I7

A committeeto find areplace~entfor Dean Bateshas formed.

Page 15

Comics

Page 11

ARTSA gr.eat cast makes Gala.'rJj Questworth seeing even if it is a "guiltyple~ure."

Page 6

World & Nation 2Opinion .4Arts 6Features 9Sports 20

http://

Page 2 THE TECH

WORLD & NATIONJanuary 5, 2000

Israel and Syria CommenceU.S.-Brokered Peace Talks

Markets Plunge Amid FearsOf Increased Interest Rates

Croatians Choose Liberal CoalitionGovernment Over Tudjman's party

l.OS ANGEl.ES TWES

ZAGREB, CROATIA •

Ending a decade of authoritarian rule by the party of the latePresident Franjo Tudjman, Croatian voters on Monday chose analliance between Croatia's former Communist Party chief and a one-time dissident.

Tudjman's once-powerful Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ,conceded defeat early Tuesday after partial election results showedstrong popular support for a center-left coalition led by the SocialDemocratic Party and the Social-Liberal Party.

Social Democratic Party leader Ivica Racan, 55, headed Croatia'sCommunist Party in 1991. The Social-Liberals' Drazen Budisa, 52,was jailed 20 years ago for his pro-democracy activism.

"T ogether with the other opposition bloc I think we will have avery stable majority," Racan said after partial results wereannounced. "I am ready to become prime minister, and I am aware itis not going to be easy."

Banks Returning Up to $50 BillionMer Y2K Fails to Ignite Panic

TlfE 1J:-lSHlNGTON POST

WASHINGTON

Up to $50 billion in cash is on its way back to Federal Reservebanks this week after the year 2000 rollover failed to trigger panichoarding by consumers.

Banks nationwide are preparing to return the cash - much of itnever opened from its shrink-wrapped packaging'- in armoredtrucks to 37 Federal Reserve offices. In recent months, the Fed hadpumped the cash into the banking system to handle any unusual cashdemands at year's end ..

Fed officials said they didn't know yet exactly how much con-sumers withdrew. But withdrawals, while slightly higher than normalfor this time of year, weren't nearly as high as expected, federal offi-cials and bank executives said.

A few customers demanded large withdrawals that essentiallyemptied or would have emptied their accounts. A customer inVirginia wanted to withdraw $500,000 on Dec. 31 from one bank,which asked that its name not be used. The bank convinced him itwasn't necessary.

"There was ample cash, and people didn't take it out," saidFederal Reserve Board spokeswoman Lynn Fox. "That implies thatpeople were very calm."

Scandals Plague EuropeTIfE Jl'ASIIINGTON POST

BERLIN

The criminal investigation of former chancellor Helmut Kohl is thelatest of several political financing scandals in Europe that indicate howa general clamor for greater openness in public affairs is strengtheningthe hand of prosecutors in many Western democracies ..

Federal prosecutors Monday officially opened a legal process thatwill determine whether they bring charges against Kohl, the architectof German unification, who has acknowledged managing secret slushfunds during his 16 years in office. Already, the case is a cautionarytale about the accountability of even the most respected statesmen.

Across Europe, a spate of corruption cases and legal woes afflictingpowerful politicians in France, Spain, Britain, Belgium and Italy hasreflected the rise of an activist judicial branch, perhaps the prime bene-ficiary of voter dismay over entrenched parties and political leaders.

"If the 19th century was regarded in Europe as the period of greatlegislatures and the 20th century the era of the powerful executive, thenthe 21st century could turn out to be the special time for the judiciary,"said Sergio Romano, a leading Italian political commentator ..

By Ianthe Jeanne Duganand Sharon WalshTHE 1J:4SHlNGTON POST

NEW YORK

Stocks plunged back to earthTuesday, as investors, seeking tolock in profits before interest ratesrise, abandoned a wide range ofWall Street's biggest darlings ..

All the major indexes, whichsoared to record upon record inrecent weeks, were b~ttered. TheNasdaq composite closed below the4,000 mark it hit for the first timelast week. The Dow Jones industrialaverage toppled below 11,000.

The carnage was widespread -from financials to smokestacks -but fell heavily on technologystocks that have led the bull market.Investors made a load of money onthese stocks last year, but held ontothem to avoid having to pay taxesin the 1999 tax year.

Now, convinced that the FederalReserve will raise interest rateswhen it meets Feb. 4, many peopledecided to sell the stocks that haverisen the most. Many fled to bonds.

Analysts and economists saidthat the sharp declines were bothnecessary and expected for stocks'prices to reflect their true values .Yet almost no one seems to believe

By Norman KempsterTHE LOS ANGEl.ES TIMES

SHEPHERDSTOWN. W. VA

Admonished by the Clintonadministration that they face "a his-toric opportunity that may not comeagain," Israeli Prime Minister EhudBarak and Syrian Foreign MinisterFarouk al-Sharaa opened a confer-ence Monday aimed at ending half acentury of war and animosity.

But the meeting almost immedi-ately hit a snag when an anticipatedface-to-face session between Barakand al-Sharaa failed to occur.Instead, the Israeli and Syrian lead-ers spent the day in separate meet-ings with President Cli,nton andSecretary of State MadeleineAlbright.

U.S. officials had said that athree-way meeting of Barak, al-

this signals the beginning of a bearmarket. Indeed, on Monday, a sell-off that started in Nasdaq stocksled to a buying binge by the end ofthe day, and investors may againdecide the sharp drop Tuesday isan opportunity to shop for bar-gams.

The Nasdaq composite, whichclosed at a record on Monday, dove229.46 points, or 5.56 percent, toclose at 3,901.69. It was the index'sbiggest drop in its 29-year historyand its third-largest percentagedrop.

The Dow Jones industrial aver-age dropped 359.58 points, or morethan 3 percent, to' close at10,997.93. The S&P 500 index lost55.80 points, or 3.83 percent, clos-ing at 1399.42.

."The Nasdaq composite was up49 percent in the last three months,"sai~ Richard Cripps, managingdirector of equity research for LeggMason Inc: in Baltimore. "And it'sa new tax year. People are button-ing up profits, selling a portion of astock instead of all of it."

The plunge was "so broad-based, it was alarming," said PhilipTasho, chairman of Riggs

. Investment Management Co., a$2.7 billion fund based in

Sharaa and Clinton was expectedafter dinner Monday. But about fourhours after the anticipated start ofthe session, State Departmentspokesman James P. Rubin said thedirect talks had been postponed. Hedid not indicate when they would beheld.

Rubin said the issues were toocomplex to permit a "fully scripted"meeting. "It simply did not panout," he said of the three-way meet-ing ..

The talks began with Barak andal-Sharaa meeting separately forabout an hoUr each with Clinton, aprocedure that emphasized the piv-otal role assigned to the U.S. gov-ernment in bringing together theMiddle East rivals.

But instead of moving to theexpected three-way meeting, the

Wash~ngton D.C. "It affected ~echstocks and financial st.ocks andsmall stocks and large stocks."

Many, stocks opened'lower -and kept heading south. Indeed,declining shares outpaced advanceson the New York Stock Exchangeby a margin of more than 2 to 1 asmore than I billion shares ,changedhands. On the Nasdaq, losing issuesswamped gaining issues about 3 to1.'

"Certainly, the speed of the risein the last weeks and months of1999 made a substantial correctioninevitable," said Richard B. Hoey,chief economist and chief invest-ment strategist at the Dreyfus Corp .."The market was overbought."

. The dive clobbered a new breedof individual investors who ~ave ataste for high-tech stocks. TomNicastri, who works for a computercompany in New Jersey, lost a bigchunk of his $80,000 portfolio.

But he is comforted by simplylooking back at the vast gains in hisportfolio over the last year. "It'sshocking when you rook at ittoday," Nicastri'Said. "But it's notshocking if you look at the last sixmonths. I'm still way ahead. 'Unlikegambling in a casino, you don'tlose unless you walk out."

participants held a series of addi-tional U.S.-Israeli and U.S.-Syriantalks. The only time, Bata~ and al-Sharaa were together was during abrief.w~lk in the woods shortly afterClinton aIrived from Washington.

Rubin and White' House PressSecretary Joe Lockhart' insisted thatU.S. mediators still expect directtalks between the Isra'elis and theSyrians. Lockhart told reporters, "I 'wouldn't interpret it one way or theother. The schedule is very fluid."

Israel and Syria had nev~r met atsuch a. high political level 'beforelast month.

At the same time, Lockhart saidit was "quite ,unrealistically opti-mistic" to believe that Israel andSyria can achieve even the outlineof. a. peace agreement in a singleround of talks.

WEATHERMissing: Wmter (Last Seen a 'YearAgo)

By Greg LawsonSTAFF METEOROl.OGIST

As a news reporter put it, the only effect the Y2K bug has seemed to have had is onour thermometers. After several very anomalous days with temperatures in the 60s,including a record breaking 64°F (18°C) on Monday, we will now return to more season-able weather. A healthy high pressure center has nestled into New England this morningand driven away the rain. Today will see mostly clear skies, gusty winds in excess of 20mph, and a high temperature just shy of 40°F (4°C). Clear and 70ld will be the rule untillate Thursday when the clouds return with an approaching low. This system should trackto our north and precipitation will not be an issue. Skies should be back to partly cloudywith temperatures just above normal by Friday and through most of the weekend.

Given the large shielding high pressure center, we are on target to break the record forgoing the latest in the season without receiving any accumulating snow. Apparently, theexisting record is January 6th and was set in the late 1800's. Where has all the snow gone?With 1999 being the second warmest year on recent record (1998 being the warmest), onemight wonder if global warming is to blame. Most experts are citing La Nina as the culpritrather than global warming. La Nina, the complementary phase to EI Nino, has been in arather strong regime of late. Its effects, while mainly described in a statistical nature,include shifting the typical tracks of east coast storms to the north. We've seen a lot of thisso far with inland ski resorts receiving their share of snow while Boston has remainedsnow-free in the warmer, southeastern sector of most storms. Signs point to La Nina weak-ening, but there is still no guarantee when our snow drought will end.

Today: Brisk and mostly smmy. Gusty, northwesterly winds. High of 39°F (4°C).Tonight: Clear and cold. Winds slowing. Low 20°F (-7°C).Thursday: Cold with clouds' returning late afternoon. High just above freezing. Lowin the upper 20s (-3 to -1°C).Friday: Clearing to partly cloudy by the afternoon. High in mid-40s (6 to 8°C). Low'in the upper 20s (-3 to -1°C).Weekend Outlook: More of.the same. No major storms predicted.

Weather Systems Weather Fronts Precipitation Symbols Other S mbolss_ Rain -H High Pressure - Fog- _ Trough * -Showm "V "V "R Thundcmonn......................... Warm Fron«L Low Pn:ssun: Ughl * 00 Hue~CoIdFronl Modc:nle ** Compiled by Mrr~ Hurricane

.... Stationary Front Heavy A . Meteorology s~tr.. and TIIcTech

,. ".

Palestinians ApP:roveIsraeli PlansFor Withdrawal From the West Bank

Bradley Announces Plan To Save$124B by Eliminating Tax Breaks

In Latest Debate Bush, McCainSpar Over Tax Cuts, Class War

January 5, 2000

By.David S. Broderand Terry M. NealTIlE WASIIINGTON POST

BEDFORD, N.H.

On a day that George W. Bushreceived two major endorsements,he found himself locked in the firstserious policy dispute of the cam-paign with his major rival for theGOP nomination, Arizona Sen. JohnMcCain.

Bush accused McCain of short-changing the middle class on taxcuts and McCain fired back thatBush's $483 billion, five-year planwould squander money that will beneeded for Social Security on taxbreaks for the well-to-do.

Under his plan, Bush said, afamily of four in New Hampshireearning $50,000 would receive' a taxcut of roughly $.2,000 a year.McCain's plan, he said, would givethat same family a cut of $200. Healso said that McCain doesn't doenough for people with lowerincomes. "His plan doesn't address.the people who live on the outskirtsof poverty working hard to get to

By Mike Allenand John F. HarrisTHE WASHINGTON POST

BEDFORD, N.H.

Bill Bradley announced Tuesdaythat he would work to eliminate taxshelters, breaks and loopholes ~hathe figures would cost the govern-ment $124 billion over 10 years, tar-geting powerful'industries to helppay for his health-care plan andother ambitious proposals .. The measures are. designed in

part to' defuse the wa~g by Vl~ePresident Al Gore, .his rival for theDemocratic presidential nomination,that Bradley would knock the feder:al budget from surplus to, deficit.But Bradley, speaking at a NewHampshire forum, cast the changesmore as a matter of justice and equi-ty than dollars and cents.

"When a tax break is created tohelp.only.a few people, or a compa-ny finds a way not to pay taxes, weall end up paying more," Bradleysaid. "If I a~ president, we willspend money wisely on the thingsthat make the most difference forthe greatest number of people, andwe will end the influence of specialinterests in Washington."

On Wednesday, it is. Gore whowill be making the splash as the two

By Mark MatthewsTHE BALT/MORE SUN

JERUSALEM

Ending a seven-week impasse,Palestinians Tuesday acceptedIsrael's plans for the latest partialwithdrawal from the occupied WestBank.

The agreement also set the stagefor another pullback 2 1/2 weeksfrom now, which would give thePalestinians full or partial control

• over a total of 40 percent of theWest BaD:k.

Palestinians had re'fused toaccept the plan for the scheduledwithdrawal when Israel announcedit in mid-November, complainingthey h~d not been consulted onwhich land would be transferred.They said much of the offered areawas sparsely populated and did notconnect to territory already in their'control. Palestinians apparently hadhoped to get territory close to EastJerusalem, which they want as thecapital of a future state.

Israel, backed by the UnitedStates, said it had ~le discretion to

the middle class."But McCain sharply disputed

that assertion, saying that "60 per-cent of the benefits from Bush's taxcuts go to the wealthiest I0 percentof Americans and that's not the kindof tax relief that Americans need."By contrast, McCain claimed, all ofthe benefits of his own, smaller planwould go to people in the bottomthree.:fifths of the income scale."I'm not giving tax cuts for. therich."

McCain said another "funda-mental difference" was that the gov-ernor would use "the entire surplus"projected for the next decade tofinance tax cuts, while McCainwould save most of it to extend thelife of Social Security andMedicare, pay down the nationaldebt and reserve only the remainingfraction for tax cuts, some of whichwould be flnanced by "closing cor-porate welfare loopholes and elimi-nating wasteful spending."

McCain's tax plan, which is dueto be amplified next week, wouldexpand the' 15 percent bottom

men jockey for the spotlight in theweeks before the J'Jew Hampshireprimary on Feb. 1. Gore will receivethe endorsement of MassachusettsSen. Edward M. Kennedy, animportant boost from one of themost important liberal voices in theDemocratic P~rty.' Kennedy hadremained noncommittal duringmonths of "very aggressive" lobby-ing by Gore aides, but decided overthe holidays he would campaign forthe vice preside~tJ . s,aid . aDemocratic source ..

As the Gore campaign beganspreading the word about his coup,Bradley traveled here to announce his

'proposal to ti'ghten the tax code.Much of the savings Bradley projectswould come from stiffer enforce- .ment. The Internal Revenue Servicewould step up audits of large corpora-tions and increaSe penalties on com-panies that engage in practices withthe sole purpose of lowering tax lia-bility. And he would require' compa-nies to disclose to the IRS periods inwhich they reported higher income toshareholders than to the government. 'Those measures are to save $100 bil-lion over 10 years, aides estimated

In addition, Bradley said hewould work to reduce subsidies thathe said reward what he considers

decide what land would be trans-ferred. The deadlock cast a shadowover Israeli-Palestinian relations andraised doubts whether the two sideswould reach agreement on a 'frame-work for final talks' to their longconflict by a self-imposed mid-February deadline.

Under Tuesday's deal, nochange was made in the offer.However, both sides suggested thatPalestinian views would be takeninto consideration. on the next ~th-drawal.

Neither Israeli nor Palestinianofficials spelled out what producedthe breakthrough, although a recentmeeting be'tween Prime MinisterEhud Barak and PalestinianAuthority Chairman Vasser Arafatset the stage.

Three withdrawals were calledfor in last year's Israeli-Palestinianaccord reached at Sharm el Sheik,Egypt. The first, which came inearly September, comprised sevenpercent of West Bank land. The oneagreed to Tuesday comprises fivepercent and will be carried out with-

WORLD & NATION

bracket upward, end the "marriagepenalty," provide relief for SocialSecurity recipients who continueworking and eliminate taxes onestates up to $5 million. McCainpriced his plan at $500 billion over10 years.

Continuing the thrust and parry,Bush spokesman Ari Fleischeraccused McCain of pitting richagainst poor. He said McCain"sounds a lot like Al Gore and theDemocrats and it would be veryunfortunate if a Republican joinedthe Democrats in this class war-fare."

The sharp exchange came as thetwo rivals campaigned in neighbor-ing cities in New Hampshire, where'polls show them locked in a closerace for the first in the nation prima-ry on Feb. 1. The disagreementreflected a change for the two menwho have gone out of their way tocompliment each other.

Bush was endorsed in NewHampshire Tuesday morning byElizabeth Dole and and Iowa bySen. Charles E. Grassley.

environmentally harmful practices.Bradley would cut benefits to min-ing companies that drill on publicland but pay few royalties, oil-and-gas producers who have a deductionfor exploration and developmentcosts, and ranchers who graze live-stock on public lands. That is' tosave $2 billion over a decade.

Bradley also said he wants torepeal preferential tax treatment foroil drillers, chemical companies andcompanies with foreign subsidiariesthat he said' was enacted after thoseinterests made large contributions toboth national political parties inrecent years. That move would save$22 billion over ~0 years ..

The only corporation Bradleysingled out by name is the AmwayCorp., the marketing organization,which he said was the primary bene-ficiary of a 1997 measure making iteasier to avoid U.S. taxes by mov-ing profits to foreign subsidiaries.

Business groups were swift tocondemn Bradley's ,ideas. "Weshould call this what it is: a $120billion-plus tax increase beingpushed onto American corporationsto pay for Bradley's soci~l pro-grams," said Martin A. Regalia,chief economist' for the U.S.Chamber of Commerce.

in 48 hours. The third,. set for Jan.20, will comprise 6,1 percent.

Any further withdrawal wouldfollow an agreement on the mostserious issues, including borders,Jewish settlements, the right ofrefugees to return and the status ofJerusalem.

"We have an understanding nowthat is satisfactory to both sides,"Palestinian negotiator Baeb Erekatsaid.

His Israeli counterpart, OdedEran, said that on the next pullback,"they (Palestinians) have manyways to say what they'want." .

"I listen," he added.The deal was reached half a

world away from U.S.-brokeredtalks between Israelis and Syrians inShepherdstown, W. Va., but a con-nection seemed clear.

According to analyst GhassanKhatib, of the Jerusalem Media andCommunications Center, Arafatdecided after weeks of stalling toaccept the Israeli position becausehe was worried about being side-lined by the Syrian talks.

THE TECH Page 3

China Endorses Private Enterprise71/E WASJl/NGTON POST

BEIJING

Faced with a foundering economy that demands "urgent solu-tions," China Tuesday gave one of its strongest endorsements ever toprivate enterprise, announcing that all obstacles to the developmentof the private sector should be scrapped.

On a day when Communist Party Secretary Jiang Zemin called forMarxist ideological education to be strengthened, the governmentseemed to be going in another direction when the influential StateDevelopment Planning Commission announced that private enterpris-es should be put on an "equal footing with state-owned enterprises"for the first time since China's revolution in 1949.

The announcement Tuesday, made by Planning Minister ZengPeiyan, was a remarkable acknowledgment by the government thatChina's multi-billion dollar effort to resuscitate its moribund state-run sector has failed. It also indicates that China's leadership has real-ized that private industry, the most dynamic piece of China's eco-nomic puzzle, is a key to the future of China's economy.

"This is a significant ideological shift," said Fred Hu, the execu-tive director for economic research at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong."It's long overdue. It shows the government is getting desperate toimprove the economy."

Variant of Serotonin Gene Could BeVital Link to Some Mental DisordersNEWSDAY

At a time when investigators are struggling to find genes for men-tal illness, Canadian scientists have uncovered the first evidence thatpeople with a specific variant of the gene that manufactures serotoninmay be more vulnerable to depression and bulimia.

If this gene finding is replicated, it could lead to the first test topredict who might be at risk for these behavioral disorders. It mayalso trigger a hunt for medicines that would work directly on thisgene and the protein it makes.

Dr. Robert Levitan of the Center for Addiction and Mental Health,at the University of Toronto has been searching for a biologicalexplanation for depression and decided to look for clues in peoplewith seasonal affective disorder (winter depression) and bulimia. Hechose these disorders, because 12 percent of people who binge eatalso suffer from seasonal depression. People with this form of depres-sion tend to consume far too many calories during their illness. Ifthere was a genetic link, this would be an easier model in which tosort out genes from environmental effects. Only two percent of thepopulation suffers from seasonal affective disorder.

u.s. Expects Return of Cuban BoyTHE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON

Anticipating a decision by the Immigration and NaturalizationService to send 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez home to Cuba, U.S. offi-cials have asked the Cuban government to help arrange for the boy'sfather to travel to Miami to pick him up.

American authorities hope the appearance of the father, JuanMiguel Gonzalez, and his clear desire to take custody of his son, willlimit a legal and emotional backlash from Florida's large Cuban-American community, according to a U.S. official. Elian has becomea cause for celebration among militant exiles opposed to Cuba'sCommwiist government who have demanded that he be allowed toremain with relatives in this country.

The appeal to Cuba came after INS officials met for a second timewith Gonzalez -:- a meeting that took place in Havana on New Year'sEve. Cuba responded that it would take "under advisement" a U.S.request that it facilitate an exit visa for the father, according to theU.S, official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Under preliminary plans discussed in weekend consultationsinvolving the INS, the State Department and the Justice Department,Gonzalez would be issued an emergency U.S. visa, flown to Miamiand brought to the home of Miami relatives where Elian is staying,perhaps accompanied by a Roman Catholic priest, the official said.Although the. relatives - who would be informed in advance -could seek a temporary restraining order in federal court against theINS decision, legal custody of Elian would immediately revert to hisfather, who would be free to leave the country with him.

u.~~COurt Denies Rehearing PolicecaSe on Violating Suspects' Rights

LOS ANGELES TIMES

SAN FRANCISCO

A federal appeals court in San Francisco on Monday denied arequest by the Los Angeles and Santa Monica police departmentsto rehear a case in which the court held that their policies of ques-tioning suspects after they invoke their right to remain silent vio-lated suspects' constitutional rights.

None of the 21 active judges of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court ofAppeals, which has jurisdiction over nine Western states , voted torehear a. Nov. 8 decision ~y a three-judge panel in the case ofCalifornia Attorneys for Criminal Justice vs. Butts.

The panel held that both departments had questioned suspectsin a manner that violated the landmark 1966 U.S. Supreme Courtdecision in Miranda vs. Arizona, which established that a defen-dant had a right to 'remain silent and had to be warned that any-thing he said could be used against him.

Mark Rosenbaum, legal director of the American Civil LibertiestJnio~ of Southern California, who served as co-counsel for theplaintiffs, praised Monday's action.

"The failure of the Los Angeles and Santa Monica policedepartments to secure even a single vote from any 9th Circuitjudge in support of their petition for rehearing' is a stinging repudi-ation of their efforts to subvert the Supreme Court's mandate inMiranda," Rosenbaum said. "Apparently, respect for theConstitution was not on the LAPD or SMPD's list of New Year'sresolutions." .

Debra L. Gonzales, deputy city attorney for Los Angeles, said itwas likely that the city would ask the U.S. Supreme Court toreview the ruling ..

Page 4 THE TECH January 5, 2000

OPINIONLetters To The Editor

To Reach Us

used to support this' event, and the studentsresponsible for the strippers were not reim-bursed. Hall proceeds to draw parallelsbetween MIT and the University ofWisconsin, and reports students'opinionsabout the incorrect point. I would like'to makethe request that The Tech print a retraction, assuch a carelessly researched and written storyonly serves to damage'the reputations of EastCampus, [EC hall] Second West, and MIT,and to give students the wrong idea about theevents for which their taxes are used.

Andrew Gouldstone G[Ed.': The Tech stands by the reporting of

this story.}

l' r f ~,r.. ~.i.

Suggestions forFuture Columns

, In refere'nceto Jeff .Roberts's column ofDec. 9,

-A.Breath of Fresh (political) AirBill Bradley,-John McCain Bring Bold !':Jew Ideas, Not (PoliticsAs Usual'

Notes from a Clock-Watcherhas just started. This feeling will usually per-

Guest Column sist through the two and three, both pleasantnumbers. As we move on to four, you may

Erik Snowberg feel a little letdown, but this is all part of thegame. Just as the unsettling feeling of "what

I am a senior here, where I enjoy taking the heck is so special about four" begins to setclasses in math and anthropology. I am in, it is immediately followed by the five! Theinvolved in extra-curricular activities and glorious five! .dabble a bit in politics. All of this stuff is fun, Five is the base unit for all future mea-but my real passion is my hobby: clock- surements. When your friend asks you whatwatching .. time it is, you will usually answer in some

What's. clock-watching, you say? I am not multiple of five. Unless, of course, you havesurprised that you haven't heard of this sport some reason to be very specific. Moving on- well, I call it a sport; others might refer to to six, you are still feeling the elation of theit as a "game," but that really seems to trivi- five, with the added knowledge that thealize it to me. It is actually quite straightfor- minute is one-tenth over. The seven has itsward. I enjoy watching clocks - digital 'own 'significance, but does not bring theclocks, to be precise - in all their. glorious same reaction in everyone. The eight is a bitforms. of a bummer, and not

Many people at even the fact that itfirst seem to think that can be easily'reducedthis would be a very The 1!, and allfuture multiples to two-fifteenths of adull .thing to do 0+-11, are quite nice as they minute can save it.indeed. "After 'all," -J The nine likewise,they say, "it is so pre- allow for .things like November although you start todictable." Well, pre- build up towards thedictable it may be, but '11, 1911, at 11: 11 and 11 ten, the base of our

-it has more. ups and seconds.This when written out numeral system and.downs.than any other an exciting numbersport I. can think of. in concise notation would look even before you real-Surely there is some-' ize that you are nowthing exciting about like 11 /11/11 at 11: .11:11. one-sixth of the waywatching: your team Q ld done.come from behind to uite stunning, wou n't you The 11, and allwin the day, or watch- agree? future multiples of 11,ing them hold off an are quite nice as theyattack to stay with the ---------------- allow for things likelead in a contest such November 11, 1911, atas baseball or football. How often does that 11: 11 and 11 seconds. This when written outhappen? A couple of times a season? Mostly in concise notation would look like 11/11/11one team starts off in the lead and that's all' at 11: 11: 11. Quite stunning, wouldn't youthere is to it; But in clock-watching, there is agree? There are other special numbers suchnever a dull l)1inute, although ther~' are dull as 14, which when coupled with a 3 in themoments. m'inu,tes place begins to look a bit like pi. I

Let me demonstrate. Say we were to begin will leave the others to your imagination, aswatching just after a minute has been com- discovering these special little numericalpleted. Although the end of a minute is very treats is half the fun.exciting, as I shall explain later, it is really far So now you can see some of the wondersmore convenient to start just after that of the sport of clock watching - the dread-moment. Focus in on the seconds category. As ful,highs and fantastic lows. But let me titil-the seconds flip from zero to one there is a late you further with some applications ofvery pleasant feeling ---, not terribly exciting, thi~ wonderful sport. Many of our undergrad-

1 but. the reasstirjng "'glow..that an~ther minute '. tuate's enjoy dfinking games. These could ~e

OPINION

My prediction, if I may step intoNostradamus~ shoes, is that theyear 2000 is actually one long,

drawn-out apocalypse.

THE TECH Page 5

The End ofThe World asWe Know It

Guest ColumnDana Spiegel

The new year has come and gone withnary a problem in sight - unless you countthe man wh9 attempted to return a' video to 'arental store, only to find that it was 100 yearslate and that he'd be fined $90,000. For allwho predicted pandemonium or the coming ofthe apocalypse due to Y2K problems or someancient millennial prognostications, I havenews for you, in case you haven't noticed thatyou're still alive and reading this column -the end of the world isn't upon us. At least,not yet.

That said, I believe that the worst is notactually over. Though most people returned towork on Jan. 3 unly to find that poor program-ming practices did not result in weeks of vaca-tion time, the fact remains that while the end ofthe century did not bring the end of humanity,the end of the millennium - which actuallycomes next New Year's, contrary to what mostmedia outlets would have you believe - maystill bring the end of the world that some fear.

My prediction, if I may step into

Nostradamus's shoes for a moment, is that theyear 2000 is actually one long, drawn-outapocalypse. We've been having unseasonablywarm weather in the northeast for the lastweek, which is an indication of the fiery deaththat awaits us on the coming hell-on-earth.Don't believe those who claim this meteoro-logical event is due to global warming; suchan excuse is just that: an excuse. The real endof the world will be a drawn-out, arduousevent. After all, if we're all supposed'to go tohell (though some ingenious MIT hackerswould say we're already there) comeJudgment Day, I would expect that whomeveris going to send us there isn't going to makeJudgment Time a pleasant experience.

Why will it take all year? The obviousanswer is that there so many people on earththat it's going to take that long to figure outwhere they all belong. I don't necessarily sub-scribe to the 'judgment day' philosophy, sosuch a reason doesn't really work for me. It'sthe ultimate compromise between those unin-formed plebeians who claimed that we're nowin the next millennium and those of us(including Peter Jennings, whose 24-hourABC marathon celebration broadcast wasexcessive) who know better.

Of course, this New Year's uneventfulnessbegs the question: Why were there no terroristattacks? Certainly New York City MayorRudolph Giuliani and the formidable NYPDbelieved that such a threat did exist, or elsethey wouldn't have ordered 250,000 extrabody bags nor lined up myriad police trucksinto which they could stow used bags once theclock ticked midnight. Nor would they havesealed off all of the manhole covers in Times

. Square, the likely place for a terrorist attack, ifthey weren't afraid of someone escaping intoor away from the mob once their evil deedwas done. The answer is simple: terroristsbelieved that someone else would do the dirtywork for them. Or perhaps they were worriedabout Y2K bugs in their bomb electronics(though I'm sure there are instructions on howto build such, a Y2K-compliant device avail-able on the Internet). Their beliefs aren'tentirely inaccurate, though they'll have towait a bit longer.

What lies ahead is difficult to predict.Certainly there will be other harbingers of thecoming apocalypse. Just yesterday, ElizabethDole announced that she would supportGeorge W. Bush as the Republican presiden-tial nominee, and Israeli and Syrian officialsare now beginning to talk face-to-face.Certainly thes~ events are only the first ofmany strange occurrences that will mark this,our last year on earth. So 'for all of youalarmists out there, pick up your chin, becausethe end of the world is indeed coming, just alittle later than you thought. And for thosenay-sayers out there: See you in hell!

Dana Spiegel is a graduate student inMedia Arts and Sciences .

played with movies or sports, but oftentimes, after a full game, you may not evenfeel the least bit tipsy. With all the specialseconds in a minute, however, you could bepassed out on the floor before a full two min-utes has passed. I can't even begin to coverall of the different ways in which clock-watching can enliven a party!

The best part is that clock-watching as asport is quickly rising in popularity. If youcould pick one phenomenon of this last year,even bigger than Pokemon, it would beclock-watching. A lot of it was because ofthis whole Y2K business. They sold specialclocks which ran backwards (although I am atraditionalist myself, there is nothing to saythat watch ing a clock move backwardsshould be any less exciting), and as the year2000 approached people got more and moreexcited. They began to notice that the lastodd second (a second in which all the digitsof the date and time are odd) until 1/1/3111at 1: 11 : II would be on 11111/1999 at19:59:59 (or 11:59:59, if you don't use mili-tary time.)

When the year 2000 arrived, throngs ofpeople had gathered all over the world towatch the clock tick away those fateful sec-onds. In fact, people got so excited that theywatched other people in other parts of theworld watching their clocks. (Clock-watchingas a spectator sport - even I did not dream ofthat, dear reader!) Where I was, in Boston, thejubilation was tremendous. A woman I nevermet before grabbed me and kissed me -another thing I never expected to happen. Ifinally felt at home among millions of my kinwho had just discovered this beautiful pas-sion. Sinc~ then I have not slept; I have notwanted to miss a single second of this gem ofa year, the year 2000.

Now that we are comfortably in the year2000, I have huge hopes for this to becomeour national pastime. I am even working out adeal with ESPN to become their officialclock-watching commentator. Whenever thereare a few seconds to fill, there will always besomething exciting happening on the clock sothey can cut to me. I just hope we can closethe deal before the first even second since8/28/888 - on 2/2/2000 at midnight,00:0,0:00. I don't want the whole world tomiss that one!

ning for president this year - candidateswho deserve your attention and considera-tion. They are Bill Bradley and JohnMcCain.

Bradley and McCain are candidates whocan forge bipartisan consensus and end t"'ecurrent cycle 'of degenerative politics. Theircourage is especially noteworthy in the areaof campaign finance reform. Both realizemoney is the root ,of all political evil; bothpledge not to take soft money if they arenominated. Can you imagine Al Gore ofBuddhist temple fame or George W. Bush,the $67 million man, making the same

promise?Bradley and

McCain are the twocandidates who havemade the boldest pro-posals on other issuesas well. For example,Bradley's plan to givemore Americanshealth insurance canstop a brewing crisis.McCain's plan to endspecial-interest taxbreaks. for oil andsugar, and for ethanolcompanies to fundschool vouchers, is anintriguing solution toAmerica's educationwoe's, and one which

. does not rob the bud-get of public schools to fund vouchers.Whether you agree or disagree with theirproposals, you must admire their forthright-ness and courage to risk alienating certainvoters by making sweeping and creative pro-posals.

The voters of 2000 will elect the firstpresident to serve fully in the 21 st century.The new president will set a tone for leader-ship in the coming years and decades. Nowis not the time for uncourageous candidateswith stale, trite promises and proposals. BillBradley and John McCain are the candidateswith bold ideas and a strong impetus forreform. Each strongly deserves his party's

. nomination.

.If the proposals Al Core makesare proper:ly termed ,incremental,.then those of George W Bush

should be called microscopic.'Onthe key Republican issue of taxreform, Bush~ proposed tax cut

only confuses and convolutesfurther the nation ~ already-

complicated tax code.

involved iJ) campaign money scandals, hasno credibility on the key reform issue ofcampaign finance.

If the proposals Al Gore makes are proper-ly termed incremental, then those of GeorgeW. Bush should be called microscopic. On thekey Republican issue of tax reform, Bush'sproposed tax cut only confuses and convolutesfurther the nation's already-complicated tax

, code. Otherwise his campaign has been coast-ing on the fumes of promises of 'compassion-ate conservatism,' a term open to wide andvaried interpretations so as not to anger anybloc of voters., The peliticallesson

of 1999 is that theAmerican public issick and tired of parti-sanship and politics asusual. The Americanpeople rallied behindBill Clinton when hisimpeachment trialturned partisan. Theygave the Republican

, Congress low marksfor failure to producemeaningful healthcare, gun control orcampaign financebills. Yet they clearlydo not want a continu-ation of the Clintonpresidency as mani-fested by his vice-president, Al Gore.

There are candidates or. would-be candi-dates who call themselves Reform, but thatparty is closer to being a political insane asy-lum than a true engine for change. One wingof the party is dominated by an egomaniacalfeather boa-wearing ex-wrestler and an ego-maniacal casino magnate. The other wingdoes have a serious politician --...:in PatBuchanan. While his passionate condemna-tions of NAFT A and the WTO bring arefreshing perspective to the campaign, howmuch of a 'reform' candidate can a Beltwayinsider and ex-Nixon and ex-Reagan adviserlike Buchanan be?

There are two true reform candidates run-

January 5,2000

Michael 1. Ring

The presidential primary campaign' isabout'to intensify. The people of Iowa andNew Hampshire will be, voicing their prefer-ences for the major-party nominees forPresident of the United States in less than a'month ..

Interestingly, on both sides of the aisle, thebattle has, for the most 'part, become lessabout ideology and more about reform. Thereare some important ideological differencesbetween Al Gore and Bill Bradley and GeorgeW. Bush and John McCain, but for manypolitical observers, .the real battles are notover shades of liberalism and conservatismbut whether one's leadersh,ip style will seeic tochange government or to continue'the status

. quo.=TheDemocratic and Republican presiden-

tial~primaries reflect essentially the same bat-tle. A frontrunner for whom party bigshots

, have worked hard to smooth the path to nomi-nation is challenged by an upstart candidate,pitching new ideas and promises of reform,and gaining momentum each day. BothBradley and Me'Cain currently lead polls inNew Hampshire, and both of the candidates(particularly Bradley, who leads Gore in otherkey states) have an opportunity to snatch hisparty's nomination: '

Many voters are dissatisfied with bothGore and Bush, and for good reason. Neithercandidate has offered anything substantial ororiginal to the political debate, but insteadmerely reacted to others' proposals.

.Al Gore would make a horrendous nomi-nee for president of the United Statesbecause he is too largely attached to the sta-tus quo. Gore seems to have caught theClinton disease of incremental politics, andin the campaign has offered a host of smallideas without proposing a groundbreakingbill or program. His ties to the Clinton WhiteHouse also hurt his credibility. Gore'sattacks on Bradley's health care plan as tooexpensive are pitiful, considering theClinton-Gore administration offered a verysimilar proposal when the nation was in abudget deficit. And Gore, having been

Page 6 THE TECH

THE ARTSJanuary 5, 2000

FILM REVIEW

GalaxyQuest

By Vladimir Zelevlnsky.~RTS EDITOR

Directed by Dean ParisotWritten by Robert Gordon and David HowardWith TIm Allen. Sigourney Weaver. AlanRickman. Tony Shalhoub. Enrico Colantoni

File this one under "guilty pleasures." Allright, very guilty, and not even that much of apleasure - but, still, Galaxy Quest did makeme smile for a good part of its 98 minute run-ning time. Main reason why it works: a hand-ful of excellent actors clearly having a goodtime, nifty visuals, and a killer high-conceptplot (the actors of a cheesy TV sci-fi show aremistaken by benign aliens for the real spaceheroes and whisked away to moderate aninterstellar dispute - space warfare ensues.)

STAGE REVIEW

IvanovBy Vladimir ZelevlnskyARTS EDITOR

Written by Anton ChekhovTranslated by Paul SchmidtAdapted and directed by Yuri YereminSet design by Scott BradleyCostume design by Catherine ZuberWith Ar/iss Howard. Debra Winger. AlvinEpstein. Will LeBow. Jeremy Geidt. KristinProctor, Benjamin Evett, Karen MacDonald.Paula Plum, and the othersAt the American Repertory Theatre, throughJanuary 22. 2000

There's a curious tradition in 19th centuryRussian literature: its main characters areoften inaction heroes. From Pushkin's EugeneOnegin to Goncharov's Oblomov, the litera-ture centers on someone who pretty muchdoesn't do anything, with rare - and usuallytragic - exceptions.

Chekhov's Ivanov (written in 1887) is adirect continuation of this tradition. The workis a portrait of an inactive man in a middle ofsuffocating boredom and stasis. What's amaz-ing about the American Repertory Theatreproduction is how exciting it is, even whenvery little is actually happening (in the plotsense, at least).

The title character, Nikolai Ivanov (ArlissHoward), is an impoverished landowner, com-pletely in debt to his farm workers and hisneighbors. His wife Anna (Debra Winger) issuffering from tuberculosis; his uncle (AlvinEpstein) is rapidly approaching senility; hiswife's doctor (Benjamin Evett) regards himwith barely concealed hatred. And Ivanovdoesn't do much about it: he mostly lies in hishammock, hammered by life into an unfeeling'stupor. Meanwhile, his neighbors gatheraround to idly chatter, gossip, flirt, and gener-ally attempt to escape somehow the pervadingmood of overwhelming boredom.

Speaking of overwhelming boredom:observing it is rarely so engaging and excit-ing as in the A.R.T. production. Directed bythe Artistic Director of Moscow's PushkinArt Theatre Yuri Yeremin, Ivanov is an eye-full, a showcase for highly impressive the-atrical invention. Clearly done on a largebudget, Ivanov is first and foremost highlyimpressive visually, in some instances down-right striking. From the atmospheric film-like credits, to the stylishly monochrome(with some significant exceptions) costumes,to period bicycles and a real swing,Yeremin's direction provides a plenty ofvisual interest. Some of the most remarkableimagery concerns the timeline: the play'sfour parts are presented as changing seasons.The opening's harvest with bales of hayyields to delicate birch forest to the fall'swindswept landscape with falling yellowleaves to the winter's bleak snowfall. There'seven a live dog on stage, to heighten the

There's a lot of funny material packed intoa three-minute opening sequence which pokesfun at just about every aspect of TV sci-fi. TimAllen plays a narcissistic captain who barksincomprehensible pseudo-scientific com-mands. Sigourney Weaver is a blonde sexpotdisplaying a considerable amount of cleavageand Alan Rickman is an intense-looking alienwearing several pounds of makeup. Providingcomic-relief is Tony Shalhoub as an engineerand a cute teen ensign played by DarylMitchell who is also used to increase ethnicdiversity. All of this is accompanied by stupidcomputer graphics, fake sets, plot holes, andgeneral air of amiable nonsens~.

After this introduction; we're back in realworld, and the movie starts floundering. Itspends unnecessary amounts of time on a fanconvention sequence' and perfunctory attemptsto set up some personalities and conflicts. I'malways for having characters and conflicts, butnot when they are as artificial and contrived asthey are here.

In any case, eventually, we do go in outerspace, and the movie promptly forgets that itaspired to be a Star Trek parody, settlinginstead for a much less lofty goal: being a StarTrek rip-off.

What we get is the same stuff as in theopening sequence: more stupid computergraphics, more fake sets, and more plot holes ...and I don't think any of it was intended to hehumorous, other than the general air of amiablenonsense. For instance, there's one characterwho goes around, bemoaning his fate as anameless expendable crew member and expect-ing to perish at any instance - and while this isclearly intended as a joke, there is, at the sametime, another nameless crew member, who is

play's sense of reality. A couple of gesturesfeel unnecessary, like a perhaps too literalprojection that attempts to put us intoIvanov's mind, but, overall, the rather obvi-ous symbolism is not distracting.

Fortunately, the visual texture is not theonly outstanding feature of this production.Yeremin directed Ivanov according toStanislavsky's method, where actors attemptto become their characters, and the results arevery impressive. The scene of the tea party,for instance, although nothing happens what-soever, ends up being the most interesting,just because it's quite clear at every momentexactly what all the characters are thinkin'g,with their dramatic actions providing athrilling texture, a mixture of conflicts rightunder the staid surface.

This texture also makes the play frequentlyvery funny; Chekhov, by the way, insistedthat all his plays are comedies. The inherenthumor works very well, and even lightens upthe scenes which could have felt too melodra-matic. The ending cf part three still comes offas being over the top, with entirely too muchmoaning and anguish; but the rest of the pro-duction doesn~t succumb to such heavy-hand-edness.

In this way, the production is quite power-ful when it concentrates on the impact of eachseparate moment, and that's where the actorsshine, with the supporting characters beingeven more impressive than the leads (quitelikely because the leads aren't given the privi-lege of being funny.) Speaking of the leads:it's nice to see big-name actors like the Oscar-nominee Winger tackle the decidedly unglam-oro us (and not even very big) part of Anna,and it's chilling to recognize Ivanov's fear ofbeing over the hill at the age of thirty five -but both of them take themselves perhaps atouch too seriously to fully connect emotion-ally with the audience.

In any case, Ivanov is consistently engag-ing, with its impressive staging and commit-ted acting. It even feels Russian: Yereminclearly knows a lot about the period he'sdepicting. The only thing I wished wereemphasized more is the flip-side of thisemphasis on the moment: the sense of con-tinuum. There are two characters in Ivanovwho, to a certain extent, represent Russia'spast and future: Ivanov's uncle and Anna'sdoctor, very much in the same way the titlecharacter represents the country's disillu-'sioned present (in 1887, of course). Yereininclearly recognizes this; I don't think it's acoincidence that in the finale the doctor, aviolent demagogue, wears the long blackovercoat, the kind that was later favored bythe communists. But his character barelychanges during the course of the play; bothhe and the uncle are the same in the end asthey were in the beginning, and the sense ofhistorical motion is blunted.

This is a relatively small problem, though.While Ivanov is unfolding, it is never lessthan engaging; once in a while, it is mesmer-izing. Overall, it is an exciting reminder of theamazing possibilities of theatre.

indeed killed off at an opportune moment. Ifyou would hope that there's some connectionbetween these two, you'd be wrong. The firstone is comic relief, and the second one is a lazycliche, and that's all there's to it.

One would hope that the low intelligence ofthe plot is a part of a joke, but, regrettably, it'snot: all of the adventures are meant to be takenat face value. Self-referential wit is clearlybeyond the scope of Galaxy Quest, as is anykind of wit, for that matter. The cast includesthe actors behind Buzz Lightyear and Lt. Ripley- and yet the film does not manage a single in-joke about Toy Story or the Alien series.

Even worse' than the screenplay is DeanParisot's inane direction: there's no regard for.pacing or even continuity, and essential shotsare missing from action sequences.

At least, visually Galaxy Quesi is nice,proving that if you throw enough money at thescreen, at least some of it will stick. IndustrialLight and Magic is involved, and they do throwa lot of candy-colored special effects at thescreen, most of them fun - almost as much assome of the actors. Tim Allen possesses noscreen presence whatsoever, but W ea ver,Rickman, and Shalhoub are grand. Rickman'sworld-weary sarcasm is refreshing, andShalhoub's deadpan delivery just keeps gettingfunnier and funnier. Weaver, just like her char-acter, has nothing whatsoever to do, other thanwear a tight uniform with her zipper getting

lower and lower. But she is funny, and self-depreciating, and as sexy as she didn't have achance to be since, oh my gosh, Working Girl.

Ultimately, this redeems Galaxy Quest. Asa parody, it's weak, but t~ken at its face value- as an undemanding space opera, call it StarTrek 8 1/2 - it is light, and breezy, and con-sistently interesting. It is certainly markedlybetter than just about any odd-numbered StarTrek movie, that's for sure.

There's an additional subtle subtext to thisfilm, and accidental or not, it is worth men-tioning. On some level, the story of GalaxyQuest is about a bunch of hammy actors, whoare forced to do some method acting by get-ting a chance to actually become their charac- .ters. Were it to pay at least lip service to this,Galaxy Quest could have become really inter-esting; as it is, it's, well, cute.

January 5, 2000 THE ARTS THE TECH Page 7

o N THE SCREEN- BY THE TECH ARTS STAFF -

I .

'. ,orcalll-8OQ-CAll-EDF.South. New York. NY 10010.

Defense FUnd. 7Sl Park Ave.

BUY RECYCLED.

But to keep recycling

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environment. you need to

plastic. metal and glass that

working to help protect the

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being made from the paper.

of everyday products are

This space donated by The Tech

The World is Not Enough (**~1)The nineteenth James Bond adventure is a

rather disorienting experience: everything thatis supposed to work in a 007 adventure(stunts, gadgets, babes, exotic locations) isunderus.ed, while the acting, especially fromSophie Marceau, is spectacular. - VZ

,lIIIiii,

i'So look for products made ..

I from recycled materials. and III

buy them, It would mean theIworld to all of us. II;

For a free brochure. write IiiIBuy Recycled. Environmental

Toy Story 2 (***~1)An instant classic, one of the most creative

and fun movies of the year, this completelycomputer-generated sequel about the adven-tures of a bunch of toys is clever, funny, com-plex, and, most surprisingly, deeply emotion-al. - VZ

Three Kings (***Yl)As one of the most creative films of the

year, David O. Russell's third film ThreeKings marks his strongest directing effort todate. When American soldiers set out to findSaddam's stolen gold bullion, they also findIraqi citizens in need of their help. In theirefforts to help, the characters are forced toquestion the point of America's involvementin the Persian Gulf. The creative use of thecamera makes for powerful images that helpdrive the film's message home. - MichaelFrakes

Irving's tale of the Headless Horseman, thisfilm features huge lavish sets, wall-to-wallspecial effects, astounding cinematography -and a bland, boring, mediocre screenplay.Johnny Depp is fun, playing Ichabod Crane asa mixture of action hero and frightenedschoolgirl, while Christina Ricci looks lovelybut is otherwise wasted. - VZ

The Sixth Sense •..~~\r>>,,,«:p:;, ',' ... ', .. ", Bi ",.V". u, .... , ... :ill;;;;::;;- ~::f.:;:1l¥A... '.". U ",' ,,", ," x. '.' ":::::;~~::i"'::;~fIftiatUtiI~iiibfHjteikoeatSfihd~:saiiCllm Mqm -ve:itb.eiilirlriSic?~imore'Yti~icKft:~~'fl~l}~::~;~~:~~ii;ili~g:;p.!itiJ~}~I~JY:i:~}~ni~~:::~~~6~~15ji1I~:~::~:~t

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Page 8 THE TECH January 5, 2000

January 5, 2000 THE TECH Page 9

FEATURESGreen Eggs and lAP

Literature Department Poetry Series to Feature Or. .Seuss

This Week in MIT History

To eat less red meat.Tony Cassesse.Networks manager

I didn't make one.Derrick Kong '92

To graduate.Sarah R. Cohen '00

To quit skiing.Doana Cecan '00

This week's question:What is your N

ew Year's resolution?

Viewpoint

To be less of a bitter graduate student.Maya Farhoud G

I have problems with my nose. I want toget that resolved by the end of the year.Xianfent Zhao G

To pass the PhD qualifying exams.Jason Han G

1950s, which Jenkins will screen.Seuss has always "stretched the definition

of poetry," according to Jenkins. His poemsfollow the rhyme and meter of traditionalworks, but because they appeal to children andare extremely popular they receive little atten-tion from literary critics. In addition to writingeight of the top ten children's books, Seuss.also was an adult humorist in the I930s, wrotea comic strip and editorial comics; and dab-bled in entrepreneurialism; advertising andmodern art.

Julie A. Saunders, Senior Office Assistantin the Literature Office said that the series,.starting its third year, allows the faculty to"talk about things they can't necessarily incor-porate into their curricula" She also noted that"several of them are doing poetry in trimsla-tion, either that they have translated or thatrecently translate9." .

One such presenter was Stephen Tapscott,who opened the series on Tuesday with a dis-cussion of Eastern European female poets.Their poetry was viewed by censors as a rep-resentation of emotion rather than the politicalstatement it was. After Tapscott read a work

. by Wislawa Szymborska entitled Cat in anEmpty Apartment, he opened a qiscussion ofthe work which examined dealing with every-thing from grief to the duality of realities cre-ated by the Schroedinger's cat theory.

Readings will be held daily from 1-2 p.m.in 14E-304. A packet containing all of thepoems in the series is available from theLiterature Office, 14N-407. It is possible toattend ,the entire series or individual readings;registration is not required ..

One notable poet being presented, amid thelikes of T. S. Eliot, Emily Dickinson, andRobert Browning, is Dr. Seuss. LiteratureProfessor Henry Jenkins will read a selectionof the rhyming genius' work this Friday.

Jenkins, who has presented an lAP Saluteto Dr. Seuss for nine years will discuss GeraldMcBoing Boing, a poem which draws fromboth literature and modern art to create aunique word. The story is that of a boy whocommunicates by sound, and thus "the poemmust be presented aloud," Jenkins said. It wasfirst published as an animated cartoon in the.

By Caroline ChangSTAFF REPORTER

Thirty years ago, in a room full of MIT faculty, the idea of a month long independentstudy period\\,as greeted withm2y";~helming approval. Thus, the Indep~nde.~~.Activities

time, exams were scheduled to be taken before winter break.. Radhika Baliga and Linda Liang contributed to the reporting of this story

By Katie JeffreysFEATURES EDITOR

This is the first of four stories previewinginteresting lAP opportunities.

MIT's Independent Activities Period' offersunique opportunities for personal enrichmentwhich may be overlooked during the semester.One of these opportunities is the Pleasures ofPoetry series sponsored by the LiteratureDepartment. Held each day throughout themonth, the series features presentations by lit-erature faculty or staff on a chosen poet'swork.

: lechCalendarTechCalendar appears in each issue of The Tech and. features events formembers of the Mil community. The Tech makesno guarantees as to the accuracy of this information, and The Tech shall not be held liable for any losses, including, but notlimited to, damages resulting from anendance of an event. Contact information for all events is available from theTechCalendar web page •.

, Visit and add events to TechCalendar online' at http://tech-calendar.mlt.edu.... _ ' .. Thursday's Events~ 1?:00 p.m. .::.Len1eI~IT $30,000 Student Team PrIZe. Teams comprised of MIT seniors & grad

- students are eligible to.apply. Deadline is January 7,2000. Download an application at. or call 253-3352. Admission O. Sponsor:Lemelson-MIT Program. '

Monday's Events12:00 p.m. - Modulation of APP & Memory by the Cholinergic System, Dr. Ole lsacson,Dlrector/Neurogeneratlon Laboratory/Mclean Hosp. Open. More Info: Call at 253-6732. Emailles@mlt.edu. RIT)E25-604.

~ Wednesday's Events6:00 p,m. - CapItal Markets Outlook for 2000 Monthly program for entrepreneurs with speakers andtechnologyoriented companies focused on the issues of building and growing the business. Students:Free; $10/Forum members; $15/non-members. Open.-More info: Call MIT Enterprise Forum/Camb at253-8240. Email m!tefcmb@mitedU. Web: .Rm 1(}'~50,

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January 5, 2000

January 5, 2000 THE TECH Page 11

UNDA UANG-71If: TECH

The Karate Club, one ofmany groups offeringlAP activites, practicestheir rising blocks.

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Page12

TheTech

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Dilbert@by Scott Adams

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January 5, 2000 THE TECH Page 15

Search Committee To Find Replacement for Batesconsists of Weinberg, Vue, Rezek,Ortiz, Vice President for HumanResources Laura Avakian,Associate Provost Phillip L. Clay'75, Executive Vice President JohnR. Curry, Dean for UndergraduateEducation Rosalind H. Williams,and Next House House ManagerBorivoje Mikic.

said Rezek. The second meetingwas after school ended.

Chancellor Bacow, head of thesearch committee, was unavailablefor comment.

The faculty members were"very apologetic" about the sched-uling problems, Rezek said.

The search committee thus far

Swelling machinery oozes

heaps ofmusical glitz and gravy

o'er this sweet..n..salty twosome ...

Pixie Anne PennwrightSpokescritic • Spellchecker • Former Prom Queen

inform the student body but also tohelp in networking and. seeking outqualified candidates," he said.

So far, however, scheduling hasmade it difficult for the studentrepresentatives to attend the com-mittee meetings. "Neither studentrepresentative was notified" of thefirst meeting held during finals,

position of the Dean forStud.ent" Life, which Bateshas held since October1995. "We are looking atthe roles and responsibili-ties of the person," Vuesaid. However, he adds thatthe job description will notnecessarily change.

The job title might alsobe altered. One suggestionwas "Vice President andDean for Student Affairs"because the job links twovery different disciplines.

The new dean needs to"link the world outside theclassroom to inside theclassroom in a way that'ssupportive," Bates said."It's a very exciting mix."

Vue said the new ,deanwill have to "demonstratemanagerial skills and alsoact as an advocate .for thestudents. "

Applicants being gath-ered

The committee is unsure ofwhat types of applicants will beinterested in the dean's job. Whilethey are advertising nationally, thenew dean could just as easily besomeone from MIT.

Bates said she has a bit of abias in favor of an applicant "whounderstands the education offeredfor MIT students."

The Dean's role "is a largeresponsibility, so not too many arequalified," Rezek said. He said thatthe dean will have a responsibilityfor 350 employees and a $30 mil-lion budget. The dean will also be

, on the Academic Council, which ismade up of the deans, vice presi-dents, and other institute officials.

Margaret R. Bates

By Matthew F. PalmerSTAFF REPORTER

Chancellor Lawrence S. Bacow'72 has formed a search committeeto find a successor to Dean ofStudent Lire Margaret R. Bates,who is leaving at the end of theacademic year to join her husbandon a.year-long sabbatical. '

The committee, which has mettwice so far, is also looking into,the name and role of the dean'soffice. MIT affiliate and searchcommittee member Martha W.Weinberg said they are not yet in"final agreement of what the newjob will look like."

The committee is currentlyadvertising nationally for the posi-tion and hopes to present a list of

, three or four candidates to Bacow byApril 15, with mg'detislon' possibleby May 1, student com.ritittee mem- Committee may seek ,studentber Christopher R. Rezek !oo said. input

Seven faculty members and two The search committee is seek-Istudent repres'cntatives'

Page 16 THE TECH January 5, 2000

POLICE LOGr. e 0 owing inci ents were reporte to t e M/T ampus Po ice etween ov. 20 - Dec.

27. This summary contains most incidents reported to Campus Police but does not includeincidents such as: medical shuttles. ambulance transfers. false alarms, generals servicecalls. etc.

Nov. 20: Edgerton House, noise complaint; Bexley, malicious damage to a window; EastCampus, annoying phone calls; Bldg. 13, fire and minor explosion caused by a scrubber;Bldg. 14, hang-up call on 100 line, unable to locate problem.

Nov. 21: Memorial Dr. assist State Police with a vehicle accident; Harvard Bridge personon wrong side of railing; Bldg. 14, check and inquiry of individual who check out okay;Tennis Bubble, student refused to leave, situation resolved.

Nov. 22: Bldg. 14, suspicious activity; Bldg. 7, bike left in room stolen, $230; Bldg.NE20, suspicious person; Bldg. NW 12, suspicious phone call; East Campus, officers respondto check out a loud noise; East Lot, vehicle vs. front end loader accident.

Nov. 23: Fowler St., report of suspicious vehicle; Bldg. 14, report of smoke, cause foundto be burnt toast; Vassar St. at West Garage vehicle accident; Memorial Dr. vehicle accident,assist State Police; Albany Garage, Edwardo Sanchez and Ronald Flores of 240 AlbanyStreet, Cambridge MA placed under arrest for disorderly and other related charges; Bldg. 3,check and inquiry, trespass warning issued.

Nov. 24: Memorial Dr. assist State Police with vehicle accident; Bldg. 6, computer andcomputer equipment stolen $3,521; Bldg. 10, report of suspicious male, same located andassisted; Astroturf, gate stolen, unknown value; Bldg. 7, 1) CD layer and headphones stolen$160, 2) CD's stolen; Student Center, four males refusing to leave, gone upon CP's arrival;Bldg. N52, Edwardo Sanchez and Ronald Flores of 240 Albany Street, Cambridge MAplaced under arrest for disorderly and other related charges arrested for trespassing and otherrelated charges.

Nov. 25: Bldg. 14, suspicious activity.Nov. 26: Bldg. I, report of suspicious package, same checks out okay; McCormick,

annoying phone call; Bldg. 56, John Lockett of 20 Bradston Street, Boston, MA arrested fortrespassing; Bldg. 54, suspicious activity, checks out okay; DuPont assist with removal oftwo non-affiliated persons.

Nov. 27: McCormick, report of suspicious person, area checked negative; rear of Bldg.42, suspicious vehicle, gone upon CP's arrival; McCormick, assault between person knownto each other. .

Nov. 28: Bldg. I, suspicious activity; Bldg. N42, report of a note stating a bomb was inbuilding; Bldg. E 15, skateboarders issued a trespass warning; Bldg. 3, reported smell ofsmoke, same from glass blowing in basement; Bldg. E52, student fell down air shaft, eastCampus, report of odor of gasoline, same discovered to be rotten food.

Nov. 29: Westgate, report of person ringing several buzzers in an attempt to gain entry,same gone upon CP's arrival; Bldg. I, computer monitors stolen; Bldg. 3, chair and comput-er stolen, unknown value; Ashdown, wallet containing $100 and credit cards stolen; Bldg.E25, suspicious activity, same checked out okay; Bldg. 36, bike locked to itself with aKryptonite lock stolen, $300; Bldg. 6, calculator stolen $200; Bldg. 2 report of smoke, dis-covered to be ovt;r heated motor; Bldg. NW 10, report of homeless person, same on way toshelter.

Nov. 30: Bldg. W31, sign stolen, unknown value; west Garage, malicious damage tovehicle; Bldg. 18, bike stolen from room $800; 500 Memorial Dr. student return to his roomto find unknown person sitting on his bed; Bexley, noise complaint; Bldg. 3, past larceny ofcredit card; Student Center, employee problem; Ashdown, report of smoke, same found to beburnt food.

Dec. 1: 33 Mass. Ave. HP door opener stolen, unknown value; Student Center, I) walletstolen, $44 cash and credit cards; 2) wallet stolen $3; Bldg. 13, annoying phone calls/faxes;West Garage, damage to vehicle; East Campus, wallet containing $100 and credit cards'stolen; Bldg. 8, homeless person assisted to shelter; Bldg. E23, suspicious person issued atrespass warning.

Dec. 2: Bldg. E19, CD/clock radio stolen, $40; Albany Garage, hang-up 100 call, areachecked no cause found; Bldg. 66, homeless person stopped, trespass warning issued; Bldg.2, electric equipment stolen $300; Student Center, backpack containing compact disc playerand discs $580; Amherst St., report of person looking in cars.

Dec. 3: Kendall Square, student reports having buttocks grabbed; New House, report ofhomeless person; Memorial Dr. report of person running down street with Christmas tree;Student Center, I) larceny of cash $1,200, 2) larceny of cash $30; Hayden Library, walletstolen from coat, $70 cash; Bldg. 4, report of homeless person, gone upon CP's 'arrival;Mass. Ave. and Vassar Street, assist homeless person to shelter. Dec. 4: Kresge, report ofpeople on roof; Bldg. E51, report of homeless person, same assisted to shelter; BurtonHouse, camera stolen $300; Student Center, graffiti; Bldg. N51, damage to door; Dupont, I)CD player stolen $50, 2) $30 cash stolen ..

Dec. 5: 52 ot, car ro en mto ancovered tQbe burnt popcorn.

Dec. 6: Bldg. 4, report of suspicious person; Bexley, wallet stolen $100 cash; Bldg. E55,window broken; Student Center, 1) $49 stolen from wallet which was later. found in a trashbarrel, 2) wallet stolen $2 cash, 3) wallet stolen $200 cash; Bldg. 4, annoymg phone call;Bldg. El, suspicious activity, trespass warning issued.

Dec. 7: Bldg. N52, suspicious activity; Eastgate, malicious damage; Ashdown, past larce-ny of credit cards; Bldg. 24, laptop computer stolen $2,245; McDermott Court, racial slursyelled at person; Bldg. 14, wallet stolen containing $20 cash; Amherst St. and Mass. Ave.,James E. Mason of 890 Caterbury Street, Rosindale, MA taken into custody on an outstand-ing motor vehicle warrant; Bldg. E 1, brass beaver statue stolen, later recovered.

Dec. 8: Mass. Ave. by Building 5, complaint of homeless persons, same moved along toshelter; Edgerton House, smoke filled room discovered to be burnt food in crock pot; NewHouse, bike reported stolen discovered to be misplaced; Bldg. N52, suspicious activity ..

Dec. 9: McCormick, annoying phone calls; Ashdown, suspicious person; 33 Mass. Ave.bike rack, bike secured with cable stolen $300; Amherst Alley by Baker, report of fight~justnoisy students; WILG, homeless person in doorway, assisted to shelter; assist State PoliceMemorial Dr. and Wadsworth St. with motor vehicle accident; Bldg. 66, report of suspiciouspackage, discovered to be cookies; Student Center, suspicious package ..

Dec. 10: Senior House, noise complaint; Baker~ complaint of students on roof; ZBT,noise complaint; Ashdown, suspicious activity; Bldg. 54, report of suspicious activity; EastCampus, annoying phone calls; Student Center, annoying phone calls; McCormick; annoy-ing e-mail; Albany St., report of homeless persons, same directed to shelter.

Dec. 11: New House, noise complaint of construction work; Nu Delta noise complaint;Bldg. 36, tapes stolen $60; Brookline, ZBT, noise complaint; Student Center, camera lensstolen $7,780: ..

Dec. 12: Walker, malicious damage to a door; Hayward lot, hit and run damge; StudentCenter, pocketbook stolen, $20 cash; Memorial Dr by Baker, report of persons yelling nocause found; Bldg. 8, suspicious person; Bldg. 14, two officers chasing a naked persontowards Memorial Dr., unknown outcome ..

Dec. 13: Bldg. 35, report of suspicious person, same was student; Westgate, past larcenyof credit cards; Bldg. E25, chair stolen $500; Student Cnenter, larceny of paints and paper,unknown value; Bldg. 3, ID stolen; .New HoUse, credit cards stolen; Bldg. E23, complaint ofthree persons causing a disturbance; Bldg. E23 assist Cambridge 'Police with a 911 hang-upcall; rear of Bldg. 14, suspicious person stopped and issued a trespass warning.

Dec. 16: ChestilUt and Waverly Streets, assist Cambridge Police with a hit anq run vehi-cle accident; Bldg. 16, employee problem; Bldg. 8, computer larceny $3,428; East Campus;unwanted guest; Hayden Library, wallet containing $60 cash stolen; Student Center, reportof disorderly person situation resolved; Railroad tracks behind Metropolitan storage, checkand inquiry of person; rear ofNW10, report of person screaming, gone upon CP's arrival. .

Dec. 17: Student House, noise complaint, no cause found; Cambridge, Kappa Sigma, -report of fight, two persons having a loud argument; Bldg. E40, report of homeless personasleep in restroom; Student Center, 1) pocketbook stolen $65 cash; 2) piece of fruit stolen;Bldg. 4, attempted break into an area; Bldg. 16, color mo