Fighting Over the Nobel Prize

10.15.09

Inside: Whip It, the Roman Polanski imbroglio, and the SEC.

FIGHTING OVERTHE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

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2 [email protected] 00.00.09 • The Harvard Independent

The Indy examines the relative fairness of prizes and punishments.

Cover art by KRISTINA YEE

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Short & SweetNews that you could conceivably use.

Compiled by SUSAN ZHU

No Child Left Behind + standardized tests =

FAIL.

The latest figures from the 2009 National Assesment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that students haven’t been doing any better in math in the past six years. Fourth grade scores have not increased at all, and eighth grader scores have increased only marginally so. Not such a good sign for a nation dedicated to having 100 percent proficiency in reading and math by 2014, eh, President Bush?

To make matters worse, the score gap between white students and minority students did not shrink at all since 2007, the last time the test was given. The gap between black and white eighth graders represents a gap of three years’ worth of mathematics.

Scores grew faster in the years before No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

The simple answer: It depends.The long answer: two different

studies recently published in Brain, B e h a v i o r , a n d I m m u n i t y f o u n d different results. In the first study, mice that ran on treadmills until they were exhausted over a period of three days and mice who relaxed

Does exercise boost your immune system?

GOP and Taliban become technology literate. What

up, Grand Old Party?

comfortably were given an influenza virus. The mice that ran were more likely to develop the flu and had more severe symptoms. The second study also tested resting and exercising mice, but gave the mice a particularly severe flu virus at the beginning of the study. The first group of mice rested, the second group of mice exercised at a level equivalent to a leisurely jog for mice, and the third group again ran until they were exhausted. The groups repeated their exercising or resting regimens until they showed flu symptoms. Over half the resting mice died, compared to 12 percent of the jogging mice, and 70 percent of the running mice. Of the mice who survived, the running mice were sicker than the other groups.

Scientists are still debating and researching the relationship between exercise and immunity, but the leading theory, backed by the two studies, involves a J-shaped curve. The risk of catching the flu and reacting severely to it decline with moderate amounts of exercise, but increase with intense or prolonged bouts of exercise. Some scientists think that this phenomenon may be because particularly intense workouts suppress the body’s immune system for a period of time after the workout is finished. The longer you workout, the longer that period is.

As for jogging showing signs of improving immunity, scientists say that moderate exercise suppresses T1-helper cell levels, which are responsible for inflammation and other immune system responses. Although the initial response i s he lpful , a pro longed T1 response is counterproductive. T2-helper cells, on the other hand, are anti-inflammatory and help the immune system calm down before it hurts itself. Moderate exercise allows T1-helper cell levels to balance with T2-helper cell levels, while intense exercise may make T1-helper cell levels to drop too precipitously.

If you’re sick with a fever or body aches, these scientists suggest that you stop daily exercise until you feel better. If all you have is a slight cold or congestion, exercising may help. Just don’t over-do it.

Somewhere among mountains , caves, and deserts, the Taliban have

Terrorists learn to use YouTube channel.

The Republican Party re-launched its website on Tuesday, only to have it suffer from glitches and mockery. The GOP is so popular that for most of the day, the site was down due to heavy internet traffic. Welcome to the GOP — er — 404 Error, This page could not be found? When the site came back up, the GOP site admins had changed Republican Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s blog name from “What Up” to “Change the Game” after being ridiculed. Too much ghettospeak too fast, GOP?

was passed, when education policy was left in the hands of states and local officials, than after the federal law was enacted. Secretary Duncan, among many critics, have called NCLB a “race to the bottom” — states would increasingly lower their proficiency standards in order to have more and more students, and thus, schools, pass. Failing schools were punished by having their funding taken away. Taking money away from schools that need it most? What were the lawmakers thinking? Maybe we should test them on their math and logic skills too – would they do any better than our nation’s students?

figured out how to utilize YouTube, creating a YouTube channel called Istiqlal Media. So far, they’ve got a few clips of car bombings and gun fights in musical montages. Not exactly the kind of fan vids that I usually watch ( O M G G R E Y ’ S A N A T O M Y ! ) b u t YouTube has already moved to shut some of their videos down. The one video left contains peaceful scenes of snow-covered mountains, bright tu l ips , and amazing ly -b lue -eyed children, set to what I can only assume to be traditional music. Ah, the joy and drama of the internet.


indy news

Ivy News Roundup Compiled byFAITH ZHANG

The DartmouthDartmouth’s endowment drops 23 percentBy Greg BergerOctober 12, 2009

Dartmouth’s endowment fell 23 percent in the 2009 fiscal year that ended June 30, a loss of $835 million, College President Jim Yong Kim announced in a campus-wide e-mail on Friday afternoon. The College will implement a series of budget cuts — the second round of major cuts at the College in less than a year — as a result of the loss, Kim said in an interview with The Dartmouth on Friday.

Kim said that he is not yet certain of the exact magnitude or timing of the cuts. More specific information about the cuts will be available after the Board of Trustees’ next meeting in early November, he said.

The endowment loss means that annual operating revenue available to the College will be reduced by $50 million.

“We do not expect our endowment to return to its fiscal year 2008 level of $3.66 billion for quite some time,” Kim said in his e-mail to campus.

The endowment now stands at $2.8 billion.

In his e-mail, Kim affirmed that, despite the loss, the endowment has performed well in the long run, with an annual return of 8 percent over the last decade.

Kim and other College administrators were not surprised by the 23 percent loss, Kim said in the interview.

“We had been watching the endowment all year long, and we monitor every month,” Adam Keller, executive vice president for finance and administration, said in an interview. “We saw that the biggest drop really occurred from the nine months until about March, and so at that point we knew that it was down approximately 20 percent.”

Contributions to the College’s operating budget from the endowment will either decrease or remain the same over the next few years, Kim said in the e-mail. Last year, the endowment accounted for 32 percent of the College’s total revenue.

Kim laid out a three-part plan to help the College deal with the financial challenges in the e-mail. The plan focuses on reducing College expenses, increasing efforts to obtain contributions and implementing new initiatives that “build on the strengths of Dartmouth” to increase revenue.

“No single path will be sufficient to address these serious financial challenges,” Kim said in his e-mail.

After the administration determines the size of the budget cuts, Kim said he will hold open forums for members of the Dartmouth community in which he will “go in detail through the budget picture and what we’re facing.”

During these forums — similar to those held by members of former President James Wright’s administration during

budget discussions last winter — members of the Dartmouth community will also have the opportunity to provide input on the College’s budget cuts, Kim said.

Kim said he has also been in talks with members of the faculty, particularly those on the Committee on Priorities, to plan how he will proceed with budget cuts. Kim added that there will likely be student surveys, similar to those that Student Assembly sent out last year.

Several of the faculty on the Committee on Priorities did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

The College will continue to focus on its fundraising efforts, Kim said. The Dartmouth College Fund aims to raise $40 million for the 2010 fiscal year. The fund brought in $38.1 million in 2009, and saw alumni participation drop just 1 percent.

Kim said he expects the College will receive the final $60 million it needs in order to meet the $1.3 billion goal of the Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience by the Dec. 31 deadline.

Kim told The Dartmouth that he expects donations to the College will increase if the College effectively communicates its efforts to reduce the budget and to improve overall financial efficiency.

“It’s going to mean a lot of time on the road for me,” he said. “The fundraising is a big part of the job of the president, but I think it’s an even bigger part of my job. But it’s not just me, we have many people on our faculty and administration who are very effective fundraisers, and I think that all of us will have to be on the road doing that work.”

Kim said he has yet to determine the specific elements of the third part of his plan — implementing new initiatives that increase revenue.

“I don’t want to go through any sort of list,” Kim said. “I don’t have one in my head yet, but boy I’ve heard a lot of interesting ideas from faculty members, students and staff about ways that we might be able to increase revenue to Dartmouth College.”

Kim suggested that the College could limit the effect of the endowment loss by working to increase research grant support.

“Just to give one example that I have talked about many times already and one that I do know about, I think that there’s going to be lots of money coming from the federal government to do precisely the kind of research on health care delivery that we do at The Dartmouth Institute,” Kim said.

Despite the endowment losses, Kim stressed in his e-mail to the Dartmouth community that the College remains committed to “providing the finest education in the world.”

“Our priorities are clear: to enable the best students to attend Dartmouth, regardless of their financial means; to continue to attract superb faculty who are both great scholars and great teachers;

and to build on our reputation as an exceptional place that offers a personalized educational experience for leaders who will shape the future,” Kim said in his the e-mail.

The Brown Daily HeraldBDS workers authorize strike if necessaryBy Alexandra UlmerOctober 14, 2009

In a nearly unanimous vote Tuesday night, Brown Dining Services employees authorized their bargaining committee to call a strike if today’s negotiations on a new contract do not yield a satisfactory agreement.

Officials on both sides will meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday to attempt to reach a consensus on the contentious issues of health care payments, retirement benefits for new hires and wage changes ahead of the looming expiration of the workers’ contract at midnight Wednesday. The contract was extended by 48 hours, and a federal mediator was summoned to today’s bargaining session, after negotiations failed to secure an agreement on Monday.

More than 120 of the approximately 200 employees congregated for a membership meeting Tuesday and expressed disapproval of the University’s most recent proposal, said Roxana Rivera, the chief negotiator for the Service Employees International Union, Local 615, which represents the workers.

“It was loud and clear that workers don’t believe that what the University is putting forward is just,” Rivera said.

The University is confident that the two sides will reach a consensus today, Vice President for Public Affairs and University Relations Marisa Quinn wrote in an e-mail to The Herald Tuesday afternoon.

“If for some reason we are unable to accomplish this,” she added, “we can agree to a further extension, or the University can present its final offer to the union membership for a vote to ratify or reject the same.”

It is too early to predict whether another contract extension could be in the cards, or when a potential strike might begin, Rivera said. “We have to see tomorrow to see how we’ll go forth in the next couple of days.”

The Daily PrincetonianSchmidt ’76 donates $25 million for technology fundBy Andrew SartoriusOctober 14, 2009

Google CEO Eric Schmidt ’76 donated $25 million toward the creation of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund, the University announced on Tuesday.

The primary function of the Schmidt Fund will be to provide professors with funding to research new technologies that

will have a major impact in a particular field or to provide professors with the means to purchase innovative equipment that will alter the course of an established field.

“It is a great day for Princeton when we have an alumnus give such a generous gift to the University,” said Dean of Research A.J. Stewart Smith, who will chair the committee charged with appropriating the funds.

“This fund will allow Princeton’s scientists and engineers to explore truly innovative ideas that need the creation or application of new technologies, including the kinds of technological breakthroughs that most funding sources are too risk-averse to support,” President Tilghman said in a University statement.

“We are deeply grateful to Eric and Wendy not only for providing this support, but for providing the capacity and flexibility to make investments that are likely to have the broadest and most transformative impact,” Tilghman added.

Unlike many university- or government-funded grants, the Schmidt Fund comes with few strings attached, Smith said.

“This grant complements other funding opportunities from government and other institutions,” he explained. “While there are many requirements on these grants, this grant encourages our professors to do something big, to take risks in their research.”

Another unusual aspect of the Schmidt Fund is that it is not directed to a particular department. The money will be broadly distributed among recipients in several fields. There is “no preference for the direction of the gift,” Smith said.

Funds will not necessarily be awarded evenly each year, he said. If there are no compelling projects in a particular year, then no funds will be awarded.

Smith stressed that the Schmidt Fund will “not be paying faculty salaries.” Instead, the grant will “promise tremendous research, challenge our researchers to think outside the box,” he added.

The money from the Schmidt Fund will be allocated through a series of peer-reviewed competitions, the first of which will be announced later this fall. “We don’t know what the competition will involve,” Smith said. “I don’t want to limit ideas by mentioning anything here. We want our professors to take their research to the next level and give us their best shot.”

An internal peer review committee, chaired by Smith, will be created to oversee the appropriation of funds. The panel will be composed of the best engineers or scientists at the University who have not submitted a proposal to the competition, Smith said. “As soon as we know who submits, we will form the committee to review the projects,” he added.

Schmidt, who served as University trustee from 2004 to 2008, could not be reached for comment.


indyforum

T h e s e a r e t h e f a c t s : O n s e p t e m b e r 26 , authorities arrested Roman Polanski upon his arrival in Switzerland to receive an

award for lifetime achievement at a film festival. The warrant for his arrest came from a nearly thirty-year-old conviction of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor — a thirteen-year-old girl. At the time of this writing he remains in Switzerland, fighting extradition to the United States.

These are also the facts: his victim, Samantha Geimer, testified at the trial that he had oral, vaginal , and anal intercourse with her after drugging her and without her consent, and that she repeatedly asked him to stop, and he has never denied it.

There are multiple petitions for Polanski ’s release currently in circulation; probably the two most significant ones are the initial one, signed by 138 members of the film industry, and a second one administered by French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Lévy. At this point, signatories include such luminaries as Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Woody Allen (who would no doubt know what a healthy relationship looks like), Steven Soderbergh, Salman Rushdie, Terry Gi l l iam, Harrison Ford, Penelope Cruz, and Natalie Portman (Harvard class of 2003).

How is it even possible that so many people of such stature are defending a child rapist? What possible justification could they have? Here are some arguments I have seen.

Roman Polanski has a lready suffered enough. Polanski has suffered in his life — this much is true. He survived both the Holocaust and the brutal 1969 murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate before

Did his pain contribute to his actions? Quite possibly — quite likely, in fact. But many criminals have themselves suffered, one way or another; one study found that abuse as a child doubles the likelihood of committing many crimes as an adult. We do not exempt them from punishment on the basis of past suffering.

If, on the other hand, the fact that Polanski has been forced to restrict his work to countries outside the United States which were unlikely to extradite him while busy directing Oscar-nominated movies and living a life of luxury seems like sufficient punishment, we have very different ideas of suffering.

Roman Polanski is an artistic genius. Manifestly so. But however moving The Pianist may be, that has absolutely nothing to do with the issue at hand.

It is a basic tenet of our legal system (and, I believe, of any just legal system) that no one

Crime and Punishment

We’ve all been there: yOu see sOmeOne yOu vaguely know from section or lab and you cast around for something to say. You

don’t always succeed. To better lubricate these awkward social situations, I’ve prepared a set of three conversation starters, ranging from safest but dullest to oddest but most daring, so that you can be prepared for whatever situation you find yourself in.

How are your midterms going?This one is a real classic, and we may not see

it again for another six months; some unfortunate souls have two midterms, but the second one comes so close to the conversational supernova that is the Harvard-Yale game as to make it like a mote in the eye of God. So make hay while the sun shines, and use this risk free starter, the allegorical treasury bill of conversation, while it lasts.

Big plans for Head of the Charles?I’ll save you the suspense: no, they don’t. Whoever

you ask, they will not have big plans. Why? Because there are no parties this weekend and crew races, or at least time trials, are exceedingly boring for those not involved. The crowds, the stands, it all makes it seems like there must be something to do. After your fourth collection of free Gillette samples, you’ll realized that just because there is smoke, there isn’t necessarily fire. That being said, you may strike it lucky, and if it comes to the worst, it’s a great topic to burn a couple minutes on while you figure out how to make your conversational escape.

If you had to spend one night alone with Al Gore, what would you do and why?

I actually took this question from the experimental section of the LSATs, and it’s an intriguing conversational Rorschach test. You could do so many different things with Al Gore, the world’s only Nobel and Oscar and Emmy and the 2000 presidential election winner, and where people take this question says loads about their hidden desires. If they seem put out or thrown off by the question, give them a little help with their imaginations by mentioning his smooth southern drawl or rotund physique or ability to create globe-spanning networks of computers. And remember, for full credit, they have to show how they got their answer by telling why they would do whatever they do. It doesn’t count unless they tell you why they want him covered in pudding.

For comments or suggestions, please email [email protected].

This Week’s Conversation

Starters

By JOHN BEATTY

A column to help you overcome your

awkwardness.is above the law — not the president, not the billionaire, and not the artistic genius. In practice, it is true that the most privileged members of our society may have the resources to hire better lawyers or to pull strings with judges, but in general the principle holds. It is not a system wherein, by doing some pre-determined number of good works, one can make up for one murder or one rape, nor should it be. The courts are not in the business of selling indulgences.

The conviction is thirty years old. So it is; does that mean that sentences thirty years old should be discarded? It sets a bad precedent, and at any rate there is no expiration date on a conviction.

The victim has forgiven Polanski and just wants to put the whole thing behind her. It is a social good to show that there are real consequences to committing crimes as well as to show that drugging and raping a child is unacceptable . Enough rape cases already go unreported and unprosecuted; for such a high-profile case to simply be dismissed sends the message that, really, rape doesn’t matter.

The entire matter has been blown out of proportion by American prudishness. This is not a matter of prudishness, American or otherwise, or of the Puritanical values of an uncultured country, as some would have it; if punishing rape — rape, that ugly and, in this case, entirely accurate word — is prudishness, is backward, is a value that forward-thinking nations should abandon, I fear for the future.

Faith Zhang ’11 (fhzhang@fas) used to think that everyone agreed rape was reprehensible. She knows better now.

By FAITH ZHANG

Why the Roman Polanski situation is incomprehensible.


indy forum

I have two theories on why President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize: either the Nobel Prize Committee got bored after reading

too much about fiber optics and telomeres, or it wanted the media attention very, very badly.

Now, this is not to say President Obama doesn’t deserve the Prize. Let’s face it. It’s rather hard to measure the degree of peace you bring to the world. According to the Merriam-Webster definition of the word, peace is “the state of tranquility or quiet.” The fact that President Obama has yet to start another war did contribute to the state of tranquility of the world; but by that measure, there are at least a dozen more world leaders equally deserving of attention and the prize.

Why, then, choose President Obama?The Committee’s terse explanation of their

Prize to President Obama praised the American president “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” It then goes on to define diplomacy in terms of positive environment-building and initiative-taking. Apparently, President Obama’s predecessor has smeared the world’s impression of the U.S. so much that any step in the right direction is now smothered with praise.

If indeed the prize was awarded to President Obama for what he didn’t do (four more years of Bush II) and not for what he actually did (ending wars, building consensus, and so on and so forth), then the President should not accept the prize.

To accept the Nobel Peace Prize is to reaffirm the global opinion that the best American diplomacy can offer is a pep squad attitude and a cheerleader’s enthusiasm for peace. A prize awarded for effort and not substance lowers expectations, and the U.S. is at a point in i t s h i s tory where i t cannot afford to have t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l community think i ts diplomatic capabilities are anything less than t h e y a c t u a l l y a r e . While President Obama displayed humility and grace upon hearing of this honor, his perennial use of theatrics and his celebrity status in the realm of international diplomacy give l itt le confidence that he will elevate discussion on any of the major issues facing the world in the twenty-first century.

The world is not in need o f insp i rat ion , a s t h e N o b e l P r i z e Committee seems to suggest . In the past w e e k e n d , n u m e r o u s

P r e s i d e n t ob a m a h a s c h a n g e d t h e tone of American diplomacy, but has yet to accomplish much in the way of tangible

results. His speech to the Muslim world was inspirational, his openness towards Iran has led to progress in negotiations regarding nuclear weapons, and his willingness to decrease the United States’ arsenal of nuclear weapons along with his removal of the missile defense shield in Eastern Europe have the potential to thaw cool relations between Russia and the United States. All of these endeavors speak to the noblest of aspirations, but their effectiveness has yet to be seen.

Are noble aspirations worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize? Probably not. However, no matter your politics or whether you think President Obama has done anything to deserve it, the correct response to someone, especially your country’s chief diplomat to the world, winning the Nobel Peace Prize is “congratulations.”

- Alex Thompson

By Marion Liu

The Nobel Prize Committee names Obama head cheerleader.

names have been tossed around as more suitable recipients of the prize. Neda Agha-Soltan, killed in the violence following the Iranian elections, inspired a movement for democracy and against the theocratic rule of Iran, (although unfortunately her death disqualifies her). Former president Bill Clinton does important work through his foundation, and was the chief architect behind the rescue of the two captured American journalists and negotiations in North Korea. Some have even mentioned Gandhi, who, despite contributions to the non-violence movement, was never rewarded the honor.

The shock and dismay of many who think the Nobel Prize Committee made a poor choice do not reflect anything about their attitude towards the president or the country he serves.

Writer Joseph Palermo of the liberal blog The Huffington Post says that our less than enthusiastic response shows “we lost the ability as a nation to accept something good when it comes our way internationally.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, there are conservatives who cheered when Chicago lost its bid for the 2016 Olympics in the first round. But no doubt the majority of Americans at home felt proud that six of their most outstanding scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics, Chemistry and Medicine, just as they did when Michael Phelps brought back eight gold medals from Beijing. In the same vein, most Americans are cheering on the side of a nuclear-free world and enduring peace in the Middle East, and for the president who has made these promises. But making promises and uncovering the role of ribosomes are two entirely different kettles of fish.

The Nobel Prizes have never escaped controversy. Perhaps the a t tent ion and mystery behind the prizes have contributed to their esteem, more than the honor and monetary reward, and for that reason, the Nobel Committee felt compelled to name a figure of such global status. But such a decision reflects poorly on the history and mission of the Nobel Prize. If Obama accepts the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, then the trajectory of American diplomacy has change from global hegemony to merely heading up cheerleading. If he does not, the Nobel Peace Prize will carry with it this stain of lapse in judgment.

Marion Liu ’11 ([email protected]), a Crimson e d i t o r i a l w r i t e r , i s a Molecular Cellular Biology concentrator in Dunster House.

yes We Can (Do Better)

Students sound off on Obama's shiny new Nobel.

Eyes on the Prize


indyforum

R oland nadler's ('09) Facebook status: "yo BARACK, I'M REALLY HAPPY FOR YOU, IMMA LET YOU FINISH, BUT GANDHI

HAD ONE OF THE BEST PEACE EFFORTS OF ALL TIME. ONE OF THE BEST PEACE EFFORTS OF ALL TIME!"

His explanation: "I'm an Obama fan and think it's an honor for him to win the prize, but - like many others who think that - was a little perplexed by the news. Then I read up on it and learned that Gandhi was up for the prize five times but never won it, and the beloved internet meme involving Kanye West just sprung immediately to mind."

This is an outrage! alFred nobel never should have won the Obama Peace Prize!

- Paul Schied

1901 Frédéric Passy, France and Jean Henry Dunant, Switzerland 1902 Élie Ducommun, Switzerland and Charles Albert Gobat, Switzerland1903 William Randal Cremer, United Kingdom 1904 Institut de Droit International, Belgium1905 Bertha von Suttner, Austria-Hungary1906 Theodore Roosevelt, United States 1907 Ernesto Teodoro Moneta, Italy and Louis Renault, France 1908 Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Sweden and Fredrik Bajer, Denmark 1909 Auguste Marie François Beernaert, Belgium and Paul-Henri-Benjamin d'Estournelles de Constant, France 1910 International Peace Bureau, Switzerland 1911 Tobias Michael Carel Asser, The Netherlands and Alfred Hermann Fried, Austria 1912 Elihu Root, United States 1913 Henri La Fontaine, Belgium 1917 International Committee of the Red Cross, Switzerland 1919 Woodrow Wilson, United States 1920 Léon Victor Auguste Bourgeois, France 1921 Hjalmar Branting, Sweden and Christian Lous Lange, Norway 1922 Fridtjof Nansen, Norway 1925 Austen Chamberlain, United Kingdom and Charles Gates Dawes, United States 1926 Aristide Briand, France and Gustav Stresemann, Germany 1927 Ferdinand Buisson, France and Ludwig Quidde, Germany 1929 Frank B. Kellogg, United States1930 Lars Olof Jonathan (Nathan) Söderblom, Sweden 1931 Jane Addams, United States and Nicholas Murray Butler, United States 1933 Sir Norman Angell (Ralph Lane), United Kingdom 1934 Arthur Henderson, United Kingdom 1935 Carl von Ossietzky, Germany 1936 Carlos Saavedra Lamas, Argentina 1937 The Viscount Cecil of Chelwood, United Kingdom 1938 Nansen International Office For Refugees, Switzerland 1944 International Committee of the Red Cross, Switzerland 1945 Cordell Hull, United States 1946 Emily Greene Balch, United States and John Raleigh Mott, United States 1947 Friends Service Council, United Kingdom and American Friends Service Committee, United States 1949 The Lord Boyd-Orr, United Kingdom 1950 Ralph Bunche, United States 1951 Léon Jouhaux, France 1952 Albert Schweitzer, France 1954 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Switzerland 1957 Lester Bowles Pearson, Canada 1958 Georges Pire, Belgium 1959 Philip J. Noel-Baker, United Kingdom 1960 Albert Lutuli, South Africa 1961 Dag Hjalmar Agne Carl Hammarskjöld, Sweden 1962 Linus Carl Pauling, United States 1963 International Committee of the Red Cross,

Switzerland and League of Red Cross societies, Switzerland 1964 Martin Luther King, Jr., United States 1965 United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), United Nations 1968 René Cassin, France 1969 International Labour Organization, United Nations 1970 Norman E. Borlaug, United States 1971 Willy Brandt, Federal Republic of Germany 1973 Henry A. Kissinger, United States 1973 Paris agreement and Lê Ðức Thọ (refused), Democratic Republic of Vietnam 1974 Seán MacBride, Ireland and Eisaku Sato, Japan 1975 Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov, Soviet Union 1976 Betty Williams, United Kingdom and Mairead Corrigan, United Kingdom 1977 Amnesty International, United Kingdom 1978 Mohamed Anwar Al-Sadat, Egypt and Menachem Begin, Israel 1979 Mother Teresa, India 1980 Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Argentina 1981 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations 1982 Alva Myrdal, Sweden and Alfonso García Robles, Mexico 1983 Lech Wałęsa, Poland 1984 Desmond Mpilo Tutu, South Africa 1985 International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, United States 1986 Elie Wiesel, United States 1987 Óscar Arias Sánchez, Costa Rica 1988 United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces, United Nations 1989 14th Dalai Lama, Tibet 1990 Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, Soviet Union 1991 Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma 1992 Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Guatemala 1993 Nelson Mandela, South Africa and Frederik Willem de Klerk, South Africa 1994 Yasser Arafat, Palestine and Yitzhak Rabin, Israel and Shimon Peres, Israel 1995 Joseph Rotblat, United Kingdom and Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, Canada 1996 Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo, East Timor and José Ramos-Horta, East Timor 1997 International Campaign to Ban Landmines, United States and Jody Williams, United States 1998 John Hume, United Kingdom and David Trimble, United Kingdom 1999 Médecins Sans Frontières, Switzerland 2000 Kim Dae Jung, South Korea 2001 United Nations and Kofi Annan, Ghana 2002 Jimmy Carter, United States 2003 Shirin Ebadi, Iran 2004 Wangari Muta Maathai, Kenya 2005 International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria and Mohamed ElBaradei, Egypt 2006 Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh and Grameen Bank, Bangladesh 2007 Al Gore, United States and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Switzerland 2008 Martti Ahtisaari, Finland 2009 Barack Obama, United States

Past Nobel Peace Prize Winners

Students sound off on Obama's shiny new Nobel.

Eyes on the Prize


indy forum

Rant of the Week

A hungry student takes on The New York Times.

By SUSAN ZHU

L a s t t h u r s d a y , T h e N e w York Times ran an artic le about Harvard’s budget cuts

entitled “Leaner Times at Harvard: No Cookies.” Normally, I would be in favor of major newspapers showcasing the sad college student’s plight — shelling out fifty grand a year, for fewer and fewer services and amenities. But damn, The New York Times was snarky!

T he T i m es ’ A b b y Go o d no ug h portrayed Harvard students as r ich spoi led brats , and faculty members as ridiculously pampered fat cats who are bewildered by the loss of cookies at faculty meetings. All right, so some professors are pretty pampered, but that doesn't mean you have to be so mean about it.

The general tone of the article: Boo freakin’ hoo. No sympathy for the poor wittle Harvard kids without their scrambled eggs in the morning. Aww, Varsity athletes don’t get free sweatshirts. Don’t cry, my “touchy to begin with” Quadling — your endowment is still more than the GDP of most nations in the world.

She might as well have added: don’t you know there are starving kids in Afr ica , you ungrateful brats?

But you know what, Ms. Abby G o o d n o u g h ? I d o k n o w t h e r e are starving kids in Africa. And Asia. And, in fact, there are also starving kids in the United States. But I ’m stil l pissed that I don’t get my hot breakfast, and I’m not even a varsity athlete who needs major caloric intake after grueling morning practices. It’s one thing to never have a service provided to you, and another thing entirely to have something you’re used to taken away with almost-negligible cuts in how much you pay. State schools still get hot breakfast (or at least my state school — Penn State — still does) that involves gorging

oneself on pancakes and eggs and bacon. They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so for fifty grand a year, don’t we have a right to whine?

I’m still pissed that many courses I had planned on taking my junior and senior years e i ther got cut e n t i r e l y o r w e r e s h o v e d o f f t o 2011 (I ’ l l have graduated!) . The always-frustrating bracketing of class titles in the course catalogue

suddenly was expanded — not just to classes offered every other year, but to classes offered once every three years. Certain sections of the course catalog look like they just survived torture by the KGB, they’re so meager compared to last year’s.

I’m still pissed that the shuttle serv i ce go t cut a t a l l , even on w e e k e n d m o r n i n g s , a n d I ’ m n o t e v e n o n e o f t h o s e b o o - h o o Q u a d l i n g s - w h o - l i v e - a n - e n t i r e -f i f teen-minutes -away- f rom-the -Yard ment ioned in the ar t i c l e .

Because, Ms. Goodnough, i f you take pleasure in trudging from Dunster to Vanserg in the rain (or snow) on Sunday mornings to volunteer to teach English to a group of elderly immigrants, you’re welcome to join me any time you like (and no, no breakfast before).

P.S. Just in case you’re wondering why the Univers i ty rea l i zed i t was a mistake to cut late night shuttle service, I suggest you try

spending a f ew n ights walk ing around Cambridge Commons. In a dress. Without mace.

I’m still pissed that funding for student organizations was cut from $1500 to $1000 dollars a semester. Shouldn ’ t you understand , Ms . G o o d n o u g h ? I t c o s t s t h e I n d y money to print each week, and a decrease in funding means that we ’ re s c rap ing a l i t t l e harder . W h a t , T h e N e w Y o r k T i m e s i s doing better in this climate? Do you at The Times cheer when your budget gets slashed, or each time

another reporter gets cut, or are you worried and scared and maybe just a little bit, well, pissed?

And you know what? I’m tired o f peop le r ipp ing us about our endowment. Excuse us for having wealthy alumni and friends and for printing Harvard-Yale shirts that say “well endowed,” but the endowment i sn ’ t th is g iant pot of money that the University has lying around for funzies. It’s not a grab bag. The University has a lot of very narrow stipulations on the amount of money it can use. A lot of the money is reserved for financial aid — like the article said, over 60 percent of the freshman class is on some form of financial aid — and really obscure uses with a very stringent set of requirements. Then there ’ s s ome percentage o f money we ’ re not a l lowed to touch at all. Try squeezing from the rest o f that enough money for Harvard to remain one of the premier research institutions in the world.

Look, Ms. Goodnough and the rest of the Harvard-ripping world, we get that we should be grateful for everything that we’ve got, that we’re getting an education at all, much less one of the best in the world. And for the most part, we truly are appreciative of what we have. Many of us come from humble beginnings and backgrounds, as hard as that is to believe, and we’re trying to help those less fortunate. But seriously, who l ikes having things taken away from them? So yeah, we ’re complaining, ‘ cause we’re only human.

Shame on you, New York Times, for picking on stressed-out and poor college students. No cookie for you.

Susan Zhu ’11 (szhu@fas) is anger-prone if she doesn't get her eggs and sausage in the morning.

Source: Wikimedia Commons and Getty Images


indysports

I know it’s too early to be thinking about possible BCS National Championship scenarios, but with the first BCS rankings coming out this weekend,

one wonders if there is any chance that the two best teams in college football will have a chance to play for the coveted crystal ball. After last weekend, the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide proved that they are definitely the two best teams in the SEC, not to mention the rest of the country, and this week’s polls reflect that feeling, ranking them No. 1 and No. 2, respectively. The only problem is that they are both in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), meaning that their presumed meeting in December for the SEC Championship Game will decide who gets to play in Pasadena. Or does it?

Last weekend was the most anticipated of the SEC schedule. On Saturday afternoon, the Crimson Tide traveled to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on preseason Top Ten Ole Miss, and later that night, the Gators traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to take on the No. 4 LSU Tigers. The results of these two games were to divide the best from the rest in the conference, and neither Florida nor Alabama was significantly challenged for most of their respective games.

Alabama’s smothering defense held Ole Miss quarterback and former Heisman hopeful Jevan Snead to only 11-for-35 passing for 140 yards in their 22-3 win, giving Snead the lowest completion percentage in a game with over 35 pass attempts of any quarterback in the country. Although the Tide’s offense was far from perfect, running back Mark Ingram was able to rush for 172 yards and a score to carry them easily past the Rebels. Bama’s old-fashioned, smashmouth brand of football proved successful yet again this season.

Against the LSU Tigers, the Gators rode their strong defense as well to come out on top, 13-3. Florida came to Baton Rouge unsure about whether good ‘ole Tim Tebow would get medically cleared to play after suffering a concussion two weeks ago against Kentucky. With the nod, he started the game and played conservatively for several drives before returning to his fearsome self by the end. While their 13 points were the fewest scored in a win in Head Coach Urban Meyer’s entire career at Florida, their lack of points was more a result of an inability to capitalize on their scoring opportunities than complete incompetence on offense. Kicker Caleb Sturgis missed an easy field goal, then failed to convert a short fourth-down, and Tebow threw an interception deep in Tiger territory. Their impressive defense, however, led by linebacker Brandon Spikes, tallied five sacks on LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson (two and a

A SECond chance in Pasadena?

By DANIEL ALFINO

Unlikely Matchups

half of which were from Spikes himself). In the process, the Gators broke LSU’s 32-game winning streak on Saturday night home games.

In the midst of a season full of upsets, these two teams have consistently stood out above other top teams around the country, but since they are both in the Southeastern Conference, the likelihood that they will play each other in the BCS Championship Game is small — but, it is not as small as you may think. Of course, it requires both teams to remain undefeated until they meet each other in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta in December. And it requires an extremely close, down-to-the-wire game to intrigue voters into the possibility of such a rematch. With the way other teams are playing right now, however, such a scenario should not be immediately cast aside.

Right now, the remaining unbeaten teams are Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Cincinnati, South Florida, Boise State,

and TCU. If, on Saturday, Texas loses to Oklahoma (now that

the Sooners have Heisman-winning quarterback Sam Bradford back), OU could easily run the Big 12 South and defeat Kansas or, if the Jayhawks lose to Texas, whichever team wins the North. A one-loss Texas team that fails to make the Big 12 Championship game would not have a very strong argument for playing the winner of the SEC over the loser.

Iowa is still undefeated in the Big Ten and would get the nod, but the Hawkeyes still have to play Ohio State in the Horseshoe.

Big East teams Cincinnati and South Florida play each other today, and the winner is likely to falter sometime during their conference gauntlet.

Boise State has an easy schedule, which the BCS computers will certainly factor into their decision, and despite their win over Oregon in Week 1, they have not dominated their other games.

TCU still has to play BYU and Utah, and will most likely lose to one of those teams, as well.

That leaves several current one-loss teams — USC, Oregon, Virginia Tech, Miami, and Ohio State — as contenders to play the winner of the SEC Championship Game in Pasadena.

USC has yet to play Oregon, and the winner of this game would most likely have to lose again. USC could be upset by Notre Dame this week, and Oregon has to learn that it’s not Fight Club out there. Sorry, Ducks, there are rules in college football.

Virginia Tech lost to Alabama in Week 1 and, therefore, the Hokies have no better an argument to play the winner of the SEC Championship Game than the loser. Their win over ACC Coastal Division rival Miami means that the Hurricanes will probably not get to play in the ACC Championship Game, which weakens their argument, too.

Finally, Ohio State’s recent past works against their argument to play in Pasadena. They have not shown up in big games consistently for the past few years, and the voters would definitely take that into account.

In short, quite a lot has to happen to see a Florida-Alabama BCS title game, after all. None of these scenarios are difficult to imagine individually, but having them all happen might be a stretch. There is still a chance, however, that we can see the two best teams in college football play for the crystal ball in January.

Daniel Alfino ’11 (dalfino@fas) is living proof that hope springs eternal.


indy arts

W hen I fIrst walked In, I dIdn’t really believe it was real — a universe of rich red velvet

and gold, with classical paintings and bas-relief sculptures looking perfectly at home in the luxurious setting. Of course, I was still in the lobby, buying my student rush tickets — I hadn’t even seen the theater yet.

So I leave the lobby with my ticket and my roommate, and by now, the third time we’ve gone to the ballet, we’ve got a routine. My roommate started this whole tradition our freshman year, when her enthusiasm for the art convinced me to go on an adventure to Park Street. I had only ever seen The Nutcracker, if that counts, and I had never taken dance class, but she knew so much about it and she loved it, so I went.

That was a year ago, and now we know the exact procedure: get on the T around five or so in the evening, ride to Park Street, walk to the theater, and buy our tickets. From there, it’s onward to nearby Chinatown. We wander around until we choose a restaurant to stop at, then we duck inside and enjoy delicious cuisine at very reasonable prices.

This time we choose Pho Pasteur, a Vietnamese restaurant. We order a r id iculous amount o f food and head lazily over to the ballet twenty minutes before it starts, going to our seats and settling in. That’s when I first get a look at the theater — it’s so grand it makes the lobby look like a dirty alley: a cavernously huge space focused on the stage, all gold edging, murals on the ceiling and walls, soft red carpeting.

We look through the program, and now that we’ve been coming for a while we can comment on the dancers performing and look for the ones we like best. Finally, the lights dim, and everyone stops shuffling. The dancers glide onto the stage, and it all begins.

The very first ballet I saw, Cinderella,

The Ballet ExperienceWhy everyone should go.

By RIVA RILEY

SONIA COMAN/Independent

was the most romantic thing I had ever seen. It is a familiar story and about what you would expect, but in the ending scene when the Prince has finally found Cinderella, he leads her to a chair and eases her down and then sinks to ground with incredible grace and lays his head in her lap.

I barely held myself together. I am not exactly the most sentimental person, and yet every time I see a ballet, my composure disappears. I did not expect this to happen to me, but my roommate just laughs.

That is the power of the ballet — it may be symbolic and it may be abstract, but you are there and you can feel the whole crazy thing.

This is not to say that the ballet is a woman’s delight — the male ballet dancers are probably the strongest athletes out there. Easily stronger than football, basketball, or hockey players, pound for pound: they lift the female dancers into the air while leaping off the ground, all with no visible effort. If you appreciate athleticism, then there is something in the ballet for you. Especially considering that, as college students, we can show up two hours before the show and get twenty-dollar student rush tickets to bask in the glow of high culture, I cannot see a reason not to go. Who knows — you may see the most touching representation of love and romance in your life.

Now, the most romantic thing I have never seen is Giselle, the ballet I just saw last Thursday. Giselle was beautiful, tragic, and unforgettable, and the ending scene will break your heart. Words cannot do it justice; the beauty of the ballet is not in the telling, but in the experience. When you see people leap weightlessly into the air, hang there suspended, then lightly extend their foot to come back to earth, you know that you have seen something great.

My roommate and I still talk about it as we amble to the dining hall or take a break from studying, but so

far we haven’t really gotten anyone to come with us on our ballet outings. With time putting pressure on just about everybody, this is not terribly surprising, but if you do take a foray

into the grand world of ballet, I doubt you’ll regret it.

Riva Riley (rjriley@fas) is riveted by the ballet.


indyarts

A fter spendIng two hours wIth the likes of Babe Ruthless, Maggie Mayhem, and Iron Maven in

a game of ultra-contact roller derby, I wanted roller skates and a name change. Unfortunately, nothing in the English language puns with Weike, and nothing in helmet manufacturing fits my head — so instead, I will attempt to honor those glamorous characters with words.

W hip I t i s Drew B arrym ore ’ s d i r e c t o r ia l debut and s tars the Canadian Ellen Page of Juno fame, who is as cute as she is talented. Page’s run as the snarkily witty Juno has been so engrained in my mind that I initially found her role as verbally-average Bliss Cavendar rather vapid.

But before I digress, let's start at the beginning.

The movie wastes no time filling in the audience. Bliss hails from small town Texas, waitresses at the local Oink Joint, and plays the good daughter to her mother’s idea of 1950’s womanhood — that is, Blue Bonnet beauty pageants. Bliss’s lackluster expression and pushover attitude are early indicators of smoldering discontent, but she trudges along, convinced that this is as good as it’s going to get.

I t ' s d ur ing a n in i t i a l l y q u i e t shopping trip into Austin that Bliss finds salvation. Her tattooed saviors fly in like Amazonian warriors on wheels and plop down a pile of roller derby flyers. Bliss snags a flyer as homage to her newfound heroes and goes home with a fuzzy sense of higher calling. But Bliss has little intention of attending the Derby, so for all our sakes, there is Pash, best friend/Ivy League-bound thrill seeker — who knew such a thing existed? — who bullies Bliss out of wimp-hood and into the car. The best friends drive up to Austin, nervous, chatty, and buzzed on liberation liquor.

At the Derby, Bliss crashes into a potential love interest and watches chief adversary Iron Maven level the field, one roller chick at a time. She then finds herself face-to-face with Maggie Mayhem, whose response to Bliss’s “you’re my hero” is “be your own hero.” This moment unwittingly liberates Bliss from her small-town paralysis and gives Bliss enough

courage to strut her Barbie skates at an impressive tryout showing; she surfaces as alter ego Babe Ruthless Hurl Scout #22, Roller Derby poster girl and rookie of the year.

A l l a t o n c e , B l i s s d e v e l o p s personality, finds love and learns the whip; but this is life and in life, when one thing pans out, ten thousand other things malfunction. Here are just a few of her problems: Bliss is actually underage and cannot legally compete without parental consent; her parents will not give consent because they think she is at SAT class; and the upcoming Blue Bonnet pageant falls on the same day as the Derby championships. So against a blitz of growing pains, unlucky breaks, and most certain pummeling, Babe Ruthless does what she does best: lace up and skate.

On paper, the movie reads like yet another formulaic sports movie for the formulaic tomboy. But with special addictives like a mother-daughter moment over smokes and lasagna, and a non-explicit underwater love scene, this indie gem is so much more. On one hand, there is the visceral punch of body-clobbering she-men, but on the other hand, there is the sweet savor of first love and familial cohesion.

Don’t misunderstand me: this is not a chick flick. Though the moments of cuddling are there, any moment of residual sappiness is quickly drained, either by a body slam or by one of Jimmy Fallon’s embarrassing stunts (yes, Jimmy Fallon plays the bearded MC and official party head of the Derby organization). So if it’s not a sports epic, or a chick flick, then what is this movie? A hybrid? A brainchild of the cinematic avant-garde? I don’t know and I don’t think I want to know. I loved this movie as much as I did because I couldn’t classify it in the normal categories, and because the storyline, with its colorful characters and its colorful relationships, pulled me from the comical to the poignant to the cute and then back again.

My concluding piece of advice is to go see the movie, but to go see it with an open mind. The movie is not perfect. At times, Barrymore’s green directing skills show through in choppy scene transitions and excess dialogue that make potential jokes fizzle out. But

most of the time, the magic is there, and you will laugh until you spill popcorn. Fair warning: this is not the Ellen Page you saw in Juno; Bliss Cavendar lacks the scene-owning potential of her pregnant counterpart.

But then again, this movie isn’t about Bliss or even roller derby; it’s about finding an inner hero.

Weike Wang '11 (wang40@fas) is considering taking lessons in body-clobbering.

Whip It! Whip It GoodWhip It rollerblades to two-thumbs up.

By WEIKE WANG

Movie Review

Whip It

courtesy whip-it.net

Captured & Shot

Pelin Kivrak/INDEPENDENT

Documents

Fighting Over the Nobel Prize