Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Daily Herald the Brown

vol. cxliv, no. 113 | Tuesday, November 24, 2009 | Serving the community daily since 1891

Med school softens Under new law, bars may close later new PLME policy

By Brigitta Greene Senior Staf f Writer

By Ellen Cushing Senior Staf f Writer

After stirring opposition from students, the University has reconsidered a policy shift that would strip undergraduates in the Program for Liberal Medical Education of their reserved spots at Alpert Medical School if they choose to apply to other medical schools.

According to an e-mail sent to PLMEs Monday by two top med school deans, students who “apply out” will in fact be guaranteed a spot in a med school class

at Brown, though they may be deferred for a year.

The initial policy change, which was announced earlier this month, drew anger from some students who criticized the new system, particularly because it affected current as well as future students enrolled in the program.

According to the e-mail, students will now be asked to inform the Med School whether they intend to apply out by Sept. 15 of their senior year. Those students continued on page 4

Poll: 17 percent of students say they have cheated had copied answers off another student’s quiz, test or exam. Only 0.4 percent admitted to having Four out of five students say they submitted someone else’s work have not committed any of sev- as their own in a paper, presentaeral types of academic cheating tion or lab report. in the last semester, The vast maaccording to a rejority — 80.1 perHERALD POLL cent — said they cent Herald poll.

Of the 687 unhad played by the dergraduates sur veyed, 12.4 rules. percent admitted they had cop“We do take academic integied answers off another student’s rity seriously,” said Christina homework, while 4.2 percent said Furtado, assistant dean for upthey had used outside resources perclass studies, who oversees in their own work without proper citation, and 2.3 percent said they continued on page 2

By Anne Simons Senior Staf f Writer

It’s a typical weekend scene: 2:01 on Saturday morning. From Kartabar to Spats to Viva, the doors of Thayer Street’s bars are locked shut, with hundreds of patrons filing out onto the street.

Now imagine the future. It’s 3:01 on Saturday morning. From Kartabar to Spats to Viva, the doors of Thayer Street’s bars are locked shut, but most patrons have already trickled out — and those who are left are markedly more sober than they were just an hour before.

New state legislation, passed by the General Assembly during last month’s special session, authorizes the city to delay the closing time of bars and clubs to 3 a.m. on weekends, but prohibits the sale of alcohol past the old closing time, 2 a.m. continued on page 5

Julia Kim / Herald

Bars like Spats Restaurant on Angell Street may be allowed to remain open until 3 a.m. on weekends, although alcohol sales must stop at 2.

For alum, a shortcut to punditry

By Matthew Klebanoff Staff Writer

A regular reader of the Washington Post and a political junkie to boot, Jeremy Haber ’06 wouldn’t have imagined a month ago that he would one day land among the top four finalists in the newspaper’s “America’s Next Great Pundit Contest.”

Haber, who is currently enrolled in a joint J.D. /M.B.A. program at Harvard, learned about the competition

through the Post’s online edition.

“The political implications of the 2010 Census for the 2012 presidential (election) was something I had

FEATURE been thinking about writing up as an op-ed,” Haber said. When he saw a promotion for the contest, he finally mustered up the motivation to write the piece.

Haber’s submission, “The num-

bers don’t look good for Democrats,” argues that congressional redistricting due to population growth in the South and Southwest will ultimately aid Republicans in their campaign to regain the White House.

One possible cause of the region’s population increase, Haber wrote, is the influx of undocumented immigrants. “I just thought it was an under-reported story and liked the continued on page 2

Loss stings, but m. soccer already looking to 2010 sat back and allowed the Bears (113-5) to make a furious second-half comeback that fell just short when The men’s soccer team’s season Carolina scored one more goal in ended abruptly Sunday, but the the last minute of the game to players left the field with their heads advance to the third round of the held high. tournament.

“From day one, I knew this The Bears handled Stony group of players was Brook in a 1-0 doublecapable of doing what over time thriller in Sports we did and better than the first round of the what we finished,” said goalkeeper tournament at Stevenson Field on Thursday night.

Paul Grandstrand ’11.

No. 5 seed North Carolina ended The Seawolves and the Bears the men’s soccer team’s dreams of matched each other’s intensity, and a national championship when the the great play from both sides sent Tar Heels downed the Bears, 2-0, the game into overtime. Sean Rosa on Sunday afternoon in Chapel Hill, ’12 scored the golden goal in the N.C. in the second round of the 103rd minute to seal the victor y NCAA tournament. for the Bears, knocking in a Jon UNC (14-2-3) took a 1-0 lead in continued on page 7 the 20th minute. But the Tar Heels

By Katie Wood Assistant Spor ts Editor

Jonathan Bateman / Herald

inside

Midfielder Nick Elenz-Martin ’10 battles for possession during the Bears’ first-round battle against Stony Brook last week at Stevenson Field in the NCAA tournament. The team was knocked out Sunday by North Carolina.

News.....1-4 Metro........5 Sports.....6-7 Editorial..10 Opinion...11 Today........12

www.browndailyherald.com

Metro, 5

Sports, 6

sweet deal Thayer’s pizza parlor has a new owner, name, menu

bad news bears The women’s hockey team dropped two conference games over the weekend

195 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island

editor’s note The Herald will not publish a print edition Wednesday.

Publication will resume on Monday, Nov. 30. herald@browndailyherald.com

Page 2

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Haber ’06 a top finisher in Post’s pundit contest continued from page 1 irony,” he said.

About a month ago, a panel of Post editors chose 10 finalists from a batch of 4,800 entries, and the winner may be announced as soon as today, according to the newspaper’s Web site.

According to the competition guidelines, the winner of the contest will receive the opportunity to write a weekly column for the Post for 13 weeks, at a rate of $200 per column. The Post promises its competition will set the “promising pundit on a path to become the next byline in demand, the talking head every show wants to book, the voice that helps the country figure out what’s really going on.”

Haber made it through four rounds of the five-part competition, which required contestants to blog their thoughts, write columns and field readers’ questions in a live question-and-answer session. After each round, editors and columnists from the Post commented on the aspiring pundits’ work, and readers voted to determine who would be eliminated. Some of those readers regularly offered up criticism and praise in the comments section of the competitors’ posts.

The judges praised Haber for his skill as a reporter and for having the best single answer in the question-and-answer session — in response to a question on the Israeli-Palestian conflict. “There is a leadership vacuum on both sides,” Haber said.

For the most part, Haber had great freedom in choosing the topics for his pieces, which ranged from gay marriage to the Fisher House Foundation, an organization that provides lodging to veterans recovering from injuries.

Though he was eliminated a week ago, Haber isn’t at all bitter about where he placed in the contest.

“I never expected to be a finalist,” he said of being selected as one of the top 10 contestants. “I got to get interviews with people I would have never been able to talk to otherwise, and I had fun with it.”

For his blog posts, Haber spoke with a number of notables — Steve Pagliuca and Alan Khazei, two of the candidates running for the vacant U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts, and Boston Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, among other big names.

At Brown, where he concentrated in political science, Haber didn’t write for any campus publications, though he worked for one semester at the mayor’s office. After graduating, he traveled through Tanzania, volunteered in Rwanda and worked at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he did research on American politics and elections for over two years.

At the moment, Haber is unsure whether he will pursue a career in journalism after graduate school.

“I plan on taking my law school exams first and worrying about future writing after that,” he said.

sudoku

Daily Herald the Brown

Editorial Phone: 401.351.3372 | Business Phone: 401.351.3260 Stephen DeLucia, President Michael Bechek, Vice President

Jonathan Spector, Treasurer Alexander Hughes, Secretary

The Brown Daily Herald (USPS 067.740) is an independent newspaper serving the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement, once during Orientation and once in July by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community.

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Copyright 2009 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

“Why would you want to come to a place like Brown to plagiarize? ” — Omer Bartov, professor of history

A majority of students say they don’t cheat continued from page 1 matters related to the University’s academic code. “It’s not something we ignore.”

Furtado declined to comment on the poll’s findings or to release the office’s data on instances of academic dishonesty, citing concerns about confidentiality.

According to the Office of the Dean of the College, “A student who obtains credit for work, words or ideas that are not the products of his or her own effort is dishonest and in violation of Brown’s Academic Code.” Actions that would constitute violations include copyright infringement, improper or inadequate citation of sources, using unauthorized materials during an examination and copying other students’ work during an examination.

A range of punishments are available to deans, depending on the severity of the offense, including verbal reprimands and loss of credit on the assignment or the course.

Omer Bartov, professor of histor y and chair of the department, said students are “missing out” if they engage in academic dishonesty.

“Why would you want to come to a place like Brown to plagiarize?” Bartov said. “If you don’t want to study, then why spend all the money?”

Andy van Dam, professor of computer science, said he treats plagiarism as a serious problem.

“There are a bunch of people on campus who say, ‘It’s your money, if you want to plagiarize it’s your loss,’ but I believe when we let people who go out of here with a Brown diploma, people see that and assume they’ve learned something,” he said.

Plagiarism “debases the coin of the realm,” he added.

Van Dam estimated that about six of the 150 students in his introductory computer science class each year “think they can get away with plagiarism,” but the types of students who engage in academic dishonesty are varied.

“It’s not just kids who are in real trouble, or desperate,” van Dam said. “It’s also smart kids who can’t stand the idea of losing that A or kids who … work together beyond what’s allowable.”

Briana McGeough ’12 thought

Academic cheating at Brown Don’t know / No answer

2.8%

Admit dishonesty*

17.2%

I have not done any of the above

80.1%

Source: Fall 2009 Herald poll of 687 undergraduates *Includes copying answers off another student’s homework, using outside resources without proper citation, copying answers off another student’s quiz, test or exam, obtaining unauthorized test materials in advance, using notes on a closed-book quiz, test or exam, or submitting someone else’s work as your own .

the poll’s findings accurately reflected the situation on campus.

Because Brown does not have a “cutthroat academic environment,” McGeough said, one would expect the level of academic dishonesty at Brown to be relatively low.

Students are more likely to cheat when they feel over whelmed, she said, adding that cheating might be more common in high-pressure atmospheres.

Clarion Heard ’12 was surprised by the finding that so many respondents denied having cheated, saying that the fraction of students who repor ted that they did not cheat seemed “a little high.”

For instance, Heard said there were two students who sit behind her in class who talk to each other during exams.

“I’ve heard (them) say ‘If you’re sure about an answer, put a dot next to it,’” she said.

Some students said people’s definitions of academic dishonesty often var y — for instance, in terms of what constitutes copying answers on homework.

Abby Colella ’12 said the situation gets “fuzzy” when students work in groups on homework as-

signments. It can be difficult to tell whether ever yone is contributing equally, she said. That said, cheating “doesn’t seem to have a presence” on campus, she added.

Heard said many people do not see copying homework as cheating, adding that she would distinguish between students contributing equally to a discussion of a problem and one person dictating the whole answer.

Though students expressed var ying definitions of when group collaboration on homework becomes dishonest, they said they generally know the line between working together and engaging in academic dishonesty.

The Herald poll was conducted from Nov. 2 through Nov. 4 and has a 3.6 percent margin of error with 95 percent confidence. A total of 687 Brown undergraduates completed the poll, which The Herald administered as a written questionnaire to students in the Mail Room at J. Walter Wilson during the day and in the Sciences Library at night.

— With additional reporting

by Anne Speyer

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

Page 3

C ampus N EWS higher ed news roundup by ellen cushing, sarah husk and anne speyer senior staff writers

Tuition increase at UC schools sets off demonstrations University of California campuses were rocked by student protests and demonstrations in reaction to last Thursday’s vote by UC regents to approve a system-wide 32 percent tuition hike, CNN reported last week.

According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the hike is the largest in the system’s history. CNN reported that university officials estimate the tuition hikes will provide the state, which currently faces a massive budget crisis, with more than $500 million.

At various UC campuses, student protesters staged sitins and occupied administrative buildings. While many of the demonstrators have been cited for trespassing and released without arrest, about 100 protesters have been arrested, according to CNN. At least several campuses have reported demonstrations turning into violent altercations between protesters and police.

Federal court will hear affirmative action case A years-long legal battle over the constitutionality of certain affirmative action policies may be inching closer to a conclusion this week, as a federal appeals court will consider a lawsuit over a 2006 Michigan ban on affirmative action preferences.

According to the Chronicle, in March 2008, U.S. District Court Judge David Lawson dismissed the suit on the grounds that the Michigan ban merely restricts the ability of minority groups to pursue preferential treatment from public colleges and does not infringe upon their legal rights.

A three-judge panel will hear from opponents to Lawson’s decision, who believe that the ban unfairly disadvantages women and members of minority groups applying to state public colleges and is thus unconstitutional.

‘Student tax’ debate heats up in Pittsburgh, too Colleges and universities in Pittsburgh may soon be taxed as part of a controversial proposal unveiled by the city’s mayor as part of the 2010 budget plan, the online magazine Inside Higher Ed reported last week.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl estimated that levying a 1 percent tax on the currently tax-exempt institutions would bring in an annual revenue of $16.2 million, Inside Higher Ed reported. For students, such a tax would translate into an annual fee paid to their respective institutions and derived from their tuitions — somewhere between $27 and $409.

According to Inside Higher Ed, Ravenstahl has already met with opposition from the institutions themselves and from the panel of state appointees that rejected the mayor’s budget proposal, saying it was inconsistent with state tax laws.

Earlier this year, two similar proposals were floated in Providence by Mayor David Cicilline ’83. Both measures were stalled before they could make it to the General Assembly’s special session.

Chaos in Harvard student government election Harvard’s Undergraduate Council voted to certify the election of John Bowman as president Monday. The vote ended a four day period of uncertainty after the validity of Bowman’s razor-thin margin of victory was called into question Thursday.

Bowman, a junior, received 45 more votes than his closest rival, George Hayward, in an election last Thursday, the Crimson reported. Still, the council’s election commission voted to decertify the results, citing concerns over possible electronic tampering.

The election results were first questioned when a member of the election commission was told that Eric Hysen — Bowman’s running mate and the UC’s technical director — had access to software that tabulated raw voting data, according to the Crimson.

The possibility of irregularities was enough to convince a majority of the seven-person commission to vote to decertify the results.

U. supports improved access to medicines

By Sarah Mancone Staff Writer

Six universities, including Brown, have endorsed a set of principles to improve access to affordable medicine in the developing world.

Earlier this month, Brown, Harvard, Yale, Boston University, the University of Pennsylvania, Oregon Health and Science University and the Association of University Technology Managers endorsed the “Statement of Principles and Strategies for the Equitable Dissemination of Medical Technologies.”

The Statement supports “implementing effective technology transfer strategies that promote the availability of health-related technologies in developing countries for essential medical care,” according to a press release.

The principles focus primarily on managing and licensing medical innovations. Together, these principles would “make sure the process of handing off intellectual properties to the companies is not creating

barriers to getting products to the developing world,” said Katherine Gordon, managing director of the Brown Technology Ventures Office.

Licensing the results of research done by universities to drug companies — called “out-licensing” — must be efficient, according to the statement.

“One of our principal goals in outlicensing is to ensure that products of the University’s research are able to reach the public sector and are appropriately developed by third parties,” Gordon added.

To follow these new principles, the Technology Ventures Office will exclude provisions in agreements with third parties that would “limit global access to important medical products,” Gordon said.

A “delicate balance” has to be reached when making agreements with various companies, Gordon said, because the office does not want to give these companies “the tools to segregate out poor countries” by insufficiently and unequally

distributing the medications.

Though these principles will not directly affect researchers, the mission statement also includes plans to support the development of health-related technologies for diseases that “disproportionately burden individuals in the developing world, such as tuberculosis, AIDS, water-borne disease, tropical- and other region-specific ailments and parasitic infections endemic to the developing world.”

“Unquestionably, these strategies are entirely in keeping with our shared mission of bringing all of our discoveries to those who will most benefit from them,” said Harvard Provost Steven Hyman in a statement.

While these new principles aim to speed up the distribution of lifesaving medicines to the developing world, the effects will not be immediately apparent.

“The results from this program will take a long time to be seen overall,” Gordon said. “This is the beginning of a long process.”

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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

C ampus N EWS

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

“When we say prosperity, it is not just a boy-scout slogan.”

— Ambassador Francis Ricciardone on American strategy in Afghanistan

Q & A with Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan Francis Ricciardone future and think things are going the wrong way are in those areas where there is no security or security is very much in threat. And of course that is not only through our troop presence but also our intelligence and law enforcement operation with the government of Afghanistan.

Justice depends on governance — having a government that believes its job is to serve the people and not the other way around, the people ser ving the government.

So we need to help the Afghans themselves organize and build institutions of governance.

And finally, when we say prosperity, it is not just a boy-scout slogan.

You need programs and activities to make an economy function.

By Monique Vernon Staf f Writer

Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan Francis Ricciardone, Jr. sat down with The Herald Monday morning to talk about his life as a diplomat and about American relations with Afghanistan. Ricciardone, who was on campus for an evening lecture titled, “What are We Doing in Afghanistan?” at the Watson Institute for International Studies, agreed to a separate interview but requested that his lecture be “off the record.”

After graduating from Dartmouth College, you began teaching and studying in various countries, including Italy and Iran. How did you go from this to becoming an ambassador for the United States?

Well, I am a career foreign service officer, and I have been in that profession for 31 years, since I came in from the Shah’s Iran in the summer of ’78.

But before that, I had been a schoolteacher and gone around the world. I wanted to see as much of the world as I could. I thought that this profession would offer me a chance to see even more of the world and do different things, and it has not disappointed.

One of the nice things about the foreign service is every couple of years you end up getting a different job, whether in Washington, New York, sometimes with the United Nations and even overseas … you’re constantly learning new things and meeting new people.

You have been an ambassador to many countries, ranging from the Philippines to Egypt and now Afghanistan. What differences have you encountered when working with these nations and what similarities have you seen?

Of course cultures vary so much from one another, but I guess I can say wherever I ser ved there is a keen interest in the United States, not only on the official governmental level, but ordinary people know much more about American culture, politics, histor y than Americans

Kim Perley / Herald

Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan Francis Ricciardone, Jr. gave an “off the record” lecture Monday.

typically know about them. Wherever I have been it has been an asymmetrical kind of relationship in terms of what the host country and national government know about us … Every school child in the fifth or sixth grade studies about the pharaohs, (but) so few Americans now know about modern Egypt and its role in making peace with Israel, for example. No one doubts that those two countries are going to live in peace with each other. American diplomacy helped to solidify that peace, and being part of that as ambassador there a couple of years ago was just an immense privilege and hugely meaningful to see how our development assistance and military assistance could contribute to Egypt’s absolute commitment to living in peace.

How have your previous posts as an ambassador influenced how you do your job now?

When you are an American diplomat, particularly in the kinds of places I’ve served, you learn a lot

about conflict and how conflicts can eventually be — if not resolved — then managed to minimize pain and suffering.

While much of my career was spent dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict, in other places I have served, like the Philippines, I saw the conflict — in the southern part of the Philippines where the Muslims were actually a minority in the larger Christian culture. All of that is serving me in good stead in Afghanistan now, where it is a very complicated conflict. It is not a conflict between the United States and Afghanistan or the U.S. and Al Qaeda even, although we are focusing on Al Qaeda and their role in international terrorism.

There’s a very complicated internal conflict within Afghanistan which is partly ethnic, tribal and partly cultural. I am able to approach the conflict there and its implications for the U.S. and our strong desire to work to support those Afghans who want to resolve the conflict.

There are certain things that outsiders — well-intentioned outsiders like us — can do and there are mistakes we make, that outsiders often make presuming we know more than the people involved.

What are the biggest foreign policy challenges the U.S. is facing in the Afghanistan/Pakistan region? What do you think is the best strategy the U.S. should take?

Our mission is to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaeda and its extremist allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan and prevent their return to either country in the future.

Within that, we try to boil it down to a three-word motto, and the words that the Afghans like to hear are peace, justice and prosperity.

What they mean more operationally is, peace really depends on security. Most Afghans who are feeling good about the countr y are living in the areas where security has improved. And those Afghans who are worried about the

What advice do you have for students who are considering a career in foreign policy?

I had five years of being a schoolteacher in Italy and then Iran, and I’m really glad I did that rather then jumping right into federal service.

You can see the world in a different way, and I think I am a better diplomat for having lived among people in Iran and all over Europe on a very low budget.

Why is the event open to the public but of f the record?

There is kind of a custom, an interface between government and diplomacy and academia … It’s good to have that freedom where I don’t have to worry about someone extracting something and making a headline out of it at a moment of intense public interest in the foreign policy question of Afghanistan. I am a government official after all, and … I need to take great care that I faithfully represent the programs and the policies of the United States of America.

I thought that by making it off the record we could have a slightly more candid conversation with the question and answer part. Especially being around students as bright as Brown students are, I wanted to be able to give everyone a freer reign … It adds a level of protection, I think, for the decision-makers (in Washington).

PLME policy adjusted for students applying to other schools continued from page 1 who do choose to apply elsewhere will be guaranteed a spot in the “first available” Alpert class.

“This may mean a delay in matriculation to AMS should they not secure a spot at another school,” Associate Dean for Medical Education Philip Gruppuso and Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences Edward Wing wrote in their message to PLMEs. According to Gruppuso, the original change was intended to account for the delicacy of the medical school admissions process and the need for schools to be sure they would enroll a full incoming

class each year.

“Honestly, if we were not confronted with the competitive reality of medical school admissions, we would never have been motivated to make this change at all, and especially not for students already here,” he told The Herald Monday.

The number of PLMEs applying out to other schools has increased in recent years, according to the deans’ e-mail. That complicates the calculus required of admissions officers to ensure a full class, Gruppuso said.

But after students expressed opposition and met with the administration, the deans moved to

modify the policy.

“We were trying to balance two conflicting desires: to provide to students the flexibility they’ve come to expect, and at the same time ... the good of the institution,” Grappusso said. “We arrived at a policy that we think is the best solution to a difficult issue.”

About two weeks after the policy was announced earlier this month, a group of four PLME students met with Gruppuso in person to discuss their misgivings about the change.

It was that meeting, Gruppuso said, that pushed the administration to work toward a policy that more students would like.

“The key for me was sitting

and talking to these four juniors,” Gruppuso said. “It was a ver y constructive discussion.”

Arune Gulati ’11, one of the four students, said he was happy to have reached a compromise with the administration and that the revised policy was “definitely a step in the right direction.”

“It definitely works out for the Med School, because they fill their class. And for us, it takes away the whole uncertainty that we won’t get in anywhere,” he said. “We’re still guaranteed a spot, which is fantastic. So I guess in that way it works out for both sides.”

But Gulati expressed disappointment in the fact that the policy

change will affect current students.

“Then again, this is what it should have been all along, because this is what we were promised,” he said.

Unikora Yang ’12, a PLME, also commended the new policy. “It is a good policy considering that medical school admissions is a complicated system,” she said.

Gruppuso said the situation was difficult for both sides.

“We know that there are ver y valid personal reasons for wanting to make a change,” he said. “It’s just a question of, ‘In what ways do the needs and desires of the individual trump the health of the institution?’ ”

Metro The Brown Daily Herald

“Once you open the door on these issues, it’s difficult to close.”

— Councilman John Lombardi, on a law that allows bars to be open late Tuesday, November 24, 2009 | Page 5

R.I. unemployment drops to 12.9 percent

9

6 3

Oct 09

Sep 09

Aug 09

Jul 09

Jun 09

Apr 09

May 09

Mar 09

Feb 09

0 Jan 09

National rate 10.2%

12

Dec 08

Michigan 15.1% Nevada 13.0% Rhode Island 12.9% California 12.5% South Carolina 12.1%

15

Nov 08

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Though Rhode Island’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in October, the state still has the third-highest unemployment in the nation, according to a report released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Ocean State’s unemployment rate fell by 0.1 percentage points to 12.9 percent last month, according to the report.

Rhode Island’s unemployment rate has not posted a decrease since Januar y 2007, according to statistics from the Rhode Is-

land Department of Labor and Training.

From October 2008 to October 2009, unemployment rose by 3.6 percentage points nationally to 10.2 percent, the bureau reported. Over that period, Rhode Island’s unemployment rate increased by 4.1 percentage points and the state lost 20,410 jobs.

A total of 13 states experienced unemployment rate decreases last month, while 29 states and Washington, D.C. saw unemployment increases, according to the bureau. Rates were unchanged in eight states.

Oct 08

These five states have the worst unemployment, according to seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By Joanna Wohlmuth Metro Editor

Percent (%) unemployed

October unemployment

Rhode Island Unemployment Rate

For trial period, city bars may stay open longer

metro in brief

continued from page 1

Alex Bell / Herald

Xtreme Pizza and Wings is out on Thayer Street. Kamal Nouhaili’s Thayer Street Pizza and Wings is there in its place.

A bit less ‘Xtreme’? Out with the old, in with the new on Thayer Street

The legislation is “aimed at eliminating the typical 2 a.m. scene in the city — hundreds of patrons, in various stages of inebriation, pouring into the city’s streets and often leading to trouble,” according to a Nov. 17 press release from the General Assembly.

During the six-month trial period defined in the bill, the Providence Board of Licenses can authorize bars and clubs to stay open until 3 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and the nights before legal state holidays. During the final hour no alcohol can be served and no new customers can enter.

Owners of bars and clubs will have to apply for later hours through the city Board of Licenses, said Andrew Annaldo, the board’s

chairman. He said the police department, mayor’s office, city council and general public will all be part of discussions surrounding the change. Though he said no new licenses will be granted until those discussions are complete, city officials hope the trial program will begin as soon as Jan. 1.

“Pretty much ever yone is on board with the program,” said Councilman John Lombardi, D-Ward 13, adding that the pressure for later closings has mounted over the past five to seven years as nightlife in the city has increased.

The legislation is aimed at creating more of a “trickling effect,” he said. “Right now, there are 7,500 to 10,000 people trying to get out of the same area at once.”

The College Hill neighborhood has less late-night activity than

downtown and has not experienced major problems with 2 a.m. closings, said Lt. John Ryan, commander of Providence Police Department Dist.

9, which includes Brown’s main campus. He said later closings will have a greater effect in areas with a higher density of bars and clubs.

“A more gradual, staggered departure of customers from the clubs over a longer period of time should cut down on the noise, crowding, fights and other problems that have occurred,” according to the press release.

Though later hours are authorized only for the six-month trial period, Lombardi said he expects the change to continue indefinitely.

“It’s a sunshine provision,” he said. “Once you open the door on these issues, it’s difficult to close.”

coffee witho u t the fee

Tucked under stairs that lead up to another restaurant, one of Thayer Street’s pizza parlors has a new owner, and name.

Kamal Nouhaili, co-owner of Thayer Street Pizza and Wings, said he has been trying to re-brand the restaurant’s image since he bought Xtreme Pizza and Wings earlier this month.

“They used to have all kinds of funky pizzas and stuff,” said Nouhaili, who owns another pizza parlor in Cumberland. “We’re trying to make it more like your hometown pizzeria.”

Nouhaili said he bought the restaurant for “a very good price” because the previous restaurant had a bad reputation in terms of both food quality and service. He said he would combat that reputation by improving the food and the attitude of the employees.

While guests may not notice much of a difference in the restaurant’s facilities, the new owners have changed the menu to shift the focus away from wings and pizza.

Other nearby pizza parlors feature pizza by the slice, Nouhaili said, whereas his menu also includes appetizers, pasta, sandwiches, wraps and calzones.

“We’re not trying to compete with Antonio’s, Via Via, Nice Slice — we’ve got very different food,” he said.

He said the restaurant will give a 15 percent discount to members of the Brown community.

— Alex Bell

Freddy Lu / Herald

As part of a promotion for Toyota, a truck was parked on Thayer Street offering free coffee to passersby.

SportsTuesday The Brown Daily Herald

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 | Page 6

M. water polo goes 1-2 at Easterns

By Liza Jones Contributing Writer

The men’s water polo team traveled to Cambridge, Mass. this past weekend to face Bucknell, MIT and Fordham in the Eastern Division Championships. After falling to Bucknell, 8-6, the Bears defeated MIT in overtime, 7-6, but lost to Fordham, 8-7.

Their 1-2 per formance at the championships put an end to what had been an impressive season during which the Bears compiled a 17-12 record, going 5-1 in the Northern Division to win the league championship.

Bucknell 8, Brown 6 In the opening-round match of Easterns, Bucknell’s 5-0 thirdperiod run gave the Bison the win on Friday. Svetozar Stefanovic ’13 led the offense with two goals, and Kent Holland ’10 commanded the cage with nine saves in goal.

Br uno star ted of f with an impressive 4-1 lead in the first half before collapsing. After 24 minutes of play, Bucknell scored five in a row to bring the score to 6-4. Bruno scored one more, followed by two more from the Bison. With 1:30 left on the clock, Dean Serure ’13 scored, but that wasn’t enough to stave of f defeat. Despite the loss, Stefanovic, Gordon Hood ’11 and Holland all earned First Team honors and Corey Schwartz ’11 earned Second Team honors.

Brown 7, MIT 6 (OT) After their opening loss, Brown was determined to come out with a win Saturday against an MIT squad playing before a hometown crowd. The teams fought to the ver y end, with the Bears finally outlasting the Engineers.

Stefanovic scored the first goal of the game, giving Bruno a short-lived lead. But MIT quickly tallied three more for a two-goal cushion. Schwartz notched a goal for the Bears before the half, but the Bears trailed, 3-2.

After the break, Hood evened the score just 2:12 into the second half. The teams continued to take turns in the lead for the rest of the game, with Stefanovic scoring two more and Hood scoring one.

When MIT looked poised to win, holding a 6-5 lead with just 23 seconds left on the clock, Stefanovic lived up to his Northern Division Player of the Year billing and scored to bring the game into overtime.

Over time consisted of two three-minute periods by rule, but Schwartz had fired the gamewinner with 32 seconds left in the first overtime.

Despite the of fensive leaders’ crucial ef for ts, Holland’s impressive job in the cage earned him player of the game honors.

The Brown goalkeeper made 27 saves, including four in the OT periods.

Fordham 8, Brown 7 The following day, Brown played Fordham in the fifth-place game. Hood and Schwartz led the offense with three and two goals, respectively. The Rams began with a 2-0 lead and kept it all the way to halftime, when they led, 6-4. After the third period, the score was 8-5.

The Bears tried not to lose steam, however, and ambitiously attempted to crawl their way back in the fourth and final period. Serure and Hood each scored one goal, which was not enough to seal a win, and the Bears fell, 8-7.

Holland had six saves in goal.

Jonathan Bateman / Herald

Women’s hockey is still looking for its first league win after dropping two games over the weekend.

W. icers still in hunt for first ECAC win

By Andrew Braca Spor ts Editor

The women’s hockey team fell to two tough ECAC opponents over the weekend, losing to Dartmouth, 5-2, on Friday and Harvard, 5-1, on Saturday at Meehan Auditorium.

The Bears (1-6-3, 0-5-3 ECAC) scored one more goal than they had totaled in their previous six games, and goaltender Katie Jamieson ’13 recorded 81 saves over the two games, but Bruno could not keep up the intensity for a full 60 minutes in either game.

Dartmouth 5, Brown 2 The Bears hung tough with the Big Green (4-3-1, 4-3-1 ECAC) for most of the game, trailing by a single goal with six minutes remaining but ultimately succumbed to a ferocious Dartmouth attack that fired 53 shots.

Brown was hampered by the loss of top defender Samantha Stortini ’11, who sat out both games with a concussion. Head Coach Digit Murphy praised Victoria Smith ’13 for stepping up from her previous role as the fifth defender to pair with Nicole Brown ’10 on a full shift schedule for the first time in her career. But Murphy noted the depleted defense tired more easily, especially on special teams.

The Big Green roared out to a 1-0 lead just 3:45 into the game on Camille Dumais’s shot from the right point. Logging a 20-8 advantage in first-period shots, Dartmouth scored again to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

But the Bears came out energized in the second period. Brown got on the board 6:54 after intermission when Erica Kromm ’11 was waiting at the left post to knock Jacquie Pierri’s ’12 shot from the right point into the back of the net.

Paige Pyett ’12 also picked up an assist on the play.

Dartmouth regained the twogoal lead 1:22 later, but Bruno responded at 12:31 when three fresh-

men connected for a goal. Smith sent the puck up to Laurie Jolin ’13, who one-timed a pass right to the stick of Alena Polenska ’13. Polenska charged down the left side of the ice and lifted a shot that beat Big Green goaltender Whitney Woodcox.

Murphy said she was impressed with the way the Bears “fought back” and hung tough with the Big Green, as the score remained 3-2 for the next 22 minutes. But Brown generated just six third-period shots — undone, Murphy said, by five penalties that short-circuited scoring chances and prevented the team from employing its depth.

“Our strength is in our numbers and our energy and our forecheck — that’s how we generate offense,” Murphy said.

Dartmouth had no trouble generating offense, taking 12 shots during the 5:23 Bruno spent in the penalty box en route to 21 total third-period shots. After notching an even-strength goal with 5:05 remaining, the Big Green produced the 5-2 final with a five-on-three goal 23 seconds before the final horn.

Murphy said the penalties killed any chance the Bears had to seize the momentum and tie the game, allowing Dartmouth to pull away.

“We have to make more momentum shifts our way,” she said.

Harvard 5, Brown 1 The Bears created one big momentum shift against the Crimson (5-3-1, 5-3-0), tying the game midway through the second period, but were over whelmed by a flood of power-play goals.

Harvard struck even faster than Dartmouth had when Kaitlin Spurling’s shot from the right point found the back of the net just 3:37 into the game.

Murphy said that though it was a tough start to the game, the team did not fault Jamieson for the goal — especially after her strong play this season.

“Even though it hurt, she’s been

carrying us on her back all year,” Murphy said. “She’s an unbelievable goalie.”

The Bears controlled much of the first period, taking nine shots during a power play lasting 4:43 that included 1:18 with a five-on-three.

But the Bears never got a fortuitous bounce. Crimson goalie Christina Kessler finished the first with 16 saves to keep Bruno off the board.

“We were in their end the whole first period, not only when we had the power plays but even at regular strength,” Murphy said.

Polenska tied the game 6:43 after intermission. After receiving a pass from Kromm, she skated up the right side of the ice and beat Kessler to the upper left corner of the goal. Pierri picked up her second assist of the weekend on the play.

But the Bears collapsed over the final 30 minutes. Five penalties over the final 12:15 of the middle frame led to two second-period goals and another early in the third. The Crimson notched their fifth goal in the final minute as a Brown player was exiting the penalty box.

Brown will take a break from ECAC play this weekend to host St. Cloud State (5-9-0) for a pair of games Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at noon at Meehan. The Huskies, a member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, are fresh off an upset of No. 6 Wisconsin, the defending national champion, but Murphy said the Bears have a chance if they stay out of the box and play full games.

“You take away the penalties, you take away the special teams, I like us 5-on-5,” she said. “I think we’re a good team, (but) we beat ourselves. Until the team starts to understand that, we’ll see what happens, but I know we can beat St. Cloud if we play three periods.”

“We’re playing a period and a half now,” she added. “I hope by the end of this semester we’ll have two, and so by January we’ll play three.”

Page 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

S ports T uesday

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

“It was disappointing that we saved our best for last.”

— David Walls ’11, men’s soccer co-captain

s p o rt s i n b r i e f

W. hoops trumps Central Conn. State to claim year’s first victory The women’s basketball team completed a furious rally to beat Central Connecticut State, 62-59, on Saturday at the Pizzitola Center for its first win of the year.

CCSU roared out to a 24-12 lead midway through the first half and held a 34-28 advantage at halftime but could not extend that lead as the Bears chipped away in the second half.

A jumper by Natalie Bonds ’10 gave the Bears a 58-57 lead, their first of the game, with 3:33 left. A Bonds layup sealed the victory with 1:27 remaining.

Aileen Daniels ’12 led Brown (1-2) with 17 points, followed

by Sheila Dixon ’13 with 11 and Sarah Delk ’11 with 10.

On Wednesday, the Bears fell to American University, 6454, after frittering away a three-point halftime lead. Brown held a 41-34 lead with 14:27 left, but the Bears could not recover when the Eagles went on a 17-0 run over the next 8:28. Christina Johnson ’10 led Bruno with 12 points and six rebounds.

The Bears will travel to Smithfield to face in-state rival Bryant tonight before heading to the Long Island University Turkey Classic over the weekend.

Jesse Morgan / Herald

— Sports Staff Reports

Freshman guard Sheila Dixon drives past a Central Connecticut State defender during Saturday’s win.

Tar Heels stamp out m. soccer’s memorable NCAA run continued from page 1 Okafor ’11 cross from the left side at the far post.

The play remained even between UNC and Brown for the first 20 minutes of the game until a Bears foul gave the Tar Heels a free kick 25 yards out that set up the eventual game-winning goal. Midfielder Kirk Urso sent a ball from 25 yards out on the left side into the box to Billy Schuler, who sent a header to the back of the net from the middle of the six-yard box. Grandstrand got caught on a 50-50 going for the ball and it deflected off his hands.

“We’re usually good against set pieces,” said co-captain David Walls ’11, a defender. “It was disappointing to give up a goal in that fashion.”

The Bears failed to get a quality look on goal in the first half but turned things around in the second in an urgent manner. They finally began a fierce comeback in the game’s closing 30 minutes.

Jay Hayward ’12 recorded the first shot on goal on the day for the Bears when he sent a free kick at the keeper, but Tar Heel Brooks Haggerty pursued the ball with great vision, picking up one of his two saves.

“It was different playing a team from the ACC, since it’s a different type of soccer — that kind of threw us off a little, and we couldn’t get into much of a rhythm,” Grandstrand said.

The Tar Heels answered right back, as Alex Dixon and Schuler sent two one-on-one shots on goal at Grandstrand, but the Brown goalie kept the game within reach with two saves in five minutes.

The Bears continued their second-half offensive surge and tallied several more shots to challenge Haggerty in goal. With 15 minutes remaining in the game, Rob Medairos ’12 touched the ball to Taylor Gorman ’12, who narrowly missed the goal with a shot that sailed over the net.

“It was disappointing to work so hard during the season to get to the big game and not get the win,” Walls said. “It was disappointing that we saved our best for last.”

Dylan Remick ’13 got the last best look on goal for Brown in the 88th minute when he sent a ball just high, clanking off the cross bar, that almost hooked its way into the goal for the equalizer.

Many of Carolina’s offensive opportunities came off of counterattacks when the Bears were pressed for ward in search of the game-tying goal. Bruno was caught in UNC territor y on the Remick shot, and the Tar Heels sent the ball the other direction to Dixon, who broke away from the Brown defense. He sent a shot at Grandstrand from eight yards out and iced the game with a one-on-one goal, the final dagger that ended the Bears’ 2009 season.

UNC held an 11-5 shot advantage over Brown. Haggerty saved both of the Bears’ shots on goal and Grandstrand shined in net with five saves on seven shots on goal.

Brown ended the season with a very well-balanced offensive attack, as 12 players scored goals this season. The Bears outscored opponents by a two-to-one margin on the year. Nick Elenz-Martin ’10, Austin Mandel ’12, Thomas McNamara ’13 and Rosa led the team with

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five goals apiece.

“Ever yone gave inspiration and a commitment that definitely helped us through tricky positions and challenges we faced this season, and we usually would come out on top because of the overall team effort,” Walls said.

The Bears will lose four seniors to graduation: Elenz-Martin, T.J. Thompson ’10, Jarrod Schlenker ’10 and co-captain Thomas Thunell ’10.

But the team will return the bulk of its starting line-up and look to build off a season of hard work as it heads into the offseason. “This past

offseason we had 6 a.m. workouts three days a week,” Grandstrand said. “We put our minds to it and knew that we needed to work hard.

That will definitely be carried on into this upcoming spring, building off of our performance from this past season.”

World & Nation The Brown Daily Herald

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 | Page 8

Wealthy nations outsource crops to Ethiopia’s farmlands

By Stephanie McCrummen Washington Post

Bako, Ethiopia — In recent months, the Ethiopian government began marketing abroad one of the hottest commodities in an increasingly crowded and hungr y world: farmland.

“Why Attractive?” reads one glossy poster with photos of green fields and a map outlining swaths of the countr y available at bargain-basement prices. “Vast, fertile, irrigable land at low rent.

Abundant water resources. Cheap labor. Warmest hospitality.”

This impoverished and chronically food-insecure Horn of Africa nation is rapidly becoming one of the world’s leading destinations for the booming business of land leasing, by which relatively rich countries and investment firms are securing 40- to 99-year contracts to farm vast tracts of land.

Governments across Southeast Asia, Latin America and especially Africa are seizing the chance to attract this new breed of investors, wining and dining executives, creating land-leasing agencies and land catalogues to showcase their offerings of earth. In Africa alone, experts estimate that about 50 million acres — roughly the size of Nebraska —have been leased in the past two years.

The trend is driven in par t by last year’s global food crisis.

Relatively wealthy countries are shoring up their food supplies by growing staple crops abroad.

The deser t kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for instance, is shifting wheat production to Africa. The government of India, where land is crowded and overfarmed, is offering incentives to companies to car ve out mega farms across the continent.

Increasingly, though, purely profit-seeking companies are snatching up land, making a simple, if somewhat grim, calculation.

As one Saudi-backed businessman here put it, “The population of the world is increasing dramatically, so land and food supplies will be short, demand will be higher and prices will rise.”

The scale and pace of the land scramble has alarmed policymakers and others concerned about the implications for food security in countries such as Ethiopia, where officials recently appealed for food aid for about 6 million people as drought devastates parts of East Africa. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization is in the midst of a food security summit in Rome where some of the 62 heads of state attending are to discuss a code of conduct to govern land deals, which are being struck with little public input.

“These contracts are pretty thin,” said David Hallam, a deputy director at the FAO. “You see statements from ministers where they’re basically promising ever ything with no controls, no conditions.”

The harshest critics of the practice conjure bleak images of poor Africans star ving as food is hauled off to rich countries. Some express concern that decades of industrial farming will leave good land spoiled even as local populations surge. And skeptics also say the political contexts cannot be ignored.

“We don’t trust this government,” said Merera Gudina, a leading opposition figure here who accuses Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of using the land policy to hold on to power. “We are afraid this government is buying diplomatic support by giving away land.”

But many exper ts are cautiously hopeful, saying that big agribusiness could feed millions by industrializing agriculture in countries such as Ethiopia, where about 80 percent of its 75 million people are farmers who plow their

fields with oxen.

“If these deals are negotiated well, I tell you, it will change the dynamics of the food economy in this countr y,” said Mafa Chipeta, the FAO’s representative in Ethiopia, dismissing the worst-case scenarios. “I can’t believe Ethiopia or any other government would allow their countr y to be used like an empty womb. The human spirit would not allow it.”

Few countries have embraced the trend as zealously as Ethiopia, where hard-baked eastern deserts fade into spectacularly lush and green western valleys fed by the Blue Nile. Only a quarter of the countr y’s estimated 175 million fertile acres is being farmed.

Desperate for foreign currency, the government of former Marxist rebels who once proclaimed “land to the tiller!” has set aside more than 6 million acres for agribusiness. Lured with 40-year leases and tax holidays, investors are going on farm shopping sprees, crisscrossing the countr y on chartered flights to pick out their swaths of Ethiopian soil.

Indian companies have committed $4.2 billion so far. Anand Seth, director general of the Federation of Indian Expor t Organizations, described Africa as “the next big thing” in investment opportunities and markets.

As he stood on a little hill overlooking 30,000 acres of rich, black soil, Hanumantha Rao, chief general manager of the Indian company Karuturi Agro Products, agreed.

So far, he said, the Ethiopian government has imposed few requirements on his company.

“From here,” Rao said, “you can see the past and the future of Ethiopian agriculture.”

From there — a farm just west of Addis Ababa — it was possible to see a river designated for irrigating cornfields and rice paddies; it is no longer open for locals to water their cows. Several shiny

green tractors bounced across the six-mile-long field where teff, the local grain, once grew. Hundreds of Ethiopian workers, overseen

by Indian super visors, were bent over rows of corn stalks, cutting weeds tangled around them with small blades.

Many of the workers were children. The day rate: 8 birr — about 70 cents.

“The people are ver y happy,” said Rao, who will soon super vise a second farm spanning about 60 square miles. “We have no problems with them.

As a worker spoke to one of his super visors, he whispered that the company had refused to sign a wage contract and had failed to deliver promised water and power to nearby villages. Super visors treat them cruelly, he said, and most workers were just biding time until they could go work for a Chinese construction company rumored to pay $2 to $4 a day.

“We are not happy,” said the man, a farmer-tur ned-tractor driver who did not give his name

because he feared being fired. “I’m a machine operator and I make 800 birr (about $65) a month. This is the most terrible pay.”

Rao said he had trained about 60 Ethiopians to drive tractors; others would learn to run shellers, and how to fertilize and irrigate land. If things work as they should, he said, Ethiopians will adopt the modern techniques in their own farms.

Along a muddy road leading to Karuturi farm, people said they were hopeful that might happen.

But they were not sure how. Most said they were struggling just to buy government-subsidized fertilizer, much less tractors. In any case, Ethiopians cannot own land, instead holding “use certificates” for their tiny plots, making it difficult to get loans, or to sell or increase holdings.

“We think they might be beneficial to us in the future,” said Yadeta Fininsa, referring to the new companies coming to town.

“But so far we have not benefited anything.”

Study: Kids in home-based day care watch more television

By Emma Brown Washington Post

Children who attend home-based day-care programs are watching twice as much television per day as was previously thought, according to a study released online Monday and published in the December issue of Pediatrics.

In a sur vey of 168 child-care programs in four states, researchers found that toddlers, ages 1 to 3, in home-based day-care centers watched an average of 1.6 hours of television there each day, including videos and DVDs. Preschool-age children, 3 to 5 years old, watched

2.4 hours a day in home-based centers.

Prior studies have estimated that preschool-age children watch one to three hours of television a day. But those relied on reports from parents about children’s habits at home and did not count the time they spent in front of the television during day care, underestimating the total TV time by up to 100 percent, researchers said.

“I hope that this is a wake-up call,” said Dimitri Christakis of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute, the study’s lead author. “President Obama famously asked parents to turn off their children’s television

sets, and you might ask day-care providers to do the same thing, since watching television is not part of what early-childhood education should be.”

Studies have linked televisionwatching in young children to obesity, aggression, cognitive delays and decreased attention spans. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages television-watching for children under 2 and recommends that older children watch no more than two hours of television a day.

The research, funded by a University of Washington endowment and the first in 20 years to examine television-watching in day care, suggests

wide variations among programs.

Children in center-based programs, which are not in homes, spent 1.8 fewer hours in front of a screen than their peers in home-based programs, the study said. And home-based programs whose staff members had either a two- or four-year college degree were associated with 1.4 fewer hours of television a day than home-based programs whose staff lacked college degrees.

Center-based day-care programs might rely less on television than home-based providers because they generally have lower child-to-adult ratios, Christakis said, and their employees tend to be more highly

educated.

Christakis urged parents to cut down on screen time at home and to ask prospective day-care providers about television use.

Christakis said states should consider tightening licensing requirements. No matter how educational the program, he said, television-watching displaces components of high-quality child care, including outdoor playtime and opportunities to interact with peers and teachers. “ ‘Sesame Street’ is a good show, and there are other good shows,” Christakis said. “But ‘Sesame Street’ was never intended to replace human interaction.”

Page 9

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

World & Nation

Nuclear power winning new support

By Anthony Faiola Washington Post

LONDON — Nuclear power, long considered environmentally hazardous, is emerging as perhaps the world’s most unlikely weapon against climate change, with the backing of even some green activists who once campaigned against it.

It has been 13 years since the last new nuclear power plant opened in the United States. But around the world, nations under pressure to reduce the production of climate-warming gases are turning to low-emission nuclear energy as never before. The Obama administration and leading Democrats, in an effort to win greater support for climate change legislation, are eyeing federal tax incentives and loan guarantees to fund a new crop of nuclear power plants across the United States that could eventually help drive down carbon emissions.

From China to Brazil, 53 plants are now under construction worldwide, with Poland, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia seeking to build their first reactors, according to global watchdog groups and industry associations. The number of plants being built is double the total of just five years ago.

Rather than deride the emphasis on nuclear power, some environmentalists are embracing it. Stephen Tindale typifies the shift.

When a brigade of Greenpeace activists stormed a nuclear power plant on the shores of the North Sea a few years ago, scrawling “danger’ on its reactor, Tindale was their commander. Then head of the group’s British office, he remembers, he stood outside the plant just east of London telling TV crews all the reasons “why nuclear power was evil.”

The construction of nuclear plants was banned in Britain for years after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in what was then the Soviet Union. But now the British are weighing the idea of new nuclear plants as part of the battle against climate change, and Tindale is among several environmentalists who are backing the plan.

“It really is a question about the greater evil — nuclear waste or climate change,” Tindale said.

“But there is no contest anymore.

Climate change is the bigger threat, and nuclear is part of the answer.”

A number of roadblocks may yet stall nuclear’s comeback — in particular, its expense. Two nextgeneration plants under construction in Finland and France are billions of dollars over budget and seriously behind schedule, raising longer-term questions about the feasibility of new plants without major government support. Costs may be so high that energy companies find financing hard to secure even with government backing.

But exper ts also point to a host of improvements in nuclear technology since the Chernobyl

accident and the partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania in 1979. Most notable is an 80 percent drop in industrial accidents at the world’s 436 nuclear plants since the late 1980s, according to the World Association of Nuclear Operators.

So far at least, the start of what many are calling “a new nuclear age” is unfolding with only muted opposition — nothing like the protests and plant invasions that helped define the green movement in the United States and Europe during the 1960s and 1970s.

As opposition recedes, even nations that had long vowed never to build another nuclear plant — such as Sweden, Belgium and Italy — have recently done an aboutface as they see the benefits of a nearly zero-emission energy overriding the dangers of radioactive waste disposal and nuclear proliferation.

In the United States, leading environmental groups have backed climate change bills moving through Congress that envision new American nuclear plants.

An Environmental Protection Agency analysis of the WaxmanMarkey bill passed by the House, for instance, shows nuclear energy generation more than doubling in the United States by 2050 if the legislation is made law. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing applications for 22 new nuclear plants from coast to coast.

To be sure, many green groups remain opposed to nuclear energy, and some, such as Greenpeace, have refused to back U.S. climate change legislation. Groups that support the bills, such as the Sierra Club, say they are doing so because the legislation would also usher in the increased use of renewable energies like wind and solar as well as billions of dollars in investment for new technologies. They do not say they think nuclear energy is the solution in and of itself.

“Our base is as opposed to nuclear as ever,” said David Hamilton, director of the Global Warming and Energy Program for the Sierra Club in Washington. “You have to recognize that nuclear is only one small part of this.”

But Steve Cochran, director of the National Climate Campaign at the Environmental Defense Fund — a group that opposed new nuclear plants in the United States as recently as 2005 — also described a new and evolving “pragmatic” approach coming from environmental camps. “I guess you could call it `grudging acceptance,’ “ he said.

“If we are really serious about dealing with climate change, we are going to have to be willing to look at a range of options and not just rule things off the table,” he said. “We may not like it, but that’s the way it is.”

That position, obser vers say, marks a significant departure. “Because of global warming, most of the big groups have become less

active on their nuclear campaign, and almost all of us are taking another look at our internal policies,” said Mike Childs, head of climate change issues for Friends of the Earth in Britain. “We’ve decided not to officially endorse it, in part because we feel the nuclear lobby is already strong enough. But we are also no longer focusing our energies on opposing it.”

Some leading environmental figures, including former Vice President Al Gore, remain skeptical of nuclear’s promise, largely because of the high cost of building plants and the threat of proliferation, illustrated by Iran’s recent attempts to blur the lines between energy production and a weapons program. Other countries seeking to build their first nuclear plants would probably purchase fuel from secure market sources in Europe and the United States, rather than enrich their own. And experts remain cautious about the prospect of seeing so much nuclear fuel in global circulation.

“I’m assuming the waste and safety problems get resolved, but cost and proliferation still loom as ver y serious problems” with nuclear energy, Gore told The Washington Post’s editorial board this month. “I am not anti-nuclear, but the costs of the present generation of reactors is nearly prohibitive.”

Yet for nations such as Britain — home of the world’s first commercial nuclear plant — a return to nuclear is seen as essential to the goal of meeting aggressive targets for reducing carbon emissions.

As reserves of natural gas from the North Sea dwindle, Britain also is betting on nuclear to help maintain a measure of energy independence.

After years of resisting new plants after the Chernobyl meltdown, the government did an initial about-face in 2007, calling for a list of possible sites for reactors. This month, British officials announced plans to fast-track construction of 10 plants. They will also push for more wind and solar energy, but those technologies are still seen by many to have limitations because of problems with transmission and scale, while “clean coal” plants are years from commercial viability.

As may happen in the United States, the plants in Britain are expected to go up in communities with existing nuclear complexes where support for them is already high.

Tindale, 46, publicly switched his position less than a year after leaving his job as head of Greenpeace here. But his opinion began to change earlier, he said. Rather than being vilified by environmentalists, his public shift has sparked a thoughtful debate here among opponents, supporters and those on the fence.

“Like many of us, I began to slowly realize we don’t have the luxury anymore of excluding nuclear energy,” he said. “We need all the help we can get.”

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Home sales rebound to early-2007 level

By Dina ElBoghdady Washington Post

WASHINGTON — Economists and policy-makers got what they were looking for Monday: a clear uptick in the housing market. The catch is, few believe it’s sustainable.

The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of existing single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums in October surged to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.1 million units from 5.54 million in September — making last month the strongest since February 2007.

Sales were up 23.5 percent from last October.

Every piece of housing data is scrutinized these days because it was primarily the housing market that derailed the U.S. economy, and its recovery is key to restoring economic vitality.

Low home prices, federal programs that helped push down interest rates and a temporary $8,000 federal tax credit mostly for firsttime buyers have all played a role in boosting home sales in recent months. As sales picked up, the excess supply of homes started shrinking and prices began stabilizing.

But real doubts linger about whether these gains can be maintained, especially if unemployment continues to rise and government intervention is curtailed. The federal “cash for clunkers” program boosted auto sales, for instance, but only temporarily. And many economists forecast weak growth once the government’s broader economic stimulus spending winds down.

On Tuesday, Federal Reserve leaders are expected to project continued high levels for the unemployment rate through at least 2011 when the Fed releases its forecast for future economic growth.

“The number one worry is the labor market,” said Adam York, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities.

“We’re still losing jobs at a pretty hefty clip. ... Without income, no one’s going to be buying a house or anything else.”

On Monday, the Realtors group singled out the tax credit for the surprisingly strong October sales.

That credit was due to expire Nov. 30 and buyers rushed to get in under the wire. It was recently extended to April 30 and expanded to include repeat buyers, who will be eligible for a $6,500 refund starting Dec. 1.

Monday’s report showed that every region in the country experienced an increase in sales, led by the Midwest, where sales rose 14.4 percent. The South, had a 12.7 percent increase, followed by the Northeast at 11.6 percent and the West at 1.6 percent.

Nationally, sales have risen in six of the past seven months, with August the sole exception.

“Were the October numbers goosed by people thinking the home buyers’ tax credit will go away? Yes,” said Thomas Lawler, an economist and housing consultant. “Is it likely we’ll see one more ver y strong

home-sales number in November?

Yes ... But is it sustainable? Probably not.”

Even Lawrence Yun, the Realtors group’s chief economist, conceded that a sharp rise in October and November sales cannot hold in the coming months.

“A measurable decline should be anticipated in December and early next year before another surge in spring and early summer,” Yun said in a statement. He attributed the renewed activity next year to the typical start of the home selling season supported by the continuing tax credit.

But other economists doubt that the tax credit with prompt another jump in sales. Many of the prospective buyers originally targeted by the credit have taken advantage of it already, while others are unlikely to do so because employment conditions have weakened.

“The tax-credit program has no doubt turbocharged the market,” said Michael Larson, a housing analyst at Weiss Research. “But going forward, it’s not going to be any great rebound but an anemic one.

It’s going to be three steps forward and two steps back.”

Monday’s report also showed that the national median home price fell 7.1 percent, to $173,100, in October compared with a year earlier, the smallest drop since June 2008.

With prices low, bargain hunters snapped up deals, particularly aggressively priced foreclosures, and the supply of homes at the end of October fell 3.7 percent, to 3.57 million, the lowest level in more than twoand-a-half years, the report said. If sales were to continue at the current pace, it would take seven months to sell them. Six months is generally considered to be healthy.

Larson said the sales frenzy has helped remove 1 million existing homes from the market. The number of newly built homes has also plunged as builders have refrained from adding homes to the market.

“That’s what you want to see,” Larson said. “That is what is clearly foretelling an eventual turn in pricing for the better.”

But as is often the case with housing, the good news is intertwined with the bad, demonstrating just how fragile the market is.

Government data released last week showed that new-home construction took an unexpected tumble in October, falling to its lowest level in six months. Housing starts fell 10.6 percent, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 529,000.

Other rude surprises may be on the way. One unknown is how many more foreclosures will hit the market in coming months as loan modifications for troubled borrowers fall through and lenders start marketing foreclosures that they had not previously put up for sale.

That “shadow inventory,” said economist Patrick Newport of IHS Global Insight, “is still a large number.”

Editorial & Letters The Brown Daily Herald

Page 10 | Tuesday, November 24, 2009

franny choi

corrections

e d i to r i a l

Due to an editing error, a photo caption on yesterday’s front page (“Supercomputer welcomed with optimism,” Nov. 23) incorrectly identified the figure shown cutting the ribbon at a ceremony for the computer’s opening as Gov. Donald Carcieri ’65. That person should have been identified as the University’s vice president for research, Clyde Briant. Carcieri is second from the right in the photo.

Consolidation

An article in yesterday’s paper (“Brown scientists over the moon for lunar water find,” Nov. 23) quoted Professor of Geology James Head as saying that Associate Professor of Geology Alberto Saal “found water in lunar volcanic gases.” In fact, Saal discovered water in lunar volcanic glasses, not gases.

t h e b r o w n d a i ly h e r a l d Editor-in-Chief Steve DeLucia

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Opinions Editor Opinions Editor

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Rhode Island’s dismal financial condition is no longer news, and the state’s economic problems have only worsened in recent months.

Last week, the governor’s office issued a report projecting a $220 million deficit for the current fiscal year. Revenues from sales, income and business taxes fell below previous estimates, according to an article in last Tuesday’s Providence Journal. State unemployment insurance taxes are set to increase for over 30,000 employers in Januar y who are, by any measure, already overtaxed.

In September, the Tax Foundation, a Washington think tank, ranked Rhode Island 44th in the countr y in its 2010 State Business Tax Climate Index, behind ever y other state in New England. By our lights, the state has three options to address the budgetar y crisis: raise taxes, cut spending or do both.

We favor the second approach, since high taxes account for many of the state’s current difficulties. Amy Kempe, a spokeswoman for Governor Donald Carcieri ’65, told the Providence Journal, “There are no easy decisions. There’s no low hanging fruit.”

We believe, on the other hand, that the state’s dire financial situation presents a ripe opportunity for instituting changes that have been talked about for years. Rhode Island should substantially reduce its public spending by consolidating its excess of municipal governments.

There are now 39 self-governing cities and towns in Rhode Island, an average of one for ever y 27,000 residents. A recently gathered state senate commission on municipal ser-

vices suggested merging tax collection and assessment ser vices in the near future.

We would advise adding a few other services to that list — most prominently, firefighting, schooling and waste management.

Combined ser vices would lower average costs by taking full advantage of economies of scale. These reforms would also help Rhode Island cut the deadweight from its bloated public sector.

Fortunately, state legislators have come to realize that local governments are living beyond their means. Frank Ciccone III, DDist. 7, has said he will introduce a bill in January proposing the establishment of four or five county-level governments in place of the current 39.

If public sector unions, the main opponents of consolidation, are successful in blocking this reform, we suggest combining ser vices first and cutting public employees loose at some time later. The state should implement other reforms to encourage municipalities to combine ser vices in the near future.

Under current law, local tax increases are capped at 4.5 percent. We urge state legislators to freeze local taxes this year in order to force cities and towns to cut costs further. The consolidation of local government and ser vices is long overdue and will hopefully make Rhode Island competitive with its neighbors long after the recession has abated.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@ browndailyherald.com.

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Opinions The Brown Daily Herald

Tuesday, November 24, 2009 | Page 11

The one that got away Jared Lafer Opinions Columnist The open curriculum provides us with a framework for incomparable academic freedom. We can take basically whatever course we want, choose our grading system, add and drop courses on a whim and create courses and concentrations if the current availabilities don’t meet our fancies.

But despite all this freedom, I’ve talked to a number of students who have left or will leave Brown regretting not being able to pursue all of their academic interests. “The one that got away,” they say sullenly, dead on the inside.

This might seem a bit strange to the outsider. After all, one would think that Brown students would exploit the open curriculum and take all of the courses they want to take before Father Time whisks them away into the real world.

But the system is unfortunately stacked against us.

Students generally graduate having taken 32 courses. The average A.B. student probably uses 12 courses to fill concentration requirements; the average Sc.B. student probably uses 17 courses to fill concentration requirements. Most students probably fool around with about 15 courses, and by that I mean elect to explore areas outside their own concentration-to-be.

For a lot of students, however, these 15 courses are not enough to meaningfully pur-

sue any academic interests they might develop before graduation.

This is explainable, as our educations tend to evolve in such a way as to limit our course flexibility when it really matters, even with the open curriculum.

During freshman year, and to a slightly lesser extent sophomore year, there’s nothing really substantial to guide our course selections. We come to Brown with some interests, we use those interests to focus our course selections and, more often than not,

courses we have to use in our later years.

This is tragic, for it is in our later years when we have perspective; our interests are in check, and we know what we want out of our education. So we often do not have the courses to spare when we want to pursue interests that have developed outside of our concentration (at least not to any significant degree).

This is even truer for double concentrators, who make up about 20 percent of the Brown class and are generally pressed to

We often do not have the courses to spare when we want to pursue interests that have developed outside of our concentration (at least not to any significant degree). we end up abandoning those interests, at least in part.

For example, I came to Brown wanting to concentrate in physics; I’m now a philosophy major. Likewise, I’m sure you or someone you know declared a different concentration than intended upon entering college.

Because we don’t really have a firm focus in the beginning, we’re kind of blindly shooting bullets at department buildings and hoping to hit something worthwhile. The average student takes courses in a bunch of areas that he thinks he will enjoy, and gradually narrows down his interests until he finds something in which he wants to concentrate.

While this method is certainly effective, it severely cuts away at the number of elective

fill more than 20 course requirements. The same goes for double degree earners: while students in the Sc.B./A.B. or M.A./A.B. degree programs are provided an extra year to fulfill their degree requirements, they regularly push 25 course requirements.

The bottom line is that no matter what, some students are going to come out of college without having pursued all of their academic interests, at least to their satisfaction.

I’m going to go out on a whiny limb here and say this isn’t fair, and suggest something be done about it.

For that something, we turn to the University of Rochester. Rochester is very similar to Brown. Both schools have open curriculums (though at Rochester students are

required to complete “clusters” of courses). Both schools have a major research focus, both schools are in the Northeast, both schools have students. So I think a comparison between the schools is valid.

The University of Rochester has a unique program called Take Five Scholars. This program is directed toward students who are interested in academic enrichment for the sake of enrichment. Students are permitted to stay in college (at Rochester or even abroad) for a fifth year, tuition-free, and take whatever courses they like, as long as they collectively serve to fulfill some sort of intellectual interest outside of their major.

Students must submit a proposal and a cohesive course program to a committee, which accepts students who demonstrate the potential to genuinely grow intellectually from taking a fifth year; likewise, the student must show that he or she was unable to undertake the relevant studies during his or her former undergraduate years. There is no minimum GPA requirement, so anyone with these qualities can apply.

Only 68 students were enrolled in this program at Rochester during the 2008-2009 year, and so only a small fraction of students are allowed to remain behind each year. But I’m sure those 68 students leave college feeling much more intellectually fulfilled, and I see no reason why Brown students shouldn’t be given the same opportunity.

Jared Lafer ’11 is a philosophy concentrator from Manhattan.

He can be reached at jared_lafer@brown.edu.

Bicycle bewilderment Ethan Tobias Opinions Columnist It is not surprising that many students bike around campus. The bicycle is the most efficient means of transportation ever invented.

For environmentally conscious Brown students, biking is a way to avoid having a car or renting a Zipcar. For those who have jobs, volunteer off-campus or are in a rush, biking might be the only way to get where they need to be in a reasonable time period. And, for the rest of us, biking can be just plain fun and enjoyable.

While there are many positive attributes to biking, and I commend all those who choose to bike, biking etiquette on campus has left me puzzled. How is it that students can be so careless about how they bike but care so much about everything else?

Bicycles are actually vehicles and are treated as such by the law. Last week, I was almost broadsided when crossing Meeting Street by the BioMed Center. The street is one-way, so naturally I looked in the only direction from which vehicles are legally allowed to come. After assuring myself that no vehicle was coming, I stepped off the curb only to be saved by a last-minute swerve from a bicycle going the wrong way down the street. And this is not the only violation of traffic laws that I have seen at Brown.

Almost daily, I see a cyclist approach an intersection, completely oblivious that another vehicle might be coming from another direction. Stop signs and red lights are ignored, or are, at best, cause for a slight slowdown. This behavior is particularly appalling during the busiest times of the day, when the indifference to traffic laws turns from being merely unlawful to downright dangerous.

Nighttime bike riders are just as likely as their daytime counterparts to be careless about safety. However, their foolish dis-

safety are completely ignored.

These behaviors are not just downright risky; they also undercut the entire point of riding a bicycle in the first place. If you were riding because you were in a rush, the extra two seconds it would have taken to put a helmet on would be worth not landing yourself in the emergency room because you hit a pothole and fell headfirst into the asphalt — which is surely not very likely on Providence’s incredibly well-paved streets. The same can be said for other simple safety tips

How is it that students can be so careless about how they bike but care so much about everything else?

regard for things like “right of way” is often compounded with lack of reflectors, making it very difficult for cars to see renegade cyclists.

To these students — and you know who you are — at least put on something yellow or orange instead of relying on the very elaborate vision tests that are given at the Department of Motor Vehicles to be your saving grace. But I guess when most cyclists are “too cool” or “ironic” to simply wear helmets, it is no surprise that other matters of

like taking the time to look both ways at stop signs and not going the wrong way down one way streets.

There is one morbid bright side to the logic of unsafe riding. Those of you who ride because it is the environmentally conscious thing might be doing more than you intended. Humans use up a tremendous amount of the earth’s resources, and reducing overpopulation will go a long way towards reducing carbon emissions. I doubt that hazardous biking etiquette is part of some master

scheme to reduce this huge source of emissions, but you would not know it judging by the way in which many cyclists on campus behave.

I do really wish that cyclists would see the light (like the red one that means stop) and start to have some common decency. It does not have to be more difficult than anything you learned when you were a kid biking around the neighborhood.

While we are on the subject, please lock your bicycles to the convenient bicycle racks on campus and not to any random pole or tree. These simple steps will afford pedestrians and drivers some peace of mind when negotiating the streets around campus.

Please do not see this column as an attack on cyclists and bicycles. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve biking with my friends and family. And I am quite sure that if I needed to get anywhere off-campus on a regular basis, I too would join the ranks of student cyclists. My only concern is that people have some common decency to make smart decisions about their means of transportation. Bicycles are environmentally friendly, fast and fun; their riders should use them well and safely.

Ethan Tobias ’12 does not want to be the only one wearing a helmet when he brings his bicycle to campus. He can be reached at ethan_tobias@brown.edu.

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Q&A with the Deputy Ambassador to Afghanistan

W. hockey still winless in conference

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

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t h e n e w s i n i m ag e s

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7 c a l e n da r

Today, November 24

Wednesday, November 25

12:00 p.m. — Energy Sciences Seminar, MacMillan 317

Thanksgiving Recess Classes resume Monday, Nov. 30

comics Dot Comic | Eshan Mitra and Brendan Hainline

7:00 P.M. — Peer Support Network Open Hours, Sarah Doyle Women’s Center 204

menu Sharpe Refectory

Verney-Woolley Dining Hall

Lunch — Tortilla Casserole, Vegan Stuffed Acorn Squash, Chipotle Chicken Pizza

Lunch — Hot Ham on a Bulkie Roll, Vegetarian Pot Pie, Fudge Bars

Dinner — Cavatelli Primavera, Curry Chicken with Coconut, Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Dinner — Roast Beef au Jus, Vegan Vegetable Couscous, Italian Vegetarian Saute

Birdfish |Matthew Weiss

crossword

Classic How to Get Down| Nate Saunders

Classic Deo| Daniel Perez

Never miss a day. comics.browndailyherald.com