News

eXpressions show wows with variety

Kanye West as a ballet composer? Tchaikovsky must be rolling in his grave.That is just a taste of the blend of styles present in the fall semester eXpressions show, fittingly titled ?Kaleidoscope.? The show is a melange of dances from jazz to lyrical to the Robot.The variety was one of many impressive aspects of the show.

News & Notes: Cottage Club flooded by burst pipe

Flooding caused by a burst water pipe has temporarily closed the Cottage Club dining room, club members confirmed Thursday evening.The members, who were granted anonymity because they are not permitted to speak for the club, said they believe the burst occurred in the early morning hours on Thursday, and officers announced the incident to the club in an e-mail later that day.

Feds choose not to charge Spitzer ’81

Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer ?81 (D) will not face charges in the prostitution scandal that led to his resignation last spring, according to a statement made today by Michael Garcia, U.S.

Of hard drives and crashes

There?s a British joke from the 1960s about the Irish airline Aer Fungus offering its first completely automated flight without a human pilot.

Dalai Lama withdrawal would disrupt talks, scholar says

The Dalai Lama?s expected withdrawal from talks with China on the issue of Tibetan autonomy will terminate ongoing mediation efforts, said Robert Barnett, lecturer in Modern Tibetan Studies at Columbia, in a lecture in Robertson Hall on Thursday.Barnett said the failure of the current talks ? the eighth round since 2002 ? is due to China?s aggressive stance toward Tibet, the country?s unwillingness to make concessions and the Dalai Lama?s continued efforts to draw attention to the situation.In response to protests within Tibet earlier this year, China launched a ?patriotic education? campaign, Barnett explained.The campaign, which was initiated to denounce the Dalai Lama, has led to the ?institutionalization of abuse,? he said, explaining that under this program ?all monks and officials have to sign documents that literally record the primary insults and criticisms of the Dalai Lama.?Barnett cited a recent article published by the Chinese press that said the ?Dalai Lama deserved to be ill because he was a deceitful vagrant.?Though China has allowed for more personal freedom, ?religion is curtailed in ways that a Western analyst does not expect,? Barnett noted.While people in the countryside and private sector are allowed to practice their religion so long as they follow certain regulations, he explained, ?people who work for the government are not allowed to practice religion at all if they are Tibetan.?Barnett said the Dalai Lama?s withdrawal from talks with China is a reaction to the frustration of his followers, who no longer tolerate his participation in fruitless discussions.While China is willing to hold talks with Tibetan leaders, no agreements have been reached with regard to Tibet?s autonomy.

Lyon: Quantum computing could help crack codes

Imagine being able to rapidly decrypt all of the sensitive personal information that is being transmitted over the internet at every moment, gaining access to credit card numbers, medical records and other private information.

Merkley GS ’82 wins Senate seat

Oregon House of Representatives speaker Jeff Merkley GS ?82 (D) has defeated incumbent Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.) in a close race for Oregon?s Senate seat, making the two-term moderate Republican the latest casualty in the Democrats? quest to expand their congressional majority.The outcome of the race was up in the air Tuesday night when the polls closed, and the margin remained razor-thin as ballots were counted: Merkley led in the counting Tuesday night, and Smith took the lead early Wednesday morning.

Obama taps Lu '88 to help run transition

Chris Lu ?88 will serve as executive director of President-Elect Barack Obama?s transition team, the campaign announced Wednesday.A Wilson School major and former senior news editor of The Daily Princetonian, Lu has been working for Obama since he took office as a U.S.

Brazilian justice: No party switches

When faced with inadequacies in other areas of government, the judiciary must compensate with creative solutions, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Joaquim Barbosa said Thursday afternoon in a seminar in Aaron Burr Hall.Barbosa is the first self-identifying Afro-Brazilian minister of the Brazilian Supreme Court in its 179-year history.

Casting a spell to capture the past

As many students were gearing up for a night out on Princeton Halloween, David Clark was teaching his class about werewolves - but not as a costume idea.Clark, a visiting lecturer in the history department, studies demonology, which includes the study of magic, witchcraft and, of course, demons.

Wei Ho ’09 found safe in San Francisco

Wei Ho '09, who had been missing since the early morning hours of Oct. 31, has been found "safe and unharmed" in San Francisco, according to a campus safety alert issued Tuesday afternoon.Ho was found by the San Francisco Police Department, whom Public Safety contacted after its investigation revealed that Ho was in the San Francisco area, according to the alert."There was no foul play involved in this case and Ho's parents are now with him in San Francisco," the alert explained.The computer science concentrator from Chamblee, Ga., was located around noon Tuesday, Public Safety director Steven Healy said.Ho did not respond to repeated requests for comment.Public Safety had originally issued an alert on Saturday requesting information on Ho's whereabouts from the campus community.

Alumni may be chosen for cabinet

When president-elect Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) enters the White House on Jan. 20, 2009, he may bring a number of Princeton alumni with him.

Zipcar founder: Entrepreneurs should learn from failure

Starting a business is a daunting task, but the key to an entrepreneur's success is not letting the challenges of the endeavor squash ambition, Zipcar founder and former CEO Robin Chase said to a few dozen students during a lecture in

USG launches new web tool to gauge students’ priorities

Princeton students care a lot about late meal options, according to a new feature launched on Point this week by the USG."Which do you want more?" is an interactive feature that combines suggestion box and survey features to gauge the relative priority students assign to different campus issues.

Panel: It won’t be easy for new president

Though Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and the Democrats swept to a decisive victory in Tuesday?s election, many questions remain about the future presidential administration, race relations, the American electorate and the Republican brand.There was a standing ovation as Obama?s name was first mentioned in a panel discussion Wednesday on the aftermath of the 2008 election, but panelists and audience members alike questioned what his victory will mean for the future.The panel consisted of Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter ?80, religion and African-American studies professor Cornel West GS ?80, Wilson School professor Julian Zelizer and Columbia comparative literature and African-American studies professor Farah Griffin.Religion and African-American studies professor Eddie Glaude GS ?97 moderated the panel, which was sponsored by the Center for African-American Studies and the Graduate School?s Office of Academic Affairs and Diversity.The panelists agreed that the coming months will be a test for Obama.?He has to be able to project strength, but also a new kind of humility and posture,? Slaughter explained.Of the trials he could face in the future, Slaughter said that addressing terrorism and national security may be the most difficult.?I expect that Al Qaeda will put him in a position where he has to kill Muslims,? she said, explaining that this would force him to walk a fine line between support in the Middle East and the expectations of the American people.She added that Iran could find this ?the perfect time to rattle its sabers.? Russia, damaged by economic crisis, might also try to stir something up on the Ukrainian border to deflect criticism from its own administration, she noted.Even without unforeseen foreign policy issues, Obama will have a tough time with the global financial collapse when he takes office, Slaughter said.

Nov. 5, 1980 | Reagan triumphs over Carter easily

Ronald Wilson Reagan, a one-time movie actor turned politician, captured the highest office in the land yesterday, battering Jimmy Carter throughout the country to become the 40th President of the United States.The popular vote was less close than had been expected, but the real surprise of the day came in the electoral count, where Reagan scored a stunning victory.As of 2 a.m., Reagan had garnered 452 electoral votes, to Carter?s 45.

Nov. 10, 2000 | SUNSHINE VOTES

With the results of one of the closest American presidential elections in history hinging on the state of Florida, some University students who hail from the Sunshine State are kicking themselves over and over again for not exercising their constitutional right to vote.?I didn?t, and I feel like a complete idiot for doing that,? said Devon Keefe ?01, who calls Orange County, Fla.

Princetonians, Democrats win big in New Jersey races

Senate | LautenbergSen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) has been elected to a fifth term in office, beating Republican challenger Dick Zimmer.Lautenberg has represented New Jersey in the senate for all but two of the last 26 years.In his campaign, Lautenberg had positioned himself has an opponent to the policies of the Bush administration.

Big faculty donors for this election cycle

All eyes turn to Michelle Obama '85

Michelle Obama ?85?s college friend, Hilary Beard ?84, was at dinner one night when a white student from her RCA group called something ?nigger-rigged.? Beard, who is African American, stared at him for a few moments before asking, ?What did you just say??In 1981, the year Michelle began her studies, Princeton was not an easy environment for an African American.