The Week in Brief

Computer science Professor David Gelertner, Eric Freeman, GRD '93, and Scott Fertig, GRD '87, were responsible for creation of the technology. Several years in the works, it helps store, browse and share data in offices that work across the Internet. Instead of the traditional folder-style file organization, Lifestreams presents a chronological sequence. It grabs documents of all kinds and then scrolls them across the screen in a three-dimensional presentation.

Lifestreams was powerful enough to attract Yale's interest. Jon Soderstrom, managing director of the Office of Cooperative Research, explained that although the University usually moves research to the private sector by licensing, novel ventures—such as a 1999 Internet spin-off entitled TechEx and current support of the Yale Entrepreneurial Society's business plan competition—are explored when a suitable licensee cannot be found. In exchange for equity in the company, Yale gave Mirror Worlds all rights to the intellectual property.

"In addition to helping us commercialize the technology, such new ventures also benefit the local economy, attracting investment capital and creating new jobs," Soderstrom said. "Although much attention has been paid to our successful efforts to create new biotech companies, we believe that there is a similar, if not greater, opportunity in the area of information technology."

—Emma Snyder

Yale, the city of New Haven, and local business leaders have proposed yet another initiative to revive interest in the Elm City's downtown area. The initiative, proposed by the Baltimore firm Trahan, Burden, and Charles, promises to make downtown New Haven a commercial hub that would attract residents from all over Connecticut.

According to the proposal, the existing negative perception of the downtown area stands contrasts with reality. The proposal asserts that this reputation is undeserved, since there has been a decrease in New Haven's crime rate and an ongoing restoration of the city. "If allowed to continue, these perceptions can slow New Haven's economic expansion and inhibit its economic recovery and social potential," the report reads.

The proposal suggests placing a Jazz Hall of Fame in New Haven, increasing conference and meeting spaces in the city for medical research and health care facilities, and moving the Long Wharf Theater downtown, in the vicinity of the Shubert and Yale Repertory Theaters.

Like many of New Haven's past proposals, this initiative may fail to achieve its goal of broad urban resuscitation. Nevertheless, the plan was endorsed by Bruce Alexander, BK '75, Yale'sVice President for New Haven and state affairs. According to Alexander, Yale has already agreed to spend $750,000 over the next three years to augment the project's efforts. The proposal will not be officially presented to the public for at least another month.

—Anahad O'Connor

On Thurs., Jan. 27, Students Against Sweatshops (SAS) attempted to raise awareness for their cause by speaking directly to students. In a move planned to raise awareness of the low wages of sweatshop workers, SAS left three pennies taped to each seat at several major lecture halls, including the Law School Auditorium and Linsley-Chittenden. The three pennies illustrated the labor cost of each Yale sweatshirt made in sweatshops. In addition to the free cash, each seat contained a note describing Yale's involvement with sweatshop labor and SAS's goals for the semester.

—David Wertime

While Yalies trudged through piles of snow to class, President Richard Levin, GRD '74, was speaking at the World Economic Forum in sunny Davos, Switzerland.

On Thurs., Jan 27, many of the world's elite politicians, businessmen, and academics gathered for the famed five-day conference. As Paul Krugman, CC '74, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist who was one of the opening plenary speakers, described the invite-only group in the New York Times [1/23], "Come the revolution, we shoot these people first."

On the morning of Fri., Jan. 28, Levin gave a speech during a plenary session entitled "A New Model For Education in the 21st Century: A Partnership of Government and Business," appearing with the education minister of France and a representative of Toshiba. Later on in the forum, Levin will address a smaller group with another speech, "Are We Rebuilding Monopolies?"

Also speaking is history Professor Paul Kennedy, who spent last weekend signing copies of his new book at the Yale Bookstore. According to a Reuters report, Kennedy spoke on Thurs., Jan. 27 in a session entitled, "The Revolution in Military Affairs; Its Impact Beyond the U.S."

—Jessica Cohen and David Wertime

JOHN YI/YH Little did the snowman know that, despite its best efforts, no tan would be forthcoming.

WORDS

—Stephen Zucker, professor of computer science, on the indiscriminate mating of horseshoe crabs

AROUND THE GLOBE

New York doctor Allan Zarkin was recently sued for allegedly carving his initials on a woman's abdomen after performing a successful Cesarean section. The suit accuses Zarkin of etching a three-inch wide "AZ" into the skin of his patient as she lay sedated. According to officials, Zarkin felt impelled to slash the offending letters because he felt he had done such a "beautiful job."

Pining for a grassy knoll

Is an anti-bird conspiracy in the works? Since Tues., Jan. 21, 57 pigeons have been found dead from poison around New York City's Central Park. On Fri., Jan. 24, 15 more poisoned pigeons plopped down on the residents of Stuyvesant Square on the city's East Side. "Our suspicion is that this is the same person [involved in both incidents]," Parks Commissioner Henry Stern said. "We don't think this is a copycat poisoner."

In response to this threat, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani has promised to bring in the National Guard. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, LAW '73, blasted the proposal, promising a peaceful end to "this horrible chain of anti-seagull atrocities."

College boys get to third base

At Havana's Latinoamericano Stadium, in the first U.S.-Cuba collegiate baseball game held in Cuba in 14 years, the University of St. Thomas crushed the University of Havana on Wed., Jan. 25 by a score of 7-0. But at least the victors felt bad. "I'm sad that they lost," St. Thomas slugger Dennis Denning bemoaned. Pitcher Mike Honsa gushed, "[Havana's] a lot cleaner and the people are a lot friendlier than we thought they would be."

It was rumored that, later that night, players from both sides smoked Cuban cigars together over a heated game of censored Trivial Pursuit.

—Compiled by David Wertime from Bizarre News and the Associated Press.

CR/D/F

YALE INDEX
1) Number of Yalies in the NFL	1
2) Number of Super Bowl to be played on Sun., Jan. 30, 2000	34
3) Number of Yalies playing in the Super Bowl	0
4) Number of Yalies from Tennessee	28
5) Number of residential hopefuls from Tennessee	1
6) Number of Yalies from St. Louis	32
7) Number of Yalies from Turkey	32
8) Percentage of Yalies who care about the outcome of the Super Bowl	1.14
9) Volume of the Georgia Dome, in gallons	540,000,000
10) Number of major cola producers based in Atlanta	1
11) Coca-Cola dispense rate of YUDH soda fountains, in ounces/second	2
12) Years needed to fill Georgia Dome using one YUDH soda fountain	1,096
13) Employees fired by Coca-Cola on Thurs., Jan. 27, 2000	6,000
14) Number of years fired Coca-Cola employees need to fill Georgia Dome using one YUDH soda fountain	.183

—Compiled by Cornelius Kaestner and Daniel Serviansky

Sources: 1, 3) CNNSI.com; 2,13) Watching TV; 4,6,7) 2000 Old Campus; 8, 12, 14) Math; 9) Henry Munford, Georgia Dome director of marketing; 10) Emory University stock portfolio; 11) Soda fountain trials conducted by Cornelius Kaestner

Back to News...