NATIONAL Church, life returning to normal in New Orleans Rev. John Finn of St. James Major Catholic Church in New Orleans led his first Mass at the church since Hurricane Katrina ripped through the area about two months ago, according to Knight Ridder Newspapers. Most of the parishioners fled the city as it flooded, and only 41 were present at the Sunday Mass. Prior to the storm, over 600 would have filled the pews, Finn said. The church had no electricity, so there was no organ music, and the only light came from candles and through the stained-glass windows. The spirit, however remained. "The reason we're open here is to give the people hope for the future," said Finn. Ministers and other church officials have taken a leading role in tracking the 500,000 displaced New Orleans residents.
Alito nominated to fill Supreme Court seat President Bush announced Monday that he will be nominating Samuel A. Alito Jr. to fill the vacant seat of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to The Washington Post. Lawyers and close friends have described him as a diligent, scholarly judge who does not allow his personal views to affect his legal decisions. Detractors fear his supposed conservative beliefs and have likened him to Justice Antonin Scalia. Like Scalia, Alito is a Catholic, Italian-American who hails from Trenton, N.J. "I have no idea how he's voted on anything in the entire 30 years of our friendship ... he's quite apolitical," said New York lawyer Daniel Rabinowitz, a liberal Democrat who attended Yale Law School with Alito.
ON CAMPUS Alum living in New Orleans dedicates humor Web site
Charlie Veprek, A&S '00, has created a Web site called "The Creole Tomato," which aims to cheer up and help New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina, according to The Times Picayune. "Our ongoing mission is to provide the displaced resident of New Orleans and other communities a communications resource to help re-establish a sense of neighborhood," Veprek wrote on his Web site. After locating family and friends, Veprek wondered what he could do with the small amount of resources he had and created "The Creole Tomato." Its "Where Y'at" section helps New Orleans residents acquire contact information, directions, and to stay in touch with family and friends.
Hayes dedicates life to giving voice to sexual slavery victims
For the past year and a half, Sister Helene Hayes, GSSW '93, has spent her time educating people about sexual slavery victims and is in the process of writing a book to give the victims a voice, according to The Boston Globe. A resident of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd's community in Marlborough, Hayes has devoted her life to exposing the sexual slave trade that involves up to 800,000 people globally. "They are voiceless, they are dispossessed, they are nameless," she said in a lecture last week at the Waltham Public Library. "My intent is to write a book that opens up the experience of the women and the service providers that work with them."
UNIVERSITIES Washington scientist finds songs in the squeals of mice
A neurobiologist has shown that the high-pitched squeaks of male mice are actually songs, according to The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Pheromones from female mice trigger the singing, helping males find mates, said leading study author Timothy Holy. The study was conducted by dousing Q-tips with female urine and allowing males to sniff and taste them. About 30 seconds later, they began to chirp. The chirps are eight octaves above the middle C on a piano, about two too high for the human ear to process. The discovery puts mice in the select club of animals with the ability to sing, joining whales, bats, and birds.
Podcasting allows skipping students to catch up on lectures
A small but growing number of professors are adapting to the latest technology and turning class lectures into podcasts, according to The Chicago Tribune. Podcasts are free audio shows that can be downloaded to iPods or other portable media players, and many say that these can help students who miss a class or want to review the material. Some traditional academics feel that if students only listen to lectures on the run, they will miss out on the learning experience that can only occur when instructors and students are together. Some have taken this technology a step further. Duke University professor Richard Lucic, who has 27 students in an introductory computer science course, podcasts lectures and also requires students to listen to independent podcasts related to class topics.
LOCAL Public Health Dept. surveys issues in Cambridge schools
One in five eighth graders of the Cambridge Public School system has had sexual intercourse, while one in four admits to drinking alcohol, according to The Cambridge Chronicle. One-half of students have discussed substance abuse with their parents, while only one-third has discussed intercourse. The Cambridge Public Health Department surveys students yearly, alternating between middle and high school. The percentage of marijuana users has stayed at 6.5 percent, but the use of inhalants has increased to 6 percent.
Power plant approved in town meeting, slated to open in 2009
The Braintree Electric Light Department (BELD) received consent to take the first steps in beginning the construction of its $130 million, 110-megawatt power plant at its facility on Potter Road, according to The Braintree Forum. BELD is now in the process of finding an engineering, procurement, and construction contractor until then. The power plant will most likely be paid for through electricity bills and financed through a 20-year bond. Construction is slated to begin in 2007, with the plant opening in 2009.
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