On Campus
Researchers introduce new software The Eagle Eyes technology under development at the Boston College Campus School continues to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. This time the aid is in the form of Camera Mouse technology, which allows for hands-free computer use. A user is equipped with a high-definition video camera that tracks the movements of their heads. By moving their heads, they simultaneously move a cursor on a computer screen. By leaving their head in one position for a couple of seconds, the cursor "clicks," like a mouse, the computer function. "Most disabled people have been spectators all of their lives. Now with this technology they have a chance to be participants," said Philip DiMattia, director of the Campus School.
Cornel West to speak on race relations
Prolific author and sociologist Cornel West will be speaking on campus Oct. 30, the UGBC announced this week. A professor of religion and African-American studies at Princeton University, West has won several awards, including the American Book Award, and has received more than 20 honorary degrees. "He teaches that racial division fosters the poverty and paranoia, the despair and distrust, that undermine our nation's democratic process," wrote Christopher Meyers, director of Kegley Institute of Ethics, in the introduction to West's book, The Cornel West Reader.
Local
Prisoner with cancer must stay in jail
A judge has refused to release an inmate who has cancer from a Framingham state prison, even though many feel the ruling essentially is a death sentence, according to The Boston Globe. The prisoner, Donald MacDonald of Alton, 78, still has at least 10 years left to serve on his sentence. In 1995, MacDonald mowed down a 10-year-old boy and injured his two cousins when his pickup truck hit them from behind as they walked home along route 75 in Farmington. The boy died the next day, and both cousins faced years of intensive rehabilitation. Family members told The Globe that they thought the judge's decision to not shorten MacDonald's sentence was just.
Proposal to reinstate train whistles
After the death of a local 13-year-old, State Transportation Secretary Daniel Grabauskas said he will consider lifting a ban on train whistles at some MBTA rail crossingsl, according to The Boston Globe. Eighth-grader David Siljeholm of Manchester-by-the-Sea was struck by a commuter train on the morning of Oct. 12 at the crossing near the Beverly Farms station after he rode his bicycle around the closed crossing gate. The boy's mother and sister were riding their bikes a short distance behind him, and were not injured. "Every study ever conducted over time, and maybe even time immemorial, shows that train whistles save lives," Grabauskas told the Globe.
Universities
Harvard student convicted of murder A Massachusetts jury on Tuesday convicted Harvard graduate student Alexander Pring-Wilson of manslaughter for stabbing Michael Colono to death during a fight, but rejected a first-degree murder conviction. Prosecutors had said Pring-Wilson become enraged when the victim, an 18-year-old, and his cousin beat him and made fun of him for being drunk. Pring-Wilson responded by stabbing his assailant out of self-defense. The victim had a 3-year-old daughter and worked as a hotel cook, while Pring-Wilson is the son of two prominent Colorado lawyers. Pring-Wilson's sentence for manslaughter could range from probation to 20 years in prison.
Improved rankings system established
A group of economists and statisticians said they have devised the most effective system for ranking colleges, according to The New York Times. While more popular schemes like U.S. News & World Report focus on admission percentage, SAT scores and student-faculty ratio, the new system relies on new group of experts: high school seniors. Rather than grading each school, they reveal whether a lot of people like it. The system adjusts to balance out influencing factors such as financial aid offer from one school. Harvard is No. 1, while Princeton falls to sixth. Duke, fifth in U.S. News, drops to 19th. Many critics of current rankings say colleges manipulate high school students in order to drive up matriculation rates to look more selective.
Nation
Nixon tapes edited for public release Tapes recorded by former President Richard Nixon will be edited for public release, according to The Los Angeles Times. The tapes include the infamous White House tapes, which were secretly recorded in the Nixon's Oval Office desk, the fireplace, the Cabinet meeting room, a second office in the Old Executive Office Building, and Camp David. Nixon also tapped his phones, which are included in the tape records. Bill Cowell, a former military intelligence officer, will edit the tapes in accordance with rules set forth by a federal court decision made 11 years ago. The tapes will be released to the public. "'These tapes were recorded in the Nixon White House by Nixon, for Nixon, and should be a national treasure, and here we are cutting them up," said Cowell. "Obviously, I don't think too highly of the court decision, but we're kind of stuck with it. I really do think we're destroying a historical artifact that should be preserved."
Be the first to comment on this article!