Rain had been falling heavily since Thursday in Jakarta, Indonesia, when its riverbanks finally began to overflow on Sunday, which has resulted in severe flooding throughout the area and has left at least 20 people dead and nearly 340,000 homeless. Jakarta is currently on its highest alert level and its meteorological agency is forecasting another two weeks of rain. As per the government's response, medical teams on rubber rafts were dispatched to some of the most devastated districts to prevent the outbreak of disease among residents who were without clean drinking water. The authorities have cut off electricity and running water in many of the districts to prevent electrocution and contamination. Estimates place 15 to 20 percent of the city underwater - 13 feet deep at its worst - and the death toll so far remains at 33 people. This is the worst flood since 1996 when 30 people drowned.
ON CAMPUS Survey says employees and students are satisfied with BC According to a survey solicited to non-faculty employees as well as students of Boston College, overall, members of the BC community are very satisfied with their experience thus far, with the exception of a few particular areas that suffered shared criticism. The preliminary results of the 2006 survey reveal that 81 percent of the employees at BC feel "successful or very successful," and 87 percent of students view their overall BC experience as a positive one. Some specific concerns raised by those who were surveyed included employees calling for the need for additional kinds of child-care and students calling for the University to make diversity a higher priority.
Discussion to be held on professions in technology The Boston College Technology Council, in conjunction with the BC Career Center and Graduate Management Center Strategies, will be hosting a presentation, "Innovative People, Innovative Careers," on the plethora of professional opportunities in technology or technology-related fields. The meeting, which will be on Feb. 6 at 5 p.m., is going to be held in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. The BC Technology Council was established in 2001 by University trustee Peter W. Bell, BC '86, and Daniel J. Nova, BC '83. The council's mission is to support BC in its endeavor to become a significant leader in the business of technology while advancing collegiality among its members from the technology community.
UNIVERSITIES Dartmouth ResLife office discloses Greek average GPAs According to a document from its Office of Residential Life, Dartmouth's sororities boast a slightly higher academic record than its co-ed organizations. Both ranked higher in average GPA for the fall term than the fraternities on campus. Greek-affiliated students, with an average GPA of 3.33, ranked higher than non-affiliated students, whose average GPA is 3.26. Despite the info being technically confidential, Megan Johnson, co-ed fraternity and sorority administration assistant director, acknowledged that she understood the info would likely become public, according to a U-Wire story.
NATIONAL McCain hires advisers that he once criticized As part of his 2008 presidential campaign, Senator John McCain (R-Az.) has begun to assemble a team of political bruisers. Some members of this team, however, are ones that sought to sully his name in his 2000 run and whose work he has criticized as previously "stepping over the line," according to a New York Times article. McCain claims that in the 2000 presidential race, advertisements run against him by now-president George W. Bush "distorted his record," but he has now hired three members of the team that assembled that very ad: Mark McKinnon, Russell Schriefer, and Stuart Stevens. Schriefer, who will run McCain's ad team, did not seem surprised by the move, saying, "There's a tremendous history of foes becoming allies."
UNDER REPORTED Wookie impersonator head-butts tour guide in Calif. On Thursday, a man dressed as Chewbacca was arrested and booked for investigation of misdemeanor battery after he head-butted a tour guide operator in front of the Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. The street performer, Frederick Evan Young, 44, was seen by authorities arguing with the tour guide, Brian Sapir, after the latter had expressed concerns over him "harassing and touching tourists" in violation of city law. As a result, security officers escorted Young off the theater property, but he struck back and head-butted the tour guide. "He said, 'Nobody tells this Wookie what to do,'" said Sapir.
Be the first to comment on this article!