Daily Herald the Brown
vol. cxlv, no. 115 | Thursday, November 18, 2010 | Serving the community daily since 1891
Grad brings medical savvy to Chilean rescue By Katherine Sola Staff Writer
The effort to rescue the trapped Chilean miners ended happily Oct. 13, and Brown graduate Benjamin Levine ’78 helped save the day. Levine used his cardiovascular knowledge to help prevent the miners from fatally fainting as they were winched to the surface. Levine said the Chilean government contacted NASA for advice on how to care for miners as they were being extracted from the mine. NASA then contacted Levine, a Texas-based cardiologist and cardiovascular physiologist, who collaborates with NASA researching the effects of space flight on cardiovascular health. The NASA flight surgeons spotted a “devastating complication” in the Chilean team’s plan to winch the
Fencer sets sights on Olympics
miners up in a “really, really tight cylinder,” Levine said. He explained that one quarter to two thirds of people who come back from space lose consciousness because of the confinement in a small space and the stress of “deconditioning.” When a person faints, his or her heart becomes level with the brain and does not have to “pump uphill” to supply it with necessary blood. But if a person who has fainted is unable to lie down, not enough blood reaches the brain and the person can die. This is “why crucifixion kills people, the Romans knew that thousands of years ago,” Levine said. If the miners fainted in the confined capsule, they would die, he said. At this point, NASA contacted Levine and his colleagues Doug
Alex Ibanez via Abaca Press / MCT
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Rescue workers join in the singing of Chile’s national anthem with Luis Urzua, the last miner to be rescued, Oct. 13, 2010.
By Nikhil Parasher Contributing Writer
Six years ago, Caitlin Taylor ’13 was in a wheelchair and did not know if she would ever be able to walk again. At the time, her dream was simply relearning how to walk. Now, she has a new dream — to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
SPORTS
Apps up, Taekwondo fights odds, opponents admissions goes digital By Caroline Hughes Contributing Writer
By Joseph Rosales Contributing Writer
The Office of Admission has begun a new digital reading process for the University’s applications. For the first time, the Office of Admission will not print out this year’s round of applications, but instead will view them through an online system. The lack of space was one of the primar y factors behind the decision, said Director of Admission Annie Cappuccino. With the rise in applicants the past few years, the admission office has been rapidly running out of space for all of the paper documents, Cappuccino said. Last year, the 20 percent increase in applications forced the office to temporarily use Alumnae Hall to store information. “That was really the breaking point for us,” said Julia Bengochea, associate director of operations for college admissions. “It made it so clear that the paper process had seen its day.” The transition to a digital reading process started last year. With the efforts of both Dean of Admission Jim Miller ’73 and Provost David Kertzer ’69 P’95 P’98, the funding was raised for the “expensive proposition” to transition to
inside
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Dressed entirely in white uniforms, the taekwondo team appears ferocious, like a veritable army of martial artists. The team has fought its way to become one of the best collegiate taekwondo teams in the country. Taekwondo is the ancient Korean art of self-defense and recently became an Olympic
sport. The three letters of the Korean word mean “foot”, “hand” and “way” respectively, and together describe the art of kicking and punching, according to
FEATURE the Brown Taekwondo website. The Brown team competes in five regional competitions and a national competition each year. Under the instruction of Mas-
ter Sung Park ’99 and student instructors, the team has placed in the top three in the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association competition for the past 10 years, taking home first place last year in the color belt categor y and second overall. Last month, the team bested nearly 25 teams to win second place overall and first place in their division at a continued on page 2
Although Taylor was born in Sacramento, Calif., she has dual citizenship from both the United States and Australia. She wants to represent Australia at the Olympics by fencing either in the women’s individual saber event or the women’s team saber event. But the Australian women’s saber team currently is not ranked in the top 16 in the world and thus does not qualify for the Olympics. As a newborn, Taylor contracted juvenile rheumatoid arthritis from the rubella vaccine in 1991. Doctors told her parents to get her involved in sports as early as possible, so they enrolled her in dancing classes at an early age. Taylor danced for 10 years before losing interest. After quitting dancing, she searched for a new sport and chose fencing over archery. She made her decision in an unusual fashion. “Pirates of the Caribbean came continued on page 9
R.I. Four Loko ban up for debate in January By Shefali Luthra Staff Writer
A state senator pre-filed legislation yesterday to ban the caffeinated alcoholic beverage Four Loko in Rhode Island.
METRO The drink, which Sen. John Tassoni, D-Smithfield and North Smithfield, said has already been banned at the University of Rhode Island, is also illegal in Washington, Michigan and Oklahoma, NPR reported earlier this month. Vendors only sell decaffeinated versions of the drink in New York, based on an agreement between that state and Four Loko producer Phusion Projects. “The potency of four beers — the alcohol that’s contained in there — combined with the caffeine,
is a recipe for disaster, and that’s proven,” Tassoni said. “I believe the students don’t realize how potent it is. Or maybe they do.” According to Phusion Projects’ website, the drink contains “roughly” the same amount of caffeine as a small Starbucks coffee, and either six or 12 percent alcohol by volume, depending on state regulations. In Rhode Island, its alcohol content is 12 percent. Tassoni said that he will probably introduce the bill in early January, during the first days of the General Assembly’s next session. He said he believes initiatives to ban the drink are “picking up momentum” across the nation. Phusion Projects will be changing its products to eliminate sources of caffeine, the company announced in a press release Tuesday. The FDA
Charlie Fischl / Herald
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One can of Four Loko contains about as much caffeine as a small coffee, and 12 percent alcohol by volume.
UCS listens
‘For keeps’
Hit the books
Student Activities Committee hears student feedback
M. soccer prepares for weekend NCAA tournament at home
Mike Johnson ’11 wants Bruno to read anything, anywhere
news, 2
sports, 7
Opinions, 11
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