Posts by Will Janover

Considering how awful the weather has been, we know you can’t wait to get out of here for a week. Tell us what you’re going to be up to.

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The true Ark of the Covenant

It’s here. It’s finally here. A half-month of lost productivity, illegal betting, and Cinderella stories starts now. Check out BlogDailyHerald’s predictions below.

Midwest Region

The shoo-ins: Not many potential first-round upsets here. Both Middle Tennessee and St. Mary’s are pretty dangerous for First Four teams, so they might give Memphis a run for their money, but I’m going all top seeds in the first round. Don’t listen to any talk about Valparaiso as a potential Cinderella, Tom Izzo has the Spartans way too well-prepared—he always does—for them to lose so early.

The upsets: Creighton over Duke, second round. I’m sorry, I can’t help but root against Coach K and whoever happens to be playing for him. This is how much I don’t like Duke. Makes my day every time. For real, though, Doug McDermott has been averaging 23.1 points per game (2nd in Division I) with a near 50% 3-point shooting percentage. He’s my pick for mid-major breakout player of the tournament (see below). Also, as I mentioned before, Memphis might have trouble with its play-in opponent, but this is sadly a kind of boring bracket, especially compared with the South. Though Oregon is the Pac-12 champ, I don’t think this is the 5-12 upset to pick.

Player to watch: Wooden Award finalist Doug McDermott of Creighton. Just like Jimmer and Gordon Hayward before him, this guy is due to become a household name. Don’t expect him to carry the Bluejays to the national championship, but they might have an upset or two in them.

Regional champ: There are three perennial superpowers in this region, but Louisville isn’t #1 overall for nothing. The team is coming off a huge Big East Tournament victory over Syracuse, and there aren’t many teams who can stop them. Look for them to bounce Michigan State in the Elite 8 and maybe even take the whole thing.

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This afternoon, President Christina Paxson gave her first “State of Brown” speech. Though, in her words, it was more of a “discussion” than a speech, it stuck largely to the stated agenda of reviewing the strategic planning process from the past year. Since there were only about 40 non-UCS, non-University administration members of the community in Salomon 101—I blame it on the beautiful weather—it’s safe to assume most of you need to know the highlights of the speech. Read it; it’s worth knowing what’s actually going on with your school.

1. “Brown… needs to be Brown.” Paxson said this while recounting how her undergraduate experience at Swarthmore (she dabbled in English and Philosophy before landing on Economics her junior year) gave her a deep appreciation of the liberal arts education. Any changes that come with evolutions in education, such as online classes (more on that later), will not come at the expense of what makes Brown special.

2. Priorities for Strategic Planning. The academic priorities were brain science, public health, engineering, humanities, the Watson Institute, and a building for environmental research and teaching. Student life priorities were housing and athletics. The access priority was financial aid.

3. The new School of Public Health will be “distinctive” in that it will have plenty of opportunities for undergraduate participation.

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I’m sure you’ve noticed our love for cute animals by now. Here’s some stuff on someone’s rabbit.

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Update: Our original report cited a source stating that the Judiciary Committee would vote on this bill on Wednesday, and that if passed the law would go into effect “immediately.” It turns out, however, that the whole State House won’t be getting to it tomorrow. Whisko is safe (for now).

According to this press release, the Rhode Island House Committee on Corporations will consider a bill that would ban 18+ nights at clubs in Rhode Island on Wednesday. No one under 21 would be allowed in a nightclub that serves alcohol. If the Committee is on board, we could be on our way to Whisko-free Wednesdays. We’ll see soon.

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Eat free or dine trying.
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Pixar Info Session
6-7:30 p.m.
CareerLAB

Free Kabob & Curry if you come and learn how you can design the next Toy Story.

Moral Voices Mutifaith Text Study: Part 2
7 p.m.
Brown-RISD Hillel

Rabbi Mordechai Rackover and Dave Coolidge will be leading this last of two discussions on the criminal justice system. A “delicious catered dinner” awaits you.

Islamism: Threatening or Threatened?
6:30 p.m.
Kim Koo Library, Watson Institute

Get a free dinner from East Side Pockets before this edition of the Middle East Studies Undergraduate Paper Series.

For those of you who don’t know, this is the most famous, most valuable baseball card in history. It’s a T206 Honus Wagner card that’s over 100 years old. Grantland just threw up a great short that exposes what it takes for someone to pay $3 million for a copy of it (and sue over it!). It’s like the Mona Lisa, only far less culturally significant. Definitely worth watching if you like absurdist drama, baseball, or Wayne Gretzky.

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We’re coming up on the 1st anniversary of President Paxson’s election. Would you buy her scarf?

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February is a delicious month. So much candy for Valentine’s Day, and now this! The Ratty is hosting a “Soul Food Night” for dinner tonight. Expect absurd crowds for fried chicken, cornbread, mac and cheese, and, of course, cajun chicken pasta. Weirdly enough, with all of the other great options available, this might make the line for CCP smaller than it would be for a regular 12:00 p.m. lunch. Make sure to send your thank-you notes to the TWC and the Brown University Black Heritage Series for putting this on.

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Eat free or dine trying.
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“Implementing the Affordable Care Act: Lessons from Health Reform in Massachusetts”
12 p.m.
Taubman Center for Public Policy

Harvard School of Public Health Associate Dean Nancy Turnbull will talk about how that state dealt with issues like the individual mandate over a light lunch.

NSP Open Study
7:30-9:30 p.m.
Salomon 202

Study the sciences? Head to Salomon for some light snacks and free study space.