Category — News

Providence Police Detective Robert DeCarlo was charged Monday with assaulting a handcuffed victim in the latest development in a controversial police brutality case.  The beating, which was captured on surveillance video, occurred last October and involved two Providence officers.

Pay your taxes or face public shame–this seems to be the message behind Rhode Island’s posting of the top 100 delinquent taxpayers.  Names are published on a state website, along with the exact amount and kind of tax that is owed.  Earning the dubious first place finish on the list is a Boca Raton couple who owe that state a whopping $1.2 million in personal income taxes.

Nine students at a North Attleboro high school were arrested for placing improvised soda bombs under cars and in a mailbox.  The students apparently found out how to make the bombs on the Internet.

Yesterday was political; today is just straight up gastronomical.

Option #1: Go swipe some produce from the Ratty and celebrate National Banana Bread Day.

Or if you aren’t feeling crafty, eat it straight up — participate in National Grapefruit Month.

Alternatively, if you want to get out of the dining halls, head over to IHOP for National (Free) Pancake Day.

Though the Providence IHOP is open 24 hours (defying the logic behind Store “24″ and 2 a.m. bar closings), stop by between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. for a free stack of pancakes (in exchange for a donation to a local children’s hospital).

And for those of you still at home, don’t neglect the ones who love you most. It’s International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day.

Huffington Post launched a new section this morning called HuffPost College devoted to stories and blog posts related to college matters.  Tucked neatly between the “World” and “Impact” sections on the top bar of the site, the “College” section is sure to become a favorite for most students on campus, because c’mon, who doesn’t love gossiping about why Brown is better than _____ University.

Not that we’re complaining; we’re just confused. Usually, we get off the third Monday (and Tuesday) in February in honor of President’s Day.

Thinking there had to be some plausible reason for the switch (outside of just standard registrar-related scheduling issues), we investigated.

Today is Single Tasking Day, honoring the idea that “multitasking is ineffective — and may cause brain damage.” Just what every Brown student currently camped out in the Rock was dying to hear.

On the other hand, there’s World Thinking Day, bringing you the opportunity to ponder more holistically (courtesy of the Girl Scouts).

St. Lucia celebrates independence today, while Florida remembers being handed from one owner to another.

But let’s get real for a minute. Maybe Brown is just trying to make a statement and return President’s Day to its truthful origins. George Washington was born on February 22, but the Uniform Monday Holiday Act (honestly; it’s real) ensures that the holiday will never actually fall on his birthday. (It always hits sometime between Feb. 15 and 21.)

So thank you, Brown, for teaching us the real meaning of Washington’s birthday.

Club Elements, the nightclub that shut down at the beginning of this year after an outbreak of violence, has had its license revoked.

The Patriots have used the franchise tag on Vince Wilfork, meaning he’ll continue to play for the Patriots as nose tackle for at least one more season. Wilfork actually expressed disapproval of the prospect last month because he’s looking for a long-term contract, though the Patriots do want Wilfork for the long run but haven’t been able to come to an agreement with him.

Letters from the Brown and Francis families written during the 18th and 19th centuries and kept in private circles for years may be made public in the future.

Brown stole the show at the International Competition of Collegiate A Capella Northeast Quarter Finals Saturday night, with the Higher Keys in second place and the Jabberwocks taking the championship.

The showcase, hosted by the Bear Necessities in an overflowing Salomon 101, featured a capella groups from Columbia University, Bowdoin College, New York University, the University of Massachussetts at Amherst and Northeastern University, along with the two Brunonian groups, which will both compete in the semi-finals at the Massachussets Institute of Technology on March 20.

The Northeastern University Downbeats, the second runners-up, won’t be heading to the next round but nevertheless ended on a strong note with haunting and explosively energized renditions of Beyonce’s “If I Were a Boy” and Kanye West’s “Heartless.” The excitement their routine sparked was palpable, and their vibe was anything but downbeat.

Emcee Matt Bauman ‘10 of the Bear Necessities introduced the Downbeats as a group currently celebrating their tenth anniversary, but in response to the ensuing applause, he qualified this statement by saying, “I feel bad, I just made that up.”

The victors’ most memorable performance was of “Somebody” by Kings of Leon, for which Andrew Wong ‘11 received recognition as outstanding soloist.

But the Higher Keys had the noisiest and most salient fan base, cheering from the audience with signs saying “classy,” “sexy,” and other descriptions with which Brown’s oldest co-ed a capella group identifies itself.

While the judges made their decision, a vocal percussion contest displayed the talents of the various competitors’ beat-boxers, and the Bear Necessities entertained the audience with such classics as “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” and a Britney Spears medley.

Other highlights included the Bowdoin Longfellow’s rhythmic and soulful blend of the folk songs ”Take me Home, Country Road” and “Wagon Wheel,” the UMass Amherst Dynamics’ movement-centered interpretation of Rilo Kiley’s “Portions for Foxes” and an animated and playful performance of “Sweet Child of Mine” by NYU’s Jewish a capella group Avi V’ata.

Bauman announced to the audience that his interview with Ani V’ata was intercepted by the members’ mothers, informing him that they were glad their children were ”getting this show biz mishigas over with.”

— Suzannah Weiss

Gallup just completed its annual state-of-the-states poll, rating all 50 using a highly calibrated Well-Being Index. Hawaii won (seriously? They should be disqualified.); West Virginia came in last (maybe that’s just what you get for being an off-shoot of a state).

And Rhode Island didn’t perform too shabbily, coming in at 40th place. As the smallest state in the nation, we’ll take what we can get.

But the real kicker was the city-by-city analysis. Providence ranked as the second-worst on the well-being chart. To make matters worse, it was our emotional health scores that brought us down.

We’re just speculating, but this could be a reason the Brown girls are feeling emotionally … burdened.

International Competition of Collegiate A Capella Northeast Quarter Finals

8:00 – 11:00 P.M. Salomon 101

$10 for students, $15 otherwise

This showcase, hosted by the Bear Necessities, includes a capella groups representing NYU, Northeastern, UMass Amherst and Bowdoin as well as our very own Higher Keys and Jabberwocks, all competing to move onto the next round of the intercollegiate competition.  For more information, go to varsityvocals.com.

Women’s basketball game / breast cancer awareness benefit

7:00 P.M. Pizzitola Center

free for students, 5$ otherwise

To finish Breast Cancer Awareness Week, the team is raffling off an iPod for those who bring a breast cancer awareness button (given out at last week’s women’s ice hockey game) and Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation representatives will be collecting donations. Support the Bears and a good cause.

Men’s hockey final home game against St. Lawrence

7:00 P.M. Meehan Auditorium

free for students, $5 otherwise

Come cheer for Brown and have the opportunity to win prizes throughout the game.

Wishing you a sweet Cherry Pie Day,

— Suzannah Weiss

On Friday, Rhode Island Hospital became the proud owner of the state’s first MooBella Inc. Ice Creamery.

Customers type their orders on an LCD touch-screen in the front of the Ice Creamery, choosing regular or low-fat ice cream; one of 12 flavors; and one of three mix-ins, like chocolate chips. Then they open a small door in the machine and stick in an empty cup, which a robotic arm lifts into the machine.

Inside, an aseptic bag of room-temperature milk is punctured and the contents are mixed with the designated flavor. That liquid mixture gets blasted with air and flash-frozen, and within 40 seconds, voilà – the robotic arm lowers a 4.5-ounce cup of fresh ice cream.

It’s interactive; it’s creative; it’s unique. For goodness sake, it’s Brown! So where’s our machine??

and head over to soldiers’ arch, because Girl Scout cookies are back! Being sold out of a wagon, apparently. Get on it, Brunonia.