If you’ve been looking for a way to get more involved in groups and clubs, or if you’re a freshman who wants to learn about all the different student groups at Brown, you’re in luck: the activities fair is being held tonight at the OMAC from 7-10 pm. It’s sure to be hot in there, but there’s also going to be lots of free candy, interesting people, and cool tables to check out. Plus, we’ll be there, so if you’re looking to get involved with the Blog or just think we’re awesome, come check out our table.

ETA: Check out this floor plan of the Activities Fair. Tables are arranged by theme (but The Herald and Blog are in Campus Resources, not Media, in case you’re looking for us). By the way, only at Brown could the Gender and Sexuality section be as big as the Greek section.

Hurricane Earl churning in the Atlantic (It's the big one, center left) (courtesy of: NASA GOES Project)

UPDATE 12:37 PM: Rhode Island has just been upgraded to a tropical storm warning. Take cover!!

Hurricane Earl is blowing, sweeping, barreling, whatever overdramatic action verb you prefer, this way. Panic!!

No, not really. No one really seems sure what we should be doing.

The University sent an email this morning to the student body saying they’ve been closely monitoring the situation (that’s reassuring) and giving advice for how to handle it – like closing windows (do they realize how hot it is??) and avoiding the beach during the storm (duh).

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Calling all econ majors: the new website www.ultrinsic.com has begun to provide “course incentive” and “grade insurance” services to college students.  That’s right: you can gamble that you will get good (or terrible) grades, and the company that runs the site, Ultrinsic Motivator, will pay you if you wagered correctly.  For example, their 4.0 GPA incentive for freshmen will pay up to $2000 to a new student who correctly places $20 on the gamble that she will maintain a 4.0 GPA throughout college.  Undergrads who sign up for their “grade insurance” resource could win money if they fail several classes.  Does it count if those classes don’t end up on your transcript (yet another reason we love Brown…)?

What do you think?  Is this just a smart business idea or is it taking advantage of poor college students?

Company of fish
No seafood, but hot bodies
Flutter in the breeze

…Be safe children, but don’t forget to submit your fishkus (FishCo themed haikus) to fishco@browndailyherald.com.

Bill Hogan / Chicago Tribune

Today’s V-Dub dinner will feature a dish called “Cilantro Chicken.”  Since he had his first bite of pico de gallo, this blogger always wondered if anyone else realized that this viridian herb tasted strangely antiseptic.  For all the cilantro-haters out there, first, don’t go to the V-Dub for dinner.  Second, and perhaps more importantly, in between classes today, check out the community site founded by your fellow cilantro-haters at www.ihatecilantro.com.  Apparently some sort of genetic mix-up makes a good portion of the population bitterly dislike the taste of cilantro.  Some of the flavors attributed to cilantro by site members include “dirty soap,” “dishwashing detergent,” and “musty basement.” There’s also an affiliated facebook group.

Are you a cilantro-hater?  Leave a comment!

“Dick in a Box” by Jonah Kagan ’13.

Look for “Across to Bear” — crosswords made by Brown students for Brown students — Thursdays in the Brown Daily Herald and here. Send ideas, comments or complaints to brownpuzzles@gmail.com, view this week’s solution here, and archives here.

After countless rumors, the Brown Concert Agency has finally confirmed Big Boi as the headliner for this year’s fall concert on Saturday, September 18^th on LINCOLN FIELD!!!

Be sure to check out the full article in the Herald tomorrow on the concert and stay tuned to the Brown Concert Agency, as well as Blog Daily Herald, and the BDH for more information on the concert including ticket info.  Hear a few tracks off his first solo album, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, after the jump.

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A house on the corner of Thayer and Euclid will soon be home to Toledo, a Mediterranean restaurant, according to a sign in front of the building. The restaurant is the latest in a series of new restaurants opening or starting construction on Thayer.

Toledo also continues the trend of opening a restaurant with a cuisine already well-represented on Thayer. As much as people love Chipotle (and have pined for one for years), we already had at least three other burrito sources on the same street – Baja’s, Bagel Gourmet Ole, and Gordito Burrito. And now Toledo will be the fifth restaurant on Thayer with at least some Mediterranean flair (preceded by East Side Pockets, Paragon, Andrea’s, and Kartabar).

Although the signs on the buildings promise something unique.

Wonder what this Cone Zone is….

The Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center at Faunce House Facebook page now shows (relatively) newly posted photos of the inside of the renovated facilities — the new Blue Room, Campus Market, arch views, etc.

Students won’t descend on College Hill for another week or so, but now we can all start scouting out the fastest route to our morning coffees and muffins and afternoon panini (which we’d love to pay for with meal credits, hint hint).

For those of you who were eagerly awaiting the release of the 2011 US News and World Report college rankings (USNWRCR for the true ranking aficionados), your long wait is over.  The new list is up, placing Brown at number 15 in a list of several hundred national universities.  This new position represents a one rank increase from last year, tying the Bruins with our Ithacan friends to the West.  Once again, Harvard took the top spot, followed by Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and Stanford.