Ah, Cards Against Humanity. The epic drunk-and-bored game of the early 21st century.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, here are the rules:

• Most of the cards are white and are nouns.
• The others are black and are questions or fill-in-the-blank types.
• Each turn, one player pulls a random black card.
• Then the other players put down a white card they think is funniest when paired with the aforementioned black card.
• That original player (who pulled the black card) picks his or her favorite pairing.
• The person who played that white card gets a point.

It’s Apples to Apples, but horribly and hilariously offensive. I called alum and co-creator of CAH Ben Hantoot ’09 to get his blessing for a Brown University expansion pack. He said it was chill. He was on his Bluetooth, driving what was probably a really nice car, what with all the big money to be made in board games these days. We had a funny conversation about smoking weed on Governor Street and the difference between Canadians’ and Americans’ card preferences, which you can read in Post- Magazine HERE. (I’m not going to pull a Jonah Lehrer and write the same article for two publications, even though I am not Jonah Lehrer and no one would care if I did.) All I can say is that I’m proud to attend the same school [wipes away single tear] as this modern genius once did. After Binder, let’s give Hantoot an honorary degree.

So here it is: the Brown University Expansion Pack. We hope you’ll mix them in with the original game, which you can download free on the Cards Against Humanity website. The card “Controversial Herald opinion articles” deserves to play in the big leagues. I, for one, will be at the GCB with these bad boys if you wanna hang out. Take a look after the jump.

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Now that we’re knee deep in finals commotion wouldn’t it be nice to take a break and hear a wildly successful Brown alumnus talk about his eyeglass business? Of course it would! Andy Hunt ’04 will be leading a discussion in Petteruti Lounge tonight at 6:30 p.m.on his various experiences as an entrepreneur. His coolest role is undoubtedly that of co-founder of Warby Parker, an online eyeglass company that emphasizes retro frames (think Don Draper/Truman Capote/Gatsby swag) and affordable prices. If you’re looking for another good study break today, take a minute (or an hour) perusing the company’s many styles. Glasses porn may not be a thing, but this site comes close enough. While the specs surely attract the young adult crowd, they’re also familiar enough to appeal to just about anybody, which is probably why the business recently expanded with its first brick and mortar location. As the talk is sponsored by Brown and RISD entrepreneurship groups, Hunt will surely have plenty of advice for how to get a promising concept off the ground. If you need further proof that your 20-page final research paper on [_insert esoteric topic here_] means nothing, be sure not to miss this cool thing. Once more: Today (Tuesday, May 7) in Petteruti at 6:30.

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Bryan Davis ’94, who founded a virtual lost-and-found system called Bungee in 2008, is now offering Brown students a year of the company’s service for free. Bungee mails users tags that they can place on any type of item, from wallets and phones to keys and USB flash drives. If someone finds an item with a Bungee tag, he/she can text Bungee and the owner will then receive a text and email about the lost possession. From there, the two people can arrange a safe return.

Davis and his business partner, A.J. Bontempo, have tested Bungee over 100 times, showing that it actually does work, according to an article in The Herald. To try it for free, use the promo code “bruno” on bungeetags.com. It’s definitely worth signing up before Spring Weekend, as the odds of losing something during Binder are probably higher than during your average Sunday afternoon.

Sadie Kurzban ’12 has completely changed the fitness landscape with her disruptive fitness concept, 305 Fitness. The dynamic 305 Fitness workout is not your typical cardio workout: it encourages you to trade in that boring, rinse-and-repeat gym routine for an intense, sexy, and invigorating cardio dance party (complete with a live DJ, glow sticks, and tons of sweat) that you’ll absolutely love.

While you may have read about how much we loved the 305 Fitness classes we attended here on College Hill last semester, the high-energy fitness craze that “make[s] sweat sexy” is gaining incredible traction beyond our Brunonian bubble. Sadie and 305 Fitness, which she launched in New York City this past fall, have been featured in several major media publications, including TIME, The Huffington Post, and Fast Company. We thought we’d follow suit and ask Sadie some of BlogDH’s most pressing questions.

According to the New York Times, Brown alum and current host of Up on MSNBC Chris Hayes ’01 will be replacing the boisterous Ed Shultz as the network’s host for its 8 p.m. hour starting this April.

Chris has seen his star rise at MSNBC since he first filled in for Keith Olberman back in 2010, when the currently unemployed anchor was suspended for violating the network’s employee ethics policy restricting political contributions. The violations were first brought to light in an article written by former Brown Daily Herald editor-in-chief Simmi Aujla ’09 for Politico. For the past year and a half, Chris anchored a weekend morning panel discussion show called Up, which received strong viewership and critical acclaim. MSNBC host Rachel Maddow lauded the show as “the best news show on TV,” and BuzzFeed Politics proclaimed Up to be the “most interesting weekend political show in America.”

And hey, MSNBC, if y’all are taking nominations for replacement hosts for Up, we would highly recommend Professor Wendy Schiller. Not only would she be the perfect complement Melissa Harris-Perry’s show, she’s absolutely killer on television.

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If you’re an upperclassman, you probably remember Aida Manduley walking across campus in her bright orange tights and pink metallic Doc Martens. She may have approached you and handed you a condom. If you don’t know Aida, you’re in luck: she’s back on campus to present a workshop on sex toys for Sex Week. Queering the Toybox will take place TONIGHT (Wednesday, March 13) in Metcalf Auditorium from 7-8:30 p.m.

If you’re a sex toy expert, or if the thought of using a hunk of plastic to pleasure yourself freaks you out: attend the workshop! Aida will introduce some new cutting-edge sex toys, like eco-friendly items and toys using microchips.

Mags sat down with Aida last week to learn about her time at Brown and her life as an alum. Aida hails from Puerto Rico. Her sexual development began online, finding comfort and support through online forums and communities. When she got to Brown, she immersed herself in work with the Queer Alliance, eventually branching out into broader sex and sexuality topics. SHEEC, the Sexual Health Education and Empowerment Council, started in 2007, Aida’s freshman year. The next year, Aida became SHEEC Chair and Sex Week became her brain child.  Sex Week has started some amazing events, such as Spoon Me, Fork Me: An Evening of Sensual Pleasures (a discussion of food porn). It also has featured amazing speakers like Megan Andelloux, the founder of the Center for Sexual Health and Pleasure (CSHP) in Pawtucket, RI. [Read more →]

In a move set to placate supporters of organized labor and Hispanic voters alike, President Obama is predicted to nominate head of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division Thomas Perez ’83 as the next Secretary of Labor. If in fact nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, Perez would fill a position left empty since former Secretary Hilda L. Solis resigned in January.

A first-generation Dominican-American, Perez has long been involved in labor issues, particularly those regarding immigrant workers’ rights. After his father died of a heart attack, twelve year-old Perez was adopted by a friend of his father’s, an unemployed Teamster who received support from the union. Perez went on to attend Brown and then Harvard Law, after which he worked in a variety of public service and civil rights positions in government before adopting his current and most well-known post as the assistant attorney general at the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department.

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While the Avon continues to squeeze the life out of Quartet, The Ivy Film festival will be showcasing yet another unreleased, buzz-worthy film this week. Girl Rising is the powerful story of nine different girls from nine different countries that fight for an education in the face of adversity. Faced with arranged marriages, child slavery, and other tragic injustices, the girls see education as a way to escape and change their oppressive living conditions. Wednesday night’s 6:30 screening will consist of a segment of the film focusing on one of the girls’ story.

Girl Rising is the project of 10×10, a social action campaign aiming to communicate the importance of educating girls in developing nations. It focuses its message around the feature film, which, helmed by Academy Award-nominated director Richard E. Robbins, promises to be well-executed and thought-provoking.

After the segment’s screening, Holly Gordon ’93 (executive producer of 10×10) will speak about the film and her work. She’ll surely share some enlightening thoughts, but if that’s not enough to entice you over to Metcalf Auditorium, watch the trailer below, complete with a Bon Iver cover and somber voice-overs. It’s not often that tears are shed at a sneak peak, but I’d bet on this one getting emotional.

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The string of Hollywood notables to visit Brown will continue this Sunday night, as Jonathan Levine ’00–director of 2011′s 50/50 and 2008′s The Wackness–will screen and field questions on his upcoming zombie rom-com Warm Bodies. Levine’s latest stars Nicholas Hoult (apparently of fame for his role in the British teenagers-sexing-and-drinking drama series Skins) as a zombie whose love for a living girl (Teresa Palmer) seems to be bringing him back to life, and also stars John Malkovich, Dave Franco, Rob Corddry, and Analeigh Tipton. Though the premise may sound both tired and ridiculous on first glance, the story is adapted from an acclaimed novel of the same title and is one of the more anticipated movies of Winter/Spring 2013. For all those interested in attending (and I can’t see why you wouldn’t be), tickets will be distributed TODAY (Friday) at JWW at 3 p.m., free with a Brown ID, one per person. If you miss that, don’t despair–some walk-in space will be available as well on a first-come, first-serve basis. Don’t miss it.

My friend Rick didn’t know what a period was until he got to college. He had the general concept down pat, but for some reason his logistics were a bit skewed. He thought your period was like the rest of your bodily functions. You poop, you pee, you period. Like in a toilet. Like you sit on a toilet a few times a day, you bleed for a few minutes, and then you go about your life as usual. A tampon was there, he thought, if you couldn’t make it to the bathroom in time for the inevitable. Shock and awe didn’t even begin to cover my reaction when I heard that. I mean, he has an older sister!

Though Rick is wrong on most accounts, he was right about one thing: we girls do occasionally have accidents. If you’ve ever seen the movie Superbad, you know exactly what I’m talking about. In this iconic scene, poor poor Jonah Hill is the cause of a massive fight when he dances with another man’s fiancée and subsequently gets her period blood on his pants. Cue Home Alone scream here.

And while I don’t personally know anyone to have ever perioded on someone (that would be something awful), every girl has had their fair share of mishaps. And there is nothing worse. Whether your time of the month snuck up on you or you have a heavy flow and a wide set vagina, there is no worse feeling than walking around knowing that your underwear is ruined. Or worse yet, that it has gotten so far that you’re forced to pull a ’90s sweatshirt around the waist move. Sure, the line in No Strings Attached “It’s like a crime scene in my pants” is not 100% accurate 100% of the time, but it was still the funniest line in the entire movie, in my opinion, because it’s real. It’s a real problem. Think of the number of pairs of underwear you’ve had to completely scrap because no matter what Tide or Clorox or whatever stain remover you use says, there is a limit to their effectiveness, and you have reached it.

Well, ladies, those days are finally over! Introducing Dear Kate, a revolutionary new underwear line founded by Julie Sygiel, Class of ’09.

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