While Gordon Wood (the subject of this squabble) and our beloved Michael Vorenberg continue to hold it down in Peter Green, a trendsetter has emerged from the History Department’s Sharpe House. According to a recent article in the New York Times, capitalism has become the fashionable topic for historians across the country and Brown’s own Seth Rockman is part of the vanguard. Professor Rockman, an early Americanist, has focused his research on slavery and the elaborate economic machinery that kept the peculiar institution running—incredibly interesting for history nerds, but not quite exciting for the student masses.

In a textbook case of historical contingency, however, Rockman noticed that emphasizing a trendy topic such as capitalism in his course might attract more students from other disciplines to his lectures. Subsequently, as the Times notes, Rockman’s course enrollments jumped up when he changed its title from “Capitalism, Slavery and the Economy of Early America” to “History of Capitalism.” Naturally, the lure of big ideas and power relation exploration—the opiates of undergraduate study—attracted students in droves. Capitalism, additionally, will provide the organizing theme for his introductory U.S. survey class next fall. With a couple of books in the works (including one entitled Slavery’s Capitalism: A New History of American Economic Development), there is little doubt that Rockman will remain a key player in this emergent wave of capitalist historians. And long as there are new hegemonic relationships to “explode,” Brown students will be along for the ride.

With the advent of Brown University Compliments, Admirers, and now Scramblers, it is clear that lust love is in the air. And with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, it’s time for you to start thinking about how to spend it. Whether or not you consider yourself a dating aficionado, Blog has decided to help. Here are some activities you could do with your main hang that cover the entire date/not date spectrum (based on the level of thoughtfulness).

[Read more →]

A hundred years ago, the New York Times celebrated this once-in-a-lifetime occasion by encouraging people to write the date on the top of a sheet of paper, and treat themselves to the pleasure of knowing that this “triple-plated date of magic mischance” is pretty cool.

Finals are upon us, and it’s easy to forget the little things in life. Like the fact that this will probably be the only time in our lifetime that we’ll see 12/12/12 on our phones, our computers, our newspapers, etc. Some people are doing 12/12/12 big: people are getting married, the Pope started tweeting, and hundreds of anxious high schoolers will join the Class of 2017. BlogDH doesn’t encourage shotgun weddings, but we do like things that fill us with warm fuzzies. There are tons of ways to make 12/12/12 count: eat a dozen cupcakes, make a list of 12 things you’re looking forward to, write a letter to someone you care about (or write one to yourself.) Take this moment to do something for yourself and make 12/12/12 memorable.

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While we may be told to manage our expectations, stories of alums hittin’ it big in the real world tend to keep aspirations for life after Brown very high. Still, even the most Commercial, Organized and Entrepreneurial of us don’t necessarily envision a future of outfits that require their own security and a salary that makes Mitt Romney look like Joe the Plumber.

But one enterprising recent alum figured out a way to try out just such a life. Kevin Roose ’09.5 , a New York Times reporter and published author, recently spent a day living like a billionaire in order to investigate America’s obsession with the super wealthy. He spent his day cruising around in a Rolls Royce Ghost (and a private jet) doing rich people things with a private security detail at his side — all for the sake of journalism (huzzah!). Check out the story here for more details from Kevin’s swagged-out day (and a glimpse into the future of aspiring Brunonian journalists?).

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New York Times

We’re sure you’ve come across some strange articles in your lifetime that make you seriously wonder… WTF?! However, it’s pretty rare that these articles come straight out of the highly acclaimed New York Times.

On December 30^th, 2010 one journalist must have had a pretty bad day. Either that, or someone tampered with his morning coffee.  Whatever it was, it helped him produce a rather interesting and questionable article about the slush that continues to plague Manhattan this winter. I think that’s something that we inhabitants of Providence can definitely relate to.

“The snowman’s cheery gaze turned to one of grave alarm, for slush is to him what zombies are to man. Relentless, undead.” This is just one of the many bizarre passages of Michael Wilson’s piece.  Check it out… it’s bound to make you question if that day’s NY Times editor took a little snooze on the job.

Though you may still be trapped under a five-foot snowdrift, school is coming soon. To ease the pain of one of your many readjustment woes, the New York Times has provided a helpful list of all the places to purchase low-cost textbooks. Hint: The Brown Bookstore is not one of them.

Harvard Professor N. Gregory Mankiw — best known at Brown as the author of the ECON0110 textbook —  recently penned a column for the New York Times, outlining the course load he believes each of us need “for the game of life.”

From his vantage point, we should all learn “some economics,” “some statistics,” “some finance” and “some psychology.” So for those of you out there enrolled in ECON0110: “Principles of Economics,” SOC0110 “Introductory Statistics for Social Research” and ECON0710: “Financial Accounting,” you’re doing pretty well for yourself. Sadly for the professor, we don’t really have psychology anymore.

But Mankiw also says to “ignore advice as you see fit.” So although you may have to take him at his word when it comes to your first ECON0110 exam (seriously, read the textbook), the rest is up to you. The game of life has a few more variations than his outline might suggest.

Well, wedding fever has caught the nation, as people stalked and speculated on the wedding of one of American royalty.

So now you’ve gotten a little taste of wedding, you just can’t quit, right? Well lucky for you, there’s a website, WeddingCredential.com, where you can search wedding announcements for keywords. They could be schools, names, jobs, locations, hobbies – anything that might appear in an announcement. The site also suggests various terms, including “Goldman Sachs” and “keeping her name.”

A search for Brown came up with a bunch of alum marriages, but also a slew of people just named Brown.

Dip into the lives of others for a little vicarious romantic thrill.

Office of the President

President Simmons is expected to officially wash her hands of Goldman Sachs’ board of directors on Friday when shareholders elect a new director at their annual meeting. Simmons’ announcement that she would not stand for re-election at Friday’s meeting came on Feb. 12. In case you’re just tuning in now, click “more” to be brought up to speed on the issues behind the decision. [Read more →]

From the New York Times:

ON a spring morning in 2002, Michael Kerry Matthews, a history major and an aspiring filmmaker, watched as a beautiful young woman walked across a cafeteria at Brown University and put two pieces of bread in the toaster on her way to the omelet line. Mr. Matthews felt an overwhelmingly urgency to act.

“They rarely had this kind of good sourdough bread,” he said. “There wasn’t any left. So I guess I kind of took her toast.”

The woman was Sarah Staveley-O’Carroll, a junior history student. She had spotted Mr. Matthews, a freshman, who was “so cute.” But, handsome or not, he was a toast thief. …

This recipe begins with Sarah Staveley-O’Carroll ’03, Michael Matthews ’05, and a slice of sourdough bread from the Ratty.

Add a dash of old-school tactics, including “crashing parties that one knew the other was attending, signing up for a class or switching into a study section that one heard the other was in.”

Mix in one Hardball host, a stint in Rwanda, an aggressive mountain gorilla, and one French Huguenot minister and you get a classic NYT Vows piece.

Can we all say just say “aww”?