November / December 2007

The Panicked Person's Gift Guide

Whatever holiday you observe, this is the season for giving. For some of us, unfortunately, it’s also the season for panic.

Travel Advisory

Ecotourism doesn’t have to be just about nature. 

The Politics of Detention

It took the arrest of her husband to plunge Melissa Brown into Armenian politics. 

Pied Piper of Science

Making science color-blind one student at a time.

Days of Wine and Labor

How to start a vineyard before you even know what you’re doing.

Au Natural

Parents

Religion

Obituaries -- Nov/Dec 2007

The Whirlwind

The Watchmaker

The Valiant One

Merit Badges

Who knew Howard Swearer was an Eagle Scout?

A Gift To Science

I read with interest the article about Christine Montross ’06 MD, ’07 MMS.

The Other Injustice

President Ruth Simmons has been doing a great deal to commemorate the history of slavery in Rhode Island (“Since Last Time,” Elms, July/August).

Defending Starbucks

Alex Frankel ’93 describes Starbucks as an intense, protocol-driven place, focused on quotidian customer experience, with impressive vestiges of coffee consciousness mixed with a dollop of corporate propaganda.

Pool Advice

The article on the demise of the Smith Swim Center seemed strangely familiar.

American Choices

I was intrigued by the decision a young woman from the class of 2007 faced: to spend a year with AmeriCorps or be an assistant manager at a Providence bakery.

Whose Rules?

The Bible was not written just to lay down “rules” or “edicts” to follow, but to reveal to mankind an infinitely loving and compassionate God who desperately wants to help us.

On the Stage

Game Day

Sports - Football

[Replay]

Sports - Crew

[Replay]

Tinkering with Titanium

[Data Points] Artificial hips, knees, and shoulders don’t always take as they should.

Age and Ethnicity

[Data Points] When do children develop an ethnic identity?

A Mammoth Mass Extinction

Just over 10,000 years ago, some amazing beasts roamed the planet. Then suddenly they were gone.

Stories of Ordinary Latinos

Quiara Alegría Hudes ’04 MFA brings Washington Heights to Broadway.

Fresh Ink

The Freewheelin' Todd Haynes

When Hollywood rejected I’m Not There, his proposed film on Bob Dylan, director Todd Haynes ’85 turned to his longtime producer Christine Vachon ’83

Blowing Out the Spaces

Billie Tsien ’71 and her husband, Tod Williams, won the competition to design a new home for the renowned Barnes collection. Now if only the courts will let them build it.

Spoken Language

On campus this fall, Danticat says Creole taught her the value of metaphor.

Her Two Fathers

Edwidge Danticat ’93 MFA tells the story of two deaths and a birth.

The Diva of Cool

Bravo network president Lauren Zalaznick ’84 has redefined reality programming with such shows as Project Runway and Top Chef. Can her instinct for the next big thing carry over to a YouTube world?

It's Not Time Yet

Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch ’82 is dying of pancreatic cancer. But his words are teaching millions how to live.

My Mother’s File

A daughter discovers that the FBI kept a dossier on her activist mother.

Hard Hitting Research

To study concussions, a study has the Bears wearing $1,000 helmets.

Three-Point Men

Guards Mark Mcandrew ’08 and Damon Huffman ’08 are one of the league’s top long-range shooting combinations. The trick now is to win games.

A Circle of Gold

A high school ring serves as a reminder of one man’s conflicting impulses.

Civil Actions

When toxic chemicals made a neighborhood’s homes worthless, students volunteered to help.

Playing God

We're becoming adept at manipulating genes. Is that a good thing?

Study the Children

Brown joins a groundbreaking nationwide research project on the dangers to children’s health.

Seed Pods

Changing what you see when you listen to music.

Mocha's Hot

Administators and students agree on one thing, at least.

The Long Road to Freedom

Interpreting for the U.S. military set one Iraqi on an odyssey that he hopes will end in a graduate program at Brown.

Geeks Meet Grunts

An usually candid debate about the Iraq War.

What If It Happened Here?

The shootings at Virginia Tech have prompted universities to reexamine their emergency preparedness. How does Brown stack up?

A Yes Vote

Ironically, Brown has adopted an open curriculum so that students can explore various interests and find their passion (“Exam Time,” Under the Elms, May/June), yet recommends (if not requires) that applicants follow the most demanding college preparatory track possible to improve their chances of admission: four years of English, four math, four science (3 labs), four foreign language, two history, and one academic elective.

All Wet

The omission of a dehumidification system in an indoor swimming pool is something Brown should have picked up on when the Smith Swim Center was first being built.