Harvard Today: April 10, 2014

By Shunella Grace Lumas

You’ve made it to Thursday, which means you’re so close to the weekend and Yardfest! In honor of Throwback Thursday, here are some things that happened around this time through the years:

Yesterday in 2004, Felipe’s first opened up on Mt. Auburn Street “despite technical difficulties and unfinished decor.” It received fairly positive first reviews, except for one customer’s critique that “the guacamole is not as good.”

On this day in 1975, a Harvard junior won his second straight Scrabble tournament in Maine. He won “with a total of 2545 points for six games, besting all six opponents that he faced.” Noteworthy moves included “retainer” for 74 points and “cavalier” for 78 points.

Finally, today in 1939, The Crimson posted an article about a junior who may consider joining a traveling circus for his special talent of “goldfish gulping,” which apparently consists of competing to swallow goldfish that are at least 3 inches in length. We don’t really know what to make of this either.

By Matt O. Ricotta

IN THE ATMOSPHERE

Today is going to be a high of 60 degrees and sunny, so you can rejoice in the fact that you get to wear your spring and summer clothes for another day! It’ll be fairly windy however, with rain later in the night.

IN THE D-HALLS

Lunch:
Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings
Smoked Turkey Panini on Wheat Flatbread
Penne Pasta with Fresh Vegetables and White Beans

Dinner:
Beef Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Chicken Piccatta
Creamy Chilaquile Casserole
Vegan “Meat”balls

ON FLYBY

1) Dueling Tampons, Elevator Sex, Easy A’s, and Yalies Who Don’t Know How to Feed Themselves: The Around the Ivies Plus series reports this week on collegiate news including  Yale offering graduating seniors a three-part workshop series called “Reality Bites” and a 50-foot steel statue at UPenn colloquially referred to as the “Dueling Tampons.”

2) Yardfest Tips & Tricks!: How to enjoy Yardfest because "YOYO—You Only Yardfest Once (a year)"!

IN FM

3) A Different School Spirit: Harvard and the Boston Church of Christ: A controversial church, its Harvard members, and those who have ceased involvement.

4) Janelle Monae v. Claude Monet: Both are better than Tyga. 

5) Starting Up, Staying in School: Harvard's newly resourced start-up climate.

IN THE NEWS

6) Former CIA and Mossad Directors Discuss Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Middle East Situation: “Four days after Secretary of State John F. Kerry called for a “reality check” on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, former director of the CIA David H. Petraeus and Meir Dagan, former director of Israel’s intelligence service, the Mossad, analyzed the prospects for future peace in the Middle East at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum on Monday.”

7) PBK Announces ‘Junior 24’ for the Class of 2015: “‘The Junior 24 are among a highly select group of students recognized for extraordinary academic achievement,’ wrote Jeffrey M. Berg, an assistant director at Harvard’s Postgraduate and National Fellowships Office, in an email announcing the selection on behalf of the chapter.”

8) Senior Class Committee Names Class Day Student Speakers: “Four members of the Class of 2014 have been chosen to take the stage at the annual Class Day celebration, the Senior Class Committee announced Tuesday night. Adam J. Conner ’14, a former Crimson business editor, and Christy L. Disilvestro ’14 will present the reflective Harvard Orations, and Zack W. Guzman ’14 and Jenna D. Martin ’14 will deliver the witty Ivy Orations.”

EVENTS

The Harvard College European Society is holding its annual Spring celebration, the Feria de Abril Garden Party at the Center for European Studies courtyard from 6 to 9 p.m.! Following the traditions of the local festival Feria de Abril in Spain and Southern France, this garden party will feature food, music, and dancing from these cultures. Tickets can be purchased at The Harvard Box Office for $10.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club is putting on a musical called In Other Words, about “a boy, a girl, another boy, and a bit of a sociopath who walk into a bookstore,” at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the Loeb Experimental Theater.

The Dramatic Club is also putting on Songs for a New World, “an abstract performance somewhere between musical and song cycle,” tonight at the Adams House Pool Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency David Petraeus (right) joined former Director of the Mossad Meir Dagan (center) and moderator Graham Allison (left) for a conversation on the state of affairs in the Middle East at the JFK Jr. Forum on Tuesday night.