Harvard Today: October 2, 2014

Happy Thursday! Remember when you didn’t get a ticket to see Shonda Rhimes and Oprah on Tuesday while all your friends posted pictures of them on Facebook? And remember when the IOP emailed you saying that you unfortunately didn’t win the lottery to see Vice President Joe Biden speak tonight (PSA to those who won the lottery: thank you for making the rest of us feel like luck isn’t something we have or will ever have)? In light of this...

What would you do for a ticket to hear Vice President Joe Biden speak?
1) Read all of Mankiw’s Ec10 textbook

2) Give up Brain Break for a year (but then again maybe not having 5 bowls of Apple Zings every night to drown your p-set sorrows away is really good for your personal health goals?)

3) Lick the John Harvard Statue foot—taking the checklist of things to do before graduation to the next level

4) Re-take Expos (um, do we ever want to utter that word again except in the context of pretending to be a wise upperclassman and starting the stereotypical “Expos sucks” speech? Answer: No)

5) Transfer to Yale……..#jk, nothing’s worth that

By Daniel N. Yue

IN THE ATMOSPHERE
It’s rainy and dreary and cold (this is a really depressing list of adjectives) again today, so you might as well keep that umbrella in your bag again. Be sure to watch out for that monsoon of sidewalk water that cars might spray at you while you’re waiting at a corner to cross the street or the inevitable awkwardness that ensues when you have trouble folding your umbrella up as you approach a building!

IN THE D-HALLS
Lunch:
Chicken Parmesan Sub
Cheese and Mushroom Quiche
Tofu Parmesan Sub

Dinner:
Korean Pork Stir Fry
Moroccan Roasted Chicken
Cajun Black Bean Cakes with Corn Salsa

ON FLYBY
1) #tbt: B.J. Novak Was Spectacular: "According to the article, Novak didn’t want “to create another show, package comedy and offer it to the public.” In 2004, he took a job writing for The Office."

2) Why Exactly is Beyonce ‘Flawless’?: Yes please, anything that will attempt to explain how we can even fathom the legend that is Queen Bey.

3) Put Down Your P-Set and Check out ArtWeek Boston!: A scavenger hunt throughout Boston, a private soiree, and a tour of the Sam Adams Brewery?!

IN THE NEWS
1) Chinese “Power Couple” Defends Harvard Donation: “Pan Shiyi and Zhang Xin, the couple who co-founded China’s largest commercial real estate company and donated $15 million to the University last July, shared their views on education and philanthropy with hundreds of students on Wednesday in a filled Science Center B.”

2) Investigation Underway, Civil Rights Officers Visit Campus: “The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is making visits to Harvard’s campus to investigate the College’s adherence to anti-sex discrimination law Title IX, according to two members of the student activist group that filed the complaint that precipitated the probe last spring.”

3) Paulson Discusses Financial Crisis, U.S.-China Relations: “Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. "Hank" Paulson Jr. spoke at the Institute of Politics Wednesday evening, citing poor communication during the 2008 economic crisis as one of his failures during his tenure in Washington.”

IN FM
1) Arrested Divestment: Other higher education institutions, notably Stanford, are finding their stakes in fossil fuels increasingly unconscionable, but Harvard itself has made no intentions to divest. Still, the protests continue.

2) Retrospective: Faculty in Hot Water: A trip down the Harvard Faculty's extensive memory lane of lawsuits, threats, and accusations.

3) Chatting over Cheddar: Inside Harvard's Wisconsin Club: "I needed [a] Wisconsin-related venue for the interview, and with an understanding of the state based mostly on “That 70’s Show,” only cheddar cheese and cow-tipping came to mind. Cheese was the more legal option, so I chose the deli for our venue."

EVENTS
The Food Literacy Project is holding a compost workshop at noon today in the Harvard Community Garden! Learn about composting 101 and also about urban farming!

Thinking about working in Latin America? Head over to the Latin American Career Fair today from 3:00 to 6 p.m. at the Harvard Faculty Club today to learn more!

The Harvard Environmental Action Committee and the Harvard Effective Altruism is having a free screening of Cowspiracy: The Sustainability tonight at Harvard Hall 103 at 6:45 p.m. There will also be a free dinner from Veggie Galaxy!

PHOTO OF THE DAY
Philanthropist CEO Zhang Xin and her husband Pan Shiyi answer questions about their scholarship donation from the audience in the Science Center B on Wednesday. The billionaire couple started the SOHO Scholarship foundation, aimed at bringing underprivileged Chinese students to elite universities.