March-April 2006

I believe Erin O’Donnell’s statement (“Twigs Bent Left or Right,” January-February, page 34)—that “people are…

The sexual and romantic habits of urban black males have long been a subject of scrutiny. Forty years ago, the Moynihan Report—The Negro…

Most of us by now have had problems communicating with an oblivious headphone user who ignores our impatient repetitions of “Excuse…

Extreme sports usually mean speed, danger, or spectacular stunts—things like snowboarding, skateboarding, rock climbing. They may reach…

For John Updike ’54, Litt.D. ’92, visiting museums is not a chore but a pleasure, one that brings back fond early memories of trips…

Prayer: A History, by Philip Zaleski and Carol Zaleski, Ph.D. ’84 (Houghton Mifflin, $29.95). He is a senior editor at Parabola, she is a…

James Wallace seeks to learn the origin of, and find more verses of, parody lyrics for “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1,” by…

When I entered Harvard as a freshman in 1974, poker was less prominent in popular culture than it is today. There wasn’t much commercial…

Stephan Wilkinson ’58, automotive editor at Popular Science, is said to be a longtime expert on the way men entertain themselves when no…

Savor the sunshine and dabble in a variety of activities in and around Harvard Square this spring, ranging from a string of orchestral concerts…

Okay, you can strap on your credit card, go to Grill 23 in Boston, and have placed before you a 24-ounce (yes, 24 ounce) porterhouse steak ($44)…

Elizabeth (Dean) and Heinrich Hermann live in a nondescript ranch house in Concord, Massachusetts, that was built as affordable housing for…

In the city of Boston—and everywhere else—wealth equals health. If you live in Beacon Hill’s Louisburg Square, which sits in the…

The only thing most teachers and students of the humanities agree on, it often seems, is that these are troubled times for their field. For a…

When a group of Radcliffe students in the early 1960s complained to Mary Ingraham Bunting about the Harvard English department’s…

Photographs by Jim Harrison At last, Harvard’s Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments has come up from its hiding place in the…

Like all revolutions in thought, this one began with anomalies, strange facts, odd observations that the prevailing wisdom could not explain…

Certain patterns of response to rewards seem to be biologically embedded in the human brain. A branch of behavioral economics called…

“People care not only about outcomes, but about how outcomes came to be,” says associate professor of public policy Iris Bohnet of…

Friday evening, January 27, was quiet, with the College dispersed for intercession. Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) dean William C. Kirby was…

This panorama, photographed from the Western Avenue Bridge over the Charles River, gives some sense of Harvard’s current, very extensive…

The dimensions of Harvard’s current building boom—readily obvious to sidewalk superintendents along Memorial Drive at Western…

Amid an historic expansion, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) must now come to terms with the costs of its growth. An anticipated deficit…

Remember the couple of hot dogs in your fridge that you appear to think are immortal? As the dogs lurk there for week after week, precooked and…

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich Stephanie Mitchell/ Harvard News Office President Lawrence H. Summers appointed two utterly different…

The newest member of Harvard’s senior governing board, Patricia A. King, J.D. ’69 (see “Brevia,” January-February, page…

The rebirthing of the Harvard University Art Museums is announced. After months of strategic planning, and a wide-ranging search for real…

1931 The Harvard Placement Service appeals for help as it tries to find work for graduating seniors and older alumni who have lost their jobs…

John Simon Peter North Critic John Simon ’46, Ph.D. ’59, celebrated for his acerbic reviews in New York…

The federal lawsuit concerning the conduct of the Harvard Institute for International Development’s advisory work on the privatization of…

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdul-aziz Alsaud, reportedly the richest member of the Saudi royal family and head of the investment firm Kingdom…

Departing Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Dean William C. Kirby has attempted to set the clock ticking for completing a revision of the…

Compensation data for the most highly paid Harvard Management Company (HMC) investment personnel—subject to some sharp criticism in recent…

Distributions from the endowment now make up the largest source of Harvard’s operating revenues: $855 million, or 31 percent of University…

Cash Conservation Crimson Style The Harvard Financial Aid Initiative aims both to attract applicants and to enroll more students from modest…

The Undergraduate Council (UC) unveiled 24-hour Lamont Library access and fatter grants for student groups early in the fall, but soon…

Last February, the powerhouse Harvard women’s swimming and diving squad rolled into Princeton for the three-day Ivy championship meet…

Basketball The women’s team (7-11, 3-2 Ivy) had a bumpy start against non-Ivy opponents, but took out Yale, Columbia, and Cornell, all by…

Rarely will you hear a former Olympic and National Hockey League player use the word “fungible” twice within a few minutes, but C.J…

Drawings by Lewis Albert The spotlights are on and the music is pounding. I am sitting close to the edge of a stage in the darkened Bright…

Thanks to Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships, three current Harvard students will do their research in England next year. Senior Jay A.H. Butler…

Few people devote their lives to creatures that have frightened and killed humans throughout history. Herpetologist Kate Jackson, Ph.D…

Christopher Columbus can claim the world is round all he wants, but it doesn’t matter—the universe is flat. Paul L. Richards…

“I am glad I have OCD,” writes Charles M. Barber ’85 in his memoir, Songs from the Black Chair. Barber, who spent a decade as…

This spring, alumni vote for a new group of Harvard Overseers and for elected directors of the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA) board. Ballots…

The HAA Clubs Committee presents two annual awards for contributions to Harvard clubs. Recipients of the 2005 Outstanding Club Contribution…

University clubs offer a variety of stimulating gatherings. Here is a list of Harvard-affiliated speakers appearing at local clubs this winter…

On April 19, alumni of all College classes, their spouses, and high school-aged-offspring have an opportunity to visit the College, attend…

The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study offers April events in Washington, D.C., and New York City that high-light women’s roles in…

The HAA offers Cambridge forums on South Asia and diplomacy this spring. “South Asia: A Changing World,” on April 22, is cosponsored…

The leaders of a spring seminar and fall exhibit and conference on Leonard Bernstein ’39 seek firsthand information about the musician in…

The Harvard Alumni Association’s Global Series conference “The Power of the Idea: An Academic Symposium Exploring Outreach in South…

Morning Exercises, Thursday, June 8, 2006 To accommodate the increasing number of those wishing to attend Harvard’s Commencement Exercises, the…

"Your wooden arm you hold outstretched to shake with passers-by." This spring Harvard University Press publishes the…

Photograph courtesy of Harvard University Art Museums Vital, handsome, standing four-square, its tail raised, neck arched, head lifted…