Around Town
Harvard's Worst Art
It’s a snowstorm Saturday in Cambridge, and I’ve been hit by an unusual wave of both ennui and energy. Either the weather or some suppressed self-loathing has made me hungry to rip something to shreds. The critic rears its ugly head. My target today: Harvard’s art.
The Grafton Era
Harvard Square is a place where even the threatened passing of a Dunkin’ Donuts can prompt student outrage; passion for favorite food haunts runs deep. While both students and restaurants in the Square turn over as fast as patties at Tasty Burger, some local favorites persist.
Why Don’t We Study Abroad?
Why do so few students choose to study abroad during term time?
A Bedtime Lamontstory
Though reports vary as to what it’s like to spend a night in Lamont, it’s clear that as the night drags into morning, the library ambience changes drastically. “I think there is a certain hour when the atmosphere becomes one of desperation,” said Ariel R. Walzer ’15.
Chess with Blitzstein & Elkies: The Pawn is Mightier than the Sword
Both Blitzstein and Elkies are known to be terrific chess players. Blitzstein is ranked as an “Expert” by the US Chess Federation, placing him in the 98th percentile of tournament players. Elkies is ranked even one step higher as a “Master,” and specializes in solving and composing chess problems. Both have been playing chess for as long as they can remember, but the serious mathematicians have found it difficult to find time for their favorite game at Harvard. FM asked the two to revive their passion for a quick match of speed chess.
Blitzstein vs. Elkies Chess Game
Harvard professor Joseph K. Blitzstein makes a move in a chess game against fellow Harvard professor Noam Elkies.
Closing the Gates and Opening the Conversation
Two years out, many former Occupy Harvard participants challenge the notion that Occupy “failed.”
Square Personalities: Owen from Chameleon
Owen was the first licensed body piercer in Cambridge of Chameleon Tattoo and Body Piercing in Harvard Square.
Creating a Co-op
The tofu sizzles on a frying pan next to a pot of steaming miso soup. On the cutting board, kale leaves are being chopped up in preparation for a salad, and an electric mixer is forging its way through batter for vegan chocolate chip cookies. Amid the sizzling and chopping, students engage in a passionate discussion about the future of solar power.
Get Out: Union Square
A 20-minute bus ride or equally time-consuming trek to Somerville’s Union Square may not seem worth the effort, but this destination is a hidden gem.
Square Personalities: Chameleon's Owen
Long hair, full beard, a hoop in his septum, a flower stud below his lip. Upwards of six feet tall and quite thin, he wears a black t-shirt revealing two arms sleeved in dark blue/black ink tattoos, with open circles exposing each elbow. On the knuckle of his right pinky is the letter “O,” and the rest of his name is spelled out across the next three fingers: O-W-E-N.