This editorial commends the report from the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice for illuminating the ways the University benefited “in its early years from money generated by the slave trade and by industries dependent on slavery.” The editorial also notes that the report “should dispel any lingering smugness among Northerners that slavery was essentially a Southern problem.”
Paid subscriptions: www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/opinion/23mon3.html

More people speak Portuguese as their native language than French, German, Italian or Japanese. The Museum of the Portuguese Language, which recently opened in Brazil, is trying to draw attention to a language and literature that often are considered minor by others around the world. Luiz Fernando Valente, associate professor of Portuguese and Brazilian studies, comments on such efforts, noting that the aspiration of some Portuguese-speakers to see their language gain official status at the United Nations is probably beyond reach. “Portuguese is a global language, spoken on every continent,” he said, “but it is not an international language, used in diplomacy and business the way that French is, and I don’t know if that problem is solvable.”
Paid subscriptions: www.nytimes.com/2006/10/23/world/americas/23brazil.html

Today, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, more than 25 universities, including Brown University, are conducting campaigns of $1 billion or more. Though this column takes a sharper look at the efforts of Stanford, the overarching question posed by columnist is: “Does Stanford - and Yale, and Brown and N.Y.U. - really need to raise ever more billions to add to the billions it already has? Or is this an example of fund-raising run amok, a case of the rich getting even richer - just because they can?” (Contact the Office of Media Relations for a copy of the column.)

The Freshman 15, a term coined to describe the extra pounds that many college students pack on in their first year away from home, is closer to the Freshman 8, according to new findings reported Oct. 22. "The first year of college is a vulnerable time for students," says lead researcher Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University Medical School. "While most are not gaining the Freshman 15, many are gaining weight and aren't taking it off." The study of college-student weight gain is the most comprehensive analysis to date.
www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-10-22-freshman-weight_x.htm

The Freshman 15, a term coined to describe the extra pounds that many college students pack on in their first year away from home, is closer to the Freshman 8, according to new findings reported Oct. 22. This wire service article, which appeared in scores of newspapers and Web sites across the country, included comment from lead researcher Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior, and Rena Wing, professor of psychiatry and human behavior.
www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/23/health/main2113760.shtml

In an article about the effectiveness of using the National Guard to police the border between California and Mexico, Associate Professor of Political Science Peter Andreas, co-author of the book "Policing the Globe," said that without broader reforms, including streamlining immigration procedures and establishing a guest worker program, the National Guard presence is largely symbolic.
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/10/23/MNG9NLUADE1.DTL

Postdoctoral research associate Deborah Schooler, whose research on male body image was published last spring, says research that asks men “about just weight or size misses the boat.” She says men are more concerned about such "real-body" factors as sweat, body hair and body odor. Schooler’s study, which appeared in the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity, was recently featured in Seed magazine.
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/lifestyles/106956,5_5_WA23_MENANDBODIES_S1.a
rticle

Mark Tribe, assistant professor of modern culture and media, helps explain why Google Inc. spent $1.65 billion in a landmark deal to buy YouTube. It's about an effort to dominate a new medium that's begun to change the culture of America and the world.
www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2006/10/20/is_youtube_really_worth_165b_m
aybe/