Tag Archive: Famous People

  1. Watch Williams ’10 in teaser for new HBO show

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    Move over, Rhoda — a new series about young people trying to make it big in New York is coming to a digital video player near you this spring.

    Cross Campus favorite Allison Williams ’10 stars alongside Lena Dunham in “Girls,” a generational show produced by Judd Apatow that features three best girlfriends being young in the Big Apple. A Dunham-heavy trailer (in which Williams has only two lines, one about texting, the other about condoms) came out earlier this week. Watch it now:

    “Girls” seems like it will be a relevant, relatable look at what I imagine life is like for Millennials living and working in New York, having never lived there myself. In the trailer, Dunham’s character, Hannah, acts like a wry young writer type who struggles with money — the trailer opens with Hannah’s voice: “So I calculated and I can last New York for three and a half more days, maybe seven, if I don’t eat lunch” — and who lets men treat her poorly. The trailer touches on several themes crucial to today’s youth, like texting, Tweeting and being underemployed. It also focuses on sex and talking about sex, including the following relatable exchange:

    Hannah’s shirtless boytoy: “This is good. I’m gonna go get some lube.”

    Hannah, in what looks like a poorly-formed Dhanurasana pose: “Why do we need to get lube?”

    As Hannah types a Tweet reading “My life has been a lie” toward the teaser’s close, she makes a bold declaration:

    “I think I may be the voice of my generation..or at least, a voice of a generation,” Hannah tells her skeptical parents.

    Big words, but given that this promising teaser has racked up nearly 70,000 YouTube hits in just a few days, Dunham’s Hannah may not be so wrong. We’ll find out when “Girls” premieres in April 2012.

  2. Liberian President Sirleaf wins Nobel

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    Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who earned an honorary law degree in 2010, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday at a ceremony in Oslo.

    Sirleaf and two other female political leaders — Tawakkol Karmen, a Yemeni pro-democracy campaigner, and Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace activist — shared the award “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”

    Yale awarded Sirleaf an honorary doctorate of laws in May 2010 recognizing her political work in Liberia. She is the first woman to be elected president in Africa and has been widely recognized as an important leader for women’s rights in Africa.

    “Arrested for challenging the ruling powers, you persevered to run for office, fight corruption, and bring integrity to government,” said University President Richard Levin at the honorary degree ceremony. “Your vision of a renewed Liberia is becoming a reality because of your sacrifice, dedication, determination, and wisdom.”

    Sirleaf also holds honorary law degrees from Harvard, Brown and Rutgers, among others.

  3. Designers of Yale letters win ‘genius grants’

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    Just their type: Type designer Matthew Carter and stone carver Nicholas Benson are among the 23 recipients of the 2010 MacArthur Fellowships, $500,000 awards colloquially called “genius grants.”

    But the two also have something else in common — they’ve both designed letters for Yale’s buildings. Carter created the official Yale typeface used on the blue plaques affixed to every University building, and Benson cut the slate inscription in front of the Yale University Art Gallery. If you’re so inclined, celebrate these “geniuses” by downloading the Yale typeface, available to anyone with a NetID for University projects.

  4. Watch video of Levin and Fareed Zakaria

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    In typical Yale fashion, the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs marked its official opening Monday with an interview of one of today’s most prominent Yalies: journalist Fareed Zakaria ’86. University President Richard Levin called Zakaria, a former editor of Foreign Affairs and Newsweek International and now the host of CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” and editor-at-large at Time, “perhaps the best informed, most articulate, most incisive television interviewer in the area of national and international affairs.”

    Watch the full interview above, and read tomorrow’s News for more information on what’s to come for the International Studies program.

  5. ‘The Postal Service’ was already taken

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    [ydn-legacy-photo-inline id=”1626″ ]

    Yale Station postal worker Roger Loiseau isn’t just a friendly neighborhood mail employee — he’s also a musician who has released a debut album released under his stage name, RD Byrd.

    Loiseau’s eight-track album is a mix of love songs and what he calls “driving down the road” songs, one of which is entitled “In a Letter.” On the album cover, Loiseau stands in front of Lanman-Wright Hall, just outside the entrance to the post office.

    A musician since childhood, Loiseau says on his website that he is influenced by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton and Michael Buble.

    Listen to samples of his album on iTunes, Amazon, CDBaby.com and DigStation..

  6. Gaga at the VMAs … with Katie Miller ’12?!

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    [ydn-legacy-photo-inline id=”1649″ ]

    Escorting Lady Gaga down the red carpet at Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards was none other than Katie Miller ’12, the West Point cadet who transferred to Yale College after announcing that she was gay.

    Yes, that’s right: A Yalie. Holding Lady Gaga’s hand. On the red carpet. At the VMAs.

    According to the Washington Post, Lady Gaga invited Miller and three other former members of the military, all of whom were discharged or resigned because of the federal “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, to accompany her on the red carpet at one of the entertainment industry’s biggest nights of the year.

    While entering the awards show, Gaga explained to reporters the reasoning behind her unconventional guest list:

    “I’m here for a very, very important cause tonight. These are all my friends and they are with SLDN.org, which is an organization that was founded in 1993 under the reaction to the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policies. Their stories are very inspiring and there’s so much we can do right now.”

  7. The quotable Karl Rove

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    He has a way with words: Karl Rove’s speech at the Yale Political Union Tuesday night was replete with some real gems, including the following …

    On the many uninsured Americans who are not legal citizens:

    “I’m pro-immigration, but I don’t think we should pick up the cost for illegal aliens.”

    On his belief that health insurance groups should be able to form across state lines:

    “Let all the left-handed orthodontists who are Lutherans group together!”

    On the need for medical liability reform in America:

    “We have an issue in health care, but we should have solved it in a bipartisan way.”

    On Obama’s response to Republican calls for liability reform:

    “This was a stick in the eye of Republicans … a disingenuous and dishonest thing.”

    On the bill’s effect:

    “[Obama says] we’re not going to add a dime to the deficits, and he’s right — we’re going to add trillions of dollars in deficits.”

    On the rhetoric surrounding the bill:

    “God. It sounded good.”

    On college:

    “College is a great incubator of political leadership and political spirit. It’s a useful venue for candidates to prepare for political activity to be undertaken.”

    On the YPU Tory Party:

    “I hope you all become investment bankers.”

    On investment bankers:

    “My problem with investment bankers: They invest like Tories, but they donate like Leftists.”

  8. Rove kisses foreheads and disses Moleskines

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    Former White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove visited the Yale Political Union on Tuesday night, and his speech on repealing Obamacare drew a crowd that filled the Law School Auditorium.

    But before Rove tore into the country’s current healthcare system, he planted a smooch on the forehead of Progressive Party chairman Jordon Walker ’13.

    During introductions, Walker said that Rove was similar to Progressive Party members in that “Mr. Rove has beauty.” Rove stood up, took a small bow, and then walked over and placed a large kiss on Walker’s forehead.

    Later, Rove directed a comment to Walker: “If you were only 20 years older and an attractive woman.”

    Aside from budding bro-mances, Rove used his speech to explain several other revelations he had about Yalies.

    “I have never before been in a group that was so obviously and clearly pretentious,” he said at the start of his speech.

    “Do you know how I knew it was pretentious? Moleskines!” he said, leaning over to the table in front of the YPU president Conor Crawford ‘12 and picking up two notebooks.

    “The president of the Yale Political Union has two black moleskines! Oh, I’m sorry, a red one! How appropriate is that?”

    The audience erupted into laughter and applause.

  9. Gen. McChrystal’s seminar: The syllabus

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    Retired four-star Gen. Stanley McChrystal has decided on a tentative syllabus for the graduate-level seminar he is teaching this semester.

    Eric L. Robinson GRD ’11, a research assistant for the course, sent out the following course outline Thursday afternoon to students enrolled in the class, “Leadership in Operation” (INRL 690). Note the Nov. 16 seminar theme, “Communicating the Story — the Media Environment.”

    • 7th September 2010: “The Importance of Leading Differently – The Changing Operating Environment”
    • 14th September 2010: “Case Study: The Changing Military 1972-2010”
    • 21st September 2010: “Role of a Leader”
    • 27th September 2010 (6-8pm): “Coping With Failure”
    • 28th September 2010 (Assignment 1 Due): “Building Teams – What Makes Some Great”
    • 5th October 2010: “Driving Change and Operating Differently”
    • 12th October 2010: “Navigating Politics”
    • 19th October 2010: “Making Difficult Decisions Pt. 1 – How We Decide”
    • 26th October 2010 (Assignment 2 Due): “Making Difficult Decisions Pt. 2 – Dealing With Risk”
    • 2nd November 2010: “Loyalty, Trust and Relationships”
    • 9th November 2010: “Dealing With Cultural Differences”
    • 16th November 2010: “Communicating the Story – the Media Environment”
    • 30th November 2010 (Assignment 3 Due): “The Leader – the Personal Impact of Responsibility, Notoriety and Other Realities”
    • 7th December 2010: “The Future Leader”

    Robinson also included details about the first class:

    7th September 2010 – Seminar 1: The Importance of Leading Differently: The Changing Operating Environment

    Description: A description of how changes in our operating environment over the 34 years of my service have demanded changes in how organizations operate – and how leaders lead them. For the military, focus often falls too narrowly – on technological advances in weaponry and armor. But like most organizations, truly significant changes in technology, politics, media, and society overall have driven change to almost every aspect of leading. Increasingly, the product of a failure to change – is failure.

    Historical Examples:

    • Case Study 1: The career of Stanley McChrystal
    • Case Study 3: The 2002-2003 decision to invade Iraq
    • Case Study 3: The United States Civil War
    • Case Study 4: German Grand Strategy of World War 2

    Primary Reading

    • Filkins, Dexter. Stanley McChrystal’s Long War. The New York Times Magazine.
    • 18th October 2009. P. 36.

    Supplemental Reading

    1. FM 6-22 Army Leadership, Chapter 10: Influences on Leadership (Operating Environment, Stress in Combat, Stress in Training, Dealing with the Stress of Change, Tools for Adaptability).
    2. Coutu, Diane L., “How Resilience Works,” Harvard Business Review on Leading in Turbulent Times. Harvard Business School Press. 2003.
    3. Gehler, Christopher P. Agile Leaders, Agile Institutions: Educating Adaptive and Innovative Leaders for Today and Tomorrow. Strategy Research Project.
    4. Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, 2005. 26pp. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA434868
    5. Wong, Leonard. Developing Adaptive Leaders: The Crucible Experience of Operation Iraqi Free-dom. Carlisle Barracks, PA: U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, 2004. 23pp. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA424850
    6. Doyle, Michele Erina and Mark K. Smith, “Classical Leadership: theories of leadership” article (ILE materials)
    7. Reed, George E., ”Warrior Ethos” (ILE materials)
    8. Gardener, John. On Leadership. New York: Free Press. 1990., Chapters 1-3.

    Robinson also explained that while students enrolled in the class are free to talk with the media about their impressions of the class, the seminar itself will be off the record. The class meets on Tuesdays at 9:25 a.m., but the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs has yet to release the meeting location.

  10. Dean ’71 talks health care, Yale

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    Howard Dean on Meet the Press

    Long considered one of the most knowledgeable figures on the topic of health care, Howard Dean ’71 has recently been the subject of a number of profiles, as debate on a “public option” continues.

    Dean will be teaching a residential college seminar this semester, “Understanding Politics and Politicians,” with his friend and fellow Piersonite, organizational psychologist David Berg ’71 GRD ’72. He spoke with the News on Friday about health care, his course and why he wants to teach at Yale.

    Q: How has your role in the health care reform debate changed since you decided to teach at Yale early this year?

    A: I don’t know that it has changed all that much. Health care reform is something I have been interested and involved in for a long time — over 30 years.

    Q: Are you surprised by how long it is taking for a bill to move through Congress?

    A: I am not surprised. My original prediction, one I still think is true now, is that I am confident the President will sign health care reform into law in November.

    (more…)

  11. Negroponte ’60 on Danish cartoons: ‘I agreed with the decision by Yale’

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    When the Yale University Press was faced with the decision of whether to reprint the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad that are at the center of its forthcoming book, “The Cartoons that Shook the World,” it turned to the University proper for advice.

    University Vice President and Secretary Linda Lorimer then consulted with numerous counterterrorism and diplomatic officials. She asked them whether reprinting the cartoons could incite more violence. For the most part, Yale says, those experts cautioned the University and the Press not to republish the cartoons.

    While the University has not revealed the identity of most of the experts with whom it consulted, John Negroponte ’60 recently confirmed to the News that he was among the group of people who spoke with Lorimer and other Yale officials. Negroponte, who served for many years in government and was the nation’s first Director of National Intelligence, will begin teaching at Yale in the fall.

    Q: What advice did you give Yale about publishing the cartoons?

    A: I agreed with the decision by Yale and I certainly think that publishing the cartoons and the likenesses of Muhammad in the way they appeared in those cartoons would have been a gratuitous act.

    (more…)