A nosy train passenger ruined the Senior Class Council’s plan to unveil Christopher Buckley ’75 as Yale’s Class Day speaker. Buckley’s seatmate on an Acela train Monday wrote the News yesterday to report that he had spotted Buckley editing a document entitled “Yale Class Day Speech.” Within hours, a source confirmed that Buckley was indeed Yale’s Class Day speaker.

Off to Switzerland. Five members of the Yale faculty and administration are attending the World Economic Forum, which begins today in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. President Levin is among the attendees and will participate in panels on deforestation and university innovation.

The Thain woes continue. New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo announced yesterday that he has subpoenaed former Merrill Lynch CEO and Thain Family Café benefactor John Thain, who received bonuses from Merrill Lynch before the firm’s takeover by Bank of America.

Following a burglary at Claire’s Corner Copia over the weekend, the Book Trader Café on Chapel Street suffered a break-in late Monday night. According to owner Lauren Mollow, thieves hurled a marble table top at the eatery’s glass door and looted its cash register. The café was up and running by opening time.

Two fire trucks raced to the Jeffrey Loria Center for the History of Art at 9:35 a.m. yesterday after a fire alarm drove scores of students, teachers and staff into the chill morning air. After waiting outside for 20 minutes, they were allowed to return inside.

Blue State Coffee, the coffee shop that donates 5 percent of its sales to “progressive causes,” opens today. Those heading to class in the Whitney Humanities Center will have easy access to Blue State’s one-day-only offer of free coffee and tea.

In other coffee-related news, Starbucks announced yesterday that it will no longer continuously brew decaffeinated coffee after 12 p.m.

Forbes magazine named Yale-New Haven Hospital one of “America’s Safest Hospitals” yesterday. The hospital’s complication and mortality rates fall in the best five percent of the country.

Open, sesame. A new food cart calling itself Ali Baba has appeared on York Street, serving Mediterranean food — including gyros — to passersby.

This day in Yale history
1969 Three members of the Yale Mountaineering Club were found dead today on Mount Washington. The bodies of one graduate student and two sophomores were found tangled around the rope they were using on their climbing trip.

Submit ideas to Cross Campus
crosscampus@yaledailynews.com