Blown away. A vigil to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the start of the war in Afghanistan, and to protest the proposed increase in troop levels, convened on the New Haven Green at noon Wednesday. Fewer than 10 people showed up, and the organizer sent them home early because of high winds on the Green.

Winds or not, the Green still had a good day. The American Planning Association named New Haven’s town square to its 2009 list of 10 Great Public Spaces of America, which were selected based on “exemplary character, quality and planning.”

Free flu shots in residential colleges have been cancelled. Students looking to get vaccinated now have to go to select locations, such as Woolsey Hall, Kroon Hall and the School of Medicine. Check out yale.edu/yhp for locations and times.

Backstreet’s back, alright! An upcoming concert series at BAR Night Club on Crown Street will feature Jason Castro, the Backstreet Boys and Jessie James. Diehard fans can reserve tickets by calling in to the radio or by stopping by participating New Haven stores.

Pink Week continues. In addition to the pink balloons and streamers bedecking Cross Campus in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, several bras now hang from the railings of the stairs outside Sterling Memorial Library.

Already sick of Swing Space? The scaffolding on Harkness Tower was decorated on the High Street side with a white banner reading “Welcome Morsels” Wednesday morning.

As Bank of America narrows its search for a new CEO, one of the names that has surfaced is that of Gregory Fleming, former president and chief operating officer of Merrill Lynch and a senior research scholar and lecturer at Yale Law School.

Are elite colleges and prominent black scholars related? A study published in The Journal of Pan African Studies said that nearly half of the 58 most-cited black scholars in the social sciences, arts and humanities were employed by Yale, Harvard, Princeton or Stanford.

Lights out! Turn off your lights and head to Old Campus at 9 p.m. for s’mores, hot chocolate and a screening of “Wall-E” for some energy-conserving fun. Don’t forget to bring a blanket and a mug.

THIS DAY IN YALE HISTORY

1978 The Hawes Comprehensive Guide to Colleges named Yale number two in “snob appeal and social achievement.” Of course, Harvard won top “honors,” and Princeton placed third.

Correction: October 9, 2009

A Cross Campus item erroneously reported the availability of vaccines against the seasonal flu. In fact, all seasonal flu shots are on hold because of manufacturing delays.

YALE DAILY NEWS