A whole lotta green-In his Sept. 22 speech in Page Auditorium, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman implored the government to invest money in "green" industries to save the environment and the economy all at once.
RM wonders, however, why he isn't leading by example. Sources say that the author-in town to promote and sell his new book, no less-was paid more than $75,000 for his daylong visit to Durham.
Assuming he was in town for 12 hours, a generous assumption, that works out to more than $100 per minute. He could buy a lot of solar panels and Priuses with that dough.
Compare that to multiplatinum recording artist TI, who reaped $60,000 for performing in Cameron Indoor Stadium last year. And he actually did something besides repeat excerpts from his book.
The communications director for the Sanford Institute of Public Policy did not respond to a request for comment.
That's one big jello wrestling pool-The new chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity (the real one, not the actually fun off-campus sect of the same name) is struggling to attract founding brothers, RM hears.
In exchange for sacrificing all pretense of a social life and slapping some letters on their chests, the first recruits are being offered nearly five figures to call themselves an SAE. Still, new recruits aren't exactly clamoring for the honor.
Here's to not selling your Greek affiliation-or independence-to the highest bidder. There might be hope for the Duke undergraduate yet.
Heard on the quad, following the men's basketball team's 82-79 near-loss to Rhode Island (!): "The best part of the game was getting chicken fingers." Your 2008-2009 Duke Blue Devils!
Speaking of the obvious-In other greek news, the sophomores of the now-axed Alpha Omicron Pi sorority are "devastated" that the rug has been pulled out from under them. One former member had some choice words for the Panhellenic Council: "Panhel doesn't care about us at all," she lamented.
To be fair, who ever pretended they did?
DORK NEWS OF THE MONTH-The Blue Devils have been defeated in the world's least exciting game of Risk, played on www.gocrosscampus.com. North Carolina State University utterly embarrassed the Dukies at the fake game of strategy, amassing the entire map.
RM doesn't know what's worse, that Duke lost to a glorified farm college or that so many man-hours were spent on the game in the first place.
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