The original Gilman Hall opened its doors in 1915. The new Gilman opened in July after a three-year, $73 million renovation. All 10 of the Krieger School’s humanities departments now are under one roof, occupying sleek new offices with heating and air conditioning that actually works. From the quad, the exterior and trademark clock tower look the same, […]

It doesn’t take much to be a “star” today. Precipitating that comment was a grizzly murder, bizarre even by Southern California standards. The killer stabbed his victim to death and wounded two colleagues using a sword that was his trademark as an actor. The press described the murderer, whose professional name was Steve Driver, as […]

The most common noun ending to indicate a profession, a special capability, a philosophical leaning, or the like, is -ist (e.g. chemist, hypnotist, socialist, etc.). There are literally hundreds of such English words, far too many to ask you to try to list all (or most, or many) of them. Here are a few other […]

–ician academician, beautician, biometrician, clinician, diagnostician, dietician, econometrician, electrician, geometrician, logician, magician, mathematician, mechanician, metaphysician, metrician, mortician, obstetrician, optician, patrician, pediatrician, phonetician, physician, politician, pyrotechnician, rhetorician, statistician, tactician, technician, theoretician.  (I don’t include Phoenician.) –eer auctioneer, balladeer, buccaneer, cannoneer, caravaneer, charioteer, engineer, fusileer, gadgeteer, marketeer, mountaineer, musketeer, mutineer, pamphleteer, pioneer, privateer, profiteer, puppeteer, racketeer, rocketeer, […]

When Forbes published a list of “the world’s most beautiful campuses,” it spotlighted some of the usual suspects: the spired Gothic buildings of Oxford, the ivy-covered stone of Princeton, the stately columned porticoes at the University of Virginia. But one scribe averred that other college grounds—including Johns Hopkins’ Homewood campus—shouldn’t be overlooked. Scott Carlson, author […]

I am writing at a time when “sex addiction” is much in the news. With any luck, it won’t be when you read this, although sex addiction is unlikely to vanish from headlines as long as there are people with lots of money, free time, hubris, and divorce attorneys. Caught cheating? Check into a clinic. […]

“We learn from failures, so we should take the opportunity this disaster has provided to improve the way we extract oil via offshore drilling. With such a massive release, there will be substantial harm to the ecosystem. The acute effects are terrible and very visual. “But once the source has been stopped, most of the […]

On May 27 at Homewood Field, Johns Hopkins University awarded diplomas to the Class of 2010. (New this year: one massive ceremony conferring degrees on undergraduates and graduates from all the university’s divisions and campuses, in keeping with President Ron Daniels’ “one university” theme.) Hopkins is renowned for its heavy workload, high academic standards, and […]

A. 1. The five Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. 2. The colors of the rainbow, in order: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. 3. This fictitious disk jockey’s business card gives you the months of the year, in sequential order: June, July, August, September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April, May. […]

Mnemonics are aids to memory and take many forms. Some are used by students cramming for exams. The more outrageous—or outright indecent—the easier they are to remember. (If you can’t even recall the mnemonic, you’re in deep trouble.) For this column, I’ve selected (or crafted) relatively inoffensive versions. Check your answers A. Try to identify […]