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Campus Chatter – January 19, 2013

January 19, 2013

Today's Buzz

Campus Chatter – January 19, 2013

Today in history, greetings, and social banter here. (More)

Manilla’s San Agustin Church was completed today (1607). Also, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust Part 1 premiered (1829), as did Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore (1853) and Henrik Ibsen’s The Master Builder (1893), community-wide electric lighting began in Roselle, New Jersey (1883), Georges Claude patented the neon discharge tube for use in advertising (1915), Coopers Inc. sold the world’s first briefs, dubbed “Jockeys” (1935), over 70% of TV sets in the U.S. tuned in to watch Lucy give birth on I Love Lucy (1953), President Gerald Ford pardoned “Tokyo Rose” Iva Toguri D’Aquino on the same day the only recorded snow fell in Miami (1977), U.S. and Iranian officials signed an agreement to release the 52 American hostages held since the 1979 Iranian Revolution (1981), the the Farooq Alvi brothers released (c)Brain, the first IBM PC computer virus (1986), and Yasser Arafat returned to Hebron after 30 years, to celebrate the handover of the last Israeli-controlled city on the West Bank (1997). And NASA launched the New Horizons probe on the first ever mission to Pluto (2006).

Good morning! ::hugggggs::

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43 Responses to “Campus Chatter – January 19, 2013”

  1. NCrissieB Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 6:01 am

    Yesterday on Campus

    Morning Feature – Squeezed, Part II: Coalitions and Cookies
    Midday Matinee – triciawyse with Frieday Critters
    Campus Question – Will West Point study on right-wing political violence help “insure domestic tranquility?”

    Today on Campus

    Morning Feature – Squeezed, Part III: Building Better Government (Non-Cynical Saturday)
    Noontime News at noon
    Campus Question at 6pm ET

  2. Norbrook Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 6:40 am

    Good morning! It’s currently 20 degrees and an inch of snow fell overnight. We’re supposed to get up to 6″ more later on today. On my “things to do today” list are … not a lot. :lol: I have to make a run over to the local store to pick up some eggs, bread, and milk, and then veg out.

    • winterbanyan Says:
      January 19, 2013 at 6:50 am

      Enjoy the veging out. :) For the first time in forever, the Adirondack State Park was mentioned on the weather forecast. It’s going to get very cold in a day or two. I hope that doesn’t mean you.

  3. winterbanyan Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 6:58 am

    It was interesting to watch the weather this morning. Apparently a Clipper is moving in and is going to make life extremely cold in a lot of places, a huge drop over just a few days ago.

    Which reminded me of a story I read in the Grand Forks, ND, newspaper many years ago. They were doing a series on the history of the area and reported on the tale of an Alberta Clipper.

    Difficult as it is to believe, the temperature dropped nearly 80 degrees in twenty minutes. A farmer who had taken his kids to school that morning by horse-drawn wagon, set out to get them early when he saw signs of the Clipper’s arrival. He made it to the school, only to freeze to death on the way back. The horse froze in its traces. The younger kids survived only because the 12 yr old had the wisdom to cut the horse open and shove his younger siblings inside then covered them with his body. The 12 yr old died, too.

    I have never forgotten that story. Death from freezing isn’t unheard of up there, but the speed with which a Clipper could drop temperatures startled me so much that I’ve never forgotten. They don’t do it every time, but there’s a reason they’re called Clippers.

    Hugggs and good morning.

    • addisnana Says:
      January 19, 2013 at 8:06 am

      Wow! That is a horrible story and a great reminder to be prepared. I think we get used to feeling like we are able to “control mother nature” and we forget how harsh things can get and how quickly.

  4. LI Mike Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 7:10 am

    It wasn’t an 80 degree drop, but on my way down the temp dropped from 79 in So Carolina to 55 in Georgia.

    • winterbanyan Says:
      January 19, 2013 at 7:14 am

      It’s cold up there. We didn’t cool down as much, as you’ve probably noticed. :)

      Welcome to FL , Mike. I hope you get lots of good weather.

  5. winterbanyan Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 7:12 am

    You’ve probably all heard by now that OFA is transforming into Organizing for Action. I’ve already signed up to help with several issues, and I hope you will, too. Gun safety is at the top of my list, as more and more nuts are coming out of the woodwork to threaten insurrection, however indirectly.

    And in case you haven’t seen it, our lovely First Lady:

  6. LI Mike Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 7:37 am

    Good morning,

    Speaking of my trip from LI to FLA, what is the official travel terminology for the quality of this trip…oh yeah, lousy.

    First, got off to a late start. Left an hour later than planned; so much for packing the day before. The weather was rain, then some rain, and then some more rain. Hey you rain drops, go fall on some drought-stricken states.

    Ran into a horrible traffic jam in the Wash D.C area. Overhead hwy sign warned, “All lanes blocked 14 miles ahead.” Quickly checked maps for alt route but didn’t see anything that made me feel comfortable. So, stayed on the hwy. We cheered when we got over 10 mph. Ecstatic at 20 mph.

    Plenty to talk about though, I couldn’t run out of adjectives to describe the ghastly men’s room I entered at the Exxon station before we saw the “all lanes blocked” sign. That men’s room, perfect metaphor for the fossil fuel companies. To quote Leonard DiCaprio’s character from the Titanic, ‘I’m going to write a sternly-worded letter.”

    It’s amazing how much I heard about Monte Teo and Lance Armstrong…I don’t need to hear their names again. Fortunately, we had a new Adele disc with us.

    Finally got to Rocky Mount, N.C. Try as I might, I just don’t like the food at Cracker Barrel.

    Day 2 lowlight was the speeding ticket I got in Florence, So Carolina. If I said it was my NY State license plate that drew attenion, I’d be whining. The speed limit for most of the state is 70 mph, but a stretch with some roadwork dropped to 55 mph, didn’t register with me until too late. The nice state trooper gave me 2 options to pay the bill: mail, or via a nifty state website. Or, I could appear in court on 8/12.

    At least it was sunny in So Carolina, got to turn off the wipers for a while. Georgia uneventful except needed to turn the wipers back on.

    Stayed in St Augustine for the second night,a favorite stop for us, but now Ms LI Mike feeling lousy so we had a quick dinner and bunked in.

    Now in Fla and thankful that we didn’t get into an accident or get a flat tire.

    • addisnana Says:
      January 19, 2013 at 7:46 am

      I’m glad you finally made it in one piece, Mike and I’m sorry you got a speeding ticket. I bet that little stretch of 55 mph is a gold mine for the local government.

      A question about all the rain. Am I the only one who has noticed that windshield wipers need replacing more frequently? It doesn’t seem to matter if I buy expensive ones or cheaper ones, they crap out much faster than I remember in the ‘good old days.’ I usually notice that I need new ones in the midst of a downpour. I’m thinking maybe I should have a set of spares.

      • winterbanyan Says:
        January 19, 2013 at 7:59 am

        Do you really want to change wipers in the midst of a downpour? ;)

        Yes, they seem to crap out faster. A lot faster. My last set were dealer installed, not cheap, and I think they made it about a year. They didn’t do much work during that time either, as we’ve been in a drought. So what’s the deal?

        I was blaming it on the heat and humidity down here being tough on rubber. At this point I’m not even sure the blades are rubber. Hmmm.

      • LI Mike Says:
        January 19, 2013 at 8:10 am

        I concur. The passenger side wiper is not functioning very well.

        • Gardener Says:
          January 19, 2013 at 8:29 am

          Our local wrenchman, Doctor Rocky, claims it’s the sun. Do you park under cover?

          • addisnana Says:
            January 19, 2013 at 8:43 am

            Nope. Maybe I need sunbrella fabric remnants to cover the wipers while I am parked. Maybe this is a business opportunity.

          • winterbanyan Says:
            January 19, 2013 at 8:57 am

            I park in a garage and drive very little. Plus the sun did not change in the last decad. ;)

            • Jim W Says:
              January 19, 2013 at 9:40 am

              “Plus the sun did not change in the last decade.” That is not what my doctor said when he said “Use sunscreen.”

              It is probably a change in the stuff used to make the blades. They probably get harder faster. This makes them work better when installed but gives them a shorter useful life.

    • winterbanyan Says:
      January 19, 2013 at 7:50 am

      I am so sorry you had such an awful trip. And it does sound awful, all of it. Not even getting to enjoy St. Augustine? That stinks, frankly. And the trooper could have been more understanding about the speed change.

      I’m glad you arrived safely though, and hope you start enjoying your vacation once you’ve recovered.

      Huggs to you and Ms. LI Mike. :)

    • Gardener Says:
      January 19, 2013 at 8:19 am

      Re: Cracker Barrel, try the Maple Pancakes. Mmmm…………..

  7. addisnana Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 7:59 am

    Good Morning. I have temporarily abandoned my flip-flops. I assume that it will warm up again though so I am thinking ahead. I studied people’s feet while everyone else was wearing flip-flops. If they aren’t the state shoe they ought to be. Most of the females have their toenails painted. I decided to do the same. FYI this is a very, very rare thing for me to think of doing. Usually it is my granddaughter who wants to paint them. I got some teal colored nail polish and I have teal green toenails now. It makes me smile when I notice them. This is in the category of finding simple things that make me smile in the midst of the ‘news’ which hasn’t given me a lot to smile about lately. :smile:

  8. winterbanyan Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 8:07 am

    And among irrelevancies, I want to state that I really like Pres. Obama’s new official portrait. That smile would light a room, and he looks both warm and confident.

    I’m taking bets, however, on whether his hair will go completely gray by 2016. At the rate things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised.

  9. Gardener Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 8:14 am

    Good morning!

    It’s 36 already, heading toward the mid-50′s, or so they say. Stained the cabinet, now I need to figure out how to “unstain” it. Turned out too dark and too red. Any ideas? Trying to save the belt sander for last, BTW……

    Hope all is well!

    Best, G

    • winterbanyan Says:
      January 19, 2013 at 8:20 am

      I dunno, Gardener. The first thought that pops to mind is bleach. I’ve used it to get some stain off of things. Worth a try in a tiny spot…

      Have a great day, dear friend! Hugs!

      • Gardener Says:
        January 19, 2013 at 8:22 am

        Hmmmm…….. Bleach is what PW said, but she doesn’t know how to go about it. I’d guess diluted with water?

        • winterbanyan Says:
          January 19, 2013 at 8:30 am

          I’d start with diluted. See how well it works. You’ll have to leave it on, pretty much, so you don’t want to start with full strength. It’ll keep working until it dries.

    • addisnana Says:
      January 19, 2013 at 8:23 am

      Time to haul out the chemicals… do they still make Zip Strip? If not in the really old days I was taught to use lye. Good luck “un-staining” and I’m sorry you hit such a snag.

      Is it really so bad that the leaf blower would be embarrassed to be housed in it?

      • Gardener Says:
        January 19, 2013 at 8:27 am

        No, not really. Just for my taste……. I even did a test piece, but for some reason couldn’t stop myself from staining the whole cabinet……. Now what’s with that???

        But I get what you’re saying. Perspective……..

  10. addisnana Says:
    January 19, 2013 at 8:16 am

    Gallup and USA Today are parting ways.

    Gallup will no longer be conducting polls for USA Today, the two organizations announced Friday.
    Both said the split, after 20 years of collaboration, was a mutual decision based on the changing media and polling landscape.

    Apparently there are consequences for missing so badly. Hmmm.

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