RSS

Campus Chatter – February 2, 2013

February 2, 2013

Today's Buzz

Campus Chatter – February 2, 2013

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

Alaric II issued the Breviary of Alaric, a compilation of Roman law, today (506). Also, Otto I was crowned the first Holy Roman Emperor in almost 40 years (962), Pedro de Mendoza founded Buenos Aires, Argentina (1536), New Amsterdam, now New York City, was incorporated (1653), the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War, on the same day the first Chinese immigrants arrived in San Francisco (1848), Major League Baseball’s National League was formed (1876), Groundhog Day began in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (1887), New York City’s Grand Central Terminal opened (1913), James Joyce’s Ulysses was published (1922), dog sleds reached Nome, Alaska with diphtheria serum, inspiring the Iditarod (1925), the U.S. Export-Import Bank was incorporated (1934), Leonarde Keeler tested the first polygraph machine (1935), Pakistan’s Iskander Mirza laid the foundation stone for the Guddu Barrage (1957), the Ramsar Convention for the preservation of wetlands was signed (1971), the Groundhog Day Gale swept into the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada (1976), the Philippines enacted their new constitution (1987), the last Soviet units left Afghanistan (1989), and South African President F.W. de Klerk legalized the African National Congress and promised to release Nelson Mandela, who had been imprisoned for 27 years (1990). And Roger Federer became the Association of Tennis Professionals’ #1-ranked male singles’ player, a ranking he would hold until August 2008, for a record 237 weeks (2004).

Good morning! ::hugggggs::

advert

16 Responses to “Campus Chatter – February 2, 2013”

  1. NCrissieB Says:
    February 2, 2013 at 6:01 am

    Yesterday on Campus

    Morning Feature – Hagel and McCain: BFFs split over BFM
    Midday Matinee – triciawyse with Frieday Critters
    Campus Question – Scott Brown not running for Senate. Bqhatevwr?

    Today on Campus

    Morning Feature – Winning Progressive with Shooting Down More NRA Myths
    Noontime News at noon
    Campus Question at 6pm ET

  2. addisnana Says:
    February 2, 2013 at 6:28 am

    Good Morning. If you haven’t read it yet, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu’s letter announcing his decision not to serve a second term, is well worth the read.

    I’ve always been inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King, who articulated his Dream of an America where people are judged not by skin color but “by the content of their character.” In the scientific world, people are judged by the content of their ideas. Advances are made with new insights, but the final arbitrator of any point of view are experiments that seek the unbiased truth, not information cherry picked to support a particular point of view. The power of our work is derived from this foundation.

    Through the Recovery Act, the Department of Energy made grants and loans to more than 1,300 companies. While critics try hard to discredit the program, the truth is that only one percent of the companies of the companies we funded went bankrupt. That one percent has gotten more attention than the 99 percent that have not.

    The test for America’s policy makers will be whether they are willing to accept a few failures in exchange for many successes. America’s entrepreneurs and innovators who are leaders in global clean energy race understand that not every risk can – or should – be avoided. Michelangelo said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

    While we cannot accurately predict the course of climate change in the coming decades, the risks we run if we don’t change our course are enormous. Prudent risk management does not equate uncertainty with inaction.

    Our ability to find and extract fossil fuels continues to improve, and economically recoverable reser­voirs around the world are likely to keep pace with the rising demand for decades. As the saying goes, the Stone Age did not end because we ran out of stones; we transitioned to better solutions.

    The DOE has made some remarkable progress and contributions during his tenure. I hope the next Secretary is as worthy of our grandchildren’s future as Dr. Chu. I have bookmarked it for reference when someone asked, “But what are we doing about energy independence and climate change.”

  3. addisnana Says:
    February 2, 2013 at 6:49 am

    President Obama nominated B. Todd Jones to head up the ATF. He is a US District Attorney for Minnesota. As Republicans intend to stop his nomination by whatever means, here’s some background from MinnPost.

    The ATF hasn’t had a full-time director since Congress passed a law in 2006 requiring the Senate sign off on all ATF nominees. Gun rights groups opposed nominees from both Presidents Bush and Obama, whose first nominee, Andrew Traver, never even received a hearing.

    Between the Oswald letter, the St. Paul investigation and questions over his role in the Fast and Furious, it’s not impossible to imagine Jones’s nomination seeing the same fate.

    I find this stunning in the light of all the attention on reducing gun violence. Part of my country is clearly crazy off the rails.

    • NCrissieB Says:
      February 2, 2013 at 7:46 am

      That was a very confusing article, addisnana. Critics say Jones has ignored street crime in favor of ‘big’ investigations into major drug cartels, white collar crime, etc. Then the same critics say they brought big drug conspiracy cases and Jones wouldn’t pursue them. So … umm … which did/didn’t he do?

      Good morning! ::hugggggs::

  4. Norbrook Says:
    February 2, 2013 at 7:13 am

    Good morning! It’s currently 5 degrees here and cloudy. Some flurries in the forecast. Yesterday was rather striking when you looked at the morning radar, it was a perfect picture of what “lake effect snow belts” look like for this state. A line running right down the Buffalo-Albany axis, another running along the Erie to Binghamton axis, and a third “blotch” at the end eastern end of Lake Ontario right where the Tug Hill plateau (around Watertown) is. Usually it’s not quite that defined. ;-)

    Other chatter: I heard from my cousin, my aunt got out of the hospital, then a few days later went back, after slipping on some ice and breaking her wrist. :cry: It’s one thing or another for her.

  5. Gardener Says:
    February 2, 2013 at 7:59 am

    Good morning!

    We have 28 degrees and clouds. Worked on the shelving project almost all day yesterday, the end is in sight! Have made arrangements to be @ Harley Richs’ place today for some router work. HR has a dandy router. He said he wasn’t doing anything special today, and asked what time I’d like to come over. For some reason I blurted out, “How about 9 o’clock?” Don’t know what I was thinking………. Could’ve said 10……… Oh well.

    Have a decent day! Hope Norbrookauntie heals quickly!

    Best, G

    • NCrissieB Says:
      February 2, 2013 at 8:02 am

      Ahh, Ye Olde Router Worke! Sounds like a fun way to spend the day. :grin:

      Good morning! ::hugggggs::

    • addisnana Says:
      February 2, 2013 at 8:10 am

      Have a fun day playing with the router, G. Will you be creating cool edges for the front of the shelves?

    • Norbrook Says:
      February 2, 2013 at 8:13 am

      Shows how much of a geek I am … I had to do a mental skip when you were talking about router work. ;-)

      • Gardener Says:
        February 2, 2013 at 8:41 am

        HA! Wood router, not Intertoobs! Trying to neaten up edges on the uprights. The actual shelf boards are “as-is,” and showing some bark in spots. Looks pretty good varnished, if I do say so myself.

        Last night I had PW out there for an opinion/advice and she said, “You’re going to put those dirty old oil containers on there? Eeeuwww!” I said well, I’m gonna clean ‘em up a little……..

        This a funny crew!

        Best, Gardenerouter

  6. Norbrook Says:
    February 2, 2013 at 9:21 am

    Latest installment in the series:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IwT7BHztBIU

    (sigh) I really need more coffee – I posted this in “Campus Question” first. :roll:

About NCrissieB

View all posts by NCrissieB →