Monday, May 4, 2009
Saturday, May 2, 2009
A Sonnet
Written in response to the University of Arizona's poetry contest. They requested submissions of sonnets celebrating solar energy:
http://www.poetrycenter.arizona.edu/contest/sun_sonnet.shtml
To Coal
The future of energy is in coal.
America is rich in the black gold
Of Appalachian seams where the dark hole
Reveals a richness without peer. Untold
BTUs await our exploration.
Millions of tons sits beneath our feet,
Waiting. I suspect righteous oration
Will greet each load as trucks and trains repeat
The route from mine to plant to wall outlet.
"It's dirty," they'll say. "It detroys the land."
Fah! Turn Hephestian muscles loose! Unmet
Needs can be sated by coal! We can't command
The sun-- it's a nice idea to harness,
But not while the grid is under durress.
http://www.poetrycenter.arizona.edu/contest/sun_sonnet.shtml
To Coal
The future of energy is in coal.
America is rich in the black gold
Of Appalachian seams where the dark hole
Reveals a richness without peer. Untold
BTUs await our exploration.
Millions of tons sits beneath our feet,
Waiting. I suspect righteous oration
Will greet each load as trucks and trains repeat
The route from mine to plant to wall outlet.
"It's dirty," they'll say. "It detroys the land."
Fah! Turn Hephestian muscles loose! Unmet
Needs can be sated by coal! We can't command
The sun-- it's a nice idea to harness,
But not while the grid is under durress.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
College Football: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
I have been researching the sports pages of old newspapers lately, and I came across this article in the 1903 Milwaukee Journal regarding their upcoming college football season. The article, “Football Championship in Question Again,” laments that football fans will not have a definitive, conclusive end to their season because there is no adequate championship system in place to determine what team truly is the best in the nation. Sound familiar?
The unnamed author complains that the eastern teams refuse to acknowledge the strengths of western teams (meaning Midwestern by our geography) and will not entertain the idea of a Michigan or Chicago team as being better than Harvard, Yale, or West Point.
“The time will not be far distant when games will be arranged to settle this question. Comparisons, at best, are only problematical, and seldom hold good, but college men in general who are fair-minded would like to see the championship of the country proved conclusively rather than have critics haggling about it for months after the season ends.”
We have come a long way since 1903—journalists no longer count the number of deaths during each college football season as a result of injuries; we allow the forward pass; and not all the players are white. But we still don’t have a system that conclusively and uneqiuvaically determines what team is the best in the nation. I dont think we will until we make some major changes to the way the NCAA manages the game.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
My Take on Morgantown Restaurants
There are plenty of good places to eat in Morgantown. There are plenty of the ho-hum chain restaurants, but Morgantown has great places to eat in town. These are all sit-down places of varying degrees of formality. Most of them casual is just fine. The ones listed below are all operated locally by genuine entrepreneurs.
Blue Moose—downtown Walnut Street corner of Spruce Street. This is my favorite coffee shop. They serve good breakfasts and they have lunch service too for sandwiches.
Black Bear—Pleasant Street, downtown. They serve everything as a burrito, and they have a huge variety of meals. It’s all good, really good. A good place for kids too. In the evenings they have live music, which packs ‘em in. Not expensive and very casual for lunch or dinner.
Puglioni’s—Evansdale at the TCBY plaza off Van Vorhis Rd, down the hill from the hospital. Really good Italian food, great homemade bread, nice kids meals like personal pizzas. I always get Calzones. It’s all good here too. Dinner not open for lunch.
Madeline’s—downtown on High Street across from the Warner Theater. I like Madeline’s for dinner and we go there every once in a while. Good food and good specials too. They are open for lunch but I think of it as a dinner place. I returned there for lunch recently, and it was good. I had a chicken salad, a simple meal to mess up and a difficult meal to impress with. I was quite satisfied.
Maxwell's—on Wall Street, off High Street downtown. Maxwell’s has been around forever, good college town eats with good vegetarian food as well as a great variety of dinner specials. I eat there for lunch and always get the Elsie. I have had the same lunch meal for years, perhaps decades, and I love it. Love it. Sunday brunches are the best in town.
Yama—Fayette Street off High Street downtown. Yama is the Japanese restaurant in town where all the Japanese students eat. Win and I eat there together for lunch and we get chicken, soup, and sushi. Great for the winter when you want a nice bowl of soup. I went with a friend a few weeks ago. It was cold and she got soup. We admired it for a bit before eating, and it was a pleasure for the eyes and tongue.
Ogawa—University Ave in Evansdale down the hill from the Law School, near Towers. Another good Japanese place. Yama for lunch and Ogawa for dinner is good in my book. I like their sushi more than their meals.
Asian Garden—Evansdale on Universuty Ave. Threepeat Asian food with Thai, Chinese, and Malaysian. Really good, quaint little spot.
Lavender Café—Beechurst Avenue near downtown at the bottom of Stewart Street where it hits Beehchurst, near Papa John’s pizza. A new place and one of the best new places in town. They serve Taiwanese food. The new fave place for me and Win to go even though I feel like I am cheating on Yama. Winnie has been sneaking over there for lunch without me a lot lately. She loves it so much.
Pizza—Lots of good pizza places in Morgantown. The kids love Casa D.Amici at the top of High Street for slices and garlic knots. Pizza Al’s on University Ave near the 7-11 by Towers is good. And Pizzeria Italia at Suburban Lanes is the best cheap extra large cheese pizza ever, still. There is a calzone-only place on High Street called DP Dough—really good stuff.
Glasshouse Grille—On beechurst in the Seneca Center (an old glass factory turned shopping center) A nice place, take-your-date-out-to-dinner kind of place with very good food and excellent service. I go there for dinner a lot. I can't remember the last time I was in there without a tie, and the food is always very good. It is one of the few places where I will listen to and order the specials. They added an excellent fish market to the Seneca Center recently, a nice aaddition to the complex, and a great source of food for the Glasshouse menu.
Sargasso—Don Knotts boulevard on the river near Med Express and Sherwin Williams. It opened up not long ago and Win says the food is really good. I ate there for the first time with an august company of legal geniuses, and they judged it a fine place, a very good place from the appetizers to the desserts.
The Boston Beanery—downtown on High Street and in Evansdale on Patteson Drive across from Kroger. The kids love the Beanery. It is classic American food: burgers, sandwiches, big salads, etc. A Morgantown mainstay. Pat McAfee convinced me to chug a beer with him there recently.
For true Morgantown ambience, go to Gene’s for a chili dog or two and some red eyes (Wilson Ave, South Park) or to the Fishbowl for a big plate of food and one of those big beers.
See the Google Map!
Blue Moose—downtown Walnut Street corner of Spruce Street. This is my favorite coffee shop. They serve good breakfasts and they have lunch service too for sandwiches.
Black Bear—Pleasant Street, downtown. They serve everything as a burrito, and they have a huge variety of meals. It’s all good, really good. A good place for kids too. In the evenings they have live music, which packs ‘em in. Not expensive and very casual for lunch or dinner.
Puglioni’s—Evansdale at the TCBY plaza off Van Vorhis Rd, down the hill from the hospital. Really good Italian food, great homemade bread, nice kids meals like personal pizzas. I always get Calzones. It’s all good here too. Dinner not open for lunch.
Madeline’s—downtown on High Street across from the Warner Theater. I like Madeline’s for dinner and we go there every once in a while. Good food and good specials too. They are open for lunch but I think of it as a dinner place. I returned there for lunch recently, and it was good. I had a chicken salad, a simple meal to mess up and a difficult meal to impress with. I was quite satisfied.
Maxwell's—on Wall Street, off High Street downtown. Maxwell’s has been around forever, good college town eats with good vegetarian food as well as a great variety of dinner specials. I eat there for lunch and always get the Elsie. I have had the same lunch meal for years, perhaps decades, and I love it. Love it. Sunday brunches are the best in town.
Yama—Fayette Street off High Street downtown. Yama is the Japanese restaurant in town where all the Japanese students eat. Win and I eat there together for lunch and we get chicken, soup, and sushi. Great for the winter when you want a nice bowl of soup. I went with a friend a few weeks ago. It was cold and she got soup. We admired it for a bit before eating, and it was a pleasure for the eyes and tongue.
Ogawa—University Ave in Evansdale down the hill from the Law School, near Towers. Another good Japanese place. Yama for lunch and Ogawa for dinner is good in my book. I like their sushi more than their meals.
Asian Garden—Evansdale on Universuty Ave. Threepeat Asian food with Thai, Chinese, and Malaysian. Really good, quaint little spot.
Lavender Café—Beechurst Avenue near downtown at the bottom of Stewart Street where it hits Beehchurst, near Papa John’s pizza. A new place and one of the best new places in town. They serve Taiwanese food. The new fave place for me and Win to go even though I feel like I am cheating on Yama. Winnie has been sneaking over there for lunch without me a lot lately. She loves it so much.
Pizza—Lots of good pizza places in Morgantown. The kids love Casa D.Amici at the top of High Street for slices and garlic knots. Pizza Al’s on University Ave near the 7-11 by Towers is good. And Pizzeria Italia at Suburban Lanes is the best cheap extra large cheese pizza ever, still. There is a calzone-only place on High Street called DP Dough—really good stuff.
Glasshouse Grille—On beechurst in the Seneca Center (an old glass factory turned shopping center) A nice place, take-your-date-out-to-dinner kind of place with very good food and excellent service. I go there for dinner a lot. I can't remember the last time I was in there without a tie, and the food is always very good. It is one of the few places where I will listen to and order the specials. They added an excellent fish market to the Seneca Center recently, a nice aaddition to the complex, and a great source of food for the Glasshouse menu.
Sargasso—Don Knotts boulevard on the river near Med Express and Sherwin Williams. It opened up not long ago and Win says the food is really good. I ate there for the first time with an august company of legal geniuses, and they judged it a fine place, a very good place from the appetizers to the desserts.
The Boston Beanery—downtown on High Street and in Evansdale on Patteson Drive across from Kroger. The kids love the Beanery. It is classic American food: burgers, sandwiches, big salads, etc. A Morgantown mainstay. Pat McAfee convinced me to chug a beer with him there recently.
For true Morgantown ambience, go to Gene’s for a chili dog or two and some red eyes (Wilson Ave, South Park) or to the Fishbowl for a big plate of food and one of those big beers.
See the Google Map!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Football
Is Rush Limbaugh Still a Steelers Fan?
Rush Limbaugh is a well-known fan of pro football. If you listen to his show, you will hear him occasionally comment about the playoffs and give predictions about upcoming games. In 2003, he even served as a commentator on ESPN’s Sunday Countdown. His brief tenure as a commentator ended in controversey when he was heavily criticized for referring to Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb as “black.”
Limbaugh is not just a football fan. He also claims to be a big Steelers fan. But what kind of Steelers fan picks his team to lose a game against the Ravens? During a December 12, 2008, conversation on the air with a caller from Baltimore, Limbaugh did just that. He picked the Ravens to defeat the Steelers in an important game. (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121208/content/01125109.guest.html)
Has Limbaugh gone sour on the Steelers? If so, he has good reason. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney publicly supported Barack Obama for President. Rooney provided a public endorsement of the candidate (http://kdka.com/local/Dan.Rooney.Obama.2.699251.html), and he appeared at regional rallies advocating Obama as the next president (http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/509274.html?nav=515). Limbaugh is not a fan of Obama. Is he still a fan of the Steelers?
Limbaugh can also fault the Rooney family for its insistence on what has become popularly known as the “Rooney Rule” in the National Football League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Rule). Since 2003, the NFL has required all teams seeking a new head coach to interview at least one minority candidate, a form of affirmative action in professional sports. Limbaugh is not a fan of affirmative action.
If you listen to Limbaugh, you probably won’t hear about the Rooneys appearing at Obama rallies. And you won’t hear him refer to Joe Biden’s choked-up praise of the Rooney family for their simple yet profound humanitarian efforts (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2090449/posts). And you certainly won’t hear any praise for the Rooney’s practicing the liberal policies they preach; in 2007 the Steelers hired Mike Tomlin, an African-American, to replace Bill Cowher as head coach. Since taking over the team, Tomlin is 22-10 and has led the team to #2 spot in the 2008-09 AFC playoffs. Instead, you’ll hear Limbaugh picking the Ravens over the Steelers and praising the Ravens defense and its players.
Rush Limbaugh is a well-known fan of pro football. If you listen to his show, you will hear him occasionally comment about the playoffs and give predictions about upcoming games. In 2003, he even served as a commentator on ESPN’s Sunday Countdown. His brief tenure as a commentator ended in controversey when he was heavily criticized for referring to Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Donovan McNabb as “black.”
Limbaugh is not just a football fan. He also claims to be a big Steelers fan. But what kind of Steelers fan picks his team to lose a game against the Ravens? During a December 12, 2008, conversation on the air with a caller from Baltimore, Limbaugh did just that. He picked the Ravens to defeat the Steelers in an important game. (http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_121208/content/01125109.guest.html)
Has Limbaugh gone sour on the Steelers? If so, he has good reason. During the 2008 presidential campaign, Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney publicly supported Barack Obama for President. Rooney provided a public endorsement of the candidate (http://kdka.com/local/Dan.Rooney.Obama.2.699251.html), and he appeared at regional rallies advocating Obama as the next president (http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/509274.html?nav=515). Limbaugh is not a fan of Obama. Is he still a fan of the Steelers?
Limbaugh can also fault the Rooney family for its insistence on what has become popularly known as the “Rooney Rule” in the National Football League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Rule). Since 2003, the NFL has required all teams seeking a new head coach to interview at least one minority candidate, a form of affirmative action in professional sports. Limbaugh is not a fan of affirmative action.
If you listen to Limbaugh, you probably won’t hear about the Rooneys appearing at Obama rallies. And you won’t hear him refer to Joe Biden’s choked-up praise of the Rooney family for their simple yet profound humanitarian efforts (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2090449/posts). And you certainly won’t hear any praise for the Rooney’s practicing the liberal policies they preach; in 2007 the Steelers hired Mike Tomlin, an African-American, to replace Bill Cowher as head coach. Since taking over the team, Tomlin is 22-10 and has led the team to #2 spot in the 2008-09 AFC playoffs. Instead, you’ll hear Limbaugh picking the Ravens over the Steelers and praising the Ravens defense and its players.
Friday, December 12, 2008
The New Economy
It looks like Best Buy is now more selective than Harvard:
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=506759
"Admission to Harvard College became more competitive than ever this year, as the school accepted a record-low 9.1 percent of applicants for the Class of 2009, according to figures released on Thursday."
http://www.newsandtribune.com/local/local_story_326131405.html
"Best Buy has hired 21,000 seasonal employees this year, compared to 26,500 last year, spokeswoman Dawn Bryant said. The company has received more than 1 million applications. [2.1%]"
http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=506759
"Admission to Harvard College became more competitive than ever this year, as the school accepted a record-low 9.1 percent of applicants for the Class of 2009, according to figures released on Thursday."
http://www.newsandtribune.com/local/local_story_326131405.html
"Best Buy has hired 21,000 seasonal employees this year, compared to 26,500 last year, spokeswoman Dawn Bryant said. The company has received more than 1 million applications. [2.1%]"
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