Urban Meyer has been the head football coach at the Ohio State University for a little over two months. Tomorrow we will get the first tangible sign of his impact on the program, because it’s National Letter of Intent Signing Day! For those of you not hip-deep in college football recruiting news, breathless updates, and [...]
Archive for January, 2012
Urban On The Recruiting Trail
Posted in sports, tagged Buckeye football, college football, football recruiting, National Letter Of Intent Day, Ohio State, sports, urban meyer on January 31, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
From Grandpa’s Bookshelf: The Masters of Achievement
Posted in America, tagged America, American culture, Family, Grandma and Grandpa Neal, Masters of Achievement on January 31, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
One of the largest — and most tattered — books on Grandpa’s bookshelf is a volume called Masters of Achievement. From its condition, it obviously was a favorite, read over and over again. What kind of book was so well-thumbed? Masters of Achievement was published by the Frontier Press Company of Buffalo, N.Y. in 1913. [...]
Are Federal Workers Overpaid? (II)
Posted in America, Politics, Work, tagged America, Congressional Budget Office, Federal Employees, Federal Workers, Government Employees, Politics, Private-sector employees, Work on January 30, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
About a year ago I wrote a post about whether federal employees are overpaid. It’s a never-ending debate — and now the Congressional Budget Office has weighed in. The CBO conducted a study that compared the wages, benefits, and overall compensation of federal employees and private-sector employees who shared certain comparable observable characteristics. The study [...]
Syria On The Brink Of Chaos
Posted in World, tagged America, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Middle East, Russia, Syria, United Nations, World, World War I on January 30, 2012 | 10 Comments »
It’s bad in Syria, and it seems to be getting worse. This is not good news for the United States, or the world. Fighting between Syrian government troops and rebels apparently is raging across the country. The rebels are reporting that 95 people were killed in clashes that reached the suburbs of Damascus. Syrian [...]
The Flush Factor
Posted in Humor, Travel, tagged Bathrooms, Hotel Rooms, Hotels, Humor, Toilets, Travel on January 30, 2012 | 2 Comments »
Travel always presents challenges and requires some accommodations. One little-mentioned point of travel-related adjustment involves the bathroom area. After all, you’re accustomed to your home commode. You’re used to the height, the seating, the back support, and the sound that is made when you flush. So, when you go the road and find one of [...]
Catching Fire – Love This Trilogy
Posted in Books, tagged Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen, Mockingjay, President Snow, Suzanne Collins, Young Adult Fiction on January 29, 2012 | 1 Comment »
Catching Fire the second Suzanne Collins book was another exciting quick read with lots of action. I finished it in a couple of days and am now waiting on a friend to loan me the third and final book in the trilogy, Mockingjay. If your not a big reader I would definitely recommend this series. [...]
The President And The Governor
Posted in Politics, tagged Arizona, High School, Jan Brewer, Politicians, Politics, President Obama on January 29, 2012 | 2 Comments »
When I read the political news, I often feel like I’m in high school again. That was my reaction when I read the story this week about an apparently testy exchange between President Obama and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on an airport tarmac. President Obama, fresh from his State of the Union speech, flew to [...]
An Elton John Interlude
Posted in Music, Music videos, tagged Elton John, Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters, Music, Music videos on January 29, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
I’m not a huge Elton John fan. I found his later, over-the-top Liberace-style phase off-putting — but I think his early work is really, really good. Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters is one of my favorite songs from that era, with its beautiful melody and cryptic yet evocative lyrics. Even now, I can’t walk into [...]
Looking At The Leap Second
Posted in Science, tagged clocks, Leap Seconds, Leap Years, Science, Time on January 29, 2012 | 1 Comment »
We all know about leap years, but did you know that there are “leap seconds” — and that scientists are arguing about whether to keep them? Leap seconds exist because the Earth doesn’t rotate with absolute precision. It speeds up and slows down as it spins, making some days a few milliseconds faster or slower [...]
Time For The Nut House To Rock The Schott!
Posted in sports, tagged Aaron Craft, Big Ten, Buckeye Basketball, Deshaun Thomas, Jared Sullinger, Jordan Morgan, Michigan Wolverines, Nut House, Ohio State, Schott, sports, The Schott, Tim Hardaway, Trey Burke, William Buford, Zack Novak on January 28, 2012 | 4 Comments »
Tomorrow the Buckeyes play the Michigan Wolverines at the Schott. The winner will stay atop the Big Ten. The loser is, well, the loser. Michigan has a good team this year. Tim Hardaway is one of the Big Ten’s best offensive players. Jordan Morgan plays a tough inside game. Trey Burke has been a huge [...]
Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close
Posted in America, Movies, tagged 9/11, America, Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close, John Goodman, Max von Sydow, Movies, Sandra Bullock, Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Viola Davis on January 28, 2012 | 1 Comment »
I wasn’t sure I was ready to see Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close. Even though 10 years have passed, 9/11 still is a very raw and difficult memory. The film is about a New York City family’s response to a 9/11 loss that leaves a gaping void in their lives — but it is about [...]
Bolting The Volt
Posted in America, tagged America, Automobiles, Capitalism, cars, Chevrolet, Chevy Volt, GM, Hybrid cars on January 28, 2012 | 2 Comments »
It hasn’t been easy for the Chevy Volt. Announced with great fanfare as the electric hybrid, alternative energy car of the future, the Volt has had problems getting traction with consumers. The most recent news is that some Chevrolet dealers don’t want to take their allotment of Volts. The sales of the car have been [...]
The Blizzard Of ’78 At Ohio State
Posted in College, Columbus, Ohio, weather, tagged Blizzard of 1978, College, Columbus, Ohio, Ohio State University, weather, Winter on January 27, 2012 | 1 Comment »
I was reminded today of the Great Blizzard of 1978. It was a devastating Storm of the Century, but I remember it fondly — and, I suspect, other Ohio State students of that era do as well. The Great Blizzard struck on January 26 and 27, 1978. It blanketed Ohio with huge amounts of snow, [...]
The Inoculatory Pre-Golf Personal Information Exchange
Posted in Family, Humor, tagged Family, Humor, Insensitivity, Marriage, Men, Seinfeld, Sensitivity, Women on January 27, 2012 | 7 Comments »
If you are a married man, you’ve probably experienced this scenario. You and your wife are friends with a couple. You innocently mention to your lovely bride that you are going to have lunch, or a beer, or play golf with the male member of the couple. When you return home afterward, your spouse bombards [...]
