Top Ten Area Holiday Events

From the Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette:

1) "The Nutcracker" – Presented by Fort Wayne Ballet; 8 p.m. Friday, 2:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; Fort Wayne Philharmonic and Fort Wayne Children's Choir perform at 8 p.m. today and Saturday; Arts United Center, 303 E. Main St.; tickets, 484-9646. Ends Dec. 9.

2) "It's A Wonderful Life" – 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; First Presbyterian Theater, 300 W. Wayne St.; $8; 422-6329. Ends Dec. 23.

3) Auburn Festival of Trees – Ends Jan. 7; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; World War II Victory Museum and Kruse Automotive & Carriage Museum, both located in Auburn; tickets, 260-927-9144.

4) Festival of Trees preview celebration, 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, $12; 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday; Creative Arts Council of Wells County, 211 Water St., Bluffton; $3 adults, $2 children; 260-824-5222.

5) "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" – 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Thursday; Pulse Opera House, Warren; $12 adults, $5 ages 12 and younger; 260-375-7017 or www.pulseoperahouse.org. Ends Dec. 8.

6) "Royal Feastes" Madrigal Dinner – 8 p.m. Friday, 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday; Walb Union Ballroom, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, 2101 Coliseum Blvd. E.; $400, $320, $30, $25; 481-6811.

7) "The Gift of Magi" – Performed by Huntington University Theatre Ensemble; 9 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; Studio Theatre, Merillat Centre for the Arts, Huntington University, Huntington; $2; 260-359-4261.

8) "A Christmas Celebration" – Presented by Wind Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Women's Chorale, Handbell Choir; 7:30 p.m.; Zurcher Auditorium, Merillat Centre for the Arts, Huntington University, Huntington; $5 adults, $3 seniors and students; 260-359-4261.

9) Holiday Ball – 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Dec. 14, reservations due today; Community Center, 233 W. Main St.; $14; for ages 21 and older; 427-6460.

10) Lakes Area Madrigal Dinner – Ends Dec. 8; 7 p.m.; Oakwood Christian Retreat Center, Lake Wawasee, Syracuse; $30 includes show and meal; for matinee schedule, call 574-457-5600.

And let me just add  11)  The University of Saint Francis Planetarium Star of Bethlehem 2007

Join us under the Mid-Eastern sky of 3 B.C. and follow the star of the Wise Men.  During the live portion of the show, planetarium staff will guide you to the wonders of this winter's Fort Wayne night sky. 

Our Show schedules are as follows:
Saturday, December 1st ~ 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 2nd ~ 3:00 pm and 7:45 pm

Friday, December 7th ~ 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 8th ~ 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 9th ~ 5:00 pm

Friday, December 14th ~ 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 15th ~ 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm
Sunday, December 16th ~ 5:00 pm

~AND~

This year we have a  'Pre-show' for early arrivals. They will be seated in Gunderson Auditorium which will feature photos and video clips from the recently completed Space Shuttle Discovery STS-120 mission to the International Space Station.
Later in the month, we will include live feed, real-time video coverage of the Atlantis STS-122 mission to the ISS as available from NASA TV. Atlantis is currently scheduled to launch December 6th. There is no additional charge for the pre-show. It will begin 30 minutes before the announced time for each Star of Bethlehem show and you can join in at any time following the purchase of your Star of Bethlehem ticket. 

Swimmers defeat Marion

Norwell Swimmers Breeze Past Marion

Brooke Cossairt, Logan Brink and Paige Brink led the Norwell girls to a 136-40 victory by each winning two individual events.

In the boys meet, the Knights took 10 firsts, paced by double winners Luke Towne, Grant Bucher and Nathan Brewer.

The Norwell girls also swept first places in the three relay events. Marion's only first was by diver Emily Guarneri.

Even Norwell's lack of divers couldn't help Marion.  Paige Brink also set Norwell pool records in the 200 yard individual medley and the 100 yard butterfly.

Migration Indiana

The Union of Concerned Scientists are projecting that Global Warming will cause the summers in Indiana to migrate to Oklahoma via Missouri over the next century, while the winters will migrate to Virginia. Click on the map image above if you want. The scientists' predictions are based on the last 100 years of Indiana weather fed into a computer model of the current/future global climate. Before you pack away your snow pants, consider that similar computer models can't predict the daily weather and these are being used to predict 50 and 100 years ahead. LongRangeWeather.com has an alternate view and numberswatch.com keeps track of all of the things the media says global warming will cause -- many of them complete opposites.

Pink Dolphin

From Louisiana, a Shockingly Pink Dolphin Surfaces

"It is absolutely, stunningly pink," said Rue, owner of Calcasieu Charter Service. "I have never seen anything like it. It's the same color throughout the whole body. It looks like it just came out of a paint booth."

Albino dolphins are rare. Only three have been spotted in the Gulf of Mexico since 1994 and there have only been 14 sightings around the world since 1963.

But albino dolphins that appear to be pink are unheard of, says Patricia Rosel, a National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) marine biologist who studies the genetic glitches found in bottlenose dolphins.

The only pink dolphins known worldwide are the freshwater variety in the Amazon. The boto, as they are called, are the largest river dolphins on the planet. And while they are very pink, they also have gray splotches on their backs and fins.

Rosel said she’s hoping to catch sight of the pink calf, which has been spotted several times since Rue first discovered him.

Dolphin experts said they are certain the calf is an albino. But since most albino dolphins appear white, they say warm Gulf waters may offer an explanation for his unusual coloring.

"Dolphins are like us, when we get hot we get flushed," said Rosel, who works in Louisiana near the Gulf of Mexico. "Since he has no pigment, the capillaries stick out and make him appear pink."

Bill Hartack has died

Bill Hartack was one of only two Jockeys to have won the Kentucky Derby five times.   The only other was Eddie Arcaro.

Hartack won his first Derby with a little help from Bill Shoemaker, the jockey riding Gallant Man. Shoemaker, who was leading down the stretch, misjudged the finish line and stood up in the saddle in an early celebration, allowing Hartack and Iron Liege to slip past and win by a nose.

In other Triple Crown races, Hartack won the Preakness three times -- with Fabius in 1956, Northern Dancer in 1964 and Majestic Prince in 1969 -- and the Belmont Stakes once, with Celtic Ash in 1960.

Hartack rode until 1974 in the United States, winning 4,272 races. He later rode in Hong Kong before retiring in 1981.

"One of the reasons I left the U.S. was that I knew once I could get away from the American press, I would be very, very happy because they are so stupid," he was quoted as saying shortly after he arrived in Hong Kong.

Big 10 Bowl Game Calculus

Will IU and Purdue both get bowl assignments on Sunday?   Big Ten bowl pairings will be released on Sunday's nationally-televised show.

If Ohio State plays in the BCS championship game and Illinois is selected to the Rose Bowl l, all eight teams with seven or more wins will play in a bowl game. That means Indiana and Purdue are in.

For that to happen, West Virginia or Missouri must lose Saturday to create a BCS title game shot for Ohio State, and Illinois (No. 15 BCS) must move into the top 14 and be selected by the Rose Bowl. Illinois moving up is likely. No. 14 Tennessee is an underdog against LSU in the SEC championship game, and No. 11 Boston College is in the same role against No. 6 Virginia Tech in the ACC championship game.

If OSU and Illinois don't fill both BCS slots, then one seven-win team (IU, Michigan State or Purdue) will have to secure a bid from a bowl not affiliated with the Big Ten.

If Purdue just would have beat IU, this wouldn't have been so hard.

What's in a Name?

The Hurricane Center is giving names to storms that never would have been named in the past.  This year's Tropical Storm Chantal and Tropical Storm Jerry, for example, had wind speeds of 39 miles per hour for less than a day without much drop in their central pressure.  Adding these types of storms (4 or 6 just this year) to the record might seem like no big deal, but it makes it almost impossible to compare modern hurricane seasons to seasons before the 1990's and makes current seasons, on paper, seem worse than in the past.  In addition, insurance companies base their rates on how many named tropical storms occur each year, so you folks on the coastlines are paying higher rates than you might if the Hurricane Center were more conservative.

The Knights need Divers

Norwell's 12th ranked Girls Swim Team fell to the Carroll Chargers last night by only 2.5 points... but Norwell spotted Carroll 12 points up front by not having any diving competitors.

CARROLL 92.5; NORWELL 90.5
At Norwell
200 Yard Medley Relay: 1. Carroll (Arianna Gutierrez, Katlyn Huhn, Nicole Schrensky, Audrey Hess) 1:57.86; 2. Norwell (Alison Painter, Kayla Sweet, Dani Thomas, Stephanie Bussey) 2:03.51; 3. Carroll 2:06.11.
200 Yard Freestyle: 1. Paige Brink (N) 1:58.25; 2. (TIE) Kayla Meinderding (C) and Thomas (N) 2:12.28; 5. Lindsey Stronczek (N) 2:21.89.
200 Yard Individual Medley: 1. Logan Brink (N) 2:17.02; 2. Bussey (N) 2:22.12; 3. Gutierraz (C) 2:26.53.
50 Yard Freestyle: 1. Hess (C) 25.61; 2. Kelly Brewer (N) 25.77; 3. Painter (N) 27.13.
Diving: 1. Aubry Daman (C) 163.85; 2. Rachel Guy (C) 142.7; 3. Rachel Waggoner (C) 123.0.
100 Yard Butterfly: 1. Schrensky (C) 1:04.08; 2. Brooke Cossairt (N) 1:04.55; 4. Thomas (N) 1:07.31 .
100 Yard Freestyle: 1. P. Brink (N) 55.49; 2. Brewer (N) 57.16; 3. Gutierraz (C) 57.48.
500 Yard Freestyle: 1. Cossairt (N) 5:38.03; 2. Marcie Lee (C) 6:11.03; 3. Rachel Fenbert (C) 6:23.03; 4. Stronczek (N) 6:24.35 .
200 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Norwell (L. Brink, Brewer, Cossairt, P. Brink) 1:45.28; 2. Carroll 1:48.12; 3. Carroll 1:50.37.
100 Yard Backstroke: 1. L. Brink (N) 1:07.09; 2. Meinerding (C) 1:08.80; 4. Painter (N) 1: 11.04.
100 Yard Breaststroke: 1. Huhn (C) 1:11.53; 2. Bussey (N) 1:12.87; 3. Hess (C) 1:13.58; 4. Emily Kunkel (N) 1:16.59; 5. Sweet (N) 1:17.55.
400 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Norwell (Brewer, Cossairt, L. Brink, P. Brink) 3:47.90 (Pool record; old record 3:49.49 by Norwell 2005, A. McClain, K. Gates, K. Cossairt, P. Brink); 2. Norwell (Thomas, Stronczek, Painter, Bussey) 4:04.63; 3. Carroll 4:05.09.

Championship Rings

Sevens member (and Norwell Pitching Coach) Kurt Gray has sent out a notice that the 2007 Norwell State Champion Baseball team will be presented their championship rings on December 14th.  The presentation will be either between the JV/Varsity games or during halftime of the varsity game against Dekalb.

Mark your calendars!

Stand up and Putter

A New Way to Control Weight

When we sit, the researchers found, the enzymes that are responsible for burning fat just shut down.

This goes way beyond the common sense assumption that people who sit too much are less active and thus less able to keep their weight under control. It turns out that sitting for hours at a time, as so many of us do in these days of ubiquitous computers and electronic games and 24-hour television, attacks the body in ways that have not been well understood.

The solution, Hamilton said, is to stand up and "putter."

Hamilton is not suggesting that anyone quit exercising. But he says his work shows that exercise alone won't get the job done. We have to pay more attention to what's happening when we aren't in the gym, because the body's ability to dispose of fat virtually shuts down, he says, at least if we're sitting down.

A very interesting article.  Doctors injected a fat-burning enzyme into humans and then took biopsies  when people were standing and when they were sitting.  When sitting, the fat-burning enzyme was suppressed.

Girls nearly double Wayne

Norwell Girls 74, Wayne 40

Ethanol Craze Cools

Ethanol Craze Cools As Doubts Multiply

In the past, livestock farmers supported ethanol because it was good for the overall farm economy. But now they began to complain that the higher corn price cut sharply into their profits. A meat-producer trade group called the American Meat Institute took a stand against federal support for biofuels last December, joined soon after by the National Turkey Federation and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

The farm fissure widened when livestock, meat and poultry groups started coordinating their lobbying with the oil industry, in discussions helped along by former Texas Congressman Charles Stenholm, who now lobbies for both industries.

Packaged-food companies, too, began pushing back, as one after another blamed biofuels' effect on grain costs for hurting earnings. In June, Dean Foods Co., H.J. Heinz Co., Kellogg Co., Nestle USA, PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co. sent a letter to senators saying that requiring greater use of ethanol would affect their "ability to produce competitively available, affordable food."

Harrison Square Cam

Watch the Harrison Square downtown Ft. Wayne Baseball Stadium Project

The Cinnamon Challenge

Who knew? And don't blame me if you try it.

Butler #16

It isn't really news, if you ask me, that IU is ranked #15 (and falling) in the basketball nation... but Butler being only one back at #16 -- now that's news!

Girls BB Poll

The Norwell Girls Basketball team received a couple of votes in the ranking poll

Class 3A

Pts. Prv.

1. Wawasee (14) 4-0 148 1
2. Indpls. Chatard 4-0 126 5
3. Ev. Bosse 5-1 113 1
4. Twin Lakes (1) 6-0 92 10
5. Plymouth 4-1 86 4
6. Lebanon 3-1 80 3
7. Ev. Memorial 3-0 62 8
8. Northwood 4-1 34 9
9. Indpls. Brebeuf 3-1 26 6
10. Ft. Wayne Elmhurst 4-0 20 n/a
10. Owen Valley 5-1 20 n/a

Others recieving votes: Benton Central 11, Norwell 2, Crawfordsville 1, Franklin County 1, N. Harrison 1, Rushville 1, Vincennes Lincoln 1.

Note: Luers is #8 in the 2A poll

224: Mason Dixon Line

The original Mason-Dixon line was a dividing line between the culture of the Northern States and the culture of the Southern States. In the article below, Mark Miller discusses 124 as a Mason-Dixon line in Adams County (dividing the culture of Decatur and the culture of Berne) and 224 as the Mason-Dixon line in Wells County (dividing the culture of Bluffton and the culture of Ossian).

An interesting article regarding the political impact of improving 224 vs. Road 1 to 469

The option that seemed to be focused upon most — Hwy. 224 from Markle to Ind. 1— was never labeled “Bluffton’s plan” (at least in our report) and in fact included improvements to Ind. 1 north to Ossian that would be equal to any proposed improvements south to Bluffton.

Certainly, Bluffton officials want to encourage as much business development within their borders as possible, Ossian’s as well. In my ten years here, I have always had the sense — perhaps naive — that everyone was pretty much on the same page: that we are a “county community” as opposed to a county with two communities.

Once again, my thanks to the Bluffton News-Banner for its large and well written collection of local news and sports.

Knights beat AC

Norwell Boys 59, Adams Central 29

Principal of the Year

On Sunday, November 19, 36 of approximately 2,000 principals from around the state of Indiana were honored with the regional Principal of the Year award at the annual Indiana Association of School Principals Conference. The Principal of the Year Award is given for outstanding achievement as an administrative leader in advancing education and the work of one's school in the recipient's community.

I believe, based on an long and interesting article in the Bluffton News-Banner for which I can find no online version, Sevens member Jon Bennett, Principal of Bluffton-Harrison Middle School was one of the 36 principals honored on Sunday.

Congratulations, Jon!

Jay County stops Norwell

Jay county 55, Norwell 44

The Patriots outscored the Knights 24-4 in the last period mainly at the free-throw line. Jay County took 20 free throws and made 14, while Cassandra Huelskamp and Lindsey Wellman each hit a big three-pointer.

Norwell won the junior varsity contest 37-31 to improve to 3-1. Caitlyn McGrew led the way with 15 points and Kyra Raines added eight.

The 9th-grade Knights also won, climbing to 3-1 by beating Jay County 24-21. Jori Leman netted nine and Amanda McAfee five to lead Norwell.

Luers takes #7

Bishop Luers won their 7th state football title

Quinn Schafer’s 71-yard bomb to Adrien Spencer with 2:16 to play in the third quarter broke up a scoreless Class 2A state championship game here Tuesday night, and the Knights rode the momentum to their seventh state championship, beating Heritage Christian 21-6.

The 'Temples of Damanhur'

This is really rather remarkable. The vision of one man has resulted in an amazing set of underground temples in Italy. Begun around 1977, these temples go as deep as 100 feet down into the hillside.

The Monster of the Night Skies

Comet 17P/Holmes is now twice the diameter of the Sun

Comets, of course, are no rarity. And it seems like every couple of years or so, one becomes big and bright enough that it can easily be seen from Earth. But the behavior of 17P/Holmes has mystified both hobby astronomers and professionals around the globe. Rather than shrinking as it gets further from the sun as most comets do, this one just keeps getting bigger and brighter. At the beginning of the week, the cloud of dust and gas surrounding the comet's core -- called the coma -- had already grown larger than the sun. Now, just a few days later, the coma's diameter is twice that of the sun -- the dust cloud measures some 2.7 million kilometers across whereas the sun is just 1.39 million kilometers across. And there is no sign that it is finished.

Some scientists believe the comet has collided with an asteroid and that might be why it suddenly grew so large.

IU Takes Home the Bucket

Sevens member Gary Ulmer pointed out that I failed to link to any news about how Indiana defeated Purdue 27-24 in the Old Oaken Bucket game. Well, there you go... Indiana will most likely get a bowl game this year -- we'll see whether Purdue can find a post-season game to play.

Knights defeat Fremont

The Norwell boys managed to win the low scoring opener 40-38. I see quite a few familiar names on the roster: Imel, Otis, Blinn, Fiechter -- all have Sevens connections.

I-69 Accident

I'm sure thousands of people were affected by the shutting down of the south lane of I-69 last night. Our family was one of them. The southbound lanes of the interstate were shut down at Goshen Road and we detoured through town. The news says that a woman's car broke down and she was walking along I-69 and ended up in the driving lane. She was struck and killed.

It's a sad, sad way to end Thanksgiving to know that families are having to deal with death this weekend. Despite this, or perhaps all the more because of it, I hope all Sevens members and their friends and families are warm and safely content for the holidays. Stay well out there.

Norwell beats Concordia

The Norwell Girls Basketball team moved to 3-0 by defeating Concordia 39-34

The Knights were led by junior forward Haley Chaney with 10 points and five rebounds and 6-2 junior center Andrea Vogel tossed in eight points and grabbed seven rebounds. Junior point guard Kylie Dial added seven points and senior guard Allee Donaghy chipped in with six.

Early in the last quarter, the Knights tied the score at 29 and added eight more points to take a 37-29 lead with 2:54 to play.

The JV lost, but the Freshman girls won 17-14 with Mandy McAfee leading the way again with 7 points.

Luers headed to State

The Bishop Luers Knights will be the lone team from Ft. Wayne to play for a football championship at the RCA Dome this weekend after shutting out Lewis Cass 14-0.  Luers meets Heritage Christian on Friday.  The Knights are ranked #9 and the Heritage Christian Eagles are unranked.

Go Knights!

Norwell defeats Bluffton

I have the feeling that "Norwell defeats Bluffton" (in this case, it is Girls Basketball: Norwell 59, Bluffton 34) doesn't mean what it once did.  Maybe those who still live in Wells County can tell me if Norwell/Bluffton is the dangerous rivalry it once was.  

But congratulations to the Lady Knights, now 2-0, for socking it to Bluffton.. and make sure you read the article in its entirety to catch the leading scorer for the victorious Norwell Freshman team:

The Knights also won the freshman contest 32-14. Amanda McAfee led the way with 15. Jori Leman tossed in nine, Eden Chaney six and Amber Haiflich two.

 

Knights Splash Huntington

A standout performance by Paige Brink led the Norwell Girls Swim Team over Huntington in an easy win.

Paige Brink broke two of her Norwell Knights girls pool swimming records Thursday night to lead the Knights to a 112-64 victory over the visiting Huntington North Vikings.

Brink won the 200 yard freestyle in 1:57.56, eclipsing her 2006 mark of 1:58.17. Later in the meet, she won the 100 yard freestyle in 54.21 seconds, besting last year’s best of 54.33. She still holds the overall school marks of 1:53.96 in the 200 and 52.82 in the 100.

Barry Bonds Indicted

Barry Bonds has been indicted on five counts of perjury and obstruction of justice.

If convicted on all five counts, baseball's home run king could go to prison for up to 30 years. Bonds is scheduled to make his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge James on Dec. 7

I've read all about how unpleasant the man is and know how dangerous steroids are for adults and twice more for children. But 30 years? Give me a break. Actually, rather, give him a break. Societal problems like this are not cured by destroying people's lives and neither should a small set of people bear the burden of punishment.

Why not be creative. Sometimes, when master hackers are caught, they are offered security jobs to prevent future hackers... why not sentence Bonds to be the drug czar for professional sports. He is uniquely unsuited for such a position, which will make it all the more painful for him and all the more powerful for kids.

A Fine Slideshow of Life

Life

Heroes

Heroes, a wonderful set of images of our troops set to music

World's Third Oldest Person Dies

Bertha Fry, 113, the world's third oldest person, died Wednesday at Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie.  She is survived by the worlds oldest living person, Edna Parker, 114, who lives in Shelbyville.

We're growing them old in Indiana.

Greenwood Drive-Through

An ambulance accidentally crashed into a Starbucks in Greenwood last night

oops.

Lost Inheritance

Gotta love it

P17/Holmes

The Sun is not currently the largest object in our solar system that honor belongs to the comet P17/Holmes. Of course it's not as bright as the Sun since it's much further away, but it is viewable by the naked eye.

Illusion

The image doesn't look so bad, does it? But look at it right side up and you can see how your brain is fooling you. You can click on the picture to see it right side up. Explanation here.

The Same Moon

Grandma Shines Brightly

Luers Loses to Brebeuf

Class 3A #5 Brebeuf barely squeaked by Class 2A #4 Bishop Luers 48 to 47 last weekend

Swimmers defeat AC, Blackford

The Norwell Girls Swim Team easily defeated Adams Central and Blackford on Tuesday, most likely because many of them are daughters of Sevens members.

MySpace Kills

A long and important article showing what kids are up against these days.

Norwell Cheerleaders

The Norwell Knights 2007 state champion competition cheerleading squad will be honored between the junior varsity and varsity girls basketball games Friday, Nov. 16. The Knights will be hosting the Bluffton Tigers. The cheerleaders also will perform their state championship routine. The junior varsity game starts at 6:15 p.m.

Revitalize the Downtown

From the Banner:

Last summer, as the Ossian Town Council was discussing revitalizing the downtown, the members learned that the earliest the state would consider four-laning Ind. 1 from I-469 to Bluffton would probably be 2025—perhaps even longer realistically.

That was then. This is now.

Monday night the Ossian Town Council took the first steps toward fast-tracking the project with the potential to move it up to where it will take place five to 10 years in the future.

Somehow "revitalization" and "downtown Ossian" just don't fit together in my brain and I think that point is made by some Council members in the long article linked to above, as well. It isn't that the Council shouldn't be discussing such things, I'm sure they should, but what would a "vital" downtown Ossian look like and when was downtown Ossian ever 'vital' to begin with? However you answer those questions, four-laning downtown Ossian would change forever the long standing businesses that have been there since time began.

Heyerly's Bakery hasn't hardly changed and the bank is still pretty much where it always was (although I've never liked the look of the new bank compared to the old bank). The Ossian Tavern's still there and the Brew-Ha is a fine addition... Does "revitalization" mean the drug store and Eve's restaurant would come back? But the drug store would never be the same as it used to be with its retro soda fountain and well-stocked comic book stand; and a new Eve's would have to compete with that restaurant on the south side of town where there's lots of parking. Would revitalization bring back the pinball machines at Echo Gardens? Who would ever play them now? Would a vital downtown have the hardware back by the bank and the Dime store back beside the bakery? Would the City Market return?

When people talk about a 'vital' downtown, they usually mean lots of people walking around doing business... four-laning would just speed the rate at which people pass through town and make it more difficult to cross the street. The two goals, a vital downtown and quicker access from Industrial Park to I-469, are at odds. Big cities might handle this with a bypass. I've charted a simple path in red from 469 to the Ossian Industrial Park in the picture.... Four lane that and then continue on to Bluffton.

Just a modest proposal.

The Last World War I Vet

Over There -- and Gone Forever

It's hard for anyone, I imagine, to say for certain what it is that we will lose when Frank Buckles dies. It's not that World War I will then become history; it's been history for a long time now. But it will become a different kind of history, the kind we can't quite touch anymore, the kind that will, from that point on, always be just beyond our grasp somehow. We can't stop that from happening. But we should, at least, take notice of it.

Norwell Wins own Invitational

The Norwell Girls Swimming Team easily defeated all comers in their own invitational on Saturday

Senior Paige Brink won two events and her freshman sister another to help lead the Knights which scored 346.5 points.

Oak Hill was second with 195 and Columbia City third with 179.

Reservoir at Markle

The picture above is by Joel Fremion and is titled "Reservoir at Markle, IN." It isn't a painting, Fremion used fabrics of different kinds to make the image which is hanging in The Old Bag Factory in Goshen as part of the Hoosier Salon exhibition.

Colts lose a Gimme 21-23

A Tough Loss that is all the harder to take because of the intervention of the refs in the final minutes of the game

The win even seemed to be a foregone conclusion when Colts running back Joseph Addai appeared to have picked up a first down on a 3-yard run to the Chargers' 6 with 1:36 remaining. Officials on the field signaled a first down … but officials in the replay booth challenged the spot. That caused an uproar on the Indianapolis sideline. Dungy had never seen that happen before, a replay challenging a spot in the final minutes.

Referee Gene Steratore reversed the call on the field and set up a fourth-and-1. The next play was, amazingly, even more bizarre and frustrating for the Colts.

Manning was on the field to run off clock time and try to draw the Chargers offside. As tight end Ben Utecht arose from a three-point stance, two other Colts started to motion to a new formation. Indy runs this play all the time, and according to Dungy, the league office said just last week that the Utecht type of shift was legal.

But it wasn't legal Sunday night, at least not to Steratore's officiating crew. Out came the false start flag

College Scoreboard for 11-10-2007

Purdue 31 can't handle Michigan State 48. Purdue stands 7 and 4, on the bubble for a bowl bid. The game against IU next weekend is more important than ever.

Indiana 28 found a way to lose to Northwestern 31. Indiana stands 6 and 5 and needs to beat Purdue next weekend if they want a bowl game.

Notre Dame 24 rolled over for Veterans Day to Air Force 41. Notre Dame is 1 and 9 and last in the country in offense.

A bad day for football in Indiana.

Luers takes the Regional

Bishop Luers routed Northwestern 42-14 to win the 2A regional

Knights defeat Saints

The Lady Knights won their opener against Bishop Dwenger

Swimming Season Starts Saturday

Saturday morning at 9am Norwell hosts its annual Norwell Girls Swimming Invitational

The Knights have been ranked 12th in the statewide girls preseason poll released by the Indiana coaches association.

Norwell is led by senior state qualifier Paige Brink, who ranks third in the state in the 200 yard freestyle with a personal best of 1:53.96. She also is 10th in the state in the 100 yard freestyle with a best time of 53.1 seconds.

Diving specialist Sarah Michuda, who won the 2007 Homestead sectional championship, did not come out for her senior season.

Norwell's Alison Painter, Kayla Sweet and Brink teamed with Kelly Brewer to place second in the sectional medley relay finals.

Bluffton's Maggie Smith, Kelsey Crowe, Susannah Bates and Jacqui Garcia were seventh in the medley relay.

Painter was fourth in the individual medley and Bates was fifth.

Brewer was sixth in the 100 yard freestyle.

Norwell's Alicia Bigelow, Lindsey Stronczek and Nikki Rehling placed fifth in the 200 yard freestyle relay.

Sweet was sixth in the Homestead 100 yard breaststroke sectional.

Brewer, Rehling, Painter and Brink were third in the sectional 400 yard freestyle.

Brink, Painter and Sweet are back for their senior season.

Knights coach Jon Gates has 10 freshmen on the roster, which will bolster the team.

Global Warming a Scam

John Coleman, the founder of the Weather Channel, believes that our planet is not in peril

"I have read dozens of scientific papers. I have talked with numerous scientists. I have studied. I have thought about it. I know I am correct," Coleman wrote.

"The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril."

Coleman believes that in time, the global warming theory will be proven to be a scam when none of the predicted catastrophic events, such as coastal flooding and super storms, actually materialize.

Coleman also criticized CNN, CBS, NBC, the Democratic party, and even California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, calling them "well informed, but very gullible."

Girls Basketball Preview

The Banner provides a nice Norwell Girls' Basketball preview and schedule

ABC Pushing Buttons

ABC tries to create their own news

Where does Congress get off...

Just where does Congress get off insulting Yahoo founder Jerry Yang for giving up a Chinese user to the Chinese Government.   Don't get me wrong, I not only think Yahoo was wrong to give up the user, I don't think Yahoo should do business with China at all.  But to have to sit, for hours, and listen to holier than thou congressmen berate you -- I don't think I could take it without berating them back.

"While technologically and financially you are giants, morally you are pygmies," Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told the corporate titans.

Oh really, Mr. Lantos, is that what you think, that I'm a moral Pygmy.  Just why is it that Congress is borrowing  hundreds of billions of dollars from the Chinese  so  you can all  send your  blood money to your constituents  for  your pet projects  so you can get reelected.  If  I'm such a moral pygmy for giving free email services to the Chinese, what does that make you.  Doesn't the actions of Congress allow the Chinese government to keep their people in chains far more than my company's actions?

Rep. Christopher H. Smith (R-N.J.) said he saw a "parallel" between Yahoo and companies that helped the Nazis locate Jews to be sent to concentration camps.

And if my following the Chinese goverment's order to give up the name of a user makes me a Nazi, just what did Congress do to CNN, CBS and the other networks who showed the faces of the Tiananmen Square protesters to the world?  The Chinese used the feeds from those networks -- who were just doing business in China like me -- to round up thousands of dissidents and you're berating me for one?

"It is repugnant," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) told the executives. "It would be funny if it weren't so sickening."

You members of Congress find me sickening -- classic projection -- you do far, far more business with China, you are on the verge of allowing our best athletes to go to China for the Olympics so that China can put on a brave, bold and free face on their society.. and then you bring me here to insult for hours while you all sit back funneling Chinese money to your home districts. You make me sick, Congressman.

"Shi Tao's mother is sitting in the first row right behind you," Lantos told the pair. "I would urge you to beg the forgiveness of the mother whose son is languishing behind bars due to Yahoo's actions." Callahan waited a bit before moving slightly and making a perfunctory nod in the direction of Shi's sobbing mother.

Shall I bring in the parents of the children working in the Chinese sweat shops to provide goods for American retail outlets so that Congress can apologize to them?  Where do you get off, Congressman, blaming me for the actions of the Chinese government when you and your ilk, who have the real power to make an impact on their society do nothing.

Lantos was just beginning. "Mr. Yang, why is it that after craven cooperation with the Chinese state security apparatus, the provision of false information to Congress, the failure to correct the record . . . the only person punished is an innocent journalist?"

"At the end of the day I feel that everybody was doing the best they can," Yang answered quietly.

Lantos, usually a mild questioner, was not finished. "You still have done nothing," he said, "to help the family whose breadwinner your behavior put in prison. . . . Can you explain why?"

Yes, Congressman, I can.  I am not responsible for the actions of the Chinese government.  You seem to believe that American Companies do not have to follow the laws of foreign governments when we are doing business in those countries.  Do you afford the same courtesy to foreign companies in America?  Do foreign companies have to follow American laws when doing business in America?  Does Japan have to follow our child labor laws in their American plants?  Does Germany have to follow our pollution standards in their American plants?  Congressman why do you think business are leaving America and moving to other Countries like Mexico?  It is because of not only your laws, but because of the constant and never ending greed of Congress.  So stick it, Mr. Lantos, you may be able to make me come here and listen to you, you may be able to hold me in contempt for not kissing your Walmart penneyloafers, but you cannot make me listen to your hypocritical ranting without response.

MRSA Killer

Volcanic clay from French volcanoes kill 99% of MRSA superbugs

The researchers believe that agricur, found in the Massif Central mountain range, may pave the way for the creation of antibiotics to which superbugs have no resistance.

They said that the clay was found to wipe out bug colonies in a day during laboratory experiments. They also revealed that control samples of MRSA, which were not treated with agricur, grew 45-fold over the same period.

Other deadly bacteria such as salmonella and a flesh-eating disease called buruli, which is a relative of leprosy, were killed by the clay during the experiments.

Very good news. Who would have thought rubbing dirt into a wound would heal it.

A Waste of Time

Dennis Kucinich plans to bring the Impeachment of Vice President Cheney to the House floor tomorrow. Why? Again, the claim that Cheney lied us into war with Iraq and is trying to do the same with Iran.

When Kucinich offers his resolution, the House does not have to consider it. After it is put up for consideration, the resolution must be ruled in order by the House Parliamentarian. If it is not ruled to be in order, the issue dies unless Kucinich successfully appeals the ruling of the chair.

That would lead to a vote right there on the issue, or it could lead to a delay of up to 48 hours. A vote — or more than likely, a motion to table Kucinich's effort — would probably be delayed, too.

Death of the resolution is the preferable route for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who indicated through her spokesman Monday that impeachment is off the table.

The Colts Didn't Cheat

The strange sounds heard on TV were not heard within the stadium. How sad that the convicted-of-cheating Patriots would accuse the Colts. The video below is the evidence, but CBS put it to rest saying the strange sound was their fault, not anything the Colts were piping into the RCA dome.

Norwell Cheerleading

I understand congratulations are in order for the Norwell co-ed Cheeleaders: First in State. I only know this because it was on the radio on the way home, it sure hasn't been advertised in the papers yet.

Darn It

Pats 24, Colts 20

College Scoreboard for 11-03-2007

Purdue loses a heartbreaker to Penn State

Indiana defeats Ball State rather easily

Notre Dame loses to Navy for the first time in 44 years.

Bellmont Wins State

The Bellmont Girls Volleyball Team, no surprise, won their first state title in Muncie

Flickriver

Flickr is a site that allows you to post pictures online for free. I believe Google purchased it awhile back. Anyway, Flickriver is a site that grabs interesting pictures (like the one above) from flickr from all over the world and posts them on one, continuous, never-ending page that never seems to end. I don't think you can get to the bottom and there's always lots of interesting photos in the river. You can get there by clicking on the picture if you want, and I'll put a link to it in the links section on the right.

1977 vs. 2007

Click on the picture and check out the right hand column on the page you go to... make sure to scroll down and read each one. See what fashions said in 1977 vs. what they say today. The truth hurts.... I had a shirt like the one on the left and remember it used to look pretty nice. :)

Sending Cancer a Signal

John Kanzius only had nine months to live, he doesn't even have a bachelor's degree, and yet he has developed one of the most promising cancer treatment in years -- and a method of producing hydrogen to boot.  Read the article, it's quite interesting and inspiring.  When radio waves strike metal, the metal heats up... but radio waves pass through the human body without harm.  So, if the docs inject a person with metallic nanoparticles that bind with cancer cells, and then the person is subjected to radio waves -- the nanoparticles heat up and burn away the cancer.  The even better news is that the nanoparticles are so small they would be able to bind to cancer cells the doctors can't even find.

The End is Near

An interesting chart showing the likelihood of different kinds of death. The smaller the dot, the less likely that form of death. Click on the chart to make it bigger... The huge circle is heart disease (1:5 chance).

Blue Fugates

The Blue People of Troublesome Creek

A very interesting read regarding Blue tinted people in Kentucky.

Cool

Cool. Click on the picture.

Another NBA Slap on the Wrist

Not only do the NBA players get small, slap-on-the-wrist penalties for misbehaving, but the team owners do, too

Lakers owner Jerry Buss has been suspended for two games and fined $25,000 by NBA commissioner David Stern in conjunction with Buss' conviction on a misdemeanor drunken driving charge.

That won't leave much of a mark, now will it.