College Football 2018, Week Five!

The Spartans had another non-conference game this week, the Chippewas of Central Michigan, and after allowing the Chips a field goal in their opening drive, the Spartans reeled off the next 31 points to put the game away before giving up the final seventeen point of the game in the fourth quarter to Central Michigan to greatly reduce the margin of victory.   The Big Ten continues to have five teams ranked in the AP top-25 poll: Michigan State [#21], Wisconsin [#15], Michigan [#14],  Penn State [#9], and Ohio State [#4]).

Next up for the Spartans, at home versus the Wildcats of Northwestern University.  Go Green!

The upsets this week included:
Stanford (#7) losing to Notre Dame (#8).
Duke (#22) losing to unranked Virginia Tech.
Mississippi State (#23) losing to unranked Florida by seven (7) points.

The close calls this week (games that were won by a touchdown or less) included:
Clemson (#3) defeating unranked Syracuse by four (4) points.
Ohio State (#4) defeating Penn State (#9) by one (1) point.
Michigan (#14) defeating unranked Northwestern by three (3) points.
Texas (#18) defeating unranked Kansas by five (5) points.

Top-25 match-ups won by the higher-ranked team included:
Ohio State (#4) defeating Penn State (#9) by one (1) point.
Washington (#11) defeating BYU (#20).
West Virginia (#12) defeating Texas Tech (#25).
Oregon (#19) defeating Cal (#24).

Dream Small!

Here is a demotivator (courtesy of (www-dot-despair-dot-com) that helps minimize your dreams by maximizing your possibility of achieving them.  All in good fun.  Of course, bigger dreams, and higher risk also carry with them increased success . . . but there is certainly nothing wrong with starting small and working your way up to bigger things.

Just a thought.

Source: www.despair.com

Fun Fact Friday, Number Ninety-Four!

Today’s real facts (courtesy of http://www.snapple.com) are all about pizza.  Did you know that . . .

• Americans, on average, eat eighteen acres of pizza per day?  (Real Fact #66)
• Hawaiian pizza was actually created in Canada?  (Real Fact #1278)

Source: http://www.snapple.com/real-facts

Ancient History, Number Two!

By “ancient history,” I will be referencing events from September 27th, that occurred pre-1492 (i.e., before “Columbus sailed the ocean blue”).  Note: most of these will be from the medieval world (476 AD – 1492 AD) as many earlier events don’t always have specific dates.

• Roger II, Count of Sicily and Duke  of Apulia, undertakes to recognize Anacletus II  as pope in return for Anacletus making him king of Sicily  and Apulia.  (1130 AD)
• Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse dies; he is succeeded by his son-in-law, Alfonse of Pontiers, , the brother of King Louis IX of France, marking the definitive integration of Languedoc into France (1249 AD)
• King Wladyslaw I of Poland defeats the Teutonic Knights  at Plowse, Poland.  (1331 AD)
• Cosimo de’ Medici the Elder, financier and stateman, born in Florence, Italy. (1389 AD)
• by the Treaty of Mielno, the Teutonic Knights (a German Christian military order) end their war with Poland and Lithuania.  (1422 AD)

Source: Volume 1 of the Chronology of World History: Prehistory — AD 1491: The Ancient and Medieval World.

Amazing Adjectives, Number Forty!

Here is a word from the Greek eristikós, meaning “wrangling.”  As exemplified in The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate:

“Adler’s philosophy classes consisted of thirteen weeks of eristic exercises, undeniably a tribute to Eris, the ancient Greek goddess of discord but ostensibly intended to teach the art of disputation.”

eristic

\ e-ris-tik \, adjective;

1.  pertaining to controversy or disputation; controversial.

Source: The Highly Selective Dictionary of Golden Adjectives for the Extraordinarily Literate by Eugene Ehrlich and http://www.dictionary.com.

Abstract Expressionism!

Happy Birthday Markus Yakovlevich Rothkowitz, aka Mark Rothko!  Rothko was an American painter of Russian Jewish descent whose paintings fell into the realm of abstract expressionism (along with other notable artists of the time: Jackson Pollock, Robert Rauschenberg, and Willem de Kooning).  I have to admit, every time I discovered one of Mark Rothko’s paintings in the galleries I visited I would contemplate that it was something that I could have created (obviously not).  I failed to understand his genius but he has certainly attained critical acclaim.  Check out some of his works here.

Marriage Advice, Number Two!

Here is the second installment of advice on How to be Happy Though Married.  Enjoy!

The Pleasures of Marriage
“Single women have a dreadful propensity for being poor, which is one very strong argument in favour of matrimony.”  (Jane Austen, 1816)

The Pains of Marriage
“By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you’ll become happy; if you get a bad one, you’ll become a philosopher.”  (Socrates, 4th Century)

Hints for Husbands
“Don’t throw cigar-ends into the bowl of water your wife keeps in front of the gas-fire.  They are not ornamental, and she will not be pleased.” (Don’ts for Husbands and Wives, 1913)

Hints for Wives
“A bad wife —

• Eats onions, radishes or garlic before a date or going to bed.
• Wears pajamas while cooking.
• Fails to wash top of milk bottle before opening it.
• Puts her cold feet on husband at night to warm them.”  (Dr. Crane’s Marital Rating Scale, c. 1939)

The Marital Bed
“I am happy now that Charles calls on my bedchamber less frequently than of old.  As it is, I now endure but two calls a week and when I hear his steps outside my door I lie down on my bed, close my eyes, open my legs and think of England.”  (Lady Alice Hillingdon, Journal, 1912)

Source: How to Be Happy Though Married: Matrimonial Strife Through the Ages, compiled by Emily Brand.

College Football 2018, Week Four!

The Spartans are coming off of their “bye” week and traveled to Indiana to open their Big Ten season.  The Spartans were able to pull away for the victory.  The Big Ten continues to have five teams ranked in the AP top-25 poll: Michigan State [#24], Michigan [#19], Wisconsin [#18], Penn State [#10], and Ohio State [#4]).

Next up for the Spartans, at home versus the Chippewas of Central Michigan.  Go Green!

The upsets this week included:
Virginia Tech (#13) losing to unranked Old Dominion.
Mississippi State (#14) losing to unranked Kentucky.
Oklahoma State (#15) losing to unranked Texas Tech.
TCU (#17) losing to unranked Texas.
Boston College (#23) losing to unranked Purdue.

The close calls this week (games that were won by a touchdown or less) included:
Oklahoma (#5) defeating unranked Army by seven (7) points in overtime.
Stanford (#7) defeating Oregon (#20) by seven (7) points in overtime.
Washington (#10) defeating Arizona State by seven (7) points.

Top-25 match-ups won by the higher-ranked team included:
Alabama (#1) defeating Texas A&M (#22).
Stanford (#7) defeating Oregon (#20) by seven (7) points in overtime.

AARP’s Livability Index!

AARP rates every U.S. city, town, and neighborhood on seven categories (from more than 50 unique data sources) to come up with their livability index.  The categories include:

• Health (prevention, access, and quality)
  • The best cities. . . East Palo Alto, Calif., and Menlo Park, Calif.
• Housing (affordability and access)
  • The best city. . . Sun City, Ariz.
• Engagement (civic and social involvement)
  • The best city . . . Fruit Cove, Fla.
• Opportunity (inclusion and possibilities)
  • The best city . . . Tooele, Utah
• Environment (clean air and water)
  • The best cities . . . Quincy, Ill., Anderson, S.C., Bloomington, Ind.*, Kent, Ohio*
• Neighborhoods (access to life, work, and play)
  • The best cities . . . West New York, N.J., and Hoboken, N.J.*
• Transportation (safe and convenient options)
  • The best city . . . Union City, N.J.

The most livable BIG cities (population of at least 500,000)
1. San Francisco, Calif.*
2. Boston, Mass.*
3. Seattle, Wash.*
4. Denver, Colo.*
5. Milwaukee, Wisc.*
6. New York, N.Y.*
7. Portland, Ore.*
8. Austin, Texas*
9. Philadelphia, Pa.*
10. Washington, D.C.*

The most livable small cities (population 100,000 to 499,999)
1. Madison, Wis.*
2. Arlington, Va.
3. St. Paul, Minn.
4. Boulder, Colo.*
5. Minneapolis, Minn.*
6. Rochester, Minn.*
7. Cambridge, Mass.*
8. Columbia, Md.
9. Alexandria, Va.
10. Berkeley, Calif.*

The most livable towns (population 25,000 to 99,999)
1. Fitchburg, Wis.
2. Sheboygan, Wis.
3. LaCross, Wis.*
4. Lafayette, Colo.
5. Silver Spring, Md.
6. Sun Prairie, Wis.
7. Bismark, N.D.
8. Brookline, Mass.
9. Harrisburg, Pa.
10. Portland, Maine*

*includes a major four-year university

Source: AARP Bulletin, July/August 2018, pp. 34-35.

 

Fun Fact Friday, Number Ninety-Three!

The category for today’s trivial imponderable is “music/instruments.”  Do you know . . . which British group created the first single record to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, beginning the British Invasion?

Nope, it was NOT the Beatles, but rather the Tornados, whose instrumental song “Telstar” reach number one in 1962.

Source: Sorry, Wrong Answer: Trivia Questions That Even Know-It-Alls Get Wrong, by Dr. Rod L. Evans.