sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to World Braille Day!
World Braille Day is annually celebrated on January 4, the birthday of Braille inventor, Louis Braille. The day recognizes the contributions of Louis Braille in helping blind and visually impaired people to read and write.
Blinded in both eyes as a result of an early childhood accident, Braille mastered his disability while still a boy. He excelled in his education and received scholarship to France's Royal Institute for Blind Youth. While still a student there, he began developing a system of tactile code that could allow blind people to read and write quickly and efficiently. Inspired by the military cryptography of Charles Barbier, Braille constructed a new method built specifically for the needs of the blind. He presented his work to his peers for the first time in 1824.
In adulthood, Braille served as a professor at the Institute and had an avocation as a musician, but he largely spent the remainder of his life refining and extending his system. It went unused by most educators for many years after his death, but posterity has recognized braille as a revolutionary invention, and it has been adapted for use in languages worldwide.
SU News
Jim Mazurek, former Syracuse offensive lineman, died Monday aged 74 (DO; Beyen)
Jim Mazurek, a former Syracuse football player who played from 1961-63, died on Monday after a battle with cancer. He was 74.
Mazurek’s career as an offensive lineman at SU overlapped with historic running backs. Mazurek played with Ernie Davis during his 1961 Heisman-winning season and in 1963 he played in the first of Floyd Little’s three All-American seasons. Mazurek was a captain for the 1963 team.
In the years Mazurek played for the Orange, SU went 21-10, including a Liberty Bowl win over Miami in 1961. He was selected in the 1964 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts as the 78th overall selection, although he didn’t play in the league.
...
Syracuse Football: Arthur Jones announces his retirement (itlh.com; Edsen Jr)
Former Syracuse football star Arthur Jones has announced his retirement from professional football. ITLH breaks it all down.
Just a day after former Syracuse football star Chandler Jones was congratulated for taking the NFL sack crown, his brother is stepping away from the game.
That’s right former Big East and Orange star Arthur Jones is finally hanging up the cleats after an amazing seven-year career in the NFL.
Jones accomplished everything you could desire:
- He made it to the pros and lasted longer than the average lifespan (which is only three years)
- Arthur won a Super Bowl championship with the Baltimore Ravens in 2012
- Jones got to enjoy multiple spots in different areas (Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, and the Washington Redskins)
ACC Football Rx: Realignment: GT declined B1G (accfootballrx.blogspot.com; Hokie Mark)
There's an interesting tidbit almost hidden in the ESPN article "How Atlanta became the capital of college football":
Not only does Atlanta sit at the geographic heart of the SEC and the ACC, two of the conferences that make up the Power 5, but five years ago, when the Big Ten expanded to 14 teams, the league didn't take Rutgers until it had been turned down by Georgia Tech...This sounds like confirmation of a rumor we heard several years ago, during the panic of 2013-14. At that time we were hearing the following conferences might be looking at these ACC teams:
Big Ten: UNC, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Maryland (possibly Florida State)
SEC: UNC, Duke, NC State, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Big XII: Florida State, Clemson (possibly Georgia Tech, Miami and/or Virginia Tech)Of all these, obviously the only one that took the bait was Maryland. I've been told that UNC turned down the Big Ten, this says Georgia Tech did the same. I've read that Virginia Tech turned down the SEC and that Clemson turned down the Big XII. Ultimately these schools showed their solidarity by signing a Grant of Rights (which now extends through the 2035-36 season).
Other
Massive winter storm threatens parts of New York with snow and floods (PS; Washington Post)
This winter's worst storm has knocked out power to thousands and canceled almost 3,000 flights. Next it's bringing more snow, ice and winds from Florida to Nova Scotia, including parts of New York.
Winter storm warnings and advisories stretch along the U.S. East Coast, with snow forecast from Virginia Beach to Boston. Parts of New England may get more than 18 inches, the National Weather Service said, while a blizzard warning has been issued for Boston, which could get 13 inches of snow and will close schools Thursday.
Blizzard conditions are also possible along much of New England's coastline, eastern Long Island and parts of New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and North Carolina. Philadelphia declared a snow emergency. The storm could also produce damaging winds and coastal flooding, the weather service said.
"Explosive, potent winter storm system taking aim on New England bringing multiple hazards: moderate to heavy snow, low visibility, strong to damaging winds, coastal flooding, and hazardous seas," the NWS's Boston office said in a notice around 1 a.m. Thursday.
Staten Island and Queens also face a flood threat between 9 a.m. and noon Thursday as the storm will push tides as much as 12 to 18 inches higher than normal, said Faye Morrone, a weather service meteorologist in Upton, New York.
