sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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- Aug 15, 2011
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Welcome to Holly Day!
Today celebrates holly, the evergreen plant long associated with Christmas, and used in wreaths, boughs, and other trimmings. Before being connected to Christmas, it had many other associations, and has been used as a winter decoration since ancient times. Holly was identified with winter solstice festivals, which celebrated the lengthening of days. In Norse mythology it was associated with Thor, and was grown around the home as a way to prevent lightning strikes. It was used in the Roman festival of Saturnalia, dedicated to the planet Saturn, and the god of agriculture, creation, and time. The festival celebrated the darkest time of the year, but also the movement towards a time of sunshine and Spring. In ancient Gaul, Celtic people wore holly sprigs and wreaths as a way to ward off evil spirits. Holly historically represented new growth and eternal life, freshened the air, reminded people of the coming of Spring, and was believed to have magical properties.
SU News
Syracuse basketball vs. Buffalo: 10 things to watch for (PS; Waters)
The Syracuse bench could celebrate a comeback victory over the Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday, but the Orange will have to maintain its focus as it hosts the Buffalo Bulls on Tuesday night at the Carrier Dome.
Syracuse is now 9-1 on the season. Buffalo's record stands at 7-3 after its Saturday win over Robert Morris. Buffalo's three losses have come against Cincinnati, St. Bonaventure and South Dakota State.
The Syracuse-Buffalo game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and will be televised by ACC Network Extra.
Here are 10 things to watch for.
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UB basketball's CJ Massinburg goes from overlooked to hard to miss (buffalonews.com; Goods)
The University at Buffalo's CJ Massinburg has become one of the best players in Mid-American Conference basketball. He's averaging 20 points per game, good for second in the conference, and is arguably UB's best rebounder despite being a guard. UB coach Nate Oats said he recently got a call from an NBA scout about Massinburg.
One might expect Oats to say this was all part of the plan, but as he put it, "Sometimes I think it's better to be a little bit lucky in recruiting than it is to be considered great."
Plenty of factors had to go right for Massinburg to even get to UB and make the team coming out of high school.
But three years later, he is now in position to thrive on a large stage, as the Bulls visit Syracuse on Tuesday and No. 8 Texas A&M in his home state of Texas on Thursday.
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Other
CNY Creatives 2017: 14 news makers who think outside the box (PS; Tillich)
Syracuse is home to many thinkers, artists and creators who tried new ideas, took risks and succeeded this year.
We met a handful of them in our 2017 coverage. With New Year's Eve approaching, it's time to look back on those trailblazing innovators.
Consider Liam Kirst and Logan Reidsma, who united a community to paint murals on the ugly boarded-up windows of vacant Syracuse properties.
Or consider Ed and Ellen Griffin, who gave CNY music fans multiple chances to see touring bands in an intimate setting.
These creative folks created new products, shows or spaces which didn't exist here before (or made existing places better than we could ever imagine). Because they think outside the box, Syracuse is a more fun and interesting place to live.
Photo: A mural by Tommy Lincoln in the re-done Lipe Art Park in Syracuse welcomes commuters who drive by, daily.
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