sutomcat
No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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There were numerous factors that converged to create an environment that was ripe for an event like the Boston Tea Party to take place, which occurred on today's date in 1773. Some of these included the popularity of tea in the colonies, British debt, acts of Parliament that taxed colonists, the Boston Massacre, and the propping up of a British tea company. The Boston Tea Party can be seen as a tipping point that spurred the revolutionary movement forward, which ultimately allowed for the creation of the United States. It is because of its importance to the formation of the country that we mark Boston Tea Party Day.
Although Britain had been victorious in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763), they had accumulated a great national debt and looked to the American colonies for revenue. Parliament instituted taxes on the colonies, the first being the Stamp Act of 1765, which required colonists to pay a tax on printed paper such as newspapers, business cards, and legal documents. Colonists argued that only their representatives in the colonies should have the power to tax them, and that "taxation without representation" was unjust. The Stamp Act was repealed the following year, but the Townshend Acts of 1767 created even more taxes than the Stamp Act, placing them on items such as paper, paint, glass, and tea. The revenue for these taxes was to pay for the salaries of the royal colonial governors. Colonists once again bristled at the idea of being taxed without representation, and they organized boycotts of the taxed goods. Because of this pressure, in April 1770, all of the Townshend Acts except the tax on tea were repealed. The tax on tea was kept as a symbol of Parliament's power and right to levy a tax on the colonies.
SU News
The inspiring story of how Demetris Nichols worked hard to overcome a ‘really, really bad’ stutter (PS; $; Waters)
When Demetris Nichols was young, his family moved around a lot.
From Roxbury to Dorchester to Roxbury. All around Boston. Always moving. Which meant going to a new school many times over.
Nichols could handle the moving, but one aspect instilled fear in him: The first day in a new classroom.
Invariably, the teacher would ask Demetris to introduce himself to the rest of the class.
Nichols would stand up and say, “My name is De, De, De, Demetris.’’
“I used to always dread that,’’ Nichols said, recalling the memory of a kid with a stutter. “It was an awful feeling.’’
***
Demetris Nichols now occupies a new classroom. The 37-year-old former Syracuse University basketball star is a graduate assistant coach at his alma mater. He is pursuing a master’s degree while also assisting Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and his staff.
In the years before returning to Syracuse, Nichols worked as the color analyst for the Westchester Knicks, the G-League affiliate of the New York Knicks. He also launched a podcast.
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Syracuse Basketball: Deep dive on Orange defense reveals ugly numbers (itlh; Adler)
The Syracuse basketball defense needs to vastly improve if the Orange is going to improve upon its current 5-5 record in the 2021-22 season.
Head coach Jim Boeheim has spoken about the ‘Cuse zone defense on more than one occasion. The Orange fan base is extremely frustrated with the defensive performance to date.
And I’m sure ‘Cuse players aren’t satisfied with how the team’s defense is faring at this juncture in the 2021-22 stanza. I won’t shy away from saying the zone is struggling, however, I know the Orange players are working hard, and I will never personally attack a young man for trying his best.
That being said, in the wake of the latest loss for Syracuse basketball, a 79-75 setback on the road to long-time rival Georgetown this past weekend, Boeheim was pretty blunt about the team’s defense.
So I’ve gone ahead and dug through some statistics provided on the NCAA’s Web site that detail just how sub-par the Orange defense is, at least for now.
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Syracuse Basketball: Despite rough start to season, there are bright spots (itlh; Adler)
A challenging recent stretch that involved playing some formidable foes and the Orange traveling a good amount has left Syracuse basketball at 5-5 as the non-conference docket winds down and Atlantic Coast Conference competition goes into full force.
Head coach Jim Boeheim has said in recent press conferences that he believes the team is improving. The defense has to get better, without question, and the Orange absolutely has to tighten things up on the glass.
With only a couple of games between now and the end of the year, the ‘Cuse has the opportunity to work through things during its upcoming practices, and hopefully Syracuse basketball can turn the corner and find its rhythm as 2022 approaches.
Like many other fans, I’m frustrated with where the Orange presently resides. But not everything is doom and gloom for the ‘Cuse, in my humble opinion.
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ACC Panic Room: Is basketball off to a rocky start? :: WRALSportsFan.com (wralsportsfan.com; video; Ovies & Brownlow)
Lauren Brownlow and Joe Ovies discuss the start of the ACC basketball season, which might not be as bad as some folks are talking about it.
Duke basketball has upcoming game canceled due to COVID-19 (balldurham.com; Connelly)
An upcoming Duke basketball game has been canceled due to COVID-19.
The uptick in COVID-19 cases around professional and college teams over the last week has been alarming, and now it has forced the cancellation of a Duke basketball game.
No. 2 Duke (8-1) was scheduled to play Cleveland State (6-3) on Saturday afternoon in Durham, but the game has been canceled after the Vikings announced on Wednesday morning their program will be entering a pause due to positive tests within the program.
The expectation is that the game against Cleveland State will not be rescheduled as Duke is looking for a new opponent to play this weekend.
Mike Krzyzewski’s team is coming off of a scheduled two-week break and defeated South Carolina State (3-8) 103-62 on Tuesday night.
The Blue Devils are scheduled to play Appalachian State (6-5) on Thursday evening.
Duke has not been forced to go into a COVID-19 pause of its own this season, and there has been no public announcement of players on the team testing positive for the virus since the team has been on campus in the late spring.
All students and faculty that attend and work at the university are required to be vaccinated against the virus.
Duke saw its season come to an abrupt end last year after multiple players tested positive for COVID-19 hours prior to its quarterfinal matchup in the ACC Tournament.
Saturday’s game against Cleveland State was important for the Blue Devils because it was the final game before conference play begins next Wednesday night against Virginia Tech (7-4, 0-1 ACC).
Mike Krzyzewski recently said that this stretch of games was important for his team to get back into the rhythm of playing together after the extended break, and the team showed very little signs of rust in its victory over the Bulldogs.
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Other
Councilors, Thornden Park neighbors still not satisfied with $11M Syracuse University agreement (PS; Craig)
City councilors again won’t move forward with a revised $11 million, 5-year agreement that critics say still gives too much control over Thornden Park to neighboring Syracuse University.
The services agreement in part gives the university the ability to maintain parts of Thornden Park. It initially included unspecific language about “improvements” SU might make, sparking outcry from neighbors who worried the private university was being given free rein to make changes to the public park.
City officials presented a new version of the agreement to the Common Council on Wednesday, but several councilors said they were still hearing concerns about the language from constituents.
“There are certain ways things are worded that raise people’s concerns that this isn’t just the university being benevolent,” said Councilor Michael Greene.
The west side of Thornden Park lines Ostrom Avenue, which also marks the eastern edge of the Syracuse University campus.
In a letter to the Thornden Park Association, Corey Driscoll Dunham, the chief operating officer for the city, outlined changes made after community members brought their concerns to the council.
The changes mean no new sidewalks or crosswalks will be installed along Ostrom Avenue, maintenance services are more well defined and limited and the city will have longer to review any maintenance proposals.
Neighbors also expressed concern that the agreement made it seem as though student access to the park is more important than the general public’s access. The updated agreement clears that up, Dunham said.
But Councilor Joseph Driscoll said he wanted the public to have more time to digest the changes and suggest others before the council votes.
The issue will head back to committee for further discussion, Greene said, and will be reintroduced to the new council early next year.
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