Merry (continual) Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Almost forgot one – the Anderson Building
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Monthly Archives: December 2011
So the UND Fighting Sioux are already in the Big Sky Conference? (with a plethora of links)
Well, wait a minute! Weren’t we scolded and scared by UND and its liberal proponents into thinking that we’d never make it into the coveted Big Sky Conference if we didn’t get rid of that nasty, “Hostile and Abusive™” Fighting Sioux logo?
Kudos to KFYR for picking up on this and even sending some props toward Rob for his discovery – you can view their online article here. Here’s where it gets even more interesting:
“This notion that, somehow, the University of North Dakota has misled people about our affiliation in the Big Sky, I think, is inaccurate. We`ve been very upfront about that,” said UND Spokesperson Peter Johnson. “We`ve held a news conference, we made a lot of noise when we joined the Big Sky, about a year ago. We`ve said all along that we`re members of the Big Sky Conference.”
Um…really? That’s news to me. In fact, I have this damning piece of evidence, available by the simplest of Google searches using the terms “und allowed enter big sky conference”:
At a hearing Monday on the measure, the university’s athletics director, Brian Faison, said keeping the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo has already caused scheduling difficulties and would jeopardize the school’s plans to join the Big Sky Conference in July. –ESPN’s College Sports news page, November 7th 2011
Somebody at UND better start getting their lies straight! Here are a few more instances of misinformation which the university either propagate or at least allowed to go uncorrected:
Robert Kelley, the university’s president, praised the law’s approval Wednesday, saying the move would lift the NCAA sanctions and ensure that UND may join the Big Sky Conference. –Bismarck Tribune, November 10th 2011
UND’s move to NCAA Division I in 2008 hinged on finding an established conference. The Big Sky is that established conference and had the controversial nickname and logo stayed, the league presidents — based on prior comments — could have refused UND admittance. –WDAY News, November 11 2011
At best, UND officials have allowed a misconception to flourish, while at worst they’ve misled everybody deliberately. The two quotes above from college president Kelley and athletic director Faison seem to indicate the latter. I don’t see any effort by the university to correct the scores of news reports, mostly sourced by the AP, which indicate a pending entry into the Big Sky Conference.
What a mess. We have had UND officials advocating for the removal of the logo behind the scenes, lawsuits by non-Sioux persons claiming discrimination, and now this. There are petitions circulating to put this to a popular vote – I suggest finding one, signing it, and letting North Dakota citizens be in charge of what happens with the Fighting Sioux logo and name, the way it should have been decided in the first place.
Christmas 2011: notable absences
Another house on a cul-de-sac just past the top of the hill was a home decorated with lots of characters and lights…it too sat dark this Christmas.
2011 is going to go down as a year in which a LOT of things just didn’t happen. Many people’s lives were turned upside down due to the flooding and other events this year, so I certainly don’t want to come across the wrong way by highlighting an absence of decorations. Again, these displays brought joy to a lot of people, and we miss ’em. That’s all. Hopefully new ones and old favorites like the Chmielewskis will keep all parts of Bismarck and Mandan bright with Christmas cheer next year, while proving those pesky Mayans wrong once and for all!
One cool way to wrap up your Christmas evening
Christmas Lights Map: it’s back (Now with the link included!)
Sorry, I forgot to include the link to the map on Google Maps when I wrote this post at oh-dark-hundred this morning! This is hardly comprehensive, but it’ll get you going. I’ve resurrected last year’s Google Map of Bismarck-Mandan Christmas Lights for this year, with an addition or two and, sadly, a few subtractions. Highlights include:
– My friend Jerry’s “Peanuts” display on Calgary & Montreal;
– Chmielewski’s Christmas Corner on Kennedy & 23rd Street;
– Northview Lane;
– Acres of musical lights with a Light-O-Rama show on Chestnut Lane;
– Dykshoorn Park in Mandan;
– Christmas in the Park in Bismarck;
– and a wooden cartoon menagerie on west Avenue C.
Notably absent are displays on 4th and Divide, Ridgeview lane, West View Place. I’m sorry to see those places dark, since they had such wonderful Christmas displays in the past.
www.tinyurl.com/bismarck-mandanchristmaslights.
It’s been an extremely busy Christmas season, with multiple live shows and lots of other videos on my plate. I haven’t had much time to go out searching for lights this year. As a result, I merely updated last year’s list the best I could. If you have any other additions that don’t appear on my map, please submit them using the “Contact Me” link on the top of the right-hand panel, or leave a comment.
I was getting really bored with being able to feel my fingers, so…
I have a pass for the park, but not a key for the padlock on the gate at the bottom of the hill…so it was time to walk. The walk up the hill was exhilarating, with the brisk winter air and the workout of trudging through the shallow snow most of the way. I was amazed at how clear the sky was and how crisp and bright the stars appeared as a result! Once we got up top, the breeze picked up and the temperatures seemed to drop. We had time for a few quick shots before deciding to work our way back down to the truck.
Now I’m back at home, snug and warm, and had a couple of satisfying photos as a result. Now it’s time to snarf some Pizza Rolls in honor of Jeno Paulucci and go to bed. As I will say every day until Monday, Merry Christmas!
Broken connections
Thanks to the barren trees
My little boy told me this weekend that he likes the leafless, dead looking trees because “it means Christmas is coming.” I’ve learned that they also open opportunities to photographers as well!
Some people really like taking cold, wet risks
This sort of ice hasn’t had the time or the cold to form yet, but I’m told there are plenty of guys heading out onto the ice with their big pickup trucks and fishing gear. A friend of mine drilled a test hole this weekend and found the ice to be twelve inches thick…essentially the bare minimum for that sort of thing. Then we had 50+ degree weather yesterday, which couldn’t have helped things much.
I wonder how long it’ll take for the ice to thicken, and whether or not someone’s going to “take the plunge” before that happens? As for me, I think I’ll stay on terra firmer for a while until the ice sheet gets a little more fortified.
Changing your mode of thinking…about color, that is
By switching to Lab color I can adjust the various color balances smoothly using splined curves rather than having to mask areas of adjustment. That also allowed me to “push” the sky to more of a blue-violet while bringing out the reds and browns of the grass and rusted rails. Not only that: it’s fast and easy. The photo adjustment above took only one step and about thirty seconds.
I was inspired to share something Photoshop-related here and on our photo club website at www.bismanphoto.com after I got a surprise email tonight…I won third place in a contest that I’d forgotten that I’d entered and am going to receive some nice Adobe swag in the mail soon. Photoshop: the gift that keeps on giving!
By the way, if you like photography you need to join www.BisManPhoto.com. It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting or are a professional, or if you’re taking photos on a phone instead of an expensive camera. Everybody’s welcome, and we always have a blast. Tell ’em I sent ya!