Yesterday I watched Joni Mitchell: Woman of Heart and Mind because Netflix has everything and I knew nothing about her.
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Now that we’re well into fall it’s time for another photographic adventure through Ithaca…
Friday night I went to hear Nader at the State Theatre, and he drew a large audience of about a thousand. Outside some people were carrying signs in protest - Kerry Edwards signs, and one that read “Ralph, How’s Your Ego?” At the door people held out buckets asking for donations to the campaign. Of course I didn’t donate.
There was plenty of enthusiasm for Nader in the audience, which was made up of young, pierced teenagers, college students and grey-haired folks too. Several cameras recorded the event and the media area was pretty full. Assembled in the stage-door area was a group of young, long-haired, granola types wearing Birkenstocks and flip-flops. A guy sitting a few seats down from me was reading The Socialist Worker and appeared to be with his parents. The headline on the front page was “Robbing th Poor to Give to the Superrich.”
Some guy announced over the mike that Nader had just completed an engagement in Syracuse and would take the stage in 10 or 15 minutes. People clapped.
And people farted.
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SFU will indeed webcast today’s convocation starting at PST 2:30PM - MST 3:30PM - EST 5:30PM. Got that? Here’s the link if you happen to be sitting in front of your monitor at that time. Matt should be receiving his PhD near the beginning of the ceremony. The footage is also archived for later viewing here.
UPDATE: An hour into the ceremony, Matt has crossed the stage. WAY TO GO MATT!!! You’re the best!
Here are some crummy screencaps:
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I ventured out early this morning because I thought there would be a lineup at Clinton House
for free tickets to hear John Cleese speak on the topic “What is Religion?:
Cleese is a Professor at Large for Cornell, a fact that makes Matt very proud to be working at the university.
There was no lineup at all. I was the only person there. The ticket agent was surprised herself, as she flipped through the stacks of ‘limited’ tickets made available to the public this morning. So get down there if you want some - two per person.
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and the news today is good. Today David Polizter, David Gross and Frank Wilczek won the Nobel prize for physics. Here’s the official annoucement. This is a big deal beacause PGW are responsible for the theory of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), which is the field I work it. This prize is the likely the last prize for the theory of particle physics known as the Standard Model. Previous prizes (’t Hooft and Veltman, 1999, being the most recent) have covered the whole theory apart from QCD, so with this prize the last piece of the puzzle is in place.
Now we need a new theory, so more people can win the Nobel prize.
I was huge over there, it’s that simple. They loved me. Of course I was mobbed by croweds most of the time, so I couldn’t get pictures of my adoring fans. But I did manage to snap a few pics of my journey.
We start in Ithaca, with a sight I’m sure you’re all familar with
In every good airport and hotel, you will find current Ithaca time!
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Today is the last day of the Apple Harvest Festival in downtown Ithaca. It’s basically a huge block party covering four blocks with food & craft vendors. And plenty of bags of apples are being sold. There’s caramel-covered apples, apple strudel, apple cider, hard apple cider, and a wood carver using a chainsaw to carve a giant apple. There’s even a ferris wheel on our street, 3 blocks down. And a mini petting zoo for the kiddies with a few lambs and rabbits and chickens. I would have thought chickens and rabbits would scrap if kept in the same corrals, but apparently not! The craft booths are dominated by jewelry and soap makers. And it’s busy down there! Every person in Ithaca must be there.
