Day: February 24, 2010

North Mississippi Allstars Shine Brightly

Earlier tonight, the State Theatre hosted the North Mississippi Allstars with special guests City Champs. I was absolutely one of the youngest people there, and a man dressed as a leprechaun sat in front of me. It was an interesting environment to be in.

City Champs put me to sleep for the first three songs (literally). The soul-jazz + the lack of vocals = nap time for Melanie. They did, however, manage to wake me up with a funky-jazz song, where their organ player impressed me greatly. Three people gave them a standing ovation, and I believe they earned it.

The North Mississippi Allstars had vocals, so that was a plus. They were a more blues-infused rock group - different than what I listen to on a daily basis, but their music was pretty soothing (fortunately, they did not put me back to sleep).

Overall? It was the best jazz/blues concert I've ever attended. Did I mention it was the only concert of the sort I've been to?

Penn State Alum Wins Bronze in Vancouver

By Stefan Choquette

2/24/10 10:39 pm

Penn State graduate Allison Baver just won the Bronze medal in the 3000m Short Track Relay in Vancouver. The medal was awarded after a controversial disqualification of the winning Korean team. The Americans were in a distant fourth, but after it was determined the Koreans made illegal contact with the Chinese team, the Americans were bumped up to a third place finish.

Congrats Allison! Maybe you'll be Grand Marshall of next year's Homecoming celebration?

Dean Says “Don’t Be Stupid”

By Nick Johnson

2/24/10 6:32 pm

At least that's the message I got from Dean Brady's recent blog post. In a similar move to Dean Wormley, Dean Christian Brady of the Schreyer Honors College is urging students to be responsible this weekend. In a post on the SHC website, while not explicitly asking students not to participate, he says:

I do not want to be infantilizing by stating the obvious: you are all adults (even if many of you are not yet of the legal drinking age) and you are free to make your own decisions regarding how you spend your weekends. It is certainly my hope that whatever your activities you remain safe and would bring no disrepute to yourself or to our institution.

As UPUA quoted in their advertisement in the Collegian today, "may no act of our's bring shame." I think this is a good thing to keep in mind this weekend.

Pres. Spanier Goes To Harrisburg

By Tom Kent

2/24/10 6:05 pm

As a part of a panel of leaders made up of Pennsylvania's state institutions, including Temple and Pitt, Pres. Graham Spanier traveled to Harrisburg yesterday to answer questions regarding Penn State's funding needs.

Spanier and the panel met before the state House Appropriations Committee in what is considered the second step (the first being Gov. Rendell's recent budget announcement) in the annual appropriations process.

Pres. Spanier had plans to inform the legislature about the funding needs of the university, as well as the educational opportunities made available to students because of said funding, according to Annemarie Mountz, Assistant Director of Public Information at Penn State.

Read on for some of the 'educational opportunities'.

Mmmmm…More Stimulus

By Noah Simmons

2/24/10 2:30 pm

It keeps happening. Just when you think the government's $700 billion stimulus package can't have any more delicious benefits left to give us, it surprises us with more chocolatey goodness! It's the gift that keeps on giving! It was announced a few days ago that KINBER (the Keystone Initiative for Network-Based Education and Research. Wow) has been awarded $99 million from the American Recovery and Revitalization Act to create a statewide, super-fantastic broadband network.

Read on to learn how the Stimulus package is being used...

The Natty Nittany: Tolani, College Ave.

By Ben Boskovich

2/24/10 11:30 am

I passed Tolani on my way to class last week and couldn't help but notice that not only did he look fly, but also that his swagger matched his ensemble. I was just telling one of my friends the other day that I love outfits that are "Murdered out", a.k.a all black with a subtle touch of color or design somewhere. From the Chuck T's to his black framed glasses, Tolani's got this look down. I really dug his shirt though too. It matched perfectly and I really like the Burberry-esque black, red, and grey plaid. I'm a huge fan of ALL one color and then adding a hint of another, especially when the dominant color is black.

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