William World News William F. Yurasko's blog v.14 – Nats, Penn State, Redskins, greater DC , travel, more

I think residents of the borough of State College may be rethinking their shortsighted decision to not enact a bear tax. No tax = no bear patrol.
State College police follow black bear out of downtown without incident – CDT
There he goes again, seeking out food or perhaps employment. It was barely 4 years ago that [...]

Pennsylvania’s dialects are as varied as its downtowns — and dahntahns – Patriot-News
The bottom line is few kitchen tables can be as linguistically cluttered as a Pennsylvania table when the family comes to town.
Based solely upon pronunciation and grammar, researchers generally split the United States into a number of linguistic regions. Those regions come together [...]

Friday, I went my first (only?) Washington Capitals game of the season. It was an uninspiring effort that saw a 0-0 game in the first period quickly turn into a 3-0 New York Rangers lead. The Caps were playing without passion and the Rangers rather easily converted little mistakes into goals. Goalie Michael Neuvirth did [...]

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. Turkey and all the trimmings, a fire in my parents fireplace and football on TV is makes for America’s greatest holiday. We rule.
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YES, SIR, OFFICER OBIE, I CANNOT TELL A LIE, I PUT THAT ENVELOPE UNDER THAT GARBAGE:

Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant” is one of my Thanksgiving traditions, [...]

UPDATED: Maybe the story didn’t quite go down like it was originally reported:
Penn State Pools Closed Over Break To Everyone, Not Just SuePa – Onward State
So, maybe somebody pulled a fast one on the Patriot-News reporter Sara Ganim, perhaps as “revenge” for breaking the Jerry Sandusky story. We’ll see.
ORIGINAL POST:
It just gets worse at my [...]

After a post-scandal hiatus, I’m back. Adam Collyer of Black Shoe Diaries sent the questions:
BSD: The Penn State offense has struggled week in and week out throughout the course of the season. The implementation of the wildcat formation by interim Head Coach Tom Bradley appeared to signal a shift in offensive philosophy from the [...]

I have not blogged in the last two weeks since I wrote my tirade about Penn State’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. My reaction has gone to shock, anger, numbness to increasing ambivalence about my university and its football team. Sure, I have watched the Nittany Lions (the Nebraska game a day later) and [...]

Maryland Intercounty Connector opens to Laurel – Dr. Gridlock, The Post
I-270 to I-95 takes 20 min. on ICC – WTOP The newest portion of the Intercounty Connector (MD 200), between MD 97 Georgia Ave. and Interstate 95 opened this morning. While a connection to US 1 near Laurel remains to be completed, the bulk of [...]

That headline above is the first line of the last verse of the Pennsylvania State University Alma Mater, sung before football games among other places. Due to the apparent actions of one and the inaction of many, my university, not just the football program, has been shamed to an extent that is unfathomable.
I have spent [...]

Remember how I had a Washingtonian in San Francisco talk about the Washington Redskins vs. San Francisco 49ers earlier? Now, I’m having a Northern Californian in Washington do the same. Tom Bridge of welovedc.com talks about his Niners.
WFY: After being everybody’s trendy sleeper pick for a couple of years, the 49ers are finally playing well [...]