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Welcome to the my Web site, v. XII. The blog is typically published Monday - Saturday. My primary topics tend to be the Nats, Penn State (esp. football), BeltwayLand, transportation, media, photos and more. The rest of the site gets updated as warranted and is noted on the blog.

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Flyers vs. Pens: Hockey blogger looking for correspondent - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog

Monday, May 05, 2008

Flyers vs. Pens: Hockey blogger looking for correspondent

A noted hockey blogger I know may be looking for a correspondent to collect video, photos and observations of the Happy Valley scene during the Flyers vs. Pengyunz series. Apparently, it was quite something the last time these two teams met in the playoffs; I had already graduated, so I missed it. Actually, I may not have missed it. I do remember what the town was like when the Eagles and Steelers met in the regular season a few years ago though and that was pretty intense. Drop me a line (e-mail link below) if you are interested.

As for the series, I won't be watching it, but I hope that Pittsburgh loses.

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posted by WFY @ 12:07 PM | |

How can you root for the Flyers? Just shameful.

In all seriousness, when is finals week in Happy Valley? The series doesn't start till Friday, so the semester outta be winding down before the Pens knock the Flyers out.

# posted by Anonymous The Maryland Bureau Chief : Monday, May 05, 2008 1:11:00 PM  

On the whole, I'd rather be in Philadelphia.

# posted by Blogger WFY : Monday, May 05, 2008 1:17:00 PM  

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PennDOT eyes 99 completion by end of year - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, May 02, 2008

PennDOT eyes 99 completion by end of year

Highway on schedule to open at year's end - CDT
The debacle that is the i-99 construction may finally be over be New Year's.

On the way to Blue White we drove up the new section between Bald Eagle and Skytop. It was functional, but the Port Matilda interchange had very steep ramps.

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posted by WFY @ 12:22 PM | |

The Chicken Cosmo has only days to live - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Wednesday, April 02, 2008

The Chicken Cosmo has only days to live

The end of the Cosmo: A Dining Commons tradition runs its course - University Relations
On April 4, all dining commons will be serving the famed chicken cosmo sandwich for the last time. A popular menu item for over 26 years at Penn State, the cosmo has been a staple at almost all campuses' dining operations and is a favorite of both students and alumni.

"Students like them. Alumni love them," Director of Residential Dining Lisa Wandel said. "It reminds them of their college days. I think alumni will be more disappointed than anyone."

Penn State Food Services sells approximately 600 to 700 cases of cosmo patties a month, or 274,000 cosmos every academic year. However, it's the chicken vendor that is putting a stop to the cosmo. Pierce Chicken Products said Penn State is the only institution that buys the patties – a fact that can be attributed to the cosmo's legend at the University.
I am ambivalent (living off campus, I never had meal plan) about this development, but I know some will disappointed. It isn't like the 3D burger is going away, right?

There will be a contest as well:
Through its long history, the cosmo has been a part of thousands of lunches, dinners, and late night snacks. Food Services wants to hear some cosmo stories in their Cosmo Essay and Video Contest. Students and alumni are encouraged to send their favorite cosmo stories (100 words or less) to 111 Redifer Commons, University Park, Pa. 16802 or cosmoNOT@psu.edu by April 25, 2008.

Cosmo lovers can also submit a 30 to 60 second video about their favorite cosmo moments. Contestants can post their videos on Youtube.com and send the link to Food Services at cosmoNOT@psu.edu. For more information on the contest, please visit http://www.foodservices.psu.edu/.

The participant with the best story will be awarded his or her very own case of chicken cosmos – the last of their kind.
H/T: Black Shoe Diaries

Oddly, Safeguard Old State has not commented on this decision, but I am sure they will because I can't imagine they are just an elaborate Web site designed only promote a consequence-free environment for mindless binge drinking in Happy Valley.

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posted by WFY @ 12:12 PM | |

William,

As founder of Safeguard Old State, I do wish you had taken the opportunity to contact me before making what appear here to be snap judgments about our motives.

We seek to reinvigorate and reawaken the Penn State student spirit of old, and while I was certainly a fan of the Chicken Cosmos when I lived in East Halls as a freshman, the type of change we are working towards is more fundamental.

Thank you for your readership, regardless, and let me again stress that we are always open to any communication.

All the best,
Tom Shakely

# posted by Anonymous Tom Shakely : Thursday, April 03, 2008 4:37:00 AM  

I'd be delighted to speak with you. I'll get in touch over the weekend.

# posted by Blogger WFY : Thursday, April 03, 2008 12:49:00 PM  

Seriously... that last paragraph about SOS really made my day! Keep up the good work!

# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : Monday, April 07, 2008 2:31:00 AM   Post a Comment

Will new "Paterno" COMM class be obsolete soon? - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, March 21, 2008

Will new "Paterno" COMM class be obsolete soon?

Fall COMM schedule includes JoePa class - The Collegian
My college is offering a special class called COMM 497G Joe Paterno, Communications & the Media. "The class, which will explore how Paterno's relationship with the media has changed over the years, will be offered in fall 2008 and will be available to juniors and seniors"

I am sure the demand for this class will be quite high. I would want to take it. Hopefully, a student in the class will blog about it. Failing that, getting semester long subscription to Nittany Notes (with shipping included) seems the way to go.

Paterno has been invited to speak to it, but the invitation has not yet been accepted.

Of course, the big question is how long will such a class be timely? There was another article (Post-Gazette) quoting anonymous trustees about Paterno's contract status. Nothing has changed and no real information is available yet.

I think the best case scenario would be a three-year contract extension with Paterno retiring after one or two years. That may not happen though.

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posted by WFY @ 1:18 PM | |

Concert at Beaver Stadium on Blue-White Eve - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Concert at Beaver Stadium on Blue-White Eve

On the night before the Blue White Game, something called the Gridiron Bash is bringing Beaver Stadium its first concert ever. Since 1960, Beaver Stadium has been the home to the Nittany Lions, who have won two undisputed nationals championships, had five undefeated seasons, one Heisman Trophy winner and countless epic games. Given the stadium's illustrious history, one would expect the first concert to feature a performer of incredible prestige, so they selected the one, the only:

Fergie

Yes, Fergie, a former meth addict with incontinence (or so I have read, though I can't find the sournsweet.com post -- remember them?). Fergie is not much a singer either, so she must be at least eye candy, right? Um, no that either. She's isn't worthy of tearing up the field with her stage. They ought to move her to Lot 11.

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posted by WFY @ 12:01 PM | |

State College's Sports Cafe having problems - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Monday, March 03, 2008

State College's Sports Cafe having problems

Former workers may sue local bar - The Post
I did not know that the Sports Cafe & Grill in downtown State College had been closed since last year. I also didn't know that former WR (not tailback, Collegian) Joe Nastasi '99 was one of the owners. Money problems may have shut the place down, but there are apparently new investors coming in to rebuild and reopen it.

The Sports Cafe, originally Sportscenter Cafe (I think, I know Sportscenter was in the name so where), was a wholly unremarkable bar with occasionally good lunch specials and outdoor seating. I typically only went there if the Cafe 210 West was too crowded and haven't been back since I graduated.

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posted by WFY @ 12:34 PM | |

Sorry to hear that.

I went there for lunch with a buddy several times during my last semester (Spring '01). They had excellent wing specials as I recall, something like 10 or 20 cent wing specials in the afternoon. And of course, they had the trivia games which always made for a good time. Going there on the weekends was a drag because of the large crowds, but I always enjoyed my lunch-time visits. Also, I think by that point the "Sportscenter" name was already removed, though to be honest I don't think that name stuck very long.

# posted by Anonymous TMBC : Monday, March 03, 2008 3:24:00 PM  

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$6,615,318.04 - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

$6,615,318.04

Thon obliterates previous record with $6,615,318.04 raised - The Collegian
Wow.

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posted by WFY @ 12:06 PM | |

This is a response to Sunday's Frankly Speaking - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, January 15, 2008

This is a response to Sunday's Frankly Speaking

RUSSELL FRANK -- Students, like actors, should perform - CDT
My former News Ethics professor laments that students don't participate in class.
Most of you, I believe, come to class expecting to be spectators. The person standing at the front of the room is going to perform and you are going to watch — or daydream or nap or discretely text message, just as spectators feel free to do at a concert or a play.

This model might make sense in the lecture hall. But it's all wrong for the classroom and the computer lab. In those smaller venues, you, too, are the performers. When you fail to show up, or show up but fail to contribute your energy, your interest or your insight, you hurt the class as surely as an actor or a player who sits out or just goes through the motions hurts the rest of his cast or team.

You also forfeit your right to complain about being bored by a long-winded professor when you are making the prof do all the talking because you are not doing any of the talking.
Had this column been written around 1999, it might have been titled "Students (other than Yurasko), like actors, should perform."

College costs too much to just sit there while the prof lectures; speaking up makes it more interesting and educational. Also, participating in class and going to office hours is a great way to increase your grade and it is fun too.

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posted by WFY @ 5:37 AM | |

NHL in Beaver Stadium? - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, December 21, 2007

NHL in Beaver Stadium?

I always through it would be pretty cool if there was a "battle for Pennsylvania" at Penn State's Beaver Stadium between the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. Now I find out from Eric McErlain of Fanhouse that the Flyers are considering hosting the Pengyunz at Beaver Stadium next season. Michigan State did this in 2001 when they hosted Michigan.

Forgive the pun, but that would very cool, even though I can't stand either team. People still talk about what State College was like during the 2000 playoffs between the two teams, apparently it was quite a scene. I had graduated by then. Hopefully, this could be used as an opportunity to advance the cause of varsity hockey at Penn State. A well-placed source at Penn State told me that the money is there for a new arena, but the administration wants to hold off on building for a few years.

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posted by WFY @ 12:52 PM | |

<i>Collegian</i> doc airs tonight... - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Collegian doc airs tonight...

...but not on WETA or WMPT, so Washington area viewers are shutout, at least for now. I'll see if I can find out when The Paper airs on either of those stations.

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posted by WFY @ 12:11 PM | |

<i>Collegian</i> Web site redesigned again - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Monday, December 10, 2007

Collegian Web site redesigned again

The Web site for Penn State's student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, has improved upon a redesign that began in 2006 and was fully implemented in July. Drop down menus and an eyepiece with rotating images/stories have brough the Collegian up to speed. It is a little blocky though and I still don't like the serif text. Overall, it is pretty good though -- the CDT could learn a lot from this new design. By the way, I have been meaning to talk about the CDT, Inky/Philly Daily News and Post-Gazette redesigns for a while.

Also, the domain is now www.psucollegian.com. The original address, collegian.psu.edu will still work, but redirects to the new domain.

New site aims to save readers time - The Collegian

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posted by WFY @ 12:04 PM | |

Tonight at 8:00 on most local PBS affiliates, "The Paper," a documentary about a year at the Daily Collegian.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/paper/

# posted by Anonymous DJ in Hbg : Tuesday, December 11, 2007 8:14:00 AM  

I have something saved for my lunchtimes postings about The Paper.

# posted by Blogger WFY : Tuesday, December 11, 2007 8:58:00 AM  

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Paterno's salary revealed: $512,664 - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Friday, November 30, 2007

Paterno's salary revealed: $512,664

Paterno salary secret revealed - Patriot-News
I have never understood why the Patriot-News was so determined to find out Joe Paterno's salary. I say this as a supporter of a vigorous free press in favor of Sunshine Laws too. Is it that important to know how much he makes, especially given that he is paid by the Nittany Lion Club? In a state as dysfunctional as Pennsylvania was going after Paterno's salary the best use of the Patriot-News' resources?

The Collegian compares his salary with that of Bobby Bowden, Ron Zook and Jim Tressel. I'd like to see a specific breakdown of what he makes compared to all of the Big11Ten. I'll see if I can find that over lunch. According to the CDT, it looks like Paterno is in the bottom third of compensation amongst his conference peers. He could very well make up for this "disparity" with other outside contracts like the one he has with Nike.

Speaking of lunch, I should have the latest Beano Watch done by the end of lunch today.

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posted by WFY @ 6:20 AM | |

Just because a reporter at the hometown paper sought to find out the information doesn't mean it is sooooooooo important that we know. Inquiring about this topic seems like a fine use of the reporter's time. As for the money itself, the figure is misleading. For instance, the Wisconsin coach's "base salary" is $400,000, but he gets another $900,000 from "compensation packages and incentives." Basically what I'm saying is: they can make his salary look like just about anything they want.

# posted by Blogger dl004d : Friday, November 30, 2007 10:37:00 AM  

This $512,644 figure is not his true income. The salary may be $512,644 but he recieved other monies from Penn State that they haven't disclosed.

Like the CEO who only $1.00 a year salary. We all know no one can live on $1.00 a year.

# posted by Blogger Rogers Place : Sunday, December 02, 2007 12:10:00 AM  

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<i>Collegian</i> documentary on PBS - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Collegian documentary on PBS

The Paper, a documentary about The Collegian will are on PBS on December 11:
STATE COLLEGE - From gay rights to racial bias, from plummeting circulation to "infotainment," from burnt-out reporters to hard-bitten editors, THE PAPER goes inside the newsroom to reveal the drama of deadline journalism. But this is not some big-city major daily.

It's The Daily Collegian, published by students at Pennsylvania State University who, in the course of one crisis-filled year face crashing deadlines, ethical dilemmas, doubts and disagreements, all the while shouldering courses, homework and exams.
It appears The Paper was filmed around 2004-2005. I'll post broadcast times when they become available. I'll be very interested to learn what Collegian alumni think of this documentary.

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posted by WFY @ 5:41 AM | |

It's on the Daily Communi...er, "Collegian". Most sane alums will think the staff there is on something (which probably isn't far from the truth).

# posted by Anonymous Muha : Tuesday, November 27, 2007 8:42:00 PM  

Very interesting. As a Collegian alum, I will definitely have to check this out.

# posted by Blogger Brad Stratton : Wednesday, November 28, 2007 8:12:00 PM  

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Paterno's salary will soon be known - William World News - William F. Yurasko's blog
Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Paterno's salary will soon be known

Paterno's s