South Bend, Indiana; February 12, 2008

Election 2008

Uncle Ron’s Ramblings

Two States and D.C. Vote Today: There are 168 Democratic and 116 Republican delegates at stake today in the beltway states of Virginia and Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
Barack Obama clings to a narrow lead over Hilary Clinton in delegates, 943-895.
That means there still might be a race when Hoosiers go to the polls May 6. That’s the good news. The bad news is that supporters of John Edwards, Bill Richardson, Dennis Kucinich, etc. will not be able to vote for their candidate.
Hoosier GOP voters will not get to vote for Rudy Guiliani (but then I won’t have to try and spell it either), Mitt Romney, or Fred Thompson. Ron Paul appears to be in the race until the bitter end.
I know I promised you a civics lesson on the local primaries and I mean to follow through on that before May 6.
To be honest, I am toying with the idea of throwing my hat in the ring. My campaign slogan will be “Vote for Uncle Ron. He needs the job.
Announcements

Underground Railroad: The Underground Railroad will be performed February 18 at the CFH Monday night meeting.
The Underground Railroad is a original play based on actual historical incidents. The cast of CFH staff members and guests is rehearsing three days a week under the direction of author David Evans.
Car Registration: CFH Guests: If you own a motor vehicle, you need to register it with your coach or it could be towed.
“One Step At a Time” Running Group: Three days a week (times and days TBA). Will meet at CFH. Open to Center guests and anyone else who is interested in learning to run. All runners will receive the necessary running gear (i.e. running shoes, shorts, warm-ups, shirts, hats, etc.). There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board by the basement stairway near the men’s lounge.
Artistic Newsletter: Are you an artist, poet or writer? Place submissions for the new Artistic Newsletter in Emily Pickerill’s box. Express your talents and ideas by participating. Start submitting as soon as possible.
Art Group: Interested in exercising your creative spirit? Want to see some of your original art work on display in the hallways?
Please see Meg about details for joining a new art group at CFH
VA Hospital Van: To schedule a ride to the VA Hospital in Ft. Wayne, St. Joseph County veterans can call Doug Davis (USMC, retired) at (574) 243-VETS (8387).
The van service also provides connecting rides to the VA hospitals in Marion and Indianapolis. .

ABE

▪Intro to Computers: Introductory Computer Classes started February 8. They will be Fridays, 10:30-noon and 1-2 p.m. Sign up in ABE.
▪Dead Poets Society: Thursdays, 3-4 p.m., ABE Room. All are welcome.
We will discuss short stories and poems.
▪Poetry Jam: Tuesday, 7-8 p.m. Share your own work; read a favorite poem; or listen, relax, and enjoy.
▪Writing: Wednesdays, 3-4 p.m., ABE. Improve your basic writing skills under the guidance of a trained instructor.
▪Creative Writing: Thursdays, 8-9 p.m. Develop your creative writing skills. You don’t have to sign up, just show up. Volunteers from Notre Dame will be there.
▪Fractions and Decimals Refresher Courses: Tuesdays, fractions, and Thursdays, decimals, in the second floor conference room. Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact ABE.

Herald Sports

(16/17) ND Women Correction: Lindsay Schrader (not Lindsay Lohan) helped lead a balanced Lady Irish effort with 12 points against the Pitt Lady Panthers Sunday. She was referred to merely as Lindsay; she’s not quite as famous as that other Lindsay yet but she’s not as infamous either
Monday NBA Scores: 76ers 84, Mavericks 76; Spurs 93, Raptors 88; Cavaliers 118, Magic 111; Lakers 106, Bobcats 97; Clippers 96, Bucks 89; Rockets 95, Trailblazers 83; Warriors 120, Wizards 117.
Monday NHL Scores: Dallas 2, Phoenix 1.
Monday NCAA Men’s Basketball Scores: Illinois-Chicago 77, Valparaiso 53; (8) Georgetown 55, Villanova 53; (11) Texas 72, (3) Kansas 69.
Monday NCAA Women’s Basketball Scores: Michigan St. 56, Purdue 54; IPFW 74, Cententary 47; South Dakota St. 68, IUPUI 44; (1) Tennessee 59, (5) Rutgers 58.
Rutgers Women Nearly Make History: Nicky Anosike sank a pair of free throws with 2/10ths of a second left as the number-one ranked Lady Vols held off an upset bid.
Candace Parker, playing with a bruised knee, led Tennessee ((22-1) with 27 points and 10 rebounds in a rematch of last year’s national championship game..
The Lady Scarlet Knights (19-4), coming off a 73-71 upset of then number-one ranked Connecticut, were trying to become the first squad to beat top-ranked teams in consecutive games.
Lady Boilers Fall Out of First Place: The Purdue Lady Boilermakers (13-11, 9-4) dropped into a second-place tie with Ohio State in the Big Ten Women’s basketball race.
The visitors built a 9-point lead in the second half but couldn’t hold on.
Lakisha Freeman paced the Lady Boilers with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Keshia Mosley added 11 points. Danielle Campbell scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
ND, Purdue Move Up in AP Standings: 1. Memphis, 2. Duke, 3. Kansas, 4. Tennessee, 5. North Carolina, 6. UCLA, 7. Stanford, 8. Georgetown, 9. Butler, 10. Michigan St., 11. Texas, 12. Xavier, 13. IU, 14. Drake, 15. Wisconsin, 16. Texas, 17. Connecticut, 18. Kansas St., 19. Purdue, 20. ND, 21. Washington, 22. Pittsburgh, 23. Louisville, 24. Vanderbilt, 25. St. Mary’s.
Women’s NCAA Basketball Rankings (AP): 1. Tennessee, 2. Connecticut, 3. North Carolina, 4. Maryland, 5. Rutgers, 6. Stanford, 7. LSU, 8. Baylor, 9. California, 10. Oklahoma, 11. West Virginia, 12. Duke, 13. Old Dominion, 14. George Washington, 15. Oklahoma St., 16. ND, 17. Kansas St., 18. Pittsburgh, 19. Utah, 20. Texas A&M, 21. Syracuse, 22. Wyoming, 23. Ohio St., 24. UTEP, 25. Vanderbilt.
Johnson Wins Pole at Daytona: Reigning NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson continued the dominance of Hendrick Motorsports at Daytona this year by winning the pole for next Sunday’s Daytona 500.
Johnson’s accomplishment came 24 hours after new teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr., won the 70-lap Budweiser Shootout all-star race at Daytona.
South Bend’s Ryan Newman had the 23d fastest qualifying time at 185.143.
The race will start at 3:40 p.m., Sunday, with coverage by FOX-28.

Uncle Ron’s Sports Ramblings

Does Figure Skating Need a New Bimbo: Does the sport of women’s figure skating need a new bimbo to liven things up.
Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point–of-view) neither the recently- crowned U.S. champion or the leading contenders appear to be good bimbo material. They all appear to be polite, well-brought up young ladies--with an emphasis on young. There isn’t a Tonya Harding or Nicole Bobeck in the group.
The top skaters—including the winner, 14-year-old Mirai Nagasu—were too young to go to the world championships. The U.S. team consists of Ashley Wagner, 16; Bebe Liang, 19; and former world champion Kimmie Meissner, 18. They finished third, fifth, and seventh, respectively.
Kimmie had a particularly disastrous free skate, spending more time on her tushie than on her skates.
This year’s national championships lacked a title sponsor and attendance at the competitive events in St. Paul were small. Organizers didn’t announce the size of the individual crowds.
The U.S. Figure Skating Association wouldn’t confirm or deny the rumors that they are debating whether to lift the lifetime ban on Harding and negotiating to bring Bobeck out of retirement.