There is a great op-ed piece in today’s NY Post by T. Simmons & Ryan M. Yonk. Throughout the nation, environmentalists are taking each other on, initiating litigation. Case in point: developers who want to use Northeast waterways for renewable energy projects are being challenged by greeniacs who believe it would be harmful to the American Eel, whose population has diminished by 90% due, in the opinion of some environmentalists, to acoustic disturbance from windmills. Just the other day I read an article in which some scientists pooh-poohed the complaints humans have made in this regard. I doubt that there is anything in life that isn’t harmful to someone or something in some way. Do the pluses outweigh the minuses - that is the question? Every day there is more proof that environmentalism is a weird science. It would be laughable if it didn’t cost so much money, a lot of which comes out of the pockets of taxpayers.
There is good news on the college athletics front. Graduation rates of student athletes have been improving. In the years ‘03-’06, 68% of football and basketball players graduated. That is better than the rate of all students in that period. Penn St.’s rate was 91%, tied with Rutgers for seventh place. UCONN’s basketball program graduated only 11% of its athletes, to no one's surprise. This year’s top two NFL draft picks, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, each earned a degree.
Most college football teams have four or five games remaining in the regular season, so the following thought will be premature, but right now I’d say the coach of the year is Bill O’Brien of Penn St.. The Nittany Lions lost their first two games, to Ohio University (undefeated) and Virginia, which is struggling. Since then, they have won five straight. Given the scandal and the defections of several players to other schools, this is remarkable. I was sure the program would suffer a losing season and that O’Brien would be merely a transitional figure. What a story.
My thanks to the kind folks who purchased and donated books today.
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