NCAA Throws the Book at.........Cal Tech

Throw the Book at Penn State

By JOE NOCERA from NY Times

You just can’t make up a coincidence like this.

On Thursday, the same day Louis Freeh, the former director of the F.B.I., issued his damning report about the cover-up of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual crimes by the Penn State hierarchy, the N.C.A.A. lowered the boom on — are you ready for this? — the California Institute of Technology.

One of the world’s great engineering schools, Caltech is never going to be mistaken for Penn State as an athletic force. With fewer than 1,000 undergraduates, it is a Division III school, which means, among other things, that it doesn’t grant athletic scholarships. Its basketball team ekes out about five wins a season, and its baseball team, according to The Times, has lost 227 games in a row. At Caltech, unlike your typical athletic powerhouse, “student-athletes” truly are students.

Part of being a student at Caltech means “shopping” for courses for the first three weeks of each trimester. Students are allowed to sample classes before they have to register for them. “During those three weeks,” read an N.C.A.A. press release issued on Thursday, “because they were not actually registered in some or all of the courses they are attending, some students were not enrolled on a full-time basis.” And part-time students, you see, are not allowed to play intercollegiate athletics. Between 2007 and 2010, according to the N.C.A.A., this happened with 30 athletes in 12 sports.

It would be hard to imagine a more frivolous violation of the rules — or one that could do less harm to the integrity of college sports. What’s more, Caltech turned itself in after a new athletic director realized that the practice of shopping for classes probably violated N.C.A.A. rules. Yet the punishment imposed on the school was severe: three years of probation, a postseason ban in a dozen sports, the erasure of wins and individual records that were gained with ineligible athletes, and more. Indeed, Caltech was cited for “a lack of institutional control,” which is pretty much the worst thing you can be accused of in N.C.A.A.-speak.

In the wake of the Freeh report, there has been a lot of speculation about what punishment the N.C.A.A. should impose on Penn State — and even whether the Sandusky scandal is within its purview. I’m in the camp that says the N.C.A.A. should throw the book at Penn State. The legal system will take care of whether others besides Sandusky deserve to go to prison for failing to report his predatory behavior. Penn State itself will almost surely finish the painful process of removing the halo from the head of its late coach, Joe Paterno, which the Freeh report has begun. But only the N.C.A.A. can impose the so-called death penalty, forcing Penn State to shut down its football program for a period of time. Yes, it would make a mess of television schedules, not to mention the rest of Penn State’s athletic teams — which rely on the revenue that football generates — but it’s the only way to send the right message.

That message is this: no university should ever be as beholden to its football program as Penn State was. At other big-time sports schools, there are all kinds of daily hypocrisies that people avert their eyes from in the name of college football or men’s basketball. Sadly, we accept these hypocrisies as the price to be paid for the money college sports generates and the entertainment it provides.

But at Penn State, football was of such overweening importance — and Paterno was such a godlike figure — that a sexual predator was allowed to roam free because of his association with football. A janitor spots Sandusky in the shower with a boy but is afraid to say anything because crossing Paterno “would have been like going against the president of the United States.” Sandusky uses the lure of the football program to attract his victims. Paterno and others in the Penn State chain of command, in Freeh’s words, “repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky’s child abuse” — to avoid bad publicity for the football program. A great university sold its soul to its football team.

As regular readers know, I don’t have much faith in the N.C.A.A. It has congealed into a bureaucracy that cares only about enforcing its rules, no matter how silly or retrograde. But here is a chance to put its money where its mouth is. The N.C.A.A. proclaims that part of its mission is to “integrate athletics into higher education.” If it really believes that, it will impose the death penalty on Penn State, to send a signal that no school should put football above its own integrity.

Anything less than that will send another signal entirely. Namely, that in the eyes of the N.C.A.A., what happened at Penn State is no worse than what happened at Caltech.

Hotel Lobby in Durham

In Durham for the Miners' Gala - we stayed at the Premier Inn. We had a very nice small room -  modern furniture and motif. The restaurant in the background on the left - served a wonderful breakfast.

Honestly - with so many people in town - I was surprised Lulu got us a room - just 4 days in advance. 

The funniest part for me was the hotel lobby. You walked in the door - at the counter was a computer right next to a row of beer taps. You could order a room or a Guinness beer - or both at once. I was sitting on a couch and took this picture. The woman on the right is getting a room key - the woman on the left is ordering her second beer. The group on the left was one of the colliery bands. Their equipment was being loaded onto the bus directly behind me. They were going home - and the Miners' Gala Parade was still going on - it was that long.

I was astonished with how vibrant and area the Coal Regions of England are - 25 years after the mines were closed down by the government. They adapted on one hand - but respect the past with their annual miners' parade.

NCAA must strip Paterno of record

This was written in the Tallahassee Democrat - not by me.
The wins record should go.
There, I said it. We all should say it.
Joe Paterno's name should no longer sit atop the record books as the winningest coach in major college football history.
Call it punishment. Call it the right thing to do. But don't call it self-serving.
This isn't about Bobby Bowden backing his way into the record. Bowden himself would take no pleasure in any of it. He would prefer to be carried off the field following a victory, the way he was in 2003 after passing Paterno to claim the top spot.
No one wants to receive the ribbon years after the race.
But this isn't about Bobby Bowden. It's about the guy Bowden's career has been linked to for so many years, and unfortunately will be for eternity.
The guy who allowed a child rapist to continue preying on the innocent to save his empire. Who took Win At All Costs to a level we've never seen before. Who essentially tried to protect his legacy by sacrificing young boys to a monster.
That's why the wins record should go.
And people in Tallahassee, and people who support Florida State, should not be embarrassed to take that stance.
While fans and media types around the country are focused on removing Paterno's statue from the Penn State campus and shutting down the football program, it's only natural that people who follow Florida State are more focused on the wins record. That's how we have identified Paterno for so many years.
In the end, we all want the same thing. We want honors to be reserved for the honorable.
And Joe Paterno deserves no such distinction.
I certainly understand sports are not morality plays — that the good guys don't always win, and the line between good and evil is sometimes indiscernible — but that doesn't mean we should ignore everything that takes place off the field and outside the classroom.
How could we ignore this?
While some have said the entire sordid mess is outside of the NCAA's purview, we all should argue the exact opposite. If the NCAA can't penalize a coach and university that likely committed crimes by covering up heinous, violent acts by one of its leaders, then what is the point of existing?
If you strip this down to its base, you have a head coach, athletic director and university president conspiring to cover up crimes that would have cost them their jobs, damaged the university's ability to recruit top players, and ultimately hurt the football program's chances of winning more games.
That's no less an NCAA violation than boosters paying players or tutors providing answers on tests. And if Bowden could be stripped of victories because of an academic scandal he knew nothing about, then Paterno damn sure should lose wins that occurred after he took part in covering up rapes in 1998.
The wins record should go.
Not because Bobby Bowden deserves it.
But because Joe Paterno doesn't.

On Train To Durham

The train to Durham is fast - smooth - and crowded.


Free wifi but only 15 minutes.


Overcast all the way. About 40 minutes to go.


We are stopped right now due to a freight train problem. Up to now we zoomed.


Supposed to be in Durham by noon.


Harry's iPhone

Lulu Flying Her Kite on Primrose Hill

Lulu and kite on Primrose Hill - London - picture stolen from Brandy Milburn

Yesterday Lulu's class included a trip to Primrose Hill. The gushing librarians knew that this is the place where Mary Poppins flew her kite in the  movie. I am sure they were all singing "Let's Go Fly A Kite" but they should have been doing "Singing in the Rain" as it started to hail.


Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers. Throughout the Mary Poppins series, which lasted from 1934 to 1988, Mary Shepard was the illustrator and acted as a second author.^[1] The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London, and into the Banks' household to care for their children. Encounters with chimney sweeps, shopkeepers and various adventures follow until Mary Poppins abruptly leaves, i.e., "pops-out". The adventures take place over a total of eight books. However, only the first three books feature Mary Poppins arriving and leaving. The later five books recount previously unrecorded adventures from her original three visits. - From Wikipedia.


Today - July 12th - is Lulu's birthday. We were married 41 years ago - she was 4 years old at the time.

London Car of the Day - CHROME LIMO

 I am not even sure what brand this limo was - but it was certainly chrome plated.

Every day from now on I will pick the most interesting car I see in London and post a picture.

Surfing Thru London - Like Surfing The Net - You Never Know Where It Leads You

My day with Colin Firth - sort of.

London has over 2000 years of recorded history - layered on top of each other. When one opens the front door - you never know where you will end up. 

Yesterday - Tuesday - my plan was to go to the London Motorcycle Museum - a collection of about 200 British cycle and scooters.

First - one could stop by their favorite pub for a snack or a drink. Pub is short for "public room" - in comparison to a private room or club. In the old days - commoners populated the pubs and upper class went to private clubs - they still do. British love their class systems it seems - at least the upper class do.

Marlborough Arms - our favorite public house

At the pub you find out that the motorcycle museum is only open from Friday to Monday - it will have to wait - and you change course and decide to visit the National Army Museum.

The Motorcycle Museum will have to wait until next week.

England has fought in tons of wars from Waterloo to the Boer Wars - which to an American could just as well be "The Borer Wars." Admission is free - and you get to see a lot of red army uniforms - no wonder they lost so many wars - they are easy targets.

 

One of the most valuable pieces of military equipment were the Mack Trucks that were sent over during the Lend-Lease program from Allentown Pennsylvania.

When the British beat Napoleon at Waterloo in Belgium - they didn't capture the little general but they did capture his horse. The horse's skeleton ended up in the Army Museum.

Right next to the Army Museum is the Royal Hospital for the Chelsea Pensioners. It has been continuously operating for 33o years. Soldiers that fought in the American Revolution spent their final years talking about how they left America because they had more important things to do.

The Chelseas pensioners have a beautiful campus including this cute little clubhouse on the bowling green. No matter how big a man's home is - he always needs a Man Cave.

The Chelsea Pensioners directed me to a special spot about 3 blocks away from the hospital that they thought I would like.

On this spot - 100 Americans were killed by a V-1 Buzz Bomb. Germany launched 10,000 V-1's from the mainland trying to kill Londoners. The bombs were unmanned unguided missiles. They flew at 350 MPH - and were launched on mainland Europe. They were steered by gyroscopes and the engines were set to go only a certain distance - then the engine stopped and the bomb fell - dropping 2000 pounds of TNT randomly in London. They were built to cause terror - not hit a specific war target. This V-1 was the most successful one. It killed about 100 Americans. No other V-1 was that lucky. This was 1944 - near the end of the war. I was July 3nd - after D-Day. The Brits resorted to many attempts to knock them down like - putting up balloons with long cables to snag the wings of the buzz bombs with 250 being  knocked down that way - shooting at them in anti-aircraft guns - even flying next to them with fast planes to flip their wings over and off course. Of the 10,000 launched - 2500 made it England.

Just across the street from the V-1 plaque on the sidewalk - I saw a big Olympic sign on the building. I thought it was some kind of headquarters for the Olympics. There were a lot of fancy cars and limos outside - surely someone important must be inside. It turns out - it was the Garden House School - a very exclusive private primary school. The limos were England's upper crust version of soccer moms. There were a lot of nice looking young  mommies waiting for their kids. The Olympic sign was a school project.

Colin Firth sends his kids to that school and picks them up himself. He is supposed to be a real party guy. He has starred in many movies and recently won an Oscar for "The Kings Speech." One of my favorite movies that he was in is called "Fever Pitch."

So you can see - a walk through London will take you on all sorts of tangents - just like when you are web surfing. I left out a few other points of interest - like a neat electric bike - and some beautiful lawn tennis courts right in the middle of town. But you get the idea -the next 5 weeks and the Olympics are going to be some interesting times - with some great pictures and stories. Everyone speaks English but sometimes you still can't understand them.

Here is a video of a German V-1 Buzz Bomb. Some experts says that if Germany had just a few more months - they could have designed rockets and bombs that would have reached America. Their technology was way ahead of ours. But we destroyed them before any of that happened. After the war - we rushed into Germany to claim their rockets - jets - and scientists. during the Cold War - German scientists captured by both American and Russia - build rockets for the space race. America downplayed the fact that Nazi Werner Von Braun led our scientists to the moon. 100 German scientist were "sneaked" into New Mexico to build our rockets. 

So - I went from Marlborough Arms pub to Motorcycle Museum to Army Museum to Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioners home to V-1 Buzz Bomb site to London Garden School to Colin Firth and back home again. Each day hold such a diverse adventures. In teaching - we called it "bird walking" - chain of conscience thought. When one gets off-topic who knows where it will lead.

The Royal Hospital - Home of the Chelsea Pensioners

It just started to rain and not many pensioners were were stirring

There is a small museum in the Pensioners Hospital. The guard wanted to take my picture.

Few buildings last for 300 years - let alone being used continuously for one purpose. In 1682 - Charles II proposed buying at home for retired soldiers. Ever since then - men - and women since 2009 - have been living in the Royal Hospital in Chelsea.

The hospital has rooms and apartments for 400 pensioners. Presently there are only 250 living there. Applicants are usually widowers living on government pensions.

The grounds are beautiful and the buildings are in excellent condition. 

The men dress in uniform most of the of the time - dark navy blue wool for working - bright red coats for dress affairs. They are a proud bunch and feel like they are in an exclusive club.

This is a model of the Royal Hospital - built in 1682 - still serving as a home for pensioner soldiers

Margaret Thatcher has dementia now - but on the good days she often visits the pensioners at the Royal Hospital.

I have heard of places being named Bowling Green - but these pensioners are actually bowling on the green.

The grounds of the Royal Hospital are beautifully gardened

When the soldiers die - their medals are displayed here

The Margaret Thatcher  infirmary cares for the Pensioners. Her husband Dennis Thatcher is buried here

This is the grave of the first governor of the hospital - Sir Thomas Ogle. He died in 1702.

MORRIS MINOR - My Favorite Brit Car Sighting Today

This is a Morris Minor. They were popular in the 1950s and 1960s. I remember a professor at Kutztown had a convertible one that I coveted. It was dark green with a tan top.

This Weekend We Are Going to the Durham Miners Gala

One of the many Durham Miners Association Banners - note Lenin in the center.

It is 8 PM here - Lulu is at the play Wicked with her students. I just got home from St Pancras Station. I bought train tickets on National Rail to Durham. Durham is a city about 3 hours north of London. It was the center of the "Coal Regions" of Britain. The first British coal miners' union was born there in 1869.

Even though Margaret Thatcher closed the mines in 1985 - the miners' unions meet in the city every year. At its peak - the Miners' Union Gala attracted 300,000 for the weekend - 7 times the population of Durham.

The movie and musical - Billy Elliot - was set in Durham. That is the story of the coal cracker kid that wanted to be a ballet dancer. Durham also has the National Coal Mining Museum there.

Our trip will start with a 1/2 mile walk to St Pancras Station. Many believe it is the most beautiful train station in the world. It includes a 5 star hotel rated as the top hotel in London by many magazines. London has done an $800 million renovation of the station for the Olympics. When built - the train house had the largest free span roof in the world. 

We will leave on a train on Friday morning at 9:30. The train to Durham takes 3 hours. Lulu was lucky enough to land us a hotel for Friday night. The parade will be Saturday afternoon. The miners with their colorful banners start their march from their original mines at 9 AM. During the parade - there is a judging of the union banners - made of colorful cut silk. In the afternoon - there is a church service to bless the banners at the Durham Cathedral - build in the 1200's. After all that action - Lulu and I will catch the 6:40 train home. 

St Pancras Station and Hotel - one can catch a train to Scotland - Ireland - Wales from here. The Eurostar departs here thru the chunnel to Paris. From there you can go anywhere in Europe. Our train leaves here Friday morning on National Rail.

Another miners' banner from wikipedia.

St Pancras Station - at one time the largest free span roof in the world. It is the gateway to the Olympics. It is 1/2 mile from our apartment - about 4 miles from Olympic Village.

Something old - something new. This is an electric city car waiting for someone at the St Pancras Station. In London if you buy an electric car you have free parking - no tolls - free charging - low registration fee - low insurance. Note - this car was parked where other cars fear to tread.

Here is our train tickets for the weekend. It is 260 miles from London to Durham. The train takes 3 hours. We will average over 80 MPH. Because we bought the tickets so late - they were not cheap. 213 pounds - about abut $320 total for 2 people. The train has free wifi - so I will be writing while floating on the rails at over 80 MPH.

Harold Abrahams Dedication - Hymn Jerusalem From Chariots of Fire

It poured on yesterday's dedication of Harold Abrahams Blue Plaque in Bedford. The plaque was mounted to a house that sits on the spot where Abrahams was born. Abrahams won 100 meter dash in the 1924 Olympics in Paris. His story was chronicled in the 1981 movie "Chariots of Fire."

Coal Cracker Page Hits Rise

Blogger.com tracks the number of hits on my page daily. The highest it ever received was 1800 in one day. That was a story about Elian Gonzalez's birthday.


Usually the average is about 300 a day. Olympic traffic increased it to 500 yesterday - with 200 today already and it is only 6 AM back home.


I refuse to put advertising on my way page. I do not hound my viewers to buy anything - I do not record their email or addresses - etc.


It is going to be interesting covering the Olympics over here.

PANTHER VALLEY - Student in Olympic Trials

Panther Valley High graduate Alyssa Vavra has qualified for five individual events at the U.S. Olympic swim trials but just missed qualifying Monday for the final in her top race.

Vavra, the 2012 Big 10 swimmer of the year at Indiana University, placed ninth in qualifying for the 400-meter individual medley in 4:43.36. Her time was .19 seconds outside of eighth place and a spot in Monday night's final in Omaha, Neb. Vavra was seeded 11th in the event.

Vavra also will compete in the 200 IM on Wednesday, the 200 butterfly on Thursday, the 200 breaststroke on Friday and the 200 backstroke on Saturday. She is seeded 15th in the 200 IM.

Our Hawaii Condo Is Being Renovated - This Gives A New Meaning to Pot Luck

You may re-call that Lulu used to teach a course for the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. When we would go there - we would rent a fantastic condo from our friend Doris Markland of Nebraska. We met Doris over the Internet and she would give us a fantastic deal to rent her condo. 

The last time we rented it was January 2012. That was the time when Drew and Family bought us surfing lessons for Christmas.

Doris wrote us to say that she is having the condo renovated. It was beautiful already - but this is really interesting - a toilet on the porch  :-) Only kidding - the toilet was stored on the porch while the bathroom was being redone.

If you ever want to go to Hawaii - let me know - I will contact Doris to see if you can rent her condo. It is on the 22nd floor  - facing Waikiki Beach. It has a kitchen - living room (with sleeper sofa) - a bedroom - lanai porch - and a bathroom. It also has covered parking and 4 super fast elevators. On the roof there is a pool - hot tub - tennis court - basketball court - and picnic area with gas grills.

When we were there over the years - Drew - Keith - Robin - Joel - George - Dan - and Ann - all came to visit us. We hope to go there many more times.

July 7th 1924 at 7 PM - Harold Abrahams Won the 100 Meter Dash at the Paris Olympics - Today He Got His Blue Plaque

Sunday afternoon at 1 PM as the Olympic Torch passed through Bedford - they unveiled Harold Abraham's blue sign.

As the band played "Jerusalem" - the heavens opened up and the whole crowd belted out the lyrics including "Chariots of Fire."

88 years ago Harold Abrahams won the gold medal for Britain at the Paris Olympics. His story was told in the 1981 Oscar-winning movie "Chariots of Fire." The race was held on July 7th at 7 PM and every year for the next 50 years - Abrahams and one of his opponents in that race had dinner together at that exact same time. That would have been last night - if they were alive.

Instead - Lulu and I went to see the play "Chariots of Fire" to celebrate the feat. 

As fate would have it - this morning when I awoke - I stumbled across an interesting story on the Internet. Of all places - the Olympic Torch was passing through Bedford - about 40 miles north of London. Bedford just happens to be the birthplace of Harold Abrahams. Abrahams was knighted long ago for the service to his country - but his birthplace was not marked by a "blue sign." In Britain - a community places a blue plaque on your home after you die - a sign of tremendous respect. Today the community was unveiling Abrahams blue plaque.

It was 11 AM - Lulu was out with her students. Would it be possible to shower and dress and catch a train to Bedford? I must try. By 11:10 - I was showered - shaved - dressed - and running to Saint Pancras Station. What luck - there was an 11:20 train to Bedford. I bought a round trip ticket for 20 pounds - and got in the train just as the doors slid shut. By 12:30 - I was in the Bedford Station asking people how to get to Rutland Road. Most of the people did not even know Abrahams was born there - let alone where he lived. Finally - one girl pressure washing her porch knew all about it. She directed me on a 15 minute walk. I started jogging - as I rounded the corner - I heard the band strike up a tune ahead. I made it. 

As the band played - the crowd gathered. The musicians struck up a few tunes from the movie. The politicians starting arriving. As the mayor started to speak - the rain started to pound. No one moved as they listened to the program about their hero. People had British flags - Olympic flags - and local Bedford banners. The program was rather brief due to the pouring rain. One man put a umbrella over my head as I photographed everything I could. The official that helped produce the movie pulled the sash cord much too quickly. I barely caught the act between the rain drops.

They are re-releasing "Chariots of Fire" tomorrow - a new fancy digitized version of the movie.

Just a few hours before I was in the theatre in downtown London watching a play honoring Abrahams. The actors were running on a track surrounding our seats. Now I was right in front of his home watching them uncover his blue sign. It made me feel part of these Olympics. It is something I will be able to tell my sons and grandkids about when they join me for the games in 3 weeks. This all happened on Sunday - the Sabbath - at 1 PM. Due to the time difference in the USA - when you read this - it will not have happened yet :-)

The weather was great - before the unveiling.

The mayor started to speak at 1 PM - and it started to pour.

They had a 100 yard dash in honor of Harold Abrahams right down his street.

After the event - the family that lives in the house came out - after the crowd cleared.

The house where he was born was torn down a long time ago.

Abrahams lived on Rutland Road in Bedford - about 40 miles north of London. They hope the Olympic crowds will drop by to see the sign.

What Do these Two Vehicles Have In Common?

I like both of these vehicles very much. The first one is a 1994 Dodge van I bought right before we came to London. The second one is a Brompton Folding Bicycle that folds up into a tight little ball. They are very popular in London - often time seen by business men in dress suits going to work in the financial district.

What makes them similar is that each of them cost $1200.

1994 Dodge at Maaco getting ready for its new off-white paint job.

2012 Brompton Folding Bike in London.

Saturday Matinee at London's Savoy Theatre - We Saw Sunshine Boys With Danny DeVito

Here is a blurry non-flash curtain call picture of The Sunshine Boys. Danny DeVito is in the striped pajamas. That is how close our $15 seats were.

We just got home from probably the best entertainment bargain in the city. We saw Danny DeVito in The Sunshine Boys from the front row for 10 pounds each ($15).

The Savoy Theatre on The Strand is connected to the beautiful Savoy Hotel - just around the corner from The Coal Hole. We showed up at the box office at 11 AM - and asked for "same day - restricted view seating." The agent said he had 2 in the front row for 10 pounds each. He said the stage was low - so the restriction was minimal. We took them.