Posted on

Bits of Everything


The Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Take Two

Ever heard that Japanese knotweed or garlic mustard threaten the Adirondacks? Well they do. Read the Adirondack Alamanacks’ article on how the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) was one of 26 projects across New York State to receive the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s highest honor: the Environmental Quality Award.

This is Wrong: NY State as the Godfather

The State of NY has gone off the deep end with this move. Expect more businesses to leave NY over this one.

Washington County Sales Tax Down

This is not good news for next years Washington County Budget.

Posted on

What Exactly is a Catamount?

The NCAA basketball tournament is over for this year but I finally got a chance to sit down with my friend Mike Lonergan and talk about what life is like for the Vermont basketball coach. As we head into our “summer season”, his year is winding down and we finally had a chance to get caught up.

If you see Mike on the beach this summer, he’ll talk basketball all day long.

We go back to our days at Catholic University when we were both students. You would go on to become the head coach there and actually won the NCAA Div III championship in 2001. Could you tell our readers a little bit about that experience?

“Coaching at my alma mater was a great experience and it was very rewarding. We built the most successful Division III men’s basketball program in the country and did it with true student athletes. The last 3 seasons I coached at Catholic University my wife was the women’s basketball coach which was kind of cool. We were actually able to help each other recruit. We didn’t just talk about the CUA Basketball Family we actually lived it!”

After that you moved on to the University of Maryland as an assistant coach, do you have any good stories about your days at Maryland that you could share?

“I was a lifelong Maryland fan and a Gary Williams fan. I had a great time during my 1 season coaching at Maryland but it was a little difficult being an assistant coach again after being a head coach the previous 12 seasons. It was a great experience working for Gary but I can’t tell you any stories about Gary. You wouldn’t believe them anyways! He is a great coach and quite a character.”

You are now the head coach at the University of Vermont and have had good success there. What is the life of a NCAA coach like? Do you spend most of the year recruiting? Is there alot of travel?

“We have been fortunate to have had a lot of success here at UVM. It is truly a special place. I can’t think of a better place for my wife, Maggie, and I to raise our 4 children. Coaching is not an easy life. I spend a lot of time on the road and it makes my wife’s life tougher but the rewards far outweigh the sacrifices my family has made. I actually recruit less at UVM than I did at Catholic University because of the NCAA rules. There are certain times of the year that are “dead” periods when we are not allowed off campus to recruit. At DIII you could recruit 365 days/year! The best time of the year for DI basketball coaches is August. We are not allowed to recruit and our students are home most of that month. I love August because my family can go for a nice vacation at our favorite place – Hulett’s Landing! People always tell me I don’t know how to relax but I finally found a place where even I can relax and enjoy, and that’s Hulett’s Landing!”

You probably get this a lot, but what exactly is a Catamount?

“A Catamount is a type of Mountain wild cat. It is supposedly extinct but there have been some reported sightings in the last few years. I actually like that our mascot is a Catamount because it is not a common nickname.”

Mike – I know a lot of your friends in Huletts were disappointed when Vermont lost the America East tournament this year. Could you give us your thoughts?

“We had a very good year (24-9, America East regular season co champions) but didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. Hopefully next season will be even better. I hope some of the people from Huletts can come up to Burlington next winter and see us play. It is a great atmosphere at Patrick Gym. We have one of the best players in the country in 2 time America East Player of the Year Marqus Blakely. He is fun to watch!”

Mike thanks for taking the time to tell our readers about Vermont basketball and how great Huletts Landing is!

Smiles all around.

Posted on

Bits of Everything

Champlain’s Astrolabe Now on a Keychain

The Times of Ti had an interesting story about a new keychain made in celebration of Samuel de Champlain’s Quadricentennial year. The keychain is made like an astrolabe which Champlain used in discovering the lake which bears his name. It was a astronomical instrument which was used in locating and predicting the positions of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars; determining local time given local latitude and vice-versa; surveying; and triangulation. With no GPS, what’s an explorer to do?

No East Lake George for You

The Post Star reports that there will be no new village of East Lake George this year.

Ticonderoga Ferry Gets New Owners

The Press Republican reports that the Ti Ferry has been sold. This is a great trip over to Vermont from Ticonderoga if you’ve never taken it.

Is the Huletts Current the Best Blog Out There?

There’s a new invention coming soon that will revolutionize the Internet. You know the answer to this question already but if you want to learn how the Internet is about to change, click here.

Posted on

Saturday Quote

“He who every morning plans the transaction of the day and follows out that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through the maze of the most busy life. But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incidence, chaos will soon reign.”

Victor Hugo

Posted on

Bits of Everything

Off Roaders Travel the Road Less Traveled

This is an interesting piece from Channel 9 about off-road highway users who drive on ancient town roads through state forest just to keep them open. The DEC doesn’t like this.

National News

Maryland School Boy Builds New Type of Computer

This is such a great story because it’s what makes the U.S. a leader in innovation and technology. A 17 year old Maryland boy has built a computer out of spare parts and a fish tank which uses mineral oil to cool itself after being told it would never work. Why on earth would he want to do it? He just wanted to prove he could. This is the type of device which will most likely lead to other advances in computing. Bravos to young, Brandon Glorioso, who demonstrates first hand where innovation comes from. Read the whole article.

PSA’s on the Swine Flu from the 1970’s

I found this and thought it was applicable today. The only problem is there isn’t a vaccine for the current strain yet. Follow Mom’s advice and wash your hands and use a tissue until one becomes available.

Posted on

Saturday Quote

“I think of a hero as someone who understands the degree of responsibility that comes with his freedom.”

Bob Dylan

Posted on

Saturday Quote

Not in the clamour of the crowded street,
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng,
But in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Posted on

Happy Easter

We Wish You A Very Happy Easter
The Resurrection of Christ, Meister Francke, ca. 1424

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

Luke 24:1-8

Posted on

Saturday Quote

“Sweet mercy is nobility’s true badge.”

William Shakespeare, “Titus Andronicus”, Act 1 scene 2

Posted on

Bits of Everything

Who Got One / Who Returned One

The Times Union had a nice graphic showing who got an absentee ballot by county and party affiliation in the vote for the congressional seat in the 20th district. Hopefully, if you were away, you returned yours.

Gaslight Village Project Gets $2.5 Million

The Post Star reports that the Gaslight Village project in Lake George Village got a big grant from the federal government.

We Love You – John Paul II

AOL has a heartwarming story about a man left for dead a few weeks ago, who attributes his recovery to miraculous intervention by Pope John Paul II. Watch the video attached to this story.

Posted on

The Conficker Worm – What You Can Do

If you watched 60 Minutes on CBS this evening, you may have seen this piece on the new conficker worm which is scheduled to do something on April 1st. Even the security companies don’t know what it may do on April 1st.

Conficker is spread by exploiting several weaknesses in Microsoft’s Windows operating system. (The program does not infect Macintosh or Linux-based computers.)

It is a very virulent security breach that can read keystrokes from your computer, even capturing your passwords and bank information. The most recent versions of the program have significantly changed to even remove commercial antivirus software and to turn off Microsoft’s security update service. It can also block communications with Web services provided by security companies to update their products. It will also open holes in firewalls in an effort to improve its communication with other infected computers.
It can be spread on social networking sites such as MySpace through a message from a “friend” or it might infect a computer if you download free music or games.

Here is a link to download a program to detect conficker on your computer.

Here is a link to remove conficker if it is on your computer.