#southeastern Louisiana University

[todaysbug]

February 21st, 2024

Lovebug (Plecia nearctica)

Distribution: Native to Central America and the Southeastern USA (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas). Most common in Texas and Louisiana.

Habitat: Can be found in almost all habitats, but most common in grassy areas; most common around fresh-cut lawns, animal pastures and areas with decaying vegetation. Found at altitudes of over 450 metres.

Diet: Larvae feed on decaying vegetation; adults feed on the nectar of plants such as sweet clover, goldenrod and Brazilian pepper.

Description: This insect is called the lovebug because mated pairs often stay together for days at a time during and after mating, with flights of mating lovebugs sometimes numbering into the millions. These flights can be quite a nuisance to drivers, as they easily splatter onto windshields and hoods at highway speeds. The acidic body chemistry of dead bugs, left for even just a handful of hours, makes them incredibly difficult to scrape off car parts; what's more, they also have a tendency to cause pits in automotive paint when left untouched for too long, or can cause radiators to overheat. Because they're attracted to fresh paint, lovebug corpses are also a common sight in the dried paint on buildings.

There is many myths surrounding lovebugs, perhaps due to how common they are. One myth claims that these insects were genetically engineered by the University of Florida in order to control mosquito populations (disregarding the fact that they're herbivorous, and thus would make poor pest control!). Another myth claims that lovebugs escaped from the University of Florida after being transported there by scientists; while their original range includes only Louisiana and Mississippi, populations naturally spread north- and southward. For some reason, this insect has many University of Florida-related conspiracies!

Images by Judy Gallagher and Chris Rorabaugh.

[whileiamdying]

A SERENE JAZZ MASTERPIECE TURNS 65

The best-selling and arguably the best-loved jazz album ever, Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue still has the power to awe.

MARCH 06, 2024

At a moment when jazz still loomed large in American culture, 1959 was an unusually monumental year. Those 12 months saw the release of four great and genre-altering albums: Charles Mingus’s Mingus Ah Um, Dave Brubeck’s Time Out (with its megahit “Take Five”), Ornette Coleman’s The Shape of Jazz to Come, and Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue. Sixty-five years on, the genre, though still filled with brilliant talent, has receded to niche status from the culture at large. What remains of that earthshaking year in jazz? “Take Five” has stayed a standard, a tune you might hear on TV or on the radio, a signifier of smooth and nostalgic cool. Mingus, the genius troublemaker, and Coleman, the free-jazz pioneer, remain revered by Those Who Know; their names are still familiar, but most of the music they made has been forgotten by the broader public. Yet Kind of Blue, arguably the best-selling and best-loved jazz album ever, endures—a record that still has the power to awe, that seems to exist outside of time. In a world of ceaseless tumult, its matchless serenity is more powerful than ever.

On the afternoon of Monday, March 2, 1959, seven musicians walked into Columbia Records’ 30th Street Studio, a cavernous former church just off Third Avenue, to begin recording an album. The LP, not yet named, was initially known as Columbia Project B 43079. The session’s leader—its artistic director, the man whose name would appear on the album cover—was Miles Davis. The other players were the members of Davis’s sextet: the saxophonists John Coltrane and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, the bassist Paul Chambers, the drummer Jimmy Cobb, and the pianist Wynton Kelly. To the confusion and dismay of Kelly, who had taken a cab all the way from Brooklyn because he hated the subway, another piano player was also there: the band’s recently departed keyboardist, Bill Evans.

Every man in the studio had recorded many times before; nobody was expecting this time to be anything special. “Professionals,” Evans once said, “have to go in at 10 o’clock on a Wednesday and make a record and hope to catch a really good day.” On the face of it, there was nothing remarkable about Project B 43079. For the first track laid down that afternoon, a straight-ahead blues-based number that would later be named “Freddie Freeloader,” Kelly was at the keyboard. He was a joyous, selfless, highly adaptable player, and Davis, a canny leader, figured a blues piece would be a good way for the band to limber up for the more demanding material ahead—material that Evans, despite having quit the previous November due to burnout and a sick father, had a large part in shaping.

A highly trained classical pianist, the New Jersey–born Evans fell in love with jazz as a teenager and, after majoring in music at Southeastern Louisiana University, moved to New York in 1955 with the aim of making it or going home. Like many an apprentice, he booked a lot of dances and weddings, but one night, at the Village Vanguard, where he’d been hired to play between the sets of the world-famous Modern Jazz Quartet, he looked down at the end of the grand piano and saw Davis’s penetrating gaze fixed on him. A few months later, having forgotten all about the encounter, Evans was astonished to receive a phone call from the trumpeter: Could he make a gig in Philadelphia?

He made the gig and, just like that, became the only white musician in what was then the top small jazz band in America. It was a controversial hire. Evans, who was really white—bespectacled, professorial—incurred instant and widespread resentment among Black musicians and Black audiences. But Davis, though he could never quite stop hazing the pianist (“We don’t want no white opinions!” was one of his favorite zingers), made it clear that when it came to musicians, he was color-blind. And what he wanted from Evans was something very particular.

One piece that Davis became almost obsessed with was Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli’s 1957 recording of Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G. The work, inspired by Ravel’s triumphant 1928 tour of the U.S., was clearly influenced by the fast pace and openness of America: It shimmers with sprightly piccolo and bold trumpet sounds, and dances with unexpected notes and chord changes.

Davis wanted to put wide-open space into his music the way Ravel did. He wanted to move away from the familiar chord structures of jazz and use different scales the way Aram Khachaturian, with his love for Asian music, did. And Evans, unlike any other pianist working in jazz, could put these things onto the keyboard. His harmonic intelligence was profound; his touch on the keys was exquisitely sensitive. “I planned that album around the piano playing of Bill Evans,” Davis said.

But Davis wanted even more. Ever restless, he had wearied of playing songs—American Songbook standards and jazz originals alike—that were full of chords, and sought to simplify. He’d recently been bowled over by a Les Ballets Africains performance—by the look and rhythms of the dances, and by the music that accompanied them, especially the kalimba (or “finger piano”). He wanted to get those sounds into his new album, and he also wanted to incorporate a memory from his boyhood: the ghostly voices of Black gospel singers he’d heard in the distance on a nighttime walk back from church to his grandparents’ Arkansas farm.

In the end, Davis felt that he’d failed to get all he’d wanted into Kind of Blue. Over the next three decades, his perpetual artistic antsiness propelled him through evolving styles, into the blend of jazz and rock called fusion, and beyond. What’s more, Coltrane, Adderley, and Evans were bursting to move on and out and lead their own bands. Just 12 days after Kind of Blue’s final session, Coltrane would record his groundbreaking album Giant Steps, a hurdle toward the cosmic distances he would probe in the eight short years remaining to him. Cannonball, as soulful as Trane was boundary-bursting, would bring a new warmth to jazz with hits such as “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy.” And for the rest of his career, one sadly truncated by his drug use, Evans would pursue the trio format with subtle lyrical passion.

Yet for all the bottled-up dynamism in the studio during Kind of Blue’s two recording sessions, a profound, Zenlike quiet prevailed throughout. The essence of it can be heard in Evans and Chambers’s hushed, enigmatic opening notes on the album’s opening track, “So What,” a tune built on just two chords and containing, in Davis’s towering solo, one of the greatest melodies in all of music.

The majestic tranquility of Kind of Blue marks a kind of fermata in jazz. America’s great indigenous art had evolved from the exuberant transgressions of the 1920s to the danceable rhythms of the swing era to the prickly cubism of bebop. The cool (and warmth) that followed would then accelerate into the ’60s ever freer of melody and harmony before being smacked head-on by rock and roll—a collision it wouldn’t quite survive.

That charmed moment in the spring of 1959 was brief: Of the seven musicians present on that long-ago afternoon, only Miles Davis and Jimmy Cobb would live past their early 50s. Yet 65 years on, the music they all made, as eager as Davis was to put it behind him, stays with us. The album’s powerful and abiding mystique has made it widely beloved among musicians and music lovers of every category: jazz, rock, classical, rap. For those who don’t know it, it awaits you patiently; for those who do, it welcomes you back, again and again.

James Kaplan, a 2012 Guggenheim fellow, is a novelist, journalist, and biographer. His next book will be an examination of the world-changing creative partnership and tangled friendship of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

[thoughtlessarse]

Since the 1980s, the 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River that connects New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, has been known as “Cancer Alley.” The name stems from the fact that the area’s residents have a 95% greater chance of developing cancer than the average American. A big reason for this is the concentration of industrial facilities along the corridor — particularly petrochemical manufacturing plants, many of which emit ethylene oxide, an extremely potent toxin that is considered a carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency and has been linked to breast and lung cancers. But even though the general risks of living in the region have been clear for decades, the exact dangers are still coming into focus — and the latest data show that the EPA’s modeling has dramatically underestimated the levels of ethylene oxide in southeastern Louisiana. On average, according to a new study published on Tuesday, ethylene oxide levels in the heart of Cancer Alley are more than double the threshold above which the EPA considers cancer risk to be unacceptable. To gather the new data, researchers from Johns Hopkins University drove highly sensitive air monitors along a planned route where a concentration of industrial facilities known to emit ethylene oxide are situated. The monitors detected levels that were as many as 10 times higher than EPA thresholds, and the researchers were able to detect plumes of the toxin spewing from the facilities from as many as seven miles away. The resulting measurements were significantly higher than the EPA and state environmental agency’s modeled emissions values for the area.

continue reading

[dailydoseofdeadly]

Coral Snake

Name: Eastern Coral Snake

Species: Micrurus Fulvius

Class: Reptilia 

Size: 2-3 feet long

Habitat: In the United States, from southeastern North Carolina to eastern Louisiana

Fatalities: One death in the past 40 years; 47 human bites reported to Florida Poison Control Centers each year

Conservation: Least Concern

The Eastern Coral Snake lurks in dry, typically sandy areas, ranging all throughout the southeastern chunk of the United States. As a part of the Elapidae family, which contains the well-known cobras and mambas of the Southern Hemisphere, getting bit by a coral snake on your hike might cost you more than 3k for an ER visit. Coral snakes are known to be active during all parts of the day, particularly dawn and dusk. Throughout the year, these little guys tend to be especially active during the fall and spring. 

Unlike other snakes, coral snakes are a little shy and awkward. Many Floridan hikers who have had the pleasure (or displeasure, depending on whether they got bit or not) of coming face to face with a coral snake have reported that they are not aggressive towards humans without any provocation. Moral of the story: don’t touch them, they won’t touch you. And now you’re saving 3k and your forearm. 

Coral snakes, as told by their name, are very vibrant, exhibiting red, black, and yellow rings on the entire length of their body. Their smooth skin makes them look polished. Looks like someone remembered to wear their moisturizer. Typically, the females are longer than men, who are only 2 feet long, while most females are 3 feet. Short kings, am I right? Now speaking of kings… 

If you happen to cross paths with a coral snake (or something that looks like a coral snake?), before deciding to piss your pants, take a look at the color arrangement on the body of the snake. Taking it up north, the king snake, which does look a lot like the coral snake, resides in the barren wasteland from Illinois to Texas, and south to Alabama. They are unlike the coral snake in almost every way except looks. The king snake is not venomous and likes wet areas. If you get bit by a king snake, it’ll probably just hurt, not kill you. Well, how do I figure out if the yellow, red, and black ringed snake near me is venomous or not?? Just remember this simple mnemonic, “Red touch black, safe for Jack; red touch yellow, kill a fellow”. 

However, if you end up being the unluckiest person alive and end up getting bitten by a coral snake, get immediate help immediately. That was redundant, but it gets my point across. Spend the 3k on an ambulance ride to the ER; it costs less than the heavy price tag your life wears. Being a part of the same family as the black mamba and king cobra, the coral snakes’ fangs wield an extremely potent neurotoxic venom. This venom attacks the nervous system, characterized by muscle weakness, difficulty speaking, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, paralysis, and potential respiratory arrest. To avoid these effects and potential death, get anti-venom for the toxin immediately. Being quick to get the anti-venom isn’t quick enough. Delayed use of anti-venom for victims who show these symptoms has shown to progress to paralysis within half a day. The one victim of the venom failed to get medical treatment for the coral snake bite. 

Just like Taylor Swift said, Florida is one hell of a drug, and if you get bit by a coral snake there, let’s hope that drug is rapidly administered anti-venom.

Image from The University of Florida, Florida Museum

[vintagepipemen]

Dr. Benjamin Alsip, Southeastern Louisiana University, 1975.

[jaydemayo]

(Central Virginia Sport Performance The Podcast)

Season 4 Episode 16- Clare Kaufman Quebedeaux- “Be purposeful with not just what you’re teaching but also what you’re learning”

I am fired up to welcome Clare Kaufman Quebedeaux to The Podcast to talk about leadership and developing basketball players. Clare has had a really cool voyage that has brought her to Columbus to work alongside her first boss and mentor. Throughout the 30 plus minute discussion Clare and I get into:

1)    Being intentional in developing your staff in leadership

2)    A wake-up call that brought her to understand her role as a leader developing coaches

3)    Some unique aspects to their staffing system to help coaches grow professionally within the department.

4)    The importance of finding the right fit during the hiring process.

5)    How the transfer portal and foreign trips in the summer had a massive impact on summer training.

6)    Where the limitations to motivation have changed some of her perspective.

7)    Ways she has had success helping athletes who return from international competition to reintegrate into the team setting.

A huge thank you to Clare Kaufman Quebedeaux for sharing so much of her voyage through the coaching world. They have built a great system in Columbus for coaches to grow and develop and she was so kind in breaking down not just the X’s and O’s to it, but the thought process behind how it has evolved. Make sure you give her a follow-on Instagram at @ckarequib to keep up with all the things she’s doing. If you did enjoy the show please share this with a colleague. Lastly, if you haven’t subscribed to the show please do on your favorite podcast app, and if you would be so kind as to leave us a review, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Who is Clare Quebedeaux?

Clare Quebedeaux joined the Buckeye strength and conditioning program in 2017. Her core responsibilities include serving as the Facility Supervisor for multiple facilities as well as overseeing the Women’s Basketball and Men’s Golf programs.

Prior to Ohio State, Quebedeaux was the director of strength and conditioning at Southeastern Louisiana University, working with the football, basketball, women’s soccer, women’s tennis and men’s golf programs. She was also an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Temple University and the University of Hartford. She served as a graduate assistant for strength and conditioning while attending University of Tennessee.

Quebedeaux earned her bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning from University of Wisconsin – La Crosse in 2010. She went on to receive her master’s in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Physiology from the University of Tennessee in 2013.

[mariacallous]

I’ve been in academics for more than 20 years as a member of the physics faculty at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana. Here, the department is small enough that all of us get to share in the course load, which is quite nice—it gives me an opportunity to teach a wide range of courses, from physical science (for non-science majors) all the way up to quantum mechanics.

During the first years of the pandemic, everyone in education had to adapt, and most of our activities weren't conducted in the most ideal environment. At my school, we started off by moving all classes online using Google Meet. (That wasn’t too much fun.) This was supplemented with short lecture videos. (I actually enjoyed making those.) Next, we implemented a hybrid model where some students would be in class and some would be online. (This was terrible.)

While remote learning can have some advantages, as a teacher I noticed that we all picked up some bad habits over the past couple of years. Have you noticed that after a holiday, when you’ve sat around and watched too much football while eating more than you normally would, you might not be at your regular level of fitness? Well, the same thing can happen with learning.

With exercise, you know that after the holidays you have to hit the gym or get outside in order to get back in shape and feel ready to take on the world. With learning, I think it is more about figuring out how to constructively use the technologies that helped us go remote instead of relying on them as a crutch.

Smartphones

It can be shocking to realize how much power we carry around with us all the time. Not only is your phone a very powerful computer, it also has a decent camera and a host of other sensors.

And smart phones often belong in school: It's possible to use your phone to collect and analyze data. For an experiment, students can use the accelerometers in the phone to measure the distance an elevator travels. Or how about using a long-exposure photo to measure the speed of the International Space Station? You can even solve physics problems by creating Python code right on your phone, or use built-in lidar to create 3D maps of a room.

In larger lecture-style classes, as a first step in class discussions, I have the students use their phones to vote their answers to conceptual questions. (One of my favorites is about the acceleration of a tossed ball at its highest point. A common answer is that since the velocity is zero, the acceleration is also zero—but that’s not true. In fact, if the acceleration was zero at the highest point where the velocity is also zero, the ball would just magically appear to be stationary.)

However, there is one way the students use their phones in class that I think is not always such a good idea: They take pictures of everything. (Admittedly, this has been going on for a while, so it’s not purely pandemic-related.) Now, don't get me wrong—I also take a lot of pictures. Photos are not just a great way to capture memories of your favorite dog; they can also serve as a reminder of things we need to do, like taking a picture of the grocery list. So what's the problem with students taking a picture in class of a physics solution or the derivation of an equation?

Let me give a real life example. It's my introductory physics course, and I'm going over a practice problem. I find it to be useful to model effective problem-solving strategies so that students can see the entire process. Of course, students have an opportunity to ask questions as I demonstrate the solution, and I pause several times to let them attempt each part before progressing. Once we make it to the end, the problem is finished, and at least part of the solution is written on the board. (Sometimes stuff gets erased.) Before you know it, some phones come out. Snap!

Why is that bad? I think it encourages students to think of physics problems as being like the game Pokémon Go, where the object is to capture as many solutions as possible. But it’s not: The process is important, not the solution.

I don’t mind if the student is just taking a picture to help them remember the result, intending to go back and work through the whole thing on their own. That's not a bad idea. However, I'm just afraid that all too often a student feels that the solution is the goal. Having the answer is not the same as understanding.

Or take the example of students who start off working on a problem in pairs using presentation boards mounted around the room. After working for five minutes, each student will move to a new board with a new student to work for five more minutes. This goes for three or four rounds until most pairs have solutions. (I got this idea from a fellow physics educator; it's called whiteboard speed dating.)

Sometimes these speed dating problems are a little difficult. Students can find it challenging to even start. They are afraid to put something on the board that might be wrong, because no one wants to be wrong. Wouldn't it be better to just not write anything down and wait? I mean, surely Dr. Allain (that's me) will eventually go over the solution and then boom, phone picture!

When this happens, I tell the class the following very important idea: "It's better to do something wrong than to see something right."

Those mistakes are part of the learning process. You can't expect to always get everything right when you are learning. It would be like going to basketball practice but not taking any shots because you are afraid that you might miss. Yes, you are going to miss. Missing a goal is how you get better at taking shots. The same is true for physics or any type of learning.

In the end, I let my students take photos, because there’s a chance they might actually use the pictures in a practical way. Also, banning phones would mean that I couldn't have any phone-based classroom activities, and it might send the wrong message that I have all the answers and the students need to earn those answers through hard work. Instead, the answers are just the tip of the iceberg.

But if you’re a student heading back to school in January, and your teacher allows phones in class, my advice would be to take pictures if you need to save something off the board. But don’t stop there. Force yourself to go back and work through any problems or solutions from those pictures. Treat the photo as the beginning of the learning process, not the end.

Online Answers

There's another place where the students’ focus on answers—instead of the learning process—is clearly visible: websites that give solutions to physics problems. During the pandemic, students took advantage of these more often, because more assessment was moved to an online form, which makes it easier to cheat. And because these sites are becoming more popular, there are now more of them. This makes me sad. The problem is that students can just copy a solution without understanding it, and it's all too obvious that many times this is exactly what happens.

Consider the following very common projectile-motion problem that is covered in just about every physics textbook: A ball is launched horizontally off a table that is 1.2 meters above the floor, and it hits 1.7 meters from the starting point. What is the launch velocity of the ball?

The problem is normally solved by looking at the horizontal and vertical motions separately. (That's the cool part of projectile motion.) Just about every textbook calls the horizontal velocity vx and the vertical velocity vy. So, when a student submits a solution using u for the horizontal velocity and u' (called u-prime) for the vertical velocity, it just looks weird. Why would they pick those symbols for the variables? You know why: They found the answer online.

You might think that if instructors assigned unique physics problems, the students would actually create their own solutions. That doesn't work. I can make something weird (and honestly quite fun) for a physics question, but students post it online within hours. It would actually be funny if it weren't so bad for learning. And even worse, someone is making serious money from these online solutions, which often require a subscription to their services.

If you’re a student who is tempted to use online answers, I’d urge you to use them only to work through a part of a problem that you are stuck on or to double-check that you’ve understood the problem correctly.

Attending Class

There's one more thing that students have a problem with lately—going to class.

Online learning isn't all bad; in fact, for some learners, it offers opportunities that weren't there before. Videos can help students keep up with class—well, if they actually watch them—and they provide an opportunity to review material that was perhaps a bit confusing. Going remote gives students a certain amount of flexibility to compensate for things that happen in real life, like catching the flu or getting a flat tire. Life happens, and it would be a shame to miss out on school. And it can be a bonus in Louisiana: When we have to cancel class because of a hurricane (yes, that happens), we won’t lose much class time since we can just switch to an online mode.

But there's something about in-person classes that I've found difficult to replicate in an online environment. I like to think of a physics class as a community of learners. Students can play the role of educator and learner at the same time when they interact with their peers. (And don't forget the other learner in the course—the instructor. Even teaching an introductory physics course, I still find some new understanding every time I teach it, which is why I love it so much.)

If you’re a teacher, there’s so much more that can be done during class time than just lecturing. You can have students work on problems—or even better, have them find the error in a solution to a problem. You could have them create problems that other students could solve. Honestly, the possibilities are endless. If you are looking for more ideas (at least in physics), check out the American Association of Physics Teachers’ resource site: Compadre.org.

If you are a student, try to attend class as much as possible. Don't think of it as though you are in a movie theater watching a bunch of answers. Instead, use that time to engage in all the learning opportunities.

In the end, the goal is to practice, not to get everything right. When it comes time to work on your homework, let yourself get stuck. Work the problem to the point where you don’t know what to do anymore. Getting stuck is the first step to getting unstuck, right? After all, if you don't have any troubles with a physics problem, then you either already understood it or it wasn't that great of a problem to begin with.

[cyarsk52-20]

Sounds About White: Oklahoma Sheriff Says Recording Of Officials Discussing Killing Reporters Was Illegal

Denver Sean

A southeastern Oklahoma sheriff’s office says the recording in which the sheriff and others are reportedly heard discussing killing two journalists was illegal and predicted felony charges will be filed.

via Huffington Post:

A statement on the sheriff’s office Facebook page, the first public statement since the comments by Sheriff Kevin Clardy and others were reported by the McCurtain Gazette-News, does not address the recorded comments about killing journalists and hanging Black people, but calls the situation “complex” and one “we regret having to address.”

The statement calls the past 72 hours “amongst the most difficult and disruptive in recent memory” and says the recording was altered and involves many victims.

“There is and has been an ongoing investigation into multiple, significant violation(s) of the Oklahoma Security of Communications Act … which states that it is illegal to secretly record a conversation in which you are not involved and do not have the consent of at least one of the involved parties,” according to the statement.

Joey Senat, a journalism professor at Oklahoma State University, said under Oklahoma law, the recording would be legal if it were obtained in a place where the officials being recorded did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Bruce Willingham, the longtime publisher of the McCurtain Gazette-News, said the recording was made March 6 when he left a voice-activated recorder inside the room after a county commissioner’s meeting because he suspected the group was continuing to conduct county business after the meeting had ended in violation of the state’s Open Meeting Act.

Willingham said he twice spoke with his attorneys to be sure he was doing nothing illegal.

The newspaper released portions of the recording in which Clardy, sheriff’s Capt. Alicia Manning and District 2 County Commissioner Mark Jennings appear to discuss Bruce and Chris Willingham, a reporter for the newspaper who is Bruce Willingham’s son. Jennings tells Clardy and Manning “I know where two deep holes are dug if you ever need them,” and the sheriff responded, “I’ve got an excavator.”

Jennings also reportedly says he’s known “two or three hit men” in Louisiana, adding “they’re very quiet guys.”

In the recording, Jennings also appears to complain about not being able to hang Black people, saying: “They got more rights than we got.”

Jail Administrator Larry Hendrix was also present during the conversation.

The Associated Press could not immediately verify the authenticity of the recording. None of the four have returned telephone calls or emails from The Associated Press.

A spokesperson for the FBI’s office in Oklahoma City said the agency’s policy is not to confirm or deny any ongoing investigation. Phil Bacharach, a spokesperson for Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, said the agency had received an audio recording and is investigating the incident, but declined to comment further.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and state Rep. Eddy Dempsey, a Republican who represents the area, have called for Clardy, Manning, Jennings and Hendrix to resign.

More than 100 people gathered outside the McCurtain County Courthouse in Idabel on Monday, with many of them calling for the sheriff and other county officials to resign.

The sheriff’s office statement said there have been “a large number of threats of violence including death threats” against unspecified county employees, officials, their families and friends since the conversation was first reported.

The statement said the sheriff’s office will issue news releases until its investigation concludes “and findings are forwarded to the appropriate authorities for felony charges to be filed on those involved.”

This is upsetting, but not surprising.

Sponsored Content

Sent from my iPhone

[derekhernandezfuentes]

Jennifer Olson, a former Charles W Flanagan high school student from the years 2002-2005 and family relative of Certified Public Accountant “Josepha” “Josephina” Josephine Fify Viera, is an Obese Psychiatric outpatient and member of the Fat Mafia and Cannibalistic Pedophilia Ring of Julio Hurtado of Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, and New Jersey as she has studied in Louisiana State University and is possibly a Cuban-American descendant of Gulf of Mexico Pirates, causing thin boys, girls, women, and men into becoming Schizophrenics like her and Josephine Fify Viera in order to turn their victims Fat and Obese, causing autoimmune illnesses through waste sites and Nuclear Power Plants that cause the victims’ immune systems to attack the victims’ pancreases and thyroids, by first labeling a girl a boy’s name like Yuriko, a Spanish name, in an English-speaking nation like the United States of America, Canada and England, to then have the girl with the boy’s name misgender and transexualize the 5-year-old to 7-year-old boys with her boy’s name, facial makeup disguises hiding their Criminal Motives, and name-calling the boys “faggots” and “Fruit Cakes” such as “marícón” in order to cause the confused boy to smack the girl, push the girl or hit the girl with a balloon at age 6, to then be bullied by Corporate MBA Queen Accountant graduate of Nova Southeastern University so that she gets the response she loves most from boys in which the boys, too young to know words and language, make fun of her Fatness and Obesity in order to avoid Anger or Aggression from the girls and women. The scheme from Jennifer Olson and Josephine Fify Viera involves blocking boys into becoming heterosexually Straight so that the boys as Future men cannot reproduce with their woman as Jennifer Olson and Josephine Fify Viera get to be friends with children’s female and male Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners such as Svetlana “Lana” Schwartz and Cuban Psychiatrist Dr. Charles Anthony Barrios, as Josephine Fify Viera has openly expressed favor for children getting killed in their mothers’ wombs as fetuses in Abortions. Josephine Fify Viera has her son, Alexander Viera, an abusive, aggressive and masculinely Tall (Josephine Fify Viera is also Tall) man, as a Womanizer, Misogynist and Chauvinist — despite the boys she wrongfully accused of being bad men at ages 5 and 7 being flamboyantly feministic Gay men who Josephine Fify Viera’s son Alexander Viera picks on and bullies with her in MY HOME! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I AM DISABLED AND THE VIERAS POISONED ME IN MY FOODS WITH DRUGS BEFORE I GOT SICK! JOSEPHINE FIFY VIERA, ALEXANDER VIERA AND MARCELO VIERA II INTIMIDATED MY MOM INTO LETTING THEM INTO MY HOME AFTER I ATTEMPTED SUICIDE THE FIRST TIME AND BEFORE MY SECOND SUICIDE ATTEMPT!

[lesbakerstuff]

[photo id: Black text on a white background. The quote is in larger text than the attribution. "Normal people, when they go down a slide, they're fine." -Rhett Allain, an associate professor of physics at Southeastern Louisiana University /end id]

[stubobnumbers]

Week Nine - Saturday, Part Two.

Week Nine - Saturday, Part 2.

AAC: Charlotte at Memphis - 11 AM ESPNU. Memphis leads the series, 1-0.

Tulane at North Texas - 11 AM ESPN2. Tulane leads the series, 2-0.

Temple at East Carolina - 1 PM ESPN+. East Carolina leads the series, 10-9.

UTSA at Tulsa - 2:30 PM ESPN+. UTSA leads the series, 1-0.

OOC - Rice at Connecticut - 2:30 PM CBSSN. Connecticut leads the series, 1-0.

Mountain West: Battle For The Valley (Winner gets the Valley Trophy). San Jose State at Fresno State - 7 PM TruTV. Fresno State leads the series, 44-39-3.

Bridger's Battle (Winner gets the Bridger Rifle). Utah State at Wyoming - 6 PM CBSSN. Utah State leads the series, 40-28-4.

Nevada at Hawaii - 11 PM. Nevada leads the series, 15-13.

New Mexico at Colorado State - 5 PM. Colorado State leads the series, 44-25.

Sun Belt: Southern Mississippi at James Madison - 2:30 PM ESPN+. First meeting.

Georgia State at Appalachian State - Noon ESPN+. App State leads the series, 10-0.

UL Monroe at South Alabama - 4 PM ESPN+. The series is tied, 5-5.

Troy State at Arkansas State - 6 PM ESPN+. Arkansas State leads the series, 10-9.

MAC: Buffalo at Ohio - 11 AM CBSSN. Ohio leads the series, 18-11

Battle Of I-75 Trophy Bowling Green at Toledo - 2:30 PM ESPN+. Toledo leads the series, 43-41-4.

Central Michigan at Miami (Oh.) - 1 PM ESPN+. Miami (Oh.) leads the series, 16-13-1.

Eastern Michigan at Akron - 2:30 PM ESPN+. Akron leads the series, 19-16.

Kent State at Western Michigan - 2:30 PM ESPN+. Western Michigan leads the series, 36-20-1.

Bronze Stalk Trophy Northern Illinois at Ball State - 2:30 PM ESPN+. NIU leads the series, 25-24-2.

OOC - Wagner (FCS) at Massachusetts - 2:30 PM ESPN+. Umass leads the series, 2-0.

FCS: South Dakota Showdown Series South Dakota at South Dakota State - 6:30 PM ESPNU. South Dakota State leads 57–52–7

Princeton at Harvard 2:00 pm $espn+ Video Princeton leads 60–48–7.

Magic City Classic (Winner gets the Magic City Classic Trophy). Alabama State at Alabama A&M 2:30 pm ESPNU / ESPN Video Alabama A&M leads, 44–41–3.

MVC Missouri State at Northern Iowa - 4 PM ESPN+. North Dakota at Youngstown State - 5 PM ESPN+. North Dakota State at Murray State - 1 PM ESPN+. Southern Illinois at Indiana State - Noon ESPN+.

Big Sky Montana at Northern Colorado - 2 PM ESPN+. Eastern Washington at Idaho - 8 PM ESPN+. Sacramento State at Idaho State - 5 PM ESPN+.

CAA William & Mary at Stony Brook - 2:30 PM Flo Video. Albany at Delaware - 2 PM Flo Video. Elon at Hampton - 1 PM Flo Video. Maine at Rhode Island - Noon Flo Video. New Hampshire at Villanova - 2:30 PM Flo Video. Towson at Monmouth (NJ.) - Noon Flo Video. Richmond at Bryant University - 11 AM Flo Video. North Carolina A&T at Campbell 3:00 pm $Flo Video

Southern Conference East Tennessee State at Wofford - 1 PM ESPN+. Samford at The Citadel - 1 PM ESPN+. VMI at UT Chattanooga - 3 PM ESPN+. Western Carolina at Mercer - 2:30 PM ESPN+.

Southland Conference Houston Christian at Stephen F. Austin - 6 PM ESPN+. Incarnate Word at Southeastern Louisiana - 6 PM ESPN+. McNeese State at Nicholls State - 3 PM ESPN+. Lamar at Northwestern State. Texas A&M-Commerce at Prairie View A&M - 2:00 pm $espn+ Video

Patriot League Colgate at Merrimack 12:00 pm ?NESN+? / $espn+ Video Fordham at Lehigh 11:00 am $espn+ Video Holy Cross at Lafayette 12:30 pm $espn+ Video / LSN (cable) Bucknell at Georgetown 1:00 pm $espn+ Video

Northeast Conference CCSU at LIU 11:00 am $espn+ Video Mercyhurst at Sacred Heart 11:00 am SNY / $espn+ Video Duquesne at Stonehill 12:00 pm NEC Front Row Video Saint Francis at Robert Morris 1:00 pm TBA

Big South-OVC Charleston Southern at Tennessee Tech 1:30 pm $espn+ Video Eastern Illinois at UT Martin 2:00 pm $espn+ Video Gardner Webb at SEMO 2:00 pm $espn+ Video Western Illinois at Lindenwood 2:00 pm $espn+ Video

UAC Southern Utah at West Georgia. Utah Tech at Eastern Kentucky 2:00 pm $espn+ Video. Tarleton at Austin Peay 3:00 pm $espn+ Video. North Alabama at Central Arkansas 4:00 pm $espn+ Video

Ivy League Cornell at Brown 11:00 am NESN / $espn+ Video Dartmouth at Columbia 12:30 pm $espn+ Video

SWAC MVSU at UAPB 2:00 pm SWAC DN Video Jackson State at Bethune Cookman 2:00 pm TBA Southern at Florida A&M 6:00 pm $espn+ Video Grambling at Texas Southern 6:00 pm SWAC DN Video

(Authentic Bulgarian) MEAC Howard at Norfolk State 1:00 pm $espn+ Video Delaware State at SC State 12:30 pm $espn+ Video Morgan State at NC Central 2:30 pm $espn+ Video

Pioneer League Morehead State at Dayton 11:00 am Facebook Video Valparaiso at Marist 11:00 am $espn+ Video Butler at Davidson 12:00 pm $espn+ Video Presbyterian at Stetson 12:00 pm $espn+ Video San Diego at St. Thomas 1:00 pm $Midco Sports Plus Video

More Games FVSU at Morehouse 1:00 pm $espn+ Video Lane at Savannah State 2:00 pm $espn+ Video

[newsssc]

Lions Announce 2025 Recruiting Class

SLU Head Coach Bobby Barbier will welcome in 21 new Lions to Hammond, America for 2025 Story Links HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team has kicked off its fall practice ahead of the 2025 spring season, and does so with 21 new Lions prowling the diamond as head coach Bobby Barbier announces his recruiting class for this season.   The newcomers for 2025 include three…

[tone-pt-2]

Ok I want to talk about this because I love the history and geography of college conferences. So the reason the Ivy League is there is because of geography and sports. Most (all except Cornell) of the Ivy League schools were founded back before the US became a country. Most of the population was focused around this area, as most of the southern colonies did not have large cities and were mostly plantations. Fast forward to the mid to late 1800s and the US is expanding westward and college sports are taking off. Schools want to play other like-minded institutions, so they form conferences. Air Travel is also not possible at this point in history, so schools would want to play others that were in close proximity. Some of Ivy schools initially formed the Intercollegiate Cricket Association in the late 1800s, but it wasn’t until the 1930s that 4 schools (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and a 4th school, UPenn/Columbia, we don’t know for sure) formed a league that was called Ivy supposedly due to a sports writer using “IV” as the Roman numeral 4. The modern day Ivy League as we know it wasn’t founded until 1954, with all the teams in the post above.

Now other conferences had been formed up until this point, like the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in the southeast, the Big Ten (B1G) in the Midwest, Southwest (SWC) in Texas and Arkansas, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the mid-Atlantic coast, and the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) on the pacific coast. These conferences were heavily garnered by geography, but also the style of institution, i.e. Ivy League being prestigious private schools, SEC being mostly public land grant universities, etc.

There was however talks of making another conference after the modern Ivy League was established called the magnolia league. This would be academically-inclined private souther universities, which included Duke in North Carolina, Tulane in Louisiana, Vanderbilt in Tennessee, Southern Methodist University and Rice University in Texas, and Emory University in Georgia. Nothing came from this, but there are other very good schools in the US, like Northwestern in Chicago and Stanford right outside San Francisco. But due to the fact that population density has always favored the northeast US, these schools have been around for a long time, and were always in the vicinity of each other when it came to sports.

So yeah, it’s mostly sports that caused this to happen.

The Ivy League Universities of the USA

[lboogie1906]

Jacoby Rashi’d Jones (July 11, 1984 – July 14, 2024) was a football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the NFL. Selected in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft by the Houston Texans, he played with the Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, and Pittsburgh Steelers before playing with the Monterrey Steel of the National Arena League.

He played college football for the Lane College Dragons. He played for the Ravens and was selected for the Pro Bowl. He was known for two of the most memorable plays in the 2012 NFL playoffs as a member of the Ravens: catching a 70-yard game-tying touchdown pass in the final seconds of regulation in the AFC Divisional playoff game against the Broncos, which led the Ravens to double overtime victory; and a 108-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII against the 49ers, the longest play in Super Bowl history.

He grew up in New Orleans East. He attended St. Augustine High School and Marion Abramson High School. His godfather and the assistant principal of Abramson advised him to transfer to that school. He was a letterman in football, basketball, and track. In basketball, he was an All-Metropolitan selection and an All-Area selection. In track, he was an All-Metropolitan selection and an All-Area selection, with a personal best of 10.28 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.3 seconds in the 200 meters.

He enrolled on a track scholarship at Southeastern Louisiana University but transferred to Lane College. He became a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference player in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons as well as a punt/kick returner. He was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.

He signed a one-day contract with the Ravens to retire as a member of the team.

He returned to his alma mater when he was named wide receivers coach. Calvert Hall College High School appointed him to a similar capacity. He coached the tight ends at Morgan State University. He joined the coaching staff at Alabama State University.

He was the first star announced to be on Season 16 of Dancing With the Stars. He partnered with Karina Smirnoff, they came in third place. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[tajsamedaytour]

LSU baseball

The collegiate baseball program at Louisiana State University, situated in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is known as LSU baseball, or simply Louisiana State University baseball. The NCAA Division I Southeastern Conference (SEC) is home to the LSU Tigers baseball team, which has a long history of success in collegiate baseball.

Past Events and Accomplishments: Titles Won: The LSU Tigers baseball team has been the national champions in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, and 2009, among other years. LSU's status as one of the most prosperous programs in college baseball history was cemented with these titles.

Conference Dominance: LSU baseball has been a perennial contender in the SEC, winning multiple regular-season and SEC Tournament championships.

Tradition and Supporter Base: Alex Box Stadium: Known for its exciting atmosphere and fervent fan base, Alex Box Stadium, also known as Skip Bertman Field, serves as home field for the LSU Tigers baseball team. Dedicated to the memory of famous LSU coach Skip Bertman, the stadium offers a distinctive venue for collegiate baseball in the South.

Rivalries: The Mississippi State Bulldogs, Ole Miss Rebels, and Arkansas Razorbacks are just a few of the SEC teams with which LSU baseball is fiercely competitive. These matches frequently attract sizable audiences and foster intense rivalry and enthusiasm.

Success with the MLB Draft: Player Development: LSU baseball has a proven track record of producing elite players for the MLB Draft. A large number of former LSU athletes have achieved great success in professional baseball, with multiple players selected by the MLB every year.

graduates Success: Players from LSU have achieved success at the pinnacle of the sport, and graduates have made major contributions to the MLB. In professional baseball, a number of former LSU Tigers have been selected for All-Star teams, won World Series titles, and received other honors.

Community Engagement: The LSU baseball team participates in outreach projects, charitable events, and youth baseball leagues as part of its active involvement in the Baton Rouge community. Coaches and players interact with supporters on a regular basis and give back to the community that helps them. In conclusion, LSU baseball symbolizes a legacy of quality, sportsmanship, and community spirit, earning it a unique place in the hearts of supporters and alums. LSU baseball is a source of pride for the Louisiana State University community and a major force in collegiate baseball thanks to its illustrious past, fervent fan base, and dedication to excellence.

Whether they are following the team's progress from a distance or from the stands at Alex Box Stadium, LSU baseball fans may be proud of the program's illustrious past and promising future.

Please inquire if you need any additional details or if you have any other questions!

ALSO READ-

Utilize Ranthambore: Tour to Discover the Golden Triangle Through Same-Day Tour Company Taj With the Golden Triangle Tour With Ranthambore provided by Taj Same Day Tour Company, you may experience an amazing tour through India's Golden Triangle together with the excitement of Ranthambore National Park. This all-inclusive trip transports guests on an enthralling journey to discover the rich cultural legacy, striking sites, and unique fauna of Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, and Ranthambore.

The Taj Same Day Tour Company: Why Choose It? Professional Handbooks: Take advantage of the knowledge and experience of seasoned tour guides who offer perceptive commentary and guarantee an engaging and unforgettable trip.

Comfortable Transportation: Enjoy a hassle-free and delightful journey between places by traveling in elegance and comfort in contemporary air-conditioned cars.

Tailored Itinerary: Savor a specially designed itinerary that offers a one-of-a-kind and remarkable travel experience by fusing the wildlife adventure of Ranthambore with the delights of the Golden Triangle.

Highlights of Ranthambore's Golden Triangle Tour Day 1: Historical Landmarks and Exploration in Delhi Start your adventure in Delhi, the energetic capital of India, and discover its historical sites, such as the magnificent Red Fort, the well-known India Gate, and the striking Qutub Minar.

Cultural Immersion: Take in Delhi's rich history and culture by visiting its vibrant bazaars, historic temples, and busy marketplaces. Take in the vibrant ambiance of the city while shopping for gifts and sampling delectable street cuisine.

Day 2: Exploration of Agra Visit the Taj Mahal: One of the Seven Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Taj Mahal is a sight to behold. Come to the charming city of Agra to experience its amazing splendor. Discover the fascinating history and architectural significance of this recognizable monument by exploring it.

Visit the magnificent Agra Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a representation of Mughal majesty and power, to continue your exploration of Agra. Discover its exquisite gardens, courtyards, and palaces. From the ramparts of the fort, take in sweeping vistas of the Taj Mahal.

Day 3: Exploration of Jaipur Explore the vivid culture and architectural marvels of Jaipur, popularly referred to as the "Pink City," on a sightseeing excursion. Marvel at the exquisite designs of the Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds), visit the magnificent Amber Fort, and peruse the elaborate City Palace.

Experience the excitement of a wildlife safari in Ranthambore National Park, which is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, including the magnificent Bengal tiger. Take a jeep or canter safari through the park's vast grasslands and lush woodlands to see exotic animals in their native environment.

Day 4: Go back to Delhi Final Wanderings: Take advantage of your last day to take in everything that Delhi has to offer by visiting some of your favorite spots or finding some new, undiscovered treasures.

Departure: Say goodbye to Ranthambore and the Golden Triangle as you return to Delhi, where you can reminisce about the priceless moments and experiences you had throughout your visit.

In summary Ranthambore's Golden Triangle Tour Travelers may experience the finest of India's natural beauty and legacy with By Taj Same Day Tour Company's distinctive blend of wildlife adventure and cultural exploration. This tour promises an amazing experience full of exploration, excitement, and cultural immersion—whether you're gazing at the architectural treasures of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur or experiencing the thrill of tiger sightings in Ranthambore.

With Taj Same Day Tour Company, plan your Golden Triangle Tour with Ranthambore today and set out on an incredible journey.

[nvr-pass]

[image description: a tweet by tinytachyon. it contains a screenshot of a quote by rhett allain, an associate professor of physics at southeastern louisiana university, that reads "normal people, when they go down a slide, they're fine." the screenshot is captioned "[in perfect kim kitsuragi voice]" /end ID]



INTERFACING - You fuck it up. Your juvenile glee at finding a slide leads you to swing down into the pipe far too fast. INLAND EMPIRE - Like the child you used to be. AUTHORITY - But you are not a child any more. ELECTRO-CHEMISTRY - Fuck that shit, bomb it down there and scream the whole time! PHYSICAL INSTRUMENT - We can take it. We can always take it. PAIN THRESHOLD - Pain, radiant and sharp, jolts through you. You can not, in fact, take it. [Health -1] REACTION SPEED - You fly out of the slide, propelled by your weight and your enthusiasm. ENDURANCE - The metal jars against you, then you're sliding over the harsh ground instead. COMPOSURE - You land heavily at Kim's feet, and begin to whine like a child with a scraped knee. ESPRIT DE CORPS - His infinitesimal regard for you as a normal human being is so dead at this point he's not even surprised. KIM KITSURAGI - "Normal people, when they go down a slide, they're fine." AUTHORITY - He's questioning your authority! VOLITION - Sitting on the floor and crying after being beaten up by a slide, you have precious little authority to question. [Morale -1]