Off Topic - What School?

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Mike Dixon and Jay sure brought back fond memories of Ann Arbor, MI.

I was born at the Univ. of Mich. hospital, grew up in A2, got most of my first photo books when I caught the bug from the original and first Borders, bought my LP's from the last great record stores Schoolkids and Discount where Iggy Pop stocked the shelves (now closed, still open, respectively), ate the worlds greatest burgers Blimpy (open), bought my first serious Nikon at Big George's (open), was graduated from U of M, and still bleed BLUE, even if perenially disappointed! Listened to the 1998 Rose Bowl over the web while in London.

I haven't seem a real game in years, but I am scheduled to be stateside this year and may get a chance, GO BLUE!

-- chris chen (chrischen@msn.com), March 30, 2002

Answers

BA in English literature/chemistry at Vanderbilt University. MPH in environmental health science at Yale... Survived both places...

Go blue too! I am a big U of Mich football fan too. After all, Ivy League football is lousy.

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), March 30, 2002.


Alfie,

Trivia question for you: Where did the term Ivy League come from?

.....Roman numeral IV for the four original schools 8^)

-- chris chen (chrischen@msn.com), March 30, 2002.


Alfie: Ivy league football is not "lousy" it is just simply different!! After all, most of the Ivy players do graduate and make something of their lives... I enjoyed fall saturdays rooting for Columbia and later on Harvard... Go Lions!!!! Go Crimson!!!

-- Albert Knapp MD (albertknappmd@mac.com), March 30, 2002.

bully for you, mr. knapp MD. i'll be that leica makes some nice jewelry.

-- gwen sizemore (gwesz564@ucstb.edu), March 30, 2002.

Sorry, Chris. The term "Ivy League" first appeared in a column by Caswell Adams in the New York Tribune in 1937, though the first "Ivy Group" agreement between the eight schools wasn't signed until 1945. While no longer dominant in football the League has for many years inflicted and will continue to inflict pain and humiliation on the Big Ten through the efforts of Joe Paterno,Brown'50...........

-- david kelly, Brown '60 (dmkedit@aol.com), March 30, 2002.


Oh we're comparing notes on education/majors eh? Well, I enjoy CU Boulder's football this past season, seeings how we kicked some major a**. I am a doctoral candidate in mathematics here, and hopefully I can kick the comprehensive exams' a**es and get on with a dissertation. Governing dynamics (anyone watch that movie?) and original work are what I want, anyone can prove what's been there (countless generations of mathematicians have). Anyway, U. Of Mich. is another school that's a great public institution. It comes down to living where you want to and doing what you want to...that's priceless gentlemen.

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), March 30, 2002.

david et al: i tackled the "ivy league" genesis question several years ago in my column for the boston herald, "good question!" the story may still be available in lexis-nexis "arcnws." in fact, caswell adams was almost certainly not the originator of the phrase, although his use of the term almost certainly popularized it. improbable as it may sound, the league of four or IV league etymology may be the correct one. there is no question that numerous newspapers in the '20s used the abbreviation IV league to refer to that early, elite sports combine. in addition, several college newspapers used the phrase "ivy league" before adams, probably based on the newpaper usage. it is also significant to note that the phrase "ivy colleges" to refer to certain eastern schools (and not just the current ivies -- the earliest reference applies the term to amherst and williams) was used in the late 1800s. etymologies are very tough, and sadly it is often the most pedestrian explanation for the origin of a word that turns out to be the true one.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 30, 2002.

Funny thing,

I don't USE anything I "learned" from college for what I do today, which is mostly "common sense". I guess it was just another hurdle we, in this society, have to fulfill to get where we are in order to make a life. In fact, my temporary offices are always lined w/my recent archives, such that I may remind myself that I have a creative side - left brain/right brain balance.

-- chris chen (chrischen@msn.com), March 30, 2002.


hate to trot out an old warhorse, chris, but: college (school in general) is less about learning what to think, than learning how to think. you mite have taken away more from the experience than you realize. then again, maybe you just drank a whole lot!!! :)

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 30, 2002.

As your doppelganger, I guess I should weigh in here. Honorary cheesehead (born in Wisconsin), but grew up in the small but great state of Maryland (unofficial motto: "Kicking Delaware's Ass Since 1632"), attended the Univ. of California (go Bears!) for undergrad & Northwestern Univ. for law school. Almost everyone else in my family (incl. my grandfather), however, attended the Univ. of Maryland & I'm quite happy to see that they'll now be playing for the NCAA nat'l championship on Monday--GO TERPS!

-- Chris Chen (Wash., DC) (furcafe@NOSPAMcris.com), March 30, 2002.


roger,

In chem. eng. there was not much time to sleep much less drink. Only TWO credit hours of electives in four years! So, if one wanted to take, say, photography, art history, biology, music history, etc., which I did, one had to stay in school longer or during the summer. Those profs were sadists.

BTW, I did learn how to recognize anti-semitism; never saw it before, Ann Arbor being a well mixed place.

I saved my valuable drinking time for now.

-- chris chen (chrischen@msn.com), March 31, 2002.


chris -- what the deuce are you talking about?? doppelgangers, anti- semitism??? i just made a joke about college drinking, not an unknown phenomenon.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), April 01, 2002.

Roger:

There are 2 Chris Chens who post to this list & I'm not the 1 who posted this question (you must realize that amongst Chinese people, the surname Chen is like Smith for the English or Kim for Koreans). Since I don't post nearly as prolifically as the other Chris Chen, I use the "Chris Chen (Wash., DC)" tag line to distinguish myself (BTW, a doppelganger is a "ghostly double or wraith of a living person"). As to the Ann Arbor Chris Chen's reference to anti-semitism, I haven't a clue as to what prompted it.

-------

"chris -- what the deuce are you talking about?? doppelgangers, anti- semitism??? i just made a joke about college drinking, not an unknown phenomenon."

-- Chris Chen (Wash., DC) (furcafe@NOSPAMcris.com), April 01, 2002.


thanks CC2, you have cleared up half the mystery. perhaps the answer to the other half is refelcted in the sudden spike in CC1 OT posts, and what that says about the poster's mood.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), April 01, 2002.

My first post - I've been a happy Leica user and visit this forum frequently for entertainment purposes. I've never felt compelled to contribute until reading the final line is this particular post. My response:

GO ILLINI!!!!

-- Pat McEnroe (MacDaddy) (elcaptain88@yahoo.com), April 02, 2002.



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