Best of our TU Community Blogs, September 17, 2015: Ten for Thursday

Here we are, once again enjoying a Thursday morning (or “Friday Eve,” depending on your outlook), and it’s time for the recap of blogs from the Times Union’s community blogging team. And this week’s grouping does not disappoint.  In fact, why don’t we start with… Professor Warren Roberts’ blog, “A word about fraternities.”  (Read this…

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K-Chuck Radio: Goodbye to my 78’s…

My friend John Gabriel – yes, the Time Warner Cable News traffic reporter and announcer, the man who has a complete collection of old WTRY and WPTR weekly survey playlists – recently acquired a jukebox.  Not just any jukebox… the man owns a 1949 Seeburg M-100-A. the first jukebox to play 100 78 RPM selections…

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Return to the Durham Fair

I trimmed a few “competition season” competitions from my 2015 exhibitions.  I didn’t enter the Iowa State Fair or the Washington State Fair this year; and after what happened in the Vermont State Fair last year, they’re on my naughty list until further notice. But I did decide to return to one competition this season;…

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Is this “busking,” “extreme panhandling” or “cop-taunting”?

I saw this post on the subreddit r/albany the other day; apparently last week a local singer took time to set up his guitar and played songs in a storefront entranceway at the corner of State and North Pearl Streets. What happened next was captured on video.  Apparently a police officer told the singer that…

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My 2015 Big E photo entries are…

This is a nice streak to achieve.  In the past three Big E photography competitions, I’ve garnered a ribbon for every photo I’ve entered.  That’s a nice breakthrough, I think.  Nine for nine in entries, including blue ribbons for Poestenkill Cascade, The Jumbuck and Jesus Saves.  Other pictures, including Midnight at the Palace Theater, Beecher…

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Saturday morning TV shows hosted by … WHO??

The golden age of Saturday morning TV shows probably started around the mid-1960’s, and died off around the mid-1990’s.  But during that time, the three (four) networks offered several hours of animated action and adventure shows – as well as some live-action programs.  Some of the shows were quite entertaining; others probably involved a few…

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We remember…

We remember the morning. We remember the newscasts. We remember the smoke coming out of the north tower. We remember seeing the plane crashing into the south tower. We remember two American Airlines planes. We remember two United Airlines planes. We remember a plane crashing into the Pentagon. We remember a town called Shanksville, Pennsylvania.…

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Best of our TU Community Blogs, September 10, 2015: Ten for Thursday

Something I want to mention before I do this week’s recap. On occasion, I will get a post or an e-mail or a Facebook message from someone who’s suggested that one of my blog posts be listed among the Ten for Thursday recap.  And while I’m humbled and flattered by the response, I’ve made it…

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This will teach me to not leave my film in the car for three months…

It was a beautiful sunny, summer June day.  And I was outside, taking pictures of the lakehouse in Washington Park with my Krasnogorsk FT-2 “Raskolnikov” camera. I wanted to test out some Fuji Velvia slide film in the camera, and since I had taped up part of the camera’s interior to reduce its fixed aperture…

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I won’t vote for Dan Egan because…

One thing you will always know about me.  Do the right thing by me, treat me with respect, and I will be as loyal as a puppy.  But if you ever do me wrong – if you hurt me, if you swindle me, if I still have knife marks in my back – then you…

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