Tuesday, October 17
Mumps outbreak: It’s official
The Thomas Jefferson Health District confirmed today that three of 17 UVA students with symptoms comparable with mumps have come down with the disease. As stipulated by the Centers for Disease Control, three confirmed infections of mumps officially qualifies as an outbreak, according to a press release from the University. After an infection has been verified, a student can either return home until fully recovered or move into a special quarantine zone dubiously titled the “Mumps House” by Patricia M. Lampkin, vice president and chief student affairs officer. One can only hope that Lampkin will go one step further and install a series of webcams so the public can witness all the drama that goes down.
Wednesday, October 18
What’s quakin’?
If you felt the ground move beneath you while hanging out in southern Virginia yesterday, it was no lovesick swoon but in fact a micro-quake, meaning it had a Richter magnitude below 3, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. (By comparison, the two earthquakes that hit Hawaii recently were a 5.8 and a 6.3, making our own quake this week by far the smallest kid on the playground.) The earthquake’s center was near Winston-Salem, North Carolina, but was felt as far as Smithfield, Virginia, 205 miles away. Those who felt it described it in the Times-Dispatch as “a large boom that lasted just a second or two.” Almost 900 people in 37 zip codes reported they felt the quake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. No injuries or damage were reported. Virginia has merely moderate quake risks similar to other southeastern states—it’s along the same Appalachian bedrock faults.
Thursday, October 19
Barber plans to cut from Giants
Citing his range of interests off the field, 31-year-old Tiki Barber, the New York Giants’ all-time leading rusher, today announced that he will retire from the game at the end of this season. Barber is a 1997 graduate of UVA where he and his twin Ronde made outstanding contributions on the gridiron. “I’m a diverse person,” Barber told the Associated Press. “I have a lot of interests and I’ve never wanted to be solely defined as a football player.” O.K., how about as a millionaire? Barber and his brother (who plays cornerback with the Tampa Bay Buccanneers) joined UVA’s capital campaign kickoff last month, pledging $1 million. Barber reportedly will earn $4.15 million with the Giants this season.
Friday, October 20
Fiasco? No kidding.
Nothing like an impending election to make the Miller Center Forum discussions seem ever more relevant. Thomas E. Ricks, a reporter for The Washington Post, presents his book Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq at the Miller Center today. Ricks spoke with Bush Administration officials, visited Iraq extensively and sifted through thousands of documents, all to the effect of: The administration is blind to what’s going on over there. The book spent several weeks on The New York Times best-seller list—Ricks signed copies after his talk. More drumbeats to a potential congressional turnover follow in the Miller Center’s programming, which is heavily focused on terror, the war and foreign policy, all hotbed issues for anyone seeking to call himself “senator” next month.
Saturday, October 21
Eeewwwwwww, hotel rooms
The travel section of today’s Los Angeles Times reports on a study by UVA researchers that promises to make you a little more grossed out the next time you’re stuck in a fleabag motel for the night. According to the study, rhinoviruses (which cause colds) can hang around on door handles, remote controls and light switches for as long as 18 hours after contamination. So wash your hands! And then, turn off the water using a Kleenex: Faucet handles are another site of possible infection.
Sunday, October 22
Advantage Charlottesville?
“The low cost of living, high quality of life, four distinct seasons, and low crime rate make Charlottesville one of the most livable places in America.” Nope, that’s not from a City press release; it’s a declaration by Tennis Magazine, which in its November/December issue identifies Charlottesville as one of a half-dozen best locations where “tennis players can spend their retirement years in bliss.” Other locations to earn the dubious distinction include Charleston and Hilton Head, South Carolina; La Quinta, California; Palm Coast, Florida; and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Monday, October 23
Where’s the love, sportswriters?
So the UVA football team might not be so good this year—we’re resigned to the fact that we probably won’t make a bowl game this year. But surely the men’s basketball team—with a slew of new recruits to complement All-ACC guards Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds—will finish above the mean in the ACC. Yet ACC sportswriters don’t think so: They pick UVA to finish eighth of 12 teams in the conference this year, according to today’s Raleigh News & Observer—that’s two spots lower than Virginia Tech. Of course, UNC and Duke top the list.
