Smokeout a Bust; Names

It is a gorgeous day outside - bright blue skies, a few high clouds, temperature is 63 right now.  I've been to the store and grabbed what I need to make the upside-down cake; I'll head over to Kathy's later this morning.  My kits are going in and out the patio door, and all has been quiet, until I typed that sentence.  There is a family of 7 ravens that are scolding Nedi and Lovey in the back yard right now, so it definitely isn't quiet.  Nedi has turned into a very lackadaisical squirrel hunter - I think he just enjoys watching them, and seeing if he can make them run away from him.
   The 4/20 Smokeout event turned into a big nothing in Boulder.  Last year, there were over 10,000 participants, and it cost the University $55,000 to handle it.  This year, they spent almost three times that amount - instead of a huge crowd, between 300 and 700 students (and others) gathered in Central Park, next to the Public Library, and then marched south on Broadway to the CU campus.  Norlin Quad was surrounded by "Do Not Cross This Line" tape, so the crowd went on to the Physics Quad, (with police watching), and lit up at 4:20.  Three people were arrested for trespassing (they crossed the yellow police tape lines); 11 were ticketed for trespassing; and one lone person was ticketed for possession of marijuana.   -  In Denver, several thousand people congregated, and lit up at 4:20 in one of their public parks.
   I had to laugh yesterday: there was a write-up about names that used to be used frequently, and are not used often now.  Among the boys' names were Donald, Richard, and Ronald.  The girls' names included Betty (my name), Linda and Mary.  Having been researching my brother-in-law's family, I'd like to add the following names to the list:  Boys - Achiacus, Amslic, Arieh, Eliphalet, Epaphras, Erastus, Jabez, Melancton, Mephibosheth, and Tyxhal; Girls - Abiatha, Hepzibah, Mahala, Mehitabel, Oddie, Philura, Theodate, Zenobia, and Zeruiah.  (And Spell-Check highlighted every name, except Jabez and Mahala.)
   Tomorrow is Earth Day!  Celebrate our past, and our future...  plant a growing green thing - a tree, a bush, herbs, or a flowering plant.  (I'm planting catnip!)  Without Earth, we wouldn't be around........

CU Boulder Closing Campus To Public Next Friday

For almost 50 years, the students of the University of Colorado at Boulder have held "the Great Smokeout" on April 20.  Not cigarettes and/or cigars.  It is a celebration and gathering of like-minded thinkers to literally blow smoke into the faces of police offices and college officials.  Weed. Grass. Mary Jane. Wild wood flower. Loco-weed. Marry-ju-wanna. Marijuana.  I grew up with Gainesville Green, Micanopy Madness, August Alachua, Windsor Wild weed, and Waldo Whack.  After all, I was a teen in Gainesville, home of the Gators - a college town.  In any event - and not to start any controversy - I, personally, believe that marijuana use should be legalized.  Folks here in Boulder have been thumbing their noses at authority for quite some time on April 20 - and without a huge police crackdown.   Last year more than 10,000 people showed up at the Norlin Quad for the smokeout - and more than half of the people there were not CU students.  Norlin Quad itself has three functioning teaching halls and one of the best libraries on campus; with more than 10,000 people packed into the Quad, it is very difficult to move from class to class, or to visit the library.
   But CU is going to close the campus to outsiders next Friday, and only those people who have pre-registered to be on campus will be allowed past security.  CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard cited a Boulder campus rule  - "Campus Use of Facilities" - that allows the chancellor to restrict access because of weather, safety concerns or "disruption."  He said that the April 20 closure falls into the latter category.  "This is definitely a measure that is unique, " Hilliard said.  "That should be a signal to people that we are very serious about ending this event on our campus."  The closure has ignited concerns from the Boulder County chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has asked its lawyers to look into the legality of closing a public college campus. Several weeks ago, the campus had already notified the public that no parking would be available on campus the day of April 20.
    Because of the shut down of the campus, one of the Student groups has arranged for a free concert (for students only) at the Coors Pepsi Center with singer Wyclef Jean, scheduled to start at 1 in the afternoon.  This is intended to keep the students out of trouble.  However, several grad students have opined that with Norlin Quad a "no-go" and the campus closed to visitors, that the Smokeout will spread throughout downtown Boulder and that there will be several riots.  VT had asked me a couple of weeks ago if he, as Security, should be worried about next Friday - I told him, "Of course not!"  Now, I'm not so sure....