star2city

Interesting photo from space, showing the lights (rigs and nat gas burning) in the Bakken. It's lit up like Chicagoland. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/archive/2011/11/north_dakotas_boom_from_space.shtml Hopefully, the gas will be put to real use soon. Five natural gas processing plants are being built or expanded (each hundreds of millions of $) near Williston, Watford City, and Tioga. The additional problem is that raw gas lines have to be built to the processing plants, and more pipeline infrastructure has to be built to move the gas and nat gas liguids out of state. Hess is building an ethane pipeline from Tioga to Alberta, and ONEOK is building a nat gas liquids pipeline from Williston to connect with it's processing plant in Kansas. Basin Electric also announced that they will be building a nat gas burning electric plant near Williston. There's also a diesel refinery that's on track to be built near Willston. Just to deal with the natural gas, there will be over $2 billion in projects in the Williston area.

A lot of older people don't want a house any more, so they sold and move to a rental when rents were cheap. North Dakota doesn't allow rent control, as rent control in most cases hands "ownership" to the renter - like in NYC. It is tragic that people have to move, but there are probably many more older people that are leaving Williston because they made a fortune selling their house. That certainly isn't tragic. It's going to take years for the housing market to catch up in WIlliston. Just today, one of the smaller oil companies in the area, Kodiak, announced next year it will spend $500 mill on drilling (vs. $200 mill now). That one company is spending more than twice all of the construction in Fargo one year. The amount of capital moving into Williston Bakken (including Watford City, Dickinson, Tioga, Stanley, etc) will be in the tens of billions annually.

What the media doesn't seem to want to talk about is that Paterno almost certainly knew about Sandusky preying on young boys as early as 1998. Someone in the Penn State organization knew that Sandusky was bringing in young boys to the Penn State football locker rooms then and showering with them. The Penn State police had made Sandusky promise that he wouldn't shower with young boys then. Paterno had to have known that then - in 1998. Sandusky took a Second Mile boy with him to the 1999 Alamo Bowl as well as other bowl games. Penn State officials knew this and allowed it. Sandusky's trip to the Alamo Bowl with the young boy raised eyebrows with Alamo Bowl officials and with ESPN personnel. The State of Texas is investigating the events associated with that Alamo Bowl. Sandusky resigned mysteriously after that season, in spite of Sandusky being Paterno's heir apparent. No other universities pursued Sandusky after his resignation - in spite of Sandusky being a major reason for Penn State having a rep as linebacker U. In my view, in 1998 / 1999, Paterno did not want the Sandusky situation to cause embarrassment to either Penn State football or Paterno's precious reputation. Paterno chose to sweep the Sandusky situation under the rug then, in 1998. A number of janitors saw Sandusky in the showers with young boys well after the Penn State police had talked with Sandusky. But the janitors all expressed fear that they would lose their jobs if they told. Paterno ruled the Penn State athletic department with an iron fist. What Paterno wanted is how it happened, even with the Penn State police. When Paterno was again faced by new allegations by McQueary, that Sandusky was seen raping a child in the Penn St showers in 2002, Paterno acted to protect himself and the football program by asking the AD and VP to trivialize what happened. Just imagine, over the years, the Penn State staff - including Paterno and McQueary - saw Sandusky bring an untold number of boys to Penn State practices and other events. As late as 2007, Sandusky was at a Penn State event with a boy from Second Mile. As late as last week, Sandusky still had access to the Penn State football complex. http://espn.go.com/c...ach-joe-paterno

Congrats to the team! And to Mussman (who I have spoken very harshly about). The defense has really stepped up for nearly the entire season. Beat USD and a lot of the discouragement the fan base felt earlier will be forgotten.

NKU will announce DI move shortly: http://www.eaglecountryonline.com/news.php?nID=2555

http://www.themonroetimes.com/main.asp?SectionID=6&SubSectionID=6&ArticleID=27180&TM=63826.87 Juda H.S. has 90 students.

Roebuck has had success bringing in small quick guards: Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/sports/stevens-girls-trio-sign-letters-to-dakota-schools/article_5605b98e-0b50-11e1-8336-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1dN1SFvaj

Definitely some athletic talent coming to UND in Chelsea Moser http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20100909/PREPSSPORTS/9090342/Five-volleyball-players-watch

UND has signed Emma Weinreich, a 6 1 three year starter from Arroyo Grande HS (near Santa Barbara) Links to follow.

To be in the top 10, a value of at least $250 mill is probably needed. Those three probably make the list. Strange that they are all Canadian. Look for founders of companies - even private ones. One of my siblings friends from college is probably on that list. Brighter, nicer, more decent human being would be difficult to find. He started his own business - which is now a semi-national chain - and also owns a regional medical business and an oil field. Gives a lot to charities - mostly faith-based - but periodically do see him listed on UND events.

Question for Davis fans: Why has your program floundered after the move up from DI? I ask that with all due respect. In DII, UCDavis did fantastically well in spite of zero / nada / none scholarships. Now at the FCS level, with 63 scholarships and a new facility, the Aggies are just plain mediocre. Why isn't UCDavis better? Honestly, when your move up to DI was first announced, I thought your program would quickly challenge Montana for western FCS supremacy. That simply hasn't happened. What is holding back the Aggie program?

If ever a program deserved the death penalty for what it allowed (that's you - Joe Paterno - by keeping everything in house), it is Penn State. But since this crap is criminal rather than NCAA regulations, the NCAA won't even give Penn State a slap on the wrist. Victims numbers double at http://www.myfoxphil...ate-case-110811 Washington Post demands an end to Penn State football: http://www.washingto...oiL0M_blog.html Grand Jury Findings of Fact (warning: absolutely no children) http://www.post-gaze...presentment.pdf

If you're not one of the losers on bisonville - you certainly post like them - like the meltdown a month ago on genitalia (almost identical to posts by that loser in Toronto.) You're on ignore.

Missouri is officially in the SEC. Boise St is working behind the scenes on its non-football conference and is also attempting to bet San Diego St into the Big East for football (to keep a California presence on its schedule). All this movement could actually lead to an opportunity for UND to upgrade it's non-football conference. If the WAC becomes a non-football conference, they could be looking for more teams. 1. Perhaps the Big Sky wouldn't have a problem if we kept football in the Big Sky (which could add Idaho football and go to 14 teams with divisions), but moved other sports to the WAC. By affiliating with the WAC, the Big Sky would be down to 10 members, which is much more ideal than 11 for travel purposes. UND maybe could get the same football deal as Cal Poly and UCDavis and possibly Idaho. 2. A WAC would yield higher level recruits in almost all sports. 3. The WAC would have more academic and sports visibility. 4. UND could then align with Denver more closely. Denver is a school that has a mutual interest in aligning with us. A new non-football WAC could look like this: Boise St (football in Big East) Air Force (football in Big East) Denver Seattle Idaho (football in Big Sky or independent) Utah Valley St N Mexico St (football in Sun Belt) Bakersfield UT-Arlington (if it doesn't go back to the Southland) North Dakota (football in Big Sky) Assumes La Tech, UTSA, Texas St obtain CUSA or Sun Belt membership. Also assumes Utah State and San Jose St gain MWC membership.

Kalen DeBoer Granted, some SIU fans aren't exactly fond of him either. SIU's offense hasn't exactly been lighting up the scoreboard. http://www.siusalukis.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/deboer_kalen00.html

This is horrible as a fan, but I honestly hoped that the FG would be missed - just so change would be forced with the direction of our program. There's absolutely no excuse why this team couldn't be up for this game - even if the crowd isn't.

I personally don't think Bubba has the makeup to be a head coach. Neither does Mussman for that matter. Both are most comfortable teaching, not leading. Get the USF coach, now at SIU, or get Nielsen at UMD. Nielsen could later be our AD when Faison retires.

There's increasingly chatter that CUSA might invite FCS schools like Missouri State and Old Dominion or Charlotte as non-football-playing schools, to help create better defined east and west divisions (and give East Carolina and Tulsa travel partners). The schools invited would have the option of later moving to FBS.

http://rockcenter.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/04/8620188-oil-boom-brings-growing-pains-to-north-dakota-town 23,000 people now, 46,000 later in the decade.

How many fans can really be passionate about a team that may have lost twice to Sioux Falls? Losing to Cal Poly, S Utah, or even Idaho badly is somewhat understandable and forgiveable. But Sioux Falls? In a year they really aren't that good?

Brainerd workers moving to land of prosperity: North Dakota http://brainerddispatch.com/lifestyle/2011-11-04/area-residents-take-land-prosperity-north-dakota#.TrWQivQr27s Gallatin Valley workers head to Bakken http://www.kxlf.com/news/bakken-boom-housing-scarce-as-montanans-and-others-flock-to-n-dakota-for-work/ Montana businesses find new life in Bakken http://www.kxlf.com/news/bakken-boom-belgrade-business-finds-new-life-thanks-to-north-dakota-oil-boom/ Oil prompts building boom in Bismarck-Mandan http://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/oil-boom-prompts-more-building-in-bismarck-mandan/article_de98a5fe-0718-11e1-bf45-001cc4c03286.html

If it meant the UND coaching staff gets a housecleaning, a loss might be worth it.

The WAC probably lives on as a non-football conference, and Idaho moves football only to the Big Sky. That would create good north/ south divisions. Idaho screwed up by not meeting the facility standards, especially for a conference where everyone else has much larger stadiums. If Idaho was closer to league like the MAC, the MAC really wouldn't have had a problem with Idaho like Mountain West does. What Idaho really needed (and still may push for) is a bunch of Big Sky schools to move up. The WAC exit fees may really pile up, so whoever is left may get the WAC's treasury as a consolation prize. When Idaho first moved up, Idaho actually had to use Wazzou's stadium in Pullman to satisfy the FBS then stadium requirements. Maybe that still would be possible, but not sure Wazzou or the Mountain West would go for that.

San Jose St and Utah St in discussions with the Mountain West http://www.mercurynews.com/sjsu-spartans/ci_19258567 San Diego St making overtures to Big East about membership Boise St is reportedly pushing for San Diego St as a Big East football member, as Boise needs to maintain a presence in California for recruiting. Air Force and, especially, Navy would like to see San Diego St included. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/oct/25/sdsu-tries-ride-realignment-wave/

It will be interesting to see what kind of recruiting class Hardee will announce in December. When Nikki Husfeldt announced her commitment to UND, the Twin Cities volleyball community was gushing on message boards about what a great pick up she was and seemed surprised she chose UND. They were right about her talent: Husfeldt stepped in and replaced an all-conference starter immediately as a freshman. With the Betty (absolutely perfect for volleyball - few schools can match that facility for the sport), the Big Sky, NCAA eligibility, and Hardee's recruiting ability, perhaps the coming class will have more surprises.