Test 2

Welcome news to anyone who is a fan of the continuity of the MCU:

Sony and Disney have announced they will team up for a third film in the Spider-Man Homecoming series.
Marvel Studios and President Kevin Feige will produce the film starring Tom Holland, which has a release date of July 16, 2021. Spider-Man will also have an appearance in a future MCU film, as arranged with the partnership.

[snip]

"I am thrilled that Spidey’s journey in the MCU will continue, and I and all of us at Marvel Studios are very excited that we get to keep working on it," [Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige] said in a statement. "Spider-Man is a powerful icon and hero whose story crosses all ages and audiences around the globe. He also happens to be the only hero with the superpower to cross cinematic universes, so as Sony continues to develop their own Spidey-verse you never know what surprises the future might hold."

I'm sure fans are alight with glee at the news. But, the best response that I have seen comes from Peter Parker himself, Tom Holland (via Instagram):

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tom Holland (@tomholland2013) on Sep 27, 2019 at 8:41am PDT

Y-E-S.

There's a lot that is being discussed at the 2019 NACAC National Conference. Of course at the top of mind for many in our profession is the continued fallout from the Varsity Blues admissions bribery scandal, as well as the impending court decision regarding affirmative action and Harvard University. But an issue that might have slipped past you is the antitrust lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice against NACAC.

As many as 215 voting delegates from NACAC's 23 affiliates now have an important decision before them. Saturday they will vote on whether to remove several sections from the association's Code of Ethics and Professional Practices. Those sections restrict colleges from offering incentives for early-decision applicants, prevent them from recruiting first-year undergraduates who have committed to another college and limit how they recruit transfer students.

NACAC members who don't comply with the code can face penalties including loss of membership or being unable to participate in college fairs. NACAC currently has in place a moratorium on enforcing the code, however.

Removing the sections from the code of ethics is a step toward NACAC signing a consent decree in order to resolve a two-year Department of Justice antitrust investigation. Saturday's vote is generally expected to endorse the provisions' removal and make other changes so that NACAC leaders will be able to negotiate a consent decree, despite some members' reservations and plans to protest.

NACAC leaders have pushed to reach a consent decree rather than fight antitrust charges in court because of the high cost of litigation, the time it would take to fight charges, the possibility of affiliates or member institutions being ensnared in a continuing investigation and the possibility that an extended investigation would harm the association's reputation.

In short, the federal government is arguing that some of NACAC's rules that prohibit colleges from giving incentives to students at different times throughout the admissions process, and forbid colleges and universities from "poaching" students who have committed to attend other institutions hurt students by limiting their choices.

Is having choices bad? Not at all. Does the notion of having to recruit and yield students up to the first day of classes each fall sound terrifying to admissions professionals? You betcha.

I'm not attending NACAC this year (a couple of my current Penn State colleagues are), but I kind of wish that I was there to get the temperature of what is going on in the profession. This has been a strange/interesting/shocking year for those of us in the field. It'll be interesting to see where things go from here...

Look carefully at this Deadspin article, or you might miss it:

Disney’s Marvel Studios reigned Friday night at the 45th Annual Saturn Awards at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles. Avengers: Endgame, the highest-grossing film in Hollywood history, led the night in wins (six) and nominations (14) with actors from Marvel productions taking home the lion’s share of gala’s gleaming hardware.

The finale installment of the Marvel big-screen saga was named best comic-to-film release. Robert Downey Jr.’s swan song performance as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, in Endgame earned him the best actor in a film award. (Downey will be seen in the role of Stark one more time, however, in the Marvel prequel Black Widow in May 2020.) Josh Brolin, who portrayed the calculating, grape-colored alien despot called Thanos, won as the best supporting actor in a film for Avengers: Endgame as well.

My emphasis.

Ethan Anderton at SlashFilm adds to the fun:

Even though this is a surprising development, it makes perfect sense. Black Widow has been confirmed to take place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. That means Tony Stark is still very much alive, just like Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), and since the former agent of SHIELD was Team Iron Man during Civil War, it would make sense that the two would run into each other after the events of that movie. More than likely it’s just a brief appearance before Black Widow heads off for her solo adventure, but hey, we’ll take more Robert Downey Jr. however we can get it.

How awesome is that?! Although, before I get too hyped about it, Downey Jr. will likely appear in a cameo-sized role, a la Spiderman: Homecoming (more than a Stan Lee cameo, but less than a title-card credit showing). Should be a cool flick no matter how you (or Black Widow) slices it. I'm most excited to see how they portray Red Guardian.

Of late, my daughter has been forcing me and the family to watch Stranger Things on the Netflix. Of all of the characters on that show, David Harbour's Chief Hopper is by far my favorite character. I think he's going to be awesome as Red Guardian:

It's something where I didn't think that I would nerd-out because I thought I was a cool adult.

Indeed man. I say that type of thing just about every day.

Ouch. That's rough. The above image is an actual screen grab from a real email that I received at work.

While I would love to honor this poor student's request and just straight-up deny them, unfortunately that's not how it works (as Rick Clark likes to say).

You see, when a student submits an application for admission to Penn State, we have to evaluate it. We are obligated to do our due diligence and determine if the applicant is qualified for admission to the campus and program to which they have applied. We take very seriously the idea that a student has been thoughtful about their application, and taken the time and effort to complete and submit their best application for admission to our undergraduate programs.

So, as you can imagine, we work with all kind of students and families. It's always great to have applicants that come from families that are all about Penn State. But, I would imagine that, for every student who wants to attend because someone in their family did, there are probably ten students who feel like the one pictured above.

I can practically hear the tension-laden argument while trying to force the student into the family car for a campus visit. "OMG DAD -  I DON'T WANT TO GO TO PENN STATE. What the hell is a Nittany Lion anyway?!"

I get it student, I do. But unfortunately I cannot deny admission to a student who may be qualified. That wouldn't be right. But maybe if I chat with your parents...

So, given that, this part is for the sibling/mom/dad/aunt/uncle/grandparent: lay off of your student. They have enough pressure to deal with during their senior year in high school. They don't need you adding even more by insisting/requiring them to apply to your favored institution of higher education. Be supportive in the choices that your student makes. If they want to visit a list of schools that are the antithesis of your favored school, let them. If they want to spend all of their application fees at schools that you don't approve of, fine. At the end of the day, your student needs to find a school that fits them. Not you.

Think of it this way: when your student is done with college, are you going to dictate the employers where they will apply for jobs?

(if you read that question and even considered a 'yes' answer, then we need to chat privately)

Part of the learning and maturation process in higher education is the opportunity that students have to make their own decisions. They decide when and what they eat. They decide with whom they will be friends. They decide what time they'll go to bed - and when they'll wake up. They decide on a program-of-study, and what classes to take. They decide on an eventual career path.

If you give your student the space to make these decisions on their own beginning in high school, they won't feed the need to email the admissions office asking for a denial letter. And that'll be a plus.

credit: Lucasfilm

It's official: the Wife and I are now founding subscribers of Disney Plus (or is it Disney+? What's the branding here gang?).

If you've been living under a rock - or not reading my stuff - I've previously talked about the new streaming service HERE and HERE. Oh, and HERE, and HERE. I might be a fan. Maybe.

Anyway, after long deliberations, I conned my partner-in-crime to lock-in to a three-year subscription (because we were offered a reduced rate, or something).

Everything that you need to know about Disney's streaming service can be found at CNET's great write-up.

What's the Disney streaming service?
The Disney Plus streaming service will be a competitor to video streaming services such as Netflix, HBO Now and Apple TV Plus. It's a paid subscription without any advertising, and it gives customers access to a vast library of Disney's and Fox's legacy content as well as new, exclusive TV shows, movies, documentaries and shorts.

Awesome, right?

But, while I'm certainly excited about the collection of all of the nerd-heavy movie series (like Star Wars and the entirety of the Marvel Cinematic Universe), what I'm most interested in are some of the new television series that connect to those movie universes. I'm talking about Loki, Hawkeye, Falcon & The Winter Soldier, and the poorly-named WandaVision (all from the Marvel side of the house). And we should DEFINITELY throw in some Mandalorian for good measure.

Now, add to that the news that Disney Plus will be running classic animated shows (like X-Men and Spider-Man) - and I can't wait for November to get here!

Editor's note: at no point have I been compensated to post anything about Disney Plus or associated Disney properties. For all I know, it could wind up sucking. I am merely a fanboy who is excited at the prospect of having all of these great movies and shows in one place. Wannafightaboutit?

I'll confess: I didn't know this was a thing. Apparently it is.

I'll also confess: I'm addicted to Fortnite. Apparently I am a 14-year-old.

About two years ago my son scrimped and saved his cash, bought a gaming computer and started playing Fortnite. I was intrigued by the 'battle royale' aspect of the game (where nearly 100 players loaded into the game and fought to the last one standing). So, I gave it a try. And another. Even thought I was terrible, I really enjoyed it.

But I didn't have a computer to use on the regular. So I downloaded the new (at the time) iOS mobile version of the game. I know, I know... mobile players are real players (at least, that's what my son says). But, I enjoy it - so BACK OFF.

I've racked up a few wins, and I've been able to get better. But I'm still terrible.

That picture in the sidebar (me with headphones on) is an early attempt at playing. -->

Any other awful gamer-dads out there?

You may have heard about THE Ohio State University making a request to trademark the word "THE" (stylized in all-caps like that) for use on merchandise.

Welp, according to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, that's not happening:

The word “the” doesn’t belong to Ohio State University, and it’s sort of Marc Jacobs’ fault, according to a letter a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office sent Wednesday to a university attorney.

The office rejected an attempt by Ohio’s flagship university to trademark the word, stylized as “THE” in all caps, in ways that signify its association with the school on T-shirts and hats.

The letter cites two reasons. One is that the Marc Jacobs fashion line beat the university to the punch, seeking to trademark “the” on May 6 for its use on handbags, knapsacks and other items. Ohio State didn’t file its application until Aug. 8.

The other reason is that Ohio State’s proposed use of it on clothing “is merely a decorative or ornamental feature of applicant’s clothing.” In other words, the word, as presented, is an add-on and not something that would help people associate it with the university.

The Patent and Trademark Office denied Marc Jacobs’ request to trademark “the” on Aug. 28.

The letter does not constitute the office’s final decision, and Ohio State has six months to respond.