Blog: Daily Exchange

The 40 Watt Club is hosting a Common Ground Benefit Show on April 15.  UGA Progressives is working with Common Grounds, an organization dedicated to socio-political work in and around Athens, for this exciting event.  The concert will feature the bands Parasite Shoes, Beatrix Kiddo, The Sugar Dixx, and Standard 8.  Doors open at 9 p.m. and there is a $5 cover charge.  Come listen to great music while supporting an important organization.

The annual Greenfest begins today and lasts through May. Check out www.greenfest.org for a list of family and community oriented activities aimed at promoting environmental awareness.

Also, this month sees the Inconvenient Ride coming to Athens. It's a group of elementary school students on a huge bike ride planting ceremonial trees in cities, such as Athens, that are part of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels national climate change program. They'll be in town April 3 at 1:30 p.m. giving up some green to Chase St. Elementary.  

There's a rain barrel workshop at Sand Creek on April 13. Bring a barrel and $10 for hardware and leave with a rain collector and a warm, fuzzy, water conserving feeling of goodness. It's from noon to 4 p.m. by appointment only,  so call 706-613-3440 ext. 383 to reserve your place. 

Also, if I were to write an April Fool's Day Headline, it would read: Local Townies Build Ironic T-Shirt Factory on Proposed Bio-Research Site. 

Not very funny, but the idea of an ironic t-shirt factory is a personal belly buster.

UGA sent out the following communication today:

"TO: UGA Faculty, Staff and Students

FROM: EITS

RE: Fraudulent Email (Phishing Scam) Reminder

Once again we have had incidents of phishing scams being received in campus e-mail inboxes. Unfortunately, some members of the University community have responded to these by providing the requested passwords. This is to notify the University community that emails received on campus requesting that you send your password via return email are fraudulent. Do not respond to these emails.

Please be aware that you will never be asked to send your password in an email from official UGA communications. Indeed, you should never send your password through email to anyone under any circumstances."

Athens, GA is an amazing place to be for any girl interested in fashion. The downtown area has some of the best boutiques around, with a constant array of new designs and fun style ideas. While some of the stores are admittedly a bit pricey, it’s usually very easy to find a bargain on whatever new wardrobe addition you’re currently pursuing. From the eclectic selection of Agora to the pretty dresses of Fortson’s, Athens has something to offer any woman who seeks to adorn her body with clothing. Why then, in a town with so many adorable clothing options, do the women of Athens insist upon wearing the most hideous garment combination imaginable: leggings and Uggs?

I ride the Milledge Avenue bus route to and from campus. Tragically enough, I have seen someone on that bus wearing the Uggs and leggings combo at least once every single day this semester. Whenever I witness this atrocity, I cannot help but ponder the motivation behind an act so heinous. Is it too hard to throw on a pair of jeans? Why do you insist upon showing me your panty line or (even worse) the leggings burying themselves in the deep crevice of your behind? At first I thought it was sheer laziness- perhaps these young ladies just don’t have the time or energy to put on pants that require zipping or to throw pair of shorts over the leggings and resultant panty line. But then I realized that there are many other options (casual dresses, sweatpants, elastic-waisted skirts) that actually require less effort than leggings! So if it isn’t convenience- and we know that it certainly isn’t fashion- why are these girls insisting upon wearing leggings as an excuse for actual pants?

The next item of concern in this combination is obviously the Uggs. Are you an Eskimo? Has the climate of Athens suddenly changed to one that requires footwear that protects from extreme cold but offers no protection against rain or snow? Last time I checked, the coldest it gets in Athens is about 20 degrees in the early morning hours of winter days, and this temperature is certainly not one that requires the use of such footwear. The most important question I can ask is, “Why do you feel that this type of shoe makes it acceptable for you to go out in public without proper pants on?” I truly do not understand what power Uggs have that allows them to cancel out the need for a decent covering of the female undercarriage.

That said, I strongly encourage the young women of Athens to reconsider their wardrobe choices when they feel that urge to go out in public bedecked in leggings and Uggs. I beg you to throw on a pair of proper pants. I assure you, no one will find you less attractive or think you are any less sexy if you attend your classes with adequately concealed body parts. Please take advantage of the lovely stores of downtown Athens and buy both something that will cover your butt and footwear that serves a purpose other than taking up too much space in your closet.

This official UGA Announcement was sent out tonight at about 9:30 over the listserv titled "Shooting near campus; subject apprehended."

TO:  UGA faculty, staff and students 

FROM:  Jimmy Williamson, Chief of Police 

Approximately 8:30 p.m. Monday, March 3, Athens-Clarke County Police reported a shooting in an area near the University of Georgia.  The alleged offender fled on foot in the direction of campus.  Information was provided to UGA Police in the area, who apprehended the individual without incident in the vicinty of the high-rise residence halls.  There is no reason for UGA Police to feel that anyone in the University community remains at risk for their safety due to this incident.