Dear "Bluecoat" Niece,
It's great to hear that you're volunteering at the Sciencenter, Ithaca's hands-on, community-built science museum and park.  The exhibit you mention, which is on the second floor of the Sciencenter, taps into the National Lightning Detection Network.
        Folks who want information about visiting the Sciencenter -- or better yet, getting involved -- can look on the web at or call 272-0600.  As you point out, "bluecoat" volunteers get the best of all worlds:  a free chance to enjoy the exhibits and to share their excitement about science with others.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Senior,
How many Cornell students are openly gay is one of the questions most commonly posed to the staff at the Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, and Transgendered Resource Center (LGBTRC), according to LBGTRC Office Manager David Whitmore.  Cornell has a large and welcoming lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and allied community.  In fact, GIRLFRIEND magazine rated Cornell as the #1 university for lesbian and bisexual women.  However, because of the fluidity of sexual orientation, flow of identity development, and relative definitions of "out"-ness, there is no way give exact numbers.
        To tell whether a university or college is welcoming, you can ask these questions:
        1)  Does the university/college have a non-discrimination policy that is inclusive of sexual orientation?
        2)  Does the university/college provide same-sex partner benefits for students, staff and faculty?
        3)  Does the university/college have LGBT or allied student/staff/faculty/alumni organizations?
        4)  Is there a LGBT Campus Resource Center?
        5)  Is there a LGBT Studies department or academic program?
        In 1996, New York University Press issued "The Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Students' Guide to Colleges, Universities and Graduate Schools," based on a survey of lesbian and gay students on 1,100 campuses.  Some of its top picks were Oberlin College (Ohio), Reed College (Oregon), and Johns Hopkins University (Maryland), while some of its lowest-ranked choices were Dartmouth College (New Hampshire), University of Colorado, and Boston University.  Also, the PRINCETON REVIEW's annual "The Best 311 Colleges" list, which includes 56,000 college students' assessments of their own schools, includes a category for "most and least accepting of gays and lesbians on campus."
        Human Development Professor Ritch Savin-Williams (rcs15@Cornell.edu) -- whose current work concerns identity development of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people -- tells me that the answer to your third question depends on what you mean by "out of the closet":  "Coming out involves two processes: self-labeling and disclosure of this information to another.  In my book, ...AND THEN I BECAME GAY:  YOUNG MEN'S STORIES, which is based in large part on Cornell students, the average age of self-labeling was almost 17 while for disclosure, a year later.  In the book I am currently working on, ...AND THEN I KISSED HER: YOUNG WOMEN'S STORIES, the two ages among the first 57 young women I have interviewed at this juncture have been nearly identical, just prior to age 18.  That is, the two processes are much more closely linked in time for young women than for young men.  Of course if what is meant by coming out is being totally out, then this is a much longer process and many feel that they may never reach this milestone."
        Thanks, David and Ritch!
        If you would like more information about LGBT resources and groups on campus, you can call the LBGTRC staff at 254-4987, e-mail them at lgbtrc@Cornell.edu, or visit their web site: .  You're also welcome to stop by their office in G-16 Anabel Taylor Hall.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Perpetually Inquisitive (Still),
You're welcome, as always!  Here are more answers:
        1)  County Historian Gretchen Sachse observes that the "underground tunnel" rumor is a variation on the usual rumor that there is a tunnel between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes:  The evidence offered is that bodies of those who drown in Cayuga are found in Seneca. "NOT TRUE," says Gretchen; "NO TUNNEL."  The Atlantic Ocean connection is even more bizarre.  It may be an enfolding of the historical memory of trying to connect the Finger Lakes with the Atlantic via a network of canals in the 1830s.  Some were built, some were planned, some failed.  The financial panic of 1837 put an end to it.
        2)  About lake depths, Gretchen notes:  "Seneca Lake is the deepest Finger Lake at 632 feet maximum.  Cayuga Lake is 474 feet at its deepest point."
        3)  I asked Yervant Terzian, Chairman of the Astronomy Department, what would happen if an asteroid collided with earth.  He responds:  "Yes, an asteroid only a few miles across would probably be catastropic for most life on earth.  Imagine, the impact speed would be about 100 miles per SECOND and would vaporize any permafrost, oceans, and part of the earth's mantle.  The ashes from the fires would populate the earth's upper atmosphere for a few years, until they settled, but meanwhile little sunlight would reach the ground, temperatures would tumble, and nothing would grow, so lack of food would wipe out most of life.  Two years ago we witnessed such an impact on Jupiter."
        It's always humbling to realize how fragile earth's balance of life is in the grand scheme of things!
        4)  Woodchucks are not speculative creatures.  When they chuck, they chuck for real, not in theory.
        5)  I asked Father Mike Mahler from Cornell United Religious Works (mjm48@Cornell.edu; 255-6013) about the Shroud of Turin.  He responds:  "The Vatican has never made a statement about the authenticity of any relic, including the shroud.  It is also highly unlikely that it will ever do so.  However, many Catholics -- including the Church in Turin which possesses the shroud -- still consider it to be a holy object worthy of veneration based on its age and the significance attached to it since the Middle Ages as the reputed burial shroud of Jesus.  Press articles in the last several years indicate that those in possession of the shroud don't consider the recent carbon dating to be the definitive last word on its age. There seems to be enough chance of contamination of the samples by imbeded pieces of later material that they want to do some further scientific testing for dating purposes.
        "Of course, even if the universally accepted results of such testing would date the shroud as first century, that in itself proves nothing about the origin of the image on it.  No scientific connection could be made between the shroud and the corpse of Jesus unless some of Jesus' DNA were to be recovered and compared with any DNA which might be on the shroud.
        "Further information is found in the NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA, Volume 13, and Volume 18, page 476.  The latter article raises many good points which create serious doubts about the authenticity of the shroud as Jesus' burial cloth, even if the shroud originated in the first century."
        6)  Ithaca gets its gas via NYSEG and Consolidated Natural Gas (CNG), according to Steve Little in Utilities (sel2@Cornell.edu). Most of it comes from Oklahoma and Texas via two pipelines, and some comes from interconnections to Canada.  Steve says to expect more Canadian gas to be transported to the U.S. Northeast in five years and for more Alaskan/North Slope gas to be transported via Canada in about ten years.  For more information, he recommends doing a search for "Sable Island", "Hibernia", "Seneca Lake Storage Project", or "Iroquois pipeline" on the Web.
        Thanks, Gretchen, Professor Terzian, Father Mike, and Steve!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Barely Accessing,
Once you get used to a technological system like Bear Access, changes in it can be unsettling.  I asked Jon Atherton, Bear Access Project Manager at Cornell Information Technologies, to explain the reasons Bear Access had to be moved in new directions.  He replies: "Bear Access was originally created using a software infrastructure called Project Mandarin.  In 1995, the universities throughout the country that were part of the original Project Mandarin consortium were no longer willing to fund continued development of the Mandarin tools because of the many changes that had occurred both in the software industry and with the explosion of the World Wide Web and its associated tools.  In addition, the newest versions of software like Netscape and Eudora were becoming increasingly difficult to integrate into our original Bear Access environment.  So we at Cornell were forced to explore new ways to make Bear Access and its services available to the Cornell campus.
        "In 1997, Project Salsa was created to revamp Bear Access and better position it for future service delivery and update requirements.  The changes that you see as part of Bear Access 1998 make it easier for those who develop these programs to both create and maintain the many services we offer to campus.  In addition, it makes it much easier for administrative units throughout campus -- like the Cornell Library  -- to create their own custom services which combine the benefits of Bear Access with their own offerings.  This is very important at Cornell where many units and departments want to offer online services to students, faculty, and/or staff.
        "Project Salsa has also simplified the way we will be able to develop user interfaces.  The current Bear Access Viewer -- what you see in the Fall '98 release -- is the first, and the simplest, user interface with more to follow in the next year.  This should give many users the ability to select the interface that works best for them while making it easy for CIT's Bear Access project team to efficiently and easily update the product as necessary.
        "Please note that you can still use the old Bear Access software.  The ATS HelpDesk at 119 Computing and Communications Center has CDs and documentation still available.  We are not, however, making any changes to it so what you see is what you get!"
        Thanks, Jon!
        As always, the HelpDesk staff can guide you through any questions you have about using Bear Access.  You can call them at 255-8990 or send them an e-mail (helpdesk@Cornell.edu).

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Sought After,
Cornell receives $1 for each person who signs up and uses the card and receives $3 for each person who renews the card, each year. The University also receives 0.5 percent of net retail sales.  That's only 50 cents per $100 -- not exactly big bucks, but every little bit adds up.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Strong Woman,
Thanks for sharing the rest of your story!  Your patience apparently paid off, giving your ex a chance to be honest with himself and with you.  That's a relief, even when you're hearing unhappy news.  Although you're right that everyone's situation is different, I'm sure many people can draw strength from your commitment to make a clean break based on the knowledge that an "affectionate relationship" wouldn't work for you.

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Wannakno,
Things get hectic around here and it's easy to lose track of information, so you needn't feel stupid!  On September 11 at 3pm in McManus Lounge in Hollister, there will be a reception to honor recipients of McMullen Fellowships, which support engineering students across campus.  Congratulations if you're among them!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Student of Dentistry,
An abscess, in broad medical terms, means an infected area that's full of pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue.  When speaking about a tooth, this often means that the infection has spread through the tooth right down into the jawbone (ouch!).  The inflammation can also spread to the gums.
        When a tooth has rotted this badly, it either falls out on its own or needs to be pulled out, which is where the rest of your dental terms come into the picture.  According to the Dental Consumer Advisor homepage at , if the tooth's nerve is damaged by this decay, a dentist can remove the nerve from the canal inside the tooth's root and replace it with a filling material, in a process called "Root Canal Therapy" (R.C.T.).  When a limited number of teeth are involved, they can be replaced by a bridge, which is "a fixed appliance (prothesis) that replaces missing teeth...a series of crowns", crowns being "full coverage for a tooth, when the tooth cannot be restored by a filling."  When all the teeth in the upper or lower jaw are damaged, they can be replaced by dentures, false teeth which cover the whole span of either jaw.
        It's enough to make you want to floss, isn't it?

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Confused,
Kathy McCracken, Manager of Lab Services for the Chemistry department, explains that a rubber policeman is a small, soft rubber scraper that slips onto the end of a glass stirring rod.  It is used to push solids together and remove them from laboratory glassware. Kathy thinks the term comes from useage of the word "police" to mean "to keep clean and orderly."
         Thanks so much, Kathy!

Uncle Ezra   

Dear Curious Observer,
Things are great here in Ithaca as the class of 1998 gets ready to commence!  I hope all's well in the Big Apple.
        Joan Fisher, an Associate in the Office of Equal Opportunity here at Cornell, says that people who are blind and don't use seeing eye dogs rely on a finely-tuned ability to listen for sound cues.  A blind person who has a hearing problem would not be able to travel independently without at dog.  Many cities now have lights at intersections which emit a sound when the light is on "walk".
        Thanks for increasing our understanding, Joan!

Uncle Ezra