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Martial art that uses bamboo swords / MON 2-3-25 / Obsolescent classroom wall fixture / Hopscotch locale / Makes an oopsie / Pushes down, as with the thumb / Spanish newborn / Captain Cook's right-hand man / Black-and-white dessert that's sliced
Monday, February 3, 2025
Constructor: Jack Scherban
Relative difficulty: Medium (average Monday)
Theme answers:
- BLACKBOARD (17A: Obsolescent classroom wall fixture)
- SIDEWALK (25A: Hopscotch locale)
- CUE STICK (47A: Need for playing pool)
- BOULDERERS (55A: Recreational rock climbers)
Climbing chalk is a dry powder substance that climbers use to improve grip and prevent slipping on holds. It is also known as magnesium carbonate or gym chalk. Chalk is made from magnesium carbonate, which is a naturally occurring compound. Magnesium carbonate absorbs moisture and reduces friction on the skin. Applying chalk to your hands keeps your hands dry, reduces slippage, and provides a better grip on holds. Chalk is commonly used in bouldering, gym, and other rock climbing. Climbers often carry it in a chalk bag or ball for easy access and application during a climb. (climbdaily dot com)
• • •
This was a toughie from a Downs-only perspective, or should've been. It was certainly daunting to go into every one of those corners and stare down a succession of long Downs. The longer the answer, the harder it is (generally) to get with no help from crosses, so starting off with three 7s and a 6 looked tough ... but aside from a pretty understandable ILLEGAL-for-ILLICIT error, I got all those answers (and then corrected ILLICIT with no trouble). Whole NW was a cinch. Things got dicier in the NE, as I couldn't get either SCREWS UP (10D: Makes an oopsie) or SPOOK (13D: Give the heebie-jeebies)at first pass, and bizarrely inferred SIDE TALK (?) before SIDEWALK. ICK before EWW (an awful "spelling") (36D: "Gro-o-oss!") made CHALKED UP kinda hard to see for a bit. The SW was relatively easy, except I could figure out what a 37D: Black-and-white dessert that's sliced might be at first. Then, because I was looking at AS-N in one of the crosses, I wrote in ASSN (short for "association") where AS IN should've gone, making the PIE part of OREO PIE hard to see. But eventually the OREO part came to me and I just forced PIE in there and voila! Done. The SE, as I said earlier, was the roughest. STREAM before SCROLL (43D: Use TikTok, say); HON before BAE (55D: Sweetie). Uncertainty as to the spelling of KAUAI (KAWAI?). NENE and NIÑO before BEBÉ (45D: Spanish newborn). Couldn't get anything for 41D: Pushes down, as with the thumb at first. Wanted SPURTS at first but was not at all sure (46D: Small gushes). Very patchy and comparatively slow, that corner.
The one thing I kinda liked about this grid was DIDDLY / DOODLED. Couple of silly words that sound double silly together. Nothing else was terribly interesting or entertaining. Unless you're entertained by DIRT BAG (27A: Slimeball). It's colorful, I'll give it that.
Bullets:
- 17A: Obsolescent classroom wall fixture (BLACKBOARD) — "Obsolescent"?? LOL tell that to my University, where I have had a BLACKBOARD in at least one of my classrooms for every semester going back to I can't remember when. In fact, this semester may be the first where both my boards are whiteboards. Even the room in the building built in the 21st century that I taught in last year had a damn BLACKBOARD in it. Lots of money going into building and expansion on this campus, but it ain't going into the rooms where Humanities courses get taught, that's for sure.
- 10A: Uncomfortable health class subject, for short (STDS) — "Uncomfortable"?? Weird claim. It might be uncomfortable to have an STD, but to learn about them? Shrug.
- 22A: Martial art that uses bamboo swords (KENDO) — every time I see KENDO in the xword, I think of Sam Fuller's The Crimson Kimono (1959), which is (I think) the only context in which I've ever seen people practicing KENDO:
- 51A: Female name that's a body part spelled backward (RAE) — glad I never saw this clue, because I'd've been like "GEL? That's a name? MRA? PIL? EOT? Who names their kids these things?"
OK, bye til next time.
[Follow Rex Parker on BlueSky and Facebook]
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59 comments:
I guess BLACKBOARDS are "obsolescent" now that the Mumpsters (Musk & Trump & fanatic followers) have put an end to DEI. Only whiteboards from here on out. So I guess it's ONUS to CITE SICKO STDS (this will undoubtedly be the answer to a @Gary Jugert Uniclue today) while we burn books. Oh, and BTW, someone should report to the anti-LGBTQ brigade that ALEX OGLED CHIP (another likely Uniclue answer). Sorry if I'm shitting where you eat, @Gary.
What did Virginia Woolf say when Thomas Stearns ELIOT showed up to take her to the lighthouse with his hair up in a knot? "Lose the BUNTS."
I always thought Picasso was a Sox fan, but come to find out that he suffered from CUBISM.
Do Temple University basketball opponents use the taunt "OWL be damned"? They should.
When someone SCREWSUP their bamboo sword fighting, they can always ask for a KENDO REDO.
Exhortation to a Texas dessert server: Remember the OREOPIE ALAMO!
Where do you take a pig to watch a TV sitcom that takes place INABAR? TOASTY.
Solved D.O., but thought the theme was pretty good on reviewing the finished grid. Thanks, Jack Scherban.
Easy-medium with the SE (hi @Rex) the medium part. Fun solve with a bit of sparkle. My only cringe was BOULDERERS (hi again @Rex). Liked it.
Me too for nEnE before BEBE.
Croce Solvers - Croce’s Freestyle #981 was again pretty easy for a Croce. My biggest problem was a costly erasure at 29a. Good luck!
Down clues only was tough for me; I ended up having to cheat a bit. I saw the CHALKED UP revealer appear from the crosses and got the theme, except for the last one at 55 across. I totally agree with Rex that BOULDERERS is odd... I frequent a rock climbing park (Skaha Bluffs) and have *never* heard that term. Yes they put chalk on their hands, and they are called "rock climbers" as far as I know.
Hands up for ILLEGAL before ILLICIT, and LANAI then KAWAI before KAUAI (danged Hawaiian spellings). SANTA before CLAUS. SPOUTS before SPURTS. "Tickle me --" PINK!!!! Um, no. And I kinda squirmed at EXCEPT for "Besides"... I think of "besides" usually meaning: also.
Loop-i-clue: SIDEWALK DIRTBAG: Midnight Cowboy character?
Easy-Medium Monday. One overwrite, SICKy before SICKO at 5A and one WOE, @Rex BOULDERERS (55A).
Very easy, except BOULDERERS didn't look like a real word to me, either. I also had "Lanai" before KAUAI, and I agree that "Besides" is a bad clue for EXCEPT.
My five favorite original clues from last week
(in order of appearance):
1. Merchandise with logos for "Balenglaca" or "Guddi," e.g. (9)
2. It's followed by an extra point (4)
3. Figure in history or math? (9)
4. "Ave Maria" finale, appropriately? (4)
5. Your business start-up? (4)(2)
KNOCKOFFS
ALSO
CLASSMATE
ARIA
NONE OF
Sicko? Dirtbag? Diddly squat? Is this the NYT or Sunday Parade magazine? Sheesh.
BOULDERERS ? Recreational rock climbers should have stuck with referring to themselves as “recreational rock climbers”. That looks like someone was desperate for a fourth theme entry and basically chucked up a Hail Mary hoping that they would catch the editor in a sympathetic mood.
Which syllable, or syllables, do you stress when saying your name?
Vacation catchup: jae seems to have had an easy time with the Croces when I was away, and I agree with his assessment.
Croce 976. Easy. Almost very easy, but the bottom central - seven squares - took me almost five minutes.
Croce 978 was pretty easy. No real holdups
Croce 980 was pretty much the same. Easy, (but not as easy as jae’s experience).
Croce 981 was still easy, but edging towards medium.
Bouldering has been part of the last two Olympics, so I was familiar with both the sport and its obsession with chalk. I was not aware that blackboards are obsolescent; they are still in the few classrooms I visit.
I case you've ever wondered, chalk is used to improve one's grip; talc is used to lubricate.
Well, I’ve heard the term “bouldering” before. Chalk me up as the first to say that I was not perturbed by “boulderers.” Rex, you did not say whether you used your “obsolescent” boards or not.
I love when a puzzle triggers sweet memories as KAUAI did for me, memories rife with the feel of blissful relaxation, and rich with nature’s beauty, from the Napali coast, where a spectacular chain of mountains lines the ocean shore, to Waimea Canyon, a breathtaking mini Grand Canyon.
Here’s proof of our evolving language. Remember when BAE brought cascades of “Huh?” and “Wha?” in the comments? And now, it seems, nobody gives it a second glance.
A trio of PuzzPairs©: KERMIT/CROAKS, WEBSTER/CITE, BOULDERERS/RISEN. Speaking of RISEN, I like the UP of CHALKED UP on a landing leading to rising steps.
Today’s grid design is atypical for Monday, with its 72 words (typical of Friday) and 36 black squares (typical of Thursday). I like it. It allows for more interesting answers and is less choppy than usual. For instance, today’s puzzle has 29 three- and four-letter answers. The four January Mondays averaged 43.
Fun theme, spark in answers, lovely memories – what’s not to love? Thank you so much for this, Jack!
Stumbles for SCREWSUP. A little too on the nose?
Really fun grid with lots of fun words. I’m surprised you don’t find STDs to be an awkward subject. I distinctly remember being in middle school and our science teacher talking about sex ed and anything relating to sex was insanely awkward for all of us.
Me too on boulderers
Hey All !
Nice. Things that are CHALKED UP. Agree with BOULDERERS being odd, but was able to get the ole brain to think of the chalk on the hands of a rock climber.
Who used to volunteer to go and get the CHALKBOARD erasers cleaned in that vacuum thingy in grade school? *Raises hand* Ours was in the basement. In my original grade school, which closed after 4th grade, the school district having built a brand new Elementary School. The new school was nice! Ramps twixt levels instead of stairs, had that "new" smell, ala carpet glue, everything new, desks, etc. That was (does the math) 1978? 1979? Somewhere in there. Dang, that building is now old!
Good, easy, fun MonPuz. Can't ask for much more. Always liked to go into the mountains, but in paths and such, never got into being a BOULDERER. Now, a Spelunker on the other hand...
Happy Monday.
No F's (Highly ILLICIT 😁)
RooMonster
DarrinV
I know quite a few people who enjoy bouldering.
There are 4 types of rock climbing competitoin: bouldering, red point, on-sight, and speed climbing. Bouldering is done without a safety harness. So, BOULDERERS is a solid answer. And yes they have a little bag of chalk on their belt to constantly chalk their fingers.
Really liked it. Felt a bit old school with CHALKBOARD, DIDDLY, DOODLED, CABRIDE, DIRTBAG, ICEPOP, CUESTICK. Words that don't seem to be used much anymore.
Wow, was inspired to look up what is replacing blackboards. First around the 1960’s or so there were green boards, not a big change but one leading to the neutral term of reference: chalkboards. Since then we have had the development of “whiteboards”, actually a kind of play on words and not a racial thing at all. These use ink instead of chalk and can have electronic components. But expensive! Apparently we have even invented dustless chalk to relieve that residue problem we all know and love. Who knew?
Yeah, add me to the "totally familiar with BOULDERERS" camp. At least bouldering. I'm 62, have tried indoor rock climbing like 3 times, but that was totally and easy themer for me--CUESTICK looked wrong to me... I think of it as a pool CUE. Great puzzle, thanks Jack. I think it's tough to come up with original themes these days, with so many puzzles having been written, and accessible on the net. So kudos to you! : )
Hand up for not knowing BOULDERERS, although there was lots of chalking up in "Free Solo", at least in the parts I dared to look at.
"
I never remember KENDO and I'm with @Bob Mills on the "besides" clue, otherwise no real problems.
@Roo-You guys had a machine? I remember sitting in my fifth grade classroom and looking up to the second floor where kids were banging erasers together out the windows to get the dust off. One time some seniors use dthe dusty erasers to block print some naughty words on the outside wall,, not realizing we could see what they were doing. Our teacher notified the office, and the vandals were apprehended.
OK Mondecito JS. Juan Soto would have liked seeing BEBE, and thanks for a fair amount of fun.
DIRTBAG and SCREWUP are nasty. And what the heck is a BOULDERER? Had the Illegal/ILLICIT problem. I normally rifle through Mondays, this took me 7 minutes
BOULDERERS??? Really??? You expect me to rely on mere CHALK to keep me attached to the mountain and prevent me from falling off -- down, down into the abyss??? You must be kidding.
About the rest of the puzzle. I was delighted to see all that white space -- so unusual on a Monday -- and was looking forward to a crunchier-than-usual Monday puzzle. No such luck. The entries were long and the junky fill was minimal (so far so good) but the clues were straightforward and pretty dull. No wit, no playfulness, no pizzazz. The puzzle could have been so much better with better cluing. I sat up for BOLDERERS -- but for nothing else.
I thought STP was a motor oil additive rather than the oil itself.
Agree completely. Bouldering and rock climbing are different things - just ask the people who are “boulderers” they don’t call themselves rock climbers. And anyone who has watched the summer Olympics should know they use chalk. Competition climbing, including bouldering, may their Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2020. Pretty fun to watch actually and lots of chalk being used.
Also STDs were an extremely awkward and uncomfortable topic for me in high school …. Maybe I’m the only one but I thought that clue rang true.
Meh Monday for me. Soso theme, answers Well put together tho. DIRTBAG and WEBSTER stood out.
KAUAI crossing BOULDERERS got me in a vacation mood on a cold snowy Groundhogs Day (looking at 6 more weeks of winter), so I started looking at vacation ideas for the spring .Ended up happy, so thanks, Jack!
Hi all -- avid rock climber here! "Boulderer" is the extremely common term for someone who boulders, i.e., someone who climbs boulders. But I can see that it would be unknown to people not familiar with the sport.
However, there's a different nit I'd like to pick with that clue. Bouldering is NOT automatically "recreational." There are several types of rock climbing, but the two most well-known and easily accessible are sport climbing (climbing tall things and using a rope to prevent falls) and bouldering (climbing short things and using pads on the ground to prevent injury if you fall). You can do either of these recreationally, or avidly, or professionally, or anything in between. There are recreational sport climbers, and there are professional boulderers. So the clue is inaccurate.
But as a climber, it was fun to see it in the grid!
I'm not sure what I think of this theme. On the one hand, I always like a theme where the whole entry, as opposed to just the first word or the last word, is in play. On the other hand, though, it's nice to have variation in the meaning of the key word. Here, it's the same kind of chalk every time. It pretty much has to be, since there isn't any other kind of chalk. So it's a compromise, which you can find acceptable or not. I'm onthe fence here.
I do think some of the cluing is over-simple. Trip in a taxi for CAB RIDE, Warms up for HEATS? I know it's Monday, but my brain wants at least a little challenge.
Aside from those points, STP is an additive, not a kind of motor oil (39-A), and I don't know if there are any non-recreational rock climbers (55-A). The point of bouldering is not that you do not get paid for it, but that it's relatively easy and you stay close to the ground -- beginning rock climbers might come closer.
"Phew!" (34-D) is the message I get whenever it takes me 6 guesses to solve a Wordle.
Bouldering is a legitimate variant of rock climbing, distinguished by being done at lower heights (i.e. on boulders), usually without ropes and often with more of an emphasis on problem solving/ route finding. And it's not really a new or trendy thing either; the first rating system for bouldering routes was developed in the 50s. That being said I agree the clue isn't great because I wouldn't consider bouldering to be specifically more recreational than other types of climbing; bouldering is well represented within competitive climbing
Bouldering and rock climbing have been growing immensely in popularity over the past decade or so. Bouldering has been in the Olympics. Talk to someone under 40. These are not obscure terms.
As a bit of a Luddite, I preferred chalk to markers. I did not like it when the classrooms were updated. I liked getting all covered in chalk dust like I worked in the mines. A student once came up after class to let me know I was all smeared up with chalk and I said: That's okay, my wife worries when I come home and there's NOT chalk all over me.
BTW, from yesterday -- the Holland Tunnel has nothing to do with anything Dutch. It's named for the brilliant engineer who designed it: Clifford Milburn Holland. He died suddenly before it opened.
STP also markets motor oil in addition to their more well-known additive. The issue comes up every time they clue it that way.
¡Ufff! Casi.
BLACK BOARD, CHALK BOARD, WHITE BOARD. Gah! DIDDLY-SQUAT next to heebie-jeebies is boss level.
I am so proud of the relentless hold TOAST has on the NYTXW the last couple of days. It is one of the great food groups. It deserves the victory lap they're giving it. Meanwhile, ELIOT the Nazi ELMO the Tickled continues their unexamined hegemony over crosswording.
Boulder climbers are BOULDERERS (creative, n'est-ce pas?) so I guess that makes me a La-Z-Boyer.
People: 10 {whaaa?!}
Places: 2
Products: 5
Partials: 3
Foreignisms: 2
--
Gary's Grid Gunk Gauge: 22 of 72 (31%)
Funnyisms: 2 😕
Tee-Hee: STONERS. SICKO. STDS. DIRTBAG. ILLICIT. TEASERS. KNOB. SCREWS UP. SPURTS. EWW. Well, holy crud, my kinda puzzle. Having Joel back on slush (presumably) means we have a lot of missed opportunities to make up.
Uniclues:
1 Me in a sweater.
2 How meaning dies.
3 Ask, "Do you not understand geometry?"
4 How the rock climber put fat in a tube.
5 How to get from 51st and Fizzy to your flat on 2nd.
6 Box of junk.
7 Makes the lid hard to hold.
8 Peculiar painted pixelation.
1 TOASTY DIRTBAG (~)
2 WEBSTER CROAKS (~)
3 DEPOSE CUE STICK (~)
4 BOULDERER'S LIPO (~)
5 COLA'S CAB RIDE (~)
6 ILLICIT CUBISM
7 HEATS KNOB (~)
8 ODD DOODLED DOT
My Fascinating Crossword Uniclue Keepsake from Last Year: Magical beast who leaves the seat up. UNICORN ROOMIE.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Medium downs-only. The revealer helped with CUE STICK but BOULDERERS was rough and convinced me that I was misremembering KAUAI. I also had STREAM before SCROLL (@Rex), and then SCREEN (?) after I got the C. I was interpreting the clue from the perspective of one making the videos, not watching them. I also wanted SPOUTS before SPURTS. Not a big deal since the only vowel that could work in B_NTS was U.
My son is a competitive (i.e., not just recreational) rock climber. They have two seasons, lead climbing (using ropes) and bouldering (lower and no ropes). If anything the bouldering routes are actually harder. As @Seth points out, both disciplines can be done professionally.
BTW, DIRTBAG is a term for a dedicated rock climber, especially one who, say, lives in a camper van. It's not an insult though. More of a term of endearment.
CHALK one UP for the MonPuz. Avoided a first/last-word puztheme, for a change.
BOULDERERS's tie to CHALK was a no-know, at our house.
staff weeject picks: BAE & RAE.
fave moo-cow easy-E MonPuz clue: {Name on dictionaries} = WEBSTER.
other faves included: ICEPOP & OREOPIE. STONERS. TOASTY. DIDDLY/DO-DO.
Also loved the auxiliary puztheme, made from: RAT. SICKO. SPOOK. DIRTBAG. ILLICIT. SCREWSUP. Woulda been a full theme, if they'da been able to add: STABLE & GENIUS.
Thanx for the fun, Mr. Scherban dude.
Masked & Anonym007Us
After spending a good part of my day yesterday looking for my (damn) typo & losing my streak anyway after all that wasted time, I promised myself I'd type more slowly from now on. So I did. I enjoyed this a lot, Jack & thank you :) although
I didn't know that blackboards are now a thing of the past though which Rex has disputed.
This old timer disagrees. But my oldest daughter hung out at a local climbing gym from an early age and went bouldering with the friends she msde there. They did generally call it rock climbing but the b word was often used
@Druid 6:49 am: glad you asked! It's oh-kuh-NAW-guhn-er. I live in the Okanagan valley, which as soon as it crosses the 49th parallel into the US is spelled Okanogan for some reason (and I think they even pronounce it "oh-kuh-NO-guhn").
I’d like to add (PSA), indoor climbing is tons of fun and amazing exercise for any age. The average age at my climbing gym on Tuesday mornings must be about 70. However most older folk are top roping rather than bouldering. Somehow an 6 foot drop, even on to mats, looses its appeal as you get older.
When I saw that the center row was the reveal, I left it as blank as I could (I already had the U from KEANU) to see if I could guess it at the end. After being unable to logically group BOARD-WALK-STICK-BOULDERS, I took another look at the whole words and got it - admittedly getting major help from that U, as the phrase had to be "somethingED UP." A fun puzzle to solve, with the wealth of longer words on a Monday and the clever theme. I didn't mind BOULDERERS, new to me though they were, but I suffered a pang at the BLACKBOARD clue, as they were a fixture of my entire teaching life. "Obsolescent" made me feel like a Model A Ford (or something).
Boulderers are rock climbers who climb shorter rocks without ropes ("boulders", though they can be attached to larger rocks or very tall themselves). It is very much a term, though it by no means differentiates from "rock climbers" by its recreational-ness. There are professional boulderers who never tie into a rope, just as there are pros in all other parts of climbing.
I would even say that most people who are getting into climbing these days are primarily boulderers, as the majority of new climbing gyms are bouldering only, no ropes. However, a boulderer is still a rock climber.
Free soloing (as in what Alex Honnold does in the Oscar winner Free Solo) is distinct from bouldering in that free soloists climb routes that are intended to be rope climbs without ropes. And no crash pads (large, dense foam pads that usually have backpack straps) to protect them in the event of a fall, as they're too high for that to matter. The lines here blur sometimes as some boulders are very tall - usually called a "highball". Look up "Top Big to Flail V10" if you want to see an exteme example.
I'm obviously not the right person to say whether BOULDERER is common knowledge, but I'd say that over the last decade it has definitely entered something close to mainstream vernacular, with NYT articles about the popularity of bouldering and whatnot. Still not a good clue for it.
I believe the original BLACKBOARDs were made with slate which is naturally BLACK. It's also heavy and expensive. By the time I got into the talk-and-CHALK trade (teaching) slate had been replaced by sheets of metal coated with enamel and even though they are mostly green they are still sometimes called BLACKBOARDs. I did a "Huh? Really?" at the "obsolescent" in its clue.
Chalk me up as another for whom BOULDERERS was super familiar. The only reason it didn't go straight into the empty grid on first pass was that it has no implication of recreational versus professional.
I remember a professor explaining something to me after a lesson in the hallway, the walls of which were painted purple. He traced a diagram on the wall with his bare finger, and there was so much chalk on his hands that he only had to switch fingers a few times to complete the picture.
The accepted pronunciation on the south side of the border is "OH-kə-NOG-ən" so not too different. We just had to throw in a different vowel to keep people guessing ;-)
I've been playing with the same CUE STICK, a Richard Black Four Pointer, since 1989. I CHALK UP my CUE tip, not my CUE STICK.
CHALK UP seems like it would be the first choice, go-to reveal but it is two letters short of its slot. Switching from the present to the past tense is a common letter count inflation (LCI) remedy for this.
Another common LCI device is on full display in the lower right section. PRESS and SSN both not only get a two for one POC (plural of convenience) letter count boost, they also enable POCs for BUNT, BOULDERER, SPURT and STONER. See also TEASER/ET and HEAT/OBOE.
I'm with @Liveprof. I loved being covered in chalk dust at the end of the teaching day. It was definitive proof I'd done something. Who knew I could have headed out right then and there to the rocks, full prepared to be a BOULDERER?
Love BOULDERERS as it reminded me of our daughter who cautioned her fiance not to come in the kitchen because she was washing the floor. As she told it, he immediately "bouldered his way through the room, using the freezer, counters, table... "
My daughter has bouldered for years. She talks of going bouldering. She has never heard the term BOULDERERS.
The term is certainly inferrable but isn't common, at least not in her part of the bouldering world.
Correct. Surprised that got past the editor.
@Sailor 1:58 pm: I know I've heard "oh-ku-KNOW-gun" somewhere? I may have heard Seattle TV news people say that; they might be unfamiliar with it. (The same thing happens here in BC-- Vancouver news often pronounces smaller place names wrong, like "sa-VOH-nu" instead of "SA-vuh-naw" for Savona.)
this is a great xword Shortz is back respect
So BOULDERERS was foreign to me and at first thought I must have it wrong - it just doesn't look right... but then all the crosses checked out so there you go. Thought does not look very pretty in the grid.
I'm embarrassed to admit it (but we're all friends here) I REALLY got a kick out of DIRTBAG, don't ask me why I think *that* looks pretty in the grid while BOULDERERS does not, just my taste.
All in all, enjoyed the theme - clever and pretty tight execution.
As an aside, very disappointed to hear from @Rex that my alma mater is not putting money into Humanities facilities, I think a strongly worded email is in order...
As the name implies, they climb boulders / things boulder height, not mountains lol
They make motor oil, too.
Funnily enough, you'll see BLACKBOARDs in a lot of new academic buildings because physicists and mathematicians explicitly prefer them to whiteboards. My university's fancy new science tower, renovated two years ago, has blackboards in every classroom at the request of the faculty.
Chalk tends to be MUCH more expressive for equations and diagrams, and doesn't suffer from the problem of old writing drying on, or of trying to write with a mostly-spent-but-not-enough-to-justify-throwing-out marker. After teaching in a room with a whiteboard for a semester, I'm very glad be using a blackboard again.
Thanks OkaNAGaner
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