tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13882378697636863042024-02-07T23:41:33.333-08:00Factually correct and historically accurateMy way of trying to make sense of the world around me.squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-83307278338864598332012-03-07T21:40:00.007-08:002012-03-07T23:00:56.455-08:00Kickoffs, Basketballs, and More Iran<div>Went into some reasonable depth on a couple of issues with this post, so I'll keep it pretty brief.</div><b><div><b><br /></b></div>The death of the college kickoff.</b> Okay, so that's a bit of a dramatic way to put it, especially in light of the fact that most college kicking isn't that great. That's a point that Adam Kramer brings up in his piece <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1085022-college-footballs-new-kickoff-rules-safety-tradition-and-embracing-change">analyzing the new rule change</a>. It's becoming pretty similar to the NFL rules: kick from the 35; kicking team has to line up 5 yards behind the ball; and a 25 yard touchback. The touchback is the real difference because it's still only a 20 yard touchback in the NFL. I guess the reasoning was to especially encourage the receiving team to accept the touchback. I'm curious to see if the better kickers start trying to maximize height but still land the kicks short of the endzone. Kramer brings up the fact that college kicking isn't what NFL kicking is so a lot of the kicks won't go far enough for the touchbacks even still. I'm sure that's partially true since there are so many teams and such a varying quality. However, I do feel that the game in general is improving and kicking is improving as well (maybe more rapidly than a lot of the rest of the game). <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTxzGY9Xoa0">Boise State might take issue</a> with me suggesting kicking is getting better. So maybe for the first few seasons most kickers will struggle getting it there, but I could see it becoming ever more common in 5-10 years. Also, the main cases of people threatened with bodily harm on kickoffs is probably in the games with better players, who are also the most likely to kick it for a touchback. So I don't know how much this is completely addressing the issue.<br /><br /><div>I think my real beef with this increased safety focus is that it seems to be focusing on such a small element of the problem. It's like the kickoff is getting demonized as the whole cause of concussions in football. I've never seen studies done on it, but I wouldn't doubt that compared to an average play, concussions are caused on a kickoff quite a bit more often. However, the percentage of kickoffs to regular plays is quite minuscule, so I would imagine that concussions are still occurring far more regularly during the course of regular play than during kickoffs.</div><div><br /></div><div>As far as Kramer's post, I take some beef with the way he kind of demonizes those that enjoy the big hits and would complain about these rule changes. I get it, safety is a big deal. However, I don't become a villain for appreciating a monster hit. At least he did get a bit more evenhanded toward the end about the whole matter. Hopefully we can figure out ways to increase safety and still try to keep the game largely intact.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>There's a lot in a brand.</b> Especially a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/sports/ncaabasketball/college-home-teams-can-pick-their-brands-of-basketballs.html?_r=2">brand of basketball</a>. Jefe pointed me to an article about the home court advantage for teams because they get to choose the brand of ball they play with. I had read a piece about this once before and it's a very impressive advantage to have. It really changes a lot about a shot. Very interesting little rule (although it's really about allowing universities to make money for the sponsorships more than creating additional home court advantage). I'll be honest, I didn't really read this piece, but since it was rule related (and if people actually read my blog, which I know they don't since I've seen the data, they might like to know) I figured it would be a good thing to incorporate.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>To bomb or not to bomb?</b> The Economist took a look at potentially bombing Iran and why they feel like it's <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21548233">a bad idea</a>. Look, I don't know what the answer is as far as whether or not it's a good idea to bomb or not. War is an awful thing, and I can't deny I've historically been a bit hawkish, but the years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan have worn on even me. So the decision on whether or not to bomb is something that I'm just going to trust in the military and the executive to make this decision. I do want to address a lot of what they talk about in the article though.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm really not sure that Iran with a bomb is that bad of a thing. Calm down for a second and hear me out. I don't really feel like going into the entire principles of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deterrence_theory">nuclear deterrence</a>, so just read the wikipedia link I've presented. Honestly that doesn't do much justice to the subject so if you're particularly interested, do a quick search. But really the principle is that nuclear weapons are defensive. So a state with nuclear weapons isn't typically much of a threat to use them. The US is the only state to ever have used them. The argument people would present about Iran is that they're too crazy and irrational so they might actually use them. That's fair, but I think that is misjudging the state of Iran. I think they do act quite rational and it's mostly because they have big brothers China and Russia backing them up, which I'll talk about more in a minute. I'm not saying I'd encourage Iran obtaining a bomb, but I'm not sure the world is going to end if they get one.</div><div><br /></div><div>There might be a stability issue in Iran, but frankly the regime seems to have things in quite a bit of control. Sure there are some issues there and maybe someday there might be a regime change, but currently it looks like it will be at least 10 years and I'd anticipate a regime sympathetic to democracy to take power. I'd also anticipate the Russians and Chinese would give their assistance in protecting the current regime. So lets say worst case scenario, there is a negative regime that takes over. You think they're going to want to randomly start nuking people? No, they will want to stay in power and maintaining their nuclear arsenal is the best way to ensure that. What about if some sort of terrorist group gets their hands on the nuclear weapon? Well, if it's a nuclear weapon of any real significance it will be of such a size and technological basis that really it would be hard to transport and use. Sorry 24 fans, you're not going to see a suitcase bomb blowing up LA anytime soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>So why not continue our path of sanctions? Here's where I believe the real issues with Russia and China begin. First of all, being members of the security council for the UN they have tremendous power. They can influence the potential for sanctions heavily and I can imagine they are hesitant to allow any sort of major sanctions to be placed on Iran. But even if they did allow for the sanctions I imagine they would simply find a way to go behind everybody and still supply Iran with what they needed. This really is why Iran seems to act irrationally but is quite rational. They know they've got two powerful big brothers looking out for them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now as far as issues with actually attacking Iran. First, they mention the potential problems of damaging the Arab Spring's attitudes toward the West. I think this is terrible reasoning because it seems to me that anybody involved in the Arab Spring is sympathetic toward democracy and, at least to some small degree, sympathetic to the West. Second, the Economist argues that stopping the Iranian nuclear program might be nigh impossible. It might legitimately be quite difficult, but I think this is a rather hollow argument for trying to prove that attacking should not be done. It's all a question, that is kind of their point. So the impossibility and possibility are on reasonably level playing fields. We don't know if Iran has successfully hidden their potential arsenal in the earth or not. The idea of hardening a weapon arsenal is something that has been employed by both the former USSR and the US for their nuclear arsenal. However, I'm pretty sure there are still some pretty reasonable means to take care of these hardened weapons if the US and Israel desired to do so. The <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_upy14pesi4">Daisy Cutter</a> is a pretty impressive device.</div><div><br /></div><div>Honestly, I don't know what the right answer is with Iran. This I do know, it's not typically a good idea to take your options off the table.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-14929318607719247682012-03-03T08:59:00.012-08:002012-03-06T15:03:43.671-08:00The Lorax, Bountygate, and Awesomeness<b>Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. </b>So <i>The Lorax</i> movie just came out and I grew up on Dr. Seuss and have a great love for him. I haven't really seen most of the Dr. Seuss movies though (but I do love <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASkDLn13jEc">The Cat in the Hat</a> </i>and how could you not love<i> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzXKWKaxt3c">How the Grinch Stole Christmas</a></i>?<i>). </i>So I'm pretty excited about <i>The Lorax</i> and plan to see it at some point. Of course there's a <a href="http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/03/02/the-lorax-review-seussian-eco/">bit of an uproar</a> about the content, not that anybody should have been surprised. The original book has a clear environmentalist tilt and I'm okay with that. I often haven't taken to the slants that are too preachy like in <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_ODuBdfu8s">Happy Feet</a></i> or <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu2AyDHq8UM">Wall-E</a></i>. Even those that seem to object to the content of <i>The Lorax</i> are somewhat permissive in this case.<div><br /></div><div>BBC News has an interesting look into the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17224775#TWEET91820">lessons of <i>The Lorax</i></a> and I'm actually on board for most of these messages. Seuss had a way of giving those lessons like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5_0AGdFic">Mary Poppins administers medicine</a> and it is sweet and cute and seemingly innocent (I respect people who take issue with that "innocence"). Of course I do laugh about the final lesson, Mazda using the movie hype to sell kids on their brand. Yeah, not a fan.</div><div><br /></div><div>The NYTimes released one of the more <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2012/03/02/movies/dr-seuss-the-lorax-with-ed-helms-and-danny-devito.html?ref=movies">bizarre reviews</a> for the movie I've ever seen. I feel both assaulted as a conservative but somehow congratulated all at the same time. I'm really just confused by the whole experience, kind of like how people tried to go after the new Muppet movie for the <a href="http://newsbusters.org/blogs/iris-somberg/2011/11/30/too-easy-being-green-muppet-villain-oil-tycoon">oil tycoon villain</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>RT isn't too hot on The Lorax, receiving a <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_lorax/">rotten rating</a> currently (it's on the cusp). It hasn't reached 100 reviews yet, so that might change. I'll bet the political nature of it probably doesn't do it any favors though. Either way, I'm still excited (and at 56% it should be very watchable).</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The President's personality.</b> The NYTimes has an interesting <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/us/politics/plouffe-obama-aide-lends-firm-hand-to-campaign.html?_r=3&smid=FB-nytimes&WT.mc_id=PO-E-FB-SM-LIN-FKS-022012-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click">look at David Plouffe</a>, a key Obama election advisor. Very interesting person and a fascinating glimpse at who he is. Only wish they had something more to say about him.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bountygate: the legal look.</b> <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mccannsportslaw">@mccannsportslaw</a> takes a look at some of the <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/writers/michael_mccann/03/03/saints.bounty.system/index.html">legal implications</a> of the Saints bounty scandal. Interesting on a purely speculative level, but I do feel like it's written in a semi-disingenuous manner. He mentions all of these potential legal consequences but basically says, at the end, "Well, they're not likely to happen." Which as a 1L, I would have assumed the same. I think <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reasonable_person">the reasonable person</a> would likely agree. I think it's interesting to have this kind of look for hypothetical/theoretical purposes, but you should really come out stating its more of a thought experiment rather than something that is likely to happen.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mike Silver also takes a look at some of the <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-silver_saints_bounty_loomis_payton_williams_030512">implications for the league</a>, likening the whole situation to Spygate of a few years back. As Mike says, this is going to be a whole lot worse though.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The malice at the palace.</b> Grantland did <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7612311/view/full/an-oral-history-malice-palace">an excellent piece</a> detailing the whole circumstances of the crazy situation. It's written in an interesting manner in that it is recreated through quotes from the different individuals involved. Most of them were not willing to give current interviews, so it was bits and pieces of things they had said in the past. At first this kind of bugged me and I wanted more narrative but it grew on me as I read.</div><div><br /></div><div>As far as the incident, I think my main beef of what went down resides in the refs. Refs are responsible for controlling the game. Undoubtedly players should be mature enough to control themselves, but that's just not how it works often times; things get heated and people get out of control, it's not right but it happens. So the game had become increasingly chippy and it was pretty much won already. The refs really should have called it tight and warned both benches (i.e. their coaching staffs). It doesn't sound like that was the case though.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was interesting to see the comment about players demanding to meet their statistical requirement, not surprised by that much but I'm not sure I had ever seen a real comment about that ever.</div><div><br /></div><div>Going back to officiating issues, it's interesting that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Donaghy">Tim Donaghy</a> was involved. Given what we've found out about him since, I wonder if the way he was calling the game was somehow influenced (you'd have to assume yes). Which means that potentially he was choosing not to call fouls due to his gambling problems. That's a scary thought. Also, since this was an issue that started on the courts I see absolutely no reason why the refs should have been allowed to run off of the court when it got out of hand. As I stated before, it is their responsibility to control the game. That means they should be ready and willing to put themselves into positions of danger to control the on the court situation. If the fans started flipping without an on court incident, I think their behavior could be excused, but that wasn't how this worked. I realize they are small, older men, but that seems like part of the responsibility they accept. If the NBA doesn't want it to work like that, then they need to have special security assigned to take that responsibility from the refs (and that's a fine alternative).</div><div><br /></div><div>It's an incredibly long article, but I do recommend reading the portion about Ron Artest on the table. Just absolutely hilarious because he is such a bizarre individual. Ron <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall">breaking the fourth wall</a> was a lot of what made this get out of hand. It was like he became a part of the crowd (and then he got real up close and personal). Of course it's too bad the NBA or the Palace didn't have a better way of enforcing known, unruly fans. Those guys that started the incident sound like they never should have been allowed in the building in the first place due to previous incidents.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>UCLA Basketball is a mess.</b> SI gave <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/magazine/02/28/ucla/index.html">an interesting look</a> into how much of a mess they've become. Of course to most of the article I say, "Whatever." Look I don't doubt the validity of what occurred and I certainly would never excuse any of the behavior, but they paint this as a huge institutional mess there and I don't think that's what's going on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Lets start with Coach Howland. Frankly I'm surprised he's found so much success by being the type of coach he's portrayed to be in the article. My guess is that means he's a good recruiter and typically has recruited good, disciplined players (till more recently). I think it's fair to suggest there is a lack of institutional stability in that the head coach drives everything. If there are problems with the head coaching, undoubtedly issues will abound. However, it does sound like historically Howland has had a good eye for great players who have a good work ethic and great skills. Maybe he got lucky or maybe it's skill on his part. Of course things seem to have changed more recently, I think it's more of an issue that he brought bad apple(s) (I'd attribute that mostly to Reeves Nelson, but we'll get to that in a few) rather than his methodology fosters improper behavior in general. And maybe it's because of his recent success that he became more lax in those he selected for his program. Sure, I think he could and should improve and his hands off approach is not likely to fix problems. But I don't think this entails a complete institutional breakdown.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now for the players. This is mostly where my "whatever" comment is driven. There's this big huge painting of the improper behavior of players and I just want to scream at society when I see this. Look most of what occurred does not sound any different that what is typically going on with most D1 programs. You have got to be kidding me that kids aren't partying quite regularly. And personally I don't find that to be acceptable, but I don't force my value system on others. They're adults, they're allowed to make up their own mind on acceptable behavior. However, the issue arises when they let that get out of balance as it appeared this UCLA Basketball team did. Maybe Howland could have helped with that, I don't know. I do know that a number of the players let the balance of off court stuff affect their on court stuff. Even with that going on though, that doesn't seem to be nearly the killer that Reeves Nelson was. Maybe this atmosphere of bad behavior encouraged the attitude of Nelson, I couldn't say for sure. However, he clearly seems to be a particularly vile individual in the way he chooses to behave. Unfortunately the coaching staff (i.e. Howland) failed to reign this in early and it turned into a big fiasco. But really Nelson is responsible for so much of what is going on now because he was clearly such a bad apple. That still all falls on Howland's shoulders, but I wouldn't be surprised to see UCLA rebound from this a bit. Their history is enough to rise above this current negative PR. But Howland may not be the coach that reaps those benefits.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beautifully crafted ad.</b> Bravo Guardian. Just tremendous work.</div><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vDGrfhJH1P4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I know nothing about the genesis or purpose behind this, I just know it's fun, beautiful, imaginative, and really awesome. </b>Clearly there is some influence from <i>The Wizard of Oz</i> behind it.</div><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Adzywe9xeIU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>This might be the greatest sport ever invented.</b> I really can't say <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/01/ultimate-tazer-ball_n_1304396.html">much more</a> about it. It's that awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Fulmer Cupdate.</b> Just <a href="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2012/2/28/2830588/fulmer-cupdate-the-sec-east-is-deep-this-year">sheer genius</a> as always. The story about the South Carolina kid is so masterfully crafted it brought a tear to my eye.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>And in more awesomeness.</b></div><a href="http://i.imgur.com/bIMgY.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 420px; height: 281px;" src="http://i.imgur.com/bIMgY.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-46063990271360870752012-02-17T04:39:00.001-08:002012-02-24T08:42:24.937-08:00Big Time Football, Lifehacks, and the Death Star<div><b>Fried Horned Frogs.</b> Looks like TCU is in some real hot water after a massive <a href="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2012/2/15/2800178/fulmer-cupdate-tcu-special-edition">drug bust</a> on campus including 4 football players. Way to make a splash in the world of big time college football the right way and earn the top spot in the current Fulmer Cup Rankings.<br /><br /></div><div><b>You gotta fight for your right to Wildcat.</b> In one of the greatest rivalry news stories I've ever seen, a little girl <a href="http://www.kansascity.com/2012/02/12/3425341/color-this-little-wildcat-purple.html">refused to color a Kansas Jayhawk</a> because her proud family are Wildcats through and through. Sure this is silly, but it's highly entertaining and I respect people that are diehard fans like this.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Bama is really excited about this kid.</b> And I'm not going to lie, <a href="http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1332534">105 pieces of recruiting mail</a> to one kid is more than absurd. The waste in funds from an institution of higher learning is downright shameful. I'm okay with the money that goes into and drives athletics (in case you couldn't tell). However, I still believe in pragmatism and letting kids have some peace and quiet and you've violated all of the above Alabama with your recruitment process on this kid. Hope things go well for him, but I can't deny if I was in his shoes and was harassed by Bama that heavily I might be looking at LSU instead.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>What sport provides the most exciting finish?</b> Jon Bois of SBNation takes a look at <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/2012/2/14/2797302/how-often-do-close-games-happen">close games</a>. It's pretty interesting, of course you have to work within his definitions of "close". I think it's a fascinating look, but I feel like you could expand the definition of "close" games for the NBA, since finishing within 9 can still be exciting (it's just less likely to be as exciting completely up to the final buzzer). Also, I think he should have stressed better that in baseball a save situation is not necessarily terribly exciting even though it's only 3 runs. As far as the NHL, I think there is some influence with their recent change in the stick curvature. Scoring has become easier so it can be easier to make up the difference than it had been in the past. Especially because I think a lot of teams kind of let up after a high enough scoring differential (although I have no idea what that line is). Really interesting stuff overall.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The "agent" exception.</b> Joe Nocera continues his war in the NCAA by examining an exception for hockey players that allows them to have <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/opinion/nocera-the-hockey-exemption.html?_r=2&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss">contact with "advisors"</a> which are really unpaid agents. Nocera wisely advocates this practice to be more widespread. The NCAA really refuses to look after the best interest of student athletes. Money quote: "It is only because the use of agents is so ingrained in hockey culture that the N.C.A.A. has chosen to look the other way. What it ought to do instead is adopt hockey's system for all its athletes in all its sports, giving them the same benefit – the counsel of an experienced advocate – that hockey players have. To do so, though, would require actually caring about the welfare of the athletes who play the games and make everyone else millions of dollars. Which is precisely why it will never happen."</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Some things will never die.</b> Grantland takes an interesting look at what <a href="http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7559458/cte-concussion-crisis-economic-look-end-football">the demise of football</a> might look like. And I can't deny, a lot of the issues they are presenting are certainly knocking on the door. However, I could see a few potential remedies occurring to ensure the continuation of this well loved sport. One, there is the potential for waiver or imputing liability. Waiver is probably a little bit more difficult, but I'd imagine they could have players impute liability upon themselves somehow. Maybe I'm crazy, wouldn't be the first time. Second, I could definitely see Congress passing laws restricting recovery in these kinds of actions. Public outcry relative to the head injuries has certainly risen, but I think popularity (plus the lobbying dollars of collegiate and NFL football) can have a ton of sway to fix this. We'll see how it plays out.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Too big to pay.</b> A man in North Carolina has been sued over his <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/nc-high-court-hear-case-14k-hospital-bill-150904908.html">enormous hospital bill</a> and soon it will be heard by the state supreme court. So this seems like a real interesting matter. Obviously hospitals pass on costs to individuals that can pay versus those that can't. Technically every business does that to some small degree, although places like Walmart pass on costs of theft to other customers (though that probably indirectly goes to an insurance they pay for). However, since hospitals are offering a service that they can't easily refuse to people they pass on that cost very directly to their consumers. So really that's why the man in this case had some outrageous costs that he had to pay.</div><div><br /></div><div>The gentleman in the case claims gross overcharging, but the bill is supposedly not itemized so it's interesting to see how they're determining the cost. There's a line of equity between mitigating costs of theft of hospital services by non paying consumers and gross overpayment from those consumers that can afford the cost. Of course if it's found to be unreasonable that means the hospital will have to eat the cost which would probably lead to eventual bankruptcy (presuming the standard continues on to other parties). I'm curious how this plays out, though it appears technically the real issue at hand is whether or not the hospital can force collection without a trial establishing the costs and ordering a judgment for the collection.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Suing over poor education choices.</b> A group of law school alumni from around the country are <a href="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/bunch-young-lawyers-suing-law-195616601.html">suing their law schools for misrepresentation</a> of their job placement. Seems like a difficult case to win, but I'd hope at least some punishment is doled out on these law schools that have especially shady practices.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Legislating Pi.</b> Apparently the state of Indiana once tried to <a href="http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/805/did-a-state-legislature-once-pass-a-law-saying-pi-equals-3">legally change the value of pi</a> to 3.2 (and some variations). Just brilliant. Who says good ideas don't come out of Indiana?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Lifehacks.</b> A very impressive <a href="http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/116659">list of lifehacks</a> from Mental Floss. My favorites: the banana to fix CD's and the cookie bowls. I haven't tested either, so I don't know that they actually work but they're pretty darn clever either way.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>The best $852,000,000,000,000,000 you could ever spend.</b> Student at Lehigh University have <a href="http://www.centives.net/S/2012/how-much-would-it-cost-to-build-the-death-star/">calculated the cost of the Death Star</a> and it's not cheap. Of course when you have the ultimate power in the universe as a weapon why on earth would you care about that kind of debt? Just avoid any <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcL6DwSufMI">poor aesthetic choices</a>...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Beating traffic can be hard.</b> Some idiot in a Porsche decided to swing around some road construction and got <a href="http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/porsche-stuck-wet-cement-proves-karma-exists-210302568.html">stuck in some fresh cement</a>. Patience and following the rules of the road are a great way to avoid getting stuck.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Doggy Paddle.</b> The NYTimes has a cool collection of photos of <a href="http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/14/dogs-dunked/">dogs in water</a>. I especially like #4, but the dogs look vicious!</div><div><br /></div><b>Air traffic.</b> Here's an interesting video monitoring the air traffic before and after the Superbowl. A little long, but pretty cool.<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1NftCeaKK18" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><div><br /></div><div><b>I'm not sure how I feel about this.</b></div><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uqBRyvZmcIU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-1856948939761896752012-02-13T10:32:00.000-08:002012-02-16T06:47:56.800-08:00Greek Pirates, Peyton's Place, and the NCAA<b>Avast ye Greeks!</b> Reuters has a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TmhVGzgunY">bizarre way</a> of looking at the Greek economic problem involving a kiddie pool, a pirate ship, and some rubber duckies. Certainly it oversimplifies everything about it but it's at least entertaining. I wish it had a bit more of a substantive discussion of what's going on because it doesn't address the proposals and interests of the parties as much as I'd like. I know very little about what's going on, but personally I feel like they're just trying to avoid the inevitable: a Greek default. Frankly I've been saying I'd probably rather they just go ahead and default already because I think that ship is going to sink either way, so why not save some cost and just get it over with already? Hopefully they prove me wrong.<div><br /></div><div><b>Hitch did it best.</b> Hitchcock really was a master at movie making and a very entertaining guy. Here's a list of <a href="http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/116593">quotes</a> from Mental Floss. My favorite was "One of television's great contributions is that it brought murder back into the home, where it belongs." Very amusing list, just like his movies.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I miss 18.</b> So Dave's Art Locker did me a favor by taking Peyton Manning's face and mashing it with <a href="http://daveartlocker.blogspot.com/2012/02/manning-face.html">every single NFL logo</a>. Fabulous.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Saying goodbye is the hardest part.</b> Great look at the pains and struggles of <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/hotread-retire/nfl-players-weigh-pros-cons-retirement">facing retirement</a> as an NFL player. I still remember being in the locker room for our last high school football game and having our coaches mention how that was probably the end for pretty much all of us (especially me because I was terrible) and it was a somber, surreal feeling. I miss it every time I smell the fresh cut grass.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I really, really, really hate the NCAA.</b> As an institution that is and I'll detail some of my thoughts about that in a second. But here's an interesting piece about a journalist declaring war on the NCAA and their <a href="http://chronicle.com/article/The-NCAA-Wades-Into-a-War-of/130738/">retaliation</a> in response. In all honesty I can't blame them for this retaliation, it seems like a wise and fair move based on what is going on. I know Jay Bilas feels like questioning this guy's motives isn't fair, but I do think that is a legitimate thing to bring up (although I doubt that's guiding what he's doing). It's an interesting battle and I'm curious how this all ends up since the NCAA has a lot of money and power, but it's also experienced a lot of ill will. That being said, those ratings still keep climbing so clearly it doesn't mean that much.</div><div><br /></div><div>As far as my NCAA hatred, I could go on forever about it but here's some of my basic thoughts. The NCAA itself as an institution is a farce and it needs to seize power back. It is a centralized body that comes up with a lot of silly recruiting and other rules, but doesn't ever really bother to enforce them. Who cares about an organization that doesn't really have any real teeth? There needs to be greater scrutiny served by the NCAA upon schools.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, conferences as separate institutions need to be abolished. I understand what the functional purposes were as collegiate sports grew, not unlike the beginnings of many of the professional sports leagues. However, they've long outgrown their usefulness and there is too much power in the conferences and not enough of a sharing of the pot of money. I'm fine with keeping conferences for structural matchup purposes, but conference commissioners hold too much power and keep the NCAA sports from developing into what they could be.</div><div><br /></div><div>As part of fixing conferences, officiating needs to be based in the NCAA. How silly of a farce is it that the NCAA has refs but they really all come through the separate conferences? You can't tell me that an SEC ref has a bias against even other major conference teams, much less mid-major or minor conference teams. How idiotic is it to incentivize refs to have a built in bias based on who their paycheck is really coming from?</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, abolish the BCS, but even the conference commissioners seem to realize that's one they can no longer resist.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><b>Tweet of the day.</b> Courtesy of Yahoo!'s Shutdown Corner NFL blog's Doug Farrar, an evaluation of the <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/SC_DougFarrar/status/169127602697682944">Jason Whitlock incident</a> from over the weekend. Whitlock is an inflammatory idiot and this is a great witness of that.</div></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Journal choice.</b> I need a new journal for taking notes at Church. I always like to have something fun/goofy. I had a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Journal-Hogwarts-Crests/dp/0439201284">Harry Potter</a> one at one point and most recently I had a Tootsie Pop journal with Mr. Owl. Well that one is filling up so I need to find a new one. I think I've narrowed it down to these two: <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/+sock_monkey_vespa_journal,435712356">a sock monkey riding a Vespa</a> or a <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/+journal,224054274">Mork and Mindy</a> one. Sorry to you kids that aren't familiar with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd5UT_lmzIY">Mork from Ork</a>. Figure the Nanoo Nanoo probably won't be as popular but I got a kick out of it. I'm also open to other suggestions, but I'm trying to keep price reasonably low, so let me know if you know of any other cool one's out there.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-3815251274244172012-02-10T16:40:00.000-08:002012-02-10T16:41:03.426-08:00Marriage, An Unrelated Matter on the Constitution, and a Purple Squirrel<b>On Prop 8.</b> I'm going to try to give a better rundown on it after reading the decision (it's pretty long and I've got a number of things going on right now, so it might be a little while), but here are two great breakdowns about a lot of the <a href="http://metroweekly.com/poliglot/2012/02/breaking-ninth-circuit-prop-8.html">issues at hand</a> and <a href="http://www.metroweekly.com/poliglot/2012/02/breaking-ninth-circuit-strikes.html">the decision</a> given. I felt like they're pretty even handed presentations and talk about it from a legal perspective. Also, here's the LDS Church's <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/church-issues-statement-appeals-court-prop-8-ruling">official statement</a>.<div><br /></div><div><b>Ladies and gentlemen to the 8th wonder of the world.</b> No, I'm not talking about <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHI1H5Vjz_k">Hova</a>, I'm talking about the U.S. Constitution. The NYTimes has an interesting, but misleading, piece on how the U.S. Constitution has fallen behind on <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/us/we-the-people-loses-appeal-with-people-around-the-world.html?_r=2&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=US-E-FB-SM-LIN-WPL-020712-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click">influencing new constitutions</a>. I'll explain a number of problems I have with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>First, I don't feel like direct quotations of the Constitution necessarily translate to influence. I'll grant that I don't know what the evaluation standard is entirely, but from the way its presented it looks like they're looking for specific quoting. Could be interpreting that incorrectly though. </div><div><br /></div><div>Second, for whatever reason our form of representative democracy has never really taken hold. Don't ask me why, but our bicameral system with a separate executive isn't particularly popular. I do know that one of the hesitations is the fact it is nigh impossible to get legislation through. The Founders intended it that way to try and protect the people from the oppression of the government. It has its pros and cons. Amending the Constitution is even more difficult, as the article points out. And I can't deny, on its face that's not a particularly attractive option. Especially for new governments forming, the people in charge want <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L53gjP-TtGE&ob=av2e">power</a>! (My Constitutional Law professor always stresses that Con Law is about power.) Parliamentary systems grant more direct power to the legislature and often combining it with the executive (semi-presidential systems being an exception a la France or Russia). That makes passing laws a lot simpler and I can't deny if I was in power and forming a constitution, I'd be tempted to do the same. So that could explain a lot of the differences. I'd also imagine our system of federalism is not particularly common, but I'm not positive on that one.</div><div><br /></div><div>Third, it's true, our Constitution does not enumerate many rights. Initially the rights granted in the Bill of Rights came as amendments and were not included in the original document. That really does limit a lot of the rights. Later amendments came to extend rights and the Supreme Court of the United States has expanded more of those rights through judicial interpretation. So the idea of enumerating those further rights is a little silly at this point. Of course our government, courts, and people haven't felt it right to extend some of the definitive rights mentioned in the article such as to food and housing.</div><div><br /></div><div>So regardless of particular issues, I don't find it troubling that our Constitution isn't as influential. It is dated and a lot of it has been expanded through judicial review, so it may not meet the needs of everybody. But as they mentioned it's the longest living constitution around for now and that's just fine by me.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Iran knows how to party.</b> Reuters has an interesting vid about the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/02/07/reuters-tv-irans-allies-and-influence-a-primer?videoId=229721495&videoChannel=117772">allies and influence</a> of Iran. Enjoyable, though stuff I already was aware of from my political science background. Really the key thing is the Chinese and Russian support. 2 members of the UN Security Council adds up (though 1 is actually enough). So regardless of what the rest of the world may try, it's not going to have any real teeth as long as those two take care of <a href="http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail109.html">Li'l Brudder</a>. Mahmoud you're <a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/16771/saturday-night-live-snl-digital-short-iran-so-far">the only one</a> for me.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>And boom goes the dynamite.</b> Apparently throwing a match down a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RJCAh7jMFQ">Chinese sewer</a> is a bad idea. Never would have guessed...</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Just give me a team that can win.</b> Everybody is excited because the Big Ten has finally said they want a playoff (after their recent bowl slump). Can't deny this is a big victory for college football, but the guys over at Vanquish the Foe (SBNation BYU site) seem to think this is <a href="http://www.vanquishthefoe.com/2012/2/7/2781759/why-the-big-10-playoff-proposal-helps-byu">promising</a> for BYU. I can't deny that it is a good thing for us. It does increase our odds, presuming we ever play well enough to potentially qualify. But really that's the key issue, we haven't played that well for a while now. And so I'm not optimistic at all that we will field a potential national championship team anytime soon. I congratulate Bronco and the team for another 10 win season. That does mean a lot, not too many teams can do that as often as Bronco has done it. That being said, when you beat only 2 teams with a winning record in the season, that's really not saying much. Just hope the team gets better, we certainly have a lot of high points but the offensive line needs to figure out their run blocking and a running back needs to step up. Yes, I know Alisa showed some signs of brilliance, but we need a bit more than that. I'm willing to say that might have been the O line's fault though.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Just how big is Africa?</b> Here's a <a href="http://static02.mediaite.com/geekosystem/uploads/2010/10/true-size-of-africa.jpg">sweet illustration</a>. Of course Alaska didn't make it in there, but either way it certainly is impressive just how big Africa really is.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Can I swallow this bottle whole?</b> A Native American tribe in South Dakota has decided to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16976700">sue members of the beer industry</a> for healthcare, social services, and child rehabilitation. I'm really curious to see how this plays out for a number of reasons. First, the legal status of Native American reservations is peculiar because they enjoy a pseudo-autonomous status. I can only imagine how murky that makes all of this and just somewhat unclear how it's going to play out. Second, their theory of negligence (I presume that's what they're calling it) is that the business continued to sell alcohol to the Native Americans even though they knew it was likely to end up on the reservation where it's outlawed. Should be an interesting case and I'm wondering if it can have some similar results like a lot of the cigarette litigation from a couple of decades ago. Potentially this could present some serious reform, so we'll see where it goes from here.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Old stuffy men in robes need to learn to deal with the modern world.</b> The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to <a href="http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2012/02/09/the-senate-judiciary-committee-votes-to-televise-supreme-court-arguments/">allow tv coverage</a> of Supreme Court arguments. This is great news, even though the justices don't like it. Look it's information that the public should have available immediately and I see no reasonable reason to keep the cameras out. They'll learn to deal with it.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I have no idea why this <a href="http://boingboing.net/2012/02/10/what-is-the-deal-with-this-pur.html">squirrel is purple</a>.</b></div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-86011165372800405802012-02-08T14:12:00.002-08:002012-02-08T15:04:45.121-08:00Buffalos, Break ups, Battlestar Galactica (Well pirating it anyway)<div><b>I'm going to punch a cougar.</b> Recently stumbled onto <a href="http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/106283">Guy on a Buffalo</a>. And if you haven't seen it, it's hysterical. Very clever and very well done. Somewhat old news now, but I know it hadn't made the rounds with most of my friends. Seriously worth your time:</div><div><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iJ4T9CQA0UM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Breaking up is hard to do. </b>Especially when you're <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/fashion/its-not-me-its-you-how-to-end-a-friendship.html?_r=2">breaking up with friends</a>. It's something that happens to us all, we move on. Interesting insight from NYTimes on the process. Personally I just stick with the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x3knxMBHco">Seinfeld approach</a>. Also the Times should know, George invented the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8TnhNxKNlU">"It's not you, it's me"</a>.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>I love TV SOPA-ing much.</b> The NYTimes about the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/technology/in-piracy-debate-deciding-if-the-sky-is-falling.html?smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=TE-E-FB-SM-LIN-IPD-020812-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click">fight amongst different industries</a> over how to handle piracy issues. It's an interesting discussion and there are a lot of conflicting interests going on. Of course I liked the argument they bring up with their anecdote at the beginning, since I'm a big sports fan. It's a difficult thing to manage what you can or can't get as far as TV offerings, especially because cable and satellite providers won't allow for an a la carte package of stations (most of the time). So what is a fan supposed to do? The internet sure provides some easy answers and typically there are ads that still run, so the advertisers are still happy at least.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I guess Tweeting while you drive is a good idea.</b> The Brazilian government is putting the new Twitter regulations to work demanding Twitter shut down a few accounts that tweet out information about <a href="http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2012/02/06/brazil-wants-twitter-to-close-accounts-that-warn-of-traffic-controls/">traffic stops</a>. Very difficult issue because the information will just flow to somewhere else. Initially they tried to argue that the accounts didn't offer anything useful for society other than those traffic stops which was a useful argument, but the users just added more valuable driving information. I think this is going to be a fight the Brazilian government loses against its own people other than blocking individual tweets as they come.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Polish Goal Line FTW.</b> Slate asks if the Giants took the <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/features/2011/nfl_2011/super_bowl/giants_patriots_super_bowl_did_new_york_put_12_men_on_the_field_on_purpose_for_brady_s_first_hail_mary_.html">12 men</a> on the field penalty intentionally? Short answer: No. However, that seems like a real potential issue. Per <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/mikepereira">Mike Pereira</a> if you keep intentionally committing penalties as a defense to run the clock it will result in a touchdown for the other team. But there's still a little bit of a problem there since that allowed the Giants to run some serious clock (although the extra man wasn't to their benefit). They might need to look into penalizing defenses a little more during those crunch moments. Anybody got any good suggestions?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Super plays.</b> Great quick (very quick) looks at a couple of key plays from National Football Post: <a href="http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/An-inside-look-at-Manninghams-catch.html">The Manningham Catch</a> and <a href="http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/What-we-can-learn-from-Cruzs-Super-Bowl-TD.html">Victor Cruz's TD</a>. I typically enjoy a bit more meat than that, but it was a good look since I don't have DVR to watch over and over what exactly transpires on such key plays.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>June Jones is a class act.</b> Always been a big fan of his work. Charlie Weis, not so much and no surprise there. June Jones <a href="http://espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/story/_/id/7552534/smu-coach-june-jones-right-let-players-transfer">allows recruits to transfer</a> but Charlie Weis resists. I give a knock on the lauding of Mack Brown for releasing recruits though. At places like Texas, USC, and Bama it's typically to their advantage to let go of somebody who doesn't pan out because they've got 20 other guys dying for a chance that might pan out. Other low class loser, Brian Kelly, t<a href="http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/rapid-reports/post/17077787">hrows a recruit under the bus</a> for going to another team. Way to pick on an 18 year old, Coach. You stay classy.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Eat more War Eagle.</b> Graham Watson bringing the laughs about a recruit who spurned Clemson over the <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/cassanova-mckinzy-spurned-clemson-because-didn-t-chick-015506961.html">lack of a Chick-Fil-A</a> in the area, even though there was one on campus. Seriously one of the better names in college football right there, Cassanova McKinzy. My favorite I saw was <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Leviticus-Payne-120341">Leviticus Payne</a>. Any other good one's out there?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>I want a recount!</b> Puppy Bowl <a href="http://seattle.sbnation.com/2012/2/5/2773933/puppy-bowl-2012-video-aberdeen-robbed-of-mvp">struck with controversy</a> as SBNation questions whether or not the right puppy got the MVP. Sadly forgot to watch the Puppy Bowl this year, but it's a wonderful Superbowl tradition and I'm glad that Animal Planet produces it. Although I actually somewhat appreciated Madonna's halftime show, minus a few mishaps.</div><div><br /></div><b>Heads or tails?</b> Mental Floss with a quick rundown on whether or not flipping a coin is really a <a href="http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/116382">50-50</a> proposition. Apparently it's more likely to land on the side that's up to begin with. I would have anticipated one side to be heavier than the other or something so that's interesting. Wonder if they specially weight them for the Superbowl coin toss or other sporting events? A glad hat tip to anybody that finds out if that's the case.squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-59131375623314509462012-01-27T12:11:00.000-08:002012-01-28T10:16:13.881-08:00Twitter, the Moon, and $2 ReviewsSo I've virtually gone off the map as far as blogging, but decided it might be something worth getting back into. I've got comments I can (and do) make about anything and everything and I know sometimes a couple of people also care. Of course, aside from my commentary, I do know a lot of people are interested in the articles and links I <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/squirrelyearl6">come across</a> through the day. So I think this is going to become a little bit more of a rundown of my articles from now on, my own <a href="http://drudgereport.com/">Drudge</a> moment. Occasionally I might dwell on some bigger topics and I hope to give some interesting insight especially with <a href="http://mormon.org/">my religious side</a> and <a href="http://www.creighton.edu/law/">my burgeoning law career</a> (still got a while on the latter and the former is an eternal work in progress). So here's my rundown for the day of a few things I've come across that I think are worth noting and talking about.<div><br /></div><div>First up, <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/twitter-announces-micro-censorship-policy/">Twitter's changing their censorship policy</a>. When I initially read about what was going on I was kind of confused at the big deal about it. A lot of people were pretty concerned about freedom of speech issues (it's meant to regulate speech in areas where speech isn't free). But apparently they used to shut down the comments to all of Twitter, but now they've figured out to regulate it just for certain areas. And they've even given you information on how to get around the IP list for your country so you can pretend to be posting from somewhere else. I highly recommend this post from technosociology to get an even better breakdown of <a href="http://technosociology.org/?p=678">how good this thing is for freedom of speech</a>. I know, semi-counterintuitive but you'll find out why.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some additional Twitter news: Nevada GOP to release <a href="http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/161029/nevada-gop-to-release-caucus-results-via-twitter/">election results</a> via Twitter. Pretty cool idea to keep you informed. Also kind of enjoy the snub to the AP it is. Gotta stay up with the game if you want to play.</div><div><br /></div><div>In NFL news, I'm worried we won't see more <a href="http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/09000d5d8255d978/WK-16-Can-t-Miss-Play-Jumpin-Jerome-Simpson">awesome flips</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Simpson">Jerome Simpson</a>. In traditional Bengals fashion, he's found himself in legal trouble for <a href="http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_19833838#.TyLufqBl69w.twitter">marijuana trafficking</a>. I would have thought if anybody would keep the Bengals tradition still going it would be <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Jones_(American_football)">Adam "Pacman" Jones</a> for sure, but looks like Jerome Simpson is keeping it real.</div><div><br /></div><div>In related criminal news, always recommend <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/edsbs">EDSBS's</a> <a href="http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/2012/1/25/2732435/fulmer-cupdate-you-get-no-bonus-points-for-smelling-so-damn-good">Fulmer Cupdate</a>. Here's some background info on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulmer_Cup">Fulmer Cup</a>. And if you need more college football satire and silliness, Spencer Hall's <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football-recruiting/2012/1/26/2737256/how-to-signing-day-part-three-the-signing-day-cycle-of-emotion-but">recruiting breakdown</a> series is fabulous. Fair warning, the language is a bit harsh sometimes on that site.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think most people have heard about Newt's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/gingrich-says-space-exploration-in-us-tradition-chides-critics-for-lack-of-understanding/2012/01/28/gIQAWtKkXQ_story.html">ambitious moon plans</a>, well here's my boy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_deGrasse_Tyson">Neil deGrasse Tyson</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/neiltyson">@neiltyson</a>) giving a run down of it:</div><object width="420" height="245" id="msnbc95f4b1" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640"><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=46152472&width=420&height=245"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed name="msnbc95f4b1" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" width="420" height="245" flashvars="launch=46152472&width=420&height=245" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 420px;"></p><div>(Spoiler Alert: He says it's the pols who are the only setback. Maybe that means Newt could actually get this thing done if he's elected!?!?)</div><div><br /></div><div>I've often heard that there were services that you could buy positive ratings from, this company decided to just <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/27/technology/for-2-a-star-a-retailer-gets-5-star-reviews.html?_r=1&smid=fb-nytimes&WT.mc_id=TE-E-FB-SM-LIN-F2S-012712-NYT-NA&WT.mc_ev=click">refund their customers</a> for 5 star reviews. That's the hard part about the internet ratings. It's easy to incentivize people to give positive reviews and most people (me included) are too lazy to write a review on things. Plus, I don't trust the general population's opinion (I mean they seem to like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavemen_(TV_series)">Geico ads</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flo_(Progressive_Insurance)#Popularity">Flo</a>). That's why I stopped looking at <a href="http://www.imdb.com/">IMDB</a> for movie ratings. People that usually take the time to write reviews on things (unless they're paid to do it) typically love or hate it and that's why they write the review. There's very few "normal" opinions on things so it's hard to get a true metered result. And that's why I stick to <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/">Rotten Tomatoes</a> for my movie reviews and <a href="http://www.cnet.com/">CNET</a> is probably one of the better places for reviews on pretty much anything else.</div><div><br /></div><div>In some more silliness news, great post by Poynter about how the New York Post <a href="http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/161030/how-headless-body-in-topless-bar-was-fact-checked/">verified the infamous "Headless Body in Topless Bar"</a> headline. Kind of funny thing about society sometimes, truly horrific crime that's been committed by I don't think anybody can deny the humor in it. And to leave off, a fabulous article from NPR on <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2012/01/25/145837558/what-should-liam-neeson-punch-next?ft=1&f=1045&_r=true">what Liam Neeson should punch</a> next. I think my favorite suggestion is Warranty. What do you enjoy?</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, make sure you watch the BYU-SMU game tonight. Should be a good one. Go Cougs!</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-37524700595873759252011-06-09T08:00:00.000-07:002011-06-09T08:00:08.078-07:00I Just Want to Bring Fire to the People<embed width="640" height="360" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:ifilm:video:spike.com:2744528" quality="high" bgcolor="000000" name="efp" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" flashvars="autoPlay=false" allowfullscreen="true"></embed><div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:12px; background-color: #000; width: 640px; padding: 3px 0; color: #fff;"><a href="http://www.spike.com/video/superman-returns-do/2744528" style="color: #ffcc35; margin-left: 5px;">Superman Returns - Do You Know The Story Of Prometheus?</a></div><br />So this was a post I originally devised quite some time ago but never actually wrote. I love this clip from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348150/">Superman Returns</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lex_Luthor">Lex Luthor</a> is such a masterful villain. Really there is so much to admire of him. He almost seems like a man of the people in his behavior and his schemes. Of course, where he goes wrong is when he tries to get that cut for himself; not to mention his schemes often involve the harming of other individuals. I guess I often see a lot of Lex in myself.<div><br /></div><div>I've found that I'm very big on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_law">the rule of law</a> in my life. I want to see that maxim of equality to shine through to the people as a whole. I believe whole heartedly that someday when I'm brought before God and Jesus Christ for judgement that <a href="http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=031e991a83d20110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD">a very similar principle</a> will be applied. So when I see these inequities in my life or the lives of others, it sorely vexes me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately I'm sure that I'm not nearly as selfless as I would like to be in these ambitions. I know there's often a bit too much Lex in me and I want my cut for myself. I feel like I get wronged and want that justice. However, I know it still bothers me even more when I see it happen to others.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really don't know what the solution to this problem is though. Capitalist economics seem to dictate most of how the world works. Of course the interesting thing about the economic system in which we live is that it still provides an opportunity for a lot of the main principles to be seemingly violated. Capitalism typically works off of a meritocracy in which your good work is rewarded. However, the more I see of the world, the more I see a game of politics really running even the economics of the day. <a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1255006/posts">Right man, right place, right time</a> seems to run what happens more than hard work.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think of my dad a lot with this kind of idea. I really admire my father a lot because I know how hard he has worked for my family to get us to where we are. My father used to commute for a number of hours each day to provide for our family. He was highly loyal to the companies he worked for and was a long time, valuable employee for them. Unfortunately (and I will say this with the disclaimer that this is what I've gleaned of the circumstances and may not be entirely accurate) his loyalty was more of a grounds for him to not necessarily have opportunities to advance and be rewarded for his loyalty and hard work. Now I could never say with any certainty what sort of employee my father is; I've never been his employer. However, I have a hard time believing that the sort of dedication he put forth was rewarded as was right.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sometimes the world is kind of rough place. It's interesting having the lens of my Political Science BA to look through everything. It makes me understand and appreciate that politicking is a real phenomenon that I have to deal with in my working experience.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-40366164725562148152011-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-11T08:00:03.502-07:00Article Wednesday: How Slavery Really Ended in America<span class="Apple-style-span">So I decided that I would make a regular segment where I talk briefly about a good article I read over the past week (maybe sometimes multiple) and share that with everybody. I often share articles on Facebook as I know most of you are aware, but this one will only be found in my blog. I probably won't divulge a ton about the article since I would love to have you read it, but I might talk about it a bit, especially if it brings forth particular thoughts or ideas.<br /><br />The article I'm sharing this week is entitled <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/magazine/mag-03CivilWar-t.html">"How Slavery Really Ended in America" by Adam Goodheart</a>. I liked this article because it taught me something about the history of the Civil War and the ending of slavery I never really knew. Basically a number of slaves escaped to a fort in the north where they could be held as "contraband" to avoid having returning to their masters. This was a very difficult political subject due to the current laws of the land and many of the current policies even. These circumstances were something that President Lincoln was even aware of and had to deal with.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">It really is interesting to see how much of a role this seems to have had in the abolition of slavery. I'm fascinated by the fact that the moral and just concept of abolition came about due to one man's understanding of the law and his desire to exploit the enemies of the Union rather than necessarily try to do what was right.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Overall it's a wonderful look into a bit of history long forgotten by most that quite possibly had a significant influence on the abolition of slavery in America.</span></div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-38967266268887296602011-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-10T08:00:05.586-07:00Five and Dime Store<span class="Apple-style-span" ><i>If you wanna be happy<br />For the rest of your life,<br />Never make a pretty woman your wife,<br />So from my personal point of view,<br />Get an ugly girl to marry you.</i></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NF5XU-k2Vk">"If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1NqOm60VHk">What's up my nickels?</a> (Hat tip: Daniel Tosh)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >So my dating life is often a popular topic around many of my former coworkers. Most of them are female and most of them are married, so they look for the drama and excitement in the lives of others. So of course girls have to know exactly what is going on in your dating life, which means they're usually <a href="http://tinyurl.com/6b63hc3">pretty bored</a> by my dating life.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >During this conversation I met a new girl in my old department. She was a rather attractive young lady, intelligent, and witty (and single). So of course she could not hold back on offering her opinion on my dating life. She told me that I needed to start setting my sights lower and stop chasing dimes. I couldn't help but laugh because I know I've never been accused of chasing dimes, but I have occasionally been accused of shooting a little too low (or not chasing at all). I did find it funny as well because she was a lot closer to a dime than a nickel.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Kind of a depressing thought to intentionally aim lower though. Especially because when I think of aiming lower, I think more of aiming lower on standards than looks. Maybe I am too hard on girls in other ways though. I often have a pretty high intellectual and maturity status that I look for in a woman (which is kind of ridiculous because I typically act like a five year old). But I guess I'm just too content to kick it with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6sb-vOFqCU">Professor Henry Higgins</a>.</span></div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-61803502172902979972011-05-09T08:00:00.000-07:002011-05-09T08:00:04.644-07:00Surprise, Insecurity, and the Mormon Experience*<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " >We all have a weakness<br />But some of ours are easy to identify.<br />Look me in the eye<br />and ask for forgiveness;<br />We'll make a pact to never speak that word again.<br />Yes, you are my friend.<br /><br />We all have something that digs at us.<br />At least we dig each other.<br />So when weakness turns my ego up<br />I know you'll count on the me from yesterday.</span></i><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " >- <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMsZ6wkZWhA">"Dig" by Incubus</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " >So it's been forever since I've written. And I know the whole two of you that might actually read this might be disappointed that it's been so long. I'll try to be back for real this time, we'll see how it all goes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " >I guess I'm hitting an interesting point in my life where everything is closing and opening all at once so it's gotten me thinking about a lot of things. I always put off the tough guy, nothing bothers me vibe but I guess it's finally catching up with me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " >I want to say first of all, I have wonderful friends. The people that I've really been able to count on in my life and are always there for me, I'm blessed to have you in my life and I know I'm a better person for merely having your association. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmOtWyjs8iU">I get by with a little help from my friends</a>. Of course I look at where I'm at with my life and I kind of think I probably should be relying a bit heavier on <a href="http://thomasmonson.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/jesus-mormon.jpg">my oldest friend</a>. I know for a fact that I've let my testimony in the Gospel of Jesus Christ slip a bit in recent months and that hurts and it's a realization that I need to take some <a href="http://lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/a-matter-of-a-few-degrees?lang=eng&query=uchtdorf+course">corrective maneuvers</a>. However, I don't want this to feel completely like some religious self-loathing piece so I won't focus on this too heavily. I know that I have a Father in Heaven that loves me dearly and I'm grateful for that. I also know I am a son of Deity and because of that I know I am an amazing person and have a great potential. Every day of my life is fantastic because I get to spend it with me and I'm fantastic.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; " ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" >So if I actually have any readers out there that don't realize where I'm at in life, I've recently started a new job doing IT work for Vivint. It's been a really great experience and I've learned a ton. It was tough at first and it was hard for me because it was the first time in quite some time that I felt really lost when I was trying to do my work. It was a whole new world to learn and experience. Go figure though, it's been a couple of months and I already feel like I've learned how to handle it pretty well. There's always something new to learn every day which is awesome. Also, I officially have been accepted to law school and I will be starting at <a href="http://www.creighton.edu/law/">Creighton</a> in the fall. I'm really excited for this opportunity.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" >This puts me in an interesting circumstance currently. The Brethren have put <a href="http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/priesthood-power?lang=eng">a renewed emphasis on marriage</a> recently and I've typically had more of a <a href="http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Wayne's_World#Wayne_Campbell">Wayne Campbell</a> attitude. Three months. That's roughly the amount of time I have between now and when I go out to Creighton. Six and a half years. That's roughly the amount of time I've been home from my mission and back at BYU. Seven years. I'd say that's about the average difference in age between me and most girls I'm around at BYU. I don't care for those statistics much but unfortunately the math does add up.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" >Now what's really brought this on was a realization while I was on a date this weekend that I felt really inadequate because I didn't feel like I could carry a conversation much. I don't know how many of you know me pretty well, but I have a lot to say about a lot of things. That scares me when I have a hard time finding stuff to stay. And unfortunately it hasn't just been during the date that I've struggled. I've been finding it difficult in life to go out of my bubble and make new friends and associations and to find common ground to talk about. This used to be second nature for me. I don't understand.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" >[Note: So I know if anybody does actually care enough to go out of their way to read this, they probably want to know about my date. I had a wonderful time. She's a really awesome girl, I plan on there being at least one more and we'll see where it goes from there.]</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" >During my date we decided to make a wish. Since I was half concerned the date wasn't going well and I was feeling rather reticent through most of the date, I wished that I could stop being such. K pestered me quite a bit to know what I wished for but I definitely did not give it up. Of course with that experience of a date and with all of the conversations I've tried to have since the change of the semester in this ward I've struggled to really say much. If anybody has any good pointers on what I can do to get myself out of this funk I'm all ears.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" >"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." I'm hoping to find some of the faults in me and dig them out, I think I'm counting on the me from yesterday.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;" >*This title is a play off of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Surprise-Security-American-Experience-Gaddis/dp/0674011740">a book from a political scientist</a>. I figured I wanted people to at least somewhat appreciate this allusion so I'd let them into my inside joke.</span></span></div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-89295888432214152172010-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:002010-08-03T08:00:00.420-07:00Hat TippinToday I read an interesting article from the New York Times about <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/02/education/02cheat.html?_r=1">plagiarism</a>. Basically the youth of our society (the new generation of college students) doesn't see anything wrong with plagiarism anymore. Most internet media is perceived to be fair game. The removal of books in our lives has convinced the youth of today that ideas don't really belong to anybody, but rather our a collective property of society.<div><br /></div><div>One thing I often consider is the way I share information on Facebook. All the time I am posting articles or videos that interest me or make me laugh. And of course I notice plenty of my friends repost things I've posted. Can I always say with absolute certainty they got it from me? No, certainly not. But it's rare to see a "hat tip" given out even though there is a chain of information passing. I realize these hat tips are small gestures to somebody who doesn't even own the idea, but there's something in the discovery and giving credit for that discovery.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the article they quote a Ms. Wilensky for her ideas on what is creativity. She states, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">“You’re not coming up with new ideas if you’re grabbing and mixing and matching... </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">It may be increasingly accepted, but there are still plenty of creative people — authors and artists and scholars — who are doing original work. It’s kind of an insult that that ideal is gone, and now we’re left only to make collages of the work of previous generations."</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; ">I think Ms. Wilensky has a jaded definition of what new ideas are. Everything we draw upon to create is based upon previous experience. Even when we develop the new or original it is because of past lessons learned. Now, I don't think this is necessarily the same as what she describes as "grabbing and mixing and matching." I think <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_(digital)">mashups</a> are a good example of that. Something mildly creative, but not really taking ideas to a new level. However, as a student of political science, I often wrote papers that I'm sure were not completely new or groundbreaking ideas. However, their was an originality to it because of my route of discovery that lead to it. My experiences helped to unfold these ideas in a different light than many who came before me. And in turn I presented it to the world anew.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; "><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px;">This communal property idea of knowledge and ideas destroys a lot of individuality. It decreases the incentive to produce and create more. I think the real problem with this plagiarism and communal knowledge comes from the desire to simply use it for personal gain rather than help return it to something greater for society. The availability of knowledge is a wonderful gift, but if we simply steal it, claim it as our own, and return nothing for it we are simple thieves. However, if we grow from these tidbits of knowledge and find a way to return something greater to society we will see immense progression from society.</span></span></div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-75651871081880413602010-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:002010-06-23T08:00:02.971-07:00The Ever Classy Large Benjamin<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">To say that Ben Roethlisberger has been in the news a bit lately is a bit of an understatement. Frankly, I don't even want to get into all of the garbage he's been accused of lately. If you want to know anything about that, read </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_roethlisberger"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">his Wikipedia entry</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. But if you've heard anything about the guy I think it's quickly become apparent that he is not a classy guy.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well, Roethlisberger decided to give the media another doozie recently. A couple of the </span><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5273150"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pittsburgh area TV stations interviewed him</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and he decided to make some statements to his fans about his recent behavior. When I saw the headline on ESPN, I figured that was a smart PR move and something long overdue. However, when I actually read what they had to say I was even more appalled.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The lede from ESPN:</div><div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 17px; font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">A contrite </span></span><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=5536" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">Ben Roethlisberger</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"> said he got caught up in being a caricature called Big Ben, not the grounded player and person he once was, leading to his off-field problems and affecting his play as the </span></span><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=pit" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; -webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-color: transparent; text-decoration: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;">Pittsburgh Steelers</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#999999;"> quarterback.</span></span></span></blockquote></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:100%;color:#333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 17px;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;font-size:16px;"></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now referring to Ben as contrite is only appropriate. He took an opportunity to apologize, which in some cases can be laudable; in his case I would say it was necessary. However, when I think of contrition I think of deep sorrow and remorse for actions and I don't think that's what came from Mr. Roethlisberger. The whole idea of getting caught up in the "caricature" of "Big Ben" seems to be him looking for an opportunity to escape his guilt. This man is hardly at all removed from his terrible behaviors and it seems like more of his foolish "caricature" is popping up all the time. To simply write off these mistakes so simply does not seem like the heart of a changed man. To me, it seems like Ben isn't willing to own up to his mistakes.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As you read in the article further, you see more and more it was this awful "Big Ben" person that caused all the problems, but really Ben Roethlisberger is a good guy. I say that's a bunch of baloney. Big Ben and Ben Roethlisberger are one in the same. Own up to your actions and accept the stupid decisions you made and apologize for them. I don't want to see some straw man strung up that is an alter ego of yourself. Who do you think you are? </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL7PSlUuWPs"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Bruce Wayne</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Another sign that clearly he's still going about things wrong is his admission that he "wanted to apologize to them for so many things." With what he says of it, it's clear that his "desire to apologize" has been something that he chose to wait on. That doesn't sound like contrition to me. Why wait to make these statements until now? Ben, I'm glad you've decided to change but I really hope it's for real.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For how much Roethlisberger gets discussed in the sporting news, I'm surprised this one flew under the radar so much. Maybe others were more convinced of his turning a new leaf. I'm not so optimistic. I think he understands a lot of things need to change if he's going to keep playing football, but I don't feel like he's going to mystically become a </span><a href="http://www.hulu.com/the-good-guys"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">good guy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. He has a long way to go and I hope a lot of other sports figures learn from his dumb mistake so we see fewer people making these kinds of mistakes.</span></div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-2334693130890750112010-02-11T21:46:00.000-08:002010-02-13T01:31:23.180-08:00By the Power of GreyskullSo I went to my roommates' basketball game this evening and it was a blowout. I came back to go on a run. As I started to get ready, I went out in the front room to chat with my roommates Matty Cakes and Squints. I started putting on my socks and lacing up my sneakers as Nancy Drew opened the front door. He was standing there with his girlfriend and I said "Hi" to them both. Of course she sat there with an absolutely terrified look on her face because I hadn't put on my shirt quite yet.<div><br /></div><div>She acted like she was about ready to run away and really did not want to come into the apartment. I just kept going, I wasn't going to let it phase me. It wasn't the end of the world. Besides I make a pretty good living on the weekend like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RajNvJ3bCU">this guy</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Nancy Drew made the comment it was just like I was going swimming so it wasn't that big of a deal, but she wasn't biting. She came inside with incredible hesitancy and continued to ignore me even after I put a shirt on.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm kind of surprised about it, she went hot tubbing the other night with Nancy Drew and so she clearly saw him with his shirt off. Nancy Drew kind of looks <a href="http://content8.flixster.com/photo/10/68/83/10688302_gal.jpg">like this</a> without a shirt on:</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://old.he-man.org/primary_sects/movie/images/gallery/skeletor3.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 241px; height: 200px;" src="http://old.he-man.org/primary_sects/movie/images/gallery/skeletor3.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>And I, without a shirt on, look <a href="http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Entertainment/Images/dolph-lundgren-masters-of-the-universe.jpg">a lot like this</a>:</div><div><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><br /></p></div><div><p></p></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.iweb.cz/~vecer/fotky/damm/hem01a.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 278px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.iweb.cz/~vecer/fotky/damm/hem01a.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-18322993158062662532010-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:002010-01-13T08:00:01.493-08:00Domino's Finally Decides to Make PizzaI really wish I had a lot to say about this, but I'll let Mr. Colbert speak for me instead:<div><br /></div><table style="font:11px arial; color:#333; background-color:#f5f5f5" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="360" height="353"><tbody><tr style="background-color:#e5e5e5" valign="middle"><td style="padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;"><a target="_blank" style="color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;" href="http://www.colbertnation.com/">The Colbert Report</a></td><td style="padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; text-align:right; font-weight:bold;">Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c</td></tr><tr style="height:14px;" valign="middle"><td style="padding:2px 1px 0px 5px;" colspan="2"><a target="_blank" style="color:#333; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;" href="http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/260771/january-06-2010/alpha-dog-of-the-week---domino-s-pizza">Alpha Dog of the Week - Domino's Pizza</a><a></a></td></tr><tr style="height:14px; background-color:#353535" valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="padding:2px 5px 0px 5px; width:360px; overflow:hidden; text-align:right"><a target="_blank" style="color:#96deff; text-decoration:none; font-weight:bold;" href="http://www.colbertnation.com/">www.colbertnation.com</a></td></tr><tr valign="middle"><td style="padding:0px;" colspan="2"><embed style="display:block" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:260771" width="360" height="301" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="autoPlay=false" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" bgcolor="#000000"></embed></td></tr><tr style="height:18px;" valign="middle"><td style="padding:0px;" colspan="2"><table style="margin:0px; text-align:center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" height="100%"><tbody><tr valign="middle"><td style="padding:3px; width:33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;" href="http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes">Colbert Report Full Episodes</a></td><td style="padding:3px; width:33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;" href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/">Political Humor</a></td><td style="padding:3px; width:33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font:10px arial; color:#333; text-decoration:none;" href="http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/258566/december-15-2009/prescott-financial-sells-gold--women---sheep">Economy</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I remember seeing the ad for the new pizza and being like "Huh, maybe I should check that out." It didn't even cross my mind that they basically were suggesting that they've been giving people <a href="http://www.barackobama.com/issues/">the most worthless garbage possible</a> for who knows how long. Good for the Domino's CEO to admit, "The weakness in our value chain with the customer was really in our core product." Interesting that he made that quote on the same day <a href="http://www.annarbor.com/business-review/david-brandons-departure-from-dominos-pizza-comes-at-crucial-time/">he bailed to be the new AD for Michigan</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This whole thing is crazy enough to make you say Ay Caramba!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y5euQ1Gu1-I&color1=0xcccccc&color2=0xcccccc&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y5euQ1Gu1-I&color1=0xcccccc&color2=0xcccccc&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-4219820899133698252009-12-24T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-24T15:54:33.668-08:00Hawaii BowlI love <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Jones">June Jones</a>. I was always really impressed with his <a href="http://smartfootball.blogspot.com/2009/03/simple-approach-to-run-and-shoot-part-1.html">Run and Shoot</a> style offense at Hawaii. The offense wasn't predicated on the players, but rather the style of play. He was able to take just regular QB's and turn them into passing monsters and most teams had a very difficult time stopping them. Unfortunately for him, Hawaii left him kind of high and dry and so he went to <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2567">SMU</a>. This will be a big, emotional return for him. The Mustangs had a rather remarkable season. Ever since receving NCAA sanctions back in the 80's, they've struggled to say the least. Now with Jones comes new hope.<div><br /></div><div>Of course getting by <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2440">Nevada</a> is going to be difficult. The Wolfpack boast a fantastic rushing game in their <a href="http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/Deconstructing-Nevada-s-Pistol-by-any-other-?urn=ncaaf,176983">Pistol</a> offense. This season they had three 1,000 yard rushers, but that's all meaningless now. The only rusher they can count on is QB <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=183575">Colin Kaepernick</a> because their other two are out, one due to academic ineligibility and the other due to a toe injury. Of course I would say Kaepernick is the most dangerous one, plus he's the QB so the most vital to have. This should be a fun game to watch because of the explosive offenses. Both teams also struggle with defence so they should really run up the score. I'm predicting a 10 point victory for Nevada. I don't think the lack of their rushers will be enough to slow them down against a mediocre SMU team.</div><div><br /></div><div>I predict the Wolfpack to win 44-34.</div><div><br /></div><div>ESPN has this as <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=293582567">a rather lopsided contest</a>, but I'm not sure their computer simulations were run without the Nevada RB's.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-40371481484179138052009-12-24T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-24T13:32:41.661-08:00Day 4: 1-0 Overall: 3-2So I didn't see the game last night, but I know the Utes were down 14-0 pretty early so I'm reasonably surprised to see they came back. Definitely not happy about that, but there's always a silver lining to everything. The best part was the fact that somebody hired an airplane to fly over the stadium and taunt the Utes with a banner that read "We won. You lost. You are classless." Pretty awesome. I'm probably going to watch the game sometime today and see what I missed, sounds like it was probably a pretty decent game to watch. And as I said leading up to the game, Coach Whit really knows how to get his guys going for the bowl games. Still a pretty tame schedule for the bowl games today, only one. Then we get a day off for Christmas and I get the Christmas gift I want, 3 bowl games the next day. I love being able to watch bowl games all the time.squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-49847002117360299132009-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-23T09:00:03.131-08:00Poinsettia BowlBefore the Las Vegas Bowl, I felt like I had this game pegged as well. We had seen pretty strong play from the Pac-10 this season for the most part, so it seemed only logical that they would have a good bowl season. As was mentioned about 50 times during the Las Vegas Bowl, the Pac-10 went undefeated in bowl play last season. They're off to a rough 0-1 start this season and may be in position for an 0-2. <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=238184">Jahvid Best</a> is not playing for <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=25">Cal</a> and <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=254">Utah</a> proved a formidable opponent for the Pac-10 Champion Oregon Ducks.<div><br /></div><div>Maybe Best being gone isn't that serious. His replacement, <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=238201">Shane Vereen</a>, has been rather respectable himself. Of course the Cal season was a rather serious disappointment. Also, they were run over by the same Oregon Ducks that barely beat Utah the week before. The Golden Bears ended their season with a disappointing loss to the University of Washington. Cal coach, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Tedford">Jeff Tedford</a>, has always impressed me and I've enjoyed what he's done up there for the Golden Bears. The question is, will it be enough?</div><div><br /></div><div>Seeing BYU's drubbing of Oregon State last night gave me some serious pause about how good the Pac-10 really is. The Beavers barely lost the Civil War, yet were completely run over by the Cougars. Now maybe there are some pretty reasonable explanations to this. The wind obviously just did not work out at all for the Beavers, versus the Cougars learned to work around it. But that is part of the game and at the end of the day, the Cougars adapted better so they got the W. As I've stated, Utah really gave the Ducks a run for their money. Utah coach, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyle_Whittingham">Kyle Whittingham</a>, does a really good job of getting his guys fired up for big games. There always seems to be a better intensity out of the Utes than I see out of the Cougars and I hate Whit for it. (Random side note: that's a pretty lousy picture of Coach Whit on his Wikipedia entry, but of course it's still not quite as embarrassing as <a href="http://thatfan.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/whittingham.jpg">this</a>) Also, Whittingham seems to develop great game plans for situations like this and takes exactly the right risks to make everything work out for his team in these kinds of situations. Undeniably Utah has some pretty gifted athletes on offense and they still play a very intense brand of defence even after losing so many starters from last year.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yet again, before yesterday I was all set. I was determined to pick Cal. But after reconsidering this game a bit more heavily from talking to some friends and seeing just how unimpressive the Pac-10 can be, I have to go with Utah. I think the Utes will win by a touchdown, but I hope their game looks more like the BYU game and they play the part of OSU.</div><div><br /></div><div>I predict Utah to win 24-17.</div><div><br /></div><div>ESPN expects this to be a close one as well, but gives <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=293570025">a slight edge to Cal</a>.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-84070263753101572402009-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-23T08:00:06.477-08:00Day 3: 0-1 Overall: 2-2Well I think saying I was way off on my BYU pick would be an understatement. Of course through all the "I told you so" comments I've been getting, I still didn't get anybody assuring me of a BYU victory before the game. So I'm willing to eat my humble pie and admit to mistake on that game. I can't imagine I'm liable to get one as wrong as I did on that again, so it is even more embarrassing that it was my own team that I picked against in such a fashion. Also, that was the first game I actually got to watch so that was nice. I'm going to miss out on the Poinsettia Bowl this evening, but I have it recording at home so I'll be able to watch it tomorrow. I'm going to watch the Wyoming game at some point as well because that was recorded. Bowl season is really going to start rolling shortly, I'm excited. Also, we'll see how well my prognostication goes from here. Our first multi-bowl day comes the day after Christmas. I'm excited.squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-21897888307239974462009-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-22T08:00:01.582-08:00Las Vegas BowlI'll say it right now, I think BYU is going to lose. I'm going to catch all sorts of flak for that comment from so many of my fellow Cougars about how I'm not a true fan and such, but I really don't care. This isn't about who I like as a team, this is about being objective and trying my best to make accurate picks of the bowl season. I don't think too many people care too much about what I have to say and if people actually read what I wrote for each of these games, they would probably disagree with a lot of what I have to say. So I guess I need to explain my reasoning.<div><br /></div><div>First and foremost lets give Oregon State their due. The Beavers are a very strong football team that gave Pac-10 Champion, Oregon, a good run for their money. OSU has a very explosive offensive with plenty of talent in the backfield, including excellent QB play from Sean Canfield. There are definitely a lot of offensive weapons. Defence may seem a bit spottier, especially after seeing the score of the Civil War shootout.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now on the other hand lets look at the Cougars. Obviously they have a very high power offense and an equally powerful defence when they choose to show up and play. Which defence we see tonight will have a dramatic impact on the outcome of the game. I certainly expect big games out of most of their skill players. I think one of the most telling signs is BYU's ineptitude against ranked teams, especially in the Max Hall era. Certainly the win against Oklahoma was a marquee win for any program given where they were coming from and where BYU was, however, the Cougars' performance against other ranked teams has been lackluster at best and downright abysmal against opponents such as the Utes last season. Also, OSU has a higher Sagarin Rating than any team BYU has beaten in the Bronco Mendenhall era.</div><div><br /></div><div>Both of these teams have something to prove, but when it comes down to getting emotional and fired up for games, BYU seldom seems to find it. I think the emotion and skill crew of OSU sees the Beavers through this shootout. Expect a lot of scoring from both high powered offenses, but the OSU defence will make sure everything goes as they hope. I'm picking the Beavers by 10.</div><div><br /></div><div>I predict a 37-27 victory for the Beavers. Please prove me wrong Cougs.</div><div><br /></div><div>ESPN gives <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=293560252">BYU the slight edge</a> in this game.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-42657021259973946102009-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-22T01:55:58.861-08:00Day 2: 0-1 Overall: 2-1So I missed a pick pretty early. I can't say I'm too surprised because they were such largely inconsequential teams. My score pick was pretty close, I just had the wrong winner. Hopefully there aren't too many more of the smaller bowl games that get me like that. I'm pretty satisfied with a 2-1 and overall though and I'm excited for the bowl games to get more into the swing of things.squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-34586354008610173532009-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-20T10:35:48.696-08:00New Orleans BowlWe've come to our first bowl with an official sponsor in the name and I'm going to do my best to disregard any company that has paid enough money to have their name listed in the bowl (we're all hosed as far as the <a href="http://www.emeraldnuts.com/">Emerald Bowl</a> is concerned though). This is a showing of two schools that most people would rather not acknowledge even exist. <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2572">Southern Miss</a> is a team that people at least know the name somewhat, but couldn't say much of anything more. I'll bet a lot of people didn't even realize there was a <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2393">Middle Tennessee State</a>, much less name their mascot.<div><br /></div><div>This is a game that I'm not expecting a whole lot of defence on, so whoever steps up to make an occasional big defence play is likely to get the win. Both power reasonably explosive offenses, but come from rather wimpy conferences. The Blue Raiders have a tendency to turn some heads it seems with every viewing I ever get of them. Of course, they're still part of the <a href="http://www.sunbeltsports.org/HomePage.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4100&SPLASH_SET=YES">Sun Belt</a> conference which makes them pretty lousy. I give <a href="http://conferenceusa.cstv.com/">Conference USA </a>an edge as far as that standard. Also, this is virtually a home game for the Golden Eagles since the trip over to New Orleans is not terribly far and I think the Golden Eagles' fan base cares a lot more. The Blue Raiders certainly have something to prove, I just don't expect to see it tonight. I give the game to the Golden Eagles by less than 10.</div><div><br /></div><div>I predict a 42-34 victory for the Golden Eagles.</div><div><br /></div><div>ESPN thinks this will be a <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=293542393">reasonably close</a> one as well.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-85289441656240732712009-12-20T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-20T10:15:55.458-08:00Day 1: 2-0The picks looked like they went pretty well and no overly big surprises. I did pick Wyoming-Fresno State to be a close one and I would say double overtime qualifies for that. Rutgers beat up on UCF even more than I expected, but it was pretty lopsided as I anticipated. Unfortunately I didn't get to catch either of the games, so I really don't know a whole lot about how they played out. I'm hoping to catch at least some of the game this evening, but I've got some plans that I know will cause a conflict at least some of the time. Only one game today though, rather slow day. Should see my pick on the game up shortly.squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-15526103551032943442009-12-18T10:00:00.000-08:002009-12-20T00:32:05.486-08:00St. Petersberg BowlReady for one of the more boring bowl games? This is definitely it. You get a battle between two sets of Knights, <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=164">Rutgers Scarlet Knights</a> (they like to pretend they're fancy or something) and the <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2116">University of Central Florida Knights</a>.<div><br /></div><div>I haven't seen either team play much this season and couldn't even pretend to name a player from either side off the top of my head. That being said, I still expect Rutgers to take it to UCF. Rutgers has a 4 year bowl game win streak going on that I really don't expect to see stopping this year. Coach <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Schiano">Greg Schiano</a> knows what he's doing up there and can get it done. It's been surprising to see him fall off as much as they have, but it's hard to argue with the bowl game record.</div><div><br /></div><div>I predict the Scarlet Knights by 14+, 38-21 Rutgers.</div><div><br /></div><div>ESPN's Accuscore gave this game a <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=293530164">surprisingly close rating</a>.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388237869763686304.post-18432172468892098522009-12-18T09:00:00.000-08:002009-12-18T23:56:05.507-08:00New Mexico BowlThe first bowl game of the season is the New Mexico Bowl. Neither team is from New Mexico (of course I'm pretty sure there's only 2 in the state) and neither one is particularly good. <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=2751">Wyoming</a> looked terrible for most of their season this year. And frankly, other than <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=292610278">giving BSU a slight scare</a>, I'm not sure <a href="http://espn.go.com/ncf/clubhouse?teamId=278">Fresno State</a> has looked all that good either.<div><br /></div><div>Obviously you have to be on the lookout for Bulldog runningback <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=241397">Ryan Mathews</a>. He poses a respectable threat for any team, especially for a team as lousy as Wyoming. Of course the Wyoming quarterback, <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=481988">Austyn Carta-Samuels</a>, turned some heads in a lackluster MWC this season by winning freshman of the year honors.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think Fresno State isn't all that strong this season, versus they're playing a Wyoming team that is on a serious rise. For those reasons, I give the game to the Cowboys by 3. Wyoming is going to have their work cut out for them, but I just don't see the overall play of Fresno being that good. This should have a reasonably high score because Fresno doesn't play great defence, but Wyoming is still going to have a hard time stopping Mathews. I predict a 31-28 victory for Wyoming.</div><div><br /></div><div>For further breakdown, check out <a href="http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/preview?gameId=293532751">how crazy ESPN thinks I am</a>.</div>squirrelyearlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12098250376078894226noreply@blogger.com0