Beats the hell out of me. I don’t know enough about the man or what he stands for and I’m sorry, but simply being black, articulate, handsome and charismatic isn’t enough.
Ok, granted he’s a lot smarter than George Bush Jr., would probably not get caught molesting interns like Bill Clinton, clearly has a superior intellect when compared to George Bush Sr., would be capable of making weightier decisions, beyond simply what jelly bean to eat next, than Ronald Reagan and wouldn’t get pushed around by some Ayatollah like Jimmy Carter.
In other words he couldn’t possibly be any worse then the lightweights we’ve suffered through over the past 25 years or so. That being the case, what the hell, go Barack go!
Friday, February 09, 2007
Religious Protests over a Ramp?
The religious mind never ceases to amaze me. In the latest round of absurdities the AP has reported on the protest by hundreds of Muslims over the Israeli government’s plans to replace a ramp leading up to the Noble Sanctuary, the third most holy site in Islam.
Here are some of the quotes reported by the AP.
Raed Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, said “The aggression happening now is a tragedy, a crime,” and then went on to accuse Israel of declaring “a regional religious war.”
They’re fixing a freaking ramp that they believe has become unsafe. Maybe they should wait until the damn thing collapses and kills a dozen or so people? What would you accuse them of then, genocide? Talk about exaggeration! The Israeli’s swear the work isn’t going to damage the Muslim Holy site. Personally I think they should bull doze the whole thing along with all the other mosques, churches and synagogues. Then they could use the land for something useful.
U.N. ambassadors from the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference called on the U.N. Security Council “to take immediate and urgent action in order to bring an end to Israeli intransigence and violations against the blessed Al Aqsa mosque.”
The U.N. Security Council? You brought this before the U.N. Security Council? Can somebody please explain to me again how the religious are rational? They’re all nuts if you ask me and Muslims must be the craziest of the lot.
UNESCO issued a statement calling on Israel “to suspend any action that could endanger the spirit of mutual respect until such time as the will to dialogue prevails once again.”
What mutual respect? Again I ask what kind of reaction could we expect if the damn ramp collapsed and killed 20 or 30 Muslims?
I find this so ridiculous as to be beyond comprehension.
Here are some of the quotes reported by the AP.
Raed Salah, a leader of the Islamic Movement in Israel, said “The aggression happening now is a tragedy, a crime,” and then went on to accuse Israel of declaring “a regional religious war.”
They’re fixing a freaking ramp that they believe has become unsafe. Maybe they should wait until the damn thing collapses and kills a dozen or so people? What would you accuse them of then, genocide? Talk about exaggeration! The Israeli’s swear the work isn’t going to damage the Muslim Holy site. Personally I think they should bull doze the whole thing along with all the other mosques, churches and synagogues. Then they could use the land for something useful.
U.N. ambassadors from the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference called on the U.N. Security Council “to take immediate and urgent action in order to bring an end to Israeli intransigence and violations against the blessed Al Aqsa mosque.”
The U.N. Security Council? You brought this before the U.N. Security Council? Can somebody please explain to me again how the religious are rational? They’re all nuts if you ask me and Muslims must be the craziest of the lot.
UNESCO issued a statement calling on Israel “to suspend any action that could endanger the spirit of mutual respect until such time as the will to dialogue prevails once again.”
What mutual respect? Again I ask what kind of reaction could we expect if the damn ramp collapsed and killed 20 or 30 Muslims?
I find this so ridiculous as to be beyond comprehension.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Super Bowl XLI
Boy what a soggy mess. The only thing I could think about the whole game was “thank goodness it’s not me sitting there getting drenched!”
Actually, that’s not really true; I was also groaning that the missed extra point in the 1st quarter pretty much blew any chance I had for collecting cash from the pool I invested $10 in since I had 4-4.
Beyond that, I thought the commercials were way below par for a Super Bowl and I was terribly disappointed that Prince didn’t slide on the wet stage and land on his butt during his water soaked performance at half-time.
Such are the thoughts that go through one’s mind when one couldn’t care less who wins the damn game. Given the weather, the game was more than a little sloppy with loads of turnovers, most of which seemed to be the courtesy of the Bears overmatched quarterback Rex Grossman. Talk about having a bad day.
So Payton gets his first ring and, hopefully, this will establish such a level of sibling rivalry that Eli will drag the Giants, probably kicking and screaming, to a date with destiny of their own. Or at least one can dream as the glory of 1990 is beginning to grow dim.
Final score, Colts 29 and Bears 17.
Actually, that’s not really true; I was also groaning that the missed extra point in the 1st quarter pretty much blew any chance I had for collecting cash from the pool I invested $10 in since I had 4-4.
Beyond that, I thought the commercials were way below par for a Super Bowl and I was terribly disappointed that Prince didn’t slide on the wet stage and land on his butt during his water soaked performance at half-time.
Such are the thoughts that go through one’s mind when one couldn’t care less who wins the damn game. Given the weather, the game was more than a little sloppy with loads of turnovers, most of which seemed to be the courtesy of the Bears overmatched quarterback Rex Grossman. Talk about having a bad day.
So Payton gets his first ring and, hopefully, this will establish such a level of sibling rivalry that Eli will drag the Giants, probably kicking and screaming, to a date with destiny of their own. Or at least one can dream as the glory of 1990 is beginning to grow dim.
Final score, Colts 29 and Bears 17.
Friday, February 02, 2007
The Story of the Grainfield
Mark tells a story about Jesus and the disciples crossing a grainfield one Sabbath.
Mark 2:23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"
Mark 2:25 He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."
Mark 2:27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
The story is repeated in both Matthew 12 and Luke 6. Matthew omits the name of the priest but adds some expansion including these words to what Jesus says:
Matthew 12:6 “I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.”
Luke’s version is almost identical to Mark’s except that he also, strangely enough, omits the name of the priest. Why do Matthew and Luke omit the name of the priest?
Well, if you go back to the original story, which comes from 1 Samuel 21, there’s a possible reason. The name of the priest that David gets the bread from is Ahimelech and not Abiathar. Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech and escaped the revenge that Saul takes upon Ahimelech and his family for helping David.
Now Samuel doesn’t call Ahimelech the high priest, but Ahimelech does appear to be the head priest at a place called Nod. So what’s the deal here? Did Jesus make a mistake or did Mark make a mistake? Either way it sort of makes you wonder. If Jesus made the mistake, is it likely that God, even in the guise of a man, would misquote his own scripture? If Mark made the mistake, well, so much for the inerrancy of the text.
But here’s something else, all three gospels say that David also gave some of the bread to his companions. But David didn’t have any companions. David is fleeing from Saul by himself. Ahimelech even asks him “Why are you alone?” David lies to the priest saying that he is on a confidential mission for the king which “No one is to know anything about” and that he ordered his men “to meet me at a certain place.” In reality David did no such thing, since he wasn’t on a mission from the king but was fleeing for his life, he had no troops escorting him. Others don’t join David until 1 Samuel 22. When he is talking Ahimelech into giving him the consecrated bread, he’s by himself.
So the whole story is a totally incorrect retelling of the story from 1 Samuel 21. So who blew it? Did Jesus have a memory lapse or did Mark? Matthew and Luke did what damage control they could by omitting the priest’s name. They couldn’t omit the statements about David’s companions without making the whole story completely irrelevant to something being done by the apostles.
If the bible is inerrant, then Jesus was wrong or was making things up, in other words, lying. If Jesus actually told the story correctly, then all three gospels are inaccurate in their description of the event.
I’m sure there exists an apologetic answer to this although I’ve never come across it. One obvious point is that the story of David is incidental to the points Jesus is making. First, he is pointing out the difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. Second, he is making the point that the Pharisee’s interpretation of the law is not necessarily the right interpretation of the law.
Regardless of how often someone tries to convince me that Jesus was an ignorant peasant with limited intellectual skills, the argument doesn’t stick. He certainly didn’t have a cosmopolitan outlook on life and his education was probably limited by the fact that he was living in a backwater of the empire. He may have been ignorant in the sense that he didn’t have the benefit of a classical or liberal education, and he probably had no conception of the world beyond the limited confines of Galilee and Judea, but his mental faculties strike me as having been top notch.
Yes, I’m convinced that Jesus was a pretty smart cookie. Maybe someone should start a religion based upon his teachings? The main point of the story that, despite the unmitigated arrogance of the Pharisees, their interpretation is not necessarily the right interpretation, should be taken to heart by the modern day Pharisees, those who call themselves “Evangelical Christians.”
Mark 2:23 One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"
Mark 2:25 He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? 26 In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions."
Mark 2:27 Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."
The story is repeated in both Matthew 12 and Luke 6. Matthew omits the name of the priest but adds some expansion including these words to what Jesus says:
Matthew 12:6 “I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.”
Luke’s version is almost identical to Mark’s except that he also, strangely enough, omits the name of the priest. Why do Matthew and Luke omit the name of the priest?
Well, if you go back to the original story, which comes from 1 Samuel 21, there’s a possible reason. The name of the priest that David gets the bread from is Ahimelech and not Abiathar. Abiathar was the son of Ahimelech and escaped the revenge that Saul takes upon Ahimelech and his family for helping David.
Now Samuel doesn’t call Ahimelech the high priest, but Ahimelech does appear to be the head priest at a place called Nod. So what’s the deal here? Did Jesus make a mistake or did Mark make a mistake? Either way it sort of makes you wonder. If Jesus made the mistake, is it likely that God, even in the guise of a man, would misquote his own scripture? If Mark made the mistake, well, so much for the inerrancy of the text.
But here’s something else, all three gospels say that David also gave some of the bread to his companions. But David didn’t have any companions. David is fleeing from Saul by himself. Ahimelech even asks him “Why are you alone?” David lies to the priest saying that he is on a confidential mission for the king which “No one is to know anything about” and that he ordered his men “to meet me at a certain place.” In reality David did no such thing, since he wasn’t on a mission from the king but was fleeing for his life, he had no troops escorting him. Others don’t join David until 1 Samuel 22. When he is talking Ahimelech into giving him the consecrated bread, he’s by himself.
So the whole story is a totally incorrect retelling of the story from 1 Samuel 21. So who blew it? Did Jesus have a memory lapse or did Mark? Matthew and Luke did what damage control they could by omitting the priest’s name. They couldn’t omit the statements about David’s companions without making the whole story completely irrelevant to something being done by the apostles.
If the bible is inerrant, then Jesus was wrong or was making things up, in other words, lying. If Jesus actually told the story correctly, then all three gospels are inaccurate in their description of the event.
I’m sure there exists an apologetic answer to this although I’ve never come across it. One obvious point is that the story of David is incidental to the points Jesus is making. First, he is pointing out the difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. Second, he is making the point that the Pharisee’s interpretation of the law is not necessarily the right interpretation of the law.
Regardless of how often someone tries to convince me that Jesus was an ignorant peasant with limited intellectual skills, the argument doesn’t stick. He certainly didn’t have a cosmopolitan outlook on life and his education was probably limited by the fact that he was living in a backwater of the empire. He may have been ignorant in the sense that he didn’t have the benefit of a classical or liberal education, and he probably had no conception of the world beyond the limited confines of Galilee and Judea, but his mental faculties strike me as having been top notch.
Yes, I’m convinced that Jesus was a pretty smart cookie. Maybe someone should start a religion based upon his teachings? The main point of the story that, despite the unmitigated arrogance of the Pharisees, their interpretation is not necessarily the right interpretation, should be taken to heart by the modern day Pharisees, those who call themselves “Evangelical Christians.”
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friends of God
“Friends of God” is the name of an HBO documentary about Evangelical Christianity in America. I knew if I watched it, that the show was going to upset me, I just didn’t realize by how much.
They had a sequence showing Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis pitching his garbage to a meeting room full of preschoolers. Ham used ever dirty pitch trick you could imagine from half truths to innuendo to outright lying. If that wasn’t infuriating enough, then the HBO interviewer talked to the kids asking them about their beliefs. What a demonstration of a well brain washed group.
Worse were the conversations with slightly older, and I would assume veterans of Ham’s presentation, seeing how well the message has stuck, and how nailed shut the minds have become. I loved the one kid who explained that people accept evolution because they haven’t been given all the evidence (!?) and how the universities are biased in favor of evolution! How about biased in favor of the evidence?
Allow me to provide an example of the crap spewed by one of Ham's presenters. The question being addressed was why dinosaurs weren't mentioned in the bible which, if they had been contemporary with ancient man, they should have been. To explain this omission the presenter asked the children rhetorically if "automobile" was in the bible or "computer?" Of course not he answered, because these are what he called "new words" just like dinosaur was a "new word." Of course he neglected to mention that the only reason dinosaur is a "new word" is folks back then didn't need a word to describe what they had no knowledge of. If there had been dinosaurs wandering around, they would have had a word to describe them, just like they had words to describe lions and tigers and bears. It would not have been the precise word "dinosaur," but it would have been some word. Perhaps "bigthingthatknocksdownhouses" or something like that.
And we let people who bring their own kids to be brainwashed vote? No wonder this goddamn country is going to the dogs. The show got me so furious I started yelling at my wife who disagrees with my position that all religions are cults.
Bottom line, people like this are dangerous. They’re not funny and amusing but harmless yokels; they are dangerous and need to be fought, with words if sufficient, and with bullets if necessary.
Over the last few months I had sort of mellowed in my attitude toward religion. Well that show ended that. Now I’m all stirred up all over again.
They had a sequence showing Ken Ham from Answers in Genesis pitching his garbage to a meeting room full of preschoolers. Ham used ever dirty pitch trick you could imagine from half truths to innuendo to outright lying. If that wasn’t infuriating enough, then the HBO interviewer talked to the kids asking them about their beliefs. What a demonstration of a well brain washed group.
Worse were the conversations with slightly older, and I would assume veterans of Ham’s presentation, seeing how well the message has stuck, and how nailed shut the minds have become. I loved the one kid who explained that people accept evolution because they haven’t been given all the evidence (!?) and how the universities are biased in favor of evolution! How about biased in favor of the evidence?
Allow me to provide an example of the crap spewed by one of Ham's presenters. The question being addressed was why dinosaurs weren't mentioned in the bible which, if they had been contemporary with ancient man, they should have been. To explain this omission the presenter asked the children rhetorically if "automobile" was in the bible or "computer?" Of course not he answered, because these are what he called "new words" just like dinosaur was a "new word." Of course he neglected to mention that the only reason dinosaur is a "new word" is folks back then didn't need a word to describe what they had no knowledge of. If there had been dinosaurs wandering around, they would have had a word to describe them, just like they had words to describe lions and tigers and bears. It would not have been the precise word "dinosaur," but it would have been some word. Perhaps "bigthingthatknocksdownhouses" or something like that.
And we let people who bring their own kids to be brainwashed vote? No wonder this goddamn country is going to the dogs. The show got me so furious I started yelling at my wife who disagrees with my position that all religions are cults.
Bottom line, people like this are dangerous. They’re not funny and amusing but harmless yokels; they are dangerous and need to be fought, with words if sufficient, and with bullets if necessary.
Over the last few months I had sort of mellowed in my attitude toward religion. Well that show ended that. Now I’m all stirred up all over again.
Rome is Back
The first three episodes of the second, and final, season of the HBO series Rome have been aired and I’m finding the series interesting but decidedly mediocre. I don’t even bother to watch the shows when they premier, I catch them a day or two later on HBO On Demand.
I guess they’ve decided to skip the whole Antony marries Octavia bit as too complicated and leave Antony hooked up with Atia; unless of course that poisoner Servilia hired to get Atia manages to succeed. We’ll find out next week. In the meantime Antony has left Rome for Gaul after Cicero done him wrong in the senate, Octavian has hooked up with school chum Agrippa in Campania, where they have apparently raised a nice little army, and Brutus and Cassius are looking for financial support in the far reaches of the empire. Oh yeah, and Cleopatra has turned up in Rome. I’ve also learned that the role of Octavian is to be recast bringing in an older actor to play the grown up Octavian.
On the domestic front, Orestes Fulman has, apparently, kidnapped and sold Vorenus’s daughters, and Niobe’s sister Lyde, into slavery. Voranus and Pullo, after depopulating Fulman’s gang of thugs, cut off the man’s head but were first convinced that the girls, and Niobe’s son, were dead. Then, at the insistence of Antony, Vorenus sort of took over the Aventine as a kind of deranged godfather type. Unfortunately, at the moment, Vorenus is in Gaul with Antony and his criminal empire appears to be coming apart. Vorenus and Pullo have also had a falling out and Pullo was wandering with Eirene when Lyde, who escaped from the slavers, shows up. At the end of episode three Pullo is riding hard, I assume to let Vorenus know that his daughters are alive. Another side plot seems to be developing with Timon. His brother, who sounds like a 1st century BCE version of a Zealot, has shown up and is acting in a decidedly suspicious manner. Whew.
Now I’m up to date and we shall see what develops.
I guess they’ve decided to skip the whole Antony marries Octavia bit as too complicated and leave Antony hooked up with Atia; unless of course that poisoner Servilia hired to get Atia manages to succeed. We’ll find out next week. In the meantime Antony has left Rome for Gaul after Cicero done him wrong in the senate, Octavian has hooked up with school chum Agrippa in Campania, where they have apparently raised a nice little army, and Brutus and Cassius are looking for financial support in the far reaches of the empire. Oh yeah, and Cleopatra has turned up in Rome. I’ve also learned that the role of Octavian is to be recast bringing in an older actor to play the grown up Octavian.
On the domestic front, Orestes Fulman has, apparently, kidnapped and sold Vorenus’s daughters, and Niobe’s sister Lyde, into slavery. Voranus and Pullo, after depopulating Fulman’s gang of thugs, cut off the man’s head but were first convinced that the girls, and Niobe’s son, were dead. Then, at the insistence of Antony, Vorenus sort of took over the Aventine as a kind of deranged godfather type. Unfortunately, at the moment, Vorenus is in Gaul with Antony and his criminal empire appears to be coming apart. Vorenus and Pullo have also had a falling out and Pullo was wandering with Eirene when Lyde, who escaped from the slavers, shows up. At the end of episode three Pullo is riding hard, I assume to let Vorenus know that his daughters are alive. Another side plot seems to be developing with Timon. His brother, who sounds like a 1st century BCE version of a Zealot, has shown up and is acting in a decidedly suspicious manner. Whew.
Now I’m up to date and we shall see what develops.
Hillary Throws her Hat into the Ring
To no ones real surprise Hillary Clinton announced that she was, officially, seeking the Democratic Presidential nomination. Let the games begin! It’s too early for me to back any particular candidate since the guy I wanted, Russ Feingold, has decided not to run. We shall see what we shall see as things develop.
The NFL Playoffs
My Giants lost to the Eagles, but played pretty well, the Cinderella Saints lost to Chicago, the Patriots upset San Diego but then got bounced by the Colts. To make a long story short it’s the Bears and Colts. By not posting every week I managed to avoid embarrassing myself again this year but would you believe I managed to call both championship games correctly?
Two Black head coaches will square off against each other in the Super Bowl. The NFL has certainly come a long way hasn’t it? Who’s going to win? I have to go with Eli’s big brother Payton to finally get the ring. But I'm still going to be rooting for the Bears!
Two Black head coaches will square off against each other in the Super Bowl. The NFL has certainly come a long way hasn’t it? Who’s going to win? I have to go with Eli’s big brother Payton to finally get the ring. But I'm still going to be rooting for the Bears!
Welcome Back
Well I finally broke free for a bit so I can update my poor neglected blog. Isn’t it terrible how work tends to get in the way of doing stuff you want to do? I missed putting in my two cents on a whole bunch of stuff so all I can do now is try and get up to date.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
New Jersey Commission Recommends Abolition of the Death Penalty
The New Jersey Commission studying the death penalty has recommended abolition by a margin of 12-1. The sole dissenter was the author of the current death penalty statute passed in 1982.
This is big. I mean this is really big. Governor Corzine is not a fan of the death penalty and public opinion in the Garden State has been swinging toward life without parole for several years now but nevertheless, a discrete repeal of the death penalty in New Jersey could influence New York. The Empire State has never bothered to repair its statute declared unconstitutional by the state supreme court and has been in a sort of limbo with respect to the death penalty. Given all the current problems with the death penalty this could start a trend with states like Michigan and California following suit.
Such a trend would signal a surge into the 21st century. Hey, who knows, you get rid of the death penalty and maybe scientific literacy, and the acceptance of Evolution, and Gay Rights might not be all that far behind. Except in the South of course where they’re working hard on marching back to the 16th century.
This is big. I mean this is really big. Governor Corzine is not a fan of the death penalty and public opinion in the Garden State has been swinging toward life without parole for several years now but nevertheless, a discrete repeal of the death penalty in New Jersey could influence New York. The Empire State has never bothered to repair its statute declared unconstitutional by the state supreme court and has been in a sort of limbo with respect to the death penalty. Given all the current problems with the death penalty this could start a trend with states like Michigan and California following suit.
Such a trend would signal a surge into the 21st century. Hey, who knows, you get rid of the death penalty and maybe scientific literacy, and the acceptance of Evolution, and Gay Rights might not be all that far behind. Except in the South of course where they’re working hard on marching back to the 16th century.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Giants at Redskins
You’ve got to be kidding? As much as I love them I’ll be the first to admit that the Giants have stunk up the league over the last eight weeks. Only a heroic performance by Tiki Barber, running for an incredible 230 yards, and an absolutely miserable Redskins team, has allowed Coughlin to manage an anemic 8-8 record by thumping Washington 34-28. Yet they still managed to get to football’s promised land? They squeaked into the playoffs as the sixth seed? That’s unbelievable. They’re going to get killed in Philadelphia on Sunday. It would have been better if Tiki’s last game had been his career performance at Washington.
So now the play-off teams are set. Way back in early November, at the halfway mark of the season, I made my predictions. Let’s see if I did any better than my play-off predictions last year.
In the AFC, I said New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis and San Diego would win the divisions and I was right on all four. Granted it didn’t take a genius to figure this out, but it still makes me 4-0. Unfortunately I said Cincinnati and Jacksonville would get the Wild Cards and it turned out to be the Jets and Kansas City. That makes me 0-2 there for a final record of 4-2 for the AFC.
In the NFC, I said Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta and Seattle would win the divisions, but it turned out that my confidence in Atlanta and skepticism about New Orleans were both misplaced and the Saints captured the NFC South. That makes me 3-1 there. I said New Orleans and Dallas would get the Wild Cards and it turned out to be Dallas and the Giants. That makes me 1-1 there for a final record of 4-2 for the NFC and 8-4 overall.
Even though I managed to identify 9 of the 12 play-off teams, I think I’ll hold on to my day job.
So now the play-off teams are set. Way back in early November, at the halfway mark of the season, I made my predictions. Let’s see if I did any better than my play-off predictions last year.
In the AFC, I said New England, Baltimore, Indianapolis and San Diego would win the divisions and I was right on all four. Granted it didn’t take a genius to figure this out, but it still makes me 4-0. Unfortunately I said Cincinnati and Jacksonville would get the Wild Cards and it turned out to be the Jets and Kansas City. That makes me 0-2 there for a final record of 4-2 for the AFC.
In the NFC, I said Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta and Seattle would win the divisions, but it turned out that my confidence in Atlanta and skepticism about New Orleans were both misplaced and the Saints captured the NFC South. That makes me 3-1 there. I said New Orleans and Dallas would get the Wild Cards and it turned out to be Dallas and the Giants. That makes me 1-1 there for a final record of 4-2 for the NFC and 8-4 overall.
Even though I managed to identify 9 of the 12 play-off teams, I think I’ll hold on to my day job.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
The End of Saddam
The pseudo Iraqi government finally did what it’s been threatening to do, it executed Saddam Hussein along with two of his cronies.
If anyone ever deserved having his neck stretched, Saddam was the guy. Although I don’t see this solving anything, at least we can be pretty sure the guy wasn’t innocent.
I don't know what else to say really.
If anyone ever deserved having his neck stretched, Saddam was the guy. Although I don’t see this solving anything, at least we can be pretty sure the guy wasn’t innocent.
I don't know what else to say really.
Saints at Giants
Good grief! What a miserable season. Tiki’s last game turned into a total bust. I think only the water boy didn’t drop a pass. I mean that was truly pathetic.
Things started out ok with Tiki Barber being the only Giant player introduced on what was his final game at Giants Stadium. Then the Giants scored first on a 50 yard pass play. Things went downhill rapidly after that.
The early chants of “Tiki Barber, Tiki Barber” deteriorated first into “Fire Coughlin, Fire Coughlin” and then hit rock bottom with “Let’s Go Yankees!” The final chant being the fans putting the team on notice that not only had they given up on the season, they had ceased to care.
Oh well, there’s always next year. Final score Saints 30 and Giants 7.
Things started out ok with Tiki Barber being the only Giant player introduced on what was his final game at Giants Stadium. Then the Giants scored first on a 50 yard pass play. Things went downhill rapidly after that.
The early chants of “Tiki Barber, Tiki Barber” deteriorated first into “Fire Coughlin, Fire Coughlin” and then hit rock bottom with “Let’s Go Yankees!” The final chant being the fans putting the team on notice that not only had they given up on the season, they had ceased to care.
Oh well, there’s always next year. Final score Saints 30 and Giants 7.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Merry Christmas 2006
Well it’s that time of year again. I don’t send Christmas cards, and haven’t for many years, but I send out a few holiday greeting e-mails to old friends I don’t have much contact with any more and put holiday greeting posts on a few forums. For my current acquaintances I prefer to provide greetings in person.
I see the usual assortment of “Keep Christ in Christmas” signs up and wonder whether or not these folks understand that virtually everything that we’ve come to associate with Christmas is really pagan in origin. Hey, as a matter of fact it was originally the old Roman pagan holiday of Saturnalia that was adopted by the church and not really tamed until the 17th or 18th century.
That being the case, it’s not so much a matter of keeping Christ in Christmas as it is a matter of a sort of hostile takeover along with the enforcement of puritan Christian morality. Luckily most folks haven’t lost their appetite for a good time and pretty much ignore the whole idea.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever makes you happy.
I see the usual assortment of “Keep Christ in Christmas” signs up and wonder whether or not these folks understand that virtually everything that we’ve come to associate with Christmas is really pagan in origin. Hey, as a matter of fact it was originally the old Roman pagan holiday of Saturnalia that was adopted by the church and not really tamed until the 17th or 18th century.
That being the case, it’s not so much a matter of keeping Christ in Christmas as it is a matter of a sort of hostile takeover along with the enforcement of puritan Christian morality. Luckily most folks haven’t lost their appetite for a good time and pretty much ignore the whole idea.
Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever makes you happy.
Eagles and Giants
SOB! Boy, this has been a terribly depressing season. We got whomped again, this time by the Eagles and two touchdowns in the last 4 minutes, 36-22. I hate to complain, but with two critical interceptions, including the crusher at the end of the game, Eli is not helping any.
I see in the N.Y. Post that a son of Wellington Mara decked an Eagles fan on Wall Street after being heckled over the loss. Assuming the Post story is accurate, because with the Post you never know, I'll bet that felt good. I had this female Eagles fan yelling in my ear last Sunday. If it had been a guy I guarantee you he would have had his teeth rearranged on the back of one of the seats. Unfortunately females have an immunity from that kind of stuff.
Oh well, the last game is Sunday against New Orleans. I'll probably go to say farewell to Tiki. To add insult to injury, I didn't realize the bill for the "just in case" play-off tickets was due a week ago. Not that I expect to miss any games by sending it in late, but I hope it doesn't jeopardize my regular season tickets. At least I think I hope it doesn't jeopardize them.
I see in the N.Y. Post that a son of Wellington Mara decked an Eagles fan on Wall Street after being heckled over the loss. Assuming the Post story is accurate, because with the Post you never know, I'll bet that felt good. I had this female Eagles fan yelling in my ear last Sunday. If it had been a guy I guarantee you he would have had his teeth rearranged on the back of one of the seats. Unfortunately females have an immunity from that kind of stuff.
Oh well, the last game is Sunday against New Orleans. I'll probably go to say farewell to Tiki. To add insult to injury, I didn't realize the bill for the "just in case" play-off tickets was due a week ago. Not that I expect to miss any games by sending it in late, but I hope it doesn't jeopardize my regular season tickets. At least I think I hope it doesn't jeopardize them.
Friday, December 15, 2006
Civil Unions and Stem Cell Research in New Jersey
As expected the New Jersey state legislature passed a bill on Thursday approving Civil Unions for gay couples four months ahead of the deadline issued by the New Jersey Supreme Court. The bill will extend all of the legal benefits of marriage to gay couples. Governor Corzine is expected to sign the bill after what he called a study to insure that “we’re getting what we intended to get.”
The only thing withheld by the bill is the word marriage itself, but the battle isn’t over. The measure passed easily, 56-19 in the Assembly and 23-12 in the Senate, and both legislators and the Governor indicated that periodic reviews of the language left the door open for ultimately exchanging the term “Civil Union” for marriage.
Well it’s certainly a step in the right direction and with a friendly populace, a friendly legislature and a friendly governor, New Jersey will most likely remain a place where gays can push their agenda with a fair likelihood of success. New Jersey could easily become the first state to legalize gay marriage through the legislature as the Zeitgeist moves onward.
The same legislature approved $270 million in appropriations for stem cell research at Rutgers University over the objections of religious and antiabortion groups. At least some parts of the country are trying to move into the 21st century despite the medieval attitude in Washington.
The only thing withheld by the bill is the word marriage itself, but the battle isn’t over. The measure passed easily, 56-19 in the Assembly and 23-12 in the Senate, and both legislators and the Governor indicated that periodic reviews of the language left the door open for ultimately exchanging the term “Civil Union” for marriage.
Well it’s certainly a step in the right direction and with a friendly populace, a friendly legislature and a friendly governor, New Jersey will most likely remain a place where gays can push their agenda with a fair likelihood of success. New Jersey could easily become the first state to legalize gay marriage through the legislature as the Zeitgeist moves onward.
The same legislature approved $270 million in appropriations for stem cell research at Rutgers University over the objections of religious and antiabortion groups. At least some parts of the country are trying to move into the 21st century despite the medieval attitude in Washington.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Giants at Panthers
Hey, we won one! Actually I thought they were going to blow it again. There is something fundamentally wrong with this team’s “we have the lead so let’s just hold ‘em” defense.
Actually that’s probably not true. I played defense myself and by the end of the game you’re beat especially when there’s a lack of substitutes. Defense takes more out of you than offense. On offense you know what to expect on each play. On defense you never know what’s coming. I was a cornerback and about the last thing I wanted to see in the 4th quarter was a fresh set of legs coming in at wide receiver. Anyway, the final score was 27-13.
With Dallas getting mauled by New Orleans and Philadelphia beating Washington, things are suddenly up in the air again. This Sunday’s game between the Giants and Eagles, currently the #5 and #6 seeds, should have a major impact on the Wild Card race in the NFC or even possibly the NFC East title because Dallas goes to Atlanta, which is currently the #7 seed.
Elsewhere, one has to wonder how Indianapolis can get blasted by Jacksonville 44-17 and New England could get blanked by Miami 21-0. I guess anyone can have a bad day, but it really makes you wonder.
Actually that’s probably not true. I played defense myself and by the end of the game you’re beat especially when there’s a lack of substitutes. Defense takes more out of you than offense. On offense you know what to expect on each play. On defense you never know what’s coming. I was a cornerback and about the last thing I wanted to see in the 4th quarter was a fresh set of legs coming in at wide receiver. Anyway, the final score was 27-13.
With Dallas getting mauled by New Orleans and Philadelphia beating Washington, things are suddenly up in the air again. This Sunday’s game between the Giants and Eagles, currently the #5 and #6 seeds, should have a major impact on the Wild Card race in the NFC or even possibly the NFC East title because Dallas goes to Atlanta, which is currently the #7 seed.
Elsewhere, one has to wonder how Indianapolis can get blasted by Jacksonville 44-17 and New England could get blanked by Miami 21-0. I guess anyone can have a bad day, but it really makes you wonder.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
HBO’s Rome, Second Season
The second, and rumored last, season of HBO’s Rome begins on January 14th 2007. WOOHOO!!! I’ve been trying to put bits and pieces together from the clips on the HBO web site, but there isn’t a lot of information.
Octavian does get adopted by Caesar in his will and Pullo puts it straight up, saying “you’ll be wanting revenge then” and volunteering his services. Looks like Vorenus decides to take over the Aventine, but exactly why is unclear. Cleopatra shows back up and it appears like they’re going to skip the whole Antony marries Octavia bit and go right for the Antony and Cleopatra angle. Either way, Atia’s reaction should be a joy to behold.
I did see a file clip related to Phillippi so we get to at least 42 BCE. The affair between Antony and Cleopatra starts around 38 BCE but you can’t tell from the clips what will come first in the show. Let’s keep in mind that the little gold digger Cleopatra has what she can claim is Caesar’s son, Caesarion. The battle of Actium, which would sort of signal the end of the series, occurs in 31 BC.
The first season started around 50 BCE. A number of events including the death of Caesar’s daughter Julia, the battle of Alesia, the surrender of Vercingetorix and crossing of the Rubicon are sort of smudged together in the first two episodes although they took place over a period of five to six years. Caesar crossed the Rubicon (iacta alea est) in January of 49 BCE and was assassinated in 44 BCE so the first season covered something like six or seven years and included events stretched out over ten years. That means taking the second season all the way to the battle of Actium wouldn’t be out of the question. Since this is supposed to be the last season it would make some sense to take it to a convenient conclusion and Actium, plus the aftermath in Egypt with the asp and all that, would be a logical place to end it.
Octavian does get adopted by Caesar in his will and Pullo puts it straight up, saying “you’ll be wanting revenge then” and volunteering his services. Looks like Vorenus decides to take over the Aventine, but exactly why is unclear. Cleopatra shows back up and it appears like they’re going to skip the whole Antony marries Octavia bit and go right for the Antony and Cleopatra angle. Either way, Atia’s reaction should be a joy to behold.
I did see a file clip related to Phillippi so we get to at least 42 BCE. The affair between Antony and Cleopatra starts around 38 BCE but you can’t tell from the clips what will come first in the show. Let’s keep in mind that the little gold digger Cleopatra has what she can claim is Caesar’s son, Caesarion. The battle of Actium, which would sort of signal the end of the series, occurs in 31 BC.
The first season started around 50 BCE. A number of events including the death of Caesar’s daughter Julia, the battle of Alesia, the surrender of Vercingetorix and crossing of the Rubicon are sort of smudged together in the first two episodes although they took place over a period of five to six years. Caesar crossed the Rubicon (iacta alea est) in January of 49 BCE and was assassinated in 44 BCE so the first season covered something like six or seven years and included events stretched out over ten years. That means taking the second season all the way to the battle of Actium wouldn’t be out of the question. Since this is supposed to be the last season it would make some sense to take it to a convenient conclusion and Actium, plus the aftermath in Egypt with the asp and all that, would be a logical place to end it.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
The Healthiest State?
Minnesota is the healthiest state according to the United Health Federation which bases its ranking on a series of factors including prevalence of obesity, prevalence of smoking, motor vehicle deaths, violent crime and infectious disease rate.
At the bottom of the list was Louisiana which slipped into last place probably due to the aftermath of Katrina. Last years #50, Mississippi, managed to claw its way up to 49.
At the bottom of the list was Louisiana which slipped into last place probably due to the aftermath of Katrina. Last years #50, Mississippi, managed to claw its way up to 49.
Right behind Minnesota were Vermont, New Hampshire, Hawaii and Connecticut. In general the Northeastern and Northern Midwestern states ranked the best. Just ahead of Mississippi were South Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas. The South did just horrible. The ten worst states were all from the South.
New Jersey ranked 14th overall and 1st in the High School Graduation category but 49th in Adequacy of Pre-natal care and 45th in incidence of Infectious Disease. Indiana was 33rd overall. Its highest ranking was 17th in Motor Vehicle Deaths and incidence of Infectious Disease. It was 49th in Prevalence of Smoking, 47th in Cancer Deaths and 45th in Poor Mental Health Days.
Giants and Cowboys
Good game, a lousy ending, but a good game. I guess I need to go locate my “Wait until next year” button. Unfortunately I have a feeling it’s going to take more than a year to put together another winning team.
I hope Coughlin has his resume updated, because I think he’s history after this year. There were far too many questionable decisions on his part. Final score, Cowboys 23 and Giants 20.
I've still got two more home games. Wonder if anyone would buy the tickets? Nah, I'm going.
I hope Coughlin has his resume updated, because I think he’s history after this year. There were far too many questionable decisions on his part. Final score, Cowboys 23 and Giants 20.
I've still got two more home games. Wonder if anyone would buy the tickets? Nah, I'm going.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
