Thanks, BP

Go here for story on video release.

Go here for an oil spill cleanup Q&A.

quote/unquote ...

"I heard that in the North my nickname is Acorn Head. I know some people call me the North Korean Wayne Rooney, which I like. But I don't know about this Acorn Head."
--- Chong Dae Se, North Korean soccer player for his country's World Cup entry

"This means our society has come to an extremely dangerous edge. Our government must wake up. It is not enough to take temporary measures like upgrading equipment or arranging police patrols around schools. If we only pay attention to these shallow causes, we will not solve the original problem and this kind of thing will happen again."
--- a poster on the Baidu Tieba online discussion board in China, about the murder of seven children and two adults, one of a string of incidents where small children are attacked with knives and cleavers in China

"A Conservative government is an organized hypocrisy."
--- Benjamin Disraeli (1845)

"It looks like a kind of cross between a bulldog and a Chihuahua. They have created a mongrel breed, and like all mongrel breeds I think it will have a great deal of hybrid vigour and strength." ---- Boris Johnson, conservative mayor of London, about the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition formed after the British elections

(Editor's note: quote/unquote is compiled in St. Louis by Wilson, who coaches youth soccer.)

The war on drugs

The raid netted some "paraphernalia." The suspect's dog was shot.

For the story behind the video go here.

A message from US Rep. Ron Paul via his press secretary, Rachel Mills

Paul Disappointed by Senate’s Failure to Support a Full Audit
of the Federal Reserve Bank

Washington, DC – Congressman Ron Paul (TX-14) today expressed disappointment that the Senate failed to pass an amendment offered by Senator Vitter (amending the Senate financial reform bill), which included the express language of Congressman Paul’s landmark “Audit the Fed” legislation. Paul’s legislation passed by a large margin in the House of Representatives last fall as part of the House financial reform bill, and Senator Vitter’s amendment would have paved the way for a full and ongoing audit of all of the Federal Reserve’s lending and monetary policy activity.

However, the Vitter amendment was supported by over 1/3 of the Senate, and the Sanders amendment (calling for disclosure of how approximately $2 trillion of Federal Reserve credit facilities were dispersed) passed unanimously today in the Senate. Therefore Paul remains hopeful that momentum is shifting and the days of Federal Reserve secrecy are coming to an end.

“The 37 votes our measure received in the Senate represent a strong step in our continuing work for full Federal Reserve transparency. In addition, the passage of the Sanders Amendment is a victory for taxpayers, who will finally know who received $2 trillion of their money,” stated Congressman Paul. “The Fed is no longer an untouchable monolith. It can no longer take for granted its absolute power to create and give away public money at will, with no true accountability. With strong support in the Senate, the House, and especially among the public, more victories for full transparency lie ahead.”

quote/unquote ...

"People in Africa are used to doing business in a certain way. They walk into a store with money, put it down on the counter and walk out with an item."
-- Danny Jordan, head of the World Cup organizing committee, on why sales have increased since tickets have started to be sold over the counter and not just online.


"We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything."
-- Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931)

“But the port shows little interest in lyrical associations. ….. Nevertheless, no quayside can ever appear entirely banal, because people will always be miniscule compared to the great oceans and the mention of faraway ports will hence always bear a confused promise of lives unfolding there which may be more vivid than the ones we know here, a romantic charge clinging to names like Yokohama, Alexandria and Tunis – places which in reality cannot be exempt from tedium and compromise, but which are distant enough to support for a time certain confused daydreams of happiness.”
---- “The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work” by Alain de Botton (2009), chapter on “Cargo Ship Spotting.”

"Let me have men around me that are fat;
Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o' nights;
Yond' Cassius has a lean and hungry look:
He thinks too much; such men are dangerous."
--- "Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare

(editor's note: quote/unquote is a regular feature of The Brazosport News so long as Wilson in St. Louis keep sending them. That is all.)

Alligators, they'll bite ya

The annals of TV anchors saying the wrong thing

Got soy jism?

Hitler defends Fair Use, comes unglued

quote/unquote

 

"We're horse and buggy. The Jewish community has focused all of its attention in the past on print and print media. We are the people of the book. The Catholics have always beat the Jews."

           -- Rabbi Mark Golub of Shalom TV about Catholic TV using 3-D on its network

 

"Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery — the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product, which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun. These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization."

                         --- Mississippi's declaration of secession before the Civil War

 

and a couple from the archives:

 

“But the man who can most truly be accounted brave is he who best knows the meaning of what is sweet in life and of what is terrible, and then goes out undeterred to meet what is to come.”

                                                                  --- Pericles (495-429 B.C.)

"Thus that which is the most awful of evils, death, is nothing to us, since when we exist there is no death, and when there is death, we do not exist."
                        --- Epicurus (341-270 B.C.)

(Editor's note: Compiled in St. Louis with love by Wilson.) 

The Annals of Plays at the Plate

Kownacki leaps over the catcher @ Yahoo! Video

Meteor watchers look to Livingston, Wisconsin

Not a lot happens in Livingston, Wisconsin, but that's changed since the meteor that exploded  over the Midwest the other night happened to crack up over the little farming town in the southwestern corner of America's Dairyland.

It just so happens that's where my Dad grew up. His dad, a Rockefeller Republican, was the president of Livingston State Bank -- the only bank in town.

How small is it? Look at the satellite view.

 It's a nice little place. Slow movin'. Not a stoplight in the town, or at least there wasn't when I visited there every summer as a kid. A few taverns, an old-timey grocery store and a couple other shops.  Back then a few people around town -- namely, a fellow named Muggs who ran the town gas station -- called me Tex and joshed me about my accent and asked where my six-shooters were. He had a big iron chest of soda pop at his filling station.

Well, now meteor enthusiasts who collect meteorites are headed to Livingston. Things must be all astir in Livingston now. I'd kinda like to be a fly on the wall there right now.

quote/unquote ...

“Everything flows, nothing remains.”
---- Heraclitus (circa 500 B.C.)

“Men can only be happy when they do not assume that the object of life is happiness.”
-- George Orwell (1903-1950)

“We were fighting what was an obvious, difficult, never-ending and probably impossible struggle to shoot arrows at this oncoming juggernaut of what was a corporate machine that was going to sweep us away and turn this whole culture into nothing more than a karaoke playground. . . . In an authentic world failure is something you embrace. It’s almost a noble pursuit. I come from that world – it supported me in creating the punk aesthetic.”
--- Malcolm McLaren (pictured), from an interview in Roger magazine quoted in McLaren's obit in the Wall Street Journal last week, about his role as the manager of the Sex Pistols.

“I don’t particularly like the gringo people. They are boring and they all have faces like un-baked rolls.”
--- Frida Kahlo, Mexican artist during a 1930 trip to New York City

“A perfect walk is one in which you get lost, yet return.”
--- Geoff Nicholson, author of “The Lost Art of Walking”

(Editor's note: quote/unquote is compiled in St. Louis by Wilson, who celebrates his birthday tomorrow.)

What Would Buddah Say? (the search for enlightenment continues, but it's tough slogging on the golf course)

Tiger's new ad on the Tee-Vee

Well, whattya think?

Joe Posnanski, a sportswriter I read, wrote on Twitter that he's been asked why he finds the commercial "disturbing."

The ad, the first one unveiled by Nike since Tiger hit the biggest duck hook in his life, "addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father," Nike said in a statement, The AP reports.

I think it's a creative attempt, from an advertising point-of-view, to persuade the golf gear-buying public that Tiger is not a phony.

I don't know if he's a phony or not. The only thing I'm certain of is that he sure liked to have a lot of sex with a lot of different women. And I feel kinda bad for his wife and kids.

In Oklahoma, fart fetish leads to alleged rape

I've never heard of a fetish involving flatulence until now.

once upon a time, The Grateful Dead played Saint Stephen on "Playboy After Dark" ... there was dancing, too!

the year was 1969 ...

We commend Channel 11 in Houston

The media, as we know it, is in transition, but that's not to say that traditional media still can't deliver the bacon, so we'd like to point out that KHOU-TV, Channel 11 on your TV dial, has been recognized with an important investigative award.

Channel 11 was recognized for ferreting out some nastiness in the Texas National Guard.

Here's what the judges for the Investigative Reporters & Editors' contest said about it all:

No system can be more impenetrable for a team of reporters than the military "old boys" network, but that's exactly what reporter Mark Greenblatt and producers David Raziq and Chris Henao took on when they followed up on a tip to check out the "Vagisil Award" being given to women in the Texas National Guard. From that one tip, the team – which also included photographer/editor Keith Tomshe and graphic artist Robyn Hughes – found a system of misogynistic actions that went beyond humiliation. In some cases, female officers were being disciplined or even discharged despite exemplary service records. Data and documents gathered by the team showed a systematic refusal to consider women for top posts, and swift punishment for any who complained about the male power structure. In the end, this two-year investigation resulted in the Texas governor firing three top generals in the Texas National Guard and the state legislature changing the way it oversees Texas Guard operations.

We salute you Channel 11.

Mmmmm, b-a-c-o-n ...

Any port in a storm

Penguin Pro Evades Killer Whales - Watch more Funny Videos

TV anchorwoman takes a tumble on the set

But she's OK, reports McGuff

The anchorwoman, Melanie Lawson, is a helluva gal. She didn't hardly bat an eye and went on readin' the news after got herself up off the floor.

a movie about Bill Hicks, the late, great standup comedian, is coming out this summer

I saw Hicks once in Houston at the old Rockefeller's Club. He was great. I always had been an admirer and was saddened when he died from a horrible disease. I'll definitely be seeing this movie this summer.

quote/unquote ...

"The plan is to borrow money and let some bills go unpaid."
-- radio report March 10 about Illinois state government budget crisis

"Porto are caught offside! There you go, another example of the ridiculous misuse of an exclamation mark in the modern world."
-- Paul Doyle, Manchester Guardian, in the 28th minute of the minute by minute account online of Arsenal's 5-0 win over Porto, of Portugal, Tuesday, March 9.

"Anybody who has survived childhood has enough information about life to last him the rest of his days."
--- Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964)

"I probably couldn't play for me. I wouldn't like my attitude."
--- John Thompson, former Georgetown basketball coach

"I have another objection: and that is, it is unjust that I should suffer such a penalty. Had I interfered in the manner which I admit . . .had I so interfered in behalf of the rich, the powerful, the intelligent, the so-called great, or in behalf of their children, or any of that class, and suffered and sacrificed what I have in this interference, it would have been all right, and every man in this Court would have deemed it an act worthy of reward rather than punishment."
--- last speech in court by John Brown, pictured, Nov. 2, 1859, before being sentenced to execution.

(Aggregated in St. Louis by Wilson.)

US-Sino relations, explained

quote/unquote ...

"I believe in great comebacks. Yes, I'm not ruling myself out as someone who is going to come back and be the guy I was before."
--- former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich on the Fox Business Network

"The only time you really live fully is from 30 to 60. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle aged have all their five senses and the keeping of their wits."
--- Theodore Roosevelt, who died at 61 (1858-1919)

"Not as bad as you might have imagined."
-- motto suggested for New Jersey by Calvin Trillin

"Let's have a hand for that young cowboy, and wish him better luck next time
And hope we see him up in Fargo, or somewhere farther down the line
This time he sure drew a bad one, One that nobody could ride
But by the way he pulled his hat on,
You knew he'd be there for the fight"
--- "Farther Down the Line" by Lyle Lovett

(Compiled by Wilson in St. Louis)

See Bob. See Bob walk. See Bob juggle. See Bob sign autographs. Bob...

HERE.

"Blood In My Eyes."

Astros? They're not the favorites

Scripps decides to produce 3 West Coast newspapers from Corpus Christi, Texas

The newspaper business is continuing its dismal descent, in case you were wondering.

E.W. Scripps is laying off droves of people on the West Coast and giving their jobs to workers at its Corpus Christi, Texas, newspaper.

"Scripps is changing the game, making proofreading, layout and some news decisions for California and Washington take place a thousand-something miles (and a couple of time zones) away in Texas. Other companies are likely to follow, if they haven’t already done this," observes Steve Greenberg.

"What does this mean to the newspapers? It means there won’t be local people to catch local place names, history or other regional idiosyncrasies that good local copy editors can catch, nor any real “institutional memory” of local people and institutions."

The sports editor at the Ventura County Daily Star was among the casualties. "This decision will wipe out 15 jobs at our paper, three in sports," writes David Lassen.

Santa Barbara Independent columnist Barney Brantingham said outsourcing jobs at the Ventura daily to Corpus "has led to cracks like, `It’s now the Ventura Lone Star,' and questions about whether Texas editors will know the difference between El Rio (a Ventura County community) and the Rio Grande. "

While we're on the subject, we heard 3 or 4 weeks ago that the local Brazosport daily laid off a reporter, which our source said gives The Facts a grand total of three full-time reporters, plus another person who reports the news part of the time and handles copy editing duties part of the time. (A few other non-editorial employees also were allegedly were laid off, we were told.)

We were gonna do a full-scale blog post on the apparent deteriorating fortunes of the B'port daily til we forgot about it.

Check out this Bear Cam!

Up near Ely, Minnesota, a 3-year-old black bear named Lily gave birth to a cub on Jan. 22 -- all on a live Web Cam.

Since then, the camera's caught the daily doings of Lily and her cub (they sleep a lot, naturally), but it's pretty interesting, and there are selected clips you can click on if you're not patient enough to stare at a computer screen for hours waiting for something to happen. A microphone is set up, too, so you can hear all the bear noises.

There's lot of information on the Web site so Banjo says check out Black Bear Den Cam.

Quote/unquote ...

"I remember the goals they scored on me better than the shots I blocked."
-- Amadeo Carrizo (pictured), legendary Argentine goalie, looking back on his career

"The lasting damage done by the national government was that it put its seal of approval on ethnic and racial discrimination and developed policies which had the result of the practical abandonment of large sections of older, industrial cities. The financial community saw blighted neighborhoods as physical evidence of the melting pot mistake. To them, cities were risky because of their heterogeneity, because of their attempt to bring various people together harmoniously. Such mixing, they believed, had but two consequences -- the decline of the human race and of property values."
--- Kenneth Jackson, "Crabgrass Frontier" about the effect of the discriminatory policies of the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation

"Throw theory into the fire. It only spoils life."
-- Russian anarchist Mikhael Bakunin, in a letter to his sisters, Nov. 4, 1842

"Philosophy is to the real world as masturbation is to sex."
-- Karl Marx (1818-1883)

"I bet on a horse at 10 to one. It didn't come in until half-past five."
--- Henny Youngman (1906-1998)

(Editor's note: Quote/unquote is gathered in St. Louis by Wilson.)

Best DWI stop in all history (on Reno 9111)

[via Ebert at The Sun-Times]

Ron Paul rocks conservative conclave

Our local congressman, well, you've got to hand it to him, even if you think he's wrong.

Who woulda thought a few years ago that Brazosport's Own would be the star of the big CPAC deal?

Says here:

Paul was the only speaker so far to fill the entire convention hall at the Conservative Political Action Conference, and some of his supporters were turned away after the room reached its capacity of 1,100 people.

[snip]

“Debt is the monster, debt is what is going to eat us up and that’s why our economy is on the brink,” Paul said. “The next step is a currency crisis because there will be a rejection of the dollar and the rejection of the dollar will be a big, big event.”

On foreign policy, Paul urged a pullback from American obligations around the world.

“We are now spending one trillion dollars a year to manage our world empire,” he said. “There is nothing wrong with being a conservative and having a conservative belief in foreign policy where we have a strong national defense and don’t go to war so carelessly.”

Rock on with ya bad self, doc.

update...breaking news...update....

From The Washington Post's blog The Fix:

Texas Rep. Ron Paul won the 2010 CPAC straw poll tonight, a victory that will further energize his already enthusiastic supporters but will have little effect on the coming presidential contest.

Paul, who ran for president in 2008, took 31 percent of the vote. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney had won the past three CPAC straw polls but placed second this time with 22 percent. Romney is considered the current frontrunner for the 2012 nod.

No other candidate scored in double digits. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who did not speak at CPAC, took third place with seven percent. (Full results are below.)

Be careful not to read too much -- or much at all -- into these results. Paul's supporters are loyal and loud but not, ultimately, that large a group as proven by the fact that he did not win a single primary or caucus in 2008.

2010 CPAC Straw Poll Results
Ron Paul 31%
Mitt Romney 22%
Sarah Palin 7%
Tim Pawlenty 6%
Mike Pence 5%
Newt Gingrich 4%
Mike Huckabee 4%
Mitch Daniels 2%
John Thune 2%
Rick Santorum 2%
Haley Barbour 1%

Watch this. It's only 120 seconds out your life that you won't get back anyway

Quote/unquote ...

"Every other name is taken. Think of a great band name and google it and you'll find a French-Canadian jam band with a MySpace page."
-- Former Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones, on his new band Them Crooked Vultures, named because other names, including Caligula, were taken (WSJ, 2.17.10)

"Why do the deal for the Rams? Because some people around the nation think St. Louis' best days are behind us. We needed to do something dramatic."
--- former Sen. Thomas Eagleton, June, 1995

"Patriarchy is dying a slow, slow death; but patriarchal power still tyrannizes women in households and in brothels. I expect to see deeper and more massive resistance from women in the next century, especially in the Third World."
--- Andrea Dworkin ('99), author of "Woman Hating" ('74) and "Pornography" ('81)

"Art is about making something out of nothing and selling it."
--- Frank Zappa (pictured)

"Everything has been figured out except how to live."
-- Jean Paul Sartre (1905-1980)

(Editor's Note: Quote/Unquote is aggregated with respekt in St. Louis by Wilson.)

Keep your balls clean, people

- Watch more free videos

Jewish Texans mark Holocaust

Bein' the lead dog aint' all peaches 'n cream

It's the pressure, ya know.

People always wantin' this, wantin' that.

You hit your numbers, great, but one bad quarter and the wolves start circlin'.

And the backstabbin'! People talkin', pryin' into your personal shit, where'd you go last weekend, who's that you were talkin' to, how much you pay for that.

And the media. Fuck the media. Always lookin' for an angle. Isn't there any good news? Is good not newsworthy? You wanna be the lead dog? Try dealin' with the media. Know what I mean?

You're never really off the clock, either. At home, you get the calls. This happened, that happened. Christ, can someone else make a decision? Take some responsibility? Make a tough call without me holdin' your sweaty-palmed hand?

OK, yeah, the money's good. The perks. Blah-blah-blah. But it is worth your health? Your mental health? The cost to your family? A good night's sleep.

I just don't know anymore.

Thanks, Hearst Corporation

For what, this thanks?

For bringing us high quality, news-you-use magazine journalism.

Right to the supermarket checkout line!

(A tip o' the hardhat, of course, must go to our great country's supermarket managers/marketing strategists, without whom the moms & dads, aunts & uncles, pa-paws & grannies of the USA would not be given such unexpected opportunities to explain to their 7-, 8-, 9- and 10-year-olds the role of focused, imaginative foreplay.)

When I think of Canada, I don't think Olympics, I think of SCTV

Sugarland pursuing minor league baseball

Bob Dunn reports Sugarland could have a minor league baseball team in its midst by the 2012 season.

He likes the idea and it sounds swell to me:

Personally, I’d rather take the kids to a nice minor league park where you can sit close enough to watch the teams, as opposed to suffering the traffic, parking hassles and financial trauma of paying for Astros tickets and then renting beer and soda at $8 to $16.

What about a team name?

Here's an idea: the Sugardaddies.

quote/unquote ...

"Where progress has been made, wherever any kind of injustice has been overturned, it's been because people acted as citizens, and not as politicians. They didn't just moan. They worked, they acted, they organised, they rioted if necessary to bring their situation to the attention of people in power. And that's what we have to do today."
-- Howard Zinn, “The People’s History of the United States” author who died recently

"We have what it takes -- and an obligation to do a good job. A concentration of power is not healthy for the internet industry."
-- Qi Lu, new boss of Bing, the Microsoft challenge to Google

Two blasts from the past:

"The Empire State (building) was not densely populated in those days, and Burck discovered, to his delight, that one lonesome proletarian had the job of going, hour after hour, day after day, over the empty floors with the sole task of flushing the toilets. Gil thought it was to keep mosquitos from breeding in the stagnant pools."
--John Kenneth Galbraith, in his memoirs, recalling moving his office into the Empire State building in the 1940s, when it wasn’t crowded

"To change the mood a little, i'll be posing down the pub,
i'm seeing my reflection, i'm looking slightly rough
i'll fancy this, i'll fancy that, i'll want to be so flash,
i'll give a little muscle and spend a little cash
but all i get is bitter and a nasty little rash
and by the time i'm sober i've forgotten what i had
and everybody tells me it's cool to be a cat, cool for cats."
-------- "Cool for Cats" by Squeeze

(Editor's note: quote/unquote is compiled in St. Louis by Wilson)

Bob hops in the Way Back Machine, goes to the White House to sing about the times they are a'changin' ...

[via Pressing Issues]

Here, ya go. Try this ...

Is Ron Paul's re-election in danger?

We don't think so, but the Dallas Morning News has noted he has three opponents in the Republican primary -- "more than he has faced in his past six primary campaigns combined" -- and they have ties to "have ties to the anti-tax Tea Party movement."

Paul spokesman Jesse Benton pooh poohed the opposition.

"We are not taking these challengers very seriously," Benton said. "But we would never take any votes of the 14th District for granted."

Benton, we suppose, is being honest, but we think it's a mistake to admit you don't take three primary opponents "seriously."
Better to say something innocuous if you're a spokesman for a congressman up for re-election; there's no sense in waving a red flag in the face of the opposition, gettin' them all stirred up, but we could be wrong.

Over at The Raw Story, a writer sees irony in the Tea Party-based challengers taking on Paul, a venerable figure among many of our citizenry fed up government taxation.

The Washington Independent's Dave Weigel, meanwhile, said Doc Paul may be vulnerable on one point:

There is one thing Paul does that might backfire. While Paul votes against basically all spending bills, he notoriously gets earmark requests into those bills, so that local projects survive when other members vote those bills through. That barely dinged Paul in 2008, but it may become an issue now.

Yeah, maybe. But we doubt it.

***

For his part, Doc Paul himself tried to explain the difference between himself and the Tea Party movement during an appearance on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow show, according to the Houston newspaper (guess the newspaper's Washington Bureau couldn't get Paul on the horn and interview him their ownselves) ...

Appearing on MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," the Lake Jackson Republican said a hawkish foreign policy separated the Tea movement from his 2008 Paul "revolution."

Paul cited his support for a non-interventionist foreign policy, support for civil liberties and an end to the war on drugs as key differences between his libertarian style of small-government conservatism and the neoconservative interventionism of Tea Party leaders.

"My message is somewhat different," the Houston-area congressman said. "I've been much more precise in what we should do."

Paul said there is widespread public unhappiness with government because "they know there's something wrong in Washington."

"The people are coming together because they're unhappy," he said. "Our country really is bankrupt...It's out of control government."

But Paul, who faces Tea Party opposition in the March 2 GOP primary, said Republicans have infiltrated the Tea Party movement to push it toward an interventionist foreign policy that is anathema to Paul's approach.

"The Republican Party wants to make sure that there is a kind of neo-con influence" on the Tea movement, he added.

This is funny if you don't live in Iraq or one of those other places where loud noises are usually cause for concern

The geezers are alright

You may have heard who's performing tomorrow during halftime of the Super Bowl.

The boys gave an accoustic preview on Thursday to the assembled media down in Miami.

Click here to check it out.

Ron Paul has $1.9 million in his back pocket

Of all the congressmen from Texas, the small-town obstetrician, as he's sometimes called, has the second biggest wad of cash in his re-election account.

So reports The Texas Tribune.

So if you think you can knock him off, you've got an uphill fight on your hands, it would seem.

Only Lloyd Doggett, the liberal Dem from Austin, has more of that groovy re-election cash, with a tidy $3.1 million burning a hole in his stone-washed jeans.

Speaking of Paul, who we've really grown to like as our national deficit zooms out of control, he was interviewed the other day by bankrate.com, which asked when everything started going to hell.

Said the doc:

" That's a vivid memory for me: Aug. 15, 1971. It was a Sunday night, and (President Nixon) removed the last linkage to gold, closed the gold window. He put on wage-and-price controls and 10 percent tariffs. The astounding thing was, the financial community loved it. The stock market went up. But it ushered in the decade of the '70s, which turned out to be a disaster, so my instincts were right.

From 1971 on, if you look at any charts on price inflation, expansion of the money supply, increase in debt, (you'll find that) so many charts just explode from the early '70s until now. Those curves are unsustainable. The economic laws are demanding that something has to give. The biggest concern I have is this easy money where central banks can accommodate politicians.


Bankrate: Why don't our leaders rein in the Fed?

Ron Paul: Politicians to a large degree like it. They might complain a bit, but they like it because they can fight their wars and run their welfare state and not be responsible."

So if you think Ron Paul and his gold standard schtick is ridiculous, go ahead, knock that chip off his shoulder. It's a free country. Take him out. But remember, he's got $1.9 million worth of chips.

quote/unquote ...

"He's treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania."
-- William Deeley, responding to animal rights critics who think the groundhog is mistreated

"The cynics are right nine times out of ten."
-- H. L. Mencken

"Remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists."
--- Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1938, to the Daughters of the American Revolution

"If my doctor pronounces me brain dead, I would like to see the new Ashton Kutcher movie."
--- Paul Rudnick, "My Living Will", New Yorker 2005

"F**king retarded."
-- reported statement by presidential Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to liberal groups and White House aides in August when some wanted attack ads vs. conservative Democrats

"It was, of course, a miserable childhood. The happy childhood is hardly worth your while."
-- Frank McCourt, author of "Angela's Ashes," who died in 2009

"I felt so bad for the guy surrounded by reporters like he was, I think I accidentally made him feel worse with my question. I personally just don’t care that much the poor guy was caught with his pants down in a photo that Oden says is about 18 months old and was supposed to be private. So I apologize, and I'm deeply embarrassed to say I actually asked Oden the following question while television cameras were rolling: 'Why are you embarrassed? A lot of people are impressed.' I couldn't tell from the impassive look he gave me if he wanted to laugh, run or strangle me. But, pro that he is, he answered the question the only way the 24-hour news cycle allows. He repeated how embarrassed he was."
-- the Willamette Week, on Greg Oden (7 foot, 285 pound Portland Trailblazer center) having nude photos he gave a girl friend posted on a website

"It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating."
--- Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

(Editor's note: quote/unquote is compiled by Wilson in St. Louis.)

Interviewing myself about the Super Bowl football contest

Will I place a wager on the Super Bowl?

No.

Does this mean I'm opposed to Superbowl betting?

No. To each his own and live and let live are my mottos. Or is it motti?

Why were the Indianapolis Colts originally 4-point favorites and now they're 6-point faves?

The betting public -- this includes the squares who aren't all that clued into gambling and the sharps who are more experienced -- placed more money on the Colts when the betting opened. So the sports booking emporiums increased the odds so more people would bet on the Saints. So now you add 6-points to the point total that the Saints tally at the end of the game instead of 4-points. So now, if the Colts win the game 49-44, if you bet on the Saints you would win your wager cause you add 6-points to the Saints total, thus making the "betting score" Saints 50, Colts 49. Get it?

Do I have a "gambling problem"?

No.

Do I know anyone who does?

Yes. I worked with him. Played poker with him on Wednesday nights, a long time ago. Small stakes -- quarter ante, three-bump limit. Small potaters. We played some boo-ray, too. He loved the boo-ray. It's a three-card game that's French in origin.

Does he have a bet on the Super Bowl?

I hope not.

Would he derive more enjoyment watching the game if he had placed on a wager on the outcome?

Enjoyment may not be the word. His brain, or at least the subcortical region of his brain, would probably be doing backflips during the contest. There's apparently kind of a buzz going on in there when a wager is placed.

Would I get more enjoyment from the game if I had placed a wager?

Nah. I'd probably be miserable. See, I yell at the TV without have money on the outcome. I just enjoy the athletic spectacle of it. I could watch a pee-wee football game and be highly entertained, too.

Is the subcortex of my brain stimulated nonetheless?

I'm not qualified to say.

What will the subcortical region of Peyton Manning's brain be doing during the Super Bowl?

Again, not qualified to say, but have you seen the size of his forehead? I'd say there's a big subcortex in there. What it's doing? Beats me. But he's a helluva quarterback. And underrated as an actor.

What about Drew Brees?

His forehead isn't as big as Manning's.

Does this mean I think the Colts will win?

Yes. But not because of the apparent difference in forehead size. It's just a hunch.

(Editor's note: BoDog is a paid advertiser of The Brazosport News. We urge you to patronize them for all your wagering needs!)

How reading Sports Illustrated could change w/ the new technology (including the Swimsuit Edition!)

[via Reflections of a Newsosaur]

SOTU sugar

In recent years, for me, the annual State Of The Union (SOTU) is mere background music to the annual appearance of US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, and so it was this year, again.

So long as she appears, I know in my heart of hearts that the Republic still is sucking air.

The experiment of democracy continues. OK. Hit the mute button now.

Here, in photos above and to the left, the congresswoman gets some pre-speech sugar from President Obama.

Hopefully, we and the Republic will still be around next year to report on the SOTU and Ms. Jackson Lee again.

That is all.

John Lennon on Elvis

"Nothing really affected me until Elvis."

"Before Elvis there was nothing."

"We didn't know what the hell Presley was singing about or Little Richard or Chuck Berry. It took a long time to work out what was going on. To us, it just sounded like great noise. "

"I always wanted to be this tough James Dean type, but Elvis was bigger than religion in my life. When I heard Heartbreak Hotel it was so great I couldn’t speak, I didn’t want to say anything against Elvis, not even in my mind."

"I’m an Elvis fan because it was Elvis who really got me out of Liverpool."

"There's only one person in the United States we ever wanted to meet ... not that he wanted us. And we met him last night. We can't tell you how we felt. We just idolised him so much. ... You can't imagine what a thrill that was last night. Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been an Elvis, there wouldn't have been the Beatles."

“I didn’t have the nerve to tell Elvis this last night, but you see these sideburns? I almost got kicked out of school for trying to look like him. Tell Elvis that if it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t be here.’ ”
John Lennon to Jerry Schilling after meeting Elvis Presley (according to Schilling)

"It was very exciting, we were all nervous as hell, and we met him in his big house in L.A. - probably as big as the one we were staying in, but it still felt like "big house, big Elvis." He had lots of guys around him, all these guys that used to live near him (like we did from Liverpool, we always had thousands of Liverpool people around us, so I guess he was the same.) And he had pool tables! Maybe a lot of American houses are like that, but it seemed amazing to us. It was like a nightclub."

"He had his TV going all the time, which is what I do; we always have TV on. We never watch it - it's just there with no sound on, and we listen to records. In front of the TV, he had a massive amplifier with a bass plugged into it, and he was up playing bass all the time with the picture up on the TV. So we just got in there and played with him. We all plugged in whatever was around, and we played and sang. He had a jukebox, like I do, but I think he had all his hits on it. But if I'd made as many as him, maybe I'd have all mine on."

"At first we couldn't make him out. I asked him if he was preparing new ideas for his next film and he drawled, "Ah sure am. Ah play a country boy with a guitar who meets a few gals along the way, and ah sing a few songs." We all looked at one another. Finally Presley and Colonel Parker laughed and explained that the only time they departed from that formula - for Wild in the Country - they lost money."

"It was nice meeting Elvis. He was just Elvis, you know? He seemed normal to us, and we were asking about his making movies and not doing any personal appearances or TV. I think he enjoys making movies so much, We couldn't stand not doing personal appearances, we'd get bored - we get bored quickly. He says he misses it a bit.We never talked about anything else - we just played music. He wasn't bigger than us, but he was "the thing." He just wasn't articulate, that's all."

"Up until Elvis joined the army, I thought it was beautiful music and Elvis was for me and my generation what the Beatles were to the '60s. But after he went into the army, I think they cut "les bollocks" off. They not only shaved his hair off but I think they shaved between his legs, too. He played some good stuff after the army, but it was never quite the same, It was like something happened to him psychologically. Elvis really died the day he joined the army. That's when they killed him, and the rest was a living death."

-- from JohnLennonQuotes.net via BeatlesLane

Dean Singleton like Evel Knievel?

Alan J. Mutter has weighed in with another look at Dean Singleton, one-time owner of The Houston, whose newspaper company has filed for bankruptcy.

Mutter compares Singleton to the late daredevil Evel Knievel thusly:

The 58-year-old Singleton has pretty much emulated Evel’s derring-do since he used someone else’s money to buy his first paper in Texas at the age of 21. (He has been using other people’s money ever after, too, which is why he isn’t losing a nickel of his own cash in the upcoming bankruptcy.)


Sometimes, Singleton’s bravado achieved great success, as he did in purchasing the Denver Post from Times Mirror at a distressed price in 1987. The paper today dominates the market after the shutdown of the Rocky Mountain News, its partner in a joint-operating agreement. He also deserves credit for rescuing the struggling Oakland (CA) Tribune from what almost certainly would have been an ignominious fate.


But other Singleton acquisitions, like the Houston Post and Fort Worth Press, ended in write-offs, as will be the case in the bankruptcy filed today.


In the planned reorganization of Affiliated Media under Chapter 11, lenders will lose three-quarters of a billion dollars and the Hearst Corp. will lose $317 million in equity it had invested with Singleton. While the prepackaged bankruptcy plan calls for lenders to own 80% of the going-forward concern, Singleton and other key managers will own a 20% stake in the business.


Why would the creditors keep the guy who lost all that money?


Because he is the best chance they have of extricating any value from the business.


Here’s why:


The lenders understand that the newspaper industry is in a period of irreversible contraction, as consumers and advertisers alike increasingly migrate to the digital media.


But the lenders also know newspapers are major and valuable brands, attracting the largest proportions of advertising dollars spent in each of the communities they serve. That is to say: Even though they used to be bigger, newspapers remain big businesses.


The trick in wresting future value from the MediaNews properties (and all other newspapers, for that matter) is to find a new, sustainable business model to ensure their long-term viability and profitability.


Singleton not only knows and loves newspapers, but he also is uniquely un-squeamish among publishers in doing whatever it takes to make a publication profitable.


In his pursuit of finding sustainability for newspapers, nothing is sacred to Singleton. If he can merge production or circulation operations, he will. If he can consolidate newsrooms or ad sales, he will. If it is cheaper to outsource customer service or ad make-up, he will.


He has done it before and, if the opportunity presents itself, he will do it again.


No other senior newspaper executive is as daring and seemingly impervious to pain as Dean Singleton.


That’s why he’ll climb out of this wreck, saddle up and start all over again.

I see one major problem with the Knievel analogy.

The daredevil risked it all doing his stunts.

Singleton risked nothing since, as Mutter noted, he always used other people's money.

Whatev.

In Austin, pollination so thick it looks like smoke!

From KXAN.com:

Warm and windy weather across Central Texas is causing the first widespread, heavy pollination of Mountain Cedar trees in our area this season. The flying pollen is so thick in wooded areas of western Travis County it looks like smoke.

Counts from two area allergy clinics today were both in the very high category, with 3, 720 grains per cubic meter of air measured at Austin Allergy Associates in north Austin, and 4,271 grains at Allergy and Asthma Associates, off Far West Boulevard. The Allergy/Asthma/Immunology Clinic of Georgetown is reporting a remarkable number Monday: 18,830 grains, which is off the charts.

Those with allergies in Central Texas are likely suffering Monday and may not see relief for several days to come as more warm, breezy weather is in the forecast much of this week.

Coco vs. Leno: grudge match

Conan Rally - Late Night Street Fight - watch more funny videos

The biggest loser in Dean Singleton's bankruptcy is the Hearst Corp.

William Dean Singleton, the majordomo of The Houston Post when he sold its assets in 1995, has decided to duck into bankruptcy court as his MediaNews company has succumbed to the pervasive ills currently afflicting the daily newspaper business.

While this in itself is not a surprising turn of events, what comes as a bit of a surprise is that the Hearst Corp. will lose $317 million because of the Singleton bankruptcy.

Hearst, of course, is the owner of Houston's only daily newspaper, the Chronicle.

The confounding question that arises out of this is: what was Hearst thinking when it got into bed with Singleton?

As Alan J. Mutter, the esteemed observor of the cratering newspaper biz observed in his blog, "...Hearst became not just the biggest loser among the equity investors in MediaNews. It will be the only one.

"Neither MediaNews chief Dean Singleton nor his long-time business partner Richard B. Scudder will lose a nickel in the bankruptcy, because neither ever put any of his own money into the company, said a MediaNews spokesman. But they aren't unscathed. Each of the MediaNews founders will suffer the complete loss of paper gains that at one point theoretically were worth as much as $500 million per man."

What does this mean for the Houston Chronicle?

We can't say for certain, but we can guess -- more belt-tightening.

quote/unquote ...

“Dying is a matter of slapstick and pratfalls. No one should grow old who isn’t ready to appear ridiculous.”
--- John Mortimor, 1923-2009, English author and screenwriter

"No, because your hand-eye coordination was not good enough. You're kind of a big goof. You had one thing. If you uppercut a ball, you might hit it. If his hand-eye coordination was so good, why did he feel the need to apologize to the (Roger) Maris family? It's shame that he thinks we're all stupid, that he only did (steroids) because of injuries. That's such a cop-out, such a lie. These guys did (steroids) to take the money to pump up their egos and then take their consequences down the road.”
--- Former Cardinal/Giant Jack Clark on Mark McGwire’s statements that he would have hit 70 home runs without steroids

“This is the most interdependent age in human history. It goes way beyond trade. The rich world was as trade-dependent before World War I as it was in the 1990s, but we didn’t have the internet, we didn’t have so much travel, and we didn’t have so much immigration and so much diversity, so much shared scientific research. We’re linked in so many different ways that we can’t get a divorce.”
---- Bill Clinton, Newsweek, Dec. 28, 2009

“We may eventually come to realize that chastity is no more a virtue than malnutrition.”
--- Alex Comfort (1920-2000) British psychiatrist & author of “The Joy of Sex”

(Editor's note: Quote/unquote is compiled without compensation by Wilson in St. Louis, MO)

The Telegraph says Ron Paul is 41st most influential conservative in the USA

The UK paper says... of Our Congressman:

41. RON PAUL (96 on the 2007 list)
Congressman for Texas
A sensation of the 2008 Republican primary, the unlikely libertarian rock star is finding his anti-tax, anti-Wall Street, anti-interventionist arguments gaining traction in Congress as the recession continues. His bill to audit the Federal Reserve, which had been subjected to ritual defeat for years, passed the committee stage in the House with 331 co-sponsors. His rage against spending on the war in Afghanistan has made him a strange bedfellow with Democratic Left-wingers.
Online activist networking and small sum fund-raising was crucial to his respectable showing in the primaries though his votes never came near matching the enthusiasm of his supporters, who were dominated by earnest slacker types.
Now 74, the former gynaecologist has represented Texas for most of the past 30 years, and spent much of it arguing against the power of Washington. He refused to support John McCain’s candidacy, instead launching a new organisation, the Campaign for Liberty, down the road from the Republican national convention in St Paul, Minnesota.

Other Texas notables were:

-- Tom DeLay #99

DeLay experienced a dramatic fall from grace in 2006 amid an investigation by a Texas district attorney for allegedly breaching campaign finance laws and dogged by his links to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Known as “the Hammer" for his rigid enforcement of party rule in the House of Representatives after the Republican Revolution of 1994. Played a key role in the impeachment of President Bill Clinton in 1998.
He was also a prime mover force behind the so-called 'K Street project' to manoeuvre Republicans into top positions with influential lobbying firms. Now more famous for being a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars”, in a recent political DeLay demanded that Obama show his birth certificate to prove he was an American. Now regarded by most Republicans as a cautionary tale in growing too comfortable with power.

-- Jeb Bush #76

With the slow but steady rehabilitation of the Bush name, the Bush brother who many say was the one who should have been President remains a potential national candidate. A very popular former governor of a major swing state and with proper conservative credentials, if his name hadn’t been Bush, he might have been the ideal candidate for the party in 2008.
Since leaving office in 2007, Bush toyed with running for the Senate seat to be vacated by Mel Martinez and has been active in the think tank Project for the New American Century. Along with Mitt Romney and Eric Cantor he launched the National Council for a New America, designed for Republican leaders with to listen to voters across the country and will remain a powerful voice behind the scenes. Whether he moves to the front of the stage again remains to be seen.

-- Dick Armey #71

An author of the 1994 Contract with America and former House Majority Leader, Armey now leads FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy organisation.
A Texan libertarian and former economics professor well versed in Washington’s rougher political arts, he was forced to give up an lucrative consultancy with DLA Piper when FreedomWork’s links to populist opposition to health care reform created difficulties with the law firm’s clients. The 69-year-old chain-smoker is a major influence on the tea party movement, which could become the conservative powerhouse in 2010.

-- Rick Perry #51

The longest serving governor in the state’s history, he declared “I am not George Bush” upon succeeding his Lone Star predecessor in December 2000. In April 2009 he declared that he might become a Texan national. “We’ve got a great union. There’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it,” he said at a tea party protest. “But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that.”
Democrats accused of him being anti-American but many in the conservative base lapped it up. Such secessionist rhetoric may have had more to do with his forthcoming battle with the moderate Kay Bailey Hutchinson in the Republican primary than any serious belief. In November he will attempt to secure an unprecedented third term and he may well be harbouring thoughts of running for the presidential nomination.
A staunch fiscal conservative, the rugged Texan attracted controversy last year by rejecting Obama’s $555 million in federal stimulus money to aide the expansion of unemployment benefits for Texans, only to later request $170 million loan from the government to continue paying out unemployment benefits.

-- Karl Rove #32

Attributed with almost magically dark powers by his detractors, Rove has certainly been one of the most influential and contentious political strategists of his generation. He guided George W Bush into the governor’s mansion in Texas and then to the White House on a narrow base of support. He was awarded effective control of the Republican National Committee and relations with state officials, not to mention a major say in domestic policy, and took much of the credit the party’s Congressional gains in 2002 and 2004.
As the Iraq war grew unpopular, controversy surrounded the administration and Rove’s name was often involved, whether it was the Valerie Plame affair, the missing White House emails or the selective firing of US attorneys. Through the years opponents have claimed Rove was behind dirty tricks – including heightening terror alerts in 2004 when John Kerry improved in the polls – but nothing much has ever stuck.
Since quitting in 2007 he has been a commentator on Fox News and in the Wall Street Journal, offering analysis of the campaign and criticism of the administration that adds a been-there-done-that expertise to his trenchant political stance. His memoirs, due for publication in March, will be worth watching out for. Recently divorced.

-- George W. Bush #12

In 2007, George W. Bush just missed our Top 20 top conservatives list – a provocative and controversial decision but one that reflected his disastrous poll ratings, the dismay of conservatives at out-of-control spending, the colossal mistakes over Iraq and his failure to consolidate the conservative majority he had won. Aides protested that history would vindicate him and already there are signs that this is happening. The Iraq “surge” of 2007 unquestionably won the war and has helped establish a viable democratic state in the heart of the Middle East. There were terrible errors committed along the way but Bush showed the vision and toughness to change course and commit American blood and treasure when all appeared lost.
Bush’s influence endures also because Obama and his advisers seem scarcely able to do anything without referring to his predecessor. This betrays a shallowness that is beginning to wear thin with American voters. With the recent terrorist attacks, Bush’s relentless focus on Islamist terrorism now looks wise rather than obsessive and he bequeathed Obama one of the most impressive members of the current Cabinet – Bob Gates. Bush’s absence from the limelight and his refusal to criticise Obama even through surrogates is to be commended. So too was his personal insistence that led to the transition between the two administrations being one of the smoothest in American history.

I guess this means President George H.W. Bush is officially over the hill now. Furthermore, US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has got to be stewing that she didn't make the list while her gubernatorial rival did, but we sincerely hope she does not assault her press secretary over the slight.

Meanwhile, what about the most influential Texan liberals, as seen by the UK paper?

Well, there's only one -- Houston's new mayor, Annise Parker, of whom The Telegraph says:

The first openly gay mayor of one of America’s top 10 biggest cities, polls found that the Democrat’s orientation mattered to only 18 per cent of voters, but it helped that she had been open about her sexuality throughout her public career, which began with election to the city council in 1997.
Formerly the city’s controller, she campaigned on her expertise and financial acumen, rarely mentioning the potential uniqueness of her bid. After her victory she joked that she was "very proud to have been elected the first ... graduate of Rice University to be mayor of Houston".
Aged 53, she has adopted three children with her longtime companion. She arguably has done more for the gay rights cause than a president who has infuriated the community by putting their preoccupations firmly on the back burner.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee did not make the list. Whether this is a source of chagrin for her, we do not know, but we would find it a tad irritating, if we were her, to discover that #80 on the Top 100 Liberal list is a dog, which could just as easily been stricken from the list to make room for her.

Read on:

Bo Obama #80

First Dog of the United States (FDOTUS)
A gift to the President from the late Senator Edward Kennedy last April, the new First Dog immediately became a media sensation – and a potent symbol of the uncritical, adoring coverage that the new President has received from the mainstream media. During the campaign, Obama talked often of having promised a puppy for his daughters Malia and Sasha, stipulating that it had to be a hypoallergenic breed because of Malia’s allergies.
After flirting with the idea of getting a “mutt like me”, Obama instead chose a Portuguese Water Dog with an American Kennel Club lineage. The Washington Post was given an “exclusive” for the story and its reporter dutifully described the dog thus: “Bo's a handsome little guy. Well suited for formal occasions at the White House, he's got tuxedo-black fur, with a white chest, white paws and a rakish white goatee.” The White House doles out regular photos of Bo, who has his own blog and several imitators on Twitter. No doubt a book deal cannot be far off.

Pearland preacher makes gay jokes on TV

The Rev. Rick Scarborough, who's held sway over conservative religious matters in Pearland for as long as we can remember, made an appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." The topic was gay marriage. Sigh.

Click here to watch.

quote/unquote ...

"How much does Haiti have to suffer before Haitians in the United States are granted Temporary Protected Status. The reason TPS exists... as an option for the President is precisely for moments such as this in Haiti.''
--- US Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart in the Miami Herald, before the feds said they would not deport any Haitians back to Haiti, for now, due to the earthquake

“The government should give people the right to see what they want online. The government can’t always tell lies to the people.”
-- Chinese woman who called herself "Bing" (microsoft joke?) about Google's threat to exit China after the government had hacked into gmail accounts of human rights activists

"Economists are people who work with numbers but who don't have the personality to be accountants."
--- anonymous

"What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness."
-- Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

"In the end, everything is a gag."
--- Charles Chaplin (1889-1977)

(Editor's note: Wilson in St. Louis compiles "quote/unquote")

A look at the Cowboys-Vikings match

From Rich Gosselin, the most-excellent football writer for the Dallas daily:

It will be the goal of the Cowboys’ defense Sunday to take Favre out of his comfort zone. But Minnesota has a talented blocking front with a pair of Pro Bowlers, guard Steve Hutchinson and tackle Bryant McKinnie. The Vikings also will keep a running back or tight end in to protect Favre from the assault of the Dallas front seven.

In 19 NFL seasons, Favre has seen it all. It’s tough to surprise him. But defenses have managed to do so this season with some timely safety blitzes. Favre has been sacked as often by safeties (seven) as outside linebackers. At home in the dome, safeties have twice as many sacks of Favre (two) as linebackers (one).

Wade Phillips will have some defensive decisions to make on gameday. His two safeties, Ken Hamlin and Gerard Sensabaugh, have a combined five sacks in 13 seasons, including none this year. The blitz is not their forte.

The Vikings have three wideouts who can stretch the field. Phillips can play it safe and keep the safeties home to fend off the big play. But then the game will be played on Favre’s terms. Favre wouldn’t expect the Cowboys to send their safeties. That’s all the more reason to send them.

The more comfortable Favre becomes Sunday, the less comfortable the Cowboys will become. And vice versa.

Alicia Keys booty call

"It's like I'm ovulating but the dude version..."

Too bad the Horns lost, but hey, they're already almost #1 in the latest new College Football Top 10!

from the NY Times' college sports blog, The Quad:

1. Alabama – As the defending national champion, the Tide should be a near-unanimous pick for this spot. It returns Mark Ingram, Greg McElroy and a host of talented players on defense.

2. Boise State — The Broncos return 21 of 22 players, plus the talented punter/kicker/fake punt executer Kyle Brotzman. Boise is 26-1 the past two seasons and has marquee games against Virginia Tech and Oregon State as proving grounds.

3. Texas — Despite losing the national title, the Longhorns have gone 25-2 the past two years. The highly touted Garrett Gilbert will take over at quarterback after showing some of what he could do against Alabama and Earl Thomas could be the nation’s best safety.

4. Oregon — Jeremiah Masoli returns, but Chip Kelly can seemingly win with a piñata at quarterback. The Ducks appear to have, at least temporarily, supplanted U.S.C. as the best team in the Pac-10.

5. Texas Christian — The Horned Frogs lose only six starters from a team whose defense was No. 1 in total defense and No. 4 in scoring offense. Andy Dalton will be among the country’s top quarterbacks.

6. Florida — While the coaching situation remains in flux, the talent is still flush in Gainesville. The John Brantley era begins, which means more passing. The receiver position will go from a liability to a strength.

7. Ohio State — Terrelle Pryor will be atop most Heisman lists after he capped an uneven season with a dazzling Rose Bowl performance. Ohio State hosts Miami in the second week in one of the season’s showcase games.

8. Iowa — The Hawkeyes return 70 percent of their starters, which mean they’ll start the season high. They return starting quarterback Ricky Stanzi, a budding star in receiver Marvin McNutt and their entire defensive front.

9. Virginia Tech — Tyrod Taylor returns for his senior year with momentum from a bowl win and tons of experience. Tailback Ryan Williams is among the country’s top young runners. Bud Foster’s defenses are always stout.

10. U.S.C. — While the Trojans had a down year, the talent level in this program is still high. It will be interesting to see if Pete Carroll shakes up his coaching staff. Matt Barkley will be a poster boy for college football in 2010. But who will be throw to?

Mike Leach could coach the Raiders

Texas Tech Head Football Coach Mike Leach has been fired, as you likely know, but Michael Silver, a Yahoo! sports columnist, has a super idea -- Al Davis could hire him to coach the Oakland Raiders, the wackiest franchise in the National Football League.

As Silver explains:

Think about it: The Raiders have an abysmal offense and are trying to salvage the career of a former No. 1 overall draft pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell. Leach is an innovative offensive mind who has made prolific passers out of far less talented QBs. Davis is a big-time meddler, but he has also worked best with headstrong head coaches who aren’t afraid to be their own men. Leach, as recent events confirm, would fit that mold. Further, as Leach proved this week, he, too, is not afraid to lawyer up, and both will soon be intimately familiar with the nuances of the term ”with cause.” Finally, Leach has a well-documented thing for pirates. Can you imagine how much he’d fun he’d have in an eye patch?