I got into FB about a year ago. At the advice of some friends. And since I'd been trying to hide, as a, Probation/Parole Officer for many years. I love it.
Now I'm hearing that it's sharing too much of our private information, and some people are signing out. That's a shame.
I haven't given my credit card numbers, or ss#, or any information that could really hurt me. I don't mind sharing my address. I've found out I have old friends right in the same neighborhood! I'd love them to drop by.
But if you are bothered about your privacy, I have to ask about the filtering system, FB is using to decide what ads to hit you with. Since after all, that's the name of the game, isn't it? Get advertisers hooked up with folks who's profiles would indicate that they might be interested in their products?
And I've seen it work. In March, I bought the, Camaro and I got an ad for a, "lingerie" cover for the car in the right color, for when it spends extended time in the garage, as it will. I spent the, $249.
Next, Discount Golf was having a sale on golf shoes, and yes, they could fit my extra wide foot. And my very, expensive, WIDE golf shoes fell apart last fall, after a good six or seven years of service. No complaints. Nothing lasts forever. 4E Adidas, size 11, including shipping came in at, $54! I paid over, $100 for my last pair of wide golf shoes, and that was here in the valley, right on State Street, just south of me.
University of Utah T-shirts in XXXL? Democrat shirts, like, "Red State: Blue Voter" in my size? I'm in! I love this.
But now? Not so much. The only ads I get seem to be for stuff I don't want, and inquiry's as to whether or not I, "like", Mitt Romney or, Dick Morris!
Romney is an asshole, flip flopper of the highest order, and I HOPE, beyond HOPE that he and the, "Moron MILF" from Alaska are, in fact, the Republican ticket in 2012. They will carry, Utah and Alaska and lose in a landslide because even the, "Bible Belt" Christians won't vote for a, Mormon. And anyone who went to college and reads books they don't sell at Costco won't want anything to do with, Palin.
And, Dick "What Hooker?" Morris? Please. I read.
Now, since I'm an avowd, Liberal, Democrat, ACLU Member, and have a college degree, so I can critically think, and when doing physical therapy for my back surgery two years ago, made them change the TV from, "Faux News" or I would walk, wobbly as it were, OUT on them, because I don't put up with bullshit, am I getting, "shout outs" from people I think are total, MORONS?!
Can you send a, "like this" to your other friends? Because if you can? I'm about to lose some friends. And I don't give a shit. I just want them to get the shock of their life when I do it.
I'm at 139 now. By the weekend? I bet it's down by half. And you know what? I'm OK with that. It will leave me with the smart ones. I don't care about the numbers. I want the smart ones.
I'd rather have 50 FB friends I have something in common with NOW, that a lot of folks I liked a long time ago, but might not like now.
It's been fun catching up. But I'm finally figuring our why we didn't stay in touch for all these years.
And if you disagree with me, but still want to stay in touch? GOOD! Glad to have you. We don't have to talk, "politics". We can just talk. I love being in touch with old friends.
Or, I enjoy a good debate. And I can respect, and admire your position, if you can articulate it. And that does not mean telling me, "God said so". That is NOT, articulation. That is the last bastion of a person who has no argument.
Or, at least no, real, evidence. Scripture is NOT evidence. Scripture is fiction. All of it, by the way. Just so you don't think I'm picking on, Mormons. Old Testament? Fiction. New Testament? Fiction. Koran? Fiction, stolen from the previous two books. Book of Mormon? Fiction, cobbled together from the above, but with South America thrown in to throw you off, and written by a guy who was actually arrested for being a con man. I have to admit he was good. His con has lasted almost 200 years now. Scientology? God was an alien, and sent people here to colonize, earth? Yeah, right. Did he come from the, Planet, Kolob?
We have science now, people. We can quit believing in astrology, and superstition. But can I quit getting asked to, "like" Mitt? I have my doubts.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
"Who made YOU the, "Speedlimit Sheriff" A******!?"
In section 48 of the Traffic Code here in Utah, it makes it abundantly clear, that on any highway where you have two or more lanes, the left lane, is the fast lane. Now, I've been retired for a few years now, and am going from memory, but I think I'm pretty much accurate on this. It does NOT say you can stay in that lane if you are going the speed limit, but that if there are cars behind you, YOU have to move over. And if they give you, "an auditory, or visual signal" which means horn or flash of lights, not, "the finger", you have to move over and let them pass.
Basically this means that if I have to pass you on your right hand side? YOU are in the WRONG lane! And just for every one's edification who hasn't been out of this country, when someone flashes their bright lights behind you, and you are in the left most lane, it's not the equivalent of giving you, "the finger". It is the polite way of asking you to move out of the FAST LANE because I want to go faster than you.
And this brings us to the problem. If you think just because you are going the speed limit, you can STAY in the fast lane, you are wrong. And if you insist on doing it, even when you could move over, you are an Asshole! And if you continue to do it despite the fact that there are 6 t0 10 cars lined up behind you who can't go around because you're going the speed limit? You are a good reason we should use the death penalty more often. Because you are such a self centered, navel gazing, ego maniacal prick that the only thing you are good for is stopping bullets!
I don't know the law in all the other Western States, but I'm going to assume that if they bother to put up signs every mile or so that say, "Slower Traffic Must Move Right" we are pretty close to being on the same page with this.
Friday, Deb and I drove over to Denver to spend the weekend. We saw, Lisa Landry do a comedy show on Saturday night, and she's as funny as she is gracious and beautiful. I'll try to attach a picture.
So that being the case, I had to drive home today (Sunday). Yeah, I went there and back on I80 through Wyoming. Not the prettiest drive in America. If it weren't for the bright, red, Halliburton trucks, there would be no color in southern Wyoming from Cheyenne to the Utah border. There is good reason the University of Wyoming's colors are yellow and brown.
I've been to Colorado and Wyoming many, many times for football games in the fall over the years. And this makes coming west on I80 at least, a yearly occurrence for me. And it appears that every truck driver in America chooses to traverse Wyoming on Sunday afternoon.
This makes every construction zone, no matter the posted speed limit, run only as fast as the truck in front. And every hill, there is a trucker that thinks he/she can pass the truck in front of them, but they are wrong, so they keep the rest of us from going by. This I expect. They run for money. Paid by the mile. Time is money. It's a pain in my ass, but at least I understand it.
Now, when they stay in the left lane, despite having many chances to move over, and don't? That's just spite. Move over trucker! I'm going home, too!
But the guy in a pickup or SUV, and it's ALWAYS a guy, who sets his cruise control at 75, and will drive next to a truck or a guy with a trailer, for miles so he doesn't have to reset HIS cruise control, while you have to shut yours OFF is just an asshole.
Here's a tip for you if you have ever done this (who am I kidding. If you're reading ME! You already know this). You CAN step on the gas, get around the truck/trailer/camper you are next to, move to the right and let me go by and still not have to re-set your cruise control! It will go back to your set speed. Just be courteous and get the hell out of the way!
Oh, and, "Grandma from Idaho" who comes out of a one lane construction zone, stays in the left lane and sets your cruise control to the speed limit while the truckers do the right thing and stay right, and holds up a whole line of cars who want to get the hell around you? The, "Slower Traffic Must Move Right" signs are talking to YOU! No one made you the, "SPEED LIMIT SHERIFF!" I'll take my chances, and pick my speed. Get the hell out of my way!
If a line of cars behind you, honking and flashing their lights don't get your attention, the fact that every one of them that finally DOES get to pass you on the right hand side gives you, "The Finger" should give you a clue that YOU are the problem!
If you know us, you know we travel. And here's a little hint for you. Cops will always give you a little, "wiggle room" on your speed, for several reasons. If you pass them in a 75 Zone and their radar says, 80, they might not win that fight. You can pretty well argue that your car's speed control might be off by as much as five MPH, and you are, in fact, trying to be a responsible driver. If you pass them in a 75 Zone, at 85 or more? Well, they trust their Radar/Laser because they have calibrated them.
And let's be honest. The guy traveling five MPH over the speed limit isn't the problem, is he?
I passed a WHP car this afternoon with the Audi set just the North side of 80, and he didn't bust me in a long line of everyone else being in the right lane going slower. So I kind of, stood out.
Bottom line of this, "rant"? If you think you should stay in the left lane just because you can go the speed limit? You're an asshole. Move over, get out of the way, and let the rest of the world live it's life at the pace IT decides. And if YOU don't ever have to change your cruise control? EVERYONE ELSE DOES, you, ASSHOLE! Step on the gas once in a while, will ya?
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
"Socialism" Tea Bag style vs. Reality
A friend of mine stopped by on his way home from work last night. And he's worried that his insurance will not take him to, "Medicare" age. Tell me about it. I have to buy insurance next June, since the, Republicans in the State Legislature took away my retirement health insurance they promised me for 20+ years after I signed on for the State job in 1983, in 2006.
Two years before I could retire.
He said something that I found very, profound. He said, "I'm tired of all these, "Harley Rides" and, "Fund Raiser's" for some kid who has a horrible disease! Why don't we have a National Health Care Program like the rest of the civilized world, that would treat ALL the sick kids!?"
Good question. It works in, Canada, Mexico, France, England, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and EVERY WHERE ELSE!
Hell, I've been there and as much as most of the country's system's suck, CUBA has a BETTER health care program than WE have!
Republicans will tell you that the, "Free Market System" is the best answer to everything. That, "Big Government" is not the answer, because it will cost you more in taxes.
Hell, this week, some, Republicans were even apologizing to, BP for making them pick up the tab on the oil spill in the Gulf. Mike Lee of Utah being one of them! And he's not even ELECTED yet! But he thinks the Tax Payers should pay for the clean up, so we don't penalize, BP? And THAT isn't a, "bailout"? WTF?
So, if I'm paying, $1000 a month for my family's health insurance, as I will be next year, as YOU are NOW as part of my retirement package from the, State Of Utah; and with a National Health Care Program, I might pay a couple of hundred dollars more a YEAR in taxes. As everyone would. While NOT paying insurance premiums, at ALL (for you, "Tea Baggers, I'll do the math for you, since you're dumb. 1K a month for a year = 12 thousand dollars. A tax increase of $200 a month to fund a National Health Care Program would work out to, 200 X 12=$2400, and $200 a month is WAY over what it would REALLY be. I'm fucking with you on purpose) Wouldn't we ALL be ahead?
We don't need to have private insurance. As the, "free market" Republicans think, if we need it, it will prosper. And I'm sure it will. Extra insurance, to cover, "elective" surgery, could make a go in this country. It has in others. But I kind of doubt it.
And when the, "R's" tell you that folks from, Canada come down here for health care, and that people in, Europe are dying because the have to WAIT to be treated? It's a TOTAL lie! Total, "Faux News", Republican, Bullshit! It isn't happening, and won't happen here.
Let's vote for health care that's like, Social Security. The government CAN do, SOME stuff better than private industry. And we could do this now. Don't vote for, Republicans, and read a paper now and then.
Two years before I could retire.
He said something that I found very, profound. He said, "I'm tired of all these, "Harley Rides" and, "Fund Raiser's" for some kid who has a horrible disease! Why don't we have a National Health Care Program like the rest of the civilized world, that would treat ALL the sick kids!?"
Good question. It works in, Canada, Mexico, France, England, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, and EVERY WHERE ELSE!
Hell, I've been there and as much as most of the country's system's suck, CUBA has a BETTER health care program than WE have!
Republicans will tell you that the, "Free Market System" is the best answer to everything. That, "Big Government" is not the answer, because it will cost you more in taxes.
Hell, this week, some, Republicans were even apologizing to, BP for making them pick up the tab on the oil spill in the Gulf. Mike Lee of Utah being one of them! And he's not even ELECTED yet! But he thinks the Tax Payers should pay for the clean up, so we don't penalize, BP? And THAT isn't a, "bailout"? WTF?
So, if I'm paying, $1000 a month for my family's health insurance, as I will be next year, as YOU are NOW as part of my retirement package from the, State Of Utah; and with a National Health Care Program, I might pay a couple of hundred dollars more a YEAR in taxes. As everyone would. While NOT paying insurance premiums, at ALL (for you, "Tea Baggers, I'll do the math for you, since you're dumb. 1K a month for a year = 12 thousand dollars. A tax increase of $200 a month to fund a National Health Care Program would work out to, 200 X 12=$2400, and $200 a month is WAY over what it would REALLY be. I'm fucking with you on purpose) Wouldn't we ALL be ahead?
We don't need to have private insurance. As the, "free market" Republicans think, if we need it, it will prosper. And I'm sure it will. Extra insurance, to cover, "elective" surgery, could make a go in this country. It has in others. But I kind of doubt it.
And when the, "R's" tell you that folks from, Canada come down here for health care, and that people in, Europe are dying because the have to WAIT to be treated? It's a TOTAL lie! Total, "Faux News", Republican, Bullshit! It isn't happening, and won't happen here.
Let's vote for health care that's like, Social Security. The government CAN do, SOME stuff better than private industry. And we could do this now. Don't vote for, Republicans, and read a paper now and then.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Boston.
I have had good luck with renting condos on, vacationrental.com over the last couple of years. Much cheaper than motels/hotels, and much more room to spread out with the kids. But I didn't do my homework in Boston. I rented a three bedroom, three bath condo that was, according to the web site, "close to public transportation and only ten minutes from downtown Boston". Got it for $2500 for the whole week. GREAT deal!
The first hint that this place MIGHT be a problem, was when the cab driver at the airport didn't know where it was. The paperwork said, "Boston", which is technically correct. Like, Herriman could be described as, "Salt Lake". It was in fact, in someplace called, Roxbury. And the Cab Driver had to pull over on the tunnel coming out of, "The Big Dig" to spend, $4.60 of meter time, getting his dispatcher to find the place.
I took it off of his payment. If you're a cab driver, and don't know where to go? I don't pay you for that. I'm a prick that way.
When he finally figured out where we were going, he made that sound that racist, Arabs make when they are disgusted. "Haaaaaaaaak!" and spit out the window. "Why you rent in, Roxbury? You know about those people? Haaaaaaaaaak!" Obviously, he wouldn't have taken a fare for there if he knew where he was going. Now I'M starting to get worried about our choice of condo.
We get there, and it's not so bad. But it is VERY, Black, so now I'm starting to figure out why this guy is so amazed that some totally white folks from Salt Lake City would rent a condo there.
When we get in, the place is great. Really a nice condo. But, only basic TV? And several blocks from a BUS stop, not the subway, and at least 10 miles from downtown. I tell the owner that if I don't have at least basic cable so I can watch the news, I'm outa there, and she makes it sort of, right. No MSNBC all week. But at least I had ESPN while the Utes were going to the, "PAC 12".
We called out for, Chinese the first night, as it was late and we were tired. But there are not many restaurants in, Roxbury. And NONE with off street parking.
Fenway Park is a dump. And should be torn down, and replaced. I don't care about it's history, it sucks. It's the worst ballpark I've ever been in, and I've been in plenty. Boston, you deserve a new ballpark.
The, Red Sox won on Tuesday night, but from where we were sitting, you could hardly tell. I bought cheap seats in the outfield just to see the place, and you couldn't see, you couldn't hear, and you couldn't see the scoreboard to know what was going on. Our AAA ballpark in Salt Lake City is WAY better than, Fenway Park.
After two days of trying to get, "The Blind Lady" down the hill to the bus stop, to take a long ride to a subway, I rented a car because we had to have one to get to the, Buffett concert on Thursday anyway. Round trip from where we were to downtown on bus/subway was a reasonable, $22 for the four of us. But really hard to do with the hill we were on. So the car was almost $70 a day. Plus parking. If the condo owner had told the truth, I'd have rented a different one.
Even if the kids had to share a room. They have done it before.
And let me warn you about driving in Boston. DON'T DO IT! These people are the worst drivers EVER! The don't stay in lanes, they don't signal, and if they are pulling onto a major road from a side street? They will just let their car idle out into the traffic lanes until you have no choice but to stop or you hit them! If I was from there, I would say, "These people are, wicked, bad, dry-vers!"
Boston is not the coolest place in that part of the country. Salem is neat. Lexington, standing on, Battle Green, where the Revolutionary War was started, brought tears to my eyes. I had to compose myself before I could tell my kids why, where they were standing, was important.
I'm glad I made the trip, but if I ever have any reason to go back there again, I'll do it differently. I'll stay in, Lexington or Concord, or, Salem. I'll NOT go to, Fenway Park ("Pahk?") or downtown, Boston since we walked, "The Freedom Trail" this time (except to have a Lobster Roll at, Legal Seafood. It's really good!). And I won't drive in Boston! Those people are nuts!
The, "awesome" rating of the big cities we've been in has to rate Boston at the bottom. New York, Paris, San Francisco, London, Washington DC, Chicago. Even, Denver is a neater city than, Boston. Los Angeles and San Diego are both better places to be. Hell, even, Phoenix, as much as I don't like it, is a better place to be than, Boston. Tucson is better than, Phoenix.
That area of the country is great, but Boston is not a good city. You live. You learn. I now know that I would rather be in Lexington than Roxbury. And they aren't that far apart.
I'd rather be in Murray than, West Valley, Taylorsville, or West Jordan. And they aren't that far apart, either.
The first hint that this place MIGHT be a problem, was when the cab driver at the airport didn't know where it was. The paperwork said, "Boston", which is technically correct. Like, Herriman could be described as, "Salt Lake". It was in fact, in someplace called, Roxbury. And the Cab Driver had to pull over on the tunnel coming out of, "The Big Dig" to spend, $4.60 of meter time, getting his dispatcher to find the place.
I took it off of his payment. If you're a cab driver, and don't know where to go? I don't pay you for that. I'm a prick that way.
When he finally figured out where we were going, he made that sound that racist, Arabs make when they are disgusted. "Haaaaaaaaak!" and spit out the window. "Why you rent in, Roxbury? You know about those people? Haaaaaaaaaak!" Obviously, he wouldn't have taken a fare for there if he knew where he was going. Now I'M starting to get worried about our choice of condo.
We get there, and it's not so bad. But it is VERY, Black, so now I'm starting to figure out why this guy is so amazed that some totally white folks from Salt Lake City would rent a condo there.
When we get in, the place is great. Really a nice condo. But, only basic TV? And several blocks from a BUS stop, not the subway, and at least 10 miles from downtown. I tell the owner that if I don't have at least basic cable so I can watch the news, I'm outa there, and she makes it sort of, right. No MSNBC all week. But at least I had ESPN while the Utes were going to the, "PAC 12".
We called out for, Chinese the first night, as it was late and we were tired. But there are not many restaurants in, Roxbury. And NONE with off street parking.
Fenway Park is a dump. And should be torn down, and replaced. I don't care about it's history, it sucks. It's the worst ballpark I've ever been in, and I've been in plenty. Boston, you deserve a new ballpark.
The, Red Sox won on Tuesday night, but from where we were sitting, you could hardly tell. I bought cheap seats in the outfield just to see the place, and you couldn't see, you couldn't hear, and you couldn't see the scoreboard to know what was going on. Our AAA ballpark in Salt Lake City is WAY better than, Fenway Park.
After two days of trying to get, "The Blind Lady" down the hill to the bus stop, to take a long ride to a subway, I rented a car because we had to have one to get to the, Buffett concert on Thursday anyway. Round trip from where we were to downtown on bus/subway was a reasonable, $22 for the four of us. But really hard to do with the hill we were on. So the car was almost $70 a day. Plus parking. If the condo owner had told the truth, I'd have rented a different one.
Even if the kids had to share a room. They have done it before.
And let me warn you about driving in Boston. DON'T DO IT! These people are the worst drivers EVER! The don't stay in lanes, they don't signal, and if they are pulling onto a major road from a side street? They will just let their car idle out into the traffic lanes until you have no choice but to stop or you hit them! If I was from there, I would say, "These people are, wicked, bad, dry-vers!"
Boston is not the coolest place in that part of the country. Salem is neat. Lexington, standing on, Battle Green, where the Revolutionary War was started, brought tears to my eyes. I had to compose myself before I could tell my kids why, where they were standing, was important.
I'm glad I made the trip, but if I ever have any reason to go back there again, I'll do it differently. I'll stay in, Lexington or Concord, or, Salem. I'll NOT go to, Fenway Park ("Pahk?") or downtown, Boston since we walked, "The Freedom Trail" this time (except to have a Lobster Roll at, Legal Seafood. It's really good!). And I won't drive in Boston! Those people are nuts!
The, "awesome" rating of the big cities we've been in has to rate Boston at the bottom. New York, Paris, San Francisco, London, Washington DC, Chicago. Even, Denver is a neater city than, Boston. Los Angeles and San Diego are both better places to be. Hell, even, Phoenix, as much as I don't like it, is a better place to be than, Boston. Tucson is better than, Phoenix.
That area of the country is great, but Boston is not a good city. You live. You learn. I now know that I would rather be in Lexington than Roxbury. And they aren't that far apart.
I'd rather be in Murray than, West Valley, Taylorsville, or West Jordan. And they aren't that far apart, either.
Friday, June 11, 2010
BCS Gerrymander. What was I thinking?
Month's ago, when I heard the rumor that Colorado would go to the PAC 10, I thought that had to be total folly. Why would the fans in Colorado want to see their team play USC and UCLA instead of traditional rivals like, Oklahoma, Texas and Nebraska? Well now I know! It was because they were going to take HALF of the Big 12 WITH them, to the PAC 10! Now it all makes sense!
Nebraska is bolting the mediocre Big 12 for the always more disappointing Big 10, who can't count and already has 11 teams. But they do have their own TV network. What will the Big 10 call it self with 12 teams. The Big 11?
Missouri was counting on that Big 10 proposal, making advances, giving that conference assurances of it's future fidelity behind the back of it's current partner, the Big 12. Now, it looks like no one wants them. They aren't Big 10 material, and they pissed off the Big 12, so they might be looking for a couch to crash on by the end of the month.
And what to do about the OTHER schools no one wants? Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor? Well, if you're the BCS, you kick them to the curb, and take their BCS Bowl pay out to divide amongst your remaining schools.
Kansas is screaming bloody murder because they are, after all, "good at basketball"! Really? That and some change will get you a bus ride, because no one gives a shit about basketball! The NCAA tournament guarantees that all the NCAA schools get a payoff from that TV deal. Being good at basketball is like being good at women's gymnastics. Like pissing yourself in a dark suit. Gives you a warm feeling, but no one notices. And I say that as a Utah Fan, who's women have TEN National Championships in that sport. It's awesome for us, and I love to watch them since they are better athletes than ANY football player. But it won't get you a TV deal.
And the BCS is all about TV.
When, oh, when, Oh, Lord, is the NCAA going to take college football back from the BCS? Will it really take a Federal Antitrust suit to do it? I hope not, but I bet so.
We here in the Mountain West Conference were thinking, naively it turns out, that if we kept winning their bowl games by kicking the stuffing out of Pitt and Alabama that we might get a shot at moving into a, "high profile" conference. They fooled us. They threw us a bone or two, and blew some smoke up our ass. Then they cut the throats of their own lesser lights in the Big 12.
Lets face it, Baylor is going no where fast. For the same reason BYU will never be in a BCS conference. They have no TV market to peddle, and they aren't really, "Universities". They won't play on Sunday and they don't have any respect. Notre Dame is a national following of people who DIDN'T go to college away from being, Baylor, or BYU.
Kansas, and Kansas State don't win enough games, and don't have any TV audience, either. The majority of people who live in, "Kansas City", live in MISSOURI! And those people don't have the TV pull of St. Louis.
Iowa State? I feel your pain. Sort of. After all, you're the second most popular college in a state that is even less populated than, Utah. And Iowa, as lousy as they are, get all the attention. Every year, Iowa is rated in the top 25 to start the season by someone. And, like perennial disappointment, Missouri, they lose in the first or second week of the season to, Troy State, or someone else in the Sun Belt, or C-USA.
You, on the other hand, just stink from the word go. You managed to lose to UNLV a few years ago. And if there is a reason the MWC is NOT a BCS Conference (other than that, "It's rigged") it's that UNLV, New Mexico, and San Diego State stink on ice.
Yeah, we lost to UNLV two years ago, too. Now, show us YOUR BCS BOWL trophy's or shut the hell up.
Anyone can have a bad night. But a bad HISTORY?
As long as the BCS guarantees that Northwestern University gets an automatic pay out of $22 Million EVERY year, whether they WIN or not, just for being a member of a, "Bullshit Championship Series" Conference, and every other school who's not a member of the BCS gets nothing, this system is, well, flawed? No, that's not strong enough. It's FUCKED!
And until we have a playoff in college football's Division 1 (I won't call it the, "Bowl Subdivision. That's a bullshit name made up by the, BCS and ESPN) it's going to remain that way.
So, to Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State, I say, "Welcome to The Mountain West Conference". Prepare to see your athletic budget cut a LOT!
And to, Baylor? Good luck with that, "religious" thing you go going on for you. Maybe, God will grant you a shot at a C-USA spot?
As for my, Utes? I hope Texas A&M goes to the SEC, and we get a shot at going to the PAC 10 (16?). But I'm not holding my breath. And I'll be happy to go to Boise every other year. That town is highly UNDER rated. It's a great place to visit, and by most accounts, a great place to live, too. And we'll just keep taking your BCS money, and your trophy's, and since we don't have to cheat like USC, we can continue to be competitive without losing 10 scholarships a year for 3 years. And we might not always get a BCS Bowl, but we always get a Bowl. And we've won 9 in a row.
The BCS has ruined college football. Only Congress can save us now.
Nebraska is bolting the mediocre Big 12 for the always more disappointing Big 10, who can't count and already has 11 teams. But they do have their own TV network. What will the Big 10 call it self with 12 teams. The Big 11?
Missouri was counting on that Big 10 proposal, making advances, giving that conference assurances of it's future fidelity behind the back of it's current partner, the Big 12. Now, it looks like no one wants them. They aren't Big 10 material, and they pissed off the Big 12, so they might be looking for a couch to crash on by the end of the month.
And what to do about the OTHER schools no one wants? Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Baylor? Well, if you're the BCS, you kick them to the curb, and take their BCS Bowl pay out to divide amongst your remaining schools.
Kansas is screaming bloody murder because they are, after all, "good at basketball"! Really? That and some change will get you a bus ride, because no one gives a shit about basketball! The NCAA tournament guarantees that all the NCAA schools get a payoff from that TV deal. Being good at basketball is like being good at women's gymnastics. Like pissing yourself in a dark suit. Gives you a warm feeling, but no one notices. And I say that as a Utah Fan, who's women have TEN National Championships in that sport. It's awesome for us, and I love to watch them since they are better athletes than ANY football player. But it won't get you a TV deal.
And the BCS is all about TV.
When, oh, when, Oh, Lord, is the NCAA going to take college football back from the BCS? Will it really take a Federal Antitrust suit to do it? I hope not, but I bet so.
We here in the Mountain West Conference were thinking, naively it turns out, that if we kept winning their bowl games by kicking the stuffing out of Pitt and Alabama that we might get a shot at moving into a, "high profile" conference. They fooled us. They threw us a bone or two, and blew some smoke up our ass. Then they cut the throats of their own lesser lights in the Big 12.
Lets face it, Baylor is going no where fast. For the same reason BYU will never be in a BCS conference. They have no TV market to peddle, and they aren't really, "Universities". They won't play on Sunday and they don't have any respect. Notre Dame is a national following of people who DIDN'T go to college away from being, Baylor, or BYU.
Kansas, and Kansas State don't win enough games, and don't have any TV audience, either. The majority of people who live in, "Kansas City", live in MISSOURI! And those people don't have the TV pull of St. Louis.
Iowa State? I feel your pain. Sort of. After all, you're the second most popular college in a state that is even less populated than, Utah. And Iowa, as lousy as they are, get all the attention. Every year, Iowa is rated in the top 25 to start the season by someone. And, like perennial disappointment, Missouri, they lose in the first or second week of the season to, Troy State, or someone else in the Sun Belt, or C-USA.
You, on the other hand, just stink from the word go. You managed to lose to UNLV a few years ago. And if there is a reason the MWC is NOT a BCS Conference (other than that, "It's rigged") it's that UNLV, New Mexico, and San Diego State stink on ice.
Yeah, we lost to UNLV two years ago, too. Now, show us YOUR BCS BOWL trophy's or shut the hell up.
Anyone can have a bad night. But a bad HISTORY?
As long as the BCS guarantees that Northwestern University gets an automatic pay out of $22 Million EVERY year, whether they WIN or not, just for being a member of a, "Bullshit Championship Series" Conference, and every other school who's not a member of the BCS gets nothing, this system is, well, flawed? No, that's not strong enough. It's FUCKED!
And until we have a playoff in college football's Division 1 (I won't call it the, "Bowl Subdivision. That's a bullshit name made up by the, BCS and ESPN) it's going to remain that way.
So, to Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State, I say, "Welcome to The Mountain West Conference". Prepare to see your athletic budget cut a LOT!
And to, Baylor? Good luck with that, "religious" thing you go going on for you. Maybe, God will grant you a shot at a C-USA spot?
As for my, Utes? I hope Texas A&M goes to the SEC, and we get a shot at going to the PAC 10 (16?). But I'm not holding my breath. And I'll be happy to go to Boise every other year. That town is highly UNDER rated. It's a great place to visit, and by most accounts, a great place to live, too. And we'll just keep taking your BCS money, and your trophy's, and since we don't have to cheat like USC, we can continue to be competitive without losing 10 scholarships a year for 3 years. And we might not always get a BCS Bowl, but we always get a Bowl. And we've won 9 in a row.
The BCS has ruined college football. Only Congress can save us now.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Play Room? WTF?
It's almost midnight. I'm down here looking at email, printing off email's from coach's with maps and schedules for the Summer Games soccer this week. Listening to, "Outlaw Country" on, Sirius on line.
My 14 year old son has NOT been drinking. He's been playing video games in the next room since his soccer practice ended a few hours ago, with his friend, Jaden who's spending the night, and probably the next night before we leave for, Cedar City.
All of a sudden, as I'm answering email, he comes into this room, and yes he knocked, but it's ok, I'm on Face Book, not, Shufuni, and says, "Am I in a PLAY ROOM?"
Oh, God. He's sleepwalking again. He hasn't done that since he was ten! I can't remember! Do I slap him silly and wake him up, or just let it go and direct him back to bed!
So, I ask him, "Where do you think you are, Son?". Hoping for some clue as to what to do NOW!
He says, "Am, I staying in the PLAYROOM in Cedar City!?"
Whoo! Now I get it. But he's still not speaking, English. But at least I know what he's TRYING to ask me, and that he's not sleepwalking.
"Are you asking me if you, and, Jaden are staying in the, "Player Room" at the motel in Cedar City?"
"Yeah!" He says.
Wondering about his mastery of the, English language aside. I have to wonder if I want all these guys to spend the night together. And they might end up dumber than they are now, but I say to him anyway, "Yeah, I'm planning for you both to spend the nights in the PLAYERS room, so your mother and I can have a room all to ourselves. Do you understand the importance of putting, the, "er" on the end of a word, and how it changes it's meaning?"
He says he does, but I have my doubts.
This is going to be an interesting couple of weeks. The boys all in one room, sleeping bags, and one of the coaches to run herd on them, like herding cats. Making sure they are not sneaking out at night to go to the, Iceberg to get shakes at midnight like in St. George a few years ago. Until Saturday when we come home.
Then, Boston for a week. Both kids, 3 bedroom condo, Red Sox, then, Jimmy Buffett. Come home, and a few days later, Deb and I in Denver.
I hope I can still function by the end of June.
I have to start to plan for the trip to Greece in September, and the football trips with the, Utes. At least Iowa State is taken care of.
My 14 year old son has NOT been drinking. He's been playing video games in the next room since his soccer practice ended a few hours ago, with his friend, Jaden who's spending the night, and probably the next night before we leave for, Cedar City.
All of a sudden, as I'm answering email, he comes into this room, and yes he knocked, but it's ok, I'm on Face Book, not, Shufuni, and says, "Am I in a PLAY ROOM?"
Oh, God. He's sleepwalking again. He hasn't done that since he was ten! I can't remember! Do I slap him silly and wake him up, or just let it go and direct him back to bed!
So, I ask him, "Where do you think you are, Son?". Hoping for some clue as to what to do NOW!
He says, "Am, I staying in the PLAYROOM in Cedar City!?"
Whoo! Now I get it. But he's still not speaking, English. But at least I know what he's TRYING to ask me, and that he's not sleepwalking.
"Are you asking me if you, and, Jaden are staying in the, "Player Room" at the motel in Cedar City?"
"Yeah!" He says.
Wondering about his mastery of the, English language aside. I have to wonder if I want all these guys to spend the night together. And they might end up dumber than they are now, but I say to him anyway, "Yeah, I'm planning for you both to spend the nights in the PLAYERS room, so your mother and I can have a room all to ourselves. Do you understand the importance of putting, the, "er" on the end of a word, and how it changes it's meaning?"
He says he does, but I have my doubts.
This is going to be an interesting couple of weeks. The boys all in one room, sleeping bags, and one of the coaches to run herd on them, like herding cats. Making sure they are not sneaking out at night to go to the, Iceberg to get shakes at midnight like in St. George a few years ago. Until Saturday when we come home.
Then, Boston for a week. Both kids, 3 bedroom condo, Red Sox, then, Jimmy Buffett. Come home, and a few days later, Deb and I in Denver.
I hope I can still function by the end of June.
I have to start to plan for the trip to Greece in September, and the football trips with the, Utes. At least Iowa State is taken care of.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Spring Time In The Rockies
The last couple of years, we have had long, cold, wet, "springs" that felt more like a, "Lite Winter" from March to May, and then, one day in early, June, Summer comes out and kicks out ass! Well this has happened again.
On Friday, the temperature reached the 80's after weeks of rain and clouds. And about four o'clock that afternoon, a helicopter started to fly up and down the Jordan river, just West of the house. The first, "fall in search" of season. As opposed to the, "Police search" that happens every couple of years along the Parkway. That latest one was a week or two ago. Around 11 o'clock at night.
I drove through Murray Park this weekend, and it's flooding. On Friday, the water was high, but only over the bank in front of the old ice rink. By today, it's been all the way over to the new pool, and pushing stuff into the parking lot.
Years ago, when my friend, Phil was in charge of Parks and Rec, he told me they had figured out that the max water flow through the Park was eight hours after the highest temperature of the day. So that puts it around two in the morning. As I write this, it's a quarter to one in the morning, on Monday morning, and I would bet you can't drive through, Murray Park in a regular car.
I'm on the right side of the river. Jordan River. Meaning the right hand side of it as it flows, and the side that's on the 500 year flood plane. Folks just across the river from me on the, "left bank" as it's known in, Paris are on the 100 year flood plane. The last time it flooded was 1983, but you never know. And is the City Engineer always right? I hope so!
The, "Left Bank" in Paris, by the way, is awesome. It's the coolest place to hang out, has the best restaurants, the neatest attractions, like, The Eiffel Tower.
Today, we drove up to Park City. Deb and I, and our friends, the Markham's. We took, "The Bitchin' Camaro", they, their, Boxster. And it was beautiful. Enough snow in the mountains to remind you of where you live, but still warm enough for shorts and t-shits. Had brunch at, "Squatters", then came home.
I don't know any place else in the world that you can still be skiing in June (Snowbird is still open, if you didn't know) and play golf, all in the same day. That is totally wacky. And I guess that's why I still live here.
I'm retired. I have some money in the bank. I could live anywhere I like. But I still live here. And with the Internet, I could still talk to friends as much as I do now. And pay my bills, order my records, and do anything I wanted.
But I still live here!
I'm a left wing Liberal, Democrat who's so much smarter than most of the voters in this state, and I still live here.
I absolutely know I can never, no matter how much money I give away, get the Legislature of this state to NOT, Gerrymander it. But I still live here.
Why? Maybe because of a day like today. Or a perfect day spent at a University of Utah football, game in the fall. Or maybe because I grew up here, and want to change it for the better.
Or, because I wanted to buy a house in Tucson, Arizona to spend the winters in when my son is away at college, and they recently proved themselves to be even more racist, xenophobic, right wing, stupid, and uneducated than even the Mormon's in Utah!
I wish, New Mexico wasn't such a shit hole, or I'd move there! But that state sucks. ALL of it!
Florida? Covered in oil. Belize? Too expensive. Costa Rica? I'd have to visit before I could commit.
So I guess I'll just stay here, vote for and give money to Democrats (yeah, that leaves YOU, out, Jim Matheson) and hope for the best.
The, "R's" are going to Gerrymander the state this year, no question. But we can hope the Supreme Court will step in. Hope springs eternal.
On Friday, the temperature reached the 80's after weeks of rain and clouds. And about four o'clock that afternoon, a helicopter started to fly up and down the Jordan river, just West of the house. The first, "fall in search" of season. As opposed to the, "Police search" that happens every couple of years along the Parkway. That latest one was a week or two ago. Around 11 o'clock at night.
I drove through Murray Park this weekend, and it's flooding. On Friday, the water was high, but only over the bank in front of the old ice rink. By today, it's been all the way over to the new pool, and pushing stuff into the parking lot.
Years ago, when my friend, Phil was in charge of Parks and Rec, he told me they had figured out that the max water flow through the Park was eight hours after the highest temperature of the day. So that puts it around two in the morning. As I write this, it's a quarter to one in the morning, on Monday morning, and I would bet you can't drive through, Murray Park in a regular car.
I'm on the right side of the river. Jordan River. Meaning the right hand side of it as it flows, and the side that's on the 500 year flood plane. Folks just across the river from me on the, "left bank" as it's known in, Paris are on the 100 year flood plane. The last time it flooded was 1983, but you never know. And is the City Engineer always right? I hope so!
The, "Left Bank" in Paris, by the way, is awesome. It's the coolest place to hang out, has the best restaurants, the neatest attractions, like, The Eiffel Tower.
Today, we drove up to Park City. Deb and I, and our friends, the Markham's. We took, "The Bitchin' Camaro", they, their, Boxster. And it was beautiful. Enough snow in the mountains to remind you of where you live, but still warm enough for shorts and t-shits. Had brunch at, "Squatters", then came home.
I don't know any place else in the world that you can still be skiing in June (Snowbird is still open, if you didn't know) and play golf, all in the same day. That is totally wacky. And I guess that's why I still live here.
I'm retired. I have some money in the bank. I could live anywhere I like. But I still live here. And with the Internet, I could still talk to friends as much as I do now. And pay my bills, order my records, and do anything I wanted.
But I still live here!
I'm a left wing Liberal, Democrat who's so much smarter than most of the voters in this state, and I still live here.
I absolutely know I can never, no matter how much money I give away, get the Legislature of this state to NOT, Gerrymander it. But I still live here.
Why? Maybe because of a day like today. Or a perfect day spent at a University of Utah football, game in the fall. Or maybe because I grew up here, and want to change it for the better.
Or, because I wanted to buy a house in Tucson, Arizona to spend the winters in when my son is away at college, and they recently proved themselves to be even more racist, xenophobic, right wing, stupid, and uneducated than even the Mormon's in Utah!
I wish, New Mexico wasn't such a shit hole, or I'd move there! But that state sucks. ALL of it!
Florida? Covered in oil. Belize? Too expensive. Costa Rica? I'd have to visit before I could commit.
So I guess I'll just stay here, vote for and give money to Democrats (yeah, that leaves YOU, out, Jim Matheson) and hope for the best.
The, "R's" are going to Gerrymander the state this year, no question. But we can hope the Supreme Court will step in. Hope springs eternal.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Democrats vs. Charter Schools and stupidity.
My friend, Tim Cosgrove is running for the Legislature again. As well he should. He's done a great job for the people of Murray and Midvale for the last six years. And he's now being challenged by a guy with a lot of name recognition. Shawn Bradley, the former BYU drop out, and NBA wash out.
I've coached, Tim's son, James in soccer, and now, James still plays with my son on, The Murray Max team. Poor, James just broke his arm in a fall and is out all summer. We will miss him in tournaments, he's a real solid fullback.
Anyway, I've heard, Mr. Bradley described as a, "Vice Principal" at a Charter School with ties to, Chris Buttars in a newspaper article. And later, in, Wickipedia as a, "Vice Principal" and, "Student Counselor" at West Ridge Academy. Still a Charter School in West Jordan.
Years ago I was out there at their campus in an industrial area, near the Dannon Yogurt Factory, checking on an interstate compact parolee from Texas that was living there as a sex offender! I eventually sent the guy home to Texas, despite, Chris Buttars trying to influence my boss to make me change my mind, because they didn't have any licensed, clinical, therapists of ANY kind on the pay roll. Let alone, Psychologists that could treat sex offenders.
But the guy from Texas? His parents could pay the monthly fee, and tell the judge there that he was in, "treatment", so he wasn't in prison.
Now, I go into look at, West Ridge Academy on the Internet, and they have a, "meet the staff" page. Did I mention that they are now a, "Charter School"? If I haven't, I should have.
Oh, and they claim to be, "non-denominational", but most of their staff have, "degrees" from BYU, and a lot of colleges you have never heard of.
But, Mr. Bradley is strangely absent from their, "meet the staff" page. If he's a, "Vice Principal" or, "Student Counselor" he should have a strong presence on this page. And to do EITHER job in a PUBLIC high school, you would need an advanced degree, like an MSW, or at least a Masters in Education.
I have searched the Internet, and can't find anything telling me where, Shawn Bradley got his advanced degrees? Maybe I'm just missing it. I'm willing to admit, I'm not perfect, and give, Mr. Bradley the benefit of the doubt. But why doesn't his employer, "vouch" (word play on, Voucher, couldn't resist!) for him? He's not on their web site at all. Is he, or isn't he, a, "Vice Principal" or, "Student Counselor"?
I know Utah is the home of, "Something for Nothing" when it comes to education. No one wants to actually have to attend four years of school to get a degree. Hence the availability of, the, "University" of Phoenix, and, Columbia, "College" on the second floor of an office building downtown, not on the North end of Manhattan Island, and all these other diploma mills.
But it seems at this particular, "Charter School", you don't have to have to have a degree.
What you hiding, Shawn? Tell us the truth. I don't want my representative to NOT have gone to college! Tim has a BS from Weber State, and a MASTERS, from George Washington University in Washington, DC!
Would this mean your candidacy is nothing but an attempt by the uneducated, Republican, right wing, Mormon, "Bund" in the legislature to try to jam through another attempt at having your private, Mormon, Schools funded with public money? Despite the fact that right thinking people beat you back with a petition a few years ago? I think so.
Even in your interview with the Tribune, you couldn't articulate why you even wanted to run! Shawn, you're a, "tool" of powers way ahead of you. But all us Utah fans, always knew you were a tool.
Now, you are going to lend your name and fame to this cause of funding private Mormon schools with public money. Well, I pledge you this. Every public appearance you make, I will show up and ask you about your educational background. What degrees do you posses that makes you qualified to be a, "Vice Principal", or, "School Counselor", and make you stand there, with your teeth in your mouth, and no thought in your head, and tell the truth. EVERY ONE, Shawn. Every time the, "Valley Journal", a notorious, right wing, rag, touts one of your appearances, I'll be there. I will embarrass you every chance I get. So, be prepared, or drop out of the race. The longer you run, the stupider you will look.
I LOVE election years when the opposition is, "unarmed in a battle of wits!".
I've coached, Tim's son, James in soccer, and now, James still plays with my son on, The Murray Max team. Poor, James just broke his arm in a fall and is out all summer. We will miss him in tournaments, he's a real solid fullback.
Anyway, I've heard, Mr. Bradley described as a, "Vice Principal" at a Charter School with ties to, Chris Buttars in a newspaper article. And later, in, Wickipedia as a, "Vice Principal" and, "Student Counselor" at West Ridge Academy. Still a Charter School in West Jordan.
Years ago I was out there at their campus in an industrial area, near the Dannon Yogurt Factory, checking on an interstate compact parolee from Texas that was living there as a sex offender! I eventually sent the guy home to Texas, despite, Chris Buttars trying to influence my boss to make me change my mind, because they didn't have any licensed, clinical, therapists of ANY kind on the pay roll. Let alone, Psychologists that could treat sex offenders.
But the guy from Texas? His parents could pay the monthly fee, and tell the judge there that he was in, "treatment", so he wasn't in prison.
Now, I go into look at, West Ridge Academy on the Internet, and they have a, "meet the staff" page. Did I mention that they are now a, "Charter School"? If I haven't, I should have.
Oh, and they claim to be, "non-denominational", but most of their staff have, "degrees" from BYU, and a lot of colleges you have never heard of.
But, Mr. Bradley is strangely absent from their, "meet the staff" page. If he's a, "Vice Principal" or, "Student Counselor" he should have a strong presence on this page. And to do EITHER job in a PUBLIC high school, you would need an advanced degree, like an MSW, or at least a Masters in Education.
I have searched the Internet, and can't find anything telling me where, Shawn Bradley got his advanced degrees? Maybe I'm just missing it. I'm willing to admit, I'm not perfect, and give, Mr. Bradley the benefit of the doubt. But why doesn't his employer, "vouch" (word play on, Voucher, couldn't resist!) for him? He's not on their web site at all. Is he, or isn't he, a, "Vice Principal" or, "Student Counselor"?
I know Utah is the home of, "Something for Nothing" when it comes to education. No one wants to actually have to attend four years of school to get a degree. Hence the availability of, the, "University" of Phoenix, and, Columbia, "College" on the second floor of an office building downtown, not on the North end of Manhattan Island, and all these other diploma mills.
But it seems at this particular, "Charter School", you don't have to have to have a degree.
What you hiding, Shawn? Tell us the truth. I don't want my representative to NOT have gone to college! Tim has a BS from Weber State, and a MASTERS, from George Washington University in Washington, DC!
Would this mean your candidacy is nothing but an attempt by the uneducated, Republican, right wing, Mormon, "Bund" in the legislature to try to jam through another attempt at having your private, Mormon, Schools funded with public money? Despite the fact that right thinking people beat you back with a petition a few years ago? I think so.
Even in your interview with the Tribune, you couldn't articulate why you even wanted to run! Shawn, you're a, "tool" of powers way ahead of you. But all us Utah fans, always knew you were a tool.
Now, you are going to lend your name and fame to this cause of funding private Mormon schools with public money. Well, I pledge you this. Every public appearance you make, I will show up and ask you about your educational background. What degrees do you posses that makes you qualified to be a, "Vice Principal", or, "School Counselor", and make you stand there, with your teeth in your mouth, and no thought in your head, and tell the truth. EVERY ONE, Shawn. Every time the, "Valley Journal", a notorious, right wing, rag, touts one of your appearances, I'll be there. I will embarrass you every chance I get. So, be prepared, or drop out of the race. The longer you run, the stupider you will look.
I LOVE election years when the opposition is, "unarmed in a battle of wits!".
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