UConn James

1) The Arena League has tons of scoring. Really doesn't make it more entertaining. In fact, iirc, they went out of business a couple of years ago. That and a lot of yardage in the NFL is determined by flags, not actual plays. It's just cheapened the game, IMO. 2) Yep, but it's going to be a defense that will be giving up big plays every drive by either penalties or having to pussyfoot / play on their heels more.

And what can be gotten online. Look, cable/sat are cartels. Many of the cable channels would do very well in a la carte and others would have to find their niche or put on better programming. That's capitalism for ya. Nevertheless, as tech advances and internet speeds increase, there will likely be more pressure for networks to offer individual online subscription services at reasonable prices (look what Netflix offers for $8/mo.), either through their own sites or through existing services like Hulu, etc. As older generations are replaced, the traditional means aren't being adopted. It's been true of newspapers, the land line vs. cell phones, and it'll be true for television. There was data out there in Fall 2010 that cable customers has dropped noticeably. And even if it is the 'Recession That Isn't, According to ____' that may be causing/contributing to it, a lot of people no doubt will be finding they can get by w/o the $100/mo. teevee bill. FT.com

The league has bent over backwards in the past 10 years giving a very distinct advantage to offenses and offensive skill players. Which is one of the reasons why I haven't been overly enthusiastic about Nix making such an investment on the defense. There's only so much they can do without getting penalized up the yin-yang for touching a QB, breathing on a WR, and now, where exactly they put their hands on tackles and who exactly they can hit on INT/KO/Punt returns. They're facing a stacked deck. Should've done more to upgrade our O to keep pace. At this pace, the NFL is going to essentially be flag football inside of 15 years.

We went antenna-only ~15 years ago after being tired of getting **** in return for --- at the time --- $40/mo. for cable. I hooked up our antenna, got a pre-amplifier and eked it out for a while. That is so much different than what's available today. Much like Fezmid is a DirecTV advocate, I am a huge advocate for cutting the cable. In many areas of the country, the digital switch improved reception remarkably for the major networks. Not that it's been without its hiccups, but generally, it's been great. It's really not very difficult or extremely costly (and it's a one-off purchase, if your house doesn't have an existing one in place) to put up an antenna. Start with www.tvfool.com and by interpreting the results, you get an idea of what type you would need. You're in VA iirc, and it's very possible that a small set top antenna might be enough. It gets more sophisticated from there, but it's not a bad idea to start small and work up. On the cusp of three markets, I get ~38 channels (some of which are redundant of course), many of them PBS which is the bulk of our viewing. If you have any questions re: antenna stuff, I've installed several, and I'm here. As technology has come around, things have come and gone. Netflix is an awesome supplement. For sports, there are certain sites that can deliver what you're seeking, with degrees of legality. If you're a straight-arrow, ESPN3.com actually has a nice selection of sports --- e.g. some MLB games, NBA, lots of college sports, tennis (French Open currently), they had World Cup streams, etc. Many ISPs provide access to that site for users. It would really be awesome if customers could have an ala carte option for cable. They've talked about it forever in Congress, and you can guess what that's accomplished.... Real progress, in that regard, will come from people like you/us who decide to stick up their middle finger at cable/sat. Losing customers and having to change their business model is the only thing that will force change. I would gladly pay for several channels just to have the ease of access, but they don't do that. Well, !@#$ them. I'm not going to be held hostage. There is evidence from viewing numbers and such that subscriber losses are not insignificant.

According to the article, tomorrow is Judgment Day, not the actual End of the World. That'll take another 5 months. Is there any word on whether we'll remember the people who have been instantly zapped up to heaven, or is it going to be like when someone goes through the Time Rift on "Dr. Who," such that that person never existed, and every trace of them, even memories, are gone? Or is it going to come and go, and the believers will assume that they're not going to heaven, and then just off themselves? Because I'm in favor of that one. Wait a minute.... Who am I?

An interview with John Yoo, author of The Powers of War and Peace: The Constitution and Foreign Affairs after 9/11 The War Powers Act is paper that makes some in Congress feel like they have some measure of control over the Commander-in-Chief's use of the military, short of de-funding it. The short story is, they don't.

NYT: Rapture Prophecy Tests Families Split on Belief On the other hand, tomorrow might be just the excuse you need to get rid of somebody. You can be all like, "Damn, I didn't know s/he was that religious!" Let's not pretend for a second, though, that these people won't latch on to some other date and keep the merry-go-round going. Really sad to see the main family profiled in this story. No savings, let their house go unrepaired.... What was the big problem with involuntary commitment? It kept these !@#$ people off the streets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0 Contest's over.

Mitt Romney's Health Care Advantage? : "RomneyCare" shouldn't be a liability in 2012. It should be an asset. Here's why. Much-needed clarification on how Romney's input averted a fiscal disaster for small businesses in Mass., and the HUGE differences b/w the Mass. situation vs. the nation's. 1. Mass. had a low % of uninsured, high incomes, and has the infrastructure to handle it. 2. Instead of taxing small businesses, as the MA legislature was intent on, Romney's plan put the onus on people to make better choices and use primary/preventative care rather than ERs. 3. Costs have not skyrocketed (and some reasons for the 1% increase are due to the Patrick admin). 4. Romney wiped out a $3B budget shortfall --- and created a $600M surplus --- before health care was broached. 5. Romney does not advocate one-size-fits-all strategy. He says that each state should do, or not do, what makes the most sense for that state. There's no reason this should off-put Republicans who actually look at the facts, rather than spew about anything that touches the subject of health care.

Well, any Sabres picks'/prospects' rights remain with the team, with which they signed their contract. They are "designated for assignment" to the AHL affiliate. If this happens, I would think it's just a matter of changing the assignment location. I don't know the arrangement they have WRT coaches. I'd imagine that there are players Portland signs on their own to fill out their roster, so the entire team probably will not be transferred. So basically, it all matters who owns each contract.

Wikipedia entry I understand how it happened... but I don't understand how the hell it happened. It just seems stupid that the Amerks weren't the Sabres farm team --- they were mutually beneficial entities for the franchises. Being so close to each other, fans could watch players develop in Roch. and then play in B-lo. It's a nice thing to be a hope skip and a jump away in case of an emergency call-up. Have to assume this will save on transportation costs (these days, that's lots) and more able to bulk-order things both clubs will be using. Here's hoping that a natural partnership will resume. Really liking the direction Pegula is taking the franchise.

Handgun ban + catch and release for violent psychotic offenders = the fruit of socialism.

A big provision in a league where LBs can drop like flies. Now that we're carrying more of them and the 3-4 puts more emphasis on them, it really makes me nervous about the depth situation there.

The Easy-Bake Oven voting bloc is huge, I tell you.... HUGE!!

Yeah, its purpose was kind of missing from the story. But who cares about the whys of anything, right? Modern journalism = . (Well, more-so than traditional, at least....)

Well, in order to vote, one needs to register. That right there will offput most people who aren't vehemently opposed to RI. Sorry, but it looks like it's here to stay. Did I get the sense that Dave is still playing the game... learning from the Robfather? Endear yourself to the Survivor producers by marrying a fellow former castaway so as to increase the chance they give you another shot. And yeah, she does. Her reaction was something less than what I'd personally hope for... making some snarky comment and just sitting there, twice or three times repeating some remark about the game still blindsiding her. But hey, I don't wanna judge and I didn't see the season when she played to have a sense of her personality beyond being suddeny proposed to on national teevee.... I wish them very happy. Completely agreed. Anyone who's played more than one time in any season should be relegated to all-star shows. Otherwise it's like throwing a snake in a room full of mice.

Fixed.

There's nothing in the Constitution that sports leagues must exist. If it's not profitable/profitable enough for the owners, they should have the right to suspend operations and the players can find alternate employment.

Did he? A close friend called from OZ who I haven't seen or heard much of in 6 months, and that takes all precedence over watching this. I totally missed that. I don't think that about RI at all, but I can respect your opinion. -- Another note: Phillip burning those pink underwear was .

And it's Rob. He didn't even use the hidden idol. Ashley says in the reunion that Rob did tell them about it off-camera. Three things.... 1 - I don't think it's particularly fair for newbies to have to go against Survivor vets. Multiple chances ought to take place only in All-Star competitions. Regardless that the vet has a target on their back, previous experience is a major leg up. 2 - The Redemption Island arc added a great twist to the game. I really hope they keep this into the future. Everybody says they detest the backstabbing, the lying, etc. and RI provides some recourse to this. It's also much more exciting than watching a reward challenge. 3 - It's nice to hear Rob say (before the final vote was tallied) that this is his final entry into the game. "I've been playing Survivor for a third of my life. It's time to stop playing games." Rob really did work his ass off to earn this. Early on, while finding a hidden idol, he said, "Ya gotta hustle to make a dollah." It's kind of sad that Grant stopped talking to him a few weeks into the airings, but, hey....

When both of them in their statements flat-out said they got there by being loyal to Rob, that cemented it. Natalie's pitch was probably the worst ever; I haven't watched much of Survivor since the first two seasons, but it can't POSSIBLY be worse than 'I did what Rob told me' and "If you vote for me, I'll be the youngest female Survivor winner ever!" And Phillip in the questions is basically telling everyone not to vote for him. And now, it looks like Ralph is the one to expose her. What really gets me now is Matt and Julie saying that they didn't play respectably or honestly. Those qualities have little or no bearing in the game. Rob should've been like, "Survivor is a game like any other. When you open that box of "Risk," start throwing the dice, and taking countries, you're not making friends in the gameplay itself. It takes strategy and a lot of luck. It makes people angry when you invade South Africa or Alaska. But if I didn't do it, someone else would. And then when the game's over you close the box, and maybe you're still a little fumed. But you get over it and you usually come to have a friendship with your competitors. Don't vote for the dude who only had Africa and didn't attack you just because he didn't get the opportunity. Vote for the strongest player." Dave's speech was great. While everyone else is firing bullets haphazardly at this one did this, that one did that, he put one shot right to the heart and wrapped up in 30 seconds the entire story of the season.

It's amazing how cheaply some people will sell their souls.

That, and over the years, his bookshelf didn't change a bit. Regardless, this is the attitude that a certain set of so-called progressives have. They believe that in "diversifying" excellent schools, there will be no degradation from the elements they bring in, and the nebulous argument that children will automatically learn better due to multi-culturalism (see: Sheff vs. O'Neill here in CT). And then when their plans go to ****, they have the resources/wherewithal to move away and start the process somewhere else. Rather than try to turn around failing schools, their answer is to shout "Hey, you have a great school system --- no fair!" Then they aim to drag down good schools and make them equally bad.

Link Well, maybe if O and the spectre of his tax-and-spend pals didn't scare the **** out of every business owner, they would hire. http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi826212377/ By Nov '12, Obama is probably going to resemble the Chris Farley character in the Herlihy Boy SNL sketch....

Ummm... yeah. [shrug]