UConn James

U.S. goalies ordered to remove slogans from helmets

AP | Unruly passenger took a swing at Romney

And at this point, in a better world, someone would give the Arnold Vinick answer: "From now until the end of this campaign, I'll answer any question you've got about government. But if you've got a question about religion, please, go to church." And again, it also seems to play into the very early strategy of "skipping the South." If the zealots there won't vote for the single issue of his religion, then largely, just bypass it and hope that a Southern state or two still swings your way. To my knowledge, while governing, Mitt Romney did not put Books of Mormon in every athlete's room during the Olympics, nor did he force Mormon conversions, faith did not direct his governing choices, or make any kind of a deal about it in Massachusetts. Mitt seemingly has (and has had) higher hurdles to jump than JFK. That said, I think '12 may be the right time for him... when religion doesn't mean nearly as much as "Who can pull us out of this $ slump?"

Do you mean phony in his personal life and how he projects it publicly? Or the tweaks in his social policy positions over the years? I'd remind you that Reagan had many of the same changes, socially. I'd remind you that many people come to see things differently as we grow and experience the world. Mass. voters are above all worried about a change to Roe v. Wade. They don't want government telling them what to do on social issues, but they are fully willing to elect fiscal-conservative Republicans as a check to Democrat control. But, to run there and have any chance of winning, you have to take a pledge. Much like Scott Brown did. It goes something like... 'I respect the established law of the right of a woman to chose. [Even though I personally disagree with abortion, I will make a contract as this state's representative to vote how the majority of the state wants me to vote on the issue.]' Include that second line if you must, at your own peril. Is it a little disingenuous? You bet. But this pledge is about the only way to get elected there (and in much of the Northeast) when you have an R after your name. On the health care initiative, Romney had a choice to either be uninvolved and it would pass in the legislature without input from the minority party, or work with the Mass. Democrats and since it was going to happen anyway, try to push it a little more toward reality. At this point (year 3) it has achieved high coverage rates, but it hasn't been a glaring success at cutting costs. This is the same chicken/egg problem as at the national level. Extend coverage first, or try to control costs first? I think the Mass experiment has shown, as national Republicans have said, that costs must come down first. Hasn't worked perfectly, but it's still relatively early in the life of this thing. I'm not sure how it's been administrated under Deval Patrick. Might take some solace that, as the article said, Romney was a major (unseen until election night) force behind Brown, who opposes a similar coverage-first, cut-costs-later plan nationwide. One hopes that some lessons have been learned.

Did you read the "Skipping the South" section of the article? That's not set in stone, but as a strategy, it is wisest to not spend money where it didn't produce results before. Taken as a broad indication of governing philosophy, he's already smarter than 95% of other pols. The rest of the country seems much more accepting of the individual, rather than pinning him to antiquated, extremist elements of a religion. The South largely votes socially, not fiscally. But that could change if Obama's economy keeps tanking or doesn't do anything but crater-plateau... which is a distinct possibility. I don't subject candidates to a religious test. The issue should be who can run the government bureaucracy most efficiently and get business going again. Frankly, to echo the it's sad that some people's precious votes are bought so cheaply.

Link Ahead of releasing his book, titled No Apology, comes a pretty fair assessment of Romney from the "Boston Phoenix." That Romney should and would emphasize his pragmatist Mr. Fix-It background and step back from the social issues. As someone who voted for Romney in the 2008 primary, I thought he was the best of the candidates out there (how much is that saying, though?) for a situation that many didn't want to see, hear or talk about... and that has now slapped us in the face. Interesting read about the warts-and-all of the past, and some of the very early talk and stratagem for '12. America needs a businessman who has directed a corporation to actual profits. America needs someone who entered an Olympics full of graft and scandal and scrubbed Salt Lake City down in short order and pulled off a decent Games. America could use someone who came into the final stages of the Big Dig and called it the bondoogle it was and started to get the department back into public control from it's "Authority" mess. I'm sure buftex will make some remark on "Republican Hair."

Per the Jensen write-up: ----- Also wondering about the marshal's briefcase. Kate was so hot for it (the toy plane, as it turned out) on-island, yet in this sideways-flash it's right there and she doesn't even glance at it. Hmm.

Still trying to fit that stuff together. In the original timeline, (baby) Ethan stayed on the island even when the woman and children were evacuated. He then became a Ben acolyte... and was evidently a part of the Purge that killed his father, Horace. I don't think we know whether the Left-Behinders changed things when Miles said to get the women and children off the island. Was Ethan included in the evacuation c. '77? By his appearance here, it looks like he was. Or, how he got into this spot could be something entirely different. ----- Question: what happened to Faraday's journal after they removed the bomb core? Did Jack take it with him or did Eloise Hawking still have it? ----- Very interesting theory here. ----- Doc Jensen's recap of "What Kate Does." I'm just getting into reading it....

- Our ABC station was running an obnoxiously large school cancellation widget that took up the bottom 1/3 of the screen through the whole show. F--kers. One had a message below it where they usually list length of delay info, replaced to a "We're sad we won't see you tomorrow :-/". Seriously? An text emoticon on a school cancellation notice? Grow up, people. - There's been some nice moments of Arzt at LAX. Tonight: "I'm walkin' here! I'm walkin' here!! - This ep. centered on the Kate-Claire connection. What formed on the island is replicated in LA. Claire is still preggers in the sideways flash. The adoptive parents have split up (how did the psychic not see that that coming?!? Or maybe, again, he did) and Claire has labor pains much earlier than on the island, 36 weeks... then doesn't. Then the shoe drops. Dr. Goodspeed?!!?? So, when Oceanic doesn't crash, 3 years later, Ethan just happens to be in LA. Nope. As I wrote last week, I'm getting the feeling that all of this since the S3 finale was the desired/known effect of the "Secondary protocol." - Aldo fell for the "Wookie prisoner gag" in S3, and now, to prove how good he is, he gets owned by Kate and shot by a very Rousseau-like Claire. - As Miles said, Hurley's in charge now? We've got Sawyer blaming himself for Juliet's death... b/c it all started when he talked her out of taking the sub in '74 "Because I didn't want to be alone." We've got Jack saying, "I don't trust myself!"... enough to be making decisions, b/c he's made a lot of bad ones lately. As Doc Jensen wrote, there's a crisis of leadership among the group. Jack and Sawyer both acted for selfish reasons which led to their current situation. Sawyer had a ring hidden underneath the floorboards, and throws it, Desmond-style into the drink. Anybody with Tivo and the DVD for "Flashes Before Your Eyes"... Am I mistaken or did that look like the same ring? Again, the conceit of the mysterious box with unknown contents appears. As I linked to in last season's thread, this is a favorite device of JJ Abrams. Video link that is well worth watching. Speaking of JJ... tgreg, for a little insider info, is it definite that he's still hands-off of the series now that it's down to the wire? Do he and Lindelof/Cuse talk? - Dogen and Lennon don't seem to have many friggin' translations for the most important things we want to know. Again, we get "infected" and now, we get that Sayid has been "claimed" apparently by the smoke monster side. And they try to kill him. Not cool, Dogen & Lennon. Not cool at all. Claire too, they say. Speaking of leadership issues before, Dogen has some of his own. Explains that he uses the language barrier to "distance" himself from his people when they don't like his decisions. Jack wouldn't know anything about that, man. Slightest thing happens, he's there with a speech. Interesting baseball connection b/w the two (it is evidently Jack's favorite game, per his conversation with Lapidis in S4). Their test of Sayid looked pretty familiar, no? At least the electrocution part. I don't know where we are in the curve, but it's continuing to follow the pattern of general themes happening backward/mirrored. What happened b/w Jin's flashes on the French team... (or afterward)? Did Rousseau learn how to test for the "sickness" from the Others? Perhaps she was she diagnosed the same way?

Guide Listing

Len Dawson looked pretty uncomfortable on that walk. Not how it should have been. As with the Stanley Cup, the Captains (or at least the coach or owner) should be the first to touch it. It's a show of respect. But it's also a show of respect that they should've all been on the same level rather than a small dais like that. Why couldn't they have brought that large NFL platform one out that was used for the anthem?

Time had run short and my guess is that CBS wanted to get right into showing that undercover CEO show.

True, that. Currently, the favored term is back to "black." I think that transition happened not too long after the media called a French youth rioter an "African-American." I guess the absurdity of that phrase reached a tipping point there, after years of building up with the fact that not all blacks are American, not all blacks have (at least, recent) origins from Africa, some white people could be called African-American i.e. Charlize Theron, etc. And so, the bending over backwards resulted in a full somersault. I don't see anything really wrong in Pelosi's choice of words, other than the "whatever the name was in those days" that seems a bit callous to say out loud. But even that is understandable.

Ms. Underwood wasn't anything special, either. All sizzle, no steak. She was doing full finger curls on the microphone every two words to the point I thought she was going to drop it. As with the point about the ear monitor, she was WAAAAY off key on "and the home of the brave." It was loud in the stadium, granted, but it's still a testament to the lack of musical talent (not saying singing talent; there is a difference) that she couldn't close her eyes and stay on key for 3 more seconds. There's nothing in trying to "make it your own" as many singers do with their flourishes, their get-up, and their Elmer-Fudd-on-a-blender vocalizations ALA Whitney Houston. The last televised anthem that I remember being really good was Sheryl Crow at the MLB all-star game... might be 2 years ago now. Which surprised me, b/c I think most of her music sucks. As Garrison Keillor says, the anthem should take ~50-55 seconds to sing. Longer than that, you're just calling attention to yourself, when the emphasis should be on the words of anthem.

Let me clarify: I am not a blind follower of any QB who's come through here. After so many games, they need to produce or at least show progression. The point is that it's something about the Bills franchise & fanbase that kills QBs. Whether it's getting a QB not fit for the system; one who's too inexperienced and not being able to develop them; not getting them a serviceable OL; getting a QB who's past his prime; having a long string of OC who, even if they are good scheme designers and play-callers, are handcuffed by either lack of talent or ordered to be lackluster; or are undercut by coach, GM and/or owner. The problem is systemic. For one reason or other, or a combination of all, QBs don't succeed here. And it would take the second coming of Kelly to solidify QB or the Offense in general.

It's always amusing to me to see the people who think a specific player's progression on one team would be exactly duplicated were he to play for a different team. People who ought to know better apparently think the real world operates like Madden. If Brees had been picked by Buffalo, he probably would've been out of the league 4 years ago. That's what this franchise does to QBs post-Kelly. Sorry, but it's the truth.

In essence, I suppose it would be like Buffalo's "Creep" defense vs. a squatting OL. Not sure how they'd figure a way for the Center to not be in a three-point stance... but there would likely be a dispensation and special contact rules for that position.

Link

Pennington gets rattled by contact. He goes in a shell after the first big hit laid on him, or the first two generic sacks. Gregg and Mularky at least understood this and went after him, and we generally didn't do too badly on D against Pennington teams. Jauron, over four years, seemed not to want to spoil the after-game tea and scones with such ungentlemanly conduct. Final word: I don't want a kitty at QB. And most not with this OL situation.

Some good critical discussion: EW | LOST: Your mythology-free review of the premiere Jeff "Doc" Jensen's Lost Recap Haven't perused this yet (it's quite long), but for the past few seasons, these recaps have been required reading for this thread.

Like I wrote, it was like a drainplug that Ben pulled out in the secret chamber, and the muddy water ran out down a hole. Where did it (and presumably, more) go? In an island fraught with connections, this would be my best guess. In other thoughts, it's just a little disconcerting that in the ALT-world, people we've come to know will be totally changed without their island experience. They don't get the redemption the island afforded them: - I suppose we had seen Kate be like that in flashbacks, so her beating up the marshal and commandeering the taxi with Claire inside didn't come as a surprise. But from her current path, she doesn't get to stop running and be a positive force. - Sawyer was back to being the con man... seemed interested once he heard about Hurley winning the lotto. Covered for Kate in the elevator. All the personal growth, and being a better man is gone off-island. - Jack & Locke is an interesting scenario. Their ALT experience in Jack potentially treating Locke might be the ALT of their acrimony on the island. - Sayid off-island might find the love that eluded him on-island. It will be interesting to see if and how they plan to make these characters likable again. Heck of a risk to totally throw out characters that had so much development time. Tgreg, you say it's heading for convergence.... I hope so.

1) Or it could be that MiB had been in the cabin, unable to get out beyond the ash. 2) Yeah, if time had been altered, then there would have been no 815 crash to mention. And Cindy wouldn't be there.... Which makes me think back to one of Faraday's lines --- that light is really weird on the island... that it comes from different angles. I think the island acts as a kind of absorber of things that happen in all timelines. So, even if/when 815 doesn't crash, the graves will still be at the beach. It also absorbs the sunlight from different timelines. The show just seems to have a different feel now, judging from the premiere eps. It's the difference b/w the action-oriented and the storytelling-oriented. But there's also our own input and excitement of watching. Since the Incident, it's been edge-of-your-seat & no time to relax... just watch things as they happen. Good point in the second graph. Not sure there's a hard-and-fast rule about body possession vis-a-vis that the body must be a duplicate. There will be a Richard-centric ep in 6.09 where we get info on his past in what has to be flashback form. I believe the 'no more flashbacks' thing was for the Lostaways proper --- not MiB, Jacob or Richard. Had a new thought this morning... Re: the water in the Temple's spring going all brown and the Japanese guy and the hippie being absolutely surprised at this... Where else have we seen muddied water? Ben pulling the plug in the secret chamber within the secret chamber off of his Barracks house. That happened in the 2007 universe last season in "Dead is Dead." What was the deal with the spring? I didn't catch it b/c it happened quickly. Did the Japanese guy's hand heal when he stuck it in the (brown) water? Also, is ABC going to show repeats of the previous ep right before the new ones? ON EDIT: To answer my own question, yes they are. We'll get "LA X: Part 2" next Tuesday before "What Kate Does."

Darlton said on Jimmy Kimmel last night that the Sayid=Jacob idea is basically right, but there will be some fine-tuning of this yet to come. Some things that have bothered me a bit... 1) Rousseau's baby was stolen from her in 1988, by Ben and Ethan. Ben was then back in Dharmaville in 1992 for the Purge. What's up with that? Was it like a Others Reserve weekend for Ben? 2) There's also Faraday's assertion that exploding the H-bomb over the Swan will stop the freighter from ever coming to the island. Is that necessarily so? Or could all of what happened with the O6, etc. --- all of it --- been part of the "secondary protocol"? I dunno what to make of the situation of the island being underwater in the Alt world. W/Could Widmore's intentions still be accomplished? Also, it seems a pretty good guess now that the box Ben took out of the motel vent before 316 left was his ankh.