UConn James

Any profits that aren't sold through the official Bills shop near the stadium is aggregated and shared equally among all the teams. There would be no real increase. Wherever the merchandising money goes... it would still be a net expense. Also, I'm not sure of the mechanics with a league-notified jersey change. Would the team have to purchase the stock of old merch? That's one of the things players have to do when switching numbers ala how Owens had to buy all the stock Hardy #81 jerseys. Does anyone know if the same thing applies to teams?

Aw, shucks.... I find it interesting that no one commented on my thoughts on how the monk (Brother Campbell) --- even tho he was not shown in "The Variable" --- figures into the Eloise Hawking story. (I also think not showing it would give short shrift to just how much EH grieved and agonized about what she (thinks she) had to do.) That was a pretty big part of the episode, I think, and a satisfactory tie-up even if we're never actually shown Brother Campbell talking w/ EH. The 'mystery' of her photo on his desk ain't quite so mysterious now. I figured there would be more discussion about that.... After a week of digesting "The Variable," it's also dawning on me that we don't know exactly what the effects were from Daniel Faraday using his machine on himself. The machine was designed to put future experiences/memories into the subject's consciousness --- hence, why the rat (named Eloise.. hmm) perfectly ran the maze she'd never been put into. We don't know how far into the future that Faraday had put his consciousness, but we know at least that it was Dec 2004, b/c he was crying at the sight of 815 even if 'didn't know why.' Something went screwy, and it'll be something to find out, but his mind may have had a problem either with his time-travel or his manner of death in '77 when he's alive in '04, and just resulted in a fried brain like a computer that can't handle a calculation and reboots bricks itself. This stuff could also get into how Eloise Hawking said to Penny that she 'can't see what happens for the first time in a long time.' Could she have used Daniel's machine on herself, so that she knew the future? Only, her brain didn't experience the bricking problem b/c there was no 'impossible calculation' for it to handle. This is just conjecture on my part. In his notes, too, it's funny to think back on the title of that Desmond-centric ep, "The Constant" wrt to some of my comments upthread, and Daniel's note in his journal, "Desmond Hume ... is your Constant." Desmond is the Constant / 108. Six other people are the Variables / 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. What this means, I don't know yet.

The freighter captain, yeah. But considering how it may link in with Richard in his centric episode, combined with the fact that the Black Rock is just begging to be revisited in a season where there's been a lot of revisitations from previous seasons.... I think it's pretty likely.

+1 But as I've written before, this probably won't happen until after Ralph sells or dies. Changing the logo and unis full-time is a fairly costly proposal --- new letterhead, new business cards, new stadium signage, changing the field logo (and I believe AstroPlay went out of business, too, iirc, which would make this a little harder/more expensive), media guides, et cetera, et cetera. With 2 games a year, he figures it's enough to give people a taste of the good stuff and not incur expense. Ralph Wilson has a raging case of Old Man Syndrome. He doesn't want to change the decor just so the next owner will want to change it again. And unless Ralph owns the Sourcerer's Stone, this could literally happen at any time in the next 5-10 years. It's along the same reason why he's quashed talk about a new stadium. It's actually easier (and more profitable, b/c it will attract more buyers) to leave things alone, not handcuff the next owner to a new stadium he might not want, and just coast to the finish.

I think it's very good odds that she's always been an outside-Other plant that was on 815. The Tailies assumed she'd been taken... but it's just as likely that she stole away at a convenient time. Bear in mind that the Others appear to have had another plant in Oceanic. The woman at the gate, whom Hurley hugged and picked up when she called the plane back, I believe her name was Jenny or Ginny. She was also the woman at the computer at Oxford in 2007 when Desmond tried to find Faraday. She was supposed to dead-end him, only Des did some peeking for himself. Look at the list at imdb, and it's the same actress. Not a coincidence. A number of off-island Other operatives have been revealed, among them Jill and Ben's lawyer. And not a big leap (especially since she integrated so fast) to the conclusion that Cindy was put on 815 by the Others.

...

LOST 5.15 - "Follow the Leader" - (ABC promo copy) Jack and Kate find themselves at odds over the direction to save their fellow island survivors, Locke further solidifies his stance as leader of "The Others," and Sawyer and Juliet come under scrutiny from the Dharma Initiative. Several places I've looked said it will be Richard-centric. Be prepared for awesome-ness. Yellow-fonted spoiler: With a "Capt. Bird, an honorable ship captain" in the character descriptions, I believe we're going to learning more about the Black Rock.

Dorenbos (the magician), then Schneck where Moorman and Lindell coincidentally upped their performance, then the dude we have now Neill, who has flubbed several snaps. I too was/am hoping that Wood or Levitre could do the LS... but it is something that needs to be practiced, and taking time out of learning their G/C spots --- especially this year --- probably isn't the best idea. Perhaps one of them can pick it up in the future to save a roster spot.

Skeletor Uncloaked, more like.

Why should this be a matter about which Congress can't say, broadly, "Institute a playoff system"? It's what everyone wants, and yet, Swofford, et al refuse to budge from their computers b/c they want to keep their boondoggle going. Boise State is spending $X million, has had three no-loss seasons, and they haven't sniffed a chance at a title while teams that have lost win. What more do they have to do? Why shouldn't Congress be allowed to order a system that is more fair, when those who have run it have broken the public trust? If it were a matter of a product having razor blades in it, there would be no questions. The consumer needs protection. Such a net product in the sports world is a little hard to see. What is the product that sports produces? It produces a feeling and history, neither is a tangible item. I can get it that people are wondering how/why Congress would seek to protect an intangible product. But it is a product nonetheless, and it is tainted. It would have been much preferable for the NCAA to do this on its own, in its own best interests. Alas, the big schools have exerted enough influence to essentially bar inclusion in the championship. An order/threat to play fair has to come from further up. Also, bear in mind that this came in a lull session when most of the Congresscritters were back home. It's not like it held up any important legislative motions or debate.

EW Lost recap Something sticks in my craw here... What Christian Shepard said to Jack about how he had to sacrifice certain parts of the father-son relationship so Jack could become the finest surgeon in the city, etc. Reflect on all of these parents or parental action that have driven them to be the people they are. Some are special, tho, and rather than being some byproduct of circumstance, they were (had to be) specially nurtured to become what they are. What significance do they have? Are they more special? Who is included in this group? Jack, Charlotte, Faraday, Miles (Dr. Chang sent him away not b/c he didn't love them, but in a similar sacrifice so his son would develop his power), and, I would argue, Locke --- in a rather weird sense of nurturing.

But... if Daniel's plan is carried out and 815 never crashes, what would happen to the 815ers in '77? Would they vanish? Would they just live out their lives in an alternate string of time?

What a storyline. The theme of sacrifice shows up again, and likely is tie-in of the connection b/w Eloise Hawking and the monk. Consider the difficulty that she must have had in trying to make "whatever happened" happen --- namely killing her son. The monk talked to Desmond about sacrifice re: Abraham, and with good reason. We may never see a scene of their meeting, b/c it may be clear enough. Sacrifice was heavily on the monk's mind since EH came to him c. 1996 for guidance/comfort/etc. and probably also told him that Desmond had to be set up with Penny. There's something else to her, tho. How does she know the future, and so clearly? So clearly as to know when and where a guy a with red shoes is going to be crushed by a piano. But, more important, is her apparent loss of this power in the hospital when she says she doesn't know what will happen to Des (I forget, did she say "see"? Could it be similar to Des's flashes?). More on this below. I believe this arcs (in what I'm going to call the midpoint reflection reading that I've written about before) with Locke's sacrifice of Boone (That happened ~20 eps into S1, this is happening with ~20 eps left). Compare the level of premeditation --- Locke had a dream, somewhat vague, but he seemed to get the gist of it, followed it and Boone died. EH makes a conscious, rational decision and follows it for 27 years to sacrifice her son. Despite the inscription on the notebook, you have to wonder to what extent she loves Daniel --- psychologically, it's easier to treat him as an object. There's the tonnage of raising him, pushing him in physics, and denying him other pleasures. In the scene that expounded on semi-veggie-Daniel's introduction, where she's trying to convince him to go to the island where Eloise's eyes are saying, "Come on, get on with it!" Onscreen, she doesn't seem to ever really question her role; she does give a testy response to Widmore... It is a willing sacrifice, like Abraham, but there's a hint of anger that she has to do it. Faraday was on that WHH Constant-focused kick for a while. But, here's something. What if the Numbers/Valenzetti equation are actual people. Desmond is the Constant. And maybe not for nothing that there are 6 Variables (4, 8, 15...). That may be why EH was especially interested in Desmond --- her focus was always the Constant, in trying to preserve the WHH principle. But Faraday's notion of the Variable(s) is probably correct --- dude knows his sh-- --- and it's what he was working on at Ann Arbor. Changing the equation was always Dharma's goal. What constitutes "changing" it, if the variables are people? EH can't see what happens to Des --- what happens to the Constant. She seems surprised and bewildered by this. Hmm. Much the same as the Science/Faith theme running b/w Jack & Locke, there seems to be one b/w Faraday and EH, his mother. (Bear in mind her connection with the monk, and that the lamppost is in a church.) She has faith in the Constant. Faraday was conducting experiments to change things. Interesting to note the meeting b/w Young Charlotte and Faraday. The same words about chocolate. In other areas, Sawyer is further devolving into the very same Man Without A Plan that he accused Jack of being. Either escape in the sub or go to the beach. Woo hoo! That's higher intelligence at work, there! Juliet giving them the fence code = "Go read a book, Sawyer. Jack's back!"

‘Lost’ creators never expected 100 episodes

That being a term limit of 1 (as in, one term only, not just successively) for whatever office being held. And a serious decrease in congressional pensions (members of the Congress do not pay into or collect Social Security, and therefore have zero personal motivation to touch the Third Rail of American Politics and actually fix it), health plans, etc. We need to put more democracy into our representative democracy. Being a 30-year lion of the Senate, etc., is exactly how we've arrived at the precipice.

I guess this was just a pre-emptive move to head off a situation like Lieberman was in back in '06. Not only got embarrassed by losing the primary to Lamont, but ended up having to fight a two-front battle. He won by a fairly sizable margin, o' course, but it was pretty messy and, most importantly, took more money. I'm not current on what Specter's popularity numbers are, but I believe they are generally declining, if only slightly. I guess either they were declining among Republicans in such numbers that there was no way he'd win such a two-front battle or he's thinking longer-term and joining what is, at present, the Dem main ship and watching the Republican boat sink. In any case, he's gonna have to be on guard to determine who his real friends are now. Dems would probably like a more party-line candidate and Repubs... well... there's no greater enemy than a former friend. Broader scheme, it's something to be seen what is to become of the GOP. I believe recent polls say that only ~27 percent of registered voters now identify as Repubs. (I think this is about the same percentage of Americans who believe in UFOs.) Reagan's Big Tent collapsed, and I think McCain saw the death knell for his campaign where the Type-II diabetes cat lady stood up and said, "I don't trust Obama. He's a Muslim!" I think this is generally the stereotype of what the party is now --- namely, stupid/crazy Bible-thumpers. This is a party that basically threw out Linc Chaffee, among many other of the saner voices, and now carry Rush Limbaugh and --- in recent weeks --- Darth Cheney as the most visible standard-carriers. True fiscal conservatives have left or maybe never existed in the first place. Warhawks/'nation-builders' have replaced 'strong border' anti-interventionists. Small-gov't big-corporation proponents are getting bushwhacked. They're on the losing side of a number of 'wedge issues' the gap of which will only increase as today's youth grow up. Looking out at the GOP landscape, you don't see much hope for them beyond the Dems f---ing everything up seven ways to Sunday in either the economy or defense. That will happen, o' course --- f--kups by the party in power, rather than good ideas from the party that is not, is what keeps the pendulum swinging. Is this a time (in the next 10, 20, or 30 years) where a viable and competitive alternative party is finally formed or gains popular support?

Obama's TelePrompTer better not be cutting into LOST on Wednesday night, that's all I have to say.... LOST 5.14 "The Variable" - Daniel Faraday-centric episode - (ABC promo copy) The time of reckoning has begun when Daniel Faraday comes clean regarding what he knows about the island. Per the preview shown after the recap show last week, it appears this episode will include --- or be the lead-in to --- the season-opening scene with Faraday at the Orchid construction site. Looks like we'll find out what Faraday's been up to in Ann Arbor (Has he been there from '74-'77 or was that not answered?). Also looks like there's going to be some fleshing out of the 'sides' after Sawyer's story started to fall apart in "Some Like it Hoth." On edit: This is also LOST's milestone 100th episode. (And this is for a 1-hour show, not a 30-min sitcom).

Too bad. Dick Levy wants them ALL! Every last one!

I honestly think Dick is just !@#$ with everybody at this point. Just to see how far he can carry the joke/stereotype.

B/c one dude is representative of the entire movement. 'Joe Schmoe made terroristic threats. Joe Schmoe was at a Tea Party outing. Therefore, ALL Tea Party goers are terrorists.' Your "TBDPPP Mega-Inductive Reasoning Club" T-shirts are on their way. How does this method of presentation help anything? All it accomplishes is to make you look foolish, makes you a hypocrite (intent of sarcasm aimed at Wacka et al. does little for me. I ----ing hate sarcasm. And I'm not alone, by far) and ratchets up the rancor. I realize that it's politics and it's been a free-for-all since I can remember, but it's just gone to a whole new level of incivility in the past 20 years. Such a high level of this petty bickering is going to eat this country up if it lasts for too much longer. "Let me be the change I wish to see." You (among others, mind), on the other hand, seem to enjoy stoking the flames here to see how high they can get. It needs to stop. It needs to get toned down.

Wait for it... wait for it.... Sept 2009: Dick Jauron develops the NFL's first 11-DB defense.

I swear to God, I'm going to take a dump on Dick Jauron's grave.

Having such players also might come in handy for the next coaching regime. Gotta consider how much Russ is hedging his bets for when/if Jauron is canned in the near future. Especially on the defensive side. OL guys typically move around. Nothing new to that. But changing a core defensive scheme is Maybin as a Tampa-2 DE can play OLB in a 3-4. Byrd can/has played any DB spot. Harris could return to S (or #1 backup) in a more traditional 3-4 or 4-3.... "Versatility" might also be a safeguard against having obsolete/the wrong players when the system is changed.

Inside the Denver Broncos war room.... HC Josh McDaniels: "It's the sixth round. Let's see.... Here's a QB named Tom Bra.... I've heard enough! Pick 'im!"

Re: Whitner... What's done is done. Let it go.