here look at this shit

The premier league season is halfway over. You can see how it's going here. I made this thing to illustrate how it's spread out. Truly, the middle class is dead.

i figured out how to make the picture full size

charles why did you go to bed

after the northrop grumman military bowl because i am going to dinner and i wanted a scoreboard

CRISIS GAMES

Cap'n's selections first:

Dec 21:
Washington State v. Colorado State
San Diego State v. Buffalo
ULL v. Tulane

Dec 24:
Oregon State v. Boise State

Dec 27:
Maryland v. Marshall
Washington v. BYU

Dec 28:
North Carolina v. Cincinnati

Jan 1:
North Texas v. UNLV
Wisconsin v. South Carolina

Jan 3:
Missouri v. Oklahoma State
The Ohio State University v. Clemson

Jan 6:
Florida State v. Auburn

Tie-breaker: Combined national title game score
Cap'n: 69
Charlie: 72

tha captainz choices

Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Colorado State vs. Washington State
Dec. 21
pretty good matchup, imo
tha captainz choice: wazzou

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Fresno State vs. USC
Dec. 21
lane kiffin has the boys of troy playing pretty good, imo
tha captainz choice: usc

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Buffalo vs. San Diego State
Dec. 21
the boys from down south will be just giddy to play around in the snow and you don't lose when you're giddy, imo
tha captainz choice: teks

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Tulane vs. UL Lafayette
Dec. 21
this one's gonna be spicy, imo
tha captainz choice: cajuns

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
East Carolina vs. Ohio
Dec. 23
figured urban's boys would be in a better bowl than this after winning 24 straight. probably a little to bummed to show up for this one, imo
tha captainz choice: ecu

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Boise State vs. Oregon State
Dec. 24
where do you think they came up with beavers? probably a lot of beavers around, i guess.
tha captainz choice: beavers

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Pittsburgh
Dec. 26
pizza, pizza! or in this case pitt-za, pitt-za! lmao, they'll lose.
tha captainz choice: bg

San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl
Northern Illinois vs. Utah State
Dec. 26
the "cu" up there stands for "credit union" but it could stand for jordan lynch and the boys sayin "c u later" to the boys from utah!
tha captainz choice: niu

Military Bowl
Marshall vs. Maryland
Dec. 27
i would trust randy "dirty randy" edsall with my life, much less beating a 1AA team like marshall.
tha captainz choice: terps

Texas Bowl
Minnesota vs. Syracuse
Dec. 27
minnesota misses their dome, i bet. they'll be in high cotton inside the houston dome, imo
tha captainz choice: gophers

Fight Hunger Bowl
BYU vs. Washington
Dec. 27
the boys from seattle will be galvanized after losing head coach tyrone willingham to notre dame, expect them to take the boys from provo behind the woodshed!
tha captainz choice: udubs

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Notre Dame vs. Rutgers
Dec. 28
in 1869 these two teams played the first ever game of college football at the old yankee stadium. the boys in the golden domes took that game 5 - 2. it's like all real historians say: history repeats itself, imo.
tha captainz choice: irish

Belk Bowl
Cincinnati vs. North Carolina
Dec. 28
i can't remember tuberville winning a single belk bowl at auburn.
tha captainz choice: heels

Russell Athletic Bowl
Louisville vs. Miami, FL
Dec. 28
the boys from "the ville" will say "we must protect this house!" in the russell athletic bowl!
tha captainz choice: the lou

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
Kansas State vs. Michigan
Dec. 28
wings, beer, sports!
tha captainz choice: kstate

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Middle Tennessee vs. Navy
Dec. 30
middle tennessee is the second worst third of tennessee, imo
tha captainz choice: america's navy force

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Ole Miss
Dec. 30
hugh "the riddler" freeze is the best recruiter in the nation, literally every player on the team is a 5 star freshman sensation that has lived up to every iota of hype, imo
tha captainz choice: old mist

Valero Alamo Bowl
Oregon vs. Texas
Dec. 30
will the boys in green be able to slow down mack brown's vaunted "mack attack" offense? always bet on green, imo!
tha captainz choice: ducks

National University Holiday Bowl
Arizona State vs. Texas Tech
Dec. 30
expect points when these two high flying teams collide, imo. a fun game is to change the first letters of "kliff kingsbury" from a "k" to any other letter and get a star wars character's name.
tha captainz choice: asu

AdvoCare V100 Bowl
Arizona vs. Boston College
Dec. 31
catholics vs convicts! teams coached by rich "the mexican taco" rodriquez are notoriously felonious, imo.
tha captainz choice: zona

Hyundai Sun Bowl
UCLA vs. Virginia Tech
Dec. 31
hokie hokie hokie hi? more like hokie hokie hokie bye! expect the boys from bel air to leave "fresh prints" all over the corpses of the boys from blacksburg.
tha captainz choice: ucla

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Mississippi State vs. Rice
Dec. 31
dan mullins has the boys in maroon trending up, up, up.
tha captainz choice: the people's university

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Duke vs. Texas A&M
Dec. 31
when you're talking chick-fil-a, expect the more bigoted bunch to "bring home the chicken."
tha captainz choice: tamu

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl
Georgia vs. Nebraska
Jan. 1
my favorite new years tradition is junior driving his taxslayer race car onto the field during halftime. the fans go bonkers, the players sneak peeks from the locker rooms. makes you proud to live in this great land, imo
tha captainz choice: uga

Heart of Dallas Bowl
North Texas vs. UNLV
Jan. 1
what
tha captainz choice: unt

Capital One Bowl
South Carolina vs. Wisconsin
Jan. 1
can't wait for all of steve spurrier's jabs about bert bielema's weight! but they'll only serve to fire up the boys in red. jadaveon clowney? more like jadaveon downey because he is soft! lmao
tha captainz choice: 'consin

Outback Bowl
Iowa vs. LSU
Jan. 1
the boys from the bayou remember the last play of the '05 citrus bowl, so watch out hawkeyes, it's payback time!
tha captainz choice: lsu

Rose Bowl Game
Michigan State vs. Stanford
Jan. 1
neither team will score an they'll call the game on account of darkness.
tha captainz choice: trees

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Baylor vs. UCF
Jan. 1
since usf is in tampa, ucf should be in pensacola or something, imo
tha captainz choice: baylor

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Jan. 2
might need two traditionometers for this bad boy.
tha captainz choice: tide

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Missouri vs. Oklahoma State
Jan. 3
these two teams know each other all too well, the kids grew up playing each other. and like the old saying goes: familiarity breeds content... hot web content, that is! expect content about this game.
tha captainz choice: the zou

Discover Orange Bowl
Clemson vs. Ohio State
Jan. 3
dabo will be off to texas by the time this one kicks off
tha captainz choice: america's ohio state university

BBVA Compass Bowl
Houston vs. Vanderbilt
Jan. 4
they should play the pizza bowl at the new barons stadium, imo
tha captainz choice: vando

GoDaddy Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Ball State
Jan. 5
can't wait for the racy godaddy commershes and the even racier unrated web versions! probably some filthy innuendo about "balls" state and how arkansas state are the "red" wolves (red is the color of period blood).
tha captainz choice: balls state

BCS National Championship Game
Florida State vs. Auburn
Jan. 6
gus will be off to texas by the time this one kicks off
tha captainz choice: noles 
pointz: 69

C picks the games

so many bowls

Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Colorado State (4.5) vs. Washington State
Dec. 21
I like Mike Leach, a lot, but I feel like his offense is easier to stop when you've got time to prepare for it. Plus, Washington State seems to be one of those teams that hasn't gotten better during the season. I feel like (although I will not go back and check) Leach lets me down in bowl games.
My Pick: COLORADO STATE

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Fresno State (7) vs. USC
Dec. 21
USC is free of the Kiffin burden, so they're better than the record indicates. I am also (without a shred of evidence) a believer that teams play better when they know they have to impress a new coach.
My pick: USC

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Buffalo (1) vs. San Diego State
Dec. 21
Buffalo lost to Ohio State by 20; San Diego State lost by 35. I am comfortable predicting a 15 point Buffalo win.
My pick: BISON

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Tulane (-1.5) vs. UL Lafayette
Dec. 21
Both of these teams lost handily to South Alabama.
My pick: TULANE

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
East Carolina (-13.5) vs. Ohio
Dec. 23
ECU has the best midfield logo in sports. Did you know they were moving to the AAC? I didn't. Ohio seems like a team on the decline, losing three in a row before their season-ending win over noted rival UMass.
My pick: EAST CAROLINA, COME ON NOW RAISE UP

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Boise State (3) vs. Oregon State
Dec. 24
Boise State hasn't really beaten anyone, but Oregon State's best game is probably their one-point loss to Oregon, which is not a lot to hang your hat on. If Boise were a state, it would have a population smaller than all fifty states, DC, and Puerto Rico. Among American territories, only Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands would be smaller. So, the chances for Boise's statehood are, in my mind, very low.
My pick: BOISE STATE

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Bowling Green (-5) vs. Pittsburgh
Dec. 26
I am deeply, deeply disappointed that Pitt is not playing in Birmingham. Bowling Green is pretty good. Pitt, less so.
My pick: BOWLING GREEN

San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl
Northern Illinois (-1.5) vs. Utah State
Dec. 26
Northern Illinois will be disappointed to be in this game. But Utah State is still without their starting QB. Theory: NIU plays hard anyway, to be the school record winners.
My pick: NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Military Bowl
Marshall (-2.5) vs. Maryland
Dec. 27
I was kind of surprised Maryland had bowl eligibility. I do not think Andy Redsall is a particularly good coach. Plus, Eddy Randsell will probably have trouble keeping his team's head in the game, since this isn't exactly an exciting trip from College Park (which is a cool town). But it's hard to say either one of these is a particularly good team. I don't have a good reason to pick anything, either in this particular Pick Them selection or in life in general.
My pick: MARSHALL

Texas Bowl
Minnesota (-4) vs. Syracuse
Dec. 27
The seizure guy. Ol' Seizy.
My pick: MINNESODA

Fight Hunger Bowl
BYU (3) vs. Washington
Dec. 27
I believe I'm on record as being against this bowl name, not because I disagree with the goal of fighting hunger, but because the name is stupid. BYU is pretty good. Bronc(Obama) Mendenhall is a good coach.
My pick: BYU

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Notre Dame (-15.5) vs. Rutgers
Dec. 28
Rutgers is statistically one of the worst pass-defending teams in the country. Notre Dame's not great, but they're not as bad as Rutgers, who is just barely better than Arkansas (a bad team who is bad at football).
My pick: NOTRE DAME

Belk Bowl
Cincinnati (3) vs. North Carolina
Dec. 28
Tommy! UNC just drilled right through five mediocre ACC teams in a row, which impresses me not a whit. It seems like people are expecting UNC to win this, and our boy Tommy does best as an underdog.
My pick: CINCY

Russell Athletic Bowl
Louisville (-3.5) vs. Miami, FL
Dec. 28
Teddy Bridgewater wants to look good for the pro scouts. Miami has shown themselves vulnerable to competent passing attacks and also Virginia Tech. I don't think either team is as good as their records indicate.
My pick: LOUISVILLE

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
Kansas State (-3.5) vs. Michigan
Dec. 28
Bill Snyder, I would hazard to offer, is the best coach in college football, or at least, he's done as good a job in the last few years as anybody else in American anywhere else has. Neither one of these teams has a big win; probably for Michigan, the best game is probably losing to Ohio State (?). I do really like Michigan's "A Bunch of Big Fat Guys Coaching Staff" strategy, but Snyder vs. Hoke is no contest.
My pick: KANSAS STATE

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Middle Tennessee (6) vs. Navy
Dec. 30
My dad was in the Navy. So, there's that.
My pick: NAVY

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Georgia Tech (3) vs. Ole Miss
Dec. 30
You gotta give this one to old misty. I think Hugh Freeze is familiar enough with read offenses, and has enough time to prepare, that he can handle the option. I would hesitate because Ole Miss seemed to close the season poorly, but Georgia Tech did the same thing.
My pick: OLD MIST

Valero Alamo Bowl
Oregon (-13.5) vs. Texas
Dec. 30
Just eyeballing it, this should be the biggest blowout besides the Baylor-UCF game, right? Oregon has had kind of a disappointing season, but, that's nothing compared to what Texas had.
My pick: OREGON

National University Holiday Bowl
Arizona State (-14) vs. Texas Tech
Dec. 30
Arizona State scores more points and allows fewer per game than Texas Tech. TTU, on a big losing streak, is also prone to turnovers.
My pick: ARIZONA STATE

AdvoCare V100 Bowl
Arizona (-7.5) vs. Boston College
Dec. 31
Was Arizona's surprise Oregon blowout more a sign that Arizona could be a good team, or that Oregon was reeling? I incline to the latter. Still, that's better than BC, who managed to beat the middle of the ACC road. I can see plenty of reasons to pick Arizona in this game, and few for BC.
My pick: ARIZONA

Hyundai Sun Bowl
UCLA (-7) vs. Virginia Tech
Dec. 31
I cannot pick a team which willingly hired Scot Loeffler, after watching what happened to Auburn last season. It indicates, I can only assume, sabotage or perhaps suicidal thinking.
My pick: UCLA

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Mississippi State (-7) vs. Rice
Dec. 31
I think the middle of the SEC is better than the top of C-USA.
My pick: MISSISSISSISSIPPI STATE

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Duke (12.5) vs. Texas A&M
Dec. 31
My inclination is that none of the New Year's Eve bowl games will be close. I expect TAMU to win handily. Duke is pretty good for Duke, and I like David Cutcliffe, but Texas A&M has so much better an offense. The worst team that Texas A&M lost to is either LSU or Missouri.
My pick: TAMU

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl
Georgia (-9) vs. Nebraska
Jan. 1
I remember this game! My inclination is to pick Georgia to win 45-31. I do not like Georgia. Bo is on his way out. He could be proverbially coaching for his life, but I think he's more the type to get self-destructively angry in those circumstances.
My pick: THUGA

Heart of Dallas Bowl
North Texas (-6.5) vs. UNLV
Jan. 1
pretty quotidian match-up, imo
My pick: UNLV

Capital One Bowl
South Carolina (1) vs. Wisconsin
Jan. 1
Wisconsin hasn't had as good of a season as I thought, and I am surprised they are favored. They mostly beat the teams they were better than in the Big 10. South Carolina mostly beat the teams they were better than in the Southeastern Conference. S-E-C! S-E-C! S-E-C!
My pick: YEAH CLICK CLACK

Outback Bowl
Iowa (7) vs. LSU
Jan. 1
LSU is both more talented and better coached than Iowa, and they play in a tougher conference.
My pick: LSU

Rose Bowl Game
Michigan State (5) vs. Stanford
Jan. 1
I think I've made it clear, by this point, that I don't think the Big 10 is a very impressive football conference this season. Stanford has a couple of surprising losses, but MSU lost to Notre Dame. I think Arizona State and Oregon are probably either one as good as Michigan State, though in very different ways.
My pick: SAMFORD

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Baylor (-16.5) vs. UCF
Jan. 1
If Baylor takes this remotely seriously: bloodbath. Even if they don't take it seriously at all: likely bloodbath.
My pick: BAY, LORD OF THE BEARS

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Alabama (-15) vs. Oklahoma
Jan. 2
we all know how this goes
My pick: ALABAMA

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Missouri (-1) vs. Oklahoma State
Jan. 3
Despite puzzling losses to Oklahoma and West Virginia (!), I think OSU is the better team in a median game. Then again, Missouri only lost while heavily injured and closely to South Carolina, and to an Auburn team playing perhaps the best game of rushing offense in recent history. Of the teams I have watched with any frequency or interest, this is the game I am least sure about.
My pick: OKLAHOMA STATE

Discover Orange Bowl
Clemson (2.5) vs. Ohio State
Jan. 3
So I went into this pick thinking Clemson was pretty good, but, looking at their schedule, they only played strong teams - UGA (at the beginning of the season, before all the injuries), FSU, and South Carolina. They went 1-3, and the two losses were both pretty big. That said, Ohio State has close wins against the Big 10's middle class and a loss to Michigan State. So who the heck knows. I think Ohio State is the better team, but they'll be emotionally volatile after not playing for the national title. Clemson has more to gain from a redemptive bowl performance.
My pick: CLEMPSON

BBVA Compass Bowl
Houston (2.5) vs. Vanderbilt
Jan. 4
Houston's best win is probably Rice. Eh, whatever.
My pick: VANDY

GoDaddy Bowl
Arkansas State (8.5) vs. Ball State
Jan. 5
Ball State won a bunch of games, some of them against teams better than Arkansas State.
My pick: Ball State

BCS National Championship Game
Florida State (-8.5) vs. Auburn
Jan. 6
Either outcome will end up being a surprise to me. On paper Florida State is the better team by some margin. But Auburn has an apparently unstoppable rushing attack and has that "team of destiny" feel to it. I am doing it, I am going with my heart.
My pick: AUBURN!
O/U: 72

What happened during the hiatus?

These are the only thing meaningful things you missed:

1.


2. CVS Bangers

WE BACK HOES

We're also backhoes.

Gildan New Mexico Bowl
Colorado State vs. Washington State
Dec. 21

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl
Fresno State vs. USC
Dec. 21

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Buffalo vs. San Diego State
Dec. 21

R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
Tulane vs. UL Lafayette
Dec. 21

Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl
East Carolina vs. Ohio
Dec. 23

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Boise State vs. Oregon State
Dec. 24

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl
Bowling Green vs. Pittsburgh
Dec. 26

San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl
Northern Illinois vs. Utah State
Dec. 26

Military Bowl
Marshall vs. Maryland
Dec. 27

Texas Bowl
Minnesota vs. Syracuse
Dec. 27

Fight Hunger Bowl
BYU vs. Washington
Dec. 27

New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Notre Dame vs. Rutgers
Dec. 28

Belk Bowl
Cincinnati vs. North Carolina
Dec. 28

Russell Athletic Bowl
Louisville vs. Miami, FL
Dec. 28

Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
Kansas State vs. Michigan
Dec. 28

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Middle Tennessee vs. Navy
Dec. 30

Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. Ole Miss
Dec. 30

Valero Alamo Bowl
Oregon vs. Texas
Dec. 30

National University Holiday Bowl
Arizona State vs. Texas Tech
Dec. 30

AdvoCare V100 Bowl
Arizona vs. Boston College
Dec. 31

Hyundai Sun Bowl
UCLA vs. Virginia Tech
Dec. 31

AutoZone Liberty Bowl
Mississippi State vs. Rice
Dec. 31

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Duke vs. Texas A&M
Dec. 31

TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl
Georgia vs. Nebraska
Jan. 1

Heart of Dallas Bowl
North Texas vs. UNLV
Wed., Jan. 1

Capital One Bowl
South Carolina vs. Wisconsin
Jan. 1

Outback Bowl
Iowa vs. LSU
Jan. 1

Rose Bowl Game
Michigan State vs. Stanford
Jan. 1

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl
Baylor vs. UCF
Jan. 1

Allstate Sugar Bowl
Alabama vs. Oklahoma
Jan. 2

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic
Missouri vs. Oklahoma State
Jan. 3

Discover Orange Bowl
Clemson vs. Ohio State
Jan. 3

BBVA Compass Bowl
Houston vs. Vanderbilt
Jan. 4

GoDaddy Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Ball State
Jan. 5

BCS National Championship Game
Florida State vs. Auburn
Jan. 6

who will shaaAAaave your hole

if you won't shave your own?

Myself, from head to toe, I'm Doug E. Fresh

Wednesday Links

1. Divoshi is a sort of chess or checkers kind of game

2. Useful information

3. More useful information

4. Winning solitaire is what the internet's all about

JPMC*

Pretty good, but it's no JPMC**.



*Jurassic Park Metal Cover
**Jurassic Park Melodica Cover

One by one I'll knock you out

Execution and crazy people

Certainly there were other details that made the crime uniquely memorable. For one thing, Andre had cut out the children's hearts and returned home with the organs in his pockets. For another, he was careful to use three different knives so that the blood from each body would not cross-contaminate, thereby ensuring that the demons inside each of them would die. He then stabbed himself in the chest, but he did not die as he had hoped. In fact, he was well enough to leave a message on his wife's parents' phone explaining that he thought he was in hell, and he managed to confess to the police what he had done before they took him in for emergency surgery.

The entire episode had biblical overtones—Andre had convinced himself that his wife was Jezebel, his son the Antichrist, and her daughter just plain evil. In short, the case had enough spectacular aspects to keep the most jaded of court watchers buzzing for months, but it was the eyeball issue that garnered most of the attention. And that was only the beginning.

How Crazy Is Too Crazy to Be Executed?

Oh, every week there's a canal

Alternate title: "Quiet! I will not hear another word against the boat."

Friday links

1. Fantastic Contraption is great and I like the original best.

2. Neat story

3. Ant comics

4. One tiny hand I do not know why this is so funny.

5. This is a good list thought by no means perfect.

here's me

I'm pretty sure we've played this before, but somebody was talking about WindowsXP

Dr. Hook

I'm not saying this little live DVD by a largely forgotten band is better than the abovementioned films by the likes of Scorsese, Godard, Pennebaker, and Bogdanovich. What I am saying, though, is that none of these films has provided me with the same feeling of entertainment verging on sheer life-affirming joy as has Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show: Live, and that none has so consistently reminded me what playing music onstage should, at its very highest point, feel like.

I want to explain why to you but, before writing another word, I'd like to promise you something: At no point will I make any kind of postmodern bid to revise the 1970s rock canon to place Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show anywhere remotely near its creative center. A strained case could be made I guess, but to make such a case would involve a kind of pretense that is the direct antithesis to the music of Dr. Hook, which is possibly the most unpretentious rock music ever recorded. Furthermore, I promise to make no attempt to paint Dr. Hook as anything other than what they were: a down-and-dirty Jersey bar band whose tunes more often than not crossed the line into novelty rock, an outlet for the pop-lyrical efforts of countercultural humorist and children's author Shel Silverstein, and, later, a banal disco band specializing in workmanlike ballads such as "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman."

“Dennis, We’ve Been Crying Too Much”: Dr. Hook and the Untold Story of the Best Rock Movie Ever | Part Two

this is a fun song to put people's names into the lyrics

WESLEY.

WESLEY ROBERT.

*********

Somehow, Foghat has led me to this.

Worth reading, post-Super Bowl

What happened next was the strangest encounter of Lemming’s 28-year career as a football scout. Michael Oher sat down at the table across from him. . .and refused to speak. “He shook my hand and then didn’t say a word,” Lemming recalled. (“His hands — they were huge!”) Lemming asked a few questions; Michael Oher just kept staring right through him. And soon enough Lemming decided further interaction was pointless. Michael Oher left, and he left behind blank forms and unanswered questions. Every other high-school football player in America was dying for Lemming to invite him to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Michael Oher had left his invitation on the table.

What never crossed Tom Lemming’s mind was that the player he would soon rank the No. 1 offensive lineman in the nation, and perhaps the finest left-tackle prospect since Orlando Pace, hadn’t the faintest notion of who Lemming was or why he was asking him all these questions. For that matter, he didn’t even think of himself as a football player. And he had never played left tackle in his life.

The Ballad of Big Mike

WITH GASOLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNEE

Moon hoax

Pulled one over but I stole her fair and square

Moooooonday Links

1. Free language lessons 2. Free college courses 3. Vintage booze 4. Long Tarantino interview 5. Sloth attack

"Killing in the Name of" in a major key

Fake girlfriend

Upon receiving the news of the two deaths, Te'o went out and led the Fighting Irish to a 20-3 upset of Michigan State, racking up 12 tackles. It was heartbreaking and inspirational. Te'o would appear on ESPN's College GameDay to talk about the letters Kekua had written him during her illness. He would send a heartfelt letter to the parents of a sick child, discussing his experience with disease and grief. The South Bend Tribune wrote an article describing the young couple's fairytale meeting—she, a Stanford student; he, a Notre Dame star—after a football game outside Palo Alto.

Did you enjoy the uplifiting story, the tale of a man who responded to adversity by becoming one of the top players of the game? If so, stop reading.

Manti Te'o did lose his grandmother this past fall. Annette Santiago died on Sept. 11, 2012, at the age of 72, according to Social Security Administration records in Nexis. But there is no SSA record there of the death of Lennay Marie Kekua, that day or any other. Her passing, recounted so many times in the national media, produces no obituary or funeral announcement in Nexis, and no mention in the Stanford student newspaper.

Manti Te’o’s Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax

this just in

I'm hated, confrontated for the juice that I have

hey i'm still over .500

I'm 16 - 14, which I guess makes Choorles 22 - 8. Pretty spiffy, bud. Vegasbot, btw, is 17 - 11 - 2, straight up.

Robots

We have preconceptions about how an intelligent robot should look and act, and these can blind us to what is already happening around us. To demand that artificial intelligence be humanlike is the same flawed logic as demanding that artificial flying be birdlike, with flapping wings. Robots will think different. To see how far artificial intelligence has penetrated our lives, we need to shed the idea that they will be humanlike.
Consider Baxter, a revolutionary new workbot from Rethink Robotics. Designed by Rodney Brooks, the former MIT professor who invented the best-selling Roomba vacuum cleaner and its descendants, Baxter is an early example of a new class of industrial robots created to work alongside humans. Baxter does not look impressive. It’s got big strong arms and a flatscreen display like many industrial bots. And Baxter’s hands perform repetitive manual tasks, just as factory robots do. But it’s different in three significant ways.

Better Than Human

we'll get 'im next year, boys

smell the inevitablity

alright

Malls

There are very few thriving physical retailers these days outside of the daily consumables markets. I did a quick analysis on the high-level health of the National Retail Federation’s list of the Top 100 retailers in 2012, focusing on merchandise retailers that would likely be located in malls (removing grocery, drug, restaurant and online retailers). I looked at three measures of retailer health: total sales growth, comp store sales growth and number of stores.
The analysis doesn’t paint a very pretty picture regarding the health of the leading physical retailers in the United States. Total sales growth is mixed and is negative for 20 percent of the sample. Comp store sales growth—arguably the key measure of retailer health—is also mixed and a quarter of the sample is negative. And note that many of these sales results include the retailers’ online segments, so the picture for their physical stores is even worse. Lastly, store counts are simply stagnant—about as many top retailers shrank their store count as expanded it, and precious few are expanding aggressively. The largest retailers in the U.S. do not look very healthy. And if they’re struggling, it’s likely that their more marginal physical competitors are struggling even more.

The Death of the American Shopping Mall

angry!

haha

but now help is its way, I hear him coming in his sleigh

sheeeeeesh

it begins!

a few notes

I did actually simulate the first two games and nevada and toledo won them.

I picked Syracuse just so i could say 'apple pickers.'

I meant to pick the B1G to win every game but I forgot about Purdue and now I don't care.

Imagine being a senior at Pitt. Three straight PapaJohns.com bowls. Plus all the coachdickery.

Correct my math, but that looks like a bunch o' crisis

Tha Captain first, befitting the elder

Nevada vs. Arizona
Toledo vs. Utah State
Central Michigan vs. Western Kentucky
Bowling Green vs. San Jose State
Duke vs. Cincinnati
UCLA vs. Baylor
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech
Air Force vs. Rice
Syracuse vs. West Virginia
Texas vs. Oregon State
Clemson vs. LSU
Michigan vs. South Carolina
Nebraska vs. Georgia
Wisconsin vs. Stanford
Oregon vs. Kansas State
Oklahoma vs. TAMU
Kent State vs. Arkansas State

Charles picks bowls

Gildan New Mexico
Nevada vs. Arizona (-9.5)
Dec. 15
This should be a fun start, right? Two high-powered offenses, bad teams, etc etc? I'm not quite sure why Arizona is such a big favorite, but I do expect them to win.
My pick: ARIZONA

Famous Idaho Potato
Toledo vs. Utah State (-10.5)
Dec. 15
It's famous! It's in Idaho. It's a potato? Utah State is pretty good.
My pick: UTAH STATE

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia
BYU (-3) vs. San Diego State
Dec. 20
I like Bronco Mendenhall, and I think BYU is pretty good, too. I like how ESPN, in the little Matchup things, lists BYU as 0-1 in their division.
My pick: BYU

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg
UCF (-7) vs. Ball State
Dec. 21
My natural inclination is to pick the upset, since UCF lost the CUSA title game. But! Nobody cares about the CUSA title game, and Ball State is pretty mediocre. UCF is too, but less.
My pick: UCF

R+L Carriers New Orleans
East Carolina vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (-6)
Dec. 22
I'm kind of surprised that both of these schools' coaches are still around, especially ULAF. East Carolina is not a good football team.
My pick: ULL

MAACO Las Vegas
Washington vs. Boise State (-5.5)
Dec. 22
Boise State's pretty good; Washington is less so.
My pick: BOISE STATE

Sheraton Hawaii
Fresno State (-12.5) vs. SMU
Dec. 24
It has been years since I have watched an SMU football game.
My pick: THE REAL FSU

Little Caesars Pizza
Western Kentucky (-5.5) vs. Central Michigan
Dec. 26
If CMU weren't so thoroughly uninspiring a football team (according to the Football OUtsiders rankings, CMU is worse than Auburn (so is East Carolina; see above)), I would pick the upset. But even with all the whatnot going on at Western Kentucky, with the stench of Petrino, I can't pick Central Michigan to win this. I do like the regional face-off flavor of this game.
My pick: WESTERN KENTUCKY

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman
San Jose State (-7) vs. Bowling Green
Dec. 27
I was just telling my wife there's not enough militarism in America today. Bowling Green: also not terribly good at football. Let's see if San Jose State plays hard for their interim coach.
My pick: SAN JOSE STATE

Belk
Cincinnati (-7) vs. Duke
Dec. 27
I notice the defensive line coach is the interim coach for Cincinnati, that's neat. I assume that, just as I would, they will play real hard to impress Tommy Tuberville.
My pick: CINCINNATI

Bridgepoint Education Holiday
Baylor vs. UCLA (pick'em)
Dec. 27
This is the first decent game, isn't it? What a crap bowl lineup we have. But this one is pretty good, two improving teams. It's also real tough to pick! I am going with the coach I like better.
My pick: BAY, LORD OF THE BEARS

AdvoCare V100 Independence
The Ohio University vs. Louisiana-Monroe (-7)
Dec. 28
Ohio is slightly overrated, LA-MO slightly underrated.
My pick: LA-MO

Russell Athletic
Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech (-2.5)
Dec. 28
Woof. Virginia Tech's best win, I guess, either pasting Bowling Green or Duke? Rutgers beat a bunch of nobodies, and they're sad about not going to the BCS. Va Tech doesn't want to go out with a losing record.
My pick: VA TECH

Meineke Car Care of Texas
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech (-13)
Dec. 28
TOMMY! Another line coach, this time TTU's offensive one, is the interim coach. This is the dumbest bowl season ever.
My pick: TEXAS TECH

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Rice vs. Air Force (-1.5)
Dec. 29
This is really an unfair advantage, for the Air Force to get to play in the Helicopter Bowl. My favorite line in the STATS LLC bowl preview: "Rice has split two bowl games since a postseason drought from 1962 to 2005." Even though they finished with a bunch of bad teams, Rice has the Big Mo Mentum. I think this is my first upset pick so far.
My pick: RICE

New Era Pinstripe
West Virginia (-4) vs. Syracuse
Dec. 29
It's a new era of distinctly flawed football! We live-tweeted a Syracuse game, that was fun. It would also be good to the Belk Bowl teams, but their basketball teams, and then have those four play. Last year I picked Clemson to beat West Virginia, and I was (to put it gently) wrong about that.
My pick: WEST VIRGINIA

Kraft Fight Hunger
Navy vs. Arizona State (-14.5)
Dec. 29
The dumbest bowl name of them all returns to grace for another year with its stupidity. I tend to think the option is less of an advantage with plenty of time to prepare. If nothing else, I think ASU can just outscore this game.
My pick: ARIZONA STATE

Valero Alamo
Texas vs. Oregon State (-2)
Dec. 29
Remember the Alamo Bowl is a thing I would say a lot if Auburn ever went to bowl games ever again. I think Oregon State is pretty good, and Texas lost their offensive coordinator.
My pick: OREGON STATE BEAVERS

Buffalo Wild Wings
TCU (-2.5) vs. Michigan State
Dec. 29
I hadn't realized how close Michigan State was to a much better record. Only one of their losses was by more than four points. I like TCU and I think Patterson is a better coach, but Michigan State looks like the better team.
My pick: Michigan State

Franklin American Mortgage Music City
NC State vs. Vanderbilt (-7)
Dec. 31
Vandy is dandy, and Doeren is scorin'. Uh, yeah. I was surprised that NC State fired Tom O'Brien. NC State got beat handily by Virginia and Tennessee; Vandy was competitive against everybody not in the top five, and they beat (an admittedly much worse, much later in the season) Tennessee.
My pick: VANDY

Hyundai Sun
USC (-10) vs. Georgia Tech
Dec. 31
Georgia Tech should not be in a bowl game.
My pick: USC

AutoZone Liberty
Iowa State vs. Tulsa (pick'em)
Dec. 31
Iowa State should not be in this bowl game.
My pick: TULSA

Chick-fil-A Peach
LSU (-4) vs. Clemson
Dec. 31
Hot Tiger on Tiger action. Do you remember when Auburn used to play in bowl games, like the Peach Bowl? I do. Anyway, I think LSU can slow down Clemson's offense. I do not think Clemson can slow down LSU's offense.
My pick: LSWHO?

TaxSlayer.com Gator
Mississippi State (-2) vs. Northwestern
Jan. 1
Mississippi State didn't beat anybody of note. Northwestern didn't really, but they got closer. Mississippi State is coming off a disappointing season close-out.
My pick: NORTHWESTERN

Heart of Dallas
Purdue vs. Oklahoma State (-16.5)
Jan. 1
I like Oklahoma State, big. They didn't just fire their coach and they're actually a good team. If it comes to a shoot-out, OSU is much better positioned to win. This might be one of those 45-28 kind of games, in Oklahoma State's favor.
My pick: OKLAHOMA STATE

Outback
South Carolina (-5) vs. Michigan
Jan. 1
I'm surprised this line isn't bigger. South Carolina lost to better teams, beat better teams, and has been more consistent doing so.
My pick: YEAH CLICK CLACK SOUTH CAROLINA

Capital One
Georgia (-10) vs. Nebraska
Jan. 1
Georgia comes out of the SEC Championship game feeling like they were a play away from beating the defending (and soon to be) national champions. Nebraska does not come out of their conference title game feeling good. I would be very sure about this pick, except for the possibility that Georgia will be overlooking Nebraska. It's been a really long time since I picked against Nebraska in a Pick Them.
My pick: UGA

Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio
Wisconsin vs. Stanford (-6.5)
Jan. 1
Stanford is good, Wisconsin is out a head coach. If Beliema were still around, this might be an upset pick:  Wisconsin's losses were all pretty close, big win over Nebraska, etc etc, but the way it went down, I feel like Wisconsin will not be 100% mentally, which they would have to be to win this game. I'm interested to see how Barry works out, though.
My pick: SAMFORD

Discover Orange
Northern Illinois vs. Florida State (-13)
Jan. 1
Other than FSU overlooking Northern Illinois, is there any reason to pick the upset? Maybe NIU playing to prove they can win without their head coach? MACtion? The only thing is, FSU may have heard all that "NIU shouldn't be here" talk. Plus, if any team is going to have a pointless upset against an inferior team, FSU would be that team.
My pick: FSU

Allstate Sugar
Louisville vs. Florida (-13.5)
I think Louisville has more going for them than NIU -- better coach, better team -- but they're also playing a better team. This might look close in the first half, and then not at all at the end.
My pick: FLORIDA

Tostitos Fiesta
Oregon (-9.5) vs. Kansas State
Jan. 3
Maybe the only thing, as an Auburn fan, that I have really liked about this season is seeing a bunch of other teams feeling like they got screwed out of a national title shot. What's neat about this game is, it's two teams that are a bad match-up for each other. I also want to see if Klein had a concussion, and if so, if he's better now. This is the pick, of teams that I have seen play a good bit, that I am least sure about.
My pick: KANSAS STATE

AT&T Cotton
Texas A&M (-4.5) vs. Oklahoma
Jan. 4
I'm a little surprised TAMU is favored, not for my pick but for the national perspective. If it comes to a shoot-out, I like TAMU's chances. They're two teams that have had great offensive numbers, but Texas A&M has done so against better teams.
My pick: TAMU

BBVA Compass
Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss (-3.5)
Jan. 5
Both of these teams actually closed out pretty strong. Looking over the season, though, Ole Miss has clearly played the tougher schedule. Also, I like that Blind Side guy.
My pick: OLD MIST

GoDaddy.com
Kent State vs. Arkansas State (-4)
Jan. 6
Even without a coach, Arkansas State is better and they've been here before.
My pick: ARKANSAS STATE

Discover BCS National Championship
Notre Dame vs. Alabama (-10)
Jan. 7
Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.
My pick: alabama

THA CAPTAINZ PIX

The blurb for every single bowl is: This matchup really made me think... that God has truly abandoned his creation.

Nevada
Holy Toledo
bYu
UCF
UL-Laffs
Boysy
Fresno
Chips
BG
Dook
Ucla
War Hawks
Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi
Minny
Hair Force
THE Arizona State University
Apple Pickers
Horns
Spart-tee
Blanderbilt
USC
Tesla
Clempson
Pokes
Purple
Mitch Again
Nerdbraska (owned)
Wiscuntsin
Knolls
go gata
quack
Broklahoma
Old Mist
Kent read
tahd

i got ncaa football 13

and i'm going to make all my picks via simulation

UPDATE: NO I'M NOT.

Bowl Schedule

Gildan New Mexico
Nevada vs. Arizona Albuquerque, N.M.
University Stadium Dec. 15
1 p.m. ESPN

Famous Idaho Potato
Toledo vs. Utah State Boise, Idaho
Bronco Stadium Dec. 15
4:30 p.m. ESPN

S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia
BYU vs. San Diego State San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium Dec. 20
8 p.m. ESPN

Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg
UCF vs. Ball State St. Petersburg, Fla.
Tropicana Field Dec. 21
7:30 p.m. ESPN

R+L Carriers New Orleans
East Carolina vs. Louisiana-Lafayette New Orleans
Mercedes-Benz Superdome Dec. 22
Noon ESPN

MAACO Las Vegas
Washington vs. Boise State Las Vegas
Sam Boyd Stadium Dec. 22
3:30 p.m. ESPN

Sheraton Hawaii
Fresno State vs. SMU Honolulu
Aloha Stadium Dec. 24
8 p.m. ESPN

Little Caesars Pizza
Western Kentucky vs. Central Michigan Detroit
Ford Field Dec. 26
7:30 p.m. ESPN

Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman
San Jose State vs. Bowling Green Washington, D.C.
RFK Stadium Dec. 27
3 p.m. ESPN

Belk
Cincinnati vs. Duke Charlotte, N.C.
Bank of America Stadium Dec. 27
6:30 p.m. ESPN

Bridgepoint Education Holiday
Baylor vs. UCLA San Diego
Qualcomm Stadium Dec. 27
9:45 p.m. ESPN

AdvoCare V100 Independence
Ohio vs. Louisiana-Monroe Shreveport, La.
Independence Stadium Dec. 28
2 p.m. ESPN

Russell Athletic
Rutgers vs. Virginia Tech Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl Dec. 28
5:30 p.m. ESPN

Meineke Car Care of Texas
Minnesota vs. Texas Tech Houston
Reliant Stadium Dec. 28
9 p.m. ESPN

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces
Rice vs. Air Force Fort Worth
Amon G. Carter Stadium Dec. 29
11:45 a.m. ESPN

New Era Pinstripe
West Virginia vs. Syracuse Bronx, N.Y.
Yankee Stadium Dec. 29
3:15 p.m. ESPN

Kraft Fight Hunger
Navy vs. Arizona State San Francisco
AT&T Park Dec. 29
4 p.m. ESPN2

Valero Alamo
Texas vs. Oregon State San Antonio
Alamodome Dec. 29
6:45 p.m. ESPN

Buffalo Wild Wings
TCU vs. Michigan State Tempe, Ariz.
Sun Devil Stadium Dec. 29
10:15 p.m. ESPN

Franklin American Mortgage Music City
NC State vs. Vanderbilt Nashville, Tenn.
LP Field Dec. 31
Noon ESPN

Hyundai Sun
USC vs. Georgia Tech El Paso, Texas
Sun Bowl Dec. 31
2 p.m. CBS

AutoZone Liberty
Iowa State vs. Tulsa Memphis, Tenn.
Liberty Bowl Dec. 31
3:30 p.m. ESPN

Chick-fil-A
LSU vs. Clemson Atlanta
Georgia Dome Dec. 31
7:30 p.m. ESPN

TaxSlayer.com Gator
Mississippi State vs. Northwestern Jacksonville, Fla.
Everbank Field Jan. 1
Noon ESPN2

Heart of Dallas
Purdue vs. Oklahoma State Dallas
Cotton Bowl Jan. 1
Noon ESPNU

Outback
South Carolina vs. Michigan Tampa, Fla.
Raymond James Stadium Jan. 1
1 p.m. ESPN

Capital One
Georgia vs. Nebraska Orlando, Fla.
Florida Citrus Bowl Jan. 1
1 p.m. ABC

Rose Bowl Game presented by Vizio
Wisconsin vs. Stanford Pasadena, Calif.
Rose Bowl Jan. 1
5 p.m. ESPN

Discover Orange
Northern Illinois vs. Florida State Miami
Sun Life Stadium Jan. 1
8:30 p.m. ESPN

Allstate Sugar
Louisville vs. Florida New Orleans
Louisiana Superdome Jan. 2
8:30 p.m. ESPN

Tostitos Fiesta
Oregon vs. Kansas State Glendale, Ariz.
U. of Phoenix Stadium Jan. 3
8:30 p.m. ESPN

AT&T Cotton
Texas A&M vs. Oklahoma Arlington, Texas
Cowboys Stadium Jan. 4
8 p.m. FOX

BBVA Compass
Pittsburgh vs. Ole Miss Birmingham, Ala.
Legion Field Jan. 5
1 p.m. ESPN

GoDaddy.com
Kent State vs. Arkansas State Mobile, Ala.
Ladd-Peebles Stadium Jan. 6
9 p.m. ESPN

Discover BCS National Championship
Notre Dame vs. Alabama Miami
Sun Life Stadium Jan. 7
8:30 p.m. ESPN

Bill bale pale mayo

McGurk effect

3E Approves

HALINP!*



*Hey, at least it's not Petrino!

Lincoln and radicalism

When Lincoln sets about abolishing slavery–out of the goodness of his heart, essentially–his first adversaries turn out to be the radical abolitionists, in whose number the movie is careful not to place the great emancipator. Before anything can happen, in other words, the first order of business is to steamroll men of principle like Thaddeus Stevens and James Ashley into doing what Lincoln wants them to do. Stevens is too wildly idealistic and unrealistic to be allowed to speak his mind; he isn’t quite a caricature—if only because Tommie Lee Jones brings too much gravitas to the part—but he’s the uncle everyone is embarrassed of, even if they love him too much to say so. He’s not a leader, he’s a liability, one whose shining heroic moment will be when he keeps silent about what he really believes. And James Ashley is portrayed as too cowardly and weak to even bring the amendment to a vote (while casting David Costabile for the part speaks volumes for what kind of a role they think it is). The two radical abolitionists in the film, in other words, cannot be trusted to take charge of a radical project like the abolition of slaves. A radical and revolutionary change must be placed in the hands of a compromising moderate.

Lincoln Against the Radicals

this is how you blog

http://www.flickr.com/photos/walkingsf/sets/72157626354149574/detail/

Video of your humble bloggers

debate analysis

Star Trek: TNG

But I think The Next Generation's underlying appeal went beyond the image of happy, smart people saving you a seat in Ten Forward. As an example here, think about the Harry Potter series. One of the reasons J.K. Rowling's books exerted such an appeal over every sentient creature on earth is that they resolved, indeed fused, a cultural contradiction. She took the aesthetic of old-fashioned English boarding-school life and placed it at the center of a narrative about political inclusiveness. You get to keep the scarves, the medieval dining hall, the verdant lawns, the sense of privilege (you're a wizard, Harry), while not only losing the snobbery and racism but actually casting them as the villains of the series. It's the Slytherins and Death Eaters who have it in for mudbloods, not Harry and his friends, Hogwarts' true heirs. The result of this, I would argue, is an absolutely bonkers subliminal reconfiguration of basically the entire cultural heritage of England. It's as if Rowling reboots a 1,000-year-old national tradition into something that's (a) totally unearned but (b) also way better than the original. Of course it electrified people.

Star Trek does something similar, though with an American contradiction that's arguably even more fundamental. It was already possible, by the early '90s and actually long before them, to trace the terms of the current partisan divide in America. Conservatives — think in Jonathan Haidt–ish terms here — value tradition, authority, and group identity; liberals value tolerance, fairness, and care. Or whatever; you can draw the distinctions however you'd like. The point is, The Next Generation depicts a strict military hierarchy acting with great moral clarity in the name of civilization, all anti-postmodern, "conservative" stuff — but the values they're so conservatively clear about are ideals like peace and open-mindedness and squishy concern for the perspectives of different cultures. "Liberal" ideals, in other words. You could say, roughly, that the Enterprise crew is conservative as a matter of method and liberal as a matter of goal. They sail through the universe with colonialist confidence sticking up for postcolonial ideals. I mean, Starfleet has a Prime Directive … but it's explicitly non-interventionist! This is so weird that it's almost hard to notice; your mind just sort of slides over it. But it's fascinating in numberless ways. Picard is both indisputably the most patriarchal Star Trek captain and indisputably the least likely to punch anyone in the face. No one is more individualist than the individuals of the Enterprise, but their individualism has led them to reject most forms of private property (because it actually holds them back, they're so boldly individualistic) and embrace ultra-centralized health care. The show is able to indulge a serious jones for the classical Western canon — Shakespeare, Mozart, et al. — without really running against the grain of multiculturalism at all, at least by late-'80s standards. Data will be listing some violinists whose style his programming can mimic, and some of them will be Heifetz and some of them will be aliens a guy just made up for the script. It's totally nuts, but it's also a fantasy of the American psyche that, if you can get into it, makes a lot of fine things suddenly seem possible, and makes some debilitating anxieties just sort of fall away.

Computer Love

Thursday links

1. Six Gun Gorilla

2. Know Your States

3. Life Hacks

for the captain

Cause my dream team takin' all the rings

Midweek games

1. Megacity

2. King of Drift

3. Offroad Rage

4. Snake Squad

Superheroes and the system

So, laws emerge from illegal activity. This creates a fundamental incoherence in the very idea of modern government, which assumes that the state has a monopoly of the legitimate use of violence (only the police, or prison guards, have the legal right to beat you up.) It’s okay for police to use violence because they are enforcing the law; the law is legitimate because it’s rooted in the constitution; the constitution is legitimate because it comes from the people; the people created the constitution by acts of illegal violence. The obvious question, then, is: how does one tell the difference between “the people” and a mere rampaging mob? There is no obvious answer.

Insofar as there is a potential for constituent power then, it can only come from purveyors of violence. The supervillains and evil masterminds, when they are not merely indulging in random acts of terror, are always scheming of imposing a New World Order of some kind or another. Surely, if Red Skull, Kang the Conqueror, or Doctor Doom ever did succeed in taking over the planet, there would be lots of new laws created very quickly, although their creator would doubtless not himself feel bound by them. Superheroes resist this logic. They do not wish to conquer the world—if only because they are not monomaniacal or insane. As a result, they remain parasitical off the villains in the same way that police remain parasitical off criminals: without them, they’d have no reason to exist. They remain defenders of a legal and political system which itself seems to have come out of nowhere, and which, however faulty or degraded, must be defended, because the only alternative is so much worse.

Super Position

But this is partytime And you've got to say It's better than a war

THE ONLY THING ABOUT LIFE YOU NEED TO KNOW

RIGHT HERE

Environmental education

This is the joy of children encountering the natural world on their own terms, and more and more it is becoming a lost idyll, no longer an integral part of growing up. There are many reasons for this loss—urbanization, the changing social structure of families, ticks and mosquito-borne illnesses, the fear of stranger danger. And perhaps even environmental education is one of the causes of children’s alienation from nature.

I know that’s a puzzling statement. You’re thinking: environmental education is supposed to connect children with nature, to get them started on a lifetime of loving and wanting to protect the natural world. Yes—that’s what is supposed to happen. But somewhere along the way, much of environmental education lost its magic, its “wildly, gladly rejoicing together.” Instead, it’s become didactic and staid, restrictive and rule bound. A creeping focus on cognition has replaced the goal of exhilaration that once motivated educators to take children outside.

Look, Don't Touch

Oldest known recording of "The House of the Rising Sun"

Friday links

1. Farm and Grow: Fun farming game

2. Philosophical Honey Boo Boo

3. WhyNotBarbershop

Realistic art

The University in Decline

I suspect that, given the opportunity, those groups would have liked nothing more than to shut down the universities. Destroy them outright. But a country claiming to have democratic values can’t just shut down its universities. That would reveal something about that country which would not support the image they are determined to portray – that of a country of freedom, justice, opportunity for all. So, how do you kill the universities of the country without showing your hand? As a child growing up during the Cold War, I was taught that the communist countries in the first half of the 20th Century put their scholars, intellectuals and artists into prison camps, called “re-education camps”. What I’ve come to realize as an adult is that American corporatism despises those same individuals as much as we were told communism did. But instead of doing anything so obvious as throwing them into prison, here those same people are thrown into dire poverty. The outcome is the same. Desperate poverty controls and ultimately breaks people as effectively as prison…..and some research says that it works even MORE powerfully.

How the American University Was Killed, in Five Easy Steps

Yer humble bloggers

Italian Leather Sofa

Somebody on the facebook asked what Cake's "Italian Leather Sofa" means, and I decided to answer via teh blog.




The surface of the song is that the singer is upset that this lady he likes is with another man and that she's allowed wealth, not virtue, to determine her choice. "She doesn't care whether or not he's a good man," the presumption being that the singer is a good man and he, the romantic rival, is not. The singer is particularly upset at the idea of his lady friend and this man, who has money to wear gold watches and buy her nice things like silk dresses, having sex on a fancy sofa.

But there's another level. Why the reference to healthy breasts (not "nice" or "full" or even "vibrant")? And keeping her friends? Apparently there are things that this unnamed man's money can buy that our impoverished singer can't buy, things that are important. Yes, there's a surface materialism to her attraction, but there are also more significant reasons.

This song is a cynical confirmation of what another pop song, Sonny & Cher's "I Got You, Babe," was also addressing. No, your love won't pay the rent, and it won't let your lady maintain a relationship with her friends or fulfill her housekeeping responsibilities with dull knives and recycled off-brand plastic baggies.

In modern America, money buys you health and friendships and domestic happiness. Our narrator knows this but can't accept it. He starts with references to islands and ships and making money, but he cannot ignore the unpleasant truths of the situation.

I wanna try to be nice to everyone

Slow Comedy

Somewhere in the middle of an episode of Louie, one of television’s most critically acclaimed comedies, I found myself sobbing uncontrollably. As Louis C.K. confessed his love to his very uninterested platonic friend Pamela, I found myself re-experiencing all the pain and rejection that came from my own dramatic failed attempt to win the girl I'd been infatuated with for over six years. This was the first time I'd cried since my cat Milhouse was put to sleep years ago. I honestly would have never thought an episode of a show like Louie could garner such a reaction from me, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Louis C.K. practices a brand of 'slow comedy' on his show that is rarely seen on television or outside of the long-form improv scene in general.

Louis CK, TJ & Dave, and the Power of Slow Comedy

The good news is I don't think I have epilepsy

But it does give me a headache. Staggering Beauty Alternate title: JAPANESE SEIZURE ROBOTS.

He said he saw a girl that looked a like you up on Choctaw Ridge

Punishing Crime

“I don’t have an answer for which is better,” he says at the outset, acknowledging that his own sense of outrage over Breivik’s sentence—like that of many Americans—“hints at not just how different the two systems are, but how deeply we may have come to internalize our understanding of justice, which, whatever its merits, doesn’t seem to be as universally applied as we might think.”

This is true, and a promising place to start. The United States is uniquely punitive when it comes to sentencing compared to much of the rest of the world, whether the crime is murder or drug possession. Putting aside the death penalty, which lands us in dubious international company, in countries with life sentences on the books, prisoners are often eligible for release after a few decades. “Mexico will not extradite defendants who face sentences of life without parole,” the New York Times’s Adam Liptak noted in 2005 (Most of Latin America has no such sentence). “And when Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman who tried to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981, was pardoned in 2000, an Italian judge remarked, ‘No one stays 20 years in prison.’ ”

In Sentencing Criminals, Is Norway Too Soft? Or Are We Too Harsh?

Don't get made, I just want to touch it

Obligatory

Otherkin

Being otherkin, to this group, isn't just about resisting technology or being in touch with nature (though these, and other fantasy and new age elements, still form a large part of otherkin culture) — it's about being marginalized, ignored, laughed at, and oppressed. It's like being transgender. And as this otherkin group has transformed its language and its focus, so too has its scope widened. Otherkin identities can encompass fictional characters. Or nonliving, inanimate objects. Or even multiple identities — some fictional, some animal, all of them occupying a single body. Out of this widening comes new words: cisspecies. Transethnicity. Transablism. Transfat.

Tumblr, which has a huge, passionate social justice community — thousands of people interested in feminism, gay rights, trans rights and other interrelated issues — is a natural fit for this group of otherkin. (Other, similar communities exist on LiveJournal and the TV Tropes message boards.) Like other Tumblr users who are members of marginalized groups, otherkin start their own blogs and write about their identities and the axieties and injustices of daily life (one says she was fired for being otherkin, others talk about coming out to their friends and family). They trade support and sympathy. And they fight with people who don't buy it — more often than not, people who they think should be broadly sympathetic to their goals.

From Otherkin to Transethnicity: Your Field Guide to the Weird World of Tumblr Identity Politics

Parks and Rec Season Four Gag Reel

do you know...

THE MUFFIN MAN?????

D'oh!

Won't Get Fooled Again bass

Sleepwalking violence

Parks then got back into his car, drove to a nearby police station and announced to the startled officers on duty, "I think I have killed some people." For several hours before the Toronto man left his home, however, and throughout the course of the attack, Parks was asleep and therefore not criminally responsible for his actions, according to five doctors and the defense lawyer at his 1988trial for the murder of Barbara Ann and the attempted murder of Dennis. After deliberating for nine hours, the jury agreed and Parks was set free. Although prosecutors at the time considered the defense "ludicrous" and appealed the judge's decision to allow the jury to consider a sleepwalking defense, the Canadian Supreme court upheld the original ruling in 1992.

Somnambulant Savagery

Football season

Yay!



YES THEY DESERVED CHEAP SHOTS AND I HOPE THEY BURN IN HELL



lol:

Football season

I was at this game and, to give you an idea of how good he played, this was literally the most poorly-thrown pass of Campbell's day.



I like Wes Byrum:



The finest video every produced, of any kind:

Football season

We all kind of expected it, by this point:



Cam Newton would be better than most people at any position on a football, including punter.



Child abuse: