January 2007 Archives
From Kiwifruit: Fi is somewhat incredulous at this story. So am I. Modern medicine is a wonderful thing but I think this is bucking nature a little too much. I think this could have been thought out a little more.
From Ilyka Damen: Ilyka has hit the big-time.
From Postmodern Sass: Portland, Oregon hosts TequilaCon. Who would’ve thunk? When I think of Tequila, I think of places like Alburquerque, San Diego, San Antonio, or Tijuana. I like Tequila ... so much that I steer clear of it.
Quote of the Day
New Orleans has been very, very good to the Super Bowl -- a superb good-time host, throwing memorable parties before great games. And now it's time for the NFL to return the favor.
Ann Killion, The Mercury News
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I have been rather successful in avoiding watching the show Heroes. I did start off watching it but my disgust got the better of me when both main female characters had "near rape experiences" as key elements to their developing powers. A writing using the "rape card" on a female character damn well better have an amazing story developed or it is just a cheap and easy way to attack a female character. Needless to say, there was no amazing storyline for the girls on Heroes."
Good to see Forest Whitaker get some recognition from the Screen Actors Guild. He’s been one of my favorite actors for a long time. He is always interesting. Two of my favorite Whitaker moments: His smiling face, shown when Fergus discovers something he didn’t know about Dil in The Crying Game, is something I’ll always remember. Those who have seen the movie know what I am talking about. Not only did he set Fergus up, he set all of us up. In his only scene in The Color of Money, he hustled Paul Newman out of a lot of money in pool and then asked Newman, "Really, do you think I should lose weight?".
Quote of the Day
It’s about those 10 cast members sitting over there, and the other one in rehab.
Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I seriously had the best weekend ever. Now, for those of you who live a "Sex & The City" lifestyle full of cosmos and naked firemen and expensive shoes, you will think my weekend is not so exciting, but that is okay because you still get to go shopping at the end of this column."
Unless you’re on the moon, you will be bombarded this week with Super Bowl stuff. CBS and ESPN will be the worst offenders but the hype will seep into every corner of the media like the Black Plague. Here at CrabAppleLane, we have enough recorded material that we can hunker down for the duration with minimum exposure. Good Luck to the rest of you.
Speaking of the moon, shot this while I was out on the bike yesterday about two miles from CrabAppleLane. I was on the way back.
There’s an Olympic biathlon event that combines cross country skiing and rifle shooting. I forget what it’s called. Fatigue affects your ability to hold still. Cross country skiers have to use their arms and legs to ski from one place to the next and then have to try to hold a fairly heavy rifle still long enough to hit their targets. Nothing easy about it. To a much, much smaller degree (And no one will ever confuse me with an Olympic athlete), riding a bike and shooting a picture has that same dynamic. I was having difficulty holding my fairly light camera still for this and the one I took prior to this that didn't come out very good. Thankfully, I was able to use a high shutter speed for this one. Not that it’s all that great but I like it.
Quote of the Day
That’s grown man stuff, boy.
That’s grown man stuff.
Billy Miller, Saints TE ... To Reggie Bush
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Of course, being a pair of sick bastards, Ju-Vid and Sean volunteered immediately, and began hacking away at their extremities with the sharp end of a set of compasses until they were bleeding all over the place. Before long, the flask had filled to an alarming level."
What you see here is my bike on the shoulder of Hwy 40 in Bush, LA. I traveled about 10 miles of Hwy 40 on my route this afternoon. This is about the standard width of shoulder on this highway. It gets a little wider at some spots (Maybe 12 inches) and narrower to non-existent in other spots. It is not all that well-traveled, though. Maybe a dozen cars passed me. When I come upon a cycler when I'm driving, I slow down and wait until I have a clear shot to zoom around them so that they couldn't get into my path even if they wanted to. I have no idea how much experience the cycler has or how much control he/she has over the bike. I assume they will fall down or drift into my path if I let them. Unfortunately, almost everyone else does the same thing. When I'm on the bike, I just want vehicles to get past me. No lallygagging back there. I can stay on even a narrow shoulder like the one pictured for a good while but not indefinitely. It's like walking a tightrope. Just do it already.
So, after all of my proselytizing over pencil and paper Friday, I went ahead and used the online version of TurboTax yesterday. Tip from CrabAppleLane: The “Try before you buy” TurboTax disk you may receive will cost you $44.95 plus tax to register and does NOT include e-file. The online version will cost you $29.95 plus tax and DOES include e-file. I was not able to complete our return yesterday because the Feds haven’t released some form that residents in the Katrina-affected areas may need. I do NOT need this form but I suppose my zip code thwarted TurboTax from completing my return anyway. The form will be released on January 31 and TurboTax will send me an email so that I can go back and complete the return. The free state tax return offer is irrelevant. I don’t need it because Louisiana’s online filing site is excellent.
Can I just say that Caller ID is one of the greatest inventions of the 20th century? To be sure, it has changed our phone answering habits. Gone are the days of just picking up the phone although I think that's a shame. If someone calls CrabAppleLane and they have an out-of-area, toll-free, or unfamiliar phone number listing, they must talk to our answering machine before they will ever get to talk to us. I realize that we may be eliminating Publisher’s Clearing House from contacting us but I can’t imagine why they would ever want to contact us anyway. We don’t fill out their stupid sweepstakes any more. My only fear is that someone I care about will call me from their new cell phone to tell me they are bleeding in the street. They may have to endure an extra ring or two. That fear is somewhat offset by my remote location. From where I live, unless they were heading to my house, I don’t think I could do them much good anyway. Better for them to call someone closer or 911.
PSA from CrabAppleLane: The New Orleans French Quarter Festival is being held this year on April 13 (Friday the 13th???), 14, and 15. This is a fave of Patsy's and mine. Be there or be square. No music postings yet but I highly recommend the Washboard Jazz Trio (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) if they're playing. We only got to see the last 10 minutes of their set last year. They were excellent. Don't know about the name, though. They didn't play any jazz in our presence. They played down home Mississippi Delta Blues. Exquisite.
One from the CrabAppleLane front yard and one from the back on this glorious CrabAppleLane Sunday:
I was told, after I planted this camellia in our southern-exposed front yard, that it shouldn't be in the full sun. Shhhh, don't tell it.
The backyard restaurant is doing a brisk business today. We have a few tourists in town. The Goldfinch up high is just passing through. The Cardinal and the Chickadee are regular customers.
In a few minutes, it will be me, the MP3 player, the camera, and the bike out in this glorious weather. It is now about 50º and there isn't a cloud in the sky. Hope it's this nice where you are.
Quote of the Day
Long live the Organization for the Organized.
Rudy Mackenzie, The Jacket
Blog of the day via Disarranging Mine has a great name and is here.
Quote from said blog: "The first batch of pancakes my mother would cook us when I was a kid would often turn out not-so-great. They would taste perfectly fine, but aesthetically they weren't up to her standards."
Quote of the Day
But if you can make him listen Beth, if you can make him do what I want, you'll all walk away from this unpleasantness, unscathed. Not because I'm a nice man, simply because there'll be no reason for me to hurt you. Make sense? Can I rely on your cooperation?
Bill Cox, Firewall
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Boulder in the comfy chair!"
Unusual idea. -Rob
Another community has decided to do something about their pigeon overpopulation. OK, we’ve seen this before. It is a given that any solution involving guns and animals is going to be controversial. This one delves into the absurd. The story is about what you might expect. Read the comments that are posted after the story. I love the UK. Via Burnt Toast.
I'll be doing our taxes tomorrow the old way. With pencil and paper. As I type, I'm looking at a "Try Before You Buy" TurboTax disk that Intuit sent me because I'm a registered Quicken user. It's $29.95 on the website so I'll assume this disk would cost that much to register, too. It used to be $59.95. They send me a disk every year. I tried it once ... after I had already done our taxes. The result was exactly the same. The program saved me about 30 minutes when I deducted the time it took me to install it on my PC. Assuming the amount of time saved would be about the same this time, TurboTax would cost me about a dollar per minute for 2007. That's down from $2 per minute just a few years ago. They're wearing me down.
Quote of the Day
I'm horrified at the very idea anyone might want to harm these gentle creatures. I myself was raised by pigeons after being abandoned in Trafalgar Square as a young nipper.
Fancy Coo-Coo
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "A server, like a Real-time Spam Black list, collects SMTP session source and destination addresses from participating Mail Transfer Agents (MTAs) and applies statistics to identify spam-like traffic patterns. A credibility score is returned to the MTA, so it can throttle down or drop possibly unwanted traffic. While I find it questionable, the method might be useful when combined with traditional keyword analysis.” What do you think? Is this snake oil, or is there something to this?"
If you’ve read anything here, you know I am a movie fan. I like all kinds of movies. My tastes run from the big summer blockbusters to the small weird indie films to anything in-between. That’s not to say that I like every film I see or that I’m interested in seeing every film that comes out. I like having the choice to see those films. Occasionally, there are films that have controversial, uncomfortable, disturbing subject matter. Occasionally, films examine or even poke fun at sacred cows. Occasionally, I will watch one of those films. I saw and enjoyed The Life of Brian, which was banned in the area where I lived at the time of its release. I saw and enjoyed The Da Vinci Code, which stirred up way more controversy than it deserved. I thought its subject matter was rather tame. I did not see and have no interest in seeing Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ or Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.
Now, we have a new film called Hounddog. I have not seen it. It has a different kind of controversy. Deborah Kampmeier, director and screenwriter, wants the audience to know that the 12-year-old main character, played by Dakota Fanning, was raped. By all accounts, the film she’s made contains a scene that succeeds in doing so. According to MSNBC.COM:
The disturbing scene lasts a few minutes but is not graphic. There is no nudity, the scene is very darkly lit and only Fanning’s face and hand are shown.
To be certain, that scene will be uncomfortable and disturbing for most audiences. To be certain, the life event that scene depicts would be a part of who that 12-year-old main character is. The film maker wanted the scene to have a powerful impact because the event would have a powerful impact. Some want a Federal investigation into the film on child pornography grounds. My guess is they’re more interested in limiting my choices of what films I can see than they are about Dakota Fanning’s well-being.
Quote of the Day
This issue is so silenced in our society. There are a lot of women who are alone with this story.
Deborah Kampmeier, Hounddog
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Just then, Urlacher starts vomiting uncontrollably. Peyton reaches down to make sure he's all right."
I have trouble getting worked up either way about this.
On the one hand, it seems harsh for an airline to remove three passengers from a plane because of their 3-year-old daughter’s temper tantrum but on the other hand, they followed the rules. The rules state “that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seat belt upon takeoff”. These are FAA rules, not airline rules ... and I find nothing unfair or unreasonable about them. It’s not an economic issue. It’s a safety issue. In the event of a sudden stop, anything not strapped or bolted down, including a little girl in her mother’s arms, becomes a projectile. The airline reimbursed them for their tickets and also made a very generous offer to reimburse them for their inconvenience in the form of three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies.
This isn’t a slam dunk, though, and I’m not unequivocally in the airline’s corner because I wonder if the airline would have been as generous if the parents had voluntarily removed themselves and their child. Imagine asking the airline for a refund at the last moment because your child can’t/won’t settle down. When I do that, my imagination has an airline agent telling me, “That’s your problem. NO REFUNDS”. The refund is only half of the rewar ... er, reimbursement, though. What about the reimbursement for inconvenience? A cynic would probably say there are parents that might-maybe-possibly-would manipulate their children for free goodies ... but I’m not a cynic.
Quote of the Day
We weren't given an opportunity to hold her, console her or anything.
Julie Kulesza
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Now, they’re calling for the U.S. Congress to pass a passengers’ bill of rights."
Cox, the New Orleans cable TV carrier, and WWL, the CBS affiliate in New Orleans, are in a high-profile pissing match with each other. Thankfully, this has no impact on CrabAppleLane because we have DirecTV and get WWL over the air. Subsequently, I have a limited grasp of or interest in the financial aspect of this issue. My interest is in the community service both of these companies provide. What WWL has to say. For whatever reason, Cox has much more to say about it. The thing about this is that WWL is the number one station in New Orleans and has been for a long time. They were on the air after Hurricane Katrina. They are the designated emergency broadcast channel for both TV and radio. From my seat in the bleachers, it looks to me like Cox is dealing from strength and is the one issuing threats. They may lose a handful of subscribers but WWL would lose a lot of advertisers if they were taken off of the cable menu. If Cox drops WWL, they will be doing the community a disservice. No ifs, ands, or buts about that. I think the two sides need to just quit playing around in their own media and resolve this. They need to be talking to each other, not the community. If you’re in the Cox/WWL broadcast area, I’d like to hear your views, especially if you’re a Cox subscriber.
To all long-suffering Saints fans: The two guys who scored touchdowns against the Bears Sunday night, Marques Colston and Reggie Bush, are babies. They should be scoring touchdowns here for a long time.
Saints schedule next year not all that conducive to gaining home field advantage.
Home: Falcons, Panthers, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Rams, Eagles, Jaguars, and Titans.
Away: Falcons, Panthers, Buccaneers, 49ers, Seahawks, Bears, Texans, and Colts.
CrabAppleLane has a favor to ask of their readers: Vote for Drew Brees as the FEDEX Express Air Player of the Year. He is an excellent candidate and Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is a wonderful facility that is financially struggling since Hurricane Katrina.
Quote of the Day
We're a young team. We're going to continue to grow. We're going to continue to get better as a team. And hopefully, we'll be at this point again.
Deuce McAllister, New Orleans Saints
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "There are people around the country who have been heard to ask why we can’t just let it go and get on with things. They regale us with stories of a terrible flood or tornado, a fire or other, and how they didn’t need help at all. Some even decide to play a numbers game, noting death totals from whatever disaster, as if this somehow “proves” we are simply a bunch of unmotivated whiners who insist that someone else clean up the mess. In response to these Cliff Clavins of the world, I would like to present some pretty stark figures:"
Congratulations to the Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts on their big victories yesterday. Both teams are deserving.
I’ll probably dwell on the what-ifs and what-might-have-beens that came out of yesterday’s Saints loss to the Bears for maybe another day or so but I’ll never forget the fun we had this year as Saints fans. They weren’t supposed to get this good this fast. The offense needs to learn how to take care of the ball better. In their seven losses this season, the common denominator was turnovers. It’s fairly obvious the defense needs a few players. The team is very young, they believe in their coaches and themselves, and they have a ton of money they can spend in free agency. I’m excited about the future.
Can we please lose the “Who Dat” cheer, though? I hate it. I have always hated it.
CrabAppleLane has a favor to ask of their readers: Vote for Drew Brees as the FEDEX Express Air Player of the Year. He is an excellent candidate and Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is a wonderful facility that is financially struggling since Hurricane Katrina.
And a little Technorati maintenance: Technorati Profile
Quote of the Day
The Saints are building a legitimate conference power but on this day they were simply outmatched by a bully, failing to protect us all from two weeks of The Super Bowl Shuffle.
Mike Freeman, CBS SportsLine.com National Columnist
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I can remember the first day I decided that I liked Peyton Manning. I was watching Sportscenter in February of 1997 when they announced that Peyton would return to school for his senior year. I don’t know why, but his decision to avoid NFL money and fame for school (okay, a national championship), made me like him."
I like the Saints chances today in Chicago, at Soldier Field, in the wind, in the sleet, in the snow, and on that suspect turf. If they play their game and minimize turnovers, the Bears will not stop them, and they’ll be heading to Miami. I expect it to be a tough game, though. I don't plan to turn the game on until about 5 minutes before kickoff. Pre-game shows annoy me before a big game. It says here the Saints advance, 24-17, and the knots in my stomach will give way to some deep breaths and a celebration.
It was “family and friends night” at Semolina’s Bistro Italia in Covington last night. Semolina is a restaurant institution in the Greater New Orleans area and the Bistro is a bit of an upscale, trendier version of their other restaurants. Last night was an “invitation only” training exercise for the staff and management to work out the kinks before their grand opening tomorrow. We are friends with one of the staff and she was thoughtful enough to include us on her family and friends list. This was an interesting and fun experience and it’s also a great idea. You give a free meal to a friendly crowd and solicit their input. The staff and management get to work things out without the normal unpleasantness of patrons jumping on them when things don’t go exactly right. What better way to practice? Sure, you’re a lab rat but it’s free eats. For what it’s worth, the food was excellent and the staff, particularly our waitress, was terrific. There were three limited menus in the room and I suppose they will be combined and available to all patrons by Monday. The lasagna that kid at the table next to me had, which was not available on our menu, looked just fantastic. Semolina’s Bistro Italia will be part of our rotation.
One from CrabAppleLane this Sunday that is filled with hope and anticipation but quite dreary otherwise:
Yep, that's what it looks like here. Damp and cold but still colorful for a wintry January day. And for a taste of Chicago weather, try this.
CrabAppleLane has a favor to ask of their readers: Vote for Drew Brees as the FEDEX Express Air Player of the Year. He is an excellent candidate and Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is a wonderful facility that is financially struggling since Hurricane Katrina.
To Bears fans here, here, here, and here: Good Luck today.
To Fox and their local affiliate, Fox 8 in New Orleans: No interruptions today or technical difficulties whatsoever.
To all sports media: Stop calling the Saints a team of destiny or, even worse, America's Team.
Just one more thing on this CrabAppleLane Sunday:
128 minutes and counting ... tick, tick, tick ...
Quote of the Day
I can't believe nobody mentioned the Saints were called for only three penalties last weekend. The conspiracy theory that the NFL wants the Saints to be in Miami for Super Bowl XLI -- starting with the NFL's forcing Houston to take Williams over Bush, forcing the Dolphins to sign Culpepper over Brees and forcing 31 other teams to repeatedly pass on Marques Colston -- just keeps getting stronger and stronger. Now it's just "completely asinine" instead of "criminally far-fetched and absurd."
Bill Simmons, ESPN.COM Page 2
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Here are my predictions for the AFC and NFC Championship games:"
CrabAppleLane has a favor to ask of their readers: Vote for Drew Brees as the FEDEX Express Air Player of the Year. He is an excellent candidate and Children’s Hospital in New Orleans is a wonderful facility that is financially struggling since Hurricane Katrina.
Gotta love the Chicago media. Earlier in the week, they were asking if Mike Ditka was a traitor because he said he wasn’t taking sides. Now that he has taken a side that they like, he's Da Coach. Party on.
I should once again mention that Cool Text is one of the coolest places on the web and is a resource that I use a lot. I make most of my banners there. I don’t mention it enough here and will try to remedy that in the future.
Upgraded to the latest version of Movable Type this morning and also did some minor tweaking to the configuration here in the hopes that some of the “Internal Error” issues will be resolved and others will be minimized. I always hope that these issues will go away with the new version but it never happens. I'm hoping some of the things I did this morning will help. I’m now of the opinion that they cannot be totally eliminated on a shared server running Movable Type and that basically sucks. MT just uses too many resources for some tasks that may not be available at all times on shared servers. We also have the additional problem of flood spam trying to use or find script files. Spammers haven’t been successful here in many months but they are still using up valuable resources trying to figure out ways around our defenses.
Speaking of Cool Text, here's one I made that you may have seen here on occasion the past few months and, hopefully, you'll see it here a few more time in the next few weeks:
Quote of the Day
Our field is kind of slick sometimes. And even our practice field [at Halas Hall] is pretty much the same as Soldier Field. So we're used to running on that.
Thomas Jones, Chicago Bears running back
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Mike Ditka has divided loyalties on Sunday, I guess. The Saints and the Bears play each other, and he coached both teams. He was fired by the owner in both places and continues to hate the owner in both places."
A long week at CrabAppleLane is almost over. The talking, the reading, the anticipation is almost over. To say CrabAppleLane is ready for some football would be gross understatement. Will get back to blogging about other stuff when there IS other stuff. Still trying to decide on my pre-game plan for Sunday. It’s been a little different for all of the Saints big wins so there is no risk of jinxing the team. This team hasn’t given in to Saints history or tradition anyway. When they give up big plays, they just go back out on the field and play. When they do that in games, I know sometimes the other team must be looking at them as if to say, “What? You still here?”. I can answer that for them. Yes, they’re still here. And that’s what all the hollering is about.
Oh, yeah, one other thing:
Quote of the Day
The book on Marques Colston, New Orleans' big rookie receiver, says you jam him on the line of scrimmage. Cornerback Peanut Tillman should shadow him from side-to-side and attempt to make marmalade of the guy.
Someone named Mully I think, Chicago Sun Times
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "This is what I know about New Orleans and its beloved Saints....."
He knows plenty. Good on ya, Hoekstra. -Rob
Snow flurries and two teams with substantial chips on their shoulders due in Chicago on Sunday. One team is tired of hearing about their suspect quarterback and their opponent’s life story ... thinking perhaps, “We’re not exactly chopped liver.”. The other one is tired of hearing about their suspect cornerback and their worst-to-first, heartwarming, magical, feel good, first-ever blah, blah, blah ... thinking perhaps their success had more to do with hard work, good coaching, smart play, and pretty damn good player acquisition both in free agency and in the draft. Countdown to kickoff continues ...
Plugs and Dottles signing off. Kinda sorta. We’ll still check in now and again. He sent that postcard here a few months ago and has been a great contributor here.
Quote of the Day
This is not a feel-good story. This is a good, solid football team. We play balls out and we get after people. And we deserve to be where we are.
Will Smith, New Orleans Saints Defensive End
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "For the Saints, Horn is the key player on the injury report for them. Though the Saints still would have plenty of weapons on offense to use without him, it would still make Chicago’s job on defense a bit easier if he can’t go."
Though it looks like the end of the rainbow is in the CrabAppleLane backyard, a subsequent search for the pot o gold proved futile.
Picture of the day via Fragments from Floyd. Looks like a painting ... truly spectacular. Fred always takes great pictures.
Movable Type and the CrabAppleLane host servers hate each other and I’m getting very tired of it. That's what all of the "Internal Server Error" messages are about. One of them may have to go and I have a new two year agreement with my host server.
The long week of anticipation continues ...
This piece by Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer has been my favorite article this week, maybe this year. He was in the SuperDome for that wildly entertaining game Saturday night between the Saints and the Eagles The quote I love is this:
Perhaps with one more possession, David Akers could have gotten a chance to tie the game. Maybe with one more stop, things would have been different and the silence would have spread to every corner of this city.
We'll never know, because when it counted most, the Eagles couldn't stop the New Orleans offense.
And that's what all the hollering was about.
The whole thing is excellent but I think “that’s what all the hollering was about” might become part of CrabAppleLane’s permanent lexicon because I surely hope to be hollering this Sunday and maybe even a Sunday in February.
Quote of the Day
I am happy for New Orleans. I think it's a wonderful story for their city, but this fairy tale ends when they come to Chicago.
Senator Barack Obama, D-Illinois
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Replays show Gould and Maynard celebrating long before the kick actually went through. But the second the signal went up, it was just pandamonium."
Quote of the Day
The details of your incompetence do not interest me.
Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wears Prada
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "The Saints have two glaring weaknesses and both play into the hands of what the Bears can do."
That toddlin’ town ...
Had to say it. Be thankful you can’t hear me singing it. I surely am. Thankful, that is ...
The Saints are heading there for a tilt with the Bears next Sunday hoping for the same nice weather they had yesterday but hopefully prepared for normal January Chicago weather. Long, excruciating week ahead in New Orleans. This is a different kind of excruciating from the kind we’ve experienced over the last 16 months and/or the last 40 years. I kinda like this kind. Last week was a week of excruciating anticipation followed by a heart-pounding, gut-wrenching football game that left me physically, mentally, and emotionally drained Sunday. I’m really getting too old for this. More, please.
Cool article from an unlikely source: The Shreveport Times. Not a lot of fans in Shreveport for the Saints or New Orleans. I have never fully understood that but it has been that way probably since the Louisiana Purchase.
This Aaron Brooks, not the other one, is a winner.
Quote of the Day
At least the evening wasn't a total loss for Andy Reid. We heard after the game, he got a shit-load of beads showing his ample rack to debauched college students in front of Razzoo on Bourbon Street.
flubby, Kissing Suzy Kolber
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "There's only one team left in the National Football Conference that can beat the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field."
We’ll see. -Rob
Bit more of a heart pounder last night than I expected or wanted but I’ll take it. It was a great game and I tip my cap to the Eagles.
Random observations from not-even-remotely-impartial CrabAppleLane:
Deuce McAllister is DA MAN. Don’t even try to convince me that someone else is.
Eagles fans are complaining about the officiating, particularly an illegal contact call that negated an Eagles sack. I would agree that it was a ticky tacky call but it was most certainly an infraction. The receiver was clearly beyond the five yards where it was legal to hit him. The referee threw the flag when he saw it, not after the play turned out OK for the Eagles. There were only nine penalties called last night. The officials let the teams play all game and that will always be my preference.
May I also just add that this notion that there is a gigantic NFL conspiracy to help the Saints on the field is ridiculous. If that was the case, wouldn't that flagrant facemask penalty against the Saints been perhaps the five yard variety instead? And shouldn't that play at the end of the first half have been reviewed and called the touchdown that it was? Colston had possession across the plane and was on the ground when the ball was knocked out. The Eagles played their asses off last night and because they did, they had their chances to win. If the fix was in, wouldn't they have to be in on it? If you really believe that the Saints are getting preferential treatment on the field, please check yourself into the nearest mental health facility or accept the fact that you're an idiot.
Two of the dumbest calls I have ever seen late in a game by two of the brightest head football coaches in the NFL:
1 - Like I said, it’s late in the game. The Saints are absolutely killing the Eagles and eating the clock just handing the ball off to Deuce. It was taking five and six guys to get him down and he was gouging them for big yards. The Eagles couldn’t stop him and they’re starting to use their timeouts. This is a good thing. What does Sean Payton, one of the bright coaches on the field, call after the first Eagles timeout? A pitchout to Reggie Bush, which is a much riskier play than a handoff. Resulted in a fumble that could have cost the Saints the game and the season. Here’s where I’d like to see Payton be a little more conservative. Conservative play-calling is NOT ALWAYS a bad thing and you don't always have to take chances.
2 - It’s after the fumble and even later in the game. The Eagles need 20-25 yards to get in field goal range to tie or 50+ yards for a touchdown to go ahead and they have two timeouts. Plenty of time but the first three plays go nowhere. The defense had stepped up and the crowd did its part getting a false start out of the Eagles on 4th and 10 setting up a 4th and 15. Coach Andy Reid, the other bright coach on the field, chose to punt. What he should have learned from the first game with the Saints back in October is that the Saints are not bad at killing the clock against his defense. He should have recognized that the Saints had just made the only mistake they were going to make this night. He should have tried to make the first down. Everyone in the stadium and everyone at home watching expected him to. That conservative call was dumb.
On this gorgeous CrabAppleLane Sunday, the Eagles coaches, players, and fans are asking and having to try to answer all of the what-ifs and what-went-wrongs ... and that’s fine by me. Saints fans are familiar with that situation. Been there, done that, way too many times. Have a safe trip home, though.
Today’s games will be on at CrabAppleLane but there won’t be any cheering.
The long wait until next Sunday begins ...
Oh, and lest we forget:
From CrabAppleLane and
their nephews...
One image from the CrabAppleLane backyard this morning:
Had hoped to get a shot of the Rufous Hummingbird that had visited the feeder yesterday but he’s nowhere to be seen today. Maybe later. Bossy CrabAppleLane woodpeckers do not allow anyone at the table with them. That blurry line in the foreground is one of the cables for the CrabAppleLane mirliton vines. Not a productive year here for that.
Quote of the Day
I figured they would run the football and we might be able to stop them there and get the football back.
Andy Reid, Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "I heard this rumor going around that it's DeLurking Week, whatever that is. I tried to beg you all the de-Lurk last year, but that didn't go over so well."
Back in the day when I was somewhat miffed by MySpace and Xanga users hotlinking to the images here, I was actually checking my logs once, maybe even twice, a month. Now, I’m back to my more normal schedule of once or maybe twice a year. Some people do this much more often and much more obsessively. I know this because I get almost instant email responses to some of the linkage I do here. This question is for them because I assume they are experts at analyzing referrer logs. I was looking at my referrer logs from yesterday and I see there was maybe 15 or 20 vastly different websites trying to send trackback pings to this entry. Of all the innocuous, soporific entries here (And there are more than a few), what is so special about that one?
Countdown to kickoff has begun. WWL, the flagship radio station of the Saints, is starting their pre-game coverage at noon ... for a 7PM game. Overkill, I say, but they will definitely have listeners for the entire broadcast. I hope this all someday becomes old hat in New Orleans like it is in New England and like it once was in San Francisco and Dallas. Speaking of soporific, I actually considered live-blogging the game. Here’s what I have to say until after it's over: When the Eagles have the ball, I expect Brian Westbrook to make some plays. He’s a great player by any measure. I expect Reggie Brown and Donté Stallworth to make some plays because they’re good players and Garcia will be able to get the ball to them. I think the Saints defense will be able to get them off of the field enough, though. When the Saints have the ball, they’re going to throw the kitchen sink at the Eagles defense. They will use anyone and everyone on the field. They will make the Eagles defend everyone. It says here that Reggie Bush will be the catalyst for a Saints victory. The January Reggie Bush bears no resemblance to the October Reggie Bush. The October version was a side-to-side rookie playing on a sore ankle with only a few NFL games under his belt. The January version is faster, more confident, and gets upfield. The Eagles will probably rotate a good portion of their defense toward him and I expect Drew and the other Saints players will make them pay for it. If they don’t rotate toward Bush, Drew and Reggie will make them pay for that. It says here the Saints will advance, 38-20. One more thing:
Quote of the Day
I've been running around all day and hadn't heard the news -- but as soon as I did, I cancelled my trip to New Orleans for the game. I mean, once I found out that the Los Angeles Galaxy had signed David Beckham, Eagles-Saints just didn't seem to matter anymore.
Rich Hofmann, Bird Watch Forum
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Take Philadelphia plus the points."
Sometimes you wonder. For instance, I wonder if this writer at the AP was being deliberately ironic when he/she had this to say about the problem of procrastination:
After 10 years of research on a project that was only supposed to take five years, a Canadian industrial psychologist found in a giant study that not only is procrastination on the rise, it makes people poorer, fatter and unhappier.
I suppose they’ll say the procrastinators they were studying caused the delays. Had more to say about this but the morning got away from me.
It's Friday ... another day of talk ... another day of waiting ... another day to get ready ...
Quote of the Day
Hey Louden ... Kick his ass
Carla, Vision Quest
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Though it may appear juvenile to be concerned with the results of one extra days preparation. It irked Eagles’ faithful who see this poor scheduling as making an already tough road to the Superbowl, an even more difficult one."
This has been an agonizingly slow week but also a fun one for Saints fans. Eagles fans and Saints detractors are taking comfort in numbers. Fair enough. Not a big fan of numbers because they don’t tell the whole story so I’d like to challenge some of today’s conventional wisdom a bit this morning.
About the Eagles 6-game winning streak: They’ve been playing the same teams the Saints have over that period. They beat the Giants twice, Cowboys, Falcons, Redskins, and Panthers. The Saints beat the Giants once, Cowboys, and Falcons. Lost to the Redskins and Panthers. I offer no excuses for the Redskins loss. I give credit to the Redskins for a great game plan. The loss to the Panthers is meaningless. Deuce McAllister and Will Smith didn’t even dress, Drew Brees and Reggie Bush played the first series and they blew down the field for a touchdown, and most of the starters were out midway through the second quarter.
About the Saints poor rushing defense: The Falcons had almost 300 yards rushing and no turnovers in an 18-point loss. The defense has been able to get off of the field enough. The Giants never crossed midfield three weeks ago. Saints defense is better than most are giving it credit for. Not a bad thing in my estimation.
About the Saints 4-4 record at home: Should be 4-3 (Throw out the Carolina game). Five turnovers against the Ravens, two returned for touchdowns. Five turnovers against the Bengals, one returned for a touchdown and two interceptions thrown in the end zone. One turnover against the Redskins.
About that game back in October: It means nothing now to either team. They’re both different now. Lessons learned for both, no advantage to either.
The view from CrabAppleLane: The Saints win when they don’t turn the ball over. When they do have turnovers, they only win sometimes. My mantra this week: If the Saints take care of the ball, they’ll take care of the Eagles. Should be a fun game. Oh, and one other thing:
In case you hadn't noticed, CrabAppleLane is featuring Eagles blogs this week. The Eagles have great fans. Second only to Saints fans. :)
Quote of the Day
Whatever photos you've seen of the destruction of what the locals call "The Lower Nine," they don't do it justice. Whatever video you've watched on your nightly news doesn't convey the desolation. There were people here once. And houses. And lives. Now there is virtually nothing left.
Gene Wojciechowski, ESPN.COM
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "This is kind of a funny story that surfaced after the Giants game. It appears that a couple, claiming to be two attractive grad students, are huge Eagles fans and really wanted to attend the Giants game but really couldn't afford it."
Go and read on. -Rob
So corporate America is going to pony up big bucks to advertise at airport checkpoints? I’ve pointed out a few times that I have no head for business so you might want to take that into account when I say I think this is just a waste of money. I’m not what you would call a seasoned traveler. I travel for pleasure once in a while. The spokesman in today’s QOTD says “Any advertising needs to be subtle”. OK, here’s the thing: Seasoned travelers and business travelers just blow through those checkpoints. They know exactly what they’re doing and just want to get on with it. A handful of them might see a well-placed ad but I’d be surprised if it was more than a handful. For the occasional traveler, the checkpoints are the only places in the airport where we actually have to focus on what we’re doing and we’re usually being rushed by the business travelers all around us. Not much chance we’re going to notice anything else. All of that said, I have no objection whatsoever to this. From USA Today:
Advertising companies and airports could reap millions from 12-inch-by-17-inch ads glued to the bottom of security bins. The TSA would benefit, too, from free equipment: The agency is requiring any company that sells the ads to stock airport checkpoints with new bins, carts and stainless steel tables.
I think the first sentence is a stretch but I like the second one. Unfortunately or fortunately as some may see it, I think it's just another step down the path to where we're going in America. In the movie, Minority Report, Tom Cruise’s character enters a building and is inundated by ads specifically tailored for him as is everyone else that enters the building. How long before that’s a reality here in real life? Again, I have no head for business but it says here not long.
Quote of the Day
We don't want to do anything that's going to confuse passengers … Any advertising needs to be subtle.
Patrick Hogan, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport spokesman
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Horn killed the Eagles in their first match up this season and if he weren't able to play that would be a huge factor in the game. My bet is, unless Horn really aggravates the groin again, he will tough it out and play on Sunday."
Congratulations to the Florida Gators. National Champions in football and basketball. Quite amazing. I thought they'd win but that was way too easy.
And, now, to wail on the BCS ... because I haven’t done enough of it. The CrabAppleLane theory on determining championships of any kind is this: Polls, opinions, money, and TV ratings should NOT EVER be part of the equation.
What the BCS got right: Boise State, Louisville, Florida. Boise State, the nation’s only unbeaten team at 13-0, brought their excitement and their enthusiasm to college football and it was nothing but refreshing to see it on a national stage where it belongs. Louisville proved they can compete and Florida needs no explanation.
What they got wrong: Notre Dame. I’d like someone from the BCS to explain that one to me. If that wasn’t about money and TV ratings ...
And what might have been: The BCS came within a whisker of ordering a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan. Those two were touted as the two best teams in college football two months ago when they played each other and a rematch, which might have been another great game, would have crowned the wrong champion. No one would have ever known how wrong that would have been. Having seen Ohio State and Michigan in big games on a national stage against champions from other conferences, I think it safe to say those two are maybe the fifth and sixth best teams in college football at best.
More on polls/opinions: Today’s final polls show Ohio State somehow hanging on to second place. When Nebraska went for two points to win the Orange Bowl for the national championship years ago against Miami when a tie would have probably been enough, the Cornhuskers held on to second place in the final polls. That seemed appropriate. This doesn’t. The Buckeyes only managed 82 total yards last night. Did the voters see the game?
Quote of the Day
You learn a lot about your football team when you get hit right in the mouth and respond to that.
Urban Meyer, University of Florida Head Football Coach
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "After the last Saints game, I wrote a column defending Andy Reid and his time management skills."
This figures to be a long week in New Orleans. Saturday night can’t get here fast enough. The Eagles are supposedly the hot team right now but they’ve only been beating the same teams the Saints have been beating the last few weeks. The two teams played back in October but that game is meaningless now. Both teams were different then. Both have had some trials and tribulations since then. Both are better now. If the Saints take care of the ball, they’ll take care of the Eagles.
It says here that Florida will pull off the upset tonight in a close game. The Gators are ridiculously young and fearless.
If you have cats, you will recognize this. Just read the captions. Hysterical. Via one of Ilyka Damen’s readers.
Quote of the Day
We've been down there, we know what to expect from the crowd... We know what to expect from that fastbreak offense, at times. It was beneficial for us to play them earlier. So we feel confident. We're a confident bunch.
Brian Dawkins, Philadelphia Eagles Safety
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "But David DIDN'T MISS and our team DID WIN and now I get to watch the Eagles when I'm in VEGAS next weekend, where I will ABSOLUTELY be betting on the Saints to cover, because I am the WORST sports bettor of all time and my influence might be just enough to help put our boys over the top."
Can I just say that those two playoff games yesterday were two of the sloppiest games I’ve ever seen? Furthermore, that second one in Seattle was wildly entertaining. I’m mystified by both games. The Chiefs, with their big bruising running back, couldn’t take advantage of the Colts supposedly weak run defense and the Cowboys couldn’t take advantage of the Seahawks depleted secondary. I feel for Tony Romo. That said, if Romo is a Pro Bowl quarterback, so is Rex Grossman, Aaron Brooks, and Joey Harrington. He may be able to develop over time but, from here, it looks like Romo has “journeyman” or the even more dreaded “career backup” written all over him. It looks like he's been solved. ESPN.COM’s headline this morning is Bobble ‘Boy, which I think is kinda cruel. I’ll also say this: NFL Coach of the Year Sean Payton should have copyrighted that game plan he used against the Cowboys a few weeks ago. He’d have a case for infringement against at least four head coaches.
Another thing: Seeing the Colts heading to Baltimore for a playoff game is quite delicious. The wound the City of Baltimore has from the Colts leaving town in the middle of the night for Indianapolis has never healed and probably won’t heal until everyone that remembers the Baltimore Colts in that city dies. I have no sympathy for Baltimore, though. What Indianapolis and the Colts did to them, they and Art Modell did to the City of Cleveland. It may be business but it aint right.
The CrabAppleLane Playoff League got underway yesterday with 24 teams and it’s a hoot. Pardon the expression, Dave. It’s an Elimination style Fantasy Football League. Your players accumulate points based on their performance and they keep doing so for as long as their team is alive in the playoffs. You have to not only select players who you think will do well but also players on teams that might play the most number of games. To add to the selection agony, some players can and usually do score more points in one game than others do in two or even three. It seems we have 24 different ideas on how to win this thing. Adding to the interest and fun is this: CrabAppleLane is firmly in New Orleans Saints territory. The Saints are in the playoffs and have considerable fantasy football talent. Most notably, Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, Reggie Bush, and Marques Colston.
Ilyka has a wild kitten on her hands. Brings back memories of our cats’ wild kitten days. Crispin, now 10 and suffering from hyperthyroidism, used to gallop all over the house making really strange sounds and would jump on the bed and pick a fight with Casey, who is always sleeping on me or next to me at night. Casey, now 13, used to gallop down our hallway, jump up on our bed, and bounce all over us. I’m here to tell you that’s a rude awakening. Kinda miss it, though. :)
The Great White Shank has a terrific idea for a new cable/satellite channel. I think there’s a funeral in Dallas for the Cowboys today that it could cover. At this time, I think he’s looking for investors or a finder’s fee. I'm in for $20 if it’s the former.
Two from the kitchen on this CrabAppleLane Sunday:
Folks, if you don't know what Patsy's white beans (Sometimes called butter beans) simmering in a crock pot with various vegetables, meats, and seasonings smells like, you're much better off than me. It's been known to drive hungry and non-hungry people insane as it permeates the entire house. Served over rice with a little garlic bread and maybe some Crystal Hot Sauce, it's to die for.
Update (2:08PM): The finished product is excellent. My compliments to the chef. Probably not quite serious enough for a Saints game but quite excellent for a Jets-Patriots game.
The end to the road to recovery from flu-like symptoms is finally in sight. Still taking gigantic antibiotic pills and nasal spray, Nasonex, once daily and the voice hasn't completely recovered but I feel good again. I'll need that voice next Saturday night from about 7PM on. That's when the Saints will be taking on the Seahawks or the Eagles.
And, now, for something completely different and more than a little bizarre, I present today's QOTD:
Quote of the Day
A North Carolina artist intrigued by the public obsession with celebrity has found herself feeding that obsession with a painting of actress Angelina Jolie as the Virgin Mary hovering over a Wal-Mart check-out line.
USA Today
Blog of the day via Fish Fear Me is here.
Quote from said blog: "Chevy Chase delivers a gracious and funny tribute to Gerald Ford. And why now?"
The Steelers were playing the Chargers in the AFC Championship game. The winner would go to the Super Bowl. The Steelers had been to four previous Super Bowls and won them all. It’s late in the game and the Chargers are ahead. The Steelers have the ball for the last time and the game is on the line for them with this last possession, this last drive. There’s a timeout and Neil O’Donnell goes to the sideline to talk to his coaches. As I said, the Steelers have won four Super Bowls but those were under the previous head coach, Chuck Noll. The current head coach, Bill Cowher, had never gotten his team this far. They were playing at home and were expected to advance. There was some pressure. As he’s talking to O’Donnell, he’s laughing and smiling. This is the biggest, most pressure-packed game he’s ever coached in his life and he is out there having fun. Regular readers know I’m a Saints fan. The Saints had missed the playoffs once again and I remember thinking two things. Number One: Where’d the Steelers get this guy? Number Two: Are there any more of them? He’s a terrific coach and I didn’t think he’d ever burn out. Despite the QOTD, I think he did. Hardly anyone ever says they are burned out but he has the classic symptoms: Nothing more to achieve, disappointment with his last effort, and the fire in the belly is gone.
Unsolicited, unwanted advice from CrabAppleLane for Coach Bill Cowher: Stay out of coaching forever. Look at Bill Parcells. Look at Joe Gibbs. Look at Mike Ditka. Have they seemed happy to you since they quit and came back? It’s never the same again once you leave and the situation you’re leaving now is infinitely better than the one you’ll return to somewhere down the road. Clip coupons, sail the ocean blue, open a hardware store, sleep in, do anything but what you retired from ... and Good Luck, Sir.
Quote of the Day
I'm not burned out
Bill Cowher, Former Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Cowher’s resignation ends the longest tenure in the NFL and Tennessee’s Jeff Fisher, with 13 seasons now takes over this distinction."
Presented (Without comment from CrabAppleLane) from the TimesOnline:
Housework can help you to beat breast cancer, women are told
Via it comes in pints?.
If you’re a blogger who doesn’t care much about your readers’ comments, go ahead and skip this paragraph. To ALL bloggers interested in your readers’ comments: Comment moderation sucks. It kills the conversation. It is tantamount to throwing the baby out with the bath water. None of us like spam or unruly comments and it’s more than a little trouble to get that under control but it is worth the effort to do so. Again, only if comments matter to you. One guy (A BOTD) specifically solicited a comment from me about two weeks ago on his blog. I obliged but it still hasn’t been published as of this writing. That conversation is now over and his readers don’t know I responded. Another place that I used to frequent started using comment moderation a few months ago. Comments got published many days or weeks later (After the conversation was long over) so I stopped wasting my time. Gave them another try a few days ago. Still not published as of this writing and that conversation is over, too. I won’t know if that comment ever gets published in this instance because I don’t intend to waste any more time there. I won’t totally rule out the possibility that these sites were intentionally blocking my comments but I think it more likely they were just lazy or don’t know how to make it work (I don’t think it can work well although City Wendy does a decent job with it). Anyway, that’s the view from CrabAppleLane.
Quote of the Day
Whether you are a Republican, a Democrat or an independent, today is a cause for celebration.
John Boehner, R-Ohio - House Minority Leader
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Then, like that pretty, yet insecure friend who insists on detailing to you every schlub who blatantly hit on her in the cereal aisle, every suit who grinned at her on the train, and every yogi who inadvertently (inadvertent my ass, she says) grazed her boob while adjusting her shoulders in the Cobra position, I set out to convince myself that my instructor was right:"
Two big items of interest yesterday for LSU fans.
First, the lopsided Sugar Bowl win was just what the doctor ordered when the Tigers fell short of a national championship game. When LSU went ahead 41-14 midway through the 4th quarter last night, I turned the TV off and went to sleep only disappointed in the unsportsmanlike penalties the Tigers got. They don't need to do that. It was 11PM when I turned the game off and I was worn out. Definitely a lightweight. I’m sure there are people on Bourbon Street still celebrating right now ... or mourning. The Irish made a game of it in the 2nd quarter but the 2nd half was all LSU. Leaves Tiger fans with a case of the what ifs. Like what if they didn’t have those 4 road games against top ten teams this year? What if JaMarcus Russell decides to stay another year? If he does, they’re your preseason Number One.
The other big news for Tiger fans was former LSU head coach Nick Saban leaving the Miami Dolphins for big Tiger rival, Alabama. LSU fans are not at all happy about that but I don’t think they’re as pissed off as this guy in the Miami Herald. Man, take a deep breath. I’m not all that mad or surprised. Nick Saban is better suited to the college game and the college lifestyle. He made a mistake leaving LSU. He was a god in Baton Rouge and could have stayed as long as he wanted. The NFL is much harder on coaches. Took him two years to find that out but he was able to correct his mistake although there will be some pressure at Alabama for him. The money is good, though. He failed upwards. And one last thing:
Yesterday was a sad day for the Red Sox. Their oldest fan passed away. Cheered for Babe Ruth ... of the Red Sox. Attended the first game at Fenway Park in 1912 ... just WOW.
Quote of the Day
They can't be content to be 10-3 and going to a bowl game and getting your clocks cleaned.
Charlie Weis, Notre Dame Head Coach
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "Darius Walker averages 19 carries and 95 yards per game. However, Walker and the run game seem to disappear in big games. This can partially be attributed to Coach Weis' tendency to pass more when behind, and the tendency to save the run for late in the game to hold a lead."
Revisiting and maybe adding to the conversation a post started a year ago. I went to the doctor yesterday. There were printed instructions at the registration desk for drug reps and what they’re expected to do. Partly paraphrasing, it went something like this: “Park in the back. Wait in the kitchen if it’s a lunch or breakfast meeting and wait for the doctors”. I’m not sure that’s inherently a bad thing. As Susan said last year, “ Part of that time however, is spent with a variety of sales people who drop by continuously, throughout the day. They bring along prizes and free drugs and cool stuff with the name of their product on it.”. I don’t think she is suggesting it is inherently a bad thing, either. That said, these reps are not only asking the doctors to use their drugs, they’re asking the doctors to use their drugs on you. I suppose it has always been this way but something I can’t put my finger on bothers me about it. More next year...
The other topic in that year old post was about drug companies advertising their prescription drugs directly to consumers. I saw one the other day that was for a medication that should be taken if you’ve had one heart attack to ward off a likely second heart attack. I apologize for forgetting the name of the drug. I think I can almost forgive drugs that advertise relief for arthritis, allergies, depression, and other chronic conditions. Almost. Advertising medication directly to consumers for heart conditions or relief from the effects of chemotherapy? I think that goes a little too far. Get those off of the air. In fact, get them all off of the air. They undermine doctors.
Quote of the Day
Junkie. Pothead. That's where I'd been headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man. . . . I got high [to] push questions of who I was out of my mind.
Senator Barack Obama, D-Illinois
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "There was an interview in yesterday's New York Times with Harvard Business School professor Clayton Christensen. (Not one of your shy and retiring professors, I should add). He's saying that the US healthcare system is terribly inefficient, and proposes (among other things) that some diagnostic tasks be opened up to a larger field of practitioners than just M.D.s."
A new Indiana Jones movie is to begin filming this year for release next year. The only thing I have to say about that is GET ON WITH IT. I’m in. Been watching the first three off and on for a few months now. Never get tired of them. As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to movies, nothing beats bigger-than-life adventure films.
A couple of questions about the story regarding the UFO sighting at O’Hare International Airport and today’s QOTD: A “saucer-shaped craft hovering over O'Hare Airport”? You know what’s really happening with all of these wild claims? When the invasion comes, no one will believe it...
Quote of the Day
To fly 7 million light years to O'Hare and then have to turn around and go home because your gate was occupied is simply unacceptable.
Craig Burzych, O'Hare controller
Blog of the day here.
Quote from said blog: "But the good news is that the green light has finally been given to producing a fourth film in the franchise by all parties involved."
First things first.
From CrabAppleLane
New Orleans and Louisiana have their eyes on the Sugar Bowl Wednesday night as LSU takes on Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish have brought their green jerseys to New Orleans but have said they probably won’t wear them. A little more on Notre Dame jerseys and uniforms here. Not really sure what that’s about and I doubt it matters much to the Tigers. LSU has been awfully quiet in the runup to the game. It says here the Tigers win this one going away, 38-17.
As excited as New Orleans and Louisiana are about LSU in the Sugar Bowl, it pales in comparison with the excitement starting to build for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints lost yesterday to Carolina in a love fest and pep rally that tried to pass itself off as a football game. They won’t know who they’ll play until next week (It will be the Eagles, Seahawks, or Cowboys) but I think they’ll be ready for anyone. I can’t even allow myself to think of what might be ahead and will try to take this thing one game at a time. Except to say this:
Quote of the Day
The Bengals received a double dose of bad news yesterday, as they were eliminated from playoff contention by the Pittsburgh Steelers but identified by witnesses in relation to several unsolved crimes in and around Cincinnati.
ESPN’s Page Two
Blog of the day here.
Quote (December 26, 2006 entry) from said blog: "The Eagles get the #3 seed along with the division, which would put them on a collision course with the Giants for the playoffs, a team that has “one-and-done” written all over it."
