So while six of the seven remaining Democratic presidential candidates were in South Carolina, Joe Lieberman took a different approach and decided to campain in another of the seven states voting on Tuesday.
Delaware.
I did a quick Yahoo check to see if there were any polling numbers, and I did come across some, though undated. I'd have to assume they're pretty old, as there's no mention of Kerry and Dick Gephardt was in fourth place, just in front of Lieberman.
I was also amused to see the precognisant Freudian slip, as Howard Dean is mentioned at the start of one paragraph as "Dead."
As far as Lieberman campaigning in the First State, I can only assume that's the farthest he could get in one day on Greyhound. "Hi, I'm Joe Lieberman. Can you move so I can sit with my wife? Thanks."
30 January 2004
You may remember a few weeks back I mentioned that the Boston archdiocese is going to undergo some "reconfiguration," including some parish closings. In an unprecedented step, the church released attendance figures for all churches in the area (apparently they collect figures during October and do a year to year snapshot) as a tool for use in each region. They also have numbers for the sacraments bestowed for what I think is the whole year. I'm not sure how they plan to proceed, but given that the statistics also show a decline in Mass attendance over time (compared to 2000), it's the odd vicariate that won't lose any parishes.
Here in the Natick vicariate, the church we've been going to, St. Paul in Wellesley, is one of the larger churches in the area, and isn't going anywhere. St. James the Great, where we used to go, has numbers that are 2 to 3 times lower than the other two Wellesley churches (although their confirmation number isn't that much lower than St. Paul's, which is interesting). The good news for St. James is that one of Natick's three churches, Sacred Heart, didn't report an attendance figure and has sacrament numbers lower still (and no confirmations in 2003).
Speaking of churches named Sacred Heart, my home church is one of the smallest in its vicariate. We didn't report attendance, and sacrament numbers are small compared to the churches in Gloucester and Beverly. However, those towns each have four churches, and the ones with the lowest numbers are equal to or lower than Manchester's lone Catholic church.
These numbers aren't the end all and be all to this discussion, of course. There are financial considerations (cost to run versus donations), location relative to other parishes, and how these numbers trend from year to year. It'll be interesting to see how transparent this discussion becomes.
It's been interesting looking at the numbers, but the parish names are fascinating in their own right. For example, you'd probably not expect to see a church Our Lady of Czestochowa in South Boston (Sarah actually works with a woman who grew up in Southie who says that there is a small but strong Polish community among all the Irish). There are also two churches called Immaculate Conception in Cambridge, which to me suggests a formatting error (though a quick check of the Yahoo yellow pages leads me to think there are actually two different churches).
And for those of you keeping count, there are:
36 St. Marys (Assumption, Immaculate Conception, Magdalen, and so on)
23 Sacred Hearts
17 St. Johns (mostly Evangelist and Baptist, with some being neither and one Chrysostum)
8 St. Patricks
7 St. Francises (de Sales, Assissi, and Xavier)
7 St. Peters
7 of the various St. Thomases
5 St. Pauls (I'm not counting St. Vincent de Paul in Southie)
5 using some version of the phrase "Star of the Sea"
Matthew, Mark, and Luke only have one each, Gospels or no
Here in the Natick vicariate, the church we've been going to, St. Paul in Wellesley, is one of the larger churches in the area, and isn't going anywhere. St. James the Great, where we used to go, has numbers that are 2 to 3 times lower than the other two Wellesley churches (although their confirmation number isn't that much lower than St. Paul's, which is interesting). The good news for St. James is that one of Natick's three churches, Sacred Heart, didn't report an attendance figure and has sacrament numbers lower still (and no confirmations in 2003).
Speaking of churches named Sacred Heart, my home church is one of the smallest in its vicariate. We didn't report attendance, and sacrament numbers are small compared to the churches in Gloucester and Beverly. However, those towns each have four churches, and the ones with the lowest numbers are equal to or lower than Manchester's lone Catholic church.
These numbers aren't the end all and be all to this discussion, of course. There are financial considerations (cost to run versus donations), location relative to other parishes, and how these numbers trend from year to year. It'll be interesting to see how transparent this discussion becomes.
It's been interesting looking at the numbers, but the parish names are fascinating in their own right. For example, you'd probably not expect to see a church Our Lady of Czestochowa in South Boston (Sarah actually works with a woman who grew up in Southie who says that there is a small but strong Polish community among all the Irish). There are also two churches called Immaculate Conception in Cambridge, which to me suggests a formatting error (though a quick check of the Yahoo yellow pages leads me to think there are actually two different churches).
And for those of you keeping count, there are:
36 St. Marys (Assumption, Immaculate Conception, Magdalen, and so on)
23 Sacred Hearts
17 St. Johns (mostly Evangelist and Baptist, with some being neither and one Chrysostum)
8 St. Patricks
7 St. Francises (de Sales, Assissi, and Xavier)
7 St. Peters
7 of the various St. Thomases
5 St. Pauls (I'm not counting St. Vincent de Paul in Southie)
5 using some version of the phrase "Star of the Sea"
Matthew, Mark, and Luke only have one each, Gospels or no
While I would like to think that John Kerry isn't so clueless that he'd think he could get Botox injections in the middle of his high-profile resurgence, I will say that his forehead is looking less, well, furrowed. And his wife is a fan of the Botox. Maybe she got her guy to hit him up while he was asleep.
For whatever business acumen the male team on The Apprentice may have, they lack a certain level of common sense. Let's look back on the four week history of Versacorp:
Week one saw the men try to sell lemonade to empty streets. They had a good location - for rush hour. Setting up where one might find people, such as Central Park, Museum Row, Times Square, or even by Lincoln Center, didn't seem to occur to anyone. Sam's strategy of trying to sell a glass of lemonade for $1000 didn't help, but at that point in the game it didn't really hurt, either.
Week two presented the novel idea that you can sell a product or service without ever talking to the leadership of the company that provides said product or service. Then, after a pep talk from a major advertising exec about how they should "swing for the fences," the guys make a TV commercial with all the novelty and pop of local cable.
Week three proved that none of these guys know how to shop, as they try to haggle for items in boutiques and high-end spas. They were on the right track at first, but decided to blindly follow their project manager rather than, say, split up to cover both Chinatown and wherever they were supposed to go to buy gold. Given that the project manager was Sam, you could guess where this was going to end up.
Week four saw the guys try to run the Planet Hollywood in Times Square, but prove the only marketing strategy they could think of was the same time-honored plan used by strip clubs and nudie bars: stand outside and hustle passersby. Given that most folks know that your best profits come from the bar, you think they'd have considered a drink promotion or two.
And so it is now that Versacorp will be plowed under, as the ragtag survivors of that corporate train wreck are mixed in with the women. The women, of course, got the stern lecture from The Donald about the consequences of using sex to sell all the time, though it probably won't sink in until someone goes to jail.
Week one saw the men try to sell lemonade to empty streets. They had a good location - for rush hour. Setting up where one might find people, such as Central Park, Museum Row, Times Square, or even by Lincoln Center, didn't seem to occur to anyone. Sam's strategy of trying to sell a glass of lemonade for $1000 didn't help, but at that point in the game it didn't really hurt, either.
Week two presented the novel idea that you can sell a product or service without ever talking to the leadership of the company that provides said product or service. Then, after a pep talk from a major advertising exec about how they should "swing for the fences," the guys make a TV commercial with all the novelty and pop of local cable.
Week three proved that none of these guys know how to shop, as they try to haggle for items in boutiques and high-end spas. They were on the right track at first, but decided to blindly follow their project manager rather than, say, split up to cover both Chinatown and wherever they were supposed to go to buy gold. Given that the project manager was Sam, you could guess where this was going to end up.
Week four saw the guys try to run the Planet Hollywood in Times Square, but prove the only marketing strategy they could think of was the same time-honored plan used by strip clubs and nudie bars: stand outside and hustle passersby. Given that most folks know that your best profits come from the bar, you think they'd have considered a drink promotion or two.
And so it is now that Versacorp will be plowed under, as the ragtag survivors of that corporate train wreck are mixed in with the women. The women, of course, got the stern lecture from The Donald about the consequences of using sex to sell all the time, though it probably won't sink in until someone goes to jail.
29 January 2004
I was reading earlier that a judge ordered R. Kelly not to have contact with Michael Jackson at the Grammys next month. I'm not sure what he was most concerned about: that they'd trade notes, perform a duet, or make out a la Britney and Madonna.
The idea that Jacko will be at the Grammys is kind of interesting. I thought a low profile might make sense, but I guess going about with life as normal (or as normal as his life can get) suggests a lack of guilt.
On a more personal topic, if you've read Shawn's blog recently you know that yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the Info Blizzard, a BU Office of Residence Life training night whose initial edition included both of us on the planning committee. It was an interesting time, as it was kind of a combination old home week and return of the prodigal son. I've not done well in keeping up with former colleagues, and in some cases I saw people for the first time since I left BU in 2001.
Funnily enough, the first person I ran into was my old boss (who is still at BU but in a different capacity), and about three minutes later we ran into the other director from our area, who is now in charge. And as I chatted with various people I used to work with, I did feel a pang of remorse at my having left. Part of it was the familiarity of the situation, and part of it is the feeling that even though I've made a number of changes since leaving, in some ways I'm in the same place. I'm doing basically the same job, making basically the same money, and dealing with basically the same problems. Part of my decision to leave was based on doing something other than residence life, and I think that's still where I'm headed eventually. The question is how soon that eventuality happens.
The idea that Jacko will be at the Grammys is kind of interesting. I thought a low profile might make sense, but I guess going about with life as normal (or as normal as his life can get) suggests a lack of guilt.
On a more personal topic, if you've read Shawn's blog recently you know that yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the Info Blizzard, a BU Office of Residence Life training night whose initial edition included both of us on the planning committee. It was an interesting time, as it was kind of a combination old home week and return of the prodigal son. I've not done well in keeping up with former colleagues, and in some cases I saw people for the first time since I left BU in 2001.
Funnily enough, the first person I ran into was my old boss (who is still at BU but in a different capacity), and about three minutes later we ran into the other director from our area, who is now in charge. And as I chatted with various people I used to work with, I did feel a pang of remorse at my having left. Part of it was the familiarity of the situation, and part of it is the feeling that even though I've made a number of changes since leaving, in some ways I'm in the same place. I'm doing basically the same job, making basically the same money, and dealing with basically the same problems. Part of my decision to leave was based on doing something other than residence life, and I think that's still where I'm headed eventually. The question is how soon that eventuality happens.
28 January 2004
I don't have too much to add to all the punditry over yesterday's New Hampshire primary, though in good Craig Barker form here's my thoughts on candidate momentum in five words:
John Kerry - In front, not nominee yet.
Howard Dean - Needs a win very badly.
John Edwards - Sneaky momentum going to Carolina.
Wes Clark - Back if lands Arizona, Oklahoma
Joe Leiberman - Denial isn't just a river...
Dennis Kucinich - Any momentum would be nice.
Al Sharpton - South Carolina, Super Tuesday spoiler?
I was thinking earlier today that Howard Dean, who took some heat for his description of the "NASCAR voter," still could be a threat by implementing a NASCAR-type strategy of consistency. I don't know if he could win the nomination by continuing to finish second, but thrown in with a win here or there things could get interesting. It's just looking less likely he'll get a win. You think he could have talked the folks in Vermont into holding their primary before Super Tuesday; as it's in there with the likes of California, New York, and Ohio, Vermont's going to get lost in the shuffle.
In a related note, I find it kind of funny that Puerto Rico is not only having a GOP primary, but they're having it on February 29th. This means something, though I'm not sure what.
In an unrelated note, I have very little to say about the Oscar nods, as I've only seen the Lord of the Rings movie. I used to do much better at seeing at least all the best picture nominees, though the last year I actually managed this was 1997. I saw all but The Cider House Rules in 1999 (which is odd, as I really liked the book, but I may have been scared off by other poor John Irving adaptations - I'm looking at you, Simon Birch). I saw three of the 2001 nominees (Gladiator, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Traffic), just A Beautiful Mind and LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring for 2002, and just Chicago and LOTR: The Two Towers last year.
I am still owed seeing Master and Commander from going to Love, Actually, and I think local ordinance will require me to see Mystic River. Sarah's dad has Seabiscuit on DVD, which isn't the same as the theater but may have to suffice. They actually showed Lost in Translation on campus last weekend when we were away, though I think it's still playing around here somewhere.
On the flipside, I will whole-heartedly agree with Greg's analysis of the Razzies. I was a voting member for a couple of years, and can confirm that the awards seem much more focused on going after the expected targets and less after true cinematic badness. Not that they don't find badness in their usual targets, it just gets old quick.
To that end, I had considered starting something called the Love is Nice Awards (after an episode of The Simpsons where the new genius Homer goes to see a movie called Love is Nice and notices the plot holes and pointlessness of it all) to recognize Hollywood's most mundane/least essential movies, but I figured I didn't have the time. It may make an appearance anyway, just as something I do unilaterally rather than call for votes and such.
John Kerry - In front, not nominee yet.
Howard Dean - Needs a win very badly.
John Edwards - Sneaky momentum going to Carolina.
Wes Clark - Back if lands Arizona, Oklahoma
Joe Leiberman - Denial isn't just a river...
Dennis Kucinich - Any momentum would be nice.
Al Sharpton - South Carolina, Super Tuesday spoiler?
I was thinking earlier today that Howard Dean, who took some heat for his description of the "NASCAR voter," still could be a threat by implementing a NASCAR-type strategy of consistency. I don't know if he could win the nomination by continuing to finish second, but thrown in with a win here or there things could get interesting. It's just looking less likely he'll get a win. You think he could have talked the folks in Vermont into holding their primary before Super Tuesday; as it's in there with the likes of California, New York, and Ohio, Vermont's going to get lost in the shuffle.
In a related note, I find it kind of funny that Puerto Rico is not only having a GOP primary, but they're having it on February 29th. This means something, though I'm not sure what.
In an unrelated note, I have very little to say about the Oscar nods, as I've only seen the Lord of the Rings movie. I used to do much better at seeing at least all the best picture nominees, though the last year I actually managed this was 1997. I saw all but The Cider House Rules in 1999 (which is odd, as I really liked the book, but I may have been scared off by other poor John Irving adaptations - I'm looking at you, Simon Birch). I saw three of the 2001 nominees (Gladiator, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Traffic), just A Beautiful Mind and LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring for 2002, and just Chicago and LOTR: The Two Towers last year.
I am still owed seeing Master and Commander from going to Love, Actually, and I think local ordinance will require me to see Mystic River. Sarah's dad has Seabiscuit on DVD, which isn't the same as the theater but may have to suffice. They actually showed Lost in Translation on campus last weekend when we were away, though I think it's still playing around here somewhere.
On the flipside, I will whole-heartedly agree with Greg's analysis of the Razzies. I was a voting member for a couple of years, and can confirm that the awards seem much more focused on going after the expected targets and less after true cinematic badness. Not that they don't find badness in their usual targets, it just gets old quick.
To that end, I had considered starting something called the Love is Nice Awards (after an episode of The Simpsons where the new genius Homer goes to see a movie called Love is Nice and notices the plot holes and pointlessness of it all) to recognize Hollywood's most mundane/least essential movies, but I figured I didn't have the time. It may make an appearance anyway, just as something I do unilaterally rather than call for votes and such.
27 January 2004
As a postscript to this morning's early voting, it appears that Hart's Location may not be the interloper on the midnight balloting tradition that I thought.
Locals claim that Hart's Location started the early voting in 1948, given the number of residents who worked for the railroads who couldn't vote during usual polling times. They stopped doing it in the '60s because they were tired of the publicity (which seems like an unusual reason in these media-saturated times), but brought it back in 1996.
Not that it really matters, I suppose. It's just one of those things I find more interesting than it probably is.
Locals claim that Hart's Location started the early voting in 1948, given the number of residents who worked for the railroads who couldn't vote during usual polling times. They stopped doing it in the '60s because they were tired of the publicity (which seems like an unusual reason in these media-saturated times), but brought it back in 1996.
Not that it really matters, I suppose. It's just one of those things I find more interesting than it probably is.
For those of you who didn't stay up for the early-morning votes, I've got you covered.
Wesley Clark won in Dixville Notch with 8 votes, which is one more than all his opponents combined. Kerry had 3, Edwards 2, and Leiberman and Dean tied with one each. There was a pretty good crowd on hand - for the 20something voters in the town, there were at least five times as many on hand from the press and various campaigns. Ironically - given his vote total - there were two guys in the crowd wearing Dean t-shirts.
And as the only candidate to make the trip, Wes Clark showed up to make some comments after the totals were given. Not that I could tell you much of what he said, given CSPAN's cracker jack coverage. They seemed to have a stationary camera and a shoulder camera, with no audio feed outside of whatever microphones are on the cameras. They also had lousy locations, to the point where a guy who raised his hand to ask Clark a question blocked the mobile camera's view entirely.
They also had someone phone in results from Hart's Location (still trying to get a piece of the early voting pie), and they had similar results, though with less of a spread. Though I did notice that Leiberman didn't get any votes here, while there was one write in. That's got to make him feel good.
I should note for completeness sake that Bush won the Republican primary in both towns with 100 percent of the votes.
All in all a very satisfactory exercise of the franchise, which will descend into the morass tomorrow with all the vote grubbing and exit polling and such.
Wesley Clark won in Dixville Notch with 8 votes, which is one more than all his opponents combined. Kerry had 3, Edwards 2, and Leiberman and Dean tied with one each. There was a pretty good crowd on hand - for the 20something voters in the town, there were at least five times as many on hand from the press and various campaigns. Ironically - given his vote total - there were two guys in the crowd wearing Dean t-shirts.
And as the only candidate to make the trip, Wes Clark showed up to make some comments after the totals were given. Not that I could tell you much of what he said, given CSPAN's cracker jack coverage. They seemed to have a stationary camera and a shoulder camera, with no audio feed outside of whatever microphones are on the cameras. They also had lousy locations, to the point where a guy who raised his hand to ask Clark a question blocked the mobile camera's view entirely.
They also had someone phone in results from Hart's Location (still trying to get a piece of the early voting pie), and they had similar results, though with less of a spread. Though I did notice that Leiberman didn't get any votes here, while there was one write in. That's got to make him feel good.
I should note for completeness sake that Bush won the Republican primary in both towns with 100 percent of the votes.
All in all a very satisfactory exercise of the franchise, which will descend into the morass tomorrow with all the vote grubbing and exit polling and such.
26 January 2004
For those of you looking for a little democracy in action, tune in to CSPAN at midnight tonight (or tomorrow morning, depending on your semantic preference) to see live coverage of the voting in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. Dixville Notch is the traditional first town to vote in New Hampshire's presidential primaries and general elections. Others have tried to horn in on the act (Hart's Location, for example), but this year it appears Dixville Notch has the spotlight to themselves.
An added wrinkle this year is that the resident who has cast the first vote over the last 40 years, Neil Tilotson, passed away in 2001. There's going to be a lottery to decide who gets to assume that honor. No word on if that'll be televised.
And before anyone starts to read too much into whatever results come from the town, Bill Bradley won the 2000 Democratic primary. Of course, Bush won on the Republican side, so feel free to spin away.
An added wrinkle this year is that the resident who has cast the first vote over the last 40 years, Neil Tilotson, passed away in 2001. There's going to be a lottery to decide who gets to assume that honor. No word on if that'll be televised.
And before anyone starts to read too much into whatever results come from the town, Bill Bradley won the 2000 Democratic primary. Of course, Bush won on the Republican side, so feel free to spin away.
Notes from the weekend:
Went to Penn Bowl Me and the missus went to Penn Bowl, a large (perhaps too large) college bowl tournament held at UPenn. Sarah went because she had to chaperone the BU team (all three people!), I went in the name of marital solidarity. For those of you who've been before, it was Penn Bowl. You know what that means. For everyone else, you're not missing much.
Golden Globes We didn't watch them. I don't particularly care for them, as even for awards they're silly. You may also want to read this TV Barn piece which further lowered my interest in them (sadly I don't get Trio any more - I used to when I had the dish - so I've not seen the special mentioned in the article). If you want a recap, go click on Shawn or John.
Holy rabble rousing, Batman! Church was unusually political, as the priest took the occasion to speak out against this whole gay marriage thing. I was less than impressed with the moralistic end of the argument, as the priest went slippery slope on us and said the current ruling would eventually allow for group marriages, etc. He also actually read the dictionary definition of marriage - right from the dictionary! It was like bad high school debate at times.
I have a little more sympathy for the other argument made, that the court was unduly acting in a legislative capacity, and that the timeline to allow gay marriage is too short. I tend to think that more time would be better (perhaps a year rather than six months), though I know in the Church's case they want more time to fight the ruling.
All in all it was hard to tell how it went over with the congregation as a whole. No one walked out (as had happened the first time the subject came up last year), but I did see a couple people stiff the first collection, whose money goes to support the parish. I'm sure we'll hear more about this as we go, which will be even less comfortable for me. Sometimes it's hard being a heretic.
That's the highlights for the weekend, sad to say. I didn't even get to see BU's 1-0 hockey triumph over Maine, which combined a big win and brawling. Damn!
Went to Penn Bowl Me and the missus went to Penn Bowl, a large (perhaps too large) college bowl tournament held at UPenn. Sarah went because she had to chaperone the BU team (all three people!), I went in the name of marital solidarity. For those of you who've been before, it was Penn Bowl. You know what that means. For everyone else, you're not missing much.
Golden Globes We didn't watch them. I don't particularly care for them, as even for awards they're silly. You may also want to read this TV Barn piece which further lowered my interest in them (sadly I don't get Trio any more - I used to when I had the dish - so I've not seen the special mentioned in the article). If you want a recap, go click on Shawn or John.
Holy rabble rousing, Batman! Church was unusually political, as the priest took the occasion to speak out against this whole gay marriage thing. I was less than impressed with the moralistic end of the argument, as the priest went slippery slope on us and said the current ruling would eventually allow for group marriages, etc. He also actually read the dictionary definition of marriage - right from the dictionary! It was like bad high school debate at times.
I have a little more sympathy for the other argument made, that the court was unduly acting in a legislative capacity, and that the timeline to allow gay marriage is too short. I tend to think that more time would be better (perhaps a year rather than six months), though I know in the Church's case they want more time to fight the ruling.
All in all it was hard to tell how it went over with the congregation as a whole. No one walked out (as had happened the first time the subject came up last year), but I did see a couple people stiff the first collection, whose money goes to support the parish. I'm sure we'll hear more about this as we go, which will be even less comfortable for me. Sometimes it's hard being a heretic.
That's the highlights for the weekend, sad to say. I didn't even get to see BU's 1-0 hockey triumph over Maine, which combined a big win and brawling. Damn!
22 January 2004
Two things I've been pondering in the aftermath of the Iowa caucuses.
1. The "power" of the union vote. Dick Gephardt and Howard Dean both went into Iowa with the lion's share of union backing, with Gephardt having more of the traditional labor backing. They both fall, Gephardt to the point of dropping out of the race. Inasmuch as the labor vote was ever a monolith (kind of like any of the racial or gender-based voting blocs that are always mentioned as if they're an offshoot of the Borg), it's not now.
You could see this coming a little bit in 2000, when W was able to fracture West Virginia's usually strong pro-Dems union vote by campaining heavily on the theme that Gore was going to take everyone's guns away (among other things; this was the angle that most stood out to me at the time).
Speaking of 2000...
2. Bill Bradley + four years = Howard Dean? While the power of the Internet is one of the major stories from the Dean campaign, Bill Bradley should get the real credit for melding electoral politics and on-line support. Dean's been able to get more mileage out of it given some of the new tools, like blogging, Meetup, etc.
This similarity is playing itself out a little in results, as Bradley (like Dean?) peaked too early. Bradley never recovered. I don't think it's necessarily that dire for Dean, but it's not looking good. It's probably too early to say it's a trend, but clearly heavy reliance on the Internet is only taking candidates so far. It may be that each successive election will take the Internet candidate a little farther, though I think demographics may be what ultimately allows the Internet candidate to succeed (unless our gains in health care mean that we have a bump of elderly baby boomers who will vote but not use a computer when they are 110).
While I am nowhere near ready to say I've made up my mind, I find that my thinking is beginning to look eerily like the Bruce's where the Democratic presidential candidates are concerned. It's mostly based on gut feeling and news reports, which strikes me as sub-optimal. Were I to rank them today, it'd probably be like this:
1. Edwards, more for his optimism and a hoped-for ability to attract southern voters.
2. Dean, though he may have moved from "good crazy" to "too crazy".
3. Clark, but his "junior officer" comments aimed at Kerry make Clark seem like the most insecure general ever. He's also been getting help from some of Clinton's folks, and I'd like to avoid bringing them back.
4. Kerry, mostly for being the local fave.
5. Kucinich, who may take the "good crazy" mantle from Dean. He'd actually be an interesting Green Party candidate.
6. Lieberman, who I've never really cottoned to. My boss is a Connecticut native and Dem, and she doesn't like him. And he was Gore's running mate. Strike three.
7. Sharpton, I mean, really. I fear that he may wind up as the Green Party candidate.
1. The "power" of the union vote. Dick Gephardt and Howard Dean both went into Iowa with the lion's share of union backing, with Gephardt having more of the traditional labor backing. They both fall, Gephardt to the point of dropping out of the race. Inasmuch as the labor vote was ever a monolith (kind of like any of the racial or gender-based voting blocs that are always mentioned as if they're an offshoot of the Borg), it's not now.
You could see this coming a little bit in 2000, when W was able to fracture West Virginia's usually strong pro-Dems union vote by campaining heavily on the theme that Gore was going to take everyone's guns away (among other things; this was the angle that most stood out to me at the time).
Speaking of 2000...
2. Bill Bradley + four years = Howard Dean? While the power of the Internet is one of the major stories from the Dean campaign, Bill Bradley should get the real credit for melding electoral politics and on-line support. Dean's been able to get more mileage out of it given some of the new tools, like blogging, Meetup, etc.
This similarity is playing itself out a little in results, as Bradley (like Dean?) peaked too early. Bradley never recovered. I don't think it's necessarily that dire for Dean, but it's not looking good. It's probably too early to say it's a trend, but clearly heavy reliance on the Internet is only taking candidates so far. It may be that each successive election will take the Internet candidate a little farther, though I think demographics may be what ultimately allows the Internet candidate to succeed (unless our gains in health care mean that we have a bump of elderly baby boomers who will vote but not use a computer when they are 110).
While I am nowhere near ready to say I've made up my mind, I find that my thinking is beginning to look eerily like the Bruce's where the Democratic presidential candidates are concerned. It's mostly based on gut feeling and news reports, which strikes me as sub-optimal. Were I to rank them today, it'd probably be like this:
1. Edwards, more for his optimism and a hoped-for ability to attract southern voters.
2. Dean, though he may have moved from "good crazy" to "too crazy".
3. Clark, but his "junior officer" comments aimed at Kerry make Clark seem like the most insecure general ever. He's also been getting help from some of Clinton's folks, and I'd like to avoid bringing them back.
4. Kerry, mostly for being the local fave.
5. Kucinich, who may take the "good crazy" mantle from Dean. He'd actually be an interesting Green Party candidate.
6. Lieberman, who I've never really cottoned to. My boss is a Connecticut native and Dem, and she doesn't like him. And he was Gore's running mate. Strike three.
7. Sharpton, I mean, really. I fear that he may wind up as the Green Party candidate.
21 January 2004
With all the concerns, be they alarmist or otherwise, that cell phones cause bad things to happen in your head, does a model that transmits sound through bone seem like the best idea?
There's a Japanese company that's selling just such a model, intended for use where noise makes traditional cell phones difficult to use. You apparently hold the phone to your forehead, and a port on the phone transmits a signal that the skull bones transmit to the cochlea. You plug an ear, and you can hear the call.
Apparently the technology is already in use in Japan in standard phones, and are popular with the elderly as they can hear the "bone phone" better. I think I'd opt for the TTD/TTY, thanks.
There's a Japanese company that's selling just such a model, intended for use where noise makes traditional cell phones difficult to use. You apparently hold the phone to your forehead, and a port on the phone transmits a signal that the skull bones transmit to the cochlea. You plug an ear, and you can hear the call.
Apparently the technology is already in use in Japan in standard phones, and are popular with the elderly as they can hear the "bone phone" better. I think I'd opt for the TTD/TTY, thanks.
As much as I hate to admit it, I find that I am now actively watching three reality shows. As if the cell phone wasn't making me feel like enough of a sell out.
But if I'm going to sell out, I might as well do so full-bore. Call it the Max Power path to destroying the soul.
American Idol is back, with three episodes this week following our intrepid band of judges and host Ryan Seacrest from town to town looking for young people who can sing. I've only seen parts of the two episodes shown so far, but that's enough for me to safely say that looking for young people who can sing is more difficult than it sounds. It's apparently going to get harder tonight when the show moves on to Houston. And, as is often required, as the talent drops the emotions spike. Houston is apparently chock-a-block full of tone deaf drama queens.
I don't get the sense that the producers are trying to build up any contestants too much yet. The Hollywood portion of things will start to set that up, I'm sure.
Over on America's Next Top Model, the consensus (well, a consensus of three) is that this year's group isn't quite as attractive as last year's group. They're hardly bowsers, but there are a lot more "striking" women.
There's also a lot more drama this year than last, as there's more one on one tension than last year's factionalism. Camille is shaping up to be this season's Robin, at least based on drama. There seems to have been an early assault on plus size women, as the only contestant classified as such went out in week one (though it was more for refusing to do a shoot and not being able to articulate why than anything else), and the contestant most noted for having large boobs went out last night. Given how much time they spent going on about Elyse's suspected eating disorder last season, you'd think they'd want the curvier women around longer.
And, of course, there's a new episode of The Apprentice on tonight. Sam will put his snake-oil salesmanship on the line as project manager (at least that's what I get from the promo), so I'm going to predict that the men will finally win a competition and the women will get to pare down their roster.
Unrelated to TV, kudos to former BU Ice Dog Carl Corazzini on his first two goals a NHLer, both coming in a 4-1 Bruins win over the Rangers.
But if I'm going to sell out, I might as well do so full-bore. Call it the Max Power path to destroying the soul.
American Idol is back, with three episodes this week following our intrepid band of judges and host Ryan Seacrest from town to town looking for young people who can sing. I've only seen parts of the two episodes shown so far, but that's enough for me to safely say that looking for young people who can sing is more difficult than it sounds. It's apparently going to get harder tonight when the show moves on to Houston. And, as is often required, as the talent drops the emotions spike. Houston is apparently chock-a-block full of tone deaf drama queens.
I don't get the sense that the producers are trying to build up any contestants too much yet. The Hollywood portion of things will start to set that up, I'm sure.
Over on America's Next Top Model, the consensus (well, a consensus of three) is that this year's group isn't quite as attractive as last year's group. They're hardly bowsers, but there are a lot more "striking" women.
There's also a lot more drama this year than last, as there's more one on one tension than last year's factionalism. Camille is shaping up to be this season's Robin, at least based on drama. There seems to have been an early assault on plus size women, as the only contestant classified as such went out in week one (though it was more for refusing to do a shoot and not being able to articulate why than anything else), and the contestant most noted for having large boobs went out last night. Given how much time they spent going on about Elyse's suspected eating disorder last season, you'd think they'd want the curvier women around longer.
And, of course, there's a new episode of The Apprentice on tonight. Sam will put his snake-oil salesmanship on the line as project manager (at least that's what I get from the promo), so I'm going to predict that the men will finally win a competition and the women will get to pare down their roster.
Unrelated to TV, kudos to former BU Ice Dog Carl Corazzini on his first two goals a NHLer, both coming in a 4-1 Bruins win over the Rangers.
19 January 2004
So I was a little off in my prediction as to the next candidate to drop in the Democratic primaries, due primarily to my missing that Joe Lieberman wasn't campaigning in Iowa, explaining why I didn't hear him mentioned much in pre-caucus discussion (I can only plead a mix of ignorance and temporary insanity).
Dick Gephardt will apparently take the collar instead after his surprising fourth-place tumble, not even bothering to go to New Hampshire.
I'll be very interested to see how John Edwards' close second place finish translates up here, though I don't know if he'll get out of single digits in a race with three New Englanders and Wes Clark, who would have to file New Hampshire state income tax for 2003 if they had such a thing.
Not that any of this means that much right now, what with the Pats in the Super Bowl and all. Woo hoo!
Dick Gephardt will apparently take the collar instead after his surprising fourth-place tumble, not even bothering to go to New Hampshire.
I'll be very interested to see how John Edwards' close second place finish translates up here, though I don't know if he'll get out of single digits in a race with three New Englanders and Wes Clark, who would have to file New Hampshire state income tax for 2003 if they had such a thing.
Not that any of this means that much right now, what with the Pats in the Super Bowl and all. Woo hoo!
16 January 2004
I was going to post about yesterday's episode of The Apprentice, but I wound up writing most of what I was going to say in a comment over on the Bruce's blog. Go read that - after you finish here.
What I am going to write about is another reason why I picked the right woman to marry (not that there was any doubt). I was going down to Providence today to look over a college bowl tournament site, and went to the ATM to get money for the train ticket, when I discovered I didn't have my wallet. It was where I'd left it - in my desk drawer at work, where it is 99 percent of the time I leave it somewhere other than its designated coat pocket.
I had nothing - my ATM card, credit cards, even a calling card, were all in the wallet. I had my Babson ID, which was pretty much useless. The $1.25 I had to take the T over to South Station was all the money I had on me.
Thankfully, I was able to make a collect call to Sarah's office, and even more thankfully a co-worker of her's that I know answered.
(For those of you wondering where my new cell phone was, it was sleeping peacefully in a bag at home. I'd realized I'd forgotten it when we were already driving into Boston, and figured I wouldn't need it. I also turned down Sarah's offer to take hers, saying I didn't know who I'd be calling. Double oops.)
So what does Sarah do to help me in my hour of need? She gets on the T, takes out some money for me, gives me her ATM card just in case, and then gets back on the T to go to work. Does she rock or what?
And as it turned out, I wasn't the most screwed person on the train. Providence is the last stop on the line I took down, and as I was getting my things, a guy sitting diagonally across the aisle from me looked around plaintively and asked those of us still in earshot, "Doesn't this train make a stop at Worcester?"
For those of you who don't know the geography: Providence is an hour due south of Boston. Worcester is an hour due west. Suffice it to say the guy was screwed if he needed to be in Worcester any time before, say, 5 pm (it was 1 pm or so when we pulled in).
In any case, the meeting went well, and I got a chance to wander around the Providence Place Mall, which is amazing. I think it's cool, and I don't even like malls. The train station is also directly across the street from the Rhode Island state house, so I got a much better look at it than I normally do from 95. I think I unfairly diss it in Mark Across America, though I still like the greater simplicity of Maine's capitol building better.
Sarah and I then ate dinner out, and came back in time to tune into the BU-BC hockey game and see that we were losing 3-1 and yanking Sean Fields for the second game in a row. We did tune in later, just in time to see us go down 5-1. At this point, I'll just be happy to make the Hockey East playoffs, home ice be damned.
What I am going to write about is another reason why I picked the right woman to marry (not that there was any doubt). I was going down to Providence today to look over a college bowl tournament site, and went to the ATM to get money for the train ticket, when I discovered I didn't have my wallet. It was where I'd left it - in my desk drawer at work, where it is 99 percent of the time I leave it somewhere other than its designated coat pocket.
I had nothing - my ATM card, credit cards, even a calling card, were all in the wallet. I had my Babson ID, which was pretty much useless. The $1.25 I had to take the T over to South Station was all the money I had on me.
Thankfully, I was able to make a collect call to Sarah's office, and even more thankfully a co-worker of her's that I know answered.
(For those of you wondering where my new cell phone was, it was sleeping peacefully in a bag at home. I'd realized I'd forgotten it when we were already driving into Boston, and figured I wouldn't need it. I also turned down Sarah's offer to take hers, saying I didn't know who I'd be calling. Double oops.)
So what does Sarah do to help me in my hour of need? She gets on the T, takes out some money for me, gives me her ATM card just in case, and then gets back on the T to go to work. Does she rock or what?
And as it turned out, I wasn't the most screwed person on the train. Providence is the last stop on the line I took down, and as I was getting my things, a guy sitting diagonally across the aisle from me looked around plaintively and asked those of us still in earshot, "Doesn't this train make a stop at Worcester?"
For those of you who don't know the geography: Providence is an hour due south of Boston. Worcester is an hour due west. Suffice it to say the guy was screwed if he needed to be in Worcester any time before, say, 5 pm (it was 1 pm or so when we pulled in).
In any case, the meeting went well, and I got a chance to wander around the Providence Place Mall, which is amazing. I think it's cool, and I don't even like malls. The train station is also directly across the street from the Rhode Island state house, so I got a much better look at it than I normally do from 95. I think I unfairly diss it in Mark Across America, though I still like the greater simplicity of Maine's capitol building better.
Sarah and I then ate dinner out, and came back in time to tune into the BU-BC hockey game and see that we were losing 3-1 and yanking Sean Fields for the second game in a row. We did tune in later, just in time to see us go down 5-1. At this point, I'll just be happy to make the Hockey East playoffs, home ice be damned.
15 January 2004
I like space. As I mentioned back when we lost the space shuttle Columbia, it's always been an interest. So you'd think I'd be happy with all this talk about going back to the moon and to Mars. But I'm not, really. I can't escape the feeling that it's election year BS that'll fade to black sometime around January 20, 2005. Even if W gets re-elected.
It's not that we shouldn't go back. We should. And I know it's going to be expensive. How can't it be, given that we have to come up with all new stuff to go back? But I'd be a lot more comfortable with the expense and the hoopla if it didn't seem like the whole plan is another way to keep W in the news in a positive light and provide some sort of "vision."
I would be much less cynical if the announcement was a little less over the top. I mean, a permanent return to the moon is pretty big in and of itself, even without the Mars talk.
And while it seems like the cost for most of this is coming from existing programs, there's still going to be a cost involved. Which means more spending, which is an unusual follow-up to tax cuts. Unless you've got a lot of stock in an aerospace firm, or have friends in the industry.
There's also part of me that thinks we're trying to get back to the moon before the Chinese, who are looking to get into space in a big way. I suppose they can use the room.
In other news, I can't say that Carol Moseley-Braun's decision to drop her Presidential bid and back Howard Dean does much for me. There's a funny picture on CNN right now that show her at a podium, with Dean in the background clapping and looking kind of peeved.
While it's nice to see the herd thin out, it'd be better to see a larger name drop out. Between Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, my vote to drop is Joe Lieberman. He's not going to be a factor in Iowa (he'll finish fifth, at best), isn't looking to do much in New Hampshire (where he could take fourth place, as long as neither Gephardt or Edwards get a bump from Iowa), and I'm not sure if any of the February 3 states are going to help him. I suppose he may try to hold out until Super Tuesday, when most of New England and the mid-Atlantic states vote. Good luck to him.
It's not that we shouldn't go back. We should. And I know it's going to be expensive. How can't it be, given that we have to come up with all new stuff to go back? But I'd be a lot more comfortable with the expense and the hoopla if it didn't seem like the whole plan is another way to keep W in the news in a positive light and provide some sort of "vision."
I would be much less cynical if the announcement was a little less over the top. I mean, a permanent return to the moon is pretty big in and of itself, even without the Mars talk.
And while it seems like the cost for most of this is coming from existing programs, there's still going to be a cost involved. Which means more spending, which is an unusual follow-up to tax cuts. Unless you've got a lot of stock in an aerospace firm, or have friends in the industry.
There's also part of me that thinks we're trying to get back to the moon before the Chinese, who are looking to get into space in a big way. I suppose they can use the room.
In other news, I can't say that Carol Moseley-Braun's decision to drop her Presidential bid and back Howard Dean does much for me. There's a funny picture on CNN right now that show her at a podium, with Dean in the background clapping and looking kind of peeved.
While it's nice to see the herd thin out, it'd be better to see a larger name drop out. Between Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, my vote to drop is Joe Lieberman. He's not going to be a factor in Iowa (he'll finish fifth, at best), isn't looking to do much in New Hampshire (where he could take fourth place, as long as neither Gephardt or Edwards get a bump from Iowa), and I'm not sure if any of the February 3 states are going to help him. I suppose he may try to hold out until Super Tuesday, when most of New England and the mid-Atlantic states vote. Good luck to him.
13 January 2004
I've been looking at the world a little differently recently. Why, you ask?
I now wear glasses.
Friends and colleagues will tell you in no uncertain terms that this is a long time coming. From a diminishing ability to read signs to the near-permanent squint I've adopted when using the computer, the signs that I needed some sort of eyewear were pretty obvious. But, in true procrastinatory fashion, I didn't get around to getting things checked out. At least not until my wife dragged me into the optometrist.
I got to read eye charts, pick out numbers from their differently-colored backgrounds, and even did some sort of 3D test where I had to pick out which circle of a group of three appeared raised. We did the air puff glaucoma test (which wasn't as bad as some have made it out to be), and some other stuff, too. Finally, I got into the chair and played the "which is clearer?" game.
When all was said and done, the doc said I had an astygmatism, which he described as my eye being shaped more like a football and less like a baseball. I'm also apparently slightly nearsighted (I think; I can't remember which -sighted it was). Nothing too out of hand, but still worthy of glasses.
So it was off to Lenscrafters to pick out frames and such. I actually found a pair pretty quickly, something like the second or third pair I tried on. I was angling for Drew Carey-type black rims, but the wife wasn't buying any of it. In any event, I'm told by various people that they look good, they don't make me look different, they make me look smarter, and that they make me look younger. Heck, I would have gotten glasses years ago if I knew they could do all that!
Anyway, the good news is that print appears much sharper now than it had in the past. The bad news is that the lenses distort how objects look. Not too badly, but as long as I'm wearing these things my monitor will never look the same again.
I now wear glasses.
Friends and colleagues will tell you in no uncertain terms that this is a long time coming. From a diminishing ability to read signs to the near-permanent squint I've adopted when using the computer, the signs that I needed some sort of eyewear were pretty obvious. But, in true procrastinatory fashion, I didn't get around to getting things checked out. At least not until my wife dragged me into the optometrist.
I got to read eye charts, pick out numbers from their differently-colored backgrounds, and even did some sort of 3D test where I had to pick out which circle of a group of three appeared raised. We did the air puff glaucoma test (which wasn't as bad as some have made it out to be), and some other stuff, too. Finally, I got into the chair and played the "which is clearer?" game.
When all was said and done, the doc said I had an astygmatism, which he described as my eye being shaped more like a football and less like a baseball. I'm also apparently slightly nearsighted (I think; I can't remember which -sighted it was). Nothing too out of hand, but still worthy of glasses.
So it was off to Lenscrafters to pick out frames and such. I actually found a pair pretty quickly, something like the second or third pair I tried on. I was angling for Drew Carey-type black rims, but the wife wasn't buying any of it. In any event, I'm told by various people that they look good, they don't make me look different, they make me look smarter, and that they make me look younger. Heck, I would have gotten glasses years ago if I knew they could do all that!
Anyway, the good news is that print appears much sharper now than it had in the past. The bad news is that the lenses distort how objects look. Not too badly, but as long as I'm wearing these things my monitor will never look the same again.
12 January 2004
Mike Burger wrote with some clarifications regarding college hockey conferences, filling in the knowledge gaps. Two things of note from him:
1. Splitting up the Alaska teams was purposeful, as schools didn't want to make two trips to Alaska each season. For the CCHA, teams make 3 trips to Alaska in a 5 year period (outside of Nebraska-Omaha, who goes every year). Games don't count against game total, much as when a football team travels to play Hawaii at home.
2. CHA is mostly leftover programs from when division II hockey got shut down (which I should have known, looking at the membership). Mike thinks Robert Morris joining CHA and things standing pat is most likely (that jibes with most of what's out there) or that the ECAC will poach from Atlantic Hockey, Atlantic Hockey will poach from CHA, leaving leftover teams (like Air Force or Bemidji) out in the cold, so to speak.
1. Splitting up the Alaska teams was purposeful, as schools didn't want to make two trips to Alaska each season. For the CCHA, teams make 3 trips to Alaska in a 5 year period (outside of Nebraska-Omaha, who goes every year). Games don't count against game total, much as when a football team travels to play Hawaii at home.
2. CHA is mostly leftover programs from when division II hockey got shut down (which I should have known, looking at the membership). Mike thinks Robert Morris joining CHA and things standing pat is most likely (that jibes with most of what's out there) or that the ECAC will poach from Atlantic Hockey, Atlantic Hockey will poach from CHA, leaving leftover teams (like Air Force or Bemidji) out in the cold, so to speak.
I missed Paul O'Neill's 60 Minutes appearance tonight (admittedly, I got caught up in the Eagles-Packers game), but there was something about the White House's first response to this whole thing that's been bothering me.
The quote, from White House spokesman Scott McClellan:
"It appears that the world according to Mr. O'Neill is more about trying to justify his own opinions than looking at the reality of the results we are achieving on behalf of the American people." (emphasis mine)
It's probably been noted by others, but to me this pretty much says the official White House position is that the ends justified the means. Which makes me think it less likely that O'Neill is talking out of his hat.
I know you can't exactly say during a campaign "If elected, I plan on invading Iraq no later than March 2003," but it does strike me that he could have at least mentioned his interest in using the military to force regime changes. I think there are a few people who would have thought about their vote a litte more, if not differently (both for and against him).
The quote, from White House spokesman Scott McClellan:
"It appears that the world according to Mr. O'Neill is more about trying to justify his own opinions than looking at the reality of the results we are achieving on behalf of the American people." (emphasis mine)
It's probably been noted by others, but to me this pretty much says the official White House position is that the ends justified the means. Which makes me think it less likely that O'Neill is talking out of his hat.
I know you can't exactly say during a campaign "If elected, I plan on invading Iraq no later than March 2003," but it does strike me that he could have at least mentioned his interest in using the military to force regime changes. I think there are a few people who would have thought about their vote a litte more, if not differently (both for and against him).
11 January 2004
I had two things happen to me at church today that had never happned before.
I got left hanging when giving the sign of peace. At one point in the Mass, parishoners give each other a sign of peace, usually a handshake or a wave and/or nod if you're not in handshake range.
We had a woman sitting right in front of me, and after Sarah and I gave each other the sign, the woman and I exchanged little nods while I extended my hand. There was no hand in return. Suffice it to say I wasn't thinking the most peaceful thoughts after that.
I had a family cut in line for communion. This turned out to be less of an affront than I thought. The family was just trying to get back to their pew, and the side area of the church we were in has a very narrow aisle.
There was a third thing that I'd not seen (or, more accurately, heard) before, and this was a letter from Archbishop Sean O'Malley prepping us for the coming "reconfiguration" of the diocese, which will include the closing of several parishes. While the sex abuse scandal is a definite factor, I think this would have happened at some level anyways. Between the drop in church attendance and the rising costs of running parishes, some consolidation is inevitable. Part of the letter today noted that to get all the church property in Boston alone up to code would cost $140 million.
No announcements yet as to who's going to shut down, but my guess is that you'll see a bunch of closings in Boston, in part due to changing demographics and part due to the value of property in the city. We'll see.
I got left hanging when giving the sign of peace. At one point in the Mass, parishoners give each other a sign of peace, usually a handshake or a wave and/or nod if you're not in handshake range.
We had a woman sitting right in front of me, and after Sarah and I gave each other the sign, the woman and I exchanged little nods while I extended my hand. There was no hand in return. Suffice it to say I wasn't thinking the most peaceful thoughts after that.
I had a family cut in line for communion. This turned out to be less of an affront than I thought. The family was just trying to get back to their pew, and the side area of the church we were in has a very narrow aisle.
There was a third thing that I'd not seen (or, more accurately, heard) before, and this was a letter from Archbishop Sean O'Malley prepping us for the coming "reconfiguration" of the diocese, which will include the closing of several parishes. While the sex abuse scandal is a definite factor, I think this would have happened at some level anyways. Between the drop in church attendance and the rising costs of running parishes, some consolidation is inevitable. Part of the letter today noted that to get all the church property in Boston alone up to code would cost $140 million.
No announcements yet as to who's going to shut down, but my guess is that you'll see a bunch of closings in Boston, in part due to changing demographics and part due to the value of property in the city. We'll see.
After boring you with talk of college football conference shifts all fall, let's switch gears so I can bore you about college hockey conference shifts.
Let's start with Vermont, which is leaving the ECAC for Hockey East. It's a smart move, as it puts them in a conference which has most of the other public universities that play division 1 hockey (UConn is in Atlantic Hockey) and with some of Vermont's fellow America East schools. Personally, I look forward to making a return trip to Burlington, as my one trip up there was a lot of fun. Good crowd and a good college town.
The move leaves the ECAC at 11, which isn't so bad, except that a vote coming this week may cut that number to 8. There's a proposal in front of athletic directors from division 3 schools that will prevent schools that "play up" to division 1 in a sport from offering scholarships to athletes in that sport. Eight schools would be affected, four in hockey, and three in the ECAC (RPI, Clarkson, and St. Lawrence). There's a possibility of grandfathering in the schools who currently fit this bill, and the main proposal may very well fail anyway. But it'll be interesting to see how this comes down.
Should the ECAC drop to 8, they may be unwittingly helped in finding new members by the University of Findlay. They announced this past week that they are going to drop hockey after the end of this season (and, in a classy move, didn't tell the head coach that until 2 hours before the press conference). This will leave Findlay's conference, College Hockey America, with just 5 teams. It will also lose its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
CHA isn't totally screwed, as Robert Morris is joining for women's hockey and may find itself pressed to bring the men along (they are currently planning on playing independently). They may also be able to get a team or two to jump from Atlantic Hockey; there's apparently talk that Quinnipiac may join.
Part of the problem is that CHA is kind of a catch-all conference. Dismissing Findlay, memebers include Bemidji St. in Minnesota, Niagara, Alabama-Huntsville, Air Force, and Wayne State in Detroit. If CHA were to fold, it wouldn't be too hard to see Niagara go to the ECAC, Bemidji and Air Force to the WCHA, and Wayne State to the CCHA.
This assumes that those conferences would want them. Niagara and the ECAC seems like a good fit. Bemidji and Air Force would get the WCHA to 12 teams (though having three Colorado schools could make for tricky scheduling). CCHA is already at 12, though they could try to ship Alaska-Fairbanks to the WCHA. Whether or not they want to trade the Nanooks for Wayne State is another story entirely (same goes for getting Bemidji and Air Force into the WCHA).
Oh, and to make matters even odder, the ECAC could try to poach from Atlantic Hockey. There's some talk about Holy Cross and Sacred Heart having some interest. Who knows?
About the only thing for sure out of all of this is that Vermont is moving and Findlay is going bye-bye. I think there'll be a push to maintain the six conferences at levels giving each an auto bid to the tournament, especially given how hard folks worked to expand the tournament to 16 teams.
In unrelated college hockey news, an OT win by BU over Northeastern last night makes the Terriers 6-6-6. Demonic possession may just explain this team. It's also entertaining to think that they'll take their Record of the Beast to our local Jesuit friends on Friday night. It may be our best hope against BC at their rink.
Let's start with Vermont, which is leaving the ECAC for Hockey East. It's a smart move, as it puts them in a conference which has most of the other public universities that play division 1 hockey (UConn is in Atlantic Hockey) and with some of Vermont's fellow America East schools. Personally, I look forward to making a return trip to Burlington, as my one trip up there was a lot of fun. Good crowd and a good college town.
The move leaves the ECAC at 11, which isn't so bad, except that a vote coming this week may cut that number to 8. There's a proposal in front of athletic directors from division 3 schools that will prevent schools that "play up" to division 1 in a sport from offering scholarships to athletes in that sport. Eight schools would be affected, four in hockey, and three in the ECAC (RPI, Clarkson, and St. Lawrence). There's a possibility of grandfathering in the schools who currently fit this bill, and the main proposal may very well fail anyway. But it'll be interesting to see how this comes down.
Should the ECAC drop to 8, they may be unwittingly helped in finding new members by the University of Findlay. They announced this past week that they are going to drop hockey after the end of this season (and, in a classy move, didn't tell the head coach that until 2 hours before the press conference). This will leave Findlay's conference, College Hockey America, with just 5 teams. It will also lose its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
CHA isn't totally screwed, as Robert Morris is joining for women's hockey and may find itself pressed to bring the men along (they are currently planning on playing independently). They may also be able to get a team or two to jump from Atlantic Hockey; there's apparently talk that Quinnipiac may join.
Part of the problem is that CHA is kind of a catch-all conference. Dismissing Findlay, memebers include Bemidji St. in Minnesota, Niagara, Alabama-Huntsville, Air Force, and Wayne State in Detroit. If CHA were to fold, it wouldn't be too hard to see Niagara go to the ECAC, Bemidji and Air Force to the WCHA, and Wayne State to the CCHA.
This assumes that those conferences would want them. Niagara and the ECAC seems like a good fit. Bemidji and Air Force would get the WCHA to 12 teams (though having three Colorado schools could make for tricky scheduling). CCHA is already at 12, though they could try to ship Alaska-Fairbanks to the WCHA. Whether or not they want to trade the Nanooks for Wayne State is another story entirely (same goes for getting Bemidji and Air Force into the WCHA).
Oh, and to make matters even odder, the ECAC could try to poach from Atlantic Hockey. There's some talk about Holy Cross and Sacred Heart having some interest. Who knows?
About the only thing for sure out of all of this is that Vermont is moving and Findlay is going bye-bye. I think there'll be a push to maintain the six conferences at levels giving each an auto bid to the tournament, especially given how hard folks worked to expand the tournament to 16 teams.
In unrelated college hockey news, an OT win by BU over Northeastern last night makes the Terriers 6-6-6. Demonic possession may just explain this team. It's also entertaining to think that they'll take their Record of the Beast to our local Jesuit friends on Friday night. It may be our best hope against BC at their rink.
10 January 2004
In case you've not seen it, former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is charging that W was planning for an Iraqi invasion months before 9/11, not too long after taking office. Some of this is coming out in a book, while there'll also be a 60 Minutes piece. The White House is downplaying things, mostly painting it as publicity seeking and as O'Neill trying to push his own belief and opinions.
On some level, this sort of planning makes sense and happens regularly. What would make me more concerned would be if there was a plan to invade from the beginning, and that 9/11 became a handy excuse. Not only does that cheapen our 9/11 response, but it suggests a level of duplicity that I'd prefer not to have in elected officials (which, I know, is asking for a lot, regardless of party).
Having this drop right before the primaries get under way is also interesting timing, but perhaps not so interesting as if this were late August.
On some level, this sort of planning makes sense and happens regularly. What would make me more concerned would be if there was a plan to invade from the beginning, and that 9/11 became a handy excuse. Not only does that cheapen our 9/11 response, but it suggests a level of duplicity that I'd prefer not to have in elected officials (which, I know, is asking for a lot, regardless of party).
Having this drop right before the primaries get under way is also interesting timing, but perhaps not so interesting as if this were late August.
09 January 2004
Actually, Shawn beat me to the punch with commenting on The Apprentice. Clearly, Shawn has a marketing mind yearning to be tapped.
I thought the show was OK, though I fear an increase in group drama in the coming weeks (certainly the scenes from next week's installment suggest one). I know it's a required part of the genre, but there's usually too much of it. My hope is that most of the drama will remain in the context of the challenges, and not in pointless bickering at home. The last thing we need is a Real World featuring people old enough to know better.
If nothing else, the show confirmed that I would never fit into a business climate, at least not if the people they've selected to participate are any indication. Some of them are fine, but I think I'd find the temptation to slap the more annoying types too strong to resist. Most notable in this group is Sam, who is a walking definition of shameless huckster. Don't be surprised if he wins the whole thing.
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the show was getting to see Trump's apartment, which is done up in some sort of Roman Excessive Revival. I actually think he uses the same marble and gilded trim combination as Belden Jewelers does in their mall outlets. Garish doesn't even begin to describe it.
I thought the show was OK, though I fear an increase in group drama in the coming weeks (certainly the scenes from next week's installment suggest one). I know it's a required part of the genre, but there's usually too much of it. My hope is that most of the drama will remain in the context of the challenges, and not in pointless bickering at home. The last thing we need is a Real World featuring people old enough to know better.
If nothing else, the show confirmed that I would never fit into a business climate, at least not if the people they've selected to participate are any indication. Some of them are fine, but I think I'd find the temptation to slap the more annoying types too strong to resist. Most notable in this group is Sam, who is a walking definition of shameless huckster. Don't be surprised if he wins the whole thing.
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of the show was getting to see Trump's apartment, which is done up in some sort of Roman Excessive Revival. I actually think he uses the same marble and gilded trim combination as Belden Jewelers does in their mall outlets. Garish doesn't even begin to describe it.
I'm not sure if it's good karma or bad karma, but the pairing of Bill Callahan and the University of Nebraska football team has a correctness about it that's hard for me to put into words. I think it's some sort of anticipatory schadenfreude (I assume there's a modified term in German for this).
Speaking of the Raiders, please welcome Shawn De Veau to the family of bloggers linked at left (for those of you unsure on the connection, his blog's URL combines his two favorite football programs - the University of Miami and the Raiders). We can only hope he spends more time talking about his gambling exploits than the virtues of Pat Buchanan.
Speaking of the Raiders, please welcome Shawn De Veau to the family of bloggers linked at left (for those of you unsure on the connection, his blog's URL combines his two favorite football programs - the University of Miami and the Raiders). We can only hope he spends more time talking about his gambling exploits than the virtues of Pat Buchanan.
08 January 2004
I was happy to encounter a poster for a web site while walking from Back Bay station to the Copley T stop. It showed a bean on a fork, and bore the legend, "Live to be an old fart." You, too, may now enjoy the wonder that is MagicalFruit.org.
07 January 2004
I, like so many others, have set up a pesonal radio station through Yahoo's Launch Music. Right now it's pretty much rock-jazz-blues, though it threw some sort of dance/electronica track at me yesterday (apparently it's a fave among all listeners, but not so much by me, as it became the first song I gave the dreaded "never play again"). Otherwise it's just refining what I like in the genres (not so much bands like Green Day or light jazz, thank you). It's given me two tracks off of Bob Mould's Workbook, which is phenominal. Then again, it gave me one of the songs right after trying to foist Phil Collins' version of "True Colors" off on me, which seems like a good apology.
05 January 2004
Kudos to the LSU football team for their Sugar Bowl win, though I will note that:
It wasn't the best football game on today, that honor going to the Green Bay - Seattle wild card tilt, and
It wasn't even the best thing on TV at the time, given that the WBZ-TV Sunday night sports show featured Peter Gammons playing rhythm guitar and singing to promote Hot Stove, Cool Music, an album of songs by baseball player/musicians and full-time musicians whose sale proceeds benefit the Jimmy Fund, a local charity for research and treatment of childhood cancers. Gammons wasn't as bad as you might think, but strictly in the "don't quit your day job" category.
Speaking of which, they did find a little time to talk baseball. Gammons thinks the A-Rod deal could still happen, but only if the Sox offer a lot more cash. Assuming the status quo, then, Nomar will play out the string, not get the $15 mil/yr he wants, and move on. Orlando Cabrera and Edgar Renteria were named as likely replacements.
It wasn't the best football game on today, that honor going to the Green Bay - Seattle wild card tilt, and
It wasn't even the best thing on TV at the time, given that the WBZ-TV Sunday night sports show featured Peter Gammons playing rhythm guitar and singing to promote Hot Stove, Cool Music, an album of songs by baseball player/musicians and full-time musicians whose sale proceeds benefit the Jimmy Fund, a local charity for research and treatment of childhood cancers. Gammons wasn't as bad as you might think, but strictly in the "don't quit your day job" category.
Speaking of which, they did find a little time to talk baseball. Gammons thinks the A-Rod deal could still happen, but only if the Sox offer a lot more cash. Assuming the status quo, then, Nomar will play out the string, not get the $15 mil/yr he wants, and move on. Orlando Cabrera and Edgar Renteria were named as likely replacements.
04 January 2004
Given her recent nuptuals (and soon to be recent denuptualizing), I am setting the line for number of Britney Spears marriages at five. To wit:
Wedding #1: the one to this guy from home, who will cash in the last of his 15 minutes of fame in 2005 on either Celebrity Mole or The Surreal Life.
Wedding #2: another quickie to a guy in her show, more likely a musician than a dancer or tech. It'll go more than a day, less than a year.
Wedding #3: this will be the one that is wistfully remembered in her autobiography I Wasn't That Innocent as the "real" marriage of the bunch. I'm thinking restauranteur. They'll go 5-6 years, with a couple of kids.
Wedding #4: a grab at celebrity, an actor TBA. Two years, tops.
Wedding #5: Britney marries a kindly older man, retired. Parallels to Anna Nicole Smith will be raised, but he won't be that old. They'll average about three weeks together a year until he passes on about nine years into the marriage.
That should take Britney up to about age 40. By 45 she'll start dating the eldest son of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.
Wedding #1: the one to this guy from home, who will cash in the last of his 15 minutes of fame in 2005 on either Celebrity Mole or The Surreal Life.
Wedding #2: another quickie to a guy in her show, more likely a musician than a dancer or tech. It'll go more than a day, less than a year.
Wedding #3: this will be the one that is wistfully remembered in her autobiography I Wasn't That Innocent as the "real" marriage of the bunch. I'm thinking restauranteur. They'll go 5-6 years, with a couple of kids.
Wedding #4: a grab at celebrity, an actor TBA. Two years, tops.
Wedding #5: Britney marries a kindly older man, retired. Parallels to Anna Nicole Smith will be raised, but he won't be that old. They'll average about three weeks together a year until he passes on about nine years into the marriage.
That should take Britney up to about age 40. By 45 she'll start dating the eldest son of Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore.
OK, this low carb bullshit has to stop. Now.
I understand this Atkins thing is popular, and it even gives good results as long as you only snack on ham cubes for the rest of your life. And I can understand why Subway is offering low carb wraps, as it fits in with their healthy alternative advertising without throwing Jared at us again.
But low carb beer? Folks, beer is nothing but carbs. Do us all a favor and drink water instead. And then there's the local coffee place who just tonight advertised their low carb coffee offerings. Oddly, black was not one of them.
I'm not exactly the model of utmost health and nutrition, but you know what? It's not going to kill you if you have a side of potato salad every once in a while. Just don't scarf a pound of the stuff.
Speaking of which, there's apparently a study out connecting portion size to obesity, which shouldn't surprise anyone who asked for a small soda at McDonalds and got what we knew in our youth as a large.
I understand this Atkins thing is popular, and it even gives good results as long as you only snack on ham cubes for the rest of your life. And I can understand why Subway is offering low carb wraps, as it fits in with their healthy alternative advertising without throwing Jared at us again.
But low carb beer? Folks, beer is nothing but carbs. Do us all a favor and drink water instead. And then there's the local coffee place who just tonight advertised their low carb coffee offerings. Oddly, black was not one of them.
I'm not exactly the model of utmost health and nutrition, but you know what? It's not going to kill you if you have a side of potato salad every once in a while. Just don't scarf a pound of the stuff.
Speaking of which, there's apparently a study out connecting portion size to obesity, which shouldn't surprise anyone who asked for a small soda at McDonalds and got what we knew in our youth as a large.
02 January 2004
While Patriots Day is the typical day for marathons around these parts, I participated in three marathons yesterday without having to pin a number to my shirt.
First there was the traditional marathon of football, starting at 11 am and ending sometime after midnight. It's less of a marathon nowadays given the number of bowls that take place after New Year's Day, which is kind of sad. I miss the days of furious channel surfing (or, in the really old days, knob turning).
Cutting into the football (especially during some of the less competitive games) was the Twilight Zone marathon on Sci-Fi. Got to see "A Stop at Willoughby," which is one of my favorites, and the classic "To Serve Man."
Cutting into both of these was ESPN showing their coverage of the 2003 World Series of Poker, some of which I'd seen a few times and other parts I'd not seen at all.
So as you can tell, it was a very exciting New Year's around these parts.
First there was the traditional marathon of football, starting at 11 am and ending sometime after midnight. It's less of a marathon nowadays given the number of bowls that take place after New Year's Day, which is kind of sad. I miss the days of furious channel surfing (or, in the really old days, knob turning).
Cutting into the football (especially during some of the less competitive games) was the Twilight Zone marathon on Sci-Fi. Got to see "A Stop at Willoughby," which is one of my favorites, and the classic "To Serve Man."
Cutting into both of these was ESPN showing their coverage of the 2003 World Series of Poker, some of which I'd seen a few times and other parts I'd not seen at all.
So as you can tell, it was a very exciting New Year's around these parts.
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