October 2008 Archives
Raise your hand if you were a TWJ reader when my theme looked like this:
I loved that theme (circa 2004).
I'm starting a new series on this blog, Things that I Love. Obviously, there are a few things that go without saying, like Brooklynne, Halleigh, and Kona Bean, for example. Ur... not that I wouldn't say it... um... I am saying it... but you know what I mean. This is for the less significant things that fill me with a little joy every once in a while.
So without further ado, I love pencils.
In fact, I love them so much that yesterday, I took the pencil sharpener from the common area outside of my cube and put it on my desk.
I had noticed for some time that I am the only person on my floor who still uses old-fashioned, wood-and-graphite pencils, and I had to walk out of my cube and across to a space directly behind a co-worker to sharpen my pencils every day. So yesterday, I had an Office Space experience, and just took the pencil sharpener for myself.
Click the "continue reading" link for a picture of my Hunt Boston Heavy Duty Electric Pencil Sharpener and leave a comment answering this question: if you were Milton, what would be your red swingline stapler?
Look out basketball world. UNC was the first unanimous pick for preseason number one, according to the USA Today Coaches' Poll. I usually don't like following basketball during any football season where we still have a chance to do great things, but I don't mind so much this year, because I know Roy and crew won't win it all, and it's my fault.
As you may or may not know, I'm in the third year of a three-year "deal with the devil." I made a statement several years ago, which I have often repeated and still stand by today, that I would gladly trade 3 national titles in basketball for one in football. Now I think I can argue that we should have won the basketball championship for the past 2 years, and barring any crazy alien abductions or the like, we should be right there again this year. But we won't win. We will lose again in some new variation of heartbreaker, and at this time next year, I will be booking my flights to the BCS championship game.
Don't make that face. A boy can dream, can't he?
It makes me sad to hear John McCain take up the old flag of redbaiting in the final hours of the election. I read today that McCain is planning to roll out new attacks based on a seven-year-old interview where Obama said that the civil rights movement was not as successful as it could be because it did not bring about "redistributive changes."
Well, I happen to agree with that assessment (and if you want to know why, just ask me for a history lesson). But, what many people aren't going to see this election cycle, is the real redistribution of wealth that has been going on over the last 20 years:
The gap between the wealthy and the poor is growing wider and wider and in the US it is one of the widest gaps among developed western nations. Why does that matter? It means that we also have one of the highest rates of (income) poverty, our society is one of the least upwardly mobile, and it shows that, even if the economy was good like it was for most of the 1990s, it would benefit a small subset of Americans far more than others.
So when Obama talks about spreading the wealth, he's not talking about taking money from one group and giving it to another; he's talking about making the economy work for everybody in a more equal way.
My econ profs warned us of this income gap years ago, but the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development just published a reoprt that shows the problem is getting worse. Here are the links to the OECD report briefing and summary.
In 1996, I voted for Clinton. In 2004, I voted for Bush.
I voted again yeasterday. If you don't know already, and if you're not going to get bent out of shape, you can click the continue reading link to find out who I supported this time and the top ten reasons why.
Saturday, after the BC game, I was so mad that I was convinced that Davis had taken the ball out of Sexton's hands at the end of regulation because he did not trust his backup QB to protect the ball. So I promised a blog post this week about all the stats that I could find that proved Davis was avoiding trusting the offense to Sexton. I though if I looked at the box scores I would find that Draughn was getting more and more yards because Davis was becoming more and more conservative in his play calling.
But the week has been crazy busy, and I've had time to blow off steam (although there has not been a night this week that I did not lay in bed asking myself why we lost--I know... I'm sick. I have a problem.) before looking at the stats. And upon further review, the stats just don't back me up.
In the 3 games where Yates played, just under 38% of our offensive plays were passing calls, while in Sexton's 4 games, we've called passes in about 48% of our offensive plays. Granted, While Yates played, we led as much as two thirds of the time and we could afford to run it, while Sexton has played from behind at least half of the time. But still, you can't blame Davis for being afraid of Sexton's passing... except against UVA, where he has thrown 4 interceptions in two games against the 3-4 defense.
Now I HATED the call to run a soft defense at the end of the game Saturday. Suppose you sent another guy at the QB and you left yourself open to a deep pass or another big scoring play because your secondary is stretched. Whther that would have happened in debatable, but assuming it did, then the game is still tied, but we would have had far more time to get back into fieldgoal range. Instead, you not only give UVA a sure thing (if you want to argue that the soft D does not necessary garauntee an opposition TD, I just say that it has given our opponents a short-yardage, high-percentage shot at a TD 3 times this season--every time it has been employed), but you also allow them to run out the clock.
But what was really disappointing was the call to take a knee instead of going for the win with 47 seconds left in regulation. What could they have been thinking besides fear of turnovers?
So that brings me around to the reason there is no question that Yates will be the starting QB as soon as he is deemed healthy. Sexton has 3 interceptions to Yate's 1. Sexton should probably have double the number of interceptions if the defenders had held onto some more likely catches. So while 3 interceptions in 4 games is much improved over UNC's QB position in recent years, as long as Sexton continues to make questionable throws, I think we'll see more hesitations in tight situations, and we'll see Yates back in the huddle, maybe as soon as the GaTech game.
Over the past week, Brooklynne and I have noticed a hawk prowling around the tree tops of the neighborhood. Also, we've noticed a slight dropoff in squirl activity around the house, but we didn't make too much of it... until we were playing outside with Halleigh and noticed something strange on her swingset.
We looked around a little more and found this on the very top beam:
Oh well, I thought for sure this would be the year that the Charlottesville curse was dispelled, but I guess we need to leave a little left to be done, or Butch will be back in the NFL before you can say multi-million-dollar contract. Yes I threw my hat at the TV. Yes I threw the coffee table in what my wife calls "an inappropriate outburst." But I'm not going to get down on the Heels or on Butch's eyebrow-raising decisions yet. I am going to write a longer post, though, about how despite what Butch says about the performance of Cam Sexton, it is obvious that he does not trust the decision-making ability of his backup quarterback, and why when Yates is back, no matter what happens between now and then, there will be no QB controversy. I'll try to get that up by mid-week. In the meantime, here's a picture from a happier time on the hill--the UConn game that Brooklynne and I attended a couple weekends ago.
The One Laptop Per Child Project is restarting its give-a-laptop-get-a-laptop program and once again, TWJ and its readers and friends will attempt to raise money to send a laptop to the Lucien family in Haiti. The Luciens live with 9 teenage boys and last year we sent them an XO laptop with the hopes that it would be a fun and challenging addition to their home and their studies.
One of the best features of the XO, though, is its peer-to-peer networking capabilities, so now that the OLPC incentive program has started again, and the holidays are just around the corner, we will be raising money again in hopes of sending at least one more XO (maybe 2?) to the Luciens. The new cost of the program is likely to be similar to last year's--$400--and for that price, OLPC will send one XO to a family of their choosing, and one XO to the Luciens.
Start thinking about this in the next few weeks. I'll talk to Burly, who had the idea originally and helped me get it together, and in the beginning of November, we will post the details of how you can become involved by chipping in some money, or spreading the word on your own blog. So stay tuned....
BethAnn and Daniel came over for the UNC-ND game this weekend. Kristy Kent was there too. It was really good to see those guys. BethAnn has pictures up at her blog, but I think her blog is by-invitation-only, so I stole a picture in case you can't open the link.
I'm posting this a little late, so most of you probably know that early on Monday morning, the Pattens welcomed their new daughter, Emma Grace, into the world. Their story of the birth is like something out of a movie, but I'll let them tell that tale. Anyway, we went to see those guys when they got home on Monday evening (less than 20 hours after the birth!), and I'll tell you that Emma is a cutie! We also confirmed that Halleigh is ready for a little brother or sister. She loved the baby in much the same way she loved the Greens' new puppy! Sarah and Aaron were incredibly brave to let her anywhere near their new child, but it was great to see how much she loved her.
The proud parents:
Via BCR:
The plans for the commuter rail system that has been talked about for so long have been revealed and here is the proposed route. For those of you who are familiar with NOVA, I assume this would be kind of like the VRE that went by 100 yards from our apartment in Manassas Park. Anyway, I'm excited that the only designated transfer station is proposed for somewhere between west Durham and Hillsborough, which means that I could easily hop on not far from my house and ride either to work in the RTP, a basketball game at the Dean Dome, or to grab coffee with Marsh in G-town, not to mention how easily I can hit up the libraries and archives in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and Greensboro. Hopefully, the arrow at the end means plans for Winston.
The only catch is that Halleigh will be changing my diapers before this is complete!
Today is the dfeadline to register to vote in NC. If you're sitting at your computer, and you're thinking, "how am I going to register today," then visit this site. I know it's on an Obama site, but rest assured, those of you who may not like or support him can still use his nifty tool to register for any party you want. The tool allows you to register online in states that allow that, or fill and print a registration form to be mailed. The tool also tells you your polling location, the dates and places of early voting, and even allows you to request an absentee ballot.
From an article by Steve Henson:
The Dodgers' payroll is a substantial $118.5 million. Yet the lineup in the sixth inning Sept. 23, the day the Dodgers defeated the San Diego Padres 10-1 and practically sealed the deal on the division title, cost owner Frank McCourt a grand total of $2.547 million....
Consider this: The starting lineup of the 1988 Dodgers World Series champions made quadruple the money of the Sept. 23 lineup, a staggering comparison given the salary escalation in baseball the last two decades.
So where did the other 97.8 percent of the payroll go?
Read the answer here. I wonder how the Phillies stack up? The NLCS starts tonight and I'll be watching.
I'm leading a breakout session at the Converge South meeting next week, and I need a few volunteers (10?) to help me with an experiment that I can use as an example in my talk. The experiment involves 3 homework assignments that you can do over the course of the week. Each one will take about 15-30 minutes. You will be repaid for your service with my undying gratitude. Email me or leave a comment.
I watched the debate last night and it was terrible. The format was aweful, the primary questions were not very good, and Brokaw was obviously fighting a losing battle to keep the rules, although I have to give him credit for having far better follow-up questions than the previous two debate moderators. Neither Obama nor McCain impressed he as having a good performance. McCain looked his age, and spoke in fuzzy generalizations, and Obama looked like he was trying harder to put down McCain than connect with voters, which should have been a main goal at a townhall. I was just glad there were no mentions of Keating or Ayers.
The most (only?) interesting point was when Obama called Russia's behavior "evil" and McCain sort of agreed.
I finally had time to load the Zoo Party pictures but the gallery is not working very smoothly. I'm using the Airtight's free Simple Viewer tool, which has worked well for me in the past, but this gallery is so large that it seems to be giving the viewer problems. So first you will need a flash player, and if you get errors (like a red block where a picture should be), you just need to reload the page. When I have some more free time, I'll break this up into a few smaller galleries, or find a new tool, and hopefully they will load better. One other thing--the viewer also seems to cut off some of the pictures (like the one where Simon is cut out), but you can right-click and open the images in a new page to see the whole thing or to download copies.
***UPDATE: I was able to divide the pictures into 2 galleries. I hope this works better!***
First, a big thanks to Kristy Kent who gave me and Brooklynne tickets to the UNC game. It was awesome. After singing the alma mater, the guy behind us commented that we must be alums, which felt good to be recognized. Then UNC crushed Uconn in a crazy game that featured a lighting malfunction that required the teams play part of the game in a dark stadium. We were sitting in the dark corner, which was really weird, but kind of exciting.
Then, the Dodgers completed a sweep of the Cubs (sorry Brian and BethAnn--I hope you'll be Dodger fans for the rest of the season)!
And finally, the Steelers continued their lead in the AFC North by beating Jacksonville on the road.
Maybe I'll skip washing my clothes this week!
I've got some great pictures from the zoo party this weekend, but I did not get them uploaded in time, so I'll post them tomorrow.
Whenever I hear about McCain's lack of 21st-century-ness, I am strangely torn between laughing and crying.
The VP debate last night was moving too fast for me to blog it well. For whatever reason (maybe becuse there it only on VP debate in contrast to 3 Presidential debates), this debate had a much different pace than the previous one, and each time I tried to add my commentary, I missed an important point as the candidates raced ahead. I also thought the moderator did less encouraging the two to elaborate and respond to the other's replies, opting instead to press forward and cover alot of ground. So here's an overall summary.
***Caution: much Palin bashing ahead.***
Brooklynne and I really got especially lucky when we ended up with Kona Bean, but there's just something about these dogs that is special.
Palin: Kissinger does not support talking to dictators.
Balin: We have to have diplomacy. He digs McCain for the Spain gaffe.
Biden: an unstable Pakistan. He then accuses McCain of having his eye off the ball by his focusing his attention on Iraq.
Palin: Nuclear Iran. She cites the Iranian slurs against Israel. Now she is attacking Obama for consenting to talks with enemies.
Palin accuses Obama of voting against funding the troop.
Biden shows his experience again by replying that McCain has voted against funding the troops as well when funding was tied to a timeline. He then concludes that McCain does not have a committment to end the Iraq War.
Palin accuses Biden of flipping positions in regard to Iraq
Biden: protect civil rights.
Palin protect civil rights but also protect a traditional definition of marriage.
Biden: leave it up to the faiths to define marriage.
Palin has a very sharp, curt answer that she does not support gay marriage.
Palin: of course this is real, but I don't attribute it to human activity alone, but let's not argue about the causes, let's work toward a solution. She proposes a broad range of solutions including foreign policy to reduce global pollutions.
Biden: attacks the drill baby drill idea.
Palin says that drilling is about domestic sources of energy. She claims that this is a part of an all-of-the-above approach.
Biden: McCain does not have a track record of supporting alternative energies.
Palin: yes but we need reform.
Moderator: Biden you disagreed with obama on this.
Biden: that was a difference of opinion.....
I'm so far behind I'm going to stop until the next question.
Biden: cut back on foreign aid, roll back tax breaks, close tax loop holes.
Palin: Big oil tax breaks can be attributed to Obama's energy plan. She also takes credit for taking on big oil. this is a tricky point for her because she is a big proponent of expanding oil operations across the board.
Biden: talking about the windfall profits tax that Obama supports and he claims Palin supported that in AK.
Biden is making a case that lower taxes for the middle class will drive the economy more than tax breaks for businesses and the wealthy.
Palin calls that philosophy a redistribution of wealth strategy and mocks it. she says paying taxes is not a sign of patriotism.
Biden attacks McCain for taxing benfits.
Still playing catch up from starting late.
Biden digs McCain for his "economy is fundamentally strong" comment.
Palin says we need someone fresh in Washington, and she tries to paint McCain as the choice of reform and change. (that's a tough sell)
Now Palin is attacking the predatory lenders. She is not attacking Obama, which I think is missing a chance to set herself apart.
Biden on the other hand is aggressively going after McCain for lack of regulation. this seems like and effective strategy to avoid looking like the bully--going after McCain instead of Palin.
Palin is finally going after Obama for supporting higher taxes.
Biden comes back with an effective response showing he is VERY familiar with the candidates' voting records and showing his experience with how Washington works. He answers that the tax vote Palin is citing was a proceedural vote.
Biden says this is evidence of 8 years of the worst economic policies.
Palin cites McCain's Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae reform.
Kelly and Evan swung through the ODD this weekend and some pictures made it on The Travis Skinny. In case you're out of the loop, Evan is now in the MBA prgram at UT.
