Make Your Own Cause

In an effort to advance the cause of supporting supporting, has anyone thought of Ribbon 2.0 where everyone makes up the content of their own magnetic cause ribbons making for a cacophony of causes and claims confusing the drivers of America? Maybe if there were more rounded edges the link to the new 2.0 world would be clearer. The other day I listened to an NPR hour on “the long tail” which I still have no clue about as it seems to be only a way to take existing circumstances, repackaging them as new and making sure someone gets a guruiffic revenue stream from the merchandise. Maybe personalized magnetic cause ribbons will help in my understanding.

The Blogdrums

Blogs and doldrums – get it? I think everyone went on vacation…or computers seized or something. Sooner or later the guys spamming for viagara are going to even pack up. You know, making up words with blog in it was a blast in 2003. The other day I went to check out whether anyone was using the word “blogorrhia” as in “logorrhia” and they have. I can’t wait for the next big thing. But no one has used “blogdrums ” yet so that is at least something.

Woot.

Lester Then Paplebon


Google images acting as an ouija board

Even though it was against Kansas City, you have to like the fact that a 22 year old had an eight inning one-hitter for the Red Sox before handing over to another guy born in the 80’s who then earned his 28th save in a 1-0 win.

This is a good year for the Sox – despite Tavarez – and one in which you do not see a slump of major proportions given the strength of the infield, the distribution of hitting and the depth on the bench. So will they trade before the end of the month? Long relief? Maybe…but maybe we have that in another child of the 80’s Manny Delcarmen. If Wells comes back in any reasonable fashion and Beckett is given all home day games, we may even survive the starting rotation.

So…why can’t you get a Tavarez shirt?

Still With The Zizou

It is funny reading this morning in the Canadian papers more going on about Zidane’s headbutt and the need to have it explained by scientists…the science of the headbutt looks like this:

“Just because somebody acts aggressively doesn’t always mean that they’ve lost it,” Glassman said. “There’s also often a question of choice.”

“Anger, he said, “can be learned behaviour to get what you want.” But anger that does result in losing it is almost always evoked by a perceived violation, said Lorne Korman, director of the anger management clinic at Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

Canada’s sport, hockey, is entirely based on retaliation and violence. Canada’s back up game, CFL, is pretty much based on retaliation and violence. The reason soccer does not do well in North America is the false perception that there is not enough retaliation and violence.

Soccer is filled with retaliation and violence, headbutts behind the play, slide tackles that are way too hard, cleated shins, clattered skulls during a well fought for header. North Americans (softies for the most part) just do not understand how that can go along with the grace and hearty athleticism of fitba. Heck, I snapped a guy’s leg once and finished another game with three teammates in the hospital, one of whom made the New England Journal of Medicine for his badly bruised pancreas. Good, then, to see Zizou getting the best player award because he was – and no namby pamby new PC NASCARian milk-drinker misunderstanding of the importance of a head butt should have gotten in the way of that.

Made It To Portland But Only Just

We were doing very well on the New England meander – until Portsmouth NH that is where the melt down of the brain of a six year old hit epic proportions. I heard a noise I had not heard before, shaped in the sound of the word “MEANIE!!!”

For some reason all I thought of was the movie Sophie’s Choice. It is sick but I was under a sort of duress of a nature only a child with a will of steel can create at an interstate intersection. We are a gentle family and have to think of strategies…but why that movie and its impossible terrible dilemma would come into mind is beyond me, especially as it has been maybe ten years since I thought of it. But I have to be honest and that is what happened. Blame pop culture if you must.

So it was left to him – fluffy the cat or your blankie. One must go for the duration. And on the I-95 as you enter Maine, at the tourist information lay-by in a group of trees, sitting on landscaped stones he said “blankie” and cried. He made the decision and then he returned to the car as full of remorse as Satan in Paradise Lost as he flung himself off the edge and into Hell, immediate and immersed in his awareness of his own damnation. OK, maybe not quite that full.

Then, within minutes of getting here, he played on the slip and slide and shot portland with the super soaker.  Early into jammies, though.  Damn early.

And Now A Word From Our Potter

I am quite pleased to have the only blog with its own Potter Laureate, Gary Rith. [Ed.: click that link for a picture of a tea pot.] Recently there has been some interested talk in knowing more about his work. So Gary sent along this:

Alan says I should really have everything together before posting an ad at gen x. Well, he has a point. I am never really all that together, but let’s put it this way: you people are the test cases.

OK, so there is a little interest in my work, maybe some shoppers here, maybe just a preview of an open studio sale? There are pictures sent seperately, all look a little bluish for some reason, but are pretty good. I have to look at my Paypal acct. to remember how that works. So, although I make a lot of stuff, this is the standard list. Ask about teapots, pitchers, vases, plain items without animals:

Glazes: lemon, grape, super celedon, turtle celedon, speckly celedon, strawberry, baby blue, slate blue, blue jeans, green beans.

Glaze combos: yellow w/ a little green and blue accenting;blue jeans 1/2 and 1/2 with any celedon;
grape, speckly celedon or baby blue with green and blue swirls.

Prices:

  • Small sitting piggy bank $20 US postpaid
  • Mugs: Large, postpaid $22 US dollars

    1) straight sided with swirly spiral cuts: animal on bottom or handle
    2) fancy foot with textured sides, animal only on handle

  • Steins (enormous!) $26 US postpaid
    -animal on handle above or below

  • Bowls:

    med. cereal/ice cream/salad size $22 US postpaid
    -med. large serving $32 postpaid
    -large $36 postpaid
    all with one animal on edge, add another for 3 more bucks (like 3 piggies or a pig on one side, cow on the other

Animals available: piggy, cow, elephant, bunny, frog, dog (beagle mutt), dog (Spike), dog (springer spaniel), dog (black lab) cat, fish, turtle, rhino, hippo, (human )baby or clown

Everything is cute, microwaveable, dishwasher safe, LEAD FREE non-toxic glaze and guarenteed to arrive in good shape or replaced. You are welcome to submit an order subject to viewing, and I will make it if I don’t have one, picture it, and you can say yes or no. I also reserve the right to make suggestions: for example, no blue elephants on a blue mug.

Lastly, I would need your address, and if they have to, prices subject to change.

So there you go. We are going to likely set up a page for Gary’s works after I get back from special assignment. I get nothing out of the deal. All money goes to Gary and he spends it on chips and soda pop. Click on the pictures for a bigger view.

NCYO’s New Look

There are few blogs that really look as good as they can look but recently NYCO has undergone an upgrade which is visually attractive, well designed and functionally useful. This might leads one to suppose that I am praising its usability but I hate that word-like thing.

Anyway, even through there are three columns and blank space to the right and left, it words as the blank space compliments the rest in its natty grey. The shadowing between the columns keeps it from looking two-dimensional and cluttered. The “yellow box” to the upper-right with the lead side-story is a nice touch on the side-blog idea.

So it looks good and it works well. Good thing she is a good writer, too.

2006 Sports Pool Update…A Winner Is Declared!

Remind me again why in April you think a pool that lasts in to summer is a good idea? Noteworthy notes:

  • #1 – People that picked Staal and Stillman did well in the Stanley Cup Finals did very well. Rob wins the NHL portion and a drastically undervalued hockey card for 159 points. Recount allegations will be accepted but any hope of overturning the fine accounting job I did in preparing the scores will be judged solely on the quality of your haiku.
  • #2 – The Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup. No one picked them so there are no more points to be had. Ranald picks up the card of questionable value for this category.
  • #3 – The World Cup section of the pool is still up in the air and won’t be determined until next Sunday when I am on the road and may not get around to totalling the points…again giving rise to the question of what I was thinking in April when I wrote these questions. There is one question which is answerable:

    Which team goes farther: Togo or Trinidad and Tobago? Ten points. Total goals breaks the tie.

    Both teams came last in their first round groups, both had a -4 goal difference, Trinidad got one point for its 0-0 tie with Sweden. Trinidad scored no goals. Togo scored one goal. As the rule was “total goals breaks the tie” Togo wins. Only Matt picked Togo.

  • #4 – The final question in the other sports section was this:

    Who is the top scorer in the NBA playoffs. Twenty points.

    I did not think that there would be a controversy over such a simple calculation. Yet there is. The NBA is the only league of note that uses a nutty nutty system of point calculation based on average per game. As a result, Dwayne Wade got a total of 654 points in the playoffs, leading Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas by 34 points. On the more common standard of points per game, however, Wade was in fourth with only 28.4 points on avaerage for the 23 games he played. Vince Carter, by comparison, was third with 29.6 for the 11 games he played. I am going to ignore the average as averaging was not mentioned. As a result, the winning answer is Dwayne Wade. Don and Matt picked him and both got 40 points for the “Other Sports” category. Again, plead your case if you like on the methodology.

So here are the scores to date. Rob is in the lead at 240 but Matt appears to be only 6 points behind due to a superior ability to pick up points in the less hockey oriented areas.

Correction!!! I did not consider the Togo v. T+T question until after I wrote the above and Matt’s uncanny ability to pick the obscure ones right led him and no other to pick Togo so he roars ahead and is not four points in the lead at 244.

So, as there are 20 points still to go in the World Cup category, it is all up in the air based on the winner of the golden boot and the World Cup Finals.

Further Correction!!! And on further review…Rob can’t win. Both picked Ronaldo for the golden boot and Rob picked Brazil which is already out. Whatever happens, then, Matt is the only one who can win as no one else is within the available 20 points. Matt wins the book Man Walks Into A Pub!!!

~
NHL
Playoffs
Other
Hockey
World
Cup
Other
Fitba
Baseball
Other
Sport
Total
Hans 112 0 0 20 20 0 152
Alan 88 20 0 15 20 30 173
Rob 159 11 0 40 20 10 240
Scott 120 11 0 15 20 0 166
Ranald 128 23 0 15 20 10 196
CM N/P 14 0 20 N/P 20 54
Don 125 14 0 25 20 10 194
Mike 141 8 0 30 20 0 199
Matt 107 17 10 30 40 40 244!!!
Marcia 45

N/P N/P N/P N/P N/P 45