The Royal Heffernans


Quite possibly the best family ever

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Really? Nothing?



I must admit, I've been shocked - SHOCKED! - that there haven't been any postings in response to Notre Dame's performance in the Hawaii (excuse me, Hawai'i) Bowl. But it's not just this blog that didn't seem to notice - even the big sports-related sites and pundits seem to have missed ND's shellacking of Hawaii (again, my apologies, Hawai'i). The only non-AP story I could find was an article by Stuart "I Usually Take Glee in Watching Notre Dame Fail" Mandel here. As is typically the case when Notre Dame does well, EsPN.com had no mention of the victory after all their prognostications of another inevitable ND defeat in the days leading up to the game.

I have my own critiques of the game - they didn't have many sustained drives and relied a bit too much on the big plays - but the positives outweighed the negatives, and I'll gladly accept the end of the notorious bowl-loss streak with open arms. The offensive line, for once, wasn't offensive. The defense looked great. Even special teams was outstanding.

I'm actually excited for next fall, and probably will continue to be until about, oh, next fall...

Friday, December 12, 2008

The Day Detroit Died (today)


I'm currently up in Ann Arbor, MI and get all the Detroit radio stations. I just found out this morning that the Senate shot down the AutoMakers bailout package. They wanted ~$14 billion.

I'm actually torn on this issue. On the one hand, there are around 350,000 people employed by the Big 3 in Detroit, and another 600,000 that work for suppliers providing materials solely and directly to the Big 3. If GM and Chrysler go bankrupt, mostly likely all these people are out of jobs. As much as I like to think that these companies will come through this, and I believe they will, I also know I'm not buying a car from a company that is bankrupt. Who knows what kind of warranty or service you'll get. So essentially, estimates range that anywhere from 500,000 to 3 million jobs could be lost in 2009 if the AutoBailout doesn't occur.

On the other hand, I'm also a strong believer in our capitalistic, free-market economy. If anyone ever wanted to see evolution, they should only have to look at our corporations in America, where if you are a bad performer or your niche is no longer viable, you die out. Part of me says that Toyota and Honda, Nissan and Hyundai are the newly evolved car companies, and the old behemoths have simply been replaced. If they can't compete with these other companies, sorry.

I will say, however, that if Congress was OK with passing a $700 billion bailout of the financial institutions, with virtually no strings attached and no plan on how to disburse the money, what's another $15 billion for the car makers? They at least have a plan. I know, the auto industry has been bailed out before. But Lee Iacocca was required to pay back the loan the government gave him (through he tried to get out of it). Does anyone think that Citigroup will be paying back their loan? I sure as shit don't expect it to happen.

Congress wanted the UAW to take a big wage reduction. I'm solidly anti-union and for the following reason - if GM, Chrysler and their suppliers go under, all those blue-collar line workers will be out of work and pretty much unable to find other types of employment. Because they are a union, they won't be allowed to find other types of work. They fill a single niche, and apparently either can't or won't try to exist outside of it.

And now, when asked to take a wage reduction, they declined. Think of it this way: if someone told me that I could keep my job, the only job I'm capable of doing other than fast-food and janitorial services, but I had to reduce my pay from $75,000 to $60,000, I as an individual would do it. But since I'm in a union, I have to go along with the group and so we all get screwed. How long does anyone thing the UAW will last when one-third or more of its members stop paying fees and start collecting unemployment benefits from the UAW? At least there will be one less union in the world.

To be honest, I'm quite surprised Congress didn't enact the bailout. Both the Lameduck and the President-elect wanted it to happen, but enough other people didn't. I think if GM and Chrysler go down, and it's still not certain to happen, Detroit is going to be an even worse city to live in than it already is. Wow, is that even possible?

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Ah, Hawaii


True story...

Last time Notre Dame played at Hawaii was in 1997. My ND roommate was a football manager and got to make the trip. So the night before the game tailback Cooper Rego got busted for picking up a hooker outside a bar in Honolulu. Icing on the cake was apparently she was pregnant, and not just newly pregnant, but visibly pregnant.

Word on the street is that one of the main reasons ND ended up in the Hawaii (excuse me, Hawai'i) Bowl this year was that the players voted for that over the Motor City Bowl in Detroit. Let's just hope that this time around Aldridge, Allen, and Hughes have the smarts to steer clear of the, ahem, business women of our 50th state.

Monday, December 08, 2008

It Never Ends


Well, Notre Dame football completed their regular season two weeks ago, so at least I was spared that misery this past weekend. But that didn't stop ND sports from spoiling an otherwise excellent two days for me...

On Saturday the #7 men's basketball team played like I expect a team coached by Mike Brey to play, dropping a neutral site game to Ohio State. Luke Zeller, despite being 7 f#%@ing feet tall, continues to exhibit a phobia of the key and an allergic reaction to the ball when outside the three point line - throwing it wildly in the direction of the basket as soon as he touches it. Why this ass-clown continues to receive minutes is beyond me. He contributes NOTHING! Be prepared for another 10-loss season with a second round NCAA exit - also known as the 'ND Special' in college b-ball circles.

The women's soccer team lost in the NCAA championship game to North Carolina... again. My history may be slightly off, but I think this is the 43rd time that's happened. I turned the game on near the end with the score tied 1-1 and UNC simply pounding them and immediately declared we would lose. UNC scored the game winner about 30 seconds later. So that makes a clean sweep for UNC over the Irish this year - football, basketball, and women's soccer. Egads, how the mighty have fallen.

On the bright side, I turned Zoe's car seats around, cut Bear's nails, and ate meatloaf. Hooray for me!

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Thanks for Ruining Christmas!



So it wasn't good enough that ND succeeded in ruining my fall, my Thanksgiving and in general the last 2 football seasons. Now, they are poised to ruin Christmas too! ND just accepted a bid to the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl. Of course game time is December 24 at 8pm.

So Ali is already upset about the proposition of another night without me speaking. However, I really think that even an Irish blowout loss to the Rainbow Warriors can't ruin my Christmas. It will just change Christmas Eve tradition just a bit this year. Hey, maybe now we can get Manti Te'o to commit!

By the way, I don't think the trip to Hawaii will be much fun for any Irish fans who decide to make the trip. Check out this fan account from last year when Fresno State played at Aloha Stadium. There are countless other stories like this on the web. That place is a nightmare.

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

So Charlie Is Staying...





I have to admit, the last 2 seasons of ND football have been so bad that I was actually numb to whether Weis (yes it's spelled "Weis" NOT "Weiss": I immediately disregard any comment which contains a misspelled version of his name) stayed on or was fired. Here are some of my thoughts in the form of bulleted stream of consciousness:

- I can't imagine high profile coaches were beating down the door to come to ND and get fired.

- Now the recruiting will continue without mass defections (hopefully).

- We were a couple of plays away from an 8-4 or 9-3 season. I know that we were also a play away from a 5-7 season, but you get my point.

- Have you looked at our schedule for next year? I think it was an easy decision for our new AD to keep Weis because if ND doesn't win at least 9 games next year Weis is as good as done.

- If Weis does get sacked next year at least the new coach will have some players to work with. People always harp how Weis won with Willingham's players; this is true. However, Willingham left a HUGE hole between the Quinn class and Weis' Clausen class. Whoever had coached ND in 2007 was primed for a horrible year. However, whoever coaches ND over the next 3 years should have no excuses regarding the depth chart.

I think we do well next year and become a perennial 9 or 10 win team, whoever the coach is.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Enough with Lou


I love Domers. They have such short memories. Amongst all the gnashing of teeth over Charlie Weis one plea remains constant - BRING BACK LOU!

I've got news for everybody - I was a student at Notre Dame when they transitioned from Lou to Bob Davie. I was there when Lou broke his hip and everyone was ecstatic that Davie would be the interim head coach until Lou was again mobile. Near the end of Lou's tenure, folks were calling for his head just as they are for Weis today - and I was one of them. Lou had lacked that killer instinct ever since ND suffered the crushing loss to BC in the final game of the '93 season. From that point on he played not to lose rather than to win, and it was simply painful to watch.

Well, we all know how the Bob Davie era would turn out, but the point is you can never repeat history. The Lou talk is insane. It's fun to be nostalgic, but we need to be serious. The game has passed him by and he wouldn't know what to do in an era of reduced scholarships and increased NCAA scrutiny.

Honestly, I don't know who in their right-mind would take take the job at this point. ND certainly won't get any "big name", proven coach as everyone is clamoring for, regardless of how much they're willing to spend. If the job description states that two BCS bowls in 4 years won't cut it, that doesn't leave much margin for error. Their best bet/hope is some up-and-comer that, for better or for worse, wants to use Notre Dame as a stepping stone or proving ground for their talent. It's hard to swallow, but methinks head coach at ND is no longer the top rung of the ladder.

I Don't Get It


I just was checking the morning sites and everyone is gushing over New Orleans' performance in last night's MNF game. Apparently, this was the most points ever scored by New Orleans in a game. Apparently, Drew Brees is the second coming of Dan Marino - which seems appropriate because it's very likely his obscene stats season-after-season will never see him win a Super Bowl.

I get that everyone wants New Orleans to succeed because they were a feel good story, like, 3 years ago following Hurricane Katrina. Everyone keeps picking them as Super Bowl contenders, yet they've only made the playoffs once in the last 3 years. You hear about how great they are week after week, and yet they are currently dead last in they're division at 6-5. You wouldn't even know that the Buccaneers, Panthers, and even the lowly Falcons are outpacing them. Barring a miracle, i.e. a collapse by those three teams previously mentioned, they'll fail to reach the playoffs again this year. So let's just calm down with the whole New Orleans Saints craziness for awhile - at least until they're actually a decent team.

Monday, November 24, 2008

(Sigh...)


Ok, so after this weekend I completely and totally retract this post. The Notre Dame ship is officially in reverse and staring down the barrel of a slaughter in LA next weekend. My new position is why wait and allow another season of mediocrity... or worse. Thanks for ruining my entire Fall, Charlie.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Hilarious and Terrifying


I use both adjectives because watching this video below is hilarious, but if I were one of the victims I would probably s%^t my pants.

The backstory is that the Houston Rockets have an inflatable mascot that will remain motionless for minutes at a time, then spring to life on some poor, unsuspecting bystander with - you got it! - hilarious and terrifying consequences, depending on your point of view. Enjoy!


Wednesday, November 19, 2008

More Music


I had written off Weezer as dead after their Make Believe album. It was okay and had a few catchy tunes - most notably 'Perfect Situation' - but it wasn't up to what I had come to expect from them. So it was with little fanfare (for me at least) that their latest Red Album was released. Then I heard the song 'Pork and Beans'. Then I saw the video...



Weezer is back! And with mustaches! Stephanie, Zoe, Colin, and Liz - prepare for a aural assault next Tuesday night!

Guns n' F&%$ing Roses!




I am very much looking forward to Tuesday, November 25. After 15 long years, Guns n' Roses will finally be releasing their long-awaited album, Chinese Democracy, and I will purchase the actual CD at a record store and listen to it on a loop as many times as possible on the car ride from Washington to Cincinnati, dissecting every song and taking it in in all it's glory. Chuck Klosterman gives an outstanding review of the album over at the Onion. I think my favorite line from that review - and one that could only ever possibly be applied to a G n' R album...

A song like "Shackler's Revenge" is initially average, until you get to the solo—then it becomes the sonic equivalent of a Russian robot wrestling a reticulating python.

If that's not the best analogy of all-time, I don't know what is. The overall review is incredibly favorable, but, quite honestly, this album could be 75 minutes of whale song and I would still eagerly rush to BestBuy to drop however much they'll be charging without hesitation. That is my level of commitment to and confidence in Axl Rose.

Anyway, you all grew up with the Gunners - go buy the album. Don't pull any namby-pamby file-sharing theft or iTunes downloads - this is an album that requires you to hold it in your hand and read the liner notes. God, I'm so excited...

Monday, November 17, 2008

It's all coming together...heh, heh, heh!


With the generation of Dad's College Football Rankins for 11-15-08, I am now able to predict with high confidence that Florida will play Southern Cal for the national championship. And it all will hinge on ND. Here's how it will go down.



Florida will SHRED Alabama in the SEC title game. Good-bye Crimson Tide. Hello #1.



Okiehomer will defeat Tejas Teck next week. At that point, each of the Big Three in the Big 12 will have 1 loss. The computers (including mine) will love Tejas but the humans will be loath to choose one over the others. Conference championship? Pish, tosh. Adios Big 12.



Meanwhile at the Colliseum, as alumni across the country feast on leftover turkey and honeybaked ham, SoCal will put a serious beat down on the Aspiring Irish in primetime national TV. And in losing, ND will once again pave the road for Trojan glory (see Palmer, Leinert, Bush). The humans will faun over the well-coiffed Pete Carroll and his fun-bunch, vaulting them to #2.



Florida vs. Southern Cal. QED.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

We Bought a House




Click on the link below for more pictures. If you happened to be planning on purchasing Christmas gifts for us, we would truly appreciate Target and Home Depot gift cards. If you weren't planning on getting gifts for us you are a Scrooge.

http://www.homevisit.com/mlsTour/select/?id=34516

Monday, November 10, 2008

Ugh...


So Notre Dame lost again this weekend to another team with a decent record and, predictably, out come the "fans" begging for the head of Charlie Weis on a platter. The argument seems to consist of...
  • The team is regressing.
  • Charlie can't develop the talent he has on the roster.
  • Charlie couldn't coach himself out of a shoe box.
While I admit the team appears to have taken a step backwards the last few weeks, it's hardly time to hit the panic button. This is still a ridiculously young team, with a majority of the starters underclassmen. The inconsistency week-in, week-out and their inability to finish off games is a manifestation of that youth.

On the development front, just think back to how bad this team was last year. If you can tell me with a straight face that ND is not improved by leaps and bounds across the board, you have zero football intelligence. I know it's frustrating, but anyone who thought a 3-9 team would turn things around to 9-3 in one year is foolish, borderline insane. A record of 7-5 is what I believed the ceiling to be at the start of the season, and that's looking about right these days. A humorous argument I saw in the interwebs was that the only reason Weis won in his first two seasons was because he had Willingham's recruits. I find this humorous because it contradicts the very argument used in the defense of Weis those first two seasons - that he had developed players that had contributed nothing under Willingham (the likes of Quinn, Stovall, and Szaaamklasdfja) and turned them into NFL-quality players. Short attention span I guess.

As for coaching decisions, you can hardly blame Weis and co. for 4 interceptions and a botched punt this week. Fact is, turnovers have absolutely killed Notre Dame in every loss this season. North Carolina - Clausen's INT to open the second half. Michigan St. - Floyd's fumble while driving in the 2nd quarter. Again, this is a young team and these types of mistakes will happen, it's a testament to the coaching staff that even with these major gaffes the games have still been competitive. At the end of the day, the game is played on the field and players need to make plays. The job of the coaching staff is to prepare the team and put them in a position to win every game, and in that respect they have succeeded. Now it's time for the players to step up, eliminate the stupid, costly mistakes, and start winning some games.

Now, all that said in Weis' defense he still needs to prove himself. I couldn't care less about so-called "signature wins", but Weis needs to take a hard look at some obvious weaknesses. If the offensive line keeps letting a 3-man d-line pressure Clausen, bench them to show them you mean business. If it continues, fire Latina. If the three-headed tandem of Allen-Aldridge-Hughes can't pick up yards on the ground, bench them and give Jonas Gray a try, or try putting Golden Tate back there. And the highest profile, if Clausen continues to cost them games with poor decisions and worse passes, bench him and let Sharpley have a go. Weis needs to send a message that no one on this team is untouchable. Job security leads to complacency, which leads to poor performance. There is enough talent on that roster that everyone should be pushed for playing time.

All-in-all, I'm still optimistic about the future of this team. I think if things continue to progress at this rate, you're looking at BCS contention (just a bowl, not a NC shot) next year and possibly NC challenges in 2010. If you look at any successful sports program in any sport at any level, the one constant key to success is stability. To jump the gun and make any crazy decisions regarding the direction of this team would set it back another five years. We all knew what we were getting into at the start of the season and we all knew the realistic timelines. So take a deep breath and appreciate the fact that you can enjoy Thanksgiving because you already know how that Southern Cal game will turn out.

Friday, November 07, 2008




Well, college football season is approaching its end, the Bengals are done, so what do we have to look forward to, Cincinnati Reds baseball! Hear me out, being a Reds fan means usually throwing in the towel on the season in early to mid June. Thus, the most exciting time for Reds fans is the off-season. During the off-season we can always hope to add a player or two to take us to the next level for the upcoming season. Can the Reds become the Tampa Bay Rays of 2008? Probably not, but with some careful pickups and subtractions they can improve from last year significantly.

Hear are some key factors for the Reds in 2009:

1. We need the old Aaron Harang back. Harang makes all of the other pitchers better. He eats up innings and is consistent. If he were healthy last year I think we probably could have had a 5 game swing in the W column.

2. Young pitchers keep up the momentum. Can Volquez and Cueto pitch well again? Can Homer Bailey become an effective MLB starter? If we can answer yes to these questions then we could be a team to be feared come next year.

3. Can we improve defensively? To say the Reds played poorly on defense last year would be an understatement. They were awful. Moving Encarnacion to left field, and signing a SS will do wonders for this team. Not to mention the addition by subtraction of Dunn and Griffey from the outfield.

4. Speaking of those two, what to do with the freed up money we were paying Griffey and Dunn? I think there is no reason the Reds can't be a similar team to the Cardinals. We have good talent all around the team, but are missing a few pieces. I don't think we should overpay for anyone, because we are more than a few players away from seriously competing, but there is not reason we can't contend for the division or wild card well into September. We just need a SS, maybe another decent starter and possibly a catcher. Get it done Jocketty!


I know I will be listening to the Hot Stove reports on 700 WLW, in many ways (sadly) it often is the most exciting time of the year for Reds fans. Maybe if we make some decent moves, we can start getting excited in September and October instead on only November through March.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Where's Jenny McCarthy Now?


I couldn't resist a little follow-up post to Ian's rip on celebrities that focused on Jenny McCarthy a couple weeks ago. An article was posted yesterday on USAToday.com entitled, "Study links rainfall to autism in children." I recommend reading it for some light entertainment. The actual published journal article reference is from a reputable journal, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. This is a heavier read for the non-scientists following our blog.

Let me just give you Ted's Executive Summary©, as a trained and practicing physician:
Autism is a mysterious disorder. Nobody understands it, and a lot of people are trying to isolate a cause. The best guess anyone has is that it (like many, many, many other illnesses) has a genetic basis that is triggered by some combination of environmental causes. This article used anecdotal stats to form a hypothesis that autism appeared to be more prevalent in states where there was bad weather that forced kids inside. On delving deeper, fancy statistical analyses seemed to support their crazy hypothesis. To justify their dumb conclusion, they associated a handful of possible reasons that keeping your kids inside is bad and could trigger autism: too much TV, low vitamin D from lack of sun, chemicals in household cleaners, toxins in the rain, and my favorite - too much rain causes more weeds and bugs and leads to more pestacides. The authors readily admit that this hypothesis has no clinical evidence, and is fraught with potential concerns.

So there you have it! I think Jenny McCarthy has a new cause to jump onboard. Whether she chooses to support weather control measures, moving to the desert or investing in umbrellas, she will be able to hit the talk show circuit for another round. I doubt she will apologize for spreading the garbage that she peddled for years.

RIP, Mike




Today comes sad news that Michael Crichton has passed away at age 66. Crichton was always one of my favorite authors and penned such best-sellers as The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, and Disclosure. I think what I liked most about his work was the amount of research he put into his novels. His plots, although far-fetched, always seemed plausible and grounded in actual science - no doubt a result of him being a doctor himself. He couldn't end a book to save his life - too soon? - but it was always a hell of a ride getting there.

I still remember my first introduction to Jurassic Park. Mom told me it was about an amusement park with dinosaurs. I imagined a bunch of robot dinosaurs in a giant dome and thought, "Lame!". Boy was I wrong. So please excuse me whilst I go dig up my 15 year-old, battered, paperback copy and start re-reading it for the 12th time.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Down and Out


I was very excited to hear the big announcement this week that Brady Quinn is finally getting the start in Cleveland for the Browns. I was not excited to find out that it would take place on one of those awful Thursday night games that you can only see on the NFL network. I refuse to pay an extra $5.99 a month to watch another channel of sports talk with an occasional Thursday night dud.

Anyway, I find it very interesting to hear the media reaction to the decision. Almost universally, it was considered a quick trigger. A bad decision, bordering on desperate by the Browns. A short week is supposedly an awful time to make the switch for a new QB. The comment that bothers me the most is that the Browns failure is not Anderson's fault. Too many dropped passes by the receivers are to blame for Anderson's poor stats.

Is anybody else as incredulous as I am? Since when has a poorly performing QB on an underachieving team been considered good? I checked the stats. Derek Anderson is rated 31st in the league in passer rating. That's behind such luminaries as JaMarcus Russell, Joe Flacco, Dan Orlovsky and Gus Frerotte. Only 2 teams have a worse QB than Cleveland, KC and Seattle. Look, I understand a few dropped passes can make a QB look bad, but they don't give him a 68.9 QB rating! They surely don't give him a 49.8% completion rate. That is just not up to standards for an NFL QB.

I just don't get it. Quinn has been in competition for the starting spot since he signed. You would think Anderson had to perform better to keep his spot. Yet, the worse he plays, the more excuses arise. This switch has been brewing for over a year, so why is it a quick trigger now?

The only answer to these questions I can come up with is that people hate Brady Quinn. It was there in college, it was there at the draft, it was there during his contract negotiations, and it continues today. For the life of me, I'll never understand. He has never been anything but an exemplary person. He works hard, never gets into trouble, is a great teammate as a starter or on the bench, succeeds at every level so far... People just love to hate him.

I hope he kicks butt tomorrow and begins a great NFL career. Unfortunately, anything less than the second coming of Joe Montana or Tom Brady will be considered a letdown by the same people who continue to put him down. I don't see that for Quinn, so I guess I should get used to the criticism that will follow him throughout his career.

We Now Return to Our Regularly Scheduled Programming


Oh thank god this election is over. I won't even comment on the results because it makes no difference at this point - we have a new President-Elect, deal with it. I'm just happy we can finally return to blogging about things that are truly important
  • Poop and fart jokes
  • Notre Dame football
  • The latest in A/V gadgets
  • My disdain for pants
Now, for your viewing pleasure - a picture of Zoe with crazy hair!


Red vs. Blue


One of the most interesting aspects of the Presidential election to me was the support that Obama seemed to garner across the board. The media touted that rich/poor, black/white, men/women, old/young all supported Obama. As a result, his landslide Electoral College victory supposedly gives him a mandate that he can do whatever he wants in Washington, because he is the clear people's choice. A couple of quick points about that sentiment (which was repeated tirelessly by the networks last night following the victory).

First of all, Obama had a clear victory, but is it the decisive victory that everyone claims? I admit I never understand political stats, but it doesn't seem to me that 52% of the popular vote is a decisive victory. Obama ran a great campaign and he pulled away 2% or 3% of voters in several key demographics that had voted GOP in 2004. He didn't completely change the vote, he chipped away just enough at the groups "in play" to get a victory. One of my favorite graphics of the last few Presidential elections is the Electoral map by county. As you can see, the nation is predominantly Red in 2004, and again in 2008. Some of the blue counties spread a bit in 2008, but not that much. The Dems main source of power is in every urban county. To me, this shows that America's main division is not Red vs. Blue, but urban vs. suburbs/rural. As big cities grow and sprall, more voters go Dem.
20042008

Secondly, I think that the groups that Obama does appeal to are more vocal and and help to influence the vote. What am I talking about? He gets the media (except Fox). That's free advertising and research for any Democratic candidate. He gets the young voters. These are the people who blog, facebook, protest and get noticed by the media. He also gets the unions, which will campaign and be very vocal. They control a block of worker votes who will do vote how they are told. The GOP supports it's candidates a different way. It's a bit less visceral or emotional. It is pragmatic, and has to do more with your pocketbook. Other than the religious right, I think most Republicans acknowledge they are Republican and nothing more. I didn't go to any rallies. I didn't contribute any money. I didn't walk around with a McCain t-shirt trying to gain votes.

I don't think the Republicans are in huge trouble. I do think they need to reorganize the party and tap into the emotions of voters in a way as to energize the vote. They don't have a long way to go. Despite the "big" Obama win and his successful campaign, he won for 2 simple reasons: people don't like George Bush, and the economy hit a major downturn in the last month of the election. Don't forget that McCain was up 10 points in the polls in October before the stock market crash. I propose that any Democrat running on that ticket would have won this election by running even a barely competant campaign. John Kerry, Al Gore, and Michael Dukakis, all former runners-up, would have won in a vote against any GOP candidate in 2008. In my opinion, Obama's most impressive (and important) victory was in the primaries against Clinton. In the end it all really boiled down to Obama's campaign rally: CHANGE.

America is going to get change alright. The funny thing is, nobody, not even Obama really knows what those changes will be.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!


Forget any comments about the election today. I wanted to remind you of how dumb people really are who cast the votes that decide the future of our country.

Case-in-point, Al Franken is leading the polls for election to the United States Senate in the state of Minnesota. Are you serious? We are going to elect a Saturday Night Live writer who had 1 good character in the history of the show to the US Senate?

He has served in ZERO elected offices. His biggest political experience consists of a liberal talk radio show. He has written a couple of books, the topic of which seems to try to justify his candidacy in a humorous way. Perhaps most importantly, he wasn't that funny on SNL!

If we're going to put an SNL alum into Congress, can't it at least be someone funny? I can think of a ton of better alternatives including Phil Hartman, Chris Farley or John Belushi. Yes, I know they're dead, but I still think a dead John Belushi would be a better senator than a live Al Franken! He did become Senator Blutarsky at the end of Animal House!

As for the probable Junior Senator from the great state of Minnesota... Good luck America!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Can I Get an AMEN???


Michael Cunningham is my new hero. I have never read a single thing he has written, but this one article makes me laugh.

A change of heart on the SEC? Not really

I think many of us share the opinion that the SEC is WILDLY overrated. It's only going to get worse with the new CBS contract kicking in. You can't argue with SEC fans or proponents, though. They do have an 11-4 record in the BCS all-time with 3 National Titles in the past 10 years. However, it's the constant claims that they play the best defense in the NCAA, play the best offense in the NCAA, have the best coaches in the NCAA, the best rivalries in the NCAA... Need I go on?

Yes, they have had the Champ 2 years running, but that in no way makes them the best conference in the NCAA. The SEC uses fuzzy logic to justify their inaccurate claims, and this article rips that logic apart!

"I'm jealous of myself!


When Teresa and I told mom and dad that we were having a baby, mom uttered probably my favorite line I heard from anyone. Excited that two of her children we having kids within 6 weeks of each other, and one of the babies would be so close she could actually be in the hospital during the birth, mom said something to the effect of:

"My friends will all be so jealous! I've already got three granddaughters, now I'm going to have two more grandchildren! Gosh, I'm even jealous of myself!"

Dad and Teresa were on the phone at this point, so I have witnesses.

Teresa said that I have free reign to tell whomever, so I decided a blog post was the best means. All of you can also feel free to tell whomever. Now mom and dad have another chance of getting that ever-illusive grandson! Fun thing is, we're not going to find out beforehand - so it will be a delivery-room surprise! My guess is it will be girl.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Willingham Fired - again!


So it happened. the University of Washington announced that Ty Willingham was fired as head coach effective at the end of the season. This has almost a poetic aura around it. Let's play TyLibs, my own take on the futility of Willingham.

2004
Willingham is driving Notre Dame into the abyss of college football relevance. A 6-5 season was punctuated by yet another blowout loss to USC. Recruiting efforts were at an all-time nadir, with little hope on the horizon. The week following that loss, ND announced his firing prior to completion of his 5 year contract. The AD, Kevin White, said at his press conference, "We simply have not made the progress on the field that we need to make. From Sunday through Friday our football program has exceeded all expectations, in every way, but on Saturday, we struggled. We've been up and down and sideways a little bit." Willingham is obviously upset about the decision, and refuses to resign. He then proceeds to move on and collect $1.3 million from Notre Dame to buyout his contract.

2008
Willingham is driving Washington into the abyss of college football relevance. An 0-7 season was punctuated by yet another blowout loss to Notre Dame. Recruiting efforts were at an all-time nadir, with little hope on the horizon. The week following that loss, UW announced his firing prior to completion of his 5 year contract. The AD, Scott Woodward, said at his press conference, "It became quite obvious with the performance on the football field it wasn't up to what we talked about at the beginning of the season and previous to the season. It became more obvious as time went on this season." Willingham is obviously upset about the decision, and refuses to resign. He then proceeds to move on and collect $1 million from Washington to buyout his contract.

It is so gratifying that we were the team to put the nail in the coffin on his tenure at Washington. Don't forget he was talking to UW about a contract before he was let go. Furthermore, ND was called everything from inpatient, disloyal, a dead program to racist following the firing. I'm sorry, but after the unfair attacks on ND when he was fired, and his quiet affirmation of claims ND was racist, I admit I hold a grudge. I am glad we were the team to send him out! I think Husky fans are happy about this outcome as well!

Last year, many were comparing Weis to Willingham, and outsiders laughed when we tried to shift some of the blame for 2007 to Willingham's poor recruiting. I think as people look closely at UW's program today, they are silently reconsidering all the unfair statements they made about ND firing Willingham back in 2004. Will Notre Dame get the apologies they deserve from Mark May, Ivan Maisel, John Saunders, Dennis Dodd, Jason Whitlock and a myriad of other media personalities? (That's right, I saved the links to hear what they had to say back in 2004. It is laughable!!!) I seriously doubt it, but 2008 finally provides closure for me to the Willingham era.

George Was Right


"I have already intimated to you the danger of parties in the state, with particular reference to the founding of them on geographical discriminations. Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the spirit of party, generally.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty.

The common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it. It serves always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection."

These are direct quotes from George Washington's farewell address on September 17, 1796. Some of you may have heard these before. I would say that Washington was prophetic. 212 years in advance, he correctly predicted the problems of today based solely upon his disdain for political parties.

Don't talk to me about the economy, health care, war in Iraq, how much Sarah Palin spent on her wardrobe or Barak Obama's celebrity status. I feel that the current political party system is the single greatest problem facing America in the 21st century. Washington D.C. is unable to solve any problems because of the constant bickering and fighting between the Dems and the GOP.

Do I think that a political leader will "turn this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty"? No, although some (crazy, bitter, angry) people would argue that George W. Bush has already done that. On the other hand, does the current system "serve always to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration. It agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection"? Well, let's look at that statement: yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes.

So the bottom line is that as a nation, we cannot be split down the middle as Red states and Blue states. How does that happen? The answer in my mind is simple: government has to be smaller and have less influence on our daily lives. Whenever you have so much power and money concentrated under the control of one entity, the political battles will ensue.

Please don't pull out that tired argument against the current political dirty word, "deregulation." If you thought the problems on Wall Street and in the mortgage industry were bad, wait till you see what happens now that the Government has stepped in with it's bailout. Hasn't really helped stabilize the market yet has it? Without the crazy mountains of regulation that we have just created (which by the way adds thousands upon thousands of new government jobs), the bad banks and mortgage companies would collapse, and the remaining companies would learn a lesson and do business better. That's called capitalism. Now, the companies have been saved and not much of a lesson has been learned. Government is bigger and nobody knows how we can afford it. This isn't capitalism anymore, it's not quite socialism, but it's closer to it. As a quick aside, who are we going to bail out next? CNN says today that the automobile makers in Detroit are in need of a bailout, and likely to get some kind of relief. Do you want the government in the business of building cars now too?

The Dems have seized upon the current "
ill-founded jealousies and false alarms," based almost entirely upon the current economic fears as a means to create bigger, "better" government. I think it is a very dangerous time to try and increase the influence of government. Many people think that FDR's New Deal ended the Great Depression. That would be incorrect. WWII ended the Great Depression. Adding more to our current government will do nothing to help the economy, and go a long way toward hurting it.

So popular or unpopular, I will be voting for John McCain in 8 days. I do feel he has given his life to serve his country, with no designs upon personal power or glory. I think he offers the best chance to bring the Dems and GOP closer together, as is clearly evidence by the disdain for him by the conservative right within his own party (whom I despise). Most importantly, I think the GOP view that government needs to be smaller and more in the hands of states and communities is correct. Obama offers something for everyone if you believe everything he claims. However, it doesn't add up. I fear that an Obama victory will add layers upon layers of new roles and responsibilities to our government that doesn't work. That just leads us right back to where Goerge Washington warned us not to go.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Blu-ray First Impressions


So I got my fancy new Blu-ray player yesterday. Here is a bit of advice from this early adopter for any who make the plunge in the next couple of months (I hear Black Friday will have Blu-ray players for under $200, and Best Buy has some right now for $199).

Installation
Installation was not the snap I imagined it to be. First off, you need some extra stuff that I almost totally anticipated. Aside from the player, you will need an HDMI cable (make sure it's 1.3 compliant so you get maximum data rate), an SD card and an ethernet connection. I had an HDMI cable that I accidentally broke while putting the Blu-ray player back in my cabinet. Must have been a pretty cheap cable, so be careful when you connect them. That was a quick trip to Radio Shack! The SD card is to store data regarding your discs for optimum use. The ethernet connection could be tricky. I don't have my cable modem sitting next to my TV, so I bought a Linksys Dual-Band Wireless-N Gaming Adapter (WGA600N) to get the job done. It was a bit of a hassle initially connecting the adapter to my wireless network as the setup instructions didn't exactly work perfectly. I quickly figured it out though. Then, my desired placement in the cabinet didn't get a strong enough wireless signal (which was hard to determine until I used trial and error method of placement). So I had to hide it behind the TV. Then I was up and running.

Playback
This will take a bit of getting used to. Each Blu-ray disc is like a computer program. It takes a little time to load, kind of like with a Playstation or XBox. A little concerning given how fast DVDs load, but the little message warns you. It probably takes a 30 seconds or so. I didn't actually time it, but it seems like a long time. I haven't figured out the nuances of stopping play, and restarting as it kept going back to the main menu when I stopped play. Probably some dumb quirk that I couldn't figure out yet. Once the disc is loaded and running, the images are stunning. Think about the first time you saw HDTV compared to regular TV. That is the difference from standard DVD to Blu-ray. If you have previously used an upconverting DVD player with HDMI connection to an HDTV (like I used to have), you will notice significant improvement, but not the awe-insporing leap that you saw going to HDTV initially. I can't comment on the supposedly amazing sound. I have an old-school AV receiver that only supports Dolby Digital 5.1 and a surround bar speaker. The sound is great, but I am not getting the Dolby True Digital 7.1 sound that Blu-ray offers. I bought Sleeping Beauty, Casino Royale and Iron Man to start. Sleeping Beauty and Bond look AWESOME. Iron Man is up for tonight!

Blu-ray Live
The verdict is out here. This was my main reason for waiting for a Blu-ray. The new 2.0 standard allows an internet interface on the Blu-ray. The 2 discs I tried both required online account creation. The Disney disc had a ton of special features like chat, trivia, online games and such. The Sony disc (Casino Roayale) had movie trailers and downloads, but I didn't see a lot of content that was worth the hassle of creating an account. To be fair, it was late and I didn't look at the second disc, so there may be more. Anyway, as of now, it was a real hassle to sign-up and login tot Blu-Ray Live without much benefit. Everything I have read says this is a brand new technology, and it will change as new discs come out. Hopefully, it becomes more useful in the future. I'm talking downloadable extra features and interactive movie stuff. We'll see.

Conclusion
My current conclusions are that this is pretty amazing technology. I am not taking full advantage right now, and the next electronic purchase I make will be a fancy new AV receiver. That will wait until I get surround speakers again in my next house. Until now, the digital sound as well as 1080p images are totally worth it. The Blu-Ray Live is as advertised, a bit of a pain and inconsistant utilization on different discs. I need to take some time to check out all the special features (there are hundreds) on the different discs to see if any are worthwhile. I also need to get used to a new way of watching movies as Blu-ray has some basic differences in playback compared to standard DVD. As with any technology, it is pretty simple to make it work, but there is a whole other level of complexity that you can get into if you like.

They Must Be Really Effing Bad


There are reports coming in today that recent Notre Dame transfer, former William & Mary walk-on, and current Notre Dame walk-on David Ruffer has been given a place on the squad as second string place-kicker and will be traveling with the team this weekend to Seattle.

Although it's good to hear that Notre Dame is trying to sure up their kicking game, it begs the question - how bad must the other scholarship kickers be? From the sounds of it, the athletics department jumpted through quite a few hoops in order to ensure that Ruffin is eligible to kick immediately.

Decent high school kickers are even more likely to slip through recruiting cracks than other positions for the simple fact they often don't get a chance to show their goods in actual, meaningful games. Here's hoping that Ruffin is the real deal.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

A Political Comment


Vote for me, and your wildest dreams will come true.

In less than two weeks, Americans will choose a new president. Some of you have shared your thoughts on the race in conversation with me, and there have been a few notable exchanges in this blogspace. For my part, I am seriously torn between the two major party candidates and, regrettably, for me it has become a choice of the lesser of two evils. Barack Obama, for all of his soaring and inspirational oratory, is a newbie to the national political scene who, I fear, would be eaten alive by the likes of Reid, Pelosi, and Dean. Some have likened Obama to JFK and I do see a number of similarities including the fact that JFK accomplished virtually nothing during his tragically brief time in office. It was not the New Frontier, but LBJ's Great Society that brought us the Civil Rights Act, Medicare/Medicaid, and even the mission to the moon. The meat of Obama's proposals seems appetizing but once through the Congressional grinder I think we may end up with goetta.


Then there's John McCain. I remember getting a phone call from Ted back in 1988 when George Bush the Elder announced Dan Quail as his running mate. Quail was a US Senator from Indiana (where we were living at the time) and Ted thought I would be excited about it. Quite the contrary. I regarded Quail as an attractive, personable, political newbie and intellectual lightweight. When McCain chose Sarah Palin, I hoped - really hoped - that she would be a star. Well, Palin did make it to SNL but it only confirmed her lack of gravitas. The choice of a running mate is the first truly important decision a candidate makes, and I'm afraid McCain came up short.


So, how will I vote? My loathing for the Reid/Pelosi/Dean cabal has me leaning McCain's way, if only to preserve the possibility of an occasional presidential veto of their lunacy.


Whichever candidate you support, may I suggest a simple exercise in political reality. Write down the four or five things you believe your preferred candidate will do as President. Choose from any of the grand plans and transformational programs featured on their websites and in their speeches. If your candidate is elected, tuck the paper away in your wallet or purse and leave it there. When the next presidential election gets underway, retrieve the paper and compare the list with actual events. It's likely you'll be surprised - and not in a good way.


Monday, October 20, 2008

This is Why I Hate Celebrities (and Mainstream Media)


US Weekly has published a story about how Jenny McCarthy (yes, this Jenny McCarthy) has miraculously cured her 6 year old son of autism through use of a no-wheat, dairy-free diet. Keep in mind that McCarthy believes her son developed autism after receiving an MMR (Measles/Mumps/Rubella for those of you without kids) vaccine and has since railed against vaccinating children against potentially deadly, debilitating diseases.

McCarthy is kinda hot and has a tendency to pose naked, so obviously she's a scientist and her quack-pot theories should be published by major media outlets and taken as gospel.

I actually had a friend call me recently to ask whether I thought he should have his child vaccinated for the flu this winter because of nonsense like this. He was actually starting to listen to all this BS about vaccines causing autism. Since I'm not a doctor, I told him to do whatever his pediatrician recommended.

If a celebrity said they thought wearing pants gave their kid measles, all of Hollywood would be running around commando-style within 24hrs and half of America would follow suit within a week. I would fear for society if I didn't know they'll all be dead, except those of us that got vaccines, when a measles epidemic rocks the world.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Bye Week Guide


Notre Dame is off this weekend, gearing up for Ty Bowl next Saturday. This will probably leave a large hole in your Saturday afternoon routine. Here are a few options for filling the void left by Notre Dame football...
  • Go outside
  • Do not yell at your TV for 4 hours
  • Take a nap (also could've been done every Saturday last Fall - bye week or not)
  • Go to the mall
  • Play with your child(ren)
  • Watch non-Notre Dame football games
  • Watch old Notre Dame football games

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Well Said


I had begun writing a post on the subject of the current financial "crisis", but before I had a chance to put a bow on it, TMQ (still your #1 source for political/economic information) came along and said everything I wanted to more eloquently. I guess that's why they pay him the big bucks.

You can (and should) read his thoughts here.

To paraphrase, since TMQ can be verbose, "crisis" is a relative term and we're all best served by looking at the larger economic picture. It's a very optimistic, and welcome, perspective of what we're currently seeing occur on Wall Street that I am very much in agreement with. Media outlets and politicians are calling it a "crisis" simply to promote their own agendas, and bad days on Wall Street don't necessarily translate to an economic crisis. My (and TMQ's) $0.02...

Monday, October 13, 2008

Is Tonight the Night???


Following up on Ian's Brady Quinn post... Could tonight be the night Quinn finally gets his shot with the Browns? The Giants are VERY good, and they may pound the Browns and Anderson to a pulp. The Browns are very close to pulling Anderson, and he may have a tough time tonight. I see a good chance of Quinn getting a shot on Monday Night Football.

Lord knows ND fans have to have something to cheer for!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Bump In Traffic


I thought I'd try to "legitimize" our blog today and get us some easy traffic like all the other sports blogs do. Here goes...

Brady Quinn is gay.

Brady Quinn likes dudes.

Oh, snap! Look at those zingers! Take THAT, Brady Quinn! Bigotry and homophobia are hilarious! We should expect to see the traffic rolling in any second now...

For reals, though - what's the fascination with Brady Quinn? He's a late first-round draft choice backing up an All-Pro in his prime in only his second year.

Yeah, he's taken some stupid photos with what look like high school buddies. We can't all be as bad-ass and ooze testosterone like you tough-guy sports bloggers out there. He's also been seen like this
Not. Too. Shabby. (The girl. Not the white linen blazer and blue slacks.)

Let's face it - Quinn gets grilled because he went to Notre Dame. He busts his ass, teammates have nothing but good things to say about him, and he'll probably unseat All-Pro Anderson before the season is done. Meanwhile, former Heisman Trophy winner "Statutory" Matt Leinert is hooking up with jailbait and got beat out by a 37-yr old wash-up. But he gets a free pass because he went to Southern Cal and knows celebrities.

My point - as usual, I have none...

Thursday, October 09, 2008

Still?


According to sources, Brandon Walker has retained field goal kicking duties for Notre Dame after winning a practice competition with junior Ryan Burkhart. Two questions arise...
  1. How bad must Burkhart be to continually get beat our by Walker? Reports are that, once again, it wasn't even close.
  2. Will practice ever make perfect?
There comes a point in time where you need to throw practice out the window. By all indications, Walker is a great practice kicker. However, the fact remains he's 1-7 on field goal attempts this season and 7-19 in his career. I don't care if he's bombing 72-yarders from the left hash in practice, if he can't hit a 31-yard chip shot in a game what's the point? Maybe the opposite holds true for Burkhart. Maybe he sucks in practice, but would step up in a game situation.

Notre Dame has been lucky thus far in that their kicking woes have yet to cost them a game, but they will eventually. If Walker continues to choke in games I don't really care what's happening in practice, a switch needs to be made.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

F$%^ You And Your Bad Grammar, Apple


Apple has released their latest iPod, and the marketing shit-storm that goes along with any Apple release is in full effect. Once again, Apple is trying to chip away at the collective intelligence of America by using blatantly poor grammar.
Notice the problem here? If you're one of the millions of people that made it through 3rd grade you would have quickly noticed that "funnest" isn't really a word. The correct comparative and superlative forms of the word "fun" are "more fun" and "most fun", respectively. Who the hell do you think you are, Steve Jobs? William freaking Shakespeare? You do not have the clout to just go making up words willy-nilly. Hey, look! I can do it too - Apple, your ad campaigns are dumbening society!

Sadly, this isn't Apple's first cutesy foray into infuriating ad campaigns. Remember this?
Yeah, that was Apple's first attempt at eroding correct English. The word "different" in the above phrase is performing as an adverb and should therefore end in "ly", e.g. Think differently.

What really drives me nuts is that most people probably don't even realize the errors and I'm probably going to start hearing the word "funnest" all over the place, losing a little bit of my sanity with each utterance. I'm dreading the release of the latest MacBooks and the accompanying ad campaign that proclaims, "The new MacBook. Designed by Apple in California. All parts purchased from and assembled in China. Gooder than all those other laptops." Damn you, Apple...

Monday, October 06, 2008

Weekend Recap


Mainly for Bridget and Brian, who couldn't join us in South Bend this past weekend...
  • DC to Indy (plane), Indy to South Bend (car) - eh... probably the last time for that.
  • Would it kill Indiana to build an honest-to-God interstate between Indy and South Bend? That drive should never take 4.5 hours.
  • Little cousins playing together? Awesome. Little cousins playing together after 9pm? Not so awesome.
  • South Bend liquor store workers are quite the friendly lot. The legendary stories of Grandma T negotiating the prices on handles of Captain Morgan are suddenly more believable.
  • 16oz Miller Lite's and Mustard-Cheese dip are not a suitable replacement for breakfast and lunch.
  • Notre Dame defensive line? Not so great. Notre Dame jumbo sausage dogs? Great.
  • Bruno's is a shit-hole. Literally. Although, I would beat a man to death with a shoe right now for a couple slices of that supreme.
  • Zoe (7p bedtime) up past 9p two nights in a row = totally awesome plane ride home!
All in all, an enjoyable weekend featuring an Irish win. I'm honestly shocked that everything worked out as well as it did considering the hectic scheduling. I was bracing for a fiasco. Regardless, it was good to see everyone during the brief interludes of activity.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

One More...


Ted's been putting out a fair amount of political commentary on the old blog of late in favor of John McCain. In most cases I've played devil's advocate, while stressing I'm still undecided - which is still the case. So I thought I'd throw a quick bone in favor of McCain/Palin by sharing a few quick positive thoughts on Gov. Palin.
  • The contempt (it's the perfect word for this situation) shown Palin by the media and liberals is completely unfair. Whatever people say, she wasn't handle the Governor's seat in Alaska - she earned it with confidence and intelligence. It's especially galling coming from so many celebrities - a segment of the American population that makes a living playing make-believe - many of whom never even attended high school.
  • The whole angle that she doesn't have enough foreign policy experience is a joke. How much foreign policy experience did Bill Clinton gain as governor of Arkansas - a state that probably out-hicks even Alaska? How much did Ronald Reagan, victor in the Cold War, gain acting and sitting as governor of California? If you answered 'None', you're spot-on.
  • Enough with the argument about whether or not you'd be comfortable with her as President. This is a contrived attempt to spin McCain's age. What if Obama were to die in office? ZOMG! Biden is 66! I don't know if I'm comfortable electing a secondary official who maybe, possibly, potentially could die while in office.
  • One thing that I think is often too easily overlooked in Presidential races is leadership. Senators and Congressmen like to stress how they led committees as examples of leadership. That's crap. I don't think you can quantify what it takes to be the person where the buck stops -the one who everyone looks to when a final decision needs to be made. Sarah Palin has been in that position as governor of Alaska. She has been the final arbiter, the one who says, "This is what we're doing. End of discussion." She hasn't had the luxury that Biden and Obama and, even, McCain have had in the Senate, blowing their idealistic horns and grandstanding while knowing full well it doesn't mean a damn thing because the majority will win out. That's putting on a show knowing there's no risk involved. Being the person in charge involves risk and gravitas with everything you say and each decision you make. Everything you do is scrutinized. Call me naive, but I think that's a huge advantage for Palin over everyone else in this race, her running mate included.
So there you have it - a little fair-and-balanced by yours truly. I think that tonight's VP debate should be very telling, but not for the reason others might think. If McCain loses ground as a result of a poor Palin performance it won't be because Palin has been exposed as an amateur, it'll be because McCain will have been exposed for picking a gimmick running mate for the sole purpose of getting himself elected - a selfish act that would belie everything McCain has said or done in his career to get to this point.

P.S. Still undecided, but that may change after tonight...

Looking Good...



At risk of jinxing the whole f#$^ing weekend, he's the current weekend weather forecast for South Bend. Looks like it's shaping up rather nicely, if not a little chilly for the later parts of the game Saturday. Can't wait!

Why, Mr. DJ? Why?



I feel sheepish admitting these two facts, but here goes...
  1. I still listen to plain, old frequency modulation (FM) radio.
  2. I love Nirvana.
You'd think those two guilty pleasures would blend like PB&J since Kurt Cobain committed suicide and radio disc jockeys (DJs) are notorious suckers for playing music made by now-dead musicians. Here's the problem - while Nirvana only ever made 3 studio albums and those 3 albums are packed with great songs, the DJs only ever play the 3 worst Nirvana songs...
  • Come As You Are
  • Heart-Shaped Box
  • Lithium
They aren't horrible songs relative to today's music scene (which pretty much sucks), but compared to Scentless Apprentice, All Apologies, Breed, Polly, School, About a Girl, et al., they're shit. I don't get it, there are almost 40 songs from studio albums, countless live/unplugged versions available, even the Incesticide EP - literally hours of music to choose from - and it's still the same 3 damn songs. It's depressing. As depressing as the fact that Cobain was probably murdered by his crazy wife, Courtney Love? Eh, maybe not, but still... throw me a freaking bone now and then.

I Did It!


I have taken the technology plunge. I put in a pre-order for a shiny new Blu-Ray player today on Amazon. Check out the just announced Panasonic DMP-BD35K.

Blog regulars may recall the myriad HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray posts that flew around this site for months and years prior to the death of HD-DVD this spring. So it is no surprise that the Heffernans are interested in Blu-Ray technology. Why did I wait so long? What caused me to pull the trigger now? Why did I pre-order from Amazon? The answers lie below...

First off, nobody in their right mind would have purchased either HD disc format until the format war was decided. I actually wasn't sure it ever would be! But the quick and stunning defeat of HD-DVD gave me confidence that Blu-Ray would actually make it. After Blu-Ray won, the players available were in a bit of chaos. They were very expensive, well over $500. They had differing Blu-Ray standards (1.0, 1.1, 1.1+) that didn't always promise future disc compatibity. They supposedly had a lot of glitches, and took forever to load discs and content. Up until today, the best Blu-Ray player available was actaully a PS3! As a result, I watched and waited for the next generation of Blu-Ray players to hit the shelves - likely in time for Christmas.

Today, CNET ran a full review of the new Panasonic Blu-Ray line. I am a big CNET fan, and they know their electronics. The new review convinced me now was the time to pull the trigger. The BD35K comes in at $299. It is fully 2.0 compliant. It has the best image quality available in a Blu-Ray player. It has one of the best chips for upconverting older DVDs to 1080p. It fully decodes all the fancy audio modes in new movies for those of us that don't have a $2000 receiver. CNET says the only better player is the BD55K that offers analong 7.1 output, something that nobody needs anyway. Now is the time to buy. Other companies will release their new players soon, but Panasonic has been the reference standard for Blu-Ray from the start. It's this one, or wait until next year for the next generation, which will assuredly have a few minor updates. However, the major issues are addressed in this player today, and it's time.

I also decided to go with Amazon because of their great track record for me. I bought my HDTV from them, and am very happy. They always have the best price, and they don't have tax or shipping. Nice when you have over 9% sales tax.

So if anyone has been considering Blu-Ray, trust me when I say this is the time to take the plunge. As further incentive, all the big movies of this year are starting to come out in Blu-Ray. I am going to the store to buy Iron Man and Sleeping Beauty in Blu-Ray next week. The Dark Knight is coming sooooon!

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Obama Will Be The 44th President


I raise my right hand and solemnly swear: This will be my last political blog post until after the election. I just needed to vent a bit at the morning's CNN headline: McCain takes hit from bailout collapse.

What the heck is going on here??? McCain suspended his campaign to head to Capital Hill and work for the economic bailout. When he called for postponing the debate, he was derided in the media for dodging Obama and not being able to multitask. As a result, he reluctantly attended the debate. Then, when the bailout fails, he gets the blame???? It failed by 12 votes. Do you think McCain staying in Washington on Friday, Saturday and Sunday might have helped sway 12 stinking votes? I would say YES! So he's damned if he does and damned if he doesn't.

Furthermore, how does Obama get off scott free on this? He also supported the bailout. He also went to Capital Hill to show his support. The vote only got 60% of the House democrats to support it. I'll bet he could have swayed 12 of them had he stayed! I'm beginning to think this debate was not a good idea. I'm optimistic that some kind of modified plan can salvage this fiasco, but I'll wager that McCain will be staying clear due to the inevitible backlash his support would cause.

Look, I am a registered Republican. I am voting McCain all the way. He could have picked the ghost of Telly Savalas to run as his VP and I would still vote for him. I'm not trying to convince anyone how to vote. I'm just pointing out the obvious discrepancies in reporting when it comes to our Presidential candidates (and their VP nods, but that is another issue I will not touch). Why do I want McCain? Because he will be good for the economy, and he won't f$%& up our national security. Most of all, he will be good for my pocketbook. That's how 99% of Americans vote anyway.

How does McCain help me? I am a doctor. My wife is a doctor. We have sacraficed 10 and 7 years of our lives respectively to our training. We make jack during that time and sit on top of well over $100,000 in debt, EACH! So as a result, I am 33 and I have ZERO dollars in savings. All of that is a sacrafice to do what we love, and doctors get reimbursed with pretty decent salaries after that time to help catch up on the years we trained and saved nada. Still, we don't make anywhere close to what high paying lawyers or even business executives make. So what, it's not all about money. But don't you think the doctors who take care of you and your families deserve to be paid well for the hard, risky work they do?

Now, when I am trying to find a job, nobody is hiring because it's an election year. A Democrat in the White House is bad for business, and many groups are holding tight to see how the election goes. They have TOLD ME THIS! Great. After the election, if Obama raises taxes on the "wealthy" who make a good salary (but definitely aren't rich), that means every doctor in radiology. Many other types of doctors also make this much. That means my future colleagues will be making less, and will be less likely to hire. Super great. And the icing on the cake is that Obama also wants to overhaul the health care system. I know, he doesn't say he wants a National health care plan, but it doesn't matter. I know the details of medicare/medicaid reimbursement, and he will make tiny little cuts on paper that have overwhelming consequences to the money doctors get paid for seeing patients, both with and without insurance. So now if I do get a job, I have to work harder and still make less. Super duper great!

So when you wonder how all this Presidential election stuff affects you, consider that the choice has real ramifications for a lot of people. Even if you are not a doctor, consider that a lot of younger, smart people may decide medicine is just not worth the sacrafice. I know a lot of current doctors that already feel that way. So when you start to get older and have to see the doc or make a stay at a hospital, enjoy Dr. Srinivasaraghavan and his unintelligible accent. Having a friendly foreign medical graduate take care of you was probably worth that vote for Obama.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Actual Debate Analysis


So I doubt many of us watched the full debate last Friday. As a public service, I would like to offer up my personal debate analysis. Before I get started, let me set the scene so you don't think I'm some political wacko watching a debate on a Friday night with nothing better to do! We had friends in town and went out for dinner and drinks. We recorded the debate and watched it late night with beer and buzzed. MUCH MORE ENJOYABLE!

Anyway, I feel it my patriotic duty to report back my findings, as the news headlines the following couple of days have been an absolute joke. I really don't think debates even matter anymore. The only thing that matters is you get a highlight reel zinger in there that gives you the "victory."

McCain won this debate hands down.
Going in, I genuinely thought Obama would make McCain look like a bumbling fool and talk circles around him with not much substance, but plenty of catchy rhetoric. That was clearly not the case. McCain was on the offensive throughout the debate. He made very clear and concise arguments, and repeatedly pointed to his strengths while contrasting them against Obama's weaknesses. McCain had Obama on the defensive the entire night. So much so that you could repeatedly see Obama get rattled while McCain was talking. He would mutter, move around and smile uncomfortably. He even had nasty white spittle on his lower lip betraying his obvious nervousness. Seriously! We were totally grossed out and laughing. He was sweating pretty good too. These physical tells proved to me that even Obama thought he was losing.

Obama has trouble thinking on his toes.
Whenever Obama answered a new lead question first, he stumbled a bit. It is clear that he is reliant upon the teleprompters that he uses at every campaign speech he gives. Without the teleprompters, you could see him struggle to think. He gave a lot of "umms" and "ahhs" as he tried to somehow work his way into his regular talking points. Then he would sound fine.

Obama agreed with McCain repeatedly.
Whenever McCain answered first, he sounded calm, cool and collected. He obviously was very well prepared for the questions they fired at him. When it was time for Obama to respond, at least 5 or 6 times, he said, "I agree with John." McCain only agreed with Obama once about the need for a financial bailout - DUH!

Subversive formalities?
I wondered why McCain addressed Obama as "Senator Obama" while Obama addressed McCain as "John." Seems a bit informal. I wonder if he was trying to belittle him in some way. Maybe he was just being friendly, but it seemed very odd to me.

Worst response of the night. (Small font for space)
Lehrer: As president, as a result of whatever financial rescue plan comes about and the billion, $700 billion, whatever it is it's going to cost, what are you going to have to give up, in terms of the priorities that you would bring as president of the United States, as a result of having to pay for the financial rescue plan?

Obama: Well, there are a range of things that are probably going to have to be delayed. We don't yet know what our tax revenues are going to be. The economy is slowing down, so it's hard to anticipate right now what the budget is going to look like next year.

But there's no doubt that we're not going to be able to do everything that I think needs to be done. There are some things that I think have to be done.

We have to have energy independence, so I've put forward a plan to make sure that, in 10 years' time, we have freed ourselves from dependence on Middle Eastern oil by increasing production at home, but most importantly by starting to invest in alternative energy, solar, wind, biodiesel, making sure that we're developing the fuel-efficient cars of the future right here in the United States, in Ohio and Michigan, instead of Japan and South Korea.

We have to fix our health care system, which is putting an enormous burden on families. Just -- a report just came out that the average deductible went up 30 percent on American families.

They are getting crushed, and many of them are going bankrupt as a consequence of health care. I'm meeting folks all over the country. We have to do that now, because it will actually make our businesses and our families better off.

The third thing we have to do is we've got to make sure that we're competing in education. We've got to invest in science and technology. China had a space launch and a space walk. We've got to make sure that our children are keeping pace in math and in science.

And one of the things I think we have to do is make sure that college is affordable for every young person in America.

And I also think that we're going to have to rebuild our infrastructure, which is falling behind, our roads, our bridges, but also broadband lines that reach into rural communities.

Also, making sure that we have a new electricity grid to get the alternative energy to population centers that are using them.

So there are some -- some things that we've got to do structurally to make sure that we can compete in this global economy. We can't shortchange those things. We've got to eliminate programs that don't work, and we've got to make sure that the programs that we do have are more efficient and cost less.

So in Obama's response to what he would CUT to pay for the bailout, he proposed increased spending for 4 programs, including my absolute favorite - building broadband access for rural farmers. Ever hear of satellite??? Please don't overlook his agreement with McCain that we need to drill to produce more domestic oil.

Obama and Afghanistan???
Obama supports a troop surge in Afghanistan to make sure we win that war. He said it implicitly in this debate. I actually stopped the debate, rewound it and listened again to make sure I heard it correctly. He said it. So how is this any different from the troop surge in Iraq??? He refused to acknowledge that the surge was a good plan or even worked in the same debate a question or 2 previously. Then he proposes the same plan in Afghanistan! This guy is clueless. See if any news article brings up this fine point of his foreign policy. That single position undermines his entire argument against McCain and Iraq.

The Bush strategy.
Obama tried to repeatedly link McCain to Bush. It's the primary Democrat strategy. Bush is unpopular, so try to make people think a vote for McCain is a vote for another 4 years of Bush. This one cracks me up. McCain is so unlike Bush that his own party was hesitant to nominate him! He almost became Independent a few years ago. Hannity and Limbaugh, the blowhard Conservative radio hosts HATED McCain and decried his nomination. McCain smoothly outlined multiple disagreements he has had with the current administration. However, Obama is correct that McCain does vote the administrations way almost 90% of the time.

Obama scored too.
Ready to lead. That was a major point McCain tried to make regarding his record. He tried to show naive positions Obama currently has or had taken in the past. He even called Obama "dangerous" to our national security. While I agree that McCain has more qualifications in foreign affairs, taking a trip to the wilderness of Afghansistan has nothing to do with that. Furthermore, I don't think Obama would be a dangerous President, and it ended up making McCain sound a little silly.

In conclusion, the 4 people that watched the debate at my house all agreed that McCain had scored a convincing victory. Our opinions were backed by the TV media analysts immediately after the debate. The conservative guys said McCain had won and had Obama on the defensive. The real tell is that the liberal commentators said it was a draw! If the liberal pundits didn't claim a victory, then you know McCain did very well. I don't understand the media headlines the next day that claimed Obama the winner. They definitely seem to have an agenda, and I felt I needed to bring you the truth.

I think Obama will improve next week here in Nashville, and I can't see McCain pulling out another near perfect performance. The end result will probably be a pretty even debate, but will be received as a rousing Obama victory in the media, so I advise everyone to watch for themselves to get the whole story.