Friday, January 31, 2014

Media's groundhog day

This year, if the groundhog sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of Chris Christie bridge stories.

Migrating toward disaster

DaTech Guy looks at all sides of the push toward immigration reform - a policy the Republican base hates.
What we need is a cunning plan that solves that contradiction so that the base can look at the GOP house leadership and say in the words of Michael Corelone:
You can have my answer now, if you like.  My offer is this: nothing.  Not even the fee for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally.

Weekend watchdog

Peyton Manning.
Richard Sherman.
Anybody else playing Sunday?
The final game of the NFL season kicks off Sunday at 6:38 p.m. on Fox. Until then, we'll examine Peyton's place in NFL history and Sherman's post-game interview.
Over and over and over.
Or the latest weather report. Is it going to be cold in New York on the first Sunday of February?
The night before the big game, the NFL honors its top players on Fox at 8 p.m. Game day, almost everybody has something Super Bowl related. T
he Capitals have their traditional home game on Super Sunday, hosting Detroit at 12:30 p.m. on NBC. Comcast has the team's contest in Detroit Friday at 7:30 p.m.
NBC Sports network has Boston University against Massachusetts Friday at 7:30 p.m. There's Big Ten play between Michigan and Wisconsin Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
The Thunder visit Brooklyn Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, followed by Warriors-Jazz, and the Heat take on the Knicks Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Kevin Durant and the Thunder visit Washington Saturday at 7 p.m. on Comcast.
The GameDay crew will be in Syracuse for Duke's visit Saturday at 6:30 p.m. The day on ESPN starts with Ohio State facing Wisconsin at noon, then it's Baylor-Oklahoma State before Kansas tackles Texas at 4 p.m.
ESPN's slate of six games starts Saturday at 11 a.m. with Richmond-VCU at 11 a.m. It's off to the ACC for North Carolina against North Carolina State at 1 p.m. and Clemson facing Florida State. Wright State meets Wisconsin-Green Bay at 7 p.m. before Tennesee plays Alabama and Saint Mary's meets BYU at 11 p.m.
Kentucky heads to Missouri Saturday at 1 p.m. on CBS, and Sunday at 1 p.m. it's Michigan-Indiana.
ACC network offers Maryland against Virginia Tech Saturday at noon, and other areas will catch Notre Dame taking on Boston College.
FoxSports1 has Marquette taking on St. John's Saturday at 12:30 p.m., followed by Michigan State-Georgetown.
Georgia Tech takes on Wake Forest Saturday at noon on Comcast.
West Virginia hosts Kansas State on MASN Saturday at 1:30 p.m., followed by Oklahoma-Iowa State. TCU takes on Texas Tech on MASN2 Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
There's four games on NBC Sports network Saturday. George Washington takes on Dayton at 12:30 p.m., followed by George Mason-St. Louis and Drexel taking on Towson. Pennsylvania faces Harvard at 9 p.m. James Madison hosts William & Mary Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
There's a pair of women's ACC games Sunday on Comcast. Maryland heads to Syracuse at noon, followed by Miami-North Carolina.
MASN brings Oklahoma against Oklahoma State Saturday at 3:30 p.m., then it's Texas taking on Baylor at 7:30 p.m. ESPN offers Notre Dame-Duke Sunday at 2 p.m., while ESPN2 brings Stanford-California at 4 p.m.
The PGA Tour heads to Phoenix Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. on CBS.
In the Premier League, Newcastle United meets Sunderland at 7:45 a.m. Saturday on NBC Sports network. Stoke City battles Manchester United at 10 a.m. There's two more games Sunday, with Liverpool against West Bromwich Albion at 8:30 a.m. and Arsenal-Crystal Palace at 11 a.m.
There's an international friendly between the United States and South Korea Saturday at 5 p.m. on ESPN2.
Bowlers gather for the PBA Super Clash on ESPN at 4 p.m.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

See some gals

Hope the Seattle Sea-gals stay warm during the Super Bowl.
Although they did survive a blustery day in the divisional playoffs.
UPDATE: part of Rule 5 Sunday. superb.

Maryland airs the dirty laundry

Of the states that decided to run their own health insurance exchanges, Maryland gives critics a boost - the debacle of the exchanges becoming a major issue in the looming gubernatorial primary.
The Lt. Governor wants the top job.
He was supposed to be in charge of the exchange rollout.
It struggled, and so has he.
These Democrats will continue to battle over the bungled health care exchange.
And be the best friends Republicans can have.

77 cents nonsense

Powerline gathers the evidence that the "77 cents" line makes no sense.
In truth, the 77 cents canard represents the Democrats’ contempt for the low information voters who make up such an important part of the Democrats’ coalition. The canard seeks to exploit their ignorance. It should be an embarrassment, to borrow Obama’s judgment on the alleged disparity. Indeed, it’s something worse than embarrassing. It’s wrong to exploit the ignorance of the ignorant for petty political purposes.

By the light of the silvery phone

While walking the dogs tonight, a car pulled into the neighbor's driveway.
It was a dad picking up another player for sports practice.
There were already two teammates in the car.
How could I tell in the dark?
By the glow of their phones in the car.
As they drove off, the phones were still glowing.
Gotta warm up before practice, I guess.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Just his cup of Tea

A Daily Caller columnist likes Sen. Mike Lee's speech after Tuesday's State of the Union.
Especially the take on income inequality.
"This inequality crisis presents itself in three principal forms: immobility among the poor, who are being trapped in poverty by big-government programs; insecurity in the middle class, where families are struggling just to get by and can’t seem to get ahead; and cronyist privilege at the top, where political and economic insiders twist the immense power of the federal government to profit at the expense of everyone else."

Why donate

The inbox has an appeal from Joe Biden, asking for a donation to support President Obama after the State of the Union speech.
Why give $3?
He needs to buy a pen.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Cheers

I find it's much better to follow an Obama speech through Stephen Green's drunkblogging.
He hits the highlights so you can't have to.
“I ask every American” to help somebody get covered by March 31.
Folks, if ♡bamaCare!!! were getting people signed up, then the President wouldn’t be begging for help right now. It’s the worst of Amway and the worst of AmeriPrise, all wrapped together by two TelePrompTers.

State of the rerun

Mark Steyn checks the archives and finds it fits this year's State of the Union speech as well.
And at the end of the speech, nothing gets done, and nothing gets fixed, and, after a few days' shadowboxing between admirers and detractors willing to pretend it's some sort of serious legislative agenda, every single word of it is forgotten until the next one.

Today's Tied with me

Technorati has this blog tied with Market Me Not, which likes a football-themed Coke commercial.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Running on empty

Powerline doesn't seem excited about Tuesday's State of the Union speech.
That's a bigger group than those you will tune in.

On the beach we can build a snowman

The weather news on the Outer Banks looks worse and worse.
Maybe five to 10 inches where you think of people getting sun near the surf.
Instead, it's a big storm that will bring traffic to a halt.

Unsafe behind the wheel ... and in the Oval Office

Grandpa John finds the right look for news Hillary Clinton's has not driving herself since 1996.

The Walker resume

CAC at Ace of Spades has a candidate he likes.
Is there a single candidate who has actually decimated his enemies? We're not talking about simply out-raising them, or yelling at them publicly, or beating them in election. I mean destroying them by ripping a cancerous umbilical cord of revenue right off their gaping navel?
Does Scott Walker sound like your guy?

Happy car-versary

My car hit the 10-year mark Friday.
And the 150,000-mile mark this morning.
Good ole Japanese technology.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

State of the Union - cold

Watts up with That lets everyone know the weather forecast for Tuesday - in case President Obama wants to talk about global warming.
Meteorologist Joe D’Aleo of WeatherBell Analytics informed TWTW that on January 28 every state of the union will have freezing temperatures and parts or all of 27 states will be below zero (-18 ºC). The current National Weather Service forecast for Washington is a high of 18ºF (-8 ºC) and a low of 7ºF (-14 ºC). The low temperature will be some 21ºF (12 ºC) below the Washington normal low for mid-January of 28ºF (-2 ºC). Perhaps the nation would be better off if the President declares his climate action plan is working and no new measures are needed.

Snow where it's not supposed to snow

The original long-range forecast for Fishersville had a chance of snow Tuesday night.
Now it looks like the snow will be further south - like coastal South Carolina.
We'll just have a few more days of brutally cold weather.
The beaches you visit in the summer will get to taste bad winter weather.

You can't make me

Instapundit connects the sluggish Obamacare rollout with marijuana law changes - people just ignoring government.

Who do you root for?

With the NFL Pro Bowl not picking teams by conference, how do you get a rooting interest?
If you have a single favorite player, you can follow their squad.
Like a team? Their players may be split.
The three Ravens are part of the Deion Sanders team.
Guess I should root for them in prime time.

The horse with no name

Remember when the CFL tried to expand to the United States.
Baltimore won a championship, then found with the Ravens arrival there was no room for them.
A great story remembering the CFL Colts.
(yes, NFL, I said that name).

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Ready for the bore of the union speech

Peggy Noonan doesn't appear excited about the looming "State of the Union" speech.
The bigger problem is that the president stands up there Tuesday night with ObamaCare not a hazy promise but a fact. People now know it was badly thought, badly written and disastrously executed. It was supposed to make life better by expanding coverage. It has made it worse, by throwing people off coverage. And—as we all know now but did not last year—the program was passed only with the aid of a giant lie. Now everyone knows if you liked your plan, your doctor, your deductible, you can't keep them.
When the central domestic fact of your presidency was a fraud, people won't listen to you anymore.

Open your closed minds

The Volokh Conspiracy's arrival at the Washington Post got the reception they anticipated.
How dare you allow this in the Post?
This particular reader probably won’t be much receptive to our ideas, at least about guns. But people fall on a spectrum on this issue, as on others. There are those who already firmly agree with us. There are those that so disagree with us that they won’t be swayed.
And there’s a wide middle zone of people, on this subject and on others, who are open to hearing arguments — and facts — and who might be swayed by them. (I was one myself, before I started researching gun issues seriously in the mid-1990s.) But to reach those people, you have to be in the publications they read, with the credentials they respect, both our preexisting academic credentials and the credential of affiliation with the Washington Post.

Buy high, suffer long

What's a shocking number from the Bob McDonnell indictment?
Near the peak of the market, they invested in property in a Richmond suburb, at the Wintergreen resort and at Virginia Beach. Those properties had lost $600,000 in value as of the most recent assessments.
The two Virginia Beach rentals McDonnell mentioned in his e-mail were a particular source of concern. The houses “required capital infusions of up to $60,000 annually,” according to the indictment, and the McDonnells had to rely on loans from family and friends — at least until they met Star Scientific chief executive Jonnie R. Williams Sr., who offered to help them out.
That's a lot of money gone.
You don't need a Rolex to know times are going to be tough.

Legalize the Big Gulp

Bill Bennett notes the disconnect between the push to legalize marijuana and eliminate trans-fat and cigarette smoking from the public square.
For many years, health-conscious liberals have waged a deafening, public war against cigarettes. Smoking bans in public places like restaurants and bars have been enacted in states all over the country. Recently, New York City, New Jersey and several other cities and states have extended those bans to include the newest tobacco fad—e-cigarettes. Yet, when it comes to smoking marijuana? Crickets.
What explains this obvious paradox? Do these liberals think that marijuana is somehow less harmful than a Big Gulp soda or a bucket of fried chicken? It’s hard to believe that’s the case, given the vast amount of social data and medical science on the dangers of marijuana.

Facebook quote of the week

My brother and I laugh at how competitive we are at things...but I laugh more.

Saturday song

Don't have reservations about this song by Paul Revere and the Raiders.


Friday, January 24, 2014

Why not Megyn?

Bill O'Reilly gets to interview President Obama during the Fox pregame show before Super Bowl XLVIII.
He's okay, but wouldn't Megyn Kelly be a better choice.
That would be something to watch.

Want a job?

Megan McArdle looks at the minor and major negatives to the current push to have government guarantee everyone a job.
All that said, as Cottom has formulated it, this is a terrible idea. Over two million people are awarded an associate degree or higher every year in the U.S. Let’s somewhat arbitrarily set the price of a “good job” for a recent graduate at $35,000 a year -- the professional school folks will want more, but the associate degree people will probably demand less, and hopefully it all comes out in the wash. Still, that’s at least a $70 billion program we’ve got here.
Of course, only 53 percent of college grads are underemployed or unemployed. So maybe it’s only a $35 billion a year program. But then, that’s just the first year. Next year there will also be more than 2 million new grads facing a notso-hotso labor market. Now it’s a $70 billion program again. And then a $105 billion program…assuming, of course, that we don’t get more folks flooding into college when they realize that at the end of your college course, a guaranteed job is waiting for you that pays a lot more than whatever you’d otherwise be doing.
I've got an idea for a great place for a government job program. Send those who'd want a guarantee job to the southern border - to make sure no one crosses illegally.
Probably more worthwhile than anything else we could find for these people to do.

Weekend watchdog

stadium seriesWant to see ice in Southern California?
This weekend is your chance.
The NHL's Stadium Series heads to Dodger Stadium Saturday night, with the Kings facing the Ducks on NBC Sports network at 10 p.m.
Both teams have hoisted the Stanley Cup in the past 10 years, but it's rarely ice hockey weather outside their arenas.
A colder venue also hosts an outdoor game, with the Rangers and Devils meeting at Yankee Stadium Sunday at 12:30 p.m. There's another game Wednesday night as the Big Apple gears up for Super Bowl XLVIII.
In the arenas, the Capitals are on the road this weekend - Friday at 7 p.m. at New Jersey and Saturday at 7 p.m. in Montreal on Comcast.
On the college ice, Notre Dame hosts Northeastern for contests Friday and Saturday at on NBC Sports network.
Want warmer weather for your sports? NBC has the Pro Bowl Sunday at 7:30 p.m. featuring teams picked by captains Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders - no conference matchups this years. Players hoping to make future Pro Bowls gather for the Senior Bowl Saturday at 4 p.m. on NFL Network.
The Australian Open closes its run this weekend. The women's final is Saturday at 3 a.m. and the men's final is Sunday at 3 a.m.
The Lakers visit Miami Thursday at 8 p.m. on TNT, with the nightcap featuring the Nuggets against the TrailBlazers. The Clippers and Bulls battle Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN, and it's Celtics-Nets Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
ABC starts its Sunday afternoon slate with Spurs-Heat at 1 p.m., and the Lakers face the Knicks at 3:30 p.m.
The Wizards head west this weekend, meeting Phoenix Friday at 10 p.m. and Utah Saturday at 10 p.m. on Comcast.
Virginia closes out a homestand against Virginia Tech Saturday at 3 p.m. on ACC network, while other areas can see Notre Dame-Wake Forest. Sunday at 1 p.m., it's Georgia Tech against N.C. State.
Duke-Florida State kicks off Saturday's play on ESPN at noon, followed by Tennessee taking on Florida at 4 p.m. and Michigan against Michigan State at 7 p.m.
Six contests fill the ESPN2 slate on Saturday, starting at noon with VCU-LaSalle. It's West Virginia against Oklahoma State at 2 p.m., then Western Kentucky takes on Louisiana-Lafayette. Maryland has a contest with Pittsburgh at 6 p.m., followed by Alabama-LSU and BYU meeting Gonzaga at 10 p.m.
CBS offers Syracuse at Miami Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Big East takes the stage on FoxSports1 Saturday, with Xavier at Providence at noon before Villanova against Marquette and Georgetown travels to Creighton at 8 p.m. Arizona hosts Utah Sunday at 8 p.m.
Comcast has three contests Saturday, starting at noon with Towson taking on Delaware. College of Charleston visits James Madison at 2 p.m., then it's Texas-San Antonio at Texas-El Paso.
There's Big 12 action on MASN Saturday, with Texas-Baylor at 1:30 p.m. followed by Oklahoma facing Texas Tech. Presbyterian meets Liberty at 7 p.m.
Kansas State takes on Iowa State on MASN2 Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
NBC Sports network visits the state of Virginia for a pair of games Saturday. At noon, George Mason hosts George Washington and Richmond meets Saint Joseph's at 4 p.m. There's two more games Sunday, with Fordham-Massachusetts at noon and Harvard taking on Dartmouth at 4 p.m.
In women's hoops, Penn State hosts Minnesota Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS. On MASN2, Baylor travels to Oklahoma State Sunday at 4 p.m. while FoxSports1 has Georgetown at St. John's Sunday at 6 p.m.
Comcast hasVirginia heading to Syracuse Sunday at 2 p.m. NBC Sports network offers Dayton at Saint Joseph's Sunday at 6 p.m.
ESPN2 has a pair of SEC games Sunday, as South Carolina plays Vanderbilt at 2 p.m. before Tennessee meets Texas A&M.
FoxSports1 has the final seven hours of the 24 Hours of Daytona Sunday at 7 a.m.
On the pitch, Arsenal faces on Coventry City FoxSports1 Friday at 2:30 p.m. Liverpool battles AFC Bournemouth Saturday at 7:30 a.m, and it's Sunderland-Kidderminster Harriers at 10 a.m.
It's an X-Games weekend on ESPN. Action continues on ESPN Friday at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, ESPN has action at 2 and 9 p.m. while ABC joins the show at 4 p.m. ESPN closes it out Sunday at 2 and 9 p.m.
There's USA Sevens Rugby action Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBC Sports network. NBC continues coverage at 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Super cheerleader

While the Broncos prepare for Super Bowl XLVIII, cheerleader captain Heather is in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.

What kinds of shoes get a sugar daddy?

Ann Coulter has a good take on Wendy Davis and the story of her story.
Just a few years after her first divorce, Wendy was on the make, asking to date Jeff Davis, a rich lawyer 13 years her senior, who frequented her father's dinner club. In short order, they married and had a child together.
The next thing Jeff Davis knew, he was paying off her college tuition, raising their kids by himself and taking out a loan to send her to Harvard Law School.
(Feminists rushed to the stores to buy the shoes Davis wore during her famous filibuster. I'd like the shoes she was wearing when she met her sugar daddy.)

Legal Insurrection knows why this story matters.
Davis’ narrative of personal struggle as a teenage single mom who lifted herself up from trailer parks to Harvard Law School is the entirety of Davis’ political appeal. Sure, she took her name national with the late term abortion filibuster, but she is not running on that issue. Even Davis recognizes that late term abortion does not have mass appeal, certainly not in Texas.
That is why the unraveling of Davis’ personal narrative is so damaging, and important. Without that personal narrative, what is there to the Wendy Davis candidacy?

Another delay

It's weird to hear your school-age son say he wants to go to school.
After three days off, Augusta County schools will finally open Friday - two hours late.
A few hours of school, then a two-day weekend.
School life is tough.

Lessons after the crisis

Last month, Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby had a crisis - his teenage son went missing.
Good news - he was found a few days later.
Better news - Jacoby found the strength of his community ties.
During the worst ordeal of our lives, my family experienced the best that human beings are capable of. That was a blessing I’ll never forget, or ever cease being grateful for.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Hey conservatives, get out of my yard

Powerline highlights a great take on the unwelcome sign offered by Andrew Cuomo.

Another one rides the bus

San Francisco doesn't like Google buses bringing employees back and forth to town.
Tax the bus, they say.
Not very neighborly.
Would you rather all these employees drive cars back and forth to their jobs?

Let Democrats fight

How will we get to the bottom of the Obamacare website debacle?
It might help to look to Maryland.
The state exchange has had trouble, and that provides a wedge between two Democratic candidates for governor in the June primary.
We'll probably learn lots of bad things about the development of the Maryland exchange - the underdog candidate needs a way to climb to the lead.
Sounds like a path to follow for the federal woes.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Going Boeing

There's congratulations in the blogosphere as the Volokh Conspiracy joins up with the Washington Post.
A nice edition of a conservative voice there.

She's got Wendy Davis lies

Via Legal Insurrection, a great song parody from Sunshine State Sarah.

Can we leave the former governor a loan?

Bad news for former governor Bob McDonnell and his wife.
It shows the problems with too much spending - personal or governmental.

Dealing with precipitation anticipation

Sunday, we were supposed to get an inch of snow.
Monday, the forecast ballooned to four-to-six inches.
What's going to be the verdict?
Probably an inch.
If that.
I always love NBC29 stepping outside the Waynesboro bureau and shooting its snow travel video.
Keep warm, TV reporters.

These shoes are made for walking out

The Wendy Davis narrative took a hit over the weekend - from reality.
She loves her pink shoes - they're comfortable walking away from your family to seek fame.

Monday, January 20, 2014

Sherman's march

Richard Sherman's post-game interview gained much attention after the Seahawks' win.
It was a matter of timing.
He was just trying to promote his new movie.

Get that white stuff out of here

How did a forecast of an inch of snow with a clipper system change into four to six inches of snow?
Preach it, cat.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

To New York via Omaha

Some businesses in Omaha took notice that Peyton Manning used their city as a keyword before getting the snap.
They plan to donate $24,800 for the mentions during Sunday's game.
And there's one more chance to hear Omaha echo through the stadium.

Home of the grumpy old trolls

This post reminded me of this song from Dora the Explorer.
Maybe it can be the new theme song for MSNBC.


Remember the good times

For two more weeks, the Baltimore Ravens are the last Super Bowl champion.
A game your team wins is the best Super Bowl.

View it with the other debtors

John Kass encourages you to see "Lone Survivor" at the theater - not waiting for the DVD release.
I suppose you can wait to see it at home when it comes out on cable. You can tell yourself that your big screen and sound system can faithfully reproduce the theater experience. But it can't reproduce this:
At the end, with the photos of the fallen up there, you turn. Just then some other theater patron looks up and catches your eye. You notice each other, strangers in the movie-house darkness, and there is a mutual recognition of a debt.
We owe them.

Last day of real football

If you enjoy the NFL, this is your last best chance to get action before the long offseason.
After today's two games, you have the Pro Bowl - an exhibition.
Then it's the Super Bowl - maybe a good game, but mostly a day for commercials, parties and over-analysis of everything going on.
Enjoy the action today.
There's a little more conservation and a lot less action in two weeks.

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Water under the bridge

Don Surber has ideas about preventing the next water disaster - follow the laws already passed.
Had public officials listened, Freedom Industries would have had to do more than simply tell the state that it was storing thousands of gallons of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol and other chemicals; the company also would have had to have an emergency plan in case of a leak or other calamity.
Not only that, but state and county emergency planners would have had to review the plan to make sure it made sense.
Instead, the company filed some paperwork that the bureaucrats filed away someplace in the bowels of state government to give the appearance of concern about safety. Eleven months later, more than 300,000 West Virginians were lining up at the high school for a case of bottled water like Sudanese refugees.

What if this is as good as it gets

Obamacare enrollment for 2014 continues through March 31.
Just over two million signed through the exchanges by December 31 to have coverage start with the new year.
With such low numbers, the assumption has been more will sign up before the March deadline.
Why?
If you wanted insurance for 2014, you bought or tried to buy already.
Why wait a few months to buy?
Unless you desperately need health insurance, you can take your chances.
Just like you've done for years.
You can offer health insurance, but you can't make people buy - even with the threat of a tax penalty.

Facebook quote of the week

QUICK: If you got a bad night's sleep and are looking to catch up on some zzzz's, ESPN is airing Belichick news conference right now

How Harry broke Washington

Powerline gives space for Alabama Senator Jeff Session's speech on the trouble with the Senate.
The erosion of the Senate has also been front and center in the budgeting process. We are now in our fifth year without adopting a congressional budget resolution. Instead, taxpayer dollars are spent through a series of backroom deals and last-minute negotiations. Then we face a massive omnibus that is rushed to passage without amendment or meaningful review. The American people have no real ability to know what’s in it or hold us, their elected representatives, accountable. This, of course, is the reason it is done this way.

Saturday song

Mid-January isn't usually time to visit the Car Wash.

Friday, January 17, 2014

Know your moons

Need a list of the names of the full moons?
Space.com has your list.

Stopping Hillary

Bill Kristol sees the Time cover story and says "Stop."
Why should she run?
To be the first woman president.
And?
And?
And?
Crickets.
She can remember her electoral past.
The easiest way Hillary can be stopped is if she stops herself. She can choose not to run. Indeed, Time reports “on good authority” that “Hillary Clinton has not decided whether to run for president again.” There is a reasonable chance she’ll decide not to. She’s an intelligent woman. She remembers that her last experience of running for president wasn’t fun and didn’t end well.
I think she decision depends on the Senate races in 2014. If Republicans gain control of the chamber, the next two years will be no fun for President Obama.
And no boost to anybody from his party going into 2016.
Besides, she could have been the first woman president in 2009.
That bit of history didn't entice Democrats then.

Weekend watchdog - Who's going to Super Bowl XLVIII?

This weekend, two teams will advance to a contest in the possibly frozen New Jersey swamps.
Players from the other two teams can head to Hawaii for a fun finale.
Is the trophy worth it?
The combatants in Super Bowl XLVIII at the Meadowlands will be decided Sunday. The winners will be checking the long-range forecast Sunday night.
CBS has the first contest, matching Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in the AFC championship at 3 p.m. The last time these two met for a trip to the Super Bowl, Manning and the Colts advanced to Super Bowl XLI. Will Manning get a chance to win his second Super Bowl at baby brother Eli's stadium, two years after Eli won his second crown in Indianapolis before heading west?
It's been nine years since Brady and the Patriots lofted the Lombardi Trophy. They twice lost to the Giants in the big game, and fell to the Ravens in last year's AFC championship game.
Fox has the NFC championship between Seattle and San Francisco at 6:30 p.m. in the home of the 12th man. The teams split their contests in 2013, but the Seahawks dominated at home in Week 2. San Francisco has five Super Bowl titles and came up just short against the Ravens last season.
Seattle has made one trip to the big game, losing to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL in Detroit.
In the college ranks, the NFLPA all-star game will be on ESPN2 Saturday at 6 p.m. NFL Network has the East-West Shrine game Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Australian Open continues on ESPN2 Friday at 9 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday action from the round of 16 at 9 p.m.
The Clippers face the Knicks on ESPN Friday at 7 p.m., followed by Golden State at Oklahoma City. The Wizards host Chicago Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast and Pistons Saturday at 7 p.m.
Virginia takes on Florida State on the ACC network Saturday at noon and Wake Forest goes to Clemson at 4 p.m.
CBS offers a trio of contests Saturday. Tennessee takes on Kentucky at noon, followed by North Carolina State against Duke and Oklahoma State facing Kansas at 4 p.m.
Saturday's action on ESPN starts at noon when Boston College meets North Carolina. It's Oklahoma against Baylor at 2 p.m., and former Big East foes take their rivalry to the ACC as Pittsburgh heads to Syracuse, followed by Michigan-Wisconsin. Louisville faces Connecticut at 9 p.m.
There's three games on ESPN2 Saturday, starting at noon with Temple-LaSalle. Alabama takes on Missouri before Indiana State heads to Wichita State at 4 p.m.
The slate of five games Saturday on FoxSports1 starts at noon with Seton Hall at Georgetown. It's off to the Pac 12 for Southern Cal against Colorado and UCLA-Utah, then Dartmouth travels to St. John's at 6 p.m. Creighton faces Providence at 8 p.m.
There's three games on Comcast Saturday. The day starts in the CAA with Delaware-Northeastern at noon, followed by Miami's trip to Georgia Tech and James Madison against William & Mary at 4 p.m.
MASN brings West Virginia's visits to Kansas State Saturday at 1:30 p.m., followed by Iowa State-Texas. It's off to the Big South at 7 p.m. for Liberty hosting High Point.
MASN2 has Texas Tech-TCU Saturday at 6 p.m.
There's A-10 action on NBC Sports network Saturday, as George Mason battles Rhode Island at 12:30 p.m. before Fordham faces St. Louis. Towson travels to College of Charleston Sunday at 3 p.m.
There's a pair of ACC women's games Sunday on Comcast. Virginia Tech hosts Duke at noon before North Carolina State meets Miami.
ESPN2 has a doubleheader Sunday, with Connecticut-Rutgers at 3 p.m. before Penn State heads to Michigan State. On FoxSports 1, Villanova takes on DePaul Sunday at 3 p.m.
NBC Sports network has the Capitals against Rangers Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The Blackhawks face the Bruins Sunday at 12:30 p.m. on NBC.
On the college rink, Lake Superior State meets Notre Dame Friday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
Liverpool takes on Aston Villa in Premier League play Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on NBC. Sunderland faces Southampton Saturday at 7:45 a.m. on NBC Sports network, followed by Arsenal-Fulham. Sunday, it's Swansea City against Tottenham Hotspur at 8:30 a.m. before Manchester United meets Chelsea.
NBC Sports network has freestyle skiing Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Back to the island

The passing of Russell Johnson, the Professor from Gilligan's Island, presents the opportunity to remember his fellow castaways - Ginger and Mary Ann.


Farewell, Professor

Today brings the sad news of the death of Russell Johnson, the professor from Gilligan's Island.
We spent many afternoons enjoying reruns of the show in the early 70s.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Did you watch?

The new season of Duck Dynasty started Wednesday.
It ended with a prayer, a party and Si enjoying "Air Bud."
Join the crowd, and watch the Duck crew.

On the lookout

What weather will we get tonight?
Heading home from Staunton at 5 p.m., a lone VDOT truck loaded with chemicals waited just off I-81.
Hoping he sits there for a long time.

Improving the Virginia delegation

It appears Rep. Jim Moran will announce he won't run for election in 2014.
Maybe there's hope for the new year.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Just Dew it

Is it time to head to Japan for some Mountain Dew-flavored Cheetos?

Today's Tied with me

Technorati has this blog tied with Bay Area Sports Guy, who checks out the sideline action during Sunday's 49ers win.

Obamacare. We need more suckers

What numbers matter in the mix of keeping insurance afloat in Obamacare?
The mix of old/young?
Or the mix of healthy/sick?
If you have people who use more insurance services than they pay for, you need more people who pay but don't use that much service.
Just in case it's needed.
Pay up, healthy people, and the insurance companies will feel better.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Scandal? Did you mean IRS scandal?

DaTech Guy liked Gov. Guiliani's aggressive talk about the IRS scandal on the Sunday shows.
Since he saw that as the best strategy a few days earlier.
They should POUND this there should be no answer that comes out of their lips that doesn’t use the words “IRS Scandal” and “Bridge Scandal” in the same sentence. Every article written on it by any conservative source should mention it, contrast it play on the difference in media interest between the pair.
If you haven't heard of the IRS troubles before, time to catch up with the rest of us.

Chaos and change

The words "chaos" and "change" reside near each other in the dictionary.
President Obama promised change with our healthcare.
His policy instead brings chaos.

Ready for the super interview

Just three weeks until the Super Bowl.
Which will be on Fox.
Wonder who gets to interview President Obama for the pregame?
How about Megyn Kelly?

Bringing down the dome

Powerline remembers the legal maneuvers to the opening of the Metrodome, which is about to come down.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

The streak is over

A unique NFL streak ended officially Sunday.
The past four Super Bowl winners all faced Philadelphia in the Eagles' home opener the year they won it all.
San Diego had the honor this year, but lost to Denver in the divisional round.

If you trash Obama, people will buy

Maryland Senator Ben Cardin tried to explain why Robert Gates had bad things to say about President Obama's leadership.
“I think its unfortunate that we see it in a book, it looks like in an effort to make the book more popular on the newsstands.”
It's like he thinks people will pay to read bad things about Obama.
If only the mainstream media understood that.

For the Birds

It's the 60th anniversary of the Orioles coming to Baltimore.
You can check out 60 years of media guides here.
Lots of good memories from the past.

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Obama's OK. The rest are jerks

The Wall Street Journal has an excerpt of Robert Gates' new book on his time as Defense Secretary.
There's plenty of trashing of White House staff.
There's praise for Obama's 2009 decision to add troops in Afghanistan.
Why?
When I met privately with him in the Oval Office a week later, he grinned broadly, stuck out his hand to shake over the bowl of apples on his coffee table and said, "You have the solution?" I told him I had thought about his call a lot and had prepared a memo for him offering my thoughts. Ultimately, one of the pivotal decisions of Obama's presidency largely tracked the recommendations in that paper.
Obama took Gates' advice.
A good reason to back him.
Even if he has surrounded himself with politically-focused jerks.

Trouble in any language

Via Instapundit, word of changes to the website of Rep. Bob Goodlatte.
Throughout 2012 and much of 2013, the Virginia Republican’s House “Immigration Reform” page denounced “amnesty.” As late as April 2013, it said “we must not grant amnesty to individuals who have broken our laws.”
Now, though, this prohibition has been scrubbed from his “Immigration Reform” page. Instead, this page now talks about how “we can all agree that our nation’s immigration system is broken” and the need to be thoughtful in remaking U.S. immigration policies. Earlier versions of this page had an almost single-minded focus on the need to enforce immigration laws. The notion that our immigration system is “broken” is often a key argument of allies of the White House’s immigration agenda.
What?
or
Que?
I'd add the other ?, but my keyboard doesn't have that.

Saturday song

A song for New Jersey governor Chris Christie. Legal Insurrection thought of the same thing.


Facebook quote of the week

more and more I'm liking the NSA and CIA wiretapping... They seem to be the only agencies in our government that actually listens to the people.

Friday, January 10, 2014

Don't duck

Only a few days until the new season of Duck Dynasty starts.
Will you watch?
Will you shop at Rebecca's dress shop?
Darius Rucker gives his approval.

Argument for limited government

The Federalist finds a great example for limiting government in the Chris Christie affair.
Knowing that essentially all men having power ought to be mistrusted, this leaves us with no other option but to restrain politicians’ ability to make our lives nightmares. Mostly this means restraining our government. Anything that government touches, it can use against us in ways large and small. Perhaps we’d do a better job of keeping politicians in line if the size and scope of government wasn’t so expansive.

Weekend watchdog

nfl playoffsChris Berman is pumped.
NFL fans should be also.
The four winners from last weekend advance to face the best of each conference in the divisional round Saturday and Sunday.
The action begins Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on Fox, with the Saints heading to Seattle. The teams met three years ago, with the 7-9 Seahawks pulling the upset in Pete Carroll's first postseason trip, and Seattle won their meeting this season.
CBS gets the primetime game, matching the Patriots and Colts. Andrew Luck notched his first playoff victory last weekend, while Tom Brady wants to add a fourth Super Bowl title.
Sunday, the Panthers host San Francisco on Fox at 1 p.m. Carolina won at Candlestick Park earlier in the season, part of their run to the second seed in the NFC.
Peyton Manning and the Broncos have the final game of the weekend, meeting division rival San Diego on CBS at 4:30 p.m. The Broncos have the top seed in the AFC for the second straight year, but last year lost in double overtime to eventual champion Baltimore in this round.
By Sunday evening, just four teams will be left on the road to the Meadowlands on Groundhog Day.
Down under, the Australian Open begins Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
The Wizards take on Indiana Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast before coming home to face Houston Saturday at 7 p.m.
ESPN has the Heat visiting Brooklyn Friday at 8 p.m., with the nightcap matching the Lakers and Clippers.
Second-ranked Syracuse hosts North Carolina Saturday at noon on ESPN, followed by Kansas State-Kansas.
Virginia's game against North Carolina State at 5 p.m. caps the slate of four games on ESPN2 Saturday. The day starts at 11 a.m. when Saint Louis meets Dayton. Florida faces Arkansas at 1 p.m. before Memphis plays Temple.
Villanova plays St. John's on FoxSports 1 Saturday at 1 p.m. and Georgetown battles Butler at 7 p.m., and there's two games from the Pac-12 Sunday - Colorado-Washington at 3 p.m. followed by Stanford-Oregon.
CBS offers Kentucky-Vanderbilt Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Iowa goes against Ohio State Sunday at 1 p.m.
The ACC network has Georgia Tech against Notre Dame Saturday at noon, with some areas getting Wake Forest at Pittsburgh.
Comcast has three contests Saturday, starting at noon with Virginia Tech against Boston College. Duke meets Clemson at 2 p.m., then it's off to the CAA for Delaware-James Madison.
MASN has a Big 12 doubleheader Saturday, with TCU-Baylor at 1:30 p.m. followed by Oklahoma's visit to West Virginia.
On NBC Sports network, there's Atlantic 10 action between St. Bonaventure and Massachusetts at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by Rhode Island-George Washington. Princeton takes on Pennsylvania in an Ivy League contest at 6 p.m.
Duquesne hosts La Salle Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
In women's basketball, North Carolina heads to Florida State Sunday at 1 p.m. on Comcast.
ESPN has a Sunday doubleheader, with Purdue against Penn State at 3 p.m. before Tennessee takes on Vanderbilt.
Texas-San Antonio faces Southern Mississippi Saturday at 4 p.m. on MASN2 and Texas takes on West Virginia Sunday at noon.
There's high school basketball between Oak Ridge and Montverde Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN.
The Capitals host Buffalo Sunday at 3 p.m. on Comcast. NBC Sports network brings the Flyers against Rangers Sunday at 7 p.m.
On the college ice, Notre Dame takes on Alabama-Huntsville Friday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network and Harvard meets Yale Saturday at 8 p.m.
Manchester United faces Swansea in Premier League play Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on NBC. There's a pair of games on NBC Sports network Saturday morning, as Hull City faces Chelsea at 7:45 a.m. before Tottenham Hotspur battles Crystal Palace. Sunday, Newcastle United faces Manchester City at 9 a.m. and Stoke City takes on Liverpool at 11:15 a.m.
Getting ready for Sochi, NBC shows the United States Figure Skating championships Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m.
Bowlers gather for the Japan Cup Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Let's call him Adam

A DNA study supposedly shows light skin comes from one man 10,000 years ago.
What would we call a man who influenced so many ancestors?
How about Adam?

Court room warming

Steyn Online watches Michael Mann spend more time at the judicial bar than working on his science.
That's right: he's the "plaintiff" in the Virginia case. He's also the plaintiff in the "Hide The Decline" case, and the Canadian case, and the Steyn case. The plaintiff is the one doing the suing. The thin-skinned Dr Mann is a serial litigant. He is never not suing, or threatening to sue. By contrast, nobody is suing Dr Mann.
So, if Mann is spending a lot of time with lawyers, it's by choice. If the reflexively litigious dweeb were to spend less time with his lawyers, he might have time to do a bit more science. After all, the hockey stick is a decade and a half old. He's starting to look a bit of a one-stick pony.
Hope he doesn't sue me for this post.

This is fun. Let's do it again

Rush marvels at the length of the Chris Christie press conference, going on an hour when today's show started.
Do the media members enjoy this type of press conference?
Wyblog has some ideas for questions for President Obama and friends.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

To read after rolling your eyes

The Anchoress deserves a medal - reading the crappy column about the Catholic influence on the Supreme Court and smacking it out of the park.
It is a piece of bigotry so highly burnished it would scald the retinas, were its arguments not so relentlessly stupid as to invite protective eye-rolling. The writer, Jamie Stiehm, means to shame Sotomayor into behaving by accusing her of judicial malfeasance, rooted in religious self-interest. Since one cannot prove a negative, Sotomayor is now supposed to take the bait and defensively demonstrate — by means of all of her future opinions — that Stiehm is wrong, and she, Sotomayor, is a still a good soldier and a good sister. Let’s take a look at this thing, shall we?

Open the Gates

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates has unleashed the first major criticism of President Obama in 2014.
Nothing we doubted was actually happening.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Think warm thoughts

The coldest day in decades is the perfect time for MASN to announce its broadcast schedule for Orioles' spring training games.
March 1 will be here soon.
Hurry up.

Today's Tied with me

Technorati has this blog tied with Celebrity Baby Laundry, which catches us up on Drew Barrymore's growing family.

2014 looking good

Larry Sabato gives Republicans hope heading into the 2014 elections.
Another midterm election beckons, and over the next 10 months we’ll see headlines about a thousand supposedly critical developments—the “game changers” and the “tipping points.” But we all know there aren’t a thousand powerful drivers of the vote. I’d argue that three factors are paramount: the president, the economy and the election playing field. And, at least preliminarily, those three factors seem to be pointing toward Republican gains in both houses in the 2014 midterms.

Work hard and be smart

Matt Walsh gives his advice to young people in today's economy.
Don’t want debt? Then don’t borrow money. If you do borrow money, you better have a good reason. Hint: “Eh, I’ll figure it out” isn’t a good reason.

Monday, January 6, 2014

No where to go but up

Congratulations.
You've almost survived the worst day of the year.
It has to get better.
It's science.

Tebow on ESPN

Watching SportsCenter during lunch, there is Tim Tebow giving his thoughts on tonight's title game.
They just can't get enough of the man.

Several trillion in debt ago

Democrats want extension of jobless benefits.
Republicans want additional benefits to be offset by reduction in other spending.
Democrats question that previous extensions didn't include spending offsets.
What part of $17 trillion in debt don't you understand?
Things were different in the Bush era - several trillion less in debt.

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Flush with excitement

Visiting Starbucks today, I found their bathroom had a toilet with two different flush settings.
One for liquids and one for solids.
I was curious if I could tell the difference in water usage.
I flushed it once one way, then the other.
Didn't really see a difference.
Guess I'll have to flush those toilets twice a few more times to see if they really save water.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

For your safety

Among the first priorities of the new mayor of New York is ending horse-drawn carriages in Central Park.
Kramer could not be reached for comment.

Power up with Facebook

I woke up this morning and noticed the bedside clock wasn't working.
Tried the light and nothing.
Okay, power outage. How big?
I can't catch TV and the local radio stations don't have much local content on Saturday. So fire up Facebook.
One friend heard there's a station down in Dooms.
Another who has power updates on the outage and ETA for a fix.
We got power back just after 2 p.m.
Time to resume our computer lives.

Saturday song

From the days of using a dime to call the Operator, here's Jim Croce.

Facebook quote of the week

Will 2014 will be the year Dems finally explain how you can be a "child" til you're 26 for health insurance purposes but an adult at 14 if you ''need' an abortion?

Friday, January 3, 2014

Throw another climate study on the fire

It's such fun to talk about global warming when there's a major cold snap over the East Coast.
(It's not weather, but climate).
Yeah, we know.
Any decent bit of global warming shouldn't have wind chills of minus-degrees on Monday.
We need some warmer weather.
If burning these studies claiming the world is warming helps, then burn 'em all.

Doritos time

It's almost Super Bowl time.
Time for Doritos to pick its commercial for the game.
Which one do you like?

Why to stay home during the snow?

Officials in New York ask that you stay off the roads during this storm?
Why?
If you get hurt and need healthcare, you'll probably find your coverage isn't in place due to Obamacare.
Stay home and wait until they fix the system.

Weekend watchdog

Time to crown some college national champions.
And begin the NFL's trip to Super Bowl XLVIII.
The top two teams in college football meet Monday on ESPN, with top-ranked Florida State taking on Auburn at the Rose Bowl.
Auburn won the national title in 2009, and used several miracle finishes to claim the SEC championship this season. Florida State won a pair of championships under Bobby Bowden, and looks to return to the top with Jimbo Fisher at the helm.
Division I's championship series playoffs close Saturday, with North Dakota State going for its third straight title against Towson. ESPN2 has coverage at 2 p.m.
The Tigers, from the Colonial Athletic Association, ousted the second and third seeds to reach the final game. The Bison hosted the ESPN GameDay crew earlier in the campaign.
There's a few more bowls for the BCS finale. It's Clemson-Ohio State in the Orange Bowl Friday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN and Fox offers the Cotton Bowl between Oklahoma State and Missouri at 7:30 p.m.
Vanderbilt takes on Houston in the Compass Bowl Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN, and fire up the computer Sunday at 9 p.m. for Arkansas State and Ball State.
The road to the Meadowlands begins on NBC Saturday at 4:30 p.m. when the Colts host the Chiefs. Will their be snowballs flying when the Saints head to Philadelphia Saturday night?
The Chargers, who snagged the final AFC playoff berth in overtime last Sunday, head to Cincinnati Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS. Green Bay takes on the 49ers at 4:30 p.m. on Fox.
Top high school players gather for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Saturday at 1 p.m. on NBC.
The Wizards take on the Raptors Friday at 7 p.m. on Comcast before hosting Golden State Sunday at 6 p.m.
On ESPN2, Virginia takes on Florida State Saturday at 5 p.m., after Cincinnati plays Memphis at noon.
Michigan State meets Indiana Saturday at 2 p.m. on CBS, followed by Duke-Notre Dame. San Diego State visits Kansas Sunday at 4:30 p.m.
ACC network has Pittsburgh-North Carolina State Saturday at noon, and Miami against Syracuse at 2 p.m.
Comcast offers Clemson-Boston College Saturday at 4 p.m.
There's Big East action on FoxSports1 Saturday at 1 p.m. with St. John's against Georgetown, then Creighton takes on Seton Hall at 3 p.m., and three more games Sunday. USC takes on UCLA at 3 p.m., then it's Oregon-Colorado and Providence against Villanova at 7 p.m.
NBC Sports network has Cornell meeting St. Bonaventure Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by Yale-St. Louis at 5:30 p.m.
In women's action, Virginia Tech plays Boston College on Comcast Sunday at 1 p.m., followed by Kentucky-Florida at 3 p.m.
NBC Sports network offers George Washington-St. Joseph's Sunday at 1 p.m. and Dayton takes on St. Louis at 3 p.m.
The Capitals head to Minnesota Saturday at 8 p.m. on Comcast. NBC Sports network has the Sharks against Blackhawks Sunday at 8 p.m.
Boston College faces Notre Dame in college ice hockey on NBC Sports network Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The United States Olympics trials continue Friday at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports network with Short Track Speed Skating. There's more short track action Saturday at 4 p.m.
ESPN has the World Bowling Tour finals Sunday at 1 p.m.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Still more duck

Less than two weeks until the new season of Duck Dynasty starts.
Jase's wife Missy should get some good screen time.

Pink to grey

DaTech Guy checks in on the diminishing returns at the Komen foundation.
How many church bulletins no longer carry announcements of Komen walks? How many religious groups no longer provide logistical support? How many of the thousands of Knights of Columbus chapters nationwide can no longer in good conscience support or sponsor Komen?
You've got to pick the right friends.

We've known for years

Powerline notices Politico finally picking up on a major conservative complaint about the president - not understanding being an executive.
It's easy to talk.
It's hard to make sure the talk becomes the reality you imagine.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Holidays are over

At work, we've had five days off the past five weeks.
But after New Year's Day, we have wait until Memorial Day for our next work holiday.
Better start producing tax money. I think the government's going to need it more than ever in 2014.

Plan with no winners

Smitty takes a whack at the progressive tide of Obamacare rolling into the country.
A plan sold was having no losers actually has no winners.
What good is coverage is there's no doctor to see?
Or research to uncover the cause of your problem?
You may have a subsidy now.
But you'll have to pay it back.
If you don't have the money, those with will have to focus on that debt instead of boosting the overall economy.
Keep searching for Obamacare winners.
You'll have to overlook tons of losers to find them.

Ready for 2014

DaTech Guy reflects on the support he's received and looks forward to 2014.