I remember watching this short film on HBO when I was eight years old and hadn't seen it since until now.
Monday, December 31, 2012
Friday, December 28, 2012
Why they want to go over the cliff | POLITICO
This is an interesting explanation for why no one in Washington seems too concerned about going over the fiscal cliff:
"It’s a Nash equilibrium. John Nash, subject of “A Beautiful Mind,” the Oscar-winning film that revolved around game theory, explained how players act in a multiplayer game. Put simply, if each player understands his adversaries’ strategies, no one will alter their own course. Right now, Obama, Boehner and Reid are locked in on a course for the cliff, and there’s no obvious solution that would make any of them switch directions."
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Christmas Hoedown from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
If you remember the old TV show "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", one of their most popular games was called hoedown. One of my favorite hoedowns of all time has to be the Christmas hoedown from a 1999 episode. As a non-Christian growing up in the USA, I think I can totally relate to Drew Carey's lines here. Also, after all these years, I finally learned what Ryan Stiles says in his lines.
Merry Christmas!!! ENJOY!
Merry Christmas!!! ENJOY!
Friday, December 21, 2012
iMentor Volunteers Mentor the Next Generation of Software Engineers at the Academy for Software Engineering | iMentor
A great blog post about an awesome new public high school in New York City and a fantastic mentoring program working with that school. (Full disclosure: I am one of the iMentor mentors assigned to this school.)
CNN/ORC Poll: Republicans too extreme | POLITICO
Not a very surprising result from the recent CNN/ORC poll:
"Fifty-three percent of Americans said the GOP is too extreme, according to a CNN/ORC poll. That’s up 17 percentage points from two years ago, when Republicans were coming off a midterm walloping where they took control of the House. A matching 53 percent said Republicans should compromise more. However, Americans don’t want the GOP to lose control of the lower chamber, according to the poll."
Monday, December 17, 2012
After shooting, no more status quo | Joe Scarborough
Awesome column by Joe Scarborough, truly speaking from the head and the heart:
"The violence we see spreading from shopping malls in Oregon, to movie theaters in Colorado, to college campuses in Virginia, to elementary schools in Connecticut, is being spawned by the toxic brew of a violent pop culture, a growing mental health crisis and the proliferation of combat-style guns."
NRA goes on lockdown | POLITICO.com
No statements whatsoever from the NRA since Friday's heinous murders. Good.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Political shift of Asian Americans | The Hill
Great op-ed piece detailing the prevailing election trends of Asian-Americans. I'm glad the column started with this obvious but often overlooked fact:
"The National Asian American Survey reminds us that Asian Americans are a disparate community, hailing from counties as diverse as India and China, Cambodia and Japan."It's strange the National Asian American Survey has to "remind" people of this fact but I have a feeling that is going to be less and less of an issue in the future.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Alan Simpson hopes Grover Norquist drowns in bathtub | The Hill's Video
As funny as this might sound to most liberals, I hope this leads to actual progress rather than scapegoating.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Hilarious Susan Lucci appearance on The Colbert Report
This was one of the funniest Colbert clips ever, especially this zinger:
"This sex scandal all anyone in Washington can talk about. I wonder why the country is in financial ruin?"ENJOY!
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| General's Hospital | ||||
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Thursday, November 15, 2012
For the first time in my life, I actually agree with Newt Gingrich!
Great opinion piece by Newt Gingrich in POLITICO. I actually agree with it, which means the end of the world is near. When does that Mayan calendar end again?
Loopholes and revenues: Five questions | POLITICO.com
Great explanation on POLITICO about how raising revenue through closing loopholes would work. Key point: unless you eliminate the mortgage interest tax deduction, you're not generating much revenue (and no one wants to eliminate the mortgage interest tax deduction.)
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Stephen Colbert shuts down The Colbert Super PAC (or does he?!?)
On last night's show, Stephen Colbert annouced that he was shutting down the Colbert Super PAC. However, as the following clips show, he has a very creative legal idea on what to do with the money. Also, his advisor, Karl Rove lookalike 'Ham Rove' doesn't survive the "cuts":
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Colbert Super PAC SHH! - Karl Rove and Jon Stewart | ||||
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| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Colbert Super PAC SHH! - Secret Second 501c4 - Trevor Potter | ||||
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Monday, November 12, 2012
The GOP's media cocoon - Jonathan Martin | POLITICO.com
POLITICO's Jonathan Martin writes an excellent analysis piece on the Right's media bubble (something I will admit I've taken great pleasure in reading about the last few days.) While others have written about this particular phenomenon:
"Facebook and Twitter feeds along with email in-boxes have taken the place of the old newspaper front page, except that the consumer is now entirely in charge of what he or she sees each day and can largely shut out dissenting voices. It’s the great irony of the Internet era: People have more access than ever to an array of viewpoints, but also the technological ability to screen out anything that doesn’t reinforce their views."... Martin also talks about the emerging split between conservatives over 50 and those 49 and under:
"Some younger conservatives worry that the effects of cocoonism are just as evident after the race as before — and not only in the disbelief that Obama won. The knee-jerk reaction by some on the right to Romney’s poor performance with Hispanics has been to simply say that all will be well with the party if they pass an immigration bill and elevate Cuban-American Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).All-in-all this is a great read worth checking out regardless of whether you're on the left or the right.
But to many next-generation Republicans, this smacks of tokenism and is more than a tad patronizing.
“They just want to put a sombrero on the Republican elephant,” said one Latino GOP operative, who didn’t want to be identified discussing such a sensitive topic.
Similarly, [45-year-old GOP strategist Bruce] Haynes fretted that “the mistake Republicans are going to make is thinking this is a demographic and political problem and not a social and cultural problem. You can’t fix this with Orca (the Romney campaign’s ill-fated GOTV software) or iPad apps or to some extent even running Hispanic candidates.”
To young Republican strategists and writers, a fundamental shift of how the party communicates is required. That doesn’t mean delegitimizing hugely popular and powerful outlets on the right, but rather transcending them.
“Communicating to the country’s changing demographics and outside of the Fox News echo chamber is a strategic imperative,” said GOP operative Phil Musser, 40.
“The rise of conservative media has been one of the best things to ever happen to the conservative movement. It has helped us reach new voters, has helped with voter persuasion and even motivation,” said GOP strategist Todd Harris, 41. “But with all the positives, there is this fact: If all you did was watch and read the conservative media, you were probably pretty shocked at what happened Tuesday. There’s a huge and ever-growing segment of the vote that Republicans just aren’t talking to and in some cases didn’t even know existed.”"
The plot thickens...
What will Obama and Boehner do? Politico has five ideas on the fiscal cliff. Idea #1 might be the least appealing but could be the most practical.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
"Math You Do As A Republican To Make Yourself Feel Better"
I only caught glimpses of Wednesday Night's Daily Show episode but I did catch some of Fox's coverage on Tuesday night. Sadly Fox News will only see this as partisan media bias because, as any psychiatrist can tell you, people tend to see their own flaws in others. ENJOY!
| The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Post Democalypse 2012 - America Takes a Shower - Karl Rove's Math | ||||
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| The Daily Show with Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Post Democalypse 2012 - America Takes a Shower - Fox News Meltdown | ||||
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Friday, November 9, 2012
Thursday, November 8, 2012
The Atlantic points out what I've always noticed about conservative media (but doesn't really explain it.)
Conor Friedersdorf of The Atlantic has a great piece on why so many conservative "news outlets" got the election wrong:
- MSNBC? A former Republican Congressman hosts a three-hour morning news show (which, in case you're wondering, is three hours more than any liberal hosts a show on Fox News).
- New York Times? David Brooks and Ross Douthat have regular columns in the Op-Ed pages.
- Washington Post? Same with Michael Gerson, Charles Krauthammer, Kathleen Parker, George Will...
I ask again, where are the liberals in conservative media? Alan Colmes? Sure, he makes a token appearance from time-to-time on Fox News but it's not like he hosts his own TV show anymore (and even then, it was Hannity & Colmes). Thomas Frank? Nope, not with the Wall Street Journal anymore, and even when he was, his column printed less frequently than Brooks or Douthat do with the New York Times.
I'm not saying conservative media should swing to the ideological middle. There is a need for both, objective and partisan media. However, if you only offer your viewers partisanship without an intellectually honest counterpoint, you're likely to end up in the exact same place the Republican Party is sitting in today. And in the long term that's not good for the party or for the country.
"It is easy to close oneself off inside a conservative echo chamber. And right-leaning outlets like Fox News and Rush Limbaugh's show are far more intellectually closed than CNN or public radio. If you're a rank-and-file conservative, you're probably ready to acknowledge that ideologically friendly media didn't accurately inform you about Election 2012. Some pundits engaged in wishful thinking; others feigned confidence in hopes that it would be a self-fulfilling prophecy; still others decided it was smart to keep telling right-leaning audiences what they wanted to hear."This brings me to something I noticed a few years ago and never could find an answer for it. Where are the liberals in conservative media? Conservative Media always blames the mainstream media as having a liberal bias. Think of the "liberal media" for a second:
- MSNBC? A former Republican Congressman hosts a three-hour morning news show (which, in case you're wondering, is three hours more than any liberal hosts a show on Fox News).
- New York Times? David Brooks and Ross Douthat have regular columns in the Op-Ed pages.
- Washington Post? Same with Michael Gerson, Charles Krauthammer, Kathleen Parker, George Will...
I ask again, where are the liberals in conservative media? Alan Colmes? Sure, he makes a token appearance from time-to-time on Fox News but it's not like he hosts his own TV show anymore (and even then, it was Hannity & Colmes). Thomas Frank? Nope, not with the Wall Street Journal anymore, and even when he was, his column printed less frequently than Brooks or Douthat do with the New York Times.
I'm not saying conservative media should swing to the ideological middle. There is a need for both, objective and partisan media. However, if you only offer your viewers partisanship without an intellectually honest counterpoint, you're likely to end up in the exact same place the Republican Party is sitting in today. And in the long term that's not good for the party or for the country.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Stephen Colbert's "Meet the Gregory" Interview
Here is the clip from David Gregory's Meet the Press interview with Stephen Colbert from last month. It's worth watching just for the sheer hilarity of this man, both in and out of character.
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Monday, November 5, 2012
Why This Election Doesn’t Matter | FunnyIndian.com
Comedian Rajiv Satyal (he of FunnyIndian.com fame) pens an awesome piece on why this election doesn't matter. Among his many points are that we have been marching towards an oligarchy no matter who’s in-charge and that Obama = Apple. Read the whole piece; it is worth taking the time to read it.
Rajiv also includes with a clip from the HBO Series "The Newsroom". This was the first scene in the pilot episode and it's worth watching just for the things that the main character Will McAvoy (played by Jeff Daniels) says (FYI, NSFW). Enjoy!
Be sure to take the time to read Rajiv's post at FunnyIndian.com. It will be worth your while to do so.
Rajiv also includes with a clip from the HBO Series "The Newsroom". This was the first scene in the pilot episode and it's worth watching just for the things that the main character Will McAvoy (played by Jeff Daniels) says (FYI, NSFW). Enjoy!
Be sure to take the time to read Rajiv's post at FunnyIndian.com. It will be worth your while to do so.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
We Are Dads Who Take Care of Our Kids | The Atlantic
Great post in The Atlantic about fatherhood. The guy called "Matt" makes a point I have often thought about myself:
"It's now time for that cri de coeur to evolve, and for men to proclaim, gently and kindly, that we may be, in some cases, "better moms"—caregivers, that is—than moms. We are—if you believe the classical stereotypes—less emotional and more practical, approaching child-care problems with a perhaps scientific detachment not to be found in women who, having spent those long months pregnant, may take those problems personally. Whether it's swaddling an infant, precision placement of a princess Band-Aid, or soothing hurt feelings ("Paige said she's not my friend anymore!"), a little emotional distance, data analysis, and hardheaded strategizing can go a long way. And men are, supposedly, better at that stuff.
As provocative as I'm trying to make this argument, I'd like to think this is, in fact, a feminist stance. That is, if women can be as good or better—and better, as Hanna Rosin argues—as men at certain jobs, then why can't we say the same for men, too? Equality of the sexes doesn't mean we're all actually equal. It means we all have equal potential to excel, independent of the shape of our genitalia. If that means that dads start outmothering moms, we have to look at that as progress. So when it comes time to bake cupcakes for pre-K (oh crap, that's next week!), the other moms better watch out, because I make a mean buttercream frosting. Just don't ask me to breastfeed."
"It's now time for that cri de coeur to evolve, and for men to proclaim, gently and kindly, that we may be, in some cases, "better moms"—caregivers, that is—than moms. We are—if you believe the classical stereotypes—less emotional and more practical, approaching child-care problems with a perhaps scientific detachment not to be found in women who, having spent those long months pregnant, may take those problems personally. Whether it's swaddling an infant, precision placement of a princess Band-Aid, or soothing hurt feelings ("Paige said she's not my friend anymore!"), a little emotional distance, data analysis, and hardheaded strategizing can go a long way. And men are, supposedly, better at that stuff.
As provocative as I'm trying to make this argument, I'd like to think this is, in fact, a feminist stance. That is, if women can be as good or better—and better, as Hanna Rosin argues—as men at certain jobs, then why can't we say the same for men, too? Equality of the sexes doesn't mean we're all actually equal. It means we all have equal potential to excel, independent of the shape of our genitalia. If that means that dads start outmothering moms, we have to look at that as progress. So when it comes time to bake cupcakes for pre-K (oh crap, that's next week!), the other moms better watch out, because I make a mean buttercream frosting. Just don't ask me to breastfeed."
The Economist's Presidential Election Endorsement
The Economist published their endorsement for this year's presidential election today. The Economist, known to be a conservative news outlet, had this to say about President Obama:
"Even to a newspaper with no love for big government, the fact that over 40m people had no health coverage in a country as rich as America was a scandal."
While one particularly scathing comment about Mitt Romney was:
"...the extremism of his party is Mr Romney’s greatest handicap. The Democrats have their implacable fringe too: look at the teachers’ unions. But the Republicans have become a party of Torquemadas, forcing representatives to sign pledges never to raise taxes, to dump the chairman of the Federal Reserve and to embrace an ever more Southern-fried approach to social policy. Under President Romney, new conservative Supreme Court justices would try to overturn Roe v Wade, returning abortion policy to the states. The rights of immigrants (who have hardly had a good deal under Mr Obama) and gays (who have) would also come under threat. This newspaper yearns for the more tolerant conservatism of Ronald Reagan, where “small government” meant keeping the state out of people’s bedrooms as well as out of their businesses. Mr Romney shows no sign of wanting to revive it."
The Economist also lists its history of Presidential Endorsements. For those keeping score, they are:
1980: Ronald Reagan
1984: No Endorsement
1988: No Endorsement
1992: Bill Clinton
1996: Bob Dole
2000: George W. Bush
2004: John Kerry
2008: Barack Obama
2012: Barack Obama
Its 1984 non-endorsement had this very prescient point that haunts us today:
"Although Mr Reagan's ultra-Keynesian America is barrelling along towards full employment, all its trading and budget accounts are frighteningly out of balance. A sound international economic order cannot be built on the assumption that the rumbustiously richest country will go on borrowing unprecedented amounts at enormous interest rates from everybody else for ever."
All-in-all, it hasn't been a good few days for Mitt Romney. First, his keynote speaker from the Republican National Convention, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, effusively praised President Obama for his handling of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Then, he attempted to do the right thing by having a can drive at what was originally scheduled to be a campaign rally. Just one problem though:
"The campaign asked for nonperishable donations despite the fact that the Red Cross does not typically accept or solicit individual donations or collections of items because of the extra labor involved with sorting, cleaning, repackaging and transporting such items."
After that, New York City's Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a surprise endorsement of President Obama based on his views on climate change, in spite of the fact that it hasn't come up much in this year's election cycle.
What does all this mean? Nothing, except that this will all be over in four more days, when Barack Obama has an 81% chance of winning 303 electoral votes. Then, like the Hurricane Sandy recovery, we can all get on with the rest of our lives.
"Even to a newspaper with no love for big government, the fact that over 40m people had no health coverage in a country as rich as America was a scandal."
While one particularly scathing comment about Mitt Romney was:
"...the extremism of his party is Mr Romney’s greatest handicap. The Democrats have their implacable fringe too: look at the teachers’ unions. But the Republicans have become a party of Torquemadas, forcing representatives to sign pledges never to raise taxes, to dump the chairman of the Federal Reserve and to embrace an ever more Southern-fried approach to social policy. Under President Romney, new conservative Supreme Court justices would try to overturn Roe v Wade, returning abortion policy to the states. The rights of immigrants (who have hardly had a good deal under Mr Obama) and gays (who have) would also come under threat. This newspaper yearns for the more tolerant conservatism of Ronald Reagan, where “small government” meant keeping the state out of people’s bedrooms as well as out of their businesses. Mr Romney shows no sign of wanting to revive it."
The Economist also lists its history of Presidential Endorsements. For those keeping score, they are:
1980: Ronald Reagan
1984: No Endorsement
1988: No Endorsement
1992: Bill Clinton
1996: Bob Dole
2000: George W. Bush
2004: John Kerry
2008: Barack Obama
2012: Barack Obama
Its 1984 non-endorsement had this very prescient point that haunts us today:
"Although Mr Reagan's ultra-Keynesian America is barrelling along towards full employment, all its trading and budget accounts are frighteningly out of balance. A sound international economic order cannot be built on the assumption that the rumbustiously richest country will go on borrowing unprecedented amounts at enormous interest rates from everybody else for ever."
All-in-all, it hasn't been a good few days for Mitt Romney. First, his keynote speaker from the Republican National Convention, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, effusively praised President Obama for his handling of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy. Then, he attempted to do the right thing by having a can drive at what was originally scheduled to be a campaign rally. Just one problem though:
"The campaign asked for nonperishable donations despite the fact that the Red Cross does not typically accept or solicit individual donations or collections of items because of the extra labor involved with sorting, cleaning, repackaging and transporting such items."
After that, New York City's Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a surprise endorsement of President Obama based on his views on climate change, in spite of the fact that it hasn't come up much in this year's election cycle.
What does all this mean? Nothing, except that this will all be over in four more days, when Barack Obama has an 81% chance of winning 303 electoral votes. Then, like the Hurricane Sandy recovery, we can all get on with the rest of our lives.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Mitt Romney Style - Gangnam Style Parody (NSFW)
I've seen tons of topical and political parodies but this has to be one of the most well-made parodies I've ever seen.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
The moment when Romney lost | The Maddow Blog - msnbc.com
I know my conservative friends are going to criticize me for citing a liberal blog regarding the most pivotal moment in last night's presidential debate. However, I had this exact same thought when I watched it last night and it seems I wasn't alone.
FactChecking the Hofstra Debate
The usual suspects have worked overtime to sift through the BS and tell you the truth. Check out
FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and The Washington Post's Fact Checker for more.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Fact Checking Last Night's Presidential Debate
Watching last night's presidential debate, I couldn't help thinking, "How badly are these guys flat out lying?"
Fortunately, FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and The Washington Post's FactChecker help clear up the lies and misdirection.
Fortunately, FactCheck.org, PolitiFact, and The Washington Post's FactChecker help clear up the lies and misdirection.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Why Obama Is Leading in Swing States | NationalJournal.com
Great point from this column:
"The Obama campaign has heavily targeted its ads on daytime shows that attract a large audience of downscale women, including programs like Judge Judy and Dr. Phil, and networks like Lifetime, Bravo, and the Hallmark Channel."
"The Obama campaign has heavily targeted its ads on daytime shows that attract a large audience of downscale women, including programs like Judge Judy and Dr. Phil, and networks like Lifetime, Bravo, and the Hallmark Channel."
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Romney Ad on China Mangles Facts | FactCheck.org
More lies from the Romney campaign, this time on the Obama Administration's record on China:
"A Romney ad strains the facts when it suggests the Obama administration’s refusal to “stand up to China” and label it a currency manipulator has cost the U.S. 2 million jobs. The jobs figure is unrelated to currency manipulation. It is an International Trade Commission estimate of jobs that could be created if China enforced U.S. intellectual property rights."
"A Romney ad strains the facts when it suggests the Obama administration’s refusal to “stand up to China” and label it a currency manipulator has cost the U.S. 2 million jobs. The jobs figure is unrelated to currency manipulation. It is an International Trade Commission estimate of jobs that could be created if China enforced U.S. intellectual property rights."
Obama’s Executive Orders | FactCheck.org
Q: Has President Barack Obama signed 900 executive orders, some of which create martial law?
A: No. Obama’s executive orders do not create martial law. And so far he has igned 139 executive orders — not 900.
Read more at FactCheck.org.
A: No. Obama’s executive orders do not create martial law. And so far he has igned 139 executive orders — not 900.
Read more at FactCheck.org.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Become a Mentor | iMentor
I recently signed up to serve as a mentor through an organization called iMentor.
Mentors are partnered with a New York City high school student in the program. At this time they are urgently looking for 200 more men to join (mentors and mentees are partnered by gender.) If you're interested, please sign up at iMentor.org and help make a difference in a kid's life.
Thanks!
Mentors are partnered with a New York City high school student in the program. At this time they are urgently looking for 200 more men to join (mentors and mentees are partnered by gender.) If you're interested, please sign up at iMentor.org and help make a difference in a kid's life.
Thanks!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Our Clinton Nightmare | FactCheck.org
This is the reason Bill Clinton is awesome:
"Former President Bill Clinton’s stem-winding nomination speech was a fact-checker’s nightmare: lots of effort required to run down his many statistics and factual claims, producing little for us to write about.
Republicans will find plenty of Clinton’s scorching opinions objectionable. But with few exceptions, we found his stats checked out."
Read more from FactCheck about how Clinton's speech was factually accurate, unlike a certain Republican Vice Presidential candidate.
"Former President Bill Clinton’s stem-winding nomination speech was a fact-checker’s nightmare: lots of effort required to run down his many statistics and factual claims, producing little for us to write about.
Republicans will find plenty of Clinton’s scorching opinions objectionable. But with few exceptions, we found his stats checked out."
Read more from FactCheck about how Clinton's speech was factually accurate, unlike a certain Republican Vice Presidential candidate.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Ryan’s VP Spin | FactCheck.org
There's a reason the Vice Presidential nominee is considered the ticket's attack dog. Attack dogs also attack incoherently:
"Paul Ryan’s acceptance speech at the Republican convention contained several false claims and misleading statements. Delegates cheered as the vice presidential nominee:
- Accused President Obama’s health care law of funneling money away from Medicare “at the expense of the elderly.” In fact, Medicare’s chief actuary says the law “substantially improves” the system’s finances, and Ryan himself has embraced the same savings.
- Accused Obama of doing “exactly nothing” about recommendations of a bipartisan deficit commission — which Ryan himself helped scuttle.
- Claimed the American people were “cut out” of stimulus spending. Actually, more than a quarter of all stimulus dollars went for tax relief for workers.
- Faulted Obama for failing to deliver a 2008 campaign promise to keep a Wisconsin plant open. It closed less than a month before Obama took office.
- Blamed Obama for the loss of a AAA credit rating for the U.S. Actually, Standard & Poor’s blamed the downgrade on the uncompromising stands of both Republicans and Democrats."
Keep reading for more doozies...
"Paul Ryan’s acceptance speech at the Republican convention contained several false claims and misleading statements. Delegates cheered as the vice presidential nominee:
- Accused President Obama’s health care law of funneling money away from Medicare “at the expense of the elderly.” In fact, Medicare’s chief actuary says the law “substantially improves” the system’s finances, and Ryan himself has embraced the same savings.
- Accused Obama of doing “exactly nothing” about recommendations of a bipartisan deficit commission — which Ryan himself helped scuttle.
- Claimed the American people were “cut out” of stimulus spending. Actually, more than a quarter of all stimulus dollars went for tax relief for workers.
- Faulted Obama for failing to deliver a 2008 campaign promise to keep a Wisconsin plant open. It closed less than a month before Obama took office.
- Blamed Obama for the loss of a AAA credit rating for the U.S. Actually, Standard & Poor’s blamed the downgrade on the uncompromising stands of both Republicans and Democrats."
Keep reading for more doozies...
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Republican Retreads from Tampa | FactCheck.org
They're playing all their greatest hits!
"On the first day of the Republican convention — marked by a delegate vote making former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the party’s official nominee for president — we’re already hearing a lot of exaggerated, misleading or downright false claims that we’ve heard before.
The theme of the day centered on repeated misrepresentations of a quote from President Obama. From the various speakers we also heard:
- A misleading statistic about women’s job losses that has grown so stale it is now wholly false.
- More bogus claims about “raiding” Medicare and the doctor-patient relationship under Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
- A completely false claim that more than half of the younger generation is unemployed. (Actually, 86 percent who want work have it.)
- More false claims that Obama blocked the Keystone XL Pipeline. Construction has already begun on the southern leg of the project, and the company says it expects approval for the Canada-to-U.S. leg early next year."
"On the first day of the Republican convention — marked by a delegate vote making former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney the party’s official nominee for president — we’re already hearing a lot of exaggerated, misleading or downright false claims that we’ve heard before.
The theme of the day centered on repeated misrepresentations of a quote from President Obama. From the various speakers we also heard:
- A misleading statistic about women’s job losses that has grown so stale it is now wholly false.
- More bogus claims about “raiding” Medicare and the doctor-patient relationship under Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
- A completely false claim that more than half of the younger generation is unemployed. (Actually, 86 percent who want work have it.)
- More false claims that Obama blocked the Keystone XL Pipeline. Construction has already begun on the southern leg of the project, and the company says it expects approval for the Canada-to-U.S. leg early next year."
Christie’s Fact-Free Keynote | FactCheck.org
Governor Jabba the Hut strikes again:
"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie largely avoided factual claims in a Republican convention keynote address that was heavy on generalities, opinion and platitudes. The pugnacious former prosecutor exaggerated a bit, though, when he bragged about his accomplishments as governor, and he repeated the common but false claim that the president’s health care law interferes with the doctor-patient relationship."
Keep reading since there's a lot more where that came from.
"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie largely avoided factual claims in a Republican convention keynote address that was heavy on generalities, opinion and platitudes. The pugnacious former prosecutor exaggerated a bit, though, when he bragged about his accomplishments as governor, and he repeated the common but false claim that the president’s health care law interferes with the doctor-patient relationship."
Keep reading since there's a lot more where that came from.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
About Those ‘Republican Cuts’ | FactCheck.org
FactCheck.org checks out the 'Republican Budget Cuts' with this assessment:
"...the list of “Republican budget cuts” is real. But historically it has been difficult to make such deep cuts in the budget, and some of the proposed cuts go further than even the Republican leaders so far have been willing to support."
"...the list of “Republican budget cuts” is real. But historically it has been difficult to make such deep cuts in the budget, and some of the proposed cuts go further than even the Republican leaders so far have been willing to support."
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Rail~Volution
This seems like an interesting organization that could probably use more support than it is getting right now:
"Rail~Volution is a conference of passionate people, like you, who want to engage in thoughtful discussion about building livable communities with transit."
Also, very creative use of the tilde (~) in the group's name.
"Rail~Volution is a conference of passionate people, like you, who want to engage in thoughtful discussion about building livable communities with transit."
Also, very creative use of the tilde (~) in the group's name.
Booker tells chairs he's weighing 2013 gubernatorial run | Politicker NJ
This is an interesting, positive development:
"In the lead-up to next month’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and his political consultant Mark Matzen are meeting face-to-face with county chairs and making it known that Booker is weighing a run for governor and plans to decide by December, according to party sources."
"In the lead-up to next month’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and his political consultant Mark Matzen are meeting face-to-face with county chairs and making it known that Booker is weighing a run for governor and plans to decide by December, according to party sources."
Thursday, August 23, 2012
A Campaign Full of Mediscare | FactCheck.org
FactCheck.org has everything you ever wanted to know about the demagoguery of both presidential campaigns when it comes to Medicare. Read it and weep (probably literally).
Monday, August 20, 2012
Indian American Leadership Initiative
Be sure to check out the Indian American Leadership Initiative on Indian-American candidates.
Friday, August 17, 2012
American Bridge 21st Century | FactCheck.org
A little background information on American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC founded by conservative-turned-liberal activist David Brock:
"American Bridge also has posted multiple opposition research memos on its website that target Republican candidates. A recent entry is a 290-page opposition research report on Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican Party’s vice presidential candidate."
"American Bridge also has posted multiple opposition research memos on its website that target Republican candidates. A recent entry is a 290-page opposition research report on Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Republican Party’s vice presidential candidate."
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Ingenious fishing method may be spreading through dolphins | Murdoch University
We always knew dolphins were smart but the fact that they're teaching each other creative fishing methods is a little scary.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Friday, June 8, 2012
From the Wikipedia: The Fermi Paradox | Tedquarters.net
Great blog post about The Fermi Paradox. Basically, this is it:
"The Fermi Paradox refers to the apparent contradiction between the high probability of other intelligent life in the universe and our wholesale lack of evidence of that intelligent life. It is named for the great physicist Enrico Fermi, who interrupted an otherwise pleasant 1950 lunch conversation with some of his physicist buddies by blurting, “Where is everybody?”"
This is probably the best piece from the post:
"Say some alien spaceship did manage to fly to Earth? What are the chances it would have happened in the course of recorded human history? The Big Bang happened about 13.75 billion years ago, the planet formed about 4.54 billion years ago and human civilization is about 10,000 years old. Dinosaurs dominated earth for 135 million years! It’s way more likely that if aliens ever landed here — multiple times even — all they saw were dinosaurs, and they were all, “oh holy s—, dude, run! They’ve got dinosaurs!”"
"The Fermi Paradox refers to the apparent contradiction between the high probability of other intelligent life in the universe and our wholesale lack of evidence of that intelligent life. It is named for the great physicist Enrico Fermi, who interrupted an otherwise pleasant 1950 lunch conversation with some of his physicist buddies by blurting, “Where is everybody?”"
This is probably the best piece from the post:
"Say some alien spaceship did manage to fly to Earth? What are the chances it would have happened in the course of recorded human history? The Big Bang happened about 13.75 billion years ago, the planet formed about 4.54 billion years ago and human civilization is about 10,000 years old. Dinosaurs dominated earth for 135 million years! It’s way more likely that if aliens ever landed here — multiple times even — all they saw were dinosaurs, and they were all, “oh holy s—, dude, run! They’ve got dinosaurs!”"
Monday, April 30, 2012
How car-centric is your city? Public transit ranked
No surprise to see New York at
number 1 on this list. I am surprised to see San Francisco as a close second and Chicago at number 6. I would have figured they'd be the other way around.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Are liberals more pro-woman? A cool graph from a natural experiment | The Incidental Economist
Interesting how the more daughters a representative has, the more likely he/she is to support women's issues compared to the mean for his/her party.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Who Pays Taxes in America?
A Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) report details who actually does pay taxes in the United States:
"It’s often claimed that the richest Americans pay a disproportionate share of taxes while those in the bottom half pay nothing. These claims ignore the many taxes that most Americans are subject to — federal payroll taxes, federal excise taxes, state and local taxes — and focus instead on just one tax, the federal personal income tax. The other taxes are mostly regressive, meaning they take a larger share of income from a poor or middle-income family than they take from a rich family."
So basically, conservatives choose to ignore the hollow argument about how the wealthy pay a disproportionately high amount of taxes since the more regressive sales taxes hit everyone and Social Security taxes are capped so people above a certain income level (the amount of which escapes me right now) pay the same regardless of their income.
So read the whole report to figure out why this graph flattens halfway through and then starts to drop at the right.
"It’s often claimed that the richest Americans pay a disproportionate share of taxes while those in the bottom half pay nothing. These claims ignore the many taxes that most Americans are subject to — federal payroll taxes, federal excise taxes, state and local taxes — and focus instead on just one tax, the federal personal income tax. The other taxes are mostly regressive, meaning they take a larger share of income from a poor or middle-income family than they take from a rich family."
So basically, conservatives choose to ignore the hollow argument about how the wealthy pay a disproportionately high amount of taxes since the more regressive sales taxes hit everyone and Social Security taxes are capped so people above a certain income level (the amount of which escapes me right now) pay the same regardless of their income.
So read the whole report to figure out why this graph flattens halfway through and then starts to drop at the right.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
A Subway to New Jersey? ‘Not a Chance,’ Lhota Says | WSJ.com
"A proposal send the No. 7 subway under the Hudson River into New Jersey probably won’t happen “in our lifetime,” Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman Joseph Lhota said, despite the interest of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg."
I'd like to state my opinion on Mr. Lhota's statement but I'm trying to keep this blog clean.
Nothing to see here; keep moving...
I'd like to state my opinion on Mr. Lhota's statement but I'm trying to keep this blog clean.
Nothing to see here; keep moving...
Privately financed and built passenger rail service? Someone is going to give it a shot!
This is going to be very interesting if it proves to be profitable:
"In late March, Florida East Coast Industries (FECI) announced plans to build “All Aboard Florida,” a private passenger rail line that would connect Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and Orlando. At least for now, FECI is planning to do this without government subsidies — which could make this the first self-funding passenger rail line in the United States in half a century."
This company has a lot of things going for it, as the post mentions, such as ownership of rights of way, faster and lighter freight service existing on those tracks (as opposed to the normally slow and heavy freight service), and real estate holdings near the proposed downtown Miami station that could see an increase in value with a new station.
And oh by the way, it could also prove to be a vital first step in catching up with the rest of the world that has left us behind in rail service. You know, because we "invest" in roads and highways but "subsidize" rail, which is essentially the same thing.
"In late March, Florida East Coast Industries (FECI) announced plans to build “All Aboard Florida,” a private passenger rail line that would connect Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa and Orlando. At least for now, FECI is planning to do this without government subsidies — which could make this the first self-funding passenger rail line in the United States in half a century."
This company has a lot of things going for it, as the post mentions, such as ownership of rights of way, faster and lighter freight service existing on those tracks (as opposed to the normally slow and heavy freight service), and real estate holdings near the proposed downtown Miami station that could see an increase in value with a new station.
And oh by the way, it could also prove to be a vital first step in catching up with the rest of the world that has left us behind in rail service. You know, because we "invest" in roads and highways but "subsidize" rail, which is essentially the same thing.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Conservatives that believe in climate change!
Tom Friedman found conservatives that believe climate change is real! Unfortunately, they live in Australia and New Zealand. Friedman makes some great points comparing Australian and Kiwi conservatives with their American counterparts:
"Indeed, to go from America — amid the G.O.P. primaries — to Down Under is to experience both jet lag and a political shock. In New Zealand and Australia, you could almost fit their entire political spectrum — from conservatives to liberals — inside the U.S. Democratic Party.
Or as Paul Quinn, a parliamentarian from New Zealand’s conservative National Party, once told a group of visiting American Fulbright scholars: “I will explain to you how our system works compared to yours: You have Democrats and Republicans. My Labor opponents would be Democrats. I am a member of the National Party, and we would be ... Democrats” as well.
For instance, there is much debate here over climate policy — Australia has a carbon tax, New Zealand has cap and trade — but there is no serious debate about climate science. Whereas in today’s G.O.P. it is political suicide to take climate change seriously, in Australia and New Zealand it is political suicide for conservatives not to."
He also touches briefly on mandatory voting in Australia and New Zealand and how it forces politicians to pander to the center rather than the extremes. It is a big reason both parties in both countries down under support climate change legislation and single-payer health care systems. Mandatory voting is a great idea that, unfortunately, will never fly in the United States.
"Indeed, to go from America — amid the G.O.P. primaries — to Down Under is to experience both jet lag and a political shock. In New Zealand and Australia, you could almost fit their entire political spectrum — from conservatives to liberals — inside the U.S. Democratic Party.
Or as Paul Quinn, a parliamentarian from New Zealand’s conservative National Party, once told a group of visiting American Fulbright scholars: “I will explain to you how our system works compared to yours: You have Democrats and Republicans. My Labor opponents would be Democrats. I am a member of the National Party, and we would be ... Democrats” as well.
For instance, there is much debate here over climate policy — Australia has a carbon tax, New Zealand has cap and trade — but there is no serious debate about climate science. Whereas in today’s G.O.P. it is political suicide to take climate change seriously, in Australia and New Zealand it is political suicide for conservatives not to."
He also touches briefly on mandatory voting in Australia and New Zealand and how it forces politicians to pander to the center rather than the extremes. It is a big reason both parties in both countries down under support climate change legislation and single-payer health care systems. Mandatory voting is a great idea that, unfortunately, will never fly in the United States.
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Be careful SCOTUS. The Affordable Care Act is like Obi-wan Kenobi:
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Why? Because if you can't devise a regulated, free market solution for a public good that comprises one-sixth of the American economy, the only available alternative becomes a Single-Payer "Medicare for All" plan.
Gail Collins of The New York Times agrees:
"It was basically a Republican idea to begin with, and look what happened. If this is thrown out in court, compromise will never get any traction again. Single payer! Single payer! Maybe you could have wooed me into the middle a few years ago, but no more. No more. Next time around we stop talking about complicated reforms and just go with Medicare for everybody."
"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
Why? Because if you can't devise a regulated, free market solution for a public good that comprises one-sixth of the American economy, the only available alternative becomes a Single-Payer "Medicare for All" plan.
Gail Collins of The New York Times agrees:
"It was basically a Republican idea to begin with, and look what happened. If this is thrown out in court, compromise will never get any traction again. Single payer! Single payer! Maybe you could have wooed me into the middle a few years ago, but no more. No more. Next time around we stop talking about complicated reforms and just go with Medicare for everybody."
How Red or Blue is your American English accent?
Fascinating article about how regional accents can be influenced by the political preferences of people living in that region:
"Labov points out that the residents of the Inland North have long-standing differences with their neighbors to the south, who speak what’s known as the Midland dialect. The two groups originated from distinct groups of settlers; the Inland Northerners migrated west from New England, while the Midlanders originated in Pennsylvania via the Appalachian region. Historically, the two settlement streams typically found themselves with sharply diverging political views and voting habits, with the northerners aligning much more closely with agenerally being more liberal ideology.
Labov suggests that it’s these deep-seated political disagreements that create an invisible borderline barring the encroachment of Northern Cities Vowels. When he looked at the relationship between voting patterns by county over the last three Presidential elections and the degree to which speakers in these counties shifted their vowels, he found a tight correlation between the two."
The writer goes on to discuss how politicians have leveraged accents, such as George W. Bush's {fake} Texas accent and Barack Obama's {fake} Chicago accent.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Tell the Supreme Court: I support Health Care Reform!
Tell the Supreme Court: I support Health Care Reform!: Tell the Supreme Court: I support Health Care Reform!: http://dccc.org/support-hcr
A Great Map of the Diversity of American Last Names
A blog post and interactive map at National Geographic show the distribution of last names in the United States. A very fascinating map, especially that pocket of the Vietnamese last name 'Nguyen' in California.
However, the blog post also states:
"The map's scale matters too. "If we did a map of New York like this," says project member James Cheshire, "the diversity would be phenomenal"—a testament to that city's role as a once-and-present gateway to America."
This is especially true considering Asians and Latinos comprise, respectively, 13% and 29% of New York City's population but are not very well represented and distributed among the American population as a whole.
However, the blog post also states:
"The map's scale matters too. "If we did a map of New York like this," says project member James Cheshire, "the diversity would be phenomenal"—a testament to that city's role as a once-and-present gateway to America."
This is especially true considering Asians and Latinos comprise, respectively, 13% and 29% of New York City's population but are not very well represented and distributed among the American population as a whole.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Blue Jersey:: Upendra Chivukula Running for Congress in CD7
From Blue Jersey:
"[Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula] is Deputy Speaker in the Assembly, where he has served in the Assembly in the district stretching across Middlesex and Somerset for 10 years. He is an electrical engineer by education, and was council member then mayor of Franklin Twp. (Somerset) before his election to the Assembly.
Chivukula is first Indian-American elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in its history, and only the 4th Indian-American in the United States to be elected to state office."
"[Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula] is Deputy Speaker in the Assembly, where he has served in the Assembly in the district stretching across Middlesex and Somerset for 10 years. He is an electrical engineer by education, and was council member then mayor of Franklin Twp. (Somerset) before his election to the Assembly.
Chivukula is first Indian-American elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in its history, and only the 4th Indian-American in the United States to be elected to state office."
Awesome Fake Movie Trailer Advertising the New York Public Library
Check out the really cool fake suspense trailer advertising the Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy at the New York Public Library. I wish they did cool stuff like this when I worked there.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Bill Maher NYT Op-Ed: Please Stop Apologizing
Bill Maher had an op-ed in Wednesday's New York Times about the quasi-outrage over everything these days. As usual, he makes some good points:
"The answer to whenever another human being annoys you is not “make them go away forever.” We need to learn to coexist, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. For example, I find Rush Limbaugh obnoxious, but I’ve been able to coexist comfortably with him for 20 years by using this simple method: I never listen to his program. The only time I hear him is when I’m at a stoplight next to a pickup truck.
When the lady at Costco gives you a free sample of its new ham pudding and you don’t like it, you spit it into a napkin and keep shopping. You don’t declare a holy war on ham."
My only issue with the op-ed is it reads like one of his "New Rules" on 'Real Time with Bill Maher'. So if this is the same New Rule I'm going to hear on Friday night, I'm going to be really disappointed.
"The answer to whenever another human being annoys you is not “make them go away forever.” We need to learn to coexist, and it’s actually pretty easy to do. For example, I find Rush Limbaugh obnoxious, but I’ve been able to coexist comfortably with him for 20 years by using this simple method: I never listen to his program. The only time I hear him is when I’m at a stoplight next to a pickup truck.
When the lady at Costco gives you a free sample of its new ham pudding and you don’t like it, you spit it into a napkin and keep shopping. You don’t declare a holy war on ham."
My only issue with the op-ed is it reads like one of his "New Rules" on 'Real Time with Bill Maher'. So if this is the same New Rule I'm going to hear on Friday night, I'm going to be really disappointed.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Sports fans = Prison inmates? Bill James thinks so.
Bill James writes a very interesting piece on Grantland about how the deterioration of fan conduct at baseball games and prisons in America seems to have happened around roughly the same time. A great tidbit that stood out:
"That's the thing about regulating conduct; there is always some conduct that doesn't get policed. When baseball effectively prohibited its players from defending their good names with physical threats and small weapons, this in essence required the players to put up with verbal abuse from fat, pimply guys whom they could have very easily beaten the grits out of. People say things in public all the time now for which, if you had said them 40 years ago, somebody would have kicked your ass. We've regulated the ass-kicking, so the rudeness is out of control, and we wind up with Keith Olbermann and Rush Limbaugh doing political commentary that falls in the same general class as drunken, shirtless bellowing.
I used to know both of those guys. Limbaugh used to work for the Royals. I didn't really know him, but I bumped into him a couple of times. Olbermann used to be a broadcaster; funny, funny guy. They're good guys; I wouldn't have any trouble playing poker with either one of them, but I'm not sure what moron gave either one of them a microphone.
Which is an unfair thing to say; they have complex political philosophies, both of them, and they have microphones because somebody figured out that you could make a lot of money by combining a sophisticated political philosophy with oral flatulence. But I was reminiscing about the good old days, when men were men and high school girls didn't have nipple rings, and you knew who the heavyweight boxing champion of the world was — even the high school girls did — because there was only one at a time and he was a big deal."
He goes on about a number of topics that don't seem related at first but overall it's a good piece worth reading.
"That's the thing about regulating conduct; there is always some conduct that doesn't get policed. When baseball effectively prohibited its players from defending their good names with physical threats and small weapons, this in essence required the players to put up with verbal abuse from fat, pimply guys whom they could have very easily beaten the grits out of. People say things in public all the time now for which, if you had said them 40 years ago, somebody would have kicked your ass. We've regulated the ass-kicking, so the rudeness is out of control, and we wind up with Keith Olbermann and Rush Limbaugh doing political commentary that falls in the same general class as drunken, shirtless bellowing.
I used to know both of those guys. Limbaugh used to work for the Royals. I didn't really know him, but I bumped into him a couple of times. Olbermann used to be a broadcaster; funny, funny guy. They're good guys; I wouldn't have any trouble playing poker with either one of them, but I'm not sure what moron gave either one of them a microphone.
Which is an unfair thing to say; they have complex political philosophies, both of them, and they have microphones because somebody figured out that you could make a lot of money by combining a sophisticated political philosophy with oral flatulence. But I was reminiscing about the good old days, when men were men and high school girls didn't have nipple rings, and you knew who the heavyweight boxing champion of the world was — even the high school girls did — because there was only one at a time and he was a big deal."
He goes on about a number of topics that don't seem related at first but overall it's a good piece worth reading.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Hey, Mets! I Just Can’t Quit You. | NYT's David Brooks
David Brooks, who usually writes about politics, wrote about his love for the New York Mets today. He shared this great recent experience:
"I was in the media center of the Mets spring training facility in Florida this week when Ron Darling, the excellent pitcher from the great teams of the 1980s, sat down at the table next to me and started reading The Times. That was a vivid moment, evoking all sorts of memories, though I didn’t try to talk with him."
Knowing Darling's Yale pedigree (with degrees in both French and Southeast Asian History), Brooks probably could have engaged him in an interesting foreign affairs discussion. At the very least Ron Darling would likely know who David Brooks is.
However there is something endearing about this experience of a well-known and respected journalist (whom I totally respect even though I don't often agree with him) just being a fan around a former All-Star from his favorite team.
"I was in the media center of the Mets spring training facility in Florida this week when Ron Darling, the excellent pitcher from the great teams of the 1980s, sat down at the table next to me and started reading The Times. That was a vivid moment, evoking all sorts of memories, though I didn’t try to talk with him."
Knowing Darling's Yale pedigree (with degrees in both French and Southeast Asian History), Brooks probably could have engaged him in an interesting foreign affairs discussion. At the very least Ron Darling would likely know who David Brooks is.
However there is something endearing about this experience of a well-known and respected journalist (whom I totally respect even though I don't often agree with him) just being a fan around a former All-Star from his favorite team.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The White House is good at this sport called 'Politics'...
Matt Miller's latest Washington Post column talks about the White House's recent tactics that truly exemplify 'The Sport of Politics':
"What a coincidence that President Obama’s first news conference in nearly six months just happened to fall on Super Tuesday! And what a twist of fate that the president found himself addressing the United Auto Workers conference last week on the very day of the Michigan primary, where he had the chance to blast an unnamed GOP candidate for saying we should have “let Detroit go bankrupt.”
Barack Obama is the new master of the “split screen.” The White House is managing the president’s schedule and activities so that major events on the GOP campaign calendar become chances to contrast the president in the news cycle with the frivolous, shrill and increasingly surreal Republican race. The targets of this campaign are the independent voters who will decide the November election.
The “split-screen” strategy is looking very effective so far."
"What a coincidence that President Obama’s first news conference in nearly six months just happened to fall on Super Tuesday! And what a twist of fate that the president found himself addressing the United Auto Workers conference last week on the very day of the Michigan primary, where he had the chance to blast an unnamed GOP candidate for saying we should have “let Detroit go bankrupt.”
Barack Obama is the new master of the “split screen.” The White House is managing the president’s schedule and activities so that major events on the GOP campaign calendar become chances to contrast the president in the news cycle with the frivolous, shrill and increasingly surreal Republican race. The targets of this campaign are the independent voters who will decide the November election.
The “split-screen” strategy is looking very effective so far."
Thursday, March 1, 2012
More reasons for why the filibuster is bad.
Ezra Klein with a blog post on why the filibuster promotes partisanship:
"The crucial idea here is that it is very different to kill a bill than to vote against a bill. When the minority party kills a bill, they have made the majority into a failure. And when voters perceive the majority as failing, they vote in the other guys. If you’re in the minority, there’s no faster path back to power than killing bills."
"The crucial idea here is that it is very different to kill a bill than to vote against a bill. When the minority party kills a bill, they have made the majority into a failure. And when voters perceive the majority as failing, they vote in the other guys. If you’re in the minority, there’s no faster path back to power than killing bills."
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
American Experience Clinton Documentary
If you get a chance, be sure to watch the awesome job American Experience did with its documentary about Bill Clinton, simply titled "Clinton".
As someone that was 19-years old in 1992, Bill Clinton was the first person I ever voted for, and I even got to shake his hand during his re-election campaign in early 1996. The Clinton presidency was an important period in my life as it started while I was a college sophomore contemplating my future and ended while I was shopping for an engagement ring to give to the woman to whom I am married today. Watching all 3 hours and 35 minutes really brought back some great memories about my 20's and also how great the 1990's were compared to today.
Here is part 1 of 27. Please take the time to watch this documentary. You will be glad you did.
As someone that was 19-years old in 1992, Bill Clinton was the first person I ever voted for, and I even got to shake his hand during his re-election campaign in early 1996. The Clinton presidency was an important period in my life as it started while I was a college sophomore contemplating my future and ended while I was shopping for an engagement ring to give to the woman to whom I am married today. Watching all 3 hours and 35 minutes really brought back some great memories about my 20's and also how great the 1990's were compared to today.
Here is part 1 of 27. Please take the time to watch this documentary. You will be glad you did.
Watch Clinton on PBS. See more from American Experience.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Sleeping eight hours does not come naturally | BBC News
Something to make me feel better when I'm up in the middle of the night feeding the baby.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Contraception Red Herring
Matt Miller writes about where the real issue around the whole contraception coverage in health insurance plans actually is:
"It’s important not to let this contraception clash pass without understanding the true source of the problem. It’s not President Obama’s debauched liberal drive to shower teens with condoms and morning-after pills. It’s not the bishops’ urge to enforce a moral code from which most of their flock dissents. A sane America would never deny women who work for Catholic employers access to the contraception that every other health plan offers — but it also wouldn’t force Catholic employers to offer coverage that violates their beliefs.
Instead, a sane America would solve this whole problem by moving into the 21st century and making sure people can buy group health coverage on their own and not tied to their employers."
Getting rid of employer-based coverage was one of the principles of the Wyden-Bennett Bill as well. A lot has been said about improving the Affordable Care Act. Nothing would make me happier than opening up the health insurance exchanges to all Americans and concurrently eliminating the requirement for employers to provide health insurance to employees. This whole contraception issue would never have come up if that had been done from the beginning.
"It’s important not to let this contraception clash pass without understanding the true source of the problem. It’s not President Obama’s debauched liberal drive to shower teens with condoms and morning-after pills. It’s not the bishops’ urge to enforce a moral code from which most of their flock dissents. A sane America would never deny women who work for Catholic employers access to the contraception that every other health plan offers — but it also wouldn’t force Catholic employers to offer coverage that violates their beliefs.
Instead, a sane America would solve this whole problem by moving into the 21st century and making sure people can buy group health coverage on their own and not tied to their employers."
Getting rid of employer-based coverage was one of the principles of the Wyden-Bennett Bill as well. A lot has been said about improving the Affordable Care Act. Nothing would make me happier than opening up the health insurance exchanges to all Americans and concurrently eliminating the requirement for employers to provide health insurance to employees. This whole contraception issue would never have come up if that had been done from the beginning.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Coleman: Hope Springs Eternal For Young Mets « CBS New York
Great write-up by Ed Coleman on the prospects in the Mets system. Let's hope most of these guys (especially these two guys on the right here) are not needed on the major league ballclub until 2013 at the earliest.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
New York Jets Congratulate Giants For Super Bowl Win With Full-Page Ad: Classy Move Or Slap In Face? « CBS New York
A very classy move by the NYJ congratulating the NYG. No doubt about it.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Fallacy of the "New York Yankee Fan"
A fantastic post by Matt Cerrone over at Metsblog about why he's optimistic for the 2012 New York Mets season. He explains in excellent terms something I've always thought but have never quite been able to put in terms as perfect as these when it comes to that team in the Bronx and their pathetic fair weather fans:
"...I will never understand how some Yankees fan, who barely check in on baseball from April through August, then only watch in September and October, are happy when their team wins. To each his own I guess, and I try not to judge, but, to me, that would be like tuning in to the last five minutes of a movie and cheering when Luke takes down Vadar. At that point, I'd rather not watch at all. I mean, how can you really appreciate the accomplishment and be truly happy for the people on field if you have no real idea about what went in to getting there?"
This explains why I've met so many "Yankee fans" that say they don't like baseball in those seasons when the Yankees are losing but act like they've been there through the years all along when the Yankees are winning. This is even though they have probably never heard of the likes of Steve Balboni, Mel Hall, Kevin Maas, Roberto Kelly and many more.
"...I will never understand how some Yankees fan, who barely check in on baseball from April through August, then only watch in September and October, are happy when their team wins. To each his own I guess, and I try not to judge, but, to me, that would be like tuning in to the last five minutes of a movie and cheering when Luke takes down Vadar. At that point, I'd rather not watch at all. I mean, how can you really appreciate the accomplishment and be truly happy for the people on field if you have no real idea about what went in to getting there?"
This explains why I've met so many "Yankee fans" that say they don't like baseball in those seasons when the Yankees are losing but act like they've been there through the years all along when the Yankees are winning. This is even though they have probably never heard of the likes of Steve Balboni, Mel Hall, Kevin Maas, Roberto Kelly and many more.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The paradigm shift in American labor
Every time I read Tom Friedman's columns in The New York Times, I'm amazed by how insightful and pragmatic he is. Today's column is no exception, with this very prescient point about why "Average Is Over":
"There will always be change — new jobs, new products, new services. But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average."
Read the whole column, especially the part about "E La Carte" and the Chinese factory that makes iPhone screens. As with most of Friedman's writing, you'll be fascinated and frightened at the same time.
"There will always be change — new jobs, new products, new services. But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution, the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average."
Read the whole column, especially the part about "E La Carte" and the Chinese factory that makes iPhone screens. As with most of Friedman's writing, you'll be fascinated and frightened at the same time.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Wheeler, Harvey, and Familia all make MLB.com’s ‘Top 100 Prospects’ list
Metzilla has a great recap of the three Mets pitching studs, Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey, and Jeurys Familia, making MLB.com's top 100 prospect list.
Also on the MLB Network last night was an interview with Paul DePodesta, Mets VP of Player Development and Scouting. He was also the inspiration for the character played by Jonah Hill in the movie "Moneyball", which he talks about here:
Also on the MLB Network last night was an interview with Paul DePodesta, Mets VP of Player Development and Scouting. He was also the inspiration for the character played by Jonah Hill in the movie "Moneyball", which he talks about here:
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Point-counterpoint that is actually fun to read
If you follow politics but have never read David Brooks' and Gail Collins' 'The Conversation' series in The New York Times, you have no idea what you're missing. Here's a couple of great nuggets from today's conversation:
Brooks: "...as one of the callers on Bill Bennett’s radio show pointed out, it’s an odd thing when a leading Republican candidate has the children of his first wife attacking his second wife for things she said about his third wife and this candidate is the one getting social conservative support."
Collins: "The South Carolina voters really just seemed to be looking for somebody who would expose Barack Obama as the socialist evildoer they believe him to be. Do you think they factored in the personality issue? Really, the president generally manages to come across as pretty likable, even when he’s announcing a new series of air strikes. And Newt can be pretty off-putting even when he’s explaining that he loves his grandchildren."
Trust me, you will not be disappointed reading it every week.
Brooks: "...as one of the callers on Bill Bennett’s radio show pointed out, it’s an odd thing when a leading Republican candidate has the children of his first wife attacking his second wife for things she said about his third wife and this candidate is the one getting social conservative support."
Collins: "The South Carolina voters really just seemed to be looking for somebody who would expose Barack Obama as the socialist evildoer they believe him to be. Do you think they factored in the personality issue? Really, the president generally manages to come across as pretty likable, even when he’s announcing a new series of air strikes. And Newt can be pretty off-putting even when he’s explaining that he loves his grandchildren."
Trust me, you will not be disappointed reading it every week.
The limits of misplaced optimism...
I have to admit, as a die hard Met fan, I'm a sucker for Rich Coutinho's rosy projections for how things will work out for the Amazins. However, this one is a little too optimistic even for me.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Tonight’s addresses at a glance | Maddowblog
Great word cloud of tonight's State of the Union and the Republican response.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Power rankings: No. 25 Mets | Chicago Tribune
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune offers a very accurate preview of the 2012 Mets. Reading this astute observation hurts a little bit:
"Reyes never really wanted to go on the free-agent market. He would have been fine being a lifelong Met, and might have thought he was going to be one as recently as July 31. That's when Alderson declined efforts from teams such as the Giants, Tigers and Brewers to trade for him. But the Mets were hoping Reyes' injury history — he has averaged only 98 games over the last three years — would lessen the interest in him on the market.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria instead traveled to New York to start a whirlwind romance at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 3, the start of the free-agent period. Tejada essentially became the Mets' shortstop at that moment."
"Reyes never really wanted to go on the free-agent market. He would have been fine being a lifelong Met, and might have thought he was going to be one as recently as July 31. That's when Alderson declined efforts from teams such as the Giants, Tigers and Brewers to trade for him. But the Mets were hoping Reyes' injury history — he has averaged only 98 games over the last three years — would lessen the interest in him on the market.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria instead traveled to New York to start a whirlwind romance at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 3, the start of the free-agent period. Tejada essentially became the Mets' shortstop at that moment."
Friday, January 20, 2012
1/19: Vote for Colbert? 18% in South Carolina Kinda Somewhat Likely
Marist actually conducted a poll on Stephen Colbert's chances in South Carolina. Here's my favorite question asked in the poll:
"More than four in ten members of South Carolina’s potential Republican electorate — 41% — report this is the most serious poll they have ever participated in. 58% say it is not, and 2% are unsure."
"More than four in ten members of South Carolina’s potential Republican electorate — 41% — report this is the most serious poll they have ever participated in. 58% say it is not, and 2% are unsure."
The best explanation of SOPA and PIPA I've seen.
Mike Silva's New York Baseball Digest has the best explanation I've read on the impact of SOPA and PIPA. If you're not a baseball person, don't worry. It's not a post about baseball but rather uses baseball as a context in which the law would impact his blog. Here are a few great points he makes:
"I think it’s important to understand this isn’t something falling along party lines, this is a fight by the establishment (i.e. corporations) to use legislation to stack the deck in their favor since our Fortune 500s have lost the desire to compete in a free marketplace."
"I am not supporting anyone going to an illegal site to download a movie, game, or music. I believe this type of bill with vague standards is just the beginning of corporations extending their tentacles to snuff out competition. Small independent websites don’t have the budget to hire a $500 dollar per hour corporate attorney to watch for every violation. I try to make sure that all pictures and videos here are legal (I rely on YouTube to do that for me on the latter), but undoubtedly there has to be errors at some point. In theory, this bill could allow MLB to shut me down on a whim without a chance of a fight. Do you think sites that criticize Bud Selig or a specific team would get more scrutiny? With all the laws on the books it’s highly likely they could find something to tie you to a violation. If you don’t believe me, clearly you don’t understand this country’s modern corporate culture and what it’s about."
"Business has become about legislating out competitors versus generating new ideas or improving current product lines."
"I think it’s important to understand this isn’t something falling along party lines, this is a fight by the establishment (i.e. corporations) to use legislation to stack the deck in their favor since our Fortune 500s have lost the desire to compete in a free marketplace."
"I am not supporting anyone going to an illegal site to download a movie, game, or music. I believe this type of bill with vague standards is just the beginning of corporations extending their tentacles to snuff out competition. Small independent websites don’t have the budget to hire a $500 dollar per hour corporate attorney to watch for every violation. I try to make sure that all pictures and videos here are legal (I rely on YouTube to do that for me on the latter), but undoubtedly there has to be errors at some point. In theory, this bill could allow MLB to shut me down on a whim without a chance of a fight. Do you think sites that criticize Bud Selig or a specific team would get more scrutiny? With all the laws on the books it’s highly likely they could find something to tie you to a violation. If you don’t believe me, clearly you don’t understand this country’s modern corporate culture and what it’s about."
"Business has become about legislating out competitors versus generating new ideas or improving current product lines."
Prospect Busts and Booms: Billy Beane vs. Brandon Nimmo
Bleacher Report has a post on the ten biggest prospect busts in New York Mets history. They are:
10. Jason Isringhausen
9. Jason Tyner
8. Alex Ochoa
7. Alex Escobar
6. Fernando Martinez
5. Ryan Thompson
4. Lastings Milledge
3. Shawn Abner
2. Bill Pulsipher
1. Paul Wilson
One observation I made was aside from Shawn Abner all of the busts were from the 1990's or 2000's. Another broader observation is this explains how much more difficult it is to project baseball players compared to football or basketball. For me, looking at the list of New York Mets first-round draft picks, the name that stands out is the Mets first-round pick in 1980, Billy Beane.
If you read the book "Moneyball", you probably read about Beane's reaction to his minor league teammate Lenny Dykstra, a 13th round pick in 1981, talk about how certain he was about making the major leagues someday, whereas Beane, a first round pick, was questioning whether or not he belonged in professional baseball altogether.
So much of baseball is psychological that evaluating a player's mental makeup is perhaps as critical as his physical abilities. That's why I'm so optimistic on Brandon Nimmo. Let's hope I'm right on him.
10. Jason Isringhausen
9. Jason Tyner
8. Alex Ochoa
7. Alex Escobar
6. Fernando Martinez
5. Ryan Thompson
4. Lastings Milledge
3. Shawn Abner
2. Bill Pulsipher
1. Paul Wilson
One observation I made was aside from Shawn Abner all of the busts were from the 1990's or 2000's. Another broader observation is this explains how much more difficult it is to project baseball players compared to football or basketball. For me, looking at the list of New York Mets first-round draft picks, the name that stands out is the Mets first-round pick in 1980, Billy Beane.
If you read the book "Moneyball", you probably read about Beane's reaction to his minor league teammate Lenny Dykstra, a 13th round pick in 1981, talk about how certain he was about making the major leagues someday, whereas Beane, a first round pick, was questioning whether or not he belonged in professional baseball altogether.
So much of baseball is psychological that evaluating a player's mental makeup is perhaps as critical as his physical abilities. That's why I'm so optimistic on Brandon Nimmo. Let's hope I'm right on him.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Chris Christie: “Mr. Wilpon, my number, you’ve got it.” | Metsblog
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a diehard Met fan offered to be the team's next GM should Sandy Alderson decide to step down. Since the Mets are the only thing with which I agree with the governor, I didn't bother to watch the full clip to splice out the Mets-related piece. So sit back and enjoy Gov. Jabba the Hut as he talks about his (lack of) accomplishments and adds the Mets GM piece somewhere along the way:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
What the Eurostar's Success Means for California HSR | The Atlantic Cities
The point that gets missed, which is what I've been saying all along about high speed rail:
"At a travel time of roughly 3 hours, which is about what California's high-speed rail authority expects, the train would capture about 30 percent of business travelers and 40 percent of the leisure market... In the unlikely chance the fast train can achieve a travel time of 2 hours 25 minutes, it could win about half the market share of leisure travelers."
"At a travel time of roughly 3 hours, which is about what California's high-speed rail authority expects, the train would capture about 30 percent of business travelers and 40 percent of the leisure market... In the unlikely chance the fast train can achieve a travel time of 2 hours 25 minutes, it could win about half the market share of leisure travelers."
The Science of How We Walk | The Atlantic Cities
Disorganized Indians are more efficient than organized Germans? This article explains the only scenario in which that make sense.
How Our Brains Navigate the City | The Atlantic Cities
Fascinating article about how we find our way around cities. It gives hope to the people that think they have no sense of direction.
Great and Not-So-Great Subway Logos | The Atlantic Cities
This is a very quirky review of international subway logos. I have to agree that the one from Lille, France is very uncomfortable.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Mack's Mets: The Greek Tragedy of the New York Met Fan
Mack's Mets: The Greek Tragedy of the New York Met Fan: In Greek mythology Sisyphus was a king punished by being compelled to roll an immense boulder up a hill, only to watch it roll back down.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Fernando Martinez Through the Years | Rising Apple
Rising Apple has a thorough recap of Fernando Martinez's career as a New York Mets prospect. I have to say personally that I'm conflicted on this. On one hand, watching the Mets overhype Alex Ochoa and Alex Escobar, this seems par for the course. However, Martinez was supposed to be different and his maladies can't be considered his fault, a point many Met fans are not willing to concede. You can't blame this on Omar Minaya. Who would think a 16-year old will develop arthritis in his right knee by the time he's 21?
This one point reminded me how good he really is/was:
"[In 2009, the] 20 year-old began the season at Triple-A–his first taste at the level–and responded very well. The outfielder swatted an impressive .290/.337/.540 line with 8 HR, 28 RBI, 24 R, and 2 SB in 190 PA’s."
Keep in mind, he was 20 years old! If he had been an American-born player that went to college, he would have been a college sophomore at the age of 20. He's hitting .290 in Triple-A! How many college baseball players today would be able to hit .290 in Triple-A, let alone do it in their sophomore year?
I wish him well and hope the kid does great in Houston. I can't get inside his head but it's hard to imagine he's happy about how his career has turned out so far. And perhaps just knowing that he's wanted in Houston, rather than unwanted in New York, can do wonders for him that no one in the Mets organization ever could.
This one point reminded me how good he really is/was:
"[In 2009, the] 20 year-old began the season at Triple-A–his first taste at the level–and responded very well. The outfielder swatted an impressive .290/.337/.540 line with 8 HR, 28 RBI, 24 R, and 2 SB in 190 PA’s."
Keep in mind, he was 20 years old! If he had been an American-born player that went to college, he would have been a college sophomore at the age of 20. He's hitting .290 in Triple-A! How many college baseball players today would be able to hit .290 in Triple-A, let alone do it in their sophomore year?
I wish him well and hope the kid does great in Houston. I can't get inside his head but it's hard to imagine he's happy about how his career has turned out so far. And perhaps just knowing that he's wanted in Houston, rather than unwanted in New York, can do wonders for him that no one in the Mets organization ever could.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
A skyscraper boom in India?
Yes, a skyscraper boom in India. However, Bloomberg is cautioning that it could be a sign of a bubble.
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Met Who Blames Everything on the Wilpons | New York Magazine
Everyone is speculating on the source for the post at New York Magazine about the current state of the Mets:
"You know what I think when I read about the Mets nowadays? We’ve become the Oakland A’s. We’re the Pittsburgh Pirates. Our fans deserve better than that. You can’t possibly build a dynasty when you’re cutting costs left and right. The only way to turn it around is to sell the team.
It hurts me to say this, because I’ve always liked Fred Wilpon. I know in his heart how much he wants the Mets to succeed. He’s always lived and died with the team. But there comes a time when it’s no longer possible to be in charge. Fred doesn’t have enough money to make it work."
If this hastens the Wilpons' departure, I hope this post gets a lot of traction.
"You know what I think when I read about the Mets nowadays? We’ve become the Oakland A’s. We’re the Pittsburgh Pirates. Our fans deserve better than that. You can’t possibly build a dynasty when you’re cutting costs left and right. The only way to turn it around is to sell the team.
It hurts me to say this, because I’ve always liked Fred Wilpon. I know in his heart how much he wants the Mets to succeed. He’s always lived and died with the team. But there comes a time when it’s no longer possible to be in charge. Fred doesn’t have enough money to make it work."
If this hastens the Wilpons' departure, I hope this post gets a lot of traction.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Coutinho: Never Count Out Mets’ Johan Santana « CBS New York
The very first domino in the 2012 New York Mets season will be what the Mets get from Johan Santana. As the often optimistic Rich Coutinho points out, you never know in the game of baseball:
"Nobody expected the Arizona Diamondbacks to rebound from a 90 loss season to win the NL West. Nobody expected the last two World Champions to be squads with under a $100 million payroll. No one expected an AL East team not to be in the World Series the last two years. It is the reason we play the games and it is the reason sports is such great theater."
A lot has been said about how long it took for Chien-Ming Wang to return and that Mark Prior never returned from the same surgery. However, Prior was a hard thrower and Wang, although not a strikeout guy, made a living on a hard sinker. Santana's bread-and-butter has been the change-up, a pitch that doesn't require aggressive arm and shoulder movement. I would expect the recovery to be less involved, not to mention that additional knowledge gained from the Prior and Wang experiences for trainers to adjust accordingly.
"Nobody expected the Arizona Diamondbacks to rebound from a 90 loss season to win the NL West. Nobody expected the last two World Champions to be squads with under a $100 million payroll. No one expected an AL East team not to be in the World Series the last two years. It is the reason we play the games and it is the reason sports is such great theater."
A lot has been said about how long it took for Chien-Ming Wang to return and that Mark Prior never returned from the same surgery. However, Prior was a hard thrower and Wang, although not a strikeout guy, made a living on a hard sinker. Santana's bread-and-butter has been the change-up, a pitch that doesn't require aggressive arm and shoulder movement. I would expect the recovery to be less involved, not to mention that additional knowledge gained from the Prior and Wang experiences for trainers to adjust accordingly.
India's Infrastructure Woes
A very interesting analysis in The Economist about the current infrastructure issues facing India today:
"For the past half decade India’s infrastructure industry has enjoyed a Sea Link moment; a blast of growth when one could imagine that the private sector could deliver all the new roads, bridges, power stations and airports that the country needs so badly. The government says the boom will continue. Over the next five years it predicts that infrastructure investment will reach a new high relative to GDP, with some $1 trillion spent, half of it by the private sector. The trouble with this rosy prediction is that the balance-sheets of many Indian infrastructure firms are as potholed as the roads they resurface."
That Sea Link bridge in Mumbai is pretty sweet though:
"For the past half decade India’s infrastructure industry has enjoyed a Sea Link moment; a blast of growth when one could imagine that the private sector could deliver all the new roads, bridges, power stations and airports that the country needs so badly. The government says the boom will continue. Over the next five years it predicts that infrastructure investment will reach a new high relative to GDP, with some $1 trillion spent, half of it by the private sector. The trouble with this rosy prediction is that the balance-sheets of many Indian infrastructure firms are as potholed as the roads they resurface."
That Sea Link bridge in Mumbai is pretty sweet though:
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Most influential Canadian in baseball is ... | Baseball | Sports | Toronto Sun
I think the most insulting part of this list is Jason Bay is nowhere to be found on it. I guess nice guys don't even finish last anymore!
Monday, January 2, 2012
My BCS Playoff Proposal Re-re-revisited
I first proposed a BCS playoff system after the 2008 season, which I then revisited in 2009 and 2010 to show what the matchups would look like. So without further adieu, here is what this season's conference championships and BCS standings would give us.
Conference Champions (with the final BCS ranking in parentheses)
ACC - Clemson (15)
Big East - West Virginia (23)
Big Ten - Wisconsin (10)
Big 12 - Oklahoma State (3)
PAC 12 - Oregon (5)
SEC - LSU (1)
At-large teams
Alabama (2)
Boise State (7) - based on being a mid-major team within the top ten.
Since Boise State would qualify as a mid-major team in the top ten, this would mean Stanford is out of Luck (pun intended).
#1 LSU vs. #8 West Virginia (Sugar Bowl)
#2 Alabama vs. #7 Clemson (Orange Bowl)
#3 Oklahoma State vs. #6 Wisconsin (Fiesta Bowl)
#4 Oregon vs. #5 Boise State (Rose Bowl)
We could still potentially see an Alabama vs. LSU national championship game but how much more legitimate would it be if those two teams had to play through Oklahoma State and Oregon to get there?
Conference Champions (with the final BCS ranking in parentheses)
ACC - Clemson (15)
Big East - West Virginia (23)
Big Ten - Wisconsin (10)
Big 12 - Oklahoma State (3)
PAC 12 - Oregon (5)
SEC - LSU (1)
At-large teams
Alabama (2)
Boise State (7) - based on being a mid-major team within the top ten.
Since Boise State would qualify as a mid-major team in the top ten, this would mean Stanford is out of Luck (pun intended).
#1 LSU vs. #8 West Virginia (Sugar Bowl)
#2 Alabama vs. #7 Clemson (Orange Bowl)
#3 Oklahoma State vs. #6 Wisconsin (Fiesta Bowl)
#4 Oregon vs. #5 Boise State (Rose Bowl)
We could still potentially see an Alabama vs. LSU national championship game but how much more legitimate would it be if those two teams had to play through Oklahoma State and Oregon to get there?
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