Folks,
I'm traveling today to B-More today for work. I've assembled a few entries for your viewing pleasure, but things will be moving at a slower clip. Sorry guys. You all know the rules. Resist the entreaties of trolls, and don't say anything to anyone that you wouldn't say in their presence.
Consider this your open thread.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
Copyright © 2009 by The Atlantic Monthly Group. All rights reserved.
Has anyone here tried to do those new Erector sets with flexible pieces? Because I tried working on one with my son and now have a passionate hatred of the things.
Yay for the new Sec of Ed, who has managed to improve schools.
I've said this before, but your website breaks in Firefox.
What's the best crab cakes in all of Baltimore?
Quick NFL complaint: I can't stand the guy, but Philip Rivers got screwed in the Pro Bowl selections. Manning and Cutler are fine, but Favre over Rivers? Favre's leading the AFC in int percentage. Rivers is the league's highest rated QB, the league touchdown leader, and even with his team's D and run game blowing up he's kept them mathmatically alive for the playoffs. And he gets left out for Favre.
Sean H
Actually Chad Pennington got screwed worse. He has better numbers, his team has the exact same record and the Jets cut him after they got Favre.
The Rivers snub can at least be explained by his teams record. Pennington's can not.
Am surprised no one is talking about the suggestion that Caroline Kennedy could be our new senator. Is there literally no standard expected for knowledge of a subject or proven ability to lead policy changes? Have only heard the suggestion repeatedly by the NYT, but I can't believe that her alleged ability to be "persuasive" would qualify her to be one of our 100 senators.
Hey, come by our new bistro, featuring fresh ingredients from local sources. Called the Northstar Bistro, we're in the Frederick Douglass Maritime Museum.
Cuz change comes in many forms. Safe travels...
I'd overlooked Pennington, but you're right, he got screwed too. He and Rivers are pretty close on the numbers though with Rivers scoring a lot more and Pennington turning it over at his typical freakishly low int percentage. Really ought to be Pennington, Rivers, and a coin toss on Manning/Cutler.
I've always hated the team record argument for awards like this. I understand it, but it's not like Rivers is the reason LT's production dropping off and his team's god-awful pass defense. I'm a Broncos fan and can't stand him, but the dude's put that team on his back this year and he deserves credit for it even if he is a punk.
Has anyone seen the news story today about Drew Peterson being engaged to a 23 year old woman? My first reaction was Is this girl's parents still around?
Yikes.
Today is a perfect opportunity for a Taco Appreciation Thread. Failure to produce such a thread will be taken as an insult to all of those that appreciate tacos. TNC, you do not want to face the wrath of taco appreciators. Trust me on this.
SeanH
I don't agree with the losing record argument either but I was just pointing out that it is the rationale people will use against him.
But the reason why I say the Pennington thing is so galling is because NOBODY expected him to put up those numbers nor his team to be poised to get into the playoffs after they one all of 1 game last year.
The Jets were good last year and paid an ass load of money on free agents. The Chargers were have been perinial contenders and the only guy they really lost was Turner on offense. The only person most people could name on the Dolphins offense was Ricky Williams and NOT because of what he has been doing on the field.
Tessa: 23 is young, but not young enough to be that stupid. Darwin at work, perhaps? Maybe it's all part of an elaborate sting?
I use FireFox here on a Mac and at home on a PC and have never had problems with the blog....
I use Firefox at home. I always have problems with the comments breaking.
It's got to be something other than Firefox causing the problem, then. I mean, if you have this many people saying "I am" and "I'm not," then Firefox can't be the thing doing the damage. Don't have the slightest idea what it is--I'm just a poet, not a programmer.
Agree that Pennington was the one really left out of the mix in the AFC Pro Bowl, btw.
And in true open thread fashion, a group in California is putting together a petition to get divorce banned, using the same logic the Prop 8 people did to argue against same-sex marriage.
Coates,
Jesse Jackson, Jr. is a SNITCH.
LOL
he should stand up and be proud about it.
Regarding the divorce petition: This is a really good example of the huge gulf that drives our culture war.
It's pretty clear from watching this video, that these folks don't seem to grasp that many of the people who voted for Prop. 8 would be thrilled at the opportunity to outlaw divorce. There probably wouldn't be enough for such a petition to pass, but I don't think efforts to point out this particularly hypocritical marriage position are not going to be that successful.
Death to double negatives. I meant that I don't think efforts to point out hypocrisy of marriage positions are going to be that successful.
Darwin at work, perhaps? Maybe it's all part of an elaborate sting?
I hope it's a sting. Otherwise, I'm at a loss (sans the Darwin theory).
It's pretty clear from watching this video, that these folks don't seem to grasp that many of the people who voted for Prop. 8 would be thrilled at the opportunity to outlaw divorce.
I think that "many" is probably a stretch, at least in comparison to the overall population. A good analogy is the abortion debate in South Dakota--lots of people say they think abortion ought to be illegal, but when handed a hardcore law to vote on that would put their rhetoric into action, it failed, twice. I think it's an insignificant minority who would say banning divorce is a good idea. Heck, even covenant marriage is having a hard time finding a toehold.
Cue up 'Taxi to Baltimore Dub' by Scientist
Brian, you're likely correct at how people would behave going to the polls. My larger point is that this argument about the hypocrisy of positions won't gain any traction with opponents of same-sex marriage. Pro-8 folks would likely publicly agree that there's too much divorce in America and would express a desire to reduce those numbers, even if they wouldn't agree to use the law to do so.
Faith is chock full of contradictions and hypocrisies, which atheists (and those of oppositional faiths) love to point out with little effect.
The argument against gay adoption is extremely illogical. "Kids should have both a mom and dad." "These kids have no parents at all! What the hell are you talking about?" It's extremely difficult to counter an emotional position with a rational argument.
I don't really know the best way to address these emotional positions, not being a man of faith myself. I'm pretty sure though, trying to make these folks feel stupid is not going to work. It is instead making them act like they're the victims, which anybody who has followed the habits of the religious right for the past twenty years should have been prepared for (No. on 8 leaders, I'm talking to you).
To Jonathan's inquiry about the best crab cakes in Charm City.
G & M Restaurant and Lounge.
http://www.gandmrestaurant.com/
I will also sign on for the Taco appreciation day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OG3PnQ3tgzY&feature=related