Why the Cowboys will suck again this year

It gives me GREAT pleasure to write this post.

The Cowboys (I am going to have to come up with a good, degrading nickname for them, as I am wishing nothing but failure on them this year) will be no better than last year for one, indisputable reason: Their OL is still terrible.

Drew Bledsoe, the Cowboys' ONLY option at QB, is at his worst when he's running for his life. He will fumble, throw INTs, and take bone-crushing sacks all day long if his protection is below average. And the Cowboys have NOTHING behind Bledsoe.

Last year, Bledsoe took 49 sacks, including a record 25 in the final five weeks of the season. Anyone wonder why the Cowboys finished 2-4 in their final 6 games? Look no further than the sack numbers.

The remarkable part was that Bledsoe remained upright and coherent through the entire season. I wouldn't want to bet that will happen again.

And yet, the Cowboys are doing exactly that. They added two O linemen this offseason, one a starter (Kosier) and one a backup (Fabini). And they let Larry Allen (according to Madden, the greatest OL in the history of the game) go.

Doesn't sound like much of an upgrade to me. According to our pal Bob, who's out there in Oxnard watching practice, it isn't:

They did get Kosier and Fabini, and we must hope that those two and the
return of Adams make all the difference in the world. But I will tell you,
practice indicates that this is still a major weakness.

Maybe Flozell Adams is the world's greatest offensive lineman, and his return will change everything. I sorta doubt it, but what do I know? Esp in comparison to the Pear-Shaped Football Genius.

And I haven't even mentioned the Cowboys' atrocious running game from last year. Think that's getting any better behind this line?

The big splash this offseason was adding T.O. (henceforth to be known in this blog as The Incredible Me). Got news for you, kiddies. If Bledsoe is in mortal danger every time he drops back, I don't care if your receiving corps includes Rice, Hayes, Irvin, Largent, and the The Amazing Stick-Um Guy. No one is catching much.

Good luck, Cowboys' fans. I think it's gonna be a long, long season for you.

And Mr. Bledsoe, I hope all your insurance is paid up. God bless you, sir. I am praying for you.

Supply your own headline

It must be ComicCon time again...

Qana - I'm riled up again

Believe it or not, I really want to stop posting about Israel, Lebanon, and Hezbollah for a while. However, I keep reading things that get me riled up and I can't help myself.

Today, it's Qana. This is the town in southern Lebanon which was hit by the IAF over the weekend, resulting in near-destruction of the town and the deaths of 57 civilians, most of them women and children.

On the surface, it sounds like an out-and-out atrocity and war crime committed by the Israelis. And that's the tenor of the vast majority of the coverage of the story: Those dirty Israelis, murdering innocent civilians again.

Before you jump on the "Israeli murderers" bandwagon, stop and look a little deeper, would you?

This is not the first time the IDF has hit Qana. A decade ago, IDF shelling of the town killed approx 100 people, many women and children, and ended an Israeli military offensive against Hezbollah on the same ground.

What precipitated both of these strikes?

How about the fact that Hezbollah routinely uses the town to launch missiles at Israeli civilians in northern Israel? Prior to this last strike, Hezbollah was launching 10 or more missiles a day from Qana.

I like simple explanations of things. It might be naive or even stupid on my part, but I like to uncomplicate things as much as I can.

So, here's my effort to uncomplicate the debate (or dogpile) on Qana:

1. Israel does everything it can to get it's civilians out of harm's way and to protect them from the enemy.

2. Hezbollah puts civilians in harms way, and does so purely to play to the Western TV cameras. They keep firing missiles from the center of a town until the IAF comes and bombs the place into the Stone Age. Get 57 women and children killed? Call CNN, fast!

Help me understand this: Who's committing the atrocities?

The most frustrating part of this campaign: Israel appears to be making the right moves militarily, but is getting clobbered in the court of public opinion. Israel does, in fact, have the moral high ground in this fight. Why can't Olmert and the rest make the case convincingly?

Zimbabwe: It's not a devaluation. Really.

In a move the central govt refuses to call a currency devaluation, Zimbabwe has announced that three zeros will be taken off every bank note. In other words, that $1,000 Zimbabwe note you have in your wallet is going to be replaced by a $1 Zimbabwe bill.

The move is an effort to help consumers deal with the 1,200% annual inflation rate. No typo. Inflation is running at 1,200%.

President Robert Mugabe, as you would expect, blames shadowy internal and external "enemies" for the current mess. More clear-eyed commentators point to Mugabe's failed land reform and the subsequent collapse of the once-robust agricultural sector.

Oh, and by the way, consumers are being given three weeks to exchange all of their Zimbabwean currency for the new and improved notes.

Start giving to Oxfam now. Zimbabwe is going to need the help sooner rather than later.

Early Borat reviews

Once you get past yet another unfortunate AICN headline (this one by Moriarty), here are several GLOWING reviews of the new Borat movie.

I can't wait for November. Borat might take the Triple Crown (funny, tense, and offensive) from current holder Team America.

Funny Hezbollah "press release"

According to AbbaGav, Hassan Nasrallah has issued a statement lauding Mel Gibson for his drunken, anti-Semitic tirade the other day.

In case it isn't obvious, this is fake. It's still funny.

I think this is what "convergence" really means.

Cindy Sheehan "hunger strike" update

As mentioned here a few weeks ago, Cindy Sheehan and selected other peace activists are on "hunger strike" until the troops come home.

Here's an update on said "strike" - it seems that Cindy is allowing herself smoothies and ice cream.

What, exactly, is this supposed to galvanize us to do?

Somewhere in the Great Activist Beyond, Bobby Sands is either tearing his hair out, or laughing his ass off.

For God's sake, if you're going to protest, PROTEST. Don't waste everyone's time with this crap. And don't open yourself up to this kind of criticism.

Sporty sport sport

A couple of items on the ssssppppoooorrrttttzzzz front that require a bit of commentary:

1. Big-time, colossal, wicked awesome Rangers trade

Yep, it's true. I like the deal Doogie pulled off last week. I would do Choke-o Cordero, Shrek Mench, "Give It To Me, Laynce" Nix, and Julian (No Relation) Cordero for Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Even if Lee is only here for two months.

Choke-o wore out his welcome here earlier in the year by setting a major league record for blown saves. He's been up and down since losing his job to Aki Otsuka, and I think he's done. He may rattle around the bigs for a few more years, but I don't think you're going to hear much about him after this.

Kevin Mench is a great guy, hustles his ass off, and has streaks where he just beats the crap out of the ball. But, we've seen all we're gonna see from him. He will end his career as a very average player. Not that there's anything wrong with that. He just wasn't ever going to get much better.

And Laynce Nix? So much potential, which may yet be realized. But the guy just couldn't string any luck together. Moving to a new situation may be just the thing he needed. However, it was hard to see him ever living up the billing here.

Oh, about Julian Cordero? I got nothing. Your guess is as good as mine. Probably better. Never heard of the guy.

And in return we get a legit power hitter in Carlos Lee. A guy who should put the "feared" adjective back into the Rangers line-up. I hope Doogie can resign him, but that's not even the point.

To me, the point is this: You gave up essentially nothing (Mench is a little something, but not much) for Nelson Cruz. This guy has the potential to be a HUGE star. Keep an eye on him.

We would also be remiss if we didn't mention the hustle we've seen from Doogie. You know, this time last year, I wasn't sure telephone lines had made it out to the Temple. No one there seemed to be using a phone, so I just assumed, you know? Thank you, Doogie, for proving me wrong. Even if Eaton bombs and Lee bolts, you still get an A in my book for this year.

2. Cowboy camp opens

The fatality rate on Dallas-area freeways is sure to skyrocket, as the Pear-Shaped Football Genius puts drivers all over the Metroplex to sleep with his circle-jerk press conferences. They ought to pipe those damn things into the cells down in Gitmo, except the ACLU would probably go nuts about the cruelty being shown to those poor jihadists. And they'd be right. What a time waste.

And, for the record, I still wish failure on this team. I like my chances to get it, too.

We don't know how it's gonna end, but neither does Iran

Michael Slackman's piece in yesterday's NYT (available on the free online edition - thanks for that, Grey Lady) is worth a read. His point - the current hostilities in Lebanon and Israel offer huge opportunity and huge risk for all involved. And that includes the Iranians.

I don't know about you, but I tend to think of the other guys, whether it was the Commies in the bad old days, or the Iranians and Chinese today, as smarter than the nincompoops in DC. Take a look at who's been running our foreign policy since Kissinger, and you might see why I think that.

While there might be some truth to it, I keep reminding myself the other guys are not necessarily geniuses either.

Slackman writes that the Iranians have some real doubts about the outcome. If Hezbollah is destroyed (unlikely) or seriously diminished (highly likely) as a fighting force, Iran loses one of it's principal deterrents vis-a-vis Israel. Think about it: Israel might hesitate to go after Iran if a strong Hezbollah is sitting just to the north. But, with no (or much less) Hezbollah, what can Iran really do to Israel in an open conflict? Launch some missiles of questionable range and accuracy, and that's about it. They can't launch a ground attack, at least not easily, as there are two countries in the way (one of which is crawling w/ American troops, btw). Iran's Air Force and their ancient F-14s would get routed by the IAF, one of the most efficient, experienced, well-armed, and well-trained Air Forces in the world.

And maybe the US would like to see Iran's proxy armies (a.k.a. Hamas and Hezbollah) get taken down a notch or seven. Reducing Iran's ability to project force is always a good thing if you're sitting in DC, regardless of whether you buy your grandkids stuffed elephants or stuffed donkeys at Christmas.

What about the West's ability to create some distance between Syria and Iran? Perhaps Big Dorky Bashar would be more willing to listen to the US/Egyptian/Jordanian/Saudi pitch if the 500,000 Palestinian martyr-wannabes in the neighborhood were thinned out a bit?

Long and short - Arab leaders are NOTORIOUS for stepping on their own weenies when it really counts. Petty jealousies, nepotism- (and other-) related incompetence, hubris, and cowardice have all caused colossal errors in Arab and Persian perceptions and actions in recent history. Believing all of that has been righted and won't happen ever again is asking too much.

All this is not to say, "Oh, no worries. The Arabs will f%$# it up again." It's just meant to give us a bit of hope, and to remind us that perhaps it's not so dark out there.

Geography the AQ way

Omar from Iraq The Model writes about the latest missive from Ayman al-Zawahiri and the nutty geography lesson contained within.

Al-Zawahiri, as usual, keeps the focus on Iraq. Clearly, AQ is targeting Iraq as the center of their new, party-all-the-time Caliphate, and this time al-Zawahiri is gobbing off about it's proximity to Israel as a big selling point.

Omar points out, as would anyone with access to a map, that Syria is quite a bit closer to Israel than Iraq is, and is actually in between the two. Further, Omar makes two additional points:

1. Syria shares a bit of border with Israel (in fact, Israel has occupied Syrian territory - the Golan Heights - since they took it in 1967's Six Day War).

2. Syria's giraffe-necked "President", Bashar al-Assad, is supposedly an ally of AQ.

Given all of this, wouldn't you expect Syria to be the spot to launch the Emirate? Wouldn't it be, like, more cost effective than fighting the US, the Shiites, the Kurds, and who-knows-who-else for Iraq?

Hmm, maybe Syria isn't quite as in-the-pocket as AQ and Iran might like? Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but wouldn't you LOVE to be a fly on the wall when Condi Rice uses her anonymous Wal-Mart calling card to ring a payphone next to the falafel stand on Hafez Blvd in Damascus, where a long-necked, big-eared dude in a fake Bedouin robe and Groucho glasses waits to answer?

I would!

Bloggy quick hit: Just in case you forgot...

An interesting little reminder from Glenn Reynolds: Terrorism is interested in you.

Major circus fun

Took the fam to circus on Saturday night, and I have to stop down a give some quick love to those Ringling boys.

They bill themselves as the "Greatest Show on Earth", and that may be going a BIT too far. What the heck, though; I'm all for hyperbole in advertising. It helps me keep things in perspective.

Regardless, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is one amazing show. Two full hours of just non-stop great stuff. Singing, dancing, clown skits, astounding acrobatics of all sorts, people shooting out of cannons (without helmets, might I add), animals out the kazoo, and on and on and on.

Aly (our eight-year-old) has been to the circus before, so she sorta knew what to expect. Even so, she was laughing and clapping and basically glued the entire time.

Drew (our five-year-old) was seeing everything for the first time. He was so excited, he literally could not sit still. It helps that he's currently enthralled by elephants, and our seats were good enough to almost touch the dozen or so elephants performing.

It ain't cheap, and the onslaught of questionable (although, I have to say, better quality than I remember as a kid) souvenirs is daunting. But, if you're looking for a once-a-year, fabulous night of family entertainment, I do recommend those Ringling boys (and girls) to you.

Work and play - the recipe for balance

Brad Feld posted a really good one the other day: "My Work is Play to Me". If you really love what you're doing, Brad says, it's not difficult to redefine what's "work" and what's "play".

This same thought has been buzzing around the fringes of my little brain recently as well. I love what I do - when I'm at a client site and working directly with people, hell, I'd do that part for free (Note to INS brass if you're reading this: I'm just making a point. I'm not asking for a pay cut.).

The part that is "work" to me is the travel. And it's getting to be more "work" all the time. If, as Robynne and I discussed last week, I can do something about that part, then I'm a little closer to the kind of balance Brad seems to have, which is a pretty good goal to have.

Quiet in the tropics - for now

Strangely absent from national news is the lack of any significant weather in the tropics. According to our pals at StormTrack, there's not much to note at the moment - a fizzling wave of instability in the Atlantic and a big thunderstorm coming off the African continent which may or may not develop further.

So far this season, we've had two named storms (Alberto and Beryl), neither of which made it to hurricane status, and neither of which did much, if any, damage.

Big contrast to last year, which saw 7 named storms before the end of July, including Hurricanes Dennis and Emily - two all-timers in their own right.

Let's hope it holds - "real" hurricane season is just starting now.

UPDATE: Just as soon as I say it, here comes a post with the headline "Activity Increasing". Figures. Just for the record, I will not be washng either vehicle this weekend, so the drought in North Texas will probably continue.

A bit of family-fun genius

My 5-year-old would go friggin' BANANAS at this place. It may be worth a trip to the UK just to take him there.

Which super-hero are you?

I don't know where the heck Keith finds this stuff, but here's a really good one: Take this quiz and find out which super-hero you most resemble.

It turns out I'm Spider-Man - witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility

Beirut destroyed? Depends on who you ask

We've been all-Israel, all-the-time here lately, which was never my intention. However, the coverage of Israeli operations in Lebanon has been driving me crazy for the past week, and I just can't help myself.

Today's lesson in media objectivity: MSNBC and Newsweek have an article entitled "Torn to Shreds" and an accompanying photo essay they call "Hell on Earth". Very dramatic. Lots of pictures of death, blood, and destruction, esp in Beirut and southern Lebanon. Looking at these pictures, you'd think the entire country has been blown into the Stone Age.

On NPR a bit ago, I heard the Lebanese are claiming Israel's campaign has set the country back 50 years, and that the damage from the past week and a half may be more severe than all the damage done in Lebanon's 15-year civil war.

Please contrast all that doom and gloom w/ this article from Vital Perspective, which relays CNN hotshot Anderson Cooper's perspective on his Hezbollah-guided tour of Beirut and southern Lebanon, and includes a map illustrating precisely what Israel has hit in Beirut.

Let's all sing the song from Sesame Street together now: One of these things is not like the others. One of these things just doesn't belong.

UPDATE: A bit more info from Vital Perspective on what's really getting blown up in Beirut and environs. Again, this is not what you're seeing on the network newscasts.

Friedman: Hezbollah has really screwed the pooch this time

VERY interesting column from Big Smart Tom Friedman in today's DMN. Of course, it's property of the NYT, so you can't read it online unless you've shelled out the dough for TimeSelect (my opinion of which has been made clear before).

Go read your copy of the DMN today, or get raped by the Grey Lady. Get your hands on this column.

Friedman's point is: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been lauded over the years as a visionary Arab leader. However, lately he's shown his true colors, which seem to indicate that he's just another Big Muslim Dummy.

Hezbollah had been making some progress. They had a couple of guys in the Lebanese parliament, they had a fairly stable state-within-a-state in southern Lebanon, and their little buddies from Hamas were actually elected to govern the Palestinian territories.

They (Hezbollah and Hamas) have thrown it all away, and in the process, have severely, and maybe permanently, damaged the whole concept of Arab democracy. Islamist parties were making some headway in the political process, but how on Earth are Israel and the West going to feel about free elections when freely elected Arab governments are launching missiles at civilians and kidnapping soldiers of other nations?

Fascist regimes like the Saudis should be sending Nasrallah a big Thank You bouquet from ProFlowers.

Friedman goes on to conject (is that a word?) about the end-game between Israel and it's friendly neighbors. This could be, Friedman opines, the chance to create some distance between Syria and Iran. Unlikely, to be sure, but tantalizing enough that I sincerely hope the Big Washington Dummies are at least thinking about it.

Go read it, if you can.

Israel vs. Hezbollah – Don't cry for me, Lebanon

I’ve stayed away from commenting on the Middle East recently for the usual reason: People who know way more than I do are covering the heck out of it, and there’s no need to add my silly opinion to the din.

However, today’s headlines have touched a nerve, and I find myself unable to contain myself any longer.

The MSNBC article is headlined, “Unimaginable losses”, and it tells us about Lebanese PM Fuad Saniora’s moaning about how badly the fighting has torn southern Lebanon apart. His Honor went on to inform us Lebanon will seek compensation from Israel for the damage.

Fuad, baby. I’m gonna let you in on a little secret: If your country had asserted it’s sovereignty over southern Lebanon and had thrown out the de facto Hezbollah state, Israel would not be blowing stuff up there right now. However, retaining possession of the area was not important enough to you then. So, how do you now claim the need for compensation? The area basically did not belong to you, and you made no efforts to change that fact.

Sorry, dude. It’s too late. Hezbollah is firing missiles willy-nilly from what may or may not be Lebanese territory. They’ve been blasting away at all of northern Israel, regardless of whether they’re killing Jews or Arabs. This is not a tolerable situation for ANY nation-state. If you (the Lebanese govt) are not going to do anything about it, and clearly you are not, then Israel will have to do it themselves.

Believe me, I know Stephen Colbert-style “truthiness” is part of the job description for diplomats, but sometimes the BS just gets too thick to ignore.

Is Oil at the Tipping Point?

Newsweek's Robert Samuelson, he of the rolled-up shirtsleeve and rumpled tie, has an article in this week's issue that poses the question: Are oil prices finally going to put a dent in the US economy?

The answer is: Maybe. Maybe not. No one really knows.

No kidding. I could have told you that. And it would have saved you the trouble of picking up all those subscription cards that fall out of your copy of Newsweek.

Here's a real newsflash for you, folks. The field of economics has a lot more to do with psychology than it does with numbers. Why does anything have value? Because enough people think it does.

Gold? It's a shiny mineral that looks great on women and doesn't tarnish. Aluminum could fit that description too, but it's not as valuable, because enough people perceive it to be less valuable.

Cash money? It's only paper, dude. Oh sure, it's backed by the issuing country, but that only helps people believe it's got value. Just because Uncle Sam is behind that greenback in your wallet doesn't force you to believe in it's worth. It might, depending on your political inclinations, detract from your belief in it's worth.

What about oil? Maybe a little tougher to dismiss oil's intrinsic value. Certainly, before the advent of the internal combustion engine, oil was laying around in pools all over the place, essentially worthless except for kerosene and a few other derivatives.

But for the modern economy, is oil "essential"? Couldn't we, if we REALLY had to, find other ways to power our societies? Sure, we could. It wouldn't be easy to change over, and there would be other trade-offs (more cost, more pollution, more risk, etc), but it could be done.

The psychology of this whole thing is fascinating to me. As oil prices get higher, I wait for the "realization" to hit - oil is more expensive, so the economy must be worse, right? And, voila, the economy is worse.

I know how New Age, Tony Robbins-y it sounds, but a bit of positivity (whatever) would sure go a long way here.

Heat wave across US causes media to go into hyperbole overdrive

Most of the US is blanketed by a heat wave and the media hysteria has reached about Force 8 or so.

Terms like "searing heat", "baking temperatures", and "soaring mercury" appear on front pages across the nation. Despite the warm up for WWIII taking place in Lebanon, "Summer Scorcher" will probably lead all the network newscasts this afternoon.

Now I know how New Englanders feel when they read about us weenies in Texas freezing our patoots off when the temp dips below 20 degrees.

Rockin' Mongol party

Mongolia is celebrating the 800th anniversary of Genghis Khan's empire.

This is an example of a country and society that peaked pretty early. But what a peak it was.

Book your flights to Ulaan Bataar now, as I'm sure the hotels (such as they are) are filling rapidly.

Anti-war hunger strike - oh PLEASE!

I meant to blog this earlier in the week:

A group of anti-war activists started a hunger strike to protest US involvement in Iraq. While most of the strikers gave up food just for the day on July 4, some, including Cindy Sheehan, have stated they will continue until US troops are pulled out completely.

I have no real problem with the anti-war crowd. I think they make some legitimate points and I'm in sympathy with many of them. However, this is ridiculous.

Bobby Sands and a few other Irish Republicans kind of set the standard for hunger strikes back in 1981. Unless you're prepared to go the distance, don't waste our time with this drivel.

FBI Disrupts Alleged NYC Plot

The FBI has disrupted a potential plot to blow up transportation infrastructure in New York City. The plan, which was reportedly disrupted early in the formulation stages, called for attacks on tunnels in and out of Manhattan.

This plot was cracked by FBI agents monitoring chat rooms used by extremists. I guarantee the agents didn't type "Islamic extremist chat room" into Google.

Instead, this find is right out of Echelon. No one is ever going to say it publicly, but I'd bet you one billion dollars that's where it started.

Still think the NSA is an evil agency? Are you really sure the intelligence agencies should not be monitoring communications?

Man secrets

Thanks to Geeding for this one.

OK, it's from Redbook, which is generally not an authoritative source on manliness. However, I've read thru it and really can't argue with any of it.

Here are 11 secrets all men keep from their wives. I especially like #7: Every year we love you more.

I don't know about you, but I often feel like that 4-year-old clutching my father's pant leg.

I totally don't get fashion

The North Face is selling replica Soviet athletic wear.

Which part of the gone-and-not-missed-one-bit Soviet Union are we romanticizing? The Gulag? Collectivization? The Prague Spring?

How soon we forget...

A bad weekend in Israel?

Vital Perspective and MediaLine are reporting that Israel has increased security throughout the country. Apparently, the Israelis believe as many as 20 separate terrorist attacks are possible, many against public transportation.

Just stop for a minute and think about that.

You're trying to plan out your weekend's worth of errands and entertainment - the wife wants some new handtowels, you've been meaning to get a new soaker hose for the garden, and you want to take the kids to see "Cars". But, you know there are 20 dudes running around with Semtex Underoos on, and they're all trying to kill as many civilians as they can.

Would you even leave the house? Ever?

I don't know how the Israelis do it.

For all you soccer fans out there

I tried. I really tried to get into the World Cup this year. However, a truly awful performance by the US team, and an unexpected surge by the French team, doomed my efforts almost before they started.

I have, instead, turned my back on soccer like never before. Which permits me to appreciate the genius that is this site.

Go. Enjoy. "World game," my patootie.

Gaza reveals Palestinian agenda

We're posting very selectively here at CIT right now, but this one deserves notice in any circumstance.

Charles Krauthammer has an essay in next week's Time magazine which is stunning in it's simple hypothesis: The Israelis vacated Gaza about a year ago. What have the Palestinians done in that time? Built schools? Laid the foundations of a functioning society? Gone peacefully about their lives? No, no, and no.

Instead of these noble pursuits, Palestinians in Gaza have launched over 1,000 rockets into Israel (across the pre-1967 border, no less), dug tunnels under the border to facilitate ambushes and kidnappings, and generally kept up the violence as if nothing had occurred to deter it.

Please stop insisting the Palestinians just want their own, peaceful state in which they intend to raise their children and live their lives.

Ken Lay is dead

This almost knocked me out of my chair this morning: Ken Lay, former CEO of Enron and frequent subject of abuse in this blog, is dead.

I have called Lay all sorts of nasty names, and have truly wished some bad stuff upon him, but I certainly never hoped for his death. There are probably a lot of people who are not going to be sorry to see him go, but I am not one of them. Jail - yes. Eternal Reward - no.

CIT expresses our condolences to his family, who have already been thru the wringer, and our hopes that Kenny Boy can satisfactorily explain his wrongdoing to his Maker.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer bloke

Happy Birthday, George. I love seeing your overpriced bunch of whiners get clobbered, and 19-1 by CLE on Steinbrenner's 76th is just too sweet.

Words fail me

MSNBC reports on the trial of former Oklahoma district Judge Donald Thompson. According to the AP, Judge Don is on trial for indecent exposure related to using an Austin Powers-autograph-model penis pump, while behind the bench, during actual trials.

Gordon Keith has a theory that human genitalia is responsible for more bizarre and dangerous behavior than anything else on the planet. This story would seem to support his hypothesis.

Think Judge Don is a popular guest on the Bristow, OK social scene these days?

Don't screw with the Russians

Former KGB boss Vlad Putin, now President of the Russian Republic (in case you had forgotten), reverted to his roots earlier today. He ordered the Russian Secret Service to hunt down and kill the Iraqis who executed four Russian diplomats earlier this month.

Back in the bad old days of the Soviet Union, Middle Eastern and European terrorists knew better than to mess with the Sovs. Anyone who forgot this directive often got mailed back to his relatives in multiple packages. The KGB took no crap, and quickly the word got out not to give them any.

The Russians look to be using the same tactics their Commie ancestors employed. They need to, as events in Chechnya have the Russians on radical Islam's coal-in-the-stocking list.

Tracking Operation Summer Rain

If you're interested in tracking events in Israel's current incursion into Gaza, there is no better place to do so than Vital Perspective.

I've subscribed to VP for some time now and find it to be an excellent source of info and events on the Middle East. The slant is pro-Israel, which is fine by me.

VP is providing literally minute-by-minute updates on doings in Gaza. Tune in and check it out.

Latest from the cool toy dept - Walkie-talkie watches

For $100, you can have a walkie talkie watch.

How much fun would a couple of these have been when you were 11 years old?

Coming to a 'hood near you

Just in time for the 4th of July, here are Toters jeans. Specially designed to carry (concealed, of course) handguns and other weapons, these should be BIG sellers in rough parts of major cities and everywhere in Texas.

Draw, pardner.

Tension mounts in Gaza - again

All kinds of stuff happening in Israel and Gaza today. The two biggest stories:

1. Tension between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza is escalating rapidly in response to the militants kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Israeli forces are massing near the border and the war of words is growing more heated by the hour. Israel has already implicitly threatened all of Hamas' leadership with assassination if Shalit is not released.

2. On the other end of the spectrum, Hamas' political leadership has agreed to a Palestinian-suggested peace plan that recognizes Israel's right to exist and proposes a two-state solution.

This is a MAJOR shift for Hamas, as it's stated goals all along have included utter destruction of Israel and complete rejection of negotiations.
There's no need to start polishing up the Nobel Prizes quite yet, as the "plan" endorsed by Hamas was originally authored by Palestinian militants currently residing in Israel's prison system. However, the shift in thinking is worth noting.

We'll be by the channel today to keep an eye out for more developments on either story. It seems likely something will happen in very short order w/ regard to Cpl Shalit's situation.

Stay tuned...

Ty is back

My favorite substitute blogger ever in the history of ever is back - Ty Walker is filling in for The Great Sturm while Bob slacks (more than usual) for a week.

Ty is a fan of the picture, the hot chick, and the picture of the hot chick. And he finds some good SPOOOORRRRRTTTTTSSSS to link as well. What's not to like?

Go check out his fine work RIGHT NOW. Drop the spatula. Go. Now.

Think your job sucks? It could be worse...

Here's a story from MSNBC today (and Wired magazine like six years ago) about the ship-breaking industry.

Do you ever wonder what happens to old, played out ships? POS (that's "Piece of S***") cargo ships and tankers that are way past their useful lives are broken up and recycled.

Sometimes the breaking is done in the West, in high-tech shipyards with union crews, computer-controlled tools, safety regulations, etc.

But sometimes, especially when the ship is loaded with asbestos insulation, or contaminated engine oil, or mercury, or God-knows-what, its done in India or Bangladesh or some other Third World hellhole. There's no drydock - the ships are just slammed into the beach at high tide. There are no computer controlled tools, just thousands of guys with torches and bare hands. There are no safety regulations, just a dollar or two a day per man and take your chances with sharp edges, incredibly toxic chemicals, and the occasional 200-ton piece of metal falling from 15 stories up.

In a world full of crap jobs in crap conditions, ship-breaking is amongst the worst.

Every so often, it occurs to me just how unbelievably fortunate I am to be living in 21st Century American, born to a successful family, and afforded the opportunity to get an education.

This can turn into a major philosophical-religious discussion, which I wouldn't understand anyway. I just thank the good Lord that I am where I am. And I give what I can to the Red Cross and other charities.

We suck

The US is out of the World Cup following a 2-1 loss to Ghana.

It's hard to imagine anything more humiliating than being eliminated from an international tournament by a country 95% of US residents couldn't find on a map if you held a bazooka to their heads. Even more sad - the US got the help it needed from the Italians, who beat the Czech Republic 2-0 while the US was getting it's ace whupped.

So much for World Cup fever. When is the Davis Cup?

Borat the Movie - go watch the trailer

The genius that is Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat hits the big screen this fall. Yahoo! Movies has the trailer.

Go watch. Is nice.

This is a MUST SEE. Now I just need to convince my wife....

Mavs come up short

The Mavs didn't have enough to put themselves over the top, losing the NBA Finals Game 6 last night, 95-92. Miami won the series and the 2006 NBA Championship, 4 games to 2.

Two months into the playoffs, the Mavs season is over. They went to heights never before reached by this franchise, but failed to climb to the highest point.

And make no mistake: It was a failure. The Mavs proved in Games 1 and 2 they are the better team. However, they were unable to sustain their momentum after the first two wins. Key players disappeared for long stretches, Avery's bag of tricks came up empty for the first time this year, the shots stopped falling, and Dwyane Wade emerged as a bona-fide superstar.

I hate to lay blame, as I am grateful to the Mavs for their entertainment value all year, and genuinely like a lot of these guys. However, we have to call out a few dudes who's performances (or lack of performances) contributed to the failure.

First: Dirk. He was the best player, consistently, through the first three series, but was not even close in the Finals. The Dunking Deutschlander needed to be The Man last night. Sure, he nutted up and made a few plays. But overall, he was not even remotely Bird-like. He was OK, but not a superstar.

Next: Jet Terry. Another MIA. A great first quarter, then a no-show for the final 3. Your team needed you last night, Jason. Where did you go? You even had a chance to redeem yourself on the last shot of the game - all would have been forgiven if that wide-open three had fallen. However, it did not and, in some strange way, it made sense that it didn't. Last year it was playing off Nash. This year it's missing the final shot. In both cases, a long summer for the Jet.

J. Howard. Never put together 48 minutes of great play. He had some flashes of brilliance, but vanished down the stretch every time. Dude has all kinds of talent, but has to be able to sustain it night in and night out. Once again, when the Mavs needed him down the stretch, he vanished.

Jerry Stackhouse. "Win one for Stack" became a rallying cry for the Mavs through the playoff run. Stackhouse contributed some clutch shots, key hustle plays, and one monster shot block last night, but he also clanged more than his share of wannbe-threes. I think the pluses outweighed the minuses, but not overwhelmingly so.

The Little General. Avery had the magic touch all year and thru the entire playoff run, right up until the 4th quarter of Game 3 in Miami. His team let that one slip away, and never recovered from it. Even after the Game 3 meltdown, Avery seemed to keep his head screwed on up until Game 5. It was then that the law of averages caught up with him and he lost it. Game 5 was the first time (and, I bet, the last) time we saw Avery with no answers. He had tried every trick he knew or could conjure up, and none of them worked. His public thrashing of poor Eddie Sefko from the DMN was a result of his bewilderment and frustration. I hated to see it, because I think the world of Avery Johnson. It hurt to see him so out-of-control.

So, where do we go from here? It's hard to say. I don't think the Mavs will lose anyone of any real consequence - Quisy Daniels and Darrell Armstrong seem like sure bets to depart, but neither loss should be deadly. However, the league, and especially the West, are only going to get tougher. To wit: Phoenix with Stoudamire back (maybe), Yao with another year under his belt, Carmello with another year under his belt, LeBron with another year under his belt. D-Wade with another year and a title under his belt. No one is standing still.

Well, it sure has been fun this year, and I will be back in front of the tube, listening in to Old Follywill next year. Thanks to everyone in the first-class Mavs organization for all the thrills. See you in the fall.

What does this look like to you?

To the left (and here) you'll find an aerial view of the new Olympic Stadium in Beijing, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

I gotta ask: Does this edifice sorta look like, um, female naughty bits? Or is my brain so in the gutter that I'm making something out of nothing?

USB Powered Air conditioned clothes

If you're in the market for a white, short-sleeved sport shirt with two electric fans pushing air around inside it, and you spend a lot of time in front of your PC, and your PC has a spare USB port, you are so totally in luck, man.

Potentially genius, at least as long as you don't mind looking like the Sta-Puft Marshmallow Man.

Here come the 1080p projectors

Well, it was only a matter of time - here's the first mention I've seen of a 1080p front projector, this one from JVC.

Some notable specs:

- 600 lumens - lame, but my room has no windows, so I don't really care about that
- No HDMI - really lame, and not what you'd expect given the next tidbit
- Retail of over $12 large - ouch!

This is still good news. We always start in the stratosphere, price-wise. Before you know it, 1080p DLPs will be in the sub $5,000 range, and I'll be pounding down the door of Starpower with my MasterCard in hand.

Using a beer bottle to open a beer bottle

Here's a dude over-explaining how to open a bottle of beer using another bottle of beer. A semi-cool party trick, which I saw put to use in Newport RI last weekend.

I just like that the guy tries to turn it into splitting the friggin' atom.

Cretin Steelers' "fans" threaten woman in Big Ben accident with a little street justice

How typical is this?

The woman involved in Ben Roethlisberger's traffic accident last week has received threats via telephone. Police are investigating.

Forget the fact that Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet, and is lucky as hell to be alive and still in possession of his brain matter. This poor woman, who admittedly did fail to yield to Roethlisberger's Suzuki Hayabusa, will now be frightened out of her wits because some drunken louts are in danger of losing their Steelers-to-repeat parlay in Vegas next year.

Sometimes I hate humans.

Mavs-Heat – What are we witnessing?

Game 5 is in the books – Heat over Mavs 101 to 100 in OT. The Mavs dropped all three games in Miami, and return home to the AAC on Tuesday night, down 3-2 and facing their first elimination game (aside from Game 7 against the Spurs) of this year’s playoffs.

A few points from my less-than-expert brain:

1. Are we witnessing the emergence of Dwyane Wade as the NBA’s biggest star in a decade? The Mavs seem completely unable to stop him in crunch time. Maybe he’s the most talented, most clutch guy since that bald dude with the tongue.

2. If D-Wade isn’t MJ reincarnated, wouldn’t, I dunno, a double-team maybe worth a try? Don’t get me wrong, I love Devin Harris and think he’s doing as well as he can against Wade. But don’t you think Avery would want to take his chances leaving Posey or Haslem unguarded in an effort to slow down the guy who is single-handedly beating you?

3. How, how, how do you miss free throws in the clutch? Especially if your name is Dirk or Josh? Especially since you’ve been great at it all year, and dead solid perfect all game? Argh!

4. Did Adrian Griffin REALLY think he was going to draw a charge on Wade’s drive to the hoop at the end of regulation? Wouldn’t defending the guy straight up have been a better approach? Oh, wait – Wade drew some sort of mystery foul on Harris (or was it Dirk?) at the end of OT. So maybe Griffin had it right? Or the refs had it wrong? I’m so confused.

5. I would ask “Where’s Dirk?” except he had some HUGE plays down the stretch - a couple of big buckets on tough shots, and a SUPERB dish to Dampier under the hoop. Dirk showed up a crunch time, other than the missed free throw.

6. Howard and Terry were what they needed to be.

7. For the first time in the playoffs, Avery cracked. I was mystified as I watched the on-again, off-again Hack-a-Shaq, no help for Harris against Wade, Diop getting number 6 on a silly foul against Shaq, fouling Shaq before Miami was in the bonus, and a number of other questionable coaching moves. And that doesn’t even include the timeout-that-wasn’t. Howard may have been the guy who asked for time on the floor, but Avery was signaling frantically for one from the sideline. That one is on him.

It’s easy to fall into the “We got jobbed by the refs” mindset, but the truth is that sort of whining is for losers. If the Mavs play like they can, it wouldn’t matter if the refs were decked out in Heat golf shirts and coach’s shorts.

So, now it truly is do-or-die time. Twice. This thing is not over and not lost. It can be done. But everyone is going to have to show up. Avery is going to have to return to greatness.

I don’t believe the Mavs are going to beat the Russians (San Antonio), then lose to Finland (Miami). As Coach Brooks sorta said (this is a family blog, after all) that night in Lake Placid, clad in his plaid pants, “Boys, you lose this, and you’ll take it to your effing grave.”

“Your effing grave.”

Go Mavs.

I have a hard time believing God is down with this

A dude with a bomb in his shoe blew himself and at least 10 others straight to Islamic Valhalla today in a Shiite mosque in Baghdad. This is the second time this particular mosque has been attacked, the first being a deluxe four-banger that killed 85 just a couple of months ago.

I'm sorry if this is too flippant for you. Death humor is kind of a specialty for me. What a gift, huh?

My point here is this: How do people who profess to believe in God, and not just a little bit, but really REALLY believe in God, think that God, in His mercy and love for mankind, could possibly condone blowing people to bits when they're PRAYING?

And while we're questioning these atrocious actions, I have to bring up the subject of our pals in Iran, who are Shiites. Rumor has been for a long time that Iran is a major sponsor of AQ. Are the Iranians SO hypocritical and SO cynical as to sponsor attacks on their fellow Shiites, in a House of God, on the Islamic Holy Day?

I guess they are. And I guess I shouldn't be surprised. And, in that sense, they're just like every other nation-state in the history of our little planet.

Are our cities making us fat? Um, yes.

Not quite as full-tilt at Tech Ed today, so I have a little time to post.

This one caught my eye on MSNBC today - urban/suburban/exurban design does not promote walking and fitness.

Duh.

I have been walking my kazoo off while in Boston for the simple reason there are things to walk TO. I walk to the T, to restaurants, to meet people, you name it. And the route is enjoyable (there is NOTHING like a cold-weather city when the weather is nice - EVERYONE is out), so I find myself walking two or three T stations down, rather than just going into the one across from the hotel or the BCEC.

Contrast this to lovely and crime-free Frisco TX, where there are a ton of places to walk (trails and whatnot), but nowhere to walk to. You can do the hike/bike trail thing all you want, but it doesn't get you anywhere.

These things are so obvious it makes me want to find the editors of MSNBC (and other news publications) and give them a hard shake.

Having a great time. Wish you were here.

Hello CIT fans, if there are any of you left out there. I've been more than remiss in blogging, for which I apologize. Things should get back to normal next week.

Where have I been? Weeeelllllllll, I've been back in Boston since last Friday. Primarily, I've been at Microsoft's Tech Ed, the annual geek-fest where all the product groups trot out their new wares (and there are LOTS of new wares coming shortly), which has been informative, if not a barrel of laughs.

On the barrel of laughs front, I've done the full-throttle blast through college friends and family in the Greater Boston Area. This has included a minor drunk-a-thon in Newport RI, and lower-key events in Cambridge and a slew of Back Bay's finer restaurants. It's been a BLAST. Unfortunately, it's all cut into valuable blogging time.

We're not done yet - another day of Tech Ed awaits, followed by a decent on Andover MA tomorrow night.

Rest assured (or not), I fully intent to take up the blogging reins again next week.

Go Mavs, by the way.

Why so quiet?

CIT has been on brief hiatus. I have no good explanation other than this: I spent 20 minutes on Monday working up a thoughtful, well-written piece on Mavs-Heat, only to have Blogger crap out on me and lose the entire post.

It drained my life force to the point where I'm just now able to stand.

I'll try to summon enough energy to start posting again this afternoone.

Thanks for your understanding.

Mavs-Suns Game 6 - And that's the name of that tune

Major Mavs post tomorrow, but I am remiss in posting something about last night's Game 6 triumph.

The moral of the story so far is... trust in Avery.

Can a former spare point guard from Louisiana run for President? 'Cause I'd vote for him.

Mavs-Suns Game 5 - The roller-coaster goes up

The Mavericks beat Phoenix 117-101 tonight, taking a 3 games to 2 lead in the series.

What a ride this one was. The Mavs looked great in the 1st, not so great in the 2nd, downright terrible through most of the 3rd, and completely dominant in the 4th.

Dirk had the best playoff game of his career to date, scoring 50 points and completely taking over the game down the stretch. Josh Howard contributed big time as well, despite getting into foul trouble. Jet Terry is still cold - where the hell has his shot gone? And Stackhouse - I'm such a fan of the guy, but he still thinks he's Jordan at times, and it makes me crazy when he throws up these ridiculous off-balance shots that don't come near the rim.

The key stretch, as pointed out by the TNT crew (btw, this is heaven - no Reggie Miller, no Bill Walton, nothing to really fight through except that idiot Craig Sager, who must have nekkid pictures of someone high up at TNT to keep his gig) was the end of the 3rd quarter, when the Mavs crawled back into it via a 10-0 run despite Howard's foul-induced rest.

Last point: Who the hell is Tim Thomas and what's up with that waving the hand in front of his face? I was hoping Terry would stuff Thomas' own hand down his throat a couple of times.

Now we're back to Phoenix on Sat night, and who the heck can say what to expect? I will be at a Bar Mitzvah on Sat night (not making that up), and Robynne is wearing the World's Greatest Little Black Dress, so I doubt I'll see much. However, that's what SportsCenter and the DMN are for, right?

A car that runs on water - uh, I sorta doubt it

Here's a car that Denny Klein (the "inventor") claims can run as either a gas/water hybrid, or on water alone.

Sorta reminds me of the "cold fusion" articles of the late 80s, but it's worth keeping an eye on.

Photoshop is great

I know it's silly, but I ran across this on a Brit blog (which is chock full of great not-quite-the-King's English, which I am a fan of) and it just cracked me up.

Hurricane season starts today

Our pals at StormTrack remind us that June 1 is the official start of the Atlantic hurricane season.

After last season's huge storms and human-caused human suffering, we can expect a glut of storm coverage, hyperbole, over-reaction, media-induced panic, and other party games all summer.

In all seriousness, I certainly hope we all learned some lessons last year, and when a storm is forecast for your area, you listen to what the emergency management folks are telling you to do.

Another US export the world can probably live without

I am appalled at some of the absolute CRAP we dump on our fellow citizens of the world. KFC in Pakistan, Coca Cola in Chad, Tom Cruise movies everywhere - I have a sneaky suspicion this is why the world hates us. They could care less about our military, and are in truth pissed about Mission: Impossible III.

Hard to blame them.

In this vein, here's the Brit version of our "I'm Too Lazy to Actually Hold the Can" beer helmet. Just in time for the World Cup.

I weep for my country.

World's greatest bacteria

Dear readers, I submit to you Escherichia coli. This wonderful little microbe, when fed waste from chocolate factories, will, um, excrete electricity-producing hydrogen.

But wait, that's not all this friendly microscopic organism can do.

Escherichia coli can also be used to recycle metals from old catalytic converters, thus reducing the amount of contaminants dumped into our landfills.

Here is a bacteria which is more productive and benign than most of humanity!

Wall socket PC - oh, too cool!

Brit PC maker Jade Integration is unveiling it's new Jack PC. This is a PC small enough to be installed in your wall in place of a normal power/phone outlet.

The chip, motherboard, and all the related goodies are packed into the base of the thing, it draws it's power from the Ethernet connection to your network, and its face plate (the part that protrudes from the wall) contains all of your connections - USB, monitor, sound, 5v power, etc.

Announced price is 209 GBP (around $390 US), excluding monitor, keyboard, and all other peripherals.

Obviously, you're not going to run AutoCAD on this thing, but if all you're doing is Web-based apps, this is super-cool!

Always ask for the parts!

Here's the story of a Cincinnati-area couple who took Best Buy's word their "unusable" hard drive was destroyed after it was replaced. The couple received a phone call a few months later from the dude who bought the intact drive, with all data still there, at a flea market for $25.

If you didn't already know it, your best bet for an old hard drive is to destroy it yourself. If you're not comfortable with doing it yourself, take it somewhere reputable, watch them wipe it, then ask them to plug it into a computer for you to review afterwards.

Make sure your data is well and truly gone!

Chinese leaning on Hamas

Finally, someone Hamas may actually listen to!

Hamas leadership, along with leaders from most Arab nations, are meeting with the Chinese in Beijing for the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum. Leading up to this meeting of arrogant and intolerant cultures, the Chinese have called upon Hamas to renounce violence, recognize Israel, and accept previously-reached Israeli-Palestinian agreements.

Wow.

Hamas has shown complete disdain for just about everyone else who has made similar statements, which is literally just about everyone else. The Chinese have a way of making a point that's a little more emphatic, shall we say, than those made by Western democracies. One of the benefits of dictatorship - it's a lot easier to bring the entire power of a government to bear.

At any rate, it will be interesting to see what level of influence China has with the Arabs. Privately, I suspect the terms "infidel" and "barbarian" are thrown around a fair amount, but these two parties ignore or insult each other at their peril.

You can fly!

For those of you in Delta Force, the Special Air Service, or just with a Peter Pan fantasy, here's the Gryphon Single Man Flying Wing.

It's not intended to turn a dude into an airplane. Instead, it's purpose is to transport a high-altitude parachutist about 100 miles from the drop point.

The idea is you strap this baby on, jump from around 30,000 feet (with an oxygen tank and a set of Helly Hansen long johns), crack open the microjets, steer yourself in the direction you want to go, and "fall with style", as Sheriff Woody would say. Once you get to 5,000 feet or so, you drop the wing to the end of a tether, and pop your chute.

Anyone who's read a bit of Andy McNab knows Special Forces types already have the jumping from 30,000 feet thing knocked. Today, they either skydive to low altitude (High Altitude Low Opening, aka HALO) or they pop chute right away (High Altitude High Opening, or HAHO) and steer a glider-like rig to where they want to go. The limitation of HAHO is, obviously, wind direction. The Gryphon permits the jumper to go in any direction he/she wants.

For the record, there is not enough money in the world to induce me to test drive one of these things.

CIT asks, again: WHY do we need to rebuild New Orleans?

The latest from the Big Easy: Parts of New Orleans are sinking, and not slowly.

This, in part, explains the chaos which followed Katrina (elected incompetence and "Why doesn't the federal govt save us" mentality helped a bunch, but we've already covered that).

With the city sinking rapidly - some parts are sinking up to an inch a year - it's difficult to imagine a flood control system which will work for any length of time. Wouldn't ANY system need to be overhauled regularly to remain effective?

And who's going to pay for this? Oh, right. You and me. I forgot.

Hey, here's an idea: Let's save a few billion dollars and rebuild the city in a spot that won't turn into the world's dirtiest sea-quarium in a few decades.

Mavs-Suns Game 4 - The triumphant return of Raja Bell (huh?)

The Mavericks got destroyed by Phoenix last night, 106-86. It was really worse than that; you don't see garbage time in Conf Finals very often, but we did last night.

The Mavs played their worst playoff game in years, with almost nothing going right. No one shot worth a flip, esp the usually deadly Dirk. No one could handle the ball - the Mavs committed 14 turnovers. No one rebounded, no one drove the lane, no one seemed to hustle, etc.

Phoenix, on the other hand, could seemingly do no wrong. All kinds of crazy shots were falling for them (which is not that unusual - those guys can shoot the basketball), Raja Bell (yes, the same Raja Bell who spared everyone to death during his years as a Maverick) made a triumphant comeback from his calf injury. Everything Leandro Barbosa threw up went in. The Suns played some effective defense (the earth stopped revolving on its axis for a moment, as well). And on and on and on.

I don't want to sound like sour grapes here, but I'm not sure I'm real impressed with a team who can be inspired to greatness by the return of Raja friggin' Bell.

The only positives I can see from last night's game for the Mavs:

1. Josh Howard did not aggravate the ankle injury in that very awkward fall late in the 4th quarter.

2. Avery Johnson did not pull an Antonio Daniels/Terry O'Reilley by charging into the stands to defend his wife from a couple of obnoxious Suns' fans. Time will tell how this plays out, but Cassandra Johnson was at the game with her kids, so I have a tough time believing she started things with Jose Martinez and Rebecca Kettle. Regardless, Avery kept his cool and didn't do anything dumb.

The Mavs had gone 14 games into this years' playoffs without a clunker, so perhaps it was inevitable. Dirk and Co have established enough of a track record that I'm not going to worry too much about this one. I fully expect Avery to make a few changes and the team to come out blazing in Game 5 at the AAC on Thursday night.

It sure wasn't much fun to watch, however.

Concern over possible World Cup terrorism

It almost goes without saying these days, but there's apparently some significant concern over the possibility of terrorist attacks on this month's World Cup games in Germany.

Germany has a large immigrant Muslim population, and there are concerns that a significant minority of this population represents the extreme end of the Islamic spectrum. German Muslims have some of the same complaints about their host society as French Muslims, and there have been a few events recently which have agitated the community.

I have been expecting (and predicting) attacks at many high-profile gatherings since 2001 - the Olympics, the Democratic and Republican Conventions, elections in the US and elsewhere, etc. I've been wrong every time (thankfully), but it still seems like the radical Islamists would have struck somewhere if they had the capability. The fact they have not says to me they can not.

We'll see. No doubt the counter-terrorism folks are not getting much sleep right about now.

Mavs-Suns - Mavs take charge

The Mavs beat Phoenix 95-88 tonight, in a game where the Mavs finally imposed their will on the Suns for a long stretch.

The 2nd half was all Dallas, as Dirk and Josh Howard took over. Diop, Terry, and Stackhouse all pitched in, as did the only remaining white stiff on this team, Mr. Van Horn.

I've been saying it all along: Trust in Avery. The guy has the magic touch right now, seemingly unable to make a serious mistake.

The Suns are faced with a double-must-win on Tues night. They should come out JACKED up. It will be fun to watch how (if) the Mavs can withstand what should be a hyper-speed assault from Phoenix early.

Set your TiVos now!

Burma - Aung San Suu Kyi house arrest extended AGAIN

Finally, some encouraging news from the Golden Land: Aung San Suu Kyi's current term of house arrest expires on Saturday, and there are some signs the junta may actually free her this time.

In the past, the expiration of a house arrest term just meant an extension. This time, however, police have visited her and have been spotted removing barbed wire barriers in front of her lakeside villa outside Rangoon. In addition, a UN official was allowed to meet with her for the first time since 2004.

It's WAY premature to start planning a release party, or to order one of those "fly the coop" cakes like Uncle Joey was supposed to get in Back to the Future. It's even more premature to think this signals any sort of significant change in Rangoon (or Pyinmana, or wherever the junta is at the moment). Aung San Suu Kyi has been freed before, only to be locked right back up the instant the generals feel threatened.

UPDATE: Well, so much for that. The junta has extended Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest again. No explanation as to why, nor any indication of how long the extension is.

Hey Newsweek, still stand by your "Groovy Rangoon" story from a few weeks ago?

The simple fact is the generals are never going to ease up until someone makes them. And who will do that? Not the US or the West, that's for sure. How dreadfully sad.

Talk about a Hot Sports Opinion

Lunatic Brit MP George Galloway has said it would be "morally justified" for an assassin to target PM Tony Blair. He went to to add that he was not advocating such an act, as if that would make it OK to spout off this insane opinion.

Galloway was already booted from Labour for urging Brit soldiers not to fight in Iraq. This time, he may find himself in a bit more trouble.

What good can possibly come from a statement like this?

Russia still sucking up to Tehran

The Russians have announced they're going to sell $700 million worth of surface-to-air missiles to Iran. The deal was signed last year, before most of the current nuclear brouhaha flared up.

I think there are two factors affecting the Russians' thinking:

1. The Russians can use the cash. They're generating dough from oil and gas, but they've got some big bills as well.

2. The Russians are trying to pacify the Muslim fundamentalists in their southern provinces and neighboring countries, as well as the hard-liners in Tehran.

The cash thing is just business and it's hard to fault the Russians for it. The US is selling better stuff to the countries we like, which means the remaining market is in countries we don't like. The Russians have a product to sell, and they're going where the market is. We may not like it, but that's the way it goes.

The attempt to buy off the Islamic contingent is, to me, a lot riskier. The French tried to buy off Muslim and Arab terrorists for most of the 1960s and 1970s. Now they have Muslim and Arab youths burning down their major metropolitan areas. The Brits tried to buy off the Nazis in the mid and late 1930s and we all remember how well that worked out.

At the end of the day (if anyone still says that), the Russians; and the Chinese, who are trying the same stunt; are no friends of Islam. Trying to pretend otherwise may work in the short term, but the long term is much more difficult to foretell.

Cambodia bans 3G phones

Unfortunately, when the subjects of technology and Cambodia converge, it's rarely good news, and this is no exception.

Cambodia got third-generation wireless earlier this year, a major accomplishment in one of the poorest and most-deeply-scarred nations on Earth.

Then, somehow or other, the wife of Prime Minister for Life Hun Sen pulled up some porn on her phone and went bananas. As a result, Hun Sen knee-jerked 3G right into the rubbish bin, banning it from the country completely.

"We can wait 10 more years until we have managed to improve morality in society," he said. This, in a country where prostitution and sex tourism rank as leading industries.

Third generation wireless was not going to yank Cambodia into prosperity by itself, but this mindset from the only leader who matters in that sad little nation will certainly keep the Khmer people in poverty for a long time to come.

Top 25 Worst Tech Products Ever

Here's a fun one: PC World's Top 25 Worst Tech Products Ever. Filled with notable bombs like RealPlayer, Microsoft Bob, and the Cue Cat, this is a stroll thru the Hall of Not-Quite-Genius.

How many of these did you use? Me? More than a few. And I thought PointCast was kinda cool at the time. Maybe it was because they sent me the best travel mug of all time, which I still use.

Maybe the coolest piece of everyday tech ever

Go check out this site for the new Nike+ demo video.

Nike+, in case you haven't heard, is new technology that enables your running shoes to talk to your iPod Nano. Before you start giggling, let me explain briefly.

A sensor in your Nike+ shoes communicates wirelessly with an app running on your iPod. The sensor/app combo figures out pace, distance, elapsed time, etc and communicates this to you verbally thru the iPod, while your pre-programmed workout song list is playing. If you need an extra boost, you press a button on the iPod and go directly to your pre-selected "Power Song".

This is genius. I have been running since the beginning of the year, but have hesitated to run anywhere but on a treadmill. Yes, it's dreadfully boring, but I don't know how else to maintain a steady pace, figure out how far I've gone, or keep really accurate track of elapsed time.

And, let me tell you, certain songs on my Creative Muvo get me going a lot better than others. However, I have no way of choosing them on the fly, at least not without unclipping the Muvo and scrolling through a bunch of menus. This is NOT what I want to be doing in mile 3 at 6.5 mph. If I need a "Power Song", I need it NOW.

This may be the killer app for me, and may finally push me into the Cult of iPod. I'll let you know.

Oh puh-leeez: Lay and Skilling "shocked" at verdict

A minor miracle occurred in a Houston courtroom today, as former Enron Chief Executive Weasel Ken Lay and Chief Operating Weasel Jeff Skilling were found guilty of a boatload of charges each.

I say "minor miracle" simply because neither has actually set foot in a jail yet. Once that happens, I'll upgrade it to "junior miracle". This only gets "true miracle" status if one or both get Otto the Nazi Bonecrusher or Killa-Freak from the Crips as a cellmate.

Needless to say, Lay and Skilling both expressed "shock" and "disappointment" at the verdicts. I bet they were shocked. They both spent God-knows-how-much dough on the best legal team that would prostitute itself for them. I'm sure they expected to walk with a formal apology from the court.

Regardless, the "No Fraud Here" defense didn't work, which shocks the crap out of me. It sorta restores my faith in my fellow Americans and the system in general that the zillion-dollar lawyers were unable to confuse the jury into paralysis.

On the other hand, both of these guys are CROOKS. Of the highest order. Without parallel in the annals of Corporate America, really. And think about that statement for a moment. John D. Rockefeller. Richard Scrushy. Bernie Ebbers. Leland Stanford. Cornelius Vanderbilt. JP Morgan. I mean, this is heady competition. And I stand behind my statement. Lay and Skilling were more crooked than any of them.

We'll see how long the appeals take, and how long these two weasels end up in the clink. Regardless, a victory for truth, justice, and the American Way today.

Well, truth and justice, at least.

Wed night TV

A few points about last night's adventures in TV Land:

"Lost" season finale

Overall - HOLY CRAP! What a mind-blowing 2 hours of edge-of-your-seat TV! As expected, we've got some answers and a whole bunch of new questions. Let's take a look at a few developments from a character perspective:

Sayid - As I hoped, Sayid had a big part in doings. That guy has a huge set of balls - his recce of The Others' seaside village had me riveted. No surprise - the "village" was nothing but a ruse. Still, to just yank open the doors of the fake "hatch" would take some guts. What to make of the giant, four-toed statue base and the smoke signal coming from the wrong (or was it the right?) place? I have NO idea.

Michael and Walt - It CAN'T be so easy for them. Just follow a compass heading and everything will be fine? No way! I expected the boat to go boom at any second. Or will Michael find his decency and return to the island to right his many, most serious, wrongs? Perhaps he'll hook up with Sayid, Jin, and Sun on their sailboat?

Locke and Eko - Dead? Trapped in the wreckage of the hatch? Is there wreckage of the hatch? There was no explosion, at least not that we saw, when Desmond turned the key.

Desmond - Also as I hoped, we got a LOT more on my favorite Brit ex-soldier. Where does xgf Penelope fit into this? And his encounter with (and generous gift from) Libby also sets off a bunch of questions. If the crash of Oceanic 815 was as simple as and electromagnetic "system failure", how do all of the interactions between the Losties prior to the crash figure in? Again, it's not that easy.

Jack, Kate, and Sawyer - The biggest of many big cliffhangers. What happens to them now that they're in the friendly embrace of The Others?

The Others - Sure, we've got faces and some names, but they are more mysterious than they were when all we saw were legs and a bound teddy-bear.

It's going to be a LONG summer.

Mavs-Suns Game 1

I managed to switch over to TNT-HD in time for the last half of the 4th quarter. Everything I said yesterday seemed to come into play. The Suns EXPLODED for 16 in the final minutes, and Boris Diaw's great move on Stackhouse to win the game completely drained my life-force.

There's no reason to panic, yet. The Mavs did not play their best game, and, as the great David Moore said in this morning's DMN, an emotional letdown after Game 7 with the Spurs was to be expected. I'm still optimistic, but this is not going to be the cakewalk some in town seemed to expect.

The joys of pop culture #2 - Mavs-Suns preview

While we won't be tuning in to Game 1 until after "Lost" tonight, you can bet the rest of the series will be must see TV here at the CIT Compound. This series is, to me, every bit as compelling as Mavs-Spurs was, and should provide enormous entertainment.

There appears to be a feeling of no-big-deal-ness around the old D/FW Metroplex regarding this series. I get the impression that Mavs fans think the title is already won. The Spurs are conquered, and everyone left is an also-ran. This is unsettling.

While it's certainly true the Spurs have been the arch-nemesis around here for some time, and they were the Champs, and the series was one of the all-time greats, it's important to remember the Mavs have won nothing yet. They are merely half-way to the Promised Land. Much work remains.

It starts with Phoenix. Oh sure, the Suns have a bunch of strikes against them going in: No Amare, Nash looked beaten down in Game 6 against LAC, they only play 7 guys, they've barely survived two consecutive seven game series, they don't play defense, etc, etc, etc.

Don't fall prey to these thoughts, Mavs fans!

The Suns are THE most explosive team in the NBA. They have an offense that can kill you in multiple ways - they can shoot from outside, they can take it into the paint, they can kick it out, they can kick it in, and they can run your ass off. No one, including the Spurs and the Mavs, has been able to consistently slow them down all year. This is a team that can score 20 points in the blink of an eye and, if you give them the chance, they'll blow your doors right off.

I firmly believe this is a very different Mavs team than the one that got knocked out in six by Phoenix last year. I think the Mavs can, and will, impose their will on the Suns, can slow them down, and can score any way they want to against the nearly non-existent Phoenix defense.

I think the Mavs will win.

But I sure don't think it's going to be quick, or easy.

The joys of pop culture #1 - "Lost" season finale

We find ourselves in a bit of a pop-culture quandary tonight: Do we tune in for the 2-hour blockbuster season finale of "Lost", or do we continue our basketball fever with Mavs-Suns Game 1?

I thought DVRs were supposed to solve this problem. Oh, wait, DUAL-CHANNEL DVRs do solve this. So why can't I get one from Comcast?

I hate Comcast. I have a draft post called "Comcast - Worst. Company. Ever." which I will finish and publish one of these days.

But I digress.

The choice here at the CIT Compound will be "Lost". I have WAY too much invested in that show to bail for Game 1 of anything. If it were Game 7, this might be tougher, but since it's not, decision made.

There are two great articles on MSNBC today regarding "Lost" - Top 10 things we need to have answered (or at least moved forward) in tonight's episode, and Best and Worst of "Lost". Both are great reading for addicts like me.

Some of the things I definitely want to see tonight:

A return to prominence for Sayid. The haunted Iraqi is my hands-down favorite character. He's got one heck of a dark side, but I firmly believe him to be one of the sure-fire good guys (Jack, Jin, and Hurley are the others, Michael was on the list until very recently). And, to paraphrase Sawyer, if there's going to be some violence (and it sure looks like it), Sayid is the one guy who's got some hands-on experience in that department. I'd sure want him on my side.

Some resolution of the Locke-Eko relationship. If Locke returns to his spiritual self, he and the giant fake priest would make one heck of a team. Or one heck of a set of adversaries. I'd be happy either way. Let's get on with it.

Let's see Desmond again. The guy started as a cipher and only got more mysterious during his brief run at the start of Season 2. Word is tonight's episode features him prominently, so we should know more very soon. If nothing else, I love the dude's accent.

And, finally, something needs to happen with Kate. She was a major player up until about a third of the way thru this season, but lately hasn't contributed anything. She should either step up and do something, or get killed off.

Don't bother calling between 8:00 and 10:00 Central tonight. I won't be answering the phone, the door, or the call of nature for the duration.

YESSSSSS!!!!!

There is deep joy in Dallas tonight. There will be much rejoicing tomorrow.

Some immediate quick hits:

Hero of the Game: Dirk (duh)
Unsung Hero of the Game: Diop
Genius: Avery

The ONLY thing I regret about the series with the Spurs is that it happened in the second friggin' round. How stupid are the NBA Playoffs? Even with this excessive dumbness, the series was an ALL-TIMER.

Now we await the winner of Suns-Clips. I hope it's Phoenix, my home away from home for most of Q1 2006. Also, I can name about 5 times as many guys on the Suns roster as I can on LAC's.

Kim Jong Il - pop star

Team America was apparently a documentary, at least as far as Kim Jong Il's vocal talent goes.

If the NKs ever let us back into the site, you'll be able to sing along with kindly Uncle Kim and the Starvation-ettes as they rock out to some of the hottest hits from north of the 38th Parallel.

Big Soviet-era architecture

Those nutty Russian Communists knew how to think big. Big factories, big collective farms, big tank battles, and big failure all figured, well, big in the Soviet Union.

Nowhere was Commie bigness more exemplified than in architecture. Here's a site dedicated to proposed Moscow-area building projects which never got off the ground.

Freud would have loved these guys.

Hamas tries to smuggle $800K into Gaza

Here's a weird one: A senior Hamas official was caught trying to smuggle over $800,000 in cash into the Gaza Strip on Friday.

Hamas is, of course, broke. This is due to pretty much the entire world cutting off aid to the Palestinian Authority since Hamas' election victory. One solution to the situation would be for Hamas to moderate a bit. The other solution is, apparently, to break the laws that Hamas itself is supposed to be enforcing, and risk further damaging the already-crippled Palestinian economy, by bringing boatloads of cash in via smuggling.

While I'm not especially sympathetic to the Palestinian Cause (big surprise to longtime CIT readers, I know), the Palestinian people deserve a hell of a lot better leadership than they've received since 1948. Whether they're elected like Hamas or defacto like Fatah, Palestinian leaders have done absolutely zero to improve their peoples' lives.