Second year of college?
I really expected the sophomore year goodbye to Nora to be easier, but I'm not sure it is. Partly that's because freshman year, Nora left for college from the Democratic Convention in Denver, getting on a red-eye after Bill Clinton's wonderful speech endorsing Obama. I was sad but distracted. I went to Fordham to say goodbye after she'd moved in and been there for five days. It was a rolling sadness.
This year, I flew to NY with her and moved her into Fordham this morning. I have time to feel it more, and it somehow feels even more real. I'll be fine but wow, this is really my life now.
The funny thing is, the one move I made to try to make myself happier, getting a puppy, might have backfired. In the last two weeks, Sadie has taken to sitting at Nora's bedroom door and crying if she hasn't seen her for a while. So what I got was a pal in mourning?
Oh, that's part of what life's about. I'll live, and thrive, and so will Sadie. And of course (especially) Nora will too. Here's my favorite picture of them; it's such a cute-off:
This year, I flew to NY with her and moved her into Fordham this morning. I have time to feel it more, and it somehow feels even more real. I'll be fine but wow, this is really my life now.
The funny thing is, the one move I made to try to make myself happier, getting a puppy, might have backfired. In the last two weeks, Sadie has taken to sitting at Nora's bedroom door and crying if she hasn't seen her for a while. So what I got was a pal in mourning?
Oh, that's part of what life's about. I'll live, and thrive, and so will Sadie. And of course (especially) Nora will too. Here's my favorite picture of them; it's such a cute-off:
Oh, and back to the original cute-off (Mignon remembers!):
They both keep getting cuter.
Basketball on an Aircraft Carrier?
How can you tell when you have too many aircraft carriers? Possibly, when you start using this expensive hardware for sporting venues.
On Nov. 11, 2011, the Veteran’s Day Carrier Classic basketball game between North Carolina and Michigan State will be played on an aircraft carrier in San Diego harbor. Either the USS Ronald Reagan or the USS Carl Vinson is expected to host the first ever collegiate basketball game on a warship. The USS Carl Vinson was recently in the news as the ship from which Osama bin Laden was buried at sea.
Carrier Classic could be played on ship that buried bin Laden at sea
The US Navy has twice as many aircraft carriers than the rest of the world combined. Based on the acreage of the flight decks, the ration jumps to five times. Nimitz class carriers like USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Carl Vinson each cost about $4.5 billion dollars to build. As basketball courts go, that is very expensive.
On Nov. 11, 2011, the Veteran’s Day Carrier Classic basketball game between North Carolina and Michigan State will be played on an aircraft carrier in San Diego harbor. Either the USS Ronald Reagan or the USS Carl Vinson is expected to host the first ever collegiate basketball game on a warship. The USS Carl Vinson was recently in the news as the ship from which Osama bin Laden was buried at sea.
Carrier Classic could be played on ship that buried bin Laden at sea
The US Navy has twice as many aircraft carriers than the rest of the world combined. Based on the acreage of the flight decks, the ration jumps to five times. Nimitz class carriers like USS Ronald Reagan and the USS Carl Vinson each cost about $4.5 billion dollars to build. As basketball courts go, that is very expensive.
Toughness and treatment: Contrast and compare NFL and MLB athletes!
No one can question the physical toughness of NFL athletes who play through injuries that would put most of us in bed if not into a hospital!
While this toughness can definitely be an asset on the field it can also be a detriment to their longer-term health and well-being.
Athletes in Major League Baseball (MLB) on-the-other-hand come out of games or go on the DL for injuries that seem, at least to me, somewhat minor for a professional athlete making going on the DL or simply coming out of a game somewhat laughable.
This is not a blanket statement of course as just the other night I saw a catcher get hit squarely on the jaw by a foul ball, get his bell rung and stay behind the plate. But giving in to pain or discomfort does seem to be more the rule than the exception.
To belabor the point, team trainers pop out of the dugout any time that a player hits the ground or takes an awkward step and, Wally Pipp be damned, seem to want to err on the side of taking a player out of the game rather than leaving him in.
Aficionados of the sport will try and tell you that the reason these injuries can take a player out of the line-up is because baseball is such a skill game that any injury can hinder the ability to compete successfully.nike nfl jersey
Possibly, but I suppose that part of the reason for my issue with the sport stems from commentators who invoke maximum concern over issues that to the normal 5-day and 40+ hour a week worker seem rather trivial.
For instance when a player of the age and income bracket of an A-Rod needs to sit out games to rest I scream at my T.V. that A-Rod should try spending 5 or 6 days on a roof laying down tar on 90+ degree days in order to remember to appreciate the position that he is in.
When a position player needs to sit out the second game of a double header to avoid fatigue it makes me think about how these overly pampered athletes travel first class, have clubhouse staff who take care of all of their needs, don't worry about travel or hotel arrangements and in reality don't really "work" many hours a day. And when they do put in 5 or 6 hours it's to play a kids game with a lot of standing around.
Aren't these guys supposed to be finely tuned physical machines?
And finally, what's up with the magical and mythical 100-pitch barrier at which point a starting pitcher needs to be removed? Or the 3-out limit for a closer? Don't get me started!
NFL athletes and brain injuries!
What brought me to this discussion today and comparison between sports is an article that I read in The Washington Times, "Many ex-Redskins among those suing NFL over effects of brain injuries".
These athletes were pushed, prodded and potentially even lied to in order for them to stay on the field. Others may have been concerned about losing their position and therefore played through pain or through symptoms of a concussion.
The opinion of what has gone on in football will vary from player to team, as the players suffer and the teams want to avoid any culpability for what has happened to so many of their athletes. This is an excerpt from the article but it is worth reading the entire thing:
The Players
“One hundred ninety-two consecutive starts over 14 seasons at center for the Washington Redskins earned him a spot in the team’s Ring of Fame. He was knocked silly and knocked out and, if he could get his eyes open with help from the pungent capsules, he stayed on the field. Job security, even for a six-time Pro Bowler, meant playing. Now the 69-year-old with a gentle Georgia drawl wonders about football’s toll.
“You covered up your hurts. Is that smart or is that stupid…
Lives once defined by seeming invulnerability on the field now are haunted by questions without answers. Some are bitter, viewing these lawsuits as an extension of long-standing conflicts over pensions, health care and use of their likenesses. Others feel betrayed. Will they succumb to depression or dementia or Alzheimer’s? Will they end up like Junior Seau or Ray Easterling, who killed themselves in the past three months…
Other complaints attempt to quantify the toll of concussions, from formerGreen Bay Packers defensive tackle Gilbert Brown alleging he suffered 50 to 100 undiagnosed concussions during his 10-year career to Tommy Barnhardt, the Redskins‘ punter in 2000, claiming concussions left him with “insomnia, suicidal thoughts, vision issues, and ears ringing...
Many of them cannot work, can’t hold a job,” said Thomas Girardi, whose firm, Girardi Keese, filed the first concussion-related lawsuit against the NFL in July 2011. “This isn’t something that’s going to go away…
Mike Bass hurts. His shoulders. His ankles. His knees. His neck that eventually forced him to retire after intercepting 30 passes in seven seasons with the Redskins and, in Super Bowl VII, returning Miami Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian’s fumble for a touchdown. Getting out of bed each morning isn’t easy…
And the league’s position on head injuries sustained by players?
A meager pension. No compensation for highlight films of his play onYepremian. Head injuries take his frustration further. His voice rises as he mentions Dr. Ira Casson, the neurologist dubbed “Dr. No” who worked for the NFL. Casson told HBO’s Real Sports there wasn’t a link between head trauma and long-term brain problems in a 2007 interview.
“Is there any evidence, as far as you’re concerned, that links multiple head injuries among pro football players with depression?” Bernard Goldberg, the interviewer, asked.
“No,” Casson said.
“With dementia?”
“No.”
“Early onset of Alzheimer’s?”
“No.”
“Is there any evidence as of today that links multiple head injuries with any long-term problem like that?”
“In NFL players? No.”
While this toughness can definitely be an asset on the field it can also be a detriment to their longer-term health and well-being.
Athletes in Major League Baseball (MLB) on-the-other-hand come out of games or go on the DL for injuries that seem, at least to me, somewhat minor for a professional athlete making going on the DL or simply coming out of a game somewhat laughable.
This is not a blanket statement of course as just the other night I saw a catcher get hit squarely on the jaw by a foul ball, get his bell rung and stay behind the plate. But giving in to pain or discomfort does seem to be more the rule than the exception.
To belabor the point, team trainers pop out of the dugout any time that a player hits the ground or takes an awkward step and, Wally Pipp be damned, seem to want to err on the side of taking a player out of the game rather than leaving him in.
Aficionados of the sport will try and tell you that the reason these injuries can take a player out of the line-up is because baseball is such a skill game that any injury can hinder the ability to compete successfully.nike nfl jersey
Possibly, but I suppose that part of the reason for my issue with the sport stems from commentators who invoke maximum concern over issues that to the normal 5-day and 40+ hour a week worker seem rather trivial.
For instance when a player of the age and income bracket of an A-Rod needs to sit out games to rest I scream at my T.V. that A-Rod should try spending 5 or 6 days on a roof laying down tar on 90+ degree days in order to remember to appreciate the position that he is in.
When a position player needs to sit out the second game of a double header to avoid fatigue it makes me think about how these overly pampered athletes travel first class, have clubhouse staff who take care of all of their needs, don't worry about travel or hotel arrangements and in reality don't really "work" many hours a day. And when they do put in 5 or 6 hours it's to play a kids game with a lot of standing around.
Aren't these guys supposed to be finely tuned physical machines?
And finally, what's up with the magical and mythical 100-pitch barrier at which point a starting pitcher needs to be removed? Or the 3-out limit for a closer? Don't get me started!
NFL athletes and brain injuries!
What brought me to this discussion today and comparison between sports is an article that I read in The Washington Times, "Many ex-Redskins among those suing NFL over effects of brain injuries".
These athletes were pushed, prodded and potentially even lied to in order for them to stay on the field. Others may have been concerned about losing their position and therefore played through pain or through symptoms of a concussion.
The opinion of what has gone on in football will vary from player to team, as the players suffer and the teams want to avoid any culpability for what has happened to so many of their athletes. This is an excerpt from the article but it is worth reading the entire thing:
The Players
“One hundred ninety-two consecutive starts over 14 seasons at center for the Washington Redskins earned him a spot in the team’s Ring of Fame. He was knocked silly and knocked out and, if he could get his eyes open with help from the pungent capsules, he stayed on the field. Job security, even for a six-time Pro Bowler, meant playing. Now the 69-year-old with a gentle Georgia drawl wonders about football’s toll.
“You covered up your hurts. Is that smart or is that stupid…
Lives once defined by seeming invulnerability on the field now are haunted by questions without answers. Some are bitter, viewing these lawsuits as an extension of long-standing conflicts over pensions, health care and use of their likenesses. Others feel betrayed. Will they succumb to depression or dementia or Alzheimer’s? Will they end up like Junior Seau or Ray Easterling, who killed themselves in the past three months…
Other complaints attempt to quantify the toll of concussions, from formerGreen Bay Packers defensive tackle Gilbert Brown alleging he suffered 50 to 100 undiagnosed concussions during his 10-year career to Tommy Barnhardt, the Redskins‘ punter in 2000, claiming concussions left him with “insomnia, suicidal thoughts, vision issues, and ears ringing...
Many of them cannot work, can’t hold a job,” said Thomas Girardi, whose firm, Girardi Keese, filed the first concussion-related lawsuit against the NFL in July 2011. “This isn’t something that’s going to go away…
Mike Bass hurts. His shoulders. His ankles. His knees. His neck that eventually forced him to retire after intercepting 30 passes in seven seasons with the Redskins and, in Super Bowl VII, returning Miami Dolphins kicker Garo Yepremian’s fumble for a touchdown. Getting out of bed each morning isn’t easy…
And the league’s position on head injuries sustained by players?
A meager pension. No compensation for highlight films of his play onYepremian. Head injuries take his frustration further. His voice rises as he mentions Dr. Ira Casson, the neurologist dubbed “Dr. No” who worked for the NFL. Casson told HBO’s Real Sports there wasn’t a link between head trauma and long-term brain problems in a 2007 interview.
“Is there any evidence, as far as you’re concerned, that links multiple head injuries among pro football players with depression?” Bernard Goldberg, the interviewer, asked.
“No,” Casson said.
“With dementia?”
“No.”
“Early onset of Alzheimer’s?”
“No.”
“Is there any evidence as of today that links multiple head injuries with any long-term problem like that?”
“In NFL players? No.”
Repost of Joke About Unions For Walker Nightmare.
Union members all over America are on their knees, but not for the reasons that Conservatives might hope. They are praying to God that the Union Movement might become just 1/3 as powerful as conservatives now think it is.
People intimately familiar with unions know that they are really on their last legs, almost nonexistent in the private sector. I read a book by a union lawyer several years ago, and he testified that due to a weakening of labor law enforcement, unions had become in fact, powerless. Employers routinely illegally fired employees for trying to organize, for example. It would take years to get the courts to address each incident, and when the paltry fines were imposed, or the employees finally reinstated, it was totally worth it for the companies to have acted illegally.
Virtually the only unions left are in the public sector, and they are constantly being demonized and targeted for destruction.
In California, conservatives routinely blame the public employee unions for
singlehandedly ruining the whole state.
But finally, union members have been given fresh hope from the conservative movement. On Fox News, it is gospel that Obama checks with Union Bosses every morning for marching orders. Unionists previously have felt that Obama has done virtually nothing to help the drowning union movement. The only thing they asked for was the Employee Free Choice Act to help them unionize. But he did zilch. He has not done a thing for unions. Where was he in Wisconsin? -- And Clinton's NAFTA was the worst thing that ever happened to blue collar workers!
But after hearing daily constant references to union power, union members have become convinced that the conservatives must know something that they don't. How could all those highly-paid pundits be wrong?
In my Midwestern state, union members are definitely on the move again. What was once a solid union middle-class state in my youth, for the first time in my lifetime, is seeing bums on many street corners, begging for jobs and food. I interviewed several of the bums for this post, and they revealed to me that they were out looking for the Big Union Bosses. They have heard so much about these people that they have taken to the road to somehow find the Union Bosses and ask them for a job.
People intimately familiar with unions know that they are really on their last legs, almost nonexistent in the private sector. I read a book by a union lawyer several years ago, and he testified that due to a weakening of labor law enforcement, unions had become in fact, powerless. Employers routinely illegally fired employees for trying to organize, for example. It would take years to get the courts to address each incident, and when the paltry fines were imposed, or the employees finally reinstated, it was totally worth it for the companies to have acted illegally.
Virtually the only unions left are in the public sector, and they are constantly being demonized and targeted for destruction.
In California, conservatives routinely blame the public employee unions for
singlehandedly ruining the whole state.
But finally, union members have been given fresh hope from the conservative movement. On Fox News, it is gospel that Obama checks with Union Bosses every morning for marching orders. Unionists previously have felt that Obama has done virtually nothing to help the drowning union movement. The only thing they asked for was the Employee Free Choice Act to help them unionize. But he did zilch. He has not done a thing for unions. Where was he in Wisconsin? -- And Clinton's NAFTA was the worst thing that ever happened to blue collar workers!
But after hearing daily constant references to union power, union members have become convinced that the conservatives must know something that they don't. How could all those highly-paid pundits be wrong?
In my Midwestern state, union members are definitely on the move again. What was once a solid union middle-class state in my youth, for the first time in my lifetime, is seeing bums on many street corners, begging for jobs and food. I interviewed several of the bums for this post, and they revealed to me that they were out looking for the Big Union Bosses. They have heard so much about these people that they have taken to the road to somehow find the Union Bosses and ask them for a job.