What is wrong with College Football

Over at CNNSI, Andy Staples discusses how Notre Dame can fix its program. The first solution is for the school to drop its academic standards "at least occasionally." This is not the first time Staples wrote about the conflict between sports and academics.

But, I guess, college only describes football. It certainly has no relationship to academic standards. Maybe it should be renamed to exploitation football. That phrase provides a must better description to reality than college football.

Why We're Right

Another reason not to shop at Wal-Mart: MSNBC reports that a clerk in Long Island was crushed in the opening stampede and died. Another woman miscarried. Ah, consumerism at its best.

iPhone is the New Blog; or How I Learned to Stop Worrying (About the Cost) and Learn to Love the iPhone

Noticed the lack of blogging from our household this holiday? No, it's not the food coma that we're ostensibly in. It's the iPhones that have descended upon us. I admit, I had serious buyers' remorse immediately after the purchase. I wasn't even planning on buying the damn thing, but it was cheaper than the other QWERTY phones I was looking at.

Now, though, I'm hooked. You know the commercial for the App that tells you what song is playing? Got it. The one that's like a slot machine for restaurants? Check. Crabby kid stuck in line? Turn on Youtube. Running to the store to get more garlic salt on Thanksgiving? Oh, wait, it's an iPod, too.

Have you people played with one of these? You really should.

In Response to a Comment by Oxymoron

A note to Solon

Today's holiday beer selection is the Yeti Imperial Stout by Denver's Great Divide Brewing Company.

Description:

Yeti Imperial Stout is an onslaught of the senses. It starts with big, roasty malt flavor then gives way to rich caramel and toffee notes. Yeti Imperial Stought gets its bold hop character from an enormous quantity of hops. It weighs in at a hefty 75 IBUs.

9.7% Alc. by Vol.

My palate is very hoppy!

In that case...

...Supa-T says, "Challah!"

Lite Weight Says

Don't forget about me...........

For the Mighty Harrogate

Need you ask what my theme song would be?


And just because

Happy Thanksgiving, Situationers!

Here is a clip from one of my favorite Thanksgiving shows. One Thanksgiving, in the not so distant future, we need to organize a similar Thanksgiving for the Situation. . .

Wednesday Musical Tribute: There is No Point in Grabbing Hold of Your Socks, for They Are About to Be Knocked Off

Not so very long ago a'tall, we had a wondrous thread running in which Contributors indicated what their entrance music would be. There were far too many contributors who did not respond. What would p-duck's entrance music be, for example? What about paperweight? Etc. Ye who ignored the call, know who ye are, and the litany of those who have yet to respond stands as a blight on our noble blog. So here Harrogate offers redemption. What would your entrance music be?

Meanwhile, those who already responded can of course feel free to change their minds, or offer alterntatives here. Harrogate unsurprisingly stands by his choice of "2001: A Space Odyssey." Still, Ennio Morricone's Transcendant piece, "The Man With the Harmonica" (careful with this link it is so freaking good it might make you cry), finishes a VERY CLOSE SECOND.

Which brings us to today's Harrogateian Musical Tribute. Bear Witness as Muse tears "The Man With the Harmonica" a new one, and then performs a breathtaking segue into "Knights of Cydonia."

Toooo sweet.

Movie Night

It is movie night in the apartment. Tonight's feature of almost choice (it was shorter than the one we really desired): Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

Besides Paul Rudd's character, the movie is just not that good. Well, I should restate: the movie is not good for sober parents of two children who do not watch movies. We are about ten years too old for this movie.

Why should we watch the end of this? Well, besides we paid for it....

A Happy Musical Tribute to Tuesday: Wherein Harrogate Rejoins Oxymoron's Gesture

Since we're on the subject of songs we'd forgotten about, here's the perfect thing for a chilled Tuesday in November. This was long before Magnolia, friends. This was back when John McCain was in his forties. This, in short, was a long time ago.

Tuesday Musical Tribute; Or, Con-Air part the Third, wherein Cyrus "the Virus" defends the Rights of the Aboriginals.

iPhone Envy

I so covet an iPhone. And I have grown to hate Verizon.

The only question I need to ask: do I covet an iPhone to the degree I will allow myself to be economically raped by Verizon?

In order to get an iPhone, the new technological love of my life, I would need to break my contract with Verizon as I can do nothing with them until March. My phone, a PDA, needs to be replaced as it is a piece of shit (by piece of shit I mean, one, it is not an iPhone and, two, my space bar does not work). Last week I went to Verizon to replace it and they kindly told me Megs could switch her phone and but if I chose to select a new phone I would need to pay full price, which means even their customer service told me to get an iPhone. I imagine if I upgraded, to say the new touch screen Blackberry, that would not be a problem except that a Blackberry is not an iPhone.

Suggestions? (Other than get a life or do work instead of just being on Thanksgiving break).

Secretary of Education: Elisabeth Hasselbeck

Whoopi posed the following question to the women of The View today: If you had the opportunity to be part of Barack Obama's cabinet, what appointment would you like?

Hasselbeck initially responded that she would never be on Obama's cabinet. But added that if John McCain had won the election, she would like a position in education.

Sponsor Embarrassed by YCT

Texas A&M professor John Fike stepped down from his post as faculty adviser for the A&M chapter of the Young Conservatives of Texas. The reason: he is ashamed of the way the group behaves.

Following the group's anti-Obama rally where students were invited to toss eggs at a picture of Barack Obama, and after the circulation of a flier that pictured four A&M professors who signed a petition of support for Bill Ayers, Fike said that he had finally had enough. He says that the YCT's actions have, once again, embarrassed the university.

The chairman for the YCT chapter said that the group had already planned to drop Fike because he was an Obama supporter.

Earlier this year, Kanye West owned the Grammy's

Remember this: He said, "This is my house; I've set up camp here." Or something like that. Shortly thereafter, Vince Gill reminded everyone that the Grammy's are, in fact, bigger than Kanye, saying, "I was just awarded a Grammy by a Beatle [i.e. Ringo Starr]. Has this happened to you yet, Kanye?" Yes, Kanye, the Grammy's have a rich history beyond you.

Well, tonight at the American Music Awards, Kanye honored himself for "breaking new boundaries" and then announced the following:

"We will be the new Beatles!"

Vatican Forgives John Lennon

According to Reuters, the Vatican has officially forgiven John Lennon for making a statement in 1966 that the Beatles were more famous than Jesus.

The Vatican's daily newspaper observed in an article yesterday that Lennon's remark "sounds only like a 'boast' by a young, working-class Englishman faced with unexpected success."

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the "White Album."