Long ass time since I have done one of these, but there is much soccer on today which makes me happy.
USA/El Salvador....
I really hate the win at home tie on the road mentality that goes with World Cup Qualifying, mostly because it leads to some boring games. A lot of the smaller teams in CONCACAF tend to add one more aspect to the win at home time on the road mentality; tie at home when playing the US or Mexico. I think that might be a bit different tonight. El Salvador needs the 3 points to stay up with the leaders in qualifying so I think they will press the attack a bit more than usual. Pressing like that leaves you open to counters and that is where the US is best. I see a win for the good guys.
Current prediction record 6-4
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Importance of Tone
Katia Bachko has a pretty interesting article on the presses reaction to the other nights press conference. I think her wrap-up is pretty solid and holds a good deal of truth.
While I think it is very true that the press attempts to turn everything in politics into a blood sport or a horse race, I think there is also something more to it. I think a number of people in the press avoid digging in on policy simply because they don't understand it. That isn't really a knock on them, some of this stuff is pretty complicated. Obama surrounds himself with a number of advisers who help him work through policy, people who tend to be experts in the field they are working in. These are people who often have dedicated much of their lives to education, health care, the financial markets, etc. The press surround themselves with people who have spent much of their lives dedicated to grabbing headlines and shaping stories. While they have their own version of experts to help breakdown stories, their contribution is a pretty small part of the story if they go to them at all. The big news heading into the presser the other day was that Geithner had just released his big plan to help nudge the financial market back on track. There wasn't a single question asked about it. I think a big reason why is because folks like Jake Tapper and Chuck Todd are not experts in the field of finance so they don't know what to ask or even how to ask it.
To put it in a more simple way, I do a lot of writing on fantasy football. During the season and sometimes even out of season, I spend hours each day researching stats, tendancies, injuries and trends. While the season is rolling, I can tell you the top defenses in the league defending against quarterbacks and who are the worst. I can tell you which No. 3 wide receiver is most likely to turn in a solid week, which is gold in fantasy football. I have a fair number of articles out there with my name attached to them and I feel as if I have a somewhat solid grasp of the industry. What I can't do is tell you how a credit default swap works. I struggle in explaining cost outlays of medicare. So when, and if, I ever write about them I have to dance around the edges. As a result, and for good reason, there are no articles out there with my name on them dealing with the financial markets and medicare reform. So why, when the first presser after the announcement of Geithner's plan isn't the New York Times sending Paul Krugman to ask some questions?
In the end, the focus on tone demonstrates all over again how the press transforms politics into a blood sport with quantifiable winners and losers, which is disconnected from the significance of actual policy—roads built, hospitals staffed, schools renovated. The impulse to cover the horse race at the cost of the seriousness of governance persists. In this case, if Obama’s the professor, then the press is a bunch of unruly kids who won’t calm down after recess. The election is long behind us, get back to work.
While I think it is very true that the press attempts to turn everything in politics into a blood sport or a horse race, I think there is also something more to it. I think a number of people in the press avoid digging in on policy simply because they don't understand it. That isn't really a knock on them, some of this stuff is pretty complicated. Obama surrounds himself with a number of advisers who help him work through policy, people who tend to be experts in the field they are working in. These are people who often have dedicated much of their lives to education, health care, the financial markets, etc. The press surround themselves with people who have spent much of their lives dedicated to grabbing headlines and shaping stories. While they have their own version of experts to help breakdown stories, their contribution is a pretty small part of the story if they go to them at all. The big news heading into the presser the other day was that Geithner had just released his big plan to help nudge the financial market back on track. There wasn't a single question asked about it. I think a big reason why is because folks like Jake Tapper and Chuck Todd are not experts in the field of finance so they don't know what to ask or even how to ask it.
To put it in a more simple way, I do a lot of writing on fantasy football. During the season and sometimes even out of season, I spend hours each day researching stats, tendancies, injuries and trends. While the season is rolling, I can tell you the top defenses in the league defending against quarterbacks and who are the worst. I can tell you which No. 3 wide receiver is most likely to turn in a solid week, which is gold in fantasy football. I have a fair number of articles out there with my name attached to them and I feel as if I have a somewhat solid grasp of the industry. What I can't do is tell you how a credit default swap works. I struggle in explaining cost outlays of medicare. So when, and if, I ever write about them I have to dance around the edges. As a result, and for good reason, there are no articles out there with my name on them dealing with the financial markets and medicare reform. So why, when the first presser after the announcement of Geithner's plan isn't the New York Times sending Paul Krugman to ask some questions?
Friday, March 27, 2009
Overnight Music
Don't think I have posted this yet and if I have, bugger off.
Sam Roberts - Them Kids
Sam Roberts - Them Kids
Farcry 2
I had such high hopes for this game and while I wouldn't say it is a bad game, but it is disappointing. I'm a big fan of Fallout 3. It is easily one of my favorite games of all time. I love the open world environment that it has. Many times while trying to complete Fallout 3 I would get sidetracked checking out bombed out buildings, collecting slaves, doing side quests or just exploring. There is so much to do in Fallout 3 outside of the main quest that you could probably spend hours completely ignoring the main quest and still have a great time. Farcry 2 was supposed to have the same type of open world environment and said environment was supposed to be as large as Fallout 3's was. My main issue with Farcry 2 is that they seem to have tossed in their huge open world environment just to have one and force you to travel long distances to complete your quest. I'm not that far into the game so maybe that changes and it isn't a bad game, but it didn't deliver on what I wanted. This is, in my book, a good game to rent and a bad one to buy.
Still Crazy
I'm tired so I'm not going to do much blogging this evening, but I wanted to make sure and point out that Michele Bachman is still crazy.
And
As much as I enjoy the crazy that Bachman brings, it might be a good idea to require government officials to go through some sort of psychological screening.
"Economics works equally in any country. Where freedom is tried, the people rejoice. But where tyranny is enforced upon the people, as Barack Obama is doing, the people suffer and mourn."
And
"Right now I'm a member of Congress. And I believe that my job here is to be a foreign correspondent, reporting from enemy lines. And people need to understand, this isn't a game. this isn't just a political talk show that's happening right now."
As much as I enjoy the crazy that Bachman brings, it might be a good idea to require government officials to go through some sort of psychological screening.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
I See Stupid People
The scariest thing about government is the number of really stupid people we trust to make important decisions.
“She’s talking about the United States,” Keller said. “This legislation would ensure that the U.S. dollar remain the currency of the United States.”
Good to see Michele Bachmann is out there on the front lines, protecting the dollar.
More crazy.
The first segment of the clip cracks me up especially the look on Geithner's face as he realizes that Bachmann is batshit crazy.
Bringing The Funny
From Kung Fu Monkey -
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
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