Timely April Fool's Joke

Bravo to the Card Chronicle. Nice little joke. Ha, ha.

Good Lord.

Apparently there's some truth to the message board chatter that Louisville fans have been brushing off for the last couple of weeks, as ESPN's Pat Forde is reporting that Rick Pitino met with Indiana athletic director Rick Greenspan in Bloomington on Monday afternoon, and cites a source close to Pitino as saying that he is "leaning towards" taking the job.

[snip]

Forde didn't say whether or not a timeline had been set for Pitino to make a decision, but he did say that today is April Fool's Day, and that Mike Rutherford of CardChronicle.com had made every word of this post up.

What the Hell is Going on at IU?

I wake up this morning to a fine how-do-you-do:

From the Indianapolis Star: Basset, Ellis Kicked Off Team
The Indiana University basketball team could enter the 2008-09 season with a new coach and no returning starters.

The latter is the result of confirmation Monday that IU starters Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis were dismissed from the team by interim coach Dan Dakich, according to three people close to the program.

According to The Hoosier Scoop, the two players were hoping that whoever the new coach is would change their punishment:

But [Bassett and Ellis] are telling teammates that they hope the dismissal will turn into more of a suspension. They plan on maintaining their eligibility in hopes that a new coach will allow them back on the team, according to a source close to the situation.

These two have been previously suspended during the year for a violation of team rules. Bassett missed games against Kentucky, Western Carolina and Coppin State, and Ellis missed the regular-season finale against Penn State. It was never revealed what they did to earn their suspensions, but suffice to say, these guys were already walking on thin ice when they decided to play the "you're not my real coach" card.

Those people say Bassett and Ellis missed a pre-arranged appointment late last week, and Dakich told them that they were required to run at 6 a.m. the next day as punishment. He also told them at the time that if they didn't show up, they would be off the team.

The next morning neither was there and Dakich informed them later of his decision.

All this happened last night, while I was blissfully unaware. This morning, IU confirmed that the dismissals are a done deal:

Indiana athletics media relations director J.D. Campbell confirmed this morning that IU has dismissed Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis from its basketball team.

Campbell gave no explanation about the reasons for or timing of the dismissals.

Terry Hutchins of the Hoosier Insider has a nice post that about sums up the whole mess that is IU basketball:

A friend just told me that IU was worried at one point about what the NCAA might do to them and what it would do to the program. But this team appears to be imploding all by itself. Can you believe the timing of this one? If this program didn't have bad timing, it would have no timing at all.

I have no idea why an interim coach would toss these two off the team, but clearly there's more to all this than what's on the surface. One thing is for sure, it's going to get worse before things get better. What coach wants to inherit this mess?

Devil's Cape Has Arrived

I received a surprise in my mailbox last night: my copy of Devil's Cape arrived several days earlier than expected. I'm anxious to return to Pirate Town:

If New Orleans has earned its "Sin City" nickname for its debauchery, then its nearby sister Devil's Cape has earned its "Pirate Town" moniker for the violence and blatant corruption that have marred the city since its founding. A city where corruption and heroism walk hand-in-hand, and justice and mercy are bought and paid-for in blood, Devil's Cape is a city like no other.

Buy the book today.

Visit the author's blog.

Devil's Cape Shipped

I got an e-mail from Amazon.com that my preordered copy of Devil's Cape, written by my friend Rob Rogers, just shipped. I should have it no later than Friday. In the meantime, I may hit a bookstore or two with my Border's Rewards coupon and see if it's on the shelves starting tomorrow.

Pssst. Hey Buddy. Wanna Coach a Basketball Team?

Doesn't anyone want to coach the Indiana Hoosiers? Let's recap my three top choices.

Bruce Pearl (Tennessee)?

From The Sporting News: Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton said Friday afternoon he'd received no requests from other schools to interview Pearl for another head coaching position. He is confident Pearl will remain at Tennessee.

Tony Bennett (Washington State)?

From The Hoosier Insider: Indiana and Bennett talked about the opening today and the Washington State coach told IU that he wasn't interested in pursuing the position. "I had an exploratory conversation with Indiana,'' Bennett told the newspaper Sunday, "and I am not going to pursue the Indiana job.'' (Possible reasons why)

Sean Miller (Xavier)?

From The Hoosier Scoop: Publicly, Miller has already stated that he wants to stay at Xavier, where’s he’s been the coach since Thad Matta left for Ohio State.

“I will be at Xavier,” Miller said after his team lost to UCLA Saturday. “I’m looking forward to coaching at Xavier and continuing on with what we’ve done for years behind me and what we’ve done this year.”

I know that most of this is based on speculation and rumor, except the Bennet quote. Coaches will endeavor to say the right thing to cover their butts in case any move doesn't pan out. To quote Don Nelson when he coach the Dallas Mavericks, "If my mouth is moving, I'm lying to you." Not that these coaches are lying, but I do hope one of them has a change of heart.

On the bright side, the great destroyer hasn't been contacted by the search committee.

I'd Like to Thank Tennessee...

...for totally f***ing up my bracket.

On the bright side, the Hoosiers are now free to pursue Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl for its head coach job. Um, so thanks Louisville.

Tell the FDA What You Think About Drug Ads

Endless drug ads on TV: do these drugs really work, and what about side effects? Are we hearing the whole story???

I just took action to make sure we know more about the benefits and risks of the drugs we take. Join me in urging the FDA to require drug companies to include a 1-800 number and website in all TV drug ads so consumers can report side effects. A better system for reporting problems means earlier detection of problems!

Click here and sign the online petition.

Some history from the Prescription for Change Blog:

An Institute of Medicine report found that in 2004, only 21,500 of the 423,000 adverse event reports that year came directly from doctors and patients — even though there is an easy to use 1-800 number.

Drug safety activist Kim Witczak of Minneapolis, Minn. proposed a nifty idea: what if these ubiquitous drug ads included that 1-800 number? Rep Schakowsky of Illinois offered an amendment to the FDA reform bill last fall requiring this information for all drug ads. By the time the bill got to the President, it required drug companies to only include the 1-800 number on print ads, but not TV ads. Rather, the law called for FDA to study the TV ad idea.

I hate drug ads. I wish there were completely banned from print and TV. But since that won't happen any time soon, I'll throw my support behind this effort. I urge you to do the same.

Buy This Book: Devil's Cape

My good friend Rob Rogers is about to have his first novel published. In fact, it will hit stores in ONE WEEK!

From the man himself:

Man, it's just one week until Devil's Cape hits bookshelves. If you're interested in the book, please call your local bookstore and make sure that it's going to be stocking some copies. Judging by the other Discoveries titles, it might not automatically be stocked, and I could really use the help generating some interest.

Wizards has expanded its coverage of Devil's Cape on its site. Some things are still being tweaked and more content is coming, but I'm excited that a sample chapter has been posted. Please take a look at it here. I apologize that it's a zipped file--I'm not sure why they do it that way. If I can figure out a way to host the PDF myself somewhere, I'll do so.

What's this book about, you ask? Allow me to elaborate:

Heroes with a Southern Gothic edge.

If New Orleans has earned its "Sin City" nickname for its debauchery, then its nearby sister Devil's Cape has earned its "Pirate Town" moniker for the violence and blatant corruption that have marred the city since its founding. A city where corruption and heroism walk hand-in-hand, and justice and mercy are bought and paid-for in blood, Devil's Cape is a city like no other.

Devil's Cape is a novel like no other. It blends the gritty crime novel with a heavy dose of the supernatural and weaves a tale of superhuman heroes and villains. Briskly written and highly readable, Devil's Cape will appeal to a wide audience.

I had the privilege of reading an early draft of Devil's Cape. I'm not much of a fan of the comic book genre but story and characters kept me riveted. I can't wait for the final version to be released. I preordered my copy on Amazon months ago. Honestly, I'm not pushing this book just because Rob is my friend. It's a damn good book. Download the sample chapter and see if you're not instantly hooked.

Dakich Receives Kiss of Death

It was bad enough for interim Hoosier coach Dan Dakich to coach what became his final game under the specter of the announcement by the university that it had formed a basketball coach search committee. Now this:

From the NY Daily News: HOOSIER DADDY? With Indiana eliminated from the NCAA Tournament, the school is expected to being a search for a new head coach. Former Hoosier player Dan Dakich is serving as the interim coach. Scott Skiles is scheduled to be interviewed for the job, but when one of Indiana’s most famous alums was asked if he has any interest, Thomas passed. “I would hope that they would keep Dan Dakich there,” Thomas said. “Dan has done a good job under some tough circumstances. “I’ll do everything I can to help and support the program in terms of financial resources and also helping them recruit players. I definitely would like to see Dakich keep the job.”

The support of Isaiah Thomas? The Great Destroyer?

So long Dakich. It's been good knowing you.

Bracket Update

I manged to pick a meager nine of the sweet 16 teams this year. In my favor, I still have my final four intact. In my office pool, I'm currently tied for 68th place out of 206. I have 43 points to the leader's 52. Only one person in the top 11 picked UCLA to win it all so I'm hopeful I can move up in the standings next weekend.

Oh, and the Hoosiers lost. Yippee.

Indiana Could Absolutely Be a Dangerous Team

I hate Billy Packer. And his infinite wisdom is on display again:

"I think Indiana could absolutely be a dangerous team in this tournament. I've seen Indiana play some great basketball and in fairness to the kids they've gone through a lot. What I'm anxious to see right now is what Indiana team will be here. The Indiana team that I've seen play does not lose to Minnesota. Anytime. Any game. On any day. So that goes to show you that they were a far cry last week from the great Indiana team I've seen play several times this season.''

Well, DUH. Thanks for that great insight Billy. Of course Indiana could be a dangerous team in this tournament. If they had kept playing like they did right before Kelvin Sampson was fired, IU would be seeded higher and ready to make a deep run. As it stands now, I believe Arkansas will run IU out of the building.

I hope I'm wrong.

Muscle Madness

Here's a neat take on the NCAA basketball bracket craze by the folks at Men's Health: letting readers select what they think is the single best muscle building exercise.

I fear that the bench press will ultimately win out because it's traditionally been the measuring stick of strength and machismo: "What's your bench, dude?"

I'll be voting for the deadlift. Should that not make it to the finals, any of the squats or the power clean would get my vote. I haven't personally done any power cleans. I have completed hanging cleans and those are certainly ball-busters. But I think the deadlift is currently king.


And after I've had a chance to do deadlifts again for awhile, I may kick an already tough lift up a notch and try the deadlift walk.

UCLA Wins. IU Loses.

March Madness has arrived. It's officially the best time of the sporting year for me. Usually.

It's been a long, frustrating basketball season for me as a Hoosier fan. At it's peak, I was ready to take IU to the Final Four in my bracket and make a case to anyone that IU had just as good a shot as any top team to win it all.

Now? IU is an eight seed and I'm picking them to lose in the first round.

The whole Hoosier team seemed to lose its will to live after Kelvin Sampson got fired. They have played horrible basketball, losing three of the last four games, including a woodshed spanking at the hands of Michigan State and losses to Penn State and Minnesota.

Not only that, the week that IU is scheduled to play after limping into the Big Dance, the university announced the formation of a 10-panel search committee to find a new coach. Nice timing, eh? Just one more distraction.

So this year, its more March Sadness than it is Madness.

Now to my picks. Usually, I do my research, listen to experts, and fill out multiple brackets. This year, I haven't done any research, listened to any experts, and completed only one bracket. There are only three things that are locked in stone for me, the rest are simply shots in the dark: IU will lose to Arkansas in the first round, Tennessee will make it the school's first ever championship game, and UCLA will win it all.

Final Four:
Tennessee
Wisconsin
Texas
UCLA

Final Game:
Tennessee vs. UCLA

2008 Champion: UCLA

Go Vols!

St. Patrick's Day Triathlon Race Report

Taken from my race report filed on Beginner Triathlete, my online training log.

Total Time = 1h 19m 58s
Overall Rank = 233/462
Age Group = 40-44
Age Group Rank = 30/40

Official age group results can be found here. You'll notice that I'm in the 40-44 age group even though I'm still a spry 39. USA Triathlon determines age based on how old you'll be by December 31 of a calendar year. Thus, I got to have a big FOUR-OH marked on my legs during the body marking.

Pre-race routine:
Rise and shine! 4:30 came awfully early. I didn't have a restful night's sleep. I was too excited. This was my first triathlon. Breakfast was two whole grain waffles with peanut butter and jelly. Kara and I packed up and hit the road.

Event warmup:
Most of my warmup was spent wandering around and taking in the sights and sounds. I got set up in the transition area. Got body marked. Checked out the pool. I eventually got around to some dynamic warmups and light jogging. I needed to check my right calf and left achilles. Both have been giving me trouble. The achilles pain was tolerable. The calf pain was gone. YES! I eventually got into race gear and moved inside the natatorium for some light pool warmups.

Swim
Comments:
I totally sucked today. The size of the pool got into my head. And once I got winded, my form went to pot. Still, only one person passed me so I must have decently seeded myself. I did pass the guy in front of me.

What would you do differently?:
I was the mental equivalent of a bowl of jelly. Once I got winded, the negative thoughts flew in. I need to work on my mental conditioning prior to the next pool swim. If 50 meter lanes can get to me, what will happen in an open swim? I want to swim at least once in a 50 meter pool prior to the next race. Also, I need to do some mental exercises to help me keep my rhythm and form.

Transition 1
Comments:
Much quicker and easier than I thought. I took my time, dried my feet, put on my socks and shoes and shirt and helmet. I stuffed some gel into my shorts, grabbed my glasses and headed to bike out.

What would you do differently?:
For now, nothing.

Bike
Comments:
I did much better than I expected on this. I went hard, attacked the hills, passed a few people and got passed by the elite. It was great. Except that my back tightened up. This has been a reoccurring problem due to, I think, an improper fitting. Other than that, I know I can go faster.

What would you do differently?:
Attack harder. Work my gears better. Work on my pedal technique.I need to hydrate better on this leg. I only drank half my water bottle. And I needed the electrolytes for the next leg.

Transition 2
Comments:
Same as before. Fast and easy. I dismounted in my shoes and jogged to my bike rack. Changing shoes was fast and easy. No issues.

What would you do differently?:
For now, nothing.

Run
Comments:
I started off fine. I didn't have the expected "brick" legs from riding so hard. I started off at what I thought was a gentle pace to get my running legs. About five minutes in, my calf completed seized up and caused me to stop running. On a scale of one to ten, this was about an eight. It hurt like a big dog. Stretching did no good. Cursing, I continued on with a limp walk. Then evolved into a limp run, which evolved into a run. I was surprised by my time and disappointed as well. I know I could have run much faster if not for the calf issue.

Best sign seen on the run course: "May your ex be jealous of your rock-hard body." I had to smile in spite of my pain at that one. Now THAT'S an Irish blessing.

What would you do differently?:
Nothing. I need to finish a run pain free first.

Post race
Warm down:
This involved mostly limping, cursing, and stretching.

What limited your ability to perform faster:
Mental issues in the pool. My right calf seizing up on the run.

Event comments:
I can't say enough good things about this race. This was a perfect first triathlon experience for me and my girlfriend. We both had a great time, were impressed by the level of assistance, the course, everything. I really loved the leprechaun pope (I hope to get a picture of him). He made a great emcee. I recommend the race and course to newbies, beginners, and even experts looking for a speed workout. This race totally SHAM-ROCKED!

Other highlights include getting beat by an 11-year old girl.

Cheezy Technique - Amazing Results

As much as I want to eat according to a sound nutritional plan and stay compliant, I struggle just like everybody else. In my weaker moments, I will engage in an internal dialog to justify eating a hamburger, high-GI carbs, or any kind of sweet (especially ice cream, my kryptonite).

But I may have found something that will help me. Ryan Andrews of the Precision Nutrition team writes about the "oh well" technique. Here it is in all its complicated glory:

You see, after learning which foods were on the plan and which were off the plan, each time he was presented with a food off the plan, instead of debating the merits of the food, instead of justifying "just one bite," instead of talking himself into a poor decision, he simply repeated the cheesy trigger phrase:

"Oh Well, it's not on my plan."

Then, with a shrug of the shoulders, he'd move on and busy himself with something else. An activity. A book. A conversation. His compliant food choices. Etc.

So that's it. As you can tell from the title of this post, which quotes the title of the article, Andrews thinks this a pretty "cheezy" technique. However:

This is one of the most powerful strategies I've ever found for helping folks make the right decisions day in and day out - both in the gym and at the dining table.

It allows folks to avoid the messy mental gymnastics and gives them a touchstone for remaining true to their real intentions and goals. Indeed, it helps us avoid the problem outlined in this quote...

"The reason most people fail instead of succeed is that they trade what they want most for what they want at the moment."

I love that last line. It exactly describes what happens to me when eat an unplanned sweets or snacks or indulge in crappy food choices when eating out. I settle for what I want at the moment.

I'm going to give the "oh well" technique a try and see if it works.

Tomorrow. And after I eat this cookie.

Now That's Irony: Abortions Highest Where Religion is Highest

Austin Cline at About.com has a nice analysis about an article first published in The Guardian.

Abortions Highest Where Religion is Highest
Given how opposition to legal abortion is almost entirely based on religious dogma, one might think that areas where belief in religious dogma is highest will be areas where abortion is lowest. That, however, is incorrect - abortion rates are highest in places where religiosity is highest but lowest in more secular areas. This is not an incidental correlation: not only does it disprove the popular idea that secularism destroys the moral values which oppose abortion, but it points to how religion itself can make demand for abortion higher.

While I'm not taking this as, if you'll excuse the expression, the end-all gospel, I will say that this is just another nail in the coffin of the "moral superiority" that is religion. The more religious leaders try to control their flocks, the worse things get.

Rocky Mountain High

This makes as much, if not more, sense than any explanation the bible gives:

Was Moses high on Mount Sinai? - Science- msnbc.com
“The thunder, lightning and blaring of a trumpet which the Book of Exodus says emanated from Mount Sinai could just have been the imaginings of a people in an “altered state of awareness,” Shanon hypothesized.

"In advanced forms of ayahuasca inebriation, the seeing of light is accompanied by profound religious and spiritual feelings,” Shanon wrote.

“On such occasions, one often feels that in seeing the light, one is encountering the ground of all Being ... many identify this power as God.”

A stoner party out in the middle of the desert? I don't even think Burning Man in its prime could top this.

Texas + Religion = Stupidity

Here are a couple of reasons why religion in Texas continues to f*** up this state.

From Newsweek:
Texas produces more carbon emissions than most countries, but the state government and business community don't seem too concerned.

Were the Lonestar State to secede from the union it would be the world's eighth-largest emitter of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, just behind Canada, with 630 million metric tons spewed into the atmosphere in 2005, according to new figures released this week by the U.S. government's Energy Information Administration. That's actually a reduction of 40 million metric tons since 2003, when Texas was the globe's seventh-largest CO₂ contributor. But even though the state is improving, Texas still outpaces the combined emissions of California and Pennsylvania, the states with the second- and third-highest CO₂ outputs.

And why does Texas continue to lead the nation in carbon emissions? It is the nation's leading producer of energy, and with more cattle and oil refineries than any other state, it is essentially America's power plant, gas pump and beef basket. That's well and good. However, it's Governor Rick Perry, a right-wing religious nut job who swallows everything his buddy President Bush feeds him, who continuously holds things back:

But to many Texans, environmental activism looks too much like big government threatening the state's business interests. Under Republican Gov. Rick Perry, Texas has dug in its heels when it comes to enacting any state initiatives aimed at cutting emissions or promoting efficiency. Perry publicly doubts that global warming is a manmade problem—something his predecessor George W. Bush has acknowledged—and pokes fun at those who do. Last year Perry remarked that Al Gore's mouth is the country's leading source of carbon dioxide, not Texas.

In another show of blind stupidity, there's a chance than a school board electron from the 11th District could elect a creation science supporter:

Board member Pat Hardy, R-Fort Worth, is being challenged in the GOP primary by Cleburne urologist Barney Maddox, a critic of the theory of evolution who calls it a "myth" on a creation science Web site and who once testified that Texas schoolchildren are "brainwashed" into believing in evolution.

PZ Meyers from Pharyngula sums this up nicely:

There's a school board election in District 11 of Texas that has a clear choice: Pat Hardy is the pro-science candidate, despite being a conservative, religious Baptist, while her opponent is a deranged lunatic who is quietly outspending her 12:1 while avoiding the public eye altogether. You do not want to vote for Barney Maddox — he is an "ill-informed nutcase".

Isn't this weird? Here in Minnesota, we're affected by the outcomes of local school board races in Texas — allowing ignorant, raving lunatics to make textbook decisions there is going to shape the choices we get to make here. So if you know any Texans, spread the word: Barney Maddox is bad news.

If he wins, I suppose that means Texas will be teaching kids crappy science who in turn, if they grow up to be scientists, will continue to ignore the issue of global warming because destroying Texas and the world will more quickly bring about the return of geezus.

It's okay to weep for us Texas. I won't mind. In fact, I'm about to do that myself.

UPDATE: Intelligence and reason won in the school board election! There's hope for this state yet.

OUCH!!

Arsenal say Eduardo "back in nine months"

Tough Times for Hoosier Fans

I didn't have the opportunity to watch what turned out to be a terrific game for the Hoosiers. But as luck would have it, they lost when Wisconsin's Brian Butch hit a lucky bank three with just a few ticks left on the clock. The boys at one of my favorite blogs, Inside the Hall, said it best:

The one good thing here? IU played well. This is two games in a row we can sit back and say: “Hey, we’re looking good, we’re finally coming around.” It’s just too bad it had to come in a loss. At home. The day it was announced Kelvin Sampson got slapped with major sanctions.

Here’s a sampling of columns put together by Chris Korman over at The Hoosier Scoop:

• Kravitz to IU: Time to get rid of slime (Bob Kravitz, Indianapolis Star)
• IU’s best action may be to suspend Sampson immediately (Pat Forde, ESPN)
• Serious allegations (Grant Wahl, Sports Illustrated)
• Goodbye to Sampson, IU’s good name (Greg Couch, Chicago Sun-Times)
• It maybe harsh, but Indiana needs to fire Sampson (John Rhode, The Oklahoman)
• Indiana coach Sampson on the brink (Skip Myslenski, Chicago Tribune)
• Indiana has no choice, it must fire Sampson — now (Gregg Doyel, CBS)
• Sampson’s blatant disregard for rules may cost him (Jeff Googman, Fox Sports)
• Allegations of violations upset former Hoosiers (Mark Schlabach, ESPN)

Throw in the passing of Terry Hoeppner prior to the 2007 football season and you have the makings for a really tough year for Hoosier fans. Hope, optimism, and dreams of post season success have been replaced by tragedy, mourning, and feelings of betrayal, anger, and disgust.

Thanks Kelvin Sampson. We can indeed hear you now.

Too bad all you seem to be saying are lies. Time for you to go. But thanks for turning D.J. White into at beast. I can at least give you credit for that.

Looking Good for Jesus

It's wonderful when blog posts simply write themselves.

From MSNBC: SINGAPORE - A cosmetics range with cheeky taglines that extolled the virtues of "Looking Good for Jesus" has been pulled from stores in Singapore after some Roman Catholics complained the items were disrespectful, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Promising to "Redeem your reputation and more," the product line included a "virtuous vanilla"-flavored lip balm and a "Get Tight with Christ" hand and body cream, as well as bags and other items sold by British retailer Topshop and produced by Blue Q, The Straits Times said.

[snip]

On the packaging of one of the products, Jesus, wearing a bright white robe, looks heavenward while a blonde, heavily made-up woman with an arm draped across his shoulder gazes dreamily at his face.

So how does one go about redeeming one's reputation? It's easier than you think.

This is great. No more boring and embarrassing trips the confessional. Simply apply the virtuous lip balm and think pure thoughts...well, until the next hot date. Unfortunately, this kit doesn't put an END to sinning. It just takes the edge off of it. No wonder the word "Repeat" is in bold, red letters.

Starbucks Irony

Here's an amusing Starbucks post by Cassandra Forsythe over at the Female Fitness and Nutrition Scientist blog.

While I was in line waiting to order, I noticed the most ironic advertisement. Right there behind the counter on the Coffee of the Day sign was the following statement: "Try our new SKINNY lattes and have it with our warm cinnamon swirl muffin!"

I need to see if any Starbucks in my area have this bit of silliness posted in their stores. I had my own internal struggle with some irony that finally led me to stop having whipped cream with my NONFAT mocha. It's bad enough that I add peppermint syrup.

Don't Buy an iPhone If...

I asked a guy in the locker room today about his iPhone. He said it's a piece of junk. And here's why. First, there's no warranty. I can't verify that, but I'll take his word for it. Usually with Apple you HAVE to buy an extended warranty if you want any help with your product past the initial 90 days. It's a rip, but that's what they do. In this case, it's $69.

Second, he complained about how sensitive the touch screen is. Even with the protective case on, he's been "busted several times" when he's with a lady and the phone activates. He makes out with a gal, his phone calls another so one of his other lady friends can hear what he's doing with his current lady friend. His advice to me? "Don't buy an iPhone if you're dating more than one girl."

I swear I'm not making this up. He then proceeds to use his sucky iPhone to talk with what appeared to be one of his unhappy lady friends. And he emphasized to her over the phone that she is indeed "just a friend."



I still want one. It just costs too much for me.

3: The Number of the Beast

This is D.J. White. He is now officially a beast after his beastly performance against Ohio State last night.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State officials called for "white out" conditions for Sunday's game against Indiana, asking fans to wear white.

Indiana countered with D.J. White.

The IU senior forward had a double-double in the first half and finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds as No. 14 Indiana posted its second Big Ten road victory in four days, beating Ohio State 59-53 before a sellout crowd of 19,049 at Value City Arena.

White's 15th double-double in 23 games included 10-of-15 shooting, six offensive rebounds, two blocks and a steal. He played the entire game.

"I was just playing hard," White said. "From watching film, I knew we'd have a chance to get offensive rebounds. So that's what I did when the ball went up. I went for the offensive rebounds."

Eric Gordon may be the superstar of this year's team, a title he rightly deserves. But this is D.J. White's team and night after night he shows why. He's the most consistent, most aggressive, and most enthusiastic. This team rises and falls with D.J. Gordon is the superstar. White is the MVB: Most Valuable Beast.

Great Chess Player. Great Movie.

Bobby Fischer, outspoken ex-chess champion, dies of kidney failure

From ESPN: REYKJAVIK, Iceland -- Bobby Fischer, the reclusive chess genius who became a Cold War hero by dethroning the Soviet world champion in 1972 and later renounced his American citizenship, has died. He was 64.

The article does a good job of explaining Fischer's eccentric life, but if you want to get a different take on the man, I highly recommend the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer. If you're not a chess fan, that's okay. It's more than that. I may have to break out the VCR this weekend and watch it.

At Least the Hoosiers Won

This was not a good weekend to be a fan of the Indianapolis Colts and the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams suffered humiliating defeats on their home turf.

First, the Colts returned to their old playoff ways to go one-and-done in their final game at the RCA Dome.

• Chargers stun Colts, will face Patriots in AFC title game (ESPN.com)
• Errors, poor play doom Colts in Dome's finale (IndyStar.com)
• Minus L.T. and Rivers, Chargers Stun Colts (SI.com)

I didn't get to watch much of the game, but from what my buddy Jonathan tells me, the Colts deserved to lose. I hope last year's Super Bowl victory wasn't an aberration. I want to be confident that the Colts have a shot at making the Super Bowl each year without having to worry about choking in the playoffs. I was confidently looking forward to the Colts playing the Patriots is what could have been the best AFC Championship game ever. Now, we're all stuck with watching the Chargers getting their asses whooped. Then again, I assumed that would happen against the Colts. Shows what I know.

Speaking of playoff futility, let's move our attention to the hometown team of the Dallas Cowboys. I was worried about this game from the start, thinking that any upsets that occurred this weekend would happen in the NFC. I was half right (unfortunately).


Da Boys extended their postseason futility by collecting NFL record-tying sixth straight postseason loss. At home. Against the Giants.

• Another Dallas Cowboys season ends on sour note (Dallasnews.com)
• Dallas Cowboys exit playoffs with 21-17 loss (Dallasnews.com)
• Cowboys fall short on last effort as Giants move on to face Packers (ESPN.com)

Shoulda. Coulda. Woulda. The Giants wanted this game more. I guess there's always next year to look forward to. But Decembers have not been kind to the Cowboys the past few years. I'm tired of getting my hopes up and having them dashed over and over with uninspired play. It was a great season for the Cowboys. But what a disappointing way to have it end.

But at least my Hoosiers won.

Remember These Guys?

They're only the defending Super Bowl champions. From MSNBC:

Yes, it’ll be quite a weekend with New England, Green Bay and Dallas in action. All the great teams are ready to make their Super Bowl push. New England, Green Bay and Dallas. All the great teams in the NFL. Is there a team missing?

Oh, that’s right, the Indianapolis Colts.

Oh, those Colts. The defending Super Bowl champs led by former league MVP Peyton Manning and current defensive player of the year Bob Sanders.

Will Indianapolis breeze through San Diego and then conquer New England?

Maybe not, but they could and they won’t be scared. And they should be remembered. This is your Super Bowl champion and they haven’t gone anywhere yet. While others are basking in the glow of the playoffs, the forgotten Colts are shining their Lombardi Trophy and quietly preparing for another run at a ring.

Actually, I hope the Colts are overlooked. That will make their victory over the Patriots in the AFC Championship game even sweeter. Go Colts!

Unlucky #13

Cowboys Defeat Hoosiers in Insight Bowl

I wasn't expecting the Hoosiers to win, but I was h0ping for a closer game. I didn't watch it and, in a way, I'm glad I didn't. All I need to know is that IU put up some points in the second half and hopefully created some momentum for next year.

"We dug ourselves a big hole but we played much better in the second half," [Head coach Bill] Lynch said. "I was really proud of our guys the way they came back in the second half and kept battling."

I expect the Hoosiers to battle next year. And that may be enough to fully convert me to a full-fledged IU football fan. The spirit of Coach Hoep was honored this year. Let's see what they can do next year without a tragedy to distract them.

GO HOOSIERS.

"Stray bullets change lives ... sometimes in a very tragic way,"

Semi humorous headline from my local news paper: Dallas police, officials discourage random gunfire.

As opposed to thought out gunfire?

But this is kinda scary too, but in a cool, high tech sort of way:

The city is also reviewing new gunshot detection technology. The machines, which are in use in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, are able to detect gunfire and pinpoint its location.

Big city life has it's high points and low points. This would be a low point. Have a happy and SAFE New Year's eve.

Lucky #13

Indiana Selected to Play in the Insight Bowl

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana University has been selected to play in the Insight Bowl, IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan and Insight Bowl Chairman Dick Stemple announced on Sunday evening. The Hoosiers (7-5, 3-5 Big Ten) will face Oklahoma State (6-6, 4-4 Big 12) on Monday, Dec. 31.

IU will be making its ninth bowl appearance and its first since the 1993 Independence Bowl. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. MST/5:30 p.m. EST in Tempe, Ariz. The game will be played at Sun Devil Stadium (73,752) and will air on the NFL Network.

"I was delighted to learn that our football team has been selected to play in the Insight Bowl," Indiana University President Michael McRobbie said. "Coach Lynch and our players persevered through a season of unique challenges and, with strong support from our fans, achieved their goal to `play 13.' As we strive for excellence in all things at IU, this achievement is a point of significant pride for all of us."

Congratulations, Hoosiers. What a great way to honor Coach Hoep's memory and brief legacy by making a bowl game. The kick in the gut is that the game will be broadcast on the NFL Network, which is unavailable to about 70% of the households in the country. I do believe Indiana is very much a cable company stronghold. I hope a local station gets to simulcast the game. That happened here in Dallas for the Cowboys/Packers game. Go Hoosiers!!

Here's the kick that got us to number 13.

Another Casualty of the Obesity Crisis

It appears that the world is getting too big for the It's a Small Word ride at Disneyland:

Heavier-than-anticipated loads have been causing the boats to come to a standstill in two different spots, allowing for an extra-long gander at the Canadian Mounties and the Scandinavian geese, said Al Lutz, whose website MiceAge first reported the refurbishment plans.

"If these boats get stuck . . . they have to send someone back in there to lighten the load on the boat," said Lutz, who has been on the ride when a guest or two was asked to disembark.

"They've even built a platform next to that [Mounties] curve because they've had so many problems."

Disneyland plans to add an inch of depth to the water channel and design more-buoyant boats, Lutz said.

Of course, it's not the expanding waist lines of Americans and tourists. It's the "layers and layers of fiberglass have built up where maintenance teams have patched and re-patched problem areas, said Disneyland Resort spokesman Bob Tucker."

Layers of fiberglass. Riiiight. That would explain the need to redesign many of its costumes and to start stocking them in larger sizes to accommodate ever-expanding waistlines of the cast members (Disney doesn't have employees. They're called cast members. It's all a big show, you know?).

But here is the insult that gets added to the injury:

So when somebody gets booted from the boat, Lutz said, Disneyland ride operators make sure the guests don't leave disappointed: They hand them a food ticket.

Overweight tourists getting free food tickets? At the rate the world is growing these days, it will be a large world, after all.

Sounds like it's time to head over to The Little Land of Duff ride where allowances for extra weight are built into the ride's design. But then there's that song.

This Just In: Men Are Simple Creatures...DUH!

From the Department of the Blatantly Obvious: Males are simple creatures who simply want to get laid.

And now there is scientific proof:

Despite flash, males are simple creatures

Females evolve slower, but it's because they're more complex

The secret to why male organisms evolve faster than their female counterparts comes down to this: Males are simple creatures.

In nearly all species, males seem to ramp up glitzier garbs, more graceful dance moves and more melodic warbles in a never-ending vie to woo the best mates. Called sexual selection, the result is typically a showy male and a plain-Jane female. Evolution speeds along in the males compared to females.

The idea that males evolve more quickly than females has been around since 19th century biologist Charles Darwin observed the majesty of a peacock’s tail feather in comparison with those of the drab peahen.

How and why males exist in evolutionary overdrive despite carrying essentially the same genes as females has long puzzled scientists.

New research on fruit flies, detailed online last week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, finds males have fewer genetic obstacles to prevent them from responding quickly to selection pressures in their environments.

"It’s because males are simpler," said lead author Marta Wayne, a zoologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville. "The mode of inheritance in males involves simpler genetic architecture that does not include as many interactions between genes as could be involved in female inheritance."

Need further proof? How about this new study by researchers at the University of Paris X-Nanterre that found that a woman's hair color influenced men's performance on general intelligence tests. Men who looked at photographs of blonde women scored lower on the tests than men shown images of brunettes and redheads.

Researchers discovered what might be called the “bimbo delusion” by studying men’s ability to complete general knowledge tests after exposure to different women. The academics found that men’s scores fell after they were shown pictures of blondes.

Further analysis convinced the team that, rather than simply being distracted by the flaxen hair, those who performed poorly had been unconsciously driven by social stereotypes to “think blonde”.

“This proves that people confronted with stereotypes generally behave in line with them,” said Thierry Meyer, joint author of the study and professor of social psychology at the University of Paris X-Nanterre. “In this case blondes have the potential to make people act in a dumber way, because they mimic the unconscious stereotype of the dumb blonde.”

But are men really "talking down" to blondes or is it something more sinister?

Michelle Collins, the blonde-haired former EastEnders actress, suspected the results were more to do with men’s approach to sex than intelligence. “I don’t think it’s to do with hair at all; it’s all about the breasts,” she said.

So let's recap: the rapid evolution and adaptation by males is all because we want to get laid--especially by blondes because we think they're easier to bed because they're stupid.

Eh, so be it. It's not like this is news to anybody, particularly women (although, somebody may need to spell it out for the blondes of the world. But be sure to use small words and brightly colored pictures. Maybe a flannelgraph will help.).

Come on Spaghetti Monster!

From MSNBC:

Indeed, the tale of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and its followers cuts to the heart of the one of the thorniest questions in religious studies: What defines a religion? Does it require a genuine theological belief? Or simply a set of rituals and a community joining together as a way of signaling their cultural alliances to others?

A great read that asks a simple question about the origin of religion: am I part of something bigger?

Lucas Johnston, the third Florida student, argues the Flying Spaghetti Monsterism exhibits at least some of the traits of a traditional religion _ including, perhaps, that deep human need to feel like there's something bigger than oneself out there.

He recognized the point when his neighbor, a militant atheist who sports a pro-Darwin bumper sticker on her car, tried recently to start her car on a dying battery.

As she turned the key, she murmured under her breath: "Come on Spaghetti Monster!"

And may you be touched by His noodly appendage. Ramen.

"Ask Your Doctor if Getting Off Your Ass Is Right for You"

Because he's a way better writer than I can even dream to be, here's a post I'm taking from Lou Schuler and his terrific blog:

I nominate Bill Maher to head up the FDA under the next administration:

If you believe you need to take all the pills the pharmaceutical industry says you do, then you're already on drugs.

Yes, it's that time in the campaign where all the candidates are presenting their health care proposals. Hillary's covers children's teeth. Edwards has one that includes maintaining gorgeous, shiny hair and Barack Obama's involves going on Oprah, and everyone gets a gastric bypass!

But, none of the plans address the real problem. We won't stop being sick until we stop making ourselves sick. Because -- because there is a point where even the most universal government health program can't help you. They can't outlaw unhealthy food or alcohol or cigarettes. Just pot, sadly.

Because, you see, the government isn't your nanny. They're your dealer. And they subsidize illness in America. They have to. There's too much money in it. You see, there's no money in healthy people. And there's no money in dead people. The money is in the middle. People who are alive, sort of -- but with one or more chronic conditions that puts them in need of Celebrex or Nasonex or Valtrex or Lunesta. Fifty years ago, children didn't even get Type 2 Diabetes. Now, it's an emerging epidemic. As are a long list of ailments which used to be rare, and have now been "mainstreamed."

Things like asthma and autism and acid reflux, and arthritis, allergies, adult acne, attention deficit disorder. And that's just the "A's."

Doesn't anybody wonder why we live with all this illness? I'll tell you why. At the L.A. County Fair last week, they were serving something called "Fried Coke." Now, my first thought was, gosh, what a waste of a perfectly good "Eight Ball." But, no, they actually pour the Coca-Cola syrup into a deep fryer.

Then put it in a cup and top it with sugar and whipped cream, and a cherry, because, you know, fruit is good for you.

Would it really be that much more unhealthy to get molested by one of the carnies?

In Hillary Clinton's health plan, the words "nutrition" and "exercise" appear once. The word "drugs" 14 times. Just as the pharmaceutical companies want it. You know, their ad weasels love to say, "When diet and exercise fail ... " Well, diet and exercise don't fail. A fact brought home last week by a new Duke University study that showed exercise -- yes, exercise -- is just as effective a cure for depression as Paxil and Zoloft.

So ask your doctor if getting off your ass is right for you!

You know, if Republicans can sell the idea of preemptive war, Democrats have to at least get us interested in the idea of preventive medicine. Someone has to stand up and say that the answer isn't another pill. The answer is spinach. Okay, not spinach. Turns out that crap'll kill you. But you know what I mean!

Thanks for the Hope, Coach Hep. You Will Be Missed.

From the Indy Star: IU football coach Hoeppner dies

I was surprised and saddened to learn today that Indiana University football coach Terry Hoeppner, who had been battling brain cancer, has died at the age of 59.

As a Hoosier Fan in Texas, it was hard to follow along with what was happening during Coach Hep's first months. I remember a visit to Bloomington to see my parents and seeing billboards and signs with Hep posed as Uncle Sam calling on the students to support the team. I thought it was great but pessimistic that it would help much.

It did. Coach Hep got me.

While his 9-14 doesn't look all that impressive, he may go down in IU history as one of the program's best coaches. His passion for the game rubbed off on his players, the students, the alumni, and me. When available on TV (and surprisingly, I was watching IU football on TV), I could see IU football playing with more aggression and fun over the past two years. Yeah, the team still lost lots of games, but I could see a change occurring, one that gave me hope for the future, hope that at the very least, IU would be competitive in every game.

Here are a couple of items that sum up Coach Hep:

From the Official press release:

Hoeppner made an immediate impact in his first year at the helm of the Hoosier program. In addition to leading Indiana to its first 4-1 start since 1994, Hoeppner rejuvenated an IU fan base that enjoyed a 39-percent increase in per-game attendance, a 46-percent increase in overall season ticket sales and a 110-percent increase in student season ticket sales.

He not only helped generate a buzz about Indiana football, but he and his staff also installed an aggressive, big-play defense to go along with an exciting spread offense that threw a school-record 24 touchdown passes.

Furthermore, Hoeppner helped establish new IU football traditions. Two hours prior to each home game, fans and players engaged in "The Walk," as Indiana coaches and players marched through the tailgating areas en route to the "crimson gates" at Memorial Stadium. Hoeppner also dubbed Memorial Stadium "The Rock," a nod to the stadium's limestone construction. A three-ton remnant from the original stadium construction was placed near the north end zone, as the IU coaches now challenge the Hoosiers to "defend the rock." Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the coaches and players join The Marching Hundred band to sing the school fight song after every home victory.

From Brian Janosch, 21, an Indiana University senior and former sports editor at the student newspaper The Indiana Daily Student:

In one year, just one year, he turned the attitude around here from "Who cares," to "You know what, maybe there's a chance." And that's all we could ask for having not visited a bowl game in more than a decade.

Thanks for the memories, the fun, and the hope, Coach Hep. You will be missed.

Now That's A Boost

From MSNBC.com: Man blames health drink for unwanted erection

NEW YORK - A man has sued the maker of the health drink Boost Plus, claiming the vitamin-enriched beverage gave him an erection that would not subside and caused him to be hospitalized.

The lawsuit filed by Christopher Woods of New York said he bought the nutrition beverage made by the pharmaceutical company Novartis AG at a drugstore on June 5, 2004, and drank it.

Woods’ court papers say he woke up the next morning “with an erection that would not subside” and sought treatment that day for the condition, called severe priapism.

So Woods' wood wouldn't go away, eh? This poor fellow underwent surgery to implant a Winter shunt to move blood from one area to another. When that didn't work, he had a penile artery embolization to close off some blood flow to prevent continued engorgement and lessen the likelihood of an erection.

I wonder how long he's had this problem? Since June 5, 2004? Surgery seems so drastic. Couldn't the guy have just hired a few hookers to take care of the problem?

The Difference

The Difference

The difference between a champion and a loser is in the mindset. Champions welcome pain. Losers avoid it at all costs. Champions seek out challenges. Losers have an aversion to challenges. A champion embraces grueling workouts that push his mind and willpower to the brink. A loser sits quietly on a leg extension machine and reads the latest issue of Us magazine.

-- Chad Waterbury

Kind of sounds like my blogging, doesn't it?

Great New Weight Loss Products

Random blog fodder touting the benefits of terrific new weight loss products.

As you can see on CNN...
Here is piece of spam I received at work the other day. I did not edit this:

Anatrim – The latest and most fascinating product for over-weight people is now available – As you could see on CNN

Do you realize excessive body kilograms kill a plenty of people for every new year? We know that you hate the ugly appearance of those people and the low status they have in modern society. Moreover, you have not the will to withstand pressure of your pernicious eating habits. If it all sounds familiar, then we got something to propose to you!

We’re proudly introduce you Anatrim, the later product for the reduction of your body’s extra weight. The most astonishing thing is that Anatrim improves the quality of your life, repressing the feeling of hunger and giving you gay spirit. Here are what people say on this product:

"It is wonderful! I stopped gorging any food close at hand and watching TV constantly I became keen on exercise. Anatrim put me back on the right path. I have a great form now and there are lots of men following me with their eyes!
"Victoria K., Bellevue WA:

"Passive weight losing was of no result to me. I could not restrain my ravenous appetite. One day I heard about Anatrim from my very best friend and I was really impressed at the information. I had tried to use it, and my wife said I look very good now, 3 months later. 26 pounds have gone away and I keep losing them! And you know, the bedroom thing is cool, too."
Mike Brown, New York

Anatrim helps you to understand you got no such great need for that much food. It raises your spirit, supplies you with energy, and attacks useless kilos. Especial thanks to its powerful distinguished formula!!

"And you know, the bedroom thing is cool, too!" What bedroom thing? Sleeping?

Wake Up With Happy Smiley George
Now here's a product I would like to see:

I'm Pretty Sinful

Your Deadly Sins

Lust: 60%

Envy: 20%

Greed: 20%

Gluttony: 0%

Pride: 0%

Sloth: 0%

Wrath: 0%

Chance You'll Go to Hell: 14%

You'll die from overexertion. *wink*

How Sinful Are You?

What's On My Coffee Cup Today

The Way I See It #209:

Growing up, my parents always said, "You will leave this world the same way you came into it: with nothing." It made me realize that the only things we do in this world that count are those things that make the world a better place for those who will come behind us.

--Tyrone B. Hayes
Biologist, herpetologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer.

Is Golf As Good As Sex?

I know for many that golf is akin to a religious experience. But is it really as good as sex? I'll let you be the judge based on this e-mail I got from a friend describing her most recent trip to the links:

I really have to liken a good round of golf to something you enjoy doing.

Got paired up with some 40ish-year-old guy. Gave him a good spanking.

My driving was smooth and repetitive. As well as long.

My short game: I was caressing those shots right in.

My putting: In the hole every time.

Yup. It is just like riding a bicycle. You just need to hop back on and go for it. Not bad for a four-month layoff.

Aahhh. Now I need a cigarette. :)

You and me both. Whew.

Happy Lupercalia!

I'm going to admit right now that I'm stealing all this from the great Lou Schuler's blog. Here's a fascinating bit about the true origins of Valentine's Day:

February occurred later on the ancient Roman calendar than it does today so Lupercalia was held in the spring and regarded as a festival of purification and fertility. Each year on February 15, the Luperci priests gathered on Palantine Hill at the cave of Lupercal. Vestal virgins brought sacred cakes made from the first ears of last year's grain harvest to the fig tree. Two naked young men, assisted by the Vestals, sacrificed a dog and a goat at the site. The blood was smeared on the foreheads of the young men and then wiped away with wool dipped in milk.

The youths then donned loincloths made from the skin of the goat and led groups of priests around the pomarium, the sacred boundary of the ancient city, and around the base of the hills of Rome. The occasion was happy and festive. As they ran about the city, the young men lightly struck women along the way with strips of the goat hide. It is from these implements of purification, or februa, that the month of February gets its name. This act supposedly provided purification from curses, bad luck, and infertility.

Long after Palentine Hill became the seat of the powerful city, state and empire of Rome, the Lupercalia festival lived on. Roman armies took the Lupercalia customs with them as they invaded France and Britain. One of these was a lottery where the names of available maidens were placed in a box and drawn out by the young men. Each man accepted the girl whose name he drew as his love -- for the duration of the festival, or sometimes longer.

As Christianity began to slowly and systematically dismantle the pagan pantheons, it frequently replaced the festivals of the pagan gods with more ecumenical celebrations. It was easier to convert the local population if they could continue to celebrate on the same days ... they would just be instructed to celebrate different people and ideologies.

Lupercalia, with its lover lottery, had no place in the new Christian order. In the year 496 AD, Pope Gelasius did away with the festival of Lupercalia, citing that it was pagan and immoral. He chose Valentine as the patron saint of lovers, who would be honored at the new festival on the fourteenth of every February. The church decided to come up with its own lottery and so the feast of St. Valentine featured a lottery of Saints. One would pull the name of a saint out of a box, and for the following year, study and attempt to emulate that saint.

Lou's entire post is a great history lesson. I always enjoy learning about the true origins of supposedly "Christian" holidays and just how pagan they really are. This line is the magic bullet for me as to how early Christianity was able to spread so rapidly:

It was easier to convert the local population if they could continue to celebrate on the same days ... they would just be instructed to celebrate different people and ideologies.

Embracing the pagan origins of these holidays makes them easier for me to enjoy. Christmas has always been difficult for me, even when I was a Christian, until I fully understood the origins of the holiday and threw out the religious crap. Now I can enjoy all my holidays without all the religious hang ups.

Now let's see, where did I put that loin cloth and februa? Any maidens out there who wish to be purified on this fine Lupercalia?

Metallica is My Messiah

Gimme fuel
Gimme fire
Gimme that which I desire

Okay, maybe not my messiah but certainly my savior today. If it weren't for the words and music of "Fuel" by Metallica I would not have survived my sprints (Seven 30-second sprints with 90 seconds rest). I had to play that song twice to pull through the last two.

Oh, on I burn
Fuel is pumping engines
Burning hard
Loose and clean

Oh, and on I burn
Churning my direction
Quench my thirst with gasoline

So gimme fuel
Gimme fire
Gimme that which I desire

I had not sprinted for a couple of months but had done many slow and steady runs or intervals with longer intensity periods (90 seconds on/180 seconds rest). Today was so warm that I took off my shirt. Had I been in a public place I surely would have blinded many with my pasty white flesh. And I was served a reminder as to how much further I have to go in accomplishing my body composition goals as I felt the remaining fat around my belly wiggle while sprinting. I'll take motivation from any corner.

Motivation for what? My 10 Percent Solution. I'll have more on that in another post, but essentially this is series of obtainable goals I've set for myself in 2007, culminating in reaching an overall body fat of ten percent (I'm currently carrying a 15 percent body fat after dropping seven points in 2006).

After finally regaining my health after a two month battle with an upper respitory plague thing, I'm currently in the middle of week two of my four-week ramp up program prior to starting my 10 Percent Solution.

This is going to be challenging and fun. I hope to learn a bit about myself as well.

On I burn.

COLTS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPS

I can't say much more than that, can I? It was a great win for the Colts. They were the team that overcame the elements and the pressure to win this game. They were clearly the better team. My condolences to the Grossman family over the death of his QB career in Chicago. His mistakes aside, Manning and company played a terrific game. The true MVPs of the game were Addai and Rhodes for running over and through the Bears defense, getting key yards and massive games when they needed them the most. Actually, the whole team deserves the award. Way to go Colts!

On a more serious note, the Indianapolis Public Schools system closed it schools today because "a number" of bus drivers called in sick. Read more about this mysterious bus driver plague here.

Time to Get Totally Organic

I wish I was talking about sex but alas I'm not. I'm referring to a brand new reason to buy organic meats and dairy products:

When the government approves food from cloned animals, expected in the next year, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t plan special labels. Government scientists have found no difference between clones and conventional cows, pigs or goats.

However, shoppers won’t be completely in the dark. To help them sort through meat and dairy products, one signal is the round, green USDA organic seal, says Caren Wilcox, who heads the Organic Trade Association.

While many people choose organic to avoid pesticides or antibiotics, Wilcox says the U.S. Department of Agriculture label also means clone-free.

I've been slowly making the move to purchase more organic foods from stores like Whole Foods. It's pretty price competitive and the grain-fed beef is to die for, but I still fall into the trap of one store shopping while buying staples from Kroger. I have all my coupons and sometimes to save more money I need to buy a minimum dollar amount of goods.

I'm not sure how I feel about eating cloned critters yet. In theory, I can't see how meat would be different. I'm more surprised with how quickly the FDA has approved this process. So while the long-term results of eating cloned animals plays itself out in the public, I'll be looking for the USDA organic label on all my goods.

Besides, I don't see the need yet to buy organically produced, over-priced toilet paper. Isn't my crap organic enough?

I'm a Happy Hoosier

The Colts are in the Super Bowl and the Hoosiers upset the number two ranked team in the country last night.

I'm a happy Hoosier this week.

SUPER AT LAST

COLTS SUPER BOWL BOUND

Enough said. For now. I'm going to cry with joy now.

Doublechin Gum

"We hit on the idea of a chewing gum because obese people like chewing."

So says lead researcher, Professor Steve Bloom, on why he and his team thought of chewing gum as a delivery method for a drug based on a natural gut hormone that mimics the body's "feeling full" response. From BBC News:

The hormone in question is called pancreatic polypeptide (PP), which the body produces after every meal to ensure eating does not run out of control.

There is evidence that some people have more of the hormone than others, and becoming overweight reduces the levels produced.

A vicious circle then results, causing appetite to increase, an inability to resist the temptation of food, and further increases in weight. Early tests have shown moderate doses of the hormone, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), can reduce the amount of food eaten by healthy volunteers by 15% to 20%.

An inability to resist the temptation of food? Even when I'm eating totally to plan, I still get cravings for junk food or processed carbs. Hell, ice cream talks to me on a daily basis. And I would consider myself somebody with normal levels of PP.

(Cue Beavis & Butthead: Heh heh heh heh. Normal levels of pee pee.)

Given all that, I still managed to lose seven percentage points of body fat over the course of 2006 by eating smart and exercising. Yet I still had, and periodically gave into, my cravings. I bring all this up to say I seriously doubt that any kind of PP derived treatment will help somebody lose weight effectively. Cravings occur whether one is hungry or not.

And after all, obese people like to chew. The tricky part is being smart about what, and when, they chew. Hopefully it's good food and not Doublechin gum.

Heading to The Great Scooby Snack in the Sky

Rest in peace, Iwao Takamoto. Thanks for creating one of the greatest cartoon icons of the last 50 years and setting my imagination, and subsequently my daughter's, on fire with the adventures of a talking dog.

From MSNBC: ‘Scooby-Doo’ cartoonist dies at 81.
But it was his creation of Scooby-Doo, the cowardly dog with an adventurous heart, that captivated audiences and endured for generations.

Takamoto said he created Scooby-Doo after talking with a Great Dane breeder and named him after Frank Sinatra’s final phrase in “Strangers in the Night.”

Scooby-Dooby-Doo, my friend. Scooby-Dooby-Doo.