Too Late

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Geographically-Challenged

A lot has been made of the supposed dumbing-down of America, with our educational system taking a lot of heat, and with all of the realignments (both real and imagined) of major athletic conferences lately, methinks there is nothing supposed about it.  For I don’t think anyone with a fourth-grade education would make some of the moves that have been made—let alone people with multiple doctoral diplomas hangin on their office walls.

Now, before we get too far into this, I would like to make it clear that I am well aware of there being many conference realignments over the years.  For anyone with a passing interest in history knows that no self-respecting [Goth] would have left home without their American Express card until some decided to go with [Visa] instead, but I do not want to go back that far.

Oh, and as an added benefit to my readers, I have included images to make it easier to keep up with what states are involved.  Yeah, they may look like they were rendered by a kindergartener hopped-up on Kickapoo Joy Juice and Pop-Rocks, but if you had any idea just how technically-challenged I really am, you just might be as impressed with me as I am with myself.  (Our Heavenly Father asked to be kept completely out of this one.)

Anyway, I would like to start with a much more recent realignment that involved the now defunct [Southwest Conference (SWC)] when it consisted of Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, Rice, Southern Methodist (SMU), Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Christian (TCU) and Texas Tech in 1990, which is shown on the left.  The beginning of the end of the conference occurred when Arkansas announced that it was moving to the [Southeastern Conference (SEC)] that very same year, which is shown on the right.

Before Arkansas joined, the SEC consisted of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana State (LSU), Mississippi, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Vanderbilt, which is shown on the left.  South Carolina also joined the SEC the same year as Arkansas did, which is shown on the right.

Earlier this year, Texas A&M announced that they were leaving the [Big 12] to join the SEC, which is shown on the left.  More recently, Missouri announced that it was also leaving the Big 12 for the SEC, which is shown on the right.

No, Texas A&M and Missouri moving to the SEC doesn’t look all that out of place.  That is, until you get into the proposed realignment of the conference itself.  For Texas A&M will be joining the Western Division of the SEC, which is the completely darkened portion above, while Missouri will be joining the Eastern Division, which is depicted as the outlined portion.  Yes, I suppose it could be argued that it is only fair.  For Texas A&M made the first move, and we just couldn’t have Alabama and Auburn moving to the Eastern Division—could we?

 

The Big 12 was previously known as the Big 8 when it consisted of Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Nebraska, which is shown on the left.  In 1996, it officially became the Big 12 with the addition of Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech from the disintegrating SWC, which is shown on the right.

Last year, Nebraska joined the [Big 10], and Colorado joined the [Pac 12].  So, the landscape changed to what is shown on the right before Missouri made its move.

No, it is not looking good, but any plans of celebrating the demise of the Big 12 would seem to be premature.  For TCU (formerly of the old SWC and more recently with the [Mountain West Conference]) has already been formally accepted into the conference, and West Virginia has started taking down their [Big East] banners, as is shown on the right.  [Politics] might get in the way, however.

One would think that the [ACC] would have been a better choice for West Virginia.  For with its longer termed members being Boston College, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, it is regionally close, which is indicated on the left.  Furthermore, West Virginia has become practically surrounded by the ACC with Pittsburg and Syracuse leaving the Big East to join, as is indicated on the right.

Another logical choice for West Virginia would have been the Big 10.  For as is shown on the left, it had Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue and Wisconsin before Penn State joined as few years back, which is shown on the right.

The Big 10 has even been in a “the more the merrier” mood lately, which Nebraska became officially a part of this year, as is indicated on the right.  There was a lot of buzz about Missouri joining the Big 10 a few weeks ago, but the announcement about them going to the SEC put a halt to that.

Nope, we ain’t done yet.  For the Pac 12 started out as the Pac 8, with California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), The University of Southern California (USC), Washington and Washington State, which is shown on the left.  With the inclusion of Arizona and Arizona State, it became the Pac 10, which is shown on the right.

When Colorado (formerly of the Big 12) and Utah (formerly of the Mountain West) became official members this year, the Pac 10 became the Pac 12, as is indicated on the right.  Rumors are that they will become the Pac 16 before it is all over with.  Oh, and the Pac 12 keeping up with the number changes is more commendable than you may realize.  For the Big 10 currently has 12 members, and the Big 12 might have 10 after all Missouri, TCU and West Virginia officially land where they appear to be heading.

The most mind-boggling realignment of all is the proposed merger between the Big East, [Conference USA], the Mountain West and the [Western Athletic Conference (WAC)].  For if the logistical nightmare that could be the Big East Mountain Western Athletic Conference of the USA comes to life, it could include Air Force, Boise State, Cincinnati, Colorado State, Connecticut, East Carolina, Fresno State, Hawaii, Houston, Idaho, Louisiana Tech, Louisville, Marshall, Memphis, Nevada, New Mexico, New Mexico State, San Jose State, San Diego State, Southern Mississippi, Rice, Rutgers, Southern Methodist (SMU), Texas Christian (TCU), Tulane, Tulsa, the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB), the University of Central Florida (UCF), the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV), the University of South Florida (USF), the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP), Utah State and Wyoming, as indicated on the map above.  Can you imagine how much it would cost the University of Connecticut to fly their football team (along with all of its gear and equipment) 10,000 miles (or so) to get them out to play the University of Hawaii and back?

I could go on about many of these changes only applying to the football teams, which could see some schools playing football in one conference and other sports elsewhere, but I wouldn’t want your head to explode.  For I have had it happen to me before, and it is an awful mess to clean up.

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Ma's Roadhouse

Back when [Rev. Jerry Falwell] and [Rev. Pat Robertson] were considered pillars of the Christian community and people to be reckoned with in political circles, “The rapid moral decay of American society,” was a catch-phrase bandied about with great abandon.  After catching approximately 87 seconds of one episode of [Ma’s Roadhouse] on [truTV] the other day, it would seem that much damage has indeed been done.

Link: [On YouTube]

Alas, maybe I really have been spending way too much time around [Lavender].  For I can remember having some really good times around places like that.

On the other hand, maybe what I remember ain’t exactly what really went down?  After all, I used to drink an awful lot…

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Classless Acts

Despite the insipid [observations] of the more effeminate, football (American football, if you insist) is not meant to be a barbaric sport.  Granted, the opposing teams go out there to knock the snot out of each other until the whistle blows, but it is supposed to be done with good sportsmanship being foremost in mind.

No, this is not to deny that there have always been some dirty players and coaches involved.  In fact, the head football coach when I was going to high school would “suggest” that if the player across the line from you got knocked-out of the game, it would stand to reason that his replacement wouldn’t be as good, but this sort of thing was rarely openly spoken of.

Much has changed since.  For when Jim Harbaugh, the head coach of the [San Francisco 49ers], blatantly disrespected Jim Schwartz, the head coach of the [Detroit Lions] last Sunday, which is shown in the first video below, far too many did not see a problem, which is well represented in the second video.

Yes, just to make what you already probably think is an absolutely ridiculous thing to write about even more so, I am compelled to add that this is another clear example of our Heavenly Father withdrawing His goodness [Hosea 4:6].  For a great outrage should have erupted in the sports world over a 45 year-old head coach acting like a coked-up street punk, and the last two videos below display other classless acts that have gone largely unnoticed by those who have the power to help reign in this madness before it gets way out-of-hand.

Link: [On YouTube]

Link: [On YouTube]

Link: [On YouTube]

Link: [On YouTube]

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Zeitgeist: Addendum and Moving Forward

A little over a week ago, I published a short review (of sorts) of [Zeitgeist:The Movie (2007)].  Since [Zeitgeist: Addendum(2008)] and [Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011)] are basically just regurgitations of what was addressed in the first one of the series, this review will be even shorter.

Well, it will actually have about the same word-count, but considering that it will be covering two movies instead of just one, it is arguable that it will be even shorter.  Don’t believe me?  Okay, let’s do the math.  Let’s see…divide pi (π) by the cube root of x (³√x) times…  Shoot, my trusty old solar-powered Casio calculator just made an awful sound and died.  So, you’ll just have to remove your shoes and socks to complete the computations on your own.

Anyway, there were some additional things to both movies that make them worth listening to the rehashing of the old points.  In Addendum, some fairly deep economics is discussed, and in Moving Forward, some ways to save the human race from extinction are proposed.

I found it interesting that in Moving Forward an effort was made to head-off questions about Marxism being the basis for the movies.  For by claiming to not have any political leanings means that it is not—right?

This is actually a shame to me.  For from what I understand about pure Marxism, it would promote a paradise on earth if implemented properly.  Ah, but with us being who we naturally are, the only thing that can be counted on is more of the same miseries—regardless of what form they may take.

This is, of course, vehemently denied in the movies.  For they promote the idea that we are all basically good at heart, and that it is because of having to fight for survival because of religion and politics that life in this world is not all that it could be.  In fact, they even go so far as to claim there would no longer be any need for laws (not to mention law enforcement!) if things are done right.

Nonetheless, the inhabitants of this world (at the time) will see some of the things proposed in the movies implemented before it is all over with.  For the antichrist will come to power on the promise of peace and prosperity for all, and for the first three and a half years of his global rein, it will appear to happen. Hey, we’re talking about clean air and water, abundant food supplies, the cure of most (if not all) diseases and love for one another abounding everywhere.

It will be a completely different story the last three and a half years, however.  You just wait and see (if you can stay alive for another 144 years or so).

In the meantime, watch (or at least listen to) these movies.  The parts about capitalistic greed hits particularly hard for me after seeing our cable TV bill go up by around 50% with few other options being available to us at this time.  It is for this reason that this is the first article by me here in over a week.  I’ll tell you all about later on.

Link: [On YouTube]

Link: [On YouTube]

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Zeitgeist: The Movie (2007)

[Lavender] posted an audio file a week and a half ago that contained a sermon by Reverend Joey Faust on the [Zeitgeist Seduction].  If wasn’t for how much harder this kind of preaching makes it for the lost and confused to want to truly accept what our Heavenly Father actually says is absolutely true, I would have considered it to be hysterically funny, and even with the dire ramifications, it is still a hoot.

Nonetheless, the sermon helped raise my curiosity over the [Zeitgeist movie].  It turned out that three of them have been produced so far, and a fourth in the works.

This is about the first one, and it has to be like a gift from the universe to any devout conspiracy-theorist.  For it starts out seeking to prove that our Heavenly Father’s Holy Bible (in general) and Christianity (in particular) are nothing more than obvious plagiarisms of other religious beliefs, with all of them being based upon astrology in one way or another, and it ends with banking interests being at the heart of the war on terror, which was facilitated to make it easier for them to gain more control over everything.

Sandwiched in between is this and that about how we have been led like sheep to the slaughter since the Romans created Christianity to help maintain order in their empire to that 9-11 was not the brain-child of Osama bin Laden.  All of which I found quite fascinating, much to my chagrin.

Yes, an incredibly brilliant mind produced this film.  After all, Satan was the most celebrated amongst the angels before his fall, but this is not to imply that everything in the movie is a lie.  What do you think?

Zeitgeist: The Movie - 2007 by Peter Joseph from ZeitgeistMovie.com on Vimeo.

Link: [ZeitgeistTheFilm]

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The Dangers of Overexposure

First of all, I would like to make it absolutely clear that my wife and I are both HUGE fans of [Mike & Molly].  Mike is played to the hilt by [Billy Gardell], and [Melissa McCarthy] more than holds her own playing Molly.

I’m not quite sure if it is the chicken or the egg, but since we were already familiar with Melissa from Mike & Molly, I am going to go with it being on account of her success on that show that secured her place on [Bridesmaids].  Yes, I well aware of the fact that movies are often completed years before their actual release, but this is my story, which I am sticking to.

Anyway, my wife still wants to see Bridesmaids in the worst possible way, but after hearing it described as [The Hangover] for chicks, I am having some reservations.  After seeing Melissa on [SNL] last Saturday, my wife is starting to have some of the same reservations.

Link: [On NBC]

Yeah, I know that gross-out humor rules the roost these days, but that doesn’t make it funny.  Be assured that Melissa was playing anti-Molly there, and I suspect that she was also playing her in Bridesmaids.  Oh, how I hope Melissa wasn’t just being herself.

Link: [On CBS News]

My wife and I have also been HUGE fans of [Andy Rooney] on [60 Minutes] over the years.  For we thought that he was just employing a very dry sense-of-humor to moan and groan about things that make a lot of us moan and groan about, but after watching that parting interview, it would seem that he is really not a very nice man at all.

Hence, the dangers of overexposure.  For my wife and I now have very different opinions about both Melissa McCarthy and Andy Rooney, which we wouldn’t have had if they had of just stayed with the “less is more” rule.

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A Tale of Two Tonys

When good Tony takes the field, it is the best of times for the Dallas Cowboys and their rabid fans.  When bad Tony takes the field, it is the worst of times for the Dallas Cowboys and their rabid fans.  Such has been the conditions of this season so far.

It is arguable that it has been as such since Tony Romo became the starting quarterback, but it has been especially telling through the first four games of the current season.  For he has managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the waning minutes of both losses.

Yes, football is indeed a team sport.  So, it sounds awfully unfair to make it sound like he is the sole reason for both defeats, but it is hard to argue otherwise when his fumbles and interceptions led directly to the points that put an L next to the final score when victory was all but assured before bad Tony replaced good Tony behind center.

Sandwiched in between the two losses are two incredible performances.  For in the San Francisco game, he suffered two broken ribs and a punctured lung on the third play of the game, but came back to engineer a thrilling overtime victory.  In the Washington game, he overcame several miscommunications with the center to gain a hard-fought win over a hated rival, which counts for more than just a victory, of course.

Quite frankly, I don’t know what should be done.  For good Tony is as good as any quarterback in the league, and he is a genuinely likeable guy, which I value as much as his talent on the field.  In a day and age where corner-boy behavior on and off of the field is not frowned upon as much as it should be, many more of him are desperately needed.

I used to jokingly blame bad Tony on [Jessica Simpson], but he didn’t go away when she did.  I hope his new wife, [Candice Crawford], is not just a really skinny version of her.

Yeah, there are still a lot of games to be played, but which Tony will be starting at quarterback?  The [Packers] sure are looking really good again…

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Most Disturbing

Link: [On YouTube]

Our puppies go hide under the bed every time they see this commercial, and we don’t like it when our puppies are upset, [TNT].  Methinks we may not be the only ones.  For they have already released another one.

Link: [On YouTube]

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