NBA Top 50: Vince Carter (no. 27)

. It's only time,let it pass away., originally uploaded by Hailey Dearyy;.

OtB is counting down the days 'til the NBA 2009-10 season tips off by ranking the top 50 players in the league. On Wednesday there are/were 27 days left.

Ah! Ah! There are fifteen minutes left in the day, Eastern Standard Time! Can I get it in? I haven't missed a day yet! Of course, there are six more hours plus aforementioned change in Hawaiian Standard Time, but that's beside the point, isn't Ye Olde New Bri'ish Folke?

So, let's get right to it. Who's better than the lanky jester of the NBA's internet savvy community? That's right, the guy who, for a few years there in the middle of the aughts became something of a joke. Half-man/Half-amazing? Prone to a lot of half-and-half jokes for awhile there. Of late, Vinsanity has been lauded as quite the team mate, a great pick up for the Magic (even if SVG is already on his tail for not defending! "But coach! They're my team mates!"), and shocker-of-shockers half-sane. As in not Vinsanity but Vince Sanity. Still, VC is the guy who was entirely nonplussed at the acquisition of Bosh in 2003. Was he right? Right enough to get the go ahead for the spot above CB4.

vince carter usa best dunk, originally uploaded by thedanger23.

The Skinny: Vince hasn't averaged less than 20 points a game since his rookie season. He says he's ready, and if "deferring" to Devin Harris last season was any indication (can it really be deferring if Carter took more shots? I guess this could be called the Shaq-method of deferral acting, which ain't exactly bad for Florida team looking for a title...), Vince should be a solid addition to the Magic. What more can I say than 20.8 points, 5.1 pulls, and 4.7 dimes a contest? Oh, and he can still throw it down with more authority than anyone ever to hail from Chapel Hill. That's right, MJ. Wanna fight about it? Or play Bryon Russell one on one for it? Didn't think so.

Why VC is #27: Let's go back to basics. What are the four factors I laid out at the outset of this list? Irreplaceability, Not Salaries, Age, and the Ineffables. I also, of course, have been talking about talent, skill, and effort (or talent maximization). If you could approximate Carter and Bosh's value to their teams while adjusting for any number of variables including pace and position, who would be more valuable? Okay, PER says Bosh, but PER has always skewed towards the big guys. My thing is, the big guys always struggle if their points and wings can't get them the ball well. The wing guys have no such restriction on their effect on the court. Filling in for new Raptor Hedo Turkoglu, Vince Sanity looks to be a big part of SVG's distribution plan. That means, he's a big part of what will go on on a major contender. I'm sorry for those of you who think play should be evaluated as if in a vacuum and good players are good even on bad teams, but that's important.

Hey, Hot Shot! Contender: Ryan Monaghan, originally uploaded by Jen Bekman.

Age, yeah Bosh wins out. But y'know what, this is how far outside the boxscore we are. Not even advanced stats that you can't get from your father's sports page fully whet our whistle here. Thus, a fairly big but also apologetic (in)eff you to anyone who doesn't like my wild card factor to this whole thing. You might write me off as lazy, and I might have to concede that point, but show me first where you lay your pen. Vince Carter positively beats out any of the guys below him on this list on sure thing ineffables coming in to this season. He's going to the Magic, where he's always longed to play, and he's not going to be a bit player. Put it this way, he's not going to be Gary Payton on the 2003-2004 Lakers, he'll be more like Karl Malone. Malone got hurt that year after a long ironman-like career. Carter is seven years younger and hasn't really been brittle since that one year before Bosh even got to the league, though VC carried that label for far too long after that season. Let's hope this year doesn't see Carter take a turn for the geriatric. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Chris & George Lopez's Star, originally uploaded by adriandanganan.

Okay, I'll get you some more content at some other point, but for now: Is Nagamatsu a Mexican name? No, it's Japa-Hawaiia-Kore-Chi-Spani-Portu-Filipino-Irish-Chamorro-English-ese! Dig?

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casting

Se llama a Nueva Convocatoria para piloto de Miniserie basada en “4 segundos” el comic argentino más importante con menos tirada que se haya realizado.

Se tomara casting para los 5 personajes principales: Zurdo, Terli, Marcos, Anibal y Marina.

Se necesitan actores para ocupar todos esos roles en la franja de edad entre 18 y 24 años.

Zurdo: Flaco, pelo rizado castaño.

Terli: Morocho, de contextura flaca, que no tenga miedo al ridículo

Marcos: Rubio pelo corto, de contextura flaca

Anibal: Contextura flaca, pelo castaño oscuro

Marina: Rubia de pelo no tan largo, de contextura flaca.

Por favor mandar mail a casting@altosurfilms.com con foto y en el asunto poner “4 segundos”.

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2 AM DISCO BIZARRO

ESTE VIERNES 2 DE OCTUBRE 22HS EN EL CODO (GUARDIA VIEJA 4085 )

ESTRENO OBRA NUEVA: 2 AM DISCO BIZARRO.

UNA COMEDIA DE ENRREDOS BIZARRA Y SURREALISTA MUY BUENA.

NO TE LA PIERDAS.

A PARTIR DE ESTE 2 DE OCTUBRE .... TODOS LOS VIERNES A LAS 22 HS

( PERO OJO ES A LAS 22 HS Y NO A LAS 22 30 COMO DICE UNO DE LOS FLYERS)

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Marcar este mensaje "UNA PLAYA" direccion Ernesto Martinez

UNA PLAYA

De Andres Binetti

Por la noche hacen el amor......los cangrejos........ es lindo de ver eso. Es tan extraño ver una pareja de cangrejos haciendo el ........amor …

Sonia Gabriela Traverso

Bañero Martin Chiara

Felipe Francisca Gutierrez

Leandra Florencia El Halli Obeid

Estabamos parados en el borde de la pileta... Esa donde los cangrejos hacian el amor... no hablabamos, yo no sabia que decir, el tampoco...

Escenografia Carolina Pedraza

Nadia Farias

Musica Horacio Castillo

Diseno Grafico Macarena Gonzalez Costa

Asistente de direccion Laura Sierra

Que horrible ser una gaviota... sola... tener hambre,comerse la cabeza de un pescado... Sola en la playa

Dirección: Ernesto Martinez

Teatro Ritualarte: El Maestro 22 (Caballito)

Funciones: Todos los Viernes de Septiembre y Octubre a las 21 hrs

Entrada: $23

descuentos para estudiantes y jubilados

Reservaciones: 4902-076

info@ritualarte.com.ar

unaplayaf3@gmail.com

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tsunami

It is true that the sea has always loomed large in my psyche. I regularly dream that I am drowning but have always dismissed the tidal wave I see in my unconscious mind as personal overwhelming emotion. But for the past few years, and perhaps as a result of my research, these psychic events seem to be part of a larger collective tsunami.

Almost every culture on the planet has a 'flood myth', an epic struggle with the sea. It is part of our collective psyches. What I am interested in though is, why now? Why so much collective fear of tsunamis? And why are they becoming real?

It seems that the culture of humanity knows something is amiss, unconsciously we recognise that we are degrading if not destroying the organism on which we live. I am not really a 'psychic', but I do seem to be able to tap into the collective and see trends, nothing too surprising for anyone who is not in denial about the behaviour of human beings.

The apocalyptic dreams of destruction I had as a teenager have been replaced by an imaginary yet ever-present image of an overwhelming, engulfing tidal wave. I am always so ready to attribute everything to my own dysfunctional psyche. I understand the psychological framework for this, it is what my thesis is based on, but as I watch the news about Samoa I am starting to think that what I have been suffering is not just about me.

Matter and spirit do not operate independently. What we think and feel we are, what we do in the material world impacts on our souls. I really believe we are in a time of profound transition - that we have reached 'break point', and that the wave is breaking. After watching it advance slowly all my life, it is now too close to run from.

Image courtesy: aWitness.org - http://keralaarticles.blogspot.com/2007/09/tsunami.html

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New Sites...For Me, Anyway

I have loved the LOLCats and LOLDogs sites for quite awhile. Just recently--yes, I'm not too observant--I found out that there is a Cheezburger network with a lot of other LOL sites. You can find news, sports, graphs, and more. It never fails that I have a good laugh while reading one or more of these sites. Today I found a graph that is particularly true:




Funny stuff!

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Postcards From Yo Mama

This just made me chuckle.

Backstory: I was discussing with my mother how callous my family can be about the death of a loved one.

Mom: That is true. We are ruthless and efficient if nothing else
Me: it’s the German in us
Mom: Yep. Our motto is ” die already. We got better newer versions of you who could use some furniture”

(The comments are pretty good, too.)

From Postcards From Yo Mama.

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Gadhafi points finger at Israel over JFK assassination

Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi insinuated that Israel was behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Speaking Wednesday at the United Nations General Assembly, Gadhafi implied that Israel may have plotted to kill Kennedy in 1963 because he allegedly wanted to launch a probe into its clandestine nuclear program.

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New York Times: Thomas Friedman on the political climate

I have no problem with any of the substantive criticism of President Obama from the right or left. But something very dangerous is happening. Criticism from the far right has begun tipping over into delegitimation and creating the same kind of climate here that existed in Israel on the eve of the Rabin assassination

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Times: Gore Vidal predicts military dictatorship and assassination of Obama

Vidal raises his fingers to signify a gun and mutters: “Bang bang.” He is referring to the possibility of Obama being assassinated. “Just a mysterious lone gunman lurking in the shadows of the capital,” he says in a wry, dreamy way.

America has “no intellectual class” and is “rotting away at a funereal pace. We’ll have a military dictatorship fairly soon, on the basis that nobody else can hold everything together.

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I'm in love with a movie

Hej.

Jei, kummatkin ruotsin kokeet, taloushallinnon koe ja hygieniapassikoe ohi. :--) Ruotsin kokeet & taloushallinto vieläpä hyvin tuloksin, mutta hygieniapassista en vielä tiedä pääsinkö sitä läpi.

Tasan viikko sitten viimeksi kirjoittelin, joten nyt onkin jo ihan hyvä aika kirjoitella lisää.

Viime torstaina olin koulussa tässä asussa:

♥ kauluspaita & vyö: äidin vanha
♥ farkut: Jim&Jill
♥ toppi & kukkapompula: Seppälä
♥ laukku: Laukkukeskus tai -kulma tai joku semmonen, en vieläkään muista sen nimee
♥ kaulakoru: H&M
♥ korvikset: Lindex
♥ kello: Leijona
♥ kukkapinni: Accesorizes
Perjantaina lähdin suoraan koulusta veljeni kanssa serkkujemme luo Leppävirralle yöksi, joten näin taas Hannaa. ♥ Niin ja Allu täytti 17v, onnea vielä! 8)
Leppävirralla oli taas ihan leppoisaa, ei tehty mitään kummempia, kuunneltiin vain suurimaksi osaksi poikien juttuja ja seurasimme vierestä myös sitä kun serkkuni (ei Hannan) leikattiin kaljuksi, mutta se operaatio ei kyllä ensin ihan edes onnistunut kun oli vain sakset ja normi höylä. :--D
Tuli taas kyllä syötyä mukavasti, kun tehtiin mm. hedelmärahkaa ja Hanna teki kääretortunkin..
Tässä perjantain asu:

♥ mekko, toppi & ruskeat helmet: Seppälä
♥ neule, pipo, sydänhelmet ranteessa & rusettipinni: H&M
♥ pääkallolaukku: Pieces (Jim&Jill)
♥ vyö: äidin vanha
♥ korvikset: Glitter
+ sormessa Hello Kitty laastari kun tulehdus ei ole vieläkään parantunut

Lauantaina palattiin kotiin, ja luin viimeisen Himoshoppaajan loppuun ja aloitin kirjan nimeltä Liian iso rakkaus. Tutkailin myös Allun kautta H&M.lyä tilaamiani juttuja, joista kohta vähän lisää.

Maanantaina käväisin koulussa alla olevassa asussa. Aamulla satoi ja oli tosi kylmä, mutta onneksi sitten alkoi paistamaan aurinko. En muuten jaksanut tehdä hiuksilleni muuta kuin laittaa ne kahdelle ponnarille, jee..

♥ verkkatakki: kirppari
♥ kaulaliina, korvikset & rusettipinnit: Seppälä
♥ kauluspaita: äidin vanha
♥ shortsit: Lindex
♥ t-paita: Only (Vero Moda)
♥ sukkikset: KappAhl
♥ Marilyn-laukku: Fiorella
♥ kengät: DinSko
♥ Jigglypuff-koru: itse tehty
♥ sateenvarjo: H&M


Under my umbrella ja silleen..
Ennen kotiin tuloa kävin kuitenkin kirjastossa, ja lainasin kolme DVD:tä, joista maanantaina katsoin Dreamgirlsin. Petyin aikalailla, tai siis odotin että se olisi parempi.

Tiistaina oli jälleen vapaapäivä ja lagasin koko päivän koneella. Heräsin kahdentoista jälkeen, ja aloitin heti herättyäni (tietysti haettuani aamupalaa♥) katsomaan lainaamaani Brokeback Mountainia, jonka katsominen minulla oli ollut mielessäni jo kauan mutta nyt vasta löysin sen kirjastosta. Kesällä se tuli telkkarista, mutta olin silloin mökillä. :(
No, siitö leffasta: se oli ehdottomasti yksi parhaista katsomistani leffoista. Ei sitä pysty edes sanoin melkein kuvailemaan, niin ihana se oli. ;__; Niin ja Jake Gyllenhaal oli taas ylisöpö, ja mulle tuli siitä koko ajan mieleen Frank Iero. :oTässä juoni lyhyesti kerrottuna, otin tän Wikipediasta: Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) ja Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) ovat köyhiä nuorukaisia, jotka pääsevät kesäksi 1963 töihin paimentamaan lampaita Wyomingissa kuvitteellisesti sijaitsevalle Brokeback Mountainille. Kesän aikana he rakastuvat toisiinsa, mutta joutuvat eroamaan toisistaan töiden päätyttyä. Elokuvassa kuvataan miesten suhdetta kahden vuosikymmenen ajan.
Tarviiko tuosta nyt enempää sanoo, kun että I'm in love with that movie. ♥ Tuitui.

Okei ja nyt ryhdistäydyn ja jatkan laittamalla tän päivän asun:

♥ Hello Kitty -paita, pipo, ballerinat & sormus: H&M
♥ huppari, laukku, nappipinni & Hello Kitty: Seppälä
♥ farkut: Modtex
♥ korvikset: Bijou Brigitte (Allulta)
♥ rannerengas: lapsuusajoilta
Tämä paita on siis yksi niistä tilaamistani jutuista H&M:ltä. :) Toi on niiin ihana, ja tossa on myös takapuolella noita Hello Kittyjä. ♥
Paidan lisäksi tilasin kaksi normia pitkähihaista, pinkin ja mustan, ja ne olivat tarjouksessakin. Olin myös uusien pinkkien ballerinojen tarpeessa, joten tilaukseen lähti nämä:
Tiistaina muuten kuvailin jälleen koiria.Kivan valottuneita auringon takia, mutta mitäpä pienistä..
Remu on ilmeisesti vaihtamassa talviturkkiin, tai ainakin siltä pöllyää mukavasti karvaa, kuten näette.
Remu on muutaman päivän ajan kulkenut kolmella jalalla, kun viikonloppuna ilmeisesti metsästysreissulla siltä oli irronnut pieni pala takajalan polkuanturasta, ja lisäksi siltä vihdoin irtosi vasemman etukäpälän "peukalon"kynsi, kun se oli ihan irtoamaisillaan ja vain sojitti sivulle. Voi Remu-Reppanaa.

Kerkesin jopa pienen osan jälleen kuvattua Mömmön jumppatuokiosta. Tuollaista jumppaa se vetää monesti päivässä.

Otus oli eilenillalla riehakkaampi kuin pitkään aikaan, ja tuli huoneeseeni leikkimään lattialla olleilla helmillä. Niin ja äänestäni noissa videoissa: puhun aina jotenkin lässyttämällä lemmikeillemme, joten en normisti ihan noin paljoa kimitä ym. XD

Tänään oli taas tosi lyhyt koulupäivä, ja enää huominen niin alkaa taas pidennetty viikonloppu, ja maanantaina alkaa uusi jakso. Oli muuten niiin kylmä ajaa aamulla kouluun, meinasin pakastua, eikä ihmekään kun ei ollut edes +1 astetta.. Kotiin tultua katsoin lainaamani Mamma Mia!:n. Hmm, ei ihan minun tyyliseni, tai sitten mikään leffa ei vain tunnu enää miltään Brokeback Mountainen jälkeen..

Perjantaina tai joskus ajateltiin Allun kanssa juhlia vähän myöhässä hänen synttäreitään, en vain vielä tiedä miten. ;)

Tulipas pitkä postaus, kesti ikuisuus tehdä tätä.

Np: Kill Hannah - Believer

Oletko itse nähnyt Brokeback Mountainin?

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Keshit jonoon

Pienen piinan toveriksi pääsivät vihdoin nämäkin ruttuiset & kiiltävät makeanvedenhelmet. Häikääsöö.

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Yksin asumisen fiiliksiä vuoden jälkeen.

Reilun vuoden tässä nyt itsekseni asusteltuani olen edelleen sitä mieltä, että yksin asuminen on tosi mukavaa : D Saa tehdä ihan rauhassa mitä huvittaa, tai olla tekemättä. Ketään ei haittaa siivootko vai etkö, onko tiskiä vaiko eikö, tai mitään muutakaan.

Näiden muistelmien kunniaksi kaivelin yhden kuvan viime syksyltä, jolloin muuttohässäkkä oli suurimmillaan 8)

Kaikenmaailman laatikoita ja lipastoita riitti koottavaksi... Onneks enää ei tartte kuin vain asua ja that's it. Eikä tartte miettiä että "mitähän mä vielä tänne tarttisin sitten".

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NewsMax: There is a remote, although gaining, possibility America’s military will intervene as a last resort to resolve the “Obama problem.”

NewsMax pulled the column. Here's the google cache: Obama Risks a Domestic Military ‘Intervention’.

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Ahhh here it goes: Week 3 Prediction Battle Recap

Yeah, feeling a little Kenan and Kel reference today. As Shaqtus would say, "Don't worry about it."

Anywho, time for a quick update to let you all know how GSNHOF and OTB did in this week's version of the prediction battle.

Great Sports Name Hall of Fame, whose picks can be found here, went 11-5. Incorrect choices for wins included the Falcons, Texans, Titans, Steelers, and Dolphins. Damn Cedric Benson is hot right now.

Outside the Boxscore, whose picks can be found here, went 9-7 for the second time. Incorrect choices for wins included Redskins, 49ers, Titans, Buccaneers, Texans, Dolphins, and Cardinals. Too bad for Ben that Brett Farve went into the wayback machine and overcame the 49ers.

Anywho, GSNHOF gains 2 games this week, and the standings are as follows:
GSNHOF 34-14
OTB 28-20 (6 games back)

It seems like GSNHOF is up a considerable amount, but one bad week and things are neck and neck again. Let's see what kind of surprises next week holds.

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NBA Top 50: Chris Bosh (No. 28)

OtB is counting down the days 'til the NBA 2009-10 season tips off by ranking the top 50 players in the league. On Tuesday there are 28 days left.

Busy Bosh was 27 on my list last year, but when I set about compiling this year's and figured him at today's slot, I thought it was low. I checked back at how I'd ranked him in the 2008 offseason, and lo and behold, the same. Look, I think the world of Bosh, and by all accounts he's a great guy, great to have in the locker room or on your computer screen. Yeah. The other thing that puts him higher on my character list than this is his performance in the Olympics, when Dwight Howard pulled a bit of a disappearing act. Still, his failure to make the playoffs two years in a row is damning. Damn damning.

Chris Bosh Bobbled, originally uploaded by longshots.

Look, it's not really all his fault. The team just doesn't have enough cylinders to fire on with Calderon holding all the distribution rights. Hopefully the arrival of Hedo alleviates that factor a bit. Still, can you really say the Raptors were that much worse than the Heat, both teams sans their superstars? Wade willed that team to the playoffs. And, sure, you can make the qualifying statements like Wade is able to will a team because he has the ball in his hands, blah blah blah. But if Bosh can't do that because he's a big man, that just reinforces the idea that the importance of big men is fading. Or perhaps it's their effectiveness that's fading.

Bosh has been mentioned in the same breath as Lebron James and Dwayne Wade and Ama're Stoudamire, especially with the 2010 free agency topic always hot on tongues that wag. The fact of the matter is Bosh isn't quite in the same class as the first two, and wouldn't be in Ama're's either if Stat wasn't looking more and more like crunch time, choking Karl Malone rather than the Mailman of the first 45 minutes of a game. Bosh, again, is a great player (22, 10, 2.5 assists, a steal, and a block per game gets it done, folks), but look for him to make the Pau Gasol step in years to come. He really doesn't seem destined to be a Shareef Abdur-Rahim player, who will always put up good stats for a bad team. Chances are he'll team up with a dynamic wing, and that'll allow the world to truly appreciate Bosh for the complete presence he can be. For now, 28 Mr. CB4.

kanye-west-screenshots-of-good-morning-11, originally uploaded by bapexmalikjones.

I never sleep anymore, by the way. 1:30 a.m. HST, and I gotta wake up before 5 am. Got anything to say, Kanye?

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Mercury Direct Tuesday September 29

Mercury Turns Direct Tuesday September 29 6:13am.

Let's all say it together...."Thank gawd that is over!"

I don't know about you but I have been slogging it out so much in the last three weeks that I gave up even thinking life could ever be easier again. I have had a trillion miscommunications. Forgetfulness, missed calls, bad cell phone issues (AT&T sucks) people thinking that I am deliberately doing stuff (that I am not doing) overall causing hurt feelings everywhere. And even I felt my own feelings get a little pinched and that doesn't happen often. And all of it can be placed at the feet of effed up Mercury retro in Virgo. I might as well have asked for my teeth to be drilled with a ball point pen.

But having said that I also think there was stuff sitting under the surface bugging me and others that finally got addressed this last month. Stuff that just needed to be talked about or if not talked about just finally fixed! I love when long standing wrongs get righted. I feel like the docket has been cleared and now there is space for something new to begin.

And together we say, "Amen!"

I am

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NBA Top 50: Devin Harris (No. 29)

The Jury Is Out, originally uploaded by DennisShim.

OtB is counting down the days 'til the NBA 2009-10 season tips off by ranking the top 50 players in the league. On Monday there are/were 29 days left.

The jury isn't quite in yet on whether Harris should be ahead of guys like Josh Smith and Danny Granger, but he gets the nod as we’re in the age of point guards, and he’s the guy who replaced Jason Kidd and then had a break out season. Furthermore, with Mihkail Prokhorov looking to take over the Nets, the for now New Jersey team has all the right kind of momentum going into this season. If Prokhorov does take over, they want to be major players for years to come, and Harris looks to be a big part of that.

By now, the story should be familiar. Five years in, Harris has shown steady ascension to the ranks of the elite. Last season, he posted 21.3 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game. Put quite simply, those are young Gary Payton numbers. While Harris is not the physical or defensive presence that the Glove was, he is the harbinger of the new wave. A few seasons ago, David Stern changed the rules and made perimeter players practically untouchable. He then, of course, allowed zone defenses, but that's another quibble. The point is, we are firmly ensconced the age of point guards. Five used to be more important than one in this league, and I'm not speaking metaphorically so don't think about that one too long. But how many centers matter these days? Dwight Howard. Shaq? Not really as much anymore. Yao? When not injured. Andrew Bynum, Al Jefferson, Emeka Okafor, Tyson Chandler, Eddie Curry?

301/365 infinity, originally uploaded by spring_peeper.

Okay, that last one kind of speaks to what I'm going for with this. Brook Lopez, maybe someday. When Tim Duncan decided to eschew playing the pivot, the position received its official death knell. Now think how many point guards were important for their team's success last season. Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Rajon Rondo, Derrick Rose, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, and, yes, Devin Harris. The future is endless, my friends. Sweet.

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Penguins Vs. Red Wings Re-Match

It felt good to give a spanking to the Pittsburgh Penguins, even if it was only pre-season... Wings steamroll 4-1... Can't wait for the regular season to start...

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Facebook Poll Asks "Should Obama Be Killed?"

I vote no. I wonder what the Secret Service thinks?

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Somewhere Lee Roy Selmon is pouring some "Ripple"

Well, it is finally official that the Detroit Lions have finally ended their 19 game losing streak against the Washington Redskins by the score of 19-14.

During the Fox post-game show, host Curt Menefee made an allusion to former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Lee Roy Selmon pouring some "ripple" after the Lions victory. Selmon was a member of the Buccaneers during their run of 26 consecutive losses which is still the NFL record.

For those of you that do not know what "ripple" is, essentially it is less fortified wine. (Yep, I clearly Wikipedia'd that.) For all intensive purposes, the Lions can now put that losing streak behind them and well, be the Detroit Lions. If that only meant something.

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Even words of Brett Favre's daring do's hit China

For those of you who do not know, I am currently in the heart of the dragon (AKA Hong Kong) and arrived only minutes ago.

As I was glancing through the local English news telecast by Pearl TV, this highlight came up of Brett Favre throwing a game-winning touchdown pass to Greg Lewis to beat the 49ers by the score of 27-24. Not only was this the first highlight, they were even kind enough to show it twice.

The throw itself is dare I say impressive and it appears that Brett Favre arm still has that magic left in it. We tend to complain about Favre's omnipresence in the media especially on ESPN but for once I am happy to see him, even if the pass itself happened more than 8,000 miles away.

UPDATE: Here is the entirety of the drive for those who missed it or who did not see it live.

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NBA Top 50: Josh Smith (No. 30)

Josh Smith, originally uploaded by Joel Kimmel Illustrator.

OtB is counting down the days 'til the NBA 2009-10 season tips off by ranking the top 50 players in the league. On Sunday there are 30 days left.

There are 30 days left 'til the NBA regular season gets underway. That means there are two days left 'til training camps get fully underway. That means we have a month of days 'til we get games. It means we have one day left for each to count down the top 30 NBA players. Thirty days, thirty players, thirty teams? Well, yes, but the league that does not have league in its title doesn't quite work that way. In a perfect world, each team would have one of the top 30 guys in the league. In a perfect world, every team would end the season at .500. In a perfect world, everyone dies of boredom.

Here to relieve us is our #30 NBA athlete, Josh Smith. Now, the Smith in Atlanta this season not named Joe may not seem to scream individuality and originality from every single pore of his existence. Doesn't seem to. His name doesn't explode off the page/screen, and he doesn't produce headlines like certain other guys on and off this list. What he does do is produce in ways never before thought possible on the court. When you talked about a revolution in the forward position(s) early in the aughts, who thought guys like Gerald Wallace and Josh Smith were coming down the pine?

71797182SC011_heat_hawks, originally uploaded by teddy_nguyen2004.

The two have been written about together, and I would be remiss not to cite those that have come before. Seriously, if you haven't copped the Macrophenomenal Almanac, what the hell have you been doing? Suffice it to say, the comparison is apt. Smith has regularly been a beast defensively, similar to Wallace in the accrual of an impolite amount of steals and blocks. They both score a bit over 15 a game, they both rebound over 7 per, and they both fly around the court with what can only be deemed reckless abandon. The only difference is Gerald Wallace allowed the recklessness to leave his body abandoned, and Josh Smith seems to have internalized it all.

Wallace had a rough season physically. Smith struggled this season after the early ankle injury. It certainly slowed him down, but throughout the season I got the feeling something else was bugging him. Okay, look. I'm not going to hide anything from you. I don't know if it makes for the best writing, but at least it's honest. I spent almost an hour searching high and low across the blogosphere (and maybe my searching powers just aren't what they used to be), and I could not find a reason besides the ankle for Smith's dip in tenacity this past season. I could've sworn someone close to him passed away at the beginning of the season, but it seems that was Zach Randolph's grandma and it just happened to be around the same time. Silly me.

I don't want to give too much creedence to cheap conclusions, but thinking Smith was going through the season with a specter hovering about him has to mean something. He just didn't seem as able to break free for rim rattlers. Not free from the defense. Free from himself. In the playoffs against Miami, J-Smoove caught some flack for showboating at the end of a blowout. Maybe it wasn't the smartest moove, but you can't fault the energy there. In a way, I think it suggests a break out season this year. And I'm not alone in this. We'll see what happens, but one thing's for certain, Smith won't be taking the traditional path. His star doesn't necessarily shine the brightest, and the skill set's not exactly number one dude material. Still, he does have that catalytic nature that all good teams need to get from somewhere. Having it come from a player with such a ridiculous combination of skill and explosive talent makes your team all the more dangerous. The Hawks had a pretty good offseason, and it all puts Smith in a position to wreak all the more havoc.

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How Very Mundane

Early in our marriage, I bought a lint 'brush' for clothes. It isn't a real brush, but it has a texturized pad that catches lint, fur, hair that is on surfaces. The head of the brush swivels, so it can be used in any direction, by right- as well as left-handers. It is the best lint remover I have ever used and I have looked for an exact replica since purchasing this one. In more than 30 years, I still haven't found another. The brush I have has no markings of any kind and no manufacturer's name on it. There is nothing I can use to do a Google search and look for a new one. In all of these years, I have never found a lint remover than I like as well, or that does a better job. I haven't found one that even comes close. To put it mildly, I treat the brush very kindly--I would not be a happy camper if it broke.

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All Frogs Smile - Some Have Fangs

Khorat ... Limnonectes megastomias - A frog who's smile hides it best weapon ... fangs! Image Credit: siamensis.org

All Frogs Smile - Some Have Fangs

Ever notice that all frogs just seem to sit there, perched their springy hind legs ... and smile? Well it turns out that some hide more than their thoughts with a perpetual smile, some hide FANGS!

Just weeks after discovering a frog with fangs in Papua New Guinea, the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) is reporting another 163 new species in southeast Asia, including another frog with fangs. This new frog, discovered in Thailand, apparently feeds on birds.

The fanged frog is the highlight of the WWF report. It's been classified as Limnonectes megastomias, and it's Modus Operandi is to wait in Thailand's many streams and attack when a bird comes near. The scientists also discovered that the males of the species use these fangs in combat, sometimes scarring or even dismembering their opponents here on this wild and wonderful Oblate Spheroid.

Thailand interior landscape that would be typical of where the Khorat "fanged" frog might make its home. Image Credit: siamensis.org

This excerpted and edited from FOX News -

Fanged Frog Found in Bangkok
FOX News / AP - Friday, September 25, 2009

A gecko with leopard-like spots on its body and a fanged frog that eats birds are among 163 new species discovered last year in the Mekong River region of Southeast Asia, an environmental group said Friday.

WWF International said that scientists in 2008 discovered 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and one bird species in the region. That works out to be about three species a week and is in addition to the 1,000 new species catalogued there from 1997 to 2007, the group said.

"After millennia in hiding these species are now finally in the spotlight, and there are clearly more waiting to be discovered," said Stuart Chapman, director of the WWF Greater Mekong Program.
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A Khorat big-mouthed frog, known by its scientific name Limnonectes megastomias, at an unknown location in Thailand. Image Credit: David S. McLeod, WWF Greater Mekong

Among the stars in the new list is a fanged frog in eastern Thailand. Given the scientific name Limnonectes megastomias, the frog lies in wait along streams for prey including birds and insects.
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Simon Mahood, a conservation adviser for BirdLife International in Indochina, welcomed WWF's attention to the new species and said more could be discovered if additional money is put into conservation and countries make it easier to do field work.

"We are seeing more reports of new discoveries and populations because this region is relatively poorly known, particularly when it comes to cryptic and less fashionable groups like fish and amphibians," said Mahood, whose group this year announced finding the first nest of white-eared night heron in Vietnam and the discovery of a baldheaded song bird in Laos called the barefaced Bulbul Pycnonotus hualon.
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Experts said a range of factors contributed to the upsurge in new species, including better access to regions that have seen decades of war and political unrest and more spending by governments on research to protect and identify plants and animals.
Reference Here>>

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