Boong-Ga Boong-Ga
Seriously, I question what goes on in the minds of game makers. Some things are obvious (DoA Beach Volleyball), some are…not so much. This game is one of those ‘why was this made and can I try it…for science?’ type things. Most games have a plot, or a goal or a tangible point. And then you have a game that has a representation of someone’s but upended and well…
Let’s talk Season 3!
The sound you heard at 10 a.m. EST was the sound of millions of MLP fans seeing in their living rooms. For those who had the Hub in their cable line up the start of Season 3 has begun. I myself set my alarm for 9:45 a.m. as I luckily live in the EST. I can only imagine how annoying it must be to live in an earlier time zone! But anyway, I awoke (and despite my best efforts, missed the before the opening part due to making food; I heard it though) and sat through the one hour, two-part episode.
College Stats & Stuff for the SEC (Week Ten)
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE [Scores] [Standings]
Best Wins:
- Alabama came from behind to rally past LSU, 21-17, to keep the Tide on course for the national championship game.
- Texas A&M and budding superstar Johnny Manziel romped past Mississippi State, 38-13. It was the second consecutive loss for the Bulldogs after a 7-0 start.
- And, it doesn't count for much, but once-touted Arkansas is actually hoping for bowl eligibility after a 19-15 win over Tulsa. How the mighty have free fallen. Bobby Petrino damaged more than just his motorcycle.
Stats Smorgasbord:
- There are two quarterbacks of note in the SEC now. Apologies to pretenders like Aaron Murray of Georgia and Tyler Bray of Tennessee, but A.J. McCarron and his zero interceptions and Manziel and his all-around dazzle are the whole story now.
- McCarron is third in the nation in passing efficiency, with a 66.7 completion percentage, 19 TDs and 9.1 yards per attempt to go with that goose egg in the INT column.
- More importantly, he led the game-winning drive in the all-important win at LSU. McCarron completed four of five passes on the 72-yard drive, including the winning 28-yard TD to T.J. Yeldon. A.J. to T.J.
- Manziel, meanwhile, leads the SEC in rushing after getting 129 yards against Mississippi State. It was the fifth time this year he's gone over the century mark. And, oh-by-the-way, he was just 30-of-36 passing for 311 yards. You kinda expect this guy to have a Heisman in his collection by 2014 (he's a freshman).
- Yes, they play each other this week.
- Sure, there are other players in the SEC as well, in particular on defense. Three of the nation's top five in total defense are in the SEC: Alabama (2), LSU (3) and Florida (5).
Football Factoids:
- ESPN Heisman Watch: 3. McCarron; 6. Manziel. Did we mention they play each other this week?
- SEC in the AP poll: 1. Alabama; 5. Georgia; 6. Florida; 9. LSU; 12. South Carolina; 15. Texas A&M; 22. Mississipi State.
- SEC in the BCS standings: 1. Alabama; 5. Georgia; 6. Florida; 7. LSU; 8. South Carolina; 15. Texas A&M; 21. Mississipi State.
- How will Manziel do against the 'Bama defense? It's a good question, and it's making folks glad that A&M joined the party just in time for Manziel's arrival.
- The Aggies are the toughest test remaining for the Tide until the SEC title game, for which they are pretty much a lock.
- Florida survived Missouri, 14-7, but still have to hope for Georgia to fall in a massive upset to Auburn (0-6 in the SEC) in order to get to the title game.
- Mississippi State will try to avoid a third straight defeat, but the opponent is LSU, so an extension of the slide is certainly likely.
College Stats & Stuff for the Pac-12 (Week Ten)
PAC-12 CONFERENCE [Scores] [Standings]
Best Wins:
- Oregon greatly enhanced its chances at making the BCS national title game by outlasting USC, 62-51. The Ducks also got an assist from Pittsburgh taking Notre Dame into triple overtime.
- UCLA is suddenly looking "real" after a 66-10 trouncing of previously ranked Arizona. The Bruins' early-season win over Nebraska is also looking better and better.
- And Oregon State recovered from its first loss of the year by knocking off Arizona State, 36-26.
Stats Smorgasbord:
- Kenjon Barner of Oregon placed himself firmly in the Heisman race with a massive performance in the Ducks' track meet with the Trojans. Barner had 321 yards on 38 carries for 5 TDs. Barner is now No. 2 in the nation in rushing with 1295 yards and 19 TDs.
- Fellow Duck Marcus Mariota is making plenty of noise of his own. The freshman was 20-of-23 passing for 4 TDs of his own. Mariota has 22 TDs and only 5 INT on the season, and is ranked No. 7 nationally in passing efficiency.
- Barner's brilliance has pushed the remarkable year of UCLA's Jonathan Franklin to the sidelines. Franklin went for 162 yards on 23 carries in the Bruins' win. It was the fourth time this year that Franklin has gone past the 150-yard mark.
- And it was another strong week for USC receiver Marqise Lee despite the Trojans' defeat. Lee had 12 more catches for 157 yards and 2 TDs. It was the sixth time this year that Lee had double-digit reception totals.
Football Factoids:
- ESPN Heisman Watch: 2. Barner, RB, Oregon; 7. Lee. Oregon all-purpose player DeAnthony Thomas finally drops out after being a favorite all year, but not being the impact player that Barner has been.
- Pac-12 in the AP poll: 2. Oregon; 13. Oregon State; 16. Stanford; 17. UCLA; 21. USC.
- Pac-12 in the BCS standings: 3. Oregon; 11. Oregon State; 14. Stanford; 18. UCLA; 19. USC.
- The Oregon-USC game was marred by a scandal involving illegal deflation of footballs by the Trojan crew. Coach Lane Kiffin said the student managers acted on their own. More evidence that Kiffin may not have the goods to be a big-time coach? A 6-3 record with tons of NFL talent might be more telling, though.
- Is Colorado one of the worst teams ever? The Buffaloes lost all their non-conference games, and are ranked 122nd in the nation in points scored. You can't get much worse than that. Oh, wait, they are 124th in the nation in points allowed. Yikes! Averaging 16.4 points per game and giving up an average of 46.2. Somehow they eked out a 35-34 win over Washington State earlier in the year, but it's a very sad state of affairs at a school that used to be in the national title hunt not that long ago.
- We may forget, but the Pac-12 has a title game now. The Oregon-Oregon State winner looks like a lock for one spot, and the UCLA-USC winner is likely to get the other. This weeks Oregon State-Stanford game could shake things up a bit. The Cardinal still play both Oregon schools, and a sweep would put them atop the North Division.
College Stats & Stuff for the Big XII (Week Ten)
BIG XII CONFERENCE [Scores] [Standings]
Best Wins:
- Kansas State has a "best win" every week. This week it was over Oklahoma State, 44-30.
- TCU gets its shot at K-State this weekend after moving to 3-3 in its inaugural Big XII season with a 39-38 win over reeling West Virginia.
- Texas is kind of sneaking back onto the map with a 31-22 win over Texas Tech. The 7-2 Longhorns can't be too happy that their ex-rivals Texas A&M are making some waves in the SEC.
Stats Smorgasbord:
- And Collin Klein has more stats every week. Klein is No. 1 in the nation in passing efficiency and is averaging over 10 yards per attempt. And he's third in the conference in rushing, averaging over 5 yards per carry. He left the Oklahoma State game early, after 245 passing yards and 64 rushing yards, but is expected to play this week against the Horned Frogs. Klein suffered a wrist injury.
- Meanwhile, Geno Smith, the guy Klein shoved out of the Heisman driver's seat, threw his third interception of the year against TCU and, despite 3 TD throws and 260 yards passing, he's lost the video-game crazy stats he was flashing earlier in the year.
- Smith is now No. 12 in the nation in passing efficiency and fourth in the conference.
- In addition to having the best player, Kansas State has been the most opportunistic team in the country. The Wildcats have a massive +20 turnover margin, with 24 takeaways and just 4 giveaways (2 fumbles, 2 INT).
Football Factoids:
- ESPN Heisman Watch: 1. Klein. Smith is now nowhere to be found.
- Big XII in the AP poll: 3. Kansas State; 14. Oklahoma; 19. Texas; 25. Texas Tech.
- Big XII in the BCS standings: 2. Kansas State; 12. Oklahoma; 17. Texas; 22. Texas Tech. West Virginia and Oklahoma State disappear from the rankings.
- Kansas State appears destined for the BCS in some capacity, with the national championship game a distinct possibility. The Wildcats hold a two-game lead over everyone in the conference except Oklahoma and they hold the tiebreaker with the Sooners.
- But wait ... there are Longhorns lurking. Texas can't really win the conference title without a series of unlikely events, but it sure could play spoiler when it travels to Manhattan on Dec. 1. The Horns are 7-2 and back in the Top 25, which they had exited pronto following their 63-21 crushing by Oklahoma. They face Iowa State and then newly minted conference rival TCU before the showdown with the Wildcats.
College Stats & Stuff for the Big Ten (Week Ten)
BIG TEN CONFERENCE [Scores] [Standings]
Best Wins:
- Indiana did what those hoping to mock the Big Ten were wishing for: it beat Iowa 24-21 to move into position for a spot in the Big Ten title game with a win over Wisconsin. All this after enduring five straight losses, including defeats at the hands of Ball State and Navy.
- The reason, of course, is that Leaders Division ... um ... leaders (that doesn't really roll off the tongue) Ohio State and Penn State are both ineligible due to sanctions. The Buckeyes rolled past Illinois, 52-22, while the Nittany Lions took care of Purdue, 34-9.
- In the Legends Division, in which all the teams are eligible, Nebraska took command with a 28-24 win at Michigan State.
Stats Smorgasbord:
- How is Indiana doing it, as it pulls itself into the national conversation? With offense. The Hoosiers are second in the conference with 426.7 yards per game, also good for No. 35 in the nation.
- Most of that it through the air, as Indiana leads the conference in passing yards at 299.9 yards per game.
- On defense? Well, they're giving up 428.1 yards per contest, which is dead last in the Big Ten.
- Hoosier QB Cameron Coffman had his best game of the year in the win over the Hawkeyes, completing 21-of-33 for 315 yards and 3 TDs with 0 INT. Coffman is a sophomore.
Football Factoids:
- ESPN Heisman Watch: 5. Ohio State QB Braxton Miller. Despite great numbers, it looks as if it's not Miller's year.
- Big Ten in the AP poll: 5. Ohio State; 18. Nebraska.
- Big Ten in the BSC standings: Ohio State is ineligible, but Nebraska is No. 16 and Northwestern sneaks in at No. 24 despite being unranked by AP.
- Nebraska's win over Michigan State was the third time the Huskers overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to win. They also did it against Wisconsin and Northwestern.
- The Badgers are 3-2 in the conference and can pretty much lock up the devalued Leaders Division spot in the conference title game in Indianapolis with a win over Indiana.
- But, if the Hoosiers win, then ... well, as Keith Jackson used to supposedly say ... "Whoa Nellie." It would give Indiana a 3-3 mark in the Big Ten, which would equal Wisconsin's, and they'd have the tiebreaker. They finish with Penn State and Purdue while the Badgers finish with Ohio State and Penn State.
- Yes, it means the Hoosiers could head up the road to Indy with a 6-6 overall record, and even head to the Rose Bowl at 7-6 with an upset win. Well, they can dream.
- Nebraska is favored over Penn State at home, and then finishes with Minnesota and Iowa, so the dreaded part of the Husker schedule (Wisconsin, at Ohio State, at Northwestern, Michigan, at Michigan State) ended with four wins out of five. Now the Rose Bowl beckons.
College Stats & Stuff for the ACC + Notre Dame (Week Ten)
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE [Scores] [Standings]
Best Wins:
- Out of nowhere in the midst of a terrible season, Virginia jumped up and smacked around N.C. State, 33-6. It was the first ACC win of the year for the Cavaliers, and it created tons more regret for Florida State, who would be in the national championship hunt if not for muffing its game against the Wolfpack.
- Clemson delivered another reality check to Duke, which has not been competitive against the very top teams. The Tigers won by 56-20.
- Notre Dame, soon to be an ACC school in all sports other than football, stayed alive in its national championship quest by edging Pittsburgh, 29-26 in triple overtime.
Stats Smorgasbord:
- Clemson's Tajh Boyd threw for 5 TDs against Duke while completing 16-of-23 for 344 yards. But he also had three interceptions.
- Boyd is No. 4 in the nation in passing efficiency, but that's only good for second in the conference, with Florida State's E.J. Manuel at No. 2 nationally.
- With 526 yards rushing, Boyd is No. 8 in the nation in total offense.
- Ross Cockrell of Duke snagged one of Boyd's interceptions for his fifth of the year. That puts him at No. 7 nationally and first in the conference.
Football Factoids:
- ESPN Heisman Watch: [4. Notre Dame LB Manti Te'o]; 8. Boyd. The Tigers' QB had dropped out of the list, but climbs back in after his 5-TD performance. Te'o had been No. 2 before the overtime struggle with Pitt.
- ACC in the AP poll: [4. Notre Dame]; 8. Florida State; 10. Clemson.
- ACC in the BCS rankings: [4. Notre Dame]; 10. Florida State; 13. Clemson.
- Notre Dame gets another taste of its future semi-ACC schedule with a game against Boston College this week and one with Wake Forest the week after.
- With two overtime wins, and after falling to No. 4 in the BCS rankings, the Irish appear unlikely to sneak into the national title game unless a couple of teams ahead of them lose. Alabama could even stay ahead of the Irish with a loss, given the strength of the SEC in the computer rankings, but it seems unlikely.
- The Domers' opportunity to gain from a win over USC in the season finale has dimmed considerably with the Trojans now having lost three times.
- Florida State can't make the national title game, but appears to be a near lock to take the ACC spot in the Orange Bowl.
Eat Street "Babes"
We like to watch Eat Street on The Cooking Channel. It’s a show about different kinds of street foods—often sold via food truck or other means—around the country, as well as in Canada. It usually inspires conversations about where we’d like to travel someday because, let’s face it, like Danielle’s stepsister in Ever After, we’re just there for the food.
Today’s episode, however, gave me pause. There was a food truck advertised as “Baby’s Badass Burgers” from Los Angeles, and the truck’s artwork featured buxom women either bent over, nearly showing the woman’s behind, as well as a woman holding two burgers where her breasts were provocatively.
That’s their business and their choice, and I have a lot of opinions about why it’s wrong—and why we wouldn’t purchase food from such a business, let alone let our daughter see it—but again, it’s their business and their choice. They did call their gimmick an original one, however, which isn’t true—plenty of other dining establishments use women’s bodies to sell their crap food.
However, this is a family-friendly show, and my daughter did see it. And to introduce the truck, the host held a girl in one arm and a burger in the other and declared a burger and babe “the American dream.” Um, is this the American dream for 51 percent of the population, which happens to be female? I seriously doubt it, even if one out of two qualifies. Then the host catcalled at another woman, “Nice buns!” and his “squeeze” abandoned him and he acted baffled by it.
Right, because not only are women objects—the things to acquire to fulfill your American dream!—but we’re also clueless airheads who shouldn’t mind A. being ignored while you openly ogle someone else or B. being ogled and catcalled at in the first place.
I am so sick of this dehumanization of women in our culture. Everywhere I look, my sex is an object, not a personhood—and my daughter gets more and more confused. Stop telling her she needs to wear little clothing to be worthwhile, that the only costumes for her are “naughty” this or that, and that she is an object to please men! Stop telling us all, for that matter.
Unfortunately, this truck’s business model proves that we have gulped the purple kool-aid as a culture; it’s not just the media anymore. The population has bought the idea that women are objects, and that’s what sells. And I guess until you can prove your product is superior without placing it alongside a pair of breasts, you’ll keep doing it. I challenge those businesses that actually have merit to try another sales approach, particularly if they value women as anything other than trophies.
Wrath of the Titans
When my husband and I watched The Clash of the Titans, we weren’t all that impressed. The effects were pretty cool, but the acting and plot were pretty much crap, and neither of us care for the blue cat guy, Sam Worthington. As fans of both Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson, we were a little disappointed, but overall okay with the mediocre film.
Its sequel, however, was horrible. It was actually so bad that I fell asleep twice; my husband had to wake me up and remind me that we had paid to rent this piece of crap so we needed to watch it. I informed him that I could watch the same thing if I knelt in our yard and watched an ant hive go about their day, and that we wasted a free coupon for the movie so it didn’t matter anyway.
So Percy married a mortal woman, and she died or whatever, and Percy is recruited to save his father, Zeus, when he is captured by two other gods—Ares and Hades—who decide to free their Titan father Chronos. Percy saves the day, Zeus helps, and blah blah blah.
Seriously, there are no cool monsters or effects, no great fight scenes, nothing—not even a snappy quote of dialogue to fake-laugh at. The fact that it lacked in substance was no surprise; we hadn’t anticipated that it would have any. But the fact that the special effects were that bad—that even Tartarus wasn’t very cool—was disappointing.
I think we need to quit making big budget movies filled with special effects and send our film folks back to school or something. While we get a few good movies every now and then, the bulk of them are sheer crapola—and they are not getting any better! No one is learning from these mistakes; it’s like a big movie toilet just evacuating into a theater near you.
I can think of dozens of movies without the big budgets and effects that wowed my pants off. How about 12 Angry Men? Stand by Me? The Shawshank Redemption? And if you’re looking for thrillers, I am sure The Silence of the Lambs, A Few Good Men, and The Fugitive didn’t cost much to make (aside from the actors’ salaries). Personally, I would rather see a well-written film than a piece of crap with things that blow up in it.
I think our teach to the test method is churning out crappy writers. Kids aren’t given time to write creative stuff today when they have hours of homework and tests to prepare for. How about a little more creative time, parents and teachers? I think we could all do with some of it, actually.
Solutions to the same problems
Rachel Maddow pointed out something incredibly important during this post-election celebration or wallowing, depending on your party. The Republican Party isn’t doing well because our system used to include two parties that would come up with different solutions about the problems we face as a country and then vote on which ones were best.
However, today’s Republican Party is quite different. Instead of proposing solutions, they simply deny that we have a problem—global warming, evolution, poverty, whatever—and argue against whatever the Democrats come up with.
They have become a belligerent party of deniers rather than one of solutions. Some of the best solutions in history came out of the Republican Party many years ago, and by becoming this toxic in-denial party, they do a disservice to themselves as well as our entire country.
I am so ready for the Republican party to stop catering to the Religious Right and to start coming up with solutions of their own. Many of these people are smart—they were clever enough to eliminate my representative’s job and re-zone my county to eliminate a Democrat from the House, unfortunately. They’re like Slytherins; they play dirty but they are pretty darn cunning, and they could come up with some great solutions if they truly tried.