1) The guys who set the lines are professionals. Their job is to make each game look as attractive as possible to everyone. That way they even out the amount of money bet on each side.
Instant translation: The house wins no matter who wins. That's why people get into the gambling business.
2) I am just a fan. I won't even keep track of these picks week to week if it gets too embarrassing.
3) There is no such thing as "inside information". Especially in the pros.
4) If those idiot touts on tv and in the paper were any good, they wouldn't go public with their genius. They'd sit at Harrah's sports book from open to close and then go out and buy $2,000 an hour hookers who dress like high school girls.
5) Gambling is stupid. You cannot win.
That being said, here are my NFL picks for this week.
Super Bowl XLV
Sunday February 6
Pittsburgh (+3) vs. Green Bay
I think the Steelers' defense will make Aaron Rodgers look worse than he really is and the Black and Gold should win their seventh title by seven points. I'll also take the over (44 1/2).
FINAL: Packers 31 Steelers 25 - Fyodor loses! (I got the total right, but that is no consolation at all.)
The defense played well enough to win, but the turnovers were the difference. I trust the Steelers and their fans won't blame the officials or their failure to sacrifice the proper number of goats to Wotan or whatever, like some people do. (Yes, Seattle, that's a shot at you.) You see, kiddies, winners know that when they lose it happens because they were outplayed. Congrats to the Packers and their fans. Let's do it again next year, shall we?
Memo to the NFLPA and the owners: Don't screw this up. Remember baseball was king once upon a time...
Friday, February 04, 2011
Fyodor's Super Bowl XLV picks.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Madmen and totalitarians have a special brand of genius that is theirs alone...
From Al's Journal [I checked, It's not a spoof from The Onion.]:
An Answer for Bill February 1, 2011 : 11:43 AM
Last week on his show Bill O’Reilly asked, “Why has southern New York turned into the tundra?” and then said he had a call into me. I appreciate the question.
As it turns out, the scientific community has been addressing this particular question for some time now and they say that increased heavy snowfalls are completely consistent with what they have been predicting as a consequence of man-made global warming:
“In fact, scientists have been warning for at least two decades that global warming could make snowstorms more severe. Snow has two simple ingredients: cold and moisture. Warmer air collects moisture like a sponge until it hits a patch of cold air. When temperatures dip below freezing, a lot of moisture creates a lot of snow.”
“A rise in global temperature can create all sorts of havoc, ranging from hotter dry spells to colder winters, along with increasingly violent storms, flooding, forest fires and loss of endangered species.”
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
And you wonder why there are so many of us...
From Upper St. Clair Patch:
Steeler Nation Welcomes New Arrivals
Little Brayden McQuillan was in the world for less than ten minutes Friday morning when the staff at St. Clair Hospital wrapped him in a gold Terrible Towel and placed a Steelers knit hat on his tiny head.
“They’re born Steelers fans here in Pittsburgh,” said Sharon Johnson, clinical supervisor at the hospital’s Family Birth Center.
The staff at the hospital in Mt. Lebanon wrapped up ten newborns in the towels Friday in celebration of the Steelers’ run to Super Bowl XLV. Each baby born this week at the hospital will also be wrapped up in the black and gold, a tradition the staff also did in 2008.
First-time dad Alexander Ameredes said his wife, Rachel, gave birth to their son Alexander on Wednesday, two weeks earlier than predicted. The Collier Township man said he thinks his son wanted to make sure he was around for the big game on Feb. 6.
“I was worried about the Super Bowl,” Ameredes said. “I think he was, too."
Just a few feet away, Joe Laffey, 34, of Bethel Park was gazing at his new daughter, Annabella Grace, born just a couple of hours earlier. Laffey said he and his girlfriend, Samantha Grimm, found out the due date a few months ago and he immediately went to check if it would coincide with the game.
“I already knew when the Super Bowl was, so I did the math and saw it was the bye week,” Laffey said. “I kept telling her during the AFC Championship game, ‘Don’t let your water break!’ I got all hyped up, but she tried to stay relaxed.”
He said the towel blanketing his new daughter would be a lucky charm for the family.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Laffey said. “I got a new baby and a new Terrible Towel. Couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Justin Eitel of Mt. Lebanon couldn’t help but take at least 50 snapshots of his new daughter wrapped up in the towel. He had no doubts about which team she would be rooting for when she grows up.
"She can choose her religion,” Eitel said, “but she can't choose what team she likes."
But it wasn’t just the fathers who were beaming with joy.
Dr. Paul Zubritzky, an obstetrician at St. Clair, delivered four of the babies, including little Brayden just in time to receive his new Steelers swag. He said the mother heard about what was happening and wanted her new son to be part of the celebration.
“She worked hard and got it done, just like the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Zubritzky said. “It’s a special time. You feel like you’re a part of it.”
The hospital previously did this two years ago before the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII. This around time, though, they had trouble finding Terrible Towels because of the demand before this year’s game.
Destinie Main of Scenery Hill hoped the birth of her second son, Noah, would bring another championship to Pittsburgh. Her first son, Kaden, was born October 2008 and the team won another Lombardi Trophy a few months later.
“We’re hoping this is our second good luck charm,” Main said. “He came with his own Terrible Towel.”
Her fiancé, Ray Ayres, didn’t have a doubt which team his new son would be rooting for come next Sunday.
“You don’t have to make them fans,” Ayres said. “They’re born Steelers fans here.”
Steelers Update.
From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
They just might put the terrible in our towel
The printing and packaging responsibilities for the Terrible Towel the most sacredof Steelers souvenirs are in the hands of people who wear foam cheese hats. ...
Terrible Towel cookies on sale
Bethel Bakery, 5200 Brightwood Road, Bethel Park, supports the Steelers and Allegheny
Valley School with their officially licensed Terrible Towel Cookies. ...
Natrona Heights native has Super record at the big game
Although Super Bowl I was unspectacular — at the time, it was known as the "First AFL-NFL World Championship Game" — Tom Henschel has been to every one since. On Sunday, the diehard Steelers fan will attend his 45th — making him one of four members of the "Never Miss A Super Bowl Club."
Steelers' Mendenhall on cusp of stardom
Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis are impressed with what Rashard Mendenhall has done in his first season as the starting running back.
Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert talked extensively Monday about a number of subject, including the job Mike Tomlin has done, the support the Steelers have shown Ben Roethlisberger and the decision to keep defensive end Aaron Smith...
Monday, January 31, 2011
The Charlie Sheen Syndrome. Or, everybody loves a rich pervert.
From Lancaster Online:
Ephrata Playhouse in the Park renamed for 2 longtime benefactors
Like many theater companies, the Ephrata Performing Arts Center has been facing tough economic times.
Having to pay off a huge mortgage/construction debt after the theater was rebuilt in 2003 has made those tough times even harder.
Enter a theater angel.
Terry Bigler, through the Michael Sharadin-Terry Bigler Fund, has donated $400,000 to EPAC to help pay off the debt over the next ten years.
In recognition of that generosity, the theater building, long called the Playhouse in the Park, is now the Sharadin Bigler Theatre.
"It's a good way to honor Michael now that he's gone," Bigler said. "Michael always loved theater and EPAC. I picked it up when we got together."
Bigler, who owns Zeller Travel, and Sharadin, who ran his family business, Mi-Jan Fabrics, were partners for 27 years before Sharadin's death in 2006.
Did you ever wonder why the "compassionate humanitarians" desperately want kids chopped into pieces?
- Hospital stands tall in battle with Catholic bishopThe battle between a Phoenix hospital and a Catholic bishop over termination of a pregnancy that saved a mother's life illuminates rival religious approaches. One focuses on dogma and punishment of sinners. The other exalts compassion for the needy, mercy for sinners and inclusiveness. [Hee-hee. That's a bit much.][Seattle Times]
- A bishop, a nun, a hospital and a holy war - National Catholic Reporter
- Tussling Over Jesus - New York Times
- St. Joseph Church in Phoenix shows support for Bishop OlmstedSt. Joseph Catholic Church in northeast Phoenix will conduct a pro-life event on Sunday. A church publicist said the parish wished to show support for Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted for his ouster of St. Joseph's Hospital from the church, and it coincides with pro-life activities throughout the country on Sunday, commemorating the Jan. 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion.[The Arizona Republic]
- Despite Phoenix dispute, Bishops’ ties with CHA called strongOn a scale of predictability, today’s tensions between the U.S. bishops and the Catholic Health Association would probably rank with the rising of the sun.[National Catholic Reporter]
- Phoenix hospital still belongs to Catholic Health AssociationWASHINGTON -- St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix is still a member of the Catholic Health Association although Phoenix’s bishop has declared it is no longer Catholic, the association said in response to an NCR inquiry.[National Catholic Reporter]
It's none of anybody's business how Amy Chua rears her children.
Tiger-Mom War Over Chinese Parenting Reflects U.S. Anxiety
Don't bother me with this unless they turn out to be thieves and murderers.
- Is it time for a new parenting style? - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
- Tiger Mom Meets the Jewish Mother - BellaOnline
Fyodor yearns for the days when Italian-Americans were merely slandered as gangsters.
From The Week (via Yahoo! News):
'Jersey Shore' goes to Italy: The inevitable wisecracks
MTV is shooting its notorious reality show in Italy next season. Not everyone's amused, but some sure are...
all 236 [!!!!!!!] news articles…
Friday, January 28, 2011
Abortion don't make you crazy, havin' kids does!
Mental health risk no higher after abortion - 3news
Killing your children also prevents cavities and firms up your abs.
Now she tells me!
From omg!:
Jennifer Love Hewitt Has 3 Engagement Rings Picked Out Just in Case
Unlike a slew of Hollywood stars, Jennifer Love Hewitt isn't engaged yet -- but she's got her Tiffany engagement ring all picked out. Three of them, in fact.
"I actually have three because I feel like I'm doing the guy a favor," Hewitt, 31, explains during a Tuesday appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.
No, I don't think she sounds crazy. Desperate maybe, but not crazy.PHOTOS: What Jennifer and other stars wore to the Globes
"Women are very confusing. We never know what we want and we're not very good at nailing that down for them. I feel like I don't want to be upset if he picks a bad ring" explains the Lost Valentine star, who's been dating Alex Beh for about 7 months.
But not desperate enough to call ol' Fyodor.
Hewitt has never been married before -- but broke off her engagement to actor Ross McCall in early 2008.
PHOTOS: Stars' blingy engagement rings
But she's all set should Beh or another suitor bring up matrimony. "If it gets to that conversation. If marriage comes up, I'm like, "You know what's so weird. There is this store [Tiffany's] and there are three rings in it... And if you chose one of these three, I'm going to be really excited. And if you go off on your own, we can have an awful, awkward moment. So why would you want to do that?"
BTW, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Jen's backside.
Hewitt gushed about her new guy Beh, who had a great time as her date at the Golden Globes. "It was exciting! He's never been to anything like that. "
Fyodor is amazed by his own prescience.
Ed Rendell Finalizing Deal To Be A MSNBC Pundit - Mediaite
A marriage made in media heck.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
More kooky stuff from foreigners.
'Honor killing' trial starts Monday in Phoenix
An Iraqi immigrant accused of killing his daughter because he believed she was too Westernized is going on trial in a case prosecutors call an " honor killing."
An Iraqi immigrant accused of killing his daughter because he believed she was too Westernized is going on trial in a case prosecutors call an "honor killing."Police allege Faleh Almaleki slammed his Jeep into his 20-year-old daughter, Noor Almaleki, and her boyfriend's mother in the parking lot of a state Department of Economic Security office in the Phoenix suburb of Peoria in 2009.
The mother lived, but Noor was in a coma for two weeks before she died from her injuries.
Almaleki, 50, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, aggravated assault and leaving the scene of a serious injury accident.
A jury will hear opening statements Monday in the murder case. Plea negotiations that had been under way for weeks failed just before jury selection began last week. His attorneys have not disclosed their defense strategy publicly.
The case caused outrage after prosecutors deemed Noor's death an "honor killing" because Almaleki had said his daughter dishonored his family and became too Westernized.
You see, kiddies, Cohen is kind of a Jewish name, so he's allowed.
From Fox News:
Democratic Rep Steve Cohen Defends Comparison of GOP Health Law Attacks to Nazi 'Lies'
all 69 stories
Commie creeps decree more poor people must die of starvation.
Let's see how long it takes any of these fine humans to mention the wasteful practice of turning people food into automobile fuel...
EPA decision to allow more ethanol gets mixed reviews - Winona Daily News
The ethanol industry has won another round in its fight to put more of the corn-based bio-fuel into gasoline. The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday cleared use of 15 percent ethanol/gas blends for all vehicles made between 2001 and 2006.
But there's still a lot of opposition to "E15," as it's known.
Ethanol industry officials have been trying for almost two years to push E15 to the marketplace. Last October, the EPA approved the 15 percent blend for vehicles made in 2007 and later.
The agency's latest decision allows the fuel to be used in vehicles manufactured in 2001 or later, and is a significant step forward in boosting ethanol use, said Brian Jennings, executive vice president of the American Coalition for Ethanol.
"We're really pleased that EPA finally came forth with a decision regarding E15, that indicates a majority of the cars on the road can use the product," Jennings said.
That's about 150 million vehicles. But Jennings acknowledges there are still many hurdles to clear before E15 shows up at gas stations.
Several groups have sued to block sale of the fuel. They include some financially powerful organizations tied to the oil industry, such as the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association. It contends the EPA's testing of E15 has not been extensive enough to prove the 15 percent blend is safe for car and truck engines.
Another issue is how E15 will be labeled at the pump. The EPA has proposed a label which starts with the word ‘caution' followed by an exclamation point. Ethanol industry officials say that wording would scare consumers away from using the new ethanol blend.
Jennings expects the legal and labeling issues to be resolved. That would allow E15 to appear in the marketplace before year's end.
"I think it would be October of this year perhaps at the soonest," he said.
When E15 does reach the marketplace, it's unknown how many gas stations will decide to sell it.
Jeff Lenard, a spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, which represents about 50,000 U.S. gasoline sellers, said many now sell 10 percent ethanol. He said stores will have to install new pumps, at $20,000 each, to handle the 15 percent blend.
Lenard said about 60 percent of the convenience stores in the U.S. are owned by individuals with limited financing. He doubts many will want to risk the money it will take to sell E15.
"It's probably well beyond their resources," Lenard said. "So you're looking at a fairly limited audience for the concept of selling E15 down the road."
Even with the hurdles though, ethanol supporters say the EPA's E15 decision is beneficial. Last year, the industry produced about 13 billion gallons of the fuel, consuming more than a third of the nation's corn crop.
By allowing more ethanol per gallon of fuel, the E15 decision will boost production and sales of ethanol, leaving the industry with another potential headache, supporters say.
With food prices already on the rise, more ethanol production could reignite complaints that the industry's demand for corn is fueling inflation.
From The Do As I Say Department:
Sen. Williams loses powerful post after fatal crash in Texas The findings of the investigation into why Williams swerved into the path of oncoming traffic are expected to be presented to a grand jury. Williams has said she doesn't remember what happened. Her son and two grandsons were passengers in her Honda CR-V when it collided with the Gomez family's GMC Yukon on U.S. 385 in Hartley County, Texas, about 40 miles northwest of Amarillo. Brianna Gomez, who was seven months pregnant, grew up in the town of Ouray before moving to Dalhart, Texas, in her senior year in high school to live with her father. Williams, an advocate for seat-belt laws, especially for children, was buckled in, but none of her passengers were. [Emphasis mine. - F.G.] Texas law requires all occupants to wear seat belts. A violation is punishable by a $500 fine. In an initial report, Texas troopers found that Williams had returned her 3-year-old grandson to his car seat after he was ejected from the vehicle. [Emphasis mine - F.G.]
State Sen. Suzanne Williams, D-Aurora, won't be promoted, as was expected, to chairwoman of the powerful Transportation Committee because of the fatal crash she caused in Texas last month, Majority Leader John Morse, D-Colorado Springs, said Monday.
We now move to further action.
The Dec. 26 crash critically injured Williams' 41-year-old son, Todd Edward Williams, and killed a pregnant woman, Brianna "Brie" Gomez, 30, of Amarillo, Texas, a passenger in the sport utility vehicle that Williams hit. Doctors were able to deliver Gomez's son, 3-pound Curran Blaec Gomez.
Ok, kiddies, here comes the good stuff.
SEX IS SNIFFLES.
From Reuters via Yahoo! News:
Semen allergy suspected in rare post-orgasm illness
Q: When is racism not racism?
A: When the establishment does it.
McCaskey tries new mentoring program - LancasterOnline.com
During a recent class period at McCaskey East High School, T'onna Johnson's class discussed a film, learned about a college-visit trip, talked about designing a class T-shirt and was encouraged to sign up for a seminar on the importance of a good education.This all happened during homeroom — that fleeting period when teachers take attendance, principals make announcements and students, usually, don't do much of anything.
Not at McCaskey East.
Every junior at the school has been paired with an adult homeroom mentor who tries to squeeze as much information and activities as possible into six minutes each day and 20 minutes twice a month.
The intent of the program, implemented in mid-December, is simple, principal Bill Jimanez said: "Let's make these guys think for six minutes about their future."
Every junior — the class that will take PSSA tests this year — was matched with a teacher who already had a relationship with that pupil.
But in the case of T'onna's class, there are other ties that bind the homeroom.
Every pupil is a black female. And their mentors are both female African-Americans. Across the hall, two homerooms of black male students are led by black men.
The all-black homerooms are part of an experiment to determine if grouping students homogeneously for a brief period each day will help them socially and academically.
"At first I was kind of like iffy because why would we be in homeroom together?" T'onna recalled. "But we work together and we do problems together, so I like it.
"Here we learn about how we can basically make a difference and how we don't have to settle for less."
The idea originated with Angela Tilghman, a McCaskey East instructional coach who was alarmed at the poor academic performance of the school's black students.
Only about a third of McCaskey's African-Americans scored proficient or advanced in reading on last year's PSSAs, compared with 60 percent of white students and 42 percent of all students.
Math scores were even worse, with just 27 percent of black pupils scoring proficient or advanced.
Research has shown, Tilghman said, that grouping black students by gender with a strong role model can help boost their academic achievement and self-esteem.
She and fellow instructional coach Rhauni Gregory volunteered to mentor the African-American girls, and Michael Mitchell and Willie Thedford each took a homeroom of black males.
No other students were divided by race, Jimanez said, although pupils enrolled in the school's English language learners program were paired with ELL teachers.
Initially, some McCaskey East students and staff objected to separating out black students. Some juniors asked to go back to their old homerooms. Others complained that the experiment ran counter to the culture of McCaskey, long a melting pot of students and staff from many diverse backgrounds.
But Jimanez said the academic data dictated the school take a different approach with its black students.
"One of the things we said when we did this was, 'Let's look at the data, let's not run from it,' " he said. "Let's confront it and see what we can do about it."
In all homerooms, teachers are tracking their students' grades, test scores and attendance and encouraging them to engage in discussions around "goal setting and self-actualization," Jimanez said.
If the "data" do indeed indicate this is the proper course of action, why don't we build exclusively black schools and exclusively latino public schools? Then we would need white schools, asian schools, and schools only for Pacific Islanders.
I am only following the "data" to its logical conclusion. It seems the left-fascists can't even keep their own ignorant party line straight in their tiny little brains.
The lesson to be learned here, kiddies, is an oldie but a goodie. GET YOUR KIDS OUT OF THE GOVERNMENT INDOCTRINATION CENTERS AT ALL COSTS.
Ding-Dong, the ding-dong's dead!
Peep Übermensch, the most mendacious jackass nobody ever watched finally got whacked by the losers at MSNBC.
From KARE 11 Minneapolis-St. Paul:
Keith Olbermann gives abrupt goodbye to MSNBC show
Don't expect NBC's new Comcast overlords to make positive changes. They put Slow Eddie Rendell on the Eagles' pre- and post-game shows.
'Flabbergasted' now means "I'm glad my minions helped to maximize the number of babies turned into hamburger."
From Philly.com:
Rendell ‘flabbergasted’ by abortion clinic horrors
There is a particularly nasty place in Hell reserved for cretinous clowns like Slow Eddie. Let's hope he spends some quality time in temple now that he no longer enslaves the people of Pennsylvania.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Does she or doesn't she?
Yahoo! News - Speculation swirls around Obama photos
Photos of President Obama released this week are prompting a feverish round of "does he or doesn't he" speculation about whether our commander in chief dyed his hair.My guess is he's over-compensating [for his hair and other things] by trying to destroy the country. Totalitarianism is to a politician as a Corvette is to a normal guy.
About Me
- TheChurchMilitant
- First of all, the word is SEX, not GENDER. If you are ever tempted to use the word GENDER, don't. The word is SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! For example: "My sex is male." is correct. "My gender is male." means nothing. Look it up. What kind of sick neo-Puritan nonsense is this? Idiot left-fascists, get your blood-soaked paws off the English language. Hence I am choosing "male" under protest.