Playoffs !!!!!

Playoff........Kane

Cin v. Hou.....Cincy
Gonna go against the flow and pick Cincy. Houston has lost 3 coming into this and could have a banged up QB or go to Jake. I thinks it's been 2 - 2 1/2 years since Jake has won a game.

Pitt v. Den....Pittsburg
Tim has a long way to go in trying to match 'miracles' with Ben and company.

Det v. N.O.....New Orleans
Could (and should) be over by half time.

Atl v. NYG.....Atlanta
Neither teaam is impressive but I'll go with the one that's not limping so badly.

Advise and Consent

Not the Senate's role but those who 'offer' strategic advice to political campaigns.

'Mitt Romney has added a veteran Washington lobbyist — Charlie Black, a top political aide to Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign — to the circle of informal advisers who are trying to help to guide him to the White House'.

'In addition to his extensive corporate work, Black’s client list included (but is by no means limited to) Iraq/Iran’s Ahmad Chalabi, Mobutu Sese Seko, Ferdinand Marcos, Somalia’s Mohamed Siad Barre, Nigeria’s Ibrahim Babangida, and Angola’s would-be dictator Jonas Savimbi. In each instance, Black was paid (handsomely) to boost their access, influence, and stature among U.S. policy makers'.

'And now this same Charles Black is offering advice to Mitt Romney. Maybe some enterprising campaign reporter should ask Romney about this'.
From : http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/political-animal/2012_01/meet_charlie_black034485.php#

Meet Charlie Black :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjCYmjjxp8I&feature=player_embedded

People like this is why our Country is in such a mess. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/us/politics/13black.html

The claim that bussiness is uncertain so won't invest?

'Bank of America Corp., under pressure to raise capital and cut risks, is severing lines of credit to some small-business owners who have used them to stay afloat'.

'The Charlotte, N.C., bank is demanding that these customers pay off their credit line balances all at once instead of making monthly payments. If they can't pay in full, they are being offered new repayment plans for as long as five years, but with far higher interest rates than their original credit lines had'.
From : http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/bank-america-initiated-new-loan-shark

Sunday Picks - Week 17 - Ending on a high note

Well the regular season anyway.

Kane  13 - 3  (256)
Total 156 - 100 =  61%

Below where I'd like to be at 2/3rds but............

Week 16..........Kane
Week 17
SUN, JAN 1
20...to...23 - Win                                    
Sea v. Ari.......Ari.
Seahawks ended with the same win/loss but in more stable shape then last year. They have a QB (although I'm still not sold on him.) Established a running game. Something they haven't had for years. Built up their 'O' line and Defence.  Have to keep a solid running game because next year the NFC West is going to have some high scoring offences. Run the ball. Control the clock and keep the ball away from the other team.

17...to....45 - Win                                    
Car v. N.O.......N.O.
As the year started, so it shall end.........for one of these teams. G.B. vs. N.O.

21...to...49 - Win                                     
Buff v. N.E......N.E.
Brady and company could....go....all....the....way......Well until they meet Rodgers and company! (GRINS!)

17..to...13 - Win                                      
Chi v. Minn......Chi.
Losing the starting QB should NOT have been this bad. Gotta fix that problem.

17...to...19 - Win                                     
NYJ v. Mia.......Mia.
Nothing to see here except Miami will have a much better year next year. NY? You gotta a great QB. Build around that.

34...to...27 -  Win                                    
S.F. v. St.L.....S.F.
A great defence. But winning a game means you score 1 more point then the other team. Their offence has been struggling.

41...to...45 - Loss                                    
Det v. G.B.......Det.
You're playing a team that has their starting QB sitting and 6 other starters and you still can't beat them?
Is it 'how bad are we' or 'how good are they'?
It's how good are they!

10...to...34 - Win                                     
Wash v. Phil.....Phil.
A whole lotta work to do on both teams for next year.

13...to....19 - Win                                    
Indy v. Jack.....Jack.
A huge yerar for Indy coming up. I'd love to see Peyton play but not at the risk of his health. And Luck? How cool to be mentored by one of the greatest QB's in the history of football?

23...to...22 - Win                                     
Tenn v. Hou......Tenn.
Has Matt got another year in him? Houston? It's coachiong that could take them to the next level and deep into the playoffs. But do they have the right coaching?

7...to...3 - Loss                                      
K.C. v. Den......Den.
Bet Tebow doesn't make it half way through next season. K.C. on the other hand wins their Divison.

24..to..45 - Win                                       
T.B.v. Atl.........Atl.
Like Houston, both teams need coaching to get to the next level.

24...to...16 - Win                                     
Balt v. Cin......Balt.
And the Ravens are in the same boat as T.B., Atlanta and Houston. Cincy? start shaking it up or get used to having a repeat.
 
13...to...9 - Win                                      
Pitt v. Cle......Pitt.
Ditto for both these teams. Need to shake it up. Personnel AND coaching!

38..to..26 - Loss                                      
S.D. v. Oak......Oak.
S.D. I have NO idea what the problem is. Oakland? Well get a real QB and keep building on what you did.

14...to..31 - Win                                      
Dall v. NYG......NYG.
Dallas. Needs a new QB, Coach and attitude.

NYGiants? See Dallas.

First annual 'Idiots Delight' year-end awards

Over at Addictinginfo :
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2011/12/31/idiots-delight-the-annual-edition/

**'John Boehner: Not since the Ford Motor Company decided it would be a good idea to name a car after the son of its founder, has more misfortune befallen one individual'.
'Whether he can survive through this congressional term remains to be seen. What is certain is that the political firestorm that is the House of Representatives will be a sore spot for the GOP throughout the 2012 campaign and for that, Republicans – and Democrats, as well – have John Boehner to thank'.

**'Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain and Rick Perry: Or, as I prefer to call them, Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest. Bachmann, Cain and Perry epitomize the very worst of a polarized and paralyzed political process that has made them the laughing stock of most voters and severely damaged their own party'.

**'Anthony Weiner: And now we come to the greatest shame and waste of 2011. The former Democratic representative from New York was one of the Party’s most articulate, passionate and effective leaders until his fall this past spring'.
'In a House of Representatives that desperately needs sensible alternatives to the madness of the Tea Party infestation, Democrats are still searching for their voice.
Weiner’s departure has left a political vacuum that the Party must fill somehow or risk further collateral damage in 2012'.
'As I said at the time, nice goin’, putz'!

**'The Agents of Intolerance: Whether it was Fox News, or much of the A.M. radio dial, or the Tea Party Express, or some pretend evangelical spewing hate as scriptural doctrine, 2011 was yet another painful reminder of just how far the nation has been dragged into the mud and how much farther it still needs to go to recover; assuming that’s even possible'.

'I’ve said this once and I’ll say it again. The only way the Left can persevere is to resist the urge to one up the Right. Succumbing to its lesser angels not only undermines its moral high ground, it elevates that which it purports to hate the most to the status of equal'.
'And can there be any more revolting a concept as that'?

Acountability of Politicaly Astute Newt

Astute : clever, cunning, crafty

“Politics has become a really nasty, vicious, negative business and I think it’s disgusting and I think it’s dishonest,” Gingrich told ABC News aboard his campaign bus in Iowa'.
From : http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/12/politics-is-a-nasty-vicious-negative-and-disgusting-business/

Such as his 1996 GOPAC memo urging Republicans to refer to Democratic opponents as :

Pathetic Traitors and much, much more.......................
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4443.htm

Mitt Romney's 'true character'

"The next election isn't about just picking the next president," he said.  "It's about the soul of the country."
From : http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/12/31/new-poll-shows-mitt-romney-on-the-cusp-of-iowa-victory.html

“As to what to do for the housing industry specifically — and are there things that you can do to encourage housing? One is, don’t try and stop the foreclosure process,” said Romney. “Let it run its course, and hit the bottom, allow investors to buy up homes, put renters in them, fix the homes up, and let it turn around and come back up".
From : http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/10/romney-dont-try-and-stop-the-foreclosure-process-video.php?ref=fpa

'Don’t try and stop the foreclosure process.'

'Allow investors to buy up homes'.

Profit in the one hand. People in the other. Three guesses and the frist two are wrong as to who in a Romney Administration is going to come out on top.
http://www.lvrj.com/multimedia/Five-questions-with-Mitt-Romney-132028338.html