Ives is reporting that forward Robbie Rodgers and midfielder Pablo Mastroeni receved injuries over the weekend and will be replaced by Chicago Fire's Chris Rolfe and Columus Crew's (and DC United Alum) Brian Carroll.
Rodgers wasn't likely to get the start but probably could have gotten a few minutes.
Mastroeni was likely to start at holding midfielder and this puts Bob Bradley in a bit of a quandry. Ives thinks Danny Szetela is likely to get a start and that makes since given that Szetela has been getting loads of minutes in Serie B. However, I think that Bradley will move to something looking like this:
---------Altidore--------------
-----------------Adu-----------
------Torres----------Kljestan
Beasley----------Edu-------
Pearce--Orozco---Califf--Hejduk
---------Guzan---------------
Okay, this lineup is still young and it looks a little odd, but Bob Bradley gave us this look a bit during the Cuba match when Torres first came in. But this set-up is a more likely tactical look, with Beasley playing a little more withdrawn, kind of like an outside defensive midfielder since he is more defensive minded than Torres. Beasley will still be able to bomb up and down the left flank and get into the attack. With the kind of emphasis on the right side, you are likely to see Torres move into the attack a little more and pair with Adu to feed Altidore. Torres has the pace and control to make that happen.
I think the look has potential and it could be very entertaining. Also note that only Kljestan and Hejduk are MLS players and Kljestan probably only for this year before he moves to the next step in his career in Europe, probably in the Netherlands.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Monday, October 13, 2008
Gas Prices
Huge price drops are happening.I got gas on Friday and gas at the local station was $3.29 a gallon for regular unleaded. The price was $3.19 on Sunday morning, $3.15 Sunday afternoon (I was pretty mad that I spent an extra 14 cents a gallon on Friday. This morning it was $3.11 and this afternoon it was $3.04 a gallon.
The fallout, everyone will be complaining that with the current gas prices, the oil companies profits will be "obscene" and that they are gouging Americans. The drop in gas prices, is of course, tied to the drop in crude oil prices, which is in turn driven by those economic stand-bys--supply and demand.
The fallout, everyone will be complaining that with the current gas prices, the oil companies profits will be "obscene" and that they are gouging Americans. The drop in gas prices, is of course, tied to the drop in crude oil prices, which is in turn driven by those economic stand-bys--supply and demand.
The Company Obama Keeps
Perhaps I am just too stuck on the whole Bill Ayers thing. But I just think it is important to note that Obama's association with a former(?) domestic terrorist is not just bad form, but indicative of a potential president who has little concern for the rule of law.
But, as I said, I am willing to give Bill Ayers the benefit of the doubt of reforming from his old violent ways. But I am not willing to give him a pass on his efforts to turn our public schools into dens of socialist/communist/anarchist learning:
Will Ayers be the Secretary of Education under Obama? Well, to be honest probably not since even the Democratic Senate under Harry Reid would have a pretty hard time choking down the nomination of a man with Ayers' past. But I wouldn't be too surprised to see an Ayers educational diciple in the role and it would seem that given the closeness of the relationship that Ayers would have a role in federal education policy.
I have pretty strong opinions about how public schools are operated, but while I have generally griped, groaned and belittled teh notion of turning our schools into social service centers, I will tell you this, if anything like Ayers' espouses becomes federal policy (which is enforced by the taking of Title I money) you can be assured that I will work three jobs if I have to in order to send my girls to a quality private school. I want my children to be educated, not indoctrinated.
But, as I said, I am willing to give Bill Ayers the benefit of the doubt of reforming from his old violent ways. But I am not willing to give him a pass on his efforts to turn our public schools into dens of socialist/communist/anarchist learning:
But Ayers' distant past isn't the only reason to distrust him. He has a present, as well - and Obama is a part of it.Yes, the highlighted section is a little squishy ("seemed to") but to be honest, it is not far off the mark.
The two of them have worked hard to radicalize Chicago's public schools.
Ayers' work funding radical "education" groups in Chicago came just in the last 12 years. And he teamed up directly with Obama on that.
As The Wall Street Journal has reported, Ayers and Obama worked for the Chicago Annenberg Challenge. "CAC translated Mr. Ayers' radicalism into practice," notes the Journal. "It required schools to affiliate with 'external partners' " for their funding.
"Proposals from groups focused on math/science achievement were turned down. Instead, CAC disbursed money through various far-left community organizers," such as ACORN.
Ayers seemed to envision schools as "sites of resistance" and for teaching kids to oppose "oppression," with a focus on America's evil and racist past - and an eye toward "social transformation."
This is the swamp in which Obama operated: The Journal notes that Obama was chairman of the CAC board, which handled fiscal matters.
All told, Ayers and Obama won more than $150 million to ladle out.
McCain, to be sure, has never accused Obama of sharing Ayers' terrorist views.
He's merely questioned the Democrat's judgment in having worked with Ayers - and having launched his political career from the ex-terrorist's living room.
It's a fair point. (Emphasis added)
Will Ayers be the Secretary of Education under Obama? Well, to be honest probably not since even the Democratic Senate under Harry Reid would have a pretty hard time choking down the nomination of a man with Ayers' past. But I wouldn't be too surprised to see an Ayers educational diciple in the role and it would seem that given the closeness of the relationship that Ayers would have a role in federal education policy.
I have pretty strong opinions about how public schools are operated, but while I have generally griped, groaned and belittled teh notion of turning our schools into social service centers, I will tell you this, if anything like Ayers' espouses becomes federal policy (which is enforced by the taking of Title I money) you can be assured that I will work three jobs if I have to in order to send my girls to a quality private school. I want my children to be educated, not indoctrinated.
Economists Opposed to Obama
TaxProf Blog has the link.
In general, Obama's plans will not bring us out of any financial mess we may actually face, in fact, my reasoned and basic economic opinion is that his tax and fiscal plans are likely to make the problem worse, not better.
In general, Obama's plans will not bring us out of any financial mess we may actually face, in fact, my reasoned and basic economic opinion is that his tax and fiscal plans are likely to make the problem worse, not better.
Liberal Thugocracy
Michael Braone on the Obama truth squads:
My, my, there were right.
Actually, Obama supporters are doing a lot more than getting into people's faces. They seem determined to shut people up.They said when George Bush was re-elected, we would see censorship of politically unfavorable views.
That's what Obama supporters, alerted by campaign e-mails, did when conservative Stanley Kurtz appeared on Milt Rosenberg's WGN radio program in Chicago. Mr. Kurtz had been researching Mr. Obama's relationship with unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers in Chicago Annenberg Challenge papers in the Richard J. Daley Library in Chicago - papers that were closed off to him for some days, apparently at the behest of Obama supporters.
Obama fans jammed WGN's phone lines and sent in hundreds of protest e-mails. The message was clear to anyone who would follow Mr. Rosenberg's example. We will make trouble for you if you let anyone make the case against The One.
Other Obama supporters have threatened critics with criminal prosecution. In September, St. Louis County Circuit Attorney Bob McCulloch and St. Louis City Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce warned citizens that they would bring criminal libel prosecutions against anyone who made statements against Mr. Obama that were "false." I had been under the impression that the Alien and Sedition Acts had gone out of existence in 1801-'02. Not so, apparently, in metropolitan St. Louis. Similarly, the Obama campaign called for a criminal investigation of the American Issues Project when it ran ads highlighting Mr. Obama's ties to Mr. Ayers.
These attempts to shut down political speech have become routine for liberals. Congressional Democrats sought to reimpose the "fairness doctrine" on broadcasters, which until it was repealed in the 1980s required equal time for different points of view. The motive was plain: to shut down the one conservative-leaning communications medium, talk radio. Liberal talk-show hosts have mostly failed to draw audiences, and many liberals can't abide having citizens hear contrary views.
My, my, there were right.
USA 6:1 Cuba
Yes, the U.S. dominated the game, particularly in the latter stages where fitness and depth of squad becomes an issue.
Yes, the U.S. scored six goals in a feast of twine-tickling with Beasley's brace, and singles from Donovan, Ching, Onyewu and Altidore. The U.S. could have had more with Michael Bradley showing that attacking flair that made his so valuable to Heerenveen last year.
Yes, the youngsters Bradley put into the match Torres (cap-tied him--good), Adu and Altidore showed great promise for the future of the American attack.
Yes, the stalwart defense of Cherundolo, Pearce, Bocanegra and Onyewu shut everything down, well almost.
Yes, I think Bob Bradley did everything right and game us a couple of interesting looks, including a 4-4-2 with no left winger, a 4-3-2-1 with Altidore and Donovan/Adu in attacking positions. Bradley made quality substitutions with players that quite frankly, everyone at that stadium was looking to see.
But let us not kid ourselves, while the U.S. looked strong and dominant, we were playing Cuba, at home, against 10 men for the entire second half. We should have won and won big. Against stronger competition, I think maybe only three of those goals happen, Beasley's first (that was simply a quality surgical pass to put him on goal), Altidore's lone run on goal (again another quality pass that sprung him loose and let him do his speed/strenght routine) and Onyewu's (a quality header on a quality cross). Beasley would not have been abandoned on the back post against a better organized defense for his second goal (although it was a very nifty display of two touch control and shooting), Donovan would never has seen the cross that came to him. And Ching's goal--should have been Kljestan's. Maybe Kljestan would have gotten free on that late run to the back post, but I don't know.
I did appreciate the possession and I surely enjoyed the attacking mindset, but this is so very much anti-Bob Bradley that while I want to see it continue, I am not sure we will in the Hexagonal. Is Bob Bradley starting to see that his players are capable of going at other teams, of attacking and taking the game to the opposition rather than just sitting back and hoping for a counterattack or set piece success.
Here are some positive things I saw:
Midfield play was better than it has been. Beasley and Donovan looked like the pairing they used to be, they work well together and the combination of width, speed and passing make them dangerous. If Beasley stays healthy and gets some playing time with Rangers, I can see this pairing doing well in the hexagonal and beyond.
Torres looked very comfortable. He and Adu will push each other to become better and while the two are very alike in both size (small, quick, compact) and combine great ball skills with superb vision, I would just call this a like for like pair. I would call this a dangerous combination that if you could put this pair and Donovan/Beasley on the field, I think you have a great attacking midfield better than anything in CONCACAF and on par with any national team outside the top 5 (there is not a midfield around better than the Spanish right now)
Brian Ching. I know people want Altidore and I could see an Altidore/Ching combo up top or an Altidore/Dempsey combo up top, but Ching worked well with Donovan and Kljestan in the middle. Ching plays a harrying defensive role and moves well off the ball. He does not have the speed of Altidore, but they share strength and toughness.
Player ratings:
Howard--5 (not much to do, the goal is not really his fault so I fee bad for him.)
Cherundolo--6
Bocanegra--5
Onyewu--5
Pearce--6
Beasley--8
Donovan--7
Kljestan--7
Dempsey--6 (got into the attack well, just got unlucky)
Bradley--7 (I liked seeing him attack more)
Ching--7
Subs
Torres--7
Adu--6
Altidore--7
Yes, the U.S. scored six goals in a feast of twine-tickling with Beasley's brace, and singles from Donovan, Ching, Onyewu and Altidore. The U.S. could have had more with Michael Bradley showing that attacking flair that made his so valuable to Heerenveen last year.
Yes, the youngsters Bradley put into the match Torres (cap-tied him--good), Adu and Altidore showed great promise for the future of the American attack.
Yes, the stalwart defense of Cherundolo, Pearce, Bocanegra and Onyewu shut everything down, well almost.
Yes, I think Bob Bradley did everything right and game us a couple of interesting looks, including a 4-4-2 with no left winger, a 4-3-2-1 with Altidore and Donovan/Adu in attacking positions. Bradley made quality substitutions with players that quite frankly, everyone at that stadium was looking to see.
But let us not kid ourselves, while the U.S. looked strong and dominant, we were playing Cuba, at home, against 10 men for the entire second half. We should have won and won big. Against stronger competition, I think maybe only three of those goals happen, Beasley's first (that was simply a quality surgical pass to put him on goal), Altidore's lone run on goal (again another quality pass that sprung him loose and let him do his speed/strenght routine) and Onyewu's (a quality header on a quality cross). Beasley would not have been abandoned on the back post against a better organized defense for his second goal (although it was a very nifty display of two touch control and shooting), Donovan would never has seen the cross that came to him. And Ching's goal--should have been Kljestan's. Maybe Kljestan would have gotten free on that late run to the back post, but I don't know.
I did appreciate the possession and I surely enjoyed the attacking mindset, but this is so very much anti-Bob Bradley that while I want to see it continue, I am not sure we will in the Hexagonal. Is Bob Bradley starting to see that his players are capable of going at other teams, of attacking and taking the game to the opposition rather than just sitting back and hoping for a counterattack or set piece success.
Here are some positive things I saw:
Midfield play was better than it has been. Beasley and Donovan looked like the pairing they used to be, they work well together and the combination of width, speed and passing make them dangerous. If Beasley stays healthy and gets some playing time with Rangers, I can see this pairing doing well in the hexagonal and beyond.
Torres looked very comfortable. He and Adu will push each other to become better and while the two are very alike in both size (small, quick, compact) and combine great ball skills with superb vision, I would just call this a like for like pair. I would call this a dangerous combination that if you could put this pair and Donovan/Beasley on the field, I think you have a great attacking midfield better than anything in CONCACAF and on par with any national team outside the top 5 (there is not a midfield around better than the Spanish right now)
Brian Ching. I know people want Altidore and I could see an Altidore/Ching combo up top or an Altidore/Dempsey combo up top, but Ching worked well with Donovan and Kljestan in the middle. Ching plays a harrying defensive role and moves well off the ball. He does not have the speed of Altidore, but they share strength and toughness.
Player ratings:
Howard--5 (not much to do, the goal is not really his fault so I fee bad for him.)
Cherundolo--6
Bocanegra--5
Onyewu--5
Pearce--6
Beasley--8
Donovan--7
Kljestan--7
Dempsey--6 (got into the attack well, just got unlucky)
Bradley--7 (I liked seeing him attack more)
Ching--7
Subs
Torres--7
Adu--6
Altidore--7
Miami soccer player fights cancer
Go read this story of Miami Hurricanes women's goalkeeper Austen Everett, seriously.
The text message came in May while Austen Everett was studying for finals. All it did was save her life.Interestingly the diganosis was not immediately cancer:
A friend wrote to say he broke his thumb and was in the hospital. Everett, a goalkeeper on Miami’s soccer team, packed her books and rushed over. Once there, the crippling back pain she’d ignored for weeks flared again. Everett grudgingly left her friend and headed to the emergency room.
“Be right back,” she said.
She never came back. She was almost gone for good.
Talk about a lucky break. If Miami basketball player Cyrus McGowan hadn’t smashed his thumb on the rim that day five months ago, Everett wouldn’t have gone to the hospital, doctors wouldn’t have found her back pain was caused by a football-sized mass wedged next to her stomach, and she wouldn’t have been immediately admitted for emergency surgery.
That tumor was non-Hodgkins lymphoma—stage 4, the worst kind—and she could have been dead within four months. Instead, four months later, Everett was practicing with the Hurricanes, never feeling more alive.
“Dying of cancer was never really an option for me,” Everett said.
“Congratulations,” one of them [her doctors] told Everett. “You’re a medical mystery.”Good story, a bit predictable, but still a good read.
So Everett went back about her life in what friends called her typically happy-go-lucky style. She was going to attend summer school and get ready for the 2008 season, when she was slated to be the Hurricanes’ starter. She was going to get back into training once the staples holding her stomach together were removed.
Everything seemed fine.
And then the phone rang.
“Austen, we need to talk,” June Leahy, Everett’s mother, said from the family’s home in Seattle.
Thinking the chat would be about her shopping, two ‘C’ words popped into Everett’s mind: credit card.
She wasn’t even close. Her mother was calling with two other words in mind— cancer and chemotherapy.
U.S. Roster for Trinidad
With advancement to the hexagonal assured, U.S. Men's National Team Coach Bob Bradley named his squad for Wednesday's match in Port of Spain.
GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF)
Guzan will obviously get the start and maybe the U.S. can get another clean sheet run going.
DEFENDERS (6): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
Gone are veterans Onyewu, Bocanegra, and Cherundolo. I would like to have seen Jay DeMerit called in for this but he is down with a hamstring and it is better not to push it too much. Added to the list are MLS players and Orozco from Mexico, so travel is not an issue. This is a good mix of experience and youth, strength speed, lots and lots of speed.
MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio) José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)
The addition of Mastroeni increases the average age here a little, but it is still a young and exciting midfield. With the addition of Mastroeni, I wonder what will be Bradley's formational choice (more on that below).
FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
Jozy showed in just 20 minutes of play why he is so exciting. He is quick, strong and mobile. He will no doubt get the nod since he earned it on Saturday.
So the question will be, who will start, where and what formation will Bradley use. In all likelihood, I would expect to see a 4-4-2 with a set-up like this:
-------Rodgers-----Altidore----------
Beasley---Adu----Mastroeni-----Kljestan
Pearce---Orozco---Califf-----Hejduk
----------Guzan----------------
Likely subs:
Torres for Beasley
Davies for Rodgers
Wynne for Pearce
What I would like to see is more of a 4-1-4-1 set up like this:
----------Altidore-------------
Rodgers---Torres---Adu----Klejstan
----------Mastroeni--------------
Wynne---Edu---Califf----Hejduk
----------Guzan------------------
Likely Subs:
Davies for Altidore
Beasley for Rodgers
Szetela for Mastroeni (if the U.S. is ahead by two or more)
Szetela for Torres (if the U.S. is ahead by one or less)
This puts onto the field a good mix of experience (Mastroeni and Hejduk) with lots of youth (obviously). This line up keeps only one player on the pitch that started the Cuba match--Kljestan, so there are few concerns about players being tired. But also what it does is put world class speed on the flanks (Kljestan aside, although he is by no means slow of foot) and solid ball control and creativity down the middle with Mastroeni, Adu, and Torres along the spine. Mastroeni is a quality holding midfielder and Bradley can use him well. I would push Edu a little forward of the back line, almost like a 3-2-4-1 and let him use some of those distributional skills he needs to improve. The speed of Wynne and Hejduk can make up for some of the mistakes they may make and we shouldn't worry about those mistakes, that is why you have speedy backs. Wynne may not be as good a crosser of the ball as Pearce may be, but you have to give him a shot.
Additionally, that four man midfield can play anywhere and can move around in order to exploit the Trinidad weaknesses. With Wynne's quite literal world class sprinter speed (see the Toronto FC/NY Red Bull highlights from last week) and Hejduk bombing up and down the flanks, it is possible for the U.S. to overwhelm the Trinidad defense. Rodgers on the left is a dangerous weapon, particularly when paired with Adu/Torres in the middle.
If this squad does well in Trinidad, this is largely the squad I would call for the Guatamala match in November. However, as much as I would like to see Bradley experiment a little, I am not going to go hog wild. I think a 4-4-2 is likely, with maybe Edu instead of Orozco pushing a little forward of the back line. At most I could envision a 4-2-3-1 with Edu and Mastroni in the holding slots. As much as Bradley has a lot of attacking talent on this squad, I simply don't seem him letting them run.
GOALKEEPERS: Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF)
Guzan will obviously get the start and maybe the U.S. can get another clean sheet run going.
DEFENDERS (6): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland), Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew), Michael Orozco (San Luis), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)
Gone are veterans Onyewu, Bocanegra, and Cherundolo. I would like to have seen Jay DeMerit called in for this but he is down with a hamstring and it is better not to push it too much. Added to the list are MLS players and Orozco from Mexico, so travel is not an issue. This is a good mix of experience and youth, strength speed, lots and lots of speed.
MIDFIELDERS (7): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers), Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers), Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio) José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)
The addition of Mastroeni increases the average age here a little, but it is still a young and exciting midfield. With the addition of Mastroeni, I wonder what will be Bradley's formational choice (more on that below).
FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Villarreal), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
Jozy showed in just 20 minutes of play why he is so exciting. He is quick, strong and mobile. He will no doubt get the nod since he earned it on Saturday.
So the question will be, who will start, where and what formation will Bradley use. In all likelihood, I would expect to see a 4-4-2 with a set-up like this:
-------Rodgers-----Altidore----------
Beasley---Adu----Mastroeni-----Kljestan
Pearce---Orozco---Califf-----Hejduk
----------Guzan----------------
Likely subs:
Torres for Beasley
Davies for Rodgers
Wynne for Pearce
What I would like to see is more of a 4-1-4-1 set up like this:
----------Altidore-------------
Rodgers---Torres---Adu----Klejstan
----------Mastroeni--------------
Wynne---Edu---Califf----Hejduk
----------Guzan------------------
Likely Subs:
Davies for Altidore
Beasley for Rodgers
Szetela for Mastroeni (if the U.S. is ahead by two or more)
Szetela for Torres (if the U.S. is ahead by one or less)
This puts onto the field a good mix of experience (Mastroeni and Hejduk) with lots of youth (obviously). This line up keeps only one player on the pitch that started the Cuba match--Kljestan, so there are few concerns about players being tired. But also what it does is put world class speed on the flanks (Kljestan aside, although he is by no means slow of foot) and solid ball control and creativity down the middle with Mastroeni, Adu, and Torres along the spine. Mastroeni is a quality holding midfielder and Bradley can use him well. I would push Edu a little forward of the back line, almost like a 3-2-4-1 and let him use some of those distributional skills he needs to improve. The speed of Wynne and Hejduk can make up for some of the mistakes they may make and we shouldn't worry about those mistakes, that is why you have speedy backs. Wynne may not be as good a crosser of the ball as Pearce may be, but you have to give him a shot.
Additionally, that four man midfield can play anywhere and can move around in order to exploit the Trinidad weaknesses. With Wynne's quite literal world class sprinter speed (see the Toronto FC/NY Red Bull highlights from last week) and Hejduk bombing up and down the flanks, it is possible for the U.S. to overwhelm the Trinidad defense. Rodgers on the left is a dangerous weapon, particularly when paired with Adu/Torres in the middle.
If this squad does well in Trinidad, this is largely the squad I would call for the Guatamala match in November. However, as much as I would like to see Bradley experiment a little, I am not going to go hog wild. I think a 4-4-2 is likely, with maybe Edu instead of Orozco pushing a little forward of the back line. At most I could envision a 4-2-3-1 with Edu and Mastroni in the holding slots. As much as Bradley has a lot of attacking talent on this squad, I simply don't seem him letting them run.
Friday, October 10, 2008
MLS Expansion: Atlanta
TheOriginalWinger.com notes that Arthur Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons and founder of the Home Depot, is discussing the possibility of an MLS club in Atlanta.
This is a superb idea and would get the MLS back into the southeatern part of the country. I know throwball is king in the southeast, but there is a lot of soccer fans in Atlanta and they have a quality USL club in the Silverbacks to use as a foundation (it wouldn't be the first time and probably won't be the last).
This is a superb idea and would get the MLS back into the southeatern part of the country. I know throwball is king in the southeast, but there is a lot of soccer fans in Atlanta and they have a quality USL club in the Silverbacks to use as a foundation (it wouldn't be the first time and probably won't be the last).
Reserves/Rookies Get Draw for United
To be honest, I was just flipping back and forth between the Real Salt Lake/Red Bull match and the CONCACAF match between DC Untied and Saprissa. Given teh 16 man roster of rookies and reserves that Tommy Soehn took to Costa Rica, I figured that DC was going to get trounced by Saprissa who have owned DC in recent years.
Man was I wrong. DC United led until the 80th minute on an early goal by Francis Doe. Rod Dyachenko, who I almost never mention without derision, almost made it to may hall of shame when he gave up a penalty that Saprissa missed. A goal called back for offside (which I missed) and the missed penalty kick should have given Saprissa the edge before halftime, but them's the breaks.
Once again two defensive breakdowns combined with goalkeeping errors put DC in the hole with just five mintues left in the match.
Remember that Dyachenko fellow, the only reason he isn't in the hall of shame again is that he got his ugly body onto a corner kick to push in the equalizer.
So United have one point out of a possible 12 in the Champions league. We still suck, but at least we won't end the tournament without any points.
Man was I wrong. DC United led until the 80th minute on an early goal by Francis Doe. Rod Dyachenko, who I almost never mention without derision, almost made it to may hall of shame when he gave up a penalty that Saprissa missed. A goal called back for offside (which I missed) and the missed penalty kick should have given Saprissa the edge before halftime, but them's the breaks.
Once again two defensive breakdowns combined with goalkeeping errors put DC in the hole with just five mintues left in the match.
Remember that Dyachenko fellow, the only reason he isn't in the hall of shame again is that he got his ugly body onto a corner kick to push in the equalizer.
So United have one point out of a possible 12 in the Champions league. We still suck, but at least we won't end the tournament without any points.
Honda Player of the Year Finalists
The finalists are Tim Howard, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan.
For my money, this should be Howard's all the way. If form over the past year is important, Howard should win hands down. He helped his club get to UEFA Cup (although shambolic defending and lack of scoring got them bounced). Howard has had four shutouts in the U.S.'s last six matches (Brad Guzan had two against Barbados) including the performance of the year agaisnt Argentina (a performance worth the prize on its own). Even when he doesn't keep a clean sheet, Howard's performance rarely falters and most goals are not his fault and he saves the back line more than he lets them down.
Dempsey has a special place in my heart as a Fulham supporter. But to be frank, he is out of favor and out of form with his club. Fulham are playing well (not getting results lately, but playing well) and honestly Dempsey is not part of the package. He has been good enough to dress for every game despite not getting a lot of minutes, so that says something, but the measure is playing time. Dempsey has been finding his form for the U.S. of late, but over the past year, he has been less than his usual successful self. I think this nomination is more a factor of regular U.S. appearances rather than quality on the pitch.
Landon Donovan has been electric for the L.A. Galaxy and without his goal scoring they clearly would suck even more than they do. However, despite his prowess at putting the ball into the net, you can't get past the general form of his club. Add to that the fact that Donovan has largely been absent for the U.S. He has flashes of flair, and to be fair, Bob Bradly may not be using Donovan to his best talents, i.e. running at defenses down route one, but to be fair, he has not been a factor in the run of play of late for the U.S.
So for his performance for club and country--Tim Howard--hands down.
For my money, this should be Howard's all the way. If form over the past year is important, Howard should win hands down. He helped his club get to UEFA Cup (although shambolic defending and lack of scoring got them bounced). Howard has had four shutouts in the U.S.'s last six matches (Brad Guzan had two against Barbados) including the performance of the year agaisnt Argentina (a performance worth the prize on its own). Even when he doesn't keep a clean sheet, Howard's performance rarely falters and most goals are not his fault and he saves the back line more than he lets them down.
Dempsey has a special place in my heart as a Fulham supporter. But to be frank, he is out of favor and out of form with his club. Fulham are playing well (not getting results lately, but playing well) and honestly Dempsey is not part of the package. He has been good enough to dress for every game despite not getting a lot of minutes, so that says something, but the measure is playing time. Dempsey has been finding his form for the U.S. of late, but over the past year, he has been less than his usual successful self. I think this nomination is more a factor of regular U.S. appearances rather than quality on the pitch.
Landon Donovan has been electric for the L.A. Galaxy and without his goal scoring they clearly would suck even more than they do. However, despite his prowess at putting the ball into the net, you can't get past the general form of his club. Add to that the fact that Donovan has largely been absent for the U.S. He has flashes of flair, and to be fair, Bob Bradly may not be using Donovan to his best talents, i.e. running at defenses down route one, but to be fair, he has not been a factor in the run of play of late for the U.S.
So for his performance for club and country--Tim Howard--hands down.
McCain: Obama Link to William Ayers Is Honesty Issue
Rightfully so. But Obama's pattern when attached to people like Ayers and Pastor Wright is to deny, deny, deny. It is not going to change and people need to expect that it won't change.
Boehner: De-Fund ACORN
Of course, such a call leads to the inevitable question: how did they get federal funding in the first place?
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Socialism Taking Root in America
From Yahoo News, the White House is considering nationalizing some banks. Oh they call it something different, "taking ownership stakes" in certain banks. But the fact is when the govnernment owns the enterprise, it is nationalizing them.
Interesting Obama Tactics in Indiana
Gateway Pundit has the story of how Obama illegally obtained a mailing list from a firearms and hunting trade group who then got a court order to not use the list.
ACORN Getting Raided
Nevada state authorities raided the offices of ACORN, the Barack Obama loving, campaign dirty tricks operating, voter fraud allegation collecting organization, that has seen more than its share of attention for being fast and loose with campaign and ethics rules. The worst part about this raid in Nevada is teh sheer stupidity of it:
Given ACORN's track record, I wonder what the date is on those registrations?
This story about ACORN's tactics in Ohio is worth noting as well:
Update: Wall Street Journal has a story on ACORN in New Mexico being investigated by teh FBI for voter fraud in Albuquerque.
The secretary of state's office launched an investigation after noticing that names did not match addresses and that most members of the Dallas Cowboys appeared to be registering in Nevada to vote in November's general election.Meanwhile, the Kansas City, Missouri branch of ACORN is also suspected for submitting possibly hundreds of fake registrations:
"Some of these (forms) were facially fraudulent; we basically had the starting lineup for the Dallas Cowboys," Secretary of State Ross Miller said. "Tony Romo is not registered to vote in Nevada. Anyone trying to pose as Terrell Owens won't be able to cast a ballot."
Agents with the secretary of state and state attorney general offices served a search warrant on the headquarters of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, at 953 E. Sahara Ave. shortly after 9 a.m. They seized voter registration forms and computer databases to determine how many fake forms were submitted and identify employees who were responsible.
They also sought information regarding current and past employees and managers.
Charlene Davis, co-director of the election board in Jackson County, where Kansas City is, said the fraudulent registration forms came from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN. She said they were bogging down work Wednesday, the final day Missourians could register to vote.so let's see, the elections board in Kansas City gets innundated with registrations in the last couple of days before the registration deadline; ACRON claims it hasn't done any registration activities in Kansas City since August and a high number of registrations don't appear to be legitimate.
"I don't even know the entire scope of it because registrations are coming in so heavy," Davis said. "We have identified about 100 duplicates, and probably 280 addresses that don't exist, people who have driver's license numbers that won't verify or Social Security numbers that won't verify. Some have no address at all."
The nonpartisan group works to recruit low-income voters, who tend to lean Democratic. Most polls show Republican presidential candidate John McCain with an edge in bellwether Missouri, but Democrat Barack Obama continues to put up a strong fight.
Jess Ordower, Midwest director of ACORN, said his group hasn't done any registrations in Kansas City since late August. He said he was told three weeks ago by election officials that there were only about 135 questionable cards — 85 of them duplicates.
Given ACORN's track record, I wonder what the date is on those registrations?
This story about ACORN's tactics in Ohio is worth noting as well:
Two Ohio voters, including Domino's pizza worker Christopher Barkley , claimed yesterday that they were hounded by the community-activist group ACORN to register to vote several times, even though they made it clear they'd already signed up.All stories via Drudge.
Barkley estimated he'd registered to vote "10 to 15" times after canvassers for ACORN, whose political wing has endorsed Barack Obama, relentlessly pursued him and others.
Claims such as his have sparked election officials to probe ACORN.
"I kept getting approached by folks who asked me to register," Barkley said. "They'd ask me if I was registered. I'd say yes, and they'd ask me to do it [register] again.
"Some of them were getting paid to collect names. That was their sob story, and I bought it," he said.
Barkley is one of at least three people who have been subpoenaed by the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections as part of a wider inquiry into possible voter fraud by ACORN. The group seeks to register low-income voters, who skew overwhelmingly Democratic.
Update: Wall Street Journal has a story on ACORN in New Mexico being investigated by teh FBI for voter fraud in Albuquerque.
Zogby: Don’t believe the Dem hype
John Zogby says that despite all the Democratic hype that Barack Obama will win ("Barring a terrorist attack"), it is still a close race, within the margin of polling error in most states and the Real Clear Politics average has Obama with a 5.2 percent edge, but that average is affected by outliers of +11, +8 and +7. Most of teh polls have Obama with a +1 to +5 advantage, which is certainly within the margin of error of most polls.
In short, it is too close to call yet.
In short, it is too close to call yet.
The Next Bailout--States?
Its Bailout Fever Baby (you have to read that like Dick Vitale might say it).
The federal government has bailed out the financial services industry, it has tried to bail out taxpayers with one stimulus package and Nancy Pelosi wants to do another stimulus package. Next up--state governments.
This story lists ten states with big budget shortfalls and hints that they may decide to take a seat at the federal trough to help them overcome their budget shortfalls.
The most cited reason is the housing market dive, which decreased tax revenues. California, the fifth largest economy in the world, is looking at a $22 billion dollar shortfall. The question will, what will states do? Well it depends on the nature of the state government. My own state, Maryland is on the list and this will be the second year in a row in which the budget short fall is over $1 billion. What did the General Assembly do last year? Passed a $1.35 billion tax increase and cut spending by $277 billion.
This year? Well the state has already cut positions in higher education and instituted a hiring freeze, but that won't come close to solving the problem. There will be increased pressure to pass a slots referndum to provide revenue for the state. The slots money is supposed to go to education, but assuming it does, all the slots money will do is get the General Assembly addicted to that revenue stream. You can bet that the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature will not cut spending on the level it needs to in order to close the shortfall and another tax increase is likely.
The federal government has bailed out the financial services industry, it has tried to bail out taxpayers with one stimulus package and Nancy Pelosi wants to do another stimulus package. Next up--state governments.
This story lists ten states with big budget shortfalls and hints that they may decide to take a seat at the federal trough to help them overcome their budget shortfalls.
The most cited reason is the housing market dive, which decreased tax revenues. California, the fifth largest economy in the world, is looking at a $22 billion dollar shortfall. The question will, what will states do? Well it depends on the nature of the state government. My own state, Maryland is on the list and this will be the second year in a row in which the budget short fall is over $1 billion. What did the General Assembly do last year? Passed a $1.35 billion tax increase and cut spending by $277 billion.
This year? Well the state has already cut positions in higher education and instituted a hiring freeze, but that won't come close to solving the problem. There will be increased pressure to pass a slots referndum to provide revenue for the state. The slots money is supposed to go to education, but assuming it does, all the slots money will do is get the General Assembly addicted to that revenue stream. You can bet that the overwhelmingly Democratic legislature will not cut spending on the level it needs to in order to close the shortfall and another tax increase is likely.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Pelosi says $150B economic stimulus plan needed - Yahoo! News
WHAT!!!!!!!
Speaker Nancy Pelosi says another $150B economic stimulus plan is needed. You have got to be kidding me!!!
The economic stimulat package that gave checks of $600-$1200 checks plus extras for kids to Americans happened earlier this year. Congress has since passed a $700 Billion bailout package--with nary a thought of how to pay for it and now we are being told that Congress wants to spend another $150 billion for another "stimulus" package. By my count, Congress has spent in excess of $1 TRILLION DOLLARS on helping people out with absolutely no idea of how such largess will be paid for.
If this passes, what the hell do I tell my children when they and I are suffering under an intolerable federal tax burden?
What will happen if the economic "crisis" which has been in part manufactured by the Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, doesn't end with this new stimulus package?
This has got to stop!!!!
Speaker Nancy Pelosi says another $150B economic stimulus plan is needed. You have got to be kidding me!!!
The economic stimulat package that gave checks of $600-$1200 checks plus extras for kids to Americans happened earlier this year. Congress has since passed a $700 Billion bailout package--with nary a thought of how to pay for it and now we are being told that Congress wants to spend another $150 billion for another "stimulus" package. By my count, Congress has spent in excess of $1 TRILLION DOLLARS on helping people out with absolutely no idea of how such largess will be paid for.
If this passes, what the hell do I tell my children when they and I are suffering under an intolerable federal tax burden?
What will happen if the economic "crisis" which has been in part manufactured by the Democrats like Nancy Pelosi, doesn't end with this new stimulus package?
This has got to stop!!!!
Cleaning Out the Notebook
Another list of posts I didn't get to recently.
Politics
According to this report from the Christian Science Monitor (and other places), several pastors plan to defy the IRS prohibition on political endorsements from the pulpit. Good for them. I think that it is okay for a pastor to endorse candidates in church, they can do it in public in other arenas, why can't they do it in the church?
Wahington Post's Dana Milbank does a hit piece on Sarah Palin. Palin, as the VP candidate is supposed to beat upon the opposition--it is her job. Is Milbank's problem is that she in unapologetic about it? Or is this a case of sexism in disguise, i.e. Palin is a woman and therefore these activities are unladylike. I don't see Milbank chastising Biden for the same kind of behavior.
Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, calls for a more "crunchy" financial system.
Soccer
Kartik Krishnaier notes that the Mickey League Soccer (MLS) complaint about fixture congestion doesn't seem to be phasing USL teams in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The antics of Newcastle United make for too easy fodder for blogging, so just check out the latest from SoccerLens.
There has been a lot of talk about refereeing in various soccer leagues around the world, here are a few stories, Man. U gets help again, the Reading/Watford Ghost Goal, and the list could go on and on. As a referee, I hope to add a little to the mix in a longer piece soon.
Education
David Thompson talks about the political skew in university classrooms. I know it is not a new topic, but I liked this post and think it worth the couple of minutes to read it.
Jay Mathews talks about the necessity of someone having the power to fire bad teachers, for the sake of their students. I liked this paragraph in particular:
Would changing the metrics examining the teacher work loads have the potential to make real changes in classrooms? A thought provoking idea noted by Joanne Jacobs.
Law/Legal
Some lawfirms are shortening?!?!?! the workweek due to the gas crunch. Won't work too much for me, I live about four miles from my office.
Politics
According to this report from the Christian Science Monitor (and other places), several pastors plan to defy the IRS prohibition on political endorsements from the pulpit. Good for them. I think that it is okay for a pastor to endorse candidates in church, they can do it in public in other arenas, why can't they do it in the church?
Wahington Post's Dana Milbank does a hit piece on Sarah Palin. Palin, as the VP candidate is supposed to beat upon the opposition--it is her job. Is Milbank's problem is that she in unapologetic about it? Or is this a case of sexism in disguise, i.e. Palin is a woman and therefore these activities are unladylike. I don't see Milbank chastising Biden for the same kind of behavior.
Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, calls for a more "crunchy" financial system.
Of course, one rap on fault-tolerant systems is that problems don't get noticed as fast, because things don't grind to a halt when failures occur. There is an argument, instead, for crunchy systems where problems are immediately obvious, instead of "soggy" ones where they are not. Regulation, etc., tends to make systems more soggy -- which is good for you when FDIC insurance protects your savings, but bad for the system when FDIC insurance makes you not care about your bank's balance sheet or loan portfolio. Both approaches have their place, of course, but it pays to be clear about which you're choosing, and why, and what the consequences are.I like it, but common sense will not be the coin of the realm in a Democratic Congress.
Soccer
Kartik Krishnaier notes that the Mickey League Soccer (MLS) complaint about fixture congestion doesn't seem to be phasing USL teams in the CONCACAF Champions League.
The antics of Newcastle United make for too easy fodder for blogging, so just check out the latest from SoccerLens.
There has been a lot of talk about refereeing in various soccer leagues around the world, here are a few stories, Man. U gets help again, the Reading/Watford Ghost Goal, and the list could go on and on. As a referee, I hope to add a little to the mix in a longer piece soon.
Education
David Thompson talks about the political skew in university classrooms. I know it is not a new topic, but I liked this post and think it worth the couple of minutes to read it.
Jay Mathews talks about the necessity of someone having the power to fire bad teachers, for the sake of their students. I liked this paragraph in particular:
This shift sounds pretty drastic, and it is. For the past several years, D.C. schools have ranked near the bottom of city school systems in student achievement. They are the educational equivalent of the financial services industry and need the same kind of bitter medicine being prescribed for those downfallen businesses.
Would changing the metrics examining the teacher work loads have the potential to make real changes in classrooms? A thought provoking idea noted by Joanne Jacobs.
Law/Legal
Some lawfirms are shortening?!?!?! the workweek due to the gas crunch. Won't work too much for me, I live about four miles from my office.
DC United Done and Dusted for 2008
Word today, courtesy of Goff, is that United midfielder "Fred has a Grade 2 hamstring strain and will miss the final three matches of the regular season." Which really means that Fred is done until next year. Fred, Luciano Emilio and Marcello Gallardo are out with various injuries, and Jaime Moreno will sit this weekend due to a red card suspension, which means that Tommy Soehn will probably start Santino Quaranta and/or Rod Dyachenko in the playmaker role, Dyachenko can't do and Quaranta would make a valiant effort but it is not his forte either. Yesterday, Goff listed the squad that will travel to Costa Rica for the CONCACAF Champions League match against Saprissa and Soehn is carrying just 16 players!!! Among that 16, only four would be considered regular starting figures. I smell a blowout.
While I am a DC fan, I am a realistic DC fan and this year has stunk up the joint. Unlike some DC fans, I will not make excuses and one analysis is pretty dead on. Other clubs have faced injuries, fixture congestion, and international play. Some clubs have given up (see New England) and some clubs have tried to rise to teh challenge (see Houston). But lets face it, these are just excuses.
The normally smart and talented Kevin Payne did not do so well in the scouting and player acquisition market. Yes, Gallardo was a great addition, but he has spent the crux of the season on the injury list. Not Payne's fault of course, but DC waited too long to rid themselves of Franco Niell and had a disasterous selection in Jose Carvalho, and failed to dump him and get a back up to Zach Wells that would create pressure on Wells to perform. In short, while some of the most recent acquisitions, like Joe Vide and Thabiso Khumalo look like they could really work for DC next year and a few young players like Ryan Cordiero and Craig Thompson have the earmarks of solid squad players, the fact is that this team is being held together by tape and bandages.
Of course as a DC fan, this is disappointing. But when you take a squad of reserves to Costa Rica to take on a club like Saprissa, I don't care what Payne and Soehn say about taking the Champions League seriously, their actions certainly belie their words. This has been one of the most dismal seasons in United history, from the start to the finish.
There are perhpas three bright spots to take away from this year:
1. Winning the U.S. Open Cup means Champions League next year. Of course, DC will have to qualify for the group stage, but they should be able to do that.
2. Santino Quaranta is starting to play like he promised those many years ago when he first came to DC and before his now public drug problem. Quaranta's progress gives me hope for next year.
3. DC United doesn't such as bad as the LA Galaxy.
I suppose you could find some other lights in this otherwise dark season, but they won't be very bright ones.
Yes, clubs goes through ups and downs and this year could simply be a down year for United. I am willing to chalk it up to that and move on. But assuming DC United scrape into the Playoffs--as unlikely as that appears--I won't count on the ambulance crew to get past the first round, where DC will face Columbus in the first round and I just don't see the Crew faltering this year. (DC mathematically cannot catch New England and the only way DC can catch Chicago is if DC wins their next three games and Chicago loses all three. Even then, DC would have to score 17 goals in three games to make up the goal difference, so even if DC wins out the season and can scrape by Kansas City and New York, they will still be in fourth place.)
So a down year, disappointing as it was, can often be the foundation for a great year. But for now, DC is playing for pride and little else.
While I am a DC fan, I am a realistic DC fan and this year has stunk up the joint. Unlike some DC fans, I will not make excuses and one analysis is pretty dead on. Other clubs have faced injuries, fixture congestion, and international play. Some clubs have given up (see New England) and some clubs have tried to rise to teh challenge (see Houston). But lets face it, these are just excuses.
The normally smart and talented Kevin Payne did not do so well in the scouting and player acquisition market. Yes, Gallardo was a great addition, but he has spent the crux of the season on the injury list. Not Payne's fault of course, but DC waited too long to rid themselves of Franco Niell and had a disasterous selection in Jose Carvalho, and failed to dump him and get a back up to Zach Wells that would create pressure on Wells to perform. In short, while some of the most recent acquisitions, like Joe Vide and Thabiso Khumalo look like they could really work for DC next year and a few young players like Ryan Cordiero and Craig Thompson have the earmarks of solid squad players, the fact is that this team is being held together by tape and bandages.
Of course as a DC fan, this is disappointing. But when you take a squad of reserves to Costa Rica to take on a club like Saprissa, I don't care what Payne and Soehn say about taking the Champions League seriously, their actions certainly belie their words. This has been one of the most dismal seasons in United history, from the start to the finish.
There are perhpas three bright spots to take away from this year:
1. Winning the U.S. Open Cup means Champions League next year. Of course, DC will have to qualify for the group stage, but they should be able to do that.
2. Santino Quaranta is starting to play like he promised those many years ago when he first came to DC and before his now public drug problem. Quaranta's progress gives me hope for next year.
3. DC United doesn't such as bad as the LA Galaxy.
I suppose you could find some other lights in this otherwise dark season, but they won't be very bright ones.
Yes, clubs goes through ups and downs and this year could simply be a down year for United. I am willing to chalk it up to that and move on. But assuming DC United scrape into the Playoffs--as unlikely as that appears--I won't count on the ambulance crew to get past the first round, where DC will face Columbus in the first round and I just don't see the Crew faltering this year. (DC mathematically cannot catch New England and the only way DC can catch Chicago is if DC wins their next three games and Chicago loses all three. Even then, DC would have to score 17 goals in three games to make up the goal difference, so even if DC wins out the season and can scrape by Kansas City and New York, they will still be in fourth place.)
So a down year, disappointing as it was, can often be the foundation for a great year. But for now, DC is playing for pride and little else.
Bill Ayers--The Next Secretary of Education?
Former 60's radical and domestic terrorist (there really is no other term for a man who set bombs to kill police officers) Bill Ayers has become a figure in "education reform" circles and has the ear of Barack Obama, making some people wonder if Ayers is poised to become the next secretary of education. Investor's Business Daily editorializes:
But Sol Stern, a long time voice in education circles thinks that we are not looking at a repentant man looking to make up for the errors of his ways, but a radical revolutionary looking to build an army of ideologues entrenched in our schools.
Makes me want to homeschool.
"School reformer" is how Brokaw identified the co-founder of the Weather Underground, the radical organization that, among other activities, bombed government buildings, banks, police departments and military bases in the early 1970s.I suppose one could say that Ayers, as he has grown older has outgrown his childish ways and to be fair, it is not an unreasonable request to make of the public.
Yeah, right: Ayers is a school reformer in the same sense, as City Journal's Sol Stern put it, as Joe Stalin was an agricultural reformer.
An idea of what Ayers has in mind for America's schools was provided in his own words not 40 years ago when Obama was eight years old, but less than two years ago in November 2006 at the World Education Forum in Caracas hosted by dictator Hugo Chavez.
With Chavez at his side, Ayers voiced his support for "the political educational reforms under way here in Venezuela under the leadership of President Chavez. We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution. . . . I look forward to seeing how . . . all of you continue to overcome the failures of capitalist education as you seek to create something truly new and deeply humane."
Ayers told the great humanitarian Chavez: "Teaching invites transformations, it urges revolutions large and small. La educacion es revolucion." It is that form of socialist revolution that Ayers, and Obama, have worked to bring to America.
Ayers, now a tenured Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, Chicago, works to educate teachers in socialist revolutionary ideology, urging that it be passed on to impressionable students.
As Stern points out, "Ayers and his education school comrades are explicit about the need to indoctrinate public school children in the belief that America is a racist, militarist country and that the capitalist system is inherently unfair and oppressive."
If Ayers was just another nutty professor, we'd be lucky. But he wields great influence in academic circles and has had Obama's ear. He's the author or editor of 15 books. Chicago's current mayor, Richard M. Daley, has employed Ayers as a teacher trainer for Chicago's public schools and consulted him on the city's education-reform plans.
But Sol Stern, a long time voice in education circles thinks that we are not looking at a repentant man looking to make up for the errors of his ways, but a radical revolutionary looking to build an army of ideologues entrenched in our schools.
Calling Bill Ayers a school reformer is a bit like calling Joseph Stalin an agricultural reformer. (If you find the metaphor strained, consider that Walter Duranty, the infamous New York Times reporter covering the Soviet Union in the 1930s, did, in fact, depict Stalin as a great land reformer who created happy, productive collective farms.) For instance, at a November 2006 education forum in Caracas, Venezuela, with President Hugo Chávez at his side, Ayers proclaimed his support for “the profound educational reforms under way here in Venezuela under the leadership of President Chávez. We share the belief that education is the motor-force of revolution. . . . I look forward to seeing how you continue to overcome the failings of capitalist education as you seek to create something truly new and deeply humane.” Ayers concluded his speech by declaring that “Venezuela is poised to offer the world a new model of education—a humanizing and revolutionary model whose twin missions are enlightenment and liberation,” and then, as in days of old, raised his fist and chanted: “Viva Presidente Chávez! Viva la Revolucion Bolivariana! Hasta la Victoria Siempre!”While Obama may be a believer in what Ayers espouses and Obama does apparently have a plan to overhaul graduate schools that produce most of our nation's teachers and it is not based on science or statistics or what works, but upon Ayers ideas of schools as institutions of social justice.
As I have shown in previous articles in City Journal, Ayers’s school reform agenda focuses almost exclusively on the idea of teaching for “social justice” in the classroom. This has nothing to do with the social-justice ideals of the Sermon on the Mount or Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Rather, Ayers and his education school comrades are explicit about the need to indoctrinate public school children with the belief that America is a racist, militarist country and that the capitalist system is inherently unfair and oppressive. As a leader of this growing “reform” movement, Ayers was recently elected vice president for curriculum of the American Education Research Association, the nation’s largest organization of ed school professors and researchers.
Makes me want to homeschool.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Beckham, Celebrity and Soccer
Grant Wahl looks at David Beckham, the L.A. Galaxy and the mess that has become Mickey League Soccer.
There is not doubting that Beckham is one of the highest profile athletes on Earth. It is more a combination of his drive for celebrity that his celebrity may be larger than his prowess on the field.
There is no doubt that Beckham is in the twilight of his career as a player. But that twilight has taken on the tinge of absolute pitch blackness of late. Beckham's play is dismal and one has to wonder why:
Everything I have heard of Beckham's conduct in the locker room is that he has never allowed his celebrity to get in the way of his work rate on the training ground or playing field. But since the All-Star game, Beckham looks like a man who is more interested in being anywhere else.
Beckham's stated goal when he joined the Galaxy was to help build soccer as a professional sport in America. I would argue that in this regard he has failed. Soccer is a grassroots sport and Beckham has not done nearly enough to grow the sport at the grassroots level. He has not broadened the appeal of the game because he and his team do not play at the highest level of sport in this country, let alone on the world stage. Yes, he sells a lot of tickets and a lot of jerseys, but that does not make him a successful ambassador for the sport.
What amuses me more is not that his work rate has declined, for it surely has not. It is just that Beckham, like all humans has only so much time and effort to devote. When Beckham was playing at Manchester United and Real Madrid, he considerable work effort served him well in training and in playing. But upon coming to the United States, he has spent more than a fair share of his time tending to his imgage and that has cut into his time tending to his game and his team.
Were Beckham to put as much time into the Galaxy, mentoring these young, $20,000 per year players, helping improve the game of the team as a whole, I would wager that L.A. would not be looking up at the entire league, but rather would be looking down at a professional sport on the cusp of greatness in this country.
Alas, it is the missed opportunities that we rue the most. Will Beckham rue his missed opportunity to make soccer in America more palatable to the armchair fan? Who knows, but I do say it is a shame that he hasn't done better by his club, his sport and even his own name.
There is not doubting that Beckham is one of the highest profile athletes on Earth. It is more a combination of his drive for celebrity that his celebrity may be larger than his prowess on the field.
There is no doubt that Beckham is in the twilight of his career as a player. But that twilight has taken on the tinge of absolute pitch blackness of late. Beckham's play is dismal and one has to wonder why:
From a soccer perspective, Beckham has had an up-and-down year. Before the All-Star Break he played well, creating chances for the Galaxy from his right midfield position and displaying the full-on effort he's known for. Since the All-Star Game, however, Beckham has struggled. He has failed to connect with Landon Donovan and the Galaxy's other scoring threats. He has failed to produce any magic with his renowned free kicks.I kind of think it is all of these things.
And, most surprising of all, his work-rate has declined. Maybe Beckham is gassed from all the travel for MLS games and England games and Olympics visits. Maybe he's just throwing up his hands at the Galaxy's poor personnel decisions and an MLS salary cap that forces him to play alongside some skill-poor teammates making less than $20,000 a year. Maybe it's a combination of all those things.
Everything I have heard of Beckham's conduct in the locker room is that he has never allowed his celebrity to get in the way of his work rate on the training ground or playing field. But since the All-Star game, Beckham looks like a man who is more interested in being anywhere else.
Beckham's stated goal when he joined the Galaxy was to help build soccer as a professional sport in America. I would argue that in this regard he has failed. Soccer is a grassroots sport and Beckham has not done nearly enough to grow the sport at the grassroots level. He has not broadened the appeal of the game because he and his team do not play at the highest level of sport in this country, let alone on the world stage. Yes, he sells a lot of tickets and a lot of jerseys, but that does not make him a successful ambassador for the sport.
What amuses me more is not that his work rate has declined, for it surely has not. It is just that Beckham, like all humans has only so much time and effort to devote. When Beckham was playing at Manchester United and Real Madrid, he considerable work effort served him well in training and in playing. But upon coming to the United States, he has spent more than a fair share of his time tending to his imgage and that has cut into his time tending to his game and his team.
Were Beckham to put as much time into the Galaxy, mentoring these young, $20,000 per year players, helping improve the game of the team as a whole, I would wager that L.A. would not be looking up at the entire league, but rather would be looking down at a professional sport on the cusp of greatness in this country.
Alas, it is the missed opportunities that we rue the most. Will Beckham rue his missed opportunity to make soccer in America more palatable to the armchair fan? Who knows, but I do say it is a shame that he hasn't done better by his club, his sport and even his own name.
Of Horses, Barns and Carts and Financial Regulations
Now that Congress and the President have signed the abomination known as the financial rescue, bailout or what ever the term du jour is, Congress if finally starting to inquire in to what has actually happened. Now, aside from the oddity of now concentrating on the causes of a problem after the solution has been passed into law, there is a growing belief that deregulation is the cause, or at least a leading cause of the finanical crunch. Sebastian Mallaby has a different take on the root causes of the financial moreass. It is not just the subprime mortgage market collapse, but something entirely different---China.
Rather than deregulation being the cause, perhaps it is the presence of so much regulation that gave these investment banks, Freddie and Fannie and other institutions such comfort that they would never be held responsible for their failure to use a little common sense and business judgment. It doesn't take a genius to know that the housing bubble, like all other bubbles, was doomed to burst--it was only a matter of time.
Yes there are legitimate questions related to how the markets have operated and those should be explored. But it seems rash in the extreme to pass a solution to a problem that few people have really explored in depth, particularly those policy and lawmakers responsible for the already passed solution.
The real roots of the crisis lie in a flawed response to China. Starting in the 1990s, the flood of cheap products from China kept global inflation low, allowing central banks to operate relatively loose monetary policies. But the flip side of China's export surplus was that China had a capital surplus, too. Chinese savings sloshed into asset markets 'round the world, driving up the price of everything from Florida condos to Latin American stocks.Why would financiers believe they would be bailed out--well in large part because they believed and rightly as it turned out, that these financial institutions were too large and comprised too large a segment of the American economy for the govnernment to simply stand aside as they tanked. So the finance community deserves a lion's share of the blame for the current debacle, but the shambolic nature of the government response to the growing housing bubble and the shaky understructure is now being used by the Obama camp and the Democratic Congress to attack the notion of a Bush-McCain deregulation. Never mind that the morass may have been caused by a Democratic push to expand homeownership and the requirement that mortgage lenders ignore basic credit and lending principals or face stiff penalties.
That gave central bankers a choice: Should they carry on targeting regular consumer inflation, which Chinese exports had pushed down, or should they restrain asset inflation, which Chinese savings had pushed upward? Alan Greenspan's Fed chose to stand aside as asset prices rose; it preferred to deal with bubbles after they popped by cutting interest rates rather than by preventing those bubbles from inflating. After the dot-com bubble, this clean-up-later policy worked fine. With the real estate bubble, it has proved disastrous.
So the first cause of the crisis lies with the Fed, not with deregulation. If too much money was lent and borrowed, it was because Chinese savings made capital cheap and the Fed was not aggressive enough in hiking interest rates to counteract that. Moreover, the Fed's track record of cutting interest rates to clear up previous bubbles had created a seductive one-way bet. Financial engineers built huge mountains of debt partly because they expected to profit in good times -- and then be rescued by the Fed when they got into trouble.
Of course, the financiers did create those piles of debt, and they certainly deserve some blame for today's crisis. But was the financiers' miscalculation caused by deregulation? Not really.Mallaby seems to be making the case, by comparing the lightly regualted hedge funds with the more heavily regulated investment banks and others, that the problem was not a lack of regulation, but a plethora of it. Fannie and Freddie were heavily regulated, with probably dozens of Congressional committees and alledged involved investors providing oversight for their actions. But as long as investors were making money--they didn't care and as long as Fannie and Freddie were pushing loans to less than fully qualified individuals, and funnelling large amounts of campaign contributions to favored members of Congress to sweep the problems under the rug, Congress really didn't step in.
The key financiers in this game were not the mortgage lenders, the ratings agencies or the investment banks that created those now infamous mortgage securities. In different ways, these players were all peddling financial snake oil, but as Columbia University's Charles Calomiris observes, there will always be snake-oil salesmen. Rather, the key financiers were the ones who bought the toxic mortgage products. If they hadn't been willing to buy snake oil, nobody would have been peddling it.
Who were the purchasers? They were by no means unregulated. U.S. investment banks, regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, bought piles of toxic waste. U.S. commercial banks, regulated by several agencies, including the Fed, also devoured large quantities. European banks, which faced a different and supposedly more up-to-date supervisory scheme, turn out to have been just as rash. By contrast, lightly regulated hedge funds resisted buying toxic waste for the most part -- though they are now vulnerable to the broader credit crunch because they operate with borrowed money.
If that doesn't convince you that deregulation is the wrong scapegoat, consider this: The appetite for toxic mortgages was fueled by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the super-regulated housing finance companies. Calomiris calculates that Fannie and Freddie bought more than a third of the $3 trillion in junk mortgages created during the bubble and that they did so because heavy government oversight obliged them to push money toward marginal home purchasers. There's a vigorous argument about whether Calomiris's number is too high. But everyone concedes that Fannie and Freddie poured fuel on the fire to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.
Rather than deregulation being the cause, perhaps it is the presence of so much regulation that gave these investment banks, Freddie and Fannie and other institutions such comfort that they would never be held responsible for their failure to use a little common sense and business judgment. It doesn't take a genius to know that the housing bubble, like all other bubbles, was doomed to burst--it was only a matter of time.
So blaming deregulation for the financial mess is misguided. But it is dangerous, too, because one of the big challenges for the next president will be to defend markets against the inevitable backlash that follows this crisis. Even before finance went haywire, the Doha trade negotiations had collapsed; wage stagnation for middle-class Americans had raised legitimate questions about whom the market system served; and the food-price spike had driven many emerging economies to give up on global agricultural markets as a source of food security. Coming on top of all these challenges, the financial turmoil is bound to intensify skepticism about markets. Framing the mess as the product of deregulation will make the backlash nastier.If Obama is elected, and with a Democratic Congress (no matter how ineffective they may be) the push for regulation is sure to come. But as Mallaby suggested, government needs to take a good long look in the mirror before embarking upon a new plan for "re-regulating" an already regulated industry.
The next president will have to make some subtle choices. In certain areas, markets need to be reformed -- by pushing murky "over-the-counter" trades between banks onto transparent exchanges, for example. In other areas, government needs to fix itself -- by not subsidizing reckless mortgage lending. But a president who has a mandate only to reregulate will be a boxer with a missing glove. By going along with the market skepticism of his party, Obama may end up winning an election while compromising his presidency.
Yes there are legitimate questions related to how the markets have operated and those should be explored. But it seems rash in the extreme to pass a solution to a problem that few people have really explored in depth, particularly those policy and lawmakers responsible for the already passed solution.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Future American Star--Matthew Taylor
Matt Taylor had a hat trick over the weekend for TuS Koblenz. Who is Matt Taylor, well go read the story of how he got his contract with Koblenz. Taylor is getting a consistent amount of minutes for the Bundesliga 2 side and now has four goals in five appearances.
It may be early for Bob Bradley to be thinking about regularly playing Taylor in the National Team line up, but if he stays on form, he will certainly be worth a call into the National team camp in January. After all, Taylor would not be the only player from the Bundesliga 2 in camp, Heath Pearce from Hansa Rostock gets lots of starts for the U.S.
I'm just saying.
It may be early for Bob Bradley to be thinking about regularly playing Taylor in the National Team line up, but if he stays on form, he will certainly be worth a call into the National team camp in January. After all, Taylor would not be the only player from the Bundesliga 2 in camp, Heath Pearce from Hansa Rostock gets lots of starts for the U.S.
I'm just saying.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Bradley Names Roster for Cuba World Cup Qualifier
A day late, but good to see some names long missing and a few added surprises other than Jose Francisco Torres. Here is the list:
GOALKEEPERS:
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Tim Howard (Everton FC)
Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF)
Howard is still the number one, but if the U.S. beat Cuba, don't be surprised to see Guzan in the net against Trinidad. Former DC United keeper (United really should have held onto him) Troy Perkins getting a call up is good to see. He is not nearly as big as Guzan or Howard, but he is a fine keeper and I am glad that Bradley called him in. I don't expect playing time for him anytime soon, but you never know.
DEFENDERS:
Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes)
Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland)
Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96)
Jay DeMerit (Watford FC)
Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew)
Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege)
Michael Orozco (San Luis)
Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
No real surprises here. Look for a back line of Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Onyewu and Pearce to start agaisnt Cuba. I think DeMerit and Califf have a good chance to see some action soon. The U.S. Energizer Bunny Frankie Hejduk is also good to see still. With Columbus already in the MLS play-offs, losing Hejduk to National Team duty isn't a concern for Sigi Schmid. Orozco has been seeing a fair amount of minutes for San Luis and an full national team appearence would probably boost his confidence following a dismal Olympic showing. Against Trinidad, look to see Califf, Onyewu/Bocanegra, DeMerit, and Orozco. Marvell Wynne is missing from this squad, but with Toronto FC sitting on the playoff bubble and the decimation of last FIFA dates, I am not surprised to see Wynne's name missing.
MIDFIELDERS:
Freddy Adu (AS Monaco)
DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers)
Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers)
Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA)
Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio)
José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)
Of course, the big suprise is Torres' inclusion into this squad, but even more suprising is the youth of this midfield. Here are the ages Adu (19), Beasley (the old man at 26), Bradley (21), Edu (22), Kljestan (23), Szetela (21), Torres (20) and comes to an average age of 21.7 years. A probable starting line in a bucket 4-4-2 would be Beasley, Edu, Bradley and Klejstan. In a 4-2-3-1 that Bradly has been sort of experimenting with, you would probably see Beasley, Bradley, Edu, Adu, Klejstan, with Torres coming as an impact sub. Beasley has the most caps of this group (80) and Bradley is a distant second with 24. The remaining five players have a combined 29 caps between them and Szetela and Torres have none at the senior national team level. Can this relatively inexperienced midfield line get it done?
FORWARDS (5):
Jozy Altidore (Villarreal C.F.)
Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC)
Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
The best news in this group is that Charlie Davies, who was impressive in his few minutes of Olympic time and getting lots of minutes with his club, is on this list and Eddie Johnson is not. Good. I am glad that Jozy Altidore is getting a nod, but I wouldn't expect to see him on the field in anything less than a sub role, which goes for Davies as well. Look for Ching and Dempsey to get the nod. Donovan's LA Galaxy play on Sunday the 12th (the day after Cuba) and given their push to get into the MLS playoff's, I would not be surprised if Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena asked Bob Bradley to agree to limit Donovan's playing time or sit him on the bench if at all possible. Additionally, Dempsey has been in good form for the National Team of late by scoring goals. Given his lack of minutes a Fulham though, I think his first touch might be suspect. With Houston all but assured of a Playoff spot and the depth on the Dynamo squad, Ching is not as crucial. Ching's harassment of defensive lines and his ability to take punishment means he would get the nod over Altidore. However, come the Trinidad match, don't be surprised to see Altidore up top. Also don't be surprised to see Kenny Cooper join the team for the Trinidad match.
Against Cuba, look for one of these two line ups:
4-4-2
--------Ching-----Dempsey--------
Beasley------------------Kljestan
--------Bradley----Edu-----------
Pearce--Bocanegra--Onyewu--Cherundolo
------------Howard-----------------
Most Likely subs:
Torres for Beasley
Altidore for Ching
Donovan for Dempsey
4-2-3-1
-----------Ching--------------
Beasley-----Adu---------Kljestan
-------Bradley---Edu-----------
Pearce--Bocanegra--Onyewu--Cherundolo
------------Howard-----------------
Most Likely subs
Torres for Beasley
Altidore for Ching
Dempsey for Kljestan
GOALKEEPERS:
Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Tim Howard (Everton FC)
Troy Perkins (Valerenga IF)
Howard is still the number one, but if the U.S. beat Cuba, don't be surprised to see Guzan in the net against Trinidad. Former DC United keeper (United really should have held onto him) Troy Perkins getting a call up is good to see. He is not nearly as big as Guzan or Howard, but he is a fine keeper and I am glad that Bradley called him in. I don't expect playing time for him anytime soon, but you never know.
DEFENDERS:
Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes)
Danny Califf (FC Midtjylland)
Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96)
Jay DeMerit (Watford FC)
Frankie Hejduk (Columbus Crew)
Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege)
Michael Orozco (San Luis)
Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
No real surprises here. Look for a back line of Cherundolo, Bocanegra, Onyewu and Pearce to start agaisnt Cuba. I think DeMerit and Califf have a good chance to see some action soon. The U.S. Energizer Bunny Frankie Hejduk is also good to see still. With Columbus already in the MLS play-offs, losing Hejduk to National Team duty isn't a concern for Sigi Schmid. Orozco has been seeing a fair amount of minutes for San Luis and an full national team appearence would probably boost his confidence following a dismal Olympic showing. Against Trinidad, look to see Califf, Onyewu/Bocanegra, DeMerit, and Orozco. Marvell Wynne is missing from this squad, but with Toronto FC sitting on the playoff bubble and the decimation of last FIFA dates, I am not surprised to see Wynne's name missing.
MIDFIELDERS:
Freddy Adu (AS Monaco)
DaMarcus Beasley (Glasgow Rangers)
Michael Bradley (Borussia Moenchengladbach)
Maurice Edu (Glasgow Rangers)
Sacha Kljestan (Chivas USA)
Danny Szetela (Brescia Calcio)
José Francisco Torres (Pachuca)
Of course, the big suprise is Torres' inclusion into this squad, but even more suprising is the youth of this midfield. Here are the ages Adu (19), Beasley (the old man at 26), Bradley (21), Edu (22), Kljestan (23), Szetela (21), Torres (20) and comes to an average age of 21.7 years. A probable starting line in a bucket 4-4-2 would be Beasley, Edu, Bradley and Klejstan. In a 4-2-3-1 that Bradly has been sort of experimenting with, you would probably see Beasley, Bradley, Edu, Adu, Klejstan, with Torres coming as an impact sub. Beasley has the most caps of this group (80) and Bradley is a distant second with 24. The remaining five players have a combined 29 caps between them and Szetela and Torres have none at the senior national team level. Can this relatively inexperienced midfield line get it done?
FORWARDS (5):
Jozy Altidore (Villarreal C.F.)
Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo)
Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF)
Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC)
Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy)
The best news in this group is that Charlie Davies, who was impressive in his few minutes of Olympic time and getting lots of minutes with his club, is on this list and Eddie Johnson is not. Good. I am glad that Jozy Altidore is getting a nod, but I wouldn't expect to see him on the field in anything less than a sub role, which goes for Davies as well. Look for Ching and Dempsey to get the nod. Donovan's LA Galaxy play on Sunday the 12th (the day after Cuba) and given their push to get into the MLS playoff's, I would not be surprised if Galaxy Coach Bruce Arena asked Bob Bradley to agree to limit Donovan's playing time or sit him on the bench if at all possible. Additionally, Dempsey has been in good form for the National Team of late by scoring goals. Given his lack of minutes a Fulham though, I think his first touch might be suspect. With Houston all but assured of a Playoff spot and the depth on the Dynamo squad, Ching is not as crucial. Ching's harassment of defensive lines and his ability to take punishment means he would get the nod over Altidore. However, come the Trinidad match, don't be surprised to see Altidore up top. Also don't be surprised to see Kenny Cooper join the team for the Trinidad match.
Against Cuba, look for one of these two line ups:
4-4-2
--------Ching-----Dempsey--------
Beasley------------------Kljestan
--------Bradley----Edu-----------
Pearce--Bocanegra--Onyewu--Cherundolo
------------Howard-----------------
Most Likely subs:
Torres for Beasley
Altidore for Ching
Donovan for Dempsey
4-2-3-1
-----------Ching--------------
Beasley-----Adu---------Kljestan
-------Bradley---Edu-----------
Pearce--Bocanegra--Onyewu--Cherundolo
------------Howard-----------------
Most Likely subs
Torres for Beasley
Altidore for Ching
Dempsey for Kljestan
USA Roster Surprise
Midfielder Jose Francisco Torres, a twenty year old who was born in Texas and whose father is Mexican will join the U.S. squad in training camp starting Monday. To be frank, this was not the surprise I was hoping for--see here. But Torres, who plies his trade in Mexico with Pachuca, might be the future left winger and will no doubt challenge DaMarcus Beasley for that starting slot. With Eddie Lewis in his mid-30's (playing very well mind you, but still aging) and Beasley not showing a great deal for the U.S. national team and not getting very many minutes with Glasgow Rangers, Torres might very well be the future on the American left wing.
I have seen Torres in only one game this year and he was quick, likes to attack and go at players (something we desperately need). I do worry that his attack mindedness will cost him minutes since Bob Bradley likes his midfielders and wingers to defend an awful lot.
I have seen Torres in only one game this year and he was quick, likes to attack and go at players (something we desperately need). I do worry that his attack mindedness will cost him minutes since Bob Bradley likes his midfielders and wingers to defend an awful lot.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
No U.S. Roster Today
I was waiting on the announcement of the U.S. roster for the upcoming World Cup Qualifier against Cuba, but alas, Goff is reporting no roster today. He is also reporting a surprise naming to the roster.
OK, surprise naming? No Altidore, Adu don't count as surprises. Kenny Cooper not so much given the clamor to get him in the U.S. squad. Edson Buddle would be a surprise, but with the L.A. Galaxy on the bubble for MLS playoff qualifying, I can't see Bruce Arena giving the go ahead to have Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle gone (there goes some 60 percent of L.A.'s goal scoring). Knowing Bob Bradley, the surprise would probably be defensive, like a Chad Marshall of the Columbus Crew. The Crew are already in the playoffs and
To me a surprise would be Neven Subotic, the Croatian-American who has been getting lots of minutes for the German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. Subotic has appeared in all five of Dortmund five Bundesliga matches and has played 90 minutes in Dortmund's UEFA Cup match against Italian side Udinese as well as full time in two DFB Pokal (the German Club cup competition) matches. Subotic has been considering playing for Croatia as well as the U.S.
If the U.S. win against Cuba on Oct. 11 at estadio RFK, look for the long term veterans to be sent back to their clubs and Bob Bradley give a bunch of younger, lesser capped players a shot. A win over Cuba and the U.S. would clinch the next round placement in the Hexagonal. The next game would be October 15 against Trinidad & tobago in Trinidad before closing out this round of qualifying against Guatamala on November 19 in what will be a chilly Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado.
OK, surprise naming? No Altidore, Adu don't count as surprises. Kenny Cooper not so much given the clamor to get him in the U.S. squad. Edson Buddle would be a surprise, but with the L.A. Galaxy on the bubble for MLS playoff qualifying, I can't see Bruce Arena giving the go ahead to have Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle gone (there goes some 60 percent of L.A.'s goal scoring). Knowing Bob Bradley, the surprise would probably be defensive, like a Chad Marshall of the Columbus Crew. The Crew are already in the playoffs and
To me a surprise would be Neven Subotic, the Croatian-American who has been getting lots of minutes for the German Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. Subotic has appeared in all five of Dortmund five Bundesliga matches and has played 90 minutes in Dortmund's UEFA Cup match against Italian side Udinese as well as full time in two DFB Pokal (the German Club cup competition) matches. Subotic has been considering playing for Croatia as well as the U.S.
If the U.S. win against Cuba on Oct. 11 at estadio RFK, look for the long term veterans to be sent back to their clubs and Bob Bradley give a bunch of younger, lesser capped players a shot. A win over Cuba and the U.S. would clinch the next round placement in the Hexagonal. The next game would be October 15 against Trinidad & tobago in Trinidad before closing out this round of qualifying against Guatamala on November 19 in what will be a chilly Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Colorado.
Instapundit: Support the Right Wing Media
Tired of the Obama crazed media? Glenn Reynolds suggests that instead of whining about it or cancelling your subscriptions, you shoudl subscribe to right leaning or fact reporting news media instead:
But if you really want improvement over the longer term, you need to support competition that isn't an arm of the Democratic Party. The New York Sun folded yesterday. It was a serious, right-leaning newspaper in New York City. It was undercapitalized, and its shutdown is probably symptomatic of what's going to happen to a lot of bigger newspapers soon, but if even a fraction of the people who are unhappy with the Times had subscribed it would still be in business. And, still, while the New York Times gets in deeper trouble, the New York Post seems to be doing fine.
If you want to have a media environment that isn't dominated by the Gwen Ifills and Keith Olbermanns of the world, you need to ensure that other kinds of voices flourish. That means supporting the alternatives with your eyeballs, your subscriptions, your advertiser-patronage (and you could write those advertisers and tell them you're happy that they're supporting that kind of programming, too -- they probably don't get many letters like that, so they'll be noticed) -- basically, your money. Businesses need money to flourish. There's a vast underserved population out there, for news, entertainment, movies, etc., and if people start serving it, the current "mainstream" media won't be so mainstream anymore. So if you're unhappy with current offerings, put your money where your mouth is.
And if you're one of the people with creative interests, start making alternative stuff. Not just news and punditry, but entertainment, documentaries, etc. If An American Carol does well this weekend, it'll make it a lot easier for the next film of its type to be made. If Evan Coyne Maloney's documentary work does well, it'll encourage a lot more of that kind of work.
That Whole Gwen Ifills Thing
Honestly, of campaign issues, this is a pretty lame one, that Gwen Ifills might be partial to Obama. Ed Morrissey over at Hot Air notes that Ifills didn't tell the Commission on Presidential Debates about her book, which seems like a ludicrous omission. If you omit a 500 or 1000 word column, one could be forgiven, but omitting a book one needed to spend months working on is a bit over the line.
But really, why are Republican so out of joint over this? If Ifills is patently biased in favor of Obama, it will become obvious during the debate. The American public is pretty smart and they will see it. If Ifills is that bad, even Democrats will have a hard time claiming she was impartial.
On a similar note, is impartiality a requisite for being a moderator? Doesn't a moderator serve to moderate the debate? If all the questions are softballs for Obama and bean balls for McCain, isn't there going to be an obvious display here.
Softballs for Obama will make it look like Obama can't answer the hard questions, whereas if McCain has solid, thoughtful answers to the hard questions, the easy ones would, by default, be easier for McCain.
But really, why are Republican so out of joint over this? If Ifills is patently biased in favor of Obama, it will become obvious during the debate. The American public is pretty smart and they will see it. If Ifills is that bad, even Democrats will have a hard time claiming she was impartial.
On a similar note, is impartiality a requisite for being a moderator? Doesn't a moderator serve to moderate the debate? If all the questions are softballs for Obama and bean balls for McCain, isn't there going to be an obvious display here.
Softballs for Obama will make it look like Obama can't answer the hard questions, whereas if McCain has solid, thoughtful answers to the hard questions, the easy ones would, by default, be easier for McCain.
Making the Crap Sandwich Palatable
Intersting reading:
* Sec. 105. Energy credit for geothermal heat pump systems.
* Sec. 111. Expansion and modification of advanced coal project investment credit.
* Sec. 113. Temporary increase in coal excise tax; funding of Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
* Sec. 115. Tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration.
* Sec. 205. Credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.
* Sec. 405. Increase and extension of Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund tax.
* Sec. 309. Extension of economic development credit for American Samoa.
* Sec. 317. Seven-year cost recovery period for motorsports racing track facility.
* Sec. 501. $8,500 income threshold used to calculate refundable portion of child tax credit.
* Sec. 503 Exemption from excise tax for certain wooden arrows designed for use by children.
I sense a theme a bit here, lots of energy tax credits. Not a bad thing really, but it is apparent that these credits are there to make that crap sandwich a lot more palatable.
* Sec. 105. Energy credit for geothermal heat pump systems.
* Sec. 111. Expansion and modification of advanced coal project investment credit.
* Sec. 113. Temporary increase in coal excise tax; funding of Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
* Sec. 115. Tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration.
* Sec. 205. Credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles.
* Sec. 405. Increase and extension of Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund tax.
* Sec. 309. Extension of economic development credit for American Samoa.
* Sec. 317. Seven-year cost recovery period for motorsports racing track facility.
* Sec. 501. $8,500 income threshold used to calculate refundable portion of child tax credit.
* Sec. 503 Exemption from excise tax for certain wooden arrows designed for use by children.
I sense a theme a bit here, lots of energy tax credits. Not a bad thing really, but it is apparent that these credits are there to make that crap sandwich a lot more palatable.
The Bailout Plan
The Senate passed bailout plan has "enough "sweeteners" to put free-market devotees into an ideological diabetic coma."
Yes, the markets have tanked, and yes, IRA and 401(k) plans have taken a hit and not to mention that the notion of a "privatized" market based Social Security is now DOA even if there were a GOP Congress in control.
Have Americans gotten so used to phenomenal growth and nothing but profits that we are so addicted that we will take and approve of such drastic steps like this one? Business comes in cycles (that is why it is called a business cycle). With every upswing comes a downturn. But face it, we are better off now that we were 10, 20, 30 or 80 years ago. People have not lost their lifesavings. People are standing in line not for bare necessities like food, but for luxury items like an iPhone or new computer.
We need to stop looking for the dark cloud and the government handout and fix this mess ourselves.
The bailout-stimulus-Christmas-in-October-bill that just passed the Senate should not be confused with thoughtful legislation. It's larded with junk designed to convince Main Street that it too will share in the welfare being doled out to Wall Street Masters of the Universe. The need for the bailout has yet to be demonstrated. The efficacy of the proposed plan has yet to be demonstrated. Here's hoping that the House of Representatives, that great holding pen for would-be senators and future criminals, keeps it spine and still votes no. At the same time, this might be a good time to declare citizenship in another country.Well, I am not ready to do that, but I am ready to chastize every Member of Congress who has bought into the hysteria, or more specifically, every Republican who has done it. Fearmongering and massive government intervention into the economy is standard Democratic fare, I don't expect them to change their spots.
Yes, the markets have tanked, and yes, IRA and 401(k) plans have taken a hit and not to mention that the notion of a "privatized" market based Social Security is now DOA even if there were a GOP Congress in control.
Have Americans gotten so used to phenomenal growth and nothing but profits that we are so addicted that we will take and approve of such drastic steps like this one? Business comes in cycles (that is why it is called a business cycle). With every upswing comes a downturn. But face it, we are better off now that we were 10, 20, 30 or 80 years ago. People have not lost their lifesavings. People are standing in line not for bare necessities like food, but for luxury items like an iPhone or new computer.
We need to stop looking for the dark cloud and the government handout and fix this mess ourselves.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Hillary Clinton--Hysterical Over Economy
This is simply inexuseable hysteria: "It sounds dire but there is a risk that commerce could grind to a halt," she said.
So much for the calming voice of reason.
So much for the calming voice of reason.
How did Wall Street get into this mess?
Michael Flynn of Reason.com writes:
1. Mortgage Backed Securities are not a sure deal and not a guaranteed return. There never were, mind you, but with the housing bubble, it sure looked that way. The thing is that most of these Wall Street types should have known that they were sitting on a bubble and that all bubbles break. The dot com bubble broke and it seems like everyone forgot that. The housing market was unsustainable and it was obvious to most Americans and should have been a plain as day at Wall Street institutions.
2. Government sponsored entities are not the same as the government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were incentivized and indeed practically explicitly brokered a deal by which they would become the only real subprime backer. Instead of spreading the risk around, Fannie and Freddie backed some 70 or 80 percent of all subprime mortgages. That is too much risk in one place.
3. A subprime mortgage in and of itself is not a bad thing. However, banks and lenders were again not only incentivized, but basically required by such laws as the Community Reinvestment Act and other legislation to ignore common sense risk measurement and basically give loans away. For decades, most first time homebuyers were in subprime mortgages, but banks and mortgage lenders made sure to limit the number of such mortgages and make efforts to minimize the risk as much as possible. Many of these first time homebuyers then go on to become solid credit risks and get into regular mortgages a few years down the road. This process still happens (it happened to my wife and I--with a little help from the VA) and will continue to happen. But it should happen on a far less frequent basis.
4. Too much emphasis has been placed on the financial sector of our economy. Yes, the financial sector is a big part of teh economy, but it is not the end all be all. As Flynn points out, there are other economic indicators that point in a positive direction.
I do thing a recession is likely, but it is not a foregone conclusion. So-called experts and pundits have been claiming we are in a recession and have been doing so for a couple of years, but it hasn't happened. Will it happen now? Maybe...
But then again...Maybe not.
Let's be clear: This is a Wall Street crisis, not a national economic crisis. The overall economy, while a bit weak, is still growing. Some politicians are comparing the current environment to the Great Depression. But in 1932, when the federal government last moved to bail out the banking sector, economic output had fallen 45 percent and unemployment was a staggering 24 percent. Today, economic output is actually up and unemployment is a historically modest 6.1 percent.Then there is this:
The overall economy doesn't even face a liquidity crisis in the current turmoil. Consumer, commercial/industrial, and real estate loans are all up over last year. Main Street is doing fine. The liquidity crisis is confined to Wall Street, between and among investment banks, insurance and securities firms, and hedge funds. There is the possibility that the contagion could spread, but in a global capital market, this is hardly certain.
It is the intersection of several underlying trends that have brought us to this point, not a breakdown in any specific part of the financial sector. The fundamental flaw with the bailout approach is that it ignores these trends and simply seeks to shore up the finances of certain Wall Street institutions.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were going through a crisis. In 2003 and 2004, an accounting scandal was revealed. The two public-private partnerships were cooking the books to show phantom profits. The Bush administration and its allies on the Hill pushed a strong bill to reform how these institutions operated. The measure came very close to passing, but Fannie and Freddie cut a deal. They would refocus on expanding mortgages for low-income borrowers if the feds kept out of their operations. The bargain worked. Virtually all the Democrats and a few Republicans backed the two companies and the reform effort failed.So really, what have we learned so far.
Fannie and Freddie then went on a subprime bender. They made it clear that they wanted to buy all the subprime or Alt-A mortgages that they could find, eventually acquiring around $1 trillion of the paper. The market responded. In 2003 subprime mortgages made up less than 8 percent of all mortgages. By 2006, they were over 20 percent. Banks knew they could sell subprime products to Fannie and Freddie. Investments banks realized that if they laced ever increasing amounts of subprime mortgages into the MBSes, they could juice the returns and so earn bigger fees. The rating agencies, thinking they were simply dealing with traditional mortgages, didn't look under the hood.
1. Mortgage Backed Securities are not a sure deal and not a guaranteed return. There never were, mind you, but with the housing bubble, it sure looked that way. The thing is that most of these Wall Street types should have known that they were sitting on a bubble and that all bubbles break. The dot com bubble broke and it seems like everyone forgot that. The housing market was unsustainable and it was obvious to most Americans and should have been a plain as day at Wall Street institutions.
2. Government sponsored entities are not the same as the government. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were incentivized and indeed practically explicitly brokered a deal by which they would become the only real subprime backer. Instead of spreading the risk around, Fannie and Freddie backed some 70 or 80 percent of all subprime mortgages. That is too much risk in one place.
3. A subprime mortgage in and of itself is not a bad thing. However, banks and lenders were again not only incentivized, but basically required by such laws as the Community Reinvestment Act and other legislation to ignore common sense risk measurement and basically give loans away. For decades, most first time homebuyers were in subprime mortgages, but banks and mortgage lenders made sure to limit the number of such mortgages and make efforts to minimize the risk as much as possible. Many of these first time homebuyers then go on to become solid credit risks and get into regular mortgages a few years down the road. This process still happens (it happened to my wife and I--with a little help from the VA) and will continue to happen. But it should happen on a far less frequent basis.
4. Too much emphasis has been placed on the financial sector of our economy. Yes, the financial sector is a big part of teh economy, but it is not the end all be all. As Flynn points out, there are other economic indicators that point in a positive direction.
I do thing a recession is likely, but it is not a foregone conclusion. So-called experts and pundits have been claiming we are in a recession and have been doing so for a couple of years, but it hasn't happened. Will it happen now? Maybe...
But then again...Maybe not.
Propping Up Banks Will Not Rescue A Debauched Financial System
So says the headline at London's Daily Telegraph. In a column written by Jeff Randall,
Only when banks fail will the lesson be learned.
But the hard-sell of President Bush and the US Treasury Secretary felt too much like the pressure patter of a door-to-door hawker. Their message was crude: “Trust us. You are in a terrible place. Only we can get you out of this mess. No need to check the details. Hurry now, or it will be too late. Here’s a pen. There’s the dotted line. Just sign.”I heard a quote by my Congressman, Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), when commenting on teh bailout plan "it privatizes profits but socializes losses" which is exactly dead on. This bailout takes the risk out of any future risky behavior by banks because a precedent will have been set for the bailout and no one will learn the lesson about taking future risks.
But with the President’s ratings so low, few would let him leave the House with anything more than small change. Congress asked, not unreasonably: “If you guys know so much about banking, how come we are in such trouble?”
Having spent most of the year telling America, contrary to mounting evidence, that the US economy was just dandy, Mr Bush’s credibility is threadbare. When making statements, he’s beginning to look as if he doesn’t even believe himself. As for Mr Paulson, his long association with the jackpot culture of Goldman Sachs is, in the eyes of many outsiders, a gilded millstone.
Predictably, the refuseniks have been pilloried as ill-informed nihilists. They have been lambasted for failing to understand the consequences of their actions. They are, according to the Big Bail-out Brigade, condemning the rest of us to be buried alive in the rubble of a disintegrating banking system.
Try a different take. Yes, the West’s financial infrastructure is in severe distress. Yes, more banks are going to crumble. Yes, there will be a recession. But allocating $700bn (it would almost certainly turn out to be more) to a clean-up programme for toxic assets, in effect socialising the poison of private greed, has no merit other than to delay the inevitable. No amount of federal cash can rewind the X-rated horror video.
Only when banks fail will the lesson be learned.
Oregon Students Sanctioned for Obama Effigy
Four Oregon college students have been sanctioned by their school for hanging a cardboard cutout of Barack Obama from a campus tree.
OK. Now before anyone gets all bent out of shape, George Fox University is a private college and they can mete out punishment as they see fit for breaches of the student code of conduct (not that I can find one on the school's website). The school has handed out long term suspensions and public service punishments for the unnamed offenders. Fine.
But can anyone explain to me why the FBI is investigating whether "any civil rights were violated?" The cardboard figure of Obama had a message which referenced a minority and low-income scholarship program at the university. I am not sure if that is a supposed "civil rights violation" or not but on the face of it, I would have to say no. Whose rights, precisely would have been violated.
A university official made the following statement:
But is the display itself racist? Given the overtones and the written message regerring to a minority and low-income scholarship--maybe. Further, I am not sure that racism in and of itself is necessarily a civil rights violation. These students quite possibly have racist thoughts and racist intentions. But there is the "civil rights" creep factor. Formerly, to punish someone for violating the civil rights of someone, you had to actually violate someone's civil rights, a person, not some anonymous, amorphous group, but an actual person. Now, college campuses and liberals can simply claim, someone's rights were violated and a FBI investigation is launched. There is no indication that a particular person was even offended, let alone have their rights violated. Rubbish, I tell you.
Then we have the Obama factor. What if this had been McCain hanged in effigy at say UC-Berkely--would there be a civil rights investigation? No. Would the students have been punished. No. What if this had been a McCain effigy at a private liberal arts college? Again, I seriously doubt anyone would be punished or at least not punished to the point of long term suspensions. But the mere presence of an Obama image has raised the level of this matter from a poorly executed protest against a scholarship program and perhaps a political display to the level of a civil rights violation.
Really, has it come to this? Have we become so politically correct that any negative display with a picture of a black man present is now a civil rights type offense?
What have we become?
OK. Now before anyone gets all bent out of shape, George Fox University is a private college and they can mete out punishment as they see fit for breaches of the student code of conduct (not that I can find one on the school's website). The school has handed out long term suspensions and public service punishments for the unnamed offenders. Fine.
But can anyone explain to me why the FBI is investigating whether "any civil rights were violated?" The cardboard figure of Obama had a message which referenced a minority and low-income scholarship program at the university. I am not sure if that is a supposed "civil rights violation" or not but on the face of it, I would have to say no. Whose rights, precisely would have been violated.
A university official made the following statement:
"Regardless of the students' intent, the image of a black man hung from a tree is one of the most hurtful symbols of racism in American history," Lau said in the statement. "Displays such as this have no place on a campus that is dedicated to living out the teachings of Jesus."I will grant that the image of a hanging is not exactly within the teachings of Jesus. I will also admit that such an image is tainted with racist overtones from history.
But is the display itself racist? Given the overtones and the written message regerring to a minority and low-income scholarship--maybe. Further, I am not sure that racism in and of itself is necessarily a civil rights violation. These students quite possibly have racist thoughts and racist intentions. But there is the "civil rights" creep factor. Formerly, to punish someone for violating the civil rights of someone, you had to actually violate someone's civil rights, a person, not some anonymous, amorphous group, but an actual person. Now, college campuses and liberals can simply claim, someone's rights were violated and a FBI investigation is launched. There is no indication that a particular person was even offended, let alone have their rights violated. Rubbish, I tell you.
Then we have the Obama factor. What if this had been McCain hanged in effigy at say UC-Berkely--would there be a civil rights investigation? No. Would the students have been punished. No. What if this had been a McCain effigy at a private liberal arts college? Again, I seriously doubt anyone would be punished or at least not punished to the point of long term suspensions. But the mere presence of an Obama image has raised the level of this matter from a poorly executed protest against a scholarship program and perhaps a political display to the level of a civil rights violation.
Really, has it come to this? Have we become so politically correct that any negative display with a picture of a black man present is now a civil rights type offense?
What have we become?
Pelosi Paid Husband with PAC Funds
Washington Times has the exclusive that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has paid almost $100,000 to her husband's real estate and investment firm over the past nine years.
Big deal, right? Doesn't everyone in Washington do that? Well, maybe, but then they are not the Speaker who supported a bill last year that would ban such activity. From the Wash.Times:
But what is really not on the up and up is this:
Still while I don't think what Pelosi has done is illegal in any sense of the word, it does seem, well, hypocritical at least that the Democrats tarred and feathered Tom DeLay and John Doolittle for these kinds of things.
Big deal, right? Doesn't everyone in Washington do that? Well, maybe, but then they are not the Speaker who supported a bill last year that would ban such activity. From the Wash.Times:
The payments have quadrupled since Mr. Pelosi took over as treasurer of his wife's committee in 2007, Federal Election Commission records show. FLS is on track to take in $48,000 in payments this year alone - eight times as much as it received annually from 2000 to 2005, when the committee was run by another treasurer.I think that technically, what Pelosi has done is not illegal, but it sure doesn't look right.
Lawmakers' frequent use of campaign donations to pay relatives emerged as an issue in the 2006 election campaigns, when the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal gave Democrats fodder to criticize Republicans such as former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas and Rep. John T. Doolittle of California for putting their wives on their campaign and PAC payrolls for fundraising work.
But what is really not on the up and up is this:
Between 1999 and 2006, FLS collected $500 per month to cover rent, utilities and equipment for the leadership PAC, according to the FEC records. The PAC's address is listed as a personal mailbox in San Francisco, across the street from FLS's Montgomery Street office building, but the rent payments went to an office space.So when Paul Pelosi becomes the treasurer, accounting fees become necessary, but not under the previous treasurer. According to FEC reports, in 2004, PAC to the Future paid just shy of $17,000 for legal, bookkeeping and FEC reporting services. In 2007, the figure jumped to $32,718.75 for the same services. Leo McCarthy was the treasurer, officially, until April 2, 2007, but had passed away on February 5, 2007. This in itself is no big deal, but really Pelosi's PAC should have had an assistant treasurer since the last report that McCarthy "signed" was just a week before his death.
In early 2007, the PAC's treasurer, Leo T. McCarthy, former Democratic speaker of the state assembly and lieutenant governor in California, died. Mr. Pelosi took over as treasurer and his company's PAC payouts rose.
At that point, FLS started charging the PAC $24,000 per year for accounting work. In January 2008, the PAC's rent - paid to FLS - also quadrupled from $500 to $2,000 per month.
Katie Falkenberg/The Washington Times PARTNERSHIP: Nancy Pelosi's husband, Paul F. Pelosi, was by her side at a Democratic event in 2006.
Mr. McCarthy, the previous treasurer, had done the work as a volunteer, according to FEC documents and Jennifer Crider, a senior adviser to Mrs. Pelosi and spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She said FLS' accounting fees are in line with costs for other PACs.
Still while I don't think what Pelosi has done is illegal in any sense of the word, it does seem, well, hypocritical at least that the Democrats tarred and feathered Tom DeLay and John Doolittle for these kinds of things.
Another U.S. Youth to Watch: Joseph Gyau
Check out this profile and he's local in Maryland too, sort of.
Dempsey Drops Exit Hint
Fulham's lone American Clint Dempsey is hinting at a desire to exit. Could he be hitting the road in January?
Dempsey has seen very, very limited action thus far this season, with just two Premier League appearances, both as a late game substitute, and one Carling Cup start with no more of those on the horizon after Fulham were bounced from the competition by Burnley last week.
Dempsey will probably go for a fairly low transfer fee and a number of Premier League sides might be interested. So who knows.
Dempsey has seen very, very limited action thus far this season, with just two Premier League appearances, both as a late game substitute, and one Carling Cup start with no more of those on the horizon after Fulham were bounced from the competition by Burnley last week.
The 25-year-old would certainly not be short of suitors in England, and the player admits his future may lie elsewhere if he isn’t given the opportunity to fight his way into the starting eleven.Dempsey appears to be finding some form for the U.S. national team (two goals in the last two World Cup qualifying matches after a long goalless spell). It seems a shame that he is not getting minutes and I don't blame him for looking for a move elsewhere.
"The coach here now is not the one who brought me in so it's difficult proving that I deserve to be on the field," the News of the World quoted Dempsey as saying.
The Cottagers have, though, lost two league games in a row, and the former New England Revolution midfielder may benefit from changes that Hodgson opts to make.
However, Hodgson has shown that changes may not come from within. On Saturday, despite being down a man and two goals from the first half, the manage made no substitutions, a clear enough sign that he does not have faith in his bench players.
Dempsey will probably go for a fairly low transfer fee and a number of Premier League sides might be interested. So who knows.
Fourth Grade Success
A fourth grader writes to Lowe's home improvement stores and gets an astroturf playground rather than the cement one.
Why does it take a fourth grader to get results in Rhode Island?
Why does it take a fourth grader to get results in Rhode Island?
Bureacracy Creep
On the heels of my post yesterday about the purpose of a school district, comes this story out of Los Angeles. Apparently the purpose of a school district is to provide employment for bureaucrats:
But buried in the story is this little bit.
I suspect two reasons. First, I am sure the hotel was a lot closer to the school district offices. Second, I would bet that attendence at the ballroom was reduced since people had to travel to teh hotel rather than going to their nearby school.
Nice, real nice.
Parents, teacher union representatives and school board members on Monday either blasted or questioned the growth of the Los Angeles Unified School District's massive bureaucracy in recent years as they responded to a Daily News analysis of the district's staffing and salary structure.If enrollment drops by six percent, seeing teaching positions cut is to be expected. But you don't expect to see a 20 percent growth in school bureaucracies.
The Daily News found that the LAUSD's bureaucracy ballooned nearly 20 percent from 2001 to 2007. During that same period, 500 teaching positions were cut and enrollment dropped by 6 percent.
The district has approximately 4,000 administrators, managers and other nonschool-based employees - not including clerks and office workers - whose average salary is about $95,000. About 2,400 administrators are among the 3,478 LAUSD employees who earn more than $100,000 annually. Yet the average teacher salary is $63,000.Hmmm! Misplace priorities, methinks.
But buried in the story is this little bit.
Dozens of teachers called the Daily News and expressed outrage over the publication of their salaries - along with those of administrators - on an online database. Saying they would cancel their newspaper subscriptions, teachers called the database at www.dailynews.com a "breach of confidence," "reprehensible," and an "invasion of privacy."Um, sorry. I don't buy this as an invasion of privacy. Teacher salaries are paid with taxpayer dollars and they are public employees, their salaries are and should be public information. Now if the paper had published addresses or other personal information, yes that would be incorrect and an invasion of privacy.
Monday morning, Cortines, Brewer and other district officials spoke to about 200 parents in North Hollywood.Two big points in that segment. First, a 17 year old gets the concept of transparency. Second, hotel ballroom? The parent is right, why not a school auditorium?
Christine Provencio, a volunteer of more than 30 years in San Fernando Valley schools, said the wage disparity was surprising.
"I feel sorry for the teachers ... They don't get that much compared to the people downtown," Provencio said. "The money should be where the children are. We have to look at the priorities."
She questioned why district officials spent money holding Monday's meeting at a hotel ballroom instead of a school auditorium.
Rachel Reyes, a 17-year-old senior at Cleveland High School, said knowing teachers' salaries provides transparency.
"I think it's important for everyone to know because of budget cuts and teachers strikes over the years," Reyes said. "Honestly, I feel bad that some teachers don't make as much as others."
Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, said public awareness of LAUSD salaries could negatively impact Measure Q, a $7 billion school bond on the November ballot.
"I think a lot of people do not realize how well ... the education industry pays itself," he said.
Hearing that dozens of teachers called the newspaper to complain that their privacy had been invaded, Vosburgh said: "It's nonsense. They're not private. They work for the public."
I suspect two reasons. First, I am sure the hotel was a lot closer to the school district offices. Second, I would bet that attendence at the ballroom was reduced since people had to travel to teh hotel rather than going to their nearby school.
Nice, real nice.
Magnet Student Test Scores "Re-Routed"
Joanne Jacobs brings the story of how test scores for magnet school students in Jefferson Parish Louisiana are "re-routed" to what would have been their home school.
A school board member says it’s fair because the magnet schools are drawing high achievers from the regular schools.What!!!
Mass. Court Backs Teachers Fired Over English Fluency
The reasoning is a procedural one, as opposed to a substantive issue.
However, it appears that the school district didn't do its duty in following the regulations in dismissing teachers. That such regulations might be a bit byzantine is of course the point for unions.
What is interesting to me is that the school district hadn't been enforcing the fluency/literacy rules. In that case, them blowing the procedural rules is not unexpected.
A state appeals court in Massachusetts has upheld the reinstatement with full back pay of three teachers who were fired by their school district for "failure to demonstrate fluency in English."Yes, if you are going to be teaching kids in American schools, you should be fluent in the primary langauge of the nation--English. If you are not, you should be fired.
A three-judge panel of the mid-level Massachusetts Court of Appeals on Sept. 25 unanimously upheld decisions by an arbitrator and a state trial court that the Lowell school district had violated the teachers' procedural rights because the teachers could not cross-examine the graders of a standardized oral-proficiency the teachers had failed.
Also, the district failed to follow state guidelines by not relying first on classroom observation of the teachers' English fluency, the court said.
The decision in School Committee of Lowell v. Oung is available at the site of the Massachussetts Reporter of Decisions under Appeals Court opinions.
Two of the teachers had emigrated from Cambodia, and the third was from Puerto Rico. They were terminated in 2003 by the Lowell district, which was seeking to comply with state regulations requiring that it certify annually that all its teachers were literate and fluent in English. The teachers were tenured and had received satisfactory evaluations for several years before their firing, the appeals court said.
However, it appears that the school district didn't do its duty in following the regulations in dismissing teachers. That such regulations might be a bit byzantine is of course the point for unions.
What is interesting to me is that the school district hadn't been enforcing the fluency/literacy rules. In that case, them blowing the procedural rules is not unexpected.
Middle Schools, Classroom Technology and Media Bias
Bill Ferriter talks about two lessons in his effort to bring quality technology uses to the classroom. He talks about the use of RSS feeds and readers to bring election news to the classroom. His quickly cobbled together Pageflakes site can be found here.
But he also did something even more valuable than simply show kids how to manage data, itself a valuable skill in the 21st Century. He decided to have a lesson in spotting and deciphering media bias. Ferriter writes:
Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have a particular slant and that I make no bones about it. But that is to be expected when someone comes to a personal blog. What is not expected is having such an obvious slant in a piece of "journalism," that is a news article that is supposed to report the news. Editorials are fine and I will support a newspaper's right to publish editorial until my last breath. But news articles are supposed to give me the facts. I don't need spin, bias, slant or selective quotations. I expect facts.
That Ferriter feels the need to look at news coverage and teach middle school students about media bias is on at least one level a little troubling.
But he also did something even more valuable than simply show kids how to manage data, itself a valuable skill in the 21st Century. He decided to have a lesson in spotting and deciphering media bias. Ferriter writes:
Then, I decided that one of the most important lessons that students can learn in today's digital news marketplace is that there is often downright overt hidden bias in reporting. Learning to judge the validity of online sources couldn't be any more important to promoting democracy, right?I think this particular set of lessons is invaluable.
So I put together a handout designed to introduce students to the idea that news sources may just be trying to influence readers to lean in one political direction or another.
[snip]
What I figure I'll have students do is pick an article from two or three different news sources that cover the same event or topic---candidate performance in a debate, candidate position towards the war in Iraq or the current fiscal crisis, candidate gaffes or public miscues, McCain's age or Obama's inexperience---and evaluate the ways that each news source covers the topic.
By doing so, students will learn to identify the kinds of strategies that authors use to influence readers. They'll also recognize that not all news sources are as fair and balanced as they claim to be! Finally, they can learn the difference between reporting done by professionals working for traditional news outlets and "reporting" done by bloggers---an increasingly important source of information for today's citizen.
Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have a particular slant and that I make no bones about it. But that is to be expected when someone comes to a personal blog. What is not expected is having such an obvious slant in a piece of "journalism," that is a news article that is supposed to report the news. Editorials are fine and I will support a newspaper's right to publish editorial until my last breath. But news articles are supposed to give me the facts. I don't need spin, bias, slant or selective quotations. I expect facts.
That Ferriter feels the need to look at news coverage and teach middle school students about media bias is on at least one level a little troubling.
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