http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmodVun16Q4

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/11/world/meast/egpyt-us-embassy-protests/index.html

Let me first say, I couldn't stomach watching the entire clip of the "movie." I made it half way. I'm fairly confident anyone else that can sit through that much would probably come to some of the same conclusions I have, though probably not all.

I'll also say that the maniacal and homicidal rage this POS has incited is unbelievably sad and irretrievably stupid. There are no excuses. However, the 'stupidity' needs to be considered. To wit, we're talking about Libya and Egypt. I've only done cursory research on each education system, but if one wants to argue literacy rates and what that really means, our nation probably doesn't fare much better. But I do believe it's fair to say neither country's population has had a liberal exposure to media of any form, and certainly not outside media w/ out a solid censoring from Big Brother. I think this is proven true just by watching the clip; I mean, let's say any Muslim or person of Middle Eastern descent were to make a similar movie with Jesus in the role of Mohammad, it would be little more than a joke to any of us. Forget motivations and any political/religious connotations, this thing isn’t watchable outside a high school AV project. It's horribly laughable. With the possible exception of only the most certifiable religious zealots (and the Klanesque bigots looking for any opportunity), the person responsible would merely be a subject of ridicule here, nothing more.

The adherence to the word and teaching of fanatics certainly lends to the 'stupidity' here. This is true anywhere, granted. Initial reports state that a number of the rioters hadn't even seen the 'film' but had heard about it through leaders or the crowd. And it is the ultra-conservatives one has to worry about violence with anywhere, as well. Gee, I wonder who’s stirring the pot.

Like I said, no excuses though. At least one American has been killed, more injured. Two embassies attacked. All because of a ridiculous excuse for a ‘movie.’ (I do apologize for returning to the quotes around “movie” and “stupidity”; I vow I’m not following the moronic format of FHNC; I’m merely using “stupidity” in the context I lay out, not that the populace is inherently dumb, and I refuse to refer to this POS as an actual film, movie, or short, therefore the sarcastic quote font)

Now, Sam Bacile is the writer and director of this garbage. He supposedly financed this masterpiece w/ $5 million from one hundred Jewish donors. All this news is still breaking while I write this, but this is Bacile’s reaction:

“Bacile, an American citizen who said he produced, directed and wrote the two-hour film, said he had not anticipated such a furious reaction. “I feel sorry for the embassy. I am mad,” Bacile said.”

He feels sorry for a building and he’s mad?! He’s a liar. Anyone that can generate 5 mil for such a project has certainly heard the story of the Danish cartoonist and that backlash. And he never anticipated this kind of “furious reaction”?!!! Who’s buying that?

Which begs the question: what’s the true motivation here? I fully believe in our freedom of speech and expression, but can anyone truly watch this garbage and believe it was meant for any other reason than to incite? This isn’t art or expression. It’s a cattle prod to the privates of inciteable Muslims. And I fully believe the reaction it’s generated was indeed intended. The timing sure is coincidental, of all days, and many in the crowd in Egypt supposedly chanting “we are Osama”. I’m not one for civil litigation for the most part, but in this case, if all this proves true, I certainly hope the family of the envoy that was murdered and anyone else so affected sue this guy and any cohorts back to the Stone Age. I want him living “in a van down by the river.”

Not to make light of the situation, but the writer in me wonders if this isn’t the most elaborate suicide plot this side of “Seven Pounds.” (Sorry for the spoiler alert, but if you haven’t seen it by now….) I mean, who in his right mind puts this together and immediately cops to it? Ya gotta wanna get capped, don’tcha? At least Rushdie actually published exceptional prose, true art. Putting something out like this, you have to know you’re life will probably not be safe ever again. So you put out the worst, most inflammatory crappola you can think of? At the very least, his donors must be wondering, “Where’d all the money go to?” He almost had to be thinking one faction or the other would come after him.

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/students-denver-area-school-not-allowed-wear-peyton-192608097--nfl.html "Denver Broncos fans are thrilled over Peyton Manning's arrival in the Mile High City. They showed their excitement by running out and buying Manning's jersey in droves. In fact, Manning's Denver jersey has been the top-selling jersey on NFL.com since April, when the NFL switched to Nike-made jerseys. However, the Peyton-Mania has not caused a Colorado school district to change its dress code. Because of gang affiliations with certain numbers, students are not allowed to wear jerseys with the No. 18, which happens to be the number Manning wears. A spokesperson for Weld County District 6 explained the policy has been around for more than three years and applies to the numbers 13, 14,18, 31, 41 and 81. "We're Broncos fans ourselves; it has nothing to do with that. We're just wanting to set a consistent solid, example," said district spokesperson Roger Fiedler."

I'm a Chiefs fan. I'd like Peyton a heck of a lot more if he'd decided to come to KC because, and I'm betting/hoping Cassel proves me and everyone else wrong, he was the one piece keeping us from the Super Bowl THIS year! But he's a class act regardless, so what''s not to like? But tell me this story isn't just downright sad. In Oakland? Duh. LA. Sure. NYC?ATL?MI?USC? Of course. But Denver? La dolce queso y arroz! Just one more problem to throw on the heap, but we've got a serious gang problem throughout the country, and if it wasn't bad enough before it's been magnified exponentially by our prisons becoming gladiator factories AND operations centers, as well as pathetically open borders/revolving doors that have drawn the extraordinarily violent factions from Central America, let alone the Mexican cartels. This isn't just sad. It's incredibly disturbing. Anyone have any real ideas as to how we can stop the proliferation of this internal, self inflicted cancer? At this point, I'd prefer we allocated our troops to fight this front than Afghanistan's any longer.

Count me among those that are the most surprised at how good our beloved Jayhawks have been so far this year. As it seems to go all too often, I was keyed up and ready for the basketball season to kick off by the second or third game of football season, for obvious reasons. But trepidation was prevalent since we really couldn't know what to expect after losing so much from last year's squad. Considering where we stand today, and realizing that with a couple fewer TO's by TT vs. Duke and that if the team wasn't so flat against Davidson they could actually be coasting with only one loss right now is fairly amazing. I know I couldn't have predicted this strong start, but I'm not really surprised. I think it just proves once again how great a coach we have sitting on our sidelines.

That being said, I'd like to make a couple of pleas to the best fans on the planet:

1) Please please please, cease and desist with the "WOOO!" I read the LTE a week or two ago but was busy and didn't pay it much mind. But then that beautiful, haunting, mostly monotone chant started up after our dismantling of Baylor, and I realized what the LTE writer was referring to. I'm proud of and absolutely love our 'Rock Chalk' chant. It's not obnoxious and it's utterly unique. Best of all, you know when you hear it we've just chalked up another W. It's like a signal of relief, we can breathe a little easier, we've lived to fight another day.
Unfortunately, the 'WOO' kind of takes away from the haunting effect of the chant and sounds more like a couple busloads of junior high girls soccer teams acting up in the upper decks of Royals Stadium on a sponsor day. After the first 'WOO' of the first chorus Monday night, the second 'WOO' seemed to garner a number of 'BOO's: to all those that "Boo'd", thank you very, very much.
Please Boo the Woo. The chant is perfect without it, disappointingly silly with it.

2) Let's not chant "Overrated!" when taking down a higher ranked foe. I'll never forget good Ol' Roy excoriating fans for doing such, correctly pointing out that such an immature chant does only two things: it takes away from the accomplishment of our squad in besting an opponent regarded better by the pollsters, and it's a poor reflection on what is usually the greatest fan base in the country. We should want that opponent to be thought of as #3, the win is that much more gratifying and impressive that way. And Kansas' fans are generally regarded as some of the most knowledgeable and respectful basketball fans in the country. Chanting 'overrated' is bush league and more befitting a program like Texas Tech or Colorado than one with a Kansas pedigree. We're better than that.

Go 'Hawks!

by jaywalker

Just found out that Brandon Bourbon, a 4 star running back out of Missouri, backed out of his commitment to Stanford and committed to Kansas today. He's 6'2" 220 and had offers from Missouri, Notre Dame, Illinois, and Vanderbilt as well.

Nice catch, Coach!

First of all: a shout out to ESPN360. Since I'm been far away from Larry air, the ability to catch all the games had been impossible. Not no more!

So, how do the 'Hawks look so far? Who's wowing, who's struggling, why?

I've been impressed by a number of things, but at the top of the list has to be the physical condition of the entire team. The boys are bulky and cut! Anyone remember what we looked like standing next to MSU last year? I wonder if that was a prime incentive to hit the weight room. The twins, Cole, and Tyshawn are noticeably more thick and muscular, Sherron looks like he's in his best shape ever, and X......? He has to be the most impressively built freshman I've ever seen. If he came from the Dominican Republic everyone would be suspicious that he was actually 25, for cryin' out loud.

Number two on my list goes right back to the X-Man: Kid can ball. And he might be the purest shooter KU's had since......who? Ron Kellogg, maybe? With Memphis the only solid opponent thus far it's too soon to tell, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict X is going to end up being the best freshman since Danny. He's strong, fast, athletic and when coupled with Cole I think they'll prove to be the toughest match-up tandem in the country.

Number three: the Twins have markedly improved. I was never one of the people down on them last year, freshmen will be freshmen and I thought they and Taylor played phenomenally for the minutes that were thrust upon them. But the bro's hit the weights and worked on their games, no question. They've honed new moves to create space for shots and are attacking with more aggression and power to the rim. That equals a ridiculously strong front-court for the 'Hawks this year.

Number four: the role players look like they'll be impact players as well. Elijah, Robinson, Teahan, and Reed all wield a myriad of intangibles when they hit the floor and will be vital to the success of the season. They all have hiccups to cure: Elijah needs to learn to control the throttle, Robinson needs to control the foul rate, and Teahan will be out-matched against quicker guards. Reed hasn't been shooting that well so far but he's a gym rat, he'll bounce. But each one of these players can get to double figures scoring and all are strong rebounders regardless of size (Robinson's a beast on the glass! That'll be invaluable in Big 12 play if he starts hitting his throws).

Negatives thus far? We've gotten pretty sloppy on occasion, need to clean it up, that was a problem last year, too. Could be a reflection on the opponents to date, playing down, easing up, ......but that won't matter to Coach.

Taylor's slow start. I believe he'll be fine, but he seems like a player better suited to a style of play more akin to Mizzou's chaos-theory rather than a half-court player. I think he'll shine from time to time, particularly when we play an up-tempo team or style of game.

Mid-range shooting. This could purely be my issue, this aspect of the game always concerns me as it seems to fade a little each year. Players tend to park behind the 3-line and forget how to dribble drive for a solid bank shot when the D gets tighter. This could also be a reflection of the opponents and hasn't been neccesary yet. We'll see. And it hasn't been all bad. The twins are solid 12 and in, Collins is usually money, and X can shoot anywhere.

Nitpick: with the added bulk I'm a little concerned about a drop in speed/quickness. I haven't seen evidence of this, mind you, just a thought.

The way the schedule is shaping out it looks like Tennessee will be our toughest non-con foe and might be the quickest, most athletic team we face all year. That's the game I'm really looking forward to for a solid guage of this team's abilities: on the road, incredibly hostile environment, prime time game vs. a Great 8 caliber team; that's a steak and scotch kinda game! The best part of all this? Watching the team improve as the season goes along. The mark of a great coach is how much better his team is at the end of the season compared to the beginning of the season. Coach Self, just like Roy, almost always accomplishes this feat. And for me, it's fun to watch the progression.

Go 'Hawks!

Color me refreshed.

It's no secret that our nation's fascination and idolization of Barack Obama is off the charts. I haven't been around that long to be an authority, but I've never seen nor heard nor read of anyone - let alone an elected official - who's skyrocketed to such lofty heights of popularity. Even JFK wasn't so wildly beloved. Camelot wasn't Camelot until his assassination, and that wasn't even firmly established until his brother met a similar fate.

I have no idea if all of this is a good or a bad thing. I'm torn on the impact such adoration might affect. After W., perhaps this kind of faith, hope, and trust in our President is just what the doctor ordered. Maybe it's all an elixir that will continue to instill confidence and resurrect the pride the majority of us held in being American not so long ago. Lord knows we need an injection of spirit, comaradery, and community to help us through the troubling times we find ourselves in. We need fresh ideas and invigorating leadership, and that could be what continues to fuel this wild devotion.

Then again, perhaps it's little more than blind idol worship that will inevitably fade over time. I've always found it fascinating with past Presidents that while they were esteemed walking in the door one was hard-pressed to find people willing to admit they'd voted for them a year or two down the line.
And maybe the mania and idolatry will only serve to blind the populace from the hazardous waters this administration is negotiating, realizing those are rocks at the bottom of that beautiful waterfall when it's too late to turn the boat back. I'm not saying the moves being made are wrong, but they're certainly unproven and subject to thoughtful suspection.

All that being said, whatever the cause of and potential outcome from this Obama-mania might be, at least it's providing some much appreciated levity. And at least someone's making money these days. The "Obama Souvenir" industry is a force of nature. From the moment those last votes were counted, everything-Obama has been hawked with the fury of the Sham-Wow guy on cocaine. I haven't seen it, but I imagine you can get a kitchen sink with the Presidential seal and that charming picture of Obama with his girls smack dab around the drain.

What have I seen thus far? T-shirts, key chains, lava lamps, posters, 6' cardboard cutouts, pendants, stationary, coins, etched plaques, figurines, bobbleheads, busts, mugs, glasses, basketballs, jackets, pens, bumper stickers, skateboards, kites, and....wait for it......condoms! Yes, condoms. And I'm sure this comprises less than half the list of memorabilia available to those sick of collecting Elvis gear.

But the "pie'ce de re'sistance" was unveiled to me last night at about 2 a.m.

I was up late balancing the books and trying to figure what new business I could generate in order to keep all my men on the payroll. I've been able to ride the storm admirably thus far, if I do say so myself. We've diversified, expanded territory, and forged new ones. I've reduced my own salary to just above nothing and removed myself from our health insurance rolls just to keep my guys employed. But the ball keeps rolling downhill.

So in the wee hours I was nursing a scotch on the rocks in an effort to minimize the weight of the stress coursing through my entire body. I could feel my knitted eyebrows attempting to meet in the middle and my poor dog could sense it was not a good time to be lying in my path as I paced the den. I'd been at it for hours so I opted to turn on the tube to see how badly my Royals had been spanked. I know, I know; insult to injury and all that but I needed to direct my frustration elsewhere.

I punched in the numbers on the remote and in that split second before the channel changed I saw something that caught my eye. I thought, "Was that....? Could it really be......? Did I see....?", as I quickly pressed the recall button.
It was. For the love of Oprah, there was an ad for a "Chia Obama"!!! As the voice-over announcer detailed the fine craftsmanship of the product and explained how "you can commemorate the historic election" I stared in disbelief with jaws agape. And then I chuckled. Then I laughed. Soon I was laughing so hard I had to put my scotch down. Maybe it wasn't that funny. Maybe the hilarity was more about the combination of punchiness and stress. But I gotta tell ya, watching the time lapse effect of that Obama head grow little green hair was too much for me to take.

I've thought all this Obama-mania was over the top, that the theory of over-kill had been lost on those looking to put him out in front of the public in each and every way possible. But for once, just for that one moment, I couldn't have been more thankful. I needed a laugh so badly. It was just what the doctor ordered.