Saturday, August 27, 2011

2011/12 NFL Forecast - by Moses

AFC Regular Season

East

New England 14 - 2
New York Jets 12 - 4

West

San Diego Chargers 13 - 3

North

Pittsburgh Steelers 15 - 1
Baltimore Ravens 11 - 5

South

Indianapolis Colts 13 - 3


AFC Playoffs

Division Round

Indianapolis Colts 31 - New York Jets 13

Baltimore Ravens 17 - San Diego Chargers 13


AFC Conference Semi-Finals

Pittsburgh Steelers 34 Baltimore Ravens 13

Indianapolis Colts 31 - New England Patriots 27


AFC Conference Final

Indianapolis Colts 31 - Pittsburgh Steelers 28



NFC Regular Season

East

New York Giants 13 - 3
Dallas Cowboys 11 - 5

West

San Francisco 49'ers 11 - 5

North

Green Bay Packers 14 - 2
Chicago Bears 12 - 4

South

New Orleans Saints 15 - 1


NFC Playoffs

Division Round

Dallas Cowboys 24 - New York Giants 21

Chicago Bears 17 - San Francisco 49'ers 13


NFC Conference Semi-Finals

New Orleans Saints 45 - Dallas Cowboys 17

Green Bay Packers 31 - Chicago Bears 10


NFC Conference Final

New Orleans Saints 27 - Green Bay Packers 24



Superbowl

Indianapolis Colts 35 - New Orleans Saints 34

Friday, August 26, 2011

Steroids and Sport (rehashed) - By Moses

It was 1978 and Ken Norton was the Heavyweight Champion of the World. In his first defence of the belt, Norton was set to fight Larry Holmes. After Holmes and Norton pummeled eachother for 14 Rounds, the commentators of the fight gave their between round analysis. 'There has been some speculation that Larry Holmes is taking a new wonder drug called steroids.' 'Surely the drug isn't infallible.' the commentator said. At the start of the fifteenth, Norton knocked out Holmes mouth-guard. The gas had run out on Holmes and he was dominated in the Fifteenth with the ropes saving him in the final seconds, preserving a split-decision for Holmes and he became the new Champion of the World.
Three years later, Lyle Alzado (a defensive tackle with the Oakland Raiders) came clean to the American media and confessed that at least half of the N.F.L'ers were steroid users. The National Football League refused to act.
It was 1988, and during the Seoul Summer Olympics, Ben Johnson took home Gold for Canada in the 100 Metre Dash (also the 4x100m) with an unprecedented time of 9.78. But wait just a minute. Johnson's' urine sample tested positive for anabolic steroids and the Worldwide Audience watched in disbelief as he was stripped of his title. In the period 1978-1988 no Professional sports League banned their athletes from using anabolic steroids. It is also a very naive assumption that only Ben Johnson used steroids at Seoul. He was however, one of the few that were caught.
This brings us to the argument, at what cost will a Country, Sport, Team, or Athlete go to in hiding rampant steroid use in the name of winning Gold Medals, Championships, and pleasing to the eye statistics.
The Western World was condemning Eastern European training and conditioning methods; ie - impregnating their Women Athletes and aborting the fetus to raise estrogen levels, just prior to the meet. At the same time there were severe denials in the West, of rampant steroid use (and it was widespread). This leads us to the quagmire that we face today. It wasn't until the early nineties that the N.F.L instituted a ban on steroids. Hockey (N.H.L) and Basketball (N.B.A) followed suit, only after embarrassments of Olympic Athlete's Jackie Joyner Kersee and Florence Griffith amongst others during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.
Major League Baseball however, buried their heads further into the sand. In the early part of the 21st Century it was noticeable that Ballplayers had bulked up, yet M.L.B Commissioner Bud Selig still didn't put together a full-scale ban on steroids. In fact, after Mark McGuire's' monster 1998 - 70 Home-run campaign, he admitted to using legal performance enhancing drugs. The owners seemingly only cared about Gate Revenue and mind boggling statistics, not the integrity of the game. Then came along Barry Bonds superlative 73 Home-run Campaign of 2001, and the press were never a Bonds advocate. This began the smear campaign on athletes in Baseball. Finally, after the 2004 Campaign, Selig and the MLBPA signed an agreement to test athlete's for steroids as a BANNED substance, and it finally became a banned substance in MLB.
In one fell swoop Superstars Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Roger Clemens amongst others were named in a farce of a Congressional hearing, and, continuing the denial that was put in place by MLBPA, Selig, and the Owners, one should at least context the time-frame of steroids becoming illegal in Baseball, as a person can't be held accountable for using a 'legal' product on a whim of trying to look good to the American Public at a later date.
So here we are in mid-2011. Alex Rodriguez has admitted to failing a Steroids test in 2003. Does anyone really care at this point. There are not going to be any astericks next to his name, or to his numbers, as steroids weren't even a banned substance when he tested positive in 2003. This is really just a statement of the decline of Modern Western Civilization at its' finest. Suck the air out of the best of the best to deflect attention from the simple fact that this cheating was documented 30 years ago. It's really a fantastic idea. Scapegoat those people that set the records for you, filled the Stadiums, and won you Championships and Titles, let them lose their jobs and be blacklisted from their collective Sports. Americanism at its' finest, passing the buck, a bureaucratic wet dream.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

NFL Season Treat - by Moses

50 Greatest Quarterbacks of All-Time

1. Joe Montana
2. Roger Staubach
3. Tom Brady
4. Steve Young
5. Peyton Manning
6. Johnny Unitas
7. Russ Jackson
8. Warren Moon
9. Brett Favre
10.Bart Starr
11.John Elway
12.Troy Aikman
13.Kurt Warner
14.Dan Marino
15.Terry Bradshaw
16.Y.A Title
17.Otto Graham
18.Fran Tarkenton
19.Dan Fouts
20.Bob Griese
21.Drew Brees
22.Len Dawson
23.Jim Kelly
24.Ben Roethlisberger
25.Aaron Rodgers
26.Philip Rivers
27.Randall Cunningham
28.Kenny Stabler
29.Sammy Baugh
30.Ken Anderson
31.Donovan McNabb
32.Tony Romo
33.Michael Vick
34.Condredge Holloway
35.Doug Flutie
36.Damon Allen
37.Eli Manning
38.Ron Jaworski
39.Rich Gannon
40.Matt Ryan
41.Joe Namath
42.Danny White
43.Joe Theisman
44.Matt Dunigan
45.Brian Sipe
46.Phil Simms
47.Steve Bartkowski
48.Boomer Esiason
49.Vinnie Testevarde
50.Steve Grogan

Farming in the Desert - by Moses

Farming and Agricultural Economics

Perspective #1 – To enter a labour force that is paying their Farmers’ employee base $10/hour (in Canadian Funds) twice that amount, means this;

1) There will be more skilled workers.
2) The demand side upon applicants will be greater at this site.
3) It will cost more to build up capital.
4) Privatization will occur in most likelihood, with respect to each ventures’ products. ie- Pears will increase in supply and decline in cost (law of diminishing returns), under the premise of ‘Laissez Faire’.
5) Land will become fertile faster.
6) Agricultural products from this farm, will in all likelihood improve.

Perspective #2 – Under the same scenario of economics;

1) Cause a high staple price in immediate seasonal supply and an inflationary agricultural economy in the short term.
2) Speed up infrastructure in irrigation and Farming Communities with newly found funding.
3) Build a strong agricultural economy in the long term, as the agricultural sector would be built up tenfold over time (as our children may very well have new found interest in Farming in Rural Centers, versus the success of living in Urban Metropolitan Centers).

Cause and effects of these perspectives;

1) With a wider land claim, each Farm will create a ‘product’ market (specialization). Ie- Pears and Avocados on any particular Farm will increase in Quality and Supply.
2) The land will become fertile, sooner than might have otherwise been expected.
3) Irrigation would become highly feasible.
4) Worldwide teams would be in demand, and greeted by Volunteers Worldwide in greater numbers.
5) Trade amongst trading partners would be stronger. Should a person be given a decent salary, most would be a little more motivated in acting on an offer to be there. With an extremely low salary, it would stand to reason that most people Worldwide would reject employment. For example; Should the Provincial Government of Ontario promote five times the amount of Maple Syrup, and sell the product at half the price, this (in selling their seasonal supply in full) would bring in an additional Profit more than twice that of a limited supply and allow for a greater wage for the Labour force .
6) Should this Farming expansion be in a region of that in the Sahara Desert; Irrigation from the Red Sea across North-East Africa would occur much sooner than might otherwise be expected. Additionally, it would build up trading partners that today are almost non-existent.

In 1993, I spent 7 months on a Kibbutz in the Negev (the desert within Israel). We farmed pears, oranges, apricots, peaches, and avocados. To look at this Kibbutz during its' inception in 1942, one would wonder how this was at all possible. The reality is that through 50 years of hard work the land is now a semi-paradise. To achieve this in other barren, desert lands is not only possible but economically necessary (and feasible for that matter). Increasing farmland in the Sahara may be scoffed at today, however, when we look at precedents set in Israel and Jordan we see tremendous benefits from building up barren lands. It may be impossible for Nations within North-East Africa to pay $20 Cdn/Hour, however, Nations that pay $5/Hour to their Farmers would still be viable to many people. In 1993, on Kibbutz Reviviim, I was paid $50Cdn/Month to work in the agricultural sector. A small room, and my food was covered by the Kibbutz, yet the appeal was just to be IN ISRAEL. When will Ethiopia, Sudan, and Somalia learn that beginning to build within their lands today, will provide sustainable life in the not too distant future? I would imagine that many Ethiopian/Canadians, Sudanese/Canadians, and Somalian/Canadians would find appeal in working in their Homeland as a tenure during their lives within Canada and abroad.

Monday, August 22, 2011

just some spare thoughs on my first blog again..or ever?

So they say middle age starts around forty.. Ive been reading this book called Book of Ages, it is chronologically captured from the age of zero to one hundred years of significant people who have made some contribution of history regardless of origin and deed committed to destiny. Such as fascinating read! This book bascially tells living actual accounts of people who have lived and died and any age and some how left a mark on this planet. I feel pretty much this same way today as I hear about his Jack passing. Felt also when I met Pat Burns (former coach of the Montreal Canadians Hockey team) in that same city. I was ?? 18 at the time and I remember he told me to consider coming to Toronto if I wanted to pursue acting ( it was 1987) ..In Montreal I stayed as I heard The Habs were fans of a cheesy soap opera I was a starring in 1988....I heard The Habs loved catching an episode after a practice or before a match at 4:30 pm. Now with jack I met him and Olivia at the Actra Awards in Toronto. He was so pleasant and we spoke twice on subjects of the arts and possible leeway to grants..Life does happen and I guess It sure did to Jack as we wont have that chance now for a personal endorsement but ..we must live on..there has to be a bigger picture than ..the passing of a great one. The man was 61..Twenty years shy of my shy youthful 42 .. Middle age..as I felt ..I did that when I was ..25-35.. The hard revolutions..the survival tactics of cool. I think we got it all wrong. Jack Layton and Pat Burns were fighters of a different generation still part of mine where now middle age is starting to kick in for any one over 70 least we forget that Mick n Keith are over that. Falling off coconut trees on pirate movie sets and knocks up some young 20 year old model. Hugh Hefner..good Lord will he ever fuckin grow up! ? I feel the new term will be called Old Age Crisis or Death Watch on bets.. The elderly in France .. Italy these days are chillin and ain't going anywhere soon as long as that ritrovol aka red wine in Europe flows like Cod liver oil. For now it is really survival of the fittest and I and aint middleing now age crisis! Except for some back pain. oi..

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Themes Within Modern Day and Future Unions - By Moses

It is now 2011 Astra-Damanos and roughly 1/3 of the Worldwide population are living below the Canadian Poverty line. Within Canada and the Unites States alone, we see the majority of the population living paycheck to paycheck. Here are a couple of brainstorming ideas I have about resolving these internal issues within North America.

1. The Ultimate Fighting Commission (U.F.C) could in fact earn a Federal Commission of $100 Billion U.S.D as compensation for their knowledge of fighting. Shutting down the televised events of the U.F.C would be an excellent idea for our children. The fighters' within the U.F.C Union could open Dojo's and build Housing Developments with longer terms of mortgage. ie. $400/Month over 50 years for a $300,000 - $500,000 House (Property Value). At this point there would be much less poverty stricken areas in Metropolitan's across North America.
After 15 years on a 50 year mortgage@2%Annum of 1 million homes, the economy would be thriving as 1 million people would have enough disposable income to spend into the economy. This is essentially an economic stimulus. As a result cost of living would remain stable, as would inflation.

2. The Major League Baseball Players' Association (M.L.B.P.A) and the Negro League Baseball Players' Association could become on par from the earnings of all Major Leaguers. The logic is simple. African-Americans suffered enough at the hands of racist Owners until Cum Posey organized the Negro Leagues, and Branch Rickey ended segregation within Major League Baseball. This Levy to the N.L.B.P.A is a long time coming.
A 1% Levy to the M.L.B.P.A and to the N.L.B.P.A (from all Major League Ballplayers) would result in this mathematical equation; .01 X $5 Million (Avg Salary) X 1000 (# of Ballplayers within the Major Leagues) = #50 Million U.S.D/Year (for each Union).
Why is this important and relevant in our socio-economic system?
As $50 Million is generated by this Levy, the N.L.B.P.A would be in a position to hire people at decent salaries, as opposed to being a much smaller revenue generator. Currently the N.L.B.P.A is the eighth largest Baseball Union Worldwide, only capable of hiring so many people at a far less salary than is currently given to employees within the M.L.B.P.A.

This writer would love to see the day where opportunities become available in areas that are considered to 'labour of love' to the majority of the workforce. By the way, paying $400/Month towards your mortgage would still entitle you to your basic right to life.

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Internal vs External Thought Process Part 2 - by Moses

In the 1950's airwaves hit the mainstream without headphones being involved. Most people of that time played AM radio to listen to their favourite music, and this music was received by a number of people that were around the source. We lived in North America without the pretension of actually knowing something contrary to ones' belief structure, and we made sense of the music together.
In the late seventies and early 80's we saw the advent of 'the Walkman' and many people wore headphones as a convenience, essentially letting the music fight their thoughts. Fighting ones' thoughts outside ones' reality is paramount to conflict.
Today, in most North American Cities people wear headphones, or hearing aids, with uncommon frequency. For those that wear headphones, it almost looks as if they're paranoid schizophrenic's walking around yelling at themselves. Rather these people are communicating on the phone or listening to music. The communication device is now defining what you will think, or makes thought an ambiguity. The quantification of thought will always be undefined, to a musician this is known as pitch bend. This is why Bob Marley wrote 'Have No Fear For Atomic Energy For None Of Them Can Stop-A-The Time.'
We now live in an age where we can communicate to any part of the World from anywhere in the World. This is a technological conundrum. Where do we go from here? Satellite telecommunications are now common place. It is now possible to use technological devices as software devices to interface to other technological devices. With this transference between Hub to Hub, Satellite to Satellite, Hub to Satellite, or Satellite to Hub begs the question; What about software viruses?
In 1980, when Apple, IBM, and Commodore came out the hardware couldn't be corrupted by software as the software had to be approved to be sold on the Market. A modem (as seen in the movie 'War Games') could corrupt a mainframe, and hence we saw the danger of hackers. Today, when a person is on their Satellite phone conversing with someone in Indonesia (looking like a paranoid schizophrenic I might add) their phone will always be one push of a button away from being rendered useless. A premise that seemingly has become oblivious in the mainstream.

Solar Flares

A satellite in space that monitors human activity through a tracking practice can be destroyed by a Nations' airspace at any time. At this point, any and all homosapiens activity disappears from existence of any and all Governing bodies of any Nation (unless their is a second Satellite) - 'Enemy of the State'
In the former U.S.S.R this is paramount to destroying the activity of a Czar and his people. Similar to Jewish settlements being extradited (having their 'Satellite' removed from existence) there were several cases of Russian Jews being given lifelong imprisonment. Louis Theremin was one such person. Theremin invented an electronic musical device and was hidden from his own family, in the name of science. His existence was negated by the U.S.S.R when he was 16 years of age. This is an example of the cause and effect of a monitor appearing, or disappearing from all Governing bodies. A Solar Flare, in severity, is a natural destruction of of all such monitors (or Satellites). This, to many, is considered to be the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, also considered 'Armageddon'. A Judaic Death-star. Sometimes a moment of thought helps to clarify matters, this is something technology can't do for us. By the way, on your way to work today did you listen to the music through headphones?