JawsBlog

With yet another Cabinet nominee now revealed to owe back taxes it looks like the IRS may be coming out as a big winner, in collecting all these past due amounts.

A ban on non-”Green” dishwasher detergents in Washington

Can’t residents just order some detergent from say Amazon?

More to the point, what a very silly law to have on the books.

Oh–and I’m a big fan of Cascade.

The new State Budget is a piece of crap.

Higher taxes, higher fees and–get this…increated spending!

At times I wonder, if it would be beneficial to perhaps relocate…but then I wonder to where?

So here’s my recap of the YULA-MTA game from Sunday.

The atmosphere was crazy. YU’s gym was over-capacity with people cheering on both schools. Students (and their parents) from YULA (Los Angeles) made the trip to the tournament, and they were quite vocal for all 32 minutes. The MTA students also had a cheering section going. The atmosphere was intense (for a HS basketball game)/

At the start, YULA just seemed off rhythm, missing shots and the like. On the other hand, MTA was hitting their shots.

MTA went with a 3-2 zone, which proved to be YULA’s undoing. YULA seemed to pass the ball around the perimiter a lot, but was barely able to penetrate. This lead to a lot of poor passes, which were easily picked off and/or were not crisp enough to give the recipient an advantage. MTA’s ability to keep YULA at the perimiter, enabled them do dominate the defensive boards. Nor did YULA seem to have a rhythm or scheme for their offense. No set plays to be called or anything.

YULA’s use of a man-to-man defense was also problematic, as MTA seemed to have a good pick-and-roll style offense going.

Granted, thsi was the first time I’d seen either of these teams play, but from what little I saw, MTA was the better team. MTA’s also got a guard, #3, who is only a sophmore, who has a lot of talent.

One thing that I noticed about the game (and some of the other tourney games)–most of the teams try to almost always play it inside. There’s not much of a jump shot style game–meaning that teams held to the perimeter are in trouble.

The style of the game diferred much from what I remembered seeing when I saw my HS basketball team play. Granted, a D-I school in Ohio is in a totally different echelon than a Jewish Day School–it’s apples and oranges. The one common factor was the intensity which the guys played with.

I went up to Yeshiva University’s campus (184th adn Amsterdam) to watch my cousins teams face off in the YU Tourney. One cousin was playing for YULA the other for MTA.

I’ll write a full post later, but needless to sa,y from the get go, MTA had control of the game.

A lot of traveling calls too. I’ve never seen so many in a game!

After the game, we had a small family gathering, then The Sister had to go to her alma matter, and I went to dinner with my aunt, uncle and cousin. We went to Le Marais–and it was really good. Who doesn’t love to eat steak?

What do you think of the reports about a video of VP Joe Biden’s daughter doing cocaine?

Answer: I don’t care at all. Need I say anymore?

Had lunch this afternoon on the UWS w/ my aunt, uncle and cousin.

Now I’m getting myself ready for a party in the EV.

More tomorrow hopefully….

Uncle Aunt and Cousin are in town from Cali. Had dinner with them tonight and Lunch is planned for tomorrow.

Thus posting will be light

The Senate has decided to take up the issue of the Bowl Championship Series

I guess they have already addressed some of the more pressing matters that this countrty faces…

What’s next–a Congressional examination of how the 64 teams are chosen for the NCAA Basketball torunament?

Tomorrow the annual Yeshiva University’s Sarachek (High School) basketball Tournament begins.

I’ve got a cousin playing in the tourney, so if my schedule permits, maybe I’ll try to catch a game.

The tournament can be followed over at Macslive

“The US Treasury secretary talks about permanent action and we, at our spring council, were quite alarmed at that . . . The US is repeating mistakes from the 1930s, such as wide-ranging stimuluses, protectionist tendencies and appeals, the Buy American campaign, and so on,” he told a European parliament session in Strasbourg. “All these steps, their combination and their permanency, are the road to hell.” –Mirek Topolanek, Czech PM, current EU Leader

The man has a point on the one hand. On the other hand, it probably wasn’t the most diplomatically tactful thing to say either.

Discuss….

NYC transit agency adopts fare hikes, service cuts

Ugh…..the MTA and the State Senate deserve an endless round of Bronx cheers

Yeah–so I didn’t watch it. Does that mean I’m in trouble?
(/sarcasm)

Seriously…I’ve got other things to do….

With a record low approval rating of 29% NY State’s Governor David Patterson, has just made the first swing of the axe on the size of the state government.

Gov. David Paterson orders layoffs of 8,900 New York state employees amid economic downturn

Expect his populatiy ratings to continue to fall in the near future

If Congress bails out the newspapers–who is going to then hold Congress’ feet to the fire?

Something just didn’t feel right with me about half-way through my training today and it sort of stuck with me for the course of the day.

It was a kind of “throw-away” day. Sure, they happen rarely, and well, I just had one today.

That was until dinner–where it was Meat Monday here! Hamburgers + broccoli w/ evoo = instant happiness and energy.

The Post’s coverstory today is titled “Frank Incensed” and is about a Kosher eatery in Brooklyn caught serving unkosher hot dogs.

Interestinly enough, according to the Post, here’s how the discovery was made:

The Torah tussle began when a longtime patron noticed the unusually plump wiener he bought Monday night at Cheskel’s Shawarma King in Borough Park didn’t fit into a challah roll as usual.

Quite a sense of observation on the patron’s part.

It was after the discovery that things got a bit crazy, and of couse there’s video of what happened next.

However, there appears to be more to the story than what the Post reported. Two Jewish blogs, Voz Iz Neias and Yeshiva World News have much more on the story.

The whole treif food in a Kosher eatery scenario reminds me of something that took place a long time ago (this is 10+ years ago–so there’s probably nothing online) back in Cleveland. There was a Kosher chinese restaurant on Taylor Road that at one point was caught purchasing either non-Kosher meat (or was it fish?) from a company. Needless to say, the restaurant soon shut its doors for good.

Just came across this on a friend’s Facebook feed, and I personally couldn’t stop laughing (in a good way)

Subway Art Gallery Opening

A disorder which leads politicians to say many foot-in-mouth worthy comments. Most often seen when politician(s) work closely with Joe Biden.

Chicago Tribune: Obama’s ‘Tonight Show’ gaffe one of many for president

‘World’s Deadliest Spider’ Found in Whole Foods Produce Section

Well, if it really was organic, the lack of pesticides is rather apparent.

And for the simple amusement factor, from the article:

Oddly, the Brazilian spider delivers more than a painful bite that sends most victims to the hospital. Researchers have found its venom also stimulates an hours-long erection in men.

Patients not only experience overall pain and an increase in blood pressure, they also get an uncomfortable erection.

In Brazil, emergency room staff can immediately spot the victims of a bite.

“The erection is a side effect that everybody who gets stung by this spider will experience along with the pain and discomfort,” said study team member Romulo Leite of the Medical College of Georgia, presumably speaking only about male bite victims.