Thursday Thirteen #53-The Made in New Jersey One

Thirteen Things products Made in New Jersey A couple of weeks back, the Rutgers Football team put a thumping on the Naval Academy. The game was known for Ray Rice becoming the all time leading rusher in school history, and it was also known for the awful behavior of the Rutgers student section. Now, I do not condone harsh words and a spew of obscene gestures at the opposing team, though a little booing here or there is acceptable in any sporting event, even if the opponent is the one of the service academies. Now, a BullS**T chant at a referee, thats all fun and games. But, I felt the need to defend my state, because every single person that is a fan in NJ is being painted with the same brush, awful loutish people. Now, I know a list will do nothing to change peoples opinions, but maybe if I tell everyone about all the great things they get from the Garden State (yes besides a bad smell, ha ha) it will help a little to improve our image. 1.Bosco Chocolate Syrup-Ok, its no Hershey's but its gotta be better then Ovaltine. 2.Campbells Soup-2 Billion soup cans a year can't be wrong. 3.Creative Products-All those great Seen on TV products, including the Bacon Wave and Blu Blocker Sun Glasses 4.Ecko Apparel-I have no idea, I don't wear his stuff, but I have heard of it. 5.Goya-The only brand of canned adobo chiles I can find. 6.Flying Fish Beer-This could be a recurring theme, since there seems to be alot of alcohol leaning beverages from NJ, but Flying Fish is one of my favorites. 7.Johnson & Johnson-Ok, not every product Johnson and Johnson makes come from NJ, but all of the money does. 8.Honeywell-They produce many products that are found in the home that I am sure you had no idea Honeywell made, just like me. Some them include thermostats, dampers fro furnaces and Jet Engines 9.Ingersoll-Rand-a manufacturing company that creates bobcats and other earth movers. But also makes Golf Carts! 10.Maidenform-Bras, ladies, Bras. 11.Toys R Us-Let me know how much you hate NJ for spawning this company at the holiday season when you can't find anything. 12.NFL Films-Have you ever settled down to watch some highlights of the great Steelers teams of the 70s? Chance are its an NFL Films production 13.Tabatchnik Fine Foods-The best split pea soup in a supermarket. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Days when sugar was just sugar

I have been devoting some time now to the Consumerist. Not only do they let you know about some good deals, but they also give you a peek at the ninnies that are running corporations right now. One of there posts yesterday talked about sugar, and how avoiding unnecessary sugar can make you healthier.


In fact, there are at least 30 different variations of sugar on nutrition lists.

Brown-rice syrup
Corn sweetener
Corn syrup, or corn syrup solids
Cane Juice
Dehydrated cane juice
Dextrin
Dextrose
Fructose
Fruit juice concentrate
Glucose
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Invert sugar
Lactose
Maltodextrin
Malt syrup
Maltose
Mannitol
Maple syrup
Molasses
Raw sugar
Rice Syrup
Saccharose
Sorbitol
Sorghum or sorghum syrup
Sucrose
Syrup
Treacle
Turbinado Sugar
Xylose

Of course, the manufacturers are making a whole lot harder to determine what the hell sugar is in the first place. It makes me remember those old Breyers commercials with the cute kids reading the ingredients. Of course, now I am sure that even Breyers is not that wholesome anymore

Wait? That Many Posts??

Yep, trust me, the old duck was a tad surprised as well. But this humble little blog past 1000 posts last week, with very little fanfare at that. Though I do think it is fitting that it was a jab politically, since when I started this little trip, that is kind of how I envisioned this blog would be. But, going on, I realized it is much more fun to include like then to be all liberal all the time.

I had planned a big celebration, at least when I realized at 750 that I was going to be reaching 1000 sooner rather then later. Unfortunately, that is really not fiscally responsible at this point, so it will have to wait for another milestone. The Duck thanks you for your patience.

But, in a small form of celebration, I am going to post the archive meme, which I think was started by The 108 and I was tagged for way way back by either Starrlight, Matt-Man or Bond, the three of them usually argue over who they will tag, so I can't keep it straight. By the way, as I was linking them, Bond and The108 have some great posts today that you may wanna wander into.

Ok, here are the official rules:

You must list five links to posts you have written then tag five other people. At least two of the people you tag must be newer acquaintances so that you get to know each other better . . . and don’t forget to read the archive posts and leave comments

I think I will forego the tagging part, but I do hope others of you do this and let me know that you did, going back can be fun sometimes.

Link 1 must involve Family

1.A little recap of the first time my parents visited the Future Mrs Duck and I.

Link 2 must involve Friends

2.Back to the Old Stomping grounds of Sparky Duck

Link 3 should be about you and what you are all about:

3.My Guilty Pleasures

Link 4 Must be about Something you love:

4.Easiest one to pick

And finally link 5 can be about whatever you want:

5.I had written posts before this one, but this was one of the first ones where I felt I was getting my voice.

So there it is, post #1008. Thanks to all the readers and commenters that now make this whole blogging experiment alot more fun then it used to be.

Born on Hotness Sept 18 For the Ladies

First off, a real quick apology for not stopping by and saying hello to all those blogs and blogging buddies that I usually stop by and check on. I have been spending almost all of my online time the last few days trying to get some workable employment. But, I hope to stop by before bed.

Anyway, since the Quarterback challenge seemed to be lacking in some sizzle, I am trying a new thing. Though I think I will still have some form of the hottest QB over the weekends. Anyway, I will be showing some pictures of some fellows that I might think of as hot and collect your opinion with the new Born on Hotness feature. So now I will try to not just show hottie starlets, but hottie guy birthday boys. And of course, you will get to vote in the corner.

Our first duo of the day, born on September 18th.

1.James Marsden Born in 1974. He is best known as Cyclops from the X-Men Trilogy, but was also a Versace Model.




and

2.Sol Campbell, also born in 1974. Sol is an English soccer star who once played for the World Class Arsenal team and is now playing for Porstmouth.





So, who is Mr September 18th?

Iggles and On Campus 9-15

That was a waste of 3 and a half hours that I won't get back. The Eagles came out flat again last night against the Washington Redskins and in fact coughed up another game. They are now 0 and 2 and also 2 games back of 2 division rivals. The running backs were still strong enough, but the rest of the offense looked a bit off. Jason Avant looks like he will be a good wide receiver, but Kevin Curtis and Reggie Brown looked like they could not get out of there own way. Donovan McNabb looked rusty, or still injured or a bit of both. Neither the offense, nor the defense played with any kind of intensity, or need. I know it is only the 2nd game, but they have now given away 2 winnable games. And next week they play the aerial circus that is the Detroit Lions, with a banged up secondary. It might be one long year in Philly. Sheesh, the Arizona Cardinals have a better record!

As I mentioned, I did not see too many games in the college ranks this weekend, but I still can muster up some thoughts.
USC looks impressive once again, though in my mind they still have not played anyone that difficult. I am amazed at how they just seem to be able to insert new running backs ever year. Just please, do not tell me that John David Booty is a Heisman Trophy Candidate. Im thinking Gino Torretta (and there are like 3 of you that get that joke)
UConn needed a controversial pass interference penalty to defeat Temple. Not exactly the brightest day in UConn football history when you need the Zebras to help you beat a hapless MAC team.
Texas snuck out a win over U of Central Florida. While if you want a recap, you can click here, but I will say this is one of the reasons that the big schools do not go to the smaller schools to play a game. If that game was in Austin, it probably would have been a 21 point game instead of a 3 point one.
The long national nightmare, well national if national was just Big Ten country, is over with the thumping that the Wolverines put on Notre Dame to get there first win of the year. Lloyd Carr may last 2 more weeks now, until he loses to Minnesota or, shudder to think, Minnesota.
Finally, Oregon won once again, though this was a game they were supposed to get and the Warriors of Hawaii, my new BCS buster darlings, stomped all over UNLV 49-14. I am just glad the Rainbow Warriors got to do the Haka before the game.

50 States 50 Hotties-Arkansas

Arkansas. Not exactly a state known for too much. I mean the Clintons once governed there, um Hot Springs is in Arkansas and sounds darn famous. And before this weekend, I would have said you will know all about Darren McFadden since he may win the Heisman trophy from the University of Arkansas. But that all went up in smoke, so lets clear the smoke with some hotness.

Joey Lauren Adams was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on January 8, 1968. She has been in alot of movies, and alot of movies I should have probably seen like Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Michael, and the Break Up. But for the life of me I do not recognize her at all. That does not take away from her attractiveness, but I can't spot her in any movie thats listed, at least in my head. But who cares...

Duck Re-Design

I had visions of a nice relaxing weekend, perhaps sleeping late, some football watching and then enjoying a cool crisp fall weekend. Bah, that plan went totally out of the window.

Mrs Duck has never been happy with the setup of the furniture in the living/dining room area of the condo. Part of the problem is the setup of the space in general. There are not enough outlets, windows in the wrong spots, a fire place closing off half the room, etc, etc etc. But she has also been bothered by the cluttered feeling of the place, and got a little bug planted in her head to move some of the furniture around. Well, all of the furniture around, including the TV, on a College football Saturday no less!

Tin Man and the Spice Girl came up to help and those handy little furniture sliders that you see on TV at 2 in the morning, were also a big help, but it was not anywhere near click. The TV here, the TV there, bring a table upstairs, take a comforter downstairs in two pieces, move a bookcase, blah blah blah.

I must admit, it does look better, and Mrs Duck could really be on one of those design shows. She never measured anything and yet was able to plot out everything on a piece of paper and almost everything fit. It does have a cozier feel. One complaint is that I can not see the TV set from the office, in fact as I sit here right now I can only hear it, but its only me, ya know. The re-design was much better then seeing some rerun sitcom would be.

Though, about 3:00 yesterday afternoon, as we were buried up to our eyeballs in doing the a redesign on the pantry (throwing plenty of old food out from 2004 by the way) I finally almost hit my breaking point. Yes, I admit it, I nearly whined "Come on, I just want to sit and watch some football." Yes, men are pathetic.

Poetry Train Kidnaps Amy Lee

Well, maybe not kidnaps, damn if Amy Lee is not hot in that quirky sort of way. If I was 10 years younger, and if I was born a female and not a duck, I would have been gothic. However, age does not stop me from being an Evanescence fan and the torment that they exude in some of there songs touch so many emotion strings as you listen to them, that if you are not a fan, at least you appreciate the talents. But of course there is talent, it made the Poetry Train, didn't it?



My Immortal lyrics

I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

[Chorus:]
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have
All of me

You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

[Chorus]

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

I am still in love

Well, of course I am still in love, Mrs Duck is spectacular. But, what I actually meant is with the life changing show Les Miserables. One of the local PBS stations showed the Anniversary Live Concert tonight, in an effort to raise money and I actually gave up a pretty good Alabama vs Arkansas football game to watch the show instead. And yes, I TiVo'd it.

I love this damn show, love it, love it, love it. So, in a celebration of love, Here are the best 13 minutes in musical theater ever!

More Cowbell for

Amy Ruttan, who is currently firing off salvos in this little youtube battle that contain some of the best highlights from SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy. I figure Will Farrell is still synergy.

It was a speech alright

More of the same, this is good for everyone nonsense from the White House last night. Amazingly, it is also along the exact same lines of what General Petraeus said, though of course it would be, since Dubya swore he would listen to his commanders on the field. Now, if his commanders on the field are saying just what he wants to hear, of course he will listen to it.

Only at two times did I feel the real urge to throw my drink at the TV set, though I do not like wasting Vodka. One was early on in the speech when W called Iraq an ally. Great Britain, France, hell almost all of Europe, they are allies. Canada, Mexico, sure I would consider them allies to the United States. Iraq is a much of an ally to our nation as South Africa and Barbados are. And at least with those to countries, there exports are so much more useful then whatever Iraq gives us in oil. No doubt in my mind that Dubya wanted to call them our friends, but since they seem to be shooting at us while they shoot at themselves, thats not so friendly. But, please don't insult my intelligence.

The other moment was at the end, with the blatant cherry picking of the emails from the dead soldiers family. Nice little touch by his speech writers to try and tug at our heartstrings a little bit. And I am sure that the email W received really said that they believed in the struggle and the sacrifice that there son made, but what about the other emails he receives from parents and loved ones of soldiers lost in this war who do not agree with W's stance. They don't count as much. Nice.

The Democratic response was as forgettable as I figured it would be, delivered by Senator Reed of RI, who by the way does not sound like he is from Rhode Island. Make an effort to try and change things on this side, Congressman and Congresswoman, don't just talk about it. I know you are all between a rock and a hard place presently (No Sen Craig, Rep Jefferson or Sen. Vitter comments please) but didn't your mother teach you folks that action speaks louder then words?

Finally, what the heck was that thing Senator Edwards did yesterday? Besides probably being a big old waste of money.

Humor soothes all injustices

Ok, the speech tonight had me seething. Angry because Dubya is a boob and the people out there that are supposed to be his check and balance, Congress, have the spine of a jellyfish. I needed a fucking laugh.

So, when I saw Amy Ruttan's post, and then a reference to me and coffee and my nose, I had to feel a tinge of humor and lightheartedness. And then of course, I needed to try and top her.

If you don't find the Darryl Hammond impersonation of Sean Connery on Celebrity Jeopardy to be hilarious, you may have some biological imbalance.

Dubya Hates Repeats

Ok, ok, a lame title, but I just downloaded the new Kanye West song this afternoon and have been listening to it a couple of times today.

Anywho, Dubya will be on the air tonight to share his new plan for the War in Iraq, which from all details that have been leaked to press, sounds just like the old plan before the surge. What I figured I would go into would be what I wanted to hear and not hear from the President tonight.

The Don'ts

Benchmarks:Or at least telling us how the Iraqi government has hit or almost hit 11 of the 18 requests. The problem I have with the way Dubya usually presents it is the almost. If I had a algebra test that had 18 questions on it, and I answered 8 of them fully and almost answered 3 more, those 3 would be marked wrong. You don't get credit for almost in the scholastic world, so you don't get credit in the political world.

9/11 and Iraq: The two have absolutely nothing to do with each other, no matter how many times the government, there mouth pieces and anyone else that ties Iraq to the War on Terror tell us that they are connected. Saudi Arabia had the large marjority of the terrorists, not Iraq, so stow the whole flag waving, somber connection. One does not have to do with the other and to say such is shameless.

That the Surge is working and thats why the first group can home:Its all about timing, yes General Petraeus could have extended there tours again, but there would be a backlash that the government may not be able to fight off. So, yes, the soldiers did a great job, a job that I could not have done and they should come home. But, if things get bad, most of them would have still had to come home sooner rather then later, because they can't stay there in perpetual limbo.

The Do's

A time table: Some sort of solid date certain plan that says this is when we will be pulling back and the numbers we will be pulling back will be a majority of the troops, not just the percentage that was sent in by this promotional surge. Its simple, you give someone a date that they have to get something done by and it spurs on those people to get the job done. Lets start treating the Iraqi government like high school students who have term papers due in three months.

A kind and friendly speaker: Channel President Reagan, he could tell you something bad but did it with a wink and a smile and a true actors class that you would not get ticked off. The petulant child that usually appears at press conferences will do absolutely nothing to make any of the detractors happy.

The real problem is, if you are against the war, you are in a no win situation. Republicans and supporters of the war can say they are making the US safer because we have not been hit with a terrorist attack since the war in Iraqi started. If we are, gaia forbid, attacked by some terrorists that are not the homegrown kind, War hawks can say, see this is why we are fighting! So, it is just a no win situation for a detractor like me, who braces everyday to be called a chicken instead of a duck.

50 States 50 Hotties-Oklahoma

I know that I have no love for the Oklahoma Sooners. Heck I have crunched them a few times in past posts, but Sooner Football is just one small part of the state. They also have some lovely women.

Kristen Chenoweth (yes I have shown her picture before) was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma on July 24, 1968. She is a well known Broadway Actress, though some of her movie choices were less then stellar, like RV and The latest version of the Pink Panther. I know her best for her two year stint on one of my all time favorite shows, The West Wing.

Thursday Thirteen #52-The Recipezaar One

Wow, I can not believe this is the 52nd week. Well I actually can believe it, Im just saying.

Thirteen Favorite Recipes From Recipezaar Now, while these recipes are no where near as good as what is being cranked out by Dragon's Kitchen, when there are over 244,000 recipes, something has to be good. So, from Recipezaar, here are my Thirteen Favorite Recipes. 1.Chicago Style Hotdogs-Though I did not use Vienna Franks, they have always kinda skeeved me out. 2.Emeril's Lobster Cheesecake-Filling as all get out, even if you use imitation Lobster. 3.Fannie Farmers Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese-Want Creamy, Use Velveeta 4.McDonald's Shamrock Shake-Get Passed the green color and its great. 5.Tangier Island Baked Crab-I liked it, tasted like a big crabcake, Mrs Duck did not like the consistency. Use 2 eggs not 1. 6.Crab Rangoons-Delicious and easy. 7.Kung Pao Chicken-Anything with peanuts, I am all over! 8.Moroccan Chicken-I mentioned this one in Twitter, so I just had to share. 9.Shrimpin Dippin Broth-This was a great recipe for when Mrs Duck was just eating clears. 10.Smoky Mountain Chicken-Fantastic 11.PF Changs Chicken Lettuce Wraps-This is one of Mrs Duck's Favorites and also it can be like a salad, just serve over shredded lettuce. 12.Garlic Beef Enchiladas-When the recipe reviews say they take forever, they are not kidding, but it is one of my favorite recipes on this site. 13.Singapore Street Noodles-When Mrs Duck took her leftovers to work, I got 6 requests for the recipe. One Bonus-A few weeks ago I mention Jack in The Box and I got some questions about there tacos, and this is what I found. Hungry yet? Damn Im starving! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Fog of Advertising

Is anyone else seeing these commercials, or missing them because of the power of TiVo/DVR??



I have no problem with expressing an opinion and even paying to express that opinion, but who are these commercials directed toward actually. Or a better question maybe why would they waste money running them in the Philadelphia market. My Congressman is Patrick Murphy, an Iraqi war veteran himself. Based on his experience, it would not even be intelligent for me to call him up and give him any advice on the war in Iraq. (I do think it was cute by the way to get someone that sounds a bit like him for the commercial, if you are just listening and not watching, its sounds like Murphy has changed his mind). The only Republican representative in the Delaware Valley won by the hair of his chinny chin chin. He is not going to be going out there and standing up for W. The rest of them are staunch democrats, in staunch democratic areas. Its not going to change a lot of minds around here. I guess, maybe they are trying to get at the Southern Jersey Republicans, Lehigh Valley Republicans and maybe Arlen Spector, but at least in Senator Spector's case, he does not strike me as someone who is going to be strayed from the beat of his own drum.

Now the group putting out these ads has a less then mainstream slant to them. They probably get out of bed everyday to the right. Ari Fleischer is one of the founders. Bradley Blakeman is the president and CEO of the company/PAC and he is a former aid to W. Anthony Gioia, another benefactor of the PAC is the former ambassador to Malta, appointed by W and is one of the head fundraisers, for yep, Rudy Giuliani who can only run on the fact that he is America's mayor. And, finally there is Dr John Templeton of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He problem explains why money is being spent in the Philly TV market in the first place. He is the son of Sir John Templeton, the Templeton in the Financial Services company, Franklin Templeton and is a member of one of there boards of a FT mutual fund. Plus, he is a evangelical Christian who wants to get the idea of intelligent design back in the schools. So, not only is he probably getting rich off the ideas that the PAC is advocating, but he is also an ultra conservative in W's circle.

Again, I have no problem with the Ad, free speech and free market are rights in this country, so if you have an ad and some money, put it on the airwaves. But, don't hide behind an ambigous name, ambigous website and just spew talking points of the White House while still trying to fein neutrality. Plus, the timing of the uptick of advertisements from this group, about a week or so before 9/11 stinks light 3 day old gym shorts.

Now, to be fair and balanced, something some people need to learn, I am also going to take Move On. org to task for the Petraeus ad they ran in the New York Times the other day. It was stupid and insensitive. You do not go around insulting 4 or 5 star generals, no matter who they work for. It will not build up any support from people that already don't trust you as just some fringe left wing group and it will piss the right wingers off even more. I don't blame the Times for taking the advertisement, business is business, trust me, The Philadelphia Daily News sports section is littered with ads for XXX videos and Adult Cabarets and the like and it is still a good newspaper. But Move On, come on, how is this going to help win anyone over to your arguement? And there is no way it was going to sway anything Petraeus was gonna say. You could have called him swell and put him in a picture with puppies and it would have done nothing to change the report. Think!

And this is why I do not give to Political Action Committees. When you give money to these groups, all you are doing is perpetuating the anger and strife felt in this country between parties. Not the best way to get out of a war, whether you agree with it or think it is W's folly like I do.

Yea great day...

I hope you were able to note the sarcasm in my title. Yesterday was one of those days that you just say to yourself why ever did I get out of bed in the first place.

It started with an ooze. An ooze from Mrs Duck's incision that looked to me like it contained puss and blood. Not exactly the wakeup call either of us wanted to have at 3 in the morning. I think it was partly a good thing because the puss was probably the infection leaving her body. Anytime an infection leaves, that a good thing, but it was kind of disgusting and smelly. Plus, it left a huge hole along her incision, at least huge to me because that is not supposed to happen to ones skin.

So, it was off to her surgeons office so he could clean it up and check it out, and then down to Center City so the wife would not lose a day of work, shes low on days off and then it was all over Northeast Philadelphia and Bucks county for me, to get meds and drainage pads and all that fun stuff.

And of course, yesterday was 9/11, enough said.

Plus, dinner was kind of crummy. I made fettucine with fontina cheese. The base of the recipe was very good, the fettucine was kept creamy by using eggs and milk instead of heavy cream, but the fontina cheese was very bitter, not exactly the kind of thing you want to say about your own creations.

But, today is a new bright day, the seepage was less, the kitchen is like a blank slate, waiting for a new culinary creation and I actually did a Wordless Wednesday. What, you don't see it? Hmm perhaps you are not looking in the right place.

Project 365 #103-Cheat #1

This picture is for April 27, 2007. I kind of missed that day, so this is my first cheat, at least that I can remember in a while. Tess Daly was born April 27, 1971, which makes her about a year older then me. Sheesh.

6 Years Already

After a fun delay to make a little trip to a doctor for some seepage issues and then the loss of power, this post can finally get crafted.

I don't go into the whole what 9/11 was like for me stuff for me too often, especially on an anniversary day of 9/11, because it is certainly not about me. Being an Jerseyan, it was like living a bad movie real time. So, enough about that. But, one song that struck so close to home and was actually a song that could motivate you out of bed to keep going on with your day so close to the tragedy was of course U2. So, here they are... *applause applause*

On Campus-September 8

Saturday was one of those days that made you happy to be a football fan. You would have looked over the games and figured that some of these were going to be dogs, and then lo and behold, they were some great games.

Oregon put a thumping on Michigan, sending them to the worst home loss ever, in point differential. Dennis Dixon looked like Vince Young and it looked like the Wolverine cornerbacks could have been beaten on a long bomb by me. Yes, both Hart and Henne eventually got injured, making the 2nd half a mute point, but sorry Wolverine fans, by the time all that happened, the game was over. By the way, a note to the Wolverine defensive coordinators, the statue of Liberty play has been around forever. It is not a new gimmick. Getting fooled by it not once but twice is even more foolish. Oh yea 39-7 by the way, Quack Quack!

Unfortunately, the NCAA Infraction committee did not come in and shut down the Oklahoma vs Miami of Florida game for cheating and rules infractions. So we will just have to revel in how bad the Hurricanes looked, though truth be told, I would have reveled in a Sooner loss if the shoe was on the other cheater foot.

Delaware beat pesky West Chester to go to 2-0. West Chester is the Blue Hens closest rivals, though the folks in Newark likely consider them to be more of a nuisance while the Rams consider us there biggest enemies. I have seen West Chester beat Delaware in person in the past, so any victory of them is a good one.

We were out with Red and The Senator, so we missed almost all of the Penn State/Notre Dame game. Though if you were an Irish backer, which is where I would have been leaning if I had to pick between both teams, it seems we did not really miss too much. Long year for Charlie Weis.

Speaking of the Irish, UWashington snapped the nations longest winning streak with a win over Boise State. I bet the subway Alumni now wish they would have given Willingham a bit more time as the Irish coach, since he is bringing the Huskies back quickly. And with the win over LaTech, it looks like the Warriors of Hawaii are on there way to being this years Boise State, with the aptly named Heisman Trophy candidate, Colt Brennan.

Finally, there was some late night joy, as Auburn, one of the most OVERRATED, undercoached, someone made a deal with the Devil teams in the country, lost to the University of South Florida at home, in overtime. I did a little jig when Grothe completed that touchdown in overtime and was even happier for the Bulls kicker who missed at least 4 field goals and still helped his team to win. I guess Auburn could not bribe any officials before that game.

And now, to bow down to the lowest common denominator, sex, here is the cheerleader pic, an anonymous Sun Doll of the University of South Florida.

50 Hotties 50 States-Washington

Well, back to something that I do know how to do, female hotness. And this is the last stop in the Pacific Northwest on our tour, with the state of Washington, and I think this selection is a good one.

Josie Bissett, actually shares my Birthday, though she was born in a different year. She was born October 5, 1970 in Seattle, Washington. She is best known, of course, for the campy, cheesy hit, Melrose Place. I could have sworn she was also doing some shilling for a makeup company, but I can not be to sure, since all those makeup commercials look alike.

NFL Hotness, Winner and a Jet

Trent Green won the first QB vote easily. I guess John Beck was a bit too Howdy Doody looking. Trent Green got six or seven votes and no one else got any.

Our next AFC East Quarterback wins in a walkover. No reason to vote today, as Chad Pennington of the New York Jets was easily the best choice. But, here are his stats and then scroll down and enjoy. Don't forget to get a peak at Chad's softer side. A new vote will probably open on Tuesday.


Chad Pennington Ht 6'3, Weight 225, Age 31, College:Marshall.

Blog Relish

1.I wish someone would come up with an Ice Cream flavor that actually tasted like Rice Pudding. Ben and Jerry get on that would ya.

2.Im Sorry, Mister Alexander needs another mention.

3.STOP JUNK MAIL: Anthony at My Sick Mind talked about something that I so hate as well. Hopefully, this site can help him and maybe even you. Junk Mail sucks.

4.Great Googly Moogly, the Boss is back!

5.Now Here is a Classic Blast from the Past



6.Go out and have a good Saturday, or maybe at least watch some good football and look out the window.

50 States Oregon Late Night Edition

If I come across a porn star I have heard of, I have to mention her, especially if she is born in a state like Oregon, where you might be surpised a porn star comes from.

It is a tad unclear whether Dana Vespoli was born in San Francisco or Portland, Oregon, but I have begun to trust IMDB for this information, so that is why she is posted for the Oregon Naughty Hottie. I can say she was born September 22, 1972.

Here's a picture I was able to find that would be Safe For Work.

Pick Your Poison #5

Ah yes, the return of a few new ways to get "your sauce" on this weekend.

The Pink Poodle

grenadine
sugar
2 oz vodka
4 oz pink grapefruit juice
1 cup ice cubes

1.Run grenadine around the rim of a long glass then dip it in sugar.
2.Place the vodka and grapefruit juice in a cocktail shaker over the ice.
3.Shake, then strain into the glass

I will be honest, I did not do the rim around the glass thing, I added a tablespoon of grenandine to the drink before serving instead. But it does look pretty.

Banana Cream Pi

2 oz coconut rum (Malibu or whatever)
2 oz banana liquer
6 to 8 oz pineapple juice

This drink can be mixed with ice added, or put into a blender with ice, to be crushed. Combine all ingredients and serve, or blend and then serve.

50 States 50 Hotties-Oregon

Don't forget, only a few hours left to vote for your hottest Miami Dolphin Quarterback.

Off to the "true" Pacific Northwest and also off to one of my favorite states in the country. I have always loved visiting Oregon. The food is great, views are spectacular and you can buy a beer in the shopping mall food courts. Best way to shop.

Laura Allen was born March 21, 1974 in Portland, Oregon. She is probably best known for her part on The 4400, though it is not a show that I watch. She also has one of those familiar faces, probably because she has been a one time guest star on a lot of the dramas that I write, like Criminal Minds, House and Law and Order:SVU.

Star Widgets

**Waynes World Fantasy Sequence***

You are a stock holder in the worlds 5th largest company that makes widgets. You company has been up and down in the stock prices, but consistently stays in the top 5 of widget profits, sometimes as high as one, other times as low as 5, but things have gone consistently well. The company has a CEO in charge right now that was not exactly a natural choice, but had that fresh young face and new attitude that the board of directors decided would send the company in a new direction. And for a while things went well, there was an outside company that tried to make different cheaper widgets, a direct attack at your own customer base, but our widget company was able to stave them off and continue to stay strong overall in the widget business.

Your CEO decided to try a new product campaign, making new smaller widgets that would be able to be used all over the world. The widget plan sounded great and the shareholders and board were strongly behind the idea. But, as time went on, the company seemed to be losing some steam. It seemed that the CEO and his Research and Development department did not realize that sometimes smaller widgets just don't fit in some machinery across the world. But, instead of figuring out a way to make the widgets fit in the machines, the R & D guys decided to try and make the machines bigger, giving money to some of there outside interests within the company to build bigger machines. The stock prices started to flail and the shareholders began to become unhappy. And the companies that had the machines that the widgets would not fit in were livid, swearing to never use Star widgets again.

But, the CEO and the board just would not budge, things were not that bad in there eyes. Nevermind that one of the widget factories down south had a fire because the safety measures were not followed, it was just a small factory in the south, and while the fire looked really bad on TV, only a few people really died. On with the smaller widgets, our CEO was heard to say at a quarterly board meeting. The shareholders wanted to throw this CEO out, he was mucking up the company, but they could not organize themselves enough to get the votes needed for a proxy take over.

The CEO gave an interview to Forbes magazine, just as his ironclad contract was getting ready to go under 1 year left on it and said, "you know what I can't wait to do? I can't wait to get out of this board room and head down to Florida. My friends and family are all presidents of different colleges down south and I can't wait to go to Florida Wesleyan and become there president in a year and a half. There contract will surely make my pocketbook bigger." The board is insensed and start proceedings to buy there CEO out of his contract, or even better, fire him for breach of contract, since he was already set up in his next job before his last job was done. Our young CEO found himself on out on his butt by the end of the next quarter for that trangression.

So, how come, if our President was the CEO President, the MBA Administration, the President who would surround himself with excellent advisors to give him all the information he needed to make good decisions, how come when he is obviously already looking towards the next task, next thing in life, which would be a breach of his contract with the American people, how come we can't impeach fire him?

"I'll give some speeches, just to replenish the ol' coffers," Mr Bush told Robert Draper, author of Dead Certain: The Presidency of George Bush.

Thursday Thirteen #51-The Blue Ducks One

Thirteen Players on Sparky's Fantasy Football Team Last week, I had our fantasy football draft. Its an auction draft, which means we have a one hundred dollar limit and have to pick 15 players out of that 100 dollars. I liked my team a lot better last year, but I might have a shot at the playoffs again this year. Yes, its a sports Thursday 13, I apologize ahead of time. So here are the 2007 Blue Ducks 1. Carson Palmer, QB-Cincinnati-Recovered fully now from a knee injury from 2 years ago and I am not really concerned about him being arrested. 2.Cedric Benson, RB-Chicago-Thomas Jones is gone to the Jets, so Cedric is the main man. Now, hopefully, he stays healthy. 3.DeAngelo Williams, RB-Carolina-Still sharing time with DeShaun Foster, I am hoping that all the talk is right and that he will take over for him by the end of the year. 4.Reggie Wayne, WR-Indianapolis-Peyton Manning does not have enough footballs to throw around, but he seems to like to send a good majority Wayne's way. We find out with the opening game tonight. 5.Roy Williams, WR-Detroit-Still a stud and with the Martz offense intact now, he should be even more of a stud. Or he better be. 6.Calvin Johnson, WR-Detroit-Rookie, but he was a man amongst boys last year in college, so he should be a pretty good man amongst men this year. 7.Marshawn Lynch, RB-Buffalo-The rookie running back who as soon as he was drafted became the top back for the Bills. Of course, he plays for the Buffalo Bills, so thats not good. 8.Chester Taylor, RB-Minnesota-Chester the Cheetah, sharing time with rookie Adrian Peterson in the Viking backfield. I figure by the end of the year I will have another reason to hate the ex Sooner Peterson, because he will outplay the Cheetah. 9.Greg Jennings, WR-Green Bay-Um, I have no idea why I have him besides the fact that Wayne, Williams and Johnson all have the same day off, so I need someone to fill in for them. 10.Marcedes Lewis, TE-Jacksonville-Admit it, he has a really cool name. 11.Neil Rackers, K-Arizona-I had to have at least one ,Phoenix Arizona Cardinal on my team so I don't just watch there games because I am a closet Cardinal fan. 12.Ted Ginn, JR, WR-Miami-I just have the feeling that he is going to have an explosive year once he gets used to the pros. Or, he will break his ankle again and I will just cut him. 13.Brian Leonard, RB-St Louis-He is a Rutgers guy and since I am a Jerseyan, we always pull for Rutgers guys. Plus Steven Jackson almost always misses a game or two. Ok, I realize that this is a lot of gobbly goop to many people. Heck, its gobbly goop to me to, but since Football season starts tonight, it just fit as a Thursday Thirteen. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Why Larry Why?

This is gone from a humorous story about a hypocritical Senator that no one has ever heard of from a state that is has a low population to a story about a hypocritical Senator who wants to redo the past.

I guess the keyword here in this whole fiasco was "intend", as in I "intend to resign". Which means I want to stall out things as much as possible until the last possible gasp. I do not know for sure if it is again a conflict of his own personal life, or is it just someone trying to cling and not go out kicking and screaming. Of course, if he did not feel he was guilty of anything, he would not have signed off on a guilty plea for the misdemeanor of disorderly conduct. If you aren't guilty, then don't sign off on nothing.

I think Senator Spector is using this as a ploy to pull some power away from the family value Conservatives in his own party. If he stands up for Craig and he goes away anyway, no big deal. If he stands up for Craig and something worse comes out, including the possible comfirmation of homosexual activities from a Senator who has voted time and time against any kind of gay or lesbian rights laws, it weakens the conservative wing of his won party, a spot I bet there is part of Spector that he is annoyed he is associated with in the first place.

It was an interesting moment on Hardball tonight when Chris Matthews had the two sides of the story on debating, Senator Craig's attorney and a the Family Research Council, a Republican think tank. How often is it that a Conservative Senator and a Conservative think tank are actually not agreeing on an issue. And that is where the hilarity ensues.

Wanna Feel Like a Moron?

Am-I-Dumb.com - Are you dumb?

NFL Hotness, First Eliminations Miami Dolphins

Ok, here is the long awaited little male hotness contest. I call it a contest because you, the readers will be able to vote on who you think is the hottest. Now, I am not an officianado of hot guys, but I do know NFL QBs, so they are our subjects.

Now, this blog trick is stolen, borrowed, a tribute to a contest that was held on TV on the Fox NFL Sunday show, as well as used on the sport blogs Kissing Suzy Kolber and Ladies... since they have done something along the same lines on there blogs. Of course, most of my readers dont even know Deadspin, so they wont know Ladies and KSK.

Anyway, every couple of days I will select 2 or 3 QB's that you will be able to vote on to say is the hottest. The winner after 2 and a half days of voting will make it to the divisional playoffs, and so on and so on.

So, our first set of Quarterbacks are from the Miami Dolphins and since none of them look like Renfield here are the 1st, 2nd and 3rd string choices.

Trent Green-Height 6'3, Weight 217, Age 37, College Indiana




Cleo Lemon Height 6'2, Weight 215,Age28, College Arkansas State




John Beck-Height 6'2, Weight 215, Age 26, College BYU

5 Best Nights So Far Meme

way way way way way way way back, Twyla tagged me for the 5 best nights meme. In fact, so far back that Desert Songbird came through and tagged me for the same meme. So I guess its time to get to it, right?

The rules, list the 5 best nights that you can recall and then tag four other people and see if the meme can continue. So without much further ado. though looking it over, it seems to have shrunk to 4 nights, oh well

1.My First U2 concert 2005-It was just something that I had wanted to do ever since I had cranked up Bono and the Boys in the 1980's Then they had that Zooropa thing and I just could not get my head around it, so I waited until Vertigo in 2005. And it was so worth the wait, I was able to sing along to every damned song, and felt like the whole audience had a connection to everyone else. I am sure the next time won't live up to it, but it will be great to find out if it does.

2.Knights vs Braves Wrestling Match, Feb 1998-Ever since I was 6 years old, I have been going to different high school sporting events with my dad. Most times it was games or events involving the High School he worked at, so I had become a huge fan. In February, 1998 there was a state playoff match between my Dad's school and another school just further south which was actually one of the rivals for the HS I graduated from as well. So, when the Knights came back to beat the Braves on 3 straight pins to erase a 17 point deficit, the small crowd we were in was apopolectic. And my dad was the one doing the most screaming. By then I was in my 20's and this was the last event we went to together before Dad retired, but it was a great way to end it.

3.The First Night I had real ID and could go out to the Delaware Bars-I was always a bit of a chicken, so I never got myself a fake ID. And the college bars in Newark, De were always some of the toughest ones to get into. So, when I finally turned 21 in October and was able to get into the Stone Balloon without any fear, I was ready to rock and roll. And when Love Seed Mama Jump took the stage and I did not pay for a drink the entire night, how bad could the night have been. Well, it would have been better if I had hooked up with a chick, but you can't have perfection.

4.The Second Night Mrs Duck and I were Husband and Wife-Now, it would have been way to easy for me to list our wedding as one of the best nights of my life, though it really was, I don't like going the easy way. Plus the wedding was a Day and Night thing, so Disqualification, no? Anyway, the second night was so great because we were just so giddy. We went out to dinner at The Melting Pot and both got nice and buzzed because we were staying in the city. Mrs Duck was telling anyone that would listen that we were newlyweds and it just seemed so comfortable and easy to me.

5.The First Night in Maui-Now, the whole honeymoon was terrific, not one bad night, well except for the one night in Seattle when they lost our hotel reservation at 2 am, but I digress. But the first night in Maui was just spectacular and we had the whole great week in front of us still. We were able to have a great dinner at the Caffe Ciao and just wander along the beach in the moonlight, no fear of anyone ruining the moment, or asking us for a quarter or anything. Plus, the view from the room, with the moon off the ocean and the sound of waves flowing into the room, it was just the perfect beginning.


=============

So who to tag?

-One Gals Musings
-Lisa Andel
-RennRatt
-Empress Bee

Project 365 #99 Aloha and Mahalo

Ok, no Mahalo, kind of hard to actually get a picture of Thank You, isn't it? But here is picture #99, from late April. The other 98 pictures are over at Sparky's Hut. Amazing how one can get so excited about a mat that you rub your feet on.

Marathon Thursday

Yes, we are talking about last Thursday. And oh hell no, I am not running any marathons. Webbed feet just are not conducive to the kind of distance, at least running wise.

Mrs Duck herself spent more time getting prepped for surgery and sleeping in recovery then the actual time surgery occurred at Jeff. The doctor is hopeful that he has cleaned out the infection in her jaw bone fully and thankfully, her doc did not break her jaw, which would have meant plates and jaws wired shut and a really really cranky Sparky and Mrs Duck after a week.

Whatever medicine they gave her for the pain was strong as cow pills, because after throwing up the last of the blood in her stomach and complaining one last time about how her throat hurt from the ventilation tube, she was zonkered out the rest of the day. Which turned out to actually be a blessing, because...

As we pulled up to our Condo, there was a large group of our local towns finest parked in front of that house two doors down from us. And they had a small Honda all lit up like a Christmas tree. Now, normally, this would be exciting for a suburbanite like myself, but I had places to go and I was still starving. And it was 9pm already. Now, I do not exactly know what happened, since I did not stop to ask but I think I can determine something from little hints I saw.
1.I saw two people in the back seats of two of the cop cars getting read something off there little notecards.
2.One police officer was in our communal back yard area with a flashlight, trying to probably find a runner.
3.The Honda was towed away, which is when I headed out on my pain med run to CVS and some dinner of Mickey D's.

So, yes, a long day got totally longer, but I leave you with this last question. When you were growing up, or if you have kids today and the cops are parked out in front of your house, toying one of your son's friends cars away and they are waiting to talk to you Mom or Dad when you get home from wherever you were, would you allow this same son or daughter of yours out that Friday night to hang out with his friends or at least to get picked up by some other group in a car? I know I would be one dead duck.

Best Name Ever

Watching the Bowden Bowl tonight, for you uneducated football fans, thats Florida State vs Clemson. And this guy was shaken up on a kickoff play. Easily the best name ever!

50 States 50 Hotties-Idaho

In honor of Idaho losing to USC by only 28 points and the fact that I consider Idaho to be a Pacific Northwest state, we get the 50 in 50 Project back on track. Idaho was hard, which I am sure, no one is surprised by.

Lana Turner was born as Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner in Wallace, Idaho on February, 8 1921. With a name like that, we can see why Lana became her stage name. She was a star of many classic films, including A Star is Born and the original version of The Postman Always Rings Twice. She passed away in 1995 of complications from throat cancer.




Just to be sure you are paying attention, look for the male hottie contest to start this week.

Orange Poetry Train

The Oranges are a group of towns in Northern New Jersey. West Orange is a nice suburban enclave, with quiet tree lined streets and rolling hills and yards. South Orange is the home of Seton Hall University. And then there is East Orange and Orange proper. Those 2 parts of the Oranges make Camden almost look bucolic. One great thing that came from the Oranges and not the cute Oranges is Naughty by Nature. So, enjoy my favorite Naughty by Nature song. A Tastykake to the person that can name the song this rap group was known for.

Oh and catch a ride on the rest of the Poetry Train to give a little culture to your Labor Day.

Ghetto Bastard by Naughty by Nature

Smooth it out
This is a story about a drifter
Who waited for the worst while the best live 'cross town
Who never planned on having someday
Why me huh?!

Some get a little and some get none
Some catch a bad one and some leave the job half done
I was one who never had and always mad
Never knew my dad motherfuck the fag
Well anyway I did pick up lift and click up
See many stick ups 'cos niggas had the trigger hick-ups
I couldn't get a job, nappy hair was not allowed
My mother couldn't afford us all, she had to throw me out
I walked the strip, with just a clip, who wanna hit
Thank God I'm quick, I had to eat this money as good as spent
A 'do in braids, I wasn't paid enough
I kept 'em long 'cause I couldn't afford a hair-cut
I got laughed at, I got jumped, I got dissed
I got upset, I got a tick and a banana clip
With down the flow, don't let them any dealin' tackhead
A celebate rope, so a lotta good it woulda did
Or done, if not bad luck I would have none
Why did I have to live the life of such a bad one
Why when I was a kid and played I was the sad one
And always wanted to live like this or that one

Chorus

A ghetto bastard, born next to the projects
Livin' in the slums with bums I said now why Treach
Do I have to be like this, mama said I'm priceless
So I am, I'm worthless, starvin', that's just what being nice gets
Sometimes I wish I could afford a pistol then though
To stop the hell, I woulda ended things a while ago
I ain't have jack, but a black hat and knap-sack
War scars, stolen cars and a blackjack
Drop that, and now you want me to rap and give
Say something positive, well positive ain't where I live
I live right around the corner from west hell
Two blocks from south shit, and once in a jail cell
The sun never shine on my side of the street see
And only once or twice a week I would speak
I walked alone, my state of mind was home sweet home
I couldn't keep a girl, they wanted kids and cars with chrome
Some life, if you ain't wearin' gold, your style was old
And you got more juice and dope for every bottle sold
Hell no, I say there's gotta be a better way
But hey, never gamble in a game that you can't play
I'm gonna flaunt it, gonna know when, know when and not now
How will I do it, how will I make it, I won't, that's how
Why me huh


My third year to adulthood, still a knucklehead
I'm better off dead, huh, that's what my neighbor said
I don't do jack but fightin' lightin' up the streets at night
Playing hide-and-seek with a machete, sets of Freddie's spikes
Some say I'm all in all, nothing but a dog now
I answer that with a fuck you and a bow-wow
'Cause I done been through more shit within the last week
Than the fly flowin' in doo-doo on a concrete
I've been a dead beat, dead to the world and dead wrong
Since I was born, that's my life, oh you don't know this song
So don't say jack, and please don't say you understand
All that man-to-man talk can walk, damn
If you ain't live it, you couldn't feel, so fill it skillet
All that talk about it won't help it out, now will it
In Illtown, feel like you stuck up, propped, and shot
Don't worry, he got hit by a flurry and this punk ass dropped
But I'm the one who has been labaled as an outcast
They teach in school some of the misfits I will outlast
But that's cool, with the fool smack 'im backwards
That's what you get when you're fuckin' with the ghetto bastard

If you ain't never been to the ghetto
Don't ever come to the ghetto
'Cause you wouldn't understand the ghetto
So stay the fuck out of the ghetto
Why me, Why me

Plus, it should raise my NC-17 rating.

On Campus-Sept 1

To Me, College Football season really does not start until next weekend. Labor Day weekend is usually the last blast of summer, which means beach, BBQ, picnics and still baseball. So yes, I will pay attention to games if they are on, but I am not about to change my plans to watch some of these games. More times then not, the NCAA Division 1 powers usually just look at this first game as something like a exhibition game, except it counts. Lets look at some of the scores from the past weekend.

Louisville 73 Murray State 0

Hawaii 63 Northern Colorado 6

Appalachian State 34 Michigan 32

Penn State 51 Florida International 0

Wait? Did that say Michigan 32, Appalachian State 34??!! Why yes, yes it did.
In one of the biggest upsets that I can remember the Appalachian State Mountaineers of Boone, NC and Division 1-AA (they call it something else now but it will always be 1-AA to me) defeated the Michigan Wolverines, in The Big House. It is the first time in history that a 1-AA team defeated a nationally ranked 1-A team. Yes, somehow, Michigan was the #5 ranked team in the country and allowed the Mountaineers to come into there stadium, get an 11 point lead at half time, then block a field goal, kick a field goal of there own with 26 seconds remaining and then block another field goal to send the state of North Carolina and probably all fans and alumni of division 1-AA schools into shock and euphoria.

That will end all talk of Michigan getting anywhere near sniffing a National Championship in the first week. This is going to be terrific fodder for the Fire Lloyd Carr websites that have to be popping up all over Michigan now, because you just do not allow that to happen in your home stadium in front of 100,000 people. Though I am sure there are plenty of football players in Boone, NC right now that are still getting lucky with coeds, 24 hours later.
For a little perspective that is like Ron Paul or Dennis Kuchinich winning the White House, or a local church choir winning a Grammy for best song. Yes, they are talented and can sing, not usually on that level.

On the Sparky Duck rooting front, Oregon used a QB option run and a blocked punt to finally put the University of Houston away 48 to 27. This is going to be a semi down year for the Ducks, at least in my opinion, the defense is very young. I will be happy with a win over Oregon State and a bowl game by the end of the season. Also, Delaware defeated William and Mary, thats one of the Alma-Mater.

Finally, Virginia Tech had there first major sporting event since the shooting there last spring. Yes, they have had Baseball, Softball and Soccer games since the tragedy, but in Blacksburg, football is king. Its the thing that binds the community together and while the Hokies struggled to get a win over East Carolina, 17-7, it was a good sign to see the community back and celebrating something, anything.



Oh yea, and Clay Buchholtz decided to go out and throw a no hitter for the Red Sox last night in just his second career start. Gonna be hard to top that.