I Watched Lots of NFL This Week: Some Observations

The refs have new uniforms. The refs were horrible last year. I'm thinking the NFL changed the uniforms instead of firing the old refs and hiring new refs. When you change the package people think it might be new and improved, it works with things like laundry soaps, so why not give it a try with the refs.

Lots of new coaches. Lots of boring safe calls by them too.

I'm wondering if the team that gets the highest Jewish lobby support this year is going to be Arizona over the Giants or Miami. No, Rex Grossman of the Bears isn't a Jew.

If the Giants offense played a two minute drill all game, they would be unstoppable, but they still only use the 2 minute drill in the last minute of the game.

"Born again Christian" Kurt Warner may have made a second deal with the devil this year. Maybe he sold his wife's soul this time. Watch out for Arizona.

Can you name two players on the San Francisco 49ers?

Why did Favre come back? Why? Why?

I don't know what it is but I just don't like Drew Bledsoe's face.

Does Minny's Brad Johnson think he is living in the 50's. Check out his hair.

32 NFL teams and not one starting white running back. I can't believe this type of racism still goes on. It is 2006, for cripes sake. Surely there are white guys being overlooked for the job. Blacks make up only 10% of the American population, but they make up 100% of the starters at the running back position. We are all created equal. Aint we?

I'm starting to think that the only reason so many white guys play quarterback is possibly keep the odd KKK guy watching. It is some sort of conspiracy. That is why only one black QB has ever one the Super Bowl.

And what's up with the fact that no black coach has made it to the Super Bowl, let alone win one. This is another way that the NFL ensures high Super Bowl ratings. Racist America may not watch it if one or more black coaches were involved. And think of the all the cursing bad calls in bars, if the call in question was made by a black coach.

It is a fact that 45% of Americans believe in Young Earth Creation, but when broken down: 65% of high school dropouts in America believes in YEC, while only 25% of college grads believe in YEC. I'm pretty sure most of the players in the NFL fall into the last category. Yeah, like most of them REALLY graduated college alright...wink wink.

Go Arizona.

THE 2996 PROJECT: REMEMBERING JOHN ISKYAN

I first want to thank DC Roe for making the 2996 Project a reality. I am more than honored to be able to participate in this project. Being a Canadian I felt hesitant at first to sign up for this, but then I started looking at the victims’ bios; many Canadians died on 9/11 too. The attack wasn't against New York City, it wasn't against only America, it was against Western civilization, it was against democracy; it was a vicious, senseless, deliberate attack against innocents by those who represent a vile hatred of all that is valued by the West. In a hurricane or a car accident, innocents die, but not on purpose. This is why 9/11 and the victims of 9/11 must be remembered; there was intention to murder innocent civilians. Life in the West changed on 9/11; unsuspecting people were murdered for being Westerners. Our perception of radical Islam changed as well. We can't afford to forget.


John Iskyan of Wilton, Connecticut died of smoke inhalation on September 11th, 2001. He was only 41 years old, just nine months older than me.

He was struck down in the middle of a life that most people would envy. He had a loving wife and two young children whom he loved dearly and who loved him back. He was also very close to his mother Carol.

Only three days earlier, he had thrilled his wife with a surprise 40th birthday party that he had secretly planned for close to a year. His children, Peter, 12 at the time and Carolynn, 9, both kept the party a secret as well.

He worked 16 years for the brokerage firm Cantor Fitzgerald Securities on the 105th floor of the North tower, as a bond trader. In fact, he lived through the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. I know that some have criticized the remembrance of 9/11 victims as giving them “hero status.” But in 1993 it took John over an hour and a half to evacuate because of his selflessness in helping others get out of the building. John was, in fact, a hero.

In 2001 thought he was going to make it out alive as well.

After the first plane hit, a friend called Iskyan, who said he was about to leave the building and would see the friend later.

John was a very good athlete and an active member of his community. He enjoyed skiing and coached lacrosse. His love of skiing was what brought John and his wife Margaret together in the first place at St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. He then went to work at Cantor Fitzgerald where he worked his way up to partner.

John's workday was long because of the commute from Wilton to New York. He got up regularly at 5 a.m., rode the train and was at his desk by 7 a.m. He would return home at 7 or 8 p.m. "Everything John did, he researched it, he studied it, he looked hard at it," Bob Keeling, a brother-in-law, said yesterday. "He didn't want to do it half-baked."

I can tell by the comments left on other tribute sites that John was a well-loved, great guy. One comment, though, says it all:

"That was my dad. i love him dearly. I miss him very much. he is the best dad in history."
*** Posted by Carolynn Iskyan on 2004-01-30 ***




Click either "blogroll" or "assigned victims" here for links to the other tributes to the victims of 9/11.

WHINE SID RYAN. WHINE LIKE A TERRORIST SUPPORTER

Media advisory - CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan to discuss two issues:

- Defamation of character suit against a conservative party worker, and
- Calls for his murder following Resolution 50

OTTAWA, Sept. 8 /CNW Telbec/ -

<<
WHO: Sid Ryan, President of CUPE Ontario

WHAT: Press Conference to discuss defamation of character and a
million-dollar lawsuit and a blog posting calling for the murder
of Sid Ryan

WHERE: Sheraton Centre Hotel, Oxford Room, Mezzanine Floor
123 Queen Street West, Toronto

WHEN: Monday, September 11, 2006 at 2:30 p.m.

Legal counsel Brian Shell of Shell Lawyers will join Sid Ryan at the
Press Conference. Mr. Ryan and Mr. Shell will address his million-dollar
lawsuit filed with the Superior Court of Justice in Oshawa that names
Alan Clarke as the principal defendant.
During the 2006 federal election campaign, Mr. Clarke was listed on
Conservative MP Colin Carrie's website as a Conservative. Mr. Clarke stated in
a leaflet distributed during the election campaign in and around Oshawa that
Mr. Ryan "associates with criminals and terrorists." Mr. Clarke also asserted
in the leaflet that Mr. Ryan associated with the former Lord Mayor of Belfast
and that he was therefore, somehow, linked with the murder of 2,500 people.
Elections Canada is continuing to investigate the allegations and a
report is expected soon.
Mr. Ryan will also address a blog by an unnamed author that is calling
for Mr. Ryan's murder because of Mr. Ryan's union's support for Resolution
50 calling for the boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel in
connection with events in the Middle East.


I had to check back to see if I am the unnamed blogger. But alas, it can't be me. Outside of calling Ryan a terrorist supporting turd (I didn't use turd then but I am now), the only questionable thing I said was that there could be a possibility Ryan is getting paid off by the Saudis for his support. It was only speculation, and I said so here.

He is too impotent a figure to murder though. Ridiculing him and calling him a threat to Canadians, is another thing; I'm all for that.

If I were a betting man...I mean if I didn't only bet on football and horse racing, I think the unnamed blogger could be this dude. Whoever it is, although I agree the world would be much better off without Jihadists and Jihadist supporters like Ryan, calling for his death was just a tad over the edge, but I understand the emotions involved.

We Are Prewired To Be Superstitious

click picture to enlarge it

According to Bruce Hood, Professor of Experimental Psychology at the University of Bristol, our minds have evolved the need to accept (be susceptible to) irrational explanations (supernatural beliefs).

"Mankind is adapted to reason intuitively, to invent explanations for how the world works, which increases the odds of keeping safe. Superstitions also provide a welcome sense of control. We cross our fingers to trap the bad luck between them. We say “bless you” to stop the soul following the sneeze out of the body."

He claims that even the most rational people behave in irrational ways at times.

To demonstrate his theory, he asked members of the audience if they were prepared to put on an old-fashioned blue cardigan in return for a pound stg. 10 ($25) reward.

He had no shortage of volunteers. He then told the volunteers that the cardigan used to belong to Fred West, the mass murderer.

"Most hands went down," Professor Hood said.

"When people did wear it, people moved away from them. It's not actually West's jumper. But it's the belief that it's West's jumper that has the effect.

"It is as if evil - a moral stance defined by culture - has become physically manifest inside the clothing."


I'll admit it, I have been known to wear a lucky shirt to the racetrack. And I know I still do other irrational things that border on superstitious behavior.

Professional athletes really show superstitious behavior over and over again. Hockey players not shaving during the playoffs, to baseball players who refuse to step on baselines. Some of this is God related, like crossing oneself before a pitch is thrown but for me, God has nothing to do with it......It is strictly irrational behavior that is prewired in my head. We have to fight it. I think we have to fight the idea of a higher power too....at least Atheists like myself do.

It might be a fine line to figure out what is superstitious behavior versus something that might make you feel overly confident. For example, it is irrational that a lucky shirt will make you win an event you aren't participating in, however, if you are in fact participating in the event, the fact you are wearing the lucky shirt may raise your confidence level enough to win.

In the animal kingdom, when a cat rubs it's ear grease on your legs in order to get fed....could this be some sort of superstitious behavior too? Does the cat think it is lucky if it does this?

Please note: I use the American spelling of behavior because most of my readers are Americans. Canadians can handle the American spellling. I'm not sure if Americans can handle the Canadian spelling. And besides, since I started this blog, I've used American versus Canadian spelling. If I change doing it this way, I know something bad will happen to me.

Also, if you want to view all my comics, go here.

Steve Irwin, Rest In Peace

This is why the Crocodile Hunter was hard not to like:

As I've stated here before, my dog Daisy loves watchng Animal Planet, and up until very recently, Crocodile Hunter was on almost daily. Daisy knows the Crocodile Hunter as Stevo. If I say "Stevo is on," she will go to the TV and watch him.

He knew the risks he was taking, and often made fun of those risks:


Stingrays don't usually attack unless provoked, as with most animals that were featured on the Crocodile Hunter. His provoking of animals was often parodied:

He had a reputation of putting his life at risk by going out of his way to agitate dangerous animals. But that is what made him. That is what gave him fame, which he altruistically parlayed into animal conservations and animal awareness.

44 is far too young to perish. But he accomplished much more than hundreds of internet warriors like me will most likely accomplish in our entire full natural lifetimes.

A couple of months ago Harriet, Darwin's famous tortoise, died at Steve Irwin's Queensland Zoo. She was 176.

Don't forget to click the Animal Rescue button on my sidebar. It doesn't cost you anything, and with each click of the button it leads to will feed .6 cans of food to a rescued animal.