The New Census

The 2010 census results came out. Apparently, Republicans are procreating at a faster rate than Democrats. While some northeastern and midwestern states lost congressional seats, some states in the south gained them.

I for one am willing to participate in rectifying the problem. At this point, I can comfortably impregnate about three liberal women per day, but that can be raised to six a day if I get inspired (unfortunately, not every liberal woman looks as good as Bella Abzug).

Just think of it, in about 18 years the Democrats will be the beneficiaries of the HarazQuack Revolution!

The Unnecessary Pound-for-Pound Best

Here is an updated version of my obnoxiously unnecessary and utterly superfluous list of the top 10 pound-for-pound boxers. The previous list was posted on September 21.

1) Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs), [Previous Rank: 2]
2) Floyd Mayweather (41-0, 25 KOs), [PR: 1]
3) Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs), [PR: 6]
4) Wladimir Klitschko (55-3, 49 KOs), [PR: 3]
5) Juan Manuel Marquez (52-5-1, 38 KOs), [PR: 7]
6) Vitali Klitschko (41-2, 38 KOs), [PR: 5]
7) Pongsaklek Wonjongkam (77-3-1, 41 KOs), [PR: 8]
8) Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs) [PR: 9]
9) Paul Williams (39-2, 27 KOs), [PR: 4]
10) Timothy Bradley (26-0, 11 KOs) [PR: 10]

A Glorious Day

There is no team I hate more in professional sports more than the Miami Dolphins. My favorite NFL team, the Buffalo Bills beat the Dolphins in Miami 17-14 to crush their dreams of the playoffs.

The Bills are now 4-10. They've won two in a row. In the second half of the season, they're 4-2. One of those losses was a heartbreaking three point loss against the Steelers. The three games before they won their first were all heartbreaking three point losses.

We can play with the numbers and claim that if the Bills had won all of their close games, they'd be 8-6. But it doesn't work that way. The bottom line is that the future looks a lot brighter than it did two months ago. Ryan Fitzpatrick has shown he's capable. Superstar Stevie Johnson, save for one bad game against the Steelers, has broken out. The defense is playing better. Things are looking up!

Bye Bye DADT

Don' Ask Don't Tell was one of those idiotic laws that can only come about through bizarre political compromise completely removed from reality. That it is finally repealed is a small step forward for gay rights.

It's a minor success rooted in a wider fundamental principle. To serve as an openly gay person in the military, an institution that relies on complete obedience and is a symbol of American imperial power, must be a curious sort of freedom indeed. But it is important to chip away at the belief that being gay is a character flaw. Repealing DADT serves that purpose.

Still, there are bigger fish to fry. Of course, gay people should have the right to marry another willing adult regardless of gender. But, more importantly, a law needs to be passed making it a crime to fire a person from their job on the basis of sexual orientation. Amazingly, you can legally fire a gay person just because of their sexual preference. There is no federal law against it. That is wrong in every sense of the word and must be rectified.

Cribb-Molineaux 200 Years On

200 years ago, Tom Cribb defended his heavyweight title against Tom Molineaux. Cribb was a respected champion hailing from England. Molineaux was an ex-slave from Virginia. The fight last 39 rounds and it is widely accepted that the championship was stolen from Molineaux.

Cribb had been battered badly by Molineaux. In the 29th round, it seemed that Cribb wouldn't be able to continue. But after some shenanigans, Cribb had enough time to recover. As a result, Cribb was able to outlast Molineaux. Budd Schulberg gives an account of the now two-centuries-old fight that is worth reading.

A Night at Roseland Ballroom

I walked into the Roseland Ballroom well before the card was scheduled to start. After going to the bathroom to pee for about the 4th time in an hour, I found a folding chair and settled in for a night of boxing.

Three Jewish fighters were scheduled to fight on the card though two would not make an appearance in the ring. But the Jews were out in full force to support Dmitriy Salita. David Diamonte and his inexplicable dreads took his position as the ring announcer. Diamonte would have a contentious relationship with the DJ throughout the night. The card got off to a roaring start with several knockouts in a row. The Dominican fans were in full throat, even more than the Puerto Rican fans.

One bout featured a double knockdown. One guy never got up. It was just like Rocky II, except they were both making their debut, so it was a somewhat less prestige fight. And it was less dramatic. But it made me think philosophically about the winner. His lowest career moment to date was also his highest career moment to date.

I continued my streak of sitting through the national anthem, which has now reached three consecutive sporting events. I have yet to be heckled.

Matisyahu played Dmitriy Salita into the ring, which was very cool. Salita easily dispensed of his opponent, a late replacement. Afterwards, Matisyahu played another song in the ring.

Apparently, Yuri Foreman and HBO's unofficial judge Harold Lederman were present, but unfortunately I didn't see them. I did, however, see a Jewish boxer named Boyd Melson (1-0) walking around after the fight. I also saw boxing announcer Steve Farhood.

After Matisyahu played and I peed yet again, I left. Outside of the venue, two shiksas with blonde hair who had just seen a play next door were walking past. They evidently knew that Jews would come out to a Salita fight because I heard one joke, "Maybe we should go inside and try to find a husband."

Go Salita

In a few hours I leave for New York where I will be watching Dmitriy Salita box. He was supposed to fight former world champion Mike Anchondo for the IBA welterweight title (a minor title), but Anchondo came down with an illness. So Salita will take on a journeyman instead. Life seems to provide disappointments for everyone. One can only hope for a silver lining.

The Morality of the Overthrow

One theme I've noticed from the WikiLeaks memos is that the old U.S. mentality of believing it has the moral justification to not only manipulate events in other countries, but to overthrow foreign leaders is still prevalent.

In Zimbabwe, the belief was that if the MDC had had more talent and depth, the U.S. would have been more willing to precipitate regime change. The same criticism of Aung San Suu Kyi's party in Myanmar is made by U.S. diplomats. it is the reason why regime change wasn't pushed as hard as possible in Myanmar.

There are many dictators in the world. The U.S. supports some of them and does not support others. But what is clear is that the U.S. does not have the moral clout to determine who should be running a particular country. Throughout time, dictators have been overthrown by their own people. Only they have the moral backing to overthrow their leaders.

Fifth Down

I was watching the Skins-Bucs game yesterday. McNabb threw a completed pass to Anthony Armstrong with time running out in the 4th quarter. The Skins were marching down the field for the game-tying TD.

The announcers, Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston, and Tony Siragusa, all assumed it was 2nd down and 1 after Armstrong's catch. After an incompletion, a run for a loss, and another incompletion, the Skins seemingly had turned the ball over on downs. They were then given a fifth down, where Santana Moss caught a TD pass.

Some have blamed the announcers for not realizing that the Skins were actually given a 1st down after Armstrong's catch. But the Skins clearly started on the Bucs 12. After the Armstrong catch, the ball was clearly spotted short of the 2 yard line. The Skins should not have been given a first down. Again, it wasn't that it was a bad spot, the problem was the Skins hadn't gotten the necessary ten yards to earn a first down.

Someone messed up badly, but it wasn't the announcers. Spotting the ball is an inexact science, but determining the line to gain is not. It is ten yards from the start of the first play of the series. On the NFL's site, the play-by-play of the game claims that Armstrong reaches the 2 yard line, but if you watch the film, it's clear the ball was spotted short it.

Thankfully, there is justice in this world. A botched extra point attempt sealed the Skins fate. They lost by one.

And, the Bills won again! 6-10 here we come!

President Gingrich?

Forget the fact that Newt Gingrich poses himself as a moral candidate despite his numerous wives and affairs. There's a better reason he shouldn't be president.

Gingrich claimed that President Obama has "a Kenyan, anti-colonial worldview."

President Obama wasn't born in Kenya. He was born in Hawaii, according to his birth certificate. Gingrich knows this, but his comment is a not-so-subtle nod to the Birthers, people who think Obama wasn't born in America.

Obama was born on August 4, 1961. Kenya gained its independence on December 12, 1963. Even if Obama was born in Kenya, (which he wasn't!) he would've had to develop "a Kenyan anti-colonial worldview" at a very early year. He would've been the most prolific anti-colonial toddler in Kenya.

Furthermore, what is "a Kenyan, anti-colonial worldview"? Would Gingrich prefer Obama to favor colonialism in Kenya? I thought the debate over whether or not Kenya should be independent was solved several decades ago.

It's a cynical group of words that in reality doesn't say much, but the meaning to an ignorant ear is to portray Obama as un-American, socialist, and radical. The worst part of it is Gingrich knows better. He has a PhD in history and has taught at the college level. He knows exactly what he's saying and the meaning he intends to convey. And that knowing disingenuousness should disqualify him from the presidency.