Sabre Dance

Biblical commentators refer to Lucifer (among others) as a "fallen angel". I'm hoping this is not the inflection the VP intended.

Yes, I certainly relate. Spoken American English has taken a beating in the last couple of decades... I also have issues with written English - for a world that relies so heavily on email and text messages, I certainly see a lot of errors. I was reading some online product reviews yesterday and twice in the list of reviews for the same product I saw the word "threw" (past tense of "throw") used instead of "through" (passing across). A co-worker has twice sent out an email using the phrase "First come, first serve" (should be "served"). Don't even get me started on "to, too and two" or "lose and loose".

The thing that I'm worried about is that the new third jerseys will be used as a way to celebrate the return of hockey after another season-long lockout. THAT would suck. Otherwise, they can wear black teddys (pun definitely intended) as long as they crush the opposition. (Seriously, though...just pick a jersey and stick to it).

I was just giving my wry comment on your line...I know that today's GOP is anything but grand. I have nothing invested in either party or their candidates. I voted for third-party candidates in most recent presidential races except for 2008 when I voted for McCain/Palin only because I did not want the Democrat to win. (Voting for George Carlin even after his demise would please him to no end, by the way.) It won't happen this year, or even in four years, but somewhere along the line a nice middle-of-the-road candidate is going to launch a presidential campaign entirely on the Internet (direct emails, interviews via Skype or Facetime, likes on Facebook and tweets on Twitter) and will grab enough votes to scare some sense into the two-party system. At least I hope so. Meanwhile, there are clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right and I'm stuck in the middle.

Don't forget, the US President that signed the Emancipation Proclamation was a Republican....

Not to mention that NBC and its affiliates (NBC Sports) have money riding on the NHL season. You would think that the network would be leaning on the league and the players assn. to "git 'er done!" And I have news for the commissioner - my great "fandom" took a hit after the last lockout. If there is another this year, I'm going to be a full-time Buffalo Bandits fan. :lol:

As before, the biggest losers in the CBA issue will be....us, the fans. You know that whether or not a new CBA is in place for the beginning of this season, the bills will still go out to season ticket holders and the teams will still expect them to be paid up just in case the CBA is signed and the season can begin. Yes, I know that adjustments will be made if part of the season is lost and if the whole season goes down the tubes, that money will roll over to next year. But you are still out X amount of money until the sport starts up again. Then there's actually missing out watching games. There's lost advertising revenue when the games aren't on TV. There's that gaping hole in the record book for 2012-2013 where the Stanley Cup winner would be listed. (Just as an aside, the Stanley Cup has not been awarded only twice since professional teams began vying for it in 1915. Once was in 2005 due to the lockout; the other year was 1919 when the Cup playoffs were cancelled due to the flu epidemic. How embarassing is that for the NHL? Oh, wait...this is the 21st century. No one is embarassed about anything anymore, especially when money is involved. Pardon my ignorance...) I do hope more intelligent minds will prevail and an agreement can be reached before training camps are due to open. If not, it's three steps forward, one back (again) for the NHL. At least there will be football....

Actually, I've dickered with auto sales people enough that I consider it, well not fun but perhaps....good sport. Just remember, you have the ultimate weapon...the word NO. If you feel at all pressured, just get up and walk away (you can use an excuse like "I'll be right back; I just want to look at the car one more time" or "I have to pee". If they want to take your trade-in for a test drive, remember to bring a spare key and let them use that. If the negotiations go south, just go get in your car and leave. (I've they try the really old schtick of pulling it into their shop, just remind them that you have the title and registration and that if the car is not returned, it is grand theft auto. Most dealers these days are above that kind of chicanery, but you never know).

Back a few years ago, I got a letter from BMW in the mail just before my lease was up. It described an "owner loyalty" bonus which would give you a free, one-day car control class at the BMW Performance Center in South Carolina. If you financed through BMW, they would also pay for your hotel stay. I was a little suspicious, since I never heard anything about such a program (and neither did my dealer). I had intended to lease something new form BMW anyway, so I went ahead. I sent in the proper documents (sales receipt and finance contract), got a certificate in the mail and scheduled the trip. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but I wound up with a nice two-day vacation and a day driving the tires off new BMWs on the test track at no cost. I never heard of the program after that, either. (Plus, I handed my "graduation" certificate over to my insurance company and got a 10% discount for three years on my policy). Weird...but awesome!

Sweet! I always liked the Bonneville. I looked at buying one a few years back, but they are meant for people smaller than I. (I sat on one in the showroom and caught my reflection in the window. I looked like an elephant on a unicycle). So, off I went to the Harley dealer.... Still, a great bike with a lot of history and a great vertical twin engine. Nothing else sounds like that....enjoy! Oh, also this week's weather is awesome...warm days, cool nights, no precipitation. Hey, why am I not on a two-wheeled road trip? Oh yeah, work... :(

It could be that they are short on low-mileage "pre-owned" vehicles. With the economy still sluggish, many folks are looking at the pre-owned market instead of new and thus many dealers have been short on those vehicles. Still, beware the fine print. If all else fails, stop by a dealership and just ask them directly, "What's with this deal?". I never dealt with Hyundai but there might be a dealer out there that would give you an honest answer...

I did understand that you do say the pledge, but you just don't say those two words. Fair enough. I was just pointing out that the "under God" was not in the Pledge as it was originally written but was added much later. I don't know about the rooting out communists part - apparently some individuals and organizations (the Knights of Columbus, for one) added the words themselves and it worked its way up to the President (who being recently baptized as a Presbyterian, thought it a good enough idea to present it to Congress, etc.) Getting back to the Olympics, they were very well staged according to all reports and what was seen of them on TV. I thought the opening and closing ceremonies were pretty cool; not every nation can call upon musical talent the likes of Sir Paul McCartney and the Who to be a part of the ceremonies. I also thought that the humorous touches (Rowan Atkinson in the opening and Eric Idle in the closing among others) were a great way to make the ceremonies a bit less formal. I also thought that having those little LED panels by every seat in the stadium was a very cool idea. The patterns and animation they generated added a new dimension to the whole spectacle. Nicely done!

"I pledge allegiance to the flag and to the republic for which it stands..." So, the Pledge is to the symbol of the country (flag) AND the country itself. The words "under God" were added to the Pledge in 1954. Check Wikipedia for the full story. Oh, and just because the folding money in my wallet says "In God We Trust" on it doesn't mean I don't want more of it.... :rolleyes: Oh, and Raziel, I thought London did a great job with the Olympics - much better than NBC did with the coverage. (BTW, I tried to watch some of the events on CTV, but they REALLY focus on the Canadian athletes/teams, much more than NBC focused on US teams/athletes I would say. I went back to NBC...)

I got a check for over $1,000 in the mail yesterday... that's pretty f'n fantastic. Of course, I'll be spending it within the next week, so in my mind the money is already gone....

This is very true - i agree 100%. Although I can't find documentation online of such, I think that the above mentioned Ernie Roth was referred to as "The Weasel" by all but himself and his wrestlers... Oh, Bettman has been incredibly effective - league profits are way up and the league exapnded to 30 teams under his watch. Obviously, I've never met the guy personally and he might be an okay guy to have a drink with (although I see him drinking 12 year-old scotch, not beer), but his mannerisms just rub me the wrong way.

I think the NHL Commissioner's job has always carried with it a bit of dislike from the fans - if you look back at former commissioners, John Ziegler was pretty widely disliked and even the now (more or less) beloved Clarence Campbell was never warmly received. I think part of it has to do with the fan's perception of the amount of power the commissioner's office has and the often unpopular decisions that each commissioner has handed down. In the case of Ziegler and Bettman, their personalities (or lack thereof) and inability to give a straight answer (lawyer-speak) also conspired to make fans dislike them. (I avoid bringing up Bettman's downplaying of the "No Goal" incident, which has made him pretty much hated in Buffalo ever since.) Frankly, I think the job is a difficult one. The commissioner has to please owners, players, the NHLPA, officials AND fans. Even a popular former player, if thrust into the commissioner's role, would have a tough time remaining well-liked. That being said, I personally can't stand Bettman. His mannerisms remind me of a professional wrestling manager from the 70's and 80's called "The Grand Wizard", later Abdullah Farouk (real name Erinie Roth). Roth's managerial persona always seemed to look down on everyone around him with disdain. Somehow, when I see Bettman speaking, I get that same feeling that in his mind he is thinking "I'm better than all of these people - get this riff-raff away from me!" That is probably undeserved, but you can't control your feelings.....

The old chestnut says that washing your car makes it rain - so does buying a new motorcycle. (Plus, I ate some expired yogurt for breakfast yesterday and the resulting GI issues are making me cranky and sleepy.) Bleah.....

When I lived in Tucson, we ate at a bunch of really authentic Mexican places - neither Taco Bell or even Mighty Taco even comes close. (There is a place in South Tucson called the Crossroads that has a salsa verde that will make you weep...)

Listen to the song "Love Shack" by the B52s...

I've always considered myself a bit fussy about good food, so when I return to the same restaurants time and again, I think that means they are pretty decent. Faves: Curly's Grille and Mulberry Cafe (both in Lackawanna, but hey, that's where I live), Left Bank. Not faves: Any Olive Garden, the Southgate Plaza Applebee's (the one near the McKinley Mall seems much better), Hyde Park Steakhouse (Walden Galleria). Overrated: Anchor Bar, Chef's (I know it is a Buffalo tradition, but the food is very generic.) Jury is out on: Rick's on Main (East Aurora) - have only eaten there twice. The first time, the food was simply wonderful. The second time, both the appetizer and entree were waaaayyy too salty. May have been a fluke, and I'm willing to give them one more try....but just one more.

Done- Actually, the BMW was an R1200CLC - their version of a "cruiser" bike. For a 1200 cc boxer engine, it only had about 54 hp. Quick it was not. (I'll have to post a photo when I get home). The new bike is 1800cc (or 110 cubic inches) and is somewhere above 90 hp, depending on who you believe. (Harley only lists torque ratings, not horsepower). It can move out quite nicely. I looked at the K1600GTL when it first came out - it is nice! I was tempted, but I stuck with the Harley.

I'm at the age where a cushy seat and a smooth ride is more important than lean angle - my peg-scraping days have been over for a while. (Although that new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R certainly looks like a heap of fun....) I only got back into motorcycling about ten years ago - I started back in the early 80s. Oddly enough, I never thought of myself as a "Harley" guy, so I bought a BMW full dresser back then. I had it for several years and grew to not like it. It was top-heavy, low on power and was not very manueverable at low speed. I looked at some other bikes (Yamaha, Suzuki, Triumph) but once I actually rode a Harley, I was hooked. I can ride for hours and not get tired, and there's no "buzzy" feeling in my hands or feet when the ride is over. (Not to mention the fact that having satellite radio with an iPod interface on a motorcycle is just cool....) I almost bought a Yamaha sport bike about five years ago, but I saw my reflection in the dealer window while trying it out. I looked pretty ridiculous. (I'm not what you would call svelte). Probably for the best - I could easily see myself flying off a curve into the weeds....

2012 H-D CVO Ultra Glide (replacing the 2010 version). I know the 2013s will be out next month but I liked the colors (Crystal Citron/Diamond Dust). I'll have to post some pix, but here is a link to the H-D web site: http://www.harley-da...html#/c/gallery It's pretty slick, if I say so myself....

I just upgraded my bike - I got a great trade-in and there were just enough new features to make it worthwhile...

Maybe it's just me, but the Olympics just don't seem to have the same....intensity that they have had in previous years. Or maybe it is NBC's coverage. I watched much of the Winter Olympics on Canadian TV in 2010 and their coverage was much better. However, CTV (not CBC) is covering these games and so far, I'm not liking their coverage much either. That being said, I agree that any competition that needs to be "judged" isn't a real sport. There's always room for scoring variances based on subjective factors. I watched the archery competition the other day and decided that if I ever felt I needed to win an Olympic medal to make my life complete, this would be the way to do it. (No, I don't need the medal and no, I won't be buying a carbon-fibre bow anytime soon.)