Thursday, May 17, 2007

Blizzard: comments and links

Did Tecmo ever really go away?
I've read a lot of excitement this week about Tecmo Super Bowl. I'm actually not sure why. Over three years ago my brother showed me a website where you could play Tecmo Super Bowl with current NFL rosters, and it's not like you can't access an original NES and Tecmo Super Bowl (I have one myself and could go play it right now if I chose). But hey, everybody, knock yourself out over the "return" of Tecmo.

NFC North Rivals
CHFF has the NFC North Fillability Index up. Frankly, I think everything is coming up Milhouse...er, the Vikings. Brett Favre is angry and the world, and after throwing 38 TDs and 47 INTs the last two years (while going 12-20), I really don't see him improving this season (plus they lost Ahman Green. Some of the Bears' best defensive players want to leave town. Sometimes we're told we're supposed to feel sorry for Lion fans because Matt Millen has made the team perpetually awful. I don't know why I should pity Detroit sports fans: the Red Wings won three titles in the last ten years, the Tigers just won a pennant, and the Pistons have played more playoff games than anybody the last few years, and won a championship in 2004. Pitying Detroit fans would be like being a Boston fan who has seen a World Series title and three Super Bowl titles this decade but still wants to frequently whine about how sad it is that the Celtics didn't get Tim Duncan ten years ago.

The Vikings have agreed to terms on a local TV deal.

The Daily Norseman thinks Tarvaris Jackson is going to make people look stupid for voting him the 32nd best starter in the NFL (that means last). Hey, I think Tarvaris will surprise too; however, the point is that he'll SURPRISE. I don't think anybody is stupid for ranking Jackson last among starting QBs RIGHT NOW; if I weren't a Viking fan, I'd probably consider Jackson as the worst starter in the league, too.

Other Links

We love pointing out stupid errors and faulty logic in paid sportswriters. So does The Feed, which wonders what Scoop Jackson has been reading if he thinks the media isn't criticizing Roger Clemens.

Kevin Garnett better than Tim Duncan? That's what Wages of Wins says.

PV PSA
Since it has come up at this blog, you might be interested to know this. After nearly five months, I am no longer a hardcore vegan; I am now but a weakcore vegetarian. But as a vegetarian, I'll still write about it here when animal rights issues intersect with sports.

12 comments:

  1. Anonymous7:27 PM

    PV, I'd be interested to hear why you switched from veganism to vegetarianism, and if you know of any particular dairy producers (for example) that conduct their business ethically.

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  2. My thoughts are still evolving on these subjects. I do not believe humans should kill animals to eat them (there are a variety of reasons for this belief). However, I have never believed humans should abstain from using animals at all: if it is necessary, and if the animals are treated well, I believe it is acceptable to use them for some purposes. I became a vegan partly on ethical grounds (I still am an animal rights advocate), partly to see if I could. While I will never eat meat again, the vegan experiment was always an experiment--I was never convinced it was absolutely necessary for an ethical life, and even as I have advocated against other uses of animals (horse racing, for example) I haven't tried to convince others to become vegan. It was an experiment I tried and I was successful--I may do it again in the future. The time I was vegan was not in vain--I learned a great deal about sacrifice, will-power, and healthy eating. I know I am capable. But I do think it is acceptable to use animals if they are treated with compassion and dignity. I'm still an advocate for treating animals with dignity, respect, and kindness; I believe I can occasionally eat dairy and still do so.

    On Dairy producers: let's set aside the question of whether humans should force cows to continue to produce milk (it is debatable). I have been on many dairy farms and met many dairy farmers, and I have always believed they care about the animals and treat them with as much dignity as they can. In my experience (which is admittedly not total) dairy farmers do conduct their business ethically. In fact, this is part of why I wavered on abstaining from dairy--I really had no reason to believe the animals were mistreated (as opposed to what I know of the treatment of chickens--I am still abstaining from eggs).

    I'm not sure this answer is satisfactory to you--frankly, I'm not sure any of my answers are satisfactory to me. While I have strong convictions on some treatment of animals, I am humble enough (and self-aware enough) to recognize that my own views can be faulty, and can evolve.

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  3. Anonymous9:19 PM

    PV, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I don't know that an answer needs to be "satisfactory" or not, but it's interesting to hear how your thinking is going on these issues.

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  4. Anonymous10:08 PM

    AHHH the power of cheese!

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  5. Just how many dairy farmers do you know?

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  6. Anonymous10:25 PM

    Apperently I was unaware that appetizers of potato chips, entrees of french fries & onion rings, and desserts of sugar wafers were elements of a healthy diet.

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  7. J-rod, I grew up in small towns in MN and went to college at a school with a huge ag program. I've been on many farms and talked to many farmers. I have a life outside of you.

    Anon...
    Touche.

    Though I have had a lot of broccoli in the last few months--and will continue to have a lot of broccoli. I'm not really changing much.

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  8. My apologies to readers of the comment section who in the last few weeks have listened to discussion of my eating habits and my reticence to answer my cell phone.

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  9. Anonymous8:28 AM

    If you have ethical concerns about food production, you'd best stick with organic dairy producers. These guys are a good company that I can access through my local co-op here in Idaho (http://www.horizonorganic.com/)

    As the nephew of a former dairy farmer, trust me when I say that not all dairy farms are created equal. Cows on many of these farms are confined in very small areas (CAFO's) and drained of milk every day; not much of a life, if you ask me. Then there is the rampant use of growth hormones to get cows to produce milk at unnatural rates and the resultant overusage of antibiotics to fight off the infections that occur from these unnatural conditions.

    Trust me when I say that it's worth the extra dollar per gallon for the organic stuff.

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  10. Anonymous11:22 AM

    And you were in the ag building how many times?

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  11. Thanks, Boognish. I've been skeptical of organic products since the legislation was loosened on what can be called organic, but it is worth it to look into specific companies.

    Anon: I would estimate hundreds of times, but I can't be certain.

    By the way, not much is changing other than a label: I still had steamed broccoli for lunch today, it's just that now when I go to parties and family functions I don't have to bring crackers to eat in the car.

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    ReplyDelete