SPORTS: Bengals: 0-4 And No Help In Sight

It's going to be a long year. That's the only way to describe the debacle that is currently the Cincinnati Bengals. Where has the desire to win gone? They take the field every Sunday looking uninspired and confused. Timing is off on offense and I don't even want to talk about the defense. It's almost like the only people on the field who care anymore are the rookies and the non-starters. I mean I see more hustle from the water boy than half the players. When your kicker is the best player on the team you really know that something is wrong.



Where has Chad Johnson, i mean Ocho Cinco, been all year? Well wherever he's been he hasn't been doing his job. Ben Utecht, uhh yeah he's done so much since hes been here to. Glad hes helped out the offense a lot. And man letting go of Rudi Johnson was such a smart move because Chris Perry is definitely an every down back, hahaha. But I mean you cant put all the blame on these guys. They're not throwing the ball to themselves. Carson Palmer no longer looks like the Palmer that Cincinnati fans grew to love. The one with the sweet play action fake which of course led to the beautiful long spiral that he would complete with unbelievable accuracy all over the field. But, forget about that. Those days are over apparently. But, don't put it all on Palmer's shoulders either, you cant forget about the trusty old offensive line. They look weak and pathetic and give very little time for Palmer to do anything.


Looks like were going to have to once again look to next year. Maybe they'll even have a decent draft this year. But here's the real question: Do we draft offense or defense?

BACK HOME: Jim Borgman says goodbye

His cartoons entertained us for years, sometimes making us laugh, other times making us think more about the world we live in and how it could be better. But now that run is over. Jim Borgman said good-bye to the Cincinnati Enquirer after working there for 32 years. Never again will we find another Jim Borgman, someone who in many cases brought important issues to people's attention, not through writing, but through his drawings. Never afraid to show his feelings he was one of the very few "journalists" who reported things without bias. We need more of these in todays society, but that quest took a major step backwards today. Jim Borgman will be missed. Best of Luck!

ECONOMY: The Economy: Time For A Change

Okay so i'm not sure if any of you are keeping an eye on the economy, but if your not here is a recap of the terrible week it just had. Maryland, which has been in existance for a very long time, was bought out by Bank of America, The Lehman Brothers went under and AIG went through a Federal bailout. These are three major complications for an already damaged economy and with the way things are going in the current administration its not going to get any better. It is time for a change and both John McCain and Barack Obama realize this and have said that they will improve the failing economy. Now, my question for you is which plan do you like better? John McCain's of Barack Obama's?

POLITICS: The Convenience within the Inconvenient Truth: The Al Gore Effect

Recently in Political Science class we watched The Inconvenient Truth. While the movie itself is highly informative it is also very opinion based and many of the facts are skewed. One major example of this is the relationship graph which shows the connection between CO2 levels and the relative temperature of the earth. When looking at the original draft of the graph which shows the two constants side-by-side one can see that they are skewed in the movie. At first I didn't understand how people could completely believe this movie when the facts like that were obviously skewed, but then it hit me. It is this revelation that revealed to me the convenience of The Inconvenient Truth. The name of this convenience is Al Gore....

Now before you stop reading this because you don't understand let me explain. Al Gore is the major convenience because simply, he is Al Gore. Basically he is the convenience in the movie because people know and respect him and therefore believe and trust what he says, which includes his beliefs on global warming. The fact that he was a former Vice President goes a long way too. People look at him and have a sense of security because he is experienced. That is why this movie went over so well. Just think about it, if it was just some person that you had never seen before and never heard of, would you take them as seriously as Gore? I wouldn't. Facts were changed and information was altered in the movie and yet people continue to back up everything that Al Gore said in it. That is the Al Gore Effect.

Personally I am an in-betweener on this issue based upon the fact that i agree with the arguments for both sides. This movie did nothing to change my stance at all.

Would I like to see change that betters the environment? -Yes
But, are there other issues that I feel are more important at this time? -Yes

That of course is personal opinion, and this blog is currently not discussing what I believe so that is for another time. What I do see, however, is that ironically The Inconvenient Truth was a success because it was held up by a convenience.

POLITICS: Atlanta Man's Execution Postponed, Been On Death Row Since 1974

Today in Atlanta Jack Alderman, who has been on death row since 1974, was given postponement on his execution which was supposed to occur tonight at seven. In 1974 he murdered his wife to collect the 20,000 dollar life insurance policy that she had purchased. Judge Melvin Westmoreland gave the postponement so that witnesses that were supposed to speak on his behalf at his first trial can again show up and be questioned. Personally, I am prolife and have an overall high value for human life. On this issue, however, I lean a different way. He killed his wife, someone he married as a result of the love they shared for each other, simply to collect money. That in itself is enough to justify giving him the death penalty. More over why should these witnesses that failed to show up at the first trial be given the option of showing up now? It is obvious that no remorse is felt by Alderman for his outrageous actions and I feel that it is completely useless for these witnesses to be questioned. He was already found guilty of the crime so what could these witnesses possibly say to change the outlook that a jury has already given?

If you wish to read the article you can find it at http://www.cbs46.com/news/17474936/detail.html

SPORTS: Bungals

I realize that many people don't care about football at all. I however am a die-hard football fan and seeing my home-town team get destroyed week in and week out is not fun. In some ways what used to be an all day affair which i enjoyed sometimes feels like a chore. I'm almost to the point where I have to turn off their games and watch or do something else. It's ridculous that the Bengals have become this bad. They are not an 0-2 team. With the talent that they have on both sides of the ball, especially on the offensive side of the ball, they should be 2-0. Not taking away anything form Baltimore and rookie quarterback Joe Flacko or Tennessee but we should be and could be better than they are. It makes no sense to me that an offense that has Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson, and TJ Houshmanzadeh has not scored a touchdown in two games. There is no timing, no confidence, and no urgency. I mean in all honesty if your in the NFL and your already two games in the hole and in last place in a division that you should be trying to win you have to have urgency.

Also lately it seems like Marvin Lewis doesnt even want to coach the Bengals anymore, and honestly whose to blame him? Every decision that he makes is over ruled and reversed by Mike Brown. For instance, Lewis terminated the contract of Chris Henry, a troubled yet talented wide reciever, and vowed to change the image of the franchise. Then Chad Johnson went down with a shoulder injury. Almost immediately Mike Brown resigned Henry, making Lewis look like absolute garbage in a coaching standpoint. Honestly I am sick of watching this team spiral out of control. What does anyone else think? Are there any other Bengal fans that are fed up with the current state of the franchise? Your imput is highly appreciated.