Swamp 6 Link Dump Extravaganza

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:45 am

Neat.

I learned Preston NEFC's Deepdale stadium is a pretty cool looking place, and they do have that statue outside:

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:51 am

rass wrote:Neat.

I learned Preston NEFC's Deepdale stadium is a pretty cool looking place, and they do have that statue outside:

You ever speak well of those PNE bastards again and I'll strangle you with my Tangerine scarf.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Dec 18, 2014 7:54 am

AB_skin_test wrote:
rass wrote:Neat.

I learned Preston NEFC's Deepdale stadium is a pretty cool looking place, and they do have that statue outside:

You ever speak well of those PNE bastards again and I'll strangle you with my Tangerine scarf.

I was sort of worried about that, but figured they weren't in the same division right now so I'd be safe. Oops.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 12:36 pm

So UAB Faculty vote no confidence in their president after football shutdown. I usually thought faculty were not so supportive of money going to athletics instead of educating folks.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-confide ... ncaaf.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Post by **Shirley** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:09 pm

wlu_lax6 wrote:So UAB Faculty vote no confidence in their president after football shutdown. I usually thought faculty were not so supportive of money going to athletics instead of educating folks.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-confide ... ncaaf.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You haven't spent much time in Alabama, have you?

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:22 pm

The UAB leadership no doubt will be in the witness protection program before sundown today.

Coincidentally, I hear that next semester the University of Chicago will inaugurate a Southern Studies Program with set of new tenured faculty who seem to be oddly devoid of refereed publications.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:31 pm

Shirley wrote:
wlu_lax6 wrote:So UAB Faculty vote no confidence in their president after football shutdown. I usually thought faculty were not so supportive of money going to athletics instead of educating folks.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-confide ... ncaaf.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
You haven't spent much time in Alabama, have you?

Further proof that many colleges are just support systems for athletics departments?

Mind blowing response to what would seem to be a prudent decision.

But I too, have not spent much time in Alabama.

Post by **brian** » Fri Dec 19, 2014 1:38 pm

I wasn't going to get dragged into this because I doubted too many people cared, but the the thing is the numbers UAB is throwing around are pretty wack -- not even close to accurate. I'm familiar with this as a fan of a mid-major football team and am privy to the public (and in some cases private) numbers and dumping football, generally speaking (with some exceptions) will NOT save money, it will in fact lose money.

Yes, you no longer have scholarships and coaching salaries, etc., but there are obvious income streams (tickets for home games, merchandise, payouts for bodybag games against P5 schools) and secondary income streams (donations to the athletic department, etc., etc.) Most MAC schools operate on a shoestring, but they've crunched the numbers and dropping football or moving to FCS (i've seen studies on both) are estimated to actually cost the athletics department net revenue even after you factor in being able to dump other women's sports because of the Title IX.

There probably are some FBS schools where it would make sense to dump football, but probably no more than a half dozen to a dozen or so and even then you're not talking about a massive amount of money they'd be saving. I don't know if UAB is one of those schools, but I can tell you there's no way they're saving as much money as they're claiming they are.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 9:30 pm

There has long been convincing third-party economic research that concludes that only a few whatever-they're-calling-DI football programs make money.

The accounting assumptions are the key. For example, about the PR value of the team for the university as a whole. And the allocation of the subsidized portion of the players' college tuitions back to the football team as a cost. And whether any of the general costs of running an athletic department and a university are allocable back to the football team. And, thinking of the future, whether the unethical scam that is starting to be addressed by the O'Bannion court case will start costing the schools real money. And whether the lawsuits will someday flow regarding brain injuries the players incur.

I don't think it's realistically possible for anyone associated with the managerial class of a university to sponsor an honest look at this question. Career suicide.

If a study with reasonable assumptions also includes the value of the real estate and buildings devoted to the football program, I suspect roughly zero programs would even break even. But I don't know of any research that does this, for a variety of reasons. However, you can make a good case that it should be included. If a football team is eliminated, it is at least theoretically (though perhaps not politically) possible that a school could sell off those assets. In some cases, they'd be worth tens of millions of dollars.

Post by **brian** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 9:55 pm

UAB didn't play on campus. (Legion Field) so the fact they probably had to pay some "rent" on their stadium might have pushed the numbers a little for them. When you're thinking about the land being an asset you're thinking of a relatively small number of schools with on campus stadiums in urban type areas - Michigan, Ohio State, Georgia. Most state schools the country over have nothing but real estate.

Post by **Shirley** » Sat Dec 20, 2014 11:43 pm

I haven't researched the numbers, but I wouldn't be surprised if UAB had a really hard time building any sort of fan base. I lived in Alabama for two years and everybody there was either a Bama or Auburn fan. And really, outside of the area around Auburn and anywhere there are engineers (like Huntsville where I was), it's pretty much all Alabama.

People who went to UAB were bama football fans. UAB was a basketball school. It's certainly possible that UAB built up some fans over the 25 or so years their program has existed, but I doubt any allegiance runs deep, especially as strong as both bama and auburn have been in recent years. I mean does anyone not think of Legion Field as an Alabama stadium?

Post by **brian** » Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:48 am

Shirley wrote:I haven't researched the numbers, but I wouldn't be surprised if UAB had a really hard time building any sort of fan base. I lived in Alabama for two years and everybody there was either a Bama or Auburn fan. And really, outside of the area around Auburn and anywhere there are engineers (like Huntsville where I was), it's pretty much all Alabama.

People who went to UAB were bama football fans. UAB was a basketball school. It's certainly possible that UAB built up some fans over the 25 or so years their program has existed, but I doubt any allegiance runs deep, especially as strong as both bama and auburn have been in recent years. I mean does anyone not think of Legion Field as an Alabama stadium?

All that said if you really thinking they're saving $5 million a year as the UAB administration claims you're crazy. The total expenditures on the program probably didn't hit $7M. And that with $0 revenue.

kranepool · Post by **kranepool** » Mon Dec 22, 2014 10:42 am

Has "Gunpowder Jones" written all over it.

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Johnnie · Post by **Johnnie** » Tue Dec 23, 2014 5:17 pm

Another Soundcloud link. Some dude decided to remix Kanye West's Yeezus as a Christmas album. Kreezus. It's actually really fucking good.

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Tue Dec 23, 2014 6:44 pm

brian wrote:All that said if you really thinking they're saving $5 million a year as the UAB administration claims you're crazy. The total expenditures on the program probably didn't hit $7M. And that with $0 revenue.

I have no idea what's true at UAB. Only someone who is an expert in this area and knows a lot about UAB finances could begin to judge the situation. It certainly may be the case that they're exaggerating to justify their action; bureaucrats and politicians are prone to do that. But there is abundant evidence in economic studies that colleges routinely exercise accounting genius to systematically under-count the true costs of running a football program.

bfj · Post by **bfj** » Fri Jan 02, 2015 7:27 am

http://www.pathfindersforautism.org/news/view/416

Any MD or DC Swampers interested? I have passes, just let me know.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Fri Jan 02, 2015 11:19 pm

Wish we could go. Keep up the good work.

Johnny Carwash · Post by **Johnny Carwash** » Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:23 am

This is fantastic: Top disproportionately common names by profession

h/t Johan Keri

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Jan 21, 2015 6:54 am

Man Rents Excavator, Bulldozes Home Without Telling Wife

Watch the video. I don't think I've ever seen someone so proud of himself....

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:21 pm

http://www.diffen.com/

And go.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Jan 22, 2015 9:51 pm

rass wrote:Man Rents Excavator, Bulldozes Home Without Telling Wife

Watch the video. I don't think I've ever seen someone so proud of himself....

-Don't you need a permit for that?
-I'm working on it.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 8:07 am

...
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premi ... o-20150127" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

testuser2 · Post by **testuser2** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:42 am

A bottle in the beaver in Beaver.

She was taken to the Heritage Valley Beaver Hospital, where she refused to take a drug test. She also continued to refuse to put on her pants

Post by **Shirley** » Wed Jan 28, 2015 11:25 am

wlu_lax6 wrote:...
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premi ... o-20150127" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

From that song, I think it's safe to say that Commerford wasn't much of a driving force in RATM.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:50 pm

I am sure this is somewhere else in the swamp but whatever
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31700049" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

howard · Post by **howard** » Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:57 pm

I remember that story when I was a kid. I wanted to try it. I must've been about seven years old.

howard · Post by **howard** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 1:20 pm

One of the reasons I spend much less time writing about politics, war and economics lately is because an increasing number of people are seeing things as I do, and they write much better than I ever will. I've been a regular reader of Tom's blog for over a decade. His calm, understated style may be more accessible than more polemic approaches. My only quibble is he buries the lede, placing the most important of his five points last, when the acquiescence/compliance of the American people, or as he prefers, 'demobilization' is the sine qua non of the mess we are in, and the increasingly unavoidable dismal future.

This is a wonderful summary of where we are politically. About 3300 words.

The New American Order
1% Elections, The Privatization of the State, a Fourth Branch of Government, and the Demobilization of "We the People"
By Tom Engelhardt

Good comments in reaction over on nakedcapitalism blog, here.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 7:18 pm

I miss your commentary here. How else will I learn what I think? But I'll bookmark this guy so I can at least read a second-tier version of your views when you're in a quiet stage.

And don't worry. New abuses will amaze even the cynic, and give rise to the need to speak out. President Clinton is going to be so much more of a sell-out than even Obama was. Though especially in the former case, this falsely pre-supposes that there was something real there that changed for the self-interested politician's advantage, rather than just the gradual revelation of the pre-existing puppet-of-the-elite reality. It will be mildly amusing to watch so many of my friends go through the belief-disgust cycle again.

howard · Post by **howard** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 7:28 pm

Tom was an Obama apologist as recently as the 2012 election. He counseled the GOP puppet was much worse. But, with time, people do wake the fuck up. Better late than never.

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:01 pm

Well, I agree about the GOPuppet.

Hey, I love that! Time out for me to copyright it.

Okay, back again.

But can't you fall somewhat short of 'apologist' while still having this view? For example, backing Stalin over Hitler might have been reasonable, but didn't require thinking that Stalin was a wonderful leader of the fortunate workers. You might even believe that Stalin was less evil, while thinking him to still be pretty evil. By analogy, you can hate both the Dodgers and Yankees, but the Dodgers a little bit less. Or more, if you are old and from Brooklyn. But what about an adjustment for desegregating baseball? It's complex.

On reflection, I might be a bit of an Obama apologist myself. It's just that my liberal/progressive friends around here have always been much more positive -- especially in the first years of hopey-changey Obama delusion --so that I fail to recognize myself. It is true that on some points I can at least partially accept the practical need to do what Obama has done. Some. Not that many really. But I admit to these impure thoughts.

I know that I am never down with "there's no difference between Obama and Romney (or whatever GOPuppet)." There are many differences to me, ranging in significance to from medium (e.g., health care, environment, court appointments) to small (military, wars, transparency, 'national security' abuses, financial regulation). More on the small side, and clearly very few of note on the large side. But "no difference" between two forms of puppets-of-the-elite (and the elite have different camps subject to occasional mild conflict) seems to me to require some kind of commitment to a near-term revolution, which makes timid reformers (best case view of Obama) out to be at least as much the enemy as more visible full-on oppressors. Or you have to rise into the stratosphere of the course of human history, where small differences are obscured by the general flow of global events. I'm not that cosmic.

howard · Post by **howard** » Sun Mar 22, 2015 8:28 pm

DC47 wrote:But can't you fall somewhat short of 'apologist' while still having this view?

Sure. But most don't. Including Tom.

Let me pm you.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 6:56 am

howard wrote:Tom was an Obama apologist as recently as the 2012 election. He counseled the GOP puppet was much worse. But, with time, people do wake the fuck up. Better late than never.

Let me know what Romney would have done to make that list different.

For godsake.

Post by **Sabo** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 10:00 am

brian wrote:
Shirley wrote:I haven't researched the numbers, but I wouldn't be surprised if UAB had a really hard time building any sort of fan base. I lived in Alabama for two years and everybody there was either a Bama or Auburn fan. And really, outside of the area around Auburn and anywhere there are engineers (like Huntsville where I was), it's pretty much all Alabama.

People who went to UAB were bama football fans. UAB was a basketball school. It's certainly possible that UAB built up some fans over the 25 or so years their program has existed, but I doubt any allegiance runs deep, especially as strong as both bama and auburn have been in recent years. I mean does anyone not think of Legion Field as an Alabama stadium?
All that said if you really thinking they're saving $5 million a year as the UAB administration claims you're crazy. The total expenditures on the program probably didn't hit $7M. And that with $0 revenue.

An Alabama politician claims UAB decided to end its football program before the 2014 season and hired a NYC PR firm to mislead the public about dropping the football program.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 10:03 am

New York City?!?!?

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 1:35 pm

tennbengal wrote:
howard wrote:Tom was an Obama apologist as recently as the 2012 election. He counseled the GOP puppet was much worse. But, with time, people do wake the fuck up. Better late than never.
Let me know what Romney would have done to make that list different.

For godsake.

What list?

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 1:36 pm

rass wrote:New York City?!?!?

Where would you go if you needed world-class lying done?

howard · Post by **howard** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 1:42 pm

rass wrote:New York City?!?!?

Get a rope.

tennbengal · Post by **tennbengal** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 3:13 pm

DC47 wrote:
tennbengal wrote:
howard wrote:Tom was an Obama apologist as recently as the 2012 election. He counseled the GOP puppet was much worse. But, with time, people do wake the fuck up. Better late than never.
Let me know what Romney would have done to make that list different.

For godsake.
What list?

is is a wonderful summary of where we are politically. About 3300 words.

The New American Order
1% Elections, The Privatization of the State, a Fourth Branch of Government, and the Demobilization of "We the People"
By Tom Engelhardt

DC47 · Post by **DC47** » Mon Mar 23, 2015 4:59 pm

My politically-involved friends quietly count me as an Obama hater and wonder if I am also a secret racist rather than just a secret conservative. I have firm credentials as having never, ever bought the Obama story, even as pitched by a close friend who was a state-level campaign leader in 2008. I have given thousands to campaigns; I gave nothing to Obama.

So despite not buying anything re: Obama, I would never, ever doubt that Romney (and certainly McCain too) would have accelerated every negative trend that Englehardt mentions beyond where Obama has taken it.

In some cases, I think that the acceleration over the Obama rate of decline would be minor, perhaps because my imagination is limited and I am already in a state of shock. In other case, the decline would be moderately faster.

So I agree that Obama is Romney/McCain lite. Further, I believe that presidents don't matter as much as people think they do in today's political world. Englehardt's list would look much the same, no matter who had won those two presidential elections. But I think that each item would look a bit worse if Obama's opponents had beaten him. That even includes Hillary Clinton. However, not so much that I actually voted for Obama in 2012.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Mon Mar 30, 2015 7:50 am

Steit's closing up its factory and moving after 90 years.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/mar ... high-tech/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;