Saturday, February 23, 2008
Deterrence
A couple of images from Rock's House:
Coach Tenuta
"Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy the FEAR to attack. And so, because of the automated and irrevocable decision-making process which rules out human meddling, the Doomsday machine is terrifying and simple to understand...and completely credible and convincing."
Dr Strangelove
Coach Tenuta
"Deterrence is the art of producing in the mind of the enemy the FEAR to attack. And so, because of the automated and irrevocable decision-making process which rules out human meddling, the Doomsday machine is terrifying and simple to understand...and completely credible and convincing."
Dr Strangelove
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
No news is good news
Not posting could imply nothing's going on or too much is going on. Kim's wedding is less than a month away. Everything seems on track. I dropped in at the "family" shower Sunday long enough to meet Ross's mom, Connie. Steffie and Janett may be posting a few snapshots of the event, and from the friends shower a week ago.
Steffie is pretty pregnant and she's pretty pregnant, but we're all so cranked up for the wedding, Steffie's not getting quite the attention she should. We should rent her a copy of Sixteen Candles, and then hurry to make up after the wedding
I should go check the etiquette rules. Steffie, Dee, and Lauren really threw some good parties. I didn't attend but I feel like an expression of appreciation would be in order. Also, Dee's sister, Michelle invited us to a gala event celebrating her son Pete's graduation from Iowa State and her husband, Tomasso's 50th birthday.
The fete was held at a really nice restaraunt with banquet rooms, and a DJ played popular Italian/American music from the last fifty years. Some of the folks danced.
I had calamari (squid?) and grilled octopus - yummy. And the food just kept coming. The drinks too, based on reports of our son Jason's exploits after Janett and I had left for home. I asked Dee about it and she just kind of rolled her eyes, and I haven't sent Michelle a thank you note yet either.
And my sister Ann sent great gifts for Christmas, and I haven't sent her a thank you note either.
I'm a boorish ingrate.
Or maybe I'm just depressed. You heard, didn't you, about NBC cancelling Friday Night Lights. I assume we can look forward to a great new show about a half dozen a-holes living in house, on an island, at a fat farm, or rehab clinic. Or maybe a bunch of gay guys going around telling people how to be stylish. Oh wait, never mind. Way to buck the trend Mr Fred Silverman. You're a paragon of discernment.
Steffie is pretty pregnant and she's pretty pregnant, but we're all so cranked up for the wedding, Steffie's not getting quite the attention she should. We should rent her a copy of Sixteen Candles, and then hurry to make up after the wedding
I should go check the etiquette rules. Steffie, Dee, and Lauren really threw some good parties. I didn't attend but I feel like an expression of appreciation would be in order. Also, Dee's sister, Michelle invited us to a gala event celebrating her son Pete's graduation from Iowa State and her husband, Tomasso's 50th birthday.
The fete was held at a really nice restaraunt with banquet rooms, and a DJ played popular Italian/American music from the last fifty years. Some of the folks danced.
I had calamari (squid?) and grilled octopus - yummy. And the food just kept coming. The drinks too, based on reports of our son Jason's exploits after Janett and I had left for home. I asked Dee about it and she just kind of rolled her eyes, and I haven't sent Michelle a thank you note yet either.
And my sister Ann sent great gifts for Christmas, and I haven't sent her a thank you note either.
I'm a boorish ingrate.
Or maybe I'm just depressed. You heard, didn't you, about NBC cancelling Friday Night Lights. I assume we can look forward to a great new show about a half dozen a-holes living in house, on an island, at a fat farm, or rehab clinic. Or maybe a bunch of gay guys going around telling people how to be stylish. Oh wait, never mind. Way to buck the trend Mr Fred Silverman. You're a paragon of discernment.
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Google Hyksos
Although I was a under graduate history major, there are lare gaps in my knowlege of things real historians know. One such area is pre-classical. I don't know one Egyptian kingdom from the next, much less one dynasty from another. One thing that vexes me is who were the Hyksos?
Since I already admitted I don't know, you shouldn't place much reliance on what I have to say about them. Historically, they were described by the Egyptians as marauding invaders. I think I somewhere that they overthrew a weak Egyptian dynasty, and established through inter-marriage a dynasty of which Tutankamon was a descendant. But nobody seems certain who they were (where they came from). Some say they were an Asiatic people, migrating down from Central Asia, and using war chariots, which the Egyptians soon copied. Were they part of a Semitic group that also included the Hebrews? But I thought I read somewhere that the etymology of the name suggests they came from the sea.
This mystery came to mind again this week as I read reviews of the book, The Black Athena. The title seems a little sensational to me because I don't think the author posits that sub-Saharan Africans impacted Greek culture in it's formative stages. Rather, I think he's saying that it was those darned Hyksos again. He makes the interesting point that marauders don't impose their own culture on conquered lands, they bring along the superior culture from previous conquests. He points out that the Normans brought French, not Viking culture to England.
Written twenty years ago the book was at first ignored then rebuked by the classical European establishment. The book's author, Bernal, suggests that ethno-centric European historians preferred to theorize that migrants from the north (Aryans) got to Greece, settled in and the Hellenic culture blossomed. I like Bernal's theory because I never understood how Northern Europeans who had migrated into Greece could have brought with them the seeds of Hellenic culture. A pre-Phoenician, semitic people from the coast of the Levant (nowadays Lebanon) could have transmitted the cultue of Asia Minor and the near east around the Mediterrenean (circa 1,600 BC). Question is how they would have changed from war chariots to ships navigating the Mediterrenean in just a hundred years.
Historical evidence to support this hypothesis might in part be scarce, because marauders don't leave a lot of historical records, and when the Romans conquered the Phoenicians (Tyre Sidon and Carthage)in the Punic wars they were pretty thorough about destroying any cultural or historical artifacts that might have provided clues to the pre-phoenician peoples of the region. But I don't know.
So I guess it's time to Google Hyskos (again).
Since I already admitted I don't know, you shouldn't place much reliance on what I have to say about them. Historically, they were described by the Egyptians as marauding invaders. I think I somewhere that they overthrew a weak Egyptian dynasty, and established through inter-marriage a dynasty of which Tutankamon was a descendant. But nobody seems certain who they were (where they came from). Some say they were an Asiatic people, migrating down from Central Asia, and using war chariots, which the Egyptians soon copied. Were they part of a Semitic group that also included the Hebrews? But I thought I read somewhere that the etymology of the name suggests they came from the sea.
This mystery came to mind again this week as I read reviews of the book, The Black Athena. The title seems a little sensational to me because I don't think the author posits that sub-Saharan Africans impacted Greek culture in it's formative stages. Rather, I think he's saying that it was those darned Hyksos again. He makes the interesting point that marauders don't impose their own culture on conquered lands, they bring along the superior culture from previous conquests. He points out that the Normans brought French, not Viking culture to England.
Written twenty years ago the book was at first ignored then rebuked by the classical European establishment. The book's author, Bernal, suggests that ethno-centric European historians preferred to theorize that migrants from the north (Aryans) got to Greece, settled in and the Hellenic culture blossomed. I like Bernal's theory because I never understood how Northern Europeans who had migrated into Greece could have brought with them the seeds of Hellenic culture. A pre-Phoenician, semitic people from the coast of the Levant (nowadays Lebanon) could have transmitted the cultue of Asia Minor and the near east around the Mediterrenean (circa 1,600 BC). Question is how they would have changed from war chariots to ships navigating the Mediterrenean in just a hundred years.
Historical evidence to support this hypothesis might in part be scarce, because marauders don't leave a lot of historical records, and when the Romans conquered the Phoenicians (Tyre Sidon and Carthage)in the Punic wars they were pretty thorough about destroying any cultural or historical artifacts that might have provided clues to the pre-phoenician peoples of the region. But I don't know.
So I guess it's time to Google Hyskos (again).
In a better world
we'd all be reading a good book this gray February morning.
Here's a couple of lists of best fiction since 1900. To make it fun, try to choose a book or two or three from the short list to replace the same number of books on the long list.
PS I linked rather than copied the lists because if you go to the original site the titles are linked to sites where you can purchase the books and from there to short reviews.
Here's a couple of lists of best fiction since 1900. To make it fun, try to choose a book or two or three from the short list to replace the same number of books on the long list.
PS I linked rather than copied the lists because if you go to the original site the titles are linked to sites where you can purchase the books and from there to short reviews.
Friday, February 08, 2008
It's been a week since I posted
So, I thought I'd report in, but I don't have too much to say. Does anyone else want to spell week with an "h" in it? I'm kind of sick; a little feverish and my neck hurts so I cant turn my head. I stayed home from work but called in to a phone conference.
I've been pretty busy, bringing work home a couple evenings. One night I got home at eight with work to do, but by ten I hadn't gotten to it, so I went to bed and got up at four in the morning. That worked pretty well, but it involved the risk that I wouldn't be able to complete the work in a couple hours, and having to go to the office unprepared. I guess the bet was that I'm more effective after six hours sleep than at the end of a long day. Like I say, it worked out OK, but I don't like having to make that kind of choice.
Steffie's having a shower for Kim on Sunday. I think it'll be real nice. Janett's been preparing hors d' ouvres, and it looks pretty good for chick food. Kim and Ross went to church then out to breakfast with Julie and Louie and me Sunday. It was nice being with them. I tell myself I don't see much of them because Kim want's Ross's attention for herself, but she's probably trying to avoid me embarrassing her.
Coah Weis said in his press conference today that he'd be turning play calling over to offensive coordinator Tom Haywood this year. ND fans like that because they like the running game (memories of Lou Holts's great teams), and they think Haywood will find it easier to emphasise the run than Coach Weis could. With the quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers coming up at ND over the next couple years we should be able to do pretty much what we damn well please on offfense. But it all starts with line play. Coach Latina has been coaching offensive linemen 25 years and I think he's pretty good at it. The poor showing last year had a lot to do with lack of depth and experience. Reportedly, practices weren't very physical because they couldn't afford to get people hurt in practice.
Well this spring and fall I bet there's a lot of hard contact, and scrimmaging against coach Browns defense with Tenuta's schemes, they'll be ready when the season opens.
See Ya
I've been pretty busy, bringing work home a couple evenings. One night I got home at eight with work to do, but by ten I hadn't gotten to it, so I went to bed and got up at four in the morning. That worked pretty well, but it involved the risk that I wouldn't be able to complete the work in a couple hours, and having to go to the office unprepared. I guess the bet was that I'm more effective after six hours sleep than at the end of a long day. Like I say, it worked out OK, but I don't like having to make that kind of choice.
Steffie's having a shower for Kim on Sunday. I think it'll be real nice. Janett's been preparing hors d' ouvres, and it looks pretty good for chick food. Kim and Ross went to church then out to breakfast with Julie and Louie and me Sunday. It was nice being with them. I tell myself I don't see much of them because Kim want's Ross's attention for herself, but she's probably trying to avoid me embarrassing her.
Coah Weis said in his press conference today that he'd be turning play calling over to offensive coordinator Tom Haywood this year. ND fans like that because they like the running game (memories of Lou Holts's great teams), and they think Haywood will find it easier to emphasise the run than Coach Weis could. With the quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers coming up at ND over the next couple years we should be able to do pretty much what we damn well please on offfense. But it all starts with line play. Coach Latina has been coaching offensive linemen 25 years and I think he's pretty good at it. The poor showing last year had a lot to do with lack of depth and experience. Reportedly, practices weren't very physical because they couldn't afford to get people hurt in practice.
Well this spring and fall I bet there's a lot of hard contact, and scrimmaging against coach Browns defense with Tenuta's schemes, they'll be ready when the season opens.
See Ya
Friday, February 01, 2008
Tenuta
EDSBS (Every Day Should be Saturday) is the best college football blog. Here's their recounting of Jon Tenuta's interview with Charlie Weis...as you may infer Jon Tenuta is a coach who loves to Blitz. and now he's at Notre Dame
Scene: Charlie Weis’ office in South Bend, Indiana. Weis is about to hire Jon Tenuta as defensive backs coach and assistant coach, but wants to see the goods first. If he can ever get off the chirp…
Weis: (talking into Nextel) “Reg, seriously, I will take that under consideration.”
Nextel: (CHIRP!) “Seriously, Charlie. No one’s run the wishbone in years! It’ll be Greek to everyone, and Clausen will love it!”
Weis: “Sure, Reg. Sure. I’ll take that very carefully into consideration. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an interview with–”
The door flies open. A large man with gray hair, a wild look in his eye, and an ill-fitting grey suit stands in the doorway. Jon Tenuta enters carrying the shoulder of a fly-ridden deer carcass and a play book.)
Tenuta: YOU CALL NUMBER ONE TAH-NOO-TAH?
Weis: Yes. We’re looking for a new defensive backs coach, and possibly someone to help give some more bite to our defense. I called around, and your name seemed to come up quite a bit.
Tenuta: HAW HAW HAW TAH-NOO-TAH KNOWN FAR AND WIDE! HIS NAME MAKE PEOPLE PEE AND CRY SAME TIME! HAW HAW HAW! (takes bite of deer carcass.)
Weis: Did you…did you kill that your self?
Tenuta: NOT THIS TIME. BOUNTY OF HIGHWAY KEEP TAH-NOO-TAH FED AND HAPPY TODAY.
Weis: Well, that’s….anyway, I wanted to ask you a few questions. Talk about defensive philosophy and what you’d suggest we do to make our defense even better than it was last year.
Tenuta: YOU NEED GET WHITE SAFETY OFF FIELD OR MAKE BLITZ!–
Weis: –yes, he’s gone, so don’t worry about him.
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH LAUGH AND CRY SAME TIME WATCH HIM PLAY PASS COVERAGE!!! (takes huge bite of deer carcass.)
Weis: –yes, yes, well, he’s graduated, and Tom did a lot of good things for our football team.
Tenuta: ME ALWAYS TAKE WHITE SAFETY AND BLITZ, BECAUSE WHITE SAFETY NO RUN. POLYNESIAN, MAYBE. BUT WHITE—
Weis: Um, perhaps you could show me what you would show and do against an Ace, 2-tight formation, Jon?
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH NO SCARED! ME BLITZ!
Weis: My, that’s…aggressive. I almost like it. Is that…
Tenuta: TOTAL BLITZ! NO FEAR TAH-NOO-TAH SHOW!!!
Nextel: (CHIRP!) Charlie, have you thought about getting the guys to train with this new Wii Fit thing they’ve got now? My grandkids just love it, and even Joy and I have gotten into it. I’ve lost three pounds just messing around with this thing! Imagine what it’ll do for Clausen–
Charlie: (Picks up nextel) Reg, little busy here, but I’ll take that under consideration–
Tenuta: YOU WANT ME SHOW OTHER SCHEME?
Weis: Sorry about that. Yes, please show me an I formation set-up, and how you’d line up against it.
Tenuta: ME NO FEAR I-FORMATION! BLITZ BLITZ BLITZ BLITZ!!!!
Weis: Again, aggressive. I like it. Now, for recruiting. If I want you to describe your philosophy about recruiting–
Nextel: (CHIRP!) Charlie, this is Regis. How about those PowerBands I’ve seen? Feldman’s been using them, and he’s ripped. RIPPED, I TELL YOU! For a gay producer, that is, but still–
Weis: –Reg, please, I just need a minute here.
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH FEAR NO RECRUIT! DIAGRAM EXPLAIN!!!
Weis: Again, very aggressive, Jon. I like the way you think.
Tenuta: HAPPY COACH WORDS MAKE ME! YOU WANT BITE? (Tenuta takes another huge bite of the deer carcass, consuming skin, hair, and bone in muscular bites.)
Weis: No, um, thank you. Speaking of, would you like to eat–
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH ANTICIPATE THIS QUESTION AND PREPARE SLIDE JUST FOR OCCASION. TAH-NOO-TAH SAY YOU LOOK!
Weis: Agreed. Tony’s subs it is. Let’s go and work on the details of your hiring.
Tenuta: YOU HIRE TAH-NOO-TAH COACH DEFENSE?
Weis: Sort of.
Tenuta: MONEY? NO MORE SCROUNGE FOR FLATMEATS?
Weis: No, no more bounty of the highway for you. We’ll pay you in money.
Tenuta: HAPPY YOU HAVE MADE ME FAT MAN.
Weis: Glad to have you on board. And just leave the rest of that deer thing here on the floor. Phyllis will clean it up.
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH TAKE WITH FOR SNACK. (Flies buzz around the deer.)
Weis: Fine. Just save some for me!
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH ALWAYS SHARE WITH FRIEND!
Weis: I’m just kidding. Even I’m not touching that with a ten-foot pole, man.
Nextel: (CHIRP!) Seriously, Charlie! The wishbone! Just imagine it! And don’t forget Wii fit!
Weis: I’m taking that into consideration, Reg. Off to lunch!
Nextel: (CHIRP!) The Baked Lay’s this time, Charlie! The baked ones!
Scene: Charlie Weis’ office in South Bend, Indiana. Weis is about to hire Jon Tenuta as defensive backs coach and assistant coach, but wants to see the goods first. If he can ever get off the chirp…
Weis: (talking into Nextel) “Reg, seriously, I will take that under consideration.”
Nextel: (CHIRP!) “Seriously, Charlie. No one’s run the wishbone in years! It’ll be Greek to everyone, and Clausen will love it!”
Weis: “Sure, Reg. Sure. I’ll take that very carefully into consideration. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an interview with–”
The door flies open. A large man with gray hair, a wild look in his eye, and an ill-fitting grey suit stands in the doorway. Jon Tenuta enters carrying the shoulder of a fly-ridden deer carcass and a play book.)
Tenuta: YOU CALL NUMBER ONE TAH-NOO-TAH?
Weis: Yes. We’re looking for a new defensive backs coach, and possibly someone to help give some more bite to our defense. I called around, and your name seemed to come up quite a bit.
Tenuta: HAW HAW HAW TAH-NOO-TAH KNOWN FAR AND WIDE! HIS NAME MAKE PEOPLE PEE AND CRY SAME TIME! HAW HAW HAW! (takes bite of deer carcass.)
Weis: Did you…did you kill that your self?
Tenuta: NOT THIS TIME. BOUNTY OF HIGHWAY KEEP TAH-NOO-TAH FED AND HAPPY TODAY.
Weis: Well, that’s….anyway, I wanted to ask you a few questions. Talk about defensive philosophy and what you’d suggest we do to make our defense even better than it was last year.
Tenuta: YOU NEED GET WHITE SAFETY OFF FIELD OR MAKE BLITZ!–
Weis: –yes, he’s gone, so don’t worry about him.
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH LAUGH AND CRY SAME TIME WATCH HIM PLAY PASS COVERAGE!!! (takes huge bite of deer carcass.)
Weis: –yes, yes, well, he’s graduated, and Tom did a lot of good things for our football team.
Tenuta: ME ALWAYS TAKE WHITE SAFETY AND BLITZ, BECAUSE WHITE SAFETY NO RUN. POLYNESIAN, MAYBE. BUT WHITE—
Weis: Um, perhaps you could show me what you would show and do against an Ace, 2-tight formation, Jon?
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH NO SCARED! ME BLITZ!
Weis: My, that’s…aggressive. I almost like it. Is that…
Tenuta: TOTAL BLITZ! NO FEAR TAH-NOO-TAH SHOW!!!
Nextel: (CHIRP!) Charlie, have you thought about getting the guys to train with this new Wii Fit thing they’ve got now? My grandkids just love it, and even Joy and I have gotten into it. I’ve lost three pounds just messing around with this thing! Imagine what it’ll do for Clausen–
Charlie: (Picks up nextel) Reg, little busy here, but I’ll take that under consideration–
Tenuta: YOU WANT ME SHOW OTHER SCHEME?
Weis: Sorry about that. Yes, please show me an I formation set-up, and how you’d line up against it.
Tenuta: ME NO FEAR I-FORMATION! BLITZ BLITZ BLITZ BLITZ!!!!
Weis: Again, aggressive. I like it. Now, for recruiting. If I want you to describe your philosophy about recruiting–
Nextel: (CHIRP!) Charlie, this is Regis. How about those PowerBands I’ve seen? Feldman’s been using them, and he’s ripped. RIPPED, I TELL YOU! For a gay producer, that is, but still–
Weis: –Reg, please, I just need a minute here.
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH FEAR NO RECRUIT! DIAGRAM EXPLAIN!!!
Weis: Again, very aggressive, Jon. I like the way you think.
Tenuta: HAPPY COACH WORDS MAKE ME! YOU WANT BITE? (Tenuta takes another huge bite of the deer carcass, consuming skin, hair, and bone in muscular bites.)
Weis: No, um, thank you. Speaking of, would you like to eat–
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH ANTICIPATE THIS QUESTION AND PREPARE SLIDE JUST FOR OCCASION. TAH-NOO-TAH SAY YOU LOOK!
Weis: Agreed. Tony’s subs it is. Let’s go and work on the details of your hiring.
Tenuta: YOU HIRE TAH-NOO-TAH COACH DEFENSE?
Weis: Sort of.
Tenuta: MONEY? NO MORE SCROUNGE FOR FLATMEATS?
Weis: No, no more bounty of the highway for you. We’ll pay you in money.
Tenuta: HAPPY YOU HAVE MADE ME FAT MAN.
Weis: Glad to have you on board. And just leave the rest of that deer thing here on the floor. Phyllis will clean it up.
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH TAKE WITH FOR SNACK. (Flies buzz around the deer.)
Weis: Fine. Just save some for me!
Tenuta: TAH-NOO-TAH ALWAYS SHARE WITH FRIEND!
Weis: I’m just kidding. Even I’m not touching that with a ten-foot pole, man.
Nextel: (CHIRP!) Seriously, Charlie! The wishbone! Just imagine it! And don’t forget Wii fit!
Weis: I’m taking that into consideration, Reg. Off to lunch!
Nextel: (CHIRP!) The Baked Lay’s this time, Charlie! The baked ones!
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