Some not so random thoughts for the day

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@BDaddyLiberator #Pac12 cannibalizes itself again, tho if OR can't beat Stanford's ground & pound, sure as hell aren't going 2 beat Tide's

— Dean R. Riehm (@deanriehm) November 8, 2013

For the 3rd straight year, the lower-ranked team in this now-rivalry ended the BCS title hopes of the higher-ranked team as Stanford dominated the undefeated Oregon Ducks, 26-20, in a game not nearly as close as the score would suggest (2 years ago, it was the Ducks who dashed Stanford's title hopes).


Same ol' Oregon


Every year, we hear about how Oregon is going to be more physical at the line of scrimmage and every year we see them get pushed around at the point of attack by an Auburn, LSU or Stanford. Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio brought up an interesting point earlier this morning by noting that Oregon did not just lose a game they lost the argument. That argument being the benefit of the doubt when it comes to evaluating Oregon for the BCS title game or next year in the four-team playoff format against teams with identical records. If, say, next year the 4th and last spot comes down to a one-loss Duck team and a one-loss LSU Tiger team, who do you think is going to get the benefit of the doubt?


As self-professed West Coast homers, it pains us to admit it: the die has been cast and a team that is physically dominant up on both the defensive and offensive lines, like an LSU, is going to get the nod. Stanford, last night, merely confirmed what we see each and every year with this Oregon team and that is, at some point, you are going to have to grind out 3rd and shorts with the running game by being physical up front and that simply isn't in the Oregon football program DNA (Stanford's Tyler Gaffney's 45 carry/157 yards was the very definition of grinding).





The feds being who they are, are going after a product that is already frowned-upon:

Heart-clogging trans fats were once a staple of the American diet, plentiful in baked goods, microwave popcorn and fried foods. Now, mindful of the health risks, the Food and Drug Administration is getting rid of what's left of them for good.

Condemning artificial trans fats as a threat to public health, the FDA announced Thursday it will require the food industry to phase them out.

Manufacturers already have eliminated many trans fats, responding to criticism from the medical community and to local laws. Even so, the FDA said getting rid of the rest _ the average American still eats around a gram of trans fat a day _ could prevent 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths each year.

It won't happen right away. The agency will collect comments for two months before determining a phase-out timetable. Different foods may have different schedules, depending how easy it is to find substitutes.

(italics, ours)

http://t.co/CO96gowpHl @BDaddyLiberator Isn't banning trans fats akin to banning plasma TVs?

— Dean R. Riehm (@deanriehm) November 7, 2013

California did just that a year or two ago and it left us scratching our head as plasma T.V.s had effectively been banned not by legislation buy by technological obsolescence. Who even made plasmas anymore? That technology had been left behind years ago superceded first by LCD and then LED technology. Such is the speed of emerging technology and correspondingly that of the regulatory regime that they were getting around to doing something about a problem that was made extinct by two successful tech innovations.


It would appear that trans fats are in the same category as plasmas. They are going by the boards due to public health pressure and advances in dietary technology. The free market is working so why does a regulatory beak need to be stuck into matters?



Totally related: We purchased a 42" Samsung plasma hi-def television 9 years ago for... $4,500.


Now check out today's Friday Fry's ad:

We're not quite sure how we're going to do it but we want to work the above phenomena into the broader "increasing income inequality" discussion that is predominant in many socio-political circles and it would be along the lines of increasing consumer buyin power.


We may ask for the assistance of B-Daddy of The Liberator Today who is far more versed in these areas than we are.



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