The Zak/Loy family’s resident golfer extraordinaire, Becky’s mom Ginny, is at Saint Simons Island, Georgia for the USGA Senior Women’s Amateur this weekend. The competition starts tomorrow. She tees off at 1:50 PM and is paired with Debbie Franco of Upland, CA and Claudeen Lindberg of Atlanta, GA. Ted is her caddy. :)

There are 132 golfers in the tournament. There will be two days of stroke play, 36 holes total, tomorrow and Sunday, and then the top 64 players will advance to match play starting Monday.

Ginny qualified for this tournament on September 6 at Silverleaf Country Club in Snottsdale Scottsdale :) by shooting an 85; click here and scroll about halfway down the page (or just do a “Find” for “Ginny Zak”) to see her in the qualifying results.

The Goodyear blimp is here for the Stanford game?? And on the Friday before, no less! Predicted scores, anyone? … Anyway, Becky and I are off to Buffalo. (Shuffling off, if you will.)

Majority Watch has an incredibly useful interactive map showing all the competitive House districts from sea to shining sea, and who is winning them, according to the latest polls. The site predicts, as of today, a 2-seat Democratic majority.

Hat tip: Mickey Kaus, who also notes the fascinating rise (maybe) of a “Secret Dem” vote:

Secretly Blue: Michael Barone has noticed that Tennessee Democratic Senate candidate Harold Ford does better in robopolls, which use a recorded voice to ask questions, than in regular polls where respondents talk to an actual person. This, Instapundit speculates, gives the lie to the idea that voters

are telling pollsters they’ll support Ford over [his GOP opponent Bob] Corker in order not to sound racist but [will] vote for Corker in the privacy of the ballot box. [E.A.]

A robopoll, Instap. notes, is supposed to minimize this Political Correctness Error because fewer people will embarrassed in front of a machine. A machine isn’t going to call them “racist.”

But then why the difference in the polls? Maybe a new and different kind of PC error is at work–call it Red State Solidarity Error. Voters in Tennessee don’t want to admit in front of their conservative, patriotic fellow citizens that they’ve lost confidence in Bush and the GOPs in the middle of a war on terror and that they’re going to vote for the black Democrat. They’re embarrassed to tell it to a human pollster. But talking to a robot–or voting by secret ballot–is a different story. A machine isn’t going to call them “weak.” …

If Red State Solidarity Error exists, it means Dems might do a bit better than the non-robo polls indicate–not just in Tennessee, but in other states where the dominant culture is proudly conservative.

On a somewhat related note, has anybody else here in Michiana seen the Chris Chocola ad (actually, I think it was technically an NRCC ad) linking Joe Donnelly to Nancy Pelosi? Naturally, their faces were in black-and-white, and sinister music played as the announcer explained that a vote for Donnelly is a vote for Pelosi. I saw it the other day, and I thought it was politically brilliant — along the same lines as Clinton’s “Dole-Gingrich” strategy in 1996. If the Republicans aren’t running ads like that in every competitive district in the country, they’re dumb.

P.S. Drudge is clearly on board with the Pelosi Strategy:

Every time Pelosi gets facetime, an angel gets its wings Republicans get more votes!

Democrats are all worried that Republicans will win the election by using fear of terrorism as a bludgeon with which to scare the American people. But they’re overlooking an equally potent weapon in the GOP arsenal that Rove & co. can use without being condemned for “politicizing” the war on terror: fear of Pelosi. Nobody can object to “politicizing Pelosi” — she’s fair game! It’s not Rove’s fault the Democrats have an incredibly unappealing House leader.

P.P.S. Before anyone jumps down my throat: the problem with Pelosi isn’t that she’s a woman. It’s that she’s Pelosi! She’s a Bay Area liberal whose face, at least when the cameras are on, could scare small children.

Irish Round Table says Notre Dame fans should “feel free to root for UDub”:

ND Fans, we don’t need to say anything. We made the right decision and now we have the right man for the job. Nothing Willingham does from here on out will change that. He failed. He failed miserably. If he has success at UDub, good for him. That won’t change the fact that he failed at Notre Dame.

So relax, grab a beer, sit back, and watch Washington football. Their success/failure has no impact on the future of Notre Dame football.

No matter how successful Washington is, Notre Dame still made the right decision. I know it, you know it, and those who don’t know it, don’t matter.

I agree. Firing Willingham was the right decision. That said, I hope he succeeds at Washington. The Huskies are, after all, my second-favorite team in the Pac-10, thanks to David. Anyway, I don’t see any contradiction between believing that Notre Dame made the right choice, and hoping that Ty does well at UW.

P.S. On an unrelated note, Every Day Should Be Saturday looks at the impact of college football’s new clock rules in reducing teams’ total points. The post’s title: “FEWER POINTS? JUST WHAT THE SEC NEEDED.” Heh. Continuing on that theme, he predicts that next year’s LSU-Auburn game will be “a 3-2 final decided by a 65 yard field goal.” :)

The rumored North Korean nuclear test could happen as soon as this weekend.

Oh, that’ll be good: I’ll be celebrating the joyous union of Marissa and Keith in wedded bless, when suddenly, I’ll get a CNN breaking-news alert, a BBC breaking-news alert, a Drudge siren alert, and several other cell-phone text-message bulletins, all telling me that Kim Taepodong Il has blown a gasket, again, and this time a mushroom cloud was involved. Even on silent mode, the phone still blinks… it’ll be hard enough not checking the USC and Notre Dame scores, without wondering what all the flashing lights are about…

Seriously, I hope this world is a bit more peaceful and less scary by the time Logan and his peers (Generation 300,000,000?) inherit it. Alas, I can’t say I’m terribly optimistic on that point.

Remember that guy who didn’t kill JonBenet Ramsey, even though he said he did? Well, now the child porn charges against him are being dropped, too. “I don’t think this case should have ever been brought, based on the evidence,” said Karr’s attorney Rob Amparan. “I feel tired, relieved, happy for my client and for justice.” He had the good sense not to add, “…and for the children.”

Hockey season got underway Wednesday, with the Sabres beating the Hurricanes in an OT shootout in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. So far, so good. Bfloblog previews Buffalo’s season and picks the Sabres to win the Eastern Conference. Let’s go, Buffalo!

I blogged previously about the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement that Indiana has more potential terrorist targets than any other state in the Union. Well, now fellow NDLSer Kevin sends along this YouTube version of a hilarious August Daily Show segment about that rather ridiculous (un)reality. See for yourself:

Kanka is previewing the Stanford game, and is worried about the Cardinal breaking out their secret weapon: Ninjas. Heh.

Personally, I’m going to agree with The Blue-Gray Sky’s assessment: Stanford “would probably lose to Oaks Christian.” Honestly, if Notre Dame doesn’t win by at least four touchdowns and/or hang 50 on the Cardinal, I’ll be disappointed. (And the gamblers agree: the Irish are favored by 30 points.)

Says Rakes of Mallow: “It’s unbelievable how bad Stanford is this year. I know I’m just setting myself up for a 400-yard, 5 TD day from Trent Edwards that embarrasses everyone associated with the Irish, but they are awful. If we don’t get a [peek] at James Aldridge or one of the frosh quarterbacks (unless Charlie plans on redshirting both Zach and Demetrius), it’s not a good day.”

Becky and I will be in Buffalo, and probably won’t even be watching on TV (because of Marissa and Keith’s wedding), so if it’s not a good day, you can’t blame Becky. Not that you would anyway — the Curse is over.

GO IRISH! BEAT FARM!

Awwwwwwwwwwww:

(Full image here.)

Well, Drudge isn’t always right, but he also isn’t always wrong, so this siren is at least worth a mention:

CLAIM: FILTHY FOLEY ONLINE MESSAGES WERE PAGE PRANK GONE AWRY

**World Exclusive**
**Must Credit the DRUDGE REPORT**

According to two people close to former congressional page Jordan Edmund, the now famous lurid AOL Instant Message exchanges that led to the resignation of Mark Foley were part of an online prank that by mistake got into the hands of enemy political operatives, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal… Developing…

It seems rather implausible to me that Foley would have resigned if he wasn’t guilty. At worst, I’m guessing this is a case of “fake but accurate” (i.e., Foley really did have a history of inappropriate contact with underage pages, but the particular IMs in question were a “prank” making fun of that history). But that’s pure speculation on my part. Anyway, we link, you deride. Let the flame-war begin continue!

UPDATE: More:

According to one Oklahoma source who knows the former page very well, Edmund, a conservative Republican, goaded Foley to type embarrassing comments that were then shared with a small group of young Hill politicos. The prank went awry when the saved IM sessions got into the hands of political operatives favorable to Democrats. This source, an ally of Edmund, also adamantly proclaims that the former page is not a homosexual. The prank scenario was confirmed by a second associate of Edmund.

Now, wait just a minute. “Goaded” him into typing the comments? What the heck does that mean? Was Foley in on the “prank”? Or was he “goaded” only in the sense that these pages were getting him to type “embarrassing” pederastic comments that reflect his true nature? If the latter, this is almost a non-story. It might have some bearing on the thoroughness of ABC’s investigation, but not on the depravity of Foley’s conduct. This is not a court of law, so “entrapment” is not a defense. If Foley was telling teenage pages that they make him horny, and he meant it (as opposed to merely goofing around as some sort of “prank” that he was “in on”), then he’s a sick man, regardless of whether those pages egged him on. (And if he was merely goofing around, then he’s criminally stupid and should have resigned for that reason alone.)

UPDATE 2: Drudge adds: “The prank scenario only applies to the Edmund IM sessions and does not necessarily apply to any other exchanges between the former congressman and others.”

Notre Dame today announced a $24.7 million renovation of the Joyce Center. The goal, according to Her Loyal Sons, is “to give it more of a ‘big time college’ feel and less of a ‘this isn’t bad for a Single-A Midwestern Highschool’ feel.” Heh.

Personally, I think spending $24.7 million on the JACC is sort of like dropping five grand to repair an ‘81 Honda. (”How dare you?”) Why not just buy a new car? Really, it seems like this money would be better spent on, I dunno, building something newer, bigger, and better. The Joyce Center’s only redeeming quality, IMHO, is that it kinda looks like a pair of boobs.

Anyway, here are some details on the planned interior changes:

• New, blue chair back seating from top to bottom of the arena, including all-new upper-arena sections. All seating will be replaced in the lower bowl (including platform seats), and the wooden bleachers in the upper bowl will be removed and replaced with treads and risers and permanent arena seats. The exchange of the bleacher sections for chair back seats will change the capacity from the current 11,418 to approximately 9,800.
• A stadium club/hospitality area (approximately 16,500 square feet) in the south end of the arena, with a separate, private entry and with premium club seating for nearly 800 fans (that figure is part of the projected 9,800 capacity). Included in this area will be food service and restroom facilities.
• New, fixed concession areas.
• Increased numbers of women’s restrooms.
• Increased handicapped seating options.

Wait, so let me get this straight… there are going to be fewer seats — 1,600 fewer, in fact — and they’re not adding a jumbotron or anything cool like that. But, hey… women’s restrooms. How exciting.

Exterior changes include:

• A new, two-story addition on the south end of the current structure. The second floor area will include the stadium club/hospitality area. The first-floor addition will include almost 4,500 square feet for ticket offices (including four exterior and 10 interior tickets windows), 3,000 square feet for the varsity shop, as well as a completely new main entrance and lobby situated between Gates 8 and 10. The new entrance will feature graphics and theming that highlight Notre Dame’s competing athletic programs.

“Graphics and theming that highlight Notre Dame’s competing athletic programs”? Where do I sign up for season tickets?

[/sarcasm]

I’m willing to reconsider if someone can convince me, but at first blush, I’m saying this is extremely lame. $24.7 million for women’s restrooms, better concession stands and 1,600 fewer seats at the JACC? Why don’t they give Mike Brey a 10-year contract extension while they’re at it? Cripes.

“Unless the Ohio State-Michigan and Louisville-West Virginia games are wiped out by meteors, I don’t see how ND can make it into the top two in the BCS, even with a season-ending win at Southern Cal.” –The Blue-Gray Sky

P.S. Speaking of the BCS, Auburn’s coach is already convinced he’s going to get screwed — again. And while I agree with him about the need for a playoff (and I strongly stuck up for Auburn in 2004), I’m just saying that, if he hadn’t scheduled Arkansas State, Tulane and Buffalo in his nonconference schedule, and if his conference-mates hadn’t done similarly, maybe then his conference wouldn’t be ranked behind the Pac-10 in the computer polls. (Hat tip: Heisman Pundit.) As it stands, however, he kind of screwed himself over. Although, I realize OOC schedules are made years in advance, and maybe the Auburn braintrust thought Buffalo would be a BCS contender by 2006. Right… ;)

In light of the recent anti-terror law passed by the Congress, I’ve a sinking suspicion that our leaders must have failed civics. In terms of bad laws, well, this one takes the cake for worst ever passed. (Yes, I include Alien and Sedition Acts of 1789.) Why? Let’s do a thought experiment. I find that pushing things out to the maximum allowable letter of the law a good way to see if it is really something we want. Why? Because inevitably someone will come along and do it. We have checks and balances to limit power and constrain the actions of our leaders because power without constraint leads on to the actions of dictators and kings etc.

So what could someone do with this law and the presidency if they really wanted to?

(more…)

Click for a full-size image.

Following up on yesterday’s post, I finally have some more information on the 300 millionth American*, the unbearably adorable Logan. His full name is Logan Denis Wanecski (middle name is for Shannon’s dad), he was born at 5:10 PM yesterday, he weighed in at 7 pounds 6 ounces, and he’s 20.5 inches long/tall.

*Demographers be damned! They say “toe-MAY-toh,” I say “toe-MAH-toh” … they say “mid-October,” I say “Wanecski”! Bottom line, Logan is far too cute not to be a landmark, history-making baby of some sort. And if I can declare a punter the player of the week, then gosh darn it, I can declare Logan to be Baby #300,000,000! :)

Here’s a picture of Logan and his proud papa, PJ:

Click for a full-size image.

AWWWW!!!

No pics yet of Logan and his proud mama, but you can bet I’ll take some when I’m in Buffalo this weekend. :)

Anyway, two more cute Logan pictures (a redundant phrase, really) after the jump.

(more…)