For those of you who may not know, the Politico Pulse is "Examining the latest in health care policy every weekday morning."
Anyways, they had a poll a few days ago and on Dec. 10, I was announced as one of the winners. I won a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
If only my student loan people took that as payment.
But here's the segment from the morning email:
PULSE WINNERS - Give GMU's John Powell and Katie Orrico at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons a big congrats next time you see them: Both came closest to guessing AHIP head Karen Ignagni's $1.85 million net income last year. We got quite the range of guesses, from $1.5 million upwards of eight-figures!
And seriously...who guessed upwards of eight figures?? Like the America's Health Insurance Plans' head would make at least $10,000,000...
Sorry my fellow political junkies, it has been a week of sports for me. I literally cannot count how many hours I've been on the road, but the odometer on my rental car is reading at more than 700 miles since I picked it up Wednesday. Since then, I have gone as north as the Verizon Center and as south as Lynchburg, Va.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas Just like the ones I used to know Where the treetops glisten, and children listen To hear sleigh bells in the snow And may all your Christmases be white
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright And may all your Christmases be white
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas With every Christmas card I write May your days be merry and bright
I got out my favorite Washington Redskins jacket, a sure sign of Christmas season.
I made fun of my friends who went Black Friday shopping while I was sleeping (I was sick, but I probably wouldn't have gone anyways).
I had family come in from out of town. Even though they won't be here for Christmas, it still counts.
And now, SNOW?? Maybe I won't have to dream of a white Christmas after all!
Here's USA Today's Forcast um..."opinion":
Meteorologists can't forecast more than three or four days ahead of time whether a particular place is likely to have snow on the ground on Christmas Day.
AccWeather.com has a less bleak prediction. JUST LOOK AT THEIR HEADLINE:
White Christmas Predicted for 50 Percent of the Country
For millions of people hoping for a white Christmas this year, AccuWeather.com Chief Long Range Forecaster Joe Bastardi has good news, especially for residents of the East.
Bastardi says that more than 50 percent of the contiguous U.S. may be covered with an inch or more of snow on Christmas Day, which is quite a feat considering the average coverage is usually between 25 and 35 percent.
I can't find a way to embed it, but there's a video at the bottom of the story found here.
So please Santa, bring that Snow with you. Christmas is at my house this year so I don't have to travel!
Senator Harry Reid, the Senate Majority Leader was in the lime light for his close race a few weeks ago. He won by a 55-45 margin, but the Nevada representative has a new cause.
He wants to LEGALIZE ONLINE POKER!
And you know what that means: we are that much closer to getting online sports betting back!
Here's the thing though: his constituency includes Las Vegas, the gambling center of the world. So some of the smaller casinos think this might not be a good idea.
The Associated Press reported
Casino executives in northern Nevada fear legalization of Internet poker will lead to more gambling online and steal away their customers, especially at smaller operations already hurting in Reno and rural areas.
I have friends that play these games online anyways, but the government makes it a pain because financial institutions are not allowed to fund accounts with money from gambling sites.
I don't care much for online poker. Computers can rig things, right? And poker seems pretty easy to do it with.
But I certainly would put up some money on sports. It can't be rigged by a computer and after working as media covering high school, college, and pro sports I think I'd do pretty well.
I just wouldn't bet on the Caps after their 3-game skid.
Here's the line on their game tonight from BetUS.com:
I work with The Junkies on 106.7 The Fan, who my friend and colleague Kyle Veater lovingly refers to as "gambling degerates."
That might be a bit far. I just don't see the problem. People say that it aids money laundering ... but then again a good money launderer can find another way. It's not exactly online gambling or bust.
So I'm all for it. Legalize! Legalize! (Online gambling...that's all for now...)
As I was writing the last post The Post just released this:
Redskins suspend Albert Haynesworth for the rest of the season
The Redskins have suspended defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth without pay for the next four games for "conduct detrimental to the club."
Coach Mike Shanahan said Haynesworth had informed him Monday, through General Manager Bruce Allen, that he would no longer speak with Shanahan.
Here's Grant Paulsen, whom I spoke with this morning on what happened. It is a direct quote from Shanny:
Despite the club’s numerous attempts to persuade Albert Haynesworth to abide by the terms of his contract, he has repeatedly refused to cooperate with our coaching staff in a variety of ways over an extended period of time. Among other things, he has consistently indicated to our defensive coaches that he refuses to play in our base defense or on first-down or second-down nickel situations. He has also refused to follow the instructions of our coaches both during weekly practices and during actual games as well. Yesterday, when Albert was at Redskin Park, he told our General Manager Bruce Allen that he [Haynesworth] would no longer speak with me. Although suspending any player is not a decision that a head coach enters into lightly, I believe the situation has reached the point where the club clearly has no alternative.
UPDATE: Now I feel like an idiot...look what just happened...
BACK TO THE ORIGINAL STORY:
In the saga that has continued since I was an intern over the summer, we are never without more drama. I have been listening to this since 5:30 a.m. so now you get a piece.
So here's chapter 53 of the 127-chapter saga that will be the Haynesworth-Redskins love story. Or maybe it's a children's story? I'm not quite sure...
Some history:
In Sunday's game against the division rival New York Giants (bleh), the "nose tackle" was inactive. "Why?" you ask? because he was ill. Right.
Comcast SportsNet's Kelli Johnson reported that the big man was out late Friday night and was hung over. Lucky him Friday, not so lucky on Sunday. (Also, this might explain the dehydration problems he was having)
And then he wanted to play! And the significant other in the lover's quarrel apparently decided he was too sick to play. According to Al, it was just a little flu.
So he did what any respectable member of a professional sports team would do: sought out the media. He found Kevin & Rock, who host a show at 106.7 The Fan DC, and agreed to an interview with them and Grant Paulsen on the air. The nearly half-hour rant can be found here, right above the photo gallery where he looks too excited to hold it in.
And some analysis:
After he was rolling around doing the worm against Philadelphia, I was a little upset. After hearing about this relationship for MONTHS, I was a little tired. After hearing this interview, I feel a little sorry for him. He's like a little kid that doesn't like the principal at his elementary school.
It seems to be a symbiotic relationship though. Shanny needs Albert and Albert needs Shanny for both to survive. THEY NEED EACH OTHER!
It's touching, really.
But with a 5-7 season (only a 4-game winning streak away from the playoffs!) I don't want a touching story. I want change. We can't get rid of the head coach. We can't get rid of Mr. 3-4 Haslett because we need to let the defense develop. And Danny Effing Snyder won't fire himself.
Sounds like Al's gotta go. Maybe it's not his fault (he sure doesn't think it is). Or maybe he should move to the decimated O-line. What do you think?
Over the last few months, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), has been looking around the world for countries that could host the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
Fox Sports even ran a convincing article on the USA 2022 bid, showing how hard it would be to vote against it.
George Mason University was one location looked at as a possible practice facility if the United States won the 2022 bid. The university's student media newspaper, Broadside, ran an article about it that can be seen here.
While England appeared to be a frontrunner, with the United States close behind for 2022, FIFA announced that Russia would host the 2018 Cup and Qatar would host the 2022 Cup:
While the announcement of Russia was a bit surprising, listen to the audience reaction and the reaction of the BBC commentator when Qatar was announced.
With the western world shunned by the committee, western countries have cried out that something is wrong with the governing body itself.
BBC Sport showed concern with the fact that England, Australia and the United States received a total of six votes between them in the first round even though they appeared to have the strongest bids. England was eliminated in the first round of 2018 bidding, Australia was eliminated in the first round of 2022 bidding, and the United States fell to Qatar in the final, fourth round of 2022 bidding.
England's 2018 bid chief executive has even called for the country to stop bidding until the process is reformed.
In a sporting event that brings the citizens of a country together and boosts nationality worldwide, the voting and bidding is taken as seriously as economic summits, like the one held in South Korea and executive elections.
Reform of the process might come, but it will definitely not come before Qatar, the smallest country to ever win a bid, works the bid in 2022.
Even Bill Clinton, the leader of the free world for eight years, could not convince the voters. But he has some thoughts on why our country lost.
Maybe Qatar really did give FIFA a way to say "here’s a good non-terrorist, non-bigoted way of embracing the modernization attempt of the Middle East," so he thinks.
But do we really have to go through the new TSA screening process in 2022 just to see a soccer game or two?
If you are from the area, you have already seen the Segway tours. Groups of people following somebody who is just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too excited about the Smithsonian Natural Portrait Gallery.
A bit odd, no?
But a shockwave is coming to the district and it has already begun to make a mark. (And I'm not talking about the rent-a-bicycle stations)
During Mid-November, Coulomb Technologies opened DC's first electric car charging station near 14th & U Northwest. You can read about the station here.
All this comes in light of President Obama's decision to get away from foreign oil. He wants cars to get 39 MPG by 2016.
One Maryland Energy Administration official has some thoughts in WUSA 9's story on the Chevy Volt:
This all brings me back to my first point. Electric cars are now being used in tours. Yuck. It's a good idea, but just look at the pictures from Bi-Partisan Tour Company:
[gallery link="file" columns="2"]
It's all a good idea. I for one don't want to pay $3.50 for a gallon of gas in my Dodge Charger that gets 18 MPG on a good day. And of course I live in NOVA, so it's all stop-and-go traffic. That helps soooo much.
