BK has left the building, Next Man Up.

"Brian Kelly could have been a legend at UC."

And what will he be if he turns around Notre Dame? If he doesn't I can tell you he will be 20 million dollars richer.

Lets be honest, who didn't see this move coming, BK staying in Cincy, get real. He was larger than life here, of course we all wanted him to stay, but he is gone. The saying in the N.F.L. goes when a player is injured or coach leaves, "Next man up."

I cannot find one good reason to support BK staying in Cincinnati, lets take an in depth look:

Notre Dame is a Bentley, UC a lexus, both nice but clearly different. The money BK will receive in his new contract will be substantially more than before. Tell me you wouldn't do the same job for three times the dough.....and if you believe Notre Dame football is dead, again tell me you wouldn't do the same job for three times the money at a lousy company!!

Notre Dame played in the Sugar Bowl in 2007, they got crushed by LSU. Their record before being selected, 10-2.....compared to a perfect season, it doesn't take close to as much to get to the big dance through Notre Dame. Their clout is huge, TV Network, 8 home games a year, and my favorite; if Notre Dame finishes in the top 8 of BCS teams, they are automatically selected to a BCS game. If they finish in the top 12, they are considered for a BCS spot. Notre Dame now receives $4.5 million for playing in a BCS game and $1 million when they do not (Wiki).

So finishing 12th in the country with Notre Dame = Sugar Bowl, WOW! UC had to go undefeated, a loss to Pittsburgh would have put us in the Car Care Bowl which gives the participating teams free oil changes in the bowl gift package.

So now that money, legendary status, and having an easier path to a BCS game have been cleared up, why should BK have stayed? To become the Joe Pa of Cincy? But he has a shot to become the Joe Pa of South Bend and if not he can start his own bank when he is fired.

Was he dirty in telling the players?...maybe. He waited for the banquet, the first team meeting since the Pitt game, so this is debatable, and he didn't "officially," announce to the media he was staying in Cincinnati....so now that he is gone, yelling at him for back stabbing is paltry.

So he didn't commend UC initially for getting him to this stage. Again something I am not going to delve into...if this is really a gripe (and your not on the football team) then your just bitter. Kudos to the players who will take their anger out on Florida!

The bottom line is this, BK is gone, if you didn't see it coming then perhaps you were a bit naive. Be happy for him and hope he ends up like Rich Rodriguez or Mark Dantonio (anyone remember him). Meanwhile put faith in Mike Thomas to hire another outstanding coach, keep Kerry Combs on the staff, and make this program like a Utah football or a Xavier basketball.

So before we bash the man that gave us two spectacular seasons of football, put yourself in his boots. The next coach will be leaving as well, we want to be a destination, but lets be real....if only that kick would have sailed wide.........

The News Record - Blame should lie with US politicians - 4

The News Record - Blame should lie with US politicians - 4

The News Record - State of the economy hard to determine

The News Record - State of the economy hard to determine

Whats theory got to Do with it......

Have you ever been in a class and felt as if you were on top of the material only to realize at some quick moment you were completely lost? Professor, back turned for a solid hour and fifteen minutes, dubiously writing on the dry erase board. You trying to scratch down notes, and then getting hit with the fact that you missed something and stopping to ask about it only means your going to be worse off.

Well today was one of those days for me. After deliberately trying to succeed in a class of mine for the last two weeks, I realized a good 8 minutes in today that I have no shot at staying awake in this class for the rest of the quarter. The problem; only 4 people are taking the class! Not to mention these other 3 scholars are smart and I am the fat kid on the tube, being pulled slowly by a boat of mathematical whizzes.

My problem is not that I am behind, but rather that my professor seems to enjoy the material way to much to understand he needs to stop writing on that white board, and start explaining some theory. My other problem is that at the end of the day, what we are learning is nothing but theory, and now I have a new theory = If you take this class and others like it, you will not get a job or meet anyone because you'll be too busy trying to understand what the hell is going on.

Above I have posted a little snippet or sample if you will of a days notes for everyone to enjoy, did I mention of our last homework assignment, about 20 total pages of loose leaf was turned in among us four students, one page (front and back) was mine.....you do the math.

Sex during bad economy complicated, News Record Column

A sour economy provides interesting twists in social behavior, with the latest fascination of many media outlets being the rise in condom sales during the recession.

Theories for this rise include sex drive being immune to the recession, at-home entertainment being cheaper than out-of-home entertainment and an increased rationality about having an extra dependant in the budget, said William Saletan of Slate magaine.

But what really constitutes the rise in condom sales? For one, condoms are cheaper than birth control pills; 23 percent of women are having a harder time affording birth control, according to a Washington Post survey.

The problem there exists with reliability: Statistically, condoms are a tad more risky than birth control, but is that extra risk worth the extra cost of birth control?

Let?s be clear: More condom sales does not necessarily translate to more sex.
?In this economy, even sex doesn?t sell,? said The Los Angeles Times in reference to plummeting profits of Nevada brothels.

It?s also worth noting adult entertainment mogul Larry Flint did request a government bailout, even though his industry, as he puts it, is ?in no fear of collapse.?

Sex may be a cheap form of entertainment, but stress and other factors specific to each couple probably determine the sex drive.

Couples are looking to save money now, so they purchase the cheapest method of preventing pregnancy. Increased use and sales of protection could also be tied to the expense of raising children.

Having one more child can put a middle class home down a rung on the financial ladder. Not only is the amount of time a burden, but the cost of education is huge. We do not need extra hands on the farm today; the return of investment on a child is far less than ever.

Parents are decreasingly relying on their children to take care of them into old age, so why would having many children be a top priority? What once was just one extra mouth to feed in exchange for 10 years of labor has now become a huge expense with no financial benefits.

The estimated cost of raising a child born in 2007 to the age of 18 soared from about $25,000 in 1960 to $205,000, according to the Time magazine article, ?Million dollar babies.?

And that does not include a college education, which, if paid for by parents, can make children even more expensive.

People make quick, intuitive decisions: Buying condoms in the short term is cheap compared to the little bit of extra risk added by switching from birth control. But, the increase in sales could also be a result of how expensive children have become.

More couples could be purchasing protection that were not before and spending a tad more in the short term to avoid a huge cost for life.

Our generation will most likely continue the trend of fewer children per couple. We will use more protection as a result of an extra bill our parents may not have had: the college loan payment.

Thousands of variables can be used to measure a difference in couple?s love lives, but too much complexity is a weakness.

Almost everyone measures cost-benefit in the blink of an eye, and in one blink the cost of contraception compared to the cost of a child could easily cause the 5 percent increase in condom sales for last quarter.

Where Do We Draw the Line?

After the election of 1800, Aaron Burr wanted to continue practicing law while holding the title of Vice President of the United States, he was not allowed by Thomas Jefferson. Imagine the poor fellow who would be defending someone or something against the Vice President of the United States. The office is held in high regard and surely no jury would go against the Vice President in a court decision.

Today, the President of the United States wrote (or had someone write) an article in the New York Times, "Why We Need Health Care Reform." Currently sitting as the number two read article in the paper and soon to be number one.

Does anyone else find it appalling that the president can use his office in order to deliberately sway the public after being elected? There has to be as John Goodman in the film The Big Lebowski mentions, "a line in the sand".......could anyone not in favor of the Presidents health care reform get an article published this week in the New York Times rebuking the President?

It is bad enough to see the millions of dollars thrown around for competing advertisements and graft among senators. Does the president also have to participate? If so, may he be called the King and addressed as "his highness?" The power of the office is a great army to confront. This army of sway power much like Aaron Burr's in a court room in 1801 should not be allowed.