September 11 as a national holiday? No way!

I see a lot of polls gets posted on Facebook that ask a wide range of questions. Should Michael Vick be allowed to play in the NFL? Who are you voting for President? Do you like the new Facebook?

The other day one caught my eye; Should September 11 be a national holiday?

The responses I was seeing from some of my friends and former classmates startled me as I was overwhelmed at the number of people that said yes, we should recognize September 11 as a national holiday.

I could not disagree more with this idea. Let me start by looking at the definition of the word "holiday"...

"A day of festivity or recreation when no work is done." What more do I really need to say? On a day in which the whole country was forced to come to a screeching halt due to a cowardly act of terror and the only people left to do any work were the police, fire fighters, and medical teams, people seriously believe the best way to honor their courageous actions is by taking a day off to enjoy your picnics?

If anything these heroes fought to keep our lives as normal as possible. The country should not stand idle so you can go to the mall and take advantage of September 11 holiday one-day deals. To me a holiday should be a joyous occasion, as the above definition suggests.

Of course I have no quarrels with memorials or monuments in honor of the dreadful day. By all means, honor those who lost their lives and families. Pay tribute to those who volunteered their time to help in any way they could. But do not think for one second that you should get a day off from work or school.

September 11 is a time to remember and memorialize. I hope you do so in your own way today.

Read more...

In memoriam: September 11

Today of course is the anniversary of a day that I will never forget.

I want to post this to let you know that I have a few posts scheduled to go online today. I usually try to do one post on September 11, but I am trying something new this year. This morning I have set up a few scheduled posts to coincide with the timing of some of the major events that unfolded that dreadful day.

You may also notice the interactive timeline at the top of the page. you are encouraged to explore that today. It will only be up for today.

I invite you to share your thoughts about September 11 at any time on any post that is posted today.

Never forget.

Read more...

Back2School Laptop-a-Day Sweepstakes

For most students class is already back in session but that does not mean that it is too late to invest in a new laptop computer. I have been working almost exclusively on a laptop computer for the better part of the last two months and I honestly do not know how I got through my college days without one now.

There a few days left in the Laptop-a-Day Sweepstakes, sponsored by Charter, a company that recently gave way big HD screen televisions away on a daily basis through a similar contest. September 15 is the last day so be sure to enter yourself today! Winners will get an HP 550 Notebook 15-inch with Windows Vista and a NeoTec Compu Backpack. In addition there are a number of consolation prizes including a wide range of gift cards to clothing stores, restaurants, home stores and more.

Now is as good a time to pick up a free laptop as any, as if there was a bad time. The best part is that you do not need to be a student to be eligible to win so everybody should be entering this contest in the final days. Go ahead! I know I just did and I am working on a brand new MacBook Pro. So should I win this I will likely let my wife use it for her own laptop. Sure it will be a PC but I would think she would be ok with that since it is free.

Visit Charter.com/laptop to register today and to view the complete rules, a list of winners, details on the notebook computer and more. For more check out Charter on Facebook and Charter on Twitter.

Good luck! Let me know if you win! And feel free to spread the word about this contest. Remember, it ends on Tuesday!

Read more...

Kevin's Six Pack of Picks

Note: I am posting these picks a day early due to tomorrow being September 11 and having some special posts scheduled for tomorrow (and thus paying respect to the day) and the NFL season gets started tonight, even though I did not pick the game.

Ladies and gentlemen, the NFL hath returned to the area of competition.

This week the six pack of picks gets into full gear with three college games and three NFL games, plus a suicide pick. What is a suicide pick? Each week I will pick one NFL team to win their game and I will continue doing so on a weekly basis until I guess a game wrong. I must pick a different team from week to week and I may not pick a team more than once.

This should be a good one for the first official Football Friday here on the site.

#5 Penn State (1-0) vs. Syracuse (0-1)
Do you remember the last time Syracuse visited Penn State? Don't feel bad because I don't either. Syracuse makes their first trip to Beaver Stadium since 1990. Penn State won that meeting by a 27-21 score. Something tells me it will not be quite as close this time around.

I go into more detail on this game on my preview at Examiner, but I will say that I am picking the Nittany Lions.

Shippensburg (1-1) vs. Lock Haven (0-1)
The Red Raiders from the Cumberland Valley picked up a surprising win on the road last week against former PSAC West rival Edinboro. The Scots were ranked #15 in the country until Shippensburg picked up their first win of the season. This week Shippensburg should pick up an easy win as Lock Haven comes to town.

Lock Haven may want to make their trip to Shippensburg worth it and stop at the Sheetz on King Street before they leave. I recommend the sausage and egg shmuffin with cheddar cheese and pepperoni. Trust me.

#7 Ohio State (1-0) vs. #3 USC (1-0)
It does not take a genius to realize that this is the game of the week in college football. Ohio State looks for revenge against the Trojans after being humiliated in Los Angeles a year ago. The Buckeyes have a lot to prove for themselves as well after last week's somewhat lackadaisical performance against Navy. The Trojans have the talent to show up and beat whoever they play wherever they play.

But I am on record as saying Ohio State wins this game and I will stand by that prediction, although I am not nearly as confident about it as I was two weeks ago.

Carolina Panthers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
I think the Eagles are going to have an explosive year on offense, but their defense remains a huge question mark for me. This week's season opener just does not have a good feeling for me either. The Eagles have traditionally been a poor opening day team under Andy Reid (except for the pickle juice game, last year's blow out of the Rams and a certain Eagles regular season debut for Terrell Owens), and the Panthers are always a tough team at home. I think my cousin Ben will be happy to know that I am picking his Panthers to start the season 1-0.

Houston Texans vs. New York Jets
The greatest quarterback in the NFL not named Tom Brady (did you hear he is back this season) or Peyton Manning will lead the Texans to the playoffs this season. Matt Schaub (of West Chester East High School of course) will get the playoff journey off on the right foot with a season opening win against the Jets, who have USC alum Mark Sanchez at the helm. As a fan of Penn State football I want to see the Texans defense squash Sanchez.

Schaub will also throw for 400 yards, five touchdowns and run for another...before halftime.*

Atlanta Falcons vs.Miami Dolphins
Both the Falcons and Dolphins were fun teams to watch have success last season, but this year only the Falcons will take a step forward. Matt Ryan will lead the Falcons back to the playoffs this year with an NFC South title in his back pocket while the Dolphins will try to expand on the success of the Wildcat formation until they overuse it and opposing teams realize how to stop it.

The Falcons, right now, are just a better team than the Dolphins, and that thought will be tested on Sunday. Falcons win.

NFL SUICIDE PICK
Dallas Cowboys
I do not think the Cowboys will be much of anything to watch this season but there are a few reasons why you should pick the Cowboys this week. First, they are playing perhaps the worst team in the NFC in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While I do not normally suggest going with a road team in a suicide pick, especially in week one, this week is just too good of a time to use the Cowboys. Tony Romo will have a wild first few games and draw the annual comparisons to a younger Brett Favre and against Tampa Bay he can get a good game in before the middle October portion of the season starts to turn on him.


* I fully acknowledge that wild predictions like that ruin any form of credibility, but Schaub can do that to you.

Read more...

Contest giving away free iPod Touch and MacBooks!

Want to win a free iPod touch or MacBook? Sure you do! Trust me, you do. Here is your chance to do so, and it is really easy so why not give it a shot with this Netfirms contest?

You send a Direct Message to Netfirms via Twitter asking us to register a domain name for you. If the domain name is available we will register it for you and automatically add it to your existing Netfirms Control Panel and bill to your current billing profile. The only prerequisite is that you add your Twitter username to your Netfirms Control Panel. Please visit our tutorial with full details on setting yourself up for domain registration via Twitter. The instructions should be completed once only and you’re good to go after that.

1. Log in to your Twitter account (You can use any of the available Twitter apps)
2. Send a dm to @netfirms with the following: reg mynewdomain.com
3. We will confirm by replying to you via dm at which point the domain will be added to your Netfirms Control Panel. The domain is now ready to be used.

Good luck! Also you can enter their contest by retweeting this tweet from me. If you win, let me know! I'd love to hear a success story!

Read more...

Allen Iverson to the Memphis Grizzlies?

I'm sorry but this just is not right.

Allen Iverson is going to play with the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Sixers are going nowhere. They should have made an offer to Iverson to play out his final days, especially with the Phillies, Eagles, and Flyers all making big moves themselves in the past couple months.

I mean, I guarantee I would be more interested in the Sixers if Iverson had returned. Wouldn't you?

Good luck to Iverson with Memphis.

Read more...

NFL (Fantasy) Football (Pool Tracking) Returns!

Welcome back to the NFL. How I didn't really miss you.

Who am I kidding? I am glad the NFL is back and it all kicks off tonight with Kerry Collins and his Tennessee Titans visiting the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

As the season is hours from getting underway I thought I would let you know that I am participating in both a fantasy league with some very fine Philly sports bloggers and in a weekly football pool through my dad's office. As I attempted to do last year I will be tracking my football progress on a weekly basis and be sharing my results with you right here. I will also try to mix in my fantasy football team's progress if I can.

To get it all started I will let you know that I have officially picked Pittsburgh to win tonight, although I will be rooting for the Titans. Collins is a personal favorite and I do not care for the Steelers as I do not believe in this recent trend to support them just because they are from my state.

Read more...

You're invited to a hot party

Have you ever been to a party like this? I can honestly say that I have not and I do not regret it. Don't get me wrong, I have taken in a good party or two or three in my time, but nothing quite like truTV's Rehab, that's for darn sure.

I am no stranger to rehab television shows, as I have watched just about every episode of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew on VH1. Rehab on truTV (Tuesdays at 10pm EST) looks to be rehab on spring break, so I can not imagine how anyone could actually receive treatment in such an environment. First of all this "rehab" takes place at a Hard Rock Hotel, so what exactly do you think is going on there?

Here's a look at the show's description;

Go behind the scenes of Rehab, the hottest party in the world’s sexiest city. Get an inside look at how security and staff indulge big-spending customers but still keep the chaos under control. This season, the scene at the pool is even hotter with celebrity performances, more partiers and new Rehab staffers trying to learn the ropes. Plus, competition from neighboring hotel pool parties and the pressure to keep sales up during this troubled economy has everyone trying to keep Rehab the biggest and best party on the Vegas Strip.

Oh! Ok, now we are talking! Rehab in Las Vegas sounds like a lost cause to me, someone who has never been to Las Vegas, but it seems this is more of a behind the scenes look at the hotel management than it is a possibly misleading rehab show. Suddenly to me this show seems interesting as it is no longer a reality show, but a real life documentary type program...with loads of drunk people by a pool.

I would be interested in seeing how security deals with out of control party animals, especially some of the muscled out hotheads that I am sure are abundant at the most happening pool party.

Sadly (maybe not), I may never find myself with such a wild bunch. Oh the shame and humility I face not associating with these kind of people.

If anybody has seen this show yet I would be interested to hear what you have to say about it. Go ahead and leave a comment below. Also, feel free to answer this question; what is the hottest party you have ever been too?

Read more...

[Video] 8-bit Trip combines classic games and LEGO with a beat

What do you get when you combine a remix of classic 8-bit video game sounds and LEGO? Only the greatest music video ever created!

I discovered this video via Fascinating LEGO Model of the Day. Here is what they say the background story on this video is...

"To promote their song "8-bit trip", the Swedish band Rymdreglage decided to put together a BrickFilm as the music video for the song. It wound up being a pretty spectacular BrickFilm, very craftsmenlike in it's use of bricks and plates to create something of high-resolution look. One moment we're seeing a large sculpture build itself, the next we're seeing flawless mosaics animate a scene (or render various classic video game characters). Technically proficient and animated in a more professional manner than most BrickFilms I've seen, this one's a winner just on the merits as a LEGO creation, before you factor in how well the video game references work."

Fine job. How many classic video games can you pick out from this video?

Read more...

Penn State vs. Akron Links

Penn State football is back and the 2009 season has all of the ingredients to be another memorable one. Kick-off is set for just after noon today so take some time to get caught up on all of the material I have had leading up to this game.

Preview: #8 Penn state (0-0) vs. Akron (0-0) - Includes my official prediction in video form!
Week One Big Ten Predictions (also on Nittany White Out)
Six Pack of Picks

Thursday College Football Musings (also on Nittany White Out)
College Football Fever Hits Philadelphia (guest post on Phinally Philly)
Blue White Roundtable
Who will have the better year, Daryll Clark or Terrelle Pryor?

I'll be posting a game recap on Examiner soon after the conclusion of today's game.

Read more...

I told you so

Maybe my Temple over Villanova prediction stumbled on the hideous turf of Lincoln Financial Field short of the end-zone, but my thoughts on the Boise State-Oregon game were spot on.

Before the Thursday night meeting between the two top 25 schools took place I tweeted the following...

Uhh, I was right about the bitter feelings.

Read more...

[Video] A Boy and His Blob

It's been a while since I posted anything about this game, but now that the release date is getting close the videos for the Nintendo Wii version of A Boy and his Blob are going to start making the rounds.

Here is the trailer for the game. At times it looks like a real movie. This game is going to be very intriguing.

Video Games - E3 2009 - Video Game Trailers

Read more...

My Fantasy Football Team - Defense

With the fifth pick for my ultimate fantasy football team, I select...

DEFENSEBROAD STREET BULLIES

Let's be honest. The Philadelphia Flyers defense of the 70's, appropriately nicknamed the Broad Street Bullies, would mop the floor with anyone, including the legendary Steel Curtain of the Pittsburgh Steelers. No opposing offensive player would mess with these guys.

These are the guys who made even the powerful Soviet Red Army retreat.

Read more...

Temple ruins my perfect season predicting games

Villanova - 27
Temple - 24
Philly.com recap
Temple recap
Villanova recap

Temple ruined my shot a a perfect season in predicting games. Temple was my first official pick of the season, and they let me down.

I knew I should have gone with my heart and picked Villanova but I tried reducing myself to logic and caved to the hype (if you can call it that) surrounding the Owls. Villanova took advantage of five Temple turnovers to shock the Owls last night at Lincoln Financial Field, winning on a last second field goal that was set up after Villanova intercepted Temple late in the game.

I really thought that Temple had enough athletes to beat the Wildcats, but now I am left wondering if I overestimated Temple or underestimated Villanova.

Regardless of how bad this makes Temple looks, it leaves me wondering, "This is supposed to be Penn State's toughest non-conference opponent?"

I was also finding myself questioning way this game was not aired on local television airwaves. Was it because somebody decided to schedule the game for the same night the Phillies were playing across the street? when the game was scheduled nobody would have known that the baseball game would feature a terrific pitching match-up between Pedro Martinez and Tim Lincecum.

Was it because the Eagles were playing their most hyped and discussed final pre-season game in franchise history? Again, who would have known Michael Vick would be the headliner when the Mayor's Cup was announced.

Somebody in the Philadelphia market (I'm looking at you Comcast) should have set up a television crew. Temple supposedly aired the game on their website but that is not good enough. For as much as this game was being marketed it should have been on TV.

Did you see this play? Neither did I.
Sure, in theory I could have purchased a ticket.
But that's not the issue.

The Phillies were on Comcast Sportsnet, and the Eagles were on 6ABC. Why could Comcast Network (I still call it CN8) pick up the game?

In the end it is the college football junkie like me who loses out on not being able to see a city rivalry play out to the final seconds. If it wasn't aired, did it really happen?

Temple certainly hopes so.

Read more...

Kevin's Six Pack of Picks

Can you believe it? College football is back and the NFL is just around the corner. Today I bring you a special Thursday edition of my Six Pack of Picks. Normally these picks will be posted on Fridays during the football season.

To kick off the 2009 season I have a full slate of college picks for you. Remember, I will always pick the winner of the Penn State and Shippensburg games for the benefit of some of my most loyal readers. Much to the dismay of some of my friends, Shippensburg actually started their season last weekend with a loss at Shepherd.

Once the NFL gets started the Eagles will be my third regular pick.

Temple vs. #5 (FCS) Villanova (Thursday)
The Temple Owls are a team I expect see make a serious run at a bowl game in 2009. They open up their season tonight when they play Villanova, from the FCS, in the first annual Mayor's Cup game in Philadelphia. Temple features a number of question marks and young players but most of the young players already have playing experience behind them.

Temple should win this game over a very good Villanova team. Villanova should still have a solid season in the FCS ranks though so pay close attention to them.

#16 Boise State vs. #14 Oregon (Thursday)
If you stay up late enough tonight you will get to see one entertaining football game. Oregon visits Boise State in a game that will surely make you want to adjust your television's color settings. Boise State plays on a blue playing surface and Oregon is home of the zaniest color combinations known to college football, if not all of sports.

Boise State is a tough team to play at home and their defense should be better than Oregon's, so I am picking Boise State for a key early victory against a dark horse BCS team.

#8 Penn State vs. Akron
Penn State hosts Akron in the season opener at Beaver Stadium. Daryll Clark and Evan Royster will grab headlines for their offense but what about the wide receivers? How will the secondary hold up against what could be a decent passing offense from Akron?

Check out my preview on Examiner for more on this game, but it should be no secret that I am picking Penn State.

#15 Edinboro (1-0) vs. Shippenburg (0-1)
Poor Shippensburg. John Kuhn and Brent Grimes are all but memories now, and a shift to the PSAC East has not treated the Raiders kindly. Today they take on old PSAC West rival Edinboro up in the northwest corner of the state. Edinboro is so far away the Shippensbuurg radio station isn't even making the trip to broadcast the game!

Edinboro is tough once again, ranking in the Top 25 in D2 and should use a strong running game and stingy defense to send the Raiders to 0-2.

#11 Oklahoma State vs. #13 Georgia
This is one of the more intriguing games to start the season. Last year Georgia fell short of early expectations and Oklahoma State made a late surge in the Big XII. The Cowboys have the offense to cause problems for opposing defenses but they lack the defense that will get the job done against a team like Georgia.

I'll go with the Bulldogs in this week one headliner. Score one for the SEC.

#3 Oklahoma vs #24 BYU
The Cougers of BYU could play the role of BCS buster this season, but they will likely need to beat Oklahoma to fulfill that destiny. The Sooners start the season as a national contender and why not? Oklahoma is lead by the reigning Heisman winner, quarterback Sam Bradford. Their defense also is among the best in the nation.

Coming off a loss in the BCS championship game I expect Oklahoma to make a loud statement in the season opener against a pretty good BYU team.

When the NFL season starts next week I'll start giving my pick for any suicide pools you may be involved in. Let's get this football started!

Read more...

My Fantasy Football Team - Wide Receiver

With the fourth pick for my ultimate fantasy football team I select...

WIDE RECEIVERJACK BAUER

I wouldn't trust anyone else with a play involving a long bomb. Bauer also is a determined player. Once he sets his eyes on the objective he will do whatever it takes to reach it. Nobody is more determined than Bauer.

Read more...

Preview: #8 Penn State (0-0) vs. Akron (0-0)

For more check out my game preview on Examiner.

The return of my weekly Six Pack of Picks will post on a special day and time today (9:00 AM), in plenty of time for the Temple-Villanova game tonight at Lincoln Financial Field, in case you do not care about the Phillies across the street or the Eagles up north against the Jets.

Read more...

My Fantasy Football Team - Wide Receiver

With the third pick for my ultimate fantasy football team I select...

WIDE RECEIVERSPIDER-MAN

The Webbed Wonder has terrific hands and can be counted on to make a catch in the clutch. His elusiveness makes it difficult for opposing defenses to tackle him once he is on the move. As evidenced by his ability to save Mary Jane from falling from buildings and traps as well as save a bus of kids from plunging to the Hudson River, it is clear that Spidey wll not let the football fall to the ground at any time.

Read more...

Daryll Clark or Terrelle Pryor?

In case you missed it here or here, here is my video repsonse to a question that was posed during yesterday's virtual open house.

Clearly I need to work on not stumbling over some words and maybe wrapping it up a little sooner (I also hate saying "you know"), but on the bright side the background music ended at the right time without editing!

Read more...

My Fantasy Football Team - Quarterback

With the second pick for my ultimate fantasy football team I select...

QUARTERBACK
MEGA MAN (Mega Man series, Capcom)

Mega Man is the ideal quarterback for any fantasy football team. His cannon for an arm will be a concern for opposing defenses but what makes him most dangerous is his ability to adapt to the opposition in the blink of an eye. He studies his opponents and makes their strengths his own against opposing teams.

Read more...