Max Fischer

Agreed. Florida could be toast, and perhaps NC? I'm very curious about the Romney strategy. Obviously, they now have WI as a must get and I assume the same goes for Iowa, but I wonder how else they think Ryan could get Romeny over the top. Guess: CO, NV, VA, NH as well. I suppose they assumed Portman would not get Ohio, which would have been a much easier way to 270.

No one should use individual polls as each has characteristics that push results one way or the other. Gallup has a good rep among experts (R&D), while only GOP partisans use Rasmussen for anything other justifying their viewpoint on message boards. It's best to aggregate all the polls and weigh them based on histrorical data. See Nate Silver's universally acclaimed 538.com. Only the partisan left and right want to dismiss/praise Silver's work to suit their narrow worldview.

I seem to be in the minority, but thought most of the analysis was spot-on and criticism of his "inaccuracies" are mostly-nitpicks (that most of on this board have said the same exact things. - Fitz (who I like) is a decent QB, but not a franchise player with elite skills. His lack of downfield accuracy IS a problem that opponents have exploited. - Fitz's limitations ARE compounded by a mediocre receiving corps. I actually like most of the WRs, but not one is a great talent at their position. - The OL is good, but the best players have been hurt, we have a rookie and a few others who are OK. A lot could go wrong. - Spiller did split out wide. Not sure why the writer is beat on for that observation. - Gilmore IS more comfortable playing off, and the it would make more sense to have Byrd favor his side. Nothing wrong with that. - Mario is a superstar, but he HAS a history of injuries (keeping fingers crossed) - I have faith in Anderson, but he did disappear between his rookie year and last season. We should watch that. - The linebacker corps is just OK, there are many threads on this board complaining about it. BTW, Scott is a strong safety moving to LB on the pass. - He does praise the secondary, and his evaluation of each player seems spot-on. If the Bills struggle, I think this article would have been a harbinger of what held them back. However, it is encouraging that he is upbeat about the Bills and predicts a 2nd Place finish.

Especially if she couldn't talk.

So many things could go wrong, it would be amazing if this could work for a few weeks, let alone a few months.

Ah, so now we are clear. The football writers should put in the disclaimer "**The Patriots are not favored to win the AFC EAST because there is a chance Brady would get injured." I guess like 2008, they'll ONLY go 11-5.

Anderson Cooper will report live in a tight, black spacesuit.

I also trace my direct lineage back to King John. Actually I'm a direct descendent of all the English rulers up to Edward II, then splits off to other royalty up thru Sir John Savage who commanded Henry Tudor's left Wing when they defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. Cool stuff but, as you can see, there must be hundreds of thousands who could claim the same, including my cousins Reagan, Clinton, Bush and Obama.

I like boxing, but IMO, it's not a sport if the winner is determined by a judge.

Even more Eastwood. You could pair with any Hackman scene

Sounds cool. I've worked some pretty tough neighborhoods, I love watching basketball, but I wouldn't take my kids anywhere near there. But like any city, most of the bad areas are very contained. The husband of someone my wife knew was a SE detective. The most hardcore dude I ever met, he is (was?) crazy. He'd been shot twice, had more than a few other injuries from various weapons and had shot someone (I don't know how serious). If he wasn't jumping into bad situation, he was probably causing one. I'm pretty sure he was hopped up on steroids and uppers.

Don't cross the Anacostia.

Monument Park where? Surely not the one in Yankee Stadium.

Those guys, Will Frey & Austin Zehnder, are kind of screwed. Good luck with the rest of your lives, boys. Oh, well, they deserved it. Hopefully this serves as a cautionary tale (i.e. you do something like this and payback is a B word) and will stop at least one "assault." If this happened to my daughter, I would spend the rest of my life making the attacker's life a living Hell. Note: this video is not about stun guns but a blistering video circulating the web.

I can't settle the argument, but I believe Ichiro will go in on the first ballot. Outside Seattle, it's hard to think of a more under-appreciated talent than Ichiro. If he'd played in a "baseball town" (sorry, Seattle, we love you, but it's a baseball outpost), he could have been the decade's most popular player. Superior hitting, excellent defender, feared base-runner and could outwork anyone on the field. If he'd been on more winning teams, I doubt anyone would deny Ichiro is a first-ballot hall-of-famer.

Neither does the Tea Party

Good advice. Do NOT live in Virginia. Try to live close to work, or at least on a no-hassle metroline. If not downtown, then live near a bus/metro line that could get you there. It's hard to run out of things to do in DC.

I bet you're fun a parties.

Thanks, I have a many interests (fiction and non-fiction), but thought I'd post recent books I've really liked, and I'm just curious about books not on my radar and/or not sure if I should take the plunge. I've had "Manual of Detection" on my list for some time but have yet to pick it up. You're right, not many people read short fiction anymore, including me. However, when I do, I'm surprised why I have an aversion. I'm not an Ipad/Kindle reader, but I've noticed many authors are churning out some great short stories they've only e-published. For example, I'm a fan of Olen Steinhauer's "The Tourist" series (another strong recommendation), and found on Amazon a short story called "You Known What's Going On." http://www.amazon.com/You-Know-Whats-Going-ebook/dp/B004U2DUPQ/ref=la_B001ITYIM8_1_27?ie=UTF8&qid=1342107183&sr=1-27 99 cents for a nice little read.

I thought I'd make a few book recommendations and ask for others to recommend what they've read lately -- Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn. I would highly recommend any of her three books (Sharp Objects, Dark Places) but this even tops the other two. I would be unfair to discuss any plot points other than to say that it starts with the disappearance of a man's wife. A dark, humorous, psychological mystery/drama. On Amazon, those who did not like it seemed be turned off by its "unHollywoodlike" story line, but that's exactly why I liked it. I prefer stories that take chances and don't wimp out, which makes Flynn one of the most fearless writers I've read. http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Girl-Novel-Gillian-Flynn/dp/030758836X/ref=la_B001JP3W46_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342105683&sr=1-1 Sunne in Splendor - Sharon Kay Penman One of my most enjoyable historical novels, which reexamines Richard III. Deep, rich characters, very-well researched, not at all dry. It's a long book but you don't want it to end. For those familiar with the history Richard III (Shakespeare et al), you will find a very different character that plausibly makes the case that history is indeed written by the victors. I also highly recommend Penman's "Plantagenet" series that starts with "When Christ and His Saints Slept" that chronicles the English Civil War between King Stephen and the fierce Empress Empress Maude, as well as the rise the legendary Henry II and his indomitable wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. http://www.amazon.com/The-Sunne-In-Splendour-Richard/dp/031237593X/ref=pd_sim_b_2 http://www.amazon.com/When-Christ-His-Saints-Slept/dp/0345396685

My thoughts: - Even in the chaotic scene, how is it more people didn't see or hear another gunman? Including many press. - Why didn't Sirhan even entertain the possibility of another gunman? - Analysis of the each bullet should have put this to rest. - People are prone to conspiracies.

Ok . . . "Before we help any further, let's see a picture . . ."

I've thought this would make a good Wedding song: Dave Grohl cover of Zombie's song, "This will be our Year." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0px7htl0ClA&feature=related

Poor, yet amusing, sentence structure. Should be while interviewing, he admits.