Sunday, February 13, 2011
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
I Voted For Someone Who Won't Win
Yep. My first federal election ever, and I voted for someone who has absolutely no chance of carrying my riding. I guess that's what happens when you live in the most Liberal riding in Canada, in an election called by the incumbent Prime Minister to get a majority government instead of a minority one.
In the last election, the incumbent MP from my riding (Irwin Cotler,) won by a staggering 18,000 votes. His conservative opponent, Rafael Tzoubari, seems to be gaining some ground on him, but it will still be a blowout election. Even a dog could run as a Liberal in this riding and still win.
Anyways voting in my first election, however pointless it was, was still an experience. I didn't vote Liberal, but my one vote may make a 0.00001% difference in the total popular vote, or something like that.
Check back later tonight for some updates as the results come in.
In the last election, the incumbent MP from my riding (Irwin Cotler,) won by a staggering 18,000 votes. His conservative opponent, Rafael Tzoubari, seems to be gaining some ground on him, but it will still be a blowout election. Even a dog could run as a Liberal in this riding and still win.
Anyways voting in my first election, however pointless it was, was still an experience. I didn't vote Liberal, but my one vote may make a 0.00001% difference in the total popular vote, or something like that.
Check back later tonight for some updates as the results come in.
My Pick Results
Carolina + 1.5 @ Tampa Bay, 1:00pm (Right)
I said: Take the Bucs. Final Score: Tampa Bay 27- Carolina 3
St. Louis +13 @ Washington, 1:00pm (Right)
I said: Take St. Louis. Final Score: St. Louis 19 - Washington 17
Cincinnati +9 @ New York J, 1:00pm (Right)
I said: Take New York. Final Score: New York 26 - Cincinnati - 14
Oakland +7 @ New Orleans, 1:00pm (Right)
I said: Take New Orleans. Final Score: New Orleans 34 - Oakland 3
Miami +3 @ Houston, 1:00pm (Wrong)
I said: Take Houston. Final Score: Houston 29 - Miami 28
Baltimore +4 @ Indianapolis, 1:00pm (Wrong)
I said: Take the Ravens. Final Score: Indianapolis 31 - Baltimore 3
Jacksonville +3 @ Denver, 4:05pm (Wrong)
I said: Take Denver. Final Score: Jacksonville 24, Denver 17
Philadelphia -4.5 @ San Francisco, 4:15pm (Right)
I said: take Philadelphia. Final Score: Philadelphia 40, San Francsico 26
Dallas -4.5 @ Arizona, 4:15pm (Wrong)
I said: Take Dallas. Final Score: Arizona 30 - Dallas 24
Green Bay +1 @ Seattle, 4:15pm (Right)
I said: Take Green Bay. Final Score: Green Bay 27 - Seattle 17
New England +4.5 @ San Diego, 8:15pm (Right)
I said: go with the Chargers. Final Score: San Diego 30 - New England 10
New York G -7.5 @ Cleveland, 8:30pm Monday (Right)
I said: Look for Cleveland. Final Score: Cleveland 35 - New York 14
Mise-Au-Jeu Picks
1. New York J -9 over Cincinnati (Right)
2. Philadelphia -4.5 over San Francisco (Right)
3. Denver -3 over Jacksonville (Wrong)
4. Houston -3 over Miami (Wrong)
5. New Orleans -7 over Oakland (Right)
6. St. Louis +13 over Washington (Right)
Weekly Record: (8-4)
Mise-Au-Jeu Record (4-2)
I said: Take the Bucs. Final Score: Tampa Bay 27- Carolina 3
St. Louis +13 @ Washington, 1:00pm (Right)
I said: Take St. Louis. Final Score: St. Louis 19 - Washington 17
Cincinnati +9 @ New York J, 1:00pm (Right)
I said: Take New York. Final Score: New York 26 - Cincinnati - 14
Oakland +7 @ New Orleans, 1:00pm (Right)
I said: Take New Orleans. Final Score: New Orleans 34 - Oakland 3
Miami +3 @ Houston, 1:00pm (Wrong)
I said: Take Houston. Final Score: Houston 29 - Miami 28
Baltimore +4 @ Indianapolis, 1:00pm (Wrong)
I said: Take the Ravens. Final Score: Indianapolis 31 - Baltimore 3
Jacksonville +3 @ Denver, 4:05pm (Wrong)
I said: Take Denver. Final Score: Jacksonville 24, Denver 17
Philadelphia -4.5 @ San Francisco, 4:15pm (Right)
I said: take Philadelphia. Final Score: Philadelphia 40, San Francsico 26
Dallas -4.5 @ Arizona, 4:15pm (Wrong)
I said: Take Dallas. Final Score: Arizona 30 - Dallas 24
Green Bay +1 @ Seattle, 4:15pm (Right)
I said: Take Green Bay. Final Score: Green Bay 27 - Seattle 17
New England +4.5 @ San Diego, 8:15pm (Right)
I said: go with the Chargers. Final Score: San Diego 30 - New England 10
New York G -7.5 @ Cleveland, 8:30pm Monday (Right)
I said: Look for Cleveland. Final Score: Cleveland 35 - New York 14
Mise-Au-Jeu Picks
1. New York J -9 over Cincinnati (Right)
2. Philadelphia -4.5 over San Francisco (Right)
3. Denver -3 over Jacksonville (Wrong)
4. Houston -3 over Miami (Wrong)
5. New Orleans -7 over Oakland (Right)
6. St. Louis +13 over Washington (Right)
Weekly Record: (8-4)
Mise-Au-Jeu Record (4-2)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Picking Apart The Spreads
Told you I'd update more often. I figure I spend most saturday afternoons at home, doing work or whatever, so I can spend a few minutes every Saturday picking apart the NFL spreads, analyzing who I think will cover it. For the purpose of these picks, I'll be using an average of the five gambling sites Yahoo! Sports odds uses.
A quick analysis of spreads, for those of you who are noobs. When a team is favored by 6, they are listed as "-6", whereas the underdog would be "+6," so in the below game, Tamap Bay is projected to beat Carolina by 1.5 points. How is that possible? It's not, teams can't score half-points, but spreads are generally set with fractional points so no tie can be argued. (If the spread is -4, and the favorite wins by 4, no one wins or loses money.)
So here they are (all games on Sunday unless otherwise noted):
Carolina + 1.5 @ Tampa Bay, 1:00pm
The Panthers are coming off a week 5 thrashing against the lowly Chiefs (34-0,) while the Bucs lost a heartbreaker at home. Look for the Bucs to catch the Panthers sleeping and win this game. With spreads as low as these, if you win the game, you usually beat the spread. Take the Bucs.
St. Louis +13 @ Washington, 1:00pm
I'm not even going to get into why and how the Rams are so bad, because they're not. Granted, the Rams are 0-4 while the Redskins are a surprising 4-1, it looks like this game should be a Redskins blowout. But the Rams do still have their pride. With Marc Bulger back at QB and Steven Jackson ready to get back to his old self, look for the Redskins to take the game, but the Rams to keep it close. Take St. Louis.
Cincinnati +9 @ New York J, 1:00pm
The spread opened at something like 5.5, but with news that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be replacing Bengals QB Carson Palmer, it blew up. Look for the Bretts to blow away the Bengals in what will be enjoyable only for fans of the Jets (and Brett Favre fantasy owners.) Take New York.
Oakland +7 @ New Orleans, 1:00pm
Both of these teams are pretty bad, but in a close loss to Minnesota last Monday, the Saints proved their not as bad as people say they are. At least their better than the Raiders, so while this game might not be a Saints blowout, the Raiders are a lot worse than they've played this year. Take New Orleans.
Miami +3 @ Houston, 1:00pm
The Texans will avenge their loss to the Colts last week, and be the first team this season to stop the Dolphins wing formation. Take Houston.
Baltimore +4 @ Indianapolis, 1:00pm
I'm not just saying this because I'm a Texans fan, but the Colts are on the decline while the Ravens are rising. Should be a close game, so Take the Ravens.
Jacksonville +3 @ Denver, 4:05pm
The Broncos faced a tough defense last week against Tampa Bay, but look for them to step up their passing game against the Jags secondary. Who needs Scheffler, Young, and Royal? Take Denver.
Philadelphia -4.5 @ San Francisco, 4:15pm
The only reason the spread is so low is because the game is in San Francisco. I know the favourites aren't going to win every game this week, but in this game, you should definitely take Philadelphia.
Dallas -4.5 @ Arizona, 4:15pm
The Cards have a good passing attack, and Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald will light them up. The problem? The Cowboys have Tony Romo and Terrell Owens. Take Dallas.
Green Bay +1 @ Seattle, 4:15pm
This could go down as the game of the week. Both teams are desperate for a win, but the Packers are more desperate. Take Green Bay.
New England +4.5 @ San Diego, 8:15pm
I don't really want to pick this game, it seems too close, but I'll go with the Chargers, who need this game so Denver doesn't leap too far ahead in the race for the AFC West.
New York G -7.5 @ Cleveland, 8:30pm Monday
The Browns seem to be sinking this year, and could really use this win in the national spotlight against the Super Bowl champs. Look for Cleveland to keep it close.
With my weekly picks, I'm gonna do a new feature called "Mise Picks," which feature suggestions for those people who by Mise-Au-Jeu lottery tickets. To win a Mise-Au-Jeu, you pick a certain amount of times to cover the spread, and then lay down some money, from $2-$100. If you take three teams (the minimum,) you could win five times your bet. Four teams? Eight times your bet. Five teams? Twelve times your bet. And the maximum six teams? 25 times your bet. unfortunately, if just one of the teams you pick doesn't cover, you lose everything.
So here are the six teams most likely to cover, for you Mise-Au-Jeu fanatics:
Mise-Au-Jeu Picks
1. New York J -9 over Cincinnati
2. Philadelphia -4.5 over San Francisco
3. Denver -3 over Jacksonville
4. Houston -3 over Miami
5. New Orleans -7 over Oakland
6. St. Louis +13 over Washington
A quick analysis of spreads, for those of you who are noobs. When a team is favored by 6, they are listed as "-6", whereas the underdog would be "+6," so in the below game, Tamap Bay is projected to beat Carolina by 1.5 points. How is that possible? It's not, teams can't score half-points, but spreads are generally set with fractional points so no tie can be argued. (If the spread is -4, and the favorite wins by 4, no one wins or loses money.)
So here they are (all games on Sunday unless otherwise noted):
Carolina + 1.5 @ Tampa Bay, 1:00pm
The Panthers are coming off a week 5 thrashing against the lowly Chiefs (34-0,) while the Bucs lost a heartbreaker at home. Look for the Bucs to catch the Panthers sleeping and win this game. With spreads as low as these, if you win the game, you usually beat the spread. Take the Bucs.
St. Louis +13 @ Washington, 1:00pm
I'm not even going to get into why and how the Rams are so bad, because they're not. Granted, the Rams are 0-4 while the Redskins are a surprising 4-1, it looks like this game should be a Redskins blowout. But the Rams do still have their pride. With Marc Bulger back at QB and Steven Jackson ready to get back to his old self, look for the Redskins to take the game, but the Rams to keep it close. Take St. Louis.
Cincinnati +9 @ New York J, 1:00pm
The spread opened at something like 5.5, but with news that Ryan Fitzpatrick will be replacing Bengals QB Carson Palmer, it blew up. Look for the Bretts to blow away the Bengals in what will be enjoyable only for fans of the Jets (and Brett Favre fantasy owners.) Take New York.
Oakland +7 @ New Orleans, 1:00pm
Both of these teams are pretty bad, but in a close loss to Minnesota last Monday, the Saints proved their not as bad as people say they are. At least their better than the Raiders, so while this game might not be a Saints blowout, the Raiders are a lot worse than they've played this year. Take New Orleans.
Miami +3 @ Houston, 1:00pm
The Texans will avenge their loss to the Colts last week, and be the first team this season to stop the Dolphins wing formation. Take Houston.
Baltimore +4 @ Indianapolis, 1:00pm
I'm not just saying this because I'm a Texans fan, but the Colts are on the decline while the Ravens are rising. Should be a close game, so Take the Ravens.
Jacksonville +3 @ Denver, 4:05pm
The Broncos faced a tough defense last week against Tampa Bay, but look for them to step up their passing game against the Jags secondary. Who needs Scheffler, Young, and Royal? Take Denver.
Philadelphia -4.5 @ San Francisco, 4:15pm
The only reason the spread is so low is because the game is in San Francisco. I know the favourites aren't going to win every game this week, but in this game, you should definitely take Philadelphia.
Dallas -4.5 @ Arizona, 4:15pm
The Cards have a good passing attack, and Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald will light them up. The problem? The Cowboys have Tony Romo and Terrell Owens. Take Dallas.
Green Bay +1 @ Seattle, 4:15pm
This could go down as the game of the week. Both teams are desperate for a win, but the Packers are more desperate. Take Green Bay.
New England +4.5 @ San Diego, 8:15pm
I don't really want to pick this game, it seems too close, but I'll go with the Chargers, who need this game so Denver doesn't leap too far ahead in the race for the AFC West.
New York G -7.5 @ Cleveland, 8:30pm Monday
The Browns seem to be sinking this year, and could really use this win in the national spotlight against the Super Bowl champs. Look for Cleveland to keep it close.
With my weekly picks, I'm gonna do a new feature called "Mise Picks," which feature suggestions for those people who by Mise-Au-Jeu lottery tickets. To win a Mise-Au-Jeu, you pick a certain amount of times to cover the spread, and then lay down some money, from $2-$100. If you take three teams (the minimum,) you could win five times your bet. Four teams? Eight times your bet. Five teams? Twelve times your bet. And the maximum six teams? 25 times your bet. unfortunately, if just one of the teams you pick doesn't cover, you lose everything.
So here are the six teams most likely to cover, for you Mise-Au-Jeu fanatics:
Mise-Au-Jeu Picks
1. New York J -9 over Cincinnati
2. Philadelphia -4.5 over San Francisco
3. Denver -3 over Jacksonville
4. Houston -3 over Miami
5. New Orleans -7 over Oakland
6. St. Louis +13 over Washington
On A More Serious Note...
My past two posts have been me expressing my immaturity by posting two news headlines that could be interpreted as "dirty." What happened to all the serious posts? Election talk, commentary on sports, and even random ranting?
Maybe blogs aren't all serious, or some even serious at all, but there needs to be more than just "haha, look what I found!" posts, and that's where The Blender 2.0 comes in.
The layout will stay the same, but the blog will be updated with more consistency. I'm striving for at least one daily post, ranting about whatever is on my mind for that day. Other posts, such as "Video of the Day," and "Links I Occasionally Visit Sometimes," will be posted as often as I can, and even newer features will come to this blog. Once I think of them.
So that's it for now, keep coming back to check up on The Blender, comment, subscribe, and tell your friends.
Maybe blogs aren't all serious, or some even serious at all, but there needs to be more than just "haha, look what I found!" posts, and that's where The Blender 2.0 comes in.
The layout will stay the same, but the blog will be updated with more consistency. I'm striving for at least one daily post, ranting about whatever is on my mind for that day. Other posts, such as "Video of the Day," and "Links I Occasionally Visit Sometimes," will be posted as often as I can, and even newer features will come to this blog. Once I think of them.
So that's it for now, keep coming back to check up on The Blender, comment, subscribe, and tell your friends.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Music Is My Aeroplane
Even though I haven't heard the Chili Peppers tune "Aeroplane" in quite some time, one of its lyrics seemed a fitting title for this post.
I often struggle to get settled down to do work, but what solves it? Music. If I'm in a bad mood what often cheers me up? Music. The right playlist can do wonders for my self-esteem, mood, and creativity. Lately it's been hip-hop and rap to get motivated to do something, Chili Peppers when I'm cruising through some studying, and Jack Johnson when I'm not in the best of moods.
Without music, my life would be useless, and I'd be perpetually stuck in my purgatoric feeling of nothingness, so I guess I owe music in general (and the internet and iTunes, which has made listening/obtaining music so much easier,) a big thank you.
I often struggle to get settled down to do work, but what solves it? Music. If I'm in a bad mood what often cheers me up? Music. The right playlist can do wonders for my self-esteem, mood, and creativity. Lately it's been hip-hop and rap to get motivated to do something, Chili Peppers when I'm cruising through some studying, and Jack Johnson when I'm not in the best of moods.
Without music, my life would be useless, and I'd be perpetually stuck in my purgatoric feeling of nothingness, so I guess I owe music in general (and the internet and iTunes, which has made listening/obtaining music so much easier,) a big thank you.
Like Mohinder, I'm Transforming
For those of you who don't watch Heroes, start now. I'm not gonna get into the whole plot or whatever right now, but after an experiment gone wrong, one of the show's main protagonists, Mohinder Suresh, is transforming. As am I, but probably not in the same way.
Whereas Mohinder is a professor who now has super-human abilities, I'm a student who now is actually using his God-given abilities for once in his life. I'll admit it, I am a chronic underachiever, and have never really realized my full potential.
Is it possible I may have finally turned a corner? Maybe. I'm actually sutyding for once, even if my exam is in under 24 hours, it's a start. Better then going into exams completely unprepared, which i have done in the past, one of the reason I'm still at Dawson.
Anyways just needed a quick vent, maybe I'll come back and write some more after I'm doine studying. (Really?)
Whereas Mohinder is a professor who now has super-human abilities, I'm a student who now is actually using his God-given abilities for once in his life. I'll admit it, I am a chronic underachiever, and have never really realized my full potential.
Is it possible I may have finally turned a corner? Maybe. I'm actually sutyding for once, even if my exam is in under 24 hours, it's a start. Better then going into exams completely unprepared, which i have done in the past, one of the reason I'm still at Dawson.
Anyways just needed a quick vent, maybe I'll come back and write some more after I'm doine studying. (Really?)
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