BCS possiblity for Iowa

The college football regular season is almost over, with championship games in the Big XII, Atlantic Coast, Southeast, Mid-American and Conference USA conferences along with a few other games of importance (Oregon-Oregon State for the Pacific-10 conference crown, Cincinnati-Pittsburgh for the Big East title, neither a "championship game," just ended up to be that way), the Iowa Hawkeye football team is waiting at home to see where they will go this holiday season.

With a 10-2 record, 6-2 in the Big Ten Conference with losses to Northwestern and Ohio State but wins at Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan State, the debate rages on whether Iowa deserves to earn an at-large bid into the Bowl Championship Series pre-championship games. With the loss at Ohio State, Iowa cannot get an automatic bid. Of course, had they won out, they could've been just on the outside looking in at the Citi BCS National Championship Game on Jan. 7, but would've been assured of a Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi berth at the least.

Instead, they have to wait to see where they'll end up in the final BCS rankings next Sunday, and which bowl will invite them. Pundits put the Hawks in one of two bowl games depending on both the result of the Big XII championship and the opinion of the bowl committees: the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl or the Capital One Bowl.

Here's the reason why they're considered for the Fiesta Bowl: Iowa has been known to have its fans travel well to the bowl games they've been invited. Also, tens of thousands of Iowa natives/residents/graduates currently live or winter in the Phoenix area, so the local tickets will sell out.

However, many pundits are arguing that Penn State will be the better choice in the BCS, going to the FedEx Orange Bowl to face the ACC champion, either Georgia Tech or Clemson. For one, PSU has one of the largest alumni associations in the nation, and another, they have Joe Paterno, which would be a major draw for a TV audience.

I don't think TV ratings will be much of a factor for the Fiesta or Orange bowls to choose between Iowa and Penn State, and this is the reason why: Bowl committees want the teams that will provide the biggest economic impact for their communities -- in other words, more tickets sold, more money spent in the local stores, restaurants and hotels, and more bang for the buck to bring the teams there.

As I mentioned, the Fiesta Bowl will benefit from the number of Iowans and University of Iowa gradutates living or wintering or having retired in the Phoenix area. On top of that, about 50,000 Iowans will travel from the Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Quad City airports or come by car or RV from places like Iowa City, Ottumwa, Dubuque, Cedar Falls and every small town in between to follow the Hawkeyes for the game. When the Hawks were selected by the Orange Bowl committee to replace Miami (Florida) for the January 2003 game (when the Hurricanes faced the Buckeyes in the Fiesta Bowl when it was the NCG before the extra game was enacted), 50,000-plus Hawkeye fans filled what is now called Land Shark Stadium when Iowa faced USC.

Of course, the Trojans trounced the Hawkeyes that night, but that's because Kirk Ferentz and company weren't as prepared for that game.

Anyway, for the Iowa-to-the-Fiesta scenario to work, Texas must beat Nebraska next Saturday in the Dr. Pepper Big XII Championship Game. Otherwise, if Nebraska wins, Nebraska will go to the Fiesta Bowl as the Bix XII champion (the Fiesta has a tie-in with the Big XII champion). The Longhorns would then get one of the at-large bids, likely to either the Orange or Nokia Sugar bowls. In that scenario, the Sugar would get the only replacement pick for the winner of the SEC Championship Game, either Florida or Alabama, who would go to the NCG in Pasadena Jan. 7. Everyone expects the Sugar Bowl to take the loser of that game, citing the conference's tie-in with the bowl. The Orange Bowl would have the next choice, which likely would be Texas in that situation to face the Clemson-Georgia Tech winner. Next would be the Fiesta Bowl. That would be an interesting choice there for an opponent for Nebraska. Do they take a 10-2 Iowa team, a 10-2 Penn State team, an undefeated Texas Christian team (which would have an automatic bid due to being at least No. 4 in the final BCS standings despite not being in an automatic-qualifying conference, being in the Mountain West Conference), the Big East champion or an undefeated Boise State (who wouldn't be an automatic qualifier because it would be lower-ranked than either TCU or Cincinnati, coming from the Western Athletic Conference)? I would think they would have to take either Cincinnati (or Pitt if the Panthers win) or TCU. The remaining team would go to the Sugar Bowl.

If all that happens, Iowa would go to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando against likely LSU. Of course, the last time Iowa and LSU met in that game, Iowa won with a last-second touchdown pass from Drew Tate to Colin Sandeman.

However, here's what I believe will happen if the most-likely scenario happens:

BCS Championship: Texas vs. SEC champion

Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Oregon/Oregon State winner

Fiesta Bowl: Iowa vs. Boise State

Orange Bowl: ACC champion vs. Cincinnati

Sugar Bowl: SEC runner-up vs. TCU

Capital One Bowl: Penn State vs. LSU

We'll find it all out next Sunday.

Good bye Cavalier, hello Malibu

Well, I have a little bit of bad news. The 2002 Cavalier I have been driving since 2006 has logged its last mile. It didn't keel over. I got in a fender bender one week ago tonight.

I was en route to a football game between Waterloo West and Dubuque Wahlert when going up Waterloo Road toward University Avenue, passing East 18th Street and Rainbow Drive and near the Family Video store, some young lady (just turned 18) decided to turn around where you really shouldn't. Anyway, I didn't see her in time, tried to brake and swerve around her, but my left-front corner smashed into her right-rear. I got cited for failure to stop, but the car was drivable to my destination and back.

So, I called Progressive to report the accident. Saturday, a claims rep named Sarah called me to discuss the damage before I went to work. I told her how it happened and described what was damaged. The corner of the bumper had a six-inch indention, the headlight and turn signal were smashed, the corner of the hood around the headlight was folded under, the fender was crumpled around the impact site, and the wheelwell slightly rubbed against the tire. I used my dad's Chevy HHR for the weekend, and then took the car to the body shop Monday. I had a rental of a 2009 PT Cruiser while I waited for the Cavalier to be fixed... Or so I thought.

Sarah called me while I was at Walmart Tuesday afternoon. She told me the car was unrepairable because the adjuster estimated the damages to be greater than the value. I had a choice between taking $3,006.87 and they take the car off my hands, or I keep the car and take $2,372.93, both figures after the $500 deductible. After talking with my dad, with Charlie Lipley at First Security State Bank (who held the note on my car until Tuesday, when I paid it off) and with Mark Roussell, the sales manager at Witham Auto in Cedar Falls (and my boss there), I came to conclusion to take the $3,000 and change and then used that money to make a downpayment on any car I chose on the lot.

I chose a 2005 Chevy Malibu. I've driven it a few times while going from the C.F. lot to the other two lots before, and I thought it was going to be a car I would consider trading my Cavalier for when I was ready. I guess fate said I was ready NOW!

So, Wednesday, I start the process by having Mark do the deal on an employee price, then business manager Andy started to do the loan paperwork on it. Later, I went to the local Progressive branch to get the check, but they also asked me to go to First Security to give them an envelope for them to send my title to Progressive. Yesterday, I was told that Dad needed to co-sign on this loan, too, due to the tight credit market. After I had a shortened day at work (due to rain), I went to the body shop to clean out the Cavalier and take off the plates. Later that afternoon, I returned the rental, and then Dad and I went to the lot to finish the paperwork.

I just hope this one will last me quite a while.

Going to work a third job

Tuesday afternoon, I interviewed with a manager of Witham Auto Center in Cedar Falls for a pair of possible job opportunities. One was for the position I applied through Cumulus Jobs for - auto sales - but the other is something that came up and the guy matched me up for with what was in my resume - Website production.

Anyway, I get there about 20 minutes early, as it's always a good practice to do. I introduced myself to the receptionist, and was directed to the service waiting room while Mark, the guy I was meeting, finished with a customer. About 30 minutes later, he finally caught up with me and went into his office.

First thing he asked me was why I thought I could sell cars. I gave him my wanting to try something different than pizza delivery or newspaper writing, and I thought I can make it work out. I also mentioned the CARS program, also known as "cash-for-clunkers." I thought that this would be a good time to enter the business, as people are now more likely to try to buy a new, more fuel-efficient car, and I wanted to be a part of it.

However, looking at my resume, Mark thought that the Web coordinator job would be better to my skillset, as I have experience taking photography with my newspaper jobs. He advised me to take a few days to think it over and get back with him.

That night, I visited my girlfriend, Jenny, and this opportunity came up. She thought I should seriously take the job as opposed to auto sales either at Witham's or at Holdiman Motors down the street a couple miles. She said I can take the job, which would be during weekday mornings, still work for Pizza Hut, which I figured I can do Wednesday nights, Saturdays and Sundays, and do correspondent work for the Cedar Falls Times. That convinced me, but I had to make sure it was doable with Andy.

Wednesday morning, I was prepared to talk with Andy about the prospect, except he wasn't there then. Wes, who's being groomed to be assistant manager of the store, switched shifts with Andy, so I had to wait for the next day to tell Andy what was going on. So, I tell Andy that Witham's wants me to work there in the mornings, and that I would need an adjustment to my schedule starting the week of Aug. 10, to what I just mentioned above. He agreed to it. So, I just needed to tell Mark that I'd take the job. I tried to do that when I got home yesterday, but he was out. He called me back today about 11:15, but I couldn't take the call at the time, as I'm not allowed to make or take calls on my cell phone in the store unless it's an emergency or has to do with work.

When I went on my second delivery of the day, to Dan Deery Motors' parts department, I called Mark to let him know I'd take the job and arranged to start Aug. 10 at 9:30 a.m. The girl who's doing the job now would show me how to work the camera and work with me before she leaves to do what she's going to be doing next at mid-month.

From what I've been told, this is a special camera. I cannot use my Canon Digital Rebel XT that I use for my newspaper coverage. What it can do is scan the barcode for the Vehicle Identification Number that you'd see inside the corner of the windshield atop the dashboard on the driver's side. Then the pictures can be matched up with the car, which we'd have to take several for the Website. When they're uploaded, the computer can match the VIN with information on the vehicle we're selling. Once everything is ready, we then upload the pictures and information to the Mudd Group, which handles the production of the site.

As part of the job, I would have to take the pictures of the cars at all three of Witham's locations - Cedar Falls, Waterloo and LaPorte City. Because of that, they will allow me to drive any car on the lot between lots. All three Witham dealerships sell Ford cars and trucks, while the Cedar Falls location also deals with Volkswagen, Waterloo does Kia and LaPorte sells Chevrolets. I'd probably drive more of the Fords and VWs from the Cedar Falls store, as I'll probably be based there.

What I'm thinking about is when I take a few of the cars out for a spin between stores, I'll give you all a review of the vehicles I'd drive, and maybe I can get a few more followers to monetize this blog. That way, I can probably make a few extra bucks.

Speaking of a few extra bucks, last summer, I co-wrote a zentai-based sci-fi story called "The Community" with a guy in the UK. We were hoping to be able to sell the story as a novel, as it was pretty long and involved, but nothing came out of that. Anyway, one of our fellow members of Ayus-Zentai decided to start a zentai picture book at Lulu.com. Rene, my partner in crime on this project, checked out Lulu, and found we would have no up-front costs to produce our book. The book would be available for purchase as either a download or in paperback. As soon as Rene is ready to publicize it, I'll put up a link on here to buy the book. From what I saw, the download is about $8.50 and paperback is about $12.

We're in the midst of doing a sequel to "The Community" called "No Community." I won't give too much away, but it deals with some people who want to separate themselves from the world-wide Community in our first work.

That's about all for now. If there's anything new personally, or if I have reactions from what's going on in the news, I'll post again. Until next time!

Dad's a klutz!

My father's face marred from a faceplant in the cooler at his job. (My own photo)

Be careful in walk-in coolers!

After I got home from work this afternoon and had my lunch, I went back upstairs to put my plate in the dishwasher. My dad, Bob, was there looking for something to watch on TV after getting up from his nap. Anyway, I turn back from the kitchen and see what you see above: Dad's forehead has a long, thin scratch and a shorter, thicker gash near where his hairline should be.

"What the heck did you do to your face?" I asked.

"I had a little accident last night," he replied.

He explained that he fell over in the walk-in cooler at the Kum & Go on San Marnan Drive in Waterloo. When he fell, he took a face-plant into a few cooler shelves and may have been KO'd for a little while. He was telling my brother, Scot, that he was waiting for someone to look for him after a while. Also, his boss was wanting him to go to the hospital for treatment.

Anyway, he doesn't mind that much about the face. He said he also pulled a leg muscle.

There was a time when he and Scot and my mom, Diana, would kid me for being clumsy with my growing feet (which stopped about at a size 9 1/2), but now he has to take a little bit of ribbing for a while.

Powerless for 55 1/2 hours

Tree maintenance worker saws a limb partially broken off during a severe thunderstorm/microburst that hit the Cedar Falls-Waterloo area early Friday morning. (photo courtesy Waterloo Courier)

Huge storm disables Cedar Falls; power cut to my house for 55 1/2 hours

Friday morning about 3:45, I got woke up (which usually doesn't happen) by a very powerful thunderstorm. I could hear the thunder and the hail patter my bedroom window. Also, I noticed the power got cut from the storm.

When I got up at 7 a.m., I called Cedar Falls Utilities to report the outage. From what I heard later, about 8,000 customers in Cedar Falls were without power, and another 7,800 across the rest of Black Hawk County. Here is an article from today's Waterloo Courier about the storm:

CEDAR FALLS --- Prioritizing cleanup was a necessity following a veritable avalanche of tree damage from Friday morning's storm.

The Cedar Falls Public Works Department used a familiar plan.

"It's kind of similar to how we do snow removal," said Public Works Director Bruce Sorensen. "Clear the arteries first and then get side streets done as they can."

The intense storm hit about 4 a.m. It toppled trees throughout the Cedar Valley, blocking streets, damaging power lines, crushing cars and damaging homes.

"We estimated 66 mph before the equipment went kaput," said Aubry Wilkins, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Des Moines, referring to wind speeds clocked at the Waterloo airport.

Though the NWS hasn't completed a survey of the damage in Cedar Falls, Wilkins said it is possible the storm produced a downburst over the city.

A downburst is described as a column of cold air descending very quickly during a thunderstorm. As the column reaches the ground, the rushing air produces strong winds.

A microburst would produce damaging winds extending less than 2.5 miles but with speeds in excess of 160 mph. A macroburst is larger but packs a slightly less powerful punch with winds in excess of 134 mph.

A macroburst could last up to 30 minutes, however, according to the National Weather Service.

About 8,000 Cedar Falls Utilities' customers had their power knocked out as utility poles and power lines were downed in the storms. While several hundred homes remained without power Saturday afternoon, nine electric crews --- including crews from municipal utilities in other cities --- will continue working until dark, said CFU spokesperson Betty Zeman.

Up to 500 customers could remain without power overnight, she said. CFU is advising customers to call 268-6999 this morning if their power has not been restored.

Chad Turner took the day off from work at Principal Financial Group Friday. He didn't have much of a choice. A 3-foot diameter Linden tree from his boulevard fell across a car and blocked his driveway on Iowa Street. Up and down the street, the neighborhood worked to clear smaller trees and make the street passable. The big Linden was beyond their capabilities.

The scene in the back yard wasn't much better. Several trees were down, taking down electric service lines to several homes. One of the trees landed on his garage, damaging shingles, siding and a portion of the roof.

"You can see the outside from the inside, and that's not good," Turner said.

After a full day of clean-up efforts, Cedar Falls Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Larry Burman said the department hasn't been called for emergency medical or rescue help. The storm turned thousands of people usually not accustomed to running chain saws and other equipment into lumberjacks, he said. And that can lead to trouble.

"Nobody has fell off a roof or ladder, that's most amazing thing to me. Some of the more dangerous times is days after the storm," Burman said.

The city of Cedar Falls opened the compost site in the 300 block of North Main Street to take tree debris until it is no longer needed. That facility will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. until further notice. The city also will waive fees for yard waste collection pickup Monday.

Street crews were assisted by parks workers as the city worked to make streets passable as soon as possible.

Residents in many neighborhoods kept working on clearing storm damage as additional thunderstorms rolled through Friday morning.

Clark Vanhauen donned a poncho to shed rain as he helped clear debris from his neighbor's home. Vanhauen had a pine tree crash into his house. It damaged an awning, siding and knocked out his electric service connection.

"It's nothing that can't be fixed," Vanhauen said.

Mike Dowd, the next door neighbor, was working with Vanhauen and a friend to load up a trailer to take brush away. He had a tree down in the front yard and two in the back, one which struck his garage. He pointed to the pine tree that struck a glancing blow to Vanhauen's house and noted how it could easily have caused major problems. In the process, he noted a larger tree above his home had a large split. Dowd paid $2,000 to have some trees and brush cleared last year. It appeared another bill may be forthcoming.

Large trees down across the road blocked access up and down Madison Street in the Cedar Heights area. Many of the trees sheared off right at the base. Other trees were uprooted, and some lost major branches that were large enough to appear to be trees unto themselves at first glance.

Dave Mitchell and Jamie Brandt didn't bother with rain gear as they worked at sawing up trees at the home of Mitchell's mother on Sunnyside Circle. In the backyard, about 10 neighbors worked up and down the block helping each other.

"It's quite a group effort," Mitchell said.

More than 15 residents from the Windsor Nursing and Rehab Center had to be moved to the Parkview Nursing and Rehab Center Friday because of roof damage and a power outage at the Cedar Falls facility. Nicole Bateman, a nurse at Windsor, was uncertain when the residents would be able to return. None of the residents were injured.

Crews at the University of Northern Iowa said it will be several days, possibly even weeks, before the extent of damage on campus can be assessed completely.

Winds damaged at least 350 trees on the campus, and of those at least 100 will have to be completely removed, said Paul Meyerman, assistant director of operations planning.

"You go out to one area and say 'Oh crud.' Then you turn a corner, and it just never ends," he said.

The storm also damaged both Latham Hall --- windows were broken and a tree punctured the roof --- and Price Laboratory School, where windows also were broken. Meyerman said the roof has been patched and crews are working to cover the windows to keep from incurring any further damage.

Dean Shoars, director of the physical plant, is hopeful the area near 23rd and College streets can be cleared in time for the College Hill Arts Festival, scheduled for July 17-18.

Insurance adjusters scrambled to get out to help homeowners file claims. Kendall Kramer, a manager with State Farm Insurance, said his company was bringing in help from outside the area to set up a catastrophe center.

Fortunately, my house, near Sartori Hospital, was not damaged, nor were either of our three trees (one in the parking area between the street and sidewalk, another right next to my bedroom and my mother's former bedroom, and the third in the back yard) split or got uprooted. However, I saw thousands of trees all over Cedar Falls damaged by the winds. Many had already been cleared first thing in the morning Friday, but most still straddled the streets well into the evening.

I was supposed to cover the Cedar Falls-Iowa City West baseball game that night, until I called Jack Sole on my way from a delivery to see about the condition of the baseball field at Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex. He told me the first-base dugout was blown down -- made of cement blocks and metal. I didn't know what he meant until I got there last night to cover the Cedar Falls-Ames regional softball game: blocks everywhere, the metal roof lying over some, the water spraying about from the water fountain that was behind the dugout. It was the only major damage from the storm at the complex that I could see. The softball diamond, tennis courts and auxiliary baseball diamond -- used mostly for youth baseball -- were fine by the time I was there.

All the while, my brother, father and I had been sitting in the dark house, when we were home, waiting for the power to be restored. Dad asked me Friday before joining him, Scot, Grandma Smith and my uncle's family for dinner to call the Utilities to see what's going on. I was told they would call a little later and would try to get everyone powered up by the end of the day. Nine p.m. arrived, and nothing. I called again to the Utilities a few times yesterday. When I got home from the softball game at 9:15 p.m. I called to see if I can get an update. The guy on the phone said to check back in an hour, as the power was on across the street to the west, northwest and north. I called at 10:15, no progress. Then I called at 11:30, they went home for the night.

I woked up this morning at 9 a.m. and called again. The lady told me they were back out at 6 a.m. and was taking down names, addresses and phone numbers to inform crews where the power was still out. Then at 10:15, I heard my dog bark at something. I got off my bed to check it out, and lo and behold, Dad's lamp was on next to the couch. WE HAD LIGHTS!!!! Fifty-five and a half hours later, we had electricity!

I hope you all can appreciate what you have now, because when you don't have it, it's tough to make it through the day.

Oh, and if you're looking for firewood, come to Cedar Falls, Iowa. You can have it by the truckload!

The late former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, after his capture in 2003. (AP File photo)

If this doesn't prove the Iraq war was wrong...

Recently, the National Security Archive and the New York Daily News released reports of declassified FBI interviews of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein after his December 2003 capture in Tikrit following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq earlier that year. In the interview, Saddam told FBI interviewers, who were speaking with him in Arabic, that he led the world to believe he still had weapons of mass destruction so that Iran wouldn't think his country was weak.

For 12 years after the first Gulf War in 1991 (a.k.a. Operation Desert Storm), UN inspectors have tried to root out all or any of Saddam's WMDs, but to no avail. Each time the inspectors met resistance, the UN Security Council passed a resolution to order Saddam to reveal the WMDs or else. When he refused, the U.S. military launched air strikes on suspected chemical- or biological-weapon sites, but sometimes ended up to be civilian factories.

And then 9/11 came. The administration of George W. Bush tried to figure out who launched the attack, where four jumbo jets were used as missiles against the World Trade Center and sites within Washington, D.C. The two jets targetting New York found their spots, eventually toppling the Twin Towers. A third slammed into the Pentagon. A fourth may have been heading toward the Capitol building or the White House, but United Flight 93's passengers rebelled against the hijackers and forced it down in a Pennsylvania field.

When it became clear the WMDs were not where the Bush administration said they were, I had big doubts on the Iraq War by the time the 2004 Presidential Election rolled around. I felt Sen. Kerry would have led the country better than Bush, because he was a war hero during Vietnam, whereas Bush allegedly skipped out on his reserve duty. I'm not going to dwell on that election, but let's just say a new term was coined after this debackle: swiftboating.

Now, back to the day's news: The Bush administration persuaded the world that the rationale for invading Iraq in March 2003 was to expose Saddam's lies about WMDs. Well, it now seems he lied about having them, not that he didn't. Quoting the AP article, via Yahoo! News: "The documents also confirm previous reports that Saddam falsely allowed the world to believe Iraq had weapons of mass destruction — the main U.S. rationale behind the war — because he feared revealing his weakness to Iran, the hostile neighbor he considered a bigger threat than the U.S."

You see how this all gets centered around the old Iran-Iraq rivalry? The two nations had an eight-year war in the 1980s, and Saddam feared the theocratical regime in Tehran than he did presidents Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Clinton and the younger Bush. He basically played a high-stakes game of poker, and he was bluffing that he had a bunch of aces in the hole, what some of us poker players call "the weapons of mass destruction." He really had a 7-2 off-suit.

Here's another quote from the FBI report through the AP article about the rationale for invading Iraq: "Saddam also stated that the United States used the Sept. 11 terrorist attack as a justification to attack Iraq and said the U.S. had 'lost sight of the cause of 9/11.' He claimed that he denounced the attack in a series of editorials." The cause, according to Saddam: al Qaeda.

Another assertation of the Bush Administration to invade Iraq was because the Iraqi government was in liege with al Qaeda. Saddam said in the FBI interview that he never met the group's leader, Osama bin Laden, and called him a "zealot." The government also never cooperated with al Qaeda.

So there you go, right there in black and white, the rationalles for the Iraq War blown right out of the water. We spent six years going after shadows in Iraq when the real War on Terror front was in Afghanistan. We helped liberate that country in 2002 of the Taliban and al Qaeda, but then took the eyes off the prize when we supposedly have bin Laden cornered somewhere on teh Afghan-Pakistani border.

Now, because of this fool's errand, the Taliban has refortified, taken back several areas of Afghanistan and has worked its way into a few sections of Pakistan. With them, they still harbor al Qaeda and bin Laden.

A friend of mine, Silly Billy, disputes the existence of al Qaeda and bin Laden. He practices Islam, though I don't know of which style, but he does allow his wife Aurora to dress up in fetish outfits (i.e. zentai, latex, bondage, etc.), so he's not a fundamentalist. Still, he told me when we were talking on ICQ a few weeks back that al Qaeda is a myth and bin Laden, a fairy tale. I'd like to tell him that if a fellow Muslim acknowledges bin Laden and al Qaeda exist, then it must be so.

Some news of the day

Iranian protest shooting victim Neda Agha Soltan, photo via Wikipedia

Could this be the face to launch a revolution?

The last few days, the news media has played up the death of an Iranian woman, who was shot on the streets of Tehran during some protests by opponents of the current Mahmoud Ahmadinejad administration and supporters of Mir Hossein Mousavi over the weekend. The video of the aftermath of Neda Agha Soltan's shooting has been shown all over YouTube and later broadcast, in brief on the major news networks, including CNN, MSNBC and Fox News. The broadcasters do not show the whole video in detail out of concern for young people who may view the newscasts.

The full video on YouTube does show Neda bleeding profusely from the mouth and nose, and it's pooling around her on the street. Two men try to keep her alive. They're afraid that if they can get her to a hospital, the Republican Guard or the Basij, a para-military, plain-clothed security forces that help Ahmadinejad and the clerical regime keep order. Think of it as a KGB-like group that secretly serve the president and supreme leader to keep the public in line.

Looking at the bio posted on Wikipedia, she was born in 1982, a part-time worker in a travel agency, and was at a street corner with her father when a Basij sniper shot her in the neck. Her last words, apparently, translated to, "I'm burning! I'm burning!"

Mousavi has called for peaceful assemblies to honor Neda and others who have died in the protests since June 12, when the ruling clerical council declared Ahmadinejad the winner on a 2-to-1 margin. However, the regime has been preventing the protests, which I heard on CNN this afternoon, is against Article 27 of the Islamic Republic of Iran's constitution, guaranteeing the rights to protest peacefully.

Thus the bloodshed. Thus Neda. Of course, she has become somewhat a martyr, because her name translates from Persian into "voice" or "calling." Media also report that protesters have been shouting from the rooftops the last two nights, "I am Neda!" rather than "God is Great!"

I hope that the people do rise up and either take the rights they're guaranteed from the oppressive government or topple this regime. But they must do it themselves. Pres. Obama this afternoon said that he supports the people of Iran in the protests, but the U.S. will not get involved.

Ed McMahon, who died this morning. Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Good night, Ed!

This morning, we lost a true TV legend with the passing of Ed McMahon. He was 86.

McMahon was best known as being the sidekick to Johnny Carson on "The Tonight Show" for 30 years, as well as serving as an advertising pitchman, most notably for Alpo dog food, Budweiser and American Family Publishers. He also hosted the 1980s talent show "Star Search," basically my generation's "American Idol." He also co-hosted "Bloopers" with Dick Clark, and the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.

While on "Tonight," he had several guffaw laughs at what Carson said, with a "Hey-ooooooo!" every once in a while, but he was known most for introducing Carson onto the stage with his trademark "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrre's Johnny!"

He'll always be a legend, and he'll always be remembered.