Centerfield

So who is the webmaster here these days?

Here's a question for the open thread: Is anyone out there in Minnesota? I'd like to hear some thoughts on the health-care plan for the poor that's in place there. Kinky Friedman's offering a similar plan for Texas, and I'd like to get some feedback on how well it works.

Sadly, this did not prompt any debate on health care, despite 5.5 million Texans living without any health care coverage. Rick Perry, Chris Bell and Carole Keeton Strayhorn ignore health care, probably cause they figure the poor and uninsured don't vote. Never mind the incredible financial drain on emergency rooms having to treat these folks for every sniffle.

Regarding spam, can't you implement a captcha system fairly easily in MT? Even if you just have it ask for the same word all the time, you're going to cut down probably 95% of your comment spam.

Last weekend for the State Fair here in Dallas. I'll be going Saturday night for the first night visit this year (we get season tickets so multiple visits are much cheaper) and I'm looking forward to it.

Worst team in football right now? Huge toss up between Oakland and Houston. I know Houston won a game but they beat another runner up in Miami. It's tough to make a call yet.

Watching the Texans each week, I'd have to give them my vote for dead worst. The funny thing is, the Saints and Texans had similar situations going into the offseason. Both needed a massive makeover under a new coach. One did it right.

I'll second the suggestion that we filter spam by adding a "what word do you see" function"but I dunno who's listening or if it's possible.

My big news? Hard to believe, but yes I have plans for better than a trip to the state fair!!

My buddy Dave called me yesterday asking if I couls get to Detroit by sunday because he scored free world series tickets. Obviously I knew instantly that I had to make it happen,and am headed out to Detroit from Logan airport early saturday morning, and stoked about it. As a Red Sox fan and so semi-neutral observer (who'll be rooting for the Tigers), I'm really looking forward to taking it all in and enjoying it without the ultra-high anxiety that would attend my presence at a Red Sox world series game.. If it were a sox series game, I'd have to smuggle in a 5th of Jack Daniels to settle my nerves..

Here's a good one for the open thread: In Houston, a husband-wife team that own a landscaping company sent an e-mail to a homeowner cancelling an appointment that, while polite, noted they choose not to work with homosexuals. Lots of buzz in Houston on this one. Here's the link to a Houston Chronicle column on it, and to a posting on my blog.

WP, not the savviest of moves, no? I wonder how many gay people will apply for a job the next time they place an ad for summer help.

I tend to think the Texans are a better squad than the Raiders. The Texans have some talent and some hope. This is despite what can only be viewed as a karmic disaster: they passed on Reggie Bush to draft a d-lineman, and then ended up with a wretched defense anyway, and a starting RB out for the season.

David Carr seems to me like a QB who'll do some real damage in the NFL if he ever gets a balanced team behind him. Unless of course he gets maimed first. But the Raiders? Where's the hope? If you're a Raiders fan, aren't you like a sad closet Cuban democrat, waiting for Fidel to die?

I've seen at least one website where by adding a captcha system that always displays the same word, he cut comment spam by ~90%. Definitely something to look into.

Free WS tickets?!? Holy crap, that's the motherload and far better than my wimpy state fair. I'm jealous.

Houston definitely screwed their fans over by selecting Mario. A chance to take the most dynamic player out of college since Vick and they pass? As a fan, how do you ever trust that management again?

Luckily, we get an empirical test of who's worse in week 13 when the Texans visit the Raiders. Looking at the Raiders schedule, if they don't beat the Cardinals this weekend, it's highly likely that they could be 0-12 then. Houston could easily be 1-11, setting the stage for an epic battle of craptacular crappiness.

Remember the Texans-49ers game last year? Texans-Raiders will be the same thing.

Enjoy the game, BK. Nothing better than the Series. Last year at this time, I was greedily clutching my Astros World Series tickets. Alas, I'm already in 'wait til next year' mode.

(There has GOT to be a way to get this past the spam filter....)

Immigration is reputed to "take jobs from Americans." But the folks at the local Farmers' Market report that they and their neighbors are having upwards of half of their crops rotting in the fields, due to lack of workers to harvest them.

Why no workers? Well the Immigration Service people (whatever they are called these days) have been extra visible this year. Considering how much of the American supply of fruits and vegetables comes from California, brace for a strictly meat and potatoes diet this year.

Rick's the webmaster. I'm just helping with spam.

Hmmm...captcha might work - somebody's done an mt version, see here