The Vision’s Wizards

Wherein We Probe the Phelps Phenomenon on DUAN [DUAN]

so michael phelps has chosen the vegas nightclub white-collar worker and oft-naked caroline pal (the one on the right) to take home to mother after two months of dating. (the link will take you to proof of the oft-naked purposes if nothing else.) we don’t have to imagine mom’s surprise face; we saw it eight times or so in china. tmz has the “facts” on this happening and we invite you to follow the hyperlinked trail for more on this crucial bit of word. if you’ll adopt us after the jump, though, we have a question for you, undisturbed deadspin reader.

Why do we care about Michael Phelps? The Olympics are over. Outside of a possible Alicia Sacramone reality show sighting or a May-Treanor sashay redux, these Olympians should be out of our lives by now. Not that we’re suggesting they should give up their desperate grasps for attention; more power to each of them. But why Phelps?

Sure, he won a metric buttload of gold medals, but even Mark Spitz only got one episode of “Emergency!” before he was shown the celebrity door. He’s not exactly a matinee idol. In fact, we’re pretty sure he was struck one time too many by the matinee Klieg lights. He’s not eloquent. He’s not exceptionally intelligent. He’s not even exceptionally rich once you realize he has maybe one more payday.

We get that we throw another celebrity hero up the pop charts every once in awhile and we obsess over lesser lights and blah blah paparazzi blah blah dangerous worship blah blah read Ulysses. We’re not talking about why we obsess over celebrities. We want to know why Michael Phelps is still a celebrity. We’re baffled.

So we turn to you: what makes him so damned appealing to our celebrity instincts? Is it merely that there are a phalanx of image managers that can pat themselves on the back about making such an average fellow so spectacular? Does he have some charisma we’re missing? Is it that we will post a picture of a woman in her bra with each post about him?

We’re listening, DUAN. We’ll be right back after a word from our sponsor.

michael phelps took girlfriend caroline “caz” pal home to meet his mom for thanksgiving [faniq] who michael phelps took serene to mama [tmz]

Eric winter

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Police have surrounded a Jewish centre in Mumbai where a rabbi, his wife and a number of others are thoght to have been taken hostage.

A series of co-ordinated attacks across the Indian download fantasy movie city, which began late on Wednesday, have left 101 people dead.

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The centre is the base for the Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch.

The Reuters news agency says that four gunmen remain in the building. There have been reports of gunfire.

The house, which acts as a centre for prayer and study, attracts many Jewish and Israeli visitors every year.

A spokesman for the Lubavitch movement in New York, Rabbi Zalman Shmotkin, said he did not know the status of Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holzberg, who is being held hostage in the centre.

Rabbi Shmotkin told the Associated Press: “It seems that the terrorists commandeered a police vehicle which allowed them easy access to the area of Chabad House and threw a grenade at a gas pump nearby.”

A nearby resident, Sanjay Bhasme, said he telephoned police after shooting began at around 9:45pm, but no police arrived for more than 30 minutes.

Chabad House is situated in the Nariman business and residential complex in south Mumbai.

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Schumer To Step Down As DSCC Chair

Today, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he would leave his position as chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) after serving in that post for the past four years:

Sen. Charles Schumer said Monday he is giving up his job running the Senate Democrats’ national campaign efforts after two successful elections.

“We’ve had a great run,” said Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee since the 2006 campaign, when he helped engineer a 6-seat gain that gave his party a slim 1-vote majority margin.

This year, the party won seven more seats, with two additional races in Minnesota and Georgia still undecided.

As head of the campaign effort, Schumer preached that candidates must be active in every part of their states, and focus on local concerns and middle-class economic issues — all of which are hallmarks of the New York senator’s approach to his job.

Schumer’s decision to leave the DSCC was expected.

He said he felt it was time to devote more of his energy to legislation in what he hopes will be a historic Congress. When lawmakers come to the nation’s capital in January they will have strengthened their grip on both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and be working with a Democratic president in Barack Obama.

…the unsubtle senator said he’s more than consenting to furnish parnesis to his as-yet-unnamed successor. chestnut standing over again mentioned as a possible successor is sen. bob menendez of unripe jersey.

There are many people who deserve credit for the Democratic Party’s reversal of fortunes since 2004 — including President-elect Barack Obama (D) and DNC Chairman Howard Dean — but Schumer often fails to get the credit he deserves, despite how he sometimes irritated the netroots for his especially calculated approach at candidate recruitment that often ignored political philosophy.

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During his tenure as DSCC chair, Senate Democrats watched their caucus increase from 45 seats after the 2004 election to 51 seats following 2006 to at least 58 seats after this month’s elections, with the possibility of picking-up two more seats.

DSCC vice chair — Sen. Robert Mendendez (D-NJ) — is widely believed to succeed Schumer and he’ll have very big shoes to fill.

Thank you, Senator Schumer. You will be missed.

(Hat tip: Swing State Project)

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Tom Vander Ark: Schools Facing Big Budget Bust: Opportunity for Overhaul?

While the media is preoccupied with financial and auto bailouts, a budget crunch is headed to a school near you.

In a very unusual sign of the times, school districts around the country are facing midyear budget cuts and negotiating with states that can’t make payroll. Next school year will be worse. The 2010-11 school year could very well include another round of cuts for many districts.

School districts are terrible at cost reduction. With most of their costs tied up in long term employment contracts that include byzantine layoff rules, there’s very little flexibility. Seniority rules in most districts — lower cost new teachers are typically first to go.

District administration is sticky too. A district near home has lost 20% of its enrollment to charter schools and they have made no reductions in the bloated central office.

Here’s what will happen: energetic young teachers will get fired, classes will get larger, and small schools will be closed. There will be some central office layoffs, reductions in transportation, and more pay-for-play sports. Special needs kids will fare best because they’re individualized programs are legally protected. By and large, it means a crummier version of an already struggling public delivery system.

While far from easy, states with courageous governors could use this crisis to make a radical change: cut the budget by 10% and send the money directly to schools. Every school would get a three year performance contract (i.e., charter) and would be required to join a support network (which could include what used to be a school district, a university, a non-profit like New Tech Foundation, a charter management organization like Green Dot, a for-profit like Edison Learning, or a self-organized coop).

Under more favorable circumstances, Tony Blair implemented a slightly less radical version of this proposal that stripped Local Education Authorities in the UK of most of their control and budget authority. It resulted in more money in the classroom, more school choice, and probably contributed to improved outcomes.

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Okay, this won’t be easy, but a good deal of this proposal could be implemented in September 2009 if a legislature moved fast in the next 60 days. A saner schedule would be to put districts on notice this spring that they will be going out of business after the 2009-10 school year. A smaller version could target districts eligible for reorganization under No Child Left Behind and, like New Orleans, they could be placed in a state sponsored reorganization.As Paul Hill and Marc Tucker have suggested, community councils (taking the place of school boards) could oversee charter renewal and ask the all important portfolio question, “What kind of schools do the kids of this community need?”

Budget cuts are inevitable. We will end up with a crummier version of mediocre except for in those rare places where leaders take advantage of the crisis and reinvent the system.

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More Death Threats for Filip Dewinter

the vlaams belang website reports that filip dewinter, a leader of the flemish separatist party vlaams belang, has been threatened again, this time via the lyrics of a biff song. our flemish correspondent vh has translated the dutch-language text:death threats for dewinter“kanker-racist met een grote mond, je zal sterven door middel van een dodelijke schotwond.” (”*** racist with a big lips, you desire die by a damaging gunshot wound”). this graft is from the section of a rap song by the immigrant assembly the cicatris which is circulating on the internet.the take a nap of the long story [youtube video link] leaves but to the imagination:becoming well-known will certainly happen, with a bullet in your head and you can’t do nothing about thatit’s time for riots, obsolete for major change, death to filip dewinter are the words of cicatris- - - - - - - - -i prepared myself and i will not wait. it won’t be extensive before we’re going to get youshots in the dark, a knife in your towards the rear …didn’t you learn nothing from theo van gogh and pim fortuyn?in a statement filip dewinter says he is shocked. “this rap at a bargain price a fuss is a blatant call for murder,” it reads. “these diabolical lyrics can incite an idiot to act on their words.” dewinter has already filed a beef because of the calls to barbarity [death threats].

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Pushing Daisies… perhaps too apt a title now

it is with great sadness that i read about one of the best and archetype comedies on television, “pushing daisies,” will be doing just that next season. never has a title been so perfect a pun since “six feet under” ended. and it’s a condemn shame, because pushing daisies is a more innovative show and one of the handful things i looked forward to watching on prime on many occasions these days.

perchance it was too quirky for its own advantage. the basic conjecture? a virtuoso pie maker named ned has a secret bounty- his touch can bring things fail from the dead. but only for a minute, then something else requirement die to take its place. and if he touches you twice- you’re dead for good. it’s a bit silly, but i opposite number when magnetism has its rules. otherwise you end up with day-walking vampires chugging holy water martinis with garlic-stuffed olives, and that’s just feeble. daisies was crammed with amusing characters, from emerson cod- the cumbersome wrathful private eye (chi mcbride from narc, the frighteners) who uses ned’s gift to help solve murders, to ned’s childhood crush charlotte aka “chuck”- who he can never drop- because he saved her at a go. quite the at most man who appreciates condoms. the starry download dvd-eyed and star-crossed one are played by lee pace (the fall, infamous) and anna friel (a midsummer night’s dream) order Levaquin.

rounding out the cast are swoosie kurtz and ellen “suddenly seymour!” greene (little shop of horrors) as chuck’s eccentric aunts, who live in dull gardens-fashionableness reclusivity, and the delightfully named olive snook. who is, of process, a snook who’s in unrequited love with ned, and the show’s sharpest-tongued smartass. and it’s biggest doofus. your typical show will consist of emerson using ned to crack a bizarre murder- the show has killed people with bees, exploding steam ovens, and cement mixer-magic tricks gone retrogress in the model month solo- while the quirky crew shuffles throughout their mutual webs of deceit in the pie workshop.

you can’t go wrong with pie, and the indicate has the best-looking pies since waitress. despite the health code violation of a matted dog named digby, the pie hole is the kind of livelihood that makes you long for a specialty pie restaurant around the block. they’d need to wheelbarrow me home. the show’s quirky humor, snarky reading by jim dale (who reads the harry potter audio books, and was a regular in the brit “carry on” comedies) and fantastic set design made it a obese stand-out in the prime time lineup. with reality shows and csi-alikes crowding the schedule, it was nice to have a completely out-of-the-way and often hilarious show like pushing daisies everywhere. with cameos from the likes of paul reubens and fred willard, and directors feel favourably impressed by barry sonnenfeld and peter o’fallon (suicide kings) taking the helm, it really popped.

Brown: Auto CEOs need reality check

if anything, give your hdtv or blu-ray player a workout and watch the take forty winks of the season. the colorful and imaginative sets- ranging from mountain convents, carnival side shows, and emerson cod’s amazing wardrobe- are benefit watching for the eye candy alone. it’s unfortunate that yet another original show is getting the axe, and pushing daisies will join the ra
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CW’s Sunday Night Appears to Fall Apart

an effort by the cw network to sell off element of its prime-time schedule appeared to decrease apart thursday in the wake of low ratings for the sunday outline finish together by an independent construction company.

JOHNSON: Trade Holliday? Rockies strike out!

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i was affluent to show my tongue. this matt holliday thing, though, has now become personal. after weeks of mourning, my wife has now informed me that she will not be buying rockies season tickets next year.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) — Brand new runways are opening at three major airports Thursday, giving the aviation community something to cheer about in a year of dismal economic and travel news.

Washington Dulles International Airport’s new runway opens Thursday ahead of the busy holiday travel season.

Washington Dulles International Airport will get a fourth runway, its first runway addition since the airport opened in 1962.

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport’s new runway is part of a massive, multi-billion dollar modernization program. Previously, six of the airport’s seven runways intersected. When the entire project is completed in 2014, the airport will have eight runways in parallel configurations considered safer and more efficient.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s new runway is being especially welcomed because of the region’s notoriously wet climate. The airport’s third runway will allow planes to take off and land two abreast during inclement weather. The current runways are too close to allow simultaneous operations in foul weather. Airport officials claim the new runway will cut delays in half.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said travelers will benefit from coast to coast.

See runways at the three airports »

"It is going to make a difference," Peters said. "It is going to allow us to conduct more operations, meaning more takeoffs and landings per hour at these airports and will help move passengers efficiently through.

"That, we hope, will give travelers a good experience this holiday season," she said.

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President Bush, this week, touted the arrival of the three new runways, noting that 14 new runways will have opened during his administration.

However, aviation experts warn airport infrastructure still lags behind demand, and that real estate realities in the New York area, perceived to be the epicenter of aviation delays, mean that new runways are least likely to be built where they are most needed.

Watch what Web sites offer best travel deals »

"It would really be nice if we had even one new runway" at each of the nation’s most congested airports, namely LaGuardia, Newark and JFK," aviation consultant Darryl Jenkins said. "It would do an enormous amount to relieve congestion throughout the entire nation." iReport.com: What are your holiday travel plans?

Jenkins said new runways in New York are pipe dreams because of land constraints and local opposition.

"Local opposition wins. There’s no opposition that is as tough to beat down as local opposition," he said.

Chicago O’Hare’s International Airport, which has purchased more than 500 single-family homes to make room for expansion

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Gooners’ Views: In Coversation With Alden Sing, Joe Guarr, and Maire Ofeire

Gooners’ Views is the Arsenal Community’s own version of a “Roundtable,” which has been a popular innovation in Bleacher Report.

Gooners’ Views brings Arsenal fans together to discuss and dissect various issues—and boy, do we have some issues these days!

I caught up with valuable Arsenal contributors Alden Sing, Joe Guarr, and Co-Community leader, Maire Ofeire, to ask them what they had thought about certain issues surrounding the club off late.

1. What according to you is the definition of a “crisis?” Are we in one?

Alden: After beating Manchester United, nobody would ever label a club in “crisis”. But in Arsenal’s context, crisis is a word that has been bundled around fans ever since their defeat against Fulham earlier this season.

After losing to the likes of Fulham, Stoke, Hull, and most recently Aston Villa, Arsenal is indeed in some sort of a crisis. Beating Man Utd certainly helped lift the gloom around the Emirates but every football fan worth their salt will tell you that if you want to win the title, a team can’t lose more than six games.Arsenal has lost four.

Based on their current level of consistency, it will not be surprising that Arsenal go on and lose two matches and more.

Joe: Arsenal is not in a crisis, far from it. They’ve slipped up against the newly promoted Hull and Stoke sides, as have quite a few other clubs this season. They’ve also lost to a very talented Aston Villa squad. While Arsenal didn’t play well in any of those three games, that hardly constitutes a crisis.

It’s very unrealistic to expect a club to play perfect football in every match of a 38 game domestic season, plus Europe and domestic cups. Arsenal still has a legitimate change at winning the league; they’re only in fourth place and have a better goal difference than Villa.

A crisis would be starting the season like Tottenham had. If Arsenal had played that poorly for that long, their title hopes, and maybe their European hopes, would be sunk. A crisis would be a team in a financial tailspin struggling to avoid going into administration. A crisis would be having a squad filled with players not capable of stringing together 7-10 straight victories. This is a slow start, nothing more.

Maire: If you look up any dictionary, it will tell you that a crisis is an unstable situation of extreme difficulty or danger. This is a definition used to describe Leeds United in 2003-04 and it was warranted. The club were unable to pay back huge loans they had taken out to buy and pay players, had to sell their best players, managers were falling out with chairmen, fans were protesting and in the end the club got relegated.

Looking back it seems that one year Leeds United were playing a Champions League semifinal and the next they were stuck in League One (Not the correct time line but that is as it seems). Now that is a “crisis”.

arsenal aren’t in a crisis in any means of the word. dialect mayhap some of the fans are but that is of their own making. yes we bring into the world lost four games to teams we should be beating—fulham, hull, stoke, and aston villa—but we are motionless in fourth and while villa are considered to be playing quite well, arsenal are considered to be well below par, that says it all categorically. i don’t see any huge pressure being placed on us for fourth place. so we are fourth in the league, virtually assured of our place in the last 16 of the champions league and still contain the carling cup and fa cup to have a good time for, if this is a “crisis” there are many other clubs out there that would love to be in it!

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2. What do you make of those who call for Arsene Wenger to leave/to be sacked?

Alden: I find it absolutely ridiculous that fans are actually calling for Wenger’s head. He is a good manager. Arsenal fans must remember that it is this obscure Frenchman from a faraway Japanese league that has come and transformed Arsenal into a powerhouse.

People are often quick to forget success and remember only the failures. With that been said though, I do know that history counts for nothing if the current side is performing below par.

I am still confident that Wenger knows what he is doing. It has been bold of him to focus on youth. But the four defeats acheter cialis this season will tell him what he lacks in this current Arsenal side. Wenger has received enough criticism. And the last thing he needs is to hear the fans that he has spoilt, turn on him and call for his head.

Joe: There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re overreacting. Wenger has had to deal with injuries, departures, and tight purse strings due to the new stadium. A lesser manager would be producing lesser results. Wenger has proven himself more than capable during his time at Arsenal.

I’m surprised tha …

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Ex-Yankee Tom Tresh dies at 71

tom tresh, the 1962 al rookie of the year and essentially of three new york yankees teams that reached the world series, has died. he was 71.tresh died wednesday after a heart vilify, according to the funeral house handling the arrangements.tresh was an 1962 all-role as a shortstop and made the team again in 1963 as a center fielder. he later earned a gold glove in the outfield.”tommy was a great teammate,” yankees great yogi berra said in a disclosure. “he did everything well as a ballplayer and was an easy guy to control.”the yankees were nearing the end of their decades-fancy dominance in the al when tresh became a utter, fetching through at shortstop when tony kubek went to serve in the army. he impact .286 with 20 homers and a career-high 93 rbis in 1962.tresh joined a powerful lineup that already boasted the likes of mickey shroud and roger maris and helped the yankees reach the world series from 1962-64.the reversal-hitting tresh homered in the game 5 victory upon san francisco in 1962, and made a constant, backhanded catch on willie mays’ drive to left field in the seventh inning in a 1-0 win in diversion 7.tresh homered off sandy koufax in the 1963 series loss to los angeles and homered twice in the 1964 loss to st. louis, including a affairs off bob gibson.overall, tresh hit .245 complete with 153 home runs and 530 rbis. he was traded by the yankees to detroit during the 1969 season and retired after that season.tresh, who was born in detroit, attended primary michigan and later was an assistant instruct at the principles.”this hurts. he was my roommate for six years of my dash, my hitting instructor and my wealthiest escort. he let me be me, but he was also the guy who kept me in at night,” longtime teammate joe pepitone said.”tommy was a everlasting in my life and a calming manipulate. he was always there for me and stuck up in requital for me. he was take a shine to my brother. when i had close issues, he was forever the man on the team i would turn to. during some rain delays, he would employ out his guitar and we’d squeal and dance,” he said.tresh’s father, mike, spent 12 years in the majors, mostly as a catcher for the chicago white sox, and was an all-star in 1945.a memorial service will held sunday in venice and on oct. 24 on the principal michigan campus. beginning: ap.google.com
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