Skeptic Down Under Lodges a Formal Complaint Against Psychic John Edward

A Melbourne sceptic (that’s the same as a skeptic here in the US) has lodged a complaint against psychic John Edward to prove he can truly communicate with the dead, as Edward claims. The sceptic is hoping that under Australian law, Edward will have to prove his claims before he can legally begin a tour of Australia, now slated to begin March 2. Cheers to the sceptic, boos to John Edward, which according to this article is a phony if there ever was one.

McDonald’s

Although I occasionally eat fast food, I almost never eat at McDonald’s. I find that I enjoy the food at Burger King or Wendy’s more than the food at McDonald’s, and even worse for McDonald’s, I find that in this area the service at McDonald’s is much worse than at those other places. But the thing that really annoys me about McDonald’s is that whenever I order a hamburger, I am always asked the following question: “Do you want cheese with that?” I know what is going on. They have trained their teenagers to ask this question to increase their profit margin, as a burger with cheese will most likely make them more money than one without. They are saying, as a company policy, we’re not going to give you what you just ordered until we have the chance to wring more profits from you.

But from my point of view, I have been quite specific in my order. I should not be asked if I want a different item on the menu, when I have already ordered what I want. The English language, and the menu at McDonald’s, differentiates clearly between a hamburger and a cheeseburger. Sometimes I feel like I should be snippy to the poor teenager taking the order and say “You have two items on the menu, a hamburger and a cheeseburger, and I ordered a hamburger. Do you think I want cheese?” But its not the teenager’s fault. Perhaps I should call the manager out and ask him that question.

One time, I asked someone why McDonald’s does this. They claim that if they sell you a hamburger, often the customer will complain that they really wanted a cheeseburger. I don’t buy this. I am quite sure that 99.9537% of all Americans can distinguish between a hamburger and cheeseburger and order the one they want. And I note that at other fast food places or restaurants, when I order a hamburger, the meaning is clear. (Until this morning, when it happened at Burger King, sigh!)

Leap Day

Today, February 29, is Leap Day. Julius Caesar was the first ruler of the world to add a day to the calendar, when he acted on the advice of an astronomer. Had Caesar not done so, the Earth’s rotation would have eventually led to July (named after Caesar) being in the middle of winter. Eventually, more fine tuning of the calendar was carried out in 1582 to match the fact that the Earth actually takes 365.24219 days to go around the sun, further preventing the seasons from creeping.

Babe Ruth on Steroids?

Jeff Kent wonders if Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth took steroids too. These comments are sacrilege, and furthermore athletes did not use steroids for performance enhancement way back in 1939, the last year Lou Gehrig played. In fact, according to this research report, steroid use by athletes began in the 1950s. Thus, Kent’s comments are unreasonable and unsupported by facts.

Furthermore, I know there were no anti-inflammatory drugs back then, and I know how much I rely on anti-inflammatory drugs in my life, and I know many of today’s athletes use them regularly. For players of bygone eras to perform so well for so long without anti-inflammatories makes their accomplishments even more impressive. What do you think of that, Mr. Kent?

More about Gay Marriage

From Atrios: Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa) discusses gay marriage.

[T]he consequence is very clear. Marriage loses its significance. People will stop getting married. Homosexuals will not get married; heterosexuals will stop getting married. And that to me is the real threat to the American family and to the culture generally.

Atrios notes that in 1911, Rep. Seaborn Roddenberry of Georgia introduced an anti-miscegenation amendment, saying:

Intermarriage between whites and blacks is repulsive and averse to every sentiment of pure American spirit. It is abhorrent and repugnant. It is subversive to social peace. It is destructive of moral supremacy, and ultimately this slavery to black beasts will bring this nation to a fatal conflict.

I wonder how those who were in agreement with Rep. Roddenberry in 1911 explain the total failure of his prediction. I’d be curious to hear from those who agree with Sen. Santorum specifically how Sen. Santorum predictions will come to fruition — what is the mechanism that will cause this change in our society from one where marriage is a common occurence to one where “people will stop getting married”.

Stupid Movable Type

Okay, I have to admit that I am pissed at Movable Type. Why? Even though I use Blogger to create my blog, I post a lot of comments on MT blogs. The newest version of MT, designed to prevent spam in comments, will not allow me to post comments because it thinks the URL of my blog is spam. It objects to the text string “home.ro” in my URL. Stupid, stupid. So I call upon all users of MT to deluge MT technical support with requests for a fix, as I will not be able to post my incredibly intelligent and often very humorous and perceptive comments on your MT blogs until it gets fixed. Nuff said.

Update (2/27/04): I guess I have talked to enough people about this to be sure the problem isn’t Movable Type itself, but the add-on spam-blocker. It sounds like things will get fixed, allowing home.rochester.rr.com but blocking home.ro, which is a Romanian spam site.

Wegmans to Open Washington DC Store

Previously, I had declared that Wegmans may be the best supermarket on the planet. Now, the folks at Wizbang point out that the big news in Washington, DC is not politics, it’s not even the Washington Redskins’ offseason moves, it’s Wegmans opening its first Washington area store on Sunday.

According to Margaret Webb Pressler of the Washington Post, “Last year I mentioned in a column that the Rochester, N.Y.-based grocery chain Wegmans would be opening this year in the Washington area. I was inundated with e-mails from readers who wanted to know when and where”. She goes on to describe a visit to the nearest Wegmans at that time, in Downingtown, Pa. “What I found is a store that answered many of my perennial complaints about grocery shopping. It wasn’t perfect, but it's clear that the arrival of Wegmans into this market raises the bar for all our local supermarket operators.”

Abuse of Science

Chris Mooney at The Intersection discusses numerous different situations where scientists arrived at research results that are the opposite of the Bush administration’s political goals. It seems that in each case, the scientific results were disregarded by the Bush administration, which wound up coming to the opposite conclusion after a much less rigorous (i.e. unscientific) study was performed. Read all about it here and here and here and here and here. And most importantly, here.

Green Polar Bears?

The polar bears at the Singapore zoo have turned green! No, not because of the upcoming Singaporean holiday, St. Patrick’s day, but because of algae in their pool. Click the link to see the picture!

Gay Marriage Amendment

Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any State, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups.

This amendment to the United States Constitution, if passed, would be the only place in the constitution where one group of citizens would have less rights than another group of citizens. Somehow, that doesn’t strike me as what America is all about. In fact, throughout our history, there have been huge struggles by some groups of people to be treated equally with other people. This is one aspect of our country’s history that I am very proud of. If we amend the constitution to deny certain individuals their rights, we have taken a huge step backwards as a society.

I further wish that politicians would put this issue on the back burner; I think as a society we have many more immediate and pressing problems, such as the deficit, jobs, security, health care. To pass a constitutional amendment, admittedly a difficult thing to do, our state and federal politicians would have to divert a huge amount of their attention from more important issues.

Some of the arguments put forth in favor of the amendment don’t seem to hold water with me. First, some people predict dire consequences if our society allows same sex marriages. I just don’t see that myself. In fact, most of the homosexuals who want to get married are in a long-term committed relationship right now, are honest law abiding citizens, and they just want a piece of paper. I see no dire consequences from giving them that piece of paper. Another argument discusses reigning in so-called “activist” judges. Then why limit this reigning in of “activist” judges to this single issue? Why not pass a Constitutional amendment that prohibits judges from creating new rights, as only legislatures should do that? Another argument discusses that throughout the history of mankind, marriage was only between a man and a woman, and we have to continue that tradition. Well, throughout the history of mankind, there was never a nation ruled by “We The People” until 1776, when this very nation decided to break with the rest of the history of mankind. Let’s move forward, not backward.

Media Sound Bites

I wasn’t planning on discussing Ralph Nader, since I think he is going to be an insignificant footnote in this upcoming Presidential election. However, this article on CNN gives a good example of the type of “sound-bite” reporting that I dislike so much. It quotes Ralph Nader as saying:

Unpatriotic corporations abandon our country and shift industries abroad, along with what is left of their allegiance to our country and our community.

What goes unsaid is the candidate’s solution to the problem. If Nader actually articulated a solution, it would be nice for us potential voters to know what his solution is. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t say. Now it is possible that Nader was just pointing fingers of blame and didn’t articulate a solution. If that’s the case, he doesn’t deserve my vote.

But the article goes on to say: “...he also described government agencies as ‘indentured servants’ for corporate interests”. I have no idea what this means; and worse yet either the CNN reporter doesn’t tell us, or Nader doesn’t tell us. Either way, the soundbite sounds good, and means nothing.

Jack over at The People’s Republic of Seabrook has a more detailed discussion of Nader’s announcement. He says that although Nader’s goals are fairly clear, Nader is fighting the wrong battle with the wrong weapon.

Congratulations, Greece Odyssey High School

I attended a very fine production of the play Tom Sawyer last night, put on by Greece (NY) Odyssey High School. I may be no expert on the theatre, but I do know I was thoroughly entertained. Well worth the $8 admission fee. Congratulations to all the fine actors and actresses!

Guinea Pig Blogging

A fifth rodent ... er ... guinea pig, a two year old male, has joined the staff here at Paige’s Page. Originally, we named him Yao Ming, but when my daughter objected that he was not Chinese, and he was too short, I changed the animal’s name to Zydrunas Ilgauskas. You can call him Z. He will be commenting on guinea pig issues in this blog, particularly on the controversy over the proper size to cut carrots when feeding small rodents.

The Presidential Race

Here at Paige’s Page World Headquarters, we have become aware that there is a race underway for the elected position of President of the United States. Usually, we tend to ignore these things because we despise the five-second sound-bites that traditional broadcast journalism supplies; and we despise the unpleasant and insulting political ads associated with it.

One of the good things about the Internet is that it enables you to read a candidate’s position, in his own words (or those of his staffers), in quite a bit of detail. And so you can read President Bush’s positions at his web site, and similarly at the web site of Senator Kerry. We shall be reading both of these positions, along with detailed arguments put forth by interested special interest groups, in the next few months in preparation for the election. We shall, from time to time, report the candidates’ positions and on-the-job performance from the past several years, compare, contrast, investigate the facts, and opine. There will be no name calling here, no insulting comments, but we shall certainly state that we agree or disagree, that we approve or disapprove.

Some of the issues that are of the most concern to us here at Paige’s Page recently are jobs (we have written about corporate downsizing in several places, most recently here) and associated with that is health care (lose your job, lose your health care). National security, being safe from terrorism, would be the next biggest issue we are concerned with.

We will not try to be unbiased, since we are not unbiased. There’s no requirement for a voter to be unbiased anyway, and furthermore we feel that everyone is biased in one way or another — I doubt there is a single person who will look at this Presidential campaign without pre-existing opinions on some issues. Bias isn’t necessarily bad — unless it prevents a voter from considering both sides of an issue.

Finally, let me point out that I don’t really care what a candidate did 20 or 30 years ago. I do care what he has done in the last several years, and what he plans to do in the future. Nor is character a huge issue for me, unless the lack of character becomes extreme. I believe that both candidates have sufficient character that its not an issue for me, and furthermore, there are no perfect individuals anyway, including me. If evidence turns up that a candidate beats his wife, or likes Barney the dinosaur, I would reconsider. But so far, I don’t particularly see either candidate having character issues. And so at the present time, I will not be discussing character issues, my plans for commentary are limited to a candidates recent performance on the job, and his stated positions.

Imaginary Girlfriends

So you’re the biggest loser in the county. No problem, now you can impress your friends with an Imaginary Girlfriend! That's right, for just $45, one of several hot lasses will be your imaginary girlfriend who will send you personalized letters, photos, e-mails, etc. One of the few rules is that you don’t actually get to meet the girl. And when it’s all over, you can break up with her for whatever reason you want, and she will write you a final letter begging you to take her back. (Link via The Presurfer)

Sounds like a great relationship! No committments! No expensive dates! No meeting her parents! No babysitting her cat! Warning: Anyone who has difficulty distinguishing realty from fantasy should NOT use this service.

Lohan to Duff — Kiss and Make Up?

17 year old actress Lindsay Lohan is tired of her tiff with 16 year old Hilary Duff. We noted here that Duff reportedly told Lohan to leave a movie premiere. Seems they both had dated pop star Aaron Carter, and, well, you know it’s a high school girl thing. Lohan now says the whole thing was “silly” and “unnecessary” and that she is a big fan of Duff.

That’s very magnanimous of you, Lindsay! Your move, Hilary!

Court Upholds Do Not Call Registry

The 10th US Court of Appeals upholds a very valuable law, allowing the federal government to establish a “Do Not Call” registry, effectively blocking most telemarketers from calling homes that say that they do not want calls.

“Just as a consumer can avoid door-to-door peddlers by placing a ‘No Solicitation’ sign in his or her front yard, the do-not-call registry lets consumers avoid unwanted sales pitches that invade the home via telephone,” the court said. “We are convinced that the First Amendment does not prevent the government from giving consumers this option.”

The “L” Word

A linguist at the University of Toronto has documented a dramatic rise of the word “like”. According to linguist Sali Tagliamonte, that word is used by 16 year olds more often than the word “and”, and in fact the 16 year olds studied used the word once every 20 words. While the grammar police may be horrified, Tagliamonte points out that languages and usage of words change over time. However, the speed at which the usage of the word “like” has changed is relatively unprecedented. Like, totally! But much to my surprise, Tagliamonte insists it is not a sign of a poor vocabulary. “Some of my brightest students use ‘like’ all the time, and they have very strong vocabularies.” (Link via Calpundit)

Scholarships for Whites Only?

According to CNN, the College Republicans at Roger Williams University have offered scholarship money to white applicants only.

Am I offended by this? No.

Do I think it is incredibly stupid? Yes. Here’s why. Special interest groups offer scholarships to candidates that match the special interests of the group. This happens all the time, and I don’t have a problem with it. Minority special interest groups offer scholarships to minorities in their group. White special interest groups can (and probably do) offer scholarships to white candidates. But the Republican Party, or the college’s young Republicans, as the case may be, is not a special interest group, in my view. It should be a group that opens its arms and welcomes anyone who endorses its policies, regardless of race, creed, ethnicity or national origin (dare I mention sexual orientation too?). But, this sends a different message. It says: “We College Republicans at Roger Williams University are an organization that only is interested in helping white folk. You minorities stay way.” I wonder what the national Republican Party thinks of this.

Beyoncé at the NBA Halftime Show

From Frank at On The Fritz:

Christina, Britney, Ms. Jackson, please take notice. It IS possible to be sexy, seductive and classy at the same time, and you CAN give a memorable performance without any crotch grabbing, faux-lesbian tongue kissing or silicone boobie flashing!

Cherimoya

Cherimoya, the Jewel of The Incas, is a tropical fruit with delicious creamy white flesh. The taste is somewhat like a cross between a pineapple and a banana, with hints of vanilla. I saw a television show on FoodTV a few weeks ago where people raved about cherimoyas. So, when I saw cherimoya in the local supermarket, I decided to give it a try. I liked it, but I like mangos and pineapples better. And currently here in the Northeast, these delicious fruits are somewhat pricey. I paid $4.99 for a fruit about the size of my two fists put together.

More Political Dirty Tricks

A while back I complained about a smear e-mail sent on behalf of someone opposed to President Bush. Now, we see more smear tactics, this time by, apparently, a supporter of the President. The picture of John Kerry shown below with Jane Fonda is a fake. Someone deliberately doctored it. The original is available at snopes.com. (Link via Off On A Tangent)

Happy Valentine’s Day

Since I don’t have a real valentine this year, I’d like to take a minute to wish all of my female readers a Happy Valentine’s Day. And to all you female bloggers listed in my Blogroll, I also wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day. That would be, in blogphabetical order: Casie, Goldie, Kate, Amanda, Robin, Jen, Maureen, Silandara, Karissa and last but not least the other Jen.

50 First Dates

I haven't yet seen the new Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore movie 50 First Dates, so it is intriguing to me to see such widely disparate reviews. I don’t know which to believe.

Paul Clinton at CNN calls it “odious drivel”. He says: “Remember the comedy Groundhog Day, in which Bill Murray is forced to relive the same day time and time again? Well, 50 First Dates has the exact same premise with one big difference: It’s not funny.”

A.O. Scott at The New York Times says: “...the occasional bouts of scatology and crude sexual humor function, if you'll permit the oxymoron, as vulgar grace notes, decorating a surprisingly graceful and, in the end, impressively daring romantic comedy.”

France Bans Religious Symbols on Schoolchildren

As everyone knows, if you don’t wear the symbols of your religion, you won’t believe in it as much, and you will be less likely to engage in religious motivated crimes or hatred. Ummm, sorry, France, I don’t buy that at all, but nevertheless, France has banned wearing religious symbols, such as headgear, in French schools. The problem isn’t the symbols, its the hate, the anger, the criminal behaviors that some people engage in. That’s what needs to be weeded out, not the symbols worn by people.

“Stupid” Awards

A parent body-slammed a high school referee after he ordered the man’s wife out of the gym for allegedly yelling obscenities during a basketball game. The referee, Ronald Bell, 57, was treated at a hospital for a concussion and released after the attack Friday night. To the parent, Peter J. Dukovich, you get the Paige’s Page “Stupid Award”. Congratulations! You have set a horrible example for your children. If I may be so bold, I hope the court throws the book at you.

In a related situation, a Tucson area high school basketball player is partially paralyzed after fans swarmed onto the court in celebration and accidentally tackled the player after his game-ending dunk. The player, Joe Kay, is a 4.0 student, has a full volleyball scholarship to Stanford. He currently is in serious condition at a Tucson hospital. The crowd at that basketball game also gets a “Stupid Award”.

Home Despot

That would be Home Despot, with an “s”. Shop. Destroy. Rule. (link via Reenhead)

It Was 40 Years Ago Today

“Ladies and gentlemen, The Beatles!” With those words, Ed Sullivan introduced four young men to United States music fans, and Beatlemania began. Within two months, The Beatles had the top five songs on the Billboard charts, a feat that has never been matched. The Beatles changed the face of music, and changed the face of pop culture.

How simple those songs seem now. “I want to hold your hand!” Compare that to today’s lyrics, “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard”. And back in 1964, there were people incredibly alarmed by The Beatles’ lyrics and style, just as today there are people alarmed by today’s lyrics and the on-stage style of musical artists. Knowing what pop music is like in the year 2004, it is hard to imagine people were alarmed by The Beatles.

Evolution in Ohio

Seems as if those knuckle-dragging creationists won’t take no for an answer. Now its Ohio where the battle must be fought. This article by the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Sam Fulwood III pulls no punches.

Snark Hunt

This week’s Snark Hunt is now ready for all you snark hunting blog readers. Check it out at Electric Venom.

Vegemite

Australian Goldie at Drama Queen explains the joys of vegemite. “It puts the rose in every cheek”. Its made from beer byproducts (how bad can that be)? As Goldie says: “Go on. Try some vegemite today. You know you want to”.

New Evolution Web Site

Understanding Evolution is a web-site to help teachers understand evolution, but its not just for teachers. The web site portrays many of the reasons why evolution is relevant to every day life, and talks in terms that non-scientists can understand. It was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Howard Hughes Medical Foundation.

Evolution in Georgia, Continued

It appears that the word evolution will be back in the curriculum that is proposed for Georgia high school students. State School Superintendent Kathy Cox said that in her attempt to avoid a controversy, a bigger controversy ensued. Her spokesperson said “We have heard from the people of Georgia”. All of this is a move in the right direction, but I am not convinced it is for the right reasons. Nevertheless, the actual curriculum still does not cover evolution, as specified in the standards from the American Academy for the Advancement of Science. So the word evolution will be used, but the actual theory will not be covered. So, if I was a parent of a high school student in Georgia, I would still consider the proposed curriculum to be totally unacceptable.

No School Credit For Hooters Work

Laura Williams, a 17 year old high school senior won’t get class credit for working as a hostess at Hooters. School officials said the restaurant is too racy, and therefore cannot give credit. Nevermind the fact that as a hostess, Williams wore a collared shirt and long pants. Nevermind the fact that Williams learned useful skills about working that particular job. Nevermind the fact that families with kids often dine at Hooters (I know, I’ve been there). Williams says she will appeal, but plans to keep the job because it is a fun place to work.

I suppose that next, the school board will deny job credit for being a lifeguard, since girls at the beach walk around wearing skimpy bikinis. Ballet teachers had also better worry, the school board may not look favorably on the ballerina’s costumes. Some people are too upset about the appearance of skin. In contrast, I found the Super Bowl halftime show, where there was the appearance of sexual aggressiveness (ripping Janet Jackson’s bodice, crotch grabbing and sexually aggressive lyrics). It’s not the skin that bothers me, it’s the sexual aggressiveness that is being portrayed that is offensive to me. Hooters has never been a problem in my mind.

Carb Counting Bread?

I notice that a loaf of bread, made by Stroehmann Pennsylvania Dutch Bakers, claims to be “Carb Counting” and “New”. Obviously a plot to get people who have been avoiding bread to start buying bread again. What confuses me is that the loaf’s packaging also proclaims “Original Recipe”. Now, is that original, dating back to 1924 (and if so, why is it advertised as “New”)? Or is that original dating back to a few weeks ago when they had to come up with a new marketing ploy so people who worry about carbs will buy the bread? I suspect it is the latter — for the record, this is awful bread. Yuk.

Mozilla

I have been pushing people to use Mozilla’s web browser for some time now. But don’t take my word for it. Read what Forbes has to say about it. And to summarize, Mozilla blocks pop-ups, it offers tabbed browsing (you have to try it and you will be hooked), virus writers don’t write viruses for Mozilla (yet), junk e-mail can be filtered out, and Mozilla is free. Jump on the bandwagon now! (Link via J-Walk)

A Commercial With A Message

One of the few SuperBowl commercials that made any impression on me was the one by Shards O' Glass. Naturally, their commercial showing freeze pops with shards of glass sticking out was tongue-in-cheek; the message was serious. Watch the commercial here.

I Still Got It

Over two years ago, I signed up for the New York State Do Not Call directory. This preceded the national one, and so for a long period of time, I have been blissfully un-annoyed by telemarketers. Nevertheless, there are some loopholes, particularly for charitable organizations, and businesses that you currently have a relationship with. But I worry that the downside of this particular Do Not Call list is that I have lost my edge at dealing with telemarketers. I firmly believe they have no right to take up my time, and although they can ring my telephone number, they have no rights thereafter; it’s my house, I choose how to spend my time, I choose who I allow into my house and whom I speak to. And I had decided a long time ago to end the phone conversations with them as quickly as possible, even to the point where I am being impolite.

Sunday, while I was in another room, the phone rang. I went to pick it up, and there was silence and then a click. A probable sign of a telemarketer call. This happened two more times. Finally, the phone rang when I was in the room. I answered it.

Caller: May I please speak to Paige?

Me: No, you may not.

Click! I still got it!

The Janet Jackson Super Bowl Incident

Jen at The Soap Box makes some good points about Janet Jackson’s exposed breast at the Super Bowl halftime show.

I feel it is arguable if the baring of a breast was appropriate but as far as offensive or indecent? Please! Spend our government money researching how many people were offended by Kid Rock wearing the American flag like a poncho and singing about hookers, methadone clinics and beer commercials.

And let’s not forget the crotch grabbing that preceded Janet Jackson. All in all, there was a lot to make you feel offended.

Was this planned? I have to believe it was. Because I cannot think of another reason why Justin Timberlake would reach across Janet’s body, and then yank that part of her garment away. You just don’t see that move for any other reason.

This Is Why You Don’t Try The Two Point Conversion

Let’s reconstruct the Super Bowl assuming Carolina never tried a two point conversion. Let’s assume all extra point kicks are successful (this past season, over 98% of extra point kicks in the NFL were successful).

Starting in the fourth quarter, with the score New England 21, Carolina 10:

2:21 gone in the fourth quarter, Foster, Carolina, 33 yd run, with an extra point it is now New England 21, Carolina 17

8:07, Muhammad, Carolina, 85 yard pass reception, Carolina 24, New England 21

12:09, Vrabel, New England, 1 yard pass reception, New England 28, Carolina 24

13:52, Proehl, Carolina, 12 yard pass reception, Carolina 31, New England 28

14:56, Vinatieri, New England, 41 yard field goal, Carolina 31, New England 31

Hmmmm.

Mathematics Give Football Coaches An Edge

Two mathematical papers have been written analyzing different aspects of pro football strategy. They contend that very often the accepted wisdom leads to inefficient strategies. Teams punt too often. Teams go for two point conversions too often. If you follow the recommendations of these papers, and not punt as much, or not go for two-point conversions as much, you will come out ahead more often in the long run. No surprise that the coach who seems to have adopted some of these ideas would be Bill Belichick, coach of a team that is playing in the Super Bowl today; and widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the league.