The Great Shake Shack Controversy hits the New York Times – and Hub Blog is prominently featured. I await the flood of new readers and private-equity offers to buy my blog, though I hope the due-diligence types don’t notice that I never wrote the quoted remarks attributed to me. …

BTW: Hub Blog wants the record to show I hereby officially oppose Jeff Miller’s Boston-themed 'Common House' eatery. The reason: “Freedom Trail ketchup.” … Are you happy, Mike Ross? See what you’ve unleashed? …

I guess nixing Jeff’s idea makes me profoundly anti-provincial, hating the Red Sox and Boston’s status as a great ketchup town, etc. … Adam: "But if we can't overreact to the Times calling a series of closed urinals 'a sacred shrine,' what can we overreact to?" ... Shake Shack and Common House may have a new ‘sleek, European-style’ burger rival for the Pink Palace. … Scott has additional thoughts on Shake Shack. ...

In response to my inquiries, the Coakley campaign has told BMG that Martha Coakley supports the Senate health care bill and, given the opportunity, would vote for it.

Martha supports the Senate bill. She believes it represents great progress toward assuring quality, affordable health coverage for all Americans; and she is pleased that the Senate version is presented with a public option and that it does not contain many of the provisions included in the Stupak-Pitts Amendment.

Et vous, Mike?

Email:

COAKLEY, CAPUANO, KHAZEI AND PAGLIUCA TO PARTICIPATE IN CONSORTIUM DEBATE AT NECN STUDIOS ON WEDNESDAY, DEC 2

BOSTON GLOBE, WBUR, WGBH-TV AND NECN CO-SPONSOR FINAL TELEVISED DEBATE BEFORE SPECIAL SENATE ELECTION PRIMARY

NEWTON, MA - The four Democratic candidates contending for the late Senator Ted Kennedy's Senate seat will debate for one final time before the primary in a one-hour debate co-sponsored by NECN, the Boston Globe, WBUR and WGBH-TV. The debate, scheduled for Wednesday, December 2, from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. will take place at the NECN studios in Newton.

This live debate will give each candidate one final opportunity to reach a statewide audience. NECN, WGBH-TV and WBUR will provide live coverage of the debate.

The details on the debate are as follows:

Date:               Wednesday, December 2

Location:         NECN studios, Newton, MA

Time:              7 to 8 p.m.

Candidates:    Martha Coakley, Michael Capuano, Alan Khazei and Stephen Pagliuca

Moderator:      RD Sahl, NECN

Panelists:       Bob Oakes, WBUR; Frank Phillips, Boston Globe; and Emily Rooney, WGBH

Lists by publications are made to stir debate and also give them a bit of publicity. The list that was published today by The Sporting News and sister publication Sports Business Daily/Sports Business Journal certainly does that. Already, I’m a bit perturbed that college and NFL announcers are mixed together as are play-by-play callers and analysts.

If it were up to me, I would separate the play-by-play men from the analysts. But that’s me. Just for kicks, here’s the list in full.

1. Gary Danielson, CBS
2. Cris Collinsworth, NBC
3. Al Michaels, NBC
4. Phil Simms, CBS
5. Kirk Herbstreit, ABC/ESPN
6. Troy Aikman, FOX
7. Ron Franklin, ABC/ESPN
8. Verne Lundquist, CBS
9. Joe Buck, FOX
10. Jim Nantz, CBS
11. Mike Tirico, ESPN
12. Brad Nessler, ESPN
13. Brent Musburger, ABC/ESPN
14. Jon Gruden, ESPN
15. Daryl Johnston, FOX
16. Ron Jaworski, ESPN
17. Greg Gumbel, CBS
18. Sean McDonough, ABC/ESPN
19. Todd Blackledge, ESPN
20. Dan Fouts, CBS
21. Bob Papa, NFL Network
22. Mike Patrick, ABC/ESPN
23. Chris Fowler, ESPN
24. Gus Johnson, CBS

25. Dick Enberg, CBS

I’m not enamored with this list. I’ll separate play-by-play and analysts and go from there.

Play-by-play and this includes college football and NFL.

1. Al Michaels – NBC’s Sunday Night Football
Probably the best all-around play-by-play voice ever. He’s called so many big games and rises to the occasion whenever there’s a big moment. Al does a tremendous job in doing football and yes, he does the wink-wink with the point spread, but there’s no one better at setting the scene, giving perspective and breaking down complicated moments than Al. Tops at play-by-play hands down.

2. Ron Franklin – ESPN College Football
Being forced out by ESPN after the college basketball season. Very classy. After Keith Jackson, one of the best ever to call college football. He’s a great fit at games. Why ESPN took him off the primetime package of games is beyond me. Ron is a very comfortable fit in the booth whether he’s calling the Big 12, SEC or other big conferences. ESPN is mistreating Ron this season.

3. Verne Lundquist – SEC on CBS
Calls a very good game. One of the announcer who just exudes college football. He wasn’t happy when CBS took him off the NFL after the 1998 season, but then he started on a tremendous run calling the SEC and he’s become quite comfortable calling the games. Whenever there’s a big game in the SEC, Verne is there and he’s very smooth. Love him and Gary Danielson.

4. Sean McDonough – ESPN/ABC College Football
One of my favorite announcers, his best sport is baseball, but he’s very good at college football and is unfortunately partnered with one of the worst analysts, Matt Millen. Sean is not afraid to call out bad plays and he’s also very good in spotting trends. Works extremely well with his partners to draw out the best analysis. Unfortunately, Millen’s credibility is shot.

5. Jim Nantz – NFL on CBS
He doesn’t scream. Jim gives the nuts and bolts of a game quite well. Has grown into a very good play-by-play man. He works well with Phil Simms. Jim won’t raise the decibel level on your TV. He’ll just provide you with the facts which is what you want.

6. Ian Eagle – NFL on CBS
He’s not on the list, but he should be. And he’s becoming a very good all-around announcer, calling the NFL, the NBA, college basketball and tennis. CBS would do everyone a favor in promoting him to the 3rd or 4th announcing team next season.

7. Dick Enberg – NFL on CBS
Dick has slipped over the past few seasons. One of the announcing elite, but he has made mistakes and miscalls. Still is better than many younger announcers.

8. Tom Hammond – Notre Dame Football on NBC
I think NFL Network should have hired Tom to replace Bryant Gumbel last season. He calls Notre Dame football quite well on NBC and only calls one NFL game a year, the Wild Card playoff game for the Peacocks. I’m glad he got to call 8 Notre Dames this season. He should have a full slate of games.

9. Sam Rosen – NFL on Fox
Sam is a very good nuts and bolts guy. He’s also a very good NHL announcer calling the New York Rangers on MSG Network. He’s always there with down and distance, who made the tackle and sets the scene very nicely. Sam should get more recognition for his work.

10. Gus Johnson – NFL on CBS
Yes, Gus yells. Yes, Gus screams. But yes, Gus can give you a signature call that gives the fan the exclamation point and proper perspective. The best case in point was during the Denver-Cincinnati game in Week 1. Tremendous stuff.

11. Mike Patrick – ESPN/ABC College Football
ESPN took Mike off the NFL when it lost the Sunday Night package and gained Monday Night Football. I thought Mike, Paul Maguire and Joe Theismann were perfect on SNF and should have remained the team for MNF, but what do I know? Mike is quite solid on college football. There are times when I wonder what hair color Mike is going to be from week to week, but that’s minor. He does get a tad too excited, but he’s very good.

12. Brad Nessler – ESPN/ABC College Football
There was a time I didn’t like Brad, but he’s grown on me. I can see Brad becoming a main guy for college football once Brent Musburger decides to retire from announcing. I like his style. He’s not forceful. His style is perfect for college football. I do hope to see him on some bigger games down the road.

13. Kenny Albert – NFL on Fox
A second generation announcer, Kenny has risen to the “B” team for Fox Sports. He’s been with Fox since the network got the NFL package in 1994 and he’s been a very good fit at the network. Another hockey guy who can call the NFL very well. I would take Kenny over Joe Buck any day.

14. Bob Papa – NFL Network
Bob does a great job calling the New York Giants on radio and does a very good job doing the games for NFL Network. Sometimes, the Thursday Night games are stinkers, but no fault to Bob as he doesn’t schedule the games. Bob is another guy who does multiple sports, NFL, boxing, basketball and does all of them well. He lets the action come to him and does a very good job in spotting trends. I’m hoping to see him get more games down the road.

15. Greg Gumbel – NFL on CBS
Greg was the #1 guy on the NFL on CBS and I liked he and Phil Simms. For some reason, CBS took him off, put him on the NFL Today for two seasons, then placed him on the #2 team with Dan Dierdorf. Greg is another guy who won’t go over the top. A very good nuts and bolts announcer and will give you the straight facts. Very good announcer.

16. Dave Sims – Westwood One Radio
Dave is one of the best announcers on radio, bar none. There was a time when he was so busy, you would see him doing Big East football on ESPN Regional TV, hear him doing the NFL on Westwood One Radio, basketball on ESPN and then perhaps a radio talk show guest spot. He calls Sunday Night Football on Westwood One and is a great listen. Calls the game well, spots the players, gives down and distance and is our eyes when we have to hear the radio call. Very good play-by-play man.

You may notice I’ve omitted Joe Buck who I think is horrible on the NFL. I’ve also left off Brent Musburger who I don’t think is a top notch college football announcer. He was a better host and is a better at doing college basketball, but I don’t think he belongs in the upper echelon of that sport either. Again, you can debate away.

Now to the analysts.

1. Phil Simms – NFL on CBS
I enjoy listening to Phil. He’s not afraid to admit he’s wrong. He studies tape every week and can spot things in the booth that other analysts cannot. I enjoy listening to his analysis whenever he calls a game.

2. Gary Danielson – SEC on CBS
I’ll agree that he’s the best college football analyst in the game today. He’s become an ardent apologist for the SEC which I find strange, but overall, Gary is an analyst who can spot a play before it happens. Very enjoyable listen. He and Verne Lundquist have become one of the best announcing teams on TV today.

3. Todd Blackledge – ESPN/ABC College Football
Todd and Gary traded positions a few seasons back. Remember Todd was teamed with Verne in the early aughts? He then left CBS to return to ESPN and then CBS hired Gary away from ESPN. Anyway, Todd has become a premier analyst in college football. Working with Brad Nessler, he’s an analyst who does a very good job in the booth. And his features finding great eating establishments in each town he visits have become must see TV.

4. Cris Collinsworth – NBC’s Sunday Night Football
There are times when Cris makes me scratch my head, but overall, he’s a quite good. When he did Thursday Night Football on NFL Network, he had to carry Bryant Gumbel for two seasons and that wasn’t easy. Cris is so good that he could be a studio analyst or a game analyst and for three seasons was both! It’s not easy to replace John Madden, but after 10 weeks of the NFL season, Cris has made the transition quite nicely.

5. Pat Haden – Notre Dame Football on NBC
It’s too bad that Notre Dame has fallen off the nation’s radar because Pat Haden would be considered one of the elite analysts. Pat used to be the top college football analyst for CBS and also did Sunday Night Football games on CBS Radio. Did them both well. Pat is also not afraid to scold bad quarterback play when he sees it.

6. Troy Aikman – NFL on Fox
I never thought I would see Troy in the booth when he was a player. I didn’t think he had TV in him, but he’s become quite good. At first, he was brought along by Daryl Johnston and Cris Collinsworth as he rose up the ladder on Fox. Now, he can stand alone and I wish he weren’t teamed with Joe Buck so we can really hear some good analysis. Troy is one of the best analysts in the NFL and I enjoy his work.

7. Bob Griese – ESPN/ABC College Football
Ok, taco comment aside, Bob is one of the better analysts in college football. He was teamed with Keith Jackson for a very long time and they formed one of the better announcing teams from the late 1980’s through the 1990’s. Bob may have slipped a bit, but he’s still good at spotting trends, noting passing routes and good on the telestrator.

8. Dan Dierdorf – NFL on CBS
I like Dan’s work from his days on Monday Night Football through now. Still keeps up with the game and gives a good perspective having been in the trenches on the offensive line.

9. Dan Fouts – NFL on CBS
Dan can analyze the NFL or college football with the best. He’s worked with some of the best play-by-play men, Al Michaels, Keith Jackson, Verne Lundquist and his current partner, Dick Enberg. Dan also had to deal with the failed Monday Night Football experiment with Dennis Miller. But through it all, Dan has persevered. His analysis is quite good. He’s had broadcasting in his background thanks to his dad who worked for CBS in the 1960’s. It would be nice if Dan had the opportunity to call a playoff game or two for CBS.

10. Jon Gruden – ESPN’s Monday Night Football
In less than one season, Gruden has shown that he can be one of the better analysts if he chooses to remain on TV. The thing is that no one believes he’s going to stay in the broadcast booth for long, despite signing a multi-year deal with ESPN this week. There were times earlier this season when I could not tell him or fellow analyst Ron Jaworski apart, but now I can. Jon has shown some humor and he’s not afraid to do so at his own expense. He’s very good and if he decides to stay in TV he can be one of the best analysts ever.

11. Daryl Johnston – NFL on Fox
Daryl has done TV for so long, it’s hard to remember that he got his start with CBS in 1998. He’s very smooth and yes, he has to endure Tony Siragusa who interrupts him quite often, but Daryl is such a team player that he seems to have fun with it. Moose’s analysis is solid and while he won’t be on the “A” team on Fox, he does get to call one playoff game a season and does it well teaming up nicely with Kenny Albert and Goose.

12. Craig James – ESPN/ABC College Football
Whenever Craig is in the booth, I enjoy his work. When he was in the studio, especially for ABC with Doug Flutie, I didn’t. I can’t explain it. But Craig is a good listen.

13. Ron Jaworski – ESPN’s Monday Night Football
Ron has a tendency to overhype things, but coming into the booth to replace Joe Theismann two seasons ago was a good thing. To be honest, he didn’t wow me last season when he started with Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser, but with Jon Gruden, has formed a good analysis team.

14. Boomer Esiason – Monday Night Football, Westwood One Radio
He’s good in the studio on the NFL Today, but when he’s on radio with either Marv Albert or Dave Sims on Monday Night Football, Boomer really shines. I like listening to his analysis and he’s not afraid to speak out when he has to. He and Marv are a good team, but I did enjoy when Boomer worked with Howard David.

15. James Lofton – Sunday Night Football, Westwood One Radio
James and Dave Sims are a very formidable radio team. James can spot trends as well and can give perspective on routes from his wide receiver days. Plus, being a Hall of Famer gives him a lot of credibility.

So you have my list of top football broadcasters.

Today AOL launches a new travel brand/site/blog called Tripvine, and I'm the arts & culture blogger for their Boston Insider pages. The official launch is today, but we've been posting items on there for some days now, so check us out. Of course we're aimed primarily at people planning on traveling here from elsewhere, but there are arts, food, family and nightlife bloggers now, and more to come. And for the many HubArts readers who work in the Boston arts community, hey, it's one more place I might write about your event/venue/work. Folks from the Peabody Essex Museum, A.R.T. and others will find your stuff already there.

Now is the time to act to fix health care reform. The lobbyists are out in full force to control the agenda, as reported in the New York Times In House, Many Spoke With One Voice: Lobbyists', and to write into law 12 plus years of monopoly pricing (in addition to patent protected pricing) for the benefit of commercial stage pharmaceutical companies.

The effect of this law will be to deprive our research companies of future funding and discourage science driven innovation as profits will now be dependent on getting a new  product approved, rather than on discovering a patentable new cure for diabetes, Alzheimers, cancer etc.  See Where have all the progressives gone on the biologics provisions in Health Care Reform?.

You can do something.  Go to BioGenerics Get the Facts and get armed. Then Sign the Petition

If we do not fund our future, we will lose great jobs in Massachusetts and the global lead we have in biotechnology.

If you want to see how the lobbyists are shaping the debate, look at but one more example -- the leading questions in the survey they sent to our Senate candidates and their answers.Senate Candidate Reponses.  

Sad news today regarding the imminent bankruptcy and anticipated demise of Brigham's as a going concern.  Fortunately, the ice cream is still available (Hood bought the recipes and the brand name, and continues to make a pretty tasty mocha almond), and there are also a few franchise stores around (the one on Mass. Ave. in Arlington Heights, for instance, is not affected).  Still, it's a shame.  Here's my modest contribution in limerick form, along with a couple of photos of the Mill Street restaurant in Arlington.  Drop your contributions in the comments!

Seems like Brigham's will need a pallbearer;
its bankruptcy's the end of an era.
Other stores will be manned which
serve cones or a sandwich,
but you can't get a frappe at Panera.
Here's the Mill Street restaurant.

And here's what used to be the takeout window.

Apologies for the interruption in our usual programming. Some unforeseen work obligations crept up on little cat feet. We will resume our usual schedule the weekend after Thanksgiving, with some intermittent reports in between.

Yes, I hurled all manner of verbal abuse at my TV on Sunday night and, yes, my wife walked out on me for the last 13 seconds. In fact, she got so flustered that she forgot to take our youngest with her, leaving him to ask to no one in particular, “Why is daddy so mad?” But four days of separation have now brought me to an appreciation of Bill Belichick’s fourth-and-two call.

Maybe I’m just one of those contrarians Bruce spoke of yesterday, and maybe I like it when radio pundits tell me I’m an idiot. I actually find it kind of validating. Look, that game was going to have its Armageddon. Whether the ball was in the Pats’ hands or the Colts’, the forces of good and evil were going to engage in a winner-take-all play before the final gun. Belichick merely forced its hand early and on his terms, sort of like Macaulay Culkin did to the Wet Bandits in Home Alone. Hey, I said I have young kids.

Anyway, we’ve heard from the columnists all week; now it’s time for the bloggers. Patriots Daily declares Bill Belichick an asset to the cause of winning. Pats Chowder loved going for the jugular rather than playing not to lose. Blaug is happy he has a coach with big marbles and hopes Belichick rolls them out again. Patriots Gab is looking for some law of unintended consequences payback down the road.

Green Street catches up with Doc Rivers, who says good coaching means never saying you’re sorry. Thanks For Playing loves the way Belichick is handling the fallout. And, in one of the most interesting takes yet, Fire Brand of the American League cuts over their baseball boundaries and triumphs Bob Kraft for building a culture that fosters creative thought without fear of reprisal.

Pats Pulpit is among an arguable majority who think the call was wrong but they’re outraged that anyone would flip the arrogance card at Belichick. Surviving Grady says there’s a greater power that moves even the great Belichick around like a pawn on the chessboard. The Patriot Act suggests that the statistical support in favor of Belichick’s decision would render the punt obsolete. Fenway Pastoral opines that punting is an antiquated concept with no place in today’s game.

Forward march. The NYJ are in town this week, and ESPN Boston’s Mike Reiss has Jets CB Darrelle Revis feeling dissed and insisting he single-handedly shut down Randy Moss in Week 2. So, you should be able to do it again then, right Darrelle? Key injuries to the Jets and now the Dolphins lead Extra Points to wonder if the AFC East already belongs to the Patriots. The Rap Sheet checks in with Shawn Springs and Junior Seau, who have been hard to find of late.

It Is What It Is has Kevin Faulk mastering the art of blitz pickup, while Jeff Howe reveals how center Dan Koppen keeps the Pats’ offense greased.

NCAAF

The BC Eagles were involved in a controversial fourth down of their own last weekend, but they were on the winning end of both the play and the game, holding on to a 14-10 win over Virginia. After watching this one, BC Interruption wants those two hours of their lives back. BC Blog has this Saturday’s game against North Carolina a catharsis for the seniors who will be playing the last home game of their collegiate careers. Eagle in Atlanta says QB David Shinskie can’t afford any more rookie mistakes against the Tarheel’s stingy defense. And CBNB says the Eagles should be thankful for the return of some stability this Thanksgiving.

The View From Section X attempts to navigate the complexities of BC’s bowl chances. Sox & Dawgs have UConn on the brink of bowl eligibility and needing a win against the Fighting Irish this Saturday. The Harvard Crimson have Harvard taking no chances in their loss against Penn last Saturday that has left them with slim chance for another Ivy League title.

And no, there’s no playoff picture in Amhurst, only a prescient fourth down late in Saturday’s game where Minutemen coach Kevin Morris chose to punt – and lost. UMass Football Blog defends the call because, well, if they failed the game was over. So how did that work out? Show some big marbles and go for it next time, will ya?

Bruins

We’ve hit the 20-game milestone as The Hockey Blog Adventure takes another ten-game temperature reading of the B’s. Not to spoil it, but the mercury is low. The Old Bruins Fan is getting what he wanted all along – a good dose of adversity. Now he’s worried that it may kill them before it makes them stronger.

Despite a three-game losing streak, View From 311 is looking for the B’s to gel on the upcoming four-game road trip. Something’s Bruin says the B’s have looked pretty ugly without their two best forwards on the ice. Kathryn Tappen also thinks it hasn’t been pretty without Marc Savard who was, without ever playing, the best thing to happen to the B’s in the last three games.

The Bear Cave says Monday’s loss to the Islanders exemplifies both the B’s weak power play and strong penalty-kill.

Would you trade Brad Boyes for Dennis Wideman if you could do it all over again? That’s what Stanley Cup of Chowder wants to know in the first of their newest feature, so tell ‘em.

Celtics

The C’s were out-rebounded throughout most of last night but still got past the Golden State Warriors at TD Garden to snap their own losing streak of two. Red’s Army refuses to feel good about this win. Celtics Stuff Live thinks of the C’s as a bushel of corn: they look worthless now but should ferment into a fine bottle of JD by spring.

Celtics Hub has Doc Rivers trying to control Rasheed’s treys, which aren’t putting enough points on the board. Evans Clinchy has Marquis Daniels making the transition from stat-builder to team contributor. Celtics Blog says the length and size of Andres Nocione’s contract would make him an ill fit in Boston. Celtics 17 plays killjoy with our fantasy of seeing Nocione in green.

MLB Hot Stove

El Guapo’s Ghost says Roy Halladay may be just what NESN needs. Of course, the Sox will have to compete with their evil cousins down by the river, who, as usual, are always in the market for another eight-figure ace. Toeing The Rubber doesn’t care how the Jason Bay saga ends so long as it ends soon, while Peter’s Red Sox Forever hopes Bay will be back. The Bottom Line thinks Billy Wagner may be better off somewhere else, but he could add bullpen depth if his price is right. Boston Dirt Dogs sees a cold Hot Stove ahead, while Fenway West tells you why the Sox may be sitting out this offseason.

Tom Caron thinks that trade bait – errrr . . . prospect – Casey Kelly is best utilized as a full-time pitcher.

And finally, our Subway Squawking New York friends visit the finer side of Manhattan where they learn you can buy World Series rings but trivia contests are not for sale.

Like the rest of the 21st Century, I’m gradually assuming technology’s tools. Hey, I don’t have a Blackberry yet but I now have a Twitter. Follow me @BobEks for Week Log publishing alerts and the occasional cancellation notice when I can’t shake The Man and do my thing. See you on Twitter, or right back here next Thursday afternoon.

Week Log: Belichick, On His Terms is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

The stuff is hitting the fan work wise so I’m doing these links now while I can. I may not be able to do the megalinks on Friday. Keep your Twitter and RSS feeds updated.

USA Today’s Michael McCarthy writes about the NFL trying to crack down on extended tailgating in hopes of curbing drunkenness.

Sean Leahy in USA Today’s The Huddle blog writes that San Diego and Detroit are approaching the 11th hour for avoiding blackouts on Sunday.

The Sporting News and sister publication, Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily, list the top 25 active college and NFL football announcers. I don’t agree with the list and I’ll have my take on it later.

Dan Levy of On The DL, adds his two cents to the list in The Sporting News.

Dave Kindred writing for Indiana University’s National Sports Journalism Center lists the 50 Do’s and Don’ts for aspiring sportswriters.

Writing in The Huffington Post, Daisy Whitney writes that the NFL plans to expand its digital and mobile video offerings.

Mike Reynolds of Multichannel News says Michelle Wie winning the Lorena Ochoa Invitational gave Golf Channel its second highest ratings for an LPGA event.

A sign of the apocalypse. Larry King’s 10 year old son, Chance, will host a show for Fox Sports Net next year. *hits head against keyboard*

Richard Sandomir from the New York Times talks about Sunday Night Football being the top rated primetime program of the season to date.

Peter Lauria of the New York Post says NFL Network is using an ad in the daily Politico to reach out to the politicians in its dispute with Time Warner Cable.

Pete Dougherty in the Albany Times Union says Time Warner subscribers won’t see next week’s Giants-Broncos game as it will be carried on NFL Network.

Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel is amused by the Official Humidor of the Super Bowl.

Barry Horn of the Dallas Morning News reviews the Sporting News/Sports Business Journal Top 25 Active College and NFL TV announcers. Again, I’ll have my own take on this later.

Ed Sherman from Crain’s Chicago Business mentions Comcast SportsNet will remember the 25th anniversary of the death of a top high school basketball player.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times says the Bears have rejected a request from NBC for Bob Costas to interview coach Lovie Smith, quarterback Jay Cutler and general manager Jerry Angelo. Strange. Thanks to Ed Sherman for the link.

Rick Telander of the Sun-Times advises Cutler not to make the media an enemy.

Bob Wolfley in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes that the Packers are national TV darlings.

Chris Erskine of the Los Angeles Times spent Sunday at a local sports bar with several Boston transplants to watch the Pats-Colts game.

Dan Rafael from ESPN.com says HBO wants a Manny Pacquaio-Floyd Mayweather, Jr. fight.

Chris Byrne of the Eye on Sports Media advises you to add yourself to your own Twitter lists. Why not?

Joe Favorito says sometimes teams can be the worst in their league or division to expand their brands.

The Big Lead is disappointed in ESPN Ombudsman Don Ohlmeyer’s reaction to the Steve Phillips affair.

Kristine Leahy has The Five on WEEI.com.

We’ll end it there for now.

Did the new mammography guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force come about because a review of the scientific evidence shows that there is no data to support the idea that the benefit of mammography outweighs the risks for women between the ages of 40-50? Or was it a political decision?

Whenever I’m confused about what to think when it comes to breast cancer, I always check what expert Dr. Susan Love thinks. Her response is too nuanced to summarize here, so I will direct you to her website so you can read her post on the current controversy over mammography.

Here’s a brief excerpt:

The problem with mammography in women under 50 is that it doesn’t work very well. Breast tissue is dense in young women and appears white on a mammogram. Cancer also appears white on a mammogram. This means that trying to find cancer on a young woman’s mammogram it is like looking for a polar bear in the snow. As a result, mammography misses many cancers in young women. And not only does it miss many cancers –- giving a false sense of security –- it also finds many things that are NOT cancer but need to be checked out through biopsies or other tests. In addition, the risk of the radiation is higher in younger women.

The magic of 50 is menopause. As a woman’s hormones wane her breast tissue becomes less dense and the mammograms become easier to read, shifting the risk benefit balance. Before 50, it’s a different story.

Wow.

The Massachusetts unemployment rate fell last month for the first time in more than two years, plunging nearly a half-percentage point as employers trimmed payrolls by just 900 jobs, the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported today. The state jobless rate dropped to 8.9 percent in October from 9.3 percent in September, the first decline since June 2007. The surprising decrease bucked the national trend, which saw the US unemployment rate soar into the double digit for the first time since the early 1980s, hitting 10.2 percent.

The news isn't good across the board, but is perhaps unexpectedly broad -- particularly the construction numbers.

In Massachusetts, manufacturing, retail, financial services, and other sectors continued to cut jobs, but most of those losses were offset by strong gains in two of the state's key employment sectors: professional and business services, and education and health services. The beleaguered construction industry even added 100 jobs, the first gain since February.

Great news for MA, and of course, great news for Governor Patrick.  If these numbers hold up going forward, and MA continues recovering and actually decreasing unemployment ahead of the rest of the country, his opponents' easiest argument becomes a whole lot harder to make.

I was reading the news last night and saw a story about an Eggo frozen waffle shortage. A waffle shortage? Hmmm. Okay.

According to the article, one of Kellogg's facilities was closed for a time due to historic amounts of rain in the area. On top of that, a bakery in another location is closed for repairs. With the two of these things happening together, it seems that it could take until mid-2010 before store shelves have sufficient quantities of Eggo waffles.

Apparently, some customers are already seeing dwindling amounts of Eggo waffles on store shelves and are considering rationing their waffles.

Well before people go crazy for lack of waffles, I hope they remember that waffles aren't a staple food like rice or corn. Waffles don't grow on trees or in a field. Waffles can be made at home people!

I'm going to try and not get too snarky. I'm much snarkier and more sarcastic in real life than on this blog. Or maybe I'll just let the snark rip!

Here are some waffle recipes. Waffle irons are sold all over the place and aren't too expensive.

With the money saved on not buying frozen waffles, probably after a month, the price of the waffle iron will already be covered. Plus homemade waffles are much healthier and tastier than frozen. I do admit that cleaning the waffle iron is a tedious task. But sometimes we have to buck up and do the hard work. Yeah. I think we can handle it.


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College Basketball

Puerto Rico Tipoff
Quarterfinal, George Mason vs. Villanova – ESPNU, 2 p.m.
Quarterfinal, Indiana vs. Ole Miss – ESPN2, 5 p.m.

Charleston Classic
Quarterfinal, UNC-Wilmington vs. Penn State – ESPNU, 4 p.m.
Quarterfinal, LaSalle vs. South Carolina – ESPNU, 9:30 p.m.

Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
Semifinal, Syracuse vs. Cal – ESPN2, 7 p.m.
Semifinal, North Carolina vs. Ohio State – ESPN2, 9:30 p.m.

Sam Houston State at Kentucky – Fox Sports South/Sun Sports, 7 p.m.
Utah Valley at Minnesota – Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.

College Football
Tennessee State at Eastern Illinois – ESPNU, 6:30 p.m.
Colorado at Oklahoma State – ESPN, 7:30 p.m.

NBA
Phoenix at New Orleans – TNT, 8 p.m.
Chicago at Los Angeles Lakers – TNT, 10:30 p.m.

Inside the NBA – TNT, 1 a.m.

NHL
Boston at Atlanta – NESN, 7 p.m.

NHL On The Fly – NHL Network, 8 p.m.

UFL
Florida at California – Versus, 9 p.m.

Entertainment
Survivor: Samoa – WBZ/WPRI, 8 p.m.
Bones – WFXT/WNAC, 8 p.m.
Terror in Mumbai – HBO, 8 p.m.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation – WBZ/WPRI, 9 p.m.
Mars: Making the New Earth – National Geographic Channel, 10 p.m.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – FX, 10 p.m.
Private Practice – WCVB/WMUR/WLNE, 10:01 p.m.
Late Show with David Letterman – WBZ/WPRI, 11:35 p.m.

I’ve been going to a very cool dentist for the last, I don’t know, eight years or so. A friend recommended her. She’s Marilyn McDevitt (first photo), 53, and she has a nice office in Boston, right at the base of the Prudential Center. Marilyn is not your average dentist. She’s fun, funny and happy. Oh, and she’s a good dentist, too. And she posed for this pic. Here are some other photos that I took this morning during my six-month examination and cleaning. (The woman in the last pic is Marjorie Madera, dental hygienist.)

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

“Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.

We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.

The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honoured dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

Last night I started sleeping with a personal sleep coach to better understand how I sleep.

My wife is ok with it though since the coach is a Zeo which is made up of a headband and a bedside display.

You wear the headband when you go to sleep and the Zeo monitors and records your brain waves.

Very cool.

Disclosure:
I was sent the Zeo on a trial basis and have not been compensated in any way for this review.

Here's what the Zeo looks like on my bedside table:



It's no iPod, that's for sure. All the controls along with their text descriptions are very intimidating. The button descriptions are on a plastic strip that can be removed.

Here are my first impressions after unpacking the Zeo, which I sent in to the company:I read over the instructions and plugged it in, it's charging.

1st impression is that it's way too complicated.

2nd impression is that there's no information to tell you how to use it.

There needs to be a Step by Step guide to using the headband at night.

If it's in the box, I didn't see it.

One pamphlet tells you how to set up the base unit, another tells you how to wear the headband, and the third tells you how to log in and send data.

Where is the step by step nighttime instructions?

Like:

1. charge headband
2. put on headband
3. sleep
4. wake
5. place headband in base unit to transfer data

There isn't any explanation about how data gets captured nad transfered.

It might be obvious to the designers, but to me, I have no idea.

How would I know when the data gets transferred, much less saved?

As a user, I'd like to know that I'l be wearing the headband and capturing data.

Question: How does the headband know you are going to sleep.

Where is the start button?

My guess: There isn't one.

;-)I sent in the email at 7:38 PM.

Zeo replied at 8:10 PM.

THAT is responsive. Most companies only work 9-5. I think it's great that I got a response after normal workign hours. It makes sense since people are going to be setting the Zeo up at night time.

Here's Zeo's response to my email:LOVE the feedback. Definitely noted - and will certainly make sure to get it over to the Zeo team.

It only takes about 2 hours to charge - so depending on how late you head to bed tonight, you should be able to use it tonight.

Zeo starts working as soon as you take the headband off the dock. So that's the equivalent of the start button. :)

Hope this helps for when you are ready to head to bed:
1. Take the headband off the dock and put on your head, with the sensor pod touching your forehead.
2. Adjust the headband using the Velcro tabs on either side of the sensor pod.
3. As soon as you put it on your head, instead of the battery symbol on the Bedside Display an image of a dash with half circles on either side will appear. This means it's engaging.
4. You'll also see the graph at the bottom will start flashing a line up to the "W" marker. It's showing how it's tracking your sleep stage - you are in "wake".
5. Head to bed as soon as you put on the headband for the most accurate monitoring.

In the morning:
1. Wake up.
2. Put the headband on the dock.
3. Give it a second, and then it will show your ZQ score and your sleep graph at the bottom.
4. Use the ZQ button on top of the Bedside Display and the arrow keys to display your data.

FYI - up to 2 weeks are stored on the Bedside Display. But you can upload it to myzeo.com and it will be kept there for a long time.

Hope that clarifies some of your initial concerns. Sleep well!Great email!

So I followed these steps and wore the headband to bed.

In the morning I saw these statistics on the Zeo:


I took out the SD card on the ZEO and plugged it into my Mac and upload the night's data to myZEo. There it was graphed:



This got me interested in learning more about sleep cycles, which I'd never paid much attention to. Over on the Zeo site they have explanations:

Why REM is More Than a Rock Band:A sleep cycle is a period during the night in which you go through each of the sleep phases, and perhaps some wakefulness. A typical sleep cycle involves: going into Light sleep, which deepens and can become Deep sleep, especially earlier in the night, then back into Light sleep which then transitions into REM sleep. It is very common to wake up either as you enter or exit REM sleep while transitioning out of or into Light sleep. This is the most natural time to wake up and can occur during any of the usual 3-6 sleep cycles over the course of a night. Notice that the body does not simply go into a sleep which just gets deeper and deeper over the course of the night until you wake up. Sleep deepens and lightens several times over the course of a night and waking up is often a normal part of this natural process.The site also has you answer questions about your sleep habits and sleep environment. Each day you can enter "sleep stealers" to help determine how to get a better night's sleep.

All this info, that I'm entering, along with the sleep data, will result in personal recommendations. I'm interested in learning how this will all work.

The Zeo Personal Sleep Coach costs $249 and $399 and is available at www.myZeo.com. They also have a limited trial offer where you can try the Zeo at home for 30 days for $19.95.

Frank Dell’Apa says that despite the margin of victory for the Celtics last night (109-95) the Celtics never appeared completely certain of themselves. Robert Lee has the road-weary Warriors, who only dressed eight players, worn out in the end. Mark Murphy has Rajon Rondo picking up the Celtics after a sluggish first half. Bill Doyle has the Celtics only playing half a game last night, but saying that it was good enough. A. Sherrod Blakely says that the basketball Gods set this one up as the perfect elixir for the Celtics recent woes.

Steve Bulpett looks at Rajon Rondo making up for his poor shooting by pushing the pace. Mike Fine has Rondo finding his rhythm last night. Lenny Megliola has the Celtics riding Rondo to this win. Jessica Camerato has Rondo and the Celtics offering plenty to digest last night. Chris Forsberg has fueling a decisive third quarter spurt with his speed.

Bob Ryan goes back in time and remembers why Don Nelson has his number retired by the Celtics. Bulpett has Nelson dealing with adversity as the Warriors rebuild yet again. Gary Washburn chats with Celtics managing partner Wyc Grousbeck about the potential of this season’s teams. (And Celtics franchise record for wins is 68, not 69.)

Dell’Apa’s notebook has Doc Rivers finally cracking down on the number of three pointers attempted by Rasheed Wallace. Lee’s Celtics journal has Danny Ainge shooting down the trade rumors of the last few days. Murphy’s notebnook has Kevin Garnett initially forgetting his ¾ court heave that was disallowed. Doyle’s notebook has Rondo getting some free throw tips from Ray Allen. Forsberg’s notebook has more on KG’s long-distance shot. Jim Fenton’s notebook has the Celtics putting their losing streak in the past.

Patriots

Jeremy Gottlieb goes Around The League on Patriots Daily.

Karen Guregian says that the Patriots have shown that they know how to bounce back from a tough loss. Brian MacPherson says that dealing with the Jets blitz will be New England’s top priority. Bill Burt reminds us that despite recent events, this is still a huge game for both teams. Rich Garven has the Patriots now firmly focused on the Jets. Glen Farley has both head coaches in the spotlight this week.

Ian R. Rapoport has Dan Koppen healthy and ready to face the Jets. Christopher Price has Tom Brady looking like he’s completely bounced back from his knee injury and early season struggles. Mike Reiss has Brady and Junior Seau helping their teammates to move on from the tough loss. Andy Vogt has the team putting the Colts loss in the past and looking to the Jets. Reiss says that Belichick won’t be second-guessing himself over the Colts game.

Adam Kilgore and Monique Walker have Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis talking about shutting out Randy Moss by himself and how he’ll do it again this week. Rapoport has Revis still adamant that he did it all by himself in week two, without any safety help. Guregian has Rex Ryan still confident that his team can “whip” the Patriots again. Mark Farinella has Ryan offering no apologies for who he is. Shalise Manza Young says that Ryan doesn’t seem quite as cocksure as he did early in the season.

Rapoport’s notebook has Jonathan Wilhite moving on from his tough night with Reggie Wayne. Walker’s notebook says that the teams will both have a different look than they did in week two. Farinella’s notebook looks at a long injury report for the Patriots. Farley’s notebook has the Patriots returning to work and prepping for the Jets. Vogt’s notebook has Kevin Faulk talking about learning the craft of blitz pickup, and actually enjoying it. Young’s Patriots journal has Belichick giving his team a tongue-lashing as they returned to work yesterday. 

Misc

Kevin Paul Dupont has Peter Chiarelli disappointed in his team thus far, but still confident they can turn things around. Mike Loftus says that the Bruins enter the second quarter of the season as the self-inflicted victims of an identity crisis. Rich Thompson has Claude Julien bringing his team back to basics.

Michael Silverman has Terry Francona saying that Jason Varitek has accepted the backup role, and the Red Sox manager feels he’ll be “unbelievable” in that role.

Sean McAdam did a chat on CSNNE.com yesterday.

Mark Blaudschun says that Boston College should be proud of high ranking in the Graduation Success Rate.

Steve Conroy looks at the last home game for several Boston College seniors.

Celtics Wake Up In Second Half vs. Warriors is a post from: Boston Sports Media Watch

Should the University of Massachusetts Amherst provide a forum for a "terrorist" to speak? My answer, and the answer of many other faculty, was yes. The talk was scheduled, canceled, and (by my initiative and that of other faculty and graduate students) re-scheduled. As a result, we've now been condemned by Governor Deval Patrick (an Obama-style liberal) and by a 33-1 vote of the (80% Democratic) Massachusetts State Senate, as well as by the New York Times ethicist, the Springfield Republican publisher, and the Boston Herald. (We've been defended by the Boston Globe, the Greenfield Recorder, and the Hampshire Gazette (which are paywalled or not available online).)

One of the interesting things about this is that, as far as I can tell, none of these bothered to learn the facts of the case. Those of us who sponsored the re-scheduled talk have not been interviewed by any of the press (outside of a ten minute sound-bite press conference), nor as best I can tell was the person who originally scheduled (and then canceled) the talk by Ray Luc Levasseur, who spent years on the FBI's "most wanted" list and who served 20 years in prison for a series of bombings. (I recognize that the most visible name was that of Sara Lennox, and she wasn't easy to reach, especially because of the raft of hate mail; see below.) I'm not sure that if you know the truth it sets you free, but a little evidence definitely makes for more informed judgments, and that's what I'll try to provide with this piece.
Scheduled, then canceled

The talk was originally scheduled by the special collections of the university library, as a 20-year retrospective on "The Great Sedition Trial" - the longest running, most expensive trial ever held in this part of the country. Ray Luc Levasseur was scheduled to be the main speaker; Levasseur is on parole, living in Maine, and his parole officer approved his traveling to give the talk. Although he was to be paid for the talk - by an outside group - he had stated his intention to give the stipend to a locally-based charity. I paid little attention to the original talk schedule, noting it as mildly interesting, but not a priority to attend.

The librarian who scheduled the talk did so simply because the trial was a big event in this part of the country, and it seemed worthwhile looking back on it as one of several talks in a series on social change and its consequences. No one anticipated the torrent of criticism that was unleashed, mostly directed not at Levasseur's own actions, but rather at the fact that one member of the same political group, when stopped for a traffic violation, shot and killed a New Jersey state trooper, and another member shot at two Massachusetts police. Levasseur himself was never charged, much less convicted, of shooting at police.  

Why did the librarian cancel the originally scheduled talk? At some point the talk became a major issue to police groups, who mobilized tremendous pressure to have the talk canceled. At first I assumed that the chancellor must have pressured the library to cancel, with the chancellor himself responding to pressure from the governor. That isn't what happened: The librarian involved felt that the talk would no longer serve the purpose originally intended, as a forum about the trial and the issues it raised, and that the event would be used to damage the university.

Even more important, the librarian was subjected to a huge quantity of hate mail, which both took up much of his time and was personally upsetting. Although I didn't listen to his phone messages, I did listen to some of the phone messages received by Sara Lennox, the person publicly identified as leading the drive to re-schedule the talk. Here's a sample, one of dozens of similar messages: "You f___ing c___, I hope you get lost under a bus on the way to the talk, you douche bag; that would save us some trouble." (I'm told a web site showed talk sponsors being popped and killed.) Sara's voice mail filled up with such messages, making it impossible for others to get through, and a challenge for her to listen to messages looking for the few real ones from students or colleagues.  

I can easily see why a librarian listening to dozens (hundreds?) of such messages would be worried, both for him/herself and for others. Immediately after listening to a few of these calls, I was quoted as saying that when "a talk gets canceled because of outside pressure, that is itself a form of terrorism." The New York Times Ethicist says that in saying this I got "the process of free speech exactly wrong," that such pressure by opposing forces is itself a fine example of free speech. Of course, he hadn't bothered to learn the character of the pressure. I suspect if he had talked to the librarian, the Ethicist would not have written "In this case, there was a very public give and take. And a kind of line for what is legitimate commentary in our republic was once again established. All good." (Jack Hitt, NY Times, November 17, 2009)

Re-scheduled

When police groups attacked the talk, and the governor weighed in, and the president of the university condemned it, many of us on the faculty felt that if outside political pressure led to the cancellation of talks by unpopular speakers, or those with unpopular viewpoints, both academic freedom and free speech would be endangered.

Our concern was not because we agreed with the views, much less the actions, of Ray Luc Levasseur. (I teach a course on radical movements; in that course a fundamental lesson is that radical change requires a mass movement, and secretive groups promoting violence undercut the ability to build such mass movements.) But a great many people felt that if the university buckled to outside pressure, if a down-in-the-polls governor running for re-election, and police groups, could lead to a talk being canceled, then the university was losing its ability to consider unpopular positions and challenge conventional thinking. We didn't want our future speakers to be run past a review committee of politicians and police. People who had no interest in the original talk (myself included), suddenly took a major interest in seeing to it that the talk be re-scheduled.

On this basis, and explicitly not as an endorsement of Ray Luc Levasseur, his views, or his actions, in 48 hours a number of academic departments signed up to see to it that the talk be re-scheduled, and Ray Luc Levasseur be offered a new chance to talk on the same topic, the trial at which he was the chief defendant. Active debates about the meaning of free speech took place all over campus, both in groups that signed on as co-sponsors of the re-scheduled event, and in groups that did not (or that could not decide within the time-frame involved).

The press release that announced the re-scheduled event was explicit on this point, and the language of the press release was important to many of the faculty and departments who decided to support the re-scheduling:  

Departments have added their support to this event in the name of protecting the cherished American values of freedom of speech and academic freedom, which they believed to be threatened by the decision to cancel the event under pressure from a variety of outside organizations. Sponsors' support for this event should in no way be construed as an endorsement of Levasseur, his political beliefs, or any of his past activities.

The event itself

The event itself did not involve the tension-filled unproductive chaos that many had predicted; it was instead an example of what universities should be about. Although Ray Levasseur was invited by university groups, and although his parole officer had earlier approved his traveling to Massachusetts to give the talk, the parole board - in response to police pressure - canceled his permission to appear, so he was not present. (Free speech was thus denied, a tragedy - but the denial was not by the university; an important point to the sponsors of the re-scheduled event.) Something like 200 demonstrators nonetheless picketed the event, mostly police, including the widow and children of the slain New Jersey state trooper. About 250 attended the event - more would have done so, but the room had reached its seating capacity and the police (quite reasonably) did not want anyone standing in the aisles in case of a need to evacuate the room. A large majority of the audience members were students, most of whom came with an open mind interested in learning.

The panel for "The Great Sedition Trial:  Twenty Years After" included four lawyers, one defendant (Pat Levasseur, ex-wife of Ray), and two jurors. Panelists spoke for a bit under an hour, and questions ran for another 45 minutes.  

One of the jurors had driven 12 hours to attend the event: during the ten months of the trial she became very impressed with Ray Levasseur, has since corresponded with him, and said at the talk that he is so smart, he should be a professor at a local college somewhere. (Strange things happen when ordinary people spend months listening to evidence, and hearing from defendants; it's also worth noting that at the trial none of the defendants were convicted of anything - most of the verdicts were flat-out "not guilty", other verdicts led to a hung jury with all charges dismissed soon thereafter.)  

One of the attorneys, Liz Fink, argued that it was dubious to call Ray Levasseur and the other defendants terrorists. (If Levasseur is a terrorist, is Nelson Mandela? He was convicted of sedition, and the ANC sponsored bombings. Is Andrew Card, Bush's chief of staff, who promoted an illegal war that led to thousands of deaths? Yet both Card and Mandela received honorary degrees from the university.) Although members of Levasseur's group did bomb buildings, they always issued a warning and tried to be sure no one was hurt. The only bombing in which people were hurt was their first bombing, the Suffolk County Courthouse. The bombers issued a warning, and all the judges were evacuated from the building, but other people weren't informed of the threat.

The final question for the night asked about the use of violence as a strategy. Liz Fink said (approximately):

I've spent my life defending people accused of violence, some of whom did commit violent acts. Trust me: violence does not work. What works is the constitution, is free speech. If you asked Ray Levasseur - and it's too bad he can't be here - he'd tell you he's had more impact by his writing and speaking since his release than he ever had through any illegal underground actions.

That's probably not the message the police groups and the governor expected the forum to deliver, but it's one more example of why free speech is worth supporting, even if the speaker is a convicted "terrorist."

A number of critics, including Sarah Palin herself, are going after Newsweek for running a cover shot of her in a sexy running outfit. Palin calls it “sexist.”

I can’t get too worked up about it. Palin, after all, posed for the shot, which was originally intended for Runner’s World. (At Beat the Press, Ralph Ranalli writes that Newsweek may have violated Runner’s World’s exclusivity deal with the freelance photographer.)

But Palin and other critics have a legitimate complaint about Newsweek’s inside photos. I haven’t picked up a Newsweek in many months, but Media Matters has the pictures — a back-to image of Palin’s shapely legs, something she most definitely did not pose for; and a photo of what Media Matters accurately describes as a “Sarah Palin-as-a-slutty-schoolgirl doll.” The latter was used to illustrate a piece by Christopher Hitchens, who is almost as overexposed as Palin herself.

The treatment is further evidence of Newsweek’s plunge into irrelevance. The New York Times this week described the magazine as repositioning itself for a smaller, more intelligent news audience.

But with garbage like this, and with recent cover headlines like “Is Your Baby Racist?”, the only thing editor Jon Meacham seems to be repositioning his magazine for is rack space next to People and Us.