Top Records of 2005

1. "X&Y" - Coldplay 2. "Plans" - Death Cab For Cutie 3. "Burn The Maps" - The Frames 4. "Mr. A-Z" - Jason Mraz 5. "Let There Be Morning" - The Perishers 6. "Breakaway" - Kelly Clarkson 7. "The Magic Numbers" - The Magic Numbers 8. "Z" - My Morning Jacket 9. "Funeral" - The Arcade Fire 10. "Picaresque" - The Decemberists 11. "Confessions On A Dance Floor" - Madonna 12. "Chaos And Creation In The Backyard" - Paul McCartney

Best Books of 2005

1. "The March" - E. L. Doctorow
2. "The History of Love" - Nicole Krause
3. "1776" - David McCullough
4.. "The Historian" - Elizabeth Kostova
5. "The World Is Flat" - Thomas L. Friedman
6. "Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail or Succeed" - Jared Diamond
7. "The Broker" - John Grisham
8. "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" - Doris Kearns Goodwin
9. "Shakespeare: The Biography" - Peter Ackroyd
10. "Anansi Boys" - Neil Gaiman
11. "Blink" - Malcolm Gladwell
12. "The Beatles" - Bob Spitz

Poe, Roses and Cognac

For the 57th straight year, a mystery man paid tribute to Edgar Allan Poe by placing roses and a bottle of cognac on the writer's grave to mark his birthday. Some of the 25 spectators drawn to a tiny, locked graveyard in downtown Baltimore for the ceremony climbed over the walls of the site and were "running all over the place trying to find out how the guy gets in," according to Jeff Jerome, the most faithful viewer of the event.

Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum, said early Thursday he had to chase people out of the graveyard, fearing they would interfere with the mystery visitor's ceremony. "In letting people know about this tribute, I've been contributing to these people's desire to catch this guy," Jerome said. "It's such a touching tribute, and it's been disrupted by the actions of a few people trying to interfere and expose this guy."

Jerome has seen the mysterious visitor every Jan. 19 since 1976. "They had a game plan," Jerome said of the spectators. "They knew from previous years when the guy would appear." But Jerome declined to reveal details of what the Poe toaster was wearing, what he did at Poe's grave, and whether he left anything besides the roses and cognac, such as a note.

It was a the crisp, cold, clear night. "I was hoping for wind and rain in keeping with a Poe story," Jerome said. But the museum curator was saddened by the disrespectful spectators. "I hope to preserve this tribute. It's one of those things that make Baltimore so unique," he said. For decades, a frail figure made the visit to Poe's grave. In 1993 the original visitor left a cryptic note saying, "The torch will be passed." A later note said the man, who apparently died in 1998, had handed the tradition on to his sons.

Poe, who wrote poems and horror stories such as "The Raven" and "The Telltale Heart," was born in Boston and raised in Richmond, Va. He died Oct. 7, 1849 in Baltimore at the age of 40 after collapsing in a tavern.

UVA - Good and Cheap

The University of Virginia ranks third among the top 100 values in public colleges as determined by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine. The Kiplinger 100 is described by the magazine's editors as a list of "schools where students can receive a stellar education without graduation with a mountain of debt."

The survey uses data from more than 500 public four-year colleges and universities and combines such academic quality measurements as test scores and graduation rates with cost and financial aid data. In addition to its overall rating of No. 3, U.Va. ranks second in the cost to in-state students once financial aid is applied. This reflects the impact of the University's AccessUVa program which guarantees to meet 100 percent of demonstrated need for all admitted undergraduate students.

Virginia also has the highest four-year (83%) and six-year (92%) graduation rates of all the institutions in the rankings. Other Virginia public universities that made Kiplinger's Top 100 include the College of William and Mary (4th), James Madison University (17th), Virginia Tech (20th), and the University of Mary Washington (22nd).

Topping the "Best Values" list is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Kiplinger article and rankings are available at the magazine's website.

Redskins loose but No Rout!!!

Rout, hell!!!

Most of the football writers are stating that the Seattle Seahawks "routed" the Washington Redskins 20-10 in yesterday's second round play-off game. Sure Seattle won, but it was far from a rout. The game was much closer than the writers have protrayed.

The Redskin offense didn't do much for the first three quarters of the game, but either did Seattle's. Both defenses were great. Both teams lost "important" players during the game, so don't just mention Seattle having to overcome the loss of star running back Shaun Alexander. The Redskins were also without a few of their "star" players(Wynn, Springs, Thrash, Brown).

"The Seahawks (14-3) stopped Washington's six-game winning streak. The Redskins (11-7) were inept on offense for the second week in a row -- they had 140 yards in the first three quarters after getting a total of just 120 in last week's win at Tampa Bay...And had it not been for Seattle's mistakes, the Redskins never would have been in the game against a Seattle defense was able to concentrate on stopping Clinton Portis' running because only Moss and tight end Chris Cooley were receiving threats."

Well, the game is four quarters long(not three) and the final stats showed the offensive stats as being fairly close. And "mistakes" are part of the game. The Redskins made some mistakes, too. And without a couple of their mistakes, they would have won the game.

The score was 17-10 with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, with the Redskins driving towards a touchdown They were stopped short and then missed a makable 36-yard field-goal, that would have made the score 17-13 with lots of time left in the game. Hardly a rout!!! Seattle then got a field-goal to make the score 20-10. The Redskins than drove to the Seattle 30 yard line with almost two minutes still left in the game. Had the Redskins made their field goal, and Seattle had not, the score would have been 17-13 at that point. Redskin quarterback Mark Brunell than threw a pass to Santana Moss in the end-zone that Moss almost caught for a touchdown, Could have been the "game winner", with the Redskins winning 20-17. But it was not meant to be. But, hardly a "rout"!!!

Don't mean to say that the Redskins came very close to winning this game or should have won, but they hardly got "routed" either. They could have won it in the fourth quarter with a break here or there. But that is the way football is.

Still a great year for the Washington Redskins and much better than expected. Can't wait until next year!!!

Better in Black

The iPod only got hotter in 2005. Apple Computer sold 14 million of its market-leading digital media players in the 2005 holiday sales quarter — up from 4.5 million in the 2004 holiday quarter, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said Tuesday at the Macworld trade show.

All told, Apple has sold 42 million iPods — 76% of them in 2005. Two iPod models introduced last fall, the Nano and the video iPod, helped keep sales hot. "I don't see the iPod phenomenon slowing down," says technology analyst Tim Bajarin at Creative Strategies. Competing media players on display at last week's Consumer Electronics Show weren't as simple to use or as "nicely integrated" with online music stores, he says.

CES 2006 Best in Show

CES 2006 Best in Show

Creative Zen Vision:M

iPod killer? With a brighter screen, better battery life, and more features, the Creative Zen Vision:M certainly has the goods to give the iPod a run for its money. In addition to a voice recorder and an FM tuner, the $330, 30GB Zen Vision:M supports a wide range of video formats, works with a growing number of online stores, and is compatible with subscription services. Cementing it as our Best in Show pick is its winning design; any product that cares to take on the stylish iPod must be able to turn heads. Though it's thicker than the iPod, the Vision:M boasts a sturdy, comfortable feel, a rainbow of color choices, and glossy good looks. ...Read more here

Redskins Beat Tampa Bay 17-10

Joe Gibbs' teams always had a knack for peaking at the right time, and these Washington Redskins are no different. With the Hall of Fame coach back in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, the Redskins - at least on defense - looked like a Super Bowl contender again in beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-10 in the NFC wild-card round Saturday.

The victory was the sixth straight for the Redskins (11-6), who won despite gaining only 120 yards on offense - the lowest total in NFL history for a winning team in a postseason game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
LaVar Arrington's interception set up Clinton Portis' 6-yard touchdown run, and Sean Taylor returned a fumble 51 yards for another first-quarter score for the Redskins, who rebounded from a three-game losing streak to win five straight to get into the playoffs.

The Redskins advanced to a divisional round game next Saturday at Seattle (13-3). They also avenged a 36-35 loss to Tampa Bay (11-6) this season, a game the Bucs won on Mike Alstot's 2-point conversion run with less than a minute remaining.

Brunell went 7-of-15 passing for 43 yards and one interception, and Portis was limited to 53 yards rushing on 15 carries.

 

Texas beats USC for #1

Vince Young bounced on his toes, trying to buy himself some time and searching frantically for a way to win a championship. And then he took off. With the national title down to a final play, fourth down and 5 yards to go,

Young scrambled untouched for an 8-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left and the No. 2 Longhorns stunned No. 1 Southern California 41-38 in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday night. "Do whatever it takes," Young said.

He did it all -- and made sure that Texas was second no more to USC and its Heisman Trophy twins, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart. It was the ultimate revenge for Young, the bitterly disappointed runner-up to Bush for the Heisman Trophy last month.

On a night when he ran for 200 yards and passed for 267 more, Young capped a performance that Texas fans will remember forever by scoring his third TD and running for a 2-point conversion to end Southern Cal's 34-game winning streak and deny the Trojans an unprecedented third straight national championship. "It's so beautiful," Young said as he received the MVP crystal. "Don't you think that's beautiful? It's coming home all the way to Austin, Texas."

The Longhorns were a unanimous No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 and won the Bowl Championship Series title with the victory in the Rose Bowl.

Redskin Supermen

Clintin Portis flying through the air for a touchdown.

Sean Taylor takes to the air for a touchdown.

Redskins Win - In Playoffs

Joe Gibbs and the Washington Redskins are back in the playoffs. Clintin Portis ran for 112 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Redskins to a hard-fought 31-20 victory over the woeful Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Washington (10-6) clinched the NFL's final playoff spot and its first postseason berth since 1999 with its fifth straight win. The victory also eliminated Dallas from contention. The Redskins play Tampa Bay (11-5) in an NFC wild-card game next Saturday in their first playoff game since losing 14-13 to the Buccaneers in a second-round matchup six years ago. They also lost to Tampa Bay 36-35 in week 10 on a controversial 2-point conversion by Tampa Bay late in the forth quarter.

Philadelphia quarterback Mike McMahon threw a 33-yard TD pass to Reggie Brown to give the Eagles a 10-7 lead in the first quarter. The two hooked up on an 8-yard scoring pass to make it 17-7 in the second quarter and Philadelphia still led 17-10 at halftime. But McMahon made a crucial mistake in the fourth quarter with the Eagles leading 20-17. His poorly thrown pass was tipped and intercepted by linebacker Lemar Marshall, putting the ball at the Eagles 22. On the next play, Portis eluded a tackle in the backfield, completely spun around, cut to the left and sprinted down the sideline into the end zone to give the Redskins a 24-20 lead.

The Eagles drove to the Redskins 38 on the ensuing drive, but McMahon fumbled and Joe Salave fell on it. Sean Taylor sealed the victory by returning a fumble 39 yards for a score after Phillip Daniels knocked the ball away from the Eagles's quarterback Ty Detmer.

It has taken just two seasons for Gibbs to get the Redskins back to the winning ways they enjoyed when he was the coach in the 1980s and early 1990s. Gibbs led the Redskins to three Super Bowl titles during his first stint in Washington from 1981-92. His first season back after a 12-year retirement was a flop, with the Redskins going 6-10 last year. However, Gibbs made the necessary adjustments to turn it around.

Portis broke Stephen Davis' franchise rushing record of 1,432 yards set in 2001, and Redskin receiver Santana Moss topped Bobby Mitchell's 42-year-old receiving mark of 1,436 yards.