Crazy, crazy day in college football, and that’s why I love it so much.  Purdue held on to beat Notre Dame.  By the score (33-19) you wouldn’t think the win was “holding on”, but Purdue did everything they could in the second half to let Notre Dame win.  The game was 23 -0 Purdue at halftime.  I watched the game.  My throat is now sore from yelling at the TV.  My neighbors must think I’m a homicidal maniac.  

On top of these wins, Colorado upset Oklahoma, and Kansas State upset Texas.  Pretty good stuff, considering that Rutgers (of all schools to be in the Top 10) and West Virginia also lost.  On top of all of that, Florida could very well loose today (the way they are currently playing).  Yikes!  With all these losses, I’m sure Purdue will squeak into the Top 25 next week.  Purdue’s defense had better start playing better though if they want to stay in the Top 25.

Oh, and we got snow here today.  Not a lot, but enough to say that it snowed.  Actually, the street I live on seemed to be the dividing line between snow and very cold rain.  I was at work and there were big flakes coming down up there.  Nothing stuck to the roads, it is still too warm.  But Fall has definitely come to Utah.  Finally.

Utahns are stupid.  Okay, that is a little too general, and most people sort of think that anyway.  Let me phrase it differently.  Utahns are easy to scam.  Yes, Utah is the leading state in the country for consumer-fraud complaints.  About 35,000 bogus checks are deposited at state banks and credit unions every month, and about half of those are deposited by Utahns who then fall victim to some sort of scam.

The average loss for a victim to sweepstakes, inheritance, employment, Internet sales or dating or any number of other scams is about $6,000.

The fraud artists take advantage people's gullibility and the system that allows weeks or months between the time a check is deposited and when it comes back as a forgery.  Typically, a check will be sent to someone who then deposits it in a personal account.  The participant is asked to send back some money for fees of some type, a deposit or any number of other reasons.  The idiot, er…, victim sends back money from their account, only to learn that the original check was no good and he or she is out the money sent back.  Most of this money ends up going out of the country.

So, why are there so many people in Utah willing to give up money to people or organizations they know nothing about on the faith that people are good natured and honest?  Beats the hell out of me.  I’m willing to bet the mass majority of these folks are people that have grown up here and don’t know much about life outside this little happy place that is surrounded by the Zion Curtain.  I’m pretty sure that those of us that have moved in from out of state see some of these things, scratch our heads, and then pitch them in the trash or tell the person on the other end of the email to go take a long walk off a short cliff (we don’t have many piers here).

Hey, I’ve got this great pyramid scheme to tell you about…

In case you haven’t heard, polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs was found guilty of two counts of being an accomplice to rape.  Jeffs is the leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS).  He showed no emotion when the verdict was read.  He was convicted of two counts of being an accomplice to rape related to a marriage he conducted in 2001 between Elissa Wall, who was 14, and Allen Steed, 19. 

I haven’t written anything about Jeffs and the FLDS just because it is too easy, and, quite frankly, pretty pathetic.  Southern Utah / northern Arizona is the only part of that the FLDS is common and conduct their plural (polygamy) marriages in the open.  The FLDS has outposts in Texas and in Western Canada, but southern Utah are their headquarters.  I’ve driven through their towns on the way to the Grand Canyon.  Creepy is the only word I can use.  Very large and odd looking houses, almost like small motels.  Child brides are common with the FLDS.  The whole thing has been a sad mess, nothing like HBO’s Big Love.  I hope all the kids involved can get some help.

So Purdue’s football team won, but the defense decided to disappear for part of the game.  Typical.  Next week they play Notre Dame, who finally scored a touchdown in the fourth week of the season.  I’m going to go out on a limb and predict Purdue to win that game, at home, by at least 14 points.

Drew Litton - Rocky Mountain News 

Additional football news: Utah went back to their old ways and laid a big, fat goose egg at UNLV.  At least Utah’s coach got his “can’t fire me” card with UCLA last week.  But then again, if Utah only gets 2 wins, that may not be enough.

Oh, and the Denver Broncos play a style of football that gives me ulcers.  Today’s game is no exception.  I wish all the TV announcers would quit sucking up to the Broncos and making them sound so much better than they really are.

Saturday I went and watched roller derby.  Not quite what I remember from seeing on TV when I was a kid, but it was interesting all the same.  It was the “championships” in which The Bomber Babes beat The Death Dealers in a high scoring and close match, or game, or whatever it is they call going around in circles for 60 minutes.  I couldn’t follow the scoring at all.  All I know is that they would send two “jammers” after a group of women to get around them and score points.  Usually it was the smaller, faster girls that would do this “jamming” and the much larger girls that would try to block them.  I didn’t see any blood, so that was a disappointment.  The women were scary looking, which I do remember from my childhood.  I was happy to see that one of the referees was named Stu Pidasso.  That, at least, was classic.

Salt City Derby Girls

Mike Huckman discusses a side effect of Pfizer’s antifungal drug Vfend in his pharmaceutical blog.  According to reports, a few users have begun to see things, including the Star Wars character Chewbacca.

“At a scientific conference in Chicago this week, a researcher presented the results of a study showing that 12 [percent] of the people who take Vfend start seeing things.  Like Chewy.  Yep, the scientist told doctors at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy meeting that one patient claims to have had visions of Wookiees after taking Vfend.”

Huckman quotes Miller Tabak healthcare analyst Les Funtleyder, who writes, "Included in the reported visions was at least one sighting of a Wookiee (presumably Chewbacca). We make the following observations: what is wrong with seeing Wookiees?”  Funtleyder continues, “We do not see future FDA action in terms of a black-box Wookiee warning or an FDA Wookiee panel."

Mitt Romney wants to be my friend.  Or rather, Mitt Romney wants me to be his friend so that I will give him money because he needs my support to help him build momentum in these all-important next 30 days.  I got another letter from good old Mitt today.  I can’t say that the Eddie Munster look-alike is inspiring me to open up my wallet.  In multiple places the amounts I can donate are laid out, ranging from $25 to $2,300*.  He’s playing up the Olympics way to much in this letter.  Listen, Mitt; if the Greeks could pull off an Olympic games, then your accomplishment for the winter Olympics (a smaller set of games) doesn’t get me too revved up. 

I would like to apologize to all those Chinese-Americans that run laundry services.  I made a statement that Hillary Clinton got dirty money from the Chinese (not Chinese-Americans) through a Chinese laundry.  Well, turns out it was a shoe store.  Oops.  I just assumed without checking that laundered money from Chinese would come through an actual laundry.  I will stop with the racial profiling now.  I will not, however, stop making fun of the Clintons, because it is fun.

The University of Utah Runnin’ Utes shocked the UCLA Bruins for a 44-6 beat-down on Saturday in football.  After the way Utah had played the previous two weeks, plus all the injuries to the offense, I was thinking UCLA would win by a couple of touchdowns.  Well, either UCLA wasn’t ready for the game at all, or Utah became inspired and gave the Bruins something they just didn’t expect.  I think it was a little bit of both. 

This was the “Save Coach Whittingham’s Job” game.  Utah could look like crap the rest of the season, but the coach can point to this game and get a free pass to be here next year.  Well done, team.  I was at the game and I saw a team that looked much more like what I saw two years ago.  The offense used more indirection with the passing game and running game.  The offensive line actually opened up some holes for the first 100 yard game by a running back since 2005.  And on top of that, Tommy Grady, the backup quarterback, looked pretty good.  He still holds onto the ball too long and has no sense for when the pressure is coming from his blind side.  He took some sacks that better quarterbacks could have easily avoided.  But he did not throw any interceptions and did a good job leading the offense.  The defense played like they had nothing to loose (which was true) and was able to get to Bruins QB Ben Olson (who started at BYU a number of years ago).  In fact, the best hit of the game was a sack Olson took in the 4^th quarter. 

Good job, Utah.  Now, at least play better the rest of the year.

Purdue won its game against Central Michigan, 45-22.  I was able to watch a good chunk of the second half thanks to ESPN deciding to run it after announcing it was going to be on the internet only.  Jerks.  But now I’m hearing pundits on the sports channels saying the Big Ten is way down this year (thanks to Michigan) and that Purdue and Penn State are the best teams in the Big 11.  Well, tOSU woke up and won easily the other day, Michigan beat the crap out of Notre Dame (small dance of glee – UND is really bad this year) and Michigan State looks decent as well.  Penn State looks like they will be pretty tough all year.  Sure, the Big 11 isn’t as tough as the SEC this year, but I think it isn’t dead like a lot of people are saying.  Purdue looks very good on offense, but the defense still is questionable. 

And if you haven’t seen the footage of the Oregon Duck mascot beating up on the Houston Cougar mascot, you need to take a look.  A Donald Duck look-alike taking it to another mascot is very, very funny.

Only in Utah:

A former city councilman, Greg Kehl, crashed 10 miles away from the town of American Fork after trying to make a getaway in a “powerchute”.  

Police said Kehl was arguing with his wife about 5:30 p.m. when he tried to take off in a "powerchute."  His wife took the key to the motorized parachute, prompting Kehl to fire a shot into the ground with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver.  The wife gave back the key, and Kehl took off.

People spotted Kehl's powered parachute - a three-wheel contraption that weighs 450 to 500 pounds - flying over Highland Park, Highland Alpine Country Club and Tri-City Golf Course and heard a pop that was presumably the fatal shot Kehl fired, Harris said.  Kehl then crashed about 6:15 p.m. in a field behind a home near 1470 North and 70 East in American Fork.

So, a guy gets in an argument with his wife.  He then tries to take off on his little ultralite contraption, but his wife won’t let him.  He gets his guy out in order to make his wife give him the keys.  While in the air, he decides to kill himself.  Luckily, he didn’t crash into someone’s house.  Not exactly a blaze of glory, but it got him in the papers.

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6879452

So I spoke a little too early yesterday.  The primary for the Salt Lake City mayor turned out differently than it looked when I made last night’s post.  The two I wanted to see run for mayor are now running for mayor, and the two I really didn’t want to see have been sent home.  For the first time in a long time I’ll feel like I’m actually voting for someone instead of against someone. 

Speaking of voting against someone, I’m voting against the University of Utah men’s football team winning this weekend.  I’m going to the game to watch the Utes play the UCLA Bruins.  This will look like the Utah – Boise State game I went to last year.  Utah looked like they had grease on their arms, the tackling was so bad.  Well, the tackling looks worse this year.  Add that to the injuries on to the offense, and you have yourself one heck of a smack-down.

Good news from the NFL: Kevin Everett moved at the hospital the other day.  The Buffalo Bill tight end that went down on Sunday with the serious neck injury was projected to have some sort of paralysis by doctors on Monday.  This morning they stated that he was moving his arms and legs a little when the doctors started bringing him out of sedation.  They don’t know what range of motion he will have, but that is an extremely positive sign.

This just in: Megan Fox – hot.  Britney Spears – not so much so anymore.  Yikes!

If you were watching football on Sunday, you saw the footage of Kevin Everett going down with a neck injury.  The hit did not look that bad, but on slow motion replay, he hit the top of his head against Domenik Hixon’s helmet.  You could almost see his neck compressing.  The doctors are saying he may have permanent paralysis.  It is amazing what the human body can and can’t take.  One man can just get up and shake it off while the other literally crumpled to the ground as if he had passed out and then didn’t move.  A very scary thing.

They found the body of the missing girl in Utah.  It looks like she fell to her death at a popular spot in the mountains not far from the BYU campus.  Police are trying to determine if it was just an accident or if there was something more to it.  But there is still another teenager missing.  I think Utah is the Bermuda Triangle of the West.  If you want to disappear, come to Utah!

Hillary “Chinese Laundry” Clinton will be in Utah for a fundraiser.  It will be a $500 a plate lunch, but under the table contributions from foreign countries will be accepted afterwards next to the laundry hampers in the back.  She may be able to launder her money, but she’s still pretty dirty.

And last but not least, our beloved mayor Rocky Anderson and Uncle Bob (Robert Redford) held the third annual Sundance Summit for 25 mayors around the country on how to stop global warming.  The meetings were balanced by having someone stand up and give a compassioned speech about global warming, and then a skeptic would stand up and the audience would hit the person with sticks like a piñata.  Oh, and the EPA was there measuring the amount of hot air in the room.  At least Rocky was in the state instead of off in another country. 

Speaking of mayors, Salt Lake City had its primary elections for mayor and city council today.  Doesn’t look like the guy I would like to see mayor will make it to the next round.  Oh well.  At least I have choices this time around.

I’m going to put this down now because I have a feeling I won’t have time later – a little busy with the whole wedding planning thing.  Oh, and then there is my day job.  Whoa – it just hit home again what I did.

Okay, I’m better.  After Michigan’s “OOPS” to the Appalachian I-AA Mountaineers, it is very easy to overlook the Thursday game in which Utah got licked by the Oregon State Beavers.  It should have been the other way around, but no.  What I saw was a team that was unprepared for a decent opponent (not great, just decent).  I also saw a lack of a running game, a lack of tackling, and an overall lack of effort.  Utah took such a beating that half the team seems to be on the injury list.  Running back Matt Asiata is out for the season and starting QB Brian Johnson is out for at least 3 weeks with a dislocated shoulder.  Backup QB Tommy Grady (a transfer from Oklahoma, if I’m not mistaken) looked like he had never thrown a football before. 

Why am I going on about this?  Well, if we are looking at coaches that should be worrying about their job, then Kyle Wittingham, entering his third season as head coach after Urban Meyer led the team to an undefeated season and a BCS bowl win, has done squat with the team.  He was given the benefit of two years worth of Meyer’s recruits, which he hasn’t gotten much of anything out of.  He was the defensive coordinator under Meyer, but his teams have not had great defenses since he took over.  Thursday’s beating showcased some pretty ugly tackling by the Utes.  And last year's loss to BYU because they decided to fall back into prevent defense and give the BYU QB all day to pass was just pathetic.

Utah shelled out a decent amount of money for Wittingham and has not seen a return on it yet.  The season is still early, and good things can happen, but the schedule is not forgiving.  Air Force is this weekend (always a scrappy team) and UCLA is the following week.  Want to see how good this defense is?  No problem.  Just tune in on October 5 when Utah goes to Louisville.  Even though the Utes train at altitude (around 5,000 feet above sea level), I’m sure they will be very winded by the end of the 3^rd quarter in that game.  They also play at TCU, Colorado State, and BYU this year.  Based on the performance the other day, and the schedule for the rest of the year, I will be surprised if Utah wins more than 4 games.

Whoo-freakin’-hoo!

So, I went and got engaged over the weekend.  I know, crazy stuff.  Here is the fiancée with her new sparkly.