Sarah Palin

In response to a question about whether she contemplates a presidential candidacy in 2012, Sarah Palin said: ''It would be absurd to not consider what it is that I can potentially do to help our country. I won't close the door that perhaps could be open for me in the future.'' It is palpable absurdity that many Americans continue to take this woman seriously.

The Saints

The New Orleans Saints’ dramatic 31-17 victory over the favored Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XIIV was, by any measure, quite an accomplishment for a team mired in 42 years of mediocrity and representing a city devastated 5 years ago by Hurricane Katrina. And the pride and enthusiasm that New Orleans residents feel today over their team’s improbable success is understandable. That said, I cannot buy into the conventional narrative that somehow this is a victory for the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region. Many economists debunk the popular view that the success of a professional sports franchise has a positive impact on economy of a city or region. Despite the Saints' victory, New Orleans remains a city struggling to recover from the destruction of Katrina.

The Ultimate Game

The Tuesday before the Super Bowl, now known as Media Day, where the media gather around 106 players on the respective teams asking inane questions and filing inconsequential stories about pseudo matters. Former Dallas Cowboys running back Duane Thomas said it best about arguably the most over-hyped sports event extant: "If it's the ultimate game, how come they're playing it again next year?"

Ripped and Torn Up

Actor Rip Torn infuses added meaning to the expressions "ripped" and "tore up" as in inebriation and drunkenness. According to reports, Mr. Torn was arraigned on charges of trespassing, possession of a firearm without a permit, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, and criminal mischief and burglary, all stemming from showing up at a bank in a drunken stupor packing heat.

Punxsutawney Phil

According to the National Climate Data Center, Punxsutawney Phil's accuracy rate at predicting whether winter will last for another six weeks is an unremarkable 39%. Based on that sorry percentage, it is clear that Phil's talents as a weather prognosticator are vastly overrated and the residents of that little community would do well to forgo this annual rite and not summon the groundhog from its burrow.

The Fiftieth Anniversary

Remarkably, today marks the fiftieth anniversary of four North Carolina A & T University students who defied Jim Crow laws in launching a nonviolent sit-in protest of Woolsworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

What Janet Wreaked

Now that the participants in Super Bowl XLIV have been determined - the Indianapolis Colts versus the New Orleans Saints - CBS has revved it up in promoting the halftime entertainment, none other than the aging British rock band The Who. If this selection is slightly less than overwhelming, you can blame Janet Jackson's infamous wardrobe malfunction in 2004. To borrow from comedian Chris Rock, the exposure of a forty year old tittie has re-launched into public consciousness the careers of a bevy of aging rockers: Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Prince, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. With the possible exception of Prince, this group was highly unlikely to go off script and expose body parts to a captive, unsuspecting audience.