Pontiac Silverdome sells for half a million dollars

They finally sold the Pontiac Silverdome, the former home of the Detroit Lions and standing monument to the complete waste of American sports. How much did it go for?

$583,000

How much did it cost to build?

$55.7 million

Talk about a price drop, holy cow! Ladies and Gentlemen, the Detroit housing market!

A business from Toronto bought the building and they actually plan to turn the place into a palace for soccer.

The company plans to refurbish the Silverdome into a stadium for men's Major League Soccer and women's professional soccer teams, said the auctioneer. While the stadium was the former home of the National Football League's Detroit Lions, it also played host to some of the World Cup games in 1994. Brazil's victory over Italy occurred elsewhere, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.

Not sure if a MLS team can draw 80,000 fans but it could be a good spot for bigger international matches. I'm still a little miffed that my $1 bid for the building was completely rejected.

The Internet Explorer monster

Even though I use Firefox religiously, Microsoft gearing up for another version of Internet Explorer is big news because I'll have to eventually get a new computer and use this browser to download FF and Chrome.

Microsoft will talk about its plan for upcoming builds of Internet Explorer this week at the Professional Developers Conference
-- though, it will not offer a preview of its next browser, according to CNET. It is also reported that the company is not planning to announce a move to the WebKit engine, despite speculation.

During a presentation today at the conference, chief software architect Ray Ozzie said Microsoft would make Internet Explorer the best Windows
browser, but did not elaborate. Redmond is expected to offer more details during tomorrow's keynote speech, however, which will touch on some "focus areas" for the next version of IE.

One thing that keeps getting me about IE is how darn slow the thing is. While more tests have shown that it's actually a fairly safe browser in terms of viruses and spyware items, it still takes forever to boot up and load pages. So Microsoft... speed things up a bit.

(This is from Tech Rave)

JustSON the Numbers: EWU's win over Whitman last night

So this wasn't pretty.

It was the third game for the Eags in four nights. Their roster was down to seven healthy players. They were just coming off an emotional near-miss against WSU.

In other words, they were spent. And they still managed to pull out a 100-88 victory over Whitman last night, which I'm sure was much more rested. Giving up 88 points to a Div. III school? Yeah they were gassed as a team since defense is purely a hustle aspect of the game. It shows when you dont, and look at these numbers from the game last night.

49 turnovers
56 fouls
79 free thow attempts
30 turnovers by Eastern

In other words, a sloppy, sloppy mess. But all things considered, what would you expect?

The Zags wont be as bad as we all thought

Several questions were answered last night, and despite it being a lost, it looks like the Zags will be a force this year after taking Michigan St. to the limit 75-71. I'll be the first to say that they proved me dead wrong and surprised a lot of other people. This is gonna be the year they falter? They won't win the WCC? They won't win the tournament? Um...

Gonzaga led most of the way and turned back numerous Michigan State rallies. But in the closing minutes, the second-ranked Spartans finally caught and passed the Bulldogs on Durrell Summers’ 3-pointer at the 3-minute mark and went on to claim a 75-71 men’s basketball victory Tuesday at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich.


Summers’ 3 – his only 3-point attempt of the game – put Michigan State on top 68-67, its first lead since briefly moving in front 47-45 with 11:50 remaining. Summers created just enough open space after coming around a screen at the top of the circle to hit his clutch shot.

And with Portland looking pretty pedestrian against Eastern Washington, I'm thinking the Bulldogs will be tops in the WCC this year once again. As much as that pains me to say it, I think its true.

Seattle Ninja impales self on fence

Thanks to Keenan for pointing this story out. Apparently they don't make ninjas like they use to because you would never seen the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in this position.

An officer who was looking for an assault victim nearby Monday night heard the man screaming for help. Police supported him to prevent further injuries until medics arrived to take him to Harborview Medical Center. A hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday he was in serious condition in intensive care.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt wrote in a department Web site posting that officers thought he might have been involved in the reported assault, but the man insisted he was just a ninja trying to clear a 4- to 5-foot-tall fence.

Damn fences! Always foiling ninja plans!

Why vampires suck... terrible movie posters

Just a question... why does every Twilight poster make the actors look like their deathly ill. I know that vampires are supposed to be some sort of nocturnal creatures of the night, but seriously, Edward looks like Sammy Sosa after a bad skin-bleaching accident.

(From Media Chow)

Mariners get shut out by Greinke again

Mariners fans... did you really expect Felix to win the Cy Young Award? The AL announced their awards today and Zach Greinke of the Kansas City Royals has been named the best pitcher in the league despite (GASP!) just 16 wins.

However if you look at his ERA (2.16) you can see why the choice was made. I'd also imagine that his wins and ERA might be better if he had a better team behind him. While the Royals are Casey's team, that doesn't mean they're good or even competitive. In fact they were so bad I think Casey is thinking about reporting to Spring Training.

However when Greinke was pitching, it was an event and you knew that the other team was going to struggle with him. Just going by the eyeball test, I can see why Greinke was picked over Felix. He's damn good, but Greinke was phenomenal this season.

Russia doesn't like Video Games

This makes me wonder what they thought of Goldeneye. According to some content in the latest COD game, there's been a big snafu and the game has been pulled off the shelves in Russia. An apparently ban on it is rumored.

Activision is celebrating many successes with Modern Warfare 2 in general. The game opened up to amazing sales and helped contribute to a record-breaking number of Xbox Live connections. It's not gravy worldwide, however, following some recent trouble the game is dealing with in Russia. Despite an initial passing grade, MW2 is now facing an outright ban in Russia due to controversial content.

In particular the scene in which a player is put into an airport in Moscow has caused an upset, though for what specific reasons hasn't been clarified yet. Neither Activision nor the Russian government has released an official statement on what the situation is, but for now the game has been pulled from shelves in Russian stores. There's also rumors (though nothing official yet) that the game may face an outright ban.

So we don't know what it is yet? Can you say lame? Apparently they have a different idea of freedom over there in Russia, or some weird tastes when it comes to video games. After all, they did make Tetris.

(Found this from Tech Rave)

Another reason you're single... college basketball for 24 hours straight

24 hours of college basketball on ESPN? Might as well stay up all night and watch the games. After all it's not like you have work in the morning or anything. What's this? A hideabed couch? Perfect you can just pull out the best and watch college basketball. It's like the most perfect setup ever. Who cares about work! Time for live college basketball at 1 a.m. in the morning.

Granted nobody will be sharing the couch with you, but hey! College basketball is the most important thing right now.

I believe we've found the biggest threat to mankind

I'm pretty sure Casey has seen one of these things out in the wild, but never in it's natural environment of Walmart. Found this on People of Walmart.

Epic Photo: Words from a Persian Poet

It's Tuesday, the most depressing day of the week. Here's something that hopefully isn't very depressing.

Reasons why you're still single... Eastern Washington basketball

You're now going through several Big Sky Conference scores and predictions after your Eastern Washington Eagles nearly beat WSU, 67-61. Don't ask why defeats excite you but when your mid-major conference team has been mildly successful despite an 0-2 start, you've got to like your chances right?

Hmmm where's that season outlook article and video from the sports information department? There's got to be some nugget in there that shows me that the Eagles are indeed headed to a Big Sky Conference championship. This way you can make fun of Montana for basically being the state where basketball doesn't exist.

Chances are you'll be supporting a .500 at best case team, but you have to give this years squad some support right? Because they look very promising right now. Is this what its like to be going completely insane while supporting your favorite college program?

Yep, You just ordered a Benny Valentine replica jersey.

Following ESPN's 24 hours of college basketball...

If you'd like to follow my progress during tonight's 24 hours of college basketball on ESPN, please go to my twitter at..

http://twitter.com/BrandonwHansen

That's simply easier to update than hoping back here to my computer and updating. Keep in mind that I have to work tomorrow from 8 am until probably 10 pm, so may god have mercy on my soul.

And yes, that's a hideabed in front of the TV. And an Eddie George jersey. And a Matt Hasselbeck jersey. And an old-school Sonics jersey. Yep Yep. This is my set up for tonight.

Epic Video: Titans owner Bud Adams flips off Buffalo's owner

The Titans smoked the Bills this weekend, but that isn't as big of story as Tennessee owner Bud Adams doing this hilarious flip off act to Buffalo's owner. Awesome, old people a great.

2012 is probably the best movie ever

Apparently people are in love with another "end of the world" movie despite terrible reviews and one of the most ridiculous movie trailers everywhere. The American public is totally cool with suspending belief and buying into the joke that a limousine could outrun and 156.0 magnitude earthquake.

World-ending scenarios are certainly cause for concern in reality, but moviegoers couldn't resist dabbling in doomsday this weekend with the release of Sony's "2012." Director Roland Emmerich, already known for disaster epics such as "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow," set the box office on fire once again with a $65 million weekend debut domestically and an additional $160 million overseas, resulting in a $225 million worldwide intake.

World-ending scenarios are certainly cause for concern in reality, but moviegoers couldn't resist dabbling in doomsday this weekend with the release of Sony's "2012." Director Roland Emmerich, already known for disaster epics such as "Independence Day" and "The Day After Tomorrow," set the box office on fire once again with a $65 million weekend debut domestically and an additional $160 million overseas, resulting in a $225 million worldwide intake.

So I watched "The Day After Tomorrow" last night and despite it actually being completely ridiculous, it was still pretty entertaining. I'm assuming the same is for "2012" but just with different actors - don't fix it if it's not broken. 

(Got this from Media Chow)

COD heads up in arms

Gamers tend to like Call of Duty's awesome multi-player feature, which can basically suck up your entire day due to it's extreme enjoyability. Trust me in college, there was a week where we didn't have school due to snow and guess what I was doing that entire week? With the release of COD:MW2, it seems some gamers are up in arms about a few things.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released worldwide this week to an overwhelming success, selling 4.7 million copies on a single day and raking in an estimated $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone. Reviews have been mostly favorable too, at least as far as gameplay is concerned. But there is one group who feels slighted by a series of changes made in this latest addition to the Call of Duty franchise.

Ever since the word was out, PC gamers have been up in arms with Infinity Ward's decision to replace dedicated servers to host multiplayer matches with a proprietary infrastructure called IWNet. This has translated into less control in the hands of gamers, with no way to choose who is hosting matches (one player is assigned automatically), and no ability to kick or ban players from your game.

GASP! That's the end of the world.

Okay, so that does sound kind of annoying and I don't know why IW just couldn't stick with the old system unless there was some sort of concern that we're not aware of. Sometimes you don't want to give gamers too much control but the automated IWNet sounds a bit lame, kind of like Mario Kart Wii's automated and completely random multi-player system.

Makes me was to go use a rocket launcher.(Got this from Tech Rave)

Why vampires suck... rearview mirror

Vampires insurance rates are much higher than human beings since nobody can see them in the rear view mirror. And since they're usually like 300-400 years old, vampires drive slow, don't signal and generally hold up traffic. What a bunch of lame-os.

Epic Photo: Vince Young seems to be doing just fine

This time last year he was thinking about killing himself. Now? He's waving to fans. What a difference a year makes. Go Vince Young... and don't go all crazy again please.

So should I be angry about this Seahawks loss?

I mean last time these two teams played, the Seahawks got owned royally. This time around they have seemed to improve quite a bit (something the WSU Cougars are not doing), and Justin Forsett has emerged as Seattle's best rusher. But still... disappointing to say the least.

At least the Tennessee Titans won today as Vince Young seems to have revitalized this franchise. They've won three straight. Mark it down. And they're still three games under .500. CRAP. One thing that I can hang my hat on is Chris Johnson being the modern-day Barry Sanders. Whats the over-under on his Madden Overall Rating next year? 95? 97?

Seattle looks like a 6-10 team, Tennessee looks like a 7-9 team. And it looks like I'll be hoping for baseball season early this year.

More bad news for the Cougars

I was running across some comments made by WSU fans on the Spokesman message boards after yesterday's familair drubbing at the hands of UCLA and they don't paint a very good picture about Paul Wulff and the Cougars.

There is so much wrong with this picture that I heartily agree with Jim Walden, you can't give out a Cougar player of the game award when there is none.

And to think that the future of Cougar Football flies only IF the Phase III Martin Stadium Project gets funded/completed? Most of my friends are no longer attending games due to lack of product, let alone digging deep for monies to donate.

Changes in the Coaching Staff, clear goals for discernable improvement/victories must be established and measurable progress made next year by Jim Sterk. This is no longer tenable and either gets corrected or we are doomed to being the doormats of the PAC-10 (again).

Go Cougs!

Here's the thing about WSU - they have the smallest stadium in the Pac-10, they have quite possibly the worst destination in the Pac-10 (who wants to go to Pullman?), smallest athletic budget, smallest collection of donors, when it comes down to it, things aren't really fair at all. College football has become such a big money prospect that they're an obvious caste system and frankly, the Cougs are on the bottom of this.

While I don't excuse Wulff on all counts (there's really no signs of tactical awareness from the staff), he wasn't exactly dealt a full hand after Doba ran the program into the ground. WSU can't change coaches now either because they'd just have to go out and get another no-namer like Wulff who might be even worse. Then they're paying two coaches' contracts and they have to reset the program again. It's really a no-win situation.

WSU needs to evaluate its place in the Pac-10 and what it wants to establish as goals. Because right now, it's just running on fumes.

Epic Photo: This is how cold it is in Spokane

Okay maybe a slight exaggeration but while Casey is basking in the glow of the west side rain, I'm freezing my butt off trying to warm up my car.

The best teams in college football

Okay WSU is nowhere near the Top 5 in college football but I thought that photo pretty much summed up their season. When you're done with that, here's a rundown of college football's Top 5 teams...

1. Florida - If the Gators continue their winning ways, at what point do we start calling this team a college dynasty? When Tebow's statue is raised in Cleveland for leading the Browns to the Super Bowl and Urban Meyer leads the Gators to their sixth straight national championship with Charlie Weis at offensive coordinator?

2. Alabama - Does anyone really care about Alabama expect Alabama? Here's an idea, try updating your uniform scheme from 1930.

3. Texas - The Longhorns have been highly ranked but under the radar the entire year, meaning they'll probably face Florida in the National Championship Game since the American public will fall asleep if Alabama is in the game.

4. TCU - Anyone thinking that the Mountain West shouldn't be included in the BCS automatic berths? Put your hands down Big East, ACC and Pac-10. You're not welcomed here.

5. Cincinnati - Why hello Big East team. Are you ready to go undefeated and not make it into the National Championship Game? I thought so.

Sorry to say Boise St. isn't in here but when they don't play someone better than Ferris High School, they kind of drop in the rankings. Good job WAC!

Moving = no internet

Well I have some bad news for JustSON Nation. I moved yesterday, and since Comcast has yet to put cable/internet in I'm not sure when I'll get it. I've sat on hold for over an hour each of the last three days. Awesome customer service.

I'll try to update from wireless hotspots, coffee shops, public libraries, other people's phones that have internet because mine doesn't, etc.

Which this means that the new features at JustSON may be delayed a week.

Outdoor Photo of the Week: Deception Pass

These photos were taken at Deception Pass. Deception Pass is a straight separating Whidbey Island from Fidalgo Island in Washington. Photos by Travis Reed/Buckley, WA.

Click on the photos to make it larger.

Think you've got a great outdoor photo? Want to see it hosted on Just South of North? Send your submissions to justsouthofnorth@gmail.com.

Please include your name, a short caption about the photo (date, location, and what makes it special) and your location.

Check back each Sunday for a new Outdoor Photo of the Week.

Local football blowouts

Other than EWU's victory over Southern Utah, it was a terrible day for local college football. Look at this lineup of blowouts...

Idaho 25, #6 Boise St. 63 - The Vandals didn't have a shot in this one, and the Broncos continue to roll towards a BCS Bowl.

UCLA 43, Washington St. 7 - Looks like the Cougars are up to their old tricks, absolutely stinking at football. Seriously, why even show up to the games anymore when all you're going to do is get blown out by 30 every single game?

Washington 21, #23 Oregon St. 48 - Again, the Huskies show that this was not the year of the Dawg, but rather a dog year for UW.

Why should we even wake up on Saturdays? This is ridiculous and pathetic.

Matt Nichols is the greatest player in EWU history

Matt Nichols has had quite the career at Eastern Washington University as today he set the Big Sky Conference career record for total offense. Yeah that's a big deal or something...

A career-long 52-yard touchdown run was just part of a sensational day for Eastern Washington University senior quarterback Matt Nichols as he broke the Big Sky Conference career record for total offense in 18th-ranked EWU's easy 41-28 non-conference football victory over Southern Utah Saturday (Nov. 14) at Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City, Utah.

Nichols passed for 380 yards and four touchdowns to finish with 455 yards of total offense and account for five TDs on the day. He now has 12,440 yards in his 45-game career, breaking the 17-year-old record of 12,287 held by Weber State's Jamie Martin (1989-92).

Oh, and Eastern Washington still has it's post-season hopes alive, which is more than what they had at the beginning of the season. Here's hoping the best for Mr. Nichols.

Why I hate SEC fans

Growing up in the great Northwest, I've grown to like the Pac-10. While it's not as "passionate" (read jobless losers watching a football game) as the SEC, it's still great football. However, every SEC fan in the country would disagree. That's why I hate them. And I hate them for this as well...

• They won't see this, because they can't read.
• Apparently they play the greatest brand of football on the face of the planet. Nevermind the other big conferences that consistently beat them in bowl games... oh and the NFL. 
• Ole Miss reminds me of some jerseys they found in the back of some Christmas theater production closet directed by a drunk man.
• Many of states in the south don't have very high populations, yet hundreds of thousands of people tailgate outside of their favorite team's stadium - making them the largest city in the state that day or something. Question - since everyone is getting drunk, who's manning the hospitals and police stations?
• CBS owns your TV contract therefore all we hear during your games are "CSI: Canada" promos.
• Any part of the country that keeps talking about "the rise of the Confederacy" is instantly written off in my book.

So there you have it. I'd better not have a catfish thrown through my window.

Epic Photo: Jellyfish Madness

Believe me, I would NOT want to be that guy... ewww..

Idaho beats Utah for first time in 71 year

What is with the Vandals? First the football program makes and incredible turnaround and now all of sudden the basketball team is making a splash.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Mac Hopson scored eight of his 16 points in the last six minutes as Idaho beat Utah 94-87 on Friday, bringing the team its first win against the school in 71 years.

Plagued by foul trouble, Hopson re-entered the game with the score tied and engineered a 13-6 run to end the game.

Steffan Johnson scored 19 points and Jeff Ledbetter added 16 as the Vandals (1-0) took its first game after losing 11-straight on the road.

The teams have played 15 times over the years and last Idaho victory was in 1938.

71 years? Did they even have the dribble back then or did they still use peach baskets? Holy Cow. Looking like we might have another Vandal success story on our hands. 

Water found on the moon, not cheese

Remember that big NASA impact on the moon a while back? Well apparently the data is back and they've found quite a substantial amount of water of the moon. Looks like we might be going back...

Substantial water reserves have been found beneath the Moon’s surface, Nasa announced yesterday, paving the way for a permanent lunar base.

The discovery came from Nasa’s “moon bombing” mission, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) probe, which was deliberately crashed into the lunar South Pole last month. An analysis of the dust thrown up from the impact revealed the presence of about 80 litres of water, or enough for a shallow bath. The results suggest that much larger, more accessible reserves are available at the poles.

“We can announce that we’ve found water — not just a little bit, a significant amount,” said Tony Colaprete, principal investigator for the mission at Nasa’s Ames Research Centre in California.

The exact form of the water is not yet clear, but it is likely to be spread out in small ice crystals. The rocket hit the Moon at an area where the surface temperature is around -230C. This region has not been in direct sunlight for at least two billion years. 

And it's still probably cleaner than the tap water in LA. Wonderful. (This is from Tech Rave)

Further proof that NBA GM's are idiots - the Byron Scott firing

So the New Orleans GM fired Hornet's head coach Byron Scott for a less than stellar start. Okay, they've been regressing as a team despite a talented roster, you need to change the pace. Then he installs himself as the head coach of the club. Um, keep in mind that he has no head coaching experience on any level and Scott has been to NBA Finals and he thinks he's going to do better? Further proof the NBA GM's might be the least intelligent form of live on this planet.

And the players know it...

NEW ORLEANS -- Chris Paul's loss was Tim Floyd's gain.

From here on into the foreseeable future, they'll win and lose together.

Paul said he was not sure firing Byron Scott as head coach was the change the struggling New Orleans Hornets needed to make. Floyd said the opportunity to rejoin the club as a top assistant "seemed like a perfect scenario for me."

Floyd, a former head coach for New Orleans, formally returned to the club at a Friday morning shootaround as the Hornets began preparations -- under new head coach and former Floyd assistant Jeff Bower -- to play the Portland Trail Blazers later that night.

Before Paul took the court, he said he understood that change was inevitable after the Hornets struggled to a 3-6 start that included several blowout losses. Still, he was sad to part ways with the only NBA coach he's ever known since being drafted by New Orleans out of Wake Forest in 2005.

"Obviously change needed to occur. I'm not sure that's what should have happened," Paul said. "I'm not sure it was all coach's fault. You can [only] play with the cards you're dealt. It's a tough situation. The team went a different direction. Now we've got to play."

Apparently everyone is following the Isiah Thomas model of excellence.

NASA tops the 50 best innovations of 2009

Time Magazine has released a list of the 50 best innovations of 2009. Some of them high-tech, some of them life changing and some of them are just plain weird. The No. 1 on the list was NASA's Ares Rocket which could potentially launch men to the moon and beyond.

The new rockets could take astronauts to some thrilling places. The biggest costs — and risks — associated with visiting other celestial bodies are from landing and taking off again. But suppose you don't land? An independent commission appointed by the White House to make recommendations for NASA's future recently returned its 154-page report and made strong arguments for bypassing the familiar boots-in-the-soil scenario in favor of a flexible path of flybys and orbits.

Under the new thinking, astronauts could barnstorm or circle the moon, Mars and Mars' twin moons, deploying probes to do their rock-collecting and experiments for them. They could similarly sample near-Earth objects like asteroids. They could also travel to what is known as the Lagrange points — a scattering of spots between Earth and the moon and Earth and the sun where the gravitational forces on the bodies are precisely balanced and spacecraft simply ... hang where they are. These would serve as ideal spots for deploying probes and conducting cosmic observations.

Ladies and gentlemen, the 21st Century! (This is from Tech Rave)

Casey got a new twitter too!

So in a further effort to take over Twitter, Casey has his own Twitter as well. You can follow him at...

http://twitter.com/CaseyKnopik

Go to it. Make fun of Casey. Should be a good time.

Something I already knew about New Yorkers... they're dumb

Some (not so shocking) shocking news from New York. Seems like the college students there aren't very bright.

More city kids are graduating from high school, but that doesn't mean they can do college math.

Basic algebra involving fractions and decimals stumped a group of City University of New York freshmen - suggesting city schools aren't preparing them, a CUNY report shows.

"These results are shocking," said City College Prof. Stanley Ocken, who co-wrote the report on CUNY kids' skills. "They show that a disturbing proportion of New York City high school graduates lack basic skills."

During their first math class at one of CUNY's four-year colleges, 90% of 200 students tested couldn't solve a simple algebra problem, the report by the CUNY Council of Math Chairs found. Only a third could convert a fraction into a decimal.

But I betcha they know how to boo someone and call a cab. Anyways this shows you what can happen in an overbudened school system and it's frankly something we have to address nation-wide. Luckily they just single out New Yorkers so I can make fun of them.

In other news, can someone do my taxes for me? In Chewelah we didn't have math, we had guessing.

JustSON the Numbers: Jay Cutler's bad night

JustSON friend Dylan Kitzan is fan of the San Francisco 49ers and couldn't be happier about the performance of Jay Cutler during the Chicago Bears 10-6 to the boys from the bay. Here's Cutler's stat line (warning: it's not pretty):

29 for 52, 307 yards, 55.8 percentage, 0 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 33.6 passer rating

Yowza, now all of a sudden Bears fans are missing Kyle Orton.

Finally Friday

That's right faithful JustSON Nation, it is Friday. That means in just about 10 hours you are free for the weekend. FREE!

Here's an idea of what you could do:

Gotta love snow.

Epic Photo: Man Photo to offset the Kitten abomination below

I hate cats. Can't believe Casey posted photos of kittens below. That's just terrible. So to offset that, I've posted a MAN PHOTO. More Power!

Cute kittens

I'm moving into a new place next week and one thing my fiance wants is kittens. Probably 1,000. There will be cats everywhere. Ok, probably not. But the thing is, I'm not a cat person. I'm a dog person. However, I do like cute, fuzzy, small things. Like squirrels.

And I guess these guys are pretty darn cute too:

Epic Video: Albino Squirrel

This is awesome. Except this squirrel has got to have a hard time hiding every season but winter.

Epic Photo: Synergy Green

Spring 2010 will bring back the green to Washington. But that's not the only thing that will be green. The all new Camaro will be released in a limited edition Synergy Green color.

I love green. Can't wait to see these.


I've always been a Dodge guy. But that car is pretty sweet. Oh, and check out the Camaro facebook page. Tell 'em JustSON sent you!

100 percent chance of snow on Friday in Spokane

Wonders of wonders, it IS going to snow about 1 to 3 inches in Spokane tomorrow. If you know anything about the area, you know the past two years this town has been absolutely slammed with snow.

Normally I wouldn't bat an eye at 1 to 3 inches of snow, but I now have a car that has small tires and low clearance... basically a recipe for getting stuck. Oh boy.

We'll see how things go, otherwise I'll be stuck somewhere in Spokane covered in snow.

(And while Casey claims to be the "outdoor guy" he doesn't have to deal with snow like idea. What a poser.)

News flash: Idaho does not like Boise St.

Nothing like a little story to spark the rivalry for the Idaho-Boise St. game this week which should be awesome. Apparently Vandals athletic director Rob Spear isn't a big Broncos fan. In fact, he wouldn't even fly in a plane with the BSU color scheme on it.

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP)—The Boise State vs. Idaho rivalry has taken to some not-so-friendly skies.

Idaho athletic director Rob Spear says he declined to board a Horizon Air flight after learning the airplane was painted in Boise State’s blue and orange colors.

Spear was traveling to Boise on Saturday for fundraising events. He requested another flight and then drove about 90 miles north to fly from the Spokane, Wash., airport to Boise.

Boise State and Horizon Air unveiled the plane, which sports the team logo on its tail, as an ode to the Broncos earlier this month.

I'm assuming that this plane only flies into minor cities and stuggles to land in larger airports. Just saying. Boise St. this year has been riding on their reputation alone and beating up (and sometimes barely squeaking by) on WAC opponents. That's why I don't listen to mid-major schools that complain about not playing for a national championship because they play against San Jean Weston State every week.

Good job Rob! Show Boise St. just how lame they are.

Epic Photo: It snowed yesterday in Spokane

... and this is exactly how I feel.

JustSON the Numbers: Shaq tames Dwight Howard

Remember how the Orland Magic was just the better team during last year's playoffs against the Cavaliers? Well even though they were playing without Rashard Lewis - the balance in the east may have shifted to Cleveland thanks to the addition of Shaq.

While he only scored 10 points, he managed to keep Orlando superstar Dwight Howard in check to the tune of 11 points and seven rebounds as the Cavs won 102-93 last night to improve to 5-3 on the season.

How did Shaq do this? He was a presence, and he got Howard in foul trouble early. If he can do this against the Magic in the playoffs, we could see the Cavs blow by Orlando.

And how did Lebron James do? 36 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists.

Yeah he's pretty good.

Reasons why you're single... Terrorized by a Hamster

You franitcally call and text your friends because you hear something scurrying around in your vents. Thinking you have mice, you turn on the heat in an effort to heat out the culprit, but get too scared and call the maitenience guy. Obviously he's not going to find anything and leaves. Then you talk to your neighbor who's missing their hamster and after opening a heat vent, the little guy is revealed.

Yep, you got scared by a hamster. Wow. And now you feel terrible for trying to turn the heat on to kill the little guy.

Epic Photo: WW1 Color Photos

Since yesterday was Veterans Day, I got to looking at some things and found these very cool color photos from WWI. Considering how long ago that way, the simple fact that they had these are just amazing. The uniforms and conditions are just stunning.

Amazing huh? You can view more of the photos at worldwaronecolorphotos.com. Shows you an interesting look into a war that is starting to get forgotten. Luckily there are days like Veterans Day that remind us of the sacrifices many men and women make.

New Twitter set up for me

Hello everyone,

Since it was weird having a Twitter for both Casey and I, we've split and I now have my own twitter - something I will update on a regular basis. If you would like to follow me, please go to...

http://twitter.com/BrandonwHansen

Thanks!

New features at JustSON

Don't worry, I wasn't holding the camera. This was filmed on the dash by one of those awesome Gorillapods. I got mine at Amazon.com. Amazing.

Check out previews of the newest sections coming to Just South of North!



EWU might return to Qwest Field for football game

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Locker number 1?

Ok, so a bit early, but NBC Sports has released their 2010 NFL mock draft.

And at number one, going to the Cleveland Browns, is University of Washington's own, Jake Locker.

Here's their reasoning:

A 10th-round pick in the 2009 MLB entry draft, Locker is a multi-talented athlete whose focus is on the gridiron. He can make all the throws, pick up positive yards on the run, and has stayed effective on bad Huskies teams. The Browns are desperate for a franchise quarterback after giving up on Brady Quinn and watching Derek Anderson perform poorly two years running.

Now that's all fine and dandy except that are they forgetting every year before this? Locker has been a terrible passer until this season. One good year doesn't justify a number one overall pick to me. But what do I know. I just work for a blog.

Plus, I hope he comes back cause he'll give the Huskies the best change of going to a bowl game next year.

Epic Photo: Fur is bad

PETA usually makes some silly moves. But this ad is sure to create a HUGE buzz for them. The strange thing is, they had Brandon shoot the same photo. I saw the proofs. It almost burned my eyes out.

Check out Christian Serratos from Twilight.

The Kid is back for one more go around

Hey Mariners fans, the kid is back! Today they signed Griffey to a one-year deal for 2010.

Ken Griffey Jr. has reached agreement on a one-year deal to return to the Seattle Mariners in 2010.

The deal is similar to the 2009 contract that paid Griffey a base salary of $2 million and earned him $3.15 million total with incentives, the source said.

"We're tickled pink that he's decided to come back,'' Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said from the GMs meetings in Chicago. "He was such a positive role model, if you will, for a lot of players. He likes where we're headed and he likes what's going on here. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer and the greatest player in Seattle Mariners history.''

Last year I though that this was a move to sell tickets. The second time around is also probably to sell tickets but there was a unintended side-effect. The Mariners were much better on the field and in the dugout. It looked like some guys were having fun. Griffey's performance at the plate was pretty awful (he did hit 19 homers though) but he had a good influence on the clubhouse, one that was very fragmented the season before. I never saw that coming, I figured Griffey would be a spoiled star and the seasons of malcontent would continue.  Not the case.

As long as the Mariners aren't counting on him to have a breakthrough year, it's good they have him back.

Reasons why you're still single... Another Jawkhawk fan

Found this on Deadspin.com... pretty much explains Jayhawks fans.

Jimmy Tucker, better known to the rest of the country as "that guy with the beard who really likes Kansas athletics," has been a fixture on KU's quad since time immemorial, but students have noticed his recent absence.
Seems Tucker (The bearded guy above), 62, has repeatedly violated a restraining order taken out by his 23-year-old ex-fiancée, and was arrested last week for failing to show up for a court date.

That's not the only run-in with the law Tucker has had. He's scheduled to appear in court on a theft charge after stealing three books from the student library, and has yet another court appearance for a marijuana possession charge.

Wow, do I really need to explain this one?