Wholesale Pandemonium, In A Good Way, In Wisconsin Dells With 2012 New Attractions Unveiled

Every January in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., the resort community better known as "The Waterpark Capital of the World!®", there is a little tradition the local visitor bureau likes to call the official release of what's new for the coming year. Given everything that's debuting in the Dells for 2012, frankly it might have been easier to chronicle what's not new. But, in the spirit of keeping the tradition alive, here is a rundown of new Wisconsin Dells waterpark rides and new Wisconsin Dells attractions for the new year.

Big Waterpark News
Starting outdoors, Noah's Ark Waterpark, America's Largest Waterpark, is debuting Quadzilla, a million family mat racer slide that stands 47 feet tall, with lanes that run 323 feet long. How can that be, you ask? Because the four slides making up this ride are literally braided and twisted together, a first-of-its-kind for this community. Riders will plunge head first on Quadzilla, reaching top speeds of just over 20 mph. If you do the math, that's 24 seconds from top to bottom. The lanes start out enclosed, but as you race to the bottom, they become open lanes so you can see who's winning in the side-by-side competition. As you crest over vertical curves and gain even more speed toward the bottom, be prepared to experience a feeling of weightlessness.

Super Bowl 2012

At Kalahari Waterpark Resort Convention Center, they've literally raised the roof to install two indoor Super Loop waterslides, the first of their kind in the world, the Sahara Sidewinders. These slides stand 65 feet tall, which meant extending a section of the roof to accommodate the added height. You'll even be able to see the top of these slides from the interstate. Riders will step into the slide and brace themselves as a trapdoor opens below their feet, sending them rocketing at speeds up to 25 mph. Kalahari also installed an additional free fall slide for the really adventurous called the Screaming Hyena. While the new slides will be a hit with tweens and teens, the toddlers have not been left out, as the resort has opened a new kid's play zone called Tiko's Watering Hole, with more than a dozen kiddie slides and interactive African animal figures - think grey-crowned cranes doubling as squirt guns. A rain tree gushes water as if it's raining for added squeals.

Heading back outside, the Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort is adding two new water tube-style slides, one that loops and one that jettisons riders straight down, both with trap doors to get the free fall started. Riders can reach speeds up to 40 mph thanks to maximum G force. Both of these behemoths will be in the Glacier Canyon Lodge section of the sprawling resort, the country's largest combo indoor/outdoor waterpark property.

Over at Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Parks, their archeological crew has "excavated" the million Lost City of Atlantis, a gigantic outdoor water fortress that covers over three acres. This new archeological find will be easy to spot at a whopping six stories tall. Tailored for all age groups, the Lost City of Atlantis will feature a monster dump bucket and seven water slides including a bowl ride, boomerang slide, family tube slide, kids' water slides and a geyser blasting water over 160 feet.
The new splash pad at Sherwood Forest Camping & RV Park proves waterpark fun doesn't have to be limited to just waterpark resorts. This zero-depth attraction is festooned with rainbow water arches, squirt cannons and geysers.

New Ways to Be Entertained
There is a really nice variety of new indoor attractions this year starting with Wild Fun Zone, located downtown Dells and offering indoor bumper cars with spinning action, 3-D black light mini golf, a laser tag arena that takes the shape of a space cave, virtual roller coaster ride and mega arcade. Look for the huge gorilla on the top of the building to find this place.

Ripley's Believe It or Not! Museum has added a "shrunken head alley" featuring a half-dozen actual shrunken heads. Next door at Wizard Quest, a new character by the name of Professor Oodlesmack has been added to the quest displays. His eccentric hobby is creating new flavors of popcorn, so naturally there is an Oodlesmack Popcorn counter attached to Wizard Quest, with more than 40 different gourmet flavors. Plus, the Dells 4D Special FX Theater, on the same block, has two new films this year that will make you feel like you're in the movie.

There's just something about oversized gadgets that gets kids, and adults, engaged. At the Tommy Bartlett Exploratory - Interactive Science Center, you can lift a 3,000 pound car off the ground using an oversized lever. This new hands-on exhibit is located right outside of the front entrance to the Exploratory. Head inside and you'll find two other new exhibits - one, a musical experiment called "Dancing Sands" and the other a "Square Wheel" that actually rolls. Side note - the Exploratory is also celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2012.

Jeremy Allen's Grand Illusions magic show now has a theater all its own on Stand Rock Road and, to mark the move, Allen has added two new David Copperfield-type escape illusions. You'll also see four new white tigers making their stage debut.

For grown-ups getting away to the Dells, there's Wett Nightclub, a new hot spot with a quarter-million-dollar sound stage and massive dance floor. The club is quickly gaining a following thanks to its lineup of well-known DJs. The Dells Beach Club is another option. Housed with the Dells Comedy Club, the Dells Beach Club offers dining (they're known for their beer burger), tiki lounge featuring contemporary music and dance floor with DJs spinning Top 40 hits.

Wholesale Pandemonium, In A Good Way, In Wisconsin Dells With 2012 New Attractions Unveiled

Julia Luther is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Dells at the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, and is responsible for promoting Wisconsin Dells "The Waterpark Capital of the World!®" as a premiere national tourism destination for families, meetings and conventions, youth sports and group travel.

FiOS in 3D?

3D television is one of the hottest products on the market today. A few years ago Hollywood began producing more and more movies in 3D and now consumers want the technology to watch 3D movies at home. FiOs Tv from Verizon is set to offer its subscribers 3D videos on demand. There are 10 titles set for release at present.

Viewing 3D content

Nfl 2012

You will need a new 3DTV to view the movies and of course you still have to wear 3D glasses although now days they are far more stylish than the traditional paper ones, we are all use to wearing. You can get a good pair of 3D glasses for around 150.00 dollars. There is a new Toshiba 3DTV, the Regza that is a glasses free viewing experience. It will be available in Japan only and no word when the US market will see a similar product.

Now that the technology exists for 3D viewing on home televisions, more content needs to be developed.

• Most of the content we see now is in the form of videos. But there is also a move towards 3D gaming, NBA 2K11 will be released in 3D later in the year.
• George Lucas is developing a CD version of the Star Wars trilogy, the first release is slated for 2012.
• FiOs launched 3D content for the on-demand channel, WealthTV. Viewers can watch episodes of "Wealth on Wheels" in 3D and feel as if they are in the driver's seat as they view classic luxury cars.
• In 2010 Verizon broadcasted a Yankees vs. Mariners baseball game in 3D on its FiOs TV service. Can 3D NFL games be far behind? Professional sports in 3D would offer users a unique viewing experience.

FiOs is a technology with room to grow. The speed and bandwidth possible on the all fiber optic network are capable of delivering content faster and at a better quality than ever before possible.

FiOS in 3D?

Paul J. Is an online journalist specializing in saving money online. He loves tech and gadgets. If you're looking for Verizon FiOS coupon codes you can find them on Paul's blog.

Nifty Alternatives to Not Watching the Super Bowl

It has been estimated that 100,000,000 million people watch the Super Bowl each year. Although the football game is broadcast to 225 countries, we can assume that the majority of viewers are American as the two teams in competition are American teams.

Not everyone in the United States, though, is a football fan. Some of us like to do other activities, so here is a list of neat things to do INSTEAD of watching the pig skin warriors:

Super Bowl 2012

Go swimming or walk along the beach. You might be able to get some beach walking time in without the crowds although water temperatures are chilly for swimming. Indoor pools are a good bet. Don't forget your flip flops and towel.

Go shopping. This football game is so popular that stores have special sales going on. Might as well take advantage of low prices on selected items, and the stores will be noticeably less crowded.

See a movie. This week happens to be loaded with interesting movies: The Grey with Liam Neeson, Underworld Awakening starring Kate Beckinsale, Katherine Heigl in One for the Money, Red Tails, Man on a Ledge, and the 9/11 film Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Exercise either outside or at the gym. I was at the gym last year during Super Bowl and had my pick of machines to use.

Read a good book. Normally, you probably read the paper, online news and such. Treat yourself to a great story, whether it be from the library, the bookstore, or downloaded to your Amazon Kindle Fire. According to Bowker Info, over 300,000 titles were published in 2010. Take your pick!

Ever visited Ancestry.com? Curious about your family history? Are you that person in the family that keeps everyone together? Right now Ancestry.com has a 14-day free trial to see if you find it as interesting as we do.

Clean out a closet. It doesn't matter who you are or where you live. If a closet hasn't been straightened in six months, its due. Cleaning and organizing are how some people destress. It's also nice to donate items you don't need.

It's tax time. If you haven't started your tax returns, this is prime time.

When is the last time you planned a vacation or even a weekend getaway? If you can't remember, perhaps some research on travel destinations might be in order. Sit down with your favorite beverage and start planning.

Don't forget the luxury of a bubble bath and soaking to your heart's content. Slow down and take some time for yourself. Monday comes soon enough.

Nifty Alternatives to Not Watching the Super Bowl

Linda Missler
http://mynorthapps.com/

Head Coaching Changes and Teams to Watch For The 2011-2012 NFL Season

No less than eight teams will kickoff the 2011-2012 NFL season with a new skipper manning the sidelines. In the AFC Cleveland, Denver, Oakland, and Tennessee welcome new skippers, meanwhile, four NFC teams also roll out the red carpet for new headmen in Carolina, Dallas, Minnesota, and San Francisco.

Two of the eight new skippers (cowpoke Jason Garrett and viking Leslie Frazier) are actually interim HC hold-overs from last season when Dallas and Minnesota both fired their headmen prior to the conclusion of the regular season, however, both Garrett and Frazier still must be considered rookie NFL skippers as they are entering their first full season as the man in charge. As a matter of fact, seven of the eight new skippers for the 2011-2012 NFL are actually rookies when it comes to being the man in charge.

Nfl 2012

Denver is the only team to hire a retread this season as they brought aboard former Carolina HC John Fox to control their destiny, however, it is noteworthy that both Tennessee and Oakland promoted from within as the Raiders moved last years offensive coordinator (Hue Jackson) into their HC slot while the Titans handed the skipper reins to long time player and assistant coach Mike Munchak who has 30 years with the organization. Below is a summary of two possible surprise teams from this years crop of new HCs and what to watch for:

Cleveland: The Brownies brought in Mike Holmgren to run the show prior to the start of last season, being the nice guy the ole walrus is, he gave HC Eric Mangenius a year to prove himself. Unfortunately for Eric Mangenius his Brownie team didn't show up to play for him as they lost their final four games to close out the regular season including the 9-41 drubbing in the season finale that was administered to them by divisional rival Pittsburgh and ended up with a mark of 5-11 for the second straight season.

Needless to say and rightly so, a two year record of 10-22 got Eric Mangenius kicked to the curb. Enter new rookie skipper Pat Shurmur...shur who? Although Pat Shurmur had a decent college playing career as a center at Michigan State, his name isn't one that readily comes to mind when it comes to the NFL as he never played in the pro ranks and when it comes to NFL coaching experience tollied in virtual obscurity for nine seasons as the Eagles QB coach prior to last year when he was a one-year offensive coordinator for the Rams.

Shurmurs claim to fame during his nine year stint with Philadelphia stems from the play of former Eagle QB Donovan McNabb who led his team to five NFC Championship games and one Super Bowl appearance, couple that with the play of rookie Ram QB Sam Bradford last year in Shurmurs only season with St Louis as their OC and presto....Cleveland GM Mike Holmgren loves Shurmur, hires Shurmur, and now expects Shurmur to do the same with young Brownie QB Colt McCoy.

The Brownies major malfunction last season was their offense which finished the season ranked a terrible 29th in passing yards per game, 29th in total yards per game, and 27th in points per 100 yards gained, which of course is the reason why Cleveland finished last year ranked 31st in average points scored per game (16.94). If Shurmur can fix what ails this Brownie offense then Cleveland might just be one of the surprise teams this season as their defense really didn't play that bad last year in ranking 8th in points allowed per 100 yards, 12th in yards allowed per rush and a respectable 13th in average points allowed per game at 20.75 and especially when considering how long they were on the field due to the play of the poor Brownie offense.

There will be changes to the Cleveland defense as the Brownies elected to let defensive coordinator Rob Ryan go and brought in Dick Jauron to call the shots. Jauron, who had head coaching stints with both Chicago and Buffalo, knows how to coach defense as evidenced by the statistics that his units posted while with the Packers, Jags, and Bears in previous defensive coaching stints.Most notable of upcoming change will be the alignment the Brownie defense utilizes as they will be switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3, look for the additions of monster tackle Phil Taylor (1st round draft choice) and DE Jabaal Sheard (2nd round draft choice) up front to pay quick dividends along with the return of linebackers Scott Fujita and Chris Gocong and second year CB Joe Haden.

Offensively, new HC Pat Shurmur will be calling the plays just as his new mentor and GM Mike Holmgren did while with both Green Bay and Seattle. Change will come to the offense as well with the implementation of a short quick passing game (often referred to as the west coast offense), when it comes to divisional play this change can only help the Brownie offense against defensive stalwarts Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Divisional rival Pittsburgh is fresh off a Super Bowl loss, if historical trends hold up this means that the Steelers should fail to make the playoffs, whether that happens or not is anyone's guess, however, this much I do know and that is the fact that Pittsburgh is getting pretty long in the tooth and especially on defense, a glance at Pittsburgh's roster from last season shows their players average age was 26.78 years old which was the second oldest in the league behind Washington.

The same can be said for Baltimore as their roster averaged 26.68 years of age which made them the fifth oldest team in the NFL. Cleveland was right up there as well with an average of 26.78 years per player which ranked them third in the league, the difference is that because the Brownies had shoddy records over the past three straight seasons (14-34) they were able to add fresh young talented blood to their lineup and dumped a lot of aging talent this season. Vegas has set the season win/loss total at 6.5 for Cleveland, I think the Brownies get at least to the .500 mark this season......OVER 6.5 Seasonal wins.

DENVER: After losing 12 of their final 14 games to close out last years campaign with a really overall shoddy mark of 4-12 the Denver Broncos decided to part ways with young HC Josh McDaniels and in turn hired ousted Carolina HC John Fox to take the reins. In the big picture who could really blame Denver for wanting to go in a different direction with a new skipper after McDaniels had actually managed to lose 22 of his last 26 games dating back to the previous season>

McDaniels, who lucked out to get the Denver job to begin with, was his own worst enemy with regard to player relations as he constantly seemed to cause turmoil and in the end the players simply quit playing for him. Then of course there was McDaniels dubious at best drafting of Tim Tebow the previous year which cost Denver in a very large way last year as it came back to bite them squarely in the ole behind with the lack of talent and depth on the defensive side of the ball.

Not judging whether Tebow will end up being a good acquisition or not, the point of the matter is that Denver needed help on the defensive side of the ball after finishing 26th in run defense prior to drafting Tebow. In the big picture Tebow has a questionable arm, questionable accuracy and will be a work in progress. McDaniels gave up way too much to get Tebow in the slot that he drafted him in when considering that he gave up Denver's 43rd, 70th, and 114th overall picks to Baltimore for the right to draft Tebow in the first round with the 25th pick. After drafting Tebow and NOT drafting for defensive help, what happened last season?

A check of the final stats from last years regular season reveals that Denvers defense finished dead last in the NFL (32nd) in total yards allowed per game (390.81), points allowed per game (29.44), only totaled 23 sacks (1.44 p/gm), the Broncos defense also finished a shoddy 31st in rush yards allowed per game (154.6) and 30th in yards allowed per pass. Is it really any wonder why Denver got rid of McDaniels? What raised some bushy eyebrows was the direction in which Denver elected to take with regard to the hiring of former Carolina Panther HC John Fox who himself was fresh off a league worst and truly dreadful 2-14 season.

In truth the Panthers fall from grace should not have been THAT big of a surprise when considering the fact that Carolina resided in the same division as New Orleans, which had won the Super Bowl the prior season, and with Atlanta, which was up and coming as evidenced by posting a mark of 20-13 over their previous two seasons.

Carolina simply got long in the tooth as evidenced by posting a mark of 35-30 in their previous four seasons and elected to go young by dumping a lot of veteran talent and bringing in a lot of new young faces. It didn't help any when the injury bug hit them early in the campaign and it most certainly didn't help them when young starting QB Matt Moore (who had played so well in winning four of five games to close out the previous season) suffered a concussion in the season opener and then proceeded to fall flat on his face by throwing four picks in two games.

Moore was benched in favor of rookie QB Jimmy Clausen who played no better, when Moore was re-inserted for week nine action against New Orleans he injured his shoulder and was done for the year. Moore and Clausen combined to tally a TD to INT ratio of 7 to 16 for the season and were the root cause for the Panther offense to rank a dead last 32nd in the league in passing yards per game, total yards per game, points per 100 yards gained, yards per pass and also ranked 31st in passer completion percentage and 30th in time of possession.

Needless to say, Carolina was done in by their shoddy QB play. John Fox shouldn't have that concern with the Broncos who have triggerman Kyle Orton under center and a fast improving Brady Quinn backing him up. Orton is the kind of QB that new HC John Fox likes with regard to his leadership and steady play, last season Orton tossed for 3653 yards with a TD to INT ratio of 20 to 9 en-route to compiling a QB rating of 87.5 and in his two seasons with Denver thus far has thrown for a total of 7455 yards with a TD to INT ratio of 41 to 21 with an average QB rating of 87.15. No Fox won't have to worry about the Denver offense, instead he can turn his attention to what he does best which is coaching defense.

John Fox has a pretty good pedigree as he got his NFL coaching start with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 1986 as their defensive backs coach as well as their defensive coordinator, prior to taking over the helm as the skipper of the Carolina Panthers in 2002, Fox had also cut his teeth as a defensive coordinator for the Bolts, the Raiders, and the Rams. In 2002 when Fox took over the Carolina Panthers, they had finished the previous year with a record of 1-15 and oddly enough were remarkably similar to last years Denver team with regard to defense or lack thereof as evidenced by finishing the regular season ranking a shoddy 31st in the categories of rush yards allowed, total yards allowed per game and TOP (time of possession) and ranked 28th in both pass yards allowed per game and defensive sacks along with a 27th ranking in yards allowed per pass.

In his first season with Carolina Fox pushed his team to a 7-9 finish and in his second year took them to the Super Bowl. Can Fox duplicate in Denver the same kind of turn-around as he did when he first took over the Panthers? I think he can as the Broncos are a talented club offensively and defensively have added the needed pieces of the puzzle both coaching-wise and player-wise to make huge strides this season. Denver has a tougher schedule this season with games at Tennessee, Green Bay, and Minnesota along with home dates against the visiting Jets, Bears, and Patriots, however, the rest of Denver's division will play the same teams. Look for Denver to finish second in the AFC West behind San Diego and by doing so surpass the season win/loss total of 6 that Vegas has assigned them....OVER 6 Seasonal wins.

Take care and be well my friends

Jim

Head Coaching Changes and Teams to Watch For The 2011-2012 NFL Season

Jim Campbell runs http://www.FootballForecastor.com which has been an internet based sports handicapping service since 1997, you will be hard pressed to find another handicapper that has had the kind of success Jim has had, over the past twelve years he has maintained one of the very best winning percentages of any sports handicapping service.

The Republican Field Takes Shape

This is what good citizens and political junkies are supposed to do:

We watch the Presidential race unfold like it's the NFL play-offs.

Nfl 2012

So there I sat in front of my TV dutifully watching the first Republican Presidential debate from the impressive Reagan library in Simi, California. There were the prospective candidates, all lined up under the wingspan of a life-sized Air Force One that loomed over the entire audience of enthusiastic Republican supporters.

Looking at the field, it's hard to believe that anyone but Mitt Romney could possibly be elected President. Last month's frontrunner Michelle Bachmann is a strange woman, a former IRS lawyer who raised five of her own kids and 23 foster children, all while dutifully obeying her husband who professionally counsels homosexuals to "pray away the gay."

Michelle is the Gaffe Queen, getting all mixed up about Elvis Presley, the Battle of Concord and lots of other things that don't matter but that she keeps talking about and getting wrong. Oh and she also says she can make gas cost a gallon - just like that! Too nutty to be President.

Bachmann became the frontrunner right after the former frontrunner Donald Trump dropped out after admitting that President Obama "probably" is a native-born American. That and the TV sweeps rating period was over, and he didn't need the publicity anymore.

The new frontrunner is Texas Governor Rick Perry, who just positively hates Social Security and Medicare and says they are "failures" that should be "given back to the states." Rick just loves to execute criminals (the GOP audience loves it, too!) and thinks that U.S. Senators should be chosen by politicians from each state and not directly elected by the voters. Hmmmmm.

Perry the Republican nominee? Obama can't be this lucky.

One thing that all of the Republican candidates seem to agree on is that taxes should be RAISED on the working poor. I hear it over and over again. Every candidate says it's wrong that 47% of Americans don't pay any federal income taxes. Everyone should have "skin in the game" when it comes to paying income taxes, the GOP hopefuls all say.

But who are these people? They're the working poor. The people who cut our lawns. Serve our lunch and pump our gas. Butter the bagels and sweep the floors. Watch over our kids and care for old folks in nursing homes. This is the backbone of America.

How can it possibly be in the best interests of the nation to make these people pay MORE taxes? They're already paying a greater share of their income in federal payroll and state sales taxes than your average millionaire. Why would anyone want to raise their taxes? I just don't get it.

Since the Republican debate was held at the Reagan Library, I just wish that someone pointed out that it was Ronald Reagan who created the Earned Income Tax Credit that reduced income taxes for lower income workers. It's too bad that all of the GOP candidates who claim to be just like Reagan have such a different point of view when it comes to helping - or hurting - the working poor.

There's no question that tax policy will be a pivotal issue in the 2012 elections.

One party wants to raise taxes on the working poor. The other wants to raise taxes on the richest 2% of America. Let's see how this debate unfolds.

The Republican Field Takes Shape

Vision Media Marketing Inc. ( http://vmmi.net ) was incorporated in 1985 by Jean Swibinski and Paul Swibinski, who continue to direct the company. A full-service public relations and media communications firm with a long history of successfully delivering clients' messages, it specializes in public policy issues and crisis communications. To visit Vision Media's blog, VMMI Policy Perspectives, go to http://vmmi.net/blog.

Climate Change: Earlier Elections, Later Super Bowls

There was a rhythm to the calendar when I was growing up. They played the Super Bowl someplace warm in January, began the presidential primaries in New Hampshire in February, and opened the major league baseball season every April in Cincinnati.

Set aside my skepticism of dire climate change forecasts. I won't deny what is happening right in front of me. In sports and politics, at least, today's climate is radically different from that of my youth. Baseball's season opener has migrated to Tokyo and moved up to March 28 and 29, when the Athletics will face the Mariners this year. We will be nearly a week into February when the Giants confront the Patriots in this Sunday's Super Bowl, beneath a roof in Indianapolis. And, for all practical purposes, the presidential primary season ended with Mitt Romney's Florida victory over the remaining Republican field.

Super Bowl 2012

Granted, Romney is far away from amassing the delegate total he will need to secure his party's nomination at the Republican National Convention in late August, and Newt Gingrich vows to take his battle for the nomination all the way to the convention floor in Tampa. Rick Santorum continues to fight on as well, and Ron Paul says he has no intention of ending his quirky and low-budget libertarian quest. Paul is the only remaining GOP candidate who has yet to win a single state. He has a good chance of keeping that record intact.

None of this matters, because Romney is the only viable candidate in the Republican race. This makes him the winner by default. Gingrich has the resources to run but not to win, at least not in large states that will supply convention delegates in wholesale quantities. He will not even appear on the primary ballot in Virginia, where he has lived for many years, when that state votes on March 6 - otherwise known as Super Tuesday. Romney is far better prepared than Gingrich to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously, as in the 10 Super Tuesday states. Gingrich's best shot that day will come in Georgia, which sent him to the House of Representatives more than a decade ago. But Romney gets to run in his home state of Massachusetts that same day, and he also is likely to steamroll Gingrich in Ohio, an important and large swing state, much as he did in Florida.

Gingrich will stay in the race for awhile because it enhances his prestige and, ultimately, his income from speaking and consulting. My guess is that he will get out when his continued presence threatens to damage the Gingrich brand.

I am not suggesting that Romney has won the hearts and minds of most Republicans at this point. He has, however, won the support of enough of the Republicans whose primary goal is to unseat President Obama to win the nomination. Once he grabs the nomination, most remaining Republican hearts and minds will follow.

Political climate change does not stop at the primaries. Traditional wisdom holds that average voters do not begin paying attention to presidential campaigns until after Labor Day. I suspect that, barring some dramatic development in late summer or autumn, the outcome of this year's race will be effectively decided much earlier, possibly by Memorial Day and almost surely by Independence Day.

To understand why, we have to focus on what matters, and what doesn't, in presidential elections. First, popular vote totals don't matter, because we don't elect presidents based on the popular votes; we elect them based on Electoral College votes. Obama (or, much less likely, Romney) could win the popular vote, even by a considerable margin, yet lose the election.

Second, most voters' minds are already made up. Democrats will support Obama in overwhelming numbers. Republicans will support their nominee, even the Romney candidacy they are lukewarm about, in equally high proportions. In states dominated by one party, such as New York and California for Democrats or Texas and South Carolina for Republicans, the outcome is not in doubt.

The election will turn on the relative turnout among each party's voters in a dozen or so states that could realistically go either way, and on the way the roughly 25 percent of independent voters divide in those swing states. The economy, or more specifically voters' perception of their own situation and prospects, will be the deciding factor. So, what ultimately matters is, in a small number of states, a relatively small number of voters' perception of their situation and prospects - along with the two parties' ability to turn out their core voters.

There is still time for the picture to change, but I think that by early summer, most voters will have a pretty firm impression of their situation and prospects. They are not likely to respond to some piece of news in October and decide, "Wait a minute. Things aren't so bad - I'm going to stick with what's working" or to think "Holy Cow - it's been four years since Lehman tanked and we still have serious problems. I'd better go with Romney."

Right now, the picture for Obama is discouraging but not hopeless. We learned this week that GDP growth in the last quarter of 2011 was a disappointing 2.8 percent (based on preliminary figures), and that, worse, much of that growth came from inventory buildups that cannot continue for long. Housing prices continue to fall. Canadian GDP, which is reported monthly and is closely tied to American economic activity, came in at -0.1 percent for November. The pace of hiring and layoffs has improved lately, but continued soft economic reports like these are likely to lead businesses to stay conservative on their staffing, keeping unemployment high. European debt and austerity measures, Japan's economic morass, and Chinese monetary tightening are not helping either.

The president needs some good economic news to persuade those critical nonaligned voters to stick with him for another four years. Barring that, Obama and fellow Democrats seem to want to inspire their base to turn out by blaming the economy's failings on rich people and Republicans, neither of whom core Democrats tend to like very much. The problem is that core Democrats do like to have jobs, pay their mortgages and send their kids to college, and the president needs to convince them that they will do better in his next four years than they did in his first four.

Republican opposition to Obama, in contrast, has been strong and highly motivated since about midway through his first year in office. The president can hope that attacks by Gingrich and other rivals will weaken GOP enthusiasm for Romney enough to depress his party's turnout in November. That seems like a faint hope to me, but we'll see.

In baseball, the game truly isn't over until the last out is recorded, but elections are more like football than baseball. There is a clock, and the game is not official until it expires, and sometimes we see a cliffhanger that goes down to the last second. Other times, however, the result is a foregone conclusion before the halftime show is over. This may well prove to be one of those contests in which the losing side's cheerleaders keep dancing long after the players know how the game will end.

Climate Change: Earlier Elections, Later Super Bowls

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A Noble And Grand Idea

What a noble and grand idea, the thought of the Chiefs hosting a Super Bowl in a new state-of-the-art stadium with a retractable roof. A Super Bowl in Kansas City might seem like a pipe dream but if Detroit can play host in 2006 then why not Kansas City in 2012 or beyond?

The economic windfall alone should inspire the Greater Kansas City area to soften their stance on stadium renovations. I know a little bit about Kansas City but I know a lot more about Detroit. The amount of infrastructure work being done in and around metro Detroit alone is worth bringing a Super Bowl to any large city. Freeways from the airport are being rebuilt. These roads would be allowed to decay even further if not for the impending Super Bowl at Ford Field. This is just one example of improvements that last long after a Super Bowl has come and gone. So economically it's a no-brainer right? The only way the Chiefs will get a new stadium built is with some form of public funding. So far this has been a hot-button issue for local voters who last fall rejected a much more modest attempt at such legislation. It seems even more unlikely that local voters would approve taxes for a new stadium given their love of Arrowhead.

Nfl 2012

What could possibly sway the voters' opinion? What one single event could turn the whole tide and make voters run to the booths in glee to approve a new stadium proposal? Of course the answer is simple. Win the Super Bowl. That's right it's that simple. It's time for the Chiefs organization as a whole to push all their chips into middle and go for the Super Bowl. The window is open for this to happen but it won't stay open forever.

I know what the skeptics are thinking. Every year the Chiefs delegation goes to the league meetings and comes up with some ideas out of left field. This idea of Kansas City hosting a Super Bowl isn't one of them. It can happen but not before the public approves funding for a new stadium and the only way that will happen is with a Super Bowl title. If the Chiefs do their part and win the Super Bowl then I have confidence that the voters will do theirs' and approve funding for a new stadium. I can't see one happening without the other. I think the fans passion for Arrowhead and dislike of pork barrel public funding proposals will prevent approval without a Super Bowl title to sway the public.

So as Lamar Hunt lobbies the league for a Super Bowl in Kansas City the ball is essentially in his court. Will Carl Peterson and the front office be allowed to go all out in their off-season pursuit of talent? Peterson and his staff have begun the process with the Bell and Knight signings but what else will they be able to do? Whomever else the Chiefs sign, trade or draft will go a long way in answering the question can the Chiefs win the Super Bowl? Which in turn will answer the bigger question will Kansas City ever host a Super Bowl?

There are a lot of questions and it's up to the Chiefs to figure out the right answers.

A Noble And Grand Idea

Written by Martin Salt
Colunist for ChiefsCoalition.com