Why is “Hot Chemo” an Acceptable Cancer Treatment—But IV Vitamin C is “Too Far Out There”?

January 31, 2012

Recipe: Creamy Coconut “Get Some” Ice Cream (Paleo friendly)

Google ready to step up its snooping

Company will track, combine data from its many websites

By Cecilia Kang THE WASHINGTON POST

Google will soon know far more about who you are and what you do on the Web.

The Web giant announced last week that it plans to follow the activities of users across nearly all its ubiquitous sites, including YouTube, Gmail and its leading search engine.

Google has been collecting some of this information, but for the first time, it is combining data across its websites to stitch together a fuller portrait of users.

• Consumers won’t be able to opt out of the changes, which take effect on March 1. And experts say the policy shift will invite greater scrutiny from federal regulators of the company’s privacy and competitive practices.

The move will help Google better tailor its ads to people’s tastes. If someone watches an NBA clip online and lives in Washington, the company could advertise Washington Wizards tickets in that person’s Gmail account.

Consumers also could benefit, the company said. When someone is searching for the word jaguar, Google would have a better idea of whether the person was interested in the animal or the car. Or it might suggest emailing contacts in New York when it learns you are planning a trip there.

But, consumer advocates say, the new policy might upset people who never expected that their information would be shared across so many websites.

• A user signing up for Gmail, for instance, might never have imagined that the content of his or her messages could affect the experience on seemingly unrelated websites such as You-Tube .

“Google’s new privacy announcement is frustrating and a little frightening,” said Common Sense Media chief executive James Steyer. “Even if the company believes that tracking users across all platforms improves their services, consumers should still have the option to opt out, especially the kids and teens who are avid users of YouTube, Gmail and Google Search.”

Google can collect information about users when they activate an Android mobile phone, sign into their accounts online or enter search terms. It also can store cookies on people’s computers to see which websites they visit, or it can use its popular maps program to estimate their location.

Google’s change in its privacy policies comes as it faces stiff competition for the fickle attention of Web surfers. It recently disappointed investors for the first time in several quarters, failing to meet earnings predictions. Apple, in contrast, reported record earnings last week that blew past even the most-optimistic expectations.

Some analysts said Google’s move is aimed squarely at Apple and Facebook, which have been successful in building unified ecosystems of products that capture people’s attention. Google, in contrast, has adopted a more-scattered approach, but an executive said in interviews that the company wants to create a much more-seamless environment across its offerings .

“If you’re signed in, we may combine information you’ve provided from one service with information from other services,” Alma Whitten, Google’s director of privacy for product and engineering, wrote in a blog post. “In short, we’ll treat you as a single user across all our products, which will mean a simpler, more-intuitive Google experience,” she said.

Google said it will notify its hundreds of millions of users of the change through an email and a message on its websites. The change will apply to all its services except for Google Wallet, the Chrome browser and Google Books.

The company said the change will simplify the company’s privacy policy, a move that regulators encouraged.

Still, some consumer advocates and lawmakers remained skeptical.

“There is no way anyone expected this,” said Jeffrey Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, a privacy-advocacy group. “There is no way a user can comprehend the implication of Google collecting across platforms for information about your health, political opinions and financial concerns.”

• U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said: “It is imperative that users will be able to decide whether they want their information shared across the spectrum of Google’s offerings.”

Google has increasingly been a focus of Washington regulators. The company recently settled a privacy complaint by the Federal Trade Commission after it allowed users of its now-defunct social network Google Buzz to see contacts lists from its email program.

• And a previous decision to use its social-network data in search results has been included in a broad FTC investigation, said a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is private.

• Federal officials also are looking at whether Google is running afoul of antitrust rules by using its dominance in online searches to favor its other business lines.

Claudia Farrell, a spokeswoman for the FTC, declined to comment on any interaction between Google and regulators on its new privacy changes.

( Well, in my mind it seems clearer why it is that Firefox says Google is not compatible with it’s current platform.  I believe Mozilla is trying to protect my interests, even if I am too naive to understand it.  Thank you Mozilla.     Jan)

1)  PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

Morgan ignoring mom’s plight?  

The mother of 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan is about to lose her house — and says her multimillionaire son won’t help her.

Alicia Warden, who lives in northeastern Ohio (and spoke to the Daily News of New York on the condition that the exact location not be revealed), said she owes less than $25,000 on the home but that foreclosure proceedings will begin if she doesn’t make a minimum payment by Feb. 23.

She is also about to lose her utilities and her car because her unemployment benefits have run out (since she lost her job last February). The most that Morgan — who is worth $18 million, according to Forbes — offered to give her was a one-time payment of $2,000, said Warden, 61. “God don’t like ugly,” she said. “Karma comes back to you.”

Morgan’s younger sister, Asia, added: “He’s never been a nice person, and money’s just made it worse.” His camp didn’t comment.

(I know sons are different from daughters, but this is no excuse to act like a viper.)

2) NEWS BRIEFS

WASHINGTON

Republicans vow to make life difficult for Cordray   

Republican senators warned Richard Cordray, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, that they think his recess appointment was invalid and that new agency rules would be challenged in   court, leaving businesses uncertain about what rules to follow.   

Republicans were so upset with President Barack Obama’s appointment of Cordray last month that one — Roger Wicker of Mississippi — boycotted the director’s Senate Banking Committee appearance yesterday, and another — Mike Lee of Utah — promised never to work with the president on pending nominations that need the Senate’s approval.   

Cordray, who is from Ohio, promised that the agency will be accountable to lawmakers, although it does not have to go before Congress for annual funding.

(Talk about “sour grapes.”  This is a procedure of long-standing history. . . practiced by both parties.   The Grand Old Party has already delayed the opening of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for far too long.   Grow up.  If you can’t take the heat – get out of the kitchen!)

Jury still out on use of BPA in plastics

PAUL G. DONOHUE

Q: I refill plastic water bottles with regular tap water. When the bottle is empty, I wash it and the cap, and refill it with water.

I hear that toxins are released from plastics when reusing them.

Reusing is cost-efficient and saves the planet from more trash, but it’s not worth the risk if it endangers health. What’s the potential harm in reusing these bottles?

A: The plastic story is complicated and has no unimpeachable, authoritative answer. Most of the attention focuses on bisphenol A, or BPA, an ingredient in many plastic containers and in the lining of many food cans.

A relationship between BPA and heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and liver damage has been suggested. It might affect the fetus. And BPA is a weak estrogenlike substance.

Some European nations and Canada have banned the use of BPA in baby bottles.

One good aspect of BPA is its quick exit from the body. The American Chemical Council views it as safe. The World Health Organization says it’s premature to ban it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn’t taken it off the market.

• The decision to use BPA plastics is up to the user.

Safety tips are worth passing along:

• Don’t use plastics in the microwave or in any reheating . Heat increases the release of BPA.
• Limit the consumption of food from cans lined with BPA plastics, or seek canned goods in containers without the material.
• Don’t put BPA-containing plastics in the dishwasher. Find labels that say “BPA-free.” A “7” on the bottom of plastics indicates BPA.

How great the BPA threat is can’t be determined. It has been used in plastic products for more than 40 years.

(I do understand that Dr Donohue is functioning within his allopathic climate as he is expected to do.  And as expected, if the FDA does not contraindicate – it must be Okay! Right?   No!  Not Okay.    How often does the FDA let us down, refuse to protect the public – - that which it is supposed to be doing.  Instead, it serves the corporate structure and meanwhile everyone keeps getting sicker, more toxic and there seems no end.    I am printing a small excerpt re: the FDA with regard to BPA:

The Food and Drug Administration, true to form, has sided with the chemical industry and against independent scientists in determining the safety of Bisphenol-A, an ingredient in some plastics and in the lining of plastic cans.
. *key in BPA in search bar
It released a draft assessment, declaring the controversial chemical safe*, Friday, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, which has led the major media coverage of that and other chemicals, and the apparent bias the FDA has shown for industry studies that often are not peer-reviewed and published in scientific literature.

Independent research has uncovered worrying qualities to Bisphenol A; it mimics hormones, could affect normal development and reproduction and would have its most dramatic effects on young bodies undergoing rapid development. The list of potential effects is long and damning: breast and prostate cancer, obesity, diabetes, brain and liver damage.

(Dr Donohue mentions a good aspect of BPA is the “quick exit” from the body.  That is not true.  I have done numerous articles on the destructiveness of BPA and all it’s various ramifications, which do build up in the body thereby causing great harm to organs throughout.  One that comes to mind is TOXIC WOMBS. . .my god! 12-23-09.  The traces are found in the placenta and cord blood.   There can be damage to our  liver, heart and brain,    as well as a disruptor to the hormone system.

  So to the querant – those plastic bottles are not safe to use.  There are some plastic bottles that are a good deal more expensive which are safer.  Of course, there are the stainless steel choices as well.    You would serve your body so much better if you could find some way to drink water that does not come from the tap.  Municipal water is notorious for chemical infusion.   The chlorine, the fluoride and countless others are damaging every cell in your body, day after day.  Let’s face it – - we are living in a toxic world.  One must take all kinds of steps if we are to survive in any way that seems healthy.   As long as you’ve got your brain to think with and mouth to communicate with, you are 1/2 way there. . .keep thinking, asking questions and speaking up.  . .just keep on keeping on. . . . Jan)

Q: Do 40 years of so-called social drinking have any effect on your muscles or strength? By “social drinking,” I mean three to four drinks at dinnertime.

I play a lot of golf and am losing distance on driving the ball.

I am 80 and in good shape. I am active, too: I swim and exercise. Should I cut down on alcohol?

A: The safe alcohol intake for a healthy man is two drinks a day; for women, it’s one. A drink is considered 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled alcohol.

I would advise you to cut back to one drink, partly because of your age.

Are you doing any strength-enhancing exercises with weights? They can keep your muscles strong.

Aging probably has more to do with your strength loss than has alcohol, but cut back all the same.

(Well Healthy Man,  I would say you can do just about anything you want to do.  Sounds like you are doing fine to me.  Its a question of preference isn’t it?  I too, imbibe around the dinner hour and have regarded this as one of life’s gracious pleasures.  .  .  tho not always, just when I feel like it.

As to the muscle strength question,  there are many approaches to be sure,   including  bands and/or resistance exercises.  I would however, defer to my son Jeff at Fit2Play (in the blogroll)  You can call or Email him with the same question you have presented here and tell him his Mom over at smokinchoices suggested that you call.  Jeff’s life has pretty much been devoted to  athleticism and sports area and he would certainly be better equipt to advise on whether or not some form of supplement might be helpful along with any ideas  for strengthening those muscles. 

I say, keep on doing what you’re doing and stay happy.  Jan)

Dr. Donohue answers letters only in his North America Syndicate column but provides an order form of available health newsletters. Write him at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

FirstEnergy to close six coal-burning power plants

ASSOCIATED PRESS

AKRON — FirstEnergy Corp. said yesterday that new environmental regulations led to a decision to shut down six older, coal-fired power plants in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland, affecting more than 500 employees.

The plants, in Cleveland, Ashtabula, Oregon and Eastlake in Ohio;  Adrian, Pa.;  and Williams-port, Md.,  will be retired by Sept. 1. They have generated about 10 percent of the electricity produced by FirstEnergy in the past three years, the company said.

James Lash, head of the company’s generation unit, indicated in a statement that a review of the company’s coal-fired plants determined that it would not be economical to get the older ones into compliance with environmental regulations that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in December.

The new standards are designed to reduce emissions of mercury and other toxic pollution from coal- and oil-fired power plants. An Associated Press survey found that the changes were likely to result in the mothballing of dozens of units in the Midwest and in the coal belt — Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.

• The Obama administration was under court order to issue the new rules after a court threw out an attempt by the Bush administration to exempt power plants from controls for toxic air pollution.

Two factors have made it easier for utilities to close old coal plants in recent years. Power demand has been weakening in recent years because of the slow economy and energy-efficiency programs. And natural-gas prices, which have fallen to decade-low levels in recent weeks, have allowed utilities to switch from coal to natural gas without raising customers’ bills. Meanwhile, demand from China and elsewhere has driven up the price of coal.

FirstEnergy said its decision would directly affect 529 employees. Some of them could end up working at other FirstEnergy facilities and work sites, while others could take advantage of a retirement benefit being offered to employees 55 years and older, the company said.

FirstEnergy has a total of 17 coal power plants, including those that will close by September.

The plants targeted to shut down have been producing less power over the past few years, mainly during times of peak demand, the company said.

Eastlake, a community of about 18,500 people alongside Lake Erie northeast of Cleveland, will lose $590,000 a year in taxes, or about 4.5 percent of its regular budget, Mayor Ted Andrzejewski said.

FirstEnergy’s electricity system has 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and Virginia. Coal and nuclear power plants generate about 80 percent of the company’s output.

The company employs about 17,000 people.

By Dan Gearino THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Some small-business owners are furious about a sudden rise in electricity costs, the result of a new American Electric Power rate plan that took effect this month.   With immediate increases of up to 40 percent, business owners said they are faced with cutting workers, reducing investment and making other changes as they struggle to deal with an increased expense that many of them did not see coming.

“Honestly, am I going to put my next machine here or in my plant in Tennessee?” asked Patrick Castro Jr., vice president of Electro General Plastics in Grove City, whose electricity costs have risen 35 percent.    “Tennessee is looking a little bit more business-friendly.”

AEP says the new rates reflect the cost to provide service , and that what might seem like a big increase is because the previous rates were unusually low for certain types of customers.  (Well, duh,  those rates were established in Courts with the help of the Consumer’s Protection agency which Ohio had – paid for from a small stipend  in our utility bills.  This was a most effective agency who fought for the Ohio consumer with regard to utilities.  Consequently,  this was one of the first thing Gov Kasich went after when he started.  Boom it was gone.  He creatively did that by stripping down their operating costs more than 50%, effectively, paralyzing them. Staff was slashed, their director of 6 – 7 years was gone.  It was just a question of time. . .all knew that.    Jan)

The Dispatch reported last month that the AEP plan would lead to large rate increases for small businesses, much larger than the average rates disclosed by the utility. The story cited internal emails from a Public Utilities Com- mission of Ohio staff member who raised concerns that the rates were unfair and would be harmful to many businesses.

At Plastic Packaging Technologies on the Northwest Side, executives are reconsidering plans to expand. The company is based in Kansas City, Kan., and could shift its resources elsewhere. (Kasich calls himself a business-friendly governor.)

“This is very dangerous and very damaging,” said David Potter, the vice president and general manager. “We’re in a very competitive market, and to slap us with a $28,000 (annual) increase is just outrageous and could definitely dampen expansion plans.”

The PUCO has fielded about 25 complaints about rates from small businesses this week, said commission spokesman Matt Butler.  (About all they do is ‘receive complaints’.  They side with the utility companies thus are ineffective for the consumer.)    “We certainly do understand the impact this has had on certain small-business customers,” he said.

Jeff Rennie, an AEP spokesman, said the new rates are the result of a compromise between AEP, the PUCO and many other companies and groups. The plan calls for AEP to change gradually to prices set by market forces.    “In the past, those rates might have been subsidized by other rate classes, but now those rates will reflect the cost to provide service to that customer,” he said.

The PUCO and several other groups crafted the rates in a way that provides a discount for large manufacturers, one that essentially is paid for by rate increases for others, including small businesses. Supporters of the plan say it helps the economy by reducing costs for the largest employers. (Is this supposed to be a joke?.  If so, I am not laughing.  Jan)

The largest rate increases are hitting businesses in the “General Service 2” rate class, which represents about 15 percent of AEP’s customer base in Ohio. Within that rate group, the average increase is less than 10 percent in AEP’s Columbus Southern Power service territory and less than 20 percent in AEP’s Ohio Power territory, according to the PUCO.

• The end result: Electricity costs are rising for many small businesses but falling for many large ones.

Debbie Taranto, owner of Taranto’s Pizzeria in Lewis Center, said this approach is unfair. She said she might have to raise prices or lay off workers.   “While the small-business owner is struggling to hold their head above the quicksand of the national recession that torpedoed us, our fine state has allowed this increase, thus showing how ‘pro-business’ they are and working to help the middle class,” she said in an email.

But some customers are seeing even-larger increases. They are:

• Companies that buy their electricity-generation service from a company other than AEP. The new rate plan increases AEP’s distribution charges, the part of the electricity bill that everybody pays, and decreases the generation charge for small businesses that get this service from AEP. This leads to a disproportionately large increase for many of the customers that have chosen an alternative provider.

• Businesses with a low “load factor,” which means they have high electricity usage for short periods of time and low usage the rest of the time. This describes many small manufacturers.

Together, those two categories include thousands of businesses.

The rate changes vary from customer to customer because of different usage patterns and the complexity of the rate structure.

• The rate increases are the result of a process that lasted most of last year. The PUCO staff oversaw private talks that included AEP, the PUCO staff and several dozen other companies or groups. The framework of the current plan came from those talks and was modified and approved by the PUCO’s governing board.

Several groups participated and signed on to the plan, including the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association. None of those groups exclusively represents small businesses.

“I guess if you’re big enough and have people who can lobby for you, you can get your rates down,” said Fran Vendetta, owner of Appian Manufacturing on the South Side.

Robert Fortney, the PUCO staff member who helped oversee the case, wrote several emails last summer in which he called the rates unfair to small businesses. He warned that the state faced a public-relations nightmare once businesses saw their bills. The messages were obtained through a public-records request.

• He speculated that his agency would have to find a way to fix the problem.

• Now, a few weeks after those bills began to arrive, the PUCO is considering appeals from several groups.

“Although I can’t speculate as to whether the small-business issue will be revisited, applications for rehearing on a variety of AEP rate issues are currently pending before the commission and will be addressed in the near future,” Butler said.

dgearino@dispatch.com

You will notice that those who speak most of prosperity, have it. Those who speak most of health, have it.        Those who speak most of sickness, have it. Those who speak most of poverty, have it. It is Law. It can be  no other way… The way you feel is your point of attraction, and so, the Law of Attraction is most understood when you see yourself as a magnet getting more and more of the way you feel. When you feel lonely, you attract more loneliness. When you feel poor, you attract more poverty. When you feel sick, you attract more sickness. When you feel unhappy, you attract more unhappiness. When you feel healthy and vital and  alive and prosperous—you attract more of all of those things.

— Abraham

Excerpted from “The Law of Attraction, The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham” # 334

Our Love,
Jerry and Esther

Woods shoots 66 for share of lead

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tiger Woods put himself in position yesterday to win his second straight tournament.

He shot a 6-under-par 66 for a share of the lead with Robert Rock going into the final round of the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship in the United Arab Emirates.

More than being atop the leader-board, it’s how Woods got there.

“It’s fun when I’m able to control the golf ball like I did,” Woods said.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods finish their 3rd straight day of playing together in the United Arab Emirates.

He had six birdies in a bogey-free round that was    memorable mostly for his ability to hit fairways, tame the par 5s and make clutch putts — including a six-footer for birdie on the final hole.

“It just seemed like I didn’t do a lot of things right but I didn’t do a lot of things wrong today, it was just very consistent,” Woods said. “You know, made a couple putts here and there. … I stayed away from trouble and tried to keep the ball toward the fat side of some of these pins, and I think I did a pretty good job.”

Woods finished the round at 11-under 205.

“There’s a ton of guys with a chance to win,” Woods said. “I can’t go out there and shoot even par and expect to win. I’ve got to go out there and go get it.”

Rock, ranked 117th in the world, birdied his final two holes to join Woods in the last group, along with Peter Hanson, who had a 64 and was two shots behind.

Rock admitted he was star-struck at the prospect of teeing off alongside Woods, calling him “the best guy I’ve ever seen play golf.”

Also two back at 9-under 207 was Rory McIlroy, who played with Woods for the third straight day and had a 68.

“I definitely felt today was a lot better than yesterday,” McIlroy said. “So, hopefully, I can just keep that going tomorrow and maybe get off to a fast start and put pressure on the guys in front of me.”

Francesco Molinari (66) and Paul Lawrie (68) also were tied for third. George Coetzee (65), James Kingston (67), overnight leader Thorbjorn Olesen (71) and Jean-Baptiste Gonnet (69) were another shot back.

Top-ranked Luke Donald (73) is 11 shots behind Woods, with second-ranked Lee Westwood (68) seven off the lead.

PGA Tour

Kyle Stanley overpowered Torrey Pines and opened a five-shot lead in the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.

Stanley missed a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that would have broken the 54-hole tournament record set by Woods in 1998.

Stanley still managed a 4-under 68, a spot alongside Woods in the record book at 18-under 198 and great position for his first victory.

Stanley built a three-shot lead with a birdie on the second hole and was never really challenged.

“This is something you dream about as a kid,” Stanley said. “But there’s still one more round.”

John Huh, a 21-year-old rookie who spent three years on the Korean Tour, and John Rollins each had 68 and were at 13-under 203.

FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas (70) and Sang-Moon Bae (72) were another shot behind. Bae was 5-over through five holes until he ran off four straight birdies to start the back nine to get back on the leader-board.

Meyer knows how to fight to win recruits

During the uncivil war of college football recruiting, it is instructive to study how the chief overseer of that other War Between the States handled the doom and gloom of the day.

Looking for a general who would advance and not sit still, Abraham Lincoln considered the qualities of Ulysses S Grant and remarked,  “I cannot spare this man.  He fights.”

ROB OLLER

Urban Meyer fights, too,  so much that Ohio State football recruiting – - once in danger of falling on i’s face – - is landing on its feet in most spectacular fashion.  The Buckeyes’ 2012 recruiting class has jumped from mediocre two months ago into the top three, behind Alabama and Texas, in rankings by several national recruiting sites.

Tom Luginbill, who analyzes recruiting for ESPN (which ranks the Buckeyes’ class No. 8), said that Ohio State pulled a perfect flanking maneuver by hiring Meyer, who rates among the nation’s top recruiters.    “As it turns out, they must be going, ‘Whew,’ ” Luginbill said of OSU’s impressive buoyancy, despite NCAA sanctions that include a bowl ban for next season and the loss of nine scholarships over three seasons. “Fans don’t want to hear this, but at the end of the day, it is a college coach’s job to win games, and you need talent to win. Urban knows you need great players.”

Recruiting can be compared with a child’s formative years, when foundations are cemented. Begin on the wrong foot, in life or recruiting, and it affects future success.

The Buckeyes’ recruiting went into limbo the moment Jim Tressel resigned under pressure on May 30. Luke Fickell did a decent job of holding things together as coach for one season, but the real test would come when recruiting season rolled around in early December, with the results showing up Wednesday on national signing day.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith could not afford to hire a George McClellan, the Civil War Union general who was capable enough at organizing and inspiring his troops but who too often sat on his hands when the Army of the Potomac required aggressive action.

Recruiting is not complicated science.  It mostly is measuring a need and relentlessly sending all available resources into that area. Meyer fits that form, but there is more to the game of offering scholarships than fixing bayonets and rushing into the fray.

“Urban not only knows how to evaluate talent, but he knows the other little things that fans are not privy to,” said Luginbill, who crossed paths with Meyer while Meyer worked as an ESPN analyst between leaving Florida in 2010 and joining Ohio State on Nov. 28. “There is tremendous stock in the type of program a prospect comes from.”

Meyer also excels when addressing the strategic component of recruiting, which is knowing how to build a team through the college game’s version of the draft.    “He places a premium on building a team from the inside out — quarterback, offensive line, defensive line and go from there,” Luginbill said. “He understands that if you’re not premier up front, it doesn’t matter how good your skill people are.”

Meyer’s moves appear to support Luginbill’s observations. He concentrated his initial recruiting efforts on securing defensive linemen, snaring Se’Von Pittman, Noah Spence and Tommy Schutt. Meyer also received commitments from highly rated offensive linemen Joey O’Connor and Taylor Decker. He already has the quarter- back in Braxton Miller. Of those recent recruits, all but Spence had committed to other schools before changing their minds when Meyer charged in. A sometimes messy business, this recruiting. But the Buckeyes, who not long ago faced a threatening signing-day smackdown, are back in business thanks to the man in the saddle. When it comes to recruiting, Meyer will not spare you. He fights.

Rob Oller is a sports reporter for The Dispatch. roller@dispatch.com

(After all that has happened to Ohio State Football this past year, I have been prepared to give up on football.  How could any team be expected to carry on after that horrible fiasco?  Our wonderful Quarterback, Terell Pryor and the other guys followed by the ultimate loss of our coach, one of the finest men to ever coach a football team, Jim Tressel.   I couldn’t handle it – gave up football.  No more.  

With the events of this year and further restrictions, who needs it?    But, I really like Urban Meyer, have watched his career since he went to Florida.  Good man.   Braxton is not Tyrell, but he is damned good and I really like him too.       

This may be shaping up to be a good year after all, even tho, we shall not be allowed to “win” anything.  Jan)