With last night's health care reform bill passed by Congress and likely to be signed by the President in the next few days, you'll be hearing lots more reaction to it. Expect to hear about what deals were cut and with whom, and the inevitable question to be asked by the television media on their local broadcasts: "So...what will healthcare reform mean for you?"

One interesting question remaining is whether the rhetoric, which has been ratcheted up to 11 over the last year, can (or will) be dialed back. David Frum made an interesting point that the bombast from the likes of Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck may be great for their own ratings, but it makes it more difficult for Republican legislators to negotiate a more appealing bill for their constituents.

Everybody who follows March Madness is crying this morning over their busted brackets in the tournament. Northern Iowa and St. Mary's have become the slayers of giants in the tourney, taking down Kansas and Villanova. Even for those people without brackets to root for, it's exciting to see an underdog slay Goliath. We never get sick of it. But make no mistake: this is why we won't see a playoff anytime soon in college football. This is their nightmare scenario: a major program with huge money invested wetting the bed on national television -- to a school that the average person hadn't heard of before the tournament.

There is no major football program in the nation that feels comfortable with that risk.

Which is a shame, because while there's a much greater element of risk, it makes the entire tournament that much more compelling. This is why college basketball is more exciting; it's dynamic. Anything can happen here, which is why even non-basketball fans get excited about the tournament, while bowl games aren't particularly compelling outside of their existing fanbase. There's real drama, crushing anguish and jumping-out-of-your-seat victory. And that unpredictability is what makes it so incredible.

Oh, and before I forget: Duke sucks.

Headlines Of The Week for Sun 2010-03-14 to Sat 2010-03-20:

  Comcast founder celebrates 90th birthday. Party to begin Thursday between 9 am and 5 pm; cake is free for first three months    

  Public to get peek at airport body scanners, and vice versa    

  Apple iPad orders drop sharply over the weekend, should pick up about 28 days from now    

  Dentist is accused of using paper clips instead of stainless steel posts inside the teeth of root canal patients. He's expected to be charged with wire fraud    

  Father of the year candidate gets so drunk and stoned that he leaves his baby in the oven overnight. Authorities report that the child is safe, moist, and tender    

  Dad leaps from a second story window and shoots his daughter's boyfriend in the groin when he sees him beating her up, guaranteeing whoever dates her in the future will always get her home before curfew    

  Police suspect flees biting dog    

  Man ends his electrician career to become a conductor    

  "Moms' self esteem hurt by helpful dads" says Institute For Mens' Lazy-Ass Excuses    

  Man sentenced to death for sorcery, apparently having failed his saving throw    

  Southern Iceland evacuated following eruption of random ASCII characters at Eyjafjallajökull    


Sports:

  Tiger Woods to return to golf at Mistress ... I mean Masters, Masters    

  Cubs want OK for illuminated Toyota sign at Wrigley Field. If approved, there'll be no stopping the Cubs this year    

  12-year old diabetic NASCAR fan needs the Power Of FARK to win Toyota's racecar design contest. Because Kyle Busch is driving, and diabetics are used to pricks    


Geek:

  Mind-reading technology may be just around the corner. In other news, RIAA to start suing people for songs stuck in their heads    

  Not satisfied with ID cards, pictures, fingerprints, retinal scans, body imagers and RF chips, the government is considering shoving something up your nose to verify your identity. All right, now they're just f*cking with us    

  Newly discovered planet CoRoT may or may not have water and has temperature swings from -23°C to 157°C. Back home we just call that Denver    


Showbiz:

  Peter Graves' life is over, over    

  MTV bans Lady Gaga/Beyonce video, along with every other video for the past fifteen years    

  Actual headline: "Leo helps Kate through split." Well, you see, when an actor and an actress love each other very, very much, he takes his passenger steamship and rams it into her iceberg    


Politics:

  Emergence of the "Tea Party" dismays evangelical leaders who say whipping gullible, none-too-bright fanatics into a frenzy over non-existent problems is THEIR job    

  Larry Flynt to write history of presidents' sex lives. Suggested titles include "From Johnson to Bush" and "There's A Reason They Called Millard 'Fillmore'"    

  Rep. Steve King (R-etarded) compares the current Tea Party movement with the Velvet Revolution. He should probably Czech his history    


Music:

  Ronnie James Dio winning cancer battle after meeting it face to face and slicing it clean in two with his broadsword    

  Lady Gaga has her very own protege. So, this is like a Sith thing, then    

  Emma Bunton, humanity at large, not ready for a Spice Girls reunion    


Business:

  Our "assembly-line" work mentality is harmful to our well-being. Our "assembly-line" work mentality is harmful to our well-being. Our "assembly-line" work mentality is harmful to our well-being    

  Hearst to flood iTunes with news aggregator apps that charge people to see other publishers' articles. I guess there's a sucker born every--hey, wait    

  Germany's call for austerity measures in Greece and Ireland is causing a furor in Europe, a furor that is sweeping across the continent like lightning    
· · ·