Zotime

Detroit Pistons Will Win the NBA Title

2011-12-26T21:01:00.005-05:00

Well, not this year, but I'm sure they will get there if they do the right things this year and continue to draft well and make a few key free agent acquisitions. I didn't miss the NBA lookout at all. It is tuff to relate with millionaires complaining about multi millionaires. So I didn't jump through the roof when they decided to come back and play.

The best thing that the NBA did was start the season on Christmas day and showcase the better teams in the league. Unfortunately, the other 20 teams in the league now need to play and this is where the Pistons will fall this year.

The game between the Pistons and Pacers is unwatchable as the Pistons are being clowned by an average team. It is amazing that the Pistons front office decided to keep so many of the players that stunk the place up last year and didn't deserve another chance. The Pistons were 30 - 52 last year. I would have been much more happy with them going with a heavy dose of the young guys and let them play.

They Pistons lack size and athleticism on their front court. The still have three of the four guards that were on the team last year and several of the players are playing out of positions.

The player that I most disappointed with last year was Tayshaun Prince. The guy made over $11 million dollars last year and was poised to take over the team and be the leader... he didn't. This year he looks a step slower and still doesn't look like he hustles on the floor.

The coaching looks improved in that they don't seem to be yelling at each other or the refs. It drove me nuts last year as it seemed that every time they had a foul, they would raise the hands palms up towards the roof saying that they didn't foul. At least they aren't doing that anymore. The ball movement is average and they don't rebound the ball well. I hope that Joe Dumars is just showcasing some of the veterans so that they can be traded later in the year for draft picks... then again, he did resign Stuckey, Prince and Wallace this year... and two of the three are just stealing money this year.

Christmas in the D

2011-12-25T18:40:00.004-05:00

The older I get the harder my parents are to shop for. When did this change occur? I used to get my dad a crazy tie and make something in shop class for my mom and now that I am an adult and can afford anything they would ever need, I can’t seem to find anything they want.

So it is no surprise but they enjoy going to the casino and spending their entertainment budget gambling. I have no problem with this as they set a limit that they are going to spend and they never have a problem with their method.

So I figured that I would buy them some chips so they could go gamble on my dime. I figured, this makes me happy and also makes them happy… the classic win/win situation.

I typically start my shopping on Christmas Eve (don’t ask me why, I just always do this) and this year was no different. I headed to the casino on Christmas Eve to find out that my idea of buying the chips on my credit card became an epic fail as the casino does not take American Express cards. So today on Christmas Day I headed back to the casino with green backs and bought chips with them.

The thing that I found shocking was the amount of people at the casino on Christmas day. I was not expecting to see the amount of people that were spending time there instead of their families. I wonder if they were real hard core gamblers or if they had nothing better to do.

Update... I taped the Casino chips to the bottom of a Santa Clause and gave the gift to the parents. Both the parental units liked the chips and they didn't give me any grief for getting them the chips... I may have struck gold with this gift as I can give this gift year after year. Tomorrow I will need to head out to see if I can find a Santa for next year while they are still cheap and readily available.

Things Wrong With Christmas During The Information Age

2011-12-25T18:08:00.003-05:00

It is 2011 Christmas day and the kids are just opening gifts. The air is filled with excitement as the kids open their gifts.

A few minutes later the kids are depressed and are complaining to their parents. What happened???

It is the information age and the way we communicate with each other has changed with the times. When I was a kid we would open our gifts and when we went back to school we would all be wearing our new clothes that we got and a few of us where in awe of some of the other kids that got the cool gift.

Move forward 40 years and things have changed. This morning’s joy of finding out that they are going to a cool concert this summer is broken a few minutes later when one of them found out that their friends are also going to the concert but are sitting closer to the stage.

This would have never happened “back in the day”, but the speed in how information travels makes the mood shifts much more severe in this new age.

Have a Merry Christmas.

Time to Stop Driving

2011-08-31T13:17:00.005-04:00

How you know when it is time to "hang up the car keys"?
I say it's when your dog has this look on his face!

Why Dogs are a Man’s Best Friend

2011-08-25T21:03:00.003-04:00

You may have heard about the crash of the helicopter that killed 30 military men including several Navy SEALS. The story is not about that incident but what happened to Petty Officer Jon T. Tumilson when he was laid to rest last Friday in Rockford, Iowa. An estimated 1,500 mourners came to pay respects for the fallen Navy SEAL, including his dog Hawkeye. In fact, Hakeye's loyalty to his owner at the funeral was visible, creating a heart-wrenching image as he lay down by the casket of his owner during the entire service:

Tumilson's cousin Lisa Pembleton wrote that 'Hawkeye is/was his loyal 'son'. To say that he was an amazing man doesn't do him justice. The loss of Jon to his family, military family and friends is immeasurable."

Donations may be made to the Frogman238 Memorial Fund, First Security Bank and Trust, 201 West Main Ave., Rockford, Iowa 50468, (641)756-3361, to honor Tumilson's memory.

JOTD - Half Off

2011-08-11T08:35:00.002-04:00

A husband and wife are shopping in their local Wal-Mart.

The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart.

What do you think you're doing? asks the wife.

They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans he replies.

Put them back, we can't afford them demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.

A few aisles further on along the wife picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.

What do you think you're doing? asks the husband.

It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful, replies the wife.

Her husband retorts: So does 24 cans of Budweiser and it's half the price.

JOTD - Bertha and Betty

2011-06-23T13:12:00.002-04:00

Two 90-year-old women, Bertha and Betty, had been friends all of their lives. When it was clear that Bertha was dying, Betty visited her every day.

One day Betty said, "Bertha, we both loved playing softball all our lives, and we played all through high school. Please do me one favor: when you get to heaven, somehow you must let me know if there's women's softball there."

Bertha looked up at Betty from her deathbed and said, "Betty, you've been my best friend for many years. If it's at all possible, I'll do this favor for you."

Shortly after that, Bertha died. A few nights later, Betty was awakened from a sound sleep by a blinding flash of white light and a voice calling out to her, "Betty, Betty.""Who is it," asked Betty, sitting up suddenly. "Who is it?"

"Betty -- it's me, Bertha."

"You're not Bertha. Bertha just died."

"I'm telling you, it's me, Bertha," insisted the voice.

"Bertha! Where are you?"

"In heaven," replied Bertha. "I have some really good news and a little bad news."

"Tell me the good news first," said Betty.

"The good news," Bertha said with joy and enthusiasm, "is that there's women's softball in heaven. Better yet, all of our old buddies who died before me are here,too. Even better than that, we're all young again. Better still, it's always Springtime and it never rains or snows. And best of all, we can play softball all we want, and we never get tired."

"That's fantastic," said Betty. "It's beyond my wildest dreams! So what's the bad news?"

"You're pitching Tuesday."

Playstation Network is Down

2011-04-25T19:59:00.002-04:00

It's now day five of PSN being down and it's getting annoying. Sony stated that our credit cards numbers are not compromised, but the amount of online game play has gone to zero.

PSN was one of the featured that lured me to PS3 instead of the XBox. The best thing about PSN is that it is free which is a major advantage to Xbox which has a monthly service fee.

I know what you're saying "why complain since it's free"...

Sure PSN is free, but there are things on PSN that cost money. Netflix is a cool feature that I got as a add on to my PS3. With PSN, my on demand Netflix does not work, so this is costing me money... I know it's chump change in the grand scheme of things, but it is still my time and money.

Useless Knowledge

2010-12-10T14:26:00.002-05:00

Due to jobs, kids, TV, the Internet, hobbies, and home and family responsibilities, the average married couple spends just four awake minutes a day alone together.

I find that hard to believe, but you know that someone got a grant to do a study on this. I can almost agree with the study if it only looked at married couples with kids at home. After they are gone, you would think that the couple would spend a vacation together... that would increase the time together.

Cables

2010-11-30T08:18:00.000-05:00

Cables are like paperwork... A job's just not finished until the last cable hookup. In the end, it does not matter how good of a HDTV, surround sound home theater or gaming system you have. The quality is only going to be as good as the cables that move the music and picture between the components.
I did a simple experiment with my LCD. I first hooked up the PS3 system and home theater system to the LCD using only component cables and s-cables and then follow it up with HDMI cables. The picture and sound quality were drastic. Not only does the system perform better but it is also a cleaner look. You know what I mean… in the back of the cabinet and behind the TV if you have all kinds of wires, it’s eventually going to look like spaghetti. Using the HDMI cables, you only have three cables. One cable goes from the TV to the PS3 and one more from the TV to the home theater system. One more thing about HDMI cables… if you go to your local big box electronic store, you’re going to get sticker shock. These things are not cheap. When I first got my system, Norm bought one me HDMI cable and paid over $70 for ONE cable. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t taken from the sales rep; it’s just what they cost. Actually, it almost was a deal breaker for me. Just after that, I saw the exact PS3 game system at Blockbuster, they threw in a remote and a HDMI cable, and the bottom line was that it cost less. I found a great place to get HDMI cables. It’s an online store called http://mycablemart.com/. They have just about every kind of cable and they test each one to ensure that it meets minimum standards. The thing that I wanted to point out is that the exact same cable is 1/10 of the cost of the big box store. The ordering process is straightforward and the cables arrive when they said they would. Communication is via email and the experience was painless. They are a great company to work with. One last thing… if you want to use them, they gave me a 10% off coupon that I can share with my friends. Just type RTNCUST10PER at checkout. One thing that you want to note is that the quality of the cable is not diminished and if I was, you don’t go out and buy a “Monster” cable or any of the other name brands. You will not be able to see the difference as long as the length of the cable is less then twenty-five feet. Check out what c/net had to say on this same point… http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10166_7-6677266-1.html. Other great sites that review cables are http://www.hdmi.org/learningcenter/faq.aspx and http://www.mycablemart.com/help/hdmi_versions.php; these last two sites are more for the tech savvy.

Norm a Vampire?

2010-08-29T17:30:00.002-04:00

Talk about weird, but this past week Norm got bit in the neck by a bat....

It all happened when Norm to Pepper out for a walk... it was late and as they were walking through a semi wooded area when Norm got hit in the neck with something. When they got home, Norm told me what had happened. A few hours later Norm looked at wound and there it was... two little marks.

Norm went to the hospital and they couldn't tell for sure, so rabbi shots it was for Norm.

BTW, I think bats are great... they eat an enormous amount of mosquitoes about 4000 - 8000 each night.

Stoning

2010-07-06T22:05:00.002-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/07/06/iran.stoning/index.html

The practice of stoning is back in the news again... and no it has nothing to do with smoking pot. Stoning refers to a form of capital punishment where a group of people throw stones at an individual until the person dies. It states that the stones should not be big enough so that the death occurs quickly and not small enough that it can drag out. Apparently this practice is still being used in some modern day Islamic states. Iran is the latest country to feel the weight of the world on its shoulders as they try to carry out another sentence.

I’m not in the habit of stepping into another countries right to carry out justice, but I do have a few problems with this one. Apparently, the woman who does not speak Farsi had confessed to the crime of adultery. In Iran the crime carries the punishment of death by stoning if she is married or 100 lashes if she is out of wedlock.

The judge ruled that she was guilty, and rendered the sentence of 99 lashes which was carried out. The sentence was carried out in front of her son as he was not willing to wait outside a room as his mother would be lashed.

So here is where the problems start to mount. The sentence WAS carried out and the woman should have been freed, But then a judges' panel in Tabriz suspected the woman of being involved in her husband's murder and re-opened her case.

She was later cleared of the murder charges, but the judges panel re-examined her adultery sentence, and based on unspecified "judges' knowledge," decided she should be put to death for the alleged affair.

Again, I am not familiar with Sharia law, but I would think that if you paid your debt to society then you should be freed. So the question should be these....

What “Judges’ knowledge” was there to re-sentence the woman a second time?

What happened to an eye for eye.... isn’t the first sentence of 99 lashes severe enough?

If takes two to tango, did the man in this rendezvous also get stoned?

As her son states... "Today we stretch out our hands to the people of the whole world... It is now five years that we have lived in fear and in horror, deprived of motherly love. Is the world so cruel that it can watch this catastrophe and do nothing about it?

Good question.

Wives Club

2010-05-10T10:23:00.000-04:00

What are the odds of sitting in a room of 200 random people and knowing anyone there let alone three people? Apparently the Wives of Oakland County is filming at the court today and the gabfest has started… What I thought was going to be a peaceful chance to rest and relax and do some catching up on work and the blog has turned into did you hear what so and so did and who they did.

I hope I get picked soon…

Second group

2010-05-10T10:09:00.002-04:00

Ten o’clock and the second batch of jurors get’s assembled. It is kind of interesting… they draw from a group of some 100 – 150 jurors about 30 at a time. I got the pleasant ability to miss out again. The room is much less crowed and I can hear the TV without any problem. Too bad that Regis and Kelly Ripa’s show is on. I guess ESPN is not available.

On another note, I am amazed that the cross-section of jurors from my county is 99% white.

One more note… ABC just announced that Elena Kagan as the new Supreme Court Justice. One thing that stuck into my mind is that she was not a Judge before, so I’m not sure how good that is. She is also young (50 years old) but that is not a problem to me. She is also the first female solicitor general which is the person appointed to represent the Government of the United States before the Supreme Court of the United States.

Judge and Jury

2010-05-10T09:39:00.003-04:00

Interesting enough it took this to get me to blog again. At least it is a few moments of empty time that allows it.

I got a chance to participate in my rights as a US citizen today.

I’ve had the privilege to go see our court system first hand as a juror.

I arrived our county court just in time... well Zotime... but I did remember that I had forgotten the summons letter. I assumed that it was going to be all right and called home to get my juror number and participant code.

I walked into the court house and was guided through a line that ended with a sheriff and a metal detector. He asked me to place backpack onto the x-ray machine to ensure that I was not bringing anything not allowed into the court. Apparently a laptop is ok.

I went up a flight of stairs and I checked in. I told the pleasant counter person that I had forgot my summons she said no big deal and asked for my name I told her I had the participant’s code and she asked me what that was. After a few moments I got a copy of the barcode that is required to guide me from location to location. She asked me to sit down in the waiting room and let me know that we would begin in a few moments.

Right on cue, someone that could best be described as a stewardess came on the speaker and told us about the legal system and was shortly followed by one of the judges and a short video. The judge had an interesting statement that she said. She said that because of us being here, there were layers busy working outside to ensure that we would not be needed. Implying that there was wheeling and dealing going on to ensure that a jury trial was not going to occur.

At 930 the first group was taken out for their turn. So here I am waiting my turn… I just hope it isn’t too long.

Hot or Not Hot

2010-04-04T22:23:00.003-04:00

Venessa Hudgens

Backache Redu

2010-02-20T18:08:00.002-05:00

I know that this is not current but, I wanted to put a date stamp for my back ache. December 12 was the sports injury... I like to call it a sports injury because saying that I got hurt shutting off the hot water in the tub would be silly.

Anyhow, back ache lasted for 2 weeks of pain and an additional 3 weeks of mild pain.

Stud or Dud

2010-02-05T07:00:00.000-05:00

Jon Bon Jovi

S. P. I. T. N.

2010-02-04T21:43:00.002-05:00

Six more weeks of stupidity for PETA as they seemed to have seen their shadows yesterday. I can't believe it, but they have made the list again...

Yesterday was Groundhog day and PETA asked that the traditional Groundhog be replaced with an animatronic so that the Punxsutawney Phil would not be traumatized.

PETA released a message that asked the organizers of Pennsylvania's Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robot. PETA says it's unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds as the groundhog is an animal that avoids crowds.

William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, says the animal is "being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania." The groundhog is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture. He went on to say that PETA isn't interested in Phil from Feb. 2 on, and is looking for publicity.

Spot on Bill...

Hot or Not Hot

2010-01-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

Rene Russo

Music Monday - Sponge Bob

2010-01-11T21:13:00.003-05:00

Ok... I'm back it... and to put you guys back in the mood....

Norm Gets A New Laptop

2010-01-07T19:35:00.003-05:00

Norm has been in need of a new computer and this year it finally happened. I was looking for a laptop for several months and was set on a Dell 15" Dual Core Pentium with 4 gigs of ram.

Just before Christmas Best Buy was running a sale on it and I was set to buy it.

When I showed up to buy it, the store clerk said that they had run out but if I wanted to pay an additional $50 I could get the same laptop with one of their new colors that they had.

I thought about it for a whole 4 seconds before deciding that color was not going to be big on my laptop decision tree matrix.

I decided to skip the Dell and asked if the had anything else in my price range. They had a Toshiba that had 3 gigs or ram and a 320 gig hard drive. Not as good as the Dell, but I figured what the heck. I wasn't crazy about the Toshiba as it is foreign and I didn't know much about the brand. I was really set for the Dell....
4
I bought it, wrapped it, and set it under the tree ready for the big unveil on Christmas.

During the next few days, I got ticked at the bait and switch that Best Buy did and even more upset that I had settled on the Toshiba instead of the Dell.

I got online and surfed looking for a laptop that was comparable from Dell. I looked at a site that I review once in a while and found a HP that was unreal and for only $20 more, I got a 17" laptop with a Blue Ray player DVD burner, and it also had the 4 gigs of ram and a huge 500 gig hard drive.

On Christmas, I told Norm not to get hooked on the Toshiba as I was going to return it and had already ordered the laptop.

We finally got the laptop and I'm finally able to blog again, as my home computer died over the break as well.

I'm happy to report that Norm likes the new PC.

Terror Over Detroit

2009-12-26T11:25:00.003-05:00

Detroit made international news yesterday as a man tried to blow up a inbound plane into Metro Airport.

The Nigerian born student was severely burned as he tried to ignite the powdery device that was attached to his leg. Several passengers and crew subdued the man as he tried to ignite the device.

The news is not that this happened, but more so how did it happen. He was a engineering student in London and had connections with militant Al Queda connections. He had a one way ticket to Detroit and apparently was given the device while he was in Yemen.

I'm not sure who is doing some of the background checks outside of America, but my kids could have put these dots together to come up with a reason why this guy should not travel to the US on Christmas Day.

Best Buy

2009-12-23T16:31:00.000-05:00

I ended the first day of shopping with a stop at Best Buy and they didn't have my first choice of gifts but I did wind up picking up a side cool gift. I still have two stops to do in the morning prior to going to the children's orphanage to finish off this years buying.

Target's

2009-12-23T16:08:00.002-05:00

Horrible... they ran out of what I wanted and getting out of parking lot took 20 minutes.

Radio Shack

2009-12-23T14:37:00.002-05:00

Ran in to pick up a converter for headphones... my phone uses the smaller jack, and the iPod uses the bigger jack.

TJ Max

2009-12-23T13:52:00.002-05:00

You get the most out of the minimum at... well at least as far as the line. Yikes and I'm only getting a nut cracker for Norm.

Micro Center

2009-12-23T13:28:00.002-05:00

Time to drive across town for some tech shopping. Check out line was unbearable but the "toy" value was good.

CostCo

2009-12-23T13:26:00.002-05:00

In and out in under a half hour. I got a few stocking stuffers... success.

Christmas Shopping

2009-12-23T12:11:00.002-05:00

I always wait to the Christmas Eve to shop, but this year I have the whole week off so it's off for the FUN! I'm not the kind of guy who just goes out and shops... I do take a few hours in the morning while drinking the morning coffee and shop, then when I go out is mostly buying and not just shopping.

Value Added

2009-12-21T18:42:00.002-05:00

Value added is when one does something in a process that adds value to the process. I didn't do any value added work to the orphanage shopping today. It seems that my job was to make sure that we didn't blow the budget. Norm did eventually say that it was a family time for us to all do together. I guess she's right. In the end, we spent 4 hours together and we got the shopping done.

In the next few days, I'll make the delivery.

Rest Time

2009-12-07T19:16:00.000-05:00

I took a three week break from working out and it showed today when I went back. The heart rate was back to where it needs to be (between 140 and 175) and I burned off a ton of calories... well maybe not a ton but 2300 calories is good enough for me.

I always find it amazing after taking off a few weeks, how much stronger my heart feels without getting to stressed. It must be that giving it time off has rejuvenated it.

Oggs

2009-12-05T11:06:00.002-05:00

I'm at the High School today for athlete picture taking.

The cheerleaders just walked in and they all had on those ugly shoes.

Hot or Not Hot

2009-11-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Itchy Does Play Itchy was

2009-11-21T13:28:00.001-05:00

Itchy Does Play
Itchy was sick earlier this week and missed practice. Itchy was not supposd to play because of that.

Itchy and Scratchy Saturday Itcht

2009-11-21T11:31:00.001-05:00

Itchy and Scratchy Saturday
Itcht is playing (or not playing) basketball today and Scratchy is in robotics today...

Hot or Not Hot

2009-11-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Susan Sarandon

Hot or Not Hot

2009-11-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

Holly Hunter

State Finals So what's there

2009-11-07T18:16:00.001-05:00

State Finals
So what's there to do on a Saturday night in Detrit..... Go to the State Band Finals.

Hot or Not Hot

2009-11-03T07:00:00.001-05:00

Kyra Sedgwick

Stud or Dud

2009-10-30T07:00:00.003-04:00

Vin Diesel

Hot or Not Hot

2009-10-27T20:54:00.002-04:00

Tori Spelling

Top 10 - Biggest Sports Stadiums

2009-10-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

That's ok Michigan fans at least we still have the biggest sports stadium in the the US.

#1 - Rungnado May Day Stadium (150,000 capacity)
The monumental Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea was built in 1989 and seats a staggering 150,000 people. Resembling a blossom flower, it has 16 arches arranged in a ring. In 1995, an incredible 190,000 people crammed in for a professional wrestling event. It is not the only large stadium in Pyongyang - the Kim-Il Sung Stadium, with a capacity of 70,000, also resides there.

#2 - Salt Lake Stadium (120,000)
Salt Lake Stadium (officially known as Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Stadium of the Indian Youth) is located in Salt Lake City, a district of Kolkata in India. Built in 1984, the stadium boasts a capacity of 120,000 over a 3-tier construction and is mainly used for football and athletics events.

#3 - Estadio Azteca (114,465)
The Azteca Stadium, located in Mexico City, comes in third on our list of the biggest stadiums in the world with an official capacity of 114,465 people. Used mostly for football matches, it is the home of the Mexico national team and Mexican club team America. It is the only stadium ever to host two World Cup final matches, in 1970 and 1986.

#4 - Michigan Stadium (107,501)
Nicknamed "The Big House", this is the American Football stadium of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Built in 1927, it had an original capacity of 72,000 which has gradually increased over the years through various expansions, maintaining its position as the largest American Football stadium. A very popular stadium, it has incredibly not had a sub-100,000 attendance since 1975.

#5 - Beaver Stadium (107,282)
Smaller than Michigan Stadium by just 219 seats, Beaver Stadium is the home of the Penn State Nittany Lions and is located at the Pennsylvania State University. Assembled in its current location in 1960 with a capacity of just 46,284, Beaver Stadium went through numerous expansions until its most recent expansion in 2001 which brought it to its current capacity of 107,282.

#6 - Jornalista Mario Filho (103,045)
More commonly known as the "Estadio do Maracana", the Jornalista Mario Filho stadium is a soccer stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is difficult to pinpoint the stadium's exact capacity (it seats about 90,000 but also had an official attendance of 199,500 for the 1950 World Cup Final) but recent figures suggest they work to a safe capacity of 103,045. Owned by the State Government, it is mostly used by the biggest football clubs in Rio de Janeiro including Flamengo, Botafogo and Fluminense.

#7 - Ohio Stadium (102,329)
With numerous nicknames (The House Harley Built, The Horseshoe, or simply The 'Shoe), Ohio Stadium is the home of the Buckeyes American Football team at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. Originally built in 1922 (having undergone numerous renovations over the years since then) the stadium officially holds 102,329, regularly achieving attendances of over 100,000 at Buckeye games. It also often hosts music concerts, when the stadium can seat up to 110,000.

#8 - Neyland Stadium (102,037)
Another American football stadium, the Neyland Stadium serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team in Knoxville, Tennessee. While its current capacity stands at just over 102,000, the stadium did in fact hold 104,079 until a 2006 renovation when executive seating was installed. Over the years Neyland Stadium has been used to host large conventions and numerous NFL exhibition games.

#9 - National Stadium Bukit Jalil (100,200)
The Bukit Jalil National Stadium lies 20km south of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the National Sports Complex. Built for the 1998 Commonwealth Games, construction work began in 1992 and was completed 3 months ahead of schedule. The stadium is now the home of the Malaysian football team and hosts a variety of sporting and non-sporting events, most notably the AFC Asian Cup 2007.

#10 - Melbourne Cricket Ground (100,000)
There are numerous sports stadiums around the world that hold 100,000 (Bung Karno Stadium, Indonesia; Azadi Stadium, Iran; Jawaharlal Stadium, India) but we have decided to highlight Melbourne Cricket Ground, due to its great history. The oldest of the stadiums on our list, it was built in 1853 with the first game of cricket played on 30 September 1854. Until the 1970s, up to 130,000 people could be crammed into the stadium - however renovations and safety regulations have since restricted the capacity to its current 100,000.

Man Weekend Work

2009-10-24T15:26:00.003-04:00

On the list this fall is.

1. Fell dead trees
2. Rake up leaves
3. Vent crawl space
4. Add lights to garage

Eduardo Wins

2009-10-23T18:44:00.003-04:00

Eduardo wins first Game of hold 'em goes to the host.

What do Men Eat?

2009-10-23T13:34:00.002-04:00

What do men eat during Man Weekend?

Plan for the weekend is Mexican and Italian for the dinners and stew and hot dogs for the luncheons.

14 men = $200

Stud or Dud

2009-10-23T07:00:00.001-04:00

Matt Damon

Trip Up for Man Weekend

2009-10-23T02:06:00.002-04:00

Trip Up - Ate dinner at Tony's... Eduardo and I split a breakfast... still had plenty of food.

Man Weekend I'm going to

2009-10-22T18:54:00.002-04:00

I'm going to try something different this year... and will report live as events unfold.

Cool Site of the Month

2009-10-21T17:06:00.008-04:00

This month we like to extent the Zotime site of the month to my new home page Reference Desk. This site is outstanding. It could possibly be the best desktop out there. It has everything you need right at your fingertips.

Want to check out your stocks... there are several great links to top market analysis sites. Want to know what is going on in the world... not only are the headlines right on the right side, but the top news agencies are just a click away.

Need a break from it all, then look no further then a number of cool fun game links as well. Do you need to look something up, search engines to the left, great reference material near the bottom. Need to find out the latest on a game, the weather or your favorite movie or TV show... It's all here.

This is the best reference desktop I've ever seen, and you will like it also. Give it a look and let me know what you think.

Hot or Not Hot

2009-10-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

Lady Gaga

$1.42 Trillion Deficit

2009-10-19T07:00:00.002-04:00

Yikes! That's a big number. The deficit for fiscal year 2009, which ended Sept. 30, came in three times the record from the previous year.

The worst part is that the future deficits is currently projected to total $9.1 trillion for the coming decade.

How much is that? Let's assume 305 million that would equate to a just under $5000 for every man, woman and child in America, and another $30k over the next ten years. And since kids don't pay takes yet, a family of four will need to pay $20k this year to pay the debt.

Of course Washington will not ask the people of America to pay for this and that is why we are using the debt measure. So who is paying the debt, look at China and other nations.

So why are people upset about health care reform... let me think? Could it be the addition of another trillion in debt?

Boycotts - Why They Don't Work

2009-10-18T10:26:00.003-04:00

Why are demographics important?

The reason is pretty easy to understand when you look at the numbers close. Let's take the so called important 25 – 54 demographics and look at this block carefully.

This demographic is generally the working class of America in that between those ages, most Americans are working. In addition, this block spends the most. If you’re younger then that, then you don’t have the money to spend and if you’re older then that, you may not want to spend as you are looking forward to retirement.

Companies look careful at these TV demographic blocks when they buy advertising time on television. That is why you will continue to see beer commercials on ESPN and beauty products on WE Network.

Therefore, if you’re a business that is trying to target the money earners and spenders, then you want to target this demographic as long as you're in the business of making money. So, I always find it strange when someone suggests that we should boycott a TV or radio sponsor (companies that pay for television advertisement) because they do not like what the program is.

Now for a universal truth… let’s face it folks, companies are in the business of making money. That’s the only way they survive. They will not stop giving advertisement dollars and sponsoring a TV program until it does not make cense (pun intended) to do so.

The only way to stop a TV show from being on is to stop watching it. This serves two points… The first is that you will not watch it and it will not bother you. Second, soon thereafter, the ratings will come in and the big companies’ executives will sit in a big room and decide if it makes sense for them to continue to pay for advertisement space on that program, since most of their demographic is not watching that show.

If you type into the Google search field “boycott company” you will get something in the neighborhood of 3,760,000 hits. Then just look at the demand to boycott this company or that company because someone does not like what someone has done or said, is mind-boggling.

The latest recipient of the boycott the companies because they spend ad money has been advertisers of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. The organization ColorOfChange.org stated that they have over 80 companies that have boycotted Glenn Beck. Google "boycott Rush Limbaugh" and you will see that this has been tried for almost 20 years. People on the right are even trying this with boycott Keith Olbermann websites.

As I said, the only way to get rid of someone is to stop watching and stop listening to them. If you haven’t seen this before, this site has the ratings for the aforementioned important 25 – 54 demographic and what cable news channel they are watching. While Talkers Magazine has listed that, The Rush Limbaugh Show has over 15 million listeners and is number one.

Let's face it folks, people like to watch and listen to these people and that is why companies will continue to throw advertising dollars at them. If you get someone to stop sponsoring a program, someone else will just step into their spot.

Stud or Dud

2009-10-16T07:00:00.001-04:00

Ben Affleck

Hot or Not Hot

2009-10-13T07:00:00.001-04:00

Debra Messing

Top 10 - Most Expensive Homes in the World

2009-10-11T11:02:00.005-04:00

Just when you think that the real estate market has bottomed out, the Top10Land.com site has listed the top ten most expensive homes in the world. This collection of "homes" is just the kind of place to sit back in your favorite chair and watch your servants and staff take care of you.

#1 - Updown Court ($139 million)
The unlived-in luxury mansion, located in Windlesham, England, comes in as the most expensive home in the world for a while now. And no wonder considering some of the features of the house, such as the 103 rooms, 5 swimming pools and heated marble driveway. With its own squash court, bowling alley and even a 50-seat screening room, you may never need to leave!

#2 - Starwood Estate ($135 million)
Built on a 95-acre ranch in Aspen, Colorado, this 56,000 sq ft mansion has 15 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms. It has been put on the market by Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S.

#3 - Maison de L'Amitie ($125 million)
Refurbished by Donald Trump over the last couple of years, the billionaire real estate developer is aiming to set a new US sales record. Bought at auction for just over $40 million, the refurbished version includes a ballroom, 100ft long swimming pool and 475 feet of ocean front.

#4 - Waterfront Estate ($100 million)
This 30,000 sq ft mansion located on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey joins our list as the 4th most expensive house in the world. Details include gilded moldings and crystal chandeliers.

#5 - Toprak Mansion ($92 million)
This 28,000 sq ft mansion in the centre of London, England is the epitomy of over-the-top design. The neoclassical palace includes twin grand staircases, four kitchensand an indoor leisure complex with swimming pool.

#6 - Three Ponds ($75 million)
Located in Bridgehampton, New York, this lavish property includes a USGA-rated golf course, 14 gardens and a 75ft long swimming pool. Named after the lakes on the estate, "Three Ponds" incorporates numerous buildings - the main house designed by architect Allan Greenberg.

#7 - The Portabello Estate ($75 million)
The California home on Corona del Mar has eight bedrooms and ten bathrooms in just under 30,000 sq ft of ultramodern space. It includes 3 separate ocean fronts which add to its extravegance.

#8 - Pierre Penthouse ($70 million)
Located at the top of one of New York's most luxurious hotels, the triplex penthouse apartment includes a grand salon with 20-foot-high French doors offering views over the city, a wine cellar, black marble staircase and marble baths.

#9 - Locksley Hall ($65 million)
Another property in California to make it onto the list of most expensive homes in the world, Locksley Hall in Belvedere offers breathtaking views of San Francisco, Angel Island, the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay. Other features of the luxury palace include herringbone floors and marble baths.

#10 - Oceanfront Estate ($65 million)
Offering panoramic ocean views and private access to the beach on one side, and riding stables, a tennis court and swimming pool on the other, this luxury beach house in Malibu, California finishes our list of the top ten most expensive homes in the world.

Yesterday on YouTube - Mythbusters

2009-10-10T07:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday on YouTube I watched a funny video of one of my favorite cable shows... Mythbusters.

This episode Adam demonstrate what would happen if you inhaled sulfer hexaflouride which is much denser then air and gives of an unusual effect. Give a look and let me know what you think.

Stud or Dud

2009-10-09T07:00:00.002-04:00

Brad Pitt

In Case You Missed It News

2009-10-07T07:00:00.003-04:00

Have you ever wanted to get away from it all… and I mean it ALL? Well, that is exactly what Ian Usher of Perth, Australia did.

Ian sold his entire life on eBay, and by entire I mean, his house, his car, his motorcycle, his jet ski, his toys, a try at his job as a salesman, even an introduction to his friends and all of his personal belongings. The only thing that he did not sell was his passport. Why would a man do this? If you didn’t notice... the only thing he didn't sell was his wife. That’s because she left him for another man a few years earlier.

How much seed money did he wind up with when he sold his life? Well the bidding started at $1 and in the first few days it went to $10,000. Near the end it had topped over the $2 million dollars, but when the dust cleared and an actual bidder was found, the amount that transferred to Ian was just under $400,000.

His friends think that he has hit the ultimate mid life crisis, but what do you do when you have all of this cash and nothing holding you down? If you’re Ian (who seems like kind of thrill seeker) you decide to use the money to complete 100 goals in 100 weeks.

That story would have been great if it just happened, but the actual event took place in the middle of June last year, so now he well underway in his goals and has accomplished over half of his initial goals. Read more of his story and follow his progress here as tries to finish his life’s Mulligan.

Top 10 Fitness Trends

2009-09-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

Ask Men had a good article on the fitness trends that are taking hold this year. Below is the top ten list that I agree with most of the trend and has affected my current fitness routine.

10. Mainstream Creatine Use
Creatine, an energy shuttle found naturally in meat, has been scientifically proven to help improve muscle size and strength in individuals of all ages, as well as many clinical populations. This is extremely important given that improvements in muscle mass boost metabolism, which results in increased fat burning while at rest. As meat quality decreases, most people aren’t getting sufficient creatine from their diets and can benefit from use of this inexpensive supplement. Contrary to popular belief, proper creatine use (and protein use for that matter) is not detrimental to kidney or liver health in individuals that don’t already have some sort of organ damage. Along with some other supplements on this list, a small jar of creatine will inhabit the cabinets of an increasing proportion of the population in 2009.

9. Slideboards
Slideboards are 6 to 8 foot sheets of a slippery material with two stops at each end of the sheet. Compared to bikes, elliptical machines and treadmills, slideboards are extremely cheap, as they can be built for about $50.00 and purchased for only a few hundred dollars. Slideboards are great for training the lateral musculature of the hip (which is drastically under-trained in almost all populations), high-intensity interval training, strengthening the lower body and core musculature, and promoting good posture. Slideboards can also be used for several unique, highly functional muscle-strengthening exercises, such as reverse lunges, diagonal lunges, hamstring curls, and miniband-resisted push-ups. As a more fun, more functional, more effective training tool than any other machine, slideboards will begin to enter the homes of people everywhere in 2009.

8. Planking and Glute Training
Front planks, side planks and glute bridges are the most effective form of core training. These exercises have been found to activate core musculature to a greater extent than more traditional exercises (like sit-ups and crunches), reduce the likelihood and reoccurrence of lower back pain, train the core’s true functions of generating spinal stability and trunk stiffness, as well as improve the posture and aesthetic appeal of the midsection. These results-oriented exercises will dominate the programs of both athletes and the mainstream public in 2009.

7. Foam Rolling
Have you ever felt like no matter how much you stretch, your muscles just aren't responding? Well, foam rolling could be your solution. For less than $25 (sometimes as low as $5), you can get a round 3-foot-long, 6-inch piece of stiff circular foam that will last for years. By rolling your legs and upper back along the foam roller, you can improve the length and quality of soft-tissue (muscle) by breaking up restrictions, knots and adhesions. This process, termed "self-myofascial release," can make your muscles more responsive to stretching and leave you feeling noticeably better after only a few minutes of work. It’s cheap, it doesn’t require much time and it delivers huge benefits, which means that foam rolling is something you are going to see a lot of in 2009.

6. Smart Carbohydrate Diets
Right to the point, high carb diets have teamed up with wide-spread inactivity to make type 2 diabetes (previously adult-onset diabetes) a huge threat to health and livelihood. The amount of carbohydrates needed by most people is directly proportional to the amount of medium-to-high intensity activity they perform. Since most people don’t perform much, if any, of this type of activity, most individuals should probably be consuming 30% to 40% of their calories from carbohydrates -- all of which should come from fruits and vegetables. All non-fruit and vegetables sources of carbs should be consumed within 60 minutes of training to help facilitate recovery. As rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity remain high, more people will turn to this “smart carbohydrate diet” to improve the way they look and feel.

5. Mainstream Fish Oil Use
Fish oils are a super supplement that everyone should be taking. With high doses of two important omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, fish oil supplements have a range of benefits: They decrease total cholesterol, increase HDL (good cholesterol), decrease body fat, decrease inflammation (and symptoms from inflammation-related disorders such as arthritis), and decrease the risk of many cancers. In short, with two of the top causes of death being cancer and heart disease, fish oil use will prevail as the go-to supplement to improve health and quality of life for people of all ages.

4. Mainstream Protein Powder Use
Once thought of as an unnecessary supplement only for “meat heads,” protein powder will make an entry into mainstream use. Why? High-quality protein is extremely lacking in most diets, which is important in either adding and maintaining muscle mass or losing fat -- high-protein diets continue to out perform high carb diets in terms of fat loss. Protein powders add to the quality of delicious meal replacement smoothies, which more people will rely on for a quick breakfast as work schedules become busier than ever.

3. The Fall of Crunches and Sit-Ups
The time has come for crunches and sit-ups to see their way out of everyone’s training programs. Crunches and sit-ups strengthen non-functional movements: movements that you never use in everyday life. They can also lead to a number of undesired postural changes contributing to lower back pain and breathing impairments. Contrary to popular belief, these exercises do not improve the visibility of a six-pack. As people become frustrated with back pain and a lack of results, more people will turn to core stability training in the form of planking and bridging.

2. Body Weight Circuits
Body weight circuits involve performing a series of four to 10 exercises for various parts of the body, one after another, then repeating through the circuit two to three times. For instance, someone might perform a circuit involving reverse lunges, chin-ups, front planks, squats, side planks on each side, push-ups, glute bridges, and mountain climbers, for either eight to 10 reps or 20 seconds each. Similar to interval training, body weight circuits will help people shed fat, while also improving muscle strength. With a tight economy, body weight circuits will be big in 2009 as people look to save money and time, yet still look to improve their health and well-being through training.

1. High Intensity Interval Bike Riding
High-intensity interval bike riding involves alternating all-out sprints with periods of rest or light pedaling. For instance, eight cycles through 20 seconds of sprinting and 40 seconds of rest would be an appropriate training program. This type of training has been scientifically proven to increase fat and weight loss, as well as increase aerobic capacity in a superior manner than steady-state aerobic training. This trend should be huge for our increasingly busy society -- it means better results in less time. As an added bonus, bike riding decreases the load to the joints compared to running, which means you won’t be as achy afterwards and will be less likely to suffer an injury.

Stud or Dud

2009-09-25T07:00:00.002-04:00

Bruce Willis

Top Ten Games in HD

2009-09-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

Ask Men has an article on the best games in high definition. Ever since the advent of Blu Ray the games have gotten better and better since they can utilize the full spectrum of graphics that 1080p can provide. I must admit that I have only played a few of these games so I’m taking Ask Men at their word. So if you’ve got the system why not try these games on….

10. Madden NFL 10

9. Call of Duty: World at War

8. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

7. F.E.A.R. 2

6. UFC 2009 Undisputed

5. Halo 3: ODST

4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

3. Crysis

2. Killzone 2

1. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Little Stress Killers

2009-09-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

MSN had an interesting article on men’s little stresses. It stated that men had a number of little stresses that if added up could be a serious health and wellbeing concern. MSN listed the top six reasons little stresses and gave some good general ways of diffusing the stress and some tips. Go give the complete article a read here.

1. Insecurity
Not surprisingly, paying bills, managing debt and sticking to a budget scored highest of all the stressors in our survey. But guess what? It's not about the money, says Thomas Miller, Ph.D., a University of Kentucky psychologist and the author of Handbook of Stressful Life Transitions Across the Lifespan. "Much financial stress actually has to do with uncertainty—about your money situation, yes, but that really means your job. Not knowing specifics about where you stand eats at you like acid."

2. Hair loss
More than half the men in our poll felt stressed about their images, and many specified hair loss as the mane, er, main culprit. They're not alone: A 2005 Mayo Clinic Proceedings review cites multiple studies showing that male pattern baldness negatively affects men's feelings of attractiveness and body image. "For those guys who are feeling judged by their hair loss, the stress is very real," Good says.

3. Exercise
How's this for a bitter irony: Exercise is a well-known stress buster, yet nearly a third of the men in our poll rated sticking to an exercise program a 7 or higher on a 10-point stress scale. First, you stress about missing a workout or not exercising at all. Second, as you attempt to carve out time to exercise, your stress skyrockets as you cram in all the other things you need to accomplish that day. "That struggle may affect how and what you're eating," Miller says, "and now your food intake becomes a stressor."

4. Co-managing the cash
Financial stress can be much worse for men when they're in a relationship, because a man's view of the situation is often different from a woman's. "Sometimes the views are diametrically opposed," says Jay Zagorsky, Ph.D., an Ohio State University economist. His research, published in the Journal of Socio-Economics, found that men tended to report much higher values for assets, such as a home or car, while women inflated debt totals. (Estimates of income and net worth varied, too.) This also shows that couples often don't know how much money they have, or won't talk about money honestly, Good says. "They refuse to address it because it's awkward or embarrassing or there's so much baggage that they don't want to bring it up," he says. Stress builds until the two of you collide over something like spending habits or large purchases. Then it explodes.

5. Your team
One in four men in our poll rated watching their team lose a 7 or higher on the stress scale. Research shows that the deeper our dedication to a team or a player, the more likely we are to transform emotional reactions into hostility—and that anger takes a toll on your health big time. You rip open the sofa pillow, your day turns sour and friends and family hide. Miller, who's also a sports psychologist, knows the feeling: He's a Cincinnati Reds fan.

6. Morons
One guy summed up the problem in two words: "stupid people." Simply living your life means dealing with inconsiderate people, crappy service and the general cloggers of society's arteries. Remember, Miller says, you can't influence them: "You see that these people aren't making the best decisions and think you can do better. As a result, you feel less in control, and that's a serious hidden stressor."

Stud or Dud

2009-09-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

Clive Owen

There ARE jobs out there

2009-09-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Pssst... if you haven't heard, the unemployment rate in Detroit has climbed over 30%. That's kind of amazing if you step back and look at the big picture. So Zotime is looking out for others and passing out some job leads. It's time to move to Bermuda. Not only is it a beautiful tropical island nation, but apparently they have plenty of jobs to go around. Why else would you see this...

Do you remember these guys?

Well now their doing this....

These are the same four Uighur detainees that were release from Gitmo in June and are now in Bermuda. They just took jobs working on a golf course. Somehow, 30% of Detroiters can't find jobs but these guys can.

Wendall Brown, chairman of the board of trustees for Bermuda's public golf courses said that "They have been offered a temporary position at Port Royal until the Grand Slam. There are still special projects that we need to do like cleaning up and beautifying the course ... All four of them have been given a job there. It's on a temporary basis. Two of them speak fairly good English."

You see, so apparently the only real requirement is that you speak English and no prior experience or high school degree is required.

Top Ten Turned On Countries

2009-09-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

According to a Durex sex survey, only 53% of Americans have sex once a week. 55% of British and 59% of Canadians admit the same which rank near the bottom of the survey. Check out the complete list of who's in bed the most at Durex.com and find out how is satisfied the most as well.

10. Mexico – 71%
9. Switzerland – 72%
8. Spain – 72%
7. Malaysia – 74%
6. Italy – 76%
5. Poland – 76%
4. China – 78%
3. Russia – 80%
2. Brazil – 82%
1. Greece – 87%

S. P. I. T. N.

2009-09-12T07:00:00.001-04:00

What the heck happened to K Fed. Apparently he is sick of people calling him the biggest looser so now he is eating his way to try to win the title instead....

Stud or Dud

2009-09-10T07:00:00.002-04:00

Mike Rowe

Stud or Dud

2009-09-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Carter Oosterhouse

New Phones

2009-08-30T22:49:00.003-04:00

Our family went off of the land line phone a few years back, but since then, we were waiting until our plan expired so we could all get on the same plan and get new cell phones for all of us.

We didn't have messaging so whenever someone would text us we would incur a cost. this changed with the new plan and we made sure to get unlimited texting. It's amazing to me to see just how many texts the kids get. I've read stories of how dad's are shocked about the texting that their kids did and they have to pay some outrageous bill. According to a Nielson studies, the average teen texts 1,742 messages per month. That would equate to about $350 if you didn't have texting.

So we all got unlimited texting which is kind of funny for me as my current phone is a so old... how old is it? It's so old that it has a rotary dial.

Kidding asides, the phone I got was a LG VX9200. The reason for this is that the keyboard is easier to text with and it has all kids of cool feature.

Eagle Has Landed

2009-08-29T12:02:00.000-04:00

What do Neil Armstrong, Gerald Ford, Wynton Marsalis, Steven Spielberg, Bill Gates, Mike Rowe (Dirty Jobs) and Danial Smith all have in common?

They are all Eagle Scouts. Big Dan met with the Eagle Review Board just hours before his 18th birthday and passed the last interview.

I can’t begin to tell him how proud I am of his accomplishment as I admire him and anyone else that deticates himself to getting this honor. You see, as a male gets to be a teenager, many different distractions stop most of us from attaining this feat. Only about 4% of all scouts become Eagles and that translates to only .5% of the US male population.

Dan came down to the last few months and was proded, scolded and eventually grounded to ensure the completion of this feat. He may not seem to understand why this is a big deal, but he will when he gets older. This honor is something that no one can take away from you. It’s a great line to put on a resume, it’s a way to break the ice during an interview and your Eagle Scout project helped many people of your community.

Hot or Not Hot

2009-08-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

Nicole Richie

Music Monday - Jane's Addiction

2009-08-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

Jane's Addiction - Mountain Song

Jane's Addiction is an alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band consists of Perry Farrell (vocals), Dave Navarro (guitar), Eric Avery (bass) and Stephen Perkins (drums). They are one of the early pioneers of alternative and have undergone several breakups. Flee of Red Hot Chilli Peppers was a member of the Addiction from 1997 - 2001. Dave Navarro also was part of the Chilli Peppers for a few year. The band members have varied musical style and have roots in varied genres including gothic rock and heavy metal. So who was Jane? The name of the band came from Perry Farrell's housemate, Jane Bainter, who was addicted to drugs. I guess the name fits. Their initial farewell tour launched the first Lollapalooza festival that was an alternative rock showcase of several music acts

"Mountain Song" was released on their 1988 album Nothing's Shocking. The song is about two significant girls in Perry Farrell's life who died. The music video was banned from MTV because of nudity scenes and scenes of teen girls dancing in diapers. The song was also named the 71st best hard rock song of all time by VH1. Navaro's guitar riffs and Farrell's vocals propel the the song from start to end. Speaking of the start, the bass line is a interesting and sublime until the heavy guitar joins in. The video... nothing to write home about.

Jane's Addiction - New Music - More Music Videos

uhhwaa ohhhhh
Comin down the mountain
One of many children
Everybody held their own opinion
Everybody held their own opinion
Holding it back
it Hurts so bad
Jumping out of my flesh
And I say Ahhhh

cash in

cash in now , honey
cash in now
cash in now , baby
cash in now , honey
cash in that smell
cash in now baby
oh ohh ohh oh ohhhhhhhhh

I was coming down the mountain
i met a child man she had good mind
we had the same opinion
we had the same opinion
She was holding it back
it Hurt so bad
Jumping out of my flesh
and i say Ahhhhh

you beter cash in

cash in now , honey
cash in now
cash in now , baby
yeaaaah
cash in now , honey
cash in this smell
cash in now baby
oh ohh ohh oh ohhhhhhhhh

(vocal noises along with guitar solo)

woo woo whoa whoa whoa yeah
woo woo whoa whoa whoa yeah
woo woo whoa whoa whoa yeah
woo woo whoa whoa whoa yeah
(ah ahhh ahhs off to the end)

Could be Funny

2009-08-22T12:29:00.003-04:00

I like some of the lines on the trailer... They are so true. I may need to watch it.

Ten Best Guitarists?

2009-08-21T20:20:00.012-04:00

Click the embedded image and read along on the rant. Let's see if these guys can play along with the last five minutes of this song?

I see that Time Magazine online listed the ten greatest guitar players. I know that most of you are saying... what the heck... Time Magazine??? I would agree with you that Time is not the most renowned source for music, but I guess these guys must have not been real busy this week to come with this lame list. First off, they have eleven guys on their top ten list. Who do they think they are.... Spinal Tap?

Some of the guys on the list I agree with, but then again I could almost go to any human (and some dogs) and ask them who they thought should be on the list and I would agree with them just as much.

Some of the comments that these guys came up with made me laugh and in some casses scrath my head. So let's begin with my critique of the list.

1. JIMI HENDRIX
The greatest of all time? Nope... not on my watch. He's great, but let's face it, he does not have a really long list of songs.

2. SLASH
Time gave him extra point because of his hat. Are you freaking kidding me. I like his style and his music but let's not make this a circus by giving him points for his hat. Way too high on the list

3. B.B. KING
Can't complain with the choice of Lucilee and her master... maybe a few pegs to high.

4. KEITH RICHARDS
Ok, here is the big problem with this list... Time states that Richards is the "creator of more memorable riffs -- '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction', 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' 'Gimme Shelter', 'Start Me Up', etc. -- than anyone else in rock 'n' roll." I agree, but that does not deserving of him being on the list. Give the same riffs to the anyone on the list and they would play it just as well. Heck, he's not even the best guitar player in the Rolling Stones. I can't believe he's on the list.

5. ERIC CLAPTON
Excellent choice, I can't complain.

6. JIMMY PAGE
Time get's it right again. Page was and is revolutionary. Could have been higher

7. CHUCK BERRY
Yes he is the father of rock-'n'-roll guitar players. Could be my Mr. Eleven.

8. LES PAUL
Not only an excellent player, but also the creator of the solid body guitar. eight is about right for him.

9. YNGWIE MALMSTEEN
Who???? I googled him after and listened to him. Yes he is an excellent player, but I couldn't agree more with Time when they said that "the great bulk of his music is so fast that it's unlistenable." Therefore, can't be on the list. Right?

10. PRINCE
I could go eight way with him... a self made player that patterned himself after Hendrix.

11. JOHNNY RAMONE
So Mr. Eleven is Johnny Ramone... Johnny Ramone?!?! Yep the guy from the Ramones. Ok when you stop laughing. Let's see who they could have added instead of Johnny and some of the others.

Stevie Ray Vaughan
Carlos Santana
George Harrison
Mark Knopfler
Joe Perry
Pete Townshend
Eddie Van Halen
David Gilmour
Randy Rhoads
Angus Young
Kirk Hammet

And those are just eleven lead guitar players of bands that I like.

Stud or Dud

2009-08-20T07:00:00.001-04:00

Will Smith

Music Monday - Hoobastank

2009-08-17T07:05:00.002-04:00

Hoobatank - The Reason

Formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills California, with singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen, Hoobastank is an alternative rock post grunge band. Their big break came in 2004 when as the reason started to climb the charts, the song was featured in the final episode of Friends.

The video is kind of cool as it is about a heist.

I like the way the song starts out melodically with the lyrics and guitar and the use of a edgier chorus.

Lester Polsfuss

2009-08-15T14:07:00.001-04:00

Lester William Polsfuss was born in Waukesha Wisconsin in 1915 and died yesterday at the ripe age of 94. Lester, better known as Les, was related to the family that founded Blatz beer, but that is not why I’m writing this entry. He was better known for his invention and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2005. His invention is what most young boys hope to pick when they are in their adolescence age.

You see Les grew up to be a musician and was an inventor of sorts. He recorded several hits during the mid 40’5 through 2008 when he finally won a Grammy.

Given such a long career, he was able to influence hundreds if not thousands of musicians. If you’re not aware of his work, maybe you’re more aware of the work done by others on a guitar that still bears his name… Les Paul

Jimmy Page (Led Zepplin)
Joe Perry (Aerosmith)
Eric Clapton
David "The Edge" Evans (U2)
Saul "Slash" Hudson (Guns N’ Roses)
Carlos Santana (Santana)
Jimi Hendrix
Pete Townshend (The Who)
David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
Kirk Hammett (Metallica)

I know that I left off all sorts of great musicians, but the above list is the guys that I feel made a difference in my understanding of guitar.

Best "Super" Suits Ever

2009-08-09T13:02:00.009-04:00

Below is a rundown of what I consider the best suits that were made. These suits gave the wearer special and almost in some casses super powers. Of course my definition of a superhero is that you can't be one unless you have super power. Superman is and Batman is not a superhero...

So anyways let's start with the countdown.

#10 Darth Vader

#9 Venom

#8 Inspector Gadget

#7 Steel

#6 The Greatest American Hero

#5 Spawn

#4 Robocop

#3 Green Goblin

#2 Batman

#1 Ironman

So that's my list. Who do you think should be number one, who is on the list that is not deserving and who is off the list that should be on the list?

Stud or Dud

2009-08-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Matthew McConaughey

S. P. I. T. N.

2009-08-04T21:20:00.005-04:00

Have you heard of Trina Thompson?

Apparently, the new grad of Monroe collage can't seem to find a job. Instead of blaming the economy or the fact that she was not the class valedictorian, she blames the collage for not finding her a job. She states that the collage is "supposed to say, ‘I got this student, her attendance is good, her GPA is all right — can you interview this person?’ They’re not doing that,” so she has decided to sue the collage for her complete $70,000 tuition as well as $2,000 for her stress.

Give me a break Trina... stress... welcome to big league. Here we don't start to cry if everything doesn't go our way. Here we laugh at stress and you want to get paid for it? Oh and by the way your 2.7 GPA in the IT field is not what opens doors so you may want to look at another way to bolster your resume.

Sunshine, it's time to wake up and smell the frappuccino. I mean you've been out of school for a WHOLE three months. What are you going to do? Maybe you should stop looking for the quick paycheck and actually look for a job instead. If you find it though like most recent grads try these tips...

Get into grad school
Work as an intern (free) in the industry you want to join
Work on campus as a teachers assistant or tutor
Volunteer
Join a networking group like LinkedIn
Join a professional society
Finally, look for a job in a different part of the country or world.

The only thing for sure that will be an outcome of this is that she will not be asked for money by her Alma matter. Oh, by the way 70 grand for an IT degree, you went to Monroe collage not Harvard right?

What Have You Given Up?

2009-08-02T00:13:00.002-04:00

As the economy keeps spiraling out of control and the recessions is turning into a full fledged depression most of us have started to give up things in our lives. MSN had a poll that asked what have we given up. Below is a list and the percentage of people that gave different luxuries. Note that the respondents could vote for more than one thing.

21% Eating out
15% Travel
13% Salon/beauty products
12% My own place/future home
9% Shopping for fun
8% Cable
7% Going out to the movies
6% Health or car insurance
5% Coffee out
5% Peace of mind/sense of security or freedom
3% Having a child
3% Hobbies (pets)
3% Spontaneity
2% Hopes for retirement
2% Private school for my child
2% Time with my family

Friday Night Movies

2009-07-31T07:00:00.004-04:00

We went on vacation a few weeks back and I did what I usually do when we go up north... catch up on some movies that have been sitting at home and I've wanted to see.

This time around, I brought with me:
We Own The Night starring Juaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg and Eva Mendes
Batman Begins starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Liam Neeson
Constantine starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz
Vantage Point starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox and Forest Whitaker
Pirates of the Caribbean 3 starring Johnny Depp, Otlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley
The Happening starring Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo
The Night Listener starring Toni Collette and Robin Williams
The Da Vinci Code strring Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou and Ian McKellen

The one movie that I was most impressed with was Vantage Point. It's a thriller that takes the assassination of a president to a different level. We see the assassination unfold through the eyes of different witnesses and each time we see the assassination we peal away a new layer of the truth. The movie pulls you in and by the near end, I was thinking wow not that's not something I would have seen coming. The movie is not great, but it is worthy of renting and viewing.

Stud or Dud

2009-07-30T07:00:00.000-04:00

Robert Downey Jr.

First Car (part 2)

2009-07-29T12:02:00.000-04:00

My mom and dad had just gotten a new T Bird and that could only mean one thing to me. I was going to get the family hand me down. That's right a new to me 1972 Mercury Comet. The four door Comet was a yellowish gold color with a brown vinyl hardtop.

It wasn’t a cool car and I didn’t really care I was ecstatic that it ran and that it was mine. The only rule was that I would need to pay for the gas and make sure that I washed it and that I helped my dad when it was time to change the oil.

It didn't have things like NAV units and heated seats, but it did have an AM radio and front and rear bench seats with a blankets to hide tears in them. My dad bought it used from a guy he worked with at Ford that had babied it for well over a hundred thousand miles by the time my dad got it. It had a 250 cubic inch V6 that was miserably underpowered for a vehicle of this size. But since this car didn't have airbags, it needed to save lives by the use of steel... and lots of it.

It served me well for a few years as I drove it to death. I used to drive a handful of guys home from swim practice during the winter and I remember one occasion very well. It was the middle of winter and it was cold. On this occasion the handful of swimmers turned out to be more like 10. I only had one rule. I needed to be able to drive without having anyone on my lap and interfering with the control of the vehicle. I looked in the rear view mirror and couldn't see a thing as there were 6 guys piled into the back seat with a few of them lying across the laps of the others. One guy even had the bananas to fart in the back seat.

So anyways. I put the car in drive and rev'ed the engine to get the car moving. We headed out of the parking lot and I stepped on the gas... It wasn't going anywhere so I thought that one of the guys in the front seat must have hit the transmission selector and put the thing in low gear by accident. I eased the stick up to what I thought was drive and still go no response, so I eased the stick up one more notch and boom I heard a frightening sound as the car stopped in it's tracks. By mistake I threw the car into reverse when the car was still moving forward at 10 miles an hour. Apparently the cars of the 70's were never designed to be able to do this.

I got out to see the damage and looked underneath the vehicle. Nothing hanging from the bottom, so I put the vehicle back into park and started it back up. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it so I threw it back into drive and puttered around town dropping guys off at their house. The car only lasted a few more years and eventually my dad sold it to another guy from work and I got a van. But that's another story.

Hot or Not Hot

2009-07-28T07:00:00.000-04:00

Vanessa Hudgens

Music Monday - Republica

2009-07-27T07:00:00.001-04:00

Republica - Ready to Go

Republica is from England and was formed back in 1994 by Tim Dorney and Andy Todd. The group took of with the addition of vocalist Saffron which gave them a vocalist to go along with their music. The band lifespan was unfortunately short lived and only consisted of two albums that spawned a few songs that made the airways. At the height their sound could be described as techno pop with a hint of rock. Their sound is very reminiscent of another female led group... Garbage, but they are in no way in the same league as them.

Ready to Go is probably their best known song and has been a mainstay in my working out song rotation. It's got a very good beat and the use of both electric and acoustic guitar is unusual and works for me. Hope you like it.

You're weird, in tears, too near and too far away,
He said, saw red, went home stayed in bed all day,
Your t'shirt, dish dirt,
Always love the one you hurt

It's a crack, I'm back yeah standing
On the rooftops shouting out,
Baby I'm ready to go
I'm back and ready to go
From the rooftops shout it out

You sleep, too deep, one week is another world
Big mouth, big mouth, drop out, drop out
You get what you deserve
You're strange, insane, one thing you can never change

It's a crack, I'm back yeah standing
On the rooftops shouting out,
Baby I'm ready to go
I'm back and ready to go
From the rooftops shout it out
It's a crack, I'm back yeah standing
On the rooftops having it
Baby I'm ready to go
I'm back and ready to go
From the rooftops shout it out, shout it out

Abused, confused, always love the one that
hurt ya hurt ya hurt ya

It's a crack, I'm back yeah standing
On the rooftops shouting out,
Baby I'm ready to go
I'm back and ready to go
From the rooftops shout it out
It's a crack, I'm back yeah standing
On the rooftops having it
Baby I'm ready to go
I'm back and ready to go
From the rooftops shout it out, shout it out

It's a crack, baby I'm ready to go
Baby I'm ready to go
Baby I'm ready to go
Baby I'm ready to go...

In Case You Missed It News

2009-07-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

I know that some weman get upset when they show up to a party and someone else has the exact outfit on... but this is getting kind of ridiculous. I mean it is the South Korean Parliment that we are talking about.

It gets so bad that the husbands and fathers start to go at it as well.

No really, the fight is over the fact that the rulling party wanted to pass a bill that would give more freedome to the press. The opposition party thought that this would give the rulling party an unfair advantage. Really, have the S. Koreans seen how well the media covers our politicians... I mean, can it get more fair that this?

Scandel and Coruption

2009-07-25T20:31:00.000-04:00

Don't you just love it when someone gets busted for corruption within the government? It just goes to show that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Really... kidney theft. international money laundering and racketeering with the arrest of several Mayors, assemblymen, city officials and even a few rabbis. Wow, and I thought that Detroit was bad...

A Conservative Democrat?

2009-07-25T05:00:00.001-04:00

Out of the mouth of a Democrat? I guess there are a few that actually make sense and that I can vote for... hear hear to Florida congressman Alan Grayson.

Stud or Dud

2009-07-24T07:00:00.000-04:00

Mel Gibson

FHM All Time 100 Sexiest Hall of Fame

2009-07-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

OK, I got to say that I don't know everyone on the list so I'm not familiar with their work, but I for one can't agree with most of the ladies on this list.

Really... Louise Redknapp at number one... who knows who she is or what she look like without clicking on the link????

1. Louise Redknapp
2. Cameron Diaz
3. Kylie Minogue
4. Pamela Anderson
5. Carmen Electra
6. Kelly Brook
7. Jennifer Aniston
8. Dannii Minogue
9. Britney Spears
10. Katie Price AKA Jordan

Lance Is Back

2009-07-22T06:37:00.002-04:00

Just in case you've been in a cave for a few weeks, Lance Armstrong is back at it and out on the mountains and flat lands of France trying to regain his form as the worlds greatest cyclist.

Now don't get me wrong, Lance is well past his prime and by all accord should be commenting on instead of competing in the Tour de France. He is now 37 and still competes with men in their 20's.

Yes, he is not at the top of his game but there he was climbing up another treacherous mountain road up to the top of the Alps. Yes, he does not have the yellow jersey signifying the fastest cyclist in the tour, but he is not about to scream no and give up either. He has never done this and never will. He could have easily said that his broken collar bone had not healed sufficiently and given up. (did I mention that he broke his color bone a few months before the start of the Tour?)

So why is he putting his body through another beating like this? Armstrong said on his livestrong.org website that "after talking with my children, my family and my closest friends, I have decided to return to professional cycling in order to raise awareness of the global cancer burden." I think that and the fact that he didn't feel he was washed up yet made him come back.

It reminds me of another great athlete that did the same thing. Michael Jordan retired twice and came back out of retirement because he missed the competition. I'm sure that is why Lance also trained and completed the NY Marathon in a time of 2 hours 46 minutes. That's moving for a guy that is not a pro marathon runner (6 minutes 21 seconds for 26.2 miles).

So where will he wind up at the end of the tour? My guess is he will finish behind his teammate and 2007 winner Alberto Contador, but my guess is that he will race again next year at the head of his own team. It is no coincidence that he is not wearing the team helmet and colors at the tour. This should and will bring back intrigue again into the Tour de France over the winter months as we see who else will join him and the new team... maybe longtime friend and former teammate George Hincapie?

Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage

2009-07-21T16:16:00.002-04:00

Interesting reading from The Recorder

By Chris Demorro
Staff Writer

The Toyota Prius has become the flagship car for those in our society so environmentally conscious that they are willing to spend a premium to show the world how much they care. Unfortunately for them, their ultimate ‘green car’ is the source of some of the worst pollution in North America; it takes more combined energy per Prius to produce than a Hummer.

Before we delve into the seedy underworld of hybrids, you must first understand how a hybrid works. For this, we will use the most popular hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius.

The Prius is powered by not one, but two engines: a standard 76 horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine found in most cars today and a battery- powered engine that deals out 67 horsepower and a whooping 295ft/lbs of torque, below 2000 revolutions per minute. Essentially, the Toyota Synergy Drive system, as it is so called, propels the car from a dead stop to up to 30mph. This is where the largest percent of gas is consumed. As any physics major can tell you, it takes more energy to get an object moving than to keep it moving. The battery is recharged through the braking system, as well as when the gasoline engine takes over anywhere north of 30mph. It seems like a great energy efficient and environmentally sound car, right?

You would be right if you went by the old government EPA estimates, which netted the Prius an incredible 60 miles per gallon in the city and 51 miles per gallon on the highway. Unfortunately for Toyota, the government realized how unrealistic their EPA tests were, which consisted of highway speeds limited to 55mph and acceleration of only 3.3 mph per second. The new tests which affect all 2008 models give a much more realistic rating with highway speeds of 80mph and acceleration of 8mph per second. This has dropped the Prius’s EPA down by 25 percent to an average of 45mpg. This now puts the Toyota within spitting distance of cars like the Chevy Aveo, which costs less then half what the Prius costs.

However, if that was the only issue with the Prius, I wouldn’t be writing this article. It gets much worse.

Building a Toyota Prius causes more environmental damage than a Hummer that is on the road for three times longer than a Prius. As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ‘dead zone’ around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.

The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius’ battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist’s nightmare.

“The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,” said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.

All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn’t end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce ‘nickel foam.’ From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?
Wait, I haven’t even got to the best part yet.

When you pool together all the combined energy it takes to drive and build a Toyota Prius, the flagship car of energy fanatics, it takes almost 50 percent more energy than a Hummer - the Prius’s arch nemesis.

Through a study by CNW Marketing called “Dust to Dust,” the total combined energy is taken from all the electrical, fuel, transportation, materials (metal, plastic, etc) and hundreds of other factors over the expected lifetime of a vehicle. The Prius costs an average of $3.25 per mile driven over a lifetime of 100,000 miles - the expected lifespan of the Hybrid.

The Hummer, on the other hand, costs a more fiscal $1.95 per mile to put on the road over an expected lifetime of 300,000 miles. That means the Hummer will last three times longer than a Prius and use less combined energy doing it.

So, if you are really an environmentalist - ditch the Prius. Instead, buy one of the most economical cars available - a Toyota Scion xB. The Scion only costs a paltry $0.48 per mile to put on the road. If you are still obsessed over gas mileage - buy a Chevy Aveo and fix that lead foot.

One last fun fact for you: it takes five years to offset the premium price of a Prius. Meaning, you have to wait 60 months to save any money over a non-hybrid car because of lower gas expenses.

Hot or Not Hot

2009-07-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

Michelle Obama

Does She Practice What She Preaches?

2009-06-29T11:00:00.003-04:00

In case you missed it news... Senator Boxer rips a general...

RIP

2009-06-28T20:10:00.005-04:00

This past weekend my youth is starting to die off.

Farrah Fawcett was my first crush. Let's face it she was very attractive to this young man.

Michael Jackson was at his prime right when I was in my late teens early twenties. His music was pop and when I was into that sort of music it blared on my boom box. He did have a few songs that were memorable. My favorite song of his is attached.

Best of the Web

2009-05-24T12:49:00.001-04:00

MSN had what they thought was the best 100 useful websites.

The best sites for saving money
Bargaineering
Consumerism Commentary
The Dollar Stretcher
Financial Integrity
Get Rich Slowly
The Simple Dollar
The Simple Living Network
Smart Spending Wise Bread

The best sites for savvier spending
Angie's List
BillShrink
The Budget Fashionista
Consumer Reports
The Consumerist
Edmunds.com
ePinions
FreeShipping.org
Red Tape Chronicles
Shop It To Me
ShopLocal.com

Best sites for bargain hunting
Ben's Bargains
DealNews
Ebates
FatWallet
MyBargainBuddy.com
Slickdeals

Best sites for grocery savings
CouponMom.com
The Grocery Game
Hot Coupon World
Penny Pincher Gazette

Best sites for coupons
Alex's Coupons
CouponCabin
CouponCode.com
Coupon Mountain
RetailMeNot.com

Best sites for comparison shopping
BeatMyPrice.com
BeatThat!
DiscountMore.com

Best sites for saving and investing
Bankrate.com
Findacreditunion.com
Morningstar
Financial Engines

Best sites for paying for college
FinAid
Savingforcollege.com

Best sites for managing your credit
AnnualCreditReport.com
CardRatings.com
Credit.com
CreditCards.com
CreditMattersBlog.com
myFICO

Best sites for real estate and mortgages
ThinkGlink.com
Mortgage Professor's Web Site
HUD.gov
Making Home Affordable
Best sites for free government help
Federal Citizen Information Center
The Federal Reserve
Govbenefits.gov
Home Energy Saver
Mymoney.gov
Best sites for insurance
Insure.com
United Policyholders
Best sites for doing it yourself
Fix-It Club
Instructables
Nolo
Best sites for travel
Farecast
Kayak
MouseSavers.com
OneBag
SeatGuru
Theme Park Insider
TripAdvisor
The Universal Packing List
WebFlyer
Best sites for really cheap travel
CouchSurfing
HomeExchange.com
Less than a Shoestring
Best sites for charitable giving
Charity Navigator
DonorsChoose.org
GuideStar
Best sites for productivity and careers
The Blog of Tim Ferriss
The Brazen Careerist
Lifehacker
The Thin Pink Line
WebWorkerDaily
Zen Habits
Best sites for free entertainment
Fancast
Hulu
Pandora
Best sites for freebies
Freebiewatch
Free Stuff Times
Hey, It's Free!
Best sites for swapping stuff
Freecycle
PaperBack Swap
TitleTrader
Best sites for free tech stuff
5 Star Support
OnlyFreewares.com
Mozy
Tech-Recipes
Wi-Fi Free Spot
Zoho

Detroit Gets Slamed Again

2009-05-21T22:23:00.004-04:00

Alec Baldwin spouted off in the Huffington Post about how we should “pull the plug” on Detroit and the Big 3.

Alec should try to be funny and stop trying to be the mouthpiece for the far left and bash Middle America. He knows very little about what we are going through in this region.

First off, most of the workers of what’s left of the Big 3 now are routinely doing multiple jobs that still need to be done to get parts and cars produced for this country. I know this; I’m not just speculating like Alec does. Our extended department had at one time 11 people… today we have 3… and the work didn’t change. As a matter of fact, we even took on other work that wasn’t being done as those workers took buy outs or retired.

Do you know the difference between a recession and a depression? A recession is when you’re neighbor is out of work… a depression is when you’re out of work. Right now I have several family and friends that feel the depression. But I’m lucky… I still have my job and I’m not bitter for staying, but I am disappointed when I hear guys like him bad mouth Detroit and the auto industry, even though they have no clue what it’s really like.

What’s it really like? A few weeks ago, the I-696 freeway was closed down in both directions because some guy was trying to end his life. He had recently lost his job as auto worker and didn’t know how he was going to feed his family or pay the bills. After more then 10 hours he was talked out of jumping. This is the kind of real America that Alec known nothing of.

He thinks that he knows what’s best for America. What a hypocrite… in one breath he spouts off saying that he only drives a Toyota Prius because it is a hybrid and saves fuel, while in the next breath he flies back and forth across the country in a private plane each week to film his TV show. Wow, how many miles does he need to drive in that Prius to make up for jet just one of those private plane junkets from NY to LA.

Thanks but no thanks Alec; I choose not to listen to what you say. By the way, what are you still doing in these United States…? I thought you said four years ago that you would move to Canada if Bush got re-elected? I guess you just simply didn’t listen to yourself either.

S. P. I. T. N.

2009-04-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

A few weeks back the People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals sent a letter to Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe to change the name of their band.

Why would PETA want to do that???? That’s because Neil and Chris are better known as The Pet Shop Boys.

PETA asked them to change their name to… wait for it…. Rescue Shelter Boys. Really, does PETA have nothing better to do then to bug the bejesus out of us?

Neil and Chris respectfully declined the name change stating that they were "unable to agree" to the request "but nonetheless think (it) raises an issue worth thinking about."

By the way the band came up with the name when they first recorded "West End Girls". They didn’t have a name for their band, so the they chose the name because they had friends who worked at a pet shop in West London known as the "Pet Shop Boys.

Maybe PETA can petition Meatloaf next.... Tofuloaf sounds pretty good don’t you think?