PunkMonk

IMHO: College Football Uniforms are Sacred

2011-09-05T17:33:00.001+01:00

I guess it's only fitting that my previous entry was at the end of the last college football season, and this one is celebrating the beginning of this one.
I don't know about you, but it's the same for me every year... on opening weekend of the NCAA College Football season, I simply can't get Andy Williams' jingle, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year," out of my head.

The first weekend is already behind us, so any preseason-like predictions are almost obsolete, though I will say that of the most anticipated games of the season-openers, nothing particularly surprised me as far as outcomes go. I expected Boise State to beat Georgia. I expected LSU to beat Oregon... yes, I did... I just didn't expect them to do it in such dominating and emasculating fashion. I expected Auburn to beat Utah State - a team that was 1-10 versus SEC teams and that win came in 1970 against Kentucky. I did not, however, expect Auburn to get a come-from-behind victory in the last three minutes of the game.

But what really caught my attention was, unfortunately, some attention-grabbing uniform changes. The Oregon Ducks have had, without a doubt, the ugliest uniform combinations for the past few years. It's surprising, really, that NIKE was the guilty designer behind that futuristic atrocity. This year they came out against LSU looking Darth Vader-chic - black on black with black accents and black trim uniforms (pictured left), and despite an improvement on previous years, they still looked about as un-collegiate as a college uniform could look -- ABOUT as un-collegiate. They were trumped by the new-look Georgia Bulldogs (pictured right). There's really no diplomatic way to put it... the Bulldogs looked ridiculous. They weren't just ugly, they looked like soldiers from a bad sci-fi movie. I mean really... striped face masks???

While Oregon looked kind of cool, and Georgia looked completely laughable, they both looked like fictitious professional football teams from Oliver Stone's appallingly bad critique of American football, Any Given Sunday (which incidentally is a long, loud, exhausting waste of time).

What happened to the good ol' traditional college look? Much of college football is wrapped up in tradition, but programs are beginning to jettison tradition for more marketable fan-gear, or perhaps programs are buying into the psychology that a tougher look yields tougher play.

Whatever the case, IMHO college football uniforms are a sacred part of longstanding tradition... and shouldn't be messed with.

15 Reasons Auburn Will Rout Oregon in the BCS Championship Game

2010-12-14T11:25:00.008Z

The Oregon Ducks meet the Auburn Tigers on January 10, 2011, in a highly anticipated match-up of high-octane offenses, the Ducks' ugliest uniforms in sports history, and Auburn's controversial, unstoppable Heisman-winning QB.

If history is any indication of what the outcome will be, this could be a very disappointing and lopsided championship game - not disappointing for the victor's fans, but disappointing for those hoping for a good game.

Here are 15 reasons why Auburn could very well run away with this one in a rout:

15. History Says So (as just mentioned):

The last four BCS National Championship Games were all won by SEC teams... in dominating fashion.

The four SEC victories came by a combined 67 points, which translates to an average margin of victory of 16.8 points per game. If history is any indication, then Auburn should win by double-digits.

14. Auburn Can Come from Behind:

We haven't seen the Ducks overcome much adversity this season, but the Tigers have made a living off of coming from behind.

Auburn has trailed in eight of its 13 games this season, but still managed to win those games (some in blowout fashion), including an 18-point victory over Georgia and a 22-point victory over Arkansas.

Even if Auburn stumbles early, they've proven they can rally back and score a boatload of points in the second half.

13. The SEC Championship Game:

This one is pretty simple.

Did you see the way Auburn played against South Carolina in the SEC Championship Game?

That was as impressive of a performance as any team has had all season, and the Gamecocks entered the game with the SEC's No. 1 rushing defense.

12. The Passing Game:

Since Auburn averages 287 yards per game on the ground, it's easy to forget about the team's passing attack. But the Tigers can pass the ball.

Cam Newton throws for about 210 yards per game, and Darvin Adams has come on strong of late, catching seven passes for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns in the SEC Championship Game.

With Oregon trying to key in on the run, Newton and Adams could have a big day through the air.

11. Ball Control:

Oregon doesn't need the ball a lot to score—the Ducks lead the nation in scoring at 49.3 points per game despite having an average time of possession of less than 28 minutes.

But Auburn is one of only a few teams who can keep Oregon off the field.

Of the quality teams the Ducks have faced, only Stanford's rushing attack is comparable to Auburn's sixth-ranked rushing offense.

The Tigers can hold the ball for a big chunk of the game with that run-first mentality, which wouldn't bode well for the Ducks.

10. Oregon Has Played Weak Competition:

Outside of Stanford, Oregon has played a ridiculously weak schedule.

The Ducks have only faced two other teams who are headed to bowl games—Arizona and Tennessee—and those schools have a combined record of 13-11.

In fact, eight of the 12 teams Oregon faced in 2010 finished the regular season at or below .500.

9. 3rd-Down Conversions:

Auburn is one of the nation's best teams at converting on 3rd downs.

The Tigers have converted 77 of 145 3rd down attempts, or 53.1% of the team's tries.

Oregon has converted one more third down (78), but has had 170 chances - 45.9%.

It's a slim advantage, yes, but one that could play a huge role in determining the game's outcome.

8. Nick Fairley (Lombardi Award Winner):

With the exception of Oregon State's Stephen Paea, Oregon hasn't faced a dominant inside presence like Nick Fairley all season. He's one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the country.

He won't make it easy for Oregon's offense when he's clogging up the middle on running plays or going after Darron Thomas on passing plays.

7. Second-Half Defense:

Auburn's season numbers on defense aren't going to "wow" very many people, but the Tigers have really stepped up on that side of the ball during their two most pivotal games.

In the regular season finale against Alabama, and the SEC Championship Game against South Carolina, Auburn allowed just two field goals in the second half.

That unit could be peaking at just the right time.

6. Auburn is Battle-Tested:

Auburn hasn't strolled its way into the national championship game. The Tigers have had one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

They've faced eight schools who were ranked at some point during the season, they've knocked off five top-20 teams, and they've beaten four top-12 teams, including last year's national champion (Alabama) and the current No. 7 team in the BCS (Arkansas).

5. Auburn's Defense:

Oregon's defense gets a lot more love because it forces turnovers, but Auburn's defense isn't far behind.

The Tigers have forced 18 turnovers and rank 34th in total defense (335.3 yards per game) while the Ducks rank 31st in total defense (331.6 yards per game).

So Auburn's "Achilles heel" may not really be one at all.

4. The Turnover Battle:

Oregon's defense may lead the nation with 36 turnovers, but the Ducks have also turned the ball over 22 times. That's eight more times than Auburn, which has just 14 turnovers in 12 games this season... and Cam Newton has thrown just one interception in the team's last seven games.

3. Auburn's Rushing Attack is not JUST Cam Newton:

Despite popular opinion, Auburn's rushing attack is more than just "let Cam Newton run and see what happens."

Michael Dyer, Onterio McCalebb and Mario Fannin have combined to rush for 2,108 yards and 19 touchdowns... and they've done that on just 310 carries, which translates to 6.8 yards per carry.

2. Auburn's Rush Defense:

Auburn's rushing offense gets a ton of publicity, so the team's rushing defense often gets overlooked, but not many teams can run on the Tigers.

Auburn boasts the nation's No. 7 rushing defense, allowing just 99.7 yards per game, and limiting its opponents to a measly 3.4 yards per carry.

1. The Heisman Winner:

You're probably getting sick of hearing about Cam Newton, but no one has been able to stop him for an entire game all season. Alabama did it for a half, but then he exploded... and not many other teams have even had a chance.

It seems next to impossible to stop this guy, as he's put up video game-like performances all season long.

Why should this game be any different?

This is all based on history, stats and analysis, but anything could happen, and... that's why they play the game.

Book Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2010-01-17T14:43:00.004Z

…all stores of food had given out and murder was everywhere upon the land. The world soon to be largely populated by men who would eat your children in front of your eyes and the cities themselves held by cores of blackened looters who tunneled among the ruins and crawled from the rubble white of tooth and eye carrying charred and anonymous tins of food in nylon nets like shoppers in the commissaries of hell.

Such is the world created by Cormac McCarthy in The Road, a brutally bleak post-apocalyptic scenario wherein a father and son struggle to stay alive from hour to hour as they plod along a devastating and pointless journey to the coast.

McCarthy’s ultra-stark, minimalist writing style (if you can call it style) takes some getting used to. It almost seemed pretentious at first – abandoning the use of quotation marks and his eccentric vocabulary – but the jarring nature of the writing supports the utter simplistic and immediate tone of this desolate world.

The man and his son, who remain nameless throughout the story, are clearly the long-term survivors of an unspecified apocalyptic event, probably a nuclear war. The winters are getting worse, food and water are running short, the landscape is scorched, and the ‘men who stalk the road’ are of the vilest nature. These are the elements that father and son face on a daily basis as they trudge along their journey, pushing a shopping cart containing all of their essential belongings (blankets, a tarp, canned food, and some tools), as they follow a rotting map while all the while avoiding any and all other human contact.

Their situation seems most hopeless when you realize that the pistol carried by the father (containing only two bullets) is not for their protection, but for their own suicide, should they encounter a gang of fellow survivors – ‘road agents’, cannibals – and he has to shoot the boy and then himself. In flashback we’re informed that this was the fate his wife chose, for fear of these brutal tribes.

The mutuality of surviving is a powerful and important theme in the relationship between father and son. The boy needs his father to care for him, to protect him, to socialize with, an to love him; and the father is acutely aware that the boy’s very existence gives him purpose… a reason to keep living in an unreasonable world. The intensity of his love for the child (and being a father I can attest that it is appropriately intense) has come to bear all the possible meaning in his life. The boy is the personification of all motive and purpose.

McCarthy fashions their ongoing existence as a series of desperately repetitive circumstances – starvation to plenty to starvation; despair to hope to despair; safety to danger and back again.

The narrative has no chapter breaks. There is no reprieve, apart from the inevitable end. At the same time, there is no real progression; never are we invited to hope (emphasized by the gradual worsening of the man’s cough). Like the man, the reader never really gets anywhere… for there is nowhere to go. What there is, however, is loss and trembling and love precisely expressed. McCarthy is a fantastic writer with artistic command of his style and syntax that is always systematic in its eccentricity.

Top 10 Films of the Noughties (by year)

2009-12-17T01:11:00.014Z

My Top 10 List from 2000-2009 (one per year):

2000 (Tie): Gladiator & O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Man, I hate starting the list off w/ a tie, but I simply cannot choose between these two AMAZING films.

2001: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Whew! Now that one was way easier.

2002: City of God
I can't think of a better example of Orwellian doublespeak than the Brazilian housing project/slum for which this film is named. A rare glimpse into a world where the cheapest commodity is life itself.

2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
What?

2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Thematically, it was pretty straightforward, dramatizing the old axiom that it is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all. But then throw in a layered emotional texture w/ Michel Gondry's MTV-esque metaphysical labyrinth of memory erasing, AND Charlie Kaufman's hilarious, provocative and tragic script (not to mention Jim Carrey's best turn to date), and you've got the best of 2004!

2005: Sin City
To be honest, 2005 was not a big year for me @ the movies. I didn't see Crash, Brokeback Mountain, Munich, Good Night, and Good Luck, or Capote. And though I'm sure Sin City was not better than these Oscar-winning/worthy films, it is one that I saw, and I'm sure not giving the best film of the year to King Kong.
Besides, the visual adaptation from Frank Miller's graphic novel(s) to the big screen was nothing short of incredible!

2006: The Departed

As much as I love Clint Eastwood fims (Letters From Iwo Jima/Flags of our Fathers) whether acting or directing, I'm going w/ Scorsese this year. The acting (from Jack Nicholson's Irish mobster to Matt Damon's undercover criminal) is top notch. And Leo DiCaprio as an undercover cop, and Mark Wahlberg as a hothead sergeant give the performances of their careers. Another crime-in-the-streets classic from Scorsese!

2007: No Country for Old Men

An instant reminder why the Coen brothers deserve to be ranked at the forefront of American filmmaking. While Ratatouille is the 2007 film I've seen the most (I have two young daughters), quite possibly the year's best was actually made-for-TV-movie, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, a chronicle of how the (native) American Indians were displaced as the U.S. expanded west.

2008: The Dark Knight

This was a toss-up, but Batman just edged Slumdog. TDK was appropriately sinister and consistent with the tone and darkness of the DC comic book series Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. And Heath Ledger's standout performance as mass-murdering psychopath, Joker, may just be what secured the top spot for 2008.

2009: ????

It's just too early to say. There are too many 2009 films I've not yet seen (since I usually have to wait for DVD release before seeing most films). Some that will be in the running are: Gran Torino, UP, District 9, Inglorious Basterds, and Avatar. Some I'd like to see before making a decision: 500 Days of Summer, Tyson, The Informant, and Where the Wild Things Are.

Stuff Christians LIke

2009-10-27T00:30:00.013Z

This has been an ongoing little project that I've been having some fun with. This is also a completely stolen concept. I think the concept was inspired by a circulating email entitled "Stuff White People Like" (See entry #1). It has been adapted and even turned into a book on all things Christian, a sort of satirical overview of some of our most common trademarks, mannerisms and commonalities. Some of these are mine and some are... er... borrowed; some light-hearted, some kind of sad, and some tragically and painfully true.

Bottom line is it's for a laugh... I mean, if we can't laugh at ourselves, right?

So here are just a few of the Stuff Christians Like:

Putting a God spin on popular secular ideas (like 'Got Milk?' becomes 'Got Jesus?').
Reading "Love is Patient" at your wedding.
Songs with bottomless lyrics.
Comparing 'The Matrix' to Christianity.
Thomas Kinkade
Becoming awesome in a certain number of steps.
Dating God... instead of me.
Calling Satan "the enemy."
Greeting the people around you.
Dressing up church with cool words.
Mixing sign language and music.
Church names that sound like clothing stores.
Songs that sound Christian, but aren't.
Famous Christians.
Not dancing.
Occasionally swearing.
Creating new types of services.
Giving advice on things we've never experienced.
Metrosexual worship leaders/singers.
Rooting for secret Christians on American Idol.
Rob Bell.
Saying, "I'll pray for you," and then not.
Getting a precise definition of virgin from your youth pastor, or 'How far is too far?'.
Purpose, purpose, purpose.
Not owning nice stuff.
Calling people "seekers."
Being Relevant.
Aspiring to be nothing more in life than a wife & mother.
Being edgy.
Rededicating your life, again.
Fearing the rapture will come before you lose your virginity.
Editing pop culture.
The side hug.
Discovering our spiritual gifts.
Leadership.
Calling things "postmodern."
Getting caught off guard by divorce.
Grape juice instead of wine for Communion.
Offering a safe approach to life.
Using the word "Frickin" in place of the F word.
Journaling.
Disguising gossip as prayer.
Books that become empires.
Playing the G card.
Associating 'meditation' with yoga, candles and chanting.
Knowing where not to be during the rapture.
Emerging from something.
Wishing your testimony was more exciting.
Personality tests; or how to categorize myself so that you will truly understand me.
Discovering your personal calling.
The Five Love Languages.
Trying to be liked.
Kissing dating goodbye.
Coaching.
Never being in a room alone with a member of the opposite sex.
Evangelism tools.
Building a community of communities within community... and then worshiping at the altar of Community.
Witnessing to people who don't believe the Bible using the Bible.
Saying, "I grew up in the church."
Wishing sin wasn't fun.
Weird dating websites.
War themed ministries.
Waiting on God.
Telling you how many people come to our church.
The pray if you feel led prayer.
Chain email forwards.
Meticulously and Magnificently Making Multiple Messages Match (M)letters.
Giving open flames to kids on Christmas eve.
Referring to that verse where Jesus clears the temple when you get angry.
The Passion of the Christ
Singing, "You down with G.O.D." instead of OPP.
Committees on committees about committees.
Using "love on" as a verb.
Traveling mercies.
Thinking Vegas is slightly worse than hell.
Thinking temptation just kind of happens.
Thinking God is "testing you" when you encounter hard times.
Christianizing your facebook profile.
Disguising baby beauty pageants as Baby Dedications.
Reading through the Bible.
Precious Moments.
Confusing never with ever.
Lying because I love you.
Promise rings.
Narnia.
Margin, or life balance, or what $3 will get you.
The friend that went to counseling once and is now an expert on counseling you.
Wishing you had partied before becoming a Christian.
Going through "seasons."
Powerpointing for the Lord.
Using God as a financial plan.
"Jesus Walks" by Kanye West.
Loving issues, liking people.
Saying "just" during prayer.
Fishbowling the drummer.
The prayer grunt of affirmation.
Prosperity, or 28 ways Jesus blings.
Liking the Bible less than Hunter S. Thompson liked The Great Gatsby.
Background music for prayer.
Looking cool at church.
Arguing about the "wives submit to your husbands" verse.
Praying w/ our hands on people.
Worship leaders that add the word "and" to songs.
Sufjan Stevens.
Warning friends that the person they are about to meet is a "non-Christian."
The marriage triangle.
Christian emoticons.
Getting married before the legal drinking age; or How to pass the time at boring weddings.
Accountability.
Homeschooling.
U2
Saying "The Bible" when asked what your favorite book is.
Dividing the bill up to the exact cent; or contributing to the cost of the meal, but not the tip.
Not tipping.
The Republican party.
The secular culture parental filter, or "How I almost got to listen to Europe."
Breaking the chains.
Indie-folk-alt-country music, or music by uncool people for uncool people.
How Christmawesome your Christmas sweater is.
Bashing Obama.
Meeting at Starbucks
Getting single people married as soon as possible.
Talking about Bible college like it's University.
Reassuring single people that their mate is "still out there," or how to make single people feel like losers.
Talking about 'vision' more than living out 'vision;' or Meetings, Meetings, Meetings.
Waiting to hear from God before answering hard questions, or exercises in spinelessness.
Doing "everything else" except sex.
Lists.

Funny Craigslist Post

2009-08-25T19:39:00.003+01:00

This Ad Was Allegedly Posted to Craig's List Personals:

To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me in Downtown Savannah night before last. Date: 05-27-09, 1:43 a.m. EST.

I was the guy wearing the black Burberry jacket that you demanded that I hand over, shortly after you pulled the knife on my girlfriend and me, threatening our lives.

You also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings.

I can only hope that you somehow come across this rather important message.

First, I'd like to apologize for your embarrassment when I drew my pistol after you took my Jacket. The evening was not that cold, and I was wearing the jacket for a reason.

My girlfriend had just bought me that Kimber Model 1911 .45 ACP pistol for my birthday, and we had picked up a shoulder holster for it that very evening.

Obviously you agree that it is a very Intimidating weapon when pointed at your head, wasn't it?

I know it probably wasn't fun walking back to wherever you'd come from bare footed since I made you leave your shoes, cell phone, and wallet with me. [That prevented you from calling or running to your buddies to come help mug us again].

After I called your mother, or "Momma" as you had her listed in your cell, I explained the entire episode of what you'd done. Then I went and filled up my gas tank as well as four other people's in the gas station on your credit card. The guy with the big motor home took 150 gallons and was extremely grateful!

I gave your shoes to a homeless guy outside Vinnie Van Go Go's, along with all the cash in your wallet. [That made his day!]

I then threw your wallet into the big pink "pimp mobile" that was parked at the curb ... after I broke the windshield and side window and keyed the entire driver's side of the car.

Later, I called a bunch of phone sex numbers from your cell phone. Ma Bell just now shut down the line, although I only used the phone for a little over a day now, so what's going on with that?

Earlier, I managed to get in two threatening phone calls to the DA's office and one to the FBI, while mentioning President Obama as my possible target. The FBI guy seemed really intense and we had a nice long chat (I guess while he traced your number, etc).

In a way, perhaps I should apologize for not killing you . . . but I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime. I wish you well as you try to sort through some of these rather immediate pressing issues, and can only hope that you have the opportunity to reflect upon, and perhaps reconsider the career path you've chosen to pursue in life.

Remember, next time you might not be so lucky.

Have a good day!

Thoughtfully yours,
Alex

The Angels are #1 in ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Franchise Ranking

2009-07-02T09:54:00.004+01:00

This article appears in the July 13 issue of ESPN The Magazine.

In the year since The Magazine last calculated its Ultimate Standings, the world has gone to hell in a handbasket. Banks have collapsed, markets have crashed, millions of Americans have lost their homes, and millions more have lost jobs. Many sports teams spent the past decade squeezing customers for every last dollar; they suddenly find themselves scrambling to create new ways to connect with fans.

Our Methodology: We explain how to calculate what a team is worth to it's fans.

Team Rankings: How does your favorite squad stack up?

Ultimate Dinosaur: Does Al Davis love his team too much?

Our Standings rank all 122 MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises by how much they give back to fans for all the emotion, money and time fans invest in their favorite teams. This year, the rankings are more important than ever. The downturn has left fans with less money to spend, driving them away from expensive sports events. It has also increased demand for value. To fans who can afford only one or two games per year, every busting-ass-to-first sprint on a grounder means a lot. So do a fast-moving hot dog line and players who are quick to visit a children's hospital. The Los Angeles Angelsare No. 1 in our Ultimate Standings because they understand the importance of value, performance and effort -- and did so long before the recession hit.

Our Standings combine results from fan surveys and from analyses of how efficiently teams use the money fans spend (see our methodologyhere). This year the Angels excelled at both parts of that test. Fans love the experience of going to Angels games, in particular the friendliness that extends from ticket takers to food vendors to parking lot attendants (Fan Relations: No. 8; Stadium Experience: 16). Even more, they love the 75 promotions in 81 home dates this year, with giveaways ranging from Rally Monkey banks to nacho chip platters to Bobby Grich replica jerseys.

Tickets to root-root-root for the 2009 Halos cost an average of just $20.05, and the total fan cost to attend an Angels game is the fifth lowest in MLB and 32% less than it costs to attend a Dodgers game. The team also has low-cost parking and concessions and the least-expensive caps in all of sports. Yet the Angels aren't luring fans to the park on the cheap out of necessity: Since the start of the 2007 season, they've won 232 games (Bang for the Buck: 6), more than any MLB team except the Red Sox.

On the field, manager Mike Scioscia (Coaching: 5) has instilled a hard-charging, take-every-extra-base style of play (Players: 14). "Hiring Mike in 2000 was really a turning point," says GM Tony Reagins. "He's helped make sure that down to the lowest levels, we teach the concept of doing little things very well. Our scouts look for players who are a good fit with our style. Our player development people teach them year after year what we expect. And once they come up, that's how they play." Statheads carp that the Angels don't focus enough on on-base percentage or hitting for power. But their knack for identifying talent, executing Sciosciaball and developing good pitchers has the Angels in pennant contention virtually every year (Title Track: tied for No. 1).

The Angels are owned by Arte Moreno, a Vietnam War enlistee, Little League coach and former billboard magnate. Before he bought the team in 2003, the franchise was so moribund that it had once received revenue-sharing payments from MLB despite playing in the nation's second-largest metropolitan area. Now a whole team of smiling, red-shirted, halo-A'd employees pitches in to draw families to the ballpark -- and the Angels have drawn at least 3.3 million fans every year since 2004, never finishing lower than second in AL attendance. "We all come from sales," says team president Dennis Kuhl, who has worked with Moreno for more than 30 years. "We'll try discounting tickets; we'd rather fill a seat for some money than leave it empty. We really believe that promotions drive attendance. And we want a dad to be able to buy something for his kid, like a T-shirt, for under $10."

Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesDespite a slow start by the Angels -- and Vlad -- attendance has dropped a mere 234 fannies per game, and the Halos are back in contention in the West.

Yet for all the Angels' commitment to customer service, no team is immune from the tragedies of everyday life. For the Angels, this season has been clouded by the early-season death of pitcherNick Adenhart and two serious fights among fans. On Opening Day, a fan died when he fell and hit his head after he was punched. And on June 24, an off-duty police officer shot two men during an altercation in the parking lot of Angel Stadium. Still, the concept of an "Angels way" dedicated to fans is Moreno's vision (Ownership: 11). "The fights were unfortunate but isolated incidents," says PR boss Tim Mead. "Everyone here, from our security guards, who work closely with the police, to ushers to food vendors, pays attention to detail to make this a family place to watch a ball game."

The team also spends money in creative ways to help build its brand. Moreno, who once told a reporter, "Leverage is the American way," was part of a group that paid $42 million for a powerful radio station. He renamed the station KLAA and began airing Angels games. Result: The team's popularity spread, and Moreno was able to land a local TV deal worth $50 million a year. The Angels also generate $26 million a year in stadium sponsorship revenues.

All of which is utterly opposite the anti-Midas touch exhibited by the owner of our last place team, the Los Angeles Clippers. That would be Donald Sterling, a billionaire Beverly Hills real estate baron who faces federal racial discrimination charges. For decades Sterling notoriously squeezed profits from the Clippers, who have been the biggest losers in pro sports (707—1,317) during his 25-year tenure as owner in LA. And the 2008-09 season was one of the most epic disasters in the Clippers' sorry history. Former No. 1 draft choice Elton Brand bolted for Philly;Eric Gordon injured his right ankle on the first day of training camp; Ricky Davis flunked a drug test; Al Thornton ate fast food for pregame meals; Baron Davis, a $65 million free agent who was wooed to the team (then abandoned) by Brand, succumbed to ulcers; former GM Elgin Baylor sued the franchise for racial and age discrimination (in a case separate from the federal charges Sterling is facing); and the team finished 19—63. Cue the locusts.

Noah Graham/Getty ImagesAfter a 19-63 record last year, the Clippers are hoping Blake Griffin won't go the way of some of their previous talented draftees (read: Lamar Odom).

As his organization spirals downward, Sterling can take comfort at least in the fact that coach/GM Mike Dunleavy and his players have raced even faster to the absolute bottom of fans' hearts (Coaching: 122; Players: 122; Ownership: 116). Yes, the Clippers did draft Blake Griffin -- and fans are already worried that Griffin will eventually follow in the footsteps of Lamar Odom, who launched his career as a Clipper, then headed for the life raft as soon as free agency beckoned.

Despite all that, the Clips have increased in value by an average of 12% a year since Sterling bought them in 1981 and are now worth $297 million, according toForbes. But here's the thing: The Angels have jumped in value by 19% a year since Moreno bought them and are already worth $509 million. It's hard to lose when you've got monopoly control over any territory in a league that shares billions of dollars a year in TV cash. But as the Angels, Colts, Red Wings, Steelers or any of the teams that perennially rank near the top of our Standings can tell you, to make big money, you've got to build an experience that fans believe in, enjoy and share.

It's an investment franchises can't afford not to make.

Peter Keating is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine. Additional research was provided by Morty Ain, Jason Catania, Anna K. Clemmons, Andy Kamenetzky, Brian Kamenetzky, Eddie Matz and Doug Mittler.

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Top 5 Michael Jackson Songs of All Time

2009-06-26T14:42:00.003+01:00

The fact that I can even assemble a list like this is testament to the prolific figure that Michael Jackson was in pop music. I've never owned one of his albums. Of the 4,547 songs on my iPod, not one of them is a Michael Jackson song (but I did have parachute pants in 1985, and really wanted a glitter glove).

The point is, Michael Jackson was so big in pop culture that one didn't even have to be a fan to recognize and participate in the global phenomena that was the King of Pop.

So here's my minimal tribute to Michael Jackson... a Top 5 greatest songs list:

Billie Jean (1983): winner of two Grammy awards in 1984, this is the song that triggered MJ's success.
Thriller (1983): the horror-sci-fi narrative music video was the most expensive video of its time, costing nearly $800,000 (equivalent to $1.4 million today), and is the title track to the bast selling album of all time.
Beat It (1983): despite crass jokes about the meaning of the song, the lyrics are about defeat and courage.
Don't Stop Til You Get Enough (1979): MJ's first solo Grammy from the Off the Wall album.
Smooth Criminal (1987): the centerpiece of MJ's hour-long short film, Moonwalker (starring Joe Pesci), and inspiration for Sega Genesis arcade video game!

Thoughts on the Me Generation v. Generation Me

2009-06-18T18:12:00.010+01:00

(extended thought from blog post on the McKenzies page entitled Online Catharsis)

The baby-boomers were at one time thought to be the most self-absorbed generation in American history, and carried the label of the Me Generation. In recent years this title has been appropriated, twisted and reassigned to the babies of those same boomers - born in the 80s and 90s - now called Generation Me or the Look @ Me Generation.

Author Jean Twenge, an Associate Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University and herself a member of Generation Me - spent 10 years doing research on this group's sense of entitlement and self-absorption. She attributed it to the radical individualism that was engendered by baby-boomer parents and educators focused on instilling self-esteem in children beginning in the 1970s. American and Canadian youth were raised on aphorisms such as "express yourself" and "just be yourself."

To further illustrate her point, Twenge also found a large increase in self-reference words like "I," "me," "mine," and "myself" in news stories published in the 80s and 90s. These words replaced collective words such as "we," "us," "humanity," "country," or "crowd" found in the stories of similar nature in the 50s and 60s. This generation may be the least thoughtful, community-oriented and conscientious one in North American history.

-Information gathered from Adbusters Magazine, Nov/Dec 2008 - #80 - Volume 16, Number 6

Twitter Spoof Video

2009-06-03T16:13:00.002+01:00

Kinda' makes you think twice about your next status update, huh?

American Football in Glasgow

2009-05-04T16:31:00.002+01:00

Undoubtedly the bastard child of the 1985 Chicago Bears' Super Bowl Shuffle.

Another reason to looooove that team!

ALBUM REVIEW: White Lies - To Lose My Life

2009-02-20T13:36:00.006Z

I should probably begin by confessing that I have a tendency to go through honeymoon phases with albums (especially debut albums). For some reason, debut albums tend to be a lot of bands' climax, only to spiral downhill from there. So, I imagine the verdict remains out on White Lies until their sophomore release, but after my first listen I am REALLY pleased with album, To Lose My Life. There will undoubtedly be comparisons to melancholy post-punk bands past, but in light of much of the canned drivel that is passing for music these days, White Lies is refreshing. Despite their morose lyrics and cryptic melodies, White Lies have just enough zip to prevent suicide levels of depression from setting in. I haven't counted (and I'm not going to) the references to death, dying, the end, etc., but I'm fairly certain that they're in every track. It's not an angry fascination with death so much as it is a sense of fearing it. You might get the impression that the songwriter is obsessed with it.

If they're able to maintain this level of music, White Lies is Echo & the Bunnymen for the noughties... right down to Ian McCulloch-sounding frontman, Harry McVeigh.

You might like White Lies if you like: ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, TEARS FOR FEARS, ARCADE FIRE, JOY DIVISION, INTERPOL, THE KILLERS

The Six Most Beautiful Minutes in the History of Cinema

2009-02-12T16:13:00.004Z

Sancho Panza enters a cinema in a provincial city. He is looking for Don Quixote and finds him sitting off to the side, staring at the screen. The theater is almost full; the balcony - which is a sort of giant terrace - is packed with raucous children. After several unsuccessful attempts to reach Don Quixote, Sancho reluctantly sits down in one of the lower seats, next to a little girls (Dulcinea?), who offers him a lollipop. The screening has begun; it is a costume film: on the screen, knights in armor are riding along. Suddenly, a woman appears; she is in danger. Don Quixote abruptly rises, unsheathes his sword, rushes toward the screen, and, with several lunges, begins to shred the cloth. The woman and the knights are still visible on the screen, but the black slash opened by Don Quixote's sword grows ever larger, implacably devouring the images. IN the end, nothing is left of the screen, and only the wooden structure supporting it is visible. The outraged audience leaves the theater, but the children on the balcony continue their fanatical cheers for Don Quixote. Only the little girl down on the floor stares at him with disapproval.

What are we to do with our imaginations? Love them and believe in them to the point of having to destroy and falsify them (this is perhaps the meaning of Orson Welles's films). But when, in the end, they reveal themselves to be empty and unfulfilled, when they show the nullity of which they are made, only then can we pay the price for their truth and understand that Dulcinea - whom we have saved - cannot love us.

Trickster Capitalism

2009-01-18T13:58:00.005Z

"In a rich man's house

there is no place

to spit but in his face."

- Diogenes

THE JIG IS UP!

Luxury spending in the United States is growing more than four times as rapidly as spending overall. Luxury autos, mansions, and second mansions, vast lots, huge yachts, gaudy home appliances, cosmetic procedures, ultrapremium wines - all are being consumed at unprecedented rates.

Worst of all, it's not just the super-rich accounting for such waste. For every mansion on a vast lot, there are hundreds of thousands of "McMansions" on large lots. While the super-rich buy a $30 million yacht, the plain-old-rich buys the $130,000 "bionic dolphin" (a one-person watercraft). For every million-dollar "Diamond Dream Bra," thousands of $100 bras are purchased. These incredible figures have been well documented by Robert Frank (Luxery Fever: Why money fails to satisfy in an age of excess), who sensed a "growing social tolerance of acquisitiveness and greed."

Information gathered from Shoveling

Fuel for a Runaway Train by Brian Czech

Happy (belated) New Year!

2009-01-11T10:03:00.001Z

It's a bit late, but I thought I'd wish my loyal reader a Happy New Year.

I've got some ideas kicking around for some new posts, but I'm just trying to find the time to sit down and scratch them out.

Hope your 09 is mighty fine!

McKenzie Making the Right Moves

2008-11-25T10:21:00.004Z

Check me out this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EST as Auburn plays #1 Alabama in the Iron Bowl in Tuscaloosa. Apparently, like Tom Cruise, I'm making all the right moves.

WAR EAGLE!!!

November 23, 2008

McKenzie making the right moves

Bryan Matthews
AuburnSports.com Publisher

Gabe McKenzie has changed positions twice this season. Both moves have turned out positive for him and Auburn.

The junior moved from tight end to defensive end just a couple of weeks before the season opener tallying 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and returning an interception 24 yards for a touchdown in 10 games as a backup.




McKenzie has four career TD's including an interception return against LSU this year.

He was back at tight end for the Georgia game, catching two passes for 27 yards.

"At the beginning of the season, because of the spread and all, the best way for me to help the team, because we were short on d-ends, was to go to the other side of the ball," McKenzie said. "With everybody coming back and getting healthy and Zach Clayton becoming big and now that Trott's gotten hurt, I'm on the other side of the ball.

"It's the best way I can help the team."

McKenzie moved back to tight end the Sunday before the Georgia game. He ended up playing a lot more snaps than expected after starter Tommy Trott was sidelined with a knee injury.

With Trott undergoing ACL surgery last week, McKenzie is set to start at tight end in the Iron Bowl this Saturday.

"That kind of worked out pretty good," AU head coach Tommy Tuberville said. "Gabe is doing good. He's still a little rusty, but he gives us a bigger guy blocking. We'd obviously love to have Tommy out there."

McKenzie said he learned a lot at defensive end including some insights that will help him at tight end.

"It helped me understand different stances," McKenzie explained. "Sometimes you can read if they're slanting and stuff like that and if they play a safety valve."

But even with 10 games on defense, McKenzie didn't have any trouble making the transition back to offense.

"I've been playing tight end five-plus years. That's why everything came back to me within a day," he said.

While McKenzie admits he loves the tight end position, he may find himself back at defensive end next year. It's a position that probably gives him the best chance to play at the next level.

For now, however, McKenzie is focusing on just one goal -- beating Alabama for the seventh-straight time.

"I'm excited because this is the biggest game of the year," he said.

After a couple of days off, Auburn returns to practice Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. CT.

Purchase of ther Year

2008-11-16T12:05:00.004Z

I'm sure most of us don't reflect on and identify the best purchase we've made all year, but in the interest of helping my fellow man (particularly my fellow father), I thought I'd go ahead and forgo December and give the award out early.
Now the best purchase of the year does embody a certain criteria, and the individual consumer dictates that criteria for the most part.
For me, without question, the purchase of the year, for the value for money and the necessary purpose it serves in our household is...

The Black & Decker Dustbuster

This is an absolute must for families with kids. We use this everyday without fail. Our basic, affordable model cleans biscuit crumbs, cereal, raisins, crisps, dirt/pebbles, and of course... dust. If you have kids that leave a trail of snacks all over the house, do yourself a favor and pick one of these bad boys up ASAP. You'll appreciate it more than your iPod.

Dancing Fool

2008-09-23T12:49:00.002+01:00

This is an amazing video about a guy named Matt who went to 42 countries in 14 months, dancing with locals from every country.

In Bruges

2008-08-15T01:46:00.003+01:00

This is nearly the best DVD rental I've seen this year, second only to 'Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee.'
If you can withstand a little Irish swearing... ok, A LOT of Irish swearing (it must be near impossible to find any footage without swearing in it), then you will be in for a treat.
With a cast of homophobic, racist, sexist, sizeist, anti-American, anti-European, anti-Tottenham, disability-mocking characters, this film has something to offend just about everyone. And therein lies it's surprising charm.
Seems there'd be no characters to really connect or empathize with (unless you're a hitman/gangster), but that's the beauty... the characters are superb!
The first half of the film is a salty odd-couple comedy, as we're invited into the aftermath of a botched hit involving Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) as they're sent to Bruges (Belgium) to lie low for a while and sample the culture. The second half is a plunge into blood, doom and existential/spiritual metaphors (guilt, sin, redemption, the whole Christian bag of screams). And it's brilliant characterization that yokes the two together.

Admittedly, it's a sushi movie (you'll either love it or hate it). Absurdist, existential, ultraoffensive, ultraviolent comedies aren't everyone's bag, but in the saturated ghetto of gangster/caper films, In Bruges offers something completely unique.

Number of the Week

2008-04-09T12:43:00.004+01:00

273,272 - my final ranking in the ESPN NCAA Basketball Tournament Challenge

Before the Final Four I was ranked in the millions, but fortunately I had three of the four final four teams in the FF, and I had Kansas winning the whole thing... though I had them beating UCLA in the final, not North Carolina.

Baseball's Unique Spectacle: Opening Day

2008-03-31T22:27:00.004+01:00

SEAMS, BABY!

SEAMS!!!

RAMBO

2008-03-07T12:28:00.005Z

Stallone revisits another of his iconic action heroes, ultimately to bring John Rambo full-circle and bid him good day... but not before he completely annihilates the Burmese army with a .50 caliber machine gun and a machete.
Motivated by the tug on his last heart string by a sweet Christian missionary that he escorted into Burma with her team, Rambo is forced to accept himself for who he really is - the world's most perfect killing machine - as he returns upriver to rescue what remains of the missionary team after they are brutally captured and held prisoner.
After saving the day (there's really not much more to the story), Rambo returns to his home in Arizona, reminiscent of his initial stroll into the peaceful Oregon town in First Blood. As he approaches a beat-up, old, rusty mailbox the name on the side reads, R. Rambo - Rocky Rambo? Rambo Rambo? Who knows? We are left with the image of our noble, savage, battle-worn warrior returning to his roots as the peaceful theme of First Blood invites the credits to roll.
Bottom line: a LOT of killing; a LOT of blowing $#!+ up; and Stallone looks pretty stinkin' good for a senior citizen.
There is an underlying disturbing aspect to the film, however, and that's that the atrocities depicted in the film were not fabricated to develop the villain's character. Burma is one of the most war-torn, brutal environments on the planet, and nothing short of mass genocide is taking place there now. It gives this film (as opposed to the others' "Russians bad - Rambo Good; Vietnamese Bad - Killing Good) a sense of realistic relevance... something we haven't really engaged in the First Blood series until now.
If you have the stomach for it... meaning lots of exploding clouds of bloody red dust, and severed limbs, and innocent villagers being callously slaughtered... ok, if you have the stomach for that there is something wrong with you. The violence and one-sided domination of Rambo is actually almost humorous, bordering on the absurd... but what better way to say good-bye to our favorite ex-green beret-war vet-turned stick-fighting buddhist monk-repair man-rescuer?

LIVE FOR NOTHING or DIE FOR SOMETHING!

Immortalized on Canvas

2008-02-26T11:28:00.004Z

About 10 months ago I met a great guy named David. He's a semi-pro skater and full-time missionary. David was part of the skate church here in Glasgow (Deeper), and is involved in planting other skate churches all over the world.

Two other friends (Dan & Carter) came over here to shoot some video footage of David's ministry, and we all got to spend some time together while they were here. Dan is a bit of an artist, and he painted this cool portrait of David and I sitting in Tinderbox enjoying some coffee and chat.

Isn't this cool? That's me on the right... I recognize the white cap and maroon sweatshirt. I don't think I've ever been the subject of painting before. I'm stoked! If it wasn't hanging in Carter's house right now I'd have Dan send it to me.

Imparting Wisdom... to Yourself

2008-02-23T01:18:00.002Z

This is an entry that I'm hoping gets a lot of responses. If you're reading this from my Facebook page, come over to my barely evolved cavemen blog and leave your response (anonymously if you like) to this question:

What would you say to your 16-year-old-self if you could go back and impart some wisdom, or offer a warning, or give some advice... to you?

2008 Movie Preview

2008-02-16T01:24:00.003Z

I know we're midway through month two of 2008, but it's not too late to mention some humdingers to watch out for. In no particular order and regardless of (UK) release dates:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May 22) - needs no commentary
Hellboy 2 (Aug 22)
Hancock (July 2)
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (June 27)
Rambo (Feb 22) - Rambo in Burma alongside Christian missionaries!!! Guaranteed to be the bloodiest First Blood yet.
Get Smart (Aug 15)
The Incredible Hulk (June 13) - this HAS to be better than the first dialogue-heavy dud.
Burn After Reading (Fall) - Two Coens brothers' movies in one year!!!
The Dark Knight (July 25) - will Heath Ledger's swan song as the Joker be his best???
The Happening (June 13) - M. Night Shyamalan returns... think there will be a twist?
Bond 22 (Nov 7) - rumor has it the Olsen twins are starring as Bond girls - ha!
Star Trek (Dec 26) - I'm not a Trekkie, but this is supposedly a return to the original storyline, and it's helmed by Alias/Lost creator J.J. Abrams.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Nov 21)
Where the Wild Things Are (Oct 24) - Spike Jonze directing; Dave Eggers (Author: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) writing - this should be an interesting children's adaptation of mad brilliance.
Vantage Point (Mar 7) - a presidential assassination seen from 8 different points of view, and a shootout scene to rival Heat's!
Sex and the City: The Movie - haha! Just kidding!

Also watch for:

In Bruges (Mar 7)
Pride and Glory (Mar 14)
Lars and the Real Girl (Mar 21)
21 (Apr 11)
The X-Files 2 (Aug 11)
Eagle Eye (Sept 5)
Death Race (Sept 26)
Step Brothers (Sept 26)
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (Oct 3)
Body of Lies (Winter)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (to be confirmed)

Holy Betrayal: An Angry Letter to the Pope

2008-02-11T15:35:00.000Z

Dear Mr. Josef Ratzinger:

You are the Pope now and according to La Civilta Cattolica you are the “upholder of justice, and the protector of the oppressed.”

As leader of your institution, what you are doing to bring the serial molesters in your churches to justice? What are you doing to protect their victims?

What justice will you impose on Marcial Maciel Degollado, who offered his young seminarians absolution for their youthful sins, and claimed to possess a papal dispensation for his sordid sex games? His victims wrote to you and begged you to act. What comfort will you offer them?

Your silence betrays them and betrays Jesus.

What justice will you recommend for the 63 pedophile priests and Cardinals Anthony Bevilacqua and John Krol in Philadelphia? What justice for those under your direction who covered up their crimes, and moved these molesters from parish to parish, to stalk new victims?

When Cardinal Bernard Law could no longer hide the pedophiles in his Boston archdiocese, you anointed him as archpriest at St. Mary Major Basilica in the Vatican. Is this your justice? What would dear Mary say? What will you do for the wounded casualties?

How will you compensate the victims of the Rev. Bruce Ritter in New York, military chaplain Robert Peebles in Texas, Archbishop Juliusz Paetz in Poland, Bishop Franziskus Eisenbach in Germany, and victims of sodomy rings run by the Christian Brothers in Canada and Australia?

Mr. Ratzinger, your flock awaits divine justice. You said you talked to God and he told you that people shouldn’t wear condoms when having sex. What did he say about your priests, bishops and Cardinals who have abused millions of innocents worldwide? Did God suggest recompense to the casualties? What justice for the perpetrators? What justice for those who covered up their crimes?

You haven’t said a word to comfort these victims, and your silence erodes the faith of your flock. Can you imagine the embarrassment to your faithful priests whose vocation is devastated? Will you apologize to the honest Catholics whose religion has been mocked? Can you see how these crimes tarnish the name of Jesus for all Christian believers? Are you not aware of the horror of every single human whose sense of common decency is shattered by these crimes?

Humanity longs for a spirituality of justice and common decency. Jesus healed people, shared food, comforted the poor and gave hope to society’s outcasts. This is spirituality in practice. Justice here and now. What can you offer the suffering of this world that truly honors the example of Jesus?

2008-01-30T11:12:00.000Z

This is hilarious... especially if you're familiar with sports color commentating:

Heath Ledger Found Dead in US Apartment

2008-01-23T00:52:00.000Z

Hollywood actor Heath Ledger has been found dead at a residence in downtown Manhattan.

"He was found unconscious at the apartment and pronounced dead," the New York Police Department said, adding that pills were found near the body.

Police are reportedly investigating if the Australian actor, who earned an Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain, died of a drug overdose.

The 28-year-old was found dead in the flat at around 1530 (2030 GMT).

Police said they did not suspect foul play and that his body had been discovered surrounded by pills.

Tigers Roar

2008-01-01T18:59:00.000Z

Auburn Beats Clemson 23-20 in OT with new Spread Offense in Chick-Fil-A Bowl

Despite the fact that Auburn was playing an entirely new offensive scheme behind new offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin, the Tigers looked impressive behind freshman quarterback, Kodi Burns.

In addition to throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to freshman Mario Fannin, Burns scored the game winning touchdown in OT on a 7-yard run, earning him Player of the Game honors.

New offensive coordinator, Tony Franklin, brought his spread offense to Auburn from Troy University. The Tigers had only eight practices in 10 days to learn the new scheme. While senior starting quarterback, Brandon Cox, looked understandably out of sync, freshman back-up Kodi Burns looked very comfortable and gave Auburn fans a lot to look forward to next season.

Ins1de the Numb3rs: the victory made coach Tommy Tuberville one of the winningest active coaches in bowl games - tied for 4th with 7 bowl victories

Bucs End a Streak and Clinch Division

2007-12-17T02:08:00.000Z

It's been one of the most dubious streaks in NFL history, but after 32 seasons and 1,865 attempts, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-5) got their first franchise kick-off TD en route to a 37-3 drubbing of the Atlanta Falcons. The win also clinched the NFC South Division for the Bucs as they've gone 5-0 in division play after going 0-6 last season. It's the fifth straight season that the team winning the NFC South finished last the previous year.

Auburn v Alabama 2007 Video Clip

2007-11-27T11:39:00.000Z

Like any other year, the Iron Bowl was the most significant game of the season for Auburn and Alabama... teams and fans. A win for Alabama means they can gloat all year long about how they dominate Auburn. A win for Auburn means they don't have to listen to Alabama fans gloat all year long about how they dominate Auburn. Despite what you've heard - Michigan/Ohio State, Florida/Florida State, UCLA/USC, Texas/Oklahoma, Republicans/Democrats - nothing and I mean nothing matches the intense rivalry between Auburn and Alabama. You don't believe me... just go one year. You will have never seen anything like it.
This year was extra special though. Neither team is in the national title hunt. Neither has a shot at a BCS bowl bid. Auburn entered the game 7-4 while Alabama limped in at 6-5 and on a 3-game skid. A victory in the Iron Bowl salvages the season for the winner. But for Auburn, who has won the last five meetings, going for #6 would be setting a new school record for consecutive Iron Bowl wins.

As usual, the game was a defensive battle all the way, with Auburn delivering just a little more than 'bama. Auburn won its 6th straight against the Tide 17-10. At the time this entry posted, it's been 2200 days, 12 hours and 53 minutes since Alabama last beat Auburn.

Following is a clip of Quentin Groves leading the Auburn band in their own version of Alabama's RammerJammer.

Man, that's gotta hurt!
War Eagle!

2000+ HITS

2007-11-26T00:55:00.000Z

On May 17, 2007 I installed ClusterMaps, a hit counter that accurately shows the locations of all visitors to this site on a thumbnail map embedded in my page. You may have noticed it at the bottom of the right-hand column of my page. While I can't tell who visited my blog, I can tell where they were when they looked at it.

As of today, I've had 2,016 hits. That's around 335 hits per month. It's kind of weird to think that that many people have accessed my thoughts, opinions and perspectives. It's also kinda' cool.

Buy Nothing Day

2007-11-23T16:12:00.000Z

No Purchase Necessary: A 24 Hour Moratorium on Consumer Spending - Participate by Not Participating

In America, everyone knows that the biggest shopping day of the year is the Friday after Thanksgiving - the first day of the Christmas season. This is the day consumer capitalism shines brightest and the day retail stores across the country look forward to all year long. Today is Buy Nothing Day in North America (it's tomorrow internationally).

Everything we buy has an impact on our planet. Buy Nothing Day highlights the environmental and ethical consequences of consumerism. Developing countries - only 20% of the world's population - are consuming 80% of the earth's natural resources, causing a disproportionate level of environmental damage and unfair distribution of wealth.

This year Buy Nothing Day will be the largest 24-hour moratorium against consumerism ever as the annual event serves as a communal 'detox from consumerism,' which insists no purchase is necessary.

If you need gas, get it Sunday. Groceries? Make do with what you have... and if you don't have much, consider fasting. After all, one-third of the world's population is technically starving to death.

Buy Nothing Day is an opportunity for consumers to take a break from shopping, either as an experiment or a public statement, and enjoy life outside of the shopping mall.

PAUSE LIFE - SPEND A DAY WITHOUT SPENDING - SPEND LESS LIVE MORE

BUY NOTHING DAY

A Unique and Intrapersonal Encounter with Bono

2007-11-15T11:12:00.000Z

Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane

2007-11-12T01:57:00.000Z

I found these awesome pictures from a 1977 JCPenney catalog online and just had to post and share them. The origin of the story is that a guy found this catalog while doing some work for his parents in their attic.

For those of you that remember the days of the 3-inch-thick Sears, Best & JCPenney catalogs, this should be a special treat for you.

Here is the cover of the catalog these pictures came from:

The clothes are fantastic!

Here's how to get the crap beat out of you in elementary school:

Just look at that belt. It's like a boob-job for your pants. He probably needed help just to lift it into place. The belt loops have to be three inches long, for the love. And this kid's bellybutton must be below the belt buckle. Way to go Sargent High-Waste!

Here's how to get the crap beat out of you in high school:

This kid looks like he's pretending to be David Soul, who is pretending to be a cop who is pretending to be a pimp that everyone knows is really an undercover cop. Who is pretending to be 15.

Here's how to get the crap beat out of you on the golf course:

This "all purpose jumpsuit" is, according to the description, equally appropriate for playing golf or simply relaxing around the house. Personally, I can't see wearing this unless you happen to be relaxing around your cell in D-block. Even then, the only reason you should put this thing on is because the warden forced you to at gunpoint.

Here's how to get the crap beat out of you pretty much anywhere:

I'll bet these guys do ok with the ladies. If you look at that picture quickly, it looks like Mr. Bob "No-pants" Saget has his hand in the other guy's pocket. In this case, he doesn't, although you can tell just by looking at them that it's happened - or if it hasn't happened it will. Oh yes. It will. As soon as he puts down his color-coordinated coffee cup.

Here's how to get the crap beat out of you at the beach:

He looks like he's reaching for a gun, but you know it's probably just a bottle of suntan lotion in a holster. Isn't that The Fall Guy's sidekick?

Here's how to get the crap beat out of you in a meeting:

If you wear this suit and don't sell used cars for a living, I believe you can be fined and face serious repercussions, up to and including termination. Or imprisonment, in which case you'd be forced to wear that orange jumpsuit; which, frankly, is a step up.

Here's how to get the crap beat out of you everyday, up to and including, St. Patrick's Day:

Dear god in heaven, I don't believe that color exists in nature. There is NO excuse for wearing either of these ensembles unless you're working as a body guard for the head coach of Notre Dame.

In this next one, Your Search For VALUE Ends At Penneys.

As does your search for chest hair.

And this one... seriously, there are no words:

Oh wait, it turns out there are words after all, and those words are What. The. #%@$! I'm guessing the snap front gives you quick access to the chest hair. I think the little tie must be the pull tab. If you look really closely, it says, "In case of chest hair emergency, pull tab quickly and back away."

Also, judging by the sheer amount of matching his/hers outfits, in 1977 it was apparently considered pretty stylish for couples to dress alike. These couples look happy, don't they?

And nothing showcases your everlasting love more than the commitment of matching bathing suits. That, and an amused blonde with a look on her face that says, "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look in that bathing suit?"

Then, after the lovin', you can relax in your one-piece matching terry cloth jumpsuits:

I could go on, but I'm tired, and my eyes hurt from this trip back in time. I think it's the colors. I will leave you with these tasteful little numbers:

Man, that's sexy!

The Natural World: A Far Off Place

2007-11-04T04:35:00.000Z

I'm not going to insult full-blown "tree-huggers," by suggesting that I am an environmentalist, but recently I find myself with a growing appreciation for Creation. I'm a part of an environmentally conscious group called F.O.R.K. (Friends of the River Kelvin), that participates in monthly clean-up parties in the west end of Glasgow; recycling has become almost a compulsive hobby of mine; we don't own a car so we walk or take public transportation EVERYWHERE; I walk through our flat turning off lights, and conserve energy by trying to wash clothes and dishes during off-peak hours. All in all, our carbon footprint is pretty darn low.

I must make a distinction though. While I love Creation, I'm not such a big fan of the great outdoors. By that, I mean that I thoroughly enjoy being in nature, but more often than not, when I participate in outdoor activities, I end up losing whatever battle I'm in. I get little joy or feelings of accomplishment when I hike a big hill; I'm usually pretty miserable on long bike rides.; and don't even get me started on kayaking. About the only things I find relaxing/rewarding in nature are surfing and snowboarding - two activities I rarely ever do anymore.

The important thing, however, is that I've come to realize that being environmentally conscious is no longer a lifestyle or a statement. You don't have to be hygienically challenged, or listen to The Grateful Dead and Phish to be an environmentalist anymore. You just need to look around and realize that, regardless of the statistics that we're fed, the Earth is changing. And more importantly, we've changed.

The generations alive today - who cannot recognize an edible mushroom in the forest or start a fire without matches - are the first to have had their lives shaped almost entirely by the electronic mass media environment. If you observe some of the stages that we as a people are going through - denial, anger, depression, bargaining - you'll recognize that they closely mimic the stages of grief. It's as if we're adjusting to a loss. And in a way we are. The loss of our natural selves.

We find ourselves adrift at a historically significant time. The last couple of centuries have marked a radical transition in human lifestyle. We've gone from living in a natural world to living in a manufactured one. For thousands of years our personalities and cultures were shaped by creation. But now, most of us find ourselves completely detached from the natural world. We can scarcely remember the last time we drank from a stream or saw the stars from a dark remove, away from the city. We can't remember the last time we spent an evening telling stories, instead of having Oprah or Jerry tell stories to us. We can't identify three kinds of trees, but we know all about Britney's custody battles and Paris' fender-benders.

This detachment from nature might not seem like much of a problem, but it is. In fact, it's tragic. In her 1995 book Bird by Bird, Christian writer Anne Lamott reflects on a California vineyard in early fall. It is "about as voluptuous a place as you can find on earth: the sense of lushness and abundance; the fullness of the clumps of grapes that hang, mammarian, and give off an ancient autumnal smell, semiprotected from the sun by their leaves. The grapes are so incredibly beautiful that you can't help but be thrilled. If you aren't - if you only see someone's profit or that in another month there will be rotten fruit all over the ground - someone has gotten inside your brain and really f***ed you up."

See, I believe that we were created to engage the natural world - to enjoy it, to be active in it, and to marvel at its wonder. Rediscovering the natural world ought not be difficult. It ought to be an instinctive act. If the Earth felt less like something out there, and more like an extension of who we are, we'd care for it like kin. We'd pull in the direction of global survival not because we felt duty-bound to do so, but because it felt right and good.

Our rampant, oblivious consumption; our spending with careless abandon, assuming an eternal supply at the expense of the planet is nothing more than a sickness - like mental disorders or addiction - it's just too new of a phenomenon for psychologists to have given it much consideration. Maybe I've come to this conclusion after living in an urban context for the past four years, but I think we're in a state of separation anxiety from nature. We're bombarded these days with analyses of failed relationships/marriages, of the psychological havoc that breakups wreak. The psychological fallout from our breakup with Creation is like that. When you cut off arterial blood to an organ, the organ dies. When you cut the flow of nature into people's lives, their spirit dies. It's that simple.

Occasionally, you'll bump into an outsider bearing tales of that other environment, the one you may have known. When an Inuit elder is asked to draw a picture of the local coastline, he will close his eyes and listen to the sound of the waves on the shore. Such stories seem vaguely ludicrous. Who could be that attuned to the land? More to the point, who'd want to be? Where's the value in denying yourselves civilized amenities when you don't have to?
Once you start asking questions like this, you are, of course, in real trouble. The moment you fail to understand why the natural world may have any relevance in the day-to-day lives of human beings, you become, what a golfer might call, "a lost ball in the high rough."

Abandon nature and you lose track of who you are. But more than that, you abandon your sense of the Divine.

activism

2007-10-28T00:23:00.000+01:00

How's this for irony? Even though you spend your whole life combating the forces of capitalism, you still might wind up on a t-shirt sold in a store owned by the GAP.

psycho

2007-10-26T12:25:00.001+01:00

Last year in the United States, about 1.6 million children and teenagers - 280,000 of them under the age of 10 - were given two or more psychiatric drugs in combination. Over 500,000 were prescribed at least three psychiatric drugs. More than 160,000 got at least four medications together.

SOURCE: Medco Health Solutions, 2005.

The Assault on Reason

2007-10-26T01:31:00.000+01:00

Al Gore on Celebrity Culture

In his best-selling book, The Assault on Reason, Al Gore takes a harsh look at the media's fascination with flash over substance and celebrity culture. He discusses how rational, informed decisions on critical issues have become impossible in America, where "the 30-second television spot is the most powerful force shaping the electorate's thinking." Here are a few excerpts from the book that talk about how celebrity culture has mesmerized the entire nation.

American democracy is now in danger - not from any one set of ideas, but from unprecedented changes in the environment within which ideas either live and spread, or wither and die. I do not mean the physical environment; I mean what is called the public sphere, or the marketplace of ideas.

It is simply no longer possible to ignore the strangeness of our public discourse. I know that I am not alone in thinking that something has gone fundamentally wrong. In 2001, I had hoped that it was an aberration when polls showed that three-quarters of Americans believed that Saddam Hussein was responsible for attacking us on September 11. More than five years later, however, nearly half of the American public believe that Saddam was connected to the attack.

At first I thought the exhaustive, nonstop coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial was just an unfortunate excess - an unwelcome departure from the normal good sense and judgment of our television news media. Now we know that it was merely an early example of a new pattern of serial obsessions that periodically take over the airwaves for weeks at a time: the Michael Jackson trial and the Robert Blake trial, the Lacy Peterson tragedy and the Chandra Levy tragedy, Britney and K-Fed, Lindsay and Paris and Nicole.
While American television watchers were collectively devoting 100 million hours of their lives each week to these and other similar stories, our nation was in the process of more quietly making what future historians will certainly describe as a series of catastrophically mistaken decisions on issues of war and peace, the global climate and human survival, freedom and barbarity, justice and fairness. For example, hardly anyone now disagrees that he choice to invade Iraq was a grievous mistake. Yet, incredibly, all of the arguments and evidence necessary to have made the right decision were available at the time and in hindsight are glaringly obvious.
It is too easy - and too partisan - to simply place the blame in President George W. Bush. We are all responsible for the decisions our country makes. We have a Congress. We have an independent judiciary. We have checks and balances. We are a nation of laws. We have free speech. We have free press. Have they failed us?

Today, reason is under assault by forces using more sophisticated techniques: propaganda, psychology, electronic mass media. Yet democracy's advocates are beginning to use their own sophisticated techniques: the internet, online organizing, blogs and wikis. I feel more confident than ever before that democracy will prevail and that the American people are rising to the challenge of reinvigorating self-government.

Insanity Saturday

2007-10-01T01:10:00.000+01:00

In all likelihood, most of the readers that visit this blog don't really care that much about the perspectives this writer has on sports. However, seven of college football's top 13 teams losing in the same week (to considerable underdogs) is not very likely either. So who knows?

An undersized, over-matched underdog stepped into the college football ring on Saturday and exacted some pretty devastating blows. The fight went something like this:

A left jab delivered from #18 South Florida (4-0) to #5 West Virginia (4-1) staggered the favorite with a 21-13 Bulls' win in Tampa
Another stiff jab from Colorado (3-2) stunned #3 Oklahoma (4-1) with the Buffalo's Kevin Eberhart's career-long 45-yard field goal as time expired to send Colorado past the Sooners in Boulder
No. 6 (5-0) Cal followed with a right hook to the lightly favored #11 Oregon Ducks (4-1) as the Golden Bears eeked-out a 31-24 win in Eugene
Kansas State (3-1) followed with a flurry of punches that leveled #7 Texas (4-1), handing the Longhorns a painful 41-21 home loss
Although down, the favorite was not quite out as Maryland (3-2) connected with another crushing blow in a 34-24 win over home team #10 Rutgers (3-1)
Georgia Tech (3-2) added an uppercut that sent #13 Clemson (4-1) reeling as the Yellow Jackets emerged with a 13-3 victory over the Tigers
The champ looked as if he would make a dramatic come-from-behind victory as #4 Florida (4-1) came back from a 14 point fourth quarter deficit to tie Auburn (3-2) at 17 before freshman Wes Bynum split the uprights for a 43-yard field goal as time expired giving the Tigers a huge 20-17 knockout win

In total, the underdogs overcame an 89.5-point spread this week as the favorites tumbled. This was definitely an insane Saturday in college football.

Tagged!

2007-09-23T10:24:00.000+01:00

Yep, I got tagged by my good buddy, Arthur. Here are eight random facts about myself:

I (also) have a hard time answering where I'm from. I was born in Alabama; moved to California when I was three; moved to Germany when I was 12; moved back to California at 16; moved to Arizona for a year, back to California, and now Scotland for the last four years. I don't have a home, but I make home wherever I am!
I'm watching UFC 76 right now.
Folding laundry is therapeutic for me.
I make the best baked oatmeal of anyone I know... or, I like my baked oatmeal best.
I'm allergic to codeine -- it's like LSD to me.
The sweetest words these ears could hear (next to Jasheen saying, "I love you, Christopher," or Gabrielle saying "I love you, daddy," or Isabelle uttering anything at all) is: "Ladies and gentlemen, game 2 of our doubleheader will begin in 30 minutes."
I have no problem walking out of a theater if the movie sucks... even on a date. "I'll be at Barnes & Noble, sweet-cakes. Come find me after the movie." (I know, I know... how'd I ever get married?)
My high school math teacher punched me in the stomach for locking him in the bathroom. No, I didn't press charges or try to get him fired.

The Governator

2007-09-11T12:49:00.001+01:00

Check out this picture that my brother took on Pacific Coast Highway last Sunday.

That's right... it's Governor Arnie in his PHAT BLACK SUV!

Perspectives

2007-09-10T15:57:00.000+01:00

As far as a sports weekend goes it couldn’t have been much worse, from my perspective. Auburn let the University of South Florida come in and take one from them in their own house; a 26-23 overtime loss. That’s pretty much all I want to ay about that.
The Angels dropped the last two games of their four-game series with Cleveland on Saturday and Sunday: losing 6-1 and 6-2, respectively. And the Buccaneers opened their NFL season with a 20-6 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle.
One bright spot was UCLA’s 27-17 victory over BYU… so I suppose it could have been a little worse.
But as I said… from MY perspective. Yeah, Auburn is 1-1 and unranked, but here’s a perspective on other power-programs that helps: Virginia Tech, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida State and Miami – all 1-1. Notre Dame and Michigan are 0-2. It’s not as if Auburn is in bad company.

But life is about perspective isn’t it? Glasses half-full or half-empty; failures or learning experiences; better to have loved and lost, than to never have loved at all?

Every so often I like to pick up a USA Today or International Herald Tribune to ensure I’m getting a balanced perspective on world news and current events (and to follow the MLB pennant race, as well as NFL & NCAA football). Lately however, one of the more annoying things about this has been the excessive coverage of the Michael Vick dogfighting fiasco. I can’t buy a US newspaper without even more coverage than they’ve already provided. It’s as confusing to me as their excessive coverage of the WNBA finals. Is this stuff really newsworthy anymore?

Well… anyway, here’s some perspective for you… in light of all the press surrounding America’s new most hated athlete:

Michael Vick’s participation in the abuse and execution of pit bulls has led to a guilty plea on federal dogfighting charges, and has drawn public vilification and triggered an indefinite suspension from the NFL.

Not as many people are familiar with Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back, Michael Pittman, another NFL player with a history of violence. Pittman has been accused of domestic violence four times, including an incident where he rammed his Hummer into a car driven by his wife and carrying their 2-year-old child and babysitter.

Pittman pleaded guilty to one felony count and served 14 days in jail. The NFL exercised their own brand of justice by suspending him – for three games.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t like anything about any one of these issues. I’m a dog-lover and think what Michael Vick has done is inexcusable and intolerably cruel. I’m also a Buccaneers fan and take no pleasure in using Michael Pittman’s despicable behavior to make a point. But facts is facts.

This tale of two Michaels underscores some subtleties within our nation’s core values system. It would be far too simplistic to imply that the NFL (or the US) cares more for dogs than for women. But the NFL, as with any other sports league, mirrors society, and seldom do acts of domestic violence ignite the kind of national outrage or the swift and severe punishment dispensed in Vick’s case.

Perspectives:

• Michael Vick abused and killed dogs.
• Michael Pittman abused his wife… on multiple occasions.

• Michael Vick is suspended from the NFL indefinitely and has lost any chance of ever being endorsed by a major brand again – and many would like to see his NFL career end immediately.
• Michael Pittman remains relatively obscure. He was suspended for three games and lost approximately $500,000 in salary. He remains on the Bucs roster and played in yesterday’s game against the Seahawks.

It’s all about perspective…

Christianity vs. Authenticity

2007-09-06T15:27:00.000+01:00

"God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another."
- William Shakespeare

I'm so tired of faking it. Can others see behind my mask?
Do I dare let you in? What if I told you who I am?
I long to be real.

Living in Glasgow as a minister and follower of Jesus Christ for the last four years has taught me a number of things about myself, my faith, and people who don't share it. When a missionary pulls up his stakes, moves overseas and sets up camp as... a missionary, then people examine his life through that lens. Makes sense.
All of a sudden his occupation is on display. He's a missionary. He moved here to do "this" (whatever "this" might be).
What do missionaries do, exactly? Do you go to an office? Do you earn an income? Do you have a job? No, no... I mean a real job? Do you work? No, no... I mean really work?

Over the past few months I've found myself in some interesting conversations about missionaries... usually with non-Christians, but I've had a few with local believers as well. It's amazing the perceptions that are out there. Several weeks ago I blogged about secularists and a chat roll that I participated in online. To recap, missionaries were viewed as imbeciles, idiots, yankee do-gooders, ignorant charlatans, morons, and pestilent priests. Those overtly bigoted impressions were delivered through the safe veil of internet anonymity. But I've also had some pretty civil face-to-face encounters, as well.

Sure there is the reason versus faith issue that circles the discussion of God and Christians, as well as the very human, "I will not have this God ruling over me," take. But quite honestly, in my time here and from the feedback that I've gathered, I think for the common man it boils down to Christianity versus Authenticity.

In my humble and limited experience, I'm going to make the statement that one of the biggest obstacles that Christian missionaries face in the field - especially in a western culture where missional living is key to successfully sharing one's faith in Jesus Christ - is their own inability to live authentically; to speak authentically; to allow others to really know who they are.

I hang out with a group of guys on Tuesday nights. We can gather as many as 10 or as few as four on a given week, but I'd say it's usually around six. All local businessmen; all closer to 40 than they are to 30; and all keenly aware that I am a minister.

"Christians always seem so damn perfect all the time," one said a couple of weeks ago, "I mean, is anyone ever really that flawless?" At that moment I resisted the urge to answer, "Jesus," for the sake of where the discussion was going. A few of these guys have had Christian friends. One's even had an American Christian friend. They agreed that they were nice guys and easy enough to get along with, but there was an impenetrable divide that made really getting to know them impossible. "You can never really know what they're thinking. Are they judging me? Are they afraid to let on that they have problems too?
And they're always f---ing together," one exclaimed, presumably about American missionaries he knows of here, "What do you people do together all the time?" he rhetorically asked me, not expecting an honest answer (of course).

This growing awareness of inauthentic Christian living was exacerbated today after Jasheen shared with me about a conversation she had with a woman from Gabrielle's toddler group. She asked Jasheen why Christians were so hard to communicate with. "You get to a certain level," she said, "and then - BOOM! - up goes a wall." There were some other comments made about missionaries, confusion as to why they're here, and what they do all the time, but in the middle of Jasheen's account our buzzer buzzed (as they do) and up popped a delivery man with a package from home. One of the items enclosed was a book from my dad entitled, TrueFaced: trust God and others with who you really are.
What?!?!?! Are you kidding me??? After a month of conversations involving this topic, and in the middle of Jasheen's story about how Christian missionaries are perceived as impersonal, inauthentic, and exclusive, a book arrives about trusting God and others with who you really are?

I just had to sit down and write about it. I try to be intentional about living as a flawed leader, but most of the time I'm probably just a crappy secret agent. My cracks, blemishes and stains can be pretty hard to hide... so I don't. I think most all Christian and/or missionary flaws are probably in one way or another rooted in the "F" word -- FEAR. Fear of failure; fear of rejection; fear of being found out.

What if someone finds out that I've sinned? Or even worse, that I still sin?
When we hide our stains, our anger, our mistakes, we eliminate one of the greatest treasures God has ever gifted us: the redemption found in the cleansing blood of His son, Jesus Christ. We're not perfect because we follow Christ, and in my experience, people don't expect perfection from me. But we are made perfect IN Jesus Christ. In our flaws, people will see our humanity. And only in our humanity will they be able to see our dependence on Christ and the subsequent wholeness that comes with a growing and knowing relationship with Him.

Don't be Christian... be REAL!

September: My Favorite Time of Year (Amendment)

2007-09-01T09:51:00.000+01:00

The real story is the surging Angels! Currently on a five-game win streak, the Angels boast a 6.5 game lead over the Mariners in the AL West after a convincing series sweep of the boys from Seattle. The Halos (80-54) enter September a half-game up on Boston (80-55) for sole possession of the best record in the bigs! It's gonna be a dog fight!

September: My Favorite Time of Year

2007-08-31T18:41:00.000+01:00

Traditionally, September is the most anticipated month of the year for sports fans. The climax of the pennant and wild card races, along with the start of the college football season... What more could you ask for?

As we enter the home stretch of the Major League Baseball season, there are some incredibly close races - especially in the NL. Who will emerge victorious is anyone's guess: Philly, Mets, Cubs, D-Backs, Dodgers? Who knows... and more importantly, who cares?

The real story is the surging Angels! Currently on a four-game win streak, the Angels boast a 5.5 game lead over the Mariners in the AL West after a convincing series sweep of the boys from Seattle. And the Halos (79-54) are only a half-game off Boston (80-54) for the best record in the bigs! It's gonna be a dog fight!

College football is here and I couldn't be happier! This is my absolute favorite time of year. The season didn't exactly start off with a bang though - yesterday saw four nationally ranked teams take on four complete patsies and the outcome(s) were embarrassing: The four ranked squads (#2 LSU, #10 Louisville, #16 Rutgers and #24 Boise State) beat the unranked J.V. squads (not worth mentioning) by a combined total of 212-20. I doubt the Nielsen Ratings registered much of a spike.

So, boys and girls, let the races continue and the march toward New Orleans commence.

It's Fall baby! And the Lord says, "It is GOOD!"

Christian Education

2007-08-24T14:38:00.001+01:00

"What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?"
- Tertullian

Let me begin by saying that I am not altogether attacking Christian education, seminaries or Bible colleges. I am not wholly against them. I do have some personal issues and opinions about the education they provide, and I specifically chose not to attend a Bible college or seminary because of those issues (though I did attend a Christian college). BUT, that doesn't mean that they are unilaterally irrelevant or pointless.

In short, my problem with them lies in the theoretical and intellectual approach that they take in the ways they administer leadership development and equipping young people for ministry. First-century training was hands-on, rather than academic. It was a matter of apprenticeship, rather than of intellectual learning. It was aimed at the spirit, rather than at the frontal lobe. In the first century, those called to the Lord's work were trained in two ways: 1) They learned the essential lessons of Christian ministry by living a shared life with a group of Christians. They were trained by experiencing church life as non-leaders. 2) They learned the Lord's work under the tutelage of an older, more experienced worker.

R. Paul Stevens states, "The best structure for equipping every Christian is already in place. It predates the seminary and the weekend seminar and will outlast both. In the New Testament no other nurturing or equipping is offered than the local church. In the New Testament church, as in the ministry of Jesus, people learned in the furnace of life, in a relational, living, working and ministering context."

Modern theological teaching is essentially data-transfer education. It moves from notebook to notebook. In the process, the theology never gets below the neck. Theological knowledge, however, does not prepare a person for ministry.

The words of an anonymous pastor sum it up pretty clearly:

"I came through the whole system with the best education Evangelicalism had to offer - yet I didn't really receive the training that I needed... seven years of higher education in top-rated evangelical schools didn't prepare me to 1) do ministry and 2) be a leader... I had to ask myself why this great knowledge I was presenting wasn't moving from peoples' heads to their hearts and their lives. And I began to realize that the breakdown in the church was actually based on what we learned in Bible college and seminary. We were taught that if we just give people information, that was enough."

Why am I writing about this? What's my point? My interest was piqued when I recently came across the Faith Community Today (FACT) study released by Hartford Seminary in Connecticut. The study revealed that Bible college and seminary graduates and clergymen who had advanced degrees scored lower in both dealing with conflict and having a "clear sense of purpose" than non-Bible college and seminary graduates.

The survey showed that ministers with no ministerial education or formal certificate program scored the highest on tests that revealed how well one deals with conflict and stress. Bible college and seminary graduates scored the lowest!

In his book, Pagan Christianity (of which I will review very soon), Frank Viola comments, "All of this indicates that a person who matriculates from the theory-laden seminary or Bible college has been given no hands-on experience in the crucible of ministry life. In this way, the seminary/Bible college is stultifying on some pretty basic levels... Still worse is the elitism that system feeds on. The approach taken by seminaries and Bible colleges is self-referential. It sets it's own criteria for who gets to play and on what terms."

Herein lies some of my personal issues with Christian education, which is NOT why I wrote this, by the way. Maybe I'm more wrapped up in education than I should be. Personally, I don't see my Westmont education as a particularly important identifying quality about myself, though I have always been proud of it. I think my beef with Christian education, and more specifically Bible college and seminary education, has always been what Viola said about their approach. They set the standard. They decide what qualifies as a degree or a masters degree. That they have even built a system around the Platonic idea that knowledge and spirituality are the same has always troubled me.

A fairly well-known president of a fairly well-known missions organization (who will remain unnamed since he told me that if I ever quoted him he'd deny it) had this to say about the issue: "The only thing wrong with Bible colleges and seminaries is you've got the wrong people teaching there and the wrong people attending." I asked what he meant by that and he qualified the statement by saying that, basically, there are people who have never pastored a church, nor served in cross-cultural missions that are teaching and training the next generation of pastors and missionaries. Kind of a bad formula, don'tcha think?

In spite of all of this, I'm certainly not saying that I'm anti-Christian education in its entirety. This does not mean that the knowledge of the world, church history, theology, philosophy, and the Scriptures is without value. It's just not central. Theological moxie and a high octane intellect do not qualify a person to serve on the God squad. They may help... but they may hurt, too.

So again... why do I write this? Why do I write any of my blogs for that matter? I pretty much blog for two reasons: passion and intrigue. Sure there are the occasional comedic entries and informative diatribes, but for the most part I blog about what I'm passionate about or what sparks my interest/curiosity. The FACT study caught my eye and got me thinking. Maybe it's stirred something in your minds too?

How Addicted Are You?

2007-08-18T21:21:00.000+01:00

64%

Mingle² - Dating Site

Things That Caught My Eye This Week

2007-08-18T10:24:00.000+01:00

Republican presidential contender, Mitt Romney, made a surprising statement this week warning that withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq too soon could be catastrophic. The general sentiment that I encounter here in Scotland is that the U.S. and Britain should terminate their war on terror and pull all the troops out. What made this even more intriguing is that I spoke with an Iraqi woman this week who has relocated to Glasgow upon marrying a British man, and she absolutely loves the George's - Sr. and Jr. She said she's so thankful for George W. Bush and all that he's doing for her country. In addition, she said that the only criticism she had of George Bush, Sr. was that during the Gulf War he pulled out too early. This got me thinking about all the positions and perspectives we have on the U.S.'s global involvement in circumstances such as this. Do we ever actually get the perspective of the people who are living in or from these countries? Or do we simply project our own ecumenical values onto the culture at hand and infuse our personal agendas into the conversation? Either way, it was both startling and refreshing to hear someone from Iraq express gratitude to our president and our nation for their part in helping her country.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is No. 1 on USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list for the third straight week. If history is any indication, it will be there for three more. Goblet of Fire (2000), Order of the Phoenix (2003) and Half-Blood Prince (2005) each topped the list for six weeks.

After an ankle injury delayed his MLS debut, David Beckham's career with the LA Galaxy started off on the right foot. He scored his first goal on a free kick in the 27th minute of the Galaxy's 2-0 victory over DC United in the SuperLiga semifinals Wednesday night. Later in the game he also became the team captain when Landon Donovan turned his armband over to Beckham. In a very humble response to the gesture Beckham responded, "I'm very honored."

Gabrielle Rae McKenzie came running into the kitchen after bath time stark nekkid exclaiming, "Potty, potty! Potty, daddy!" I asked if she needed to go potty and she said no. She pointed to the bathroom and again said, "Potty." Intrigued, I went to the bathroom to find her little plastic potty in the middle of the floor with something in it. Gabrielle took it upon herself to go pee-pee all by herself with no coercion from our part. I gotta' say... that really caught my eye!

The NFL pre-season is underway!!! Michael Vick has failed to show up to practices and games.

Skate Church Makes the Front Page

2007-08-13T00:36:00.002+01:00

Several months ago I was in Tinderbox, a local coffee place near our flat, and I met Dave Reasbeck. He overheard my American accent and decided to engage by asking what I was drinking. It was a Vanilla Icebox and they're awesome! I began telling him what I was doing in Glasgow and Dave responded very enthusiastically. "I'm a missionary too, dude!!!"

Dave has been here in Scotland for the last seven months, and he only just left this morning to return to the States to work out his visa situation so he can stay in the UK indefinitely. Dave is a semi-pro skateboarder who has been working alongside Bob Hill, a missionary-pastor ministering in Scotland for the past 13 years. Together they share the teaching times at Deeper, a skate church planted to reach Scotland's youth culture.

But as I said, I met Dave a few months ago and we hit it off almost instantly. We began meeting together pretty regularly once, sometimes twice a week. Much of our time is spent discussing the Bible, a book we're reading together (Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola), or ministry. But I think the thing we love to talk most about is the shape and shaping of the future church. Not church in the sense of a building or model, but the bride itself... the body of Christ. We can chat for hours about our love for those that don't yet have a relationship with Jesus; how we feel most fulfilled and most utilized when submersed in the culture around us, looking to bring Jesus into every encounter we have.

The Lord has really been blessing Dave's ministry. It's not uncommon for 120 young people to show up on a Thursday night to skate the largest indoor skate park in Britain and hear stories about a guy called Jesus. The real reason for this post, though, is to mention that The Scotsman, a Scottish newspaper (obviously) ran a Sunday Edition front page story on Bob, Dave and Deeper. Just thought there might be some interest in a story about one of the young guys I'm hanging with, discipling, coaching, etc.

That's Bob Hill in the center of the picture (above), and Dave is behind him "bustin' some fat air."

Picture of me and Dave at Kelvingrove skate park. Gabrielle in foreground.

Incidentally, our first meeting at Tinderbox was a significant encounter for Dave that made an impact that has stayed with him to this very day. The only thing he orders there is the Vanilla Icebox.

All Hail the New King!

2007-08-09T17:10:00.000+01:00

Barry Bonds belts No. 756 off of Washington's Mike Bacsik to pass Hank Aaron and become Major League Baseball's new all-time home run leader

How does a self-respecting, tried and true, seams enthusiast not, at least, mention the passing of the most prestigious crown in all of sports? There has been so much hype, so much scrutiny, and so much anticipation surrounding this event that it's hard to write anything about it that hasn't already been written 756 times.

Barry Bonds... blah, blah, blah... steroids... blah, blah, blah... big, fat jerk... blah, blah, blah... asterisk... blah, blah, blah... BALCO... blah, blah, blah... and on and on and on. I think what Bonds has done is unreal. No one thought that Aaron's record would ever be broken. In fact, it took 26 years. And keep one thing in mind: Barry Bonds isn't finished. It's not remotely inconceivable that he finish his career in the 800 HR range.

Due to the sordid nature of the entire ordeal, however, I'm more intrigued by a rather abstract angle of this story. Mainly, the fan that caught the ball.

Stopping over in San Francisco on his way to Australia, proudly sporting his Mets jersey, Matt Murphy of Queens, NY "won the lottery" as he smothered Barry Bond's record-breaking 756th bomb and dove under the bleacher seats to wait out the ensuing human tidal wave. Everyone knows that the ball is worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but what interests me is the position the government takes on the value of the ball before it ever exchanges hands.

Once Murphy took possession of the ball and it was his ball, it became income to him based on its value as of that day. Even if he chooses to keep the ball himself and never profit from it, he will still owe taxes on a reasonable estimate of its value (estimated to be worth approximately $600,000). Does that seem ridiculous to anyone else? No matter what, the government profits off Barry Bonds' achievement regardless of what actually happens to the ball. So now that Matt Murphy finds himself in the highest income tax bracket there is, he will be taxed around 35%, or about $210,000 on a $600,000 ball... even if he keeps it. And if that's not already twisted enough, capital gains taxes could also be levied in the future as the ball gains value.

That was an expensive catch. I mean, I'm sure the guy will sell it at auction and walk away with something in the neighborhood of $380,000. Which is probably about $370,000 more than the college student would have made this year.

So everybody wins, really. Matt Murphy wins b/c he comes away with nearly $400,000 (unless he keeps the ball, in which case he loses big-time); Barry Bonds wins b/c he's the new home run champ; and the IRS wins b/c they profit off something that has absolutely nothing to do with them, the government, income, or anything related to the US economy in any way. They win because they say they win, God love 'em.

I'd love to see Matt Murphy keep the ball, refuse to pay taxes on a $4.00 baseball (allegedly worth $600,000) and go to prison for tax evasion. Not because I want the likable kid to go to prison, but that would be even more ridiculous than taxing him on a "reasonable estimate" of the ball's value.
Talk about justice being blind...

Transformers

2007-08-06T15:05:00.000+01:00

Even as a film... it's MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

It's doubtful that audiences went to see Transformers seeking the solace of art. Unless, of course, you consider an all-out, straight-up, kick-you-in-the-teeth, assault on your senses, CG-loaded explosion of full-fledged entertainment, art. In which case, the art was voluminous.

It shouldn't surprise you to find that the plot is absurd: a box (the Allspark), varying in size from a city block to a small television, with the power to reconfigure and animate machines into Transformers, has ended up on Earth. As have two opposing armies of super-robots bent on finding the box before the other. Caught in the middle of the maelstrom is plucky youngster, Sam Witwicky, whose great-grandfather's glasses have the imprint of a map to the box's location... Oh, sod it! No one came to see Michael Bay's latest cinematic eruption for the subtext. Here it is: Good robots fight bad robots and we get in the way. The end.

This is a story about gigantic alien sentient robots from outer space (originally Cybertron) who can disguise themselves as a Chevy Camaro, a fighter jet or a boombox. There are good ones and there are bad ones. The good ones are brave, loyal, self-sacrificing and want to preserve life. The bad ones are sinister, violent, self-serving and thrive on death and carnage. Combined with their size and firepower, these two juxtapositions create the recipe for mass destruction... and they unleash the majority of this destruction in downtown L.A.

I think the success of the film lies in its proclivity not to take itself too seriously. It may have been a risk, but Bay guides his film from the strict dominion of cool into the goofy, and it works. This is, after all, still a story based on a cartoon created to help a Japanese toy company sell a failing line of unique puzzle toys. As can be verified by the scene of 20-foot robots spilling about a suburban backyard like the Three Stooges, the film is entirely comfortable copping to its own silliness. In fact, well before the Autobots even appear in the film, the story is played out like a teen comedy. A pretty good one, too, thanks to relative newcomer, Shia LeBeouf. There's a point in the film where Michael Bay even takes a subtle pot-shot at himself when it can be heard by a streaking onlooker having just witnessed a meteor-like landing from one of the Transformers, "This is so much better than Armageddon!!!"

A film boasting arguably the most amazing CGI yet, it would be expected that the f/x were going to be the main star, but Bay did himself a huge favor by casting young Shia LeBeouf. A lot is abuzz about this guy right now so I won't linger, but in short, this kid can act. Described as a cross between Woody Allen and Tom Hanks, LeBeouf has all the makings of the next big thing.

If you can set aside the plausible, and understand that you're in for a big, brash, funny, dumb, childish, imperfect, but ridiculously exciting action-comedy, then I don't see how you won't enjoy this. It's a fast-paced, in your face thriller with great special f/x, likable characters (both man and machine), and all the explosions, gunfire and destruction you could want from a summer blockbuster.

McRating: 8.0

Woo-hoo! 1,000 Visitors and Counting!

2007-08-03T10:37:00.000+01:00

Barely Evolved Cavemen has broken the 1,000 visitors mark, and what better way to celebrate than as a Simpsons character??? So here I am in all my yellow glory. With the exception of freckles, I was able to customize pretty well. My hair is growing out from being shaved, but there are ample lengths and styles to choose from, so look for an update as my locks return.

Simpsonizing yourself is pretty fast and easy. Go to simpsonizeme.com and submit a basic head-shot of yourself. You may have to try a few different ones because it's looking for certain contrasts and certain sizes. Then just follow the instructions to your Simpsons alter ego.

A couple of other blog-related things... check out the new links in my links section. I've added Hosoi Skateboards and Richard Mulder. Apart from being one of my childhood skateboarding idols, Christian Hosoi has an amazing story that can be seen in Rising Son, a film/documentary that chronicles his rise, fall and rebirth (both professionally and spiritually). Hosoi is an associate pastor at The Sanctuary in Westminster, CA.

I know Richard Mulder through mutual friends, Robert Lim and David Reasbeck. I've added Mulder to my links because of his intense love for God and people, particularly young skaters. Mulder has ridden for World Industries, Chocolate and Stussy, and now focuses the majority of his attention on traveling the world and sharing his faith.

Hopefully these newly added links will keep you interested and informed on what's going on in different ministries and ministry contexts around the globe.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-07-27T23:21:00.000+01:00

[WARNING PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD -- READ AT YOUR OWN RISK]

If you read my blog a couple of entries back entitled 'Will Harry Die?,' you know what my ultimate prediction was... however shrouded in satire it may have been. But seriously, how do you wrap-up the most successful literary/cinematic/merchandising phenomena in entertainment history?

(Ok, I know that's probably not yet quantifiable, but come on... do we really need to quibble? The last figure I saw was nearing the $6.7 billion mark -- and there are still two more films to be made, and the inevitable Criterion Collections; Directors' Cuts; Gold Bound Special Editions; Complete DVD Box Sets; Complete DVD Box Sets - Extended Editions; 5, 10 & 25 Year Anniversary Box Sets; and the endless supply of Harry Potter merchandise to come)

I, for one, think that J.K. Rowling had an immeasurably difficult task at hand when it came to providing a fitting conclusion to the series, especially considering the incredibly diverse range of HP readership. Rumors have been circulating for the past two years that key characters were sure to die in this seventh and final book of the saga, and by this time in the narrative, it's open war, and in wartime, people die. So there was a feeling that at any given time, on any given page, any given character could kick off.
The death toll is pretty extensive: Hedwig (the owl); Mad-Eye Moody; Dobby, the house-elf; Lupin; Tonks; Professor Snape; and George Weasley loses an ear. (Hey, I said there'd be spoilers!)

Deathly Hallows deviates from the standard HP sequence of events found in the prior books - opening at Privet Lane; the journey to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express; 1st Term; Christmas Break; 2nd Term; climatic conclusion at Hogwarts as the school year ends - and begins with Harry, Ron and Hermione, having withdrawn from Hogwarts altogether, almost immediately embarking on their quest to find the hidden 'Horcruxes.' This adds another layer to the overall story in that it concentrates much more on the adventure's journey - much like The Lord of the Rings.

It's no secret that Rowling is well educated in the classics, and at times her influences and inspirations are evident - Tolkien; C.S. Lewis; the... New Testament Apostles?*

*Asked if she was a Christian, Rowling answered:

''Yes, I am,'' she says. ''Which seems to offend the religious right far worse than if I said I thought there was no God. Every time I've been asked if I believe in God, I've said yes, because I do, but no one ever really has gone any more deeply into it than that, and I have to say that does suit me, because if I talk too freely about that I think the intelligent reader, whether 10 or 60, will be able to guess what's coming in the books."

I'm not sure of the authenticity of this quote (I found it online), so I'll save my comments. That being said, Harry does choose to lay down his life for the lives of others (greater love hath no man); he secretly goes to meet Voldemort (reminiscent of Aslan and the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia), and he does not defend himself (like a lamb to the slaughter). And it's the act of not defending himself that "saves" him and paves the way for his resurrection (although it's not clear as to whether or not he was truly dead or simply heavily stunned).

Despite much criticism and scrutiny from the religious right, this story is not about magic, witchcraft or wizards. It's a tale of virtue and flawed heroes; of friendship and loyalty; of trust, love and reconciliation.

There are some surprise twists in the story that lie in the re-emergence of Dumbledore, and the true nature of Snape's allegiance. I mentioned in my previous blog entry that we LOVE surprises even more than explosions, body counts and clever quips from our heroes. Although this tale does not end with the shocking death of Harry, Ron or Hermione, there are enough twists and turns to appease this reader. There are a couple of loose ends, however, that I would have appreciated being just a little bit more resolved. As I said, I think Rowling did a masterful job concluding the story, but I would like to know what happened to Hagrid. The lovable , cuddly half-giant was, indeed, one of Harry's most trusted and devoted friends, and as we're told what happened to just about every other character that meant at least as much to Harry, Hagrid's outcome remains a mystery. I'd also like to know what Harry does now. He always wanted to be an auror. I'm not sure that they're necessary in the wizarding world, sans Voldemort, but surely there is still some level of evil left. It seems that every witch and wizard in the world worked for the Ministry of Magic. Is that Harry's fate too? Do he and Ginny run a quaint B&B? A nice cafe? Is he a broom mechanic, or a Quidditch coach?

These are just a couple of unanswered questions I have, but I'll leave you to your own imagination as to the answers to these queries.

McRating: 9.0

Ozomatli

2007-07-17T01:11:00.000+01:00

The last time I saw Ozomatli perform was for their first record release party/concert in 1998 at the House of Blues Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. I had connections by way of my 'brother from another mother,' Manuel Delgado (Delgado Guitars), a third generation guitar maker who'd made a guitar for Ozomatli guitarist, Raul "El Bully" Pacheco.

My ears are still ringing as I've returned from seeing them perform at The Arches here in Glasgow. In true Ozomatli fashion, the venue was jumping (quite literally) to the up tempo fusion of Latin, hip hop, jazz, funk, reggae, and rock that defines Ozomatli. This nine-piece, multiethnic band puts on a show like few other bands I've seen (up there with Fishbone & The Mighty Mighty BossTones), and they endear themselves to the audience by thoroughly engaging them throughout the show. From start to finish there is literally no lull in the performance. E-N-E-R-G-Y is just about the only word that accurately describes their stage presence.

Unlike 99% of the gigs you'll go to where the band finishes their set with a warm farewell and a 'thanks for coming out," Ozomatli, in their entirety, exited stage center directly into the welcoming arms of the crowd, where they set themselves up in the center of the Arches and initiated a drum & horns jam that veritably rocked the red brick catacombs. Closing with an enthusiastic conga line that ended in a crescendo of beating drums and blaring horns, the band esteemed themselves to the crowd once more as they closed their final number to a fury of applause and howls.

After the show I sought out Raul "El Bully" Pacheco who was surprisingly and pleasantly accessible. We talked of the show in LA and of our mutual friend, Manuel. He asked what I was doing after the show to which I responded, "Dude, I have three of the most beautiful young women in Glasgow sleeping at home, waiting for my return. I'm going there."
If you ever have the opportunity to see them perform live, I highly, highly, highly recommend it. But drink your Red Bull... you'll need the energy boost.

Will Harry Die?

2007-07-16T02:14:00.000+01:00

With the release of the fifth cinematic installment of the Harry Potter empire, and the seventh and final book due out in a week, the film-going, book-reading world is buzzing with Potter-mania!

Yes, I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix this weekend, but as I've stated in prior film reviews, I'm not going to bother reviewing films that gross hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide in less than a month. It will be argued that this is the best of the five films. It will be criticized for accelerating the storyline of the lengthiest book thus far (870 pages). Strong cases for both will be hard to refute.

But what's more interesting than the hype surrounding the current film, is the outcome of the final chapter in the literary series. Rumors have been circulating for at least two years that J.K. Rowling is going to kill off two major characters in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and we know that Rowling isn't shy about offing fan-fav characters (Professor Dumbledore; Sirius Black). So the billion dollar question is: Will Harry Potter chalk out?

As an American, I like closure. No - I need closure. The Brits don't seem to share my hang-up. They demonstrate almost limitless patience (which explains cricket) when it comes to the issue of 'resolution.'
We Yanks, however, don't want a flowery ending. We want things definitively tied-up. And that usually means a large body count. Preferably in the context of excruciating death sequences and lots of explosions. We love lots of explosions.
And we love when characters utter curt catchphrases like, "Let off some steam, Bennett," or "Stick around," after they skewer them with a lead-pipe or nail them to a wooden beam with a machete.

For these reasons, Harry Potter must die. I mean, I don't hate the kid. He's not my favorite character in the story, I actually like him. He's endearing and he's suffered a lot. So why do 80% of Americans polled think that Harry's headed to that great Quidditch match in the sky? His parents were brutally murdered, he spent his childhood in a closet, and every year someone close to him dies. Hasn't this kid been through enough already?

You want Harry to die... even if you don't know you want it. You want him to die because you want to be surprised. You want to be shocked.
Even more than explosions, we love surprises. And even though 8 out of 10 of us offer Harry our bloodlust, we know, deep down that won't happen.
Rowling doesn't have the stones.
Harry won't die because it doesn't fit with the formula for ending a grand mythological tale. Good triumphs over evil. Hope overcomes despair. Paper covers rock. Harry wins. Voldemort loses. The Ewoks sing.

Even though offering Harry a dirt nap is the only proper way to end this saga, it won't happen. However poetic, however tragic, however surprising it would be... Harry is decisively not going to die.
But how perfectly poetic would it be if a story that began with the chapter title, "The Boy Who Lived," concluded with the final chapter heading, "The Boy Who Died?" Harry is alive because his parents sacrificed their own lives to save him. It would be so appropriate if he kicked off with a similar act of self-sacrifice.

Of course, maybe if Voldemort lofted one final indefensible spell at Harry... like a mega-mother of an Avada Kedavra curse that no one has ever survived... and maybe if Harry did some kinda super-slo-mo-Matrix-stop-action move and deflected the curse back at ol' Voldy, and then the dark lord exploded everywhere into a million reptilian pieces, and then Harry blew on the tip of his wand and smirked, "I told you not to curse, Voldemort."
That'd be pretty cool, too.

Rankings, Shmrankings - The Angels are #1

2007-07-02T11:32:00.000+01:00

Check your calendars people and remember July 1, 2007 as a remarkable day in Angels Baseball history. At the end of the day, the California Angels (I still can't bring myself to write LAAoA) stand alone at the top of Major League Baseball with the best record in the league. I can't remember a time that the Angels held the best overall record in the league.
Despite overwhelming evidence that they've earned the #1 spot in the ESPN Baseball Power Rankings, the Angels still find themselves sitting behind Boston in the #2 spot. The ESPN.com writers claim that a week containing Frank Thomas' 500th home run (and ejection), Craig Biggio's 3000th hit, and Carlos Lee's walkoff grand slam, were enough dramatics for the baseball world to handle. There was no need to add further drama by rearranging what already seemed like a pretty accurate ranking... pretty accurate.

I love that the Power Rankings came out on the day that the Angels took sole possession of the best record in baseball by beating Baltimore, while Boston dropped a close one to Texas. Neither team played particularly well this week, but last week Boston jumped two spots to #1 by having one more win than the Angels that week. This week, Boston went 1-5 and held the top spot, while the Angels went 2-4, earning the best record in baseball. Boston is 4-6 in their last 10. The Angels are 6-4. The Angels have the same number of losses as Boston, but two more wins and find themselves sitting 20 games over .500 - talk about your east coast bias.

I know this could all change by Tuesday and that the Power Rankings (still) don't really mean anything, but right is right. What else could the Angels possibly do to earn their rightful place of #1 atop the Power Rankings list? Win the World Series?!?!?!?

They just might.

"Terror Related" Attack on Glasgow International Airport

2007-07-01T00:17:00.000+01:00

It's sobering when something like this happens in your own city. I've never really considered Glasgow to be much of a target for terrorist activity. London, sure. New York, a given. Los Angeles, of course. But Glasgow? Scotland???

Two men were arrested after ramming a burning car into the airport's main terminal, a day after police thwarted two attempted bombings in the capital.

Police said one of the men wore a "suspect device" and the incident was being treated as terror related.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged the public to remain vigilant.

"I know the British people will stand together, united and resolute," he added.

More on this story can be found at the BBC NEWS website.

Our Television: R.I.P.

2007-06-29T23:31:00.000+01:00

While watching TV during dinner this evening, it flickered strangely and clicked off. Upon trying to revive it, it just made a funny whizzing noise.
Remember when Truman walked through the door at the end of The Truman Show, thus ending the reality series that everyone watched? The viewers had this blank look on their faces that expressed, "Now what?" Well, that was me and Jasheen, "What are we supposed to do now? Talk?"
In fact, we use our TV for movies more than programming, and now that Jack Bauer has the off-season to decide whether to blow his brains out, jump off the cliff, or blow his brains out after jumping off the cliff... we find ourselves in a predicament. Have you priced televisions in the UK lately?

Angels hit a wall: Streaking Royals complete series sweep

2007-06-28T23:05:00.000+01:00

Talk about a buzz-kill...
After winning nine straight series and finishing off that run with a series sweep of the Pirates, the Angels returned home, where they had the best record in the league (Milwaukee now has the best home record by half a game), and proceeded to get swept by the last place team in the AL. And they didn't just get swept. The Royals, winners of four straight, beat them down by a series score of 18-7. The Angels hadn't been swept at home since Seattle won three straight in June of last season.
The Angels had matched a franchise record winning nine consecutive series. You'd think the record setting 10th was a given, but the Angels ran into a brick wall.

Two Weeks in the Life of... My Hair

2007-06-26T23:41:00.000+01:00

It all started with a simple desire to buzz my head for the summer months. Then, Jasheen said, "I've never seen you with any other color hair. Let's dye it!" Then she said, "I think I'm over the color. It's pretty much the worst I've ever seen you. Let's shave it off." The latest comment is, "Please grow your hair back and never shave it off again."

And that's the story of two weeks in the life of my hair.

*Cryptic self-portraits courtesy of... self. I'm not that hard, but a shaved dome just brings the inner thug out!

Power Rankings Got It Wrong!

2007-06-25T02:11:00.000+01:00

Sorry, but I just gotta' say that the ESPN MLB Power Rankings got it wrong this week. I'm not suggesting that Boston doesn't deserve to be considered as baseball's best team, but there hasn't been significant enough disparity in the play between the Angels and the Red Sox for the Sox to leap-frog ahead of the Angels from the #3 spot to the #1 spot. Yes, Boston went 5-1 last week and the Angels went 4-2. Wow... that IS a huge reason for the considerable ascent, eh?
The Angels have won nine straight series in a row - seven this month, finishing today with a a series sweep of Pittsburgh. They're 22 games over .500 (as is Boston). They're 8-2 in their last 10 games (Boston is 7-3), they currently have the most wins in baseball (49), and are way out in front with the best home record in the bigs (29-10). They lead Boston in runs scored (389-370); they lead Boston in team hits (755-679); they lead Boston in RBIs (365-352); and they lead Boston in team batting average (.292-.273).
Boston is playing well, there's no doubt about it. But to jump from #3 to #1 after such minimal disparity is not right.
I know these power rankings mean nothing and that it all comes down to who wins when it counts, but you always want your boys to get the respect they deserve.

(Un)Hip-Hop

2007-06-22T12:43:00.001+01:00

If you look at any prominent industry in popular culture today you can see the affect the pursuit of money has had on the quality of that industry's product. Sports has been affected as athletes jump from team to team chasing the biggest contracts, diminishing fans' loyalties and ultimately the general publics' interest in that sport. The film industry has been affected as production companies trade quality for quantity as they pump out film after film, relying on star-power and special effects rather than exceptional screen writing, acting or directing. And the Hip-Hop music industry has certainly been affected as the artists and the producers of these artists have sold out (a common term in the music industry) to the insatiable appetite for money that they so frequently rap about.

Without alluding to too much statistical data, I was reading an article a few days ago in USA Today that listed some changing trends in the music industry. Rap sales are down 33% from 2006, twice the decline for the industry overall. Five years ago rap ruled the musical roost. Eminem's album The Eminem Show was the runaway best-selling album that year with 7.6 million copies. Since then, no rap album has sold well.

In 2003, 50 Cent ruled the charts. Three years later? High School Musical. In the past year, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg,, Diddy and NaS have released albums, but only those by Jay-Z and Ludacris have even sold 1 million copies.

So why the massive drop in public interest and sales? Industry analysts suggest a range of factors including marketing strategies that have de-emphasized album sales in favor of selling less-lucrative single songs and short versions of those singles as ringtones.

I'm inclined to think it might be something else. I actually believe that today's savvy listeners are tiring of rappers emphasis on the 'gangsta' lifestyle/attitudes, and violent tales of street life and rampant, conspicuous consumption of 'the chronic.' Who really cares anymore? In the early 90s Gangsta Rap was music's radical newcomer reflecting the truth about life in the 'hood, especially from the perspective of poor and marginalized urban youths. Now it's a multi-billion dollar product.

It's rap's very success... it's transition from the Bronx block parties where it originated, to its Top 40 chart domination... that presents its biggest challenge. How do they stay authentically rooted in the environment they grew up in, while driving a Bentley with diamond-encrusted knobs and Louis Vuitton custom leather seats? And if they do discard the ghetto lifestyle of their past for triumphant stories of their successful transcendence, how long will listeners really care about their bling, their chronic, or their dubs?

The simple fact is this: you just can't be a commercial gangsta. Snoop Dogg endorses Pony sneakers; 50 Cent peddles grape flavored vitamin water. Fifteen years ago thugs were shooting kids to steal their sneakers. Now those same thugs have massive contracts to sell those sneakers... all legal and $#!+. And who in the hell is 50 Cent selling vitamin water too? Who drinks vitamin water??? Perhaps I've been out of the States for too long, but have 40oz bottles of malt liquor been replaced by 1 liter bottles of fruit flavored vitamin water? The mainstream business approach that's been taken by people who made a career out of bucking the system has drained creativity and credibility from an industry genre that desperately needs both.

Part of hip-hop's attraction has been the assumed authenticity of its lyrics and artists, but now many of today's listeners believe that so much of what's out there is orchestrated, fabricated and pre-packaged. Like many other industries, hip-hop has established a formula for success and now artists are simply trying to duplicate what's already proven successful.

Rap pioneer, KRS-One, bluntly explains, "The music is garbage. What has happened over the past few years is that we've traded art for money, simple and plain, and the public's not stupid."

Hip-hop artist, NaS, decried rap's lack of originality on his album Hip Hop Is Dead:

"Everybody sound the same, commercialize the game / Reminiscin' when it wasn't all business / They forgot where it started / So we all gather here for the dearly departed."

Hip-Hop used to be music with a message. Public Enemy's Chuck D described it as "the CNN of black culture," encompassing everything from parties to politics. Now hip-hop is a multi-billion dollar part of mainstream culture, influencing fashion, lifestyles and language, selling everything from SUVs to personal computers. One could argue that these artists (misogynists glorifying racism and violence) are simply making good on their own success, but the problem is they're still selling 'ghetto' while appearing on MTV's Cribs.

It all boils down to authenticity. Rappers are still trying to capitalize on the street cred they may have legitimately earned in years past, but it's hard to captivate an audience when you're a multi-millionaire sporting a diamond covered handgun pendant spitting lyrics about life in the 'hood.

Rap may not be dead, but it's significantly weakened, in part by its own doing. The strategy of pushing singles to sell albums has backfired in the digital age. Why spend $19.99 on a mediocre complete album when you can download the album's two good songs for 99-cents each? Rap's early pioneers like Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy and LL Cool J touched on humor, politics, ghetto life and the realities of their surroundings. Today rap has degenerated from an art form into a ringtone. And that's where the backlash is coming from.

Hip-hop must reinvent itself if it's going to survive. It needs to start addressing the current issues society is facing. There's only so much bling, hos and chronic the public can take.

And a word to the industry (from an unqualified rep): reinventing itself does not mean diluting the product by jumping on whatever Top 40 genre is hot right now. Hip-hop is hip-hop. Jumping on the Gwen Stefani train is not reinventing yourself. It's self-preservation; it's trying to stay afloat.

Book Review: A Tale of Three Kings

2007-06-21T00:36:00.001+01:00

A Tale of Three Kings: A Study in Brokenness - Gene Edwards

One glance at the back cover and I wondered, "Why haven't I read this yet???"

"Many Christians have experienced pain, loss, and heartache at the hands of other believers. To those believers, this compelling story offers comfort, healing and hope."

This story addresses those facing the pain and brokenness that result from unfair treatment by other believers, and promises to provide encouragement through this powerful story about David, Saul, and Absalom.

This book is a very insightful retrospective examining the contrast in character quality found in three Old Testament kings: Saul, David and Absalom. You may be familiar with the story of these three kings (found in 1 & 2 Samuel), and you'll be surprised at how relevant the lessons learned from these character studies are today.

Reviewing how David coped with an insane king that tried to kill him, and a vain, narcissistic son that tried to usurp him (both of which nearly succeeded), is an amazing study in God's love, grace and wisdom.

But keep in mind, this IS a case study in brokenness. This is next-level-faith type stuff. The patience, surrender, reverence for God and faith in His will that David displays in these situations is not easily attained or executed. In fact, it's completely counterintuitive to how we (and those around us) may expect us to behave.

At the same time, the revelations that wash over you as you read this book and the profound perspective this story can offer you will likely change your life. As Edwards says himself, you may not like the questions this book raises, and you'll probably like the answers even less, but this book is a must-read for anyone interested in any kind of leadership in Kingdom-minded service.

Film Review: Ocean's 13

2007-06-16T18:08:00.000+01:00

Let me begin by giving this film its rating first. Ocean's 13 gets a 7.5 on entertainment value alone. Probably the best aspect of this film lies with the interplay between the main characters. This film succeeds thanks to its star-power. George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon are captivating together on-screen. It adds to the charm if you've ever watched an interview with them before. It's almost as if they're playing themselves in the film. These guys are really friends, and they really banter back-and-forth with one another.

Like all trilogies, this film has the benefit of capitalizing on what the audience already knows this crew is capable of. There is little to no character development necessary. They can even by-pass the necessary time and elements of setting up the big score.

O 13's only failure is that it plays out very predictably from the beginning, and despite another seemingly 'impossible job,' everything comes off flawlessly. Even when they try to misdirect with the occasional snag, it barely seems to interrupt their progress at all. Consider the need for a $30 million piece of equipment that resides in France. You blink, and they have it. And they still appear to be right on schedule. Some of their ploys even seem rudimentary: Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia) enters a faux-bidding war with head bad guy, Willie Bank (Al Pacino), over a new casino game and Bank bites hard; Basher (Don Cheadle) impersonates a motorcycle stunt-man to distract Willie Bank when the only real threat to their scheme arises; and the ol' diamond switch-a-roo... well, let's just say that was as predictable as the sunrise.

Everyone knows what's going to happen and that's okay. No one expects a Sixth Sense ending. They expect to see a cool crew of dapper lads do what they do best, and that's where Ocean's 13 delivers.

Steven Soderbergh (director) is well on form, creating as cool an atmosphere as he's done since Out of Sight or Traffic.

McRating: 7.5

(I've also seen Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, but I'm not going to rate or review films that gross $400 million and everyone goes to see twice)

Angels On Top (for now)

2007-06-16T13:13:00.001+01:00

The Angels have been playing great baseball in June and have been awarded the top spot in the ESPN Baseball Power Rankings this week. They may not carry the best record in baseball (2nd best actually), but they've been among the hottest teams of the past couple of weeks. Now if they can just avoid the ESPN #1 curse. They're the third team in three weeks to adorn the top of the list, and both prior teams (Red Sox, Padres) went on a skid after being proclaimed #1.

Go LAAoA - Beat LA!

VANITY FAIR: The Africa Issue

2007-06-12T11:42:00.001+01:00

I'm not usually one to pimp periodicals, but the July issue of Vanity Fair is definitely worth picking up. The tough part will be deciding which one to pick up. Twenty-one people put their famous faces on 20 different covers, all shot by world famous photographer, Annie Leibovitz. Cover celebs include: Bono, Muhammad Ali, Maya Angelou, George W. Bush, George Clooney, Bill Gates, Djimon Hounsou, Jay-Z, Madonna, Brad Pitt, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Oprah Winfrey and more.
This special edition is guest-edited by Bono himself, who asserts that if he weren't in music, he'd be a journalist. The issue touches on all the main issues surrounding Africa today: poverty, AIDS and politics, as well as personal accounts from several active celebrities. Jeffrey Sach's $200 Billion Dream about the eradication of poverty in Africa is particularly compelling and poignant.
Prepare to be inspired and moved to participate in a global effort to repay what population geneticists call "humanity's first home."

VANITY FAIR: The Africa Issue - on newsstands now.

The Neoplatonist

2007-06-11T14:04:00.000+01:00

Darting, he fled
the pressures of a labeled society,
an unwanted perfectionist
crying in the dark.

Blundering, he fell
into a quagmire of filth and oppression,
a bottomless pit of exceptionable idealists,
mewling for the vague hope of life.

Radiant, he emerged
head held high in a dream of ambiguity,
eyes blotting out the dark,
listening only to the pure.

Rampantly, he collided,
regnant society dived at his sanity,
pinning him to an immaterial reality,
plundering his ignorance.

-end-

West End Festival 2007

2007-06-11T11:39:00.000+01:00

Byres Road: Body 2 Body

Yesterday marked the launch of the 2007 Glasgow West End Festival, the city's largest and most popular event. The festival is a two-week long celebration of music, theater, film, dance and comedy.
Byres Road turns into a pedestrian street party, crammed to capacity with people, pets, strollers, hot dog/hamburger peddlers, outdoor stages, musicians, guided walks, talks and lastly, a parade.
Gabrielle strapped securely to my back, we ventured together into the malaise and moshed our way up and down Byres Road. Jasheen played it smart and stayed in w/ Isabelle (we're learning). It was a fantastic experience seeing the city come together like it did. Being out in the crowd where all the people are... Gabrielle and I were right in our element.
We saw some pretty wild things: men on stilts, clowns, a big herd of dancing bananas, transvestites, etc. But maybe the most interesting thing I saw was a scuffle between a Chinese man and some meditating Buddhist monks. As several monks were meditating (on display), a young Chinese man stormed their booth and gathered up as much of their propaganda as he could. Arms filled with Chinese pamphlets and an incensed look on his face, the man tried to break free from the grasp of a few monks. That's what was so interesting... the image of a Buddhist monk physically restraining a man was just... mystifying. I wish I'd snapped a photo. Commonly, monks are awash with humility and serenity - images of contrite postures of meditation come to mind. And of course, the immortalized photo of Thich Quang Duc burning himself in protest of the Vietnam war is an image easily associated with Buddhist monks. Which is why this image of a physical altercation was so baffling. It's just one of those things that takes time to wrap your mind around.
All that to say, we saw some wild and crazy things at the West End Festival yesterday. It may not be the greatest show on earth, but it always provides interesting experiences and imagery.

Before & After

2007-06-08T23:38:00.000+01:00

Anaheim: Sports' Hallowed Ground?

2007-06-07T00:19:00.000+01:00

Is there a tear in the time/space continuum? A parallel universe, perhaps; a self-contained separate reality coexisting with our own? I only ask because of the strange events afoot in the general area of Anaheim, California. I grew up in the shadow of Anaheim Stadium - that's what it was called before it was dubbed, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, and even before it was temporarily called Edison International Field of Anaheim. I watched The Pond being constructed - when it was known as, The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, and is now referred to as The Honda Center.
The sports gods have focused their favor directly on the area containing those two venues. The Ducks of Anaheim are on the verge of introducing Lord Stanley's cup to southern California, and the Angels are playing some of the best baseball in the land. Despite their 2002 success winning the World Series, the Angels have rarely been the focus of such success. And never have the collective fans of Orange County had so much to be excited about.
The Angels are off to their best start in franchise history and the Ducks are one win away from hoisting Hockey's holy grail. I'm not even on the continent and I can feel the electricity surging through Anaheim.

Strange things, indeed, are afoot in the home best known for it's universally famous Mouse.

Go Angels!
Go Ducks!

A Seaside Adventure

2007-06-04T17:09:00.000+01:00

It's been three-and-a-half years since my last visit to the quaint, seaside village of Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae. Surprisingly, very little has changed at all. There is still very little to do (especially if the weather is poor) other than cycle 12 miles around the island.
This visit was with the Lauderdale Park Association, a community group from Hyndland (a small neighborhood in Glasgow's west end). We were invited to join a group of 60+ on a day-trip out to Millport - we probably should have been somewhat concerned when we showed up with the two youngest children on the trip.
High winds and scattered showers made for a full day getting acquainted with two of Millport's four pubs - the two most child-friendly ones. Patrick, Jasheen, Gabrielle, Isabelle and I took an hour-and-a-half tour bus journey to an island off the west coast of Scotland to hang out in a couple of pubs. Well, at least it was good family time... sort of. Due to the excessive traveling (bus, ferry, stroller, etc.), Isabelle missed her scheduled feeds and naps and by 3:00pm she was wrecked. There was no consoling her so Jasheen opted to get a lift home from one of the women that had driven herself. Jasheen and Isabelle left early and Patch, Gaby and I stayed on.
It wasn't a total loss, looking back. We engaged in much more conversation with some friends and new friends than we would have done had the weather been better. I got to share a bit more about what we're doing in Scotland. I love the conversational pause that occurs when I say that I'm a minister of religion. It's important to detail the "religion" part of my title as "ministers" here generally refer to parliament. Typically, the conversation doesn't appear to change on the surface, but there is usually a brief gaze from other people as they mentally retrace their words and actions of the day, wondering if they've "sinned" in the presence of a minister. I don't allow this mental pause to linger for long, usually adding, "Not that kind of minister." Meaning, I'm not the pastor of a church.
Following this kind of revelation there is usually either a radical change in dynamic for the remainder of the conversation, or people instantly feel like they can 'talk' to you - share their thoughts, questions, problems, etc. I think a little of both happened on Saturday.

All in all, it was a productive trip, despite the undesirable conditions. Relationships were made and strengthened. And we learned the valuable lesson that we're not quite ready for a full-day excursion with our 20-month-old and our 11-week-old.

Word to the Millport-bound: Bring your golf clubs or your bike (or rent one). Go when the weather is nice. Leave your small children behind.

What did he just say?

2007-06-03T18:10:00.001+01:00

He's as hard to understand when he speaks as he is when he sings.
Rob Zombie, on his (non)remake of John Carpenter's Halloween:

"The only reason I said I would do it was because I thought I came up with a way to do it. I didn't just do it to do it; I only did it because I feel like I really had a way to do it."

Awesome, Rob! Just Do It™

™Just Do It may not be used without the expressed written consent of NIKE, nike.com, Niketown, niketown.com, NikeBiz, nikerunning.com, Nike iD, Nike+, JumpMan23, jumpman23.com, NikeAir or NikeStore.

The Oates' Valor

2007-05-29T10:17:00.001+01:00

The Oates' Valor is a 12-minute short film written and directed by Tim Thaddeus Cahill (27), an up-and-coming writer/director from southern California. The film was recently selected as one of 11 short-films to show at the 2007 Festival De Cannes. Prior to Cannes, the film was also an official selection at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

I've known Tim since he was about 12 years old. My brother, Patrick McKenzie (27), worked as the Production Designer for the film.

The film is a glimpse into the struggles of fourth trombonist, Boyson Oates, as he flees home following several failed attempts at appeasing his father's militant demands.

To watch the trailer and to find out more about The Oates' Valor and Tim Cahill's other works, visit epistrophe films.

Pathology(n) Implants, Please

2007-05-26T14:14:00.000+01:00

If you were to add up all of the psychological ailments that Americans complain of, the snapshot that emerges is a nation full of ninnyhammers (basket-cases, nut-jobs, psychos). Ten million suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Fourteen million are alcoholics. Fifteen million are pathologically socially anxious. Fifteen million are depressed. Three million suffer panic attacks. Ten million have Borderline personality disorder. Twelve million have "restless legs." Five million are obsessive/compulsive. Two million are manic-depressive. Ten million are addicted to sex. If you consider wild-card afflictions like Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and you factor in room for overlap (people suffering from more than one problem), you'll conclude that about 77% of the population is a mess. Throw in a few new quantifiable disorders, and everyone in the country will be officially and justifiably nuts.

In short, Americans are turning into annoyingly self-absorbed hypochondriacs. Authorities on the subject are somewhat split, it seems. While some diagnosed subjects are genuinely suffering from these disorders, others, it's believed, are simply justifying their anti-social behavior because they can. Go ahead and cry, says the prevailing psychological wisdom. Any trifling discomfort you may experience has been legitimized. If you're rude, short-tempered, impatient, deviant, or maladjusted, there is a diagnosis that acquits your conduct.

Perhaps you know someone that is impaired by one of these pathological ailments. And perhaps it's legitimate. I myself have been recently exploring a personality disorder called histrionic personality disorder (HPD), or hysterical personality disorder. HPD is a personality disorder which involves a pattern of excessive emotional expression and attention-seeking. These individuals are lively, dramatic, enthusiastic, and flirtatious. They may be inappropriately sexually provocative, express strong emotions with an impressionistic style, and be easily influenced by others.

This disorder occurs more frequently in women than in men, but the literature differentiates HPD according to gender. Women with HPD are described as self-centered, self-indulgent, and intensely dependent on others. They are emotionally labile and cling to others in the context of immature relationships. Females with HPD over identify with others, commonly assuring people that "[they] are the only people I feel comfortable with, or can talk to"; they project their own unrealistic, fantasied intentions onto people with whom they are involved. They are emotionally shallow and have difficulty understanding others or themselves in any depth. Selection of marital or sexual partners is often highly inappropriate. Pathology increases with the level of intimacy in relationships. These individuals are inclined to exploit physical symptoms such as sickness and fatigue, behavior associated with their incessant need for attention.

People with this disorder are usually able to function at a high level and can be successful socially and at work. However, histrionic personality disorder may affect a person's social or romantic relationships or their ability to cope with loss or failure. They often fail to see their own situation realistically, instead tending to dramatize and exaggerate. Responsibility for failure or disappointment is usually blamed on others. They may go through frequent job/life changes, as they become easily bored and have trouble dealing with frustration. Because they tend to crave novelty and excitement, they may place themselves in risky situations. All of these factors may lead to greater risk of developing depression.

The cause of this disorder is unknown, but childhood events and genetics may both be involved. Little research has been conducted to determine the biologic sources of this disorder. Psychoanalytic theories incriminate seductive and authoritarian attitudes by fathers of these patients.

The symptoms include:

- Constant seeking of reassurance.
- Excessive dramatics with exaggerated displays of emotions.
- Excessive sensitivity to criticism or disapproval.
- Inappropriately seductive behavior.
- Excessive concern with physical appearance.
- A need to be the center of attention (self-centeredness).
- Low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification.
- Rapidly shifting emotional states that may appear shallow to others.
- Tendency to believe that relationships are more intimate than they actually are.
- Make impulsive decisions with little regard to the affect on others.
- The need to create drama or crisis in their lives to achieve significance/attention

Diagnostic criteria:

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, defines histrionic personality disorder as a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention
2. interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior
3. displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
4. consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self
5. has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail
6. shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion
7. considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are.

A mnemonic that can be used to remember the criteria for histrionic personality disorder is PRAISE ME:

P - provocative (or seductive) behavior
R - relationships, considered more intimate than they are
A - attention, must be at center of
I - influenced easily
S - speech (style) - wants to impress, lacks detail
E - emotional labiality, shallowness
M - make-up - physical appearance used to draw attention to self
E - exaggerated emotions - theatrical

Treatment:

Because of the lack of research support for work on personality disorders and long-term treatment with psychotherapy, the empirical findings on the treatment of these disorders remain based on the case report method and not on clinical trials. On the basis of case presentations, the treatment of choice is psychotherapy aimed at self-development through resolution of conflict and advancement of inhibited developmental lines. Group therapy is not recommended for those with HPD because it often perpetuates histrionic behavior because the person then has an audience to play off of.

- Family therapy
- Medications
- Alternative therapies

Associated Conditions:

- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Panic disorder
- Somatization disorders
- Anorexia

Hopefully this will assist you in identifying abnormal behavioral patterns among people you know. To find out more in your quest, you may investigate Borderline personality disorder, Hysteria, or Narcissistic personality disorder.

The Tale of Ferret Man

2007-05-20T00:36:00.000+01:00

This is a tale of times past and of times yet to come. A time that will, and yet won't be...

Our tale takes place in a city that isn't, it a time that won't be. Our hero, Ferret Man, is a man who is not. He lives in a secluded little room that will never be. He cries tears that aren't, for people who could never hear.

Ferret Man, who isn't, lives a life; a life that never was; a life that could never hope to be. Ferret Man was a dreamer; a dreamer that dreamed dreams that could be.

He dreamed, cried, and was not. The rest of the city simply refused to be. It didn't dream or cry, because it wasn't.

The villain of our story is an age-old fellow. It has been argued that this villain isn't; that he couldn't possibly be; that he never was and never will be. That villain that haunts us all is old Father Time. Is it? Isn't it? Will it? Won't it? Ferret Man doesn't think so. He cries tears that aren't, but nobody hears.

Old Father Time relentlessly pursued our hero that wasn't. Everywhere he turned, old Father Time returned his dry-eyed stare. Every time Poppa Time struck at him, however, our hero, who could never possibly be, slithered, only slightly injured, out of the way.

Back in his secluded little room, Ferret Man dreams dreams of people who can hear. He wakes up and looks at a city that is definitely not - and cries.

Nobody hears.

Eventually, as is the case for us all, evil, old Father Time caught up with our hero, who had no problem not being, and turned his bones to dust. Dust that wasn't.

And in the city that wasn't and couldn't; in a secluded little room that would never be; in a chair that hadn't been; sat a man that could. His eyes, that were somehow closed, dropped a tear on his cheek - a cheek that never was.

And he dreamed.
Beautiful dreams.

-end-

Poppin' all the Locks

2007-05-18T02:10:00.001+01:00

Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

The Day the Earth Stood Stupid

2007-05-14T10:31:00.000+01:00

Aldous Huxley has Brave New World.
Mike Judge has Idiocracy.

While BNW is considerably smarter, both share a strikingly similar dystopian vision of the future.

Mike Judge has built his career on stupidity, from his earliest creation of redneck simpleton, Inbred Jed, to the wildly popular MTV phenomenon that was Beavis And Butt-Head, to his cult hit Office Space (with the best ever use of the phrase "ass clown"). Idiocracy remains true to Judge's twit-themed criterion in its apocalyptic vision of a world gone dumb, based on the simple theory that people with lower IQs breed faster than eggheads. It's actually a plausible hypothesis to indulge. It's become all too common in society to hear that upwardly mobile cultural elites are postponing their plans to start a family until they get settled in their career, until they are financially more secure, or until the housing market stabilizes. Such factors don't seem to be influencing the middle to lower-class and thus, they continue to produce offspring at an alarming rate. It's Darwinism at it's purest. As the unintelligent begins exponentially outnumbering the intelligent, the fittest become the masses and thus, they are the ones that survive.

Luke Wilson's outstandingly average army man is at the center of Idiocracy as he is cryogenically frozen and wakes up 500 years in the future -- as the world's smartest man. He awakens to a world of digital clock towers, sofas with built-in toilet seats, a Gatorade-type sports drink that's bought out and replaced water, and the fast food and sex industries have merged (naturally).

The premise pretty much gives Judge free rein to attack anywhere he sees standards dropping and stupidity creeping in. He rips reality TV (with a show called Ow! My Balls! in which the central character's family jewels are repeatedly bludgeoned to a cacophony of laughter and cheers). Costco is a warehouse city, bigger and more stocked than could ever be necessary. And the President of the United States is sponsored by Mountain Dew. It's a rare thing when films feature anti-product placement.

Although the film itself doesn't even do the concept justice, it is a clever and gutsy comedy with something to say. I mean, how far off is this supposition, really? As audiences lap up 'comedies' such as Epic Movie, and Paris Hilton is glorified in all her folly, and people tune in intently to watch other people (with no apparent redeeming qualities to offer society) live out their lives on camera (and foolishly believe that it's 'reality'), are we not screaming toward a world gone dumb? I don't know that society will ever actually reach the depths of stupidity that sees entire irrigation units replace water with a power drink, but we are rapidly approaching a society that celebrates the deficient and abhors all things that don't include systematic neurological jolts that keep our adhd in check.

It's far from great, but depending on your mood, you'll likely find it at least mildly entertaining and thought provoking.

McRating: 6.0

Top 10 Comic Book Movies (Revised)

2007-05-10T17:45:00.000+01:00

A slue of adapted-for-cinema graphic novels and comic book series have littered theaters for the past three decades, and several upcoming blockbusters set for release over the next year or so already in production, I thought it would be a good time to revisit my Top 10 Comic Book Movies list.

Agree, disagree, or indifferent, the following entries have proven to be more than just fodder for fanboys/girls and comic shop geeks. This is the lowdown on the best movies from the funkiest, funniest and coolest genre around.
Entries are not judged merely on their superior f/x or the accuracy of their adaptation, but again, their impact on cinema and the movie-going public at the time of their release. That's not to say that those attributes have been ignored, just not solely based upon.
I won't take the time or energy to breakdown each film in depth, but will give a satisfactory synopsis of each.

Here we go...

1. BATMAN BEGINS (2005): Although the previous four Batman releases thoroughly beat the Dark Knight franchise with the camp stick, this rendition redeems our hero by maintaining the same dark malevolence and coarse credibility that fuelled Frank Miller's revamp of the comic book franchise with The Dark Knight Returns (DC Comics, 1986). Despite the enigmatic title, this film gave us a cooler Batmobile, a killer cast and great villain in Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow.

2. 300 (2007): the latest adaptation of graphic novelist Frank Miller's creation based on the legendary Battle of Thermopylae. Championed by its makers as "Gladiator meets Sin City," the cinematic rendition of 300 is ferociously loyal to its bronze-and-crimson-colored graphic predecessor. This opulent, brutal and bloody declaration of discipline and belligerence may be far removed from the reality of the actual battle (although some historians number the invading force at 1 million, others claim that the Persian army consisted of no more than 250,000), Leonidas and company did face laughably overwhelming odds. 300 recounts the country's finest hour. Spartans have long been heralded as the fiercest warriors the world has ever known, but it was at Thermopylae that they earned their eternal glory. Nothing is more epic nor inspiring than the tradition of the defiant David standing up to the all-powerful Goliath - Homer knew it (The Iliad); Leonidas knew it; Frank Miller knew it; and after watching 300, you'll know it too.

3. SUPERMAN THE MOVIE (1978): Richard Donner's adaptation of the most iconic superhero of all time (Spidey and Bats are phenoms, but the Man Of Steel is the big kahuna) is a fantastical story that gave viewers the sense that the story was actually happening - that one would believe a man really could fly. Sure, the effects have dated considerably since the near-30 years that Christopher Reeves soared around the globe (reversing time), but it still has a sense of scale that impresses.

4. X-MEN 2 (2003): Bryan Singer's second stab at the X franchise is the perfect comic book entree which is exciting (Nightcrawler's attempt to assassinate the President), moving (Wolverine's anguish over his past), topical (a feared minority starts global conflict), and intimate (Iceman's 'coming-out' to his family). This edition was smart, funny and complex... and hugely successful for Singer, which bodes well for us as he is responsible for Superman's return later this year.

5. SPIDER-MAN (2002): A by-the-book origin movie that invites viewers to journey with Spidey every step of the way, as he faces off with a giggling Green Goblin. Getting to see the softer side of Spider-Man (Peter Parker) hit such a chord with movie-goers that this film is still the highest-grossing superhero flick of all time.

6. SIN CITY (2005): It was only a matter of time before someone attempted a direct rendering of the bold framing of comic book panels to film. Robert Rodriguez partnered with SIN CITY creator, Frank Miller, in this neo-noir release to produce the most accurate adaptation of graphic-novel-to-big-screen that's ever been done. SIN CITY oozes with style and its black and white film only adds to the style-over-substance design.

7. X-MEN (2000): This was the first Marvel masterpiece which sees a team of mutant superheroes protecting the very people who fear them. Riddled with spectacular special f/x, X-MEN is a wonderful story that single-handedly relaunched the comic-book-to-film genre after Warner Brothers effectively destroyed it with the horrific "Batman & Robin."

8. BLADE (1998): Predating the Matrix's leather chic by a year, BLADE is a slamming slice of high-quality action, dripping with attitude and cool. We see a reinvented BLADE (from the comic book) as a vampire hunter with a serious penchant for kung fu - the opening scene, in which BLADE lays waste to a nightclub full of bloodsuckers, is a veritable classic!

9. SUPERMAN II (1980): A multi-layered, multi-toned movie in which Supes falls in love, faces his own mortality and takes on three evil Kryptonians, each as powerful as him. With these three sub-plots in the mix, SUPERMAN II should never have worked... not to mention the fact that director Richard Donner was fired with 70% of the movie in the can, and replaced by Richard Lester, known for his playful streak that by all rights should not have meshed with Donner's straight-faced Americana.
But it worked.

10. HELLBOY (2004): Monstrous, horned and sporting an arm made of solid rock, for all intents and purposes, HELLBOY is the antithesis of almost every superhero you can imagine (save for, possibly, Ghost Rider or Lobo... but most of you have probably never heard of him). He's the spawn of the devil, for one thing, which may be why this labor of love is so appealing - spooky, exciting and romantic. Yes, romantic.

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order):

The Road to Perdition
A History of Violence
V For Vendetta
Conan the Barbarian
The Punisher (w/ Thomas Jane)
Ghost World

The Five Worst Comic Movies (in no particular order):

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
Batman & Robin
Tank Girl
Dick Tracy
The Punisher (Dolph Lundgren)

Bye-Bye Christy... for now anyway

2007-05-10T11:41:00.001+01:00

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think"

Christopher Robin to Pooh
A.A. Milne, Creator of Winnie-the-Pooh

I remember when I first heard that one of the participants joining nieuCommunities this year was a girl who had half-sleeves on both arms... I thought, "Oh good, a normal person."

Definition: nor-mal [nawr-muhl] - adjective
conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural; serving to establish a standard; approximately average

Ok, so my initial assessment was off a bit. Christy Lynn Scott is definitely not normal. That's not to say she's 'abnormal,' per se, she's just... well, she's special - wait, not in a 'short-bus, touch-me-and-I'll-stab-you-in-the-eye-with-a-fork,' kind of special... just special... to me, Jasheen and Gabrielle.

(and to think... I fancied myself a writer at one point)

Like most of the participants, Christy really didn't know what she was joining when she came to Glasgow this year. And like most of the participants, she had her (un?)fair share of personal and spiritual struggles. Aside from being Gabrielle's babysitter - of which she turned out to be spectacular - Jasheen and I got to know Christy most intimately as we journeyed with her through some of the more challenging times of her stay here. Our love and care for Christy grew more and more as she demonstrated a sincere level of vulnerability and honesty with us. And the one constant that we recognized in Christy, amidst times of loneliness, despair, frustration and even severe nightmares, was her unwavering commitment to find God in her circumstances.

Often times I believe that if we're not experiencing the JOY that we know comes from our wholeness in Christ, we think we're not experiencing God. When in fact, there are so many more ways for us to encounter God's presence in our lives. If life is hard or not-fun... if things aren't going our way or to our liking, we think God is absent. In other words, when we don't see God's goodness in our day-to-day lives, we assume He's absent... because of course, God is all about fun, fun, fun all the time, time, time.

Well I think I can say with accuracy, that the times Christy experienced God's overwhelming goodness while she was here, were few and far between, but that never stopped her pursuit of God, nor did it infringe upon her belief that God was still actively present in her life and circumstances. She intentionally sought out people and places where she could engage God and serve others - two of her highest values - and it was never a mystery that the Bible was a constant source of nourishment that she returned to regularly for strength and comfort.

I think it's safe to say that for most of her stay here in Glasgow, Christy was misunderstood - often times beheld at face-value, when there was so much more beneath the exterior. Jasheen and I were invited to see beneath the exterior, and we were blessed for it.

Christy left this morning, returning to southern California to begin a new chapter in her life. Grad school? Make-up artist to the stars? Aerospace engineer? God only knows. But she didn't leave before joining Jasheen, Gabrielle and I for supper last night at our favorite 'fine food emporium' in town - Kember & Jones (shock & awe - it was Christy's first time). We soaked up our last moments together and talked of plausible times in the near future that we might be able to see each other again. As tears streamed down Christy's and Jasheen's cheeks outside Tennents pub on the corner of Byres Road and Highburgh Road, it was hard to watch them hug and say goodbye. After one tearful goodbye two-and-a-half years ago, Jasheen swore never to get close enough to another participant to hurt like that again -- oh well, two-and-a-half years is a good run as far as personal oaths go, don't you think?

We'll miss you, Christy... and we love you!

James Banez: R.I.P.

2007-05-08T12:12:00.001+01:00

It would be so cliche´ to say, "It's times like this that remind us how fragile life really is." But how else are you supposed to react to these kinds of circumstances?
I found out on Friday evening that a friend of mine from high school was in a fatal car accident on Highway 101 in California. I was really better friends with his sister, but we all grew up in church together. James Banez was around the EV Free Fullerton youth ministry for as long as I can remember. He was older than me... 5 years, actually, but he was always on our surf trips and at our summer camps... and like I said, I was friends with his younger sister, Charity. Which is where this tragedy takes a turn for the worse. On the day of his death, James was heading up to Palo Alto to comfort his younger sister. Charity and her husband had just lost their 3-month-old baby girl, Zoe, unexpectedly. James, his brother Allen and sister Sarah were on their way up north from Orange County when their vehicle was struck from behind and sent into the center divide. James (driving) was killed instantly, while Allen and Sarah were treated for abrasions, lacerations and other minor injuries and released a couple of days later. The driver of the other vehicle fled the scene of accident before CHP arrived and is still at large.
James (39) is survived by his wife Brenda and three children with one on the way.

What do I say about this? I mean, a family lost a two loved ones on the same day!!! Do I journey down some existential expose´ on life, death, what it all means, why, God, why??? I don't think so. I think I'll just remind myself that His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts. And right now, I trust that He is enjoying the company of two of his beloved children...

James Joseph Banez & Zoe Elkington

News Story: http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_124122505.html

Sunshine

2007-04-20T23:57:00.000+01:00

In the not-too-distant-future, the sun is about to peter out. A crew is sent to re-ignite it with a nuclear bomb; when they fail, a new team is sent to finish the job (seven years later). But they find that flying to the least hospitable place in our solar system and staying alive is no supersymmetric matter.

Although Sunshine is not on my list of 2007 potential blockbusters, this proved to be a dark horse in the realm of sleeper sci-fi thrillers. While most deep-space films aspire to create a fear of the vacuous dark, Sunshine will leave you afraid the sun.

Helmer, Danny (28 Days Later) Boyle, proves again that there is no film genre that he can't successfully tackle. His venture into the claustrophobia of spaceship living, aggressively hissing pistons, bellowing alert signals, and clanging corridors stretching darkly into certain doom, certainly resembles any number of iconoclastic space odysseys from the past. But this rendition veers from the archetypal patterns we've seen before of monsters hiding in cupboards, or indeed the dark - this time Boyle cleverly employs the provider of all life as our ultimate enemy - the sun.

Boyle casts an ensemble of recognizable, albeit modestly famous faces, that you'll recall with familiarity - Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai), Chris Evans (FF's, the Human Torch), Rose Byrne (the girl who beds Achilles in Troy), and Cillian Murphy (starry-eyed survivor from 28 Days Later) - but that suggest any one of them could kick off as soon as the mission goes pear-shaped. As they swiftly and spectacularly do.

Disaster ensues when the crew realizes that the ship they were sent to replace hasn't disappeared at all, but is simply bathing in the rays of the sun. And despite the fact that this kind of heroism almost never ends well in sci-fi movies, they set off to rescue, or at the very least, salvage it. The ensuing madness yields world-class, white-knuckle cinematic brilliance, and also reveals that there is nothing new under the proverbial (sci-fi) sun.

If the fast-paced action of the film ever gave you time to examine similarities to sci-fi movies past (which it categorically does not), you might find yourself thinking, "Ooh, that's sort of like Alien"/"I remember that from 2001"/"Man, that seems a lot like Event Horizon"/"Gadzooks, there's even a nod to Dr. Strangelove" (if your particularly pretentious). There's the noble captain willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good; the cowardly, unqualified second-in-command; a bit where the airlock malfunctions; lots of violently flashing lights, and an onboard computer that sounds like a patient but unhelpful self-help tape. None of these should spoil the overall enjoyment of the film, but it does beg the question, "Has the narrow genre of People Go Mad in Space reached its creative critical mass?"

Of course, you'll only have the opportunity to weigh such considerations after the credits begin rolling, because Boyle is far too busy wringing you dry of perspiration before that. I have long stated, based on my limited ability to assess such things, that developing a compelling conclusion is the toughest thing to do in film making. Sadly, this is somewhat true with this film as well. As the tension escalates and the bodycount rises, it appears that we're well on our way to a genre classic, but in spite of the intense build up, the finale leaves a bit of an enigmatic taste in your mouth (perhaps intentionally). The result is that an otherwise gripping film closes with a bit of a fizzle rather than an explosive sunburst.

McRating: 8.5

Prayer Devotional

2007-04-17T18:04:00.000+01:00

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

Romans 11:33

Thank You that you have me in the place You want me just now... that even if I got here through wrong choices or indifference or even rebellion, You knew my mistakes and sins before I ever existed, and You worked them into Your plan to draw me to Yourself, to mold and bless me, and to bless others through me. Thank You that, even if I'm here through the ill-will, ineptness or poor judgment of other people, all is well; for in Your sovereign wisdom You are at work to bring about good results from all those past decisions, those past events beyond my control - good results both for me and for others. Thank You again that you meant for good the terrible things that happened to Joseph, who was sold into slavery, exiled to a distant country, and later sent to prison on false accusations... and through all this You had him in the right place at the right time, for highly important reasons. I'm glad Lord, that You are the same today - well able to work things out for us, to turn evil into good. I stand amazed at the complexity and mystery of Your wisdom. How safe it is for me to trust Your reasons for acting (or not acting) and Your methods of working!
Thank You that I can safely commit my location and situation to You. I can be "willing for You to shift me anywhere on life's checkerboard, or bury me anywhere in life's garden, gladly yielding myself for You to please Yourself with, anywhere and anyway You choose" (source unknown). Thank you that I can trust You with my future places - ready to go, ready to stay.
So I rest in the fact that You have me in this place for this day, and I praise You that You will faithfully guide me throughout life to just where You want me to be, as I seek to do Your will.
And most important of all is my place in You. How delighted I am to have you as my dwelling place where I can settle down, feel secure and be content anywhere on earth... You are my blessed home, "where I can enter and be at rest even when all around and above is a sea of trouble" (Andrew Murray). How my soul delights to hide in the secret of Your presence... to take refuge in the shadow of Your wings, to eat at Your table, to drink my fill of the river of Your delights. How blessed I am, my King and my God, for You have chosen me, and brought me near, to live in Your presence, to behold Your delightfulness, to seek Your counsel... And to think that I will dwell in Your house forever!

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

PSALM 91:1

300

2007-03-29T00:27:00.000+01:00

Honor. Glory. Duty. History. Gore... and Goat-headed Minstrels.

Of the 22 films on my 2007 (potential) blockbusters list, I've now seen three - and have decided not to see at least one of them (Smokin' Aces got Gigli-like reviews): Blood Diamond, a rousing and well-made film about the conflict diamond situation in Africa, Rocky Balboa, a touching tribute and fitting farewell to our favorite palooka, and now...

300, the latest adaptation of graphic novelist Frank Miller's creation based on the legendary Battle of Thermopylae. Championed by its makers as "Gladiator meets Sin City," the cinematic rendition of 300 is ferociously loyal to its bronze-and-crimson-colored graphic predecessor.
As Persian emperor Xerxes descends on Greece in 480 BC, the Spartan king Leonidas (played by Glasgow's own Gerard Butler), musters his army of 300, forbidden by custom and religion,
to Thermopylae to defend the "Hot Gates" against the vast invading force.

This opulent, brutal and bloody declaration of discipline and belligerence may be far removed from the reality of the actual battle (although some historians number the invading force at 1 million, others claim that the Persian army consisted of no more than 200,000), Leonidas and company did face laughably overwhelming odds. 300 recounts the country's finest hour. Spartans have long been heralded as the fiercest warriors the world has ever known, but it was at Thermopylae that they earned their eternal glory.

Cinematically, the film vacillates back and forth between classic Greek mythology and MTV's Headbangers Ball, complete with heavy metal accompaniment. Essential to the character's portrayal, Butler is convincing as a formidable leader of men, barking orders, smack-talking, inspiring confidence, leading from the front, and laying waste to several battalions' worth of the enemy. Leonidas - imperial, defiant, and lethal when provoked - may not be complicated, but Butler has every bit the conviction and charisma of [Gladiator's] Maximus Aurelius.

With all of its testosterone and bravado, director Zack Snyder does inject a little oestrogen by way of Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey). Although only glimpsed in Miller's graphic novel, Snyder extends her character in the film's rendition - never more so than in her heartfelt speech to the Spartan assembly (I'm told that theaters in the U.S. cheered at her slaying of antagonist, Theron).

Nothing is more epic nor inspiring than the tradition of the defiant David standing up to the all-powerful Goliath - Homer knew it (The Iliad); Leonidas knew it; Frank Miller knew it; and after watching 300, you'll know it too. You may not have the opportunity to truly connect with or care deeply for the noble warriors that lose their lives in this celebrated battle, but you'll have one helluva good time watching one of the greatest stories ever told.

McRating: 9.0

Blood Diamond - 8.0
Rocky Balboa - 7.0

Who Cares???

2007-03-26T16:45:00.000+01:00

This is not a profound post. This is not going to provoke much thought and will probably communicate that I care more about this than I actually do, but as my wife was in hospital this past week after giving birth to our second child, I showed up with a new women's magazine almost every time I visited - Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire, etc.
As I glanced through the magazines during my visits, almost every feature I came across prompted two words: WHO CARES?

For the life of me I can't figure out why anyone still cares about:

Paris Hilton
Lindsay Lohan
My Super Sweet 16
Nicole Ritchie
Britney & K-Fed
Britney's Shaved Dome
Britney's Addictions
Posh in LA
Tom Cruise/Scientology

Why does society care so much about people who contribute so little to it? In the arenas of talent, benevolence, character and intelligence, these celebrities/personalities are completely absent.

I'm not about to soapbox about what society should be caring about (Iran, poverty, the environment, the Final Four). I'm simply saying that I can't figure out why people care so much about young Hollywood's casualties.

Did you know that Burma has unveiled its new capital? Did you know that research shows that aspirin aids women's hearts? Did you know that scientists have discovered ways of tracking the rise and fall of ancient civilizations (such as the Incas) by studying fossilized mites that thrive in the dung of their livestock?

Aren't those things so much more interesting that watching a couple of self-indulgent miscreants humiliate and insult middle-class families? Aren't they more interesting than a deranged pop princess shaving her head in a tattoo parlor and checking in to a detox clinic? Aren't they more interesting than watching a 16-year-old plan for her birthday spectacular while assuming adulation and privileged treatment are a right, while reacting to criticism or inconvenience with petulance and acrimony?
Heck! Kobe Bryant has scored 263 points over his last five games, demonstrating unbelievable skill, talent and entertainment. That deserves infinitely more press than all of this other crap, right?

Think about it.

The End

2007 Blockbuster Movie Preview

2007-01-13T02:04:00.000Z

2007 looks to be a banner year for the movie blockbuster. Some may not hold blockbuster status, but the battle lines for cinema supremacy have been drawn. The following listings are by no means locks, but here are a few flicks that have huge potential. The competition is fierce.

In no particular order:

TRANSFORMERS - Directed by Michael Bay
BLADES OF GLORY - Will Ferrell & John Heder... on ICE!!!
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT THE WORLD'S END - The original line-up w/ a few new faces
SPIDER-MAN 3
GRIND HOUSE - Directors Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino team up again to see "How far can too far go."
OCEAN'S 13 - "The movie Ocean's 12 should have been."
FF2: THE RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER
SHREK THE THIRD
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
EVAN ALMIGHTY - Steve Carell in the follow-up to Bruce Almighty. There's an ark, a giant flood and more animals than have ever been shot in the history of film making.
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD - the fourth in the series
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
GHOST RIDER - Nic Cage with a flaming skull on a Harley from hell
I AM LEGEND - Will Smith in '28 Days Later' (basically)
AMERICAN GANGSTER - Denzel & Russell Crow teaming up with Sir Ridley Scott
THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES - Finally... Brad Pitt as the fastest gun in the West
BABEL
300 - Based on Frank Miller's epic graphic novel
ROCKY BALBOA
BLOOD DIAMOND
SMOKIN' ACES

Footballin'

2007-01-12T00:27:00.000Z

I've decided to start my new blog with a recap and review of this week's BCS Championship Game. Ohio State entered the game a media darling and the publics' overwhelming favorite. Despite a 52-day layoff, no one was giving the SEC Champion Florida Gators a puncher's chance.

The first 16 seconds of the game was all Ohio State as Ted Ginn, Jr. took the opening kickoff untouched for a 93-yard touchdown return. Along with the rest of the country, I thought the rout was on... and it was. It just wasn't the rout that was expected. Florida preceded to dismantle what was thought to be one of the best college football team's ever assembled, putting together as close to a perfect game as they possibly could have done. What followed was a 41-7 annihilation of THE Ohio State University.

Florida's speed and execution was simply too much for Heisman Trophy winner, Troy Smith, to overcome. Smith looked as helpless and confused as he's ever looked. Not only were Smith's numbers very un-Heisman like, he had the lowest quarterback rating of any player in BCS history. Smith went 4-14 for 35 yards for the game. Florida had accomplished that by the end of the first quarter. Smith also through an interception and was sacked five times - one more time than he had completions. The Gators mounted an unprecedented assault on the Buckeyes that left them with the glazed look of a roused fighter after a knockout.

In addition to the on-field slaughter, the battle of the sidelines was dominant as well. Coach Jim Tressel looked as confused as his players, as he searched frantically for the answers on his laminated play-chart, while Urban Meyer was a bastion of confidence and poise. I'm not sure if any coach has ever prepared his team better for a game than he did. Their execution was flawless, and once they discovered that OSU's line couldn't match their speed, and that Tressel wasn't going to adjust their zone coverage, the Gators played without reservation.

The battle for conference supremacy will undoubtedly continue, but it's difficult to argue the SEC's claim. Like most conferences, the SEC has moved to a nine conference-game schedule, while the Big Ten has chosen to stay with an eight-game one. Florida's journey to the title went through Tennessee, LSU, Auburn, Georgia, Florida State and Arkansas -- a veritable minefield -- their only loss coming at the hands of the Auburn Tigers. Ohio State didn't even have to play conference rival #7 Wisconsin (12-1) this season. And next season, Iowa won't face Michigan or Ohio State. Forgive my contempt when I say that the Big Ten is a joke.

The SEC has become it's own worst enemy. Getting through that conference unscathed is virtually impossible and for an SEC team to have a prayer in the championship game they better hope that there's only one undefeated team at the end of the season... sorry Boise State. You guys got hosed.

To wrap this up I'm going to give you the real final rankings. Here is The McKenzie Poll:

1. Florida (13-1)
2. LSU (11-2)
3. Boise State (13-0)
4. USC (11-2)
5. Wisconsin (12-1)
6. Ohio State (12-1)
7. Louisville (12-1)
8. Auburn (11-2)
9. Michigan (11-2)
10. West Virginia (11-2)