Airline Industry

Now that I have gone over a week without a new post, I thought that it was only appropriate for me to rant and rave about the Airline Industry. We are currently in the process of trying to track down some tickets to go to southern california. Can someone please explain to me how it can cost the same amount to fly from Portland to LA, as it does to fly from Portland to NYC?

If the pricing game wasn't bad enough, in the last month I have tried to procur tickets via the skymiles system. What a joke! Basically if you don't redeem your miles for a flight a year in advance then you aren't going anywhere with your skymiles(or else you will have to use double to go the same distance). Is it any wonder why the airline industry is going under?

2nd Hand Smell

While I find the habit of smoking to be completely disgusting(including the devastating health effects to the smoker and non-smoker), there is in my opinion a more debilitating consequence on us non-smokers. That is the putrid stench that eminates from the smoker. While sitting in class today I nearly dry heaved half-a-dozen times due to the foul odor of my neighbor. Not only were his clothes, and hands saturated in complete filth, but his breath could have removed the paint from my car.

As I was attempting to keep my lunch in my belly the perfect cartoon depiction of my classmate crossed my mind. I totally dislike the Peanuts, and have never found them to be amusing or found that they teach some sort of edifying life lesson. However, the image of Pigpen describes the odorous man sitting next to me to a T. What with his smell visibly trailing his body. Needless to say the smell became exponentially magnified as he remained stagnant, seated next to me.

ESPN takes Larry Miller to Task

In a followup to my Larry Miller commentary, ESPN has decided to go after the Jazz owner. Maybe they read what I had to say (and wanted to disagree??), because everyone knows this is an important place to receive information. Anyway, the approach used by the author has some validity, though I am not nearly as disturbed by Miller's actions as the author is. Also, while we all carry our own biases, I find it interesting that this author also wrote Sheryl Swoopes' coming out story, where the author discussed his/her own homosexuality. Sounds to me like the author came into the discussion with a loaded gun. If you want to read a semi disturbing article check out that one. But this link is to the Miller article:

24 is Back Baby!!!

So the best hour of television returned last night. Needless to say, it didn't disappoint. The critics had stressed not to miss the first 10 minutes, and they were right. No other show would even try to do the things that happen on 24. As we were watching the show, Shane and I started talking about the body count that Jack would rack up this year. As of last night Jack had already taken care of 4 basically nameless characters. In addition to the 2 that were handled in the first 10 minutes that brought the total to 6. So, I guess that I will have to bring out a pen and pad of paper while watching so as to make sure that I get an accurate total. I am not the biggest fan of violence but as far as I am concerned I have to encourage Jack to keep the tally on the rise.

Larry Miller and his Movie House

Wow, surprise, surprise gay intolerance news coming out of Utah. Is anybody shocked by that? A movie theater owned by Mr. Miller pulled a previously scheduled showing of Brokeback Mountain. Apparently no explanation was given as to why the movie was taken out of the theaters lineup. It took about 2 days for this to become national news. While I have no interest in watching two "dirty"(as in covered in sweat and mud) cow-pokes go at it and tell each other that "they can quit them", obviously there is an audience for this type of thing.

Having studied a little bit about first amendment right's and the need in our society for a free exchange of ideas, such an act I would normally find to be a little but unsettling. However, this case presents me with an interesting dichotomy because the Capitalist in me says, I am all for a private individuals right to do what he wants(within legal reason) on his own property. Thus, as far as I am concerned Mr. Miller can show or not show whatever he wants. In my view it isn't a Gay-Right's issue, or even a censorship issue because there are plenty of other places to see the movie. But this is a business decision, and it appears that Mr. Miller might have made the right choice according to the Salt Lake Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_3398335

ScAlito Hearings

Like a lot of people(basically lonely nerds and law students) I have been watching the Samuel Alito hearings on CSPAN. I have found him to be rather well spoken and somewhat thoughtful in his responses. Most of the questioning by the Senate Judiciary comittee is rather ridiculous. The senators either lavish way too much praise or try to tie Alito up by asking a 5+ minute question. Yesterdays hearings were a great demonstration of the latter when Diane Feinstein(who admitted to not being a lawyer) rambled on and on before finally asking some convaluted question that Alito answered in 5 words. I am convinced that this whole thing is just a dog and pony show.

The almost fictious nature of these hearings was demonstrated as clear as could be when Teddy Kennedy had his turn to ASK a few questions. I have already said this to some people, but isn't it inherently wrong for someone who not only was kicked out of Harvard for cheating, but is also for all intents and purposes a murderer to be questioning someone else's character and ability to apply the laws of the land to a particular case. The hearing would have turned into a classic piece of television had Alito gotten the stones to confront Teddy on his past. Oh, well maybe someday that will happen. But seriously, how is it that Teddy is in office? Then again how can the 2 best candidates for president come down to GW Bush and Kerry?

Top 5 Cartoon Characters of All-Time

In appreciation of all things drawn I thought it only appropriate to create a top 5 list to the cartoon world. Many people view cartoons as juvenile or useless, but I disagree. Not only can cartoons provide plenty of education and entertainment(as evidenced by my nephew Paul's repeated requests to watch Boundin'), but I think that cartoons might provide the best comedy on TV.(with the exception of Arrested Development and The Office). So here goes:

#1 Homer Jay Simpson: While the Doh! and pounding Duff's, are probably what Homer is best known for, he is extremely more complex then just the obvious stereotypes. Homer is a somewhat committed father, a semi-pious man(who has had numerous visitations from God), and an avid sportsman. Some classic Homer moments include: Homer in heaven telling Dean Martin that he wasted his talents, Homer tripping out on Chilean insanity peppers, and the best line of all occurred when Homer changed his name to Max Power(statement is directed at Marge), "Nobody snuggles with Max Power. You strap yourself in and feel the G's!"

#2 Stewie and Brian Griffin: First off what is more classic then a talking baby and a talking dog? Secondly, they improve on #1 by making the baby some sort of evil genius, and by making the dog superior intellectually then his owner. Could any other show on TV get away with lines like this, Stewie (to one of the prostitutes at Cleveland's house): "So, is there any tread left on the tires? Or at this point would it be like throwing a hot dog down a hallway?"

#3 Bender: Originally I thought that Futurama was not very good, but as I watched the show it grew on me. What is more classic then a robot with serious attitude. Whoever, decided to pull this show made a huge mistake. In Bender's own words, "This is the worst kind of discrimination. The kind against me!"

#4 Jonny Quest: Is there anything more cool then a kid who runs around with his little Indian friend named Hadji, his little yappy dog(Bandit), and a random guy with grey hair named Race? Just one question, where was Jonny's dad during all this fun? I seem to remember him only appearing occasionally.

#5 Senor Cardgage: While technically not a cartoon in the TV sense, few things are funnier then this web-created cartoon. The creepy Strongbad lookalike with a beer-belly and a wicked combover has some of the funniest lines around. For those of you who don't know Senor, "Get a leg up on the pile and refinance your dreams!" http://homestarrunner.com/senormortgage.html

From Russia With Love

For anyone who is interested in Fantasy Basketball, or even real NBA hoops, is there a better stat stuffer then Andrei Kirilenko. If he wasn't playing in such a small market he would be much better known. Here is one scouts take on AK:

"Kirilenko is one of the game's most unique and underrated players, and it was his early-season knee injury that sent Utah's season into a tailspin. Kirilenko hasn't captured the fancy of legions of fans because he isn't a high-volume scorer nor a great outside shooter. He's just very effective at taking advantage of his chances.
Kirilenko's height and length allow him to finish in traffic and dunk over taller players. He's also fast, enabling him to get baskets in transition, and moves well without the ball to put himself in position for easy shots.

Defensively, Kirilenko is devastating, with incredibly long arms that he uses to contest shots. Kirilenko used those arms to lead the league in blocked shots, continuing an odd trend. For the past six seasons, the league leader in blocked shots has been 6-10 or shorter. This era of short shot-blockers like Kirilenko and Ben Wallace is an anomaly. The leader has been 6-11 or taller in each of the preceding 25 seasons.

Less well-known is Kirilenko's ability to pilfer dribblers. He nearly led the team in steals despite playing only 41 games. Overall, Utah gave up 8.3 more points per 48 minutes when he was off the court. Essentially, the Jazz were OK defensively as long as Kirilenko played but became the worst in the league as soon as he checked out."

In closing, for any people out there doubting this Russian's ability read this little blip about Kirilenko's play last week:

Andrei Kirilenko's do-it-all statistical line on Tuesday night: 14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, seven blocks and six steals. Since 1973, when the NBA first began officially recording steals and blocked shots, only one other player had at least a six in each of those five categories: On March 10, 1987, Houston's Hakeem Olajuwon did it when he played 53 minutes in a double-overtime game against Seattle. Olajuwon had 38 points, 17 rebounds, 12 blocks, seven steals and six assists in that game. (Kirilenko played 42 minutes on Tuesday night.)

Reggie Bush and La Cosa Nostra

I was speaking with a friend the other day about the Texas-USC game. The discussion led to some interesting possibilities of game fixing. If this were possibly true, it would be something that not even the NCAA would want to sniff out. If such a scandal were exposed could anyone watch a game without thinking that the outcome was previously decided?

Let me declare first and foremost that I am not a conspiracy theorist. However, there were so many strange plays that occurred during that game that you can't help but wonder. First off, why in the world is Reggie Bush pitching the ball after a 20+yard gain on Texas' 18 yardline? I have watched Reggie over the last 3 years and I have never seen him pitch the ball in the open field. Does he think that someone else is going to have more success moving the ball then himself.

Secondly, I found it odd that USC didn't decide to just pound the ball up the middle with Lendale White. White was getting big yardage, whereas Bush was struggling to do basically anything. However, this formula of running Bush over White (even when White was having the better game) is a pattern that USC followed all year.

Thirdly, if you have only 1 timeout left, why are you burning it on the 2 point conversion? This was one of the oddest calls of the night.

Lastly, on the final play of the game what was going on? Leinart wanders around for 8 seconds and then throws to the sideline, 30 yards short of the endzone. I have a hard time believing that a 5th year senior doesn't know at that point in time that on the final play of the game you've got to get the ball to the endzone.

As far as throwing the game goes, let's face it, it wouldn't be very hard to pull off. Some member of La Cosa Nostra shows up with $5 million and says we don't want you to lose, just don't cover the spread. It is minor plays such as the ones highlighted above that make the difference. Anyone who has looked at Michael Jordan's past with any degree of objectivity knows how much power the gambling community has(a future post). Bush was probably told something along the lines of, "Drop the football, take the cannoli".

Bond, James Bond

Thanks goodness for AMC. Where else would I go to get my movie fix. Over the holiday season Spike TV did a 008 days of 007. AMC has topped that however with 24 hours of 007 for 7 days.

Last night while I was watching Dr. No I realized a couple of things about Bond movies:

1. The Bond girls from the Connery, Moore era are much better looking then the women who are in movies today. These are real women with no silicone protrusions. They actually have curves, and best of all accents(when they speak that is). Is there anything more tired then the media trying to market the Lindsey Lohan's and Olson twins of the world? I mean who doesn't find an anorexic, heroin injected, auschwitz/like body attractive? I prefer to see a healthy real body on the screen.

2. The names in Austin Powers were not a spoof of Bond names, they are the real thing. With names such as Pussy Galore, Dr. Goodhead, Plenty O'Toole, Octopussy, Xenia Onatopp, Thumper, and Honey Rider it makes it pretty difficult to come up with more satrical suggestive names. The writers of these films had to have been either total perv's, or maybe just a little bit stoned when writing these films.

3. The early Bond flicks are pretty short on good cinematic action. James can be cruising down the street in his fancy shamncy car and every time we see the view from the hood into the car James is driving against a screen backdrop. This also happens on all train sequences and boat adventures. However, I do have to give the early films props on the underwater action,

4. For being the best secret agent in the world, you'd think that James would be better equipped at not getting caught. James always falls right into the bad guys' hands.

5. The Simpsons have done an excellent job of lampooning James Bond over the years. 2 episodes in particular come to mind, #1 when Homer gets a new job with Hank(don't remember the last name) and he tackles Bond just as he is making his getaway. Bond is then shot. #2 Homer is dealing cards at the Blackjack table and upon requesting a hit, gives James the card which says "Rules for Draw and Stud Poker".

Basically James Bond films are great. I love them, and will probably watch a half-dozen this week.

Holiday Season Has Officially Come to An End

Now that Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and what I consider to be the best Holiday bonus of all Bowl Season has come to an end I thought that I would elaborate on what we did. Granted Shane's thanksgiving adventure was much more entertaining then anything that I endured, but here goes nonetheless.

So for Thanksgiving we made the long voyage down to SoCal, for Tia's little sister's soccer tourney. The weather was great and spending time with Tia's extended family is always enjoyable. One of the highlights of the trip for me was going to USC's campus. I felt right at home in the middle of the Ghetto and decided to strike a pose right next to the Juice's jersey and heisman trophy. I suggested that USC hang an official declaration that this man is a convicted murderer, but alas my request fell upon deaf ears.

Our next holiday adventure consisted of spending the Christmas season at home in Utah with our families. I was able to make a quick voyage out to SF to watch the Utes destroy Georgia Tech. Since I didn't have a camera at that game, I will include a pic from last year's Fiesta Bowl. As far as a white christmas goes it was a big disappointment. The weather was in the 50's most of the time. The highlight of the vacation had to be the day that I spent doubled over the toilet throwing-up. The diagnosis from my brother was food poisoning, and the culprit was none other then my beloved Crown Burger. Seeing as how I won't get to eat there for several months I doubt that my bout of the yacks will prevent me from enjoying another Crown Burger Special in the future.

Random Photo Attempt

In an attempt to figure out how to post a picture several times over here is a random photo. This is me and Tia at SilverFalls.

The First Post

So I have finally become a member of the blogsphere. After months of harrassment from my brother, all it took was examining Shane and Jeremy's blog to convince me that I have found yet another excellent way to waste my time.

I don't think that I have anything that is very important to say, but my family members and friends might be interested to read what is going on in my life.

Today was a pretty typical saturday. I slept in until about 10:30 and then started scanning the TV for some sports programming. Unfortunately all that was on was Women's College Hoops and some High School Football All-America game. Both were boring and rather medicore. However, during the football game the best player out of the state of Hawaii Joseph Faifili, committed to my beloved Runnin Utes. With the U playing BYU today because of my lack of college gameday I am forced to once again listen to the Utes via the internet. What makes this situation even worse is that for some odd reason I can't get the Kall700 reception so I am forced to listen to the game on KSL.

Airline Industry

Now that I have gone over a week without a new post, I thought that it was only appropriate for me to rant and rave about the Airline Industry. We are currently in the process of trying to track down some tickets to go to southern california. Can someone please explain to me how it can cost the same amount to fly from Portland to LA, as it does to fly from Portland to NYC?

If the pricing game wasn't bad enough, in the last month I have tried to procur tickets via the skymiles system. What a joke! Basically if you don't redeem your miles for a flight a year in advance then you aren't going anywhere with your skymiles(or else you will have to use double to go the same distance). Is it any wonder why the airline industry is going under?