And the only cure is more PacMan
Why bad things happen to good people
Sometimes when I'm sleeping I have profound thoughts come to me. Last night was one of those times. I was wondering why the Lord allowed me to marry a mean and mentally unstable ex-wife and stay in the marriage as long as I did.
The thought came to me that the Mormons left New York and went to Pennsylvania, then Ohio, then Missouri, then Illinois, then finally Utah. Why did the Lord allow the Saints to be persecuted everywhere they went? Then the thought came to me, had they come to Utah straight from New York, they would have had to leave in January in order to get to Utah in July. I figure it would have taken them 6 months to walk from New York to Utah. Any way you cut it, the Saints would have had to travel for a fairly long amount of time in the winter months and many more would have died along the way. Instead, the Saints left Nauvoo in March (the beginning of Spring), yes it was still cold, they had to cross a frozen Mississippi, but for the most part they were able to travel in warm months because they were closer to their final destination.
How does this compare to me? The Lord was using my ex-wife to help me get closer to my eventual destination. Along the way I had to be humbled and learn certain things. I had to build up "temples" only to abandon them.
I am now in a much happier place, not that I don't have trials and struggles, but I am now in the "land of my inheritance". I have a great wife and great kids. This is where I was meant to be but I would have never reached this destination had I not had struggles in my personal "Missouri" and "Nauvoo" in order to help me get closer to my eventual destination.
The thought came to me that the Mormons left New York and went to Pennsylvania, then Ohio, then Missouri, then Illinois, then finally Utah. Why did the Lord allow the Saints to be persecuted everywhere they went? Then the thought came to me, had they come to Utah straight from New York, they would have had to leave in January in order to get to Utah in July. I figure it would have taken them 6 months to walk from New York to Utah. Any way you cut it, the Saints would have had to travel for a fairly long amount of time in the winter months and many more would have died along the way. Instead, the Saints left Nauvoo in March (the beginning of Spring), yes it was still cold, they had to cross a frozen Mississippi, but for the most part they were able to travel in warm months because they were closer to their final destination.
How does this compare to me? The Lord was using my ex-wife to help me get closer to my eventual destination. Along the way I had to be humbled and learn certain things. I had to build up "temples" only to abandon them.
I am now in a much happier place, not that I don't have trials and struggles, but I am now in the "land of my inheritance". I have a great wife and great kids. This is where I was meant to be but I would have never reached this destination had I not had struggles in my personal "Missouri" and "Nauvoo" in order to help me get closer to my eventual destination.
Yo Gabba Gabba and The Polyphonic Spree
My kids like to watch a program on Nickelodeon called Yo Gabba Gabba. The music reminds me of The Polyphonic Spree. All this gives me further suspicion that children's programs are created by aging hippies who are having LSD flashbacks.
I was wrong, the NBA is fixed
This article in the N.Y. Post indicates that an NBA referee allegedly bet on and fixed games that he reffed...
Click Here to Read Article
Click Here to Read Article
Don't Support Companies That Support Iran
I received a phone call last night from a "charity" by the name of something like Presidential Action Committee. They told me that they had a one question poll and wanted me to listen to a statement from Dick Morris before taking the poll. I listed to the statement, it was a recording of Dick Morris (former Clinton administration adviser and current Fox News analyst). In the recording Dick Morris indicated that there are numerous companies that are doing business with Iran and this is helping Iran's efforts to create a nuclear program that would threaten Israel and the U.S.
When the recording was finished, the man on the other end asked me if this was something I agreed needed attention. I told him it was. He then asked me if they could count on my $200 or $300 contribution. I told him that I was in the process of adopting three children and all my money is tied up in legal fees and that I had already contributed money the Mitt Romney campaign, but I would be willing to volunteer my time. My words were something like, "I can't give you money, but I can give you my time. I agree that this is a worthwhile cause, how can I volunteer my time to help you?" The answer I got was all they wanted was a donation. Now, this makes me wonder if this is a legitimate group or not. I was thinking that maybe I could give them $5 but I'm glad I did not because I don't know if it's a scam or not.
Wouldn't you think that a legitimate charity would more than welcome my offer to volunteer my time? Heck, I could even start up an office for them in Utah County. I haven't seen anything else online indicating whether this is a scam or not. I hope someone that knows more than I do will read this and comment on it. My suggestion to everyone is, whenever you get a call from someone asking for money, it could very likely be a scam, be careful. I'm grateful that I didn't have the money to give them and grateful that I was quick enough to think that I could volunteer my time to them. I honestly would have done this too. It kind of bothers me that they prefer my money to my time. Now I'm blogging about them warning people not to give them money, wouldn't they prefer that I was on here blogging asking people to give them money?
When the recording was finished, the man on the other end asked me if this was something I agreed needed attention. I told him it was. He then asked me if they could count on my $200 or $300 contribution. I told him that I was in the process of adopting three children and all my money is tied up in legal fees and that I had already contributed money the Mitt Romney campaign, but I would be willing to volunteer my time. My words were something like, "I can't give you money, but I can give you my time. I agree that this is a worthwhile cause, how can I volunteer my time to help you?" The answer I got was all they wanted was a donation. Now, this makes me wonder if this is a legitimate group or not. I was thinking that maybe I could give them $5 but I'm glad I did not because I don't know if it's a scam or not.
Wouldn't you think that a legitimate charity would more than welcome my offer to volunteer my time? Heck, I could even start up an office for them in Utah County. I haven't seen anything else online indicating whether this is a scam or not. I hope someone that knows more than I do will read this and comment on it. My suggestion to everyone is, whenever you get a call from someone asking for money, it could very likely be a scam, be careful. I'm grateful that I didn't have the money to give them and grateful that I was quick enough to think that I could volunteer my time to them. I honestly would have done this too. It kind of bothers me that they prefer my money to my time. Now I'm blogging about them warning people not to give them money, wouldn't they prefer that I was on here blogging asking people to give them money?
Jimi Hendrix - Hey Joe
It's fairly obvious that they're syncing to a recording of the song, but hey, it's Jimi Hendrix!
The Democratic Party, The Party of Defeatism
85% of those likely to vote for Senator Clinton don't believe that the U.S. can win the war in Iraq. Let's just throw in the towel and give up on Iraq, it's a lost cause, Hillary's supporters say so.
April 12, 2007 - Likely Primary Voters on Iraq(source: http://americanresearchgroup.com/)
There are stark differences between likely Democratic and Republican primary voters over Iraq.
The following results are based on nationwide samples of 600 likely Democratic primary voters (PV) and 600 likely Republican primary voters (PV) conducted April 9-12, 2007. The theoretical margin of error for each sample is plus or minus 4 percentage points, 95% of the time. Primary preferences for each party are below.
Question:
Do you believe that the United States can win the war in Iraq, or not?
Can win No Undecided
Democratic PV 17% 70% 13%
Republican PV 75% 20% 5%
85% of likely Democratic primary voters voting for Hillary Clinton, 71% of those voting for John Edwards, and 64% of those voting for Barack Obama say they do not believe the United States can win the war in Iraq.
86% of likely Republican primary voters voting for John McCain, 62% of those voting for Rudy Giuliani, and 68% of those voting for Mitt Romney say they believe the United States can win the war in Iraq.
Question:
Do you favor or oppose setting a deadline for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq
Favor Oppose Undecided
Democratic PV 70% 17% 13%
Republican PV 17% 77% 6%
74% of likely Democratic primary voters voting for Hillary Clinton, 57% of those voting for John Edwards, and 81% of those voting for Barack Obama say they favor setting a deadline for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq.
89% of likely Republican primary voters voting for John McCain, 63% of those voting for Rudy Giuliani, and 62% of those voting for Mitt Romney say they oppose setting a deadline for the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq.
Flashback to 1992 - (LANGUAGE WARNING!)
1992 was the year I saw these guys live at The Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm not sure if this is from SLC or not. I can't recall if they performed it.
The Parable of The Talents
There's a parable in the bible about a lord that gives his servants a different number of talents (money). One of the servants takes his talents and uses them in a productive way. Another one of the servants takes his and buries them in the ground because he's afraid to try to use them. When the lord returns and finds out what they've done with their talents, he rewards the ones that have used them and punishes the one that hasn't.
I think a lot about this parable and about how at one time in my life I was afraid to use my talents. Since then, I've returned to school and I'm now working on my Masters degree. I've been out interviewing for other jobs and found out that more people are interested in a person that has a college degree, especially someone that graduated with honors.
We often get caught in a trap thinking that it's too hard, or it's a task for someone else but not for me. I work with certain people that wont go back to school because they think they're too stupid for school. In today's world, I just don't see any way that a person can truly succeed without a college education. Sure there are a couple like Bill Gates and Larry Ellison, but they are the exceptions and you also have to admit that they have an intrinsic business acumen that most people lack and have to learn in college.
I guess what I'm trying to say here, is God gives us all talents, some more than others. In my case I think he gave me very few when I look at the rich kids I grew up with. It took me time to learn to use those talents, but now I feel like the Lord is opening up new opportunities and increasing my measure. This is something I want for everyone, not just myself. I just wish some people would pull themselves up by their boot straps and get to work.
I think a lot about this parable and about how at one time in my life I was afraid to use my talents. Since then, I've returned to school and I'm now working on my Masters degree. I've been out interviewing for other jobs and found out that more people are interested in a person that has a college degree, especially someone that graduated with honors.
We often get caught in a trap thinking that it's too hard, or it's a task for someone else but not for me. I work with certain people that wont go back to school because they think they're too stupid for school. In today's world, I just don't see any way that a person can truly succeed without a college education. Sure there are a couple like Bill Gates and Larry Ellison, but they are the exceptions and you also have to admit that they have an intrinsic business acumen that most people lack and have to learn in college.
I guess what I'm trying to say here, is God gives us all talents, some more than others. In my case I think he gave me very few when I look at the rich kids I grew up with. It took me time to learn to use those talents, but now I feel like the Lord is opening up new opportunities and increasing my measure. This is something I want for everyone, not just myself. I just wish some people would pull themselves up by their boot straps and get to work.
Johnny Rotten Rants
Well, I don't know if this really would qualify as a rant, how about a diatribe? Johnny Rotten cracks me up, especially with his comments on the L.A. Galaxy. Even the English think American soccer is femmy.
No Free Speach at Rice-Eccles
A few fans decided to fly the Tibetan flag at the China vs. RSL friendly match. China didn't like that and refused to play. Here's what happened:
God Hates Westboro Baptist
If you haven't heard of Westboro Baptist, they are a so-called church that has put up web sites like God Hates Fags dot com, God Hates Sweden dot com, etc. Another modus operandi of Westboro Baptist is to go to the funerals of soldiers who died in Iraq and tell their family members that their son, brother, father is going to hell for fighting in an unjust and unrighteous war. Now, Westboro Baptism is planning on protesting the funeral of a Utahn that died in Iraq.
How exactly does this promote Christ? Did Christ teach us to condemn others and tell their family that they're going to hell. I seem to remember a story about an adulterous woman that was brought to Christ. The people wanted to execute her by stoning. Christ told them that if any of them were free of sin, they should throw the first stone. All of the woman's accusers left. Christ asked the woman where the people that accused her went, she told him that they left. Christ told her that he did not accuse her either, to go her way, and sin no more.
Instead of making accusations and condemning others, shouldn't Westboro be forgiving them? Maybe I'm totaly wrong here, maybe Westboro's intepretation of the bible is diffrent from mine. But it was always my impression that the gospel of the bible, the gospel of Christ, is a gospel of love and forgiveness.
And you know what? I don't think God hates Westboro Baptist either. I think he's probably just really frustrated with them right now.
How exactly does this promote Christ? Did Christ teach us to condemn others and tell their family that they're going to hell. I seem to remember a story about an adulterous woman that was brought to Christ. The people wanted to execute her by stoning. Christ told them that if any of them were free of sin, they should throw the first stone. All of the woman's accusers left. Christ asked the woman where the people that accused her went, she told him that they left. Christ told her that he did not accuse her either, to go her way, and sin no more.
Instead of making accusations and condemning others, shouldn't Westboro be forgiving them? Maybe I'm totaly wrong here, maybe Westboro's intepretation of the bible is diffrent from mine. But it was always my impression that the gospel of the bible, the gospel of Christ, is a gospel of love and forgiveness.
And you know what? I don't think God hates Westboro Baptist either. I think he's probably just really frustrated with them right now.
Warning: Soft Drinks May Seriously Harm You
It looks like I'm going to have to go cold turkey. I already knew that soda-pop was fattening and had no nutritional value, even if this study hasn't been proven yet, why take the risk?
Warning: Soft Drinks May Seriously Harm You
(Article from NewsMax.com)
You may want to think twice before you sip another soft drink: research reported in the UK's Independent newspaper says a common preservative used in fizzy drinks can switch off essential parts of DNA. The preservative may bring on premature aging and trigger diseases associated with old age.
The problem preservative is sodium benzoate, commonly used for many years by the $160 billion worldwide soft drink industry. Sodium benzoate, derived from benzoic acid, prevents mold in drinks like Coca-Cola, Oasis, Dr. Pepper, etc., and is also used in pickles and sauces.
Alarm bells have already been ringing about it, because it's been discovered that when it's mixed with vitamin C in soft drinks, it creates the carcinogenic substance benzene. Now UK Professor Peter Piper of Sheffield University has sounded an even louder alarm — his experiments show that benzoate damages DNA in the energy-producing mitochondria of cells.
"These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether," Piper said. "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it — as happens in a number of diseased states — then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA—Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing."
The World Health Organization, the Food Standards Agency in the UK, and the US Food and Drug Administration all say that sodium benzoate is safe. Professor Piper, however, says that FDA tests are out of date.
"The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are completely safe," Piper said. "By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago."
'Star Wars' still major force after 30 years
Article published May 25, 2007
'Star Wars' still major force after 30 years
Ethan Sacks
New York Daily News
ADVERTISEMENT
It really was a long time ago.
Today, it'll be exactly 30 years since "Star Wars" blasted away all expectations after opening in just 32 movie theaters on May 25, 1977.
It's remarkable to note how, in the days before universe-filling marketing campaigns and studio tracking reports, no one, not even writer-director George Lucas, was prepared for the lines that snaked around theaters showing "Star Wars."
Audiences cheered from the opening blasts of John Williams' score to the closing credits, pausing only to boo Darth Vader.
Facing high demand for tie-in toys that had yet to be manufactured, department stores were forced to issue IOUs.
In the late 1970s in America, the movie "appealed to people at a time (when) things maybe weren't going great," says Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in six movies and several TV specials. "People wanted something to make them feel good.
"And boy, did it take them out of their environment!"
Or as Rick McCallum, producer of the recent prequel trilogy, says: "It was a single moment in time that's not likely to be repeated."
The movie that 20th Century Fox nearly abandoned in midproduction ended up earning $460 million at the box office in the United States alone, boosted by the release of a special edition in 1997.
The film is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, behind "Titanic."
There is no competition, however, in the world of toys and other tie-ins. The "Star Wars" franchise has raked in $13.5 billion in merchandising alone since 1977, according to Lucasfilm.
"There's no question that was the film that made the entire movie industry rethink its attitude toward summer movies, toward juvenile movies for big kids, science fiction, special effects and, of course, merchandising," says film historian Leonard Maltin.
This weekend, people who want to praise the Force can celebrate several ways:
l Now in bookstores is J.W. Rinzler's "The Making of Star Wars," a mammoth tome so packed with photos and facts, a wookiee could get a hernia trying to lift it.
The $75 book, surprisingly, is a first for "Star Wars."
But the author recently told the New Daily News that he stumbled across four boxes of transcripts in the Lucasfilm library archives from interviews that took place between 1975 and 1978, conducted by the film's original head of marketing.
The background they provided formed the basis of the book, which is chock-full of anecdotes, behind-the-scenes photos and early storyboard sketches (Darth Vader, it seems, once looked more like a vacuum cleaner).
* Think the creature cantina at Mos Eisley spaceport was filled with a motley bunch?
Watch "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed," a new two-hour documentary airing Monday on the Discovery Channel, and see Newt Gingrich, Dan Rather and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi comment alongside "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson. Far out.
* To coincide with the anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service is issuing 15 "Star Wars" stamps.
But Lucasfilm isn't stuck in the past: There are two TV series in the works, animated and live-action, with the latter reportedly filling in the blanks of what some characters were doing for the 20 years between Episodes III and IV.
McCallum says the plan is to get them on the air in 2009.
"'Star Wars' was revolutionary, otherwise it wouldn't have lasted this long," says Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-3 English actor who played Chewbacca. "So I'll talk to you again in another 30 years."
Copyright © 2007
The News & Record
and Landmark Communications, Inc.
'Star Wars' still major force after 30 years
Ethan Sacks
New York Daily News
ADVERTISEMENT
It really was a long time ago.
Today, it'll be exactly 30 years since "Star Wars" blasted away all expectations after opening in just 32 movie theaters on May 25, 1977.
It's remarkable to note how, in the days before universe-filling marketing campaigns and studio tracking reports, no one, not even writer-director George Lucas, was prepared for the lines that snaked around theaters showing "Star Wars."
Audiences cheered from the opening blasts of John Williams' score to the closing credits, pausing only to boo Darth Vader.
Facing high demand for tie-in toys that had yet to be manufactured, department stores were forced to issue IOUs.
In the late 1970s in America, the movie "appealed to people at a time (when) things maybe weren't going great," says Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in six movies and several TV specials. "People wanted something to make them feel good.
"And boy, did it take them out of their environment!"
Or as Rick McCallum, producer of the recent prequel trilogy, says: "It was a single moment in time that's not likely to be repeated."
The movie that 20th Century Fox nearly abandoned in midproduction ended up earning $460 million at the box office in the United States alone, boosted by the release of a special edition in 1997.
The film is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time, behind "Titanic."
There is no competition, however, in the world of toys and other tie-ins. The "Star Wars" franchise has raked in $13.5 billion in merchandising alone since 1977, according to Lucasfilm.
"There's no question that was the film that made the entire movie industry rethink its attitude toward summer movies, toward juvenile movies for big kids, science fiction, special effects and, of course, merchandising," says film historian Leonard Maltin.
This weekend, people who want to praise the Force can celebrate several ways:
l Now in bookstores is J.W. Rinzler's "The Making of Star Wars," a mammoth tome so packed with photos and facts, a wookiee could get a hernia trying to lift it.
The $75 book, surprisingly, is a first for "Star Wars."
But the author recently told the New Daily News that he stumbled across four boxes of transcripts in the Lucasfilm library archives from interviews that took place between 1975 and 1978, conducted by the film's original head of marketing.
The background they provided formed the basis of the book, which is chock-full of anecdotes, behind-the-scenes photos and early storyboard sketches (Darth Vader, it seems, once looked more like a vacuum cleaner).
* Think the creature cantina at Mos Eisley spaceport was filled with a motley bunch?
Watch "Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed," a new two-hour documentary airing Monday on the Discovery Channel, and see Newt Gingrich, Dan Rather and House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi comment alongside "Lord of the Rings" filmmaker Peter Jackson. Far out.
* To coincide with the anniversary, the U.S. Postal Service is issuing 15 "Star Wars" stamps.
But Lucasfilm isn't stuck in the past: There are two TV series in the works, animated and live-action, with the latter reportedly filling in the blanks of what some characters were doing for the 20 years between Episodes III and IV.
McCallum says the plan is to get them on the air in 2009.
"'Star Wars' was revolutionary, otherwise it wouldn't have lasted this long," says Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-3 English actor who played Chewbacca. "So I'll talk to you again in another 30 years."
Copyright © 2007
The News & Record
and Landmark Communications, Inc.
Star Wars: How The World Changed
Star Wars: How The World Changed
Posted By:Ted Kemp
Topics:Technology | Media | Movies & Film Studios
Sectors:Technology | Media
Companies:News Corporation
By Ted Kemp News Editor | 21 May 2007 | 12:42 PM ET
Font size:
“Star Wars,” the fantasy space epic that premiered 30 years ago this week, is often portrayed as the quintessential, even archetypal blockbuster—the flick that forever changed how the film industry writes, makes and markets movies. But things aren’t quite that simple.
The company that made the film, 20th Century Fox was a publicly traded—but still independent—studio on May 25, 1977, the day Star Wars debuted in 32 U.S. theaters. The company had never surpassed $37 million in annual earnings since its formation in 1935 through the merger of Darryl Zanuck’s Twentieth Century Pictures and William Fox’s Fox Film Corp.
In 1977, those profit numbers were about to change. Gary Arnold, a “Washington Post” staff writer who wrote an original review of the movie, told the story of two friends who “placed orders with their brokers (for 20th Century Fox stock) minutes after seeing the film.”
Box Office Gold
“Star Wars” raked in $6.8 million during its first weekend of wide release. Within months it would do something no movie—including “Jaws,” released the year before—had ever done: It surpassed the $300-million revenue mark. “Star Wars” topped out at $798 million in worldwide revenue. Earnings at 20th Century Fox more than doubled their best-ever mark in 1977, as did the company’s stock price.
Still, says Agatino Balio, a former professor of film at the University of Wisconsin who has written several books on movie industry history, not one of the underlying business strategies that created the “Star Wars” phenomenon was really all that novel.
“As a genre, and as a marketing strategy for a motion picture company, there wasn’t anything new about 'Star Wars' as a concept,” Balio says.
"Star Wars" would go on to be serialized, generating three decades of revenue through the release of sequels and prequels. But Balio points out that United Artists had pioneered the serial concept years before with the James Bond films. And “The Godfather” and “Jaws” had established themselves as “event” films with sweeping cultural impact while "Star Wars" was still an amorphous idea knocking around in George Lucas’ head. Star Wars can’t even claim the honor of being the first mega-blockbuster: After taking inflation into account, "Gone With The Wind" still ranks as the highest grossing movie of all time.
Nothing To Write Home About
As for depth of plot line , "Star Wars" certainly didn't open new territory. "The story of 'Star Wars' could be written on the head of a pin and still leave room for the Bible," said critic Vincent Canby of the New York Times.
All those things said, “Star Wars” did, indeed, break new ground. Even though it came along after "2001: A Space Odyssey," Lucas’ firm Industrial Light & Magic (which he founded only because 20th Century Fox had recently scrapped its special effects department) saw to it that “Star Wars” took effects—video, audio, robotic, miniature modeling and otherwise—to extremes previously unimagined.
Related Stories
* Jim Goldman: The Empire's Real Legacy
* Slideshow: Behind The Scenes At ILM
* StarWars.com
And for pure mythic originality, “Star Wars” represented something unprecedented: Arnold of the Post and Vincent Canby of “The New York Times” struggled to categorize the film, saying alternately in their first reviews that “Star Wars” evoked everything from Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, classic westerns, pirate melodramas and aerial combat films, to samurai epics, “Ivanhoe,” the Legend of King Arthur, and the Gospel According to St. Matthew.
Given that “Star Wars” was made for $11 million, its return on investment certainly surpassed anything before it and probably anything since. "Star Wars" accomplished that without the benefit of "saturation booking"—the relatively new industry practice of opening films in thousands of theaters on the same day. Not bad for a movie whose release 20th Century Fox execs moved to before Memorial Day because they were certain it wouldn’t be able to compete with that summer’s "Smokey and the Bandit."
Blockbuster Business Model
Today, a single film can cost $200 million to produce, and a hoped-for blockbuster may cost another $100 million to market, says Gordon Hodge, media analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners. In short, since the days of "Star Wars," the movie business has become a game of very big bets.
“When you think about the cost of just one film, you could even start a significant company with that kind of money,” Hodge says.
But consumer demand for the blockbuster remains. So, therefore, does studios’ incentive to turn out potential mega-hits. With the investment stakes higher than they've ever been before, motion picture companies have begun turning to financial devices that weren't available in 1977.
Today's movies have the benefit of revenue from DVD sales, which Hodge says often match box office sales. Because DVDs don’t require a huge marketing budget, they present less risk to the studios.
Movie companies have also begun mitigating risk by taking on banks and financial services firms as initial investment partners. Several banks and even hedge funds have developed formulas that factor actors, genres and other elements into account to gauge a film's chance of success. If they like the way the numbers come out, they get on board with the studio. Hodge cites Merrill Lynch's backing of Marvel Studios' "Iron Man" and "Hulk II," both slated for release in 2008.
Marvel Studios, which has borrowed more than one page from the "Star Wars" playbook, has proven itself a winner with its "SpiderMan" films. And it takes full advantage of the new, emerging—and unprecedented—financial tools at the disposal of today's film companies.
Taken in that context, "Star Wars" didn't so much herald the era of modern movie making, as it became the symbol—albeit a very successful one—of an age of filmmaking whose time has already passed by.
Posted By:Ted Kemp
Topics:Technology | Media | Movies & Film Studios
Sectors:Technology | Media
Companies:News Corporation
By Ted Kemp News Editor | 21 May 2007 | 12:42 PM ET
Font size:
“Star Wars,” the fantasy space epic that premiered 30 years ago this week, is often portrayed as the quintessential, even archetypal blockbuster—the flick that forever changed how the film industry writes, makes and markets movies. But things aren’t quite that simple.
The company that made the film, 20th Century Fox was a publicly traded—but still independent—studio on May 25, 1977, the day Star Wars debuted in 32 U.S. theaters. The company had never surpassed $37 million in annual earnings since its formation in 1935 through the merger of Darryl Zanuck’s Twentieth Century Pictures and William Fox’s Fox Film Corp.
In 1977, those profit numbers were about to change. Gary Arnold, a “Washington Post” staff writer who wrote an original review of the movie, told the story of two friends who “placed orders with their brokers (for 20th Century Fox stock) minutes after seeing the film.”
Box Office Gold
“Star Wars” raked in $6.8 million during its first weekend of wide release. Within months it would do something no movie—including “Jaws,” released the year before—had ever done: It surpassed the $300-million revenue mark. “Star Wars” topped out at $798 million in worldwide revenue. Earnings at 20th Century Fox more than doubled their best-ever mark in 1977, as did the company’s stock price.
Still, says Agatino Balio, a former professor of film at the University of Wisconsin who has written several books on movie industry history, not one of the underlying business strategies that created the “Star Wars” phenomenon was really all that novel.
“As a genre, and as a marketing strategy for a motion picture company, there wasn’t anything new about 'Star Wars' as a concept,” Balio says.
"Star Wars" would go on to be serialized, generating three decades of revenue through the release of sequels and prequels. But Balio points out that United Artists had pioneered the serial concept years before with the James Bond films. And “The Godfather” and “Jaws” had established themselves as “event” films with sweeping cultural impact while "Star Wars" was still an amorphous idea knocking around in George Lucas’ head. Star Wars can’t even claim the honor of being the first mega-blockbuster: After taking inflation into account, "Gone With The Wind" still ranks as the highest grossing movie of all time.
Nothing To Write Home About
As for depth of plot line , "Star Wars" certainly didn't open new territory. "The story of 'Star Wars' could be written on the head of a pin and still leave room for the Bible," said critic Vincent Canby of the New York Times.
All those things said, “Star Wars” did, indeed, break new ground. Even though it came along after "2001: A Space Odyssey," Lucas’ firm Industrial Light & Magic (which he founded only because 20th Century Fox had recently scrapped its special effects department) saw to it that “Star Wars” took effects—video, audio, robotic, miniature modeling and otherwise—to extremes previously unimagined.
Related Stories
* Jim Goldman: The Empire's Real Legacy
* Slideshow: Behind The Scenes At ILM
* StarWars.com
And for pure mythic originality, “Star Wars” represented something unprecedented: Arnold of the Post and Vincent Canby of “The New York Times” struggled to categorize the film, saying alternately in their first reviews that “Star Wars” evoked everything from Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, classic westerns, pirate melodramas and aerial combat films, to samurai epics, “Ivanhoe,” the Legend of King Arthur, and the Gospel According to St. Matthew.
Given that “Star Wars” was made for $11 million, its return on investment certainly surpassed anything before it and probably anything since. "Star Wars" accomplished that without the benefit of "saturation booking"—the relatively new industry practice of opening films in thousands of theaters on the same day. Not bad for a movie whose release 20th Century Fox execs moved to before Memorial Day because they were certain it wouldn’t be able to compete with that summer’s "Smokey and the Bandit."
Blockbuster Business Model
Today, a single film can cost $200 million to produce, and a hoped-for blockbuster may cost another $100 million to market, says Gordon Hodge, media analyst at Thomas Weisel Partners. In short, since the days of "Star Wars," the movie business has become a game of very big bets.
“When you think about the cost of just one film, you could even start a significant company with that kind of money,” Hodge says.
But consumer demand for the blockbuster remains. So, therefore, does studios’ incentive to turn out potential mega-hits. With the investment stakes higher than they've ever been before, motion picture companies have begun turning to financial devices that weren't available in 1977.
Today's movies have the benefit of revenue from DVD sales, which Hodge says often match box office sales. Because DVDs don’t require a huge marketing budget, they present less risk to the studios.
Movie companies have also begun mitigating risk by taking on banks and financial services firms as initial investment partners. Several banks and even hedge funds have developed formulas that factor actors, genres and other elements into account to gauge a film's chance of success. If they like the way the numbers come out, they get on board with the studio. Hodge cites Merrill Lynch's backing of Marvel Studios' "Iron Man" and "Hulk II," both slated for release in 2008.
Marvel Studios, which has borrowed more than one page from the "Star Wars" playbook, has proven itself a winner with its "SpiderMan" films. And it takes full advantage of the new, emerging—and unprecedented—financial tools at the disposal of today's film companies.
Taken in that context, "Star Wars" didn't so much herald the era of modern movie making, as it became the symbol—albeit a very successful one—of an age of filmmaking whose time has already passed by.
In case you needed another reason to get rid of your TV
Just in case you might be considering getting rid of your television altogether, here's one more reason to do it: A giant rat that teaches your children how to rap.
Mario: Game Over
Have you ever wondered what became of Mario and the Princess after Mario saved her?
Here is is. (WARNING: The bad language is censored, but you can still figure out what they're saying.)
Here is is. (WARNING: The bad language is censored, but you can still figure out what they're saying.)
The untimely demise of Bob Barker, may he rest in peace
Current mood: sad
Category: somber Movies, TV, Celebrities
Bob Barker, born December 12, 1923 - death May 7, 2007
Bob Barker was, by far, my favorite game show host. He was almost like a grandfather. He was very calm with people and remembered to have his pets spayed and neutered. Bob passed away today after being eaten by wolves as he was doing some gardening at his Beverley Hills home.
Barker hosted The Price Is Right from September 4, 1972 and announced that he would retire this year.
I appeared as a contestant on The Price Is Right in 1990 but never was able to get on stage. I received a lifetime supply of Turtle Wax as a consolation prize.
We'll miss you Mr. Barker. You were best in Happy Gilmore. Ciao!
Currently listening : Price Is Right By Alan Price Release date: By 01 October, 1996
Top 10 signs that your blog isn’t very popular
10. When checking your hitcounter, you can identify your regular readers by their IP addresses.
9. Your site has a PageRank of -3.
8. You have on more than one occasion unsuccessfully attempted to Slashdot or Instalanche your blog.
7. The bulk of your traffic is the result of obscure fetish seekers, and your blog happens to be the only site on the internet containing the words sexy German toes squishing creamed corn, but not necessarily in that order.
6. The last twenty visitors to your site? ALL YOU!
5. You log into your Adsense account and it says you owe Google $7.
4. The Truth Laid Bear had to create a special Ecosystem ranking just for you: Antimatter.
3. You shamelessly link and/or trackback to Instapundit, Malkin, Dooce, and Wil Wheaton, in the hopes of the off chance that they will see the link and visit your site.
2. No one ever responds to your meme tags.
And the number one sign that your blog isn’t popular:
Posting “FIRST!!!” in your comment threads is no great feat.
9. Your site has a PageRank of -3.
8. You have on more than one occasion unsuccessfully attempted to Slashdot or Instalanche your blog.
7. The bulk of your traffic is the result of obscure fetish seekers, and your blog happens to be the only site on the internet containing the words sexy German toes squishing creamed corn, but not necessarily in that order.
6. The last twenty visitors to your site? ALL YOU!
5. You log into your Adsense account and it says you owe Google $7.
4. The Truth Laid Bear had to create a special Ecosystem ranking just for you: Antimatter.
3. You shamelessly link and/or trackback to Instapundit, Malkin, Dooce, and Wil Wheaton, in the hopes of the off chance that they will see the link and visit your site.
2. No one ever responds to your meme tags.
And the number one sign that your blog isn’t popular:
Posting “FIRST!!!” in your comment threads is no great feat.
Utah Jazz
I have to admit, since the Stockton and Malone era, I haven't watched the Jazz as often. It may also have something to do with the fact that I'm older, more mature, married with children, and don't have as much time for basketball and other sports. Regardless of all that, I was able to watch part of the game tonight on the Internet using a program that let me watch a feed of the game from China. You see, I decided to downgrade my satellite TV to the $19.99 family package and TNT isn't included in that package. About one hour into the game I started googling frantically for search terms like "TNT on Internet", "NBA on Internet". I finally found what I was looking for and was able to catch the 2nd quarter. At halftime my connection decided to poop out and I was never able to get a feed again.
What I did see of the game, it looked like they were having fun. I love to watch The Jazz pass the ball around when they're on offence and make the opposing defense run and scurry. The way The Jazz pass the ball is almost artistic in a way. Back in the Stockton and Malone era you'd see the pick-and-roll all the time and it was usually a pass from Stockton to Malone and a score, or if Malone was covered he'd pass it back out, but it was rare to see more than about two or three passes. With this 2006-2007 Utah Jazz you'll see about 5, 6, 7, or 8 passes on offense. The Jazz also run a faster offense, their players are younger than the old Stockton and Malone teams.
Anyway, I'm just glad the Jazz beat Houston and will go to the next round against the Golden State Warriors. By the way, the Warriors are my new second favorite team by shear virtue of them beating Mark Cuban's team, the Dairy Queen Mavericks. I'm also glad that the games will be on ABC. I'm predicting a Jazz win over the Warriors and a Phoenix win over San Antonio. I don't think the Jazz can get past either Phoenix or San Antonio, however. The Jazz should have beat Houston in 5, instead they dragged it out to seven games. The upside is that the Jazz are relatively young and a 7 game series wont take as huge a toll as it would on the Stockton and Malone teams.
My prediction for the NBA finals is Phoenix from the West and Detroit from the East. But wouldn't it be cool to have a Jazz/Bulls rematch?
The next nice story tonight was RSL's 3-3 tie against the New York Red Bulls with new Head Coach, Jason Kreiss at the helm. Yeah, it wasn't a win, but New York is the best team in the league and hasn't given up a single goal this season, until tonight. I was also happy to see, former RSL player, Clint Mathis score two goals against his old mates. Hopefully Clint's found his game again. Maybe Mathis just does better in that kind of environment. RSL has Colorado on Thursday in Denver and I'm predicting 3 Points (a win) for RSL.
Panquecas
Panquecas or Crêpes
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
Put all ingredients in blender and and beat until smooth. Cook as you would for crêpes.
Filling
Use your favorite vegetarian filling, the chicken filling for Brazilian chicken pie or this ground beef filling:
1 lb very lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh cilantro, finely chopped (if you can't find cilantro, use green onions and parsley)
oregano to taste
2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces
10-12 pitted green olives
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ground beef, cilantro and oregano and cook until brown. It should be rather dry, not very much liquid at all. Remove from heat. Add olives and chopped eggs.
Making the panquecas
Fill each panqueca with this mixture and roll it up. Put panquecas together in a large Pyrex. Cover with tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, and warm in oven or microwave. Serve piping hot with white rice and green salad.
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
Put all ingredients in blender and and beat until smooth. Cook as you would for crêpes.
Filling
Use your favorite vegetarian filling, the chicken filling for Brazilian chicken pie or this ground beef filling:
1 lb very lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh cilantro, finely chopped (if you can't find cilantro, use green onions and parsley)
oregano to taste
2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces
10-12 pitted green olives
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ground beef, cilantro and oregano and cook until brown. It should be rather dry, not very much liquid at all. Remove from heat. Add olives and chopped eggs.
Making the panquecas
Fill each panqueca with this mixture and roll it up. Put panquecas together in a large Pyrex. Cover with tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese, and warm in oven or microwave. Serve piping hot with white rice and green salad.
PHP and MySQL
For about the last 2 months or so I've been learning PHP and MySQL to create server side scripting for Web sites with a database backend. Let me just say that this has been very fun and challenging at the same time. I have written a quiz that tracks who takes the quiz and what their answers are. I have written a Web crawler that will crawl a site for Hyperlinks and put them onto the Web page (useful if you want to start a search engine or if you're harvesting links for a database). I wanted to get started with JSP with a Tomcat Web Server but I've been having issues with it. Someone at school suggested that I try PHP. I found a great book called "Build Your Own Database Driven Website Using PHP and MySQL" by Kevin Yank. It can be found at http://www.sitepoint.com/books/phpmysql1/
Here is the code for my Web Crawler:
Here is the code for my Web Crawler:
/
<html>
<head><title>Web Crawler</title></head>
<body>
<form id="form1" method="post" action="">
<label>URL:
<input name="url" type="text" id="url" value="<?php $url; ?>" size="65" maxlength="255" />
</label>
<br />
<br />
<label>
<input type="submit" name="Submit" value="Submit" />
</label>
<label>
<input name="Reset" type="reset" id="Reset" value="Reset" />
</label>
<br />
</form>
</body>
</html>
<?php
if (isset($_POST['url'])) {
$url = $_POST['url'];
$f = @fopen($url,"r");
while( $buf = fgets($f,1024) )
{
$buf = fgets($f, 4096);
preg_match_all("/<\s*a\s+[^>]*href\s*=\s*[\"']?([^\"' >]+)[\"' >]/isU",$buf,$words);
for( $i = 0; $words[$i]; $i++ )
{
for( $j = 0; $words[$i][$j]; $j++ )
{
$cur_word = strtolower($words[$i][$j]);
print "$cur_word<br>";
}
}
}
}
?>
Battlefield 2142 Screenshots
It's 2:19 in the freaking morning. Here are some screenshots in slide show format. Good night:
School's PTA Web site hit by scam 'phishing' for data
I think I know one of the guys that got quoted in this news article. I'm not sure, but I think he's related to me. :)
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C660191694%2C00.html
School's PTA Web site hit by scam 'phishing' for data
Bank logo posted by hackers asked for personal information
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — A Web site formerly used by Pony Express Elementary's PTA became entangled in a phishing scam.
Sometime recently, hackers got access to software that parent Gerald Banks used for www.ponyexpresselementary.org. The hackers posted on the site the logo for Regions Bank, the nation's eighth largest, with offices in 16 states from Florida to Iowa but none in Utah.
"They were trying to get your name, your Social Security number, your Visa debit card number, just as much personal and financial information as they could," said Roger Douglass, another Pony Express parent who spotted the scheme because he works for Blue Coat Systems, a Web security company in Draper.
Douglass routinely looks for phishing schemes at work and found the scheme involving Pony Express Elementary on Wednesday when visiting phishtank.com, an online community where people voluntarily post Web sites they believe have been overtaken by phishers.
The scheme probably was posted on phishtank.com after a member of the Web community received a spam e-mail from people claiming to be bank officials, visited the Pony Express site and found what he perceived was a scam, Douglass said.
"And I recognized it because it's my daughter's elementary school," Douglass said. "So that's kind of what made me go, 'Whoa, wait a second ..."'
Douglass called Banks, who said by Wednesday afternoon he had already taken down www.ponyexpresselementary.org, after receiving notifications about the scheme from the Alpine School District and XMission, the Web site's host.
PTA leaders used the site last year to advertise events at the Eagle Mountain school. It has not been updated since then, Banks said.
"We monitor for these sites constantly, and whenever we see them we act as quickly as possible to contact our customers and even non-customers who might be fooled into entering personal information," said Rick Swagler, spokesman for Regions Bank.
Swagler said such schemes are typically reported to the federal government.
"The bank will never send you an e-mail asking you for personal information or asking you to update information," Swagler said.
The banking industry works together to try to curb phishers.
According to the American Bankers Association, 25,816 phishing Web sites were discovered in November, an increase from previous months.
http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/1%2C1249%2C660191694%2C00.html
School's PTA Web site hit by scam 'phishing' for data
Bank logo posted by hackers asked for personal information
By Laura Hancock
Deseret Morning News
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — A Web site formerly used by Pony Express Elementary's PTA became entangled in a phishing scam.
Sometime recently, hackers got access to software that parent Gerald Banks used for www.ponyexpresselementary.org. The hackers posted on the site the logo for Regions Bank, the nation's eighth largest, with offices in 16 states from Florida to Iowa but none in Utah.
"They were trying to get your name, your Social Security number, your Visa debit card number, just as much personal and financial information as they could," said Roger Douglass, another Pony Express parent who spotted the scheme because he works for Blue Coat Systems, a Web security company in Draper.
Douglass routinely looks for phishing schemes at work and found the scheme involving Pony Express Elementary on Wednesday when visiting phishtank.com, an online community where people voluntarily post Web sites they believe have been overtaken by phishers.
The scheme probably was posted on phishtank.com after a member of the Web community received a spam e-mail from people claiming to be bank officials, visited the Pony Express site and found what he perceived was a scam, Douglass said.
"And I recognized it because it's my daughter's elementary school," Douglass said. "So that's kind of what made me go, 'Whoa, wait a second ..."'
Douglass called Banks, who said by Wednesday afternoon he had already taken down www.ponyexpresselementary.org, after receiving notifications about the scheme from the Alpine School District and XMission, the Web site's host.
PTA leaders used the site last year to advertise events at the Eagle Mountain school. It has not been updated since then, Banks said.
"We monitor for these sites constantly, and whenever we see them we act as quickly as possible to contact our customers and even non-customers who might be fooled into entering personal information," said Rick Swagler, spokesman for Regions Bank.
Swagler said such schemes are typically reported to the federal government.
"The bank will never send you an e-mail asking you for personal information or asking you to update information," Swagler said.
The banking industry works together to try to curb phishers.
According to the American Bankers Association, 25,816 phishing Web sites were discovered in November, an increase from previous months.
New host
I really like Blogger.com/Blogspot.com but I have my own domain. When I figured out that my host supports PHP script and MySQL database I figured that it was probably time to start hosting my blog there since I'm paying for 5 gigs of space and only use about 100 Megs of it. I am also going to be working on an open source project that requires me to use PHP and MySQL and it might be a good time to start learning PHP and practicing up on MySQL. PHP seems pretty straight forward, it's a scripting language which means that it's not really a programming language but it can be used to make logical decisions and parse data that is fed to it from a data base or a user. Most likely what I will be using it for on my site is Web-based forms which allow a user to input their information. I will eventually have a Web-based storefront and start selling my kids online. I'M ONLY KIDDING, PLEASE QUIT CALLING DCFS ALREADY!
Happy 95th Birthday Grandpa!
My Grandpa Doc was born January 31, 1912, a little bit more than 3 month before the Titanic set sail and ran into an iceberg, five years before the USA entered World War I (not World War II). My grandfather lived through the Great Depression (the biggest oxymoron in our languge, there was nothing great about it.) My grandpa taught me how to golf and how to swear, for hellsakes. My grandpa also taught me the value of a dollar, of course he taught me the value of a 1942 dollar and not a 1982 dollar, but that's beside the point. My grandpa taught me to eat beans and love it. He never perfected them and I thought the only good beans were the kind you buy in a can (because they were soft) until I went to Brazil and discovered that the trick is to put them in a pressure cooker and season them with onions and bay leaves.My grandpa passed away 6 years ago and Salt Lake City has been less colorful ever since. There's nobody left to tell ethnic jokes and lawyer jokes. He was the last politically incorrect person I knew. He'd go to a restaurant and call the waitress, "honey" or "sweetheart". He'd refer to women as gals. Yeah, that's sexist, and I wont repeat any of it. The ethnic jokes are better off dead too and I should have never laughed at them. But my grandpa was one funny sunuvabitch!
What if I were an ad executive?
It might go something like this:
I created this image using a photo of BooKoo and a freeware program called The Gimp version 2.2.13
I created this image using a photo of BooKoo and a freeware program called The Gimp version 2.2.13
Fast Food Franchise Owners
I used to work for a fast food franchise somewhere in a college town in Northern Utah. I really don't want to say what the company is or who the owner is because the people that read this blog on a regular basis will know who I'm talking about anyway.One of the benefits (downsides) to having kids is that you get to watch lots of cartoons. Mr. G's (the son I named and older version of this blog after) favorite cartoon is "Spongebob Square Pants". Spongebob's boss is Mr. Eugene Krabs. Mr. Krabs favorite expressions are, "I like money." and "The money is always right." If Mr. Krabs were being shot at and his daughter was on one side of the room and a penny were on the other side of the room. He would risk his life to save the penny first and his daughter second. In the Spongebob movie, Mr. Krabs sees King Neptune coming to his restaurant and marks up his sandwiches to the $100 range.
The owner of the fast food franchise where I worked found out that another franchise for the same chain was charging more for their fries. Instead of using the opportunity to advertise that his price was lower, he used to opportunity to raise the price on his own fries. He required all of us to charge .10 cents for any extra items that didn't already come on the sandwich. For example, one sandwich didn't come with pickles, but a customer asked for pickles. I tried to charge the customer an extra 10 cents as I had been instructed and got into an argument with the customer. Instead of defending me, the owner told the customer what a S.O.B. I was and refunded his .10 cents. Part of the owner's franchise agreement with the chain was that his employees were required to give out two packets of free condiments with every sandwich sold. He found out how much this was costing him and told us only to give them out if the customers asked for them. How many times have you gone to a fast food place and forgot to ask for the ketchup? Some of these places are exactly the same, they don't give it out unless you ask. Customers get in the habit of the condiments being placed in the bag without having to ask. When a cheapskate owner decides that he's going to save money by cutting back on the condiments all it does is make customers angry and not want to come back.
Anyway, in honor of my former employer, I have used The Gimp to draw his likeness and post it on this blog and am declaring January 30 cheapskate franchise owner day. I used to also work in the hospitality industry and hotel franchise owners are a bunch of cheapskates too. (Okay, not all of them, just most.) Today is the day where you get to tell your kids that you're too cheap to buy a 10 pack of pencils but instead cut one pencil into 10 pieces for your kids to share. The kid that makes the most mistakes gets the eraser. Instead of throwing away that bottle of ketchup that has less than a teaspoon of ketchup left, put a little water in it and shake it up. You can do this 3 or 4 times before you have to throw the bottle away. Instead of buying a fancy gourmet pizza, go to the store and by a 91 cent Tostinos pizza and put your favorite vegetables on top of it; may I suggest the Danish blue cheese and frozen peas as toppings? It's out of this world. Instead of throwing away that bottle of maple syrup that the ants got into, tell your kids that there are two kinds of syrup in this world: creamy and crunchy. Instead of buying your kid his favorite comic book, buy him a ream of printer paper and a Bic fountain pen with the black, red, green, and blue ink and tell him to draw his own comics.
Yay, yay, yay, it's International Cheapskate Day. Sing it high, sing it loud, sing it low, sing it proud! It's International Cheapskate Day. We love you L.W.!!!
My prescription for a bad headache
Take one Rockstar and two Excedrin Tension Headache Geltabs and call me in the morning.
Peter Corroon really chaps my hide
Can I just say, I hate Peter Corroon more than any other politician in the world right now? That would include Kim Jong "mentally" Ill and that idiot in Iran. Here's a post about it from KSL's site:
"[Stadiums] are a revenue source for the community that surrounds them. The E-Center is used for events other than hockey and it brings a good amount of money into West Valley. That's why West Valley supports it. Art centers and planetariums encourage learning, learning encourages invention, invention encourages business, business encourages tax revenue. Everything is about economics. Why did you get married? Love? I don't think so. Because two people working is more economical than one and there's a tax break for married couples. Why are we fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan? Because we were attacked by terrorists on 9-11-01? Yes. And how did that effect us financially as a nation? It was one of the worst times in our economic history since the 1930s. By controlling the regions where the terrorists come out of, we also control their ability to attack us and affect our economy.
People here seem to think that soccer wont bring in money because soccer has never been popular or because they don't like it. Soccer is growing and will continue to grow. David Beckham is more well known than Michael Jordan and he now plays in our 2nd largest city, Los Angeles. Ronaldo, who plays for Real Madrid and Brazil's national team has expressed interest in playing in New York for the Red Bulls. Did Michael Jordan sell tickets for the NBA and close TV deals and make advertising revenue? HELL YEAH! Will Beckham and Ronaldo do the same? Again, HELL YEAH!
One of my art teachers at UVSC, Perry Stewart said there are two ways of looking at something, you can either look directly at the object, or look past the object. It's when you learn to look past the object that your best art comes out. I think this analogy applies here, because people are focusing on what soccer has been, not what it will become. Look through the raindrops on your windshield and you will see the road ahead. Look past the money that is being used to fund the infrastructure and see the revenue that soccer Super-Stars and the world economy will bring to Utah.
Of course that's my opinion, I could be wrong."
South Pass and William Henry Ashley
I'm reading a book about the early exploration of the American West, before and after the Louisiana purchase. One of the most significant finds by explorers was South Pass, a pass that allowed relatively easy passage over the Rocky Mountains and the Continental Divide. I don't live too far away from South Pass but was never aware of its existence or importance until reading about it.
In 1822 Ashley and business partner Andrew Henry -- a bullet maker whom he met through his gunpowder business -- posted famous advertisements in St. Louis newspapers seeking one hundred "enterprising young men . . . to ascend the river Missouri to its source, there to be employed for one, two, or three years." The men who responded to this call became known as "Ashley's Hundred." Between 1822 and 1825, Ashley and Henry's Rocky Mountain Fur Company, did several large scale fur trapping expeditions in the mountain west. Ashley's men are officially credited with the American discovery of South Pass in the winter of 1824. Ashley devised the rendezvous system in which trappers, Indians and traders would meet annually in a predetermined location to exchange furs, goods and money. His innovations in the fur trade earned Ashley a great deal of money and recognition, and helped open the western part of the continent to American expansion. In 1828 he explored present-day northern Colorado, ascending the South Platte River to the base of the Front Range, then ascending the Cache la Poudre River to the Laramie Plains and onward to the Green River.
This One Is For Troy!
Troy says that every time he sees this he thinks of me. Personally, I'd like to know what you're implying Troy. Huh? Howz bout it? Anyway, here it is, a clip from Bedazzled where he wishes to be a world class basketball player, a player that moves and jumps like Jordan, that shoots like Hornacek and is as tall as Bradley. He doesn't count on the Devil having a sense of humor. He is lacking in one thing, well at least one thing. Enjoy.
The revenge of Billy Ray Cyrus
Don't tell my heart, my achy breaky heart, I just don't think he'll understand, and if you tell my heart, my achy breaky heart he might just release his daughter to take revenge on the world!Am I the only one that thinks Hannah Montana's (Miley Cyrus) music is just as crappy as her dad's awful one hit wonder?
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
The return of Hanson
Can you say Mmm Bop? I knew you could.
If you're a fan of Nickelodeon, and who isn't? then you have seen the promos and ads for "The Naked Brothers Band". I think they sound like Hanson and smell like Christina Aguilera (whatever that means).
So, we see, what goes around comes around; "The Naked Brothers Band" Hanson for Generation Y (or whatever you call this generation of kids.) I already feel more stupid for posting this.
The Purina Diet
I was in Wal-Mart buying a large bag of Purina dog chow and was in line to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had a dog........ duh!
I was feeling a bit crabby , so on impulse, I told her no, I was
starting The Purina Diet again although I probably shouldn't because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an
intensive care unit with tubes coming out of most of myorifices and IV's in both arms.
Her eyes about bugged out of her head. I went on and on with the bogus diet story and she was totally buying it. I told her that it was an easy, inexpensive diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets or purse with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry.
The package said the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.
I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story, particularly a tall guy standing just behind her.
Horrified, she asked if something in the dog food had poisoned me and was that why I ended up in the hospital.
I said no.....I'd been sitting in the street licking my butt when a
car hit me.
I thought the tall guy was going to have to be carried out the
door.
And now a word from our sponsor!
Thirst Rockers is a proud sponsor of the Feeble Attempts at Humor blog since 1643. Thirst Rockers, when you don't want to quench your thirst, you want to rock it.
Thirst Rockers is not a sponsor of Real Salt Lake and their name will not appear on the front of their jerseys. Thirst Rockers is also not a sponsor of NASCAR. Thirst Rockers has been found to cause priapism in laboratory rats and irregular coloring of bowel movements in bovines. Drink responsibly.
Dog wisdom
Dog wisdom
There is more truth than poetry in some of the sayings
The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.
-Anonymous
Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
-Ann Landers
If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went
-Will Rogers
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face.
-Ben Williams
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.
-Josh Billings
The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.
-Andy Rooney
We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare.
And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made.
-M. Acklam
Dogs love their friends and bite their enemies, quite unlike people,
who are incapable of pure love and always have to mix love and hate.
-Sigmund Freud
I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult.
-Rita Rudner
A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down.
-Robert Benchley
Anybody who doesn't know what soap tastes like never washed a dog.
-Franklin P. Jones
If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
-James Thurber
If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise
-Unknown
My dog is worried about the economy because Alpo is up to $3.00 a can. That's almost $21.00 in dog money!
-Joe Weinstein
Ever consider what our dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come from a grocery with the most amazing haul, chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!
-Anne Tyler
Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
-Robert A. Heinlein
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
-Mark Twain
You can say any foolish thing to a dog, and the dog will give you a look that says,
'Wow, you're right! I never would've thought of that!'
- Dave Barry
Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.
-Roger Caras
If you think dogs can't count, try putting three dog biscuits in your pocket and then give him only two of them.
-Phil Pastoret
FarCry Screen Shots
FarCry is a first-person shooter by Ubisoft. It's been out for a few years but has some pretty sweet graphics. I was about to finish it and ended up formatting my computer. I guess I should have backed up my game files. Here are some screen shots, again at different video levels. The later shots should be better quality:
Battlefield 2 Screen Shots
I was experimenting with my video settings (these photos are out of order by the way) and was able to get some really good quality. I have an NVidia GeForce 6800 Go for an Alienware Area 51 model 7700 laptop. Alienware hasn't updated their OEM NVidia drivers for two years and it's impossible to update them from NVidia's site because they're OEM drivers. But I found a workaround that seems to have done the trick. You'll notice that the first screen shots have better quality than the later ones.
Michael Hutchense interviewed by John Stewart
Here's one of M.H.'s final interviews, just a few months before his death:
INXS - I Send A Message
I remember plugging my Walkman up to the P.A. system at my high school's seminary building and blasting this song. The amazing this is that I didn't get my tape or Walkman confiscated. This is a nice dance number.
Craig Ferguson on David Beckham coming to L.A.
I think he's got the soccer player voice down perfect. I've talked to both Clint Mathis and Jason Kreis and they sound just like Beckham, but without the English accent of course. Eddie Pope's the only one that's got a real man's voice.
INXS - Burn for You
My all time favorite INXS song. I saw them perform this song live at the BYU Marriott Center back in February of 1985. R.I.P. Mike.
INXS - Tight
Here's one of INXS' lesser known ditties, Tight. A funky little number that kind of reminds me of some of Prince's earlier work. It looks like this was put together after Hutchense's untimely demise. I can tell that the video is cut out of other INXS videos and concerts:
All the Spanish I need to know I learned from Dora and Diego
Todo el español que necesito saber, aprendí de mirar la televisión por los niños; específicamente, "Dora El Explorador" y "Va Diego, Va". Ahora yo me siento suficiente seguro que puedo viajar a España y me hago entendido por el pueblo local. Uno no debe quitar importancia el valor de programas de televisión por los niños que enseñan el idioma extranjero.
Commodore 64 Text Adventures
Back in the early 80s I got a Commodore 64 for Christmas and I got a text-based adventure called Voodoo Castle. Thanks to the miracle of the Internet I can now play Voodoo Castle online, which is pretty cool because I never figured it out when I was a kid.
Play Voodoo Castle Here
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