Left Wing Conspiracy

Is there a vast left-wing conspiracy? I highly doubt it, but the only real reason I actually doubt the possibility of a conspiracy is that the liberals aren't really smart enough to put together a conspiracy theory. Now don't get me wrong, there is a huge difference between a liberal and democrat. I don't hate democrats, I respect democrats, I don't necessarily agree with them, but I respect them. Democrats don't hate America, Liberals do. Liberals are just as bad as any ultra-conservative, so don't think I am just out here bashing the left. People on the far right and far left are all idiots, they don't think of solutions, they just try to create false problems and blame the other side of the aisle for this. Now that that formality is out of the way, let's get back to bashing liberals.

Liberals, (see, Howard Dean) like to make broad generalizations about a certain group of people, oh, let's say, republicans when he recently said "I hate republicans, they are all white Christians". Now, in saying that, he basically said, I hate white Christians, and considering he is white, in other words he was saying he hates Christians. Now, I understand some people's concerns with the separation of church and state, but many liberals take it a bit too far. There are groups out there who are vying to remove the word God from the "Pledge of allegiance". If this is anyone's top priority in government, then they obviously have some serious mental deficiency. Heck, even some wackos are trying to take the word God off the back of our currency.

Don't think just because I went off on the word God and its disputation that I forgot my main point, Liberals are racist. Now, not all liberals are racists, but I would think a lot of them are, especially if they have taken people like Michael Moore and Al Franken as their left wing role models. These liberals aren't racists in the true sense of the word, no no, they are what I would call a new wave of racists. They are racists in the way that they find a group of people who you can discriminate against for reasons that aren't as easy to touch on.

Liberals don't discriminate against African-Americans, unless of course they are republicans, then don't discriminate against minority groups, well, but that's only because democrats are in the minority in this country. They do however make sure to bash a certain group with all their might (which isn't very much), and that of course are the smart, rich republicans. The liberal ring leader, Howard Dean, has recently said that most republicans "haven't done an honest day's work in their lives". Now, I may be wrong, but let's say, a republican leader had said that about a group of democrats, like teachers, I can only imagine the maelstrom of backlash against that republican, democrats would be calling for that person's head on a pike.

I could go on for days listing the reasons liberals are senseless, but I won't. I will leave you with one more example of their discrimination however. Liberals feel that every single rich person should personally use all of their hard earned money to help all the lazy unemployed people scrape by without having to exert any effort. Of course, those "rich" people include any family making over $100,000 per year. Now, that means two people earning $50,000 each, potentially with children. If you consider a four person family that has a household income of $100,000 to be rich, than you are sorely mistaken. First, this family has to pay 25% of their $100,000 in taxes. Then it costs nearly $15,000 per child per year. So after the 25% and the $30,000 per child, that leaves only $45,000 for each parent for the rest of the year, presumably, each parent will spend at least the $15,000 per year that their child costs, probably more, let's assume $20,000 per year cost of living, with paying for gas, medicine, healthcare, food, shelter, car payments, clothes, etc. So that now leaves this family with only $5,000 dollars left over (for retirement?) and that is not nearly enough to retire on. So now, you can see how they are not "rich" like the liberals would lead you to believe. But, because they work hard to make a living and buy themselves a nice house and nice things, they get punished by the liberals and they try to take their money to give to lazy, unemployed, uneducated, unmotivated people.

On that note, I will leave you alone, but don't let Liberals fool you into thinking they are right, they discriminate against people and try to take what it yours, so just keep that in mind the next time you dish out $10 to watch a Michael Moore fiction documentary, or the next time you contribute to Howard Dean's campaign.

UConn, it's amazing (Price is Right style)

Usually while flipping through the television channels you expect to see things that qualify as entertaining. Today, however, I found something, (well, not I, but I'll get to that) so utterly entertaining that it had to be mentioned in blog form. As we all know, one of the most amazing shows of all time is "The Price is Right" hosted by the ageless/immortal Bob Barker. Needless to say, I was playing video games at the time of it's airing, but, numerous phone calls (thanks to Ray and Sleepy) I was informed of an amazing feat. Adam Reynolds (think tall kid) from the floor above the infamous KFS floor was on the program. Not only was he on, he got his name called to contestant row, he got off of contestant row and moved onto a normal game, the outcome of this game is unknown, and the actual game is unknown as I only flipped in time to see the final showcase. This means UConn alum, Adam made it to spin the wheel and he was closest to a dollar without going over! He made it to the final showcase. Now Adam, wearing proudly his orange UConn intramural t-shirt was bidding on a showcase. It was called the living room/spa showcase. Needless to say, it had a living room set and a spa (hot tub). Now, you can imagine how shocked I was to see someone from UConn, no less, a friend bidding on a showcase. This caused much UConn excitement, Jon and EJ were flooded with instant messages at work, Aris was informed of his presence on the show when returning from lunch break, and Dave Mont was told and in shock a few hours later. The gravity of this appearance is groundbreaking. Adam is a hero among UConners (or just lucky). As, Nick (Sleepy) said to me on the phone, of all the F'n people to be on this show, Adam F'n Reynolds. Now this sentiment was shared by many. It was more of a surprise that he was actually in California (where the show is taped) than he was on the show. Now you can imagine that a big deal was made of whether or not Adam was victorious in the show, unfortunately, he lost, in a closely battled showcase showdown. He bid $13,785 on his showcase and his opponent, a young woman from Fordam University bid $26,500 on hers. Adams price was revealed first, he missed by just over $2,000, he was looking good on his bid, his spirits were high. Now, onto his opponent. She seemed certain she was going to lose, she thought she over-estimated her bid, she was sure she was over, but, no no no, Bob Barker informed her that her showcase was worth $28,000 and she edged Adam with a closer bid, but just mere hundreds of dollars. Adam seemed heartbroken (as anyone should) and the camera moved to the young girl who danced and jumped with her friends among their newly won showcase. But Adam, I speak for many UConn Huskies when I say, hold your head up high, millions of AARP members watched you on national TV, and that's more than most people can say for themselves.

And please remember, have your pets spayed or neutered.

Internet Poker

Now that I am graduated, and well on my way to considerable length unemployment, I need to find a logical way to make money, so I obviously turned to internet poker, the most noble of all internet gambling sites. I of course, like so many others are shocked by the coincidence that I started playing poker shortly after it became so popular on television. The television influence obviously had no bearing on my poker playing, but isn't it odd that they coincided? Anyhow, poker is a great way to make money with no risk of losing any money, if you lose even one hand of poker, you must be an idiot. This poker thing is definitely the most fool-proof business venture of this or any millennia. (please disregard the previous two sentences). Anyway, I don't make much money online poker style. But I do make some. I have signed up for just over a week (on this, my second stint) and I have made about 20 dollars so far. Twenty dollars a week! This is a very consistent income I can certainly live off. The best part about internet poker shadows what is so great about the regular internet, a sense of anonymity. That is a great thing, you can play with a different style each time you play, and people won't generally recognize you because you are only identified by a screen name. This way, when I play I can insult people mercilessly one game, and the next, I can remain silent. I can bluff a ton of times in one game and the next play as tight as (insert off-color unlikely here). It is great, it is fun, and most importantly, you don't have to make any face to face human contact. Hell, I can play naked and no one will even know, unless I leave the door open and Aris walks by, but, that's his gain anyway. In conclusion, I encourage everyone to gamble excessively, especially with off-shore poker sites where your money is nothing but secure. I love it, and I can probably beat you. The end.

Listen to ME!

Hey all, using this post for self promotion. Listen live from anywhere in the world to my sports talk radio show, every Friday afternoon 3-5 pm eastern. www.whus.org listen in, call in, if you mention that you heard about the show from my blog, I'll try and hook you up with something cool, I'll see what I can do, but seriously, listen in!

Works cited woes

Per request of my ex-roommate Dave (weird saying that) I am writing on behalf of the let down of typing up a worked cited page.

As presumably everyone who is reading this knows, writing a long, term-paper is not a fun task, but at times you can get into a flow of writing and it can take off. On these rare occasions one can bang out a paper in just a few hours it is truly a kick in the pants when you finish and you have the great feeling of relief until you realize you need a works cited page. You are done with a huge burden and ready to hand in this paper. If most people are like myself, and I'd like to think most are, the paper doesn't get completed until about 8 hours before it is due. In these situations you are so happy to be finished with the paper you refuse to proof read and you are ready to print it out and hand it in. However, there is always one giant problem that looms large, the dreaded work cited page. Now of course there are many problems with the works cited page.

The first problem is of course the pain and burden of having to type yet one more page of virtual rubbish after just completing an entire 5 plus page paper full of B.S.

The next problem is trying to recall the "sources" that you "used". Who actually uses sources while writing a paper. Typing up a paper usually involves following exactly the syllabus and just using a few key words that you've heard in class or int he text book. There is not much actual research taking place for the majority of college students.

Another problem with the works cited page is the formatting. There is the MLA format and the APA style format. Now, it's frankly amazing that I remember the two names of the formats, much less what each format entails, because I can not do that. All I know is that somethings have to be in alaphabetical order, and some use authors name, or title of the book or article, frankly, I'm ashamed I know this much, works cited pages are bologna.

One more problem that one comes across is that if you do put in a work cited page in, is that for some reason you go back and edit your paper, your work cited page get's all screwy. You put in two more lines into your paper and all of a sudden your works cited page is all off kilter. It's not fun and frankly it pisses me and many others off.

In conclusion, work cited pages are the bane of the paper writing students existance. It is just a way for professors to be lazy and say they checked your work when in all reality they did not. They just look at the citations and presume you are honest, so, great, it's an easy way out of work, but it give us (the student) more work.

the end


WORKS CITED:

Montemerelo, David M. "Why I hate works cited pages".
New York Press. 2005. pages 1-6.

Allow me to reintroduce myself

My name is Hov, H to the O V, wait, someone somewhere said that before. Anyway, I have not been posting in my blog for quite some time, I have a perfectly logical explanination for this.

Moving onward, I just graduated college, and I am now in the awkward stage between college graduation and wanting to start to look for a job.

I give you all a look into the life of an unemployed college graduate.

10:30 AM
Wake up, don't see any reason that I am up except that I went to bed around 1 or 2 the night before and I read somewhere that over 9 hours of sleep can give you diabiates or something like that, so I'm awake now.

10:32 AM
TV is now firmly on Sports Center. Eventhough I watched the episode last night at 1, and I don't think any of the scores from the day will have changed.

10:35 AM
I am hungry, but the delivery places around here don't open until 11, so I drink a Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper (sidebar: Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper is amazing, but the curious part about it is, that it tastes nothing like Dr. Pepper and it is just freeloading off the brand name of the Doctor, and also, this is a kind of a paradox in that this soda is the first in my recollection that went straight and only to diet, there is no "regular cherry vanilla dr. pepper" if anyone knows why this has happened, let me know, but until now, I will drink away, and enjoy the wonderful flavor that Dr. Pepper has provided me)

10:37 AM
**BURP**

11:00 AM
Now that I have watched sports center top ten plays, I decide to create many plays of my own, i pop on my XBOX and play MVP baseball 2005. I am in the midsts of a season with the Boston Red Sox and in first place, I am approaching the all-star break and things couldnt be better.

11:36 AM
I won my MVP game, and now I call Tin Tsin II, the chineese resturant on campus, I don't have any motivation to go and pick up my order, so I am forced to purchase over $10 worth of greasy food. I get the boneless spare ribs/beef tereaki combo plate, and on the side a small order of sweet and sour pork. (they call it sweet and sour, and I have come to accept that, but there is no sour in it, it is all sweet, someone should investigate and crack down on this empty claim of sourness)

11:45 Am
Starting to get antsy, food has not arrived as of yet, and they havent even called to say they are on their way. I scream because I'm aggrivated and hungry, Aris gets here, on lunch break from his job, I tell him of my day to that point, he is happy.

12:03 PM
I test my phone to make sure it is working incase the Asians have called unsuccessfully already, and my food gone to waste. I was also safeguarding against the possibility that I gave the wrong number to my apartment, I've been known to do that from time to time.

12:05 PM
Phone rings, its my food (well, the person delivering my food, but i can only imagine if my food could use a phone :-D)

12:10 PM
Food arrives, it is delicious and greasy, two things that I look for in a food. I demolish it all, and wash it down with a diet mountain dew.

12:25 PM
Food is all gone, so I decide to take a break and watch some ESPN 2, luckily they have on a show called "cheap seats" its a great show, I have watched it a few times before, and loved it, but I am unable to watch it for the most part because it is on ESPN Classic, and I do not get that channel.

1:00 PM
"cheap seats" is still on, it has surpassed the hour of television that I had assumed it would take up, now into its second hour, there is no telling when this esctasy might end.

1:15 PM
Bathroom break, afterall, chineese food is only rented

1:20 PM
Out of spray in my bathroom, bad news for Aris, luckily he lives on the opposite side of the apartment

1:32 PM
Cheap Seats still on, but I feel the urge to check my email (which I happen to do compulsively, eventhough now that I'm done with college, I dont get any emails anymore)

1:33 PM
Lost my fantasy baseball matchup, now fall out of first place overall for the first time all season, not happy about this, but now that my college is over, i can devote more time to being a fantasy baseball General manager

2:00 PM
"Cheap seats" still on!! Very excited time in my life, at this point it is safe to say it's a marathon, there is no end in site!

2:04 PM
Because cheap seats is a marathon, I decide it is ok to play some video games to take a rest from all this television watching.

2:31 PM
Won another MVP game, now it is the all-star break, I have 6 guys make the team, wow, team morale couldnt be any higher, what a great video game franchiese I have going

2:56 PM
Lost the all-star game, probably because there were a lot of yankee players on the team and i purposely sucked with them during the game. (sidebar: I intentionally beaned barry bonds likeness in the all star game, injuring him, and now in the video game he is unable to play for 40 games, see kids, that's what sterioids will do to you)

3:04 PM
Aris gets back from work, thusfar the highlight of my day, I go say hello to him, then return to video games, updating him on all my video game happenings of the day

3:05 PM
Now I am watching Cheap Seats again, but this time I play my video game at the commercials, this way I can feel like my day has been productive.

4:00 PM
My block of evening TV starts, Yes, Dear for an hour on TBS, great show, very underrated, Mike O'Mally from agrocrag fame is in it. However, today there is a dilemma, watch Yes, Dear and stay in my swing of TV watching, or switch for the day knowing Cheap Seats will not be on again for a long time. Needless to say, I cried for about 8 minutes

4:08 PM
I am out of tissues

4:09 PM
Fliping back from Yes, dear and cheap seats, it is a solution I can live with, and I don't have to feel like I cheated on either show.

4:30 PM
I love television (mind you, I have not yet stepped foot outside my apartment, also, still in my gym shorts that I wear to bed everynight)

5:00 PM
Simpsons is on, I enjoy watching the yellow family have antics, I grab my box of honey nut cheerios and snack away on those, they are good, except i always seem to drop them, and they are hard to find because they are such tiny "o's"

5:30 PM
The first spot of television all day that has let me down, only malcom in the middle and home improvement are on, neither is one of the better shows in syndication

5:31 PM
YESSSSSSSSSSSS, cheap seats is still on ESPN2, what a great marathon, if only every day could be mondy, May 16, 2005.

6:00 PM
Shower time, Aris has convinced me that I need to go to Wal-Mart for food, I tend to agree.

6:12 PM
Now that I am clean, I notice my tub has not drained, luckily we are going to Wal-mart and I can buy draino

6:30 PM
Aris and I can not decide what we are going to get for dinner. It's between Wendy's and a place called "goodfellas" we flip coins, yes, 4 coins, 3 heads, 1 tails, that means Wendy's

6:47 PM
I got a spicy chicken combo with a diet coke and also an order of chicken nuggets

7:12 PM
All done eating, now on the the wonderful aisles of Wal-mart

7:58 PM
Back to UConn, unload my groceries, I mostly bought frozen pre-cooked stuff, just to keep the cooking to a minimum, you can see how busy I am, no time to cook.

8:36 PM
West comes over, he's a good kid, he is slightly upset at the re-arrangment that Aris and I did of our apartment, but he gets over it.

9:00 PM
Last new episode of Everybody loves raymond, watch it merely for nostaligic value.

9:30 PM
Episode was ok, now we are all off to the bar (teds) for Becky's birthday

10:03 PM
Have one beer at Teds, there is a really really creepy guy taking pictures of everyone. I asked him why he was doing this, he claimed he was a journalist, I dont believe him.

10:15 PM
Red Sox have started, they are playing Oakland, bronson arroyo is pitching, he is good, i like his haircut http://espn.starwave.com/i/magazine/new/arroyo_hotstove.jpg

10:45 PM
West and I decide Ted's has run its course, we head on to the Bidwell Tavern in coventry.

11:00 PM
Now at bidwell, red sox are leading 2-0 thanks to mark bellhorn

11:16 PM
West and I order the bidwell's famous wings, i get spicy garlic, west gets honey bbq, both delicious flavors

11:36 PM
After many of my wings have been consumed I need to use the bathroom, men's room is closed, so this marks the first time I have used the ladies room at a bar (intentionally)

12:15 AM
Leave the bidwell, red sox are now tied 4-4 with oakland

12:25 AM
Return home check my email, talk to the ladie friend online

12:45 AM
away message up claiming I'm in bed, watch the last few outs of the red sox game (mike meyers blew it) we lost

1 AMish

Fast asleep

Slow Children At Play, Player Profile #25

Allow me to be self serving for just a little while. As a college student, one of the few perks is being able to participate in intramural sports. I am now a senior, and have been playing basketball every semester since I arrived at UConn. Our team name, "Slow Children At Play" really describes us to a "t", we are slow.

Anyhow, on to the important part, in our first 3 years of playing basketball we failed to make the playoffs each season, but now in our senior year, we have hit our stride and made it into the playoffs. We won our first two games in the playoffs now placing us squarely into the Elite 8 of B-League intramural. It is now my greatest athletic accomplishment, surpassing my lip out hole-in-one effort, in which I skipped a 3-iron 4 times over a pond from 115 yards and my half-court horse heave in the Basketball Hall of Fame, in Springfield, Mass. Our team has meshed beautifully and we are a force to be reckon with. Now, I will move on to the player profile of our Slow Children at Play.

Jeff R. Weeden
#25, point guard
6'0", 190 lbs
Senior
Lynn, Mass.

Jeff has been a court general for 3 years leading the Slow Children to numerous victories. Although not a scoring threat of any kind, Jeff has that certain something that makes him a team leader. Some would say it is because of his rough and tumble upbringing and learning his hoops on the mean streets of Lynn. Others would say that it is because his horrible luck forces some kind of mentionable skill in his life, as insignificant as this may be. Of anyone on the Slow Children roster, Jeff has gone through the most trials and tribulations. From frisbeeing a monitor to having to wipe drunk girl vomit off of his naked chest to being arrested for duct taping a close friend. But, throughout all of this, Jeff remained a court leader and a voice of reason, gathering his troops and leading the Slow Children to victories and now, deep into the playoffs.

Jeff did have a slight hiatus with the slow children. After his sophomore year, Jeff transferred to play point guard for his fraternity team, Sigma Chi. This was a failed experiment and Jeff underwent much punishment and discrimination from his teammates. Eventhough this was not an easy time for Jeff, he didn't let it affect his play on the court.

Jeff averages almost as many points as he does turnovers, but, when you see his point totals, its not a bad thing, he leads the team in steals and assists (unofficially) and is always the emotional leader.

Jeff's favorite food is Cool Ranch Doritos
Jeff's favorite quote is "if you're happy and you know it, clap your hands"
Jeff's motto is "Weeden out the competition"
Jeff's life goals are to get out of college alive, and without compiling another felony charge, also, to not lose an eyeball in a Scotty Farcas induced fight, and to pay off his ever growing credit card bills
Jeff's greatest accomplishment in life is beating yours truly on a BS tie breaker in fantasy Football this past year. Also, he once won a Easter raffle in kindergarten and won a pink bunny cake, which he and his family shared and enjoyed immensely.

The End

Black History Hoax

February, as many of you know is black history month. An extremely deserving month to say the very least. African-Americans went through so much toil and strife throughout all their years in American history that frankly they deserve half the year. But, somehow, somewhere the holiday makers went astray. Why did blacks get the shortest month of the year? Which leads me to another question, why are there so many months with 31 days, yet Feb. Is stuck for eternity with only 28 days, or maybe 29, if they are lucky. Why doesn't August step it up and hand poor February a day, I'm sure it would suffice with merely 30. Anyway, enough sidetrack, back to black history month. I know that maybe when black history month was created, there wasn't much black history to speak of because of all of the horrible past, but now, black history is very rich and needs more than just 28 days. Not only are the amount of days in the month the smallest of the year, but there are many, many distractions in the month of February that supersede the black history aspect. Right from the start, boom, Groundhog Day, big distraction, it tells us about the weather, very influential (ugh, hate that day). Then somewhere in the next few weeks, bam, Ash Wednesday, maybe not a national holiday, but still, lots of people celebrate it. Not too soon afterward, wabam, Valentines Day. How are we supposed to celebrate black history with all the roses and sunshine getting into the way. Oh, no, but that's not all, just as the dust from Valentines day settles, LOOK OUT, cuz here comes, Washington and Lincoln's birthdays, two more days of distraction. And, those are two days that of course get mentioned in the scheme of holidays, but there is still a separate day, Presidents Day. So, three of the 28 days in February are dedicated to Presidents that died in the 17 and 1800s. But I guess it all doesn't matter because the home stretch of February is an unadulterated week of non-holiday bliss for African Americans to enjoy their history. I suggest that black history month be changed to a month with at least 30 days and only 1 holiday per 10 days. Well, with that being said, I'm white and I guess it doesn't really affect me. The end.

Blockbuster revisited

Well, I'm glad to see my blog has finally made some waves. I came out with the blockbuster BS way before New Jersey took some action. Here's the story. Basically, it's saying that the blockbuster no late fee's deal is misleading. I knew it, blockbuster is a bad company, hahahahaha, no, not bad, just misleading, I assumed it would become a problem, they should have come to me first before this great plan. Oh well, that's all.

I'm so sorry

I would like to start off by apologizing for my lack of posting in the last week or so. I have been super busy with school and sleeping and whatnot. I realize I have been slacking, but unlike working folks, I don't have much free time, not to mention how terribly lazy I am. But there are a few things I'd like to blog about. First of all, it is Valentines Day today. A holiday, and I use that term loosely, that only creates problems and distress. What good can come of Valentines day? Honestly, think about it. You can go out and spend money on roses, which die in a week, give or take a couple of days, and just puts a sizeable dent into your wallet and has no redeeming value. Option number 2, don't get anything for your sweetie, and probably end up kicked to the curb, or possibly kicked somewhere else. Now, that is just if you have a significant other, those are your two choices, now, let's get to the lonely people on this "holiday". Those poor single people are just saddened, and not because they are single, no, most of the single people don't particularly mind the fact that they are single, but they are saddened because they have to put up with all the mush and sentiment of the people in relationships. It's just a silly day overall. I am lucky to have a girlfriend who shares the feelings on Valentines as I do, so I didn't have to worry about any kind of monetary or painful repercussions. Anyway, that is my V-day rant. And, I feel valentines day can be a good holiday if it is used correctly, don't abuse the powers, just go out with your friends or loved ones, enjoy each others company and make it a happy day, not about flowers and chocolates.

The world's most famous weather rodent

Today is Groundhog Day, one of the most insignificant days of the entire year. February 2nd is just about as arbitrary as June 14th (extra credit for someone who knows what June 14th actually is). Anyhow, people in pathetic Pennsylvania think that some mangy flea infested oversized rat can predict weather trends. He is of course: "Punxsutawney Phil, seer or seers, sage of sages, prognosticator of prognosticators and weather prophet extraordinary". Now, the funny thing is that I call him flea infested, you may be thinking, I have no way of knowing if he is in fact infested with fleas, well, you are partially correct. You see, the word Punxsuatwney comes from the Indian name for the town of the sandflies. So I did my research you punks, so don't question me anymore. On to the bigger issue, weather predicting groundhogs are communists. Ok, bold, yes, but please hear me out. Every February 2nd, 35,000 "fans" descend onto the small town of Punxsutawney, PA. Why do they go? To be TOLD what they will have to experience in weather for the next 6 weeks of their lives, and why, because the sun was either in or out that day, I say its BS, and you all know it, you have been brainwashed by the liberal meida to listen to this quote/endquote Groundhog. I mean, look at the weather today, yeah, the sun is out, but heck, its the warmest day in a long time up here in Connecticut and most of the northeast. I say that Mr. Rat if dead wrong, and that people should learn to stand up to this furry forecaster. I say enough of Phils predictions, I'm on my own... I SAY NO MORE WEEKS OF WINTER, my reason for this prediction... cuz my hair was messy when i woke up this morning instead of just kinda matted.

Blockbuster "no late fees"

I would like to use this time and place to personally thank Blockbuster for their new policy of no late fees on movie or video game rentals. Now, you and anyone else can keep your copy of "How to lose a guy in Ten days" or "Juwana Mann" for that extra day that you have always wanted and needed. Blockbuster realized that 7 days with a video of that caliber was just not reasonable enough. Now, you may be thinking to yourself, why would Blockbuster do this for their customers? Well, I suppose it was because they really appreicate the business and they love their loyal consumers. They do not have profits in mind while invoking this policy on all of their many stores nationwide. Blockbuster has got it right, they are out for the greater good, just not to make the extra buck. Usually big companies like that would not be known for looking out for the little man (i.e. you and I) they are usually trying to figure out any way to squeeze out any extra penny from our pockets. Don't you worry Blockbuster will still survive somehow even with this newly found charity. Wait one second, you say there is a catch? A catch?! How can Blockbuster live with themselves, they aren't doing this to be nice, they aren't doing this to show how much they love thier customers, looking to enjoy a movie, oh no, they are out to make an extra dollar or two. How dare they! I would have never seen it coming. (Ok, so everything previous to this point was pure sarcism) Now Blockbuster is in the business of tricking their customers. These late fees have been waved, that seems all well and good, but what they don't say is, instead of a couple days of late fees, now you get charged for the full price of the movie or game you are renting if you keep it for a few days too long. Why don't their commercials inform you of this new policy? Well, I couldn't tell you, but it took some searching to determine what their actual policy was to prevent people from just keeping their products. I went to the website, clicked on about 4 or 5 links before I found the FAQ section, then I figured out what they were doing to keep their products. Well, instead of explaining the whole thing, here is their new policy from their website:

What are the full movie and game rental terms now that BLOCKBUSTER® has stopped charging late fees? A: Movie and game rentals are due back at the date and time stated on the transaction receipt. There is no additional charge if a member keeps a rental item beyond the pre-paid rental period. However, if a member chooses to keep a rental item more than a week after the end of the rental period, Blockbuster will automatically convert the rental to a sale on the eight (8th) day after the end of the rental period. Blockbuster will charge the membership account the selling price for the item in effect at the time of the rental. The selling price will be discounted by the amount of the initial rental fee paid by the member at the time of rental. If the member returns the item within 30 days of the sale date, Blockbuster will credit back to the membership account the amount previously charged to the member’s account or the member’s credit card, as applicable, for the selling price of the item, but the member will be charged a minimal restocking fee. All rental items must be returned to the proper BLOCKBUSTER® store. These rental terms are subject to change without notice at any time. Participating stores only. Additional membership rules apply for rentals. See participating BLOCKBUSTER store for details. BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Inc. ©2005 Blockbuster Inc. All rights reserved

Wow, that says it all. So now instead of a $2.00 late fee for a few days extra, now you get charged like $49.95 for the video, but hey, you get to keep it, but who will want it after having it for that long?! It's kinda nuts, oh well, tricking your customers doesn't seem too nice, but hey, that's business. Just don't get tricked into buying these movies and games, look out for Blockbusters underhanded tricks.

Iraq Election quickie

I wonder if the new Iraq election ballots have a write in spot. And if they do have a write in spot, if many people would write in Saadam Hussien. And, if they do have a write in spot, and a majority of people write in Saadam Hussien would he be set free so he could be president of Iraq? Probably not, but hey, crazier things have happened. But, I bet if Saadam became president of Iraq, I bet he'd have a cool party and invite Fidel Castro and the likes.

Nike Commercial

The undisputed greatest commercial of all time has just been released by Nike. I'm sure that anyone reading this has lots of time on their hands, and probably watches lots of television like myself, so you probably have already seen this commercial. But, just in case you aren't a sports fan, you can watch the commercial right here:

http://niketown.nike.com/niketown/catalog/category.jsp?categoryId=52627&navtype=nikecom

Just check out the TV ad, it's sick. I don't think I will ever buy any of the specific products that they are hawking in this ad, but still, I love watching it. The athletes that they use in this ad are amazing, they use Brian Urlacher of the Chicago Bears of the NFL, Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL, LaDainian Tomilnson of the San Diego Chargers of the NFL, Tori Hunter of the Minnesota Twins of MLB, Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees of MLB, Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals of MLB. Now these specific athletes aren't my favorites, as a matter of fact I hate the Yankees and Mariano Rivera, but this commercial supersedes this hatred and manifests in LOVE. Nike out did themselves in this ad and I commend them. Actually, I only like two of the players in the ad, Albert Pujols and Brian Urlacher, the thing about those two is they are just quiet players who go about their business and do it in a dominating fashion. Pujols is the best all around right handed hitter in baseball and Urlacher is the best player on an awful team, as a middle linebacker, Urlacher is able to take over any football game and is in on almost every tackle on the defensive side of the ball. Those two players personify what sports should be all about, dominance without a brash ego overtaking their legacy. I salute those two players specifically, and all of the athletes in this ad, because in all reality, these players stay out of the headlines by keeping their mouths shut, and just going out on the field and performing.

Awesome baby

I always see athletes on TV and wonder if their personalities are true to how they act in interviews and when in front of the camrea. Well, recently, I encountered first hand a celebrity "athlete" who is not acting when the camera is rolling, who isn't putting on a facade for everyone so they will think he is such a perfect, wonderful person. I met the one and only Dick Vitale Saturday evening. I work for the student radio station at UConn, and was broadcasting the basketball game, and Dicky V was there, and I went up to him and talked to him for a few seconds and asked him if he had any time to come and do an interview for my radio show that was going on air shortly. He kindly informed me that he didn't think he had any time to come and do an interview, he was, as he put it, "on call", for SportsCenter, the brand new "College Basketball Gameday" and for his pregame report taping. He kept saying how much he would love to come over and talk to me on air, how he wishes he had time, and how he "swears to God" he would love to come on my show. Well, needless to say, I understood totally why he would not be able to come over, but assumed he was just blowing off another college punk who he had never met before and owed nothing to. My first opinion on Dick Vitale was that he just didn't want to deal with me and my meaningless radio show that probably has a total listenership of about 40 people at any one time. So, I figured, life goes on, on with the show, another cliche here. So we are about half way through our 2 hour pregame show for the big game against Pitt. Out of nowhere Dicky V comes over and asks if we are still on air. In a state of shock, I answered, yes, we were, so he just grabs a headset and joins our show and does a 5 minute interview. What an unbelievable person he is. He gave me his answer on why he couldn't come do my show, but he still made time in his busy schedule to come over and talk on my show. He was an amazing interview at that, totally energetic, 100% like he is on ESPN. It was just refreshing to realize that some people aren't putting on an act to make themselves seem better (i.e. Kobe Bryant). Well, anyway, I just wanted to get another post up and going. But, in conclusion, I just wanted to give a shout out to Dicky V, a pure class-act, he deserves all the celebrity he has, and more, thanks Dicky V...much love!

Gary

First blog

The way I see it, is that Blogs are a good way to write things down for other people to read. Blog is a word formed from combining the two words, "web" and "log". Go ahead, say them together quickly...weblog...weblog..weblog....BLOG. See, it makes sense. That could possibly be the only thing that ever makes sense in my blog, but hey, who is to say. This could potentially be the worst blog of all time as a matter of fact, but I doubt that, cuz there are alot of stupid people out there, and most of they probably have access to the internet. Now, I'm no genious...but I do know the meaning of a quality piece of literature. This, I do realize, does not even come close to being a quality piece of literature. But, there is the chance, slight as it may be, that if you visit frequently enough, you may get a chuckle, or even find something that raises your eyebrows or gets the gears moving in your noggin. Don't expect too much, I did say there is only a chance, but ya know what, I plan on having fun with the baby, so, hopefully you can have some fun reading it. I will mostly try to keep it light hearted, but, from time to time, if a serious issue arises that peaks my interest, you will definately hear about it from me, hopefully people can just browse my posts and just not become bored to tears, like I'm sure you are from reading this one, so I will stop now.

Gary