Perhaps It's Just Because It's Super Bowl Week...
...but I'm getting three times the usual hits today, and everyone's looking for Krystal Fernandez information. Here are some quickie links to a few items:
Webmasters, change your defaults
Composition
Solving the Krystal Fernandez poster mystery
Hi, Ontario. XOX Farrah (Ironically, I ran into a Farrah at Tequila Hoppers on Saturday (finally played NTN for the first time this year), but she was a brunette.)
My candidates for President in 2008
No Krystal Fernandez in San Francisco?
Krystal Fernandez gay? Doesn't appear to be
Musical chairs
The Extravaganza co-host/Is in love with Esther
Krystal Fernandez resume, entry 21
Posts
Hey, Call It Play Advertising
So, back in June 2003 I released my paperback copy of Huckleberry Finn.
A year and a half later, I joined the cast of "Big River."
Oh well...
(And Huckleberry Finn probably won't be reviewed on Book Buds . Our theater company had to perform massive edits to the script as is to make it acceptable for school audiences.)
Super Bowl Super Bowl Super Bowl - There, I Said It Again
In the finest tradition of Ann Landers , I am going to recycle some stuff that I said over a year ago :
A lot of people are referring to a "big game" on February 6, 2005 in Jacksonville, Florida.
For example, the WA1A website includes the following:
WIN
TICKETS TO
THE BIG GAME
100% FLORIDA ORANGE JUICE
O.J. BIG GAME GETAWAY FROM THE FLORIDA CITRUS COMMISSION 100% FLORIDA ORANGE JUICE AND SHARED YACHTS.COM
A1A WINNER
RALPH KINSTLER OF MERRITT ISLAND CONGRATULATIONS.
And the Giant Eagle website contains the following:
After the holidays pass, the fun isn't over quite yet! It's time for the Big Game! This year, the game is being held Sunday, February 6, 2005 at ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida - you won't want to miss it.
And what better reason to have a party! It's a delicious way to cheer your team on while gathering your fellow fans together for a fun-fille...
Chris Rose Departure
Speaking of Fox, I believe that "The Best Damn Sports Show Period" will suffer without Chris Rose in the mix. Rose fulfilled the same role that James Brown fulfills on the Fox NFL pre-game broadcasts - an island of sanity in an environment of loud yuk-yuk artists. Here's some coverage that I missed until today, from the Cleveland Plain Dealer :
After three years as host of FSN Ohio's "Best Damn Sports Show Period," Chris Rose is leaving - and it's the best darn move the Shaker Heights native could make for his career.
Yes, the "BDSSP" gig brought Rose great exposure....But it also came at a price - each evening, Rose had to babysit buffoonish "BDSSP" star Tom Arnold (a comedian who knows little about sports) and fellow contributor John Salley (a former NBA player whose egotistical rants suggest he hasn't yet accepted the "former" part)....
Rose plans to do play-by-play on upcoming Arena...
Webmasters, Change Your Defaults
For some reason, Van Earl Wright , Andrew Siciliano , and other participants in the Fox Morning Extravaganza (on location in Jacksonville, Florida ) spent a good part of this morning's show talking about the Krystal Burger. (They especially liked the hot buns.)
So, when the Fox Morning Extravaganza returns to Southern California, will they be able to find this Southern delicacy?
On initial view, the website looks encouraging in that regard. If you click on their Krystal Locator button, the sample Street Address and City/State/Zip code are in Redlands, California. So, if you enter the city of Los Angeles, California, you find that the nearest Krystal Burger is just down the road...in Killeen, Texas . (Heck, there are Cracker Barrels closer than that.)
Well, some of my readers probably already know what's at 380 New York Street in Redlands . So it appears that the Krystal webpeople didn't bother to change the default text in ES...
Pictures from the Disneyland Resort
When I first moved to California in 1983, there was just Disneyland, a lot of parking, and the Disneyland Hotel across the street. Over 21 years later, there are now two theme parks (Disneyland and California Adventure), even more parking (including a gargantuan six-story parking structure), three hotels, and a brand new shopping area called Downtown Disney that includes your usual mall traps (Wetzel's Pretzels, Build a Bear), some out of the ordinary stores (a Lego store), and examples of Disney cross promotion (a World of Disney store, an ESPN Zone).
If you live in Southern California, and you have an annual pass, it's conceivable that you'd go to Disneyland and not actually go to Disneyland. While my wife and I were in Orange County last Saturday morning, we drove to the resort (using our free parking privileges), went to the guest relations area to ask a question about pass renewal, spent some time shopping in the World of Disney...
Disney brand hot chocolate at the World of Disney in Downtown Disney. I know that people in other parts of the world would prefer to see pictures of Sleeping Beauty's Castle or something more "photogenic," but I'm fascinated by this whole Disney merchandising thing. Years ago I worked for a poster company, and the Disney licensed posters enjoyed significant sales. People realize this, and so you have candy, hot chocolate, games, and everything else carrying the Disney name. The ironic thing is that Disney stumbled into licensing by accident; Walt needed money, so he authorized the first licensing deal, launching the company into a business that has brought millions and millions and millions of dollars of revenue to the firm. And I'd be willing to bet that the hot chocolate isn't bad either.
Song and Station Recommendations
Song recommendation: In stinc tive , "Ocean of Freedom (original)." Played on di.fm's Trance channel .
Incidentally, I've been tweaking my Yahoo! Launchcast Station so that there is a higher mix of trancy dancy songs. Why? Because there isn't a 24 hour Inland Empire-accessible radio station that plays this kind of music. And yet it still plays an occasional William Hung or Johnny Cash or whatever. Take that, KRRC .
How a Pointless Brain Spasm Becomes a Law
In the context of selective lack of prosecution against anti-Christians , Jimmy Akin made the following statement :
I have a quibble about one point: Just because the law may provide a penalty does not mean that the penalty is just. The law can overreach justice, and I think that is what happens with "hate crime" legislation.
Such legislation selectively isolates motive in some cases in order to extend special protections to certian groups (the targets of the "hate"). In reality, anybody who has a crime committed against him is the victim of malice, and to create certain classes protected by "hate crime" legislation selectively favors these classes over others, who are equally victims of malice. This contributes to the polarization of our society and works against the fundamental principle of equal justice for all.
Consequently, I don't favor hate crimes legislation. I don't favor it when it work...
That Would Be A Fun Job
I occasionally get to visit Ottawa on business, and I like the city - even in the winter. Well, I've decided to try to get a job that would let me visit Ottaw more often.
I got the inspiration while (I mean whilst) reading Farbled :
I like Mexico, but I think I'm more suited to just visit. If I ever become a Canadian senator then I guess I'll have to move there, but until then... (for you non-Canadians, its a long standing joke that our "appointed for life" senators don't even live in our country, sad that its more true than false eh?).
It turns out that Canadians don't like their Senate. Here's an excerpt from a piece entitled Outrageous Canadian Political Facts :
This page is for those citizens who are concerned that their senators might be overabundant, overpaid and inefficient. Where does $50 million a year go?
Pigs are such loving, intelligent little persons, who are treated abysmally by humans, that it is a...
Well, I Can't Afford a Nanny, Even At Rock Bottom Below-Minimum Wages
As expected, John and Ken are ripping the ad posted by "the Entertainment Community" - or at least a couple of dozen members. They say the following:
On the eve of this year's Oscar nominations, one group of celebrities has come up with a new category - "Best Nanny in a Supporting Role."
The mock award was featured Monday in an ad signed by more than 30 actors, writers and musicians in a Hollywood trade paper , urging Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to approve a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain drivers licenses.
Celebrities such as Diane Keaton, Carlos Santana and "Million Dollar Baby" writer Paul Haggis took out the ad in Variety. They argue it will make roads safer and that the ability to drive is a civil right.
The ad features a picture of a Hispanic woman and two young children with the caption, "Nominated: Best Nanny in a Supporting Role....
If you're only fired for blogging, consider yourself lucky (or, why the Empoblog doesn't receive a lot of comments from Teheran)
Via Queen of Sky , via the Committee to Protect Bloggers . From Reporters sans frontières :
Reporters Without Borders has called for the immediate release of journalist Arash Sigarchi who was arrested on 17 January 2005, after responding to a summons from the intelligence ministry in Rashat in the north of the country.
He had been updating a weblog that has been banned by the authorities, Panhjareh Eltehab (The window of Anguish), in which he had spoken out against recent arrests of cyberjournalists and bloggers....
Sigarchi is the editor of the daily Gylan Emroz. A few days before his arrest he was interviewed by two foreign radio stations, the BBC World Service and Radio Farda.
He had already been imprisoned for several days, from 27 August 2004, for an article, illustrated with photographs, of a rally in Tehran by families of priso...
Happiness and Sadness
Dayli is back.
I am Back. To re-expose myself. As the successful, independent career woman....As the unabashed flirt, forever seeking masculine attention....
Da Goddess is hurt.
I was injured the other night as I was attempting to help a patient. To be quite honest, I thought nothing of it when it first happened. I figured a hot shower, some Tylenol, and a little sleep would be all I needed. I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
After spending the day with doctors and nurse practitioners, I am under orders to do as little as possible. Normally, this would be a welcome thing. Now, I'm left with a lot of time on my hands and the complete and utter inability to do any of the fabulous, fun things I'd like to do with spare moments. I can do nothing. NOTHING. Apparently, even blinking is too strenuous an activity for me. This does not bode well for a busy mom/nurse/blogger/protest warrior/etc. I'm on a full week of bedrest....
Yes, Virginia, There is a Carson, California
Although I don't remember it, I must have stayed up late when I was a young kid in the 1960s. I used to make drawings of TV sets on which the following words displayed on the screen:
MORE
TO
COME
I didn't see this January 19, 2005 CNN article , but it would have led the readers to believe that there WOULD be "more to come":
CBS "Late Show" host David Letterman has a secret joke writer -- and it's none other than the retired king of all late-night television, Johnny Carson.
CBS senior vice president Peter Lassally, a onetime producer for both men, said Tuesday that the 79-year-old former host of NBC's "The Tonight Show" occasionally sends Letterman new jokes he has written and that Letterman sometimes incorporates them into his nightly "Late Show" monologue....
"I think the thing he misses the most is the monologue," Lassally said of his former boss. "H...
Ontario Canada Casino News
From the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal :
A provincial government decision that no new casinos will be developed has shaken Dryden Mayor Anne Krassilowsky .
“It comes as a surprise when indications from the feasibility study that Dryden and Wabigoon Lake First Nation undertook seemed to indicate that (a casino) would be an economic diversification opportunity for the two communities, providing more than 300 jobs,” Krassilowsky said Thursday.
“(It’s) one step forward and two steps back,” she said.
City council received a positive report this week on a casino/hotel development proposal.
Economic Development Minister Joe Cordiano announced Thursday “there will be no additional casinos” in Ontario.
Cordiano also said the province won’t allow video lottery terminals in bars and restaurants, nor will it allow slot machines in bingo halls.
The decision comes following a study of the market done by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. which s...
Customize Into a Black Hole
Excerpts from a Chad Dickerson column :
Gary Barnett, research director at analyst company Ovum , writes in...noting the tendency of IT to overcustomize solutions for problems that might have simple commodity solutions.... “In the world of IT, it is almost impossible to find a standard, uncustomized and un tinker ed-with business application, in part because we’ve all convinced ourselves that our need is unique — that we’re NASCAR — when in truth most of the things we do with technology are closer to Stop & Shop than they are Daytona. One of the hardest but most important things that we all need to learn is when we want something plain, reliable, and cheap and when it makes sense for us to pimp things up.”
But there's still a ton of business looking to serve that oxymoron, COTS customization . Take Inserso , please :
Your organization is unique, with its own individual challenges and goals. Even so, there might be Commercial Off the She...
Together, We Can Create Non-Inspiring Thought Control Messages
I was commenting on an Inland Empress post about a broken choo choo train , and ended up going off on the most bizarre tangent:
I think it's time for the two of you to revisit the secondary school anti-drug films with titles like "Don't Sniff Glue" and "Johnny Is A Glue-Head."
Taking off on a drug tangent, I need someone to tell me what "paper" is. I don't know if you ever listen to XTRA Sports 690 (but listen quick, it moves to a different frequency February 3rd), but they air this one anti-drug message from the Mexican government. The message, which is in English, goes something like this:
(guy with white bread voice) Got any PAPER?
(guy with stereotypical Chicano voice) Yeah, I got some good stuff. You'll be flying hiiiiigh!
(announcer) No you won't. It fries your brain and you end up in jail or you die. Kids won't learn the truth from the streets. Yo...
George Martin
Whilst (heh) unsuccessfully searching for pictures of 1950 British family life to augment my Eric the Half a Bee post, I ran across the allmusic biography of George Martin . First, I'll share an excerpt regarding Martin's early musical training and 1950s studio experience:
George Martin was born in 1926 in London. Although his family wasn't especially musically oriented, Martin became interested in the piano before the age of eight, and taught himself a good deal about the instrument....
[After the war] Martin was in uniform for another year, at the end of which, after passing through a clerk's job, he entered the Guildhall School of Music, studying composition, conducting, orchestration, and theory, and taking up the oboe as a second principal instrument.
In the fall of 1950...Martin received the offer of a job as assistant to Oscar Preuss, the head of Parlophone Records. The Parlophone label in those days was part of the EMI organization, bu...
Throw the Music Hall Piano Down the Stairs
I've been waiting three months for this day. No, not the inauguration. No, not the "Not One Damn Dime" day. I've been waiting for the day when I can publicly reveal the song that has been going through my head every single working day for the last three months.
To catch you up, let me reproduce something that I wrote on October 26, 2004:
Self-Inflicted Torture
One of the systems that I access electronically requires that I change my password periodically. During the last password change, I based the new password on a particular song. Obviously I can't tell you the song or else you may be able to access the system. However, suffice it to say that the song is not a new song, and in fact sounds older than it actually is, with a music hall feel.
Problem: every time I access this system, I think of the song.
Problem: I access this system a lot.
Problem: that song is therefore going through my head for m...
Why is Pittsburgh Thinking About Todd Marinovich?
There's a sudden upsurge of interest in Todd Marinovich - primarily because of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The following article from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle was written before the Pittsburgh - New York game, which Pittsburgh won:
(January 13, 2005) — The main reason to think the Pittsburgh Steelers can't go all the way this NFL season is the fact that no rookie quarterback ever has started in a Super Bowl, let alone won one.
When Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger takes his first snap Saturday against the New York Jets, he'll become only the eighth rookie quarterback since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to start a playoff game. His predecessors didn't fare well....
Todd Marinovich (1991 Los Angeles Raiders) — 12 of 23 for 140 yards with 0 TD passes and 4 INTs in a 10-6 loss to Kansas City....
Critics might argue that Roethlisberger has cooled off. In his first six s...
More Ways to Misuse the Word Fascist
I've talked in the past about how certain people like to apply the term "fascist" to anyone with whom they don't agree, and I've also noted that the "Not One Damn Dime" people, who apparently want a complete pullout from Iraq, probably disagree with John Kerry's views on how the war should be prosecuted. In fact, I alleged that they would have no problem chanting "John Kerry is a fascist."
It turns out that there really ARE people who label Kerry as a fascist - which again proves how the term "fascist" is so often misused.
Let's start with the Car and Driver forums (huh?):
P: 8/25/2004 1:30:19 PM
Saab Turbo
Senior Member
Member
Total Posts: 5,787
Last Post: 1/19/2005
Member Since: 8/15/2002
And who knew that Kerry was a fascist who wanted to intimidate TV stations and bookstores from running the [Swift Boat Veterans] advert and selling the book!
Let's loo...