Sunday, August 23, 2009

New Sony commercial with the Coop

The newest SONY commercial (UK only) features my favorite pitchman, the one and only Alice Cooper. Shot a few weeks ago prior to a show in Jackson, Michigan, it's typical tongue-in-cheek Cooper. Be sure to check out the manager credentials 18 seconds in:

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Beware the flash cards

My wonderful daughter is compassionate, caring, wise beyond her 9 years and absolutely mediocre at math. It's OK, I figure, as SAT's aren't for another few years. Remember, Einstein wasn't "smart" until it counted, so no need to panic...

I think I may now understand her dilemma. The other day, I stumbled upon a stack of hand-written slips of paper next to the computer mouse with division problems scribbled in pencil (ex: 12 / 4 = 3). Cool, I thought, she's working on her division. As I slid the mouse over to wake up the computer, I inadvertently scatter the homemade flash cards. As I gather them up, I noticed that some of the math didn't exactly jive with my recollection of the facts.  A sampling of her version of division :

8 / 4 = 7
28 / 4 = 12
16 / 4 = 9
4 / 4 = 6
12 / 4 = 8
24 / 4 = 11
and my favorite: 6 / 1 = 7

In an email, my wife writes, "in the good news department, it may mean she'd make an excellent corporate finance officer."

Sorry Cubs fans...

I've always been somewhat fascinated by fans of the Chicago Cubs and their stories of woe. As a lifelong fan of the Arizona Cardinals (yes, they are a football team), I've got a story or ten to tell about bad football. But, until last season, I estimate there were less than 10 confirmed fans of the Cardinals, so there weren't too many people willing to listen to me bitch about the "bad" years (identified by me as beginning the moment I first saw them on Monday Night Football on Nov. 16, 1970 and officially ending this past January, 2009 after winning three playoff games.)

Yet, Cubs fans are everywhere. And they point to events like the 1945 World Series incident (when a longtime Cubs fan – and his billy goat – was removed during Game 4), or 1969's epic collapse to the Mets (spurred on by a black cat encircling Cubs legend Ron Santo while on deck) to 2003's Steve Bartman (who looks remarkably like Subway's Jarod) interfering with the Cubs right fielder during the NLCS against Florida. More recently, they'll blame injuries to Kerry Wood and the rest if their glass-armed staff or the incompetence of former Manager Dusty Baker (a great player, but as a manager he could botch an intentional walk).

Let me make one thing clear: there is a curse. But, it has little to do with the hundreds of innocents that have laced up the cleats for the team representing Chicago's north side. There are far more greater forces at work here. Consider the Cubs perpetual ineptitude baseball's version of divine karma.

More to the point, any organization that at any time during its history would allow this as its logo, deserves to wallow in eternal non-winning purgatory:

Seriously, who in the hell thought this would be acceptable?  I realize this is from the early 1920's and that was a long time ago, but I'm pretty sure that even back then there was an understanding that a royal blue "C" and a brown bear impaled by a fucking bat was in poor form for a logo. "Cubby fans, don't forget to join us next week at Wrigley Field for Shit Stain the Bear Night. The first 20,000 fans receive a Shit Stain crying towel and barf bag courtesy of Old Style."

Regardless, the verdict is in. The Cubs curse is alive and well. 


Oh, Canada!

Most Canadians seem content. Certainly, they're not nearly as uptight as say, we ugly Americans...

Take this informational sign for Ottawa's Constance Bay. Church, Food, Shopping, Recreation, Gas and everyone's favorite, ballroom dancing: