Chi Obama, Racist?

Now some people are just way too sensitive. I know that over the years society has taken maybe a couple steps back in the whole racist game. There are things that happen at times that get people a bit up in arms. Things that are said that are just taken a bit overboard. Sire.. sometimes people just take things to heart a bit too much.

Take the Chi Obama. There are certain people out there that are bent on stopping the sale of this particular "Chia" because they say that the Chia Obama is "caricature-like". They say it represents a time when blacks were made fun of with "white-face" and because the Chia Pet bares a resemblance to a black man with a 'fro. Well, if this thing is anything it is funny lookin. I wouldn't be trying to stop the sale of this because it looks too much like a black man, which it does. Sorry. But I would be trying to stop the sale simply because it looks funny. Or is it supposed to. You know they do say that mockery is the highest form of flattery. Maybe they have somethin there... you be the judge.

Are you really that shy?

Seems today that most people traveling are way too upset about strangers patting them down and having to go through the full body scanner to even fly today. I heard a report on the morning news that air travel for the holidays (Thanksgiving) is down by at least 15% (estimated). All best guesses are that this is due to the TSA's new safety measures. Namely the Full Body Scanners. And if you decide to opt-out of the full body scanner then you will have to undergo a seemingly standard pat down.

I don't know about you, but the pat down in itself is harmless. Same with the scanner. Sure the scanner will give whoever is viewing the monitor a general outline of your body, but it is not like they are getting some rated X view of whats hiding under your clothes. Are we that shy as a society that this is going to bother you? Don't we know what guys and gals body's look like by now? And that being the case, why are so many people trying to avoid these scanners? To me, the scanners seem like a great way to avoid another terrorist attack! Being that the scanners will find every type of conceivable weapon that can be hiding on ones person, this is a huge safety win for travelers!

So now you have the protesters. They picked today, the busiest travel day at the airports to stage their protest. And sure, strategically that makes perfect sense to me. If your going to protest something, anything, you would want to do it when you will get the most publicity and attention. That is by far the best way to get your cause out there. So sure, pick the day before Thanksgiving to do it and pick a few if the busier airports to do it in. And you are sure to get noticed. However, is this really necessary? Are the scanners and the pat downs really an invasion of your privacy? Or are you just trying to say that everyone's safety takes a backseat to the fact that your worried the TSA agent behind the scanners monitor might spot that mole your hiding under your left breast?

Look, after all that has happened over the years with regards to terrorism and the various attacks, especially 9-11, are we really that ready to pack it all in and declare that we are no longer in danger? I don't think so. The threat is still very much real and we are still very much a target. We must stay vigilant in this for the foreseeable future. Because as soon as we let our guard down in when we will be the victim yet again. Tensions amongst the global community are still high, and the attack on South Korea does not make things any easier.

And I will make one guarantee. If these protesters were to win (which I highly doubt) their argument and get these scanners pulled or the pat downs scaled down - they will be the very first ones calling for help when there is an attack because someone was able to smuggle a weapon on board a plane!

Be safe! And if you do have to travel by plane this holiday - use the scanner. Because of all the people opting out the lines for the scanner is much shorter and you will get through security without a hitch! I guess that is one thing these goofballs are doing for us, making the wait and the lines much shorter for all the "normal" people out there!

Douchebag of the Week!

And here we go again. I must say though, this weeks choice has got me a bit conflicted. Never in all my "fanboy" days have I ever thought that I would pick a company like Sony for an award named "Douchebag of the Week". But the time has come. And sadly, Sony and Playstation has won this week's Douchebag of the Week award!! However, one thing that does also ring out in my mind is the impression that the contestants give of a gamer. If the world looks at these dorks as a cross section of an average gamer, we are in trouble.

Anyway... off to the award. We give this award to those who demonstrate an ability to be an total tool. And among other reasons, Playstation has done this with their second installment of the show. For those who do not know or are not aware of the show. In The Tester, Playstation takes 12 contestants and puts them through a  series of challenges geared towards choosing one of them to become a game tester at Sony's facility in San Fransisco. Just like any other reality game show the contestants live together in a loft specially designed for the show. But that is not the reason that we chose Playstation, or the shows producers as the Douchebag of the Week. Keep in mind, the show is aimed at finding a game tester. So obviously the skills and knowledge required in performing the duties of that type of job are at the forefront of this competition. So why is it that Sony and the Producers of this show would choose a participant who does not even own a PS3!!

That's right. You read that correctly. The contestant named War Princess admitted during the first elimination that she did not even own the game console that they are here competing for! Is it that they (Sony) were just looking to pad the field? Were they looking to just put some drama into the show? I wouldn't see the point of that considering this show is not on any regular TV network. The show only aires on the Sony Playstation Network and is downloadable through the Playstation Store. So the average tv viewer or audience will not see this show. Generally only people who own and play a PS3 will be watching the show. Therefore logic would dictate that the participants of the show would represent those in the audience.

This is definitely a ridiculous move by Playstation. Out of the thousands of people who applied to be on the show and win the grand prize, Sony makes a mockery of the whole process by choosing someone who does not even play the system they are promoting. C'mon Sony, have some loyalty to the people who support your product. Give back to the community who put in so many hours playing your game and supporting your product against the masses who declare the Xbox is superior (even though they would be wrong). As they say in the show, Sorry Playstation.. Your Game Ends here!

Football at Wrigley once again!

It may end up being a vote for Douchebag of the Week, but the Big Ten has opted to play some football at Wrigley field again,. Billed as the Allstate Wrigleyville Classic, this game marks the first time that football has been played at Wrigley since the Bears beat the Packers on December 13, 1970!! That is a very long time.

Why the vote for Douchebag of the Week? Well, it seems that amongst the myriad of different people and organizations that were involved in the planning of this game/event, nobody in their infinite wisdom thought it may be a good idea to take some accurate measurements of the field to insure that it meets regulation standards for the dimensions of a college football field.

You would think that something like this would have a planning committee or someone who would have taken care of these type of things at least a year ago! Not literally 2 days before the game is to be played. Looks like up to that last minute, the game probably would have gone off as planned too. But they had the media in the stadium to take some pictures and to hype the event. Upon doing so, someone had mentioned that the east end zone did not seem to meet the 12 foot rule. And if not for that I don't think they would have even considered taking a look at that rule. And for those who are not aware of what this rule is (I sure had no clue and it seems many in the know did not either) the rule basically states that a field must have at least 12 feet from the end of the end zone line to any wall or obstruction. So someone brought this to the Big Ten's attention at the last minute and they were forced to abide by the rule.

So what do they do? They already have everything in place for the game.. all the advertisers, the tickets are sold, ESPN College Gameday is there broadcasting from Clark and Addison. Well, what they do is this. They make the adjustment to the rules for the game and dictate that all offensive plays will take place heading in the direction of the western goal line! So basically any defensive plays that happen to go towards the eastern goal line will obviously not be stopped. You cannot stop an interception in the middle of the play and turn it around. So all defensive plays will be allowed to finish, obviously. But after that play, or any play, once it is established that the offense for either team will take the field. The team will be turned around and execute all their plays for the series heading in the direction of the west end zone. Pretty funny.

Now I don't watch college football. I'm not a fan. Too many teams, too many conferences. I have never paid attention or gotten enamored with the sport at the college level. Though many, many do. I just cannot get into it. But I can tell you that this is a game I will be watching. If not the whole game, then at least the first quarter or half. Just to see what happens with the field configuration and the offensive rule change. Not to mention everything that the commentators will be saying about it considering the game is on the national stage with College Gameday on ESPN. This should be very interesting.

Waddle - A Real Class Act!

I am from the Chicagoland area. And growing up in the city limits of Chicago it is no big surprise that I am a Bears fan. Now, if you are a Bears fan you no doubt know the name Tom Waddle. The guy was probably the most sure handed receiver that ANY team has had at the position during the 90's and without a doubt probably during this era as well. He was a small guy, and not the fastest either. But when you threw the ball to him it was a guaranteed catch. Over the middle with two or more cornerbacks targeting him, knowing he would get creamed, he would still make the catch. I remember one game he got knocked unconscious 2 or 3 times and still came back in the game to make catch after catch. Including the game winner right after needing smelling salts to get back on his feet.

Anyway... as I was running around this morning doing my daily routine, I was listening to ESPN Radio 1000 and a show that he co-hosts with another gentleman. Well they were talking about a listener who had wrote an email to the show. This listener was on his way to Miami with a few friends to catch the Bears vs. Dolphins game taking place this Thursday. Well this guy was trying for what seems to be the last week or so to purchase a Wadldle jersey from a couple different online shops so that he would have it in time for the trip to Miami.

Sadly all the places he had tried could not get a jersey to him in time. The closest anyone could do was to have it to him by Friday, and obviously this was too late. So this guy wrote into the show hoping that his story would get the guys (Waddle and Silverman) to help him maybe find a jersey in time for the trip. And here is where Tom Waddle steps in to be the hero!

After hearing this guys dilemma, Waddle proceeds to tell him that he has only one jersey remaining from his playing days. It is one of the throwback jerseys that the Bears wear on occasion. And although many people don't like the style of those jerseys, Waddle did like them so he had always made sure to hold on to that jersey over the years. Not only did Waddle just have only this one jersey as a memento of his time in the NFL, but he really did not have much more except maybe a helmet or two. But, since this fan was looking for a Waddle jersey and was striking out everywhere, Mr. Waddle tells him that if he can make it down to the station he will borrow the jersey to him so he can make the trip to Miami for the Bears game just as he had planned - sporting a Tom Waddle #87 Bears jersey!! Now if this isn't cool, I don't know what is!

When is the last time that you have heard of, or seen a past NFL player act in such a selfless manner? This jersey is without a doubt worth about $400 at least. And while it is not a high priced and high profile star of the league, it is still something that is dear to this guys heart and one of his last remaining memories of his days as a player in the NFL. And Waddle does not even know this guy! He is just some guy out of the  blue that happens to be a fan of his radio show. And Waddle is going to lend him something that holds that much value to him? That is just ridiculously cool of him. This guy is truly a class act in my opinion. If more people would even do half of what Mr. Waddle is doing for this fan the world would be a better place!

Are they serious?

So this is not news to anyone. We have all heard about these new ads, and if you haven't you might have just been living in a cave. But the FDA is rolling out some new marketing aimed at scaring people, mainly teens, out of smoking.

Smoking causes cancer... Really?

I sure am glad I was warned! I mean, ok.. so the picture does have some effect. I looked at it and went, "eww!" But that's about it. The only thing alarming about this is the fact that the FDA would think this sort of scare advertising is going to work. For the teens that smoke just to get back at their parents (yes, they are out there), these ads will do nothing to deter them from smoking at all.

So this is where our tax money goes? Between state governments working on ways to control what and how we eat, to other federal entities spending money to tell us things we already know. I sure am glad that we have such responsible people giving the final ok on where the money goes. The FDA made something like 30 of these ads and their aim is to put them ON the actual cigarette packs! That seems a bit excessive don't you think?

I understand that smoking is bad for you. Hell, we all do. Every smoker out there knows it is bad for your health. Is society really that ignorant that we need the government telling us just how bad it is? How much is spent yearly in studies to figure out just how bad smoking is? A few hundred K? A couple million? I have no idea, but I bet it is alot. On top of it, they will also spend money trying to find ways to cut smoking out completely. How much does the government spend in trying to control or limit tobacco growth? How much is spent to lobby against the tobacco lobbyists? All this because the do-gooders out there are trying to tell us that what we are doing is bad for us. Are we not smart enough to make our own decision about these things? Are we that ignorant that we cannot figure out over all these years from age 4 to age 18 that we should not be doing this? With all the negative press out there it is pretty simple to figure out what is good or what is bad for our health as we progress through our lives. Yet for some reason... we need

to help us out.

"Post this as your status"

What is it with people today? All these Facebook junkies? I mean, FB can be cool at times. Givin' you a chance to quickly connect with some friends or throw a few pics up for people to see. I get the point. I get why people have grabbed on to the whole idea of FB.

But c'mon people! Are you telling me that you seriously cannot get enough of your own original idea, or original thought in your head that you have to grab someone else's quote and use it as your status? And that's not even the screwed up thing here. What really gets me goin are these fruit-cakes that take something, like lets say an anecdote about something like mothers who like baking apple pies... "if your a mother who likes pies and baking them really makes you happy then post this as your status"

And then 5 other people post it as if to say, "Wow your right! I could never have said that for myself! I am so glad you wrote that, or found someone else who wrote that so that I could post it on my page and show off how cool I am!"

Alright! Keep it up! Lets continue to show the world how completely empty we are! Not to mention how great it makes me fee when people can take something like Facebook and turn it into their sounding board and their little piece of the 'net in which to show everyone just exactly how shallow they can be. Rock on people!

Who will you honor this veterans day?

Sadly, there are people out there that instead of honoring a veteran today, will instead find reasons to put down being a soldier. Or will look for ways to tell you why the American Government is doing nothing but ruining your life. Sure there are many things the government does that piss many people off. And there are things the government does that I myself would say are flat out wrong. But these things are not a reason for me to say I would rather move to another country. And these things are NEVER a reason to not honor a US vet or to show respect to a solider, past or present.

These guys/gals have made the ultimate sacrifice. They put their lives on the line for you! For your family! For your friends and their kids! They sacrifice their lives fighting to defend your right to put down your senator. And for the right for your next door neighbor to be a flamer. That's right, they will defend your rights with their dying breath, no matter how right, wrong or indifferent. That alone is a reason to honor such a person. And those who will just ignore the fact that these people have a day dedicated to them, just because they want to tell you why Obama made a mistake by saying something he said in Korea or with his choice in a certain piece of legislation.... well these are the people who should not only be stripped of their right to say such things, but be stripped of their citizenship. They have the balls to tell you why these things are wrong, yet have no idea that the fact they have the right to say these things are because of those same soldiers they chastise!

This are the people who can just flat out rot in hell!

Todays Reality is not yesterdays reality!

Back in the day, reality shows were a bit closer to being based in reality. They were still far fetched at times. And they were still in danger of being scripted from time to time. But they were far more realistic then the shows of today. Or maybe "realistic" is not what I should be going for here. Maybe what I am looking to say is they are more "plastic". By plastic I mean fake.

The people in these shows are the type of people that would actually seek out these types of shows. Think about it, the people you hang out with or know are probably nothing like the jerk offs you find in today's reality shows. Let me give you an example. Take any of the "Housewife" shows. All the women in these shows are so damn fake that it is unbelievable. I mean it literally makes me sick to even catch a preview of one of these shows.

And I think what makes me even sicker about this whole Housewife thing.. is the fact that not only do we have these reality shows to contend with. But there are shows out there to "review" the reality shows!! They treat these shows as "after party's" of sorts. I mean who the hell wants to watch a show that for 1 hour of your life, will sit there and discuss what happened in one of these reality shows. Does anyone really care that this chick offended this one? Or this lady called this other one a bitch at some party one of theme threw for another chick? Who really gives a shit? I for one don't care! And I find it hard to fathom that there are people out there that do. But unfortunately there are people who care, cause otherwise these shows would not exist right?

I just cant get over this. These people all need to get a life. Not so much the people in the shows. They are doing fine for themselves actually. They have their shows and they are fine with exposing their screwed up lives. The people that really need the help are the people who freakin watch these shows. Sadly I don't think there is any hope for these poor souls. If anyone needs a support group, it is the people who's lives are so messed up that they get wrapped up in someone else's life who live thousands of miles away. Whoever you are you need help, but I doubt there is any help out there for you. You may be screwed for life! Hell, maybe there is a reality show in THAT story!