Marketing Power

Tiger is getting ready for the US Open, and I'm sure the PGA could not be any happier. Tiger has not played since the Master's six weeks ago, and has anybody watched golf since? Tiger took the time off because of the death of his father, and the PGA and sports world need him back. While Phil and the rest of the golf world are great to watch, the average sports junkie secretly roots for Tiger to smash every Nicklaus record and rewrite history. Tiger is truly a phenomemon, and the PGA has just had a reminder of his importance to the game of golf. Anyone seen golf highlights on SportsCenter lately?

Everest Controversy...

Has commercialization finally got the best of Mt. Everest? There have been several incidents on Everest lately that have sparked much controversy as to the competencies and principles of climbers attempting the ultimate climb. It has been argued since Jon Krakauer's infamous Into Thin Air that money is all it takes to climb Everest these days, and the skills and etiquette of climbing have been replaced by greed and the ability of anyone with a hefty bankroll to reach the prized summit at all costs. The recent controvesy this season began when climber, David Sharp, was left for dead by many groups who walked past the dying man in order to reach the summit. Their rationalization was that he was sure to die, so they had to finish. Sir Edmund Hillary, the Everest guru, was pissed at the lack of human decency. One week later, Lincoln Hall was in the same position, and his own team did the same. Fortunately, another group stopped to help him on their descent, and he is alive to tell the story. The extremities must be factored, and judgment calls must be made, but, is summitting more important than attempting to rescue someone who is still alive? Hillary demands that Everest climbers must get their priorities in line and do whatever it takes to save any climber in need. I agree.

Highly Addictive Blog...

For those who have not yet discovered Post Secret, it is definitely bookmark-worthy. This is one of those concepts that make you wonder: 'Why didn't I think of that?' It is basically a site where people send in real postcards with a secret or confession in an anonymous fashion. They are funny, clever, and some suicidal. The site has little commentary, and most comments offer words of encouragement or places to get help. Check it out if you need a laugh, or you just want to connect with human nature: Post Secret

Surprise

In my budding career as an unofficial music critic, I cannot let Paul Simon's latest creation, Surprise, go unmentioned. Simon has truly passed the test of time, and I cannot recall an album that has not touched me in some way. Surprise was produced by Brian Eno of Talking Head and U2 (Joshua Tree) fame. Paul Simon is the constant reinventor of his musical talents, but Surprise is not a pop-techno creation that many may have thought would come out of the collaboration with Eno. There are some funky sounds, but the lyrical genius of Paul Simon is still the focal draw of his latest album. Much like Simon's last underrated album, You're the One, this album may not reach commercial success such as Graceland, or Rythm of the Saints, but the Simon faithful will certainly find Surprise full of meaningful storytelling and talented musical melodies. Paul Simon cannot do wrong in my book, and his Midas touch only reconfirms his musical genius. Thumbs up for Surprise.

River Hygiene

Dexter Fleming on the San Juan River

Through the Hype

Well after a week off of blogging and life due to illness, I was happy to recover in time to treat myself to the much anticipated DaVinci Code. While I personally enjoyed Angels & Demons much more as a book, DaVinci was definitely more movie-worthy of the two.

As for the movie, I think protesters would be thoroughly disappointed in Ron Howard's creation, as it seems to be very PC to the Church (other than the code premise), with the negative view of Opus Dei and other strong themes from the book heavily downplayed. Overall, I enjoyed the movie, but it moved a little slow at times, and some of the acting (Sophie) was a little dry. Hanks and the Brit were great, but it almost stayed true to the book too much, while forgetting that it was a movie. Overall, Ron Howard did a great job not distorting the tone of the book, which is not usually the case in Hollywood. It is not going up in my top 10 list, but DaVinci Code was worth the small fortune I invested at the local cineplex.

Irish Wake

In Memory of Nanny at Coleman's Irish Pub in Syracuse, NY on 5/12/06. The stories of Nanny will carry on forever and will always give us something to laugh about. Thanks for the memories and my first beer. There was nobody better than you.

Controversy in the Making

As my header conveys, I do my best to avoid the topic of politics (must be a bartender thing). Neil Young is one of my main musical influences, and he never ceases to amaze me. With his latest controversial album, 'Living with War,' Neil goes for the jugular of W., and the whole Iraq situation. This is the second album released by Neil in just a few months. 'Prairie Wind' was the album right before this, and it's classic Neil; acoustic ballads. 'War' is grungy and more in Crazy Horse style with blatent distaste for the political state of our country. Neil just never stops creating, and there is not a musical style that he hasn't explored, and he has never been afraid to express his thoughts through music. He'll be bashed and criticized for this album by many, but, Neil is truly a fearless musician. 60 years old and showing no signs of slowing down; impressive in my book.

Yankee Skipper

Whether you love or hate the Yankees, Joe Torre is one class act. On Sunday, Joe Torre bacame only the fourth Yankee manager ever to win 1000 games with the Yanks. His fellow Hall of Famers to reach 1,000 with the Yanks include: Joe McCarthy (1,460), Casey Stengel (1,149) and Miller Huggins (1,067).

Torre was hired by George in 1995 and since then: 4 World Series, 10 straight playoff appearances, and 2 Manager of the Year awards. Hats off, Joe.

The Great Bambino

Strictly my opinion, but Babe Ruth's legacy will not be affected when Barry Bonds breaks his record this season. Sports critics and fans are making too much of the situation, strictly because they don't like Barry, and because he will always be thought of as a cheater, regardless of what MLB proves. Barry Bonds is a great baseball player and records are meant to be broken. Babe Ruth is a legend and cultural icon that people will always associate with the greatest American tradition of baseball. So what if he drops to #3, it's not like he was on top. If MLB won't congratulate Barry for #2 spot, who cares if the Babe drops one. The Babe's history is still intact, and Barry will never reach that level of respect. Numbers and stats are powerful achievements, but the Babe's legacy will never be overshadowed by Barry Bonds. Relax everyone.

The Seeger Sessions

The latest creation by the Boss gathers a large group of pickers, fiddlers, and some great voices who put together a polished, Americana folky tribute to the late Pete Seeger. The recordings were captured impromptu in Bruce's farmhouse; jamboree style. The songs are mostly traditional ballads written or performed by Seeger, and provide a blend of folk, bluegrass, gospel, and a strong Cajun influence to make this a tight, enjoyable album. While the camaro-driving faithful in Jersey may not be excited; the folks down South will surely dig this instant classic. Worth checking out.

Google Images Trick

This is a pretty cool trick called Montage-A-Google where you search for Google images by name, and it creates a montage of pictures. I have created images for the Animas River in Durango, CO(click picture to enlarge)... just as a test-run and I was impressed.

Instructions: Click link and then click the sample montage. Search for Google Images as you normally would and hit create montage. When you are satisfied with your creation, hit 'print screen' on your keyboard (you have just copied the montage). Then, open 'paint'(start menu-programs-accessories) and paste (ctrl+v or edit-paste). Finally, "save as"under My Pictures into Picassa or another photo editor. You must crop accordingly as your browser(screen) information will still be around the photos. I exported mine to Flickr and it was quite a simple process. I am easily amused, but I think you could have some fun with this.

Lovely Day For A...

(click image to enlarge)

Montage-a-Google

This Show should be Illegal.

Not since Seinfeld has a television show got me so hooked. The cliffhangers are too much to handle. I even had to flip back and forth to the Yanks-Sox game (thankfully missed another Papi spoiler). 24 is one quality show and if you haven't seen it yet, don't start unless you plan on becoming a slave to your TV on Mondays. Who's cooler than Chloe? I wish she was around to help me with my blog.