Dina Manzo did something. Don't know what, couldn't care less. Dina Manzo, Dina Manzo, Dina Manzo, Dina Manzo. Yep, Dina Manzo, Dina Manzo, Dina Manzo.
Monday, October 24, 2011
DeMarco Murray Earns First Career Start After Record-Setting Performance Against Rams
Rookie DeMarco Murray accomplished in the last 48 hours what every NFL rookie dreams of. Murray ran for 253 yards, setting a Dallas Cowboys single-game rushing record, passing Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith in the Cowboys' record books as he burst through the St.Louis Rams more than shoddy defense. For his unbelievable performance in his sixth-ever NFL game, DeMarco Murray earned his first career start next Sunday against the Eagles.
DeMarco Murray's 253 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown run in his first carry, is the ninth-best total in NFL history. DeMarco had only totaled 71 yards in his first 5 games.
DeMarco Murray's 253 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown run in his first carry, is the ninth-best total in NFL history. DeMarco had only totaled 71 yards in his first 5 games.
The McRib is Back...
Are we ever the fattest country in the world. Celebrations have commenced around the nation as McDonald's announced today that the McRib will be making a comeback- and will be sold in every store nationwide through November 14th.
The McRib was previously only sold by those franchisees who chose to offer the popular pork sandwich, but stores offering the McRib were so scarce that a "McRib Locator" website, created by Minneapolis meteorologist Alan Klein, became vastly popular.
In case you, like me, have never had the joy of ordering a McRib, the sandwich consists of barbeque sauce-drenched boneless pork fillets topped with onions and pickles. The McRib contains 500 calories and 26 grams of fat, making it slightly less fatty than the Big Mac.
The McRib was previously only sold by those franchisees who chose to offer the popular pork sandwich, but stores offering the McRib were so scarce that a "McRib Locator" website, created by Minneapolis meteorologist Alan Klein, became vastly popular.
In case you, like me, have never had the joy of ordering a McRib, the sandwich consists of barbeque sauce-drenched boneless pork fillets topped with onions and pickles. The McRib contains 500 calories and 26 grams of fat, making it slightly less fatty than the Big Mac.
Changes to Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) Announced
The federal government announced changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) on Monday, with improvements intended to allow more people to access the program and reduce those borrower's monthly payments.
The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) was first created in 2009 to provide relief to borrowers who owed more than their homes were worth due to the home mortgage market collapse. The original Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) reportedly only reached one-tenth of the homeowners it was intended to aid. The original Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) allowed borrowers with mortgages owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to reduce monthly payments by refinancing into short-term mortgages.
The changes will cut fees for borrowers who want to refinance and allow people who owe more than 125 percent of their property's assessed value to access the program. To be eligible for the new-and-improved Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), your loan-to-value ratio must exceed 80 percent. Also, borrowers cannot have missed a payment in the past 6 months or more than 1 payment in the past 12 months. If you previously refinanced your mortgage through the original Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), you are not eligible to take advantage of the new program.
The first step to accessing the new Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) is to see if your mortgage is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and was purchased by either on or before May 31, 2009. Borrowers should then contact lenders that offer Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) refinances.
Final changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) will be announced and implemented by the Federal Housing Finance Agency in November.
The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) was first created in 2009 to provide relief to borrowers who owed more than their homes were worth due to the home mortgage market collapse. The original Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) reportedly only reached one-tenth of the homeowners it was intended to aid. The original Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) allowed borrowers with mortgages owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac to reduce monthly payments by refinancing into short-term mortgages.
The changes will cut fees for borrowers who want to refinance and allow people who owe more than 125 percent of their property's assessed value to access the program. To be eligible for the new-and-improved Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), your loan-to-value ratio must exceed 80 percent. Also, borrowers cannot have missed a payment in the past 6 months or more than 1 payment in the past 12 months. If you previously refinanced your mortgage through the original Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), you are not eligible to take advantage of the new program.
The first step to accessing the new Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) is to see if your mortgage is owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and was purchased by either on or before May 31, 2009. Borrowers should then contact lenders that offer Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) refinances.
Final changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) will be announced and implemented by the Federal Housing Finance Agency in November.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Naomi Wolf Probably Should've Just Stayed Inside
Feminist author Naomi Wolf was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly leading a small group of "Occupy Wall Street" protesters up and down a NYC sidewalk, outside of the police barricade behind which the protestors had been pushed.
Reports indicate that Wolf ha been a guest at the event being protested- Andrew Cuomo's presentation of the Huffington Post's "game-changer of the year" award. A group of protestors from the Occupy Wall Street camps had gathered to protest the New York governor over many issues, though his continued support of fracking and opposition to New York's "Millionaire's Tax". Wolf apparently came outside of the event and joined the protestors while simultaneously refuting that police had a legal right to barricade in the protestors.
She was eventually surrounded by plain-clothes NYC police officers, arrested, held at a precinct for a half-hour, and released with a summons for "refusing a lawful order".
I'm the most self-righteous person I know, and even I wouldn't have attended an event in honor of a man and then decided to go outside and protest that same man. Maybe an open bar at the event lent itself to Naomi's cause, but either way, she probably should've just stayed inside.
Reports indicate that Wolf ha been a guest at the event being protested- Andrew Cuomo's presentation of the Huffington Post's "game-changer of the year" award. A group of protestors from the Occupy Wall Street camps had gathered to protest the New York governor over many issues, though his continued support of fracking and opposition to New York's "Millionaire's Tax". Wolf apparently came outside of the event and joined the protestors while simultaneously refuting that police had a legal right to barricade in the protestors.
She was eventually surrounded by plain-clothes NYC police officers, arrested, held at a precinct for a half-hour, and released with a summons for "refusing a lawful order".
I'm the most self-righteous person I know, and even I wouldn't have attended an event in honor of a man and then decided to go outside and protest that same man. Maybe an open bar at the event lent itself to Naomi's cause, but either way, she probably should've just stayed inside.
Police in Zanesvile, Ohio Go on Safari...
This one is pretty nuts.
51 wild animals (wild as in fully-grown grizzlies, lions and bengal tigers) were released from their cages around 6 p.m. Tuesday, forcing local police to cordon off a 7-mile radius around the animal preserve where the animals were originally being kept.
Veterinarians attempted to tranquilize some of the animals, with limited success. In one report, a bengal tiger apparently went berserk after being tranqed and police were forced to use lethal force against the 300+ pound cat.
It is believed that only a monkey and a wolf remain at large, all the other animals having been subdued, captured or killed. The owner of the Zanesville, Ohio preserve, Terry Thompson, was found dead on the property shortly after animal sightings were first reported. At this time, the unofficial cause of death is an apparent suicide.
This type of disastrous incident, an incident in which exotic animals are released into neighborhoods and police must hunt and kill them, was predicted by the movie "The Elephant in the Living Room", released in March, which chronicled the danger and utter stupidity of people "collecting" exotic animals and keeping them in preserves exactly like the Zanesville one.
51 wild animals (wild as in fully-grown grizzlies, lions and bengal tigers) were released from their cages around 6 p.m. Tuesday, forcing local police to cordon off a 7-mile radius around the animal preserve where the animals were originally being kept.
Veterinarians attempted to tranquilize some of the animals, with limited success. In one report, a bengal tiger apparently went berserk after being tranqed and police were forced to use lethal force against the 300+ pound cat.
It is believed that only a monkey and a wolf remain at large, all the other animals having been subdued, captured or killed. The owner of the Zanesville, Ohio preserve, Terry Thompson, was found dead on the property shortly after animal sightings were first reported. At this time, the unofficial cause of death is an apparent suicide.
This type of disastrous incident, an incident in which exotic animals are released into neighborhoods and police must hunt and kill them, was predicted by the movie "The Elephant in the Living Room", released in March, which chronicled the danger and utter stupidity of people "collecting" exotic animals and keeping them in preserves exactly like the Zanesville one.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Texas Rangers Defeat Detroit Tigers; Ride Nelson Cruz's Back to 2nd-Straight World Series Appearance
The Texas Rangers are once again World Series contenders, asserting their second-straight appearance with a 15-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers Saturday night. They now await the winner of the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals.
Nelson Cruz, surprisingly hitting from the number seven spot in the Texas lineup, won the American League Championship Series MVP after hitting 6 home runs, two of them in extra innings, both MLB postseason records.
Among the other postseason records Cruz set:
-Hit the first-ever game-ending grand slam
-Became first player with extra-innings home runs in two games of one series
-Became first player to hit 6 home runs in two postseasons, doing it, of course, in consecutive years
-Set Rangers' record for most postseason home runs
So hurrah for Nelson Cruz. Hurrah for the Texas Rangers. Maybe you'll actually win the October Classic this year.
Nelson Cruz, surprisingly hitting from the number seven spot in the Texas lineup, won the American League Championship Series MVP after hitting 6 home runs, two of them in extra innings, both MLB postseason records.
Among the other postseason records Cruz set:
-Hit the first-ever game-ending grand slam
-Became first player with extra-innings home runs in two games of one series
-Became first player to hit 6 home runs in two postseasons, doing it, of course, in consecutive years
-Set Rangers' record for most postseason home runs
So hurrah for Nelson Cruz. Hurrah for the Texas Rangers. Maybe you'll actually win the October Classic this year.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Questions Surround Future and Legacy of Terry Francona
“What if?”
That was the massive question that surely formed simultaneously in the minds of all Red Sox players, personnel and fans when the Tampa Bay Rays’ Dan Johnson used the club’s last strike to hit a solo home run and tie the ballgame against the Yankees in the bottom of the ninth. When Evan Longoria hit his own homer in the 12th, securing the Rays’ playoff berth and Sox gargantuan collapse, the question surely turned to “What now?”
The Red Sox had gone 7-20 in September. They had blown a 9-game lead in the Wild Card. They had spent $1 million a game in payroll obligations to many players who had not even approached their potential. And now, in what is widely considered to be the greatest sports city in which to be a winner and the absolute worst in which to be a loser, the questions keep piling up.
The largest such question concerns manager Terry Francona. “Tito” Francona joined the team for the start of the 2004 season. Tito helped bring a World Series championship back to Boston, after an 86-year drought. He helped break the “Curse of the Bambino”. He added another ring with the club in 2007. Boston embraced him as one of, if not the, greatest managers in the history of the franchise, and Tito certainly seemed to share the embrace. Yet as he sat at Thursday’s press conference alongside general manager Theo Epstein, Francona looked like a man without a country.
The normally upbeat and humbly charismatic Francona used words like “frustrated” and “worried”. When asked about his future with the club, Francona again was missing his trademark optimism: “It’s a fair question” was the response when asked if he wanted to be back with the Sox in 2012.
Francona and Red Sox management are expected to meet early Friday morning to discuss the manager’s future with the club. Many possibilities and speculations linger, such as the Red Sox not picking up Francona’s option for 2012-2013, leaving the manager to pursue other options. Should Tito walk, the predominant speculation is that his new club of choice will be the currently manager-less Chicago Cubs.
But nothing will be decided until Francona, Epstein and other members of the front office have their sit down and decide what’s best for the club and for the individual.
And so we wait.
** A rather late update**
Unless you live under a rock or, you know, have a day job, you should already know that the New York Daily News reported at 9 o'clock this morning that Terry Francona has been fired. Yes, fired. No lack of picking up the option, folks, John Henry officially gave Tito the sack.
Apparently, this decision had already been made before the Francona & Epstein press conference of yesterday afternoon, in which Tito, the epitome of a "player's manager" came as close as any of us have ever seen to calling out and/or putting blame on his players. This fact (that the inevitable firing was already known to Francona at the time of the press conference) explains the famously upbeat and unfazed manager's demeanor during the aforementioned press conference, in which Francona's facial expression left me wondering whether his dog had just died or, even worse, if the Sox front office had taken his two World Series rings and replaced them with Ring Pops.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Car-Ma-Gimmicks: The Good, the Bad and the Violating of "Carmageddon"-Inspired Ventures
"Carmageddon", the clever name for a 53-hour shutdown of 10 miles of Los Angeles' 405 Freeway, has splashed its' way into countless publications as of late. The impending chaos, due to infuriate drivers from 10 p.m. Friday, July 15th to 5 a.m. Monday, July 18th has invoked a sizable national debate: namely, just what in the hell does the L.A. DOT think it's doing? 53 hours to rebuild a ten-mile stretch of the most-travelled highway in US history? Seriously?
Many Angelenos will likely spend the better part of their day, or weekend for the thoroughly unlucky, laying on horns, exercising particular fingers and otherwise partaking in a 200,000-part harmony of rage. But while those partaking in Carmageddon will be shaking their fists, an ambitious-to-a-fault cluster of businesses and entrepreneurs will be licking their chops. (Other groups soon to be licking their chops, of course, include zombies and vampires, for whom this whole Carmageddon thing will be like catching fish in a 10-mile long barrel.)
A plethora of products, sales and strategies will be deployed during, and specifically for, the days of fury. $5 Irish Car Bombs, right-off-the-highway hotel room specials and T-Shirts bearing captions such as "The price you pay to live in L.A." are all fantastic ideas, though the $5 drink deals do present a possibility for one or several "Carmastrophes" (See what I did there?). Additionally Waze, the Israeli-made GPS app that feeds smartphones constant updates to live traffic conditions, has guaranteed it's ability to "beat Carmageddon". The rub is that the vast majority of entrenched Angelenos on the 405 must be simultaneously running the application for it to successfully determine the conditions in real time.
The marketing strategy of Waze has potential, but it may be derailed by another smartphone-targeted strategy. In fact, AT&T's plan to bombard those of their customers who are unfortunate enough to be playing bumper cars on the 405 will very likely force many smartphone owners to do the precise opposite of what Waze is encouraging: Turn off their phones.
Aside from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation installing Lady Gage-blaring speakers along the entire 10-mile stretch of highway in question, I can think of nothing that would be a more infuriating complement to a 40 mile traffic jam than my phone company seizing the opportunity to text me a steady stream of plugs for their own navigation app. Not only would I be driven to the edge by the sheer lunacy of sending endorsements for a GPS program to someone stuck in 40 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic, I would likely be forced over the aforementioned edge by the continual interruptions to the surely epic game of Wordmole I would have going.
Does nobody else see this as a major invasion of privacy? The issues I see are not confined to the text messages themselves, though that part of it does indeed fall into an ethical grey area; The receipt of text messages encouraging me to activate programs being sold by the company to whom I am already paying for very specific services is surely some form of harassment, however minor the inconvenience may be.
Operating with a limited knowledge of the procedural functions of a cell phone, I am not particularly perturbed by the fact that my phone company knows where I am at all times, as (I think) that is necessary in order for me to make and receive calls. It's the manipulation of that fact that would bother me. I use my phone's GPS all the time, but my phone's GPS using me seems like a clear intrusion into my personal bubble. It may just be the deep-seated fear of machines controlling my life talking here (for which I can thank a childhood viewing of Terminator), but this whole mess has me becoming borderline terrified of my phone.
I'll be 3,000 miles from the raging chaos of Carmageddon, but I think I may just take the SIM card out of my phone for the weekend.
Many Angelenos will likely spend the better part of their day, or weekend for the thoroughly unlucky, laying on horns, exercising particular fingers and otherwise partaking in a 200,000-part harmony of rage. But while those partaking in Carmageddon will be shaking their fists, an ambitious-to-a-fault cluster of businesses and entrepreneurs will be licking their chops. (Other groups soon to be licking their chops, of course, include zombies and vampires, for whom this whole Carmageddon thing will be like catching fish in a 10-mile long barrel.)
A plethora of products, sales and strategies will be deployed during, and specifically for, the days of fury. $5 Irish Car Bombs, right-off-the-highway hotel room specials and T-Shirts bearing captions such as "The price you pay to live in L.A." are all fantastic ideas, though the $5 drink deals do present a possibility for one or several "Carmastrophes" (See what I did there?). Additionally Waze, the Israeli-made GPS app that feeds smartphones constant updates to live traffic conditions, has guaranteed it's ability to "beat Carmageddon". The rub is that the vast majority of entrenched Angelenos on the 405 must be simultaneously running the application for it to successfully determine the conditions in real time.
The marketing strategy of Waze has potential, but it may be derailed by another smartphone-targeted strategy. In fact, AT&T's plan to bombard those of their customers who are unfortunate enough to be playing bumper cars on the 405 will very likely force many smartphone owners to do the precise opposite of what Waze is encouraging: Turn off their phones.
Aside from the Los Angeles Department of Transportation installing Lady Gage-blaring speakers along the entire 10-mile stretch of highway in question, I can think of nothing that would be a more infuriating complement to a 40 mile traffic jam than my phone company seizing the opportunity to text me a steady stream of plugs for their own navigation app. Not only would I be driven to the edge by the sheer lunacy of sending endorsements for a GPS program to someone stuck in 40 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic, I would likely be forced over the aforementioned edge by the continual interruptions to the surely epic game of Wordmole I would have going.
Does nobody else see this as a major invasion of privacy? The issues I see are not confined to the text messages themselves, though that part of it does indeed fall into an ethical grey area; The receipt of text messages encouraging me to activate programs being sold by the company to whom I am already paying for very specific services is surely some form of harassment, however minor the inconvenience may be.
Operating with a limited knowledge of the procedural functions of a cell phone, I am not particularly perturbed by the fact that my phone company knows where I am at all times, as (I think) that is necessary in order for me to make and receive calls. It's the manipulation of that fact that would bother me. I use my phone's GPS all the time, but my phone's GPS using me seems like a clear intrusion into my personal bubble. It may just be the deep-seated fear of machines controlling my life talking here (for which I can thank a childhood viewing of Terminator), but this whole mess has me becoming borderline terrified of my phone.
I'll be 3,000 miles from the raging chaos of Carmageddon, but I think I may just take the SIM card out of my phone for the weekend.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Clarence Clemons Dead at 69; An 'Immeasurable' Loss to the Boss
The music world was shaken today by the death of Clarence Clemons, longtime saxophone player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Clemons died of complications from a stroke suffered last week at the age of 69. He spent 40 years as a part of The Boss's legendary backing band, playing alongside Springsteen since the illustrious musician's humble beginnings in 1971. In addition to providing the spirit-lifting soul for the E Street Band, Clemons has played with the likes of Jackson Browne and Ringo Starr and spent brief stints acting on the hit shows Diff'rent Strokes and HBO's The Wire.
With a heavy heart, Springsteen released the following statement on his website:
"Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."
Sometimes overlooked by the music community but always appreciated by his Boss and the fans that mattered, Clarence Clemons will forever be remembered as an extremely talented musician and a magnanimous individual, who spread his soul to all who had the good sense to listen. Rest in peace Clarence, may you spend an eternity as you spent your life: delighting all those who listened with your sublime sax playing.
With a heavy heart, Springsteen released the following statement on his website:
"Clarence lived a wonderful life. He carried within him a love of people that made them love him. He created a wondrous and extended family. He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years. He was my great friend, my partner, and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."
Sometimes overlooked by the music community but always appreciated by his Boss and the fans that mattered, Clarence Clemons will forever be remembered as an extremely talented musician and a magnanimous individual, who spread his soul to all who had the good sense to listen. Rest in peace Clarence, may you spend an eternity as you spent your life: delighting all those who listened with your sublime sax playing.
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