Jan 31, 2006

Climaxan Speak: State of the Union

Wow. That is all I can say after President Bush's State of the Union address. Not wow as in, wow, that was a great speech. Wow ,meaning, that was almost the same speech I heard last year. Except this time there was less clapping, and when there was clapping, it was usually only one half of the room at a time.

When Bush was re-elected he vowed to unite, but this country is even more polarized than before. I realize that there is blame for this polarization on both sides of the aisle, but as the leader of this country, it's Bush's job to facilitate dialogue that brings both sides of the aisle together. Neither Republicans or Democrats are willing to compromise with each other on any issue, and if someone doesn't step in and stop their teenage girl cat fight then this country may never recover.

That's what I noticed at the beginning of the speech.

Bush opened up with a very familiar sounding spill about freedom,terrorism, resolve, victory and freedom, and just in case you forgot more freedom. Basically it was every speech he had ever given before. He tried to paint a pretty picture of Iraq followed by statements attempting to belittle those who don't support the war. Let me say one thing right now about that. Almost anyone who is against the war in Iraq still supports our troops, and they respect the sacrifice they make for our country. Speaking out against something that you do not believe in is one of the greatest services you can do for this country, that's called liberty, that's what this country is supposed to stand for. I'm sick of people making the statement that anti-war pundits don't support the troops, it's not true at all. So It's safe to say I was bit angered by the president inferring that those against the war dishonor out troops during the State of the Union. Way to unite.

After the President finished reading through his old material he finally got to the new stuff. There some things he said that could be promising if they are actually followed through on, and also a few things that really left me scratching my head.

Saying that we are a country addicted oil was a funny but true statement coming from George Bush. True, because it is, and funny because the Bush family fortune is a result of their oil businesses and connections to the Saudi Royal family (who just so happen to also be addicted to oil). Alternative fuels are key to the future of not just this country but the entire world, I just hope that Bush's ethanol proposals are not empty promises. I'm not holding on to too much hope though. I don't take environment proposals to seriously from an administration that passes the Healthy Forest act and the Clean Air Initiatives. If you don't know what those did to the environment then look it up, you'll be a little surprised.

What angered me the most was a little statement that President Bush made that most people probably didn't pay most attention to. That is when he made the the comment about how congress had cut funding to over 140 "security non-essential programs". Those "non-essential programs" are mostly financial aid and educational programs. Bush talked about this like it was a positive thing. I'm sure some of those 140 programs are dead weight, but teachers assistants and after school programs sure are not, and to follow this statement by saying you want children to stay in school longer, and focus more on match and science. That is somewhat hard to do when you are cutting their funding for textbooks ........

...........but what do I know, I'm just a simple guy from Climax.

Jan 24, 2006

LOST: The Hunting Party


The first time that I watched this episode I was a little dissapointed. I thought that the story progressed a great deal on the island , but that Jack's flashback was a little anti-climactic. After some repeat viewings, I still feel the same way, except I found that Jack's flashback actually did add some meat to his character.

One of the main questions surrounding Jack's character is what became of him and his wife Sarah. I applaud the writer's for actually answering the question, but the way it happened was what I thought was anti-climactic. I mean c'mon, an affair. While the events surrounding Sarah and Jack's relationship/break up were very realistic, the circumstances of their split had been such a mystery for so long that I expected something a little different. However, the flashback did do a good job of establishing why Jack didn't want Kate to come on the hunt for Michael, and also help further drive home the fact that Jack sucks with people in general.

The island developments on the other hand were pretty substantial.

I'm pretty sure that the last line Michael read from Walt on the computer was "You have to come alone", I'm guessing this only because of the way Michael was so adamant on going alone. Then the hunting party itself provided for some good character interaction. This episode was really the first time that Sawyer and Locke had ever really talked and it turned out some interesting stuff. It was also nice to see Jack and Sawyer go back and forth about Kate, but I doubt that is the last we will hear of that conflict. The really amazing thing about this episode was the meeting with the man who kidnapped Walt, or "Zeke" as Sawyer called him. Zeke was pretty vague about the details of why the Others were on the island, but he made it perfectly clear that they are in control (I doubt that though). It's also interesting to note that Zeke quoted a line from the http://www.hansofoundation.com, which is a viral campaign website dedicated to Lost. The website is the "official" site of the Hanso Foundation who are the founders of the Dharma intiative. The quote "Man has been blessed with a curiosity" is a direct quote from the website. So I was very surprised that they put that in this episode. It was definatley a huge shout out to the serious Lost nerds in the world, and I'm sure it's appreciated.

Another week, another solid ep. Next week looks to focus solely on the Charlie situation, so I'm sure we will get some more answers about his character, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see the return of our favorite French lady, who knows though.

I give The Hunting Party a 4.5/5 , I was going to give this episode a 4/5 but I gave it a bump up for one reason in particular.

Behold Gabriella.

Jan 20, 2006

The NFL Outsider: Championship Sunday

Well here we are, down to the NFL final four. I was 3 of four last week (curse you colts!). I hope to get it perfect this week.


Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Denver Broncos

I am one of the guilty ones who didn't give the Steelers a chance last week, so......I'll do the same thing this week. Both of these teams like to blitz the quaterback, both teams to do it well. So in a matchup of two blitzing teams I am going to choose the one with the most mobile QB, and that would be Denver's Jake Plummer. Don't get me wrong, Rothilesberger is no statue, but you can't tell me he is 100%. He's playing with a shoulder,knee, and hand injury. I'll give Big Ben much respect for playing hurt, but I think it's going to hurt him Sunday against a fast Denver team. If the Steelers can force Plummer into some mistakes then they have a really good chance to take this game. I just don't see it working out that way. I'll take Denver in a close one.

Denver 24, Pittsburgh 21

Carolina Panthers vs. Seattle Seahawks

Both of these teams are coming in confident, but they are also both coming in hurt. Carolina lost Foster last week, and Julius Peppers is listed as questionable for this Sunday's game. Shaun Alexander will play for the Seahawks, but there is no way he is 100% after suffering a concusion. Seattle also has WR Darrel Jackson listed as questionable. If Carolina can shut down Alexander, they will place the game in a capable Matt Hasselback's hands, who played very well against Washington. However,Carolina has the top cornerback tandem in the league and can rush the passer with the defensive line. The Panthers also have Steve Smith who is quite healthy coming into the game. If Seattle can't hold Smith under 75 yards then they do not have a chance. Panthers win their 5th on the road and make a little history in the process.

Panthers 28, Seattle 17

Denver vs. Carolina in the super bowl. Sure hope that I am right.......

Jan 18, 2006

Picture of the Week: Not this year


This was a shot taken of Bill Belicheck right after Tom Brady threw the 100 yard interception to Champ Bailey. It's very emotional.

Jan 13, 2006

The NFL Outsider: Divisional Playoff Style

Last week I completely botched the New England, Washington games, but I did get the Carolina, Pittsburgh games correct, and that has to count for something. Right? Probably not. So here I go again for my predictions. If I can repeat last week then I'll be feeling pretty good,because as the wise man says, 2 out of 4 ain't bad. Or something.......

Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots

New England looked good last week, especially in regards to making me look like a fool. They absolutely waxed Jacksonville in what was easily New England's best performance all year. However the Broncos are a far more established team this year than Jacksonville, with a much stronger running game and passing game. On top of that they are playing in Denver, one of the toughest home fields to win at, especially in the playoffs. However,Denver has not won a playoff game since John Elway retired and the Patriots have not lost a playoff game since Brady became the starter ( if you don't count that year they DIDN'T even make the playoffs). It's too bad old stats don't put points on the board. Denver is a better team, they played in a much harder division, and are more battle tested (this season). I am angering the football gods again I am sure, but I'm picking Denver.

Broncos 27, Patriots 24


Washington Redskins vs. Seattle Seahawks

I don't really have to much to say about this game to be quite honest. The Redskins are hot on defense, dead on offense. While the Seahwaks haven't played a game that meant anything in quite awhile. If the Redksins D can stop Alexander and get an early lead then they might have a shot, because I do not see a Redskins offense, who only had 41 passing yards last week being able to play from behind. Seattle is a tough place to play as well and the crowd is definitely going to make its presence felt. If Seattle loses this game it would be a gargantuan disappointment, and they are good at that, however I see them waiting a week for that one.

Seahawks 31, Redskins 17


Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears

This game should be a defensive slugfest, keyword "should be". So many times in the past these games have failed to live up to their hype and instead have become offensive struggles. I do not see that happening with this game. First to 13 will win this game, and I have a hard time believing Rex Grossman can get the Bears that far. The Panthers have Steve Smith and a running game that is peaking at the right time. This will have to be Chicago's best defensive game of the season in order to win, because if they let Smith get warmed up then they will be one and done.

Carolina 17, Chicago 7

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Indianapolis Colts

Not much to say here either. I can see no way that the Colts will lose this game unless they have a total meltdown on both sides of the ball. The Colts will be playing with way to much emotion, and on top of that they are rested, and in the RCA Dome. I'm not saying this will be a blow out by any means, The Steelers offense is excellent right now, but their defense is still soft. Remember the Monday night game from earlier this year, well I expect more of the same in this one.

Colts 28, Steelers 21


Well there are my picks for this week. Hope I am not too off.........

LOST: The 23rd psalm


It has been six very long weeks since the last new episode of Lost. Leaving fans (me) a very long time to think about the show, and hopefully live normal lives. The last epidsode in November was a cliffhanger episode with Michael seemingly talking to Walt on the computer, so you have to figure they will be jumping into the hunt for Walt in this episode. That happens, but a little differently than I expected.

This episode centered around Eko, who is in my opinion one of the best characters on the show. Eko had been a very cryptic character until this episode, but you know just about everything by the end ( I just want to know how he got on the plane now). The very first scene of this episode was powerful and tossed you right into Eko's struggle and is key to understanding why he went down the path of crime that we was stuck on. The scenes later on with Eko and his brother in the church were a good example of what makes this show so great, and that's the dialogue. (Lindleloff, Abrams, and Cuse are going to be able to use Emmys as currency by the time this show has run its course). The writers did a good job of making the tragedy in Eko's life seem something that could actually force someone to change their life. So when Eko decides to turn to God after causing his brother's death I was able to buy into the story.The tie in with Eko and the sea plane was easy to see coming, but nevertheless adds another interesting connection for his character to the Island, and to season 1. Good story telling. Especially for network TV.

Now the Island stuff in this episode started off really slow. I was expecting Michael to wig out and go after Walt right away, but instead he kept quiet about talking to Walt on the computer, and started calculating a plan to find him. Locke teaches Michael how to fire a rifle because he knows his intentions to go after his son. After the rifle training session you don't see much of Michael for the rest of the episode, but you can tell that he is losing his grip. The Kate-Sawyer stuff was alright. I am not a big fan of love story angles on this show, but I do agree that they are necessary, I'm just not a fan. Sawyer is back though, and that's what's important. What really mattered on the island was the Eko/Charlie stuff. Claire tells Eko about Charlie's virgin Mary statue and he demands to see it, he recognizes it and tracks down Charlie. Once Eko finds him, he forces Charlie to take him to where he found it, eventually leading him back to the plane. What is crazy is what happens on the way.

It's rare on Lost that they give away anything big , but in this episode they gave away a bit more than I expected them too. When Charlie and Eko were in the woods the monster/security system strikes. Charlie is in a tree , and it goes right for Eko just like it did Locke in Season 1. Except this time, we see it. It is basically a giant black cloud, just like the one that almost dragged Locke underground last season. The crazy thing was that when it got in Eko's face it projected images to him. The images were of a church, Eko on the island, Eko holding his dying brother, and the man Eko shot to save his brothers life. Basically his entire life flashed before his eyes. I haven't even begun to fit this in with the entire framework of the show, I am going to wait a few weeks for that. I want to see what the next few episodes add to this one, plus I don't feel like writing a book. The main question I have after this episode is what did Locke see when he looked into the black cloud, and why has it led him on the path he is on now?

Overall this was a solid episode, really solid. Answered questions about Eko, and created even more about the Island. Next week looks like the action packed show I thought this one would be, but I'll never turn down good character development shows either. Well, that's it. Watch it next week, I will be fo sho, because " This is our island".

The 23rd psalm: ****/5

Jan 10, 2006

Picture of the Week: Alito + Brown= Brolito

I was watching a little bit of the Alito hearings today, and despite its importance to the country, I couldn't help but get a little bored. Regardless I felt that I should watch because moments like these only happen so often in our government. Amid the excitement of Ted Kennedy's cross examination, I made a startling observation. One that could change the entire course of these hearings, or at least the entire course of my lunch.

As I studied the 72 different camera angles that CNN had of Alito I noticed a startling resemblance to former FEMA director Michael Brown. If you ask me these guys could easily be cousins, brothers, or my god............they could be the same person........ Well one thing is for sure at the very least, they go to the same supercuts.

BEHOLD!!!!!!!!! BROLITO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jan 6, 2006

The NFL Outsider: Wild Card Weekend

We have arrived at every NFL fans favorite time of year, well at least for those whose teams actually made the playoffs. Now being the big NFL fan that I am , I could not help but make a few predictions for this weekends upcoming games. If for nothing else but to see what a fool I am come Monday.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins

The Redskins are a hot team right now, at least according to most sports writers. I have a hard time buying into them quite yet, especially based on the way they barely escaped that game in Philly last week. Tampa Bay has the #1 defense in the league and a coach who knows how to win in the playoffs (the playoffs in this decade, Joe Gibbs). This might be a game I end up looking like a fool for come Monday, maybe not though.

Tampa Bay 24, Washington 10

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are back to running the ball the way they ought too, their defense is clicking, and Bill Cowher's chin is bigger than ever. This spells trouble for the Cincinnati Bengals. If they can stop the run early and get Chad Johnson some early touches then this might be close. Despite Carson Palmer being on fire this season, the Bengals are coming in to this game cold, so getting the energy level up early for their team will be key. Stopping the Pittsburgh running attack will be the only way the Bengals advance, but I don't see Jerome Bettis going out like that, especially to the Bengals.

Pittsburgh 30, Cincinnati 27

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. New England Patriots

Tom Brady has been saying lately that the Patriots are getting no respect, but if you really want to see a team that has gotten no respect all year then simply look across the sideline on Saturday Tom, and you will see them. The Jacksonville Jaguars at 12-4 have been given absolutely no chance to win this game by anyone, and despite their consistent winning this season, have been given no respect. Sure Tom Brady has never lost in the playoffs and this is a home game for New England, but as USC learned on Wednesday, streaks are made to be broken. The Patriots secondary is still very vulnerable, and their running game has been non existent. I see the underrated Jaguars defense putting consistent pressure on Brady forcing him into mistakes, and a returning Byron Leftwitch carving up the Pats inexperienced secondary. I know I am a fool for this one, but I can't pick New England. They have played one good game all year and that was against Tampa. Sorry Tom, no respect here.

Jacksonville 21, New England 17

New York Giants vs. Carolina Panthers

Tiki Barber has been an absolute beast this season and if Shaun Alexander had not have been Beast squared then Tiki might have been offensive player of the year. However ,Tiki Barber does not play defense, and the Giants defense is hurt. Steve Smith is going to have a big day due to the fact that there is no one on the giants who can stick with him. If the Panthers can contain Tiki and keep pressure on Eli in his first playoff start then this should be an easy game for them.

Panthers 20, Giants 10

So there are my predictions for this weekend. 3 road teams winning, the defending champs losing, wow, I might be an idiot, but then again......

Jan 5, 2006

Top ten lists are pointless...so here's mine.

Every time I read a top ten list at the end of the year I'm always forced to struggle with my own innate desire to make one of my own. Yet every time I begin writing one I am confronted with a few questions, questions like: Who will read this?, Who will care? and Why does this even matter? The answers I always come up with are, no one, nobody, and it doesn't. So I put down my pen and paper and my top ten lists never see the light of day.

For some reason this year I couldn't let it go. I had to make one. What finally drove me to the top ten list breaking point was when I was sitting around talking with some friends about good movies from the last few years. For some reason I was drawing a complete blank when it came to the year 2004. I had seen plenty of movies during that year but could only remember a few, and it was driving me crazy. Now one might say that since I couldn't remember any movies from that year that I must not have seen anything truly memorable. I knew this wasn't the case however, my mind just drew a complete blank. There are too many other things worth remembering in this world than what movies you saw and liked in a given year,there's a war going on, bills to pay, classes to take, and I simply forgot movie release dates. I know this is a terrible story and an even worse ends to a means, but it made me realize something about lists.

Top Ten lists are pointless and unimportant, but what they also are is harmless. When a scientist is studying something they take their data and record it, coming back to it later for whatever reason. Lists can be used the same way for everyday induviduals, albeit a lot less important that science. At the end of every year, making a list of things you liked and disliked can provide you with at few minutes of nostalgic fun, and later on down the road when you are older maybe even a good laugh ("Look honey, in 1998 Ja Rule's Venni Vetti Vecci was my favorite album, quick get the oxygen!").

Whether or not this is a good reason to make Top Ten Lists every year or just a lame excuse (it is), I'm finally making them, and here they are......

Top Ten Albums of 2005
10. The Darkness- One way Ticket to Hell and Back
9. Kanye West- Late Registration
8. 311-Don't Tread On Me
7. Gatsby's American Dream- Volcano
6. Fall Out Boy- From Under the Cork Tree
5. Minus the Bear- Menos el Oso
4. Death Cab for Cutie- Plans
3. Panic! at the Disco- The Fever You Can't Sweat Out
2. Coheed and Cambria- IV
1. Motion City Soundtrack- Commit this to Memory

Other Good Albums: Talib Kweli-Right About Now, Mae-The Everglow, Spitalfield-Stop Doing Bad things, Weezer-Make Believe, Relient K- Apathetic Ep

TOP TEN MOVIES OF 2005(that I saw)
10. Wedding Crashers
9. Hotel Rwanda
8. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
7. Chronicles of Narnia
6. Jarhead
5. Sin City
4. Batman Begins
3. The 40 Year old Virgin
2. Crash
1. King Kong

Movies I havent seen yet that could have made this list: Munich, Syrianna, Goodnight and Goodluck, Walk the Line.

Random 2005 stuff that I liked:
Getting engaged
Getting a place of my own
CCC at Camp McCall
North Carolina Tarheel National Championship
Lost
Stella
Xbox 360
Jigglefest 77
walking to class
People begining to open their eyes.

Random 2005 stuff I didn't like:
Hurricane Katrina
War in Iraq
Bills
getting rear-ended
sinks that fall off of walls
Viral Veritgo

So there we go, my lists for the year 2005.
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