Urban Docent

Wow. Really?

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-07-26T13:03:00Z

It's been way too long since I've done anything here.

Shameful, really.

Mike Vick and You

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-05-26T19:47:00Z

The ever-marching cults of fame, wealth and entertainment often place too much importance on the personal lives of those in the spotlight.

And last week, certain segments of the news cycle are taking a keen interest in the release of one Michael Dwayne Vick, previously know for his on-field antics as an NFL quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons.

Vick is just one of many who ended their official behind-bars incarceration this week in favor of other arrangements. Mike is only different in that you might have known him prior to his indictment, trial, guilty verdict and imprisonment.

According to whichever sets of numbers you consider, there are in excess of 7 million individuals in our nation’s corrections system even as you read this copy. For the sake of comparison, the state of Virginia’s population is now right at 7.7 million, according to the U.S. Census.

How many of those prisoners are going to be released in the next 30, 60 or 90 days? Who can say …

Are any of these soon-to-released criminals as famous (infamous) as Mike Vick? Possibly …

Are you willing to categorically declare that none of these former prisoners should be allowed to return to the non-criminal careers? I hear some of you saying, “Well, maybe not all of them ...”

So what is different with Mike Vick?

Vick maintained a high-profile position within a multi-million dollar industry. He made a lot of money and, some would contend, Mike was rewarded for not working all that hard or fully utilizing his talents for the team.

But Mike also make some seriously flawed choices about how to spend money, who to consider friends, what you allow to happen around you and how you conduct your personal life. He has since recanted and “paid his debt to society,” as the old saying goes.

Now comes the true test: What is the harm in re-instating Mike Vick and allowing him to compete for a job with a squad interested in his abilities?

While there is no sane or rational way to justify the cruel and criminal acts that Vick perpetrated, there is no reason that he shouldn’t be allowed to pursue his original career path (or a variation thereof) within the NFL or similar professional sports organization.

If you committed a crime – any crime – punishable by fines and prison time, wouldn’t you want an opportunity to prove yourself again?

Your future employer should be the one to decide if they can deal with any negativity your prison time might bring to the table. If your abilities outweigh the downsides, wouldn’t you like to get back to work and get some portion of your old life back?

My point is this – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. If you wore an orange jumpsuit for a while, I doubt you would really want everybody to think of your only in those terms forever.

People make dumb choices … and sometimes, they pay dearly for their decisions. Mike Vick is no different. He has lost much and he has done his time. He still has much to do to help "make things right," but that shouldn’t keep him out of the game.

Mike deserves the opportunity to prove that he can earn a second chance. Likely, some team will find a way to use his speed and his adaptive nature … heck, they may even get him to cooperate fully with practice regiments and game prep procedures.

At the end of the day, the best Mike Vick can hope for is another opportunity on the gridiron. And perhaps he will finally silence many of his critics with winning performances and a winning attitude for a change.

New "Lost" blog

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-02-23T20:50:00Z

Everything that I have to say about ABC's "Lost" is now in one place -- The Lost Recap.

Lost 5.1 "Because You Left"

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-01-21T16:43:00Z

COMING SOON .....

"24" -Day 7, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-01-21T11:30:00Z

Direct Assault:

Bauer does exactly what you're never to attempt at home - mixing household chemicals to produce an oxygen-depleting gas cloud

Bauer almost pulls another Ryan Chappelle, but ends up only wounding Renee Walker (Cool buried alive angle as the bad guys get ready to depart.)

Collateral Damage:

Emerson continues to deliver a beating to a compound guard, but he never pulls the trigger (He was so quick to ice one of his own would-be henchmen, but he lets this guy off?)

Mr. Taylor, the First Gentleman, is drugged and readied for a murder-suicide set up (This is one of the more interesting subplots of the yet-new season.)

Other Happenings:

This week was one of those moderate place-holding installments. The overall plot is added to slightly, but there are pockets of other intense occurrences to keep you watching. All in all, not a bad effort.

This season is outperforming last year's crapfest by gradually becoming better with each new addition. This is easily setting up to be a much stronger outing when compared with seasons 5 and 6. I hope they don't take a sudden nose dive in the next couple of weeks.

Watch for Renee to get herself out of her "grave" and contact the FBI by the middle of the next episode. Of course, her call will trigger the insider to basically blow Jack's cover, and we've already seen a spoiler-ish preview that sort of sheds light on next week's action.

Top "Urban Docent" entries

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-01-18T22:19:00Z

"Matrix" questions

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-01-18T15:42:45Z

    Every time I see parts of the “Matrix” franchise, I find myself asking more questions about its foundations. Having just watched the kick-off flick again only recently, I have a new point or two to ponder.

    Essentially, Tom Anderson (aka Neo) and Morpheus meet inside the matrix as Anderson distinguishes himself through his hacking skills. Or at a minimum, Neo's choice for extra curricular activity makes it easier for Morpheus to single him out for personal contact.

    Suppose then that Neo wasn't “working” as a programmer with hacker tendencies. Would he still have the inherent skills or personality or strength of will or whatever to be “the One”? If in the matrix his “profession” and mental frame of reference revolved around serving food or pouring concrete, could Neo have “woken up” and learned to be the matrix-bending hero Zion needs?

    Along the same lines, Neo's world prior to his rescue is nothing more than a computer-supplied dream (the matrix itself). And we learn later that as Neo, he does what he does as part of a reoccurring glitch in the matrix program – the Merovingian says he will outlive Neo has he did Neo's predecessors.

    So here is my though or question:

    If the “world” Neo grows up in is nothing more than the greatest simulation ever, and his choice of career/lifestyle in this machine-controlled environment helps distinguish him as “the One,” and presumably others have done the same … Why don't the machines simply craft a world that is not based on late 20th century earth? Why couldn't the matrix be viewed as the old west, the moon or a non-existent fantasy world divorced of a former reality that none of its occupants ever witnessed before?

    Why does the matrix itself – time and again – generate the perfect scenario for the creation of its own demise?

"24" - Day 7, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-01-13T19:18:00Z

Direct Assault:
Bauer almost breaks Tony's neck during a make-shift interrogation ("Save yourself some time and some pain." - Classic Jack line)

Bauer puts a nice choke hold on FBI agent Renee Walker before stealing her gun and security pass ("Don't fight it!")

Bauer leaves FBI agent Larry Moss with a bloody nose while facilitating Tony's escape from the really slack FBI HQ

Bauer beats an unknown gun-for-hire by slamming him through a cheaply constructed basement railing

Bauer uses a handy chunk of lumber to beat on another unknown gun-for-hire ("You need good men, not these two traffic cops." Traffic cops?)

Collateral Damage:

Tony delivers a swift kick to the face of the guard who uncuffed him at HQ

Jack and Tony cause all kinds of property damage and mayhem at FBI HQ, including the smashing of a window for quick exit, firing numerous rounds at their pursuers, ramming a car through a guard rail and smashing/shooting parked vehicles

Agent Renee Walker tries to play Jack Bauer, humorously mashing the injured sniper's wound and depriving him of oxygen ("Open your eyes Mr. Tanner.")

Minor league-super baddie Emerson pops the unknown gun-for-hire Jack whacked with a chunk of lumber, shooting the man while he's down

Entry to the prime minister's compound is made by blasting a guarded doorway (a guard is downed by explosion)

Two compound guards are gunned down - an interior shooting from , an exterior shooting from Tony

Another guard is beaten as Bauer begins to dig through a wall with a handyman's first choice of tools - a golf club

Other Happenings:
    Even if Tony's story of a bad guy with a heart of gold turns out to be true, there is a serious implication or two about what apparently happened to CTU.

    It seems that all other government agencies are so corrupt that only a disbanded lot of former employees can pull off the single-most important job on the radar (no pun there). And they intended to do so without Jack? I'm not sure that I'm buying the whole Jack-just-happened-to-be-in-town coincidence of this situation.

    But all things being equal, it appears that Jack was left holding the bag for CTU. It seems he was in the hot seat and ready to take all the public scorn for those extra-legal activities of his former department.

    I'm not for certain at this point that Jack isn't going to have to kill Tony, Bill and/or Chloe. They doubtlessly know who they're up against, but they better not be screwing with him too much as he will pop them if need be ...

"24" - Day 7, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-01-12T00:36:00Z

Direct Assault:
    Bauer threatens an enucleation by cheap ballpoint pen

    Bauer delivers a seemingly incapacitating beating to an unknown sniper,
    but then he gets the guy shot

    Bauer destroys a surveillance camera, drawing the attention of the not-dead Tony Almeida

Collateral Damage:
    A bang-up car crash with a traumatized little girl and a kidnapped father (who was also injured)

    Masked gunmen cause a traffic calamity and fire weapons in a sensational manner,
    apparently not killing anyone

    Sniper kills a potential informant and henchman (basically Jack's fault;
    the shooting wouldn't happen if Bauer didn't show up with the FBI)

    Tony Almeida forces a near-collision for the sake of proving a point

    The FBI agent "assisting" Bauer is good with a pistol, taking down two baddies

Other Observations:
    Ok. We all knew Tony Almeida wasn't really killed at the end of season 5, episode 13. Now he's a "bad guy" using crazy terrorism to punish the world for his wife's death? Really? I mean, really?

    Only time will tell the truth about Tony, but there is obviously more than meets the eye with his apparent reluctance to bring together GSA 117 and SRI 035.

    An insider in the FBI is bearing out, but maybe not in the sinister manner in which it was first perceived. Perhaps Almeida has not turned someone as much as he's been serving someone .... Again, we'll see.

    In the meantime, Tony forces a "runway incursion" as Bauer indirectly gets a bunch of people around him killed. In what may be a continuity flub, the FBI agent-in-charge informs Janeane Garofalo that there are "three bodies" at the site of the sniper shooting. I only recall two in the room with Bauer and the FBI chick, so we'll have to review that scenario later ....

    As a side note, "24" makes reference (if only in passing) to a potential 911 anomaly. To determine for yourself whether there's anything to it, Google the phrase "911 war games" and see if you find any correlation between the season 7 opening sequences and what supposedly happened that day. (I'm not saying anything did or didn't happen that way - I'm just saying make up your own mind)

Coming soon - The Jack Bauer Hour of Power "24" Recap

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2009-01-11T16:28:00Z

Stay tuned .......

Another classic, revisited - "Worst Christmas"

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-12-18T18:32:00Z

"Why is there so much bad news?" Well, people like to gossip about something they saw on TV, heard on the radio or read in the paper/online. And who doesn't, on some level, likes to hear about how bad off everyone else is. . .

For the same reason that "if it bleeds, it leads" remains true, this website is a "fun" way to see how other peoples' Christmas holidays have produced some of the worst times in their lives.

On this rotten slice of the Internets, there are stories that are funny, traumatic and otherwise sad. The tales of yule terror range from a kidnapped child enjoying a puked-soaked Christmas meal to loved ones counting off their last minutes on earth in the true holiday spirit.

WARNING: THIS SITE IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. STORIES ARE OFTEN TOLD IN A RAW, IN-YOUR-FACE MANNER. IN OTHER WORDS, NO PUNCHES ARE PULLED. THIS IS NOT A KID-FRIENDLY SITE. THIS ONE IS FOR ADULTS ONLY.

You have been warned. Enter at your own risk.

A classic, revisited

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-12-07T17:37:00Z

Have no fear; this is not the return of WNTE. This is simply a passing revisit . . . a savory belch to remind you of that last flavorful chomp.

A health inspector visiting a Waffle House (of all things) issued the following comment:

"Cardboard cannot be used to store bacon."

The same inspector -- apparently to his dismay and not at all a surprise to Awful Waffle regulars -- "found food particles on plates and silverware."

Bad dish washing aside, I think the cardboard-as-bacon-keeper comment is more of a challenge than a statement of fact. So, here is a quick perusal of some web-based bacon storage tips:

Rip off a large piece of aluminum foil. Place one strip of bacon horizontally at one edge of the foil. Fold the foil down to cover the strip. Repeat until all of your bacon is in the foil, accordion-style. Freeze your bacon until ready to use. (found it here)

Dishwasher-safe polypropylene plastic (example)

Bacon should be used within one to two months. If storing longer, double wrapping is suggested to help keep in moisture. Be sure to wrap tightly against the entire surface of the meat to prevent ice crystals from forming in areas that are loosely wrapped. (additional instructions)

Smoked and cured bacon produced at home needs to be frozen or stored in a refrigerator until eaten. Take off the rind, slice, wrap in freezer paper and place in freezer -- it's then good for 2 to 3 months. (look here for more than you want to know)

I guess you really shouldn't store bacon in or on cardboard. Who knew?

Without aim

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-09-16T00:50:53Z

Does this post really need a title?

I didn't think so.

There haven't been many updates here in some time, and that's all my fault. I've actually had very little to say about anything of any consequence. I know .... that's never stopped me before. But I've been truly devoid of any new blog-worthy ideas as of late.

I have recently discovered yet another "guilty pleasure" view -- It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Few programs manage to cram so much angst into such a little time slot. If you're curious and you don't have a delicate constitution, I recommend catching up on previous episodes on Hulu. (WARNING -- not for the faint, get me?)

Otherwise, I'm still reading reading reading every chance I get. I've moved through many genres in the last few months, but I've gotten back to the over-the-counter stuff with this read. So far, no complaints.

Oh .... did you see the new photos? No? Why not?

New photos from St. Louis

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-09-09T11:15:20Z

Yes, there are new photos available from our recent trip to St. Louis.

Simple click here and scroll around. As always, double click on an image to see it in a larger format.

Today brings "The Day That Never Comes"

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-08-21T18:14:00Z

Metallica has released a single from the upcoming Death Magnetic album - "The Day That Never Comes."

This apparent fourth track from the forthcoming studio release proves that the foursome has learned some lessons since the 2003 outing that we won't mention here by name.

It is evident from the furious fretwork and melody-metal melding that Metallica seriously revisited their previous work. I really hear a lot of hints from Master of Puppets and detected flavors from And Justice for All - quality work that's still generating sales and drawing cheers.

Good work, dudes. I dig the new sounds and cannot wait to get this one downloaded on the PS3!

iPhone chatter .... or, something else to worry about?

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-08-13T10:35:23Z

    If you want something relevant to say when next you're wasting time at work, consider dropping something like this in the mix:

    "Hey, did you hear about how Apple can really mess up your iPhone apps without you knowing about it?"

    There's more than enough background material out there on the net, but I will summarize it for you. Apparently, this guy found coding that Apple later confirmed as a "kill switch" -- a means whereby the company can eliminate an application from an iPhone without the users' consent. And apparently, the switch can be activated without a user syncing first.

    In confirming the as-of-yet unused kill switch option, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said it would be "irresponsible" of the company to supply its customers with an over-priced phone without the ability to later micromanage it to fit its wishes.

    Ok .... He didn't say it just like that, but he did use the "irresponsible" terminology. The rest I added for emphasis.

    Disclaimer: I have an iPod Nano (3rd gen, red) and a MacBook (duo core, white). I don't own an iPhone, and I'm not in the market for one.

    My general stand on that product is that it's a nifty, overpriced gadget with more uses than I could ever possible find an excuse to try.

    And there are likely many many many people who've convinced themselves that they must have an iPhone for their very daily existence, but in reality they're just being silly. These same folks will have the same reaction when the next generation of so-called "smart phone" hits the market.

    But I must say that I'm surprised that someone was able to push Apple enough to have them simply confirm a pretty frightening thought -- they can take away from you a feature that they no longer want available .... good, bad or otherwise.

    This is really an unheard of level of control for any similarly positioned consumer produce, at least that I can think of at the moment.

    You, Mr. and Mrs. iPhone Customer, must rely on the judgment of wholly unknown individuals to determine whether a kill switch must be activated for your device. It would be like Ford Motor Co. deciding tomorrow that your Focus no longer needs its radio and power brakes, but will later introduce a better entertainment and stopping utility for your purchase.

    "Big Brother" fears aside, this is an electronic sword of Damocles they can employ when it suits them. Of course, they better be pretty sure they have a strong "threat to the system's stability and/or security" story lined up before using it. But they can apparently destroy something without checking with you -- the customer -- first and make you come back to pay for the replacement later. It's just unreal ....

    How does this in any way encourage even greater future participation or innovation for a product that has such a strong customer base? I guess we'll leave it to Jobs to figure out.

    Nevertheless, now when you or a co-worker want to talk about the news of the day, you'll have something else to discuss other than how well the Chinese have prepared for the olympics compared to everyone else (except Mike Phelps, I guess).

    Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go tinker with my totally outdated cancer-causing cell phone ...

Wanna get scared?

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-08-04T17:12:00Z

New Urban Docent Movie Reviews Page

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-07-22T11:48:49Z

Something goofy started happening with the old review site, and I haven't gotten back to where I want it ....

So, now there is a new place for reviews -- http://urbandocentmovies.blogspot.com.

To old site will remain active, but only to serve as an archive.

The Urban Docent is back !!!!!!!!!!!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-07-16T23:38:23Z

Ok ok ok ok .....

    It has been an interesting year of all kinds of strange adventures, all of them happening at or near home. I cannot even begin to get completely caught up on all the missed opportunities, ugly comments, movie reviews and general jacka** happenings to which you've grown accustomed.

    But I will go so far as to say that I have missed my blog .... I really have gotten too far afield from telling you all how things are and how they should be for everything else.

    And now while the incomparable James Hetfield tells me that I should have known what's in my cards and a bottle bearing a turtle helps tickle my palate, I hereby put you all on notice that I am back -- large and in charge . . . big as life and twice as ugly.

    So, let's do this thing all over again.

Jc

Photos from Colorado

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-05-08T13:36:00Z

Pictures from our trip to Colorado are now available by clicking here.

As always, double click an image to see it in a larger format.

We have a winner!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-03-16T13:25:00Z

Someone won our little contest.

Congrats!

More details to follow ......

One of the funniest episodes of "The Simpsons" in a long, long time ...

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-03-11T20:24:00Z

Indie film at its indiest

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-03-11T11:51:00Z

You almost want to claim "obscure internet artist" with the witty work the Spencers have posted on YouTube. Yes, it's just that folksy. But at the same time, it's pretty darn funny.

I challenge you to watch this stirring visit to the home waters of one Ogopogo without laughing with (or is it at?) Fred and Sharon Spencer.

Enjoy

SPECIAL BONUS VIDEO:

MST3K: "Appreciating Our Parents"

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-03-08T17:36:00Z

And now with "funny" built right in!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-03-02T13:56:00Z

OK ... if we're being honest, we'll admit to ourselves that most comics blow. They're not funny and, what's worse, some of them attempt to be "relevant" with their content. We don't want that; we want something to make us laugh, jelloheads.

So bring on the funny with this reimagining of one of the most unfunny comics of all time -- Garfield. Just strip out the big orange cat and blamo -- instant LOL!

For once, the internet generates humor without adding cats.

Brilliant!

Lost 4.5: "The Constant" POSSIBLE IMAGE SPOILERS

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-29T11:36:00Z

    To see a larger version of the image, right click on the picture and select "view image."

Movie reviews

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-24T22:08:00Z

Visitors to the Movie.UrbanDocent.Com site will find a passel of new views:

American Gangster

Two-Lane Blacktop

3:10 to Yuma

Rescue Dawn

Casshern

Across the Universe

13 Tzameti

Michael Clayton

Gone Baby Gone

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Lost 4.4: "Eggtown" POSSIBLE SPOILERS

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-22T11:17:00Z

Ok ... here's what I picked up on from last night's episode. To see a photo larger, right click on it and select view image:

The Opening
This is the first show in some time to open with the presence of an eye, which was the staple launch image to many an episode in the first season:

Major plot points:
Jack's testimony reveals a chilling lie -- "only eight of us survived, and she helped us all out of the water." Jack says that Kate "tried to save the other two, but they ..." Kate then cuts him off. This leads us to believe that the rest of the world thinks that the Oceanic 6 were the only survivors.

So now the official "party line" has been revealed, a concocted tale that Kate later tells Jack he has somehow managed to swallow himself.

We are even introduced to the sticking point of Kate having a child, which is sort of hinted early on as maybe belonging to Sawyer. In the closing seconds, we find out it's Aaron. But, is it Claire's Aaron?

Miles has his meeting with Ben with the assistance of a seemingly selfish Kate. Miles offers a proposition Ben considers "blackmail," but it's extortion if you want to get technical, says Miles.

Miles' actions stay true to form with his character's flashback as a kind of crook. He's got himself, seemingly, into the biggest con of his life. Either way, he offers some interesting points to ponder:

In asking for the $3.2 million, Miles angrily informs Ben that he knows who Ben is and what he's capable of doing. He adds that Ben is not to treat him the in the same manner he treats Kate and the other Losties. This one comment helps solidify the overall understand of those aboard the boat about how the survivors are progressing ....

Miles gives Kate the Reader's Digest version of his people's understanding of who she is, including her criminal past. He advises her to stay on the island with a cryptic quip: "Who knows ... maybe you didn't survive the crash." This is a solid confirmation that the newbies are really only interested in Ben (for the most part, it seems) and that they're already considered what, if anything, they would tell those who question whether there were crash survivors.

"Eggtown"
The name of the episode is pretty funny if you consider that Kate is seemingly worried about her own eggs, Locke suffers a battle of wits setback delivering eggs to Ben and Miles ends up with an "egg" in his mouth towards the end of the episode.

BTW: Locke makes an interesting choice of titles for Ben's reading pleasure -- Philip K. Dick's "Valis," which is part of a trilogy of titles that centers on theology and the system of thought connected with belief.

This is our cat, Rusty

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-21T18:05:00Z

And this is Rusty's nose:

Video: Your next phone could be an Android

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-12T11:40:00Z

Bunners says .....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-09T19:58:00Z

moar funny pictures

Lost 4.2: "Confirmed Dead" -- POSSIBLE SPOILERS

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-08T09:45:00Z

Many far more talented and skilled researchers are able to find all the "Lost" connections and theories, but I simply cannot resist the urge to talk about what I picked up from last night's outing.

Here are some of my random thoughts and observations on the very fine episode, "Confirmed Dead."

"Ghost Boy" I
    Many people on the official "Lost" easter egg sites are trying to find correlations between the "ghost boy" and "Mr. Eko." While that did not occur to me during the episode or even really upon further review, I do have some ideas relative to that little snippet of back story.

    Upon entering the boy's room, Miles Straume was shown in full view of a football poster bearing the phrase, "Battle Royale." This is the first reference that I can recall to the bloody Japanese pulp novel by the same name.

    The premise behind the book is that large contingencies of upper-class high schoolers are routinely kidnapped by a fascist government and taken to an island not far from their mainland homes. While in seclusion, the children are forced to fight to the death ... think "Lord of the Flies," but with guns and explosives.

    But in an interesting plot point in the Japanese title, we discover that one of the characters is actually a return kidnap victim -- this person has lived it all before, and was never supposed to return to the island. Also much is reported in the national government-controlled media about the children's participation in the program, and parents are personally informed of the occurrence.

    There is a possibility that the Battle Royale poster is strictly a coincidence, but I like to think of it as more of a tip of the cap to the unique novel and fan's obsession with tracking all the literary ties -- no matter how much of a stretch.

"Ghost Boy" II
    Miles comes into the old lady's home, asking for money up front and demanding her to stay away regardless of what she hears. He proceeds to turn on what appears to be a modified hand-held vacuum and begins conversing with the newly departed.

    The vacuum, in my mind, is simply a noise maker to cover his real talent of speaking with the dead. And for some reason, this whole circumstance reminded of F. Paul Wilson's book, "The Haunted Air," which is part of his unparalleled Repairman Jack series.

    In this book, a couple of brothers are supernatural shysters who conduct phonies séances in a real haunted house. Jack works to set things right when the two discover that they've actually tapped into something way beyond their comprehension and control.

    There is so much going on in the Repairman Jack line by the time this book comes along that it wouldn't be possible to explain it all. And I'll admit that this whole set up simply reminded me of those guys, so there may not be more to than that.

    But for Miles' sake, we can hope that his circumstances turn out better than those of the brothers ..... man, one of them took a real turn for the "weird."

"The Brand-New 'Others'"
    There are many things observable about our new arrivals that might be interesting to note for future reference:

    Familiarity -- We were never shown that these people knew each other prior to joining up for this mission, but they all apparently had a talent or personal interest that meshed well for the needs of the 'rescue mission.' And there was no surprise registered among them for the talent exhibited by Miles to commune with their departed forerunner.

    How interesting ....

    Contact -- For now, we are only given one instance of a 'direct connection' between the newly arrived rescue party and Oceanic 815 -- the 'drunk pilot' dubbed Frank Lapidus. Frank was supposed to fly the plane that fateful day, but didn't for some reason.

    Could it be that Frank's reaching out about the missing wedding ring somehow flagged him for the picking by Oceanic Air or whoever this mysterious group is seeking Ben? Is this landing party really just a bunch of conspiracy theorists and/or other Dharma initiative hounds brought together for someone else's nefarious purposes?

    Meanings -- One of our guests happens to fall into the hands of John Locke and is soon after shot by Ben. In the last two minutes, we're informed that she is none other than Charlotte Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis, like the famous Christian-friendly author). Ben knows her name, the names of the 'others' with here and their stated purpose.

    There is a lot more early research going on now to uncover more of the references and/or meanings behind the names of these new characters .... some of the initial stuff is pretty interesting. Check it out here.

    As an aside, the gentleman arrange the mission to the island (the same guy who bugged Hurley in the mental institution) is being tagged as Matthew Abaddon, an ominous name with Biblical implications ....

Just Like Before?
    Did anyone else get a flashback when Jack informed Miles that he should let his weapon go as he was surrounded? Seems like I recall Jack being on the receiving end of such treatment not so long ago ....

    Are we meant to make comparisons between how the Losties treat the newcomers vs. how they were treated by the Others? Are kidnappings and strange experiments to follow?

Polar Bears Of Tunisia
    How cool was it to see a hint of the Dharma/island weirdness clearly manifested in the 'real world?' I was excited to find such an interesting development dropped into the mix in the early goings of the new season.

     The running polar bear gag has been debated and analyzed time and again, and many agree that it is somehow a conjured presence from Walt's imagination. We've already been promised more Walt and Michael as producers said they plan to reintroduce the boy in such a way as to make his aging totally appropriate .... Could Walt and/or Michael be Ben's "man" on the yet-unseen freighter?

    And, the bear's nicely preserved remains included a collar featuring the hydra symbol. But how did he escape that station and end up seemingly a world away ..... ??????

Meet the new World Champ!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-05T15:04:00Z

There's a new all-time greatest hit at the Urband Docent!!

That's right .... One post has managed to out pace all others and become the most-viewed entry of all time.

What is it, you ask?

Check it out right here........

Done with all that!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-03T13:40:00Z

    As you no doubt can tell, I enjoy just about every sport there is to televise. I also enjoy filling the seats to see the best at work, almost regardless of what sporting venture you can name.

    Yet I have never been such a junkie that I can rattle off the stats and figures accompanying an athlete or team. I care about how well they perform, if they'll make the playoffs or whether a key performer is out; I couldn't care less for knowing all the silly minutia surrounding them. It just doesn't stick with me, and I don't seek it out.

    But I can tell you that I have now become even more weary of another obsessive subset of our society -- the cult of celebrity. Here I'm talking about subscribers to People magazine, those who constantly look at TMZ and anyone who can tell you who is dating whom.

    The cult of celebrity is, in my opinion, considerably more shallow than the supposedly empty-headed jocksniffer obsessing about RBIs and passing percentages. Star worshipers are mentally weaker individuals because they are, at the end of the day, devouring every single meaningless detail of the most nonconsequential.

    Anyone who can tell you Celebrity A has been with Celebrity B since he/she left Celebrity C is likely a vacuous conversationalist at best. And this same airhead could be a man or a woman, sometimes someone older than you might imagine. It's amazing how much depth is missing from those you come in contact with every day.

    Here's my take on the whole "being a celebrity" matter:

    For the most part, these are people who are simply famous for being famous; many have never made a noticeable contribution to whatever branch of entertainment they populate. Many are nothing more than puppets -- 'pretty' faces, good voices or some other marketable hook that can be exploited for someone else's financial gain.

    In short, they are ordinary people with overly publicized, under important jobs. They are not newsworthy, they contribute nothing of any real value to your life and they are actually just victims of the hype machine. If anything, I sometimes feel sorry for them as people perceive that they have more money than they really do and/or they are more in control than they really are of their daily lives.

    Celebrity and fame and all that goes with it have never been more emphasized than they are in today's society. I couldn't even begin to guess just how much money is made every day with tv, internet and magazine publishing talking about nothing more than the latest Hollywood garbage. According to one news story that caught my eye last week, it's more than $100 million a year for a certain "singer" alone.

    I said at the beginning of this rant that I have become weary of the cult of celebrity, and my "tired-of-it" stand comes from routine exposure to it on a nearly daily basis.

    But I'm going to start to buck that trend. I'm going to tell anyone that wants to talk to me about those topics that I'm likely not their best choice .... I'm going to go out of my way to avoid "news" about celebrities and Hollywood in general ... I'll still be reviewing movies and films, but that doesn't necessitate an unhealthy obsession.

    So that all being said, who's with me?

Wow .....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-02-02T01:17:00Z

This one video cover everything that is great and terrible about sports. It is a classic that gives me goosebumps every time I see it.

Enjoy:

Cookie victim

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-01-31T23:03:00Z

Behold! I present to you what I would consider near-perfection in the world of cookie confection. The unbeatable combination of crunch, chew, chocolate and coconut. This is the best cookie that money can buy. If you can find something better involving the same tasty elements, I will buy it for sure.

What cookie are we discussing here? Well, that answer is not so simple ...

For as long as I can remember, this delectable morsel peddle exclusively by the Girl Scouts was known as a Samoa. Now, they've assumed the lousy title of Carmel deLites. How clever .....

What a let down. I mean, cannot a silly cookie continue its tradition of carrying on the good name -- and by extension -- good reputation built up among its most devoted of fans? Apparently this junk food champ could be dubbed the "politically correct cookie that packs a power-punch of flavor."

As an aside, what isn't correct about this treat are its "nutritional" values:

2 Samoas - 150 cal, 70 from fat - 8 g fat, 19 g carbs

Ok ... so maybe it's not so bad. But at the end of the day, you and I both know that you're not going to be able to quit at just two.

What's hot!!!!!! (Urban Docent Greatest Hits, Vol. 2)

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-01-23T23:23:00Z

Here they are, the top five all-time most popular Urban Docent posts (ranked 1 to 5):

Conspiracy!

Zombies!

Westerns!

Candy!

Singing!

The curse of Atlanta sports

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-01-22T16:45:00Z

We're doomed ..... Abandon hope all ye who play here.

There's this apparent cloud of evil that hangs over virtually ever franchise in the Atlanta sports market -- an ominously sinister presence that looks for the right opportunity to strike down any hopes of a turnaround.

Atlanta remains this funny anomaly where nearly all the pro teams are in a perpetual rebuilding year, a practice that dates back to the days when someone got the idea for a pick-up game in some moldering post-Civil War parking lot.

Every season, owners and coaches and players talk this fantastic party line about capitalizing on the success of the previous season. For once they're going to get their act together, win some games, bring it on big time.

Ok; I'm still waiting to see it happen out of some of you.

As hard as it might be to believe, I'm really a homer at heart for the majority of our locals. I enjoy the Braves (even when they don't have a post season), the Thrashers are fun, the Falcons are sorry and occasionally entertaining and our minor-league sports are fantastic and getting better everyday.

But come on ... how much can we be expected to put up with? If you haven't noticed, Charlie Brown eventually stopped trying to kick that lousy football, ok? There's really only so much that we can tolerate before we've more than had our fill.

This immediately ended campaign of the Atlanta Falcons is kind of the final straw for me. I've decided that for whatever reason, the team's ownership is simply no longer willing to do what it takes to win regular seasons back-to-back let alone the big one. What would it take, you ask? Well for starters, get the heck out of the way, stop meddling with key decisions and leave the heavy lifting to people who know what they're doing. Geez ... how hard is that to do?

And now another key sport leadership figure is getting out, someone with the integrity to know when the good 'ol days are done. Gosh, could it be that he wanted to maintain the clearly defined roles of the front offices that work? Why is that such a hard thing to do around here?

This city is full of fickle fans, move-ins and others who couldn't care less. I guess we've become a town where people are much more interested in seeing their favorite teams come to beat up the local heroes. Maybe that's happening more and more in other markets, but we're really in the high times of that trend here. It's just kind of a shame, but can you blame everyone for giving up after season upon season of disappointment?

I'm not going to give up on heading downtown to see the pros, but I'm much more likely to stay close to home to see the minor leagues doing it for pride. At least, I'll be close to the action ... even if they lose.

Oh boy ... that's bad. Real bad.

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-01-21T17:04:00Z

Wow ... I forgot all about this.

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-01-20T02:19:00Z

I know ... some of you are going to say, "Gee, I can see why you forgot; this is completely forgettable." But the recent way-too-generous gift from a good friend helped spur my memory.

I've been stocking up the old iTunes and iPod with some one-hit wonders and singles that I've enjoyed time and again. And until just the other day, I had forgotten that Harvey Danger was good for anything else other than that horribly overplayed "Flagpole Sitta."

Let me remind some of you (and introduce the rest) to the little nugget of joy that is "Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo":

A contest .... with a prize!!!!!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-01-12T22:03:00Z

Hey, here's a contest .... and yes, there is a prize in play here.

I have ten (10) individual music videos stored in my iTunes and on my iPod. What follows are ten (10) individual screen caps (one from each video).

The first person to submit a comment with the correct names of the artists and their accompanying video will receive a special prize.

To see the images more closely, simple right-click on a picture and select "view image."

Be sure to include your email address with your comment.

Good luck!

Phil's take on the recent election

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-01-10T01:44:00Z

Phil Hendrie is the funniest person on the radio -- period. His show is hands-down the best ever.

Here's his take on what happened in New Hampshire:

Well, I guess I'm likely done for ....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2008-01-05T16:44:00Z

58%

Want to be a x-ray technician?

Benazir Bhutto

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-12-30T16:00:00Z

This starts to get particularly interesting at about the 5 minute mark ....

Really? I must be slipping ....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-12-22T00:25:00Z

	I received 71 credits on The Sci Fi Sounds Quiz How much of a Sci-Fi geek are you?
Guess the Sci-Fi Movie Sounds here Canon powershot

And now, a commercial

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-12-17T02:36:00Z

Extreme home improvement

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-12-08T00:00:00Z

Advertisers are always trying to sell you on the idea of replacing every window in your home with the latest in vinyl products. Plastic windows? Come on ...

But these guys have the right idea. As you'll see in the video, this could prove a smart invest for your next home improvement project ... especially if you live in a place with a lot of unrest.

Funny is as funny does .... in advertising

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-12-07T16:41:00Z

There are two tons of annoying commercials, which is why the funny ones always stick out. Now there's a great online resource to catch up with some interesting ads from other places.

Go here to see what I'm talking about ....

Someone doesn't have to be "important" to be iconic

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-11-30T22:13:00Z

    No, someone doesn't have to cure an illness, end a reign of violence, save lives or otherwise make some "serious contribution to society" to reach iconic status. Sure, it helps if you bother to do these things along the way .... well, most of the time.

    In the end, all you have to do is something -- anything, really -- better or bigger or louder or faster than your next closest equivalent. Then you, too, could be an icon of some sort or another.

    Take for example the newly deceased Evel Knievel. Just what did the man christened Robert Knievel Jr. do to deserve the status of legendary daredevil and American icon?

    Well, Knievel had the self-centered and braggadocios persona to draw worldwide attention to one of the dumbest concepts in mass-market entertainment -- motorcycle jumps. Stunt riding and leaping over cars .... that's it, nothing more.

    But he upped the stakes every time with more and more dangerous obstacles and challenges. And it was just that heightened sense of danger ("He's not going to make it this time") with each new stunt that made them come back for more. He often unwittingly accommodated the crowds by giving them spectacular, limb-smashing crashes to seal the deal.
    In short, Evel Knievel pioneered a now billion-dollar industry dubbed "extreme sports." I mean think about it; no Evel Knievel and a few others after him, none of the new gravity-defying antics from hundreds of "athletes" around the world. He is (was) the father of the showboating superstar with a gift for manipulating physical tools to grab attention.

    In another sense, Evel was kind of like a nouveau cowboy, wasn't he? A corporate-packaged "outlaw" with the skills to pay the bills .... a common guy with a taste for danger and a killer cycle to "fly" over some untold number of vehicles. The ultimately "rebel" of the Vegas vein, he was the "ugly American" with the implied and/or stated desire to punch you in the mouth if you thought otherwise.

    There you go -- a mythology, a character, a venue and a willing audience. The perfect ingredients for an icon. Oh, and don't forget the embossed tin lunch box screaming a red, white and blue hero practically wrapped in the flag. Perfecto.

    Now there really aren't any more "Evel Knievels" out there. All the modern runner-ups are way too commercial and they make no bones about being for sale to the highest bidder. You cannot possibly find a place on their person, their vehicle or their family's lives where it's not appropriate to push goods and services. Everything about them is for sale and priced to MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!!

    The greatest contribution to humanity that Evel Knievel made was thrilling entertainment, a few bad films and some great toys. For that, we're grateful.

    Adios .... and keep the shiny side up.

The new MySpace special

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-11-23T15:20:00Z

There really isn't much to my MySpace presence, but it's kinda neat to mess around with it sometimes.

And in the spirit of the truly lazy "holiday special" we've all grown accustomed to from just about every entertainment venue, I'm going to open the official Urban Docent MySpace place to the general public for a limited engagement.

As it stands, you must be added as a "MySpace friend" to view and interact with my MySpace page. But this coming next Sunday -- Nov. 25 Dec. 2 -- I'll change the controls and give you free access. It won't take you that long to see it all, but you'll be able to say you saw it nevertheless.

Take care, have fun and drop me a comment to let me know you stopped in for a moment ....

Ha ha!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-11-16T14:50:00Z

moar funny pictures

Ban this, goofball.

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-11-15T11:07:00Z

    A long time ago in a city not too far away, I was enrolled in this private/Christian school that came equipped with its own library. To help encourage healthy reading habits among the many pupils, students were required to head to the on-campus book depository monthly to select a title.

    While I always took advantage of the opportunity, I hardly read the books I grabbed; mostly, they were lame and couldn't compete with whatever it was that I had in the hopper at home.

    Yet there was this one time when I actually picked up something interesting: Ira Levin's "The Boys from Brazil." The now-out-of-print thriller seemed like a good one to check out.

    Unfortunately, I made the mistake of allowing a couple of somewhat older busybodies to learn of my discovery. They were mystified that such a book would be available to impressionable minds, and they took my find to the local librarian. And then there was none: my selection was taken before I could really crack the cover.

    To say that I was disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it. But more to the point, I was intrigued; I simply had to get my hands on a copy of that now-forbidden book.

    Before it was all over, I made some other selection at the library and later purchased my very own paperback of "The Boys from Brazil." I still have the book, it's still out of print and those two busybodies are still just that. In fact, one of them even went out of her way recently to mass-forward an email decrying the supposed God-hating aspects of Philip Pullman's "The Golden Compass" and its sequels. Rather than read the book(s) for themselves, some people would rather try to crap on the work because of what someone else has to say about it .... I guess I never have, and likely never will, understand that kind of logic, and I'm likely to forever foster than wicked side that wants to instantly read something that someone else wants to take out of my hands.

    So . . . my special thanks goes out to the recently deceased Ira Levin for creeping us all out with the Hitler mythology and for select people from the past for adding to my "to-read" list time and again.

Milwaukee photos posted (updated)

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-11-11T13:57:00Z

    The first of my latest Milwaukee photos is now available by clicking here. As a special no-extra-charge bonus, you'll also get my Green Bay / Lambeau Field pics.

    As always, simply double click on an actual image to see it in a larger format.

    And keep an eye out for more to come later . . . .

    UPDATE: They're pretty much all there now. Thanks

Ads are in your head, man

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-10-12T16:18:00Z

Fork this commercial for making me call way too many people "Stinky McStinkface" .....

Movies all the time!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-10-04T10:12:00Z

As the Urban Docent's MySpace friends are already aware, there is a special program going on right now at this blog's movie review companion -- We've Got Movie Sign! (aka movies.urbandocent.com)

Throughout the month of October and cheating just a hair into November, the "One Month of Horror" project seeks to provide an original entry daily to recap a horror flick from the previous day. Look for an extra-special mention just before Halloween with the return of the now-famous All-Night Horror Movie Marathon.

Stop by from time to time and check it out .... drop a comment to share your thoughts.

Happy viewing!

Disaster!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-09-30T21:39:00Z

In your face, Mets fans! Your favorite bunch of "lovable losers" have managed a sports collapse of epic proportions. Never has any team, in any sport, given away such a sizable lead to exit the regular season with no hopes of trying for a championship.

When the Mets put away the Braves on Sept. 12, the Phillies were at best sucking wind. The Mets had a seven-game lead with 17 games to go, and every indicator was looking like the Queens from Flushing were due for a division championship.

But as the above calendar counts, the Mets began an astronomically improbable slide that -- as impossible as it may seem -- could have been averted all the way up to, and including, the last regular-season game of the year.

Alas for Mets-lovers, it was not to be. No division, no wild card, no postseason .... no nothing!

As someone who lives outside of the N.Y. market and cheers for the Braves, it makes the sting of no postseason for my team a little more bearable. While the Braves were surging for a hopeful (and ultimately fruitless) bid for the wild card spot, the Mets were spiraling out of control and diving head-first into the dumper. Fantastic, indeed!

Now you, too, will have to find someone else to root on for the next few weeks. As I know that many of you hate the Yankees, can I suggest that you get behind the Cubs for once? They haven't had anything to be too happy about since early on Oct. 14, 2003, when a certain fan managed to grab one that Moises Alou likely would have caught.

Besides, you and I both know that the Mets don't deserve a chance at the big one. Would you rather choke now, or bite the big one in a week or so? Face it: it was over a long time ago . . . .

Go Cubs!!!

The YouTube hit!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-09-28T20:38:00Z

I'm proud to report that my recording of the famous sausage race during one of this summer's Milwaukee Brewers home game has received 800 views on YouTube.

I know that the video was jointly hosted for a while on a site what was discussing great things about Milwaukee in general and the Brewers in particular.

By the way, the Brewers lost that game to the Giants 8-0. Later, we saw the Brewers in Atlanta for three of their four away-game set. The Braves beat them two of the three times we went.

And now, the sausage race:

Commercials

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-09-27T19:15:00Z

Commercials from Albino Blacksheep

Missing in action?

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-09-24T17:29:00Z

Gee .... has it really been that long? Seems like only yesterday I was thinking about posting some great blog thing about what the heck has been going on ....

And now I'm something akin to a few weeks removed from it. I've either lost my motivation and/or became super slack and/or been way too busy with other "stuff" to keep up with it all. Much of my personal time has been eventful and entertaining, which could also have contributed to my seemingly "not having enough time."

Now the thought comes to me, and it goes a little something like this:

"Perhaps rather than simply wading back into the online stream of content overload with a really really specific post, I should just dump a big post about a lot of little do-dads ...."

And now, my dump:

Chicago: Getting it done one stop at a time ....

We recently undertook a brief return to the Windy City for a little r & r with a Cubs game and some time with family we haven't seen in a long time (too long, really). We managed to pack a whirlwind of sightseeing, baseball watching and overeating into an extended weekend, and it was all great.

During our stay, we made the rounds at the famous Field Museum near Soldier Field. We were able to see what was left of some renowned man-eating lions and Sue, the largest reassembling of a fossilized Trex.

And the Field Museum also had a small collection of the Mold-A-Rama machines. These fantastic little devices are really a miracle of modern souvenir technology. Here is how it works: push in your cash and watch as a special mold receives an injection of hot plastic, and then your toy is plopped out for your enjoyment. Watch one of the videos we made of the process:

North Georgia's finest

We recently learned that some friends of ours have, along with their family, moved to the North Georgia mountains to take over a wooded resort of sorts, thus fulfilling a long-time dream.

The property, now known as Tiger Creek Falls Inn, includes a number of nicely appointed rooms (some of which can be joined to form suites), complete with satellite TV and kitchens. There are also a couple of chalets, which feature separate bedrooms, living rooms and lofts.

The greatest attraction to the location, aside from the close proximity to the mountains, is the availability of two waterfalls on the inn's grounds. One of the falls is very close to the living arrangements and can be seen, heard and enjoyed without much of a walk.

We had the pleasure of spending the night at Tiger Creek Falls Inn, and we thoroughly enjoyed the natural surroundings, our friends and all the good times waiting to be had. Here are a few pics from the trip:

HINT: Place your cursor on an image and right click to select "view image" to see these photos in a much larger format .....

Great cartoon short

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-09-09T15:33:00Z

How to Cope with Death via Koreus

Chicago is my kind of town for sure ....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-09-06T12:46:00Z

The first of the Chicago photos have been posted here .... more to come soon.

As always, double click any of the images to see a larger version .....

Oops

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-08-22T18:16:00Z

One banana, please .....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-08-21T14:07:00Z

Why "fantasy football" means you're not a real fan

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-08-19T12:54:00Z

My open letter, of sorts, to everyone addicted to fantasy football:

    The start of another NFL season is closer than ever, and once again I get to hear all the folks wrapped up in their leagues talking about how great fantasy football is for them.

    In other words, I'm once again slightly annoyed by the fantasy football faithful for their devotion to one of the dumbest things I can think of for a "true fan" of the game.

To begin, let me summarize my level of NFL enjoyment:

I live in Atlanta, so I cheer for the home team. They are a horrible disappointment year after year. They have a meddlesome owner with too much money and time on his hands. They have a shifty, overblown quarterback who is facing felony charges. In short, they're the kind of team only a "homer" could love.

I also have interest in certain other teams, particularly a Super Bowl-winning Indianapolis team, because of the talent exhibited by their superstar quarterback. And there are some teams that I enjoy watching just to see how they will avoid another failure (think N.Y. Giants or Dallas Cowboys).

In short, I like to watch as many of the games as possible as long as it's not two really bad teams squaring off. Oh, and I also don't like the New England Patriots, in part, because everybody else does ....

That being said, I do track some of the stand-out players who are part of teams I otherwise don't regularly follow. Why? Because at some point, I know that guy is going to play a team I care about, and I want to know what we're up against.

Notice how my thinking flows ... I like to see good teams (that aren't a bunch of hype) get out there and use their talents to put a "W" on the board. Who doesn't want to see the best athletes their sport has to offer functioning at their best?

I guess that up to this point, I haven't been able to really encapsulate my difficulty with "seeing the light" on fantasy football. I mean, I know there are millions of participants spending a ton of money and time on the process. But just what is it that has been my hang up with this deal?

Imagine my surprise to find much of my feelings beautifully summarized in a N.Y. Times editorial from 2006 written by Nicholas Kulish. (To read it in full, head over to the Times site and search for the article's title: "Low Fidelity: The Collision of Loyalties in Real and Virtual Football." Consult the bugmenot site for a password.)

This is the best part of Kulish's op-ed:

"Hands stained Denver-Bronco orange by Buffalo chicken wings shoot into the air for a Carolina Panther touchdown one minute and for a Baltimore Raven safety the next. A howl of joy greets a meaningless yardage gain in the closing moments of a game, even though the team in question is three touchdowns behind. Loyalty is now shattered into tiny shards, splintered by fantasy football teams."

So in a nutshell, here is what's wrong (in my estimation) with becoming obsessed with fantasy football: you ruin the game for yourself and often for those around you.

You are no longer a "real fan" loyal to your home team or that of another city. You have an unnatural obsession with players who would otherwise have no consequence for you or your team.

At times, you will end up cheering as your favorite team is beaten or out performed by a club you really don't care about. You take too much pleasure in seeing guys on losing squads doing rather uneventful things in losing games.

And when it comes time to discuss the results of yet another NFL Sunday, you only want to talk about how your fantasy team did. Everything for you is filtered through such a personalized tunnel vision that your greater sense of what's happening is lost.

Yes, yes, yes .... I know. To each his own .... this is a free country .... you enjoy the game the way you want, and I'll enjoy it how I want. That's fine; that's fair.

But you know what else is fair along those same lines? Keep it to yourself. Don't expect everyone around you to pat you on the back for knowing that Joe Nobody had four more yards than another Joe Nobody in a losing game in some other market.

Fantasy footballers seem to have this zeal for evangelizing for their new-found favorite way to observe the NFL. All the while, I'm just seeing guys and gals who are one weekend in the sun a little healthier than the stereotypical geek in the parent's basement, fantasizing about World of Warcraft garbage.

The NFL is just entertainment, after all. It's a fun way to spend some time .... but building a winning fantasy football team brings you no closer to actual accomplishment than sitting on your couch physically facilitated a winning play for your favorite NFL team. You're not better connected with the sport because of your online happenings.

Keep after it, fantasy footballers, if you must. But please, leave the rest of us out of it .... we've got a game to watch.

Separated at birth?

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-08-13T10:53:00Z

Someone has a sense of humor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website. Here is a little sample from today's online presence ....

No * required

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-08-09T17:57:00Z

Well, isn't it obvious? I mean, do we really need to offer a qualifier?

In all fairness to the new home run king of Major League Baseball, there have only ever been allegations, insinuations and innuendos about Barry Bonds' supposed use of "performance-enhancing drugs."

That being said, I believe that something was obviously happening behind the scenes ... something that took a player who wasn't really living up to his supposed talents made him what he is now. Something happened to turn that perennially scrawny kid into a cartoon-like monster.

If you look at his stats, he was just a good player (and a far cry from great) season after season with the Pirates. He only had two seasons in Pittsburgh where he hit nearly as many home runs as he has consistently out west, and now he's hitting an average of nearly 40 per season -- including the gonzo year of 73 in 2001.

So where does this all leave us? Did he come to San Fran as a burgeoning superstar only to bulk up like nuts, hit homer after homer and have his fielding and running abilities suffer? Well, that just what happened.

Throw in a damning book, a former mistress, a friend in jail, tales of tax evasion and grand jury hearings, and you've got a soap opera-esque way of playing the game.

For my money, here is how it all goes down:

Baseball attendance and revenues were stumbling prior to a certain players' strike. Then these guys go away for a while, and the fans do, too.

And even now things are still not as great as they could or should be as a whole. Television ratings are in the tank, and people are just unwilling to take out a second mortgage to get season tickets for a second-rate teams.

Then there was a home run race between two fellow cartoonish characters, blasting their way to see who could hit more in a single season. Supposedly, this challenge and the media attention that followed every crack of the bat drove Bonds to decide that he should have that attention.

The stage is set: owners and the big wigs are then more than happy to sort of look the other way as Bonds does whatever to make this thing a reality. Why? Butts in seats and media attention and everything else that goes along with it. A total ends-justifies-the-means scenario.

And here's the kicker -- everybody bothering to pay attention already knows it! It's kinda common knowledge that Bonds is really just a product of the system.

Curt Shilling said it best: "I mean, there's no gray area. He admitted to cheating on his wife, cheating on his taxes, and cheating on the game, so I think the reaction around the league, the game, being what it is, in the case of what people think."

I believe MLB is hoping that the legal system will take care of the whole Bonds mess. Just the same way that the NFL bars Mike Vick from training camp without suspending him, so baseball is gambling that off-field problems will finally catch up to the guy. If the offenses are seen or trumped up enough to be truly terrible, then Hall of Fame contention also goes away.

I enjoy going to baseball games; so far, we've been to 20 major-league parks, and I have tickets for one more out-of-market game coming up in a few weeks. And I believe that most of the guys out there are truly honored to be able to play the game and make the money they do -- they don't want to attract all the attention to themselves, they just want to win as a team. But the few really self-centered, glory-hogging "superstars" who parade themselves around like they are the greatest thing to ever happen are a big turn off to most marginal fans.

Just remember that when Hank Aaron broke the Babe's record, he finished the game to help the Braves win .... Bonds had one more go and then took himself out to watch the Giants lose.

And now, I leave you with this video of not-so-great quality to show you my all-time favorite Bonds moment (it comes at about 50 seconds into the segment):

Cats are funny

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-08-07T16:42:00Z

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-08-04T22:06:00Z

The X Games could kill you .....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-08-04T17:47:00Z

I suppose that you have to take it for granted that the annual X Games could lead to your ultimate demise. I mean, to get involved with this spectacle to begin with, I suppose that you have to have a screw loose .... or an intense desire to prove that you can pull off a stunt or trick better than your next closest competitor.

So I guess what my coworkers and I witnessed as we were munching on our Mexican dishes Friday afternoon didn't come as a complete surprise. But when you see a hit like the one Jake Brown absorbed and managed to walk away from, you just have to say, "Dang, that guy's lucky!"

For every great or near-perfect act executed by one of those high-flying types, there's at least one quick down-turn waiting to snag them ... It's just a matter of time I suppose.

Still, this does fall into my general philosophy of sports viewing. For those competitions and leagues that hold no interest for me on a routine basis, it can be interesting to see the best in the business take a shot at the top prize in their respective field.

I'll likely be catching more of these events (or at least the highlights) before the curtain falls.

Milwaukee Rules!!!!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-07-30T02:00:00Z

Photos from our recent trip to Milwaukee are now posted on the photo blog here.

As always, please double click an image to see it in a larger size ....

Perpetual media motion machine

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-07-28T14:35:00Z

All of those original spoiler-free movie reviews are now going to be found all in one place:

Urban Docent Movie Reviews

101 and counting .....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-07-19T14:13:00Z

The movies are counting them down for me!

As it stands, this is the 101st published entry made to this iteration of the Urban Docent. There have been 101 posts (counting this one), 11 deleted posts and 9 unpublished drafts.

Thanks for the ride, and I hope to keep it going for hundreds more to come ....

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-07-15T04:20:00Z

Yet another original, spoiler-free Urban Docent movie review

    With only days to go before the release of what is expected to be the final Harry Potter book, fans of the wizard franchise are treated to a yet another on-screen installment of their favorite series. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" has raked in millions during its initial week, and much more is expected to come in just a short amount of time.

    As with any movie, especially sequels, you're bound to start to see some fraying around the edges. It doesn't matter how great the first ones were, how good is this one?

    Summary: Harry is the subject of much public ridicule for claiming that "You Know Who" is back and out for revenge, or really just to finish what he started oh so many years ago. Potter's supportive adult wizard and witch community reorganizes the Order of the Phoenix, a special society of heroes dedicated to defeating the sect of evildoers -- known as Deatheaters -- and their maniacal leader.

    Potter must come to terms with new information about his personal background, life at school and humanity in general as the "boy who lived" becomes the teenager caught in the middle of a life-or-death battle.

    Why You Should See It: "The Order of the Phoenix" is a fine companion to the other titles in the series. If you've seen the first four and plan to watch the others later, you have to watch this one as well.

    True to much of what occurs in the book, magical happenings and humor help easy some of the tension from the mounting trauma spilling over from the "Goblet of Fire." There is plenty of action, magic and memorable moments to keep you entertained and make the two-hour movie pass nearly too quickly.

    Why You Should Avoid It: There is a slight "compression" factor that detracts from some of the finer points of the book. "The Order of the Phoenix" was, to date, the longest title in the series, and it's only natural to expect that some of the fat has to be trimmed to avoid a burdensomely long production. But what you find is some key details -- particularly about the end of the adventure -- that are omitted or simply glossed over.

    Some of the cast members are no longer believable as young teens. There is just a little of the luster missing with young adults now trying to pretend they're not as old as they appear. It's not a deal breaker, but some of the cinematography hurts the illusion.

The Bottom Line: This movie is not as good as the last two, but it is much better than most of the box office offerings you're bound to run across this summer. And it's a great way to scratch your Harry Potter itch prior to the grand finale -- "The Deathly Hallows."

    "The Order of the Phoenix" gets a C + for its overall standing in the series and a solid B compared to the rest of the field. You'll enjoy it -- trust me.

The truth about Rudy

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-07-12T13:33:00Z

Anybody who whores themselves or their organization on the bodies of 911 victims is a complete waste. I cannot tell you just how detestable I find those who make excuses for bad decisions on, or personally profit from, the misery of other. I just cannot tolerate it, and I won't allow those kinds of people to persuade me to anything.

I'm glad to see the individuals in this video took the time to point out just a few of the flaws with Rudy Giuliani. I believe the most repugnant points begin at the 4:05 mark.

If you believe you're a defender of personal liberty and freedom, but you also think Rudy is the greatest thing to happen in many a moon, then I mark you in my mind as someone who has completely gone off the tracks.

BONUS: An extra dose of the truth!

DOUBLE BONUS: Rudy's no social conservative either, by the way.

Show you're yellow!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-07-10T16:36:00Z

Wanna make your own Simpsons character like this one or something even more original?

Go here

Make it stop!

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-07-06T15:48:00Z

There is good pop music, and there's bad pop music. Those songs that are good seem to follow you where ever you may roam.

This little tune seems to be everywhere I go, even the most unhip grocery stores imaginable. Now I invite you to fall under its hypnotic trance .....

"Transformers" -- Is it really all that?

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-07-03T22:46:00Z

Yet another original spoiler-free Urban Docent movie review

    The first Hollywood release of the actual summer season is here in director Michael Bay's "Transformers." For everyone who grew up coveting your neighbor's collection of Hasbro plastic and metal, this is going to be a sort of updated stroll down memory land. And for everyone who bugged their parents to no end (like I did) to see the original animated theatrical release 21 years ago, this new edition will quickly remind you that your childhood is way over ....

    Overview: The highly energized and much publicized "Transformers" has a light plot centered almost secondarily on humanity's discovery of a technologically advanced alien race. Autobots and Decepticons battle for control of a near-mythical device with the power to create or destroy living machines, and human drama plays out for those sucked into the fray.

    Why you should see it: The obvious nostalgia factor aside, this movie has above-average special effects that are more entertaining than the usual offerings. The folks at ILM out did themselves with the near-flawless action sequences and vehicle transformations. The bar has been raised for what computers can do on film, and I expect to see more dazzling effects to flow from this one.

    While this is a popcorn flick, you will find somewhat more solid acting performances than those of the average Hollywood cash-maker. You'll be able to catch the occasional subtle humor that comes from a Steven Spielberg-related production in the characters' back and forth. In other words, the supporting performances are not overly annoying with bad dialogue or way too many corny puns.

     And this one is relatively safe for children. There are a few semi-obscene moments, but nothing so shocking as to embarrass. Action scenes are intense, but not graphically oppressive or traumatic. Every now and then, you'll spot a good moral or two about what it means to be responsible.

    Why you should avoid it: This is a long movie -- right at 2.5 hours, if not a little over. Pacing problems connected with dragging out a few weak moments add to the potential for boredom.

    I said the supporting performances are a little more solid than average flash-bang movies, but there is nothing to write home about. The humans are just there to provide a bridge to more robot action. There is a lot of fluff padding out the robot moments, which is probably what you would expect.

    The bottom line: "Transformers" is thick with slow pacing; dumping about 30 + minutes of "I could do without that" kind of stuff would have really tightened this one up and made it more enjoyable. In the end, you should really only see this one on the big screen if you think it will add to your enjoyment of massive robots.

    C - for occasionally edging close to boring.

"Live Free or Die Hard" or get out of the way .....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-06-28T14:13:00Z

Yet another original spoiler-free Urban Docent movie review

    So as I've said before, summer is about popcorn flicks without pretense -- not only does Hollywood rarely turn out "important" films, it hardly does anything of any substance over the hottest months of the year.

    With that in mind, let's talk some "Live Free or Die Hard" ....

    PLOT: What do you really expect? Bruce Willis is John McClane ... and there are some over-the-top bad guys doing bad stuff ... and about half of everything immediately adjacent to McClane gets blown up, smashed, killed or otherwise wrecked. Snappy one-liners abound, and people die in just about every way imaginable.

    I liked the first and third installments of this franchise more than the second and fourth. While those funny and a little annoying Mac-vs-PC commercials have helped boost the career of one Justin Long, he is unable to out perform Samuel L. Jackson's "Zeus Carver" from "Die Hard with a Vengeance." Unless you're a real fan, you'll be tired of Long long before this one's done.

    How does Willis do in his reprisal of a signature character? There was noticeably less figuring things out along the way and acting accordingly for this McClane incarnation. If anything, everyone's favorite detective is bitter, cynical and rather nasty; there is a lot more bile and venom in his cutting remarks rather than his flippant obscenities of the past. And the action of getting to the bad guys was handled more like every other similar movie you've seen, unlike the sequences of the previous installments.

    Speaking of action, that's about all this one has going for it. There are some really great car-related stunts and a lot of fire. McClane is again bloodied and bashed before the curtains fall, but there was never a really "holy crap" kind of moment like in the other installments. For all the mayhem he has to overcome, you never get the sense that McClane is in as much danger as he was in the Nakatomi building.

    Overall, this is summer blockbuster material presented at not necessarily its best. There are just too many over-the-top sequences that remove the main characters from ever truly seeming as though they might not make it. And the Willis comments are for the most part obscene, but he is not at all funny or close to witty; McClane comes off kinda tired and over it all already.

    Because we have a nearly 20-year history over three films to compare/contrast with the current rendition, I am giving "Live Free or Die Hard" a C in the overall franchise line and the lowest possible C- for a stand-alone grade. This one could have been a lot better ....

Oh no .....

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-06-23T16:30:00Z

Someone must have spiked Nickelback's juice boxes with a powerful hallucinogenic. In a post-exposure display of a complete lack of sense, these guys mistakenly thought they were Metallica for about a minute.

Video Evidence Here:

Just so that nobody would mistake this silly dip into Coverland as close to the real deal, I offer you some vintage Metallica. The REAL Four Horsemen:

The very first time I heard this tune was probably the loudest musical experience I've ever had. Three of us were at a friend-of-a-friend's house, and a cassette of Kill 'Em All was in the player. It was turned up so loud that there was no way you could hear the person beside you speaking.

Good times ......

One story, two headlines

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-06-22T12:36:00Z

The illustrious Atlanta Journal-Constitution, to their credit, is trying to overcome the stigma of being an old-school news service by focusing on distributing more info electronically. The AJC's web presence continues to evolve, and I have detected one of the more interesting consequences of their decisions.

The main page is broken down by categories much the same as it has been for a while. But the "tease" headline links are often different from the main story headlines, and they apparently have some nuance differences. Here is an image capture of an example.

Main page headline:

Actual story headline:

30 days? That's all?

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-06-14T14:09:00Z

Crafty little folks in the advertising world .... more so than today, in some respects.

"Ocean's Thirteen": summer movie-going at its finest

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-06-10T14:57:00Z

Yet another original spoiler-free Urban Docent movie review

A good time was had by all when we invaded the local cineplex to catch the latest addition to the Ocean's franchise. This movie is for sure what the summer season is all about -- a fun, enjoyable sequel that doesn't disappoint those who aren't expecting to get in on the next great film experience ....

PLOT: The familiar crew is back to pull off another near-impossible, Vegas-based heist. Key personalities play a little mental chess back and forth as the crew limbers up and executes the kind of crime that only Hollywood could concoct.

Director Steven Soderbergh is able to once again work his magic as he evokes the spirit of 1960's dramas through the deft application of split-screen sequences and solid conversations. Just as the plot develops on how well the leads and supporters use their suave, so Soderbergh hooks you along with his stylish handling of (and let's be honest here, people) big-screen silliness.

George Clooney and Brad Pitt are standard-issue here; if anything, they sort of lack the intensity they brought to Ocean's Eleven. Thank goodness for Al Pacino and his ability to make you think that he really is a rotten SOB who needs to be handed his hat. And the sequences taking place in the Mexican factory are great comic relief.

A key distinction called out with this installment is the missing love interest. There is no side story or other plot point focused on rekindling a lost love, winning affections or serious relationship building. It is an interesting departure from the series' operating procedure, and it's an idea that I'm sure others will mimic in other crime-type stories going forward.

Overall, the new Ocean's works great -- the sights and sounds of Vegas are wonderfully blended with the behind-the-scenes crime plotting. The soundtrack is again replete with cool lounge beats and other great tunes.

Ocean's Thirteen receives a well-earned C+ for giving us a much better installment than the last edition. If you've checked out the last two, then you owe to yourself to see this one as well.

As an aside, some other reviews have said that you won't gain much from seeing this one on the big screen over catching it on DVD. But I would say that's not necessarily true. If you're the kind of person who is sensitive to the overall tone created by opening sequences, music and cinematography, then you might want to see this one at your local theater.

To my friends at The M Theory

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-06-09T12:45:00Z

PREFACE: PLEASE READ THE POST AT THIS LINK BEFORE PROCEEDING. THANKS

Greetings, M Theory readers.

As you have no doubt already seen on one of your other favorite reading spots, asking questions about 9/11 apparently proves you have some need to make things up or otherwise offer some grandiose scheme to fill in the blanks -- even though someone else has already done all your thinking for you on that subject.

To the author of that M Theory post and all those who read it, I offer the following short video. Watch it, and then tell me if it is a bunch of trivial, convenient coincidences that ultimately mean nothing or the beginning of more stirring thoughts about just what really happened:

The biggest DVD news you'll hear all day

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-06-07T14:02:00Z

    As all my MySpace friends and anyone who has engaged me on the topic of "all-time favorites" could tell you, Sergio Leone's immortal The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is my number-one, no-exceptions, without-fail favorite film of all time and all genres. Every time I see this film, I catch something new, and I never get tired of watching it - period.

   And now comes word of an unprecedented boxset of DVD joy -- The Sergio Leone Anthology. Here's what you'll get for your fistful of dollars (sorry, I couldn't resist):

    "The previous two-disc extended-cut collector's edition of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) and the same deluxe treatment to A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More (1965), and, for the first time on DVD, the fully restored English-language version of the original 157-minute Italian cut of Duck You Sucker (previously known by its alternate U.S. title A Fistful of Dynamite), which was never shown in American theaters."

    To say that I can't get my hands on this set fast enough is somewhat of an understatement. I already have the MGM special edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly as well as the standard-issue editions of the other two films. And I have waited a long time to see Duck You Sucker!

    So, I guess it goes without saying that I have some DVD reviews coming up in the near future .... as well as a special project that I have contemplated for some time for my all-time favorite.

    Stay tuned ......

40 years ago Friday

openemailaddress@gmail.com (Urban Docent) — 2007-06-06T20:29:00Z

    Among all the other dates that you keep tucked away as examples of "days living in infamy," please add June 8 to your role.

    I cannot recall the first time that I heard about the strange case of the USS Liberty, but I can tell you that I found it unsettling, to say the least.

   Wanna learn more?

Here
Here
Here