Election 2008: John McCain's Turkey Neck

I was, again, watching the Today Show and they showed some lowhighlights from the Republican debates last night when I noticed some different with John McCain.


Why is this skin on his neck pulled so tight? You can see that this skin is being pulled in some way. Is he trying to compete with the chiseled jaw of Mitt Romney?


I think so.

Cut to earlier that same day when Rudy (boo) Guiliani (BOO!) endorsed John McCain for the Republican candidate:


See the prominent jowls and the fat trying to escape from his shirt collar? He must bought some industrial strength Duck Tape to hold all that down for the debates.

I remember a time when I used to like John McCain. At that time he was a Republican who often broke from his party and was more "liberal". That all changed with him visiting Jerry Falwell's Liberty University to appear more "conservative" to get the Evangelical vote.

Do we really need any more reason to dislike him? Oh, here's another.

Election 2008: The Real American Gladiators

I was watching the Today Show yesterday morning before work, and I saw this ad for Chris Matthews show on MSNBC:



I knew it looked familiar but I couldn't place where I have seen it before. It took about a minute, but I figured it out:


How lazy is NBC's graphic department for using the same logo template?

I would love to see Hilary and Barack battle it out against American Gladiators for the Democratic nomination. But not with the new gladiators. I want the old school American Gladiators with name names like Malibu, Lace, and Nitro.

They should totally consider doing this in November to determine the next president. Think of the ratings! If it comes down to Hilary and McCain, I got my money on Hilary. She had about 40 lbs and 5 inches on him.

1.23: You're Fired

Yesterday was the worst days of my professional career. My company had layoffs, and it affect affect about 40% of the employees. I am still emotionally drained from the experience and I am just trying to make it through the week. Here were my thought yesterday using excerpts of an email I sent to a friend:

Monday: A company wide email was send with 18 retail and 3 manufacturing plant closings, and that is when I had a feeling that we would loss someone. My gut told me it was [a co-worker] because his region was hardest hit, but I figured we could reconfigure the regions and things would be well.

Tuesday: I was informed that there would be 40% (which I thought was 40 people) layoffs on Wednesday in advance of our corporate meeting. I was assured I was safe, but still didn't really think it would affect [my team].

Today: I got in this morning and [a co-worker] let me know that he was going home. I thought he was going home sick, but I looked down and saw an empty box at the floor for his belongings. I was in shock and disbelief. I check the other [team members] and saw he was the only person let go, and then I became angry. I asked to speak with my super. to ask why [this co-worker] was leaving and not this other guy, which I was informed that the other guy was leaving as well. I was gutted, because I had no idea that two people were leaving. After all this, seeing people in close door meetings with their supers and getting the bad news made me a bit ill.

I've never witness someone having to pack their belongings after being asked to leave. Especially when you are one of the "lucky" ones who still employed. I felt guilty because I tried to reassure the co-worker that everything would be fine, and it wasn't. Strangely enough I got a call the day before layoffs from a staffing company asking if I knew anyone looking for a position. Coincidence? No, because several other people received the same call. I forwarded the information to the laid off co-worker and we shook hands before he headed out the other door. Hopefully he won't be out of work for long.

I am still a bit out of sorts and nothing will make sense until a few weeks. We have to restructure our entire team and I am not sure how this will happen.

Right now, I am just waiting for the dust to settle.

My $0.02: SF Zoo Tiger Mauling (UPDATED 1/18/2008)

1/18/08 Edit: So apparently the boys were intoxicated, high, and taunted the tiger.

"As a result of this investigation, (police believe) that the tiger may have been taunted/agitated by its eventual victims," according to Inspector Valerie Matthews, who prepared the affidavit. Police believe that "this factor contributed to the tiger escaping from its enclosure and attacking its victims," she said.

They lied about taunting the tiger, which was totally stupid on their part, but it is not like they asked to get mauled. If there were signs stating "Warning: Tiger will maul you if taunted" then I would have to agree that they asked to get maul. Would you tell a rape victim that they were asking for it because they were dressed provocatively? The main issue is that the enclosure was 4.5 feet lower than what it was stated by the zoo. I am sure more updates will follow. [Source: CNN.com]
________________________
Original Post:

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that visitors of the SF Zoo saw the victims of tiger mauling "taunting" the tiger.

Jennifer Miller, who was at the zoo with her husband and two children that ill-fated Christmas afternoon, said she saw four young men at the big-cat grottos - and three of them were teasing the lions a short time before the tiger's bloody rampage that killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr.

"The boys, especially the older one, were roaring at them. He was taunting them," the San Francisco woman said. "They were trying to get that lion's attention. ... The lion was bristling, so I just said, 'Come on, let's get out of here' because my kids were disturbed by it."

She said Sousa - whom she later recognized from his photo in the newspaper - was not heckling. The Chronicle contacted Miller after learning that she and her family had seen the young men at the zoo Christmas Day.

It seems to me that everyone is trying to blame the victims of the tiger mauling, because they must have done something to provoke the tiger. There was a report that the victims had slingshots, which was later reported to be false. And it has been reported that a empty bottle of vodka was found in the car of victims. Was the handler in at fault in 2006 when the tiger ate their arm?

Even if they were intoxicated is still doesn't explain: 1)how the tiger manage to the escape? 2)why the tiger grotto was 4.5 feet lower than the recommended standard? 3)who was the alleged fourth person?

I think people are assuming the guilt of the two of the survivors, brothers Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal, because they retained defense attorney Mark Geragos (who last big client was Scott Peterson) and they are not speaking out to the media. Why should they? I think they were smart to do this because most people already assume that they were at fault.

Okay, let me play devil's advocate for the sake of argument. What if the tiger was taunted, should the zoo should be held responsible because their tiger grotto didn't meet standards? Appartently taunting a zoo animal (in California?) is a misdemeanor, so can the zoo not be sued because the tiger was justified in the attack? I am not trying to make light of the situation, but is this a possible defense the zoo could use.

Mark Geragos has made a statement stating the survivors of the mauling tried to get help for 30 minutes to aid Carlos Sousa Jr., who did not survive the attack. Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal claim that the attack began around 4:30pm and help was finally contacted at 5:07pm according to the police logs.

To me, every side of the story has a hint of subterfuge. It will be months until the majority of the facts are confirmed and real story will emerge.

What do you think?

Related Stories:

S.F. Zoo visitor saw 2 victims of tiger attack teasing lions [SF Chronicle]
TALL ORDER FOR DEADLY BARRIER [NY Post]

2008 Goals

Another year has past, and it is time to set some goals for 2008. I only listed three things for 2007 so I think I am going to add one additional goal for 2008.

Tennis

After a very successful 2007 for my tennis game, I have moved up a level from USTA 3.0 to 3.5. During 2008, my goals isn't to win any tournament but to work on the mechanics of my game. My first serve is good, but my second serve needs to improve in order to compete with the big boys. My two-handed backhand is weak and inconsistent so I will be working extra hard to improve this. And lastly, I need to learn to play smarter. I have been trying to hit the ball hard for winners instead of waiting for the appropriate times to go for the big shots.

Health

I need to clean up my eating habits, not for a short-term result. I need to stop eating out so much and cook/eat more healthy homemade meals. I am slowly phasing out the junk food and adding more fruits and vegetables in my diet. I will also need to attend the gym on more consistently so I can put on some lean muscle, which will help burn more calories. Also, I will add Yoga into my routine so I can regain some of the flexibility I lost through the years.

Learn the Guitar

I've always wanted to learn how to play the guitar, so I went out an got one. Throughout the year I will be practicing with instructional books/dvds and possibly take a few proper lessons. At the end of the year, I will post a video of me playing a song. There is a lot to learn, but luckily I have a music background so playing an instrument isn't brand new to me.

Concerts

The last concert I went to was MC Hammer in Syracuse, NY. I got to change this. I missed out on seeing Bjork in Austin, TX last year so I am determined to see at least two concerts this year. Janet Jackson has tentatively announced plans to tour in the Summer, and it has been leaked that Madonna is touring during the summer as well. These are two concerts I have to see. I am pretty sure Janet will come to Dallas, but it is unlikely Madonna will come to my are so I may have to travel to see her.

So that's it. I will post my progress in 2009.

You can read my 2007 goals and the results here.

Project Runway 4: Episode 7

First, let me start by saying ....

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[deep breath]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


Jillian and I caught the vapors after the devastating aftermath of PR4 episode 7.


I need to lead with this because it hurts me so. The way they eliminate people from the show doesn't make sense to me. Kevin was auf'd because she designed looked "cheap" and aged his 17 year-old client; but you keep Christian, who treated his client like crap and blamed the faults of his design on her. This reminds me of when Jeffery made Angela's mother cry during the "Everyday Women" episode in season 3. So in the long run, the clients don't matter, the judges will decide if they like it or not. What is the point of having clients if they their opinions don't matter?

Kevin, you and your hairy chest will be missed. They may have pulled us apart, but at least I still have my screen captures:


See you at the reunion.

Challenge:
Create a prom dress
The challenge allowed the designers to get all nostalgic about their prom. Let's take a trip down memory lane while avoiding a head-on collision with sentimentality, shall we.

Kevin is Jersey boy, so he looked like this during his prom:


Very orange, but very handsome. Too bad he decided to get a nose job because he would be really smokin' hot today. He mentioned that during his prom he stole liquid from his parents and got drunk ... like most Jersey kids. Way to rat out a whole state, Kevin.

Kit must be from the same area as Gwen Stefani in Orange County:

How else would you explain her dramatic transformation? There is something in the water.

We have to travel back 30 years to see what Sweet P looked like:


It must have been some prom because she got all flustered thinking about it.

"I had a really great time at prom ... that's all I'll say."
Whore! LOL, just kidding.

Victorya intrigues me, mostly due to the fact that she rarely smiles.


For this episode she is about 8:1 on the "pensive to smile" ratio. But really I think this is all a game plan for her. When she saw that Christian was freaking out because he thought his design was tacky, she had this devilish grin:


If she had a long mustache, she totally would be twirling it around finger. But she gave one of the best quotes regarding her initial design:

not this quote"It really looked like something an Italian, older, divorcee would wear."
Really? Doesn't realized that market is booming because of The Sopranos, especially in New Jersey? She is screwed herself out of that market and MILLIONS of dollars. And besides, the high school girls would never wear something like that because they are pure class:

From the prom, to the pole.
Jillian is continuing her ode to fashions of 70's sitcoms. The last episode it was "Mork & Mindy":


this episode I am feeling "Rhoda" as her muse:


I hope the next episode she is inspired by "Good Times" and rock a JJ Evans style hat.


It would be DYN-O-MITE!

Results:

Winner: Victorya, Auf'd: Kevin (sniff), My Favs: Victorya and Sweet P
I couldn't decided on which was my favorite so I decided to pick both Victorya and Sweet P. I like how Victorya is a more modern prom dress, and Sweet P is more traditional but both are done well. Just imagine if they were designing for a ghetto prom:


Now that would be a challenge I would love to see.

When I saw Rami's design, I immediately thought of the first challenge because the designs look so similar.


During the entire season Rami has done 2 shirt dresses and 2 drape-y gowns. Is the his only aesthetic? The dress was nice, but it was totally wrong for a girl who is only 17 year-old, and to defend yourself by saying that you only make "sophisticated" garments makes you look like douche. When you client started the challenge she looked like a fetus (in a good way) with glass:


now she looks like woman in her 30s trapped in a loveless marriage with a rich man:


If this is your clientele, why aren't you famous yet? Do you know how many woman fit this demographic?

I really don't know how Ricky is still in the competition because I was sure he was going after hearing his back story about him being poor. Considering that his designs are consistently off in some way he will be going soon, but he brings the tears and has a good back story,


so as long as he keeps the tears flowing I am happy (+2 in the cry tally). I have a funny feeling he might make it to the end.

I think I figured out the editing foreshadowing:

sob story but little face time = safe
sob story and a constant presences in the episode = auf'd

I wish I could ban certain words/phrases from use by the judges. I would like to ban the following: boring, cheap, matronly, chic, mother of the bride, lady at lunch. They use them so often that these words/phrases don't have much value.

Tim Gunn should be on the judging panel. All the critiques he brings up during the design phrase ends up being used at judging. He can judge the methods used during construction of the garments. If the new season of Project Catwalk (link contains possible spoilers) put their mentor faux Tim Gunn, Ben de Lisi, on the judging panel then it's time Project Runway does the same thing. But he is probably too busy making a show that no one watches (Tim Gunn's Guide To Style), and working at Liz Claibourne. One can hope, though.


This episode made me love Nina Garcia. I love how she gives cocky designers a stern talking too; in season 2 she did the same thing to Santino.

I [heart] Nina


The client [heart] Nina, too. At this moment, Christian does not.
____________
Ricky Cry Tally = 11

Read my PR4 episode 6 recap

Janet Jackson: "Feedback" Video Premiere

So the video has premiered on BET's 106 & Park, and it soon was leak on the Internet on various website. I will my site to the list.


I didn't like the video during my initial viewing because it wasn't what I expected. I heard the song and expected a video which would be nothing but choreography, but the concept is Janet is creating the universe. Interesting. I went to a Janet fan site, and there were mixed reaction to the video. There was a debate whether Americans can "get" the video because it had a European feel and doesn't have some half-naked, booty-shaking girls in it. Is this what Europeans really think of Americans?

So I watched the video a couple more times, and I think I like it.

My interpretation: Janet and the dancers are dark matter and their dancing causes the galaxy to form (the Milky Way, going by the white liquid). At the very end she is all red so I think she is either a red giant or a supernova. If she were a red gaint, it would make more season because they are one of older start which other stars are created from.

Got it?

Could it be a metaphor for her career? If there wasn't a Janet, would there have been an Aaliyah, or would there be a Ciara or Britney?

So I like the video and hope when the album is release on February 26th, there will be a high quality version of the video on DVD. There are a lot of subtleties that were lost when I watched on television compared to a digital online version.

What are you thoughts on the video?

Project Runway 4 - Episode 6

The show is finally back after taking two weeks off for the holidays -- but it was pretty boring and predictable.

Let get started with a little bit of Kevin:


We should start a petition that Kevin must be shirtless on average 1.7 times during this season. Who is with me?

Tim wakes up the designers at 6AM to head to a surprise destination. Kit looks like hell when she greets him at the door:


She could have at least tried to tame that serious case of bed head. When she is made up , she kind of looks like Christina Aguilera:


and from the back she looks like Britney Spears:


Kevin greets Tim shirtless (the petition is working!)


much to the surprise and excitement of Tim. People make themselves presentable and it is off to the mystery location. And the mystery location is:


The Hershey store in Time Square. Great. Christian expresses what I feel at this moment:

"I was like "great," we get to make sh*t out of candy."
Victorya is so not the jazzed about the challenge, but Elisa is so upbeat. Elisa could totally be a Care Bear, or at least a Care Bear Cousin ... I mean she has the t-shirt for it.


She could do her Care Bear stare and Victorya would become cheery.

We are introduced to Michelle Gloeckler from Hershey's, and she it totally made from chocolate. Okay, not really, but you tell from the manner which she speaks that she's not human in origin.

"Thank you. And welcome. To Hershey's. Time Square. The sweetest place. In New York."
And Victorya's all:


"Really, bitch?!?" Elisa should try a bit harder to cheer up this sourpuss.

An aside, but are your thoughts on this:


To me, a bear marketing Bubble Yum bubble gum is the worst idea ever. Think about it. If a bear blows a bubble and it burst, it will get all in its fur and the only want to get rid of it is to cut it out. Or is the bear suppose to be made from Bubble Yum? I don't know. Sure it will appeal to kids, but it's a slippery slope on many levels.

Challenge:

Create a look using items from the hershey's store
Results:

Winner: Rami, Auf'd: Elisa, My Fav: Kevin
I really liked Kevin's design because it was actually wearable. Sure, Rami was more inventive, but you couldn't actually wear that anywhere unless you were working a corner. Also, the black shoes don't really go with that oufit, Rami. Kevin thought his design was beautiful:


Watch the hubris there, Kevin.


You know Elisa was going home when a) she based her design on what her daughter would wear and b) talked about the severe injuries sustained from being hit by a car in London. If you look pass all of her wacky antics, she was just a person just lucky to be alive and living her life to its fullest. I think I will miss Elisa.

There was some faux drama regarding Jillian's use of Twizzler for her design. They hyped it up so much that you know that she would have an outfit completed for the runway. It was a bold move to use food, but the design was just so-so. This would be a tacky outfit if it was made from real fabric.

The guest judge was Zac Posen:


I think that Zac would be a great replacement for Michael Kors. He is young and he actually gave critiques instead of a host of one-liners. I love how he was giving Michael some attitude. Someone else must have mentioned that he should be replaced


... but Michael Kors will have none of that kind of talk.