IT'S ODEN, BABY!

bkbcollector/YouTube

The Portland Trail Blazers has chosen Ohio State center Gregory Wayne Oden to help an improving team improve even more. The Seattle SuperSonics picked Kevin Durant, so this is going to be the makings od a great rivalry.

For the Blazers, Oden will fill in a hole at center, what with his blocking abilities, and like I said before, his scoring percentage isn't too bad, either. The Rose Garden Arena will no doubt be packed to the rafters come October.

This isn't exactly a surprise, given the ESPN leak last night.

One thing is for certain, though: BLAZERMAINIA IS BACK! And Greg Oden has, in a large sense, already made it more intense.

alatime1/YouTube

I know one thing: I'll be wearing a #52 shirt soon.

Welcome to the Rose City, Greg.

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Now I Want an iPhone

I've been seeing and reading on the hype of the Apple iPhone- which will be out on shelves at Apple retail stores and AT&T locations this Friday, beginning at 6:00PM (all time zones).

From what I've seen thus far, I think I'd be willing to shell out the $500 (4GB model) or $600 (8GB model), and chain myself to a two-year contract with AT&T (wait a sec...I'm already using AT&T. Now if I could use it with my GoPhone account...).

It uses the slower Edge cell technology for e-mails, but fortunately, it also has WiFi, which is much faster these days. You can listen to your iTunes music- though hopefully, you won't have to dial any numbers for it. It's essentially a handheld computer, and looks pretty much like a versatile machine. I think that it will sell very well.

Sure, it has a few flaws- the virtual keyboard takes some getting used to (perhaps Apple and AT&T could've added one of those pencil-like things, which names escapes me right now...a third party entity will likely remedy that problem), and of course, the slow ass Edge technology. Hey, nothing's perfect with first generation releases.

But, it looks very beautiful, very functional, and if anything, possibly the hottest piece of cell phone and hand held computer technology that's ever graced the planet.

Apple has indeed set the standard for others- including (and particularly) some boneheaded software titan based in Redmond, Washington- to meet or even beat.

Look for the iPhone to move to other wireless companies (Verizon; Cricket; T-Mobile, etc.) before the year's out (that's my prediction).

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Chris Benoit, WWE Wrestler, 1967-2007

The World Wrestling Entertainment family is mourning the death of one of its' popular wrestlers, Charles 'Chris' Benoit.

Around 2:30PM Eastern Time (11:30AM Pacific Time), Fayette County, Georgia Sheriff's Department found the bodies of Benoit, 40; his wife Nancy, 43; and his son Daniel, 7. The results thus far point to murder-suicide. Reports say that Nancy and Daniel were dead at least one day before Benoit himself hung himself. There was no signs of forced entry, and Toxicology reports are being performed.

Benoit was scheduled to perform at a Saturday event in Beaumont, Texas; and the WWE's Sunday Vengeance: Night of Champions matchup, after informing the WWE of a 'family emergency'.

For 22 years, Benoit wrestled under many names and with different wrestling leagues. He made his debut as "Dynamite" Chris Benoit in 1985, and had wrestled for the WWE (of course, prior to 2002, it was the WWF- for World Wrestling Federation, but those pussies from the World Wildlife Fund, whined and sued over the WWF's use of their letters. Apparently, the group couldn't tell their '.org' from their '.com'. So the WWF wrestling group became the WWE...*), World Championship Wrestling; and Extreme Championship Wrestling.

I could go biographic on you, but I'll leave that for the WWE and news organizations.

All I can tell you is that I feel the loss of the fans, and I mourn for his surviving members. And although I'm not a big wrestling fan- I outgrew it- my prayers go out to the WWE family as well.

No doubt, fans of the wrestler are devastated.

*of course, those wimpy wildlife types decided to change their name to World Wide Fund For Nature- like anybody's going to know the difference!

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Are the Dutch Becoming Puritanical Bastards?

I had read a story in today's Sunday Oregonian on the Dutch country of the Netherlands, and their move to curtail what many call 'liberal' policies.

For many years, Holland- and particularly Amsterdam- has been known for its' relaxed attitude when it came to sex; drugs- marijuana, heroin, and others to name a few- and even marriage (same sex marriage is legal in The Netherlands. Perhaps the US state of Massachusetts should consider ceding from the United states, and at least consider becoming part of Holland). But now, with an orthodox Christian party- read: Holland's answer to the US Republican Party, perhaps?- in the Dutch parliament, it appears that Holland is becoming less of a playground for the wild and crazy, and becoming more like, say, the US under the current Bush administration.

All over Holland, places where people can smoke marijuana and take other drugs casually are being shut down. The 'red light districts'- where prostitutes can legally sashay in windows to attract customers- are giving way to basically sexless streets. And even some churches who feel compelled to protest the country's same sex marriage laws have the right to reject such marriages.

Now, whether this has more to do with the increasing waves of immigration (of mostly black Africans; Muslims; and Arab peoples) or no, that's an argument you'll have to have on your own. But according to the report, by LA Times-Washington Post reporter Molly Moore, the influx of international crime syndicates and the trafficking of sex slaves infiltrating the prostitution trade, and the ever chaotic drug trade, are reasons why the Dutch are changing their laws.

I have a link from an article written by alternet.org last year on the changing atmosphere in Holland. just click on the title to read it.

As I read the article, one thing that came across my mind is that people- be it in Holland, or here in the States- feel that the government can do a better job of regulating personal behavior than we ourselves are. Sure, I don't like the heroin shooting I see here on the streets of Portland, Oregon. But if that what the heroin addict wants to do, then I'm okay with it (as long as he doesn't steal from me, or commit physical harm on my person. Of course, if that person dares tries either, I know where I can score the pure heroin- and I hear that it does nastier things to a person. Pray that you survive that!...). If a person wants to take risks to her/his health, then why should our elected officials try to stop them? If the person is responsible, uses in moderation, then that should be okay.

Besides, as we have already seen, no law- no matter how stringent- will stop a person from using drugs and/or alcohol, if she/he is hellbent on getting such.

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Man Tries To Bribe Court Clerk- With Beer!

Just as I was getting more on the missing- and now presumed dead Ohio pregnant woman, I came across the news out of the St. Louis area of a more hilarious nature (I need a good laugh, given the tragic death of Jessie Marie Davis and her unborn female child).

Laron Williams, 29, was charged with driving without a license, so he was arrested (he later posted $2500 bail). Later that night (on June 13), Williams- and his girlfriend, Rebbecca Bryket, 25, went to the home of court clerk Verita Darden, where Williams allegedly offered Darden some Bud Select beer, in exchange of Darden's losing, or getting rid, of his court files.

Darden reported the incident to her supers, and now Williams and Bryket are charged with bribery of a public official. If convicted, he faces up to four years in the pokey.

Man, WHAT A DUMBASS! Trying to bribe someone is bad enough, but also trying to get them liquored up? At least, you could've tried, maybe, sexual seduction here (I'm pretty sure that Becky wouldn't mind being in a threesome, if it would've meant making your files disappear...) But, man! This guy really is stupid!

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Missing Pregnant Ohio Woman Apparently Found (Officer Boyfriend Arrested)

Around 3:30PM Eastern Time (12:30PM Pacific Time), authorities found a body in Summit County, Ohio- near Akron- that may be that of missing Ohio pregnant woman Jessie Marie Davis, 26. Ms. Davis was dating Canton Police Department officer Bobby Cutts, Jr. at the time of the disappearance, and Mr. Cutts apparently confessed to killing Ms. Davis, who was nine months pregnant. Mr. Cutts has been charged with two counts of murder, and will be arraigned in Stark County Court, in Canton, on Monday.
This investigation is ongoing as I write this. But as a writer- who is currently in a writers' group here in Portland, Oregon, this raises questions, so I consider this a 'prompt'.

One of the questions I'll ask has already been answered. Was Officer Cutts married? Yes, he was. So apparently, this man had something to hide. If Cutts killed Ms. Davis because the baby girl's birth- and it has been confirmed that Ms. Davis was carrying a girl- would have opened up a few hornet's nests of problems. Did he kill Ms. Davis to hide the fact that he had an affair with her? What will become of his marriage? If Mr. Cutts didn't kill Ms. Davis, who did? Will a DNA test be done?

A lot of questions raised, no doubt. This does make for, say, a good CSI or
Law & Order episode. Crime novel, perhaps.

I'll stay on top of this story.

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

Bob Evans 1918-2007- An Appreciation

HE was born in a small town in Ohio, Sugar Ridge, outside of Toledo. His family moved to Gallia County, in southeast Ohio in 1929, where he and his two sisters learned the hard work ethic that would sustain him through the years.

When Robert Evans opened a restaurant in the county seat of Gallipolis- right on the Ohio-West Virginia border. he did so to help pay off his mortgage on the farm he owned. But that 12-seat, 24-hour restaurant he and his wife, Jewell, operated would become so popular- mainly for the breakfasts that would oftentimes satisfy hungry truck drivers- would soon grow to an empire that today, has almost 600 restaurants in 18 states. And it all started with the popular sausage that everyone- from the truckers, on down to townfolk- would ask for. That sausage begat a business from his farm, beginning in 1948. Before long, Evans began selling his famous sausage in groceries and meat markets.

In 1964, when hog prices spiked, it had an alarming effect on the company profits, so Bob Evans turned to something he already knew about- operating a restaurant. By the early 1970s, Evans' restaurants- with the familiar red-and-white Stemaboat Victorian design- began showing up all over Ohio. By the late 1970s, they would be seen in neighboring states (Kentucky; Indiana; Michigan;Pennsylvania; and West Virginia). By 1983, there were 100 restaurants.

Today, there are 579 Bob Evans, and 115 Mimi's Cafe restaurants (Bob Evans' Restaurants group bought Mimi's in 2004). The company also bought Texas-based Owens Foods; and Owens Country Sausage in 1987.

Evans was honored three times by the National Wildlife Federation; a strong supporter of the 4-H Club; and even after retiring from his positions as director and president in 1986, remained an active farmer.



Bob Evans passed away yesterday in Cleveland. He was 89.

Being from Ohio, I would visit Bob Evans' restaurants. My memories of eating there bring back the succulent taste of the sausages and bacon. The sweet buttermilk pancakes; and well cooked eggs- be it scrambled, or over easy; or over medium. The service at the restaurants was always down home, everyone was friendly. Never talked down to you. Any visit at any Bob Evans was always like eating a home cooked breakfast. At always reasonable prices, and the best home cooked food. Bob Evans always emphasized quality- and it always showed in his products.

One more thing: that jingle. Bob Evans Farms would always air ads for meats and restaurants, the person speaking always with a soothing, and inviting tone. At the end of the commercials, a singer- often male would sing this two line jingle,
Bob Evans/Down on the Farm.

The man is gone, but the business that Bob began over 60 years ago will definitely live on.

See other stories at http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/primenewswire/121825.htm, and also at the WBNS-TV site at http://10tv.com/?sec=home&story=sites/10tv/content/pool/200706/360343731.html

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved

Apple's Coming Attraction (with a brief side of "The Sopranos")

ariil/YouTube/HBO

Never play Monopoly when you're drunk.
A scene from the sixth season premiere of The Sopranos. The series finale aired last night, and from what I've heard and read thus far, not many liked the ending (Tony and his biological family eating at a diner, as bad guys waited outside...use your imagination on that one...).

I'll talk a bit more on The Sopranos series finale in The Trash Bash (the sister blog to this one) a bit later.

But rigfht now, let's talk things Apple.

As I write this, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, is giving the keynote address at the 2007 Worldwide Developers Conference, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. I'm writing this as Jobs speaks, so it may take a bit of time to get everything here. Thus far, Jobs has touted the features of the forthcoming Mac OS X Leopard (v.10.5). On Leopard, a new desktop replaces the default blue pattern. The new pattern will feature one that shows grass with dew. Plus a new menu bar adapts to what you put on the backdrop. The desktop on Leopard is translucent, and the dock, likewise.

Stacks is a new feature that lets you group icons within the dock. You click and a collection of icons pop up from a single folder.. This new feature mimics popular third party add-ons, but with more pizazz, with glass reflective surfaces and vertical arrangements.

Finder gets an extensive upgrade. Spotlight will be capable of being used to search other Macs and servers on the network. A new Sidebar has been cleaned up, with devices, shared items, places, and such in groups.

If you subscribe to .Mac, a new feature called Back to my Mac lets you share computers and files, even if they're not on the local network. Finder also features Cover Flow, adapted from iTunes, which enables you to view Viewer windows the same way you view iTunes cover art.

Quick Look lets you view instant preview files without opening applications.

According to Jobs, Leopard is 64-bit from the bottom up. This is the first time that 64-bit will be mainstream in the computer world.

Before I hit the 'Refresh' button, it must be noted that in August, Electronic Arts- the gaming folks that bring you the Tiger Woods and John Madden sports series, and other games such as Command; and Conquer 3 for gaming systems- the Nintendo Wii; Microsoft XBox 360, among others- and the Windows PCs, will bring Command; Conquer 3; Battlefield 2142;
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will come to the Mac. Furthermore, in August, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08, and Madden 08, will be on the Mac as well.

Moving back to Leopard, Boot Camp, which will be standard on Leopard, lets you run Windows XP and Windows Vista applications at native speed. Users will no longer need to burn a CD of Windows drivers or install any Windows drivers separately.

Spaces, the virtual desktop technology introduced last year helps users organize their work life.

Dashboard gets upgrades as well. Since its' introduction in Tiger, more than 3000 widgets (mini-applications) have been created. A new feature in Dashboard called WebClips will enable users to "make a widget about almost anything on the Internet."

iChat gets an overhaul, with better audio quality, with the addition of AAC-LD, or AAC Low Delay Audio. Tabbed chats have been added, along with iChat Theater, which enables users who are videoconferenced to display slide shows and other rich media with each other. Backdrops add flair to your background while conferenced.

Time Machine, introduced last year, is Leopard's automated backup technology. Never again lose a file.

Leopard will be sold for $129- for the basic; business; Premium; and Ultimate versions. (Jobs had to throw in that jab at that Goliath based in a certain Seattle, Washington suburb). Come October, it'll be in these hands.

Safari, the Internet browser that has been Mac-only, will be used on Windows XP and Windows Vista. With Safari 3, and the inclusion of Windows, Apple hopes to "increase Safari's market share dramatically."

The Safari 3 beta will be released today for both Mac and Windows.

The iPhone will be released on June 29, as scheduled. You know all about that, so I won't go into any more explanation.

I was hoping that Apple would release some new hardware, but never came into fruition. That, of course, will not keep me from getting new Mac hardware and software. What with the just updated MacBook and MacBook Pro lines out on shelves now, they're more than sufficient.

Watch portions of the WWDC Keynote address by just clicking here at http://news.com.com/1606-2-6190030.html (Courtesy of CNet)

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved. Special thanks to Macworld.com for the live feed of the 2007 WWDC keynote address.

Ending of Eras

palgy83/YouTube
This Sunday night, after almost eight years on the air (okay, minus two, given the yaer long wats...), an era ends on HBO.

Premiering in 1999, The Sopranos is a series about a New Jersey crime family. And now, after Sunday night, the only ways you can watch this series- in which Jim Gandolfini, who plays the crime family boss Anthony 'Tony' Soprano, Sr., and won three Emmys for his efforts- are on iTunes; on DVD; or- for those of you who still hjave those antiquated things- taped on VHS. How many people have been whacked since 1999? Lord only knows, but the body count could get pretty high in the tri-state region of New Jersey; New York; and Connecticut.

Sunday night's series finale looks pretty intense. I'll talk about it next week in my sister blog The Trash Bash.


MAvsFan1982/YouTube

Before September 4, 1972, there was a previous version of The Price is Right. But when this version premiered on Labor Day, 1972 on CBS, no one- let alone the emcee Bob Barker himself- probably imagined that this incarnation of TPIR (as longtime fans call it sometimes)- would last 35 years, and become the longest running television game show in history. Over that period, over $100 Million- give or take- worth of prizes have been given away; tens of thousands of contestants walking away winners, and perhaps millions more being rabid audience members. It's no wonder Bob Barker himself have become part of the American pop culture.

Yesterday, Mr. Barker, 83, taped his final episode of TPIR, which will air on Friday, June 15. I doubt that there will be a dry eye in the house- be it at home, or at the Bob Barker Stage on the CBS studio lot.

Finally, on a more personal note, a friend of mine has resigned her post as director of a church-run program. Operation Nightwatch, run by the First Presbyterian Church of Portland (Oregon), has been around for 26 years. This great program is targeted for the homeless and poor of the Portland/Vancouver area, and operates Thursday through Saturday nights. ONW does monthly outings and movie nights. A shelter, if you will, from the occasional storms of life on the street.

For almost four years, Debbie Coppenger has ran this program with a steady hand. And although she is pretty small in stature, she is much more tougher than she gives herself credit for, and numerous of times, she has flexed her muscle to guys- and gals- who are probably two times her size. And now, deteriorating health has forced her to relinquish her position.

It will not be the same without her.

I wish her the best in her new job.

The NBA Finals is tonight. GO CAVS!

Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.

I'm Back- And Boy, Am I Pissed!

Sorry, I've been kind of lazy...okay, I wouldn't put it like that. But I've been relaxing a bit.

But now that I'm back, I'm not at all happy. In fact, some of this goddamn shit, I wish would go away. Hold on...I've got to breath

eec450/YouTube/Sisters of Mercy

Needed a little Sisters of Mercy there. Okay...where to start...I need to get that damn podcasting kit soon, so i can put a voice to these blog entries.

Let's start with the man many of us would like to call the 'tuberculosis terrorist'. He goes by the nom de plume of Andrew Speaker. He's the Atlanta personal injury attorney who- without any goddamned regard fore human life, went to Italy for his wedding and honeymoon, then came back to the states with a little nasty bug called TUBERCULOSIS!

That's bad enough, and it would have been different had he contracted it coming back from overseas, but instead, this son of a bitch knew that he had the organisms in him for five months. FIVE GODDAMNED FUCKING MONTHS! Man! What is wrong with this...oh, man, I. Must. Control. Fist. Of. Death. Must. Not. Kill.....ARRRRRGH! (Darren punches computer screen. Computer screen exploded. Room engulfed in flame. Library evacuated...).

Cough! Cough! Damn! Didn't know that punching library computers would destroy entire libraries...where was I?...oh, yeah. Numbnuts from Atlanta.

Mr. Speaker knew that he had TB for five months. He said that the strain he had was no danger to others (some reports seem to substantiate this, but like Mr. Speaker's earlier diagnoses, it's too early to begin breathing sighs of relief...). What he failed to realize- until too late- is that the strain of TB he had was DRUG RESISTANT!


xxxLesy/YouTube

Didn't know that TB went into women's cleavages. Anyway, this strain of TB was drug resistant, and Speaker was ordered to keep his ass in Europe. But, since he thought he was going to die, he decided instead to fly back to the US, put about seven dozen passengers at risk, and open up potential lawsuits.

All because one, he wanted to make it to his wedding, and two, he wanted to get to the US to get treatment. Whatsmatta, Andy? Can't trust the WHO (World Health Organization). They like the CDC, would've been just as competent.

In case you've missed the interview, here's the Good Morning America clips, in its' entirety



All three clips: sdc100/YouTube/ABC News
Copyright 2007, by Darren W. Alexander. All Rights Reserved.