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It’s never tasted so good, and at least it smells a hell of a lot better than it did. We might be buried under the snow, but we can drink the water again in Vancouver[cbc]. Thank god because it’s been cramping my workout routines a little bit. I think I’ve been borderline on the dehydration side for a few days now. Gets expensive to keep buying water.
So far, Lou Pinella has been a good addition to lure some big talent for the Cubs. GM Jim Hendry is doing his fair share, but I’m leaning towards Big Lou’s appeal as a guy who likes to win as to the reason for getting some of the new guys coming in, not to mention getting Ramirez to stick around.
Cubs complete blockbuster with Soriano
CHICAGO — Alfonso Soriano’s 40-40-40 season now equals $136 million.
The Cubs, who have been signing players at a dizzying pace, locked in the free agent outfielder on Monday to an eight-year deal believed to be worth $136 million. It’s the richest deal in Cubs history, topping the five-year, $73 million contract that third baseman Aramis Ramirez inked one week ago.
It’s also the fifth-largest package ever given to a Major League player, behind Alex Rodriguez ($252 million for 10 years), Derek Jeter ($189 million for 10 years), Manny Ramirez ($160 million for eight years) and Todd Helton ($141.5 million for 11 years).
The power has definitely shifted in the National League Central.
“They [Cubs] are stacking it,” Brewers manager Ned Yost said. “You look at Soriano, Ramirez and [Derrek] Lee, and they’re going to have quite a team. We’re not going to be able to match their thump, so we’re going to have to have good pitching and defense to compete. They’re looking pretty good right now.”
When general manager Jim Hendry named Lou Piniella the new Cubs manager on Oct. 17, he promised the team would provide the resources to turn things around after a 66-96 season and a last-place finish in the National League. He’s done just that.
So far, the Cubs have re-signed Ramirez, pitcher Kerry Wood (one year, $1.75 million), catcher Henry Blanco (two years, $5.25 million) and pitcher Wade Miller (one year, $1.5 million). The Cubs also have signed free agent infielder Mark DeRosa to a three-year, $13 million deal and traded for left-handed reliever Neal Cotts. They still have some issues to address, such as completing the starting rotation. [mlb]
Being a lifelong fan of baseball, it’s deals like this that make me shake my head at hockey fans complaining about how much money the guys in the NHL are making. You can’t even compare the two sports, but baseball is far less vicious than hockey. Some guys in the NHL get more injuries in a season than a baseball player will get in his whole career.
That being said, why in the world did they resign Wade Miller? He barely played last season, but the guy can pitch well when he’s healthy. Kind of sounds like another guy that they resigned, but could this coming season be the beginning of seeing Kerry Wood in a closer roll? That makes me excited, but I must be missing something about Miller.
Most off seasons for Cubs fans, we’re excited about a single, big trade that is bound to make this year the year. And as we all know, that goes to crap. I’m not singing that tune just yet, but these movements leave my mouth hanging open a little bit. I’m not used to this.
Now they just need to play some interleague ball in Seattle so I can bleed some Cubbie blue on the west coast.
All Greater Vancouver residents urged to boil water
By Kent Spencer, The Province
Published: Thursday, November 16, 2006
A boil water advisory has been issued for the entire Greater Vancouver Area.
Vancouver Coastal Health spokesman Viviana Zanocco said Thursday the warning was issued because Wednesday’s storm dumped large amounts of dirt and mud in the region’s three reservoirs.
“We’ve never seen turbidity this high,” she said.
The entire region is affected, but the problem is worst on the North Shore.
The health region is advising hospitals, care facilities and restaurants to change the way they prepare food.
Water should be boiled for one minute, then cooled thoroughly before drinking. Or persons should drink bottled water.
The ban applies to brushing teeth and washing food. Showers are okay.
Zanocco said she doesn’t know how long the ban will last.
Persons drinking water are at risk of suffering diarrhea and vomiting because bacteria is present in the water. [theprovince]
There might be some people who would look at this as a cheap way to lose weight.
I did go running today through Stanley Park. For the most part, everything looked pretty ok. Trails seemed to not be over run with any fallen trees, and leaves were actually very sparse. Water is gushing out of Beaver Lake though. Was neat to see peaks of snow up on the mountains.
In my head, I think Tom Vilsack[wiki] should have been the VP nominee in the last election to John Edwards. I knew it was over for the Democrats when Kerry got the nod, and let it be the last time that happens.
Iowa Democrat jumps in presidential race
DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) – Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa jumped into the 2008 U.S. presidential race on Thursday, saying voters want a new direction for the country “and that’s what I intend to do as president.”
Vilsack, a two-term governor who is leaving office this year to concentrate on his White House bid, stressed his moderate record and a bipartisan approach on education, economic development and health care as governor of Iowa.
“Americans sent a clear message on Tuesday. They want leaders who will take this country in a new direction,” Vilsack said. “They want leaders who share their values, understand their needs and respect their intelligence.
"That's what I've done as governor of Iowa, and that's what I intend to do as president," he said." [reuters]
Another surprise is that Iowa will remain under Democratic control with Chet Culver[wiki] becoming the 41st governor of the state. Additionally, this is only the second time in the history of the state that there has been members of the Democratic party elected back to back for the office of governor. I would have thought Nussle[wiki] would win on name recognition alone, but maybe Chet's good looks accounted for something more at the polls.
Something about that name gets to me. Governor Culver? No. I don't think so. It's "Governor Chet" all the way. With a title like that, he can be everyone's buddy!
Political leanings of the state tend to vary with every election, and I would go as far to say that it really depends on the area and voter turn out. Last presidental election went to the Republicans, and 2000 saw the Democrats get the majority of the state to vote for them. It's always difficult to say what the feeling is year to year. It's not as clear cut as one would imagine.
Regardless, the world needs more people from Iowa running things. That's my initial thought. Do I think Vilsack is up to the task? I'd like to think so, but he has a lot to prove until the first primaries. A lot of people wanted him to be somewhere in the last election, so he has that going for him.
Update: An article in the Des Moines Register points out that Vilsack has his own MySpace page. I don't know if it's legit, but this might be a prelude of what to expect from the '08 election march.
I’m not talking about getting rich by intellectual leaps and bounds either. This comes from a CNN article about various items that people were on the ballots across the U.S.
Voters weren’t keen about another, more quirky Arizona measure: They defeated a proposal that would have awarded $1 million to a randomly selected voter in each general election. [cnn]
That’s the one item that gets me the most. How sad is it that you have to lure people out to vote by dangling a crap load of cash in front of them? Forget paying attention to the issues because you can be sure as hell that anyone will run to the voting booth to fill in the dot, check the box, complete the arrow, punch the card, hit the button on the touch screen, do the hokey pokey, or however the hell you actually vote in your state, just so they can say that they were close to being a millionaire in the last election.
I’m taking a cue from Adam Curry, and you can bet that he’s not the first person to be saying this. It’s just something that I heard recently on his podcast, and the sentiment is echoed in an article posted on MacNewsWorld recently.
Kenton Ngo is a policy wonk. He dissects election data using mapping software and reads transportation bills. He hosts a video podcast on his blog, one that draws as many as 2,000 readers a week.
Ngo is recognized at political rallies and has joined conference calls with Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, but he has never voted in a primary or general election. He has never paid property taxes. He is not registered for Selective Service.
Ngo is 15 years old, has a driver’s permit and braces, and is a member of the West Springfield High School debate team in Northern Virginia. [macnewsworld]
Blogs and podcasts are the new way for disseminating your thoughts and opinions about politics. I am all for that. Speak you mind, shout for the truth, and encourage people to bind together in an effort to change things.
I’m kind of sick of it. The reason being, nothing has really changed. We write away on the web only to see not much for results. This kid in Virginia has a great thing going, but there has to be more.
The methods are there. We have all sorts of ways to send out messages to the masses, so why not use it to actually do something? Less talking, more action, so to say. Use these technologies to make a run for public office. This is what I would like to see.
I admit to being a hypocrite with my own post here, but the idea is something I’m a fan of. I’m also far from being a good candidate for the effort. However, I’m all about new media and helping out.
I find this particularly interesting because I know a variety of people who have worked or are still working for Gannett owned newspapers. So many of them have bashed the world of new media, blogs, or citizen journalism, citing that amateurs do not warrant journalistic credibility. The guys up in the corporate offices might be forcing them to think otherwise.
The publisher of “America’s newspaper” is turning to America to get its news.
According to internal documents provided to Wired News and interviews with key executives, Gannett, the publisher of USA Today as well as 90 other American daily newspapers, will begin crowdsourcing many of its newsgathering functions. Starting Friday, Gannett newsrooms were rechristened “information centers,” and instead of being organized into separate metro, state or sports departments, staff will now work within one of seven desks with names like “data,” “digital” and “community conversation.”
The initiative emphasizes four goals: Prioritize local news over national news; publish more user-generated content; become 24-7 news operations, in which the newspapers do less and the websites do much more; and finally, use crowdsourcing methods to put readers to work as watchdogs, whistle-blowers and researchers in large, investigative features. [wired]
This transition is slated for full implimentation by May, but you can be certain that newsrooms across the board are pondering what their future is going to be like. The article goes on to address the concern about this action being a cost cutting measure for the future, but staff have been told not to worry about job cuts. That is not what this restructuring is about. I find that hard to believe in its entirety, but this is a daunting move, especially in the newspaper business.
Breebop had a post some weeks ago about journalists and the ego on their shoulders, and I thought back to it immediately while reading this story. Now don’t get me wrong, I have a high respect for those I know in the business, but there are numerous times that they have frustrated me with closed mindedness. It all comes down to sources, but the element of not being a trained journalist, most often with a degree from an accredited institution, can make something invalid in their eyes.
I’m not going to chalk it up to ego as much as I will to over education. Traditional media instructors teaching traditional media in a new age. Some of this is changing, but there will always be a select few who see the new and the changing to be a waste of time and credibility.
Let’s be honest. Gannett is trying to adapt, if not trying to save their butts. You know that resistance will appear, not wanting to lend credit to citizen journalists. I’d be curious to hear what my friends in the business think, and maybe they won’t be thinking I’m so crazy for blogging now.
Smoke free restaurants and venues are something I became very accustomed to when I moved to Vancouver. In the states, this is taking effect from the inside out. It starts with hospitals pushing the proximity in which one can smoke further and further away from their walls. From there, it’s moved on to places where you can get a bite to eat, but bars fight back tooth and nail on it. At that point, there is a settlement over how much the percentage of revenue is taking from food compared to other goods that are sold, this often being alcohol. The less food you sell, the more you can have smoking in your establishment.
It’s all baby-steps towards a state-wide ban or stiff regulation on where you can or can’t smoke. In Canada, it gets even steeper. I did a little looking around, and the greater Vancouver area seems to have a more relaxed stance on it compared to other parts of the country. That doesn’t mean that people are content with the way things are.
The city of White Rock is poised to become the first community in B.C. to impose an outdoor patio smoking ban, with council set to vote on the issued Monday night.
Dozens of owners of restaurants along the beach in White Rock plan to be at the Monday council meeting to voice their opposition. [cbc]
No don’t get me wrong and start saying that I hate everyone who smokes. If that’s your habit, then that’s your thing. Enjoy the things you enjoy, and I will enjoy mine. It’s not the healthiest thing that anyone could pick up, but I’m sure no one usually gets cancer from biting their fingernails or picking their nose. Nasty habits, but far less risky.
The crappy thing about this, in terms of living in this city, is that I can recall so many times when Rebecca and I go out to eat and we don’t sit on the patio because of all the smokers. That is one of the best things about Vancouver, too. Enjoying your meal with a cool ocean breeze blowing and over priced, under juiced cocktails. There’s nothing like it, but you can’t do it without the potential company of some one who is enjoying a cigarette while chowing down. And generally speaking, that potential is usually for certain.
It’s a really tough argument. I don’t want their smoke, and they don’t like being pushed deeper and deeper into a corner. What I find it really strange about all of this is that I notice smokers, at least in public places, outdoors more than I ever did indoors. Such is the enigma of Vancouver.
Update: White Rock turned down the ban proposal last night[cbc].
I recall a certain point in my life where I thought I was better than those who watched television on a regular basis. I’m not sure if would call it being elitist, but it’s just one of those things that results from the “you mean you’re not watching [insert name here]” craze of the 90′s, or at least how I remember things. I blame prime time sitcoms, reality TV, and the communication studies department at the University of Iowa.
No matter what anyone tells you, education and entertainment should not mix. Write enough papers about social ramifications of anything and your take on everything else in life can, and most likely will, change. If you’re really good, then you’ll find some way to enjoy some of the things you can see in this short life that we all have.
Rebecca already made a post about this the other day, but “Studio 60 on Sunset Strip”[imdb] is something we’ve been enjoying quite a bit. It’s another Aaron Sorkin creation that is probably too good for this era of over hype and the need for instant success. I was never impressed with the commercials that I saw for it, but someone said that if I loved Sports Night[imdb], which I do, then I would dig Studio 60.
Sports Night was one of those shows that I caught on Comedy Central while eating lunch between classes in college. At that point, it was in syndication, which is odd being that it had only been on the air for a short time. Actually, I was completely wrong, and the show ended after barely two seasons. It won a few Emmys, but the ratings never went where ABC wanted them. A quality show that never produced the quantity of viewers that the big guys calling the shots wanted. Such is the formula that makes up network television.
Needless to say, I fell in love with Sports Night and bought the entire series on DVD. I don’t care a whole lot about sports, asides from hockey, baseball, and some football, but the way the series was written, I liked it a lot.
Studio 60 is the same way. Sketch comedy is a love/hate genre in so many ways, so this show already had me saying nay. Like Sports Night, Sorkin brings the story of the characters to the forefront while putting the premise of the show into the background. It’s less about making a west coast version of SNL every week and more about the lives of the people making it happen. The interaction breeds drama for and about the show, but you get the picture that there is more to series than just execs, producers, and cast members.
Of course, and in true typical fashion, mentioning this is all in vain.
Here we go: despite receiving an order for three more episodes on Friday, the Aaron Sorkin NBC drama “Studio 60 on Sunset Strip” is about to be put out of its misery.
Cast members are already confiding in friends that the end is near. It’s likely NBC will pull the plug shortly I am told by insiders.
Last week, Studio 60 had 7.7 million viewers. Compare that with competing “CSI: Miami,” with 17.5 million. That gap cannot be closed.
But ‘Studio 60′ has trouble internally at NBC, forget its intramural rivals. According to ratings stats, the “Saturday Night Live” behind the scenes soap opera loses almost half the viewers delivered to it a few minutes earlier by another new show, “Heroes,” which has become a surprise cult hit. [foxnews]
I am almost betting that Sorkin has another Emmy on his hands with Studio 60. It’s smart, well produced, funny, and, most importantly, keeps me coming back to the story every week. Granted that the show has only been on the air for five weeks, but that is saying a couple things. For one thing, the show is highly under estimated by a lot of potential viewers. It might not have mass, wide appeal, but it stands a far better chance than some of the other junk that has come and gone.
The other aspect is the fact that there is no such thing as allowing buzz to grow for the television industry, unless it is in present tense. There’s no room for buzz to take effect outside of what the ratings say about what a select portion of television viewers watch, aka Nielsen ratings. No room for people spreading the word so people can set their VCRs, PVRs, DVRs, DVD-Rs, or whatever they use to record this thing that someone said they should check out because it might be an enjoyable program.
Hollywood always seems to know what’s good for you, and what is good is usually replaced with crap.
It’s been 40 years of seeing the “Great Pumpkin” on television? I had no clue that this thing was that old. Watching the first ten minutes, there’s a lot of name calling and threats of being beaten. No wonder why I liked this as a child, and it’s still good!
Hi, my name is John Bollwitt. I'm a broadcast radio engineering/I.T. technician in Vancouver and co-founder of sixty4media. I'm a small town boy from Iowa who has been living in Vancouver, B.C. since 2005 and enjoy hockey, technology, photography, and staying fit. |
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