IRVING, TEXAS—In an attempt to cut the franchise’s losses and “move forward in a positive direction,” the Dallas Cowboys severed ties with controversial owner Jerry Jones Monday, ending their tumultuous 20-year relationship with the divisive figure.
According to sources within the Cowboys organization, the decision to release Jones was influenced by the lack of any playoff victories in more than 12 years, the owner’s distracting sideline antics, and his selfish, “me first” attitude, which many said was having a cancerous effect on the clubhouse.
“We value Jerry’s contributions to the Cowboys over the past two decades, but it has become painfully clear that we just don’t share the same priorities,” Cowboys public relations director Richard Dalrymple said. “This wasn’t an easy choice to make, but we’re confident it is a decision that can only make our team better.”
Nice article, brings us a much needed smile this week. We note on this blog various societal distortions brought about by the great wealth disparity in this country, and how they imbalance things by disproportionately rewarding assholes….like Jerry Jones. This is another one.
I was just preparing to enjoy one of my last doses of NFL football for the year and heard the very familar and comforting voice of Mike Rowe selling large trucks.
He also did/does a fun little show called Dirty Jobs. As the United States is currently in an employment crisis, he’s also been called upon by Congress to testify about the nature of many of those “dirty jobs” and how there don’t seem to be enough Americans willing and/or able to do many of them. That testimony is here.
This post, however, is not about that. It’s about Mike’s own dirty job in his paying profession (“salesman”..in case you didn’t notice how TV works and makes money), as captured by someone’s misprogrammed (one would hope) VCR.
Mike and his Precious Moments…
Mike and *the* KatSak…
Some very precious moments there as well. If I had to define my own take on things in a general sense, I’ve precisely described that outlook as “cynically sarcastic optimism”. Rowe captures that sentiment precisely. Good stuff, and a Happy New Year to you all.
May you enjoy your own dirty jobs (if you are blessed to have or find one) in 2012.
Who do you think would suffer with a smaller, more focused system? Who do you think it is that is paying these colleges so much to show up? Follow the money…which follows the eyeballs…and monthly subscription fees.
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[spoiler: if my quick count is correct, 32 out of 36 games require paying for cable tv. That’s 88.888888%….which is a lot of 8’s…hence…”the Ocho”.]
NEW YORK — New York Jets owner Woody Johnson told USA TODAY Monday he offered his “apology” to a female TV reporter whose treatment Saturday at Jets practice is being investigated by the NFL.NFL and team officials said Sunday they were looking into a complaint made by the Association of Women in Sports Media that the Jets made suggestive comments to Ines Sainz of Mexico’s TV Azteca during and after a weekend practice at their Florham Park, NJ, facility.
The New York Post reported Monday that during the portion of practice open to the media, Jets head coach Rex Ryan and defensive backs coach Dennis Thurman purposely overthrew passes during a drill so they would land near Sainz.
I heard this and was kinda curious as to what would cause NFL players, who generally have their pick of women (and golddiggers), to react so strongly. Then I heard she was a former Ms. Universe. Then I saw this pic…
…and I realized this story has some legs….oh my does this story have legs…
Here’s a hint, Ines. If you want more respect for your journalistic chops, don’t wear painted-on jeans and backless, sexy-shirts. That’s the kind of stuff you wear when all you want is people to see how ridiculously hot you are.
You have to dress for respect, people. And how you dress tends to define the context of that respect.
UPDATE: Just to be clear, she wasn’t wearing the above very revealing top when the incident occured, but this shot confirms she stuck with the spray-on jeans.
And finally, Ines…if, *for any reason*, you ever need a spanking, know that nobody spanks like a Robot Pirate Ninja.
Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;
As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.
This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his “decision” unlike anything ever “witnessed” in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.
Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.
The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.
There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.
You simply don’t deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.
You have given so much and deserve so much more.
In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:
“I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE”
You can take it to the bank.
If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our “motivation” to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.
Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.
Sorry, but that’s simply not how it works.
This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown “chosen one” sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And “who” we would want them to grow-up to become.
But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called “curse” on Cleveland, Ohio.
The self-declared former “King” will be taking the “curse” with him down south. And until he does “right” by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.
Just watch.
Sleep well, Cleveland.
Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day….
I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:
DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue….
Dan Gilbert
Majority Owner
Cleveland Cavaliers
Like I said, persnickety.
Well, that and the whole cursing them forever thing. Like Cleveland is/was.
Computer power and intelligence. I actually did a video bit about this one the other night. Hopefully I’ll get it edited soon. Simple fact: We DO NOT WANT TO CREATE AN AI! Really, it would not be a good thing.
You end up writing about yourself, since you are a relatively fixed point in this constant interaction with the ideas and facts of the exterior world. And in this sense, the historic form closest to blogs is the diary. But with this difference: a diary is almost always a private matter. Its raw honesty, its dedication to marking life as it happens and remembering life as it was, makes it a terrestrial log. A few diaries are meant to be read by others, of course, just as correspondence could be—but usually posthumously, or as a way to compile facts for a more considered autobiographical rendering. But a blog, unlike a diary, is instantly public. It transforms this most personal and retrospective of forms into a painfully public and immediate one. It combines the confessional genre with the log form and exposes the author in a manner no author has ever been exposed before.
Indeed, and I turned a blog for a month into a book…as an experiment in New Media. We’ll see how it turns out…I’m very curious to see if it works.
It was the best of weeks, and it was the worst of weeks.
Sunday: My week started with the end of the football season, as noted here. That was a great game and a great night. I met a friend during the game that asked me to go to The Killers show on Wednesday. I agreed. Some folks also poured water on my laptop, which I didn’t agree with so much. Laptop dies, and a part of me dies with it.
Monday: Wake to find out the Laptop is still dead. This is bad news, as I do most of my writing and video and editing and book-related stuff on my laptop. I am sad.
Tuesday: Run around all day trying to get stuff done without a laptop. Start messing with the laptop (I have a special power to make computers work again, it’s called “tinkering”) and low and behold, it comes back to life. This makes me very happy. I find out I am NOT going to the Killer’s show, as my friend has a better friend, or something.
Wednesday: Check bank account…sad again. Get call to see if I still want to go to Killer’s show, happy again. Go to Killers, dance my freakin’ ass off, cheer wildly, have a much better time than the person who asked me to go. Kinda sad about that. Still a fun show though. I thought they have the makings of some nice jam/funk band, but usually go back to pop before the jam gets really grooving. This was probably the best song.
That little dude is a rockstar, no question about it. And he’s the only one in the band that doesn’t look like he could play in a CCR cover-band and be totally cool with it.
Thursday: Check bank account…really sad. Go for a long, intense walk/dance off (I walk like those people in iPod commercials) to figure out WTF to do. Come to a decision that involves my books, my toys and various stores that buy stuff from people who are in a jam, financially, and haven’t been able to find shit for work since the economy went to hell. Oh, and people who took a settlement package instead of unemployment insurance, which got extended for people not like me.
Finish walking, toss a coin to decide on quiet night or friends. Decide to go check on a friend who was nice enough to buy a book. End up wandering around various bars in Dallas, getting comped, talking about reality with smart people (i.e. my take on it…wrote a book about it), and doing a bit of dancing. Great day.
Oh, and I also met this guy who is like my long lost brother, but he’s white and I’m black. Weird, huh?
I also told a couple people why I have such a good time enjoying myself…it has to do with that video I posted first. I’ve seen too much not to know a good time, and good people, when I see them. And I know how to dance (both metaphorically and literally). Plus, I smile a lot because I’m so happy doing fun things with good people.
Friday: Have a date that was postponed because of some aforementioned internment (got arrested after writing a book and showing it to the wrong people). Plans change, Stars tickets become available, I put back on the “Wah” jersey and Obama hat (sideways) for some Hockey. Dallas wins the game 10-2. A totally unbelievable hockey score. I started screaming for 10 when they made it to seven. They seemed to like the screaming. It might be time to start testing for steroids, as the last guy I screamed at in a Dallas sporting event hit me a home run (then got traded to the Yankees).
Saturday: Sleeping day that turned into a dancing night after a timely text message. Got to dance my ass off, which I enjoy. This guys drops some fun stuff. Much better than me, who dropped my debit card at the bar and left it there. D’oh! Regardless, a great time was had by all, one would hope….
Sunday: Sleeping day. Looks at bank account…glad I only spent $20 this week. Time to get back to work, or something.
Monday: Writing about it all on pirated electrons, and doing some more editing on ye olde Book…which is on sale now…
UPDATE: I wear this black bracelt (currently with a peace sign) around my right wrist. I do this to remind myself that no matter how bad it is for me, it’s worst for someone else (RIGHT NOW) and I should keep my whining to a minimum and my attitude pointed in the direction I want to go.
So I went to my favorite pub/sports pub to do some liveblogging for the Superbowl.
As football is about as close as I come to organized religion, the Superbowl is a big day for me. A Super Party, if you well. I had picked my location in the bar early and spent most of the day flirting and taking pictures and watching one heckuve football game.
There was one rather catastrophic downside though. As I was at a bar, using my laptop, there was a chance things could go badly. This happened right after halftime, when a half-full cup of water was poured on my laptop by a group of drunk Mexican nationals (the rich Mexicans).
Quick note on the glass half-full versus the glass half-empty riddle. Trust me on this one, it is the half-full side of the glass that causes problems. The empty part does nothing. The glass is/was half-full.
The half-full glass ultimately fried my laptop and leaves me in a rather precarious place, as I am now an artist without a brush. I’ll figure something out, but it was a big loss. Here’s how the liveblogging of the first half went. By the second half I was deep into flirting territory and had to stop blogging. It happens…
This is a pretty good example of what my book is like…my intellectual ramblings divided by popular culture references. The book is also my philosophy “dissertation”. However, unlike most phi-disses, this one was created to be understood by another with the capacity to appreciate simple culture, and not necessarily someone who has a doctorate in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, physics, medicine, English, or any of the other fields which I reference in the book.
I just thought of another good one, “Philosophy is an Action.”
If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I’ve already written down some predictions of what people will think of it, and I want to check my work.
A comment on Facebook is 1000 characters long, so I’ve been training my ability to be efficient.
So, 50 comments is about a book, right? [UPDATE: C’mon, I need somebody to check my math. My book isn’t going to be 50,000 characters long (it went past that in the first week) but 50,000 word words and 50,000 picture words. Sorry for the confusion.]
50 is one of my favorite numbers.
On the number scale I try and introduce in Chapter 2 of the book, it is “1” on the scale of 1-100 (relatively, when 1=0 and 100=infinity) .
I really like that number.
And I think I’m going to limit it to 100 footnotes.
This is all for Version 1 (V1). I figure I’ll have to expand it later but that’s the limit, 50,000 words in month.
{note: this is to give me a “stopping point”. I’m going to write about 56 or 60 and then edit it down by Stephen King’s Recommended 10%. Since I actually want to sell this one, I followed his story telling advice. I think he’s pretty good at it.}
Oh, and pictures don’t count as words. Well, they count as 1000 words, so maybe, if I can find the right publisher for a 100,000 word “memoir(e)” book, I’ll include the pics. If I do self-publishing lulu route, including the pictures would make the book rather expensive (like in the $100 range).
Robot Pirate Ninja 
