Jazz / Lakers - C.J. Miles versus Derek Fisher

So, the Lakers worked the Jazz. There were a couple of heart breaking losses and a couple of blowouts. It was an extremely painful series. The only good thing about the Lakers is that our mutual hatred (and by "our", I mean everybody in Utah) unites BYU and Utah fans when football and basketball seasons are over. As depressing as the series was, we can all smile about one play:


That block was ridiculous. I was at the game, about five rows from the top, almost directly behind that basket. Even from there, the block made me feel bad for Fish. Talk about getting owned. I could watch it all day. And given how things turned out, I will get to watch it all off-season. I take solace in the fact that the little things in life are responsible for bringing the most joy. Thank you C.J. Miles.

Understanding Federal Budget Cuts

The creator of this video hit the nail directly on the head. The federal budget is out of control. I think we are all comfortable blaming both Democrats and Republicans for that. The numbers are so big that it is hard to actually comprehend. What is a billion here or a billion there when we are talking about trillions here and trillions there? I think this video gives a little perspective:


Well, the solution is obvious. We should probably raise taxes to make sure that we get that 1/4 penny back. We can't be throwing away 1/4 pennies after all. Regardless of your political bent, you should be able to appreciate the Obama Budget Cuts Visualization Video.

Brandon Mull / Fablehaven - Officially Arrived!

If you haven't read the Fablehaven books yet, you really need to. Sara read the latest (and last) installment in a matter of days. I think that my oldest nephew (Josh) read it faster than Sara did and I'm guessing that Mel is right on pace too. We can offer up all sorts of anecdotal proof about the quality of Brandon Mull's writing and the Fablehaven series. But I'm here to give it to you objectively. Rock solid proof that Brandon Mull and his Fablehaven books have arrived and are legit contenders in the Teen Fiction genre. Here is a screen-grab from Amazon (just taken):


Holy freaking crap! Brandon Mull broke the stranglehold that Stephanie Meyer has had on the Top-5 for the last (what seems like) five years! That's right. He knocked another "version" of Breaking Dawn down into the sixth spot. Of course, Stephanie Meyer and the Twilight "Saga" still own ten spots in the top 15. But that is some pretty impressive company no? Way to go Brandon! You are awesome!

The fact that Stephanie Meyer still owns the all those top spots so many years after releasing her last book is kind of sad. And, as Sara just said, why do we give J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter so much credit for reinvigorating reading in our society? Stephanie Meyer, Bella, and Cedric Diggory have done much more to encourage reading (and somewhat frightening vampire romance fantasies). One of these days, someone will unseat Ms. Meyer. It will be a sad day. If vampires died, I'm sure they would be turning in their graves. Until that time.

Go Brandon Mull!

Who Says Twitter Is a Waste of Time

From the Tennessee Bar Journal:

Twitter is a terrific source of information about the law, especially breaking news. But like any other type of research, you must look in the right place to be efficient. The best way to stay informed is to follow others — Twitter calls these your “friends” — who can scour the Internet for you. Twitterers such as Attorney Tyson Snow[3] comb the Internet for breaking news. Snow and others like him provide a wealth of information on the state of the law. For example, he regularly links to articles of considerable importance for employment lawyers. Another Twitter user, @LexMonitor,[4] provides a veritable smorgasbord of legal news. Whatever your palate prefers, chances are that someone is tweeting about it.

My thanks to @timothyperkins for writing the article and including me as an example of effective Twitter use. All the people who follow me may not agree but I'm glad that at least some of the information I send around is deemed relevant. Here are full versions of the article. You should check them out:

[HTML VERSION HERE]

[PDF VERSION HERE]

Jimmer \'jim 'ər\ (n.): the Ball Wizard.

Jimmer \'jim 'ər\ (n.): the Ball Wizard.

The Feel-Good Story of the Year from the Utah Jazz...

If you are a Utah Jazz fan, you have already heard of Sundiata Gaines. In fact, if you are a basketball fan, you should have heard of Sundiata Gaines. If you watch ESPN or any other sports station or highlight show, you most definitely have heard of or seen Sundiata Gaines. You've all seen the shot (and if you haven't, you'll get to, just hang with me for a second). But there is more to the story than a rookie dropping a three-point bomb on King James and his Cavs. Let me help you feel good about the world in which we live, at least for a little bit.

First, watch this:


Now, watch this (and feel free to jump up, scream, cheer, whatever):


Great story kid. Way to be. I'm sure your mom is proud of you. Heck, I'm proud of you and I don't even know you. I guess that is why we love sports. What can I say? Sign the kid to a contract. He is the most exciting thing that the Jazz have going this year. Go get 'em rookie!

Further Proof of BYU's Extreme Class

BYU crushes the Air Force Academy nearly every time we face the Falcons in a major NCAA sport but, when we crush them, we do it with love and hearts full of resepct:



Thanks Air Force! We love and appreciate you guys. When it comes to sports, we want BYU to win. When it comes to real fights and battles, we want you to be victorious with little or no harm to yourselves and/or your families and loved ones.

For Classy BYU Fans...

Who needs words when a picture will suffice:



Don't worry Max. We are classy, we will stay classy, and we will always be classy. It is who we are.

A Politically Correct Christmas...

I would attribute this but I don't know who to attribute it to. I have found it on numerous websites and various message boards. As an employment attorney, I found the the union/organized labor references and the equal employment references particularly entertaining.

-------

Twas the night before Christmas and Santa's a wreck...
How to live in a world that's politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to "Elves",
"Vertically Challenged" they were calling themselves.
And labor conditions at the North Pole,
were alleged by the union, to stifle the soul.

Four reindeer had vanished without much propriety,
released to the wilds, by the Humane Society.
And equal employment had made it quite clear,
that Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!

The runners had been removed from his beautiful sleigh,
because the ruts were deemed dangerous by the EPA,
And millions of people were calling the Cops,
when they heard sled noises upon their roof tops.
Second-hand smoke from his pipe, had his workers quite frightened,
and his fur trimmed red suit was called "unenlightened".

To show you the strangeness of today's ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose.
He went to Geraldo, in front of the Nation,
demanding millions in over-due workers compensation.

So...half of the reindeer were gone, and his wife
who suddenly said she'd had enough of this life,
joined a self help group, packed and left in a whiz,
demanding from now on that her title was Ms.

And as for gifts...why, he'd never had the notion
that making a choice could cause such commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur...
Which meant nothing for him or nothing for her.
Nothing to aim, Nothing to shoot,
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls and nothing for just boys.
Nothing that claimed to be gender specific,
Nothing that's warlike or non-pacifistic.

No candy or sweets...they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish upon the truth.
And fairy tales...while not yet forbidden,
were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden,
for they raised the hackles of those psychological,
who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.

No baseball, no football...someone might get hurt,
besides - playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist and should be passe.
and Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.

So Santa just stood there, disheveled and perplexed,
he just couldn't figure out what to do next?
He tried to be merry he tried to be gay,
but you must have to be careful with that word today
His sack was quite empty, it was flat on the ground,
nothing fully acceptable was anywhere to be found.

Something special was needed, a gift that he might,
give to us all, without angering the left or the right.
A gift that would satisfy - with no indecision,
each group of people in every religion.
Every race, every hue,
everyone, everywhere...even you!
So here is that gift, it's price beyond worth...

"MAY YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES, ENJOY PEACE ON EARTH"


Cartoon Credit: Glenn Foden, CultureAndMediaInstitue.org. Archive available [HERE]

Max Weinberg's Mormon Song

Conan O'Brien is awesome. It's true. I'll provide proof. You may have heard the Orrin Hatch recently released a Hanukkah song. Senator Hatch has released several full length albums and I think that that Hanukkah song was an excellent idea (the song itself is absolutely horrible -- but the idea of the song was a good idea).

Conan O'Brien, being the fine Irish Catholic that he is, got together with Max Weinberg, his Jewish bandleader, and they came up with a Mormon Christmas song to thank Senator Hatch for his Hanukkah song. And the catchy tune goes something like this:



Catchy no? I didn't know that Ziggy was Mormon. But I do have to say, well done. This clip will be watched millions of times in the State of Utah over the coming weeks.