Sports Illustrated 2016 Swimsuit Catastrophe

Model Cheryl Tiegs calls plus-size SI swimsuit cover ‘unhealthy’

I had no plans to post this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model as she is overweight. Now former top model Cheryl Tiegs has made her comments. Tiegs thinks the selection sends a bad message. I couldn’t agree more. She may be young and is modestly attractive but Ashley Graham is hardly a dream beauty in a swim suit. Emphasis on slender should be the appropriate message. 36-34-47 are not measurements that anyone should be striving to achieve. Miss Graham should be in touch with Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, or Nutrisystems.

Look at the cover photo.

Now look at another photo of Ashley Graham. Nice looking but no beauty.

Testing Ted Cruz’s Canadian Roots

Is Ted Cruz really a Canadian? The test should be in his use of language. Canadians have some word usage that appears to be unique to them.

First there is the use of the word “eh.” Using that word changes a statement of fact into a question. It is so simple to use and anyone can do it. All you have to do is make a statement like “It is a very nice day out today.” If you add “eh” to the end of that statement, you can turn it into a question that will require a friendly reply from the person you are talking to. For example…”It is very nice day out today eh?” To which the other person will reply “Yes it is.”

Second there is use of the word “about.” Many Canadians pronounce that word “aboot.” This may not be a dead give-away since many do pronounce the word as do Americans. Make no mistake. If Ted Cruz pronounces this word “aboot” then he is Canadian.

Third is his efforts to find a toilet while in a restaurant, hotel, or other place while he is campaigning. If he asks where is the washroom, that is a clear giveaway. There are no restrooms in Canada. The signs all say “washroom.” I was alerted to this on my first trip to Canada as an adult. My wife was looking for a restroom while we were in a Vancouver mall. Then she saw the word “washroom” and knowing that my father, who grew up in Canada, uses that word frequently identified the usage.

Forks, knives, and spoons are not silverware in Canada. The word they use is cutlery. I learned that from my father and have never used the word silverware except when it really was silverware. So ask Ted Cruz how he identifies the utensils.

Coke may be soda in the United States but it’s “pop” in Canada.

A bath robe is a housecoat in Canada.

Serviette: napkin.

Zed: the last letter of the alphabet (Z).

Why is the NFL Moving a Team to Los Angeles?

It’s all about the money. Building a $2 Billion stadium is in the financial best interest of the NFL.

The NFL (National Football League) and its 32 teams took in an estimated $12 billion in 2014, a 14.3% jump from the previous year’s estimated total of $10.5 billion.

As of September 2015 the New England Patriots annual revenue was $494 Million. Their income $195 Million. Seats in the stadium cost $130 each. That is in a metropolitan area of 4.2 million people.

Consider the Los Angeles/Orange County population of over 13 million people. The fan base will bring even higher seat prices and merchandise sales that the Patriots can only dream about.

$$$ The NFL is a smart business. The owners of those clubs see big dollar signs. $$$

Southern California Doomed in Zombie Apocalypse

Zombies made me post this article.

By Beau Yarbrough, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

A new report says that Southern Californians are pretty much doomed in the event of a zombie uprising.

CareerBuilder and Economic Modeling Specialists International have published the ZombieApocalypse/FinalRankings”> Zombie Apocalypse Index, ranking the United States’ 53 largest metropolitan areas on eight factors, including the region’s ability to defend itself against a virus that causes people to turn into zombies.

Other factors tallied were the ability to contain the virus, ability to find a cure, ability to outlast a zombie virus epidemic and food supply.

The Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim region would fall to the zombies almost immediately, according to the index, coming in 51st out of the 53 largest metropolitan areas. The region scored poorly for everything but the ability to find a cure, where it scored in the middle of the pack.

(This is not news to anyone who watched the Los Angeles-based “ Fear the Walking Dead” earlier this year.)

According to the ZAI, the Los Angeles region comes in 51st out of 53 metro areas on containment (a network of highways means keeping zombies in one place would be difficult at best), 25th out of 53 for finding a cure, 40th for defense and 39th for food.

The only metro areas that will fall faster, according to the index, are Tampa and — the worst place of all to be during the zombie apocalypse — New York City.

Angelenos might want to embrace the oncoming apocalypse, according to Logan Crow, the founder of the zombies-walk-this-weekend-at-rainbow-lagoon-park/article_e9fa6c60-7786-11e5-ba94-6740ee86ab72.html”>Long Beach Zombie Walk.

“Some may find Long Beach/L.A.’s third-to-last ranking a matter of great concern, but let me propose a re-frame of thought: given the compounding strains and pressures of everyday life, wouldn’t life as a zombie prove quite liberating?” Crow wrote in an email Wednesday.

Undeath is the ultimate vacation, according to Crow.

“Imagine a world free of the pressure of making sure your hair is styled right, that there’s enough money in your account to cover the auto-payment on your car, that your shirt stays tucked in during your Monday morning presentation. Imagine a world without Monday morning presentations,” he wrote. “Imagine a world free of party lines — no Left, no Right — just one common interest: landing the next meal.”

In his vision of things, the Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim area’s poor ability to contain the zombie outbreak is actually a net positive — you know, assuming you end up joining the zombie horde.

“And here’s what’s great about Long Beach — you’ve got the Port of Long Beach to keep pumping in human resources to satisfy the cravings of Long Beach’s undead,” he wrote. “What zombie wouldn’t want the world’s biggest port in their backyard? Plus, Long Beach is renowned for being a city that sets trends — why shouldn’t Long Beach be the epicenter for an eventual worldwide zombie apocalypse? History would suggest that one day zombies will develop a language, learn to educate themselves, and begin to share and preserve their history, and when that day happens, they will always say: It started in Long Beach.”

(Crow is kidding about all of this…. Probably.)

The Riverside, San Bernardino and Ontario area would fair only slightly better, coming in one slot better than L.A. County on the ZAI. The region ranks 12th in food supply, likely owing in part to the region being home to multiple logistics centers and all the canned food awaiting shipment therein, along with Stater Bros. Markets 2.1 million-square-foot distribution center at the former Norton Air Force Base in San Bernardino. Not to mention Redlands’ seemingly infinite supply of oranges. But it ranks more poorly for the ability to contain an outbreak (44/53), finding a cure (52/53) and defense (50/53).

High Desert author Amy Hernandez, who wrote “Jack and the Zombie Attack,” scoffs at San Bernardino County’s low ranking in the ZAI.

“No matter what movie, show, graphic novel, the first thing that people do when the zombies show up is get out of the major cities,” she said. “People forget that San Bernardino County has lots of rural areas and farmland.”

Apparently thinking along the same lines, the survivors in the first season of “Fear the Walking Dead” repeatedly tried to escape to Barstow.

Hernandez, who keeps an earthquake preparation kit stocked and ready, said that San Bernardino County has a lot of things to offer those escaping the undead.

“My first thought, if I were a survivalist, would be to go to a school,’ she said. “They have survival kits, kitchens, not to mention the fences.”

Despite being a desert, there are sources of fresh water accessible, if need be, to ordinary people in San Bernardino County, Hernandez said.

“I don’t know where in Boston you can go digging for fresh water, but I know where I can go digging for water” in the High Desert, she said.

And, of course, many residents of San Bernardino County, especially in rural areas, hunt and participate in outdoor sports and activities, giving them both the skills and equipment needed when the dead rise.

“Most households out here in the desert have that kind of protection within their home, within their grasp,” she said. “In a city, how many places can you go where someone has a bow and arrow or a crossbow?”

Not everyone in Southern California is dead meat in the event of a zombie apocalypse, however: The apocalypse index ranks San Diego as the metropolitan area seventh most prepared to handle a zombie uprising, with high scores in being able to defend against the virus and its shambling carriers as well as being able to research a cure.

The 10 metropolitan areas most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse, according to the ZAI, are Boston, Salt Lake City, Columbus, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Seattle, San Diego, Kansas City, Denver and Indianapolis. Atlanta, the initial setting of “The Walking Dead,” is the 18th best metropolitan area to weather the zombie apocalypse, which may give an idea of how tough things will be for Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.

A final note: In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control published a blog post on how to prepare for the zombie apocalypse. (You’ll want water, food, medication and hygiene articles — the CDC says nothing about the practicality of chainsaws as replacement hands.) You can find it online at zombie-apocalypse/”>blogs.cdc.gov/publichealthmatters/2011/05/preparedness-101- zombie-apocalypse.

JOBS HELD BY ZOMBIES

The CareerBuilder/EMSI Zombie Apocalypse Index looks, in part, at the job skills needed in the event of a zombie apocalypse, but it ignores the job skills of zombies themselves. Since very few zombies have come out of the coffin, we only have fictional depictions to go by, but here’s a short list of what job skills zombies might bring to the table:

iZombie

The CW show, now in its second season, features Rose McIver playing Seattle medical examiner Liv Moore. The 2010 DC Comics series of the same name on which the show is somewhat loosely based featured the much less-punningly-named Gwen Dylan as a Eugene, Oregon, gravedigger.

In the Flesh

This two-season BBC Three series (aired in the United States on BBC America) centered on Kieren Walker , a former student turned manual laborer under a community “give back scheme” for zombies receiving drug treatment to curb their aggressive impulses.

Fido

In this 2007 film, a corporation captures and “tames” zombies, who are then sold as manual laborers and even pets in post-zombie apocalypse society.

Re: Your Brains

This 2006 Jonathan Coulton song, which can be listened to on a jukebox in the zombie-slaying videogame Left 4 Dead 2 as well as on innumerable YouTube music videos, is sung from the perspective of a zombie office worker who uses his white-collar skills to get human survivors to surrender to the zombie horde.

Return of the Living Dead III

In this 1993 film, the U.S. Army uses “2-4-5 Trioxin” gas in an attempt to turn corpses into zombie soldiers. (Spoiler: It doesn’t go well.)

Los Angeles – The City that Never Looks Back?

Once upon a time there was a very smart man named Henry Huntington, nephew of Collis Huntington who built the Southern Pacific Railroad, who believed that Los Angeles would grow into a very widespread city. He conceived an electric railroad that would connect all of the area. That year was 1901. Along with his financial partner, banker Isaias W. Hellman, he proceeded with his dream. The electric car system, called the Red Car, stretched from Newport Beach to the south, San Bernardino and Riverside to the east, and the northern parts of the San Fernando Valley. The system was shut down in 1961. Its demise was caused by the belief that the Los Angeles area would be better served by the car. Large-scale land acquisition for new freeway construction began in earnest in 1951.

About 10 years ago Los Angeles County created a 1½ mile long replica of the old Red Car in the San Pedro area near other tourist attractions just for fun. It cost millions to build and maintain but only collected $460,000 in revenue. Now it too will be shut down.

These are my photos taken with a Panasonic FZ150 camera.

There used to be a funicular in downtown Los Angeles but that too has been shut down.

Angel’s Flight

Interestingly the Los Angeles new light rail and subway system that won’t be complete for another 20 to 30 years is being built along and near the paths of Huntington’s Pacific Electric. They also want to build a loop trolley line in the downtown area.

Democrats and Republicans Beware!

The first Republican Party Debate for the 2016 election created an extreme viewing of 24 million Americans. It was the biggest view of a presidential debate in history. The draw was Donald Trump. His fame as host of The Apprentice on NBC and his many bombastic statements since his entry into the election campaign made him the reason for the interest.

Today’s commentaries by the range of right to left commentators was unanimous. Everyone on television from Chris Matthews to Charles Krauthammer have all predicted that Donald Trump would soon become a memory. Not one thought that Trump will be the nominee.

While I am not a Trump supporter I will not be surprised if he leads in the polls into the voting season. The reason is simple. None of the other candidates stood out as Donald Trump stood out. They are all experienced politicians. They all said the predictable things. Americans are tired of experienced politicians who make no commitments. Minnesotans elected wrestler Jesse Ventura to the governor’s office. Californians elected actor/body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger to the governor’s office.

As far as the Megyn Kelly versus Donald Trump in the debate consider this. First Trump’s argument with TV host Rosie O’Donnell goes back to 2006 and relates to O’Donnell’s criticized Trump for failing to fire that year’s Miss USA, Tara Conner. Other comments relate to his The Apprentice program. Both of those situations have nothing to do with Trump’s run for the president. In my opinion Kelly should not have asked anything about those incidents. Kelly does not understand that those events had to do with entertainment not real life.

So why not elect a successful business man and entertainer to the presidency? After all the two political parties have proven they can’t govern. Why not give someone else a shot at managing this country?

That is the reason I suspect Donald Trump can become the GOP standard bearer in 2016.

A Fun Trip with Challenges

After cancelling our trip to NYC due to repeating bad weather we decided to visit Seattle and Vancouver. Our last trip there in 1999 had its very wet periods. Drought in Northwest made this visit an easy decision.

With a departure on Jet Blue at 1:55 pm at Long Beach airport leaving the house at 10:30 am seemed a good idea. We would casually have lunch in Long Beach and drive over to the airport.

The first issue was the 101 and 405 freeways. The driving time turned out to be 1 1/2 hours. Then came the very small signs indicating a turn off of a wide Blvd. Not seeing that sign took us through the nearby oil refineries district. So instead of a casual lunch it was a mad dash to the air plane.

The long term parking is not $6.00 as I had planned. It’s $17.60 a day.

The not so fast TSA Pre check line got us to gate 7 with 10 minutes to spare. We were required to be there 15 minutes prior to take off. The plane was still disembarking passengers from the landed plane 10 minutes before our departure time. We actually started boarding 10 minutes after the scheduled depart time.

Our lunch was a muffin and bottle of water eaten after take-off. The take-off was 2:33 PM. That time the result of 5 minute delay by the Seattle control tower due to congestion at SEATAC and other unknown factors.

Happily I had made arrangements with the Hampton Inn for a car to pick us up at SEATAC and the driver called just as the plane came to a stop. No problem reaching the hotel (Hampton Inn). The hotel room is oversized but that’s OK since the nightly rate with tax exceeds $300. Dinner at the Crow a block from the hotel was a C-. It was both noisy and unappetizing.

Our one day in Seattle consisted of two round trips on the Emerald City hop on hop off bus. We did not get off once during those rides. The trips started at the Space Needle center city park. We ate lunch at the park and went through a well done fantasy museum that featured movies primarily from Star Wars and Star Trek but also included a fantasy section with costumes from Wizard of Oz and Princess Bride. The museum was well done.

Friday was our trip to Vancouver BC.
At about 8:30 am Friday morning I called Hertz to confirm the car pick up time. “We don’t have the car you reserved. We do have a Yaris.” I responded saying, “What’s the point of making a reservation over a month ago that was reconfirmed just two days ago?” The agent did not respond. I explained I need a car that will hold two regular size large suitcases. He responds that he expect a car return at 1pm.

A half hour later the Hertz agent calls to say he has a Ford Focus available now. I know this is larger than a Yaris. I ask the desk clerk to call a cab. Twenty minutes later I enter the cab for a 5 block ride. With tip that will be $10. Returning to the hotel I take a shower and shave. Wife is ready to leave.

The drive from Seattle to Vancouver went as planned until we were about 30 miles from the city. At that point we were approaching the George Massey tunnel. A sign informed us the highway would narrow to one lane through the tunnel. We sat in a 3 mile long traffic jam for 1 1/2 hours. Then the highway opened to 2 lanes. We arrived in the city in another 30 minutes.

The hotel (Holiday Inn on Broadway) is attractive and clean. Dinner was at the hotel restaurant. One prime rib 8 ounce split as we are small eaters. Breakfast at hotel is a mediocre buffet. We won’t do that again.

The hop on hop off tour of the city started from Canada Place at the harbor. Parking is $10.50 for 11 am to 6 pm seems reasonable. The two-hour ride was well worth the price. We only got off once at Prospect Point in Stanley Park. Ice cream there. The park is a beauty and a place you can spend all day visiting. We did that in 1999 on our last trip to Vancouver.

Dinner at Peaceful restaurant. It’s Chinese. It had been featured on the food channel and so was packed. It was a restaurant I had picked at random that was just a block from our hotel. When I offered my credit card they said they do not accept any credit cards. Fortunately I brought along $300 Canadian cash.

Sunday we drove to Chinatown and visited the cultural center. Lunch at Gastown across the street from the steam clock. Dinner at Cactus Club near our hotel was good.

Monday we went to Capilano Suspension Bridge. Wife did not walk across. The program there included other possible walks and climbs. Entering the facility felt like Disneyland. $35 per person but worth the price. Dinner at Earl’s on Broadway was very good and not overpriced.

Tuesday we left late from the hotel. Visited Roedde House in downtown area. It’s a house built around 1870. Lunch at Tim Hortons. Drove around center city. Back to hotel at 4:30. Wife took a nap. Dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory was good and the décor was outstanding.

Wife’s walking problems are quite bad. Future trips must take this issue into account.

Up at 7 am we are up for an early get away to SEATAC airport. My plan is to depart by 10 am for a 3 hour drive plus one hour to cross the border. We leave at 9 30 am, stop for gas and we are on the way. I miss a fork on the highway and we end up entering Vancouver airport. That cost 5 minutes. The border crossing takes only 30 minutes. We stop for lunch at the Wonderful Buffet. It’s Chinese food. As we are leaving we engage conversation with a man who says go to airport as quickly as possible because Seattle traffic can make the drive a nightmare.

He was correct. Traffic through central Seattle crawls. I see a sign saying exit 154 for airport. At exit 160 I see a sign for gasoline. Pull off find the station fill up go south to Rainier turn right take 5 south. But the traffic is slow and the signs are not clear. Finally on 5 south we see a sign saying 5 south to airport. The traffic is unbelievably slow. Cars are moving at a crawl. There are no more SEATAC signs. I get nervous and exit, find a place to park and check phone map. We have passed the airport according to my smartphone map. We head over to US 99 north rather than struggle with the slow moving freeway.

The clock is ticking. It’s now 3:45. The plane takes off at 5:08. Driving north on 99 looking for airport entrance. It’s a small sign partially blocked by tree branches and leaves. There is no large sign. We turn in and follow signs to car return. I takes a group of 5 turns to reach the return facility. The car return is about a mile from the terminal. We park. The agent gives me a receipt. Car is quickly unloaded. A porter brings a cart for the luggage. He escorts us to a bus that takes us to the terminal.

Fortunately there is an abandoned luggage cart nearby as we exit the bus. We rush into the airport to find that we are on the lower level for arriving passengers. Wife asks someone where is the boarding area is and she is told to go to the glass elevator and take to top floor. The time is now 4:25.

We take the elevator to the upper deck. Where is the Jet Blue check in? All I see is Alaska Airlines. It must be farther down the terminal, I am rushing ahead of wife. I see the Jet Blue sign and push the cart to the ticket counter. The line is unoccupied. The lady there asks my name and finds the booking. She wants to see both of our IDs. She issues us boarding passes and incorrectly says go to the right to go through security. It’s now 4:30.

We must go thru TSA security and get to gate D5 15 minutes before departure according to Jet Blue rules. Wife is a slow walker. I urge her on. Through TSA and it’s now 4:45. We are finally on corridor D. The time is 5 P.M. We hear “last call for flight to Long Beach” on the PA. Time is 5:03.

As we approach to gate we see people waiting to board the plane. There are four or five people ahead of us. The sweat is dripping of my face and into my eyes. We have made the flight. Surprisingly another four or five other people are behind us.

We did not depart on time.

Despite the challenges we had a good time.

Send in the Clowns

“Send in the Clowns” is a song written by Stephen Sondheim for the 1973 musical A Little Night Music. Really a sad song.

Perhaps the G.O.P. leaders thought that clowns would make the next presidential campaign more fun and interesting. Those leaders are defending the extraordinary number of presidential candidates who want to represent the Republican Party. Just look at the list of fools and nut jobs who want to lead this country.

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 05: Donald Trump attends the — NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 05: Donald Trump attends the “Celebrity Apprentice” Red Carpet Event at Trump Tower on January 5, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Pont/FilmMagic)

Leading off we have Donald Trump who also has earned the title of “The Donald.” This most famous billionaire has his own television shows. Trump, who debuted as the host of NBC’s The Apprentice in 2004, has used the televised business competition to make certain that he is in the public eye. Since the show was launched, seven contestants have successfully won a spot as Trump’s apprentice for a year, which comes with a $250,000 payday. The Apprentice was renewed for its 15th season in February.

Rick Santorum is a good selection for number two clown. He is an extreme right wing evangelical candidate who is a former senator from Pennsylvania. America’s best anti-gay warrior lost his senate seat by 18 points. Donald Trump, a Mitt Romney supporter, said recently. “Then he goes out and says, ‘Oh, OK, I just lost by the biggest margin in history, now I’m going to run for president.’ Tell me, how does that work?”

In third place is Carly Fiorina. She is the former CEO of Hewlett Packard. The board of directors of that company fired her. During her tenure she fired 30,000 employees. She then went on to lose her race for U.S. Senator from California against incumbent Barbara Boxer. Final results 52.1% to 43.3%. She has never held an elective office.

An easy fourth place goes to the Reverend and Fox News host Mike Huckabee. He supports the Fair Tax instead of the graduated income tax. He would gut the Internal Revenue Code and replace it with a flat tax “simple enough to allow many Americans to fill out their taxes on a postcard.” The consequence would be a 10% to 15% tax on everyone’s income. The problem is that those earning $25,000 a year would be seriously impacted by a 10% income tax but those earning $1 million a year would not notice the $100,000 income tax. This tax would benefit the rich who now pay 39% of their taxable income.

Other outrageous candidates include Doctor Ben Carson who denies that homosexuality is a biological reality and says He Wants to Seal the Border to Keep Out People ‘That Want to Bomb Us.’ and said “You know Obamacare is really I think the worst thing that has happened in this nation since slavery.” Senator Ted Cruz who is proud to be a “wacko bird” also said in November of last year, after President Barack Obama announced his support for “net neutrality,” he had no choice but to come out against it, tweeting “Net Neutrality’ is Obamacare for the Internet; the Internet should not operate at the speed of government.”

The debates should be fun to watch but can we take any Republican candidate seriously?

If the G.O.P. loses the next election they can only blame themselves.

Computer Games

In another time in what seems like another galaxy I was the material manager for a computer game company. This week E3, the computer game exposition at the Los Angeles Convention Center, holds its annual show. When you walk inside you are overwhelmed by the noise and the giant screens that are trying to sell you that their game is the one you must have for your customers. In theory only re-sellers are admitted the exhibition. However, many non-resellers manage to find their way in. If you are more than 35 years old you will feel out of place.

Sports and Money

Underinflated footballs, drugs, bribery and kickbacks. It’s all part of the sports world.

From World Cup venue picks to draws, international soccer has been surrounded by rumors of alleged kickbacks. Whispers around world soccer and kickbacks now scream from headlines. The media has told us what we already suspected. Finally the U.S. Justice department has filed charges against at least nine top ranking officials and they say this is just the beginning.

Consider the annual Tour de France. Lance Edward Armstrong is the American former professional who previously held seven consecutive Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005, but was stripped of his titles in 2012 after a protracted doping scandal. Most of us did not care. Maybe we do care. After all Armstrong’s interviews with Oprah Winfrey drew a considerable number of viewers.

Like most high-profile team sports, football and Baseball suffers from recreational drug use. Why do they do it?

The National Football League announced that ESPN had operating income of $1.6 billion in 2013. NBC, CBS, and Fox News all have their own sports channels. ABC owns ESPN.

Football players are likely to be impacted for the rest of their lives from brain injuries. The do make millions of dollars while they are playing.

A football team moving to Los Angeles is all about the best financial deal the club owners can make. Now a bigger and better stadium translates into a move. St. Louis, Oakland, and San Diego are all working on their teams to stay by offering financial incentives and new stadiums.

The most expensive part of pay television is the sport channel fees paid by the providers to the various professional leagues.

What is all of this about? MONEY!

We pay for it but we don’t care. The people who run all of those professional sports teams, college teams and all the other sport events that are broadcast on television are earning millions of dollars. We love the excitement and they love the money.