- So what exactly is the allure of mixed martial arts, boxing or any other contact sports in which competitors are beaten, bloodied and bludgeoned while the crowd roars its approval? According to stduies done by researchers like Paul Boxer, assistant professor of psychology at Rutgers University, the fascination stems from a) the excitement and b) "forbidden fruit" factor. "There's a rubbernecking syndrome," the aptly named Boxer said . "When you see a body splayed out, you couldn't help it. You had to see." While such sports are increasingly profitable, they are also proving to be increasingly dangerous and in some cases, lethal to participants. Advocates of mixed martial arts would contend that the skill and discipline of their sport is also a big draw, an argument that Ultimate Fighting Championships president Dana White would support. "Everyone loves a fight," White argued via e-mail. "It's in our DNA. The example I like to use is that if you're in an intersection and there's a basketball game on one corner, a soccer game on another, a baseball game on the third, and a fight on the fourth, everyone will go watch the fight. And that's not only true, but it's something that cuts across all demographic and geographic barriers.” Wrong and wrong, Dana. If I’m in that situation, I’m going to the basketball game first, the baseball game second, the soccer game third and if all of those are utterly unwatchable contests, maybe I catch a few minutes of the fight. Not everyone likes seeing dudes get the crap kicked out of them and as much as I respect MMA fighters, I don’t enjoy watching guys beaten to a bloody pulp. "This is a contact sport, just like football, hockey, boxing, and basketball are, yet we take pride in the fact that there has never been a death or serious injury, outside of a broken arm or leg, in the history of the UFC. What the sport does promote is discipline, sportsmanship and hard work, all elements necessary for a fighter to be successful here," White continued. No doubt. I don’t dispute that MMA involves a great deal of discipline and hard work, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it. Violence of entertainment is nothing new and has been going on since the Roman empire, when gladiator matches and other spectacles in the arena were fodder for the masses. However, the increasing size, strength and power of today’s athletes makes such sports a much more dangerous proposition and I don’t agree with White that a fatatily in the ring is such a far-fetched conclusion……..
- I smell trouble. It’s never a good thing when Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez wants to crash your party and sure enough, that’s exactly what he wants to do with opposition broadcaster Globovision. Chavez and his administration announced Tuesday that they will name a government representative to the board of Globovision and that the move is required because the state is now a minority shareholder of Globovision. Chavez claimed the government claims ownership of 25.8 percent of the shares of the company that were owned by two companies that the government took over. It’s quite convenient that the government will now have a voice in running a media outlet that has the balls to step up and criticize it, to the point that part og me thinks the government purchased these two companies with this end result in mind. One of the companies is Banco Federal, a failed bank that was owned by Nelson Mezerhane before the government took it over. Mezerhane's bank, which owned a 20 percent stake in Globovision, now belongs to the government, as do the shares. A second, unidentified company that the government also claims to have taken over owned a 5.8 percent share, meaning that together, the government's stake in Globovision is large enough to name a representative to its board - according to Chavez. "We're obligated," Chavez said. "It's not that we want to or don't want to." Oh jeez, could that be a bigger lie? Who’s more full of crap than Chavez right now? Like this guy doesn’t relish the chance to plant one of his own on the board of one of his most vocal critics. However, Globovision isn’t taking this one sitting down. It issued a statement on air Tuesday, stating that the only way that a new member of the board can be chosen is by approval of 55 percent or more of the shareholders. "Beyond the people who may be sitting on its board, the editorial line of Globovision has no percentage of shares. The editorial policy of Globovision cannot be expropriated or intervened," the statement said. This marks the latest chapter in the battle with Chavez and Globovision, with Globovision owner Guillermo Zuloaga currently wanted in Venezuela for allegedly illegally storing vehicles at his Caracas home with the intent to sell them for a profit. Nothing like the possibility of returning home to a) face criminal charges and b) find out that the man you so loathe as a ruler of your country now has one of his sycophants as member of your board of directors……….
- This will teach 78-year-old James Wankel of Phoenix to run outside with no shoes on. Wankel suffered second-degree burns to his feet on Saturday after walking outside without any shoes on in a futile attempt to try and catch the mailman. Like many old people, seeing the mail delivered, interacting with the mailman and retrieving the mail from the box is probably the highlight of this guy’s day, so you can see where he might get excited. However, it is Phoenix and it is summer time, which means the temperature outside is likely to be in the triple digits and going barefoot could literally burn the skin right off your feet. Wankel actually made it halfway across the street before the intense heat and resulting pain crippled him and brought him to his knees. “I couldn't stand up. The pain was so bad in my feet,” said Wankel. His neighbor, Terri Cryan, saw Wankel fall down and she and her sister ran over to help him. “By the time he turned around he couldn't run back to the grass. So he fell down and then he's burning his knees and his hands so we had to, both of us, had to pick him up by his arms and then run him to the grass,” Cryan said. That did little to ease Wankel’s pain and he was taken to the Arizona Burn Center at Maricopa Medical Center. “Both the right and the left feet had blistered all the way across the balls of my feet,” Wankel stated. Next time, put on some shoes or just relax and realize that the delivery of your mail is not that big an occurrence to where you need to go sprinting out into the street. Chill out, take your time and put some shoes on before you venture out into the hot, hot heat……….
- After being deemed too controversial to air on television, an episode of Fox’s adult cartoon Family Guy will finally be seen……on DVD. A show that has taken shots at so many figures and personalities crossed a line that Fox would not support in an episode, entitled “Partial Terms of Endearment,” in which mom Lois considers having an abortion. The producers of the show had to live with the network’s decision not to air the episode in which Lois is carrying as a surrogate for friends who are then killed in a car accident and is uncertain about whether or not she wants to keep the child. At the time, the network felt the episode was simply too controversial to air and made the decision to kill it. While the show has never shied away from prickly topics and has mocked public figures like Sarah Palin, the decision rested solely in the hands of Fox executives on this one and they made the choice not to air the episode. However, the episode will be included when 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment releases the season on DVD this September. Those who wanted to see the episode on air will now have the chance to watch it and deliver their own verdict on whether it’s funny, appropriate or acceptable. Oh, and I’m sure that the network is in no way looking to drum up publicity and attention for the DVD release of the season by playing up this controversy and making it as much of an issue as possible………
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