Sunday, August 31, 2008

Tough Security at Hollywood Radiohead Show

I just read about a quite alarming story involving security at a recent Radiohead show at the Hollywood Bowl. Apparently after the show, a couple of guys were promoting their upcoming event called the F Yeah Fest by handing out flyers while a third guy was filming it for a documentary on his site, Videothing.com. The guy behind the camera noticed close by that security was using excessive force on another fan, apparently choking him while he was pleading to leave. Now...chances are this fan did something dumb but how drastic could it be? Radiohead fans aren't exactly anarchists.

Once the security guards noticed someone was filming them, it seems it all went downhill. Apparently the guards, off-duty LAPD officers, were pushing the 3 guys around. Once the 3 started leaving, a guard commented that the video would probably end up on YouTube and that they had to get their hands on it. This is when chase gave way, into traffic even, a lot of which occurred in front of Police officers, who did nothing about it. The police response was that they give event staff "leeway." The guards eventually caught up to the tape, throwing one guy into an electrical box and smashing one's head against the pavement.

Needless to say, the guards got their hands on the tape. If you go to Videothing.com, you'll notice how the video entitled "Hollywood Beatdown" merely says "Footage Stolen."

There are plenty of movies that touch upon the corruptness of the LAPD. Plenty of allegations and news stories can back it up. What's the deal? I realize I'm reading this story from one perspective but the force that they used on the one fan that these guys just happened to catch on tape is enough to make you wonder. If "off-duty" officers are causing this uproar while the "on-duty" officers turn their back, what exactly are their duties?



Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Quiznos vs. Domino's

Watching television last night, I noticed an advertisement for Domino's...not for pizza (not even Oreo Pizza), not for Cinnastix, not for Chicken Kickers but for Oven Baked Sandwiches. Personally, when I think of oven baked sandwiches, I think of Subway and Quiznos...and I don't think I'm alone. I guess Domino's ain't havin' that.

It's a logical move considering the popularity of Subway and Quiznos...and the fact that you can't get delivery from either of those places. But did you know that Quiznos delivers in some areas? Indeed they do. However, it makes sense that they don't advertise this because it's only in certain areas...at certain times. Example: for those of you living in the Allentown, PA area, the Quiznos at Crest Plaza Shopping Center is delivering today between 10:00 AM-2:00 PM and 5:00 PM-7:00 PM. If they were planning on expanding those times and locations, Domino's just crushed their dreams.

Having food delivered to your house is definitely a convenience, and it's great to have if you're disabled, trying to save on gas, or just having an occasional lazy night when you don't feel like cooking. But how far is the demand of American laziness going to go when they opt for Domino's because they don't feel like leaving their home for other junk food?



Monday, August 18, 2008

Olympics Highlights

First of all, let me apologize for the longest span between posts in the history of this blog. I'll try not to let it happen again.

And no, I'm not going to dedicate an entire post to Michael Phelps. He's getting enough attention, not to say he doesn't deserve it. He was incredible to watch and he deserves his commendable records...I'm especially happy that he took it from Mark Spitz and hope that Phelps never talks like he did down the line if some new hotshot takes the spotlight. His response to the obvious posed hypothetical, if Spitz back in '72 could race Phelps now, what would happen?: he said that they would tie. C'mon man...pass the torch...it's been 36 years.

I will admit that one of the biggest highlights that I've seen so far involves Phelps, but not one of the races in which he blew out his opponents. I'm talking about the 100m Fly. This was the one race in which he individually looked like he was going to lose and pulled it out by 1/100th of a second, because he took half a stroke at the very end and the leader, Cavic, didn't.

I think it's probably because of the Hamm injuries, but for some reason, I've seen a lot more focus on women's gymnastics than men's. But it's been pretty intense. The all-around final is definitely one of the most exciting and challenging events in the Olympics because there is so much pressure and the gymnasts have to have nerves of steel to endure it. It's tough to watch two top U.S. athletes competing against each other but Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson definitely put on a good show.

Easily one of the most exciting events I've seen so far was the final of the Men's 100-meter dash. Usain Bolt is one of the only Olympians to make everyone's jaw drop...in under 10 seconds. If you didn't see the race, I strongly suggest going to NBC's website to check it out. First of all, before the race began, he was as loose as can be, dancing around, psyching out the other athletes. Then once he got off to a good start, realized he was way ahead, with about 15 meters left, he pumped his chest and started celebrating. And he broke the world record!

Honestly though, I haven't seen any event that hasn't been very entertaining. In fact, the only thing that I'm upset about is that I have not seen any Badminton coverage. I'm going to be kind of upset when the Olympics are over in about a week - once again, it's been great. I'll have to give some thought to attending the 2012 Olympics in London.