Bedlam on Baltic Avenue

Quick hits, July 23, 2008

2008-07-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Quick hits, July 23, 2008

I am surprised by the inability of Toronto FC to do anything against the Montreal Impact last night. This match marks nine straight games without a victory. A 1-1 draw gave the second-worst team in the USL (at least in the standings) the Voyageurs Cup-and the right to represent Canada in the CONCACAF Champions League.

John Carver, the coach of the team, was more than graceless in defeat, blaming everyone and anyone he sees-from the media, to the sporting events, to even Jeff Cunningham, who, for all the goals he has scored, is now past his prime, and is in the twilight of his career.

My take on it is: bloody move on. Here is this manager from England who has not been in Toronto long enough to appreciate these events that the city hosts, events that have helped, in more ways than one, Toronto to make a name for itself-and he disses thenm. Mercy,

It's these daft comments that are not going to make him any friends up there. Add an uncanny gracelessness in defeat, and John Carver's time as manager is starting to run out.

---

What the heck is up with the Sparks? I can't believe what I just saw. The Damnation of Artest Revisited? Why is it that the Palace at Auburn Hills might be a place to host a crapload of boxing matches?

Sure, we did beat Detroit, but we are in trouble against Connecticut. Madness. We might as well have women's ultimate fighting start up this year.

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Here are the Bedlam's Top 5 Reasons why You Can't Blame Jason Armstead for giving Saskatchewan the victory over Montreal last Saturday.

5. Rayshaun Kizer. A boneheaded roughing the kicker penalty for flattening punter Jamie Boreham gave Saskatchewan the ball back on one of their posessions. The Roughriders would score on that drive in the 2nd half.
4. Darien Durant. Here is a quarterback that might stir some controversy in Regina. Durant is more than capable of filling in for Marcus Crandell. But will Ken Miller have a headache in choosing who to start when the Argonauts come to town?
3. Anton McKenzie. Defensively, he is clutch. He made some key interceptions to prevent the Alouettes offense from becoming a threat in the last 3 minutes of the game.
2. The touchdown to Matt Dominguez confirmed through instant replay. Yes, because it was a simultaneous catch, by rule, it's a touchdown. Jim Trestman must have felt snakebitten, because that play set the stage for the rally by the Riders at the Mosaic Stadium.
1. A questionable, if not, "brain asploded" decision by Montreal's special teams coach to bring out the "hands" team, or the onside kick unit. Personally, I could not believe that Montreal brough out that team with just less than three minutes remaining. And to make matters worse...Jason Armstead was on that unit.

Canadian football. Tough day on the field for the Als.

A great day to be young and Australoia

2008-07-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

I think today is a great day to be young, Australia, and rich in faith. It's World Youth Day down in Sydney, Australia, and it's a great day to be a young Australia boy or girl. And it's not just because of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI presiding over the pilgrims who descend on the largest city in OZ. A young group of footballers brought home what the Bedlam reckons as the first piece of hardware for the country as a member of the Asian Football Confederation.

First, a little take on World Youth Day 2008 from Sydney.

World Youth Day 2008
Pope Benedict XVI will meet thousands of young Catholics from all over the world in Sydney

Faith Central: Gangster who found God to speak at WYD
Billed as the largest youth event in the world, World Youth Day’08 is a five-day long international Catholic youth rally, where young people gather to meet Pope Benedict XVI. It begins in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday July 15 and ends with a Mass said by Benedict XVI on Sunday July 20. The Pope arrived on Sunday, July 13.
Around half a million young people are expected to attend the closing Mass, while around half that number are expected in the days before the Mass.
To date, there have been ten World Youth Days since the initiative was begun in 1986 by Pope John Paul II. He invited young Catholics to meet with him on a regular basis, approximately once every two years, for a gathering of worship, prayer, talks, Mass and teaching. Each WYD is centred on a Bible passage. The passage for WYD 2008 is "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1, 8).

Related Links
World Youth Day diary: opening mass
WYD briefing
Anti-pope activists can 'annoy' Catholic pilgrims

The largest WYD to date took place in Manila, the Philippines, in 1995 and was attended by 4 million young people. Nearly half a million are expected to attend the closing Mass at WYD08 on July 20, 2008. Approximately 2,000 have come from the United Kingdom, including Rick Brewin and Rebecca Coyne, who are providing an online diary of WYD08 for Faith Online.
WYD08 has attracted criticism over the cost of the event, paid out of the public purse although the major expenses will be paid by the Catholic Church, and also from protesters who plan to highlight their opposition to Roman Catholic teaching on sex, and contraception by handing out condoms to pilgrims. They also object to a new law introduced in New South Wales, banning protesters from “annoying” World Youth Day pilgrims.

Articles from Google

And some of the football:

BULUT GIVES AUSTRALIA WIN IN GRAND FINAL

JAKARTA (19 July 2008) – Kerem Bulut made all the difference when his sudden death penalty conversion gave Australia the crown in the AFF Under-16 Youth Championships here this evening at the Stadion Lebak Bulus.

The score at the end of regulation and ensuing extra time was 1-1 with Ali Muneer Redha scoring first for Bahrain the 44th minute before Marc Warren headed in the equaliser three minutes to the end.

“We started pretty slowly all week and we were a little nervous but these boys are still growing up and they have to learn the need to settle early,” said Martyn Crook, the head coach for Australia.

“But we settled down a bit and I believe that the team will just have to grow with this tournament.”

Bahrain came out with all guns blazing and dictated the early rhythm as Australia do much of the defending in the opening quarter.

In the 13th minute, Bahrain created a double chance off Ali Habib Haji and Ahmed Isa Ali but Australian keeper Lawrance Andrew Thomas was up to the task.

Five minutes later, Australia came back with a one-timer from Nikola Stanojevic which narrowly missed the top right hand corner as the game then fell to a midfield battle.

In the 30th minute, a bad pass from Australian captain Brendan Michael Hamill almost gifted Bahrain the goal while a minute later, a header from lanky defender Sayed Hashem Adnan Mahfood went well over the crossbar.

But there was no denying Bahrain the lead when off a quick counter-attack a cross from Ahmed playing the ball to Ali Habib before Ali Muneer came in from the blind side to slam the ball home.

The break brought a change to the Australian game where they pressed Bahrain much to their own half.

And they created several chances with Kerem Bulut going wide on 53rd minute while in the 70th minute; Million Mwenge Busthire had his attempt saved by Naser Mahboob.

With Bahrain defender Sayed Hashem doing a great job to shut own Bulut, the goal came late in the game off a defender.

Three minutes to the end, a corner from Kamal Ibrahim saw Marc Warren jumping high for a looping header which went into goal to force the game into extra-time.

After yet another half hour of deadlock, the penalty kicks saw both captains – Australia’s Brendan Michael Hamill and Bahrain’s Salman Ahmed Aldakheel missing their kicks.

With the penalty level at four apiece, the miss by Bahrain Abdulla Khalifa Mohamed allowed Bulut to place the ball to the left of Bahraini keeper Naser for the win.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE and RESULTS

09/07/08
AUSTRALIA 2 BAHRAIN 1
SINGAPORE 0 MALAYSIA 2

11/07/08
BAHRAIN 1 SINGAPORE 0
INDONESIA 0 AUSTRALIA 6

13/07/08
AUSTRALIA 4 MALAYSIA 1
BAHRAIN 2 INDONESIA 0

15/07/08
MALAYSIA 2 INDONESIA 0
SINGAPORE 1 AUSTRALIA 1

17/07/08
INDONESIA 1 SINGAPORE 1
MALAYSIA 1 BAHRAIN 1

19/07/08
(Third/Fourth Placing)
MALAYSIA 3 SINGAPORE 0

(Grand Final)
AUSTRALIA 5 BAHRAIN 4
Score at end of extra-time 1-1

ASEAN Football Federation

I don't want anything to do with those fuckers again.

2008-07-16T16:48:00.000-07:00

Some quick hits from today...

After nearly a year of relative peace...I get my first deletion notices on deviantART, albeit a couple of random desktop screenshots.

Took you guys a while, didn't it? Bastards.

---

I got the feeling my friend Diane from Cal State Long Beach was a bit nervous about telling me why I did not get into that goddamn Graduate Program in Sport Management. It wasn't about my GPA being lower than the others. It was about the unfortunate incident at the Gold Mine in Men's Volleyball last year against those sons of bitches from Northridge. Aghhh, it just mystifies to have that thing weighed more than the other stuff.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't have any bad feelings for those guys. If I did, everyone at the gymnasium would be in a large pool of blood by now. Seung-Hui Cho's fighting spirit would have left no one alive, including me, today. But to hear this news, and to acknowledge that I would be wasting my time trying to apply for Spring 2009 down there...I will have to consign myself to the fact that I don't own these motherfuckers any more obligations to them beyond my (auxiliary) role as an alumnus.

Your loss will be someone else's gain. I apologize for wasting your time, guys. Do me now a favor you Sport Management turds. Kindly piss off and don't waste my time ever again. Ungrateful assholes.

---

With that said, I am convinced that finding the right business school will be in my crosshairs. The question is: who will I apply to, and what type of program will I choose for my MBA? The upcoming GMAT on my birthday could answer a few of those questions, if faintly.

Anime Expo 2008 Reflections, Part 3

2008-07-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

Anime Expo 2008 Reflections, Part 3

Day 4

For a fleeting moment, I thought I was back in my bedroom, thinking that Anime Expo 2008 was nothing more than a dream in my head. But when I woke up, I saw that I was still in the Westin Bonaventure...and I had one more day to work. Crap! So, I finished packing my bags, and after I went down to the Beaudry Room for the final breakfast of the convention, I went over to the Guest Services desk, and I asked them why they automatically charged us for parking, even though I commuted by bus, train, and foot. What are they, extortionists in training. Gag me with a ski mask, guys.

Naturally, they expunged it from the record. I was a bit sleepy when I got back on the shuttle for the last time, but I was excited about wrapping up my work at this convention.

There is an old adage: "The third time's the charm." For me, hearing rave reviews about Registration in my third year as a staffer was especially sweet.

Aside from the string bikini fetishes and the Masquerade fix I had last night, I watched a stream of cosplayers listen to the music as if the Pied Piper of Otakumlin came to play. I said, "Sorry guys, I've got work to do." That's the thing: here at AX, you have the power (within reasonable constraints) to live your own fantasies.

So I went down to the auction after my final shift next door at West Hall B to take note of the items up for bid, and how high they went. Here's a sample of what was there, and what the final bidding price unded up to be.

* Item 25, an Anime Expo 2008 autographer poster by all of the Guests of Honor. Sold for $350.
* A Boise State "Otaku for Obama" shirt signed by David Hayter. Sold for $100.
* Item 2, a Batman Gotham Night Poster signed by Brian Ezorio, Greg Ruen, Bruce Tim, ALan Burnett, David Goyer, Josh Olsen, Chris Drake, and Jordan Calabria (my handwriting sucked, so if I got the names wrong, I apologize). Sold for $225.
* Item 31, a Masamitsu Hidaka-signed Linebarrels of Iron shirt, Size M. Sold for $45.
* Item 13, a Yu Yu Hakushoposter autographed by Chris Sabat, Jerry JEwell and Justin Cook. Sold for $75.
* Item 16, an autographed Shoko Nakagawa Happy Coat worn during the concert. Sold for $350.
* Item 10, a Jyukai hat, by Dewa, worn during the concert. Sold for $40. (Can you get something like that at Ross!? And cheaper!!?)
* Item 27, an autographed attendee shirt, autographed by David Hayter, size L. Sold for $60.
* Item 22, A Black Sword of the Stranger shirt, size L-SS, autographed by Masahiro Ando. Sold for $160
* Item 23, a Patlabor poster signed by Akemi Takada. Sold for $160.
* Item 20, an autographed shikishi board, autographed by Jyukai. Sold for $70.
* Item 17, an Ouran High School host club blazer, signed by the English dubbing crew at the panel. Sold for $300.
* Item 33, Batman Gotham Night poster (see 2). Sold for $275
* Item 9, another Jyukai hat by Dewa. Sold for $45. (I got at Ross! Just kidding. I got it at Marshalls. Also kidding.)
* Item 21, another Jyukai-autographed shikishi (same as 20). Sold for $60.
* Item 24, a Patlabor poster autographed by Akemi Takada. Sold for $250.
* Item 26, another Anime Expo 2008 poster signed by all the Guests of Honor (see 25). Sold for $600.
* Item 34, Another Batman Gotham Night poster (same as 2). Sold for $250.
* Item 8, a dress worn by Manami of Jyukai at the concert, size 2. Sold for $100. (A perfect present for your waifu! Should have had matching apron for some kinky hadaka tricks.)
* Item 29, two Black & Red passes for Anime Expo 2009. Sold for face value ($1,000).
* Item 5, a Batman Gotham Night DVD, autographed from those who signed Item 2. Sold for $400.
* Item 28, another David Hayter autographed attendee shirt, size L. Sold for $110.
* Item 30, a shikishi board signed by Masamitsu Hidaka. Sold for $300.
* Item 7, a color sketch by Hiromi Kato, showing characters from "I'm Gonna Be An Angel!" Sold for $1,600.
* A KImagure Orange Road drawing by Akemi Takada. Sold for $3,000
* Item 1, a drawing by Hiromi Kato, featuring Chiyo MIhama, Ayumu "Osaka" Kasuga, Utena Tenjou, Mokona, Sakura Kinomoto, and other charactes from Beck, Paradise Kiss and I'm Gonna BE An Angel!. Sold for $7,000.

The auction, after deduction, about $14,000 was raised for Children's Hospital of Orange County.

All in all, the convention was capped by Vic Mignogna closing the convention, and Mr. Ando wrapped it by dotting the other eye on the daruma head. Perfect.

And thus my reflections on the convention have been revealed.

Anime Expo 2008 reflection, Part 2

2008-07-08T22:26:00.000-07:00

Amine Expo 2008 reflections, Part 2

Day 2

They are people looking for results. The targets are answers looking for questions. In a business fueled by money swimming in a drowning economy, the entertainment business is a machine owned and operated by people on the hunt for those who can deliver the fuel-the results-early and often.

Thus, is wasn't surprising that the poster for AX Idol featured someone who had the results in her hands, reaching out for the microphone to give it to the ones chosen by the judges (including Shoko-tan and the Bang Zoom! crew By the way, Shoko-tan was also a Masquerade judge this year). Ironically, this was the very first AX Idol I went toi. Add the fact that this was held at the Nokia Theater (funny, the staff checked my phone, even though it was a Nokia. Ironic, isn't it?) and it became something very special. More on that in a bit.

If there was real downer at the convention, it had to be the food at the Tradewinds Cafe in Kentia Hall. Not only was the fare unsophisticated, but the staff were clearly unnaturalized (at least a majority of them) citizens. The evidence was there: lack of English, poor communication skills, and a take-it-or-leave-it attitude that would make it feel like I was in San Quentin without the prison riots or confinement decor. Next thing these guys will do is feed us Ensure down our throats a la Guantanamo Bay. Absolutely horrible.
It was a big downer. I mean, come on: if turning a family away at Registration due to their lack of planning and preparation for the event (and it DID happen, and it wasn't our fault; the would-be attendees didn't help themselves by not taking a look at the prices, the plans that weekend, and pre-registering) was bad enoguh, this was nothing compared to the abominable manners of these guys. Next year, I expect to see a new staff with a friendlier demeanor when I am getting my fill at Kentia. In the meantime, get the Tijuana trucks ready, guys.

On the other hand, taking cosplay photos on my mobile and getting my mascot plushies to make out, combined with AX Idol, made up for it in a big way.

Vic Mignogna and Jon Mexa are experts and true veterans of what they do. I expecioally like Vic. The Enlgish voice behind the likes of Ichigo Kurosawa and Edward Elric, Vic knows his schtick. He's a good singer, too. We love the hair.

God bless Steve BLum. Over a couple of decades at the forfront of English dubbing will make one-half of the Risen Bull Rangers (the other half is Vic) a tough act to follow.

As I went down the elevator after changinmg into some new shorts due to a zipper malfunction, I saw a couple of Tokyo Mew Mew cosplayers in bikinis step in.
"Cosplaying in swimsuits?" I asked
"No, we cosplayed a few hours ago, but we decided to go to the pool," said the Ichigo cosplayer. She was in a matching white beiking with red strings and dots. It matched her hair and form perfectly.
"I see. Well at least you made the right choice on which two-piece to pick. It looks great on you," I said, with a delightful laugh as I headed for the shuttle.
That's the thing: when you are cosplaying, and you want to show that hot body at the pool, you'd better bring an outfit that emphasizes your curves and bust, as well as matches your outfit when you strut yout stuff to the photographers out there. She was even in twintails, which added to her moe aesthetic. She easily could pass for cosplaying in a swimsuit.
I decided not to take a photo of her in it. Besides, she was out of uniform, she did not request to be shot, and we were in an elevator. And I was staffing. Of course I had high standards. But it was clear than in those fleeting seconds, my string bikini fetish had reached dangerous levels. Naturally they lowered to more healthy ones when I took the shuttle.

I would think that Ichigo would be wearing something like that in the anime. Of course, I don't watch Tokyo Mew Mew as much as the other ones I follow. I prefer the Japanese version way more than the 4Kids version.

As I reach out for a box of tissues typing this to post, I would like to let you know that AX Idol was a success. In my view, Pamela Moss would have amde a lot of headway on American Idol. Her rendition of Kouga Ninpou Chou" from the series Basilisk was epic. Chalk up a big point for whoever decides to give her a lucrative contract.

And chalk up a coup of a hire if Caitlin Chang is giving a contract to dub for Bang Zoom!. Her rendition of Gurren Lagann's very own Yoko Ritona was unlike anything we ever saw. Of course, the candidates who voices as Simon and Kamina were competent as well. But the night belonged to Caitlin. I was wondering if she ever did any fandubbing in the past. Or there was a rule preventing that. In any case, if she was doing fan dubs previously, those days are long gone now. Enjoy your September business trip to Japan, Caitlin Chang. May it stimulate you in more ways than one.

The moe possibilities were there. Darn that Richard Kong, though. First he buys a Haruhi dakimakura for 35 smackaroons. And then he gets even luckier and wins an autographed shikishi board from one of the GoH's (I didn't know if it was THE Shoko-tan, but it was, the third atomic bomb went off in my room at the Westin Bonaventure. To add insult, he was happily snoring.

Oh, those AX Staffers.

Day 3

"Aficionados, ¡que viven la intensidad del manga y anime!"

That was the mantra as I went off to Video Room 3, donning my polo over my Astro Boy shirt. For me, the thought of Nicholas Cage doing Astro Boy's role just gave me the shivers. Anyway, my first shift was scheduled for 10:30 a.m., so I had some time to wander about.

I was able to take some shots of KOnata, KAgami and the Lucky Star crew, though I couldn't stand next to Kagami in a back to back pose. I twas some damn crowded and hot inside the Exhibit Hall.

Mou...those sweaty, smelly otaku. Oh God.

=_=+

Otherwise, any chances of not fulfilling my wish went out the you-know-what. Now surpriusingly, there was a long, long, looong line for the Masquerade. This was our showcase event, and I told the people to come down for the event at the Nokia Theatre. There should be some seats available if you hurry, I said to them.

Sure enough, we were treated to something special. I saw Funky Fresh cosplay doing their LUcky Start tribute skil. Needless to say, I was happy with their performance. They got the second place prize (which, overall was a symbolic third place if you take into account Best in SHow, the true first place winner). As I took a couple of shots of them (one of them is on my deviantART plage), I was vindicated, and assured that they validated the relevance of Kagami Yoshimizu's classic to our interests. It was relevant to the mindsets of those who followed it, who supported it, and will never forget it. And they won't.

Props to the Orange County Anime Society for winning it all. These guys were the cream of the crop, and rightfully deserving of the title.

Special props to the band from Faye Ross Middle School, located in Artesia, CA. Their tribute to the convention and to Final Fantasy drew a standing ovation. (Partly because I got them to do so, but that's beside the point). I mean, come on now. These guys were nervous kids in their tweens and early teens, but after they got on stage and played their hearts out, we had to acknowledge their courage, commitment, and sacrifice just to BE HERE. And, I know that a lucky few of them might play for a college marching band, namely USC's, or UCLA's, or whatever drum & bugle corps is willinhg to give them a chance. You never know.

Pamela Moss put on another great encore performance.

Teas Tea. Pure green. And a great chug. Yummy. I need to know where I can buy me a bottle. Perhaps the nearest Famima! might enlighten me a bit?

The crowd was alive. I told my folks at Registration to come out for the event. And they came out in DROVES. Sure, there were a few empty seats here and there, but most were filled, and they were into it.

Nick Perkins, one of the hosts for the event, was awesome. He chugs tea like a chugger should. Period. It's like drinking a bottle of water, with different flavor and body. Slightly.

I like Main Events's choice of the second season opening of Kyo Kara Maoh! to fire up the crowd. Ver good decision.

COconut Bubble Sex Cosplay. Say that ten times fast. A household name indeed.

Anime Expo 2008 reflections, Part 1

2008-07-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

I am breaking this blog into pieces. Here we go.

Anime Expo 2008 reflections, Part 1:

Day 0

Well, they didn't see this coming.

I came into Anime Expo 2008 understanding a few given things: a new registration system, faster lines, less worries, Shoko-tan, photos filled to capacity on my cell phone, the first time that it will be at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Jyukai, Shoko-tan, a giant Totoro rolling around the hall, the Downtown LA atmosphere proving to be tempting, cosplayers, and lots of fans drenching in sun, sweat, and love. Did I forget to mention Shoko-tan?

No I didn't. I just mentioned her three times in that last paragraph. Anyway, I was in my third year going through the process as a esteemed staffer. And so it began. I took the Metro Blue Line to the 7th Street MEtro Center/Julian Dixon Station, and walked up Figueroa Street to the Westin Bonaventure to drop my bags before making a 20-minute walk down Figueroa to the Concention Center. Later that day, my legs would give out due to the fact that I would be walking back to the Convention Center a second time. Bloody DASH F. Mou...

As I made my way through the halls, understanding which room would host where, I checked in, picked up some specially-designed swag, as they call it, and got to work patrolling the lines, preparing the booths with a Totoro forest theme, and proceeded to 4 1/2 days of having "Sorairo Days" and all that Shoko-tan scriptures being ingrained in my psyche, all the while making sure that there was order as the attendees scanned and went.

Later at the All-Staff meeting, I gained a couple of plushies and a new hat. Me and my folks on my team chased our manager, LIz Wang, around West Hall B, also known as Live Programming 1 for the convention.

That was Day 0.

---

Day 1

Day 1 was a bit of a different story.
The good news was that I got some mascot plushies. The bad news was: they weren't the twins. Those would not be out until next year due to some defects in the design. Instead, I got the cat and bunny mascot plushies. They would be my puppets, and when things really got boring, a little make-out session didn't hurt anyone.

At the Exhibit Halls, pacing around hither and thither, I got to work of taking cosplay photos, some which are already posted on my deviantART page. I had to be done. I had a NOKIA ready to go, and go it did. My deviantions were also posted on the dA kiosk, so that was nice to see.

The funny thing about the day was that my squad's first shift was not until 12:00 p.m. Four hours was an eternity in my book. Thanks to the other squads, as well as the temporary workers there, we were on our way.

Some props from my on Day 1:
* Ethan Nguyen (Assistant Manager, AX Reg 08) as Totoro: harcord work.
* Richard Kong, one of the folks who I roomed with, bought this huge Haruhi dakimakura (which was priced at $35-cheap!). I had to take a photo of it, and tuck it into the sheets. Later that night, he placed it with the rest of the luggage.
* Westin's food: thumbs up. Aramark's food (at the Kentia Hall's Tradewinds Cafe): all fours with a bowed head (a la orz).

My eyes soon became red as I got back to my room, and
I fell into a huge sleep. Damn. I was only two days into my five days of fun, and already I was feeling the aftermath of it.

---

I have returned from Anime Expo 2008. Hallelujah

2008-07-06T21:23:00.000-07:00

And so I have returned from Anime Expo 2008. Expect a huge entry soon on the event. You can also check my page on deviantART for more photos that I took of the event.

BoBA is going to take the week off ue to AX

2008-07-02T03:15:00.000-07:00

The Bedlam is going to take a few days off due to Anime Expo staffing duty. It will return with an entry highlighting the convention on Monday.

Quick hits, June 29, 2008

2008-06-28T22:08:00.000-07:00

So, in my next installmen of Quick Hits, I go ahead and disseminate.

"Fresno State: We Feel Good!"

Congratulations to Fresno State. They earned their first-ever title in school history routing Georgia 6-1 tonight. The real miracle will be if the NCAA does not pull off a Joe Arpaio and strip them of their title after some anonymous, pro-Georgia [sic?] whistleblower [who is putting his credibility on the line (talk about high-risk, high-reward)] discovers some serious rules violations regarding the team.

(By the way, for those of you wondering, Sheriff Joe Arpaio is this old guy from Arizona, about John McCain's age, give or take a few months/years, who is more skilled at grandstanding/building up kick-ass PR to keep himself in office, till he is shot by undocumented alien from the galaxy next door or dies of old age, than what he REALLY should be doing, a.k.a. what he used to do better at, which is law enforcement.)

Now, I will be honest with you bloggers who follow college sports. I don't wish these sorts of things to teams that have worked hard, only to see the NCAA rob them of their hard work because someone broke the rules (i.e. eligibility, bribes, inappropriate booster conduct, etc.). But this hasn't been unprecedented. Hawaii and Lewis cheated in men's volleyball. My university men's hoops team doctored the transcripts, leading to stripping their conference title. And I would think there are other times when this has happened at this level.

So cheers to Fresno, but the biggest miracle that would make this a miracle season would be the NCAA laying off the Sheriff Joe, and the Divsion I Committee on Infractions not making any plans to visit Fresno in the near future, if ever.
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"David Diaz's career is going downhill...or is it downwind?"

The Chicago Cubs will not win the World Series because of Dangerous David Diaz. If it DOES happen, it is in SPITE of him.

Tonight, the Pac-Man, Manny Pacquiao, fuilfilled the prediction that he would take down Diaz in 9 rounds. And that is what he did. 2:24 into the 9th at the Mandalay Bay.

I, Bongaboi officially recant my statement of Diaz getting any respite from this fight, let along winning it. His career is going downhill from here, and I will be surprised if he wants a rematch.

It's not just Diaz, though. The whole of Chicago got the wind knocked out of them. Literally.

Bloody hell.

Shouldn't you earn your badge instead of having it given to your as a present?

2008-06-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Shaq kicked off sheriff's 'posse' for freestyle

This makes you wonder why law enforcement officials even bother making badges for people who DON'T have a career in it in the first place. Waste of money. Bloody hell.
Even America's [Self-Proclaimed] Toughest Sheriff should have known better to give a badge to someone who makes a living playing in the NBA. Make note, all you other sheriffs in the U.S.A. and elsewhere: Never give a badge to someone who doesn't need it.

Of hags, shorties, and cholos...and ampersands!?

2008-06-22T00:07:00.000-07:00

It's an interesting turn of events I had today. As I went off for some more Anime Expo Staff debriefings, I passed by some chairs being set up in front of the Juanita Millender-McDonald Community Center. down at Admiral Kidd Park. The dedication ceremony was today.

A old hag, perhaps drugged, HIV-positive, divorced many times over and asking to be arrested for public disturbance bumped into one of my fellow staff members at the Haskett Library. Seriously, out of all the places she would pick a fight with...why the bloody hell would she pick the local library? There are people who suffer brain explosions, and there are people who are acting like their brain already went to smithereens a long-ass time ago.

Could you believe that?

After my second orientation at the SPJA Office, where we did some arts and crafts for the room we would be distributing the passes at, I passed by some rap fans asking for what I got in my backpack, It was zipped tight. I said, "I don't have anything to give you. Quit asking me, punks."

That's when I found out that the Honda Center was throwing a concert called Powerhouse. It was the showcase event sponsored by Power 106, the local hip-hop radio station. Long lines of cars, and parking signs all around. I just shook my head. This was the type of place where I could be blasted by someone I don't know, and wouldn't want to know.

I passed by the archetypical group of rap concert-goers, consisting of a girl (also know as a "shorty") with five other guys taller than her. Out of my way, crew. I got to the bus stop near a gas station. A couple of poor cholos said, "Hey, do you have five dollars? We need it for gas." I replied, "That's why I use public transportation. I don't have anything to give you."

And even if I did, well; it would be going to spending at AX anyway. The bus came, and I was able to get the hell outta there in a hurry.

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Hmph. Cue the cross vein of anger.

On the new banner, a seminar, and incorrigible judgment by numbers

2008-06-19T21:17:00.001-07:00

Before I go to the topic of the entry, I wanted to point out who is now on my banner on the Bedlam as of this date and time posted. This is Ryoko Ninomiya, from Our Condolences, Ninomiya-kun. She is someone that is busy on a mercenary mission, skilled in defense, and is a playful flirt, so to speak. My type of person.

Now, on to the entry.

---

I was a bit bummed when I found out that one of my flash disks had fried. In the searing heat of summer, and my desktop getting bogged down, it had a supplemental piece of writing critical to the application process at USC. After settling down, I was able to recreate it out of plain memory, and back it up via GMail at my work. Whew.

Speaking of work, I took a detour up to Downtown LA (Again, you ask? Well, at the Open House, I filled out a form, and I fulfilled my promise to myself) to attend a seminar.

There's nothing wrong with being a cynic, so long as you stick to what your viewpoints are because cynics have been through many roads before. Salty and cynical are synonyms, the former being informal, the latter being the word I am discussin in this paragraph.

Dr. David Pahl of the University of Southern California (yep, here we go again) is an example of a cynic. He describes himself as one, so for the sake of his entry, we'll take his word for it. Anyway, Dr. Pahl gave a lecture of the Trojan way of approaching cover letters, resumes, and the interviews. Here's a few points highlighted at the seminar.

On a resume objectives are optional unless you are going through a career change.
An oral history is critical in an interview because if you know it, you can find ways to put it in, whether at the beginning, or in pieces of your answers to the questions.

Relevance to the resume is key. Put anything that has relevance to your objective on there. If it spans two pages, place the ones that really matter at the front, anf the ones that don't matter as much but are still relevant at the back.
Don't worry about the competition. Have the mindset that you better than they are, and the outcome is what it is.

An interview should be, essentially, a conversation.

If being aggressive in the last part of your cover letter is your cup of tea, do so. You will never know who will accept it or be intimidated to throw it out the you-know-what.

In terms of illegal questions, you've got options. Options was something Dr. Pahl stressed. You can innocently answer the question, deflect it back to the position, or tell them that it was an illegal question flat-out. After the interviews, you can decide for yourself if what they weren't supposed to ask determined whether you should work for them or not.

Dr. Pahl also talked about a scenario where appearance ruined an opportunity to land a big-time position. As I heard the spiel, I grinned to my fellow attendee sitting next to me, saying, "i know where this is going."

---

After the seminar, I took the Blue Line back home. I tried something different: balancing on the platform as the train was in motion. The ride overall was smooth. And I even burned some calories from the ordeal.

A few interested high school youths talked with me about why I was doing it. One of them was keen enough to take a video of it on his cell-phone. Half of the crew were from Compton, the others from the armspits of Central Long Beach.

One of them even asked if I had graduated or something. Now, I can't blame her for thinking that I was a high school student. She even thought that I was kidding that I was applying for grad work, or the fact that I am putting my Bachelor's to use. Perhaps the appearance and my easy demeanor threw them off.

One of the fat chicks of that posse blurted out some tough-girl comments. I said, "Say that again? I couldn't hear you." She didn't answer. I nodded. "Keep you mouth shut, then."

I added, "I don't want the attention, and I am not here to pick a fight with you kids. I just want to go home. You'd best be careful when saying that stuff. It rolls off my back, and it goes in one ear and out the other. But it may not be the same for someone else."

The train hit Del Amo. "My stop. Enjoy getting handcuffed, ladies. Later."

So in short, these were the types of youth who could use a little taste of what my employers had to offer. Whether or not that happens is not something I should care about.

These were kids who reached a point in their lives where they think they are tough enough in word and deed, that they don't need anybody to correct them. Incorrigible was the term. It was even discussed by some of the folks at my work, the saltiest bunch of cynics that I have the pleasure to interning for.

"You are better than they are. The outcome is what it is. You can only control what you can control."

Right on the spot, Dr. Pahl.

Of peanut-jelly butties, trolls, plastics, and civil wurst

2008-06-17T21:02:00.000-07:00

At least the Celtics didn't win it on OUR home court. Hit the weight rooms and gorge on some peanut-jelly butties, Lakers. You guys didn't deserve to go anywhere this season. It has been a rough year for you guys, and it will be more of the same if you can't get that bad taste in your mouth.

=--

David Diaz is going to trounce Manny. If he doesn't, his career is going to go downhill from there. Two guarantees for the price of one. How about that.

---

So gay marriages began their first day of being in business today in California. I am going to predict that the gay marriage supporters will vote for Obama, and those who prefer to be straight, senile, and expect to see their sons and sons and sons in boxes with tears behind those sunglasses in the summer will vote for McCain.

Duh. It's John McCain, people. The GOP guy. The people that the people in the Bible Belt, Alaska, Texas and the Deep South will vote for. And it's Barack Obama. The Democrat I voted for on Super Tuesday. The guy that will win the White House if America is to go in the right direction.

IF the measure to ban gay marriages passes, McCain will win the election. Mercy.

---

Speaking of election, I haven't heard much from Zimbabwe on that runoff between the Ape and Morgan. Dear God: please give us an assasination on Morgan so that the last battle for mankind in the wasteland that is Mugabestan, the Zimbabwean Civil War, is up and running. Put that in you history books, mofos!

Ahahahahaaaah!

---

Bonga-FACT: TV Networks are paid millions of dollars to be unoriginal in their commentary. Cliches, pretentiousness, and truly American predicatable yawnbers.

Meanwhile, overpaid amateur scribes called sports journalists who are indoctrined in writing pretentious stream-of-consciousness vignettes called articles are paid peanuts. And when they are able to find someone or some random team that had the worst performance of his/her/their season, it's all fair game.

Thank god for bloggers. These guys are the real shih tzus.

---

Even when the outcome is decided, the folks on KNBC still show commercial for Lakers playoff tickets. Flat-out more laughable than the Boston Three Party going on tonight.

---

I don't think the Patriots are going to win the Super Bowl this season. Somehow I am getting the gut feeling to tell out "GO GIANTS!"

---

A couple more weeks and Anime Expo 2008 is on. Whoa.

A great day for footballing

2008-06-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

As I continued my search for work, and harvested some cans and bottles for the next recycling run, I tuned in to the radio and the YouTube for some soccer. All in all, in spite of futility by the Angels and Sparks, as well as Tiger walking the line at Torrey Pines...it was a good day for the teams I followed.

Well, most of the teams.

Coburg United, against was able to outlast my boys from the Australian Institute of Sport in a 4-3 goal feast. Actually, that was not the only feast of goals today.

Down in Doha, Qatar was ambushed by the likes of Brett Emerton and Harry Kewell in a 3-1 win. Toronto FC was unstoppable against the Colorado Rapids in a 3-1 victory. My Los Angeles Galaxy had ice water in their veins, as Edson Buddle took down the San Jose Earthquakes at the MCAfee Coliseum, 3-0. And Japan shut out Thailand by the same score, via Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Yuiji Nakazawa and Kengo Nakamura.

I think the icing on the cake would be tomorrow. Barbados getting crunched early and often by the USA in what is slated to be a farce of a game...now that would hit the spot. So what if Boston is ready to squeeze all the jizz out of the Lakers on Sunday Bloody Sunday? Go right ahead! Fornicate with the Larry O'Brien Trophy!

As for me, I'll stick to the football.

More quick hits: Friday the 13th

2008-06-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Friday the 13th: Some people have it worse.

If hearing that the Lakers "wet the bed" in huge c**-piles last night against the Celtics wasn't bad enough, I think that I have to put this version of Friday the 13th in perspective: some people have it worse than me. Sure, I inadvertently ripped a $5 bill in half and snapped open the cap of a bottle of Clairol Herbal Essences due to a lack of iron and vitamins that improve your balance and hand-eye coordination, but this Friday the 13th was one that saw some people have it worse.

---

Poor Tim Russert. If there was any worse a day to pass away, it's due to collapsing before an episode of Meet The Press on Friday the 13th. Not only that, he was only in his late 50's. It's a huge shame when I heard the news from KFWB News 980.

Rest in peace, noble newscaster.

---

Men and women of Tucker Elementary, it's not your fault that your school closed. A meaningless war in a land far away and the cause's support of a leader of a once-free world resulted in closed schools, grim budgets, and lives and livelihoods lost in the dusts of history, the winds of change.

This is a year of huge changes, of restructured groups and economies slowing down to a recession-style halt. Education used to be the weapon to transform lives. Now it is war that is the alternative, and a vain alternative at that.

---

Barring a miracle, the Celtics of Bostonia are due to deliver their first trophy in over two decades. The Socceroos are one victory away from advancing to the next stage of qualifying for the World Cup, and the US Soccer MNT is less than two days away from slicing and dicing the Bajans to shreds. Suddenly, with summer here, the talk of football season (American football, that is) and women's volleyball pervades, and the countdown to the conventions (Anime Expo, the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, among a few) is in full swing.

---

As for me, I am staying at home, hoping to avoid any bad things coming my way.

---

Quick hits, June 12, 2008

2008-06-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Rest in peace, Jim Gray. 86 years, and countless memories. Well done. We hope to see you again...one day. Till then...we will miss you.

---

So, I find out, in between the Socceroos prepare to trump Jorge Fossati's plans yet again down in Doha, stabbing rampages who want blood (and got it), planning for yet another visit to USC as a grad student, and the Galaxy rebuilding from scratch, that sandwiched between a couple of NBA Finals ties at Staples Center is a Sparks game. The ladies were at home to face the Detroit Shock, a team that, with their ace Cheryl Ford, had given us problems, especially when we faced them in the WNBA Championship Game/Series.

They didn't give us any problems this time. 80-73 victory over Detroit. Now, if only Boston had a women's team...

---

Rick Dutrow: "I feel like a loser."

Advice: Abstain from listening to the Beatles and Beck Hansen. And I'll tell you why Big Brown finished last. He pulled off a Cincinnatus on you. See, he doesn't want the glory of following Seattle Slew and Affirmed. He's gonna go his own way. Big Brown doesn't need the attention. In the end, Big Brown decided to go in a different direction. He doesn't believe that he should make history. He's a horse with humility as well.

And I knew this was coming all along. Admit it. You're not a loser. Denying the inevitable just made you feel like one.

---

I believe that L.A. does not have the divine right to finish second to anyone. I just found out that the Clipper Spirit Dance Team finished second to the Miami Heat. Ugh. Boston rebounding in the series with the Lakers would make it a clean Eastern sweep, for sure.

---

I am so glad I am staying away from Blair Field. The Armada are playing some uninspired ball at the moment. While it puts our futility against teams like Fresno State and San Diego in perspective, one would think that with some early blowouts to begin the year, the guys would be running the table in the South.

You wish.

---

Speaking of wishes, I wish for more yuri. I don't know why. I just think that young high school women making each with each other and loving it is a stimulus package that has been tried and true. Same with yaoi for the OLs and hags in the throes of menopause. It's THAT effective.

Don't believe me? Get some and boost your hormonal libi-er, leverage. I mean it. No, seriously.

---

My eyes have gone bleary again. Aghh.

June 7, 2008

2008-06-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

From TOW Horse Racing:

Da’Tara is one of the longshots on the board for the Belmont Stakes but it wouldn’t be the first time a Nick Zito trained horse shocked the racing world.
Back in 2004, Zito-trained Birdstone shocked Smarty Jones here in the Belmont Stakes to end that horse's Triple Crown bid.
This horse is generally the front runner early on and has had issues maintaining his early momentum when crunch time came near the end, but he seemed to buck that trend in his last race.
His speed figures continue to improve and he did well by holding on for a second place finish behind Roman Emperor.
There are some positives in the bloodline with Da’Tara showing good stamina in longer races due to his father Tiznow, a former Horse of the Year winner.
If he can maintain his early pace, it won’t be easy for the other horses that hope to come from behind.
Big Brown has gone toe-to-toe with Da’Tara in the past but it wasn’t much of a competition as Brown finished 23 lengths ahead in the Florida Derby.
With that being said, that was easily the worst speed figure in recent history and this horse has ran well on this track before, getting second place in his racing debut.
You never know what’s going to happen in horse racing and with so many strong finishers in the group, and all it would take for Da’Tara to get his shot at glory would be some bumping of the horses that will likely be clumped behind him.
I’ve seen much weirder things happen in races and with Zito already showing he has what it takes to pull off a miracle, you just can’t count out this colt.

LBCC grads acheive major milestone - News

2008-06-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

LBCC grads acheive major milestone - News

Meanwhile...down at City...

Hillary Clinton supporters are made of FAIL.

2008-05-31T20:00:00.001-07:00

The nimrods shouted "DENVER! DENVER!" I thought, wait a minute, are they cheering for the Nuggets? Their season already ended. But I found out that those nasty bastard donkey children are all supporting the Clinton campaign's move to appeal to the Credentials Committee.

Hello, floor fight from hell. Another reason why I support Barack Obama.

Florida, Michigan get all delegates, but each gets half vote
Story Highlights
Committee's compromise leaves Obama ahead of Clinton in delegate count
Clinton receives 87 votes and Obama 63 votes; Obama is ahead by 178
Boisterous crowd observes rules committee hearing
Clinton could appeal decision at convention in Denver in August
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- After a day of wrangling in front of a sometimes unruly crowd, the Democratic National Committee's rules and bylaws committee reinstated all of Florida and Michigan's delegates to its party convention, with each getting a half-vote to penalize the states for moving their primaries earlier than the party had approved.
The move will leave front-runner Sen. Barack Obama's lead over rival Sen. Hillary Clinton intact.
"This results in Sen. Clinton obtaining a substantial number of additional pledged delegates, but I also understand that many members of the Florida and Michigan delegations feel satisfied that the decision was fair," Obama said after a campaign event in Aberdeen, South Dakota. "Our main goal is to get this resolved so we can immediately turn the focus of the entire party on winning Florida and Michigan and delivering on the needs of the people in Florida and Michigan -- states that are enormously important, states where a lot of people are struggling."
The Florida decision, which follows the pro-Clinton results of that state's primary, was greeted by virtually all sides as an acceptable compromise on a thorny issue. But Clinton backers vowed to fight the Michigan decision, which gave the New York senator a 10-delegate edge over Obama in a state where his name didn't appear on the primary ballot.
"Today's results are a victory for the people of Florida, who will have a voice in selecting our party's nominee and will see its delegates seated at our party's convention," said a joint-statement from Clinton advisers Harold Ickes and Tina Flournoy. "[But] we strongly object to the committee's decision to undercut its own rules in seating Michigan's delegates without reflecting the votes of the people of Michigan."
With no Michigan or Florida delegates included, Obama led Clinton by 202 delegates.
The committee's ruling gave Clinton 105 pledged delegates from Florida and 69 from Michigan, with a total of 87 votes.
Obama received 67 pledged delegates from Florida and 59 from Michigan, casting a total of 63 votes.
That tally leaves Obama ahead by the equivalent of 178 delegates.
If each delegate had been granted a full vote, Clinton still would have trailed Obama. CNN's analysts weigh in on what the ruling means »
During the daylong committee meeting, supporters of Clinton, who came out ahead in both votes despite the fact the states had been penalized for moving their primaries earlier in the season, pushed the committee to give each delegate a full vote and to count the election results as they were registered.
"I feel like we should not penalize them for something they did not cause and couldn't prevent," said Alice Huffman, a California superdelegate for Clinton, noting that it was a Republican legislature that changed the date.
Huffman sponsored an unsuccessful motion that would have counted Florida's results and given delegates a full vote.
She later supported the compromise. While voicing her support, she was shouted down by the same crowed members who had cheered her effort moments earlier.
As the committee voted, people attending the open meeting applauded, cheered and booed as the vote came in.
Clinton supporters interrupted the proceedings, loudly chanting "Denver! Denver!" Denver is the site of the Democratic convention, where Clinton could appeal any decision made by the committee. Watch who will really decide the nomination »
"Mrs. Clinton has asked me to reserve her rights to take this to the credentials committee," Ickes said during a fiery speech after the vote.
Later, party leaders were celebrating the compromise as a way to reinstate delegates from two crucial swing states Democrats want to win in November.
The DNC had penalized both states for holding their primaries early by excluding them from representation when the party nominates a candidate at the August convention. Follow a timeline of the dispute »
No candidates campaigned in Florida ahead of its vote, and Clinton's was the only major candidate's name that appeared on Michigan's ballot.
She received 55 percent of the vote in that state, with 44 percent of voters voting "uncommitted."
As the committee's session began Saturday, DNC Chairman Howard Dean said that deciding how to handle Michigan and Florida will be a huge step in moving past the division of a sometimes-bitter primary campaign.
"On the blogosphere, and the airwaves, emotions have run high and heated discussions have led at times to blatantly racist comments and blatantly sexist comments, particularly by some members of the media," Dean said in prepared remarks. "We know that those comments have no place in our society and certainly no place in our party.
"It has got to stop. We have got to come together and unite our party. Every one of us has the responsibility to help ensure that our party is united."
Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

A brief (but concise) description of the Bedlam Cycle

2008-05-31T19:44:00.001-07:00

I would like to take this moment to explain a key reason why the Bedlam on Baltic Avenue is how it is. That reason is the Bedlam Cycle, an emotional roller-coaster highlighted by neutral, leading anger leading to sadness, leading to neutral, leading to happiness, leading to neutral, leading to anger, and again. A key component to starting and restarting the cycle is my local teams failing miserably, as well as some other unfavorable news. Here is an example.

NEUTRAL - Watching Super League Championship. Belmont Shore ends up losing in sudden death overtime, 31-28. I punch the TV in frustration. Mom protests the choice I made, and it becomes a full blown argument.

ANGER - I am incensed not only at Belmont Shore's defeat, but at the ineptitude of my other local teams I follow, as well as my mom's uncanny inability to listen to what I tell her. It runs in the family: there is ALWAYS something wrong with our ears, be in intentionally or unintentionally (which really is intentionally disguised as unintentionally, but you get the bloody point).

SADNESS - My mom, naturally, talks the same inept lecture garbage that falls on deaf ears because she knows that it really won't mean much when the cycle next starts again. Why waste breath, mom? The answer: because she doesn't have much time to go, so might as well do it. Pffft.

NEUTRAL - Time passes, and I blog the fact that just about all our local teams were terrible (Belmont, the LA Galaxy, the Long Beach State Dirtbags...although there were some lucky ones like the Sparks today). Intern work at the Bar Foundation

HAPPINESS - I get to work at the polls again on June 3rd.

NEUTRAL - More regular office intern work, some more routine things, etc. Cue any bad news coming out of my teams to restart that cycle.

This isn't any made-up junk either. It DOES happen. I kid you not. And there is no point in me stopping this cycle, because-let me tell you this straight up-it would be useless to do so.

Four wins away...

2008-05-30T23:43:00.000-07:00

Let it be known that my guys are four wins away from heaven, and four losses away from hell. Oh that number four. Mercy.

There IS a stimulus package...even predating the one we have [sic]...

2008-05-30T23:38:00.000-07:00

and it's called PORNOGRAPHY. A.k.a. erotica, doujinshi, et al. This puts the one the government established to shame.

Inflation may sink stimulus package
IRS: Many people are seeing the soaring cost of living eat up their rebate checks.
By Dave Carpenter, The Associated Press
Article Launched: 05/30/2008 10:13:13 PM PDT

CHICAGO - Many Americans allowed themselves to fantasize about large-screen TVs, European vacations and other luxuries when they learned of the federal rebates they'd be getting this spring and early summer.
Or maybe - shh, don't tell the president - they'd pay off a credit card or set the rebate aside for a big purchase in the future, notwithstanding Washington's intentions that they pump it immediately into the flagging economy.
"It's not often you get a windfall like that that you can just stash away for something you need later," said Sara Jackson, 29, a graphic designer in Chattanooga, Tenn.
But reality has interfered, in the form of ever-climbing food bills and $4-a-gallon gasoline. While some consumers got their dream TVs, as confirmed by a spike in April retail sales in anticipation of the economic stimulus payments, day-to-day living costs have sopped up the checks for many other early recipients and spoiled their rebate fantasies.
Based on a small but broadly diverse group of consumers who tracked their rebate spending in detail for The Associated Press, there was no mass rush to the malls for shopping sprees after the payments started showing up in bank accounts in significant numbers in May. The greater economic ramifications may not be seen for months.
Vanessa Church, a 49-year-old Chicagoan with six children, was grateful for the rebate but found there wasn't much left over after big payments for utilities and other basic needs were taken care of. "Things are getting tighter and tighter," she said, adding jokingly: "I'm thinking they should do this twice a year."
Brandi Dobbins, 26, and her fiancé each got their $600 checks just before their May wedding on the coast of Maine. The combined amount was spent almost instantly when their caterer called and, after asking `Are you sitting down?', informed her that due to food inflation their bill for the wedding was jumping from $46.50 per guest to $59 - virtually the entire $1,200. "In the economic grand scheme of things, I'm not quite sure that's what they intended us to spend our money on - inflation - but that's where ours went," Dobbins said.
Derek Houck, an actor in North Hollywood, planned to allow himself an indulgence or two with whatever was left of his rebate after he'd taken care of necessities. It turned out to be more modest than he'd thought. When his personal finance software program showed him he had a whopping 50 cents left from the $600, he still celebrated by qshelling out $49.95 for a new Wii game.
All told, 131 million households are to receive a total of $110 billion by the time the last payments are doled out in mid-July. What people do with them will help shape the direction of the sputtering economy.
The last time Washington undertook such a program to combat an economic slowdown, taxpayers got rebates of $300 or $600 in the summer and early fall of 2001. The eight-month recession was over by November, but it's not clear how much the payouts helped. The amount that people actually spent - excluding saving money, investing or paying down debt - was lower than many economists expected, although estimates vary so widely an exact total is hard to peg.
This year's program provides more money, aimed at delivering a bigger shot of adrenaline to the economy by inducing people to buy items they didn't otherwise have the cash for.
Most individual taxpayers are getting checks of up to $600, while couples receive $1,200 plus $300 for each eligible child under 17. People earning too little to pay taxes but at least $3,000, including seniors whose only income is from Social Security, get $300 if single or $600 if a couple. And there are no payments for the wealthy: The amount starts to phase out for those with incomes over $75,000, or $150,000 for joint filers.
Based on economists' preliminary assessments, and echoed by the AP sample group of more than two dozen people, Americans are not hesitating to spend the money - but more for essentials than was anticipated. It's easy to understand why: Gas prices are up more than 30 percent since the rebate check amounts were first announced and food prices are projected to increase 5 percent or more in 2008.
No mad dash to malls
Splurge hopes dashed
Joseph LaVorgna, chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank, thinks at least half the rebate money may go toward energy costs alone.
"It's not going to give you the bang for the buck as originally envisioned," he said. "The odds of it having a longer-lasting impact on the economy are less. ... People were not planning to use so much of it on energy and food."
Diane Swonk, chief economist for Mesirow Financial in Chicago, also estimates that consumers will spend more than half of the rebates - but much of it on the higher cost of living, citing evidence of a "very stressed consumer."
That would be dramatically higher than what they signaled in an Associated Press-Ipsos poll in February, when only 19 percent of respondents said they would spend their rebates. Some 45 percent said they planned to pay off bills, 32 percent said they would save it or invest it, and 4 percent said they would donate it to charity. Consumers in the past have tended to spend significantly more than they told pollsters they thought they would.
Swonk says economic growth won't be affected by where people spend it - but consumer confidence will, which can influence the longer-term outlook. Over the long haul, spending on staples won't provide the boost the government hoped for.
Millions of Americans can testify to the psychological impact of a fat check, whether or not they agreed with the idea.
"Honestly, I think it's kind of silly that the government is paying us money when it's having such a hard time paying its own bills," said Jackson. "But shoot, who's going to turn down money when they give it to you?"
Where the money goes
The most troubling economic indicator to Houck this year has been the cash flow predictor in his Microsoft Money software, showing his finances going "down, down, down, down, down." So when the $600 rebate appeared in his bank account, it allowed the 24-year-old to splurge a little for the first time in months.
Splurging is relative for an actor-for-hire doing everything from carpentry to backstage lighting work to video game bug-testing in order to pay the rent.
Besides $30 on tickets to see a play a friend was in, his big "fun" purchase was the Wii game "Super Smash Bros. Brawl." He allowed those indulgences only after spending $245 on new head shots to get his face and name out to directors, $68 to renew his subscription to an acting submission service, and most of the rest on food, gas, laundry and bills.
"I don't think I helped save the economy with my contributions from the rebate, but it worked well for me," said Houck.