Booya Grandma

More randomness

2011-09-14T14:27:00.002-07:00

Thanks for being patient

Skinny Dad

2011-02-02T22:00:00.001-07:00

My friend Jason made these videos. I think they are freaking hilarious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDc35jDJXqU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb4GfLyr_Cs

button

2010-11-20T10:10:00.003-07:00

My sister Bethany seemed to think i was incapable of putting a button on my blog. So here is a button to my mom's blog. My mom writes stories and publishes them here.

You should also check out Bethany's blog.

You should definitely check out this cool website dedicated to Bethany.

motivation

2010-07-25T16:30:00.008-07:00

2010-07-12T18:34:00.002-07:00

I liked too many of these little cartoons to feel good about stealing all of them.

http://www.icanhasinternets.com/2010/06/pop-icons-in-a-different-light/

2010-06-24T23:48:00.004-07:00

Pooh Bear v. Hobbes

Pac Man

The Riddler?

Raphael

Laura Croft

Rock Paper Scissors

Pikachu

Donkey Kong and Mario

Chickens don't clap!

Twilight

Life Before Law School

2010-06-12T15:12:00.005-07:00

Sorry that the video is so small. I cant seem to post it anywhere else because it has copyrighted music in it. If you want a big copy I suppose i could email you one.

2010-06-12T08:58:00.001-07:00

Lindsay Aline

2010-05-17T08:23:00.003-07:00

A friend of mine asked me to spread the word about her CD. Her name is Lindsay Aline and her music is awesome. It sounds like the girl from Evanescence singing Josh Groban type of music, only better. Check out her stuff on her website, Itunes, Amazon, or Facebook.

Website:http://www.lindsayaline.com/

Amazon: (http://www.amazon.com/Illusion-Lindsay-Aline/dp/B002RAS7Z6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1274110107&sr=8-1,

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lindsayaline#!/lindsayaline?v=wall

Heyo

2010-05-08T17:31:00.002-07:00

Happy March

2010-03-11T12:35:00.002-07:00

Simba!

Its becoming harder to find entertaining pics.

2010-02-13T14:54:00.005-07:00

I also just read in a study guide for professional responsibility. "In the real world, the judge in Legally Blonde would not have permitted the defendant to fire the Alan Dershowitz-like lawyer in the middle of a trial and retain the law student." - Really? And I thought Legally Blonde was a true story.

Fish

2010-02-11T23:24:00.002-07:00

About 3 weeks ago we come home and there is a little gold fish in a tiny fishbowl on our door step. Accompanying the fish was a note. The note explained that the fishes mother had fallen upon hard times and could not longer take care of her precious Charlotte and that she was leaving her in our protection. A couple of days later we come home and there is another fish with another note explaining that the mother is so proud of how we have taken care of her daughter that she is also leaving her son Clyde. A few days later two more fish arrive with a note that says "OOPS TWINS." A while passes and for the most part we have been able to take care of the fish, we lost one of the twins but 3/4 isn't bad. About 2 days ago we get a larger bowl with 7 more fish in it. Each fish of course has a name that starts with a C. I have little hope keeping the 7 fish alive in such a small bowl and some of them will surely die.

I haven't really gotten attached to any of the fish, but Charlotte is my favorite. She is trooper, she was able to live on raisin bran flakes and orange peels until i finally caved and went and bought her some food. She is a heifer, every day when i come home surfaces in anticipation of food, and then devours everything I give her.

We have no clue who is doing this. Or why. But I find it entertaining and thought I would share it with all of you.

Video Games. Click on the picture to see the whole deal.

2010-01-15T14:07:00.002-07:00

Source: Online Education

I found this article to be enthralling

2010-01-15T11:49:00.002-07:00

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/31770765/the_girl_who_conned_the_ivy_league/print

If it wasn't for Catch Me If You Can, this would make a good movie.

A single piece of paper

2009-12-30T21:28:00.005-07:00

Originals at http://asinglesheetofpaper.weebly.com/

sea world

2009-12-30T20:21:00.003-07:00

We went to Sea world as a family. It was awesome. The Polar Bears were my favorite. I am officially going on the record, and saying that Sea World is better than Disneyland or Six Flags.

Police Beat best of the decade

2009-12-09T14:28:00.001-07:00

Sorry guys I have neglected you. And I will continue to do so for a while longer. I did stumble upon this article in BYU's paper. It is a collection of the best police reports of the last decade. You can find it online at http://universe.byu.edu/node/4695. Enjoy.

Police Beat: Best of the last decade

Sun, 12/06/2009 - 22:48

Compiled by NATALIE CROFTS and ALICIA MOULTON

For the past decade, students have been reading it, talking about it and sticking clips of it on their apartment refrigerators.

But even before the turn of the millennium, the BYU Police Beat had become one of the most oft-read features of The Daily Universe.

The following is a compilation of the decade’s best, most memorable and funniest items in The Daily Universe Police Beat.

We couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried.
Disorderly Conduct
June 29, 2006: A man was found bathing in the fountain of the Joseph F. Smith Building and praying to a rock.

September 6, 2009: Two male subjects were knocking doors in the female area of Wyview Park. They identified themselves as missionaries. When the police arrived the two male students said they thought it was a novel way to meet girls.

Sept. 19, 2006: An individual reported male students singing to female students outside of Hinckley Hall in Helaman Halls. PoThe males were advised to leave due to complaints.

Theft
March 26, 2008: The mother of a BYU student called police when she suspected that her daughter’s roommate stole her butter knife. The mother later called to drop the charges.

Animal Problem
Sept. 6, 2000: A BYU employee was walking near the Harris Fine Arts Center when she heard the cries of a kitten. As she picked up the small kitten, the animal attacked, scratching and biting her. When the police arrived they were unable to locate the offending feline.

July 4, 2009: An owl was found in the former president’s home. An officer communicated with the owl and it left.

Property Damage
Oct. 2001: A glass panel of a telephone booth at Helaman Halls shattered in an attempt to fit eight people into the booth. As a third person entered the phone booth, the pressure caused the panel to break.

Nov. 25, 2005: An unknown person used a washable wipe marker to write obscenities such as “poo-poo” and “poo” on a black Denali parked in Heritage Halls.

Sept. 22, 2006: A female BYU student fell through the ceiling of the Thomas L. Martin Building while playing a game of hide and seek. The student was in an area of the building being remodeled where ceiling tiles had been removed for electrical work. Friends boosted the student into the opening where she fell through other ceiling tiles upon crawling around. She was not hurt.

Nov. 21, 2006: A female student attempted to get the attention of two male students passing by Fox Hall in Heritage Halls by tapping on the glass window of the lobby. The female student shattered the glass window with her tapping.

Domestic Violence
Oct. 23, 2006: An assault was reported in R Hall of Deseret Towers. One male student threw a bug on another male student, who retaliated by spraying shaving cream on the male who threw the bug. Shaving cream got in the eyes of the first student and the argument quickly escalated and became a physical confrontation.

Nov. 9, 2009: Domestic violence was reported at Wyview Park. Two male roommates were arguing over the temperature control setting of the thermostat when things got too heated and one roommate began assaulting the other. The males were separated and one was issued a citation. The cited individual left the apartment and stayed somewhere else for the evening.

Suspicious Behavior
Jan. 22, 2002: A man was reported leaving the bookstore carrying a gun. When the officer located the male they found he was carrying a chrome toy pistol. When the officer asked the 22-year-old male student why he was carrying the gun, he said his roommate told him it would get chicks. The officers cautioned the male on carrying or simulating a weapon before he was released.

Feb. 2, 2007: A student reported a suspicious individual with long gray hair and a beard inside a restricted lab in the Clyde building. Upon arrival, the officer found a mannequin in the reported location.

July 4, 2007: A man was reported making a suspicious phone call to a female in Helaman Halls in which he claimed he was doing a psychology project and then proceeded to hypnotize the female student on the other end of the line. The roommate of the female came home to find her asleep on the floor. The female was reported reacting strangely when certain words are spoken.

Incidents of a similar nature have occurred about two dozen times in the past. There are no suspects, but the incident is still under investigation.

Sept. 12, 2008: A custodian reported screaming near the MCKB at 4 a.m. The screams were later discovered to have come from a female student sprayed by a sidewalk sprinkler.

March 21, 2008: BYU police received a call reporting a male dressed in a bright yellow suit looking for duck eggs near the duck pond. When police arrived at the scene the man was nowhere to be found.

Feb. 16, 2009: A Wymount tenant alerted police of a suspicious man in a suspicious vehicle driving between Wymount laundry facilities. The man turned out to be a Wymount tenant who was looking for an open washer and dryer.

Suspicious Package
Oct. 2001: A female BYU student living in Deseret Towers received a suspicious looking brown paper package in the mail. The student did not recognize the return address and called the police. After investigating, police concluded that a friend had purchased a Beanie Baby on E-Bay and the Beanie Baby has been sent directly to the BYU student.

March 5, 2002: A strange letter was received by KBYU. The letter had a lump in it, so the recipient put the letter in the microwave hoping to neutralize the substance if it was anthrax. The letter started on fire and by the time the recipient could put out the flames, the only readable part of the letter was the return address which read, “Shadows of things to come.” Police are unsure about the substance contained in the letter.

Because Allison is bored

2009-09-26T15:53:00.004-07:00

Pixar v. Dreamworks

My favorite Artist is back at work

True to life Pie chart

Awesome

Greatest Halloween costume ever

Oh yeah, this is a good idea

Real American Hero

Its been a while

2009-08-25T17:07:00.006-07:00

Also check out this collection of signs by homeless people. http://www.holytaco.com/25-awsome-homeless-guy-signs

Your not so adorable update

2009-08-09T23:32:00.001-07:00

This morning I checked my blogger account for the first time in three weeks. My two best friends growing up (or to be fair their wives) had posted the most adorable blogs. Ryan has a brand new bulldog puppy, I have wanted a bulldog for years now, and Justin has a video of his daughter signing “I can’t wait for daddy to get home.” How can you compete with that! Yet, I feel that I have left you in the dark long enough. So here is your not-so-adorable update.

I spent the first part of my summer working in a small law firm in Saint George. It was a unique experience. I learned a lot about the law and the nuts and bolts of being a lawyer. I was surprised to see how difficult it can be to get clients to actually pay their attorney fees, and happy to see that attorneys who don’t work a bijillion hours a week still exist. The people I worked with were great - definitely the best part of the job. During the last week of work the niece of the old grizzled attorney in the firm backed into my car. I got to spend a good part of the next day with the partner. He taught me a lot and shared some pretty crazy stories. This is probably my favorite:

When he was 19 or so he got called on a mission to Argentina. Due to travel visa problems he got reassigned to a state side English speaking mission. He wasn’t about to accept that so he got on the phone and called the missionary director, Gordon B. Hinckley. He was a little fuzzy on the details but at the end of the conversation he told the future prophet to “Go to hell.” Surprisingly, my future boss got his way and was ultimately sent to Argentina. Some 10 years later he was at a dinner party where he ran into President Hinckley. When they were reintroduced the prophet just cracked a smile and in a smart allecky tone said, “I believe we have met before.”

I got a long really well with this partner and others. But was ready for something new when the 6 week internship was up. My last day was on a Friday and 2 days later I headed over to the district court. I love the court but they were not ready to receive me. They didn’t have enough computers so I just computer squatted the entire time I was there. I started off down in the holding cells where the probation officers work. I figured it would be a great gig because the probation officers are out on duty during the day. But the officers threw a hissy fit and I was relocated back up stairs to fight for a seat with all the scheduling clerks.

My favorite person at the Court was Judge Ludlow. I partly liked him because was really the only other Cougar fan. The other 2 judges and the majority of the employees went to the University of Utah. Judge Ludlow typically would come to work in a t-shirt and basketball pants and basket shoes. When he went into his courtroom he would always go through a backdoor, and accordingly the audience and attorneys could only see him from the waist up. So he did the natural thing he put on a white shirt and tie but continued wearing his basketball attire from the waist down.

My favorite experience with Judge Ludlow happened on my second to the last day. Judge Ludlow was doing arraignments, where he the prosecutor, and the defense attorneys blow through 50 or so cases in about an hour’s time. It is really quite remarkable how these men can keep all their cases straight. Anyway, about half way through the Judge asks the defense attorneys, “did you ever get that mental evaluation from Adam Tate?” The poor attorneys were confused out of their minds and for the next 15 minutes were trying to figure out who this Adam Tate guy was and why they needed a psychiatric evaluation. It took all my self control to not bust up laughing in the middle of court.

But my favorite part of working in the court was drug court. It was fun. St. George apparently has a real drug problem, and there are hundreds of people on probation for drug violations. The city gathered all these people and created this program which would help people get sober. Once a week they all had to come before the Court and if they screwed up the Judge would reprimand them and make them do jail time of community service. It was a lot of fun to sit in the court room with 100 or so druggies and listen to people explain why they had police contact, etc. If they had good news such as they found a job, or they had gone sober for so long everyone gave a round of applause. When someone graduated from the program they would get up and give a motivational speech. When someone lied to the judge he would yell at them and take them away in cuffs in front of all their friends. They really could make a TV show out of Drug Court.

After 6 weeks of being at the Court my internship was over. St George was a good place. I was a little lonely being there. Most of the kids in my ward were 19-21 and had no idea what they were doing with their lives, so I didn’t really connect with them. Meanwhile the high councilor in the ward was trying to get me to marry any girl who had a pulse. My last week there he actually set me up on a date with a pretty cool girl. During the whole date I couldn’t help but thinking, why didn’t he set me up 12 weeks ago.

Living with grandma and grandpa had its advantages. I got free rent, grandma and grandpa were usually too old / lazy to want and go down the stairs to where I lived so I got an entire floor to myself, and Grandma was always trying to feed me. I like to think I wasn’t a complete waste of space as well. My biggest accomplishment was convincing them to sell their RV which they never use.

Although I enjoyed St. George I was glad to come back to California. Ironically enough it seems as soon I got home my dad’s work hired me and sent me on a business trip in Utah. Im not complaining. The job will provide me with some much needed money, and since the job hunt is going so slowly its not like I need the time to for interviews. On a side note I have gone a week since shaving, I figure that I might not get another opportunity for a while. I decided on a mustache, a ghoatee, and mutton chops. I know its not the best look, but its mildly amusing.

I go back to provo on Saturday to start my law review and moot court training. Truth be told im kind of dreading school. I haven’t had much of a break and I am afraid I am going to burn out. But it will be nice to see all my friends and to make some new friends this next school year. Anyway, this is a pretty long blog entry. I just felt I should give everyone an update. I also wanted to say goodbye to one my few readers Ariel and wish her luck on her mission.

Mike

2009-06-07T21:18:00.002-07:00

So one of the partners in my law firm is incredibly interesting. Let me recount some of the things he said or did just on friday.

He comes up stairs to where his secretary works (which is right by my desk), his secretary wasn't there and so he yells "Crap on rollerskates!" and storms away.

He tells me about how he was once suspected to be the largest cocaine dealer in Utah.

He tells me about a case where he won a bunch of land that the church wanted in a law suit. he had to wear a bullet proof vest to court because the mormons were so violent. He then calls up Gordon B. Hinckley and agrees to give up the land for a picture with him and Gordon B. Hinckley and a caption which reads "The church of Jesus Christ graciously accepts this land from Mike." The church unfortunately declined.

He tells me that a couple of days before he turned in his mission papers (back when he was mormon) he told Gordon B. Hinckley to "Go to Hell"

He sees this goergous woman but is too busy to talk to her so he jots down her license plate. Then in a joking manner he tells another partner in the firm to start the paper work for a restraining order. He wanted the paper work to include a picture of the woman and a caption "can you really blame me?"

He tells me that Golf is the most important class to take in law school.

I see him at the golf course with some other woman 25 years younger than him, and he is wearing the type of sunscreen that is all white. I didn't even recognize him till he called my name. (this was actually on Saturday)

Top meals under a dollar

2009-05-29T14:23:00.003-07:00

1. The Spicy Chicken Sandwich - Carls Jr - Carl's jr doesn't have a dollar menu. All of their sandwiches are huge. Including this one. It may not be the best tasting one on the list but its definetly the best value. *BYU ticket stubbs often have coupons that will give you free fries and a drink with a sandwich. This sandwich counts!

2. 2 tacos - Jack in the Box - This was the staple of my diet in Highschool. For $3 you could have 6 tacos and be completely full. They are so greasy and nasty looking but so good.

3. Grilled chicken burrito - Taco Bell - This might just be a special and not a regular item. But the taco bell near my work is selling these great full sized chicken burritos for 99 cents.

4. Rodeo Burger - Burger King - Sadly my Burger King in St George doesn't sell these. They are basically mini western cheeseburgers only without bacon.

5. Chicken soft taco - Dell Taco - the smallest but the best tasting thing on this list. The white sauce is great.

6. Cheezy double beef burrito - Taco Bell - the opposite of the chicken soft taco. Not much taste but a ton of beef for less than a dollar.

7. Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger - Wendy's - This would be a lot higher up if it hadn't have strunk dramatically in the last 5 years. I get mad everytime i buy one.

8. Breakfast Jack - Jack in the Box - only place you can get a breakfast sandwich any time of the day for less than a dollar.

9. Jumbo Jack - Jack in the Box - If you are going to get just a plain ole burger for 99 cents it might as well be this one.

10 Chicken Nuggets- everywhere - most places have a 4 or 6 piece chicken nugget option. They all taste the same to me...delicious.

MORE STOLEN PICS

2009-05-16T11:14:00.004-07:00

I am a dog replacement

2009-05-16T10:28:00.003-07:00

Well typically I dont enjoy writing about my life. However, i am getting pestered by people wanting to know whats going on with my life. So to silence some of the mob I will give you a quick update.

I am a dog replacement.

I am living in my grandparents basement in St. George Utah. Its really nice and I am really enjoying myself. I say I am a dog replacement because my grandparents dog and best friend died about 2 days after my arival. With my grandpa not remembering things well and my grandma being for frustrated with it than he is, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch to say that they spent more time with the dog than with each other. Grandpa would take it for a walk everymoring to help deliver newspapers and then the dog would tag beside grandma for the rest of the day. Understandably, my already lonely grandparents are struggling with out the dog. It is a good thing that I am here. Although i did feel wierd when my gradma made me where the flashlight that attaches to the dog's collar when i went for my midnight bike ride.

It seems that when you are old not much changes in your life. My grandma was telling me this morning that she has nothing left to accomplish and in not so many words said she is just waiting for her and grandpa to die. Anyway, since they don't do much Grandma loves to tell stories and play the "remember when" game. Well with grandpa not able to remember anything anymore she doesn't get to play all that often. Now it seems every day when i come home I get a 45 minute story about her grandparents, the great depression, or stories about my parents. It is funny how she is brutally honest and says incriminating things about my parents and my aunts and uncles as if the family secrets were common knowledge.

I am a wanna-be lawyer

My work is good. I work for a small firm of 7 attorneys and 5 secretaries (and me). For the most part I am the gopher and spend most of my time doing research and answering questions for the attorneys. For instance on Wednesday one of the partners came up to me and asked "One of our client's home used to a methlab, but he restored it. He is trying to sell it does he have to disclose anything?" So I go do some research and prepare a small memo stating what the law is on methlab decontamination.

Yesterday I got to do the most exciting thing i have done so far. I prepared something that was actually submitted to court and the attorneys are going to argue about it in Court. This probably doesn't seem to exciting to anyone else, but it was neat to know that my work product will actually affect someone's life for the better or the worse.

I am out of shape

Last night I went for a long bike ride. I duct taped a flashlight to my grandpa's bike and just took off. I headed towards some bluffs out in the distance and once I passed them I kept on going until i ran out of road. I really enjoyed the midnight bike ride its nice and cool but not cold and it gives me time to think about things not law related. Last night I created a health program for myself (and anyone who wants to do it with me) where the goal is trying to get rid of bad habits (drinking soda, eating fastfood, eating junkfood) and replace them with good habits (drinking water, eating a good breakfast, eating fruits and vegatables) Every day i get a crap-food score and a good food score, I also keep track of how often I exercise. Its not a very intense program but I am morally opposed to diets so I am trying to change myself permamently. I was 193 during finals but have dropped down to 187 now that i can actually exercise again, the goal is to reach down to 175 and then get back to 185 but in a different form. We will see how it all goes.

I a little lost

I am used to having lots of good friends around. While most of my friends left last summer I still had enough friends around to stay somewhat social. Plus i had roommates to banter with. Well i havent had the opportunity to go to my new ward and so the only people i have met are my co-workers. I like them but they are all older and have 3+ kids so i dont see my self hanging out with them anytime soon. I like my grandparents but again playing card games and talking is about as much as I am going to do with them. Which by the way my grandpa with a mild form of altismers destroyed me, my uncle, and my grandma in both card games we played last night. It wasn't even close it was embarrasing.

Im sure i will meet some people at my ward tomorrow and I will probably get so absorbed in my work that if I dont i wont care. But this week has been interesting. For the first time since i was in elementary school I have been going to the library for fun. I listened to Ender's Game on the car ride up here and have started reading the sequel. I also come to the library because it has highspeed internet (my grandparents have dial up) although they have facebook blocked. I plan on doing some hiking and exploring, but its hot and its kind of lame to do it by yourself. Still there are some hikes I really want to do.

I am sorry i wrote this much

Wow this blog entry was probably way more than anyone wanted to know. But if you actually made it this far (which im expecting 1 of you will) you get a glimpse into what is going on my life. If you have questions give me a call or post a comment.

traditional randomness

2009-04-08T18:42:00.002-07:00

Watch Disney Templates and more funny videos on CollegeHumor

I'm lame and I know it.

2009-04-08T17:05:00.003-07:00

Nice hook huh? Im actually just apoligizing for neglecting my blog. Law school is kicking my trash. I have thought about somethings to write about when if i ever have time again.

I have been wanting to write an entry about the humorous cases i have read this year. This last couple of weeks my contracts class has provided me with two cases that are just golden.

The Hooters case: The restraraunt chain hooters (which has surprisingly good hot wings by the way. Not that im a regular or anything) had a nationwide competition amongst the waitresses. The girl who could sell the most beer in the month would get a brand new Toyota. Come months end they blindfold the winner and escorted her to the parkinglot where they gave her a brand new star wars figurine - a toy yoda. She sued to get a car.

The hand case: A man got seriously burned on the palm of his hand. The doctor reassured him that they could easily graft some of his extra skin from his chest on to his palm. The surgery was a success. That is until a couple of days latter his palm started growing chest hair. He sued for his money back.

I also read a case while working on my big paper on defamation that was entertaining. Two sons published an article about their dad refering to him as a "pimp." The father not liking the reference sued for defamation. The court decided as a matter of law that he was in fact a pimp.

I also have been wanting to write about all the things that have happened in sports but i still dont have time so here is the recap:

My bracket sucked

The broncos actually came out ahead even though they acted incredibly stupidly

Im glad hansbrough got his championship but would have rather have seen the city of detriot have something good happen to it

The par three competition of the masters is more enjoyable to watch than the masters itself. What could beet seeing palmer and other greats shoot 2-5 under?

Bynum is back baby!

If the lakers are still a game behind cleveland when we play the jazz we should throw the game to make sure we play dallas the first round

The 49ers (gods team) draft wishlist should be smith, monroe, crabtree, raji, in that order. If they draft sanchez im going to be mad.

I really can't get excited about baseball but go angels. And i also like Manny on the dodgers

The bigging of the benfolds 5 song "Effington" starts with "if there is a god he is laughing at us and our football team" this is how i feel about max hall.

To any undergrads who read this, take advantage of awesome internships. Lots of really cool companies have awesome internships that you can apply to no matter what the major. Go work for espn for a summer.

Well thats all for now. I actually just intended to write im sorry, but got carried away. Finals end on the 23rd, but then i have a week long tryout for law review. I will try to write something on a sunday though since i dont study on the sabbath. Good bye for now.

"Just ignore him and he will go away."

2009-03-10T15:05:00.002-07:00

"Just ignore him and he will go away." This was the counsel my father echoed to my younger siblings as I teased and tormented them. I have been forced to look back on this advice as my religion has become more and more prominent in the media (and not in a good way.) HBO will be claims to be showing our temple ceremony on their program "Big Love" this weekend. And my two cents are, who cares? Obviously if given a choice, i would rather they not. But if the world is expecting some catestrophic amazing revelation they are going to be awfully dissapointed when they see a simple story about Adam and Eve. Here is the church's official statement counseling that the best thing we can do is to simply not get upset.

SALT LAKE CITY 9 March 2009 Like other large faith groups, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sometimes finds itself on the receiving end of attention from Hollywood or Broadway, television series or books, and the news media. Sometimes depictions of the Church and its people are quite accurate. Sometimes the images are false or play to stereotypes. Occasionally, they are in appallingly bad taste.

As Catholics, Jews and Muslims have known for centuries, such attention is inevitable once an institution or faith group reaches a size or prominence sufficient to attract notice. Yet Latter-day Saints – sometimes known as Mormons - still wonder whether and how they should respond when news or entertainment media insensitively trivialize or misrepresent sacred beliefs or practices.

Church members are about to face that question again. Before the first season of the HBO series Big Love aired more than two years ago, the show’s creators and HBO executives assured the Church that the series wouldn’t be about Mormons. However, Internet references to Big Love indicate that more and more Mormon themes are now being woven into the show and that the characters are often unsympathetic figures who come across as narrow and self-righteous. And according to TV Guide, it now seems the show’s writers are to depict what they understand to be sacred temple ceremonies.

Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding. Last week some Church members began e-mail chains calling for cancellations of subscriptions to AOL, which, like HBO, is owned by Time Warner. Certainly such a boycott by hundreds of thousands of computer-savvy Latter-day Saints could have an economic impact on the company. Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series. As Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Robert D. Hales of the Council of the Twelve Apostles have both said recently, when expressing themselves in the public arena, Latter-day Saints should conduct themselves with dignity and thoughtfulness.

Not only is this the model that Jesus Christ taught and demonstrated in his own life, but it also reflects the reality of the strength and maturity of Church members today. As someone recently said, “This isn’t 1830, and there aren’t just six of us anymore.” In other words, with a global membership of thirteen and a half million there is no need to feel defensive when the Church is moving forward so rapidly. The Church’s strength is in its faithful members in 170-plus countries, and there is no evidence that extreme misrepresentations in the media that appeal only to a narrow audience have any long-term negative effect on the Church.

Examples:

During the Mitt Romney election campaign for the presidency of the United States, commentator Lawrence O’Donnell hurled abuse at the Church in a television moment that became known among many Church members as “the O’Donnell rant.” Today, his statements are remembered only as a testament to intolerance and ignorance. They had no effect on the Church that can be measured.
When the comedy writers for South Park produced a gross portrayal of Church history, individual Church members no doubt felt uncomfortable. But once again it inflicted no perceptible or lasting damage to a church that is growing by at least a quarter of a million new members every year.
When an independent film company produced a grossly distorted version of the Mountain Meadows Massacre two years ago, the Church ignored it. Perhaps partly as a result of that refusal to engender the controversy that the producers hoped for, the movie flopped at the box office and lost millions.
In recent months, some gay activists have barraged the media with accusations about “hateful” attitudes of Latter-day Saints in supporting Proposition 8 in California, which maintained the traditional definition of marriage. They even organized a protest march around the Salt Lake Temple. Again, the Church has refused to be goaded into a Mormons versus gays battle and has simply stated its position in tones that are reasonable and respectful. Meanwhile, missionary work and Church members in California remain as robust and vibrant as ever, and support for the Church has come from many unexpected quarters — including some former critics and other churches.

Now comes another series of Big Love, and despite earlier assurances from HBO it once again blurs the distinctions between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the show’s fictional non-Mormon characters and their practices. Such things say much more about the insensitivities of writers, producers and TV executives than they say about Latter-day Saints.

If the Church allowed critics and opponents to choose the ground on which its battles are fought, it would risk being distracted from the focus and mission it has pursued successfully for nearly 180 years. Instead, the Church itself will determine its own course as it continues to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

More stolen pics

2009-03-03T17:30:00.004-07:00

Sorry i havent had time to post anything more creative. Law school has been dominating my life.

Stanley's cup

2009-02-18T17:53:00.003-07:00

Well its often a horrible show, but I still hold that South Park is so much more cleaver than anything else on TV. Here is my favorite episode, its mostly clean.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/103802

Videos

2009-02-18T16:33:00.004-07:00

I realized i never post videos... here are some.

Wierd French Music Video about Coffee: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6jluj_le-cafe-oldelaf-english-subtitles_music

Mockery of college advertisements: http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1812947

LDS Proposals http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1802919

Chewy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIV8jHnfwP8

Chicken's break up a rabbit fight! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybVb3t560oY

Mentos commercial http://www.break.com/index/mentos-boosts-your-confidence-with-ladies.html

SNL "Im on a boat" music video (http://www.hulu.com/watch/56632/saturday-night-live-digital-short-im-on-a-boat

Star wars retold http://vimeo.com/2809991?pg=embed&sec=2809991

South park saves the internet http://gizmodo.com/381088/how-to-fix-the-internet-according-to-south-park?autoplay=true

Pelican eats a pigeon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO5ifLzLYiU

Hockey Fight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56ww--j17sE

Facebook in real life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrlSkU0TFLs

Goats!

2009-02-08T11:13:00.003-07:00

The Evolution of the Superbowl Party

2009-01-28T20:14:00.002-07:00

For the last couple of years the superbowl party has gotten better each and every year. This is largely due to an increased organization and the ability to learn for the years past. Last year we executed our party to near perfection. Anyway I thought it would be amusing to chronicle the last few years.

2006 - Although we had previously had superbowl parties this was really the birth of the superbowl committee. We really didn't know what we were doing, and we invited everyone who wanted to come to join the committee process. The result, as you might imagine, was 12-13 guys crammed into a living room arguing for 2 hours over what tastes better: shrimp or bagel bites. We were loud, unproductive, and argumentative, but it was the begining of something wonderful. Probably the best part of the commitee was when some girls came up to visit; they had been assigned to teach people the 7 pitfalls of dating. It was classic these 2 girls teaching 13 very roudy guys about why relationships don't work. The last part of their lessons was about when one of the persons has underlying emotional or mental problems. It was a riot to hear our running commentary. To make it even better I had had a fling with one of the girls teaching the lesson, she had just gotten engaged and had violated at least 4 of the rules she was teaching us. Classic. (It would appear that the pitfalls aren't really affecting her marraige she has a kid now)

Superbowl MVP: Seth - the candy he brought was great. We had too much greasy food and it was nice to be able to munch on something.

Superbowl Bust: Me - my chicken wings didn't get cooked well enough.

2007 - This year the committee went much smoother. We ran into the problem of having way too much frozen stuff and not enough ovens to cook it all. Also, our popularity at Roman Gardens was causing problems. We had too many people who wanted to attend the day of the superbowl. But rules are rules and if they didn't pay their dues they were not getting in. At one point this poor girl knocked on the door. Someone yelled "who is it?" to which I callously responded "Who cares! Everbody important is already here!" Then we laughed and laughed and laughed. I have often thought of how this would play out at a family reunion if my uncle knocked on the door and we laughed at him until he left.

MVP -Mark - For the idea of bringing icecream

Superbowl Bust - Skyler - for birnging 4 bags of sour cream and onion chips: we only ate half a bag of that nasty stuff.

2008 - We got it right. We hit a stroke of genious and started bringing fruit and vegatables to counter balance all the crap we were eating. Dyson pulled through and brought a ton of pizza from little ceasers. But by far the best thing to eat, chicken wraped in bacon. Yep it was pretty much perfect, although the commitee was starting to get out of control with ideas like having a gift exchange and arguing about if the Superbowl is better than Christmas (its not!)

MVP - Drew - for the homemade food.

Bust - Dyson - for yelling an increadibly loud and awkward comment. Looking back it was awesome but at the time it just made people uneasy.

2009 - This year I think we got the committee process down. Just four of us got together and made executive decisions and then distributed assignments to the rest. This year will be different than in years past due to the presence of women. Usually it's just Courtney and Deanna who are brave enough to handle the roudy guys. But one of my new years resolutions was to start bringing a date or a good friend of the feminine sex anytime I attend an activity with several couples (im tired of being the odd man out) and so I told the group im bringing a friend. To which Dyson replied that he was too, Kyle had already invited some girls, Matt and Mark have better halves, and courtney always comes. Only afterword did i realize the problem of bringing a nice girl to experience such gluttony and debachery. Luckily I found a pretty girl who is awesome enough to handle it (I know your reading this). I am looking forward to Sunday!

Here is the menu for Sunday.

Pep + sausage pizza

Hawaiin pizza
Pepperoni pizza
Supreme pizza
Buffalo Wings
3 bags of tortilla chips
4 bags of flavored chips
7 Layer bean dip
Chili Cheese Dip
Veggie tray
Fruit tray
Costco wraps
Pepsi,
Mtn Dew,
Root beer,
Dr. Pepper
Diet Coke,
Lemonade
Ice
Cookies
Brownies
Banana Bread
Cheesecake
Donuts
Lil Smokies
Onion Rings
Taquitos

More random pics stolen for Digg users

2009-01-26T21:26:00.002-07:00

Why the oath for VP is longer.

2009-01-20T22:18:00.003-07:00

As I watched the inaguration today I couldn't help to notice that Joe Biden's oath was significantly larger than President Obamas.

Vice President:

I, ____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God

President:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

So i went home and did a little research and figured out why. The president recites the oath as written in the Constitution of the United States. However, the constitution does not require the Vice President to take any oath whatsoever. Over the years the vice presidents have used different oaths and currently use the same oath as Senators, house representatives, and other governmental officials.

My constitutional law teacher (and google) were happy to provide some other little tidbits about todays events.

It wasn't President Obama's fault for stumbling during the oath. The Cheif Justice John Roberts actually said it wrong; President Obama who had memorized the oath was justly confused. Some experts argue that the President must redo the oath to so he could say it correctly.

As young as John Roberts seems he is actually older than President Obama. He is also the first Chief Justice to swear in a President when the President had voted against the Justice's confirmation.

The Second most senior justice of the Supreme Court is given the honor of swearing in the vice president. In our case this is Justice Stevens. Justice Stevens has actually been in the court the longest but by law the Chief Justice is considered the most senior justice.

The constitution sets forth that the President becomes president at noon with or without the oath. The constitution also mandates that the President must give an oath. It would be an interesting constitutional law question if the President just refused to take the oath.

Many Presidents (including our current president) end their oath by saying "So help me God" this isn't required by law.

President Obama used the same Bible that Abraham Lincon used to swear in. (That thing was huge!) The president isn't required to swear on the bible or even swear ( he can say "I affirm")

President Obama wrongly stated that he was the 44th person to be sworn into this office. This is technically incorrect, Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and 24th President. Accordingly, Obama is the the 43rd person to be sworn into office.

Anyway, the whole thing was very touching. Regardless of what you think about American Politics, it is truly remarkable that the most powerful country in the world can have such a peaceful transition of power.

Sidewalk Chalk

2009-01-17T22:12:00.005-07:00

Wow. Serious skills with chalk.

I enjoy this article very much

2009-01-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

January 8, 2009 9:29 AM PST

Delete 10 Facebook friends, get a free Whopper

Posted by Caroline McCarthy

(Credit: Burger King)

Facebook's developer platform has been used for a zillion marketing campaigns so far, but this one is actually dead-on hilarious.

Fast-food chain Burger King has created "Whopper Sacrifice," a Facebook app that will give you a coupon for a free hamburger if you delete 10 people from your friends list.

Burger King has put out some interesting campaigns as of late ("Whopper Virgin," "Subservient Chicken"), but this one piques our interest because of how gleefully it pokes fun at our social-networking obsessions. "Now is the time to put your fair-weather Web friendships to the test," the Whopper Sacrifice site explains. "Install Whopper Sacrifice on your Facebook profile, and we'll reward you with a free flame-broiled Whopper when you sacrifice ten of your friends.

The funniest part: The "sacrifices" show up in your activity feed. So it'll say, for example, "Caroline sacrificed Josh Lowensohn for a free Whopper." Unfortunately, you can't delete your whole friends list and eat free (however unhealthily) for a week. The promotion is limited to one coupon per Facebook account.

My Facebook friends had better appreciate the fact that I made a New Year's resolution to cut out red meat. Hint, hint.

2009-01-09T16:28:00.002-07:00

This comic made me laugh. I spend a great deal of time considering the meaning of words that would ordinarily be commonly understood. For instance this morning I debated the definition of "human being." Similarly, during the BYU v Utah game my friend Mark asked me if the Mountain West was better than the the Pac 10 this year. I responded (in all seriousness) "that depends on how you define better." To which he rightly told me to go to hell. Long story short, i'm apparently a nerd.

really cool article about an Autistic Savant

2009-01-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126881.800-inside-the-mind-of-an-autistic-savant.html

"The secret" lol.

2009-01-08T16:53:00.001-07:00

Random Thoughts

2009-01-02T21:18:00.002-07:00

On the way back to Utah, i borrowed a friends car. Well foolishly I forgot to bring my own cd's, and the only cd in the car was n-sync. During a particularly long stretch of silence, I tried to listen to the boy band I made it about 1 1/2 songs before i felt my soul start to die and i turned it off. Anyway, the point is i had a lot of time to think and some really random thoughts jumped into my head:

Who ever created the first insurance company is an evil genius.
The marketing department of Apple is also headed by an evil genius
Al Davis just looks evil and is clearly not a genius
"Caution - Flooding ahead" is probably the scariest road sign I have ever seen.
"Caution - Falling rocks" should be scary but its not
The street sign of the family running across the freeway near mexico is hillarious
I want to personally thank the man who created the carpool lane
It was 75 degrees on december 29th... living Southern California is worth every penny
It may be sick, but i love to see the dissapointment on the faces of SEC and Big 10 fans when they lose a football game they thought they should have won. I Absolutely love it!
At what point will i stop listening to Weezer's blue album?
After 30 years, Metallica has finally lost its prestiege
Bill Simmons has replaced Tony Kernheiser as my favorite ESPN personality, its not even close
Kurt Warner has replaced Wes Welker as my favorite offensive football player
Ray Lewis is till my favorite defensive player

I wrote this blog while watching the Utah v Alabama game and had the following thoughts

Utah's football cheerleaders need to win some sort of award for being gorgeous
Last years UCLA cheerleaders were even prettier
Why does the ACC get an automatic bid? they are 2-8 in BCS games
This Utah team is better than the 2004 team
I hate Alex Smith
I hate the snow!

Bringing a whole new meaning to "Rasing the Bar"

2009-01-02T20:51:00.004-07:00

Ariel Wood - Working on her papers

Courtney Ball - Called to serve in Madrid Spain

Angela Howell - Called to serve in Paris France

Rachel Schwarts - Called to serve in Riverside, California

When I left on my mission my friend and guessed that two of our prettiest friends would be married by the time we got home. To our surprise both of them served missions. Since then I have been surprised time and time again when the most beautiful girls I know decide to shun the dating world and turn in their papers. When my friend told me today that she is turning in her papers I had to document this phenomenon. I have included pictures of just the last 4 girls who have decided to turn in their papers. Here they are in order of when they recieved their call. For any single male readers who think they can persuade a girl out of a mission, only Rachel has left.

On a more serious note, sister missionaries rock! The best missionaries i knew were sisters, they are simply more mature and approachable. If any of the 4 of you happen to read this, I am sure you will do amazing.

Its been awhile since i have just added funny / interesting pictures

2008-12-24T01:17:00.003-07:00

What im listening to

2008-12-13T11:17:00.003-07:00

So i felt another post was in order but i dont really have much to share. I figured I would share what I-tunes has told me are the ten most played songs the last week. It would be interesting if for people to post theirs as well.

1.Reckoner by Radiohead
2.Flight 180 by Bishop Allen
3.Piano remake of I don't love you by my chemical romance
4. Konstantine by Something Corporate
5.Oh Holy Night by Celine Dion
6. The Kingdom hearts piano melody
7. Radio / Video by System of a down
8. Portuguese theme from Love Actually
9. Piano Man by Billy Joel
10. With or Without you by U2

I was surprised i have such a mix of different generes and sounds.

Funny final

2008-12-10T18:02:00.004-07:00

So i had my first final today. It was beast and im glad its over. However, one part of the final was hillarious and i thought i would share i with you.

There was this guy who uses an oxygen tank to get air to his lungs. Anyway a long story short he gets made at some smokers and pulls out a cell phone to call the cops. The phone knocks off the tube going into his nose; the oxygen then ignites upon the cigarrettes creating an explosion. The guy gets propelled into a tree and then one of the smoker's dog runs over and pees on his head.

I'm sad to say that i doubt my next 3 finals will be as entertaining.

Law school's way of saying you're screwed

2008-12-08T17:01:00.003-07:00

"Always remember that you are of inestimable worth; that you are sons and daughters of God; that our Heavenly Father has upheld you and guided you from before the foundation of the world and all of your lives; that He has brought you to BYU Law School for an eternal purpose; that He will not forsake you; and that He will bless you to fulfill the divine role for which you were born, regardless of the results of final grades."

I'm sure the school was well-intentioned but this email message they sent out but surely made people more stressed than they already were. Pretty much, the law school is saying that we are going to get bad grades. Anyway, Im hanging in there and am still loving law school. Finals start wednesday; wish me luck!

2008-12-05T16:45:00.002-07:00

These pictures of Elder Joseph Wirthlin were in the BYU Newspaper the other day. I thought they were really cool. I thought i would share them with you all. He was an inspiring man, and he will be greatly missed.

McDonalds Coffee Case

2008-12-04T09:28:00.002-07:00

So we are learning about product liability in one of my classes right now and for fun our teacher asked us to read this article. You probably all remember the incident where the old woman spilled coffee on her self and sued McDonalds for 2.9 million (and won!) Well here is an article describing the facts of the case, and why it isn't as rediculous as it sounds.

If your too lazy to read it all here are some main points
*The burn was really serious. The old lady spent 7 days in the hospital and had to have all sorts of skin grafts. The medical bills and associated damages cost her almost $200,000.00

*McDonald's was aware that the coffee was capable of such serious burns. They had previously settled with other customers who had burned themselves. Nonetheless they chose not to put any sort of warning on the coffee and no other protection from burns.

*While at trial McDonald's stated that it had no intention of changing how they make coffee. Stating that there are more serious dangers involved in restraunts and the burns of an lady are insignificant compared to the millions of dollars that McDonald's makes selling cofee.

*McDonald's repeatedly refused to settle and dragged the proceding out, they had a 7 day trial which mainly consisted of experts disagreeing about how hot coffee should be.

Here is the article

A Matter of Degree: How a Jury Decided That a Coffee Spill Is Worth $2.9 Million --- McDonald's Callousness Was Real Issue, Jurors Say, In Case of Burned Woman --- How Hot Do You Like It? By Andrea Gerlin. Wall Street Journal. (Eastern Edition). New York, N.Y.:Sep 1, 1994. p. A1
Abstract (Summary)
But McDonald's lawyers went on to dismiss several opportunities to settle out of court, apparently convinced that no jury would punish a company for serving coffee the way customers like it. After all, its coffee's temperature helps explain why McDonald's sells a billion cups a year.
McDonald's, known for its fastidious control over franchisees, requires that its coffee be prepared at very high temperatures, based on recommendations of coffee consultants and industry groups that say hot temperatures are necessary to fully extract the flavor during brewing. Before trial, McDonald's gave the opposing lawyer its operations and training manual, which says its coffee must be brewed at 195 to 205 degrees and held at 180 to 190 degrees for optimal taste. Since the verdict, McDonald's has declined to offer any comment, as have their attorneys. It is unclear if the company, whose coffee cups warn drinkers that the contents are hot, plans to change its preparation procedures.
Others call it a tempest in a coffeepot. A spokesman for the National Coffee Association says McDonald's coffee conforms to industry temperature standards. And a spokesman for Mr. Coffee Inc., the coffee-machine maker, says that if customer complaints are any indication, industry settings may be too low -- some customers like it hotter. A spokeswoman for Starbucks Coffee Co. adds, "Coffee is traditionally a hot beverage and is served hot and I would hope that this is an isolated incident."
Full Text (1916 words)
Copyright Dow Jones & Company Inc Sep 1, 1994
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- When a law firm here found itself defending McDonald's Corp. in a suit last year that claimed the company served dangerously hot coffee, it hired a law student to take temperatures at other local restaurants for comparison.
[Table]

After dutifully slipping a thermometer into steaming cups and mugs
all over the city, Danny Jarrett found that none came closer than about
20 degrees to the temperature at which McDonald's coffee is poured,
about 180 degrees.
It should have been a warning.

But McDonald's lawyers went on to dismiss several opportunities to settle out of court, apparently convinced that no jury would punish a company for serving coffee the way customers like it. After all, its coffee's temperature helps explain why McDonald's sells a billion cups a year.
[Table]

But now -- days after a jury here awarded $2.9 million to an
81-year-old woman scalded by McDonald's coffee -- some observers say
the defense was naive. "I drink McDonald's coffee because it's hot, the
hottest coffee around," says Robert Gregg, a Dallas defense attorney
who consumes it during morning drives to the office. "But I've
predicted for years that someone's going to win a suit, because I've
spilled it on myself. And unlike the coffee I make at home, it's really
hot. I mean, man, it hurts."

McDonald's, known for its fastidious control over franchisees, requires that its coffee be prepared at very high temperatures, based on recommendations of coffee consultants and industry groups that say hot temperatures are necessary to fully extract the flavor during brewing. Before trial, McDonald's gave the opposing lawyer its operations and training manual, which says its coffee must be brewed at 195 to 205 degrees and held at 180 to 190 degrees for optimal taste. Since the verdict, McDonald's has declined to offer any comment, as have their attorneys. It is unclear if the company, whose coffee cups warn drinkers that the contents are hot, plans to change its preparation procedures.
Coffee temperature is suddenly a hot topic in the industry. The Specialty Coffee Association of America has put coffee safety on the agenda of its quarterly board meeting this month. And a spokesman for Dunkin' Donuts Inc., which sells about 500 million cups of coffee a year, says the company is looking at the verdict to see if it needs to make any changes to the way it makes coffee.
Others call it a tempest in a coffeepot. A spokesman for the National Coffee Association says McDonald's coffee conforms to industry temperature standards. And a spokesman for Mr. Coffee Inc., the coffee-machine maker, says that if customer complaints are any indication, industry settings may be too low -- some customers like it hotter. A spokeswoman for Starbucks Coffee Co. adds, "Coffee is traditionally a hot beverage and is served hot and I would hope that this is an isolated incident."
Coffee connoisseur William McAlpin, an importer and wholesaler in Bar Harbor, Maine, who owns a coffee plantation in Costa Rica, says 175 degrees is "probably the optimum temperature, because that's when aromatics are being released. Once the aromas get in your palate, that is a large part of what makes the coffee a pleasure to drink."
Public opinion is squarely on the side of McDonald's. Polls have shown a large majority of Americans -- including many who typically support the little guy -- to be outraged at the verdict. And radio talk-show hosts around the country have lambasted the plaintiff, her attorneys and the jurors on air. Declining to be interviewed for this story, one juror explained that he already had received angry calls from citizens around the country.
It's a reaction that many of the jurors could have understood -- before they heard the evidence. At the beginning of the trial, jury foreman Jerry Goens says he "wasn't convinced as to why I needed to be there to settle a coffee spill."
At that point, Mr. Goens and the other jurors knew only the basic facts: that two years earlier, Stella Liebeck had bought a 49-cent cup of coffee at the drive-in window of an Albuquerque McDonald's, and while removing the lid to add cream and sugar had spilled it, causing third-degree burns of the groin, inner thighs and buttocks. Her suit, filed in state court in Albuquerque, claimed the coffee was "defective" because it was so hot.
What the jury didn't realize initially was the severity of her burns. Told during the trial of Mrs. Liebeck's seven days in the hospital and of her skin grafts, and shown gruesome photographs, jurors began taking the matter more seriously. "It made me come home and tell my wife and daughters don't drink coffee in the car, at least not hot," says juror Jack Elliott.
Even more eye-opening was the revelation that McDonald's had seen such injuries many times before. Company documents showed that in the past decade McDonald's had received at least 700 reports of coffee burns ranging from mild to third degree, and had settled claims arising from scalding injuries for more than $500,000.
Some observers wonder why McDonald's, after years of settling coffee-burn cases, chose to take this one to trial. After all, the plaintiff was a sympathetic figure -- an articulate, 81-year-old former department store clerk who said under oath that she had never filed suit before. In fact, she said, she never would have filed this one if McDonald's hadn't dismissed her request for compensation for pain and medical bills with an offer of $800.
Then there was the matter of Mrs. Liebeck's attorney. While recuperating from her injuries in the Santa Fe home of her daughter, Mrs. Liebeck happened to meet a pair of Texas transplants familiar with a Houston attorney who had handled a 1986 hot-coffee lawsuit against McDonald's. His name was Reed Morgan, and ever since he had deeply believed that McDonald's coffee is too hot.
For that case, involving a Houston woman with third-degree burns, Mr. Morgan had the temperature of coffee taken at 18 restaurants such as Dairy Queen, Wendy's and Dunkin' Donuts, and at 20 McDonald's restaurants. McDonald's, his investigator found, accounted for nine of the 12 hottest readings. Also for that case, Mr. Morgan deposed Christopher Appleton, a McDonald's quality assurance manager, who said "he was aware of this risk . . . and had no plans to turn down the heat," according to Mr. Morgan. McDonald's settled that case for $27,500.
Now, plotting Mrs. Liebeck's case, Mr. Morgan planned to introduce photographs of his previous client's injuries and those of a California woman who suffered second- and third-degree burns after a McDonald's employee spilled hot coffee into her vehicle in 1990, a case that was settled out of court for $230,000.
Tracy McGee of Rodey, Dickason, Sloan, Akin & Robb, the lawyers for McDonald's, strenuously objected. "First-person accounts by sundry women whose nether regions have been scorched by McDonald's coffee might well be worthy of Oprah," she wrote in a motion to state court Judge Robert Scott. "But they have no place in a court of law." Judge Scott did not allow the photographs nor the women's testimony into evidence, but said Mr. Morgan could mention the cases.
As the trial date approached, McDonald's declined to settle. At one point, Mr. Morgan says he offered to drop the case for $300,000, and was willing to accept half that amount. But McDonald's didn't bite.
Only days before the trial, Judge Scott ordered both sides to attend a mediation session. The mediator, a retired judge, recommended that McDonald's settle for $225,000, saying a jury would be likely to award that amount. The company didn't follow his recommendation.
Instead, McDonald's continued denying any liability for Mrs. Liebeck's burns. The company suggested that she may have contributed to her injuries by holding the cup between her legs and not removing her clothing immediately. And it also argued that "Mrs. Liebeck's age may have caused her injuries to have been worse than they might have been in a younger individual," since older skin is thinner and more vulnerable to injury.
The trial lasted seven sometimes mind-numbing days. Experts dueled over the temperature at which coffee causes burns. A scientist testifying for McDonald's argued that any coffee hotter than 130 degrees could produce third-degree burns, so it didn't matter whether McDonald's coffee was hotter. But a doctor testifying on behalf of Mrs. Liebeck argued that lowering the serving temperature to about 160 degrees could make a big difference, because it takes less than three seconds to produce a third-degree burn at 190 degrees, about 12 to 15 seconds at 180 degrees and about 20 seconds at 160 degrees.
The testimony of Mr. Appleton, the McDonald's executive, didn't help the company, jurors said later. He testified that McDonald's knew its coffee sometimes caused serious burns, but hadn't consulted burn experts about it. He also testified that McDonald's had decided not to warn customers about the possibility of severe burns, even though most people wouldn't think it possible. Finally, he testified that McDonald's didn't intend to change any of its coffee policies or procedures, saying, "There are more serious dangers in restaurants."
Mr. Elliott, the juror, says he began to realize that the case was about "callous disregard for the safety of the people."
Next for the defense came P. Robert Knaff, a human-factors engineer who earned $15,000 in fees from the case and who, several jurors said later, didn't help McDonald's either. Dr. Knaff told the jury that hot-coffee burns were statistically insignificant when compared to the billion cups of coffee McDonald's sells annually.
To jurors, Dr. Knaff seemed to be saying that the graphic photos they had seen of Mrs. Liebeck's burns didn't matter because they were rare. "There was a person behind every number and I don't think the corporation was attaching enough importance to that," says juror Betty Farnham.
When the panel reached the jury room, it swiftly arrived at the conclusion that McDonald's was liable. "The facts were so overwhelmingly against the company," says Ms. Farnham. "They were not taking care of their consumers."
Then the six men and six women decided on compensatory damages of $200,000, which they reduced to $160,000 after determining that 20% of the fault belonged with Mrs. Liebeck for spilling the coffee.
The jury then found that McDonald's had engaged in willful, reckless, malicious or wanton conduct, the basis for punitive damages. Mr. Morgan had suggested penalizing McDonald's the equivalent of one to two days of companywide coffee sales, which he estimated at $1.35 million a day. During the four-hour deliberation, a few jurors unsuccessfully argued for as much as $9.6 million in punitive damages. But in the end, the jury settled on $2.7 million. McDonald's has since asked the judge for a new trial. Judge Scott has asked both sides to meet with a mediator to discuss settling the case before he rules on McDonald's request. The judge also has the authority to disregard the jury's finding or decrease the amount of damages.
One day after the verdict, a local reporter tested the coffee at the McDonald's that had served Mrs. Liebeck and found it to be a comparatively cool 158 degrees. But industry officials say they doubt that this signals any companywide change. After all, in a series of focus groups last year, customers who buy McDonald's coffee at least weekly say that "morning coffee has minimal taste requirements, but must be hot," to the point of steaming.
Credit: Staff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal

Movie expectations

2008-11-29T16:39:00.001-07:00

Movies are all about expectations. So i decided to share with you the five biggest surprises and the biggest dissapointments I have seen. This is obviously subjective, and i present these in no particular order.

Dissapointments

5. Sequels:

Everyonce and a while a great triology such as LOTR or Bourne come along and give us just enough hope to think that sequels can be decent. Its time we learn

eg. The phantom Menace, Rocky 5, Jurrassic Park 2 and 3, Pirates of the Carribean 2 and 3, Matrix 2 and 3, Spiderman 3, The new indiana jones, All the old batman movies except the firs one, x-men 3

4. Remakes of classic movies

You can't help but get excited about some of the best stories of all time being remade. But they almost always suck.

eg. Pearl Harbor, Superman returns, King Kong, Godzilla, War of the Worlds

3. Scarface

Skyler and I watched this a couple of years ago. It was one of the worse movies i have ever seen. Watching foot fungus grow would be more enjoyable. How did this movie ever do well to begin with.

2. AI

Wow. Up to this point i actually beleived whatever stephen speilberg touched went to gold. This movie was so long, and shoud have ended about 500 times before it finally dwindled to an end.

1. Final Fantasy

As a big fan of the admittedly poorly named final fantasy video game series, I was super excited for this movie. I saw the clips and the CGI looked revolutionary for its time. Too bad the story sucked beyond belief.

Suprises - movies that are not necessarily good but which i thought would suck beyond belief and were not that bad. (in no particular order)

5. Mean Girls

I had been living with my roommates for maybe a week when they come home excited. They told me that they invited some people over to watch mean girls. I was bewildered, confused and angry. However, the movie was decently funny. I may be sick but watching people get hit by buses never gets old.

4. Hott Fuzz

I remember watching the previews for this movie. They looked horrific. But the first half of that movie was hillarious! the second half was kind of fun, overall it way exceeded my expectations

3. Monster house

Ok so Drew and I invited some friends over, and we are going to enjoy some pizza and a good movie. Problem was we couldn't find a movie we could all agree on. So finally Drew picks a movie, doesn't tell us what it is and we go home. Turns out its Monster House. For a movie we were all sure would suck it was pretty darn funny.

2. You've got mail

Up to this point i had never seen a chick flick i enjoyed. Don't get me wrong im not going to be watching it by myself anytime soon. But it was enjoyable.

1.Stardust

My roommates dragged me to this movie in the dollar theatre. I couldn't believe we were actually seeing it. I was expecting some sort of horrible mix of eragon with pride and prejudice. It was actually very enjoyable, the best farrie tale movie i had seen in a very long time.

Top 10 Favorite time wasting websites that will surely result in me failing law school.

2008-11-28T13:53:00.007-07:00

10. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrastination

I love Wikipedia. As a by product of either living with very argumentative roommates or freakishly knowledgable roommates, I have to know the answer to everything. If anyone asks a question I don't know or makes a ridiculous argument i am on the internet with in seconds trying to figure out the answer. Honestly my obsession with obtaining random factoids and general knowledge is one of the primary reasons I have chosen a profession where i spend 80% of my professional life researching.

9. Woot. http://www.woot.com/

My rommate Nathan first showed me this website. It is awesome (or at least can be.) Everyday they have a new deal on some electronic that they are selling for really cheap. I have seen some amazing deals, today for instance they are selling a 4 gb mp3 player with a leather case for $30. Everyonce and a while they have a "woot off" in which throughout the day they consistantly change the objects they are selling. During the "woot off" they will put up a "bag of crap" it costs a dollar and you get a bag of random electronic assortments. However, every time the magical bag goes online the server usually crashes because so many people are trying to bid.

8. Craiglist / Ebay -http://cgi.ebay.com/Selling-my-Soul-to-Find-FIRE-N-ICE_W0QQitemZ250333721438QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item250333721438&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1309

I rarely use these sites for anything practical, but there is so much cool stuff to look at.

7. Kongregate / Asobrain - http://games.asobrain.com/

Two of the most addictive games ever can be played on the internet. Kongregate hosts the horribly addictive game desktop tower defense. Fortunatley i have given up on beating "the 100" but the hundreds of hours that i wasted playing and watching my roommates play were good times. Asobrain, allows you to play an apparent knock off of Settlers of Catan online against other players. My family periodically will all sign on so that although the Barnetts are in Portland, I am in Utah, and my family is in California we still have an opportunity to yell and cheat one another.

6. Blogger - http://booyaabuela.blogspot.com/

I started working on my outline for my Torts class and decided to write this blog. Enough said.

5. Espn. com / SI.com - http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/081114

I am a pretty advid sports fan (well really just football, basketball, tennis and the olympics.) Obviously these websites are famous enough that they really don't need any introduction. Proably my favorite thing to visit on ESPN are Bill Simmons' ("the sports guy") articles. They are hillarious. There is an interesting war on which website i visit. Espn has a lot of its best articles blocked so that only members can see them, but SI often has too many tempting adds to visit the swimsuit pages.

4. Playlist - http://view.playlist.com/7724249099

This is only website that will actually help my grade. It is such a cool website, you go online and pick all the songs you want to listen to. Instead of downloading them, the site just remembers where they are and you can stream them over the internet. Its got thousands of songs, and since your not downloading anything you don't feel like your pirating or worry about getting crazy viruses.

3. Yahoo Fantasy Football

Im number 1 in a rather competitive league. I look at my team probably 3 times a week and ussually dont change anything. It is amazing how much time i waste over something that has so much luck.

2. Digg - http://digg.com/

I absolutely love this website. Hundreds of thousands of nerds like my self waste their time on the internet, what Digg does is allows the nerds to share what they found interesting. Everytime a "digger" finds something interesting they give it a "digg" by the end of the day the most interesting websites will rise to the top of the list. There are so many funny sites and pictures. Warning, although posting of pornography isn't allowed some of the popular diggs can be quite obscene. Still it is an amazing site, go and search the top images for the last year and start wasting your time away.

1. Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/event.php?eid=48737453377

Not much to be said here. I usually keep it open while i am studying which means technically I am on facebook for 10-13 hours a day. The new chat function is ridiculous, some of my friends can't sign on without me being compulsed to chat with them. I feel like i am back in 7th grade on AOL instant messenger.

2008-11-23T12:16:00.002-07:00

Typically I don't bother you with my own thoughts and ideas, but today I feel like sharing. Don't worthy Booya Grandma wont become a typical blog and will continue to provide you with a random assortment of articles and images.

I find it dissapointing the number of people who use the church as an excuse to sell their dreams short. I just got out of priesthood and the lesson was on about how following the commandments is the most important thing, and no other worldly success can make up for not being temple worthy. I 100% agree. However the conversation soon became twisted to the point where people were preaching that it is wrong to try and achieve "greatness" in other realms of life. As someone who has pretty lofty goals this bothered me. Ive noticed this trend in two areas of life: professional and romantic.

I dont want to come across saying that if you don't have a career your a bad person. On the contrary, i want to say that the gospel is compatible with most goals, including professional goals. If you look at the Apostles, you have several men who reached the top of their given profession: Elder Eyring is a world renouned scientist, Elder Nelson is a revolutionary heart surgeon, Elder Oaks served on a Supreme court, and Elder's Holland and Bednar both reached the top of the eductional spectrum. You simply cannot rach the top of your profession with out having a dream to do so and working your butt off to get there.

I have also seen this trend in the dating realm. For instance, many people like to cite President Kimballs statement that "any two people could be happy together as long as they follow the commandments of God." In the words of my former roommate Nathan, "That simply isn't good enough." The quote is meant to help us deal with the inadequacies in our mates, and know that no one is perfect. However, I think its a huge mistake to use the quote as an excuse to settle for someone that you don't find wonderful and amazing.

Anyway, my opinion is that the Lord wants us to be happy, and that happiness includes the fufilling of righteous goals. I find nothing unrighteous about seeking to succeed in professional and social life. Putting the church first does not entail selling your dreams short. That is all.

Don't steal from a 1L we are too stressed

2008-11-16T20:09:00.003-07:00

Why You Should Never Try to Steal a Law Student's Laptop
by Dan Reilly, posted Nov 14th 2008 at 2:41PM
A thief learned the mistake of trying to steal a law student's laptop last week after after becoming a punching bag for an Arizona State student he tried to rip off. Armed with a baseball bat, the intruder, Gabriel Saucedo, allegedly climbed through an open window into Alex Botsios' apartment, waking the student and threatening to smash his head in. Botsios was willing to let Saucedo take his wallet and guitars. Then the robber made the mistake that ultimately landed him in the hospital -- he went for the laptop. According to Botsios, he said "Dude, no -- please, no! I have all my case notes...that's four months of work!" Saucedo, obviously underestimating the fury of an overstressed, overworked first-year, was unsympathetic. That's when Botsios could take no more.Wrestling Saucdeo to the floor, Botsios separated the bat from the thief and repeatedly punched him in the face. When it was all over, police had to get Saucedo stitched up before charging him with armed robbery and kidnapping, while Botsios only suffered some scrapes and a bruised knuckle. Most importantly, at least to the student, is that his laptop, which he called "his baby," escaped unharmed. Next time, Saucedo might want to try robbing a third-year student, as they're generally more docile. [From: KTAR.com]

A tribute to Where's Molly?

2008-11-16T17:55:00.002-07:00

I was recently mentioned by name in Where’s Molly’s third CD. It only seems appropriate that I show my appreciation by giving a little tribute in my blog. After all any band whose lead singer loves his voice so much that he actually records his songs twice so he can harmonize with himself deserves a blog entry. Where’s Molly claims to belong to the genre of “subversive acoustic indie pop/ska-without-those-annoying-horns/punk/folk-abilly,” and is probably in the top 10 of bands who claim that genre. The band is lead by Skyler Anderson, a self proclaimed Beavis look-a-like, who receives support from fellow band members the “Bassmaster” and the superbly talented Jim. The trio spends their time using sarcasm to mock everybody and everything from teachers to genocidal inclinations. Here is a list of some of the people who have suffered their rage.

---Guys who try to pick up girls by playing the guitar---

“You are a pretty woman and I play the guitar; why can’t that be enough? Let’s not complicate things, with all this silly getting to know each other slowly over some romantic picnic at the beach, where it soon becomes painfully obvious that music is not enough. It may have got me a first date, but after that it’s up to my charm to be at its best. I must confess that flattery and sensitiveness are not my forte.

---Girls who fall for guys who try to pick up girls by playing the guitar---

“Chicks dig a guy who plays the guitar, uglier guys and worse singers have gotten pretty far. So I thought I would try it out on the first pretty girl who came my way. I guess you will do, this one goes out to you. Just to see your face fills with the sweetest lullaby words of true love come so easily and conveniently rhyme. I impress you with my ability to sing and play at the same time.., so tell me, honestly, have I impressed you enough to have the chance to woo you further over dinner and a movie or some crap like that? Cause if not, I best off before I lost too much of my time with some silly broad who sees through my façade.. Let me tell you girl there is plenty more where you came from! and this little scam of mine will work on at least one!”

---Any girl who isn’t hot but isn’t ugly---

“She got a perfect face except for that nose, but at night time it hardly shows. Her gut hangs slightly over her back side but it’s easy enough to hide. With such a pretty smile it’s hard to see her little mustache and yellow teeth. My little would be perfect would be a perfect girl, but she ain’t no pearl. She’s all I got so I guess I’ll fall in love.”

---Guys who think girls are always leading them on---

“Girl you gotta a lot of nerve leading me to believe that you love me when that was the furthest thing from your mind. Your sick twisted mind! We are living in a society where we are expected to deal civilly with our fellow man, but that’s something that you just don’t seem to understand. How dare you wave that pretty little had at me, give me a smile and wave and call me by my name (crystal clear signs you want to get with me.) So without delay I made my move saying “Hey little lady, how about you and me run away together foreverafter baby? You say, ‘let’s just be friends,’ With friends like that I’d rather walk this cold cruel world alone! You did me dirty girl! Don’t you know that pretty girls can’t be nice? It’s simply isn’t right if they aren’t willing to back it up. I thought it was understood if you don’t love us you should not even look at us.”

---The Bassmaster’s mom. ---
(Mrs. Graham once suggested they replace Skyler with a new lead singer.)

“I tried to write a pretty song... but Mrs. Graham said that I suck and should find someone else to sing…Didn’t Hitler start off the same, relieving stress artistically? Life got him down so he would paint, till all his rage left him nice and peacefully. Then someone told him he was bad, and should find something new. So the next time he felt sad he went and killed 6 million Jews. Well is that what you want Mrs. Graham, another senseless genocide? You thought the holocaust was bad just and wait and see how many millions more will die! I’ll butcher every human being without music as my escape! She said ‘if that would stop your singing it seems a small price to pay.’”

---And finally anyone who supported the band by paying for a CD---

“You got ripped off.. Adam.”

Raven's revenge

2008-11-09T15:35:00.003-07:00

My randomness knows no bounds.

The bus = unadulterated randomness

2008-11-03T17:30:00.003-07:00

So I ride the bus. Most of the time its full of other students but everyonce and a while you get to sit with some of the bus veterans. Today this huge fat bald guy with an awesome beard sat down next to me. After a few minutes he strikes up a conversation by saying, "if swimming is so good for you, why are whales fat?" I just laughed and was left without a good retort. So he then he wished me a happy "voting day eve." The conversation then turned to the election, and of course the entire bus started interjecting into our conversation. Some one mentioned that Steve's Young's wife donated $50,000 dollars towards the push to vote no on prop 8. I mentioned that although i completley disagree with her take on the issue, you gotta give her props for standing up for her beliefs despite her husband, church, and friends. This obviously didn't go over well in the conservative black hole i live in. The fat guy then said, "I'll stand up with anyone, just next to those who have lightning bolts thrown at them." It turned out that several of us were from California and one of the girls lived in Mission Viejo. I asked her what ward she lived in and she said Ladera Ranch. The Fat guy then said, "They changed the ward name recently, right?" The girl was a little confused.. then he said "It used to be called the psychiatric right?" It was one of the more entertaining 5 minute bus rides I have had.

Favorite Movies

2008-11-02T18:43:00.002-07:00

So on more than one occassion my friends and i have attempted to compile the greatest movies of all time list. Its impossible. The problem is that movie genres are so completely different. Today i made a list of different genres and included one of my favorite movies from that genre. Im not going to say its my favorite but its what immediately came to my head. I am also going to include my favorite scene from the movie. I highly recommend anyone of these movies if you havent seen it.

Action: Terminator 2 - When the Terminator is commanded to smile
Adventure: Raiders of the Lost Ark - When Indy shoots the samarai
Animation: Aladdin - Robin Williams's opening dialouge
Biography: Braveheart - The famous speech
Comedy: Forest Gump - "Sometimes there are not enough rocks"
Court Room Drama: To Kill a Mockingbird - Atticus's final remarks
Documentary: Endless Summer 2 - The Lions
Drama: Shawshank Redemption - Morgan Freeman's monolouge about the escape
Family (non animated): Hook - "Who's the shrub!?"
Fantasy: Return of the Jedi - I love it all
Foreign: Life is Beautiful - When the boy "wins" the tank
History: Shindler’s List - The violin solo
Horror: Silence of the Lambs - Jodi Foster's first interview with Hannibal
Independent: The Usual Suspects - The Line up
Musical: Beauty and the Beast - Gaston talking to Belle
Mystery: LA Confidential - The interrogations
Race related: American History X - I just like the overall message
Romance: Love Actually - The end of the portuguese story
Sci-Fi: Jurassic Park - "when you gotta go you gotta go"
Slap Stick Comedy: Dumb & Dumber - When they sell the bird to the blind kid
Sport: Cinderella Man - When you see that his managers house is empty
Thriller: The Fugitive - The tunnel / dam scene
War: Saving Private Ryan - The beach scene
Western: Open Range - The 30 min gun fight

10 free things to do in provo

2008-10-25T16:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created=&suggest=&note_id=32872710938

I wrote this big note on facebook and dont want to deal with transfering it over her. Its a nice note and there is a good chance if you lived in Provo i have a picture of you.

My favorite hikes (so far)

2008-10-24T22:13:00.005-07:00

I absolutely love the outdoors. Some of my favorite memories are hiking with friends and family. Whether it be snowshoeing up the provo canyon or exploring far off places, i just love to hike. Here are my top 5 favorite hikes I have had the opportunity to visit.

The Narrows

The narrows is the probably the easiest of these hikes to get to. Its just out in the middle of Zions near St. George. It is absolutely breathtaking, however if i were to do it again i would definetely do it in 2 days instead of 1. By the end we were way too exhausted to really appreciate how wonderful it was.

Havasupai

Havasupai is a great beginners hike with excelent rewards. It is only about 8 miles in and 8 miles out. Havasupai is one of the most beautiful places i have ever been, i could spend forever just playing in the many waterfalls and mineral pools.

John Muir Trail

Too be candid I haven't done the entire trail. But i did do about 55 miles of it. I loved it, it is so beautiful and I have never felt a greater sense of accomplishment than finishing the hike. Im sure i would enjoy it even more now than i did when i was 15.

Machu Pichu

You dont have to hike when you go to Machu Pichu but if you don't your really missing out. It only takes about an hour to get to the top of that peak you see in the picture. It is kind of a scary little jaunt because the steps are just holes in the stone which are almost always wet. But the view is amazing.

Torres De Paine

Torres de Paine in Southern Chile is hands down the coolest place i have ever been to. My parents and I spent 3 days just hinking its terrain and enjoying the scenery. Besides the towers which i have shown, the glaciers are the coolest things. I have never seen any thing so electric blue in my life. I would highly recomend that any outdoor enthusiast visit Torres de Paine at some point in thier lives.

XKCD

2008-10-24T21:35:00.002-07:00

Warning. If you do not have any inner geek with in you, the nerdinest of these comics will be way too much for you. Otherwise, enjoy embracing your inner geek.

http://xkcd.com/255/
http://xkcd.com/29/
http://xkcd.com/378/
http://xkcd.com/220/
http://xkcd.com/463/
http://xkcd.com/174/
http://xkcd.com/144/
http://xkcd.com/162/
http://xkcd.com/455/
http://xkcd.com/121/
http://xkcd.com/302/
http://xkcd.com/406/
http://xkcd.com/326/
http://xkcd.com/158/
http://xkcd.com/61/
http://xkcd.com/139/
http://xkcd.com/171/
http://xkcd.com/451/
http://xkcd.com/210/

bansky

2008-10-24T21:17:00.005-07:00

I love Bansky's work. For those of you who have never heard of him he is a grafiti artist.

Bill Simmons Mail Bag

2008-10-14T10:33:00.005-07:00

I love the mail bag, the most random questions that can be imagined are asked. Here are some of my favorites from this week.

Shouldn't Elizabeth Perkins have faced statutory rape charges in "Big"?
Absolutely. The rules are explicit here -- if you have consensual sexual relations with anyone not legally old enough to consent to such behavior, it's statutory rape regardless of whether they turned themselves into an adult by making a wish to a Zoltar machine

SG: Here's my contribution to the poor Sonics fans: You know the team Kevin Durant plays for right now? I'm never mentioning their "new" name in this column. Ever. For as long as I have it. I'm alternating between these four names …
1. Kevin Durant's Team.2. The Seattle SloppySeconds3. The Bennett City Hijackers4. The Team That Shall Not Be Named

If the Dodgers open the World Series at Boston, what's the over/under on where Manny's first homer lands?
SG: I think it's going to be one of those line drives that's still going up as it ricochets off some drunk guy's head in the second row of the Monster seats

Doesn't Ray Lewis have to lead the league in my new stat: "Last Man to Dive in on an Already Made Tackle?" As the play is dying, he comes flying in, diving, rolling, jumping up, slapping the helmet, shouting, doing that crazy electric-boogaloo dance that makes my eyes bleed out before my head explodes. Having added nothing to the play other than his half-seizure, he's all of a sudden the center of attention for these nitwit announcers
SG: I demand that "Last Man to Dive in on an Already Made Tackle" become an official Football Outsiders stat starting this week. The real shame is we'll never know who had more career LMDAMTs -- Lewis or Junior Seau, who had 650 of them last season alone. It's kind of like how we'll never know who has the sack record. We just have to wonder.

Q: Did you know that if you Google "gay guy with beard" under Google images, your photo comes up at the beginning of the fourth page? Just thought you'd like to know. P.S. You may be asking yourself why one would search for this. Rest assured, it involved trash talk on my fantasy football homepage.-- Kevin, Pittsburgh
SG: That has become the go-to the excuse for all aberrant online behavior these days: "Rest assured, it involved trash talk on my fantasy football homepage."

How would you describe Bob Costas' role on "Sunday Night Football" right now?-- Lucas, Shaker Heights
SG:Confused? Undefined? He's like an emcee -- it's like when Jerry Lewis kind of wanders in and out of his own telethon and you might not see him again for five hours. Costas doesn't moderate any of the three-man discussions because Collinsworth always does it. He doesn't narrate any of the highlights because Olbermann and Patrick do it. Well, if you're not moderating, and you're not narrating highlights, and you're not offering football analysis, what the hell is left? He's like a maitre'd at a nice restaurant: "Welcome to Sunday Night Football, I'm Bob Costas, lemme show you to your table … Keith Olbermann and Cris Collinsworth will be right with you."

The Polic Beat

2008-10-07T12:30:00.002-07:00

For those of you who are not familiar with BYU we have a daily newspaper called The Daily Universe which is run by the students here. About once a week they publish what is called "The Police Beat." The Beat is simply amazing I thought i would share a few of the incidents that happend this week.

"Sept 30: Female students in Helaman Halls complained about a man in a gorilla suit attempting to scare students near the Cannon Center. When police arived, there was no sign of either the complainants or the gorilla. The gorilla has not yet been identified."

"Sept 30: A goup of three student lacrosse players and two runners got into a fight at the track near Helaman Halls when one of the locrosse players told the runers to put on a shirt."

"Oct 3: A resident in Wymount Terrace reported a suspicious male looking around the quad. When police arived, the man explained he was staying with his brother. He had gone jogging and forgot where his brother lived when he returned."

"Oct 5: Five individuals were seen with headbands and backpacks after midnight. When police arrived, the individuals said thery were there to climb the side of the building. The police sent the would be climbes on their way.'

"Oct 4: Police responded to a call about people climbing the statue of Karl G. Maeser. Police told the climbers to leave."

I also found this awesome website this morning from Digg: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/10/earth_from_above_comes_to_nyc.html

Ice Cream

2008-09-30T20:12:00.002-07:00

I went to the grocery store today and to my horror the ice cream companies reduced their carton sizes by 25%! I am upset. That is all.

Cheers to Brittish Comedians

2008-09-25T14:26:00.006-07:00

The last two movies I have seen are Ghost Town and Run Fat Boy Run, they were both fantastic. To be fair neither one of them will be cracking my all-time favorite movie list, however; both movies did exactly what thier genre requires of them. To be more specific both movies were funny and sweet, with a nice dose of crude brittish witt in them.
Ghost Town stars Ricky Gervais, he is relatively unknown here in the States, although you might remember him as the musuem director in Night at the Museum, he is also a principal writter for the brittish The Office series. Gervais does a great job playing this socially awkward but very quick witted Dentist who falls in love with a woman way out of his league. The movie also has a few appearances from Aasif Mandvi who most can recognize as the middle-eastern correspondant on the Daily Show.
Run Fat Boy Run features Simon Pegg, star of Hott Fuzz and Shaun of the dead, he also co-wrote the film. I had my doubts going into the movie considering it is directed by David Schwimmer, but there were only a few moments were his personality were apparent. The story is about a loser who can never commit to anything who agrees to run a marathon to show up another man.
It is really hard to classify what genre these movies belong to. Obviously they are both comedies but neither could be considered slapstick and they are not romantic comedies. They have the same general feel as Stranger than Fiction. As with a lot of movies staring brittish actors, these two are sweet movies with very little plot but interesting characters who behave very oddly. If you don't like dry humor than these moviea might not be for you. However, considering its been a while since I have seen a good comedy I have to give my congrats to the britts.

I thought I should mention, considering almost all my friends are married, both movies would be great date movies. And Ran fat boy run is relatively unheard of and can be found in just a bout any red box.

Congrats.

2008-09-21T22:03:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to post my congrats to Drew and Christina. Their wedding was simply amazing and spectacularly beautiful. I wish them the best.

2008-09-18T11:30:00.002-07:00

More harmful and offensive contact

2008-09-17T16:41:00.003-07:00

So we started the tricky subject of implied consent today. The basic premise is that you can't be held liable for something that you were given consent to do. ex. A football player can't charge a quaterback for battery when he tackles him, although the contact may have been harmful. So here is the hypothetical. (note i don't remember the actual words this time. So i am making stuff up to get the main points of the conversation across.)

Mr. Smith, suppose a young man takes a young lady on a long romantic walk on the beach. The stars are out and it is simply breathtaking. The couple sit down and after a while. The young man leans in to kiss the young lady, but she doesn't respond at all, she just sits there with no change of expression or posture. The young man decides to kiss her anyway. The young lady later fills a suit of battery. Is it battery? there was definitley intentional contact, and the young lady certainly found it to be offensive. - Prof. Nunez

"well if the stars weren't out it would be a different story." He then proceeds to explain how our if a reasonable person would assume that the victim had implied consent then the victim has an oblibligation to voice any contrary opinions. "I think given the circumstances, any reasonable woman would assume she was about to be kissed." - Mr. Smith

"Ok, what if it was the first date?" - Prof. Nunez

"Considering she didn't even turn her head, she implied consent to be kissed." -Mr. Smith.

"So lets change the situation a little. The young lady is on the beach by her self and some stranger runs over and kisses her. Are we to assume she consented because she didn't turn her head?" - Prof. Nunez

This may not be as entertaining to some as it was to me. But having lived in California my whole life i am accustomed to seeing some of the most breathtaking women on our beaches. I could imagine the beach bums (which incidentily look like my blog profile picture) running around kissing these unsuspecting women.

2008-09-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry it took me so long to get some more random stuff up. Law school pretty much dominates most my free time. I just wanted to give a shout out to the MWC going 4-0 against the Pac 10, which although it may be over-rated its still better than the ACC or Big 10.

Carls Jr.

2008-09-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

So i go to Carl's Jr. Today and I had the following conversation with the attendant:

"Hi welcome to Carl's Jr. how can i help you?" - Him
"I'm Fine, Can i get a number 4 please?" - Me
"Would you like a combo with that?" -Him
"Umm... yes a number 4?" - Me
"Yes sir, would you like a combo with that?" - Him
"Yes i would like my number four to be a combo meal" -Me
"Ok one number 4, do you want a drink and fries?" -Him
"Ok just give me a double bacon western cheeseburger, a small drink, and a small fry please." -Me
"Ok" - Him

The comedian Lewis Black once described why people have annorisms. You hear something incomprehensible and your brain subconsciously wrestles it with it for years before it gives up and you die. Thanks a lot Carl's Jr. Man.

Harmful or offensive conduct

2008-09-03T11:10:00.001-07:00

In law school, and especially in this class, the teacher gives hypotheticals and invites us to argue based upon a set of rules. Ussually the arguments are quite stressful because the teacher calls on students without warning. Today however, the conversation took a pleasently entertaining turn.

We were discussing civil battery today and one of the the requirements for civil battery is "harmful or offensive contact." This is an actual piece of the conversation we had today.

"Mr. Smith let's someone was walking down university avenue and is hit by a car and breaks his arm. A student with paramedic training runs over and without explaining a word sets the arm . Would this be battery?" -Professor Nunez

"...I don't think a reasonable jury would find that setting an arm would be considered harmful or offensive." -Student

"But doesn't the injured have a right to go to a hospital and recieve painkillers before his arm was set? Was not the paramedics conduct harmful?" -Professor

"I still argue that under the circumstances the paramedic was justified"- Student

"Does anyone disagree with Mr. Smith?" - Professor

"...Just because you have medical training does not give you the right to exercise your skills without recourse. If a proctologist ran over and gave me unrequested medical assistance i would find it very 'offensive.'" -Student 2

To make the conversation even funnier about an hour later a classmate trying to understand the class material asked me what a proctologist was.

2008-09-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

2008-09-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

I love reading the insane comments left by BYU and Utah fans on ESPN articles. Although I'm a Cougar fan this conversation just made me laugh.

"Harline is still open and dont forget 4 and 18. I cant wait until November 22nd when the Undefeated BYU beats the Undefeated Utah in Salt Lake." -Cougarboy45

"And Harline is still unemployed"- Utefan00045

"Harline isn't unemployed! He's got a great job selling cell phones at the mall along with Luke Staley. After he soon gets cut by the Dolphins they might also be able to hook John Beck up with a position but they're worried about his resume. Crying after losses doesn't fare well in the cell phone industry. " -Twimmer5

I also found this amusing. It comes from article by Graham Watson, which describes the rivalry between BYU and UTah

(in 1990) a "Cougar fan jumped out of the stands and attacked a Utah male cheerleader who was running around the field with a Utah flag after a Utah touchdown. The cheerleader proceeded to beat the fan until police separated the two."

I really do love sports

I dont think i have ever laughed so hard in class.

2008-08-23T14:02:00.000-07:00

One of the deans in my law school told us the following.

"There are many expenses even after you get out of law school. Did you know it costs $4 to dry clean a shirt? So instead, i donate my shirts to DI, they wash and dry it and then I come back the next day and buy my shirt back for a dollar."

2008-08-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

2008-08-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite stories I have recently...
"Last week was my birthday and I didn't feel very well waking up that morning. I went downstairs for breakfast hoping my wife would be pleasant and say, "Happy birthday!", and possibly have a present for me.As it turned out, she barely said good morning, let alone "Happy birthday".I thought... well, that's marriage for you, but the kids will remember. My kids ate breakfast and didn't say a word.So when I left for the office, I was feeling pretty low and somewhat despondent.As I walked into my office, my secretary, Jane said, "Good morning boss, happy birthday!" It felt a little better that at least someone had remembered.I worked until one o'clock and then Jane knocked on my door and said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day outside, and it's your birthday, let's go out to lunch, just you and me".I said, "Thanks Jane, that's the greatest thing I've heard all day. Let's go!"We went to lunch. But we didn't go where we normally would go. We dined instead at a little place with a private table. We had two martinis each and I enjoyed the meal tremendously.On the way back to the office, Jane said, "You know, it's such a beautiful day... We don't need to go back to the office, do we?"I responded, "I guess not. What do you have in mind?"She said, "Let's go to my apartment".After arriving at her apartment Jane turned to me and said, "Boss, if you don't mind, I'm going to step into the bedroom for a moment. I'll be right back"."OK", I nervously replied.She went into the bedroom and, after a couple of minutes, she came out carrying a huge birthday cake... followed by my wife, kids, and dozens of my friends and co-workers, all singing "Happy Birthday".And I just sat there...On the couch...Naked..." http://www.scribd.com/doc/28415/Why-I-fired-my-secretary-today

Explanation

2008-08-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

So i waste an incredible amount of time looking at worthless yet funny stuff on the internet. I thought i would just have a place to collect my favorites so I can share them with my friends.