The Olympic Torch's Hectic Week in SF

Photo Source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?o=1&f=/c/a/2008/04/07/MN6L101A0U.DTL

What a hectic week it has been for the city of San Francisco. Our city is the only North American city to host the Olympic Torch relay and people have mixed emotions about it. It all began when pro-Tibet protesters climbed the cables of the Golden Gate Bridge and attached a large message between the cables to warn China of their cruelty of human rights against Tibet. This is likely to be the coolest publicity stunt dealing with politics on a Bay Area bridge compared to Mancow's haircut stunt/traffic tie-up he pulled on the Bay Bridge back in 1993.

What was promising to be a safe and memorable event in San Francisco turned out to be the same result that happened in London and Paris. This time pro-Tibet and pro-China got themselves into each other's faces about the fact that their home country doesn't practice peace at the same time they're hosting a world event. Other than that, more people came out to protest against China's cruelty against Tibet. Did anyone fail to realize that the torch relay was in progress while the war of words between the two groups heated up? Whether members of pro-China like it or not, San Francisco is known for heavy protests against anything that relates to politics. It will be hard for them to realize that the actions of the Chinese government equals all hell to break lose against them for years to come, even after the summer games.

In light of all the protests, Olympic celebration, and politics all mixed up, the International Olympic Committee is beginning to face harsh criticism from demonstrators about what they've done. The torch is always considered a symbol of world peace and harmony while demonstrators worldwide consider it a symbol of the politics of evil. Because of this, spectators were unable to cherish the flame of the Olympic Torch as they were promised. After increasing outbursts and last-minute reroutes, the excitement of the event died down when it was announced that the torch was heading towards SFO.

Like past Olympics that were held in politically driven countries, this year's games should be able to go on despite the scrutiny that the host country is facing. It's also a warning to the IOC about what happens when they decide to host the Olympics in countries with abusive governments.

Predictions for Sunday's Wrestlemania 24

Photo Source: http://forum.cinesmeraldo.com/ib/index.php?showtopic=8908&view=getnewpost

So far this year, the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl games have passed; the NBA All-Star Game has passed but the playoffs and finals are coming soon; and NCAA March Madness basketball is about to end soon. The NHL's Stanley Cup, MLB's All-Star Game, League Division and Championship Series and World Series, and the BCS tournaments all are a few months away. However one professional wrestling event is coming up, although it's not considered a major sport event like the rest. World Wrestling Entertainment's pay-per-view phenomenon Wrestlemania 24 is taking place this Sunday from Orlando. And I am here to predict the outcome of a few important matches.

I've been mostly keeping up with Smackdown's superstars who are participating in Sunday's "granddaddy" of sports-entertainment. One match that I'm anticipating is the Smackdown main event of Undertaker vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship. Edge has been nothing but THE most hated champion to ever step in a WWE ring and he declares he'll end the Undertaker's 15-0 career winning streak at Wrestlemania. My prediction for this match is no matter what Edge does to retain his title, the Undertaker will likely beat Edge in his usual fashion with his finishing maneuver, win back the title, and extend his streak to 16-0 instead of 15-1.

Wrestlemania's main event comes from Monday Night Raw. It will be John Cena, Triple H and Randy Orton in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship. All three men want to destroy each other for the coveted title. Orton assaults Cena in October before No Mercy, forcing him to miss a few months of competition; Orton defeats Triple H in a Last Man Standing match at No Mercy last October to win the title; Cena returns to action at January's Royal Rumble and wins the 30-man match to be the last man standing in the ring, giving him a championship match for Wrestlemania; Cena and Orton battle for the title before their scheduled 'mania match last month at No Way Out; and Triple H challenges both men, making the match a triple threat match. My prediction is that a bloody Cena will win the match and regain the title by laying his finishing move on either Triple H or Orton.

There are a few other matches set for Sunday at Wrestlemania.

Boxer Floyd "Money" Mayweather takes on the 7-foot Big Show. Prediction: Big Show because he is known for taking out competitors who are half his size.

Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels in a career-threatening match. Prediciton: Ric Flair. Lately the legendary "nature boy" was put in this match for a few months and would be forced into retirement if he lost. Nobody wants to see him go yet others want him gone for good.

Batista vs. Umaga. Prediction: Batista because of his power game that Umaga can't match up with.

Money-in-the-Bank Ladder match. Prediction: Chris Jericho. He nearly won the WWE title last December at Armageddon shortly after his comeback. Another perfect opportunity lies ahead for him.

Finlay vs. JBL in a Belfast Brawl. Prediction: Finlay. While JBL is known for beating up Hornswoggle and being too patroitic, Finlay has the advantage because he gets to use his shillelagh all he wants.

These are my predicitons for Sunday's 'Mania. But anything can happen in these matches much to the delight of the WWE fans.

A change is coming to The City's southern sector

Photo source: San Francisco Examiner (online).

I've lived in The City for a long time. My neighborhood is near a community that consists of old, run-down housing developments where high-crime activity takes place. San Francisco's Cow Palace, a livestock and rodeo arena, sits near that area also. It is the only nearby state-owned public facility outside of downtown San Francisco. For almost 70 years, the Cow Palace was the place to go to for any events, although major indoor sports events have come and gone. A nearby drive-in theater/flea market was held near the facility but is no longer there. A condominium near the Palace used to be a bowling alley but was closed down due to increasing crime activity. The Cow Palace stands alone as the only public facility with so much parking spaces. However, a change will take place in that area.
According to Monday's Examiner, the Cow Palace would be bought by the city of San Francisco from the state. The City's acquisition of their age-old arena also promises a neighborhood grocery store at a portion of the Cow Palace's parking lot. There hasn't been a grocery store in the area since the old El Rancho Market went out of business years ago. Along with the grocery store, more housing, currently under construction, and a shopping promenade would help serve the needs of residents in the neighboring communities, including San Francisco's Sunnydale, Visitacion Valley and Bayshore, and Daly City's hilltop housing communities on San Bruno Mountain.
This kind of change would help improve the image of some of the neighboring communities. It would also bring jobs for neighbors who struggle to make a living. I believe it would also make it safe for more Cow Palace guests to attend any scheduled events. But we have yet to see what the result will be from this change.

What I thought of "Dexter"

Photo source: http://www.cable360.net/programming/shows/20779.html

Cable television has been out of my reach for almost two years and I lost touch with what is airing and coming soon. Sometimes shows from cable TV are accessible on broadcast or syndication (i.e "South Park," "Reno 911," "Chappelle's Show," and "Stargate: Atlantis"), but then again I never have time to watch them because they're on at midnight or later. Lately, one cable show that I was able to watch for the first time this past Sunday was the Showtime suspense drama Dexter, which is about a forensics expert who secretly kills people who commit great injustice. As of last Sunday night, it will be airing on CBS.
If you're familiar with the show, or watch it at all, the storyline is interesting but the images I caught while watching the pilot episode make it look frightening. Even though "Dexter" is a good series to watch, it can push the limits to what's acceptable to watch. I remember watching an episode of "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" for BECA 370 and noticed that shows like these heavily use foul language on the pay-TV networks. The same could be said about "Dexter." However, since Showtime is a CBS network, the show had to be edited for language for its upcoming airings on CBS this spring.
Frightening or however you want to call it, I think "Dexter" is somewhat interesting to watch. While the current season on Showtime is on hold due to the Writers Guild of America strike, it joins other current CBS crime-detective dramas, such as the three "CSIs" and "NCIS" among others. Several major newspapers with critic's reviews believe that "Dexter" is worth watching. I agree with the critics and that's why, despite the graphic nature which freaks me out, I plan on watching the show's entire first season on CBS.

Another issue regarding the 49ers' new stadium plans.

Photo source: http://www.netnax.com/myspace-layouts/nfl/san-francisco-49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers' plans for a new stadium was brought up again last week. I read an article from sports writer Glenn Dickey in last Friday's Examiner newspaper and it looks like team owner Dr. John York once again is failing to cooperate with the city of San Francisco on talks of building a new stadium on the former Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard.

Rooting for the 49ers as my home team has declined since 2003. When it was announced in November 2006 that the ownership wants to relocate the team to a new stadium in Santa Clara, that's the time when I started to lose faith. As the news headlines of the stadium plans continued to come up in both the Examiner and the Chronicle, I decided to follow along with the stories. I would like to see the 49ers play in a new stadium in San Francisco. Right now that realization is on hold because of what is transpiring between the 49ers' ownership and The City. So much for the new stadium set to be built at Candlestick Point. In 1997, voters approved a $1 million bond measure to build a new stadium near the old facility. However, nothing happened since and I found out a few years ago that the previous owner was involved in a gambling scandal that cost him his ownership of the franchise. Since then The City and the 49ers continued their talks about the stadium plans up until November 2006, when news broke out that the team decided to relocate south to Santa Clara, where their current training facility is located.

Right now I am on the side of The City, Newsom, Feinstein and Migden, and it is up them and the NFL to keep our hometown team in San Francisco, playing in San Francisco. If the 49ers do play in Santa Clara, not only will they lose more home games but they will lose a huge percentage of their fan base and the battle to Feinstein if they misuse The City's identity in Santa Clara.

The Roger Clemens Steroid Trial

Photo source: Manuel Balce Ceneta, Associated Press (Feb. 12, 2008).

How much longer will the issue of MLB players abusing steroids go on? First Barry Bonds, now Roger Clemens. He is the latest athlete to testify before Congress that he never used any performance-enhancing drugs, including Human Growth Hormones. People close to Clemens, including his wife Debbie, former personal trainer Brian McNamee, and fellow pitcher and friend Andy Pettitte, are individually telling their own sides of the story.
Throughout much of this day, I've heard and read some news articles that Clemens repeatedly said the same answers to Congress' ongoing statements and questioning during the trial. Will there ever be an end to the scandals that are plaguing America's pasttime? Who will be plead guilty as this and future trials are brought up? And will fans still idolize their heroes after these hearings? As baseball fans we have yet to see how this will turn out.

My favorite Disney character.

Source: http://www.spotboricua.com/foro/index.php%3Fshowtopic=4814

Did everyone in this class grow up with a favorite Disney character? Today younger children are enjoying characters that they see in Disney films and TV shows, such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, the Disney Princesses, Lightning McQueen from Cars, Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Carribean, and even Hannah Montana. Today Disney characters from today and the past entertain young kids.

There is one classic Disney character I grew up watching and most kids today probably know him from recent years. His name is Herbie

from the series of classic Love Bug films released by Disney, such as The Love Bug in 1969, Herbie Rides Again in 1974, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo in 1977, Herbie Goes Bananas in 1980, and Herbie: Fully Loaded in 2005. The best way to describe him is that he is a 1963 VW Bug (pearl-white ragtop sunroof model) with number '53' racing gumballs and red, white, and blue racing stripes. The films portray him as a loveable matchmaking racecar with a heart, which is why he's able to win competitive races. He is popular among fans who watched the films and among VW Bug owners.

As a Disney character, kids and fans of Disney films should recognize this legendary character. This should allow kids to see that previous generations of Disney fans loved Herbie's personality and the joy he brings to anyone. Note: If you ever have a chance to watch the films, you'll be able to notice some minor changes to Herbie's appearance.