Some usefull info I thought I would share

December 21, 2006

   Subject: Hotel Magnetic Key Cards

Ever wonder what is on your magnetic key card?

A. Customer’s name

B. Customer’s partial home address

C. Hotel room number

D. Check-in date and out dates

E. Customer’s credit card number and expiration date!

When you turn them in to the front desk your personal information is
there for any employee to access by simply scanning the card in the
hotel scanner. An employee can take a hand full of cards home and
using a scanning device, access the information onto a laptop
computer and go shopping at your expense.

Simply put, hotels do not erase the information on these cards until
an employee re-issues the card to the next hotel guest. At that
time, the new guest’s information is electronically “overwritten” on
the card and the previous guest’s information is erased in the
overwriting process. But until the card is rewritten for the next
guest, it usually is kept in a drawer at the front desk with YOUR
INFORMATION ON IT!

The bottom line is:

Keep the cards, take them home with you, or destroy them.

NEVER! Leave them behind in the room or room wastebasket, and NEVER
turn them in to the front desk when you check out of a room. They
will not charge you for the card (it’s illegal) and you’ll be sure
you are not leaving a lot of valuable personal information on it
that could be easily lifted off with any simple scanning device card
reader.

For the same reason, if you arrive at the airport and discover you
still have the card key in your pocket, do not toss it in an airport
trash basket. Take it home and destroy it by cutting it up,
especially through the electronic information strip!

Information courtesy of: Pasadena Police Department

 

Found by David Schulkin


When bargain is too good to be true, its too good to be true

November 30, 2006

The subject line reads “Urgent Business Request,” and in the body of the message a seemingly desperate person asks the recipient to help transfer money out of Nigeria and into the U.S. The message, in broken English, is sprinkled with words like “top secret,” “trapped funds,” “utterly confidential,” and promises a cut of the funds in returnMost people who get these messages know it’s a common scam referred to as the “Nigerian e-mail scam” — officially called the “419 scam” and also called the Advance Fee Fraud — and they delete them.But others are falling for the 90-year-old trick, and it’s costing them hundreds — even thousands — of dollars.

Mary Winkler, the woman accused of killing her pastor husband in Tennessee, was said to have been duped by the scam, causing tension in her relationship with her husband. Her family members just this week claims she was abused by her spouse.A 76-year-old woman in Port Charlotte, Fla., recently reportedly lost $42,000 to the scam; she wired $30,000 to a person in New York and $12,000 to alleged employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria, a local paper in Florida reported.The number of people falling for the scam is steadily increasing, with 55,419 lodging complaints in 2005 of at least receiving an e-mail that appeared to be a scam, according to the Federal Trade Commission. That’s almost three times the amount received in 2002, which was 21,616.Because the scam takes so many forms and affects so many industries, it’s impossible to nail down exactly how much money is lost to the fraud, according to Patricia Armstrong of the Postal Service Inspection.But Audri Lanford, co-director of

Scambusters.org, a service that helps fight Internet fraud, estimates that $200 million a year is lost to the Nigerian e-mail scam or variations of it.There are three types of people who fall for Nigerian e-mail scams, according to Lanford, who says she has heard from hundreds of victims. Many who fall for it are typically under extreme financial difficulties.“They’re at the end of their rope,” Lanford said. “They look at this as a potential saving thing for them.”

The next group of victims typically expects something for nothing, she continued.

“They haven’t heard of it before, which at this point is surprising, and they’re excited that they can get this money for nothing — and they don’t wonder why someone’s going to give them millions of dollars.”

Lastly, she said, people affiliated with religious groups tend to fall victim to the scam. Frauds often target ministries, Lanford explained, because they are hoping to give large amounts of money to charity. “It isn’t for personal gain,” Lanford said.

Church leaders will receive an e-mail saying that the sender’s deceased spouse wanted their estate to go to a good cause, and the sender has picked this particular parish after praying to God. Then the minister or church leader is asked to send money to cover wire transfer costs and other incidentals.

Kim Bruce, spokeswoman for the U.S. Secret Service — the agency charged with investigating the fraud — said it’s nearly impossible to prosecute the scammers because they live in other countries.“It’s very prevalent,” Bruce said. “It’s out there, because we get word of it all the time. There aren’t a lot of arrests because it’s in other countries.”The Secret Service once kept a branch office in Lagos, Nigeria, to help investigate financial fraud stemming from that African country, according to the FTC.

The Nigerian government says the country is a hotbed for scammers because of mass unemployment among an educated population and large extended families for whom people have to provide for, according to an advisory issued by the Secret Service.

One of the reasons people are still getting swindled, Bruce said, is because there are several new twists to the same old scam.

Last month, an e-mail circulated posing to be from FBI Direct Robert Mueller, telling recipients they’ve inherited a large sum of money, and in order to retrieve it, they must obtain a special FBI-approved certificate. Of course, responders must send money in order to get the certificate.In another scam, instead of claiming to have inherited a large sum of money, some potential swindlers will pose as soldiers from Iraq needing to transfer money to a U.S. bank account. Then, just like the traditional scam, they will ask victims to wire them money to cover endless transfer fees, promising a cut of the final amount. Of course, there is no final amount. If a check is ever sent, it’s sure to be counterfeit.Another new trend, Bruce said, comes with the rise in popularity of auction Web sites.

“It’s very prevalent on Ebay, and people selling things online,” Bruce said.

Scammers will bid on an item for sale and tell the seller the check is in the mail. The seller ships off whatever he is selling — a $1,500 laptop computer, in the case of one trusting New Yorker, as reported by the New York Daily News — before receiving money for the purchase. Or the victim may do receive a check, but it bounces when cashed.

“The person will send the item, and then find out the check is counterfeit,” Bruce said.

Another trend involves classified ads. Scammers will post fake job ads, and interested parties are asked to fill out an application, complete with personal information that includes date of birth and Social Security number — everything the scammer needs to swindle the victim.

In the Iraq scam, the swindler poses as soldier needing to transfer money into a U.S. account. The victim then is asked to send money to cover the transfer fees.

The Army Criminal Investigation Command recently issued a press release warning people stationed overseas against e-mail scams. But Christopher Grey, chief of public affairs for the command, said the warning was only precautionary, and that soldiers aren’t being targeted by the scam.

“It is intended to assist our Army families. We just wanted to make sure we protect our force,” Grey said, adding that there are “very few, less than a handful” of reported cases of fraud in the Army.


This is as real as it gets folks

November 28, 2006

I am sure you saw the tape of “Kramer “doing his comedy routine and lost his professional cool and went ballistic on a black gentleman because of his comments about the show not being funny.

Which he had every right to do so, just as the comic had every right to work as a professional and would like a little respect from the audience. I am sure everyone would agree, that if someone came to your job and told you how poor of a worker you are and you are doing a shitty job you might have done worse and maybe even use physical force. I found this on the Internet and though I need to share it to broaden people horizons about people acting hypocritical towards each other.Please try to be civilized and think about this deeply before you comment.

Were you ever in that situation when you had to be a racist?

You can only be honest with yourself and in your heart you know if you did or did not, you dont have to tell us if you feel ashamed.

Someone finally said it. How many are actually paying attention to this?

There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, Native Americans, etc. and then there are just Americans.

You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction. You call me “Whiteboy”,”Cracker”, “Honkey”, “Whitey”, “Caveman” and that’s OK.

But when I call you, Nigger, Kike, Towelhead, Sand-Nigger, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, or Chink you call me a racist.

You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?

You have the United Negro College Fund.

You have Martin Luther King Day.

You have Black History Month.

You have Cesar Chavez Day.

You have Yom Hashoah

You have Ma’uled Al-Nabi

You have the NAACP.

You have BET.

If we had WET(White Entertainment Television) we’d be racists.

If we had a White Pride Day you would call us racists.

If we had White History Month, we’d be racists.

If we had any organization for only whites to “advance” our lives, we’d be racists.

We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce. Wonder who pays for that?

If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships, you know we’d be racists. There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges in the US, yet if there were “White colleges” that would be a racist college.

In the Million-Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights. If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you’re not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.

You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats up a black drug-dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.

Why is it that only whites can be racists?


Holidays are near and bargainshaq is ready

November 21, 2006

I just wanted to let people know that I am almost done with my virtual mall portal. I got aproved by major companies to give me referals special deals. You will find copmanies like Dell, Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, NBA, ESPN, NBC, NHL, NETFLIX, Fijitsu, Toshiba, Calvin Kline and many more. get all your gifts delivered right to your home. I am not sure where you live, but when I lived in NYC and Denver it was a crazy time trying to go shopping and ever a bigger challenge finding a parking spot. I am also working on building a complete new portal with SOBI category manager that will make it so much easier to search for bargains. Its a complete system that allows users search for an exact item they are looking for. I will keep everyone updated on when I am going to launch it.


Bargains for your wife or girlfriend

November 21, 2006

Mike Tyson To Be A Prostitute? Former boxing champion Mike Tyson is to become a male escort after agreeing to work at legendary Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss’ new legalized brothel for women. Fleiss bought 60 acres of land in Nevada, and his work is scheduled to begin on Heidi’s Stud Farm. She has high hopes for Tyson, once heavyweight champion of the world – despite the fact he is a convicted rapist. She says, “I told him, ‘You’re going to be my big stallion.’ It’s every man’s fear that their girlfriend will go for Mike Tyson.” Tyson, 40, adds, “I don’t care what any man says, it’s every man’s dream to please every woman – and get paid for it.”

Posted by Star Pulse 


Weight gain means lower gas mileage

October 25, 2006
10/25/2006, 4:49 p.m. ETBy LINDSEY TANNER

The Associated Press

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Want to spend less at the pump? Lose some weight. That’s the implication of a new study that says Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline each year than they did in 1960 because of their expanding waistlines. Simply put, more weight in the car means lower gas mileage.

Using recent gas prices of $2.20 a gallon, that translates to about $2.2 billion more spent on gas each year.

“The bottom line is that our hunger for food and our hunger for oil are not independent. There is a relationship between the two,” said University of Illinois researcher Sheldon Jacobson, a study co-author.

“If a person reduces the weight in their car, either by removing excess baggage, carrying around less weight in their trunk, or yes, even losing weight, they will indeed see a drop in their fuel consumption.”The lost mileage is pretty small for any single driver. Jacobson said the typical driver — someone who records less than 12,000 miles annually — would use roughly 18 fewer gallons of gas over the course of a year by losing 100 pounds. At $2.20 per gallon, that would be a savings of almost $40.

Outside experts said that even if the calculations aren’t exact, the study makes sense.

“If you put more weight into your car, you’re going to get fewer miles per gallon,” Emory University health care analyst Kenneth Thorpe said Wednesday.

The same effect has been seen in airplanes. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that heavy fliers have contributed to higher fuel costs for airlines.

The obesity rate among U.S. adults doubled from 1987 to 2003, from about 15 percent to more than 30 percent. Also, the average weight for American men was 191 pounds in 2002 and 164 pounds for women, about 25 pounds heavier than in 1960, government figures show.

The study’s conclusions are based on those weight figures and Americans’ 2003 driving habits, involving roughly 223 million cars and light trucks nationwide.


Schnide,Shnide,Scheid Whatever It Is Get Off It

October 17, 2006

Once again your faithful fan planted himself in front of the television and hoped for a bargain Monday Night Football. I really wanted to see what the hype was all about in regards to a new stadium and I was impressed. Well spent $450 million to put a new bird in a new cage. Cards being 1-4, even though being at home did not look promising since they were playing the number one team in the NFL Chicago Bears. The atmosphere right from the start favored Arizona with the noise level that would match any stadium in the nation. It looked like a giant pizza spread with sauce and a few patches of sausages here and there representing the Bear fans. The roof was open and the birds were ready to fly, and fly they did. To everyone’s surprise they shut out Bears in the first half leading 20-0 with Leinart throwing for two TD’s and defense with 4 turnovers. I am sure everyone in America including the players themselves never imagined being up by 20 on the only undefeated team left. I hung out before running to the fridge to see the Jay-Z video (YAWN). Looked liked just another semi educated rapper that got together with some powerful Jews and learned the corporate ropes, but that is another article all together. Besides listening to Tony Kornheisers babble, who most likely couldn’t make the girls cheerleading squad in high school, tell me about football.

Back from the fridge and looked like I didn’t miss much at all, same people still rambling on about things that have nothing to do with the game or football. What a team they have assembled. I can get passed the two ladies doing the sideline interviews with players. I mean, since they have so much experience playing the game of football or paying with football players why wouldn’t you hire two lovely women to work “the sideline”. Anyway here comes the second half and this is where the bird’s wing broke .

Mr. Green started to work the clock without realizing there is still 30 minutes left in the game. I am not sure why you would go away from a game plan that gave you a 20-0 lead and start running the ball with a running back is known to fumble in key situations. Gee, you think Colts let go of a 1000-yard rusher because they hate to run?

                                       Gms     Fumbls

1999 Indianapolis Colts 16        8

2000 Indianapolis Colts 16       5

2001 Indianapolis Colts   6        3 
2002 Indianapolis Colts 14       4

2003 Indianapolis Colts 13       5 
2004 Indianapolis Colts 16       6

2005 Indianapolis Colts 15       2 
2006 Arizona Cardinals   6       1

TOTAL                           102    34

As you can see there is a history of Mr. James fumbling in key situations which is about roughly 30% of the time. Not the guy you want running the ball when you are trying to run out the clock. Green as a coach has been known for his conservative nature and maybe that is the reason why he is in Arizona and Vikings are 3-2. I wish he had put some of that anger on the field and channeled it to his player rather then the press after the game. I don’t think green will be with Cards next year, mostly because of his decisions made during the Bear game. This was a perfect chance to show the fans that there is hope with a new QB and some star additions on the team birds will fly some day. Instead they turned into salmon that was too weak to make it up the stream and got eaten by the big bad Bear.


One Way to Support Our City Finest

October 17, 2006

Three fast-food restaurant workers were taken into custody Sunday evening after two police officers discovered that the hamburgers they had ordered had been sprinkled with marijuana.

The Isleta Police Department officers were had eaten about half of their burgers from a Burger King restaurant in Los Lunas before realizing that something was wrong. Opening the burgers, they discovered marijuana sprinkled on top of the meat.

“One of the officers, when he was eating his hamburger, he said, ‘This thing tastes like it has marijuana in it,’” said Lieutenant Joseph Sanchez of the Los Lunas Police Department. “And that’s when he opened it up to see what was inside.”

The officers used a field test kit, which confirmed that the green, leafy substance was pot.

Officials say that the officers began acting odd after ingesting the marijuana and their sergeant sent them to a hospital for a medical evaluation.

The three Burger King employees were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and aggravated battery on an officer, which is a felony. They’ve been identified as 19-year-old Justin Armijo, 21-year-old Robert Nuckols and their manager, 33-year-old Joseph Ledefma.


NFL’s Seven Deadly Sins

October 6, 2006

They are the lessons of avoidance that are supposed to keep us on the path. Stay virtuous, live right and avoid the seven deadly sins: Lust, gluttony, greed, wrath, envy, pride and sloth.Applied to the NFL landscape, they are merely seven vices that shape the league and fill the sports pages. And believe it or not, each year they shape the Super Bowl chase. So in honor of the vices that sort out the pretenders and contenders, we give you a list of teams that have committed sins that are bound to shape the postseason.

Starting with everyone’s favorite …

  • The sin: LUST (otherwise known as unwholesome morality)
    The sinner: Cincinnati BengalsWe know about all the arrests (six different players in the last year), the league discipline (Odell Thurman dismissed for the season), and the recent benching of wideout Chris Henry (leader in the clubhouse with four arrests in the last 12 months). What we don’t know is how all of the off-the-field issues are going to come home to roost. But for those who are seeking a good example, Sunday’s blowout loss to the Patriots was a perfect illustration.

    Cincinnati has issues against good running teams, resulting in its standing as the league’s 26th-ranked rush defense. Only the Titans and Jets have given up more rushing touchdowns (eight apiece) than Cincinnati (seven), and no team in the league has surrendered more first downs via the run (39). What does that have to do with Cincinnati’s offseason problems? It has plenty to do with the loss of Thurman, who was the team’s leading tackler in 2005. His improvement was supposed to accentuate the run-plugging abilities of offseason addition Sam Adams.

    Without Thurman, the Bengals have been reduced to a group of chase and tackle linebackers – a significant problem when you consider the strength of several Super Bowl contenders in the AFC – San Diego, Baltimore and New England – will be the running game. Worse yet, the season-ending injury to David Pollack had already left their overall depth at linebacker thin, and losing Thurman (who also had five interceptions last season) takes away another playmaking element. Clearly, the margin of error for Cincinnati’s players has shrunk off the field. The only question now is whether the uncontrolled lusts of some of guys like Thurman and Henry will cost them too much on it.

  • The sin: GLUTTONY (otherwise known as overindulgence)
    The sinner: Atlanta FalconsNot to beat a one-dimensional horse, but the Falcons’ current dominance in the running game is going to become a problem. Maybe not now or through Week 17, but when the playoffs come around, someone is going to solve the option attack that has lit up opponents to the ridiculous tune of 234.2 yards per game. Yes, for the third straight year, the Falcons are leading the league in rushing. And for the third straight year, they are trolling the depths of the league in passing offense (31st overall), after finishing 27th and 30th the last two seasons.

    We can celebrate the Falcons’ vaunted defensive aggression all we want. Certainly that and the running game should be enough to vault Atlanta into the playoffs once again. But the single-dimension offense promises to be the franchise’s postseason undoing yet again, just like it was in the 2004 playoffs. It should be remembered that Atlanta destroyed St. Louis en route to the NFC championship game, rolling up 327 rushing yards. Then the Falcons encountered a defense that had one goal: hem in quarterback Michael Vick and the running game, and force the Falcons to throw the ball. The result? Atlanta rushed for 99 yards, and Vick completed 11 of 24 passes with one interception and no touchdowns. Oh, and the Falcons lost 27-10.

    And yet, somehow, this postseason might be different? Not likely. Not with two of the league’s best rushing defenses, Chicago and Seattle, expected to stand in the way. And not with the Falcons already showing in the loss to New Orleans that when they fall behind and need to move via a passing attack, the results aren’t pretty. Perhaps the answer is a quarterback rotation with Matt Schaub. It sounds unconventional and far-fetched, but so is winning a Super Bowl while relying on the option attack.

  • The sin: GREED (otherwise known as overriding need for wealth)
    The sinner: Indianapolis Colts

    Manning and James
    Greed ended the partnership of Manning
    (left) and former teammate James.

    Quarterback Peyton Manning called it a bittersweet day when he lost running back Edgerrin James this offseason. And yet, when James was asked why he left Indianapolis, he intimated that it really came down to one thing: The Colts weren’t willing to pay him. Why? The team was already looking at being cap strapped with a massive amount of cash tied up in Manning, wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison, defensive end Dwight Freeney and defensive tackle Corey Simon. The spectacular amount of cap room invested in those players meant James couldn’t be afforded.

    Now, all those players should keep their checkbooks in mind when they are struggling to establish a running game while facing their most difficult Super Bowl trek in years. Yes, business is business. That’s understandable in this league. But there is a reality for highly-paid superstars in the salary cap era, too. If you truly want a ring, you have to be willing to forgo some of your own financial gains if you want your franchise to retain some cornerstone teammates. If Manning wanted to win a Super Bowl, he and some of those other stars should have found a way to free up the cap space to keep James a Colt while the Super Bowl window is still open the next 2-3 seasons.

    Consider this: James is going to make roughly $5 million a season the next three years. Meanwhile, the extension Manning signed in 2004 pays him roughly triple that – about $15 million annually. Maybe it’s inconceivable to expect a player to take less than his maximum value for the good of the team. But New England quarterback Tom Brady (ahem, three time Super Bowl winner) did it when he signed for about $8 million less in guaranteed money than Manning, and almost $11 million less than Michael Vick.

  • The sin: WRATH (otherwise known as vengeful feelings toward another)
    The sinner: New England PatriotsPerhaps wide receivers Doug Gabriel and Troy Brown, and tight end Ben Watson will be able to fill the void left behind by Deion Branch. But clearly, the Patriots’ passing offense is feeling the pains of the offseason beef that ended with a divorce from Branch. Say whatever you want about financial logic and rules. The bottom line: the Patriots have plenty of acreage under the salary cap and could have afforded to keep Brady’s favorite target without destroying the precious balance of the franchise’s checkbook. Instead, the team took a hard line stance and basically told Branch they didn’t think he was worth what the open market would dictate.

    Make no mistake, the Patriots took it personally when Branch held out. And the suggestion that he pursue a trade was a vengeful ploy that blew up in their face. It certainly wasn’t the first financial low blow attempted, either (see: Lawyer Milloy’s last-minute release in 2003). The reality is, every offseason there is some kind of tiff with a player who wants to be paid. Disagreements that tend to end the same way: with New England incurring its roster-trimming wrath and talent leaving in a huff.

    In reality, the Patriots came with an unnecessary iron fist this offseason and alienated a valuable player. Branch was a Super Bowl MVP who also happened to be the team’s most dependable receiving option, and whose impact was bigger than just numbers. You can bet New England’s militant fallout with Branch has plenty to do with Brady posting arguably his least efficient four-game stretch in his career. And you can bet his loss will loom large when key plays are needed for a Super Bowl run, too.

  • The sin: ENVY (otherwise known as an insatiable desire for love or success)
    The sinner: Dallas CowboysYou can look at this two ways: the endless need of Terrell Owens to be in the spotlight, or Dallas’ desperate attempt to inject itself back into the league’s hype machine. Make no mistake, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has no regrets about the buzz of controversy that has swirled around his franchise since acquiring Owens. Dallas is relevant and entertaining again, just like it was during the ongoing soap operas that marked the Jimmy Johnson/Barry Switzer eras. But by tying themselves to Owens, the Cowboys have cast their lot with a player who has shown unparalleled and destructive jealousies throughout his career.

    Forget the attempted suicide/accidental overdose/rogue publicist fiasco. Owens’ need for attention was a problem from Day 1, with the gristmill churning release of his book on the eve of training camp. The donning of the Tour De France style jersey during training camp; skipping voluntary workouts in the offseason; oversleeping and missing meetings – it has all perpetuated an ongoing circus of attention that Owens and the Cowboys have embraced.

    But we know the end of this story. Whether it’s Drew Bledsoe’s recent comments that Terry Glenn is the best receiver he’s ever thrown to – or something else along the way – the marriage between Owens and Dallas is due to fracture. It may be in the form of the typical T.O. sideline tongue lashing. Or it may be with Parcells walking away from the drama this offseason. The only question is whether the Cowboys can win a Super Bowl in spite of the circus they craved, because it certainly won’t be because of it.

  • The sin: PRIDE (otherwise known as Vanity)
    The sinner: Pittsburgh Steelers

    Joey Porter's sunglasses
    Porter (center) and the Steelers might have
    become too cool for their own good.

    Remember the blue collar, hard hat mentality that typified the Steelers? It’s fading. If you haven’t noticed, the Steelers spent the offseason loving themselves on multiple levels. There were the “we’re-too-smart-for-our-own-good” personnel moves like failing to complete a trade for bruising back T.J. Duckett in favor of finding a short-yardage guy within the roster (the attempt failed). And lest we forget, at a time when every team in the league had red-flagged draft prospect Santonio Holmes, the Steelers tabbed him as the guy who would soften the loss of wide receiver Antwaan Randle El (it might take a few seasons).

    But for real moments of vanity, you had to hear coach Bill Cowher’s mocking comments of Cincinnati’s “Who Dey” chant, or see Joey Porter’s “I’m the biggest badass you ever met” sunglasses routine at the White House ceremony. And of course, there was Ben Roethlisberger’s bulletproof biker mistake. Roethlisberger’s accident and lack of work with his receiving corps in the offseason are costing Pittsburgh plenty. Not to mention the defense’s consistent woofing during games, something that seems to have become an outgrowth of Porter’s pre-game routine at the 50-yard line.

    What made Pittsburgh great last season was that it stuck to its core run-first belief and developed a sense that it was an underappreciated team. Values that were supposed to stick after the Steelers made the mistake of integrating a pass-first mentality in 2002 and 2003. Cowher vowed to always remember the core values once Roethlisberger became the starter. And for two years, Pittsburgh made good on the promise. Now? The Steelers are 11th in the league in rushing and Roethlisberger has thrown 71 passes in his two starts (including an unthinkable end zone interception from first and goal on the Cincinnati 6-yard line). Hype, glitz and woofing won’t deliver another Super Bowl. Core blue collar values and discipline will.

  • The sin: SLOTH (otherwise known as laziness)
    The sinner: Chicago Bears? Baltimore Ravens? Philadelphia Eagles?It’s hard to say there can be anything lazy about an NFL player or franchise, but at the end of the season, complacency and a penchant for sitting stars always seems to cost someone.

    Last year, look no further than the Indy’s Manning, who threw a grand total of 14 passes his final two regular season games, then sat through a bye week in the playoffs and came out looking terribly rusty against an aggressive Pittsburgh defense. The same could have been said for Chicago, which sat quarterback Rex Grossman in the regular season finale against Minnesota – despite the fact that he had only two games (and one start) under his belt.

    The Bears paid dearly for that mistake, with Grossman going 17-of-41 passing and looking out of synch in a home playoff loss. And guess what? Chicago might be the biggest candidate for this sin yet again, considering they play in the NFL’s weakest division and have a schedule that could lead to 13, 14 or even 15 wins and a cruising mentality heading into the postseason. There’s no telling which teams will lock up their playoff berths the earliest and then start getting overly protective with their players. But you can count on it happening. And if there is anything to be learned from history, it’s a sin that will surely alter the Super Bowl chase.


  • Interesting study

    October 3, 2006

    A study conducted by UCLA’s Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the
    kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on
    where she is in her menstrual cycle.

    For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features. However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with scissors lodged in his temple and a
    bat jammed up his ass while he is on fire.

    No further studies are expected