“The Lauerman family would like to thank all of our customers for their patronage! Wally, Mike and Kristen Lauerman,” the note concluded.

Hanson, for one, will miss the bar.

“There’s just a lot of character in it. I love the way it was built, with all the wood.

“The employees were awesome, too,” Hanson said. “It’s not like when you go into a real busy bar and they get your order and that’s it.

“The people, to me, felt like people,” Hanson said.

Founder Jim Lauerman opened the bar at 64 Broadway in 1982.

When he died in 2004, family members took over the business.

They included his daughter Greta, and two sons, Mike and Wally.

Jim Lauerman’s No. 2 Saloon, at 2410 Great Northern Drive in Fargo, closed in 2005 after 11 years of operation.

At the time, Greta Lauerman said the family was taking the step so it could concentrate on its downtown business.

On Monday, Greta Lauerman said she and her siblings respected the hard work their father and mother, Brenna, put into the bar, but they decided it was time to do something different.

“We needed to follow our own dreams,” she said.

Spider Johnke, owner of Spider & Co., was among the first to meet Jim Lauerman when Lauerman moved to Fargo from Long Beach, Calif.

Johnke said Lauerman, who had worked in oil fields and served in Vietnam, established a true neighborhood bar.

“The second time you came in, they knew what your drink was,” Johnke said.

The bar’s closing creates one more empty downtown storefront, leaving next-door-neighbor Broadway Subs something of an island.

Fargo Deputy City Auditor Sharon Plecity said Monday that the city has not been contacted regarding Lauerman’s liquor license.

Unless a new operator applies for the license, it will automatically terminate if:

• There is no sale of alcohol for a period of 30 consecutive business days.

• If alcohol is not sold on at least 15 of any 60 consecutive business days.

• If the business is not open for at least 180 hours over the course of 60 consecutive business days.

The city charges an initial fee of $25,000 for the Class I license Lauerman’s holds, Plecity said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Olson at (701) 241-5555.

Fantasy Football Hurts Me

I have found myself a broken man after only one week of fantasy football. Despite the fact that I had the first overall pick in our draft, I lost. Despite the fact that I selected one of the finest quarterbacks and receivers, I lost. Despite what I thought was a fairly good team that was projected to score nearly 125 points, I lost- big. Facing Beseler on the first game of the season, I managed to get absolutely murdered by scoring just barely over 60 points to Beseler's 149.75. It was crazy. I suddenly felt the need to withdraw from fantasy football! Maybe Tanya was right- fantasy football is stupid!

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August 23, 2007
Christopher Hanson

Jazz Drummer Max Roach Passes Away

"You can’t write the same book twice. Though I’ve been in historic musical situations, I can’t go back and do that again. And though I run into artistic crises, they keep my life interesting..."

Max Roach
1924-2007

Michael Vick is an Idiot

I don't know if a whole lot more needs to be said about this since anyone with a brain can probably figure out that Michael Vick is an idiot. Once a respected leader and quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, he now faces a good portion of jail time and the probable end of his NFL career by being charged by federal authorities with felony charges of operating an interstate dog fighting venture (known as "Bad Newz Kennels") at his home in Virginia. Vick was accused of financing the operation, directly participating in dog fights and executions, and personally handling thousands of dollars in related gambling activities. What in the world made him think this was a good idea? The guy is rich and has came from nothing as a poor child to a wealthy and talented athlete. I'm totally confused more and more by celebrities who piss it all away. It makes me happy that I'm just a common man working to make a living and making ends meet.

What to Name the New Band?

What in the world will we name our new band? We want to do a punk/ska/rock band that features a three-horn front. The band will feature Eddie, Christopher, Russ, Josh, Tanya, and Jessy. Do you have any suggestions? So far, examples of names have included The Daggarfaces, The Crown of Horns, and Skaffirmative Action. Got a suggestion? Let us know. The group is getting ready to fire up rehearsals in September, and hopefully things will be in full-roll by November. We will rock again. It will be glorious, and you will most certainly take notice...

Insane Scoring...

In sports news, the Ravens scored only one field goal in their matchup against the Texans, who scored 30...oh wait, that wasn't football. It was actually the Texas Rangers putting the beating down on the Baltimore Orioles. (Besides, the Texans never score 30 points in a game, anyhow...) Every player in the Rangers lineup got at least two hits. Ever player in the Rangers lineup scored two runs with the exception of one player. The Orioles ERA rose from 4.40 to 4.63 in just nine innnings. No Oriole pitcher allowed less than 6 earned runs in the game. Now, that was something for the history books. Good work, Baltimore. You keep making your ball club look better. Well, maybe not that, but at least you keep people looking at your ball club.

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November 18, 2006
Christopher Hanson

Democrats Take Back the House and Senate

The American people made a statement two weeks ago when election day came, and the Republicans took a beating as the Democrats took a commanding lead in the House, while gaining a slight majority in the Senate. It seemed that lowering support for how the war is being handled played the biggest part in the results, although the Republicans had a lot to worry about. After the elections, Defense Secretery Donald Rumsfeld voluntarily quit his post, and signs that others will be moved out soon were also seen. America will take on a new look over the next two years, though I wouldn't count on radical change, as Republicans are now scouring ever move any Democrat makes searching out errors that willl gain them more support in the next elections two years out.

The Colts are the Only Undefeated NFL Team

Despite key injuries to several defensive players and a couple of big offensive players, the Indianapolis Colts have managed to power themselves to a 9-0 record over half way through the season. Peyton Manning has done his work, throwing 18 touchdowns and running two in, while the defense has held its own, plugging holes in an injury-depleted group. The team has worked together and made good things happen. The Colts have managed the last three wins in tight scoring games, but will probably have no problem this week with the Houston Texans.

Beseler's Fantasy League

Over half way through the fantasy football season, Beseler's 'Little Deranged Green Men' league is in a somewhat tight lock in the standings. A three-way tie for first place (7-3) is in force heading into tomorrows action, and one team is sitting in 4th at 6-4. Two teams are back at 4-6, but could make moves to come back considering the strong competition of the league.

Standings as of Week 10

Rank	Team	W	L	GB	PCT	PTS
1	Ragin' Caucasians	7	3	-	.700	1268.00
2	Poop Chutes	7	3	-	.700	1100.00
3	Staphylococcus (Ryan)	7	3	-	.700	1077.00
4	Ents (Aaron)	6	4	1	.600	997.25
5	The Amazin' Asians (Christopher)	4	6	3	.400	1003.00
6	Boeser (Matt)	4	6	3	.400	897.50
7	Cumbubbles (Mikey)	3	7	4	.300	975.25
8	Fletch Lives (Eric)	2	8	5	.200	896.00

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NDSU vs. SDSU for More than the Marker

The Bison take on the SDSU Jackrabbits tonight in search of something more than the Dakota Marker. More importantly, the herd are in search of the Conference Championship. At present, SDSU and NDSU are tied with perfect 3-0 conference records. This matchup means very much to the Bison, who have not won a conference championship since the mid-90's. If you're a Bison fan, get your ass out there and cheer them on. The Bison have had a hell of a fine football season, and are making a big name for themselves in Division I-AA football!

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September 22, 2006
Christopher Hanson

Rodriguez Sentenced to Death

It only took the jury a day and a half to sentence Alfonso Rodriguez to death for his crimes. The family of Dru Sjodin will finally find some peace in knowing that Rodriguez has been found guilty and punished for his crimes. While North Dakota doesn't have the death penalty, the trial was a federal trial, allowing for the jury to punish by death. Given the outragous and cruel crimes that he committed, I see no other penalty that would be more proper. Nothing will ever bring Dru Sjodin back to her family, but perhaps this will bring some closure to what more than likely seemed like a nightmare that will not go away for some time.

South Park is Ten Years Old

Can you believe it? The creation of Matt Stone and Trey Parker has lasted ten years! After years of controversy, the show has survived it's harshest critics, and has provided us with silly situations and poked fun at pretty much all of the serious issues in the world. They have survived making fun of Scientology, Family Guy, and Mel Gibson. They have pushed the envelope on censorship. They've done it all, really. How long the show will last is uncertain, but for now, you can enjoy all of the vulgar storylines and the mocking of celebrities for at least another year.

Tony Stewart Misses the Chase

Tony Stewart came into the final race before the chase just 45 points ahead of Kasey Kahne. In the end, he left the track out of the chase altogether. While Kahne finished 3rd in the race, Stewart fell behind driving his backup car after crashing earlier in the weekend. He ended up finishing fifteen spots behind Kahne, costing him a chance to defend his Nextel Cup trophy. Stewart will battle again next year for the opportunity to come back to his usual self, but until then, he has the final eight races to prove that he hasn't lost his touch in NASCAR.

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September 3, 2006
Christopher Hanson

NDSU Bison Football is Back

The NDSU Bison made a statement this past Thursday with a blowout win in their home and season opener at the Fargodome. The Bison hosted Concordia- St. Paul for their first game of the season. The Bison pretty much had control of the entire game with the exception of the first play of the game, the kickoff from Concordia to NDSU, where the returner fumbled the ball twice and lost it at the 4-yard line. The Bears attempted three times unsuccesfully to score, then managed a touchdown by the way of a faked field goal. But, that was about it for the Bears, as they were shut down the rest of the game- basically the last 58 minutes of the game. The final score ended up being 66-7, and hopefully we see the same kind of play the entire season.

The GSMB is also Back

Also back on the field was a signifiganly smaller Gold Star Band, or at least much smaller than bands I had been used to being a part of. It looked like there about 80-85 members, down quite a ways from the days of 125-135 that I was used to being a part of. The band looked fairly good in both pre-game and during halftime. I was disappointed to see the Armed Forces medley gone from pre-game, but was happy to see somewhat different drill incorperated. The part of the band that most disappointed me was how they sounded. There seemed to be little energy or accuracy in the stands in particular. It just seemed restless. I send my congratulations to Erin Ott, who looked good as the newest drum major in the group. Good work, it's good to see someone down there who really deserves the chance to be there.

Jazz Star and Educator Passes Away

A little over a week ago, Maynard Ferguson passed away from complications with his kidneys and liver. Ferguson is probably most well known for his powerful trumpet chops and and incredible range and endurance. In the music world, he was also quite well known for his passion for education. Maynard, who never graduated high school, was one of the biggest supporters of music and jazz education in the nation, and made a living taking his bands and performances to high schools and colleges all around the nation. Maynard will be missed by many, but his recordings will keep his spirit alive for quite some time.

Twins in the Hunt

As the end of the Major League season looms, the Minnesota Twins are hanging on for dear life as contenders for the AL Wild Card. Currently, they sit a half game out behind fellow division members, the Chicago White Sox. It's amazing to see the Twins playing as well as they are right now after a questionable start of the season back in April and May. However, Ron Gardenhire has gotten the team on track. The Twins have less than a month to make the final charge to the post-season. I think they stand a great chance to get in. Keep cheering for the Twins...

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August 26, 2006
Aaron Beseler

Isaac Hayes' new job after leaving South Park

That's right, the great Shaft landed quite a winning role after leaving South Park for "spiritual" reasons. He has the distinct pleasure of playing the "Elegant Man" in the Sci-Fi Channel's made-for-TV movie, Anonymous Rex. The best thing about the movie? Daniel Baldwin plays a lead part. That's right, the Baldwin magic will be seen once more invading homes around the nation. The movie itself is about lizards the evolved from dinosaurs into human size, intelligent creatures who use holographic disguises to appear human and then kill those who find out they are lizards. Awesome!! It makes you wish that Canada actually would bomb the Baldwins like in South Park, huh?

Fantasy Football Season is upon us...

Yes, it's that wonderful time of year when Fantasy Football starts up again. This year, we went with a live draft, which seemed to be preferable to pretty much everyone involved. It gives you a lot more freedom to change your pick depending on others' first picks. I managed to snag Steve Smith again this year, along with Tom Brady, Donald Driver, Rod Smith, Corey Dillon, Jeremy Shockey, and LaMont Jordan rounding out the rest of my starting offense, as well as Carolina's defense. I don't see one team as being incredibly dominant, but we'll have to wait and see after the regular season begins. I sure hope my fantasy team does something good, 'cause I can pretty much guarantee the Vikings are going to crash and burn this year...again.

VS VS

The Next-Gen Video Game War is coming to the forefront...

The Nintendo Wii is getting ready to launch, and should hit the US with a price tag lower than $250. PS3 will launch on November 17th, with a price tag of either $499 or $599 depending on which option you choose. Xbox 360 is already on the market with options for $300 or $400 packages. The Nintendo system seems to be more more innovative in terms of system and controls, but I think they'll run into the same problems they always have, which is exclusivity of games and dominance in the software market. 360 seems to be doing pretty well currently, with a firm grip on the industry that I don't think is going to get shaken off by PS3 when it comes out. While the price tag may not hurt some types of fanatics, many others will be turned off of the new Sony system for a long time waiting for that thing to drop in price. The other factor that will probably hurt Sony in the long run is the Blu-ray technology. Sure, PS3 has Blu-ray built in, but quite frankly, it still has glitches. 360 is offering an HD-DVD add-on for those who are interested, which would still put the price of the higher-level 360 at the same price as the crappy PS3 package. Nintendo, meanwhile, will stay out of the DVD war, just like it always has. Personally I applaud Nintendo, love the 360, and I hope PS3 dies a slow, miserable death.

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August 8, 2006
Christopher Hanson

Jessy Got a Job

Jessy got a job. What more can be said? Tim Smith called me today to let me know the news, and I was expecting frogs to start falling out of the sky. But, alas, it did not happen, and my theory that Jessy getting a job was a sign of the apocalypse was incorrect. Anyhow, I'm not sure what Jessy will be doing there, but if he's making the pitas, I would expect new items to going on the menu such as the gi-normous gyro or the plentiful pita. We'll see.

Dixie Chicks Cancel in Fargo

The Dixie Chicks cancelled a number of shows for the month of August after fairly poor ticket sales in the midwest. Shows were canned in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Fargo to name just a few. These states are fairly to heavily conservative states, and people falling under those aspects are generally not happy with the Dixie Chicks' stance on the war in Iraq.

Jass 2006 is in the Books

And, that's just that. The twelfth Jass Festival went down on Sunday, and it felt really good. The bands played really well, and despite the fact that we weren't able to have a vocal jazz group, we made the show go off well. The big band and the combo added a song or two for the show to make up for the time, and we made things happen. The big band was one of the best we've ever had. The saxes were great, the bones were making it happen, and the trumpets played incredibly well with the lead parts split around the band. Good stuff. Chris Gould wrote a pair of songs for the show, marking the first time we've had original tunes written especially for the show. Jessy did a fabulous job making the big band sound great. It seems as though everyone had a good time and felt good about the show. This is a great stepping stone to making Jass even bigger and better next year. The future holds much as far as I can see.

Landis Disgraces America

Look at that- another reason for the rest of the world to think America is a bunch of bad people. Floyd Landis won the Tour de France, then jolted the world with positive drug tests. Wonderful work. He failed two tests in a row, one which basically said that he had ten times the level of testosterone of a normal person. At any rate, Landis has not yet been stripped of his yellow jersey, but it seems inevitable that it will happen when the bosses of the sport meet to talk it over. Despite it all, Landis continues to claim his innocence, which is interesting to me in spite of the results of the tests. More to come on this issue...

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July 1, 2006
Christopher Hanson

The SOL Band's Explination

I decided to do a little experiment just for kicks and giggles. One of the electric bass players that I respect and admire out here in Fargo, one Caleb Mott, recently was let go by a popular local rock band called the SOL Band. I decided to send an anonymous question to the band asking about Caleb's recent sudden departure from the band. One day after asking, I recieved an answer and reply to my question, which simply said, "Bands change, so it goes, we wish him the best, but he is off to other things. Thanks." I'm not so sure Caleb even knows why we was let go from the band. The answer from the band didn't really shed any light on why, either in my opinion. Shame on SOL for letting an outstanding musical asset.

Study: Drunk Drivers vs. Drivers on Cell Phones

A University of Utah study has found that people driving while talking on cell phones get into more accidents than people who are driving while legally intoxicated. No kidding. The study found that people who are driving while using cell phones don't pay attention to much of anything, to include important things such as the speed limit, following distances, and the flow of traffic. The study also pointed out that a lot of drunk drivers are actually really trying hard to drive legally, and actually do pay attention to the environment around them. Now, this is not to say that you shouldn't drive with cell phones, but driving drunk is fine by all standards as pointed out in this study. Just be careful in your car, pay attention, and drive carefully. But just food for thought- don't you wish you couldn't been part of that study? The study utilized driving simulators where either a subject was talked to on a cell phone by a researcher, or the subject got to sit around and drink for an hour or more, than tossed into the simulator. If that's what we call a study, sign me up, I'll participate, and I'll even pay for my own booze!

Jennifer was Home

Jennifer Schwind, Eddie's wife, made a trek home to Fargo for a few days from her training time at Ft. McCoy, Wisconsin, and we took the time to hang with her as much as we could. She returned home on Wednesday, and came out for a few drinks on Thursday night at Fort Noks. Along with Jennifer was Eddie, myself, Russ, Brad, and Mike. Jennifer leaves back for Ft. McCoy on Sunday, then will be heading to the Sunshine State of Florida where she will be stationed in the Tampa Bay area until her actual deployment overseas. We wish the best of luck to her, and I hope to see her before she heads off abroad.

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June 27, 2006
Aaron Beseler

Miami wins its first NBA Championship

Miami came back from two games down to take the Championship in 6 games over the Dallas Mavericks. Way to go Miami. Not that Shaq needed another ring, but Wade definitely deserved it, just like he deserved the Finals MVP trophy. Should he be compared to Michael Jordan, though? I think there’s a legitimate argument for that, but on the other hand, everyone else who has been touted as the next Jordan has fallen short before getting too far into their careers. So is Wade just another early-riser who is going to stumble or will he keep going? On another note, I’m glad that Dirk Novitski was on the losing side of the Finals equation. Something about the guy really doesn’t agree with me. I laughed pretty hard when he kicked the basketball after losing a game that Dallas was up by 12 in (I think it was game 3 or 4, not sure). I guess he’ll have one more off-season to think about the fact that Dallas was a better team and still couldn’t hold it together long enough to win a championship.

Cell phones...more and more studies emerge...

Cell phones cause brain tumors, cancer, etc.. is not a new idea, it’s been floating around for years and years. One of the most recent studies has reinstated the possibility of physical harm due to cell phone usage, though. The electromagnetic frequencies that a dominant percentage of cell phones utilize end up exciting parts of the brain that could contribute and act as a catalyst for any other brain defects, including disease and tumors, and this study only had users use the phone for 45 minutes. Whether any definite conclusions will ever emerge out of the cell phone debate is anyone’s guess.

NASCAR has another driver thanks to video games

Hanson and Emma will both have one more person on the track trying to take down their respective favorite racers, and Brad Coleman says he’s there because of video games. Coleman raced go-karts when he was just getting into his teens, but never raced outside of a simulator before debuting in the Busch series of NASCAR. He played Sega Genesis, Playstation, Xbox, and computer racing games that have “honed” his racing skills, and helped him adapt to being a NASCAR driver. Now we’ll see if he can break into the Nextel cup with success as well. I guess the moral of this story is that your life might get better if you play more video games.

Harry Potter is coming to an end, maybe literally

J.K. Rowling is now the richest woman in England, thanks to Harry Potter, and now she’ll put wrap up the series that has made her so popular. Her books have caught the attention of millions of people and most of the people who continue to read have invested themselves into the characters, so Rowling’s latest proclamation will come to a shock to many, I’m sure. Apparently she is going to kill off at least 2 primary characters, and might even end up killing Harry off. That would put quite a spin on the final story, huh?

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June 26, 2006
Christopher Hanson

Screw Taco Bell

No joke there, you should all join me in never eating at Taco Bell again, or at least not at the one on 19th Avenue North. Let me tell you why. On Friday, the 188th Army Band was invited to perform on The Early Show (CBS) during live feeds from the Fargo Air Museum. We were asked to be at the site at or around 5:30am. When myself and several of my fellow soldiers showed up to the museum, we found that there was no parking available at the museum, as a large crowd had shown for the event. Several of us parked at Taco Bell. While we noticed the no parking signs, we simply figured that (a)they would know there was a major event going on across the street and (b) we could be out of their parking lot before Taco Bell opened at 9:00am. Anyhow, we went and played and represented our Armed Forces, the Army, and the National Guard with our music, then left to head back to the Armory at 8:30am. As I rounded the corner to my car, I was greeted to the sight of a tow truck preparing to tow my vehicle away. One of my fellow soldier's car was also strung up. Two vehicles had already been towed from the parking lot. Upon talking with the tow truck driver, we were informed that Taco Bell management had called to have our vehicles towed. We spoke with an employee, who simply told us that if we had a problem, we had to speak with the coorperate offices. We tried to explain that we were doing public service work across the street, and we were given the same explination over and over again. I found it offensive and apaulling that the employees would not contact a manager to listen to our claims, and I was bothered by their attitudes toward us considering our situation. When all was said and done, the towing cost the four of us over $350.

I plan on sending out an editorial to the local newspapers on this matter. Many of my other fellow soldiers are doing the same. Word has come down that several people who witnessed what was happening from 19th Avenue called into NPR and spoke live on the air about what they were seeing. Please join me in taking our business elsewhere other than Taco Bell on 19th. Hopefully you can understand and appreciate all that I have just talked about.

Celebrations...

Over the last month or so...

Happy Birthday
Christopher Hanson
Zach Steele
Emily Bair
Tim Stine
Matt Tintes

Happy Anniversary
Jenn and Adam
Robin and Ryan

Congratulations on Weddings
Lea and Will

Patents Pending- Bigger and Better

Patents Pending is back and it's bigger and better. The band has added two new members to the lineup, and the sound is unbelievable. Craig Hillg comes to the band as the new bass player, replacing Christopher Hanson, who has moved to the trombone and vocal spot in the band, rounding out the horn section at four players. Josh Maynard has come to the band to replace Tim Stine, who will be leaving for graduate school in Cincinatti in August. The band played it's first gig in it's newest form in Detroit Lakes, and it went very well. With Gary Bitzer signed on as a booking agent, you can expect to see Patents Pending playing out in the local bars hopefully as soon as this coming fall. Keep posted at http://www.patentspendingband.com.

The US Soccer Team is Eliminated

Anyone surprised? I didn't think so. The US Soccer Team lost to the Czech Republic to start out the World Cup, pointing all signs in the direction of the normal disappointment soccer fans feel every time the US plays. Then, in a surprise, the Americans pulled off what could be considered an upset by tying Italy 1-1. However, the US couldn't ride the wave too much more, as they lost and were eliminated from the World Cup after a loss to Ghana. Yeah- Ghana. Better luck next time, soccer fans.

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May 29, 2006
Aaron Beseler

The 90th Annual Indianapolis 500

The Indy 500 is over, and it was almost a photo finish, the race being decided by less than a second. It appeared that Marco Andretti was going to be able to break what people have referred to as “The Andretti Curse” but Hornish cut to the inside on the final stretch at the last moment to pull out the win. Marco’s father, Mike, finished in third place, and Danica Patrick turned in a respectable eighth place finish.

NBA Playoffs: Heat VS Pistons.....Suns VS Mavericks

After the third game of each conference’s final, the Heat and Mavs have managed to take the 2-1 advantage. Somehow Miami has managed to make the Pistons look inconsequential in their two wins, while Dallas has compensated for the NBA’s 2-time MVP, Steve Nash, averaging 21 points and just over 13 assists per game. As of right now, Miami is maintaining the home-court advantage they stole in the first game from Detroit, while Dallas took the advantage back. I reassert my opinion that the NBA playoffs are the best time to watch basketball, even if you, like me, don’t like to watch it during the regular season. Personally, I’m pulling for a Miami-Phoenix championship.

Ender's Game: The Movie

As of the end of March, the movie adaptation of Ender’s Game is still in the script-writing stage, and Card himself has signed with Warner Brothers to write the script. Apparently the writers who had previously been signed to adapt the novel to a screenplay were not working out to Card’s personal satisfaction. I’m really looking forward to (eventually) seeing the story adapted to the big screen. The movie will actually encompass the storylines that are in the novels Ender’s Game and Ender’s Shadow.

Playstation 3

Sony’s Playstation 3 is going to come out in two versions, similar to Xbox 360’s marketing strategy. The difference is that Sony is pricing their system at $499 and $599 respectively for the two options, one with a 20 GB hard drive, and the other with a 60 GB hard drive and HDMI card. There is a lot of speculation, and rightly so in my opinion, that Sony is going to have a tough time overtaking 360 as the dominant next-Gen system. The PS3 system will include a motion-sensitive wireless controller (if you tilt the controller, the character on screen reacts to it) and will be able to play BlueRay DVD’s. However, there may be a problem with the core system playing those DVD’s. So, the way I see it, you could pay at least $500 for the system, $60 for a game, and maybe $20 for a BlueRay DVD once they’re released, and things still might not work right. I have no doubt that the PS3 will be an impressive system for gameplay, especially in the graphics department, but I just don’t think they’ll dominate sales over 360 like PS2 did to the first Xbox.

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May 18, 2006
Aaron Beseler

The Da Vinci Code: Gonna see it? Not if you're a good Catholic...

Religion once more rears its illogical head. Monsignor Angelo Amato has publicly stated that a boycott of the new movie adaptation of Dan Brown’s popular novel should be instigated. Why? He says it’s because the movie is full of “offenses, slander, and theological errors” and that if the novel had attacked the tenets of Islam or the topic of the Holocaust there would have been a “worldwide revolt.”

Bullsh*t. As is the case with a huge number of religious occurrences, the church is afraid of anything that challenges their stated beliefs. Any belief that can’t stand up to speculation and criticism usually reacts by throwing a temper tantrum, which is exactly what is happening now. Here’s a question for the church: If you are so secure in your beliefs concerning God, Jesus and the Holy Grail, then why do you get so unhinged by anyone who looks at different possibilities? Find a solid base for your beliefs and stick to it, or else your beliefs are worth less than the paper that they are published on. Oh, and in case you missed it: it's a flippin' novel...a work of fiction...but then again, when it really comes down to it, there are people who believe the bible is a work of fiction, so it depends what side of the fence you're on.

Time travel is possible...

...at least according to a University of Connecticut professor. The issue of time travel is being thrown out there more seriously again. Ronald Mallett has designed an experiment to potentially prove the possibility. He’s facing a lot of speculation, obviously, especially about the size of his experiment. Supposedly the size of his experiment lends criticism to the probability of actually measuring the results. I’m all for promoting the idea of time travel, so I hope he’s able to prove it. He also has a book coming out in November concerning his studies in that area.

Playoffs are definitely the most exciting games of the season...

Miami did seem to demolish the New Jersey Nets, but the other three semifinal match-ups seem to be the epitome of sports drama. The Detroit Pistons are now down 3-2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers after a tough 86-84 loss on Wednesday night. Of course, the Cavs were helped by the two technical fouls called on Detroit in the second half. So if the Cavs win the next game they'll face Miami in the Conference finals. On the other side of the league, the Spurs narrowly avoided the end of their season by winning their game against the Dallas Mavericks tonight 98-97, but are still down 2-3 in the series. The Phoenix Suns won a thrilling double-overtime game against the L.A. Clippers Tuesday night to go up 3-2 in their series as well, rounding out a trilogy of exciting 6th games coming up.

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April 6, 2006
Aaron Beseler

We'll see how the Vikes can do now...

   gets            goes to    

Goodbye Nate Burleson. Good riddance. While Burleson is a middle-of-the-road quality second receiver, he proved without a doubt that he was not up to the task of being a number 1 go-to guy last year. So, Seattle, you’re welcome to him. I guess I should say hello to Steve Hutchinson as well then, although it’s unclear whether he’ll live up to a 49 million dollar contract or not. We’ll see. On the plus side, the Vikes now have a first round draft pick, 2 second round picks, and 2 third round picks in the upcoming draft, and since Mike Tice isn’t the one coaching the team anymore, they might actually draft someone worthwhile.

Daunte Culpepper is gone from Minnesota, and has now been cleared of any charge in the boat-sex-party scandal as well. Way to go Daunte (sarcasm here). It’s amazing how millions of dollars and a high-priced lawyer will get you exonerated from anything you’ve done wrong. On the up side, at least the legal system has proven that it obviously pays to be rich......

March Madness is Over!

    

Two champions have emerged in the NCAA March Madness tournaments. The Florida Gators completely dominated the Men’s National Championship and knocked off the UCLA Bruins 73-57 to take home their first championship title ever. I admit I don’t follow college basketball much until the brackets kick off, but I love to go for the underdog, so I was cheering for George Mason. Since they couldn’t make it past Florida, though, it’s good that the Gators won. In the Women’s brackets, the Maryland Terrapins managed to eek out a win over the Duke Blue Devils in overtime. Maryland, like Florida, is taking home its first title.

Jessica Alba is in Playboy....Fool You! I can't believe you fell for that!

Jessica Alba in an issue of Playboy?!?!! Nope, sorry guys, it was just a clever trick by Hugh Hefner, no doubt in order to fool people into buying the magazine. WHAT? Did I just say that? Like Playboy doesn’t sell enough magazines without using tricks? Oh well. Apparently Hugh offered Alba a personal apology and donation money to her favorite charity in recompense for using her on the cover of the magazine and she agreed not to sue him. My thoughts on this? I realize that Alba may have been "exploited" by this, but to be fair, when you’ve been recognized as the "sexiest star of the year," wouldn’t a publication of a bikini-clad picture be a promotion of that title? Oh, yeah, and you’re a Hollywood star who has appeared scantily-clad in numerous films and television shows…so this kind of exposure is new to you?

Tom Cruise is just an innocent victim...rrriiigghhhttt

       

In other news, in case you didn’t hear about this a few weeks ago, Tom Cruise has once more flexed his proverbial Hollywood muscle. South Park originally aired a Scientology episode in November of 2005, "revealing" the secrets of their beliefs and slamming Tom Cruise into the ground in an extremely humorous showing. Tom Cruise, of course, was extremely upset about anything that challenges his belief system, because God knows (pun intended) he has no sense of purpose or self outside of his shallow scientology-based life, so having Matt and Trey make fun of such a thing should rightly upset him. So, as a result of Cruise’s ire, that episode is no longer allowed to be re-aired on TV. Why, you ask? Well, it’s because Paramount is owned by the same company (Viacom) that owns South Park, and Paramount has made Mission: Impossible 3, starring, of course, Tom Cruise (and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but that’s another story…). So Cruise threatened (allegedly) to not promote M:I3 unless the episode was pulled and not re-aired. It’s interesting how beliefs that have no foot to stand on take great outrage when that is pointed out, isn’t it? Isaac Hayes also quit South Park after the Scientology episode, as he is also a member of that organization, so Matt and Trey sent him off in classic South Park fashion, turning him into Darth Chef. Ha!!!

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November 7, 2005
Aaron Beseler

FM Opera puts on The Magic Flute

I attended the production of The Magic Flute this weekend and was pretty impressed by what I saw. It was performed in English, which made me a little hesitant prior to the performance. The cast was obviously well-rehearsed and seemed at ease with one another. I was most impressed by the Queen of the Night's Aria, performed by Risa Renae Harman. The set was designed well, with smooth transition between scenes. Also aiding in the transition between scenes and throughout, was the pit orchestra, directed by Bernard Rubenstein, who turned out a solid performance. The one flaw that troubled me throughout was the lack of authenticity concerning the "glockenspiel." There are many capable percussionists in the FM area, yet the pit orchestra performed the glockenspiel passages on an electric keyboard instead. Granted, this didn't take away from the performance of the on-stage artists. Overall, it was a very worthwhile production.

Junior Isn't Looking Any Better Than Lying Dad...

Pete Rose Jr. has admitted to distributing a steroid-like drug called GBL. He could face as much as 27 months in jail and a million dollar fine. It is part of a much larger investigation into the use and distribution of GBL in the minor leagues. It looks like Junior hasn't learned any sort of lesson from what his father did and went through. Tough luck.

T.O. is Done in the City of Brotherly Love...

Terrell Owens is a very talented, athletic football player. That's where the compliments stop. He is conceited, offensive, and ignorant. He has officially been suspended for three more games, after which he will be deactivated by the Eagles. He finally crossed the point-of-no-return when he publicly criticized his team once more after they didn't celebrate his 100th career touchdown with the exuberance that he apparently expected. He also demeaned Donovan McNabb by saying that the team could be so much better and T.O. himself would look better if they had a quarterback like Brett Favre there. Since Owens' season is effectively over, where is he going to go afterwards? What team is going to want someone who is, admittedly a good player, but poison to the team's morale? As a last note, Curtis Martin, the running back for the Jets, gained his 100th rushing touchdown of his career this last Sunday. What did he do? Took the ball, got off the field, and kept playing the game. Did he bitch and moan about the celebration he should have? No, he's a professional athlete that is there to play and because he loves the game, not just himself. That's classy. Owens is crap.

Marlon Brando: Screen Legend

Many people my age may only recognize Brando from his roles in the Godfather Trilogy, or perhaps from other movies such as The Score with Robert DeNiro. If that is the case, you have missed out on what are, arguably, some of the greatest screen performances of the 20th Century. I'm not going to delve deeply into Brando's history, but this is my small plug for you to take a look at his early performances. Beginning with A Streetcar Named Desire, he began a career that touched all actors and viewers. It is widely recognized that he is, perhaps, the best actor of his, or any, age, setting the bar for actors and actresses after him. Some of his Oscar-nominated roles were in Viva Zapata!, Julius Caesar, and On the Waterfront. The last is usually seen as the definitive performance of his career. The last movie I would like to throw out there was Apocalypse Now, in which Brando played Col. Kurtz. For those who have not had the privilege of viewing him in his prime, take some time and see a legend in the movies.

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November 6, 2005
Christopher Hanson

UND Loses Two Weeks in a Row...

The UND Fighting Sioux managed to lose two straight, both in NCC matchups, to UNO and USD. They ended up being 9-2 overall, 4-2 in the NCC. USD and UND shared the conference crown. UND will still go to the playoffs, taking on Minnesota-Duluth in the first round in a week. At any rate, UND is on a losing roll right now, and we can only wait to see if Duluth can knock them off out of the playoffs for good this year. My only wish is that they could've come and played the Bison. I think we could have sent them home crying.

Another Harry Potter Movie...

And yet another Harry Potter movie will be in the theatres soon, this time Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The show opened up in London today, and is said to be the darkest installment of the series of movies that have been rolling through the theatres for some time now. The movie promises to feature more sizzling topics, to include teenaged love, danger, and the death of a character as well. For those who don't keep up with the seven-book series by J.K. Rowling, this should be an interesting driving film that will do just as well as the other movies that have already been released.

Alito Nominated...

Samuel Alito is receiving a hard push from the president as the debate approaches in Alito's confirmation hearings in January. Alito has the support of the conservative side in the senate. Democrats are very leary of this choice for the Supreme Court after Harriet Miers withdrew herself from the nomination process some weeks ago. She was more than certainly a better bet for confirmation than Alito despite what little people knew about her. Alito is a front-line conservative who has not been shy in his beliefs. He has served as a judge on many levels, all the way to his current job in the court of appeals in New Jersey. It will no doubt be a hard fight to the end, and it'll be really interesting to see how heated the debate will be considering that the Democrats have been a little fiesty as of late.

Schultz Not Allowed on AFR...

In a surprise move, the Pentagon chose to not allow the Ed Schultz Show to be broadcasted on Armed Forces Radio. While no official reason was given right away, it appeared that only days before the decision, Schultz had been rather critical of Allison Barber, a deputy assistant secretary for defense. Days later, it was Barber herself who announced that the show would not be aired to our troops overseas. Sounds fishy? What do you think?

West Wing Debates...

In a new twist for The West Wing, tonights show will feature a live mock presidential debate between ficticious cantidates, Arnold Vinick (R) and Matt Santos (D). The show has been on the air for some time, and it's a quality show about how things run in the White House and the Oval Office. The debate will be moderated by a real news person, in this case, Forrest Sawyer. The two will square off as a part of the season's presidential race. While the show has taken a backseat in the ratings to Commander in Chief, this could be a big boost for the show, which has been on the air for NBC for over eight years. Look forward to a very realistic debate, which despite it being scripted to a point, will be very on the spot and clearly set up as if it were truly happening, the true meaning of drama in my opinion.

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October 20, 2005
Aaron Beseler

The IG Nobel Prize Awards...

The IG Novel Prize Awards were first established in 1991 with the purpose of recognizing scientific experiments or innovations that first make people laugh, and, second make people think. Some notable awards from the 2005 ceremony include: In the area of Medicine: Gregg A. Miller for inventing Neuticles - artificial replacement testicles for neutered dogs; In the area of Peace: Claire Rind & Peter Simmons for electronically monitoring brain cells in locusts while showing them clips from Star Wars; In the area of Economics: Gauri Nanda (from M.I.T.) for inventing an alarm clock that repeatedly runs away and hides; and In the area of Fluid Dynamics: Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow for calculating the pressure that builds up inside a penguin prior to defecation (see diagram above). To view more 2005 awards, or from past years, visit Winners of the Ig Novel Awards.

20+ Years of Trickery...

I realize that this is old news for many people, but I still found it an interesting tidbit to place on the site. Apparently, in New York City, there are approximately 3200 crosswalk buttons left at stoplights throughout the city. Unfortunately for the residents of the city, approximately 2500 of them do not work, and have not worked for over two decades. The city went and updated their software for the stoplights at various times in the past 40 years, but the update in question, that took place at the beginning of the '80's, left most of the crosswalk buttons without any hookup to the traffic system at all. It makes me laugh to think of the millions and millions of times those buttons have pushed with no effect, so when I saw this image I thought it was incredibly appropriate. It appears that there are concerned citizens who have tried to place a positive spin on this dilemna and turn it into an idea of "luck". Ha ha ha! Talk about a long-term joke. In the words of Dark Helmet, from Spaceballs, "Fool You!"

Parking on the streets near NDSU...

On the news the other evening, a man who apparently lives in North Fargo, near NDSU was complaining about the issue of college students parking on the streets near campus all the time. The city is also considering issuing a charge and permits for the streets surrounding the university. My quick thoughts on this matter are as follows. 1) Requiring individuals residing near campus to purchase parking permits for the streets eliminates a large benefit of living in a place of residence near campus, it being not necessary to purchase a parking permit for campus lots. 2) There are NEVER enough parking spaces OR permits to accomodate all of the students who already need to purchase parking permits for the lots on campus. 3) While charging money for these street permits, it is logical to assume that all the money for those permits would go directly towards paying the "ticket-nazi" individuals who would need to patrol those streets and ticket the cars without permits. And, finally, (and I can't stress this point heavily enough) 4) To anyone complaining about college students parking near your place of residence: YOU LIVE NEAR A COLLEGE CAMPUS THAT HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR OVER 100 YEARS! You obviously moved into that location KNOWING there was a college campus in place. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD OR LOCATION YOU ARE LIVING IN, INCLUDING THE STREET PARKING AVAILABLE, THEN MOVE YOUR BITCHY ASS SOMEWHERE ELSE. Thank you.

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October 15, 2005
Christopher Hanson

Another Supreme Court Nominee...

Just a little under two weeks ago, President George W. Bush nominated Harriet Miers to succeed retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. It was a surprise to both the Democrats and the Republicans in Washington DC. Miers has served as Bush's cousel for some time, and while it was no surprise that he chose someone close to him and his business as the president, many were shocked by him nominating someone with no time on any bench in her career. Personally, I am actually fairly supportive of her at this time. I've heard a lot of good things about her work as a lawyer, and I feel somewhat the same way about her as I did about John Roberts, who I supported for the Chief Justice nomination which he was confirmed for. However, I do want to hear much more about Miers before I make an official opinion. Many conservatives and liberals all around are skeptical of this nomination at this point, and are demanding to know more about this someone unknown person. I think this will be an interesting event to watch out and see what happens.

Wie Goes Pro...

Michelle Wie made the announcement a few weeks ago that she was going pro. This was really no surprise to anyone as she has been playing very, very well for a sixteen year old. This weekend, she is having a pretty good time playing the LPGA Samsung Open. Through the second round, she was shooting a 9 under par, and was tied for second place on the scoreboards. Not bad for a teenager, I guess. As Wie went pro, she nabbed herself some pretty sweet deals in the endorsement world, and I'm sure that before she even stepped foot on the course to tee off on her first tournament, she was already worth several million dollars. Impressive. I think she's going to be one hell of a pro golfer over the next few years, and she will win tournaments, more than likely before she even becomes a legal adult.

The New Bond...

Who in the hell is this guy? That's the new James Bond in the next Bond movie, Casion Royale. Beyond that, I don't know a whole lot about him. I do know that he was in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and I guess beyond that, I couldn't tell you anything else he's ever done. He's a big hit over in the UK and Europe from what I can read and see. So, is this a risk to cast him as Bond? Who else was in the running? Can this dude, or bloke, whatever, act? I'm curious. When I think of James Bond, I think of Sean Connery and Roger Moore, but not so much this Craig guy. Will it be good? Time will tell...

Tommy Lee Injured at a Crue Show...

Tommy Lee sustained some burns during a Motley Crue show in Wyoming. On a song late in the show, Lee was suspended by wire some thirty feet above the stage, and was swung between a number of drum sets that were placed up above the stage. Not sure how that worked, but nonetheless, the Crue was forced to shorten the show. Lee was cared for at a local hospital, and from what I understand, they didn't cancel any shows, including the Motley Crue concert that took place last night in Bismarck.

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September 24, 2005
Christopher Hanson

The Bison Suffer a Loss...

The Bison lost their first game of the season today bringing them to 3-1 on the 2005 season. NDSU traveled to Montant State University and played a tough game outdoors in fairly cool weather and high altitudes. In the end, the Bison were unable to recover from a MSU drive that scored the go-ahead touchdown with under two minutes to go. The Bison made some frantic mistakes and things came down to the final handful of seconds, where they were unable to get back in the end zone or close enough for a field goal attempt. The game reeked of other losses on the road that we called heartbreakers to include last years loss on the road to SDSU in the final seconds. It was a tough game to watch (it was televised). On other topics, I did see and hear the band a handful of times, though I was disappointed to only hear the same three songs (Satisfaction three times, Tuba Charge twice, and Mueller Charge once). Video gave us a few seconds of the GSMB on the sidelines during halftime, but that was about it. Anyhow, it was a good game that the Bison should've won. All I can ask is, where was the defense? It's something to think about, Coach Bohl.

The Gophers Pull Out a Huge Win...

In other college football highlites, the Gophers pulled off a huge win over the #11 Purdue Boilermakers in double overtime. Minnesota came into the game unranked, but holding a 3-0 record after a trio of well played games. This was a very important game, not only since it was against a ranked team, but because Purdue is one of the members of the Big Ten like the Gophers. Look for Minnesota to perhaps crack the top 25 within the next two weeks playing the way that they did.

Hurricane Rita Hits...

Hurricane Rita hit the Gulf Coast, causing damage and power outages in Texas and Louisiana, while causing more flooding and levee breaches in the New Orleans area. Sustained winds of over 125 mph were reported, while over 15 inches of rain fell in some areas. This was not good news to the already overwhelmed New Orleans area, where less than half of the pumping stations are running at this point since Hurricane Katrina. The scary part of all of this is that forecasters are warning that more hurricanes and tropical storms could be developing over the next month, and many of them have the possibility of following the same path as Katrina and Rita. Think about those victims of these natural disasters, and if you can, do give to the Red Cross and help those folks out. There's a link on the front page of the site.

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September 13, 2005
Aaron Beseler

Series Premieres Abound...

Sunday brought around the season premieres of many shows, kicking off the next few weeks of premieres that are sure to keep the multitudes busy. The Simpsons, going into their 17th year I believe, kicked off the year with a relatively entertaining show, including a group of manatees and guest-starring Alec Baldwin. Then, of course, Family Guy, one of my favorite shows or all time, premiered, much to the delight of the masses I'm sure. Stewie (my favorite character) was back in fine form, trying as ever to find a way to do away with Lois. Obviously, what has always appealed to me most about that show is the transparent disdain it has for every politically-correct idea as well as the idea that shows shouldn't take shots at touchy subjects. Seth Macfarlane and the rest of the Family Guy crew, I salute you.

NFL Season Kicks Off...

The NFL Season has officially completed its first week of games and there was a veritable smorgasboard of surprises. Naturally, there were the expected results, such as the Patriots holding off the Raiders in the opening-night Thursday game, or the Colts taking care of the Ravens despite their stifling defense. The surprises came in many forms, including the well-below-par performance of two of the premiere quarterbacks in the game today, Daunte Culpepper and Brett Favre. Neither threw a touchdown, and they combined for a total of 5 interceptions and 3 lost fumbles on Sunday. Hardly the performance that should be standard from two of the game's largest leadership icons. The surprises kept going in the form of Miami's domination of Denver (much to Hanson's chagrine I'm sure), the Giants defeat of Arizona, San Fran's successful attempt at holding off a late surge by St. Louis, the Lions stunning the Packers, and, of course, the travesty that was the Vikings-Bucs game. Out of every surprise and shock from this weekend, what may well be the worst of it all is that the Detroit Lions are in sole possession of first place in the NFC North!

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August 30, 2005
Christopher Hanson

The Hurricane Hits...

Hurricane Katrina came onland on Monday and brought some of the worst storms ever seen down south in Louisiana and Mississippi. It ravaged New Orleans and Pascagoula and took down major tourist attractions, buildings, stadiums, and casinos. This is one of the worst deals that the south has ever seen, and it's going to cost them millions and millions of dollars. Many damns and levees broke, causing more damage, and the worst thing about it is that the storms aren't over yet. Rain and wind continue to be problems, as well as occasional tornados. This is going to be a rough deal for the citizens of those areas to deal with, and we most certainly hope that once a calm in the weather comes around, the people of that area will be able to clean up and move on.

Clarett Cut...

The Broncos penned another chapter in Maurice Clarett's life by informing him a couple days ago that he would be cut and released by the team later this week. Clarett was picked up in the fourth round of the draft, which came as a surprise to most of the entire NFL. After being a standout freshman with Ohio State, Clarett attempted to sue the NFL to let him into the draft early, and lost. He sat an entire year under suspension, then got his chance with the Broncos. However, due to a great set of backs in Denver (Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell, and Ron Dayne), he didn't make the cut. Who knows what's in Clarett's future now. He could get signed by another team, though I'm sure many are skeptical of what he can do for their team. We'll just sit back and watch in the coming days to see what happens to him and other players who are sure to be cut shortly...

Suge Knight Shot...

The saga continues in the rap world of shootings as Suge Knight was shot at a MTV VMA party hosted by Kanye West a few days ago. There have been no details or thoughts as to why it happened, and most witnesses are apparently keeping pretty quiet about what they saw, according to the police. One African-American journalist was quoted as saying, "The hip-hop community doesn't trust the police to confide info to them, and in turn the police have done little to make us feel like they give a damn about our safety." Not a good deal. Who knows if or when we'll find out the next chapter in that book.

Prairie Home Companion is Soon to be a Movie...

Those of you fond of the Sunday broadcasts of Prairie Home Companion on NPR can look forward to something completely different- a movie version of the radio show. Now, we'll be able to put some faces to the stories told on the show. It's currently in production under the careful eye of the host himself, Garrison Keillor. Look forward to seeing many of the usual characters from the show, most notably Guy Noir, the goofy detective who gets some of the strangest cases ever. I'm excited to see the movie when it comes out. Stars in the movie currently include Kevin Kline, Meryl Streep, Maya Rudolph, Woody Harrelson, Virginia Madsen and Tommy Lee Jones. It should be pretty neat...

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August 24, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Think about Orv...

Orv Eidem, the longtime director of bands at North Dakota State University is currently recovering from a blood clot on his brain a few weeks ago. The doctors took action and took good care of him. However, while overlooking him, they found that he has some heart problems that will eventually require open-heart surgery. Orv is recovering now in the hospital, and is pretty weak according to his son. However, Steve jokingly made a joke that things could be worse- Orv could be playing trombone instead. Good one, Steve...

Who Will Audit at the Radisson?

Both Rena and myself put in our two-week notices at the Radisson on the same day, which probably shocked and scared the hell out of our current employers. However, things are pretty much screwed in management, and the replacements aren't making things better. We both figured this was a good time to get out of this properties crazy strangle-hold. Rena has found herself a better auditing gig in Moorhead, while I'm looking at going back to the Doublewood in search of better hours and better pay. As for the Radisson, it's hard to tell what they will do. Good dependable auditors are hard to find these days, and if I do say so myself, we were both.

Thomas Herrion Passes Away...

Thomas Herrion collapsed in the locker room following the San Francisco 49ers game against the Denver Broncos. He was immediately treated by team physicians and paramedics. He was then transported to St. Anthony’s Central Hospital in Denver. He passed away shortly thereafter. This is a colossal tragedy for the 49ers and the entire NFL. By all reports, Herrion was a very friendly man and a hard worker on and off the football field. All fans and players are mourning the loss of this respectable athlete and human being.

Death Penalty Sought...

Edward Duncan III, who resided in the Fargo area for some time, has been presented with the news that an Idaho prosecutor is pressing forth with his hopes to get the death penalty for the accused murderer. As time has passed by since his arrest, numerous allegations and charges have pointed to Duncan. However, in Idaho, he is charged with three counts of murder and three counts of kidnapping, and these charges alone are serious enough to possibly send him to his future fate of death.

Welcome Back...

Just a quick 'welcome back' to all of you who are returning from summer vacation from school. Hopefully you all had a good time at home or wherever you were, and we look forward to seeing you all around town and around campus and such. For those of you who are of age, don't forget that the bars are now open until 2:00 here in Fargo. Give Hanson and Beseler a call if you care to enjoy this new treat...

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August 16, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Brecker Fighting for His Life...

Michael Brecker has been diagnosed with MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome). This is devestating news to the jazz world, as Brecker is one of the finest saxophone players in the world at this time. The disease requires that he have a bone marrow or blood stem cell transplant immediately. At this time, no match has been found, not even within his family. Join everyone in the jazz world is hoping that Michael is able to find a suitable donor very soon. For more information, go to Michael Brecker Online.

Christopher's Bad CD...

Yes, I will admit it- I do own the album you see right above, Baby, One More Time is indeed in my collection of CD's. Jessy Klimpel was snooping around in my CD collection the other day, saw it, and made it a point to make fun of me for owning it. You know what- I probably deserve that. I remember purchasing that album in 1998 or 1999, the same day I bought a Hanson CD (no kidding). In my defense, I bought the Spears album because I thought she was hot (just like millions of others in the world), and just for your information, I bought the Hanson album because they share my last name, and for no other reason whatsoever. Anyhow, I admit that I own it and I admit that I'm a loser. Are you happy, Jessy?

T.O. Needs to G.O.

Has anyone else grown tired or this ongoing saga, really? I know that I have. I think that crybaby should either shut up and play football or get out of the game completely. We don't need another self-proclaimed 'bad boy' in a major athletic sport. While I concede that T.O. is really good, he shouldn't be complaining about his contract. He's getting a lot of money to play 16 regular season games. Stop whining, and start being a team player, please, before Tim Smith and I go to Philly to enforce our beliefs!

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August 8, 2005

Christopher Hanson

TV Loses a Great Newscaster...

Only four months after announcing his retirement from ABC, Peter Jennings passed away peacefully surrounded by his family in New York City. He had been battling lung cancer for some time. Jennings was considered one of the three great news anchors of this modern day (along with Tom Brokaw on NBC and Dan Rather on CBS).

Clemens in Red Hot...

Though I've never been the biggest fan of Roger Clemens, mainly because he played for my most hated team, the New York Yankees, this guy is absolutely red hot at the tender age of 43. His ERA at this particular moment is 1.38- 0.37 on the road. That's just insane these days for a starter. He's currently 11-4 with the Houston Astros, and I'm not going to be surprised if he ends up with an ERA lurking around 2.00 by the end of the year. It's just completely unheard of amoungst todays pitchers, but more notably, of pitchers his age. Unbelieveable!

Dale Jr. Pretty Much Done...

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. pretty much put a cap on his season by finishing 43rd at Indy on Sunday. He had a slim chance of making the chase for the championship up until his crash on lap 61. The lousy finish left him 16th in the points 191 points behind the number ten driver (Carl Edwards). There is still a chance for him to get in, but it would take an immense amount of work over the next handful of races. Junior blamed a lot of it on the car and not the wreck. It was an interesting criticism that might have his crew wondering what they can do to make things better the remainder of the year into the next season.

The Dukes of Hazard Opens...

The new Dukes of Hazard movie opened up this past weekend on top of the charts, pulling in over $30 million bucks on it's opening run. The movie has been highly touted in the entertainment world despite some really, really rough reviews from many raters around the world. I have to admit that I have an intrest in going to see the movie, probably mostly because of Jessica Simpson, but then again, how many millions of people do you think are thinking the same thing?

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July 26, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Alex and Annika Berg...

Congratulations are in order for the newest married couple, Alex and Annika Berg. They were married in a small ceremony out on Annika's farm in Gary, Minnesota. A reception followed that was celebrated with some jazz from a jazz quintet. The next day, on Sunday, the couple hosted a reception and dance at the Expressway that evening. It's been crazy to have been involved with all these weddings so far, especially some of the marriages of people that I've grown to know so well. Al and Annika was a couple that I got to watch from the beggining to the present. It's pretty cool. It's the stuff that memories will be made of in about twenty years from now.

Ricky is Officially Back...

Ricky Williams is now officially back in the NFL after holding a press conference on Monday to address the press and his team for the first time since leaving out of no where last July. He practiced with the team, where apparently, everyone is basically welcoming him back. After a 4-12 season, I can see why they'd let the grudges go. Williams apologized quite a bit in a press conference, aiming those apologies at his teammates, coaches, and fans. He will sit out the first four games of the season serving a suspension for his violation of the substance abuse policy in which he violated in 2004, then will make his projected return on the 16th of October against Tampa Bay.

You Can Buy Jennifer Aniston Love Letters...

We've seen all sorts of junk sold on eBay over the last decade or so, and now, here we go again with some more high-priced stuff that people will actually spend a lot of money for. A California lawyer named Michael Baroni will be auctioning off love notes written on toilet paper and napkins of all things. The notes come from when the two were dating in high school when they were both 15 or 16. Baroni was asked why he was selling this stuff, and he told the press that it was for financial reasons. He really wants to make a lot of money, apparently- the reserve for the items is $100,000. Good luck, Mike.

The NHL is Back...

The NHL will return this fall after a lock-out that took away the entire 2004-2005 season. I'm sure Eddie Schwind and other hockey fans are incredibly excited about it. Who knows how much money was lost when the lock-out began. Anyhow, the draft lottery has already been set and teams are getting ready for the big return. I've never been a huge follower of hockey, but I am happy that the union and the management folks have put together an agreement. It's never good for any sport to have to go through the loss of a season, after all.

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July 21, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Drew Rosenhaus is a Jerk...

Drew Rosenhaus is certainly making no friends in the upper management levels of the NFL. As he keeps signing on more and more athletes into his agency, more and more of those players are turning into complete whiners and cry babies. Impressive. Just today, he announced that if Javon Walker didn't get a HUGE raise, he would demand to be traded. Walker had a very good season this past year, and is set to make about $550,000 on the upcoming season. While that's not a huge amount, he is under contract for two more years. Rosenhaus was quoted as saying, "I can't let this player go out on the field and jeopardize his career for that kind of money." What he really should have said is, "He was under contract and expected to play well like any other other NFL player under contract, but is now getting greedy after fulfilling his obligations." Drew Rosenhaus is a jerk, which he's shown many times already (see any headline about T.O. and his demands) and I don't look forward to the trend he's establishing in the league.

Bruschi to Sit Out a Year...

Now, a headline about a player who loves to play, but will be able to do so this coming season. Tedy Bruschi has always been a very fine defensive back and contributed much to the Patriot's, most importantly, his example and inspirational motivation. However, only ten days after helping the Patriot's win a Super Bowl, he suffered a stroke. The guy is only 32 years old, for goodness sakes. It wa a sad story to hear about. He will sit out the 2005 season in an attempt to ensure that his health is good, and may make a return in 2006. I certainly hope to see him back then.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Get's the 'Adults Only' Rating...

Many of my friends enjoy Grand Theft Auto, the game in which you can shoot lots of people and steal lots of cars and drive them around like junkies strung out on crank and speed. However, the newest version of the game was slapped with an 'adults only' rating after it was discovered that you can now find some pretty graphic sexual content on the game, most notably the PC version. Some guy put out software that you can download to get the dirty stuff on the game, and it's got some people really angry. I'd be interested to see what the company, Rockstar Games, plans to do about it. More than likely, they will lose money on the game- both in current sales (due to the new rating) and in refunds from parents who will undoubtably take the game back due to the content.

Happy Birthday...

Jess Stevens got a year older (I think she's 22, now) yesterday. I joined her and some of her friends and my roommates to enjoy dinner yesterday evening. Hopefully Jess had a great day. Happy birthday, Jess Stevens.

Roberts Nominated for the Supreme Court...

John Roberts was the big pick by President Bush to take over for the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor. The pick came as a bit of surprise to me and many others, as the thought of Bush's ultra-conservative agenda was in many minds. Roberts is a conservative fellow, but not as hard-lined as of a person as I would have expected to be nominated. Roberts has an incredible resume for a gentleman and a lawer who is only 50 years old. It looks to me that Bush was going more for someone he knew could get confirmed. Roberts is obviously favored by Republicans, but more importantly to Bush, he is on the upside in the opinions of many moderate Democrats. I would choose Roberts over a complete hard-line conservative. I am optimistic of what he could do if appointed by October.

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July 8, 2005

Aaron Beseler

Alias

Well, thanks to a Chase and Monica (two people I work with at Cash Wise Video), I am now hopelessly addicted to the TV series Alias. I'm just finishing up watching the third season, and at approximately 1000 minutes per season, that's quite a time commitment. It's a spy suspense drama starring Jennifer Garner. Without giving too many spoilers, I'll give a brief synopsis of the show. Jennifer Garner plays Sydney Bristow, a spy who begins working for an organization called SD-6, a group she believes is a black ops division of the CIA. After a traumatic killing, she finds out that SD-6 is actually a cell of a terrorist group called The Alliance. She then becomes a double agent for the CIA, attempting to bring down SD-6 and The Alliance overall. That is the preface of the first season, and from there it just gets better, but I won't ruin that for any of you who might want to watch.

Otherland

Otherland is a 4-book series that was written by Tad Williams, the author of my favorite fantasy trilogy, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. This sci-fi series is based around Otherland, a universe that was created as a means of helping the rich and powerful of the world to live forever in a virtual reality-esque environment, but one that is globally expansive, with different "worlds" that are created in accordance and design of those premiere members of a group known as The Grail Brotherhood. The primary method of transferring into Otherland is through an uplink onto the net, which then traps the user online, unable to log off, back to normal life. The series follows a large group of protagonists, including a teacher, a Bushman, an amnesiac, a 14-year old boy who loves to role play, and an old man kept as a near-hostage at a military base because of his knowledge and role he played in the development of Otherland. The story unfolds with many twists and turns throughout, but the fourth book will still change the assumptions you've made up to that point.

Dinosaurs in Alaska

When I was a little kid, I was obsessed with dinosaurs, as many young kids are I suppose. So even now it catches my eye occasionally when I read about dinosaur findings in the news. Apparently on June 27th, there was a footprint of a yet-undisclosed type of carnivore found in interior Alaska. According to the experts who have examined the footprint, they believe that the carnivore was 9 to 13 feet long, with a similar make-up as that of a T-Rex. The interesting part of finding the footprint, which was found in Denali National Park, was that it was found a large distance away from the coast of Alaska, which is where almost all of the dinosaur findings in the north have been. It is estimated that the fossilized footprint is approximately 70 million years old. When you think of that time range, it sometimes brings to mind the evolution vs. religion argument, but of course that is a topic for another time.

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June 28, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Statler and Waldorf are the Best...

Statler: What would you do if you were a rich man?
Waldorf: I'd buy the network and cancel this show!

Statler: There's a lot to be said about this program.
Waldorf: Too bad you can't say it on a family show!

Statler: And there you go, there's nothing like good comedy.
Waldorf: Nothing like it on this show!

Statler: You know, this show really improves with age!
Waldorf: Why? Because the jokes get better?
Statler: No! Because my hearing gets worse!

Statler: Hmm, that last number was a real show-stopper
Waldorf: Too bad it didn't stop this show!

Statler: That was quite a program! I would have only changed one thing!
Waldorf: What's that?
Statler: The channel!

I love those guys.

The Supreme Court Rules on Ten Commandments...

The Supreme Court finally issued a ruling on the long-awaited Ten Commandment displays on government property, mainly courthouses. In a 5-4 ruling, the justices ruled that the displays should not be allowed in courthouses or on government property. However, the Biblical laws can be displayed in n historical context. It was an interesting ruling that narrowly passed with the aid of Sandra Day O'Connor, the moderate justice sitting on the Supreme Court. After months of no one knowing which was the ruling would go, the court released it's opinion on Monday. I'm sure the fight isn't over for either side, though, and we'll see what happens, as this is sure to be an issue for years and years to come.

What in the World is Scientology?

With all of this goofy publicity about Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise going on day after day, we're starting to hear more about how they both embrace the religious effects of Scientology. I've often wondered what in the world this thing called Scientology was, so I went out and did some reading up on it. The way I'm reading into it, it's a religion that teaches that everyone is their own spiritual being, and that the all of the answers to life can be found with each other's self. I'm not so sure this sounds like a religion to me, more like a self-help philosophy of sorts, but I guess I still haven't read enough to completely understand how they do things. If you're interested in knowing more about it, go to the official Scientology website and read for yourself.

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June 24, 2005

Christopher Hanson

The Spurs Win Their Third...

The San Antonio Spurs won their third NBA title on Thursday night in a close game against the Detroit Pistons, sending the defending champions home as the losing party. The Spurs prevailed through a tough series that saw some low scoring games due to the hard-fighting defenses of both the Pistons and the Spurs. Tim Duncan turned things up in the third quarter, helping push the Spurs to victory. I imagine the city went crazy. I remember being in San Antonio when the Spurs won their first title, and that city went absolutly insane. "Go Spurs Go!" was the theme then, and was again this year. Congratulations to the Spurs on their third NBA title.

Sixteen Years of The Real World...

I can't believe that The Real World has been on the air for so long. The scary part of it all is that I remember the very first season of that show, and I loved it. Things have changed since then, and I don't think I've actually watched the show in at least ten years, but a couple of nights ago, I casually watched the first episode of the 16th season, and I was pulled in by the fact that the show was in Austin. The first episode was full of interesting twists and whatnot, most notably, Danny getting punched in the face in a fight, fracturing some important bones in his face. As for my favorite character as of the moment, I'm going to have to go with Lacey. She's not fake and she's probably the only person on the show who isn't on the show to show off, get drunk, and have a lot of sex in the hot tub (which is what The Real World has been all about for the past five or six years, after all). I'll probably keep watching the series now- I was intrigued, once again. Perhaps you, too, should start watching...

Speaking of TV Shows I Don't Normally Watch...

Keira Oscarson stopped by the other afternoon, and she proposed that perhaps I watch an hour of her favorite TV show with her- The Gilmore Girls. I had never seen the show before, so I decided to give it a shot despite Jessy making fun of me. I was expecting to be exposed to an awful chick-flick-like drama, but to my surprise, I actually liked the show (gasp). No kidding. I guess this is coming from someone who used to watch Dawson's Creek, though. Anyhow, I watched another episode this past afternoon. The show is witty and really funny, actually. I encourage others to watch. Ok, stop laughing at me, you jerks...

When Will Barry Come Back?

Will Barry Bonds ever get back to playing this year? Despite all of the pressure everyone put on him over the whole steroids deal, I actually think he's innocent of any wrongdoing, and I look forward to him getting back on the field. Bonds is only 11 homers away from tying Babe Ruth, and just 52 shy of tying Hank Aaron. I really do believe Bonds will break the record, and I'm just itching to see it. Reports say that Bonds will be back traveling with the team soon, and he may play this year, probably after the All Star break. I encourage him to see through all the crap he's been put through, and head on out when he's healthy and play the game that he truly loves.

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June 18, 2005

Christopher Hanson

If You Have a Mastercard...

Do you have a Mastercard? Well, if you do, you may want to do some checking around. It was in the news today that a security breach occurred at a third-party processor of payment card transactions that affects over 40 million credit card accounts according to Mastercard International. While the breach was a very serious one, the only information that may have been stolen was the actual card numbers, and not any personal information such as addresses, Social Security numbers, or birth dates. However, I would imagine that simply having your account number stolen might be enough of a worry to check things out. So, if you have a Mastercard, make sure you watch your accounts closely, and if you see anything out of the ordinary, make a phone call immediately.

The Timberwolves are Making Some Changes...

The Minnesota Timberwolves hired a new head coach to replace Flip Saunders and Kevin McHale. Dwane Casey was hired after serving as an assistant coach for the Sonics for the past decade or so. He certainly seems to be a good coach who has some new visions for a team that didn't make the playoffs for the first time in several years. He told the press that the Wolves were not "broken", but rather that they "had a hiccup" last season. Let's hope that Casey can make things happen. The state of Minnesota has to be tired of "we were good, but not good enough to get to the big game(s)" when it comes to pro sports.

Former Tyco Bosses in Big Trouble...

Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz both got what they deserved yesterday as a jury found both of them guilty of 22 counts, which included good stuff like grand larceny, conspiracy, and falsifying records. These two Emmy-award winners were in trouble for cooking the books, stealing bonus money without approval from the board of directors, and more. This was a stunning victory for the the prosecution, as well as for other cases similar to this one (i.e. Enron and friends).

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June 14, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Coach's Loses it's License...

In an interesting local development, one of the favorites as far as party bars goes will be losing it's liquor license indefinately. Coach's will lose it's privilage to sell booze on July 1st, as the city council voted unanimously to take it away. Apparently, the bar has gotten in trouble over four times this year for allowing minors to drink in the bar. The big point that got the liquor license revoked was the owner, Jim Steen, who apparently got in the way of several police investigations into the allegations mentioned. Coach's has been the meeting place for the Gold Star Marching Band for the last four seasons. It's up in the air what Coach's will do after they lose the license, though one can assume they will be forced to shut down since most of their money is made on booze there. And, if this happens, where will the band hang out?

Danica McKellar- Not 'Winnie' Anymore...

Does anyone remember watching The Wonder Years? Well, most of you probably watched it after it went off the air or possibly on Nick at Nite, but I'm old enough to remember watching that show for quite some time. Anyhow, you probably remember Fred Savage playing the young Arnold, and you probably also remember his on and off relationship with school sweetheart, Winnie Cooper. The adorable Winnie was played by Danica Kellar. Many of us grew up watching those two kids grow up as well. Anyhow, Danica has slowly been moving back up into the ranks of acting, and was featured in Stuff magazine this month. Danica is now doing some new acting rolls on TV and in the movies, and you know what- she's hot. And, talented, too. Watch out for her...

Jacko is a Free Man...

Well, I don't know how he did it, but Michael Jackson got off completely free of any convictions during his many-months long trial. The jury found him innocent of all counts, and he was released back into the world without a slap on the hand for the crimes he was charged with. I'm sure he'll go back to Neverland and do whatever it is he does at Neverland. To be honest with you, I'm not surprised he got off so easy, but I do think he did something. We may never know what, though if he is actually guilty of those crimes, that's something he'll have to live with for the rest of his life. Honestly, this trial has probably cost him millions of dollars, and the chances of his music career ever really rebounding from all of this is quite small.

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June 13, 2005

Aaron Beseler

Defending Champs Looking Shaky...

After a second-game beating by the San Antonio Spurs, the Pistons are down 2-0 and looking in need of a serious re-vamping. Their offensive efforts have been pretty fruitless, as their starters shot an unimpressive 21 of 54 combined field goals and the team shot 0 for 6 on 3-pointers. Even the Pistons' impressive rebounding couldn't make up for their lack of accuracy. They also only shot a total of 16 free throws as opposed to the Spurs' 34. Add up all of that and it's obvious why they are struggling against a Spurs team that has come out to play. Quite frankly, the Spurs look hungry for a championship while the Pistons are setting records for the largest loss margins by the defending champions. Hopefully they can pull it together for games 3 and 4 at least while they have the home court crowd backing them up.

The 78th Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee...

It's been a little while since the national spelling bee took place, but I just happened to read an article about this year's champion, Anurag Kashyap. I then looked up what his listing of words spelled in the competition were. Here's the list of those words: cabochon, priscilla, oligopsony, sphygmomanometer, prosciutto, rideau, pompier, terete, tristachyous, schefflera, ornithorhynchous, agio, agnolotti, peccavi, ceraunograph, exsiccosis, and hodiernal. How many do you think you would have gotten? And this was all by a 13-year old. After all those words, though, the thing that caught my attention so much was the final word that he spelled to win the competition, appoggiatura. For all of you music people, I'm guessing you see why it caught my eye.

Lucas Ties Everything Together While Shattering Box Office Records...

Well, while Lucas did connect the old and new trilogies, he also still left a few holes in the story. Of course, all things considered, the third installment of the newest trilogy exceeded the quality of Episodes I & II while also exceeding the box office takes for the opening weekend. Not only did they take the title for 4-day weekend, at $158.4 million, they also took the titles for midnight-showing, opening and single day, two-day, and three-day showings. The previous four-day record was held by Spider-Man 2 at $130.5 million. Currently Episode III has raked in over $332 million, domestically, and over $672 million worldwide. Not bad for a film that cost $113 million to produce.

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June 9, 2005

Christopher Hanson

The Jury is Still Out...

The jury is still thinking and talking as of Wednesday. It's been four days now, and we're all patiently waiting the fate of the "King of Pop". Michael Jackson's fate is still in the air. It's certainly been interesting to watch the TV, though. I saw a deal on a late-night TV show showing us the prison Jackson would most likely go to if he was convicted. It was no Neverland, that's for sure. Anyhow, any thoughts about the verdict? Though I believe he's probably guilty as sin, I do think he's going to get off on most of those charges. I read somewhere that someone said, "the prosecution did a good job pushing forth their case, however, did it prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt?" I feel the same. We'll see, I expect a verdict in a week.

Will We Have a NHL Season?

The news came in yesterday that the two sides in the NHL lockout had agreed on a salary cap system, eliminating the blocking factor to the resumption of play next season. However, this news didn't mean that the lockout was over, it was simply a glimmer of hope. Nonetheless, it was good news for hockey fans all over the world. So, will the two sides be able to agree on some other factors to include free agency and arbitration and such? Let's hope so. I'm tired of these two sides fighting, and if there isn't a season in 2005-2006, Eddie Schwind is probably going to explode, and we don't want to see that, do we?

Next Wedding: Jennifer Braus...

Tomorrow at 6:30pm at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bismarck, our favorite little saxophone player from the past, Jennifer Braus, will be getting married. No kidding, lots of us all dreamt of being that guy. However, she has found herself the right guy, his name being Adam. I'll be there to celebrate the wedding and perform some jazz at the reception out at the Country Club. Anyhow, this is wedding #3 for me this year, and I'm happy to be one of the many to witness the day. Congratulations to Jennifer and Adam.

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June 6, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Albino Blacksheep is the Best...

If you're bored and you want to be entertained for hours and hours, and you're all to date on Hanson and Beseler Online, go check things out at Albino Blacksheep, a Flash site where you can watch hundreds of short Flash films that will disturb and entertain you. My personal favorites are Everybody Else Has Had More Sex Than Me and Weeee!

Sixteen Candles is 20 Years Old...

I can't believe that movie is twenty years old, I remember it so well. I still watch it on TNN whenever they show it just to keep the old memories alive. A portion of the cast reunited at the MTV Movie Awards. However, Emilio Estevez didn't show up. Judd Nelson was there, but when Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy and Anthony Michael Hall went up to accept an award that evening, Judd didn't tag along. No big deal, though, it was just cool to see some of the cast together again to celebrate a movie that could still teach a lot of young people today a lesson or two.

Why is this Happening?

On another sad note, Natalee Holloway, an 18-year old high school graduate from Alabama is still missing in Aruba after a weeks worth of searching the island. Two men have been arrested in connection with the case, though the charges have not been made public yet. Natalee was a straight-A student that had just graduated high school and was online to attend the University of Alabama. Her dream was to become a doctor. It saddens me so whenever I hear about these missing girls all over the nation and now the world. What is happening? Where are all of these monsters coming from? It's a sad, sad story that we're hearing much too often. What happened to humanity?

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June 2, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Without T.O. the 49ers Can Still Get in Trouble...

Interesting news came out in San Francisco today when an anonymous person sent into The San Francisco Chronicle a copy of a video tape that was meant to prepare 49ers players for dealing with the media. In the fifteen video, it manages to feature all sorts of off-color humor to including racial jokes and nudity, as well as an interesting portrayal of what it would be like to be the mayor of San Francisco. The author of the video was team public relations director, Kirk Reynolds. During the video, he manages to make fun of Asians, gay unions, the mayor of San Francisco, and more. It's really impressive, and upon watching the video myself, I even found it really funny. The tapes intent was to actually educate the 49ers players on how to work with the media in town, and showed players what not to do in the public. Do you think it's funny or offensive? You be the judge. Click here to see portions of the training video. Keep in mind that this isn't really for kids, by the way...

Go, Spurs, Go...

The Spurs are going to the finals again. Though I don't follow a lot of basketball, I was happy to see that my old hometown's team is taking another trip to the finals. I remember being in San Antonio back in 1999 when they won it all, and that city was a madhouse. Anyhow, the Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns to advance on. When I was in high school and cared a little more about basketball, I was a big Suns fan. Anyhow, it's up in the air who they will play, will it be the Heat or the Pistons? Stay tuned, it'll be a great matchup either way. I'll be cheering for the Spurs, though. I still remember the big "Go, Spurs, Go!" chants down south. I sort of wish I was there now to hear it again.

The New .XXX Domain...

Apparently yesterday, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers approved a new deal that will allow porn sites to use a .XXX domain address. One could assume that in good time, the government will actually force porn sites and companies to use the .XXX domain so that web filters will work more efficiantly in safe guarding the web for children. I don't think it's a bad idea, either. Anyhow, I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the future. It seems like a good move to me.

Katie and Tom...Seriously?

Does anyone believe this is really happening? Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are madly in love? Doesn't it seem a little ironic that they both have big movies coming out right now? Well, apparently according to Tom on the Oprah show, he's "batty" over Katie, while Katie said basically the same thing at the opening of the new Batman movie. I just can't believe it. Tom Cruise is, what, 95 years old? And Katie, she must have just entered 10th grade. Well, actually, Katie is 26 and Tom is 42, so I guess it's not that bad. Still, think about it- when Tom Cruise made one of his first big hit movies, Risky Business, which was released in 1983, Katie was 3 or 4 years old. Scary...

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May 30, 2005

Christopher Hanson

Danica Patrick, the Hottest Thing in Racing...

I'm sure some of you have heard about all the hype as of late with one Danica Patrick, one of the up and coming race car drivers in the IRL series. Yesterday, she raced in the famed Indy 500, leading a handful of laps and finished fourth battling against some of the finest drivers in the world. Danica is quite a driver, true, but she's also incredibly attractive, and there are a lot of eyes on her these days. We should definately keep our eyes on her, she's going to be one of the most talented drivers in the series during the rest of this year and for years to come. Did I mention that she's hot, too? Maybe the other drivers won't mind so much as she passes everyone on the track this season...

Another Wedding has Come and Gone...

Many of us took the trip up to Duluth this weekend for the wedding of Robin Childs and Ryan Fried. The wedding took place in Proctor, Robin's hometown. The reception was in downtown Duluth in quite a beautiful building, the Greyson. The service was short but nice, and the reception was very enjoyable. I even g