It's time I came clean

As you've noticed, my blogging output has slowed considerably since the beginning of last week.  I said at the time it was due to work.  And that's true.  But it's not the whole story.

Some of you probably were beginning to put the pieces together based on recent news events and how they matched up perfectly with my blogging absence.  You were right to assume this was no mere coincidence.

For the rest of you still scratching your head over the cryptic clues, I'll just come clean:  When I'm not blogging, I'm the United States ambassador to Egypt. 

I know, shocking to some but for others it makes perfect sense.  So while you're not getting your daily fill of Photoshopped movie posters and semi-naked co-eds, I trust you understand the obvious work distractions.  Plus, my Internet access has also been severely curtailed. 

Thus, please bear with me while I solve things on the diplomatic front so that I can get back to my true calling: running a marginally successful college football blog during the offseason when most folks don't really give a rat's ass about college football blogs.

Thanks for your patience.

"Yost"

Diplomacy: I hate Florida, but it doesn't mean I won't post this picture. 
Because it's the right thing to do.

Wait Forty Five Minutes After Eating

Another week has come and gone as Mongo inches closer to the first race of the year on February 19th. Though a TT, and not really my specialty, it has given me something to focus on over the Winter. The byproduct of which has been Mongo's improved diet, weight loss, and overall elevated fitness. The "Cat Five Domination Triangle", consisting of the road bike, mountain bike, and trainer, along with some newly purchased doping products, makes me think that there's reason to feel confident about the upcoming season.

On Saturday I was planning on making a triumphant return as defending champion to the "Enemy Bike Shop" B ride. I was eventually convinced by "My $6000.00 Cyclocross Bike Finally Paid Off" Tom to HTFU and go back to doing the "A" ride. So Tom, "Fast" Eddie, and myself jumped in and did it. Eddie faded, Mongo hung tough near the front, and in a precursor to his victory the following day in a cyclocross race in Alabama, Tom went to the front and never looked back. In all honesty, this may have been the best I've ridden on this course...ever.

Sunday turned out to be the nicest day of the year, literally, and Mongo made the wrong call on where to do my recovery ride. The SCT was packed! Dogs...kids...bladers...runners...old people...they were all out there and in my way. Add to this that the triathletes have come out of the woodwork on their TT bikes, and it was a crowded and miserable day. After twenty miles I turned around and went home.

Today it rained, so I cleaned the bikes and hit the trainer for a fast, forty five minute session. I'll be checking out the TT course on Thursday and putting in a couple of practice runs, so Mongo will be able to compare his times to last year's race and see where I stand.

Online and engaged

Mark Zuckerberg

Hollywood has brought us no shortage of characters who come off as social misfits -- unkempt hair, rumpled clothes, nerdy glasses and the glow of a computer screen lighting up their face as they sit typing away in the basement of their parents' house.

Well, it's time to put that a cliché to rest.

New research from Pew contradicts the tired fallacy that the internet fosters social isolation, the Knight Digital Media Center reports. Earlier this month, the Pew Internet and American Life Project published The Social Side of the Internet — a report which indicates that the internet has become a key part of how civic, social, advocacy, and religious groups and organizations function and flourish today…

Among the study’s key findings, the Knight center reports:

• 80% of US internet users participate in groups (including volunteering, fundraising, civic engagement, campaigning, events, and more) — compared to just 56% of non-internet users.
• Social media users are especially likely to be active in groups. 82% of US social network users and 85% of Twitter users report participating in groups. 

Movie stereotypes aside -- the latest involving Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" -- these findings don't surprise me and, in fact, are quite comforting.

As I think about my peers who serve with me on various boards and councils, it's clear that we rely on the internet to keep each other informed and, more importantly, to evangelize about our groups. Those of you reading probably recall an e-mailed invitation or two to attend a particular event or support a certain activity -- along with the opportunity to  make a financial pledge. (For that, I thank you.)

But as I think about friends and family members who are not regular internet users, I'm struck by the other side of the coin, the realization that they're not as engaged in their community, or in national or world news, to the extent of others. That's both sad and sobering.

The internet can be a time-sucker, for sure. But it's also helped bring people and causes together  for the common good and I'm happy to see that trend validated in the Pew report.

Photograph: www.impactlab.net

Offseason

I got a note last night from Yost telling me that he is out today with "real work". He encouraged me to post something if I had it. I searched and searched, and other than semi-naked women and random Ohio criminal behavior -- I could not find anything decent to post about.

Talk amongst yourselves while we figure out what will entertain.

-------------------------------------

Edit: Well that didn't take long... the MZone had not returned when this story was written in August -- but it is timeless in the message.

Behold the story of dueling protests outside of Columbus between a strip club and a fundamentalist church:

The strippers, fueled by Cheetos and nicotine, are protesting a fundamental Christian church whose Bible-brandishing congregants have picketed the club where they work....

.....It's here where dancers strip down to panties and pasties for cash. Meske -- a tattooed mother of four -- said she made $30 instead of a couple hundred dollars last Friday with the protesters outside.

"I'm not the most beautiful woman in the world," she said. "I go out there and I try to make my money."

The only thing I have to say is: Thank God for Fox News Ohio.

Featured!

Thanks to BlogMuffins, FashionClicks and Fashionista1001!

:)

#5 Park Palace

INFO

For those casual Sundays afternoons at the park.

 Adorable ribbon at the side.
Made of soft wool/cotton material.
 Stretchable at the back part.

Hidden pockets on both sides on the hips.

Best fits sizes UK4-UK8.

Available in earth green (ALL SOLD) and moon orange (ALL SOLD).

'Un-Masqued' it @ RM39

SOLD OUT

NOT RESTOCKABLE

#4 Polka Polka

INFO

I see dots, rawr.

Vintage.
Crotchet design on the neckline area.

Best fit sizes UK4-UK8.

Made of soft cotton.
Available in pure white (ALL SOLD) and pacific blue  (ALL SOLD).

Slighty stretchy around the waist.

'Un-masqued' it @ RM39.

SOLD OUT
NOT RESTOCKABLE

#3 Pretty Girl Rock

INFO

Meshed up wonder.

Made of superb cotton material, fish-like nets in front for detail.

Fits best for sizes UK4-UK8.

Slightly stretchable.

Available in cunning turquoise (ALL SOLD) and hot pink (ALL SOLD).

'Un-masqued' it @ RM55.
  

SOLD OUT

NOT RESTOCKABLE
 

#2 Element of Suprise

INFO

Too cute to resist; attention-grabber ruffles.
To go with high waist pants, skirts, jeans, etc. Flexible piece!

Best fit sizes UK4-UK8.

Made of soft sheer cotton.

Only available in blue. (ALL SOLD)

'Un-masqued' it @ RM38.

SOLD OUT

NOT RESTOCKABLE

facebook.com

*There are more then 500 million active users of Facebook.

*50% of the 500 million log on to Facebook at least once a day.

*The average user has an average of 130 friends and sends 8 friend requests per month.

*People spend 700 billion minutes per month on Facebook.com.

*70% of Facebook users are outside the U.S.

*Over 200 million active users access Facebook through their cell phone.

*2.5 billion pictures are uploaded to facebook.com each month.

*facebook.com was ranked 3rd of the top 100 searches of 2009 (under youtube.com and google.com)

*Americans spend 13.9 billion minutes on Facebook.com a year and 5 billion minutes on myspace.com a year

* If Facebook were a country, it would be the fifth-largest country in the world, after China, India, the U.S., and Indonesia.

*The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales warned that Facebook and MySpace can lead children to commit suicide because such sites encourage teens to build transient relationships.

* The average Facebook user spends more the 55 minuets a day on the site.

* The average Facebook user writes 25 comments each month.

* Syria, China, Vietnam, and Iran have banned Facebook.

*lamebook.com is a regularly updated site that reposts "lame" and funny facebook posts.

*Police departments and citizens use facebook.com to catch suspected criminals.

* In the United States, 54.7% of people ages 13 to 17 have a Facebook account.

-Emmie Schultz

Needs a Fixin'

Every morning I sit at my vanity and get ready for the day. I keep a notebook and pen handy so that when I think of something I have to do or have an inspiration, I can jot it down. I sing in front of the mirror. Drink a big ol' glass of OJ. Put my makeup on and scowl at the wrinkles and discolorations in my skin that seem to increase at warp speed. I usually have Gideon underfoot; he loves the sweet smells of a girl getting primped.

And one thing continually bothers me. With all the prettiness that surrounds me at my vanity, the labels on bottles and containers stick out like a bad billboard on a scenic road. So I grabbed two sheets of scrapbook paper, cut them to size and taped them to my hair spray and baby powder.(I need to get a life.)

#1 Play

INFO

Let's play a game of mix and match, shall we?

Thick smooth chiffon/cotton material.

Laced at the bottom for detail.
Best fit sizes UK4-UK8.

Available in silver grey (ALL SOLD) and pearl white (LAST PIECE).

Stretchable.

'Un-masqued' it @ RM39.

Why, hello there!

Un-Masqued officially open for business. 

We're very excited ourselves. 

Stay tuned for updates!

Comments about The Social Network

The Film, "The Social Network" is about Mark ZuckerBurg. He is an undergrad at the University of Harvard and a genius at computer programming. One angry day, Mark sat down and started working on "Facebook" siting in his dorm room at Harvard. Mark Zuckerberg is the youngest Billionaire in history and is the CEO of "Facebook".



The Napster creator, Sean Parker, stated: "The part of the movie that frustrated me is actually the scene at the end where the character played by Justin Timberlake- who happens to have my name-basically writes a check to Eduardo- I consider Eduardo a friend of mine, and I'm one of the few people at Facebook who still interacts with Eduardo- and throws it in his face and has security escort him out of the building. and I mean, that's just rude. This guy in the movie is a morally reprehensible human being." Sean Parker also stated that the movie is a work of fiction.



Scott Deters

Dunk Fan Friday

Rather than Drunk Fan Friday, allow us to present DUNK Fan Friday.

Know Your Mascot - The Wolverine

Today's guest post comes from Friend of the MZone, Mikoyan, proprietor of the photography-theme blog, Michigan Exposures.

The Michigan mascot is the wolverine.  The wolverine's scientific name is gulo gulo which is Latin for glutton.    They are also sometimes called glutton, carcajou, skunk bear, quickhatch or gulon.  It is the largest animal of the mustelid family (weasels).

It is a stocky and muscular animal more closely resembling a bear than it's mustelid cousins.  In one Native American legend, it created the Earth.

Wolverines don't really run, they have a more loping gape.  While that may not look very efficient, it is well suited to the snowy climates they generally inhabit.  They are actually pretty fast for an animal of their size.

They have a pretty fierce reputation.  And they are built to live up to that reputation.  Their jaws are strong enough to chew through bones.  Their claws are pretty large for an animal of their size.  They have been known to either defend their prey from predators much larger from them or steal prey from larger predators.  In the book, "The Wolverine Way", the other mentions a story of a wolverine chasing a bear away from a kill and to paraphrase the author, that's pretty bad ass.  They are also known to take down prey much larger than them.

Male wolverines typically mate with 2 or 3 female wolverines and according to the book, "The Wolverine Way", they will play an active part in raising the young up until about 10 weeks old.  Sometimes, the young will reconnect with their fathers later.   Wolverine offspring are called kits and will reach adult size within a year.  A wolverine lifespan is typically 5 to 13 years.  They have pretty thick oily fur which is resistant to frost and this makes it popular.

Wolverines have a pretty well developed sense of smell and can smell carcasses under avalanches.  The wolverine will eat just about anything.

Michigan is known as the "Wolverine State" even though a wolverine hasn't lived in the state for close to 200 years up until one appeared in the Thumb.  A group of soldiers that fought with Custer was known as the "Wolverines".  The origin of the name for the state and later the team is unknown.  There are several theories for this.  One stems from the amount of fur trading that occurred in the state, some of which was wolverine pelts.  Another states that the name was given during the Michigan-Ohio War.  It is either the folks from Michigan bragging about thier fierce fighting or the Ohioans calling them gluttons.  We are not sure.

Live wolverines had a short lived appearance at games.  Fielding Yost wanted one after he saw Wisconsin carrying around a badger.  He was able to get a stuffed one in 1924.  In 1927, ten wolverines were obtained from Alaska and placed in the Detroit Zoo.  Two of these wolverines were brought to the games. Unfortunately, these wolverines grew larger and in the words of Yost, "It was obvious that the Michigan mascots had designs on the Michigan men toting them, and those designs were by no means friendly."  So the practice was stopped after one year.  One wolverine was kept at the University of Michigan Zoo for a while.

Two views of 'Portlandia'

The "real" Portlandia

Given the barrage of publicity this past weekend, I imagine a lot of you have already read what critics and ordinary viewers had to say about "Portlandia," the IFC cable show that premiered on Friday.

Reporter William Yardley went to The Gilt Club, where the opening sketch was filmed (and where Lori and I have eaten dinner a couple of times), in putting together his piece, "Can a City This Self-Serious Take a Joke?"

The Oregonian's Kristi Turnquist asked readers to weigh in with their thoughts. Check 'em out here.

For a change of pace, consider these two perspectives from the I-5 corridor -- one from Seattle, another from Salem.

The Everywhereist explains "Why Seattlites Love Portlandia"

For us, Portland is like our town’s weird little sister. She shows up to family reunions with new piercings and tattoos, and a life-partner of unspecified gender named Nico. Compared to our stodgier siblings in Idaho, Montana, or even Northern California, Seattle is hip and cutting edge. But next to the counter-culture Bohemia of Portland? We’ve become mainstream. We’re the alternative music section in Target.

Meanwhile, Hinesight says "'Portlandia' makes this Salemite envious."

(M)y wife and I watched the first episode of IFC's Portlandia with more than a little city-envy. Portland is just way hipper, greener, progressive, and energetic than our sleepy Salem. I can't begin to imagine what a comparable Salemandia TV series would be like. All I know is that it'd be boring.

 How about you, readers? Seen it? Thoughts?

Photograph: www.larson-tech.com

Like a breath of fresh air...

We don't talk about college basketball here very much, but when you don't win in East Lansing for over a decade, and finally win one, it is time to celebrate!

Sparty's response is an instant classic., my favorite is on page 2.

This is the internet equivalent of a UM fan walking into the Peanut Barral right now and trying to talk smack. I expect an appropriate reaction from my Spartan Brethern, but I'll offer this one:

Fuck off.

Go back to your double-wide, your 3-bill GF with fewer teeth than grades of education completed and fuck off.

Go rub one out to the picture of Bo that hangs on your wall and cry yourself to sleep in your flea-ridden blankets because you wish someday you could be truly affiliated with UM and fuck off.

Go get some sleep so you can make your shift at Walmart tomorrow morning and kindly, truly and sincerely fuck off. I harbor nothing but ill will towards that festering cesspool of human iniquity in that oozing blight upon Mother Earth known as Ann Arbor. I hate the arrogant pricks that go there and the trash bandwagon fans than hang on, grasping at success vicariously through an institution that they could never hope to be truly a part of.

In conclusion, fuck off.

Notice Anything Strange?

This is a photo of Tom Boonen's 2011 EMX-7. Look what kind of tires he's using. They are Vittoria Rubino Pros. Though good tires, and something that Mongo would be happy to roll with, they are the third tier of Vittoria's lineup behind the Corsa and the Diamante. There's a lesson to be learned here. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I'll bet it's extremely poignant.

(Photo:CyclingNews)

Images I'm Loving

Stop on by the Ali Harper Photography blog for images from the full-day photoshoot Ali did at Chateau Gahan featuring my girlie. The photographer is doling these images out in small portions . . . such a tease.

24

The best TV series ever! This show stars Kiefer Sutherland as a CTU agent that runs in real time for, obviously, 24 hours. This year was its last after 8 years strong. Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is a CTU operative that protects the nation from various terrorist attacks including assassination plots, nuclear bombs, and a deadly virus. However, with this type of TV series, there are only so many story plots possible without it seeming like a repeat. Bauer and fellow CTU analyst, Khloe O'Brein are the only characters to appear in every season. If you are interested in a action movie, I suggest 24, which you can rent at Family Video. I promise you, this series will keep you up for many nights.

UConn booster thinks he's owner not donor

As if college football didn't have enough problems with the likes of Cam Newton's dad wanting their kids to get paid, apparently some big time boosters believe their open wallets believe entitle them to act as defacto ADs in the hiring and firing of coaches.

Case in point: A major UConn benefactor wants the $3 million he donated to the school returned and his family's name removed from the school's football complex because - wait for it - they shut him out of the discussions regarding the selection of the new football coach.

See that football you're holding?  Should've bought
one of those teams if you wanted a say about coaches

No, seriously.

According to the USA TODAY article linked above, "Robert Steinbrenner Burton, chief executive officer of Greenwich, Conn.-based Burton Capital Management, said in a Jan. 19 letter to UConn athletic director Jeff Hathaway that his opinions were ignored and he did not support the way Paul Pasqualoni was selected as coach."

Boo-fucking-hoo.

Burton called the situation "a slap in the face and embarrassment to my family," and said he planned "to let the correct people know that you did not listen to your number one football donor." He called the search process flawed.

Actually, the embarrassment is Mr. Burton's behavior.  Get over yourself, jackhole.  As reader "Small Axe" said in the comment section of USA TODAY, "It's not an investment. He's not buying shares of stock. He's not a partial owner of a franchise. It's a donation to a state school. How egotistical, arrogant, entitled, and disgusting."

In a statement, the school said "In the end, the decision was appropriately made by the university in the best interests of UConn and our football program,"

Exactly.  Although it apparently came as a shock to Mr. Burton that the decision wasn't made in his best interests.  Because there's more in the USA TODAY article:

Burton, a printing industry executive, and his family have given more than $7 million in donations for scholarships and other programs, including $2.5 million in 2002 to kick off construction of the football complex.

That's over, according to Burton's letter. And, he blames the athletic director, saying he is "fed up" with Hathaway and would have fired him long ago, if he'd had the authority.

Burton says his family and friends will no longer donate for scholarships and coaching clinics, will pull their advertising from the football program and will transfer current scholarships away from football and into the business school.

It couldn't immediately be determined Tuesday how many football players that would affect and whether other scholarship money would be available.

Burton said his company will also start sending its managers to Syracuse University's business school for training instead of UConn, and will no longer pay for its $50,000-per-year luxury suite at Rentschler Field.

"You already have many other empty boxes at Rentschler. My box will just join the list," Burton wrote.

Sounds like a heck of a guy.

Naturally, Mr. I Have Money So That Means I'm More Important Than Everybody Else is suing UConn to get his ownership stake "donation" returned and the family name off the building.

I hope UConn does take his name off the building, but keeps the money.

(HT: USA Today commenter Lakin for title idea)

MGoBlog back online, MZone plot fails

BREAKING NEWS:

(from AP wire services) Ann Arbor, MI - The MZone's attempt to overthrow MGoBlog as the leader and best Michigan site failed when proprietor Brian Cook was able to thwart the much smaller blog's nefarious plan.

After the hiring of new football coach Brady Hoke, the MZone's Elite Cyber Warfare Team was quickly able to figure out that Cook's master password for the MGoBlog empire had been changed to DaveBrandonSucksBigGiantMonkeyBalls.

As a result, the MZECWT was able to take over Cook's site with the same ruthless efficiency in which it recently sabotaged Iran's nuclear reactors, a brilliant cyber attack that much of the world wrongly credited to the Israeli's. 

In the shocking clip below just obtained from BloggiLeaks, Cook learns for the first time of Yost's audacious attempted coup d'blog.

Irina Shayk Vs Look 695 SR

Wallpaper Wednesday: Blessed

Sorry for the tardy wallpaper post today, it is a long story, and it ends with me walking on Las Vegas Boulevard at 6AM to get back to my hotel. Better late than never. Special shout out to my friend Dusty for this great wallpaper. If you are a twitter user - follow him @DJTerrell

BONUS WALLPAPER WEDNESDAY

MZone reader Mikoyan sent us this wallpaper in response to our plea for post submissions.

Help for a blogging cohort

If you've tried to access MGoBlog over the last 48 hours or so, you may have noticed this warning pop up:

Now, contrary to initial reports, this attack is not - I repeat, NOT - being orchestrated by AD Dave Brandon in the wake of MGoBlog's criticism of Brady Hoke's hiring.

But whatever is going on, it's certainly causing some headaches for Brian, the site's founder and proprietor.  Just saw the following posts on his Twitter account:

mgoblog

Clarification: need help removing malware from site. We've been baning our heads against it for days.

mgoblog 

I need help. Does anyone have suggestions for someone I can hire?

Thus, just trying to pass on the call for help if any of our readers are experts in this field (plus, Brian has a shitload of readers and real honest-to-god companies advertise on his site so he can probably actually pay you as opposed to simply HT'ing you next to a picture of a naked co-ed)

'Community Writer' brings a global perspective

A little over three years ago, when I was just getting started as Sunday Opinion editor, I launched a Community Writers program that was designed to give voice to ordinary citizens and their concerns. I thought it would be a good complement to the professionally crafted editorials and columns cranked out members of The Oregonian's editorial board -- and I was right.

The program was well received by the public, and the writers -- 12 in the first group, 15 in the second -- took the opportunity and ran with it, weighing in each week for 12 weeks on a variety of issues that mattered to them as teachers, students, retirees, lawyers, ministers or whatever line of work they came from.

One of the unexpected benefits is that I formed solid friendships with a few of the writers, not the least of which was with a Beaverton woman named Lakshmi Jagannathan. Originally from India, she described herself to readers as a wearer of many hats -- "agricultural scientist, homemaker, school volunteer, PIFF (Portland International Film Festival) enthusiast, creative writer (and) Mom." She said she hoped that as "an immigrant and an avid traveler, I expect to bring a global perspective to my writing."

And true to her word, she provided exactly that in an op-ed essay that ran Tuesday on The Oregonian's Opinion blog: "Safety is in the eye of the beholder."

Pyramids of Giza

She and her family recently traveled to Egypt and were struck by the contrast in how safe they felt compared to the United States. While they were abroad, they learned of the shootings in Tucson.

"As I watched the news on TV sets at the airport, I wondered what the Egyptians must have thought," she writes. "'America is a dangerous place,'" some nervous mother might now say to her child. "'You could get killed in a grocery store.'"

Bisquick Breakfast

One day Christo and I wanted pancakes for breakfast. My mom did not have any that morning, but she quickly thought of something she thought we would like. She mixed an equal amount of bisquick and water in a bowl. She stirred this untill smooth. Then into the microwave for two minutes. My brother and I were so amazed we decided my mom needed to open her own restaurant and sell this (this was a long time ago). My cousins who come only two or three times a year also have fallen in love with this Bisquick breakfast. Adding butter and/or syrup also makes this dish more tastefull. I hope you try this and enjoy as much as my famiy and I do.

~Emmie Schultz

Dad and daughter duet

"For some reason," a Rough and Rede follower wrote to me, "I thought of you and your blog when I saw this...it will put a smile on your face!"

I'm flattered by the sentiment. And my cyberspace friend is right -- it did put a smile on my face. Take three minutes to view and enjoy.

Click below to get the proper introduction.

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/momentsofmotherhood/this-week-in-mom-dad-and-daughter-duet-2444229/

Or, if you're in a hurry, just play the YouTube video.  

Family Portrait

I saw this gem the other day on one of my favorite daily blog reads (uniwatchblog.com). It is a scanned image of a 1969 college football postcard set produced by a Texas based artist . I am not sure which mascot character I like best: the brain surgeon Sparty or the brooding Hoosier with the straw in his mouth. Also, you have to admit the buckeye head looks a lot like something that Mascot Man made in an unreleased video.

And All The Roads That Lead You There

"You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this."

( Henry David Thoreau)