The blog is moving

I am pleased to announce that I have acquired the domain http://www.thewayiseeitblog.com/ which will obviously be the future home of this blog.

I am using Wordpress to publish the site. I am a newbie to Wordpress so it might take me a little while to get it to where I want it to be.

For the time being I will be posting my blog entries here and at http://www.thewayiseeitblog.com/.

The way I see it: Your own website/blog is cool but a pain to setup.

Greatest Commercial Never Seen

I was watching the Today show this morning on NBC and they had a segment on commercials that have won awards. Apparently there is an award show for commercials, but anyway...

Bud Light has a commercial, Swear Jar, which I do not think has every aired on national broadcast TV. This is one of the funniest commercials I have ever seen.



Bud Light has a history of great commercials. Some of my all time favorites include:

#10 The Auctioneer Wedding - A man hires an auctioneer for his wedding to speed things up. (watch it here)

#9 - Cedric on a date - How many times have you wanted to do this ? (watch it here)

#8 Budweiser Frogs. One of the earliest funny beer commercials we can remember. This is one of our favorites. (watch it here)

#7 Clydesdale Donkey - Trying to reach his dreams of being one of the Clydesdales. (watch it here)

#6 Real Men of Genius - Nudist Colony Activity Coordinator. (watch it here). The "Real Men of Genius" radio and TV ads are all classics.

#5 Magic Beer - The neverending bottle of beer. (watch it here)

#4 Horse Gas - It's always romantic to take your lady on a carriage ride...unless the horse has had too much Beefaroni. (watch it here)

#3 Great Dog Tricks - Man gets his beer back when dog bites another man's crotch. (watch it here)

#2 Wazzzzuuupp - Need I say more? (watch it here) and how about the "What are you doing " versions (watch it here)

#1 The Swear Jar - Greatest of all time?

The way I see it: Although my personal taste lean towards Miller products, Budweiser is the king of commercials.

2008 Stanley Cup Game 5

Kudos to NBC on their coverage last night of the triple overtime Stanley Cup Playoff Game between the Detroit Red Wings vs the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Not once did NBC break away for a commercial. Even when there was a puck stoppage and a TV time out, they stayed with the coverage.

NBC chose to go the right route and not kill the fans interest.

Also great job by Maxime Talbot, who scored what is most likely to be the goal of his career with 38 seconds left in regulation, Petr Sykora, who scored the goal in the third overtime to give the Penguins the win, and Marc-Andre Fleury, who was a brick wall during the three overtimes, amassing 55 saves.

The way I see it: Game 6 is going to be great.

Nuggets Vol. 1 Issue 5

Stupid stat of the day - Follow up

The Celtics are now 30-0 when leading 3-2 in a series. Guess what, it is still a stupid stat.

What can Brown do for you - Follow up

Even if Big Brown does not win the Belmont and the Triple Crown this Saturday, his owners have already pocketed $50 Million for his stud rights.

Right after he won the Preakness, a stud farm reportedly agreed to the $50 million. However there is a report stating that the deal fell through.

Are his owners sweating it? I doubt it because it looks like Big Brown will earn them $100K per "Pop", which could net the between $50 and $60 Million.

The way I see it: Prostitution is alive and well and still one of the most lucrative businesses in the world.

What can BROWN do for you?

What can Brown do for you?

No not UPS, but Big Brown, the horse that is poised to win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing!

A week from this Saturday, Big Brown will be riding at Belmont Park in New York to try and be the first horse in 30 years to win the Triple Crown.

The Triple Crown consists of the following three races:

• Kentucky Derby, run over 1.25 miles (2.01 km) at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky;
• Preakness Stakes, run over 1.1875 miles (1.91 km) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland;
• Belmont Stakes, run over 1.50 miles (2.41 km) at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

The Triple Crown starts with The Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday of May. The Preakness follows two weeks later. The Belmont Stakes is three weeks after The Preakness in early June.

The following video shows Big Brown's triumphant run at the Kentucky Derby. Its amazing to watch how Big Brown explodes down the back straight to victory.

Two weeks later at the Preakness, Big Brown showed the world again why he is the horse to beat.

Again, he just sat back and waited and once he turned for home, he once again exploded down the straight away leaving all the other horses in the dust.

Here is the overhead blimp view of Big Brown just dominating the field at the Preakness.

Big Brown is ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, who in 1998 rode Real Quite to victory in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, only to be beaten by a nose by Victory Gallop. Now he is back in a bid to win the Triple Crown and ride into Thoroughbred Horse Racing history.

Here is the list of past Triple Crown Winners:

U.S. Triple Crown Winners

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner
1919	Sir Barton	Johnny Loftus	H. Guy Bedwell	J. K. L. Ross
1930	Gallant Fox	Earl Sande	Jim Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud
1935	Omaha	Willie Saunders	Jim Fitzsimmons	Belair Stud
1937	War Admiral	Charley Kurtsinger	George Conway	Samuel D. Riddle
1941	Whirlaway	Eddie Arcaro	Ben A. Jones	Calumet Farm
1943	Count Fleet	Johnny Longden	G. Donald Cameron	Fannie Hertz
1946	Assault	Warren Mehrtens	Max Hirsch	King Ranch
1948	Citation	Eddie Arcaro	Horace A. Jones	Calumet Farm
1973	Secretariat	Ron Turcotte	Lucien Laurin	Meadow Stable
1977	Seattle Slew	Jean Cruguet	William H. Turner, Jr.	Karen L. Taylor
1978	Affirmed	Steve Cauthen	Laz Barrera	Harbor View Farm

Since 1978 11 horses have won both the Kentucky Derby & the Preakness only to fall short at Belmont.

Will this year be different? One can only hope so.

The Way I see it: Barring major injury, Big Brown will be the next Triple Crown winner.

Nuggets Vol. 1 Issue 4

Stupid Stat of the Day -

Last night the Boston Celtics went up 3-2 vs the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals. On the Mike & Mike Morning Show on ESPN Radio, Mike Greenberg stated that the Celtics are 29-0 when leading a series 3-2.

I like "Greeny". I respect him as a journalist, broadcaster, and a guy that knows his stuff when it comes to sports but I cant pardon him, or anyone else that would give out a stat like this, because it is not an applicable stat.

If this was the same exact team involved in all games sixes, then it would be a valid stat, but its not.

NBA Apologies for no foul call against Lakers -

Unless you have been living under a rock, Game 4 of the Western Conference NBA Final ended with the Laker's Derrek Fisher visibly jumping into Brent Barry, who then heaved up a desperation 3-Pointer which he missed.

No foul was called and the Lakers jumped out to a commanding 3-1 lead vs the Spurs.

The NBA released the following comment: "With the benefit of instant replay, it appears a foul call should have been made," said a statement by NBA spokesman Tim Frank.

Prior to this statement, the league released the following statement regarding referees Joey Crawford, Joe Forte and Mark Wunderlich and how they may have been following a league guideline in failing to make a call.:

"There is an explanation in the rule book," said league spokesman Brian McIntyre, "that there are times during games when the degree of certainty necessary to determine a foul involving physical contact is higher. That comes during impact time when the intensity has risen, especially at the end of a game. In other words, if you're going to call something then, be certain."

So you mean to tell me that the three refs on the court, were not "certain", while the millions of people watching the game, including some blind people, could tell it was a foul?

What if it was a marquee player? Would they have gotten the call? I think so.

All i can say is Wow! I bet all the Spur fans feel so much better now that the NBA pointed out the error.

Wouldn't it have been better if the NBA didn't comment?

The funny thing is this isn't the first time Joey Crawford and company had a run in with the Spurs.

Last year he gave Tim Duncan two technicals, one for laughing, and ejected him from a game against the Mavericks.

Crawford ended up getting fined and suspended.

The way I see it: Payback!

(Photo credits: Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News)

Memorial Day

Many people feel that National Holidays have simply become "days off" or just another reason for retailers to have a sale. I personally feel that most "holidays" these days really do not mean anything due to the over commercialization of them.

Whether or not you agree with the current or past wars, it is important to remember and respect our fallen soldiers by taking a moment today, Memorial Day, to remember the sacrifices these men and women have made to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today.

There are many ways to celebrate or honor our fallen heroes today. It can be as simple as taking a minute at 3:00pm today and partake in the national moment of remembrance, placing a flag outside your house, visiting Arlington National Cemetery, or any of the many local activities many towns have scheduled for today.

From CNN - There have been 4,392 coalition deaths -- 4,080 Americans, two Australians, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, four Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvian, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of May 26, 2008, according to a CNN count. The list below (Click here for the list) is the names of the soldiers, Marines, airmen, sailors and Coast Guardsmen whose deaths have been reported by their country's governments. The list also includes seven employees of the U.S. Defense Department. At least 30,112 U.S. troops have been wounded in action, according to the Pentagon. View casualties in the war in Afghanistan and examine U.S. war casualties dating back to the Revolutionary War.

The closest relative that I have that actively served was my grandfather served in the United States Army during World War II as a Captain in the U.S. (Army) Dental Corps.

He passed away July 24, 2000 at the age of 82.

As you look around and enjoy the beautiful day just remember that at some point in time a soldier died for you and me so we can enjoy our freedoms.

Gas Prices

Maybe I don't understand the inner workings of politics and petroleum, but I do understand that the it is going to be tough for the average American to fill his or hers gas tank over the next few months.

Today it costs me around $3.44 per gallon to fill my car. Typically, living in New Jersey affords me some of the lowest gas prices (See where you state falls out by visiting Gas Buddy) in the country.

The hot button topic today with our Presidential "hopefuls" is the gas tax. McCain would like to see the gas tax suspended over the summer, while Obama is opposed.

I can go either way on this. While I would like to see gas prices go down, I don't think suspending the tax is the way to do it.

Why?

Because if you suspend the gas tax, or any tax for that matter, the government is going to make it up somewhere else.

The only way to lower gas prices is to some how regulate it at the source, the gas companies and stop giving the oil companies tax breaks. Click here for news from Politico.com this past February that shows what the House and Senate are trying to do knowing that President Bush and Vice President Haliburton, I mean Chaney will undoubtedly veto.

Here are some earnings from Gas companies in 2007. They are listed in order as they appear on the 2007 Fortune 500 List:

1. Exxon/Mobile - $40.6 Billion

2. Chevron - $18.7 Billion

3. ConocoPhillips - $15 Billion

4. Valero Energy - $5.4 Billion

5. Marathon Oil - $5.2 Billion

6. Sunoco - $979 Million

7. Hess Corp. $1.9 Billion

8. Tesoro $800 Million

9. Murphy Oil $683 Million

10. Frontier Oil $379 Million

Sickening!!

So you think the answer is to go out and buy a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle, such as Ethanol? Think again.

If we all go hybrid, the oil companies will just raise prices to cover overhead and profit. Sure you will be able to get 50 miles to the gallon, but the gallon is going to cost you $15.

Ethanol? Maybe, but I heard a rumor a few weeks ago that some of the big oil companies are buying up corn crops faster than you can make popcorn.

One thing to remember is that oil not only affects our gas prices, it can practically be found in almost every non food item we use today.

The way I see it: The only way for this situation to get better is if, and only if, the government gets involved, puts aside its special interests, and starts regulating oil.

Baseball Field Quest

There is just something about watching a live Baseball game.

Although its great to visit Major League ball parks and watch two MLB teams play, I really prefer to watch AA and AAA ball.

The prices are right, all seats are great and up close, and the entire experience is really fan friendly.

Over the course of my life I have been able to visit Major & Minor League Ball Parks to watch games.

The parks that I have visited include:

Dodgers Stadium
Fenway Park
Yankee Stadium
Shea Stadium
Wrigley Field
Rogers Centre aka Sky Dome
McAfee Stadium
Rangers Ballpark
McCoy Stadium (Redsox Minor League)
1st Energy Ballpark (Lakewood Blueclaws)

This season I am going to try my hardest to hit ten (10) new stadiums to watch a ball game and the season started tonight for me tonight when I got to see the Charlotte Knights in action at Knight's Castle against the Scranton-Wilkesboro Yankees.

The Yanks won 6-2 in front of a crowd of no more than 300 people.

Up next: In the middle of May I am planning on seeing the Durham Bulls at 7:00pm followed by the Carolina Mud Cats the next day at 2:00pm.

Kansas drivers

An open letter to all drivers in Kansas:

Dear Kansas drivers,

If ever there was a group of people that need to be kicked in the collective nuts, its you drivers of Kansas.

First and foremost let me say that I like Kansas. I have made the trip from Kansas City to Abilene & Salina quite a few times over the last 15 years.

I enjoy I-70 a lot. There are not many roads that you can get on and for 3 hours or more probably just drive straight as an arrow.

I probably could make the drive without ever moving the steering wheel a degree or two over the course of 3 hours.

The reason why I say probably is because at any given time a few of you cow tipping, tabacy chewing, farm raised, county music listening, chicken coup driving dumb asses feel the need to 60 MPH on I-70 when there is nothing around for miles.

Now I'm not condoning speeding but when you see a car coming at you from behind at a high rate of speed, either speed up or move the fuck over.

I mean come on people, you don't even use you rear view mirrors. You just drive straight ahead without a care in the world.

At one point a herd of cows where moving faster then some of you.

I-70 is basically the straightest road you will ever be on. Sure there are hills you go over but trust me when I tell you there is no scenery.

When I make the drive I try and wonder what this trip must have been like using horses and chuck wagons. Do you think they had assholes back then that didn't know how to drive?

The way I see it: Kansas needs to adopt a 3 lane highway system. One lane for going really fast (I hit 112MPH as my top speed), one for trucks, who can also use the fast lane as long as they keep moving, and one for the rest of you Kansas dumbass drivers. We'll call it the Dumbass lane.

Eye's playing tricks on me??

Today I saw something that was really weird. The only thing I can call it is an Unidentified Flying Object or a UFO. I am sure it is nothing, but I cannot stop thinking about what I saw. I decided to do a quick Google search tonight to see if anyone posted something along the lines of "lights over Eastern Seaboard" or "Lights over Atlantic Ocean", but i didn't find anything.

I found nothing except a link to the National UFO Reporting Center so I decided to file a report to see if anyone else saw what I saw.

Here is what I posted on the NUFORC site.

Today I was standing outside at around 5:30pm and a bright star over the Atlantic ocean caught my eye. At first I thought it was just an early bright star, kind of like when you see the moon early in the afternoon. The sky was very clear.

I figured it might be a "star" because the sun was now in the west, behind me. It was very high in the sky. It had height similar to a star or even a satellite moving in low orbit, but was stationary.

We live in an area that does not have high light pollution, so at night (especially in the summers) we are able to see satellites at night when they fly over. Our views are so good that one evening last year we were able to see a NOSS satellite group fly over. The Thinker, Lead Singer, and others can back me up on the satellites and NOSS sightings.

I was able to gauge the height when an aircraft was flying at what appeared to be it's maximum altitude to the left of the "star" and the "star" was much higher than the aircraft. I knew the aircraft was high due to its jet stream. There were also two birds flying at a height that dismissed the chance of the "star" being a balloon.

Suddenly a second light appeared and was aligned in a way similar to Orion's belt. The second "star" seemed to have started to move slowly below the first "star".

In order to make sure the second "star" was moving I closed one eye and used my finger as marker and sure enough the lower "star" was moving in a southern direction.

Literally, in a blink of an eye the moving star was gone. It just disappeared. No flash or high acceleration, just gone.

I was looking back to the first star when it too disappeared. I waited for a few more minutes for the "stars" to reappear but they did not.

This has been bothering me all day so I decided to post it here to see if anyone else has seen it.

For those of you, Zed, who are going to bust my balls about this, I know what I saw and have no issue with it so bring it on.

March Madness

My knowledge of college basketball is zip, zero, nada. I don't even realize that college hoops has started until the NCAA tournament starts.

I am so comfortable with my lack of NCAA hoops knowledge that I don't even bother with the brackets anymore.

I do, however, enjoy the tournament. I love the win or go home feeling of every game. It doesn't matter what you did all season long, its what you do these two weeks.

Why do I love the tournament so much?

The upsets baby!! and watching these kids play their hearts out for the pure love of the game. Sure, they know all of the NBA scouts are watching, but for 99% of these kids, this is it.

The problem I have with the tournament is that it is broadcasted on a one channel network, CBS.

If you watched the coverage over the weekend you know exactly what I am talking about. If not here are a few examples:

1. While 13 seed Siena is upsetting 4 seed Vanderbilt, we get to watch 1 seed UNC play horse against 16 seed Mount St. Mary's. The only reason CBS should have had cameras on that game was just in case MSM took a lead, other than that, show highlights.

2. While 1 seed Memphis and 8 seed Mississippi State are locked in a great battle, CBS decides to go to the tip of UNC-Arkansas.

3. Someone in the production booth had a trigger finger. They tried so hard to bring us all the action, that at one point, they kept switching from game to game only to switch over when there was no action.

All you heard was Gumble saying let's take you over to X or let's take you over to Y.

Someone at CBS management must have gotten sick from all the flipping because eventually it stopped.

The way I see it: When the current contact expires, the NCAA should only consider networks with multiple programing channels, such as NBC, ABC/ESPN, or FOX, so we, the viewers, are not at the mercy of Bryant Gumble and the bumbling producers at CBS.

Follow up to Russian Roulette - Death Sentence!

The Lead Singer read the previous blog and came up with a great argument/thought.

Even though this medical study dealt with combating the aids epidemic in Africa, we cannot think of one instance, when dealing with a life and death disease, the test included a plesebo.

What sense does including a pleseabo in this type of study really mean anyway? Either the gel/drug works or it doesn't.

If you had cancer and some Doctor/company had a drug that could help you, do you think they would give you a plecebo? No they wouldn't.

Yes, a plecebo works in non-life threatening studies such as migraines but not with the HIV!!

Why didn't they just give all the women the Gel that might protect them?? Such fools.

Also, how did they decide who got the real gel and who got the plecebo?

Crazy man, crazy.

The way the Lead Singer sees it: Its a very inhumane way to have a test. Your basically giving 50% of these people a death sentence.

The way I see it: Think how shitty your life must be if you A. Sign up for a test that puts your life in danger and B. You only have a 50% chance of getting the gel that might work.

Russian Roulette

I read a story the other day that literally almost made me fall off the toilet.

In the Feb 19th issue of AMNY, an article titled "Anti-Aids gel misses mark" was written by Marilynn Marchione of the AP.

"The first anti-aids vaginal gel to make it through late stage testing failed to stop HIV infection in a study of 6,000 South African women..."

Some of the reasons cited for the failed results include "low use of the gel, women used it less than half the number of times they had sex, and only 10% used it every time as directed".

Here is an additional fact box titled "Volunteers Line Up" provided in the article:

"More than 9000 women, average age 31, volunteered for the anti-aids gel study. About 27% tested positive for aids and were disqualified. In all, 6202 women were given either Carraguard or a placebo gel."

What, in gods name, did they promise these women to participate in this study?

Didn't 50% of the women realize that they were going home with a fake gel and that they were now susceptible to HIV?

How about the fact that 33% of the women that signed up had HIV?

Instead of writing about a failed study, shouldn't Ms. Marchione be writing about what these women were promised or told to participate in this study?

The way I see it: Signing up for this "study" is about as smart as signing up for a new study by Smith & Wesson wanting to test out their new guns. You would think that they could get 9,000 women to line up on a firing range to check the mortality rate of its new gun.

Unexpected gifts equal Cool gift

The other night I was chilling out with The Thinker and his wife and we happened to be looking at the moon as it was moving over the tree line.

It struck a very vivid and beautiful image.

I made a comment as how it looked like a painting and how I was interested in learning how to draw.

I have always figured that every person has the ability to draw, or do something artistic, they just don't know how to do it.

Its as if you have to unlock your artistic eye and teach your hand to convey or draw what you "eye" sees.

Well last night Mrs. Thinker gave me a book titled "Drawing for the Absolute & Utter Beginner" by Claire Watson Garcia.

I haven't even opened the book yet but it looks very cool.

The way I see it: Unexpected gifts are Cool gifts.

To Tip or not to TIP

This week THE THINKER and I have to spend the week in NYC for work. We decided to chill tonight with LEAD SINGER and MASTER DEBATER.

I found out tonight that I am not the only one who doesn't really know how much to tip a taxi cab driver.

So many times I have gotten into a taxi and tried to figure, with each tick of the meter, how much to tip the driver.

On a normal basis I think I am a very good tipper. I give bell hops $5 for two bags. I give hotel doormen $1 for getting me a cab, and I tip 20% on food service.

But for some reason I am always befuddled by how much to tip a taxi cab driver.

Now, this problem only arises when I am in a New York City taxi. When I travel abroad I tip ridiculous amounts because the value of that particular countries dollar is so much less than here in the States. For example, in China I'll give the taxi driver 10RMB which works out to about to about $1.40.

Keep in mind that when I take taxis in other countries the cost for the trip is twice as long as any trip I would take in NYC and half the price.

THE THINKER doesn't tip taxi cab drivers. He has figured that since the taxi is going that way already, he doesn't have to tip.

I have always been one to give the extra change plus a $1.

Now, thanks to the MASTER DEBATER, I have accepted a new form of tipping taxis. Any time the meter reads below $X.50, I'll let the driver keep the spare change. Above $X.50, i'll add a dollar. I think that's fair.

I found a great article on tipping which you will find below.

The way I see it: Taxi cab drivers are an anomaly when it comes to tipping. I guess a lot of the non-tipping sentiment arises from peoples general disdain for taxi cab drivers, but thats a story for another day.

Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Who should be given a tip -- and how much?

By CANDACE HECKMAN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Trinity Jessen didn't even realize what she had done until asked about it later.

It wasn't much more than 50 cents, plunked into the jar next to the cash register as she accepted her change for two coffee milkshakes at a downtown Seattle Tully's.

A couple of quarters, a nickel maybe, a few pennies. ... She couldn't remember because she didn't grab the receipt. It was all so fuzzy, so quick, so automatic.

		Phil H. Webber / P-I
	Donald Vincent, a server at Romio's Pizza & Pasta in Greenwood, works Monday near a pitcher where customers are encouraged to tip the cooks.

"Why would they put a jar there if they didn't expect to get a tip?" she asked. "Other people are tipping. I think you're supposed to tip them."

Her sister, Linda Jessen-Davis, emphatically disagreed.

"That's not a tip, it's a bribe," Jessen-Davis said. "It's like you're telling them, 'Here's 50 cents, please make my drink good.' They should make it good anyway. It costs five bucks."

For the next 10 minutes, the Jessen sisters engaged in the debate that stretches across America's social fabric: Who gets a tip, how much, and why?

A gratuity offered at the end of a restaurant meal, for carrying bags or taxiing someone across town has long been a way of saying "thanks."

But the tipping explosion, which has paralleled the equally explosive coffee shop proliferation during the past 20 years, now includes almost any industry offering a service.

Nearly every deli counter, even some fast food joints, in Seattle displays a jar or cup silently requesting customers to deposit a few coins.

Some cups are simply marked "TIPS." Some are cleverly labeled "employee education fund."

Then again, "Emily Post's Etiquette," the American standard for good manners, describes many tip jars as nothing but the "inanimate equivalent of an outstretched palm."

And there are places such as beauty salons, where customers feel obliged to tip, but aren't sure how to and how much.

"Some places have envelopes, some you're supposed to slip it in the person's pocket," said Colleen Stone, chief executive of Seattle-based inSpa, where tipping is not allowed. "You end up feeling awkward or stupid because you don't know the secret handshake."

	Niki Desautels / P-I
Jennifer Whittaker, who is visiting from London, gets a facial at inSpa in the University Village Shopping Center on Monday. InSpa does not allow its employees to accept tips.

Stone, who runs the chain of day spas, said that worrying over the tip at the end of a facial or massage often negates the relaxation that the service is meant to bring.

In the six years that inSpa has been in business, Stone has found that tip anxiety affects women of all ages and economic levels and has nothing to do with the actual dollar amount of a gratuity. It's the expectation that makes people uncomfortable.

"Tipping is a huge part of our culture. Some people might feel uncomfortable about the expectation, but there is an expectation," said Gene Vosberg, president of the Washington Restaurant Association. "There is something very American about the way this has evolved."

In contrast, many people in East Asian countries, such as Japan, don't appreciate tips.

While they would probably be too polite to say something, they would be insulted, said Lynn Staneff of Magellan's Travel Supplies, which offers people culture-based travel advice.

But the closer people get to cosmopolitan centers in the United States -- Los Angeles and New York in particular -- the more they will be expected to tip, Staneff said.

"However, I believe in the depths of my soul that tipping should be an individual choice," Staneff said.

To Americans, tipping serves many functions, Vosberg said.

It can be meant to grab extra attention, to relieve a sense of obligation, or out of sympathy.

To servers, it affirms that they are doing a good job and are being appreciated.

William McBee, who was visiting his grandchildren in Seattle last week, said he's become uncomfortable with seeing the proliferation of tip jars on counters, but he believes strongly in tipping at restaurants and hotels.

McBee, who lives in a small town outside of Austin, Texas, is usually a 15 percent tipper, always has been.

"That's a lot more than my mother gives," he said. "She's 83 and she doesn't give no more than 10 percent. And that's for good service."

When he goes out to eat with his mother, he usually pays. Every once in a while, she will want to treat him, like on Father's Day and his birthday, in which case McBee said he'll slip a few extra dollars onto the table when they get up to leave because he knows Mama's tipping hasn't evolved with the culture.

"I definitely feel obliged," McBee said. "My nephew was a waiter in college, and he didn't even make minimum wage."

That sense of obligation can shift, depending on where you are.

Some restaurants require their servers to pool tips, and then distribute them among the entire staff at the end of the night. Employees who receive tips are required to keep accurate records of their tips and pay state and federal income taxes on them.

In most states, such as Texas, restaurant wait staff can be paid a lower wage, sometimes as low as $2.13 an hour, because most of their income will be gratuity.

Washington, along with Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada and Oregon, however, do not allow this. The lowest a server can be paid in these states is the minimum wage. In Washington, that's $7.35 an hour, the highest of any state.

The time has come that tipping should be an obligation and no longer strictly a gratuity, according to Jonathan Ben-Ammi, who worked as a waiter until recently moving into a different position for a Seattle restaurant.

"Most service that you're going to get isn't going to be so bad that you shouldn't leave any tip," Ben-Ammi said.

"If you don't tip, you're actually hurting that person," because the server could be waiting on someone who will tip, he said.

Ben-Ammi said he believes any employee giving sit-down service or delivery, such as pizza, should be tipped.

Vosberg would like to see sit-down restaurants start charging a service fee, like they do in many European countries, but he understands that competition in the restaurant industry might preclude that shift.

"People will disagree with me. They'll say, 'Vosberg, you're crazy. When I go to Europe, I get terrible service.' " To Vosberg, the principle is simple: If a restaurant charges for food, they should charge for service.

"I wish people would tip based on the quality of service. My sense is that people tip without really thinking about the serving," he said.

Super Tuesday

Today is Tuesday February 5, 2008 or what is known as Super Tuesday.

Super Tuesday comes around once every four years and in most cases, Super Tuesday determines both Democratic and Republican Presidential Nominees.

I was amazed by how many commercials were played during the Super Bowl pre-game shows urging people to get out and vote or stop complaining.

It's a concept I have believed in for as long as I can remember.

Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or Independent you should go out and vote today.

If you are not a Primaries voter then make sure to vote in November.

There is a majority out there that says "Why should I vote, it doesn't count", "It's just the Popular Vote" or "I'm just one vote". Both of the these arguments, in essence both statements are true due mainly in part to the Electoral College.

Here is a link to a great article on "How does the Electoral College work?" which can be found at howstuffworks.com.

In my opinion, if you really want to make a difference, then you should go out and vote when seats are up for election in your Local (ie: Mayor), State (ie: Governor), or Federal Districts (ie: Senator).

This is where you can make the most of your vote and really make a change.

My issue is that so many people complain about the "system" yet they don't go out and vote. I have no issue listening to what a person has to say about President Bush or anything else political as long as they went out and voted. I don't care who they voted for, as long as they voted.

The way I see it: Vote or shut up!!!

True Blue

Its been two days since I watched what is in my opinion is the greatest Super Bowl ever.

I know that "Greatest ever" is a stretch in some peoples mind, especially if your a New England fan, but let's look at the facts:

1. Patriots looking to go 19-0 and achieve only the second perfect season in history.

2. Giants 13 point underdogs.

3. Giants started the season 0-2

4. At no time in the game did any team lead by more than 4 points.

5. 3 lead changes in the 4th quarter.

6. Game winning TD with under 40 seconds to go.

7. A Super Bowl which would have either a team that makes undefeated history or a team that deals the most crippling upset in sports history.

In addition to the above this game had what many people are calling "The greatest play ever" or the "Play of the century". If you have not seen the play, then CLICK HERE.

One must tip their hat to a team that has truly earned the title World Champs.

The way I see it: I still would have liked to see New England go undefeated. Although many people dislike New England, it is still a great accomplishment which, for at least another season, will remain intact.

Customer Service

I plan to devote a lot of time to addressing the theory and practical applications of the phenomenon known as "Customer Service".

90% of humanity has dealt with Customer Service in one form or another.

I find 90% of all CS sucks.

These entries will highlight the good, bad, and the ugly of CS.

Customer service is often seen as an activity, performance measurement and a philosophy. That is why, generally speaking, one single definition of customer service does not exist.

Here are some definitions of customer service in use today:

"Customer service is the ability to provide a service or product in the way that it has been promised"

"Customer service is about treating others as you would like to be treated yourself"

"Customer service is an organization's ability to supply their customers' wants and needs"

"Customer Service is a phrase that is used to describe the process of taking care of our customers in a positive manner"

"Customer Service is any contact between a customer and a company, that causes a negative or positive perception by a customer"

"Customer service is a process for providing competitive advantage and adding benefits in order to maximize the total value to the customer"

"Customer Service is the commitment to providing value added services to external and internal customers, including attitude knowledge, technical support and quality of service in a timely manner"

"Customer service is a proactive attitude that can be summed up as: I care and I can do."

I have so much to say about CS that I might spin this off into a whole new blog.

Nuggets Vol. 1 Issue 3

Undefeated vs Upset.....

As I said from the beginning, I am rooting for New England to win it all. I feel that on Feb 3rd the world will witness one of the greatest sports accomplishments.

The last time a team went undefeated was in 1972. The Miami Dolphins swept through the regular season and the playoffs.

Yes, Miami did it first, but New England will have won two more regular season games.

Now normally my allegiance lies with my team and then the division that team resides in. For example, in the NFL I root for the Packers and then should they lose, whoever represents the NFC. In baseball its the Yankees or whoever represents the AL, unless of course its Boston, but that's a different story.

I'm also a big underdog fan. I'm a huge fan of the upset. Its what makes sports so exciting.

I guess I am getting the best of both worlds with the potential to witness a team go undefeated and to see one of the greatest upsets in years.

Bad guys....

A few weeks ago I wanted to write about "rotten apples" in sports. I believe if you make it to any level of professional sports, god has blessed you with special abilities.

Rotten apples know they have these amazing talents however they are some of the sorest losers (and winners) and team chemistry killing idiots around.

Two players come to mind when talking about rotten apples, Terrell "TO" Owens and Randy "The Freak" Moss.

The reason I bring them up is because I hate when assholes succeed.

Of the two, TO is the worst. He not only alienates his teammates, he alienates the fans. He can single handedly bring down a team.

He bitches and moans when he doesn't get the ball.

Moss on the other hand isn't so much a bad teammate, he more or less shuts down when he is playing on a mediocre team. Look at his tenure with the Raiders. As team captain, he would just sit on the bench and sulk.

I guess if one of them has to get a ring it should be Moss. It should also be pointed out that getting picked up by New England is another reason to shape up, I mean who you going to yell at, Brady? Belichick? I don't think so.

Deserving of a ring....

No matter who wins this weekend, I am pleased that either Junior Seau or Michael Strahan will get a ring.

Both veterans have dominated their positions and are very deserving of a ring.

The way I see it: This Sunday should be a great game. There are some really good underlying stories. Hopefully this game isn't over in the first period.

Man's bitter battle

Many men don't realize it, but there is an epic battle raging between man's testicles and his wife.

When men are born god gave us two testicles. Our testicles are everything to us. We live so they can enjoy life.

Although they don't see the light of day often, they still are masters of their domain.

As man grows so grow his balls. They seem to take on a life of their own.

At an early age, man learns to control his testicles and use them to his advantage.

Our testicles grant us strength and independence, some might even say wisdom.

When man meets woman, his testicles lure him in for, what at that given time seems like eternal pleasure. unbeknown to his testicles, this is the beginning of the end for them.

During the dating period the female mentally massages the testicles into a false comfort zone. As far as the testicle know and care they are in their element.

It is all good until the man and woman arrive at the altar of marriage.
In a some what painless procedure the woman removes the man's right testicle during the ceremony, and so begins the epic struggle to hold onto your last testicle, your Left Nut.

Many men will say "not me, I'm the man of the house. I wear the pants. I rule the roost."

I say Ha! I thought so too.

I was hanging one night with "Zed" and the "Lead Singer" when we started to talk about how married man has no control.

Examples:

The Thinker is married and he is really not allowed to hang with out his wife. We have determined that she has both his nuts but gives him the false feeling that he still controls the Left Nut. .

The Philosopher stopped by during our discussion with his wife. Lead Singer got some new music he wanted him to hear. After 10 minutes she was telling him it was time to go, but that "he could come back" Zed and I did everything in our power to get him to stay but he wouldn't. He said he would be back in 5 minutes. He wasn't.

Not only does she have both of his balls but she periodically takes them out and smacks him in the face with them.

Zed's wife called and told him "she wants him to come home and hang". Translation - get your ass home now before I make you pay for it with your other nut. You can see the tug of war Zed is going through.

He fained strength by saying "ill go home, chill with her, and come back." Yeah, ok, good luck with that.

Finally there is me. I know where my nuts are and who controls them as evident by the following text conversation I had with the Mute, (who, since he is single, is very in control of his testicles) on the way home from a day out with the family. .

Me: Yo what's up
Mute: On my way back from school.
Me: Cool, u wanna chill
Mute: Sure

Wife: Who are texting
Me: The Mute
Wife: About?
Me: Chilling out

Me: Yo!
Mute: Sup?
Me: Sorry bro wifey says I can't come out and play tonight.

The way I see it: Adam gave Eve his rib and in return, Eve snatched his nut. That is the first documented testicle tug of war.

Blog Entry 01/20/2008 - Day 10 to 13

Well you know that my Blackberry Curve was stolen on Thursday.

I didn't have time to post since i didn't have my blackberry so here is a quick recap.

THURSDAY -

After my meeting on Thursday we checked into the Golden Tulip in Shanghai. All I can say is that the hotel is in an OK area. I think it's between Hong Qiao and Pudong, in a part of the city that is not a heavily visited tourist area. The hotel itself is just above dump rating, but I was so pissed about my BB that i didn't care that much.

The meeting on Thursday afternoon was basically worthless. Nothing going to come of it.

We tried to go out for dinner but nothing was open, even though it was only 9:30pm. We ended up at a convenience store to buy some water and snack, just in case. We also found a DVD vendor on the street and I got "I am Legend", "Michael Clayton", and "Saw IV" for RMB20 or around US$2.75.

We ended up having dinner in the hotel, which was really gross. I had garlic bread and tuna from the can, but the chef "prepared" the tuna with some kind of spicy hot oil which made it inedible.

FRIDAY -

The meeting went well. Really nice buyer. Potential is there for something.

Works Done!!! Have two days off and then I fly home. My boy Randall is away so i decided to stay at the hotel near his house (instead of at his house). I got a room at the DongHu Hotel.

The DongHu is really nice and comfortable. It's a more classic Chinese hotel. I really enjoyed it and ended up staying through till Sunday instead of staying at Randall's.

I spent Friday unwinding and pampering myself with a manicure, pedicure, and a 2 hour foot massage at DragonFly. DragonFly is an awesome place for pampering ones self in China. They are professionally run "therapeutic retreats" around China.

All locations are really clean and you get great value for the money you spend. some locations only do massages (Foot and Full Body) while others also offer spa services.

I was supposed to meet up with Montana Matt on Friday Night but he ended up bailing because of his wife's birthday. No worries, Jenny's Blue Bar is right next door. Jenny's is the perfect place to go if you just want to drink and relax. I am not sure who owns/runs this place but there ate four woman behind the bar that handle the pouring. They have a decent beer and hard alcohol selection. So I had a few Corona and Jagers and listen to some good old Rock and Roll. So I'm just chilling at the bar when all of the sudden this big fat cat jumps up on the bar and just starts to chill with me. Only in China!! I think my bill was USD$10 for 4 Corona's and 2 Jagers. Cant beat that.

I then ended up at Shirokiya, the Teppanyaki place a few doors down from Jenny's for dinner. Had an awesome all you can eat/drink dinner for RMB180 or US$25. Food was good and it's always fun to watch being cooked right in front of you.

SATURDAY

Had an awesome night sleep and got out of bed around 12:30pm. Ended up going to Element Fresh for breakfast. Now Element Fresh is owned by some friends of Randall's who have become my friends. "EF" serves some of the best food in all of China. They cover Western, Asian, and Health Conscious food spot on.

When ever I am in Shanghai I eat at EF because I know its good and clean.

I got a kick out of their breakfast menu. The first item on the menu is the "Big American", which for US$8.90, consists of the following:

4 Eggs Any Style
3 Strips of Bacon
2 Sausage Links
2 Pieces of French Toast
Potatoes
Fresh Fruit
Bottomless Cup of Coffee

I don't know anyone one who in their right mind could eat all this food. I settled for two eggs, toast, potatoes, and fresh squeezed juice with carrots, oranges, & ginseng. It was really really good.

I went back to the hotel watched "I am Legend" and passed out.

I spent Saturday Night with Randall, his wife and boys, Matt and his wife, Karim and Becca, Roger and his wife, and a few others within Randall's circle.

I was happy it was an easy night before I left China. I had a few really late nights with these guys where we end up spilling back to Randall's sometime around sunrise. I didn't need that after two weeks flying around the world.

SUNDAY

Flew back to Beijing to catch my flight home.

Flew home on Continental in Business/First. It was awesome. I love Business/First especially when the flight is 13 hours. The food is great and there are a ton of movies to watch.

I landed at Newark and went through Customs and Immigration.

When I got out the Customs area, I immediately saw the fam.

It was so good to see them. They look great. I missed then terribly.

It's great to be home.

Final mileage tally:

Newark to Frankfurt 3,860
Frankfurt to Beijing 4,840
Beijing to Shanghai 663
Shanghai to Beijing 663
Beijing to Shanghai 663
Shanghai to Beijing 663
Beijing to Newark 6,830

Total miles flown: 18,182

Blog Entry 01/17/2008 - Day 10

What a horrible day.

My pocket was picked at the airport in Shanghai and my Blackberry was stolen.

I am so pissed right now because:

A. This is my life line connection to my wife when I am not at a computer. I installed Google Talk on my BB and we can chat at anytime. Now I cant.

B. It's my direct connection to work with BBM and email.

C. It's my camera and I use it to visually capture the things that amuse me.

D. it has pictures of my family that I like to look at, especially when I travel.

So to the asshole who stole it... I hope you lose your fingers in a terrible and excruciating accident, your eye sight slowly, and you get herpes on your lips.

What a dooshy thing to do.

I will only be able to blog when I am at my computer in the hotel.

What a pain in the ass!!

Blog Entry 01/16/2008 - Day 9

Had a great night sleep at the Regent. The Regent really knows how to put a room together. As i mentioned in my last post, the room I got was perfect from the desk and flat screen TV to the bed and bathroom.

The Regent also has a wonderful buffet breakfast (which was included in my rate) which helped me get my day off to a great start.

Going to the factory today to finalize samples for my meeting on Friday in Shanghai.

11:00 PM

Day went smooth in the factory.

Had a nice dinner at the hotel tonight in the Italian restaurant, Daccapo. I think I ate the porcelain off the plates the food was so good.

Spoke with the Wife and she looks good. Thank god for Skype. It really makes a long trip a little more bearable.

Blog Entry 01/15/2008 - Day 8

Son of a bitch!!! It's 2am and I wide awake. Wide awake as in "GOOD MORNING, YOU ARE NOT GOING BACK TO SLEEP"

I cant fall back to sleep so I am going to do some emails.

9:00am

Finally fell asleep around 6am, but had to get up at 7:30am. I am coma tired!!

Got to get ready for my meeting.

5:00pm

My meeting got canceled about 30 minutes before it was supposed to start. They buyer is running way behind schedule. Like I give a shit.

Ive been traveling around the world for two weeks almost and she is tired?? Give me a break.

Plus, what if i was flying back to the USA tomorrow?? Would they reimburse me for my travels.

I am steaming!! I am tired!!! I am aggravated!!!

Going to head back to Beijing.

What a crappy day!!

9:00pm

Back in Beijing. I got to the Park Plaza Beijing and they do not have a room for me, but fear not, I am being sent next door to their sister property The Regent Beijing.

What can be said about the Regent chain other than, heaven on Earth. These hotel properties know how to treat a guest with cleanliness, great service and food. My Trip Advisor report will tell all.

My room is awesome, flat screen TV with plenty of English channels, great internet connection, fabulous bathroom (thats a major key for me when traveling), and a super sweet bed with a down comforter.

I can only describe this as one of the most perfect beds ever made.

I am going to sleep good tonight.