I took a 6am flight out of O’Hare yesterday. I had arrived a little before 5am and pretty much none of the concessions were open yet and I wanted an orange juice. So I get in line at the O’Hare McDonalds. I order and as I’m waiting for the delivery of my mediocre OJ, a woman approaches the counter and asks if they have any packets of salt. What could one possibly want to add salt to from McDonalds??
“Good news for Barack Obama. The founders of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream are endorsing Barack Obama instead of Hillary Clinton. Which makes sense, because ‘BaRocky Road’ is a much catchier name than ‘Pantsuits & Cream.’” — Conan O’Brien
Ever wonder what Las Vegas casinos make in their sports books on the Super Bowl each year? Here are the facts:
SUPER BOWL BETTING HISTORY
Performances by Nevada sports books for the past 17 Super Bowls:
| Year | Wagers | Win/(Loss) | Win Pct. | Score |
| 2007 | $93,067,358 | $12,930,175 | 13.9 | Colts 29, Bears 17 |
| 2006 | $94,534,372 | $8,828,431 | 9.3 | Steelers 21, Seahawks 10 |
| 2005 | $90,759,236 | $15,430,138 | 17.0 | Patriots 24, Eagles 21 |
| 2004 | $81,242,191 | $12,440,698 | 15.3 | Patriots 32, Panthers 29 |
| 2003 | $71,693,032 | $5,264,963 | 7.3 | Buccaneers 48, Raiders 21 |
| 2002 | $71,513,304 | $2,331,607 | 3.3 | Patriots 20, Rams 17 |
| 2001 | $67,661,425 | $11,002,636 | 16.3 | Ravens 34, Giants 7 |
| 2000 | $71,046,751 | $4,237,978 | 6.0 | Rams 23, Titans 16 |
| 1999 | $75,986,520 | $2,906,601 | 3.8 | Broncos 34, Falcons 19 |
| 1998 | $77,253,246 | $472,033 | 0.6 | Broncos 31, Packers 24 |
| 1997 | $70,853,211 | $2,265,701 | 3.2 | Packers 35, Patriots 21 |
| 1996 | $70,907,801 | $7,126,145 | 10.1 | Cowboys 27, Steelers 17 |
| 1995 | $69,591,818 | $(396,674) | (0.6) | 49ers 49, Chargers 26 |
| 1994 | $54,483,221 | $7,481,541 | 13.7 | Cowboys 30, Bills 13 |
| 1993 | $56,811,405 | $7,174,869 | 12.6 | Cowboys 52, Bills 17 |
| 1992 | $50,334,277 | $301,280 | 0.6 | Redskins 37, Bills 24 |
| 1991 | $40,080,409 | $3,512,241 | 8.8 | Giants 20, Bills 19 |
| SOURCE: Nevada Gaming Control Board | ||||
Ok, what’s not to like about this: The Miss America competition was held in Las Vegas this week. In a bizzare twist, the ceremony was telecast on the Learning Channel! Wha??
Here is where it gets interesting… Of the 12 finalists, Miss Utah was the first to be eliminated. She promptly dropped to the stage and starting doing push-ups, channeling Jack Palance from the Academy Awards a few years back. So here are 8 of the 12 Miss America finalists doing push-ups on stage! What’s not to like about that???
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yii2lTYmiM8
After years of letting my web development skills languish, I have finally designed a new, modern website. Sure, its modest - even super-modest - but it is a) new, and b) using modern web design techniques such as CSS, RSS, and whatnot. As I continue to polish my oh-so-rusty skills in this area, most of my effort will not be on michaelhalston.com. I have grand ideas of websites with more focused and frankly interesting subject matter. For now, take a gander and let me know what you think: www.michaelhalston.com
There is a special running on Comedy Central this week featuring comedian Lewis Black performing in Washington DC last year. As a rule, I’m a tough audience for a stand-up comedian. This show, however, cracked me up in a big way.
Of course YouTube has a bunch of Lewis Black stuff available. Here are two four minute excerpts from that show. Check out Comedy Central for the full hour - its worth it! If you watch one, watch both:
Last night I had a dream and woke this morning with the feeling that this dream could be of some significance, so I should pay attention to it. Here’s a synopsis:
In a blend of my concert background, I find myself being asked to work security for Barack Obama during a campaign stop. I was given simple instructions by a fellow to simply walk in front of Barack as he headed into a meeting hall. The venue had the feel of a community center or gymnasium. I stood around in a backstage area for a few minutes with just a few people milling about. Then, the fellow with the instructions, apparently Barack’s handler, walked up to me and said “here we go…”. Just then the candidate appeared walked toward me. He seemed quite relaxed and confident, yet humble - how I see him in the media these days. The three of us - yes just me, then Barack, then the handler walked leisurely toward the waiting crowd. The handler asked me if I wanted to introduce him. So as we rounded the corner to find a large, orderly crowd eagerly awaiting the star of the show, I said “ladies and gentlemen: Barack Obama!”.
The dream ended there. What struck me was the total lack of pretense of this candidate. He seemed born to be in that position. No entourage, no fluff, only a single handler! Not even security people. And I was selected to intruduce him. Not yet sure what that means but I have a feeling there is a lesson there for me.
…and to all a good night.
Welcome to my new blog. I have much to say about all sorts of trivial and perhaps mildly interesting things so I decided to blog - just like the rest of the world. I have little idea about what to expect from such an endeavor. So please be kind and come with me on this Web 2.0 journey of discovery…
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