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Ed Bagley's Articles

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  • "A Lot Like Love" Is Light Enough to Fly Away and Never Be Missed
    "A Lot Like Love" chronicles the indecision of two young adults who are misguided and muddled in both their careers and love life. They haul off and do nothing with themselves and then wonder why they are not happy. No wonder they are confused about love. They deserve each other. See this film once and move on.
  • "Breakfast on Pluto" Is Really Not About an Alien from Outer Space
    "Breakfast on Pluto" is a gender preference movie about a boy who really wants to be a girl, and settles for being a transvestite trying to find a place in a world that curses his very existence. I endured Boys Don't Cry and Transamerica and am pleased to say I did not have to endure Breakfast on Pluto. I think that Neil Jordan is the reason why. This film is worth viewing for its message: to thine ownself be true.
  • "Camelot" Is a Magical Movie, and a Primer in Civilized Human Relationships and Growth
    Camelot, released in 1967, celebrates its 40th anniversary this October, and was based on the 1960 musical play Camelot written by Alan Jay Lerner with music by Frederic Loewe. Camelot became a modern day legend when it was immortalized after President John F. Kennedy's assassination. Camelot the play and Camelot the film were both truly inspirational musical productions.
  • "Coach Carter" Sends an Outstanding Message About a Coach with Integrity, Honor and Goodness
    Samuel L. Jackson plays Coach Ken Carter in a good sports drama with an outstanding message for today's high school basketball players who see playing with the pros as their only objective in life. Carter believes that a basketball scholarship and ethics should go hand in hand. This is an incredible story of a coach who will not compromise his values by not compromising his integrity.
  • "For a Few Dollars More" Establishes Leone as a Master of Creating Emotion
    After the unexpected, smashing success of Sergio Leone's direction in "A Fistful of Dollars" with the newly-found presence of Clint Eastwood as the gunfighter who would become The Man With No Name, Leone 's direction in "For a Few Dollars More" was even more successful, artistically and financially. Learn why a film that could not garner a single award in its day has become a classic western film with a faithful following.
  • "Lost in Translation" Makes the Meaning of Life Sound Elusive
    "Lost in Translation" was written and directed by Sofia Coppola and won enough awards to fill a grocery cart. Seeing this film, I would not have guessed it would have won so many awards. I gave this film an average rating rather than a good or excellent rating. I wanted real substance in this film and I was left wanting. Learn why in my review.
  • "Nanny McPhee" - An Excellent Movie with Magic and a Message for Children
    In an entertainment world full of trashy and violent video games and movies, Nanny McPhee is everything good about movies for children. You and your children can watch this film without fear of unpleasant and unwanted garbage rooted in sensationalism for ratings and greed. Nanny McPhee is an excellent film with a wonderful message for all children to recognize and understand.
  • "Prada" Boss Drives Away Everyone and Everything But Blind Ambition
    Meryl Streep, one of Hollywood's best actresses, carries The Devil Wears Prada like the namesake handbag we see early in this movie, which is about Miranda Priestly, a powerful New York fashion magazine editor who hires Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a recent journalism grad, to be her new gofer. In the end, she ditches the job when she realizes that life without her boyfriend, her friends and family are not worth the price of being exclusive.
  • "Pretty Woman" Rocketed Julia Roberts into Becoming Hollywood's Sweetheart
    Read more of my other reviews on romantic comedies, including "Four Romantic Comedies That Will Not Stress Your Emotions", "Mystic Pizza", "Something's Gotta Give", "The Holiday", "What Women Want", "Failure to Launch" and "For Love or Money".

  • "The Departed" Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" in 1972
    Let me get to the most important thing first: Director Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for "The Departed". Scorsese, one of the most accomplished directors of our era, has been nominated for 7 Oscars—5 for Best Director and 2 for Best Screenplay—before winning with The Departed. The Departed is simply the best mob film since Mario Puzo's original Godfather in 1972.
  • "The Quiet Man" Is a Love Story Set in the Emerald Isle of Ireland
    No one ever said that filmmaking was easy, only that it could be very good and sometimes enduring, as in "The Quiet Man", starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara with legendary Director John Ford. The Quiet Man was the first American feature to be filmed in Ireland's picturesque countryside. Ford earned his 4th and last Best Director Oscar for The Quiet Man in 1952. See the film and understand why this love story will touch your heart.
  • "Tipping the Velvet" Is First Alternative Lifestyle Film with an Educational Message - Part 1
    "Tipping the Velvet" is what some viewers would consider a terrible film about a sinful, raunchy lifestyle, and what I would consider an excellent film despite any apparent raunchiness. The BBC brought this controversial movie to a 5-millon strong mainstream television audience in England. Tipping the Velvet is an incredibly unusual firm because you rarely, if ever, see an alternative lifestyle movie with a happy ending.
  • "Tipping the Velvet" Is First Alternative Lifestyle Film with an Educational Message - Part 2
    Based on Sarah Waters' acclaimed debut novel, Tipping the Velvet was adapted by Andrew Davies, an Emmy award-winning British screenwriter who has also written "Doctor Zhivago", "Bridget Jone's Diary", "Sense and Sensibility", "Vanity Fair" and "Pride and Prejudice". Davies is a very talented heavyweight.
  • "To Kill a Mockingbird" Exposes the Destructiveness of Bigotry
    Gregory Peck won a Best Actor Oscar in this adaptation of Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about white lawyer Atticus Finch defending an innocent African American man accused of raping a white woman. This is a story that illuminates everything that is wrong about hate, prejudice, bigotry, ignorance, stupidity, lack of backbone and lack of a heart.
  • "Transamerica" Transsexual Tale Misses Opportunity to Inform and Educate Viewers
    There are easier films to review than productions involving alternative life styles, and Transamerica is an example. It is one thing to make a comedy or romantic comedy with no other purpose than to entertain viewers, it is quite another to tackle a difficult, controversial subject without assuming some responsibility for making its presentation a positive, productive impact upon viewers. To do less is entertaining but useless.
  • 2 Movies About Young Adults That Prove Their Integrity and Substance
    Pretty in Pink is a classic high school story of first love and prom night, starring Molly Ringwald as Andie, a girl from the wrong side of tracks who falls for Blaine, a rich preppie. Andie proves to be a girl of truth, courage and integrity rather than a push over. Saint Ralph is the story of Ralph Walker, a 14-year-old boy who has an epiphany that tells him if he wins the Boston Marathon his mother will come out of her comma and recover.
  • 2 Weird Films That Have Stood the Test of Time: "Drag Queens in the Desert" and "Rocky Horror"
    What would Hollywood be without its share of bitchy, catty, gaudy, outrageous and crazy films? Two examples are "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and "The Rocky Horror Picture "Show". Both of these films have a very limited audience because they are more negative than positive and have few redeeming qualities.
  • A Disturbing Trend in Our Society: The Lack of Trust in Our Institutions - Part 1
    The lack of trust for institutions in our society may be reaching epidemic levels. A recent survey shows trust in banks and financial institutions has dropped from 35% to 28% in 40 years, major companies from 26% to 17%, the nation's press from 24% to 9%, educational institutions from 36% to 27%, and organized religion from 35% to 24%. Learn why this is happening.
  • A Disturbing Trend in Our Society: The Lack of Trust in Our Institutions - Part 2
    The lack of trust for institutions in our society may be reaching epidemic levels. A recent survey shows trust in banks and financial institutions has dropped from 35% to 28% in 40 years, major companies from 26% to 17%, the nation's press from 24% to 9%, educational institutions from 36% to 27%, and organized religion from 35% to 24%. Learn why this is happening.
  • A Jewish Family Flees Germany and Settles
    Only Walter could see it coming. His extended family in Germany could not see that Adolph Hitler would turn on his own German citizens who were Jewish. Walter was a professional, a judge and a German citizen, not a Jew who happened to be a German citizen. He would leave Germany and take his family to Africa in 1938. "Nowhere in Africa" is his story.
  • A Romantic Comedy That Works With a Couple of 60+ Senior Citizens
    Something's Gotta Give is a romantic comedy without substance that works because of Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Keaton is one the few actresses at age 60 who has been able to partner with bankable leading men. She seems to have found the secret to staying young, alive and attractive while Nicholson at 69 and counting appears his age and has not benefited from the passage of time. Keaton is one fine looking 60-year-old woman.
  • America's Middle Distance Running Disaster at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
    Despite all of the United States' great success in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, there was next to nothing to cheer about its middle distance runners in the track and field competition. If it was not for Shalane Flanagan's third-place finish in the 10,000, the United States would not have won a single medal in the middle distance events. Her 30:22.22 clocking was good enough for the bronze medal and an American record.
  • American Consumers Are Short on Discipline When it Comes to Parting With Their Income
    Like a 4-year-old child at the checkout counter in a supermarket, American consumers want just one more impulse buy to make their buying day complete, and apparently the more expensive it is, the better. All of this impulse buying is detailed in a recent USA Today article with this headline: "Spending is hotter than the 4th of July". And indeed it apparently is, but is this good cash management?
  • An Independent Film Production That Became an Excellent, Big Fat Paycheck
    My Big Fat Greek Wedding is simply one of the best movies ever made about close families and their traditions. The estimated $5 million budget for the film generated worldwide revenue of $368 million, making it the highest-grossing independent film of all time, and the the highest grossing movie never to have hit number one at the box office.
  • An Iranian Foreign Film Fails To Promote Real Understanding
    Children of Heaven is an Iranian movie with subtitles about a boy who accidentally loses his sister’s worn out shoes after being sent to get them repaired, and must share his own worn out sneakers with her in a sort of relay while each attends school at different times during the day. Unfortunately, Children of Heaven has an unsettling ending. If it were not for this terrible ending, I would rate this film higher.
  • Another 5 Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are
    Here are another five movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately they are not. All five get my terrible rating; they include Gods and Generals (with Robert Duvall, Jeff Daniels and Stephen Lang), Mr. and Mrs. Smith (with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie), Just Like Heaven (with Reese Witherspoon), Miracle (the U. S. Hockey Team victory at the 1980 Olympic Games), and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (with Kate Hudson).
  • Baseball - Barry Bonds Is a Whole Lot More Than Just a Home Run Hitter and Record Setter - Part 2
    When Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's major league career home run record with his 756th dinger, he had hit homers off of 447 different pitchers. Bonds also holds the major league career records for walks with 2,540 and intentional walks with 679. He holds the all-time single season major league records for most home runs (73), on base percentage (.609), slugging percentage (.863), and walks (232). Could he be the best ever?
  • Baseball - Tom Glavine, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and Craig Biggio All Reach Milestones - Part 1
    It has been a year of milestones for Major League Baseball. From Tom Glavine to Barry Bonds to Alex Rodriguez to Craig Biggio the records have been piling up like poker chips in a major tournament. Glavine won his 300th game, Bonds captured the career major league home run record, A-Rod (Rodriguez) hit his 500th career homer, and Biggio picked up his 3,000th hit. Check their stats. All are headed to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
  • Become a Parent and Witness a Real Miracle
    Become a parent and witness a real miracle. After 17½ hours of contractions, I watched my wife as the baby's head pushed into the new world. The doctor noted that the cord had a knot and then, with one final push, Kristin Ann came into the world. I felt like I could have reached out and touched the Hand of God.
  • Boys Don't Cry Stirs Our Baser Emotions But Fails Miserably to Increase Our Understanding
    How can a film produce an Oscar winning Best Actress performance and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and still be a terrible movie? Easy, just fail to deliver an important message involving understanding and knowledge when you have millions of moviegoers who are glued to your presentation.
  • Can a Guru Match Wits with the Mighty Yahoo! Search Marketing Machine?
    Who would have the best read on which day of the week to send your e-mail offers to get the best results: Yahoo! Search Marketing or an Internet Marketing Guru? One analyst knows the recommendations of both, has tried both, has noted the results, and says this: I will go with the guru in this case, and skip the Yahoo! brain trust.
  • Clason's "The Richest Man in Babylon" Reveals the Fastest Way to Become Financially Savvy – Part 1
    George Clason's book "The Richest Man in Babylon" reveals the fastest way to become financially savvy. Here is a synopsis of The Richest Man in Babylon and the important financial lessons it teaches. The moral to the story The Richest Man in Babylon teaches this lesson: Proper preparation is the key to our success.
  • Clason's "The Richest Man in Babylon" Reveals the Fastest Way to Become Financially Savvy – Part 2
    George Clason's book "The Richest Man in Babylon" reveals the fastest way to become financially savvy. Here is a synopsis of The Richest Man in Babylon and the important financial lessons it teaches. The moral to the story The Richest Man in Babylon teaches this lesson: Proper preparation is the key to our success. Part 2 of 2.
  • Could the Way Food Looks Give Real Clues as to What Is Really Healthy for Us to Eat?
    The next time you sit down to lunch or dinner, you may be surprised to learn that many of the foods that we eat look similar to vital organs in our body, and in fact provide nutrients that actually help the organ in question function. Carrots, tomatoes, grapes, oranges, figs, walnuts, kidney beans and onions are just a few examples. Find out more.
  • Could You Be a Fan for a Team That Loses 10,000 Baseball Games?
    Philadelphia Phillies' fans are arguably the least patient and most volatile in baseball, and I know why. A report in USA Today (7-3-07) notes that the Phillies are on the verge of becoming the first pro sports franchise to record 10,000 losses. They had 9,996 losses as of July 3, 2007. The next nearest teams in losses are the Atlanta Braves (9,675) and Chicago Cubs (9,421). I would have guessed the Cubs but not the Braves.
  • Dantonio Finally Arrives on the Big 10 Stage as Head Coach at Michigan State
    Michigan State University has a football history of folding when it counts. By unloading John L. Smith and hiring Mark Dantonio as their new head football coach, the Spartans have put themselves in a position to perform better than any time since the legendary Duffy Daugherty coached Michigan State to a combined 19-1-1 record in 1965 and 1966, winning back-to-back Big Ten and National Championships.
  • Facts About the Second Most Controversial Topic in America - The First Is Abortion
    Many who read the title to this article might think that the second most controversial topic in America today is whether the United States should continue its war in Iraq. Those who thought that would be, in fact, dead wrong. This article is really about facts, not about our involvement in trying to make Iraq and its people adopt a democratic society, but to revisit the place God occupies in our public institutions and in our society.
  • Famous Quotes by Knute Rockne During Football's Annual Bowl Season
    College football's annual bowl season is full of surprises and spectacular moments. Famous coaches have had some memorable remarks about American's most popular sport, and here are some of them by legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne, who many consider to be the best of the best.
  • Famous Quotes by Lou Holtz During Football's Annual Bowl Season
    College football's annual bowl season is full of surprises and spectacular moments. Famous coaches have had some memorable remarks about American's most popular sport, and here are some of them by Lou Holtz, who some consider to be the best of the best college coaches and for good reason. Find out why.
  • Famous Quotes by Vince Lombardi During Football's Annual Bowl Season
    College football's annual bowl season is full of surprises and spectacular moments. Famous coaches have had some memorable remarks about American's most popular sport, and here are some of them by legendary Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi, who many consider to be the best of the best.
  • Five Average Movies That Are Worth a Look, But Only Once
    Here are five movies that are worth a look, but only once. All five get my average rating; they include The Bourne Supremacy (with Matt Damon), Catch Me If You Can (with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks), The Breakfast Club (with Emilio Estevez, Anthony Michael Hall, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy), The Christmas Child, and Arsenic and Old Lace (with a very young Cary Grant).
  • Five More Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are
    Here are five more movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately for the films, the scripts, the direction, and the actors, they are not. All five get my terrible rating; they include Imagine Me & You, Down With Love (with Renee Zellweger), In Good Company, It Runs in the Family (with Michael Dougles and Kirk Douglas) and Laws of Attraction (with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore).
  • Five Movies That Try Hard Yet Still End Up As Terrible
    Here are five movies that try hard but are rated terrible for the effort. They include Napoleon Dynamite (with Jon Heder), Once Upon a Time in Mexico (with Antonio Banderas, Johnny Depp and Salma Hayek), The Notebook (with James Garner, Gena Rowlands and Rachel McAdams), Of Human Bondage (W. Somerset Maugham's novel with Leslie Howard and Bette Davis), and The Prince and the Showgirl (with Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier).
  • Five Movies You Think Would Be Really Better Than They Are
    Here are five movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately for the films, the scripts, the direction, and the actors, they are not. All five get my terrible rating; they include About Schmidt (with Jack Nicholson and Kathy Bates as Oscar nominees), The Anchorman (with Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate), Before Sunset, Cocktail (with Tom Cruise) and Corky Romano (with Chris Kattan of Saturday Night Live fame).
  • Forbes Touts Alabama's Nick Saban as the Most Powerful Coach in Sports
    So who is the most powerful coach in sports today? Nick Saban of Alabama according to Forbes magazine (9-1-08 issue). Forbes wastes no time in anoiting Saban as the best of the best and ahead of the rest when it comes to being the most powerful sports coach in our time. Find out why.
  • Forest Gump - Teaches Many Lessons, and Tom Hanks Earns Best Actor Oscar
    Everything that happens in "Forrest Gump" is worth seeing, and much of what happens through its central character Forrest Gump teaches us important lessons in life. This is a love story, a story of relationships and the story of one person in a very big world that is sometimes almost impossible to understand. Forrest Gump won 6 Oscars and another 7 Oscar nominations and remains one of the most successful films ever made. Find out why.
  • Four Average Movies That Do Not Get Any Better the Second Time Around
    Here are four average movies that do not get any better the second time around: Anger Management with Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler, The Emperor's Club with Kevin Kline and Emile Hirsch, The Fast and the Furious (a totally mindless guy flick about macho wannabe men street car racing), and Five Easy Pieces with Jack Nicholson and Karen Black (both Oscar nominees in a depressing film about a guy going nowhere 1,000 miles an hour).
  • Four Average Movies: Two Messy and Two Unpretentious
    Here are four average movies, two of which are pretty screwed up (The Family Stone with Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson and Rachel McAdams, and Mona Lisa Smile with Julia Roberts) and two of which are unpretentious and easy on the eye (Indian Summer with Diane Lane and Unlikely Angel with Dolly Parton) Despite being pure fluff, I would rate the last two better than the first two.
  • Four Romantic Comedies That Will Not Stress Your Emotions
    Here are four romantic comedies that will not stress your emotions: Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker in Failure to Launch, Jennifer Lopez (J-Lo) in Maid in Manhattan and The Wedding Planner, and Michael J. Fox and Gabrielle Anwar in For Love or Money. Just sit back and be entertained. If you want great stories, great acting and great direction, try other movies.
  • Friendly Persuasion - Finds a Pacifist Quaker Family in the Middle of a War
    If "Friendly Persuasion" was produced 52 years after its original release in 1956, it might have won some of the 6 Oscar nominations it received, such as Best Sound and Best Writing, not to mention Best Picture and Best Director. The technical advancements in moviemaking today are light years ahead of where they were when William Wyler directed this simple film about a simple family in a very complicated situation.
  • Harvard Rejects 91% of Student Applications
    I opened my Friday newspaper and was reminded again that life is full of rejection. Take Harvard University for example. No less than 22,955 eager applicants applied for admission to Harvard this fall and only 2,058, or 9%, were accepted. A whopping 20,897 applicants came up short of admission. Hundreds of the applicants had perfect SAT scores on their verbal or math portion, and 3,000+ ranked first in their high school class.
  • Have Some Affiliate Marketing Opportunities Become Overblown and Annoying? - Part 1
    The Internet is a sprawling expanse that covers the Earth. If there are two companies that could arguably be identified as the best and the biggest prowling the Internet they might well be Empowerism and the mighty Strong Future International Marketing Group, better known as SFI. Here is my experience with each of these affiliate marketing opportunities.
  • Have Some Affiliate Marketing Opportunities Become Overblown and Annoying? - Part 2
    The Internet is a sprawling expanse that covers the Earth. If there are two companies that could arguably be identified as the best and the biggest prowling the Internet they might well be Empowerism and the mighty Strong Future International Marketing Group, better known as SFI. Here is my experience with each of these affiliate marketing opportunities.
  • Have Some Affiliate Marketing Opportunities Become Overblown and Annoying? - Part 3
    The Internet is a sprawling expanse that covers the Earth. If there are two companies that could arguably be identified as the best and the biggest prowling the Internet they might well be Empowerism and the mighty Strong Future International Marketing Group, better known as SFI. Here is my experience with each of these affiliate marketing opportunities.
  • Hollywood's Most Perfect Actress Had Beauty, Fashion, Grace and Humility
    Was there ever an actress who combined these four timeless qualities—beauty, fashion, grace and humility—better than Audrey Hepburn? I think not, especially when I see her again in Breakfast at Tiffany's. We shall not see another like her in our lifetime and by then the film industry may be on the way out when some newer, better technology unknown to us today arrives. Audrey Hepburn was a model of grace and humility.
  • How Online Surveys Prey On New and Unaware Marketers
    When I first became involved in Internet Marketing I was looking for some way to make money without a lot of time commitment and investment. This led me to online surveys and the lure of cash for giving my opinions. Alas, I was snookered. The truth is most online surveys involve identifying and qualifying people to be sold goods and services that in many cases they do not want or need.Read this article to find out why.
  • How to Attack the Lakers "Triangle" Offense? Run Smack into the Celtics "Angle" Defense
    The Boston Celtics recent NBA title effort capped an amazing turnaround. A year ago the Celtics finished at 24-58 and dead last in the NBA Eastern Conference. This year they went 66-16, won the Atlantic Division title and the Eastern Conference title before disposing of the Los Angeles Lakers, 131-92, to win their 17th NBA title.
  • If You Are Looking for Leeches, Skip the Pond, Go to Your Credit Card Company
    Two seemingly unrelated stories caught my attention yesterday. One was about corporations stockpiling cash and the other was about consumer savings rates, which moved into negative territory for the first time according to the U. S. Commerce Department. Credit card companies have no legal limits on what they can charge for interest and fees.
  • If You Think Little League Baseball Does Not Teach Important Survival Skills, Think Again
    Sometimes as parents we forget how simple and subtle the lessons in life can be. With all of the violence we are now seeing with youngsters, I am reminded that some of our children today seem less able to cope with adversity, and even less so with patience. How is it that they clearly lack coping skills and patience, two necessary traits for survival as an adult?
  • In America, We Are Really Silly About Our Instant Gratification
    When it comes to Internet Marketing offers, we are obsessed with instant gratification. Newcomers hang on every word of a sales page offering, hoping that this opportunity, among all of the other opportunities they have tried, will be the one that works. Alas, it usually does not work for them. Learn how to separate the good opportunities from the bad by following Mark Twain's advice: "I never let schooling interfere with my education."
  • Internet Marketing Advertising Needs a Police Patrol
    You will always know a leader when you see one. Leaders, you see, announce themselves, just as naturally as they step forward the instant they perceive that something should be done in a certain situation when nothing is being done. So it is with Internet Marketing advertising today, it is, in a word, a "mess" waiting to be cleaned up, so an Internet Police Patrol may be in order.
  • Is There a Better Way to Serve Newcomers Who Need Traffic?
    Newcomers to Internet Marketing may not be faced with a more daunting task than trying to figure out search engine rankings. There seems to be no shortage of sellers who spend a great deal of time and effort trying to convince newcomers that their particular software program is the answer. Should you simply bite on the sales page bait because it is there, or figure out a different way to effectively compete with the gurus?
  • Is There Anything More Disingenuous Than a Whining, Petulant Political Party in America?
    Presidential elections provide a lot of humor when you can recognize the joke. Every few days some new, outrageous flap kicks another outrageous flap off of the front page of our nation's daily newspapers. I do not care if political parties whine about the events of the day. What I do care about is the righteousness with which the Democrats and Republicans do whine and complain. Please spare me the soap opera
  • It Is Internet Marketing Doublespeak: The Offer Is Free (But It Is Not Free)
    Almost any Internet Marketer can open his or her e-mail tomorrow and read a popular formula for writing a sales pitch repeated in 100 different advertisements for another opportunity to provide a product, service, or attend a seminar. You will be introduced to Internet Marketing Doublespeak: The Offer Is Free (But It Is Not Free). The pitch will be in English, the language will be in doublespeak.
  • Kathryn Martin Dominates on the Track at the 2008 USATF National Masters Meet
    The shining star in the prime running events at the 2008 USATF National Masters Meet in Spokane (WA) was Kathryn (Kathy) Martin, who won 5 national titles in the 800, 1500, 5000 and 10,000-meter races, and set an American record in the 2000-meter steeplechase. The 56-year-old from Northport (NY) was virtually unstoppable in the 55-59 age group competition. Get the full story.
  • Loss of Odor Perception Might Signal Alzheimer's
    Imagine my recoil when I read the above Associated Press headline recently: The story went on to detail the first study that linked loss of smell to Alzheimer's. Difficulty identifying odors was associated with a higher risk of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's. As someone with very little sense of smell and taste, perhaps I should be worried.
  • Many "Free" Offers Online Can Scare Newcomers to the Internet
    Can a guru help an Internet Marketing newcomer too much? Maybe. The guru is not giving you a free web site, hosting and all of the other amenities because he is feeling rich. He is giving you all of this because he can stuff his pockets 100 or 1,000 times more with affiliate web sites than without them. It is called leveraging your time and money, his (the guru's), not yours, he is bleeding you dry.
  • Meet the Illinois Fighting Illini - The Most Overrated Team in the AP's Top 25 Poll
    Coach Ron Zook's Illinois team took the Big Ten by storm last year, tying with Michigan for the runner-up spot at 6-2, and going 9-3 in the regular season. All of last year's fight and hype moved Illinois into this year's AP Top 25 Poll. Find out why Illinois should not be in the current AP Top 25 Poll.
  • Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" Brings the Past Violent Mayan Life into Our Consciousness
    Mel Gibson's "Apocalypto" shows the raw, violent face of the advanced Mayan civilization in its decline, with its rulers insisting that the key to continued prosperity is to build more temples and offer more human sacrifices to their Gods. The result is innocent Mayans being viciously attacked and their communal way of life being destroyed to meet an insane desire. Will they be able to survive the onslaught?
  • Million Dollar Baby: This Is One Fight Where You Get Your Money's Worth
    After watching so many pay-for-view fights on the tube and being disappointed, watching Million Dollar Baby was refreshing because I really got my money's worth. When the 2005 Academy Awards presentation ended, Million Dollar Baby, nominated for 7 Oscars, won 4, including Best Picture, Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hillary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald) and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman as Eddie "Scrap Iron" Dupris).
  • Movie History: If You Thought "Titanic" Was the Largest Grossing Film in the U. S., Think Again
    A lot of moviegoers think that "Titanic" is the largest grossing domestic film of all time, topping $600+ million in revenue following its release in 1997. Titanic, while No. 1 in actual dollars generated, is only No. 6 when adjusted for inflation. Learn the real No. 1 largest grossing domestic film in moviemaking history in this article.
  • NAACP Decides to Symbolically Bury the "N" Word in a Major Move Forward
    The NAACP has put to rest a long-standing expression of racism by symbolically burying the "n" word in a ceremony. The NAACP recognized that the very word that was being buried is also used by blacks when referring to other blacks, especially in comedy routines, rap and hip-hop music. The move could potentially do more for race relations than anything in recent years.
  • Nancy Meyers Comes Up With a Winner: A Romantic Comedy that Really Works
    Christmas is coming soon and everybody is busy getting ready for another holiday season. A movie can be great comic relief. We want to be entertained and interested by a story that keeps us attentive and has a happy ending. Nancy Meyers delivers what we need as the writer/director of "The Holiday", a romantic comedy with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black and Eli Wallach.
  • NFL Football Preview - Here Come the Seahawks: Stumbling and Bumbling into Holmgren's Last Year
    Just when Seattle's Mike Holmgren is entering his last year as head coach, his Seahawks are now stumbling and bumbling their way into the regular season. After dusting off the Minnesota Vikings 34-17 in their first 2008 preseason game on the road in Minneapolis, the Seahawks narrowly escaped defeat in their home preseason opener against the Chicago Bears, winning 29-26 in an error-prone display of ineptness.
  • Nick Saban: A Great College Football Coach Who Might Bring Alabama Back to Greatness
    Nick Saban recently became the University of Alabama football coach by signing the richest contract ever awarded to a college football coach: 8 years for $32 million. Ah, it is good to be Nick Saban in Alabama today. Now he must win and win big, something he has been able to do at other college coaching positions at Toledo, Michigan State and LSU (Louisiana State).
  • On Cars, Baseball and the Halcyon Days of Summer
    A 10-year-old boy reminisces about the summer of 1954, remembering the cars (Nash, Hudson, Studebaker and Packard) 10 year olds today never knew, and remembering how, with his best friend, they played baseball on the scorching blacktop for hours before stopping at the drugstore fountain for cherry Cokes, baseball cards and bubble gum. Those were the days.
  • On Politics - Giuliani Is a Pro Choice Republican - Part 1
    It is possible that Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has infuriated his Democratic rivals to the point of distraction. As a good Republican Giuliani should be pro life but he is pro choice. Only Democrats are supposed to be pro choice. Giuliani is now under searing attack from every Democrat and flaming left-wing Democratic news organization worthy of the name.
  • On Politics - One of the Most Lucrative Jobs in America - Part 3
    Being a politician in America today is one of the best paying jobs a person could have. If you do not know that the vast majority of politicians lie, cheat and steal as necessary to get elected and stay elected, you do not understand much about politics in America today. The best job most national politicians actually do is helping themselves get rich legally at the expense of the electorate they are supposed to be representing.
  • On Politics - Propaganda Is Now Disguised as News - Part 4
    There is probably nothing that disappoints me more than the current sad, sorry state of newspapers in America today. There is more personal journalism in newspapers than news. Name brand newspapers that once had proud heritages with outstanding reporters have become nothing more than pandering sluts who cannot get enough of their personal journalism and politics into the news side of the paper.
  • On Politics- We Are a Nation Divided When It Comes to the "a" Word - Part 5
    There comes a time in a person's life when you have to start thinking for yourself rather than be a lemming to politics, a political party, politicians, pundits, predators and a phony press. We are a nation divided when it comes to the "a" word. We are all about rights, and little about responsibilities. Rights crushed responsibilities a long time ago, and now we remain content to kill our unborn. It is really all about us.
  • On Politics: News Writers Are Really Political Hacks - Part 2
    When reading Krauthammer, I am reminded that Henry Ford said "the hardest thing to do in the world is to think, and that is why people do so little of it." This is especially true during Presidential elections which start about a year too early and end about a year too late. It is often hard for me to decide which is wearier, the droppings of a contentious person or a Presidential election. Yikes! We have 18 more months to go in this election.
  • Phelps' 8 Gold Medals Could Net Him $100 Million in Future Income
    Sports agents that should know decided some time ago that winning a gold medal in the Olympics could be worth $12 million in appearances and endorsements. Michael Phelps' 8 golds at $12 million apiece works out to $96 million in possible income. Phelps' agent, Peter Carlisle, agrees, but will Phelps be a success or a failure as a marketable personality for companies seeking his services?
  • Potential Hires Who Are Quick to Judge May Be Quickly Eliminated by Interviewers
    Female executives who are bold and aggressive do not rise up the corporate ladder as quickly as you may think. Female executives who use a self-confident but much softer, indirect approach do not highlight or reinforce any pre-conceived notions that they might be too bold, too aggressive or too judgmental for a higher position. Learn why it matters in dealing with male executives.
  • Put These 5 Films Together and Spell Terrible 5 Times
    Here are five more movies you think would be really better than they are, unfortunately for the films, the scripts, the direction, and the actors, they are not. All five get my terrible rating; they include Love Letters, Monster-in-Law (with Jennifer Lopez, Michael Vartan and Jane Fonda), The Fast Runner (about Eskimo life and culture on the tundra in Alaska), Myths and Logic of Shaolin Kung Fu, and Myra Breckenridge (with Raquel Welch).
  • Running - How Popular Running Magazines Are Constantly Giving Very Poor Diet Advice - Part 4
    Running magazines are great for recommending one-type-fits-all diets for runners, but they are dead wrong and their O blood type readers who follow their advice will not benefit from their recommendations. I used to swear by the advice of running magazines, and now I swear at their diet advice, especially regarding diets for runners. Learn why in this article.
  • Running - There is an Inescapable Correlation Between Weight and Cardiovascular Efficiency - Part 5
    Lifelong runners like myself who have been training and competing forever (47 years plus) know that there is an inescapable correlation between your weight and your cardiovascular efficiency. Essentially, when you lose 10% of your body weight, you increase your cardiovascular efficiency 10%. Learn why in this article.
  • Running: Gluten in Wheat Products Bind to the Lining of the Small Intestine and Turn to Fat - Part 3
    Gluten, the most common lectin found in wheat and other grains, binds to the lining of the small intestine, causing substantial inflammation and painful irritation in some blood types—especially Type O. This is serious business for all O positive blood types and especially runners because what is binding to the small intestines eventually turns to fat.
  • Running: How Lectins (Proteins in Foods) Are Very Negative in O Positive Blood Types - Part 2
    Dr. Peter D’Adamo’s findings are critical to understanding why Americans have become some of the most unhealthy and overweight people in the world. An inordinate amount of our children are walking about today as examples of obesity before they are even teenagers. When you know that there are more O blood types than any other type, you can then better appreciate the extent of our problem.
  • Running: How Wheat Products and Sugar Can Be the "Kiss of Death" When Trying to Lose Weight - Part 1
    As a high school, college, master’s and senior competitive runner, I used to often wonder why it was so difficult to lose extra weight as I grew older. Now I know why. That is why I feel so blessed to have read Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo’s book Eat Right for Your Type which chronicles the four basic blood types, and why each thrives on a different diet, stress/exercise profile and personality type.
  • Several Track and Field Girl Athletes Prove Their Great Sportsmanship and Substance
    Two separate events recently showed once again how incredibly impressive our young women in American can be—one an instance of pure sportsmanship at its best, and the other an instance of pure desire, determination and substance. Find out how Nicole Cochran and Bonnie Richardson become the centerpieces for these extraordinary events.
  • Should We Be Concerned About the Apparent Violence of Our Children?
    Two incidents in the United States in recent days have caused me to wonder if we should be more concerned about the apparent violence among our children. Both sets of young women in both incidents had a choice to make. The difference between the two choices is clear: you can choose to be self-centered or other-centered. What caused some young women to make a great choice and others to make a poor choice? Find out why.
  • So How Long Has Michael Phelps Been Training to Be a Champion?
    Stories about teenage phenoms winning gold medals and setting world records at world-class swimming competitions are legion. The list is long and you can add Michael Phelps' name to the list. Find out what Phelps had to do, and how he did it to get where he is today.
  • Surprise Ending Turns Spanglish Into a Triumph for James Brooks
    Spanglish is a relationship movie with a surprise ending in that the two principal characters in the movie actually do the right thing. Essentially, a housekeeper for a family becomes emotionally involved with the husband. They manage to almost lose it but do not act on their impulses, separating at the end with the husband going back to his dysfunctional wife and two children, and the housekeeper moving on to another chapter in her life.
  • The Apparent Murder-Suicide of Chris Benoit Really Creates More Questions Than Answers
    News of the apparent murder-suicide of well-known and well-liked WWE wrestler Chris Benoit left me with mixed emotions: sadness and dismay. I do not believe that Vince McMahon, the World Wrestling Entertainment owner and arguably the most gifted of sports entertainment promoters ever, could really tolerate a person so quiet and respected as Christ Benoit. There are no words to describe my anguish over Chris Benoit.
  • The Real Heroes of Our Time Are Those Who Serve Others
    Words on a card are so inadequate to express how we feel when describing a tragedy. I find it difficult to accept the notion that death is part of life. One seems so alive and real, and the other so quiet and distant. I would be totally lost in accepting what is so natural and normal were it not for the fact that my life journey is also my faith journey. Thank goodness that God is in my life. He stands with us at our greatest hour of need.
  • The Silliness of Major League Baseball's Stupidity with Payroll
    Richie Sexson of the woeful Seattle Mariners is simply the latest example of the silliness of Major League Baseball's love affair with high-priced superstars whose production is pathetic. Sexson's lousy 30 RBIs this season have cost the Mariners $290,226 for each and every paltry one. Learn how stupid this policy is.
  • There Is No Huge Correlation Between Education and Income and Here Is Why - Part 1
    A client e-mailed me yesterday about her student loan debts that netted her 3 college degrees and a job without a commensurate income and future. I had to break the news to her that there is no real correlation between education and income, and that not all degrees are equal. How can a person with a high school degree earn a six-figure income without any degree? Learn how it happens in this first installment of a two-part article.
  • There Is No Huge Correlation Between Education and Income and Here Is Why - Part 2
    A client e-mailed me yesterday about her student loan debts that netted her 3 college degrees and a job without a commensurate income and future. I had to break the news to her that there is no real correlation between education and income, and that not all degrees are equal. How can a person with a high school degree earn a six-figure income without any degree? Learn how it happens in this second installment of a two-part article.
  • These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama
    Ocean's Eleven is a confusing film about a $160 million heist of three Las Vegas casinos from an impenetrable safe 200 feet underground. Is Ocean's Eleven supposed to be an action flick, a comedy, a crime story or a drama? The Hours features three depressed women from three different generations trying to cope with life, some Academy Award-winning performances and a story line that is even more depressing and repugnant.
  • Two Excellent Films That Could Not Win an Oscar
    Secondhand Lions is a masterpiece of storytelling written and directed by Tim McCanlies (remember the name). Near as I can tell, this film had absolutely no nominations for Oscars. First time French Director Christophe Barratier has given us an incredibly good movie in The Chorus, which was nominated for two Oscars but came up empty handed at the presentations. No matter. It did not affect the effort and excellence of The Chorus.

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