The Modern Hippy Male

Comcast to buy NBC for $30 Billion

Comcast announced on Thursday (12/4) that they were purchasing control of NBC Universal from General Electric. This.. angers me. Maybe it’s the amount of money I pay each month for Comcast services. Maybe it’s the fact that NBC airs all of the shows I want to watch at the same time as other shows I want to watch, causing me to need a Comcast DVR.. costing me more money. Or, more likely, it is the fact that whenever I see a cash value with so many numbers I have to spell the word “Billion” for fear that I will lose count of all the zeros.

Really, I have a few questions. In regard to several topics, US Jobs, NBC’s Programs, and Comcast’s prices, is this a good thing, a bad thing, or will it matter in the long run? I could see NBC’s programs going to crap, and Comcast losing money on the deal and having to raise their prices, but those are possibilities. I don’t know the likelihood of any scenario. And, in regard to US Jobs, this could be good. I know Comcasts has pretty good support, and employs a lot of customer service representatives in the states (I don’t know if they outsource), would this purchase result in Comcast creating more jobs?

If anyone has an opinion, let me know. I’d love to hear some more insight on this topic.

Years ago while playing high school football I injured my shoulder. I had a hold of the ball carrier when a member of his team ran directly into my outstretched left arm laying it flat across my chest. The pain was immediate. I remembered hearing a pop, and another when I hit the ground. I thought this was my shoulder dislocating and then popping back into the socket. I sat out for 1 play and then went back into the game. This turned out to be a bad idea. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had torn my rotator cuff muscle. As soon as the play began I realized I had no strength in my shoulder at all.

A few years after that had happened I had an X-ray of my shoulder, as it still wasn’t feeling quite right. The doctor told me that no problems showed up on the X-ray and sent me on my way. Now, nearly 10 years later, my wife has begun working on my sore shoulder, and has determined the cause. My wife is a massage therapist and she is very good at what she does. This makes it even harder for me as the pain is very intense when she is doing her work. I find myself writing in agony, with only the thought of a better, stronger shoulder to sooth my mind. After ten years, muscles have found ways to compensate for my damaged rotator cuff. Meaning undue stress has been put on my deltoids, and various other muscles which, despite my best efforts, I’m still unable to pronounce.

3 days into treatment
Three days into the treatment of my decade old injury has shown me the light. While massage is commonly revered for it’s ability to induce relaxation, the healing properties should not be overlooked. It is still quite sore, with limited range of motion without pain, but I can feel that it is healing and getting better.

For this I must thank my wife. I hate you when you are massaging my shoulder, because it hurts like hell. But, as you state after you tell me to “shut up and quit whining,” it truly is for the best.

The topic of UFC 97: Redemption brings to mind only one word: Disappointing.

With a fight card including Silva vs. Leites and Liddell va. Rua, most would think the night would have a good chance of being eventful. That would make the majority of us incorrect. I was disappointed from beginning to end. From the lack-luster bouts, to the apparently updated UFC graphics, something was missing. The typical hype was there with the big name fighters, but neither of these fights were worth while. The devastating knockout power of both Liddell and Silva were not on display. Coupling this with the lack of technical bouts left the fans that were seeking strategy as well as the fans seeking one-shot knockouts unfulfilled.

The High Points
Joe Rogan (http://blog.joerogan.net/) is always entertaining. Along with his commentary, his technical expertise (in my opinion) can be attributed to teaching the less experienced fans the intricacies of the sport. This has no doubt contributed to the ever-growing following that the UFC has come to love. After all, good fans are knowledgeable fans. Beyond Joe however there was one fight (televised) that stood out above the rest: Cantwell vs. Cane. Watching the Steve “Robot” Cantwell get better and better as the bout went on, kept me paying attention. He’s a young guy, and watching his confidence grow in the octagon was not only good to see, I could relate to it.

The Low Points
You name it. While every UFC event runs the risk of having flat, boring fights, this one took the cake. Maybe we’ve become spoiled. Watching knockout after knockout, and submission after submission, we rarely see a fight go the distance. And although the majority of bouts may end with the most favored fighter winning, effort and desire can make a bad fight good. The struggle of the underdog, the thrill of the unexpected. These things were absent, and it sucked.

What does this mean for the UFC?
In the end, nothing. The UFC has a great following. Even the poor showing of UFC 97: Redemption can be over come by the hype of the next event. One thing you may see is fans searching elsewhere for their fighting fix. By experiencing the lesser well known WEC, fans have a better chance of seeing a good fight. Increase the number of fights, the odds that a few are going to be good also increase.

A surprising facet of UFC 97: Redemption, was the lack of up-sell for the next or future UFC events. I would have been extremely pleased (peed my pants) if GSP (Georges “Rush” St-Pierre) had been interviewed after Silva’s bout. Better yet, if GSP had entered the octagon and spoke with Silva about the fight and his performance. If these two ever meet, St-Pierre vs. Silva, glory would ensue. Records would be broken and set. In my opinion, the income from the pay-per-view alone would make this bout a must. The UFC can’t ignore the amount of money theorized, and I’m sure the wheels are already turning.