Hola my marshmellow peeps!

So we're down to just 3 games left before the Madsanity is over. That's it. They are:

- Butler vs. VCU, Saturday April 2nd @ 3:00pm PST (the first ever "All-Mid-Major" Final Four game!)

- UConn vs. Kentucky, Saturday April 2nd @ 5:30pm PST

= NCAA Championship Game, Monday April 4th @ 6:00pm PST

All on CBS in HD, all played in Houston, Texas. Which makes BYU head coach Dave Rose sad, as he once played in the Final Four for Houston- the "Phi Slamma Jamma" team, starring Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phi_Slama_Jama ). BYU was SOO close this year, losing to Florida in overtime, who lost to Butler in overtime. Oh well, there's always another 30 years from now.

Which brings us to our brackets. We are down to just 2 contenders. It was 3, but Valerie got bumped when Kentucky scored the last 5 points in an Elite Eight win over North Carolina, her clever pick as champion. I mean, it beats the crud out of my "Ohio State over Pitt" pick. Ugh. Oh, and quick shout out... Besides the two geniuses still standing (more below), only Matt Christensen and Aaron Roundy got a single Final Four pick correct: Kentucky and UConn (that means Barack and I have a lot of company -70%- with zero). They both have those teams losing their next game. And yet they sit now in 2nd and 3rd place overall. Well done gentlemen!

http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=75639

Anyways, Steve E. still has a comfortable lead (780 points, 99.8th percentile), but wait! There is a challenger! While Stevo's got Kentucky losing in the championship game, my good Idahoan friend and Michigonian mission buddy Derek Mecham has Kentucky picked to win it all! Which perfectly matches the latest Las Vegas odds; At this point, Kentucky is also the gambler's pick to win it all. Judging by this year, that means they won't. After all, this has been the Maddest March in recorded history. Oh, you hadn't heard? Let me explain...

The Bird is The Word! I mean, this has been the Maddest of all Marches. Ever. Foreal. Statistically. You always read that it's unlikely that not all four #1 seeds will make the Final Four (Obama and I didn't listen). But it is EXTREMELY unlikely that NONE of them will. This season is just the 3rd time that has happened. And it's the first time ever that no 1 OR 2 seed has made it. Basically, the top 8 most-likely teams all whiffed. Ohio State, Kansas, Duke, Pitt, Notre Dame, SDSU, UNC, Florida. All done-zo. Gone. As are 11 of the top 12 seeds. Actually, make that 26 of the top 28. One of the Final Four match-ups (8-Butler vs. 11-VCU) has a Seed-total of 19! That's a new record. The Final Four seed-total is 25- The highest ever. Only one person has a perfect Final Four (on two different brackets), out of 6.5 million brackets worldwide on ESPN (a 1-in-300million Final Four according to basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy); He, like 0.02% of the universe, has VCU winning it all. According to Las Vegas, the least likely team out of these last four to walk away with the National Championship is... VCU. Can you say, CAA-RAY-ZAYYY!!

More about SErickson's greatness: After the Sweet Sixteen, there wasn't a single bracket left in the nation with a perfect Elite Eight. About a dozen people in the world had 7. I had 1. Obama had 2. Almost 84% of the nation had 3 or less. Steve had 5. Good enough to remain in the top 100%. Good enough to be 822nd out of 6.5MM. That's more than twice as good as Matt Hasselbeck's son, Henry, who had the best celebrity bracket on that day (M.Hass is ahead of Steve now by 10 points, but he already lost his Finals match-up). If only Florida had beaten Butler in OT and 1-Seed Kansas had taken out VCU, our boy would still be going STRONG!! The guy that was #1 out of 6.5MM that day? He, like Valerie, picked North Carolina to win it all. Ouch.

Now, for too much info...

Don't say I didn't warn you.....

* Only 4% of the country picked Arizona to make it to the Elite Eight (and probably none of them expected the Wildcats to blast 1-Seed, Defending National Champ Duke by 16 points... Duke was the 3rd most popular pick to win the tourny). Neither Stevee nor Kier were among them. Arizona had two shots to beat UConn and make the Final Four with under 10 seconds left, but sadly missed both of them before losing by 2. Of course, I had Arizona losing their very first game to Memphis; down 2 and driving for the tying shot at the end of regulation, Memphis got blocked into the 4 row. Phenomenal play. That's what March is all about! Memphis' head coach still got a raise... $1.7MM a year. Arizona won their second game, an upset over 4-Texas (and the #2 defense in the nation), by 1 point.

* 3.3% of people picked a Kentucky over North Carolina Elite Eight. Stever nailed it! As for the Kentucky-UConn game this Saturday, it's actually a rematch from the early part of the regular season. A game that UK was stunned to lose the first time around. I had Kentucky losing their 2nd game of the tournament, to West Virginia. Umm... WVU did have the lead at halftime. Kentucky's odds to win it all this year before the NCAA Tournament started, according to Vegas, was 1-in-30.

* UConn is the most popular team left, with 4.7% picking them as their eventual champ (Butler-UConn is the most popular championship pairing left, though the bookies see Kentucky-Butler as more likely in their updated odds... only 63 people nationally envisioned a Kentucky-VCU Title game). The longer they last, the worse for Jimmer Fredette, as Connecticut point guard Kemba Walker has been his stiffest Player of the Year competition all season. The first of the four major college basketball awards, the Oscar Robertson, went to The Jimmer yesterday. One more Kentucky win would help him in his quest for the Wooden, the AP, and the Naismith POY Awards. I had UConn losing to San Diego State in Anaheim, CA. They had 1-in-101 odds to win it all.

* 0.6% of brackets had Butler in the Final Four (odds were set at 1 in 100), even after the Bulldogs lost the Final Game last year by 2. In fact, 1.6% of the bracket had Butler in the Final Four last year (it helps that they were a 5-Seed). Me, I had Butler losing their very first game this season. Tied at 58, Butler missed a shot against Old Dominion with about 4 seconds left. They rebounded the ball and layed it back in for the win. I was shocked. It was crazy-fun to watch. The game was played about 30 miles from ODU's campus. Keep in mind, this is the year after Butler lost their star player, Gordie Hayward, who was drafted by the Utah Jazz early in the 1st round. Does this mean that BYU has hope post-Jimmer? Butler won their 2nd game, over 1-Pitt, by 1 point. The worst seed to ever win the Tourny was 8th-seeded Villanova, in 1985. 4th-seeded Arizona, 1997, is actually the fourth-lowest -and the most recent team outside the top 3 seeds- to ever win a ring (and to think, that matches UConn this year!). Butler's 8-seed ties them for the 5th "worst" team to ever make the Final Four. Their current odds to win the Tournament are about 1-in-4; At the start of the Tourny, they were 1-in-2500.

* Ah, Virginia Commonwealth University, "this year's" Cinderella (sorry Butler, you're old hat now). VCU, VCU, VCU. 0.03% of prognosticators picked VCU to beat Big XII champ Kansas... That's not a lot. Before that game tipped, one of Kansas' hulking centers walked up to VCU's diminutive point guard and told him "Your run is over". VCU got out to a 20-4 lead and won the game by 10 points. 1-Seed Kansas was the 2nd-most popular pick to win the tournament. VCU's head coach is named "Shaka". Shaka Smart started a new trend by conducting his post-Elite Eight interview wearing the basketball hoop his team cut down after the victory around his neck the entire time. VCU was one of the last 4 teams in, along with USC, Clemson, and UAB. Surprisingly, I actually picked them to win two games, including an upset of Big East bad-boy Georgetown. And boy did they (18-point victory). Except that they've won 5 games now, 1 more than any other team still standing, and 4 more than any other Play-In team in the history of the tournament. They killed USC (of the PAC-10). They beat Purdue of the Big Ten by 18. And they beat ACC team Florida State by 1 (the #1 defense in the nation). The only "power" conference they haven't faced, and beaten, yet in this tournament? The SEC. As in, SEC Tourny champ Kentucky. That would be crazy. No 11-Seed has ever won the Title before. Nothing worse than an 8 has. In fact, no 11 seed has ever made the championship game before at all. Only twice has an 11 made the Final Four before now, and both of them won their Elite Eight games by buzzer-beaters... not like how VCU demolished Kansas. And both of them were winning games by about 5 points a pop. VCU? 12. One of those, George Mason (2006), shares a conference with VCU, and actually finished above them in conference play this year. VCU lost their last 4 conference games of the regular season, and finished 4th in their conference, the CAA, or Colonial Athletic Association. They came into the tournament with the #143 ranked defense in the country. Sheer, complete, utter crazy-ness. VCU's odds to win the Tourny were 1-in-200,000 (as NO TEAM has ever won 7 games in the Big Dance), 1-in-820 to make the Final Four. "So you're telling me there's a chance!" I wish I had bet $1 on VCU.

And now finally, in more-related news...

~ Wendy Chapman, last year's champ, rose from a tough start to finish the year in 4th or 5th place (depending on Kentucky and Derek), tied with Adam Erickson, Bryant Casteel, and Joel Roller. Again, A-Bomb and Joeller were noobs this year.

~ Ericksons: Steve beat Adam who beat Karen who beat Lauren who beat Garrett.

~ Andrews: Star beat Kier who beat Londa who beat Steve who beat Russ who beat Lauren who beat me.

~ Rollers: Joel beat Rachel who beat Nathan.

~ Wifedom! Valerie beat Dan, Star beat Russ, my Mom beat my Dad (just like during my childhood), Maranda beat Ryan, and Lauren made a come-back from the last year or two to beat me again. Reppin' the boys, SteveE beat KarenE, Bryant beat Kelly, and Phil beat Charlotte.

~ VP 17: (Roundy beat Bryant who beat Ryan Lillywhite who beat Stephen Joel Jensen who beat Rob Shaw who beat Jared Armstrong who beat) Russ who beat Dan who beat (Jason Davies who beat) me who beat Ryan. I beat someone!! Yes, Ryan counts. All four of the original VP 17 finished in the bottom 30% nationally and lost to our significant others.

~ At the bottom: Carly came in WORST PLACE! Garrett was close. Kelly just above that.

WHEW! I can't wait until next year guys!!!

~Mars

Mars' March Madness update, 03/23/2011

Hey Y'all!

Sorry this is a little late, as my good laptop has recently died a sudden and unexpected death. We plan to add another one to our family soon... before my next research paper is due! I am sending this from my school library, just so you know.

Hopefully everyone is enjoying their Mad March so far, the best weeks-long holiday of the year! We're done with the first week of the NCAA Tournament, meaning 2 rounds of games down, 4 left still to go (Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and the National Championship Game). Which of your favorite teams have survived so far? Which of your picks have dropped like flies? Let's recap together some of what we've learned so far...

BYU- Still dancing baby! Jimmer Fredette may have sealed his Player of the Year awards nationwide, scoring a combined 66 points as the Brandon Davies-less three-seeded Cougars beat Wofford and then Gonzaga (this was the 13th year in a row the Bulldogs made the tourny... they are from the West Coast Conference, which BYU will be joining next year). The Cougars now advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1981, 30 years ago! During that magical run led by Danny Ainge, Russ and I were comfortably inside a pregnant Londa's belly. How time flies. Next up for BYU is the Florida Gators, a 2-seed, who BYU beat in the 1st round of last year's NCAA Tourny. The game is being played in New Orleans, Louisiana, not far from UF's familar "swamping" grounds. The game will tip-off Thursday evening (March 24th) at 4:27pm PST, on TBS (For a complete listing of game days, times, and channels, go here: http://mattsarzsports.com/basketball2010/NCAATournament.aspx ). Florida is favored to win by 3 points and is seeking revenge. The winner will face the Wisconsin (4) - Butler (8) [Thu. @ 6:57pm PST] victor Saturday on CBS in the Elite Eight. Two weeks ago, Jimmer alone scored 52 points against New Mexico on the same night that Top 10 Wisconsin scored only 33 points against Penn State all game. And we all remember that Butler made it to the NCAA Tourny Finals last year, losing to Duke when their last-second shot bounced off of the rim. Note worth noting: BYU has never made it to the Final Four.

Arizona- Kiernan's alma mater, the 5-seeded Wildcats, beat Memphis and then upset 4-seed Texas to gain a match-up against 1-seeded Duke, last year's grand champion. It's Arizona's first Sweet Sixteen in, like, 2 years. Jerks. This game will start at 6:45pm PST Thursday night, and the winner will play the SDSU (2) - UConn (3) champ [Thu. @ 4:15pm PST]. Of course, BYU beat Arizona by 22 points this season and beat SDSU twice, both times by 13 points, before losing to the Aztecs in their 3rd match-up in the Mountain West Conference Tournament Finals in Las Vegas. Connecticut features Kemba Walker, the likely runner-up behind The Jimmer for National POY. Both SDSU and UConn are undefeated in tournament play this year, including the regular season, their respective conference tournaments, and NCAA play thus far. Live scoreboards can be found at: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/scoreboard?d=2011-03-24&c=nit&refresh=60

Friday night, Florida State (10) will face VCU (11) [who saw that coming?], Kansas (1) plays Richmond (12), North Carolina (2) faces Marquette (11), and in the big game of the night Ohio State (1) squares off against Kentucky (4). Both Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University are small schools from Richmond, Virginia, not far away from one of the last four teams left OUT of the tournament, Virginia Tech, which has a much larger and now very jealous fanbase. VCU was one of the last four teams that got IN, and they played an opening game against USC for the rights to play 6-seed Georgetown. VCU beat the Trojans, beat GU by 18 points, and then won their 3rd game against 3-seed Purdue by another 18 points. Thus, they are the only team in the Tourny today with 3 wins. None of the other 3 play-in winners, such as Clemson, won their second game. Marquette is one of 11 teams from the Big East conference that got into this year's Big Dance, a new record. Surprisingly, they are one of only TWO Big east teams remaining, alongside UConn. Other B.E. teams that were upset early and may have wrecked your bracket with their losses (like they did mine), besides Georgetown (6), include Pitt (1), Notre Dame (2), Syracuse (3), Louisville (4), and St. John's (6)- who lost by 15 to Gonzaga. Both Marquette and UConn beat teams from their own conference in the 2nd round to advance. The MWC also has two teams left, same as the Big east... out of just three schools that made the tournament. UNLV, of course, lost badly in a minor upset to Illinois. I called that one wrong too. Kansas, to win four games, only has to beat a 16-seed (Boston), a 9 (Illinois), a 12 (Richmond), and then either a 10 (FSU) or an 11 (VCU). Ohio State, meanwhile, has beaten 8-George Mason, faces 4-Kentucky next, and could have 2-North Carolina after that. And 1-Duke remains on OSU's side, while the 1 on Kansas' half (Pitt) is gone. Luck?


In First Place in our group currently is my Father-In-Law, Steve Erickson! Steve has 500 points, which puts him in the 100th percentile of the millions of fans playing across the world. That means that his bracket is literally one of the top brackets in the country right now, not just in our group. Steve has a whopping additional 1200 possible points remaining. The most amazing part of his success is that he spent more time figuring out how to log-in to ESPN.com than he did actually filling out his bracket. Mostly asleep and partially senile, Steve got on the computer around midnight the night before the game locked; With Lauren's help coaching him over the phone, a half an hour and a dozen "Oh Geez!"es later he was in and haphazardly choosing teams, with admittedly little knowledge of the field. He has Kansas picked to beat Kentucky in the national championship game. GO STEVE! http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=5741093.

Ryan Lillywhite is #2, with 470 points, 30 behind Steve E. He also has 1200 PPR, with SDSU picked to beat BYU in the Finals. Which would be crazy. Ryan L. is also in the top 1 percent of the nation with his great picks thus far. He is also the first person of many in our group behind the POTUS, Barack Obama, who is pretty phenomenal at this type of thing apparently (490 points!). http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/entry?entryID=4267886 Bobama had an official entry into our group last year, where he finished decently high.

Tied in 3rd place with 450 points apiece are my sis Kier, my bro-in-law Adam Erickson, Bryant, and my cousin Joel Roller. They've all picked Ohio State to win this thing, and all but Joel picked them beating Kansas... he picked Notre Dame. Ohio State over Kansas was also the strong national consensus coming into the tournament. All four are in the top 4% of the nation. This is also Adam and Joel's first time filling out a bracket.


As for me: After the first day of games, I was tied for first place. After the second day of games, my bracket was shot. My only hope left was Ohio State beating Pitt in the championship game. On the third day of games, Pitt became the first #1 seed to lose. So... I'm out. Out of 34 brackets (and not all of them serious), I am left down in 24th place, in the bottom half of the country. I would like to thank you all for competing against me, and most of you for beating me. I appreciate the humbling process. This would be the 3rd year in a row Bryant has beaten me, after never filling out a bracket before in his life. Others beating me include: Karen E., my Mom, my Dad, my lil' bro Russ, his fiancee Star, his roommate Rob, my dirty wife Lauren (haha), my cousin Nathan, my buddy PhilRad, and finally, sadly, Maranda Anderson. Congrats Yos! To those I am beating: Ryan Anderson- You are really bad. For reals. Actually, Russ, Star, and Nathan, I have a tiny hope of passing again someday. My points possible remaining is a poor 920, but it still beats Russ' 840, Star's 560, and Nathan's 440. Bryant's wife, Kelly, has just 320! Sorry Kelly. She picked by the alphabet, I've been told. http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=75639&entryID=626583

I guess this brings us naturally to those dwelling at the very bottom of the heap. To those unique souls, we salute your adventuresome spirit and thank you for entertaining the rest of us by playing! Kelly has just 280 points total. Garrett Erickson, my smartest BIL, who we continually nagged and nagged for days, finally picked according to a pretty, decorative pattern scheme, and thus has 250 points, only HALF of his dad's total. And my dear sweet Carly picked according to which names she liked the best- She has 240 points (less than half of our top contestant, her grandpa on Mommy's side). She really liked Xavier, who I guess may be some cartoon character (on Caillou?). She liked Temple, because she likes the Temple. She liked Princeton, because she's a princess who likes princes. She liked LIU, because it sounds kinda like BYU. And she also really liked Bucknell... we still have no idea why. And oddly enough, she picked BOTH South-east region Sweet Sixteen match-ups 100% correctly: Butler-Wisconsin and Florida-BYU. Not even our Steve Erickson did that!! She has Wisconsin and BYU advancing. Carly picked BYU to win it all, unsurprisingly. Good girl! Jason Davies (who is also beating me) picked BYU as well. Good man! Carly and Garrett are both in the bottom 1% nationally. Garrett had all four 15 seeds in his Elite Eight, and two (Northern Colorado and Akron) in his Final Four. And, like me, he lost a bunch of points by picking Ohio State to beat Pitt in the last game of them all. I hate you Pittsburgh!! Both Garrett and Carly have 680 PPR. Which is 240 more than Ryan Anderson. For reals.

A tribute, in memorium, to those who have lost their Winner:
Star- Pitt (she still loves them)
Nathan- UCLA
Rachel Roller- George Mason
Ryan Anderson- Pitt (call me, we can talk trash)
Kelly- "A" is for Akron


You know, March may be over in a week, but Fear Not, the Madness does extend into April! Lauren will be happy to hear that "Mustache March" ends for me tomorrow though (yes, I've been growing out a creepy 'stache since last Monday). I should take a picture. Although, who knows what will happen in May..... Peace out!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_105125936236197

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=events#!/event.php?eid=134084319995045

~Mars

Fact of the Day: There are 8 basketball players left in the NCAA Tournament named Justin. There's Only One Jimmer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqX_b_Bu4hI

Mars' March Madness Bracket Challenge- JOIN NOW!

Dear Andrews family and friends, and friends of friends!

Alas, that glorious time of year has finally once again arrived, where talks of 5-12 match-ups abound, and painful worrying over who will win each 8-9 seed contest fill our minds! March Madness is finally HERE, the Big Dance! Will Cinderella's foot fit the glass slipper in 2011? Is Duke a lock to win it all, again? Can SDSU really make the Final Four? Will The Jimmer of BYU somehow find his way through the bracket to a rematch against Florida?

Please, JOIN in my favorite holiday this time around! 30 people joined the group last year, and this year there's no reason not to become even bigger and better than ever! With Duke edging out surprising Butler on a last-second miss, Wendy Chapman won it all last year, finishing in the 99th percentile nationally and just ahead of Star. The prior two winners were Doug Abenroth and Lauren.

As before, emails and bloggings shall keep you informed of just how smart you are. Or at least how bold your picks prove you to be. We love our friends and family that take 20 minutes to at least fill out a bracket and give it the ol' college try (pun intended). It can be fun! Just ask Tyler, who finished 4th last year (darn Kansas), or Bryant, who has only played twice in his lifetime but has beat me both times. WINNING! http://4throckfromthesun.blogspot.com/2010/04/we-have-winner.html

Join for free online through ESPN.com. The link is http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=75639 . The group is once-more named "Andrews and Friends".

Good luck, and may all your wildest picks come true!~Marshall


P.S. Pay this group link forward, Invite all of your friends. The more the merrier!

Song List

I turn 29 this October. That's old right? Old enough that you can't be on American Idol!

Actually, those who are still 28 years old in July 2010 can audition for American Idol Season 10. The city tours are done now, but you can apply online at MySpace through October 6th. I'm not a particularly great singer, but who cares? Why not have some fun right? It's my last chance to make a fool of myself in this particular medium! I'm gonna give it a shot.

Here is the set list:

(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You - NSYNC
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay – Otis Redding
A Song For You - Temptations, The
A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton
Achy Breaky Heart - Billy Ray Cyrus
Ain’t No Sunshine - Bill Withers
Ain’t No Woman (Like The One I’ve Got) - Four Tops, The
All By Myself - Eric Carmen
All Out Of Love - Air Supply
And I am telling you I’m not going - Dreamgirls
Baby, I Love Your Way - Peter Frampton
Back At One - Brian McKnight
Ballroom Blitz - Sweet, The
Band Of Gold - Freda Payne
Borderline- Madonna
Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf
California Dreamin’ - Mamas & The Papas, The
Copacabana - Barry Manilow
Don’t Pull Your Love - Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds
Don’t Stop - Fleetwood Mac
Don’t Talk To Strangers - Rick Springfield
Dream Weaver - Gary Wright
Drift Away - Dobie Gray
Even The Nights Are Better - Air Supply
Every Rose Has Its – Thorn Poison
Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
God Bless The U.S.A. - Lee Greenwood
Hard To Handle - Black Crowes, The
Harder To Breathe - Maroon 5
Hemorrhage (In My Hands) - Fuel
Here I Am (Come And Take Me) - Al Green
Hold Me - Fleetwood Mac
Home – Daughtry
I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly
I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston
I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
I Write The Songs – Barry Manilow
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long - Otis Redding
It s All Coming Back To Me Now - Celine Dion
Jessie’s Girl - Rick Springfield
Joy To The World - Three Dog Night
Just One Look - Hollies, The
Kiss A Girl - Keith Urban
Kryptonite - 3 Doors Down
Lean On Me - Bill Withers
Little Lies - Fleetwood Mac
Loser - 3 Doors Down
Love Will Find A Way - Christina Aguilera
Magic Carpet Ride - Steppenwolf
Mickey - Toni Basil
Midnight Train To Georgia - Gladys Knight & The Pips
Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm - Crash Test Dummies
More Than Words - Extreme
Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & The Pips
New Attitude - Patti LaBelle
Nothin’ But A Good Time - Poison
Now And Forever - Richard Marx
Old Fashioned Love Song - Three Dog Night
One Last Cry - Brian McKnight
Physical Attraction - Madonna
Rainy Days And Mondays - Carpenters
Ride Like The Wind - Christopher Cross
Safety Dance - Men Without Hats
Sailing - Christopher Cross
Sara - Starship
Screaming Infidelities - Dashboard Confessional
She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
Show Me The Way – Peter Frampton
Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Something To Believe In – Poison
Sunday Morning – Maroon 5
Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sweet Thing – Rufus & Chaka Khan
Talk Dirty To Me – Poison
Tearin’ Up My Heart – NSYNC
That’s Life – Frank Sinatra
The First Cut Is The Deepest - Sheryl Crow
The One That You Love - Air Supply
The World’s Greatest - R. Kelly
This Love - Maroon 5
We Got The Beat - Go Go’s, The
We’re Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
We’ve Only Just Begun – Carpenters
What I Am - Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
Where Does My Heart Beat Now - Celine Dion
You Are Not Alone – Michael Jackson
You Are So Beautiful - Joe Cocker
You Give Good Love - Whitney Houston
Your Body’s Callin’ – R. Kelly
Finally - CeCe Peniston

http://mjsbigblog.com/american-idol-online-auditions-begin-today.htm

I need to pick a song, film a 40-second video, and upload it online. Any suggestions?

Why I'm Proud to Be a BYU Sports Fan

Everyone knows that society is a complex combination of social norms, laws, rules, and regulations. We cannot exist as a group, a government, or a species without organization and boundaries. They provide safety, order, and protection.

If a guy knocks on your door wearing no pants, it's not smart to answer. If an adult has sex with a child, they're going to jail. If a truck is driving down the street, you don't want to jump out suddenly into the crosswalk. If you drive 15 miles over the speed limit, you very well may get written a ticket.

But when it comes to sports, these things tend to get left behind. The NFL is filled with violent, abusive individuals. The NBA is permeated with selfish me-first personalities. I get sick of it. And that's where Brigham Young University comes in.

The Cougars are a breath of fresh air for me. They stand for something a little different when they compete. Sure, they're a little odd, a little peculiar, but so am I. When they say, you can't be unmarried and have sex and play football here ( http://www.cbssports.com/columns/story/13256720/oldschool-byu-wins-with-honor-code-and-without-sex ), I say, wow, it's great to see an institution actually honoring moral values! When a team of players refuses to play a post-season game on Sunday ( http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700026094/BYU-womens-rugby-team-enjoys-national-support-for-forfeiting-rather-than-play-on-Sunday.html , http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700026097/BYU-teams-have-long-history-of-resting-on-Sunday.html ), I think, isn't it amazing to see individuals standing together for something?

Maybe I'm alone on this one. I think it's pretty safe to say I may be in the minority. But to me, choosing to do something because you feel that it's right, that's a pretty special choice. And that's why a lot of kids choose to go to BYU. That's why a lot of those people honor their commitment to the school and its honor code. And that's why I can't help but cheer for the Cougars.

We Have A Winner!

The Madness is over! And with the Duke Blue Devils beating the Butler Bulldogs in a National Championship Game for the ages by a mere two points, it's time to crown the Queen of the Dance! Without further ado, congrats to old family friend Wendy Chapman, who finished with 1190 points to end in the 99th percentile of the millions of brackets filled out nationally! Great job Wendy!

Our other loyal Dukies this tournament finished in 2nd and 3rd place respectively: Work buddy Jon Bowers and our own Star Hulet! Congrats to these two as well! Star was still in 19th place in my last blog, so let this be a lesson to you all on just how important the last couple rounds are in this game!

The best non-Duke believer this tournament was my brother-in-law, Tyler Erickson, who placed 4th. Kansas let him down, but the rest of his picks were spot on. Keep in mind, this was Tyler's first year playing too! Good work!

Also beating me these year was Bryant Casteel (for the 2nd time in his 2nd attempt) and my cousin Rachel Roller (also in her 1st bracket ever!). Rachel's jump was from 28th place to 7th. Ridiculous!

And for the record, the top 3 finishers for those who had neither Butler nor Duke in the Title game were myself, my sister Kiernan, and my wife Lauren. So there.


And here's the complete standings:

1 Chapman 1, W. Chapman 1190
2 adenbowman 1, J. Bowers 1060

3 starkid55 1, S. Hulet 1000

4 tbone-88 1, T. Erickson 840

5 wikidnurse 1, M. Nielsen 790

6 nullFX 1, B. Casteel 780

7 RollingPenguin 1, R. Roller 730

8 Mars, E Mars 700

9 MarsSis19 1, K. Andrews 690

KarenOjai 1, K. Erickson

11 MrsElderMars 1, L. Andrews 680

pradmilovic, P. Radmilovic

13 MarchMadnessFanatic 1, J. Armstrong 670

14 ojosazules112 1, L. Christensen 660

15 Dannysaur 1, D. Abenroth 650

16 Mars Mom, S. Andrews 640

17 Doug Abenroth 2, D. Abenroth 630

18 Maranda1283 1, M. Anderson 620

19 BarackObama, E Mars 590

rollerna 1, N. Roller

21 Stevan_A 1, S. Andrews 580

randerson415 1, R. Anderson580

23 wammabammajammakelly 1, K. Casteel 530

24 Ojai Steve 1, S. Erickson 510

25 BYUroundy 1, a. roundy 500

slarmohulk 1, J. Davies

27 Rusty , R. ANDREWS 490

SteffyPie222 1, S. Steelman

29 Andrew002002 1, A. Smith 470

30 valarab 1, v. abenroth 440

http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=42986&entryID=617892

Another big thanks to all who participated, helping make this my biggest and best group of friends and family making NCAA picks ever!

I'm already looking forward to next year. I think we can grow even bigger next time! Some people I'm looking at hopefully joining the game in 2011: Garrett and Adam Erickson, Steve Wolfanger, Joel Roller, Dan Warren, Eric and Breann Farlow, Emily and Mike Bishop, Deana Christensen, Sam Burgess, Adam Zockell, Annie Traynor, Stephen Joel Jensen, Ryan and Laura Lillywhite.

March Madness Standings- 1st Weekend in the books

It's been a fun year so far. Baylor won their first game since 1950 or so. Cornell won their first game for their entire conference in over a decade. And of course BYU got their first win since 1993 (12th overall).

5 of 16 remaining teams are "little" schools: Northern Iowa (which upset #1 Kansas -my pick for National Champ- in one of the best Tourny games ever played!), Xavier, Butler, St. Mary's, and Cornell. Good luck to the underdog in the next round!

Here's the current standings:

1 Chapman 1, W. Chapman 470
2 Mars, E 460
3 MarsSis19 1, K. Andrews 450
Dannysaur 1, D. Abenroth
5 BarackObama, E Mars 430
6 randerson415 1, R. Anderson 420
ojosazules112 1, L. Christensen
8 SteffyPie222 1, S. Steelman 410
9 MrsElderMars 1, L. Andrews 400
pradmilovic, P. Radmilovic
Mars Mom, S. Andrews
12 wikidnurse 1, M. Nielsen 390
rollerna 1, N. Roller
Doug Abenroth 2, D. Abenroth
15 Maranda1283 1, M. Anderson 380
adenbowman 1, J. Bowers
nullFX 1, B. Casteel
18 Rusty , R. ANDREWS 370
19 valarab 1, v. abenroth 360
starkid55 1, S. Hulet
tbone-88 1, T. Erickson
22 MarchMadnessFanatic 1, J. Armstrong 350
23 BYUroundy 1, a. roundy 340
slarmohulk 1, J. Davies
Stevan_A 1, S. Andrews
26 KarenOjai 1, K. Erickson 330
27 Ojai Steve 1, S. Erickson 310
28 RollingPenguin 1, R. Roller 290
29 Andrew002002 1, A. Smith 270
30 wammabammajammakelly 1, K. Casteel250

Also, Wendy, Nathan, Valerie, Roundy, and Jason all have especially strong late round picks remaining, and are real threats to shoot up the standings over the last couple of games.

Thanks again everyone for playing! Here's to the Sweet Sixteen games that start Thursday, and the Elite Eight on Saturday and Sunday!!

~Marshall

http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=42986&entryID=617892

March Madness Bracket Challenge- JOIN NOW!

Dear Andrews family and friends, and friends of friends!

Alas, that glorious time of year has finally once again arrived, where talks of 5-12 match-ups abound, and painful worrying over who will win each 8-9 seed contest fill our minds! March Madness is finally HERE, the Big Dance! Will Cinderella's foot fit the glass slipper in 2010? Is Duke a lock to win it all? Can New Mexico really make the Final Four?

Will BYU end my misery by winning a 1st-Round game?!? (against 10 seeded Florida, no doubt you already knew)

Please, JOIN in my favorite holiday this time around! Doug Abenroth won last year, with Aaron Roundy and Bryant Casteel rounding out the winners podium. Lauren won this thing in 2008, barely beating our Eric Farlow. Emails and bloggings shall keep you informed of just how smart you are. Or at least how bold your picks prove you to be. We love our friends and family that take 20 minutes to at least fill out a bracket and give it the ol' college TRY (pun intended)- It can be fun! Just ask Karen, Kiernan, Londa, and Star!

Join for free online through ESPN.com. The link is http://games.espn.go.com/tcmen/en/group?groupID=42986 . Group is named "Andrews and Friends".

Good luck, and may Utah State upset Texas A&M!

~Marshall

HOW TO: Make National News as a College Women's Soccer Player (Do Not Try At Home)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvEobeNfGcc&feature=player_embedded

Happy Liberoween!

USA's History of Violence

My brother is a nerdy History teacher. This one's for him!

Jesus Said Love Everyone

Even Raptors.

Great Fablehaven Quotes

From "Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary" (which is interesting enough that Lauren put down a Stephanie Meyer book to start reading it):

"Get a clue, Russ!" ~pg. 80

"I... had to settle for a less than adequate specimen [Russ]." ~Vampiress, pg. 83

"Less talk, more Yahtzee." ~Troll, pg. 400

Things I Learned on Monday

If you live on the ground floor and you sleep with the window open, make sure that you have a screen.

Don't attack wild cats, you'll lose the fight.

If you call 911, make sure your front door isn't locked.

Crazy people can still have a good sense of humor.

My wife can make cool things. Secret things.

Two unreturned RedBox movies from last Monday are expensive.

The word "flag" and a Where's Waldo-esque hunt for them is very exciting for a near-two year old.

Carly doesn't like to share corn-on-the-cobb.

My brother and his fiancee make a mean strawberry shortcake.

No dead tree can defend itself from twins.

Lauren can't throw a frisbee.

Star remains the RockBand Maps drum master.

Carly calls Balloons "moons".

Unless you teach her that they're called "moon pies". Then she calls them that instead.

Lauren doesn't like me teaching Carly fake words.

Tie a balloon loosely to a toddler's wrist, and pretty soon it ends up floating away.

There's a new Fablehaven book out now, Karen (Book 4).

I miss Percy Jackson.

Political Cartoons are Crazy

The recent cover of Newsweek (surprisingly, NOT a photo-shop):


And today, from the New York Post:

Yes, Obama is the monkey.

Commercials Think We're Stupid

I'm at home watching TV, and a Wendy's commercial comes on. At the end, they throw out the marketing slogan, "It's way better than fast food, it's Wendy's!" I laugh. Wendy's IS fast food! Duh.

I get in my car and turn on the radio, and a Weight Watchers commercial comes on. "Stop Dieting, Start Living!" it croons. Okay, good, no Weight Watchers then- That's a diet system. I'm not stupid.



Then I got to thinking... they must really think that I AM stupid. Why else would they spend money on these? I was offended. For a second. Then I started thinking of other great ad campaigns these geniuses could come up with. Here's a short list of my ideas (feel free to add your own!):

American Idol Season 8 -- "Like nothing you've seen before!"
Trix -- "Buy your kids a healthy cereal. Buy Trix!"
Blockbuster -- "If you hate renting movies, you'll love us!"
Pizza Hut -- "We're not just a pizza place!"
Transformers 2 -- "Tired of special effects based movies? Want to see a film with a great plot and talented acting instead? Transformers 2, coming June 26!"
Mountain Dew -- "Don't do soda, do the Dew!"
Las Vegas -- "Good clean family fun!"
XBOX -- "Are you sick of playing video games? Play XBOX!"
Wal-Mart -- "Support the little guy!"
Target -- "Go Quality!"
Starbucks -- "Be unique- Work at Starbucks!"
Barack Obama -- "MORE than a politician!"
Major League Baseball -- "America Loves a Hero!"
FORD -- "Get Out And Walk!"

The Ugly Side of "No on 8" continues to get Uglier

The Great & Spacious building and those who dwell within are doing more than just pointing their fingers and mocking this time around...



http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081110hate.html
http://www.ldsmag.com/ideas/081110hate2.html

Prop 8 Passes; Mormon Appreciation Day!

As most of us know, Proposition 8, the California state Constitutional amendment that clearly defines marriage as between a man and a woman, PASSED today with the strong support of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members of the Church gave up thousands of hours of their time to help "get out the vote" for the passing amendment. This is the 2nd time the state has upheld traditional marriage, after unelected judges of the state court illegally overturned the last vote in which Californians spoke up for what they believed. Arizona and Florida also passed traditional marriage amendments, bringing the total number of states supporting The Family up to 30, a strong majority in the country. Could a national constitutional amendment be in store for the future?


The religious coalition that supported Prop 8 gave their thanks today to the LDS Church, and especially its members who were attacked for their religious beliefs during the course of this voting period. It's clear that bigots and hate-mongers run the "No on 8" pro-gay marriage groups, but they did not succeed this time, and our fellow Christians and friends wanted to show us their appreciation for all the cheap attacks we had to suffer in the process.
Today is International Mormon Appreciation Day
http://jennifer-roback-morse.blogspot.com/2008/11/today-is-international-mormon.html

"GLOBAL COOLING" Confirmed!

Farmer's Almanac Predicts Global Cooling

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/oukoe_uk_almanac_weather

The world is set for a "big chill," possibly a mini-ice age, according to the venerable Old Farmer's Almanac, first published in 1792 and the United States' oldest continuously published periodical. The 2009 edition, published earlier this month, predicts that the earth already has entered a sustained period of global cooling.

"The next 20 years, it's going to be colder," said Sarah Perreault, assistant editor of the Old Farmer's Almanac. "We're trending toward the cool period now."

The almanac is predicting a period of global cooling partly due to the lack of sunspots, a situation which some scientists believe causes cooling on the sun and, subsequently, the earth. Perreault said the staff still uses the weather prediction method devised by almanac founder Robert B. Thomas, using a combination of solar sciences, meteorology and climatology.

The almanac has an 80 percent success rate for its weather predictions, Perreault said. In its early years, the almanac was one of the chief sources for weather forecasts for farmers and other businessmen.

I'm Now A Published Author

Yes, they're websites. And no, I didn't get paid. But I'm still proud of my written work nonetheless.

http://www.fanblogs.com/georgia/007693.php

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/50505-top-25-preview-what-if-georgia-was-non-bcs

New SpringWidget

Get this widget!

Play Free College Football Sim Games

Gina Carano Scheduled to Fight Again

10/04/2008
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25988886/

For those of you waiting for Crush's next fight, the word of the day is "October". As in the 4th, when she'll take on EliteXC on CBS versus Kelly Kobold-Gavin. Many fans wanted to see her fight Cris "Cyborg" Santos, who won an impressive fight in July; In fact, Santos will fight the same day and venue as Carano (Yes, 2 female fights in one night!). It's all building towards a Gina Carano-Cris "Cyborg" Santos Pay-Per-View fight people! And for now, Crush remains undefeated at 6-0.
http://mma.fanhouse.com/2008/08/08/gina-carano-cris-cyborg-to-fight-not-each-other-at-next-cbs-e/


P.S. Don't let this post bump you past the last one too soon...

http://www.drhorrible.com/

Dr. Horrible, Singing Super Bad-Ass

This is one of those things that makes you say "Dang, people have got to see this!"

It's why the internet was invented:


http://www.hulu.com/watch/28343/dr-horribles-sing-along-blog

In other almost blogs--
I don't really know: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/odd_mars_monkey
Artest sucks, and then he's gone: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_rockets_artest_5
Global Warming was Never real: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24036736-7583,00.html
Christian Bale = Terminator 4-6, The Blog!: http://rss.warnerbros.com/terminatorsalvation/
New Harry Potter Trailer: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b148373_rate-a-trailer_harry_potter_vs_lil.html
Iron Man 2 Materializing: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b22319_robert_downey_jr_checks_his_ego_iron.html

Batman, King of the Universe: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b21926_batman_unbeaten.html
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b20687_dark_knights_road_600_million8230or_not.html
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b148533_titanics_been_unsinkableuntil_dark.html
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b148004_another_titanic_weekend_dark_knight.html
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b147161_dark_knight_reigns_1553_mil_weekend.html

Sometimes I Wish I Was A Teacher

I like kids. They're creative. And good creativity so often goes unrewarded these days.












Creative children are good, because they grow up to become creative adults.



And, of course, the best creative adults become teachers.



And as far as everyone else, there's always game shows.

What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest

Elder M. Russell Ballard
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Liahona, Nov 2005, 41–44

As your leaders, we call upon members of the Church everywhere to put family first

Brothers and sisters, this year marks the 10th anniversary of the proclamation to the world on the family, which was issued by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1995 (see “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Liahona, Oct. 2004, 49; Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102). It was then and is now a clarion call to protect and strengthen families and a stern warning in a world where declining values and misplaced priorities threaten to destroy society by undermining its basic unit.

The proclamation is a prophetic document, not only because it was issued by prophets but because it was ahead of its time. It warns against many of the very things that have threatened and undermined families during the last decade and calls for the priority and the emphasis families need if they are to survive in an environment that seems ever more toxic to traditional marriage and to parent-child relationships.

The proclamation’s clear and simple language stands in stark contrast to the confused and convoluted notions of a society that cannot even agree on a definition of family, let alone supply the help and support parents and families need. You are familiar with such words from the proclamation as these:

• “Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God.”

• “Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.”

• “Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children.”

• “Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity.”

• “The disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.”

And the last words of the proclamation express the simple truth that the family is “the fundamental unit of society.”

Today I call upon members of the Church and on committed parents, grandparents, and extended family members everywhere to hold fast to this great proclamation, to make it a banner not unlike General Moroni’s “title of liberty,” and to commit ourselves to live by its precepts. As we are all part of a family, the proclamation applies to everyone.

Public opinion surveys indicate that people everywhere in the world generally consider the family as the highest priority; yet in recent years the broader culture seems to ignore or misdefine the family. Consider some of the changes of the past decade:

• Many larger national and international institutions that used to support and strengthen families now try to supplant and even sabotage the very families they were created to serve.

• In the name of “tolerance,” the definition of family has been expanded beyond recognition to the point that “family” can be any individuals of any gender who live together with or without commitment or children or attention to consequence.

And yet most parents throughout the world continue to know both the importance and the joy that are attached to natural families. Friends of mine who just returned from speaking to families and parents on several continents reported to me that the hopes and concerns of parents are remarkably similar throughout the earth.

In India a concerned Hindu mother said, “All I want is to be a bigger influence on my children than the media and the peer group.” And a Buddhist mother in Malaysia said, “I’d like my boys to be able to operate in the world, but I don’t want them to be of the world.” Parents from all different cultures and faiths are saying and feeling the same things we are as parents in the Church.

The world needs to know what the proclamation teaches, because the family is the basic unit of society, of the economy, of our culture, and of our government. And as Latter-day Saints know, the family will also be the basic unit in the celestial kingdom.

In the Church, our belief in the overriding importance of families is rooted in restored doctrine. We know of the sanctity of families in both directions of our eternal existence. We know that before this life we lived with our Heavenly Father as part of His family, and we know that family relationships can endure beyond death.

If we live and act upon this knowledge, we will attract the world to us. Parents who place a high priority on their families will gravitate to the Church because it offers the family structure, values, doctrine, and eternal perspective that they seek and cannot find elsewhere.

President Harold B. Lee spoke of the Church as a crucial “scaffolding” that helps build the individual and the family (see Conference Report, Oct. 1967, 107). The Church is the kingdom of God on earth, but in the kingdom of heaven, families will be both the source of our eternal progress and joy and the order of our Heavenly Father. As we are often reminded, we will be released one day from our Church callings; but if we are worthy, we will never be released from our family relationships.

Joseph F. Smith said: “There can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from the home, and every effort made to sanctify and preserve its influence is uplifting to those who toil and sacrifice for its establishment. Men and women often seek to substitute some other life for that of the home; they would make themselves believe that the home means restraint; that the highest liberty is the fullest opportunity to move about at will. There is no happiness without service, and there is no service greater than that which converts the home into a divine institution, and which promotes and preserves family life” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 382).

Create meaningful family bonds that give your children an identity stronger than what they can find with their peer group or at school or anyplace else. This can be done through family traditions for birthdays, for holidays, for dinnertime, and for Sundays. It can also be done through family policies and rules with natural and well-understood consequences. Have a simple family economy where children have specific chores or household duties and receive praise or other rewards commensurate to how well they do. Teach them the importance of avoiding debt and of earning, saving, and wisely spending money. Help them learn responsibility for their own temporal and spiritual self-reliance.

In today’s world, where Satan’s aggression against the family is so prevalent, parents must do all they can to fortify and defend their families. But their efforts may not be enough. Our most basic institution of family desperately needs help and support from the extended family and the public institutions that surround us. Brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents and cousins can make a powerful difference in the lives of children. Remember that the expression of love and encouragement from an extended family member will often provide the right influence and help a child at a critical time.

The Church itself will continue to be the first and foremost institution—the “scaffolding,” as it were—to help build strong families. I can assure you that those who lead the Church have great concern about the well-being of your families, and thus you will see increasing efforts to prioritize and to focus on family needs. But as your leaders, we call upon members of the Church everywhere to put family first and to identify specific ways to strengthen their individual families.

Further, we call upon all public institutions to examine themselves and to do less that might harm families and more that will help them.

We call upon the media to offer more that promotes traditional family values and is uplifting and supportive of families and less that popularizes immorality and materialism.

We call upon government and political leaders to put the needs of children and parents first and to think in terms of family impact in all legislation and policy making.

We call upon Internet providers and Web site creators to become more responsible regarding their potential for influence and to adopt the conscious objective of protecting children from violence, pornography, filth, and sleaze.

We call upon educational entities to teach universal values and family and parenting skills, supporting parents in their responsibility to raise children to become the leaders of families in generations yet to come.

We call upon our own Church members to reach out in love to neighbors and friends of other faiths and include them in the use of the many resources the Church has to help families. Our communities and neighborhoods will be safer and stronger as people of all faiths work together to strengthen families.

It is important to remember that all larger units of society depend on the smallest and most fundamental unit, the family. No matter who or what we are, we help ourselves when we help families.

Brothers and sisters, as we hold up like a banner the proclamation to the world on the family and as we live and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will fulfill the measure of our creation here on earth. We will find peace and happiness here and in the world to come. We should not need a hurricane or other crisis to remind us of what matters most. The gospel and the Lord’s plan of happiness and salvation should remind us. What matters most is what lasts longest, and our families are for eternity. Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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

Further reading from other resources on strengthening the unit of the family in our communities, societies, and governments:

Why Marriage Matters:
http://www.family.org/socialissues/A000000440.cfm

Defending Traditional Marriage:
http://www.family.org/socialissues/A000000464.cfm

The Problem with Pro-Gay Social Arguments:
http://www.family.org/socialissues/A000000777.cfm

The Problem with Pro-Gay Theology:
http://www.family.org/socialissues/A000000780.cfm

ARE SAME-SEX FAMILIES GOOD FOR CHILDREN?
http://www.citizenlink.org/pdfs/fosi/marriage/Citizen_Health_of_SSF.pdf

What No-Fault Divorce Can Teach Us About Same-Sex Marriage:
http://www.citizenlink.org/FOSI/marriage/ssuap/A000000991.cfm

Bill Clinton got Something Right

"Seek Dialog with People Who Disagree with You"
http://foratv.blogspot.com/2008/07/seek-dialog-with-people-you-disagree.html


There are a whole lot of ignorant people in the world. There are liberals. There are Democrats. There are Utah Ute fans.

Yes, we should have compassion for them. Pity them. Reach out to them.

But there are many who take their positions and stances knowing that they are wrong. Knowing that they are unsupportable. Knowing that they fly in the face of reason and a sound mind, or even their religion and their God.

Maybe you're an American who thinks that Barack Hussein Obama sounds like a good guy. Maybe you're a Mormon who thinks that they know better than Jesus Christ and His Church when it comes to legalizing gay marriage. Maybe you believe that "global warming" is real.

To those of you, I am reaching out. I want to ask you, "WHY?!?" WHAT IN THE WORLD COULD YOU POSSIBLY BE THINKING??

Perhaps you are just stupid. And I just might tell you that, if you refuse to open your mind to your own weak foolishness. Perhaps that's just what you need to hear.

After all, that's simply another way of saying "I love you- please come back to your senses."

The worst thing in the world to say to a person like this is "I agree". You might as well tell them to rot in hell.

Remember, a person who refuses to disagree with someone who is wrong can't correct a waitress who messes their order up at a restaurant, let alone get a full refund of their last month's rent check at their old apartment.

And before you know it, you'll end up agreeing with Satan himself, or his minion Loyd... maybe even defending them. And how miserable, pitiful, disgusting would you have to be to find yourself in that kind of situation?


Have a good day folks.

Sad News

We lost the pregnancy.

Mountain New

Rank the Dew!
1. Code Red (Cherry)

2. Baja Blast (Tropical Lime)

3. NEW Voltage (Rasberry Citrus)

4. Pitch Black (Black Grape)

5. Live Wire (Orange)

6. NEW Revolution (Wild Berry Fruit)

7. Mountain Dew (Lemon-Lime)

8. NEW Supernova (Strawberry Melon)

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

In other news, American Idol has announced their Audition Dates and Locations for Season 8! Make sure to pass them on to your friend with the great singing voice.
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b144288_idol_auditions_get_cooking_in_cali.html

There are 8 different places being visited (7 of them for the first time), including:

• San Francisco, California: July 17
• Phoenix, Arizona: July 25
• Salt Lake City, Utah: July 29
• San Juan, Puerto Rico: Aug. 2

Hopefully Utah can represent themselves well. Or at least manage to be extremely entertaining in how bad they are.

Also, Puerto Rico? Could be good. You think they'll audition any Latin singers?

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

Oh, and finally, check out some rad "Batman Begins 2: The Dark Knight" video trailers-

http://www.comcast.net/thedarkknightmovie/#/videos/exclusives

http://www.fancast.com/movies/The-Dark-Knight/139608/main/?cmpid=FCST_TDK