The return of Mad Men

I highly recommend watching. The best part of the show is the unwavering dedication to be totally authentic to the time period, the early 1960's.

These will get you up to speed; first, the favorite pastime of ad men in the '60s, and second, a display of the slightly unorthodox parenting techniques of that era. (Seems similar to today, in my experience. Ha!)

Just A Dollar

This video is a year old, but I just saw it for the first time. Kinda cheesy, but it gets the point across.

New and Improved Michigan Stadium

Michigan Stadium will not only be once again the largest in the country, and 30% louder as a result of the renovations started in 2008 and finally completed, but the $226 million dollar price tag is already almost completely covered.

Here's an update on Brock Mealer, the brother of a UM player who became paralyzed in 2007 and will lead the team out of the tunnel before the home opener Sept. 4.

LeBron Fallout

Anyone who follows sports even a little bit has heard the hubbub about LeBron James and his free agency choice. In a once-in-a-lifetime display of ego, he announced his decision to leave Cleveland and join 2 other superstars on the Miami Heat. In the span of a few weeks, King James has gone from universally adored and respected hometown hero, the savior of the dump that is Cleveland, Ohio (O-H-N-O) to a pariah, mocked across the country as a great player who's too scared to lead a team on his own. The Cleveland owner called him out in a already legendary ALLCAPS rant. Even Michael Jordan, the player all these guys grew up wanting to emulate, came out and said he would have never teamed up with his one-time rivals in order to guarantee multiple championships. 

I can't fault LeBron for switching allegiances to play with his friend in Miami. Obviously, Miami>>>Cleveland in every way possible, and this is his life; as entertaining as it is to watch, he has to live it for the next 6 years and who am I to dictate where someone else lives and for whom they work? I am disappointed though, because I wanted to watch a potential G.O.A.T. develop (Greatest Of All Time), and now that he's on a veritable all star team, he can't shine as bright. I can't say I'll be rooting for them either; it's hard to cheer for something as inorganic as this. One thing's for sure though - the Pistons' won't be winning any time soon.

Power of Creativity

The bridge on the right is hypothetical. Merely a rendered mockup, but a brilliant one at that. Designed to connect the Chinese mainland to the islands of Hong Kong, the designers are using the unique shape of the bridge to solve a potentially car-wrecking problem: in China, they drive on the right side of the road, while in Hong Kong, British influence compels them to be on the left. The figure-8 shape solves this problem, and keeps the highways as safe as possible.

VIVA ESPANA!

For the first time ever, Spain will be playing in the final of the World Cup. And the side they'll be facing, the Oranje of the Netherlands, are there for the first time as well, ensuring that the victory will be even sweeter for one these two long-suffering football powerhouses. Always a bridesmaid, everyone said of Spain. Well, it was more like 'always a wedding caterer', because not only did Spain always come up short, they did so in spectacularly disappointing fashion. But those days are gone, after their dominating 1-0 victory over the Germans this afternoon. Yes, a 1-0 victory can be dominating.

And so we wait for Sunday afternoon, for what is sure to be the most watched sporting event of the year, shaming the Super Bowl by a factor of 10. I can only imagine the fiestas in the Spanish streets after this win. Cross your dedos!