The saturday morning porridge is on a slow simmer and there’s half an hour to go before Saturday kitchen…foodie heaven for me.  The weekend got off to a good start with a visit to Amore Dogs last night…only my second visit and the food didn’t disappoint. We enjoyed a pre-dinner drink in the Underdogs downstairs…cool retro armchairs and table service, felt more Amsterdam than Edinburgh and it’s a welcome change from other bars in town.. Mr Ramsden must be raking it in…I’ve worked my way through the menu upstairs at the Dogs and intend to do the same at Amore Dogs in the next few months!  Mr R did award me ‘customer of the month’ at the Dogs not so long back as think I was there about 8 times in one month…mmmmm!

On to the rest of the weekend….just tucking into porridge with cinnamon and honey, delish…hoping to visit Moo today for some lunch, new place on Brandon Terrace, have been hearing good things about it so looking forward to the visit.  Pondering on what to cook tonight…freezing in Edinburgh today so a slow cook hot pot might go down a treat…will peruse the cook books in a mo….and tomorrow, 16 girlfriends (yes, SIXTEEN!!!) and me are off to Eteaket for afternoon tea….bring on the tea and cake, the gossip, the cucumber sarnies, the clotted cream scones, I can’t bear the excitement.. Will def be reporting back tomorrow….won’t be good for the pre-wedding waistline so no doubt i’ll be in the gym every night next week to burn it off, life can be so unfair lol…8)

Right, Saturday Kitchen about to start, hoping for some inspiration for tonight’s menu…

It may seem hard to believe, but many feel the first place Saskatchewan Huskies, who host the Calgary Dinos this Saturday, are the underdog for the Hardy Cup/Trophy match.

And as far as the Huskies are concerned, that’s just fine.

While the Huskies come into the game in first place and as the only team to beat the high-flying Dinos this season, they finished the season ranked third behind the second-ranked Dinos in the UFRC/CIS Top 10. The Dinos have been ranked ahead of the Huskies since Saskatchewan lost to the Alberta Golden Bears on September 25, and despite a drastic improvement in the second half of the season, the Huskies have not been able to convince top 10 voters that they are the favourites to win Canada West.

The Green Wall

Maybe the voters, and many fans across the country, are right. Many picked the Dinos to be meeting Laval for the Vanier Cup, and the Dinos have been playing well, winning their final seven regular season games by an average of 20.6 points. The Huskies, on the other hand, struggled out of the gate with a one-point win, two overtime wins, and a loss. While the Huskies have turned their season around in the second half, winning their final four regular season games by an average margin of 29.5 points, they didn’t show the season-long consistency (at least on offence) that the Dinos showed (again, at least on offence).

So we have the favourite, the Calgary Dinos, traveling east to face the Huskies at Griffiths Stadium. If there was any question that the Dinos were the favourites, that was put to rest earlier this week when the Canada West announced their 2009 All-Star Team, where the Dinos had seven selections to the Huskies’ four. But being the underdog for a big game isn’t a bad thing, as the Huskies have demonstrated over the years.

The 2004 and 2006 Hardy Cup/Trophy games are good examples of how the Huskies fare as the underdog. The Huskies faced the undefeated Manitoba Bisons in 2006, a team that was ranked number one heading into the playoffs. The Huskies lost at home to the Bisons a month prior by a score of 35-16 and weren’t given much of a chance against the offensive powerhouse that was the 2006 Bisons, but they beat the Bisons 32-15 in a game they controlled from the start.

In 2004, the Huskies came into the playoffs ranked behind their main rivals for the season, the Alberta Golden Bears, who beat the Huskies twice during the season en route to a 7-1, first-place finish. The Huskies had to go to Foote Field in Edmonton for the Hardy without First Team All-Canadian quarterback Steve Bilan, who injured himself in practice prior to the playoffs beginning. Behind first-year quarterback Mark Feader, in his second game as a starter in his post-secondary career, and led by another sensational defensive effort, the Huskies came away 21-20 winners.

This won’t be the first time the Huskies are underdogs at home. The 2005 Mitchell Bowl and the 1998 Churchill Bowl both featured undefeated teams coming into Griffiths to play the Huskies for a birth in the Vanier Cup. In 2005, the Laval Rouge et Or came to Griffiths as the favourite to not only win the Mitchell Bowl, but the Vanier Cup as well, as they had won the previous two. Not only that, but they had been ranked first the entire season, dominating the Quebec conference. However, the Huskies, also 8-0 in the regular season, came out firing on both sides of the ball, built up a big lead and survived a spirited comeback, winning the game 29-27.

The 1998 Churchill Bowl featured another team with a dominant offence coming to Griffiths, with the OUA champion Western Mustangs coming to town. The Mustangs were also 8-0 and ranked number one nationally, while the Huskies had sputtered through their last four games, losing two of them. Thanks to another defensive performance and the running of Doug Rozon and passing of Ryan Reid, the Huskies came away from the game with a decisive 33-17 victory.

Whether the Huskies use their underdog status to their advantage for another big playoff victory remains to be seen. The Dinos are 7-1 for a reason, and they have what is arguably the most dangerous offence in the CIS, so if the Huskies are going to take the game, they will need to be at their absolute best. But if the Huskies’ history is any indication, they will be well prepared and will give the Dinos all they can handle, and just may be the latest underdog Huskie team to take another big playoff game away from the favourites.

SO WE PLAYED ROCKY SONGS! WITH ROCKS! Rocs rock!

So yeah, playlist? YOU BETCHA!

New Found Glory – Truck Stop Blues
Jefferson Airplane – White Rabbit
Daddy Cool – Hi Honey Ho
The Loved Ones – The Loverly Car
Spoon – The Underdog
Brand New – Jaws Theme Swimming
Suffocation – Jesus Wept
Gold Kids – Winter 365 Days A Year
Styx – I Am The Walrus (Beatles Cover)
Cathedral – Fire (Arthur Brown cover)
Circle Takes the Square – Houdini Logic
Trash80 – Missing You
Streetlight Manifesto – One Foot On The Gas and One Foot In The Grave

And the giiiiig guide!
Saturday, November 6th
Truth Corroded, Nessun Dorma, Dogs with Bees in their Mouths, A.M.O.C.
Enigma Bar, 9pm, $8, 18+
Gold Kids (Italy), Ghosttown (NSW), Craterface, Jack the Giant Killer
Enigma Bar, 7:30pm, $16, Lic A/A

Sunday, November 7th
The Battery Kids (“Ancient Curse” single launch), Carnation
The Ed Castle

Friday, November 13th
Art in Exile (CDL), In the Burial, Wasted Elegance, Satoria

Saturday, November 14th
The Fuck Machine, Hybrid Illusion, The Rape, Splattergasm, Deathbringer
Northern Sound Systems, 7pm, $10, Lic A/A
Dreadnaught, Skintilla, Se Bon Ki Ra, Insidian, Killing Pigeons
Raiders Football Club, 7pm, $15, Lic A/A
Infiltraitor, Far West Battlefront, Atlanta Takes State, The Nerve
The Underground, 7pm, $10, A/A
Corrupters + more TBA
Squatter’s Arms, Lic A/A

Sunday, November 15th (part of the Feast Festival)
Legless + guests
Higher Ground, 8pm, $12

COMING UP FURTHER AWAY
November 21st: Obituary (US)
November 25th: The Acacia Strain (US)
December 9th: Dream Theatre (US)
December 16th: Lamb of God (US), Devildriver (US) and Shadows Fall (US)
December 26th: Summer Rage Fest

Yay, another underdog team to root for. I suppose it’ll be even harder to find their gear than the Palestinian men’s team’s.

The Palestinians were playing the Jordanians. But more significant was that the women’s teams were playing, and for the Palestinian side it was the first international match played outdoors at home.

In Al Ram, just north of Jerusalem, signs of the Israeli occupation are never far away. The stadium sits half a block from Israel’s West Bank separation barrier. Though it is made up mostly of a fence, barbed wire and ditches, here in this urban environment it takes the form of a high, seemingly endless concrete wall.

But at Monday’s soccer game, Palestinians came together in a more peaceful endeavor for the cause. Though nonpartisan, the event clearly bore the stamp of the non-Islamist camp that holds sway in the West Bank.

Watching over the players on the field were huge posters of the Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and his successor, Mahmoud Abbas. A couple of images of King Abdullah II of Jordan had been hastily added. Several dignitaries attended, including the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, Salam Fayyad.

FIFA, the international governing body of football, as soccer is known in most of the world, also sent a representative, in a salute to the Palestinian commitment to the sport.

Most of the women played bareheaded, though one Palestinian and a few of the Jordanians wore hijabs and tights under their shorts. The Palestinian team’s captain, Honey Thaljieh, 24, is a Christian from Bethlehem. The youngest player, Aya Khatib, 14, is a Muslim from a refugee camp near Jericho.

For such a varied cross section of Palestinian society, an unusual harmony prevailed.

“There are no politics involved,” said Nur Nabulsi, 17, a member of the Palestinian team. “We play only for Palestine.”

Somos felices.

Rebeca Yanke escribe sobre Mario Santiago y Harold & Blúm en el último número de Underdogs (Magazine de Arte, tendencias y otras debilidades humanas). Podeis leer la nota de Rebeca, titulada “Papasquiaro, tu delirio es nuestro deleite”, si pincháis aquí.

Estamos seguros de que os gustará tanto como a nosotros.

I am grateful for …

Underdogs.

Like the Angels who sent the Yankees back to New York last night. Even if they are only an inconvenience along the road to the World Series. Even if they don’t ultimately win the ALCS. But sometimes you just want to wipe the smirk of Derek Jeter’s face. And it’s nice when that actually happens.

Monday: Notes on Constitution of 1917.  Handout on key articles of Constitution discussed in class.

Tuesday: Discussion and quiz on Underdogs.

Wednesday: 1/2 day but have 1st hour shortened and 5th hour regular length.  Finish discussion on Underdogs.  Discuss Obituaries assignment.  Discuss Criteria B & C for Internal Assessment including using endnotes and creation of an annotated bibliography.

Thursday: 1/2 day with no 5th hour and a shortened 1st hour.

Friday: No school.

It’s always a great surprise whenever an underdog demolished a strong team in sports. In 1983 world cup cricket final India dwarf in cricket beat Mighty West Indiies that consisted fearsome fast bowlers. Sometimes even in war a small band of insurgents defeat strong army.

Malcom Gladwell author of Blink and Outliers in article titled How David beats Goliath published in The New Yorker he gave an account of how an underdog   school kids were coached to beat good team which had players who were tall and could dribble  and shoot well in American National junior basket ball league. Their game was aggressive defense.

“David can beat Goliath by substituting effort for ability-and substituting effort for ability turns to be a winning formula for underdogs for all walks of life.  “

He gave instances of history in which a band of insurgents beat well trained and equipped army. T.E Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia, in one such battle with the help of hand full of Bedouins drove mighty Turks to its knees. In a conventional war fare Established army always wins. Insurgents cannot win a conventional battle because rules were made by the establishment. But in Gorilla tactics, when underdogs choose not to play by Goliath’s rules, they win. “Even when everything we think we know about power says they shouldn’t.””Insurgents work harder than Goliath. But their other advantage is that they will do what is “socially horrifying”—they will challenge the conventions about how battles are supposed to be fought”

“David’s victory over Goliath, in the Biblical account, is held to be an anomaly. It was not. Davids win all the time. The political scientist Ivan Arreguín-Toft recently looked at every war fought in the past two hundred years between strong and weak combatants. The Goliaths, he found, won in 71.5 per cent of the cases. That is a remarkable fact. Arreguín-Toft was analyzing conflicts in which one side was at least ten times as powerful—in terms of armed might and population—as its opponent, and even in those lopsided contests the underdog won almost a third of the time.”

Monday:  Recording of WWI War Guilt podcasts for those signed up.  Review for objective test (40 terms from unit cover sheet, matching, worth 20 points).  Begin reviewing for unit test.

*Outline / plan your answer.

*Answer the question being asked. Read the questions carefully.

*Use specific supporting evidence to support your stated position.  Be sure to answer why the evidence supports your position/helps answer the question.

*Proper sequencing of events important.

*Historiography used only when appropriate.  Not as filler when you don’t know the material.

Tuesday:  Objective test.  We will correct in class once students have finished.  Continue reviewing for unit test.

Wednesday:  Hand out materials for next unit (Mexican Revolution) – written assignment, Underdogs, unit readings.  Notes on defining a revolution.  No unit test for Unit 1 today because it is an Advisory day which means classes are shortened.

Thursday:  Unit 1 (World War One) unit test. Students have been given 4 possible essay questions to study.  On this day I will randomly select 2 using a deck of cards and students must answer one question.

Friday:  Begin notes on Mexican Revolution covering the rise of Porfirio Diaz.

Gideon Burton’s recent blog describes the persecution his elementary school-age son has received because of the extreme right-wing reaction to the President’s speech to school children. And, of course, bullying is not limited to children. Bullying occurs whenever a person with power intimidates persons with less power.  Two weeks ago a minority of right-wing parents intimidated timid school officials into disallowing their students to listen to the President of the United States address them.

I find bullying despicable, especially since I recognize in myself a (mostly) latent desire to be a bully. When neighbors and relatives tell me that President Obama’s birth certificate is not authentic or that invading Iraq was a positive because “now girls can go to school there,” I want to grab them by the ears, shake them until their teeth rattle, and make them promise not to turn on talk radio again for the rest of their lives. I want to demonstrate the stupidity of the propaganda they’ve inhaled and make them squirm like a puppy about to get its nose rubbed in a puddle.

I think my problem stems from reading too many Batman and Robin comic books as a child. I fantasized about carrying a rope, mask, blue jeans and a blue shirt and cape undetected to school.  When an older child picked on a younger at recess, I would swoop from the roof of Franklin Elementary School on my rope kicking the teeth from the jaws of the bully (at age ten I didn’t worry about how I would get on the roof or what my rope would be tied to). When my awed classmates asked, “Who are you?” I would answer, “The Jesse James Rider,” then swing back to the rooftop on my trusty rope, change back into civilian clothes, and return to class by the time the bell rang.

Somehow I haven’t outgrown the desire to defend the underdog. Last week one of my visiting teachers made a solo visit when her partner was delayed. Margaret hesitantly admitted having grown up in a family of Democrats and favoring those policies. “But I can’t say anything about that at Church,” she said, “or everybody will jump all over me. And I have to listen to the most awful things about President Obama who is doing the best he can in a bad situation.”

I consoled Margaret and told her she was not alone, but deep in my heart, I know that’s not enough. I want to attend Church and challenge the nutcases who make comments like, “They are trying to take ‘in God we trust’ off our money.” I want to drip sarcasm, “Well, that will really make shopping a less spiritual experience.” I want to challenge those who agree with Elder Bruce Hafen’s assessment that homosexuals can change their sexual orientation to imagine trying to change their own sexual orientation. I want to defend ward members who are not wing nuts—to show them they are not alone.

But I don’t. I tell myself it’s because it’s not Christ-like to attend church for the purpose of showing up illogical thinking. For a while, I tried the adversarial approach. I carefully read the Gospel Doctrine and Relief Society manuals and came to class armed to refute misinformation—i.e. “Brother Instructor, when you said the creation of Israel was a sign of prophecy being fulfilled, you overlooked the fact that every Book of Mormon reference to the return of the Jews to the Promised Land says it will be after they have come to a knowledge of Christ. Clearly, that has not happened yet.”

Somehow my comments placed me in the bully rather than in the hero category. I was neither Batman nor Robin. I was the Joker. The narrow line between defending truth and righteousness and becoming a bully myself runs across a mighty slippery slope.

Here’s the deal guys…I’ve been bombarded all week with talk about how the Hokies have no shot on Saturday. There is absolutely no way that they even deserve to step on the same field against the mighty Hurricanes, let alone put up a fight. Don’t get me wrong…there is a distinct possibility (and probably always is with Bryan Stinespring at the helm) that the Hokies won’t be able to put up any offense against the Canes. Hell, the defense has been spotty at best, which we all know is out of character for the Lunchpail Crew. However, I am not about to throw in the towel on a Thursday morning with Miami packing their bags for a trip to Southwest Virginia.

• The Home Crowd- Jacory Harris probably won’t even be able to hear his favorite Miley Cyrus song floating through his brain in Lane Stadium, let alone what play he’s running. Hell, it will probably be so loud that the noise will prevent him from feeling the pee trickling down his leg. Good luck working in that environment Mr. ‘9 – 9 = 1.’
• The Return of Beamerball- While I don’t believe it’s been really warranted over the last few years, Beamerball is back, and it’s about to block a kick. I’ve mentioned this before, but now that Dyrell Roberts and Jayron Hosley have proven themselves to be dynamic kick returners, teams will have to either run normal coverage to stop them, or run max protection and pray they don’t get burned. Either way, the Hokies have been close to several blocks already, and I don’t expect Miami to run max protection all game. They don’t want to give a dynamic guy an opportunity to reverse field on them.
• Miami Runs Man Coverage- Kyle Tucker touched on this yesterday, but Tyrod played relatively well against Miami’s D last season, and ran for two touchdowns (and had a guaranteed 70 yard touchdown pass dropped by Dyrell Roberts). If his legs can buy him extra time, and he can keep his confidence up, he should be able to generate at least a little sporatic offense, if not better.
• Josh Oglesby’s fresh legs- Ryan Williams keeps getting the press, but Oglesby’s great at picking up tough first downs, which the Hokies will need against a tough Miami line. Their ability to throw three good backs at the Canes should help in the second half. Especially to help out the Hokie D with TOP.
• Stephan Virgil will be back- Virgil is our best cover corner, and Foster seems to think he’s 100%. He’s also one of our top 3 tacklers (as far as ability). If he has a good game, he sets up guys like Cody Grimm and Jason Worilds to get to Harris and wreak a little havok, something which is distinctly possible. Worilds will be lining up against Miami’s least experienced lineman, which makes for a favorible matchup.

I’m not going to give you any more Cane love, because we got enough of it from Tom on Tuesday. Yes, Miami has the athletes. Yes, they have confidence, and a legitimate offensive coordinator. No, their egos are not in check. This Hokie team, to put it into hockey terms, has a lot of sandpaper to them. They’ve got guts and grit, and that goes a long way toward winning. They might not come out on top on Saturday, but I certainly think they’ll make a dogfight of it. That being said, I still like the boys in Maroon to prove everyone wrong as home underdogs. Remember Clemson in 2006? This will be a similar game (with a better showing from Miami), and I think it might be JO’s coming out party. Let’s do this thing.

Hokies 19
Miami 17

Channel the spirit of the 2004 ACC Champs:

We are hours away from the beginning of a new college football season and I have been feeling the excitement for weeks now! I heart college football!

I mean I really love it. But I’ve become aware that it could be because I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. Even when we were terrible at football the pageantry, enthusiasm and celebration surrounding game day is the glue that binds the community together.

In fact I think that’s the point. I love community events. People come together, even if they’re opposing sides to celebrate the exciting of human achievement, camaraderie and the excitement of life.

To sum it up, there’s nothing like sitting among 85,000 of your best friends and screaming your head off for no apparent reason.

Reasons to love College Football:

• Community, Colors &Tailgates
• Traditions & Songs & Mascots
• Pagentry , Halftimes, Bands (5th Quarter if your’e a Badger fan)
• Passion -Originality Cheer, Frivolity
• Rivalries and Underdogs
• Bowl Games & Heros

It just seemed too perfect: the letters aligned themselves, and I had to take this picture of the Little Gem Theater with the headquarters of Big GM in the background. Although today’s Wall Street Journal says the latest round of employee buyouts has reduced staffing in GM’s factories to 48,000 people, which is down from 110,000 in 2006.

Maybe the Little Gem will one day achieve parity.

It is interesting and comforting to know that quality Tamil movies are being made these days and one of the gems is the movie titled “Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu” (translated Vennila Kabadi Team)

(The unknown, always losing team thrown into the limelight of a major kabadi tournament, aided by a helping professional coach who take pity on them)

The Plot

The simple story of the underdogs beating all odds and we all have seen it before in many other movies. Lagaan is one such example – where desperate villagers playing cricket against the ruling British forces on an unjust law. Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu is one such movie along the same premise. But what’s make it different is the details of the plot, natural camera-work and great music.

From Wikipedia:-

The entire story unfolds in a remote village near Madurai. The hero of the movie is Marimuthu who as a small boy had to stop schooling when his father passes away and had to lead a life of cowherd. He joins with other small boys in the village from different background and level in one passion – playing kabadi.

What begins as a soft romance between a poor young boy Marimuthu and a young girl (played by the lovely Saranya Mohan), who comes to the village for the yearly fair soon takes a turn. Marimuthu along with his childhood friends Subramani, Ayyappan, Sekar, Murthy, Ganesan, Appu Kutty and Pandi yearn and crave to win a kabadi tournament. Their Vennila Kabadi Kuzhu is popular for they never managed to win a tournament (and often made fun by their parents and the villagers).

They manage to find themselves by chance in a State-level tournament when one of the selected team unable to attend the match at the last minute due to a traffic accident, expected to be knocked out in the very first round. But the bunch of young men, who share different thoughts and ideas, with the help of Souda Muthu, a professional kabadi coach (he does a nice trick to motivate them – he takes away all their cash leaving them no choice to win the game), emerge as winners. As they proceed, many difficulties are thrown such as Marimuthu, the star player having a shoulder dislocation during a match. However, even with such troubles, with the help of their coach, they win all their remaining games and progress to the final.

The final starts off poorly, but after half time, Vennila is back in contention. As the game ends in a tie, a player from each team goes up individually against each other. In the final stages of the head-to-head, Marimuthu wins the game for Vennila.

The scene changes to several months later when the young girl returns to the place they met, and is searching for Marimuthu (who is no where to be seen – this is where we see a sad twist to the story). The movie ends this way.

What is the other interesting thing about this movie is the beautiful portray of the village and the lifestyle of the people especially when they are having a major celebrations.

(Appu Kutty, the tea shop owner, being coaxed by his friends, Marimuthu & Ayyapan to go to the fair but Appu Kutty hesitates. He needs to get his wife’s permission first but ran into his nagging mother in law)

Indiaglitz commented:-

Equally appealing is the art work by G C Anandhan. An able craftsman, he has created the rural village well before our eyes. Especially, the grand décor in ‘thiruvizha’ scenes is amazing. The soft lens of J Laxman and crispy dialogues by Baskar Sakthi brings before our eyes the innocence that prevails in the daily life in villages.

Director, Susindhran have managed to bring the feel and colour of both the village and the kabadi games as realistic as possible.

Camera work

Camera work is excellent utilising the similar concepts used in Anjathey where some shots are taken at low angles where you only see the legs of the characters in the movie but it is easy to understand the story.

(The old man pointing to Marimuthu where to go next – in search of his girl)

There are also shots taken from the characters point of view for example when Marimuthu runs around the village looking for the young girl and lost her, he meets up with an old man walking pass him. The old man points the direction of the girl had gone with his stick. At this time, the camera looks from the old man’s point of view – we see the stick in front, pointing the direction to Marimuthu.

The Comedy

One of the best things about this movie is the good loads of comedy especially from “wife fearing, mother-in-law hating” Appu Kutty and the highlights are:-

• Subramani who like to eat all the time entering prota eating contest – the shop owner allows him to enter the contest after judging wrongly on his small built. The guy manages to eat 50 protas but the waiter cheats and insists that the guy only eat 42 pieces. Small argument starts and when everyone thinks that Subramani will walk away defeated, Subramani will say that waiter’s calculation is wrong and therefore he wants to start again, to the waiter’s surprise
• When they enter the big match arena and the crowd is hardly clapping, Appu Kutty will look around and tells his friends happily that there are 11 people in the arena clapping for them.

(Appu Kutty all arms to whack his torturing mother in law)

• Appu Kutty takes the opportunity of a contest to whack his much hated mother in law on the head
• Ayyapan’s mother crying as Ayyapan gets ready to leave with his friends for the kabadi but Ayyapan’s father (ex-military man) scolds the mother, the mother calms down and said she cried because she thought her son is leaving to be in the military service.
• Appu Kutty complains on the classroom that was provided as their accommodation – when Subramani asks why, Appu Kutty says that he finished 6th grade in the village and now he is sleeping in a 6th grade classroom. He then proposes to change the classroom to a higher grade.

(Appu Kutty not happy being in the 6th grade classroom, only to be silenced by an angry and sleepy Subramani)

• Appu Kutty cycling as fast as possible during a slow race (loved the camera angle of Appu Kutty riding the bicycle fast)

Acting

No major actors and perhaps that is what this movie click nicely. There is no evident of overacting anywhere and everyone is so natural in their roles.

(Subramani all ready for the 50 prota eating contest)

The cream of the act is the good relationship between the actors and the comical chemistry between Subramani and Appu Kutty.

Music

Music director, Selvaganesh’s first movie but he did a superb job – every song and music is simply mesmerising. When I first hear the songs, I thought music was done by GV Prakash – very similar in style and rhythm but then realised it was done by someone new.

(A good shot of the young girl saying goodbye to Marimuthu without anyone knowing about it. Add a sad background music and the effect is overwhelming)

One review on the net states whilst Selvaganesh excelled in the songs, he failed to do a proper background music. Although it is a matter of one’s preference, I have to disagree with this. The lovely music when Marimuthu sees the young girl at the fair and the drum beat during the kabadi games worked well with the theme of underdogs fighting their way through.

Clearly one of the best movie

Final say

The plus points: The plot, dialogue (very original), camera work, music and comedy

The negative points: The climax (I had hoped for a better ending)

Leadership rarely starts easy. Yet something in all of us wants to believe in the magic of overnight success without all of the hard work and often failure that’s part of the process.

That’s probably why I am so drawn to Lloyd, a character on the HBO series, Entourage. When the season premier opened this week, I watched Lloyd struggling, as usual, as personal assistant in the Miller Gold Agency. He’s really the classic underdog in this ad agency setting. And he’s hardly the most dynamic—or successful—character on the show.

Lloyd plays account executive Ari Gold’s lowly phone-answering assistant. But man, oh man, he is a character — and a loveable one at that. You watch Lloyd kind of like you’d watch a train wreck. You wince, but just can’t force yourself to look away.

So what leadership did I see Lloyd demonstrate so powerfully on the show?

It’s pretty remarkable. He took a stand for himself by publicly confronting Ari about a long sought after promotion. When Ari challenges him in the moment that he will “not be strong armed,” Lloyd doesn’t just persist, he inspires by standing up brilliantly to his arrogant, ruthless, demeaning boss.

Suffice it to say, like the rest of us, Ari Gold was speechless.

God, how many times have you had thoughts like Lloyd’s diatribe that you’ve quietly fantasized over in the heat of the moment? But you just didn’t have the nerve (or the luxury of losing your job!) to deliver them? Well, Lloyd breathed a final chance at his long desired promotion. He had the passion, commitment and gravitas to deliver—and survive—at least for the moment, seemingly unscathed.

True, Ari’s next move is a cruel challenge to endure what amounts to a 100 day “hazing”—beginning with a cold directive to drop 15 pounds. Yet Lloyd took it like the leader he is.

I think Lloyd is an inspiration to day-in and day-out, hard working leaders, especially those working for less evolved managers. We’ve all had an “Ari Gold” in our lives.

Most important, Lloyd serves as a good reminder that we are all leaders. Supervising some or reporting to others, we have differing functions in the diverse roles in our lives.

Turtle, another consummate underdog on Entourage, perhaps sums it up best when he says: “It’s all about energy.”

He hit the nail on the head. Now I see what drives Lloyd!

Lloyd has that energy. His guts and no holds barred daring can inspire us to dream more, stretch more, challenge more than we ever thought possible. Maybe someday, we’ll see Lloyd as a successful account exec in the Miller Gold Agency. We might even think it’s overnight success if we’re new to the show. And wonder how Lloyd’s character ever rose to such meteoric heights. Those of us who have been watching will recognize the discipline it’s taken Lloyd. The challenges he’s endured on his way to the top.

For the moment, Lloyd has inspired me with his energy.
That’s the kind of leadership worth applauding!

Underdogs is a sports bar and grill in the Outer Sunset that also houses The Taco Shop, which is run by Nick Fasanella of Nick’s Crispy Tacos fame. At Underdogs you’ll find the same great food, including the famous Baja-style fish tacos Nick’s Way. They have a full bar with margaritas, sangria, and domestic, import, and microbrew beers. Most nights have some sort of food or drink special, but Tuesday nights stand out because you can order the street tacos for only $1 each!

Continue reading ‘$1 street tacos at The Taco Shop at Underdogs every Tuesday night’

I know. This is a bit of a strange endorsement coming from a children’s ministry pastor. However, over ten years I’ve been a HUGE fan of the New Yorker. To begin with, I think it was something to do with growing up outside of the City and those covers! Who can resist a good New Yorker cover?! But I must say that since becoming an actual adult with a good job and family, the magazine has become more of an asset to my work than I ever thought possible.

Here are five reasons YOU should (at least consider) read the New Yorker too.

1. Lessons in Leadership: Several of the writers for the New Yorker are leading men and women in their fields. They have a knack of succeeding, and in 4000 words, we as the readers get a glimpse into the genius that has made them successful.

Check out:

Malcolm Gladwell on Underdogs
Malcolm Gladwell on Latebloomers:

2. Shouts and Murmurs: Humor written by humorists is usually good, well if it’s in the New Yorker that is. From month to month, you can get anything from satire to irony to just plain old comedy. We can all use a dose of satire in our lives to point out where we might be missing the mark. The question though: could satire be used in children’s ministry? Perhaps, if it’s done right. I need to work on how that could be done right.

Check out:

Andy Borowitz on “My Quiet Time”

3. Profiles: Many interesting people in this world. The New Yorker often gives insight into their lives. One of the best was this article on Timbaland. It’s actually a critique of his last effort with Chris Cornell; however, Timbaland is one creative man. Those of us in programming could learn a lot from his philosophy behind each creative project.

Check out:

The Timbaland Era

4. Cartoons: Need I say more.

For all you bloggers out there:

And this is just funny:

5. The Talk of the Town: Get insight into New York City life. What are people talking about? What’s hot? What do people enjoy? These are probably trends we should pay attention to. We don’t need to agree, but we do need to know.

I’ve noticed that throughout my life, I tend to side with the underdog. I recognize this as what I like to call “extreem polar favoritism” though there’s probably some technically name for it. It’s the idea that within me, I immediately side with the one who is most likely to be least liked.

This idea is sprawled out all through my life. For example, my favorite TV shows are reality shows, and nobody ever praises them for being quality television. My favorite movies are ones like Legally Blonde and 13 Going on 30, filled with pink and shiny things. Maybe this all stems from me being a Hanson fan growing up. They were definitely underdogs. Still are, I think.

Anyway. That reason, my “extreme polar favoritism” is why I believe my favorite animal is a cute little almost bald creature known at the naked mole rat.

There it is. I want to tell you about this incredibly little guy, because they’re just so awesome.

• Naked mole rats are eusocial, meaning they live like a herd of bees. There is one queen (who is kind of mean sometimes) who makes all of the babies. Most of the naked mole rats live a life of celibacy, because if the queen naked mole rat sees you are trying to make babies, she gets ANGRY and she pushes you with her nose for a long time. They have worker naked mole rats and even a nursery in their colony, so some are nursery worker naked mole rats.
• They have really bad eyesight but rely heavily on their sense of touch (their little whiskers help navigate the tunnels!) and smell and hearing. As far as taste goes, I don’t think they have a good sense of taste because they eat their own poop.
• NMRs are not moles or rats, but are more like a chinchilla or a porcupine.
• When the Queen NMR is dying, soldier naked mole rats will start getting big and fat and fighting to become the next one. Sometimes they even die in their fight to become queen! The queens kind of seem mean, so this makes sense.
• If a snake is trying to eat them, a soldier naked mole rat might try to block the tunnel.. but if that doesn’t work, it will attack the snake and risk (sometimes lose) its life so the other ones can get away.
• They’re not really big on hygiene. They roll in their own poo and pee so that their colony will all have a distinct smell. Maybe I don’t want to hold one so badly anymore.
• Basically naked mole rats are awesome and I want to have a colony of them as pets.

This is a big fat one, so I think it's a queen.

The May 11th, 2009, issue of The New Yorker features an article by Malcolm Gladwell entitled “How David Beats Goliath.  When underdogs break the rules.”  Gladwell reviews principles by which the weaker of two competitors, who under normal circumstances would surely suffer defeat, can shift the odds to come out the winner.

One of the key principles will be familiar to anyone who has read Adam Morgan’s marketing classic, Eating the Big Fish: How Challenger Brands Can Compete Against Brand Leaders.  Morgan says that in order to succeed, small-share challenger brands, as he calls them, have to change the rules of the game — for example by breaking the conventions of the category.

A great case study of a challenger brand (although I’m not sure it’s mentioned in Eating the Big Fish) is Felix Cat Food.  Originally the number 4 or 5 cat food brand in the UK, Felix advanced up the ranks to challenge the market leader Whiskas with an unconventional, consumer relevant creative approach and by using newspapers as its primary medium, rather than TV.  TV was where most of the other cat food brands were putting their money.

In The New Yorker article, Malcolm Gladwell’s signature case for this principle is the story of David and Goliath.  Gladwell writes:

In the Biblical story of David and Goliath, David initially put on a coat of mail and a brass helmet and girded himself with a sword: he prepared to wage a conventional battle of swords against Goliath.  But then he stopped. “I cannot walk in these, for I am unused to it,” he said … and picked up those five smooth stones.

When the David’s of this world choose to play by different rules than the Goliath’s, more often than not, they win.

Another great example that Gladwell writes about in some detail is the story of a girls’ junior high basketball team, whose players were neither especially tall, nor especially gifted, but who nevertheless made it to the national championships.  They did it by utilizing a strategy that is basketball’s equivalent of David reaching for the five smooth stones.  It’s called the full-court press.  Many basketball teams practice the full-court press a few minutes at a time, but the Redwood City girl’s basketball team pursued it relentlessly.

There is a convention to playing basketball that most teams follow.  When Team A makes a basket, they immediately run back to their own end of the court to await the approach of Team B, who now has possession of the ball.  As Gladwell explains, this convention favors good teams:

Good teams, after all, had players who were tall and could dribble and shoot well; they could crisply execute their carefully prepared plays in their opponent’s end.  Why, then, did weak teams play in a way that made it easy for good teams to do the very things that made them so good?

The coach of the Redwood City’s team — who, by the way, had never played basketball or coached a basketball team before, and therefore had no preconceived notions of the game’s conventions  — took a different approach.  He coached his girls to exercise the full-court press constantly.  Rather than retreating to their own side of the court after they scored a point, they aggressively challenged the opposing team for the possession of the ball on that team’s side.  Instead of standing behind the single opposing player she was assigned to shadow, to impede her if she received a pass, each Redwood City girl maneuvered herself in front of her opponent, to prevent her from even receiving the pass in the first place.

Often this meant the opponents would lose possession because they would fail to advance the ball across the mid-court within 10 seconds, a rule of the game.  This helped the Redwood City players to regain possession close to their opponents’ basket, which meant they could score more often with an easy lay-up, rather than going for lower percentage, long range shots, which demanded greater skill.

They also aggressively tried to block the inbounds pass, which is when the opposing team throws an out-of-bounds ball back into play.  Most teams don’t bother with this, but the Redwood City girls did.  This often forced the opposing team either to exceed the five second limit for getting the ball back into play (and lose possession) or, panicking, to simply throw the ball away.  In general, the opposing players simply lost their groove against the Redwood City team’s tactics.  Flustered and frustrated, they couldn’t take advantage of the strengths that normally made them so powerful.

So what does this have to do with social media?

As I read Gladwell’s article, I began to see interesting parallels between advantages of the full-court press strategy for the Redwood City underdogs and the use of social media for a challenger brand.

First of all, social media is not the conventional choice most big brands will use for communicating with consumers.  They aren’t comfortable with it and continue to focus their efforts, and their budgets, on the standard TV, radio and print media they already know.  But just as Felix replaced TV with newspaper, which was the unconventional medium for the time and the category, a dedicated commitment to social media and the power it has to forge brand-consumer relationships can be a potent strategy for stealing share from the big guys.

Another point Gladwell makes about the full-court press is that it takes much more physical effort than the conventional way of playing the game:

It is easier to retreat and compose yourself after every score than swarm about, arms flailing.  We tell ourselves that skill is the precious resource and effort is the commodity.  It’s the other way around.  Effort can trump ability … because relentless effort is in fact something rarer than the ability to engage in some finely tuned act of motor coordination.

In other words, it’s easier to create and produce a flashy 30″ TV commercial and stick the thing on air, than to be out there in the social media space day in and day out, talking like a human being with individual consumers, engaging with your brand enthusiasts and building your brand’s reputation one consumer at a time.   As my friend Joseph Jaffe says:  in the world of new media, “Marketing isn’t a campaign, it’s a commitment.”

And finally, consider this quote from the Gladwell article:

Redwood City attacked the inbounds pass, the point in a game where a great team is as vulnerable as a weak one.

Putting a positive spin on it, the inbounds pass is the point in a game where the weak team is as powerful as the strong team.  The same can be said for social media.  It doesn’t require a mega-budget for a brand to put together an effective social media effort.  Unlike conventional broadcast media, the playing field in the online social media arena is fairly even, whether you’re the market leader or a smaller challenger brand.  Social media is the place where great ideas can catch on and spread without big budgets, thanks to the connections people have within their communities and their passion to pass on content they love.

So to all you small players out there in the marketing world — think like David and the Redwood City girls basket ball team.  Consider how social media can help you shift the rules of the game to your advantage, and slay big old Goliath.

Champions League glory...

The Champions League Final – in less than 72 hours…

With less than 3 days to go, the pressure is mounting on both sides. In fact, the players have proved to handle the pressure better than their own fans. While Spanish and English supporters have been overcame by their fear ahead of the crucial game, Barcelona and Manchester United players have showed courage, determination, and strength.(Read More)

Just because I’m losing doesn’t mean I’m lost.

Coldplay

Lost!

The internet is an amazing invention.  I don’t think the reasons need to be listed here. Regardless I have yet another site for you to peruse.  If you are like me and love trivia, you will enjoy sporcle.  It is loaded with those fun “how many of “insert thing” can you name?”  I’ve done Olympic host cities, tried to name the most populous cities in Canada and even went after U.S. Presidents without military service. Some of this are very challenging, and I’ve only managed to ace one test, name the MLB teams, a gimmie if there ever was one.  If you go to this site, you may lose an hour of your life.

I have quoted that Coldplay song again today.  It’s Wednesday for me, which means I am 3 days away from the 2009 Reach Forth Basketball Playoffs.  While recreational adult sports aren’t that serious, and I’m not one of those people who takes it too seriously, I do appreciate the fun and pressure that comes with any kind of playoff in sports.  My team finished in last place this season, so for us there is literally nothing on the line. For the other teams there is, of course, not much more.  Yet I am compelled by the underdog status we have going forward.  Our collection of young players (average age of my team is likely around 28) has struggled to find a groove all season.  The playoffs offer us an opportunity to change our fortunes completely with three measley little wins.  I imagine that the other teams will view our team as an easy out. We have been competitive in most games but have had some really awful weeks where we were shorthanded and lacked motivation.  This weekend will be different.

I am reminded of the words of another master songwriter, Tom Petty:

Well I know what’s right, I got just one line, in a world that kees on pushing me around, I’m gonna stand my ground and I won’t back down…You can stand me up at the gates of hell, and I won’t back down.

Although the outcome of this weekend will make little lasting impact on my life, for a few hours that basketball court will be the most important part of my world.  The 6 people I have shared this season (and for most of them last as well) will be my family, and all that will matter is putting our best effort forward.  We will forget about everything that’s happened before and know that as the last place team we have nothing to lose.  That kind of redemption is rare in life, but regular in sport. Perhaps that is why we love them so much.  It’s certainly the reason I enjoy every cheesy sports movies.  I can see Shane Falco throw the winning touchdown in The Replacements a dozen times and still feel that twinge in my heart.  Maybe my team will rise to the occasion this weekend, maybe we will win it all,maybe we won’t last a game.  Regardless it will be a thrilling ride as we get lost in the moment.