Purchase Herald photos

The Herald has a wonderful young photographer in Brooke Wolfe, and I’d say it’s about time we started paying her, and not just in Bojangles gift certificates.
Brooke has worked hard to set up a MyCapture account, a site that we’ve synced with Sanfordherald.com that allows our readers to purchase prints of her photos.
Brooke has begun updating the site by posting numerous images from local sporting events and even the recent cheeseburger challenge (who doesn’t want a photo of Jonathan Owens in a burger-eating helmet?).
MyCapture gives you the option of buying a glossy print (cheapest is $8) or you can take that photo and order it for T-shirts, coffee mugs, frames, footballs, buttons, and so on and so on. We’re working with MyCapture to also give the option of buying a cheaper hi-res digital version of the photo as well.

Click here to access The Herald’s MyCapture page.

And be sure to come back after your child’s football games, Quiz bowls or other events where we’re shooting a lot of photos.

Summit or Summitt?

From our Publisher, Bill Horner III’s site:

Chelsea Kellner’s stories (and blog entries) about the traffic issues on Gulf Street and Summit Drive are getting lots of readership, and some readers may have a question: why do we spell it “Summit” when the signs say “Summitt” – with two “t”s?
Sometimes the sign-makers get it wrong.
A few years ago, we published a picture of a signpost at the intersection of two city streets … one was Summit, but I can’t remember the other one. Both were misspelled. “Sign folks are 0-for-2″ was what the caption read ….

Click here for his full blog entry.

Patriots 33, Giants 27

SUPER BOWL XLII

vs.

One of the best and worst things about keeping a regular blog is that when you make predictions, they can either come back and haunt you or be the proof that you’re a genius.
With my NFL picks back in August, I was a little bit of both.
The genius part of me had the New England Patriots making it all the way to the Super Bowl this year. The idiot part of me completely got a lot of things wrong about the 2007 NFL season.
So before I go into why New England will win (but New York will make it close), let’s go over the best and worst of my predications this year.

THE NFC
My best predictions:
• Dallas Cowboys: Although I did pick them to lose to New England in the Super Bowl, I also predicted them to improve with Wade Phillips. I wrote — I like Tony Romo and the offense around him. I love the defense and the promise of being less predictable under Wade Phillips. The ONLY thing that scares me about this season is that Bill Parcells-coached teams usually don’t do as well the year after he leaves. I have a feeling this team is different. I have a feeling they’ll be strong.
• Atlanta Falcons: In a no-brainer, I picked them to finish last. I wrote — Vick. Dogfighting. Yeah. Can’t expect a new coach to overcome this, and I just don’t think it’ll be their year.
• New Orleans Saints: I had the Saints as a Wild Card, but my prediction was solid because I said they’d be worse than last year, which they were. I wrote — There’s no way they’re as good as they were last year. First off, everyone’s gunning for them. Second, they don’t have the Katrina factor anymore. I was living in Louisiana last year … TRUST ME .. it made a huge difference. The defense played way over its head last year, and I attribute it to good coaching and some luck. I think the whole team will be a little more down to earth this year … but still good.

My worst predictions:
• New York Giants: I picked NY to finish last in the East this year. Shows you what I know. I wrote — It’ll be Coughlin’s last year. The team is falling apart. Tiki’s gone. Strahan’s unhappy. Eli’s confidence is shot. They won’t be horrible, but I can easily see them winning between 5-7 games this year. I hope I’m right.
• Minnesota Vikings: I had them last, not knowing of course that Adrian Peterson would be the best running back in the history of ever. I wrote — The one team that may be worse than Detroit. Tarvaris Jackson doesn’t strike me as a franchise QB … he strikes me as a Jon Kitna. Meaning, he’ll be good enough to get by. Unfortunately, the rest of the team isn’t strong around him.
• Carolina Panthers: An up and down team over the past six years, I think they’ll be up again. Delhomme’s playing for his job now with Carr waiting in the wings, and the defense is solid on the front seven. Steve Smith will look more like the Steve Smith from two years ago, and Drew Carter will be an upgrade (eventually) to Keyshawn Johnson … who by the way, I think they should have kept.

The AFC
My Best Predictions
• New England Patriots: I had New England beating San Diego in the AFC Title game. Score one for me. I wrote: It’s probably the easiest pick of the divisions, only because New England is still a dominant team (it took a destined Colts team to knock them off last year), plus they’ve added Randy Moss, finally giving Tom Brady a go-to guy.
• Pittsburgh Steelers: I wrote — From Super Bowl to out of the playoffs last year, I think the Steelers make a slight comeback this year. They’ve got a fresh coach, a QB who wants to prove last year was a fluke and they’ve still got a solid defense. Not Super Bowl caliber, but back in the playoffs.
• San Diego Chargers: I wrote — If this team had wide receivers, they’d be unstoppable. Still, even with just Rivers, LT and Gates, they’re pretty darn good. The defense will miss Wade Phillips, but overall, they’re the best in this division.

Worst predictions
• Cincinnati Bengals: I had them first in the AFC Central .. ugh. I wrote — Tough pick in a tough division. I still like their offense, and now that the NFL is kicking all the misfits out of the league, the Bengals’ off-the-field troubles may start going away as well. The defense still scares me, but that offense is scary.
• Cleveland Browns: I was hoping for a bad season, since Dallas has their No. 1 pick in 2008. I didn’t get it. I wrote — 6-10 would be a big deal to Cleveland, but I still think they’ll hover around 3-4 wins this year. Brady Quinn will eventually get his chance, and Jamal Lewis, Kellen Winslow Jr., Braylon Edwards and rookie tackle Joe Thomas will make the offense better.
• Jacksonville Jaguars: I had them third in their own division. Instead, they were probably the third best team in the NFL this year. I wrote — A great team last year, they take a step back because of their QB situation. Leftwich isn’t the man, and Garrard will eventually be the starter. He’s not the ultimate answer either. If Maurice Jones-Drew becomes starter at RB and the QB situation does work out, this is a dangerous team. I just predict it doesn’t happen this year.

———————————

Now that I’ve shared my triumphs and my not-so-triumphs, on to the big game.
I’m going to stick with New England because
A) I don’t mind seeing 19-0
B) I picked them to win it all at the beginning of the season
and
C) Less importanly, they’re the better team.
I apologize to people who read my picks during the year for not going into more detail on this one, but to be honest with you, I was so involved and “into” the Dallas Cowboys this season, that when they were upset by the Giants three weeks ago, I literally went into a football depression. I have watched very little ESPN these past few weeks, and I’ve avoided much of the hype that goes with your typical Super Bowl.
Sure, I’ll love watching the game, as I do every year, but I really can’t say my heart is into it. That’s a shame, but then again, that’s part of being dedicated to a team. You live and die by their success.

My pick: Patriots 33, Giants 27

If Jennifer will send me her Super Bowl pick, I’ll post it on here as soon as I get it.

Lost Countdown: 10 hours

Added at 11:10 a.m.: USA Today gives tonight’s episode 4 stars. Review is spoiler-free.

Why in the world do I have a picture of a girls soccer team for my final Lost countdown? Well, look at the numbers. This was in the background of one of Hurley’s airport flashbacks.
They’re also the numbers on Hurley’s lottery ticket that won him millions.
They were also the numbers on the hatch in Season 1.
They were on the medicine that Desmond injects into his arm.
They were the numbers you had to enter into the hatch computer to keep the island from blowing up.
And of course, Oceanic Flight 815, combines two of those numbers.

But the numbers have never been truly “explained” on the show … it’s one of Lost’s great mysteries, and it was something fellow Lost fan Chelsea Kellner and I were discussing this morning (instead of today’s stories). Then Chelsea e-mailed me something about the numbers she got from Lostpedia (yes, Lost has its own Wikipedia site) …

“Latitude 4.815, Longitude 162.342 are the GPS coordinates that lead to a point in the Pacific Ocean on the trail from Australia to L.A. It has been revealed in The Lost Experience that these six numbers are the core values of the Valenzetti Equation, a mathematical formula designed to predict the end of humanity. The numbers in actuality are said to represent human and environmental factors in the equation (given numerical form), though their precise meaning is uncertain. The purpose of the DHARMA Initiative was to change the factors leading to humanity’s demise, which will be indicated by an alteration in at least one of the human/environmental factors – i.e. the numbers. However, in all its years of research, the Initiative failed to reach its goal. Despite much research and manipulation of the equation’s values, the end result was always the numbers.”

So, this does nothing but confuse me more. I almost prefer them to never be explained … I’d rather they were just coincidence. I do think the fact that only six people are supposed to be rescued (There are billboards asking ‘who are the Lost 6?’) goes back to the numbers, since there are, of course, six numbers.

I will stop before I start comparing the numbers to my calorie intake.

I will have my own personal recap of the Lost season premiere tomorrow, and I will encourage any Lost fans to “talkback” once the season begins.

Until then, nerd out.

Coming today …

On this blog: My Super Bowl pick, Final countdown to Lost and more …
In Friday’s Herald: We preview Saturday’s Quiz Bowl, sponsored by the Lee County Public Library

Brule’s Rules

For your health

Lean Cuisine Paninis

*Cue commercial … and action*
(Scene: A kitchen. Standing in that kitchen is Herald Editor Billy Liggett, standing next to his microwave)
Billy: I’m a busy guy.
(Quick camera flash of Billy talking to reporters, camera back to Billy)
Billy: And as a busy guy, I don’t have time to cook a big lunch when I’m hungry. I also don’t like those greasy, messy TV dinners that provide little taste and less filler.
(Camera shows Billy holding his stomach at his desk, camera back to the kitchen)
Billy: That’s why when I want a good lunch (close up on face) quickly! (pan back) I eat Lean Cuisine paninis.
(Camera shows a panini heating up in the microwave)
Billy: Just look at that meat. And with the patented bread crisper, you won’t get a soggy sandwhich.
(Camera shows me Billy running through a field of daisies).
Billy (voice over): Because you know, sometimes … you just want to be happy.

Announcer voice: Lean Cuisine Paninis. They makes you happy.

John Edwards drops out

This is big news to North Carolinians, as Edwards grew up in nearby Robbins.
I personally think he waited a few states too late to make this decision, but my guess is he has a deal set up with Obama for a cushy job if he’s elected.

—————————————————————————-

Democrat Edwards ends presidential bid

DENVER (AP) — Democrat John Edwards is exiting the presidential race Wednesday, ending a scrappy underdog bid in which he steered his rivals toward progressive ideals while grappling with family hardship that roused voters’ sympathies, The Associated Press has learned.
The two-time White House candidate notified a close circle of senior advisers that he planned to make the announcement at a 1 p.m. EST event in New Orleans that had been billed as a speech on poverty, according to two aides. The decision came after Edwards lost the four states to hold nominating contests so far to rivals who stole the spotlight from the beginning — Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama.
The former North Carolina senator will not immediately endorse either candidate in what is now a two-person race for the Democratic nomination, said one adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of the announcement. Clinton said Wednesday that Edwards called her to inform her about his decision.
Four in 10 Edwards supporters said their second choice in the race is Clinton, while a quarter prefer Obama, according to an Associated Press-Yahoo poll conducted late this month. Both Clinton and Obama would welcome Edwards’ backing and the support of the 56 delegates he had collected.
Edwards waged a spirited top-tier campaign against the two better-funded rivals, even as he dealt with the stunning blow of his wife’s recurring cancer diagnosis. In a dramatic news conference last March, the couple announced that the breast cancer that she thought she had beaten had returned, but they would continue the campaign.
Their decision sparked a debate about family duty and public service. But Elizabeth Edwards remained a forceful advocate for her husband, and she was often surrounded at campaign events by well-wishers and emotional survivors cheering her on.
Edwards planned to announce his campaign was ending with his wife and three children at his side. Then he planned to work with Habitat for Humanity at the volunteer-fueled rebuilding project Musicians’ Village, the adviser said.
With that, Edwards’ campaign will end the way it began 13 months ago — with the candidate pitching in to rebuild lives in a city still ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Edwards embraced New Orleans as a glaring symbol of what he described as a Washington that didn’t hear the cries of the downtrodden.

Thank you sir, may we have another …

Add a few more blogs to our local list, including one I’m looking forward to, Herald Community Editor Jamie Stamm at jamiestamm.wordpress.com.
Jamie is a heck of a writer, and her first post about a night with no heat already reveals this fact. She’s titled her site “Ramblings from a Working Mom,” and I’m guessing a lot of her experiences with motherhood will be put to paper here.

I’ve also added the Central Carolina Jaycees and the Carolina Trace blogs to my rail on this site. I’m told the CC Jaycees will soon participate in a burger challenge reminiscent of the one Jonathan Owens recently took. I came across the Carolina Trace site while doing a search on their golf course.

Enjoy, and let me know if you want to be added.

Lost countdown: 3 days

Well, actually 2 days and 9 hours now until “The Beginning of the End,” the name of this week’s season premiere.

So if you have no idea what Lost is, watch the video below. It’s the plane crash scene that began it all (your “heroes” have been stranded on a mysterious island for the past three seasons). This video’s creator went back and spliced in the scenes from later seasons that “flashed back” to the plane crash, so now you’re seeing the crash from everybody’s perspective (from the island and in the air).