Zataki

Cultural Differences

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:19:00 +0000

This post was written by my friend Clive about some of his thoughts on China.

On May 10th I will have been in China for 2 years, it certainly does not seem that long although sometimes I do find myself trying to remember what it was like living in Canada!! Also I realize that I no longer notice that I am the only white person in the street, on the bus, or in the restaurant. Being stared at does not even register anymore and at least where I live in Xu Jia Bang, I am seldom given 'the stare' except from the very old but I have learned to say hello in the local dialect which results in a beaming smile and if there are more than one person the smile is usually followed by a noisy conversation about the foreigner being able to speak Suzhouhua. Children all want to say 'hello' followed by 'how are you, today?' often followed by gales of laughter. Englishis spoken by most of the young people who realize and/or believe that the best jobs go to those who can speak English.

Although I have been here for two years my Chinese is still poor because I use it so infrequently and also because I am at heart lazy and can egt by quite easily without it!! One of the great advantages and disadvantages of speaking Englishis that you can always get by.

The longer I am here the more I realize that I know so little about the Chinese. One thing I do know is tha the young people all want to make lots of money in order to provide for themselves and their families. Familie are still the most important unit here and my students, without expection all expect to genuinely want to provide for their parents.

Burger King in Suzhou

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 01:41:00 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Great news Burger King has opened in Suzhou at Times Square, on the other side of the lake. The service is slow, the burgers seem smaller than in the US, they messed up my order (I hate pickles) and the manager acted like an arrogant ass but I am still very excited that I can now get a whopper with cheese so easily.

For those of you new to Burger King, eat the french fries quickly as they are very good when hot but horrible when cooled down.

DVD's in China

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 02:12:00 +0000

This article was written by my friend Clive but I do not know how to change the author's setting. When I figure it out I will make the necessary changes. Enjoy.

One of the joys of living here if access to cheap DVDs and CDs. The speed with which versions of first run films appear in DVD format is amazing of course the first to appear are usually in Russian and are obviously filmed in a movie theater since you sometimes see a the silhouette of a head appear or you get to hear people eating popcorn. Of course according to the WTO and Hollywood this should not be happening but I just think its capitalism as it was meant to be so why are the Americans complaining? Just sour grapes I guess since they never got into this market first. It’s not just American movies, when I told a Chinese friend that I was surprised to see that a first run Chinese movie was already available on DVD two days after it opened in Suzhou they replied “This is China what did you expect?” (By the way DVDs cost $.60 and CDs $1.25 obviously the result of true “free enterprise” with an emphasis on “enterprise”.) I am sure one day this will change and the moguls of Hollywood will get what they see as their “just dessert” but at a totally selfish level I hope it’s not any time soon!!!

(SirMack) Even though the reviews for Watchmen are horrible, I eagerly await watching this movie. If you have seen it let me know if you like it.

Site Changes

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 04:34:00 +0000

The site will be under some construction for the next few hours, please be patient and hopefully everything will be back to normal soon.

Porters 5 Forces Explained

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Five forces analysis looks at five key areas namely the threat of entry, the power of buyers, the power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and competitive rivalry.

The threat of entry.

Economies of scale e.g. the benefits associated with bulk purchasing.
The high or low cost of entry e.g. how much will it cost for the latest technology?
Ease of access to distribution channels e.g. Do our competitors have the distribution channels sewn up?
Cost advantages not related to the size of the company e.g. personal contacts or knowledge that larger companies do not own or learning curve effects.
Will competitors retaliate?
Government action e.g. will new laws be introduced that will weaken our competitive position?
How important is differentiation? e.g. The Champagne brand cannot be copied. This desensitises the influence of the environment.

The power of buyers.

This is high where there a few, large players in a market e.g. the large grocery chains.
If there are a large number of undifferentiated, small suppliers e.g. small farming businesses supplying the large grocery chains.
The cost of switching between suppliers is low e.g. from one fleet supplier of trucks to another.

The power of suppliers.

The power of suppliers tends to be a reversal of the power of buyers.

Where the switching costs are high e.g. Switching from one software supplier to another.
Power is high where the brand is powerful e.g. Cadillac, Pizza Hut, Microsoft.
There is a possibility of the supplier integrating forward e.g. Brewers buying bars.
Customers are fragmented (not in clusters) so that they have little bargaining power e.g. Gas/Petrol stations in remote places.

The threat of substitutes

Where there is product-for-product substitution e.g. email for fax Where there is substitution of need e.g. better toothpaste reduces the need for dentists.
Where there is generic substitution (competing for the currency in your pocket) e.g. Video suppliers compete with travel companies.
We could always do without e.g. cigarettes.

Competitive Rivalry

This is most likely to be high where entry is likely; there is the threat of substitute products, and suppliers and buyers in the market attempt to control. This is why it is always seen in the center of the diagram.

Premiership Striker Dumped By Wife On Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:50:00 +0000

From: Sports by Brooks
Somehow, news of one of the greatest breakups of all-time hasn’t reached this shore yet, probably because the couple involved isn’t particularly notable to American fans. With that in mind, we’re going to try and put this in a context a little more familiar: Imagine if Eva Longoria dumped husband Tony Parker with a status update on FACEBOOK. Now take that and put it in a country where the NBA is the only relevant sports league. Well, that’s exactly what happened to former English Premier League striker Michael Chopra, whose wife — former British reality TV star Heather Swan — changed her facebook status to single without even telling him beforehand earlier this month.
Without missing a beat, Chopra — a Sunderland striker on loan in Wales at Cardiff City – cancelled his wife’s cell phone contract and posted on his own profile that, “Heather will have a new number tomorrow, ha ha.” Well played sir, well played.

Welcome to Marketing/Business Strategy Students

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:36:00 +0000

The following things must be done for your joint project:
1. You must put a 4-line counter from http://www.histats.com/ at the bottom of your blog.
2. You must a RSS feeder on your blog through Feedburner.
3. You must install Google Analytics on your blog.
4. The blog must be written in English, no exceptions.
5. You must select a different template than bloggers basic template.
6. The blog must be hosted by Blogger.
7. You must set up a Facebook and Twitter account and link it to your blog.
8. You must also enroll in the Stumbleupon community.
9. Leave your English name and student ID number in the comment section of this post.
10. Click on the advertisement site to my right.

If you are having trouble trying to find a theme/topic for your blog please go and surf other blogs to get an idea. A good place to start is http://www.blogcatalog.com/, a blog directory that has over 40 different categories.

Cycle of Family Wealth

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:23:00 +0000

The Chinese have an expression: 富不过三代 (fu bu guo san dai) Literally: Wealth does not pass three generations.

Meaning: It's rare the wealth of a family can last for three generations (the 2nd may see the value of hard work, the 3rd, forget it).

Year zero: First generation: Wealth creation

Starting capital: Zero. The family income generators (2 parents) are hard-working and manage to invest 10% of their after-tax income equating to RMB150/month into the Chinese stock market.

Year 45: Second generation: Wealth preservation

The parents ensured that their three children didn't have to experience hard times. The children attended decent enough schools and were fortunate enough to mix with similarly privileged friends. There is general unease in the family however, as the second generation gain independence.

The pressures of wanting to keep up with the lifestyles of their wealthier friends, coupled with an unfortunate down-turn in the economy, results in a halt in savings and as a result the RMB 50.5m family wealth no longer enjoys any debit order increases. In addition, the capital base is required to maintain an income for the folks who have now retired.

Year 75: Third generation: Wealth destruction

The second generation finally inherit the family wealth and it is split three ways. By this time the RMB 45,000/month comfortable family living has ballooned to RMB 600,000/month as a result of inflation. Each family now only enjoys income from a capital base of RMB 110m and, because they themselves are approaching retirement they opt to de-risk their portfolios, which results in the capital invested unfortunately realising a more sedate 3% real rate of return.

After a torturous revelation later on in life, one of the 3rd generation children decided to carve out a career as a financial advisor. She made the following insightful observations:

1. Her grandparents did a fantastic job of consistently placing 10% of their monthly income into an equity investment over a 45 year period.

2. As they had generated sufficient capital to live off the dividend income there from, her grandparents had stuck with their equity investment throughout their retirement.

3. Unfortunately, her parents had failed to adopt a savings ethic and they had relied optimistically on their inheritances to generate their own retirement income.

4. The 3rd generation children (herself included) failed to comprehend the importance of generating an income and as a result were unable to adopt a savings plan or meet their own costs.

Time to start again.

How About We Just Let The Economy Go Completely Down The Tubes?

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:38:00 +0000

After a Congressman recently said on C-SPAN that the TARP was only passed after warnings of national collapse and martial law, a blogger at DailyKos came to the conclusion that this is just what the dr. ordered. That what we really need is for everything to be wiped out:

REALLY? I believe 'em, and I get why Dodd & Co. weren't about to let it happen. But... REALLY... wouldn't that have been the best thing for everyone? ight now, we have a Republican party devoid of credibility playing politics with what tiny percentage of the GDP can actually be spent to help people. What would have happened if the system simply, fully collapsed?

I seriously doubt they would institute "martial law"- maybe an "economic martial law" as in freezing all assets valued over x amount. Most companies in the U.S. and the world would be, on paper, insolvent. And, suddenly, all this wealth that has been transferred to the top 1 percent, is completely meaningless. You and I, with our sub-$100,000 accounts, would be fine. But the massively wealthy, it would all come crashing down. It would be yet another in a series of illustrations beginning with the robber-barons of the late 19th century, that this kind of greed-based-crony-capitalism DOES NOT WORK.

It would also have been the END of the unelected Fed presiding over the U.S. monetary system. Remove monetary policy from the Fed, and place it back in the hands of the people (through the House and Senate), and suddenly when main street suffers, politicians suffer. It changes everything.

It would also be the end of the IMF, etc. as there would be no money left to help deploy crony capitalism to the third world.

We wonder. Are there a lot of folks out there who feel this way? That we'd be better if everything went to all-out crap?

(via Nate Silver)

On Sale? Really? Prove it.

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 10:33:00 +0000

Fantastic article I found, On Sale? Really? Prove it, discussing the pricing inequities found in the world today.

With major companies now trading on the Market for the price of a hamburger, you’ve got to wonder what a SALE! sign means when you see it in every retailer’s window. I don’t think their idea of a SALE! is my idea of a sale. Like, before this whole depression works its way through the system, I think the idea of pricing is going to need a good hard look.

I’ll give you a few examples.

I eat a restaurant that business people frequent in order to a) have lunch and b) feel they’re important. It’s been a hot spot for quite a while, and its prices never really mattered because everyone there conducted their lives on plastic. That of course is changing. The big dudes who are doing all right still go, but the mid-level and borderline players no longer throng. I want you to guess the price of their cheeseburger. Give up? $35. That’s right. I asked the maitre d’ the other day whether they were planning a Recession Special to keep the seats somewhat more filled. He got very offended and went off on a screed about how expensive it is to maintain a restaurant in midtown Manhattan. Of course it is. But unless they moderate the prices, I’m guessing the grand institution will be out of business soon. Which is better? Selling five cheeseburgers for $35 or fifteen cheeseburgers for $20? You do the math.

In my little California town, there is a furniture store. It’s always had ridiculous prices, but their stuff is nice. There was, in particular, a bedroom dresser that we had our eye on. It was, I think, worth about $400 in real American dollars, so naturally, throughout the Fall, they had it in their window for $2500. No, I’m not kidding you. The store catered to people with too much money, and people with too much money don’t want to pay a little bit for the things they like, they want to pay a lot. Except there aren’t so many of those people around anymore. So last weekend there was a big SALE! sign in their window, as there is right now in virtually every window of every store in the United States, from Madison Avenue to Wilshire Boulevard. And we went in to look at the dresser and indeed, yes, it was ON SALE! For $2000. Come on, man. Give me a break. That is not a SALE. That is not even a recognition of reality. I’m positive that, just as my restaurant paid $1.29 for the meat with which they make their $35 cheeseburger, this place paid $300 at some yard sale for that dresser. When it’s ON SALE for $400 or $500, let me know. Because I like it.

I’ll tell you two places that know what a SALE means. The first is Wal-Mart (WMT). Today I heard an ad on the radio promoting greeting cards that start at 44-cents. Okay. That’s an amount I haven’t heard mentioned in a while. Their numbers beat analysts’ expectations last week. The other is McDonald’s (MCD), where sales were recently up 7.1%. I can assure you that a very good Big Mac in that establishment tops out at well under $35, and is probably a better buy at that price than most bank stocks that come to mind.

Two Cows Go to Wall Street

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 12:48:00 +0000

Best explanation that I have seen describing the economic fiasco in the US, from Clusterstock:

You have two cows.

John Paulson borrows one cow so he can sell it for $100. He gives you $10 as collateral.

You buy your neighbors cow for $100, which you finance by taking out a $90 loan from the bank and use John's $10 to make up the rest.

You brag to everyone about your financial health. You have assets--two cows you own, plus one Paulson owes you--worth $300, and liabilities of just $100.

A third of the country goes vegetarian.

You thought your two cows were worth $200 and now they are worth $140.

You express confidence in your financial health. Your assets are now worth only $200--your two cows plus the one John owes you--but your liabilities are still only $100. If necessary, you could sell the assets at this distressed price and pay off all your loans.

You hold onto your cows because you are sure the market is "dislocated." Some day someone will want to eat beef again.

The rest of the country goes vegetarian. Your two cows are now worth $2 each to guys who want to make dog food.

John Paulson buys a cow in the market for $2 and he gives it to you as repayment of the loan. You now have three cows worth six bucks.

John wants his $10 back.

The bank calls. It wants its $90 back.

You call the Federal Reserve and ask for a bailout.

28cm drill bit removed from worker's brain

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:39:00 +0000

Dai Longquan, a 19-year-old man from Jiangxi Province is currently recuperating at Renji Hospital after having a 28cm drill bit removed from his brain by surgeons. He was adjusting the drill when a tiny little accident happened — the bit shot into his right eye socket and was embedded 18 centimetres into his brain. By the time Dai was rushed to the hospital, he was already in a critical condition and was lapsing into a coma. Doctors made two small openings on each side of his brain and not only removed the bit (three centimetres of which had been bent into a right angle), but also saved his eye.

Shanghaiist

25 Stupid Facts List

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:47:00 +0000

My girlfriend joined Facebook recently and has been asked to post ”25 Things About Me”. It seems harmless enough; people write 25 facts about themselves and post the list on their Facebook pages, just as they do with videos, status updates and photos of last weekend’s party. An estimated 5 million of these notes — that’s 125 million facts — have appeared on the website within the past week. Assuming it takes someone 10 minutes to come up with their list, this recent bout of viral narcissism has sent roughly 800,000 hours of work time productivity down the drain.

Image via Wikipedia

She has been asking me for help in writing her list. I found this list of 25 stupidest facts. BSPCN

1. I eat tacos with a fork.

2. I was fat in middle school. The wake of that horror has yet to subside.

3. I keep forgetting that Barack Obama is our President.

4. I have been pooped on by a monkey.

5. I am addicted to the ass-slap dance move. Sometimes I don’t even notice I’m doing it.

6. When I finally told my now fiancé that I liked him (as in, liked him liked him), I drunkenly gave him the Anchorman line, “I want to be on you.” He had only seen the movie once and had no idea what it was from.

7. Just because I realize that Asian women are smarter, more attractive, and have about themselves a generally superior level of class does not mean I have a fetish. Just that I’m racist.

8. I eat gummy bears by tearing them limb from limb and eating their heads last.

9. I can’t grow hair on my arms.

10. Two of my best friends are under five feet tall and I have an intense fear of midgets.

11. I think yoga is incredibly spiritual. I know the Lord is with me in my downward dog.

12. I was born with jaundice.

13. I was born pigeon-toed.

14. I was born with an extra kidney. I wish I could have sold it on the black market and made some money, but it was underdeveloped and did nothing but cause me to wet the bed until the third grade.

15. I like to tape my thumbs to my hands to see what it would be like to be a dinosaur.

16. A horse once fell over while I was riding it.

17. I don’t believe in democracy.

18. I cried when Spock died in Star Trek II.

19. I drink two glasses of wine every night before bed. Wait, did I just admit to alcoholism?

20. If you asked me to tell you my favorite movie, I would have a hard time not saying Titanic.

21. I once sent a teacher into early retirement by pretending to be a cheetah and swiping at her from under a desk.

22. I once ran into New Kids On the Block’s Joey McIntyre in the lobby of an off-Broadway show. I told him he was the first boy I ever loved. He laughed and kind of smiled. This was the most gratifying moment of my life.

23. My friends say that when they shave my back, I purr like a walrus.

24. I don’t understand what people see in the Godfather trilogy.

25. Sometimes I think pee smells like Cheerios.

Cellphone explosion kills man in Guangzhou

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 01:54:00 +0000

Shanghaiist

A man in a Guangzhou Lenovo store died after the cellphone in his chest pocket exploded. The explosion severed a major artery in his neck and caused massive blood loss, almost immediately killing him. Though the make and model of the mobile phone are still under investigation, a member of the staff said the man had just changed his cellphone battery to a new one. This is the 9th recorded cellphone explosion in China since 2002, so maybe it's best to make sure your cellphone's in a bag or something, rather than on your physical person.

How to tick people off

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 04:44:00 +0000

Found this at artlung.com.

Leave the copy machine set to reduce 200%, extra dark, 17 inch paper, 99 copies.
In the memo field of all your checks, write "for sexual favors."
Specify that your drive-through order is "TO-GO."
If you have a glass eye, tap on it occasionally with your pen while talking to others.
Stomp on little plastic ketchup packets.
Insist on keeping your car windshield wipers running in all weather conditions "to keep them tuned up."
Reply to everything someone says with "that's what you think."
Practice making fax and modem noises.
Highlight irrelevant information in scientific papers and "cc" them to your boss.
Make beeping noises when a large person backs up.
Finish all your sentences with the words "in accordance with prophesy."
Signal that a conversation is over by clamping your hands over your ears and grimacing.
Disassemble your pen and "accidentally" flip the ink cartridge across the room.
Holler random numbers while someone is counting.
Adjust the tint on your TV so that all the people are green, and insist to others that you "like it that way."
Staple pages in the middle of the page.
Publicly investigate just how slowly you can make a croaking noise.
Honk and wave to strangers.
Decline to be seated at a restaurant, and simply eat their complimentary mints at the cash register.
TYPE IN UPPERCASE.
type only in lowercase.
dont use any punctuation either
Buy a large quantity of orange traffic cones and reroute whole streets.
Repeat the following conversation a dozen times.
"DO YOU HEAR THAT?"
"What?"
"Never mind, it's gone now."
As much as possible, skip rather than walk.
Try playing the William Tell Overture by tapping on the bottom of your chin. When nearly done, announce "No, wait, I messed it up," and repeat.
Ask people what gender they are.
While making presentations, occasionally bob your head like a parakeet.
Sit in your front yard pointing a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down.
Sing along at the opera.
Go to a poetry recital and ask why each poem doesn't rhyme.
Ask your co-workers mysterious questions and then scribble their answers in a notebook.
Mutter something about "psychological profiles."

Steelers win the championsihp

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:54:00 +0000

Congratulations to the Steelers and the Cardinals. That was a heckuva ball game.

Here we go Steelers

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 04:32:00 +0000

Anatomy of a Steeler Fan

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:06:00 +0000

Super Bowl is on in China

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 03:14:00 +0000

sLess than 48 hours to the game. I will be watching the game broadcast in Chinese, it should be interesting. I am scouring the net looking for a pittsburgh radio feed. Going shopping today looking for Super Bowl fare, it should be interesting.

Steelers Win!

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:57:00 +0000

I am on vacation traveling in China for the spring festival and I just found an internet bar where I see that my Steelers are going to the Super Bowl to play Arizona. For the Steeler Nation in the desert hold strong and remember its the Cardinals, we will win 63-0.

I will have to find somewhere to watch the game, I am so stoked and I miss being home. Who would have predicted Steelers and Cardinals in the Super Bowl. My part of China has been initiated into Steeler's Country and they are starting to realize how much a part of my life the Steelers are.

Time is almost up, I predict Ben has a great game and the Steelers pull away in the second half after Warner goes down. Ben shows the world he's a big game QB.

Caption Contest II

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 07:48:00 +0000

Please post a humorous saying about this picture of Leon in the comment section. The best comment gets a free Leon T. teddybear, guaranteed to frighten your children.

Student Natalie Dylan Auctions Off Her Own Virginity

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:26:00 +0000

The Daily Telegraph reports that Natalie Dylan, a 22-year-old psychology student in San Diego, is holding an auction for her virginity:

Natalie Dylan, 22, claims her offer of a one-night stand has persuaded 10,000 men to bid for sex with her. Last September, when her auction came to light, she had received bids up to £162,000 ($243,000) but since then interest in her has rocketed.

The student who has a degree in Women’s Studies insisted she was not demeaning herself. Miss Dylan, from San Diego, California, USA, said she was persuaded to offer herself to the highest bidder after her sister Avia, 23, paid for her own degree after working as a prostitute for three weeks.

Miss Dylan said she did not think it was particularly significant to be willing to sell your virginity and insisted that she was happy to undergo medical tests for any doubters. She said: “I get some men who are obviously looking for a girlfriend but I try and make it clear that this is a one-night-only offer.

“I know that a lot of people will condemn me for this because it’s so taboo but I really don’t have a problem with that. My study is completely authentic in that I truly am auctioning my virginity but I am not being sold into this. I’m not being taken advantage of in any way.

The world’s oldest profession continues to work quite well for people, as Natalie evidences. Her bid is rumored to be up to $3.7 million now.

In instances like this–similarities between Paris Hilton’s porn videos and other Internet femmesations come to mind–morals take a clear backseat to wealth and notoriety. In fact, our society has learned to value the latter two so highly that morals are an implicit assumption of fame and wealth. We don’t think about how people amassed their fortunes so much as the fact that they amassed them in the first place. We’re dazzled by sensationalism, and willing to pay the price for it, in more ways than one.

If the usual patterns hold up, Natalie should get her own TV show or book deal soon. Her auction will “make” her. Sad.

Best Story of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 01:20:00 +0000

Steeler's Win, Thank God the Steelers Win!

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:38:00 +0000

Let us all rise up in the Steeler Nation and give thanks for this gift from the gods. Don't be shy, don't be scared even if you are watching this game from Hades amongst the heathen Patriot fans, rejoice and smoke the victory cigar, give your loved ones the attention they have been lacking the past couple of hours. If the Arizona faction of our nation is having thoughts of swaying to the dark side let it be known this is punishable by having to watch every Bengals game next year in full.

I got up at 5AM this morning to follow the game on Yahoo sports and I hoped it would not be in vain. I am having dreams of a Steelers 63-0 victory over the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. That would be sweet. The Steelers got one step closer by beating the Chargers 34-24. The Steelers dominated (at least according to my version on the internet) and now we must beat Baltimore for the third time this year, (prediction we will thump them as they are our bitches and Flacco must be stopped or the world could end).
This was the hardest three hours of my life not being able to watch the game, next week I will find somewhere to watch it. Go Steelers!!

-- Do you think Jesus points back when athletes stick their finger towards the sky after a good play?

Let's get fired up!

noreply@blogger.com (SirMack) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 03:41:00 +0000

You're not in San Diego anymore, welcome to Pittsburgh.

We're just a day away from the NFL playoffs coming to the Burgh. And that's got me fired up. If you're not fired up, we've got a remedy for you. Here are some of my favorite motivational videos to get you ready for the big Steeler game. At this point, I'm going to shut up and let the videos speak for themselves, before adding one last thing: Here we go Steelers, here we go!

"If I could start my life all over again, I would be a professional football player, and you'd damn well better believe I'd be a Pittsburgh Steeler."