After major losses, Blockbuser brings back late fees

This blog caught my eye because I love renting movies. I hate that the whole in-store aspect of movie renting is being eliminated by Redbox and Netflix. I think the idea of the easy/no wait Redbox and Netflix are good, but personally I like going in to get my movies, and searching on the shelves. I usually decide what to get off the new release shelf based on which movie has the most rented out already. I figure if that many people are renting it, it must have gotten good reviews. I don't pay attention to that stuff, so I trust others. It has served me well in the past. I like that you can pay cash at video stores like blockbuster. Redbox takes your debit card and automatically charges it every day. I noticed the other day when I went in to blockbuster, as I was leaving, they mentioned after the 5th day there is a $1 a day late fee. I guess to them this makes sense, and its not any worse of a deal than keeping a Redbox movie out that long. It is unfortunate though, because that was one thing I think a lot of people liked. It wasn't a big deal if you kept it a little longer. I know I have a tendency to forget I've rented something and I liked that Blockbuster or Movie Gallery wouldn't keep charging me for the extra couple days it took me to realize I needed to return it. I actually ran into a late-fee issue before I left for break. I was excited to rent a few movies for the plane ride, but I knew I would not be back in time for the regular due date. I had "powerplay" which is a monthly membership that allowed you to rent up to 15pts worth of movies a month for 15$ and no late fees. It was great because I definately spent 15$ a month on movies before I signed up for this. Each new release was 3 pts and any regular movie was 1 pt no matter how long you kept it out. I wanted to cancel my membership however, because I had my rent due, and was about to sign a lease which required a huge deposit, and I have a car payment. I was going to re-sign up for it when I figured out if I could afford it comfortably. I ended up not getting the movies because of the late fees that would be applied. I was really bummed. I love the programs that the in-store places offer, or in Blockbusters case...used to offer. Its too bad they think that is the best way to make money. I think they need to find a way to get more customers in and keep them, rather then trying to squeeze more money out of the few customers they have left. They need to come up with something that makes them better, more convenient, or cheaper then their competitors, or they will go out of buisiness as soon as Netflix and Redbox work the kinks out of their buisinesses. I know people say they go to Blockbuster or Movie Gallery because Redbox is out of a particular movie, or the selection is larger in-store, but sooner or later those problems will be resolved with this "instant" movie market, and who is going to go to Blockbster then?

YouTube - I'm Yours(ukulele)

YouTube - I'm Yours(ukulele)

Who needs American Idol when there is Youtube?

American Idol; whether you like it or not, from the awful yet hilarious disasters to the miraculous performances everyone has seen it. Though guaranteed a contract at the end of the show if one wins, is american idol really the only way to get to the top. Look in the previous seasons, who are the biggest successes? I would argue that they are Carrie Underwood, 1st place season 4, and Chris Daughtry, 4th place season 5. Yes it is fantastic for millions to watch and enjoy week after week, but when albums comes out, the winners arent always the best, are they? Out of the first 7 seasons, not counting the 8th because they are still young away from the show, only Carrie in the final 3's has been more than a one hit wonder. Thats 1 out of 21! Maybe youtube should start giving out contracts, that could last longer in the mainstream. From cover songs to orginals, youtube has some great talents yet to be discovered. Though like American idol where there are a lot of musicians to laugh at because they are as bad as us in the shower, there isnt an age limit to success. Take Susan Boyle for example. Regardless if you like her style of music or not, it is hard to argue that she has a bad voice. Yes, i realize she was on the british version of American Idol before blowing it up on youtube, but here in the US there are age limits. Though he may not be the greatest singer yet or completely follow with my arguement, check out this little guy, and the number of views this song has had, it may be more than any of those 20 others in the top 3 of american idol combined. All im saying is that producers should start watching a little more youtube, and a little less american idol.

NFL Blog Found

I found a quality NFL blog that can benefit all football fans. It is fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com. I like this blog because it continues through the offseason evaluating teams from the previous season as well as the upcoming one. It has information on all of the teams as well as transactions that have happened and those that may. Also, it simply talks about the news around the league. It could be a bit bias towards the jets/giants due to its foundation in the ny times. Though i am sure many of you are pats fans, i have found that there are just as many, less outspoken, jets/giants fans at Umaine. Personally, I am a cowboys fan, yet I know a player on the Jets quite well, so hopefully there will be information on him later in this blog.

Steroids and Baseball

Should Mark McGuire be let into the hall of fame for his use of steroids? Recently Mark had came out and admitted his part in illegal steroid use, but how many baseball players slip under the radar with steroid testing? I think it took lots of courage for Mark McGuire to come out and admit to what he has done. I don't think that it should take away his career and keep him out of the hall of fame, it take more then steroids to be a good baseball player.

For at least 2 million years, humans have roamed the earth and run the terrain. According to Daniel Lieberman, a Harvard professor, modern running shoes were only invented in the 1970s. The debate among professionals is: Shoes or no shoes?

The "hottest" brand of no-shoe shoes is Vibram Five Fingers. They provide the protection your feet need in whatever environment you are in, but they allow your body to do what it was designed to do. To get you from A to B. The point of Five Fingers is to stimulate your feet, which of course is the base to the entire body. As exercise enthusiasts, we understand that one minor change can affect the entire body. This is the idea behind Vibram. By starting at the feet and using muscles you never knew you had, you are affecting your stance, stride, and posture for the better.

I intend on purchasing a pair in the next few weeks and I will report my findings!

Fines in Sports

It was the semifinals of the US Open Tennis Championship in New York on a September evening and Serena Williams was favored to win her third (out of four) Grand Slam of the year. Williams was serving to stay in the match down 6-5 in the second set and 15-30 in the game when she was called for a foot fault on her second serve. Following some threatening words and pointing her racket toward the lineswoman, Williams was given a point penalty from the tournament referee and the match was over. The next day, Serena was given a maximum on-site fine of $10,000 for the incident. After two months of deliberation, the Grand Slam committee decided to fine Williams $82,500 for her tirade and avoid a suspension from future US Open Tournaments. She was also placed on probation for two years, and if another incident occurred, Williams would be barred from the next US Open and fined $175,000. Mary Carillo, a commentator for tennis on ESPN, believed that Serena should have been suspended from the Double's Final her and her sister Venus Williams went on to win the next day. Williams has since gone on to win the first Grand Slam singles event of 2010 and she is the current number one player in the world, having won 4 out of the last 6 Grand Slam singles championships. Serena and Venus have also won 5 out of the last 7 Grand Slam doubles championships.

Serena Williams' tirade really got me thinking: While Serena's fine reached close to $100,000, what are some other hefty fines given out in the sporting world and what incidents caused those repercussions. I did a little research and found a few interesting fines with some high profile names in sports.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was fined the NFL maximum of $500,000 and the Patriots were fined $250,000 for spying on an opponent's defensive signals in 2007. Many "haters" of the New England organization believe that 'Spygate' (as it was referred to) should negate the three Super Bowls the Patriots won in a four year period (2001, 2003, 2004). However, there is no substantial evidence against the Patriots for using illegal video cameras in those games or at any practices leading up to them.

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers was fined $25,000 on January 13, 2010 for an argument with officials that led to two technical fouls and one ejection. Glen Davis was given a flagrant foul and Rivers was given technical fouls for his non-stop yelling at the officials as the game went on. Rivers received a call from the NBA the next day saying the officials were mistaken, however he was still given a fine even though he was right. Doc Rivers has been known to receive fines in the past, as he was also ejected in March 2009 against Chicago and given a $25,000 fine. The referee in that incident was also fined for the premature technical fouls.

In 2004, the NBA (National Basketball Association) had $13.9 million in fines assessed from technical fouls, salaries lost from suspension, and verbal abuse to officials. In one game alone between the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons on November 19, 2004, a minor fight broke out between players on the court. A fan then threw a cup of soda onto Ron Artest (then playing with the Pacers), who entered the crowd and sparked a fight between players and fans. Nine players were suspended for a total of 146 games, leading to $10 million in salary lost (72% of the total amount of fines assessed during season), while fives players were charged with assault and five fans were legally charged.