I drink my coffee from a Bagpuss Mug

Bagpuss is a magical cat. When he wakes up, all his friends come to life. He can also make his thoughts visible in bubbles above his head
All in all, he's just an old, saggy cloth cat. Baggy, and a bit loose at the seams.But Emily loved him.



Bagpuss was a BBC TV children's programme, first shown in 1974 and oft-repeated throughout my childhood. It was a product of the fertile and frankly strange minds of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, whose company, Smallfilms, also spawned such famous offspring as Noggin the Nog, Ivor the Engine and of course, the Clangers. (There were others too, apparently, such as Pogle's Wood, but I'm too young to remember those...)

Innocent fun though it seemed at the time, Bagpuss shares a characteristic of many children's programmes of that era, that being a suitability for post-modern reappraisal. However, far from containing the famous references to 60s counter-culture present in The Magic Roundabout, it instead represents a much more considered and politically aware study of world culture, social forces and examination of humankind's place in the world. Honestly. It does.

The Setting

All activity takes place within the realm of the shop: the shop which is unusual because "it didn't sell anything". All the toy characters move within this setting, although we as viewers are made aware that another, outer sphere of activity does exist, the 'street' where we see sepia pictures of Emily and other children (her sisters? Friends? Fellow intergalactic omnipotent superbeings? We can only wonder.)

The Characters

The closest thing we possess to an authorial statement on the significance of the characters is the epilogue which ended every episode. Here it is, followed by a deeper analysis of each toy in turn:

Bagpuss gave a big yawn, and settled down to sleep. And when Bagpuss goes to sleep, all his friends go to sleep too.

The mice are ornaments on the Mouse Organ, Gabriel and Madeleine are just dolls. And

Professor Yaffle is just a carved wooden book-end in the shape of a woodpecker.

Even Bagpuss himself, once he is asleep, is just an old, saggy cloth cat; baggy and a bit loose at the seams. But Emily loved him.

Bagpuss, Himself

The dreamer, the existentialist hero, through whose eyes everything is seen, and who, through a process of doubt and questioning, manages to synthesise all possible reasonings and pathways into one affirmative act.

Professor Yaffle

A 'carved wooden bookend in the shape of a woodpecker'. Catchphrase: 'Nyek nyek nyek nyek'. Represents the intellectual, with the implication that traditional forms of knowledge are stagnant, in a petrified form which cannot develop ('carved', 'wooden'). Frequently disapproved of the antics of the other denizens of Emily's shop, yet usually failed to come up with any better ideas. Conventional "book" learning is therefore shown to be inferior to the intuitive, instinctive approach to problem-solving favoured by Bagpuss.


The Mice on the Mouse Organ

They represent the workforce, the proletariat. Normally frozen on the mouse organ (the 'organ' of the state which controls and represses them) they are animated by the waking of Bagpuss, showing the enervative power that a single individual's vision can wield within society. They serve a dramatic function similar to that of the Chorus in Greek tragedy, speaking mainly as a collective, with Charlie Mouse acting as Leader of the Chorus. The plays of Sophocles, however, are notable for their lack of anyone singing "We will wash it, we will scrub it..."


Madeleine the Rag Doll

Some sort of maternal figure. Told a lot of stories, representing folk wisdom, the inherited learning which is traditionally associated with the home and therefore the established feminine role. Also wore a stripey dress, the sociopolitical significance of which has yet to be determined.


Gabriel the Toad

Played a banjo and sang songs which invariably contained a message; a possible association with the Angel Gabriel who was messenger of God. However, he was never shown to have a direct line to the wisdom of Emily (see under Emily) or the People Who Had Lost The Things. Possibly this indicates that conventional religious teaching is far removed from the truly spiritual. Or maybe not. Most critics consider he and Madeleine to be the most boring characters, and this one is no exception.


Emily

Probably the most interesting and challenging character. We know that she is a little girl and she owns a shop. She is frequently associated by critics with God, or at least a 'Godot' type figure who does not actually appear. However, it should be noted that, while Bagpuss and his friends require Emily to awaken them, they are not actually waiting for her. She provides them with lost and damaged objects, as a proof of her existence and of her love, but the true uncertainty in the minds of the toy characters is directed not towards her, but towards the People Who Had Lost The Things, who may someday return to reclaim those items.


The PWHLTTs, as I shall call them, are even more of a mystery than Emily. We know certain facts about Emily, such as her ownership of a shop, and her love for Bagpuss, but the only two available facts about the PWHLTTs are:

(1) They have lost a particular item (a single ballet shoe, a cloth house that turns inside out...and several other esoteric items).

(2) They will, at some unspecified future date, return to reclaim it.

It is generally assumed that the PWHLTTs will be grateful to have their belongings cleaned, mended, and restored to order, and this would seem to associate them with Supreme Beings who require veneration and tribute from lesser beings. However, we are not led to believe that they will be angry if they are not served, but rather that they may be simply unhappy to remain without their belongings.

The relationship between Emily and Bagpuss is one of mutual interdependence. Bagpuss and his friends require Emily to reanimate them and to provide objects for them to restore. But Emily also requires Bagpuss to do this work for her: although she owns the shop, she cannot do the work herself. Emily's unconditional love is a comfort in the void of human existence, but even this comfort does not eliminate uncertainty about the future, or about the true nature of the People Who Had Lost The Things.

The Psychoanalytical Approach

So far we have only examined one possible deconstruction of Bagpuss. Bagpuss himself could be seen as inhabiting the earthly realm, while Emily moves on the divine plane, but this is a very traditionalist view. A modern, more psychoanalytical interpretion might be that the 'real' world as we know it is the outside world inhabited by Emily. Bagpuss and his friends occupy the inner world of consciousness, and represent not forces within society but within the mind of a human being. Not just one human, in fact. Bagpuss could be said to exist within the mind of each one of us, a creative force that lies dormant but full of potential. He only needs to be awakened. Or something.

Forcing Natures Hand

This summer has been one of the longest and lately hottest summers I can remember. I just can not wait for cooler temperatures and football season. Truth be known, I hate summer. It is my least favorite season. You will never hear me bitch during the winter about how cold it is. The summer just sucks for a multitude of reasons. Trout fishing gets real slow here in Georgia during the summer due to high temperatures and lots of rain and about the only time you can Bass fish is in the later hours just before dark. Baseball, America's former passion now replaced by NFL, who needs it - I just can't stand it. Hell, I would rather watch my two dogs fight or attempt intercourse than watch baseball. Somedays it's just too damn hot to go outside at all. I just can not wait to be able to sit on my back deck and enjoy a cocktail in the evenings and the pleasant world of late summer/early fall.

Last night in a moment of frustration with this heatwave and this long summer I made a decision that I would attempt to force nature’s hand. I went to the liquor store and I bought myself a bottle of Wild Turkey and some Sweet Vermouth and then when I got home I resumed my normal pattern of drinking Manhattan's. Frankly I have grown quite tired of white liquor drinks and the weather in which we drink them. My hope is that maybe the liquor god's and the god's of weather will get together and say, "Enough is enough!" This poor boy in Georgia is drinking bourbon again we need to turn the air down for him.

Screw baseball and the boy's of summer with their beer and hot dogs. Bring me bourbon, pigskin, and a change in the weather!

Until tomorrow - Adios!

Ryder Cup 2006

The Ryder Cup will be back again in 2006. The event will take place at the K Club, in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland. Looks like a beautiful club and a great location for the event. You can check out their web site at www.kclub.ie.

I read this week that PGA Europe will be notifying lottery participants sometime in September of 2005 as to if they were granted tickets or not. On the application for the lottery they requested your passport number which originally led me to think they would be trying the same sort of tom-foolery as FIFA is with the World Cup. However, I went on to read and find out that their mechanism for eliminating the black market in tickets to the event will be requiring all lottery winners to pick their tickets up in Ireland and they will have to show their Passport to get them. I could almost hear a collective sigh from scalpers, brokers, and touts worldwide. Big Deal! We take our orders, show up in Dublin and start buying!

There will be 40,000 people admitted to the event each day, but only 32,500 of those will be made available to the public.

One unusual thing of note about this Ryder Cup is that there appears to be no International Pavilion ticket like we had at Oakland Hills last September. If you look at the ticket order page there are only grounds tickets listed. I guess it is always possible they will make them available for sale at a later date. It would be a shame if they do not have the International Pavilion because that is the ticket I used when I attended the event last year and I found the IP tent to be first class and well worth the extra coin.

Currently there are only a handful of brokers in America that are taking orders for the event but many in the UK. When you check prices you will find that they are all over the board. We are priced significantly higher than we were for the event at Oakland Hills. We think it will be a tougher ticket, we also are factoring in currency exchange risk, the unknown of the policing environment, and our cost of travel. Interest remains steady and we have had buyers trickling in so we see no reason to lower our prices and in fact we just raised them last week. You can check our prices at http://www.alphatickets.com/golf/ryder-cup-golf-tickets.htm.


Until tomorrow - Adios!

More Falcons - The Heat Is On!

I cut and paste this directly from the ESPN web site....

NFC SouthAtlanta FalconsKey veteran additions: S Rich Coady; P Toby Gowin; LB Ed Hartwell; S Ronnie Heard; OG Matt Lehr; PK Todd Peterson; LB Ike Reese; OL Barry Stokes. Key veteran departures: LB Chris Draft; PK Jay Feely; OL Roberto Garza; S Cory Hall; DE Travis Hall; DT Ed Jasper; P Chris Mohr; LB Matt Stewart.

Most significant change: The Falcons' offseason was pretty quiet, and considering the team was one win away from the Super Bowl, it wasn't in need of much change. Ex-Raven Hartwell adds more speed to the LB corps and should create more playmaking opportunities for Keith Brooking on the weak side.

Reasons for optimism: Atlanta's running attack was the best in the NFL last season, thanks to QB Michael Vick's athleticism, but Vick believes he can add some balance with an improved passing attack. Vick says he is more comfortable with the offense this season and is ready to put up big numbers through the air. With a solid, young receiving corps, he just might make good on his promise.

Causes for concern: The Falcons' run defense was porous at times last season, and DT Rod Coleman's recent off-the-field troubles could make a bad situation worse. The loss of DE Brady Smith for training camp (and possibly the start of the regular season) following surgery on his neck also is a huge blow that leaves the defensive line thin and vulnerable.

Battle to watch: WRs Michael Jenkins and Roddy White are itching to prove they can be stars in the NFL, and it could come at the cost of Peerless Price. Price is expensive and has been disappointing, and Jenkins has shown a lot of potential in workouts. If Price has a tough camp, he could find himself cut loose.

Don't be surprised if … second-year LB Demorrio Williams beats out free-agent addition Reese for the starting job on the strong side. Williams needs to find some consistency, but he has the speed and hunger that head coach Jim Mora Jr. is looking for in his linebackers this year.

Until tomorrow - Adios!

The Michael Vick Show

Today marks the first day of training camp for the Atlanta Falcons as they prepare for the 2006 season. Do the Falcons have what it takes to go all the way this year? The Falcons drafted two tall receivers in Roddy White and Michael Jenkins hoping that they would be more acceptable targets for Mr. Vick to throw the ball. Vick got his completion percentage from 50 to 56.4 percent last year, but to be a real contender he needs to have it in the 60's.

A lot of mystery will fade from the picture after the Falcons first home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Terrell Owens is still holding out for that new contract the Eagles keep saying they will not give him. Word is he will miss training camp but not the pay checks associated with those regular season contests. If Terrell misses the Falcons home opener, the Falcons win, and then Owens returns later in the season there will still be some question marks.

The ticket situation for the Falcons vs. Eagles is pretty strong. The contest is on a Monday night in front of a national television audience. Get-Ins are running around $140 right now and the best seats in the house asking as much as $600 per ticket. If the Falcons win that first game and a few more of the early ones the tickets for the rest of the season should go up in value.

I still think the Eagles have the edge in this match up and that if for some reason the Falcons end up in Detroit on 02/05/05 it will be one bomb of a ticket.

Ricky Williams has returned to training camp with the Dolphins which should make for an interesting season in South Florida. They recruited Ronnie Brown from Auburn who should become one of the best backs in the NFL so if Ricky gets his game back it should be interesting to see how the Dolphins fair with both of them in the backfield.
Until tomorrow - Adios

Music From Big Pink

I walked into the office today, got my self a solpadeine plus, a cup of coffee, and popped in The Band's classic "Music From Big Pink." Music From Big Pink is a great way to start off any Friday.

Last night Sarah and her husband watched the movie "Shakes the Clown" on my recommendation. Bobcat Goldthwait plays an alcoholic clown and spends most of the movie drinking and taking drugs with other clowns. Shakes is truly a dark comedy and it is not for everyone. If you find the idea of an alcoholic clown to be amusing you should take a look.

Might be time to stock up on warm clothing, bicycle tires, and crude oil futures contracts. Below you can see a chart with Elliott Wave labels showing that by the end of the year the analyst is forecasting Oil to be trading at $70 per barrel. If you look back to 2001 you can see that there has been quite a run since this "war on terror" thing started. The chart does not go all the way back to the bottom which I believe was in 1999 when oil was trading below $10 per barrel. In 1999 I working as a retail stock broker at J.C. Bradford & Company and one of the older and wiser brokers there said to me and a couple of the other young guys, "boys, when you can buy a barrel of oil for less than a case of budweiser it's time to buy oil and oil services stocks." Of course the gentleman turned out to be dead on with his simple analysis. If the labeling on this chart turns out to be right then the spot where the five is will not the end of this move, just a temporary stopping point on the way to $100 per barrel oil.

Oh No! Not Again.

This morning a cowardly group of animals botched an attempt to set off four bombs on tube stations in London. At the moment this is considered a low casualty event and not of the magnitude of the 07/07 bombings. I am quite sure that Red Ken Livingston and George Galloway are already preparing their statements in support of the bombing. Hopefully the boys up at Millwall are meeting right now to discuss their plans to start kicking some Muslim ass, maybe they should start with Red Ken and George? Millwall Hooligans vs. Various Paki's and liberal Mp's would be quite an interesting match.

Back to work....

Until tomorrow - Adios.

Joe's Garage

In NASCAR it's currently a three man race for the Nextel Cup. Jimmie Johnson is in the lead with our man Greg Biffle and Tony Stewart right behind him. This weekend the boys will head to the Pennsylvania 500 and then we will be in the enormous month of August with races in Indy, Michigan, and Bristol.

The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard comes to us on 08/07/05, last year the pansy Jeff Gordon won there so let's hope that does not happen again. We will look for the National Guard number 16 car to do it in Indy. The tickets for the Brickyard seem to be running in the same ranges as usual which means it is a buy at less than face and sell at face market.

Our boy Greg Biffle won last years August contest in Michigan and we will look for a repeat. After Biffle wins at the Brickyard and Michigan he should be back at the top of the list.

The Sharpie 500 ticket also appears to be on track for normalcy. Right now get-ins will fetch around $250 and the best seats in the house over in the Allison Terrace are going for about $500 per ticket. Dale Jr. won last year at Bristol and we are quite sure there was a lot of Budweiser spilled because of it. We hate to sound monotonous but we are again predicting that the number 16 car will prevail.

Of course if you need tickets to the Sharpie 500, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, or the GFS Marketplace 400 please check our website at www.alphatickets.com.
Until tomorrow - Adios!

God Save The Touts

Today I bring you a piece I found on the internet written by Duncan Campbell, of the Guardian Newspapers in the UK.


Save This Great National Tradition
Ticket touts are both entrepreneurs and part of the welfare state, so all politicians should oppose a ban.

Duncan Campbell By Guardian Newspapers, 6/21/2005

It is one of the great romantic street cries of London, the words delivered out of the corner of the mouth with a gentle and familiar lilt: "Tickets? Tickets? Anybody want tickets?" Or alternatively: "Tickets, tickets, anybody got tickets?"

For years, one of the outstanding traditions of Wimbledon, along with the rain, the strawberries and British failure by the end of the first week, has been the presence outside the grounds of the ticket tout, with that wonderful combination of bonhomie and a range of centre-court seats at three-figure prices. Alas now the ticket tout, like other ancient and revered figures of British life, such as the blacksmith and the bus conductor, is under threat.

There have already been attempts to drive him - if there are female ticket touts I have yet to meet one - out of business. Under the 1994 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, amended by the 1999 Football (Offences and Disorder) Act, a tout outside a football ground can be fined £5,000. You can still find them outside football grounds, although their friendly cries must now be delivered sotto voce. This week they are being hounded away from Wimbledon too, whether they come from the old-fashioned street-corner team or are of the new online persuasion. Tessa Jowell, the culture secretary, is under pressure from major sporting and entertainment bodies to introduce even tougher measures to ban them for ever.

It would be sad if the ticket tout was to disappear. A campaign to keep him should be a cross-party affair. For the Tories, the ticket tout can be seen as an old-fashioned small businessman (or, in the case of the late, great Stan Flashman, an old-fashioned large businessman). Teresa Gorman, the former Conservative MP for Billericay, recognised that the touts represented the spirit of free enterprise and championed them. Surely one of the 43 current Tory leadership candidates might have the vision to take the same stance now that touts are in their hour of need?

For the left, the ticket tout represents a very necessary part of the welfare state, providing care for those too disorganised to buy their tickets well in advance despite having told their family or friends that it was all sorted out and not to worry. For the libertarian left, anyone who, like the tout, can annoy so many leaders of our major sports and so many corporate purveyors of overpriced tickets must deserve support.

For football fans, ticket touts are needed now more than ever. In the old days it was possible to go to what was then a first-division football match without having to either own a season ticket or be part of a cartel (or membership scheme, as they are officially called). The introduction of all-seater football stadiums ended this happy state of affairs and, as a result, tickets to Premiership games are now mainly in the hands of barristers, senior media executives and merchant bankers. The average fans who might not want to go to a game every week but still want to see their team live have been cut out. Almost their only way back into the ground now is through the ticket tout. (And sometimes, if you wait until the very last minute and it's wet, you can even get the tickets at cost price.)

The arrival of the Australian cricketers this summer has caused inflation on the ticket front, with £102 seats for the Lord's Test now fetching £700. The English Cricket Board last month condemned "touts and their vile practice" as though they were selling small boys rather than tickets to the Compton Stand.

Wimbledon has, to its credit, traditionally catered for the ordinary fans who cannot get their tickets through the masonic corporate route by allowing them to sleep in the street for a few weeks prior to the tournament. This is fine for some, but many people don't have access to the necessary all-weather camping equipment or don't want to be interviewed on local radio about their experience. For them the ticket tout provides a swift way out - or rather in.

And there is the aspect of tradition. After all, the word "tout", according to Eric Partridge's Dictionary of the Underworld, first appeared in 1718, more than two and half centuries before such terms as "executive box". Sadly, we no longer hear other old street cries such as "any old iron", "who will buy my wonderful roses?" and "bring out your dead"; but wouldn't London be a poorer place without the occasional "tickets, tickets"?

Finally, and most importantly, does any one have two seats, preferably in the first two rows of the Edrich Stand, for the Friday of the Ashes test at Lord's and, if possible, two for the West Stand at Highbury for Arsenal v Chelsea? Contact the address below. No time-wasters.© Guardian Newspapers Limited

Super Bowl XL

Having just returned from Detroit for the MLB All Star game I feel that it may be time to comment on the upcoming Super Bowl in the same city. I did not go inside of Ford Field but I can tell you that from the Outside it looks like a super nice venue. I did enjoy a beer at the Elwood Bar & Grill which is right across the street from both Ford Field and Comerica Park.
Detroit did a great job with the All Star game as a practice run for the big show coming in February. It was Hot as hell last week in Detroit so I sincerely hope we do not see the opposite extreme in February. The nerve center for the All Star game was definitely the Marriott at the Renaissance Center and I expect the same at the Super Bowl. I am guessing that the NFL will headquarter at the Marriott, and I hear the AFC will be somewhere out on the North Side of town and the NFC out West of town. The area around Greek town should be hot during Super Bowl week with all the restaurants, bars, and Casinos getting lot's of action.

As far as Super Bowl ticket prices go I still think this one is a crap shoot at this point. Maybe when we get a few games into the season it will clear up a little. I have noticed that some of our competition on the internet is offering lower and lower prices for get-ins. I have to assume that the lower prices are a result of seeing no buyers. We have still not sold any tickets for this years game which is unusual for us at this time of year. I have also been getting lots of calls from people trying to unload Hotel Rooms and that is not the hallmark of a strong market. My prices are going to stay right where there are and if anything go up until I see a strong indication that the teams heading to Detroit will not pull a crowd. I think to lower your prices now because you have no buyers may be suicidal. Detroit has far fewer seats than the last several venues for the Super Bowl and if we get Pittsburgh vs. Philadelphia you can forget about making money on those get-ins you’re selling at $1750 each.

A lot of people say that Detroit will be a bad ticket because it's Detroit in February. Do you really think that if Pittsburgh goes to the Super Bowl that their fans will stay home because it's too cold in Detroit? Do you think the Eagles fans will stay home because it's too cold?

I think it is a safe bet that the teams in the Super Bowl will come from the following list:
(with www.tradesports.com prices, and fan futures prices from www.ticketreserve.com)

New England Patriots 18.1/19.9 Fan Futures @ $345
Pittsburgh Steelers 9.0/11.0 Fan Futures @ $249
Indianapolis Colts 18.0/21.0 Fan Futures @ $225

Atlanta Falcons 9.6/10.0 Fan Futures @ $119
Minnesota Vikings 10.0/12.0 Fan Futures @ $125
Philadelphia Eagles 29.1/29.5 Fan Futures @ $550

The Falcons are the only team in that mix that I think would be bad for prices. I hope that clears things up for any of you doubters. You have a 1 in 6 chance of having a bad team in the Super Bowl. No offense to the Falcons, they are my team and I love them. The Falcons just do not have the fan base that the other teams have, nor are their fans as fanatical or devoted enough to brave the cold Detroit winter when they can watch on TV in the bars of Buckhead.

I guess that on September 12, 2005 we will get a good idea of how the Falcons will match up with the Eagles. The Falcons will host the Eagles in their home opener on Monday Night Football. We could see a lot of movement in pricing on both Tradesports and Ticket Reserve if the Falcons trounce the Eagles, but I would not expect much movement if the Eagles win the game because it is already priced in.

Wie Wie and the Masters

Michelle Wie is taking the golf world by storm this week playing in the Men's Amatuer Public Links tournament in Lebanon, OH. She has already advanced to the quarterfinals and traditionally the Masters invites the winner of this tournament to play in their event each year. Hootie Johnson, Chairmen of Augusta National, says that the club will welcome Wie or any other female that qualifies. Wie is going to be a Junior in High School this fall and may find herself being the first female to ever compete in the Masters come next April. I wonder if the Masters will provide any distraction to her school work?

If Wie gets in the Masters what will become of prices for badges? I am not sure it will be like Tiger's feaux grand slam event, but I do think there will certainly be a lot of added interest and the media will whip everyone into a frenzy. Heaven forbid, if Ms. Wie makes the cut and is challenging on Saturday and Sunday at the least the weekend badge rentals should be hot.

Good luck Michelle!

Until tomorrow -Adios.

Football, Football, Football

Not too much has changed since I last updated you on the futures markets for NFL conference champions. The www.tradesports.com market still favors the Eagles in the NFC and the Colts in the AFC. The www.ticketreserve.com market is also still about the same showing the following prices for the favorites:

Eagles $550
Falcons $119
Vikings $125

Colts $225
Patriots $345
Steelers $250

I have just returned from the Host city where the Super Bowl will be played and have come away with a gut feeling that this will be the Keystone State Super Bowl that was talked about last year and did not happen. I am looking for Pittsburgh to play Philadelphia and ticket prices to be as out of control as last year or maybe more so. If you have been watching our prices and waiting for them to go down then you may want to rethink your strategy and go ahead and purchase now before they go up.

Until tomorrow - Adios!

Quickie Blog

Sorry for the missed blog yesterday. I just got so busy with the All Star Game that I never had a chance to write.

The All Star game did firm up a bit after my last blog but only in so much as prices did not fall any further for that day or for most of yesterday. It was not until late yesterday afternoon that we saw prices start to move lower as those who were still holding large stacks had to start cutting prices in desperation to move the seats. As of yesterday evening you could buy All Star Game tickets at prices below face value.

Until tomorrow - Adios!

Falling Knives

I am writing to you this morning from my partner's location in Bloomfield Hills, MI. I have been here since Saturday morning and have been busy working filling our orders for the All Star Game and buying and selling tickets. Right now it appears that get-ins for tonights Home Run Derby are going for around $100 and in our opinion very soon to break through that barrier to the downside, and the All Star Game get-ins are getting around $250 and also heading lower. The situation is that there is just more supply here than there is demand or more sellers than buyers. We are unaware of any brokers that still need tickets, so the only buying to hold this market up is retail buying and the retail customers who wait to the last minute are usually not looking to spend a lot of money. When I used to work in the securities industry one of the traders I worked with used to talk about markets like this and say that you would feel tempted to buy into it and take shot but that was like stepping in front of falling knives.

Until tomorrow - Adios!

Back to business

If any readers need MLB All Star Game tickets or Home Run Derby tickets remember that Alpha Tickets will be on site to do late deliveries or handle consignments. All you need to do is call our office at 800-990-0259 and after hours the phones will be forwarded to a cell phone.

Yesterday the MLB All Star tickets and Home Run Derby tickets seemed to gain a bit of a bid in the afternoon. This morning the market appears to be a bit more firm than yesterday. This is one of the classic battles of supply and demand and we will not know the winner until the battle is over Tuesday night. My gut feeling right now is that there were some brokers that had to start buying yesterday to fill early and that was the bid under the market, but supply still seems to be coming strong so I do not see a huge run up in prices. Of course this is all my opionion and I could be wrong like yesterday around noon when I was calling this thing a total free fall right at the moment things were turning.

Our www.eventhomerentals.com web site has been receiving a lot of attention this week. The New York Times mentioned us in a story about home rentals for the PGA Championship and I did an interview with the New Jersey Star Ledger yesterday. We are considering doing a major overhaul of the web site and completely automating it and turning it into something bigger and better. There is a tremendous amount of interest in home rentals for the PGA Championship since the US Open was over. The tickets for the PGA are doing about the same as ever and we will start to cover the pricing and trends for it in more detail in the weeks to come. If you want to see how they are priced now you can always check the prices on our web site at http://www.alphatickets.com/golf/pga-golf-tickets-2005.htm.

Wa Da Ta!

Until tomorrow - Adios!

Our Condolences

Our heartfelt condolences go out to our British brothers and sisters today. A group of cowards from third world shit holes has decided again to attack innocent Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, and Brothers. Bombs exploded at tube stations all over London this morning and working people of London were killed and injured in large numbers. I am sincerely upset over the loss of life and the injuries.

There is a silver lining to this attack. The silver lining is that perhaps this will be a wake up call to the folks in England that continually find themselves sympathetic with the Terrorists causes and aims. I see that Mayor Ken Livingston actually came out of his hole in Singapore this morning long enough to condemn the terrorists that I was quite sure that he loved. Funny how an attack on your own people in your own city may change your mind about things Ken.

I want to remind everyone of a very simple truth that is often overlooked when the War on Terror is argued about. The truth is this:

When America and her allies attack the terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other countries that aid and harbor them we take great care to attack specific targets and minimize civilian or innocent people casualties. We are not perfect, but we do this better than anyone.

When the terrorists strike they specifically seek to attack the innocents by blowing up tube stations in London, Buses in Israel, and knocking down towers in New York. They say there are no innocents, that we are all guilty and enemies. Folks, they want to kill you, your Mom, and your children, and they want to do it the most gruesome and dramatic way for the world to see. These people will actually sacrifice their own sons and daughters at young and tender ages and send them on a bus full of innocent’s children and mothers to maim and destroy.

The point is that we are fighting animals and cowards and we need to remember this. Animals can be dangerous but we are for the most part smarter and bigger than them so in the end we prevail. Treat them like animals, kill them like animals.

Wa Da Ta!

Until tomorrow - Adios!

After I finished my blog I saw this and felt I had to show you what a huge pussy is.

PUSSY
(Keep in mind this is from the Socialist Worker and we all know that Socialists are non-competitive pussies)

Statement on the London bombings by George Galloway on behalf of Respect
We extend our condolences to those who have lost their lives today and our heartfelt sympathy to all those who have been injured by the bombs in London.
No one can condone acts of violence aimed at working people going about their daily lives. They have not been a party to, nor are they responsible for, the decisions of their government. They are entirely innocent and we condemn those who have killed or injured them.
The loss of innocent lives, whether in this country or Iraq, is precisely the result of a world that has become a less safe and peaceful place in recent years.
We have worked without rest to remove the causes of such violence from our world. We argued, as did the Security Services in this country, that the attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq would increase the threat of terrorist attack in Britain. Tragically Londoners have now paid the price of the government ignoring such warnings.
We urge the government to remove people in this country from harms way, as the Spanish government acted to remove its people from harm, by ending the occupation of Iraq and by turning its full attention to the development of a real solution to the wider conflicts in the Middle East.
Only then will the innocents here and abroad be able to enjoy a life free of the threat of needless violence.
George Galloway, Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow

WHAT HE IS SAYING IS - WE SURRENDER - LEAVE US ALONE

I posted a picture so you could get a good look at what a modern day pussy looks like. You can use this link to communicate with George. Send him a message and let him know that he has no balls and that he is a big wimp.

http://www.locata.co.uk/cgi-bin/webdriver?MIval=commons_mail&id=26

Wa Da Ta - Again!

Sine your pity on the runny kine

The title of my blog today would be something that Pooty Tang may be saying right now about the current state of affairs with MLB All Star Game tickets. This one appears to be dead or at best on its last legs. Of course there is always the possibility that this weekend brokers who have been waiting it out start buying to fill orders.

In other news, Greg Berger has created the perfect egg sandwich. Greg claims to have been dreaming about exactly how to create this sandwich and has it down. I hope to see Greg while I am in Detroit for the All Star game and perhaps share an egg sandwich with him.

Wa Da Ta!
Until tomorrow - Adios!

MLB All Star Game Tickets

This is the week that will really let us know what will happen with the price for the MLB All Star Game tickets. If there are still a lot of brokers out there with orders I would imagine that some of them are going to have to start covering this week. The market for the All Star Game tickets appears to have loosened up a bit with get-ins being offered by brokers at $395, and Home Run Derby get-in tickets being offered by brokers at $190. Alpha Tickets will be on site at the All Star Game for all events and is available to fill any orders you may have or take any unsold tickets on consignment.

My good friend Curtis and I went to the Bass Pond on Saturday night and besides getting pretty drunk on Svedka Vodka we managed to catch a bunch of fish and one really big one. I was using a Zoom Pumpkin Seed Salamander worm made right here in Georgia and it was almost as if every time I cast when the Salamander was sinking you could see the line tighten up and there he was. Curtis had never caught Bass before and did real well with crankbaits and spinners and then he requested that I set him up with the Salamander. I rigged up a Salamander for Curtis and he tossed it out there and boom there was his five pound bass. I had to temper his enthusiasm for the sport a bit and explain to him that he would not catch a fish like this every time and in fact it would be very rare, but needless to say I think he is hooked. Curtis had a very big weekend because on Friday he went out and played golf and had a hole in one! A hole in one and a five lb. bass all in one weekend!

Until tomorrow - Adios!

Credibility

A few years ago there was a notable war of words in the mainstream media between writer and producer Michael Moore and his arch nemesis Ann Coulter. At the time they had both released new books, Mr. Moore's, "Stupid White Men," and Ms. Coulter's, "Slander." For those of you who need to be illuminated, Slander was a rant on the left wing dominated mainstream media, and Stupid White Men was an indictment on President Bush and all of the powerful evil elite white men that surround him and how they control everything. My Mother-in-law's husband, John Gault is a big fan of Michael Moore and a big hater of President Bush. John and I tend to argue about politics quite a bit when the family gets together and we were together when these books came out. I attempted to make the "credibility" argument with John that Ms. Coulter attended Cornell, one of the finest colleges in the country, and also graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and was editor of the Michigan Law Review therefore I felt she had more credibility than Mr. Moore who never attended college and based on what I have read may or may not have completed high school. Of course I forgot I was dealing with a hardcore liberal, and hardcore liberals hate to accept fact and instead like to distort reality into lies that themselves really believe to be true. John just kept telling me that Michael was a genius who spoke the truth and that Ms. Coulter was a moron. I did try to point out that Mr. Moore's movies about Columbine and Roger and Me were both totally discredited as being full of half truths and innuendo but again to no avail. As far as John's credibility is concerned, he believes that President Bush perpetrated the 9/11 tragedy and killed thousands of innocent Americans and that pretty much says it all.



Now I seem to be witnessing the same sort of match of wits between a half wit and another beautiful and intelligent lady. Yes I am blogging about Mr. Cruise again. Mr. Cruise and Brooke Shields have been fighting a war of words in the MSM(mainstream media) for several weeks now with the latest being that Mr. Cruise wanted to make amends and be friends but as of today it appears that Brooke wants nothing of that. We no for a fact that Tom is both dyslexic and a High School dropout, and we know for a fact that Brooke attended and completed schooling at one of our nation’s finest Universities, Princeton. Now of course some of you may be saying that I have laid out a compelling argument that Ms. Shields and Ms. Coulter are smarter than there opponents but that does not equate into being more credible because smart people do lie. What I am saying is that in both cases we are dealing in subject matter that someone with the fine ladies education would definitely grasp and have more experience with. The Cruise/Shields war is only words, but in the Coulter/Moore fiasco we had books to deal with and Ms. Coulter's was meticulously footnoted showing that she had done her research while Mr. Moore's did not include similar documentation for his so called research.

All Star Game tickets are still holding tight with get-ins around $450. We will be up there next week and willing to take all consignments and work to fill any orders you may have.

Everyone have a great 4th of July weekend. I will work as I always do and ignore the holiday but you all can go enjoy it for me.

Until Tuesday - Adios!