CONGRATULATIONS SPAIN!

As a graduate of a 5-week summer Spanish program in Madrid, and a fair-weather soccer fan, I feel a special connection to Spain's victory over Germany for the 2008 Euro title this past weekend. I would like to congratulate the team for winning this thrilling tournament that I watched over my lunch break on numerous occasions. A Spanish victory gave me the opportunity to reminisce about the fateful summer I spent there, drinking until 6 a.m., and attending classes in the afternoon. My cultural and social experiences there really shaped and changed me in ways I could have never imagined. Unfortunately, they still didn't make me a soccer fan. But I am a sports fan, so I can at least say that I was into the Euro Championship...or tried really hard to be. And I at least know how the Spanish people party, so I like to think I know what the celebrations going on right now are like. So once again, congratulations Spain, for your 1-0 victory over Germany, and first Euro title in 44 years! Beba un poco de sangría para mí. (Five weeks of Spanish classes confirms that my babelfish translation of, "Drink some sangria for me," has all of the necessary words. The arrangement of them, however, is not guaranteed.)

Here's what others are saying in the blogosphere:

http://capital-balls.com/news/spain-beats-germany-1-0-to-claim-euro-2008-trophy/

http://vivirlatino.com/2008/06/29/spain-beats-germany-wins-eurocup.php

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/79399,viva-espana-spain-beats-germany-in-final.aspx?r=rss

T.G.I.F. TOP TEN LIST

Yowsa, Yowsa, Yowsa!

It's Friday! And the world is crazy as usual.

10) Will Smith thinks he'd make a good Obama
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/06/27/will-smith-says-hed-make-a-good-obama/

9) The NBA Draft...came and went...and nobody cared. Except ESPN. And of course a few drunken Knicks fans who heckled their top pick.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft?ex_cid=2008_PSRC_NBAD_GNRL_NEWS_XXXX&partner=Google

8)The Dark Knight buzz is taking over...and it looks really good! Here comes another WB blockbuster.
http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/

7)Big Sur is in trouble...what a shame!
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fires28-2008jun28,0,1408353.story

6) 25 Foot GIANT SQUID found in Monterey Bay.
http://video.nbc11.com/player/?id=269974

5)Amy Winehouse has emphysema...and probably more medical conditions than we could list here...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2191352/Amy-Winehouse's-emphysema-'could-end-her-singing-career'.html

4) N.Y. millionaire gets 11 years in prison for enslaving workers...who woulda thunk it??
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080627/ap_on_re_us/forced_labor

3)Scientists predict that there will be no ice at the North Pole this year!
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/exclusive-no-ice-at-the-north-pole-855406.html

2)Air Rage? Well with hand held cell phones being banned in cars in CA starting 7/1. What else can we do to get out our anger...turn it on the AIRLINES!!!!!
http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/story?id=5261465&page=1

1) INTERACTIVE AE'S????
We need Interactive Account Executives...actually Los Angeles in general needs Interactive Account Executives! So if you're an Interactive AE and need work, we need you!

http://www.11thr.com/jobs/

ENJOY ANOTHER NICE WEEKEND IN SO-CAL!

Wall-E is da man!...I mean da machine!

Wall-E is tearing up the box office and has some already calling it an instant classic.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/27/review.walle/index.html

Check out Disney's official website. it's AWESOME!...You can build your own robot and race it.
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/wall-e/

SHAQ IS BACK! AND HE STILL CAN'T RAP!

Who knew that a drunken freestyle at a New York club could cost you so much? With the age of YouTube and camera phones in full-swing, apparently a lot.

As you’ve probably heard, Shaq performed one of the worst freestyles in the history of rap this past weekend--ruining at least three careers in the process (rap, endorsements and law-enforcment…that almost rhymed). His "best" lines were, "You know how I be, last week Kobe couldn't do it without me," and "Kobe, tell me how my a** tastes."

Wow. That's what I call classy, and brilliant wordsmithship. Oh wait...no I don’t. It's one thing to be drunk at a club and rap horribly. It's an entirely different thing to partake in a cheap shot at a former teammate, and then go on to throw Patrick Ewing, white guys, and even Kareem Abdul-Jabaar under the proverbial bus. Damn.

Shaq is, unfortunately, making himself the perfect example of a once dominate athlete falling from grace. He hasn't been the same as a player since his divorce last season, and now he's ruining his public persona as well--costing him a lot more than just his image.

He's not only alienated big names in the NBA (including Commissioner Stern), tainting his image for endorsements, but he's also lost two honorary sheriff's badges. Including special deputy's badges in Maricopa County. Also, he will no longer be used to promote Operation Blue Ridge Thunder, a unit of the department that O'Neal worked with in investigating Internet predators.

Man, that's pretty brutal. Not to mention, whatever he had left of a rap career was ruined as well. His lyrics were garbage. And everybody in the world or rap knows that one of the fundamental rules of freestyle rap is to never mention the name of a famous dead rapper more than once (Biggie.) Or, maybe I just made that rule up. Either way, it was not good.

Shaq, seriously, man. What happened? How did you fall off so quickly? You can't make a layup, and now you can't even rap coherently? I'm not even talking about being good--just coherent. Anyway, you better dedicate the rest of your summer to finding Bin Laden, and succeed. Otherwise, I don't think your public image will recover for a while. I mean, look at Kobe. A few years ago, he cheated on his wife and was charged with rape, and nobody has forgotten about it. He never got an endorsement again... Oh, wait...

Tuesday Revelations

1) IMUS... AGAIN:
Surprise , Surpise...Don Imus of "shock Jock" fame spewed out another stupid racial remark yesterday about the Cowboy's new strip club junkie Adam Pac-Man Jones.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3458377

Don Imus said Tuesday morning on his radio show that he was trying to "make a sarcastic point" with his latest on-air remarks about race, but that they had been misunderstood.

The latest comments by Imus to come under scrutiny were aired on Monday's broadcast. During a conversation about Jones' run-ins with the law, Imus asked, "What color is he?" Sports announcer Warner Wolf said Jones -- formerly known as "Pacman" -- is "African-American." Imus responded: "There you go. Now we know."

The on-air exchange came months after Imus' return to work on a new show on WABC-AM following his firing from MSNBC and CBS Radio for calling the Rutgers University women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos."

Can we please just let Don Imus retire and spare us his old school racial remarks and bumbling back-stepping once he opens his mouth and inserts his foot?

And Imus sure does has a striking resemblance to the Muppet Show's Sam the Eagle.

2) COREY AND COREY...MOLESTED?
This is pure garbage...it's like a train wreck you can't turn away from..But Corey Feldman and Corey Haim are back...and Corey Haim looks like he has some kind of disease that there is no cure for...BUT they revealed recently on their show that they were molested...and no not by each other or Michael Jackson (I know everyone thought that!!!!)but by an assistant...
http://defamer.com/396930/corey-feldmans-molester-assistant-a-potent-reminder-to-always-check-references

3) OBAMA ACCUSED OF DISTORTING THE BIBLE?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/24/evangelical.vote/index.html

(from a cnn article)
A top U.S. evangelical leader is accusing Sen. Barack Obama of deliberately distorting the Bible and taking a "fruitcake interpretation" of the U.S. Constitution.
James Dobson says Barack Obama is distorting bibical teachings to fit "his own confused theology."

James Dobson says Barack Obama is distorting bibical teachings to fit "his own confused theology."

In comments to be aired on his radio show Tuesday, Focus on the Family founder James Dobson criticizes the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee for comments he made in a June 2006 speech to the liberal Christian group Call to Renewal.

In the speech, Obama suggested that it would be impractical to govern based solely on the word of the Bible, noting that some passages suggest slavery is permissible and eating shellfish is disgraceful.

"Which passages of scripture should guide our public policy?" Obama asked in the speech. "Should we go with Leviticus, which suggests slavery is OK and that eating shellfish is an abomination? Or we could go with Deuteronomy, which suggests stoning your child if he strays from the faith? Or should we just stick to the Sermon on the Mount?

"So before we get carried away, let's read our Bible now," Obama said, to cheers. "Folks haven't been reading their Bible."

He also called Jesus' Sermon on the Mount "a passage that is so radical that it's doubtful that our Defense Department would survive its application."

In the comments to be aired Tuesday, Dobson said Obama should not be referencing antiquated dietary codes and passages from the Old Testament that are no longer relevant to the teachings of the New Testament.

Now I don't know about you guys but this guy Dobson looks more likely to be Corey Feldman's or Haim's assistant tna a man I would trust for religious guidance...YIKES!

4) VAN HALEN SHOULD HAVE NEVER HIRED SAMMY HAGAR AND FIRED DAVID LEE ROTH:
That is not current news but one I feel is just as equal to Fonzie "jumping the shark" just in a musical sense...

peace out...

TEAM USA!

Fairweather Lakers fans, diehard Lakers fans, and Americans alike, will now all be forced to root for Kobe Bryant in the upcoming 2008 Olympic games in Beijing. Whether you've booed him in the past (or at the beginning of the regular season if you are a Lakers fan), you will be forced to swallow any disdain and root for the man the media has dubbed, "greatest player in the league." So light a candle, play John Lennon's "Imagine," do whatever you have to do; it's time to unite the country and regain USA Basketball's spot at the top. In your face, Jorge Garbosa. (He just seemed like the appropriate Euro player to taunt. Not really sure why.)

Here, I'll start liking Kobe now by saying this: I am really glad he is on the team. We really do need him. We need all the help we can get, and Kobe was dominant in last summer's qualifying tournament.

Rounding out the 12-man are Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd, Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Michael Redd, and Deron Williams.

I'm also very glad to have these NBA stars aboard--although I'm concerned with our lack of depth down low. Luckily, the international game doesn't present too many dominant big men. Although, they did run into Sofoklis "Baby Shaq" Schortsanitis a few summers ago in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, and had a tough time. As long as Howard and Boozer can stay out of foul trouble we should be victorious. Although, the whole "Russian judge" thing does exist in international competition, unfortunately, so expect a few questionable calls. (You'll forget all about Tim Donaghey.)

Yes, it's time to rally behind Team USA and root them on to the gold medal. I, for one, am both excited and nervous, knowing that if we can't win it this year...well...I'm not sure what else we need to do.

Hopefully, Kobe and Team USA won't run into the team from Ireland though. (Get it? Because he just lost to the "Celtics" in the NBA Finals.) The Irish don't even have a team in the Olympics this year, but I'd be nervous if they did. Especially, if their top 3 players were Devin Garnett, Saul Pierce, and Jay Allen. Obviously, this is completely unrealistic. "Garnett" and "Pierce" are names of English origin, and "Allen" is a Scottish name. None of them would be allowed on the team.

In closing, USA! USA! USA!

Goodbye George Carlin... Your Comedic Philosophy - will never die!

George is dead.

Last night he left the Earth he so pationatly loved, razzed and fought for.

To many, he was a counter-culture comedian who swore a lot...To me he was my hero who spoke the truth and of course sometimes the truth hurts. Carlin was famed for his routines about drugs, dirty words and the demise of humanity.

He died of heart failure at a Los Angeles-area hospital on Sunday. He was 71.

Carlin was an amazing blaze of energy who raised his middle finger to "the man" and crossed every line he could to advocate for the freedom of free speech and free thought.

He will be greatly missed.

Here are few links to some of his most famous skits.

R.I.P George!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=BTyzTJTNhNk

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oboyox3L_MI&feature=related

Nomar and the All Overpaid Team

DODGER UPDATE: 6.20.08

OK...so here we go again...

Nomar Garciaparra left his minor league rehabilitation assignment in Las Vegas and traveled to Boston to visit a physical therapist he knows from his days playing with the Red Sox.

He was a game-time scratch from the lineup in Triple-A Las Vegas' game on Wednesday after he felt discomfort that morning, but he's expected to return to the lineup Friday to continue his rehab assignment.

So please allow me to announce this first, right here, right now. NOMAR IS DONE! let's take a guess at how many games he plays for the Dodgers this year!...So far he's had only 31 at-bats this season and more setbacks in rehab than Lindsay Lohan.

Which clearly puts him right at the top of the Dodgers growing list of busts who are offering little to no help to this once proud franchise.

Yahoo Sports came out with a great article yesterday about the ALL OVERPAID TEAM for 2008: http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Avo44OsN41ViT4g3Gx23ELsRvLYF?slug=jp-overunder061808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

AND 4 of our lovely LA Dodgers made it...Can you guess which ones? I'll give you some hints:
1) This grouchy but future Hall of Famer has had a fight with a teammate once a year, every year of his career.
2) His sneezes can put him on the DL.
3) He has a wart on his knee and he can't even hit his weight, but if he could he'd at least be close to batting .300
4) This former Giant has the same chances of pitching this season for the Dodgers as you or I do.

SO...All of us Dodger fans better ENJOY that 3 game winning streak because Cleveland is coming to town and you can bet that between the day game yesterday and today's night game, Matt Kemp will forget how to lay off those low and away pitches he usually strikes out on 3 times a game!

Top 10 Things Not to Do as a Temp

As a temp, you should always remember that you are representing yourself, as well as the temp agency. You want to make a good first impression, and you need to realize that no matter how "normal" you are, regular full-time employees may still be looking at you as the "random temp." So you don't want to draw any negative attention to yourself and prove them right.

This is common sense for most people. Most likely, if you are continually getting temp work, you are well aware of how to act in a professional workplace...but there is always that small percentage. After all, the word "clueless" is a word for a reason.

Top Ten Things NOT to Do as a Temp:

10. Walk in the morning of your first day and give everybody in the office a flier for a big night club event you are promoting in Hollywood, and try to sell them hard on bottle service.

9. See if any of your temporary co-workers are interested in becoming their own boss by selling Amway.

8. Wear frayed jean shorts.

7. Make a lot of mistakes and joke after each one, "What are you going to do, fire me?"

6. Walk in the morning of your first day and give everybody in the office a flier for your hybrid, folk/hip-hop band's performance at Hotel Cafe next month.

5. Tell somebody you are only doing this job because you heard "the co-eds at this office were easy."

4. Talk about the latest episode of "To Catch a Predator," and sympathize with the predators.

3. Jokingly ask for a raise...about 10 times a day.

2. Talk about how useless education is, and how pyramid schemes are the way to go these days if you want to build real wealth.

1. Work a temp job on your birthday, bring in your own cake, and send out a mass email to the company, announcing, "There's a birthday party for Temp John Doe in the conference room at 4:00."

Poor Lakers Fans!

A day after being eliminated from the NBA Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers ARE the first loser. After last night’s Game 6 shellacking, it would be best for the Lakers and their fans to put their tails between their legs and just focus forward toward next season. Kobe Bryant did not earn his right to sit atop the pedestal alongside his ‘Airness,’ Michael Jordan; so that comparison can be left until next season, again.

Tip your cap to the Celtics and their well-oiled, defensive-green machine. The 2008 version of the classic Lakers-Celtic rivalry of yesteryear did not live up to the hype but was way more entertaining than had San Antonio or Detroit represented their respective conferences. That would have been too painful to watch!

As I observed the Tuesday massacre at a local Los Angeles watering hole, I enjoyed panning around the room, peering at the boastful Lakers fan sobbing in their beer. The Celtics battled through injuries to a number of players and STILL managed to dominate the purple pretenders.

Excuses are sure to spew from Lakers fans: “If we had Bynum…” and “We’re such a young team…” Let face it, if the Memphis Grizzlies had not served Pau Gasol on a silver platter, Kobe would still be crying for a trade.

I am thankful for one thing: I won’t have to listen to Lakers fans brag all summer; I’ll be sure to purchase a Boston Celtics Championship t-shirt(in Eleventh Hour green) to keep Lakers fans remembering that luck was not needed by these Irish.


http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers18-2008jun18,0,7403132.column

LA Creative Club Event: 6/25/08

Our very own VP of BD and Marketing, Hal Hefner will be presenting his whacked out sci-fi artwork...On Wednesday, June 25, 2008

THE EVENT:
Life After...
An exploration of what creative things we do after hours, after agency jobs, after advertising...

Copywriters who write novels. Art directors who shoot fine-art photos. Account guys who take up interpretive dance. Yes, it happens...

OUR KEY PRESENTERS SO FAR:
Howie Cohen, ECD - The Phelps Group
Hal Hefner, AD & writer/illustrator
Kevin McMahon, CW & interactive game developerA


STILL A COUPLE OF SPOTS LEFT - PLEASE SIGN UP HERE:

http://www.lacreativeclub.com/laccforum/index.php?topic=85.msg147#msg147

This evening will feature presentations by several advertising folks with something interesting to show, and you're more than welcome to bring in your LIFE AFTER... projects.

Where: The Phelps Group
9th and Wilshire
Santa Monica
June 25, 6:30 to 9:30PM
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
PIZZA will be served.
BYOB

Dodgers riding a skid mark…

So here it is, June 17th and many Dodger fans feel that the season is over already as the team continues in a tailspin of 5 consecutive losses, inconsistency and injuries. The Dodgers are a season-worst seven games under .500 after dropping a 5-4 decision to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday at Comerica Park.

Veteran guys that were supposed to make a difference are not. Jason Schmidt, Nomar Garciapara , Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal and the recently released Esteban Loiza
count almost $50 million in “dead money” of players currently not contributing to the team. Brad Penny, who has been downright terrible this season, recently had an MRI that revealed no structural damage to a bum shoulder but he has some inflammation and tendinitis. Needless to say Penny could be joining the list of shelved Dodgers who are doing nothing this season.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/dodgers/la-sp-dodrep17-2008jun17,0,1197050.story

Needless to say they young Dodgers with so much potential are struggling because of a lack of veteran stewardship in the lineup and quite possibly in the clubhouse. Sure Jeff Kent is still producing, and even at a half of his former MVP self, he is still “da man” in this lineup. But how can the team count on a 40+ 2nd baseman at the end of his career to carry this team on his back into the postseason? They just can’t!
So what do you do if you’re the Dodgers? Do you keep trying to wait for these guys to get healthy? Do you deal some young inconsistent players to a team like the Seattle Mariners for an Adrian Beltre? OR do you admit to your fans that this year is tanked and you give a guy like Jeff Kent a chance to win a championship and trade him or better yet a Derek Lowe in the last year of his contract…for more prospects that can either restock your minor league system or contribute right away?

Either way the end result has to be focused on acquiring power. They need power in that lineup preferably in the form of a stud prospect…but wait a second, weren’t Matt Kemp and James Loney supposed to be these studs? Yup…see the problem?
It’s a hard one to fathom…but who’s to blame? Ned Colletti.

He has made some bad free agent signings in Jones, Garciapara, Loiaza, Schmidt who are disabled and one can argue that with Rafael Furcal as their leadoff hitter, signing Juan Pierre was a useless move as well. And of course the McCourts have a reputation for caring about attendance and renovation fo the stadium more than the club.

So what does a distraught Dodger fan do?

Well, you trust in Joe Torre and hope that that these kids can turn it around in the 2nd half. Strangely enough as bad as the Dodgers have been, they’re still in 2nd place only 5 .5 games back of the Diamondbacks in a weak division of teams similar in make-up to themselves. And in baseball, anything can happen, just remember last year’s Colorado Rockies. BUT do these youngsters have what it takes to dig deep inside, figure it out and step to carry this team into their first World Series since Kirk Gibson limped around the bases?

Only time will tell…and as Joe Tore put it Sunday "It's certainly not early."
The team at 11thr sends the Dodgers some much needed Karma and though our company loves the color green, we bleed Dodger blue. Some come on Martin, Kemp, Billingsley, Kershaw, Broxton, Wade, Ethier, Loney, LaRoche and DeWitt…let’s make some news and give the fans of LA some love. We may need it even more if Kobe and the boys can’t pull off a miracle!

Dodger links:
The Dodgers official site: www.dodgers.com
For the depressed Dodger fan: www.dodgerblues.com

With the eleventh hour looming, Lakers deliver

The Los Angeles Lakers have survived...for now. In their potential eleventh hour (could the tie-in be any better?), they managed to beat the Boston Celtics to avoid elimination in Game 5. But now the series heads back to Boston and leaves LA still on the verge of elimination. And the Celtics had many missed opportunities to take the momentum and win Game 5. (Not to mention Paul Pierce had 38 points.) Will the Lakers change their fate and pull off the most miraculous comeback in NBA Finals history? Well, we at Eleventh Hour hope so. We have to pull for the hometown team...even if we are a little bit conflicted, considering the Celtics' color scheme is a close relative to ours--just a few shades down on the "Roy G. Biv" scale.

Despite the majority of mainstream media still writing the Lakers off after there less than dominating performance in Game 5, LA bloggers seem to be very optimistic about the Lakers' chances going into Game 6. Even "sports authority,"Pink is the New Blog, is getting in on the conversation, showing exclusive pictures of celebrities courtside. As is Yahoo's sports blog, And Cristela of the Mind of Mencia Blog is talking about how tough it is to be a Celtics fan in LA. Although, I'm not really sure who Cristela is, or why she writes for the Mind of Mencia Blog. Carlos Mencia doesn't even write his own blogs now? But I digress. Check out some of these interesting views in the blogosphere about the series:

http://pinkisthenewblog.com/home/la-lakers-win-game-5-of-the-nba-finals/

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Photo-fun-Hollywood-stars-react-to-Lakers-heart?urn=nba,87829

http://menciablog.comedycentral.com/mencia_blog/2008/06/lakers-and-celt.html

And for you Celtics fans, CelticsBlog.com is tracking all things Finals, including criticism of KG, Celtics plane issues, and a raffle for Game 6 tickets.

Top 10 People do while stuck in traffic in Los Angeles

Okay...there's a person next to you stuck in traffic...They aren't paying attention. They almost hit you...OR maybe it's you who is driving in a cloud of self absorption, doing one of the following...

1) Talk on their cell phone, blackberry or blue tooth

2) Pick their noses

3) Text Message

4) Read E-mails

5) Smoke

6) Eat junk/fast food

7) Bite their fingernails

8) Fix their hair

9) Sing / Listen to the radio

10) Stare at themselves in various mirrors

The Drudge Report vs. the Associated Press

http://www.drudgereport.com/

Are you a fan of the Drudge Report? If so I just saw that the Associated Press demanded that the Drudge Report remove 7 articles with excerpts of wire service stories. Bloggers everywhere in the universe are trashing The Associated Press!

When the news about the "take-down" notices spread, the AP said it will develop its own policy about the acceptable use of its articles by Web publishers, according to today's NY Times..basically creating their own rules.

BUT a copyright owner can't unilaterally define fair use, which is a legal concept that varies per situation. In fact, the very idea that the AP could set the parameters of fair use is preposterous: The fair use doctrine is itself an acknowledgment that people are legally entitled to use copyrighted content in ways owners don't like.

So this has caused an outrage and some people are already banning the use of anything the AP writes!

Check these links out...they rock!

http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/06/12/fu-ap/

http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/16/heres-our-new-policy-on-ap-stories-theyre-banned/

JOBS, JOBS and more JOBS

We are in need of some great people! ASAP!

Check out our job list: http://www.11thr.com/jobs/

AND if see anything on the list below that fits your skills and you want to send your resume to us for consideration, please submit it to:
resumes@11thr.com

We're currently looking for...

1) HTML/CSS specialists

2) All levels of Interactive Producers

3) Print Production Artists for with Ad Agency experience

4) Administrative Assistants/ Reception

5) PHP Programmers with Facebook development experience

6) Accounting/Finance People

7) Account Executives (CPG experience is preferred)

8) Web/Flash Designers

9) Interactive Copywriters

10) Graphic Designers for Packaging

THE INCREDIBLE HULK...OPENS TONIGHT!

Sitting in my comfy theater seat eager to view Ironman, Marvel’s 1^st edition of comic superheroes, a trailer for the upcoming Incredible Hulk proceeds the feature film. As the trailer begins I become hesitant which Hulk will be portrayed this time. The Lou Ferrigno television classic I grew up watching or the more recent 2003 movie version which did so little to grab my attention, that I fell asleep half way through. I questioned why Marvel would choose to unveil another edition of Hulk so soon when other Marvel heroes such as Captain America and Thor are waiting in wings for their story to be told.

I am optimistic Hulk’s metamorphosis from the 2003 flop to the 2008 editions can keep Marvel’s most recent movie success rolling. I hope the 2008 Incredible Hulk edition will not irritate me with another poor rendering of a comic classic. As Banner explains, “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”

Here are some reviews by some of the country's best nerds as well as some links other fun Hulk related links...

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/36973

http://incrediblehulk.marvel.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulk_(comics)

And yes we like the Hulk because he is ALMOST 11thr's green...almost!!!

BASECAMP

Is a great tool for project management...it rocks, check it out!

GAS PRICES, HORRENDOUS TRAFFIC AND THE FUTURE OF TELECOMMUTING

Are you one of the millions of "Angelinos" that are stuck in horrible bumper to bumper traffic everyday on your way to and from work?

Are you one of the millions of "Angelinos" who are disgusted when you are idling on the 405 wasting gas that you paid $5 a gallon for?

We are...

Well guess what? This is a real problem...and unfortunately the gas debacle that our country has gotten itself into has no end in sight.

So as a resource agency, that staffs freelancers, contractors and fulltimers, what can we do about it?

Actually we're gearing up to be very vocal in the effort to bring about a change in the way companies view freelancers and contractors. The old school way of thinking and working requires people to be onsite, on-staff at an employers work space. Well , let's face it, in today's internet driven world, why do certain people need to be onsite working everyday?

Many of the jobs that we staff for can be done from a home office, at the very least a few days a week. And with technology including online databases like Basecamp and even cameras on PCs and laptops, why not let a PHP programmer or a graphic designer work form home more often?

The problem seems to stem from a philosophical point of view and most clients will testify that having people in the office every day is good for morale...which I'm sure it is. BUT, would allowing someone to work form home a few days or even one day a week hurt your morale? I think not, if you've hired the right people.

Maybe extra incentive is needed for clients to take that philosophical leap. Since the state offers tax breaks for companies that car pool?...why not for companies that allow people to telecommute?

One social network is proposing just that...
http://notraffic.org/index/index.php

So if you're a client who hires freelancers and contractors, or a freelancer or contractor, take this philosophical leap. It will save people gas, save people money and time as well as keep more cars off the road... and a proposed tax break might be a good idea to get people to make that jump.

Think of it this way, go "green" and save "green."

We at 11thr are advocates for this cause and have made the leap...

We are looking for others to join us...so please share your thoughts, ideas and actions with us as we will be sharing them with you in the upcoming months.

More to come, stay tuned!
11thr-Team

WE WANT YOUR FEEDBACK!

We eat your feedback!...we eat it right up!

Your feedback makes us better and stronger, so please tell us what you think about your experience with us....and hopefully they're all good ones!

Thanks - The 11thr Team

It's official...We're in our new digs

We have moved...and we are in an amazing space now. It's huge and ready for action. We plan on throwing some events like a candidate appreciation night and of course a client appreciation night, essentially or office warming party...We're looking forward to doing some really great things in the future...So keep the positive vibes coming and thank you for all of your support. Without you we'd be nothing...seriously...!!!!

More soon!