OMGN: Nexus

Scott Smith is both an up and coming author and filmmaker. His novels are landmarks in the development of contemporary American fiction. The film versions of his works are also very good. The 1998 film adaptation of his novel A Simple Plan is generally regarded as one of the single greatest crime dramas of the last few decades. Naturally, Smith decided after this triumph to enter the field of horror fiction to prove that his skills were not limited to crime fiction.

Among the end results of Smith’s new interest in horror writing are both the novel The Ruins and the movie adaptation of the same name. The Ruins is about the downside of visiting tourist resorts such as Cancun, Mexico. Some friends visit Cancun and after a while they get bored. They decide to explore the countryside and come across an ancient Mayan temple. There, they encounter an evil that has lurked at the temple waiting for some nice, juicy victims to wander by.

The Ruins is a great horror suspense film. The acting and direction are decent and it has excellent special effects. However, the movie has nudity that is all too pointless. There is simply no reason to include nudity in this movie. Despite this drawback, The Ruins is the scariest movie of the year thus far. It is also the most suspenseful. The vines scene is especially scary and suspenseful.

The original novel was a great scary and suspenseful read. Given the fact that the writer of the screenplay is also the author of the original novel, you would expect that the movie were also be every bit as scary and suspenseful as the novel. Your expectations are all richly rewarded by this hair raising movie that will leave you clutching on the edge of your seat in the most terrifying movie event of the year thus far.

The main problem is that it has nudity that like nudity in so many American movies made since the 1970’s is completely pointless and is simply not needed. On the other hand, the bad guy killer in The Ruins is not one of those seemingly immortal characters out of the slasher flicks. Instead, he was a relatively ordinary fellow who the audience could relate to.

This is a most entertaining and suspenseful movie that the audience will well worth find worth the $10 or so cost for tickets.

The 1935 movie Devil is a Woman is one of the all time most controversial movies. Read this review and find out why.

A review of the recently released chick flick P.S. I Love You is now up at OMGN’s sister website FlickZone.

A Press Release from the folks behind Pirates of the Burning Sea:

YO HO HO! PIRATES OF THE BURNING SEA™
SETS SAIL TODAY
New Online PC Game Delivers Unique Swashbuckling Action Experience

SAN DIEGO, CA – Jan. 22, 2008 – Grab your parrot, raise the gang plank and ready the cannons with Pirates of the Burning Sea™ (PotBS), the hotly anticipated online PC game where players can clash on land and sea. This new title from Sony Online Entertainment LLC’s (SOE) Platform Publishing label, and Flying Lab Software LLC (FLS), is available today at participating retail outlets worldwide and as a digital download through www.station.com and www.direct2drive.com for a suggested retail price of US$49.99, with a monthly subscription fee of US$14.99 plus applicable taxes.
“After years of hard work by our top-notch crew, we are thrilled to announce players can now conquer the virtual Caribbean, circa 1720, in Pirates of the Burning Sea,” said Russell Williams, CEO of Flying Lab Software in Seattle. “Working together with SOE’s Platform Publishing, we are able to launch this game simultaneously in the U.S. and Europe and release localized versions in English, French, Spanish and German, allowing players from all over to captain a ship in this world full of swashbuckling and high-seas adventure.”
Players start by joining the French, Spanish, English or Pirate nations as a naval officer, freetrader, privateer or pirate. At sea, players can blow enemy ships out of the water. On land, players can engage in a world of action and peril rife with sword fights. A unique economy lets players become captains of industry, running mines, lumber mills, shipyards and other large-scale operations. Players produce all the various goods needed to supply others with the raw materials to conquer the Caribbean, one port at a time. A player-generated content system lets gamers create their own sail and flag designs and even model their own ships.
Set in the New World circa 1720, PotBS recreates a dramatic time of conflict and riches with action for every play style, from epic ship combat to building an empire. With more than one thousand missions per nation, dozens of ports to explore, and the entire Caribbean as their domain, players will find an online experience like no other.
-more-

Pirates of the Burning Sea game features:
• Join one of four nations (Pirate, English, French, or Spanish)
• Every player is the captain of their very own ship in massive naval battles
• Duel other players to control more than 80 conquerable ports in the Caribbean
• Explore the world and make a name for yourself with more than 1,000 missions per nation
• Economy driven by players, who manufacture and sell all ships and equipment found in the game
• Take command of more than 50 historical ships
• Design your own flags and sails
• Build your very own or customize any of the ships in-game to your liking
• Choose from three different combat styles – deadly and formal Fencing, flashy, dual-wielding Florentine or rowdy and treacherous Dirty Fighting
• Participate in epic PvP sea battles with up to 25 players per side

For more information on Pirates of the Burning Sea, log onto www.piratesoftheburningsea.com or the community site at www.burningsea.com

About Platform Publishing™

Based in San Diego, CA, Platform Publishing is a cross-platform publishing, distribution and marketing label, with an exciting library of interactive entertainment products from third-party developers and content providers for personal computers, game consoles and mobile devices. The label puts talented developers and publishers together with Platform Publishing’s high caliber suite of services and support, including top-notch distribution, marketing and technology resources. Platform Publishing is a DBA of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. For more information, please visit www.platformpublishing.com.

SOE and the SOE logo are registered trademarks and Platform Publishing and the Platform Publishing logo are trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Flying Lab Software

Flying Lab Software, a Seattle-based game development company, is the maker of the critically acclaimed Rails Across America. Their current project is Pirates of the Burning Sea, an innovative massively multiplayer online role-playing game of adventure and naval combat in the age of sail.

# # # #

Here’s something from the folks at Gapers Block that sums things up quite well for those of us who read the Chicago Reader in times gone past:

I thought it wouldn’t matter, but it turns out that it does.

I figured that I didn’t really “read” The Reader, I mostly just looked at the ads. It was still my preferred place to look at what movies were playing, a way to keep up on shows that I would never go to see, and get decent reviews of restaurants that were worth reading unlike most of the pap from Metromix.

And after “reading” a copy last weekend, I decided that I was wrong: I did *read* The Reader. No quotes necessary, but the past tense is required as there is little left to read.

The columns were good. I liked having original content — stuff I couldn’t find anywhere else, a *voice* I couldn’t find anywhere else in the city — and I actually did read it. The Chicago stuff–the details about the TIFs and the City File and my all time favorite, “We Read Bob Greene So You Don’t Have To”.

The Reader feels like a vehicle for syndicated crap. It’s completely lost its voice.

I know the newspaper industry has changed: it was hard to imagine that the new owners wouldn’t make some cuts. But for this reader, they cut the wrong bits and excised the soul of the paper.

So the informed public finds itself in a weird spot: the established papers don’t have the resources to continue publish a substantial “local” product. (Will the Red Eye break a Blagojevich or Stroger corruption scandal?) The nascent blogerati have not the time or money to take their place. (I don’t think Gapers Block, as much as I love it, will do so either.)

I’ll miss The Reader, especially for the days when it lived up to its name.

The Great Raid is the single best movie of 2005. It was also the single most patriotic movie from that year. This is significant since 2005 was a year of unpatriotic flicks ranging from Munich to Syriana that sought to critique U.S. policy in the War on Terror, but which only served to provide aid and comfort for the enemy.

The Great Raid is also an accurate depiction of one of the more important events of World War II. This was the liberation of U.S. prisoners of war who were being held at a Japanese Prisoner Of War (P.O.W.) camp at Cabanatuan in the Philippines. This is a story that up until now had never been told on the silver screen.

One of the most noteworthy aspects of The Great Raid is that it is one of the few movies made about World War II that gives Filipinos their just due for their role in the war. Most Americans are not aware of the fact that many Filipinos risked their lives in helping American P.O.W.’s. Likewise, many Filipinos participated in guerilla warfare against the Japanese occupiers during 1941-1945.

Another noteworthy aspect of The Great Raid is that it showcases the kind of operation that is also used to fight terrorism whether it be in Afghanistan, Iraq or elsewhere. The U.S. Army Rangers 6th Battalion, forerunners of todays U.S. Army Special Forces were the primary unit involved in the raid depicted in the movie as was a detachment from the 11th Airborne Division.

An unusual aspect of The Great Raid was its casting. Instead of casting big name actors, director John Dahl chose to cast mostly unknown actors. Even the lead actors Benjamin Bratt & Joseph Fiennes were not very well known actors. The purpose of this was to focus the audience’s attention on the storyline without the actor’s prior reputation and roles getting in the way of the film’s appreciation.

The movie begins with the Japanese invasion and take over of the Philippines in 1941. The narration reminds us that the Philippines were doomed to fall to the Japanese assault when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt decided to focus on defeating Hitler despite making promises to the American people that he would do all that he could to defend the Philippines.

The Japanese are shown as behaving in a cruel and sadistic manner. Amnerican and Filipino P.O.W.’s are shown being subjected to torture, starvation and witholding of medical treatment. They are also shown being subjected to frequent beatings by Japanese soldiers who clearly enjoyed inflicting pain and suffering. This is not propaganda by the filmmakers. Instead, it is a realistic depiction of the kind of war crimes that were actually committed by Japanese soldiers both in the Philippines and elsewhere during World War II.

The Great Raid shows the planning and intelligence gathering that lead to the raid on the P.O.W. camp at Cabanatuan. Aerial reconnaissance and photography played a key role here. Most importantly, its depiction of the actual raid and freeing of the prisoners was both historically accurate and also well executed on film.

One aspect of The Great Raid that deserves mention is that, unlike the great majority of Hollywood productions, it shows genuine respect for religion. Religion is treated in a positive manner. The adherents and priests of Catholicism are presented in a positive light. There are even a few scenes in which a card that has an illustration of the Virgin Mary on it plays a key role in giving a pair of American soldiers both the bravery and the confidence to fully engage themselves in the performance of their heroic mission.

The best thing about The Great Raid is the fact that it is a patriotic pro-America movie. It is a movie that makes American soldiers look every bit as brave and good on celluloid as they are in reality. This is in direct contrast to the great majority of military related movies of the post 9/11 era that are made to provide aid and comfort to the terroristic enemy and trash America at every turn.

All in all, The Great Raid is a great movie about a great nation. It is stirringly patriotic and is very well made. It is a movie that every good American should see.

As the weatherman predicts the first real snow storm of the season
for upstate New York, we bring you the Winter 2007-2008 issue of flashquake.

First, help us congratulate our nominees for the 2007 Pushcart
Prize: Chris Powici, Rinku Patel, Jackie Shannon Hollis, D.J.
Bensonhurst, Rafe Brox, and Sarah Black. You’ll find links to their
outstanding work at .

Our Winter issue includes a selection of beautiful photographs from
Featured Artist Ramnath Siva in our Gallery, along with:

FICTION from Bryan S. Wang, David Macpherson, Ryan Scammell, Tara
Lazar, Richelle Putnam, Jeanne Holtzman, Samantha Cope, Jenny
Williams, Jo Swingler, Ashley Callender, Joseph Kim, and Ronald E. Holtman

NONFICTION from Sarah Layden, Steve Firth, Alison Morse, Bill
Milligan, Anna Edmondson, Marie E. LaConte, Beth Langford, and Lorie Calkins

POETRY from Emily Bennett, Harriot West, Jenny Williams (yes, the
same Jenny Williams whose fiction work was selected), Gayla Chaney,
Tom Sheehan, Ramsy, Rachel Yoder, and Erika Dreifus

You’ll find the Winter issue at

Finally, we hope you all enjoy a peaceful and joyous holiday season,
and we’d like to encourage you to make an effort to do something nice
for someone who’s less fortunate than you are. It not only helps
them, but it helps you feel a little better about yourself, too.

Debi Orton, Publisher
dorton@flashquake.org
www.flashquake.org

The 1979 flick The Warriors glorifies inner city gang violence and makes gang warfare seem like fun. It is also as unrealistic as movies come, making it sort of a live action cartoon. This is probably why none of the main actors in The Warriors had much of a film career following the release of this highly profitable movie.

The leader of the namesake Warriors gang is one Cyrus (Roger Hill). Calling himself the “one and only,” he hatches an evil scheme in which all the gangs unite under his leadership and then take over New York City and plunder the inhabitants. Towards this end, he arranges a meeting of all the gang leaders in the Big Apple. However, he is assassinated and the delegation from the Warriors is forced to try to escape to the gang’s home turf on Coney Island. This means that they must move across a sizable distance with other gangs as well as the New York Police Department (NYPD) trying to stop them.

Heavily outnumbered, the Warriors endeavor to escape back to Coney Island despite the forces arrayed against them. These forces include such gangs ranging from the Baseball Furies to the Orphans. As one enemy gang is licked, the next group of challengers is warned of the progress of the Warriors by radio shows broadcast on seemingly all frequencies of New York City radio. As the fights mount, so do the casualties among the Warriors, which only adds to the importance of getting back to Coney Island as soon as possible.

The street gangs in The Warriors dress much in the same way that professional wrestlers today do. The gangsters sport clorful uniforms including bright yellow satin blazers and all sorts of other unlikely outfits. There is even a street mime gang complete with goofy outfits. These gangs seem more like violent bowling teams than actual real life street gangs. As for the Warriors, they strongly resemble members of the then popular Village People band.

The Warriors is basically a goofy take on youth street gangs that basically glorifies such criminals. It is also quite stupid in light of the fact that if any of the Warriors had a motor vehicle, which real life gangsters do, then the whole flight sequence would have been avoided. For this scenario to work, the audience would have to indulge in complete, total, utter suspension of disbelief.

However, The Warriors is not completely without merit. It does have a visual appeal of sorts. Both the cinematography and the fight scene choreography are above average.

The same is true of the movie’s music. It has quite a bit of popular 1970’s music to it. There are a number of keyboard riffs that build up tension very well.

The Warriors was rated R for both vulgar language and excessive violence. A strong case can be made that it should have been rated X instead. The Warriors is also a grossly unrealistic flick that glorifies youth gang violence. Ultimately, this is a poorly conceived movie that cannot be recommended here.

Eurogamer is an excellent website devoted to online games coverage.

Of all the movies that constitute the Fast and the Furious series, the third installment entitled “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” is the single best one. Whether or not that is much in the line of praise is squarely in the eye of the beholder.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift opens with a teenager named Sean Boswell (played by the 24 year old Lucas Black who clearly does not look like a teenager) who has gotten himself in big trouble with the law. The police have videotape of the incident and they can put him in juvenile hall with the other, ummm, teenagers. However, the district attorney’s office strikes a most improbable plea bargain with Sean’s mother in which they agree to deport Sean to Tokyo to live with Sean’s estranged father.

Upon arriving at Tokyo, Sean Boswell discovers that things are rather different than what he expected. For one thing, everyone in Tokyo that he encounters speaks perfect English irregardless of their educational background. Likewise, all of the teenagers that he encounters are not played by teenaged actors, nor do they look like actual teenagers. Additionally, he soon finds some kindred souls at his new school who are similarly reckless and who share the same love of urban racing that he has. One of these friends is even a token black, so the diversity angle is covered.

Once Sean Boswell has made some friends amongst the Japanese youth, he gets introduced to one of the more idiotic Hollywood cliches. This is the bit about the instant expert who upon discovering a native tradition, an outsider who is the subject of a movie immediately knows more about the subject than any of the natives and is immediately more proficient in doing the native tradition than any of the natives. Movies where this cliche is most prominent include “Gymkata,” “The Challenge,” “The Last Samurai,” and the TV miniseries “Shogun.”

In the case of this flick, the native tradition in question is called “drift racing.” This entails driving your car sideways at high speed, often skidding at the same time. In other words, Sean Boswell has gone from law breaking in America to breaking the law in Japan.

Eventually, Sean winds up in even bigger trouble than ever. This leads to a most unusual solution. A drift race between Boswell and his adversary with the loser being forced to leave Tokyo forever. Surprisingly, Sean Boswell’s father thinks that this is an excellent idea and commits himself to helping soup up his son’s racing car for the big event.

The end result of all this is a flick that is incredibly goofy and ridiculous. It works in keeping the audience entertained despite all of the implausibilities in it. The movie is every bit as much a summer fun flick as the two previous “Fast and the Furious” movies. Despite the sum total of the goofiness, or perhaps even because of the goofiness and implausibility, “Tokyo Drift” comes well recommended as a movie to rent and perhaps even purchase

George Takei is best known as Mr. Sulu in the original Star Trek and has remained active in show business ever since.

What kind of civilian space program can we expect from a President Hillary? Here’s some excerpts from a recent Space Review article by Taylor Dinerman on the subject:

Senator Clinton’s space policy looks pretty good, but as we learned in the years 1993 through 2001, one always has to pay very close attention to every word and every comma. Nowhere in the policy, for example, is there a commitment to spending more on NASA. In her October 4th speech on science policy she promised to “increase support for basic and applied research by increasing the research budgets at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the Department of Defense.” Notice the absence of NASA.

Meanwhile, she did say that she would “make the financial investments in research and development necessary to shore up and expand our competitive edge.” That implies that she would, at the very least, restore NASA’s aeronautics budget to its pre-2004 level. That means finding an extra half billion dollars. Without making any commitment to an overall increase in the agency’s budget, it’s hard to see how this could be done without cutting into the budgets for science and exploration.

and

Despite lacking a solid promise to return to the Moon and to build and outpost there, Hillary Clinton’s space policy is nonetheless an improvement over her husband’s. Until Bush came up with the VSE, NASA was reduced to using euphemisms such as “accessible planetary surfaces” when they meant to say the Moon and Mars. Today NASA has a fairly clear direction and is, within the limits of what is possible for any government bureaucracy, headed in the right direction. The junior senator from New York’s policy is probably the best and most realistic one we can expect from a Democrat.

WLUW defines itself this way:

WLUW is a progressive, community-oriented radio station, committed to social justice and independent thought and expression, and to giving a voice to those who too often go unheard. The station is dedicated to offering a broad array of music, news, and issue- and arts-oriented programming that cannot be found elsewhere on the radio.

Only problem with the above statement is that its brand of politics is virtually identical to what is found on many commercial stations as well as on NPR. For all of its pretension, WLUW is just another narrow minded liberal outfit that refuses to air dissenting views.

Some “independent thought and expression.”

Sorry for the spam everyone.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Troy Hewitt,

Director, Community Relations

Email: troyh@flyinglab.com

Theresa Pudenz,

Public Relations

Email: theresap@flyinglab.com

FLYING LAB SOFTWARE PARTNERSWITH

ALCHEMIC DREAM INC

Alchemic Dream to offer europeancustomer

support, localization andin-game events

(Seattle, WA, USA)November 14, 2007 - Flying Lab Software, developers of Pirates ofthe Burning Sea, the MMORPG featuring high seas action and adventure in a boldworld of pirates and plunder, have partnered with Alchemic Dream Inc, leadersin customer support, localization and in-game events for the European market.

Alchemic Dream provided superior quality customer serviceand community building for partners such as Codemasters (RF Online, Dungeonsand Dragons Online™: Stormreach, Archlord, Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadowsof Angmar™), Auran (Fury), Linden Lab (Second Life) and nowFlying Lab Software (Pirates of the Burning Sea).

Alchemic Dream will use its experience in creating in-game eventsto enrich Pirates of the Burning Sea experiences for Europeanplayers. CEO Aurelien Merville said, “Flying Lab Software has built a fantasticproduct and we’re eager to provide a true interactive experience to theEuropean players of Pirates of the Burning Sea through in-game events and ourcomplete range of multilingual customer services.”

Pirates of the Burning Sea is scheduled to beavailable for release on January 22, 2007 and was set for pre-order in NorthAmerica on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. A European pre-order date will beannounced soon.

For more pre-order information on Pirates of the BurningSea log onto www.piratesoftheburningsea.com. For art assets log onto www.soepress.com.

For more information about Alchemic Dream, visit thecompany’s corporate website at www.alchemicdream.netor contact the company directly at info@alchemicdream.net.

ABOUT PIRATES OF THEBURNING SEA

Pirates of the Burning Sea isan MMORPG featuring high seas action and adventure in a bold world of piratesand plunder. Set against the backdrop of the New World of the 18th Century,players can choose one of three nations – England, France or Spain – or choosethe role of a Pirate and battle it out for glory and power.

ABOUT ALCHEMIC DREAM INC

Alchemic Dream, Inc is aCanadian company founded in 2001 and specialized in MMORPG management, ingameevents, customer support and localization. Employing more than 150 people andever growing, Alchemic Dream is already working with MMORPGs such as Lord ofthe Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™, Dungeons and Dragons Online™:Stormreach™, Second Life, Fury, Dreamlords and RF Online. Alchemic Dreamalso operates the PlayMMO.com gaming portal and the MMO gaming newsfeedMMPOW.com.

Technovelgy is an up and coming website chronicling the ideas and inventions found in Science Fiction. Also present are a large number of articles about Science Fiction in the news.

Very Interesting.

Epic Games is a major source of quality online multiplayer games such as Unreal Tournament.

During this October, all of the new movie reviews that are to be posted on October at FlickZone will be of horror movies for the quintessential month of horror. And lots of reviews at that!

Thus far, the following horror movie reviews have been posted this month:

Queen of the Damned

The Evil Dead

Future horror movies to be reviewed this month include:

Mark of the Vampire

Halloween (both the 1978 original and the 2007 remake)

I Spit on Your Grave

Land of the Dead

The 2 Hostel flicks

News from the Chicago Blackhawks :

PRESEASON SCHEDULE CLOSES SUNDAY

The Blackhawks preseason schedule comes to a close this weekend with
back-to-back games against the Blues Saturday night in St. Louis
(7:30 pm, Comcast SportsNet) and Sunday vs. the Wild in Minnesota (5
pm, Comcast SportsNet Plus).

Martin Havlat (groin) and Tuomo Ruutu (knee) may play Sunday but are
not expected to be in the lineup Saturday. Check
chicagoblackhawks.com this afternoon for more from Friday’s practice.
Injury Report
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=9211)

————————————————–
BLACKHAWKS MOURN PASSING OF WILLIAM WIRTZ

It is with deep sorrow that the Chicago Blackhawks announce that team
President, Mr. William W. Wirtz, 77, passed away early Wednesday
morning at Evanston Hospital after a recent battle with cancer.

- Hawks Press Release
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=338366&page=NewsPage&service=page)
- Tallon, Lapointe Video (Practice/Game Day)
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/multimedia/blackhawkstv.htm)
- Commissioner Bettman’s Statement
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=338388)
- More Statements on Passing of W. Wirtz
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=338419)

————————————————–
HAWKCAST 3.2: INSIDER / YANIC PERREAULT

On this week’s edition of HawkCast
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/multimedia/hawkcast.htm): Hear the latest
training camp news and notes, plus Hawks Insider with director of
hockey operations Stan Bowman, and a conversation with Blackhawks
center Yanic Perreault, who explains why this year was the right year
to come to Chicago.

————————————————–
BIG TIME FUN WITH THE BLACKHAWKS

The Chicago Blackhawks — players, coaches and management — will
celebrate the start of the 2007-08 hockey season with “BIG TIME FUN”
at Dave & Buster’s in Addison on Monday, October 29!

Fans will have the opportunity to test their interactive skills
against Blackhawk players such as Martin Havlat, Duncan Keith, Brent
Seabrook, Nikolai Khabibulin, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane as they
compete in “BIG TIME FUN” on the Million Dollar Midway.

Please click here for more information and to order tickets
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/community/bigtimefun.htm). Space is
limited!

————————————————–
YOUTH WILL BE SERVED IN CHICAGO

“Patrick Kane hesitated for just a moment after the Chicago
Blackhawks called his name as the first player selected in the 2007
Entry Draft, seemingly caught in a flashback. It was early January.
Kane was playing for the United States at the World Junior
Championship and he was remembering just how good Jonathan Toews was
in Canada’s 2-1 victory over the U.S.” Feature
(http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=338174)

————————————————–
NHL.COM: BLACKHAWKS SEASON PREVIEW

“The winds of change have been blowing through the Windy City. The
Chicago Blackhawks are a team in transition, loaded with lots of
highly skilled draft picks and prospects and ready to enjoy the
fruits of a system rich in young talent. Led by 2007 No. 1 overall
pick Patrick Kane and 2006 first-rounder Jonathan Toews, the
Blackhawks appear to have a bright future. Preview
(http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=338176)

————————————————–
BLACKHAWKS TRANSACTIONS

The Blackhawks Thursday claimed defenseman Karel Pilar
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=338482)
(kuh REHL PEE lahsh) off waivers from the Atlanta Thrashers … On
Wednesday, defenseman Prestin Ryan and goaltender Corey Crawford were
assigned to Rockford
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=338423)
in the AHL.

PRESEASON HOMESTAND CLOSES SUNDAY

The Blackhawks preseason homestand comes to a close this weekend as
they host the Minnesota Wild tonight at 7:30 pm and the St. Louis
Blues Sunday at 6 pm. All Blackhawk players not dressing for the
games will sign autographs and greet fans entering the United Center
gates.

Following a 4-3 win
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&gameNumber=18&season=20072008&gameType=1)
over the Blue Jackets in Columbus on Tuesday, the Blackhawks lost
4-3
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app?gameNumber=25&gameType=1&page=Recap&season=20072008&service=page)
to the Blue Jackets on Wednesday and suffered a 1-0 loss
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=Recap&gameNumber=31&season=20072008&gameType=1)
to the Florida Panthers on Thursday, both at the United Center.

The Blackhawks conclude their preseason schedule on the road
Tuesday, September 25 at Florida; Saturday, September 29 at St.
Louis; and Sunday, September 30 against Minnesota. Catch all three
games on Comcast SportsNet.

————————————————–
HAWKCAST 3.1: TUOMO RUUTU

On the season debut of HawkCast
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/multimedia/hawkcast.htm): Hear the latest
training camp news and notes, Hawks Insider with Stan Bowman and a
conversation with Blackhawks winger Tuomo Ruutu.

————————————————–
BLACKHAWKS ASSIGN 5 TO JUNIOR TEAMS

The Blackhawks have assigned five players back to their junior teams
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=337650)
– forwards Richard Greenop, Akim Aliu and Maxime Tanguay, along with
defenseman Ben Shutron and goaltender Josh Unice.

————————————————–
ASK THE HAWKS: MIKE HAVILAND

Rockford head coach Mike Haviland answers your questions about the
future of Dave Bolland, the style of play you can expect from his
IceHogs this season and more. Haviland Q&A - Part I
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=337334)

————————————————–
BLACKHAWKS UNVEIL NEW JERSEYS

While the best and most recognizable logo in professional sports and
the team colors remain the same, the Blackhawks in conjunction with
the National Hockey League and Reebok introduced the new Rbk Edge
uniforms on Friday, September 14.

Watch video
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=11905)
and see pictures
(http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app?service=page&page=MediaGalleryBrowser&type=3)
from the press conference.

** You can get the new Blackhawks RBK Edge Authentic and Premier
Replica jerseys at HawkQuarters (http://www.hawkquarters.com/), the
official team store of the Chicago Blackhawks. HawkQuarters is
located at 333 N. Michigan Ave.

From the Chicago Blackhawks website:

Blackhawks Mourn Passing of William Wirtz Chicago Blackhawks Press Release Sep 26, 2007, 3:20 AM EDT It is with deep sorrow that the Chicago Blackhawks announce that team President, Mr. William W. Wirtz, 77, passed away early Wednesday morning at Evanston Hospital after a recent battle with cancer.

Mr. Wirtz is survived by his wife, Alice, five children, Rocky, Gail, Karey, Peter and Alyson, and seven grandchildren.

Along with being the President of the Chicago Blackhawks, Mr. Wirtz was the Chairman of Wirtz Beverage Group, President of Wirtz Corporation and Wirtz Realty, Director of First Security Trust and Savings Bank, and Chairman of the South Miami Bank Corporation. Mr. Wirtz also served as a Director of U.S. Bank Corporation and Alberto Cluver.

A 1950 graduate of Brown University, Mr. Wirtz took his place alongside his father Arthur and brother Michael when the family purchased the Chicago Blackhawks in 1954. In 1966, Mr. Wirtz was named President of the Chicago Blackhawks, a title he maintained for 41 years.

Mr. Wirtz served as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Hockey League for 18 years and was responsible for negotiating the merger between the NHL and the World Hockey Association in the late 1970’s as well the expansion of the league. Known as a man of his word, Mr. Wirtz was also a member of the National Hockey League’s Executive Committee.

No one did more for hockey on both the professional and amateur levels than Mr. Wirtz. He served on both the 1980 and 1984 Winter Olympic Committees. The 1980 U.S. Olympic Team captured the Gold Medal at Lake Placid. For his efforts on both the professional and amateur levels, Mr. Wirtz was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976, was the recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy in 1978 and was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985.

Under the guidance of Mr. Wirtz, Chicago Blackhawk Charities was established in 1993. Since that time, Blackhawk Charities has donated over $7.5 million to worthy causes in the Chicagoland area such as Boys and Girls Clubs, Cathedral Shelter, Miseracordia Homes, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Blackhawk Alumni Association, and the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI). Mr. Wirtz also donated both the Chicago Stadium and the United Center to host the Blackhawk Cup, the annual High School Boys and Girls State Championship Game, over the past 20 years.

Mr. Wirtz was also the driving force behind building the United Center which opened in 1994. This was not an easy decision for a man who literally grew up in the old Chicago Stadium. As difficult a decision as this was, Mr. Wirtz recognized the necessity for change. Together with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, he succeeded in constructing the United Center, a state-of-art arena and one of the finest buildings in the country.

Mr. Wirtz was most proud of the fact that the United Center was financed with private funds and without taxpayer dollars. Mr. Wirtz was most proud of developing the Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Sports Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. This program was near and dear to his heart as it was named after his mother, Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz. Along with continuing to fund this program, Mr. Wirtz was a model humanitarian and many of the good deeds he did for people and organizations throughout the community went unnoticed by design.

Funeral arrangements will be announced as they become available.

A press release from the Chicago Storm :

OPEN TRYOUTS AND DANCERS
The grand unveiling of the 2007 Storm Chasers Dance team is thisweekend and there’s two chances to see them!!! Friday night, September7th the Storm’s dance team, the Storm Chasers make their unveiling at MaxBar located at 2247 N. Lincoln avenue in Chicago. If you can’t make itFriday, head out to the suburban introduction Saturday, September 8th atthe Alumni Club at 871 E. Algonquin Road in Schaumburg. The dancersperform two routines at both venues and are available for a meet and greetand autographs from 9pm-1am. Check it out! To see where the Storm Chasersare going to be next, check out the Storm Chasers link on the ChicagoStorm website, www.ChicagoStorm.net.

So you think you’re good enough to go pro. Here’s your chance toprove it. Saturday September 15th head to the Sports Zone in Melrose Park,located at 1945 Cornell ave. in Melrose Park and take part in the Storm’sOpen Tryouts! All prospects must bring their own practice gear (shorts,shirt, shin guards, indoor soccer shoes and socks). For more informationand to download the application, go to www.chicagostorm.net. The Storm hasa history of signing players from tryouts to their active roster. Formerplayers Tijani Ayegbusi and Danny Waltman as well as current players suchas midfielder/forward Awadalla Morad and defenders Chris Brisson andBranko Savic were signed to contracts after attending open tryouts.

Saturday October 27th the Chicago Storm takes on the California Cougarsin the home opener at 7pm at the Sears Centre! From the team on thefield to the entertainment on and off a Chicago Storm game is more then agame, it’s an event! To kick off your Storm experience call (866) STORM-81or log on to www.ChicagoStorm.net.

The Chicago Storm is a proud member of the Major Indoor Soccer League(MISL). Chicago’s professional indoor soccer team plays its home games atthe all-new Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates. The Storm’s first home gameof the 2007-08 season is Saturday October 27th at 7pm. Great tickets areavailable! Storm offices are located at 1945 Cornell Ave., in MelrosePark. For additional information on all aspects of Chicago Storm soccerincluding season tickets, group outings, birthday parties and ChicagoStorm Summer Soccer Camps call (866) STORM-81. or log on towww.chicagostorm.net.