Maradona: Player of the Year rules are stupid
Buried in this piece is news that France and Argentina will be playing a friendly on February 11. I'm looking forward to this one.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Kaka-Krazy
Looks like I (and every other sane commentator) am probably wrong. Apparently Kaka will move for 135 million pounds. Egads.
Incredulous
UN headquarters in Gaza hit by Israeli 'white phosphorus' shells
I am a bit incredulous at this. To be fair, the Israeli's claim they were responding to being fired upon from the UN position... however, bombing, with white phosphorous, in a civilian area a UN depot for needed supplies, food, and medicine is shockingly contemptuous of international law, the UN, and the human beings who live in Gaza.
Also this is not the first incident where Israel has attacked a UN facility.
I am a bit incredulous at this. To be fair, the Israeli's claim they were responding to being fired upon from the UN position... however, bombing, with white phosphorous, in a civilian area a UN depot for needed supplies, food, and medicine is shockingly contemptuous of international law, the UN, and the human beings who live in Gaza.
Also this is not the first incident where Israel has attacked a UN facility.
Wenger on money and reality
The more I follow the soap opera that is football, the more I respect Wenger, the manager of Arsenal. He is v. good at building football teams and creating champions. This year, however, Arsenal will probably not meet expectations (deservedly so, but such a shame). But only a fool would write off Arsenal's chances, especially next year.
Wenger discusses Manchester City and the January transfer window.
Wenger discusses Manchester City and the January transfer window.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Ex-cop charged with murder in Calif. shooting
Prosecutors in the San Francisco Bay area have filed murder charges against a former transit officer in the shooting death of an unarmed black man.
The big question people are asking is why Mehserle fired his weapon. I doubt Mehserle knows the answer to that. He drew his weapon and fired in time frame of about three seconds. Something was wrong with his pattern of thought. In addition to destroying the life of one individual, he has essentially destroyed his own.
A tragedy. I hope some good comes out of this.
The big question people are asking is why Mehserle fired his weapon. I doubt Mehserle knows the answer to that. He drew his weapon and fired in time frame of about three seconds. Something was wrong with his pattern of thought. In addition to destroying the life of one individual, he has essentially destroyed his own.
A tragedy. I hope some good comes out of this.
Manchester City Drama
Man City is hot for Kaka, who they will not get. Kaka has not played as much as he would like at Milan, since the arrival of Ronaldinho, so there was speculation earlier in the year that he might be amenable to a move. Yet, he is a fantastic player who also enjoys winning championships. And Milan is a great city to live in.
With this going on Robhino became desperate to leave Real Madrid -- apparently the acrimony erupted big time, compounded by ineffective team management. Chelsea offered a way out, but the price Real Madrid wanted for Robhino was insanely high... Apparently the machismo at Real Madrid was such that Real Madrid was willing to let Robhino sit on the bench for the year rather than take Chelsea's offer. At the last minute Manchester City put in an offer that met Real Madrid's demands.
And it is a shame really. Chelsea would have had a much stronger season had Robhino been on their squad, even with the injury troubles Robhino has had off and on. Chelsea's big problem this season is an inability to find goals when it counts -- although in their loss to Manchester United, that looked like the least of their problems. Chelsea seem to have gone off the rails slightly -- they have the talent. But one can see now what Robhino would have meant to them.
Manchester City, facing a relegation battle, is trying to buy its way out of trouble by spending mad money on stars. And yet the mad money has caused the team to implode -- most of the players on the squad don't see a future for themselves on the team, given that most are journeyman players. And their manager has completely failed to motivate the players and get the most out of them.
In a way I hope Manchester City does become relegated -- although it is a scenario I find hard to believe will happen. Should Manchester City go down it will prove that the English game is fair -- no match fixing, no shady dealings. It will also prove that money does not turn a team into champions (c.f. Chelsea), although it might help. It will also give Man Utd fans loads of material for chants to scream and sing at derbies, and it will inject the Champions League (the English second division, if you will) with a fresh bolus of drama and talent.
"A deal this month is not impossible. Kaka will talk to Manchester City if the two clubs agree a fee. But Ricky would like a strong side. He would never do something like Robinho, who, just to earn more, contented himself with not a winning solution."This statement, by Kaka's agent, is a bit unfair to Robhino. Robhino was clearly unhappy with Real Madrid during the summer, as Real Madrid focused all of its attention on acquiring Cristiano Ronaldo (who has this year won the golden boot, and FIFA Player of the Year) from Manchester United. Both Robhino and C. Ronaldo are strikers who play as right-side wingers, so the arrival of Cristiano would have meant Robhino sitting on the bench or switching positions (CR can play effectively anywhere in the front field, although he prefers the wing).
With this going on Robhino became desperate to leave Real Madrid -- apparently the acrimony erupted big time, compounded by ineffective team management. Chelsea offered a way out, but the price Real Madrid wanted for Robhino was insanely high... Apparently the machismo at Real Madrid was such that Real Madrid was willing to let Robhino sit on the bench for the year rather than take Chelsea's offer. At the last minute Manchester City put in an offer that met Real Madrid's demands.
And it is a shame really. Chelsea would have had a much stronger season had Robhino been on their squad, even with the injury troubles Robhino has had off and on. Chelsea's big problem this season is an inability to find goals when it counts -- although in their loss to Manchester United, that looked like the least of their problems. Chelsea seem to have gone off the rails slightly -- they have the talent. But one can see now what Robhino would have meant to them.
Manchester City, facing a relegation battle, is trying to buy its way out of trouble by spending mad money on stars. And yet the mad money has caused the team to implode -- most of the players on the squad don't see a future for themselves on the team, given that most are journeyman players. And their manager has completely failed to motivate the players and get the most out of them.
In a way I hope Manchester City does become relegated -- although it is a scenario I find hard to believe will happen. Should Manchester City go down it will prove that the English game is fair -- no match fixing, no shady dealings. It will also prove that money does not turn a team into champions (c.f. Chelsea), although it might help. It will also give Man Utd fans loads of material for chants to scream and sing at derbies, and it will inject the Champions League (the English second division, if you will) with a fresh bolus of drama and talent.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tom Vickery says...
The numbers game a bane:
There have been many times in the Maracana stadium when I have been sitting next to the team collecting match statistics. "Accurate pass by the number 5," the team leader would call out, though the ball had been blasted calf-height on the recipient's wrong foot, keeping the play so tight that loss of possession was inevitable, or "inaccurate pass by the number 8," after he had played an inspired ball inside the opposing full -back which might have set up a chance if his team-mate had been bright enough to read it.
Witnessing the match stats being compiled has made me acutely aware of their limitations. Football is too fluid for the rigidity of the statistical mind. Has the ball been used well? This depends, surely, on the situation of the game, the zone of the pitch - on considerations that cannot be reduced to a statistic.
If football were just numbers it would be bingo, and would not have become such a global passion. Even football's key statistic - goals - are not the be all and end all. It is often said that no one remembers who came second, but it's not true. The likes of Hungary in 1954 and Holland 20 years later lost World Cup finals, but their teams are still remembered fondly. Brazil didn't even make the semis in 1982 - but there are many all over the world that fell in love with football after seeing the beauty of the play from Socrates, Zico, Falcao etc.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Rewriting
Going back over earlier portions of the novel -- editing, streamlining -- before continuing with the new stuff.
Since I am now at the end-game of the story, it is important to make sure everything is accounted for.
Since I am now at the end-game of the story, it is important to make sure everything is accounted for.
Apropos of a rant
Apropos (which is not really a word, you know) of a rant somewhere else...
I had just started graduate school and I was living in an apartment complex... a college student apartment complex with comely undergrads and a pool... so I had understandably misguided hopes about my future, based on my living conditions. I was working at home one day, since I like peace and solitude, and the freedom to speak aloud to myself (which is actually important when writing), when I, against my instincts, felt compelled to call the cops because one of my neighbors was playing incredibly loud music. And it was not even particularly hip or new, it was Black Sabbath -- I mean, I understand the sentiment, but playing Black Sabbath incredibly loudly is not awe-inspiring, its cliché (which is a real word).
And it was not even one of my neighbors in my own apartment building. It was someone in the apartment building that was two buildings away.
I felt as if I had transgressed against my music-loving, "if you dig it do it" soul.
But then, after the cops came, the music was turned way down, and I found the quiet I needed to write.
All was right in the world once more...
I had just started graduate school and I was living in an apartment complex... a college student apartment complex with comely undergrads and a pool... so I had understandably misguided hopes about my future, based on my living conditions. I was working at home one day, since I like peace and solitude, and the freedom to speak aloud to myself (which is actually important when writing), when I, against my instincts, felt compelled to call the cops because one of my neighbors was playing incredibly loud music. And it was not even particularly hip or new, it was Black Sabbath -- I mean, I understand the sentiment, but playing Black Sabbath incredibly loudly is not awe-inspiring, its cliché (which is a real word).
And it was not even one of my neighbors in my own apartment building. It was someone in the apartment building that was two buildings away.
I felt as if I had transgressed against my music-loving, "if you dig it do it" soul.
But then, after the cops came, the music was turned way down, and I found the quiet I needed to write.
All was right in the world once more...
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Fifth Element
Ebert said, in 1997:
He really needn't have said any more, except that he had column inches to fill. It is a hodge-podge of a movie with attitude and grace.
``The Fifth Element,'' which opened the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday, is one of the great goofy movies--a film so preposterous I wasn't surprised to discover it was written by a teenage boy. That boy grew up to become Luc Besson, director of good smaller movies and bizarre big ones, and here he's spent $90 million to create sights so remarkable they really ought to be seen.
That's not to say this is a good movie, exactly. It's more of a jumble that includes greatness. Like ``Metropolis'' or ``Blade Runner,'' it offers such extraordinary visions that you put your criticisms on hold and are simply grateful to see them. If Besson had been able to link those sights with a more disciplined story and more ruthless editing, he might have really had something.
He really needn't have said any more, except that he had column inches to fill. It is a hodge-podge of a movie with attitude and grace.
Doing the math
Hey maybe, just maybe, the USA's unqualified support for Israel's actions in Gaza will have negative consequences in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I don't want to be accused of crazy talk, so just treat it as playing devil's advocate.
I don't want to be accused of crazy talk, so just treat it as playing devil's advocate.
The Fez
Apparently I'm not the only one who thought that The Fez, a brilliant, groovy song from Steely Dan's The Royal Scam (1976), was about condoms. Awesome song, btw.
Man Utd-Chelsea 3-0
The second and third goals in particular were amazing.
The first and third goals were from set pieces. Both teams at times had trouble maintaining possession, but Chelsea were not nearly as good as they should have been.
The first and third goals were from set pieces. Both teams at times had trouble maintaining possession, but Chelsea were not nearly as good as they should have been.
Friday, January 9, 2009
An American in Spain
Villareal see Altidore as a key to their future.
This is good news, both for Altidore, and for US Soccer. La Liga is currently one of the two best leagues in the world, and Villareal has been taking the steps necessary to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona -- although this year looks to be Barça's year... they look indomitable. With a chance to grow and develop in La Liga, Altidore will be a future anchor for any US World Cup team (2010 will probably be too soon).
This is good news, both for Altidore, and for US Soccer. La Liga is currently one of the two best leagues in the world, and Villareal has been taking the steps necessary to challenge Real Madrid and Barcelona -- although this year looks to be Barça's year... they look indomitable. With a chance to grow and develop in La Liga, Altidore will be a future anchor for any US World Cup team (2010 will probably be too soon).
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Riots in Oakland
This is what happens when civil government loses moral authority.
A similar, more egregious, situation developed in Greece not that long ago.
It does not make the protesters 'right' or any more moral. But it is a consequence.
A similar, more egregious, situation developed in Greece not that long ago.
It does not make the protesters 'right' or any more moral. But it is a consequence.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Surgeon General
The Surgeon General is largely a ceremonial position with actual oversight of an important, but small agency. Most Americans are aware of the Surgeon General's office because of warning labels on Cigar, Cigarette, and (various) Alcohol products. The only Surgeon Generals to achieve notoriety for something different than warning labels were C. Everett Koop (an anti-abortion doctor who stood against the tendencies of the Reagan administration during the AIDS epidemic) and Jocelyn Elders (who made some ill-advised comments about masturbation and sex ed).
I started thinking about Surgeon General Warning Labels and wondered if the next Surgeon General... admit it, Surgeon General is a cool kick-ass title... should come out with a new, improved, extended line of labels.
"No Fat" food:
Bottled Water:
Video Game Consoles:
I wonder what other warning labels one could come up with...
(n.b.: I am a video game addict and have been known to drink bottled water. I detest 'no fat' food. Also I think the 'low carb' and the 'no carb' diets are unhealthy scams, but that is just my opinion.)
I started thinking about Surgeon General Warning Labels and wondered if the next Surgeon General... admit it, Surgeon General is a cool kick-ass title... should come out with a new, improved, extended line of labels.
"No Fat" food:
Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that eating this product will not cause you to magically lose weight, nor does it taste any better the second or third time you try it.
Bottled Water:
Warning: The Surgeon General has found that bottled water products do not provide any health advantages over drinking tap water.
Video Game Consoles:
Warning: In addition to wasting considerable amounts of your time and increasing your risk for repetitive motion disorders, the Surgeon General has found that this video game console will be obsolete in three years.
I wonder what other warning labels one could come up with...
(n.b.: I am a video game addict and have been known to drink bottled water. I detest 'no fat' food. Also I think the 'low carb' and the 'no carb' diets are unhealthy scams, but that is just my opinion.)
Holy WTF
A police officer is going to go to jail and a police department is going to lose a wrongful death lawsuit.
But more important than that: why in the hell did this happen? WTF were these guys thinking? And how can we stop this from happening again?
Update: More info in the following news report.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Watchmen watch
Just saw the two trailers for Watchmen (coming out in 2009, hopefully), and aside from Ozymandias, it seems to be incredibly faithful, visually, to the original comic. I have no idea how they are going to condense the story into less than 3 hours... but I'm hoping it will be good.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Nonsense still continuing
War Vet, 50, Stunned By New Deployment
"(I was) kind of shocked, not understanding what I was getting into," said Bandel, who lives in the Nashville, Tenn., area.
In 1993, Bandel took the option of leaving the Army without retirement and never thought he would be called back to action.
"Here he's 50 years old, getting his AARP card, and here he's being redeployed with all these 18-year-olds," said Paul's wife, Linda Bandel.
"I can understand, say, 'Here, we have this assignment for you stateside. Go do your training,'" said Paul Bandel. "But, 'Hey, here's a gun, go back to the desert.'"
Involuntary recall allows the military, regardless of age or how long someone has been out of service, to order vets back into active duty.
"Anger's not the word. I was more concerned about the financial impact it's going to do. My pay's probably cut in half," said Paul Bandel.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Short story
Taking a break from my novel in order to finish a short story I started in September.
My novel is at 58K words, which means that it will not be as short as I had originally hoped. Nonetheless, it is taking shape and hopefully will be completed either this month or next (well, the first draft).
My novel is at 58K words, which means that it will not be as short as I had originally hoped. Nonetheless, it is taking shape and hopefully will be completed either this month or next (well, the first draft).
Friday, January 2, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Elegant evolution
Wired presents 12 elegant examples of evolution. Nature is beautiful.
For your own sanity, ignore the idiocy in the comments below. Humans can be ugly.
For your own sanity, ignore the idiocy in the comments below. Humans can be ugly.
A new progressive era
British PM Brown:
One can only hope that time will not look back on this speech as an act of hubris, but given the current political trends in the UK...
Gordon Brown today braces Britain for potentially its worst recession since the second world war by promising to work with Barack Obama to create a new progressive era across the world. He claims he can build "a global coalition for change" with the US president-elect.
The prime minister said 2008 would be remembered as the year in which "the old era of unbridled free market dogma was finally ushered out". In his traditional new year message, Brown struck a tone of tempered optimism, saying that Britain can this year build a better tomorrow through strategic investments while dealing with the dangerous challenges of today.
He said: "The failure of previous governments in previous global downturns was to succumb to political expediency and to cut back investment across the board, thereby stunting our ability to grow and strangling hope during the upturn. This will not happen on my watch.
One can only hope that time will not look back on this speech as an act of hubris, but given the current political trends in the UK...
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Dashiell Hammett notes
Just finished watching The Maltese Falcon again after many many years.
I've read The Maltese Falcon three or four times over the past few years, partly because its a good book with a good yarn, but mostly to see what works and what doesn't work in a novel, even a genre novel like the Falcon.
The biggest flaw in Hammett's writing is that he doesn't understand women and doesn't pretend to either. His women are often hysterical, in the old sense of the term, and too clever by half: most of the women in his novels cannot make plans, follow plans, or know what a plan is. Exceptions include Nora, in The Thin Man, and perhaps Janet Henry in The Glass Key.
This flaw is exceptionally obvious in The Maltese Falcon. There are moments in the story when I just want to slap Brigid O’Shaughnessy silly. Oh well.
There are also scenes that are either extraneous or are put together in too haphazard a way.
The best Hammett novel, and apparently the one he appreciated the most, is The Glass Key.
I've read The Maltese Falcon three or four times over the past few years, partly because its a good book with a good yarn, but mostly to see what works and what doesn't work in a novel, even a genre novel like the Falcon.
The biggest flaw in Hammett's writing is that he doesn't understand women and doesn't pretend to either. His women are often hysterical, in the old sense of the term, and too clever by half: most of the women in his novels cannot make plans, follow plans, or know what a plan is. Exceptions include Nora, in The Thin Man, and perhaps Janet Henry in The Glass Key.
This flaw is exceptionally obvious in The Maltese Falcon. There are moments in the story when I just want to slap Brigid O’Shaughnessy silly. Oh well.
There are also scenes that are either extraneous or are put together in too haphazard a way.
The best Hammett novel, and apparently the one he appreciated the most, is The Glass Key.
At the halfway mark
At the halfway point in the Premier Season, and the entire bottom-half of the standings are in relegation trouble, and the only three teams looking to be in title contention are Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool. The top three have had a frustrating year.
Liverpool has been missing its star striker, Torres, due to mysterious hamstring troubles. Its other star, Robbie Keane, has been unable to find goal for most of the season (the last two games may mark a turn-around, only time will tell). Most commentators have been unimpressed with Liverpool's form and expect Liverpool to collapse in the second half of the season.
Chelsea have been without their number one striker, Drogba, for most of the season. While Anelka has been pounding in the goals, he does not seem to be able to make them when the club needs them the most: when they need one to tie or go ahead. Chelsea has the best midfield in the league, but the whole team is too easily thwarted by tenacious defense.
Manchester United has also had problems scoring when it counts. However, unlike Chelsea, ManU have no excuses, with the best strikers in the league (Rooney, Berbatov, Tevez, and Ronaldo) all willing and able and fit. Ronaldo seems to be off his form this year, although no one seems to be talking about it. Manchester United are ten points behind Liverpool, but have played three fewer games due to international commitments (the Supercup and the International Champions Cup).
Aston Villa is having a good year, but they have not convinced themselves that they can be champions -- they seem to have set their sights just on finishing the year at number 4, which will be good enough to qualify them for the big boys in the European Champion's Cup.
Arsenal's biggest problem is itself. Wenger seems to have lost his way. And while the talent is there, the youth and inexperience of the team shows itself in frightening ways.
Everton is one point behind Arsenal, but no one mentions this team as a possible title challenger. Perhaps it would be poetry if they somehow managed to end the season in the top four.
At the beginning of the season I believed that Chelsea would be the team to beat: they know what it means to end up with the consolation prize. I still think that is true.
Liverpool has been missing its star striker, Torres, due to mysterious hamstring troubles. Its other star, Robbie Keane, has been unable to find goal for most of the season (the last two games may mark a turn-around, only time will tell). Most commentators have been unimpressed with Liverpool's form and expect Liverpool to collapse in the second half of the season.
Chelsea have been without their number one striker, Drogba, for most of the season. While Anelka has been pounding in the goals, he does not seem to be able to make them when the club needs them the most: when they need one to tie or go ahead. Chelsea has the best midfield in the league, but the whole team is too easily thwarted by tenacious defense.
Manchester United has also had problems scoring when it counts. However, unlike Chelsea, ManU have no excuses, with the best strikers in the league (Rooney, Berbatov, Tevez, and Ronaldo) all willing and able and fit. Ronaldo seems to be off his form this year, although no one seems to be talking about it. Manchester United are ten points behind Liverpool, but have played three fewer games due to international commitments (the Supercup and the International Champions Cup).
Aston Villa is having a good year, but they have not convinced themselves that they can be champions -- they seem to have set their sights just on finishing the year at number 4, which will be good enough to qualify them for the big boys in the European Champion's Cup.
Arsenal's biggest problem is itself. Wenger seems to have lost his way. And while the talent is there, the youth and inexperience of the team shows itself in frightening ways.
Everton is one point behind Arsenal, but no one mentions this team as a possible title challenger. Perhaps it would be poetry if they somehow managed to end the season in the top four.
At the beginning of the season I believed that Chelsea would be the team to beat: they know what it means to end up with the consolation prize. I still think that is true.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
And then some...
Atrios sez:
The future is going to need many many many puke buckets.
50 or so years from now the history dissertations about this time will start being churned out. And those poor students will have to wade through the contemporary press accounts from the 9/11-Iraq war era. I hope their advisers provide them with puke buckets, because they're going to need them.
The future is going to need many many many puke buckets.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Happiness
Robert Solomon on Philosophy Talk from 2004.
Maybe my impression is wrong, but the hosts seem pretty dismissive of callers' comments, even though they beg for them (especially if the caller is a woman). Solomon is worth listening to.
Maybe my impression is wrong, but the hosts seem pretty dismissive of callers' comments, even though they beg for them (especially if the caller is a woman). Solomon is worth listening to.
WALL-E
I saw WALL-E last night for the first time -- I know, I know, always late to the show -- and I have to say that it is one of the best films that has ever been made, not necessarily the best, but definitely in the top ten. WALL-E manages to capture and present the magic that is cinema. Little touches, like Pong and the Macintosh boot sound, were humorous and endearing.
However what sold me on the movie, and what captivated me, was the movie's implicit dissection of what makes us human, as opposed to intelligent automatons -- it is an argument with two different prongs. On the one hand there is the romance between WALL-E and EVE. And on the other there is the effect that WALL-E has on the humans aboard the AXIOM space ship. It is a subtle and deft treatment of an ages old philosophical question, with an answer that is both illuminating and humanistic. It also lends the movie a greater heft than other Pixar fares, such as the incredibly entertaining Ratatouille or The Incredibles.
However what sold me on the movie, and what captivated me, was the movie's implicit dissection of what makes us human, as opposed to intelligent automatons -- it is an argument with two different prongs. On the one hand there is the romance between WALL-E and EVE. And on the other there is the effect that WALL-E has on the humans aboard the AXIOM space ship. It is a subtle and deft treatment of an ages old philosophical question, with an answer that is both illuminating and humanistic. It also lends the movie a greater heft than other Pixar fares, such as the incredibly entertaining Ratatouille or The Incredibles.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Another deep thought
The bigger the microphone, the less likely the speaker has any clue what they are talking about.
Just saying.
Just saying.
Deep Thought
Striking a note of reasonableness in a heated dispute between other parties is a sure way to be ignored.
It does not, however, mean you are wrong.
It does not, however, mean you are wrong.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
One bad apple for another
Real Madrid exchange one bad manager for another
I believe Ramos is to blame for everything that went wrong with Tottenham at the beginning of this season -- even the Berbatov snafu.
I do not believe that he will be able to solve Madrid's many problems -- especially considering that one of its biggest problems is its chairman.
Real Madrid have sacked their coach, Bernd Schuster, and the former Tottenham Hotspur manager Juande Ramos has taken over at the Santiago Bernabéu, forfeiting a pre-contract agreement with Atlético Madrid. Ramos has been appointed until the end of the season.
I believe Ramos is to blame for everything that went wrong with Tottenham at the beginning of this season -- even the Berbatov snafu.
I do not believe that he will be able to solve Madrid's many problems -- especially considering that one of its biggest problems is its chairman.
Monday, December 8, 2008
We need to look out for each other.
Chileans have a new hero: an apparently homeless dog who's gone missing. A surveillance camera on a Santiago freeway captured images of a dog trotting past speeding cars to pull the body of another dog, mortally struck by a vehicle, away from traffic, to the median strip.
The scene was broadcast by Chilean television stations and then posted on Web sites such as YouTube.com, and hundreds of thousands of people had viewed versions of it by Monday.
Highway crews removed both the dead and live dogs from the median strip of the Vespucio Norte Highway shortly after the Dec. 4 incident, and the rescuer dog ran away.
Authorities say images of the rescue prompted some people to call and offer to adopt the dog, but neither highway workers nor a television crew could find they animal when they went to hunt for it.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Not the news I want to read
Publishing houses slashing themselves.
"Black Wednesday" or "Overly-emo-slash-'I need attention' Wednesday"?
My first novel is two-thirds done. I'd actually welcome news that would encourage me to finish faster, not slower.
"Black Wednesday" or "Overly-emo-slash-'I need attention' Wednesday"?
My first novel is two-thirds done. I'd actually welcome news that would encourage me to finish faster, not slower.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
revelation
Sheldon Rampton discusses the LDS and homophobia, with context:
As a high school student in 1974, I felt privately uncomfortable with the "Negro doctrine," but like many members of the church, I didn't think about it very much. It didn't become a personal thing for me until one day in gym class, when a black kid came up to me and angrily said he had heard that Mormons didn't think blacks like him should go to heaven. What did I think of that? He wanted to know.
Technically, he was wrong about the theological details. Mormons actually believed that blacks could go to heaven. They just couldn't have the priesthood. I tried to make that distinction the basis for a joke to defuse the situation. "No, we think you can go to heaven," I replied. "We just think you don't deserve to." The black kid glared at me for a minute, and that was the end of the conversation. Today, more than 30 years later, I don't remember his name, but I remember the moment very clearly. I imagine he walked away thinking he had wasted his breath by even talking to me. He certainly didn't get a satisfactory reply. But the conversation had an effect on me. It left me feeling profoundly shaken and uncomfortable about a church practice that until then had seemed like a theoretical abstraction of no particular relevance to my own life. Over time, that discomfort helped inform my thinking and changed my attitudes.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Self-knowledge
The Middleman, pilot episode:
WENDY: Is it true what you said? That if there’s one thing you hate more than scientists trying to take over the world, it’s scientists who twist innocent primates with computer enhanced mind control to live out their sick and perverted fantasies of criminal power?
THE MIDDLEMAN: Why would I lie about that?
WENDY: It’s a very specific thing to hate.
THE MIDDLEMAN: Self-knowledge is the gateway to freedom.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Snark about show business
Score!:
Look, I don’t know who the PR wizard is behind the rollout of Britney Spears‘ new album is but he or she is doing a masterful job. It’s like pre-meltdown Britney is back. But with the added benefit of knowing that any second she could pull out an Uzi and take out the entire crowd at the American Music Awards. Score!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Drama!
In the 83rd minute, with Hearts less than 10 minutes away from winning their first championship since 1960, Kidd scored the opening goal with a close-range finish from a corner kick. Six minutes later, Kidd effectively ended Hearts' chances by scoring a sublime second goal to make the final score a 2–0 win for Dundee. Remarkably, Kidd had not scored all season[2] before scoring two goals in the last 10 minutes of the season. Celtic won their game 5–0[5] to win the championship on goal difference by three goals.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
No longer recognizing marriage?
An interesting take on the marriage wars...
I no longer recognize marriage. It’s a new thing I’m trying.
Turns out it’s fun.
Yesterday I called a woman’s spouse her boyfriend.
She says, correcting me, "He’s my husband,"
"Oh," I say, "I no longer recognize marriage."
The impact is obvious. I tried it on a man who has been in a relationship for years,
"How’s your longtime companion, Jill?"
"She’s my wife!"
"Yeah, well, my beliefs don’t recognize marriage."
Fun. And instant, eyebrow-raising recognition. Suddenly the majority gets to feel what the minority feels. In a moment they feel what it’s like to have their relationship downgraded, and to have a much taken-for-granted right called into question because of another’s beliefs.
Just replace the words husband, wife, spouse, or fiancé with boyfriend, girlfriend, special friend, or longtime companion. There is a reason we needed stronger words for more serious relationships. We know it; now they can see it.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Basic Civics
Some of the economics questions are biased, but whatever: I got 32 out of 33 correct. Woot to me.
Apparently our elected officials need to be schooled. US elected officials scored abysmally on a test measuring their civic knowledge, with an average grade of just 44 percent, the group that organized the exam said Thursday.
Apparently our elected officials need to be schooled. US elected officials scored abysmally on a test measuring their civic knowledge, with an average grade of just 44 percent, the group that organized the exam said Thursday.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Inter Win
Inter won against Juventus. It was a good game, and in reality Inter deserved the win, although they had trouble converting attacks into goals.
Now I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Barca game.
Now I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Barca game.
Liverpool and Chelsea
Two good results for Manchester United as both Liverpool and Chelsea draw today. Hopefully Manchester United will capitalize and come away today with a win.
The Chelsea game was good, with two controversial, but spot-on, refereeing decisions. Chelsea dominated the ball and generally looked like winners. But were stymied, I believe, on their reliance on their midfield to create opportunities. The Chelsea strikers were not good enough to break down a determined Newcastle defense -- a defense that was essentially a 'team bus' approach (parking the team in front of goal). Chelsea should have won today, but the opportunities they created were slight and would have depended on luck to make them come through. Really they should have worked harder to create better opportunities.
Update: Well boo. Man Utd held scoreless and fail to capitalize.
The Chelsea game was good, with two controversial, but spot-on, refereeing decisions. Chelsea dominated the ball and generally looked like winners. But were stymied, I believe, on their reliance on their midfield to create opportunities. The Chelsea strikers were not good enough to break down a determined Newcastle defense -- a defense that was essentially a 'team bus' approach (parking the team in front of goal). Chelsea should have won today, but the opportunities they created were slight and would have depended on luck to make them come through. Really they should have worked harder to create better opportunities.
Update: Well boo. Man Utd held scoreless and fail to capitalize.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Beat him with a hammer, beat him with a stick
I agree, but there are many more reasons than this one:
While the derisive comment about Tom Wolfe resonated (with me), the post is worth reading because its subject matter is not Tom Wolfe, but rather War Memorials (read the comments too).
all of which, having seen in person, you really, really wish you could use to beat the shit out of Tom Wolfe.
While the derisive comment about Tom Wolfe resonated (with me), the post is worth reading because its subject matter is not Tom Wolfe, but rather War Memorials (read the comments too).
Monday, November 17, 2008
Redknapp should start Alnwick
Just my 2p: Redknapp should start Alnwick, then in January alternate between Gomes and Alnwick to decide the top job. Gomes is rumored to be a great keeper; he needs a breather to reset his head.
I knew that offloading Robinson would be a wrong move.
Watching Tottenham since the end of last season has been like watching one of those Italian operas where everyone stabs everyone else. It has been dramatic, but not v. effective.
I knew that offloading Robinson would be a wrong move.
Watching Tottenham since the end of last season has been like watching one of those Italian operas where everyone stabs everyone else. It has been dramatic, but not v. effective.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Farce in reality
The record for most goals in a game, and most own-goals in a game:
The world record for goals scored in senior football, which has stood steadfast ever since Arbroath thumped Bon Accord 36-0 in 1885, has been smashed by a team from Madagascar.
Farcical scenes quicky led to a basketball score as league champions AS Adema won a match 149-0, more than quadrupling the existing record - and without gaining possession between the first goal and the 149th.
Their opponents, Stade Olymique L'Emyrne, took complete control of the national league game, reducing Adema to the role of onlookers, as they deliberately plonked the ball in the back of their own net 149 times, in protest over a refereeing decision.
The English Football Association believe that the 149-0 scoreline represents a new world record. "I certainly think it's a world record," said the FA's historian David Barber.
"I've heard of a local league game in Nottingham that finished 50-2 and there was a 43-0 in an Austrian regional game before the second world war - but nothing this big."
Radio Madagascar reported on Friday that SOE scored the own goals against Adema as a protest after their coach Ratsimandresy Ratsarazaka lost his temper with the referee.
Adema's players reportedly stood around looking bemused, doing nothing to stop the opposition from self-destructing.
Strangely, SOE were no part-timers either - they were last year's Malagasy champions who surprisingly won through to the second round of the African Champions League this season.
Adema clinched the Malagasy title last weekend.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Spain and football
This strikes me as utterly crazy and illegitimate: The Spanish state prosecutor has recommended an eight-year jail term for a Marseille fan detained after the French side's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid last month.
Reading up accounts of what happened suggests that much of the problems were caused by Atletico fans, and that Spanish police were v. one-sided in their response.
Reading up accounts of what happened suggests that much of the problems were caused by Atletico fans, and that Spanish police were v. one-sided in their response.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Navigating the dynamic
One thing I am looking forward to is seeing how President(-elect) Obama navigates the political nuances of the fact that one of the greatest and strongest shared values of his followers is a belief in individual liberties and the right to one's self.
Basically, how will American society change, now that we are beginning to (re-)embrace the long forsaken notion that we are all in this together, while at the same time our commitment to personal freedom is, if anything (given the erosion of personal freedoms over the past eight years) stronger than ever before?
Now, as we stand on the threshold of a new political era, is a good time to reflect on the unfulfilled aspirations of the past, and to weigh these aspirations when calculating and reflecting on our own. I am thinking in particular of FDR's four freedoms which discussed frankly the tenuous position America found herself in at the beginning of 1941 with the rest of the world at war and concluded:
Basically, how will American society change, now that we are beginning to (re-)embrace the long forsaken notion that we are all in this together, while at the same time our commitment to personal freedom is, if anything (given the erosion of personal freedoms over the past eight years) stronger than ever before?
Now, as we stand on the threshold of a new political era, is a good time to reflect on the unfulfilled aspirations of the past, and to weigh these aspirations when calculating and reflecting on our own. I am thinking in particular of FDR's four freedoms which discussed frankly the tenuous position America found herself in at the beginning of 1941 with the rest of the world at war and concluded:
In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.
The first is freedom of speech and expression--everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way--everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want--which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants-everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear--which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.
To that new order we oppose the greater conception--the moral order. A good society is able to face schemes of world domination and foreign revolutions alike without fear.
Since the beginning of our American history, we have been engaged in change -- in a perpetual peaceful revolution -- a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly adjusting itself to changing conditions--without the concentration camp or the quick-lime in the ditch. The world order which we seek is the cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized society.
This nation has placed its destiny in the hands and heads and hearts of its millions of free men and women; and its faith in freedom under the guidance of God. Freedom means the supremacy of human rights everywhere. Our support goes to those who struggle to gain those rights or keep them. Our strength is our unity of purpose. To that high concept there can be no end save victory.
Amazing Grace! How sweet the sound!
Henry Louis Gates, Jr on the election.
We have all heard stories about those few magical transformative moments in African-American history, extraordinary ritual occasions through which the geographically and socially diverse black community—a nation within a nation, really—molds itself into one united body, determined to achieve one great social purpose and to bear witness to the process by which this grand achievement occurs.
The first time was New Year's Day in 1863, when tens of thousands of black people huddled together all over the North waiting to see if Abraham Lincoln would sign the Emancipation Proclamation. The second was the night of June 22, 1938, the storied rematch between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling, when black families and friends crowded around radios to listen and cheer as the Brown Bomber knocked out Schmeling in the first round. The third, of course, was Aug. 28, 1963, when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed to the world that he had a dream, in the shadow of a brooding Lincoln, peering down on the assembled throng, while those of us who couldn't be with him in Washington sat around our black-and-white television sets, bound together by King's melodious voice through our tears and with quickened-flesh.
But we have never seen anything like this. Nothing could have prepared any of us for the eruption (and, yes, that is the word) of spontaneous celebration that manifested itself in black homes, gathering places and the streets of our communities when Sen. Barack Obama was declared President-elect Obama. From Harlem to Harvard, from Maine to Hawaii—and even Alaska—from "the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire … [to] Stone Mountain of Georgia," as Dr. King put it, each of us will always remember this moment, as will our children, whom we woke up to watch history being made.
"I love this guy."
That was Chris Matthews' comment about the Mayor of Newark's comments on the election. Cory Booker is inspiring, and could represent part of the new generation of politicians that raise in prominence in Obama's wake.
Awesome.
Awesome.
364
Assuming Indiana and NC hold up: Obama's tally will be 364.
That is not counting Missouri, which is too close to call, or Montana, which will most likely go for McCain.
Wow.
That is not counting Missouri, which is too close to call, or Montana, which will most likely go for McCain.
Wow.
Obama's Victory Speech
Coupled with McCain's gracious and American concession, will stand as a document, a declaration of principles which will guide the next twenty-forty years of America.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
An African-American Family in the White House
A new Cosby Show.
I expect high ratings.
(Nat Cole, here's looking at you.)
I expect high ratings.
(Nat Cole, here's looking at you.)
News items
Strange Portal Connects Earth to Sun. How can something be strange if it happens all the time?
Bizarre espionage case in Miami. Two suitcases full of money, weeks of flim-flam.
Bizarre espionage case in Miami. Two suitcases full of money, weeks of flim-flam.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
The birth of a meme
Where "Tire Swinging" comes from:
Those halcyon days when the press loved McCain and McCain loved the press.
There are worse ways to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon than swinging lazily back and forth on a tire swing strung up under a massive sycamore tree in a quiet Arizona canyon, the sound of a gushing stream nearby. Almost grazing the ground and hung on rope that looked to have been tied and retied again over the years, the swing belonged to John McCain, who stood several dozen yards away, carefully monitoring giant slabs of pork ribs on a smoking grill.
Those halcyon days when the press loved McCain and McCain loved the press.
A defining moment
Colombian hostage dragged to freedom
I expect that in a future history of the FARC, this particular event will crystallize its descent into insignificance.
I expect that in a future history of the FARC, this particular event will crystallize its descent into insignificance.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Callie Shell's photos of Obama
Intimate, telling, moving. Well worth a look. (Warning: many large images.)
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Understanding the other
Peter Sagal on understanding the Obama Conspiracy Theorists.
In the real world, Barack Obama seems like he’s going to be elected President. This, as unlikely as it might have seemed as little as two years ago, is easily explained: the Republicans have done a poor job running the country, have a very unpopular incumbent President, and our nation likes to switch parties about every 8 to 12 years. Plus, Obama is a charismatic politician who’s run a very competent campaign.
Nonetheless, this reality is intolerable to some, and they have created an alternative narrative. In this narrative, Obama is “a Marxisant radical who all his life has been mentored by, sat at the feet of, worshipped with, befriended, endorsed the philosophy of, funded and been in turn funded, politically promoted and supported by a nexus comprising black power anti-white racists, Jew-haters, revolutionary Marxists, unrepentant former terrorists and Chicago mobsters.” Once elected, presumably, will reveal himself to be the monster that he is, in the manner of Kang and Kodos in that classic 1996 Treehouse of Horror episode of The Simpsons.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
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