Calgary gets two 'moments' primarily because I can't remember anything all that cool happening at the 1992 Albertville games. First is, of course, the iconic Eddie The Eagle. For sure, not a medal winner- Eddie was basically just a random British guy who decided to take up ski jumping. The legend was born soon after:
Then of course, there's the Jamaican Bobsled Team. Inspiration for the coolest movie ever, 'Cool Runnings.'
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Walk Tall, Slovenia.
This was the craziest damn thing I have ever seen at the Olympics- but first: Cross-Country Sprinting is a little more exciting than plain old Cross-Country Skiing. For a start, competitors have to do 4 miles (1 mile a piece for the qualifiers, quarters, semis and then medal finals) over the course of one day. They don't get a lot of cool-down time in between, so it's simultaneously about being the fastest person on snow, while at the same time saving enough in your 'gas tank' so to speak, for the final round.
But as I said: this was the craziest damn thing I have ever seen at the Olympics-
Top Sprinter from Slovenia Petra Majdic, widely expected to be the huge favorite for Gold in the women's sprint quite literally falls off a (mild) cliff during her warm-ups! She bruised her back to beat hell- had to get x-rays to make sure nothing was broken and leaving aside the fact that you don't expect to see wipeouts like this in cross country skiing (a somewhat vanilla sport, you'd have to admit) what happened next was downright amazing.
Majdic raced. With a bruised back. Got herself into the finals and made a late charge to take bronze. After every single round, she would literally collapse into the snow, crying and screaming in pain- but she kept going. Tough, gutsy, awesome performance.
Walk tall, Slovenia. It may not be the medal you wanted, but she did you proud!
But as I said: this was the craziest damn thing I have ever seen at the Olympics-
Top Sprinter from Slovenia Petra Majdic, widely expected to be the huge favorite for Gold in the women's sprint quite literally falls off a (mild) cliff during her warm-ups! She bruised her back to beat hell- had to get x-rays to make sure nothing was broken and leaving aside the fact that you don't expect to see wipeouts like this in cross country skiing (a somewhat vanilla sport, you'd have to admit) what happened next was downright amazing.
Majdic raced. With a bruised back. Got herself into the finals and made a late charge to take bronze. After every single round, she would literally collapse into the snow, crying and screaming in pain- but she kept going. Tough, gutsy, awesome performance.
Walk tall, Slovenia. It may not be the medal you wanted, but she did you proud!
Late Night Chronicles 56: Broken (Part One of Two)
Originally posted on Facebook...
Two days after the State of the Union (which I didn't watch this year, thank goodness), the media erupted in joy. President Obama had gone to the House Republican Retreat in Baltimore and apparently, had totally schooled them all. Kicked ass, took names, etc. It was 'awesome.' Supposedly, anyway. Lefties, bloggers, the internet- fans of the Prez were reacting as if this were the coolest thing since sliced bread. People were getting practically aroused by it. The President stood at a podium and sounded confident and actually seemed to know what he was doing! Pass the Miracle Whip and a box of kleenex honey! We're having a party...
I resisted the urge to join in the hordes of people watching what seemed to amount to a piece of political porn. When it comes to political porn, I prefer things like 'The West Wing.' Liberal, sure- preachy sermons? Irritating, but they can be ignored. And then again, there's that saving grace of excellent writing and acting. It helps when politicians are fictional and can't do any real damage to anything.
Then the internet erupted once again: Sarah Palin had gone to the Tea Party Convention in Nashville and delivered the keynote address and she had... written some notes on her palm. This was apparently the end of civilization as we know it... she wrote something on her palm! (The media ignoring the shot of President Obama behind a veritable wall of teleprompters at an elementary school that had surfaced some weeks before.)
At that point, the Pres and the former Gov had forced my hand. I had to watch. I had to fortify myself, balance my chi and somehow harness the power of the internet to watch both Palin's speech and Obama's beatdown and see if they lived up to the hype. Nearly an hour and a half later, I was ready to poke my eyeballs out with a spoon, but the deed had been done. Between the two of them, they had manage to convince me that the two party system- in fact our political system as a whole is completely and utterly broken. And there's very little hope that it can be fixed anytime soon.
What convinced me?
Well, the supposed beatdown delivered by the President was anything but that. He was at his coma-inducing best , delivering sometimes blunt, oftentimes vague answers to Republican questions that amounted to little more than hot air. In a bit of even more depressing news, Republicans showed nothing remotely resembling coherence- instead offering sometimes blunt, sometimes vague questions that amounted to little more than hot air. A great debate? Hardly. An impressive performance? Nope. Just business as usual on the part of both sides. And given the fact that the Republican Party is supposed to save us from Democratic incompetence this November, the astonishingly tone-deaf performance of Republican leaders and members was truly rage inducing. Although both sides talked earnestly of bipartisanship and working together, one was left with the impression that both sides knew full well that it was all talk. No one wants to step up and get things done. No one wants to act like a grown up- and when the Democrats are back in the opposition, I'll imagine that they will be just as obstructionist as Republicans are being now. All this talk of ending the filibuster? Stupidity of the worst kind- the Democrats will only complain bitterly about it when out of power and the obstruction could be avoided entirely if someone in Washington would step up. But there's no chance of that now, I think.
Palin's speech was impressive. I honestly think that she might be the smartest politician in America right now, because unlike the tone deaf fools in Washington, she at least seemed to recognize that people are genuinely pissed off. As with any prominent woman that looks the least bit Presidential, a wall of sexist bullshit quickly sprang up from the media (Hillary Clinton gets it from the right, Palin from the left.) The obsession with her hand obscured a few key points-- she once again, seemed to spit at the idea of 'education' saying that we needed a 'commander in chief and not a professor of law at the lectern'- the anti-intellectual strains of the right once again rearing their irritating heads. (Though to be fair, the snotty elitism of academia makes it far too easy for them to make something close to a point.) But it obscured the larger point: the growing disconnect between Washington D.C. and the American people. It's getting bigger by the day- and although it may be the smart politician that hitches their star to the populist anger sweeping the nation, but if elected, what guarantee, if any do we have of substantive change?
None whatsoever. Which is why I am now firmly convinced nothing is to be done. Both parties have proven themselves untrustworthy, incompetent and tone deaf to the needs of the American people and will continue to obfuscate and fail to do anything of consequence until the system we have now is broken down and swept away. The monopolistic strangehold on the political system that the two parties have has to be broken. Free and fair competition in the political 'marketplace' must be assured. The structures of our system are not designed to lead to a mess of parties bunging up the system and there is a current dearth of viable parties waiting to emerge- but breaking the two party control of the mechanisms of our democracy is crucial to ensuring an environment which would allow for the emergence of a third and maybe fourth party. Until such an event occurs, both parties will continue to trade power freely with no need to compromise or work together- why bother, when your time in opposition consists of waiting for the other party to screw it up. For any of the problems of this country to be solved, the American people need to have a way to say 'a plague on both your houses' and boot both parties from power in the favor of a third.
Two days after the State of the Union (which I didn't watch this year, thank goodness), the media erupted in joy. President Obama had gone to the House Republican Retreat in Baltimore and apparently, had totally schooled them all. Kicked ass, took names, etc. It was 'awesome.' Supposedly, anyway. Lefties, bloggers, the internet- fans of the Prez were reacting as if this were the coolest thing since sliced bread. People were getting practically aroused by it. The President stood at a podium and sounded confident and actually seemed to know what he was doing! Pass the Miracle Whip and a box of kleenex honey! We're having a party...
I resisted the urge to join in the hordes of people watching what seemed to amount to a piece of political porn. When it comes to political porn, I prefer things like 'The West Wing.' Liberal, sure- preachy sermons? Irritating, but they can be ignored. And then again, there's that saving grace of excellent writing and acting. It helps when politicians are fictional and can't do any real damage to anything.
Then the internet erupted once again: Sarah Palin had gone to the Tea Party Convention in Nashville and delivered the keynote address and she had... written some notes on her palm. This was apparently the end of civilization as we know it... she wrote something on her palm! (The media ignoring the shot of President Obama behind a veritable wall of teleprompters at an elementary school that had surfaced some weeks before.)
At that point, the Pres and the former Gov had forced my hand. I had to watch. I had to fortify myself, balance my chi and somehow harness the power of the internet to watch both Palin's speech and Obama's beatdown and see if they lived up to the hype. Nearly an hour and a half later, I was ready to poke my eyeballs out with a spoon, but the deed had been done. Between the two of them, they had manage to convince me that the two party system- in fact our political system as a whole is completely and utterly broken. And there's very little hope that it can be fixed anytime soon.
What convinced me?
Well, the supposed beatdown delivered by the President was anything but that. He was at his coma-inducing best , delivering sometimes blunt, oftentimes vague answers to Republican questions that amounted to little more than hot air. In a bit of even more depressing news, Republicans showed nothing remotely resembling coherence- instead offering sometimes blunt, sometimes vague questions that amounted to little more than hot air. A great debate? Hardly. An impressive performance? Nope. Just business as usual on the part of both sides. And given the fact that the Republican Party is supposed to save us from Democratic incompetence this November, the astonishingly tone-deaf performance of Republican leaders and members was truly rage inducing. Although both sides talked earnestly of bipartisanship and working together, one was left with the impression that both sides knew full well that it was all talk. No one wants to step up and get things done. No one wants to act like a grown up- and when the Democrats are back in the opposition, I'll imagine that they will be just as obstructionist as Republicans are being now. All this talk of ending the filibuster? Stupidity of the worst kind- the Democrats will only complain bitterly about it when out of power and the obstruction could be avoided entirely if someone in Washington would step up. But there's no chance of that now, I think.
Palin's speech was impressive. I honestly think that she might be the smartest politician in America right now, because unlike the tone deaf fools in Washington, she at least seemed to recognize that people are genuinely pissed off. As with any prominent woman that looks the least bit Presidential, a wall of sexist bullshit quickly sprang up from the media (Hillary Clinton gets it from the right, Palin from the left.) The obsession with her hand obscured a few key points-- she once again, seemed to spit at the idea of 'education' saying that we needed a 'commander in chief and not a professor of law at the lectern'- the anti-intellectual strains of the right once again rearing their irritating heads. (Though to be fair, the snotty elitism of academia makes it far too easy for them to make something close to a point.) But it obscured the larger point: the growing disconnect between Washington D.C. and the American people. It's getting bigger by the day- and although it may be the smart politician that hitches their star to the populist anger sweeping the nation, but if elected, what guarantee, if any do we have of substantive change?
None whatsoever. Which is why I am now firmly convinced nothing is to be done. Both parties have proven themselves untrustworthy, incompetent and tone deaf to the needs of the American people and will continue to obfuscate and fail to do anything of consequence until the system we have now is broken down and swept away. The monopolistic strangehold on the political system that the two parties have has to be broken. Free and fair competition in the political 'marketplace' must be assured. The structures of our system are not designed to lead to a mess of parties bunging up the system and there is a current dearth of viable parties waiting to emerge- but breaking the two party control of the mechanisms of our democracy is crucial to ensuring an environment which would allow for the emergence of a third and maybe fourth party. Until such an event occurs, both parties will continue to trade power freely with no need to compromise or work together- why bother, when your time in opposition consists of waiting for the other party to screw it up. For any of the problems of this country to be solved, the American people need to have a way to say 'a plague on both your houses' and boot both parties from power in the favor of a third.
Coup In Niger
There's been a coup (apparently) in uranium rich Niger. And their constitution has been suspended.
And Then There Were 3...
Former House Speaker Christopher Rants dropped his bid for Governor today, leaving Bob Vander Plaats, Terry Branstad, and Rod Roberts as the last three standing in what had been a veritable Republican free for all.
From my point of view, I would have been happier had Vander Plaats dropped out (he's scary right wing) but narrowing the field a bit defines what this race is really about for the GOP, I think. It's been 12 years since they put someone in the Governor's mansion, so they're looking for a winner- but culturally speaking, the Varnum Decision has them fired up (why, I don't know- but then again, I'm not a Republican and therefore don't think it's the end of the world as we know when two dudes want to get hitched.) Vander Plaats is their kick-ass cultural warrior, but Branstad is a proven winner. And Iowans right now (at least a surprising number of people I've talked too) remember 16 years in the Governor's mansion that didn't really turn out all that badly. At this point, I'd say this race is Branstad's to lose- but if Vander Plaats engages in an all-out war of attrition to get the nomination, keep a close eye on the third guy: Rod Roberts. From what I've read about him, he seems to be a sort of nice blend of the two of them and could be seen as a decent alternative if the top two start savaging each other too much for the liking of the voters.
From my point of view, I would have been happier had Vander Plaats dropped out (he's scary right wing) but narrowing the field a bit defines what this race is really about for the GOP, I think. It's been 12 years since they put someone in the Governor's mansion, so they're looking for a winner- but culturally speaking, the Varnum Decision has them fired up (why, I don't know- but then again, I'm not a Republican and therefore don't think it's the end of the world as we know when two dudes want to get hitched.) Vander Plaats is their kick-ass cultural warrior, but Branstad is a proven winner. And Iowans right now (at least a surprising number of people I've talked too) remember 16 years in the Governor's mansion that didn't really turn out all that badly. At this point, I'd say this race is Branstad's to lose- but if Vander Plaats engages in an all-out war of attrition to get the nomination, keep a close eye on the third guy: Rod Roberts. From what I've read about him, he seems to be a sort of nice blend of the two of them and could be seen as a decent alternative if the top two start savaging each other too much for the liking of the voters.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sarejevo 1984: Torvil and Dean
So, in honor of the Olympics, I'm going to find and post the coolest moments from every single Winter Olympiad in my life thus far. Just because. To start: Torvil and Dean's Perfect Performance from Sarejevo in 1984 (the year after I was born.) It changed the face of ice dancing forever and is one of the few Gold medals my motherland has actually won at the Winter Games. (Or at any Olympics, really.)
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Early Bracketology
It's coming up on March Madness, so with a trifle more knowledge than in years past, I'm attempting to assemble some early thoughts on whom I like to make the Final Four this year and potentially win it all. My early thoughts, apparently, need to talk to some of these teams, because UNI Star Jordan Eglseder (see above) got nabbed for a DWI on campus this past weekend (three game suspension with the big Bracketbuster against Old Dominion this week) and Villanova, my homies 'Nova after getting thumped by Georgetown rebounded nicely against West Virginia, only to go down to hapless UCONN.
So now I don't know what to think. My basic rules for March Madness work this way: Not UNC, not Duke and all the rest? Them we can talk about. I tend to take a very dim view of teams that win all the freakin' time. Variety, my friends, is the spice of life and never more so in the mass chaos and glorious collisions of talent we see in March Madness.
This year: from the Big East, Syracuse and Villanova stick out. Georgetown is lurking in there somewhere, but I don't think they're a Final Four Team this year. In the Big Ten (even more vicious than the Big East, basketball-wise) you have four: Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and flying firmly under the radar Wisconsin. The Big 12 has Kansas, the ACC Duke and potentially Wake Forest. And if you're looking for potential cinderella- presuming they get it- New Mexico and UNI might serve you well.
I think 'Cuse and 'Nova- one of them, if not both will go to the Final Four. Both, provided they don't have to climb over each other to get there, should be Elite 8 Teams. Kansas is rolling along nicely, so I think they're inevitably bound for the Final Four, barring a shock somewhere along the way. This isn't the year for the ACC, I don't think- which leaves the mess of the Big Ten to sort out. Sparty has been living on a prayer for awhile, so it's no surprise they've started to drop a few. Evan Turner and Ohio State are insane right now and the team I think could surprise a lot of people is Wisconsin. They're good. And they don't get a lot of attention.
But Purdue? (And I'm not saying this because the Hawkeyes got yet another beatdown from the Boilermakers a couple of days back either...) If they romp through the Big Ten Tournament, I'll be a believer. But there's something about them that just doesn't make my mojo sing, so to speak.
So: My Mardi Gras Elite 8
1. Syracuse
2. Villanova
3. Kansas
4. Purdue
5. Kansas State
6. Wisconsin
7. Gonzaga
8. Kentucky
Getting My Curl On!
Best part of the Winter Olympics? That's right: curling. (US Men are in action against Germany and it's all tied at 1 heading towards the last stones of the 3rd End. The Canadian Men are up 3-0 on Norway and the British men are down 1-0 to Sweden.)
Late Night Chronicles 55: A Pro Sports Franchise For Iowa?
Originally Posted on Facebook...
So about a week ago now, more or less, my buddy (not The Quiet Man, let's call him The Pale Man) came down to Iowa City in pursuit of a job (which he got by the by), but while he was here, we debated many topics in our usual manner, but one that did come up was this:
Des Moines (apparently) was labeled one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country some years ago- or last year, whenever it was, I wasn't really sure. But given that- could its growth reach a point where Des Moines (and by extension, Iowa) support a successful professional sports franchise?
It's an interesting question to consider- and worth noting that technically we've already had one, courtesy of the Iowa Barnstormers of the now more or less bankrupt and near-defunct Arena Football League- the AFL. Now, I know everyone is rolling their eyes and saying, 'OK Tom. But it was Arena Football' which I'm totally willing to concede. Having seen maybe one or two arena football games, I can't say that I found it that appealing or exciting- which probably explains why the League is now bankrupt.
But that leaves the question- which sport and which league could come to sunny old Des Moines? Iowa is situated in an interesting and potentially fatal geographical position. We are in the middle of a crowd of major media markets, which means that from the point of view of financial viability, Des Moines probably couldn't compete with markets like Chicago, the Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee and potentially even Denver have to offer. We're more or less in a crowd of major cities- all of which have teams and fans that spread their brand and tentacles across the Midwest- including most of Iowa. But let's knock the sports down one at a time, shall we?
1. Football: Not a chance in hell. First of all, we are way too small time for the NFL and ain't no expansion team out there who could compete with Da Bear, The Vikes, the Packers or even (few the fans are, in my experience) the Chiefs and the Rams. Second of all, you can't top the Hawkeyes or the Cyclones. College Football rules the state- it's a real, more gritty version of the game that happens in everyone's backyard, more or less and not in some overpriced gaudy Pro Stadium.
2. Baseball: Here, The Pale Man was more or less convinced that the MLB could come to town and bring a team with them. But I was less than convinced- in Iowa's smaller communities, yes, it may be true that baseball is extremely popular- and there is the Field of Dreams up in Dyersville, but there are also minor league teams scattered throughout the state- ranging from the I-Cubs to the Kernels and there's a quantifiable difference between the minor and major league experience- why pay more for a pro baseball team? And besides how are you going to convince the legions of Cubs fans throughout the state to support a new team? Really and truly? I don't think so...
3. Men's Basketball: Not so much. The NBA will go to Las Vegas before they come anywhere near here. Again, another case of being too big for us- plus, we're not exactly a state of Men's Basketball.
4. Hockey: Um, in Minnesota... sure. Here, not so much.
5. Women's Basketball: This ultimately proved to be my favorite notion. Women's basketball has always seemed to be more successful in the state of Iowa- and the girl's state tournament has been the high school tournament since the 1920s. An NCAA attendance record for a women's game was set in 1985 by Iowa, when 22,000 people jammed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena to watch Iowa play Ohio State. The tradition and the history are all there- and if a few players from Iowa State and Iowa find their way onto the new WNBA Team in Des Moines, I really think something could come of that. (Again, fans of basketball will be rolling their eyes and making jokes about women's basketball, but basketball is basketball and right now I sure wouldn't piss my money away on the Men's Team at Iowa. I remember the Women going to the Final Four. I wasn't alive the last time the men got even close...)
6. Soccer: I'm not sure how popular soccer is in the state of Iowa, but the MLS is impressing me more and more- it's expanding slowly but surely and the quality of play and players is improving with every passing year and since Minneapolis has a 'Division II' pro-team that is already established and in place, an MLS team in Des Moines? Eh, not entirely out of the question...
So there it is kids- the case for a pro team in Iowa. What do you think? Will Iowa have (or can we have now) a pro sports team? And if so, what sport will it be in? Feel free to comment...
(**In a side note, PTI today noted that the PAC-10 was looking at a two-team expansion their faves were BYU, Utah or Boise State. Thoughts on that?)
So about a week ago now, more or less, my buddy (not The Quiet Man, let's call him The Pale Man) came down to Iowa City in pursuit of a job (which he got by the by), but while he was here, we debated many topics in our usual manner, but one that did come up was this:
Des Moines (apparently) was labeled one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country some years ago- or last year, whenever it was, I wasn't really sure. But given that- could its growth reach a point where Des Moines (and by extension, Iowa) support a successful professional sports franchise?
It's an interesting question to consider- and worth noting that technically we've already had one, courtesy of the Iowa Barnstormers of the now more or less bankrupt and near-defunct Arena Football League- the AFL. Now, I know everyone is rolling their eyes and saying, 'OK Tom. But it was Arena Football' which I'm totally willing to concede. Having seen maybe one or two arena football games, I can't say that I found it that appealing or exciting- which probably explains why the League is now bankrupt.
But that leaves the question- which sport and which league could come to sunny old Des Moines? Iowa is situated in an interesting and potentially fatal geographical position. We are in the middle of a crowd of major media markets, which means that from the point of view of financial viability, Des Moines probably couldn't compete with markets like Chicago, the Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Milwaukee and potentially even Denver have to offer. We're more or less in a crowd of major cities- all of which have teams and fans that spread their brand and tentacles across the Midwest- including most of Iowa. But let's knock the sports down one at a time, shall we?
1. Football: Not a chance in hell. First of all, we are way too small time for the NFL and ain't no expansion team out there who could compete with Da Bear, The Vikes, the Packers or even (few the fans are, in my experience) the Chiefs and the Rams. Second of all, you can't top the Hawkeyes or the Cyclones. College Football rules the state- it's a real, more gritty version of the game that happens in everyone's backyard, more or less and not in some overpriced gaudy Pro Stadium.
2. Baseball: Here, The Pale Man was more or less convinced that the MLB could come to town and bring a team with them. But I was less than convinced- in Iowa's smaller communities, yes, it may be true that baseball is extremely popular- and there is the Field of Dreams up in Dyersville, but there are also minor league teams scattered throughout the state- ranging from the I-Cubs to the Kernels and there's a quantifiable difference between the minor and major league experience- why pay more for a pro baseball team? And besides how are you going to convince the legions of Cubs fans throughout the state to support a new team? Really and truly? I don't think so...
3. Men's Basketball: Not so much. The NBA will go to Las Vegas before they come anywhere near here. Again, another case of being too big for us- plus, we're not exactly a state of Men's Basketball.
4. Hockey: Um, in Minnesota... sure. Here, not so much.
5. Women's Basketball: This ultimately proved to be my favorite notion. Women's basketball has always seemed to be more successful in the state of Iowa- and the girl's state tournament has been the high school tournament since the 1920s. An NCAA attendance record for a women's game was set in 1985 by Iowa, when 22,000 people jammed into Carver-Hawkeye Arena to watch Iowa play Ohio State. The tradition and the history are all there- and if a few players from Iowa State and Iowa find their way onto the new WNBA Team in Des Moines, I really think something could come of that. (Again, fans of basketball will be rolling their eyes and making jokes about women's basketball, but basketball is basketball and right now I sure wouldn't piss my money away on the Men's Team at Iowa. I remember the Women going to the Final Four. I wasn't alive the last time the men got even close...)
6. Soccer: I'm not sure how popular soccer is in the state of Iowa, but the MLS is impressing me more and more- it's expanding slowly but surely and the quality of play and players is improving with every passing year and since Minneapolis has a 'Division II' pro-team that is already established and in place, an MLS team in Des Moines? Eh, not entirely out of the question...
So there it is kids- the case for a pro team in Iowa. What do you think? Will Iowa have (or can we have now) a pro sports team? And if so, what sport will it be in? Feel free to comment...
(**In a side note, PTI today noted that the PAC-10 was looking at a two-team expansion their faves were BYU, Utah or Boise State. Thoughts on that?)
You're Fired (Yay For Unions Edition!)
Found this on Instapundit and 'bout s--t a brick! Public School Teachers in Central Falls, Rhode Island, who were earning 70-78,000 a year in a town where the median income was 22K and the high school was terrible (50% graduation rate, according to the article) were asked to work 25 more minutes a day, do some tutoring, eat lunch with the students now and again, all in an attempt to improve one of the worst high schools in the state.
They said no. And the Superintendent fired them all. Every. Single. One.
Damn right, is what I say- and for the record, these were unionized teachers which is just another reason for me not to like unions. And more to the point, it's the very antithesis of what I want to do. If I'm going to be a teacher, I'm going to teach- and I'm going to be good at it and if I'm making 70K a year, I'm not going to turn down a reasonable request to help improve the school I'm at. Union be damned.
They said no. And the Superintendent fired them all. Every. Single. One.
Damn right, is what I say- and for the record, these were unionized teachers which is just another reason for me not to like unions. And more to the point, it's the very antithesis of what I want to do. If I'm going to be a teacher, I'm going to teach- and I'm going to be good at it and if I'm making 70K a year, I'm not going to turn down a reasonable request to help improve the school I'm at. Union be damned.
Medical Pot
The majority of Iowans are in favor of medicinal marijuana- and the Iowa Board of Pharmacy is set to issue a recommendation on whether or not to push forward with legalization of pot for medicinal use tomorrow. I think this is an excellent first step towards dropping prohibition of the stuff altogether, so I'm totally in favor- but the majority of Iowans don't yet agree with me on that score.
Monday, February 15, 2010
[Insert Cliche About Sinking Ships Here]
Indiana Senator Evan Bayh announced his retirement today, which took everyone by surprise. There are rumors about a primary challenge to Obama (rumors that Hillary is going to resign at some point and do the same damn thing as well) and in California- signs of potential vulnerability for of all people, Barbara Boxer.
One gets the feeling that the toilet has been flushed and the turds of the Democrats' control of Congress are slowly beginning to spin downwards. With increasing rapidity.
**UPDATED, 02/16/10: Apparently, Evan Bayh is totally uninterested in the White House-- (some speculation on what caused his retirement, here. Hehehehehe.) Oh, and Hillary says if Sarah Palin is elected President she won't be moving to Canada. Just in case anyone was worried.)
One gets the feeling that the toilet has been flushed and the turds of the Democrats' control of Congress are slowly beginning to spin downwards. With increasing rapidity.
**UPDATED, 02/16/10: Apparently, Evan Bayh is totally uninterested in the White House-- (some speculation on what caused his retirement, here. Hehehehehe.) Oh, and Hillary says if Sarah Palin is elected President she won't be moving to Canada. Just in case anyone was worried.)
Big Brother...
...will be watching you. Or rather, big business owner in downtown Iowa City. Cameras on the Ped Mall? I'm not entirely sure what to make of this idea other than to say that I'm not entirely sure what good, if any it's going to do.
Is Soda the New Tobacco?
...asks the New York Times. Please, NO. I'm tired of the government thinking that it knows what's best for me.
The $555,000 Question
Suddenly, I feel a little better about my student loan debt. $500,000? Ouch... but, the point remains: they need to do something about this. As economic conditions continue to deteriorate, universities will be forced to raise tuition to cover the shortfall, passing on the debt to the students themselves. In other words, it's getting harder to go to college. I'm not going to argue that it should be free- though given the fact that a college degree is supposed to be the ticket to an economically productive job of some kind, making it free should be considered. (People getting a good job and a college education being good for the economy as a whole.)
But-- not having a college degree doesn't seem to get you much anymore. (Of course, these days having one doesn't seem to help either.)
But-- not having a college degree doesn't seem to get you much anymore. (Of course, these days having one doesn't seem to help either.)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Is That It?
Behold, the pro-life Super Bowl ad that had oodles of people s--ting bricks: it was the end of civilization and humanity as we know it that CBS would run such an inflammatory, blatantly political ad on that Holiest of American Days, Super Bowl Sunday. It would sway people to the pro-life cause, end Roe v. Wade and begin a slow collapse of women's rights in this country that would leave women grasping for rusty coat hangers to end unwanted pregnancies in seedy back allies.
Behold, the ad:
It's the most inoffensive ad I've ever seen and doesn't even mention abortion. Go figure.
Behold, the ad:
It's the most inoffensive ad I've ever seen and doesn't even mention abortion. Go figure.
Monday, February 8, 2010
The Sporting Tidbits
New Orleans won the Super Bowl last night, beating Indianapolis 31-17. The game really picked up in the Second Half- but I'd just like to say that I think the Saints deserved this because they were genuinely the better team and earned it. Hurricanes had nothing to do with it.
The Iowa Men's Basketball team lost. Surprise, Surprise.
The Iowa Women's Basketball team won- and could I just say that if this young, talented squad keeps developing and playing with the consistency they've been showing of late, I'd consider throwing my Men's Balla Season Tickets out and getting Women's Tickets. Next season could be very, very exciting.
The Iowa Men's Basketball team lost. Surprise, Surprise.
The Iowa Women's Basketball team won- and could I just say that if this young, talented squad keeps developing and playing with the consistency they've been showing of late, I'd consider throwing my Men's Balla Season Tickets out and getting Women's Tickets. Next season could be very, very exciting.
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Power Of Thin Mints
Yesterday, the Iowa Women's Basketball team put in an impressive performance against the Purdue Boilermakers, coming away with a 70-50 victory on a crowded home court. It was an impressive rematch, considering that Iowa had gone to Purdue and lost 81-59 just two weeks ago. With injured players getting healthy again, it looks as if- tentatively- things may be starting to 'gel' to speak for the team and they might just be starting to play well, play consistently and get hot down the stretch. And it looks like the more they play, the better they look...
And then of course there were the Thin Mints. Yesterday was also 'Girl Scout Day' at Carver-Hawkeye and 800-1000 screaming Girl Scouts showed up early and participated in a little bit of a cheer clinic and learned all the cheers- and in a stroke of genius, Director of Basketball Operations Abby Emmert told the Girl Scouts to chant 'THIN MINTS, THIN MINTS, THIN MINTS!' whenever Purdue went to the free throw line. (A refreshing change from whatever obnoxious thing basketball fans usually shout when the opposing team is at the line.) And the Girl Scouts, being all about girl power and of course, cookies were nothing but enthusiastic about letting themselves be heard when Purdue was taking their shots.
The crazy thing is- it kinda worked. For the season Purdue was averaging about 70% at the line. Yesterday they were at 41%.
Behold, the power of thin mints.
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