Western society these days seems to run on two things: petroleum and cynicism. Before everyone stops reading and thinks that I have been replaced by a Thomas Friedman clone - I am not going to talk about American foreign or energy policy. The last ten years of American (Canadian, too, I suppose) sports are my concern. More precisely, how the cynicism of today's society, usually reserved for American foreign and energy policy, has infected the greatest bastion of hope, elation and small miracles.
As a fair warning to the readers, I am going to link to a story that, sadly, deals with Tiger Woods' recent public relations problem. Once again, some stupid journalism provides easy fodder for my blog.
I really hope sports fans don't remember the 2000-2009 period for this ridiculous runaway tabloid story. If I want to remember something unfortunate from this sporting era, how about the NHL deciding to unceremoniously fall on its sword, again, or the Detroit Lions receiving their karmic dues for destroying the career of possibly the best running back to ever play the game. Here is a short list of undeniably amazing sports stories from 2000-2009:
- 2004 AL Pennant series
- Michael Phelps @ 2008 Olympic Games
- 2006 Rose Bowl game
- Pat Tillman
- 2006 World Cup Final
- Lance Armstrong
- This:
-This:
Note: I may hate the hockey shootout, but remember, we're talking about cynicism in sports, not hypocrisy.
I will be among the first to say that humanity didn't start the 21st century very well. It comes as no surprise that the news and opinions are laced with cynicism. What a shame that a sports fan has allowed his cynicism to cloud his view of all the truly great experiences we've shared these last ten years.
Besides, every good sports cynic knows that the baseball steroid saga is the best story of the decade.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Muster the Hoplites, Alcibiades!
I've been pondering some ideas for a new blog post. Back in late September I was going to write about the Roman disaster in the Teutoburg Forest which occurred exactly 2000 years ago (in September) and how that marked the end of Roman expansionism even though the Empire would continue to thrive for centuries. Unfortunately, that post will have to wait for the next anniversary.
Since there were a lot of interesting news stories today, I felt that a blog post of miscellany would be appropriate.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Friday that once again, America would be a nation ruled by laws. Ten of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay will have their day in court. However, I might be giving the AG and the Obama Administration a little too much praise. True, criminal charges and trials are long overdue and I'm glad to see that the Justice system finally found the WD-40 to get the gears turning. The fact remains that Guantanamo Bay remains an open wound in America's credibility and a rallying cry for Muslim extremists.
Furthermore, I still have doubts that the prisoners at Guantanamo will receive fair trials. Are confessions or evidence given under duress really admissable in a court (military or civilian)? Granted, the current Administration is in a tough situation that they themselves didn't create, but the fact remains that no fair, legal structure exists to deal with this situation. Five of the prisoners mentioned by Mr. Holder will be tried in a civilian court while the others will face a military court. Who determines which prisoner is tried where?
I definitely do not envy what the Administration has on its plate. I won't even touch the issues of the executions likely to result from these trials or the irrational fear of just keeping these prisoners on U.S. soil instead of limbo.
About a month ago, NASA smashed a probe into the south pole of the Moon to see if there was anything interesting (water). Apparently, they found a fair bit of water. This is an interesting discovery, but not terribly surprising and does very little to convince me that the Moon is a prime location for colonization. The fact remains that the Moon is a very dead and unexciting place. The Moon would be a great location for the second human colony or a huge observatory. If NASA/America wants to push manned exploration, Mars remains the most promising destination. It has an atmosphere and liquid water and low gravity which make it far more interesting that the Moon. Propellant can be produced on site and the low gravity makes Mars an ideal hub for human exploration (it's easier to get from Mars to the Moon than from the Earth to the Moon).
Unfortunately, the American space program is having an identity crisis, Russia and Europe are content with low orbit and China is looking for a nationalistic statement with their prospective Moon mission. Meanwhile, the weaponized Ebola and Von Neumann machines are desperate to make us regret not having a backup planet.
This week I started reading a book called "Tides of War" by Steven Pressfield. It's a bit of historical fiction about Alcibiades and the fateful Sicilian Expedition. Naturally, whenever I read it, I am reminded of the Sicilian Expeditions undertaken by the latest Bush Administration and continued by the current Administration. I will be the first to admit that the historical parallels between the Peloponnesian War and today are fairly weak, but the lesson is no less relevant.
Athens was on the rebound during the Peace of Nicias which ended the war against Sparta (low level conflicts continued elsewhere, but they were proxy wars at worst). The depleted treasury began to recover and the plague subsided when Atticans returned to their towns and farms. Then some backwater town in Sicily with loose ties to Athens called for help and a demagogic Athenian named Alcibiades decided to use this as an opportunity to expand the Athenian Empire. Three years, thousands of talents, hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of troops later, the Sicilian Expedition was over and, for all practical purposes, annihilated.
Athens went in with no regional allies, a crooked, hubristic leader and emerged poorer, weaker and at war with Sparta once more. Alcibiades was tried, in absentia during the campaign, for holding sacreligious parties and decided to switch sides. Command of the expedition fell into the hands of one of the few Athenians who opposed Alcibiades adventurism, Nicias. Prior to the beginning of the ill-fated campaign, he pleaded with the Athenian assembly to reconsider. Once Athens was committed, no one thought to call the ships back when things went awry.
Athenians learned the truth about national exceptionalism the hard way. Probably a lesson about the limits to imperial expansion in there, too (Teutoburg Forest is another good one). For the folks averse to "irrelevant" ancient history, the Soviet Union learned this lesson not even 30 years ago in an all too familiar setting.
Since there were a lot of interesting news stories today, I felt that a blog post of miscellany would be appropriate.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Friday that once again, America would be a nation ruled by laws. Ten of the detainees at Guantanamo Bay will have their day in court. However, I might be giving the AG and the Obama Administration a little too much praise. True, criminal charges and trials are long overdue and I'm glad to see that the Justice system finally found the WD-40 to get the gears turning. The fact remains that Guantanamo Bay remains an open wound in America's credibility and a rallying cry for Muslim extremists.
Furthermore, I still have doubts that the prisoners at Guantanamo will receive fair trials. Are confessions or evidence given under duress really admissable in a court (military or civilian)? Granted, the current Administration is in a tough situation that they themselves didn't create, but the fact remains that no fair, legal structure exists to deal with this situation. Five of the prisoners mentioned by Mr. Holder will be tried in a civilian court while the others will face a military court. Who determines which prisoner is tried where?
I definitely do not envy what the Administration has on its plate. I won't even touch the issues of the executions likely to result from these trials or the irrational fear of just keeping these prisoners on U.S. soil instead of limbo.
About a month ago, NASA smashed a probe into the south pole of the Moon to see if there was anything interesting (water). Apparently, they found a fair bit of water. This is an interesting discovery, but not terribly surprising and does very little to convince me that the Moon is a prime location for colonization. The fact remains that the Moon is a very dead and unexciting place. The Moon would be a great location for the second human colony or a huge observatory. If NASA/America wants to push manned exploration, Mars remains the most promising destination. It has an atmosphere and liquid water and low gravity which make it far more interesting that the Moon. Propellant can be produced on site and the low gravity makes Mars an ideal hub for human exploration (it's easier to get from Mars to the Moon than from the Earth to the Moon).
Unfortunately, the American space program is having an identity crisis, Russia and Europe are content with low orbit and China is looking for a nationalistic statement with their prospective Moon mission. Meanwhile, the weaponized Ebola and Von Neumann machines are desperate to make us regret not having a backup planet.
This week I started reading a book called "Tides of War" by Steven Pressfield. It's a bit of historical fiction about Alcibiades and the fateful Sicilian Expedition. Naturally, whenever I read it, I am reminded of the Sicilian Expeditions undertaken by the latest Bush Administration and continued by the current Administration. I will be the first to admit that the historical parallels between the Peloponnesian War and today are fairly weak, but the lesson is no less relevant.
Athens was on the rebound during the Peace of Nicias which ended the war against Sparta (low level conflicts continued elsewhere, but they were proxy wars at worst). The depleted treasury began to recover and the plague subsided when Atticans returned to their towns and farms. Then some backwater town in Sicily with loose ties to Athens called for help and a demagogic Athenian named Alcibiades decided to use this as an opportunity to expand the Athenian Empire. Three years, thousands of talents, hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of troops later, the Sicilian Expedition was over and, for all practical purposes, annihilated.
Athens went in with no regional allies, a crooked, hubristic leader and emerged poorer, weaker and at war with Sparta once more. Alcibiades was tried, in absentia during the campaign, for holding sacreligious parties and decided to switch sides. Command of the expedition fell into the hands of one of the few Athenians who opposed Alcibiades adventurism, Nicias. Prior to the beginning of the ill-fated campaign, he pleaded with the Athenian assembly to reconsider. Once Athens was committed, no one thought to call the ships back when things went awry.
Athenians learned the truth about national exceptionalism the hard way. Probably a lesson about the limits to imperial expansion in there, too (Teutoburg Forest is another good one). For the folks averse to "irrelevant" ancient history, the Soviet Union learned this lesson not even 30 years ago in an all too familiar setting.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Peace through Fear
I am usually a fan of Time magazine. Their stories are typically decent and usually display a sliver of wisdom and enlightenment. Then I read one of their stories today about nuclear weapons and the Nobel Peace Prize. As I mentioned in my last blog post, nuclear policy reading can be downright chilling simply because of the necessity of level-headed discourse. This story completely blind-sided me with its callous ignorance of fact, history and humanity.
Mr. Von Drehle does accurately point out that following World War Two, the number of people killed in conflicts across the world declined sharply. Industrialized warfare, most notably in the First and Second World Wars, produced unprecedented body counts even if you take out those killed in Stalin's purges or the Holocaust. The rise of nuclear weaponry and the bipolar world order of the Cold War created stability through fear.
Though I may disagree with those that characterize Cold War nuclear strategy through the over-simplistic notion of M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction), the consequences of even a limited nuclear exchange between the Soviet Union and U.S. would have been nothing short of catastrophic. Plus, the assumptions that damage reports would easily distinguish a limited strike from an urban/industrial strike and that cooler heads would prevail in the midst of a nuclear war are specious, at best. Tens of millions would dead in less than a few hours and more would perish in the following months and years due to radiation exposure, starvation, and the violence that would be created by the collapse of society. Fear of a nuclear holocaust kept the safeties on and the silos sealed.
Imagine, for a moment, that U.S. and British efforts to halt Germany's nuclear program during World War Two had been unsuccessful. Would Hitler and Roosevelt have been able to stay their hands under an existing state of total war? Truman was obviously unable.
What message does one send by suggesting that nuclear weapons are a tool of peace? One legitimizes the repugnant attitudes and ideas of men like Douglas MacArthur and Curtis LeMay and gives credence to people like Commander Eugene Tatom who infamously said, "You could stand in the open at one end of the north-south runway at the Washington National Airport, with no more protection than the clothes you now have on, and have an atom bomb explode at the other end of the runway without serious injury to you."
I also find it immensely disrespectful to the 200,000+ people that died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to suggest that nuclear weapons are tools of peace. Are the people who died in the years after 1945 due to cancers caused by atmospheric nuclear tests victims of peace?
In today's mono- trending towards multi-polar world, nuclear weapons are tools of instability. As inheritors of Cold War arsenals, the U.S. and Russia have and must continue to tirelessly strive to disarm and minimize proliferation. Regimes in Iran and North Korea are unsurprisingly interested in nuclear weapons. Iran is sandwiched by heavy concentrations of U.S. ground troops and has an ongoing rivalry with unofficial nuclear state, Israel. North Korea is still technically in a state of war with the U.S. If India and Pakistan were to go to war, what would stop them from using nuclear weapons to preserve their sovereignty.
Many (Mr. Von Drehle included) say that advocates of disarmament are naive to think that a nuclear-free world is possible. Indeed, getting countries like Israel, Pakistan and India to disarm will not come easy. However, I must ask why the U.S. still needs nuclear weapons. Russia is not our enemy anymore nor do they want to be. China's economic ties to the U.S. are too valuable to waste on nuclear rivalry. Were Iran or North Korea to acquire an adequate means of delivering a nuclear strike on the U.S. homeland or military assets, why would they risk the overthrow of their government via the massive conventional retaliation delivered by everyone that hates seeing nuclear weapons used (a.k.a. everyone)? If a terrorist group were to acquire a nuclear device and detonate it in London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, or New York how could those respective nations respond in kind with their "deterrent"?
If, through some cruel twist of fate, a post-nuclear weapons America needed nuclear weapons again, we have all the pieces we need to build a new nuclear arsenal.
I would rather see President Obama undeservedly win the next 50 Nobel Peace Prizes than see Mr. Von Drehle's irresponsible viewpoint vindicated.
Mr. Von Drehle does accurately point out that following World War Two, the number of people killed in conflicts across the world declined sharply. Industrialized warfare, most notably in the First and Second World Wars, produced unprecedented body counts even if you take out those killed in Stalin's purges or the Holocaust. The rise of nuclear weaponry and the bipolar world order of the Cold War created stability through fear.
Though I may disagree with those that characterize Cold War nuclear strategy through the over-simplistic notion of M.A.D. (Mutually Assured Destruction), the consequences of even a limited nuclear exchange between the Soviet Union and U.S. would have been nothing short of catastrophic. Plus, the assumptions that damage reports would easily distinguish a limited strike from an urban/industrial strike and that cooler heads would prevail in the midst of a nuclear war are specious, at best. Tens of millions would dead in less than a few hours and more would perish in the following months and years due to radiation exposure, starvation, and the violence that would be created by the collapse of society. Fear of a nuclear holocaust kept the safeties on and the silos sealed.
Imagine, for a moment, that U.S. and British efforts to halt Germany's nuclear program during World War Two had been unsuccessful. Would Hitler and Roosevelt have been able to stay their hands under an existing state of total war? Truman was obviously unable.
What message does one send by suggesting that nuclear weapons are a tool of peace? One legitimizes the repugnant attitudes and ideas of men like Douglas MacArthur and Curtis LeMay and gives credence to people like Commander Eugene Tatom who infamously said, "You could stand in the open at one end of the north-south runway at the Washington National Airport, with no more protection than the clothes you now have on, and have an atom bomb explode at the other end of the runway without serious injury to you."
I also find it immensely disrespectful to the 200,000+ people that died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 to suggest that nuclear weapons are tools of peace. Are the people who died in the years after 1945 due to cancers caused by atmospheric nuclear tests victims of peace?
In today's mono- trending towards multi-polar world, nuclear weapons are tools of instability. As inheritors of Cold War arsenals, the U.S. and Russia have and must continue to tirelessly strive to disarm and minimize proliferation. Regimes in Iran and North Korea are unsurprisingly interested in nuclear weapons. Iran is sandwiched by heavy concentrations of U.S. ground troops and has an ongoing rivalry with unofficial nuclear state, Israel. North Korea is still technically in a state of war with the U.S. If India and Pakistan were to go to war, what would stop them from using nuclear weapons to preserve their sovereignty.
Many (Mr. Von Drehle included) say that advocates of disarmament are naive to think that a nuclear-free world is possible. Indeed, getting countries like Israel, Pakistan and India to disarm will not come easy. However, I must ask why the U.S. still needs nuclear weapons. Russia is not our enemy anymore nor do they want to be. China's economic ties to the U.S. are too valuable to waste on nuclear rivalry. Were Iran or North Korea to acquire an adequate means of delivering a nuclear strike on the U.S. homeland or military assets, why would they risk the overthrow of their government via the massive conventional retaliation delivered by everyone that hates seeing nuclear weapons used (a.k.a. everyone)? If a terrorist group were to acquire a nuclear device and detonate it in London, Paris, Moscow, Beijing, or New York how could those respective nations respond in kind with their "deterrent"?
If, through some cruel twist of fate, a post-nuclear weapons America needed nuclear weapons again, we have all the pieces we need to build a new nuclear arsenal.
I would rather see President Obama undeservedly win the next 50 Nobel Peace Prizes than see Mr. Von Drehle's irresponsible viewpoint vindicated.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
You Might Want to Sit Down for this…
I’ve been pondering a way to break the proverbial ice locking in my little corner of the internet. Sure I could’ve posted about my internship or how the Forcier is with Michigan [sic] at last or my extreme discomfort when the Metro train shrieks like a banshee when going fast through dark tunnels, but that would be the same self-centered drivel I usually shovel onto the pile. It just so happens that a more noble and interesting topic found its way to me this week.
First some background information is required. As some may not yet know, I am now living in Alexandria, VA and I have an interesting job, with fantastic hours, but the financial compensation leaves much to be desired. I work as an intern at the National Security Archive at George Washington University in downtown DC. My boss is a research professor who works for the archive on a number of projects dealing with the history of nuclear weapons. I will admit that the topic of nuclear weapons policy is a morbid one and the more I read about it – it becomes a sordid subject. Nevertheless, I am always intrigued by the policy making process regarding nuclear weapons and its evolution throughout the Cold War.
I get to do all kinds of cool things like submitting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to government agencies and digging through the National Archives for relevant documents (often for the purpose of sending more FOIA requests). Like any job, there are some downsides. For one, the intern room also serves as a storage room and the intern chairs are uncomfortable. So I lack some creature comforts, the real downside is what I ran across this week: too much information.
One of the things I get to do is sift through excessively redacted government documents and try to find out what was excised. The best way to go about this is going through relevant published academic books and papers and, occasionally, other government documents. Very rarely do you come across something from 1945-1985 that is truly classified. Most weapons systems and diplomatic relationship have changed dramatically since then and full disclosure is hardly a threat to national security. So I was going through a batch of documents this week that were really tough cases. They were heavily redacted and fairly obscure.
One particular document was a 1971 hypothetical timeline of a nuclear exchange between the Soviet Union and the U.S. The timeline assumed a Soviet first strike, but it was oddly different from the typical timelines. Most civilian and military policy analysts agree (and plan) that a first strike would be opened with strikes from submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs). SLBMs can best take advantage of the element of surprise since detection of launches is usually too late to mitigate damage. Most modern estimates predict that coastal command and control centers (a.k.a. Washington, D.C.) would have less than 15 minutes warning. More significantly, SLBMs also would be responsible for setting off EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse) blasts that would disable most of the power grid. Strangely, the 1971 timeline excluded this element.
Anyway, this timeline was missing the timeframes (easy to find information, pointlessly redacted), moment-by-moment casualty estimates (pure speculation, but final estimates are also easy to find) and certain weapon systems (most prominent or secret 1971 weapons systems are mainstream or decommissioned today). While I was digging around for some answers I came across a report issued by the Office of Technology Assessment in response to a request from Congress for an assessment of the effects of a nuclear war. The report is aptly titled “The Effects of Nuclear War”. Usually when I read stuff like this, I’m able to stay pretty unemotional, but this one just hit me like a truck. It is a slightly long-ish read, so if you want the stuff that inspired me to write, read pages 15-39 and Appendix C. The whole thing is very well written and downright sobering.
Using Detroit as a case study was a bolt out of the blue and definitely hit close to home. Since most of the readers here have some familiarity with Detroit, I felt the urge to share. The cold discussion of the effects produced by varying the altitude and yield really hurts when dealing with a place that you know. The story in Appendix C is also a great read. It reminded me of The Road, minus the disturbing imagery.
Speaking of The Road, I really enjoyed the book, but I don’t know if I can go see the movie this fall. The imagery in the book was really intense and downright unsettling. I don’t know if I could handle that kind of stuff in a movie. Still, I think The Road is a great book to transfer onto film.
Fortunately, a lot has changed since that 1979 report came out. The chance of an all-out nuclear war is pretty slim for the foreseeable future. The U.S. has an administration that has shown limited interest in pursuing new nuclear weapons and is dedicated to stabilizing diplomatic relations with countries that possess large nuclear arsenals (thanks Kevin!).
Edit: I apologize for the hideous text formatting. My html knowledge is very basic and I guess trying to use a real word processor to write an 840 word blog post is a terrible idea. I doubt I will find the patience to fix this, hopefully the content makes up for the disheveled appearance.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
That's No Moon...
The big rumor circling around the internet is that Lucasarts (the software developer for Star Wars games) is going to announce a reboot of the X-wing/TIE Fighter space sim series. Anyone who has dabbled in the space sim genre knows that TIE Fighter is one of the best, if not THE best space sim ever made.
I was searching for some more info on the rumors this afternoon, when I found this fantastic op-ed piece. As the author notes, there is no shortage of cultural metaphors and analogies referring to the American Empire past and present. However, the similarities between the TIE Fighter world and the post-9/11 world are uncanny. Media, even emergent media like video games, has a stunning ability to alter perspectives in truly brutal fashion. Blasting the good guys in X-wings out of the sky feels like the right thing to do at every turn.
As a just a game, TIE Fighter is immensely fun. As a specimen of how media can drastically affect the way we think and act, it is a powerful, if not slightly disturbing, experience.
I was searching for some more info on the rumors this afternoon, when I found this fantastic op-ed piece. As the author notes, there is no shortage of cultural metaphors and analogies referring to the American Empire past and present. However, the similarities between the TIE Fighter world and the post-9/11 world are uncanny. Media, even emergent media like video games, has a stunning ability to alter perspectives in truly brutal fashion. Blasting the good guys in X-wings out of the sky feels like the right thing to do at every turn.
As a just a game, TIE Fighter is immensely fun. As a specimen of how media can drastically affect the way we think and act, it is a powerful, if not slightly disturbing, experience.
Friday, August 7, 2009
State of American Discourse
America has a lot of problems. Protracted foreign wars, intransigent regimes in Iran, North Korea and beyond, bloated government programs and an unequal and unjust society are but a few of these problems. Fortunately, America has a lot of problem-solvers and wealth. With all these problems and potential solutions, why do so many problems remain unresolved?
Another problem with America is a tendency towards Attention Deficit Disorder in the media and electorate. Fringe issues like abortion, religious affiliation, and a person's upbringing have become litmus tests for candidates and loud distractions for whoever is in power at the time. The screaming of fringe fanatics often prevents discourse on any issue (especially if the issue happens to be their fringe issue). This bizarre social handicap makes the most recent policy discussions unique.
Of late, a lot of time and energy has been directed at reforming the health care system (not a fringe issue). Personally, I think the status quo in health care is broken, wasteful and shameful. However, I'm not going to discuss the reform plans. I'm not a health care expert and the associated phenomenon is much more fun to talk about.
To the dismay of Mr. Obama and many Democrats, Congress has been unable to push health care reform out the door before the August recess. So now we have members of Congress appearing at public events trying to get feedback from constituents. Going into this, many must have been thinking about this great opportunity to add more voices and ideas to the debate. Instead, a number of these "townhall meetings" have degenerated into shouting matches, disgruntled choir practices and opportunities for rookie police officers to practice kicking disruptive people out of public events. It seems like the fringe issue crowd has infiltrated the real issue crowd. What a shame.
This is one of those rare occasions when average citizens get a chance to talk directly to policy makers about an ongoing debate over an important issue. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans have mindlessly destroyed a rare opportunity to advance a national dialogue on health care reform. The culture warriors have put on new hats, but their tactics remain as transparent and tactless as ever.
One of the less than savory characters involved with this new chapter in public discourse is Rick Scott, founder of Conservatives for Patient's Rights (their commercials are frequently on TV and can probably be found on Youtube). Mr. Scott's career history would make you think that Republicans wouldn't want to touch him with a 12-foot pole. Rick Scott founded a hospital chain that was caught by the FBI defrauding Medicare. Three executives were indicted and Mr. Scott was ousted by the board. When all was said and done, the hospital chain plead guilty on 14 counts of felony and was forced to pay $1.7 billion in civil and criminal charges. He was never charged, but his involvement with the whole affair clearly gives him a dubious reputation.
In defense of the plebs, the amount of information available on the 1000+ page health care bill is thin. I don't plan on reading that behemoth (sounds like the job for a Congressman or journalist), but that doesn't mean I'm not interested or concerned about the contents. I know that a couple other people are probably thinking the same thing, but I save my yelling for sports events and video games.
The rumors that the meeting crashers are Republican operatives are probably true in some cases, but I think a lot of these disgruntled people have simply let their fear blind them. Maybe in the future they should run a Public Discourse 101 seminar before these meetings.
Yoda hits the nail on the head.
Sorry about the lack of updates recently. Life has gotten more busy of late and my upcoming move to DC probably won't slow my life down right away.
Another problem with America is a tendency towards Attention Deficit Disorder in the media and electorate. Fringe issues like abortion, religious affiliation, and a person's upbringing have become litmus tests for candidates and loud distractions for whoever is in power at the time. The screaming of fringe fanatics often prevents discourse on any issue (especially if the issue happens to be their fringe issue). This bizarre social handicap makes the most recent policy discussions unique.
Of late, a lot of time and energy has been directed at reforming the health care system (not a fringe issue). Personally, I think the status quo in health care is broken, wasteful and shameful. However, I'm not going to discuss the reform plans. I'm not a health care expert and the associated phenomenon is much more fun to talk about.
To the dismay of Mr. Obama and many Democrats, Congress has been unable to push health care reform out the door before the August recess. So now we have members of Congress appearing at public events trying to get feedback from constituents. Going into this, many must have been thinking about this great opportunity to add more voices and ideas to the debate. Instead, a number of these "townhall meetings" have degenerated into shouting matches, disgruntled choir practices and opportunities for rookie police officers to practice kicking disruptive people out of public events. It seems like the fringe issue crowd has infiltrated the real issue crowd. What a shame.
This is one of those rare occasions when average citizens get a chance to talk directly to policy makers about an ongoing debate over an important issue. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Americans have mindlessly destroyed a rare opportunity to advance a national dialogue on health care reform. The culture warriors have put on new hats, but their tactics remain as transparent and tactless as ever.
One of the less than savory characters involved with this new chapter in public discourse is Rick Scott, founder of Conservatives for Patient's Rights (their commercials are frequently on TV and can probably be found on Youtube). Mr. Scott's career history would make you think that Republicans wouldn't want to touch him with a 12-foot pole. Rick Scott founded a hospital chain that was caught by the FBI defrauding Medicare. Three executives were indicted and Mr. Scott was ousted by the board. When all was said and done, the hospital chain plead guilty on 14 counts of felony and was forced to pay $1.7 billion in civil and criminal charges. He was never charged, but his involvement with the whole affair clearly gives him a dubious reputation.
In defense of the plebs, the amount of information available on the 1000+ page health care bill is thin. I don't plan on reading that behemoth (sounds like the job for a Congressman or journalist), but that doesn't mean I'm not interested or concerned about the contents. I know that a couple other people are probably thinking the same thing, but I save my yelling for sports events and video games.
The rumors that the meeting crashers are Republican operatives are probably true in some cases, but I think a lot of these disgruntled people have simply let their fear blind them. Maybe in the future they should run a Public Discourse 101 seminar before these meetings.
Yoda hits the nail on the head.
Sorry about the lack of updates recently. Life has gotten more busy of late and my upcoming move to DC probably won't slow my life down right away.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Things that Go "..." in the Night
This morning I was visiting the Dragon Age: Origins website for the first time in a few weeks to see if they updated any of their content. Naturally, they have a few new things, yet I find myself woefully unfulfilled. Whenever I visit websites dedicated to Starcraft 2 or Star Wars The Old Republic or even Star Trek Online, I leave the site more excited about the game than when I arrived. Dragon Age, of late, has had the direct opposite effect.
The website itself is downright garish in appearance. I wish the internet archive website had some records of the site from earlier this year, because it wasn't always this way. It used to have a black background and was a more traditional RPG website. Visiting the website 6 months ago, it was unmistakeably a classic RPG game. Today, I would be interested to see a poll of people visiting the website for the first time with no knowledge of the game asking what genre Dragon Age: Origins belongs to. When I look at the site, I see a game pandering to the great unwashed masses that hold up Halo, Gears of War, Killzone and Mortal Kombat as the great masterpieces of gaming*. It's bloody, violent, and features a loading bar consisting of an orc head slowly sliding down the sword upon which it is impaled. Classy.
Even the trailers and teaser videos that have been released lately are of dubious quality. From the beginning of the development, Bioware has said that they are purposefully aiming for a mature-themed game and would not hold back on the blood, sex, and language. Of course, I have no problem with this as long as the game delivers on its other promise: a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. Prior to the recent batch of content, all the trailers focused on the qualities I would look for in an RPG. Then, around the time of E3, the new wave of Dragon Age marketing began. Blood and sex were the featured attractions and cool things like believable/lovable/hateable characters, intriguing stories and epic setting turned into a bloody action slasher (a "blasher", if you will). Furthermore, the appropriate and exciting fantasy RPG soundtrack has been replaced with heavy metal rock music.
I realize that I can't put the game devs and game marketers into the same mental equation, but it's hard not to. When I'm excited about an RPG game and the studio releases new information, I want relevant RPG material that will get me excited (supposedly, that's what a marketing team should want too). Instead, I get "blasher" promos serenaded by Marilyn Manson. It feels like a betrayal of the community that will ultimately support and play the game for the months and years after the release date (while the ham-headed marketing target audience throws the game out because they don't know what an ability or dialogue tree is).
In reality, all this garbage marketing will do little to effect my purchasing decision. Several months ago, Bioware released a number of impressive developer walkthrough videos that demoed the gameplay and game editor. I was sold.
At the end of the day, Electronic Arts is to blame for the atrocious change in Bioware's game advertising. When EA bought Bioware over a year ago, I expected that something like this would happen. I continue to fear that development decisions will also be affected. The recent change in the Dragon Age marketing direction stinks of EA's baleful influence. Fortunately, Star Wars The Old Republic has the protection of the Star Wars franchise to block the EA marketing monster. Therefore, the SWTOR website and marketing is excellent.
On a Star Wars sidenote: Lucasarts will be announcing a "new, old game" on Monday. Granted, it won't necessarily be a Star Wars game, but I can hope for a new X-wing/TIE Fighter game.
My final hope is that the guys who design the box art work a long way from the guys who design the website and trailers. I really don't want to get a stark white box with a blood splatter dragon adorning the cover. I want a subdued and attractive box like the Neverwinter Nights 2 or Witcher Enhanced Edition (in my opinion, the best looking game box on store shelves) boxes.
*I can't deny that I enjoy games like Halo, Gears of War and Killzone. They are the summer movies of the video game industry. They are fun and occasionally thoughtful, but they cannot hold a candle to games like Half-Life, Starcraft, or Knights of the Old Republic.
UPDATE:
Well, looks like all hope is lost...
By the way, the file name for this image is "BloodDragonBox.jpg"...
The website itself is downright garish in appearance. I wish the internet archive website had some records of the site from earlier this year, because it wasn't always this way. It used to have a black background and was a more traditional RPG website. Visiting the website 6 months ago, it was unmistakeably a classic RPG game. Today, I would be interested to see a poll of people visiting the website for the first time with no knowledge of the game asking what genre Dragon Age: Origins belongs to. When I look at the site, I see a game pandering to the great unwashed masses that hold up Halo, Gears of War, Killzone and Mortal Kombat as the great masterpieces of gaming*. It's bloody, violent, and features a loading bar consisting of an orc head slowly sliding down the sword upon which it is impaled. Classy.
Even the trailers and teaser videos that have been released lately are of dubious quality. From the beginning of the development, Bioware has said that they are purposefully aiming for a mature-themed game and would not hold back on the blood, sex, and language. Of course, I have no problem with this as long as the game delivers on its other promise: a spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. Prior to the recent batch of content, all the trailers focused on the qualities I would look for in an RPG. Then, around the time of E3, the new wave of Dragon Age marketing began. Blood and sex were the featured attractions and cool things like believable/lovable/hateable characters, intriguing stories and epic setting turned into a bloody action slasher (a "blasher", if you will). Furthermore, the appropriate and exciting fantasy RPG soundtrack has been replaced with heavy metal rock music.
I realize that I can't put the game devs and game marketers into the same mental equation, but it's hard not to. When I'm excited about an RPG game and the studio releases new information, I want relevant RPG material that will get me excited (supposedly, that's what a marketing team should want too). Instead, I get "blasher" promos serenaded by Marilyn Manson. It feels like a betrayal of the community that will ultimately support and play the game for the months and years after the release date (while the ham-headed marketing target audience throws the game out because they don't know what an ability or dialogue tree is).
In reality, all this garbage marketing will do little to effect my purchasing decision. Several months ago, Bioware released a number of impressive developer walkthrough videos that demoed the gameplay and game editor. I was sold.
At the end of the day, Electronic Arts is to blame for the atrocious change in Bioware's game advertising. When EA bought Bioware over a year ago, I expected that something like this would happen. I continue to fear that development decisions will also be affected. The recent change in the Dragon Age marketing direction stinks of EA's baleful influence. Fortunately, Star Wars The Old Republic has the protection of the Star Wars franchise to block the EA marketing monster. Therefore, the SWTOR website and marketing is excellent.
On a Star Wars sidenote: Lucasarts will be announcing a "new, old game" on Monday. Granted, it won't necessarily be a Star Wars game, but I can hope for a new X-wing/TIE Fighter game.
My final hope is that the guys who design the box art work a long way from the guys who design the website and trailers. I really don't want to get a stark white box with a blood splatter dragon adorning the cover. I want a subdued and attractive box like the Neverwinter Nights 2 or Witcher Enhanced Edition (in my opinion, the best looking game box on store shelves) boxes.
*I can't deny that I enjoy games like Halo, Gears of War and Killzone. They are the summer movies of the video game industry. They are fun and occasionally thoughtful, but they cannot hold a candle to games like Half-Life, Starcraft, or Knights of the Old Republic.
UPDATE:
Well, looks like all hope is lost...
By the way, the file name for this image is "BloodDragonBox.jpg"...
Monday, June 1, 2009
Ducks and Hawks and Penguins
Ok, so "Hawks" is technically short for the Blackhawk tribe of Native Americans, but I'm sure the Anglicized tribe name comes from the bird.
Anyway, I write this blog post to inform everyone that my regular blogging will resume sometime next week. Just so this entire post doesn't turn into a non sequitur, I'm waiting for the conclusion of NHL playoffs and the three aforementioned avian species are also the mascots of the three most recent teams the Red Wings have faced in the playoffs.
Topics I hope to hit upon resumption of regular blogging: North Korea, Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Electronic Arts marketing division.
Edit:
Ok, maybe I will add something of substance, but it's more hockey, so forgive me.
Again, I hold the management of the NHL in utter contempt for the current state of the game. Hockey is an amazing sport and quite possibly the most dynamic and exciting, but the national respect for the game is at an all-time low.
It's very, very easy to criticize TV networks like NBC, Fox, and Versus for their questionable marketing choices, but the onus is on the league management to make deals that are best for the sport. The NHL front office has done a great disservice to hockey in its business dealings. Here's the situation: in 2005 the NHL is about to emerge from another lockout season and looks for television deals. ESPN and Outdoor Life Network place bids on broadcast rights. ESPN has a history of responsible and reliable NHL coverage/analysis - Outdoor Life Network is a cable channel dedicated to fringe sports like fishing, hunting and bull riding (probably competitive woodcutting, too). OLN submits a higher bid and the NHL bites and the writers at Disney/ABC/ESPN begin drafting subtle jabs at the NHL to fill the airtime usually dedicated to highlight shows.
As the article states, NBC (the Notre Dame Broadcasting Channel one part of the year, Nothing But Crosby channel at another) also holds broadcasting rights for occasional weekend and playoff games (supposedly the rights for EVERY game of the Stanley Cup Finals, article explains why not this time around). However, NBC doesn't pay the NHL for these broadcasting rights! What a deal!
So, games three and four of the Stanley Cup Finals will only be available on a fringe cable channel. You don't need to be a NHL fan to realize that games three and four in a series with one team up 2-0 are truly pivotal contests. It is a shame that another terrible reality series takes precedence over one of the greatest sporting events of the year and every quantum of that shame lies squarely on the NHL front office.
Anyway, I write this blog post to inform everyone that my regular blogging will resume sometime next week. Just so this entire post doesn't turn into a non sequitur, I'm waiting for the conclusion of NHL playoffs and the three aforementioned avian species are also the mascots of the three most recent teams the Red Wings have faced in the playoffs.
Topics I hope to hit upon resumption of regular blogging: North Korea, Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Electronic Arts marketing division.
Edit:
Ok, maybe I will add something of substance, but it's more hockey, so forgive me.
Again, I hold the management of the NHL in utter contempt for the current state of the game. Hockey is an amazing sport and quite possibly the most dynamic and exciting, but the national respect for the game is at an all-time low.
It's very, very easy to criticize TV networks like NBC, Fox, and Versus for their questionable marketing choices, but the onus is on the league management to make deals that are best for the sport. The NHL front office has done a great disservice to hockey in its business dealings. Here's the situation: in 2005 the NHL is about to emerge from another lockout season and looks for television deals. ESPN and Outdoor Life Network place bids on broadcast rights. ESPN has a history of responsible and reliable NHL coverage/analysis - Outdoor Life Network is a cable channel dedicated to fringe sports like fishing, hunting and bull riding (probably competitive woodcutting, too). OLN submits a higher bid and the NHL bites and the writers at Disney/ABC/ESPN begin drafting subtle jabs at the NHL to fill the airtime usually dedicated to highlight shows.
As the article states, NBC (the Notre Dame Broadcasting Channel one part of the year, Nothing But Crosby channel at another) also holds broadcasting rights for occasional weekend and playoff games (supposedly the rights for EVERY game of the Stanley Cup Finals, article explains why not this time around). However, NBC doesn't pay the NHL for these broadcasting rights! What a deal!
So, games three and four of the Stanley Cup Finals will only be available on a fringe cable channel. You don't need to be a NHL fan to realize that games three and four in a series with one team up 2-0 are truly pivotal contests. It is a shame that another terrible reality series takes precedence over one of the greatest sporting events of the year and every quantum of that shame lies squarely on the NHL front office.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Where the Coyotes Roam
All I have done over the past few weeks is watch hockey. Therefore, the content of this blog post will be more hockey (sorry to the folks expecting something different).
Anyone who is following the playoffs (the one with ice, not with hoops), knows how the Red Wings got completely hosed on a no-goal call at the end of game 3 which cost them the game. I'm going to avoid that minefield: the referee was following proper procedure, but it was still a god-awful call.
In my opinion, the big NHL news of the week concerns the Phoenix Coyotes franchise. The team owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after multiple seasons of poor teams and shoddy attendance. NHL followers are probably not terribly surprised by this development. Phoenix is one of those new-market franchises pioneered by Commissioner Gary Bettman. My dislike for Gary Bettman has been stated before along with my doubt in the southern expansion. However, the next part of the tale is where it gets interesting.
Businessman Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Blackberry, quickly threw in a bid for the ailing franchise. Again, those who follow the NHL will recognize this name from a few years ago when he tried to buy the faltering Nashville Predators. Balsillie's $212.5 million bid includes a clause to move the team to Ontario, Canada. This is where Balsillie and Bettman are at odds. I'm neither opposed or supportive of a new team in Ontario. Instead, this serves as another opportunity for Mr. Bettman to embarass himself and the league.
Bettman was quoted, "We don't run out on cities."
Now Mr. Bettman, you may not have run out on Ottawa, Nashville, Buffalo and Pittsburgh, but what about Hartford, Winnipeg, Minneapolis and Quebec City? Didn't the NHL run out of those cities? It might have been the right move to pull the NHL franchises out of those markets, but would this be the wrong move in Phoenix?
Now here's an idea that will rock the world: close the franchise and do a mini-contraction. Give Jim Balsillie a call in five years when the financial situation hopefully improves then give him a franchise.
Red Wings-Ducks game four tonight! Let's hope the Wings and the refs bring their A-game, for a change.
Anyone who is following the playoffs (the one with ice, not with hoops), knows how the Red Wings got completely hosed on a no-goal call at the end of game 3 which cost them the game. I'm going to avoid that minefield: the referee was following proper procedure, but it was still a god-awful call.
In my opinion, the big NHL news of the week concerns the Phoenix Coyotes franchise. The team owners filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after multiple seasons of poor teams and shoddy attendance. NHL followers are probably not terribly surprised by this development. Phoenix is one of those new-market franchises pioneered by Commissioner Gary Bettman. My dislike for Gary Bettman has been stated before along with my doubt in the southern expansion. However, the next part of the tale is where it gets interesting.
Commissioner Gary Bettman impressions: the less evil, more incompetent 20th century mustache dictator
Businessman Jim Balsillie, co-CEO of Blackberry, quickly threw in a bid for the ailing franchise. Again, those who follow the NHL will recognize this name from a few years ago when he tried to buy the faltering Nashville Predators. Balsillie's $212.5 million bid includes a clause to move the team to Ontario, Canada. This is where Balsillie and Bettman are at odds. I'm neither opposed or supportive of a new team in Ontario. Instead, this serves as another opportunity for Mr. Bettman to embarass himself and the league.
Bettman was quoted, "We don't run out on cities."
Now Mr. Bettman, you may not have run out on Ottawa, Nashville, Buffalo and Pittsburgh, but what about Hartford, Winnipeg, Minneapolis and Quebec City? Didn't the NHL run out of those cities? It might have been the right move to pull the NHL franchises out of those markets, but would this be the wrong move in Phoenix?
Now here's an idea that will rock the world: close the franchise and do a mini-contraction. Give Jim Balsillie a call in five years when the financial situation hopefully improves then give him a franchise.
Red Wings-Ducks game four tonight! Let's hope the Wings and the refs bring their A-game, for a change.
Friday, April 24, 2009
A Shout Out
I don't typically do "shout outs" to the blogs of friends, but Jackson made a great post on his blog concerning the recent torture "debate" and I could not hold myself back. I usually like to make blog posts with some of my own thoughts, but this time you can find what I think in the comment thread to Jackson's post.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Epic
Brodeur had a legitimate case based on the murky history of the crease-crashing and goal-front traffic goals (or no goals), but I think it was a good "no call." Marty was way out of the crease and the incidental contact is excusable. If the Carolina player had gone out of his way and deliberately interfered, I would be upset.
This series and the Chicago-Calgary series have turned out to be fantastic match-ups.
On a less epic note, Montreal fans are apparently the type of fans that boo national anthems. I expect this kind of thing from Philadelphia fans, but I always thought that Montreal fans were lacking those Cro-Magnon tendencies. On the other hand, those French-Canadians are not your proto-typical well-behaved Canadians. Unfortunately for Canadiens fans, they also booed their team to a disappointing first round elimination in four straight games at the hand of Original Six rival Boston.
Monday, April 13, 2009
It's that Time Again!
On Wednesday, the second NHL season begins. In a previous blog post I talked about those magical times of the year when sports' seasons coincide into an entertaining and exhilarating spectacle. This is one of those times. The NHL is wrapping up the regular season, NCAA hockey has the Frozen Four and the baseball season opens.
Starting with the amateurs, the NCAA hockey tournament was somewhat unusual this year. A heavy dose of upsets and over-performing teams made this tournament very unpredictable. Two of the big favorites, Michigan and Notre Dame, lost early in the tournament to Air Force and Bemidji State, respectively. Along the way there were a number of really entertaining games. Fortunately for me, the two games that I got a chance to see were both really exciting. The first game I saw was the New Hampshire-North Dakota game. After watching this game, my belief that hockey is the greatest sport was affirmed once more. Lots of exciting end-to-end action and a couple of hard-working squads made it possible. The other game I watched was the championship game between Miami (Ohio) and Boston U. Miami had never won a national championship in any sport and they had a very good chance to get their first. As long as you were a big Miami fan, this was another amazing game with an epic comeback wrapped up with a heart-breaking conclusion. Congratulations to Boston University's hockey team!
Now, onto the professional ranks. Here are your playoff matchups for the first round:
Eastern Conference
(1) Boston vs. (8) Montreal
(2) Washington vs. (7) New York
(3) New Jersey vs. (6) Carolina
(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Philadelphia
Western Conference
(1) San Jose vs. (8) Anaheim
(2) Detroit vs. (7) Columbus
(3) Vancouver vs. (6) St. Louis
(4) Chicago vs. (5) Calgary
I'm not going to go into a massive breakdown of each series since both SI.com and ESPN.com have done a great job. Instead, I'm going to just toss out some random thoughts, predictions and recommendations.
In both the East and West, the #3 and #6 teams are silent threats to every other team in the bracket. All four squads enter the playoffs on hot streaks and with great goaltending. If you want to see the best of gritty, passionate playoff hockey, keep an eye on the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia and San Jose-Anaheim matchups. These teams are regional rivals and have a general dislike for each other. Furthermore, Philadelphia and Anaheim are the reigning thug teams of the NHL, so we can expect some tight checking. If you want to see the archetypal sporting matchup of tremendous offense vs. crushing defense, tune into the Washington-New York series. Washington's Alex Ovechkin is reason enough to watch this series, as this highlight will confirm:
Now that I've paid my lip service to the rest of the league, it's time to talk about my Red Wings. St. Louis did the Wings a huge favor by winning their last game which pushed Anaheim out of 7th place. Columbus is a team that a second seeded Detroit team should be able to easily handle. However, Detroit needs to tread with caution. The Wings closed their season very weakly, winning only 3 of their last 10 games. Everyone knows that you can't just flip a switch and start playing like a contender, but the Wings are probably the team closest to having that capability. A lot of commentators say that goaltending is the biggest concern for Detroit and after this season, it's hard to argue with that. However, I will. Goaltending has been weak this year, but starting goalie Chris Osgood has shown marked improvement in the last few weeks and has back-stopped two Stanley Cup championship teams (including a dominating performance in last years championship run). The biggest concern for the Wings is overall defense competency. They have consistently shot themselves in the feet this season by making poor defensive-zone plays and leaving their goaltenders in impossible situations.
I expect the Wings will win the series in five or six games, but I will not be surprised if Columbus gets a win or two early in the series.
Getting a pulse on who is going to do well this year is tough. There are a ton of x-factors on every team this year and I don't think anyone has an early advantage. Will Boston be able to keep a lid on their emotions? Can the Rangers score goals? Is Martin Brodeur ready for the playoffs after a long injury recovery? Can San Jose finally transfer their regular season success into playoff success? How many games will it take for the Red Wings to get back into form? Can Roberto Luongo play up to the high level of Hart Trophy dark horse Chris Mason?
Starting with the amateurs, the NCAA hockey tournament was somewhat unusual this year. A heavy dose of upsets and over-performing teams made this tournament very unpredictable. Two of the big favorites, Michigan and Notre Dame, lost early in the tournament to Air Force and Bemidji State, respectively. Along the way there were a number of really entertaining games. Fortunately for me, the two games that I got a chance to see were both really exciting. The first game I saw was the New Hampshire-North Dakota game. After watching this game, my belief that hockey is the greatest sport was affirmed once more. Lots of exciting end-to-end action and a couple of hard-working squads made it possible. The other game I watched was the championship game between Miami (Ohio) and Boston U. Miami had never won a national championship in any sport and they had a very good chance to get their first. As long as you were a big Miami fan, this was another amazing game with an epic comeback wrapped up with a heart-breaking conclusion. Congratulations to Boston University's hockey team!
Now, onto the professional ranks. Here are your playoff matchups for the first round:
Eastern Conference
(1) Boston vs. (8) Montreal
(2) Washington vs. (7) New York
(3) New Jersey vs. (6) Carolina
(4) Pittsburgh vs. (5) Philadelphia
Western Conference
(1) San Jose vs. (8) Anaheim
(2) Detroit vs. (7) Columbus
(3) Vancouver vs. (6) St. Louis
(4) Chicago vs. (5) Calgary
I'm not going to go into a massive breakdown of each series since both SI.com and ESPN.com have done a great job. Instead, I'm going to just toss out some random thoughts, predictions and recommendations.
In both the East and West, the #3 and #6 teams are silent threats to every other team in the bracket. All four squads enter the playoffs on hot streaks and with great goaltending. If you want to see the best of gritty, passionate playoff hockey, keep an eye on the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia and San Jose-Anaheim matchups. These teams are regional rivals and have a general dislike for each other. Furthermore, Philadelphia and Anaheim are the reigning thug teams of the NHL, so we can expect some tight checking. If you want to see the archetypal sporting matchup of tremendous offense vs. crushing defense, tune into the Washington-New York series. Washington's Alex Ovechkin is reason enough to watch this series, as this highlight will confirm:
Now that I've paid my lip service to the rest of the league, it's time to talk about my Red Wings. St. Louis did the Wings a huge favor by winning their last game which pushed Anaheim out of 7th place. Columbus is a team that a second seeded Detroit team should be able to easily handle. However, Detroit needs to tread with caution. The Wings closed their season very weakly, winning only 3 of their last 10 games. Everyone knows that you can't just flip a switch and start playing like a contender, but the Wings are probably the team closest to having that capability. A lot of commentators say that goaltending is the biggest concern for Detroit and after this season, it's hard to argue with that. However, I will. Goaltending has been weak this year, but starting goalie Chris Osgood has shown marked improvement in the last few weeks and has back-stopped two Stanley Cup championship teams (including a dominating performance in last years championship run). The biggest concern for the Wings is overall defense competency. They have consistently shot themselves in the feet this season by making poor defensive-zone plays and leaving their goaltenders in impossible situations.
I expect the Wings will win the series in five or six games, but I will not be surprised if Columbus gets a win or two early in the series.
Getting a pulse on who is going to do well this year is tough. There are a ton of x-factors on every team this year and I don't think anyone has an early advantage. Will Boston be able to keep a lid on their emotions? Can the Rangers score goals? Is Martin Brodeur ready for the playoffs after a long injury recovery? Can San Jose finally transfer their regular season success into playoff success? How many games will it take for the Red Wings to get back into form? Can Roberto Luongo play up to the high level of Hart Trophy dark horse Chris Mason?
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Serious Business
I found an interesting video clip this morning.
From what I can tell, it's a video of President Obama interacting with some of the G20 protesters during his travels around London.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65I0HNvTDH4
Note for archive browsers: Sony, in its infinite wisdom and reach, has decided to remove the soundtrack of this video. Strangely enough, the audio portion of the video can still be found here, but it completely ruins the intention of this blog post. Needless to say, I am inconsolable.
To be honest, I feel bad for the G20 protesters. Though I may disagree with some of their political viewpoints, a vast majority of them are there to peacefully express discontent at the way things are going. The vociferous, violent and occasionally drunk minority give a legitimate protest a bad reputation.
From what I can tell, it's a video of President Obama interacting with some of the G20 protesters during his travels around London.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65I0HNvTDH4
Note for archive browsers: Sony, in its infinite wisdom and reach, has decided to remove the soundtrack of this video. Strangely enough, the audio portion of the video can still be found here, but it completely ruins the intention of this blog post. Needless to say, I am inconsolable.
To be honest, I feel bad for the G20 protesters. Though I may disagree with some of their political viewpoints, a vast majority of them are there to peacefully express discontent at the way things are going. The vociferous, violent and occasionally drunk minority give a legitimate protest a bad reputation.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
The Long Lost Ally
After 40 years, France has rejoined NATO military command. This closes one of the more interesting chapters of French history and opens a new one. I'm not going to go into much of a discussion of this because I think this BBC article does a fantastic job of outlining the background of France-NATO split.
After reading that article, I had a few quick thoughts.
First, I think President Sarkozy is doing a great job. He has taken steps towards making France more involved and productive, domestically and internationally. Since I'm not a French citizen, I can't pass judgement on Sarkozy either way, but I definitely think he is a step up from previous French heads of state/government.
Reading the news and looking at history, I understand the relationship between France and the U.S., but I can't help but feel baffled by the whole thing. France and the U.S. are so closely linked by history, culture and conviction that any kind of ideological divergence seems impossible. However, I believe America would react similarly if it were in France's position post World War Two. On a more abstract level, I think the same case could be made for the Iraq-U.S. relationship. Few ties exist between the U.S. and Iraq, but, if you will excuse the cheesy colloquialism, Americans and Iraqis are kindred spirits. Americans, the French and Iraqis are more similar than they want to admit.
The Economist had an interesting infographic on their website today which is somewhat related to the NATO-France relationship.
Economist.com
If that graph does not illustrate the point well enough, the U.S. Navy currently has 11 aircraft carriers in service, the rest of the world's navies have 10 (average U.S. carrier tonnage > 100,000 tons, everyone else average carrier tonnage <<< 100,000 tons); plus, the only active 5th generation fighter aircraft and long-range stealth bombers are flown by the U.S. Air Force. Supremacy seems like an understatement. On a less serious, and completely unrelated, note, I found this cool demographic map on wikipedia.
Words fail me...
Update:
On the military spending graph, the U.S. Department of Defense released a report today on China's military. You can see a summary and link to the report on BBC.com. The DoD presents different spending estimates than the Economist (see page 44 of the report), who appear to be using official estimates from the Chinese government. If you are trying to decide who's numbers are correct, good luck. Both governments clearly have some agendas at work, but whether China spends $120 billion or $60 billion, that U.S. column in the graph from the Economist still towers above the others. Still, the DoD report is a good read for those of you interested in these sorts of things; I imagine a Chinese government report on the U.S. military would be equally fascinating.
After reading that article, I had a few quick thoughts.
First, I think President Sarkozy is doing a great job. He has taken steps towards making France more involved and productive, domestically and internationally. Since I'm not a French citizen, I can't pass judgement on Sarkozy either way, but I definitely think he is a step up from previous French heads of state/government.
Reading the news and looking at history, I understand the relationship between France and the U.S., but I can't help but feel baffled by the whole thing. France and the U.S. are so closely linked by history, culture and conviction that any kind of ideological divergence seems impossible. However, I believe America would react similarly if it were in France's position post World War Two. On a more abstract level, I think the same case could be made for the Iraq-U.S. relationship. Few ties exist between the U.S. and Iraq, but, if you will excuse the cheesy colloquialism, Americans and Iraqis are kindred spirits. Americans, the French and Iraqis are more similar than they want to admit.
The Economist had an interesting infographic on their website today which is somewhat related to the NATO-France relationship.
Economist.com
If that graph does not illustrate the point well enough, the U.S. Navy currently has 11 aircraft carriers in service, the rest of the world's navies have 10 (average U.S. carrier tonnage > 100,000 tons, everyone else average carrier tonnage <<< 100,000 tons); plus, the only active 5th generation fighter aircraft and long-range stealth bombers are flown by the U.S. Air Force. Supremacy seems like an understatement. On a less serious, and completely unrelated, note, I found this cool demographic map on wikipedia.
Words fail me...
Update:
On the military spending graph, the U.S. Department of Defense released a report today on China's military. You can see a summary and link to the report on BBC.com. The DoD presents different spending estimates than the Economist (see page 44 of the report), who appear to be using official estimates from the Chinese government. If you are trying to decide who's numbers are correct, good luck. Both governments clearly have some agendas at work, but whether China spends $120 billion or $60 billion, that U.S. column in the graph from the Economist still towers above the others. Still, the DoD report is a good read for those of you interested in these sorts of things; I imagine a Chinese government report on the U.S. military would be equally fascinating.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A Gratuitous Epic
So, I went to go see the film Watchmen the other night and I can't decide if I like it. I faced a similar predicament after seeing 300 which was another graphic novel film directed by Zach Snyder. However, my reasons for disliking 300 were far different than my reasons for disliking Watchmen.
As the title of this post would have you believe, this film is gratuitous. The blood, broken bones, severed limbs and disintegrations are unapologetically served in graphic heaps. Most of the time, I don't mind some excessive violence, nudity and tasteful scenes of intimacy. Unfortunately, I feel like the violence, nudity and sex are the only thin supports of this 2+ hour behemoth.
The plot and acting in the film are by no means terrible, but the characters and story are presented haphazardly. Flashbacks and exposition dominate a huge portion of the movie leaving little time left for a story. Watchmen is thoroughly bogged down with detailing the setting and characters well before the one hour mark and never really gets around to extricating itself from... well, itself.
Comic book and superhero movies are rarely philosophical or intellectual exercises nor do they typically try to be. Watchmen desperately tries to change the status quo. Some might like the message delivered, but the degree of cynicism demonstrated is thoroughly unpleasant and unfulfilling. Frankly, there is plenty of cynicism and bitterness in the news today and the last thing I want when I go see a movie is more cynicism and bitterness.
If 4th term President Nixon is your Lawful Good character, you have either a bad D&D game or a very dark story.
Before I scare everyone away from the theatres, I should say that Watchmen did a lot of great/cool/enjoyable things. Visually, the movie is very impressive. Watchmen manages to pull off the graphic novel look without relying on the film noir look of Sin City or the highly stylized visuals of 300. Mr. Manhattan looks like a blue Michelangelo's David (minus the hair), but never sticks out like a sore thumb among human actors as full CG characters often do. As I mentioned before, there is a lot of gratuitous violence, but the action scenes are all exciting and fun. The camera work is also good and it has a distinct lack of "shaky-cam" which ruined the action scenes of Quantum of Solace.
Watchmen is a great sounding movie, too. The effects are all superb, but the soundtrack is a different story. The music is really hit-or-miss. Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries is dialed up for a thoroughly enjoyable re-imagining of a classic scene from Apocalypse Now. Then Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is used for a love scene and the result is one of the cheesiest and overall worst movie scenes in recent memory.
The superheroes are diverse as are their numerous human flaws (sociopath - check, infidelity - check, ambition - check, pride - check, erectile dysfunction - check). Oddly enough, the only character I liked was the sociopathic Rorschach, but they were all great characters and I enjoyed disliking them.
I wouldn't suggest rushing to see Watchmen immediately. Instead, if you want to see it in the theatres, then wait until the crowds diminish (fewer people giggling at penises) and get a good seat (the new Star Trek and Terminator trailers are awesome). Otherwise, wait for a DVD/Blu-ray rental.
A few weeks after seeing 300, I decided that I liked it. The presentation of historical events, people and societies was atrocious and slanderous. I could spill pages of complaints about the true nature of hoplite warfare, Persian society and ancient Greek mysticism. However, Herodotus was hardly a first-hand, unbiased source. 300 preserved the heart of the events at Thermopylae and injected myth, exaggeration and color into the story. 300 was a bloody movie, but it was heavily stylized and lacked the excessive gore showcased in Watchmen. More importantly, 300 lacked the bitter cynicism that really dulled my experience with Watchmen.
King Leonidas leaves his armor and pants in the phalanx. As the internet memes say, "fail hoplite is fail."
I will probably come around and learn to appreciate Watchmen. When I first saw Fight Club, I hated the gratuitous violence and cynical message, but now I enjoy it. The problem is: I don't know why I like Fight Club.
As the title of this post would have you believe, this film is gratuitous. The blood, broken bones, severed limbs and disintegrations are unapologetically served in graphic heaps. Most of the time, I don't mind some excessive violence, nudity and tasteful scenes of intimacy. Unfortunately, I feel like the violence, nudity and sex are the only thin supports of this 2+ hour behemoth.
The plot and acting in the film are by no means terrible, but the characters and story are presented haphazardly. Flashbacks and exposition dominate a huge portion of the movie leaving little time left for a story. Watchmen is thoroughly bogged down with detailing the setting and characters well before the one hour mark and never really gets around to extricating itself from... well, itself.
Comic book and superhero movies are rarely philosophical or intellectual exercises nor do they typically try to be. Watchmen desperately tries to change the status quo. Some might like the message delivered, but the degree of cynicism demonstrated is thoroughly unpleasant and unfulfilling. Frankly, there is plenty of cynicism and bitterness in the news today and the last thing I want when I go see a movie is more cynicism and bitterness.
If 4th term President Nixon is your Lawful Good character, you have either a bad D&D game or a very dark story.
Before I scare everyone away from the theatres, I should say that Watchmen did a lot of great/cool/enjoyable things. Visually, the movie is very impressive. Watchmen manages to pull off the graphic novel look without relying on the film noir look of Sin City or the highly stylized visuals of 300. Mr. Manhattan looks like a blue Michelangelo's David (minus the hair), but never sticks out like a sore thumb among human actors as full CG characters often do. As I mentioned before, there is a lot of gratuitous violence, but the action scenes are all exciting and fun. The camera work is also good and it has a distinct lack of "shaky-cam" which ruined the action scenes of Quantum of Solace.
Watchmen is a great sounding movie, too. The effects are all superb, but the soundtrack is a different story. The music is really hit-or-miss. Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries is dialed up for a thoroughly enjoyable re-imagining of a classic scene from Apocalypse Now. Then Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah is used for a love scene and the result is one of the cheesiest and overall worst movie scenes in recent memory.
The superheroes are diverse as are their numerous human flaws (sociopath - check, infidelity - check, ambition - check, pride - check, erectile dysfunction - check). Oddly enough, the only character I liked was the sociopathic Rorschach, but they were all great characters and I enjoyed disliking them.
I wouldn't suggest rushing to see Watchmen immediately. Instead, if you want to see it in the theatres, then wait until the crowds diminish (fewer people giggling at penises) and get a good seat (the new Star Trek and Terminator trailers are awesome). Otherwise, wait for a DVD/Blu-ray rental.
A few weeks after seeing 300, I decided that I liked it. The presentation of historical events, people and societies was atrocious and slanderous. I could spill pages of complaints about the true nature of hoplite warfare, Persian society and ancient Greek mysticism. However, Herodotus was hardly a first-hand, unbiased source. 300 preserved the heart of the events at Thermopylae and injected myth, exaggeration and color into the story. 300 was a bloody movie, but it was heavily stylized and lacked the excessive gore showcased in Watchmen. More importantly, 300 lacked the bitter cynicism that really dulled my experience with Watchmen.
King Leonidas leaves his armor and pants in the phalanx. As the internet memes say, "fail hoplite is fail."
I will probably come around and learn to appreciate Watchmen. When I first saw Fight Club, I hated the gratuitous violence and cynical message, but now I enjoy it. The problem is: I don't know why I like Fight Club.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Through the Looking Glass
Since my attempt at delivering a semi-accurate prediction of the NHL trade deadline turned out not-so-good, I'm going to move onto something else. Though, the moves made by Pittsburgh and Calgary are hardly unprecedented and are fairly typical for teams in their position. Calgary added some good talent at center and defense where they needed help. Calgary is now in a much stronger position to compete for the Western Conference title. Pittsburgh added the classic NHL rental player, Bill Guerin. Don't get me wrong, he is a great player with good playoff experience, but don't waste $150 on a Guerin sweater if you are a Pittsburgh fan, he'll be gone in 3 years or less.
Now, on to business.
On Friday (tomorrow!), NASA will be launching the Kepler Space Telescope! Its mission is to spend the next three or so years surveying a portion of the cosmos for exoplanets. Kepler will do so by detecting the minute changes in the brightness of stars as planets travel between the star and the observatory. This is some really cool stuff, but I wonder about the effectiveness of this detection method. If I interpret Kepler's functionality correctly, it will only be able to detect exoplanets when they cross directly between the star and the telescope. I can only assume (there are billions of stars out there - statistically, I doubt they are all oriented the same way) that a majority of other solar systems do not have orbital planes that make this kind of observation possible. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing what Kepler is capable of.
Another cool factoid about Kepler: it will be one of the few spacecraft that do not orbit the Earth. Kepler will be placed in a heliocentric orbit (it orbits the Sun). This orbit allows it to make better observation for some technical reasons that I lack the training and education to fully explain, let alone understand. There's a good explanation of Kepler's orbit here.
Supposedly, NASA will be broadcasting the launch live on the NASA TV network and probably somewhere on their website, too. Keep your fingers crossed!
Now, on to business.
On Friday (tomorrow!), NASA will be launching the Kepler Space Telescope! Its mission is to spend the next three or so years surveying a portion of the cosmos for exoplanets. Kepler will do so by detecting the minute changes in the brightness of stars as planets travel between the star and the observatory. This is some really cool stuff, but I wonder about the effectiveness of this detection method. If I interpret Kepler's functionality correctly, it will only be able to detect exoplanets when they cross directly between the star and the telescope. I can only assume (there are billions of stars out there - statistically, I doubt they are all oriented the same way) that a majority of other solar systems do not have orbital planes that make this kind of observation possible. Nevertheless, I look forward to seeing what Kepler is capable of.
Another cool factoid about Kepler: it will be one of the few spacecraft that do not orbit the Earth. Kepler will be placed in a heliocentric orbit (it orbits the Sun). This orbit allows it to make better observation for some technical reasons that I lack the training and education to fully explain, let alone understand. There's a good explanation of Kepler's orbit here.
Supposedly, NASA will be broadcasting the launch live on the NASA TV network and probably somewhere on their website, too. Keep your fingers crossed!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Trade Deadline Primer
I can't say that the NHL trade deadline is the most exciting moment of the season. However, there is always a glimmer of intrigue to be found between the hedge-betting and last-ditch reinforcing.
The two top teams in the West, San Jose and Detroit, are not expected to make any major moves tomorrow. Both clubs are loaded and ready for long playoff runs. Many hockey analysts have suggested that Detroit is in desperate need of a "star" goaltender. I tend to think that the goalie situation in Detroit has been blown out of proportion. Even if Detroit needed some shoring up between the pipes, they lack the cap space to deal without sacrificing at least a decent 2nd or 3rd line forward.
Looking down the Western Conference standings, I expect that Anaheim will be active tomorrow. As I write this, they are barely out of the playoffs in the massive logjam for the 4-8 seeds. However, they were recently involved in a big deal with Pittsburgh. Anaheim gained a solid defenseman for a winger, which Pittsburgh needed to complement Crosby's line. Now Anaheim has Niedermayer, Pronger and Whitney on their blue-line. Anaheim will probably ship out Pronger to either St. Louis or Boston.
Speaking of Boston, they will have a scary defensive pair if they acquire Pronger. Pronger at 6'6" 213lbs and Zdeno Chara at 6'9" 250lbs, and they both know how to throw around those massive frames.
In the East, things will probably be a bit quieter. Toronto will, once again, probably be a seller. It's sad to see a great franchise like Toronto wallow in mediocrity for so long. Hopefully, they can turn it around next season.
My favorite story in hockey last week was the return of Martin Brodeur. In his first three games back from an extended injury absence, Marty has three wins and two shutouts. I had my doubts, but I think he stands a good chance at breaking some of those amazing Patrick Roy records. Crazy French-Canadian goalies...
The two top teams in the West, San Jose and Detroit, are not expected to make any major moves tomorrow. Both clubs are loaded and ready for long playoff runs. Many hockey analysts have suggested that Detroit is in desperate need of a "star" goaltender. I tend to think that the goalie situation in Detroit has been blown out of proportion. Even if Detroit needed some shoring up between the pipes, they lack the cap space to deal without sacrificing at least a decent 2nd or 3rd line forward.
Looking down the Western Conference standings, I expect that Anaheim will be active tomorrow. As I write this, they are barely out of the playoffs in the massive logjam for the 4-8 seeds. However, they were recently involved in a big deal with Pittsburgh. Anaheim gained a solid defenseman for a winger, which Pittsburgh needed to complement Crosby's line. Now Anaheim has Niedermayer, Pronger and Whitney on their blue-line. Anaheim will probably ship out Pronger to either St. Louis or Boston.
Speaking of Boston, they will have a scary defensive pair if they acquire Pronger. Pronger at 6'6" 213lbs and Zdeno Chara at 6'9" 250lbs, and they both know how to throw around those massive frames.
In the East, things will probably be a bit quieter. Toronto will, once again, probably be a seller. It's sad to see a great franchise like Toronto wallow in mediocrity for so long. Hopefully, they can turn it around next season.
My favorite story in hockey last week was the return of Martin Brodeur. In his first three games back from an extended injury absence, Marty has three wins and two shutouts. I had my doubts, but I think he stands a good chance at breaking some of those amazing Patrick Roy records. Crazy French-Canadian goalies...
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Load up on guns...
Human civilization is at a curious stage of evolution and development where we hold an unprecedented ability to solve immense problems and the threats to our survival. We can build structures that survive earthquakes, develop medicines and treatments to the deadliest diseases and even detect and possibly deflect incoming asteroids or comets. However, the unfortunate side-effect of all these wonderful abilities is our unprecedented ability to completely annihilate ourselves in a mind-boggling number of ways.
So, I'm not going to talk about the amusing spike in gun sales following the election of President Obama. Instead, a report funded by the U.S. Navy has finally said what everyone has been thinking since the military first put a missile on an unmanned aircraft.
First off, I'm relieved that someone at the top is actually thinking about these things. I often feel subjects like this (asteroid defense, epidemic behavior altering diseases/pathogens i.e. zombies, rampant A.I., etc.) get tossed into the government "LOL pile" because of the sheer volume of myth and popular culture involved.
Back to the article, the one most surprising factoid was the Congressional mandate to have one-third of a ground combat vehicles to be unmanned by 2015. Now I assume they mean that the vehicles will be controlled remotely and not that the U.S. will fight wars with lots of empty tanks. Two benefits come out of the American alliance with automated warriors: fewer humans in harm's way and fewer humans needed to fight wars. Up to now, every robotic participant in American wars has had a human at the helm. At this rate, this policy will have to shift in favor of more self-sufficiency for the robots.
BAE Systems Semi-autonomous Black Knight Armored Combat Vehicle (DailyTech)
The U.S. military and government need to take a few precautions in order to prevent something catastrophic. Note: "catastrophic" doesn't necessarily mean the apocryphal events of Terminator - a friendly-fire incident against an ally that still fields human armies or an unwarranted attack on a rival currently at peace would qualify as catastrophic missteps. Firstly, it might soon be time to get the President a second briefcase which holds the self-destruct codes for this army of automatons. Lastly, and most importantly, the government needs to take its time in implementing these mandates. The U.S. already holds huge advantages in military technology and the rush to run up the score is foolhardy (after all, militaries are not rated by the BCS). The cost of mistakes at this developmental stage are immense and grow larger with every corner cut and every overworked and underpaid programmer.
After all, the Europeans have already deployed Skynet military communication satellites. Clearly, we already tread upon thin ice.
So, I'm not going to talk about the amusing spike in gun sales following the election of President Obama. Instead, a report funded by the U.S. Navy has finally said what everyone has been thinking since the military first put a missile on an unmanned aircraft.
First off, I'm relieved that someone at the top is actually thinking about these things. I often feel subjects like this (asteroid defense, epidemic behavior altering diseases/pathogens i.e. zombies, rampant A.I., etc.) get tossed into the government "LOL pile" because of the sheer volume of myth and popular culture involved.
Back to the article, the one most surprising factoid was the Congressional mandate to have one-third of a ground combat vehicles to be unmanned by 2015. Now I assume they mean that the vehicles will be controlled remotely and not that the U.S. will fight wars with lots of empty tanks. Two benefits come out of the American alliance with automated warriors: fewer humans in harm's way and fewer humans needed to fight wars. Up to now, every robotic participant in American wars has had a human at the helm. At this rate, this policy will have to shift in favor of more self-sufficiency for the robots.
BAE Systems Semi-autonomous Black Knight Armored Combat Vehicle (DailyTech)
The U.S. military and government need to take a few precautions in order to prevent something catastrophic. Note: "catastrophic" doesn't necessarily mean the apocryphal events of Terminator - a friendly-fire incident against an ally that still fields human armies or an unwarranted attack on a rival currently at peace would qualify as catastrophic missteps. Firstly, it might soon be time to get the President a second briefcase which holds the self-destruct codes for this army of automatons. Lastly, and most importantly, the government needs to take its time in implementing these mandates. The U.S. already holds huge advantages in military technology and the rush to run up the score is foolhardy (after all, militaries are not rated by the BCS). The cost of mistakes at this developmental stage are immense and grow larger with every corner cut and every overworked and underpaid programmer.
After all, the Europeans have already deployed Skynet military communication satellites. Clearly, we already tread upon thin ice.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Super Bowl Highlights!
Hmm...
The commercials were occasionally amusing. The allegedly 3-D commercials were sadly lacking 3-D quality (yes, I was wearing 3-D glasses and I accept the consequences), but the new Star Trek trailer was nice. Speaking of which, this year's Super Bowl had an extraordinarily high proportion of movie trailers. Unfortunately, one of those was for The Fast and the Furious.
Well, at least the game was good. I'm glad that Roethlisberger didn't get the MVP (Kurt Warner was incredible in the second half). I was stunned by one statistic: all three of Arizona's wide receivers (Fitzgerald, Boldin and Breaston) had over 1,000 receiving yards this season.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Hot and Cold
This past weekend (plus Monday), I experienced the highs and lows that our modern entertainment industry could deliver.
I'm going to start with the particular event that really got my blood boiling: the 2009 NHL "All-Star" Game. For the first time ever, I did not watch any NHL "All-Star" coverage or even bother watch the highlights (perhaps lowlights would be the better word to use). This game has turned into a commercial farce which is surpassed only by the almighty BCS bowl games. Fans, players, and franchises really don't care about it anymore.
The first signs that trouble was around the corner began appearing at around the New Year when the starting lineups were announced. Remember that starting lineups are determined by votes cast by fans. I'll list the 12 players and their respective teams.
Eastern Conference
Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh
Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh
Alexei Kovalev - Montreal
Andrei Markov - Montreal
Mike Komisarek - Montreal
Carey Price - Montreal
Western Conference
Patrick Kane - Chicago
Jonathan Toews - Chicago
Ryan Getzlaf - Anaheim
Brian Campbell - Chicago
Scott Niedermayer - Anaheim
Jean-Sebastian Giguere - Anaheim
You don't need to be a hockey fan to see the problem here. For the hockey fans that are out there, you have to shake your head. Where is league goal scoring leader Alex Ovechkin of Washington? Where are the players from the league leading franchises: San Jose, Boston, or Detroit? If the playoffs were to start today, Anaheim would barely qualify in their 8th place spot and Pittsburgh would miss the playoffs with their pitiful 11-11-2 home record.
I love democracy as much as the next person, but if the Bush years or the BCS did not reveal the shortcomings of democracy, then this certainly must. Thankfully, the remainder of the roster is filled by the NHL with the intention of making sure that every franchise is represented.
Detroit was very poorly represented in the game as a result of Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk (the only two Redwings to make the roster) removed themselves from the festivities in order to recover from injuries. The NHL made an 11th hour appeal to other Redwings stars like Marian Hossa and Brian Rafalski who did not make the roster. Unsurprisingly, these guys made the selfish choice of spending time with family and friends during the only extended break in the long and grueling NHL schedule. So, for the first time that I can remember, the reigning league champion was not represented in the "All-star" weekend.
In order to add salt to the wound, the NHL and Gary Bettman, in all their infinite and just wisdom, decided to suspend Lidstrom and Datsyuk for one game. If the game of hockey is in the sad shape that it is then how does suspending two star players from the model NHL franchise help? Clinging to a dead tradition that serves no purpose other than delivering stale 12-11 shootout games to the hosting city's fans and corporate sponsors is truly baffling.
In other hockey news, Michigan and Michigan State played over the weekend and then this happened...
Any respect that I hold for Michigan State athletics is quickly slipping away. Sure Michigan State is bad this year and they've been victimized by Michigan all season long, but that does not justify this ugly and shameful incident. Both Michigan State players, Conboy and Tropp have been suspended for the remainder of the season. In my opinion, those suspensions are not enough. The rest of Michigan State's season is meaningless, they aren't going to win the CCHA or go to the NCAA tournament (on a side note: hmm, another college championship determined on the ice/field and not by voters). These players should miss next season and perhaps they should be simply banned from playing in the NCAA.
The good news is that the Michigan player is going to be OK and back on the ice next weekend.
Moving away from hockey, I went to go see Defiance last weekend. I thought it was a fantastic movie and I would recommend that everyone go see it or put it at the top of your Netflix queue when the DVD is released. Most importantly, it made me forget about the disappointing Valkyrie. Apart from the story, to which I had never been exposed, my favorite aspect of the film was the sound. So often these days movies are heavily doctored and butchered in post-production, but Defiance had a very real and organic quality to the sound design. For me, the guns sounded rich and authentic and I doubt anyone will disagree if you see the film in a theatre.
On Sunday, I finally got around to watching a recording of last week's The Office. For the first time since I started watching that show, I felt depressed and empty. Apart from a few amusing moments, the overall episode was a huge disappointment. The Micheal/Dwight adventure was really depressing and the intra-office Hilary Swank hotness panel was uninspired and boring. If I want to be depressed, I'll watch Battlestar Galactica. I watch The Office to see an entertaining story and have a good laugh. At least Battlestar Galactica made me want to watch again next week.
Update:
Conboy and Tropp have left the MSU hockey team.
I'm going to start with the particular event that really got my blood boiling: the 2009 NHL "All-Star" Game. For the first time ever, I did not watch any NHL "All-Star" coverage or even bother watch the highlights (perhaps lowlights would be the better word to use). This game has turned into a commercial farce which is surpassed only by the almighty BCS bowl games. Fans, players, and franchises really don't care about it anymore.
The first signs that trouble was around the corner began appearing at around the New Year when the starting lineups were announced. Remember that starting lineups are determined by votes cast by fans. I'll list the 12 players and their respective teams.
Eastern Conference
Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh
Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh
Alexei Kovalev - Montreal
Andrei Markov - Montreal
Mike Komisarek - Montreal
Carey Price - Montreal
Western Conference
Patrick Kane - Chicago
Jonathan Toews - Chicago
Ryan Getzlaf - Anaheim
Brian Campbell - Chicago
Scott Niedermayer - Anaheim
Jean-Sebastian Giguere - Anaheim
You don't need to be a hockey fan to see the problem here. For the hockey fans that are out there, you have to shake your head. Where is league goal scoring leader Alex Ovechkin of Washington? Where are the players from the league leading franchises: San Jose, Boston, or Detroit? If the playoffs were to start today, Anaheim would barely qualify in their 8th place spot and Pittsburgh would miss the playoffs with their pitiful 11-11-2 home record.
I love democracy as much as the next person, but if the Bush years or the BCS did not reveal the shortcomings of democracy, then this certainly must. Thankfully, the remainder of the roster is filled by the NHL with the intention of making sure that every franchise is represented.
Detroit was very poorly represented in the game as a result of Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk (the only two Redwings to make the roster) removed themselves from the festivities in order to recover from injuries. The NHL made an 11th hour appeal to other Redwings stars like Marian Hossa and Brian Rafalski who did not make the roster. Unsurprisingly, these guys made the selfish choice of spending time with family and friends during the only extended break in the long and grueling NHL schedule. So, for the first time that I can remember, the reigning league champion was not represented in the "All-star" weekend.
In order to add salt to the wound, the NHL and Gary Bettman, in all their infinite and just wisdom, decided to suspend Lidstrom and Datsyuk for one game. If the game of hockey is in the sad shape that it is then how does suspending two star players from the model NHL franchise help? Clinging to a dead tradition that serves no purpose other than delivering stale 12-11 shootout games to the hosting city's fans and corporate sponsors is truly baffling.
In other hockey news, Michigan and Michigan State played over the weekend and then this happened...
Any respect that I hold for Michigan State athletics is quickly slipping away. Sure Michigan State is bad this year and they've been victimized by Michigan all season long, but that does not justify this ugly and shameful incident. Both Michigan State players, Conboy and Tropp have been suspended for the remainder of the season. In my opinion, those suspensions are not enough. The rest of Michigan State's season is meaningless, they aren't going to win the CCHA or go to the NCAA tournament (on a side note: hmm, another college championship determined on the ice/field and not by voters). These players should miss next season and perhaps they should be simply banned from playing in the NCAA.
The good news is that the Michigan player is going to be OK and back on the ice next weekend.
Moving away from hockey, I went to go see Defiance last weekend. I thought it was a fantastic movie and I would recommend that everyone go see it or put it at the top of your Netflix queue when the DVD is released. Most importantly, it made me forget about the disappointing Valkyrie. Apart from the story, to which I had never been exposed, my favorite aspect of the film was the sound. So often these days movies are heavily doctored and butchered in post-production, but Defiance had a very real and organic quality to the sound design. For me, the guns sounded rich and authentic and I doubt anyone will disagree if you see the film in a theatre.
On Sunday, I finally got around to watching a recording of last week's The Office. For the first time since I started watching that show, I felt depressed and empty. Apart from a few amusing moments, the overall episode was a huge disappointment. The Micheal/Dwight adventure was really depressing and the intra-office Hilary Swank hotness panel was uninspired and boring. If I want to be depressed, I'll watch Battlestar Galactica. I watch The Office to see an entertaining story and have a good laugh. At least Battlestar Galactica made me want to watch again next week.
Update:
Conboy and Tropp have left the MSU hockey team.
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