Our esteemed state legislators in New York won't touch their salary until they grow some stones, defy their misleaders, do their job and actually pass a budget... one that was due nearly four months ago.
Until then, The Times-Union reports that the poor lot will have to survive on a paltry per diem of a meager $171 a day. How will they manage?!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
This is America. We speak Christian!
From a letter in today's Post-Star:
"If Obama had his way, we'd all be speaking Muslim."
Since this guy is no doubt a supporter of hers, I call on Sarah Palin to 'refudiate' this sentiment.
As Tom Smothers said during the Bush regime, "There's nothing more dangerous than watching ignorance in action."
"If Obama had his way, we'd all be speaking Muslim."
Since this guy is no doubt a supporter of hers, I call on Sarah Palin to 'refudiate' this sentiment.
As Tom Smothers said during the Bush regime, "There's nothing more dangerous than watching ignorance in action."
Friday, July 16, 2010
Coaching priorities take a dive
The World Cup is over. The best team (Spain) won, despite Dutch attempts to kick them into submission in the final. This was the most violent final in World Cup history, with the Dutch alone committing 28 fouls and receiving 7 yellow cards (the previous record for cards in a final was 6 COMBINED by both teams). The Dutch were also eliminated from the previous World Cup, literally kicking and screaming, in one of the most infamous matches in the tournaments history. Their previous reputation for beautiful soccer is surely now in tatters.
In the opinion of some, the shame of the final was not Dutch anti-soccer or violence.
Take this blog entry by Jeff Tipping, technical director of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
In it, Tipping blasted the behavior of players who dove and brandished imaginary cards at the referee.
While Spanish players do have an annoying propensity to "play act," there was no mention by Tipping of the anti-soccer and pure thuggery on the part of the Dutch players.
This point of view is widely held in Britain (where Tipping is from) and in most countries that are heavily influenced by English soccer, like the US, Australia and Canada.
This hypocrisy is quite breathtaking.
Players cheat in so many other ways, ways that are more serious, ways that ruin the game in a far greater fashion.
Holding.
Shirt grabbing.
Hacking.
Elbowing.
General mugging.
This sort of cheating is not only tolerated, but often praised, with adjectives like "robust," "getting stuck in," "tough," "sophisticated" and, my personal favorite, "well-organized."
And yet when a mugged player takes a dive or to even out these assaults, it's an international incident.
Dutch thug-in-chief Mark Van Bommell nearly broke a Spanish player's ankle with a horror tackle. Dutch deputy thug-in-chief Nigel de Jong nearly broke the ribs of Xabi Alonso with a kung fu kick that would've made Bruce Lee proud. Yet, Tipping and those like him don't say a word about this MMA-style garbage that could potentially end someone's career. But a guy who rolls around a few times? Send him to the electric chair!
Apparently, it's far more acceptable to inflict injury than to complain about or fake it.
You wouldn't have players brandishing imaginary cards or taking dives if horror tackles like Van Bommell's and de Jong's were actually punished appropriately (with red cards in both cases) rather than the "tsk tsk tsk" treatment (yellow cards) that both got.
Sometimes a player just flops for no reason. But often, a player exaggerates a fall in order to get a call that he actually deserves but would never get if he didn't fall. Referees generally only call fouls when a player goes to ground. If the refs actually blew the whistle when fouled players tried to stay on their feet, they would have an incentive to do so. As it is, players who try to stay on their feet (and generally don't get the call) are punished for being honest and the defenders who fouled them are rewarded for breaking the rules.
Cheating is cheating is cheating. To make a distinction between intentional fouling or injurious cheating and play acting cheating is just intellectually dishonest.
But I suppose that fetish with the "robust" at the expense of the technical is why youth development in both the US and England are in such a sorry state of affairs.
In the opinion of some, the shame of the final was not Dutch anti-soccer or violence.
Take this blog entry by Jeff Tipping, technical director of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
In it, Tipping blasted the behavior of players who dove and brandished imaginary cards at the referee.
While Spanish players do have an annoying propensity to "play act," there was no mention by Tipping of the anti-soccer and pure thuggery on the part of the Dutch players.
This point of view is widely held in Britain (where Tipping is from) and in most countries that are heavily influenced by English soccer, like the US, Australia and Canada.
This hypocrisy is quite breathtaking.
Players cheat in so many other ways, ways that are more serious, ways that ruin the game in a far greater fashion.
Holding.
Shirt grabbing.
Hacking.
Elbowing.
General mugging.
This sort of cheating is not only tolerated, but often praised, with adjectives like "robust," "getting stuck in," "tough," "sophisticated" and, my personal favorite, "well-organized."
And yet when a mugged player takes a dive or to even out these assaults, it's an international incident.
Dutch thug-in-chief Mark Van Bommell nearly broke a Spanish player's ankle with a horror tackle. Dutch deputy thug-in-chief Nigel de Jong nearly broke the ribs of Xabi Alonso with a kung fu kick that would've made Bruce Lee proud. Yet, Tipping and those like him don't say a word about this MMA-style garbage that could potentially end someone's career. But a guy who rolls around a few times? Send him to the electric chair!
Apparently, it's far more acceptable to inflict injury than to complain about or fake it.
You wouldn't have players brandishing imaginary cards or taking dives if horror tackles like Van Bommell's and de Jong's were actually punished appropriately (with red cards in both cases) rather than the "tsk tsk tsk" treatment (yellow cards) that both got.
Sometimes a player just flops for no reason. But often, a player exaggerates a fall in order to get a call that he actually deserves but would never get if he didn't fall. Referees generally only call fouls when a player goes to ground. If the refs actually blew the whistle when fouled players tried to stay on their feet, they would have an incentive to do so. As it is, players who try to stay on their feet (and generally don't get the call) are punished for being honest and the defenders who fouled them are rewarded for breaking the rules.
Cheating is cheating is cheating. To make a distinction between intentional fouling or injurious cheating and play acting cheating is just intellectually dishonest.
But I suppose that fetish with the "robust" at the expense of the technical is why youth development in both the US and England are in such a sorry state of affairs.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Amateur hour (and a some professionalism)
Today's Post-Star ran as its front page lead a commentary about the passing of Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner.
Bear in mind that this is referring to...
-The front page of the paper, not of the sports section;
-A commentary, not a news story;
-A sports figure with no particular personal connection to this area.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a commentary, let alone one about sports, as the front page lead. Then again, the paper's managing editor is an avowed Yankee fan.
It doesn't speak well of the paper's editorial judgment.
Though as an antidote to such poor prioritization, I've recently discovered two excellent websites.
The first is Pro Publica. The non-profit organization its mission as [t]o expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism to spur reform through the sustained spotlighting of wrongdoing.
The other is Wikileaks. It describes itself as a multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public... [based on the principle] that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies. Wikileaks has become so influential that Pentagon Papers' leaker Daniel Ellsberg warned that the personal safety of the website's founder might be at risk and Obama administration's relentless pursuit of whistleblowers. More 'change' we can believe in, it seems.
Bear in mind that this is referring to...
-The front page of the paper, not of the sports section;
-A commentary, not a news story;
-A sports figure with no particular personal connection to this area.
I'm not sure I've ever seen a commentary, let alone one about sports, as the front page lead. Then again, the paper's managing editor is an avowed Yankee fan.
It doesn't speak well of the paper's editorial judgment.
Though as an antidote to such poor prioritization, I've recently discovered two excellent websites.
The first is Pro Publica. The non-profit organization its mission as [t]o expose abuses of power and betrayals of the public trust by government, business, and other institutions, using the moral force of investigative journalism to spur reform through the sustained spotlighting of wrongdoing.
The other is Wikileaks. It describes itself as a multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate to the public... [based on the principle] that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies. Wikileaks has become so influential that Pentagon Papers' leaker Daniel Ellsberg warned that the personal safety of the website's founder might be at risk and Obama administration's relentless pursuit of whistleblowers. More 'change' we can believe in, it seems.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Bits and pieces (the mostly World Cup edition)
TWEET OF THE WEEK
From @ebertchicago: [Glenn] Beck University drops reading requirement. I'm not sure which is more surprising... the phrase Beck University reading requirement or the phrase Beck University.
'KARMA SUCKS' OF THE WEEK
Uruguay reached the last four of the soccer World Cup thanks to Luiz Suarez. Their young spiker, I mean striker, punched away a goal-bound ball volleyball style, preventing what would have been the last second quarterfinal winner for Ghana. So I could only laugh apoplectically when, late their semifinal content against Holland, the Uruguayans were whining hysterically about an alleged... handball in penalty area.
THAT'S A RELIEF
Uruguay's elimination was welcome also because no one will miss the whining, diving and time wasting that they were almost as good at as volleyball. But their dismissal ensures that this World Cup will be won by a positive attacking team: either the Netherlands, Germany or Spain. This is a welcome development in a tournament that, early on, threatened to shatter the mark for the lowest scoring World Cup ever. Instead, the five goals scored in the Uruguay-Netherlands match was the most scored in regular time of a World Cup semifinal since 1962.
CHEATING BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD STINK AS BAD
Even though I'm American (and thus unfortunately part of the English soccer sphere of dominance), there's a hypocrisy which I've never quite gotten: why diving alone is heinous crime worthy of tarring and feathering, but jersey grabbing, elbowing and rugby tackling is 'savvy' defending. I guess I'm not sophisticated enough to distinguish between these different forms of cheating, the latter being far more prevelant and ruinous than the former.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
A few weeks, ago, I tweeted a link to his blog entry on human rights abuses in Angola . It was automatically re-tweeted (amplified) by a Twitter feed set up by the PR arm of the Angolan government. Thanks for your cooperation, stupid propagandists!
From @ebertchicago: [Glenn] Beck University drops reading requirement. I'm not sure which is more surprising... the phrase Beck University reading requirement or the phrase Beck University.
'KARMA SUCKS' OF THE WEEK
Uruguay reached the last four of the soccer World Cup thanks to Luiz Suarez. Their young spiker, I mean striker, punched away a goal-bound ball volleyball style, preventing what would have been the last second quarterfinal winner for Ghana. So I could only laugh apoplectically when, late their semifinal content against Holland, the Uruguayans were whining hysterically about an alleged... handball in penalty area.
THAT'S A RELIEF
Uruguay's elimination was welcome also because no one will miss the whining, diving and time wasting that they were almost as good at as volleyball. But their dismissal ensures that this World Cup will be won by a positive attacking team: either the Netherlands, Germany or Spain. This is a welcome development in a tournament that, early on, threatened to shatter the mark for the lowest scoring World Cup ever. Instead, the five goals scored in the Uruguay-Netherlands match was the most scored in regular time of a World Cup semifinal since 1962.
CHEATING BY ANY OTHER NAME WOULD STINK AS BAD
Even though I'm American (and thus unfortunately part of the English soccer sphere of dominance), there's a hypocrisy which I've never quite gotten: why diving alone is heinous crime worthy of tarring and feathering, but jersey grabbing, elbowing and rugby tackling is 'savvy' defending. I guess I'm not sophisticated enough to distinguish between these different forms of cheating, the latter being far more prevelant and ruinous than the former.
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
A few weeks, ago, I tweeted a link to his blog entry on human rights abuses in Angola . It was automatically re-tweeted (amplified) by a Twitter feed set up by the PR arm of the Angolan government. Thanks for your cooperation, stupid propagandists!
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Authentic patriotism
VPR's Vermont Edition has a great interview with Stephen Kiernan, author of the book Authentic Patriotism: Restoring America's Founding Ideals Through Selfless Action.
On this Independence Day, it's a timely reminder that patriotism is more than superficial, shallow gestures like waving a flag or wearing a lapel pin or mouthing words. Patriotism means love of country. And true love doesn't mean just saying things, it means doing things.
We Americans have a tendency to think patriotism can only be expressed by joining the armed forces or revering those who do. In fact, any one who acts, in ways big or small, to make their country and community better is a patriot.
On this Independence Day, it's a timely reminder that patriotism is more than superficial, shallow gestures like waving a flag or wearing a lapel pin or mouthing words. Patriotism means love of country. And true love doesn't mean just saying things, it means doing things.
We Americans have a tendency to think patriotism can only be expressed by joining the armed forces or revering those who do. In fact, any one who acts, in ways big or small, to make their country and community better is a patriot.
Friday, July 02, 2010
MobiTV sucks and honesty doesn't pay
Apparently I can watch the World Cup more reliably on one of those free pirated online sites than "legally" via the garbageworthlesspieceofcrapthieving MobiTV 'service' which stole my $10 and crashes every few minutes. So much for honesty. And they wonder why people are so reluctant to pay for stuff online.
Not coincidentally, MobiTV's website offers no way to contact them via email or online. You can indirectly Tweet them but they ignore you. Given their garbageworthlesspieceofcrapthieving 'service,' I can see why.
Not coincidentally, MobiTV's website offers no way to contact them via email or online. You can indirectly Tweet them but they ignore you. Given their garbageworthlesspieceofcrapthieving 'service,' I can see why.
Thursday, July 01, 2010
Try acting like a human for a change
I listened to a great segment on the NPR show Fresh Air with Jeffrey Gettlemen, East Africa bureau chief of The New York Times. Gettleman talked about ideology-free "un-wars" that plague places like Somalia and the DR Congo and the massive human devastation they cause. Last month, he published a piece about how the US- and UN-funded Somalia transitional government was conscripting child soldiers to fight against Islamist extermists.
So naturally, the first comment left on the page was:
Tragic shame about the situation in Somalia; but there's a solution: Just deploy Oliver Stone to do a documentary on how it's really a paradise on earth and any negative images are simply the fabrication of the imperialist/capitalist U.S. media. It seem to work in other chaotic hell-bound locations. Send Michael Moore as well, to really put a shine on the situation.
After listening to the piece on the radio, my reaction was one of sadness and disgust at the carnage. Yet, this person's first reaction was to be snide. It was to take a shot not at the disgusting murderers like Joseph Kony or al-Shabab but at left-wing film makers.
Sadly, this is emblematic of our society has devolved. An exploration of tragic human suffering is met not with anger or empathy toward the suffering of other homo sapiens, but only with a shallow political temper tantrum.
When did we Americans become ideologues first, rather than human beings? And is any ideology worth having if it's completely divorced from humanity?
So naturally, the first comment left on the page was:
Tragic shame about the situation in Somalia; but there's a solution: Just deploy Oliver Stone to do a documentary on how it's really a paradise on earth and any negative images are simply the fabrication of the imperialist/capitalist U.S. media. It seem to work in other chaotic hell-bound locations. Send Michael Moore as well, to really put a shine on the situation.
After listening to the piece on the radio, my reaction was one of sadness and disgust at the carnage. Yet, this person's first reaction was to be snide. It was to take a shot not at the disgusting murderers like Joseph Kony or al-Shabab but at left-wing film makers.
Sadly, this is emblematic of our society has devolved. An exploration of tragic human suffering is met not with anger or empathy toward the suffering of other homo sapiens, but only with a shallow political temper tantrum.
When did we Americans become ideologues first, rather than human beings? And is any ideology worth having if it's completely divorced from humanity?
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