Can of Balls For the Nice Guy

Loogie, Newark Penn Station

2009-09-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

He sits on a bench in Newark.
He reads a book of dark short stories.
He is waiting for his train that has caused his 1 hour trip to balloon to 3 hours.
He notices a woman sitting on the other side of the bench.
He hears a sound that is kind of like spitting.
He feels a slight spray of liquid on his arm.
He turns in the direction of the sound/ liquid.
He stares at the homeless woman staring at him.
He looks down at the glob of spit on his backpack.
He stares at the homeless woman staring at him.
He wonders if this crazy old woman just spit on him.
He stares at the homeless woman staring at him.
He wonders what kind of lunatic would expectorate on a stranger quietly reading a book.
He stares at the homeless woman staring at him.
He wonders if he should respond in some way.
He thinks; ask her if she just spit on me?
He wonders if is she going to attack him?
He thinks; spit back?

She picks up her junk and walks away.

The Tuna Snatcher

2009-03-18T09:23:00.001-07:00

All my man wanted was to grub on an otherwise trashbound sandwich... the man is always trying to stop people from snagging shit due for the garbage heap.

Peruvian Adventures: Day 2

2009-02-21T15:38:00.000-08:00

Monday 1/19- We explore Central Lima.

Last night, on the trip from the airport to our hotel, we drove through some real depressed and run down areas, not exactly tourist or sightseeing hot spots. Due to this, we were a little skeptical about what this first day would bring, wondering whether there would be much for us to see besides urban blight and industrial sprawl. As it turns out, we wake up to sunshine streaming in through our window and the near constant horns blaring from the street outside. It's a beautiful day and we've got a lot to see.

Traveling around Central Lima we are overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle on these tiny, narrow streets. The sidewalks are about 5 feet wide and as you walk you are no more than 6 feet away from the cars whizzing by with no regard for human life. We make our way to the majestic Plaza Mayor and wind our way around from there for the rest of the morning, poking our heads into various shops and getting a lay of the land. In what will turn into an ongoing trend, we can't go more than a minute at a time without having to say "no gracias" over and over to someone offering or asking us for something.

Martha, not fully respecting the intensity of the sun in Peru, garners herself a substantial sunburn covering her face and shoulders by the time we sit down for lunch. The first real meal that we eat out in Peru is at a quiet little restaurant not far from out hotel. As we sit down to eat, we are starting to realize a few things about how the rest of the trip is going to play out. We have obviously overestimated our ability to communicate with the Spanish that we have in our arsenal, so we are going to have to rely on other forms of and hoping that the people we meet have some empathy for our pathetic grasp of their native tongue.

Regardless, of this challenge, we can't give up, we must forge ahead, and the first obstacle in our path is the menu directly in front of us. Even with the help of the little guide book I brought along, we are only able to speculate what we might be ordering. I manage to order a some fried chicken and white rice while Martha gets a rice and seafood combo, both successful and satisfying ventures. Somehow, unknowingly, we order an appetizer, "%20Cebiche.htm">Cebiche" which we are perplexed by and thinking that it is raw chicken, we choose not to touch it. We later find out that it is one of the more popular dishes in Peru, marinated raw fish served in a number of different ways in different parts of the country. Popular or not, aside from a quick taste to quell our curiosity we decide to leave it to the Peruvians.

The rest of the day is more of the same, continuing to explore and see as much as we can of the Central Lima area. For the most part, its cobblestone streets, historic architecture, and lively atmosphere are more than enough to entertain us for the rest of the day. We visit massively elaborate cathedrals, tacky crafts stores and a delicious churro stand. Overall, a great first day in Lima with the popular outer districts of Miraflores and Barranco on tap for the next.

Peruvian Adventures: Day 1

2009-02-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

COBFTNG, long dormant is being woken up from its slumber for an important update; I just got back from 12 days in Peru. Well, not exactly, I got back last Saturday morning, but have just been too lazy and busy to get around to posting anything about the trip until now. Martha and I traveled, explored, got lost, found our way again and ate a ton of great Peruvian food. We also took a ton of pictures, only half of which are accessible at the moment bc of memory card issues, that I will be sharing with all of you unwaveringly loyal COBFTNG readers. I'm going to try to get a post up for each day of our trip accompanied by whatever pictures I have available.

Sunday 1/18- We fly to Lima, Peru from Newark, NJ.

This is only the second time I’ve traveled outside of the country and the first time that I’ve gone on one that I organized myself. So, Martha and I had been thinking about and planning this little Peruvian excursion for a number of months. We had both been itching to travel and explore foreign parts of the world, particularly South America, and after much debate and research we settled on Peru, for the following reasons:

1) It seemed relatively affordable. The plane tickets to Peru were roughly half of what it would be to Argentina, Chile or Uruguay.

2) It had a number of things that we wanted to see and do (Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, the Andes, Lima, etc…)

3) From what we could tell, it seemed like a relatively tourist friendly/ safe country that wouldn’t place us in any unnecessarily dangerous situations.

I’m nervous for a number of reasons, the primary one being that neither of us really speaks Spanish all that well. I took it throughout high school and for a year in college to fulfill requirements but never put that much effort into really trying to learn it and speak it well. I can say that for most of the classes that I took in college, I wish I had applied myself more, but that’s a lament for another time… I have been trying to brush up on my Spanish, but its apparent that I’m not going to be engaging in any in depth conversations in my second tongue, which is unfortunate. I am fairly confident that through a combination of weak Spanglish and hand gestures/ body language I’ll be able to communicate my most basic thoughts and needs.

We wake up and do our final packing of our new gringo backpacks from EMS courtesy of Martha. We try our best to pack light since we know we aren’t going to want to be lugging everything we own around Peru. We want to be sleek and easily maneuverable yet still have everything we are going to need for both the mountains/ hiking and also spending a few days at the beach at the end of our trip.

The actual journey and flight to Lima is relatively uneventful. I haven’t flown anywhere in over two years and am a little nervous about taking such a long trip to a foreign and unknown country, but everything works out smoothly. We land in Lima, exchange some money and find our driver, a tiny, happy man named Lito, who is proudly holding up a sign bearing our names. As we follow him outside into the warm Lima night, we breath deeply of the fresh, balmy air of South America. We are finally here! After months of planning, saving and waiting, we are actually standing on Peruvian soil, seeing billboards written in Spanish, ready to take on any adventures and experiences that come our way. We hop nervously into the back of his huge, creaky van and head off into the night.

It is on this ride to our hotel that we get our first taste of typical Peruvian driving. They rely not on any sort of formal rules of the road but on a unique shared vision of how to navigate their crazy roadways. Each driver is hell bent on getting to his/her destination in the absolute shortest amount of time possible, regardless of any obstacles that might be in the way. What ends up happening is a cluster fuck at every intersection with every single vehicle beeping and honking until their wrists get sore from pounding the wheel. To say that Peruvian drivers use their horns liberally would be a gross exaggeration. Drivers down there use their horns as frequently as your typical New Yorker uses his or her blackberry, in other words at every possible opportunity and in between every possible opportunity.

Despite this, we get to the hotel Sunday night, not before getting pulled over by one of Lima’s finest Police officers because our man Lito ran through about 5 red lights while rationalizing his actions by honking through each one. Day one complete. Much more ahead.

(Unfortunately we don't have any pictures from this first day, but I've been starting to post pictures from the trip here if you are interested.

Detroit in trouble

2008-11-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

I was going to make a small comment on an Ezra Klein post as I shared it on Reader, but I felt like I might as well write it on COBFTNG since for months it has been cruelly ignored by its own creator and it deserves a little action.

Here is the link. As anyone who knows me realizes, I'm a big fan of Kleins writing on The American Prospect and am quick to share what I feel are interesting and thoughtful posts that he churns out over there.

Here he highlights one take on the automakers bailout/deal. I'm obviously no expert, but why would the auto industry need further incentive to make higher gas mileage standards/ further "green technologies" a priority? I understand why looking for a bailout to try to save millions of jobs is reasonable given the state of our economy, but why haven't these companies innovated and progressed to the point where they don't need the federal government to jump in and save their failing businesses?

I guess it is by and large more of a statement about the condition of the general economy than any one particular industry that these types of "bailouts" are deemed necessary and acceptable. Maybe its an overly simplistic view of the auto industry, but I wonder if its right to feel that these companies are getting what they deserve for not adapting to evolving demand for more fuel efficient vehicles and environmentally responsible transportation options.

Terrible New York

2008-11-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel I never want to live in New York City ever again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/11/nyregion/11meals.html?ref=nyregion

2 days later

2008-11-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

I am fully aware that this site has been doing nothing but collecting dust for some time now, but at some point I hope to revive it to where it once was (about 3-4 posts a month). Until that time, you will just have to bear with me and my laziness towards churning out blog posts.

I read something this evening from Ezra Klein's blog at The American Prospect and it really sounded right to me. I know I am as guilty as anyone else for getting so amped up and hopeful just from hearing Obama speak that I forget about the harsh realities facing our country and our political system. I forget about all the very real obstacles in the way and get a glazed-over look in my eye dreaming about a land of milk and honey, brother/sisterhood and hugs, sharing and caring. Very few things are able to consistently give me chills up my spine, but listening to Dylan's music (specifically "Masters of War") and Barack's inspired speeches make the list.

Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked. Here is the passage from Mr. Klein which I thought was an apt way to say that even if things might not be as hopeful as all the celebrating suggested, there is still reason to believe that there is some reason to get excited. Comments are always welcomed here in this land of free speech.

My basic emotion is relief. The skill of an Obama administration has yet to be proven. The structure of our government will prove a more able opponent than John McCain. But for the first time in years, I have the basic sense that it's going to be okay. Not great, necessarily. And certainly not perfect. But okay. The country will be lead by decent, competent people who fret over the right thing and employ the tools of the state for recognizable ends. They may not fully succeed. But then, maybe they will. At the least, they will try. And if they fail in their most ambitious goals, maybe they will simply make things somewhat better. After the constant anxiety and uncertainty of the last eight years, maybe that's enough.

I ain't your damn friend John

2008-10-08T08:16:00.000-07:00

John McCain's Debate Notes

-Address audience as "My friends"
-Mention the words "cronyism and corruption"
-Don't forget about EARMARKS!
-Try to get audience to believe Obama is going to raise taxes for the middle class

I've really had a hard time watching these debates. There is very little said that is more than generalities, vague statements that might come off as popular among the electorate and mentions of contradictions in the other candidate's voting record. The problem that I see with constantly bringing up voting records in the senate is that often times, as far as I understand it, Senators will vote on a plan that might be the lesser of two evils, and thus might be painted as being a die-hard supporter of such a plan when they were merely choosing the best realistic option. This is obviously applicable to both sides.

Like most other people who watch these debates, I can't claim to know the ins and outs of all the issues that are discussed. I try to educate myself as best I can about the topics that I feel are the most important for myself and others going forward (the state of the economy, health care, taxes, alternative energy initiatives, restructuring our approach to foreign policy, transportation issues), but I can't possibly know everything there is to know about them. Therefore, I inevitably feel like I can't always cut to the truth behind statements that are brandied about by both of these politicians, can't always decipher which statements are honest and sincere and which are fraught with mistruths and stray toward disingenuity.

Which is worse, this type of bullshit debate format or the speeches from the conventions where the audience cheers every single word?

Pearly whites and corrosive elements

2008-08-13T07:00:00.001-07:00

As a man who loves a good floss and teeth brushing, and also one that enjoys the occasional can of soda, I was taken aback when a coworker looked at me condescendingly at lunch the other day while I was sipping on a free can of pepsi and asked me, "Don't you know how bad that is for your teeth?"

She continued, "Haven't you heard that if you leave a tooth in a cup of soda overnight it will dissolve by the next morning?"

I had never heard of this ridiculous claim and steadfastly refused to accept it as reality, however a few other people had also heard it and believed it to be the honest-to-god truth. One co-worker claimed that leaving a dirty penny in pepsi/coke overnight could completely clean and shine a previously dirty penny. I know how much sugar soda, candy and other shit contains and realize that it isn't the best thing for your dental and physical health, but didn't think they had the ability to destroy body parts as if they were sulfuric acid.

So I went to the interweb and tried to get to the bottom of this. I present you with the results of a thorough scientific study on this topic that gets to the heart of the matter.

Amerocentrism and CHINA in big block letters

2008-08-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

One thing that caught my eye while watching the ass-whomping that Team USA just laid on China in men's basketball was the writing on the uniforms. Why is it that the name of the country and player were written in English? Since the games are being held in Beijing, why isn't everything written in Mandarin? Is this done just because NBC has the rights to broadcast the games and somehow has a say in how things should look there?

Viewing NBC's coverage of the Olympic games and not noticing the slanted coverage toward American athletes and American dominated events is like reading Jolly Miserable's blog and finding something interesting, it just can't happen.

Lost in Iraq

2008-08-05T19:23:00.001-07:00

I, not unlike many Americans, am not very knowledgeable about what is going on in Iraq. I try to follow the news coming out of there as much as I can but still don't understand a lot of the facts and opinions that surround this situation. From what I can tell, as unpopular as "the surge" was, it was successful in curbing violence in an extremely hostile and turbulent region of the world.

I know next to nothing about military strategy, dealing with an insurgency or rebuilding a country (and an economy) after a war. Obama has been for establishing a timetable for withdrawal of troops but has amended his position somewhat in light of the current state of affairs. Our invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq has been an extremely controversial and heated issue for a bevy of reasons (the cost of American lives, financial burden of the war on the U.S., disruption of Iraqi sovereignty, rising oil prices, being lied to about the reason for invading, etc...)

Tonight I came across this article that further confused me about Iraq and our country's role there. Apparently, Iraq is swimming in money from rising oil profits and racking up a huge surplus while the U.S. government has been adding to is already sizable deficit. While we are pouring money into the reconstruction of Iraq, they are gathering interest on their growing lump of cash. I would like to assume that our government is proceeding in the most rational and responsible manner possible given the circumstances, but when I read articles like this one I start to have my doubts. Really, who is in charge here? It just doesn't seem like a tight ship is being run over there. I realize that the situation on the ground isn't as simplified and generalized as the American public would like to see it, but I am underwhelmed by the sense that things are being handled in the best manner possible over yonder.

When are we going to decide if we really want to be propping up and holding Iraq's hand for the next 50 years? My main problem with coming to terms with Iraq is that I don't see a coherent plan in place that dictates our actions going forward. I am aware of the instability and tensions that exist there, but how are we ever going to move forward (and out!) if we don't have a clear (and shared) vision for the Iraq of the future and our relationship with them. Are we going to continue on this dangerous imperialistic foreign policy path or are we going to settle in to the role of a responsible world superpower?

Tour de Westfield

2008-07-22T18:53:00.001-07:00

After I got home from work I was debating what to do, lift weights? Try to play basketball on my still healing ankle? Go for a bike ride? Sit on my ass and watch tv?

Since it was around 7:30 and I was too lazy to lift and too uninspired to shoot some hoops, I hopped on my bike and went for a spin. I usually don't push myself too hard on my solitary rides. I'll bike around 10 miles or so at an easy pace. The goal is usually to bike for 5-7 miles or so in what ever direction the wind takes me and then somehow try to figure out how to get back to Cranford. I've become fairly familiar with the area and its been getting harder and harder to disorient and get myself legitimately lost.

Tonight, however, I had been casually riding around the seemingly endless grid between Cranford and Westfield when I come up to an intersection in time to see 6 dudes fly by in full road bike gear and on some nice rigs. I barely ever get the chance to ride with anyone so before I even really had a chance to make a decision, I pulled a sharp right and started trailing the pack as they started weaving in and out of traffic. These dudes were pretty serious riders and it was definitely going to take some concentration and will power to keep up with them in my amateur shape.

We eventually made our way to a less congested road where I was able to shout out to ask them if it was cool if I tagged along.

"Where are you guys headed?" I inquired.

"Up around the Watchung loop and back, only about 16 miles" (The Watchung Reservation is 5 minutes from where I grew up and consists of a bunch of winding roads snaking over hills and through the woods) Carlos replied.

Somehow I was able to keep up with these guys for most flat parts and the climbs, partly because I was about 10 years younger than about half of them. However, they toasted me on the descents. Like I said, the roads wind wickedly around the hills and you never know whats going to be around the next bend unless you are really familiar with the turf. So we would get to the top of a climb and then less than a minute later all the other guys would be completely out of sight. I was cruising along at a respectable 30-35mph and was being left in the dust. The fact that it was pushing 8-8:30 and was quickly getting darker didn't help matters as I sped down each descent while trying to keep up with these road warriors.

I'm sure I looked like a clown wearing sneakers, basketball shorts and jersey while all the other guys were decked out in the legit cycling apparel and accessories, but it was a great time nonetheless. I definitely got a new appreciation for what kind of athletes must be riding in the Tour de France and other professional races. I've been trying to follow and learn more about it, its really a fascinating spectacle with its unparalleled history and prestige. France never really struck my fancy as a travel destination until I started reading more about the Tour, but now it will most definitely be a must on my next (and first) European tour.

Leonhardt on market forces in the health care industry

2008-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

David Leonhardt writes about how Congress is helping the continuing high costs of the health care industry. He argues that by not allowing the health care equipment prices to be set by market forces, the government is supporting artificially inflated prices. The effect of this subsidy is a bloated producer surplus which obviously ends up hurting the little people.

On the power of lobbying and money in Washington politics impacts this issue:
This little fight deserves more attention than it's been getting for two reasons. One, it's a great example of how a small group of constituents can potentially beat back a policy that's clearly in the public interest but has no similarly committed group of supporters. And, two, it shows just how difficult health care reform is going to be.

In the abstract, fixing the health care system sounds perfectly unobjectionable: it's about reducing costs (and then being able to cover the uninsured) by getting rid of inefficiency and waste. In reality, though, almost every bit of waste benefits someone.

Overall, I found this to be an intelligent article which looks to shed some light on how our elected officials are not always looking out for our best interests. Our entire health care system is undeniably flawed and in no way could be described as working to ensure the health and well-being of all American citizens. As he points out, there are more (and more powerful) people whose jobs are focused on maintaining the status quo in this industry than their are people who are working to fix this debacle. After watching a movie like SICKO (I know, I know its Michael Moore, but still) and thinking about all the failures in the system, it is so frustrating to think about how something that could do so much good is letting so many people down everyday.

An American Pastime

2008-07-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

I just saw an ad for a gas company, followed by another commercial for a different gas company. The first one was for Mobil and the next one was for Valero. (Note: This commercial obviously was aired without the anti-Valero message scrolling across the screen)

Are commercials like these really going to change the driving habits of average Americans who have faced substantial increases in the price of gas over the past year? Even if driving is an American 'love affair' or Pastime (aren't evicting Native Americans from their homes and starting unpopular wars American Pastimes as well?), do these companies really think that by airing some corny ads during baseball games American consumers will go out and A) Drive more in general or B) Buy their gasoline over their competitors brands? I don't get it.

Spanning the masses

2008-07-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

"Let me be as clear as I can be," he said. "I intend to end this war. My first day in office I will bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff in, and I will give them a new mission, and that is to end this war — responsibly, deliberately, but decisively.

-Barack Obama

There has been a lot of talk recently about Obama's stance on the war in Iraq. From the beginning he has been opposed to it and wants to bring out troops home. However, he is not an irrational peacenik who views bringing every last soldier back home to start planting flowers and holding hands as the number one priority. As much as I am against the war in Iraq, and without being an expert on the issue, I do believe that strictly calling for a withdrawal of troops without taking into consideration the current state of affairs there and consequences of our actions on the region would be a mistake.

People can criticize Obama from both sides, either calling him a flip-flopper or another run-of-the-mill politician who is only trying to win votes by working his way into the middle of the political spectrum. But, the fact of the matter is that one can find both value and fault in either
A) staying the course, being stubborn, and not willing to change your position on an issue simply because you are afraid people will say that you are a hypocrite or say that you are flip-flopping or
B) Being adaptable and open minded to changing your mind, taking into consideration new information and risk THEM saying that you aren't strong or tough minded.

Its a tough row to hoe. As with many things, I feel the truth and best option lies somewhere in the middle of these two extremes, no matter how the liberal/conservative media might want to portray it. I want a leader who is willing to do what is right despite how he/she might be painted by critics afterwards.

Happy Birthday Babe-raham Lincoln!

2008-07-03T19:31:00.000-07:00

I just caught part of "Independence Day", one of the greatest epic movies of our time. One of the parts that always intrigued me, was the idea of Area 51. In the movie, the President was completely unaware of its existence. If you think about it, this makes sense that every Tom, Dick and Sally that is elected president of the United States of America cannot be told the deepest, darkest secrets that our government holds.

In the movie, the former head of the CIA is the only dude who knows about the existence and ongoings of the facility and he only brings it up after the aliens have struck and are within 36 hours of completely exterminating mankind as we know it! You think Bill Clinton knows about what kind of crazy shit THEY might be testing in the North Pole or the vast deserts of Nevada?

As much as these type of "science fiction" movies are deemed to be unrealistic or fantastical, there is something so cool in thinking that there might be so much out there that we are kept in the dark about. This got me thinking about the idea of the Sacred and the Profane. The day to day operations of our life get to be so mundane and ordinary, that when we encounter something above and beyond, it blows our minds and makes us realize that there could be more...

Religion is incredible in that it allows people to believe that there is something so much more powerful and otherworldly out there than their 9-5 jobs, mortgages and ho-hum existence. Maybe, just maybe, there is the something out there that could equal or exceed the furthest limits of our imagination.

Man, I love summer

2008-06-29T18:16:00.000-07:00

Rank of seasons by order of awesomeness
1. Summer
2. Spring
3. Fall

9. Winter

Tour de Jersey

2008-06-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that Will Bike For Food didn't come together for this summer, I've still been trying to bike as much as possible. I've been getting out for 10-15 mile rides after works and some longer ones on the weekends. Looking back on it, trying to organize a 3,000+ mile ride without ever having gone on a trip longer than 30-40 miles might not have been the most reasonable idea, for whatever its worth.

This past weekend I took my longest ride yet, a 53 journey through the congested state of New Jersey from Cranford to Normandy Beach. From one Grandparent's house to the other. It was a beautiful day, 70degrees, sunny. Outside of a 10 mile stretch in and around Perth Amboy, the trip was fantastic and was pretty smooth sailing. I cruised into Normandy in about 3 and a half hours, averaging about 17mph while stopping twice to refuel. I figure if I can cover this type of ground in about half a day, with some more experience and strength, some more ambitious adventures are definitely going to be within reach.

New Jersey is a relatively flat state, not too many hills, and the ones I did encounter were more of the long, gradual type. I thought that the notorious traffic of NJ might put a damper on the ride, but for the most part, it really wasn't a factor at all. As long as there is a decent shoulder on the road (at least 5 feet), assholes flying by in cars don't really effect me too much.

Overall, I had a great time on the ride. There is something liberating in being able to move yourself from point A to point B without having to rely on something bigger than yourself (car, train, plane). I felt free in knowing that I was able to take on this excursion entirely by myself from start to finish. No matter whether its finishing a tough sudoku, running a 2mile, figuring out how to illegally split cable from your neighbors house, , or bike to the beach, the gratification in finding a way to accomplish a task and following through on it until completion is a great feeling.

I'm looking to take my next longer ride from Cranford,NJ to Central Valley, NY, most likely in late July. Its going to be about 61 miles, most likely more rural roads. In the mean time, I want to try to get into a little better shape. My legs actually didn't bother me at all until the last 5-10 miles, and even then it really didn't hinder the ride at all. My lower back started tightening up about halfway down from a combination of carrying my backpack and not having prepared myself for being in a riding position for 3-4 hours.

Blow it up

2008-06-11T19:44:00.000-07:00

I just heard about this whole "terrorist fist jab" business. The Fox News Channel operates under the guise of "fair and balanced" reporting. However, anyone watching this channel should be able to recognize the slant and unmistakably biased reporting that goes on there. They hardly even try to conceal their objectives of promoting an extremely conservative and Republican-friendly agenda.

I found this while reading about this fist jab fiasco

For example, NBC anchor Andrea Mitchell apologized on Monday on MSNBC Live for describing Bristol, Virginia -- a place where Obama was campaigning -- as "real redneck, sort of, bordering on Appalachia country." In late May, Fox News contributor Liz Trotta apologized for joking that Obama should be assassinated, along with Osama Bin Laden. In February, conservative Fox talk show host Bill O'Reilly apologized for saying that he "didn't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's hard evidence, hard facts that say this is how the woman really feels." And in January, MSNBC political pundit Chris Matthews apologized for charging that Hillary Clinton only managed to win office of any kind because she played the sympathy card as a victim of her husband's infidelities.

These Fox News personalities inject their little digs and cheap shots out of one side of their mouth while pretending to present the current events of the day. Even though all of the people mentioned above apologized for the comments on which they were called out, their sentiments and true feelings are easy to see.

I have no desire to get into the problems of media bias and the unsuspecting public who eats this kind of fear mongering, racist and inflammatory bullshit up with a spoon. I just wonder if there can be some way to officially label the Fox News channel as clearly nothing more than brainless entertainment for the ignorant masses, as opposed to a reputable news source which it parades itself as.

Rise above

2008-06-10T18:24:00.000-07:00

What initially drew me to Obama was his insistence on the need to change the political makeup and dealings in our government. No more "Politics as usual", which served to describe Hillary Clinton, the current administration, and pretty much the entire recent history of politics in our country.

Too much corruption, influence by special interests, irresponsibility and incompetence. Barack was going to be bringing something new, something fresh. There were going to be no attack ads, no negative campaigning, no divisiveness from this movement. He was going to conduct a campaign without stooping to the level of his opponents.

Surely this was a good thing right? It sounded great. Rise above the usual pettiness and bullshit that American politics has been known for. However, as much as Obama has tried to run a squeaky clean campaign, it was all but inevitable that there would be road bumps and different unexpected challenges. Reverend Wright. Michigan and Florida. Clowns on FOX news bringing up his middle name, Hussein, as if it should disqualify him from serving as President. Here for more media bullshit.

What I'm trying to get to is the fact that no matter how hard Barack tried to run a different campaign, there are going to be people who try to drag his name through the mud, dig up any dirt they can on him and find, however minuscule, chinks in his armor. The ideal way to face this type of garbage would be to ignore it, focus on policy, work to reach out to as many constituents as possible and just rise above the triviality of it all. However, if you try to do this and act in a dignified and classy way by not even addressing these things that have somehow passed for 'news'.

If you don't respond and attack back, you are considered weak. If you don't address these ridiculous statements that the media blows up, it makes you look as if you have something to hide. I am too young and inexperienced to proclaim myself as some expert of how government should be run, but it seems to me that if we had a chance to redesign an ideal political system, it would look significantly different than what we have today.

The focus needs to be on which candidate can best help our country and serve the most people. Who can best address the problems in our economy, health care system, education, environment, foreign policy and other areas that are in dire need of attention?

In our current culture of 24 hour news channels and people eating up and demanding the most sensational news stories, it seems to be tough to get every voter to focus on the key factors during this critical election year. Are American voters intelligent enough to recognize and understand how different policy choices effect our country and our citizens lives? Hope lies in the feeling that people are fed up enough with the current state of affairs to try to change things AND still somehow believe that we have the power to change things.

You just had to go and open your big mouth

2008-06-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Taking a nice long sip of iced tea after a coming in from a refreshing bike ride around Cranford, I switched on the TV to see what was going on with the Yankees game.

5-4 Yanks in the bottom of the 7th at Minnesota. Petite was still pitching and had only thrown 89 pitches thus far. The old man's still got it. He gets Casilla to ground out to Cano for the 2nd out of the inning. And then all of a sudden...

"Petite sure is looking good tonight. He's thrown 90 pitches and 60 of them for strikes, a good ratio...Maybe its not such a crazy idea to send him out there for the 8th with Joba pitching tomorrow, give their bullpen a break... Andy's had leads of 2-0, 4-1 and now 5-4 tonight, we'll see if he can hold on to this one now."

At this point I'm starting to get nervous. Color commentators have never really done it for me (with the obvious exception of the eloquent and always entertaining Walt 'Clyde' Frazier). They are usually lacking in genuine insight and are just plain dull. However, standing in the kitchen, watching the YES network, I start to get a bad feeling. As much as I might not like to admit it, I tend to be a little superstitious. Watching Super Bowl XLII, I held onto the same beer bottle long after I had emptied its contents simply because it had been in my hand when the Giants marched down the field earlier in the 4th quarter and scored on Tyree's catch. I do believe in jinxes. I do believe in a lucky pair of boxers. When something works, go with it until it doesn't anymore. Especially with something as fragile as the Yankees 2008 season. At this point, the franchise might careen into the abyss if someone sneezes at the wrong time.

So back to the story, I'm standing there, staring at the screen while topping myself off with another round of iced tea when I hear this,
"Andy Petite has yet to give up a home run to a left handed hitter so far this year... Incredibly Joe Mauer has yet to get in the HR column"

Not 15 seconds later Mauer rockets a pitch on the inside of the plate into the right field stands. Now, would this have happened if these numb nuts hadn't said anything? Who knows. Its as if there is some slumbering jinx monster in the room and by saying something as stupid as this, he is going to wake up and punish you by fucking over your team. This is exactly why no one talks to a pitcher in the late innings of a no-hitter or perfect game. Its why when your team has been perfect from the foul line all game, you don't say something like "Man...have we missed a foul shot tonight? We're on fire!". The universe is a fickle mistress, try not to upset her.

Stand clear of the closing doors

2008-05-23T20:59:00.000-07:00

First things first, Yankees 13 Mariner 2. Beautiful day for a baseball game in the Bronx. Met up with Jolly Skartvedt and two middle aged friends of his at a restaurant outside the stadium where we ordered different variations of Jerk Chicken entrees as one of the guys, Lou, got visibly frustrated with the service. The waiter tried to remember our simple orders (Jerk Chicken wrap, Jerk Chicken dinner, etc..) and failed miserably. Needless to say, it was a great game. The Yanks just poured on run after run while lighting up Erik Bedard. Andy Petite was fantastic and Shelly Duncan hit a 3 run bomb to left to start the explosion. Jolly was being hit on all game by the girl across the aisle who seemed to be there with her boyfriend.

One thing that I truly hate about New York City is the abundance of people who walk around talking to themselves. I'm not talking about the ones who are singing to themselves listening to their iPods or muttering as they step in a puddle. Its the people who are standing at the corner having an obviously one-sided conversation with no one in particular. The guy in the park sitting on the bench snapping at someone invisible sitting next to him. The old woman with the grocery bag who stops in the middle of the cross walk to ask a question of someone when there is no one within 30 feet of her. I am aware that in all likelihood a majority of these individuals are clearly disturbed. My run ins with these people unnerve me more than anything else that I have encountered lately. Except for that time last week when I ran into a possum (sp?) outside the garage!

As I was walking through Penn station earlier tonight on my way home, a dude approached me and asked for 75 cents. I was a little taken aback by the request for such an exact and small amount of money. Having only one quarter in my pocket, I handed it to him and apologized for some reason. I hadn't taken 3 steps before I passed this young couple being propositioned by this one obviously down on his luck dude. I had heard the story before "I'm really sorry to have to bother you, but I lost my wallet and have no way of getting home, could I just borrow $10 to buy a train ticket?" or "I AM NOT A BUM, and I wouldn't be asking you this if I wasn't in such a bind, but could you help me out with such and such". This is the definition of a 'Boy who cried wolf' scene. Obviously there are people who get their wallets stolen, lose their cellphone, etc... and have to resort to asking complete strangers for a few bucks to get them going again. However, there also would seem to be people who, by impersonating the aforementioned individuals, could make a few quick bucks with this ploy. The later group is really ruining it for all those poor people who fall upon some bad luck away from home and nowhere to turn. I guess this isn't really a boy crying wolf, but one boy crying "wolf!" when there is no wolf around and another boy coming along and crying "wolf!" only to be ignored and eaten by the wolf.

Reason #453 that I hate the Spurs

2008-05-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

I despise Robert Horry.

If the cheap shot he laid into David West's back tonight puts him out of commission for Game 7 on saturday(?) he will have effectively ruined the seasons of two of the most fascinating and enjoyable teams in the league in consecutive Western Conference semi-finals. The Nash hit last year was definitely worse and much more obviously malicious, but setting a blind side screen in middle of a man's already injured back is still a shitty and lowly thing to do. When Mark Jackson defended Horry's actions right afterwards, I felt relieved that Donnie Walsh didn't hire this stupid sonofabitch to be the coach. If you are going to win, win with class. Horry has none and obviously neither does Mark Jackson.

I hope West will be alright for the rest of the playoffs and that the Hornets kick the shit out of the Spurs in New Orleans.

Can't catch a break?

2008-05-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

Think you've got it rough? A tornado tear through your house in Oklahoma? Are you about to lose your house due to the sub-prime mortgage fiasco? Lose your job?

Quit whining. There are people out there who got stuck in traffic on their way to their weekend homes and you're calling your misstep a tragedy? Come on people. Before you complain about the thousands of people whose lives were destroyed by Cyclone Nargis, recognize the real horror for the people stuck in there Benz's in gridlock traffic on their way to what was SUPPOSED to be a relaxing weekend away.

When we go away we always stop

Life outside the magic kingdom

2008-05-14T17:38:00.001-07:00

Wasn't it just 2 years ago that JJ Reddick was the poster boy of college basketball? Everyone was basically in agreement that he wasn't athletic or big enough to be as effective in the NBA as he had been at Duke, but that he was still a very talented scorer with one of the best jumpshots we had ever seen. He became Duke's all-time leading scorer despite the fact that every team's game plan revolved around stopping him first and foremost. He was taken in the lottery by the Magic and has yet to get any consistent burn.

The NBA is made up of stars and role players. These role players tend not to have the complete games of their more heralded teammates but still possess some skill set that allows them to help their team. Reggie Evans can't score for shit but still plays defense and rebounds enough to justify a spot for himself. Jacque Vaughn has inexplicably been in the league forever without knowing what it feels like to get in the stat sheet. Bruce Bowen is one of the worst people on the planet but is still lauded for his "defense and hustle". My point is that all of these players and plenty more don't have the all around game of LeBron or KG but are valuable components nonetheless because they bring to the table tools that a successful team needs.

How is it that no team can make use of a player who is all but automatic from anywhere in the gym if given an open look. Kapono just snagged a huge deal last summer for having no other discernible skills besides being able to knock down J's at a good clip and being a good looking guy. Sure JJ's not as big as Kaponovich but I would argue that he is just as good of a shooter. For the past 2-3 years all the announcers have talked about when the Cavs have gotten bumped from the playoffs is that he doesn't have a reliable shooter on the other wing who he can kick it to when the defense collapses. Sure, they've had Gibson, West, Sczerbiak, Pavlovic, etc... but none of them have been able to get it done consistently.

I was never the biggest Reddick fan, but it was impossible not to respect his game. The man worked his ass off, knew how to get open and play to his strengths, and filled it up like a motherfucker. You don't think he could be a good option coming off the bench for 20 minutes a night, open up the floor for LeBron while he does his thing? He's not going to be the first option for any team he plays for, but he should still be able to find a niche somewhere in the league because of what he does do well. If guys like Steve Kerr and Matt Carroll are able to carve out a spot for themselves with just their jump shots and not much else, why can't this guy?

And may you live to be a thousand years old!

2008-05-13T19:09:00.001-07:00

I was running a little late today and I had to hustle to catch the 6:03 train out of Penn station today. Much like all other trains at that time of day it was absolutely packed. To get to the train from the main station you have to take either the escalator or elevator down to the tracks. They only announce the track number that a train is on 10 minutes in advance of the departure so its always a free for all as everyone fights for positioning. There is just one tiny door leading to the escalator and hundreds of people pushing each other to get through this one opening. Try to imagine a human meat grinder. That's essentially what it looks like.

So, on the train I was one of the last people to get on and considered myself lucky that I found some room to stand where I could hold onto a handle nearby. Trying to stand on the train sans some sort of grounding is a difficult proposition, anchoring yourself somehow is obviously key here. Not two feet from me were two older women sitting down with sunglasses on. The one on the left, probably in her late 50's had a large rolling suitcase standing up against the side of the car right next to my legs. I happened to nudge the suitcase at one point which elicited a questionable look from its owner. Not wanting to seem too obvious, she waited about 5 seconds before moving it into the aisle, the main thoroughfare of the train, so it would be right at her side and not within the reach of this stranger's clumsy legs.

The feeling that someone is nervously eying you, making sure you don't try to pull anything funny, definitely borders on paranoia but is hard to put out of your mind. Like walking behind someone when every so often they steal anxious glances over their shoulder at you to make sure you're not creeping up on them. I received substantially more of these kinds of looks while I was growing my beard but it still happens occasionally.

This was one of those times. So this woman, put her huge piece of luggage right in the way of where everyone was trying to walk just to get it away from me. Had she had a bad experience somewhere in her past that would teach her to be overly careful with her things around strangers? What did she think I was going to do to her precious suitcase?

My mom had an experience at her store in NYC a long time ago where a group of robbers came in and stuck up the place, had her at gunpoint, and stole a ton of merchandise. Ever since that encounter she has become extremely protective and careful around anyone she feels could represent a similar threat to her. Should she really be blamed for exhibiting a mindset that could be described as xenophobic, since it was instilled in her by such a traumatic experience? As people grow older and have more life experiences, they are going to be exposed to

Could this be why as people grow older they tend to become more conservative? They feel that they have lived and learned, and thus know everything that they possibly need to know about how the world works? Its easy to be idealistic, open-minded and think the world could be a perfect and happy place if you haven't been confronted face to face with its harsh realities. If someone has fucked with your suitcase in the past, of course you're going to be extra careful that it doesn't happen again. If someone robs your store, of course you're going to take extra security measures and be careful about who you let in. However, by themselves, these acts could be construed as paranoid, racist or discriminatory.

So whats the bottom line here? Should someone who fears for his/her safety, with good reason or not, be hesitant to act cautiously just because they could possibly be seen as xenophobic or paranoid? I don't know the answer to this.

I saw a quote somewhere saying essentially, be kind because everyone is fighting a battle of some kind. I think this is a great way to approach encounters with others. Knowing that there are (usually) reasons for people to act the way they do, it is best not to make assumptions or hold it against people when they do not act the way that you think they should.

Happy Birthday Fox

2008-04-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to watch the newest ep of lost online for the past few days, but it doesnt look good for watching it tonight either. If they can make me wait 3 weeks between new episodes, I can put off watching it for a few days (although this just might be hurting myself on this one).... there are just too many playoff games that demand my undivided attention. there are a million thoughts racing through my head but nothing coherent enough to make into a viable statement or post so i might just spit it all out at once. i've been meaning to try to come to terms with why I want to write a blog. my friend Jolly Skartvedt made his blog private because he doesnt want to chance future employers knowing about his unhappiness with catholics. I don't know what the point of even having one is if you don't let other people read it. why not just write down your ideas into a word document that you keep tucked safely away in your computer?

I realize that this blog has no overriding direction, purpose or flow to it. I guess I never really intended to have one. My two primary inspirations to start a blog were my friend Andy's extremely entertaining and insightful page and FreeDarko. These are my top two blogs that I keep tabs on in my reader. Both are well written, and really make me wish I had more to say as a writer every time I read them. The thing is, they both have a relatively defined niche that they occupy well. CanOfBallsForTheNiceGuy ( I changed the name finally) might never be a post-a-day blog or have a consistent vision, but for right now, I'm not too worried about it.

At once i don't mind commuting bc i feel superior to every other zombie that i see along the way but scared that i could turn into them. ive narrowed it down to approximately a 70 min door-to-door journey which by all accounts isnt too terrible. the train is my favorite mass transit option because i can sit and read the paul krugman book im working my way through, which I couldn't do as well if I am standing up or sitting on a bus. Krugman is able to make himself sound like a honest-to-god seer in terms of the united states economic and political policy decisions that he suggests and the extremely intelligent, if not smarmy, way that he makes his case against the Bush administration's actions over the past 8 years.

The most depressing part of my day was cataloging interviews by the Kansas City Royals manager and 2 players done a few weeks ago. The beginning of any season gives hope to even the worst teams out there that if they work hard enough, only worry about the game directly in front of them, and a host of other tired cliches that they will have a chance. This type of world beating thinking happens at the start of any sports season and it is only through the grind of a full season that these teams become exposed to the truth about their place in the universe. I really do hope that the Royals can take all of the young talent that they have been developing/acquiring and do something with it, but logic dictates that it will only be a matter of time before they are sitting a pretty 20 games out of the playoffs.

I'm officially on the Hawks bandwagon despite having picked the Celtics to win it all a few posts ago. If they had given Salim Stoudamire more burn in place of bibby they would have taken care of those pesky celtics by now. The Warriors of 2008? Josh Smith is one of the top 5 most entertaining players in the league.

commercialapathy

2008-04-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Introduction:
Last night I was watching the end of the New Orleans- Dallas game and that gatorade commercial with the heavy music and garnett sweating orange came on for about the 10th time in the half hour I had been tuning in. I was thinking at that moment how great it would be if I had TiVo or other DVR on that tv so I wouldn't have to deal with the same tired ads every break in the action. I realize that the proliferation of this type of technology is a huge issue in terms of the effectiveness of companies getting their message out through television commercials. Consequently this is obviously also an issue for the entire television industry since they are so dependent on advertising for revenue and if people have the ability to skip through commercial breaks the whole system would appear to be in jeopardy.

Body(?):
My thought here is that this could possibly serve as an impetus for companies to stop producing multitudes of shitty commercials. With the advent of YouTube, the best commercials are going to be seen millions of times though word of mouth, links, email, etc... The Kobe-Aston Martin spot for adidas has been seen at least 4 million times, if not more, just on Youtube. Viewers have the ability to watch what they want and weed out the rest. Will companies be forced to actually produce quality commercials or face getting pushed out by others who do?

I realize not every commercial can generate the interest that the Kobe one did, but I would think just as a general rule that companies would be much better served producing one or two really eye-catching, lovable commercials per year or quarter or whatever than pumping out tons of mediocre ones. I feel the Kobe spot and others like it are so successful particularly because it doesn't feel like it was all over the airwaves anytime an NBA game was on. There was this buzz that was generated without having to shove it down the throats of consumers. People were blogging, debating and watercoolering whether it was real or not and it had people talking while subconsciously having the three-stripes logo in the back of their mind.

What about the Frank Caliendo show? Sure his commercials were good at first, but having to see his face every half inning of the 2007 MLB playoffs completely turned me off to the idea of watching his show. I was much more apt to watch it a couple months earlier when there were just quick glimpses of his spot-on impersonations. I was just left over-saturated with that asshole and had no desire to watch anything else that he put out.

Conclusion:
a) I have a hard time understanding how the television industry will operate with DVRs and YouTube gaining such ground in making our lives easier and better. I know online media and advertising are growing at phenomenal rates. I'm just not too proud to admit that I don't quite understand how it is all going to play out. Any help would be appreciated.
b)Viral marketing is where its at. Give me a taste of what you're selling but don't give me the whole thing. I think people in general are inquisitive and curious. A little mystery or intrigue is alright with me.

Walk the plank

2008-04-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

I begin the first 'real' job of my life tomorrow. I've worked a number of other jobs( construction with my dad, temping at the Children's Home, internships, student employment, etc...) but this is going to be my first legit, 40 hour a week- permanent job. I'm going to be working at MLB Productions in Manhattan. I found out about it while reading an article about a number of Vassar alumni that work there. I started talking to one of them via email and was able to learn about what they do and it really seemed like a fun and interesting place to work.

I am going to be living with my wonderful grandparents in Cranford, NJ and taking the train into work for the foreseeable future. I am really excited for this step in my life to begin and am curious to see where it might take me. Part of me is definitely disappointed that the bike trip is not happening and I am going to be a working man instead of a cross country cyclist this summer, but this is where I'm at now and am going to embrace it. I can definitely think of worse things that I could be doing than getting to deal with MLB video footage for my living.

The Playoffs Start Tomorrow!!

2008-04-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever been this excited about the NBA Playoffs as a whole. There are just so many great matchups and such potential for classic 6-7 game series. What follows is first the opening matchups for both the West and the East followed by my humble predictions as well as my 11 year old brother William's picks. My gut feeling tells me that he will probably have more success here because he isn't hindered by an irrational belief that the Suns must make the finals at least once before the Steve Nash-era ends. There was much debate between William and myself as to whether Caron Butler could hold his own against Lebron and if Jason Kidd gave the Mavs a better chance in a loaded Western Conference. I'm disappointed G.S. isn't gonna be involved but I can't wait to see how it all plays out...

1 Lakers- 8 Nuggets
2- Hornets- 7 Mavs
3-Spurs- 6 Suns
4- Rockets- 5 Jazz

1 Celtics- 8 Hawks
2 Pistons- 7 Sixers
3 Magic- 6 Raptors
4 Wizards- 5 Cavs

Joe’s Picks

Lakers, Hornets, Suns, Jazz
Lakers, Suns
Suns

Celtics, Pistons, Magic, Cavs
Celtics, Pistons
Celtics

Celtics over Suns

William’s Picks

Lakers, Mavs, Spurs, Rockets
Lakers, Mavs
Lakers

Celtics, Pistons, Raptors, Wiz
Celtics, Pistons
Pistons

Pistons over Lakers!!!!

The Ballplayer

2008-04-15T17:33:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama has been linked numerous times to basketball. Earlier in the Primary contests he claimed he played pick-up the morning before the Iowa caucuses that he won and he did not play the morning of the New Hampshire primary which he lost. He joked later that he knew why he lost in New Hampshire and would definitely be playing every morning of a contest.

I remember reading a number of different articles earlier about his connection and love for the game. Having never actually seen him play, I was imagining today what sort of player the man is. Is he a real player or does he just have some lame, old-man politician game? When I think of a politician playing basketball, I immediately assume that they don't really know how to play the game but pretend they do. They probably hack the shit out of you and then call any bump on the other end. They would be super competitive, call for the ball to be checked every time down the court, and would try to lie about the score.

I want to give Barack the benefit of the doubt though. I I wondered what his jump shot looked like. Is it smooth to the point that you can immediately tell that even if he's a little rusty that its still legit? At 46, most athleticism usually has abandoned you so I'm not going to fault him if he does not impress in the respect. I guess what I really wanted to know was whether this Obama-Basketball story line is some sort of feel-good, connect-to-athletic-community-type or if he really is a basketball player in truth and form.

I found two videos of the big guy playing some ball.
The first is footage of him playing in high school. Supposedly he was on the state championship winning team in high school. Takes an outlet and goes the length of the floor for an uncontested lefty lay-up and then tries to poke away a steal, leading to one by a teammate. Misses a free throw with his team up 34 points but continues to play solid pressure defense on his man at the other end. Overall, he looks like a good player but you can't really make much out of this video. He did rock the #23 before Jordan made it happen, word.
The second is a stupid news clip of him shooting, and nailing, a single jumper in front of the cameras and on lookers. Not much to say about this one, kind of impressive that he made it with no warm up with all kinds of clowns watching him and wanting to talk about him playing basketball.

After some quick analysis and conferring with myself, I have decided that he is not some sap politician who suddenly decides he wants to likes basketball when he runs for office. He obviously has a lot of history with the game and is genuinely passionate about it. He obviously has some other commitments that he has to take care of before he can go look for a quick game, so he might not have as much time to play as he would like, which is understandable. You've got to do what you've got to do. I really believe that if you are a basketball player, the type of player you are conveys a lot about who you are in life. That being said, I would love to lace 'em up against Barack and see what he's like on the court.

While doing a quick search for some articles to reference here, I came across this one that has some fairly strong racial overtones in regards to white vs black players. It is interesting particularly because it comes from Obama's brother-in-law and current Head Men's Basketball Coach at Oregon State, Craig Robinson. Such binding archetypes serve to retard social understanding of the game of basketball as well as race relations more broadly. According to Obama himself, in order to move past the barriers of race we have to address them outright and without closed mindedness. The white slow shooter and the athletic black guy dunking can be just as damning as other overt generalizations on the basis of race, sex or otherwise.

The Phoenix Stars

2008-04-11T19:40:00.000-07:00

I as big a fan of the diesel as anyone. I love the man, I've loved watching him play ever since I started following the NBA. Shaq-attaq! I eat it up.

However, the acquisition of the big guy by the phoenix suns has really skewed my perception of my previous favorite team in the league to watch. Since they got Nash from Dallas, the suns have been an absolute joy to watch, with that first year with Joe Johnson and pre-Knick disaster Q-rich. Nash orchestrated the show brilliantly with the shooters spreading the floor and amare and marion sprinting straight lines up and down the court for easy dunks, the suns were easily the most enjoyable team to watch for years.

As much credit as Nash got with two straight NBA MVP awards and league-wide acclaim, there was always the feeling that without marion and amare playing out of position and being able to beat their men down the court on every play the whole dynamic of the team would be different. The suns were able to capture our attention because they didn't play like most other teams in the L, especially not like the spurs. They threw up shots quickly and played at a frantic pace because they had the pieces to do so.

I've been pulling for them every spring lately, I've wanted to believe that this type of style can win a championship in this era. You don't have to grind it down with a slow, boring an predictable offensive attack to win it all. However, with the Shaq trade, the Suns organization itself finally admitted that even they did not believe it could be done.

They conformed to the notion that a championship team is built around a steadier game plan. I will still be rooting for the suns based on how much I love Steve Nash go an entire game without making a single mistake on the basketball court and seeing Stoudemire roll to the basket and rise up on anyone in the league.

Announcers and critics have fallen in love with making claims about how the game slows down in the playoffs and defense wins championships and all that bullshit. They love pointing out in the waning seconds of the suns season that in the end their style couldn't take them all the way. Its a sad day when all the critics of a certain style get so loud that those who practice that style actually start to believe it.

I don't believe in role models, but you're mine!

2008-04-08T17:35:00.000-07:00

-Great video of Spree and C-Webb in a barbershop back in the day (stole this link from TrueHoop, it was just too good)

-I'm watching a women's college basketball game for the first time in I don't know how long tonight. I'm not gonna lie, i really just want to see Candace Parker play.

-The beard that I have been carefully cultivating for the past 2+ months is on its way out. It's been a good run but now that we're finally seeing some warm spring weather, the whiskers have got to go. I'll post some pictures soon.

RIP WBFF

2008-04-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

So, my brain child for the past few months, Will Bike For Food, has unfortunately been put on hiatus. I have been thinking about and planning this trip since I came up with the idea last November. I am extremely disappointed that something I put so much effort and time towards is not going to happen exactly as I would like, but this isn't the first time and likely won't be the last. What is something worth if there was no struggle to obtain it? In the end, it just wasn't meant to happen this summer for a number of reasons.

1) Not enough riders.
In the beginning, the idea was that there would be about 10-15 riders who would be willing to spend the summer biking across this beautiful country in order to raise money for the hungry and impoverished. However, despite working feverishly to recruit people to join, only 3 riders, myself included, were willing to bike all the way from Poughkeepsie to Portland. A group this small would have been extremely hard pressed to accomplish the goals that we had set out.

2) Not enough support.
From potential donors, potential sponsors, and potential riders. I felt for the most part that I was trying to prop up this idea and project I had despite all kinds of negative circumstances and situations. Businesses were not willing to financially back an endeavor that had such a small following and in such a short time frame. There was definitely something missing with the whole thing. It might have been the lack of ferocity that the original organizers, Jer and I, had towards raising money for the charity.
The initial notion was to organize a x-country bike trip that would benefit a worthy charitable cause. I look back on it and can't help but feel that it would have had a much better chance if the cause was truly something that we were extremely invested in. This is not to say that I don't care about helping those in need, but after hearing about other groups who rode to raise money for cancer or heart disease research, I feel that their impetus was stronger than ours in this regard.

3) No money.
In order for the trip to happen, we needed to have some sort of financial support in the form of corporate sponsorship. I don't have enough $ right now to fund something like this to the extent that I want to take it. This wasn't happening and I don't have the time in my days to devote the time that would be necessary to make it happen.

I am still thinking of scaling down the trip into a tour of Dutchess County that would help to raise money for Dutchess Outreach and their need for a vehicle to pick up donations and make deliveries of life sustaining resources (food, clothing, water, etc...). This type of project would require very little funding while also having the potential to attract support and resources from local businesses. More people would be able to take part in a weekend ride than a 9 week journey. Dutchess County is beautiful and has an active bicycling community. I think that this is a much more realistic project and am going to be exploring the possibilities of putting it together.

In closing, this type of trip is not impossible. It does however require a number of motivated people with free time working on making it a success. If nothing else, it was a great learning experience as I was forced to teach myself a lot about fund raising, long distance bicycle touring, corporate sponsorships, local charitable organizations, and a ton of other things. I met and spoke with some incredible people and had my eyes opened to parts of the world, and Poughkeepsie, that I did not know existed.

(completely unrelated, check out the above picture. its a photograph right?)

Title Bout

2008-04-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

Memphis-Kansas. I think a fair way to pick this game is to look at the future NBA players suiting up for each squad.

Memphis has Rose, CDR, and possibly Dozier and Dorsey. Rose is looking like a future all-star while CDR will likely be a solid scorer off the bench for an NBA team. I can see both Dozier and Dorsey finding spots on a 15 man roster as athletic defensive-minded big men.

Kansas has Rush, Arthur and possibly Kaun and Chalmers (not to mention my boy Aldrich who looked like their best player at times on Saturday). Rush and Arthur will both definitely be rotation players in the league, but I think it might be a stretch to call either of them future all-stars. Kaun and Chalmers give themselves a chance because they can meet certain needs (fairly athletic and coordinated 7footer and defensive point guard) .

Considering the fact that both teams are deep and well coached, I am going to take Memphis because of this edge in NBA impact talent.

WBFF Article in Poughkeepsie Journal

2008-03-24T13:28:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the column written by Nancy Haggerty about Will Bike For Food. Check it out!

A white and soundless place

2008-03-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

I'm reading this book, "Metal Cowboy", about this guy who tours on his bike all over the United States, Australia and New Zealand. He has all these incredible stories about his , people he met and wild situations he found himself in. Its a fun book to read, especially considering the x-country bike t that I am embarking on in a little more than two months.

There was one story where he references a work of fiction he read where a civilization of people had figured out how to live forever.

They had become immortal, suffered no pain or injury, and did not age. Free to build utopia, they lost the desire to do more than reach a certain level of comfort. They put off their dreams until tomorrow, because tomorrow was an unlimited resource. Then, for no apparent reason, one member of this world began to age normally, bleed and feel pain. Gradually, he became filled with passion, urgency, and the ability to see his dreams through. He also became the envy of the world. Because his time was limited, it held value.

The idea is that what makes life so special, so important, is the brevity of it, the implication that we only have so long and its all we have here. We do not have all the time in the world to do everything we might like to do, so choices must be made, some paths taken and others forgotten. If we were just allowed to live forever, the possibilities of what we could do would be endless, but the greatness of any one thing would be diminished by the fact that you wouldn't have to give up anything in order to do it.

I've really been thinking a lot about the idea of opportunity cost in life. When I learned about it in an economics class, I just shrugged it off as something academic and not really relevant to my life as I lived it. Now, the thought of having only so long to pursue all the things I dream of and wish to accomplish is frightening. I want to do and experience so many different things, and the realization that I am limited by sheer time is extremely frustrating. The scariest thing that I can imagine is doing just one thing for the rest of my life, not exploring all the opportunities, adventures and people that are out there for me to encounter.

Swimming in Orange

2008-03-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

On the eve of the Big East Championship Tournament at MSG, I am anxiously anticipating the Cuse's game tomorrow against Pitt. After the epic meltdown 2 weeks ago at the Dome, the boys should be eager to prove that those scrubs from western Pennsylvania pulled off the fluke win of the year. The Orange are playing their best basketball of the year right now. The Belgian Blur, Kristof Ongenaet, is a one-man wrecking crew. Jimmy B's squad is finally rounding into form after incorporating 6 new players into a 7 man playing rotation this season. It is understandable that this team has taken some lumps over the course of a rugged Big East schedule, but the freshmen aren't playing like they are rookies anymore, and the rest of the league better be nervous about the prospect of facing the boys from upstate at the garden this week/ weekend. (I need to track down a tv at work tomorrow and steal away for 2 hours around noon.)

I now present to you the forecast for next year's squad written by my marvelous friend Loren Sutton. The man is an SU grad and the biggest SU fans I know. He rightly believes that if things pan out as they should, next years squad will be one for the story books. Note: this review of the squad was written a few weeks ago, before the emergence of the ongenaet turning into the new Stormin' Matt Gorman and Greene realizing he was indeed 6-11.

First.... I'm excited for this team to find some consistency. Perhaps with some luck they can work their way into one of the last spots. Next year's team will be unreal... every weakness of this year's team (lack of depth, experience) will be next year's strengths. The second team would be one of the better teams in the Big East on their own.
The Starters...
1) Jonny Flynn - will be one of the best PGs in the country, there's nothing on the basketball court that he can't do and if he's allowed to rest for a couple minutes a game he might be even better
2) Eric Devendorf - will have two years left with 3 years experience, hopefully will be much more mature and will let Flynn create his opportunities for him and play well within the offense if he spends some time perfecting his shot combined with his ability to get to the rim anytime he wants will be an unbelievable force playing off the ball
3) Paul Harris - lose a little bit by moving him off the 2 where he and Flynn are having so much success right now especially on defense...but with the depth can give Devo rest and switch to defensive mode by putting Harris at the top of the zone...plus Devendorf is big enough where he might be able to play underneath on the zone
4) Donte Greene - if Bernie Fine can help him bulk up and develop a little inside game will be an unstoppable force on the college level, too tall to stop the shot, too quick to stop underneath, needs to develop patience with his shot so he doesn't continue to jack up bad shots when he's off a little...but the confidence to keep shooting even when he is off is great
5) Arinze Onuaku - by next year could develop into one of the more dominant big men in the league...you know he's a hard worker and won't be satisfied with his results this year and will come back next year even better...possibly a 15 and 10 guy if he gets the minutes and his presence alone is so intimidating and one of the sweetest jump baby hooks in the game
The Bench
6) Andy Rautins - healthy and lethal, ready to come in and light it up whenever he's needed and won't have the ego to be bitter about losing what would have been a starting role for him...one of the more underrated weapons on the team last year, if Flynn, Devendorf, Greene and Rautins are on the floor together there is no way to stop it you can't cover 4 excellent shooters 7) Scoop Jardine - wasn't supposed to play very much this year but the injuries have allowed him to get time and he's developing nicely...still needs some patience and work on his shot but he's going to be solid in spelling Flynn for a little bit
8) Rick Jackson - also wasn't supposed to play much this year still very raw, you can see that he still gets nervous at times and makes some mistakes simply because he gets a little timid...has shown some real brilliance at times though, especially at the end of the Georgetown game after Onuaku fouled out...not having the threat of coming out seemed to give him the confidence to play full tilt made some nice blocks and had some strong rebounds...shows great athleticism for a guy at 6'8" and putting him on the floor with Scoop there is some real chemistry there
9) Kristof Ongennaut - scrappy and hard working...can come for 10 minutes a game and add an instant energy boost, plays great fundamental like a typical European and if he works

on getting a little bit of a shot going can be a real catalyst for the team
10) Kris Joseph - big, versatile small forward freshmen won't get much time but will be competent back up if needed and will learn a lot with all the great SFs in front of him

And none of this even includes Sean Williams the ridiculous, raw and maybe a little crazy 6'11" center with a 7'5" wingspan. it's going to be a great year...even if Greene does happen to leave they'll be unbelievable and I hope we can get 3 years out of Flynn...if he stays that long his name is going in the rafters next to Douglas and Washington without a doubt.

(UPDATE: Cuse played Nova, not Pitt, today at the garden and got absolutely smoked. I missed the game and i'm kind of glad I did...)

WBFF- First Map of Route

2008-03-05T14:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, so here is my first map attempt for our trip this summer. The distance is 3,171 miles. I didn't put in many stops or detours along the way, they will eventually be added as the details become more clear and we decide what things we want to see on our way across. Any ideas for places to stop/ things to see that wouldn't be too far off course?

View Larger Map

You'll find God in the church of your choice

2008-02-24T16:35:00.000-08:00

My mom once told me that she would rather listen to a Bob Dylan album by herself than go see him in concert. At the time I was kind of shocked that she wouldn't want to see him perform in person, but she explained that there was a big difference for her in the way she was able to enjoy the music in these two settings.

When you are listening to music by yourself, you can make the music having a personal meaning to you. You can take the song and construe it in any way you like. It is up to the listener to connect with the music in a deeper sense without having any outside influence, pressure or assumptions.

At a concert, you are presented with a concrete version of the music and what it was originally meant to be. The presence of hundreds or thousands of other people listening to the same song, in the same venue, watching the same artist, there can be no distinct or personal interpretation. Each individual is force fed a publicly agreed upon version of the music.

I saw Dylan live less than two years ago, and it pains me to say it, but it was a let down. In the twilight of his career, no longer playing the guitar, and practically speaking the words instead of singing, the version of Bob Dylan that I was presented with was not in line with the way I saw him and his music in my mind.

I guess I still prefer to envision him as he was in the early 1960's, a renegade from Minnesota who moved to NYC and was able to channel the work and spirit of those folk musicians before him and produce a sound all his own. And I feel that if I want to, I should be able to conjure up any vision of him/his music I desire.

The way that I interpret and feel from listening to "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" isn't dependent on what a critic or some dude standing next to me at a concert or even Bob Dylan himself feels about the song. My relationship with the music needs to be untainted by outside speculation or influence.

So, what I have come to is the idea that the music is mine. I can enjoy, say, John Wesley Harding regardless of "how well it was received" or what some irrelevant critic said about it. All that matters is how I come to terms with what I hear and what it ends up meaning to me.

Tiny Tuna Tumbling Toward Tibet

2008-02-21T14:53:00.000-08:00

The New York Knicks lose 124-84 to a mediocre Philadelphia team last night.
The Syracuse Orange shoot 29% from the field and lose by 11 in a practically must win game at Louisville.

As much as I want to believe, both of my squads seasons are for all intents and purposes over. Sure the cuse could go on a quick run to finish up the season, especially with a big game with Notre Dame coming up, but they are just too thin this year to really be much of a threat. Sure, they can win a big game here or there, as they did last saturday against Georgetown, but with all of their starters playing 30+ minutes a game, they don't seem to have the depth to compete with the top teams in the country. However, the future looks bright as they are getting two former starters, Devendorf and Rautins, back next year from injuries and a great assemblage of young talent. If Greene returns for his sophomore year, they will have an incredibly talented and deep squad that should definitely be in the hunt for a national championship.

The Knicks on the other hand are just plain miserable. Isiah Thomas has run this team into the ground. The roster is filled with malcontents and mismatched parts. Outside of Crawford, Lee, and Balkman (and maybe Nate), this team should just be gutted and start fresh. The payroll to wins ratio is off the charts. Hopefully Dolan will have an epiphany and give Isiah the ax sooner rather than later. He has proven without a shadow of a doubt that he can run a team straight into the ground. Congrats.
The only bright spot is that they finally should have a lottery pick this year and could pick up one of the stud college freshmen. Hopefully someone else will be dumb enough to fall in love with Randolph's double-double numbers and give us a couple players to work with for the future.

But I guess I can't really complain because...

THE GIANTS WON THE SUPERBOWL!

Malcom Gladwell

2008-02-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

In my humble opinion, Malcom Gladwell is one of the most gifted writers of our generation. He wrote the bestselling books "The Tipping Point" and "Blink" and is also a writer for The New Yorker.

He has written about everything from the steroid scandal in the MLB to the issue of moral hazard in our healthcare system to ending homelessness in the US. He writes in a style that is unpretentious and straight forward. Lately I have been reading and rereading all of his archived articles and anything else I can find from him online.

I remember reading "The Tipping Point" last year while I should have been reading some obscure academic article for one of my classes. I just felt to frustrated by the way readings in academia were made to be as complicated and abstruse as possible. It was as if the writers felt that the more difficult and convoluted their writing was, the better it would be.

He writes in such an inventive and creative way, always looking for different ways to look at an issue and trying to find out what questions are not being asked. I still haven't figured out what about his writing is so appealing to me, but I am beginning to think that the way he uses a number of different lenses (psychological, sociological, economic, etc...) to figure out what is really at the crux of the social issues that he investigates is what makes him such a powerful and persuasive author. I want more people like him in charge of how our world is run.

I just wanted to clue my 3 loyal readers in to this great writer. I highly recommend checking him out. Also, he has a fresh afro.

expandable horizons

2008-02-11T19:32:00.000-08:00

So, we are still working out how we are going to make this bike trip happen. Understandably there has not been a whole lot of people who have come out and expressed a strong interest in spending 2 glorious summer months on a bike. However, there have been a good number of individuals who have said that they would be willing to bike for a day, weekend, or week. Using this new knowledge, we're planning on tailoring out outlook for the expedition a little bit.

Some Facts-
1. We are going to be biking from Poughkeepsie, NY to the Pacific Ocean just west of Portland, OR.
2. The trip is going to take a little more than 2 months.
3. We are going to be biking on average 60 miles a day. Some days more, some days less.
4. The goal is to fund an organization that helps to provide basic necessities to those in the most need of them.
5.We are going to be using the trip to raise money for the United Way. The United Way is a national network of more than 1,300 locally governed organizations that work to create lasting positive changes in communities and people’s lives.
6. We are going to be reaching out to as many United Way chapters along the route as possible, hoping to raise money, pick up riders, and spread the word of what we are trying to accomplish.
7. The fundraising goal right now is going to be set at $15,000. I feel that this is not an unrealistic sight, but one that can be reached with a little help from our friends.

We had originally wanted each of our riders to raise $3,000 each. This was under the assumption that all of our riders would be with us for the whole journey. Since it appears most of the people who will be taking part in this trip will be with us for less than the full ride (roughly 3,000 miles), we are going to adjust this strategy.

If we can reach out to friends/families/neighbors/associates to support us, they can in turn tell their people about it. The possibilities are endless. The message of what we are doing is sure to reach the ears of people who are excited about it. These are the people that we want to get in touch with. Those that love the idea of spending the summer exploring this great land of ours and helping others at the same time. The only way that we can find out how great this could be is to go out and do it.

If you are interested in what we are doing there are a number of different things you could do.

1. Sign up to bike for however long or short you want to.
2. Pledge some amount of money towards the WBFF. ($10? $.10/mile? come on, you're loaded, now open up that damn wallet.)
3. Hand out our fliers/brochures out to anyone you meet/ Tell everyone you know what your friends Joe and Jer are trying to do this summer.
4. Email me and tell me what is on your mind. (josephsdward@gmail.com)

I lost my voice.

2008-02-04T20:44:00.000-08:00

1. After yelling, hooting and hollering for a good 3 hours last night as the good guys righted all the wrong in the world of the NFL, I can barely talk now. I can't remember the last time I lost my voice, maybe the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago 2 years ago?

2. I just found out today, that because of some bureaucratic bullshit law in NYS, I cannot vote for my man Barack Obama in the Democratic Primary tomorrow. I registered as an Independent as a young, naive 18 year old 4 years ago, not knowing much about the political system or where I might fit in. Since I changed my address recently, I sent in a change of address form in the beginning of January, indicating that I wanted to vote as a Democrat from my current address. Apparently, if you want to change your party affiliation, it must have been done in October. I guess the great empire state just wants to make the voting process to be as difficult as possible so the least number of people will be able to participate. I am disenfranchised. I am furious.

If you are reading this, VOTE FOR OBAMA! The man is a stud.
Nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
YES WE CAN.

Giants: Barack :: Patriots: Hillary

2008-02-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

The underdog who isn't supposed to have come this far. The overwhelming favorite that all the talking heads on every tv station are picking to win. The contender based on the principles of all that is good in the world. The looming shadow that will manipulate and maim everything in its path and impose its ugly will on the rest of our universe.

We need to see some new faces. Enough with these regimes that have been dominating our political and NFL worlds for as far back as we can remember. We need Plax strutting around with the trophy held high, we need Barack giving a triumphant victory speech after his pundit-defying win in California, and we need Eli Manning looking around dumbfounded after throwing for 3 TDs and finding Peyton and giving him a swift kick in the ass.

We need change we can believe in. We need to upset the corrupt system of tyranny and cheaters. The ultimate battle of good vs evil. This is a momentous time for America.

I can't wait for kick off.

Free Lunch!

2008-01-29T16:51:00.000-08:00

So I've been working as a temp for the past two weeks at a community based non-profit organization that serves at-risk children and their families. I've just been working down in the basement, cataloging and throwing all kinds of files, papers and journals into about 100 boxes to be put into storage. Its not a bad job for the time being, not a great one either, but thats not the point I'm trying to get across to you clowns.

As far back as I can remember whenever I have been in a situation in school or otherwise where I find myself eating in a cafeteria, there is always grumbling about how shitty or unsavory the food is. In high school, the food was indeed terrible so I won't even try to defend it. In college, everyone always loved to rag on the d.c. Despite the tasty spicy chick wraps, the mouthwatering breakfast sandwiches and dazzling array of beverages, this wonderful institution is always at the butt end of some lame joke. Perhaps because it was usually free, I didn't have many complaints and hate hearing anyone disparage the dc.

The same holds true for the lunch that is served in the dining room of where I am working. For lack of anything else to say, all of my co-workers nitpick about the food that is served at precisely high noon everyday of the week.

"Oh, the soup is too salty!"

"Ugh, those french fries look disgusting!"

"(some tasteless joke about the kielbasa that I have chosen to omit)"

To be fair, the food is not particularly good but it hardly deserves to be lambasted every lunch hour. I am usually starving by the time I emerge from a long morning of packing boxes and sneaking games of sudoku, so I'm always looking forward to the chow more than the next man or woman. Maybe I am blinded by the fact that i've only been there for 2 weeks as opposed to some of the lifers, my bright-eyed optimism or my underdeveloped taste buds.

I guess it has become natural to feel more comfortable criticizing something rather than praising it. It seems much easier to pick out the flaws in anything, from the local weather to a politician to the lunch spread, than it is to appreciate the inherent goodness in things.

In any case, let's enjoy that milk box or turkey sandwich people. At least its free.

(note: when I did a google image search for "cafeteria" to look for a good picture to put alongside this post, everything on the page turned to Spanish, confusing the English "Cafeteria" with the Spanish "Cafeteria". An understandable mistake by the good people at Google.)

T.O. /Coors

2008-01-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

Funny video. Love the last part about the carwash.

lets have it out

2008-01-14T11:47:00.000-08:00

-The NBA is chided for many things, no team ball, all isolation plays, the disappearance of the mid-range jumper in favor of the 3 or dunk, elevating the star above the team, etc... However one of the most blatant ways in which it distorts the game is the allowance by officials to let players take an extra step or two in order to make a spectacular move to the basket. Usually all-star level players are given the benefit of the doubt (ewing, lebron, wade, iverson, etc...) when they are doing their thing. But Dan Marjele at the top of the arc? come on.

-The Giants won their second straight playoff game yesterday. I watched the game at a local bar along with about 40 other ravenous Big Blue faithful. I'd say that there is nothing better in sports when your team advances in the playoffs/ tournament and you can start thinking about how just maybe they DO have enough to make it all the way. Winning a game as an underdog (which the Giants were yesterday) just makes it that much better. Being one of the final 3 teams remaining without an asterisk is a great feeling.

-I should have been surprised or shocked yesterday in the bar when chants were starting up in the second half of "TONY - (rhymes with Romo...)" and "Fuck you Dallas (rhymes with maggots)", but I honestly wasn't blown away that this sort of sentiment still might exist. There are obviously still people in our society who feel justified in using slurs referring to sexual orientation as insults towards opposing sports teams. As politically incorrect or shameful as this is in our society, in this type of sheltered setting among sports fans it was deemed acceptable. Even with the excitement of a great win against an arch-rival and a few rounds of beer under their belts, this type of ignorant behavior should not be tolerated or encouraged. The whole scene, along with the beer being sprayed all over the bar after the final horn sounded, was a surreal experience. Does the world of sports foster this resentment/ anger towards people of differing sexual orientations? Or is it just some close-minded, loud-mouthed individuals giving the rest of us sports fans a bad name?

photos

2008-01-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

cool site i just came across with some awesome pictures. thought you might like it.

obamamania

2008-01-11T16:57:00.000-08:00

So this past weekend I was up in New Hampshire volunteering for the Obama campaign before the Dem. primary on January 8, in which he ultimately ended up finishing in a close second. Jer and I went up because our friends Noland and Will were working for OFA in Manchester and Derry, respectively. Having never really done anything political, I didn't really know what to expect going in. It was a great experience, I got to see first hand how a campaign's 'ground team' works, dispatching volunteers door-to-door to canvas for Obama, putting up tons of signs along streets to increase visibility and calling every household in the greater area trying to raise support.

Anyways, after knocking on approximately 300 doors over the course of three days to see if people were interested in having a little Barack in their lives, I started thinking of the practice of going door-to-door. Specifically, I've been wondering how the Jehovah's Witnesses do it. Do they actually convince people to join them by doing this? How could they possibly be persuasive enough to get people to think "yeah...this all makes sense! I want to make this my life and start knocking on every door I see."

My limited experience in the door-to-door business didn't really inspire confidence in this method of spreading the word, whatever that word may be. One reason why it might work is because having someone willing to take their time to walk through the elements to your door to deliver some message is a fairly powerful indicator that this person believes strongly in what they are representing. Phone calls are a dime a dozen, emails are a nickel a dozen, but having another person who is willing to traverse entire neighborhoods signals that he/she really care about what they are trying to accomplish.

However, a big problem is that very few people want strangers approaching their doorstep and telling them how to think or behave. Of all the doors I knocked, about 50% were not home, 40% did not want to hear what I had to say, and the final 10% were actually willing to hold the door open and listen to my pitch for Obama and discuss the upcoming primary with me. New Hampshirites are bombarded with 'political stimulus' and have heard it all before. As you can imagine, having people knocking on your door, calling your house and filling your mailbox for weeks and months prior to an election/primary can get tired real fast. ( I also feel there it is a somewhat insulting notion that people need to be prodded in this way in order for them to vote. There is the assumption that individual citizens won't educate themselves about the candidates and the issues and won't necessarily go out to vote unless constantly reminded to.)

Overall, I felt like it was a worthwhile experience if just for that 10% of people I spoke with about the candidates, issues, and our underachieving government. It is obvious that people are tired of many aspects of our current system and want to see changes. The biggest part of any campaign is getting as many people out to the polls as possible, and it still seems the best way to do that is by meeting people face to face and impress upon them how important it is that they go out and vote.

Rubik and his damn cube

2007-12-27T16:56:00.000-08:00

I think everyone at one point or another has tried their hand at the Rubik's cube. It is a devilish puzzle that I'm sure I've tried to solve before but quickly given up on. After the scene in "The Pursuit of Happiness" where Will Smith's character solves it during a cab ride, I've been meaning to give it another shot. My sister got one for christmas and i've been working on it on and off for a few days now. I'm thinking that without an unforeseen stroke of genius, I will soon be consulting google for some solutions... I could use some pointers. Wish me luck.

Doom in the Garden

2007-12-27T16:05:00.000-08:00

The standard NBA framework of success, at least in David Stern’s eyes, is one of a star surrounded by subservient role players and peripheral characters. There is nothing ESPN or the NBA likes more than promoting a game is by headlining the star from one team against the star from the other. A game between the Hornets and the Jazz is ‘Paul vs Williams’ or Sonics vs Lakers is ‘Durant vs Bryant’.

Every commercial advertising a game follows this model. There is no special announcement to proclaim a contest the battle between the Lakers bench scoring vs the Sixers pressure D. There is no selling point in an advertising scheme like that. Who wants to think that they are going to see a game that has a pivotal match up of Chris Mihm and Sam Dalembert? Where is the fun in that? These stars represent the highest level of entertainment that these teams have to offer, but also their leaders and best players. In this way, when two teams are particularly star-centric, the contest between their squads can be oversimplified into a Mano-a-Mano boxing match in which whomever gets the best of the other will walk away victorious.

This is where I get back to my usual focus of attention, the New York Knicks. Not only are the Knicks one of the worst, most dysfunctional teams in the Association, but they are completely devoid of a star player in whom they can pit their fortunes on. Isiah has constructed a team both without marketable stars and without a clear focus on team chemistry/ how the pieces fit together. It seems as if he, not unlike myself, tends to focus on the positive, best-possible scenario, visions of the players he has decided to bring in, instead of having a more realistic, pragmatic approach.

Curry and Randolph are both talented scorers who don’t bring much else to the table. They both need the ball in their hands in the low block to have any positive impact on the court. Robinson, Marbury, and Crawford are all scoring guards first and foremost who have yet to consistently prove that they can direct an efficient offense. Jones, Richardson, and Jeffries all bring some good things to the table but are role players who are being put in spots where they just don’t have 'it'. (I'll give him Balkman and Lee, two great pieces who should both be getting more time than they have been so far this season.)

They do not have a single player that they can put on the floor who can dominate his match up nearly every time he steps on the floor. There are times that Marbury, Crawford, Randolph and Curry look like they are the best player on the floor and capable of performing at an all-star level, but it never lasts long enough to actually warrant the faith and belief that Isiah has placed in them. Perpetual immaturity has disabled this team’s chances of competing for a playoff berth. The cliche “Knowing what it takes to win” is fitting for this group.

They do not have the star that can light up a billboard or drag his team to the top of the standings. Of all people, you would think Isiah would be able to recognize the importance of having a leader or alpha dog to take the reins. This is where he fails the most in his job as GM (and subsequently as a coach), believing in the power of his own personality so much that he feels that he will be able to transform perennial losers and malcontents (Marbury, Randolph, Curry) into people that they obviously are not.

Fight the Power

2007-12-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

Today while driving home from work as it was beginning to get dark out, an oncoming car flashed its high-beams at us. At first we thought that by mistake we had left ours on, but then when that was obviously not the case, we were mystified by the gesture, being that our headlights were almost comically weak. However, coming around the next curve we saw a police car hidden along the side of the road with a radar gun in a speed trap. Sons of bitches!

Luckily we were not speeding at the time and passed along unharmed. At first my thoughts were what a nice move it was by that guy to try to warn us that a pig was waiting for us up the road. It was a great feeling knowing that there could be this secret brotherhood of drivers and citizens looking out for one another against the evil forces of law enforcement agencies.

About three weeks ago I got a ticket for supposedly driving through a red light. Officer Lawless (his actual name) claimed my vehicle was still in the intersection as his (he was waiting on the perpendicular street to mine) light turned green. I have since plead not guilty to this bogus charge, not wanting to just lay down for the man, and was told that I would receive a court date in about 6 months to a year. Great system we have here people.

In my limited time as an adult, I have really come to despise a lot of what law enforcement stands for. I do realize that they do a lot of good things, like cracking down on drunk drivers (sorry babar), but the ones that I have come in contact with don't seem to be working in the direction of making our local communities better places. Rather they are eager to catch ordinary people committing inane offenses. They are cocky because of this position of power that they hold over everyone they see. Who else in our society can carry a gun on their belt and demand people obey their orders? Having someone I've never met help me to avoid some asshole with an inflated ego and a radar gun really sparked a thought about the place for police in our society. Like Dead Prez had Vassar College chanting at a concert my freshman year, "Fuck the Police!".

(side note, i think it would be interesting to see some data on the number of accidents that are caused by the traffic violations that are the most frequently ticketed. How often does just speeding result in an accident compared with how many speeding tickets are handed out?)

Heart and Courage

2007-12-17T19:28:00.000-08:00

After the Knicks 119-92 home loss tonight to the Indiana Pacers, Head Coach Isiah Thomas repeatedly referenced the "heart and courage" that it takes to compete and win. After being tied at 64 in the third quarter, the Pacers pulled away behind 22 3rd quarter points from Mike Dunleavy(!), tough defense and generally playing liked they gave a shit. It has become a trend for this team to play evenly with a team for a while and then just decide that they've played hard for long enough and mail it in.

There is always one run that the other team makes that the Knicks just simply fold. It is always frustrating to watch because whenever this happens (usually in the late 2nd or early 3rd quarters) Isiah has no idea how to stop it. He continues to shuffle the same careless and uninspired players into the game. If a team is running you ragged on the break or killing you on the o-boards, you don't necessarily want to reinsert the same sluggish players that weren't boxing out or getting back on defense. Wouldn't you want to throw in some guys that are hungry as shit and want to play their asses off to stop the run and spark the team? When Dunleavy was lighting them up and tinsley was picking them apart on the break, why not put in chandler, balkman, jeffries, nate and lee? Sure, they might not break down the defense like jamal or steph, but they are will lock down on d and hustle.

My mom had an astute question, "how can these players who are payed millions of dollars to play this game give up in the middle of a game like this?". And she has point, what right do these people have, not even as basketball players but as entertainers, to just shut down and stop trying? After already being down by 20-something point and they give up a fast break layup to Shawne Williams who just simply out ran them down the floor after a Knicks basket, how do you not, as a coach, yank every single one of those players off the court and make a point that, no matter the score, that type of effort won't be tolerated? That this once proud franchise will never make it back to the playoffs if that level of focus is the acceptable.

Its one thing if you are playing a pickup game and your team is getting absolutely rocked, and you don't run back on d just to get the game over with. Its another if it is your job to look like a professional basketball player and are being paid enormous amounts of money to do so. Not only that, aren't pride, self-respect and integrity factors as well? Tens of thousands of people are watching you jog lazily back or refuse to close out on a shooter. I really want to love this team, but they are really trying their hardest to shake all of their loyal fans.

Is it the coach's fault for leaving these guys in the game or is it more on the players to man up and give it all to get a fucking win? I am not the biggest Zeke fan, but it gets to a point when the "fire Isiah" chants are starting up at the slightest problem and the question becomes, when is it not the guy in charge of the mess but the actual perpetrators on the court who should receive most of the blame?

Long Johns

2007-12-17T06:33:00.000-08:00

Long underwear. I'm going to come out and proclaim this wonderful invention as the most underrated article of clothing on the market today. Only recently have I come to appreciate the understated brilliance and sheer inner beauty of these seldom publicized garments. Sure, they aren't as flashy as a big down jacket or as eye catching as a good looking scarf, but in terms of utility on a cold winters day, there can be nothing more important than a quality set of long johns.

It was two months ago that my grandfather offered me two unopened packages from the depths of his closet under the guise that "he had no use for them anymore". I graciously excepted these two bundles wrapped in plastic with some skepticism, I mean, who really wears long underwear anymore in this day and age? With the new wave of lined pants and super insulated winter coats, long underwear seemed to have become obsolete. Boy, was I ever wrong.

The whole idea of long johns is to fit snugly against the skin so to maintain body heat by not letting any precious warmth escape. Sure, a nice coat is a great asset in the winter months, but does it trap your hard earned body heat in and never let it go? At best, it only prevents the cold from getting in while being so loose-fitting that it hardly does more than shield the elements. Having been working in the frigid climates of upstate New York, I can attest with complete honesty that nothing is more appreciated or valued in my daily wardrobe than my set of thermal underwear.

It's like a layer of armor that is donned before going into battle against the elements. Currently I only own the two-piece version of this essential garment. Convenient if I only want one or the other, but I imagine nothing beats a morning when you can slip into a full one-piece and know that you are set for the rest of a cold day. Not to discount all the other ingredients necessary to arm yourself against a windy 15 degree day, but all I'm asking for is to give these humble, hardworking pieces of clothing their due.

Johan Santana and a red light

2007-12-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

So it seems the Yankees have bailed out of the Johan Santana sweepstakes, leaving only their arch-rivals, the Boston Red Sox as the main contenders for this former Cy Young award winner. Boston landing Santana would mean their starting rotation would consist of Josh Beckett (perhaps the best postseason player in all of baseball?), Santana, Dice-K, Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield, with Jonathon Papelbon as their closer. I can't say I know that much about baseball history, but I would bet that those 5 players might make up the best starting rotation in the history of the game.

However, it is not a given this will even happen as Minnesota might still hang on to Johan (he still has one more year left on his contract) if they don't feel they are getting a good enough deal. Also, the yankees might change their minds and try to get back if only to prevent the sox from getting him. After they flip flopped on the A-Rod situation, I wouldn't be surprised if they changed their mind on this. The Twins wanted Melky, Hughes and Kennedy but the Yanks weren't willing to let go of all three. With Rodriguez, Posada, Mo, and Petite all coming back, the young guns only getting better and Roger Clemens leaving, they have all the pieces in place to make a serious run at a Boston team that looked nearly invincible at times in the playoffs. They are getting to be an old team, so it will be interesting to see whether the Steinbrenners are willing to mortgage a good chunk of their young talent for a sure fire ace in the hopes that he can lead them to a championship in 2008.

Updates

2007-12-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Loyal readers of Blog Attempt #1:

-I just moved back to Poughkeepsie, NY, into an apartment with my good pal Jer Isseks. We've got a nice little place downtown. It definitely feels weird to be back in town after I thought I was leaving for the last time in May. In the short time that I have been alive, I have found out that life does not always go as smoothly as you may plan, but it does in one way or another work out. Things evolve, people change, visions broaden, goals adjusted. This whole "life" thing is fascinating. There is always more to learn and to consider. We are going to be here for 6 months, until we set off west on our magnificent voyage in early June. Until then we are going to be having a great time in the beautiful Hudson Valley and doing all we can for our project.

-We are slowly moving forward with WBFF. We met with a lawyer last week to discuss different possibilities for forming, gaining support, and raising money. (If you ever need a good lawyer in the hudson valley, Brian Berlandi of Pawling, NY is a great man.) We are meeting with Peter Leonard of the Vassar Fieldwork Office tomorrow since he is a key figure in the greater Poughkeepsie community scene and has a lot of connections and insight into non-profit, charity and community organizations. Also we are going to start volunteering with Dutchess Outreach (one of the organizations that we are thinking about aligning ourselves with) tomorrow, to try to get a better feel for things.

-I am extremely happy for one thing in particular recently. I have started to realize more how much I love my family and how important all of them are to my life and me to theirs'. There are very few things that are dependable and that you can rely on, but I feel extremely fortunate that I have an incredible family made up of incredible people that I know are behind me 100%.

More updates and other thoughts to come soon.

The Knicks make sweet, sweet music

2007-11-26T21:20:00.000-08:00

Ahh the Knicks have finally strung together their first winning streak of the season, and it only took them about 4 weeks to do it. nice.

I take back all the mean things i said about this team in a previous post. I acted like a hothead, and for that I apologize. They are starting to look like the team that I wrote about last month in my preview. I don't want to

They were spectacular tonight as they dropped 113 points on the Jazz at MSG. Marbury was attacking the basket like it was an intern in his truck, Z-bo was gobbling up o-boards and generally acting as if he liked being a the Knick, and Nate, Q, Lee, Balkman and of course my man JC all had solid games. It was great seeing steph playing as well as he did against a pg many consider to be among the best in the league. I wish they could have gotten Curry some better looks and more touches against Okur but I felt that he was able to make his presence felt without scoring much, and coming up with a huge block late in the 4th.

Overall, a great night to be a Knick fan. When it comes down to it, this is why you are a fan of any particular team, the nights when they look like world-beaters and prove all of their critics wrong. As I see it, only one team can win the championship each year, so there is a very strong chance that your team will not come home with the trophy in any given season. Therefore, why not just enjoy every win that you can? As a fan, you should really appreciate all the little good things without being in the mindset that "If we don't win it all, the season was a failure". Every night the knicks win, I've got a smile on my face despite the number of games that they may have lost coming in. If you can't enjoy the victories for what they are (a single win) then what are you watching and rooting for?

Checklist

2007-11-21T21:15:00.000-08:00

There are a number of different places I want to live in during my life. I'm probably forgetting a few.

-Live on a boat for an extended period of time, just traveling around, floating from place to place

-Live out in the desert, somewhere real isolated in the Southwest (New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Texas)

-Live in a little house in somewhere on the Scandinavian Peninsula. Overlooking a fjord preferably.

-Live in a cabana somewhere in the Caribbean, sipping margaritas and going fishing/ snorkeling.

-Live in New York City- get season tickets to the Yankees, Knicks, Giants

-Survive a plane crash with a number of other good looking strangers on a mysterious island

-Live for a month hitchhiking, camping and traveling the Western United States

-Live in a house right on the beach, coming home from a hard days work and jumping in the ocean

Ahhh the knicks...

2007-11-20T20:00:00.000-08:00

With a 108-82 loss to the Golden State Warriors tonight at the Garden, the Knicks have fallen to 2-8 after losing 7 straight. The only positive to take away from tonight’s game is the fact that things could not possibly get any worse. After shooing 39% from the field and committing 29 turnovers while being unable to string together enough stops to mount any type of run. Any time you give away 29 possessions mostly with sloppy ball handling (the Warriors had 14 steals), run an offense where at any given time you have 2-3 players just standing around watching, and generally play like you don’t give a shit about the outcome of the game, your chances of winning aren’t too high.

It has only taken Zach Randolph 10 games to both prove that despite his seemingly gaudy numbers, he is a terrible fit for this team. At different points in this game he dribbled around in circles, forced shots over double teams, launched 20 yelled at David Lee as they ran down the court after he didn’t get the ball, and refused to cross half court letting his teammates play 5-4 in the half court. Maybe I should cut him some slack after losing his grandmother last week, but his negative energy seemed to spread throughout the team in their return to NY. He is terrible on the defensive end, bogs down the offense, and doesn’t complement his teammates at all.

Lee needs to play more than 24 minutes. Randolph isolating on the wing should not be the Knicks offense. Nate and Jamal need to get their confidence back. Balkman needs to get back on the floor. Shit, this is what I’m suggesting to turn around the season, Renaldo Balkman? It was hard to get any positive feelings from watching this game tonight. It has only taken about 2 weeks to turn a hopeful 2-1 start into finding myself dreading the final 72 games of the season.

There is a fine line between the not-giving-a-shit look where you are playing your ass off and don’t care what anyone has to say about your game and the same attitude when you are not bringing it on the court and don’t seem to care about your team or winning. Latrell Sprewell, perhaps my favorite Knick of all time, was a prime example of this. I always loved watching him play not only because he was so talented but because he always had a ‘fuck you’ look on his face whenever he stepped on the court. Say what you will about the Carlesimo incident or “having to feed his family”, but when he was on the court for the Knicks he played his ass off and spurred his team to win games. Isiah Thomas needs to figure things out with this talented team soon or the garden faithful might get what they were asking for tonight.

The Evening News

2007-11-18T21:06:00.001-08:00

So for the first time in years I watched the simpsons and family guy on fox after a long day of watching football (G-MEN!) and doing a lot of eating and lounging. For some reason I didn't jump up to turn the tv off before "Fox News" came on at 10. Now, whenever I watch the local news with another human being someone eventually says, "man, don't they have anything POSITIVE to tell us?"

This is a quick recap of the news stories that were presented in the first 15 minutes of Fox News at 10.

-One guy commiting suicide by jumping head first from a third story building
-A woman caught in cross fire and being shot in the eye in Irvington, NJ on her way home from church
-A man breaking a bottle and stabbing another man in Brooklyn
-A shooting supposedly occurring during a drug deal
-A biker died while crossing the brooklyn bridge after he was forced off the upper level of the bridge and fell to the lower level
-MTA trains held up at penn station for 2 hours today
-Broadway stage hands on strike
-A fire that damaged a church, BUT the congregation and church leaders are positive it will be rebuilt soon!!!
-Muggings are on the rise in the city and which neighborhoods in the city you are most likely to get mugged in
-New "killer cold" adenovirus takes 10 lives including a female military officer
-A teenage girl viciously attacked by another girl in an amateur video from Texas

My dad finally grabbed the remote and muttered "enough of this crap" and changed the channel. Thanks.

There are terrible things that happen in the world everyday but there are incredible, beautiful things as well. The extent to which the media has the power to influence thinking and the perspectives of its audience is really frightening. When a news channel or program consistently broadcasts nothing but overwhelmingly negative stories, its viewers might begin to believe in this picture that they are being force fed. The Fox News corporation has been criticized for presenting a strongly biased point of view and promoting a conservative, right-wing agenda that is far from its "Fair and Balanced" motto.

I came away from watching these 15 minutes considering the fact that the world is a cold, dangerous place where anyone could get shot or stabbed or mugged at anytime. What would be the benefit of emphasizing these types of stories? To scare viewers? To warn them? Or maybe there just aren't enough 'good' stories out there that are interesting? In a perfect world, the media would be obligated to simply present the facts with as little editorializing as possible. People should be allowed to come to their own conclusions without being influenced by a hidden (or partially hidden) agenda.

It is important for any news media outlet to inform its audience of the most important issues that occur. But who should be allowed to decide what should be shown or not shown? How would a purely objective news outlet work?

I just hope that this news broadcast is not an accurate portrayal of the only local news stories in the world around me. I'd like to think that there is still some good in the world, or in the greater NYC area.

Start snitching, Steph, and a dance party

2007-11-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

- Sportcenter always has some of the funniest commercials, but this one definitely tops the list.

- I remember talking with my friend after the whole Michael Vick dog-fighting scandal, specifically about how his friends sold him up the river to save their own asses. He joked that Vick must have been pissed he wasn't friends with someone like Greg Anderson. Anderson repeatedly refused to testify against his buddy Barry Bonds over accusation of steroid use. He was willing to sit in a jail cell just to protect Bonds and give him a shot to set the all-time HR record this past year.

It was always assumed that there was some deal in place where he would take care of Anderson financially if Anderson refused to talk. It now seems as if Bonds didn't plan on holding up his end of the bargain somehow and Anderson agreed to snitch on his longtime friend when he finally realized what a dick Bonds is. Anderson gets released the same day as Bonds is indicted on perjury and obstruction of justice charges, coincidence? You would think Bonds would be willing to pay this guy almost any amount of money to keep quiet.

And somehow with all the coverage this obviously got today and will get in the near future, I really just want to see a special on the arrangement that these two had worked out. I don't care about what type of sentence Bonds might get or what this means for his HOF chances or any other topic they will discuss endlessly on ESPN. All I want to see is Anderson talking about how Bonds let him sit in jail and how he finally snapped and decided to cut a deal when Barry told him he wasn't going to pay up.

-Things aren't looking so good for my Knicks who are off to a 2-5 start. The only good news is that my man Steph is keeping up the good work. I don't really care so much anymore about the missed jumpshots or terrible passes, I'm just glad he is still holding it down as the craziest dude in the league. I think the Knicks are gonna turn it around pretty soon once they get used to playing together, but even if they don't, we still have Starbury around to keep us on our toes. (Watch that whole video, you won't be disappointed.) I love this guy.

If you think there is no God, You better be right

2007-11-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

There is one of those replaceable-letters billboards at an intersection in my town and it always has some Christian faith based message up for drivers as they pass. This message has been up for the past week or so since I’ve been home and I can’t help but notice it every time I take that road.

This message is definitely frightening because it makes you question what really is out there after this life. If you are not a “believer” and live just for this life with no expectations for anything afterwards, you might be fucked if it turns out there is a god who is pissed that you lived the dream despite his/her/its warnings.

However much I agree with this statement, I feel it could also be written the opposite way, ‘If you think there is a God you better be right’. I think of all the people that try so hard to live their lives in accordance with how their religion tells them to in hopes of being rewarded in the next life. How pissed would they be that they gave up so much of their lives for this “after-life” that wasn’t at all what they had been promised.

Politics?: Krugman and Wobbly Kneed Democrats

2007-11-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

Paul Krugman is an economist, professor at Princeton University, and a columnist for the New York Times. I first became familiar with him through my class with the legendary Tim Koechlin. Koechlin was a big fan of his, and it goes without saying a friend of Koechlin’s is a friend of mine. His work definitely leans to the left a good deal but it is always insightful, straightforward, and intelligent.

In his article today, “Wobbled by Wealth?” he debates whether the interests of a rich, powerful few will continue to prevail over the general welfare of America at large. He claims that America as a whole is 1) Unhappy with our current situation 2) More liberal now than it has been in over 45 years 3) Relying on a Democratic party that ‘has not yet found its voice as an agent of change’.

He challenges the Democratic candidates to not sell out to the pressures from lobbyists and Washington political agendas. However, in the current system there is a dangerous catch-22, in which it costs millions and millions of dollars to even be considered a top candidate but you would essentially have to sell your soul in order to get those millions in the first place. It really boils down to the American public getting to a point where they are sick and tired of dealing with all this bullshit in terms of campaign financing, media distortion and propaganda, and politicians lying through their teeth.

Obviously there is not an easy answer to all of these problems. As I see things, it is first and foremost on the American public to educate themselves and to vote accordingly. Easier said than done. It might just take a courageous, perhaps costly, move like John Edwards taking the Public campaign funding route and calling for his opponents to do the same. Calling out Washington for being corrupt and overrun with private interests is a bold strategy. Edwards definitely earned some points in my book with this move. It seems that all we can do is hope that someone can rise above this bullshit and open our eyes to what is really going on with the American political system and what needs to be done to start changing it.

Saturday's Thoughts

2007-11-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

-Will Bike For Food (WBFF)
My good friend Jerald Isseks and I are starting an organization called "Will Bike For Food". We are planning a cross country bike trip with the intent of raising money for charities and organizations that are working on progressive and innovative ways to fight hunger and poverty in the US. We've been doing a lot of brainstorming and are really excited about the possibiliites for a movement like this. We have created a blog (willbikeforfood.blogspot.com) and are working on a website. Join our facebook group if you are interested in learning more and want to be in the loop. We have a lot of work to do and any help would be greatly appreciated!

-Call for help
Related to the previous bullet, we are looking to create a non-profit charity organization in order to offer potential donors and sponsors the ability to contribute tad-deductible gifts. We are looking for an attorney who is knowledgeable about this side of the law and would be willing to help us out as we get started. Let me know!!!!

-A-Rod
A-Rod, under the guidance of his agent Scott Boras, has decided to opt out of his contract with the NY Yankees in order to cash in on an even bigger payday than his last $250mil contract with the Rangers. In doing so, he fucked the yankees by opting out so that his contract would not be subsidized by the Rangers for the remainder of the deal. Cashman stated that if he opted out that the Yankees, with their already bloated payroll, would not negotiate with him and his d-bag agent.

He is reportedly looking for a deal of around $350mil. There are very few teams that would be willing to take on that sort of a contract for Jesus Christ himself, never mind some weasel who has no loyalty and swings the bat like a 9 year old girl suffering from PTSD when October rolls around. In other news, the Toldeo Mudhens, a triple-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers (i think) offered A-Rod a deal to play for them.

-Architecture in Helsinki
Great band. I just started listening to them. Their album "Fingers Crossed" is incredible. Great sounds from start to finish. Anyone who likes quality indie-type music should check it out.

-On The Road
I'm just about to finish this classic book by Jack Kerouac. After traveling around the country this summer and having everyone I know say to me, "What, you think you are a young Jack Kerouac?", I figured I should read this book. Yass, yes ,yass!
I might give a review of what I thought about this novel at some point in the near future when I finish it. So far... I dig it.

-Into the Wild
I just picked up the book "Into the Wild" after seeing the movie two weeks ago and I'm really excited to start it. I won't give a complete run down, but its the story of a 23 year old college graduate who hitchhikes across the country after donating all his money to charity looking for adventure. The movie was great so I wanted to read the book. I think that it might be better to do things this way bc when you read a book and then watch the movie, its never as good. The way I did it this time, the movie fascinated me and made me want to learn more about Alexander Supertramp so I'm about to start the book, which will probably be better and more insightful than the movie. I've got it all figured out. You might notice a trend toward literature that focuses on traveling, discovery and a nomadic lifestyle. You'd be right.

-Google Reader
Google Reader is such a great idea. Everyone should get it.

The Odyssey Years

2007-10-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

David Brooks writes a piece entitled “The Odyssey Years” describing the phase of life between adolescence and adulthood. He refers to twenty-somethings as a decade of wandering. Being that I graduated from college five months ago and have no discernable plan for the near future, I felt like he was talking about someone like ME.

A decade of wandering doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world. I guess wandering has a negative connotation of being directionless but I see it as having unlimited opportunity. I imagine the next 8, 10, 50 years of my life to be an Odyssey. I can’t see myself settling down in one place for an extended (2+ years) period of time unless something drastic occurs (find an incredible job, crash onto a mysterious island along with 49 other stranger and have to take charge as the only doctor on the flight, etc…) I am too scared of being stationary. I am too afraid of committing myself to something I won’t be able to get out of if I realize I want to do something else. I guess the big thing is that I don’t want to miss out on seeing the world and taking advantage of my freedom. From my perspective, the opportunity cost of doing any one thing is too high because there are so many other incredible experiences and places that I have to uncover.

Unlike many of my peers, I don’t have an overwhelming desire to follow any particular career path. I don’t want to limit myself to anything. I don’t have a career. I don’t have a religion. I don’t have a calling, yet...

NY Knicks Season Preview

2007-10-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

The following will be both a complete run-down of the New York Knicks 2007-08 season and a devastatingly convincing argument as to why the Knicks will finally return to their rightful throne as the class Eastern Conference.

PG-Stephon Marbury, Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford
Since Isiah Thomas arrived and brought Marbury over from Phoenix, the Knicks faithful has patiently waited for Thomas to inspire and enable Marbury to play as if he really was the "best point guard in the league". Going into his fifth season in NY, I suspect marbury will continue to provide the most entertaining interviews in the league as well as finally establish himself as a veteran leader of a contending team. At 30 years old he still has the physical skills to play the position and contribute a solid 14ppg and 7apg in about 32mpg. I see his numbers improving as he feels less pressure to do everything with more talent around him and not having to play close to 40mpg with Robinson as capable backup. Robinson, coming into this third season in the league, has made it a focus this preseason to work on pressuring the ball in the backcourt and harassing opposing pgs into mistakes with his quickness and athleticism. After being named the MVP of the NBA summer league this offseason, it appears Nate is finally figuring out how to play his game and provide high quality minutes off the bench. I see Nate averaging about 9ppg, 4apg, and 1.5spg in about 25mpg.

SG- Jamal Crawford, Fred Jones, Mardy Collins
Crawford has earned the honor of being my favorite Knick following in the footsteps of the legendary Latrell Sprewell. Both were/are exciting, inconceivably confident two-guards who had/have the ability and the reputation to get hot and carry their teams offensively at the end of games. Crawford has been the go-to guy in the clutch for the Knicks over the past couple season. A great ball handler, shooter and playmaker as well as an underrated defensive player, Crawford has supposedly added 20lbs of muscle over the offseason which can only help him over the course of a grueling NBA season. The prediction for JC's numbers is 17ppg and 4apg in about 36mpg. Fred Jones came over in the Randolph trade and I see him as a strong, athletic defender who can guard the 2/3 positions off the bench as well as run the floor and finish plays above the rim. I don't forsee Mardy Collins getting extended minutes unless their is a big injury, but he has the ability to play solid defense at the 2 and provoke bench clearing brawls with the best in the league.

SF-Quentin Richardson, Renaldo Balkman, Wilson Chandler/ Demetris Nichols
When healthy Q has the ability to be the knock down 3pt shooter the Knicks need to stretch the floor for their post game and their playmaking guards. A solid defender as well, Richardson can contribute about 11-13ppg as well as helping out the boards at about 5rbg in about 30mpg. Balkman will continue to develop as a lockdown defender with his length and athleticism. As long as he can return from his injury, run the floor, and provide hustle plays off the bench he will be able to be an important contributer to the Knicks return to glory. I see him getting 18-20mpg and giving the Knicks some extra possessions with his offensive rebounding and provide an energy boost off the pine. The duo of Chandler and Nichols(who I am pulling for as a former SU stud) should be able to provide solid defense and outside shooting, respectively, if any further injuries occur to the other small forwards, which isn't out of the question with the guys playing ahead of them.

PF- Zach Randolph, David Lee, Jared Jeffries
Randolph arrives in NY and instantly provides the Knicks with 18ppg and 9rpg in about 36mpg. An offensive force, Zach uses a soft shooting touch and clever angles to consistently abuse taller and more athletic players on a nightly basis. He should serve as a good offensive complement to Curry as he can strech the defense with his shooting and driving ability as well as dominate on the offensive boards. David Lee might well be the Knicks most efficient player and he is going to once again be one of the league leaders in rpg despite coming off the bench. A solid defender, rebounder and intelligent player provides a reliable backbone for this squad as he will most likely be in the hunt for 6th man of the year. As long as Isiah can figure out how to get enough minutes for both Lee and Randolph, the 4 should be one of the knicks strongest positions. Jeffries provides versatility along the front line as he can play the 3, 4 or 5 depending on matchups and is a good defender with length and energy.

C- Eddy Curry, Malik Rose
Curry is a beast in the paint offensively and as long as he can provide something resembling an effort on defense and on the boards, the Knicks will have one of the best frontcourts in the league. He consistently shoots a high percentage from the field and scores effectively against practically anyone that he comes up against. If he could only improve his passing and cut down on his turnovers, he would be one of the best centers in the league. He has all the physical skills to do it, hopefully with the pressure on Isiah to get both Lee and Randolph minutes and possibly turn to a smaller lineup, Curry will see this as a challenge to improve on his weaknesses so that he can stay on the court and give the business to opposing centers on a daily basis. I see 19ppg and 8rpg in about 34 min. Malik Rose is a great veteran presence on this team who can still play a little bit, grab a few boards, throw some elbows and make sure the big men keep their heads on straight.

Overall the Knicks have tremendous potential. Obviously the key is going to be Isiah instilling the toughness and relentlessness that he had as a player into this squad so they know what it takes to contend for a championship. Defense if obviously going to be a concern, especially with the big men, but the pressure for playing time should convince these guys that they are going to need to bring it on the defensive end if they want to be out there and get significant time.

Personally, I'm excited with the multitude of different lineups they can put out on the floor. They can go real small with robinson, crawford, jones, jeffries and lee and press the shit out of teams for a few minutes at a time or they could go big with marbury, crawford, lee, randolph, and curry and just dominate other teams in the paint. They have a ton of versatility and for the first time in a number of years, Knick fans are legitimately excited about the upcoming season. They are deep, athletic, and should be coming into their prime.

I see them fighting with Boston for the Atlantic Division crown and being within the top 4-5 seeds in the Eastern Conference. Their lack of experience obviously figures to be a concern but with Isiah, Rose, and Richardson having gone through deep playoff and championship runs, they should have the leadership to guide this group back into the promised land.

why i couldn't fall asleep on wednesday night

2007-10-10T23:08:00.001-07:00

I think the single greatest question to answer or to come to terms with in my own life is of whether we as human beings are on a determinist course, that is, everything that we do, think, feel, desire,etc... is preordained from the start or whether we as individuals have the ability to shape our lives depending on the choices and decisions that we make.

Fatalism or determinism is a scary concept to accept because there is always the option of copping out and saying "If it was meant to be it will be". This course of thought could lead to less stressful lives if one simply hands their life over to the whims of fate and absolves themself from any resposibility for the outcome of their lives and their actions.

On the other hand, it is also daunting to think about that we each have the power to do incredible things to shape our lives and the world around us. Each decision we make could have vast and enormous consequences on the course that our life takes.

Tossing and turning in bed as I do every night I can't help but think of how one simple decision I make has the power to transform my life in unimaginable ways. Something as simple as who I speak with tomorrow or what website I stumble across, could have a profound effect on how my life might be changed had such things not occurred.

It is terrifying to think of the unlimited potential lives I could be leading had I only made a different choice along the way. Where would I be and how would my life be different had I made these different choices? What if I had chose Wesleyan over Vassar? What if I had decided to play baseball instead of basketball? What if I had taken a different philosophy course with a different professor and actually enjoyed the study of philosophy instead of being completely turned off by in my freshman year? Who knows?

the 2007 New York Yankees

2007-10-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

The dream is over. No matter how much I wanted to believe that the bats were going to come alive once again and/or that the bullpen would finally figure out these jokers from cleveland, there was the inescapable feeling that after the tribe took a 6-1 lead in the top of the 4th, that the yankees season was all but over.

no matter how many times the commentators talked about how jeter "made a living" by taking pitches 314ft the other way to the short porch in right field at the stadium. no matter how many montages they showed of a-rod slamming homeruns in the regular season. no matter how much they talked about the incredible season posada put together. it wasn't their night and it wasn't their series.

sure, they have made some miraculous comebacks and have put together some spectacular rallies. Their 8-7 comeback victory over the red sox at Fenway with 6 runs in the eigth inning left me feeling that anything was possible for this team. However, time and time again throughout this series the yankees showed that they did not have what it takes to advance in october. they looked old. they looked thin. they looked slow.

Continually lambasted for having an exorbitant payroll ($50 million more than the next closest team), the yankees organization continues to overpay for underperforming, washed-up players like Jason Giambi, Roger Clemes, and Carl Pavano. However, they finally seem to be figuring out that trading away all of their promising talented prospects for has-beens might not be the best idea. They have a great core of young players (Cano, Melky, Wang, Jaba, Hughes, Kennedy) as well as a number of solid veterans (Petite, Jeter, Posada, Rivera, Abreu, Damon) who are still close to their prime. With their payroll, they will almost certainly be in the hunt for a playoff spot in september. However, it is going to take some serious efforts from Brian Cashman to a)Keep a muzzle on Steinbrenner b) Deal with Scott Boras over A-rod's contract demands and c)Fill out the roster with hungry, young talent to put through the fire for a serious run next year.

They should have a strong rotation for next year with Wang, Chamberlain(if they decide they would rather have him starting than locking down the 7th and 8th innings until Mo retires), Hughes, and either Kennedy or Moose. In the bullpen, assuming that they re-sign Rivera, I would try to take a look at whether they can transform any of the rookies that they trotted out this year (Desalvo, Clippard, Wright, Ramirez) or Andrew Brackman into reliable middle relievers.

At the plate, I hope that they have the sense to bring back Posada and Abreu. Other than that, I feel their lineup is solid considering that it was the best offense in baseball this year. Even if A-rod does not come back, they should be fine if they can find another third baseman with a better glove and an average bat. They have enough guys who put the ball in play and hit it hard that they don't necessarily need to rely on one player( with a $30 mil+ contract) to hit 40+ HRs in order to suceed.

Banksy

2007-10-04T09:09:00.001-07:00

I came across this guy's work in a bookstore in San Francisco. Most of his artwork has been in the UK.I think this type of art is not widely appreciated since most people overlook it as vandalism or as some clown with a can of spray paint. The detail and skill that goes into these works is much more impressive and attractive to me than most art you are going to see hanging in frames that saps shell out thousands for. Check out the site

Championship Hats

2007-10-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

Watching the stunning extra innings comeback of the Colorado Rockies last night, I was reminded of a phenomenon that I have always found interesting. No more than 3 minutes after Matt Holliday missed the plate with his left hand and Trevor Hoffman went searching for the closest handgun, a dude with a bag full of Colorado Rockies National League WildCard Championship Hats appeared near home plate and started handing them out like candy to the players, coaches, and homeplate umpire to commerate their first playoff berth since 1995.

When I was younger I was always fascinated with how fast these hat manufacturers were able to churn out this championship memorobilia once the championship had been decided. It was only later that someone told me that hats, t-shirts, etc... were made for both teams so that vendors would be ready to cash in on the moment regardless of the outcome of the game.

This always made me wonder, what do they do with the hats and t-shirts for the losers, the 2007 Padres Wildcard Championship t-shirts, the John Kerry celebratory headbands, or the Vassar College Liberty League Championship shot glasses? I was once told that they get shipped off to the far corners of the world to be given away to those who just wanted a shirt and didn't care (or couldn't read) what they said or that they were endorsing a loser. I would love to see a pick-up soccer game somewhere in the South Pacific where the kids are wearing all kinds of never-was t-shirts celebrating the NY Knicks 1994 World Championship and the New York Mets 2007 Easter Division Title.

In addition, I am sure that there woud definitely be a strong market for this type of clothing among hipsters and sports fans celebrating the ironic nature of this gear. Hipsters love that kind of shit.