08 DNC: Live Blogging Nite 4

Tonight the DNC takes the party outside where Barak Obama will spread hope and feed the multitudes at Invesco Field with just five loaves and two fishes. Yes, this blog just got blasphemous.

Live blogging starts 8:00 PM-ish EST.

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FYI Introduction to the PBS broadcasting team

When I speak of Jim Lehrer, I mean this guy. He is the anchor/moderator.








When I speak of Mark Shields and David Brooks, I mean these guys. They are the left-wing and right-wing leaning pundits, respectively.



When I speak of Michael Beschloss and Edward Norton-Smith, I mean these guys. They are political historians.







If I speak of Peniel Joseph, I mean this guy. He is an African-American studies historian.







You got that? Now let's start live blogging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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8:00 PM 75,000 people stand around waving flags in the Colorado sunshine inside a football field.

8:01 Turns out those 75,000 people are there "to be part of history."

8:03 I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled. Some guy I know is out there in that crowd.

8:03 First up on the podium in primetime: Mark Udall. He's running for senator? governor? Anyway, he's got on a bolo tie and a $50 haircut, and I can't see them, but I bet he's wearing expensive cowboy boots.

8:07 Next up, Tim Kaine the governor of Virginia (a truly beautiful state, with a sadly hap-hazard road system, especially in the north).

8:08 Tim Kaine was on Obama's almost-veep short list.

8:10Waoh, watch out, he's quoting scripture (Matthew 17:20 -- For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you). He's sort of telling the Rocky Mountains in the background to move. Now he's speaking Spanish. This guy's all over the place.

8:11Now he's talking about "putting faith into action." Wow, it's like I'm in a time warp to 2000 and watching GW Bush speak at his convention.

8:12 Oh my. It's like a church revival speech. The crowd's not sure what to do with it. Mr. Kaine should try this out next week in Minnesota, he'd get a much better reaction.

8:14 Warning. Bill Richardson is approaching the podium. Out of safety concerns I explained last night, I will be shutting down my brain temporarily.

8:15 You know, SNL actor Horatio Sanz does a dead-on Bill Richardson impersonation, because looking and listening at the screen (and not comprehending the words...safety first) I want to laugh. It feels like a parody of what a Latino politician should sound like.

8:19 By the way, Richardson (I've put him on mute now...newly imposed safety precaution) is still sporting his " Obama and Hillary totally kicked my ass in the primaries and I had to drop out" beard, but he's shaved it to make himself look like someone from the 1800's. Seriously, it dips down to show off clean-shaven cheeks.

8:23 Whew. It's over. I'm turning the sound back on.

8:25 Bon Jovi is playing in the background. Not live. But Lehrer tells me that Stevie Wonder is going to perform LIVE in a few minutes.

8:27 Hilarious! Lehrer is rushing Shields. "Hurry up and finish because Stevie Wonder is coming out," he says!!! Who knew Jim Lehrer was such a Stevie Wonder fanboy.

8:30 Stevie Wonder comes out. Fanboy Lehrer is gushing.

8:31 Awh, Stevie says he loves me. You know, he just doesn't say that enough.

8:32 Stevie Wonder and his back-up singers sing. I'm gonna think about what snack I want from the kitchen.

8:37 Stevie hits the second song on his set list: Sing, Sealed, Delivered (Stevie is ours!)

8:40 Uh oh. PBS Correspondent Ray Suarez is talking to some academics who have written books on Obama. One of them has a very distracting lazy eye.

8:42 They've looked at excerpts of Obama's speech tonight (as have I) and say it will be more nuts and bolts and less big uplifting themes.

8:45 Oh Dear, they invited that other loser. The Emmy, Oscar, Nobel Prize winning loser. Seriously, he was that big a loser the world gave him all those awards for that. Al Gore, ladies and gentlemen.

8:46 And I say big loser, because to lose by that small a margin (when you should have won. who doesn't win their HOME STATE? if your neighbors won't vote for you, why should we?) makes the loss that much bigger.

8:47 Al Gore's speech is presented to you in If-Then form. "If I had been President, then the world would be full of puppies and daisies." "If I had been President, then this country would be exporting organic bunnies and putting pumpkin spice enhanced fuel in its cars."

8:51 In contrast to Bill Richardson, Al Gore is NOT wearing his "I lost so I can feel free to let myself go" beard. He's clean shaven.

8:57 Al Gore's speech summarized for your convenience: Environment! blah, blah, blah, blah, Special Interests! blah, blah, blah, blah, Eight Years Ago! blah, blah, blah, blah, Time For A Change! blah, blah, blah, blah, Inconvenient Truth* blah, blah, blah Elect Barak Obama.

(*) Yes. He just plugged his own Oscar winning movie.

9:01 Mark Shields says he isn't sure why Gore lost the presidential race. Uh... Cause HE LOST HIS HOME STATE. Eleven electoral votes. That's all he needed to put himself over the top.

9:04 Ooh. Historian round table time!

9:05 They're talking a lot about Adlai Stevenson. I remember him from history classes.

9:10 More Who's McCain gonna pick talk.

9:10 Awesome! David Brooks almost swore. The idea of McCain picking Mitt Romney as a running mate scares the.......[searches for PBS appropriate word]...heck out of him. Heh.

9:11 Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Ike, speaks on stage. She grew up in Gettysburg, PA. (Remember Pickett's Charge!!)

9:12 Oh wow. She really just name checked "Pickett's Charge." Get out of my head, Lady.

9:15 Tribute to high ranking military veterans. A lot of Generals and Admirals walk out on stage. Woah, the Navy has an African American Woman Admiral. Cool. Did I mishear or does one of those generals have the last name "Fignewton?" I swear I heard the announcer say "General Fig Newton."

9:17 The general selected to speak for them says he's a Missionary Kid. My dad always told me there were two types of people I couldn't trust in this world: Preacher Kids and Mish Kids.

9:21 I checked. I heard right. General "Fig" Newton is on stage. You can't see it, but I'm shaking my head in shame.

9:23 Biden's back on stage.

9:24 Biden explains for the slow people that they are in a stadium in the OPEN AIR at an OPEN CONVENTION. Get it?

9:28 Roy Gross, delegate from Michigan speaks on stage. He's part of a series of delegates who will speak about the grass roots campaigning they've done and how Obama inspires them. Do we need tissues for this? Are these going to be inspirational tear-jerking stories?

9:30 Nope. Roy Gross is done. I did not cry.

9:30 Monica Early from Cuyohoga Falls (read: Cleveland, OH) is inspired by Obama because he's a fighter. She's pretty good for a (alleged) newbie.

9:34Janet Lynn Monaco. She's from Florida by way of a New York/New Jersey accent. Just like 1/3 of Florida. She's very angry with GW Bush and John McCain. She's sort of intimidating.

9:36Sweet little Latina lady, Teresa Asenapp, from New Mexico speaks. Her grandma couldn't read or write, but little Teresa has a degree in education. She's cute and peppy.

9:39 Pam from Pittsboro, NC. I love the North Carolina accent, mostly because I used to have one. Pam and her hubby had health insurance problems. She's a nurse who didn't earn much and thus could not afford health insurance. I just do not understand! You work in the health care industry and don't budget for health insurance? I'm assuming she worked part time. And that she and her hubby had some seriously expensive pre-existing health conditions. Still, a nurse without health insurance! She should have the knowledge and resources to find something, without needing the government to hold her hand. Sorry? Did I reveal my position on national health insurance? Oops.

9:40 Barney Smith from the Indiana heartland. He used to be a Republican. (Turn-coat!). His job got sent overseas. He gets a big reaction out of this line: "We need a president who puts Barney Smith before Smith Barney." Did Barney Smith just insult my broker? I think he sort of did?

9:42 Lehrer, Shields, and Brooks, like me, think these salt-of-the-earth people were pretty awesome speakers. Much better than the slick politicians.

9:49 Brooks grades tonight so far as B/B+. Shields thinks the crowd is joyful and full of smiles. The people are dancing. Heh. David Brooks says the dancing is better than usual because the delegates are younger than usual. Them young kids got more rhythm. (I'm wondering if some of those people are drunk. Young people in a football stadium in the beer commercial capital of the U.S.....some of them must have indulged.)

9:54 The PBS Patented (not really) Panel of Historians speak about today's connection to MLK, Jr's "I have a dream" speech, which happened 45 years ago this very day.

9:55 Beschloss says this in the stadium thing has been done before by FDR in a field, but FDR's leg brace broke and he fell climbing the podium. Thank goodness for no cameras.

9:56 Back at Invesco field, Illinois Senator Dick Durban introduces Illinois Senator Barak Obama.

9:58 Wow, the little Obama daughters are all fired up, screaming like they are at a pep rally (which they sort of are). They really are cute.

10:02 Ode to Obama DNC obligatory PR video. Narrated by David Strathairn! I love that guy's voice.

10:05 Gotta say, I really do enjoy Obama's life story. It's a heck of a story.

10:11 Here he comes, Mr. American Dream, Barak Obama. On stage. Wow, that stadium really is completely full.

10:13 My father would like me to emphasize that Obama's full name is Barak Hussein Obama. Not because my father is a jingoist Republican, but because my father's middle name is also Hussein.

10:15 He accepts the nomination. Great. Are we done here? Can we go?

10:17 Check it. He's wearing a flag pin. Good going America, way to force a man to accessorize.

10:19 Woah. He vehemently spit out GW Bush's name there. Pent-up aggression much?

10:20 Oooh, he's getting angry again. This is new. You're black Obama. You aren't allowed to get angry. It scares us sensitive white people.

10:21 Whew. He smiled. Angry Obama is gone for now.

10:22 Frickin' digital signal just blipped out again.

10:23 We now enter the rip on John McCain portion of the speech.

10:25 Have they learned nothing from the Republicans? Instead of the same-old, same-old McCain is out of touch riff, call McCain a flip-flopper. Much more effective. (Of Course then Obama would have to justify his flip flop on accepting federal campaign funds....which he justified poorly the last time he tried).

10:30 This speech is sort of boring...for Obama.

10:32 Obama is finally going to tell us what CHANGE means: (1) CHANGE how tax breaks are distributed; (2) CHANGE how tax incentives are distributed; (3) CHANGE our dependence on oil from the middle east within 10 years. (Gotta say, this list of specific changes is sort of interesting)

10:35 Education. He's not really going to CHANGE it. I think he's going to try and make it better.

10:39 Hmm. Obama speaks on family morals, specifically individual responsibility of parents to their children.

10:42 He called McCain stubborn. He should say that more often. I think that could stick.

10:43 New Obama drinking game: every time he says "change America needs"

10:45 Obama pronounces Iran properly.

10:46 Next test: can he pronounce Ahmadinajad correctly?

10:47 He's gettin' loud again. Well done. He subtly addresses the "patriotism" issue by addressing the camera and forcefully saying WE ALL put America first.

10:49 Oh. He's returning to his element, talking about how Americans can UNIFY on issues, while using specific examples. Well done.

10:50 Shoot. He must be doing well now. I've run out of snarky things to say.

10:51 And here comes the HOPE portion of the speech. Obama says "this election is not about me it's about you." Mr. Obama, if this election is about me, could I please get a DOJ job when you become president? Thanks much.

10:55 Obligatory MLK Jr. "I have a dream" anniversary reference.

10:56 Obama concludes by blessing me and the United States of America. I do, I feel so blessed. You remember that bit about a DOJ job, won't you, Obama? Thanks.

10:58 Michelle and the girls (all dressed in shades of pink) join him on stage.

10:59 Fireworks. Confetti. Streamers. But no balloons. Save the fishes, spare the balloons. At least the Republicans will have balloons.

11:00 Wouldn't it be fun if they brought a live donkey on stage? Rally around the mascot? Maybe if they had a better mascot they'd do it.

11:02 Historian Richard Norton-Smith thinks the speech sacrificed eloquence for electability. Beschloss really liked the speech because it coherently explained who he was and where he is going.

11:05 Pundit Shields likes how Obama addressed the patriotism issue and how he got specific with "promises." Now for the lone conservative in the house: David Brooks. Brooks was underwhelmed. His words "emotionally diffident." He thinks holding it outside is a mistake because it disconnected Obama from the audience.

11:08 Oooh fight, fight, fight. Historian Richard Norton-Smith disagrees with David.

11:09 PBS coverage of the 08 DNC is over and so is mine.

Thanks for reading. Visit the blog next week when the Republicans have their big party. I promise to vote for McCain if they bring out a live elephant. Do you hear me, GOP? I want live elephants!!!!!



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08 DNC: Live Blogging Nite 3

Woo-Hoo! It's my first (perhaps only) attempt at live blogging. When presidential election years roll around I become a bit of a political junkie. I watch the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. And I watch them on PBS, because PBS kindly invites top-notch pundits and historians to comment on the action for viewers. Unlike on other networks, these pundits and historians are ALWAYS well mannered and respectful. Oh yeah, and they are actually informative and insightful.

So, starting around 8pm EST, click through below to find out what goes on in my head as I watch a national party convention.

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8:06 PM Lehrer is forcing Brooks and Shields to compare Bill and Barak. This will not end well.

8:08 Lehrer is having technical difficulties. He tries to throw to Harry Reid on the podium. Harry doesn't show up. Lehrer is ticked! "They're not following the schedule," he actually says. Awesome.

8:10 Harry Reid shows up. He starts with a history lesson. Fitting since he looks like a history professor.

8:15 Harry is still talking, but my digital signal is intermittently shorting out which leads me to my mini rant against digital signals. Oh analog how I will miss you and your constant snowy visibility even in the worst of times. Why must the government force me to change to fickle, annoying digital signal, which sacrifices constant transmission for clear picture. What do I care that my picture is super-crystal-clear if it blips out when the signal dips. Analog signal dips and all I deal with is a little snow, I can still hear and see. With digital....not so much. End. Of. Rant. Now I'll think about paying attention to what Harry Reid is saying.

8:19 Harry Reid says "Republicans sell magic beans!" I kid you not.

8:23 Now on the podium: Sargent Major Michelle Jones, the highest ranking female NCO in the Army. She stands before us as a citizen and wearing a pant-suit, "'cause that's the only way the Army would let her do that," says my roommate.

8:25 Gotta say, Michelle Jones is an impressive lady.

8:26 Pennsylvania in the HOUSE! Cutie-pie (seriously, are Congressional Reps allowed to be young and pretty?) Patrick Murphy, PA representative for the 8th district (What up, Quakertown!) takes the stage with a bunch of other people who I assume are military types.

8:31 Patrick Murphy is the only Iraq war veteran serving in congress. Lehrer clarifies (helpfully) that the dudes standing behind him are also Iraq war veterans.

8:33 Maddie Albright takes the stage. Her claim to fame? She spoke at my college graduation and my dad complained that she was too short and he was unable to see her behind the teleprompters she is using. Oh yeah, she was also the first woman to be Secretary of State

8:37 Evan Bayh on the stage giving his consolation I-almost-got-to-be-the-Veep-again speech. Better luck next presidential election cycle, Evan.

8:39 Question? If Foreign Policy is the theme of the evening, why ask the governor of Indiana to speak on that? I mean when I think Indiana, I don't really think Hamas. Yeah, he's talking about Hamas.

8:42 Oops. I just checked wikipedia. He's a senator now, since like 1999. Boy did I quit paying attention. So I guess his membership on the Armed Services and Intelligence committees qualifies him. Hey, look now he's veered off into domestic issues. I didn't think you could keep up the int'l security talk for long Evan.

8:45 Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island. Lehrer tells me he was also on the Obama almost-Veep short list, but I've still never heard of him. Ooh, he tells me he "has commanded paratroopers." Also, Rhode Island seems like a nice state. I'd like to visit it some time. Now Jack Reed says that servicemen just luuuuv meeting Barak Obama. 'Cause he's a celebrity?

8:48 I'm sort of looking forward to Joe Biden getting up there. I want to hear someone say something SUBSTANTIVE about foreign policy. I think Biden can deliver on that. At least he did during the primary debates.

8:53 Former VP to Pres Carter, Wlater Mondale, sits down in the "skybox" with Lehrer, Brooks and Shields. Mondale thinks that Biden will help interface smoothly between Obama and Congress. Methinks Mondale makes a good point. Now Mondale switches to talking about what an awesome VP he was. That didn't take long.

9:00 On the podium, Rep Kendrick Meek (never heard of him) is introducing his "good friend" Bill Clinton. Heh. He reads the teleprompter loudly but woodenly.

9:03 Oh Lord. It's Bill. Lehrer points out that Bill has spoken at every Dem Convention since 1988. I wouldn't be sorry to see that streak end.

9:05 The crowd finally lets him talk. "I love this," he says. Nice how he admits how much he craves attention.

9:10 Will Bill address Obama's readiness "on day one?"

9:12 No. He talks about what a good choice Biden is. (OMG!! I wholeheartedly agree with Bill on something. Quick, look out the window for flying pigs. Wait. I forgot how I agreed with him on NAFTA, you know back before his wife conveniently decided that NAFTA was a bad idea. The pigs have flown before.).

9:16 Bill must be wearing a lot of make-up. Usually by now, his face is much redder.

9:21The speech is meh. Not as good, rhetorically, as Hillary's last night. But he's working the crowd with that Bill Clinton magic, so enthusiasm-wise, it evens out.

9:22 Whoops. There he goes, waxing eloquently about policy statistics and comparisons. Classic Bill.

9:23 Now he compares Obama to himself and SORT OF ADDRESSES HOW OBAMA'S PERCEIVED LACK OF EXPERIENCE ISN'T A DEAL BREAKER. Wow, that comes close to the ready-on-day-one criticism. Of course, he did it by talking about how awesome he is. Classic Bill.

9:25 The Clinton portion of the convention is OVAH!

9:30 It's my favorite part of the broadcast!!!! The PBS panel of historians!!!!

9:32 What?!? Kerry is going to speak? Why did they invite that loser? He'll just cast a pall of loosieness (it's a word. maybe. I'm sure President Bush would use it).

9:33 Kerry speaks from the podium. "We're gonna win this time," he says. "Because I'm not running," he does not add.

9:36 Shut down Gitmo? Stop torture? Pipe-dreams like this. It's why he didn't win........that and Carl Rove.

9:37 Kerry makes a rhetorically confusing analogy between "candidate McCain" and "senator McCain" as part of a segue into a "he was for it before he was against it" crack. (legitimately) bitter much?

9:41 Actually, Kerry's not doing half badly.

9:42 Heh. Kerry talked about being first and then said "no one" before taking a big pause and I seriously thought he might say "No one puts Obama in a corner!" He didn't. Would have been cool if he did.

9:43 Kerry points out Obama's white WWII war veteran great-uncle in the gallery. Whitewashing the Obama story. Almost literally.

9:46 Mark Shields agrees with me, that Kerry's speech was uncharacteristically good. "Firey" and "passionate" were the words he used. Non-sleep-inducing are the words I'd use.

9:48 On the stage now: The only female 3 star army general, Claudia Kennedy (retired). Sargent Major Michelle Jones seems tougher, but I think sargent majors are supposed to seem tougher.

9:51 PBS goes to commercial. Bet you thought PBS didn't have any commercials.

9:55 PBS coverage is back baby!

9:57 Ugh! Bill Richardson is next on the podium. You don't mind if I tune him out do you? Because if I pay attention to his ill informed opinions on foreign policy my brain will overheat and melt with frustration. Thanks.

9:58 Whew! Scheduling error again. No Bill Richardson. Rep Chet Edwards from the great state of Texas steps up to the podium. He talks about veterans.

10:01 The first DNC PR video of the night. The theme: military servicemen. Time for me to play guess the narrator. It sounds like a familiar actor. But which one? It's on the tip of my tongue. Speak again narrator. Speak! So I can identify you.

10:03 Drat. He spoke again. I'm not going to be able to ID this guy, and imdb.com is going to be no help.

10:05 Tom Hanks! It's Tom Hanks. Embarrassing how long it took me to realize that.

10:08 Okay, now I don't look so smart because Tom Hanks is ON SCREEN completely ruining my guess the narrator game. It's only fun when there's that small chance that your guess could be wrong.

10:08 Lehrer clarification: Richardson will speak tomorrow night. Brain melt-down reprieve. For you and me.

10:14 Roundtable discussions about tonight's emphasis on the military. Pundit consensus: preemptive strike against the McCain asset of being a military hero.

10:17 VP Nominating speech being made by Quincy Lucas, delgate from Delaware (the first state, so says the license plate), at the podium. She is PROUD to place into nomination the name of Joe Biden.

10:18 "Is there a second?" asks Nancy Pelosi (looking fairly glam in shiny blue and pearls) from the podium. The crowded floor loudly seconds. I love this part. The nuts and bolts, pro forma, do it because it represents our form of government and who we are, part. It's why I watch. Pelosi bangs the gavel and declares Joe Biden officially nominated!

10:22 Ode to Joe Biden obligatory DNC PR video. I really like Joe Biden. I was going to vote for him (as part of my one woman right wing conspiracy to not elect Hillary Clinton primary voting strategy) against Hillary but then he dropped out and I went with Obama. That's right, I've voted Obama. And I'll do it again if I have to.

10:24 Awh. His son Beau Biden introduces him. (Army JAG will be shipping off to Iraq soon) Question: what's your position on naming children alliteratively? For or against?

10:30 Here he is, your potential VP Joe Biden.

10:30 Lehrer clarification news flash: Beau Biden is not Beau Biden's real name he chooses to go by Beau. He chooses to be alliterative.

10:31 Joe Biden is about to cry talking about how much he loves his family. Now he talks about Hillary and Bill. He's nowhere near close to crying now.

10:33 By the way, he accepts the nomination. If he hadn't it could have been awkward.

10:34 He takes a dig at Cheney. Fun! I give him bonus points if he mentions the shot gun incident.

10:35 Joe Biden's mom is alive and in the gallery. She and McCain's mom should patent their genes (can you even do that?).

10:36 Joe Biden is from Scranton and Delaware. Can you think of a more unglamorous or more mundane geographic pedigree?

10:37 Drinking game: every time you hear the phrase "American Dream"

10:38 I didn't blog last night, but a good drinking game for yesterday was: every time you hear the phrase "I was the first in my family to graduate from college"

10:44 Uh oh. Biden starts talking about all the money oil companies are making and tax breaks McCain will give them. And I was going to vote for this guy in the primary? Tsk, tsk. Warning: portions of this speech may contain spurious, pandering logic.

10:50 The Democrats' Georgia argument. I just don't get it. They imply GW Bush mishandled it, but are they really saying that we should have physically intervened. Isn't their whole mantra less military involvement abroad? How does that mantra gel with their Georgia (the republic of, not the peanut/peach state) argument?

10:51 Joe Biden says Iran wrong.

10:53 Biden is done. Bring on the pundit and historian round tables PBS. Bring. It. On.

10:54 Oops. Got ahead of myself. Special Surprise Guest BARAK OBAMA takes the stage. The crowd cheers (but not as loudly as they did for Bill...Barak will have to work on that).

10:55 Obama speaks. He likes the Bidens. He really likes them.

10:57 Obama says "Hillary Clinton rocked the house last night." I wouldn't go that far.

10:58 Obama explains for those who are slow that he'll be at Invesco field tomorrow night.

10:59 Tomorrow night's drinking game: every time someone says "God bless America." Of course that one seems too easy.

11:00 Man, there are a lot of Bidens on that stage. "Half of Delaware," quips Shields.

11:03 Michael Beschloss agrees with my (keen) observation that Bill Clinton came through where Hillary didn't on the Obama readiness issue. Thanks for making me feel smart, Beschloss.

11:05 Will the Dem Convention affect McCain's choice for VP? Historian Norton-Smith thinks maybe. I think: I hope not, if so Repubs are in trouble.

11:07 The historians are all hopped up on the new "energy" coming out of this night's speeches.

11:08 Argh. David Brooks think McCain is going to pick Joe Lieberman to distance himself from GW Bush. I really don't like Lieberman. Can't trust somebody who goes so radically against his own party like that. Talk about flip-flopping.

11:10 That's it for PBS coverage. Lehrer, Shields, Brooks, etc. out!

Well, this was fun. It certainly made the time go faster. I'll give it another try tomorrow night. Hope it entertained you readers, all three of you.


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Olympics 2010: Look To The Future

Dear Canada:

Please send me official documentation of these proposed athletes featured in the video below. Although they are impossibly cute, I suspect they will not yet be 14 years old in 2010. I fear that could be a problem. In everything else Olympic I wish you all the best. See you in 2010!

Regards,

Sister T.


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Olympics 2008: For Those Who Love Baseball

I came across this blog post at the Washington Post. It describes the U.S. versus the Netherlands Olympic baseball game. Highlights of the match:

• Multiple hours long rain delays due to monsoon level rains.
• Only the dedicated U.S. parents and die-hard Dutch fans (50 including reporters) remain through the delays.
  
• Teammates holed up in dugouts surviving on Chinese crackers.
• Mothers in the stands offering players fruit roll-ups from their purses.
• The game gets called, but the Dutch, who are losing 0-7, protest.
  
• The solution to the Dutch protest comes down to a distinction between procedures and substantive rules.
  

It's law and little league wrapped up into one Olympic match. Absolutely fantastic!
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Olympics 2008: Why I Watch

This is why I watch the Olympics: to be a part of a story. I like to play sports because it is fun. I like to watch sports because of the beauty and strategy in elite athleticism. But I LOVE to watch sports because of the chance that this one race, this one event, this moment will turn into a mini movie. I like the suspense of sitting on my couch and hoping, cheering and believing that the team I'm supporting will have a moving ending. And I say team, because it's team sports and events that get to me the most.

Last night, watching the Men's Swimming 4x100 Relay, I got to be a part of one of those great movie moment stories. All the elements were there. American Phelps attempting to achieve the biggest gold medal haul ever, but he can't do it alone. He needs his team to pull out a win in an event in which they are not favored. Add in some motivating trash talk from the French who are favored to win. (Seriously, probably the most entertaining part of the story). Then the race. The Americans do well, but towards the end, the realistic expectation is second place. Then in the.....last.....four.....strokes.....a teammate digs deeper than he or anyone else has ever done to touch gold by a few hundredth seconds. Result: joy. So much joy. On kids faces. In mothers' eyes. In my heart.

UPDATE: check out this article about Jason Lezak, the man who swam the thrilling last leg and dug deep to carry the team to a win. Here is my favorite quote:

It's happened to me all my career that people would get on my lane line and [draft] off me," Lezak said, "so I figured this was one opportunity in all my career to do that. ... I'm not going to lie. When I flipped at the 50, it really crossed my mind for a split second that there was no way. Then I changed. And I said, You know what, that's ridiculous at the Olympics. I'm here for the United States of America. I don't care how bad it hurts or whatever. ... Honestly in five seconds I was thinking all these things. I got like a supercharge and took it from there.

Ahh, I love the Olympics. I watch hours and hours of coverage to vicariously experience a moment like last night, where I get to believe against the odds, and my belief is rewarded.

You have to watch this race! It's the best story of the Olympics (for a U.S. citizen), and the Olympics have only just begun. Catch the thrilling last seconds at this blog post. Or watch the entire race on youtube.

Oh, and below are my two favorite moments of the race, make sure you click through:

One, the teammates hoping and rooting and realizing they can win.Two, the teammates' no-fricking-way faces realizing they won.

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Olympics 2008: Be Proud of the Peacock

Today I read an interesting post by James Fallows of The Atlantic. He is in China watching, reporting and blogging the Games. He is also watching Chinese television and responds to annual complaints lodged at NBC of excessive focus on U.S. athletes. He notes that Chinese and Korean television emphasize events their countrymen excel at as well, and is of the opinion that U.S. coverage is more even handed to foreign competitiors.


I love the job NBC is doing right now, and the background work they've put into these games. Watching the swimming finals live is thrilling. And tomorrow night I will watch the gymnastic finals live! And as for focusing only on U.S. athletes, tonight NBC broadcast a four minute segment on a French swimmer and a five minute segment on a German gymnast. Good job NBC. Keep it up.
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Olympics 2008: Team Fashion

I love the parade of athletes during the Olympics' opening ceremony. I love to see the joy on the athletes' faces, and I love to see what they are wearing. I cast a capricious and critical eye full of bias against prints and too casual sports wear and bias in favor of the color blue and the USA. Conclusion? My favorite Team and Individual Outfit was FRANCE. I love the shades of blue, especially on the men's suits. And while, at first, I wasn't crazy about the wide, red belt on the women, by the end of the parade it stood out from the blazers as classy and original and, dare I say, chic! Also, the French women wore their berets the best.

Update: This article agrees with my pick of France as the best of the bunch

Follow the link below to see who my other favorite and non-favorites were. Also click on the individual pictures to get a better look at the outfits.
























Second Favorite Individual Outfit: PORTUGAL's Women. The capri pants, the fitted blazer, the cute belt. It looks comfortable, fresh, classy and sporty. The mens' outfits, however, were not as nice.



Third Favorite Individual Outfit: MEXICO's Women. The white suit is deceptively plain, but has that little ruffle at the bottom to liven it up. And the suit merely paints a background for the elegant flourish of a scarf. It looks very clean. A little less fun than the Portugal outfit, and not as striking as the French outfit, but very elegant.




Second Favorite Team Outfit: GREAT BRITAIN. The white on black look "popped" (to steal a term I learned on Project Runway). It was different and classy.
















Third Favorite Team Outfit: USA. Because I am biased. It seemed a bit boring. But it was classy and struck a medium between sleek and approachable. Not everyone seemed to be comfortable with the berets. It seemed the African American teammates wore them best and the women teammates wore them the poorest. But I liked the scarves at the women's collars. The red stripes on the scarves and ties could have been broader, but on the whole a good look. Compare to Boliva which has a similar look but uses a full collar on the undershirt instead of the scarf, and I think you'll see that the U.S. outfit pulls off the look slightly better. Also, the U.S. men and women look equally good in almost the same cut of outfit.



Now I will move on to the themes of the night.



Gray---------------------------
Why Gray? What was up with all the countries wearing Gray? It just made the teams fade into the background. And looking at the pictures, it becomes difficult to differentiate one team from the other.

Italy. All gray. Sure the suits looked impeccably cut upon closeup, but from the stands you just looked like moving gray.







Germany. Sure, your colors are black and white, but does that mean you should combine the two to come up with gray. And yes, your ladies are wearing a pinkish red, but how does that fit in with the gold, black, bright red of your flag? Luckily, your buoyant enthusiasm at being there made up for the gray.





Ireland. When I think Ireland I don't think of the color gray.








Netherlands. Dear Netherlands, before your next Olympics, please travel to Austin, Texas where some very passionate people will show you how to wear burnt orange with flare, class and style. (Note, slight Longhorn bias). Love the tie, not loving the gray.





Egypt. If you must do gray, do gray on white. The Egyptians look cool and collected. They don't look particularly Olympic, but they look good.





Prints--------------------------
First, the Good
Angola. This was my favorite incorporation of a bold print. A plain separate top accompanies a bold print on the bottom that likely holds cultural significance. Also, the bottom print is uniquely tailored for the women's skirts with a bit of a ruffle and changing hemline. It's interesting and has a simplicity. I like it.




Romania. I like the skirts. I'm not wild about teal, but the print on the skirts is nice. The combination of fitted blazer and swishing print skirt is casual yet confidant. Nice image.








Now, the Bad
Finland. Worst outfit of the night. Ugly blue-flecked print on an ill fitting dress on the women.






Hungary. Almost the worst outfit, but then I saw Finland. The print on the women's dresses is distracting. The hats, however are adorably cut. They can't rescue the outfit from the print, but they do soften the blow.





Casual---------------------
El Salvador. Good. Sporty, simple, nice color scheme with the two shades of blue paired with khaki . Blue bias. Not all countries are going to invest in Ralph Lauren. El Salvador did it simple and well.





Switzerland. Not so good. Bermuda shorts just don't fit my image of Switzerland. At. All. And the Swiss don't seem to be wearing them that well.







Tracksuit------------------------
Australia probably looked the best, but still not great. I just wasn't feeling the tracksuit vibe last night.






Canada would have looked better without the dorky hats. (Plus, my expectations for Canada are very high because they have looked super sporty-stylish in the past few Olympics).









Ecuador had fun colors and decent streamlining.







Venezuela. Awful, unflattering tracksuit. Worst team outfit of the night. But that didn't dampen their enthusiasm at all.










It's not easy being Green-------------------
Iran. I liked the green blazer over the white. But then I am biased here as well. This particular shade of green is not to many people's liking, but as an American with Iranian heritage, I am used to seeing it and it has a homey feel to me.






Turkmenistan. I really liked Turkmenistan's outfit. It projected a military type look, but had some nice detail with the front pocket, the cut of the collar and the breast emblem that softened it and made it very appealing.







Ireland......sorry, they were wearing gray.




Flight Attendants-------------------------
It's a narrow line between sporty-casual and will-you-have-the-chicken-or-the-fish. These countries fell on the wrong side. And note how close the Bulgarian style is to the USA. I think the difference is in the collar and length of blazer. Also note that Georgia and Russia are currently and sadly engaged in a mini war.
Georgia







Russia






Bulgaria














Oddities----------------------------------
Poland's garden party dresses.







New Zealand's fishhook vests.











Chile seems to have the Texas state flag.










Finally, China----------------------
I read a website that analogized their team outfit to scrambled eggs and ketchup. Because they are the hosts and because they put on a superb opening ceremony, I will refrain from commenting. Besides, I was too busy looking at that adorable kid next to Yao Ming to care about fashion.










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TV and the Candidates: Who's the Elitist?

I notice the media and pundits and Hillary Clinton (in the past) accuse Barak Obama of being elitist. The implication at this point in the 2008 Presidential Campaign is that John McCain is not elitist.

But let’s evaluate the candidates’ respective “elitism” by what they watch. It’ll be subjective, irresponsible and completely fun.

According to EW.com John McCain’s favorite television programs include.

• Seinfeld. A relative oldie but excellent goodie frequently broadcast in syndication on a variety of cable and broadcast networks.
• Curb Your Enthusiasm. Just like Seinfeld only “edgier” with lots of cursing and worse behavior broadcast on HBO.
• Dexter. A high quality anti-hero mystery/drama broadcast on Showtime.
• The Wire. One of the highest quality shows on television that demands patience and careful attention and rewards the viewer like a well paced novel.It also highlights important, difficult and often ignored economic and social issues relating to poverty, race, crime and politics.It is broadcast by HBO.
• 24. He admires President Wayne Palmer and seems to be a fan of the action and adventure in this high paced show broadcast on FOX.
• American Idol. He doesn’t vote on this FOX show, but his wife says she did once and that is news to him.
• Big Love. His wife watches this, a tale about a polygamist household broadcast on HBO.

I conclude from this list that McCain watches a lot of premium cable.

EW.com either did not ask or Barak Obama did not offer opinions regarding current, scripted television shows. From the article it appears he watches

• SportsCenter. Broadcast daily on ESPN.
• Basketball games. Likely broadcast on ABC, CBS, ESPN and TNT.
• American Idol. He probably does not watch, but his his wife and daughters do follow this reality competition broadcast on FOX.
• The Wire. According to this, Obama watches the HBO show as well.

I conclude from this less than exhaustive list that Barak Obama does not watch much premium cable.

So, questions: Is watching more premium cable than basic cable and broadcast networks elitist? Is an interest in well scripted, critically acclaimed, low rated television programs elitist?

I think John McCain is a television elitist. And I applaud him for it.

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Inflammatory Post: Bad Spelling Should Be Acceptable

Almost a year ago, in response to certain complaints, I posted an intentionally inflammatory post directed at the chief complainers.

Today, my brother (visit and edit his wiki here) alerted me to a BBC News article titled Bad Spelling Should Be Accepted. The article reports on a British professor who argues that "university teachers should simply accept as variant spellings those words our students most commonly misspell."

Certain regular readers of this blog (all two of them) feel very strongly about the proper use of spelling, pronunciation and grammar in the English language. Dear regular readers, this article is for you.
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Olympics 2008: Off To a Poor Start

And I'm not talking about the U.S. Women's Soccer Team losing to Norway. I'm talking about the denial of Joey Cheek's visa.

Adorable, isn't he. But wait, there's more.

He has many excellent qualities.

• First, he's cute.
• Second, he has a gold medal which he won in exhilarating style at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
• Third, he dontated the $40,000.00 bonus he won for achiving that medal to Right to Play, a humanitarian organization that uses sport and play to enhance child development in disadvantaged areas around the world.
• Finally, he's awesome.

BUT the Chinese disagree. Yesterday I read in the Washington Post and New York Times that hours before Joey Cheek's departure to the 2008 Summer Olympics the Chinese denied his visa because he co-founded Team Darfur,

an international coalition of athletes committed to raising awareness about and bringing an end to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan. A campaign leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, Team Darfur aims to educated the global public through the unique voice of elite athletes. Team Darfur brings together the world's Olympic and professional athletes to put international pressure not only on Sudan, but also on those countries that support the policy of inaction in the face of this dire humanitarian crisis.

(emphasis added). By "those countries," I'm pretty sure Team Darfur means China, who has gained a reputation for protecting its business interests in Africa and its policy of non-intervention in domestic human rights issues by blocking United Nations intervention in the Sudan with its permanent veto on the U.N. Security Council. I understand the Chinese government's concern in denying Joey Cheek and perhaps other members of Team Darfur entry to the 2008 Games. I also understand that their decision is WRONG and STUPID.

It is WRONG because, as the Chinese say in ther official press release,

"One World, One Dream," expresses the common whishes of people all over the world, inspired by the Olympic ideals to strive for a bright future of Mankind. In spite of the differences in colors, languages and races, we share the charm and joy of the Olympic Games, and together we seek for the ideal of Mankind for peace.

What Joey Cheek did with his gold medal bonus and what he continues to do as an Olympian is embrace China's precious theme. Of course, the Chinese press release also emphasizes that

"One World, One Dream" is a profound manifestation of the core concepts of the the Beijing Olympic Games. It reflects the values of harmony connoted in the concept of "People's Olympics,"

and the "People's Olympics" does not mean world peoples, it means the Chinese people. The Olympic press release is actually quite frank in emphasizing that these Olympics are about China first and international competition second.

"One World, One Dream"...expresses the firm belief of a great nation, with a long history of 5,000 years and on its way towards modernization, that is committed to peaceful development, harmonious society and people's happiness. It voices the aspirations of 1.3 billion Chinese people to contribute to the establishment of a peaceful and bright world.

The world harmony connoted in "One World, One Dream" means the world in harmony with China's way of thinking. So from the Western perspective, my perspective, the denial of Joey Cheek's visa is wrong. From Chinese "One World, One Dream" perspective it is necessary to promote harmony. (By the Way, Nancy Pelosi makes a more eloquent argument than I do, and it's not often that this blog will cite to Nancy Pelosi).

But on to my second point.

It is STUPID because the last Olympic thing Joey Cheek did was carry the American flag during the closing ceremony of the 2006 Olympics. His teammates voted him the honor because of the Olympic spirit he demonstrated by using his Olympic success to highlight and assuage the plight of disadvantaged children.


What do you think all the Western newscasters will be talking about during the first night of Olympic coverage? Joey Cheek. When will they be talking about Joey Cheek? During the opening ceremony when Lopez Lomong caries the flag for the U.S. Olympic team. Lopez Lomong is a survivor of the violence in the Sudan and a member of Team Darfur. His selection is likely in part a reaction by U.S. athletes to Joey Cheek's visa denial.

Stupid China. You deny a beloved athlete's visa mere days before the start of The Games when it is sure to get lots of media coverage in the dead news window between the official start of the games and before the athletes actually start competing and making headlines. And you don't anticipate that the U.S. athletes will chose a representative embodying the Darfur issues. (By the way, hats off to the passive agressive choice of Lopez Lomong. Well done Team U.S.A., well done). Your actions only bring more attention to Team Darfur and Lopez Lomong. Fate and political manipulation have bookended flag bearers Joey Cheek and Lopez Lomong with such narrative poetry that the Western press will be sure to pick up on the Darfur issue and Chinese efforts to suppress it. The press will beat Western viewers over the heads with the story. Heck, I'm picking up on it, and I'm probably one blog posting of many.

Stupidity Update: Denying Joey Cheek his visa has even rattled President Bush's Plan to "privately" discuss disagreements with China. He publicly chided China yesterday.



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Pushing Daisies: Season Two Pre-View

I like this show, and it got better during its limited first season run on ABC. Judging by the preview for season two (starting October 2008 Wednesdays on ABC) it's still getting better and better.


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