- To the great surprise of exactly no one, the Olympic organizers in China are reneging on their promises of unfettered Internet access for media reporting on the Games. When the Chinese submitted their bid for the Olympics seven years ago, the bid included a vow of “complete freedom to report.” Either they didn’t mean what they said at the time or they’ve been taking political lessons from Bill Clinton, because now they are doubling back on that promise. Whereas Bubba went with, “It depends what your definition of the word ‘is’ is,” the Chinese are saying it depends on what your definition of complete freedom is. Their definition seems to mean you can access any website you want - as long as it doesn’t pertain to human rights stories, organizations like Amnesty International or have the word Tibet in the title. Attempts to access such sites from the Main Press Center were unsuccessful a few days ago, even though in April two senior International Olympic Committee members said they had received reaffirmation from the Chinese that the blocks on certain sites deemed objectionable would be lifted for media members at the Games. Nice to see that the events haven’t even started yet and already these Olympics are shaping up to be a total mess, rife with polluted air, polluted water, horrendous traffic, censorship, broken promises and more…..
- Memo to underage drinkers everywhere: you’re going to want to avoid public venues with heavy security if you plan on getting hammered and causing a fight. Going to a party at the nearest frat house and doing keg stands is one thing; going to a public place like a Major League Baseball game to get drunk is another. West Virginia University basketball players Joe Mazzulla and Cameron Thoroughman might want to remember that lesson, assuming they’re sober enough to process it. The two of them were arrested Monday after both allegedly scuffled with police after a Pittsburgh Pirates game at PNC Park. According to police reports, the two players were arrested following a fight at a stadium security station. Good call there, start a fight AT a security station, that way stadium security doesn’t have far to go. Better yet, do it when you’re drunk, underage and unable to control yourself. Not surprisingly, Mazzulla and Thoroughman were both charged with underage drinking. Additionally, Mazzulla also faces charges of aggravated assault and hindering apprehension while the Thoroughman was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Three charges apiece, nice work guys! While I and many college basketball fans enjoyed Mazzulla’s gritty play in this year’s NCAA Tournament and his nice all-around game, that goodwill tends to go away when you get drunk and are brawling with other fans at a baseball game. Clean it up and be a little smarter about when and where you get plastered, fellas. This isn't the friendly WVU campus where you’re a minor celebrity……
- If you want a truly violent, angry riot, Serbian ultranationalists are the people you need to find. Former Soviet Bloc countries and their various political factions are solid rioters and they’re not afraid to get their hands dirty…..or bloody….or broken. With the country’s leaders preparing to extradite former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic to the U.N. war crimes tribunal at the Hague, Serbian ultranationalists took to one of the country’s main public squares en masse and let’s just say they weren’t there for a peaceful protest. Clashes with police broke out and things got contentious and bloody, which you always like to see in a riot. If no one sheds any blood, it’s basically a practice riot, a scrimmage like 7-on-7 drills for an NFL team when no one is wearing pads. Observers may label these rioters as extremists, but I like to think of them in more positive terms. They’re social dissidents with attitude and testicular fortitude, let’s say. The cause you are fighting for doesn’t so much matter to me, just as long as you’re looking to stick it to The Man and willing to brawl with him to do so….
- I apologize that this Albums to Love feature didn’t come sooner, but honestly I’m just been enjoying the new effort by indie rockers Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin’s so much that I forgot to take the time to write about it. The album, titled Pershing, came out last month and after repeated listens I can confidently say that it is among the five best albums of 2008. I loved the band’s previous effort, 2006’s Broom, but Pershing is even better. The indie rock simplicity is still there, with a fill of acoustic guitars, thoughtful lyrics and a tinge of folkiness, but the album is much more powerful than those ingredients imply. The album’s first song, Glue Girls, shows exactly what I mean. A soft acoustic guitar riff leads the song off, but the pace quickens and a tale of a guy trying to win the love of one of two über-close sisters as the other sister despises him, unfolds. “Maybe if I lay low, love will fall around my door,” muses lead singer John Robert Caldwell. The song, like much of the album, features layered, overlapping vocals that provide a great cacophony of sounds. Even the slower songs are great, tunes like Dead Right, “I don’t wanna keep up, I just wanna get stuck. You’re gonna lose me/if you don’t choose me,” warns Caldwell. The song never moves past a casual pace and the guitars and percussion are understated and complimentary most of the song, but it’s a great song because lyrically it’s clever and the inclusion of some strings during the chorus also mixes things up. Maybe my favorite song on the entire disc is You Could Write a Book, which starts with a powerful guitar chord by guitarist Philip Dickey and some haunting vocals from Caldwell. Great lyrics encourage a mystery recipient to write a book even though she has broken the song writer’s heart, but maybe “that’s all it’s there for.” In one of the best lines of the album, the song states that “I’d love to read your book/But I think first I need to learn how to read you.” It’s not a complicated song musically, but the guitars are absolutely great here and it’s the kind of song you can listen to over and over and not get tired of it. In short, this is an awesome album and I’ve only touched on three of 11 amazing songs. It’s an Album to Love and one you should absolutely buy…..
- With all of the time, money and effort wasted by Congress on unimportant, irrelevant issues like apologizing for something that happened a century and a half ago (yes, I’m look at you slavery), it’s good to see a legislator like Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts focusing on something that is truly meaningful to our country. Rep. Frank has introduced a proposal that would essentially end federal penalties for Americans found to be carrying less than 100 grams of marijuana on their person. Frank says that the current laws place undue burdens on law enforcement and on those who use pot for medicinal purposes and dammit, I agree. “The vast amount of human activity ought to be none of the government’s business,” Frank declared in announcing his proposal. “I don’t think it’s the government’s business to tell you how to spend your leisure time.” More accurate words could not be spoken, Rep. Barney. If people want to have small amounts of the hippie lettuce on them, don’t hassle them. You want to go after dealers, whatever. But just because a dude or chick has one or two small joints in his or her jacket pocket isn't a reason to bring federal charges against them. Stoners are the most mellow, relaxed, peaceful and non-problematic people in our society and it’s time we stopped hassling them and left them to lie on their couches in peace, downing Cooler Ranch Doritos and watching South Park reruns. Of course, the Drug Enforcement Agency and the White House Office of Drug Control Policy continue to oppose any and all legalization of the chronic, with the DEA website reading, in part, “it (marijuana) is not medicine and it is not safe.” All right, a) it is medicine because it helps very ill people treat their pain, and b) since when does pot make a person more dangerous? Go to any college campus on a Friday or Saturday night and see if you don’t find stoners to be the most docile, non-confrontational individuals around. Get over yourself and get on board with Rep. Frank, DEA sticks in the mud….
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