- To be honest, I haven’t had much interest in the military conflict between Georgia and Russia. Georgia v. Russia is several continents away, two countries battling over control of a region that has nothing to do with my daily life here in the United States. As long as neither of them is looking to attack the U.S. or start a world war, let them settle their own differences. That was my thinking, right up ‘til the point Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made things interesting with a good “moron” blast. Any time an international leader for a world power wants to drop an idiot bomb on someone, count me in. Medvedev was looking to crack on Georgian leaders who have accused the Russians of ethnic cleansing and he broke out the heavy verbal artillery. “The world has seen that even today, there are political morons who are ready to kill innocent people in order to satisfy their self-serving interests,” growled Medvedev while speaking at a military outpost in Vladikavkaz, nearing the Russia-Georgia border. Georgian Ambassador Vasil Sikharulidze fired back, saying the Russian invasion of the South Ossetia region of Georgia was planned out well in advance, as moving so many tanks and troops in a short time on Aug. 7 could not have been spur of the moment. This conflict has been steadily escalating since then, but it wasn’t until Medvedev decided to liven things up with his “moron” blast that I really became interested. Thanks for that, D., keep it coming…..
- One plate of crow for the Cincinnati Bengals, please. The team that has secured the mantle as the most felonious team in the NFL is bringing back troubled receiver Chris Henry because of injuries to their two top receivers. The move was made official on Tuesday just one month after head coach Marvin Lewis emphatically ruled out and classified as inappropriate. Henry was suspended by the NFL for two games in 2006 and for the first eight games of last season for repeatedly violating its player conduct policies and he must sit out the first four games of this season for his latest court case, which ended in a mistrial with the assault charges against him later dropped. Before training camp began last month, the Bengals released him, with owner Mike Brown stating in no uncertain terms that Henry had to go. "His conduct can no longer be tolerated," Brown said at the time. "The Bengals tried for an extended period of time to support Chris and his potentially bright career. We had hoped to guide him toward an appropriate standard of personal responsibility that this community would support and that would allow him to play in the NFL. ... But those efforts end today, as we move on with what is best for our team." Strong words, but when a guy has been arrested five times since he joined your team, makes sense. Then at the team’s annual preseason luncheon on July 22, Lewis seemed to back up his owner’s stance. “I'm not interested,” Lewis declared. “I don't think it would be productive for our football team. You have to be a productive part to be an NFL player, and there's responsibilities to being an NFL player. It's a privilege, it's not a right. There's a lot that comes with being an NFL football player.” Of course, that was then and this is now, after \Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson sprained his left shoulder during a 27-10 preseason loss to Detroit on Sunday night and Pro Bowl receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh has missed both preseason games with a hamstring injury. I guess the Bengals are committed to cleaning up their image and establishing high standards for team character….as long as it won't cause them to lose games. I’m all for giving guys second chances, but he’s been arrested five times and suspended three times by the NFL, he’s well beyond his allotted slate of chances and halfway through someone else’s supply of them. Plus, the Bengals are a team that had 10 players arrested over a 14-month span, so they just don’t have the same leeway other franchises might have in this situation. Nice to know that my favorite team of felons is still doing business the exact same way…..
- The Adib al-Jumaili mosque is not exactly the kind of warm, welcoming place of worship that you would expect most religious centers to be. The building has bloodstains all over its walls and on its floor, chunks of hair scattered around the interior and was home to the bodies of two dozens victims, killed by a Shiite militia known as the Mehdi Army. The mosque was abandoned as the group pulled back from several strongholds around Iraq. Those tortured and killed were accused of being spies for the U.S. military, but the torture they went through seems to go far beyond what anyone could imagine, even for a spy. several strongholds around Iraq. Those tortured and killed were accused of being spies for the U.S. military, but the torture they went through seems to go far beyond what anyone could imagine, even for a spy. “This is what they used for hanging," explains Abu Muhanad, leader of a U.S.-backed group that now controls the mosque. “Here is a chain we found tied to an old man's body.” Making matters worse is that residents who live near the mosque say they could hear the victims’ screams. The scumbags in the Mehdi Army controlled of the mosque from at least January 2007 until May of this year. Family members of many victims don't know why their loved ones disappeared. Among the victims were both Shiite and Sunni Muslims, making the brutality even more perplexing. Even though the atrocities in the mosque are over, a chilling reminder of their grisly reality remains. Spray painted on the walls is a warning: “Spies, you will dig your own graves. Long live the Mehdi Army.” Now controlling the mosque are the Sons of Iraq, a local armed group that is largely financed by the Americans working alongside the Iraqi police. All in all, this is just one more horrific reminder of what a massive tragedy the war in Iraq has been from its start to its yet-to-be-determined finish at some mythical date in the years ahead…..
- There have been some great moments in these Olympics: the U.S. men’s basketball team’s games, Michael Phelps’ historic run, the excitement of the men’s 100 meters at the track and field competition, even the women’s marathon. However, I feel like it’s time for the International Olympic Committee and I to have a talk. So if the rest of you could excuse us for a moment, the IOC and I need to chat. I’ll give you a minute to back off…..all right, now that it’s just us, IOC, there are a few “sports” at the Olympics we need to talk about. Let’s begin with trampoline gymnastics. To be blunt, it’s not a sport. If I can see a couple of 10-year-olds in my neighborhood doing it in their bare feet before going inside to watch Hannah Montana, it doesn’t belong in the Olympics. Climbing on a rectangular trampoline with an X in the middle and bouncing up and down for a few minutes doesn’t qualify you to be an Olympian, it makes you one of the people in my back yard at a cookout. However, compared to race walking, trampoline gymnastics may not be quite as bad. Race walking is just a souped-up version of the power walking that old people do when they walk at the mall in the morning. They pump their arms and look ridiculous, all while trying to out-stroll their competition. Since when is walking a sport? Almost all of us walk the majority of our day, every day. The ability to walk doesn’t make you an Olympian, it makes you a human being with an intact spine and functioning legs. Lastly, let’s tackle dressage, wherein I saw dudes in tuxedo jackets and top hats prancing horses around a giant square inside a small stadium. Great, you can make a horse dance and walk in a straight line, congrats. You can be the next horse whisperer, not the next Olympian. A good rule of thumb is that if you can do your “sport” in a tuxedo coat and top hat, it’s not a sport. So if you could tackle these issues before the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, IOC, that would really make things a lot better. Stop eliminating actual sports like softball and baseball from future games and start getting rid of non-sports like race walking, anything involving a trampoline and dressage…..
- For those of you who have been lamenting the lack of good hip-hop literature, the return of hip-hop magazine the Source should come as welcome news. The publication ended up in bankruptcy last year but is now being revived and readied to celebrate its 20th anniversary. “It’s a very seminal period, an opportunity to both celebrate 20 years of content and the fact that the Source was once a leader in chronicling the culture of hip-hip,” said L. Londell McMillan, who along with investment banker Jeffrey Scott purchased the Source this year. The first issue upon the mag’s return will feature four different covers, each showing a hip-hop pioneer: LL Cool J, Queen Latifah and Nas, all photographed by legendary director Spike Lee. Inside, there will be an in-depth discussion of hip-hop’s role in society, led by Public Enemy’s Chuck D. The reinvented magazine will also showcase sections lifestyle, travel, business and education. The hope for its proprietors is that the Source will once again rise and rival some of the very magazines whose rise it helped facilitate, publications such as Vibe, which just celebrated its 15th anniversary. As someone who isn't a big hip-hop fan but does listen to a few select artists, I wish the Source well and hope it succeeds in shining a light on a genre of music that too often gets a bad rap…..
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