Monday, November 22, 2004

 

Stern punishments

NBA commissioner David Stern suspended Ron Artest for the remainder of the season for inciting Friday's basket-brawl (In case you missed it, complete video). Good for the commish. Artest got exactly what he deserved. For better or worse, athletes have to be more responsible than fans. It's not fair, but that's life. And the moment Artest entered the stands, regardless of provocation, he crossed the line. So did Stephen Jackson. He should have been suspended for the rest of the season as well. Instead, he'll be out for 30 games. And I hope the Pistons go through the tape, and never let those bozo fans who tossed beer at the players buy tickets or enter the arena again. Then justice will be served.

Friday, November 19, 2004

 

Red flags are waving

It turns out that Colin Powell's Iran is making nuke warheads revelation was based on information from an "unvetted, single source" and that the intelligence has yet to be verified. The evidence, if true, is unsettling. It means Iran is much further along in the nuclear weapons development process than anyone thought. But let's wait until we find out if it's true before reaching any conclusions.

 

Danger Will Robinson, danger

Secretary of State Colin Powell says the U.S. has intelligence from a resistance group that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. After the Ahmad Chalabi fiasco in Iraq, you'd think this would raise all sorts of red flags -- with journalists and the administration. But so far, the topic has not come up.

Thursday, November 18, 2004

 

Sometimes you're just wrong

Michigan State football coach John L. Smith has had a tough go of it recently. His wife is battling cancer. And the Spartans have lost some heartbreakers. But that doesn't excuse not going to visit one of your players in the hospital. Kidney failure ended Leon Pennington Jr.'s promising career as a running back and landed him in the hospital. But Smith has not been to visit him. Not even once. And that's just wrong. You recruited him and brought him into the Spartan family. And no matter how busy you are, it's your responsibility to visit him and take care of him. That's how family works.

Wednesday, November 17, 2004

 

Puritan nation

I tried. I really tried to avoid blogging this. But I couldn't. The puritanical outrage over the Desperate Housewives opening is absolutely ridiculous. And I can't take it anymore. Daytime soaps are racier than this. Blind Date and other shows of its ilk air during the evening, right where kids can see them. And the NFL embraces highly suggestive erectile dysfunction advertising. Talk about hypocrisy. So if you're seriously outraged over this, then start tilting at some real targets. Otherwise, leave the rest of us alone.

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

 

The flight home

Diwali landed on November 11 this year, so I traveled up to Montreal to celebrate with my wife. As you can see in my previous posts (see below), I had run-ins with both the U.S. Border Patrol and Canadian customs. The trip back was just as adventurous. Our celebration ran a bit long and I ended up leaving Montreal at 9:40 a.m. to catch and 11:50 a.m. flight out of Burlington, Vermont. The drive, if there's absolutely no traffic or line at the border, takes just over 2 hours. So I floored it. And I arrived at the airport at 11:35 a.m. Dropped the keys to the rental car off at the counter and raced to security. Luckily, there was no line, and I told the TSA folks I was late for my flight. So they actually repacked my laptop and coat for me in my bag while I put my shoes back on after clearing security so I could hustle to the gate. Very kind of them. And the Indpendence Air crew recognized me as a frequent flyer (and frequently late flyer) on this route and held the flight for me. Incredibly nice and unexpected. And it restored some of my faith in humanity after an initially difficult trip.

 

At the border...

And no, I don't mean Taco Bell (But make sure to try the caramel apple empanadas. Damn, they're good.)

After the U.S. Border Patrol in Vermont realized I wasn't stealing a Ford Focus (see previous post), I continued on the U.S.-Canadian border where a Canadian customs and immigration officer wandered down this weird interrogation path:

Canadian customs: Where are you going

Me: Montreal

Canadian customs: Business or pleasure

Me: Pleasure

Canadian customs: Do you go there often?

Me: Yes.

Canadian customs: How is that possible? I've never seen you before.

It only gets worse, with the customs officer noting that I've been to Toronto -- pronounced as a dirty word -- several times. Where do they recruit these people?

Eventually, they let me in. And I spent the rest of my drive to Montreal wondering if I should move to Mexico. Next up, the trip home. But first, I'm grabbing a few hours of sleep.

Saturday, November 13, 2004

 

Your tax dollars hard at work

My apologies for bloggus-interruptus. Real life events, like this one have kept me away...

The U.S. Border Patrol pull me over Wednesday, five miles south of the U.S. Canadian border in Vermont. The wanted to know if the car I was driving was stolen. I told them no, it wasn't stolen. Left unmentioned was the fact the car in question was a Ford Focus! That's right. A Ford Focus...

The claim was the rear license was mounted in similar manner to the way thieves would mount plates on a stolen car. They were kind enough to tell me that the front plate of my rental car looked legit. They then asked for my license (which I provided), and asked why I was travelling to Canada (to visit my wife), and whether I had successfully crossed into Canada before (all the time). Apparently, those answers did not satisfy them, because the proceeded to ask for my passport. After calling the passport in, the officers came back and asked to search my car.

What's a poor blogger of color to do. This one said no, until told it would be in my "best interest" to let them search the car. The answer changed to "yes" in a hurry. After finding nothing in the back seat, they asked to search my trunk, at which point I requested to be present during the search.

That prompted the second officer to leave his big white SUV and escort me to the trunk (presumably to ensure I didn't beat up the first officer who was twice my size and packing heat). After searching my suitcase and informing me that there "were only clothes" in there, the returned my license and passport and sent me on my merry way.

My trip only gets better when I reach the Canadian border...More on that in the next post.



Tuesday, November 02, 2004

 

Rain could cost Kerry election

If the heavy rains forecast to hit three key battleground states -- Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan -- materialize, Bush might be singing victory in the rain. Nasty weather could depress voter turnout. And with Bush and Kerry running neck-and-neck, a little rain could be all Bush needs to swing things in his favor.

 

Sue the vote

India has figured out how to conduct elections with an all-electronic vote. The U.S. has not. So the relatively new and poor democracy with a billion people has figured out a way to create a fair, tamper-proof ballot. And U.S. presidential candidates turn to lawyers to keep or get voters on the rolls and challenge ballots. That's a crying shame.

Monday, November 01, 2004

 

Green and White and Depressed

I believed. I really believed. When the Spartans took a 27-10 over Michigan with nine minutes left in the game, I started thinking about who I was going to call when the clock hit :00 (for the record, dad, bro and wife -- in that order). I had spent the last few hours at the bar, surrounded by my fellow Spartans, screaming myself hoarse. At a certain point, one of my friends became my designated screamer. He'd start Let's Go State chants when my voice was unable. And we believed. Even with backup QB Damon Dowdell in the game, we believed. Then IT happened. The collapse. And at the end of triple OT, the game was lost 45-37. I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. I was so depressed that I didn't bother setting my fantasy football lineups for the next day (no doubt, I'll pay for that with two losses). But now depression has turned to anger, and I offer this open memo to Michigan State coach John L. Smith:

Coach Smith,

Congratulations on an excellent gameplan. You found a way to score buckets of points against and excellent defense. You were able to contain Michigan's offense for 3 1/2 quarters. And we almost walked out of Ann Arbor with shocking victory. But serious mistakes were made. And in case you haven't figured it out, I offer the following critique:

1. You spent the first three quarters running the option right, with tremendous success. Why did you start running left -- with less success -- late in the game? If you have a good gameplan, stick with it!

2. If a receiver is eating you alive (read Edwards), double-cover him.

3. If you're going to single cover a receiver who is destroying you (read Edwards), then blitz!

4. If running the ball is your strength, don't stop doing it. Even in the third overtime.

5. Please win next year. I can't take another game like this.

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?