Golden
The only full event/game of this 2008 Olympics that I was able to watch was the gold medal game between the USA and Spain in men’s basketball. And what a game it was. This was quite possibly the most exciting basketball game I have ever seen. Though the Americans eventually prevailed, 118-107, those pesky Spaniards gave the Americans all they could handle. While the decision to put first names on the back of their unis was questionable, and they certainly weren’t afraid to play a bit dirty, I really gotta give Spain some serious props. The Gasol brothers were beasts in the paint and the Spanish squad had two guards that were money throughout the game – Rudy Fernandez and Ricky Rubio. Fernandez lit up the U.S. guards all night, pouring in 22 points thanks to floater after floater in the lane. The Portland Trailblazers should be happy to welcome this guy to their squad this season. Then there’s Rubio, whose mark on the game was much bigger than the meager six points he put up on the board. Only 17 years old, this kid can ball. He’s got great control of the game and played with a poise well beyond his years, which I suppose shouldn’t come as a surprise for someone long considered a prodigy, having played his first professional game in Europe at the tender age of 15. He’s not eligible for the NBA draft for another year. I can’t imagine that he’s not on the minds of many a GM. He really could be something special.
Enough about the Spanish. Our boys in red, white and blue made me proud on Sunday. The Redeem Team showed grit and determination that we simply don’t see enough of in today’s NBA. Despite the fact that each one of those guys is a millionaire several times over, it seemed they wanted nothing more in life than to win that game, and their collective desire to reclaim the gold was clear for the world to see. Even with Spain playing a near-perfect game, the U.S. would not be denied. Chris Paul was great at the controls and money at the stripe down the stretch, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh did just enough to thwart the Gasol brothers down low, Lebron loomed large whenever he was on the court, Dwayne Wade was damn near unstoppable in every facet of the game, and Kobe Bryant was the cold-blooded assassin that we all love to hate. Never in my life have I found myself rooting for Kobe; however, this game made me realize what a treat it is to have someone on your team who is so supremely confident in his game that it rubs off on you when the game is at its most stressful moments. Just knowing that he was on the court made me feel better. As the clock ticked down during the game’s final minutes, with the teams only separated by five points or so, Kobe wanted the ball in his hands. And – gosh darnit – he delivered. That three pointer he hit – plus the foul!!! – with something like two minutes left to quell a run that saw the Spaniards gaining massive momentum was probably the coolest play I’ve seen on the hardwood. Though I hate it when athletes make a big play and then turn to the crowd and put their finger to their lips inviting the fans to “shush”, I must admit that Kobe’s doing so then solicited a gleeful “f*&k yeah” from me. Well done, sir. Well done.
Hypocrisy Personified
Ah, you can just see the hypocrisy dripping off of this administration as it attempts to play the righteous card in mediating the conflict between Russia and Georgia. The problem with all of this arises when we face the stark and troubling reality of today’s complicated world of geopolitical maneuvering: eight years of Bush = total loss of the moral high ground. Watching Bush wag his finger at Putin & Co. is oh so awkward because, well you know, Iraq doesn’t a great example make. Monkey see, monkey do!
Leave it to America’s most-trusted source for news to break it down for us:
On the print front, Fred Kaplan had a pretty good piece on this in Slate today.
It would have been mere hypocrisy if Rice had said, as President Bush did in the wake of th assault on Georgia, that invading a sovereign country is “unacceptable in the 21st century.” It would have been too clever by at least half had she repeated U.N. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad’s protest that the “days of overthrowing leaders by military means in Europe—those days are gone.” (It took Jon Stewart to italicize the phrasing’s loophole, which implies that coups in other regions may proceed as usual.)
Not only does Bush make a habit of destroying the English language each time he speaks, but I’m also amazed by how well his administration has gotten creative with wordplay to suit their dirty deeds. Sometimes they even go so far as to change the definition of things. For example, torture in the Bush administration is now simply referred to as “enhanced interrogation techniques”. Then there’s our current attorney general, Michael Mukasey, redefining what it is to commit a criminal act by saying that “not every…violation of the law is a crime.” What the? And let’s top this post off with an example of a Bush flip-flop wrapped up in a flat-out hilarious redefinition of things so as to gloss over the fact that he has acquiesced on a long-held belief. Remember how Bush insisted time…and time….and time….and time….again that he was opposed to setting a timetable for withdrawal? Well, that appears about to change. Of course, he and his minions won’t call it a timetable. Rather, it’s an “aspirational goal”. Classic!
The Finest City on Earth
Lizzi and I spent last week in Australia, splitting time between Sydney and Melbourne. While I appreciate the coffee culture of Melbourne and the edgier European feel, my heart belongs to Sydney, a city I consider to be the single greatest one on earth. Though it was a touch on the chilly side – it’s winter for those located south of the equator – the general charm of the place was not lost on me. How can one not love a place that treasures its sports, beaches, beer (they have one called Pure Blonde – ha!), and alcohol-soaked lunches the way the Aussies do? Plus, everyone has really cool accents and super laid-back demeanors. And the scenery in Sydney is simply fantastic. Really second-to-none. The harbor is downright beautiful and there is a general vibe that is hard to find anywhere else in the world.
While down under, Lizzi and I managed to treat ourselves to several fantastic meals that we would highly recommend to anyone who fancies an eventual visit. If in Melbourne, there is an awesome Greek restaurant called the Press Club that is superb. I recommend the pit-roasted lamb. In Sydney, two places that stood out were Cafe Sydney, which has amazing views of the harbor at night and great seafood, and Fratelli’s, a small Italian joint in Pott’s Point owned by two brothers who close the shop on weekends because, well, weekends are for relaxing, so they don’t want to work either!
We also spent some time in Bondi Beach, which has a great seafood restaurant called Icebergs that overlooks the beach (great for mid-afternoon cocktails) and an awesome brunch spot called Trio. Last but not least, we took in an opera at the famed Sydney Opera House. Not a bad place to take in one’s first opera to be sure, but the opera itself (Don Giovanni) was slightly lame. Thusly, we were more excited by the fact that we saw an opera in Sydney than by actually seeing the opera, if you get what I mean.
And – we got to attend our first fashion show. A friend of a friend is a bigwig in the fashion industry and his company is sponsoring a series of fashion shows in the city this month. Lucky for us, we happened to be in town on the opening night. Even luckier for us, our friend happens to be a good friend of this other guy, which meant we got seats right smack dab at the end of the runway. Clearly, this was a place to see and be seen, and I’m sure we had plenty of people wondering who the hell we were. The whole time the models were making their way down to us, I kept thinking three things: 1) they weren’t as pretty as I thought they’d be; 2) is she looking at me?; and 3) they all look really, really uncomfortable, suggesting to me that those scowls they wear all the time are not necessarily of the manufactured sort.
While my love affair with the city has long been known, the city can now count Lizzi among the newly-converted. In fact, she’s probably busy passing out my CV to Aussie headhunters as we speak. But for ridiculously high prices (our hotel charged us $9 for a glass of apple juice once…and a 4-pack of Gillette razors was going for $40 at the local convenience store…I kid you not) and even crazier taxes (marginal rate tops out at around 46%), I’d love to call Sydney home somday. Of course, there’s the “tyranny of distance” that everyone complains about, but that’s not an insurmountable obstacle as far as I’m concerned. After all, how much further can we be from home than we already are?
Let The Games Begin!
Despite the hoopla surrounding China’s stifling security measures, I’m excited to for these Olympic games begin. This is a great event to tide me over until football season arrives and it will be interesting to see how the world responds to the games’ host. I watched the U.S. men’s soccer team take down Japan last night while at a work dinner. Lucky for me, one of my colleagues has a mobile phone that streams live television, so we were able to follow the match while we chowed down on some yakiniku (Korean barbeque). Though I was surrounded by about ten Japanese men, I couldn’t help but perform a fist pump or two at the American victory (however, the Japanese had the better run of play from what I could tell…not a good sign).
So now I’m watching the opening ceremonies and can’t help but think how much more awesome this would be if I were stoned. So many colors, flashing lights and people running all over the place in intricately choreographed fashion. It kind of reminds me of those crazy videos of events held in North Korea that celebrate that little midget Kim Jong Il.
Good Old Doublethink
Love how John McCain lambasted Obama’s energy policy at a biker rally the other day. My favorite part was how he complained about having to pay $4 for a gallon of gas (which took him forever to spit out, being the articulate guy that he is) and reveled in the applause of the crowd that took the form of engines revving. Of course, the fact that they were doing so did plenty to waste gas, providing glorious irony as a backdrop.
Here’s a snippet from McCain’s awkwardly-executed (as always) speech:
Funny enough, here’s a quote taken from a telephone town hall meeting he did after that speech.
“Obama said a couple of days ago says we all should inflate our tires. I don’t disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it”.
Yet another flip-flop? Of course, Obama is no stranger to changing his mind (offshore drilling is just one example) either, but it’s always funnier to me when McCain does it. Not sure why. Maybe it’s just because the guy is so damn awkward when he speaks, or because he’s been acting like a dick lately.
The Dark Knight
Sorry for the slight delay in new posts. I was in London last week and wrapped up in various other issues. It was good to get back to the city, as it has been roughly two years since my last visit. I love the international vibe and general feel of London, which more than compensates for the generally tasteless food and sometimes spotty weather. A few things stood out to me about the city this go-round, including: 1) the sidewalks are annoyingly uneven, causing many a mistep that could prove dangerous for someone who has severely sprained his ankle three times on the basketball court; 2) there are tons of used book stores, which is a welcome break from the Borders of the world; 3) the Brits love their parks (to go along with their pints); 4) the international feel of the city is ever-present – when I arrived, I was one of only about ten caucasians among a good two hundred people waiting in the immigration queue (and the immigration officers appeared to primarily be of African or Arabic/Indian descent); 5) the city is super, super crowded; feels much more so than Tokyo; 6) Heathrow is a total madhouse; 7) I don’t like ordering all of my pints and food from the bartender; I’d much rather have a waiter/waitress come to my table; 8 ) most buildings do not have air conditioning, which can suck for someone accustomed to sleeping in subzero temperatures (much to the chagrine of his remarkably caring and understanding wife); and 9) I love British accents – if I lived there, I would be happy to adopt a faux-British accent a la Madonna.
Now, moving on to the topic of this post. When in English-speaking countries, I like to take advantage by attending a movie or two, time-permitting. Lucky for me, a friend of mine found himself a bachelor on Friday night (the wife and kids are away), so we took in the much-hyped new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. I was a huge fan of Christopher Nolan’s first take on the series, Batman Begins, so I was quite eager to get myself in front of his latest development. Suffice it to say that I was more than satisfied with his second installment. The movie met – and maybe even slightly exceeded – every expectation that I had going in. The performances were pretty solid across the board, the music was solid and the directing was superb. Heath Ledger deserves the effusive praise he is receiving for his turn as The Joker and everyone else performed admirably in holding up their end of the bargain (though Maggie Gyllenhaal was kind of ho-hum as Rachel Dawes). As director/writer/producer, Nolan deserves most of the credit for this blockbuster of a hit. His treatment of the film was downright awesome and I’m convinced that the series wouldn’t be near as good as it is but for the fact that he is behind the camera. I absolutely love the somewhat gritty direction he has taken this series. He gives comics an edge that was always there but for some reason was never cultivated in previous attempts.
I give this movie very high marks and recommend it for all. Being greedy about it, I now find myself chomping at the bit for the next installment. Though there are rumblings that Nolan is not certain about his return, I’m confident that he’ll be back, especially if the rumors of future characters turn out to be true: Johnny Depp as The Riddler, Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin and Angelina Jolie as Catwoman? Come on!
I also took in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening, starring Marky Mark Wahlberg. For some reason, I have forced myself to be a Night fan, this despite a string of lame movies. Count this one among them. Night took a fairly clever concept and proceeded executing it in horrendous fashion. Terrible writing and even worse acting. Stay away and don’t even bother contemplating what “happened” with this one.
