Oren Lavie - Her Morning Elegance

Cool Video

Via Andrew Sullivan.

Why Becks Should Stay in Milan

For those of you that don't follow football (soccer as we Yanks call it), you might not realize the large quality gap that exists between our league in the States and those across the pond. In most sports, America's leagues are of the utmost quality. Nobody hopes to play baseball in Panama, or chase hope dreams in Greece. They come to the States to partake in the Major Leagues and the NBA. Football is different. Major League Soccer (MLS) is sort of the joke of the football world. It's sad really. It would be great to have a high quality and ultra competitive football league in America. The MLS certainly means well, however it just has not been able to attract the sort of star power to lend it any real credibility. There was a brief period of hope a couple of years ago when David Beckham came to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Even those of you that don't follow football are well aware of who David Beckham is. He's a superstar, one of the most recognizable figures on planet Earth. If for nothing else, you know him as the husband of Posh Spice. Yeah, that guy. At the beginning of the month, Becks (as the English call him) went to AC Milan (one of the most storied clubs in Serie A, and European football itself, for that matter) on a two month loan from Galaxy*. Since then Beckham has turned heads with his play and style on the pitch. While at the age of 33, he's certainly lost a step, he's still a dominating presence and one of the most talented players around. Last weekend against Bologna, he scored his first goal in a 4-1 win. Now, Beckham is torn on what to do next. He's under contract with LA Galaxy, but he's been enjoying the level of play in Serie A. Moreover, as stated in the article, Beckham is one cap (an international apperance) away from tying the record for England. Fabio Capello, the current manager of the English National Team, is known for doubting the quality of the MLS, and Beckham very much wants to remain on the English squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. At this juncture, it appears that Becks is leaning towards staying with Milan past his two month loan. I say he should. Who can really blame the guy? The MLS just does not provide the level of competition necessary for top flight players. Beckham should stay in Italy where he has a fighting chance of defending his spot on the English International squad and he can improve his game against some of the best players in the world.
Hopefully, someday MLS will have its day in the sun. I think it's definitely possible, since soccer is gaining popularity in the United States. At the end of the day it's going to come down to money. Somebody much more wealthy than I am is going to have to make a risky investment and lure top flight players over from Europe to play for a club in the States. There's already rumors that Thierry Henry is considering a move to the MLS in the next couple of years. As long as the star power is there, the revenue will follow. America loves a hero, we just need to develop our own, or steal one from Europe.

*Football transactions in Europe are much different than the types of trades and signings we are used to in American sports. In Europe players are often "transferred" or put out on "loan" to another club. A transfer is like a trade, where the player goes to another club, but instead of another player in return, the club that is giving up the player usually gets a substantial monetary reward. A loan is where a player is temporarily given to another club, but the club that gave up the player still retains rights to them, and can recall them at any time. Young players are often put out on loan to other clubs so they can develop instead of languishing on the bench.

Photo courtesy of Flickr user CLF January 12, 2009

Poor Hollywood Conservatives

I recently began perusing Big Hollywood. It's a blog of Hollywood conservatives that complain about how liberal the film industry is. I haven't even heard of most of the posters, though I do know Dirk Benedict. He was Starbuck in the original Battlestar Galactica (the one that sucks) and "Faceman" from the A-Team. He's also starred in such gems as Earthstorm and Recon 7 Down. Benedict recently wrote a screed decrying how Starbuck is now portrayed, brilliantly, by Katee Sackhoff. Sackhoff just so happens to be a girl. Benedict is horrified at this slight, because obviously there is no way that humanity's best fighter pilot could be a tough-as-nails woman.

Now the point of this post isn't to complain about conservatives. That's exactly what they want you to do. I'd be just another liberal blogger trying to stifle a conservatives right to free speech. Big Hollywood has every right to publish the opinions of Hollywood's conservatives. In fact, I've rather enjoyed following the site. I disagree with almost everything they say, but it's entertaining to watch Big Hollywood's assortment of writers scrambling to find anyway to demonstrate that Batman as portrayed in the The Dark Knight is a paragon to the conservative cause. Hey, good for them. I think Batman is about as close to apolitical as any superhero could possibly be, but I'm certainly willing to hear and evaluate the views of those that argue otherwise. To the Big Hollywood crew, Clint Eastwood is God. Jerry Bruckheimer is a hero of the people, and Charlton Heston was the epitome of all things American. They actually have been really upset about President Obama's decision to ban torture because it's so effective on 24. Seriously? You guys, 24 is a TV show. I'm sure it's very good, I have a lot friends that watch it and swear by it. My argument isn't with 24, but with those that use it as a tool to argue for torture in the real world. The point of this post is merely to point out the excessive whining that Hollywood conservatives engage in and the victim mentality that they embrace. These people are just like Sarah Palin. They enjoy portraying themselves as victimized Americans struggling against the God-Hating Liberal Gay Empire. What they don't realize is that American films (for better or worse) actually contain numerous conservative themes. For instance, many films depict the triumph of the individual over the corrupt masses. Films like the Rambo series revolve around a lone hero that rises up to correct the wrongs of the world. Another conservative principle that is frequently espoused in contemporary film is the "rags to riches" story. Case in point, The Pursuit of Happiness. As long as you work really hard, you will become very rich and successful, race or socioeconomic status are no barrier to your development. I sort of liked The Pursuit of Happiness because I thought it was well acted and very touching, but I mostly hated it because I couldn't shake the feeling that the movie was sanctioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Don't take that as an indictment of any of these conservative principles. I might be a liberal, but most liberals value individualism. In my humble opinion, individualism is more of an American value, than a conservative principle. However, I recognize that this most cherished of American values had its roots in the conservative thought of John Locke and Edmund Burke. In the end, that's why I think Big Hollywood is kind of a sad venture, because their basic premise is false. Sure many actors, directors, and screenwriters are liberals but that doesn't mean that conservatives in Hollywood are an oppressed minority. I think if Hollywood conservatives spent more time watching American films and television series (other than 24) they would be happy to see that many of their esteemed values and principles are expressed everyday.

Everybody Get Together, and Let's Stimulate!

Scotty Doesn't Know has been on a month long hiatus. Today, at this moment, I'm announcing that the hiatus has come to an abrupt end. President Barack Obama (damn I like saying that!) has assumed his office as the 44th President of the United States, and the big topic on everyone's mind is.....the economy. Economics, it's a perennially boring subject, one that is tackled by numerous intellectuals, and legions of idiots that have no idea what they are talking about. I think I fall somewhere in between. The economy is in dire need of a jump start, and the consensus opinion is that Congress needs to pass, and President Obama (there it is again!) needs to sign into law a stimulus bill to get things back on the right track. Simple, right? Well, actually, not so much. While Democrats and Republicans both agree that a stimulus bill is needed urgently, they disagree as to what shape it should take. Democrats generally favor a bill that would spend the bulk of the money on spending projects. There's lots of stuff in this country that needs to be built, rebuilt, or revamped. Our infrastructure is crumbling, we could use far more investment in high-speed rail and Amtrak, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. The Dems also favor that a substantial portion of the bill be allocated as aid to state and local governments. The logic behind this position is that state budgets (most of which are required to be balanced, by their respective state constitutions) are in rough shape. What this means is that inevitably, states will have to cut services for their citizens. Now, cutting services in a bad economy is like burning lifeboats on a sinking ship. These services are needed more than ever, and if the federal government can help shore up these state budgets, many of these cuts could be avoided. Alright, well our friends in the Republican Party see things differently (go figure!). The Republican party led by House Minority Leader John Boener and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell want the stimulus to be made up largely of tax cuts. They would like to see taxes on businesses cut, because they believe that the extra revenue that firms have in their coffers would result in them hiring more people. Basically, cutting taxes for those on the top will provide benefits that will trickle down to the bottom. I could at least respect this idea, if Republicans actually thought it would work. The problem is you know how I just said they believe tax cuts would result in job growth? Here's the thing, they don't actually believe that. Let's face it people, the constituency of the Republican Party these days is made up of Wall Street fat cuts, rich people in general, evangelicals, and Sarah Palin loving idiots that feel they are besieged by supposedly "liberal" America. Therefore, Republicans simply want to line the pockets of their constituents. That's why I share Matt Yglesias' view of Obama's strategy regarding the stimulus bill. Seriously Obama has been great so far. The speed in which he's undertaken the massive task of erasing 8 years of "misgovernment" has been astounding. Ordering the closing of Gitmo, banning torture (well almost), and higher fuel efficiency standards on automobiles are all great things that he's accomplished after one week in office. That's amazing, and he deserves all the positive buzz he's been receiving for it. However, his approach to the stimulus is misguided at best, and potentially devastating at worst. Republicans are disingenuous on this issue. They don't care about fixing the economy. Why should they? The majority of their constituents and fundraisers are rich enough that only the most catastrophic of economic collapses (Iceland style) will harm them. They are completely insulated. Obama has stated that he wants massive bipartisan support for any stimulus bill that passes through Congress, massive to the tune of 80 votes. That's all well and good, but Obama can either sign into law a stimulus that has bipartisan support, or he can sign into law a stimulus that will work. Our nation hasn't been in such dire straits for a long time. Critical action is needed, and there's plenty of evidence that Republicans are not negotiating in good faith and are generally cynical about any stimulus whatsoever. I understand that Obama campaigned on the promise of bringing an end to partisan bickering (and he still can do that) but he should not do so at the cost of effective policy. What we need is a stimulus that provides for upwards of $1 trillion worth of infrastructure projects, investment in high speed rail and other transportation systems, aid to state and local governments, as well as increases in unemployment benefits, food stamps, and other programs that help those in need. There are other great projects that could (and should!) be included in the stimulus, but these things are merely what I'd like to see. I really hope that Obama wakes up tomorrow and realizes that all this bipartisan stuff is a waste of time. I hope he says to himself "I have high approval ratings. I have lots of political capital, and my party has massive majorities in both houses of the legislature. I should pass a stimulus that helps ordinary Americans!"

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE HD


This movie will be released on Friday, May 1, 2009. As far as I'm concerned, this day should be a federal holiday. Via Ezra Klein.

In the Interest of Full Disclosure...

So in my last post, I whined about Rafa Benitez's pessimistic take on Liverpool's chances of winning the Barclay's Premier League title. One of his statements that I highlighted was his insistence that Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man U would have to collapse in order for Liverpool to have any chance winning the Premiership. In order to demonstrate that Arsenal in fact was near collapse, I pointed out that they lost at the Emirates to Hull City. Well, on Saturday, freaking Liverpool only managed to hold Hull City to a draw. Unfortunately, the game wasn't televised on Fox Soccer Channel so I wasn't able to see it, but I was extremely disappointed. However, I feel that since my previous post consisted of me bragging about Liverpool's superiority over Arsenal, I thought it was only fair that I hold myself accountable. So there you have it...

A Post that Probably Only I Care About

What the fuck is this Rafa? As some of my thousand upon thousands of readers may know, over the summer I developed quite an affinity for European football, particularly the Barclay's Premier League. My favorite team is Liverpool, largely because my favorite player Fernando Torres is their striker, but also because as a Wisconsin native I love the Green Bay Packers, and Liverpool (as one of England's most historic football powerhouses) is a lot like the Packers of English football. Anyways, now that we have the background out of the way, Rafa Benitez, Liverpool's oft brilliant manager has stated that it will take a "miracle" for Liverpool to claim the Premier League title. What!?! Maybe I'm living in some kind of fantasy world, but wasn't it the Reds of Liverpool that ended Chelsea's 86 game unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge (their home stadium in West London)? Wasn't it the Reds of Liverpool that beat Manchester United at Anfield (Liverpool's home stadium) 2-1 without Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard? The answer to both questions is yes. I don't know what my boy Rafa is smoking, but this is very distressing news. I'm not 100% confident that Liverpool will win the Premier League title, they've got a long and difficult road ahead of them, but by no means do I think it would take a miracle for them to do so. Also he's talking about the need for the other 3 members of the big four (the Big Four refers to the 4 best teams in English football: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool) to totally collapse in order for Liverpool to take the tile, has he seen Arsenal lately? They lost to Hull City at the Emirates (Arsenal's home stadium in North London), they lost to Aston Villa (admittedly a great squad) at the Emirates, and they lost to Stoke City! Seriously, you assholes lost to Stoke City? Granted Liverpool only managed to hold them to a draw at Anfield, but that's still better than a loss, and again Liverpool was decimated by injuries at that point. Don't get me wrong, I love Arsenal as well. Cesc Fabregas is an amazing player to watch, and Robin van Persie scores more goals than God. However, it looks to me that Arsenal is close to collapse, couple that with Liverpool's previous defeats of Chelsea and Manchester United, and I think their prospects for Premier glory are looking bright! So, Rafa, I love you buddy, but there's no need to dismiss your side's chances while you are sitting on top of the table. Go Reds!