sharks and cheetahs

It’s like going from watching a bunch of sharks to watching a bunch of cheetahs. There are some thirty-two sports in the Olympics. NBC has shown roughly about two so far. Yes, swimming during the Olympics is one of the coolest things to watch. And yes, Phelps is pretty much the man. But, I also can’t help but blame NBC for going way overboard on Phelps’ “quest” for eight golds and how much they have missed by showing too much coverage of him. Granted, he will go down in history as one of the greatest Olympians of all time so it is great to be able to see and experience that as it happens. However, in the midst of it, NBC has overlooked the rest of the swimmers. This is a shame, because they are some of the greatest athletes in the world as well. The other sport that has been concentrated on – gymnastics.

What about the other sports? If we are speaking about the U.S.A. in general what about the sweep in women’s individual saber? If we look at the Olympics as a whole, why haven’t we seen great coverage of kayaking or equestrian? If we can become so interested in obscure sports such as gymnastics and swimming why not kayaking or other sports?

It doesn’t really matter. Swimming is just about over. The sharks are about done and the cheetahs begin their hunt. Track and field sets the tone for the second half of the Olympics. Some of the fastest and most gifted people will compete this week. I find special interest in track and field because I’ve competed in many of the events and have at least tried many of the others. Well, maybe except javelin. They never would let a high schooler within a hundred feet of one of those.

I’m sure NBC will be showing a little more of different sports. As the “less interesting” preliminaries finish and we move on to finals they will begin to show more of soccer, tennis, and basketball. It’s just a shame that we had to miss some pretty cool sports and will miss some more.

midwest love: gary, in

I’ve never been to Gary, Indiana. I don’t actually think it is one of those places that people choose to go. I have however passed the city several times going from Chicago to Michigan and back since it borders the bottom of Lake Michigan. You can’t miss the city. Not because it has grand architecture or sits in a hill or valley to view from the highway. No, it is hard to miss because as you pass by the city your nose begins to twinge. That twinge is from the steel and gas factories that co-exist with the city. The smell, although it deters you from stopping to fill up for gasoline in the city, is not the reason why people do not go to Gary.

People don’t go to Gary because it is the pit of the Midwest if not the United States. The town is deteriorating more and more every year and is rattled with crime and violence.

Gary however was not always a place of crime and violence. The city was established actually in 1906 for the sole purpose of U.S. Steel Corporation’s new plant. Much like Detroit during that period it thrived and prospered. In the fifties Detroit began to experience white-flight. In the sixties so did Gary. As the base of economy in Gary began to leave so did its foundation and the city began to stumble. It has never recovered.

book review: what happened

President Bush has made a lot of mistakes while in office. Most of them he won’t even admit he messed up. In many of the major mistakes, such as the war in Iraq, he won’t even acknowledge the possibility that it could be a mistake. The man won’t even flip-flop on the truth and outcome of the war. And now that has left a resounding mark and legacy on his presidency. Ironically, Bush won his second term on the slander that his competitor was a flip-flopper1.

I recently read, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception. The book was publicized as a Bush-bashing book from an insider’s view point. The author, Scott McClellan, former press-secretary for Bush, in his book was not so much bashing-Bush, but the way politics work in the White House. Bush and his cabinet were not the deceivers, but part of a system that deceives. McClellan, later in the book does begin to really criticize Scotty Libby and Karl Rove both who had fallouts in the White House.

The book does go in depth about the war in Iraq and about some of the scandals that revolve around the war. The book also talks about Bush’s mistakes after hurricane Katrina. This was really interesting to read even though it was a sub-point to the book. The book however is not all about Bush. Much of the first half of the book is about McClellan’s upbringing in politics and how he got to be the press secretary for the Bush administration.

Although McClellan is not a writer by trade (which is clear by the style of his writing) the content is interesting and seems to give a clear, honest, and down-to-earth inside look at the Bush administration during his tenure there.

[1] So, flip-flopping was probably not the reason – but I remember it being a big reason why people did not vote for Kerry.

olympics: find the fever

The Olympics start on Friday. Well, at least officially. A few events will start early, including women’s soccer today. On the schedule for tomorrow – men’s soccer. It is fun to see different countries compete for an event. Like others I know, I find some of the events boring - such as badminton or boxing. And like many others, events that I find exciting include track & field and swimming. Other events such as rowing and canoe/kayaking are not as exciting to others, but very exciting to me. Whatever the sport may be it’s hard to know when it is going on, especially with work and our busy lives. Well, until now. The NY Times added an Olympic Tracker with a customizable schedule to find out when every event is going on. Check it out!

Swimming and diving should be fun to watch whether the U.S. wins or not.

Opens and closing events don't need fireworks to make a big impression.

Olympics fever:

NBC Olympics

ESPN

NY Times