Displaying 11,431 To 11,460 Of 11,789 Comments Let’s talk NFL and health care I’m just as home at an art museum, ballet, sports game, or rock concert. I’m weird like that. Obnoxious fans do suck, as do bad seats. I feel in a really weird place on this. I was one of those creative types whom eschewed sports altogether (the whole explicit conformity thing never bode well with me). One guy I worked with right after high school said, oh wait until you’re older. I said, “yeah right”. Now, I don’t live for any team, if I miss a game I miss it – in fact I rarely sit down and watch one unless there’s nothing else on. Can’t sit through baseball at all (it’s like water torture to me), will only watch “my teams” if it’s basketball (or to watch Kobe and the Lakers lose), don’t much care for NFL, except the Superbowl or if one of my teams is doing well, and going to the local university games (there’s not a whole lot to do in downtown Tucson). Quite frankly I know too many people that still can’t stand football, and I feel torn, because before bonding with my dad and learning more about it, I felt the same way. So to women, the thing about sports with guys is twofold. One, it’s father-son bonding, and on another, like when I visited a sort of brother-in-law, part of whose family (not him though) was totally for McCain and Palin, we got off to a really rocky start – at which someone changed the subject to sports – smoothed everything out. Now, I totally got lost, ’cause I don’t really keep up on all the ins and outs and new players and such, but it proved to me once and for all that sports serves a real social purpose for male dynamics (it also has ugly sectarian qualities, too, of course). Needless to say our type of sports interest is indeed very cynical, and nowhere can criticism of jocks and special treatment be more pronounced than from us (and several sports columnists). And on jocks? Part of the reason I’ve learned to love football is to watch jocks getting battered on the field! I’ve an evil schadenfreude streak in me that dates back to when the HS Football team wanted to kick my ass for being “queer” — there again though, it was my best friend and a few others who were on the team that helped defend me. On paying taxes for stadiums, I dunno. I get it, but I’m of another mind, clouded still by my anger over the Seattle Sonics being no more… what can I say, it’s a nostalgic guy thing and a display of regional pride – however silly that might sound. Needless to say though, they should come up with their own money. Don’t tell me with all the corporate sponsorship and tacky stadium names you can’t do it. I know purists will have a hissy fit, but do what team jerseys in European club soccer do. And with stadiums, Quest Field and the old Kingdome were in a industrial port part on the way to Boeing, so it’s not like they were taking away people’s homes (I dunno, maybe the original did, too long ago for me to know – I know the University of Phoenix one is in a residential/farm area though). The businesses that spring up around a stadium sort of speak for themselves, to me. Alice Cooper’s restaurant, similarly, is right behind US Airways Center – and quite frankly, there is NOTHING else in downtown PHX than around the stadiums. In the end, be thankful for sports though. The delinquent players get away with a lot, but the majority are off the streets and being kept busy. That’s how I look at it – it’s a diversion program of sorts, albeit with ridiculously inflated salaries which can cause “mo’ problems”. » Posted By Khirad On December 8, 2009 @ 1:08 pm Parts of the Catalinas are dusted with snow already – and I can see but the tip of Mt. Lemmon, but so far the clouds be just hangin’ low. Makes me miss the PNW on cozy days like these. Hey, UofA over USC! » Posted By Khirad On December 7, 2009 @ 11:23 am Rashomon: Twelve views of President Obama’s visit to Capitol Hill There’s a little revolt right now, everyone page after page demanding the reinstatement of LTTL – and they’re asking for alternatives. Well, I dropped the planet. » Posted By Khirad On December 7, 2009 @ 4:52 pm Yes, I have a lot of synopses and articles to go through tonight and tomorrow. I didn’t get much sleep last night, but I’ll TRY to get an article in in a day or two on them. In any case, they happened, nationwide, to the usual thuggish behavior (and I’m not just talking about the IRI apologists and few suspected Pasdars on HP). » Posted By Khirad On December 7, 2009 @ 4:44 pm They had this thing where the check box was automatically checked for every post to my facebook blog. As far as I know, I don’t have one, so I don’t know if anything ever showed up. I was peeved, to say the least. I didn’t notice it at first, and it became a routine to uncheck it every time. I wrote in and apparently I wasn’t the only one. They no longer do that. I don’t like getting overly political with facebook friends, especially ones who don’t share my politics. And total ditto. Why ON EARTH would I open up my personal life to trolls?! » Posted By Khirad On December 7, 2009 @ 4:27 pm One word: brilliant. » Posted By Khirad On December 6, 2009 @ 11:27 pm Perpetuum Jazzile – Accapella Choir – Ljubljana Slovenia One of my favorite bands is from Ljubljana, however, they are nothing at all like this. 😉 Very interesting country. Had friends whom recently visited, and had a story about eating horse meat. Beat box guy cracked me up. In any case, no feelings hurt for not using a drummer, we kinda get bored in this style. What’s awesome for a choir can be mind-numbing for accompaniment, but choir girls were never so bad of a perk when spacing off. » Posted By Khirad On December 6, 2009 @ 6:34 pm Been meaning to read him but always put it off. » Posted By Khirad On December 5, 2009 @ 11:38 pm Extra! Extra! Read All About It! I get a kick out of these local teabaggers, making the vaguest complaints about Obama and the Constitution, only to be followed by a bevy of hallelujahs for Sheriff Joe. And yes, that is a whole lot of dumbfuck hate in one room adding the ever-douchy Hayworth and that other nut. » Posted By Khirad On December 7, 2009 @ 11:36 am We’re going more purple. If only we could register and get out more of the Latino vote. » Posted By Khirad On December 7, 2009 @ 11:33 am BITO, do you know how to link to a Daily [“Red”] Star article without it asking for registration? BTW, are you Grijalva or Giffords? Just wondering. I still get a kick that Arizona is so well represented here on the Planet. » Posted By Khirad On December 7, 2009 @ 11:31 am The Daily Star throws him in to give us variety from Krauthammer. Thank god for FitzSimmons. See the thing yesterday about the UofA dept lashing back on the “Climategate” thing? » Posted By Khirad On December 7, 2009 @ 11:26 am We have problem with follow through and passionate struggle in our game. And, we generally rely on the European and South American powerhouses to soften other teams up before we play them. I’m not kidding, soccer is poetry. Take this from someone who was more interested in music and books and who hated all sports for the longest time. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 11:01 pm A sweeper scoring! Awesome! Well, you guys didn’t miss out on much, I just happened to catch it. Charlize Theron was drawing the balls lottery style and letting out more of her Afrikaaner accent than usual in announcing. We’re in Group C with England, Algeria and Slovenia. A good draw, I suppose. England’s not the powerhouse it once was. Italy had better though – they’re already in round two for all intents and purposes. I get fanatical about the WC. In addition to sport, there’s a lot of geopolitics and it is absolutely fascinating to me the way their respective team’s play styles reflect their cultural attributes. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 10:02 pm Every Friday. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 9:43 pm I’m glad you showed up! » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 9:42 pm So, I dunno what we’re talking about, but anyone here into soccer/football? See the World Cup group drawings? And, oh yeah, I know they do this yearly, but I saw this in the local paper today: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/02/us/02atheist.html?_r=2 I was out and about tonight. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 9:41 pm As an etymological and social linguistic dabbler, I find this topic quite interesting. I think about such associations and usage histories often. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 9:32 pm It’s time for Liberals and Democrats to join the Teabaggers I totally get what you’re saying. And, what I notice on HP alot, is people (including me – but usually for ulterior reasons) attack people who haven’t gone to college, or are sincer but not wel-informed. Granted, I’ve been burned by some sneaky, disingenuous trolls taking advantage of my good nature, but I still hold that we need more Democrats – and this is what Clinton was so great at, Biden to a lesser extent – that can speak their language. What really irks me about the Teabag movement is the way they’ve usurped this message, and how ass-backwards they get their positions (No socialized medicine – don’t take away my Medicare). And how they’ve taken an anxiety and resentments we all feel, hijacked it, and woven it in with Birther and abolish taxes hogwash. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 10:10 pm Damn straight. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 10:03 pm There is light at the end of the Jihad tunnel Shocker that this gets no play. Just like all the fatwas in the Middle East and South Asia denouncing terrorism got no play after 9/11, just like, no matter the Green Movement in Iran, the meme of no moderate Muslims standing up still prevalent. Cover your ears children, lest your preconceived notions be moderated by nuance. Why would anyone want to hear even a shred of evidence which challenges their absolutist view that not only is there a serious problem in the Muslim world with extremism (which there is, as is there to a lesser extent within Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity, too) but that Islam is an evil, fanatical, illogical and inherently violent religion incapable of such reason and compromise? *Not to be critical, but this was Libyan — not Lebanese. I assume it was a typo. 😉 » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 9:29 pm Damn those Ducks! I wanted revenge! » Posted By Khirad On December 3, 2009 @ 10:32 pm In that spirit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzV3Ubo9z5M&feature=related But, the shamisen alone can get to me, as well, depending on the piece. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 11:09 pm I have an unfair advantage, given a good portion of my movies are musicals. From an old classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HijuQ_ZpfXE From a new classic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B3u6-lNsYw In Indian music, I find that Western music is put to shame. I can’t think of a song that can express selfless love so sweetly, without pretense, and the pain of longing like the latter so viscerally. The term of heartstrings really opens itself unto me in such songs as this. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 10:48 pm Me too. » Posted By Khirad On December 4, 2009 @ 10:14 pm Andrew Sullivan Officially Leaving the Right So, any thoughts on this and Andrew’s take on Trig?
» Posted By Khirad On December 9, 2009 @ 5:13 am Agreed. I appreciate his staid approach. » Posted By Khirad On December 9, 2009 @ 5:10 am Fun catch. And best wishes from me as well on the finals. » Posted By Khirad On December 3, 2009 @ 9:58 pm I guess that’s what puts him in another category. He seems to me like someone who SHOULD know better. » Posted By Khirad On December 3, 2009 @ 9:56 pm They’re all abut Rand now. I don’t know if anyone saw the Stewart interview with her biographer, but he pointed out all the ironies in FOX and the GOP embracing her. True her juvenile writings work only within their own construct (like a science fiction novel on another planet with different laws of gravity, atmospheric makeup and biology – in short, fantasy), and she was intolerably preachy; but she was an atheist and for her time, I’d argue a feminist. George F. Will is about all they have left high profile – and he completely lost it with his Roony-esque bit on blue jeans. There’s a woman who got blasted for writing anti-Palin op-eds from Town Hall – what was her name?! – whom I’d add to the list of the few reasonable ones out there, your Peggy Noonan type – still ideological, but showing that by today’s standards Nixonites and Reagonites are downright reasonable. David Brooks is a puzzle to me though, a little like Olympia Snowe. For goodness sake just ditch them already. But it isn’t surprising that with someone like William F. Buckley Jr, who could eloquently and coherently present his views, in a way that even though I disagreed with his argument’s foundational premises, were thought provoking nonetheless. I’m admittedly only going off a few pieces I ever read and his debate with Noam Chomsky, but I had deep respect for him still and awe of his erudition – while, this bears repeating – disagreeing with him. » Posted By Khirad On December 3, 2009 @ 9:55 pmComments Posted By Khirad
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