Saturday, May 18, 2013

Political blogging ... a final word.

The age old rhetorical question: What social/political/economic etc. problem(s) in America are solved by political blogging?

Indeed, hopefully on a good day political blogs are entertaining as this is the only thing a political blog can hope to "offer". Whereas the dailykos does political fundraising helping liberals get elected, most conservative/liberal blogs are only concerned w/"fund raising" for said blog owner. America, what a country!

Basically, no one's political position has ever been altered by political blogging. In fact, it has the opposite effect ie the echo chamber of most blogs just reinforces one's personal prejudices/biases.

And unfortunately, you can categorize cable news/political radio/newspapers in the same category as political blogging. A quest in amateurish futility as cable news/political radio/newspapers failed miserably re: Bush43's unwarranted/incompetent/inept/unconstitutional Iraq War.

And so it goes ...

Friday, March 19, 2010

To The Moon ~ Ohio's Journey (2009) ~ WKYC special to commemorate the 40th anniversary of man landing on the moon ...

A new lab is built in Cleveland and begins research into space travel.

NASA is created as the space race between America and Russia heats up. Project Mercury puts the first American into orbit, Ohio's John Glenn.

NASA Lewis researches the fuel that has the potential to take astronauts to the Moon.

Two Ohio-born astronauts make significant contributions to Project Gemini to teach Americans how to work in space.

Ohio astronauts make great strides during Project Apollo and man walks on the Moon.

Apollo 13 becomes America's first disaster in space.

Glenn, Lovell and Armstrong become the inspiration for the next generation of Ohio astronauts.

The Space Shuttle program sees John Glenn's return to space.


Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Tommie Smith and John Carlos ~ 2008 Arthur Ashe Courage Award ~ Espys

Part 1



YouTube

Part 2



YouTube

Was a freshman in high school in 1968. The Mexico City Olympics started on Oct. 12 1968, later than usual. Closing ceremonies, Oct.27.

What I remember:

It was the 1st summer olympics to have mass coverage, 44 hours, the sports television era having come of age and there wasn't a substantial time difference so most events were covered live.

In the high altitude of Mexico City, Bob Beamon setting the long jump world record by over "(2) feet" at 29 ft 2 1/2 in. which stood for 23 years.

Lee Evans setting the 400 meter world record of 43:86, the first man to break the 44 sec. barrier. His record stood for over 20 years and anchoring the 4 x 400 relay team setting a world record of 2:56:16 which stood for over 34 years! This was one of the surest bets in sports history. At that time the U.S. had the top (8) 400 meter runners in the world.

And George Foreman waving the small American flag after he won the gold medal in heavyweight boxing. He was called an Uncle Tom at the time by some black athletes/activists, but I liked George, even before he transformed himself into America's favorite burger cooker, but I always liked Muhammad Ali more, but George was ok, I digress.

Of course, racial tensions were extremely high in 1968. Martin Luther King assassinated, race riots, LBJ deciding not to run for a second term, Bobby Kennedy assassinated and then the olympics, when supposedly the world comes together as one. 1968, not so much and then on Oct. 16, 1968, Tommie and John raising their fists in silent protest for 400 years of American oppression against African-Americans and being banished from the olympics by pro nazi racist, Avery Brundidge ~ oh the irony, hopefully Brundidge is rotting in hell!

1968 Summer Olympics

Controversies

On October 2, 1968, ten days before the start of the 1968 Summer Olympics the Plaza de las Tres Culturas was the scene of the Tlatelolco massacre, in which more than 300 student protesters were killed by army and police. After the event, the International Olympic Committee held an urgent meeting to consider cancelling the games.

Main article: 1968 Olympics Black Power salute

On October 16, 1968, an action by two Black US sprinters at the Mexico City Olympics shook the sporting world.

Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the gold and bronze medalists in the men's 200-meter race, took their places on the podium for the medal ceremony barefooted and wearing civil rights buttons, lowered their heads and each defiantly raised a black-gloved fist as the Star Spangled Banner was played. Both of them were members of the Olympic Project for Human Rights.

Some people (particularly IOC president Avery Brundage) felt that a political statement had no place in the international forum of the Olympic Games. In an immediate response to their actions, Smith and Carlos were suspended from the U.S. team by Brundage and banned from the Olympic Village. Those who opposed the protest said the actions disgraced all Americans. Supporters, on the other hand, praised the men for their bravery.

Peter Norman, the Australian sprinter who came second in the 200 m race, and Martin Jellinghaus, a member of the German bronze medal-winning 1600-meter relay team, also wore Olympic Project for Human Rights buttons at the games to show support for the suspended American sprinters.

In another incident, while standing on the medal podium after the balance beam event final, Czechoslovakian gymnast Věra Čáslavská quietly turned her head down and away during the playing of the Soviet national anthem. The action was Čáslavská's silent protest against the recent Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and was repeated when she accepted her medal for her floor exercise routine. While Čáslavská's countrymen supported her actions and her outspoken opposition to Communism (she had publicly signed and supported Ludvik Vaculik's "Two Thousand Words" manifesto), the new regime responded by banning her from both sporting events and international travel for many years.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

H.L. Mencken 1920 quote ...

"As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

http://jpetrie.myweb.uga.edu/mencken.html
http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/mencken.asp

So Mencken predicted George W. Bush being appointed president (80) years before it happened ~ Oh the humanity!

Bush is the perfect example of the Peter Principle ~ "You rise to your level of incompetence!"