Sunday, April 25, 2010

NFL Draft

The NFL Draft came and went this weekend. Here are my thoughts:
Tim Tebow was drifted in the first round by Denver. Talk about getting hit by the "Mac truck" of reality. He goes from a situation from where he was treated like Jesus Christ to one where he will be in the shadow of none other than John Elway. Unless he can win Super Bowl(s) and have the same number, and lead the team in 4th quarter comebacks like number 7 did he won't ever be looked upon in the same light.

The Patriots showed a lot of arrogance by trading draft picks all over the place like they knew what they were doing. I really don't think after the disastrous playoff game they don't have a lot of deal making capital and they have to take advantage the best opportunities in the draft to do this. At least there is still time to make some free agent moves.

Arizona SB 1070

The Governor of Arizona signed into the SB 1070 bill this weekend which would allow law enforcement to question the immigration status of anyone in the state by asking for ID randomly. Critics of the bill say that it would encourage profiling by officials. I understand where they need to crack down on those crossing the borders. However, there should be some cause to check an immigration status rather than just randomly. I believe this bill will be amended as time goes on as the State of Arizona will need to make sure it is effective. Having said that, I am sure that it will go to the Supreme Court because the basics guidelines could severely encroach on civil liberties.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Oklahoma City bombing 15 years later

Fifteen years ago today the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City by domestic terrorist Tim McVeigh killing 168 people. At the time it was the worst terrorist attack on American soil and it was especially saddening that Americans would do something like that. Make no mistake that our biggest terror threat is the Middle East, however with the polarization in government that we are seeing one can wonder if it can escalate to a more serious and deadly level of violence.

Most importantly, it is important to honor the memory of those that perished in the attack.

Boston Marathon

Today was the 114th running of the Boston Marathon. This is always one of my favorite sporting events of the year and would always get excited about watching it as a little kid. It seems like almost every year I know someone that is running in it. This year one of my high school friends/classmates ran it in 3 hours 11 minutes, 7 minutes 26 seconds per mile pace. I cannot picture myself running shorter distance races at that pace. I am quite impressed with that!

There were several runners that could not get over to run due to the volcano eruption. That must be a disappointment given the training that goes into it. Overall it is always a special day in Boston. As for the Red Sox game that day, they better not play themselves out of the race this quickly.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Tea Party

The Tea Party came to Washington with another one of their protests and this time there was no 5k road race to distract them! It is fairly obvious they are a fringe movement that most voters usually do not take seriously when they go to the polls to vote. However the organization and message have gotten so much press attention, (added to that it is a growing movement) the Democrats need to be very concerned about their role in the upcoming election. The tea party is going to add to campaign operatives, influence message, and actively campaign and endorse candidates in close elections. Message to Democrats-don't discount the Tea Party.

Volcano plume

A volcanic eruption in Iceland is spreading ash across the skies in Northern Europe causing flights in six continents to and from Europe to be cancelled as they cannot fly through volcanic ash. This is frustrating as there are not that many flights from Europe to other parts of the world as there are to the United States.

At this point it is mostly northern Europe that is affected. Cities like Madrid, Rome and Athens aren't at this point. My question is why they can't send more flights to cities in Southern Europe and then require travelers to take trains. Europe has such an effective rail system that taking the train from one city to another is not a major hardship. It might result in taking overnight trains but if that is the alternative travelers will have to deal with it. is it possible for any of the flights to circumvent the Great Circle Route or does the ash travel not make a difference?

Monday, April 12, 2010

Masters

Phil Mickelson won the Masters on Sunday with a dominating three stroke win over Lee Westwood. He had a birdie putt on 12 and a clutch second shot from the pine needles on the 13th hole. This win had huge significance as he has had to take care of his wife and mother as both have been battling breast cancer. You could say this win was "for the family" as Jim Nantz put it. It was also his first major since he melted down at the US Open in 2006. Many had wondered if he would go into a downward spiral as far as the majors were concerned after that collapsed. While I would like to see him win a US Open, no matter what happens this will always be significant and he will definitely go down as one of the best in the game with four majors, three of which are Masters titles.

Tragedy in Poland

Condolences to the people of Poland and those of Polish descent on the death of their president Lech Kaczynski, his wife and 42 government officials. It happened near the site of the Katyn massacre, where Polish soldiers were killed by Russians. They were going there to mark the 70th anniversary of the massacre. My initial thought on the tragedy was why there were so many government officials on board. One has to wonder about the continuity of the Polish government.

Family in town

The family came to town this weekend. Although they missed the cherry blossoms the weather more than made up for it and they always appreciate being in DC and seeing the monuments. It is something you do not get to do in Northern Massachusetts. We saw the monuments and Ted Kennedy's grave as well as ate at our favorite restaurant, Old Ebbitt Grill. It seems like many of the stuff we do is deja vu but at least we have set plans. I myself don't have time to plan an elaborate trip. We capped it off with dinner at Crystal City Sports Pub and watched the Masters. More on that in a later post. Weekends like this go too fast but we can always look forward to the next one.

Confederate History Month

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell declared April to be Confederate History Month in order to celebrate the fight of the Confederacy for states rights and sovereignty and have a slave economy. First of all acknowledging this dark moment in our history is taking a huge step back in a state that is making a lot of progress. Secondly, in his declaration he failed to mention slavery which implied that he is recognizing their right to have a slave society. Slavery was huge stain on American history and should not be celebrated or recognized by any administration. Great job taking us back, Governor McDonnell.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Opening week of baseball

Spring is here and baseball is back! Everyone is optimistic about a trip to the World Series. October is a long ways off but not time to worry about that-after a long winter we can enjoy nice weather and being outdoors!

National championship game

The national championship game in men's basketball featured Cinderella Butler, playing in their hometown taking on perennial power Duke. It seemed as if the stage was set for a historic finish with a mid major conference finally winning a national championship. Butler stayed with Duke for the entire game and had a chance to win with a mid court buzzer beater attempt which rimmed out. Duke won 61-59 to give Coach K his fourth national title. While a lot of people are were heartbroken, Butler set the bar for mid majors and they will continue to be a major factor in the NCAA Tournament. I believe that someday one of them will break the glass ceiling and win a championship.

Week in review

Sorry for the lack of posts. It has been a busy week. Here is a recap of various news events that have happened over the past week.

Obama Allows for Offshore Drilling-This doesn't surprise me. Although he broke a campaign promise, he did not break another that being reaching out to Republicans. I believe some steps need to be made to reduce our dependence on offshore drilling and this, unfortunately for environmentalists, is one of them. While he had a victory on healthcare, nothing is guaranteed for votes on energy and other initiatives that he wants to get through. He will most likely need Republican votes in order to get these done.

West Virginia mine tragedy-This is sad with 25 miners dead. Although mine safety has come under scrutiny there is little that you can do to ensure safety that far deep into the earth. One will wonder if this century Americans will reduce their dependence on coal.